Debuff Master

Chapter 742

Siegfried looked baffled as he asked, “Why would you… entrust this to me…?”

Betelgeuse gazed straight into his eyes and replied, “I have no disciples, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, I know, but…”

“Just in case I never find one, I would like you to pass this book on to someone worthy.”

“Ah…”

“Please, just take it. Think of it as insurance in case something happens to me.”

After a brief contemplation, Siegfried nodded and stowed the Tome of Advancement: Blade Typhoon into his Inventory.

“Now, I shall teach you my ultimate skill,” Betelgeuse said. Then, his eyes gleamed with confidence as he proudly revealed, “It's called Heaven Splitting Slash.”

“Heaven Splitting Slash…”

“That sounds amazing!”

“I will guide you slowly through the stance and the mana flow,” Betelgeuse said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Just then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Heaven Splitting Slash]

[A slash to split the heavens—Sword Emperor Betelgeuse's Heaven Splitting Slash.]

[This is an advanced form of Quick Draw, and it unleashes a wide-range strike that cuts down multiple enemies in one swing.]

[The area of effect and power of the skill scales with the user's skill proficiency.]

[At peak proficiency, a single slash can tear open the skies themselves.]

[Status: Unusable (Requires 10% Skill Master)]

[Type: Active]

[Current Mastery: 0%]

[Skill Level: 0]

[Range: 100 meters]

[Damage: Quick Draw Damage +500%]

[Mana Cost: 30% of Max Mana]

[Cooldown: 24 hours]

“I will do my best and train hard to learn your ultimate technique, Elder-nim,” Siegfried said, armed with determination.

***

Mastering Heaven Splitting Slash was no easy feat. His mastery over the skill barely rose, and it sometimes felt like it barely went up.

[Alert: Heaven Splitting Slash mastery has increased by +0.03%!]

[Alert: Heaven Splitting Slash mastery has increased by +0.2%!]

[Alert: Heaven Splitting Slash mastery has increased by +0.01%!]

The Proatine Alliance would soon march out, so Siegfried focused solely on increasing his mastery over Heaven Splitting Slash. He knew that a top-tier skill like this required a lot of time and commitment to learn, so he decided to dedicate himself to it before the army marched out to the battlefield.

[Alert: Heaven Splitting Slash mastery has increased by +1.2%!]

Then, the long-awaited message finally popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: Your skill mastery of Heaven Splitting Slash has reached 10%!]

[Alert: A new skill is now usable – Heaven Splitting Slash!]

[Alert: The skill level of Heaven Splitting Slash has increased to Level 1!]

[Alert: You may now use Heaven Splitting Slash!]

Siegfried finally gained enough skill mastery to use Heaven Splitting Slash.

“Huh?” Siegfried suddenly spotted a flock of ducks flying in the distance. They were most likely migrating to the warmer southern climate, as winter was coming soon.

‘One… two…’ Siegfried took two steps and readied his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp that was now in the form of a saber. Then, he unsheathed it just like how he'd use Quick Draw. ‘Three!’

The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp drew a silver line across the sky and—

Thud, thud, thud!

—The flock of ducks migrating south started falling from the sky one by one.

“...!”

Betelgeuse couldn't believe what he was witnessing. It had only been a few days since he taught Siegfried his ultimate skill. He thought it would take Siegfried at least a week or two before he could use it, but it only took him three days to learn Heaven Splitting Slash and use it successfully.

‘Ah, Young Master is truly talented. But I really didn’t expect him to learn my ultimate skill this easily…’ Betelgeuse marveled,

Meanwhile, Siegfried was struck by a strange sensation running throughout his body.

‘Argh…’

His muscles spasmed slightly right after using Heaven Splitting Slash.

His hands, arms, shoulders, and waist immediately started aching as well.

‘This skill has quite the recoil…’

It made sense, as the creator of the skill, Betelgeuse, was a towering man of one hundred ninety centimeters with an imposing and muscular physique.

