Debuff Master-Chapter 1052

Chapter 1052
“
Aaack! Ack!”
And just like that, Nigellus was utterly beaten up by Siegfried and Hamchi. He paid the price for trespassing on someone else’s turf, whether he meant to do so or not.
However, the beating didn't last long.
“How... How dare youuuu?!” Nigellus roared, unleashing all of the divine energy within him. In an instant, an incredibly powerful typhoon raged.
“
Kh...!”
Siegfried and Hamchi were blasted far away by the sheer force of the typhoon.
“You lowly insects... how dare you lay your hands on me?!” Nigellus shrieked in rage and surged forward, charging at Siegfried with terrifying speed.
As expected from an angel of the highest rank, he was not going to go down without a fight.
“Die!” Nigellus roared, as he activated his divine power once more and aimed it directly at Siegfried.
Shwaaaaak!
An even heavier force came crashing down on Siegfried, pinning him in place.
“
Arghhh!”
Siegfried gritted his teeth under the weight.
However, that was as far as things went.
[Alert: Your Strength has increased!]
[Alert: Your Strength has increased!]
[Alert: Your Strength has increased!]
(omitted...)
(omitted...)
[Alert: Your Strength has increased!]
Chae Hyung-Seok cast a flurry of buffs on Siegfried once again.
“Hey, Han Tae-Sung! You’re not lifting five hundred kilograms! You can lift five hundred tons now!” Chae Hyung-Seok shouted.
The hellish work out routine Siegfried put him through seemed to have gotten to his head judging by the analogy he used.
‘
Pfft!’
Siegfried chuckled at the comparison before using his newfound strength to shrug off Nigellus’ winds like it was nothing.
‘
It’s not bad at all. I can freely move despite these winds,’
Siegfried thought.
He couldn’t move comfortably, but it was not like his movements were restricted.
“Is that all you got?” Siegfried sneered before he deflected the winds and went on the offensive.
Bam!
He swung his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp straight into Nigellus’ face.
“
Ghak!”
Blood spurted all over the place.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp hit Nigellus three consecutive times, causing a part of his head to cave in after getting hit by the immense force behind the blows.
But that was far from over...
Ding!
The Mark of Death appeared above Nigellus’ head.
Booooom!
The fourth and final strike detonated the mark, causing a massive explosion.
“
Guaagh!”
Nigellus screamed in agony and was hurled back.
Wooooong...!
Siegfried channeled his mana into his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp, causing the space around it to distort.
“N-No...!” Nigellus shrieked in horror, his face turning ghastly pale the moment he recognized the terrifying energy at the head of the weapon.
Woosh!
Siegfried channeled Touch of Death into his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp and swung it straight at Nigellus.
“N-Nooo!
Aaaack!”
Nigellus screamed and tried desperately to dodge the attack.
But it was futile...
There was no way he could dodge the attack with his pathetic combat skills. He had overwhelming stats compared to Siegfried, but his combat skills were helplessly lacking.
BOOM!
The Touch of Death struck Nigellus in the head just as he tried to flee and—
Kwaaaang!
—the resulting explosion distorted even time and space.
Finally, Nigellus collapsed. His upper body was blown away by the impact, leaving behind his lower half.
The sheer power of Touch of Death had obliterated his upper body.
[Alert: You have killed a Highest-Ranking Fallen Angel!]
[Alert: You have gained experience points!]
[Alert: You have leveled up!]
[Alert: You have now reached Level 392!]
As expected of an angel of his caliber, Nigellus gave a massive amount of experience points, massive enough for Siegfried to level up once again.
But that was not all...
Krwaaang!
The Proatine Empire’s imperial soldiers demolished the sacrificial altar about to be used to sacrifice the citizens of Ador.
And with that, the quest reward was given...
[Alert: You have received your quest rewards!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 393!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 394!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 395!]
As part of the quest rewards, destroying the altar granted three levels in one go.
But even that was not the end of it...
[Alert: You have received your quest rewards!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 396!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 397!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 398!]
[Alert: You have received your quest rewards!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 399!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 400!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 401!]
The two remaining altars were destroyed elsewhere, granting Siegfried the quest rewards.
In the blink of an eye, his level shot up from Level 391 to Level 401.
[Alert: All altars have been destroyed!]
[Alert: Escape from Ador City with the civilians!]
When that notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes, he turned on his heels and walked away.
‘
No time to waste,’
he thought, knowing exactly what the notification meant. His years of experience gaming had taught him that this wasn't just a simple quest update; it was a warning.
The system was trying to warn him that the enemies were already on their way, and he did not have time to dilly-dally.
The escape was not going to be easy.
***
“Move faster! Hurry up!”
“We are running out of time! Move!”
“Faster! We don’t have time!”
The main camp of the Holy Alliance was in full mobilization. As soon as they received word that Ador was under attack, they immediately began deploying their troops.
Opening the Celestial Gate was a matter of utmost importance, so defending it was one of their top priorities. Moreover, s from Ador indicated that a considerable number of enemy coalition forces had attacked them. From the Holy Alliance’s perspective, this was no longer just a matter of defending the city.
