During a period of change in Cairo, Fernando was swept up in the change. When he visited Roman Dmitry, he looked at Fernando and said,
“What I want is clear, I want a man named Fernando to live for me.”
On that day, Fernando saw a ray of light. People ridiculed and insulted Fernando, the 30th gatekeeper of the ranked ones, but Roman Dmitry recognized his true value and told him that.
Maybe he was just a talkative man. However, he decided that if he was a man with experience, he was worth devoting his entire life to, so he headed for Dmitry.
And he witnessed a new world. It was surprising that such a wealthy and vibrant city existed in the northeast corner, but the most shocking part was the way Dmitry trained their soldiers.
Fernando had tried to acquire various knowledge to solve his problems. Even if they brought great ones recognized by the empires like Valhalla, there was nothing great enough to bring about the same dramatic change for him.
But Roman Dmitry’s martial arts were different. The moment he handled mana in a new way, Fernando felt his common sense collapse.
‘I cannot believe such a way existed in this world.’
He was happy. All this time that he had been using mana, he thought he wasn’t just good at it. The mana that spread through his body didn’t move under his control, and a lot of the mana would be lost in the process of releasing it.
However, the inefficient way was what everyone followed. He regretted that everyone was using this technique, but it wasn’t an easy matter to deny the history of the aura swordsmen. Yet he smashed down those thoughts.
Fernando took in this new knowledge without fear and made up for his weaknesses by following the teachings of Roman Dmitry. He had a rough time at first. Fernando, who was born with a narrow mana path, had many restrictions on him, and while he accumulated mana in his dantian, he couldn’t help but develop slower than others.
Still, Fernando wasn’t so disappointed. Even though he was called the 30th gatekeeper, he never let go of the chance to develop, so he was hopeful enough to handle the current situation with a smile.
But it didn’t matter. It was clear that he was getting some results, and while staying in Dmitry, Fernando worked hard enough to be called insane. In the end…
Kwang!
His path of mana opened up a new way. Fernando entered an entirely different realm, and the people said,
“Fernando. What a pitiful one. Seeing that he can use a 4-star aura despite his nature, I cannot imagine how much he would have grown if he had been born with a talent. The title of 30th gatekeeper. In addition to the meaning of having a limit for his effort, it also means the greatness of Fernando, who had risen to his current position with pure effort.”
And just like that, he solved all of his problems. The day he expressed his gratitude to Roman Dmitry, Roman Dmitry made Fernando his sword to protect the Dmitry family.
Without any special signal, all the shadows rushed in unison. At the rushing black waves, Fernando raised his aura.
“Stop the enemies!”
Kwak!
Roar!
The momentum changed from before. An aura that burned fiercely as if it would distort the air met the shadows that attacked from the front.
Then the shadows attacked Fernando at the same time. Each of their auras combined and showed a tremendous presence, but the moment Fernando and the sword collided, the aura was torn.
Kiiiik.
Mana scattered, and the moment the shocked shadows tried to retreat, Fernando rushed forward and cut their bodies.
Flash.
Red blood splattered from the shadows, and Fernando didn’t stop there. His aura exploded, and he dug into the space infested with shadows. It was a dangerous scene. The shadows attacked from all sides and tried to take his life, but Fernando’s sword technique blocked all of the enemies.
No, just as he was blocking them, he immediately attacked.
Puak!
It was an attack that couldn’t be blocked by the shadows. The explosive power of the aura was so strong that they heard a ringing sound in their ears, and their heads blew off.
Papat.
Papat.
The shadows spread in from all sides. They also judged that Fernando was stronger than they had expected, and some tried to restrain him by raising the shadows, while the others avoided him and entered the castle.
It wasn’t a fight to kill this guy at all. Rather than Fernando, they had to kill the others who were in the castle. At that moment…
Kwang!
Fernando kicked the ground, and the bondage was released. Then the wave of mana broke the balance of the shadows.
“How dare you?”
Flash.
He slashed their throats. Fernando didn’t allow the shadows to pass him, and if they had other intentions, he chased them down and cut their heads.
Fernando’s presence expanded to a shocking level. The being, who was once called a colorless and orderless swordsman, met a warrior named Roman Dmitry and attached wings to his back.
Right now, at this moment, Fernando has found the meaning of life. In a situation that proved the meaning of the sword, Fernando couldn’t help but be happier.
‘When a swordsman uses his sword for something meaningful, his existence changes. In the meantime, I was just a human who was weak and fell into a mire because I was unable to solve the problems I was born with. If I live for Roman Dmitry, who made me who I am now, I can exist as a swordsman until I die.’
What joy it would be. Effort and swordsmanship. They all had a significant meaning. An existence that wandered around for so long had found his way because of a single being—Roman Dmitry.
Kwak!
