Chapter 523: Conquest of Seoul (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 523: Conquest of Seoul (10)
Roman Dmitry had appeared.
There was no time to think of anything else.
Jo Dal-su and Moon Tae-jun exchanged a frantic glance. Without a word, they threw themselves down, slamming their heads against the ground.
"We are truly sorry! Please, forgive us just this once!"
"We were blind! We failed to recognize Lord Roman Dmitry and committed a grave offense. We are deeply repenting for our actions! If you would just show us mercy with a heart as vast as the ocean, we will spend the rest of our lives in penance. We will dedicate our lives to you and surrender everything we own!"
Their voices bled with desperation. Faced with the immediate reality of death, they discarded every shred of pride and begged for their lives.
They just wanted to live.
Roman Dmitry didn't spare them a single glance. As they poured out their pathetic desire to survive, he showed absolutely zero interest.
"Park Min-woo. Report the current situation."
"As expected, Geumcheon-gu failed to suppress the Monster Wave. Currently, the district is under siege by monsters, and with the retreat of the Chinese reinforcements, they have been pushed to the brink. Jo Dal-su and Moon Tae-jun attempted to flee when they realized the battle was lost, but I anticipated their movements and cut off their escape route."
"Understood. With China's retreat and Kim Jeong-tae's death, the war is already over. Before we purge the remaining enemies, we will first resolve the Monster Wave to secure the safety of the citizens."
It was a rational command.
A decision made for the safety of South Korea. Yet, Park Min-woo felt a pang of disappointment.
"...What should we do with these sinners?"
He had thought Roman Dmitry would be pleased. He had expected Roman to joyfully decapitate Jo Dal-su and Moon Tae-jun on the spot for their insolence. Yet, Roman didn't even look at them. Realizing his 'gift' had fallen completely flat, Park Min-woo's excitement cooled as quickly as it had ignited.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"As soon as South Korea's safety is secured, we will hold a public execution for the war criminals. Jo Dal-su and Moon Tae-jun will also be held accountable for their crimes there."
"Ah..."
Jo Dal-su let out a hollow groan.
A public execution.
The words struck like a bolt from the blue. Knowing Roman Dmitry was not a man to ever take back his words, Jo Dal-su's grip on sanity shattered in an instant.
Looking back, this entire war had been sparked by Jo Dal-su and Moon Tae-jun.
If they had recognized Roman Dmitry's true worth and established a relationship with him earlier, or if the Central Government had shown even a belated effort to compromise, they might not have met this end. But regret always came too late. By the time they realized the terrifying truth about Roman Dmitry, Kim Jeong-tae's head had already been severed.
And Roman had absolutely no intention of forgiving Jo Dal-su and Moon Tae-jun.
Just like Kim Jeong-tae, they were remnants of a rotting past.
For South Korea to march toward a new future, they had to die.
Roman Dmitry took a step forward and casually remarked, "Well done. If the war criminals had successfully sought asylum as planned, there would have been noise from the very start of our new beginning."
It was a simple, dry remark.
Yet, Park Min-woo's eyes widened.
Well done.
He was being praised.
It felt like fireworks were exploding in his head. His lips twitched wildly as he struggled to suppress a grin.
"Thank you! I will lead the way. A mere Monster Wave—I will sweep it away in an instant!"
Park Min-woo ran ahead, brimming with excitement. To him, the grand resolution of karma was merely a secondary concern.
* * *
The situation was resolved in a flash.
Roman Dmitry secured South Korea's safety by obliterating the Monster Wave in Geumcheon-gu, while the remaining enemy forces raised white flags the moment news of Kim Jeong-tae's death spread. They had hoped that a voluntary surrender might earn them Roman Dmitry's mercy. Contrary to their expectations, they were immediately bound with ropes and dragged to the execution platform.
Roman Dmitry ordered all local leaders to attend the execution.
Thus, a massive crowd, including the mayors of various cities, gathered at Yeongdeungpo Square—the very place where Kim Jeong-tae had met his end.
