Chapter 84 – An Unforeseen Disaster (5)

The distance between the gate and Baron McCleary was quite far. It was common sense not to pass through the front that was filled with enemies, but Roman had different thoughts.

‘The enemy commander is careless.’

Was it because Cairo was considered weak by him? Baron McCleary had actually stepped ahead out in the open to observe the situation. Of course, it could be said by others that he was still at a safe distance, but he wasn’t as far that he wouldn’t be untouched by Roman. Thus, Roman changed his plan instantly. Initially, he was only going to secure the space that was around the gate until Steven and his soldiers installed the emergency iron fence, but he now ran ahead the moment he made eye contact with Baron McCleary.

‘I will kill the commander.’

That is the best way to end this battle quickly.

He had experienced in numerous battlefields that the moment the commander’s head falls down, the enemies fall down as well.

“Stop him!”

“The enemy is alone!”

The soldiers of Hector were furious. When they saw Roman, who dared to come here by himself, they all attacked him at once. However, the scene of him exchanging blows with numerous at once took their breath away. The weapons flying in from all directions were all aiming for his life. However, not a single attack worked on Roman.

Tatang!

All the weapons bounced back once the attacks were blocked. Still, that wasn’t the end. The soldiers who had attempted to attack him also fell down while screaming their lungs out as their limbs were cut off.

There were literally hundreds of enemies. Thus, it was common sense for them to have the advantage and for Roman to fall down, but as time passed, only the damage on their own side increased.

“Get out of the way!”

“Stop running around!’

Once the knights of Hector received the orders from Baron McCleary, they instantly rushed ahead. Obviously, they weren’t just ordinary knights. All of them were Aura Swordsmen who could manifest different types of Auras on their swords.

Srrng!

The Aura that enveloped the sword seemed to explode. And as they all had attacked at the same time, Hector’s soldiers breathed in relief that Roman would finally go down now.

‘Heavenly Demon Sword Art; Second Move.’

With a single breath, mana swelled within Roman, and an Aura erupted toward the enemies who were running fiercely toward him. And because of a single hit from the Heavenly Demon Sword Art, the knights of Hector, who were confident of their victory, perished without even knowing what had happened.

Kwakwakwang!

That was how shocking the power was. The Auras the knights had manifested scattered around as if they were pieces of paper in a tornado, and their bodies, which had to be as strong as armor made of steel, were shredded into a million pieces.

Everyone was blown away. That was the moment they all realized that the existence they were dealing with was a monster they couldn’t even touch the toes of. They all understood Roman had come into the enemy camp despite seeing so many enemies because he knew he wouldn’t have a problem even if he fought all of them at once.

In Roman Dmitry’s life—No, in Baek Joong-hyuk’s life, battles in which he was outnumbered were common. Even when he was against the masters of Murim, he was at a numerical disadvantage.

He understood that Steven meant not to overdo it. However, now that the enemy commander was in his range, he decided to end the battle at once.

Tak!

He kicked the ground, and suddenly, he was before Baron McCleary, who was utterly shocked. It was natural. Dozens of soldiers of Hector were just slaughtered in front of him, and even Hector’s Aura Knights, some of the best soldiers on their side, were torn apart with just one move. The plan that Hector had devised was now shattered as well, and Roman Dmitry was so strong that he couldn’t calculate how to stop him.

His eyes trembled. His head was telling him to run away as fast as he could, but at that moment, he remembered the command he had heard before he came here and announced war to Cairo’s soldiers.

‘There is no need to force things forward and capture the Fifth Defense Line. The only thing you must do is buy as much time as possible. We need plenty of time for our plans to succeed.’

“Fuck.”

Within one hour of declaring the war, a huge variable had already appeared that would hinder Hector’s goal.

Baron McCleary drew his sword. He was a swordsman as well. And as he knew how to use 2-Star Aura, he planned to do his best.

“I am Baron McCleary of Hector! I will—”

Slash!

Puak!

It was a single slash. Nevertheless, it was so fast that the moment Roman had arrived in front of him, in an instant, the head of Baron McCleary had flown into the air, and blood started to gush down his body like a fountain.

His judgment was too arrogant. As Hector’s Knights themselves couldn’t handle Roman Dmitry, he should have just run away.

Nevertheless, after the death of the commander, Roman grabbed his head and raised it high into the sky. Then, he shouted with a voice filled with mana, “The enemy commander is dead!”

At that moment, as if everything that was happening on the battlefield never actually happened, everyone who was on the battlefield stopped acting.

The atmosphere was ice-cold now. Hector’s soldiers didn’t understand what they should do. They had enough power to fight despite their commander’s death. Still, the situation was too confusing. And it was Roman Dmitry who broke the silence.

Slash!

“Kuak!”

He had done so by slashing the enemy in front of him. It was beyond common sense. Usually, once the enemy commander was killed, the enemy soldiers were forced to surrender. Actually, it might have even been the case if the opponent was the Barco family. Roman had ended the situation back then by killing the head of the Barco family and his son. Nevertheless, it was different this time. Hector had attacked Cairo without any warning. Not only was this a war without a cause, but the other Defense Lines were still under attack, even while they were here on the Fifth Defense Line.

Roman raised his voice and said, “Soldiers of Cairo, listen clearly! We cannot afford to secure war prisoners now. Even now, the other Defense Lines are under attack by the Hector Kingdom. If we let them live, they will definitely come back and initiate another war for revenge. Even if it means we need to shed blood now, risk your lives and execute the enemies!”

