Debuff Master-Chapter 1058

Chapter 1058
Michael and Zerachiel clashed.
‘
T-That’s insane...’
Siegfried stared at the battle of the Archangels, utterly awestruck by their combat prowess.
A barrage of attacks was exchanged at speeds too fast that even Siegfried had a hard time keeping up with them.
Michael and Zerachiel fought with skill worthy of their titles as Archangels.
Every move they made was on such a high level that it bordered between the possible and the impossible.
“So that’s... the true power of the archangels...” Siegfried muttered under his breath in awe while recalling the angel he struggled against not too long ago.
Nigellus was nothing but trash when compared to Michael and Zerachiel. He might be an angel of the highest rank, but he was nothing more than garbage compared to these two archangels.
His stats may have been absurdly high, but he was nowhere near strong enough to be considered a real threat. If Siegfried possessed the same stats as him, then he could have easily toyed with him even without transforming.
However, Michael and Zerechiel were different. They were archangels who had lived since the beginning of time.
In other words, they were anything but weak.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Michael’s spear and Zerechiel’s scythe clashed, causing sparks to fly in every direction.
Unsurprisingly, the one being pushed back was Michael.
“
Arghh...!”
Michael was gradually forced to be on the defensive under the relentless assault of Zerechiel’s attacks.
The reason was simple.
‘
This isn’t looking good. Michael’s losing out on stats,’
Siegfried thought while observing the battle.
Michael still had not recovered all twelve of his wings, which meant that he couldn’t use his full power. On the other hand, Zerachiel possessed all ten of his wings and descended through the Celestial Gate, meaning he could use his full power.
After a few exchanges, the result of the battle started becoming predictable.
Bam! Bam!
Zerachiel kicked Michael in his abdomen again and again.
“
Argh!”
Michael cried out in agony as he was sent flying.
“Just die already, Big Brother. That’s the best thing you can do right now. You won’t have to suffer anymore if you just go to rest,” Zerachiel said, wildly swinging his Scythe of Repose.
“
Argh!”
Michael groaned and continued dodging the scythe.
“You know it too, right? Life is a pain. Allow me to free you from that pain. Just accept it. It’s a gift from your little brother.”
The way Zerachiel spoke with such calmness while trying to end someone’s life was truly terrifying.
‘
Damn it... Michael is definitely the better fighter, but he’s losing so badly when it comes to their stats,’
Siegfried had already analyzed both archangels.
Zerachiel’s movements were certainly impressive, but Michael’s technique and movement were clearly cleaner and sharper even while being forced on the defensive.
If both of them possessed the same stats, then Michael would have overwhelmed Zerachiel from the very beginning of this fight.
In that case...
Wooong!
Siegfried activated Discharge and focused all of his debuffs on Zerachiel. If he couldn’t join the fight, then he could at least provide support from the rear with his debuffs.
Then, something incredible happened.
Boom!
Michael parried the Scythe of Repose and counterattacked. His attack narrowly scraped Zerachiel’s chest.
The debuffs cast by Siegfried helped Michael overcome the difference in their stats, allowing him to begin turning the tide against Zerachiel.
“Struggling won’t change anything, Big Brother!”
“Stop this, Zerachiel! There’s no reason for you and me to be fighting like this!”
“This is for everyone’s sake!” Zerachiel roared, attacking as he shouted.
The Archangel of Death seemed to hold a certain sense of duty stemming from his philosophy of delivering death to all living creatures.
‘
It’s close but not enough,’
Siegfried thought with frustration.
If he could just give Michael a bit more power, then they could definitely win against Zerachiel.
But they were short by that tiny bit.
‘
Just a little more... But how...?’
At that moment...
Fwooosh!
An object came hurtling down from the heavens and embedded itself on the ground right in front of Siegfried.
“
Eh?!”
Siegfried jumped back in surprise at the sudden impact.
Chae Hyung-Seok, chained to the Demonic Cross, asked, “...Did you call for me?”
As cool as he tried to sound, he was visibly sulking judging by how he was pouting.
***
Five minutes earlier, Chae Hyung-Seok was busy with the ongoing escape operation in Ador and was on his way to the naval base when a bizarre notification suddenly popped up before his eyes.
[Alert: Your master needs you!]
He frowned in sheer disbelief at the notification.
‘
Huh? My master needs me? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Who the fuck is my master?’
In Chae Hyung-Seok's eyes, the word "master" was utterly ridiculous. He was not a slave, nor was he anyone’s pet either, so there was no way he would ever think of someone as his
master.
Well, he
did
have one before, but Siegfried and Metatron had already killed Baroque, so he no longer had a master.
‘
What bullshit is this fucking system spouting?’
he grimaced and grumbled inwardly.
Another notification popped up.
[Alert: Your master needs you!]
[Alert: Will you heed your master’s call?]
[Input: Yes/No]
The system even asked him to choose.
‘
My ass is my master. Fuck off,’
Chae Hyung-Seok growled and pressed
NO.
Why?
It was all because he saw himself as a free man with his own free will.
[Alert: You do not have the right to refuse!]
[Alert: Will you heed your master’s call?]
[Input: Yes/No]
Even though he had already refused to go, the notification popped up again.
“What the fucking hell?! Fuck you! I said I don’t have a master, you lunatics!” Chae Hyung-Seok exploded, completely dumbfounded by the system notification.
He furiously tapped the
NO
button over and over again, but it was to no avail.
[Alert: You do not have the right to refuse!]
