Debuff Master

Chapter 1273

The battlefield where Daode Tianzun appeared was instantly turned into a living hell.

“Aaack!”

“Kyaaah!”

“H-Help meee!”

The allied soldiers ran around like insects set ablaze after getting struck by the area of effect spells raining down from the heavens. Both a raging blizzard and a blazing hellfire rained down simultaneously, causing the troops to break ranks and run for their lives.

Formation?

Maintaining formation would only increase the casualties...

“Slaughter them all!”

“Time to kill these pigs!”

“Kill them all! Leave none alive!”

While the bombardment was still ongoing, the Marchioni Imperial Army’s troops charged through the battlefield, slaughtering the allied troops.

It was truly a shocking sight.

The fact that they were charging in even while the bombardment of magic spells was being unleashed was nothing short of extremely dangerous.

One misfire and an entire platoon of knights could be wiped out in an instant.

However, the Marchioni Empire’s troops bravely charged into battle, unflinching even as magic spells flew overhead.

Daode Tianzun’s magic prowess had reached a level where each spell would only target enemies while thoroughly avoiding all allies.

Stepping into the realm of Grandmasters was not something that ordinary people could do. It was something that could only be attained by undergoing harsh training and enlightenment.

Daode Tianzun’s spells could automatically distinguish friend from foe while hitting their targets with pinpoint precision..

‘This is unbelievable...’ Siegfried grumbled inwardly with a grimace after arriving at the battlefield. The sight before him was nothing short of devastating. He knew that Daode Tianzun had reached the pinnacle of magic, but this was the first time he had seen him in action.

There was also an odd coincidence where Siegfried was fighting another battle elsewhere while Daode Tianzun was actively casting spells on another battlefield.

However, Siegfried was not afraid of the devastating bombardment.

He actually felt bad for Daode Tianzun, as that bombardment of magic spells posed no threat to him at all. In fact, his destructive spells were about to be completely neutralized now that he was here.

Siegfried’s class, the Invincible Emperor, was the natural predator of all mages, and that wasn't something that applied only to one-on-one duels.

Ssseuuu...!

A thick green mist flowed out from Siegfried, and the radioactive microbes unleashed by him began to spread toward the entire battlefield.

The Green Hell Magno that was unleashed this time had a much thicker concentration of radioactive energy and radioactive microbes than usual. When the thick green mist covered the entire battlefield, the terrifying bombardment unleashed by Daode Tianzun was completely neutralized.

The most overpowered aspect of Green Hell Magno was not its ability to kill all enemies who had dared to venture into the mist—no, it was actually the skill’s ability to render all allies within the mist immune to long-range attacks.

It did not matter whether it was arrows, artillery fire, or even magic. Green Hell Magno couldn’t be pierced by any long-range attacks. As a result, the magic bombardment was nullified, sparing what remained of the Proatine Imperial forces on the battlefield.

But that was not all...

“Arghh!”

“Ghhhrk!”

The second-most terrifying ability of Green Hell Magno came into play, poisoning the Marchioni Imperial troops and killing them in less than thirty seconds.

What about the allied forces?

“Oooh!”

“It’s His Imperial Majesty!”

“The Hero Emperor is with us!”

“His Imperial Majesty is watching over us!”

“It’s our turn now! Kill them all!”

Under the blessing of the Green Hell Magno, the allied soldiers’ morale soared to the skies. Siegfried's appearance on the battlefield swung the momentum back in their favor, and the allied soldiers began to sweep through the Marchioni Imperial soldiers.

This moment proved that Siegfried was the apex predator of all mages, as Green Hell Magno even neutralized all of the spells unleashed by the one who stood at the pinnacle of magic.

‘I should get going, too.’

Without hesitation, Siegfried flew toward where he could feel powerful mana fluctuations. He couldn’t waste even a single second, as he had to catch Daode Tianzun before the latter could escape.

***

“This is impossible...!” Daode Tianzun gasped, horrified that none of his magic worked.

The green mist was blocking and even absorbing all of his magic spells.

Daode Tianzun had expended far more mana than most mages could ever dream of wielding in their lifetime in this single engagement, so it was understandable why he was stunned to see a random mist blocking all of his spells.

