Debuff Master-Chapter 861

A battle broke out.

Boom!

Siegfried smashed Axion’s head with the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp one more time before jumping into the fray.

He was the embodiment of death itself.

Ssseuuu...!

He activated Eraser Swarm and began "erasing" the knights and soldiers without mercy.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

“Aaack!”

“S-Spare me!”

The knights and soldiers stood no chance against the concentrated radioactive energy that Siegfried was emitting.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

One by one, they dropped like insects sprayed with bug spray. They writhed and convulsed violently before succumbing to their deaths.

Other than him, the Head Crusher Guild members and Mandate of Heaven Guild members were quite the force to be reckoned with. The lowest level among them was a whopping Level 250, and most of them were already at Level 299.

In other words, the Palom Kingdom’s knights and soldiers stood no chance from the beginning.

After ten minutes of pure carnage, Siegfried finally stopped emitting radioactive energy and surveyed his surroundings.

There were corpses everywhere. The area was filled with the bodies of those who died from radiation poisoning or were on the brink of death. In mere minutes, the two-thousand-strong army of the mighty Palom Kingdom was completely annihilated.

“Hey, nephew. Are you going to be okay?” Yong Tae-Pung asked with a concerned look.

“Hmm? Why would it be a problem, uncle?” Siegfried asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Well, the Execution Guild is one thing, but the Palom Kingdom is a major powerhouse. What if this leads to war?”

“Ah, you do not have to worry about that.”

“Eh? Why not?”

“Because they are on the other side of the continent,” Siegfried replied with a smirk.

“Ah!” Yong Tae-Pung gasped after recalling that the two kingdoms were basically located on opposite ends of the continent.

The Proatine Kingdom was located near the now-vanished Western Great Rift, while the Palom Kingdom bordered the Eastern Great Rift.

Even if tensions rose between the two kingdoms, the vast distance made an all-out war impossible. There could be diplomatic disputes, espionage, subterfuge, and small skirmishes, but not an actual war.

“And with the World Peace Council effectively paralyzed, it will not be easy for the NPCs to crack down on any chaos caused by the Adventurers,” Siegfried added. Then, he grinned from ear to ear and said, “So, what I’m saying is... we can go wild here! Kekeke!”

Yong Tae-Pung felt a chill run down his spine. The devilish grin Siegfried was showing made him question whether he wanted him as his future son-in-law or not.

‘Hmm... Even I wasn’t this diabolical back in my younger wild days...’ Yong Tae-Pung thought.

Meanwhile, Siegfried turned his attention to the knights and soldiers of the Palom Kingdom, who were still alive but in extreme agony.

“Those who are still alive...”

Ignoring Yong Tae-Pung, he approached the knights and soldiers, injecting them with radioactive microbes.

[Alert: You have created a Radioactive Ghoul!]

[Alert: You have created a Radioactive Ghoul!]

[Alert: You have created a Radioactive Ghoul!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have created a Radioactive Ghoul!]

Within moments, more than one hundred fifty Radioactive Ghouls were created, and they knelt before Siegfried. Their glowing green eyes radiated with compressed radioactive energy, and they looked ready to explode like a bomb at any given moment.

“We greet our master.”

“We greet our master.”

“We greet our master.”

Siegfried gave his command to the ghoul kneeling at the forefront, which looked like the one with the highest rank.

“Report back to command and say you lost the battle,” Siegfried commanded. Then, he added, “And also, pick the perfect moment to blow yourself up. You know what I mean, right?”

“Yes, Master.”

“The same goes for the rest of you. Cause as many casualties as possible. When you think it’s the right time and place, just explode,” Siegfried commanded.

“As you command, Master.”

The ghouls received their orders and headed back to their base, which was now their target. Their mission was to unleash devastating bombings against the country they once called their motherland.

“I hope they like my gift. Kekeke!” Siegfried cackled with a mischievous grin, sincerely wishing his enemies would appreciate the gesture.

