The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military (141)
Translator: ChubbyCheeks
48 Gathering the Scattered Central Army (4)
Rumors began to spread the moment Iron’s troops settled in the Center’s northwest region and began their operations from there.
“We’ll live once the White Troops come.”
“We just need to hold out until the White Troops come.”
The Special Mobile Unit led by the North’s Hero.
Rumors about their troops having the power that countered the Death Corps circulated which made the people hiding in the Center gather to where they were stationed.
At the very least, they were rumors that spread to the people hiding in the northwest region of the Center. However, it was still clear that Iron and his troops were gaining fame and popularity the more people fled towards the West and the North.
Some even dared say that Iron’s troops would become a huge force that was on par with the forces in the areas that survived in the Center. However, none of them believed this. After all, the surviving forces had already formed their own huge spheres of influence.
In fact, the Center was now largely divided into three forces.
The first force was the force created where the Center’s last line of defense was built.
It was located in the capital and the nearby land and was created by the Capital Defense Force. This was the final defense line created after abandoning most of the territories and areas in the Center.
The army that protected the last line of defense boasted considerable power after gathering the Empire’s best and top elites. An image that was completely different from the disorderly and collapsed Central Army.
Perhaps, the enemies were reluctant to pierce through this area because their elites were enough to be considered on par with the Northeast’s elites.
The second force was located in the southwest region of the Center.
The force was created by Leopold while combining the Central Army’s collapsed forces. Despite suffering from a collapse and a disorderly mess, the area was enduring well thanks to Master Leopold and his knights.
The Central Army was able to reach a balance to some extent after gaining experience through continuous combat against the Death Corps.
The third force was the other-worlders guild alliance that was located in the road that connected the Center to the East.
This was a force that was created by the other-worlders’ guilds taking over a half-destroyed city. After the collapse of the Central Army, the autonomy of the city that was located halfway on the road towards the East was lost. Countless other-worlders, chosen ones and merchants gathered in this area which resulted in the creation of a huge force that protected the area.
They had now grown too large that the Center couldn’t hastily touch them. And those who survived and were surviving in the Center desperately hoped to go there.
These three forces were the ones that originally had the right to survive in the Center. The people that were located far away from these areas had no choice but to hide from the Death Corps or risk their lives and go to other areas.
However, there was now another place like this.
Their scale might be the smallest but their power was so unusual that they were now being recognized by a lot of people.
At first, this force only attracted the troops from several villages. Perhaps this was also the reason why the Death Corps did not focus on Iron’s Special Mobile Unit but cared more about the other forces.
Part of the reason why they had been mostly ignored was because of the Central Army raising their flag and announcing their counterattack while the other-worlders were crazily trying out ways to use the beings of death’s black cores.
But while all of them were busy, Iron’s troops had caught them off guard. He was able to gradually expand his forces and area of operation.
[ Northeast’s Special Mobile Unit has reclaimed Baron Rineth’s territory in the Center. ]
[ Brigadier General Iron Carter has reclaimed four territories! ]
[ The Center’s northwestern region! Will Brigadier General Iron Carter be able to gradually reach a stable and normal situation in the region? ]
News about their conquest had been delivered in just a page of the newspaper. After all, the newspapers were busy delivering news from Leopold’s Central Army, which was showing signs of starting a great war, and the urgent situation in the South.
However, not long after, the newspapers began to focus on news about Iron.
This was because he had already gone beyond occupying small villages. He had already devoured and gobbled up a baron’s territory and a viscount’s territory. And he was now even aiming for a large city that was at the level of a count’s territory.
The biggest loss in the Center’s northwestern region, both in paper and in reality, was the Soren Territory. This area was important enough that the Death Corps had left a significant number of their elites to protect it.
This meant that Iron’s Special Mobile Unit’s aim to reclaim this territory meant that they would be trying to reclaim a key area. An operation that was completely unlike the operations that they had done so far.
The rumors about their operations drew the attention of the Imperial Capital and the other forces and regions.
[ The Death Corps had stationed themselves in Soren. Can Iron’s troops truly recapture the territory? ]
All of the newspapers had spread news about Iron.
Compared to before when they only posted news related to Iron and his troops on one page of the newspaper, all of their articles right now were about him. After all, everyone was waiting on the news about Iron and the Soren Territory. The movements of the Central Army troops and the Special Mobile Unit under Iron’s commands were now everyone’s main interest.
Perhaps it was because they had been gathering the scattered forces all over the area? Iron’s unit was gradually reaching and exceeding the size of a division-level troops.
And this unit, composed of the Central Army troops on the ground and his Special Mobile Unit in the air, moved at dawn to recapture Count Soren’s territory.
― Kweeeeeeeack!
A mysterious and bizarre creature suddenly appeared for the first time in front of the soldiers. Perhaps it was because a large unit of the Death Corps had stationed themselves here that was why they had mobilized something that they hadn’t revealed before.
