Debuff Master-Chapter 1039

Chapter 1039
‘
Huh? A Hero Unit?’
Siegfried tilted his head in confusion after reading the notification that he had discovered a Hero Unit, as it was the first time he had ever seen a message like this.
Without delay, he decided to flash his Rune of Insight to find more information about the middle-aged private.
[Hansen]
[A slash-and-burn farmer from a remote village in the Proatine Empire.]
[He realized he couldn’t make a living through subsistence farming, so he enlisted in the Proatine Imperial Army for the high pay.]
[Type: NPC]
[Rating: Hero]
[Affiliation: Proatine Imperial Army]
[Position: Infantry]
[Rank: Private]
[Level: 7]
[Class: Paladin (Church of Heroes)]
[Title: SSS-Rank Private]
[Note 1: Due to his age, he performs his duties exceptionally well despite being a private. He is held in high regard within his squad.]
[Note 2: He might possess some sort of hidden potential.]
‘
Since when are there SSS-Rank Privates?’
Siegfried tilted his head again, puzzled.
As someone who completed mandatory military service in South Korea, he knew that a private was just a private, no matter how competent they were.
In the case of Hansen, it was simply impossible for him to reach SSS-Rank when he barely had any experience.
‘
Oh, right... We have an all-volunteer military system.’
Now that he thought about it, the Proatine Empire ran on voluntary enlistment, which was unlike South Korea’s mandatory conscription system.
The soldiers received very good treatment and would rarely quit, making promotions a very rare occurrence. To go from the lowest rank of private up to a sergeant, one would have to prove oneself repeatedly in combat, which would usually take a long time.
‘
He’s over forty and can’t use mana. Even his divine power is not that strong despite being a paladin,’
Siegfried thought, skeptical of the notification.
Regardless, he decided to hear what Hansen had to say.
“You’re Private Hansen, correct?” he asked.
“Y-Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!” Hansen replied stiffly.
It was only natural for him to be nervous, as he was just a lowly farmer, now a private, yet he was speaking directly to the emperor. In addition, Siegfried was the legendary hero who had saved the world countless times and was considered one of the most powerful figures on the entire continent.
“Private Hansen.”
“Y-Yes, Your I-Imperial Majesty!”
“At ease, Private. No need to be so nervous.”
To help him relax, Siegfried poured a glass of whiskey from the bottle sitting on his desk.
“Here. Have a drink and loosen up.”
“I-I am deeply honored, Your Imperial Majesty!”
“So then, what did you want to talk to me about?” Siegfried asked.
“Well, the t-thing is...” Hansen stammered, still sounding nervous.
Oscar stepped in and said, “His Imperial Majesty is a wise and benevolent ruler who listens to even the words of a humble private. If it benefits our military, he will accept suggestions from anyone without regard for formalities or ego. So, speak your mind freely and honestly, Private Hansen.”
“I-I understood!”
Encouraged by Oscar’s words, Hansen took a deep breath before proceeding to talk.
“Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Go ahead.”
“If I may... What is our current strategic plan?” Hansen asked carefully.
“We are planning to reclaim the fortress the enemy seized,” Siegfried replied nonchalantly.
“So, we will be besieging the enemy?”
“That’s most likely. Given the situation, there doesn’t seem to be a tactical or strategic advantage we can exploit at the moment.”
“But what if there is a way to gain an advantage?”
“
Huh?
Really? How?”
“The Holy Alliance is trying to secure the surrounding region with Pallas Fortress as their central base of operations.”
“Yes, that’s right. And?”
“Pallas Fortress is a key strategic point.”
“I know that, too. But enlighten me as to why you think so.”
“I believe it is a key strategic point because of its terrain.”
Hansen began explaining the military significance of Pallas Fortress in great detail, and he sounded confident of his analysis.
‘
What the hell? Is this guy really just a private? How does he know all of that?’
Siegfried couldn’t believe it.
He was so surprised by Hansen’s keen insight that he pressed further.
