Debuff Master

Chapter 1274

Soon, Siegfried arrived at the battlefield.

Boom! Boom!

Baaaam!

Krwaaaang!

Shakiro and Betelgeuse were still locked in fierce combat.

The entire battlefield around them came to a halt, as both the allied forces and the Marchioni troops stopped fighting and simply watched the duel in awe.

The outcome of this battle entirely depended on the fight between the two titans.

There was no need for the soldiers to fight each other to the death, as whichever side emerged victorious from the duel would have its morale skyrocket. From there, completely annihilating the despairing enemy would be a piece of cake.

Moreover, the clash between Shakiro and Betelgeuse was so overwhelming that ordinary soldiers would instantly die if they were to approach them carelessly.

The shockwaves from their exchanges were strong enough to inflict fatal injuries on seasoned knights.

‘Amazing...’

Siegfried couldn’t help but be genuinely impressed as he watched their battle unfold.

Betelgeuse was indeed formidable, but what shocked Siegfried even more was Shakiro.

His reaction speed was out of this world, his combat awareness was outstanding, and the way he adapted to things was simply flawless. One couldn’t help but wonder why a warrior of that caliber had failed to break through the wall and become a Grandmaster.

However, that was as far as it went...

‘Master Shakiro is in danger.’

Siegfried could tell that Shakiro was hanging by a thread right now. Against a formidable opponent like Betelgeuse, he was pushing himself beyond his limits and was displaying skills far above his caliber.

He was walking on thin ice, as the smallest of mistakes could cost him his life. If luck were to turn against him, it wouldn't be strange for him to get cleaved in half in an instant, just like Taycan.

‘No, I can’t let this continue,’ Siegfried thought, unable to watch the duel anymore.

He had already lost Shakiro once, so he was not willing to lose him again. It was indeed a miracle that Shakiro had resurrected, but that was a miracle that would never repeat.

If he ended up dying here, then it would be an eternal farewell.

‘I’ll have to help him.’

Siegfried gripped his +10 Sky Piercer and prepared to intervene in the fight between the two titans.

“No!” Shakiro shouted.

“...?!”

“I can do it! Believe in me!” Shakiro cried out. Then, he turned his focus back to his duel with Betelgeuse.

Siegfried did not respond. He knew that if he were to distract Shakiro, it would truly be the end.

“Kyuuu! What are you going to do, owner punk?” Hamchi asked.

“Hmm... What should I do?” Siegfried pondered.

Stepping in was definitely the right choice, as Shakiro’s odds of victory were less than ten percent.

However, Shakiro had told him not to intervene—to trust him. There had to be a reason behind it.

‘I think Master Shakiro has attained enlightenment. He’s gone beyond his limits. And as a martial artist, he's walking on the tightrope between life and death. Once he crosses that line, he will make great progress. This is a crisis, but... it’s also an opportunity.’

A Master who had reached the peak and was staking his very life to break his limits would eventually be enlightened.

Thus, there was only one thing he could do.

‘I have to trust him.’

Siegfried decided to step back.

He chose to respect and trust Shakiro’s decision.

Shakiro had seized the perfect chance—probably a chance that would never come again—to ascend to a higher realm, so all he could do was leave it to him.

This was the way of a martial artist.

Even if Siegfried valued his bond with Shakiro, he couldn’t treat a martial artist like a frail, greenhouse flower. Since Shakiro himself was willing to risk his life in order to break through the wall, the only thing Siegfried could do right now was watch and believe in him.

“Hey, Hamchi.”

“Kyu?”

“Rather than sitting here and doing nothing...” Siegfried said. Then, he gripped his +10 Sky Piercer and continued, “...Shall we go take care of the underlings?”

“Kyuuu! Great idea!”

On the battlefield, everyone had their own battles to fight.

In this battle, Siegfried decided to let Shakiro be the protagonist while he played the supporting role of sweeping away the Marchioni Empire’s troops.

***

In the eyes of the Marchioni Empire’s troops, Siegfried was their worst nightmare.

“Arghhh!”

“Gaaah!”

With Green Hell Magno activated, Siegfried rampaged across the battlefield like the god of war had descended upon the battlefield.

Nobody could stop him—no, who would dare stop him? The Marchioni Imperial Army was a mighty army, but none of them could stop Siegfried.

Of course, the Sword Emperor and the Lord of Destruction could stop him. However, the Lord of Destruction was deployed to another battlefield while Betelgeuse was locked in a duel with Shakiro.

At this very moment, there was no one who could stop Siegfried.

This meant that the Marchioni Imperial Army’s troops could do nothing but be slaughtered.

Meanwhile, the duel between Shakiro and Betelgeuse reached its climax, and at last, a victor emerged.

The winner was Shakiro.

Thud!

Betelgeuse collapsed after suffering a huge, nasty gash across his heart.

“Huff... Huff...”

Shakiro conjured an aura blade in the shape of a sword and used it as a crutch to barely hold himself upright.

Though not fatally wounded, his injuries were also severe. He was completely exhausted, and he was bleeding heavily. It wouldn't be strange if he were to drop dead from exhaustion.

He had almost no chance of winning against Betelgeuse, yet he managed to pull off a miraculous victory.

“...!”

The Marchioni Empire’s soldiers were stunned at the sight of the Sword Emperor being defeated. They believed that the Sword Emperor, a Grandmaster, was invincible, so his defeat was just too shocking for them.

But the shock did not last long...

“Kill him!”

“Kill Shakiro!”

“Rescue Lord Betelgeuse!”

The knights of the Marchioni Empire rushed at Shakiro while the soldiers attempted to rescue Betelgeuse. Though he was defeated in a duel, they couldn’t afford to lose a strategic asset like him.

