Debuff Master
Chapter 900

Chapter 900

Puk! Puk! Pukeok!

Siegfried mercilessly stomped on Giorgetto as if he was really trying to kill him. —

“Ack! Aaargh! S-Stop this at—aaaack!”

Bound from head to toe, Giorgetto had no way to defend himself. He could not do anything but scream while being subjected to the relentless kicks raining down on him.

“I hate guys like you. I really, really can’t stand your kind,” Siegfried spat out with a look of utter contempt.

He was really furious.

To be fair, Giorgetto’s desire to reclaim what he believed to be rightfully his was not entirely unjustified. From his perspective, he had every right to seek revenge against Emperor Stuttgart and take back the throne.

But his way of thinking was simply far too repulsive.

To him, it did not matter how much suffering the people went through, both in the empire and throughout the continent, as long as he could reclaim the throne.

He was willing to let this world become a colony of the Coral Race just so he could achieve his own goals.

A colony where the people of this world would be oppressed, exploited, and ruled with an iron fist by outsiders.

What about the offer he made to Siegfried? That was even more repulsive.

Giorgetto treated everything Siegfried had bled and struggled to build as nothing more than a used piece of rag that could be thrown away at any time and replaced with a new one.

He dared to say that Siegfried could simply abandon the Proatine Kingdom, his wife, and his child while promising that he would easily replace them with something better.

What kind of ruler would a man like this become once he gained control of the Marchioni Empire?

It was quite obvious—a tyrant.

“Wow... This bastard is just rotten to his core. You’re willing to sell the whole world to a bunch of aliens just so you can sit on a damn throne?”

“T-This world was...! Guh! Mine to begin with! As the Emperor of the Great Marchioni Empire! I am the rightful master of this world!”

Technically, Giorgetto was not wrong.

But just because he was of imperial bloodline did not mean he had the right to sell the whole world to a bunch of aliens.

“Just die already.”

“Kuheok!”

“You worthless piece of trash.”

“Aaaack!”

“Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve put me through?!” Siegfried growled as he slammed his boot into Giorgetto’s that part.

“AAAAAARGH!”

“Do you have any idea how much suffering I’ve had to endure because of your bullshit?!”

It was true.

Thanks to Giorgetto’s rebellion, the Zavala Kingdom obtained space to declare war on the Proatine Kingdom.

Siegfried was forced into one battle after another, and it was all because of this bastard.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

He did not stop until Giorgetto was completely beaten to a pulp.

Bam! Bam!

It was then.

The elite knights of the Marchioni Empire emerged one after another.

And at their center was someone very familiar.

“Did you really have to beat my dear brother to a pulp like that?” Emperor Stuttgart spoke, looking at Siegfried with an amused smile.

For whatever reason, the emperor decided to personally take part in capturing the rebel leader, Giorgetto von Posteriore.

***

“Your Imperial Majesty.”

The moment Emperor Stuttgart appeared, Siegfried immediately dropped to one knee and paid his utmost respect to his boss.

‘What? There were five more Masters?’ He was shocked after seeing the emperor’s escorts.

It turned out that the three Great Wizards weren't the only powerful experts in the emperor’s entourage. There were numerous Level 299 knights and five knights at Level 350.

‘Just how many hidden Masters does he have...?’ Siegfried wondered.

Emperor Stuttgart had a staggering eight Masters above Level 300. If Duke Randoll, a member of the Five Star Heavens, was included, then that number rose to nine.

The more he got to know the emperor, the more he became aware of the emperor's might.

‘No wonder the rebellion failed. They never stood a chance to begin with.’

While Siegfried was lost in his own thoughts, Emperor Stuttgart approached him with a smile.

“Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Can you stop beating my dear brother?”

“A-As you command, my lord.”

“I am well aware that he led a rebellion, but he is still a member of the imperial family. It would not look good to have him beaten so badly in public, now would it?”

“Haha... Hahaha...”

It was then.

“Schtu... garttu...! You bashta...! You damn traytoo—!” Giorgetto roared, his voice filled with rage.

“Put him to sleep,” Emperor Stuttgart commanded.

At his command, one of the three Great Wizards cast a spell.

“You—!”

And just like that, Giorgetto collapsed without even having the chance to curse the man who took everything from him.

“You’re meeting your younger brother for the first time in decades, yet the first thing you do is utter such crude words,” Emperor Stuttgart said with a smile.

A chill shot down Siegfried’s spine.

The emperor sounded gentle just now, but underneath those gentle words and sweet smile was a killing intent as sharp as a blade.

“Siegfried van Proa,” Emperor Stuttgart called out.

“Yes, my lord?”

“Once again, you have solved one of my problems.”

“I merely did my duties as your humble servant, sire.”

“It is reassuring to have you around.”

“I am deeply honored, my lord.”

“I shall bestow upon you a great reward soon, once this is over.”

“Your grace is immeasurable, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“For now, let us continue this somewhere else,” Emperor Stuttgart said.

At those words, the three Great Wizards began forming a warp magic circle.

“The barrier stays up. As long as even a single rebel remains, it must not be lifted,” Emperor Stuttgart commanded.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!”

“Leave none behind. Eradicate everyone and everything that took part in this rebellion.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!”

After issuing his commands, Emperor Stuttgart turned and said, “And you, Siegfried van Proa. You shall accompany me for a while.”

“As you command, my lord.”

At that moment, the warp magic activated.

Emperor Stuttgart along with his entourage and Siegfried were transported elsewhere.

***

[Capital of the Marchioni Empire: Somewhere In the Palace of Blood]

Emperor Stuttgart and his entourage, along with Siegfried, found themselves within the Imperial Palace of the Marchioni Empire, the Palace of Blood.