The corpse wing, a creature created by combining different kinds of corpses, flew up in the sky and blocked the path of the drake unit.
However, a huge amount of divine power appeared from Iron and Two Moons who were leading the unit. The sanctuary that was created was even reinforced with Baepsae’s song, which was perched on his head.
The Death Corps were also driven out from hiding by the artillery and magic bombs that the airship units dropped from the sky.
“Enter the city!”
“Drakes! Cover the troops!”
While the main force on the ground forced the Death Corps out, the aerial assault unit entered the city and secured an area where the airships could land. The Special Mobile Unit appeared in the city one after the other the moment the airships landed which signaled the start of the battle.
With the attacks of the divine beasts, the sanctuary that covered most of the city, and the assault of the Special Mobile Unit’s main force, the Death Corps began to die one by one.
― Endure for two more days! The Death Corps will come!
― Even if you die, make sure to bite them back and drag them down with you! The Death Corps will definitely avenge us!
Since they were the elites among the beings of death, they all tried their hardest to drag down and kill as many of Iron’s troops as they could. Of course, they were Death Corps’ troops that had swept away not only the brigade-level troops but also the division-level troops that were left in this large city so a lot of them had experience in dealing with humans.
However, they still died helplessly under the hands of Iron and his troops.
They deployed and mobilized their corpse wings and other mutant zombies but Iron’s holy power gnawed at them and stripped them of their powers. However, there were vampires who expressed and showed off their original powers to resist Iron’s holy power and survived until the end. They were able to create their own territory with their death energy by pushing out Iron’s holy power.
Ariel and her knight order were dealing with them but it seemed like there were strong warriors at the 5th Stage with them so they weren’t able to pierce through their defenses.
In the end, they were forced into a stalemate.
“Get out of the way.”
All of the knights’ faces hardened after hearing Iron ordering Ariel to step back. They knew that he was giving this order because he couldn’t trust them to deal with them. Ariel was also looking at Iron with a stiff expression.
“Don’t try to increase the number of unnecessary victims. It will be a headache for me if people who need to work a lot in the future get caught up and killed by these bastards.”
Iron stood alone and pointed his sword towards the vampires.
― Saint…
“Come. I’m treating you with courtesy by dealing with you alone.”
The vampires released more of their power after hearing his words.
All of them were victims of the laboratories’ experiments. It was obvious from their strangely bent limbs and strange body structures.
― It won’t end with us. The Death Corps will come for you…
The moment those words ended, all of the vampires attacked Iron.
However, Iron was a warrior at the 6th Stage and had a swift and sturdy swordsmanship together with his holy power. He could easily endure and take on their hidden weapons and death energy and slit their throats one by one.
Their clothes rustled as their bodies slowly turned to dust after getting their throats slit and hearts pierced. The only one left until the very end was the same vampire who warned Iron earlier.
― The… the victims… heard… funeral… I heard… that you… gave them… a funeral…
“It was the right thing to do.”
― Th… ank… you…
Iron’s expression was complicated as he looked at the vampire that turned to dust after leaving those words to him.
This scene made him think about how he hated his supposed allies instead of his enemies. However, he had to calm down and hide these thoughts quickly. After all, it wouldn’t be an easy battle if the Death Corps truly came just like what the vampire warned him.
“A huge battle is upon us. Improve the defenses of the great city. Move quickly. Enjoy our victory once we’re done dealing with the Death Corps.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knights bowed their heads as they moved quickly to follow Iron’s command.
The Death Corps that would come were definitely strong enough to move and fight despite Iron’s power covering the city. One of the main goals of the Death Corps aside from keeping the Capital Defense Force in check was to recapture and claim the large cities so he was sure that stronger beings would be sent out to deal with them.
However, despite the fact that the Death Corps were coming, survivors and Central Army troops continued to gather where they were.
Thanks to that, they were able to repair the old walls and gates by using the debris from the wreckages. They were also able to fortify a part of the city in preparation for the war.
Everyone was busy preparing for the great battle against the Death Corps. Tension was high among the Central Army troops. Even the Special Mobile Unit was filled with nervousness. After all, most of them lacked experience in fighting great battles like this.
As they continued to prepare nervously, the day when the Death Corps arrived finally came.
They appeared covered with black fog.
However, they did not head straight towards the city and only looked outside while maintaining their formation. While they stationed themselves not far away from the city, Death troops gathered and joined the corps and boosted their power.
They continued to hide under the cover of the black fog as they gathered more and more troops. It was to the point that they had exceeded their corps-level troops and turned into huge battalion-level troops.
“Do we even have a chance of winning?”
Ariel looked nervous as she turned to look at Iron.
“Trust me. We’re equal in forces right now. We have a chance if we fight in the sanctuary.”
