Debuff Master
Chapter 899

Chapter 899

A while ago, Siegfried had been chasing after Giorgetto by tracking him down using Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance.

“It is King Siegfried van Proa!”

“Salute to His Majesty!”

“Where are you rushing to, Your Majesty?”

While chasing down his prey, Siegfried ran into countless imperial troops. Most of them recognized who he was and saluted him, but he only had one his eyes set on Giorgetto.

However, he did not chase him right at his tail.

Giorgetto's strange cloaking ability was tricky to deal with, so it would be useless to do so. Instead, Siegfried followed Giorgetto like a stalker.

‘Hmm?’

Around one hour later, Siegfried saw a robe appear out of nowhere, and the moment it slid off, Giorgetto appeared like a mirage.

‘I knew it,’ Siegfried thought with a smirk.

It turned out Giorgetto had been erasing his presence using the robe that he was wearing instead of his own abilities.

The robe was the secret behind his ability to disappear completely. It was the secret behind the high-level cloaking ability.

[Robe of the Dead]

[A mystical robe that embodies the afterlife.]

[It is said that those who wear it can escape even death itself.]

[Type: Robe]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Durability: 1/1,000]

[Defense: 0]

[Magic Resistance: 0]

[Effects: +25% Movement Speed, Absolute Stealth]

[Note: Durability decreases when using Absolute Stealth.]

The Robe of the Dead was a treasure passed down through generations of the Marchioni Empire. The previous emperors of the empire once used the Robe of the Dead to escape life-threatening situations.

However, the robe had vanished when Emperor Stuttgart staged his rebellion.

Why? Because Giorgetto had inherited the Robe of the Dead right before the rebellion, and he immediately fled with it.

The robe allowed Giorgetto to escape getting caught by Stuttgart, giving him the chance to prepare his rebellion and ally with the Corals. Of course, it went without saying that Siegfried had no way of knowing about the robe’s backstory.

‘Oh? So you had something that good?’ Siegfried thought as his eyes were dripping with greed.

“H-How did you?!” Giorgetto shrieked, his voice trembling with disbelief.

The fact that Siegfried had chased him this far was shocking, as no one had ever tracked him down while he was wearing the Robe of the Dead.

However, that wasn't what shocked and terrified him the most.

‘D-Don’t tell me... he managed to kill Sirius?!’

Giorgetto felt crippling dread crawl up his skin after realizing that Siegfried could be extremely powerful. If Siegfried indeed managed to bring down Sirius, one of the most powerful Coral Warriors on the continent, and still had the luxury to chase after him...

‘I can sense that he’s strong, but I had no idea that he's a Master!’

A chill ran down Giorgetto’s spine. He never imagined that the young man chasing after him was a Master.

‘I need to get out of here, now!’

In a desperate bid to escape, Giorgetto scrambled to throw the robe back on, but...

“Kyaaaah!”

A black crow shot through the air like lightning and swooped down on him.

“Ack!” Giorgetto yelped in shock and stumbled backward.

It was then.

He lost his grip on the Robe of the Dead because the Three-Legged Crow had torn it away from his grip.

“Thank you!”

And just like that, a priceless treasure of the Marchioni Empire’s imperial family, the Robe of the Dead, fell into Siegfried’s hands.

[Alert: You have obtained Robe of the Dead!]

Well, it only had one durability left, making it only good for just one more use.

“Y-You son of a–!”

Giorgetto clenched his sword in anger after realizing that his family’s treasure had been stolen from him.

Fwoooosh!

A blue aura erupted from the sword and crackled in the air.

‘Oh? So this guy’s actually strong?’ Siegfried realized that Giorgetto was no pushover.

And he was right...

Giorgetto was strong. He was a Level 299 Royal Knight. He wasn't a Master, but he was far from weak. Well, he was still nothing more than an insect against Siegfried, who was already a Master.

“Die!” Giorgetto roared, unleashing a flurry of attacks.

However, his attacks weren't dangerous to Siegfried.

It was like a child throwing a tantrum against a war-hardened veteran warrior.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Siegfried effortlessly countered every attack. He did not even bother using debuffs and only used the moves he had learned from King Leonid.

And then...

Bam!

Siegfried threw a high kick straight into Giorgetto’s face.

“Kuheok!”

Giorgetto gasped as his teeth flew in the air.

Thud!

And just like that, he collapsed to the ground...

Whoosh!

Siegfried immediately pulled out the Brainwashing Tortoise Rope and started binding Giorgetto with the Ultimate Binding Technique: Tortoise Bind, completely immobilizing him in the most undignified and humiliating way possible.

Ding!

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

[Alert: You have completed the Quest – Hero of the Empire!]

[Alert: Turn Giorgetto over to Emperor Stuttgart and claim your reward!]

The man who had shaken the most powerful empire in the world for the past six months, Giorgetto, was finally captured.

***

“Y-You...!” Giorgetto’s face turned flushed red as he writhed in fury after being bound tightly by the Brainwashing Tortoise Rope. “How dare you?! You dare to humiliate me like this?!”

Siegfried scoffed and sneered, “Ha! Humiliate, my ass. You’re just the leader of a failed rebellion. Who the hell do you think you are by acting like some kind of big shot?”

“You insolent wretch!”

“Oh? Excuse me, are you the emperor?”

“I am the emperor!”

“Huh?”

Siegfried blinked a few times, momentarily at a loss for words at the sheer audacity.

“Didn’t the rebellion fail? Why the hell are you the emperor?”

“I am the rightful ruler of the Marchioni Empire! I am the only surviving legitimate imperial bloodline!”

“What?”

“If I am not the emperor, then who else could possibly be worthy of the throne?! Stuttgart? That accursed bastard who massacred the imperial family and seized power for himself?! That vile treacherous usurper can never be the true ruler of the great Marchioni Empire!”

