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nThe Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military (123)

nTranslator: ChubbyCheeks

n42 Counterattack! (3)

nCrimson made sure that he thoroughly smashed the dark elves so they would no longer be able to chase after them before approaching the drake that Iron was riding on.

n“It’s been a while since we last saw each other.”

n“That seems to be the case.”

nIron smiled bitterly as he spoke to Crimson.

nThis was their first meeting after they parted ways in the East. And since Crimson had left earlier from the East, they had not seen each other for months. However, Crimson looked completely different from what he remembered when he last saw him in the East. He had suffered back then too but he did not look this haggard.

n“Are you sleeping at all?”

nCrimson smiled bitterly when Iron asked him in worry.

n“I’m sleeping as much as I can.”

nIron sighed at Crimson’s answer.

n“Hoo… Is it that much?”

n“I’ll tell you the details when we get there.”

nCrimson smiled at Iron’s worried expression before sending the Drake Knight to his own drake as he personally drove the drake Iron was on.

n“You know how to ride a drake?”

n“At my age, you will know how to do most things.”

nCrimson smiled as he drove the drake to Command.

nArrows flew from time to time but they easily blocked them so they were able to arrive at Command without much damage.

n‘It’s only a one level difference but…’

nIron might have reached the 6th Stage but Crimson’s power was so overwhelming that he couldn’t even dream of imitating him.

nPerhaps that was the reason why he felt impatient.

n‘If I grow up well, won’t I be able to challenge that stage in a few years?’

nThis thought filled Iron’s head.

nWhen he was just reincarnated again, he only hoped to properly reach the 5th Stage, but now that he had reached the 6th Stage, he felt a bit greedy. He had already achieved his goal even before he reached 20 so the master’s status kept on lingering in his head. He had forgotten about it until now since he was busy fighting a lot of battles and paying attention to a lot of things, but he was a bit shaken by the thought the moment he stepped on the 6th Stage.

nMaybe Crimson had noticed what Iron was feeling so he quietly spoke to him.

n“The more impatient you are, the longer your path will become. Just do what you’ve done so far.”

nIron’s pupils shook as he stared silently at Crimson’s back.

n“You haven’t even reached the wall yet. It won’t be too late for you to worry about that after you reach the wall.”

nIron was lost in his thoughts for a moment. He savored and pondered over Crimson’s words before quietly nodding his head.

nJust like he said, the thoughts running through his head were only a luxury that he couldn’t afford since he hadn’t reached the wall to the master’s level yet. Thanks to Crimson’s advice, Iron’s shaking pupils began to regain their stability.

nCrimson felt proud when he saw him like this.

n“You don’t necessarily have to actually cross the wall since you have your divine beasts with you, you know? You should try to be as relaxed as possible. You’re still young so you don’t have to be so impatient.”

n“That might be true but…”

nIron might not need to become a master as long as he had his huge weapons in the form of the divine beasts. After all, his value had already exceeded that of a master’s value. But it would be a shame. He was already at the 6th Stage. He felt like he wanted more since he was just one step away from becoming a master.

n“If you continue to grow up like this, it wouldn’t just be a dream for you to become a master. So, don’t get swayed by trivial thoughts. You’re on the right track.”

nCrimson’s words that were filled with confidence in him stabilized Iron’s shaking thoughts. After all, this old man had the confidence that he would become a master. It relieved some of his anxiety that kept on asking him ‘Am I walking on the correct path?’.

n‘Master…’

nIt was the stage that everyone dreamt of achieving. All of the knights’ final target was to reach the master stage. However, most of them even struggled reaching the 5th Stage. That was the cold, harsh truth.

nHowever, he did not long for that stage just because of greed. In the future, not only the dark elves but even unknown forces would target his life so he had to become a bit stronger. He desperately needed the power that would allow him to respond to any situation.

nSo, Iron thought that he should get to the master level and unseal all of the divine beasts’ powers. That way, he would be able to face whatever the dark elves and those unknown forces throw at him.

n‘I should think about this later… it’s important to deal with the dark elves first.’

nCrimson finally drove the drake and landed after Iron had organized his thoughts and the look in his eyes had changed.

nIron realized that Crimson purposely gave him enough time to clear his thoughts so he bowed his head and expressed his gratitude and apology.

n“I’m sorry.”

n“It’s alright. Everyone does that when they get to that level. The master level is just around the corner so it’s normal for people who reach that stage to feel greedy.”

nCrimson patted Iron’s shoulder as he walked towards Command.

nHe saw familiar faces in the area.

n“I’ll go in first. Come inside after greeting them.”

nIron thanked Crimson for his considerations as he approached the Ghosts.

n“Long time no see.”

nLintel and the other Ghosts greeted Iron warmly. It was nice to see all of the Ghosts gathered together but instead of smiling faces, he felt strange that all of them looked stiff.

nThen, Carl Gustav appeared a bit later as he spoke to him.

n“Let’s go inside for now.”

n“Ah… Yes.”

nThere was a strange atmosphere hanging around the Ghosts but he tried his best to ignore it for now as he entered the barracks with Carl Gustav. There, he saw all the executives from the Northeast sitting in front of a table.

nArmy Commander Crimson Halo.

nVanguard Corps Commander Caeden Wall.

nMountain Corps Commander Oz Tereivo.

nFog Corps Commander Fogg Coshway.

nRanger Division Commander Davin Archer.

nKnight Order Commander Cassim Knights.

nIron Wall Division Commander Valios Gard.

nAll of the current commanders of the Northeast were seated on the table.

