Chapter 100: A World Unseen (4)

The heat exploded.

The flames that erupted from Edwin Hector's hands spewed out in all directions like a dragon's breath.

Whoosh.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

A heat so intense that it could melt skin upon contact.

Roman changed direction.

Despite his running speed, he abruptly stopped and aimed for Edwin Hector's side to avoid the heat.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Whoosh.

Edwin Hector's eyes glowed blue.

Memorize.

The magic inscribed in his circle immediately manifested.

"Entangle."

Crack!

Crack crack crack!

The ground rose up.

Seeds buried in the soil sprouted at an unbelievable speed, turning into tree trunks as thick as a human body, which wrapped around Roman.

It was like a giant anaconda.

The tree trunks, moving like living organisms, possessed a powerful force that could crush human flesh in an instant.

One by one.

They were threatening attacks.

Roman summoned mana and instantly cut through the tree trunks that were attacking him.

At that moment.

A powerful impact came from right beside him.

Boom!

Rumble rumble rumble!

"How dare you touch the prince!"

It was a man he had never seen before.

A middle-aged man.

With his hood pulled down to hide his face, he had a stylish mustache and fiercely pressed Roman.

A burst of explosive aura erupted from the man's sword.

It was on a different level from the aura Jackson used.

The intense aura, which distorted the surrounding atmosphere, was the most powerful force Roman had ever experienced in this world.

A 5-star swordsman.

The man's name was Butler.

The captain of the royal knight corps, ranked second in the Hector Kingdom.

He had appeared.

The Hector Kingdom had truly put all their strength into this operation.

"You can't run anymore!"

Boom!

Boom boom boom!

Butler's aura explosively pushed Roman back.

The forest shook.

The strong and fast combination attacks were so intense that it wouldn't be strange if Roman's head was cut off immediately.

And.

"Wind Blade."

Swoosh!

Edwin Hector didn't miss his chance.

The wind that followed his movements turned into a blade, attacking the gap created by blocking Butler's attack. It was an attack that couldn't be defended against even if seen. Edwin Hector thought this attack would definitely hit.

Crack.

By a hair's breadth.

Roman instinctively leaped.

Avoiding the wind blade, he immediately raised his head and reacted to Butler's attack coming towards him.

Boom!

His head was shaken.

Edwin Hector.

He had set the perfect trap.

Pretending to have little protection due to Jackson's departure, he had Butler waiting nearby.

No matter how much Roman Demetri tried, he couldn't withstand the combined attack of a 4th Circle Mage and a 5-star swordsman.

This was a trap beyond common sense.

Just as Edwin Hector had suffered at the hands of Roman Demetri, he attempted a counterattack beyond common sense.

They thought.

This time.

They could really cut off Roman Demetri's breath.

* * *

His head spun.

The relentless attacks from his opponent made a bitter feeling rise in his chest.

"Ugh."

He spat out blood.

He could see Butler charging at him like a madman, but Roman didn't lose his focus for a moment.

'Sure enough, they were fully prepared.'

Just before the attack.

Roman Demetri had a premonition.

The mana swirling in Edwin Hector's heart and a figure pretending to be a common soldier.

He realized that Edwin Hector had anticipated his attack and set a trap.

Yet, he followed the opponent's intentions.

Even knowing it was a trap, he revealed himself and attacked Edwin Hector.

Why.

Why did he make such a reckless choice?

He wanted to confirm.

Throughout his life as Roman Demetri, he had never truly experienced a real crisis.

Blood Fang.

Balko.

This guerrilla operation.

It was a trivial matter in the life of Baek Jung-hyuk.

To test himself, Roman deliberately placed himself on the brink of death, to shake the complacency in his heart.

Boom!

He blocked the attack.

The 5-star aura.

It was so powerful that it shook his brain.

Although Roman Demetri's body had become stronger after his transformation, he was not yet at the level to easily withstand a 5-star aura.

Moreover, Butler's swordsmanship was very orthodox and systematic.

Demonstrating how swordsmanship should be used, he relentlessly pressed Roman without giving him a moment's rest.

Clang!

Clang clang clang!

Sparks flew.

A strong shockwave swept the surroundings as the auras collided.

In that instant.

Roman felt a chill.

The rapid mana surge told him that the无形的攻击尚未结束。

Swoosh-

Wind Blade.

The wind blade swept past.

Blood splattered on Roman's face, and Butler was already in front of him, swinging his sword.

A hair's breadth away.

His breath caught.

Despite the continuous attacks, Roman's stamina was reaching its limit, but he looked Butler straight in the eye.

'Heavenly Horse Sword Technique, Third Form.'

The mana in his dantian boiled.

A powerful explosion.

Like a volcanic eruption, mana burst out in all directions, manifesting as an aura that enveloped Butler.

"......!"

Boom!

It was an immense force.

The blow that tore through the atmosphere forced Butler to hastily raise his sword and summon his full aura.

