Debuff Master-Chapter 868

Thanks to Duke Decimato’s barrier, the thousands of shells could do nothing more than relentlessly bounce off against the barely visible forcefield. They caused not even the slightest bit of harm to Siegfried and his team.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” Alexei screamed in fury.

Which held the advantage between offense and defense?

It would depend on the circumstances, but defenders typically held the upper hand. The defenders had the luxury of preparing extensively, utilizing the terrain, and fortifying their positions to build formidable defensive lines.

On the other hand, the assailants often risked heavy casualties when breaking through fortified defensive lines.

However, Duke Decimato’s barrier had just neutralized the disadvantage of being on the offensive for Siegfried’s team.

Thus, Alexei had every reason to be enraged.

But that was only the beginning...

Duke Decimato lived up to his title as a Great Wizard by casting an offensive spell while simultaneously maintaining the barrier.

“Zyorn Kathra Veloth, Nyntha Xaromath...”

“Zyorn... Kathra... Veloth, Nyntha Xaromath...”

“Quorath Antheris Valdrum, Sylaren Thor...”

“Quorath... Antheris... Valdrum, Sylaren Thor...!”

Duke Decimato chanted two more spells on top of the protective barrier he was maintaining. He showed off his Triple Casting—a privilege granted only to Great Wizards.

Waaaaah!

The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.

“That’s insane!”

“Who is that NPC? That’s incredible!”

“Ahhh! I’m coming!”

For most of the spectators, this was their first time witnessing the might of a Great Wizard, so it was only natural for them to be both shocked and excited by Duke Decimato’s magical prowess.

But it was still too early for them to be shocked...

Catastrophe struck the Blue Team the moment Duke Decimato completed his spells.

Shwooooosh!

A chilling wind blew gradually before forming a blizzard.

Fwoooom!

On top of that, blazing boulders came crashing down from the skies.

The devastating combo of Blizzard and Meteor Swarm targeted the area where five hundred Blue Team cannons were set up with pinpoint accuracy.

This precise targeting was thanks to Siegfried. He relayed the maps and coordinates he had gathered from his reconnaissance mission to Duke Decimato before the battle could start.

Naturally, the Blue Team’s magicians were not idling by. They quickly chanted defensive spells to block Duke Decimato’s spells, but the gap in their power was insurmountable.

The gap between magicians was quite clear compared to other classes, so it was virtually impossible for low-tier magicians to win against those in a higher tier.

A Great Wizard versus ordinary magicians? The outcome was already obvious.

“Aaaah!”

“Ack!”

“Retreat! Retreat!”

“Run!”

The Blizzard and Meteor Swarm cast by Duke Decimato obliterated the barriers cast by the Blue Team’s magicians and wreaked havoc on their forces.

All five hundred cannons were destroyed, and the artillerymen were annihilated in mere moments.

This was the overwhelming power and strategic value of a Great Wizard, and Duke Decimato was a force capable of completely changing the battlefield entirely. His spells were in a league of its own, so he was untouchable for anyone ranked lower than him.

After utterly decimating the enemy, Duke Decimato finally took a break...

“Phew... That was exhausting,” he muttered.

“Good... job...”

“I need to rest a bit.”

“That... is wise... My mana is... running low...”

“By all means.”

Duke Decimato with his Lich Skull Staff in hand, used the mana recharging artifact to restore his depleted mana.

Meanwhile...

“Attack,” Siegfried ordered in a calm, steady voice.

It was then.

“CHAAARGE!”

The entire Red Team surged toward the Blue Team’s base.

***

The battle was immediately fierce.

The Red Team’s win condition was to occupy the Eastern Great Rift within twenty-four hours to win, while the Blue Team’s objective was to defend it. It was a classic clash of spear and shield, a pure battle of strength against strength.

‘Let’s start by backing up our allies,’ Siegfried thought, unleashing the Embrace of Despair and Eternal Flame.