“Hmm... The Palom Kingdom is getting involved in this. What do you think will happen?” Yong Tae-Pung asked.

“It seems like that, but a large-scale war seems unlikely,” Siegfried replied.

“Why do you think so?”

“With the Marchioni Empire’s civil war and the tensions between kingdoms, pulling too many troops to this side would leave their borders vulnerable.”

“Ah, I see!”

“They will probably deploy some knights and soldiers, but it will not be anything overwhelming.”

As a king, Siegfried was now well-versed in international politics, so he could easily predict the Palom Kingdom’s moves.

“And if the Execution Guild is in cahoots with the Palom Kingdom, then... Well, let’s just say I have my ways of dealing with them. Hehehe...!”

The way Siegfried grinned and started laughing under his breath made Yong Tae-Pung uneasy.

‘What in the world is he planning this time? Whatever it is, I have a feeling it’s going to be evil...’ Yong Tae-Pung thought.

He couldn't read Siegfried’s mind, but he knew that the young man possessed the brain and personality to royally screw his enemies.

***

Two days ago, Alexei visited the Palom Kingdom, a mighty nation neighboring the Eastern Great Rift that possessed a mighty army, to make a business proposal regarding the A-Grade mana stone mine.

From Alexei’s perspective, it was better to share the mine with the Palom Kingdom on a fifty-fifty basis than to lose the entire thing to Siegfried.

Unsurprisingly, the Palom Kingdom readily accepted Alexei’s proposal. For them, Alexei’s offer was like a bag of gold suddenly falling on their lap, an unexpected windfall. The economic value of an A-Grade mana stone mine was immense, and it was akin to discovering an oil field in the real world.

Moreover, the Palom Kingdom had been facing international pressure for years to manage the Eastern Great Rift. However, they had been giving various excuses to avoid having to shoulder the responsibility.

Why?

The reason was simple. The Great Rift was no different from a ticking time bomb, and assuming responsibility for it was a heavy burden even for a mighty kingdom. However, the Execution Guild suddenly appeared and proposed sharing the mana stone mine while the guild would manage the Great Rift.

For the Palom Kingdom, the deal was too good to pass up.

“Splendid! The Kingdom of Palom will gladly aid you, Sir Alexei! Hahaha!”

Thus, the Palom Kingdom granted Alexei the rank of marquis, knighted him, and even established strong relations with him. Of course, it went without saying that Palom’s army would support Alexei in the upcoming war.

Today.

“Hahaha! Worry not! By now, that petty king and his merry band of Adventurers must have been driven out of the Eastern Great Rift by now!” Duke Erlin of the Palom Kingdom exclaimed with brimming confidence while talking to Alexei.

In Duke Erlin’s eyes, Siegfried was no match for the Palom Kingdom’s might. He was aware that the Proatine Kingdom was a rising power that had defeated the Zavala Kingdom in war.

However, Duke Erlin’s pride in his nation and confidence in its military still led him to view the Proatine Kingdom as a minor upstart kingdom.

Despite being a powerhouse, the Palom Kingdom was smaller in both size and population compared to other nations. However, the reason they became a powerhouse on the continent was their extraordinarily powerful military.

The Palom Kingdom possessed a highly advanced golem manufacturing industry, and it allowed them to fully mechanize their army—a feat other kingdoms hadn't been able to do.

“I will be in your care, Duke Erlin,” Alexei said with a bow. He smirked and relished in his victory, ‘You won’t be able to defeat me when a great power is backing me, Han Tae-Sung. You can struggle as much as you want, but I’ll be the one to take the victory spoils.’

It was then.

“Your Grace!”

A messenger rushed in with urgent news.

“What’s the commotion? Can’t you see I’m speaking with Sir Alexei here?” Duke Erlin frowned as he turned to the messenger.

The messenger hesitated before delivering the report, “Well... the thing is, Your Grace... King Siegfried van Proa has completely annihilated our troops stationed near the rift!”

