Debuff Master - Chapter 1211
Chapter 1211
Dragonhead Mountain had long been infamous for its cataclysmic eruption.
As written in the historical records, it was said that a pillar of fire would soar so high into the sky whenever it erupted that it could be seen even from the Marchioni Empire’s capital city.
Emperor Stuttgart wished to behold that fiery inferno, the very pillar of fire that would raze half of the Proatine Empire, serving as the messenger heralding the downfall of a rising superpower.
“Thirty seconds remaining, sire,” Grand Duke Neighdelberg said.
“Is that so? Come, you take a glass, too.”
“I am unworthy of such grace, my lord.”
“Receive it. For you have proven yourself worthy, Grand Duke.”
“Your grace is immeasurable, my lord!”
Emperor Stuttgart poured a glass of wine for Grand Duke Neighdelberg, who was the architect and mastermind behind this operation.
Grand Duke Neighdelberg accepted the glass with deepest reverence, bowing his head in gratitude.
A few seconds later, Emperor Stuttgart muttered and smiled in satisfaction and muttered, “So it has begun.”
In the far distance, a colossal pillar of fire shot up into the skies, splitting the clouds and piercing the heavens themselves.
At long last, Dragonhead Mountain had erupted.
The blazing fiery inferno was so bright that its blaze was visible in Emperor Stuttgart’s eyes.
“It is a thing of beauty from afar. But up close, I am certain that it is a true disaster, one that can only be unleashed by nature.”
“Indeed it is, sire.”
“Make sure that everything is going according to plan on the ground. I expect a detailed report of everything happening.”
“As you command, my lord.”
Grand Duke Neighdelberg descended to the communications room located below, intending to reach the observation posts stationed near Dragonhead Mountain, but…
The communication officer reported, “Grand Duke, sir! We cannot establish contact with the observation post!”
“What?” Grand Duke Neighdelberg grimaced and grumbled. Then, he furrowed a brow and said, “I personally ordered them to remain on standby at all times. Are they shirking their duty?”
“I-I cannot ascertain that, sir! We’ve been maintaining stable contact up until just before the eruption. The instant it erupted, all signals were cut, and we have yet to reestablish connection, sir!”
“How does that make sense?”
“The immense energy unleashed by the eruption might be disrupting the frequencies. Please wait a bit longer, sir!”
“Make haste. His Imperial Majesty is waiting.”
“Yes, sir!”
The communication officers scrambled after being encouraged—no, threatened by Grand Duke Neighdelberg’s icy tone.
Five minutes passed, but they were unable to reestablish a connection with the outposts.
“G-Grand Duke, sir! W-We are yet to connect with the outposts. I will attempt to connect to the second-nearest outposts, sir!”
“Do so with haste. And inform those men that every single one of them will be punished with utmost severity for dereliction of their duties.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Cold sweat poured down the communication officer’s face as he attempted to connect to the other outposts.
However, none in the region responded.
‘W-Why? What’s going on?’
The communication officer was baffled by what was happening when another officer suddenly reported.
“Sir! We have received a transmission from a nearby battleship!”
By chance, an Immortal Battleship conducting flight drills in the vicinity had contacted them.
“Connect them now!”
The communication officer seized the line.
Exactly one minute later…
“N-No… This cannot be…!”
The officer’s knees buckled, and he collapsed on the spot.
“What is it?” Grand Duke Neighdelberg asked, sensing that something was amiss.
“D-Dragonhead Mountain has erupted, sir…”
“And?”
“…The eruption is coming toward our lands, not the Proatine Empire.”
“What?!”
“They report that the eruption has engulfed our western provinces, sir.”
At those words, Grand Duke Neighdelberg swayed, barely able to stay on his feet.
The grand plan he had so proudly orchestrated now threatened to lay waste to the Marchioni Empire rather than annihilating the Proatine Empire.
Despite maintaining a cool and composed demeanor at all times, the grand duke’s mind descended into chaos and despair at this moment.
***
While Emperor Stuttgart was gazing upon the eruption of Dragonhead Mountain, Siegfried, too, was watching the same majestic spectacle.
“Wow… Beautiful. That’s really beautiful…” he muttered with a smile, his eyes fixated on the towering inferno.
The eruption that was meant to raze the Proatine Empire instead surged eastward toward the Marchioni Empire.
In mere moments, the villages and cities near Dragonhead Mountain were obliterated, and the lava rolled forth like tidal waves and swept across the Marchioni Empire’s lands.
But that was not all…
The mountain belched forth vast clouds of volcanic ash, darkening the skies and blanketing the empire beneath with darkness.
Unlike the eruption’s lava, volcanic ash traveled farther and lingered far longer.
It was only a matter of days before the volcanic ash would shroud the Marchioni Empire’s capital city in darkness, blackening its skies even at midday.
“Magnificent work, I must say, sire,” Duke Decimato said, offering praise.
“Haha! What have I done, really? This was all thanks to you, Duke Decimato,” Siegfried replied with a laugh, dismissing the credit.
“Hohoho!”
“But that is so beautiful,” Siegfried murmured, his eyes fixed on the fiery inferno in the distance. Then, he added, “But… it must be hell itself for those caught by it…”
“Indeed, sire.”
“You have been working tirelessly for days, so you must be exhausted. Let’s head back and rest. I’m spent, too.”
Siegfried took one last look at the majestic spectacle. He etched it in his memories before turning away leisurely.
‘Those damn magicians are the real problem… How do I deal with them? How do I bring the Magic Tower down?’
Meanwhile, his thoughts were fixated on one thing and one thing alone. He wondered how he could destroy one of the greatest pillars of the Marchioni Empire—the Magic Tower.
