As soon as the battle was over, Roman was lost deep in thought.
‘There are still many things I don’t know about this world.’
It was a world of unknown things. The magic he had experienced for the first time in his life gave him a new shock. He had obviously read a lot of books in the library and tried to understand what magic was and had prepared for it countless times in his head. However, the knowledge in his mind and reality were different. He knew that Mother Nature reacted to the touch of magic, but the snake-like trunks and intense flames were something he didn’t think of. That was a different realm than shamans. It was quite amazing. If Murim had developed martial arts with the same roots using the energy of nature, this world had created a new one called magic.
‘Magic is a path I cannot judge hastily. If Edwin Hector was a much greater Mage than he is now, I might not have been able to escape alive. I haven’t fully recovered the martial arts of Baek Joong-hyuk yet, and my hasty judgment may drive me into a limb.’
The fight with Edwin Hector and Butler was dangerous. Edwin Hector’s magic attacked Roman in an unexpected manner, and Butler was the first man he considered truly strong in the world of Roman Dmitry. He even had to use the Third Move of the Heavenly Demon Sword Art. Nevertheless, the attack aiming for Butler’s life was blocked, and he could lose his life if he made a mistake in the counterattack he made without stopping.
If he could turn back time, what choice would Roman make?
‘I would have made the same choice back then.’
It was a luxury to expect safety on the battlefield. Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk had risen to the peak by overcoming numerous difficult situations, and he had the same thoughts even now—Life threatening experience was required. If he died because of lack of ability, he would end up being just stuck at that level, and if he survived the ordeal, he could move on to the next level.
His blood began to boil because he knew there were still many mountains he had to overcome in this new world.
Roman Dmitry couldn’t control the boiling blood which was rising in his body as he watched the sunrise.
“Chris.”
“Please say it, my liege.”
“The Hector Kingdom will not simply give up. This is a war, not just a battle of pride. The fate of the entire Hector Kingdom is on the line. Perhaps after a day’s rest, they will quickly try to clear up the Defense Lines on the Southern Front.”
“Then, shall we prepare the troops for that?”
“No.”
He shook his head. Edwin Hector wasn’t an easy opponent. If he continued the war despite experiencing his powerlessness, it meant that he had made sufficient preparations.
“Only a small fraction of the enemies were dealt in the night. The Hector Kingdom still has an overwhelming power compared to the Southern Front, and if we go down the mountain prematurely, there is a possibility of being annihilated by the enemies. It is not a matter of what we can do from now on. The Royal Family of Cairo will definitely send their main force to subdue the Hector Kingdom, so until then, you need to rest and maintain the current power.”
He did not get drunk on victory and faced reality. The well-being of the other people on the Southern Front? That didn’t matter. Risking their own lives to save them was a foolish decision right now.
‘The captains of the Southern Front chose to remain there despite my warning. From now on, it is their responsibility. If they hold out for 10 days, they will survive, but if they get taken down, it won’t be a huge impact as well. The question is whether Cairo’s main troops can capture the rear position in the first place. I will keep the power in hand till then and do what I can with the plans laid.’
He made a decision.
Chris nodded.
“I understand.”
Roman climbed the mountain after leaving him behind.
“I am going to spend some time alone for a while. Until I order, do not let anyone interrupt me, Chris.”
That was the last command given by Roman that Chris remembered carefully.
He made a True Defense Circle. Then Roman, who created his own space, sat cross-legged and fell into meditation.
‘Edwin Hector. He was waiting like a spider. He dug a trap and expected me to attack.’
Roman took a deep breath, and his consciousness began to sink in. Soon, his five senses faded, and even the sensations he was feeling until then faded away.
‘He started with a strong flame.’
Roman blinked his eyes and opened them. A strong fire broke out right in front of him and almost swept him away.
“Inferno!”
Crackle!
Fssssshhhhhh!
The heat was enough to melt the skin at once.
Roman quickly escaped. At that time, just like it was in his memory, Edwin Hector tried to drive him away with magic.
‘What if I attacked without giving him time?’
Rumble!
The mana rose, and the movements felt explosive. Nevertheless, he dug into the space of the opponent, and even though the fire was burning right in front and aiming for him, he blew it away with a simple movement. Still, he had taken some damage. His skin was red, but it wasn’t burning because he had prevented direct damage by using mana to protect himself.
Just then,
‘Lightning!’
Flash!
It was a swift sword movement. Aura manifested on his sword, and in the blink of an eye, Edwin Hector was decapitated—No, the attack didn’t work. Edwin Hector disappeared with Blink as if he knew how to avoid Roman’s attack, and Butler didn’t miss the chance and moved forward to attack.
At that moment, Roman’s body shook. That was because Butler, who was angered by the fact that Edwin Hector had been attacked, had raised his 5-Star Aura and attacked Roman furiously.
Kwang!
Kwakwang!
The surroundings shook. Roman became sure that Butler was one step ahead of him. Even though he was just imagining all of this, the pressure was vivid, and Roman countered the attack by kicking the ground and aiming for Butler’s feet. And at the moment when he showed the slightest of carelessness, Edwin Hector exploded his magic.
It was an unfavorable situation. It would be right to retreat to save his life, but Roman made a different judgment based on his own experience.
