Debuff Master-Chapter 870

— No way!

— What is this?!

— What’s going on here?! Three NPCs over Level 300 have appeared!

The sudden appearance of Leonid, Beggarius, and Shakiro sent shockwaves not only throughout the crowd in the stadium but also to everyone watching the match from around the world.

No one expected to see three NPCs over Level 300 in a live match.

“I will leave him to you, Elders!”

The observer captured the scene of Siegfried shouting at the three NPCs.

“Don’t worry about it! Keke!”

“We will be lynching him, so don’t worry about here!”

“You can leave this to us!”

The three Masters shouted in response.

— Oh my!

— Han Tae-Sung! Just how good are his connections?!

— T-This is incredible! Han Tae-Sung has personal relations with three Masters!

The commentators were shocked by Siegfried’s connections. This was understandable, as this was the first time that three Master NPCs have appeared in a live match between Adventurers.

“T-This is cheating! He’s cheating!” Alexei screamed in despair, clutching his hair in frustration. The three Masters were far stronger than Duke Kagon, and the fact that they joined the fray completely shattered all of Alexei’s hopes of turning this match around.

However, Duke Kagon himself was far more shaken than Alexei.

‘I can’t even win against a single one of them...? B-But I’m a Master too...!’ Duke Kagon despaired, staring at the trio.

Not all Masters were the same. For example, Shakiro was renowned as the strongest among the Five Star Heavens in terms of pure combat prowess even a decade ago.

Leonid, too, had grown stronger after he returned from his mysterious disappearance.

Shakiro and Leonid's sheer prowess dwarfed Duke Kagon.

Duke Kagon probably stood a chance against Beggarius, who was the weakest one among the three, but there was no guarantee that he could actually defeat the latter.

“It is an honor to meet you, Esteemed Seniors,” Duke Kagon greeted, carefully choosing his words and sounding overly polite. Why?

These three could rip him apart without leaving a trace if they wanted to do so.

“But if I may ask... Why have you involved yourselves in this war? I find this quite perplexing as your junior,” Duke Kagon added carefully.

The trio responded one by one.

“I owe the kid a huge debt,” Leonid said with a grin.

“And he’s my disciple,” Shakiro added with a smile.

“How can I refuse my employer’s orders? Haha!” Beggarius said with a sly chuckle.

‘Damn it...’ Duke Kagon cursed inwardly. He desperately wracked his brain in hopes of finding a way out of this nightmare he was in, but he could find none. Perhaps he could win against Beggarius if he somehow managed to catch him before he fled.

But three against one? His chance of winning was less than 0.001 percent. To make matters worse, he had never fought another Master ever since becoming a Master himself.

In other words, he lacked any real combat experience against another Master.

‘I can’t win this battle...’ Duke Kagon realized that resistance was futile and sheathed his sword.

He turned to Leonid and addressed him properly, “Your Majesty, King Leonid.”

“Go ahead, speak,” Leonid replied with a shrug.

“If the Palom Kingdom withdraws from this battle... will you allow my men to leave unscathed?”

This was the conclusion that Duke Kagon had reached after much deliberation.

There was no winning this war, so continuing it was futile.

What if they kept fighting? It was not just Duke Kagon’s life at stake but also the countless soldiers of the Palom Kingdom.

Fifty thousand men had already died in this battle, and if this continued, not a single one would return home.

Pulling out from this battle while they could, even at this late stage, was the only rational option left for Duke Kagon.

“Hmm... Unfortunately, that’s not for me to decide,” Leonid said, stroking his beard.

Then, he called out to Siegfried, who was busy in the distance slaughtering enemies en masse like a butcher.

“Hey! Siegfried!”

Ultimately, Leonid left the decision to Siegfried.

After all, Siegfried had all the authority to make decisions in this battle. freewebnσvel.cøm

***

“Yes! Elder!” Siegfried shouted in response to Leonid’s call while continuing to slaughter his enemies.

“The Palom Kingdom says they want to withdraw now! What do you think?” Leonid asked.

“Oh? Not a bad idea—I think!”

“Really?!”

“Yes!”

Siegfried had no intention of letting the trio slaughter thousands of people. Even among close friends, asking them to kill so many people when it could be avoided was a line he was not willing to cross.

“But! Tell them Duke Kagon stays behind! We need him as a hostage!” Siegfried shouted again.

This was a sound decision. Letting the soldiers retreat was acceptable, but allowing Duke Kagon, a Master, to walk scot-free? That was too risky.

Siegfried knew better than anyone that allowing such a figure to leave just like that could sow the seeds of disaster in the future.

‘Now that I think about it... Master’s been in need of a new servant lately. Hohoho!’ Siegfried mused, thinking about Deus’ current "assistant," the First Red Dragon, Vulcanus.

Deus treated Vulcanus like an elder brother and treated him with a degree of respect, not working him like a lowly slave.

However, Duke Kagon?

‘Master will love this. Kekeke!’

Just imagining Deus’ face after he was presented with Duke Kagon as a gift filled Siegfried with delight. Deus could really use a new servant with Metatron, Chaos, and Michael gone from the palace.

Even his former slave, the Sword Emperor, Betelgeuse, was hospitalized.

“If Duke Kagon stays, then the rest can leave!” Siegfried shouted.

Leonid turned to Duke Kagon and asked, “Looks like you’re staying. Anything you wanna say to that?”

“...”

“So, what will you do?”

“...”

Duke Kagon hesitated.

“Ack!”

“M-Mother!”

“Arghhhh!”

