Debuff Master-Chapter 920

“Huh? An emergency?” Siegfried muttered in response, tilting his head in confusion.

“I believe I should report this matter in private, sire,” the knight added.

“Sure,” Siegfried said with a nod.

After receiving the knight’s report, Siegfried looked at Emperor Stuttgart.

“Your Imperial Majesty.”

“What is it, Siegfried van Proa?”

“There is an urgent report from my homeland. May I please excuse myself for a moment, my lord?”

“I grant you permiss—-”

At that moment, one of the retainers of the Marchioni Empire walked up to the emperor and whispered something.

“Your Imperial Majesty.”

Emperor Stuttgart listened for a moment before addressing Siegfried.

“Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“You may take your leave.”

“Thank you, my lord. I will make haste and return.”

Siegfried was about to leave to listen to the knight’s report in detail, but it seemed the emperor thought otherwise.

“You likely won’t be able to return tonight. Anyway, be on your way.”

“Pardon me, my lord?”

“You will have to make haste.”

“As you command, my lord.”

Although puzzled by the emperor’s words, Siegfried left to hear the rest of the knight’s report.

“We have an emergency, Your Majesty.”

“What happened?”

“The Dark Elf Kingdom of Niflheim has launched a surprise attack on Elondel.”

“...!”

“The last report stated that the Capital city of Elondel has fallen.”

“Let’s go.”

Siegfried reacted immediately. Elondel has fallen?

This was indeed an emergency.

The fall of Elondel meant that Lohengrin, Brunhilde, and Verdandi, who were attending the birthday celebration, were in danger. Their fates were now uncertain. At worst, they could be killed or captured by the dark elves.

‘Credos... You bastard. You’re dead. I won’t let you get away with this if you harm even a hair on my family. I’m going to stuff you into a blender and grind you to death.’

Siegfried dashed toward the warp gate faster than ever before.

Meanwhile, Emperor Stuttgart was preparing to mobilize the imperial army after receiving the report from the empire’s intelligence agency.

“It seems there are troubles at Siegfried van Proa’s in-laws.”

“I believe so, Your Imperial Majesty. How about dispatching the Immortal Armada to assist King Siegfried, sire?”

“I was thinking the same. It’s only right to lend a hand when there’s chaos at my brother-in-law’s household.”

“A wise choice, sire.”

“Command the Immortal Armada to set out right—”

At that moment, an intelligence officer approached and reported.

“An urgent matter requests Your Imperial Majesty’s attention.”

“What is it?”

“A dimensional gate, we believe to be the work of the Coral Race, has opened in the northern region, sire.”

“What?”

Emperor Stuttgart’s expression stiffened.

They had just suppressed a rebellion and were celebrating their victory, but the Corals had opened another dimensional gate?

“Is this the Second Expeditionary Forces they spoke of?” Emperor Stuttgart asked.

“It is highly likely, sire.”

“Deploy the imperial army, but do not halt the festivities. There must be no signs of unrest shown to the people.”

“As you command, sire.”

“And...” Emperor Stuttgart paused. Then, he continued, “Deploy the Immortal Armada as well.”

This was a choice even the emperor couldn’t avoid. He intended to send the Immortal Armada to Siegfried’s aid, but he couldn’t afford to divert his forces elsewhere when the Coral Race was launching another invasion.

However, he wasn't abandoning Siegfried. He wasn't going to leave Siegfried to fend for himself.

Emperor Stuttgart turned to his half-sister.

“Irene.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Lead the 8th Corps to the Elven Kingdom of Elondel and support King Siegfried van Proa.”

“As you command, sire.”

Irene accepted the emperor’s command without hesitation. After all, she had no reason to refuse, as she was going to help the man who made her heart flutter for the first time in her life.

“You’re a good girl, Irene. You’re being deployed on a mission right after completing your training, yet you're not voicing any complaints nor showing any dissatisfaction,” Emperor Stuttgart said with a warm smile.

“I am simply doing my duty as Your Imperial Majesty’s subject.”