What really mattered was capturing and eliminating the massive enemy force that had managed to break through to their rear lines. Even if they lost Ador in the process and the ritual was thwarted, wiping out the enemy forces and reducing their numbers could be considered a victory as well.
Thus, the Holy Alliance rapidly mobilized its troops and sent reinforcements to Ador.
Of course, mobilizing troops was not as simple as it sounded, as there was a long list of things they had to do. They had to prepare the warp gates, arm the troops, ensure they were ready for battle, and many other things.
Naturally, mobilizing a sizable force took time.
However, the Holy Alliance was undeterred.
They reasoned that the coalition forces would also need time to retreat after the battle in Ador, so if they could quickly finish their preparations and give chase, they could still catch them.
***
Right after stopping the Holy Alliance from opening the small Celestial Gate in Ador, Siegfried moved swiftly to eliminate the remaining Holy Alliance troops and Fallen Angels.
Even though all three altars had been destroyed, there were still a sizable number of Holy Alliance troops remaining in the city.
In other words, destroying the altars did not mean that the battle was over.
“This way! Everyone, this way! Allied Forces! Hold off the enemies!”
Siegfried used Inzaghi's Door Handle and opened a small warp gate leading to Pallas Fortress, where the Allied Forces were stationed.
Evacuating more than one million people was simply impossible, so the only option was to evacuate them as quickly and safely as possible through different means.
“Allied Forces! Protect the civilians! Their safety is your top priority!”
Siegfried stood near the warp gate he created using Inzaghi’s Door Handle and swept away the swarming enemies while protecting the civilians as they evacuated.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Allied Forces fought the Holy Alliance troops spread throughout the city.
— Allies! Evacuate this way!
Three ships from the Proatine Empire’s Iron Fleet were hovering in the sky above Ador, securing a path of retreat for their allies. They provided aerial cover while buying time for their allies to safely evacuate the citizens of Ador.
“Brave soldiers of the Marchioni Empire!”
Irene, leading the 8th Corps of the Marchioni Empire along with one Immortal Battleship, also assisted in the retreat.
“Move in line!”
“Slowly! Take it slow!”
“Don’t rush! Don’t panic!”
“Stay calm! No pushing!”
The Allied Forces calmly directed the civilians, guiding them toward the naval base where the fleet was waiting.
The people trembled in fear and panic, but they obeyed the orders of the coalition and formed long lines as they evacuated from Ador.
While the evacuation was ongoing...
[Alert: You have absorbed Soul Energy!]
[Alert: You have absorbed Soul Energy!]
[Alert: You have absorbed Soul Energy!]
(omitted...)
[Alert: You have absorbed Soul Energy!]
Siegfried was busy wiping out the remnants of the Holy Alliance and steadily harvesting soul energy from them.
However, this time, he couldn’t harvest enough soul energy to use Demon Lord’s Descent, as the enemies were too scattered throughout the city rather than being concentrated in one place.
‘
I probably won’t need to use it, right?’
Siegfried hoped that he would not be forced into a situation where he had to transform.
If more than two angels of Nigellus' caliber were to appear while he was still short on soul energy, then he would most likely get killed even with Chae Hyung-Seok’s buffs.
‘
Let’s hurry up and get out of here.’
Siegfried secured an escape route for the citizens of Ador and calmly waited at the main gate while providing cover so that the Holy Alliance troops couldn’t attack them.
***
Several hours later, Siegfried and the Allied Forces led the people of Ador toward the naval base where the fleet waited for them.
The procession was long, as there were nearly a million people marching in a line.
There were so many people that it would have been strange if the procession weren't long.
‘
We just need to keep this up. Keep going like this,’
Siegfried thought, positioning himself at the rear of the procession along with the troops.
In the event that the Holy Alliance chased after them, being positioned in the rear would allow them to buy time for the civilians.
‘
I’ll hit Level 411 if I manage to clear this quest...’
Siegfried thought while walking.
Another reward of the quest—"The Great Escape'—was a whopping ten levels for safely evacuating the civilians. Siegfried would reach Level 411, which meant that he would get significantly closer to Level 449.
He would be a step closer toward the insurmountable wall that separated a Master from a Grandmaster.
‘
Yeah, just keep going like this,’
Siegfried thought, praying that nothing would happen.
The march continued smoothly, and the Allied Forces reached a point roughly fifteen kilometers away from the naval base where the fleet was waiting.
It was then...
“O-Owner punk! Look over there!” Hamchi shouted while pointing toward a distant ridgeline.
He was now out of strength after using his transformation and was riding on Siegfried’s back, but he still squeezed whatever strength he had remaining to warn him.
Siegfried turned and grimaced because...
Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!
Multiple warp gates flickered to life at the top of the ridge. Then, an innumerable number of Holy Alliance troops and Fallen Angels poured out of them.
“Damn it...” Siegfried muttered under his breath, biting his lower lip hard.
The inevitable was here.
They still had fifteen kilometers remaining. If the Holy Alliance attacked them now, then massive casualties were all but guaranteed.
Siegfried came to the conclusion that they had no other choice but to do just one thing.
Thus, he opened his mouth and roared, “RUN! EVERYONE! RUUUN!”
Now that things had come to this, the Allied Forces had no other choice but to rush the civilians toward the naval base where the fleet was waiting to evacuate them.