Debuff Master-Chapter 1088

Chapter 1088
“Hot damn!”
Siegfried was truly impressed by the intelligence network of the Proatine Empire.
Well, it would be strange if their intel weren't this good.
The Proatine Empire wasn't just relying on its own intelligence agents. It also had strong connections with the Thieves Guild and the Beggars Guild, which allowed them to gather intel from all over the continent.
That wasn't all, of course. Even the members of the Church of Heroes, the fastest-growing religion on the continent, were secretly passing along information. In short, the Proatine Empire had an absurd number of sources of information.
“See? Our empire’s intel capabilities are no joke.”
“Our agents are listening during both night and day. And I can guarantee you that we can rival the Marchioni Empire in that field.”
“
Oooh!
”
“Anyway, to summarize the we received... The Illuminati approached Chae Hyung-Seok,” Ninetail said, looking down at the file in her hands.
“What did they talk about?”
“They asked him to help them sneak into our imperial palace. And they are planning to abduct Princess Verdandi during the chaos.”
“
Huh?
And what did Hyung-Seok say? Did he accept?” Siegfried asked.
“He did,” Ninetail nodded. Then, she said, “He also received a pretty hefty check as advance payment, and they promised him something else if he pulls it off.”
“What is it?”
“They said he would be given the chance to become Archangel Gabriel's vessel.”
“Damn... That’s hard to beat,” Siegfried clicked his tongue in disbelief. Even he had to admit that the offer from the Illuminati was extremely tempting, and it was probably impossible for anyone to refuse it.
“
Hmm...
I guess it was about time for my beloved Hyung-Seok to stab me in the back,” Siegfried murmured to himself, sounding more intrigued than angry.
“...Are you not upset?” Ninetail asked, flinching in disbelief. Then, she added, “I mean, after all you did for him. Not only did you forgive him, but you took him under your wing, yet he decided to betray you.”
“Well, I could be upset, true. But with an offer like that? Let’s be real now. How many people could resist that? Most people would sell their parents for less, you know?” Siegfried replied with a shrug.
“Fair point. It is definitely not the kind of deal that one could easily turn down. If he succeeds, then it could be the ultimate comeback story,” Ninetail said, nodding in agreement.
“Exactly,” Siegfried nodded. Then, he said with a shrug, “So I can’t really blame him for caving. Well, I am a little annoyed...”
“So, are you going to forgive him?”
“Nope. I wouldn’t go that far. It’s just been a while, that’s all.”
“
Huh?
What do you mean by that?”
“I’ve finally got a good reason to mess with Hyung-Seok again,” Siegfried replied with a smirk.
“W-What...?”
“I get to punish him if he betrays me, right?”
“I guess so?”
“And I haven’t had the chance to mess with him for months now, so I’m suffering from withdrawal, you know?”
“Oh my god...” Ninetail buried her face in her hands, visibly horrified. Then, she thought, ‘
T-This guy is a complete psychopath!’
She couldn’t say it out loud, but that was exactly what she thought of Siegfried right now.
Siegfried was not enraged or bitter despite getting stabbed in the back by Chae Hyung-Seok. Instead, he was actually elated at the thought of having a justified reason to torment Chae Hyung-Seok once again.
“You never change, owner punk... You never change...” Hamchi muttered and shook his head before curling back to nap.
Siegfried’s love for tormenting Chae Hyung-Seok was nothing new at this point, so Hamchi couldn’t be bothered to care. However, he had zero desire to get involved in Siegfried’s twisted little hobby, so he just decided to take a nap.
***
“
Lalala~”
On that same evening, Siegfried merrily hummed a tune, thrilled at the thought of tormenting Chae Hyung-Seok once again.
This whole thing was just too good to be true.
Not only would he get the chance to deal a huge blow to the Holy Alliance and the Illuminati, but he could also legally mess with Chae Hyung-Seok.
This was no different from a wet dream for him.
“
A-Ahng~ Nngh...!”
Just thinking about getting to torment Chae Hyung-Seok again made Siegfried squirm with excitement.
Unfortunately, that joy didn't last long.
“Hey, you still up?”
Chae Hyung-Seok suddenly appeared at Siegfried’s tent.
“
Hiiiik!”
Siegfried, who was lost in his euphoric ecstasy, jumped in shock at the unexpected guest. “H-Hey, welcome! Come on in!
