The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military

Chapter 238: Dark Clouds Looming Over the North (5)

TL: Pai_

The existence that halted Heurimre’s advance, which had driven two family heads to their limits, swung a white sword from the sky.

Kuuuung!

It was such a powerful strike that Heurimre had to materialize a massive axe using his aura just to block it.

As the white sword and the axe collided, shockwaves spread in all directions, creating a space that belonged only to the two of them.

– Apostle of God?

Heurimre muttered as if he instantly knew who it was, a twisted smile spreading across his face.

As a worthy opponent appeared whom he could fight against in his current physical state, suddenly the blood in his entire body began to boil.

Kuuung!

Once again, the white sword clashed with the blue axe.

– Is it incomplete? That’s unfortunate.

With just two collisions, Heurimre gauged Iron’s condition and clicked his tongue as if it were a shame.

‘Is he a monster?’

Iron clenched his teeth as he faced off against Heurimre.

True to the title of King of the Frost Giants, he was absurdly strong.

Even with strength far below his usual power, he had toyed with the two family heads as if they were mere playthings, and now he was overwhelming Iron as well.

However, it wasn’t the worst situation.

‘There’s light.’

The light that had dimmed when he was teaching Ariel now began to shine brightly again, illuminating his path.

As he exchanged blows with Heurimre, the light grew stronger with each clash, and it was now bright enough to fully illuminate the entire path ahead.

If he just kept walking, it felt like he would safely reach his destination.

‘I’ll endure.’

With the belief that he had to endure until he reached his destination safely, Iron gathered all his strength.

Watching Iron, Heurimre smirked and said with amusement.

– Are you growing as you fight? You’re an interesting fellow.

Heurimre pressed even harder, finding Iron’s slow transformation with each exchanged blow entertaining.

When he had fought the two family heads, it had seemed like a mere game to Heurimre. Now, his attacks were sharp and relentless.

With each strike, he created frost storms, and with each blow, part of a mountain was sliced away, like the terrifying force of a monster.

But Iron endured it.

Dodging, deflecting, and blocking, he managed to withstand Heurimre’s onslaught, and his swordsmanship gradually began to change.

“…Hehehe…”

Iron wiped the blood flowing from his lips and, unconsciously, he smiled.

Walking a predetermined path.

Fighting and getting closer to his destination, little by little, gave him a feeling as if he were playing a game.

Filling up his proficiency as he fought.

– Are you having fun?

“Yeah, it’s fun.”

Iron answered Heurimre’s question honestly.

It felt amazing to physically see himself getting stronger.

– Then you will soon face despair.

As Heurimre said those words, he swung his axe once again.

Walking a predetermined path.

Iron continued to fight, enjoying the gradual increase in his proficiency, but suddenly, a thought crept into a corner of his mind.

‘Wait… what is this?’

It was true that the more he fought Heurimre, the more his swordsmanship evolved.

He was now performing techniques that he would never have been able to imitate before, naturally flowing from his body.

It was as if someone had possessed his body and was guiding him.

The vast energy seemed to move on its own, taking control of his body.

The divine power that surged endlessly and the natural energies converging from all directions seemed to be ‘controlling’ Iron’s body.

“What?”

It was as if something was blocking him.

Like a barricade placed in the middle of the road, he found himself unable to move forward.

The light was still shining brightly at his destination, and the road stretched straight ahead without splitting.

– Has the road been blocked?

“……”

Iron remained silent, raising his sword in response to Heurimre’s question.

– How amusing. Yet beyond that path lies nothing but despair…

Heurimre smiled as if amused by the human who had yet to fall into despair.

There had once been a giant like him.

A young giant who had once sought to become a warlord.

A genius who had relied solely on his talent and followed only the brilliant light ahead.

But what lay before him was nothing but destruction.

If that genius had taken his time and built himself up slowly, he would have become someone far greater than even Heurimre. But he followed the brilliant light too closely and ultimately self-destructed.

The reason Heurimre remembered this genius was simple.

That genius giant was the one who had created all the techniques of ice currently used by the Frost Giants.

And now, this human before him was walking down the exact same path that genius had followed to his destruction.