“Lord Daode Tianzun! We have orders for you to return to headquarters at once!” a messenger reported, approaching Daode Tianzun. The Marchioni Imperial Army’s high command seemed to have judged that this operation was a failure, so it was only natural that they wanted to recall Daode Tianzun from the battlefield.

The Marchioni Empire already knew about the fact that Siegfried was the natural predator of all mages, so there was no reason for them to risk having Daode Tianzun face him.

“Understood.”

Daode Tianzun acknowledged the order and immediately activated the warp gate to return to the command center, but...

Bzzt! Bzzt!

Normally, the warp gate ought to have come to life with a buzz followed by the activation of the warp gate, but for some reason, only sparks flew, and the warp gate didn't come to life.

“What’s going on...?” Daode Tianzun muttered under his breath, perplexed.

Ssseuuu...!

The thick green mist swept over the place where Daode Tianzun stood.

“Gak!”

“A-Aaghk!”

“Grrrkh...!”

The Marchioni Empire’s knights and soldiers escorting Daode Tianzun succumbed to the radioactive energy and died instantly.

However, Daode Tianzun was an exception. After he broke through the wall and stepped into the realm of Grandmasters, his physique transformed, becoming immune to all poisons—including radioactive poison.

Thud! Thud! Thud...!

After the knights and soldiers dropped dead one by one, Siegfried casually walked toward Daode Tianzun, who was now all alone.

“Hello, Elder,” Siegfried greeted gently.

“Why, if it isn’t Tae-Sung,” Daode Tianzun replied, instantly recognizing Siegfried.

The brainwashing done to him by the Marchioni Empire did not touch his memory at all.

It was an advanced form of brainwashing where all modes of thought were simply redirected so that they would be absolutely loyal to the Marchioni Empire and Emperor Stuttgart alone. It forced them to obey his commands without doubts or questions.

“Please stop this, Elder.”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot. You are the enemy of His Imperial Majesty, the one true ruler of the world, Emperor Stuttgart von Posteriore. Therefore, I cannot accept your request.”

“Tsk...”

“However, you may come with me if you wish. Together, we will serve His Imperial Majesty.”

“No, thank you.”

“Then I will have to bring you back with me by force.”

“You know that’s impossible.”

“T-That is...”

“I apologize for this in advance.”

Wooong!

Siegfried unleashed Wave of Oppression and Wave of Truth before charging straight at Daode Tianzun.

An Archmage was different from ordinary mages, as they also possessed impressive physical combat prowess.

Daode Tianzun could arm himself with buffs that explosively increased his physical strength, allowing him to display combat prowess equal to that of a seasoned warrior.

However, he was still no match against Siegfried in one-on-one close combat.

Of course, the buffs would help him at least defend himself and create openings to unleash his powerful magic spells.

Unfortunately, the Wave of Truth completely stripped Daode Tianzun of his buffs, and the Wave of Oppression suppressed the use of magic.

In other words, Daode Tianzun was now powerless.

Against the natural predator of all mages, he was nothing more than a sitting duck.

“Forgive me, Elder!” Siegfried shouted.

Then, he unleashed Embrace of Despair to completely restrain Daode Tianzun’s movements.

Crack! Crack!

He clenched both fists hard and proceeded to beat the old mage mercilessly.

Pow! Pow! Thump! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Siegfried’s fists rained down on Daode Tianzun like a machine gun with occasional knee kicks or elbow strikes mixed in among them.

“Argh! Aaack!”

“I’m sorry!”

Siegfried did not use any weapons or use his full power against Daode Tianzun. Instead, he struck with perfect precision, hitting the old mage in spots that were non-lethal yet dealt maximum pain.

“Ughhh...”

After five minutes of nonstop beating, Daode Tianzun finally lost consciousness. Even though he was an Archmage, someone who stood at the pinnacle of magic, he had no means to defend himself against a melee-combat specialist like Siegfried.

Thud!

Daode Tianzun collapsed to the ground.

“I am really sorry for this, Elder. Please allow me to bring you home now,” Siegfried muttered.

