Debuff Master-Chapter 1091

Chapter 1091
“Hold on, is this a prank?” Siegfried asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. He was not trying to be funny right now, as he simply couldn’t wrap his head around what he was hearing. ‘
Come on. How can you expect me to believe that?’
Siegfried would not have reacted like this if Chaos ed that Baal had invaded the Celestial Realm and was narrowly defeated by Lucifer. However, the fact that Lucifer had invaded the Demon Realm and killed Baal was simply too absurd to accept.
“It is not a prank, sire! His Majesty the Demon King has fallen at the hands of Lucifer!”
“Unbelievable...”
“After killing the Demon King, Lucifer declared he would soon invade the Demon Realm before returning to the Celestial Realm. Due to that, the Demon Realm is now in a state of emergency. Every demon lord is in shock, and chaos has swept across the entire realm!”
“
Ugh...”
Siegfried let out a long sigh. Things were not going as smoothly as he had hoped. He had just decimated the Midland Merchant Company’s supply depots, effectively tipping the war against the Holy Alliance.
But now, Baal, whom he trusted would stop Lucifer, had fallen.
“So what’s happening right now?”
“The Demon Lord of the First District, Lord Belial, has convened a Demon Realm Assembly.”
“I see...”
It was then.
Wooong!
The necklace around Siegfried’s neck, the Dark Abyss: Necklace of Greed and Betrayal, suddenly began vibrating.
Ding!
[Alert: You have received a message!]
The contents of the message were as follows...
The Demon Realm Assembly will convene tonight.
All Demon Lords are to gather at the Demon King’s Castle in District Zero.
Belial had indeed convened the assembly, and as one of the demon lords ruling a district in the Demon Realm, Siegfried was required to attend the assembly.
[Alert: You will be forcibly summoned to the Demon Realm in 4 hours and 11 minutes 22 seconds!]
[Alert: You will be forcibly summoned to the Demon Realm in 4 hours and 11 minutes 21 seconds!]
[Alert: You will be forcibly summoned to the Demon Realm in 4 hours and 11 minutes 20 seconds!]
Unfortunately, he did not seem to have a choice. He had to go whether he wanted to or not.
“Why now of all times...” Siegfried grimaced at the awful timing.
The Holy Alliance could attack at any moment now. For him to step away now, especially when he was one of the most powerful warriors in the Allied Forces... the consequences could be catastrophic.
His absence would almost certainly lead to greater casualties on his side.
‘
But I can’t exactly refuse... Well, it’s just a meeting, so it shouldn’t take too long,’
Siegfried thought.
The problem was that attendance was mandatory. Still, Siegfried decided to go, as he reasoned that it likely would not take too much time.
After all, he was not just an emperor in the Middle Realm but was one of the demon lords as well. Thus, he couldn’t simply turn a blind eye to such a major crisis in the Demon Realm.
***
On that same night, Siegfried departed for the Demon Realm with Hamchi, Chae Hyung-Seok, and Chaos. Before he left, he entrusted Hansen with the responsibility of leading the Allied Forces in his absence.
“I’m counting on you. I won’t be gone long, but if anything happens, just hold out until I come back.”
“Yes, sire. I will protect Your Imperial Majesty’s army,” Hansen replied with a bow.
“You’re as reliable as always.”
“Your grace is immeasurable.”
Siegfried turned and said, “Let’s move out.”
Rumble!
The warp gate to the Demon Realm opened with a rumbling noise.
‘
I hope nothing bad happens...’
With a silent hope that the Demon Realm Assembly would proceed without incident, Siegfried stepped through the warp gate.
“Welcome, Your Imperial Majesty!”
Metatron was the first to greet Siegfried the moment he stepped out of the warp gate.
“Wow, look at you,” Siegfried murmured, sounding impressed. Then, he thought, ‘
Eh? Is this really the same Metatron? He used to be such a dork.’
Gone was the pitiful, awkward demon from before. Now, he walked with poise and radiated authority. He had a commanding presence, and he looked confident. For the first time, Siegfried felt like he was truly looking at a demon lord.
“You’ve really changed, Metatron. You actually look cool now.”
“
Eh?
Are you talking about... me?”
“Yeah, you.”
“T-Thank you very much! Your grace is immeasurable!” Metatron exclaimed and bowed awkwardly. He clearly hadn't expected to receive compliments from Siegfried.
Why?
It was all because Siegfried had been scolding and smacking Metatron back at the palace. Thus, it wasn't strange that he was thrilled to finally receive such praise.
“But more importantly... What’s the situation like?” Siegfried asked, his voice turning serious.
“Well, it seems there’s going to be a struggle for the Demon King’s throne.”
“What?! You’re telling me that they’re going to fight over who gets to be the next Demon King at a time like this? When all of us should be working together?!”
“Yes, sire... demon lords tend to obsess over power more than anything else, including impending threats on the realm.”
“Those lunatics,” Siegfried groaned.
“That’s the nature of demons...”
“Yeah, I guess they’re demons for a reason.”
The late Demon King, Baal, was killed by the Chief Archangel, Lucifer, yet these demon lords were planning to fight among themselves for the throne when the angels were about to invade the Middle Realm and the Demon Realm.
It was madness.
They were turning on each other when they ought to conserve their strength and preserve every soldier they had at their disposal. This was not just foolish—it made Siegfried want to round them all up and beat some sense into every last one of them.
“We have to stop them. The Demon Realm will turn into a battlefield if we do not, and we will suffer massive losses. We’re already weakened as it is, and another war will surely break us,” Metatron said firmly.