“Go now. It seems the situation is quite dire over there.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Irene bowed deeply and swiftly left the banquet hall.

“It seems not a single day passes peacefully...” Emperor Stuttgart muttered to himself.

Right after both Siegfried and Irene left the banquet hall, Emperor Stuttgart covered his face after feeling an overwhelming sense of fatigue.

***

Meanwhile, the capital city of Elondel was in utter ruin.

“Kill them all! Leave no one alive! Today must be Elondel's final day!”

Credos displayed overwhelming power thanks to his contract with Baroque, reducing everything around him to ashes.

And it was not just Credos...

“Krwaaaah!”

“Die! You wretched elves!”

“It’s now the era of us, dark elves!”

The army of Niflheim rampaged with reckless abandon and mercilessly slaughtered the knights and soldiers of Elondel.

Elondel’s forces fought desperately against the ambush from the Niflheim Army, but it was futile.

Why?

It was all because their enemy wasn't just the Niflheim Army and Credos.

Baroque, a high-ranking demon and son of a demon lord, had used his authority to summon his minions from the Demon Realm.

“Come forth, my loyal subjects! Annihilate my enemies!”

As soon as Baroque’s orders echoed...

Shwoom! Shwoom! Shwoom!

Poof! Poof!

A demon army the size of a division appeared and charged toward Elondel’s forces.

And then...

“Go forth, warriors of the 7th Domain! Wipe out every last one of them!”

Their Supreme Commander, Chae Hyung-Seok—no, Hyungseokius, used his ability to cast a wide-area buff and empower his demon minions.

‘Tsk... What a shame only one division crossed. If the entire legion crossed over, then it would’ve been perfect.’

Baroque wasn't at his full strength just yet. Due to the constraints on him, he could only summon one division, which was truly disappointing. Regardless, Chae Hyung-Seok decided to be satisfied with even a single division, as it was more than enough to lay waste to Elondel.

“Kill them all!”

“Harvest their souls!”

“Elven souls! Kihihi!”

“Glory to the 7th Domain!”

For the first time in four hundred fifty years, the demon warriors descended upon the human realm and rampaged. Their first victims were none other than the soldiers and knights of Elondel.

“Bwahaha! Excellent! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!” Baroque exclaimed while hovering around Credos and harvesting the souls of the fallen elves.

Wooong!

Each time he did, his demonic power surged, making him grow even stronger.

“Ah! This power...! Mwahaha!”

The sensation of growing stronger made Baroque feel intoxicated.

‘Hehehe! At this rate, even your body will soon be mine, foolish dark elf!’

His gaze landed on Credos, who was wildly swinging his blade. Baroque couldn’t help but form a sinister smile while watching Credos, who was demonstrating incredible combat power thanks to the power that he bestowed upon him.

The King of the Dark Elves was nearly monstrous, plowing through dozens of elves with a single swing of his sword.

However, the power bestowed upon him by Baroque was no different from an addictive drug. The more Credos absorbed Baroque’s power, the more he would eventually lose control over his own body.

And before he knew it...

‘Mwahaha! I’ll possess your body and soul! I will soon descend upon this world!’

Once Baroque completely took control over Credos’ body, he could use more of his powers.

Credos was a Master, so there was no doubt that his fleshly body could contain Baroque’s true power. Eventually, Baroque’s true form would slowly cross over from the Demon Realm, making him a destructive force the Human Realm had never seen before.

Meanwhile, Credos was completely oblivious to all of this—he was obsessed with finding Lohengrin and his family; he couldn’t care less about what was going to happen to himself.

“Lohengrin! Find Lohengrin and his daughter! And his granddaughter, too!”

The complete destruction of Elondel was indeed important to Credos, but what was even more important to him was his personal vengeance.

***

At the same time.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

Lohengrin was running through the Eternal Forest alongside Brunhilde, who was carrying Verdandi in her arms.

The Royal Guards of Elondel, the elites among the elites of the elven kingdom, were escorting them.

