Debuff Master

Chapter 733

While the Proatine Alliance was getting prepared for the Zavala Kingdom’s imminent full-scale assault, Carell was in the middle of a battlefield somewhere else.

“Haa... Haa...” Carell gasped before letting go of the sword gripped strongly in his hand. A knight relinquishing his sword in battle was almost similar to surrendering his life itself, but he seemed ignorant to the fact that his sword had fallen out of his hand.

Thud! Clang!

Carell collapsed to the ground as soon as the sword dropped to the ground.

He sprawled out on the ground with his arms and legs stretched wide.

“Haa... Haa... Haha... Hahaha... Hahahaha!" Carell burst out into a peal of uproarious laughter. His armor was in tatters like an old rag, his hair tangled by dried blood, and his face turned into a canvas of bloodstains and charred marks. He looked more like a beggar than a commander, yet this only proved just how intense the battle had been.

The fact that he, the commander, had to fight with his sword in hand showed just how desperate the battle was. A commander fighting on the frontlines was a scenario resolved as a last resort right before being overrun and defeated by the enemy.

However, he sprawled out on the ground, laughing like a madman.

“Hahaha! Hahahaha!” Carell laughed even louder, but his laughter was one of triumph rather than defeat.

“W-We won!”

“We won! We won!”

“Long live the Proatine Kingdom!”

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

Waaaaaaah!

The soldiers on the southern front unleashed their victorious cry that reverberated across the battlefield. The Proatine Forces—led by Carell—successfully repelled the Bayerische Kingdom’s invasion and held the southern front.

However, this was just the beginning.

The overstretched and overzealous Bayerische Forces were forced to pay a heavy price in the form of losing seventy percent of their manpower in this reckless invasion.

They were blinded by greed to reclaim their territories and occupy the Proatine Kingdom’s lands that they charged into the rugged mountain terrains, causing them to sacrifice their troops in vain.

Gringore staggered over, pale and battered. He extended a hand to Carell, saying, “You did well, Sir Carell.”

His voice was so hoarse and raspy that nobody would recognize his voice. He had abused his voice for days just to wreak havoc on the enemy, and his nonstop singing ravaged his vocal cords.

However, his songs inflicted massive casualties on the Bayerische Forces, and he was widely recognized as one of the heroes who had brought this hard-earned victory.

Gringore had taken most of the spotlight, but he was far from alone in this struggle.

There was Lamborghini, Cesc, the Weapon Maestros, Yong Seol-Hwa, Gosran, Seung-Gu, Daytona, the Head Crusher Guild, the Mandate of Heaven Guild, Yong Tae-Pung, Kim Gi-Tae, Han Sang-Gi, Kim Han-Yong, and Park Gi-Don.

Every single one of them had fought relentlessly for days on end until they were utterly spent. However, none of that mattered anymore, as they had won the war.

The Bayerische Forces were decimated and forced to retreat after suffering tremendous losses, and they could no longer pose a credible threat to the Proatine Kingdom.

If they were to attempt another invasion, they'd exhaust the little military power they had left.

“Thank you for everything,” Carell replied and grabbed Gringore’s extended hand. Then, he rose to his feet and said, “The report... We must deliver the news of victory to His Majesty.”

Carell limped to the communications room to relay the news of their victory to Siegfried.

***

Meanwhile, the Nordic Marines led by Lionbreath clashed with the Zavala Kingdom’s fleet along the Piaro River.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Zavala Kingdom’s fleet fired their cannons relentlessly at the Nordic Tribe’s Aqua Runners, but they failed to hit a single one of them.

The Aqua Runners were renowned for their remarkable agility and ability to maneuver with precision while maintaining balance even amid towering waves, so it was no wonder that the Nordic Tribe were called the rulers of the Northern Sea.

However, the Aqua Runners lacked the firepower needed to sink battleships outright, so Lionbreath came up with a unique tactic that took advantage of the Aqua Runners' incredible speeds.

He ordered his men to attach the same C4 explosives used to devastate the Zavala Forces’ camp before zipping away so that the enemy wouldn't notice what was happening.

The strategy was only feasible thanks to the Aqua Runners’ unparalleled speed.

The Zavala Fleet’s commander watched as the Aqua Runners approach their ships only to run away almost immediately.

“What are they doing?” he grumbled, puzzled at the bizarre sight. The Nordic Tribe was supposed to have boarded their ships by now if they intended to fight, but they ran away as soon as they got close to their ships.

Of course, the Nordic Tribesmen would have faced certain death if they had done that, as the Zavala Fleet had hardened warriors on board, ready to kill anyone daring enough to board their ships.

“Haha! Those self-proclaimed rulers of the Northern Sea are nothing more than cowardly rats—”

It was then.

Boom! Boom! BOOM!

Explosions erupted from the commander’s ship, and it listed heavily.

“What?! W-What’s happening?!”

“Commander! An explosion! Our hull has been torn open!”

“What?! How?!”

As soon as the commander's words fell...

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kaboom!

More explosions shattered the hulls of the other battleships, and they immediately took in water.

“...!”

The commander was stunned by the sudden development, but his face hardened the moment he pieced things together.

“So that’s why... they came so close only to leave...” he growled under his breath.

“S-Sir! The entire fleet is sinking!”

“...”

“All of our ships are sinking fast, sir!”

“All personnel... abandon ship at once...” the commander ordered weakly. Then, he took a cigar from his pocket, lit it with a flint, and inhaled deeply to let the smoke fill his lungs before slowly puffing it out.

“Sir! Please evacuate!”

“I will not leave. All hands, abandon ship at once.”

“Sir!”

“A captain will not abandon his ship even if it sinks.”

“B-But sir...!”

