Debuff Master-Chapter 1070

Chapter 1070
“Allow me to free both of you from your misery!”
With those words, Zerachiel exploded toward Siegfried and Michael at breakneck speeds.
‘
I have to transform now,’
Siegfried thought, instantly activating Demon Lord’s Descent and transforming into the Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal.
Right afterward, he activated Discharge before simultaneously unleashing Eternal Flames and Embrace of Despair.
But he was far from done...
Bzzt! Bzzt!
He activated Overclocking and cranked it up to its third stage, buffing himself massively.
“Leave our defense to me!” Siegfried shouted, transforming his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield.
Baaam!
The +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp deflected the Scythe of Repose.
Siegfried easily repelled Zerachiel’s first strike.
“Then I will take care of our offense,” Michael said, swinging his sword at the gap in the Archangel of Death’s defense.
Clang!
Zerachiel quickly retrieved his scythe and blocked Michael’s sword.
‘
Eat this!’
Siegfried did not miss the opening and swung his shield right at Zerachiel.
Baaam!
Zerachiel was struck hard and sent flying across the battlefield.
Even though the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp was in its shield form, the direct hit from it was still devastating.
‘
Now!’
Siegfried charged the moment Zerachiel hit the ground.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
He slammed his shield straight into Zerachiel’s face three consecutive times—
Ding!
— And the Mark of Death appeared above Zerachiel’s head.
‘
The last strike!’
Without hesitation, Siegfried raised the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp to deliver the fourth and final blow, but...
Kwachik!
— Zerachiel’s hand suddenly shot up and grabbed the shield.
“You’re starting to... get on my nerves,” Zerachiel growled through clenched teeth.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave exploded from Zerachiel.
“
Arghh!”
Siegfried screamed as the blast hurled him far into the distance.
Thud!
“
Ghhk!”
Siegfried ground his teeth and groaned.
He was momentarily incapacitated, as his vision spun and his ears rang. He was trembling uncontrollably as well, and his muscles were spasming from the impact.
Even though he was hit only once, it packed quite a punch that it shattered his Super Armor.
And now, it was Zerachiel’s turn to go on the offensive.
“Die.”
He blasted Michael away with another shockwave, then turned and lunged toward Siegfried, who was still down on the ground.
Whoosh!
At that moment, the Scythe of Repose came swinging down, aiming to end Siegfried’s life.
“Not so fast.”
Just then, Hamchi appeared in his true form and unleashed a powerful laser cannon straight at Zerachiel.
“
Arghhh!”
Zerachiel screamed as he was blown back by the sudden attack that caught him completely off guard.
Hamchi reached out a hand to Siegfried and said, “Hey, stop looking so pathetic and get up already, owner punk.”
“I know, punk,” Siegfried wiped the blood from his mouth and took the hand, pulling himself up.
‘
Damn... What a monster.’
He couldn’t help but click his tongue at the Archangel of Death’s terrifying combat power.
[Siegfried von Proa]
[HP: ■■■■■■■■□□]
He lost twenty percent of his HP in that single attack.
Who knew just one shockwave blast could deal this much damage?
Siegfried clenched his teeth and gripped his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp once again.
‘
Let’s see who wins this time, you bastard.’
He activated Essence Plunderer.
Fwoosh!
The Eternal Flames that had latched onto Zerachiel flew back into Siegfried and Michael’s weapons. Not only that, they even gathered in Hamchi’s tiny hands.
[Alert: Your attack power has increased!]
The moment the notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes, he charged at Zerachiel.
***
Siegfried, Hamchi, and Michael up against Zerachiel.
This three-on-one battle would go down as a legendary one.
“I’ll block it!” Siegfried defended.
“I’m keeping the pressure on him!” Michael attacked.
“Die, you corrupted angel,” Hamchi fired laser beams.
The trio fought with perfect coordination, as if they had trained together for years, as they hammered Zerachiel from all sides.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
However, Zerachiel was far from an easy opponent.
He brandished his Scythe of Repose and drove back all three of them with overwhelming force.
‘
Damn it... This bastard is really good,’
Siegfried couldn’t help but be impressed.
