Chapter 96: Ghost Shadow (6)

Edwin Hector said,

"I won't deny your words. The Kingdom of Hector is indeed suffering from a severe famine, as is widely known, and borrowing money from outside has reached its limits. That's why we attacked the Kingdom of Cairo. To break free from the endless cycle of debt, we had no choice but to make a decision."

"Do you expect me to understand?"

"No. I am explaining to show how desperate we are. The fate of the Kingdom of Hector hangs on this war. Our supplies are not sufficient. As you said, in about three months, we will face severe difficulties due to a lack of food. Even so, we cannot retreat. We will dig for wild plants in the mountains and even eat the flesh of our fallen comrades if we must. We have no intention of backing down until we achieve our goal."

It was a chilling statement.

Edwin Hector's resolve was firm, to the point of speaking about cannibalism, something humans should never experience.

At some point,

Edwin Hector had left the temple.

The state of the Kingdom of Hector was truly dire.

Land that once glowed with gold was now cracked by severe drought, and emaciated children, their ribs visible, sat on the ground, staring blankly at the earth.

When these children saw Edwin Hector, they extended their bony hands, begging for food.

How did it come to this? As a descendant of the royal bloodline, Edwin Hector, who agonized over this every day, began to consider the plan to attack the Kingdom of Cairo from that moment on.

As Roman had predicted,

His words pushed the Kingdom of Hector to the brink.

However, even without this war, the Kingdom of Hector was destined to fall off the cliff.

"Since you know our plan, you should understand our resolve. Convey this to the Cairo royal family. If they do not accept our proposal, we will fight to the end until we achieve our goal. Don't think time is on your side. If we gain nothing from this land, we will buy necrotoxin from necromancers and turn this place into a land of death."

He turned the situation around.

He made a statement that cornered them.

He countered with a strategy of mutual destruction.

Edwin Hector had never intended to return empty-handed from the beginning.

"My name is Edwin Hector. As a prince of the Kingdom of Hector, I am prepared to do anything to save my people. Roman Dmitri. What choice will you make? Will you fall off the cliff with the Kingdom of Hector, or will you seek a compromise for the future?"

To Cairo,

He is an extremely wicked villain.

But it didn't matter.

Doing anything for the kingdom.

"The choice is Cairo's."

This was Edwin Hector's view of the royal family's role.

* * *

The opponent revealed his name.

Edwin Hector.

The man known as the Star of Hector.

A name he had heard during his investigation of the Kingdom of Hector.

'A remarkable figure who grew to be the backbone of the Kingdom of Hector, unlike his incompetent father. He has been involved in the affairs of the state since he was young, solving numerous problems, and people began to call him the Star of Hector out of admiration for his abilities. Even amidst the famine, various countries, including the Empire of Chronos, wished for a strategic marriage with Edwin Hector, recognizing him as a talent both within and outside the kingdom. And such a person is leading this war.'

As expected.

This war.

He never thought it would be led by an ordinary person.

The systematic and bold approach was something Roman could not help but acknowledge the opponent's abilities.

The role of the royal family.

The justification was solid.

He knew they would never back down, but Roman Dmitri was far from ordinary.

Thud!

"Kaaaaaah!"

"What are you doing!"

Roman plunged his sword into Thompson's thigh.

Thanks to the soundproofing, the soldiers didn't hear the scream.

Roman pressed down hard on Thompson's writhing body, slowly twisting the sword as if to wring out a scream.

"What am I doing? As you heard, I just stabbed this guy's thigh with my sword."

"Kill me! Why are you torturing me, even though I'm the enemy!"

"Why am I torturing you? What a sentimental statement. I don't care about the Kingdom of Hector's situation. For whatever reason, you crossed the border and massacred innocent soldiers of the Kingdom of Cairo. Yet, you cry like a coward over a stab to the thigh. Don't delude yourself. Just as you value your soldiers, I value mine. Why should I show mercy to the enemy? The war has already begun. And you, who crossed the line first, cannot expect me to act with human decency."

Edwin Hector.

He made a huge mistake.

Roman Dmitri was not a conventional person.

Regardless of the choices the opponent set, he did what he believed was right.

Crack.

"Kaaah, kaaaaah!"

Thompson thrashed.

In agony, he pleaded to be killed.

Roman didn't know Thompson.

He had no ill will towards him, but he tortured him without hesitation because he was on the opposite side of the battlefield.

A world of the strong preying on the weak.

It was a natural occurrence there.

No matter what values or justice they pursued,

From the moment they recognized each other as enemies and showed hostility, they could do anything to bring each other down.

That was all.

Roman didn't think too much.

Since he had no intention of backing down to Edwin Hector's threats, he tortured Thompson for him to hear.

Blood splattered.

His face was drenched in blood.

Roman revealed a fierce gaze, gripping Thompson's throat.

"You will do what you believe is right, and so will I. So, never let me catch you. I will kill every single person I face, causing them great pain. I won't spare a single one, and even if you raise the white flag and flee, I will pursue you and stab you in the back. My name is Roman Dmitri. I will make you pay for touching my people, regardless of any grand justification you might have."

