The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 501

The words from Kim Jun-hyuk’s broadcast hung in the air, heavy with fear. In Cheongsan guild, the news felt like a shock.

Goo Cheol-ho, leader of Cheongsan guild, looked desperate as he gathered his top members.

The disaster I feared is here,” Goo Cheol-ho said. “We are at a turning point. If we don’t leave now, we will be stuck with Incheon, and it might be destroyed.”

For the past three months, Cheongsan had remained in Incheon.

Surprisingly, all other groups except Cheongsan had left Incheon. This helped Cheongsan become close with the Incheon government.

For a short time, they allowed themselves to hope.

If Incheon survived, Cheongsan would have a lot of power in the city.

But there was a catch.

They needed to make sure Incheon didn’t take the full force of the ‘Great Disaster’ by itself.

“A monster wave is coming near Incheon. That means Incheon will be hit the hardest. The central government and other cities won’t risk themselves to help Incheon. We can’t blame them for this. Everyone is scared. Leaving their own homes to help Incheon is impossible for them. That’s why everyone wants to escape to Seoul. This might be our last chance to leave. If we leave Incheon now, we can at least survive.”

“But if we ask Seoul to take us in now, they might just use us and then get rid of us when the disaster comes.”

It was a difficult choice.

Leaving Incheon would keep them safe right away, but there was no guarantee what would happen after that.

So, the decision they made three months ago was very important.

Because things had gone well since then, Cheongsan’s choice seemed like a good one.

Goo Cheol-ho closed his eyes tightly, feeling despair.

“Incheon is different now because of Roman Dmitry,” Goo Cheol-ho thought. “It’s better than before, but what does it matter against a disaster this big? Even if we live through this, I don’t know if Cheongsan will survive.”

Just like before, Park Gi-tae spoke up.

“Master, we are trapped anyway. If we leave Incheon now, everyone will call us traitors. No one will trust us anywhere else. So, let’s trust them again. Like we did three months ago, let’s trust Mayor Kim Jun-hyuk’s smart decisions, and the confidence of Roman Dmitry, the mysterious man we’ve been watching.”

Park Gi-tae’s words made Goo Cheol-ho’s heart beat faster.

They were trapped.

If it was three months ago, running away would have been an option. But if they ran now, in this terrible situation, all they would save is their lives, and nothing else.

Goo Cheol-ho thought for a long time, then spoke.

“Alright,” Goo Cheol-ho said, with a sigh. “We have to hope something works. Tell Cheongsan members to get to the front lines now.”

“Yes.”

Cheongsan had finally made their decision.

High on the city walls, Roman Dmitry stood.

The wind blew against Roman Dmitry as he looked out from the damaged city walls.

“Roman Dmitry,” Lee Tae-sung said. “We checked on the central government. They are going to defend Seoul to the end, like we thought. They are just making their defenses stronger. Nothing else is happening. Other cities near Incheon said no to helping us. It seems everyone in South Korea is thinking only of themselves.”

Hearing that Incheon was truly alone, Roman Dmitry asked calmly.

“Do you think they are cruel?”

“…I think they are being very unfair. By doing nothing, they are letting Incheon be destroyed.”

“Normally, yes, it would seem cruel. But I can’t blame them. If another city had this problem instead of Incheon, I wouldn’t risk Incheon to help them. This shows us something important. The people who stayed in Incheon are now my responsibility. From now on, their safety is the most important thing to me.”

Roman Dmitry turned to look at the people behind him. Lee Tae-sung stood there, along with his soldiers, government troops, and the members of Cheongsan guild who had just arrived. He saw worry and hope in their eyes.

These were new connections. Roman Dmitry felt the weight of his promise to protect them.

“You are my people. Even if the whole of South Korea turns into a sea of fire, this place, Incheon, will be safe.”

The truth was, Incheon was not strong enough.

Even though they had fought hard for three months, Incheon alone could not stop this disaster.

That’s what made their choice so important. They knew Incheon was weak, but they stayed with Roman Dmitry anyway. They were trusting everything to just one man.

A feeling he couldn’t quite name stirred within Roman Dmitry. Looking at the faces of the Incheon people, he felt echoes of lives he had lived before, a sense of connection he couldn’t explain.

“From now on, we will activate Plan A.”

“……Are you sure about this?”

Lee Tae-sung’s face showed his worry.

Of all the plans for the disaster, Plan A was the most dangerous for Roman Dmitry.

People had been worried about Plan A from the start. They hoped it would work, but they feared Roman Dmitry was risking too much.

Just then, monsters were swarming beyond the walls.

Roman Dmitry looked back at the monsters and walked towards the edge of the wall.

“Once this storm is over, you won’t need to ask if I’m okay anymore.”

With those words, Roman Dmitry jumped off the wall. Whoosh!

People’s eyes widened. Even though they knew Plan A, seeing Roman Dmitry actually do it was still shocking.

The die was cast. Incheon’s safety now depended on Roman Dmitry.

Thud! He landed on the ground.

When he raised his head, he saw a cloud of dust rising and monsters rushing towards him.

“The Great Disaster,” Roman Dmitry thought. This felt familiar. He had seen scenes like this before, when he built his empire and even in other worlds.

From his past battles, Roman Dmitry knew what to do. He had to be where the danger was greatest. If he faced the monsters directly, Incheon might have a chance.

Rumble! Rumble! He drew up his aura.

He moved forward with leisurely steps, and as the ground shook and the monsters reached within striking distance, he increased his speed from then on.

Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash! He kicked off the ground.

An explosive aura enveloped Roman Dmitry’s body, and before he even collided with the monsters, he channeled the aura into the tip of his sword.

‘Heavenly Demon Sword Art – First Style of the First Half.’