Hahaha! Hahahaha!”
“...What the hell is wrong with you?” Chae Hyung-Seok muttered, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
Siegfried’s reaction was so awkward that it made him look like someone who was just caught red-handed.
“N-Nothing!”
“Are you hiding something?”
“Me?! No waaay~ What could I possibly hide from you?” Siegfried said, waving his hand in an exaggerated manner.
“
Hmm...
It feels like you are.”
“Nope~ I’m really not hiding anything~”
“Really?”
“I mean, what would I even hide from you? There’s nothing, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“See!”
“Anyway...” Chae Hyung-Seok nodded. Then, he got to the point, “Hey, Han Tae-Sung.”
“Yeah?”
“I got an offer.”
“W-What are you talking about?”
“This,” Chae Hyung-Seok said, pulling up a console window and playing a video.
— Oh, and by the way, about that bastard’s wife... Do you mind if I keep her for myself?
— His wife? You mean Empress Brunhilde?
— Yeah.
— Why?
— Why else would I want her?
Mehehe!
The video captured the full exchange between him and the mysterious figure from the Illuminati.
“W-What the hell?!” Siegfried exclaimed, stumbling back in shock.
“What’s with that reaction? Anyway, they reached out to me, so I just played along,” Chae Hyung-Seok said with a shrug.
“You played along...?”
“I mean, yeah, I could’ve betrayed you. But come on, seriously? Do you think I’m that dumb? You’d just turn the tables on me again and mess with me. I’m tired of fighting you again,” Chae Hyung-Seok grumbled.
Then, he let out a long sigh and added, “I just can’t do it anymore. Even if I were to betray you, you’d just chase me for the rest of my life and torment me nonstop. Fuck that shit. I’m not going back to that hell again.”
Apparently, Chae Hyung-Seok had completely lost the will to resist after two years of being on the receiving end of Siegfried’s madness.
“And besides... I have a basic sense of decency, too, you know?”
“
Hm?
What do you mean by that?”
“You forgave me and helped me get back on my feet. If I were to betray you after all that, then I’d be worse than a damn animal. So yeah, I’m here to come clean.”
“
Tsk...
What a shame,” Siegfried grumbled, pouting.
“Huh? Did you just say what a shame...?”
“I was looking forward to finally having a justified reason to mess with you again.”
“...What the fuck did you just say?” Chae Hyung-Seok muttered, his face filled with disbelief.
“I mean... I got a saying you might betray me, and I was really thrilled, y’know?”
“What?!”
“Hey, I wasn’t spying on you or anything. It just happened that one of our agents saw it and made a . Anyway, I was getting all excited... and then you show up coming clean and all? What am I supposed to do with all my excitement now?”
“...What are you trying to say?”
“Hey, could you just...” Siegfried grabbed Chae Hyung-Seok’s hands and looked at him with pleading eyes.
“W-What...?”
“Could you just please betray me? Please?”
“You want me to betray you? Why? Do you have a plan in mind?”
“No, I’ve been frustrated for quite a while now and really want a justified reason to torment you, so I can finally release my loa—”
“YOU CRAZY BASTARD!” Chae Hyung-Seok roared and lunged at him.
Siegfried had told him many crazy things before, but asking him to betray him just so he could mess with him was a new low.
***
A few days later, the Illuminati warped near the capital of the Proatine Empire, Preussen. They were few in numbers but overwhelming in terms of quality.
Three Top-Tier Fallen Angels, fifty High-Ranking Fallen Angels, and a thousand Mid-Ranking Fallen Angels. Their firepower was more than enough to completely level the capital of a great power.
The Top-Tier Fallen Angel, Garmuus, approached the man who had been waiting for them and asked, “Are you Chae Hyung-Seok?”
“That’s right. I’m Chae Hyung-Seok, and I’ll be your guide,” Chae Hyung-Seok replied with a nod.
“Good. Then lead the way.”
Chae Hyung-Seok led the way toward the imperial palace, while Garmuus followed closely behind him. The rest of the fallen angels followed behind him.
“This way,” Chae Hyung-Seok guided them into a narrow tunnel.
“What is this place?” Garmuus grimaced and asked.
“It’s an old sewer network. No one uses it anymore, so it’s the perfect route for sneaking in undetected,” Chae Hyung-Seok replied with a shrug.
“I see... Very well, lead on.”
