Debuff Master

Chapter 745

“Preposterous!”

“That’s absurd!”

“Bahamut—no, Supreme Commander! This isn’t right! You can’t just let millions starve to death!”

The generals vehemently protested.

Even if most of them were more active politically, forging alliances for their own benefit, they were serious when the lives of millions and their kingdom were on the line. After all, reaching the rank of a general of such a great power required one to be aware of many things while having a strong sense of patriotism.

In the face of the intense backlash from his subordinates, General Bahamut simply closed his eyes in silence and showed no reaction.

“This isn’t right!”

“Commander!”

The generals continued shouting out of frustration, and General Bahamut finally spoke.

“We cannot waver here. If we falter now... it’s all over,” General Bahamut said, gritting his teeth as if squeezing those words out.

“What are you talking about?!”

“If we lose our food supply, we can still take what we need from the enemy after winning this war. But if we lose our army... our entire kingdom will fall.”

“What?”

“Can’t you see? The enemy is using the Smecta Plains to lure us out. It’s all a trap to lure our forces out to defend the plains. What do you think will happen once we march out of these walls? They will hit us with aerial bombardment while we’re exposed.

"And what will be the outcome of that? We will be completely annihilated. Nobody will be left to defend our kingdom!”

“N-No...!”

“Damn it...”

“That’s unbelievable...”

At last, the generals finally understood General Bahamut’s reasoning.

They were truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. They held a significant advantage in terms of numbers, but with no air superiority, they were sitting ducks. All they could do was hide behind their walls and focus on defending until their Iron Fleet was operational.

“We just need to hold on for one more week. No matter what happens, we will not be marching out before the Iron Fleet is ready. We will defend only one thing, and that’s our capital city, Feiogh,” General Bahamut said icily, his voice cold and resolute.

His bold decision impressed the other generals. His strategy was solidly grounded, and it was truly the best course of action under the current circumstances. He possessed the ability to assess the situation with unwavering resolve, allowing him to make the soundest judgment possible.

“Take a look at these reports prepared. It includes an analysis of the minimum and maximum damage we will suffer over the next week. Also, there’s an estimate of the reparations we can demand and the amount of resources we can pillage once we win this war,” Bahamut said, motioning for his adjutant to hand out the reports prepared.

The generals reviewed the reports and seemed impressed by them.

“Oh!”

“It seems we can live with losing the Smecta Plains.”

“Wow! When did you have time to work all this out?”

They were amazed by how far ahead General Bahamut had seen through things. The report was so meticulous that it almost had no gaps, and it seemed to have considered most things that could happen in this war.

‘I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,’ General Bahamut thought, clenching his teeth while the generals reacted with admiration after reading the report.

He had been waiting for this kind of opportunity to present itself for the longest time. He possessed not only the skill but also the ambition to aim higher, but the main problem was his background. He was simply born without the privileges a noble would have enjoyed, keeping him from fully showcasing his abilities.

However, it was different this time. He was now the supreme commander, and he could finally unleash his true potential for the world to see.

Sure, a single wrong move could cost him his life, but it did not matter as long as he had the chance to demonstrate his true abilities.

‘We have the advantage in everything except in the air. They can’t win this war against us as long as we preserve our forces until the Iron Fleet is operational. The moment the fleet takes to the skies... victory is ours to take,’ General Bahamut thought, clenching his fist.

He could see the path to victory as clear as day, so he was confident that his head wouldn't go rolling on the ground anytime soon.

“I will report this plan to His Majesty,” General Bahamut said, concluding the meeting.

***

Meanwhile, Siegfried positioned his forces near the Smecta Plains, waiting for the Zavala Forces to arrive. He and Kim Gi-Tae planned to lure them out with the Smecta Plain as bait and annihilate them once they no longer had the protection of their anti-air cannons.

Surprisingly, the Zavala Forces did not budge. Not a single soldier marched out despite the Smecta Plains, which provided seventy percent of their kingdom’s food supply, was in danger.

“They’re just... letting it go...?” Siegfried muttered after hearing the scout’s reports.

A region as vital as the Smecta Plains should have been enough to draw them out, but they remained behind their walls, much to Siegfried’s surprise.

The plan was to lure them out, crush them with air superiority, reduce their numbers, storm the capital, and capture it before the Iron Fleet took to the skies.

But for the Zavala Forces to stay put... this was something he did not expect.

“Looks like they are onto us,” Siegfried said.

“It seems their commander is more competent than we thought,” Kim Gi-Tae replied.

“Yes, they did not take the bait.”

“They probably knew that moving out would spell disaster, so they decided to stay put.”

“I guess we have no other choice but to go with Plan B and burn everything down.”

With no enemy in sight, Siegfried ordered his forces to the Smecta Plains.

The vast fields were filled with golden brown wheat as far as the eyes could see as they neared harvest.

Shwoooo...

A cool breeze swept over the golden crops, creating a breathtaking scene. The shimmering fields appeared even more vivid against the dark overcast sky, creating a striking contrast of light and darkness.

“Duke Decimato,” Siegfried called, standing before the beautiful scenery.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Brun it.”

“As you command, sire.”

Duke Decimato prepared a high-level fire spell as ordered by Siegfried.

A few seconds later...

Fwoosh! Fwaaah!

A rain of crimson fire fell from the dark sky as if divine punishment was being delivered by the heavens.

Fwhoooom!

Flames spread across the plains in the blink of an eye, consuming the crops ready for harvest.

