The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military

Chapter 232: Phantom Tree (3)

TL: Pai_

The moment the demon’s body turned to dust and vanished into hell, even the remnants of its power were completely devoured by the clump of blood that rose from the ground.

As if not allowing even a trace of hell’s remnants to remain on this land, all the hellish power was swallowed up by the giant mouth formed of blood.

The moment the demon, which had displayed overwhelming power, disappeared, the surrounding light that had illuminated everything also vanished.

“Everyone, fall back! The Phantom Tree is collapsing.”

The moment the demon’s contract ended, the Phantom Tree, which had barely been sustained, also began to collapse bit by bit.

As the massive tree started to fall, everyone retreated in panic.

“Commander!”

“We need to save the Commander!”

However, the Eastern Commander shook his head.

“It’s more dangerous for you to go.”

The Eastern Commander said this while gazing at Iron.

Seeing the massive wings of light gradually enveloping Iron’s body, he thought that even if they went, they would only get in the way.

Though the Eastern Commander had reached the level of a mage, he felt an insurmountable gap between himself and Iron.

“What you should do now is retreat safely and wait for Commander Iron to return.”

At the Eastern Commander’s words, everyone turned to look at the woman behind them.

Ariel, undoubtedly the strongest in the Mobile Field Army, excluding Iron, quietly watched the Eastern Commander.

Seeing this, he gave a small nod.

“…We will retreat.”

“B-but!”

When Ariel silently shook her head, the officers who were about to speak closed their mouths and obediently withdrew.

As soon as she made her decision, the entire Mobile Field Army began to fall back, and as if it had been waiting for that moment, the Phantom Tree began to collapse.

Countless leaves made of evil spirits fell with a rustling sound, and branches full of corrupted energy snapped and fell.

—Kaaaaargh!

The Phantom Tree screamed in agony, and blood continuously gushed from its giant eyes and mouth.

As it vomited out all the power it had gained from absorbing countless life forms over time, it spread an evil aura around it.

It was as if the Phantom Tree was making its final desperate struggle before its death, spewing out all of its power. Amidst this frenzy of energy, a faint beam of light emerged.

And that light slowly began to purify the corrupt energy emitted by the Phantom Tree.

“That light…”

“It must be the Commander.”

At Ariel’s words, Cardro, who had appeared behind her, spoke with a heavy expression.

From within the Phantom Tree, which seemed destined to remain an eternally corrupted area, that faint but steadily purifying light was the only sign of hope.

Watching this, Ariel bit her lip.

Once again, she had not been of much help.

It couldn’t be helped given that even someone at the Master Level couldn’t handle a single demon, but it was still a blow to Ariel’s pride.

The same was true for Cardro and the other members of the Mobile Field Army standing beside her.

‘I need to grow stronger.’

Everyone clenched their teeth with this thought in mind.

They vowed to grow at least one level stronger before Iron returned, while watching the crumbling Phantom Tree.

As the massive tree, located in the center of the corrupted forest, completely collapsed—

[Congratulations! The first story of the Apocalypse has ended in victory for the human side. The southern region has been recognized as the domain of the Lord God, and all external entities, including demons, have been blocked.]

—Rewards will be distributed according to the level of contribution in stopping the Phantom Tree.

—Humans who played a significant role in purifying the Great Forest will have increased opportunities to form contracts with spirits and divine beasts in the future.

—There is a possibility that a new ‘World Tree’ may emerge in the Great Forest.

—Because the first story of the Apocalypse ended in victory for the human side, penalties will be imposed on demons, ancient gods, and ancient species.

※ Due to the confirmed involvement of the Fallen God, penalties will also be applied to beings from other dimensions.

At the sound of the notification confirming their victory, everyone burst into cheers.

Of course, not everyone celebrated.

Those who felt indebted to the Mobile Field Army and Iron.

The Eastern Commander, the Southern Commander, and even the newly awakened Terrion stared blankly at the area where the Phantom Tree had collapsed, all wearing grim expressions.

Amidst the thick black fog and the ruins of the Phantom Tree, a faint light shimmered.

