Chapter 97: A World Unseen (1)

When the plan was first presented.

Kevin, who had been silently observing the situation, only asked a question after it was decided to follow Romin's plan.

“What do we need to do?”

This war.

It is not a problem that Romin can handle alone.

Using the mountain's terrain and darkness to deal with the enemy is a good strategy, but the two hundred troops cannot remain idle during this time.

Kevin hoped there would be a role for them to play in supporting Romin.

Chris felt the same way, and when Kevin mentioned an important point, Chris quickly added:

“You're right. I agree with the idea of the lord conducting guerrilla tactics alone. The lord has the ability to do so, and we, who cannot match the lord's abilities, would only be a hindrance. However, I do not wish to leave everything to the lord. We can be used as bait. Please use us effectively.”

Their words.

It was an unnecessary worry.

Romin had always intended to make the best use of the forces at his disposal.

“I will now give a brief explanation of the operation.”

Rustle.

He unfolded a map.

It was a map of Macbani.

Romin deliberately took out Macbani's map and pointed to the area corresponding to the entrance of the mountain.

“This operation is divided into three stages. The first stage: I will use my mobility to deal with the remnants of Hector. The Kingdom of Hector will be preoccupied with attacking the front-line defense fortifications, so I can take out a significant number of enemies during this time. The second stage: If the Kingdom of Hector, viewing me as a thorn in their side, sends a pursuit force, I will lure them into the mountains. They will likely try to eliminate me quickly using their numerical advantage. I will prolong the battle, and when night falls and darkness descends, I will use my abilities to corner them.”

Finally.

The finishing touch.

The Kingdom of Hector, driven to the brink, will undoubtedly pursue me recklessly.

“From then on, we will enter the third stage. A surprise attack using the terrain. That will be your role.”

* * *

The third stage.

It was a simple plan.

Digging traps and waiting to ambush the disorganized enemy.

Since it is a strategy that anyone could think of, people already understood the problems with a surprise attack without needing an explanation.

‘A surprise attack in the mountains can certainly achieve clear results. However, from the moment we reveal ourselves, we will not be free from the pursuit of the Kingdom of Hector. The power disparity between Hector and us is overwhelming, and successfully attacking and escaping unscathed is virtually impossible. But if it is the lord's command, we will follow it.’

No one.

Mentioned the risks of the plan.

Everyone shared the same resolve.

Romin Demitri is willing to face hundreds or thousands of enemies alone, so they did not want to drag their feet by pointing out the dangers of setting up and conducting a surprise attack.

Even if this choice means death.

Romin's soldiers showed their determination to follow him to the end.

This resolve spread like an epidemic, and the soldiers following Macbani and Stephen also remained silent.

Intense resolve.

It was impressive.

While the soldiers' dedication to him was touching, Romin is not someone who seeks meaningless sacrifices.

“It seems you have some misconceptions. The key point of this surprise attack is to minimize our losses while reducing the enemy's numbers.”

“...That is impossible. The Kingdom of Hector will certainly form ranks and conduct a search. Once our position is discovered, we will be caught unless we kill everyone. You don't have to give us false hope. We are already prepared to die for the lord.”

It was Chris.

Even if he follows with a purpose.

His loyalty was genuine.

Romin said:

“No, there is a way to avoid being caught. I found this in an ancient book. It states that the use of mana is boundless and can turn nature to our advantage. While in Demitri, I discovered a new branch of nature through countless trials and errors.”

It was a confusing statement.

A branch of nature.

Romin moved and began to gather pebbles and twigs from the ground.

“You won't see it, but these pebbles and twigs are different from others in that they are imbued with a significant amount of mana. In human terms, it is a small amount, but if they are systematically positioned with clear criteria, the mana that defies the flow of nature will distort space.”

Thud.

He placed a pebble on the ground.

He took a few steps forward and planted a twig on the ground.

What exactly was he doing?

As he repeated the same actions, the onlookers' eyes were filled with curiosity.

‘What is he trying to do with this?’

The growing curiosity.

Then.

The moment Romin placed the last pebble.

“I have decided to call this technique ‘Formation.’”

Swoosh.

A gentle breeze.

Romin's figure disappeared as if it were a mirage.

Everyone was shocked.

It felt as if all their senses were denied.

Clearly, he was just in front of them, but like a divine prank, Romin vanished without a trace.

Only then did they believe.

If Romin Demitri's method was followed, it might indeed be possible to attack the enemy safely.

And at that moment.

The plan worked.

“Attack!”

“Fire the arrows!”

Thud!

Arrows were fired right in front of them.

Even without being a marksman, hitting the target was not difficult, and the arrows piercing through the bodies caused the soldiers of Hector to scream and fall.

They did not even think to raise their shields to block the unexpected attack.

The soldiers who had trained hard for this war disintegrated like a rabble, and Chris, seizing the moment, kicked the ground and cut off the breath of an aura knight in one swift move.

Thud.

The sword flashed.

At a speed that was hard to follow with the eye, the heads of the leading soldiers flew off with their surprised expressions still intact.

