Chapter 169 – Cairo’s First Sword (4)

Rumble!

The earth shook. The shockwaves on the ground caused the onlookers to stumble or be thrown backward, and the outcome of the fight was obscured by a cloud of dust that prevented them from seeing it.

This wasn’t a fight between humans. The people who were now covered in dust just looked around with shocked faces.

Whoosh.

The wind blew. And once the situation was revealed, everyone’s eyes went wide.

Thud.

“… cough.“

Count Nicholas was down on one knee. Even as blood flowed from his mouth and nose, he raised his head and looked at the man in front of him.

‘Was I defeated?’

In their last clash, Count Nicholas did his best. He was convinced that the head-to-head confrontation would be a sure move, but Roman didn’t back down and attacked him head-on.

And this was the result.

Even his own attack, which he had trained for sixty years, was unable to defeat Roman Dmitry, and he ended up coughing up blood.

And the sight of Roman looking down at him with an unstrained face made him feel more miserable.

‘This is it.’

The match was decided, with Roman Dmitry as the winner. It was his turn to admit defeat, but Count Nicholas forced himself to get up.

Drip.

Blood was flowing down from his arm. His whole body wouldn’t listen to him, and he gritted his teeth as he raised his sword.

“… continue.”

His voice cracked.

The willingness to accept the victor was said to be a virtue of a swordsman, but Count Nicholas couldn’t accept the reality, even if he looked miserable because he carried the royal family on his shoulders.

He accepted the fact that he was defeated, but he couldn’t kneel when the thought of the royal family being harmed in the future hit him.

He wasn’t sure what to do. He had already lost his role as a supporter by showing his weakness here, but in his sixty years of life, he had done nothing but be consistent with the sword. So fighting until the end was the best thing he could do.

He forced his heavy, drooping eyes to open, and he pushed himself up to regain the senses in his dull body.

“Why are you doing this?”

Roman Dmitry asked.

Count Nicholas’s attack was truly terrifying. He was able to win because of the Heavenly Demon Sword Art’s middle form, but Count Nicholas was by far the best he had ever fought.

If he hadn’t met Butler and if he hadn’t had a year of imaginary training then Roman Dmitry wouldn’t have been safe going against the roaring flame.

And finally, the winner was him. Breaking through the flames, he stepped on the greatest sword of Cairo.

The Count smiled.

“… why would you ask that? Isn’t it natural? I am the First Sword of Cairo, and even though I have fallen down, my will hasn’t broken yet.”

His voice kept losing its tone. His defeat wasn’t pretty. Count Nicholas was stained in blood and unlike his name, he looked pitiful.

But what could be done? If his sword was broken, he, who wanted to show his will, was also broken.

“Enough.”

Tak.

He kicked the ground but his movement was slow. As he ran, blood was dripping on the ground and it looked like he would collapse anytime.

Roman smiled.

‘Richard Nicholas.’

The light of Cairo was such a wonderful man. He would not kill him, however, the times were changing and he wasn’t going to show him mercy.

Roman sent him a message. At the words Roman sent him through mana, the Count ran to Roman with wide eyes.

And at that moment…..

Flash!

Puak!

The sword cut right through his chest, and blood splattered. Count Nicholas’s eyes lost focus, and he collapsed as he was charging.

Thud.

The First Sword of Cairo.

It was the end of a giant who ruled an era.

It was the end of a long journey. Looking at Count Nicholas stained with blood, Willas spoke in a trembling voice,

“… with this, Roman Dmitry is now the number one in the Cairo Kingdom.”

No one cheered at the shocking results. The match was too much, as everyone stared dumbfounded at the two.

Willas also couldn’t hide his shock. Even as someone who genuinely enjoyed such matches, this result was too shocking.

‘This is absurd.’

Roman Dmitry’s limit was higher. The Valhalla Empire was keeping an eye on him because of his rapid growth and boundless talent. They admired the way he defeated Cairo’s rankers from the 99th to the 2nd.

They had no choice but to admit Roman’s skills, but they didn’t think he could defeat Count Nicholas. According to the information from Valhalla, the Count was stronger than he was five years ago. And no matter how much Roman Dmitry tried, it would be impossible to catch up with him.

But Roman won with overwhelming strength.

Even when Willas witnessed the head-to-head fight unfold, he was not sure what had happened, but that the match just ended.

‘Did we underestimate Roman Dmitry? No, that’s not the problem. No matter how much we thought Roman’s limits were, the monster keeps surpassing them. Well, a monster appeared in the Cairo Kingdom. Roman Dmitry is a person who would have caused a great stir if he had been born in Valhalla.’

His heart pounded. Count Nicholas was someone who didn’t have a high rank in Valhalla. But Roman was someone they had to keep tabs on, especially when he was still in his mid-20s.

“The challenges for the Ranking Matches end now.”

