Chapter 84: An Unprepared Disaster (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: An Unprepared Disaster (5)
The distance between the castle gates and Baron McCleary was vast.
Breaking through the swarming enemy forces in front of him should have been logically impossible, but in Roman's world, common sense did not apply.
'The enemy commander is letting his guard down.'
Perhaps it was because Cairo's military strength was so pathetic, but Baron McCleary had stepped forward slightly to observe the battlefield. It was still a considerable distance, but it wasn't completely out of reach. Roman instantly changed his plan. Originally, his priority had been securing the area around the gates until Steven and his soldiers could erect the iron fences. But the moment Roman locked eyes with his opponent, he kicked off the ground.
'Kill the commander.'
It was the fastest way to end a war. As he had learned on countless battlefields, the moment a commander's head was severed, the enemy ranks would instantly collapse.
"Block him!"
"He's alone!"
The soldiers of the Hector Kingdom roared in rage.
Seeing Roman dare to step outside the castle gates by himself, they charged with ferocious expressions. Just watching him tangle with so many enemies was suffocating. Weapons flew from all directions, ready to claim his life the moment he let his guard down even slightly. However, none of those attacks reached Roman.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He deflected every single strike. Not only that, but the soldiers who had rushed him were already falling back, screaming in agony over their severed limbs.
Hundreds of enemies. Common sense dictated that Hector held the absolute advantage. Roman should have been the one to fall, yet as the seconds ticked by, only the casualties among the enemy soldiers mounted.
"Get out of the way!"
"I won't let you run wild any longer!"
The knights of Hector. Having received Baron McCleary's orders, they rushed the front lines. These were no ordinary knights. They were Aura Swordsmen capable of manifesting Aura, and brilliant, varied hues of energy began to take shape along their blades.
Rumble!
Mana exploded. With their combined attacks striking simultaneously, the Hector soldiers were certain that Roman would finally fall.
However.
'Heavenly Demon Sword Technique, Second Form.'
He took a breath. As the mana boiled within him, he unleashed his Aura toward the charging enemies.
The strike of the Heavenly Demon.
The Hector knights, who had been so absolutely certain of their victory, were instantly obliterated. Their faces froze, completely ignorant of what had even happened to them.
Boom!
The power was shockingly devastating. The Aura manifested by the knights scattered in an instant like dust in the wind. Their robust bodies, clad in heavy steel armor, were torn apart like wet paper, reduced to unrecognizable chunks of gore.
Everyone was stunned. Only then did they realize that the being they were facing was an untouchable monster. The reason Roman had charged head-on into hundreds of enemies was simply because he judged them to be utterly insignificant.
Roman Dmitry.
In Baek Joong-hyuk's past life, fighting hundreds against one was a common occurrence. He had always been outnumbered—not just against small fry like this, but even in bloody battles against the absolute masters of the Murim.
The only reason he had listened to Steven's advice earlier was because he saw no need to overexert himself unnecessarily. But now, having confirmed that the enemy commander was within his reach, Roman intended to end the battle his own way.
Tap.
He kicked off the ground. Before anyone could blink, he arrived right in front of Baron McCleary.
The baron stared at Roman, his face pale with shock. Roman had slaughtered dozens of soldiers and torn Hector's Aura Swordsmen to shreds in a single blow. This monster was definitely not part of Hector's plan for the surprise attack on Cairo, and even if they had accounted for him, Roman Dmitry's martial prowess was simply too overwhelming to stop.
The baron's eyes trembled. His instincts screamed at him to run away immediately, but at that moment, the strict orders he had received before leaving the Hector Kingdom flashed through his mind.
'There is no need to force the fall of the defense lines. Just buy as much time as possible. We need enough time for our plan.'
"Fuck."
They only needed to hold out for one hour. This unreasonable attack had created a completely unexpected variable.
