Chapter 521: Conquest of Seoul (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 521: Conquest of Seoul (8)
Royal Guard Captain Park Gang-su.
Just as the rumors whispered, he had been hiding his true strength.
Although he had long possessed the qualifications of an S-Rank hunter, President Kim Jeong-tae had kept Park Gang-su's abilities hidden from the world. Officially, the only S-Rank hunter in South Korea was the Mage in White. Revealing Park Gang-su's strength would have undoubtedly boosted the nation's overall power, but Kim Jeong-tae preferred to keep him in the shadows. He prioritized his own absolute safety over the national interest.
He was the counterweight to Park Min-woo.
He had been kept in reserve just in case the Mage in White ever harbored treacherous thoughts. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to reveal his strength against an entirely different entity. The problem was that his opponent was strong beyond all common sense. People referred to the S-Rank as a realm beyond the heavens, but even as an S-Rank himself, Park Gang-su could not fathom the limits of Roman Dmitry.
His senses screamed in warning.
Watching Roman Dmitry slaughter the soldiers, Park Gang-su knew this was an opponent he could never defeat with his strength alone.
‘His past actions, and now this sight of him slaughtering over a thousand soldiers in an instant... Roman Dmitry is clearly a monster far stronger than me. Even if the Royal Guards and I throw ourselves at him, victory isn't guaranteed. Fortunately, we have Sword Ghost Xiao Long on our side. If we set the stage and Xiao Long delivers the finishing blow, even a monster this powerful isn't completely invincible.’
Shing.
He drew his sword.
Xiao Long's presence alone was worth a thousand armies.
People referred to the period of China's division as the Age of Great Chaos, and the man famed for slaughtering a hundred thousand men during that era was none other than Xiao Long. The moniker "Sword Ghost" was proof of his skill. Before swearing fealty to the Chinese Emperor, he had been a wild beast—a monster who had never tasted defeat, save at the hands of the Emperor himself. With two S-Rank hunters present on this battlefield, Park Gang-su believed they stood a solid chance against Roman Dmitry.
He took a deep breath.
Keeping a sharp eye on Roman Dmitry, he signaled the Royal Guards.
"The opponent is an enemy of South Korea. By order of the President, we will risk our lives to eliminate him!"
"We obey your command!"
"We obey your command!"
Clank.
Clank, clank, clank.
The atmosphere turned heavy and menacing.
Watching Roman Dmitry intently, Park Gang-su sent a secret voice transmission to Xiao Long using a magic artifact.
‘The Royal Guards and I will strike first. We will create an opening by any means necessary, so please deliver the finishing blow when the opportunity arises. We will only get one chance. He is a monster who felled an S-Rank monster in a single blow; the moment we let our guard down, we could be the ones who end up dead.’
Xiao Long nodded.
The stage was set.
Gradually closing the distance, Park Gang-su suddenly unleashed an explosive burst of mana.
‘I'll go all out from the very beginning.’
"Bombardment!"
Rumble!
Crack-crack-crack!
It was Park Gang-su's full power.
He charged forward at blinding speed, activating his trump card skill.
Under the influence of Bombardment, his internal mana exploded furiously. With every step Park Gang-su took, the earth overturned, and jagged stone spikes erupted from all directions. It was an astonishing, eye-widening assault, like a barrage of missiles raining down from the sky. Park Gang-su swept toward Roman Dmitry from the front, while the Royal Guards fanned out to attack simultaneously from every other direction.
A single clash.
The battle would be decided in an instant.
Park Gang-su envisioned the perfect picture: cornering Roman Dmitry like this, only for Xiao Long to step in and finish the job.
However.
Roman Dmitry did not retreat.
It was a dangerous choice.
No matter how strong he was, taking Park Gang-su's Bombardment head-on would inevitably inflict massive damage. A smirk played on Park Gang-su's lips. If Roman Dmitry was going to be this careless, their chances of victory would only soar.
At that moment.
‘Heavenly Demon Sword Technique - Mid-Phase, First Form.’
Flash.
Roman thrust his sword forward.
The moment his blade swung toward the incoming enemies, a sight unfolded that defied belief.
Boom!
Crash! Rumble!
Everyone's eyes widened in sheer shock.
A single strike.
With that single strike, the Royal Guards were completely obliterated.
* * *
To be precise, only one person remained.