He hastily left that place. The results? They didn’t matter anymore. It was time for him to contact his home nation since he had to relay what happened in Cairo.

‘Roman Dmitry is no longer a target we can leave alone. If he adheres to this attitude of not wanting to choose a side…’

Death. If they couldn’t have him as an ally, then Roman’s existence couldn’t be spared.

After the end of the fight, Roman headed to the palace. It was time to be recognized for defeating Count Nicholas and to announce that he was now the first and best sword in Cairo. But on the way to the palace, a group blocked Roman’s path.

“… Roman Dmitry. I never thought you would defeat Count Nicholas.”

It was Marquis Benedict. He and the nobles appeared in groups. Troops from each allied family filled the streets and even normal people hid at this force.

The atmosphere was unusual. Marquis Benedict who used to gaze at Roman with loving eyes was now showing a cold face.

“As I watched Count Nicholas collapse, I had a complicated thought. Was I stupid for not expecting it, or have you been hiding your power on purpose all this time? And I thought it was the latter.”

For now, Marquis Benedict believed he could still control Roman Dmitry. Roman’s power wasn’t that great, so even after giving him a year, he didn’t worry much about him.

But as a result, Count Nicholas collapsed. In addition, the Dmitry family formed a coalition in the northeast, and Roman Dmitry proved to be stronger than Count Nicholas whom the nobles were wary of.

This was simply not an acceptable result. What he believed he could control was only revealing his power now. This was flustering.

Roman Dmitry was a fox. He didn’t know if this was true but he didn’t think Roman was the type to make such a joke.

‘Roman Dmitry didn’t need a year to prepare himself. With the justification to prepare for the Public Ranking, he must have used that time to reorganize the Dmitry family. Roman Dmitry had known he could handle me from the beginning. Even so, I firmly believed that Roman Dmitry had no choice but to follow my words. And thinking that he is just a fool from the outskirts was my mistake.’

It was different now that Roman Dmitry gained strength. It would no longer be impossible for Roman to oppose them if he put his mind to it.

And because of that, he called for the troops of their faction. Even if Cairo was under the rule of the royal family, the guards would still open the gates for them.

Marquis Benedict said,

“One year ago. You said you would choose after the rankings are over. Tell us your choice now. Will you follow me and the nobles or make a different choice? If you chose the former I will accept you but if it is the latter, you will have to pay for what you have received from me.”

The moments of acceptance returned with malice.

And Marquis Benedict continued in a determined voice,

“Choose. What is your decision?”

The moment to make a choice has finally arrived.

It was the same in Baek Joong-hyuk’s life. As he struggled to live at one point, he had to make a choice.

“Joong-hyuk. I will become the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect. I have always treated you as my brother. But from now on, your choice will determine our relationship, so you need to choose. Will you enjoy wealth and honor by my side for the rest of your life or will you choose to be my enemy until the end?”

On that day, Baek Ho-yeol, the Great Young Lord of the sect, appeared with a power capable to stain the ground as dark as the night sky.

And it wasn’t a matter of making a simple choice. With Baek Joong-hyuk proving his worth and being discussed as the successor to the new position of Heavenly Demon, Baek Ho-yeol wouldn’t allow Baek Joong-hyuk to grow. And there were their other brothers too.

At first, the people who were fighting for the same position made the choice to surrender to Baek Ho-yeol.

‘What is the choice for me?’

His life was full of struggles and every second was hell. He could never sleep peacefully and many of those who followed him were killed because they were loyal to him.

Every time he struggled, he remembered the words and actions of the people who looked at him and he cursed his fate, wanting to end it all.

But the moment he would hold Baek Ho-yeol’s hand, life would be convenient. He wouldn’t have to struggle, and he’d be able to sleep without worrying about people trying to kill him. But….

“Hyung. I am sorry but I am a person who cannot live for others.”

When he was at the bottom position, Baek Joong-hyuk started his struggle by smashing the head of a boy with a stone.

Kill, kill, kill, and more killing.

If anyone looked down on him, tried to rise higher than him, or even tried to look at him, he would hurt them and emerge as the winner.

His nature would never change. The beast which had tasted blood couldn’t bow its head even if it meant death.

Baek Ho-yeol had a cold expression on his face. And as he took a step back, his men rushed for Baek Joong-hyuk.

On a night with a full moon, Baek Joong-hyuk was drenched in blood. Despite quenching his thirst with blood, the shadow of death was close by.

Baek Joong-hyuk slashed the enemies who rushed at him.

Finally, as Baek Ho-yeol looked up at him with a shocked look on his face, Baek Joon-hyuk cut his head off.

Slash.

And now….

“I get what you mean.”

Roman Dmitry looked at Marquis Benedict and the people behind him. This situation reminded him so much about his previous life and this made him smile.

“But you see. I don’t think I can live for others. That is my choice.”

At those words, Marquis Benedict’s expression twisted horribly.