“Well, I guess you have a point?” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

Everyone had their own stories, so he did not bother agreeing or disagreeing. Plus, bloodshed was the norm when it came to the succession of an empire, as power struggles between siblings were practically a law of nature.

It was only natural

Even Emperor Stuttgart staged the rebellion to guarantee his survival in such a cutthroat environment.

Siegfried did not even need to hear the details to know just how ruthless and brutal that battle for the throne must have been.

“What is... your name?” Giorgetto asked suddenly.

“Huh?”

“I asked for your name.”

“Me? My name is Siegfried van Proa.”

“So you must be the favored Adventurer of that bastard, Stuttgart.”

It seemed that even Giorgetto had already heard rumors about Siegfried.

“If it hadn't been for you, I could have killed Stuttgart during the World Peace Conference...”

“Hehe! Did I accidentally get in your way? Whoopsie! My bad!” Siegfried chuckled while scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

“Y-You!”

Giorgetto trembled with rage and looked as if he would drop dead from his blood pressure shooting up.

“Enough of this. Let’s go, you damn rebel,” Siegfried scowled, dragging Giorgetto across the ground.

“Argh!”

“Thanks to you, I’m gonna be in the black this month. I’m gonna be flushed this month!”

“W-Wait! Listen to what I have to say, Siegfried van Proa!” Giorgetto shouted.

“Hmm?”

“Join me, Siegfried!”

“The hell are you saying...?”

“Help me reclaim my throne!”

“What...?”

“With your strength, you can help restore me to the throne! Stand by my side and assist me in taking back the Marchioni Empire! In return, I will grant you half of the world!”

Then, a quest message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[A Tempting Whisper: Crossroads]

[Think carefully before deciding whether to accept Giorgetto’s offer or not.]

[Type: Epic Quest]

[Reward: Immeasurable]

[Progress: 0% (0/1)

[Note: The outcome of this quest could change everything.]

An Epic Quest.

Siegfried was now standing in front of a crossroad that was directly tied to the storyline of BNW.

His choice could reshape the future of the Nurburg Continent.

***

“Siegfried van Proa! If you help me reclaim the Marchioni Empire, then I will grant you half of the world in return!” Giorgetto pleaded desperately.

“Hmm... Half of the world...” Siegfried muttered, rubbing his chin.

“Yes! Not just a small kingdom like the Proatine Kingdom! You can have authority to rule over half of the world itself! You can stand alongside me as an emperor!”

“What?!” Siegfried gasped, and his eyes widened in shock at that one word, "Emperor."

A title above kings. It was the highest title a human being could ever obtain in this world.

Even rulers of mighty nations did not dare to covet such a title.

“I swear on my name! I have never once betrayed the loyalty of those who have served me with devotion!”

“Hmm...”

“So help me! I will treat you far better than that bastard Stuttgart ever would!”

“It’s certainly a tempting offer...” Siegfried muttered, pondering for a moment. Then, he said, “But if I help you, that means betraying Emperor Stuttgart, right? He’s not just gonna sit back and take that. The Proatine Kingdom will be reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.”

“What does that matter?!”

“Huh?”

“A tiny kingdom like that is worth nothing! Why do you care if it disappears when you’ll be gaining half of the world in return?!”

“...”

“This is an investment of a lifetime, Siegfried! Even if you lose everything you have right now, you’ll be able to rule half the world! You’re giving up something small to gain something far greater! Why are you hesitating?!”

“But I have to think about my family—”

“Pfft! What’s the big deal about that? You can always make another family! Once you become emperor, having three wives and four concubines will be nothing! You could have hundreds of the most beautiful women in this world waiting for your summon! You can father hundreds of children with them!”

It was then.

‘Look at this bastard,’ Siegfried growled inwardly. Giorgetto's words had soured his mood.

Giorgetto's nonsense rubbed Siegfried the wrong way.

Unfortunately, the man seemed oblivious to Siegfried’s growing irritation and continued running his mouth passionately.

“Siegfried! The Coral Race’s second expeditionary fleet is arriving soon! Once they get here, it is only a matter of time before I regain what’s rightfully mine! I’m sure you’ve seen how powerful they are! Their technology! Their civilization! Their might surpasses everything in this world! We have no chance of winning against them!”

“So what?”

“They promised to support me! All I need to do is survive! Then, I will reclaim the Marchioni Empire and rule over the world!”

“And what about the people? If an alien race keeps invading, won’t that just plunge the world into endless war? The people will end up suffering.”

“That’s only temporary hardship.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Once I reclaim the throne, I will rule with benevolence and make sure everyone is taken care–”

“Yeah, right,” Siegfried scoffed, cutting him off. Then, he said firmly, “This world will be nothing but a colony for the Corals. What makes you think you’ll get to rule anything?”

“N-No!”

“You’ll just be their puppet. A puppet without any authority.”

“T-That’s not true! Once I ascend the throne, I’ll drive them out and rule with–!”

It was then.

Smack!

Siegfried kicked Giorgetto’s butt.

“GUWAAH!”

Bound from head to toe, Giorgetto face-planted into the ground, as he had no way to brace himself.

“Hey, you really should come up with something better if you’re gonna try scamming me,” Siegfried scowled.

Without hesitation, Siegfried began kicking the living crap out of Giorgetto.

[Alert: You have rejected Giorgetto’s offer!]

[Alert: You have cleared the Quest – A Tempting Whisper: Crossroads!]

[Alert: May the consequences of your choice be in your favor!]

Siegfried barely spared a glance at the notification.

Why?

It was all because he was busy stomping the living crap out of the only living imperial bloodline, Giorgetto von Posteriore.