The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 517

Dark red blood dripped from the sword’s tip, each drop a heavy sound in the sudden quiet. Jung Mun-ho stared at the blood, his mind racing. *How many lives? Too many to count.* He was the mayor of Hanam, but here, facing this… this *man*, he felt utterly powerless.

Then, a voice cut through the silence.

“Are you the mayor of Hanam?”

Jung Mun-ho’s heart seemed to drop like a stone in his chest.

Roman Dmitry slowly tilted his head, blood staining his dark hair and face. His eyes, cold and sharp, fixed on Jung Mun-ho. His voice, when it came, was low and smooth, yet it felt like ice crawling down Jung Mun-ho’s spine.

“Are you the mayor of Hanam?”

Jung Mun-ho’s breath hitched. His whole body began to shake, a tremor he couldn’t stop. He remembered Cha Young-min’s warnings about rebellion, warnings he had dismissed as foolish. But now, facing Roman Dmitry, a wave of fear washed over him. This was not just a rebel; this was something terrifying.

*If this goes on,* he thought, panic rising, *I will die.*

A cold certainty settled in Jung Mun-ho’s stomach. Hanam was lost. The central government had abandoned them. His only hope now was to beg for mercy. He dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.

“I… I surrender!” he cried out, his voice cracking.

He bowed his head to the ground, his words tumbling out in a rush.

“Please! I was wrong! It was a mistake! I wanted to join you from the start! Who can trust a government that leaves us to die? Hanam is too close to Seoul! They forced me! I had no choice!”

*If only I had listened to Cha Young-min,* Jung Mun-ho thought desperately. *If only I had seen this coming.*

“Please,” he begged, tears streaming down his face. “Just one chance! I’m just a small man, caught in the middle! Let me live, and I’ll tell you everything about the central government!”

He looked past Roman Dmitry, and his eyes widened in horror. The office was littered with bodies. Soldiers, hundreds of them, lay still and broken. Fear choked him. His only hope was the man standing before him. He looked up at Roman Dmitry, his heart pounding.

Roman Dmitry looked down at him, a cold smile twisting his lips.

“We both knew the truth, didn’t we, Mayor?” Roman Dmitry said, his voice hard. “The central government bleeds this country dry. I showed everyone in Incheon what I could do – how I fought the monsters, how I protected them. If you hadn’t been so greedy for their empty promises, you would have seen that I am the one who can save this country. Seongnam and Gwacheon understood. They chose to stand with me, even knowing the risk. But you chose differently. You saw the rot, but you closed your eyes, thinking you were safe.”

*Swish.* Roman Dmitry raised his sword. Jung Mun-ho’s body shook violently. His lips moved, forming silent pleas, but no sound came out. Roman Dmitry’s eyes were like ice.

“They showed their true colors when they attacked Incheon just because I wouldn’t join them. Busan understood and followed me, knowing they would be called rebels. Every choice has a price. I will give those who believed in me the future I promised. But for you? You are the enemy. There is no mercy for enemies.”

His words were final, cold as steel. Jung Mun-ho squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the end. He saw it all in his mind – the flash of steel, the darkness. Then, it came. The world exploded in a blinding flash of silver, followed by a sickening thud. Jung Mun-ho’s head tumbled to the ground.

Hanam had fallen. News of the city’s destruction reached the central government like a thunderclap. Emergency meetings had become a constant since the Great Disaster, but this news was different. In a room filled with tense, pale-faced officials, the head of the intelligence agency spoke, his voice grave.

“…Roman Dmitry has taken Hanam. In just one hour. Mayor Jung Mun-ho was beheaded – his head displayed for all to see. Roman Dmitry showed no mercy. Not a single soldier in Hanam was spared. Mr. President,” he said, his voice rising with urgency, “this is not normal. Roman Dmitry’s actions… they are beyond anything we expected.”

The news was more than shocking – it was terrifying. Beheading the mayor? It wasn’t just against international law, it was barbaric. In this world, even in war, leaders were rarely killed like that. Usually, they were captured, maybe punished, but not brutally executed. Beheading was a message. A clear, bloody message.

“He’s showing us he will show no mercy,” the intelligence director continued, his voice strained. “He didn’t hurt any citizens in Hanam, but every soldier who fought, every one who raised a weapon – dead. All of them. Roman Dmitry is a monster. He’s already moving towards Guri. If we don’t stop him, Guri will be next. Mr. President, we have to act now!”