Blood spurted like a fountain.

Chris did not stop.

A surprise attack is a battle of momentum.

To completely exploit the opening the enemy revealed, Chris pushed forward aggressively.

“Everyone, stay focused!”

“Counterattack!”

The knights of Hector responded.

Among them were aura knights.

Auras erupted from all directions, attacking Chris simultaneously, but he evaded their attacks with a split-second advantage.

And then.

Thud!

Thud!

He precisely targeted the vital points, ending the lives of his opponents.

The grand battle.

By defeating a 3-star knight, Chris transformed into a completely different entity.

He realized that the power of aura was not everything and worked hard to become stronger through training with Romin.

The sweat he shed formed a river.

Even a moment's distraction would prevent him from fully absorbing Romin's teachings, so he trained relentlessly for a week, staying up all night and collapsing if necessary.

As a result.

He achieved the desired outcome.

Lightning.

The sword technique of the ten great martial artists, who once dominated the martial world, manifested, and the knights of Hector were decapitated one-sidedly.

“What the hell.”

“Where did such a monster come from?!”

The enemies were shocked.

The opponent was not Romin Demitri.

Yet, they could not handle it.

Driven by Chris's relentless assault, cries of pain did not cease.

It was not just that.

Romin's soldiers.

Their combat power was formidable.

Having mastered the Asura Heart Method and Asura Sword Technique, they, despite being regular soldiers, displayed the combat power of one against a hundred.

It was overwhelming.

In a short time, Chris, who had cut down many enemies, suddenly retreated and shouted in a voice imbued with mana.

“Retreat!”

“Retreat!”

That was enough.

The Kingdom of Hector.

Initially, they were dazed, but they quickly regained their composure and signaled the appearance of the enemy.

This was a signal that the situation had reversed.

Hearing the sound of reinforcements approaching, Chris ordered a retreat without hesitation. They had already achieved their objective.

The purpose of this operation was not to kill many enemies but to harass them safely.

‘Move to the next point.’

In this vast mountain.

He had set up several hiding spots using formations.

Romin faced reality.

Knowing that they could not win in a numbers game, he chose to fight only under the conditions he desired.

The fleeing soldiers of Cairo.

That concluded the situation.

The soldiers of Hector, driven by rage, pursued them, but Chris and the others had already vanished without a trace.

* * *

At that moment.

Battles were also taking place in other areas.

“Enemies!”

“Block them!”

Thud!

At the forefront of Cairo.

Kevin took charge.

He beheaded an enemy who was shouting in shock and quickly cut down the disoriented enemies.

The battle dynamics were not much different.

As Romin intended, the Kingdom of Hector tried to form a包围圈 despite the risks, and in the process, their ranks inevitably became disorganized.

In fact.

Even so, the battle was still in Hector's favor in terms of common sense.

In a war of attrition, numerical superiority is absolute, but Cairo's surprise attack was beyond the realm of common sense.

“Die!”

An aura knight of Hector.

The exploding aura carried the hope of Hector.

The aura knight, who aimed to behead Kevin, instead lost his life to Kevin's counterattack.

Romin's soldiers say:

Kevin.

He is a monster who grows the fastest.

While he is not yet as strong as Chris, the speed at which he cuts down enemies is even faster.

This operation.

Many questions followed.

People were worried about Romin Demitri facing the Kingdom of Hector alone and thought that guerrilla tactics in the mountains were risky.

However, unlike Chris, who always sought clear evidence, Kevin never raised any questions.

He trusted Romin Demitri.

Believing that Romin, who had rapidly improved someone like himself, who had only wandered through the slums, could achieve the impossible.

Blind trust.

Kevin's driving force was Romin's existence itself.

The result was the same as Chris's.

In a short time, he killed many enemies, but there was a difference.

Thud!

Thud!

He grabbed the hair of a fleeing enemy and pulled him forward, repeatedly stabbing his abdomen.

It was not a single, decisive strike to the vital points.

To make the enemy scream as much as possible. He mercilessly inflicted pain on the opponent.

The soldiers of Hector, upon seeing this, turned pale and could not bring themselves to attack Kevin.

Hector is the enemy.

Kevin, while protecting Romin's side, closely observed how Romin dealt with the enemy.

The battle with Barco.

Romin showed the cruelty of exterminating an entire family.

Seeing Romin become infinitely cruel against the enemy, Kevin demonstrated what fear truly was to the enemies.

‘I follow the values the lord pursues.’

The fleeing enemies.

He did not catch them.

To spread fear, survivors were necessary.

Deliberately leaving some survivors, Kevin immediately gave the signal to retreat upon hearing the sound of the enemy approaching.

Chris.

Kevin.

Puki.

Volkan.

The surprise attacks were carried out simultaneously.

Volkan, who was the first to challenge the recruitment, and Puki, who successfully manifested aura, each led a group of soldiers, and the four groups attacked simultaneously.

This operation was highly successful.

Like Chris and Kevin, who killed the enemies one-sidedly and then fled, the other two groups also succeeded in their mission.

And.

The news soon plunged the Hector camp into shock.