‘This is the time.’
He found a gap in the attack and dug into it. Then, he used the Heavenly Demon Sword Art and cut off the head of Butler. And as a result,
Slash!
Tuk!
Tuk!
Roman’s head flew off.
It was only an imaginary conclusion based on the Butler that Roman had experienced, and he could react sufficiently to an attack of that magnitude and even attempted a counterattack when he saw Roman attacking him.
The surroundings changed once again. In front of Roman Dmitry’s eyes, Edwin Hector was using Inferno, and, this time, he made a different choice with the scorching flames that he had used to fill his entire vision. If he repeated his choice, he would continue to die.
In the Imaginary World, Roman repeatedly fought against the numerous possibilities again and again. Regardless of whether the fight would end in victory or defeat, he confirmed with his own eyes what the consequences of his choices would be.
Kwang!
Rumble!
He was engulfed in flames. The burning pain in his body felt real, but Roman was enjoying the situation.
‘I am not absolute in this world. In my last years in Murim, life felt too boring, but Roman Dmitry has to risk his life against Butler, who is not even the strongest in the Hector Kingdom. Maybe I wanted something like a new challenge, a new form of strength. I am a being who cannot live contentedly with a comfortable life.’
He smiled. He had been through many hurdles while he moved from the bottom of the Demonic Sect to the peak of it. A child who may have been ordinary at one time had become an extraordinary being as his life continued.
And,
‘Once again.’
Roman rushed toward his enemies after breaking through the flames.
He could not remember just how many times he had repeated the battle in the Imaginary World. Nevertheless, he continued to fight. Therefore, numerous possibilities were piled up in his head, depending on how the opponent attacked, how they reacted, and based on the memory of his own experiences.
The attacks weren’t always unsuccessful. There was a situation where Roman slashed both of them and won, but Roman wasn’t satisfied with it. In a world where the weak were treated as food, that was the way of surviving. Baek Joon-hyuk constantly remembered and came up with various ways to defeat the enemy whenever he encountered a difficult enemy.
Slash!
He attacked Edwin Hector. He had laid out a trap. He would use the loyalty of Butler, and when he blocked his attack, he would pierce the gap in Butler’s form and put his sword in the heart.
Puak!
“Kuak!”
Butler screamed. After he stumbled for a while, he collapsed, and Edwin Hector, who was left all alone, was not a match for Roman. Eventually, both of them died. And when Hector’s men arrived, Roman was no longer there.
In the next situation, he used the attack of Edwin Hector to his own advantage. He used it to attack Butler, and Edwin’s magic exploded on him.
Fsshhhh!
Crackle!
A fire broke out. Roman cut off the head of Butler, who was on fire. It was an act he had repeated countless times.
All the numerous cases were accumulated one by one.
The reality might have been different. The real enemy must have had more potential than that, but, at least, he learned the method of destroying the enemy thanks to the fights he had experienced.
Slash!
The enemy’s head was cut off in a short amount of time.
That was his final breath in the Imaginary World. As he had accumulated as many experiences as he wanted, his consciousness returned to the surface, and his surroundings changed as well. Nevertheless, Roman’s condition wasn’t good. Even though it was a battle that took place in his mind, the red wounds because of the burning flames could be seen on his body. He was now feeling pain in all his body. Nevertheless, even though his mouth was dry, he stood up.
‘It is time to head back.’
The war was not over yet.
Chris explained the things that had happened when Roman returned.
“As the liege expected, the Hector Kingdom immediately attacked the Front Defense Lines of the Southern Front. The Third and Fourth Defense Lines collapsed in just one day, and the Second also fell soon after those two. And just yesterday, the Hector Kingdom gathered all their war supplies near the rear position. It seems that they are preparing to fight a deadly battle.”
A siege was the best bet they could make.
For Roman, the result wasn’t unexpected, but it was different for Henry Albert.
“Sir Roman. The Royal Family of Cairo is very upset. They thought that the Defense Lines on the Southern Front could hold on until Cairo’s main force arrived, but they collapsed within 3 days. There is no hope on the Southern Front. Our lives are at risk if we continue to stay here.”
The main force of Cairo would arrive soon. Nevertheless, the Hector Kingdom had already completed its preparations for war, and making any more sacrifices was meaningless.
“The Royal Family of Cairo is waiting for contact with Sir Roman Dmitry. We have done enough. So why not leave the rest to the main force of Cairo? A siege is a battle where sacrifices are a must. If the Hector Kingdom is pushed to the edge of the cliff, it will certainly not fall down alone.”
He looked anxious. He was worried that Roman would somehow still want to do this. Nevertheless, as he was determined to stay by Roman’s side, he hoped Roman would not die so fast. Even though it had been only a week since Roman had gone to spend some time by himself, the situation of war had changed so much.
Eventually, Roman said, “Connect the Magic Call with the Royal Family of Cairo.”
It was time to talk to the Royal Family of Cairo, who had asked for a week’s time, now.
Editor’s Thoughts: That was so good! Roman’s training seems to have been quite harsh yet good. It will be interesting to see how he will talk to the Royal Family and win the war as well. The novel just keeps getting better lol.
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