Until they have firsthand experience with something, people can’t deviate from common sense.
He heard that Roman Dmitry defeated Barbossa and the shocking actions he had taken, but even as a seasoned commander who had experienced numerous battles, he couldn’t make a judgment that deviated from normal sense.
So it was beyond normal sense, no matter how much he used his head. It was impossible to approach the thought of going against 10,000 warriors alone.
But Vento was dead. Watching him fall in a single hit, Count Pablo finally broke free from ‘common sense.’
‘… this guy really intends to slaughter us all here.’
He felt goosebumps rise. As Count Pablo thought about it, he realized that the fire might be used to block the escape route, making his face distort.
Kronos’s soldiers were still seeing this. The mages deliberately refrained from intervening in the chaotic situation, but from now on, the story would be different.
“Yale!”
“Yes.”
“Attack Roman Dmitry with offensive magic right now!”
“…then the damage to our allies can’t be avoided.”
“Does that matter now?! Do you see these things going in our favor right now? If this continues, even if we defeat Roman Dmitry, we will lose a lot of our troops! If they are going to die at the hands of the enemy, it would be better to sacrifice their lives for the empire.”
“I understand.”
At Count Pablo’s anger, Yale backed off.
That was right. It might be a cruel reality for the soldiers, but they couldn’t help but use their most powerful weapon and magic because they were worried about the damage to their allies when Vento fell.
At Yale’s signal, the mages of Blue Island went up to the fire. Magic rose from them, and it simultaneously began to manifest.
“Aqua cannon.”
“Aqua ball.”
“Aqua ball.”
Kwang!
Kwakwakwang!
The scope of magic wasn’t specified. A strong explosion of water swept into the chaotic situation, and the soldiers who were frantically attacking Roman Dmitry couldn’t avoid their deaths.
The pressure of the water broke their heads and backs. The water that had filled up with their chants exploded and cut off the people’s breath.
It was a brutal sight. The moment he was convinced that even Roman Dmitry wasn’t safe, Yale witnessed an unbelievable sight.
Wheik.
Roman Dmitry appeared in front of his eyes, and Yale had to make a decision in a split second.
“Memorize, Hold.”
He tied the opponent down. While using the exclusive spells against the warriors, he tried to avoid the dagger by using Blink.
As he made a decision in his head, the situation naturally unfolded.
But when he raised his mana, the magic didn’t manifest as he had intended, and his blood jumped up.
‘…!?’
A burning pain rose in his chest. The effect of Hold didn’t even last a second, and the mage who used 6-circle magic was defeated without being able to do anything.
The mages of Blue Island were all enraged and manifested their magic. However, the magic only exploded in the air, and Roman Dmitry’s form disappeared like a mirage in front of their eyes.
And…
“Kuak.”
“Wh-what is this… Kuak!”
He was killed in an instant. Roman Dmitry was moving quickly through the space, and when they had come to their senses, he was already cutting off the bodies of the mages.
They couldn’t even react when they noticed it. When they manifested the magic to attack Roman Dmitry, they saw that he was already attacking another mage.
They were shocked.
Was a human this powerless?
Magic was being destroyed at once, and the meaning of the existence of the mages just disappeared.
“Protect the mages!”
“Attack!”
The soldiers rushed in. They wanted to resolve the situation somehow, but what awaited them was a frustrating reality.
‘Lightning.’
Destructive energy raged from Roman Dmitry’s sword. Among the martial arts of the Demonic Sect, it was the most powerful force against many.
Flash.
Kwakwakwakwang!
Roman Dmitry floated into the sky and slammed the ground, causing this massive explosion of a single lightning bolt.
The bodies of those caught in it were torn down. While those who weren’t in the range also couldn’t handle it, so they fainted on the spot at the pressure.
Rumble.
A cloud of dust rose. At the sight of Roman Dmitry walking out, the soldiers could no longer run to him.
They were terrified. It was as if their instinct was telling them. They completely lost their will to fight despite having the advantage of their troops.
The important thing in war is one’s will. The moment you lose your will, even if one had the highest number of troops, they would be nothing.
Step. Step.
Roman Dmitry walked. Blood dripped from their swords, and the soldiers of the empire staggered back with scared faces. Some even fell to the ground, and they had to push themselves back.
And Count Pablo was there. He screamed in shock as Roman Dmitry approached him.
“What are you all doing? Attack Roman Dmitry right now! That heinous monster needs to be attacked!”
“…”
But no one reacted. The soldiers of the empire only looked at each other, and none of them had the courage to strike first.
Vento, the 7th Knight Troops, and the mages of Blue Island. Even these strong men, whom ordinary soldiers wouldn’t get close to, were swiftly taken down by Roman.
As they watched such a being get swept to death with so much difference in their power, the soldiers felt fear register within them.
One step.
Two steps.
And then he got closer.
Count Pablo continued to scream as he stepped back.
