Chapter 92: Ghost Shadow (2)

The scene before him.

It was hard to believe even though he saw it with his own eyes.

More than the fact that one of Hector's knights had been killed in a single blow, what struck him was the man who charged alone towards the enemies.

"Enemy!"

"Kill him!"

Hector's soldiers rushed forward.

At a glance, there were dozens of them.

Yet, the man facing them was only one.

Roman Demitri, who had appeared alone on the battlefield, seemed to take on the enemies head-on as if the numerical disadvantage meant nothing.

Swish!

Papapap!

"Kyaah!"

It was a one-sided massacre.

The soldiers who had charged in with great momentum fell with a single scream, and the soldiers who momentarily froze in shock had no time to react as their bodies were cut apart one by one.

There was no sign of the use of aura.

Despite relying purely on physical ability, Roman Demitri cut down the enemies with such ease.

One blow, one kill.

Death followed every flash of his sword.

Weapons aimed at Roman's life from all directions, but every time he opened his eyes, another soldier was dead.

He was a monster.

But more shocking than his overwhelming power was the fact that Roman Demitri was truly alone.

"What the hell."

"The enemy is alone! Stay calm and attack together!"

"Attack from all sides!"

One against many.

It was an unrealistic situation.

It was hard to understand why he had appeared alone, and even harder to comprehend the one-sided slaughter.

Hector's soldiers went berserk.

They believed that if they attacked simultaneously with a large number of people, they could bring him down, but as the fight progressed, the number of bodies on the ground increased.

It was a fight where they couldn't even stand a chance.

The soldiers couldn't even get close to Roman, let alone injure him; their heads were cut off as soon as they approached.

From start to finish.

It was actually not a long time.

Not long after Brant recognized Roman's presence, the hell of the present world unfolded.

Thud.

It was over.

The last soldier.

As the last of Hector's soldiers fell, Brant looked up at Roman with a pale face.

"Who exactly are you?"

By Brant's standards.

There was no such monster in the Kingdom of Cairo.

* * *

The introduction was brief.

At the name Roman Demitri.

Brant's heart pounded.

'...Was it really true that guerrilla tactics were being used?'

The communication with Baron Donald.

The order to abandon the first defensive line was interpreted as giving up the southern front.

It was a logical judgment.

With the warp gate now in enemy hands, there was no way to hold the southern front against the forces of the Kingdom of Hector.

The geographical advantage of the mountains? That was just a play on words.

While the Kingdom of Hector would certainly have a hard time dealing with the remnants hiding in the mountains, there were no fortifications in the southern mountains that could be used.

Therefore.

Guerrilla tactics were not a good strategy.

Using the mountains' advantages half-heartedly could result in being trapped and annihilated by the enemy.

'But Roman Demitri stayed. Even though he had plenty of time to escape, he didn't abandon the southern front. Thinking back, it was unusual from the moment he contacted Baron Donald. He had noticed the occupation of the warp gate in the rear base and told us to flee.'

Foresight.

Roman's judgment was correct.

Of course, he thought guerrilla tactics were reckless.

But.

Brant couldn't help but look at Roman with admiration.

Because Roman had stayed, knowing the danger, Brant realized he was still alive.

Brant said,

"Sir Roman Demitri was right. Baron Donald made the decision to stay in a deathtrap despite receiving sound advice, and the first defensive line fell into the hands of the Kingdom of Hector. The war is already over. The Kingdom of Hector is moving to attack the second defensive line, and they won't hold out for long either."

He bowed his head.

He didn't know why Roman was alone.

What was certain was that.

The tide had turned to the point where guerrilla tactics were meaningless.

Knowing what kind of person Roman Demitri was, Brant raised his voice to him.

"Do you mean to give up?"

"Yes. There are things that are physically impossible in this world. I just witnessed how strong a swordsman Sir Roman Demitri is, but the Kingdom of Hector has invaded the southern front with a large number of troops. There is no way to handle all of them. What if you retreat over the mountains? No one will blame Sir Roman Demitri. I witnessed how much you did your best, and I will prove it to the people. Please make a wise decision."

Perhaps.

Brant thought Roman might have stayed for revenge.

Logically, there was no reason for him to move alone.

Therefore, the hypothesis that he had lost all his subordinates and was seeking revenge seemed quite plausible to Brant.

'A wise decision.'

Brant's advice.

It wasn't wrong.

In fact, even if Roman retreated, he wouldn't suffer any harm.

However.

'I don't like it.'

It wasn't out of patriotism.

Roman Demitri was from Cairo, and the southern front, where he was fulfilling his duty to defend the country, had fallen into the hands of the Kingdom of Hector.

It was a matter of pride.

The single fact that Roman Demitri was present but did nothing.

Roman didn't want such words to remain in reality.

It was a trivial reason to risk his life.

The gains were small.

The losses were great.

But in the world of the survival of the fittest, where he was born and rose to the top, Baek Jung-hyuk learned one thing.

'Not even once. I cannot set a precedent that makes me look weak.'

That's all.

That's why he stayed.

That's why he didn't run.

Looking at Brant's gaze.

Roman said,

"No, the war is not over yet."

* * *

Since the war began.

Roman reviewed the situation.