He slung the old mage across his shoulder and headed back to the Proatine Empire.

Ding!

Just then, a familiar chime rang, and a notification popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: You have gained a new title!]

The details of the new title were as follows...

[Supreme Dishonor: Old People Beater]

[A title given to an Adventurer who has beaten up too many old people.]

[Type: Title]

[Rating: Rare]

[Effect: None]

[Note: This is an extremely dishonorable title!]

“...”

Siegfried was left speechless and dumbfounded. He had tolerated all the titles with negative nuances thrown at him by the system due to their beneficial effects, but it was different this time.

The title he had just obtained, "Supreme Dishonor: Old People Beater," was not only dishonorable, shameful, and humiliating, but it gave him zero benefits.

‘I’m not letting those beehive bastards get away with this. Once I become an executive there, I’m going to flush out whichever bastard came up with these damn titles.’

Siegfried vowed to exact revenge on the employees who came up with the negative titles if he ever became an executive at Hive Games Entertainment.

***

While Siegfried was subduing Daode Tianzun using the intel Ninetail had sent, another battlefield was set ablaze by the clash of two warriors who had transcended human limitations.

Weapon Master Shakiro.

Among the Masters in the world, he was considered to be the strongest. He was a master of weapons, and though he might not have broken through the wall, his combat prowess was close to that of a Grandmaster rather than a Master.

Shakiro was currently facing off against none other than Sword Emperor Betelgeuse.

The Sword Emperor had reached the realm of Grandmaster thanks to the training he had gone through under Siegfried’s master, the Level 999 Hidden NPC, Deus.

The two titans collided with their full strength.

Unlike with Siegfried and Daode Tianzun, it was the Marchioni Empire that had deployed the Sword Emperor onto this battlefield, with the specific goal of eliminating Shakiro.

The battle between them was nothing short of intense, and word of their battle quickly reached the Proatine Imperial Army’s command center.

Normally, Betelgeuse would have already vanished from the battlefield after laying waste to it before reports could even reach the Proatine Imperial Army’s command center.

However, it was different this time, as the opponent was none other than Shakiro.

Betelgeuse was powerful, but even he could lose his head if he were to let his guard down against Shakiro. Thus, Betelgeuse found himself tied down longer than he was supposed to be on this specific battlefield.

“Your Imperial Majesty! Elder Shakiro and Elder Betelgeuse are currently engaged in battle!”

“...!”

“Their clash is so fierce that no one dares to approach them. As per the reports, it seems that it is impossible to predict who will emerge victorious.”

“No,” Siegfried said, shaking his head. Then, he continued, “There’s no chance Master Shakiro will win. Maybe one percent at best, but that’s already being too optimistic.”

Unfortunately, no matter how formidable Shakiro might be, defeating a Grandmaster was virtually impossible.

The difference in their stats alone was simply far too overwhelming. Defeating Betelgeuse was impossible unless there was a divine intervention.

“I have to go right now,” Siegfried said, heading out immediately. Then, he swore under his breath, saying, “I’m bringing both of them home today.”

He resolved to bring both elders back home and undergo treatment to free them from the brainwashing.

If two of the Marchioni Empire’s trump cards could be neutralized today, then this war would instantly swing back in the Proatine Empire’s favor.

“Prepare the warp gate. I must go now, or Master Shakiro might fall in battle, too,” Siegfried commanded.

“As you command, sire!”

Siegfried couldn’t help but feel anxious after losing both Taycan and Cesc on the same day. He knew the weight of his grief would be unbearable if he were to delay and Shakiro ended up dying as well.

‘I’m not losing anyone anymore.’

With only that thought in mind, Siegfried set out toward the battlefield where Shakiro and Betelgeuse were locked in combat.

Tokki’s Thoughts:

It would’ve been funny if the Supreme Dishonor: Old People Beater gave a damage buff when beating old people with bare fists.

Or maybe author-nim isn’t as dishonorable as me...?

Also, fun fact, I initially translated the title as Supreme Asshole because hitting old people isn’t cool, but decided to settle for Supreme Dishonor instead.