Baron McCleary drew his sword. He, too, was a swordsman. As a warrior capable of manifesting a 2-Star Aura, he preferred to give it his all rather than die a defeated general who had failed his mission.
"I am Baron McCleary of Hector! I will personally—"
Flash.
Splat!
A single streak of light.
The moment Roman arrived, Baron McCleary's head flew into the air, blood spraying from his neck like a fountain. His final judgment had been arrogant. From the moment Hector's knights failed to withstand a single blow, he should have abandoned his pride and run for his life.
The death of the commander. Roman held the severed head high in the air and shouted, his voice heavily infused with mana.
"I have slain the enemy commander!"
At that moment, as if by magic, every single person on the battlefield froze.
* * *
The atmosphere turned ice-cold.
The soldiers of Hector didn't know what to do. They still possessed sufficient military strength, making it difficult to immediately drop their weapons and surrender just because their commander was dead.
Amidst the chaotic hesitation, the one who shattered the silence was, once again, Roman Dmitry.
Slash!
"Argh!"
Roman mercilessly cut down the enemy in front of him. It was a decision that defied common sense.
Normally, if one killed the enemy commander, the standard tactic was to use that death as leverage to demand the remaining soldiers' surrender. If the opponent had been the Barco family, he might have done exactly that. Indeed, Roman had ended that previous conflict by executing the Barco father and son, the root of the war. But the situation today was fundamentally different.
Hector. They had launched a surprise attack without warning. Not only was this a war completely devoid of justification, but the other defense lines were still actively under siege by the Hector Kingdom.
Roman raised his voice.
"Soldiers of the Cairo Kingdom, listen! We do not have the luxury of taking prisoners! The other defense lines are currently under attack by the Hector Kingdom. If we let these men live now, they will surely return to the battlefield as our enemies. Even if we must shed blood here, risk your lives to execute the enemy!"
The war with Barco could be considered a fratricidal war in a broad sense. Since it was a civil conflict within the same kingdom, once the commander was dealt with, the soldiers who admitted defeat would not return as a threat.
However, the soldiers of Hector were different. Even with Baron McCleary dead, they had a sworn duty to fight to the bitter end as citizens of Hector. Therefore, Roman had no intention of offering them surrender in the first place.
Even if cornered rats bit their arms and made them bleed, they needed to deal with the enemy decisively now, while they held the absolute momentum. They stood on opposite sides of a battlefield. That alone was reason enough to be cruel.
Seeing Roman unilaterally slaughtering the enemy forces, the Cairo soldiers let out a thunderous cheer and poured out of the castle gates all at once.
"Follow Roman Dmitry!"
"Kill all the remnants of Hector!"
They moved to block the enemy's retreat. The cornered Hector soldiers instinctively realized they were not going to make it out of this place alive.
* * *
Henry Albert.
By the time he finally arrived, the tide of battle had already completely turned. He had clearly heard that the 5th Defense Line was on the verge of collapsing, but the scene unfolding before his eyes was entirely different.
"...W-what is this?"
Outside the castle gates, a one-sided massacre was taking place. The Cairo soldiers, who should have been cowering behind their walls to utilize the defender's advantage, were instead viciously attacking the enemy with venomous expressions, fighting as if they were completely possessed.
How on earth did this happen? He couldn't wrap his head around it. But one thing was absolutely certain: even amidst the chaotic battlefield, Roman Dmitry's presence stood out like a beacon.
'For Roman Dmitry to be this strong...'
It was a truly overwhelming presence. The cornered Hector soldiers rushed forward in sheer desperation, but the moment they faced Roman, their limbs were torn apart without exception. Numbers were practically meaningless. No matter how many men rushed him, the outcome was always the same: a swift, brutal death.
In the past, Henry had witnessed a ranker's fight. Even then, he had thought a ranker was a being on a completely different level, but even that glorified memory paled in comparison to Roman. The rising star who had defeated Homeros. At only twenty-five years old, Henry had confidently declared that Roman would surely be weaker than the rumors suggested. Now, he felt that the rumors had actually severely underestimated Roman Dmitry.
