Debuff Master - Chapter 1111

Chapter 1111

‘Move! Damn it! Siegfried tried to force his body to move.

He gathered his willpower and kicked off the ground, charging straight toward Deus.

However, the result was the same.

Bam!

“Ackkk!”

Bam! Bam!

”Ghhhk!”

Bam!

”Kuheok!”

Siegfried charged at Deus again and again, yet it all ended with him being flung back to the ground.

”Ughhh…”

Siegfried tried to push himself up once more, but…

“You might want to take a potion or two. You look absolutely pitiful,” Deus spat out. Then, he said condescendingly, “A few hits and you’re already breaking down?”

“…”

“I’ll give you one minute,” Deus said nonchalantly.

“Your mercy is as vast as the ocean, Master,” Siegfried replied with a bow.

He took out his Infinite Flask and chugged it down in large gulps. His HP had already dropped below ten percent, so a few more hits would be the end of him.

“Ughhh…”

With a low groan, he drank as much as he could to replenish his HP.

A minute later, Siegfried said, “I am ready, Master.”

“Come.”

Siegfried charged at Deus once more, and the result was no different from before.

He couldn’t land a single hit, not even one. He was blasted away just like his numerous previous attempts. He was knocked to the ground. He drank a potion, got back up, and charged at Deus once again.

Rinse and repeat.

Whenever he charged at Deus, he would be flattened before he could even lay a finger on the latter. After many attempts, it seemed that landing a single hit on Deus was truly impossible.

“Ughh…”

On the ninety-ninth time, Siegfried noticed something strange.

For a brief moment, Deus looked like a towering mountain. It was indeed just an illusion, but it was one that weighed heavily on his mind.

Deus had yet to even go on the offensive. All he did was counterattack, yet he looked insurmountable. It was like he was a wall too high to climb.

“Is that all you’ve got? Is this the result of three years of training?” Deus asked, his voice devoid of any sympathy.

“Master…”

“You really wasted your time quite splendidly, didn’t you?”

Those words almost made Siegfried snap.

‘Wasted time?! Is that what you think I did?! After everything I’ve been through?!’

He gritted his teeth and refused to accept the accusations hurled at him.

The past three years had been anything but wasted. He had suffered, bled, fought through impossible odds, cleared dungeons, survived countless brushes with death, and saved the world.

He had put his life on the line so many times that even a hundred lives would not have been enough. Yes, he had the advantage of being the Debuff Master, but in the end, he was the one who survived every deadly ordeal.

All those near-death experiences, those death-defying battles he had fought… were now being dismissed as meaningless?

Siegfried had every right to feel indignant.

“I did not… waste my time, Master,” Siegfried said, his voice low, as if he was forcing himself to push down his raging emotions.

“Is that so?” Deus replied condescendingly.

“Yes, Master.”

Siegfried stood firm this time. He refused to yield even against Deus.

He couldn’t accept that anyone—no matter who they were—would deem everything he had fought for to be meaningless.

“Then prove it to me,” Deus said icily. Then, he added, “Because from what I’m seeing, it sure looks like you wasted all that time.”

“You are wrong, Master.”

“Then show me. You can’t prove your worth with just words, can you?”

“Yes, I do agree, Master.”

Siegfried tightly clutched the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp in his hands.

‘I didn’t slack off. I didn’t waste a single second. Yes, I can do this. Just one clean hit, that’s all I need. Just one basic attack will do,’ he thought.

Once again, he charged at Deus. He had no plans of getting knocked down just to get back up again—no, he had to prove himself this time. He wanted to prove that the blood, sweat, and pain he had endured for the last three years meant something.

***

Meanwhile, the effort to dispel the barrier surrounding Felix was in full swing after Verdandi found a way to dispel the barrier from the Emerald Tablet. She pressed both hands against the barrier and began to channel her mana into it.

Her goal was to convert the energy that made up the barrier into another form in order to collapse its very structure.

It was an extremely difficult process, especially for someone as young as her, as the process was quite arduous.

Still, Verdandi clenched her teeth tightly and focused every ounce of her being on the task, enduring the backbreaking effort without uttering a single word of complaint.