Gleam! He extended his sword.

A single strike. The aura blasted forward, cutting through the monsters in front of him.

Strange, bird-like cries echoed, mixing with human screams from all directions.

Monsters of all levels, from the weakest F-rank to the strong A-rank, were destroyed easily. Their ranks didn’t matter against this power. Roman Dmitry threw himself into the onrushing wave.

Darkness suddenly surrounded him as a shadow monster appeared. An A-rank monster, a Werewolf, bared its ferocious fangs, displaying intense hostility towards humans.

Werewolves were known to be terrifying. People said their teeth could rip through steel, and their fur was like armor. But Roman Dmitry didn’t hesitate.

With a blinding flash of silver light from his sword, the Werewolf’s head was gone before it could even roar.

They formed packs, yet they were torn apart one after another by Roman Dmitry’s sword.

With a flash of his sword, using a technique he called the First Style of the Heavenly Demon Sword Art, blood splattered everywhere each time his aura exploded.

A battle against many.

There was no knowing when it would end.

The monster wave meant a ceaseless attack, and as they called it ‘Red Time’, monsters would keep coming for days. Therefore, stamina management was essential. No matter how great a hunter, they couldn’t fight for days on end, so people wanted to belong to powerful nations as much as possible.

Even the strongest hunters, S-rank hunters, needed to be part of a group to survive. Everyone knew this.

But Roman Dmitry did not hold back his power.

He unleashed his exploding aura, sweeping away dozens of monsters with a single blow.

Whether it was a day, or two days, or a week, no matter how much time passed, his power would not be exhausted.

A realm beyond the heavens.

Having ascended to a high position, Roman Dmitry possessed even greater power than the moment he had defeated the Demon King.

Crack!

Thud!

He stomped on a monster’s head. Leaving the shattered head behind, Roman Dmitry charged into the darkness-filled space.

‘I will slaughter them all.’

He was certain.

As long as he stood firm, not a single monster would pass beyond this point.

Gu Cheol-ho and his group, Cheongsan, were new to Incheon and didn’t know the city’s plans. Incheon knew Cheongsan might run away if things got too dangerous, so they hadn’t shared their full strategy. Therefore, Gu Cheol-ho was shocked.

Seeing Roman Dmitry fall below the fortress walls, he hurriedly asked Lee Tae-sung.

“Is this really okay? It’s too reckless. Even if he’s an S-rank hunter, he can only hold out for a while, and he’s bound to be in danger if it turns into a prolonged battle. No, whether it’s a long battle or a short one, isn’t the difference in numbers too great?”

It was a reasonable statement. If Lee Tae-sung hadn’t witnessed Roman Dmitry’s power, he would have stopped Roman Dmitry with the same attitude.

“Watch. We trust in Roman Dmitry.”

“This is insane.”

Only Gu Cheol-ho was on pins and needles. But what could he do? It was already too late to run away. Gu Cheol-ho, who was biting his nails and watching the situation, couldn’t hide his shock at what unfolded next.

Strange, bird-like cries echoed, mixing with human screams.

It was a massacre.

The moment Roman Dmitry and the monsters clashed, Roman Dmitry rampaged through the enemies, carrying out indiscriminate slaughter.

People have common sense. Gu Cheol-ho had his own idea of the level of an S-rank hunter, but Roman Dmitry’s power exceeded the bounds of common sense. It was overwhelming.

He destroyed them all. It didn’t matter how strong the monsters were; one strike from Roman Dmitry sent their heads flying, and blood sprayed everywhere like a fountain.

“…Ah.”

He was lost in thought. He was speechless. Not only Gu Cheol-ho, but all the members of Cheongsan’s guild were staring at the situation with blank faces.

Only then did they understand.

What Incheon’s confidence was.

The reason they hadn’t abandoned the city, even with their backs turned against the central government, was because they trusted in the existence of Roman Dmitry.

This meant Incheon, with Roman Dmitry, could become the most powerful force in South Korea. People like Gu Cheol-ho and Park Gi-tae knew what kind of future would come if Incheon withstood the great disaster thanks to Roman Dmitry’s efforts.

This situation. It wasn’t just Cheongsan who was impressed.

Even Lee Tae-sung, who knew Roman Dmitry’s power, was in awe of the spectacle unfolding before his eyes.

‘What kind of life have you lived?’

The past three months. Roman Dmitry had given him confidence. The certainty that even a threat as great as the Great Disaster was nothing was clearly derived from that much experience.

Lee Tae-sung felt he still didn’t understand Roman Dmitry at all. He was a mystery. He had sworn allegiance to Roman Dmitry, but he was still a mysterious being to Lee Tae-sung.

However, it was too early to let his guard down.

Roman Dmitry had warned him in advance.

“The Great Disaster is like an onrushing wave. Even if you block the waves with a breakwater, if waves rush in from all directions, a breakwater on one side won’t be able to block them completely. So keep in mind that I will bear the greatest risk. But the waves that slip past that and crash into Incheon are your responsibility to handle.”

Above the fortress walls, that was the reason why Incheon’s forces were not moving. They were eager to help Roman Dmitry, but they stayed in their positions, thinking of any possible variables.

He was a truly remarkable person. Bearing the greatest risk alone. Even though it wasn’t as easy as it sounded, Roman Dmitry was putting it into practice.

It was then.

“Direct Commander! We have a problem!”

A soldier ran up urgently. A sense of unease arose. Roman Dmitry had prepared for any possible variables, and even if the probability of a variable occurring was very small, Roman Dmitry had prepared for anything, even unlikely events. He knew that even small chances could become real problems.

The soldier shouted.

“Monsters have appeared inside the city!”

A possible variable. From now on, it was Incheon’s responsibility to handle.