“So, what about it?”
“There is a fatal weakness to Pallas Fortress, sire.”
“And what is that?”
“Supplies.”
“...!”
“If we send in an elite unit to set their supply depot on fire. And...” Hansen said before scanning the room. Then, he walked over to a map and pointed to a specific location, “If we block this waterway from the Piaro River, then the Pallas Fortress will be completely cut off.”
“Wait, what?”
“At the very least, in two weeks, the Holy Alliance’s army will starve. They will have no choice but to abandon the fortress.”
The moment Hansen said those words—
‘
Whoa! This guy is the real deal!’
Siegfried exclaimed inwardly.
Now that he thought about it, everything Hansen said was spot on. Pallas Fortress was indeed a crucial strategic site due to its terrain, but the same terrain made supplying it incredibly difficult.
***
“Based on what I have heard, the Proatine Empire’s naval forces are unrivaled,” Hansen added.
It was true. The Proatine Empire possessed elite marines and the Aqua Runners, which were some of the fastest and most advanced boats in the world. On top of that, they were allied to the Nordic Tribe, which were unmatched warriors in the waters.
But that was not all...
Unbeknownst to most, the Proatine Empire now ruled the seas. With control over the Green Isles and the sea routes spanning from it, the empire’s navy could overwhelm any maritime forces on the continent.
“We must take control of the Piaro River first, and then cut off the enemy’s supply lines to the fortress.”
“
Ohh...
”
“The enemy will most likely be prepared for that. But I believe our navy is more than capable of winning against them.”
Just as Hansen pointed out, the Holy Alliance was no fool. They had already deployed a sizable naval force along the Piaro River to ensure they controlled the waterways leading to the Pallas Fortress.
But what if the Proatine Empire unleashed its full naval strength against them?
‘
It would be game over for them,’
Siegfried thought, having no doubt that they could easily destroy the Holy Alliance’s navy and cut their supply lines from the river.
The Piaro River was connected to the seas, which meant that the ships from the Green Isles could join the battle instantly.
“If we succeed in cutting off their supply lines, then the Holy Alliance will be forced to dispatch reinforcements to rescue the troops trapped inside the Pallas Fortress. And when that happens...” Hansen said, trailing his words.
Siegfried finished the thought, “We wait in ambush and annihilate the reinforcements.”
“Precisely, sire! If this strategy works, then we will completely flip the balance! We will go from defense to offense!”
“Private Hansen.”
“Y-Yes, s-sire?”
“You have remarkable strategic insight.”
“N-Not at all, sire!” Hansen exclaimed, frantically waving his hands. Then, he said, “I merely thought about how our men could fight better and suffer fewer casualties.”
“Private Hansen.”
“Y-Yes, sire!”
“I hereby order your reassignment to the command center.”
“...What?!”
“You will now serve as one of my advisors. The battlefield is no place for you—your talents belong in the command center.”
As soon as Siegfried gave that command...
Ding!
A string of notifications popped up in front of his eyes.
[Alert: Congratulations!]
[Alert: The Hero Unit you discovered has begun to awaken!]
[Alert: When Hero Units grow, they can develop and wield special powers!]
Private Hansen awakened the moment Siegfried recognized his potential.
‘
Good. I’ll keep putting him to work and see how much he grows,’
Siegfried thought. He resolved to support Hansen so he could continue developing his talents.
Hansen was most likely talented when it came to strategic warfare.
***
On that same night...
“I’m heading out. Take charge of the tent while I’m gone.”
“
Kyuuu!
Got it! Go kick some ass, owner punk!”
Siegfried quietly slipped away from the allied camp and made his way alone toward Pallas Fortress.
This mission required infiltrating deep into enemy territory to destroy their supply depot, so it was a job no one but Siegfried could pull off.
Getting inside the fortress was already a huge challenge, as the Pallas Fortress was originally designed for military use rather than civilian settlement, so it had no sewer networks that Siegfried could exploit.