Her face was slowly filled with trust as she nodded at Iron’s words.
Color also began to appear in the faces of the officers as their anxiety slowly disappeared from their eyes.
This was the trust and belief that they had in their commander.
The Brigade Leader that led them had never failed. He was a commander who promised victory and returned with victory. That was Iron. If he said that they would win, then it meant that they would return with victory. Whether it was in the Northeast, the East or the North, all of the battlefield that he was in, the side that he was in had always claimed victory.
And after witnessing his powers first hand throughout their journey to the West, the troops’ trust in their hero grew stronger than anybody else.
“Trust me. We’ll win.”
“Yes, sir!”
Iron’s confident words and affirmation erased the word defeat in the officers’ heads.
We will move solely for victory.
They raised their weapons to fight in this great war with this thought in mind.
It seemed like the Death Corps had now completed their preparations while their fears slowly abated.
They had finally made their move.
The airship fleet and the drake units blocked the corpse wings that flew in the sky while the Central Army troops fought against the Death Corps climbing up on the walls. They were in a situation where they had to stop the crazily flocking Death Corps with just their division-level troops. It seemed like they were feeling that all hope had been lost.
However, the sanctuary slowly covered the entire city. Loud cries that came from Iron himself also rang loudly in the heads of the troops present in the city.
“Trust me! Believe in my strength and my experiences that slaughtered and annihilated countless Death Corps! Believe me I promise you that we will gain victory!”
All of the troops shouted loudly at Iron’s words, with renewed vigor and morale, they fought against the Death Corps.
They fired their guns and bombs to stop their advances. They were able to stop the group of zombies trying to cross the castle walls while the Special Mobile Unit dealt with the vampires falling from the sky.
Despite the advantage that the sanctuary had given them, the Death Corps were still strong.
The vampires had bodies that had been reinforced with all kinds of experiments giving them a stronger power. They were extremely powerful especially after harnessing the power of the void and the death energy by combining the bodies of a chimera, a vampire and utilizing the characteristics of the undead.
Especially the beings that led them. They were extremely powerful. They had been able to reproduce the power of the top aristocratic vampires from long ago.
Vampire’s innate ability ― Blood Magic
The death fog also unfolded and wrapped around Iron, who was fighting in the lead.
“Blood barrier?”
― Your ability is quite tricky… I should deal with you myself.
The vampire that used the blood barrier bared his fangs as he grinned at Iron.
“You should introduce yourself then. I’m Brigadier General Iron Carter of the Special Mobile Unit.”
― Molina, the commander of the Death Corps. I’m also a Depire Lord serving in the parliament.
“Depire?”
― They say that it’s a combination of death and vampire. It is the name of our race.
“Ah…”
Iron remained silent at Molina’s words.
― It was created without much sincerity and thought so there’s not much I can say about that.
“Ahem, ahem…”
Iron gathered his thoughts and coughed to clear out the confusion in his head.
― I heard that you’re hostile towards the Center… is that true?
“What does that have to do with this?”
― We have the same ‘enemy’.
“I don’t negotiate with someone who holds hands with the void.”
Iron’s resolute answer placed a bitter expression on the depire’s face. Seeing his mouth open and close as if he was trying to make an excuse, Iron opened his mouth coldly.
“You guys might be the victim of unfairness but you became mankind’s enemies the moment you held hands with the void. This is a separate matter from what the Center did.”
― Tch… negotiating is difficult.
“Wash your neck if you’re done talking.”
Iron quickly aimed for Molina’s neck after leaving those words.
However, compared to the small fries that he had met so far, Molina was able to easily dodge his attack. At the same time, Molina was also able to exert his own strength and put pressure on Iron.
Iron’s face hardened when he felt a different power from the power that he had experienced from the other vampires so far.
― I wonder how long you’ll be able to withstand my blows without your divine beasts’ help?
“Who knows… But there’s one thing I’m sure of. Your corps will be destroyed by my divine beasts if you take your time with me.”
― I wonder who’ll die first, my corps or you?
Molina exerted his entire power as he said so.
The vampire’s unique blood related techniques unfolded and revealed its power through the magic circle that appeared in the air.
Hundreds of thousands of blood spears, blood illusions and blood storms rained down on Iron. Even the death energy flocked to Iron and covered the area where they were. The black fog turned into a huge fanged mouth that tried to devour Iron.
Bang!
― Holy power… is quite unpleasant.
Molina frowned as he felt the stinging sensation of the holy power emitting from Iron’s body on his fists.
The holy power that spread out from Iron’s stigmata extinguished the power of death and even fought back against Molina’s blood magic.
With the holy power dealing and purifying the unclean things around him, it made it easier for Iron to withstand the remaining power and force that came at him. That was the reason why Molina had no choice but to clash with him with his body that was strengthened after countless experiments.
