Debuff Master

Chapter 741

The throne room was immediately plunged into chaos.

“Your Majesty!”

The knight commander leaped forward, shielding King Frederick from the blast.

However, the other court officials weren't as fortunate as King Frederick.

“Aaaah!”

“Aaargh!”

“Aaaaaack!”

Screams filled the air as they fell victim to the explosion. Many died instantly, while those unfortunate suffered horrific burns.

However, that was not the end of the disaster...

“Ughhh!”

“Arghh!”

The explosion had unleashed a radioactive energy that instantly contaminated the throne room. Everyone present, including King Frederick, fell victim to it.

“A-Argh...!”

Blood streamed from King Frederick’s nose as he struggled against the overwhelming radiation filling the room.

“Fetch a healer! Bring the healers now!”

“Where are the magicians?! Someone cast a purification spell on His Majesty!”

There was utter pandemonium inside the Zavala Kingdom’s majestic throne room as soon as Nuclear Bomb was activated; the royal knights disregarded everything and everyone else, rushing King Frederick out of the throne room to get him treatment.

“Hang in there, sire!”

“Stay strong, sire! We will get you help immediately!”

Unfortunately, radiation poisoning was unlike an ordinary poison, as purging it was a very difficult task. The energy was laced with magic specifically designed to destroy any living creature by tearing apart its victim’s chromosomes on a cellular level, halting cell division, and preventing normal bodily function.

Anyone exposed to radiation poisoning would face physical degradation, such as their nails and hair falling out, peeling skin, muscle loss, and more, as the very cells of their bodies would decay fast.

The healers and magicians in the Zavala Kingdom used every possible method to prevent King Frederick’s situation from growing worse, but—

“A-Aaah! Why is my body...?! N-No! Arghhh!” King Frederick screamed in agony while convulsing in horror as chunks of his own flesh would fall apart from him whenever somebody touched him.

Unlike ordinary radiation, Siegfried's radioactive energy was an amalgamation of a Green Dragon and a Black Dragon's radioactive energy, so they were infused with magic that accelerated the decay process at breakneck speed.

To make things worse, the radiation microbes from Clemence’s brain had clung to King Frederick, and those pathogens had invaded his body, ravaging his muscles and organs from the inside.

“Your Majesty!”

“Quick! Get the painkillers, now!”

It was then.

“Step aside.”

“Make way.”

A cadre of figures cloaked in black robes and silver masks entered, pushing the healers aside. This mysterious and enigmatic group was only known as the Black Brotherhood, and they were a secretive order shrouded in mystery.

They were King Frederick’s personal guards.

“The king is now under our care. Leave at once.”

The Black Brotherhood laid King Frederick down on a surgical table after kicking everyone out of the room. Then, they used arcane tools and dark magic to begin the treatment process.

“G-Grwaaaaah!” The king’s agonized screams reverberated throughout the corridor as the Black Brotherhood subjected him to operations that most would deem inhumane.

The methods they used were just as mysterious and enigmatic as their appearances.

***

Meanwhile, Siegfried was busy preparing for the true battle up ahead. The Proatine Alliance and Rozermoore Alliance planned to split forces to hit the Zavala Kingdom from multiple fronts, weakening their defenses by forcing them to stretch their troops thin.

The coalition aimed to spread their forces, causing disarray and chaos by overwhelming the enemy from different directions rather than clashing head-on with the Zavala Kingdom’s massive army.

“Shall we call it a day? Also, please remember to remain vigilant until we attack,” Siegfried said, concluding the strategy meeting. Then, he headed straight for the communications room to speak with Cheon Woo-Jin.

“Did you find anything?” Siegfried asked, checking on the status of the final soul fragment.

— Nothing yet. We’re keeping an eye out for it, but there's been no sign of it so far.

Cheon Woo-Jin looked visibly frustrated by the lack of results.

“You have to find it soon. We’re barely managing to get by right now, and we really can't handle another surprise,” Siegfried said, sounding equally frustrated. His frustration was justified, as he was currently in a life-or-death war against the Zavala Kingdom.

The appearance of the soul fragment could ruin his progress so far.

“Can you imagine that thing popping up in the middle of a battle? That would be a real mood-killer, don’t you think so?”

— We’re trying our best here. Do you really think I’m loitering around doing nothing? The censer is becoming unstable, so I’m in a pinch, too.

“The censer?!” Siegfried screamed, his face twisting in surprise.

The Fated Censer was designed to contain and destroy the Soul Fragments of Apocalius. For it to start becoming unstable meant that the fragments could escape, scattering throughout the continent once again.

— Acheron is holding it together as best as he can, but I’m afraid we don’t have much time. We need to find that final soul fragment, fast.

“Great... Just what I needed...”

— Focus on your task. We’ll focus on ours.

“Yeah, yeah. Do what you can.”

— Sorry, man.

“Huh? For what?”

— For not being there to help.

“Ah...

”

— All I can do is sit around waiting for something while my friend’s going through hell.

Siegfried could feel that Cheon Woo-Jin was pretty sincere, and there was also a hint of frustration in his voice, along with a tinge of regret.

