Chapter546
Translator: RaidenTL
A few dozen kilometers from the Chinese border.
Skovorodino, a city situated right on the edge, had erected towering walls out of sheer paranoia over a potential Chinese invasion.
Atop those walls, a Russian commander stared anxiously beyond the ramparts.
Reports had already come in that Park Min-woo had launched a surprise attack and captured Irkutsk. However, unlike Irkutsk, Skovorodino was directly adjacent to the border and constantly on high alert. The Russian high command could only pray the rumors of China's march were false. China was a superpower on par with Russia; if they decided to push forward in earnest, Russia had zero confidence in stopping them.
But they had to endure.
President Markov had promised that if they could hold out for just two days, the World Government would officially take Russia's side.
"...I see the enemy."
"Damn it."
The soldiers' faces paled with dread.
The Chinese army.
Their march was finally visible. True to their massive population, they surged forward like a suffocating black wave, the sheer scale of their advance making the earth tremble and hearts pound. It took an agonizingly long time for the distant horde to reach the city. They halted just outside of attack range.
Then, a single figure stepped out from the vanguard and walked forward.
Step.
He stopped.
Looking up at the wall with an arrogant sneer, he spoke. He didn't raise his voice, yet his words pierced their ears with absolute clarity.
"I am Wang Wiryong."
No further explanation was needed. It was a name everyone knew. Wang Wiryong unleashed a ferocious aura.
"I will give you three minutes. If you open the gates and surrender within that time, I will spare you all. But if the gates remain closed after three minutes, I will take it as your intent to fight to the death."
"We will never surrender!"
"Three minutes."
He completely ignored the shout from atop the wall.
Even as the Russian army frantically prepared for battle, Wang Wiryong stood as still as a stone statue, calmly observing them. There was no need to rush. Although he was in a fierce competition against Park Min-woo, he knew three minutes wouldn't significantly alter the overall outcome. While Wang Wiryong might have been nothing compared to Roman Dmitry, on a global scale, he was an absolute powerhouse who could easily afford such leisure.
Shring.
"Yes, that's more like it."
He drew his sword.
Three minutes had passed. Instead of ordering his soldiers to charge, Wang Wiryong began walking toward the wall alone.
"Attack!"
"Stop Wang Wiryong!"
Thwip!
Swish-swish-swish!
A rain of arrows poured down from the ramparts.
He walked slowly at first, but the moment he began deflecting the arrows, Wang Wiryong dashed toward the wall at blinding speed. This war was his first real opportunity to prove himself after swearing allegiance to Roman Dmitry. Wang Wiryong wanted a definitive achievement. Not just something to surpass Park Min-woo, but a feat that would remind the world exactly who Wang Wiryong, the former Emperor of China, truly was. He wanted to earn Roman Dmitry's absolute trust through this war.
Normally, a commander would send the foot soldiers first. However, he took the vanguard to display his overwhelming power right from the start. In an instant, he reached the base of the wall. Above, the Russian mages frantically activated their magic defenses to brace for his assault.
In that critical moment, Wang Wiryong's mana exploded.
'Heavenly Demon Sword Technique.'
Rumble!
Rumb-rumb-rumble!
His mana seethed like a violent storm.
Although Roman Dmitry had once called Wang Wiryong's Heavenly Demon Sword Technique a fake, by this world's standards, it was an unparalleled martial art. The explosively erupting mana tore the massive iron gates apart in a single blow.
Boom!
Crash-sh-sh-sh!
The gate was completely shredded.
A single strike. The mages' layered defenses were utterly useless. Beyond the shattered remnants of the gate, the pale, shocked faces of the enemy soldiers were revealed.
As Wang Wiryong leaped inside and began the slaughter, the Chinese army watching from afar roared and began their advance in earnest.
"Advance!"
"For the Korean Empire!"
"Slaughter them all!"
In less than ten minutes, Skovorodino was painted in blood.
After indiscriminately slaughtering the defenders, Wang Wiryong turned to his trailing soldiers, his eyes burning with fierce resolve.
"We will present Russia as a gift to His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry! Leave not a single soul alive!"
Following right on Park Min-woo's heels, Wang Wiryong had violently announced his presence.
* * *
Around that time, Markov was beginning to show signs of anxiety.
By now, he should have received word from Genazzit that the teleportation magic circle had been secured. Yet, contrary to the plan, there was still no news. A creeping sense of unease settled over him. Because they had failed to secure the magic pathway, the heavily armed Russian forces in Moscow—who were fully prepared to launch their invasion—remained stranded.