nWhat caught his interest was the fact that the Iron Wall Division Commander, who was in charge of protecting Command, as well as Oz Tereivo, the commander of the Mountain Corps in charge of dealing with monsters, were both present.

n“It’s been a while since all of the executives gathered like this.”

nCrimson looked at all the people present as he spoke. All of them nodded at the commander before turning to look at Iron.

n“Just like what everyone here knows, the Northern front is gradually turning disadvantageous on our side.”

nAll of the executives bowed their heads at Crimson’s words.

nThe front was barely being maintained at the expense of their soldiers. And they were even in a situation where they did not know if they should continue or retreat. That was also the reason why all of the key figures of the North made a decision to not care about their rear anymore. They had all agreed and resolved themselves to gather all of their troops here and annihilate their enemies.

nAnd today, Crimson had gathered all of the Northeastern troops here. Most of their corps and division-level troops have been gathered here. They had only left enough troops to protect the Command and their fortresses. And Iron, who was busy cleaning up the monsters from the rear, had to be forcibly brought here too.

n“We have to deal with them fast. We need to annihilate our enemies as soon as possible. The Lion Family Head, the Northern Commander and all of the major territory lords have agreed on this proposal. We can’t afford to drag the war any longer.”

nThe frontline could still be maintained if they had received help from the Center. However, it was difficult to expect help from the other regions since the entire Empire, including the Center, was embroiled in a chaotic situation. So, all they could do was to overcome this crisis with only the power that they have in the North.

n“To be honest, I gathered you all here to explain the details of the all-out war ahead of us. Perhaps we should all prepare for our complete annihilation. So, I called you in for your orders and to remind you to keep this in mind and be fully prepared.”

nThe executives’ mouths turned flat as they all turned to look at the commander. None of them were confused since they had prepared themselves and had strengthened their resolve to some extent. The soldiers of the Northeast had long thought about this.

n“But just a little while ago, I, with my very own eyes, found a way that could perhaps lead our victory in this war.”

nAll of the executives followed Crimson’s glowing eyes that were looking at Iron.

n“Lieutenant Colonel Iron.”

n“Yes.”

n“Can you please explain the battle that you had just fought earlier?”

nIron nodded slightly and explained upon hearing Crimson’s request.

nThe expressions of the executives all brightened up after hearing his words. Compared to hearing it through the intelligence officers, seeing him express his holy power as he explained made them trust him more.

n“Stigmata… If the Divine Nation finds out then there will be a mess.”

nCrimson laughed loudly after hearing all of his explanations. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement with his words.

nIt was not enough for him to have the divine beasts, he even has the stigmata now. The stigmata that only appeared on saints and saintesses. The evidence that he could wield an enormous amount of holy power and the mark that would prove that he was God’s apostle had also appeared on Iron, who already had a lot on his plate.

n“Hoo… If rumors spread, it will be hard to protect Lieutenant Colonel Iron in the future.”

nCrimson was speaking with a troubled tone but a smile was perfectly blooming on his face.

nAn apostle had appeared in his army. This was also the very same apostle who could exert an overwhelming power and deterrent to the creatures of the void.

n“All operations in the future will be centered on Lieutenant Colonel Iron. Do you agree?”

n“We agree!”

nAll of the executives immediately agreed to Crimson’s proposal.

nGenerally, holy power was an excellent power that could destroy the power of the void. However, not all of the apostles used the same holy power. Some had the power of healing. Some had the power that looked similar to aura while some had the power similar to martial arts. Some even had holy power that had attributes like fire and water. There were even some who could only use their holy power only through magic. The apostles’ holy power had different characteristics. Unlike the priests’ dull and monotonous powers, the apostles had powers that had distinct characteristics.

nAnd the characteristic of the new apostle Iron’s holy power fortunately had an overwhelming advantage against the creatures of the void.

n“The dark elves probably know that Lieutenant Colonel Iron had become an apostle. That’s why Lieutenant Colonel Iron’s protection is our top priority at this time. Understand?”

n“Yes, sir!”

n“The Ghosts’ mission will also be focused on escorting and protecting Lieutenant Colonel Iron.”

n“I understand.”

nCrimson nodded in satisfaction after hearing all of the executives’ responses.

nFrom that day onwards, the entire Northeastern Army, who had gained a great ‘weapon’ in Iron, began to move. Time is of the essence so all of their troops had gathered together. At the same time, with the thought of finishing the war as soon as possible, they began their counterattack as they attacked the dark elves before they could even prepare against Iron.

nAnd it seemed like the Northeastern Army’s decision was correct.

n“A… Apostle…”

nThe dark elves lost their will to fight as their forest, which had been contaminated and eroded by the power of the void, began to get purified.

nThe morale of the Northeastern Army also increased when they saw thousands of void insects disappearing into ashes.

n“Heok… heok…”

n“Are you alright?”

nCarl Gustav asked the exhausted Iron.

nHe was using his holy power since he felt like there was no backlash that would come at him but the more he used it, the more he felt tired. He obviously did not feel anything leaving his body like when he used his mana or his divine power. However, the more he used the holy power, the easier it became for him to get tired. Which was something that was completely unlike the time in the East. He even unknowingly stumbled after using such an overwhelming power.

nThe dark elves, who realized that he had a weakness, attacked Iron. However, the entire Northeastern Army was surrounding Iron. It was as if they solely existed to protect Iron. Even all of the Ghosts, Carl Gustav and Crimson were standing next to him to protect him.

nWith this excessive protection from the Northeastern Army, Iron and the army began to move forward bit by bit as he slowly purified the forest.

nThe human army’s counterattack, which had only been pushed back before, had now begun.

n***

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