He vented his hostility.

The Kingdom of Hector didn't know.

From the moment they crossed the border,

They provoked an enemy they shouldn't have.

The Kingdom of Hector had already set up a last stand.

If they didn't choose to surrender, Roman would also use the communicator to instill fear in the enemy.

Thud.

"Krrrrr."

He plunged a knife into Thompson's neck.

The sound of a life fading was transmitted through the communicator, and Edwin Hector was speechless.

Thompson's head hung low.

Roman put the communicator to his mouth again.

"If you choose to fight to the death, we will meet soon."

With that,

He cut off the communication.

* * *

The communication ended.

Despite the rage that threatened to explode inside him,

Edwin Hector's expression remained cold.

'Roman Dmitri. He is even more dangerous than I thought.'

The strategy of mutual destruction.

An ordinary person would shrink from such a threat.

The idea of dying together is something that a normal heart cannot bear, but the opponent's reaction was even more intense.

He killed Thompson.

Openly, for the other to hear.

Even knowing Edwin Hector's situation and resolve, he mutilated Thompson's body and sent a warning.

He was a terrifyingly dangerous human.

Knowing that a single step back would lose momentum, Roman Dmitri didn't give a moment's respite.

An enemy he never wanted to face.

The single variable in an otherwise perfect plan grew in a direction Edwin Hector didn't want to imagine.

"…What do you plan to do?"

It was Jackson.

From beginning to end,

Jackson had heard the conversation.

Especially during Thompson's torture, he couldn't control his emotions, and his face looked like it was about to explode.

Edwin Hector said,

"If we had not made a decision and continued as before, we would have gradually withered and lost the meaning of our nation. Therefore, we made a decision. We mobilized all possible funds and warriors willing to sacrifice their lives for the country. Jackson, we have no way back. The people remaining in Hector now value the rewards we bring more than our survival."

It was a harsh reality.

But,

That was the burden Edwin Hector carried.

No matter how many people died, people would feel more relief at surviving than gratitude.

That's human nature.

Knowing this,

Edwin Hector carried the burden.

Taking full responsibility for the war, he went to the battlefield in place of the king of his country.

Therefore,

"We cannot return without achieving anything. Mobilize the troops immediately and form a包围圈以罗马·德米特里出现的位置为中心。如果生擒了那家伙，为了报复痛苦中死去的汤普森，我将亲自一片片割下罗马·德米特里的肉。"

他咬牙切齿地说。

面对埃德温·赫克托的真心，杰克逊点了点头。

“遵命。”

这场战争。

即使结局是死亡。

杰克逊也不会后悔自己是埃德温·赫克托的人。

* * *

改变了战术。

赫克托的奥拉剑士们。

他们走在最前面。

“跟在我后面。”

10分钟前。

埃德温·赫克托下达了命令。

“我们不能再被卡伊罗的残余势力牵制。从现在起，即使牺牲也要消灭黑暗中的存在。奥拉剑士们走在最前面照亮道路，一旦受到攻击，其他区域的士兵要一齐登山。这是一场以数量压倒的战斗。我们要付出代价，夺取敌人的骨头。”

做出了决定。

天罗地网。

一旦罗马·德米特里在一次攻击中现身，大胆进攻的兵力将切断他所有可能的退路。

这是一场必然会有牺牲的策略。

埃德温·赫克托希望以最小的损失取得最大的成果，但在通信器的另一端听到罗马的敌意后，他改变了想法。

他承认了对手。

为了捕捉怪物，他认为需要有将士兵置于绝境的决心。

哗。

走在最前面的奥拉剑士们。

他们身上散发出明亮的光芒。

这是魔法神器。

它会在接触到魔力时发光，使接触到的敌人暂时暴露在闪烁的光碎片中。

这是为了最大化天罗地网效果的陷阱。

在奥拉剑士们发动魔法神器的过程中，他们难以发挥全部实力，但必须有人冒着生命危险在罗马的脖子上挂上铃铛。

因此。

赫克托的剑士们冒着生命危险。

即使有牺牲，他们也决心带领这场战斗走向胜利，这种强烈的愿望从他们的眼神中显露无遗。

“前方没有人！慢慢跟上！”

奥拉剑士照亮了道路。

以他为首，

赫克托的兵力纷纷迈步。

他们的脸上充满了自信。

随着未知恐惧的解决，停滞的搜索工作再次有了动力。

然而。

这是一厢情愿。

当他们踏入一个显然没有人存在的空间时，空间扭曲，反射出光芒的某物一闪而过。

嘶！

鲜血飞溅。

奥拉剑士瞪大了眼睛，吐着血沫倒下了。

在那之后。

明明刚才连一根头发都看不见的卡伊罗士兵，如海市蜃楼般出现，一齐冲了过来。

“进攻！”

“攻击敌人！”

剑的主人。

克里斯怒目圆睁，大声喊道。

刚进入山中时。

罗马·德米特里就预见到情况会变成这样。