Late at night, Count Pablo, Rascal’s Commander, was looking down at the map of the continent while relying on the light of a lantern.
In the eastern part of Kronos, there were two outposts, including Rascal, and eight defense points directly facing the enemy borders.
Currently, Kronos was gathering troops at an outpost. The moment the troops were reorganized, and the attack begins, the Cairo and Dmitry alliance would taste despair at the empire’s troops that would cross the borders.
There was no chance of their defeat. They looked at the man several times and calculated his strength, but this fight didn’t make sense.
‘What is Roman Dmitry even thinking? Considering the walk on the Southern Front, he probably isn’t an ignorant kid. But then, he declared war despite knowing how dangerous an all-out war with Kronos would be… Is there something we are missing here? No, that can’t be it. In the vast plains of the east, there is no way to make up for the overwhelming difference in strength no matter what tricks are used.’
Kronos was a war-loving nation. As a nation that was always at war, the wars happening everywhere were like a textbook for the future.
Especially since Roman Dmitry wasn’t an ordinary person. His strategy in the war against Hector was worth analyzing, and people studied how Roman Dmitry was able to think in an emergency situation.
But it wasn’t simply a judgment based on instinct.
He accurately understood Edwin Hector’s plan and chose the most aggressive one, and after eventually knowing it was Roman Dmitry’s bold move, the armed troops supporting him turned the tide of the war.
And such a person declared war without a thought?
Suspicion rose in his head, but the spies planted in each nation reported that there was no particular movement to help Dmitry.
At least Hector and Redford were actively moving. Even if Dmitry’s power on the surface was actually many times stronger, this was a losing situation.
Dmitry and Kronos were like a fight between a goblin and a dragon.
Even if a goblin was amazing and had experienced all sorts of battles, it couldn’t avoid death with a single breath from a dragon.
It wasn’t like the kingdoms of Salamander were stupid for not fighting back. Rather, it was because it made no sense in theory, so how the hell do they wage war against Kronos?
And right after the declaration of war, orders from the imperial family fell.
“A small nation has opened its teeth against the empire, not knowing its place. The empire will not allow such things, even in trivial matters. Gather the troops. Cairo, Dmitry, and all other forces that joined them will have their names wiped off the map of the continent.”
The fall of Dmitry was right in front of them. From the information they had, they heard that Dmitry was preparing for the war in their own way, but it was a meaningless struggle against the empire.
It won’t take a few days. If the main troops arrived at the outpost, Dmitry would burn in flames.
The moment he was about to get up, a knight slammed open the door.
“Commander! There is fire! Right now, it is spreading all over Rascal!”
“What!?”
He was shocked.
Fire!
And Count Pablo ran to assess the situation.
As the knight said, when he stepped out, everything was covered in red flames.
Wheik.
Wheeeik.
The heat and acidic smoke that were spreading made Count Pablo frown. Not just one or two buildings were burning, but the entire Rascal would end up in flames at the extent of the fire.
“Mobilize the troops right now and put off the fire! The loss of materials must be prevented somehow! Secure the spot where the flame hasn’t spread yet, and put out the flame to prevent it from spreading further!”
He shouted loudly. At Count Pablo’s command, the soldiers moved busily, and some carried water to take them down.
Kwang!
Grrrrng!
“Kuak!”
“Ack!”
Suddenly, those who had been pouring water were caught in an explosion. When the moisture touched the flames, this huge explosion occurred, making Count Pablo feel something was wrong.
‘Oil?’
He was sure of it. This wasn’t an accident, but the fishy smell in the flame had to be oil.
Then the problem wasn’t so simple. Accidental fires could be put out, but this was arson. And in the current situation, it was clear that Roman Dmitry was the culprit.
‘Do they intend to attack Rascal?’
It made sense. In order to reach Rascal, one had to avoid the surveillance of the foremost defensive position, and even if they sneaked in, it was impossible to defeat Rascal with just a couple of troops.
That was how much power Rascal had, but what did it mean if Roman Dmitry set fire to this place?
First, putting out the fire was the priority. From the moment he was certain that it was an enemy attack, he wasn’t in a position to cover the means and methods.
“Head to the warehouse right now. After securing the magic scrolls needed to take the flame down, make the soldiers gather and follow!”
The plan changed. If the flame spread this far, it was necessary to use magic rather than usual labor.
It was the right decision, but not until he saw the warehouse set on fire.
“Ah, no!”
Fortunately, the flames didn’t spread too far. Part of it was burning, so it seemed like a few things inside could be saved.
“Enter the warehouse right now and secure the magic scrolls! It is an order! Risk your life to secure the magic scrolls before the building burns up and collapses! If anyone hesitates to work, I will cut down your throats.”
Shhh.
Then he drew his sword. Upon seeing Count Pablo’s angry spirit, the soldiers rushed into the building at once.
Just like he said, there was a gap through which the flames could penetrate. But the moment they went inside…
Wheik.
Wheeeik.
Flames broke out. A being appeared from the flames, and slashed the heads of the Kronos Empire soldiers.
Count Pablo was stunned at that moment. The person in front of his eyes was none other than Roman Dmitry.