“I know that, too. That’s exactly why Baal planned to invade the Celestial Realm. The Demon Realm won’t stand a chance if the Middle Realm falls, so he took it upon himself and went after Lucifer alone.”
“S-So that's the case...!” Metatron gasped.
“I didn’t expect things to turn out like this either,” Siegfried said, letting out a long sigh.
Things were always the same. Whenever he solved one crisis, another one would pop up. And once he solved that one, another one would pop up again. Going through something like this would drive anyone insane.
“Let’s just head to the assembly for now,” Siegfried said.
“Yes, sire.”
Siegfried turned to Hamchi and Chae Hyung-Seok, saying, “The two of you should stay here.”
Only demon lords could attend the assembly, so Hamchi and Chae Hyung-Seok had no other choice but to wait outside.
***
At the same time...
“Are you all right, brother?” Gabriel asked Lucifer.
Lucifer was resting inside the Celestial Fountain, a sanctuary located at the very center of the Celestial Realm.
Although he had emerged victorious in the battles against the Demon King, Baal, and had killed him, he hadn't emerged unscathed from it.
“I am fine, brother. I will recover soon, so you don’t have to be alarmed,” Lucifer replied, sounding calm.
“That’s a relief.”
“I will be fully healed in a few—”
It was then.
“
Argh!”
Lucifer groaned in agony and clutched his chest, which was now tainted black.
It was a vivid reminder that Baal had struck him with demonic energy.
“Brother!” Gabriel exclaimed, hurrying toward the fountain.
“Stop. It’s nothing serious,” Lucifer said, raising a hand.
“B-But!”
“I was up against the Demon King. It's unreasonable for me to emerge unscathed from it. This is just some of the lingering aftereffects, so it’s nothing to be overly concerned about.”
“But brother...”
“Tell our brethren that I, Lucifer, invaded the Demon Realm and defeated the Demon King, Baal.”
This was a wise decision.
The angels and demons had been at odds with each other since they were created. Thus, if news that Lucifer had defeated Baal was spread throughout the Celestial Realm, the morale of the angels would soar exponentially.
On the other hand, the morale of the demons would be completely crushed.
“With Baal gone, the demons will ruin themselves,” Lucifer said. He anticipated that the demons would fight among themselves in order to seize the empty throne.
Then, he added, “Our main goal now is to conquer the Middle Realm.”
“I understand, brother,” Gabriel replied with a nod. Then, he continued, “I plan to descend myself soon to abduct that child who will serve as your vessel. Until I return, focus on recovering.”
“Very well.”
Although he had received a that the kidnapping of Verdandi, the chosen vessel, had failed, he was not furious at all, as the circumstances were not in his favor. Even if he could descend, it would be too much to descend immediately, as he was wounded in the battle against Baal.
“Rest well and recover, brother. I will go inform our brethren of this,” Gabriel said.
“Do so,” Lucifer replied.
After sending Gabriel away, Lucifer closed his eyes.
Badump! Badump!
Severe pain radiated from the wounds inflicted by Baal, but not a single groan escaped Lucifer’s lips. He endured the pain with superhuman tenacity.
“Demon King Baal... he was born a lowly demon, but to think he managed to obtain such power...”
Lucifer recalled the final moments of his battle against Baal.
It was truly a close call.
Had he failed to dodge Baal’s attack by even an inch, then he would have certainly perished.
***
The Demon Realm Assembly was convened at the Demon King’s Castle in District Zero. Siegfried attended the assembly with Metatron and got to meet with the other demon lords.
As of now, the Demon Realm had eleven rulers. There used to be thirteen rulers, but Siegfried had killed both the Demon Lord of Deception, Dantalion, and the Demon Lord of Gluttony, Sidon.
“Demon Lord Siegfried von Proa and Demon Lord Metatron have arrived!”
The doors opened, and both Siegfried and Metatron entered the meeting hall.
However, an incident arose the moment they entered.
“Halt!” The Demon Lord of Wrath, Azmodan, roared at Siegfried. “How dare you set foot in here, you lowly insect!”
Azmodan valued one’s bloodline above everything else, so he refused to accept that someone like Siegfried, who was a mere human, was a demon lord.
To begin with, humans were nothing more than livestock supplying souls in the eyes of the demons. They were truly foolish creatures who would not hesitate to sell their souls if it meant satisfying their desires.
Thus, it was only obvious that the Demon Lord of Wrath, Azmodan, would take offense at the fact that a mere human who just somehow got lucky and became a demon lord would be sitting in this assembly.
This was the Demon Realm Assembly, a gathering of the rulers of the realm. In Azmodan’s eyes, this was no place for a mere
livestock
to meddle in.
Kwachik!
Siegfried grabbed Azmodan’s head.
And then...
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
He slammed Azmodan’s head on the table numerous times.
“K-Kuheok!”
Azmodan couldn’t react in time and suffered the humiliation of having his head slammed on the table.
However, Siegfried wasn't done yet.
Shiiiing!
He transformed his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a saber and pressed its cold blade hard against the back of Azmodan’s neck.
“Hey, do you wanna die?” Siegfried growled.
“
G-Ghhk...!”
“Do you want me to chop your head off? You know, I can do a pretty clean cut.” Siegfried flashed a truly wicked grin that would send chills down the spines of anyone witnessing it.
“...!”
The demon lords present in the meeting hall were stunned. None of them had imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that the Demon Lord of Wrath, Azmodan, would be manhandled so easily just like that.