Only Park Gang-su survived.
And it wasn't because he had withstood the attack with his own strength.
The moment it clashed with the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique, the power of Bombardment was unilaterally torn to shreds. Roman Dmitry had intentionally adjusted his strength just enough to keep Park Gang-su alive. Yet, calling him "alive" was a stretch. Park Gang-su gasped for breath, his face drenched in blood, as Roman Dmitry grabbed him by the throat.
Grab.
"Gurgle... Urgh..."
He choked.
As Roman Dmitry lifted him into the air by his neck, Park Gang-su flailed his legs, presenting a pathetic sight.
The reality before his eyes...
It was unbelievable.
Bombardment was the trump card skill that had elevated him to S-Rank, and the hundreds of hunters making up the Royal Guards were by no means weak. Yet, the entire force had been wiped out in a single blow. When he first heard that Roman Dmitry blew off a Green Dragon's head in one strike, Park Gang-su had firmly believed there must have been some special trick involved rather than a simple difference in raw power. It was the only way to explain such an impossible feat. But now that he was experiencing Roman Dmitry firsthand, the truth finally became clear.
An overwhelming disparity in power.
That was how the Green Dragon's head had been blown off.
It wasn't due to some special compatibility, variables, or external factors. Roman Dmitry was simply a monster on an entirely different dimension.
Hovering on the boundary of life and death.
Through his fading consciousness, Roman Dmitry's cold voice drifted in.
"There is a type of human I despise the most. Those who are utterly weak against external enemies, yet act strong and tyrannical toward the people who trust and follow them. That is exactly what the Central Government and you are. If South Korea actually possessed far greater power than what was known to the world..."
"Agh! Aaagh!"
Creak, crack.
His neck was slowly twisted.
Park Gang-su screamed in agonizing pain.
"You should have used that power for the safety of this nation. Instead of pointing your swords at internal enemies like the rebel faction, you should have looked after the country's well-being from the start so that a rebellion would never have needed to happen. You deserve to die. I show no mercy to worthless scum like you."
Snap.
He snapped his neck.
The struggling Park Gang-su went completely limp.
Roman Dmitry tossed Park Gang-su's corpse aside and spoke to Xiao Long, who was staring at him.
"This battle is not something you should interfere in. Make your choice. If you side with the Central Government and choose to oppose me, your decision will turn all of China into my enemy."
Kim Jeong-tae stood dazed, his expression blank.
The total annihilation of the Royal Guards...
It was shocking.
He knew Roman Dmitry was an overwhelming monster, but even so, this was beyond comprehension.
China was one of the world's leading superpowers.
Hearing him dare to threaten them so casually, Kim Jeong-tae simply could not comprehend Roman Dmitry's way of thinking.
But then.
"I apologize."
Kim Jeong-tae's eyes widened.
He doubted his own ears.
He whipped his head around to look at Xiao Long, only to see the man bowing his head deeply.
"It seems we have made a grave misjudgment. China has absolutely no intention of opposing Roman Dmitry's South Korea, and we will withdraw our forces immediately. Please forgive my foolish judgment."
Xiao Long.
His attitude had completely flipped.
* * *
Xiao Long's reputation.
It was no empty rumor.
He had truly slaughtered a hundred thousand men, and he was a universally acknowledged master ranked among the top five in China.
Just moments ago.
He had listened to the Royal Guard Captain's plan.
It wasn't a bad idea.
Since they offered to sacrifice themselves first to create an opening, Xiao Long had no reason to refuse.
‘The moment an opening appears, I will strike with everything I have.’
Grip.
He had gripped his sword tightly.
Channeling his mana, he had watched the situation unfold with rapt attention.
But then.
He witnessed a shocking sight.
With just a single strike from Roman Dmitry, the Royal Guards were instantly obliterated.
"...W-what in the world..."
He was astounded.
He was so shocked that he couldn't even speak properly.
It wasn't simply because of the overwhelming destructive power.
There was a truth about China that the public did not know.
A very long time ago, a world called Murim existed in China, but as time passed, it vanished for unknown reasons. Then, ten years ago, when the Great Disaster struck and plunged China into the Age of Great Chaos, a man claiming to be a descendant of Murim appeared and achieved the monumental feat of unifying all of China.
He was the current Emperor of China.