‘I’m going to dispel this barrier no matter what it takes! I have to help my father!’

Her will burned with unshakable determination. Though still a child, she understood just how much Siegfried was sacrificing to protect the world.

She had always been a remarkably kind and understanding daughter, and that was the reason she endured this arduous task, no matter how difficult it was. If she could carry just even a portion of the burden her father bore, she would gladly give it her all.

And her efforts were beginning to show results…

Bzzzt…! Bzzzt…!

The structure of the barrier’s energy began to shift slowly, and the area her hands touched was slowly starting to transform.

“You must be so tired, my sweet daughter,” Brunhilde said, gently dabbing the sweat from Verdandi’s brow with a handkerchief.

The Knights of the Proatine Empire stood guard around them in a tight formation, forming an ironclad wall of defense.

Right now, protecting Verdandi was their highest priority.

Time passed, and the next day arrived. Even after staying up all night, Verdandi did not lose focus at all and continued working with unwavering concentration.

As a result…

Shwoooook…!

The barrier’s energy structure was changing rapidly. However, Felix was an enormous city, and dismantling the entire barrier would still take a considerable amount of time.

Shwooooong!

Above them, the swirling vortex in the sky intensified, signaling that the Celestial Gate was about to open.

Time was running out.

They had to dispel the barrier, interrupt the ritual, and destroy the altar before the gate could open.

To do that, the barrier had to first be dispelled, and it had to be dispelled fast.

“Hang in there, my love,” Brunhilde encouraged. She, too, knew the urgency of the situation. Her heartache as she watched her daughter struggle, but she was quite proud of her.

Verdandi was as precious as she could get in Brunhilde’s eyes, but if her struggle could help save the world, then a day or two of hardship was definitely worthwhile.

‘Yes, mother! I’ll do my best!’

“Good girl.”

Despite having gone sleepless through the night, Verdandi showed no signs of slowing down. She kept pouring her mana into the barrier, picking up the pace.

***

On the other hand, Siegfried spent the entire night trying to clear the quest, Crossroads of Life and Death—no, it was more like he was getting beaten up to a pulp by Deus rather than clear the quest.

Why?

It was all because nothing had changed.

Throughout the night, Siegfried was knocked down more than a thousand times. Every time he got back up and charged at Deus, he would end up getting knocked down all over again.

“Argh…”

He let out a weary groan as he watched the sun set behind the distant mountains.

Without a second of rest, he had pushed through the quest for thirty-six hours straight, yet all he had achieved was to get beaten senseless by Deus.

He felt like he was digging in thin air with nothing to show for it.

“Is that all you’ve really got? Is this what you have to show after three years of training?” Deus sneered. Then, he said icily, “Are you trying to prove that you just wasted your time?”

“No, Master,” Siegfried replied.

“Did you honestly hope to hit me with that pathetic skill of yours? Did I look that easy to you?”

“N-No, Master! That was not—”

“It seems you really want to die by my hands.”

It was then.

Fwooom!

A crimson blaze erupted around Deus’ body.

“Argh!”

“I’ve been going easy on you all this time, yet this is how you repay me? With nothing but disappointment?”

“M-Master…!”

“In that case, just die,” Deus said as he began walking toward Siegfried.

“I-I will—”

“The powers I gave you…”

“…?!”

“I’ll be taking them back.”

Siegfried felt a terror far greater than anything he had ever felt as he stared at Deus walking toward him.

Thud, thud, thud…

Each footstep sounded like it was coming from the God of Death himself.

Badump! Badump! Badump!

Siegfried’s heart thumped violently like it was about to burst from his chest, every hair on his head stood up, and his legs trembled like branches being blown by the wind.

This fear was etched into his very instincts a long time ago, and his body reacted to this primal dread before his mind could even process what was going on. He knew that Deus was someone he could never defeat.

The fear didn’t just end at Siegfried von Proa, as even the man in the VR capsule, Han Tae-Sung, was gripped by terror, too. If he failed this quest and it resulted in Siegfried von Proa’s permanent death, then Han Tae-Sung’s career as a gamer would end.