'Did something go wrong?'
He shook his head. He did not doubt their success.
South Korea's main forces, Roman Dmitry and Park Min-woo, were supposed to be attending the international conference, leaving only insignificant weaklings behind to guard their home turf. For those leftovers to stop Genazzit's surprise attack on their own? Utterly absurd. Markov had initiated this war fully believing they could conquer South Korea in a flash. He was certain Genazzit would contact him soon, even if it took a little longer than expected.
After another agonizing wait, a communication soldier rushed into the room, panting heavily. Markov naturally assumed the long-awaited news of victory had finally arrived.
However...
"Mr. President! Irkutsk has fallen!"
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
Bam!
Markov kicked back his chair and shot to his feet.
Irkutsk had fallen? It was completely out of the blue.
As Markov glared daggers at him, silently demanding an explanation, the soldier gasped for breath and continued.
"J-Just a moment ago, we received a frantic report from Vasilyev, the commander of Irkutsk. He said the 'Mage in White' had launched a surprise attack! Shortly after, communication was completely severed. At first, we thought it was just a connection issue, but after verifying the situation on the ground... it seems the city has already fallen to the enemy."
"...Damn it."
Markov was speechless. His pupils trembled.
No major forces had been deployed to Irkutsk. While it was a location vulnerable to a surprise attack, the real problem was that a single person—the Mage in White—had brought down an entire city.
And that wasn't the only issue. Just as Markov was trying to track the Mage in White's movements to prepare a response, another piece of news struck him like a physical blow.
"C-China has captured Skovorodino!"
Two reports. Two devastating defeats.
His worst anxiety had become reality. He couldn't help but suspect that Genazzit, from whom there was still dead silence, might have completely failed his mission.
'Could South Korea have anticipated our attack? No, even if they did, a counterattack of this scale far exceeds the strength our intelligence department estimated. If we lose our momentum like this, let alone holding out for two days, we might suffer a crushing defeat.'
He forcefully swallowed his rising panic.
The war had only just begun. The fall of a mere two cities would not shake a superpower like Russia.
Markov spoke through gritted teeth. "First, assess the situation. Although two cities fell to surprise attacks, South Korea does not possess enough military power to attack all of Russia simultaneously. The real issue is China's northward march. We should open a path to draw them in, and contact Genazzit to secure the magic pathway at all costs."
"Understood."
He had not given up on victory. Not yet.
Just as he opened a map to calmly prepare his next move, another frantic report shattered the silence.
"Mr. President! The Mage in White has attacked Cheremkhovo this time!"
"What?!"
This was too fast. Far too fast.
* * *
Park Min-woo had also received word of Wang Wiryong's movements.
Hearing that the former emperor had captured Skovorodino put him in a thoroughly foul mood.
'Oh, so you want to play, do you?'
It was a blatant provocation. Just because Park Min-woo had needled him a little, Wang Wiryong was openly showing that he refused to be outdone. In response, Park Min-woo immediately attacked Cheremkhovo. Although the city had already summoned heavy reinforcements due to the incident in Irkutsk, Park Min-woo didn't waste a single second.
"Dark Field."
Swoosh.
He summoned the darkness.
After plunging his surroundings into pitch-black obscurity, he opened a Dark Gate and unleashed his legion of monsters.
"S-Stop them!"
"Aaaargh!"
Screams echoed from all directions.
Park Min-woo was truly a one-man army. He mobilized thousands of monsters single-handedly, and while the enemy forces were frantically busy dealing with the horde, he cast devastating spells from the rear to sweep them all away. When it came to facing large numbers, there was no one quite like Park Min-woo. Unlike swordsmen like Wang Wiryong who had to cut down enemies one by one, Park Min-woo could pile up mountains of corpses in an instant.
Of course, the Russians didn't just take it lying down.
Cheremkhovo's reinforcements included Elan, an S-rank hunter representing Russia.
But...
Clang!
Cl-cl-cl-clang!
"Ugh."
Zahar was not the only S-rank undead in Park Min-woo's possession.
As Zahar relentlessly pressed forward with his thin, sharp sword, another S-rank undead, Gott, swung a massive iron mace in perfect synchronization. It was a suffocatingly seamless combination attack. Elan fought back desperately, swinging his steel staff, but he was quickly cornered.
Something was off. Even though the undead had clearly lost their sanity and reason, they displayed flawless, terrifying teamwork, fighting as if they were still alive.