However, it was still not easy to clash head on against Iron who had reached the 6th Stage of his swordsmanship through pure effort. Iron had endured Molina’s attacks firmly and was not pushed back at all.
On the other hand, a different thought flashed in Iron’s head.
‘Is he close to being a master?’
Cold sweat dripped down Iron’s back as this thought flashed in his head. If it weren’t for his holy power, his life would have already long disappeared.
Iron was confident that he would not lose to any master if he had his divine beasts with him but he knew full well that he would be pushed back if he dealt with someone close to a master-level with just his current power.
No wonder he felt the burden of using his holy power. He had no choice. After all, he was preventing Molina’s attacks while maintaining the sanctuary.
Crackle!
― That… Isn’t that an innate ability that can only be used by other-worlders… am I right?
Iron did not answer Molina as he exerted more lightning. At the same time, frost energy appeared on his steel sword turning it into a frosted white steel sword.
― Haha! Frost? Man… you’re a friend who has a lot of secrets.
“You seem to be quite relaxed?”
― Actually, I don’t have the time to chill around. Your divine beasts are much stronger than what I thought.
Molina began to attack Iron like crazy.
He knew that the key to winning this war was defeating Iron. If he did not beat Iron, then they would lose. That was also the reason why he poured all of his attention and energy on Iron.
However, Iron was able to hold out until the end.
He was someone who survived battles against beings that were stronger than him when he was in the 4th Stage. He was also someone who survived countless life and death crises even after reaching the 5th Stage.
Although he was dealing with a being that was infinitely closer to a master-level, he was able to withstand his attacks because of his holy power, a power that was the complete opposite of his enemy’s power.
― Tch!
Molina clicked his tongue and stopped attacking after a while. Then, he quickly fell back far away from Iron.
― I believe this is our defeat. I thought that we could win as long as I tied you up but… it seems like you trained your subordinates well?
Molina looked disappointed as he said so.
― I will fall back this time.
Normally, Iron would have blocked him, but he couldn’t do that right now. He could feel the gradual increase in difficulty as he fought longer with him. Fighting any longer would spell his doom.
“I want you to answer one question.”
― Hmm… What is it?
“The Imperial Family’s secret. Do you know it?”
Molina turned silent for a moment upon hearing Iron’s question. He opened his mouth heavily after pondering for a while.
― I can tell you that they have one of this world’s secrets with them.
“Se… cret…?”
However, despite Iron’s curiosity and confusion, he did not answer any longer. It seemed like there were also restrictions placed upon him.
― The reason why we signed a contract with the void is also related to the secret of the Imperial Family. I don’t think I can tell you anything more than this. Well… Even if you catch others and ask them, they will not be able to answer your question. That’s why I hope that you won’t torture them and just kill them swiftly and neatly.
Molina left those words as he disappeared in a red fog. His disappearance also meant that the blood barrier had also disappeared.
Iron wanted to chase after him but he stopped himself after hearing the countless explosions everywhere.
Black fog and bloody clouds were mixed together as they covered the city. However, the view of the city appeared as the fog cleared up the moment Iron focused his holy power on dealing with them.
He could see the wounded and injured gripping their weapons tightly but it seemed like they were able to endure the enemies’ attacks and fought till the very end.
Iron’s eyes widened when he saw Ariel and Cardro, who were standing next to each other. He could see the unique color of mana in each of their swords.
“Was it because of those two?”
Iron smiled when he saw that his two friends and compatriots had successfully crossed the wall. His smile brightened even further at the sight of his two friends that looked like they were going to faint any time soon, holding out until the very end. It seemed like they had squeezed their mana to the limit.
“You’ve worked hard. We have gained victory.”
His words and declaration finally broke the final string that his two friends did not dare to let go before just so they could hold out until the end.
Iron looked at the others as he used his mana to support his friends that had fainted.
“It’s our victory! You can now enjoy the victory that all of us had created!”
The dazed troops couldn’t help but shout loudly the moment they heard Iron’s declaration.
― You overcame the Death Corps’ overwhelming military force with insufficient troops under your command. Your promise of victory proved to be a great help to your men. As a reward, you have gained a unique achievement ‘Promised Victory’.
― From now on, the morale of your soldiers will double every time you promise them victory.
― You have caught a glimpse of the secrets of this world. You will be given rewards for being the first user to come close to these secrets.
― Your innate ability ‘Lightning’ has been strengthened as a reward. In addition, Thunderbird’s recovery has sped up.
All of the beings of death disappeared in the city after the series of notifications ended.
His troops and the survivors of this great battle against the Death Corps shouted loudly with joy and chanted Iron’s name in celebration. The victory of the great war for this city was confirmed by their loud and boisterous shouts.
Iron had now officially occupied one of the most important areas in the Center.
A few days later, this news began to spread all throughout the Empire.