He had rarely encountered an NPC who fought this well. He had had an idea during their last encounter, but Zerachiel’s prowess was truly on a whole new level compared to his previous opponents.
Zerachiel possessed perfect basics when it came to combat, and he even had impeccable adaptability depending on the situation.
Even while facing Siegfried, Hamchi, and Michael all at once, the Archangel of Death seemed to still have the upper hand.
‘
If only Michael were stronger...’
Siegfried bit down on his lower lip in frustration.
Michael had claimed that he had gotten stronger than last time, but it didn't seem to be the case.
“
Argh...”
He was clearly struggling against Zerachiel.
“You will never beat me, Big Brother.”
“Zerachiel—!”
“Why won’t you just die already?”
“
Ughh!”
Michael vomited blood and would stagger every time he clashed weapons with Zerachiel.
‘
I need to do something,’
Siegfried swiftly moved to support Michael
He closed the gap between himself and Zerachiel before activating Absolute Zero.
Flash!
A brilliant white light burst forth, followed by a wave of intense chill that swept over the Archangel of Death.
“Your cheap tricks won’t work on me,” Zerachiel scoffed.
He was not going to fall for the same trick twice.
Swoosh!
His wings unleashed a burst of energy and blew away the chilling frost unleashed by Absolute Zero.
“...!”
Siegfried was hit by the rebounding cold and was frozen instead.
[Alert: Status Ailment!]
[Alert: You have been frozen!]
[Alert: Your movement speed has been reduced!]
[Alert: Your attack speed has been reduced!]
[Alert: Your casting speed has been reduced!]
Shockingly, Zerachiel reflected Absolute Zero right back at Siegfried.
“Time to die,” Zerachiel said, swinging his Scythe of Repose down.
“...!”
At that instance, Siegfried could feel it. He could feel death.
He couldn’t even twitch a finger, so there was no way he could defend himself. His own Absolute Zero had frozen him, Michael, and Hamchi. In other words, there was no one left to help them.
‘
Is this... how I’m going to die?’
Siegfried stared blankly at the incoming scythe, thinking that it was over.
At that moment—
Boom!
A massive cross suddenly dropped from the sky and crashed down between him and Zerachiel.
Clang!
And it blocked the Scythe of Repose just before it hit Siegfried.
“Seriously... Are you a kid? Do I have to babysit you all the time?” Chae Hyung-Seok, who was bound to the cross, peeked back and sneered.
“What did you say, punk?” Siegfried growled in response.
“I said I’m sorry for being late,” Chae Hyung-Seok replied with a shrug.
He had been at home nursing his sore muscles after the workout session yesterday, but he immediately logged in as fast as he could after seeing Siegfried’s urgent message.
“What is that hideous thing?” Zerachiel grimaced the moment he laid eyes on Chae Hyung-Seok.
This was one of the few times the Archangel of Death had openly displayed how he felt.
Chae Hyung-Seok truly looked nothing short of repulsive. He looked like a freak without a single strand of hair remaining on his head, which made him look like a bald old man rambling while nailed to a cross.
In other words, it was only normal for Zerachiel to be repulsed by his appearance.
Chae Hyung-Seok grimaced and growled, “What? Did you just call me hideous? I’m gonna kick your ass and smack your—!”
“Hey! Enough! Just buff us already!” Siegfried shouted, cutting him off.
Even a fraction of a second was precious in this dangerous situation, so he was not going to give Chae Hyung-Seok the luxury to continue rambling.
“
Tsk...
Sure, if you say so. I apologize for the delay, Mr. CEO. Here are your buffs, sir,” Chae Hyung-Seok grumbled and mocked with obvious sarcasm.
Wooong!
Then, he cast his buffs while continuing to grumble under his breath.
[Alert: Your Attack Power has increased!]
[Alert: Your Defense has increased!]
[Alert: Your Magic Resistance has increased!]
(omitted...)
[Alert: Your Elemental Resistance has increased!]
[Alert: Your HP has been replenished!]
And finally—
[Alert: Status Ailment has been lifted!]
[Alert: You are no longer frozen!]
