Debuff Master-Chapter 1094

Chapter 1094
‘
This is my last chance. I need to win a landslide victory. That’s the only way I can survive.’
With that sense of desperation, General Deldelos led his one million troops into battle.
Despite commanding such a staggering army, his heart was gripped with dread.
If they won but only by a small margin, everything would be over for him. It could also get worse by losing.
Their supplies were about to dry out, so they needed a landslide victory to turn things around.
Thus, Deldelos felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff.
The pressure of having to produce results was beyond anything most could imagine.
“Tell the men to march faster! We’re running out of time!”
Driven by urgency, Deldelos commanded the men to a forced march.
Just then...
“S-Sir! Urgent from our scouts!”
A messenger rushed over to him, breathless.
“What is it?” Deldelos asked.
“The Allied Forces! They’re retreating!”
“Retreating?” Deldelos muttered, tilting his head in confusion. Then, he asked, “Are you saying that they’re abandoning that strategic fortress and pulling back?”
“Yes, sir!”
“What kind of absurd decision is that...?”
For a moment, Deldelos truly believed that the enemy commander, Hansen, had simply made a foolish mistake.
“The logical thing to do when facing an army this massive is to dig in and hold their position from defensive fortification. But a sudden retreat?
Hmm...
Is it because he’s a farmer? The man’s got no fundamentals at all.”
Deldelos figured that the retreat was the result of Hansen’s inexperience, not that he was looking down on him.
Still, Hansen had been a mere foot soldier from a remote mountain village just a few months ago. Judging from that alone, Deldelos deduced that Hansen couldn’t have possibly studied much military theory at all.
Sure, he was naturally gifted and was lucky enough to rise to his current rank, but without years of academy training and studying war tactics, there had to be limits to his abilities.
Even a genius couldn't pull off a miracle without proper knowledge and preparation. This was an irrefutable fact in the world.
“A half-baked prodigy... that explains everything. No matter how talented he is, he still needs to gain more experience.” With that, Deldelos issued his next command. “Occupy the abandoned fortress! Leave a few men in it, but the rest will continue the pursuit!”
“Yes, sir!”
Time passed...
“Sir! The Allied Forces have retreated once again!”
“What? Again?”
“According to the s from our scouts, it appears they have no intention of engaging in battle!”
“Hold on...” Deldelos suddenly froze, as something flashed in his mind. Then, he muttered, “Wait a minute... What if they’re not retreating out of fear but... to avoid fighting us entirely? What if they’re waiting for us to exhaust ourselves chasing them around?”
With that thought in mind, a chill ran down Deldelos’ spine.
“You son of a bitch!” Deldelos roared.
Thinking back, the enemy commander, Hansen, had seen right through his plan and was using the most effective strategy to counter it. The Holy Alliance had to fight and win big, but that was not the case for the Allied Forces.
Thus, Hansen’s plan was simple—avoid all battles. The longer this dragged out, the worse things would become for the Holy Alliance, while the better things would become for the Allied Forces.
“They didn’t retreat out of fear. Damn it... This was a calculated move,” Deldelos growled under his breath, gnashing his teeth. The realization made him burn with fury, as he felt like Sun Wukong dancing in Buddha’s palm.[1]
Deldelos had been hailed as a genius since he was young. He was always at the top of his class, no matter who his classmates were, and he rose through the ranks at a historic pace even after joining the military.
And yet here he was, being outplayed by a nobody who used to be a mere foot soldier, and more than once at that.
“Double the march speed! Hunt them to the ends of the earth if we must! We need to force a battle even if it costs us everything!”
“Yes, sir!”
“No more running away. I’m going to catch you and—” Deldelos growled.
“Supreme Commander, sir!”
Another messenger came rushing with a .
“Sir! Enemy naval forces have landed in the east!”
“What?!”
“They’ve overrun our naval bases, neutralized our defenses, and landed ground troops! Our rear lines can’t hold them off for much longer!”
