In a place far from the scene of the incident, Edwin Hector spoke with a stern expression as he listened to Thompson's voice through the magical communicator.
"Thompson, stay calm. The enemy is at a numerical disadvantage and is only using the darkness to their advantage. Keep your guard up and calmly explain the situation to me."
[The enemy has appeared in the area assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Company.
But no matter how much we check, we cannot see the enemy.
Hector's soldiers are falling one by one, leaving only corpses behind.
We cannot find any traces of the enemy.
Commander, what should we do? We cannot do anything against a ghost without a form!]
His voice trembled.
Even without seeing his face, Thompson's pale and terrified expression came to mind. 'Thompson is an Aura Inspector.
How can a being with senses far superior to an ordinary person fail to find any traces? Even though the darkness has settled in, is that really possible?'
No. It is impossible.
Aura Inspectors pierce through the darkness.
With eyes imbued with mana, they can locate the enemy's position, and even though it is dusk, he chose to ascend the mountain.
Yet, Roman Dmitri's figure was nowhere to be found.
From the reports coming in not only from 1st Company but also from other areas, it was clear that Cairo's remnants were roaming freely in the mountains.
'What about the possibility of magic?' None.
While there are spells like Invisible and Hide that can make one transparent, Roman Dmitri is not a magician, and magic cannot be used frequently.
It is a one-time technique.
Once used, it requires sufficient time to recharge, yet Roman Dmitri acted as if he were a ghost without a form, just as Thompson described.
Hector's soldiers were dying.
This meant that the enemy had revealed their form, and even though the effect of the magic had worn off, they had once again vanished into the darkness.
It was incomprehensible.
The more he learned about Roman Dmitri, the more he felt like he was sinking into a quagmire.
Edwin Hector had experienced many situations, but this war constantly tested him.
He did not know the answer.
However, Edwin Hector spoke in a steady voice.
"As time passes, the enemy will inevitably face physical limits. According to our calculations, the number of soldiers who joined Roman Dmitri does not exceed two hundred. Thompson, do not be swayed by the darkness. This is a fight where we have overwhelming advantages, and if we respond calmly, we will surely discover the enemy's true form. I will lead our forces there now. If you surround the area centered on where you were attacked and illuminate the surroundings with magical flares, the enemy will have no way to escape."
Under objective calculations, Edwin Hector was confident of their advantageous position.
He faced the reality of the situation, not swayed by the horrors unfolding before him.
He sent a signal.
Just as he was about to move with his troops,
[...
C-Commander! It seems that Cairo's ghost is targeting me!]
Through the communicator, Thompson's voice, filled with despair, reached him.
Thud.
Thompson raised his sword and kept watch around him.
The soldiers nearby were disappearing rapidly.
As the darkness drew closer, Thompson was certain he had become the ghost's target.
"1st Company soldiers, listen! Confirm each other's positions and form a defensive formation! The enemy is now aiming for our lives. Do not be drawn into the darkness; back to back, we must fend off their attacks!"
He shouted loudly.
His arms trembled.
An Aura Inspector had reached a level beyond what ordinary people could comprehend, but he was still just a human. 'There are not only 1st Company here.
With our allies tightly packed, the surrounding area will be completely surrounded in no more than three minutes.
So there is no need to be afraid.
As the commander said, the situation is in our favor.'
He swallowed hard.
He kept the magical communicator on.
He secured it tightly to his waist so he could relay the situation immediately if anything happened.
Then it happened.
Crackle.
The flames extinguished.
About five meters from Thompson's position, he witnessed a soldier being dragged into the darkness.
It was certain.
The presence of darkness appeared right before him, and Thompson instinctively summoned his mana. 'This is the chance!'
Tap.
The explosion of aura surged through the space.
He quickly burrowed into the area to prevent the enemy from escaping and swung his sword toward the darkness that had taken the soldier.
Swish! He sliced through the air.
There was no sensation of striking anything.
He thought he had followed the enemy's movements, yet the enemy was nowhere to be seen, only the corpse of the fallen soldier lay on the ground.
The soldier's eyes were wide open in death.
Thompson's expression turned pale at the face that could not accept its own demise. 'This is bad.'
In one surge, he broke formation.
Realizing he had distanced himself from the soldiers following him, Thompson hurriedly retrieved his sword and tried to retreat.
At that moment, Thompson's body froze.
In the pitch-black space, a black silhouette slowly emerged.
The black silhouette was Roman Dmitri.
His face, revealed in the moonlight, was splattered with the blood of the enemies he had scattered.
"When hiding in the darkness to hunt the enemies, such situations occasionally arise."
His voice was low.
