The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military

Chapter 230: Phantom Tree (1)

TL: Pai_

As the demons tried to sacrifice themselves to complete the Phantom Tree, Iron looked at them with an expression that suggested he couldn’t understand.

Why would demons, who are selfish and only seek pleasure, do such a thing?

Iron looked at them with a puzzled expression and asked.

“Why are you sacrificing yourselves to complete the Phantom Tree?”

At his question, the demons, who had been giggling, stared intently at Iron.

Seeing them, Iron opened his mouth again.

“Is it because of some grand plan to bring Hell to this world?”

At Iron’s question, the demons twisted their lips into distorted smiles and spoke.

– Us?

– A grand plan?

– Keke! There’s no such thing!

As the demons mocked him, they laughed at Iron.

After laughing for a while at his response, a goat-headed demon spoke to Iron.

– Because it seems like it would be more fun.

“What?”

– If Hell descends here, it seems like it would be more fun. That’s the only reason.

What kind of pain will humans endure if Hell descends?

What will the outside gods do when demons descend on the continent?

How will the Lord God respond?

How will the Apocalypse unfold?

All of these things were intriguing to the demons.

It was a thrill more exhilarating than anything in Hell.

For this thrill, the demons were ready to give up anything.

Even if it meant sacrificing their own status, power, or lives, it didn’t matter.

They could die laughing if it meant completing this thrill.

The completion of the thrill.

For that, the demons prioritized the completion of the Phantom Tree.

“Crazy bastards.”

The Godly Sword family head gathered his strength as he looked at the laughing demons.

The same was true for Iron.

With the completion of the Phantom Tree imminent, there was no room to hold back.

Drawing out his full power, Iron created a powerful divine barrier around him through Baepsae.

Immediately, the evil spirits that touched the wave of light were annihilated.

– As expected, you are the God’s apostle?

The demons who withstood the wave of light smiled grotesquely and rushed towards Iron.

They attacked Iron with bizarre weapons – rusty axes, butcher knives, flesh-covered saws, iron chains, and other grotesque tools.

It was as if they no longer cared about the Godly Sword family head, focusing only on Iron.

Feeling insulted, the Godly Sword family head attacked the demons with all his might.

“Die, all of you!”

As Terrion shouted and soared into the sky, thousands of shooting stars began to fall from above.

These light orbs, each filled with formidable power, targeted only the demons, inflicting fatal wounds or killing them.

‘Is that the secret technique of the Godly Sword family?’

The Meteor Shower of the Godly Sword family, which Iron had seen several times through Ariel.

But the form was completely different.

Though its foundation was that of the Godly Sword family, Ariel’s Meteor Shower, which she had modified for herself, still could not escape the confines of swordsmanship.

However, Terrion’s Meteor Shower was different.

The shooting stars that filled the sky targeted the demons and descended at the speed of light.

Despite the overwhelming number of meteors, not a single one flew towards Iron.

The same was true for the Divine Beasts.

The meteors, which avoided the gigantic Divine Beasts and Iron, miraculously flew only towards the demons, aiming for where they would attempt to dodge.

If a demon dodged one, another would immediately fly in to attack.

Kwaaang!

Despite the enormous explosion that shattered the surroundings with the Meteor Shower, the demons, instead of being scared, laughed.

– Khahaha! Yes! This is it! This is what I wanted!

– More! More! More!

– Come on, God’s apostle, use more power!

Even as their comrades died, the demons were driven to madness, clamoring for more attacks.

However, Iron had no intention of fighting them.

Even though the Godly Sword family head had already sustained internal injuries, he still forced himself to use his ultimate technique, clearing a path for Iron.

He had no intention of wasting that opportunity.

“Phoenix! Burn it!”

In response to Iron’s call, Phoenix unleashed flames toward the roots of the Phantom Tree.

Even against the flames that emitted heat intense enough to melt the ground, the roots of the Phantom Tree did not turn to ashes but instead endured.

As expected of the Phantom Tree, which was far from an ordinary tree, it seemed to withstand even Phoenix’s flames.

However, a tree is still a tree.

When Iron used divine power to remove the power of the evil spirits, the roots began to slowly burn.

“Owl! Break through to the part where the Hell Gate is!”

This time, the two moons emitted light from its eyes.

A powerful flash pierced through the earth, disintegrating the roots that blocked the way, and created a path to the source of the Hell’s power.

Evil spirits surged from all directions to stop this, but most of them were annihilated by Iron’s divine power.

Several powerful evil spirits gathered to attack Iron, but they were annihilated by the lightning of the Thunderbird floating in the sky.

Kugugung!

“Thunderbird! Hold them off!”

The Phantom Tree, which had been focusing only on fully awakening, began to move its branches to counterattack as its roots started to burn.

Many demons that had been hiding in the branches also rushed at them, but the thunderbird created a storm and blocked them with all its might.

Meanwhile, Iron also drew his sword and began to seriously cut down the roots.

He infused his Aura Blade with divine power and unleashed wild slashes.

As a result, the enormous roots were easily sliced through as if they were being chopped like radishes.

The roots, which had withstood even Phoenix’s flames, couldn’t resist the Aura Blade fused with divine power and were cut down without much resistance.

-Kiiaaaaaaaaak!

As chunks of the thick roots of the Phantom Tree were severed, it began to scream in agony.

The Phantom Tree, which had been a massive tree, sprouted a mouth and eyes, and let out a terrible wail.

Then, the Phantom Tree, which had been attacking only with its branches, started to move its roots.

The roots, which had been still to complete the Hell Gate, now moved to capture Iron.

“Does it hurt?”

Iron asked as he watched the screaming Phantom Tree.