“I can see the light. And following that light is so much fun.”

“I can literally see myself getting stronger. It makes me so happy!”

“Getting stronger is fun!”

The young giant who had once come to him, chattering away.

Even Heurimre had been pleased back then, thinking he would one day pass down his own position to that young genius.

“This path… this wasn’t the right path!”

“Ah… Ahh… Ahead lies only destruction!”

The young giant who had shed tears of blood in despair.

Recalling the final moments of that young genius, Heurimre closed his eyes tightly.

– Apostle of God… The only mercy I can offer you is death.

Seeing Iron slowly sink into the pit of despair, Heurimre unleashed all his power.

The ultimate move of a warrior, known by many names such as secret technique, finishing move, or final strike.

Heurimre had decided to use it.

To finish off the human with his own hands before he experienced even greater despair.

This wasn’t just for the human in front of him.

Heurimre, too, had once failed to protect that young genius.

He hadn’t been able to correct the genius’s wrong path, and the guilt of losing him weighed heavily on him. This was his way of lightening that burden, even if only slightly.

“Ah…”

Iron stared blankly at the blue giant.

As Heurimre’s aura solidified, the hazy blue giant took on a fully formed shape.

It was still a power far weaker than what Heurimre had wielded when he ruled over Niflheim.

But for a brief moment, the Frost Giant, wearing a crown of ice, swung his mighty axe slowly toward Iron.

At that moment, the blank look in Iron’s eyes started to clear.

His mind, which had been clouded by overwhelming power, began to return to him, and the massive white sword that had been burning bright in his hands started to crumble.

“Hoo…”

Even though the gigantic axe was descending, Iron exhaled deeply and discarded the fused sword.

Rather than pushing away the icy chill that rushed into his lungs, Iron accepted it. He looked down at his sword.

The sword, imbued with the energy of nature, was constantly trembling, as if it had been trying to tell him something all along.

‘Your path is wrong!’

His sword had been warning him all this time, but intoxicated by the bright light and the temptation of an easier path, he had ignored it.

“…I’m sorry.”

Apologizing to his sword, Iron steadied his stance.

Then he gathered his aura.

The light that continued to shine brightly upon him urged him to fuse even more power together.

Fuse the immense power, and create a more perfect sword technique, a more precise swordsmanship, a more powerful swordsmanship.

A path that was, indeed, the correct one.

The path Iron had built from the very foundation of his swordsmanship, like a textbook example.

It wasn’t the wrong path.

If he took his time, refining it carefully over a long period, gradually increasing the strength and precision, he would eventually reach the light.

If he had reached the level of a Grand Master, he would have clearly understood the significance of this path.

But Iron was not a Grand Master.

Moreover, he didn’t have the patience to slowly and meticulously build up his strength, nor the insight to see the full picture.

And so, he walked this path without understanding its true meaning.

And therein lay the trap.

In this era of destruction, Iron had been trying to become stronger as quickly as possible, sprinting down a path that should have been walked with care.

Because of this, he had suppressed the things he was missing with overwhelming power.

Kwaaaaang!

“Guh!”

Iron coughed up a mouthful of blood and dropped to one knee.

His pale face and trembling body made it clear that he had sustained serious internal injuries.

But he endured.

– Hmm…

Heurimre quietly watched Iron, who had just endured his strike.

– Are you trying to find your path? Now, of all times? Even if you do, it will only prolong your despair…

Heurimre spoke with pity, then raised his axe again to finish things off.

There was no need for any ultimate technique. No need for aura.

Just the act of bringing down the axe would be more than enough for Iron to be unable to stop it.

At that moment, a streak of light flew toward Heurimre.

Kang!

It was Terrion, who had been knocked away earlier, now rising again to charge at Heurimre.

Meanwhile, from the front, Lioner conjured a lion, pushing Heurimre back from his position in front of Iron.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yes.”

At Lioner’s question, Iron staggered as he got up.

By then, a green healing light was swirling around Iron’s body, healing his wounds.

“When you blocked Heurimre’s strike earlier… did you gain something?”

Lioner asked as he studied Iron’s face.

Iron, who had been quietly staring at his sword, nodded slightly.