***
The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military (141)
Translator: ChubbyCheeks
48 Gathering the Scattered Central Army (4)
Rumors began to spread the moment Iron’s troops settled in the Center’s northwest region and began their operations from there.
“We’ll live once the White Troops come.”
“We just need to hold out until the White Troops come.”
The Special Mobile Unit led by the North’s Hero.
Rumors about their troops having the power that countered the Death Corps circulated which made the people hiding in the Center gather to where they were stationed.
At the very least, they were rumors that spread to the people hiding in the northwest region of the Center. However, it was still clear that Iron and his troops were gaining fame and popularity the more people fled towards the West and the North.
Some even dared say that Iron’s troops would become a huge force that was on par with the forces in the areas that survived in the Center. However, none of them believed this. After all, the surviving forces had already formed their own huge spheres of influence.
In fact, the Center was now largely divided into three forces.
The first force was the force created where the Center’s last line of defense was built.
It was located in the capital and the nearby land and was created by the Capital Defense Force. This was the final defense line created after abandoning most of the territories and areas in the Center.
The army that protected the last line of defense boasted considerable power after gathering the Empire’s best and top elites. An image that was completely different from the disorderly and collapsed Central Army.
Perhaps, the enemies were reluctant to pierce through this area because their elites were enough to be considered on par with the Northeast’s elites.
The second force was located in the southwest region of the Center.
The force was created by Leopold while combining the Central Army’s collapsed forces. Despite suffering from a collapse and a disorderly mess, the area was enduring well thanks to Master Leopold and his knights.
The Central Army was able to reach a balance to some extent after gaining experience through continuous combat against the Death Corps.
The third force was the other-worlders guild alliance that was located in the road that connected the Center to the East.
This was a force that was created by the other-worlders’ guilds taking over a half-destroyed city. After the collapse of the Central Army, the autonomy of the city that was located halfway on the road towards the East was lost. Countless other-worlders, chosen ones and merchants gathered in this area which resulted in the creation of a huge force that protected the area.
They had now grown too large that the Center couldn’t hastily touch them. And those who survived and were surviving in the Center desperately hoped to go there.
These three forces were the ones that originally had the right to survive in the Center. The people that were located far away from these areas had no choice but to hide from the Death Corps or risk their lives and go to other areas.
However, there was now another place like this.
Their scale might be the smallest but their power was so unusual that they were now being recognized by a lot of people.
At first, this force only attracted the troops from several villages. Perhaps this was also the reason why the Death Corps did not focus on Iron’s Special Mobile Unit but cared more about the other forces.
Part of the reason why they had been mostly ignored was because of the Central Army raising their flag and announcing their counterattack while the other-worlders were crazily trying out ways to use the beings of death’s black cores.
But while all of them were busy, Iron’s troops had caught them off guard. He was able to gradually expand his forces and area of operation.
[ Northeast’s Special Mobile Unit has reclaimed Baron Rineth’s territory in the Center. ]
[ Brigadier General Iron Carter has reclaimed four territories! ]
[ The Center’s northwestern region! Will Brigadier General Iron Carter be able to gradually reach a stable and normal situation in the region? ]
News about their conquest had been delivered in just a page of the newspaper. After all, the newspapers were busy delivering news from Leopold’s Central Army, which was showing signs of starting a great war, and the urgent situation in the South.
However, not long after, the newspapers began to focus on news about Iron.
This was because he had already gone beyond occupying small villages. He had already devoured and gobbled up a baron’s territory and a viscount’s territory. And he was now even aiming for a large city that was at the level of a count’s territory.
The biggest loss in the Center’s northwestern region, both in paper and in reality, was the Soren Territory. This area was important enough that the Death Corps had left a significant number of their elites to protect it.
This meant that Iron’s Special Mobile Unit’s aim to reclaim this territory meant that they would be trying to reclaim a key area. An operation that was completely unlike the operations that they had done so far.
The rumors about their operations drew the attention of the Imperial Capital and the other forces and regions.
[ The Death Corps had stationed themselves in Soren. Can Iron’s troops truly recapture the territory? ]
All of the newspapers had spread news about Iron.
Compared to before when they only posted news related to Iron and his troops on one page of the newspaper, all of their articles right now were about him. After all, everyone was waiting on the news about Iron and the Soren Territory. The movements of the Central Army troops and the Special Mobile Unit under Iron’s commands were now everyone’s main interest.
Perhaps it was because they had been gathering the scattered forces all over the area? Iron’s unit was gradually reaching and exceeding the size of a division-level troops.
And this unit, composed of the Central Army troops on the ground and his Special Mobile Unit in the air, moved at dawn to recapture Count Soren’s territory.
― Kweeeeeeeack!
A mysterious and bizarre creature suddenly appeared for the first time in front of the soldiers. Perhaps it was because a large unit of the Death Corps had stationed themselves here that was why they had mobilized something that they hadn’t revealed before.
