The chase continued.
The Hector Kingdom was one step behind.
By the time they arrived at the scene, only the cold corpses remained, and Roman had already left.
The damage was severe.
Fear began to creep into the minds of the soldiers.
This was before the appearance of Jackson, the leader of the Ranger unit.
"This is it!" Jackson shouted, stepping on the tail of the situation.
Seeing Roman facing the soldiers of Hector, he wasted no time and unleashed his aura to attack Roman.
Boom! The aura erupted like an explosion.
In that moment, Roman sensed it.
He realized that the man named Jackson was a 4-star swordsman.
Bang! Bang! The clash of their swords created a powerful shockwave.
The aura emanating from Roman did not falter against Jackson's attack, and as he blocked multiple strikes, Jackson's face was stained with confusion.
Roman Dmitri was clearly known as a 3-star swordsman.
However, if he could block attacks like this, he could easily be considered at least an equal opponent.
"Roman Dmitri has been underestimated."
A chill ran down Jackson's spine.
He began to understand why the soldiers of Hector had been slaughtered so mercilessly.
Once one reached the level of 4 stars, it was truly a disaster, and ordinary soldiers had no way to stop Roman, just like now.
"Help Captain Jackson!" "Attack!" The soldiers of Hector seized the opportunity and rushed in.
They aimed to inflict a fatal blow while Roman and Jackson were engaged in combat.
Their attacks clearly targeted the blind spots.
Jackson thought Roman would have no time to look back in the fierce battle, but Roman, while deflecting Jackson's attack, swung his sword backward without even looking.
Thud! In a single strike, soldiers fell like leaves.
As if it were nothing, Roman dealt with the threats and immediately charged at Jackson.
"This guy!" Jackson's expression hardened.
Roman was handling the soldiers while still focusing on him.
It was surprising to realize that Roman was more skilled than he had anticipated, but his instincts, honed through countless battles, sent warning signals from another direction.
Jackson was a 4-star swordsman.
Outside, he was known as the leader of the Ranger unit, but how strong he was as an aura swordsman was not precisely known.
Thus, Jackson's name was absent from the rankings of the Hector Kingdom.
He chose practicality over fame and needed to see Roman Dmitri show a reaction of surprise to his attack.
Contrary to expectations, Roman remained calm.
It seemed he did not care much about the fact that his opponent was a 4-star swordsman.
Jackson felt an odd sense of unease while pressing Roman hard.
Roman Dmitri was clearly trapped, and as long as he was caught, there was no way for him to escape alive.
Yet, how could he remain so composed?
"It doesn't matter what tricks you have. The moment you met me, there was no way for you to escape."
He suppressed his doubts.
The battle was over.
In just one minute, Jackson shouted, "There he is!" "Surround Roman Dmitri!"
Behind Jackson, numerous lights quickly multiplied.
It was a perfect encirclement.
A sea of people.
Enemies rapidly closed in around them.
Even though only a few minutes had passed, the encirclement of the Hector Kingdom tightened around Roman Dmitri's throat.
"Now surrender."
Jackson's eyes glinted fiercely.
If Roman resisted to the end, they would have to kill him at the cost of their own losses.
It was ideal for the Hector Kingdom to have him surrender willingly, so he gave his opponent time to choose.
"Surrender? That's an interesting thing to say."
Roman laughed.
Just as Jackson had expected, Roman was not surprised by the appearance of a 4-star swordsman.
It was entirely predictable that he would have brought powerful allies to attack the Cairo Kingdom, and the fact that his opponent was Jackson was not a variable worth worrying about.
Thus, he was able to respond without panic the moment Jackson appeared.
He was certainly not an easy opponent, but it was within the realm of expectation.
Jackson was confident of victory.
The confidence that rose on his face was based on his experience, and he believed he had cornered Roman.
Seeing this, Roman smirked.
"If I surrender, you would immediately kill me, the threat I pose. But tell me, did you not find anything strange while chasing me? Why did I enter a place where I had set a trap? Why did I draw your attention while wandering through the mountains? There are three reasons. First, the fragments attached to my body cannot bind me."
With a wave, he summoned his mana.
As he circulated the mana from his dantian, the light fragments that had clung to him fell away as if they were nothing.
It was a shocking sight.
Jackson's eyes widened.
The reason Roman had been caught was that his ability to hide in darkness with the light fragments had been neutralized.
But if he could solve that problem so easily, the current situation made no sense.
A sense of foreboding began to grow.
What Roman was about to say filled him with fear.
"Second, I am confident that I can escape from any encirclement. You will soon see. No matter how you surround me, you will never catch me."
And then came the last point.
Roman looked directly into Jackson's eyes and said, "The last reason is that I hoped you would be so distracted that you would forget something important. Jackson, the leader of the Ranger unit, a powerful figure of the Hector Kingdom being here means that Edwin Hector's defenses have become quite lax."
In that instant, Jackson's eyes widened.
His heart sank.
With a surge of ominous imagination, Jackson hurriedly kicked the ground to thwart Roman's intentions.
But it was too late.
The moment Roman finished speaking, he leaped off the ground with movements unimaginable for a human, kicking off a tree and soaring into the air.
