The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military-Chapter 266: The Battle Toward the End

Translator: Pai_

After Thor died, the only thing Iron did was follow his subordinates.

Exhausted from the battle with Thor, Iron advanced by killing the Holy Alliance forces while being protected by his subordinates, aiming to destroy the central axis in the North.

With the assault from the special unit composed entirely of knight-level members and the Mobile Field Army, the formation of the Holy Alliance forces collapsed.

Originally, their power wasn't weak enough to collapse so easily, but the fact that Thor was defeated came as a great shock to them.

Moreover, Ariel's performance, the center of the Mobile Field Army, was insane.

"A m... monster of a woman..."

One of the Inquisitors coughed up blood and spoke to Ariel.

However, Ariel advanced forward while severing his neck without even a change in her expression.

With their battle lines collapsed and unable to withstand the momentum of the Mobile Field Army, the Holy Alliance forces rallied once again in front of the northern central axis.

As if to say they would never yield this place, they screamed and reorganized their lines.

“Hold them back!”

“God is with us!”

“Defend the mission bestowed by God with your lives!”

They raised their swords to block the Mobile Field Army, which charged like madmen, looking like zealots.

Watching them, Ariel swung her sword with a cold expression.

「Ariel-Style Meteor Sword」

The Meteor Sword she had restructured into her own style after reaching the rank of Master.

Countless streaks of sword energy shot forward in straight lines, compressed into spherical masses that tore through the enemy ranks.

Her decisive technique, a blinding quick-draw blade woven with the principle of explosion into her Aura.

Puh-puh-puh-puh!

The holy knights who stood in front couldn't withstand the aura she unleashed and exploded to death.

Only a few Inquisitors were able to block her final technique.

However, Ariel wasn’t the only one in the Mobile Field Army.

On the right appeared a lion radiating darkness, and on the left, a lion radiating light, both of whom ravaged the enemies.

Behind them, the knight order and assault unit charged in.

“You’ve all grown a lot.”

Iron murmured as he looked at the knight order and the assault unit.

Having grown steadily in the Northeast, the knights and assault units of the Mobile Field Army had developed to the point where they were treated as aces wherever they went.

The captains leading the knight order and the assault unit were no exception.

Though they hadn’t reached the realm of Masters like Ariel or Gaon, their swordsmanship utilizing the unique abilities of Lueden and Roden was strong enough to rival Masters.

“Scatter and destroy the structures forming the axis.”

“Yes!”

At Iron’s command, his subordinates scattered at once and began destroying the structures forming the axis.

Of course, the Holy Alliance forces who remained hidden nearby continued to resist to the end, but since the tide had already turned, it was meaningless.

“Hm...”

Iron suddenly staggered for a moment from the fluctuating flow of mana.

“Are you all right?”

When Ariel asked with concern, Iron smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine. The energy expenditure was too great, so this is just temporary."

Saying that, Iron looked toward the massive central axis.

Was it the price of summoning Thor?

Contrary to his worries, there wasn’t much residual power left in the central axis.

‘Maybe it was drawing power from here the whole time we fought...’

Thinking that, he looked at the nearly empty central axis.

Since the unbroken axes were still gathering power, they had to be destroyed as soon as possible.

Despite the persistent interference of the Holy Alliance forces, the Mobile Field Army eventually smashed all the structures supporting the central axis and gathered at the central structure that had formed the black pillar.

“Begin.”

“Yes!”

At Iron’s command, as they began destroying the last remaining structure, the earth started to shake.

Rrrrrumble!

The moment the northern central axis was completely destroyed, black energy surged from the ground.

Perhaps a massive amount of power had been stored beneath the hill, as corrupted energies began to rise from the cracks in the ground.

At that moment, Iron stabbed his sword into the ground and closed his eyes.

"Commander! Please don't push yourself!"

When Iron began creating a sanctuary despite his injured body, Ariel spoke with concern.

“I can endure it.”

Saying so, Iron closed his eyes and focused.

Using the divine power he had slightly recovered, he even imitated the power of Baepsae.

The power to purge the impure and divine power synergized, purifying the corrupted energy erupting from the earth.

Seeing it purify in real time, the Mobile Field Army and the special unit looked around with awe.

The black energy radiating from his sweat and the white energy enveloping the sky clashed violently, and as the surroundings were gradually filled with pure white light, it evoked reverence.

It was just then, as the sanctuary continued to purify the corrupted energy for a while.

Kwa-deuk!

With a sound of something breaking, the system voice was heard.

[You have successfully destroyed the Northern Central Axis. As a result, the plans of the Outer God have been disrupted.]

-The success rate of the Outer God's plan decreases by 25%.

-Destroy the remaining central axes. The more axes are destroyed, the more the Outer God’s plan is thwarted.

[A small reward is given for destroying the Northern Central Axis.]

As the message about a reward was heard, the bodies of all knights and soldiers glowed.

In contrast, in Iron’s case, there was no glow.

Seeing that, he thought, 'Is the reward postponed again this time?' But that wasn’t the case.

“Huh…”

A glow began to radiate from his damaged sword.

[As a reward for killing Thor, a portion of the essence of the ancient god is imbued into your sword.]

The moment the system voice was heard, a crackling sound burst from Iron’s beloved sword, Iron Wall, and lightning began to surge.

