Debuff Master - Chapter 1134

Chapter 1134

In theory, trying to sneak into the prison camp with only a handful of special forces units was practically suicidal. Siegfried was well aware of that fact, too, and he understood exactly what Cain was worried about.

After all, special forces units were not unstoppable.

They specialized in infiltrating deep behind enemy lines and completing their mission before escaping without leaving a trace. They were never meant for large-scale battles against masses of enemies.

However, that only applied to ordinary special forces.

The Proatine Force was completely different from the average special forces unit. Every single one of them was at Level 299, and their strength rivaled that of a royal guard of the Marchioni Empire.

On top of that, they were highly intelligent and well-versed in combat tactics.

The members of the Proatine Force weren’t just powerful warriors; they were extremely cunning and intelligent agents, too.

Of course, that wasn’t all.

Their gear was actually better than Siegfried’s gear. Their leather armor sets were lighter than cloth yet boasted greater defense and durability than plate mail. These came with a temperature control function to keep the Proatine Force units operational whether they were in a blizzard or under the scorching sun.

In addition, the armor shifted colors to match the environment, and there was even a cloaking function.

Night vision was also standard issue, and each Proatine Force unit carried ancient runes that muffled sound completely. Those ancient runes blocked noise from traveling, no matter how loud it was. Naturally, they could muffle noises from an intense battle.

Last but not least were their weapons. The crossbows they carried were so powerful that even high-level monsters had little chance of surviving a direct hit. With nearly two hundred of these powerful warriors ready, Siegfried was confident of breaching the prison camp.

‘Taking over one measly prison camp is nothing with these monsters with me.’

Siegfried had absolute faith in the elite special forces unit of the Proatine Empire.

The Proatine Empire’s small population had always been its main weakness, as a nation’s population directly affected its military might. To counteract this, the Proatine Empire had focused on training elite units and honed various tactics that leveraged their advantages.

As a result, the Proatine Force was born, and they were trained to inflict maximum damage to the enemy even with a small force.

‘Eliminate the perimeter guards and seize control of the outer walls first. Do not get detected. Stealth is the key to this mission.’

Siegfried sent his commands to the Proatine Force units via telepathy, and then he began approaching the prison camp.

‘Hold position.’

When they were about one hundred meters from the outer wall, he gave the signal for the Proatine Force to stand by. Then, he activated Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance and scanned the prison camp’s terrain and structures in detail.

Just then, he noticed something.

‘Oh? What’s that?’

He found multiple crystal orbs installed along the outer walls, and these orbs seemed to be acting as surveillance devices, much like CCTVs. On top of that, the blind spots were covered with instruments that emitted detection waves to catch any intruders trying to slip through.

‘Well, look at that,’ Siegfried thought, impressed by the prison camp’s security measures.

He had heard that the Coral Race was more technologically inclined than magically, and they clearly lived up to their reputation.

Still, it was not something that could stop Siegfried and the Proatine Force.

‘Let’s see…’

Siegfried activated Wave of Oppression, disrupting the detection waves covering the blind spots. Then, he picked up a small pebble from the ground and flicked it through the blind spot.

No alarms sounded, and the patrolling guards showed no signs of reacting.

The Wave of Oppression had perfectly neutralized the enemy’s detection system.

‘Slip in through the blind spot and secure the outer wall swiftly,’ Siegfried ordered.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Under the cover of their cloaking abilities, the Proatine Force units scaled the wall without making a sound. In mere seconds, they reached the top and dispatched the Coral Guards stationed on the walls.

The operation was swift and silent. None of the prison camp’s guards had the faintest clue that the outer wall had already fallen into the enemy’s hands.

Meanwhile, Siegfried headed straight for the operations room. He intended to seize control of the command center and disable the alarm systems from within.

Knock! Knock!

He knocked on the door.

“Hm? Who would be knocking at this hour?”

The Coral Warden opened the door and—

Bam!

The +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp came out of nowhere and crushed the warden’s skull before he could utter another word.

“…!”

The other Coral Guards inside sprang up in surprise, but they were a step too late.

Flash!

Siegfried unleashed Absolute Zero, freezing the entire operations room solid in an instant. The Coral Guards inside were not even given the chance to resist, as they were shattered to pieces by the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

‘Operations room secured. Spread out and quietly eliminate any remaining guards and wardens. We have forty-five minutes left. Clear out as many as you can and open the gates,’ Siegfried said, giving the final command.

Following his lead, the Proatine Force swept across the prison camp, taking down every guard and warden they came across. With this, the Marchioni Imperial Army marching toward the prison camp could seize control of it without facing any resistance at all.

***

Exactly one hour after Siegfried and the Proatine Force had infiltrated the prison camp.

Cain led the 1st Division to the doorsteps of the prison camp. There, he was greeted by a sight so unbelievable that he was completely stunned by it.

“T-This… is impossible…”

The main gates of the prison camp were wide open.

Atop the outer wall, a Proatine Force unit was flashing a signal light, signaling to the 1st Division to enter the prison camp.

‘T-They really captured the whole prison camp? In just one hour?’ Cain was shocked. How did they manage to tear through the layers of defenses prepared by the enemy? And how did they do it in under an hour without getting discovered?

Of course, he had no answers to these questions.

“A-All troops. Enter the camp quietly…”

Astonished, Cain ordered the entire 1st Division to enter the prison camp as discreetly as possible.