As they looked at it, thoughts of Iron, who would someday wake up, crossed their minds.

“It’s their task to wait. We should focus on what we can do.”

At Terrion’s words, the commanders quietly looked at the Mobile Field Army.

Seeing the soldiers, who boasted unparalleled loyalty compared to other forces, the commanders nodded slightly and began preparing to return to their respective posts.

Terrion, too, prepared to return to the Godly Sword family.

The internal injuries he had sustained in this battle were so severe that he would need to rest for a while.

But since he had to rest anyway, he was preparing to use what he had gained from this battle to break through to the next level.

‘That doesn’t mean I can rest for long.’

As soon as he managed his internal injuries, it was likely that he would need to head to the Northeast.

“The Frost Giants, huh…”

He chuckled to himself as he imagined what they might look like—these beings that once boasted immense power in ancient times.

He couldn’t help but laugh at himself for thinking about strong opponents again, despite having just been thoroughly beaten by a demon.

But it was this very mindset that had allowed him to reach this level.

“Haa… I guess I’ll need to get ahead of them.”

Terrion muttered as he once again looked in the direction of the Phantom Tree.

He had heard that after he lost consciousness, even the combined efforts of the Masters were insufficient, and Iron had resolved the situation.

Whether that power was temporary or not, one thing was certain.

When Iron woke up, he would be far stronger than before.

“I can’t let myself be overtaken just yet.”

Muttering this, Terrion, assisted by the knights of the Godly Sword family, hurriedly returned to his family estate.

Starting with the Godly Sword family, the imperial army’s main forces also began to withdraw one by one from the Great Forest, preparing to return to their respective regions.

The same went for the mercenaries and adventurers.

With the Phantom Tree fallen and massive rewards received, there was no longer any reason for them to stay in the Great Forest.

It was now time to move on to other regions and prepare for the next event.

Of course, some chose to remain.

These were the individuals who had not yet succeeded in contracting with a divine beast.

Excited by the reward that there would be increased possibility to form contracts with spirits and divine beasts in the Great Forest, they decided to stay behind.

As if to confirm the system’s words, the Great Forest was gradually being purified, with the light emanating from the Phantom Tree’s ruins at its center.

Strangely enough, flowers bloomed and trees grew in the areas illuminated by the light, despite the rampant corrupt energy still swirling around.

Scholars and merchants, realizing the potential for profit, decided to journey to the Great Forest as well, adding to the number of those who chose to remain.

While many were making their decisions to leave or stay based on their own circumstances, the Mobile Field Army was undergoing harsher training than ever.

“Get up. Are you going to show this kind of sorry state when the Commander wakes up? You should at least show some improvement, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

A harsh voice from a superior officer directed at a soldier who had collapsed from exhaustion.

Yet, not a single soldier complained about the officer’s words.

The goal of the entire Mobile Field Army was to show some improvement by the time Iron woke up.

That was why they were training so rigorously in the corrupted Great Forest.

This didn’t mean they were neglecting their usual duties.

Though most of them remained in the Great Forest, some soldiers continued to travel back and forth between the Southeastern Command and their units, fulfilling their regular duties.

One of the reasons the soldiers couldn’t resist the harsh training was because of the officers themselves.

The higher up the ranks you went, the more grueling the training became, making it impossible for the lower-ranked soldiers to complain.

This was especially true for the three corps commanders and the elite direct units, who competed fiercely for the title of the strongest within the Mobile Field Army.

“Is she a monster?”

At Cardro’s question, Saeriden and the Leonhardt twins looked over at Ariel.

Unlike Gaon Tempest, who was training alone to control the even more powerful cold energy he had gained from the recent rewards, Ariel was training together with the other direct unit commanders and the corps commanders.

Their method of training was simple: sparring with all of them at once.

However, Saeriden and the Leonhardt twins, though they acknowledged Ariel’s proximity to reaching the Master level, believed it was impossible for her to take on all of them at once, as she had not yet broken through the wall.

“Huff… Huff…”

Ariel panted heavily, her face showing exhaustion.

