Debuff Master

Chapter 669

Krwaaaaang!

The massive wave of mana unleashed by Inkarthus shook the entire Arctic Pangea. The movement of the First Black Dragon's colossal body alone was enough to destroy everything around him.

However, that was all he could do...

Thud...!

Inkarthus staggered after trying to get up, as he had yet to fully recover.

Baaaam!

The glacier around him was destroyed when he collapsed to the ground.

“Heh...” Inkarthus smiled in disbelief while on the ground. He could not believe that he could not even get up and had ended up staggering before falling down.

“It's not time yet, Ancient Black Dragon,” the Savior said while standing in front of the First Black Dragon’s face.

“Who are you?” Inkarthus asked, staring at the hooded man with his yellow eyes.

“I am the one who released you from your seal and awakened you.”

“You woke me up...? Do you know who I am?”

“Yes, I do. You are the First Black Dragon, Inkarthus, who existed since the beginning of time, and you were revered as an evil god by the ancient people.”

“So you know me very well. If that’s the case, then I’m sure you know what awakening me means?”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t.”

“Do you wish for this world’s destruction?”

“Yes, I want this world to be destroyed,” the Savior replied, revealing the Church of Osric’s goal without a hint of hesitation.

“I see. Well, there were humans like you. I’m talking about those who served me,” Inkarthus replied nonchalantly.

“Their descendants are the ones guarding these lands.”

“Oh? Are they as loyal to me as their ancestors were?”

“It’s the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“They have been cursed with the fate of having to guard these frozen lands as punishment for their ancestors' actions of serving you.”

“So it’s the retaliation of the victors.”

“Yes.”

“How long has it been?” Inkarthus asked.

“One hundred thousand years,” the Savior replied, looking straight into the dragon’s eyes.

“So I've been sleeping for a long time now...”

“That is the reason you’re struggling to move. Stay down for now. It is frustrating, but it should be better than the last one hundred thousand years you've spent in slumber.”

“Yes, you are right.”

“Focus on receiving the liquid we are injecting into your body. That will awaken you and give you the nutrients that you need to recover.”

“I will accept it–for now.”

Inkarthus decided to accept the mysterious liquid that was being injected by the humans into his body. He had no reason to refuse help, as he couldn't even get up on his own.

One of the church members approached the Savior and whispered, “We have received word that Siegfried van Proa and the Blanc Clan are on their way here. They are using the Extreme Frost Road, so we detonated the explosives that we installed there.”

“Siegfried van Proa and the Blanc Clan? So he eventually managed to convince the Blanc Clan to be his allies...” the Savior muttered, amazed by Siegfried’s social skills.

The Blanc Clans were protectors of these frozen lands where First Black Dragon Inkarthus was sealed, and they had the natural instinct of being hostile toward all outsiders.

However, he actually managed to hold hands with those barbarians?

Siegfried van Proa’s ability to make friends and allies was truly surprising.

“It is all in vain,” the Savior muttered under his breath. Then, he turned to the dragon and said, “Ancient Black Dragon.”

“What is it?” Inkarthus replied, raising his large brow.

“The descendants of your servants have allied with those that are trying to prevent your return, and I have received word that they are on their way here.”

“Are you saying that the descendants of my servants are against me now?”

“Yes.”

“That is not possible.”

“Hmm?”

“My servants have sworn eternal loyalty toward me, and I have engraved their eternal servitude in their blood.”

“Then that means...”

“Their descendants have inherited their blood, so how could they be against me?”

It was then.

Wooong!

Inkarthus unleashed a powerful formless mana that shook the entire area. The mana spread throughout the Arctic Pangea, carrying the First Black Dragon’s will with it.

“Heed my call, my servants,” Inkarthus said, using Dragon Tongue.

***

Fortunately, the sleds managed to stop just in time, so they managed to avoid getting buried alive by the collapsing cavern.

The Extreme Frost Road getting buried under ice was a huge problem.

“This is bad...” Siegfried muttered while biting his lower lip.

The Church of Osric was trying to resurrect the evil god, Inkarthus, but the shortcut ended up being destroyed.

“How can the Extreme Frost Road get destroyed...?” Nanuqsa muttered in sheer disbelief. Funnily enough, he seemed to be more surprised than Siegfried. Then, he said, “Is the prophecy coming to fruition...?”

“What prophecy is that?” Siegfried asked.

“There is a scary prophecy passed down for generations in our clan. It is said that the Lord of Death would come back to life the day the Extreme Frost Road collapses.”

“That means... That thing is awake now...” Siegfried muttered while looking at the collapsed icy cavern up ahead.

“If what you say is true, then I deeply regret not listening to you and investigating properly. I was swayed by my personal emotions and did not carry out my duties to my clan...” Nanuqsa lamented. Then, he bit his lips and added, “I should’ve just acted the fool and went to investigate... What am I supposed to do now?”

“We still might have time. Don’t forget that the dragon has been asleep for one hundred thousand years, so it will take some time before it can move properly.”

