The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military

Translator: Pai_

The Holy Alliance's Aerial Fortress was not simply for strengthening their aerial forces.

It was meant to weaken the system constraints within a certain space so that the descended gods could fight more freely.

"……."

Watching the two external gods suddenly grow stronger, Iron poured even more aura into his sword.

Although the constraints had weakened and the external gods had risen in class, they were still within the range of opponents he had assumed he could handle.

Kunk!

As the two gods, now empowered by the massive Aerial Fortress, charged at Iron, an immense wave of power erupted instantly.

As the mental images of the two gods collided with Iron's mental image, thought force spread throughout the area.

Just like when Masters clash and aura ripples create a space just for them, Iron and the external gods soon found themselves isolated in a void with nothing around.

The difference, however, was that Masters only affected a specific area and had defense mechanisms like mana barriers to block shockwaves, while thought force could not be blocked in such ways.

'This is intense.'

The Western Commander, who was watching from afar, frowned.

Thanks to Iron deliberately choosing to fight near the Holy Alliance Headquarters, the Western Army suffered minimal damage, but even so, some were still vomiting and shaking their heads from the effects.

That, too, was only bearable because German was doing his best to block the effects with his aura.

On the other hand, the Holy Alliance forces were in utter chaos.

Everyone was showing symptoms of mental breakdown due to the waves of thought force erupting from the clash of Grand Master-level beings.

'Endure it! Hang on!'

'Pierce through!'

'Cut them down! Stab! Block! Whatever weapon you use, achieve victory!'

The thought force of the three beings intertwined and dug into the minds of the people nearby.

It felt as if some kind of mental-type magic was being used.

But unlike magic, even a mana barrier could not perfectly block thought force.

In the end, the only thing they could do was run as far away as possible from the battlefield of Iron and the two gods, vomiting as they went, just to survive.

'They're different!'

Iron became certain as he compared the two gods to Heurimre.

The current battle style of these two gods was fundamentally different from that of Heurimre.

Whatever the past may have been, the way these two gods fought now was purely as deities.

They focused solely on how well they could manifest their mental image and how effectively they could use their divine class.

But Heurimre was different.

Even after all that time, he focused purely on the act of battle itself.

Manifesting mental image? Divine power? Those were just tools used to win the fight.

If his fight with Heurimre had been a battle of strength, this one was a battle of mental image.

'This isn't a life-or-death duel.'

With that thought, Iron moved into full action.

To him, this battle was nothing more than a contest of who could manifest their mental image better.

This was like the duels from his childhood, just a test of who had better swordsmanship.

It wasn't a real fight for survival, just a game.

-Kugh! Damn it all…

One of the external gods suddenly cursed after being struck.

The external god who had ambushed Iron with a surprise attack was confused by Iron's unorthodox counter.

Iron had stopped the mental image battle and shifted to irregular movements, landing a strike that the god had assumed would be a one-time surprise.

But Iron continued to use unpredictable tactics throughout the fight.

Iron had no intention of dragging this out into a boring mental image battle.

He took some of the enemy's attacks head-on, risking himself to inflict fatal damage on the gods.

The physical body of a descended god was difficult to wound with normal attacks, but when cut by a sword imbued with Iron's mental image, it was a different story.

-Kuluk!

The external god, who had attacked recklessly with the confidence that Iron could never catch him due to his high speed, ended up critically wounded by Iron's sword.

At the same time, the spear-wielding external god launched an attack aiming for Iron's opening.

But Iron blocked even that, then struck again at the already-injured god.

-Tsk. He was arrogant.

The spear-wielding external god looked at his wounded companion, whose presence was beginning to fade.

His gaze, full of scorn, was cold and contemptuous.

-This must be the limit of those who have forsaken their past.

Muttering so, the spear-wielding external god gathered his strength.

Before long, the mana in the surroundings began to swirl around the spear, taking on a unique aura form.

Seeing this, Iron looked at him with astonished eyes.

-Why are you surprised? I, too, once climbed the steps as you did...

The man smiled gently as he said that.

A being who, despite possessing divinity, did not forget the experiences of his mortal days.

He began to fight with his full strength.

'He's different.'

Unlike the external god who had suffered a fatal wound from him, the spear-wielding god was different.

Gods who, upon ascending to divinity, discarded most of their mortal experiences.

Beings who, consumed by arrogance, focused solely on building a higher class.

But unlike those typical gods, the god before him used any means necessary to achieve victory.

A being who staked everything he had accumulated to fight.

Kagagagak!

Even while blocking Iron's nearly textbook movements, he deflected the occasional unorthodox strike.

He had not forgotten the experience built during his mortal days.

A being who had survived and triumphed through countless battles and had ultimately reached the level of a god.

-Kuhahaha! This is it! This is what I wanted!

It felt like seeing the warriors of the Frost Giant.

Beings who craved heated battle more than anyone.

Those who would smile in satisfaction even if they died in the process.

-Yes! This is it! This is what I endured so long for!

The external god laughed maniacally as he received Iron's attacks.

When his spear broke, he created a shield to block and counterattacked with an axe.

Weapons manifested by divine power flew toward Iron.

Using dozens of different weapons, he deflected and blocked Iron's near-perfect attacks and launched counterattacks.

"So that arrogant facade... was just a mask?"

-Ah... that's right. Still, I am a god in name, shouldn't I at least appear dignified?

The external god laughed as if he were amused, then looked down.

As Iron and the external god clashed, hundreds or thousands of shockwaves erupted, and each time, the Holy Alliance had to endure immense damage.