“How long will it take?”

“Just a moment is enough.”

At Iron’s answer, Lioner gave a small nod.

“Then complete it. I’ll risk my life to buy you some time.”

With those words, Lioner gathered all his aura at full strength.

His body began to subtly vibrate as the power of waves started to infuse his aura.

– Kwaaaang!

As Lioner’s lion roared, powerful waves of aura spread across the surroundings, disrupting Heurimre’s icy storm.

– Is this your last struggle?

Heurimre scoffed as he once again raised his aura.

The two family heads swung their swords with all their might, ignoring the risk to their lives.

As their attacks pressed Heurimre, his bored expression vanished, replaced by a smile.

They had been conserving their strength earlier, believing they had to hold the line. But now, Iron was with them.

All they had to focus on was buying him time, so they unleashed everything they had.

As a result, more precise and ferocious strikes flew toward Heurimre.

– Kahaha! This is fun!

Heurimre laughed heartily and once again summoned the giant with the ice crown.

Terrion had poured all his strength into creating the starlight that covered the sky.

Lioner had placed everything on a massive lion, an all-or-nothing strike.

In response to the two family heads’ final moves, Heurimre honored them by using his own finishing move.

As Heurimre and the two family heads clashed with full force once more, Iron was busy reestablishing his path.

“I accept my limits.”

Iron murmured to himself as he raised his sword.

He wasn’t a Grand Master.

As such, he had limits.

There wasn’t enough time for him to follow the path illuminated by the brilliant light.

Therefore, even if it was a bit incomplete or dangerous, he had to take a new path.

Now that he had acknowledged his own limitations, he could do what was possible within those limits.

‘I’ll abandon the power of nature for now.’

He couldn’t fuse the power of nature with his abilities under his current level of control.

Although combining the power of nature might seem natural, its limitations were clear.

With the Divine Beasts in slumber, controlling that power was difficult.

He had been too greedy, unable to see that this was why he hadn’t been able to progress.

So, he set aside the power of nature.

Instead, he chose the divine power that was constantly surging forth.

He gathered only the familiar energy that had first fused into his Aura Blade.

‘A more perfect Aura Blade…’

Focusing with the intent to create a blade tougher than any other using the energy of steel, Iron concentrated.

He planned to infuse it with divine power as well.

Like a legendary blacksmith crafting a perfect weapon, Iron focused everything on his sword.

Even though it was dangerous, and someone could strike him down at any moment, Iron focused solely on his sword.

Kuuung!

“Ugh!”

– How annoying!

The Frost Giant Warrior Chief frowned as he looked at Ariel standing in his way.

‘That human is dangerous.’

The human who had blocked an all-out strike from their king.

Two other humans, both quite strong, were risking their lives to buy time for him.

What if that human grew even stronger?

A feeling crept up on him that, if that happened, even their king could no longer guarantee victory.

Because of that, he was prepared to face punishment from the king, determined to kill this human, the so-called Apostle of God.

– Do you think someone like you can stop me?

Even though Ariel had broken through the wall and reached a new level, she was still too inexperienced to stop the Frost Giant Warrior Chief.

When the Frost Giant Warrior Chief, who had once held an exalted position, unleashed his full power, all the stars scattered around them shattered to pieces.

As the Frost Giant Warrior Chief surged toward Iron, wrapped in a storm of icy aura, Ariel risked her life to block him. But in the end, she couldn’t withstand the force and was flung aside.

“No!”

At the moment Ariel coughed up blood and screamed,

Kuuung!

– Old human… Do you think you can stop me with that body?

“Heh… I’m already past my prime. But at the very least, I can grab onto your ankles until the end, can’t I?”

Crimson said this, glaring at the Frost Giant Warrior Chief.

His eyes were filled with the resolve to die.

The moment the Frost Giant Warrior Chief saw those eyes, he knew he couldn’t underestimate the old human in front of him.

No matter how insignificant, anyone brave enough to face death deserved respect.

For the Frost Warriors, the way to honor a brave opponent was by killing them with all their might.

– I will honor you with a warrior’s respect.

“…Thank you.”

Crimson smiled and responded to the Warlord’s words.

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