He spread these debuff skills that inflict powerful slowing effects along with reducing their defense and magic resistance across the battlefield.

The effects of the debuffs were immediately seen.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

The Blue Team members collapsed one by one, massacred by the Red Team after being extremely weakened by the debuffs.

However, the Blue Team was not going to just take a one-sided beating.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A thunderous sound boomed in the air and shook the ground.

What followed was the emergence of an entire battalion of Iron Golems.

These golems stood at a towering height of three meters and were piloted by the elite knights of the Palom Kingdom, an elite squadron known as the Iron Lion Knights.

The Iron Lion Knights were the pride of the Palom Kingdom, and only the best of the best could enter their ranks.

Their numbers totaled a staggering two hundred fifty, and it was said that a single one of these knights could take on approximately thirty ordinary knights.

With that in mind, the combat strength of the Iron Lion Knights equaled that of seven thousand five hundred knights, an overwhelming force that could only be possessed by a great power.

However, the Red Team had their own golems.

“Hey! Seung-Gu! It’s your turn!” Siegfried shouted.

“Okay, hyung-nim!” Seung-Gu responded enthusiastically as if he had been waiting for this moment. He immediately summoned Golem King Reventon along with his Iron Golems.

“Let’s go, Reventon!” Seung-Gu exclaimed, pointing at the battlefield.

“Silence, you fool! Leave the fighting to me!” Reventon snapped back.

It was unclear whether Seung-Gu was controlling Reventon or if Reventon was merely using Seung-Gu as a mana source. The constant bickering between the two also made it hard to tell who was in charge.

Nevertheless, their synergy was undeniable as they completely dominated the Iron Lion Knights of the Palom Kingdom.

After all, Reventon was not just any golem. He was the King of Golems.

For the Iron Golems of the Iron Lion Knights, it was only natural for them to feel overwhelmed in the presence of such an entity.

“Kneel before your king!” Reventon roared, displaying complete dominance on the battlefield and annihilating the Iron Lion Knights with ease.

He proved himself as the true sovereign of all golems.

However, Reventon was not the only one displaying dominance on the battlefield.

Seung-Gu used a new skill he learned, Hydro Pump.

Shwaaaaa!

The Iron Golems fired torrents of water with enough force to crush steel, obliterating the Blue Team’s golems in an instant.

Seung-Gu obtained this new skill thanks to Siegfried.

[Hydro Reactor]

[An energy core containing the power of the ancient sea monster, Karibna.]

[Type: Orb]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Note: A highly valuable resource essential for unlocking new skill trees for specific classes such as Mages, Summoners, or Golem Masters.]

Siegfried had acquired the Hydro Reactor after defeating Karibna, the Guardian of Pirate King Freydlief’s tomb.

“This would be perfect for Seung-Gu. He’s going to love it, that rascal.”

Siegfried gifted the Hydro Reactor to Seung-Gu, and the latter managed to enhance his Iron Golems using the Hydro Reactor, eventually unlocking a new skill, Hydro Pump.

Shwaaa! Shwaaaa!

The water cannons unleashed by Seung-Gu’s Iron Golems didn't just push the Iron Lion Knights back, as they actually pierced them as well.

— Ohh!

— Seung-Gu is wiping out the Blue Team with those water cannons!

— Was his earlier stumble just to entertain the crowd?!

— I think he was building momentum for this moment!

Seung-Gu’s water cannons left a lasting impression on the viewers.

“Nice one, Seung-Gu!” Siegfried exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up.

“Thank you, hyung-nim! Hahaha!”

Seung-Gu rampaged across the battlefield after being praised by Siegfried.

Meanwhile, on the Blue Team, Alexei was growing increasingly agitated, as everything was falling apart before him.

“Damn it! Nothing’s working!”

The bombardment failed, and the Iron Lion Knights failed.

Alexei’s mental state cracked when two of his trump cards were rendered useless.

“Sir Alexei, no need to get worked up,” Duke Kagon said in a calm voice, placing a hand on Alexei’s shoulder.