Siegfried immediately prepared for battle once again as soon as he was freed from Absolute Zero's Freeze, courtesy of Chae Hyung-Seok’s buffs. Without hesitation, he charged at Zerachiel.
The battle had changed from a three-on-one situation to a four-on-one situation.
‘
I should just go die in a ditch somewhere if I end up losing this one,’
Siegfried clenched his teeth.
There was no excuse if he ended up losing this time, as he had a whole party armed with buffs from Chae Hyung-Seok. If they still ended up losing now, then he would never be able to walk around with his head held up from the shame.
No matter what, he had to win this time.
Why?
It was all because if he lost today, the loss would haunt him for the rest of his life.
***
Upon unleashing his full power, Zerachiel’s attack patterns became downright absurd.
His reaction speed and combat sense were already annoying enough to deal with, but what made him even more annoying were the shockwaves he would unleash without any warning.
Every time just a single one of the shockwaves went off, everyone in Siegfried’s party, except Chae Hyung-Seok, would get blasted back several meters away and thrown to the ground.
Even Super Armor, which was supposed to grant immunity to knock backs, was useless against it. Thus, their formation would break whenever the Archangel of Death unleashed a shockwave.
As a result—
“
Arghh!”
With Siegfried and Michael flung back, Hamchi was left exposed and cornered by Zerachiel.
“Die,” Zerachiel said, raising the Scythe of Repose over Hamchi.
“W-Who do you think... you’re telling to die... bastard,” Hamchi growled, clutching the shaft of the scythe with both hands.
However, Zerachiel’s physical strength was on a whole different level, which was a stark contrast to his youthful appearance and small frame.
The cold blade of the scythe crept closer to Hamchi’s face.
Hamchi was indeed holding on, but Zerachiel’s strength was simply on another level.
“Oh? You’re still holding out?”
“
A-Arghh...!”
Zerachiel flashed a twisted smile after seeing that Hamchi refused to let go of the scythe. Then, he began to kick Hamchi without mercy.
Thwack! Bam! Bam!
Hamchi screamed in agony as the kicks rained down on him.
“
Arghh! Aaagh! Aaaaah!”
But Zerachiel did not stop. He did not even bother finishing Hamchi off with the scythe, as it seemed he was trying to stomp him to death instead.
“See? You should’ve just let me grant you a peaceful death when you had the chance.”
“
Arghhk!”
“Now.”
“
Ghhk!”
“You.”
“
Arghk!”
“Suffer.”
“
AAAAGH—!”
“A painful...”
“
Grrhak!”
“Death.”
“
K-Kuheok!”
“It’s time to die—”
It was then.
Whoosh!
Siegfried hurled his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp straight at Zerachiel and...
Baaam!
The weapon slammed into the back of the archangel’s head.
“
Gah!”
“Don’t touch my pet, bastard,” Siegfried growled.
Tak!
He caught the returning +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp from midair and charged straight at the archangel.
‘
Damn it... This bastard is really strong,’
he thought while running.
Even after casting debuffs on him and stacking Chae Hyung-Seok’s buffs on himself, it seemed that Zerachiel still had the upper hand in this fight.
Now, Siegfried realized that the rumors were not just rumors. Just one archangel descending was said to be enough to wipe out the entire Middle Realm, and it was clear that it was true.
Still, losing was not an option for Siegfried.
‘
I’ll use Chae Hyung-Seok to my advantage,’
he thought.
Chae Hyung-Seok was an untargetable object on the battlefield, so Siegfried planned to use him as terrain for cover.
But that was not all.
“Hey, you little coward,” Siegfried called out while walking forward confidently.
“Coward? Did you just call me a coward?” Zerachiel asked, pointing at himself.
“Yeah, I’m talking to you. You’re the only pathetic bastard over here.”
“What gives you the right to call me a coward?”
“You’re throwing this tantrum all because of Lunea, aren’t you?”
As soon as those words left Siegfried’s mouth—
“...!”
—Zerachiel froze still as if a chilling frost had swept over him.
Lunea.
It was a name he had not forgotten, even though tens of thousands of years had passed since then.