“You insane bastards! Disobedience to orders is punishable by immediate execution. Even if you live here, do you think the laws of Kronos will let you live?! Raise your swords! Attack Roman Dmitry! If anyone steps up as an example now, then I, Count Pablo, will make sure to remember that face!”
Even though his scream and shout turned more desperate, no one responded. In the end…
Thud.
He fell back to the ground and looked at Roman Dmitry with a terrified face.
“Roman Dmitry. Just why are you doing this? If you let this pass, the Kronos Empire will not make the extreme choice of going to war against Dmitry. But if you kill me, there is no turning back. It is a war that Dmitry is bound to lose, so why dig your own grave?”
The threats didn’t work. Convinced that the opponent would kill him, Count Pablo’s face became angrier.
“Yah! You jerk! Yah! Kill me! Kill me, I say! But be aware! Do you think you alone can handle an all-out war against Kronos? The forces of Rascal are close to nothing. Hundreds of troops are gathering to destroy Dmitry, and they will wipe Dmitry at once. And no matter how desperate you are, that place will go down. That is the price you will pay for what you did!”
He cried out.
And that sight of him, among Roman Dmitry’s memories, was one that he would remember the most.
Baek Joong-hyuk held a service for the death of Crazy Demon. Then, after spending enough time with the one who died first, he headed for the Henan Province. Mount Song was there.
It was the place where the Shaolin Temple, one of the Nine Great Sects, was located, and the sudden appearance of the Heavenly Demon sent the Shaolin monks into confusion.
It was an emergency. Now that the Demonic Sect had revealed their ambition to conquer Murim, they tried to subdue Baek Joong-hyuk by using the Hundred and Eight Arhat and their warriors.
A fierce battle happened on that day. But no matter how strong he was, it was reckless to fight the Shaolin alone.
Many had died. When Mount Song, which was a sacred place for Murim, was stained in blood, Baek Joong-hyuk was standing on a pile of corpses.
Unlike the surrounding sight, he looked calm. His clothes were tattered and soaked in blood, but there weren’t any noticeable wounds on his body.
It was too much. The monk, once called the hope of Shaolin, looked at him with a miserable look and said,
“…just why? Why did you attack this place alone?”
He coughed up blood and couldn’t understand it. Even if Baek Joong-hyuk possessed such overwhelming force, attacking Shaolin made no sense.
Mu Seong looked at him. Shaolin would come to an end like this, but he still wanted to find out why this happened.
Then Baek Joong-hyuk said,
“My man is dead.”
A special reason?
There were none. He did it because he wanted to, and he needed the power to live like that.
“Now you know. Even if you are at the top, what happens if you ever touch my people.”
The monk’s face crumbled, and he realized it then.
The war with the Demonic Sect. There wasn’t any chance for the righteous side to win.
It was very similar to that time. It was a look of despair, but also the reaction of not being able to accept the reality.
Then Roman Dmitry squatted down and met Pablo’s gaze.
“Do you know why I decided to go to war with Kronos?”
Kwak.
“Euk!?”
He squeezed his lower thigh, making Count Pablo struggle, but he was unable to shake off Roman Dmitry.
“I didn’t like it. As if Kronos rules the continent, their gaze, as if they were looking down on me, didn’t sit well with me. Count Pablo, it doesn’t matter how well you have lived until now. Even if Kronos has never experienced defeat in its history before, what matters to me is that you touched Dmitry’s land and my people.”
Count Pablo’s eyes were wide and red. And when Roman Dmitry released his hand, he coughed a couple of times in pain and looked up.
“… Is that really all? Because the Kronos Empire offended you, you waged this absurd war on us? Roman Dmitry! Do not make me laugh! In the world, you are praised as a genius, but in reality, you are an ignorant kid running rampant! To run a place doesn’t mean to respond based on emotions. Why didn’t you think of that when acting like this, which could cost the lives of Dmitry’s people?”
It was his last shout, but Roman didn’t answer. After crushing Count Pablo’s arm, he took out his magic communicator, and…
Crack.
He smashed it. Seeing that, Count Palo was shocked, and Roman got up.
“That is all I need.”
It was then…
Wheik.
Wheiiikkk.
“Ackk!”
“S-save me!”
Flames broke out, and the soldiers who watched the situation were engulfed in flames, all screaming out in a terrible manner.
It turned into hell in an instant. The beings who lost their will to fight just stood by, not even being able to bring out their swords.
Except for the place where Count Pablo was, everything around him burned, making him run out of breath.
Count Pablo looked at Roman like he was a demon standing in front of flames.
Step.
Roman was engulfed in the flames. In a situation where it was burning everywhere, a voice could be heard.
“I will give you a chance. Either risk being burned and live, or die after reporting what happened in Rascal to the Empire. Your choice.”
That was the end.
He no longer heard Roman Dmitry’s voice.