Thompson could not scream.
The long sword he held did not seem ready to attack, but the blood dripping from it proved that he could strike at any moment.
Every hair on Thompson's body stood on end.
He summoned as much aura as he could muster, preparing for Roman Dmitri's sudden attack.
Rustle.
The sound of leaves crunching underfoot.
He had not heard any sounds until now, but now that the figure in the darkness was revealed to be human, he could see Roman smirking.
"The invisible enemy. The illusion that if you can just find that enemy, you will achieve victory. Just moments ago, you were terrified, yet upon seeing me, you jumped into the darkness. Why did you make such a mistake? Did you really think that if you found me, you could easily overpower me?"
Glancing around, Thompson surveyed his surroundings.
The soldiers were farther away than he had thought.
Ultimately, to survive, he had to trust himself. 'Let’s settle this.'
He blocked his ears.
He would not be swayed by meaningless words.
Watching Roman approach slowly, as soon as the enemy was within range, he stomped the ground.
Tap.
"Die!"
It was fast.
Once again, the aura exploded.
Although it was only a 1-star aura, the power that transcended human flesh seemed capable of slicing through Roman's body in an instant.
And yet, that was an illusion.
In Thompson's mind, he thought his attack had landed, but as he regained his senses, a searing pain engulfed him.
Swish! "Gah!" Blood splattered.
As his chest was deeply cut, Thompson's body crumbled under the intense pain.
In a single strike, Thompson realized he could never defeat Roman Dmitri with his own strength.
His chest was torn to the point of being shredded, yet he immediately sprang up and fled without looking back.
The only way to survive was to run.
He screamed loudly, informing the soldiers of his situation.
But whether it was due to a Silence spell or not, his voice did not carry.
And then, he stumbled.
With a lightning-like pain, his balance shattered.
Roman's sword had severed Thompson's Achilles tendon, and as he reached out to block, his wrist was also cut off.
Thud.
His severed wrist fell to the ground.
Thompson's face turned corpse-like.
Trembling, he dragged himself along the ground with his remaining hand, but Roman had already approached him.
Roman reached out.
Thompson, bracing for death, shut his eyes tightly.
He did not kill him.
Checking Thompson's waist, he removed the securely fastened magical communicator and brought it to his mouth.
"Can you hear my voice?"
Through the communicator, Roman sought out Commander Hector.
There was no response.
Just moments ago, they had been conversing, yet only a chilling silence lingered on the other end.
Roman spoke.
"I know what you are all thinking. Attacking the southern front simultaneously to divert attention and then seizing the warp gate. This plan was likely not prepared in just a day or two. Although the Kingdom of Cairo has been caught off guard, your plan was perfect. But why go to such lengths to seize the southern front? Why would the Kingdom of Hector, where the people are starving to death due to an unprecedented famine, risk their lives to take control of the southern front, which offers nothing in return?"
Lights flickered around them.
The soldiers were checking their surroundings, yet they had no idea what Roman was doing right nearby.
"There is only one answer. You are trying to solve the country's problems through war. You intend to take the southern front hostage and negotiate a hefty deal with the royal family of Cairo. If it were not for that reason, there would be no need to go this far. The reason the soldiers remaining in the rear positions of the Kingdom of Hector are preparing for defense is likely to show a clear threat to the royal family of Cairo."
He smirked.
Although the enemy's plan was proceeding perfectly, it was crumbling one by one due to his presence.
"The problem is that I have figured out that plan. You have no time left. With troops that could not even secure proper supplies, no matter how long it takes, you will not last more than three months. I will not allow you to carry out what you intend to do. I will hold out until the end and disrupt your plans."
This communication was thoroughly intentional.
The Kingdom of Hector truly had little time left.
They had gone through numerous trial and error to minimize the margin of error and had chosen to seize the warp gate to end the war in a short period.
The perfect plan had instead revealed their weakness.
If Roman had not mentioned their weakness, they might have thought they still had time, but by contacting them directly, he had pushed the Kingdom of Hector to the brink. 'After all, the Kingdom of Hector has no options.
Therefore, the truth they have desperately tried to ignore will make them anxious.'
His existence.
Now, it could not be overlooked.
With a being who understood their intentions clearly standing firm, how could they negotiate with the royal family of Cairo? It was a dead end.
If they could not deal with Roman, they would collapse like a sandcastle.
'With this, the goal has been achieved.' Whether the enemy gives up and retreats or fights to the end, Roman's communication had created a variable.
With this one contact, the Kingdom of Hector could never return to a better situation than before.
At that moment. [Are you Roman Dmitri?] Edwin Hector, who had maintained silence, finally reacted.