The corpse wing, a creature created by combining different kinds of corpses, flew up in the sky and blocked the path of the drake unit.
However, a huge amount of divine power appeared from Iron and Two Moons who were leading the unit. The sanctuary that was created was even reinforced with Baepsae’s song, which was perched on his head.
The Death Corps were also driven out from hiding by the artillery and magic bombs that the airship units dropped from the sky.
“Enter the city!”
“Drakes! Cover the troops!”
While the main force on the ground forced the Death Corps out, the aerial assault unit entered the city and secured an area where the airships could land. The Special Mobile Unit appeared in the city one after the other the moment the airships landed which signaled the start of the battle.
With the attacks of the divine beasts, the sanctuary that covered most of the city, and the assault of the Special Mobile Unit’s main force, the Death Corps began to die one by one.
― Endure for two more days! The Death Corps will come!
― Even if you die, make sure to bite them back and drag them down with you! The Death Corps will definitely avenge us!
Since they were the elites among the beings of death, they all tried their hardest to drag down and kill as many of Iron’s troops as they could. Of course, they were Death Corps’ troops that had swept away not only the brigade-level troops but also the division-level troops that were left in this large city so a lot of them had experience in dealing with humans.
However, they still died helplessly under the hands of Iron and his troops.
They deployed and mobilized their corpse wings and other mutant zombies but Iron’s holy power gnawed at them and stripped them of their powers. However, there were vampires who expressed and showed off their original powers to resist Iron’s holy power and survived until the end. They were able to create their own territory with their death energy by pushing out Iron’s holy power.
Ariel and her knight order were dealing with them but it seemed like there were strong warriors at the 5th Stage with them so they weren’t able to pierce through their defenses.
In the end, they were forced into a stalemate.
“Get out of the way.”
All of the knights’ faces hardened after hearing Iron ordering Ariel to step back. They knew that he was giving this order because he couldn’t trust them to deal with them. Ariel was also looking at Iron with a stiff expression.
“Don’t try to increase the number of unnecessary victims. It will be a headache for me if people who need to work a lot in the future get caught up and killed by these bastards.”
Iron stood alone and pointed his sword towards the vampires.
― Saint…
“Come. I’m treating you with courtesy by dealing with you alone.”
The vampires released more of their power after hearing his words.
All of them were victims of the laboratories’ experiments. It was obvious from their strangely bent limbs and strange body structures.
― It won’t end with us. The Death Corps will come for you…
The moment those words ended, all of the vampires attacked Iron.
However, Iron was a warrior at the 6th Stage and had a swift and sturdy swordsmanship together with his holy power. He could easily endure and take on their hidden weapons and death energy and slit their throats one by one.
Their clothes rustled as their bodies slowly turned to dust after getting their throats slit and hearts pierced. The only one left until the very end was the same vampire who warned Iron earlier.
― The… the victims… heard… funeral… I heard… that you… gave them… a funeral…
“It was the right thing to do.”
― Th… ank… you…
Iron’s expression was complicated as he looked at the vampire that turned to dust after leaving those words to him.
This scene made him think about how he hated his supposed allies instead of his enemies. However, he had to calm down and hide these thoughts quickly. After all, it wouldn’t be an easy battle if the Death Corps truly came just like what the vampire warned him.
“A huge battle is upon us. Improve the defenses of the great city. Move quickly. Enjoy our victory once we’re done dealing with the Death Corps.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knights bowed their heads as they moved quickly to follow Iron’s command.
The Death Corps that would come were definitely strong enough to move and fight despite Iron’s power covering the city. One of the main goals of the Death Corps aside from keeping the Capital Defense Force in check was to recapture and claim the large cities so he was sure that stronger beings would be sent out to deal with them.
However, despite the fact that the Death Corps were coming, survivors and Central Army troops continued to gather where they were.
Thanks to that, they were able to repair the old walls and gates by using the debris from the wreckages. They were also able to fortify a part of the city in preparation for the war.
Everyone was busy preparing for the great battle against the Death Corps. Tension was high among the Central Army troops. Even the Special Mobile Unit was filled with nervousness. After all, most of them lacked experience in fighting great battles like this.
As they continued to prepare nervously, the day when the Death Corps arrived finally came.
They appeared covered with black fog.
However, they did not head straight towards the city and only looked outside while maintaining their formation. While they stationed themselves not far away from the city, Death troops gathered and joined the corps and boosted their power.
They continued to hide under the cover of the black fog as they gathered more and more troops. It was to the point that they had exceeded their corps-level troops and turned into huge battalion-level troops.
“Do we even have a chance of winning?”
Ariel looked nervous as she turned to look at Iron.
“Trust me. We’re equal in forces right now. We have a chance if we fight in the sanctuary.”