The Emperor had secretly passed down martial arts, and within ten years, China had rapidly built up a military force worthy of a superpower. In truth, while it was called a secret, the other superpowers already knew. China framed it as the power of an Inheritor, but in reality, a new Murim was being forged under the Emperor.
Xiao Long, too, was a descendant of Murim.
That was how he had grown strong enough to be called the Sword Ghost, though he had eventually been defeated by the Emperor and sworn his loyalty to him.
That was why he recognized it instantly.
Roman Dmitry's power.
It was an incredible martial art.
It wasn't some "skill" like what people talked about; there was a clear, systematic flow to how he channeled and unleashed his mana.
Goosebumps broke out all over his skin.
How on earth had Roman Dmitry mastered martial arts?
While there was no way to know the truth, one thing was certain: Roman Dmitry's martial arts were at a level that could easily overwhelm the Emperor. The Chinese Emperor was universally acknowledged as the strongest. If a man existed who possessed martial arts that surpassed even his, those who claimed to be descendants of Murim could not afford to make an enemy out of Roman Dmitry. Beyond mere raw power, Murim practitioners placed immense value on legitimacy and lineage. For that reason, Xiao Long concluded that he must never oppose Roman Dmitry. As the saying goes, one only sees as much as they know. While Park Gang-su had merely thought of Roman Dmitry as strong, Xiao Long's eyes saw a martial art that touched a realm beyond the heavens.
Therefore.
"I apologize."
He took a step back.
He changed his stance.
Though the truth remained unclear, what he had witnessed with his own eyes provided more than enough justification for this decision.
Xiao Long's decision.
It was utterly devastating news for Kim Jeong-tae.
* * *
Kim Jeong-tae was furious.
With a flushed, angry face, he demanded answers from Xiao Long.
"What is the meaning of this? Withdrawing your forces? Are you unilaterally tearing up the treaty between South Korea and China?"
This matter.
There was plenty of ground to take issue with it.
It was a unilateral betrayal by China, and international agreements were never handled in such a disgraceful manner.
However.
Xiao Long looked even angrier.
"Do you still not understand the situation? How on earth do you expect us to handle a monster like that? And above all, looking at how things are unfolding, the rebel faction has more than enough justification. We intervened hastily without knowing this, and we will take proper responsibility for it later. But there will be no future discussions with you. South Korea will fall under Roman Dmitry's rule anyway, so I have no reason to explain myself to you any further."
Swish.
He turned on his heel.
He had no desire to linger here and give Roman Dmitry a reason to attack him.
"We are withdrawing. Lord Roman Dmitry, I apologize once again. We will contact you through official channels later."
It was the moment the rebellion was brought to a decisive close.
The annihilation of the Royal Guards.
The retreat of China.
Kim Jeong-tae was pushed to the edge of the cliff.
Only then did he truly see Roman Dmitry.
Standing tall amidst the scattered corpses, Roman Dmitry looked terrifying. Kim Jeong-tae took a step back, his face pale with fright.
"...I-I can't die like this. If I die, South Korea will fall!"
He fled.
Taking one step back to take two steps forward.
He believed there was still a chance.
Only Yeongdeungpo had fallen; his forces were still scattered across the rest of Seoul.
Kim Jeong-tae scrambled to get as far away from Roman Dmitry as possible.
However.
"Do not run away."
"If you are right, then prove it."
The citizens of Seoul.
They blocked his path.
While some had praised Kim Jeong-tae, there were certainly those in Seoul who opposed him.
"We never supported your decision to exclude the provinces. Because of you, executing and exiling everyone who spoke the truth, we had to watch our words even while living in a democratic nation. President Kim Jeong-tae. No, Mr. Kim Jeong-tae. Take responsibility for what you have done. At least preserve your final shred of pride as the president of this country."
"Urgh!"
Kim Jeong-tae's face flushed red with rage.
He snatched a weapon from the ground.
Raising the sword high, he swung it with all his might to strike down the citizen, but strangely, the blade did not budge an inch.
Grip.
Goosebumps broke out over his skin.
He felt a presence right behind him.
...No way.
With trembling eyes, he slowly looked back.
In that instant.
His heart sank into his stomach.
Roman Dmitry.
The monster was holding the bare blade with his bare hand, looking down at Kim Jeong-tae with a freezing, icy gaze.