The pinnacle of lightness technique.
He made fools of those who had formed the encirclement.
As he quickly vanished into the dense trees, Jackson shouted in desperation, "Damn it! Go to the prince immediately! The prince is in danger now!"
A reverse strategy.
Roman took a gamble.
Guerrilla tactics.
There are limits to strategies that gnaw away at the enemy.
At first, he had great success because the enemy did not anticipate his abilities, but once powerful figures like Jackson intervened, he realized it would be difficult.
Roman was not a celestial horse.
While the legendary figure Bai Zhongxie could defeat all challengers, the current Roman Dmitri faced a life-threatening situation the moment multiple figures like Jackson appeared.
Thus, a plan was necessary.
A strategy to actively utilize his abilities while disrupting the plans of the Hector Kingdom.
"There is only one way to end the war with a small number of people. If I kill the commander of the Hector Kingdom, Edwin Hector, the justification for continuing the war will disappear."
He turned his gaze.
Edwin Hector.
He was truly everything to Hector.
From that moment on, Roman deliberately made contact to instill fear in the enemy while also monitoring the flow of mana through the communicator.
"The magical communicator is a tool that transmits voices through the connection of mana. If I can determine where the flow starting from the communicator reaches, I can find Edwin Hector's location. If I succeed in contacting him even once, I won't need to connect again. If I remember the unique mana flow of the communicator Edwin Hector uses, I can find him with my abilities."
He sketched out the blueprint of the operation.
From start to finish, Roman's actions were meticulously calculated.
He made contact with a specific purpose, and after grasping the flow of mana, he deliberately fell into the enemy's trap.
Then he led them around.
He made the enemies who were sure they had cornered him let their guard down, causing the powerful figures guarding Edwin Hector to break formation to catch him.
He wagged his tail gently.
Even though he had the ability to shake off the pursuit and escape, Roman took the risk and faced the enemies.
It was a reckless operation.
But it was worth a try.
High risk, high return.
In battle, the boldness that determines the outcome was a powerful weapon unique to Bai Zhongxie.
The scenery around him flew by quickly.
With the lightness technique, his body, infused with mana, moved swiftly through the mountains like a wild beast, heading toward his target.
The flow of mana was felt nearby.
Edwin Hector was definitely there.
And as expected, "Huh!" "It's Roman Dmitri!" Edwin Hector spotted him.
The flustered guards rushed to block Edwin Hector's path, but in that fleeting moment, their necks were severed.
Boom! The wall crumbled.
Now it was time to deal with Edwin Hector.
Just as he was about to behead Edwin Hector, "…!" Edwin Hector's cold gaze locked onto Roman's figure.
Having decided to pursue Roman, Edwin Hector said, "Roman Dmitri may have anticipated our pursuit and set a trap in advance. At first glance, it seems he is dealing with us impulsively, but the Roman Dmitri I have assessed would never reveal himself without a plan. In this operation, sacrifices are inevitable. Many soldiers will die in Roman Dmitri's traps, but even so, we will chase after him. We need a definite result, not just the foolishness of being defeated by a mere two hundred soldiers, but the complete slaughter of all those who resist until the end."
A chill ran down his spine.
The moment he stepped into the mountain, the war began.
No matter who the opponent was or what plans they had prepared, Edwin Hector wished to win every battle.
Moreover, if the opponent was the monster Roman Dmitri, he had to cut off his breath even more.
If he left him be, he was certain that he would return as an even greater threat.
"Roman Dmitri is like a wild stallion. He certainly moves with a plan, but we cannot easily predict how he will act. Therefore, we must focus on one fact: the opponent's purpose. If I were Roman Dmitri, what would be the most important part? They intend to hinder us from taking the southern front within three days. However, there is a simpler way to end the war at once than to set traps and reduce our numbers."
"…No way."
Jackson's eyes widened.
Their thoughts aligned.
Edwin Hector and Jackson both came to the same conclusion.
"Yes. Killing me, the commander of the Hector Kingdom. In the chaotic process of pursuing Roman Dmitri, he might judge that killing me is the easiest way to end the war quickly. It is a reckless operation that one could only choose if they were insane. But seeing Roman Dmitri showing hostility toward me through the communicator, I thought he might carry out such an absurd plan."
It was a possibility.
It might not happen.
But if he did, Edwin Hector believed he could use that as an opportunity.
"The soldiers of Hector risked their lives for the kingdom. And I too will become bait for the kingdom. If Jackson pursues Roman and reveals that I am defenseless, Roman Dmitri will think of the only possibility to end the war quickly."
He was also a reckless man.
Knowing the danger, he boldly took the gamble.
"The moment Roman Dmitri appears before me, we will have a sure opportunity to deal with him."
And now, Roman Dmitri had appeared.
Just as expected.
An absurdly bold decision.
Seeing him dispatch the guards faster than anticipated, Edwin Hector used the move he had prepared.
With a wave, mana surged.
But it was completely different from the way an aura swordsman would use it.
"Inferno!"
Flames erupted fiercely! Edwin Hector, the rightful heir of the Hector royal family, born with the blessings of heaven, was a magician.
Boom! The flames roared!