Chapter 95: Ghostly Shadow (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: Ghostly Shadow (5)
Far from the battlefield, Edwin Hector's expression was grim as Thompson’s panicked voice crackled through the magic communicator.
"Calm down, Thompson. The enemy is only using the darkness to hide their lack of numbers. Keep your guard up and explain the situation to me calmly."
[The enemy has appeared in the 2nd Battalion, 1st Company's sector! But no matter how hard we look, we can't see them! Hector's soldiers are dropping one after another, leaving behind nothing but cold corpses. We can't find a single trace! Commander... how—how on earth are we supposed to fight this? We can't do anything against a formless ghost!]
His voice shook with terror.
Even without seeing him, Edwin could easily picture Thompson’s pale, panic-stricken face.
'Thompson is an Aura Swordsman. His senses are far sharper than an ordinary person's. For him to not find even a single trace... No matter how deep the darkness is, is such a thing even possible?'
No.
It was impossible.
An Aura Swordsman’s vision could pierce the dark. Because mana-infused eyes could pinpoint an enemy’s location, Edwin had chosen to climb the mountain even after sunset. Yet, Roman Dmitry was nowhere to be found. Judging by the reports pouring in from the 1st Company and other sectors, the remnants of Cairo were clearly running rampant across the mountain.
'Could it be magic?'
No.
Spells like Invisibility and Hide could conceal a body, but setting aside the fact that Roman Dmitry was not a mage, such magic could not be spammed. They were one-time spells with significant cooldowns. Yet, Roman Dmitry was moving like a true, formless ghost, just as Thompson had described.
Hector's soldiers were dying.
This meant the enemy had to reveal himself to strike, but instead of the supposed magic wearing off, he simply vanished back into the darkness.
It made no sense.
Roman Dmitry.
The more Edwin learned about him, the more he felt like he was sinking into a quagmire. Edwin Hector had navigated countless crises in his life, but this war was testing him at every turn.
He didn't have the answer.
Even so, he spoke with an unwavering voice.
"As time passes, the enemy will inevitably hit their physical limits. By our calculations, Roman Dmitry has less than two hundred soldiers with him. Thompson, do not let the darkness deceive you. We hold an overwhelming advantage in this fight. If you respond calmly, you will surely catch sight of the enemy. I am heading your way with reinforcements now. Once we surround your position and illuminate the sky with Magic Flares, the enemy will have nowhere to run."
Based on objective calculations, Edwin Hector was confident they still held the upper hand.
Rather than being swayed by the terror unfolding in the dark, he stared reality in the face.
He signaled his men.
But just as he was about to move out with his troops—
[...Co-Commander! I think the ghost of Cairo is targeting me!]
Thompson's voice, drenched in absolute despair, shrieked through the communicator.
* * *
Clack.
Thompson raised his sword and warily scanned his surroundings.
The soldiers around him were rapidly disappearing.
As the darkness crept closer, Thompson grew certain that he was the ghost's next target.
"Listen up, 1st Company! Confirm each other's positions and form a defensive formation! The enemy is aiming for our lives! Do not get swallowed by the darkness! Stand back-to-back and block their attacks!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs.
His arms shook uncontrollably.
An Aura Swordsman.
He had reached the realm of a superhuman, a level ordinary people could never hope to touch. But in the end, he was still just human.
'The 1st Company isn't the only one here. Our allies are tightly packed, forming a massive defensive line. At this rate, this entire area will be completely surrounded in three minutes at most. There's no need to be afraid. Just as the Commander said, we have the advantage.'
He swallowed hard.
He kept the magic communicator on. To ensure he could report immediately if anything happened, he secured the device tightly to his waist.
It was then.
Flicker.
A torch went out.
It was about five meters away from where Thompson stood, and this time, he witnessed a soldier being dragged into the darkness. There was no doubt. The entity of the dark had appeared right before his eyes. Thompson instinctively channeled his mana.
'This is my chance!'
Crack!
With an explosion of Aura, he lunged forward.
To prevent the opponent from escaping, he closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword toward the patch of darkness that had swallowed his man.
Slash!
He cut through empty air.
There was no sensation of his blade hitting flesh.
He was certain he had tracked the opponent's movement, but the enemy was nowhere to be seen. Only the corpse of the soldier lay on the ground. The man had died with his eyes wide open. Seeing that face, frozen in disbelief at his sudden death, Thompson turned pale.
'Damn it.'
That single lunge had broken his formation.
Realizing he had strayed too far from his men, Thompson hurriedly pulled his sword back and tried to retreat.
At that moment, Thompson's body froze.
Out of the pitch-black darkness, a silhouette slowly emerged.
It was Roman Dmitry.
Under the pale moonlight, his face was splattered with the blood of his enemies.
"When hunting enemies from the shadows, situations like this happen from time to time."
His voice was low and heavy.
Thompson couldn't even scream.