At the same time, this was their best chance to eliminate one of the Proatine Empire’s powerful warriors, Shakiro.

If they succeeded in killing Shakiro and rescuing Betelguese, then even if they lost this battle, the balance of power would still tilt in their favor, but...

“Not so fast.”

Siegfried did not miss that crucial moment and intercepted the knights.

“You hyena-like bastards.”

Shwiiiiik!

He unleashed Transcendent Torrential Flower Rain at the knights.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Siegfried also shot forward like lightning and cut off the soldiers who were carrying Betelgeuse away to safety. An elderly knight stepped forward and shouted, “How dare you block our path?! We are the knights of His Imperial Majesty, the exalted ruler of the world, Emperor Stuttgart von Posteriore!”

He had served the Marchioni Empire his whole life. Even though he was nearly seventy years old, his skill still rivaled that of younger men.

“I recently gained a new title. Do you wanna know what it is?” Siegfried asked with a grin.

“...?”

“Supreme Dishonor: Old People Beater.”

“W-What nonsense is this?!”

“I got that because I’m really good at beating up old men like you.”

Puk! Puk! Puk! Puuuk!

Siegfried thrust his +10 Sky Piercer at the old knight’s torso. In the blink of an eye, he struck the old knight almost a dozen times.

Thud!

The old knight fell without uttering another word.

‘Whew! That’s right. I am the Supreme Lord, Old People Beater,’ Siegfried thought, mocking himself. Then, he glanced at Hamchi and said, “I’ll leave Elder Betelgeuse to you.”

“Kyuuu! Leave it to me!” Hamchi exclaimed and hoisted Betelgeuse onto his back.

Siegfried walked over to Shakiro and hoisted him onto his back.

“You have fought really well, Master.”

“It was nothing.”

Now that both of them were rescued, there was only one thing left to do—retreat.

Siegfried abandoned the battle and raced back to safety with both Shakiro and Betelgeuse in tow. He knew that protecting either of them would be impossible if the Lord of Destruction were to appear.

***

After returning behind the defensive lines, Siegfried turned to Shakiro and awkwardly smiled, “That was a marvelous victory, Master. I was on the edge... Honestly, I didn’t think you would win."

“Haha... I just got lucky. I managed to attain enlightenment while fighting,” Shakiro replied with a faint smile.

Shakiro's words told Siegfried that his assumption about why Shakiro had suddenly decided to risk his life in a duel with Betelgeuse was correct.

“I have surpassed it.”

“Huh?”

“I can feel it... I have finally crossed that wall...”

“...!”

“The duel with Elder Brother Betelgeuse was truly an experience. Until now, I could only feel it faintly, as if it was almost within reach but not quite. But now, I’ve attained true enlightenment.”

“Master...”

“Once I recover, I’ll become a master you will not be ashamed of the next time you see me.”

Now that he had broken through the wall, it meant that he had ascended to the realm of Grandmasters. During his recovery, his body would undergo reconstruction, transforming him into a true Grandmaster.

“Congratulations, Master! You have finally done it!” Siegfried exclaimed, sincerely celebrating Shakiro’s achievement.

“I’ve merely become a master whom you won’t be ashamed of.”

“Oh, come on! What are you saying, Master? From the very first time we met until now, not once have I ever been ashamed of you. I have always respected you and have been grateful to you.”

“Hahaha... I’m glad if that is the case.”

“Once again, congratulations.”

“Thank you, Siegfried,” Shakir said with a faint smile. Then, he clasped Siegfried’s hand and added, “Then next time we meet...”

“...?”

“I’ll finally be able to give you something good.”

“Huh?”

“There is this technique I have long been working on. It had been on my mind, but I wasn’t able to complete it. But with the enlightenment I’ve gained this time, I believe I can finally complete it. If you wait a little, I will pass on to you the skill that embodies all of the enlightenment I have accumulated over my lifetime.”

Siegfried was deeply moved by Shakiro’s words.

He was truly a master who cared deeply about his disciple, and it was evident from how he wanted to pass down his teachings until the very end.

Even though Siegfried had grown far stronger than his master, he was still grateful to be bestowed with a skill that contained the enlightenment the Weapon Master had accumulated in his life.

“I look forward to it, Master Shakiro.”

“You will not be disappointed.”

“For now, let us focus on getting you back up first. Please think about recovering first before anything else.”

“Understood.”

“I will come visit you again later, Master.”

With that, Shakiro was carried away on a stretcher.

‘Hmm... I wonder what kind of technique he was talking about...’ Siegfried wondered.

He couldn’t help but be curious about the new ultimate skill Shakiro would create.

***

Meanwhile, the entire Intelligence Bureau of the Marchioni Empire was in an uproar.

They had concluded that there was a spy in their midst.

Otherwise, how could Siegfried have appeared out of nowhere as if he had known where Daode Tianzun would be deployed?

“Hmm...”

The Director of Intelligence cast a suspicious gaze over the officers and staffers busily moving about within the bureau.

‘This is getting dangerous...’

Ninetail instinctively sensed that she was in danger.

The Marchioni Empire would obviously never let this incident slide.

Naturally, she would be one of the first people to be suspected.

‘Perhaps... They might already know that I am the culprit...’

She could clearly feel eyes from all directions focused on her.

This was a crisis.

If they found out that she was the spy, then it would be the end for her.

She would be arrested and immediately executed. Well, she would be lucky if she were immediately executed. She would most likely be subjected to the most horrible and dreadful tortures known to mankind before finally being publicly executed.

‘Is this... the end of the line for me?’

Ninetail considered biting down on the poison capsule hidden inside her molar. She would rather just die cleanly here and now than endure the unspeakable horrors awaiting her.