The war with Barco could be said to be a personal fight based on “Let your opponent cut your flesh in order to break his bone.” And since it was a fight within the same kingdom, if the commander was taken care of and the soldiers surrendered, most likely, they wouldn’t come back to fight for revenge. However, they were now dealing with the soldiers of Hector. Even if their commander had died, they still belonged to the Hector Kingdom and hence would fight until the end.

And honestly, surrender wasn’t even allowed in wars between nations. Thus, even if their arms were ripped off, it was absolutely necessary to deal with the enemies now that they had gained momentum. Being on the opposite side was enough reason to be cruel in war.

And when the soldiers of Cairo saw Roman continuing to slaughter his enemies without showing the slightest mercy, all of the soldiers cheered, “Follow Roman Dmitry!”

“Kill all the remnants of Hector!”

They blocked the exit. Hector’s soldiers were now cornered. Finally, they understood that they couldn’t get out of here alive.

By the time Henry Albert arrived, the tide of war had already turned. When he heard the report, it was clearly stated that the Fifth Defense Line was on the verge of collapsing, but the scene in front of him was different from that.

“…T-This is!”

Outside the fortress, a one-sided massacre was going on. Cairo’s soldiers, who were taking advantage of the current situation, attacked the enemy with faces that made them look like they were possessed by devils.

How did this happen?

He couldn’t understand it at all. Nevertheless, he became certain of one thing—Roman Dmitry’s presence stands out even in fierce battles.

‘This is how powerful Roman Dmitry is.’

He truly had an overwhelming presence. Hector’s soldiers, who were cornered, tried to rush in without any fear, but the moment they got close to Roman, they died without even being able to swing their swords. Their numerical advantage felt literally meaningless. No matter how much they rushed in, they only died.

Henry had seen Rankers fight before. Even then, he thought that Rankers were people on a whole different level. Nevertheless, those he had seen glorified now seemed like trash in front of Roman Dmitry. When he had heard that Roman was someone who had defeated Homer at the age of 25, he thought he must have some weakness, but now that he saw him fighting with his own eyes, he realized that the rumors didn’t even do justice to how strong he truly was.

Also, Roman’s soldiers couldn’t be said to be weak as well. In particular, Chris, Kevin, and Pooky showed power that a normal soldier could never have. Now he understood why they were different from the news. It was due to the variable known as Roman Dmitry.

’…I can finally see why uncle told me to get on the good side of Roman Dmitry.’

He gulped, knowing his uncle was right. Him being born as a commoner didn’t matter. He became certain that Roman Dmitry was a monster who would devour the entire Cairo Kingdom one day.

Henry shouted at the soldiers behind him, “Help Roman Dmitry right now! Do not let the bastards of Hector run away! And make sure to stay next to Roman!”

Henry finished giving his orders. Then, he began to follow his soldiers right from the very back.

Finally, all things on the Fifth Defense Line were sorted out. Hector’s soldiers didn’t fight to the end. When the fear of annihilation engulfed them, some of them abandoned their colleagues to run away. Obviously, most of them died while running away. Roman followed most of them to the very end and killed every single one he could see. Still, there was no way for him to kill so many enemies who were running in different directions at the same time.

And when the battle ended, Chris ran toward Roman.

“Chris and 30 others. No fatalities.”

It was a fierce battle, yet no one had died. Still, that didn’t mean everyone was safe. Everyone basically had at least one wound, but Roman could also see those who had blood dripping and red flesh through the armor. Still, no one groaned even a single time when moving. Henderson, in particular, was unfamiliar with large-scale battles, but he kept his mouth shut despite being soaked in sweat.

“You all did a good job. Use potions to heal the wounds.”

“Yes.”

There were no special thanks. Nevertheless, this alone was enough.

And Steven, who was close by, couldn’t help but be shocked.

’…He’s giving potions to soldiers?!’

Healing potions were produced in Magic Towers and costed an enormous sum of money even when they were bought in the least quantity. However, Roman had casually told his soldiers to use such expensive things. At first glance, he could see that they were at least intermediate or high-level potions, but the soldiers still poured the entire vials onto their wounds.

Chik!

Along with a burning smell, the wounds healed quickly.

Now Steven finally seemed to understand why the soldiers followed Roman Dmitry so blindly.

‘He has overwhelming strength, a daring judgment, and he is not a cheapskate to his men. The trust between Roman Dmitry and his soldiers isn’t something that was formed just now. Because he has such a character, even if he jumps into the pit of fire, they would follow him down.’

His admiration was brief. It was because, soon, Roman turned toward him and said, “You must gather the soldiers and prepare for a second attack. And I need to see soldiers who know the terrain of the Southern Front.”

“…You want to leave right now?”

“The war hasn’t ended just yet. Even now, while we have found a little peace, the soldiers of Cairo are dying elsewhere.”

The war had just started, and this was only a single victory. It didn’t mean they had won the war.

Roman looked at him with fierce eyes, “I have no intention of watching the Hector Kingdom trample this land. Until I have killed all the soldiers of the Hector Kingdom who have stepped into our land, I will not stop.”

He was stunned the moment he heard those words. Obviously, Cairo was at a disadvantage right now. Because of the surprise attack from Hector, the Cairo Kingdom had already lost the momentum in the war. Nevertheless, for some reason, Steven felt the man who was standing in front of him could truly make something out of the current situation.

Roman shouted to his soldiers, “I will give you 10 minutes. Make sure you are fully prepared to move.”

“Yes!”

Roman’s soldiers were ready to follow his orders.

Therefore, only 2 hours after the war had started, the Fifth Defense Line was doing well in its defense. And that was the first variable the Hector Kingdom hadn’t expected. And it was also the starting point for another variable.