The scene before him was unbelievable.
More shocking than the fact that Hector's knight had been killed in a single blow was the sight of a lone man charging into the enemies.
"He's the enemy!"
"Kill him!"
Hector's soldiers rushed forward.
At a glance, there were dozens of them.
Yet, the man facing them was alone.
Roman Dmitri, who had appeared on the battlefield by himself, met the enemies head-on as if the numerical disadvantage meant nothing to him.
Swish! Bang bang bang!
"Ahhh!"
It was a one-sided massacre.
The soldiers, who had charged in with confidence, fell to the ground with a scream, and those who hesitated in shock found their bodies sliced apart before they could react.
There was no sign of aura being used.
It was purely the power of his body, yet Roman Dmitri slaughtered the enemies with such ease.
One strike, one kill.
With every flash of his sword, death followed.
Weapons were thrust at him from all directions, but each time he closed his eyes and opened them again, another soldier lay dead.
He was a monster.
However, more shocking than his overwhelming strength was the fact that Roman Dmitri was truly alone.
"This is insane."
"The enemy is alone! Attack him together!"
"Strike from all sides!"
It was a situation that defied common sense.
Not only was it incomprehensible that he had appeared alone, but the fact that he was slaughtering them so effortlessly was beyond belief.
Hector's soldiers struggled.
They believed that if a group attacked simultaneously, they could take him down, but as the fight progressed, the number of corpses on the ground only increased.
It was a fight they had no chance of winning from the start.
The soldiers couldn't even inflict a scratch on Roman; every time they approached, their heads would roll.
From beginning to end, it was not a long time.
Not long after Brant recognized Roman's presence, hell on earth unfolded.
Thud.
It was over.
The last soldier of Hector fell, and Brant looked up at Roman with a pale face.
"…What on earth are you?"
By Brant's understanding, there should be no such monster in the Kingdom of Cairo.
The introduction was brief.
The name Roman Dmitri made Brant's heart race.
'…Was it really true that they were conducting guerrilla operations?'
Contact with Count Donald.
The order to abandon the first defensive line was interpreted as giving up the southern front.
It was a reasonable judgment.
With the warp gate now in enemy hands, there was no way to hold the southern front against Hector's forces.
The geographical advantage of the mountains? That was just a play on words.
While the Kingdom of Hector would certainly struggle to deal with the remnants hiding in the mountains, there were no suitable fortifications in the southern mountains.
Thus, the guerrilla operation was not a good strategy.
If they tried to use the mountain advantage halfway, they could end up trapped and annihilated by the enemy.
'But Roman Dmitri remained.
Even though he had enough time to escape, he did not abandon the southern front.
Thinking back, something was off from the moment I contacted Count Donald.
He told us to flee after realizing that the warp gate in the rear was captured.'
Foreknowledge.
Roman's judgment was correct.
Of course, he thought the guerrilla operation was reckless.
However, Brant could only look at Roman with admiration.
Because Roman Dmitri stayed knowing the danger, he realized that he was still alive.
Brant said, "Lord Roman Dmitri, your words were right. Count Donald made a judgment to remain in a death trap despite the correct advice, and the first defensive line has fallen 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 too will not last long."
He lowered his head.
He could not understand why Roman was alone.
What was certain was that the situation had tilted so much that the guerrilla operation was meaningless.
Knowing who Roman Dmitri was, Brant raised his voice towards him instead.
"Are you suggesting we give up?"
"That's right. There are things in this world that are physically impossible. I just witnessed how strong a swordsman Roman Dmitri is, but the Kingdom of Hector has invaded the southern front with a massive army. There is no way to handle them all. How about retreating over the mountains? No one would blame you, Lord Roman Dmitri. I have seen how hard you have tried, and I will prove that to others. So please make a wise decision."
Perhaps.
Brant thought that Roman might have stayed for revenge.
There was no reason to move alone logically.
Thus, the hypothesis that he had lost all his subordinates and was seeking revenge seemed quite plausible to Brant.
'A wise decision.' Brant's advice was not wrong.
In fact, even if they retreated now, Roman would not suffer any losses.
However. 'I don't like it.'
This was not an expression of patriotism.
Roman Dmitri was from Cairo, and the southern front, where he was fulfilling his duty to defend, had fallen into the hands of the Kingdom of Hector.
It was a matter of pride.
The simple fact that Roman was present on the battlefield yet could do nothing.
Roman did not want that kind of reality to remain.
There was no reason to risk his life for that.
The gains were few, and the losses were many.
But born into a world of the strong devouring the weak and rising to the top, Baek Jung-hyeok learned one thing.
'Not even once can I leave a precedent that belittles me.'
That was all.
So he stayed.
So he did not flee.
Looking into Brant's eyes, Roman said, "No, the war is not over yet."
Since the outbreak of the war until now, Roman reflected on the situation.
'The Kingdom of Hector is in dire straits due to an unprecedented famine.
With food for the common people running out, there is no way they could secure military supplies properly.
Yet they still chose to go to war, which means the situation in the Kingdom of Hector is desperate.'