Siegfried was strong, but he didn't have the same physical mass as Betelgeuse, so a skill with such overwhelming power would inevitably be taxing on him.

‘I guess I’ll need to invest more in my strength and use it sparingly,’ Siegfried thought. Then, he turned to Betelgeuse and said, “Thank you very much, Elder-nim. I will use this technique wisely.”

“Haha… I know you will, Young Master,” Betelgeuse replied with a warm chuckle. He couldn't help but flash a grandfatherly smile after being impressed by Siegfried’s aptitude and never-changing attitude toward his elders.

***

The next morning, Siegfried prepared to set out from the royal capital, Preussen. He was accompanied by his army, and Brunhilde, Verdandi, and even Kwing Kwing came out to see him off.

This was a war with no turning back.

A truce? Impossible.

In this conflict, the defeated side was fated to face total annihilation. It was a showdown from which only one would emerge victorious.

Perhaps that was the reason, but Siegfried looked far more resolute than ever as he led his troops out of the royal capital. Each hoofbeat and each step in their march carried a promise to protect their beloved kingdom, and the soldiers’ march echoed that resolve.

Along the way, the citizens of the kingdom gathered in the streets to cheer for their brave soldiers going to battle.

“Victory shall be yours, Your Majesty!”

“Please grant us victory!”

“Glory! Glory! Glory!”

Just then, a young girl ran forward and threw herself before Siegfried’s mount.

“Step back!”

“Stand aside!”

The knights tried to hold her back, but Siegfried waved them off.

“Let her pass,” Siegfried said.

The girl, trembling, bowed awkwardly on the ground before Siegfried and said in her tiny trembling voice, “I-I just wanted to thank you, Your Majesty! Y-You saved my father in the last battle. Thank you! I love you! Thank you!”

It seemed that her father was a soldier in the Proatine Kingdom’s army and was one of the many soldiers whom Siegfried had saved in the final battle.

“Is that so?” Siegfried replied warmly. Then, he helped the girl to her feet and said, “I am not the one you should be grateful to.”

“Y-Your Majesty…?”

“I should be the one grateful to you and your father, who bravely fought for everyone in our kingdom,” Siegfried said while gently patting the little girl’s head.

“A-Ah… Your Majesty…!”

“Oh, Your Majesty…”

“He is truly a righteous ruler!”

The crowd was moved to tears after hearing Siegfried’s response. A humble king? Such a leader was truly rare on the continent, as most rulers cared only about themselves.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect not just your father but everyone,” Siegfried told the girl.

“Thank you, my lord!” she cried out.

After sending the girl on her way, Siegfried remounted while steeling his resolve once again.

‘I can’t let them down.’

He knew they were nothing more than NPCs, but he could not bring himself to think of them as mere artificial beings. Thus, armed with his newfound resolve, Siegfried vowed to win this war.

‘I’ll emerge victorious.’

Defense? He had already done enough of that. Now, it was time to go on the offensive.

His specialty had always been to attack, and he no longer had any desire to go for another drawn-out grueling siege defense just like what happened at the O’Toul Fortress.

“Men! Move out!” Siegfried commanded in a firm voice.

“Long live the Proatine Kingdom!”

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

Behind him, the cheers of his people rang out as the Proatine Forces bravely marched onward.

***

Just as the Proatine Alliance started their march…

“Ugh…!”

King Frederick finally opened his eyes, awakening for the first time since he was poisoned by that radioactive energy.

The healer attending to him at his bedside hurriedly checked up on him, asking, “Are you finally awake, sire?”

“Ugh… W-Where… where am I?” King Frederick asked. His voice sounded hoarse, and he struggled to speak a few words.

“You are in the infirmary, Your Majesty. Please compose yourself. You barely survived.”

Despite the healer’s best efforts to reassure King Frederick, the healer’s eyes seemed appalled by the sight before him.

In the healer's eyes, King Frederick could barely be called "human." His body had already reached the point of rotting, and his skin had peeled away, leaving his muscles exposed. There were patches of pus and blood flowing out of his oozing wounds.