“Not yet,” President Kim Jung-tae said, his voice firm despite the tension in the room. “Seoul comes first.” The Great Disaster was still raging. Monsters attacked the city on all sides. They couldn’t afford to divert resources to Hanam, not now. *That madman,* Kim Jung-tae thought of Roman Dmitry, anger rising in his chest. *Moving troops now, during the Disaster? It’s insane!* But Roman Dmitry seemed to act as if monsters were no obstacle at all.

“There are rules,” Kim Jung-tae declared, his voice cutting through the room. “The Republic of Korea has principles. Seoul’s safety is our top priority.”

“But Director—!” the intelligence director began, protesting.

“Director!” Kim Jung-tae snapped, his voice sharp and loud. “I understand your concern. It is regrettable that Hanam has fallen. But we cannot risk Seoul to save them. We must see this as an opportunity. Roman Dmitry has broken international law. The world agreed – no fighting between humans for a month after the Disaster. But he attacked Hanam without reason. He gave us what we needed. Justification.”

Kim Jung-tae’s eyes gleamed. “Because he broke international law, we can ask for help from other countries. China has already offered to assist. Now, they can intervene directly.”

China. They had been working with China from the start. Chinese soldiers were already here, but now, because of Roman Dmitry’s actions, China could openly intervene. “If he hadn’t broken international law,” Kim Jung-tae explained, “China could only help us secretly. But Dmitry has given them the perfect excuse. As a powerful nation, China can now step in to punish him for violating the world’s rules.”

He looked around the room, his expression hard. “So, do not waver. Chinese forces are ready. While Roman Dmitry wastes his time on these small cities, we will prepare. When he reaches Seoul, the Korean and Chinese Allied Forces will be waiting for him.”

Kim Jung-tae and the other leaders understood the truth. This alliance with China was a turning point. They would be tied to China now, perhaps forever. But for Kim Jung-tae, power was all that mattered.

“Seoul will be safe,” he repeated, his voice filled with cold certainty.

News of Hanam’s fate spread quickly. In Guri, the next city in Roman Dmitry’s path, panic set in. Leaders gathered, their faces pale with fear.

“…Can we stop him?” one whispered, his voice trembling.

“Impossible,” another replied, shaking his head. “Hanam was stronger than us. And they were destroyed in an hour. We have no chance. And the central government… they’ve abandoned us. They’re only thinking about Seoul.”

“Damn them!” someone else burst out, slamming his fist on the table. “We’ve given them everything! And now, when we need them most, they turn their backs!”

A heavy silence hung in the mayor’s office in Guri, thick with unease. Discontent, like a bitter taste, filled the mouths of the city leaders gathered there. They, too, felt the fear that was gripping the city.

At first, they had believed in the promises of the central government. Because of this trust, they had ignored Mayor Cha Young-min’s calls, convinced that the chaos in Hanam would not reach them. They had been so wrong. Never had they imagined that the situation could change so completely, so quickly.

A man spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

“Let’s surrender now,” he said. “I’ve heard that Chinese reinforcements have arrived, but Guri will be destroyed while they’re dealing with the monsters. No matter how strong the Chinese reinforcements are, they can’t guarantee our safety. We must cooperate to survive. We can pretend to follow Roman Dmitry and then cooperate with the central government again when the situation changes.”

Another man chimed in, his voice laced with fear.

“That’s right. Didn’t you hear that the mayor of Hanam was beheaded? Roman Dmitry is a merciless man, so we need to act to survive.”

The mayor’s face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead. He looked around at the anxious faces of his advisors. He knew they were waiting for him to say something, anything, to make this nightmare go away. But there was no easy answer. With a heavy sigh, he made his decision.

Since there was no way to contact Roman Dmitry directly, he contacted Kim Jun-hyuk, the mayor of Incheon, to convey their intention to surrender.

However, Kim Jun-hyuk spoke calmly from across the screen.

“Didn’t Mayor Cha Young-min make it clear? There will be no second chances. We cannot trust a change of heart when the outcome is already decided. True trust comes from uncertainty. I’m sorry, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do to help you.”

The mayor of Guri pleaded, his voice desperate.

“Mayor Kim Jun-hyuk! Please consider our situation.”

Kim Jun-hyuk’s voice remained cold and firm.