Her face was slowly filled with trust as she nodded at Iron’s words.
Color also began to appear in the faces of the officers as their anxiety slowly disappeared from their eyes.
This was the trust and belief that they had in their commander.
The Brigade Leader that led them had never failed. He was a commander who promised victory and returned with victory. That was Iron. If he said that they would win, then it meant that they would return with victory. Whether it was in the Northeast, the East or the North, all of the battlefield that he was in, the side that he was in had always claimed victory.
And after witnessing his powers first hand throughout their journey to the West, the troops’ trust in their hero grew stronger than anybody else.
“Trust me. We’ll win.”
“Yes, sir!”
Iron’s confident words and affirmation erased the word defeat in the officers’ heads.
We will move solely for victory.
They raised their weapons to fight in this great war with this thought in mind.
It seemed like the Death Corps had now completed their preparations while their fears slowly abated.
They had finally made their move.
The airship fleet and the drake units blocked the corpse wings that flew in the sky while the Central Army troops fought against the Death Corps climbing up on the walls. They were in a situation where they had to stop the crazily flocking Death Corps with just their division-level troops. It seemed like they were feeling that all hope had been lost.
However, the sanctuary slowly covered the entire city. Loud cries that came from Iron himself also rang loudly in the heads of the troops present in the city.
“Trust me! Believe in my strength and my experiences that slaughtered and annihilated countless Death Corps! Believe me I promise you that we will gain victory!”
All of the troops shouted loudly at Iron’s words, with renewed vigor and morale, they fought against the Death Corps.
They fired their guns and bombs to stop their advances. They were able to stop the group of zombies trying to cross the castle walls while the Special Mobile Unit dealt with the vampires falling from the sky.
Despite the advantage that the sanctuary had given them, the Death Corps were still strong.
The vampires had bodies that had been reinforced with all kinds of experiments giving them a stronger power. They were extremely powerful especially after harnessing the power of the void and the death energy by combining the bodies of a chimera, a vampire and utilizing the characteristics of the undead.
Especially the beings that led them. They were extremely powerful. They had been able to reproduce the power of the top aristocratic vampires from long ago.
Vampire’s innate ability ― Blood Magic
The death fog also unfolded and wrapped around Iron, who was fighting in the lead.
“Blood barrier?”
― Your ability is quite tricky… I should deal with you myself.
The vampire that used the blood barrier bared his fangs as he grinned at Iron.
“You should introduce yourself then. I’m Brigadier General Iron Carter of the Special Mobile Unit.”
― Molina, the commander of the Death Corps. I’m also a Depire Lord serving in the parliament.
“Depire?”
― They say that it’s a combination of death and vampire. It is the name of our race.
“Ah…”
Iron remained silent at Molina’s words.
― It was created without much sincerity and thought so there’s not much I can say about that.
“Ahem, ahem…”
Iron gathered his thoughts and coughed to clear out the confusion in his head.
― I heard that you’re hostile towards the Center… is that true?
“What does that have to do with this?”
― We have the same ‘enemy’.
“I don’t negotiate with someone who holds hands with the void.”
Iron’s resolute answer placed a bitter expression on the depire’s face. Seeing his mouth open and close as if he was trying to make an excuse, Iron opened his mouth coldly.
“You guys might be the victim of unfairness but you became mankind’s enemies the moment you held hands with the void. This is a separate matter from what the Center did.”
― Tch… negotiating is difficult.
“Wash your neck if you’re done talking.”
Iron quickly aimed for Molina’s neck after leaving those words.
However, compared to the small fries that he had met so far, Molina was able to easily dodge his attack. At the same time, Molina was also able to exert his own strength and put pressure on Iron.
Iron’s face hardened when he felt a different power from the power that he had experienced from the other vampires so far.
― I wonder how long you’ll be able to withstand my blows without your divine beasts’ help?
“Who knows… But there’s one thing I’m sure of. Your corps will be destroyed by my divine beasts if you take your time with me.”
― I wonder who’ll die first, my corps or you?
Molina exerted his entire power as he said so.
The vampire’s unique blood related techniques unfolded and revealed its power through the magic circle that appeared in the air.
Hundreds of thousands of blood spears, blood illusions and blood storms rained down on Iron. Even the death energy flocked to Iron and covered the area where they were. The black fog turned into a huge fanged mouth that tried to devour Iron.
Bang!
― Holy power… is quite unpleasant.
Molina frowned as he felt the stinging sensation of the holy power emitting from Iron’s body on his fists.
The holy power that spread out from Iron’s stigmata extinguished the power of death and even fought back against Molina’s blood magic.
With the holy power dealing and purifying the unclean things around him, it made it easier for Iron to withstand the remaining power and force that came at him. That was the reason why Molina had no choice but to clash with him with his body that was strengthened after countless experiments.