'The Kingdom of Hector is in a very poor state due to an unprecedented famine. With the food supply for the common people running out, it's impossible to secure enough military provisions. The fact that they still launched a war suggests how desperate the situation is in the Kingdom of Hector.'

It was a simple problem.

The true intentions of Hector.

They showed their intent to solve their problems through this war.

'Given this premise, I can understand all of Hector's actions. The southern front is a barren land compared to other areas, so there's no reason for a foreign country to invade it forcefully. However, the Kingdom of Hector is trying to completely take control of the southern front. They didn't just cross the border and attack; they used a strategy of feinting to the east and attacking to the west, deceiving us and occupying the warp gate. Perfect isolation. From now on, they can occupy the high ground they maintain in any negotiations.'

Beyond the front lines.

He read the enemy's intentions.

If Hector wanted to end the war quickly, their weakness was already clearly exposed.

Roman said,

"This war is a very special case. The Kingdom of Hector's attempt to quickly occupy the southern front is not only to reduce Hector's sacrifices but also because they lack the resources to sustain a long war. War has a purpose. Hector's purpose is to resolve the country's difficulties through war, and therefore, they must completely occupy the southern front to conduct smooth negotiations with the Cairo royal family."

"…What do you mean?"

Brant's eyes widened.

Roman's words.

He couldn't understand them.

To solve the country's difficulties through war.

How could he accept that?

"It's a simple problem. Despite the Kingdom of Hector's difficult situation, they attacked the southern front, which offers no significant gain. Do you think Hector, where people are starving, can continue to hold the southern front? Not a chance. They are clearly gambling with the fate of their country."

At the brink.

Hector drew their sword to survive.

If they did nothing, they would starve to death, so this was their last desperate attempt to solve the problem before starving to death.

Therefore.

Roman made his judgment.

"We don't need to face all of Hector's forces on the southern front. If the enemy's number is ten thousand, we only need to take out a hundred. Just 1% of the result will change the course of the war. The Kingdom of Hector will face difficulties due to our presence, and the Cairo royal family, judging that there is still hope, will not readily accept Hector's demands. That's enough. By creating a variable in the war, we can thwart the Kingdom of Hector's plans."

At his words.

Brant couldn't hide his admiration.

His thoughts were not wrong.

Roman was not an ordinary person and, as he had shown foresight, he was looking at the battlefield from a different perspective.

The problem was.

Roman's plan was not as easy as it sounded.

"…Is that really possible?"

"It is."

There was no room for doubt.

Before he could even have any doubts.

"We have already achieved our goal."

Roman Demitri.

Shocked Brant.

* * *

The second defensive line of the southern front.

The Kingdom of Hector had already begun their attack.

"Fire!"

Whoosh.

Rumble!

Flares exploded on the walls.

Parts of the walls had already collapsed from repeated attacks, and the Cairo soldiers screamed as the flames raged.

However, Edwin Hector did not order a hasty attack.

Now that communication with the Cairo royal family was complete, time was on Hector's side.

From now on, minimizing casualties was also an important issue.

'The plan is perfect.'

A year of preparation.

He turned the scenarios he had trained countless times into reality.

While distracting the enemy's attention by crossing the border, he occupied the most crucial point, the warp gate.

That ended the war.

When discussing the plan on paper.

From the moment the warp gate was occupied, there was no possibility of failure.

It was safe to say they had crossed the critical point.

From now on, it was a matter of steadily dealing with the remaining remnants and receiving appropriate compensation from Cairo.

However.

Despite such a favorable position, he couldn't feel at ease.

'The death of Baron McClarely was not part of my plan. The fifth defensive line was the weakest point on the southern front. For Baron McClarely to die against such weak opponents. Does this mean Roman Demitri is a variable strong enough to overcome the numerical disadvantage?'

Edwin Hector always doubted himself.

Even in a smooth situation, he reviewed his judgment to eliminate variables.

No matter how he thought about it.

The variable was insignificant.

He had heard of Roman Demitri's reputation, but a three-star swordsman is not a significant enough presence to turn the tide.

'The plan to capture the fifth defensive line failed, contrary to the original plan. What variables should we be cautious about due to this? I can confidently say that there is no variable that can put us in danger. Even if Roman Demitri leads troops against us, the number of troops is not enough to handle Hector's forces. If Roman Demitri's power is as strong as the remnants' testimony suggests? It will be troublesome, but it won't directly lead to a critical variable. The Kingdom of Hector is not so weak as to be swayed by a single individual.'

Before attacking the second defensive line.

Edwin Hector gave an order.

To deal with the remnants of Cairo.

He was concerned that they might be absorbed by Roman, so he made a judgment to eliminate the variable in advance.

He suppressed his doubts.

His sensitive nerves kept making him review the plan, but his mind concluded that there was no problem.

Then.

A soldier approached with news.

"Prince Edwin. The 1st Battalion, which left to deal with the remnants, has lost contact."

One piece of news.

A sense of foreboding crept in.

Sure enough.

"The 2nd Battalion has also lost contact."

"The 3rd Battalion is not responding!"

As the news kept coming in.

Edwin Hector's expression turned cold.

A variable.

The foreboding finally became reality.