“Oh!”

“But we must hurry and find a way to get there before it’s too—”

It was then.

“Argh!” Nanuqsa groaned, clutching his head, staggering.

“Chieftain Nanuqsa!” Siegfried exclaimed and hurriedly helped him.

“A-Argh...! Aaaargh!”

Nanuqsa’s eyes turned white. He foamed at the mouth and trembled uncontrollably.

“Chieftain Nanuqsa! Get a grip!”

“A-Argghh...!”

“Chieftain!”

“The blood in my veins...”

“Huh?”

“That filthy blood is...”

It was then.

“Grwaaa Aaaah!” Nanuqsa roared, unleashing a powerful shockwave.

Bam!

Siegfried was blasted away by the shockwave, and he collided with an ice wall.

“Kyuuu! Owner punk!”

“Hyung-nim!”

“Your Majesty!”

Hamchi, Seung-Gu, and Gringore hurriedly jumped off the sled and ran toward Siegfried.

“Argh...” Siegfried groaned and got back up.

Nanuqsa got back to his feet as well. “Ughh...”

He gripped his battle axe tightly as if he was getting ready for combat.

However, he wasn't the only one acting strange.

“I shall carry out the Black Dragon’s will...”

“As the Lord of Death commands...”

The Blanc Warriors muttered something under their breaths with their weapons in hand.

Then, they slowly surrounded Siegfried’s party.

“You must... Argh! Escape right n–aaah!” Nanuqsa warned while groaning in agony.

“Chieftain Nanuqsa!”

“The filthy blood... of our ancestors... Argh! H-Hurry! You must run away right—aaack!”

“What in the world is going on...?” Siegfried muttered, baffled by the scene he was witnessing. He activated his skill, Wave of Truth, to calm Nanuqsa and the Blanc Warriors, but—

“I shall carry out the black dragon’s will...”

“As the Lord of Death commands...”

—None of them came back to their senses.

Wave of Truth was a skill that removed all buffs from the Debuff Master’s enemies, so it wasn't effective in a situation like this.

“Damn it!” Siegfried cursed. Then, he looked at his comrades and shouted, “What are you waiting for?! Run!”

Siegfried’s party ran as fast as they could away from Nanuqsa and the Blanc Warriors.

Unsurprisingly, all eyes turned toward the escaping party. Then, Nanuqsa and the Blanc Warriors chased after Siegfried's party.

***

‘Damn it!’

Siegfried gnashed his teeth in fury; his plans had just been spoiled by an unexpected turn of events. His original plan was to reach the glacier where First Black Dragon Inkarthus was sealed via the shortcut used by the Blanc Clan and ruin whatever the Church of Osric was doing there.

However, he could have never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that his most dependable allies would suddenly become his enemy.

‘What in the world happened to them...?’ he wondered.

It was then.

“Your Majesty! Please buy me some time!” Gringore shouted.

“Huh?”

“I am not confident with Chieftain Nanuqsa, but I believe I can incapacitate the warriors!”

“You can?”

“Yes, sire!”

“Can I trust you?”

“I will not disappoint you, sire!”

“Alright! Let’s do it!”

Siegfried placed down Shadow Hell and slowed down Nanuqsa and the Blanc Warriors.

Swoosh!

“Shwiiik!”

“Shwik! Shwik!”

The Night Stalkers emerged from the ground along with the Hydras, which would appear every time Siegfried cast Shadow Hell, all thanks to the effect of his Despicable Hydra Set crafted by Yong Seol-Hwa.

“Seung-Gu!”

“Yes! Hyung-nim!”

“Summon your golems and form a barricade!”

“Okay!”

Seung-Gu summoned his golems and created a barricade.

‘We’re up against a Master, so winning is going to be difficult. However, things might work out if we just buy enough time...’ Siegfried thought as he gripped his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

Nanuqsa was the most powerful warrior among the Blanc Clan, and he was a Master as well, so he easily shook off Shadow Hell’s effect.

‘Here goes nothing,’ Siegfried thought and placed down Blaze Field to debuff Nanuqsa.

Meanwhile, Gringore took out his +13 Kyoshin’s Vocal Cords.

“Mic test. One, two. Mic test.”

The +13 Kyoshin’s Vocal Cords was a microphone crafted from the vocal cords of the late legendary singer Kyoshin. It had the effect of amplifying the effects of the Phantom Singer’s skills.

“Heup...!” Gringore inhaled and gathered his mana.

Woooong!

The mana he had accumulated after going on several world tours created a vortex in his vocal cords. The Phantom Singer was a class that would level up and become stronger the more cheers he received from his audiences.

To put it simply, the Phantom Singer’s class mechanics were similar to the Quest Maker.

Gringore infused the mana he had gathered into his voice and sang.

“Purr~ Purr purr~ Puu~ Purr~ Purr~”

The Phantom Sniger’s crowd control skill, Song of Cradle, rushed out of the +13 Kyoshin’s Vocal Cords and reverberated throughout the glacial cavern.