But beyond simple damage, the real problem was the gradual mental contamination by the god's thought force.

With everyone already driven mad, the external god no longer needed to pretend, and he drew out the madness he had hidden deep within.

"Attack! Break through the Western Front!"

At that moment, the Holy Alliance troops, who had been unable to come to their senses due to the thought force, began to charge all at once.

When three thought forces were entangled, they couldn't focus, but with one god down and the remaining two clashing at full power, they could unexpectedly regain their clarity.

'Endure! Hold on!'

'Let's fight! Fight!'

The simpler structure of two thought forces dug into their minds and awakened the will to fight, which had been buried in the unconscious.

It was the same for the Western Army.

Their natural determination to defend the Western Front against the enemy resonated with Iron's thought force to endure, and their morale rose.

"Is this the reason?"

The power that enabled legendary heroes of the past, who had reached mythical heights, to rally their troops and make them fight to the end even in hopeless situations.

Armies influenced by the karma and mental images those heroes built, moving as the hero wished.

This was the power possessed by those who reached the level of Grand Master and were called heroes.

"Stop them! Stop the enemy! Use your lives to block them! Protect the Empire with your death!"

"Break through! Step over your comrades' corpses and push forward! And break through! That is your mission!"

Two massive armies, standing on opposing sides, collided.

The two groups, ignited by thought force, fought with savage ferocity.

Even when stabbed by spears or had arms severed, the Holy Alliance forces struggled to break through.

Likewise, even when their bodies were covered in wounds, the Imperial Army raged to hold the line.

Seeing the madness of the two armies, German's expression darkened.

"Is this how the battles will continue from now on?"

German sighed as he watched the war-driven madmen.

Madness exists on every battlefield.

But this was different.

A madness semi-forced into existence by absolute beings.

Even if Iron did not intend it, the result was that madness had spread throughout the Imperial Army.

In the end, it was no different from being controlled by two beings.

-Kuhahaha! Yes! This is it!

The spear-wielding external god burst into laughter as he watched the Holy Alliance forces charge madly toward the Western Front.

Iron frowned as he witnessed the scene.

It was one thing for the Holy Alliance troops to resemble fanatics, but the Imperial Army was not supposed to be like that.

'Is it… because of me?'

Iron thought so and wondered why this hadn't happened during the fight against the Frost Giant.

And soon, he realized the reason.

'The pure pride of a warrior, and humanity's will to stop them at all costs.'

Because his mental image and Heurimre's mental image were similar, they hadn't gone mad.

But this time was different.

A god was a being who had spent a long time manifesting their mental image and manipulating thought force, which allowed for such trickery.

Still inexperienced in this area, Iron had focused solely on the battle, while the god before him played this kind of trick even while fighting Iron.

-Is it not a truly beautiful sight?

"You crazy bastard."

-Kuhaha! That's right. I am a crazy bastard. But could anyone reach this level without madness?

At the words of the spear-wielding god, Iron's expression hardened.

-In the past, I was called a Berserker, and also a Weapon Master who could wield every weapon. The reason I could reach this level was because I was mad for battle. But isn't it the same for you?

"……"

He was right.

Iron too had charged forward madly with the single goal of stopping the Apocalypse.

In that process, he had set aside every minor matter, driven solely by the conviction to stop the catastrophe.

Whether it was the god in front of him, mad for battle, or himself, there was no difference.

A fanatical obsession toward a goal.

That was the driving force that allowed one to reach the next level.

No matter how talented, a lazy person or someone satisfied with a certain level could never achieve it.

Only by going mad for one thing could one finally complete their own mental image.

"To forge it even harder, to block more perfectly, to endure no matter what happens."

As the steel-like determination within Iron's mental image leaked out into his voice, the external god before him smiled and raised his spear.

-A more entertaining duel, a more thrilling battle, a more maddening war. I will pour all the karma I've accumulated into this. This is the mental image of me, Zodiac, once called the God of Berserkers.

With a crazed expression, Zodiac charged at Iron like a madman.

His reckless charge, indifferent to being wounded, was exactly like that of a Berserker.

-Hahahaha!

Even as his arm was severed, even as blood poured from his entire body and his presence grew faint, the unique madness showed no signs of stopping.

Yet in the end, he could not close the gap with Iron.

Despite weakening the system's restrictions by every means possible, in the end, the incompleteness of his mental image held him back, and Iron's sword pierced his heart.

-Kuluk! Kekeke……

Though defeated, coughing blood, Zodiac laughed as if it were amusing.

Iron asked him,

"Did you enjoy it?"

-Ah… I did.

Zodiac answered with a faint smile to Iron's words.

Then he looked at Iron and said,

-This is only the beginning. With my death, a new tale of destruction will truly begin.

"…You knew you would die?"

At Iron's question, Zodiac just smiled without replying.

"You knew… yet still chose this?"

-To leave behind my name.

"What?"

-To inscribe once more on this continent a name that vanished after the Mythical Era.

So said Zodiac as he looked up at the sky.

-Unlike back then, when I fled in fear of annihilation… though I was the enemy, my name, Zodiac, will now remain upon this land… That alone allowed me to endure the long boredom, to withstand the dreadful aura that corrupted my mind. And now that the name of Zodiac remains upon this continent, how could I not be pleased?

With those final words, Zodiac looked at Iron, smiling as his body slowly turned to dust and vanished.

-The war is only just beginning… May your name be etched at the highest peak amidst destruction.

***

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