In this operation, dealing with so many enemies was simple. It was to create an environment in which the enemy couldn’t use their numbers to their advantage.
Roman Dmitry ordered his soldiers to set fire to the place and conduct arson. And…
Wheik.
Wheik.
Roman Dmitry himself set fire to the warehouse. His body was being burned by the flames, but since he accepted the flame demon, he had an amazing affinity with fire. That is the scene now.
To others, he seemed to be burning, but the flames were just there on his body, and he wasn’t burning.
Count Pablo was stunned. And at a time when his body couldn’t move, Roman Dmitry jumped at the soldiers.
“Kuak!”
“Roman Dmitry, stop!”
It was a mess. The soldiers collapsed in an instant with blood splashing, and Count Pablo, who had just come to his senses, shouted loudly and ordered an attack.
The only visible enemy was Roman Dmitry.
He was quite shocked at the unexpected situation, but he still believed that they could subdue the enemy, who was alone.
Kwang!
Rumble!
The knights of Kronos raised their auras at once. As the flames rose from all sides, they rushed towards Roman Dmitry, pushing the flames away with their auras.
Flash.
And a neck was slashed. When the Knight of Kronos, who rushed to the front, fell, Roman Dmitry began to explode his aura and cut down the following enemies.
It was an attack that he couldn’t counter, even if he had expected it. Even though he reacted as soon as he saw his colleague collapse in front of him, his vision was distorted by the sword cutting his throat.
It was fast. Engulfed in flames, Roman Dmitry slaughtered his enemies. Furthermore…
Kwaang!
Rumble!
Explosions continued to happen. In the flames raging everywhere, the soldiers of the Kronos Empire were unable to maintain their advantage with their numbers.
It was no different from aura swordsmen. Even though he managed to raise his aura to protect himself, it was extremely difficult to find Roman Dmitry in a space shrouded in flames.
At that moment…
Wheik.
Rumble.
Roman Dmitry ran through the flames. For the beings who were burdened by just holding out in the flames, there was no way to stop this attack.
It was a massacre. Hundreds of troops accompanied by Count Pablo were unilaterally slaughtered because they couldn’t defeat a single man. It was an amazing sight.
It was hard to accept the fact that he directly attacked Rascal, but the way he fought with the troops of the imperial army while jumping through the flames made it impossible to think of him as human.
Rumble.
The building collapsed. As the fire completely took over the building, Count Pablo gritted his teeth.
‘At this rate, I have no choice but to get swayed in their plans.’
The opponent was Roman Dmitry. A monster that barred its teeth against the empire, and from now on, it was his turn to take advantage of their home ground.
Looking at the map of the continent, he tried to read Roman Dmitry’s intentions. They could calculate Dmitry’s plans, but among them, the option for them to attack first didn’t exist.
‘That monster. Does he really believe he can defeat Kronos?’
Rascal’s leader said. They made the extreme choice because of what happened, but they affirmed that they would definitely end this through negotiation.
It was something they couldn’t understand then. The leaders and commanders of the eastern part of Kronos communicated and exchanged their opinions.
But then they crossed the border. And as if he wasn’t aiming for a compromise, Roman Dmitry appeared in Rascal.
‘Okay. This is the last time they will run wild without knowing how high the sky is. The guy who had been fighting around must be swayed by his boldness, but it is a mistake for him to enter Kronos’s land.’
The warehouse was abandoned. Count Pablo, who fled the scene, immediately connected magic to a loudspeaker after reporting the current situation.
[Notify Rascal’s soldiers that Roman Dmitry and his troops infiltrated Rascal. Arm the soldiers and kill them as soon as you spot them. Inform them once again. Roman Dmitry and his troops infiltrated Rascal. Declare a red alert and respond accordingly.]
Wheeing-
Then there was a beeping sound.
Rascal was a place where war was common. The response system for a situation like this was perfectly prepared, and as soon as Count Pablo sent the signal, he himself was armed.
Roman Dmitry made a mistake about one thing. If he wanted to cause chaos by setting fire, then he must have thought that a small number of his elite troops could take down Rascal.
But it was all an illusion. This was Kronos.
As Count Pablo stepped out, a group of people appeared after hearing the alarm.
“The Knights of Kronos have gathered.”
“Give us orders.”
It was the seventh sword of Kronos.
The Knights’ Captain was a 5-star aura swordsman, and all the hundred men who followed him were 3-star or higher aura swordsmen. And that wasn’t all.
The mages of the Blue Island Tower, one of the towers in Kronos, existed here. This was a secret that wasn’t known to the public, and considering that the Blue Island mages dealt with water, they could work well against Roman Dmitry’s plan.
Finally, about 10,000 troops appeared in Rascal.
Roman Dmitry’s plan went wrong right from the start. He must have thought a surprise attack would work, but in reality, it was different.
“Roman Dmitry came into the mouth on his own. And we need to take this chance to kill him.”
“I understand.”
The troops were moving in unison. The imperial army was everywhere. More than the flames that spread in Rascal, their morale burned fiercely.
Count Pablo was also angry. He was sure that Roman Dmitry would not be able to get out of Rascal alive.