“We must find Lohengrin!”

“Capture them at all costs!”

The voices of the dark elves pursuing them echoed throughout the forest.

“Brunhilde! Go, quickly!” Lohengrin said, grabbing her by her arm.

“F-Father!”

“We will both be caught if we flee together! You must escape!”

“I-I can’t! How could I leave your side—”

“Think of your child!”

“...!”

“You’re not alone! Verdandi is with you! You must protect her!”

“F-Father...!”

It was then.

Verdandi burst into tears as she ran toward Lohengrin and cried out, “Grandpaaa! You have to come with us! Grandpa!”

“Oh, my precious little one... Don’t worry, child. This grandpa will keep you safe and sound,” Lohengrin said with a warm, gentle smile.

Despite their dire situation, Lohengrin managed to smile and hug Verdandi tightly.

“It’s dangerous! Come with us! Grandpa!”

“Hahaha! Dangerous? Grandpa isn’t weak at all. So don’t worry, okay?”

“Grandpa...”

“I’ll defeat those bad guys and catch up with you soon. So, listen to your mother, okay?”

“But...”

“Come here,” Lohengrin hugged Verdandi tightly once more. Then, he said in a gentle voice, “Grandpa will follow right behind you. Hold your mother’s hand tight and follow her, okay?”

“But grandpa...”

“Go on now, child.”

With that, Lohengrin gently handed Verdandi over to Brunhilde.

“I’ll catch up soon.”

“Father...”

Brunhilde couldn’t bring herself to move from her spot. Lohengrin might have made it seem like the situation was nothing serious, but she knew all too well just how dire their current predicament was.

“Hurry and go!” Lohengrin shouted.

Then, he led the royal guards in the opposite direction to lure the dark elves away.

‘Father! I will come back to save you!’ Brunhilde gritted her teeth and swore while watching Lohengrin disappear with the royal guards.

Brunhilde held Verdandi tightly and started running once again.

Her main priority right now was to bring Verdandi somewhere safe, as her safety was the most important thing to her right now.

***

Upon his urgent return to the Proatine Kingdom, Siegfried was met by the Supreme Commander of the Proatine Army, Oscar, and his trusty companion, Hamchi.

“Your Majesty!”

Oscar rushed over to him the moment he emerged from the warp gate.

“What’s the current situation?” Siegfried asked bluntly.

There was no time for pleasantries as the situation was far too dire.

“All warp gates leading to Elondel have been destroyed, sire.”

“...!”

“The Iron Fleet and the 1st Corp of the Proatine Army are on standby, fully prepared to be deployed immediately.”

“Deploy at once.”

“But Your Majesty...” Oscar hesitated. Then, she said, “We have no means of transporting our troops to Elondel, sire.”

“What do you mean by that?” Siegfried asked, his voice sounding sharp, almost as if lashing out. His in-laws’ kingdom, Elondel, was in ruins, and the situation of his wife, daughter, and father-in-law were unknown to him.

But there was no way to deploy the army?

What was that supposed to mean?

“That is... There are powerful interference waves blanketing all routes leading to Elondel. Duke Decimato is working with our kingdom’s mages to find a solution, but they are unable to get past it.

“Even after consulting with Elder Daode Tianzun and changing the frequency of the warp magic... Nothing has worked so far.”

“What’s causing it?”

“There is an obstacle hindering our efforts, sire.”

“And that is?”

“The Sacon Kingdom, sire.”

One of the Proatine Kingdom’s neighbors, the Sacon Kingdom, was a formidable power in the region.

“They control all frequencies used for warp magic, sire.”

“Have you tried asking them to release the frequencies?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We requested access to the frequencies leading to Elondel, but they refused.”

“Did they give a reason?”

“They demanded half of our kingdom’s territory in exchange for opening the frequencies.”

“Those fucking bastards...” Siegfried gnashed his teeth and cursed under his breath.

The Sacon Kingdom had learned about the Proatine Kingdom’s desperate situation, and they had decided to exploit it to extort massive gains.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