Debuff Master

Chapter 807

The electricity unleashed by the eels pervaded the seawater, carrying with it a devastating power.

“...!”

The result?

Both Siegfried and Hamchi were rendered helpless and stunned.

They could not move for three seconds upon getting electrocuted.

Bzzt! Bzzt!

The electric eels seized the opportunity and coiled around the arms, legs, necks, and torsos of both Siegfried and Hamchi.

What happened next? One million volts? Pikachu?

Not quite…

It was far worse than that.

The electric eels unleashed a torrent of electricity, mercilessly electrocuting their immobilized prey.

“...!”

“...!”

Trapped underwater and unable to breathe, Siegfried and Hamchi had no choice but to endure the full brunt of the electric onslaught.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: Your character is in a state of Asphyxia!]

[Alert: Your character will fall unconscious in 60 seconds!]

[Alert: 59 seconds remaining until losing consciousness!]

[Alert: 58 seconds remaining until losing consciousness!]

[Alert: 57 seconds remaining until losing consciousness!]

The electric attack had not only stunned Siegfried but sapped his strength away as well. His oxygen-starved muscles demanded more air after getting electrocuted, exacerbating the effects of asphyxiation.

‘Damn it!’

Siegfried's vision dimmed and swam. He couldn't help but feel anger boiling inside of him. He had to admit that whoever designed this underwater trap had done so with chilling ingenuity.

An underwater cavern that could only be reached by diving combined with the relentless attacks of electric eels?

It was a truly lethal ingenuity.

Bzzzt!

The eels continued their relentless assault, seemingly intent on roasting Siegfried and Hamchi alive in these waters.

‘You won’t fry me that easily,’ Siegfried growled. Amidst his gray vision, he forced himself to focus and activated the Eraser Swarm.

Sseuuuu…!

A green mist seeped out from Siegfried’s body, releasing radioactive microorganisms that charged at the electric eels. The eels could no longer ensnare Siegfried and Hamchi because they were too busy writhing in pain from the radioactive infection.

Some of the eels could not endure it at all and died instantly.

However, Siegfried’s main enemy here was not the eels but time.

[Alert: 47 seconds remaining until losing consciousness!]

[Alert: 46 seconds remaining until losing consciousness!]

[Alert: 45 seconds remaining until losing consciousness!]

He needed oxygen, but the exit to the cavern was still far ahead.

‘To hell with it!’

Siegfried activated the third stage of Overclocking to explosively enhance his physical abilities.

‘Hold onto me!’ Siegfried signaled to Hamchi with his eyes before grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and shooting forward, swimming at breakneck speed.

Whoosh!

Siegfried surged through the water like a torpedo shot from a submarine, zipping his way toward the surface with Hamchi in tow.

A minute later….

Splash!

They broke through the water’s surface and emerged into a cave with breathable air that the two of them had been desperately craving.

“Haa! Haa! Haa!” Siegfried gasped for air.

His breathing was ragged, and there was a lingering sense of fear from it—-the fear of drowning to death.

“Kyuuu! I thought I was a goner!” Hamchi shrieked, looking equally drained.

“Ughhh…”

“Kyuuu…”

They struggled to the rocky shore of the cave before collapsing into exhaustion. They were sprawled out on the ground, gulping the air around them.

Oxygen deprivation had left their bodies in bad condition, but it lasted only briefly.

Thanks to their superhuman recovery abilities, Siegfried and Hamchi regained their strength in no time. They dragged themselves to their feet and continued down the path before them.

It was then.

“Halt! You filthy grave robbers!” A voice cold and ominous echoed. Both of them looked at where the voice came from and saw a colossal stone object looming above them.

The strange towering stone object was blocking their path.

***

The massive stone figure resembled a giant disc, spanning over six meters in diameter, and on its surface was the faint outline of a woman’s face that looked both ethereal and imposing.

[Karibna]

[An ancient sea wraith.]

[She is said to be a creation of the God of the Sea, Neptune.]

[According to some legends, she is also known to be his daughter.]

[Type: N/A]

[Level: 400]

[Class: Ocean Pumper]

[Note: A primordial entity wielding unimaginably powerful water cannons. Her combat prowess is nothing short of overwhelming.]

“How dare you disturb the Pirate King’s eternal rest!” Karibna shrieked, and her voice thundered throughout the cavern. Her voice sounded feminine, but it was so booming and commanding that it sent a chill down Siegfried and Hamchi’s spines.

“Erm…” Siegfried muttered, hesitating briefly. Then, he finally responded, “Look, the guy is already dead. And I am not planning to mess with his grave itself, okay?”

“What did you just say?”

“I just want to borrow a bit of the treasure buried with him. I mean, it is not like he took them to the afterlife, right? Would it not be better to use it for a good cause rather than leave those here? I am certain it would honor his memory, too…”

It was a valid argument.

After all, what was the point of burying treasures in a grave? At best, it would serve to be something symbolic. It was an impractical tradition to keep such treasures in a grave.

However, to Karibna, the guardian of the tomb, Siegfried’s logical and practical reasoning meant absolutely nothing.

“How dare you wag your glib insolent tongue?!” she raged.

Without another word, her mouth gaped open, and she unleashed a devastating water cannon straight at the duo.

Siegfried instantly reacted by transforming his +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield and braced himself for impact.

BOOM!

Upon impact, Siegfried felt as if he was struck by a high-caliber shell.

But that was not the end of it.

Siegfried could endure a single attack, but Karibna’s water cannon was not a mere one-off attack.

Ratatatata!