At the same time, the damaged sword gradually began to restore itself.

[As the essence of the god is infused, nature’s energy responds. An unbelievable synergy occurs.]

-The power of Lightning is amplified.

-The metal of Thor’s weapon, Mjölnir, seeps in and the sword is reforged stronger. Due to the properties of the special metal, even if damaged, it can now rapidly self-repair.

-With this special ability, all natural energies will now be converted into Lightning.

Hearing the news of his sword’s upgrade, Iron smiled faintly.

He had always felt sorry for making it suffer, but seeing his beloved sword become stronger in this way eased his guilt a little.

“You’ve done well.”

Saying those words to Iron Wall, Iron looked at it as it floated while evolving, then sat down nearby.

Meanwhile, the others also glowed brightly from the new rewards they had received and busied themselves.

It was at that very moment that another system voice was heard.

[The third Apocalypse Story ‘Stop the Descent of the God!’ begins in earnest.]

-First objective: Destroy all central axes! A quest has been created. (Remaining central axes 0/3)

-Second objective: Reach the core of the true body! (Required condition: Clear the first objective)

-Third objective: Prevent the perfect descent of the god. (Required condition: Clear the first and second objectives)

[Sub Quest ‘Destroy all the axes!’ has been created.]

[Sub Quest ‘Destroy the relics of the Fallen God!’ has been created.]

[Sub Quest ‘Save the brainwashed humans!’ has been created.]

[Sub Quest ‘Eliminate the traitors!’ has been created.]

(And so on.)

As if to commemorate the official start of the third story, an overwhelming number of sub quests were created.

At the same time, a clear goal was given to the human side.

‘Stop the Descent of the God!’

This clear objective from the system became a guiding light, allowing them to head straight toward their target even in a potentially confusing situation.

Just then, as everyone was checking the quests generated by the system.

The Western Commander personally contacted Iron.

-Did you hear?

“Yes. It seems the war is now truly beginning.”

At Iron’s words, the Western Commander nodded as if in agreement.

-All forces of the Empire have gathered in the West.

“They’ve arrived at just the right time. In that case, we should now divide the army and begin targeting the central axes.”

At the Western Commander's words, Iron gave a small nod and spoke. The time had truly come to fight the Holy Alliance forces in earnest.

Then the Western Commander suddenly cleared his throat.

Iron tilted his head curiously at the sight.

-The Council has unanimously agreed to appoint Ariel Fabrice as the Commander of the Mobile Field Army. Additionally, her rank has been promoted to General.

“…What?”

Ariel looked at German with a puzzled expression, then glanced sideways at Iron.

Others nearby also wore expressions of confusion.

In contrast, Iron let out a quiet sigh, wearing an expression that said, "It was bound to happen eventually."

Seeing Iron’s expression, German smiled faintly.

-General Iron Carter is hereby appointed Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army, and his rank is elevated from General to Marshal. This has been finalized as of today, recommended by all commanders and corps leaders, and passed unanimously by the Council.

At German’s words, the nearby members of the Mobile Field Army and the special unit gaped in shock, staring blankly at Iron.

-Salute! Congratulations to Marshal Iron Carter on your appointment as Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army!

At German’s salute, Iron lowered his head with a troubled expression.

“Ha… this is so sudden…”

-I apologize, but the Supreme Commander and Commander Ariel will need to return briefly. Since these are newly appointed positions, Central believes that at least a brief ceremony must be conducted… and it seems the people of the Empire are hoping for it as well.

At German’s words, Iron sighed and looked at Ariel.

She, too, wore an expression of discomfort at her sudden promotion to Commander.

However, Ariel had reached the level of Master, and among the Mobile Field Army, excluding Iron, she had led the best. Realistically, there was no better candidate than her.

“For now… we’ll return.”

-Yes! We’ll be waiting! Salute!

At Iron’s words, German smiled brightly and saluted once more.

Reluctantly returning German’s salute, Iron gave orders to his subordinates, who stood gaping in astonishment.

“For now… we’re going back.”

At Iron’s command, his subordinates, still wearing stunned expressions, rushed to prepare for the return.

The injured Iron was carefully moved onto the flagship, and the wounded and the bodies were also loaded onto the airships.

And so, everyone headed toward the Western Command Headquarters, which had become the temporary main base for the Apocalypse operation.

“Mmm…”

Aboard the flagship, Iron let out a low groan under the intense, almost burdensome, gazes from his subordinates.

Eyes filled with respect, expressions full of awe as if looking at a hero, all of it made him uncomfortable.

But this was nothing compared to what awaited at the Western Command.

The moment the flagship carrying Iron came into view of the fortress at Western Command, all the elite forces gathered from across the Empire saluted Iron.

“Salute the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army!”

At German’s command, everyone turned their eyes to the flagship.

Starting with the Western Commander, all the commanders and soldiers raised their salutes in unison.

Then, Ariel, who was aboard the flagship, also saluted Iron in step with them.

“Salute to the Supreme Commander!”

“Loyalty!”

Everyone aboard the flagship saluted. And everyone at the command headquarters outside also saluted Iron, causing even the indomitable Iron to show a clearly uncomfortable expression on his face.

‘Ah… this is too much…’

***

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