“
Argh! Gaaaah!”
Deldelos’ blood pressure spiked, causing him to collapse backward.
The Supreme Commander of the Holy Alliance forces, General Deldelos, had once again taken a devastating blow from the enemy commander, Hansen.
***
At present, the Holy Alliance had scraped together every last bit of troops they could—even those stationed in the rear—to launch a final all-out offensive. This meant that there were no troops left to defend against the Allied Forces, which had just landed on the far eastern edge of the continent.
The biggest problem with this was that the eastern region was where most of the Holy Alliance’s capital cities were located. Thus, it was a critical region that had to be defended no matter what.
In short, Hansen was exploiting the Holy Alliance’s biggest weakness, which was, ironically, handed to him on a silver platter by Deldelos after he ordered all his troops to the frontlines.
What was Deldelos supposed to do? Was he supposed to pull back some of his troops to deal with the Allied Forces that landed in the rear?
There was not enough time.
Supplies were already running dangerously low, and if they allowed themselves to be pulled in two directions, then the only thing awaiting the Holy Alliance was their demise.
They couldn’t go forward, nor could they go back.
This predicament was enough to drive Deldelos insane.
‘
I have to make a decision. If we retreat now to stop the enemy landing in the rear, we will have no future. In that case...’
He swiftly made up his mind. Well, it was not so much a decision. He had no other choice, after all.
“There will be no retreat,” Deldelos said through clenched teeth. Then, he commanded, “We leave the enemy that landed in our rear. We will focus everything on this full-scale battle and defeat the enemy before their detachment reaches our capital.”
In the end, Deldelos chose to abandon the defense of their main capital.
Pulling back now would guarantee certain defeat, so the only option left was to keep chasing the Allied Forces and force a decisive battle.
“Pursue them relentlessly! Do not let them retreat anymore!”
“Yes, sir!”
The lieutenants rushed out of the war tent to issue Deldelos’ commands.
Meanwhile...
“Hansen, was it...? Just you wait. You will pay dearly for making a fool out of me like this,” Deldelos snarled the name of the man he had never even met before, vowing vengeance.
The consecutive defeats made him harbor deep hatred toward Hansen.
***
Siegfried effortlessly made his way through the Maze of Evil thanks to Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance. Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance allowed him to detect even the traps scattered all across the maze, so he was able to navigate safely through it without much trouble.
‘
Shouldn’t there be some treasure hidden in here?’
As Siegfried passed through the Maze of Evil, he kept an eye out for anything that might be worth some money.
Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any kind of treasure in the maze.
‘
Tsk... did that old fart already looted it all for himself back in the day?’
he grumbled inwardly.
Just then, Siegfried noticed a single red dot rapidly closing in on his location.
‘
Eh?’
[Demon Lord of Lust: Incubus King Dampires]
The red dot was Dampires, the Demon Lord of Lust. He was the ruler of all Incubi and Succubi, a being notorious even among demons for his perverseness.
Thud, thud, thud...
Before long, Incubus King Dampires emerged from the darkness and appeared before Siegfried.
“
Ngh~
So we meet here again!
Ngh~ Ngh~”
Dampires showed no hostility toward Siegfried. In fact, he approached Siegfried like an old friend trying to chit-chat.
“We didn’t get to introduce ourselves properly earlier, did we?
Ngh!
I’m the Incubus King Dampires!
Aahng! N-Ngh...!”
Dampire said, holding out his hand for a handshake.
Siegfried did not shake his hand.
Why?
It was all because—
‘
Ugh! This guy is absolutely disgusting!’
—he couldn’t stand the sight of Dampires’ outfit.
The Demon Lord of Lust was dressed in a fashion that was absolutely revolting. Instead of wearing pants, he was wearing a leather thong and boots, and his upper body was completely bare save for a single pair of suspenders crossing over his chest.