“I am not the decision-maker. Roman Dmitry said something to me as he left for the battlefield: ‘I will not set a single precedent. I will never spare those I have designated as enemies.’ So, if you really want to survive, raise a white flag and beg for mercy when you face Roman Dmitry on the battlefield. Of course, I’m not sure if that’s the right choice. I am just a follower, and I cannot guarantee that he will show mercy.”

It was a harsh truth, leaving them with no room for hope.

But the people were not even allowed the luxury of despair.

Suddenly, the heavy wooden door splintered inwards with a deafening crash, hinges screaming as it flew off its frame and slammed against the wall. Dust and splinters filled the air.

A soldier, seeing the bewildered faces of the executives, shouted with a pale face.

“The walls have been breached! The rebels are attacking Guri!”

Guri was facing the same fate as Hanam.

The defense was breached by Roman Dmitry alone, and even the soldiers who had prepared for the attack had no way to resist. Blood smeared the white stone walls, dark and thick like spilled paint, marking the path of Roman Dmitry’s brutal advance. He rampaged across the walls, slaughtering soldiers, and completely destroying Guri’s defense system.

Behind him, the direct unit followed, their faces grim.

Lee Tae-sung shouted as he cut down soldiers.

“Follow Roman Dmitry!”

Another soldier yelled, his voice filled with desperation.

“We must win. If we lose, the central government will not spare Incheon!”

The direct unit did not hesitate. They had been oppressed by the central government, and knowing the tricks the central government had used to undermine Incheon, they could not look kindly on those who had joined the central government.

It was a fight to the death anyway. Agreeing with Roman Dmitry’s words, the direct unit’s mindset in joining the conquest of Seoul was to desperately crave victory.

They had to win, so Incheon would survive. Instead of being swayed by foolish emotions, they faced the fact that the enemy had tried to destroy Incheon.

However, not everyone was like the direct unit.

As in Hanam, the Hundred White Magicians were not very effective against the soldiers of Guri.

What kind of group was the Hundred White? They pursued justice. For them, who lived for the people, the act of people killing each other was bound to violate their beliefs.

Seeing this, Park Min-woo’s eyebrows shot up.

‘What if these bastards incur Roman Dmitry’s wrath?’ he thought.

Mercy on the battlefield? Nonsense. Park Min-woo fully agreed with Roman Dmitry. Having experienced countless years as Emperor Alexander, he had seen countless people stabbed in the back for showing even a little mercy on the battlefield.

You just shouldn’t create a situation where you have to beg for mercy in the first place. He knew it was difficult, but it was natural to be prepared to die the moment you showed hostility.

Of course, he couldn’t tell them the truth. He wanted to shout at them not to act like idiots on the battlefield, but completely different words came out of his mouth.

“Listen, Hundred White Magicians! War does not always represent evil. Just as even an angel must take up arms to deal with a demon that plunges the world into destruction, we must swallow the harsh reality to fight against malice. The central government has oppressed Incheon. They have committed all sorts of atrocities for not following their intentions, and as a result, the people of Incheon have suffered. Will you forgive them? Is it right for you to condone malice just because you pursue justice?”

The death of the people of Incheon? It was a lie. He didn’t know if that had happened, but it was a fact that the people of Incheon had suffered. The central government would all die anyway. Even if they denied that it had happened, the excuses of the defeated would not work then.

He ignited their sense of justice. Park Min-woo stepped forward.

“Follow me! We will fight for justice. Those who are not here may call our justice evil, but if South Korea regains peace, at least the people of South Korea will know that we were willing to get our hands dirty for justice!”

The Hundred White Magicians responded, their voices rising in unison.

“Follow the Hundred White Magician!”

“For justice!”

Their eyes changed. It was the right thing to do. They simply had a reluctance to war, but hadn’t the enemy already committed all sorts of atrocities to win?

From then on, their hesitation disappeared. Led by Park Min-woo, they exploded with magical power.

Park Min-woo shouted inwardly.

‘Slaughter all the arrogant bastards who dare to block the path of the Heavenly Demon!’ he thought.

Pure malice. Park Min-woo simply didn’t like the bastards who opposed the Heavenly Demon, but the Hundred White Magicians shed tears of emotion.

“For the justice of South Korea!”

“Hundred White, forever!”

People burning with a sense of justice overwhelmed the battlefield. As the Hundred White engaged in battle with all their heart, Guri could not cope with the already unfavorable situation.

Only two hours after the outbreak of the war, following Hanam, another city, Guri, collapsed.