The shadows were trampled on brutally. He never thought about standing with pride because he didn’t dare look up at Roman Dmitry. And Roman Dmitry had acknowledged Fernando’s nature.
That was why he asked him to be the sword that would protect the Dmitry family, and from then on, Fernando showed a clear change.
The flame was intense, and Fernando’s presence covered the shadows. The surprise and perfect plan of the Kronos Empire got blocked one after another, and at last…
Slash.
Even the last shadow stumbled and fell. Just like Fernando said, he didn’t allow a single shadow to pass through.
At the third point, the result was the annihilation of the shadows.
Outside the castle, Mystic looked surprised. Through the Link, it was confirmed that the shadows that had entered the castle were decreasing.
“…Did the shadows fail?”
He was beyond shocked—no, it was truly shocking. The shadows weren’t normal assassins. Even if their existence were known, it would be difficult to stop them, but they accurately identified the movement of the shadows and quickly dealt with them.
Dmitry had smart people. In addition, it was clear that those who could handle the shadows were perfectly moving with a plan. And it wasn’t just that. At that time, when he looked at the castle wall, which was still in good condition, a subordinate approached him.
“Mr. Mystic. An emergency alert has been issued in the northeast. Reinforcements have departed from the estates belonging to the Dmitry Duchy, and the Cairo Kingdom is sending troops to the border. If we stay here like this, it is only a matter of time before we get surrounded by enemies. As early as twelve hours, within that time frame, the enemy reinforcements will step in.”
The response of the Lords belonging to Dmitry was in perfect order. When they heard Dmitry was being attacked, they immediately sent reinforcements without hesitation. It was part of trusting each other. No matter how much they belonged to the Dmitry Duchy, if they didn’t serve Dmitry wholeheartedly, they wouldn’t react so quickly.
However, the nobles of the northeast region sent troops as if they had been waiting. In addition, even the Cairo Kingdom reacted.
Just a few years ago, the Dmitry family was a mere baron family, but now they have risen to the top and are trusted by everyone.
“Dmitry. The more we know them, the more dangerous they are.”
As expected, Kronos’s judgment was right. They didn’t react too sensitively to Dmitry, and they wanted to nip it in the bud right from the start.
Kronos and Valhalla. There was a starting point before their development. The Kronos Empire made a decision, knowing that if Dmitry were left alone, it would be dangerous.
The person who gave Mystic the orders said,
“This is a fight where failure is not allowed. Without Roman Dmitry, we need to destroy them with all our might. If the power of one is enough to fight Dmitry, we will put in ten powers for this operation, complete our role, and block any variables.”
A beast—a true beast that did everything to catch the rabbit. The order of the commander fell. Kronos’s army, led by Mystic, was just three out of ten, and the shadows were the other three.
Mystic looked at Dmitry’s castle with a relaxed look. Both of these operations were intended to hide their real purpose in the first place.
The Dmitry palace was safe. Since the resistance hadn’t been broken into yet, everyone was sure that the space where Duke Dmitry was staying was safe. But now, a different thing was happening.
Puak!
“Kuak!”
A Dmitry soldier was pinned to the wall. He found the enemy and tried to send a signal, but he couldn’t react and got pushed by force.
“Fucking bugs.”
It was a being in darkness. The man with a similar form to a shadow grinned. Kronos was clear about what they wanted to achieve from this war. They wanted to show what kind of end those who were against Kronos would have.
In order to do so, they had to break down Dmitry and trample on them or kill Duke Dmitry.
For that purpose, a shadow named Sven stepped out. Even if aura swordsmen blocked his path, they couldn’t block any of Sven’s attacks, not even once.
Rumble.
Aura exploded. It was a 6-star aura. Among the shadows, Sven was a being with overwhelming power.
The three shadows that people speak of. If the beings that channeled their physical powers were general shadows, those who used special powers were called Demons of the Abyss in Kronos.
And Sven was also one of those, and the people called him one of the three shadows. There were two types of shadows—special and not special.
Sven walked down the wide hallway. A noisy battle was happening outside. If Duke Dmitry were at the end of this, then he wouldn’t be able to survive from his clutches for long.
How long was it?
Halt.
He stopped walking, and Sven stood a little far away from the huge door and looked at the face of the man standing in front of him.
“A child, but he has a ferocious face like a wild cat. I heard there is such a person under Roman Dmitry who holds madness and has such a venomous look in his eyes. His name was probably Kevin.”
Shh.
The man, Kevin, got up. During the entire battle, Kevin didn’t take a single step.
Sven smiled.
“Nice. A chance to deal with the target and Duke Dmitry at the same time. I will kill you here.”
Rumble.
Roar.
Sven raised his aura to 6 stars.
With that, except for Roman Dmitry, it was a force that couldn’t be blocked by any of Dmitry’s swordsmen.
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