In response to his question, the Phantom Tree, now even angrier, launched more furious attacks, but Iron blocked them without faltering.

The more it attacked, the more damage it took, causing the Phantom Tree to become increasingly flustered.

Even though the Phantom Tree hadn’t fully completed its elevated state and was relying on simple physical attacks, it still had confidence that its massive body could crush even a Master.

But Iron’s power easily cut through the roots that had even withstood the Aura Blade, as if they were being chopped like radishes.

The unexpected strength of Iron left the Phantom Tree in deep worry.

However, it didn’t have much time to worry.

Even now, its roots were being severed in real time.

The more the root part connecting Hell and the current world was cut off, the smaller the passage would become.

Thus, the Phantom Tree had to make a decision quickly.

As if understanding the Phantom Tree’s urgency, the demons and evil spirits hurled themselves towards the Phantom Tree.

Iron, in a hurry, began cutting down the roots even faster, while the Godly Sword family head also unleashed his full strength, swinging his sword to kill the evil spirits and demons.

[Completion: 99%.]

Thanks to the sacrifice of the demons and evil spirits, the completion percentage rose by 1%, bringing the Phantom Tree to the brink of completion.

Iron, desperate, swung his sword with all his might, but at this rate, the Phantom Tree would be completed.

“Is there nothing more?”

The Godly Sword family head, who had cut down countless evil spirits and demons, looked at Iron with a tired expression.

Iron, also catching his breath, looked at the Phantom Tree.

At this rate, it would really be completed.

“Don’t you have anything, family head?”

“Well, I do have one thing… but if I use it, I’ll have to retire immediately.”

“This is not the time to worry about such things.”

At Iron’s words, Terrion nodded as if acknowledging that he was right.

“Indeed. I’m one thing… but what about you?”

“I also… have one last thing.”

At Iron’s words, Terrion nodded as if he had expected it.

Both of them had a hidden trump card up their sleeves.

The problem was that once they used it, there would be nothing left afterward.

“We don’t know what’s going to come next… but it’s better than letting that thing be completed, right?”

“We have to think that way.”

Terrion nodded in agreement with Iron.

“If I use all my strength, I think I can take down about half of that massive tree in front of us.”

“In that case, I’ll cut down the roots.”

Iron and Terrion exchanged glances and smiled slightly.

They didn’t think about what would come after.

With the sole focus on stopping the Phantom Tree, Iron and Terrion began to gather all their strength.

Terrion was the first to move.

As Terrion jumped into the air, thousands of sword strikes were created from his sword, just like before.

Those light masses gathered and covered the Phantom Tree.

Up to this point, it was similar to the Meteor Shower of the Godly Sword family.

Seeing the obviously dangerous technique, numerous evil spirits and demons took to the sky to intercept it.

At that moment, the meteors in the sky began to gather at Terrion’s outstretched sword.

The countless meteors wrapped around a single beam of light, creating a massive vortex of light.

And as the vortex extended from the sword, the evil spirits and demons blocking the Phantom Tree were instantly obliterated.

“Incredible.”

As expected of the Godly Sword family head, who was considered one of the strongest on the continent, the technique was overwhelming.

The meteors burned through countless demons, scorching the leaves of the Phantom Tree and cutting down its branches.

Seeing this, Iron also decided he couldn’t be outdone, and infused his massive Aura Blade with maximum divine power.

“Baepsae.”

-Tweet!

In response to Iron’s call, Baepsae, as if waiting for this moment, replied and perched on Iron’s head.

At that moment, Iron’s eyes closed, and the massive Aura Blade began to swing horizontally.

With the single-minded intent to sever all the roots of the Phantom Tree with this strike, Iron slowly moved the gigantic Aura Blade.

Demons gathered to block him, but the three Divine Beasts used all their might to fend them off.

Even so, a few demons managed to break through the Divine Beasts’ defense and reached out toward Iron.

At that moment.

-Kuaaaak!

Just as one demon’s claws were about to touch Iron’s body, light burst forth, instantly annihilating all the nearby demons.

The moment the light touched them, the bodies of the evil spirits and demons melted away or turned to ash.

Faced with Iron’s overwhelming divine power, the evil spirits and demons didn’t even dare to consider stopping him.

In a situation where there was no one left to interfere, Iron’s sword cut through the roots of the Phantom Tree in one decisive strike.

As an enormous number of roots were severed in one blow, the Phantom Tree let out a horrific scream, and black tears of blood began to pour from its eyes.

-Kiiaaaaa! This is unfair! Unfair!

The Phantom Tree howled in agony.

It had been on the brink of completion, only to be stopped by two mere humans, and it was filled with rage.

The massive amount of blood pouring from the Phantom Tree’s eyes began to pool on the ground, and as it did, the once full of life ancient tree started to wither.

Finally, as the Phantom Tree shriveled up like a dried-out old tree, the Hell Gate that had been in its roots began to slowly close.

“Di… did we succeed?”

Just as Iron murmured those words, a new Hell Gate opened within the pool of blood.

Rising from the blood that the Phantom Tree had shed was a demon with two horns and two wings.

A small demon, about the size of a human, licked its lips in disappointment.

-How unfortunate. Truly unfortunate…

The demon that spoke turned its gaze to Iron and the Godly Sword family head, the two responsible for all that had happened.

-But still, I should enjoy myself while I’m here, right?

At the demon’s words, Iron and Terrion’s expressions hardened.

From the moment it appeared, the overwhelming power it exuded was palpable.

This was the appearance of a demon so powerful that even Terrion, who had long been considered one of the strongest on the continent, couldn’t help but feel fear.

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