However, it was still not easy to clash head on against Iron who had reached the 6th Stage of his swordsmanship through pure effort. Iron had endured Molina’s attacks firmly and was not pushed back at all.
On the other hand, a different thought flashed in Iron’s head.
‘Is he close to being a master?’
Cold sweat dripped down Iron’s back as this thought flashed in his head. If it weren’t for his holy power, his life would have already long disappeared.
Iron was confident that he would not lose to any master if he had his divine beasts with him but he knew full well that he would be pushed back if he dealt with someone close to a master-level with just his current power.
No wonder he felt the burden of using his holy power. He had no choice. After all, he was preventing Molina’s attacks while maintaining the sanctuary.
Crackle!
― That… Isn’t that an innate ability that can only be used by other-worlders… am I right?
Iron did not answer Molina as he exerted more lightning. At the same time, frost energy appeared on his steel sword turning it into a frosted white steel sword.
― Haha! Frost? Man… you’re a friend who has a lot of secrets.
“You seem to be quite relaxed?”
― Actually, I don’t have the time to chill around. Your divine beasts are much stronger than what I thought.
Molina began to attack Iron like crazy.
He knew that the key to winning this war was defeating Iron. If he did not beat Iron, then they would lose. That was also the reason why he poured all of his attention and energy on Iron.
However, Iron was able to hold out until the end.
He was someone who survived battles against beings that were stronger than him when he was in the 4th Stage. He was also someone who survived countless life and death crises even after reaching the 5th Stage.
Although he was dealing with a being that was infinitely closer to a master-level, he was able to withstand his attacks because of his holy power, a power that was the complete opposite of his enemy’s power.
― Tch!
Molina clicked his tongue and stopped attacking after a while. Then, he quickly fell back far away from Iron.
― I believe this is our defeat. I thought that we could win as long as I tied you up but… it seems like you trained your subordinates well?
Molina looked disappointed as he said so.
― I will fall back this time.
Normally, Iron would have blocked him, but he couldn’t do that right now. He could feel the gradual increase in difficulty as he fought longer with him. Fighting any longer would spell his doom.
“I want you to answer one question.”
― Hmm… What is it?
“The Imperial Family’s secret. Do you know it?”
Molina turned silent for a moment upon hearing Iron’s question. He opened his mouth heavily after pondering for a while.
― I can tell you that they have one of this world’s secrets with them.
“Se… cret…?”
However, despite Iron’s curiosity and confusion, he did not answer any longer. It seemed like there were also restrictions placed upon him.
― The reason why we signed a contract with the void is also related to the secret of the Imperial Family. I don’t think I can tell you anything more than this. Well… Even if you catch others and ask them, they will not be able to answer your question. That’s why I hope that you won’t torture them and just kill them swiftly and neatly.
Molina left those words as he disappeared in a red fog. His disappearance also meant that the blood barrier had also disappeared.
Iron wanted to chase after him but he stopped himself after hearing the countless explosions everywhere.
Black fog and bloody clouds were mixed together as they covered the city. However, the view of the city appeared as the fog cleared up the moment Iron focused his holy power on dealing with them.
He could see the wounded and injured gripping their weapons tightly but it seemed like they were able to endure the enemies’ attacks and fought till the very end.
Iron’s eyes widened when he saw Ariel and Cardro, who were standing next to each other. He could see the unique color of mana in each of their swords.
“Was it because of those two?”
Iron smiled when he saw that his two friends and compatriots had successfully crossed the wall. His smile brightened even further at the sight of his two friends that looked like they were going to faint any time soon, holding out until the very end. It seemed like they had squeezed their mana to the limit.
“You’ve worked hard. We have gained victory.”
His words and declaration finally broke the final string that his two friends did not dare to let go before just so they could hold out until the end.
Iron looked at the others as he used his mana to support his friends that had fainted.
“It’s our victory! You can now enjoy the victory that all of us had created!”
The dazed troops couldn’t help but shout loudly the moment they heard Iron’s declaration.
― You overcame the Death Corps’ overwhelming military force with insufficient troops under your command. Your promise of victory proved to be a great help to your men. As a reward, you have gained a unique achievement ‘Promised Victory’.
― From now on, the morale of your soldiers will double every time you promise them victory.
― You have caught a glimpse of the secrets of this world. You will be given rewards for being the first user to come close to these secrets.
― Your innate ability ‘Lightning’ has been strengthened as a reward. In addition, Thunderbird’s recovery has sped up.
All of the beings of death disappeared in the city after the series of notifications ended.
His troops and the survivors of this great battle against the Death Corps shouted loudly with joy and chanted Iron’s name in celebration. The victory of the great war for this city was confirmed by their loud and boisterous shouts.
Iron had now officially occupied one of the most important areas in the Center.
A few days later, this news began to spread all throughout the Empire.
***