Among them were Cha Young-min, the Mayor of Busan, and Lee Myung-hwan, the Mayor of Ulsan.
"...It is truly astonishing. When Lord Roman Dmitry first said he would face the Central Government using only the strength of Incheon, I thought it was an incredibly reckless decision. Yet, in just a few days, he has produced such an overwhelming result. I almost wonder if I am dreaming right now."
"Indeed. In a war where even China intervened, Lord Roman Dmitry achieved an absolute victory."
They were in awe.
The local governments had placed their faith in Roman Dmitry. They had judged that with the monstrous martial prowess he displayed, there was a good chance of victory. However, because his power belonged to the realm of the absurd, anxiety had gnawed at them until the final results were confirmed.
Confined to their respective cities, they had imagined the worst-case scenario: Incheon being wiped out by the Central Government due to Roman Dmitry's arrogant choice not to mobilize the local governments. If that had happened, they would have been doomed. The Central Government would never forgive those who sided with the rebels, and the flames of war would have swept through Busan and Ulsan, the cities that had led the rebellion.
Goosebumps broke out across their skin just thinking about it. They hadn't been able to sit still. Since their lives depended entirely on Roman Dmitry, they had spent the days staring out their windows, praying for his victory.
And not long after, the shocking news arrived.
Upon receiving the summons to attend the execution, a profound wave of relief washed over them, accompanied by a deep, reverent awe toward Roman Dmitry. He was a monster. He possessed power beyond human measure, and this series of events only cemented their trust in him. He was a man of his word. He had saved the local governments from the threat of monsters, and he had proven the sincerity of his seemingly absurd plan to overthrow the Central Government and build a new South Korea by taking Kim Jeong-tae's head.
Their trust was solidified.
They believed in him completely.
If he was a man who treated his promises as if they were worth a thousand pieces of gold, he was fully worthy of their loyalty in building a new future together.
Yeongdeungpo Square.
The mayors of every city were in attendance, without a single exception.
In their line of sight, the district council members of Seoul—men once hailed as the absolute symbols of power—were kneeling upon the execution platform.
It was the ultimate irony of life.
The tables had completely turned.
Only a short while ago, those kneeling men held the power of life and death over them. Now, the mayors simply felt grateful to be in the position of onlookers.
Right then—
"Lord Roman Dmitry is arriving!"
"Make way!"
The protagonist of the execution had arrived.
Roman Dmitry appeared, parting the sea of people.
* * *
The execution.
This was the moment that would truly put an end to the war.
Roman Dmitry showed the masses exactly how brutal the consequences of war were, without filtering a single drop of blood.
"These are the people who clung like parasites, thinking only of their own safety, even though they knew Kim Jeong-tae was unjust and that this country was heading down the wrong path. By executing them, I declare the end of the war."
Srrk.
He raised his sword.
He took charge of the execution personally. Rather than staining a subordinate's hands with blood, he took the burden entirely upon himself.
The council members fell into a blind panic. The councilman who had the sword hovering directly over his neck screamed, his face completely drained of blood.
"W-wasn't it said that if we surrendered, our lives would be spared? I heard the soldiers are being let off, so why are you handing down such a harsh punishment to us? If you kill all of us like this, there is no future for Seoul! For the sake of the future, please, show a shred of mercy to people like us!"
When putting down a rebellion, these were the words that always followed.
Cruel. Harsh. Why must you go so far?
In front of the watching crowd, Roman Dmitry declared his resolve.
"Long ago, there was a supreme martial artist whom everyone acknowledged. He possessed immense martial power and an outstanding character, so he showed mercy even to his enemies if they repented. Nine out of ten of them lived new lives. They never showed their faces before him again. But a single individual harbored malice and set fire to the house where the strongman resided. Thus, the strongman met a horrific death, his entire body consumed by flames.