At that moment, Elan noticed Park Min-woo's gaze perfectly tracking his every movement through the chaos.
'...No way.'
The two undead. Park Min-woo was directly controlling them.
Their bodies were merely vessels; it was Park Min-woo's martial prowess bringing out their full potential.
Goosebumps erupted across Elan's skin. How on earth was this possible? Because Elan did not know that before becoming the Mage in White, Park Min-woo was Emperor Alexander—the very man who had initiated the Aura Revolution—he simply could not comprehend the scene before his eyes. Park Min-woo's understanding of close-quarters combat fundamentally overwhelmed anyone else's. That absolute mastery was being perfectly channeled through his two undead puppets.
With Elan pushed back, the ordinary soldiers were completely helpless.
The moment Elan overextended himself in a desperate attempt to turn the tide, a bolt of black lightning struck down directly upon his head.
"Just die already. Dark Lightning."
Flash!
Crackle!
That was it. Elan collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Park Min-woo walked over to the fallen S-rank hunter, opened a Dark Gate, and swallowed the corpse whole.
"Finally, I've secured my fourth S-rank undead."
During the LA Incident, he had actually desperately wanted to harvest the corpses of the fallen S-rank hunters. However, because there were too many eyes watching back then, Park Min-woo had to swallow his greed and walk away from those prime materials. Now was different. No one would dare question him, even if the corpse of someone like Elan mysteriously disappeared. He could just claim the body had been vaporized by powerful magic. So, Park Min-woo happily pocketed his new prize. Although it would take a considerable amount of time to process a soulless corpse into a high-tier undead, Elan would eventually become a highly valuable asset, just like Zahar and Gott.
Cheremkhovo was finished as well.
Once the slaughter was wrapped up, Park Min-woo deactivated Dark Field, nonchalantly pulled out his smartphone, and tapped out a quick text message.
[Cheremkhovo captured. Moving to the next city. lol]
It was entirely intentional.
He figured sending a text they could see with their own eyes would be infinitely more aggravating than relaying a formal report through a communication soldier. The recipient was the Chinese communication center, but Wang Wiryong would definitely see the message.
Pocketing his phone, Park Min-woo moved on to his next target, a genuinely excited grin plastered across his face.
* * *
Irkutsk.
Skovorodino.
Cheremkhovo.
The shocking news did not end there. Yet another disastrous report struck Markov.
"China's advance is much faster than expected! When we withdrew our forces from Tynda to regroup, they marched all the way to Neryungri and captured it!"
It was a twisted game of chess, a fierce, destructive back-and-forth between two monsters.
Whenever the Mage in White achieved a victory, Wang Wiryong's Chinese army brought down another city, as if violently refusing to be outdone. Markov felt like he was losing his mind. Wang Wiryong was one thing, but he had absolutely no idea the Mage in White was this powerful. Worse, Roman Dmitry's whereabouts hadn't even been revealed yet.
'We prepared for Roman Dmitry and the Chinese army in this war, but if we're being pushed back this much before Roman Dmitry has even made a move, we're doomed. The Mage in White... we need to deal with him first.'
The Mage in White was a one-man calamity.
During the LA Incident, he had proven his worth, but his current rampage across Russia proved that even back then, he hadn't been using his full power. There was still no word from Genazzit. If they couldn't send Moscow's forces to South Korea, they had to secure Russia's internal safety first.
Markov spoke with grim determination. "Contact President Patrice immediately. Tell him we will go all out against South Korea from now on. Tell him that if he intends to keep South Korea in check, now is his only chance to borrow Russia's strength."
"Understood."
Screech.
Markov stood up from his chair.
He intended to take direct command of the front lines.
First, he would mobilize the entirety of Russia's available forces to eliminate the Mage in White. Once President Patrice officially joined the war, they would systematically crush Wang Wiryong's Chinese army, and finally, Roman Dmitry's South Korea.
It was simply a matter of order.
Markov did not doubt their ultimate victory.
Throughout Russia's bloody rise to its current position, he had weathered more than enough crises to justify his confidence.
But... he was forced to stop dead in his tracks.
Once again, shocking news anchored him to the spot.
"P-President Markov! R-Roman Dmitry... Roman Dmitry has arrived at the gates and is demanding to see you right now!"
"...What on earth?"
Markov's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
Roman Dmitry!
The absolute number one target Russia had to eliminate.
For him to personally show up in Moscow...
No matter how hard he tried to comprehend it, it was a move that completely defied all logic and common sense.