“What?! That damned upstart brat dared to kill my knights and soldiers?!” Duke Erlin exclaimed, shooting up to his feet with his eyes wide open in shock.

“Y-Yes, Your Grace!”

“That insolent wretch!” Duke Erlin fumed, his face twisting in fury. Then, he scoffed and raged, “Ha! What an arrogant fool he is! Does he really think my kingdom is the same as that loser, the Zavala Kingdom?!”

“Y-Your Grace! Please compose yourse—”

“How can I stay calm?! That upstart king dared to kill my men! This is a blatant declaration of war! I must report this to Her Majesty and demand that retribution be dealt with swiftly!” Duke Erlin raged. Then, he looked at the messenger and asked, “How many survivors managed to return?”

“Approximately one hundred fifty men have made it back and are currently receiving medical treatment.”

“Bring me the highest-ranking one among the survivors at once.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Thirty minutes later, the messenger brought in Enox, the deputy commander and the higher-ranking soldier among the survivors of the battle.

“Explain what happened. Give me a detailed report of the situation. Bear in mind that this will be reported directly to Her Majesty, so not a single lie or exaggeration will be tolerated,” Duke Erlin commanded.

“Yes, Your Grace. Regarding the events that took place at the...” Enox replied before trailing his words.

“Well? Speak!” Duke Erlin fumed, frustrated at the delay.

“...Long live the Proatine Kingdom,” Enox murmured under his breath.

“What did you say?” Duke Erlin raised a brow.

He thought he had misheard the soldier, but before he could react—

“NO!” Alexei screamed.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Boom!

Enox exploded, unleashing a surge of radioactive energy that filled the room. The Nuclear Bomb terrorist attack strategy that Siegfried had devised was a "resounding" success.

***

Thud!

Duke Erlin was killed on the spot. He succumbed to the explosion before the radioactive energy could poison him. On the other hand, Alexei barely survived, thanks to his high stats, but about thirty percent of his HP was wiped out as a result.

“Argh...!”

Groaning in pain, Alexei struggled to his feet. He opened his Inventory and took out an HP potion, quickly chugging it down while surveying the carnage around him.

The room was an absolute mess. There was blood splattered everywhere, with chunks of flesh and limbs strewn on the floor. The explosion had left the corpses of the messenger and the duke in a gruesome state, making both of them barely recognizable.

To make matters worse, a green mist filled the room, stinging Alexei’s eyes and making it difficult for him to breathe.

“T-That insane bastard... Has he always been capable of pulling something this vile?” Alexei grumbled under his breath.

It was then.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: You have been afflicted with Radiation Poisoning!]

[A warning message popped up in front of Alexei’s eyes.

“What?!”

His eyes widened when he saw his HP bar rapidly depleting.

[Alert: Your HP is decreasing!]

[Alert: Your HP is decreasing!]

[Alert: Your HP is decreasing!]

His HP was dropping so fast that his vision was already blurry and gray by the time he realized what was going on.

‘How is this even possible?! My poison resistance should’ve been able to...!’

Alexei was in utter shock and disbelief. At Level 299, his Poison Resistance was so high that most toxins could not even affect him, let alone poison him. However, there was no time to dwell on it.

Click...!

Chwaaak!

Alexei took out an antidote from his Inventory and gulped it down before tearing open an antidote scroll as well. However, he was losing HP faster than he could drink and tear an antidote scroll.

[Alert: Your HP is decreasing!]

[Alert: Your HP is decreasing!]

[Alert: Your HP has hit 0!] freёwebnoѵel.com

It was then.

[Alert: You are no longer afflicted by Radiation Poisoning!]

He received a message telling him that the antidote potion and antidote scroll had successfully neutralized the poison, but it was too late.

Thud!

Alexei collapsed lifelessly to the floor. The antidote had neutralized the poison, but his HP dropped to zero at the same time.