The powerful water cannon shot like a machine gun with force so overwhelming that Siegfried dared not angle the shield to deflect the attack. He instinctively knew that he'd be done for if he were to deflect the water cannon.

“Argh!”

The sheer power of the assault drove him back until he had his back against the cavern wall.

However, Karibna showed no mercy and fired the water cannon at him, even though he was already wedged between the water cannon and the rocky surface of the cavern.

It was then.

C-Crack!

Siegfried could not believe what he was witnessing. The surface of his +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp dented under the pressure from the water cannon.

“...!”

The shield was supposed to have infinite durability, so the fact that it was being deformed proved just how terrifying Karibna’s water cannon was.

“Kyuuu! Owner punk!” Hamchi shrieked and leaped into action after seeing that Siegfried was in danger. Then, he grabbed onto the shield to support him.

“We push hard on three, ready? One! Two! Push! Owner punk! Three! Kyuuu!”

“Three!”

Together, Siegfried and Hamchi pushed with all of their strength and angled the shield to deflect the attack.

Krwaaang!

The redirected attack tore into the cavern wall, destroying a section of it and creating a gaping hole that was at least two meters deep.

“W-What the hell kind of water is she using?!” Siegfried shouted in frustration, and his voice was tinged with awe and anger. He could not believe that there was a water cannon so powerful that it made modern laser weaponry in the real world look like toys.

There was no doubt that he'd be riddled with holes—no, pulverized if he were to take the attack head-on.

***

Meanwhile, the battlefield that Siegfried and the Golden Rat Pirates had left behind ended up devolving into utter chaos.

The battle grew into unprecedented proportions, and the clash was so intense that it would undoubtedly be recorded in the history of the Green Isles.

Corpses of pirates and shattered remains of pirate ships floated across the sea that was now tinged a deep crimson from the bloodshed. Thick clouds of gunpowder accumulated in the air and obscured everyone's vision.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kaboom!

The sound of cannon fire thundered ceaselessly, turning the battlefield into hell.

This was, without a doub,t the largest and most ferocious naval battle among pirates that had ever happened in the entire history of the Green Isles. Ironically, what triggered such a fierce battle was Siegfried’s actions.

The fleet led by Captain Bellatrix would sink easily under the attacks of Captain Baroque and Captain Joshua’s fleets.

However, Captain Bellatrix managed to deal significant damage to the Swordfish Pirates by exploiting the chaos caused by Siegfried’s betrayal, and she narrowly escaped from what would have been complete annihilation.

However, she was not in the clear yet.

Captain Joshua’s fleet was still intact, and Captain Bellatrix’s weakened fleet was slowly losing ground. Moreover, the remnants of the Swordfish Pirates were still relentlessly attacking her fleet.

Even though the odds had shifted from two versus one to one and a half versus one, her fleet still lacked the strength to defeat their enemies.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

In the end, Captain Bellatrix had no other choice but to sound the retreat.

Captain Baroque’s fleet, which had been thrown into chaos, had regrouped and joined forces with Captain Joshua’s fleet. In other words, there was no way the Medusa Pirates could hold their position any longer.

“Fire as you retreat! Circle around the island!”

Despite their situation looking dire, Captain Bellatrix didn't give up and skillfully maneuvered her fleet. She gradually pulled back from the battlefield while firing salvo after salvo at the enemies daring enough to chase them.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” Captain Joshua roared after seeing the Medusa Pirates retreating. Then, he yelled at his men, “Don’t let them escape! Chase them down!”

He had no intention of allowing her to flee.

If he could neutralize her fleet and capture her, he would not only secure dominance over the Green Isles but also ascend as the new Pirate King. This would be a tremendous achievement, as it was a title that had not been claimed in centuries.

Thus, the fierce naval battle shifted into a relentless pursuit, with Captain Joshua’s fleet chasing after Captain Bellatrix’s battered fleet.

***

Seung-Gu was resting on the shore of an uninhabited island when he noticed ships emerging one by one on the horizon.

“Bellatrix’s fleet is headed this way!” he shouted.

“What?!” Lionbreath responded, hurriedly grabbing his spyglass and scanning the sea.

Flap! Flap!

The flags fluttering in the wind unmistakably bore the insignia of the Medusa Pirates.

The flags of the Great White Shark Pirates came into view behind them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of cannon fire thundered in the air, making it clear that Bellatrix’s fleet was being chased down by Joshua’s fleet.

The once-mighty Medusa Pirates boasting nearly fifty pirate ships had been reduced to a mere five vessels, including the flagship. To make matters worse, the flagship was so severely damaged that it looked like it would sink soon, just like the Temeraire.

In stark contrast, Joshua’s fleet remained formidable, with over forty ships still intact. In other words, there was no question that Joshua was poised to become the next Pirate King.

“Ah, damn it! Why are they fleeing here of all places?!” Seung-Gu groaned and hurriedly summoned his Iron Golems, setting them to Siege Mode.

“Tsk… This is becoming troublesome,” Lionbreath muttered, clicking his tongue before heading toward the docked Aqua Runners.

“Where are you going?!”

“We will definitely get caught in the crossfire if we let things be. For now, we have no other choice but to assist that pirate captain.”

“Argh!”

“We will ride with the Aqua Runners, so provide cover for us.”

“All right…”

“Let’s go, brave warriors of the north!” Lionbreath bellowed, rallying his marines.

“Yes, sir!”

The Nordic Marines responded in unison and moved with pinpoint discipline. They boarded the Aqua Runners and swiftly followed after Lionbreath, who was headed out to sea to fight another naval battle.