On top of that, their defenses were ridiculously tight—so airtight that even an ant would have a hard time sneaking into it.
The method Siegfried chose was none other than to break through the front.
Whoosh!
Siegfried soared through the night sky and flew straight toward the Pallas Fortress.
“It’s the enemy!”
“You heretic!”
The angels patrolling the skies instantly spotted him and attacked.
‘
Suit up!’
The moment Siegfried made contact with the angels, he activated his Demonform Set without hesitation.
Click! Clack! Clack!
The Demonform Set covered him in an instant.
‘
I don’t have time to deal with these small fry!’
Rather than wasting time on skirmishes, Siegfried poured everything into speed and accelerated.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thousands of anti-air cannons mounted around Pallas Fortress opened fire all at once, trying to blast Siegfried out of the sky.
Kaboom!
One of the shells landed a direct hit on Siegfried.
Even he couldn’t dodge thousands of rounds coming at him from every direction, but...
“Huh?” Siegfried stared dumbfounded after seeing his HP had not dropped by even a little bit.
Moreover, the attack hadn't slowed him down in the slightest. He did not suffer any knockback or loss of control, and he kept flying as if nothing had happened.
All of this, and he was not even in his Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal form.
“As expected,” Siegfried murmured, realizing the source of his insanely high defense.
Effects:
- Strength +1,100
- HP +13,000
- Defense +3,500
- Magic Resistance +3,500
- HP Regeneration +250%
- Damage Received -30%
- Reduces the burden on the mana hall by 30% when using Demon Lord’s Descent.
The Demonform Set gave Siegfried a massive boost to defense, magic resistance, and damage reduction.
‘
Keep shooting at me if you want. I’m going in.’
With full confidence in his armor, Siegfried charged straight toward the Pallas Fortress.
“Stop him!”
“Release arrows!”
“Shoot him down!”
The angels fired volley after volley of arrows and thrust their spears, but Siegfried was not fazed at all.
He dodged the ones he deemed were capable of dealing damage to him and just tanked the rest, as he flew toward the fortress.
‘
I should scan the place,’
he thought, activating Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance to locate the supply depot.
Once he spotted it, he made a beeline for it.
“I-It’s the enemy!”
“Stop him!”
The guards stationed at the supply depot scrambled into formation when they saw Siegfried flying straight toward them.
But it was useless...
Boom!
Siegfried landed in front of the massive supply depot, slamming his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into the ground.
Krwaaaang!
Splitting Heaven and Earth, a lower version of Wave of Annihilation, shot out in a wide fan-shaped blast, consuming the entire depot.
But that was not all...
Sseuuuu!
A thick green mist radiating with radioactive energy began to pour out from Siegfried, flooding the entire destroyed depot.
And with that, all the supplies inside were rendered useless...
Why?
It was all because they were now contaminated with radioactive energy.
Any soldier who tried to wear those gear or eat any of the rations would instantly suffer radiation poisoning, and their body would start to rot from the inside out.
Siegfried didn't even have to burn the supplies. With one smart move, he completely neutralized them.
Having completed his mission—
‘
I might as well harvest some souls while I’m here.’
Siegfried figured it was a good chance to harvest some soul energy to use his Demon Lord’s Descent skill.
He spent all his soul energy last time, so he had to replenish it.
Ssseuuu!
Green Hell Magno radiated outward from him, sweeping through the interior of the Pallas Fortress.
[Alert: You have absorbed a soul!]
[Alert: You have absorbed a soul!]
[Alert: You have absorbed a soul!]
(omitted...)
[Alert: You have absorbed a soul!]
Almost in an instant, thousands of souls were sucked into the Dark Abyss: Necklace of Greed and Betrayal. Siegfried had used Green Hell Magno to wipe out the Holy Alliance soldiers with low Poison Resistance stationed in the Pallas Fortress.
A massacre took place in the fortress, and Siegfried harvested all of their souls at once.