It was a simple matter.
The true intentions of Hector.
They showed their intent to solve their problems through this war.
'With that premise, I can understand all of Hector's actions.
The southern front is a barren land compared to other places, so there is no reason for foreign countries to invade recklessly.
But the Kingdom of Hector is trying to completely take the southern front into their hands.
They are not just crossing the border to attack; they have deceived us with a strategy of feigning an attack elsewhere and captured the warp gate.
Perfect isolation.
From now on, they can maintain the high ground regardless of any deals they make.'
Beyond the front lines.
He read the enemy's intentions.
If Hector intends to end the war quickly, then their weakness has already been clearly revealed.
Roman said, "This war is a very special case. The Kingdom of Hector's attempt to seize the southern front at once is not only to reduce their sacrifices but also because they do not have the capacity to sustain a prolonged war. Wars have purposes. Hector's purpose is to resolve the country's difficulties through war, and thus they must completely occupy the southern front to negotiate smoothly with the Cairo royal family."
"…What do you mean?"
Brant's eyes widened.
He could not understand Roman's words.
To attempt war to solve the country's difficulties? How was that to be accepted?
"It's a simple matter. The Kingdom of Hector, despite their unfavorable circumstances, attacked the southern front, which offers little benefit. Do you think that Hector, whose people are still starving, can continue to hold the southern front? Absolutely not. They are clearly gambling their nation's fate."
On the brink.
Hector drew their sword to survive.
If they did nothing, they would wither away, so this was their last desperate attempt to resolve the issue before starving to death.
Thus, Roman made his judgment.
"We do not need to face all of Hector's forces on the southern front. If the enemy numbers ten thousand, we only need to deal with a hundred. Just a 1% success would change the course of the war significantly. The Kingdom of Hector will struggle due to the remnants left behind by us, and the Cairo royal family will not readily accept Hector's demands, believing there is still hope. That would be enough. By creating variables in the war, we can thwart the plans of the Kingdom of Hector."
At those words, Brant could not hide his admiration.
His thoughts were not wrong.
Roman was not an ordinary person; he was looking at the battlefield from a different perspective, as he had shown foresight.
The problem was that Roman's plan was not as easy as it sounded.
"…Is that really possible?"
"It is possible."
There was no room for doubt.
Before he could even harbor skepticism.
"We have already achieved our initial goal."
Roman Dmitri shocked Brant.
Second defensive line of the southern front.
The Kingdom of Hector had already begun their attack.
"Fire!"
Boom! Crash!
The flare exploded against the city walls.
After several attempts, parts of the walls had crumbled, and the blazing flames made the soldiers of Cairo scream.
However, Edwin Hector did not hastily order an attack.
Now that he had finished contacting the Cairo royal family, time was on Hector's side.
From now on, minimizing damage was also an important issue.
'The plan is perfect.'
A year of preparation.
The countless training sessions had turned into reality.
While crossing the border, distracting the enemy's attention, they captured the warp gate, which was the most crucial point.
With that, the war was over.
When discussing the plan at the table, from the moment they captured the warp gate, there was no possibility of failure.
It could be said that they had effectively crossed the critical point.
From now on, it was just a matter of steadily dealing with the remaining remnants and receiving appropriate compensation from Cairo.
Yet, despite such favorable circumstances, he felt strangely uneasy.
'The death of Baron McCleary was not accounted for in my plan.
The fifth defensive line is the weakest on the southern front.
For someone like him to die against such foes… Does that mean Roman Dmitri has become a variable strong enough to overcome the disparity in power?'
Edwin Hector always doubted himself.
Even in a smoothly unfolding situation, he would reflect on whether there were any flaws in his judgment and eliminate variables.
No matter how he thought about it, the size of the variable seemed minimal.
He had heard of Roman Dmitri's reputation, but a three-star swordsman was not such a formidable presence that he could turn the tide.
'We failed to attack the fifth defensive line, contrary to our original plan.
What variables should we be cautious of because of this? I can assert that there are no variables that could put us in danger.
Even if Roman Dmitri leads his forces against us, that amount of power cannot contend with Hector's army.
If, as the fleeing soldiers testified, Roman Dmitri's strength is greater than expected? It would be troublesome, but it would not directly lead to a fatal variable.
The Kingdom of Hector is not weak enough to be swayed by a single individual.'
Before attacking the second defensive line, Edwin Hector issued an order.
An order to deal with the remnants of Cairo.
Perhaps he was worried that they might be absorbed by Roman, making a judgment to eliminate variables in advance.
He suppressed his doubts.
His sensitive nerves kept making him revisit the plan, but he reached a clear conclusion that there was no problem in his mind.
At that moment, a soldier approached with news.
"Prince Edwin, we have lost contact with the first company that left to deal with the remnants."
One piece of news.
A sense of foreboding washed over him.
As expected.
"We have also lost contact with the second company."
"The third company is not responding!"
With each incoming report, Edwin Hector's expression turned cold.
Variables.
The ominous feeling had finally become a reality.