“Go,” the commander said, his tone sounding firm. Then, he smiled weakly and muttered, “How many of our men will end up buried in the Piaro River today? Dying here... is the only way left for me to keep my honor as a sailor...”

The Zavala Kingdom equipped their battleships with emergency lifeboats, but there weren't enough emergency lifeboats here, as these ships were transporting ground troops to the frontlines.

In other words, a significant number of soldiers aboard today were doomed to sink into the icy waters of the Piaro River.

“Make haste and evacuate,” the commander said, taking another puff of his cigar. Then, he poured himself a glass of whiskey, drank it, and closed his eyes.

However, Lionbreath was far from satisfied with merely sinking the Zavala Fleet.

“Nordic Warriors! Heed my call! It’s hunting time!” he roared, rallying his warriors. He then led them toward the sinking fleet. Then, he flashed a bloodthirsty grin and shouted, “Kill them all!”

“A-Aaah!”

“Ack!”

“N-No! Stay back!”

“Argghhh!”

“Blurb! Blurb!”

“M-Mercy! Have mercy!” Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The soldiers aboard the lifeboats were sitting ducks, and the Nordic Warriors slaughtered them mercilessly.

“Don’t let a single one of these bastards get away! Kill every last one of them!” Lionbreath roared.

“Kill them all!”

“Time to die!”

The Nordic Warriors hunted down every single Zavala soldier, including those swimming desperately for the shores. Soon, the Piaro River ran red with the blood of the Zavala soldiers murdered in it.

A river of blood.

Lionbreath and the Nordic Warriors showed no mercy, zipping around the river and killing every single enemy soldier. Their ruthlessness and fervor showed everyone that they were not going to let even a single enemy soldier live to tell the tale of why the Piaro River ran red that day.

***

Meanwhile, the Proatine Kingdom’s air forces lurked in the sky, where the Zavala Kingdom’s transport airships were scheduled to pass.

Leading a fleet of nimble fighter planes, Lieutenant General Cork kept his eyes peeled, patiently waiting for the enemy airships.

Just then, Cork spotted the Zavala airships, and he immediately led his squadron behind the enemy convoy.

“Enemy transport in sight! Shoot 'em down!” Cork ordered, “Fire!”

Lieutenant General Cork’s squadron of light fighter planes fired upon the Zavalan transport airships. However, the convoy was guarded by an escort of light aircraft and wyvern riders; they immediately reacted to protect the transport airships.

The skirmish was intense at first. Bursts of flames tore apart the sky as dogfights between the two aerial forces ensued, but the Proatine Kingdom’s aerial units were slowly establishing air superiority as the minutes passed.

Most people would be surprised by this outcome, but this outcome was inevitable. The Proatine Kingdom’s new fighter planes were designed based on the Huracan, which was a Super Airship designed by a dragon.

On top of that, Cork and his pilots were seasoned veterans of the Marchioni Empire’s air force, which was famous for picking only the cream of the crop from across the continent. Thus, the superiority and dominance they displayed in this aerial battle was no mere coincidence.

Twenty minutes into the battle, the Proatine Kingdom’s air forces shot down the Zavala Kingdom’s light aircraft and wyvern riders tasked to escort the supply transport airships.

The combination of superior airship specifications and outstanding pilots secured the Proatine Kingdom a decisive victory in the skies.

What came next?

“There’s no need to rush. Take them down at your own pace. These transports are now sitting ducks,” Cork ordered calmly.

The Zavala transport airships were equipped with cannons, too, but the fact that they were designed for transporting troops and supplies meant that they lagged far behind in terms of maneuverability compared to light aircraft.

Against the Proatine Kingdom’s agile new fighter planes, these transport airships were nothing but a giant moving target for practice.

One by one, the transport airships fell; not a single one of them was spared that day.

Not a single one.

It was a complete annihilation.

***

The battle between the Proatine Alliance and Zavala Forces raged on at the O'Toul Fortress. Both sides had decided to go all out; the ferocity and desperation in the air were unlike any of the previous battles before this.

Duke Decimato unleashed devastating top-tier AoE spells, tearing apart the waves of enemy soldiers. He cast so many spells that even the High-Speed Mana Charger was entirely drained of mana.

The three Masters pushed themselves to their limits, transforming the battlefield into a chaotic slaughterhouse.

Siegfried also placed down every debuff field in his arsenal to weaken the enemy while unleashing a flurry of attacks that were as strong as the Masters' attacks.

However, the Proatine Alliance soldiers, exhausted from the relentless combat for days on end, were both mentally and physically tired.

“Ughh...!”

“Just... a bit more...!”

“My body won’t move...”

The soldiers collapsed one after another mid-battle as the fatigue from the drawn-out battles took over them. Even Siegfried, the three Masters, and Duke Decimato started struggling as fatigue engulfed them.

Approximately four hours into the battle, they finally started to falter.

“Ugh!” Duke Decimato gasped, falling to his knees after depleting his mana reserves.

“Argh!” Lohengrin, covered in shallow cuts all over, staggered. He barely managed to support himself with his sword.

“Ack!” Beggarius screamed in agony after an arrow lodged itself deep into his shoulder.

“Huff... Huff...!” Nanuqsa gasped for air. His movement had slowed down, and his axe felt heavy in his hands.

Siegfried was in the same condition as them.

[Alert: Warning! Warning!]

[Alert: Stamina Depleted!]

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: Your character has been afflicted with Exhaustion!]

[Alert: All stats will gradually decline!]

[Alert: Movement speed is slowing down!]

A string of alert messages popped up in front of his eyes.

It was then.

Baaaam!

Rumble!

A section of the fortress walls came crashing down, and the Zavala soldiers poured into the breached fortress.