He was wrapped tightly in bandages, but these failed to contain the infection festering beneath them. However, that was not even the worst part, as a metal conduit had been surgically embedded into his chest, linking to a bag of life-sustaining fluid strapped to his waist.

His eyes, tongue, and nails had been melted by the radioactive energy, and they had been replaced with parts taken from monsters. As a result, he looked not only terrifying but appalling at the same time.

“W-What… what has become of my body…?” King Frederick rasped, inspecting his altered form with wide, terrified eyes.

“Please compose yourself, sire! You must not strain yourself–”

“Move! Move away!” King Frederick shoved the healer aside. Then, struggling to sit up, he cried out, “W-What… What have they done to me? And these bandages… these things…?! Curse you!”

“Sire!”

“Answer me!” King Frederick roared.

“T-The Black Brotherhood performed emergency surgery to save you, sire.”

“A mirror! Bring me a mirror, now!”

“B-But sire…!”

“I told you to bring me a mirror!” King Frederick roared, grabbing the healer by his collar.

“Argh!”

The healer gasped as King Frederick’s grip tightened. In seconds, his neck was crushed by King Frederick’s monstrous strength, and his blood splattered across the infirmary floor.

“...!”

King Frederick froze, stunned by his own actions. He stared at his trembling hands, which now resembled a reptile’s body part.

“A… mirror…”

King Frederick staggered toward a nearby mirror, ignoring the dead healer at his feet.

“No…! This isn’t me! This is a monster! A hideous monster! I am not a monster! Noooo!” King Frederick screamed and shattered the mirror with a punch. Then, losing all semblance of reason, he started writing in despair and wailing at his monstrous form.

“Your Majesty!”

“Hold him down!”

“Please, sire! You must compose yourself!”

Hearing the commotion, several knights rushed in to restrain King Frederick, who had spiraled into a frenzied rage.

Unfortunately, their efforts were futile.

“Argh!”

“Gah!”

One by one, the knights were flung across the room by King Frederick's raw strength. They were flung into the walls, and some of them were even rendered unconscious upon impact.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

King Frederick had become something entirely nonhuman, a creature with monstrous strength and a grotesque rotting form, and it was all thanks to the twisted operations conducted on him by the Black Brotherhood.

***

The Proatine Alliance led by Siegfried continued their march toward the Zavala Kingdom’s border.

At the border between the two kingdoms lay an expanse fortified with countless anti-air cannons. The fortifications were like a formidable barrier that rendered any aerial assault from the Proatine Forces impossible.

The army approached a position near a Zavala fortress before halting to regroup and assess the situation.

‘Hmm… A siege is out of the question,’ Siegfried thought, gazing at the fortress in the distance with a serious look.

Attacking the fortress head-on was a very reckless choice. The Proatine Alliance was still outnumbered, and laying siege against a fortress that was so well-fortified would only end in their devastation.

“Convene a strategy meeting,” Siegfried commanded, summoning the commanders and advisors of the alliance.

Once they were gathered, Siegfried turned, locking his gaze onto Lamborghini.

“W-Why are you staring at me like that, Your Majesty?” Lamborghini stammered, clearly uncomfortable under Siegfried's intense gaze.

Just then, soldiers seized him by the arms and pulled him away from the table.

“W-What is the meaning of this?! Where are you taking me?!”

Siegfried ignored Lamborghini’s protests and began addressing everyone present in the strategy meeting.

“Our strategy for this campaign will be—”

It was then.

Boom!

A distant explosion, which was unmistakably the sound of a cannon blast, rang outside and shook the ground.

“...!”

Everyone in the meeting flinched and exchanged anxious glances, but Siegfried remained undisturbed.

“Please, pay no attention to that,” Siegfried said, waving his hand. Then, he continued, “Now, back to the matter at hand. Our strategy is to neutralize the enemy’s anti-air defenses using a small team of elites.”

As soon as his words fell, a cry echoed in the distance.

It was a cry that sent a shiver down everyone’s spine.

M-Mooooooo!