***
Grand Duke Neighdelberg wanted nothing more than to end his own life right there and then. He was currently still in the communications room just below the top floor of the spire, so he could leap over the railing and end his life with even a sliver of courage.
‘Should I just… jump and die?’
Grand Duke Neighdelberg was torn. He had the courage to die but not the courage to report this failure to Emperor Stuttgart.
Still, he couldn’t bring himself to take his own life.
Why?
It was all because it was obvious what fate awaited his house if he were to do that.
Anyone bearing his family name would be arrested, and they would all be publicly executed as a warning to everyone else.
‘W-Why… How did this happen…?’
He had no idea why the operation failed, but one thing was certain—he had no other choice but to report it.
Trembling uncontrollably, Grand Duke Neighdelberg ascended the stairs.
He approached Emperor Stuttgart, who was sipping wine, and delivered the grim report.
“…That is what happened, my lord.”
After making his report, Grand Duke Neighdelberg flung himself flat on the floor before the emperor and began smashing his head against it.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Blood trickled down from his forehead, soaking the floor red.
He had struck the floor with his head so hard that his eyes rolled back for a second, and he suffered a concussion from the impact.
“…”
Emperor Stuttgart remained silent for a long time.
Another failure.
Not just once, but twice.
For someone who had ruled for over twenty years without ever tasting failure, these two failures were a huge shock to him—a blemish to his name.
“The cause?” Emperor Stuttgart asked.
“It… has not yet been… identified… to my knowledge, my lord…”
Despite frothing at the mouth and bleeding from the head, Grand Duke Neighdelberg focused and tried his best to answer.
“T-The coordinates… of the magic circle… were faulty… cough!”
Emperor Stuttgart remained expressionless as he commanded, “Execute all responsible. All of them.”
“As… you command, sire…”
“Leave no relatives alive. Burn their homes. Execute all neighbors. If there are livestock, kill them. Confiscate their lands and render them unusable forever.”
Emperor Stuttgart’s voice was calm and devoid of all emotion, even as he issued the horrifying decree.
To him, killing was as natural as breathing.
After murdering all of his relatives to ascend to the throne, he felt no remorse or guilt in killing others.
“As you… command, sire…”
“And Neighdelberg.”
“Y-Yes, my lord…”
“From this moment on, you are stripped of your titles and shall be reduced to the status of a slave.”
“Y-Your grace is… immeasurable, my lord…”
Bam!
Grand Duke Neighdelberg—no, Slave Neighdelberg banged his head on the floor once more and fainted. In an instant, he fell from being the Grand Duke of the Marchioni Empire to a mere slave.
However, this could be seen as a merciful act by Emperor Stuttgart.
The losses suffered by the Marchioni Empire from this failed operation were immense.
The lives lost, properties damaged, and the devastation caused by the eruption would amount to an astronomical sum.
Furthermore, this failure would mark the second failure in Emperor Stuttgart’s reign, meaning that sparing Neighdelberg’s life was actually an incredible act of clemency.
Neighdelberg was fortunate enough to even survive.
Emperor Stuttgart did not spare a glance at Neighdelberg, who collapsed on the ground.
Instead, he was deep in thought.
“Hmm… Things keep going awry. Is it a coincidence, or is someone meddling with our plans? I guess I will see in time…”
With those words, the emperor left the terrace atop the spire.
***
It had been several days since the eruption, and the eruption of Dragonhead Mountain inflicted catastrophic damage on the western region of the Marchioni Empire.
Dozens of cities were reduced to rubble, millions of citizens were disintegrated by lava, and hundreds of villages vanished from the face of the continent.
The vast farmlands that once thrived in the region, feeding the empire, were rendered permanently unusable.
As a result, more than ten million people were displaced.
The costs and manpower required to manage the aftermath were enough to establish an entirely new nation and still have some more money left over.
The extent of the Marchioni Empire’s losses from this failed operation was beyond what one could ever imagine.
But that was not the end of it…
On the fourth day after the eruption of Dragonhead Mountain—
“S-Snow…?”
“Gray snow is falling from the sky!”
Volcanic ash blown by the wind began to darken the skies above the capital, blanketing it in darkness.
Soon, the ash fell like snow, paralyzing the entire city. The citizens of the capital, accustomed to a bright spring, grew anxious and fearful as the sky turned dark and gray ash piled up thick on the streets.
Amid the chaos—
“Ah! The empire is doomed! Five hundred years of our great empire’s history is coming to an end!”
“This is indeed an ominous sign…”
“A harbinger of disaster! A harbinger of disaster!”
“The end of times has come! Repent or burn in hell!”
“Our great empire will fall! This is the wrath of the heavens!”
Rumors began spreading throughout the capital, foreboding the downfall of the empire.
The soldiers were mobilized to suppress these rumors, harshly punishing those who were caught whispering them.
However, the whispers spread like a virus, showing no signs of stopping.
The Marchioni Empire even publicly executed several mentally unstable individuals and cult leaders who openly spread these rumors in public, but that did not help appease the anxious public.
By the time the rumors had spread throughout the Marchioni Empire, chaos had already gripped it.
“A plague is spreading…?”
While absorbed in his administrative duties as usual, Emperor Stuttgart suddenly received an unexpected report that surprised him. The report stated that various contagious diseases had broken out in major cities across the empire, and the number of patients had been increasing exponentially by the day.
To make things worse, the disease had already spread so much that it was beyond containment.
The Marchioni Empire was now facing disaster after disaster, giving strength to the spreading rumors foreboding its downfall.