His identity, his effort, and his legacy—everything would be lost in an instant. He had everything to lose right now, so his fear was not irrational in the slightest. This was the natural fear of a human being.

‘I-I’m really going to die,’ he thought.

While staring at the Level 999 Hidden NPC, Siegfried finally understood what it meant to fear death.

‘No, I can’t lose everything. Not like this!’ As soon as he thought that way, he stopped thinking. The moment he stopped thinking, everything in his mind was thrown out except for one instinct—survival.

‘I have no other choice! It’s all or nothing!’

Rumble!

A dark energy burst out of Siegfried like a storm.

Whether his mana hall would shatter or not no longer mattered to him. His instincts were screaming at him to use Demon King’s Descent and transform into the Demon King.

Fwoosh!

After transforming into the Demon King, Siegfried charged at Deus with all his might.

Boom!

Siegfried’s +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp collided with Deus’ fists again and again.

‘Argh!’

Every time they clashed, the impact would reverberate across Siegfried’s arms. It felt like either his weapon would shatter first or his arms would get torn apart from the impact.

His instincts screamed at him to drop his weapon, but he clenched his teeth and held on. He had to hold out no matter what, as it would be the end of him the moment he let go of his weapon.

Deus had been going easy on him, but that would no longer be the case the moment Siegfried dropped his weapon. Thus, Siegfried forced himself to stay focused. He gathered every ounce of strength left in his body and swung his weapon at Deus.

Nothing else mattered.

He reactivated the third stage of Overclocking to buff himself up. Then, he cast Karma Flare and Embrace of Despair, powered up by Discharge, in an attempt to debuff Deus.

Unfortunately, the debuffs couldn’t get through Deus’ defenses.

Since that was the case…

‘I’ll have to risk it all! Right now!’ Siegfried made up his mind.

Shwoooo!

A black hole formed in the space between them, swallowing both Siegfried and Deus whole.

The World of Despair.

Siegfried had invited Deus into the domain ruled by the Lord of Despair.

***

Within the World of Despair, Siegfried stood face to face with Deus.

‘I don’t have time.’

Without hesitation, he unleashed every skill he had, pouring out a relentless barrage of attacks. But even after using all of his buffs and transforming into the Demon King, he couldn’t lay a single finger on Deus.

Debuffs? Offensive skills?

None of them worked.

No matter what Siegfried did, Deus remained untouchable, as if he were some force beyond reason.

“In the end, you were nothing but a disappointment,” Deus muttered, his voice laced with disdain.

Rumble…

Then, an energy containing mixed colors gathered in Deus’ palm.

‘T-That’s…!’

Siegfried’s heart dropped the moment he recognized it.

That energy being charged up was unmistakably the skill, Touch of Death.

‘I can’t die here! No!’

Siegfried panicked and began charging up the same skill, his own Touch of Death.

But before he could even finish charging it up, Deus was already right in front of him.

“…!” Siegfried’s eyes shot wide open, shock filled in them.

“It’s time to say goodbye,” Deus said.

His fist—charged up with Touch of Death—came flying toward Siegfried’s face in a straight line.

Against such a deadly attack, Siegfried had only one option.

Thud!

He dropped his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp that was still emanating the power of the Touch of Death. Then, as soon as Deus was close enough, Siegfried threw his arms around the former and clung to him out of sheer desperation.

“Oh?” Deus raised a brow and muttered, sounding amused.

But that was about it. He swung his fist into the back of Siegfried’s head, but Siegfried was a step faster.

Chomp!

Siegfried bit down hard into Deus’ chest.

He had no other way to attack, as nothing seemed to work. Thus, all he could do was cling desperately and bite.

If he had no weapon, he would use his teeth!

BAAAAM!

A split second later, Deus’ fist smashed into Siegfried’s head.

“Guhhhk!”

Blood spurted out from Siegfried’s mouth. He was blasted several meters away, and at the same time, the World of Despair dissipated.

And then…

Ding!

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: You have cleared the Hardcore Epic Quest – Crossroads of Life and Death!]

A notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.