[Alert: Will you heed your master’s call?]
[Input: Yes/No]
(omitted...)
[Alert: You do not have the right to refuse!]
[Alert: Will you heed your master’s call?]
[Input: Yes/No]
Despite his vehement protest, the flood of absurd notifications kept popping up.
“Get lost! You crazy bastards!” Chae Hyung-Seok screamed at the top of his lungs.
He couldn’t acknowledge it even if he wanted to. There was no way he was going to let some game system degrade him like this, so he refused to accept what was happening.
And yet, Chae Hyung-Seok–no, his character, Hyungseokius, moved completely against his will.
Clink! Clink!
Whoosh!
The Demonic Cross: Hyungseokius suddenly launched into the air at terrifying speeds as if it were a rocket.
‘
F-Fuck this shit! Me? A slave? Why the fuck is that bastard Han Tae-Sung my master?!’
Chae Hyung-Seok was far from happy after being forcibly dragged to help Siegfried. Not only was he dragged here against his will, but those humiliating system messages were basically calling him Siegfried’s slave.
“Hey, you came at the perfect timing,” Siegfried said with pure joy, completely unaware of what was going through Chae Hyung-Seok’s mind.
He had been looking for a way he could support Michael in battle, so how could he not be thrilled when the most powerful buffer in the game had come?
“Hey, you know Michael, right? Go cast all your buffs on him. Hurry up,” Siegfried said casually.
“...”
Chae Hyung-Seok did not respond. Instead, he began applying buffs to Michael without uttering a word.
Why?
It was all because he felt like he would look like a loyal slave obeying their master’s command if he responded, which would completely crush the little pride he had remaining inside of him.
***
Chae Hyung-Seok started casting his buffs on Michael.
“That’s enough! Zerachiel!”
Now that Michael was armed with both Siegfried’s debuffs and Chae Hyung-Seok’s buffs, he went on the offensive and started driving Zerachiel into a corner.
The tide of the battle had completely turned.
Chae Hyung-Seok’s buffs empowered Michael while Siegfried’s debuffs weakened Zerachiel. As a result, the gap in their stats was instantly closed, making the gap in their skill quite obvious.
However, Siegfried was not satisfied with that alone.
‘
This isn’t enough,’
Siegfried thought and immediately activated the skill Essence Plunderer.
[Essence Plunderer]
[Converts a portion of the Defense and Magic Resistance reduced by Eternal Flames into Attack Power and Magic Attack Power, infusing it into the weapon.]
[The higher the weapon’s Attack Power and Magic Attack Power, the greater the Basic Attack Damage and Skill Damage increase.]
[The conversion rate increases the higher the skill's level.]
[Type: Active Skill]
[Skill Level: 1]
[Cooldown: 2 minutes]
[Duration: 1 minute]
The Eternal Flames, which had been shredding Zerachiel’s Defense and Magic Resistance, were suddenly infused into Michael’s weapon.
“
Grrraaagh!”
As a result, Zerachiel finally let out a scream.
Michael started landing solid hits one after another. Even though they were not critical hits, he slowly started to deal enough damage to the Archangel of Death.
‘
That’s it! That should be enough,’
Siegfried thought, watching the scene unfold and satisfied with his work.
He had supported Michael to the fullest, so all that was left now was to watch how things would play out.
Thus, he was not too concerned even though his transformation had already ended and he had reverted to his human form, as the protagonist of this battle was Michael, not him.
‘
Please win...’
With that thought, Siegfried leaned against a boulder and pulled out his Infinite Flask.
The backlash from using Demon Lord’s Descent was still so intense that he could barely stay on his feet.
Meanwhile, Michael was clearly gaining the upper hand in the battle.
Chwaaak!
After unleashing a barrage of attacks, he succeeded in landing a critical blow, causing blood to burst from Zerachiel’s chest.
“Zerachiel! I don’t want to kill you! Please, stop this, brother! I beg you! Why must we brothers fight?!” Michael shouted desperately.
“I’m not trying to fight you...!” Zerachiel groaned back. Then, he charged at him and roared, “I’m trying to let you rest! I want to free you from all pain!”
“Zerachiel!”
“I’m only trying to give you peace! Why won’t you understand me?!”
Zerachiel was clearly emotional now, as his voice rose and he wildly swung his Scythe of Repose.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Michael parried each of Zerachiel’s attacks with ease while avoiding any direct hit from the scythe.
Chwaaak! Chwaaak!
While parrying the scythe, he struck back, cutting Zerachiel all over.
However, he deliberately avoided dealing any fatal blows, as he couldn’t bring himself to do so.
His affection as an older brother was still too strong, and there was a good reason for such sentiment.
“Big Brother! Look at the Middle Realm! Isn’t it amazing? The creatures over there aren’t immortal like us!”
“Brother Michael! I made a friend today!”
“Everyone’s saying I’m being rude to you... Do you think so too...?”
Zerachiel had always been like a puppy eagerly following Michael around, and Michael cherished him deeply and doted on him as if he were his biological younger brother.
As a matter of fact, he
was
indeed his little brother.
“I can’t kill you, Zerachiel. So...” Michael parried another attack and said solemnly.
“...!”
“I have no choice but to subdue you like this.”
As soon as Michael uttered those words...
Chwaaak!
One of Zerachiel’s ten wings was cleanly severed from his back. The wing was flung far away from the impact, sending it far away until it vanished from sight.
Michael had made up his mind. Instead of killing his own little brother, he would rather cut off his wings and render him powerless.