And Roman's soldiers were no pushovers, either. In particular, figures like Chris, Kevin, and Puki displayed a level of martial prowess that made it hard to believe they were mere foot soldiers.
Now it was clear. The situation was entirely different from the reports. The ultimate variable had originated from Roman Dmitry himself.
'...Now I know why my uncle told me to get close to Roman Dmitry no matter what.'
He swallowed hard. His uncle had been right. Lineage and birth didn't matter. Roman Dmitry was a monster who would swallow the Cairo Kingdom whole sooner or later.
Henry hurriedly shouted to his own dazed soldiers.
"Help Roman Dmitry right now! Ignore the other trash and protect Roman as our top priority!"
Yet, even as Henry gave the valiant order, he cowardly trailed behind his soldiers from the very back of the formation.
* * *
The situation was soon settled.
The Hector soldiers did not fight to the bitter end. Terrified of being completely wiped out, they abandoned the comrades they had once trusted with their backs and scattered in flight. In the process, most of them were slaughtered.
Roman pursued them to finish them off, but there was simply no way to kill every single enemy fleeing in multiple directions simultaneously.
Once the battle officially ended, Chris immediately ran over to Roman.
"Chris and thirty others reporting. There are no casualties."
The battle had been incredibly fierce. Fortunately, no one had died. But that didn't mean they were completely unharmed. Every man had sustained at least one wound, and for those with more severe injuries, bright red flesh could be seen through their torn skin and armor. Yet, not a single one of them let out a groan. Henderson, in particular, who wasn't used to such large-scale warfare, kept his mouth tightly shut, his pale face drenched in cold sweat.
"You did well. Use the potions to treat your wounds."
"Understood."
There was no special praise or grand speech. But even so, Steven, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but be shocked.
'...He supplied potions to all of his soldiers?!'
Potions. Healing potions crafted in the magic towers commanded a hefty price, even for the lowest grades. Yet, Roman's soldiers were using these exorbitant items as if they were water. At a glance, they appeared to be at least mid-grade, and the men were pouring entire bottles directly over their open wounds.
Sizzle.
The flesh hissed, emitting a pungent, burning scent. Before his eyes, the deep wounds rapidly knitted back together. Steven felt he finally understood why these soldiers trusted Roman Dmitry so blindly.
'Overwhelming martial prowess, decisive judgment, and a generosity that spares absolutely nothing for his subordinates. The trust between Roman Dmitry and his men wasn't built overnight. Because he is this kind of leader, they would gladly follow him even if he ordered them to jump into a pit of fire.'
His admiration was brief. Roman turned and spoke to Steven.
"Clean up the battlefield here and prepare the defenses for a second attack. Also, I need a soldier who is well-versed in the geography of the Southern Front."
"...Are you planning to leave immediately?"
"The war is not over yet. Even at this moment, while we have found a moment of peace, Cairo soldiers are dying elsewhere."
The war had only just begun. A single victory did not mean they had won the war. Roman's eyes grew fierce.
"I have no intention of standing idly by and watching the Hector Kingdom trample this land. Until I have slaughtered every single one of those Hector bastards who crossed our borders, I do not intend to stop."
At those words, goosebumps broke out across Steven's skin. This was clearly a massively disadvantageous fight for Cairo. Hector's attack had been a complete surprise, and the advantage of defending the castle had already been lost, hadn't it? But somehow, looking at the man before him, Steven felt that Roman might actually achieve something monumental.
Roman shouted to his soldiers.
"I will give you ten minutes. Prepare yourselves to set out."
"Yes, sir!"
Roman's soldiers moved with absolute discipline.
It had been two hours since the outbreak of the war. The 5th Defense Line had successfully defended their castle. That was the very first variable the Hector Kingdom had failed to anticipate—and it was merely the starting point of yet another disaster heading their way.