The longsword hanging by Roman's side didn't look ready to strike, but the blood dripping from its blade proved he could attack at any second. The hair on Thompson's body stood on end. Drawing up every ounce of Aura he could muster, Thompson braced himself for Roman Dmitry's sudden strike.
Rustle.
A footstep on fallen leaves.
A sound could finally be heard.
Until now, there had been absolute silence, but now that the entity stood before him, Thompson could see that this creature of the dark was indeed human.
Roman sneered.
"An invisible enemy. It gives you the illusion that if you can just spot them, you can win. You, who were terrified just a moment ago, leaped into the darkness the instant you saw me. Why did you make such a foolish mistake? Did you truly believe that simply finding me would allow you to easily overpower me?"
Thompson stole a quick glance around.
The other soldiers were further away than he thought.
In the end, to survive, he had to rely on himself.
'Let's settle this.'
He blocked out the words. He refused to be swayed by meaningless chatter. Watching Roman slowly approach, Thompson kicked off the ground the moment his opponent entered his striking range.
Thud!
"Die!"
He was fast.
His Aura exploded once more.
Though it was only a 1-Star Aura, the power that transcended human limits felt as if it could cleave Roman's body in two with a single stroke.
But that was an illusion.
In Thompson's mind, his attack had connected, but when he came to his senses, a searing pain overwhelmed him.
Slash!
"Aaargh!"
Blood splattered.
With a deep gash carved across his chest, Thompson collapsed from the excruciating pain.
A single strike.
Thompson realized that with his skills, he could never defeat Roman Dmitry.
Even with the flesh on his chest torn to shreds, he scrambled to his feet and ran without looking back. To live, fleeing was his only option. He screamed at the top of his lungs to alert his soldiers, but it was as if a Silence spell had been cast—his voice did not carry.
And then— Stumble.
A lightning-like pain struck, and his balance crumbled.
Roman's sword had severed Thompson's Achilles tendon. When Thompson reached out to block, his wrist was severed as well.
Thud.
His severed hand fell to the ground.
Thompson's face turned as pale as a corpse. Trembling violently, he dragged himself across the dirt with his remaining hand, but Roman was already standing before him.
Roman reached out.
Thompson squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for death.
But Roman did not kill him.
Instead, Roman reached for Thompson's waist, detached the tightly secured magic communicator, and brought it to his lips.
"Can you hear my voice?"
Through the communicator, Roman sought out Hector's commander.
No answer came.
Even though Edwin had been speaking with Thompson just moments ago, only a cold silence lingered on the other end.
Roman spoke again.
"I know what you are thinking. Your plan was to launch simultaneous attacks on the Southern Front to distract us, and then seize the Warp Gate. It is likely a strategy you have prepared for a long time, not just a day or two. Since the Cairo Kingdom was caught off guard, your plan was flawless. But why did you go to such lengths to take the Southern Front? Why would the Hector Kingdom, whose people are starving to death from an unprecedented famine, risk everything to claim a Southern Front that offers absolutely nothing of value?"
Torches flickered in the distance.
Even as the Hector soldiers searched the area, they remained completely oblivious to what Roman was doing right under their noses.
"There is only one answer. You are trying to solve your nation's crisis through war. You intend to hold the Southern Front hostage to force a massive transaction with the Cairo Royal Family. If not for that reason, there would be no need to go this far. The reason the Hector Kingdom's soldiers stationed at the Rear Base are preparing for a siege is to present a clear threat to the Cairo Royal Family."
Roman smirked.
The enemy's plan had proceeded flawlessly, but because of his existence, it was crumbling piece by piece.
"The problem is that I have figured out your plan. You are running out of time. An army that hasn't even secured proper provisions cannot hold out for more than three months at the absolute longest. I have no intention of letting you do as you please. I will hold out until the very end and ruin your plans."
This contact was entirely intentional.
The Hector Kingdom truly did not have much time.
They had gone through countless trials and errors to minimize any margin of error, choosing to seize the Warp Gate to end the war quickly. But their perfect plan had actually exposed their greatest weakness. If Roman had not pointed out this vulnerability, they might have still believed they had time. By contacting them directly, he had pushed the Hector Kingdom to the edge of a cliff.
'The Hector Kingdom has no other options anyway. Therefore, the truth they tried so hard to ignore will only make them more anxious.'
His existence could no longer be overlooked.
How could they negotiate with the Cairo Royal Family when someone who fully understood their intentions was standing in their way?
It was checkmate.
If they could not eliminate Roman, they would crumble like a castle of sand.
'With this, my goal is achieved.'
Whether the enemy gave up and retreated, or fought to the bitter end, Roman's contact had introduced a critical variable. With this single transmission, the Hector Kingdom could never return to the advantageous position they had held before.
It was then.
[Are you Roman Dmitry?]
Edwin Hector, who had maintained a steadfast silence, finally responded.