Dozens of his men were dying every second while he was busy deliberating on what to do, and he couldn't bear to stand by and watch anymore. ‘What’s there to hesitate about if I can save these men in exchange for me?’

Duke Kagon was a soldier, a statesman, and a warrior. He decided to cast aside his pride and sacrifice himself for the greater good. Besides, this war had no justification to begin with, so retreating while they still had a valid reason was in the kingdom’s best interest without a doubt.

“Very well. I will remain,” Duke Kagon said solemnly.

“Hey! He says he will stay!” Leonid called out to Siegfried.

“I will head over there right now!” Siegfried shouted in response before immediately breaking away from the battle and rushing toward the Masters. He stood in front of the duke and said, “Hello, Duke Kagon.”

“Your Majesty,” Duke Kagon replied with a courteous nod.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

“Huh?”

Swoosh!

Siegfried used the Ultimate Binding Technique: Tortoise Bind on Duke Kagon.

“...!”

In mere seconds, Duke Kagon found himself tied up in an awkward and humiliating position.

[Ultimate Binding Technique: Tortoise Bind]

[A binding technique inspired by the shell of a tortoise.]

[The name originates from the rope’s pattern resembling a tortoise shell when binding an opponent.]

[Rest assured, no further symbolic meaning is intended.]

[Cooldown: None]

[Skill Level: None]

[Effects: 100% chance to bind and hypnotize sea creatures]

Duke Kagon wasn't a sea creature, but he was still bound in an embarrassing manner.

“T-This!” Duke Kagon shrieked in horror. He regretted his decision to surrender in exchange for his men’s lives.

‘Damn it! This humiliation...! Damn it all!’

He wanted nothing more than to hide in a hole after being bound in a less than graceful manner. Perhaps that was the reason he shut his eyes tightly with tears streaming down his face.

Why?

It was all because he felt utterly humiliated, and his pride as a warrior shattered completely.

“Hear me, soldiers of the Palom Kingdom! Your commander, Duke Kagon, has surrendered! Lay down your weapons!” Siegfried shouted, his voice roaring across the battlefield.

The soldiers of the Palom Kingdom suddenly stopped and turned toward Siegfried in confusion.

“Lay down your arms—sniff! This fight is hopeless! I have surrendered, and the kingdom has surrendered, too!” Duke Kagon cried out to his soldiers.

The soldiers began dropping their weapons one by one after seeing their commander captured and bound. His plea for surrender left them with no choice but to comply, as the weakness in their commander’s voice snuffed out whatever fighting spirit they had.

However, Siegfried did not stop there.

“Now tell them to strip everything they have, from weapons to armor. Surrender everything they have except for their underwear!” he ordered.

“D-Do you really have to go that far?!” Duke Kagon cried out.

“Of course!” Siegfried lashed out in response. Then, he glared at the duke and growled, “Do you know how much damage we suffered? Is it wrong to demand some compensation? All we’re asking for is their gear!”

“F-Fine...”

Duke Kagon relayed Siegfried’s second demand.

A while later...

“D-Do not look at each other! Just return home!”

“Maintain your dignity and honor as warriors! We are not defeated! This is merely a tactical retreat!”

Thus, the Palom Kingdom’s army retreated butt-naked. Surprisingly, they maintained perfect formation even in their humiliating state, which was a testament to how disciplined they were as soldiers.

While they were humiliated to the point that they were made a public spectacle, their discipline was truly worthy of respect.

“Wow! Han Tae-Sung has captured the enemy commander and has forced the enemy army to retreat!”

“Are those NPCs putting on a group exhibition right now? Haha!”

The crowd was both astonished and amused by the surreal scene.

Meanwhile, Alexei was suffering through a complete mental breakdown while watching the Palom Kingdom’s army retreat.

“Hey! Where are you going?! Keep fighting! You bastards! Come back here and fight!” he raged desperately.

However, the Palom Kingdom’s soldiers ignored Alexei’s desperate cries and marched away in perfect unison.

“Ah...”

It was then that Alexei finally realized—he had lost the war.

***

The war was as good as over.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

The remaining Execution Guild members were cut down one by one right after the Palom Kingdom’s retreat.

And then...

Thud, thud, thud...

Siegfried walked toward his main prey—Alexei.

Alexei flinched and trembled as he stared at Siegfried walking toward him.

Wooong!

Siegfried was surrounded by the aura of Embrace of Despair and Eternal Flame, and he was exuding a presence so overpowering that it suffocated those around him.

Whoosh!

The searing flames danced like a serpent.

“Come... with me...”

“Do you want... to have a glimpse... of the abyss...?”

Nearly a thousand dark hands reached out to Alexei and grabbed him.

In Alexei’s eyes, Siegfried was no different from Asura himself.

“A-Ah...”

A shiver traveled down Alexei’s spine after being overwhelmed by Siegfried’s aura.

Siegfried was an enemy he could never hope to beat—an insurmountable mountain.

Alexei had the honor of experiencing firsthand the might of the Lord of Despair. To him, Siegfried was the very incarnation of despair itself.

However, he was not about to simply lie down and die.

‘It’s all over if I die here!’

Whoosh!

Alexei’s mind and body moved as one. He bolted with all of his strength and ran as far away from Siegfried as he could. He ran for his life, completely forgetting that the battle was broadcast live for the entire world to watch.

The crippling fear within him took over him, causing his survival instincts to kick in. In addition, he knew that dying to Siegfried meant dropping his weapon, which would result in a massive financial loss, so escaping alive from this battle was his best option.

Well, his best option was more like the lesser of two evils, as he would be haunted by the shame and ridicule of this battle for the rest of his life.