Even then, he couldn't completely avoid the attack.

Blood trickled from Butler's nose, and he was sent flying, rolling on the ground.

Thud.

That was the extent of it.

Though he received a significant shock, Butler did not collapse.

"......Where did such a monster come from?"

His voice trembled.

A 4th Circle Mage and a 5-star swordsman working together.

Even if the opponent was an equal 5-star swordsman, he should have fallen.

But the battle was different from what he expected.

Roman's fierce counterattacks were completely shattering the image he had in his mind.

Moreover.

'Roman Demetri is only in his mid-20s.'

It sent shivers down his spine.

He had reached the 5-star level at over 50 years old, yet the opponent already showed the strength to clash swords with him.

Perhaps because of this.

Butler felt it was fortunate.

Meeting Roman Demetri now was a golden opportunity to eliminate a potential threat to the Hector Kingdom in the future.

Still.

He was not yet on the same level.

And.

A glance.

Edwin Hector's presence.

When Butler looked at him, Edwin Hector raised his mana with a stern expression.

"Now it's really over. Break, Hold."

Double casting.

The mana surge enveloped Roman.

Break.

A magic that shatters objects with intense pressure.

Hold.

A magic that suppresses the opponent, preventing movement.

The two spells had a clear purpose.

To break Roman's sword and leave him defenseless for Butler to finish him off.

If he didn't have a magic immunity artifact.

The momentary gap Roman showed would lead directly to death.

'Roman Demetri doesn't show any aura of a magic artifact. Therefore, this attack cannot be blocked.'

He was certain.

But.

An unbelievable scene unfolded before his eyes.

Snap!

Butler's attack.

Roman dodged it.

His sword was unharmed, and the effect of Hold seemed to have no impact, as Roman moved freely.

Flash!

He counterattacked.

Blood splattered on Butler's face.

The unexpected counterattack left him unable to react quickly.

They didn't know.

Roman's secret.

The moment Edwin Hector cast his spells, Roman instantly understood his intentions.

'He's trying to suppress me with the power of magic.'

The force of Hold.

He felt the power that infiltrated his body and suppressed his muscles.

Although it was a force he had never experienced before, Roman had learned about magic during his time in Demetri.

An intangible force.

The divine realm of creating something from nothing using mana.

There was no magic in the martial arts world.

But he knew about a similar yet different realm called shamanism.

In the past six months.

Roman had prepared for war.

Considering the possibility of encountering a mage, he started his research and achieved some success.

'Magic and shamanism are different, but their fundamentals are the same. If they try to limit my body by infiltrating mana, I can use the Heavenly Horse Divine Technique to immediately dispel that power.'

It wasn't as simple as it sounded.

The mana that had infiltrated his body.

They would cling like viruses, but Roman's advanced mana control skills solved all the problems.

A feat possible only because he was Baek Jung-hyuk.

Without using any special power, the mana in his dantian neutralized the effect of Hold.

And.

Break was not even a concern.

Roman's sword.

The Flame Fire, newly forged in exchange for a salamander, was not a sword that could be broken by magic.

The magic was nullified.

It wasn't because he knew the opponent was a mage and prepared.

Before the war.

Roman had prepared for all variables.

An unexpected situation.

Edwin Hector and Butler were taken aback.

And in that gap.

Roman didn't miss his chance.

Snap!

"......!"

Roman Demetri instantly closed the distance.

This time, even Butler couldn't react.

With shock on his face, he tried to catch up, but Roman's sword had already sliced through Edwin Hector's neck.

Swish!

It was perfect.

If everything went as planned.

Edwin Hector's head should have flown off.

However, the power of magic did not allow it.

"Blink."

A single flash.

Edwin Hector's figure disappeared.

Reappearing some distance from Roman, he looked pale from the strain of using the spell.

"Damn it!"

Butler exploded.

The prince of Hector had nearly died.

He unleashed mana far beyond his usual level and charged at Roman with the intent to kill.

And.

Beep beep beep-

Horns sounded from all directions.

The troops chasing Roman.

They had arrived.

Seeing the troops led by Jackson, Roman had to make a decision.

'If I delay any longer, I'll die.'

In the distance.

He saw Edwin Hector.

Roman looked at him and said in a fierce voice.

"Remember. Don't let me catch you. If we meet again, you won't survive like today."

With those words.

Roman pushed off the ground.

Even Butler couldn't catch up.

Using his lightness technique, he quickly distanced himself and vanished into the darkness.

It was the Dark King's martial art.

Desperately illuminating the darkness to find Roman, but if he were that easy to find, the Hector Kingdom's soldiers wouldn't have died in the night.

Everyone stopped.

In the darkness.

They didn't dare to follow.

After the storm that had just hit, people thought.

'Hector's defeat.'

It was.

A reality they couldn't accept.

Especially Edwin Hector, who had lived a life acknowledged by all, couldn't take his eyes off the darkness where Roman had disappeared.