“See that my dear brother is well taken care of,” Emperor Stuttgart commanded.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

After entrusting Giorgetto to his men, the emperor led Siegfried to his office.

‘Tsk, tsk... You’re screwed now, buddy,’ Siegfried thought, clicking his tongue inwardly as he watched Giorgetto being dragged away.

The future was bleak for him, as only unimaginable torture and a miserable death awaited him.

After arriving at the emperor’s office—

“You’ve done well once again, Siegfried van Proa,” Emperor Stuttgart said while personally pouring a glass of whiskey for Siegfried.

“Your grace is immeasurable, my lord,” Siegfried replied with a courteous bow as he received the glass.

A drink personally bestowed by the emperor.

Siegfried immediately downed the whiskey in a single gulp.

After all, it was proper etiquette to drink in one shot when someone of superior rank poured you a glass.[1]

After downing the whiskey, Siegfried suddenly remembered something.

“Ah, I have acquired a vital piece of information, my lord.”

“Vital information? Speak.”

“The Coral Race is sending a second expeditionary invasion force.”

“The Corals?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“We’ve received no such intelligence report. Are you certain of the source?”

“A Coral Warrior named Sirius told Giorgetto directly. He claimed that as long as he survived, the second expeditionary force would arrive soon, helping him reclaim the throne.”

“That is indeed significant information,” Emperor Stuttgart replied, his face slightly turning serious. Then, he went on, “Dealing with an invasion from the Coral Race will not be an easy matter, even for me.”

“Is that so?”

“Their individual combat prowess is simply on a different level from us humans. Even a low-ranking Coral soldier could take on thirty of our knights alone. No matter how powerful I am, even I would struggle against them despite my army.”

“What?!”

“Their world is said to have a population in the billions.”

“...!”

“If they launch a large-scale invasion, this world will, without a doubt, become their colony.”

Siegfried realized this was not an issue to be taken lightly after hearing the emperor’s words.

“Then what should we do, my lord?”

Emperor Stuttgart replied in a firm, unwavering voice, “As the Emperor of the Grand Marchioni Empire, I will invade the Coral Race’s world first.”

“Ehh?!” Siegfried shrieked, shocked by the emperor’s words.

They were at a disadvantage, yet he wanted to launch an invasion instead?

This was truly something that no one else could think of except for him.

“We cannot allow this world to become a battlefield.”

“But...”

“We will establish a forward base in their world and dispatch an expedition force. Also, we will send Adventurers to fight against the Coral Race in their own land.”

“Oh!” Siegfried gasped, impressed by the emperor’s ingenuine plan.

Using the otherworldly beings who descended from another world to fight against another otherworldly race.

‘Using barbarians to fight barbarians...’

It was the perfect execution of that very strategy.

“Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“I want you to lead that expeditionary force.”

“...!”

“Of course, it won’t be happening immediately. The empire still needs time to recover from the civil war.”

Siegfried clenched his fist tightly and replied, “If Your Imperial Majesty entrusts me with the task, I will see it through with all my might.”

This was a very good proposal for Siegfried.

He already tasted the tons of Experience Points that the Coralites offered upon death. In addition, waging war in their world meant that it was the start of a whole new content for the game.

In other words, this was the opportunity for Siegfried to be the first to enjoy the new content while gaining massive Experience Points at the same time.

“You are as reliable as ever, Siegfried van Proa. I feel at ease knowing I can entrust this great task to you,” Emperor Stuttgart said with a smile.

“Your grace is truly as vast as the ocean, my lord.”

“I plan to host a grand official ceremony soon in honor of your great contributions. Can you grant me some of your time for such formality?”

“Please, I am always at Your Imperial Majesty’s command.”

Needless to say, the said official ceremony would include the immeasurable rewards.

‘I wonder what he will give me this time? Hehehe!’

Siegfried had to exert superhuman self-control to suppress the excitement swelling within him as he eagerly anticipated what immeasurable reward awaited him.

***

After wrapping up the small talk with Emperor Stuttgart, Siegfried finally excused himself.

“Then, we’ll meet again soon.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Just as Siegfried was about to leave—

“Your Imperial Majesty.”

Duke Neighdelberg approached and bowed low, showing respect to Emperor Stuttgart.

Two years ago, when Siegfried first met him, Neighdelberg was nothing more than a lowly baron, but now, he had risen to become a duke

‘What exactly does this guy even do?’ Siegfried wondered.

He had been wondering about this for quite some time, but there was little to no information available.

Even when he used the Rune of Insight to examine him, nothing showed up aside from the fact that he was an ordinary NPC without any combat capabilities. He was a mere Level 25 NPC, a bureaucrat with nothing particularly noteworthy.

“An Adventurer named Cain, the King of the Kingdom of Arkasas, has come seeking an audience with Your Imperial Majesty,” Duke Neighdelberg said.

It was then.

‘Huh?’ Siegfried’s ears perked up.

The Arkasas Kingdom was the name of the kingdom that the Adventurers had established.

And Cain? He was the Guild Master of the Seraphim Guild, who was known to be a mysterious and enigmatic person.

However, that man had actually come to request an audience with Emperor Stuttgart.

‘Why is he here, though?’ Siegfried could not help but wonder about Cain’s true intentions.

“A king of a nation established by Adventurers, is it?”

Emperor Stuttgart seemed intrigued by the unexpected visit, judging by the faint and brief change in his expression that flickered.

“Tell him to wait a moment. I will meet him shortly.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Duke Neighdelberg said with a bow. Then, he took a few steps backward before withdrawing fully from the emperor’s presence.

1. This is more of a Korean culture. Just in case this doesn’t make sense. ☜

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