"This is why I do not show mercy on the battlefield. I do not allow even a one-in-a-million chance. Now that the war is over, the soldiers who had no decision-making power will be spared, but the leaders must bear the full responsibility. Whether you might sincerely repent is irrelevant. I am simply eliminating any variables you might cause."
The strongman.
He had been a prominent figure of the Righteous Faction. People remembered him as a great man, but Roman Dmitry only used him as a cautionary tale.
"Of course, depending on their deeds, there are those who will lose their lives alongside you. Investigator Moon Tae-jun is one of them. He abused his position as an investigator to oppress people and plunge countless lives into misery."
Jo Dal-su and Moon Tae-jun.
He looked down at them. They trembled violently, seized by mortal terror. Even if they were not decision-making council members, anyone who had committed severe crimes like Moon Tae-jun had been dragged to the execution platform.
"When you committed your atrocities, what were you thinking? It probably didn't matter to you. You must have thought that no matter what problems arose, your own safety wouldn't be threatened, so it was fine. I am the same. I have power, and I will gladly bear whatever consequences come from summarily executing sinners. Therefore..."
Gulp.
Someone in the crowd swallowed hard.
They were overwhelmed.
It was a completely unfamiliar logic. To those who had lived their entire lives as the weak, the words Roman Dmitry spoke carried an immense, crushing weight.
"Sinners, die here today."
Slash!
Thud!
* * *
Roman Dmitry stepped down from the execution platform.
His face was splattered with blood, but he didn't bother to wipe away the dripping crimson droplets.
Kim Jun-hyeok approached and spoke.
"...If you had spared a few whose crimes were minor, it might have appeased the public sentiment."
Immediately after Kim Jeong-tae's execution, Roman Dmitry had won the hearts of the masses. But now, even though he had spared the common soldiers, the sight of him slaughtering all the council members caused ripples of anxiety to spread among the citizens.
To them, such a brutal leader was unprecedented. They understood what Roman Dmitry was trying to say, and they knew the sinners had committed crimes worthy of death, but the sight of bound prisoners having their heads severed one by one was a visceral shock.
Roman Dmitry said, "There is something you must keep in mind in the new South Korea. I am a leader who fulfills his duties and responsibilities; I do not wish to be a leader who is loved by everyone. If someone commits a crime—even if that person is you—I will not hesitate to sever their head. If we allow special precedents for those who commit crimes, it will leave too much leeway for people when they stand at a crossroads of choice in the future. I have simply set a clear standard, and it is only natural for people to react by calling it harsh."
Two lives.
He had lived fiercely in both of them. He knew better than anyone that in a chaotic world, soft standards only plunged people into even greater suffering.
"A civil war is a conflict where people of the same blood kill one another. Take proper care of those who lost their families in this war. Even if they resent me, the state has a duty to look after those left behind."
"...The people might not recognize your sincerity."
"It does not matter. Even if our sincerity feels like a lie, what matters is that the state makes the effort to show it."
A life of reigning.
Roman Dmitry intentionally kept himself a step away from the people.
He knew this path would make him lonely, but his two lives had proven that only by bearing that loneliness could true peace be brought to the world. Perhaps that was why he missed the people of Dmitry even more right now. Despite Roman Dmitry's actions—which history might record as cruel—people like Hans, Chris, and Kevin had recognized his true intentions and fiercely strived to remain by his side.
It was different from his first life.
Back then, he had been too busy just surviving. Only in his second life could Roman Dmitry finally afford to look back on the road he walked.
"Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok. If you wish for Incheon to prosper in the new South Korea, understand and learn the way of the strong. From now on, the way of the weak—always anxious and fearing an attack—will no longer be permitted."
The world would change, and South Korea would stand at the center of it.
Roman Dmitry exuded an intense, overwhelming presence as he spoke.
"And summon all the leaders of South Korea immediately. In the name of Roman Dmitry, the leader of this nation."
"I will obey your command."
Kim Jun-hyeok bowed his head deeply.
He felt compelled to. At this very moment, Roman Dmitry felt like an absolute, irresistible sovereign to Kim Jun-hyeok.