It was impossible to tell whether he was even wearing clothes or not. To make things even more repulsive, his exposed skin was covered in thick, overgrown, curly hair.
Siegfried couldn’t understand how such a creature could ever seduce a human woman and drain their life energy.
On top of all the repulsive things Damires did, his way of speech that punctuated every other sentence with a grating moan was simply unbearable.
As much as Siegfried hated him, he still replied politely, saying, “Nice to meet you, I suppose. My name is Siegfried von Proa.”
After all, Dampires had spoken first without a hint of hostility in him.
“
Ahhng!
You've left me hanging!
Nngh! Aaah~!”
“...”
“Isn’t it basic manners to shake hands when offered one?
Haa... Haaang~!”
“I-I have hyperhidrosis...”
Siegfried came up with a fake medical condition on the spot. He couldn’t care what excuse it took as long as he did not have to touch this repulsive demon.
“Let’s skip the handshake for your sake,” Siegfried added.
“
Nngh~!
If that’s the case, I understand!
Haaang... Hng...!”
“...Fucking hell.”
“
Ngh?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”
Siegfried had accidentally cursed out loud. He immediately tried to brush it off when he realized that Dampires could have heard him.
“
Nngh!
I see! I got it!
H-Haa... Hngg!”
“...”
“Anyway, how about we cooperate?
A-Angh!”
“What do you mean by cooperate? How?”
“
Nngh!
Isn’t it obvious? You and I team up and make it through the Maze of Evil! Together we will be—
a-ahngg!”
“No thanks,” Siegfried flatly refused, waving his hand. Then, he said, “I’m fine on my own, so don’t get in my way. We’re competitors anyway, so what’s there to cooperate on?”
With that, Siegfried turned his back and continued onward. His steps were quick like someone avoiding a pile of shit just because it was too filthy to even be near it or deal with.
“
Nngh!
D-Don’t be like that! Let’s work together!
A-Aahng... Hngg!”
“Piss off.”
“W-Wait a moment!
Haa... Hng!”
Suddenly, Dampires stepped in front of Siegfried and blocked his path.
Siegfried grimaced and glared at the Demon Lord of Lust.
It was then.
Flash!
Pink sparks burst forth from Dampires’ eyes.
Ding!
A notification popped up in front of Siegfried's eyes.
[Alert: Status Ailment!]
[Alert: Your character has been charmed!]
At the same time, Siegfried felt a fiery sensation surge from deep in his lower abdomen.
‘
W-What the hell? What is this status effect?!’
Then, a string of notifications popped up one after another in front of his eyes.
[Alert: Your character’s libido is skyrocketing!]
[Alert: Lust is overriding your control over your character!]
[Alert: Your character is transforming into a beast driven purely by the urge to release!]
[Alert: 30 seconds remaining until complete loss of rationality!]
[Alert: 29 seconds remaining until complete loss of rationality!]
The status ailment Siegfried was afflicted with, Charm, was unlike any other debuff. It was a crowd control spell that amplified a target’s lust until they lost all semblance of self-control.
Siegfried was instantly overwhelmed by it, even though he was currently in his demon lord form and had extraordinarily high resistance to mental manipulation skills.
“
A-Argghh...!”
As Siegfried struggled to control his surging desire and the involuntary movements of his body,
Dampires took out a leather whip and lashed it at the ground.
Chwaaak!
“
Hohoho~
I don’t discriminate between men and women, you know?”
“A-Argh!”
“You look absolutely luscious, little human!
Hnngg! Aaah~!”
With eyes gleaming like a predator stalking its prey, Dampires slowly approached Siegfried.
“S-Stay back! Get the fuck away from me!” Siegfried screamed threateningly. However, an overwhelming sense of dread swept across him.
If he were taken by Dampires here, he would certainly be scarred for life with a trauma that he could never recover from.
1. I could’ve translated this as dancing on one’s palm, but the Sun Wukong and Buddha part was too good to leave out. Monkey Deldelos uga uga! ☜