“How can I possibly stay calm in a situation like this?!” Alexei snapped, his eyes bloodshot from anger.

“Hoho! Why so anxious? The battle has only just begun,” Duke Kagon said, chuckling lightly.

With those words, the duke began walking slowly toward the front lines, where the fiercest fighting was raging. As he moved, a massive warp magic circle at the Blue Team’s base began to glow brightly.

Woooong...!

Five seconds later, the circle erupted into a towering pillar of light.

Flash!

An army emerged from the magic circle. The army was so massive that it stretched endlessly like the sea.

“...!”

Alexei was left speechless, and his jaw dropped at the sheer scale of their reinforcement.

— W-What in the world is this?!

— It’s an army! A massive army has arrived!

— Ten thousand? No... It’s a hundred thousand!

The viewers were shocked upon hearing the commentators' confirmation of the number of enemy reinforcements.

WAAAAH!

The crowd supporting Alexei erupted into deafening cheers.

One hundred thousand soldiers...

The overwhelming reinforcement gave renewed confidence to Alexei’s supporters that victory was theirs for the taking.

After all, the Red Team barely numbered ten thousand.

***

“Retreat! Fall back, everyone!”

As soon as Siegfried saw the massive army deployed by the Palom Kingdom, he wasted no time in issuing a retreat order. It was no surprise that he sounded the retreat, as the difference in their numbers was simply staggering.

The Red Team was already at a disadvantage as the attackers, and they were now facing an overwhelming numerical difference.

Thus, retreat was their only option.

— Ah! Han Tae-Sung is retreating!

— They shouldn’t fight! No way!

The commentators lamented when the tide of the battle suddenly shifted, all thanks to the abrupt appearance of the reinforcements.

Just then....

— W-Wait! Wait a second!

— Observer! Observerrr! Show us the Red Team’s base!

The commentators shouted urgently, calling for the observer as if they had made a shocking discovery. The camera quickly shifted focused on the area the commentator pointed out.

It was then.

— W-What is that?!

— No! No! No!

The commentators were stunned and the same reaction rippled through the crowd that had been fervently cheering for the Blue Team just moments before.

— W-What is that?!

— Aargh! Nooo!

— This is bad! Oh no, this will be a disaster!

— They’re heading straight for their deaths!

— Are they going?! Are they charging straight for their deaths?!

The commentators screamed, trying to stop the Blue Team. Unfortunately, their desperate cries did not reach the Palom Kingdom’s army.

“CHAAARGE!”

“Crush them!”

“For the Palom Kingdom!”

“Glory!”

The one-hundred-thousand-strong army of the Palom Kingdom charged and chased down their enemies in a frenzy.

— T-The Blue Team is rushing headlong into their doom! They shouldn’t go!

— It’s too late!

— I think it’s too late for them to turn back!

— They’re walking into a trap! They’re heading straight into the jaws of death!

The observer zoomed into the area right in front of the Red Team’s base, causing the commentators to shriek in horror.

There were tens of thousands of what looked like landmines planted in neat rows, densely packed with no gaps in between.

[C4 High-Power Miniature Explosive]

[A compact yet devastatingly powerful bomb created by Quandt.]

[It contains a densely concentrated mana stone, so its lethality is unmatched.]

[This bomb has a built-in timer function.]

[As perfect as this bomb seems, it has one severe drawback—its extremely high production cost.]

[Type: Explosive]

[Rating: Unique]

[Note: Highly unstable. It can explode from strong impact or frequency interference in inventories.]

[Warning: Handle with utmost caution.]

These mines were none other than the C4 High-Power Miniature Explosives, a deadly weapon created by the Proatine Kingdom. They used these bombs during their war against the Zavala Kingdom.

In other words, the Palom Kingdom’s one-hundred-thousand-strong army was charging headfirst into a death zone filled with countless C4 High-Power Miniature Explosives.