The Proatine Force’s ability to carry out covert strikes so discreetly was truly on a whole new level. The whole prison camp was calm and quiet, as if nothing had happened in it during the entire hour. In fact, there were no reactions from the prison camp even after half of the 1st Division had entered it.

Unfortunately, that was as far as stealth would take them.

“E-Enemy! It’s the aliens!”

“The enemy has invaded our camp!”

“Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm!”

Once the imperial army entered the prison camp, some of the guards who were still alive caught on and yelled at the top of their lungs.

However, it was already too late.

“Kill them all!”

“Wipe out the enemy!”

“Don’t spare even a single one of them!”

“Glory to the Marchioni Empire!”

The Marchioni imperial troops, now inside the prison camp, showed exactly why they were soldiers of the most powerful nation in the world.

They attacked the Coral Guards and made quick work of them.

Meanwhile, Siegfried was already deep inside the prison camp. He was looking for Daode Tianzun and Betelgeuse using Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance.

[Alert: Searching…]

[Alert: Search completed!]

[Alert: Daode Tianzun and Betelgeuse were not found!]

Unfortunately, neither Daode Tianzun nor Betelgeuse was in the prison camp. It was likely that they had completed their resocialization and had been deployed to the front lines, or they were probably moved to a different prison camp.

“Tsk…” Siegfried clicked his tongue in disappointment. He was hoping to find and rescue them right away, but it seemed that his efforts were in vain this time. Since that was the case…

‘I might as well farm some EXP.’

Siegfried immediately moved across the prison camp, hunting down every Coral Guard he came across.

“R-Run! Get out of here now!”

“Escort the Chief Warden! Protect the Chief Warden at all costs!”

“Hold the door!”

At that moment, Siegfried stumbled upon a group of Corals trying to escape through an emergency escape route, and one of them was the prison camp’s key personnel, the so-called “Chief Warden.”

‘I guess I can kill them all except that one.’

Without hesitation, Siegfried made his move. He cut them down one by one, leaving only the chief warden alive.

“Argh! Ghhk!”

“This is where you brainwash prisoners for resocialization, right?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Then you should get a taste of it too, no?”

“What…?”

“I’m a bit of a brainwasher myself.”

Siegfried injected his radioactive microbes into the chief warden, forcibly converting him into an Irradiator.

He learned from his experience with the Coral Ranger squad leader that interrogating them could be quite tedious, so he just decided to turn them into Irradiators and get the information he needed without any trouble.

“I greet my master.”

With that, the chief warden was now under his control.

‘Looks like this place is wrapped up. Might as well grab some loot before I go,’ Siegfried thought, summoning the Three-Legged Crow.

“Caw! Caw! Caaaw!”

The Three-Legged Crow swept up the armor worn by the dead Coral Guards and their weapons, the Lightswords.

[Alert: You have obtained Coral Warden’s Trousers!]

[Alert: You have obtained Coral Guard’s Gloves!]

[Alert: You have obtained Coral Warden’s Cap!]

(omitted…)

[Alert: You have obtained Lighsword: E1221 AWE!]

(omitted…)

Once he finished looting the items, Siegfried regrouped with the Proatine Force units and left the prison camp.

Just like that, the operation came to an end.

“I told you, didn’t I? Just sit back and enjoy the show,” Siegfried said cheekily while passing by Cain at the prison camp’s entrance.

“…”

Cain stood there speechless. Half of him was in awe of Siegfried’s tremendous achievement, while the other half was in denial. In the end, he did not say a single word in response—no, it was more like he couldn’t say anything.

***

Siegfried became a hero yet again.

“All hail His Imperial Majesty, Siegfried von Proa!”

“Long live His Imperial Majesty!”

The soldiers of the Marchioni Imperial Army praised Siegfried as their savior and hero after being freed from their prison cells.

Word quickly spread that Siegfried and the Proatine Force had spearheaded the prison camp rescue operation, and this made his popularity among the imperial soldiers soar to greater heights.

The more praise Siegfried received, the deeper the fangs of jealousy sank into Cain’s heart. Siegfried was well aware that Cain was seething inside, but he did not spare him so much as a glance.

Why? It was simply because picking a fight with a petty person like Cain offered Siegfried nothing in return.

Siegfried ignored everyone’s reaction, including Cain’s envious gaze. Instead, he focused solely on extracting information from the chief warden that he had turned into an Irradiator earlier.

Fortunately, the chief warden knew a thing or two about the whereabouts of Daode Tianzun and Betelgeuse thanks to his fairly high rank.

“Those two were recognized for their combat prowess and transferred to a special detention facility, master.”

“A special detention facility?”

“The stronger the prisoner, the stronger their mind. A strong mind was difficult to resocialize, so the higher-ups sent them to a research lab instead. There, they break them down mentally and complete the resocialization process.

“Where’s this research lab?”

“It is near the area where the invaders attempted to land, Master.”

By invaders, the chief warden meant the expeditionary force sent by the Marchioni Empire.

“Are you talking about the landing operation that failed?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Anything else I should be aware of?”

“Hmm… Only that the Emperor has broken his silence and appeared in public with his imperial guards.”

“The Emperor?”

“The ruler of the Coral Race, Master.”

Siegfried realized just then that he had stumbled upon a critical piece of information. Until now, nobody knew who the leader of the Coral Race was, as there had been no instances of the leader ever being seen.

However, it seemed that the expeditionary force had become a turning point, as the Coral Emperor had finally made a public appearance alongside the imperial guards.