The scene of such an immense vast plain set ablaze was nothing short of spectacular.

A sea of fire replaced the golden fields that stretched as far as the eyes could see, making the entire world look like a blazing inferno.

“I have sinned greatly,” Siegfried murmured, watching the burning plains.

“Kyuuu! What’s with that gloomy talk, owner punk?!”

“I’ve just... set all this food ablaze.”

“Kyu?!”

“Hundreds of thousands... maybe millions will starve to death because of me.”

He knew all too well the consequences of his actions, so he could not help but be riddled with guilt.

“Let’s go.”

“Kyu!”

Leaving the burning Smecta Plains behind, Siegfried commanded his forces to march once again.

‘Owner punk has grown a lot,’ Hamchi thought while following behind Siegfried. He realized that the once reckless young man was growing—not just in strength but in spirit as well.

Siegfried van Proa was growing into a true leader.

***

After setting the Smecta Plains ablaze, Siegfried and Kim Gi-Tae tried everything they could to lure the Zavala Kingdom’s forces out. They destroyed harbors, set commercial cities on fire, and everything else they could think of.

However, the Zavala Forces remained behind the walls as if they were frozen in place.

Despite the relentless provocations, Siegfried could not lure out the forces entrenched in Feiogh.

Time ticked away, and the Iron Fleet’s completion was drawing closer. Consequently, the Proatine Alliance became more desperate with each passing second.

“Stubborn... Those guys are unbelievably stubborn,” Siegfried grumbled out of frustration. He was currently alone in his tent, trying to come up with something that could lure the enemy out of their gates.

Unfortunately, no matter what he did, the Zavala Forces would not take a single step out, causing him to be nearly driven mad.

He fiddled with the idea of launching an all-out assault with the goal of destroying the enemy’s munitions factories, but it proved impossible due to the concentrated anti-air defenses and troops fortifying that position.

The amount of fortification and defenses set up around the munitions factories rivaled those protecting the capital itself.

Thus, Siegfried was trapped in a stalemate, unable to advance or withdraw.

‘This Zavala commander isn’t ordinary. He knows that staying put is the best he can do right now. We can’t lure them out no matter what we do,’ Siegfried thought, accepting that the enemy commander was a formidable tactician.

Thus, he decided to abandon any further attempts at luring the enemy out.

Siegfried was locked in his thoughts when Kim Gi-Tae entered the tent.

“Perhaps it’s better to go for their munitions factory with the Rozermoore Alliance,” Kim Gi-Tae suggested.

“With the Rozermoore Alliance?” Siegfried asked, intrigued by the suggestion.

The Rozermoore Alliance was currently engaging the Zavala Forces on multiple fronts, causing the Zavala Forces to split their focus. It was thanks to the alliance that the Proatine Alliance could move freely within the Zavala Kingdom’s territory as if it were their own backyard.

“If we conduct a coordinated strike on the Zavala Kingdom’s munitions factory with the Rozermoore Alliance, then—”

“They will react, yes, but that would only consolidate their dispersed forces into one place, making things worse for us,” Siegfried interrupted.

He was right. Even if the Proatine Alliance joined forces with the Rozermoore Alliance, they would still lose in terms of numbers against the Zavala Kingdom. Their enemy’s numbers would be so overwhelming that even their air superiority could be rendered obsolete because of it.

What of the Proatine Alliance and Rozermoore Alliance grouped up to attack the munitions factories? That would allow the Zavala Kingdom to regroup, too, pulling all of their troops back and consolidating them into one massive army.

It would be a catastrophe for the coalition forces, as they would end up outnumbered three to one.

In other words, nothing, even their air superiority, could help them win against such overwhelming numbers.

“What if we outmaneuver them?” Kim Gi-Tae added.

“Huh? Outmaneuver?” Siegfried muttered, sounding flustered.

“We will pretend we’re aiming for their munitions factories with the Rozermoore Alliance but switch our target to Feiogh at the last second.”

“Eh?”

“Once we seize the capital, we could press on and wipe out the Zavala Kingdom’s main army before the Iron Fleet joins the fray,” Kim Gi-Tae said, clenching his fist.

“But what if they abandon Feiogh?” Siegfried asked.

“That's...” Kim Gi-Tae muttered, his face darkening. Taking the capital did not guarantee victory in war. The capital? In the grand scheme of things, they could just abandon it when necessary and retake it later.

“I guess we do not have any other choice other than to use force,” Siegfried said as he stood up.

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?” Kim Gi-Tae asked.

“Our goal isn’t to seize the munition factory or something, right? All we have to do is destroy the Iron Fleet, and we will win this war.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Then we just have to go destroy it.”

“What?!”

“We’ll just have to make it work if it does not work. I mean, it is definitely better than waiting around and being forced on the defensive again,” Siegfried said as he pointed at his guild’s insignia.

“N-No way! Are you saying that—?!” Kim Gi-Tae stammered, his eyes shot wide open after realizing what Siegfried’s plan was.

“Yes, precisely that.”

“Are you really going to lead the Adventurers and go after the munitions factory?”

“I mean, we do not have any other choice, right?” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

“Yes, but...”

“If there’s no opening, then we just have to make one. Judging by how they are not reacting to anything we did so far, it is clear that they are counting on the Iron Fleet and nothing else. So why not go and destroy it?”

Thus, Siegfried decided to stick to his original plan, which was to use air superiority to win the war. To maintain his dominance in the skies, he had to destroy the Iron Fleet that was currently being built.