When she first sparred against Cardro, Saeriden, and the Leonhardt twins simultaneously, she couldn’t last even 20 minutes before being defeated.

But as the training progressed, the time she endured rapidly increased.

Now, the twins were the ones who had collapsed from exhaustion, and even Cardro and Saeriden had been pushed to the brink.

“I need to get stronger.”

Ariel muttered, staring at her sword with eyes filled with madness.

Seeing her like that, Cardro and Saeriden shuddered, feeling chills run down their spines.

Despite the massive rewards she had received, the grueling training pushing her to her limits, and her vast battle experience, the formidable wall of becoming a Master had not yet crumbled.

Even for someone called a genius, it was too much to expect her to break the stronghold of the Master level while still in her early twenties.

“Let’s go again.”

“Haa… We need to rest too.”

“Yeah. Pushing it too much won’t help anyone.”

Cardro and Saeriden, trying to dissuade her, requested a break.

Having sparred for hours already, it was clearly time for her to take a proper rest.

But despite their attempts to stop her, Ariel kept insisting on continuing her training.

To intervene, Rodem brought Karl to speak with her.

“No matter how much you push yourself, it won’t make you a Master.”

“…I know.”

“And the Commander hasn’t passed away.”

As Karl spoke, he looked off into the distance at the faint light that could be seen.

The light, filled with divine power, was proof that Iron hadn’t died.

Everyone in the Mobile Field Army was waiting with anticipation rather than grief, knowing that Iron might return even stronger than when he fought the Phantom Tree.

“Slow down… Get stronger without rushing. The Commander said he would wait for us to grow stronger. So what are you doing to yourself right now?”

At Karl’s words, Ariel bit her lip.

“You’re not the only one who’s desperate.”

Closing his eyes, Karl continued speaking.

“How do you think I feel, seeing the Commander push himself to the limit every time? You at least get to fight alongside him. And me?”

Ariel stared blankly at him.

“I’ve always wanted to fight alongside him too. But I held back. Because there’s a reason the Commander appointed me to my position.”

Karl’s role, being more specialized in logistics than anyone else in the Mobile Field Army, was crucial.

As the Chief of Logistics, he always did his best from behind the scenes.

Everyone knew this, and because of that, the commanders always respected him.

“Get your mind straight. When the Commander returns, let’s greet him with joy.”

At Karl’s words, Ariel took a deep breath, calming her anxious heart.

It was true that she had been impatient, wanting to reach the Master level as quickly as possible to be of help to Iron.

But thanks to Karl’s intervention, she was starting to calm down little by little.

“One step at a time.”

Ariel smiled slightly, repeating Karl’s words.

“Even if it’s just a small step, progress is what matters.”

This had been the training method of the Mobile Field Army, decided by watching their commander.

Don’t rush, don’t rely on borrowed strength—advance properly, step by step.

With that realization, Ariel’s eyes finally cleared completely.

As Ariel, who had been consumed by her obsession with getting stronger, regained her composure, others, too, gradually began to find their way back to the right path.

Gaon Tempest, who had been pushing himself through reckless solitary training, also shifted his focus toward recovery, which led the Mobile Field Army, once fixated on extreme training, to slowly adjust their tempo.

When Ariel and the other commanders stopped their excessive training and began to lead the troops steadily but correctly, the overall atmosphere within the Mobile Field Army brightened.

With more room to breathe, everyone used their rewards from the recent battles to either train, rest, or study the new powers they had gained, each pursuing growth in their own way.

As a result, the level of the Mobile Field Army rose even higher than it had when they were pushing themselves through harsh training.

“Now, all we need is for the Commander to return, right?”

Karl, watching the Mobile Field Army grow along the right path, smiled in satisfaction as he muttered quietly.

“When will he return?”

Muttering to himself, Karl gazed toward the remains of the Phantom Tree.

A now-brilliantly glowing ball of light.

But there were still no signs of Iron emerging from within.

Everyone was longing desperately for his return, yet Iron showed no intention of coming out. As they stared blankly at the glowing orb, their frustration grew.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the orb of light trembled, and Karl’s eyes widened in surprise.