With that, Garmuus and his fallen angels continued following Chae Hyung-Seok into the old sewer network, but then...
“
Phew...”
Chae Hyung-Seok let out a sigh and abruptly came to a stop. Then, he crawled up the Demonic Cross and fused with it, planting himself firmly in place.
“What are you doing? Continue leading the way,” Garmuus narrowed his eyes and commanded.
However, Chae Hyung-Seok did not respond.
“I said, move! Lead the way—”
Fwoooooosh!
A sudden blast of blazing red flames shot up inside the narrow tunnel.
“
A-Aaargh!”
“Aaaack!”
“G-Ghaaak!”
The High-Ranking and Mid-Ranking Fallen Angels screamed in agony.
The flames devoured them in an instant, but that was not all.
Flash!
A brilliant white light flashed through the corridor, instantly freezing them in place.
“...!”
Garmuus and the two other Top-Tier Fallen Angels were caught off guard, but it was too late for them to do anything.
C-Craaack!
The floor beneath them split open, and boiling lava surged up from below. It consumed the frozen fallen angels like a hungry beast devouring its prey whole.
“
Aaaaagh!”
“N-No! Help!”
“B-Brother! Help me!”
The High-Ranking and Mid-Ranking Fallen Angels were incinerated alive, reduced to nothing more than piles of ash.
The old sewer network was instantly turned into a massive furnace.
The AoE ultimate skill of the Lord of Despair, Infernal Hellscape, was unleashed inside the cramped sewer, and its destructiveness was beyond devastating.
“W-What is the meaning of this?!” Garmuus screamed at Chae Hyung-Seok.
“Can’t you tell? It’s backstab,” Chae Hyung-Seok replied with a sly grin.
“B-Backstab?!”
“It means you just got stabbed in the back, dumbass!
Keke!”
“Y-You filthy treacherous creature!”
Garmuus lunged at Chae Hyung-Seok and slashed down with his sword, but it was futile.
Clang!
Chae Hyung-Seok was considered a neutral object while fused with the Demonic Cross, which rendered him completely invincible and immune to all attacks.
“W-What in the–?!”
Garmuus was flabbergasted when his attack bounced off without dealing any damage.
However, there was no time for him to feel stunned.
“Die! Brother!”
“Burn!”
“Come with me to the pits of hell!”
The fallen angels, who were devoured by the lava, were reanimated into fire-attribute undead monsters, and they began attacking the Top-Tier Fallen Angels.
***
“Y-You filthy...!”
Gramuus trembled with fury, and he trembled like an aspen tree when the realization that Chae Hyung-Seok had betrayed him finally struck him.
Thud... Thud...
Just then, someone emerged from the shadows—it was Siegfried.
“You dare deceive us?!” Garmuus snarled, his voice filled with rage.
“Man... these bastards can be quite tough,” Siegfried muttered, clicking his tongue as he eyed the three surviving fallen angels.
The fact that they survived the combo of Karma Flare, Absolute Zero, and Infernal Hellscape left no doubt that they were definitely far stronger than the average fallen angels.
“I’m going to kill you,” Garmuus snarled.
Despite having just been completely blindsided, none of the three Top-Three Fallen Angels showed even a hint of fear or confusion.
Why?
It was all because they were confident. Each of them possessed combat power surpassing even a Grandmaster, so they could easily crush someone like Siegfried.
However, one thing they did not know was that their opponent was not Siegfried.
“I’m not the one you’ll be fighting,” Siegfried said as he slowly retreated. Then, he grinned and added, “Ah, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not backing off because I’m scared of you. I can easily kill you if I wanted to, and I’m just choosing not to.”
“...?”
Siegfried let out an exaggerated sigh and said, “I’ve been feeling a little under the weather these days, you know?”
He could easily defeat these three fallen angels if he used Demon Lord’s Descent and transformed into the Demon Lord of Greed and Betrayal.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t risk destroying his mana hall just to get rid of these second-rate fallen angels.
Thus, he opted to sit this fight out.
“It’s been a while, Garmuus.”
A calm voice rang out as someone stepped out from the darkness—it was Michael.
“M-Michael!”
“It’s the traitor.”
“W-When did he retrieve nine wings?!”
The Top-Tier Fallen Angels were shocked when they saw Michael standing before them, but the moment they realized that he had recovered nine of his wings, their shock instantly turned into fear.