At this moment, he wished he could stand by Siegfried’s side and help him out in the war, but as a member of the Guardians, he could not meddle in wars between two sovereign nations.

The Guardians operated under strict policies that barred them from getting involved in disputes between sovereign nations.

Cheon Woo-Jin considered reporting their findings regarding the connections between the Zavala Kingdom and the Church of Osric to the World Peace Council, but the ongoing chaos throughout the empire left the council incapable of operating properly.

No, it was more like the council had long lost its purpose with the instability of the Marchioni Empire as well as the dimensional rifts rampaging across the continent.

The Guardians had only one mission and one mission alone—stay alert and look for any signs of the Soul Fragment of Apocalius. It would be a disaster if they got involved in a war between two sovereign nations only for the soul fragment to suddenly appear somewhere.

— Thanks for understanding my situation.

“Hey, enough with the mushy stuff. I’ll talk to you later,” Siegfried grumbled, ending the call. Then, he took a deep breath and started piecing his strategy together.

“Hmm... Right, in two days, the forces will move out. But I wonder...” Siegfried couldn't help but be curious about what had happened to Clemence—no, the Radiation Ghoul he had sent as a gift to King Frederick.

“It should have reached him by now...”

It was then.

“Father!”

“Kyung! Kyuiiiing!”

Verdandi entered the room, running toward him at full speed with her fairy dragon right by her side.

“Ah, hello, my beautiful daughter,” Siegfried responded with a smile. In that instant, all thoughts of Clemence and the Zavala Kingdom disappeared from his mind as he swept Verdandi into his embrace, completely absorbed in her and her alone.

***

Siegfried's troops were taking a well-deserved break, so Siegfried decided to visit Deus.

“Hello, Master. I'm here.”

“Ah, you’re here.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Just wait a moment. There’ll be a bite soon enough.”

“I understand, Master.”

Siegfried stood in silence, waiting patiently, as Deus’ attention was on the fishing line.

Moments later, Deus gave the fishing line a firm tug.

Splash!

With a single powerful tug, he reeled in a massive tuna over three meters long. From its massive size, it probably weighed more than four hundred kilograms.

“That is a big one, Master,” Siegfried said.

“Hoho!

Why are you making such a fuss over something like this?” Deus replied, laughing heartily.

“That is one impressive tuna—” Siegfried muttered before he quickly stopped. Then, a sudden realization dawned on him, ‘W-Wait...! Why is there a tuna here?!’

The realization struck him like lightning. This was a small lake barely ten meters deep, so a tuna, let alone a saltwater tuna, could never exist in this environment.

“M-Master...? How was it even possible... to catch a tuna in a lake this small...?” Siegfried asked, his face turning pale.

“Hoho! If my mind chooses to see this lake as an ocean, then it will become an ocean. What’s the big deal about catching a tuna by then? I perceive this place as an abundant pool, filled with all sorts of fish, be they freshwater or saltwater fish!”

“Haha... Hahaha...”

“Anything is possible if I will it, my disciple.”

“You are truly remarkable, Master.”

“Why be surprised by this little trick of mine? Hohoho!” Deus said, laughing heartily. Then, he looked at Siegfried and said in a serious tone, “My disciple.”

“Yes, Master?”

“You’ve used Divine Power, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I did, Master,” Siegfried replied. He was not surprised even a little that Deus was already aware of him using the mysterious power.

“The will of mortals is the greatest power of all.”

“Pardon me, Master?”

“If mana is the force that creates things, then Divine Power is the manifestation of a mortal’s will.”

“What... does that mean, Master?”

“Just keep it in mind for now. Soon, everything will make sense to you.”

“I will keep your teachings in my heart, Master.”

“Now, go on; I heard Blockhead is looking for you.”

“Yes, Master!” Siegfried bowed respectfully before taking his leave to seek out Sword Emperor Betelgeuse.

***

“Elder-nim!”

“Hello, Young Master.”

“Master has sent me to see you.”

“Of course, the elder always knows everything. Haha!”

“So, were you looking for me, Elder-nim?”

“Yes, Young Master. I intended to teach you one of my new techniques today.”

“Wait... could it be...?” Siegfried muttered, his eyes widening from surprise after recalling the recent report he received. Then, he asked carefully, “Is it that technique you used to slice through the Zavala Kingdom’s fleet...?”

“Precisely.”

“Whoa!”

Siegfried was genuinely surprised and overjoyed. The Sword Emperor’s secret technique, Quick Draw, was already powerful enough, but to gain access to an advanced form of that powerful skill was beyond what one could call lucky.

“But there’s a condition,” Betelgeuse said.

“What is it, Elder-nim?” Siegfried asked.

“First, take a look at this,” Betelgeuse replied while handing a single book.

[Alert: You have obtained Tome of Advancement: Blade Typhoon!]

The book was none other than a legendary skill book. A rare and powerful item that would turn Siegfried into the true successor of one of the continent’s Five Star Heavens, Sword Emperor Betelgeuse.