Debuff Master

The monsters charging at Siegfried’s expedition were grotesque beyond words. Their appearance was so horrifying and unnatural that it was impossible to believe that they even existed.

“Kieeeeek!”

“Kyaaaaah!”

The abominations drooled green saliva that was so toxic they corroded the ground upon falling to it, generating sizzling noises.

But that was not all…

These green monstrosities emanated a bizarre and unsettling mana that seemed to distort the very air around them.

[Ignite Hound]

[A monster from another dimension.]

[This monster belongs to the vanguard of the Apocalius Legion, and it is known for its corrosive and acidic saliva.]

[Level: 280]

[Special Traits: Extremely aggressive.]

[Warning: Due to their large numbers, it is highly dangerous to be surrounded by them.]

These horrifyingly grotesque monsters attacking the expedition shared the exact same properties as the ones mutated by one of the Soul Fragments of Apocalius, specifically, the Ignite Soul.

Hisss!

The Ignite Hounds unleashed their deadly breath attacks, spewing streams of corrosive venom.

‘That stuff is dangerous!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly.

He knew all too well from experience that getting poisoned was not the only consequence of getting hit by that venom. The corrosive substance would also rapidly erode the durability of their weapons and armor, which was extremely annoying.

“Here!” Siegfried shouted. Then, he opened his Inventory and distributed flasks containing the Kautschuk Tree Sap to his comrade while simultaneously preparing to place down Shadow Hell to slow down the incoming monsters.

But before he could even place down the debuff field—

“Not so fast!”

Daode Tianzun stepped forward and raised his hand. A shimmering barrier materialized in front of the entire expedition team, shielding them from the Ignite Hounds’ noxious assault.

Then—

“Tsk… What are these disgusting creatures?”

The young man, “Siegfried,” took a step forward and raised his fist.

Wooong!

In that instant, thousands of Ignite Hounds were pulled toward him as if they were being sucked in by an invisible vortex.

Those initiated would realize that the skill was similar to the one secret technique used by Grappling King Leonid, the Black Hole Strike.

Shwoooo!

Before the Ignite Hounds could even react, "Siegfried" drove his fist forward, unleashing a devastating shockwave.

Boooom!

The cone-shaped blast ripped through the horde of repulsive monsters, obliterating every single one of the Ignite Hounds in its path.

“...!”

The entire expedition froze, completely stunned in silence by what they had just witnessed. Thousands of monsters—each Level 280—had been annihilated in a single blow right in front of their eyes.

“Too easy,” "Siegfried" muttered while dusting off his hands nonchalantly. Then, he looked around, looking bored, and grumbled, “I hope that’s not all they got. Or else, this is going to get too boring for me.”

Siegfried stared at “Siegfried," utterly shaken, ‘This is insane… What kind of power was that?’

He had met many powerful individuals before, but “Siegfried's” strength seemed to rival even that of Deus. The sheer might of a Grandmaster at the pinnacle of combat prowess was simply overwhelming.

‘Can I last even a minute against him…?” Siegfried wondered.

The answer was obvious.

‘No, I won’t last a minute…’

He knew without a doubt that he couldn't hold out for sixty seconds against the monstrous young man even if he were to unleash. In fact, the damage counter that appeared over the Ignite Hounds the moment “Siegfried” struck them told Siegfried that he wouldn't last even a single hit against the young man.

What about his debuffs?

They were useless; when the gap in strength was big enough, no tactic or trick could make any difference.

‘He’s unbelievably strong…’ Siegfried thought, trembling.

He was not trembling from fear alone; he was also trembling in awe. Still, something about the young man, “Siegfried,” was bothering him. Siegfried narrowed his eyes and racked his brains, trying to piece together a nagging sense of familiarity.

‘But who is this guy? I swear I’ve seen that face somewhere before… Huh? Eh?! H-Hold on, could it be?!’

And then it hit him—the memory he had been looking for finally surfaced.

One year and six months ago, Siegfried remembered seeing someone eerily familiar to the young man, and he was mercilessly beating the Chromatic Dragon.

“Well, you’re truly as sturdy as a dragon can be. Hohoho!”

“You’re an excellent sandbag.”

“Huh? Hey, are you dead…?”

“Hey! Don’t tell me you’re dead already? Hey! Wake up! This is our reunion! You can’t die so soon! We have a lot of catching up to do!”

“Breath! Hey! Breath!”

Siegfried’s eyes slowly widened as the realization set in.

“A-Ah…!” He ended up gasping in horror without realizing it.

He finally recognized the young man exploring the Suzdal Empire Ruins with Inzaghi.

The young man was indeed him.

***

“Hmm? What’s the matter? Whatcha looking at? Is this your first time seeing something like this?”

The young man, “Siegfried," scowled after noticing that Siegfried's gaze was lingering on him.

“N-No, I have seen it plenty of times,” Siegfried replied, shaking his head frantically with both hands up and an awkward smile.

“You did?”

“Y-Yes, I did! Haha…! Hahaha…”

Siegfried awkwardly scratched the back of his head and laughed just as awkwardly.

‘Master…!’

He could not help but smile upon realizing that he was looking at his master, Deus, from the distant past. "Siegfried" was the version of Deus, who had yet to attain the power of invincibility.

At this point in time, Deus had already stepped into the realm of a Grandmaster, and he had become so strong that he could dominate an era with it.

Unfortunately, in his time, he was a man of misfortune and would forever be overshadowed. To make things worse, he was not destined to be second-best but rather relegated to the distant rank of eight.

He was a man who endlessly sought strength and had even pushed himself to his limits to obtain the elusive title of "strongest in the world."

‘It feels strange seeing you like this, Master… Hahaha…’ Siegfried thought, laughing inwardly.

Watching Deus in his youth evoked a whirlwind of emotion for Siegfried. The version of Deus was not the invincible godlike figure who had ascended beyond a normal human being. Here, he was merely a man burdened by his ambitions and struggles.

Perhaps that was the reason, but this younger version of Deus felt more approachable.

He seemed more like an older brother rather than an unapproachable deity.

“Hey, what are you staring at? Have you never seen a handsome man before?”

Those words barked by “Siegfried” quickly brought Siegfried back to his senses.

“P-Pardon me!” Siegfried stammered.

“Siegfried” shrugged and said nonchalantly, “Looks don’t mean a thing in this world. What matters is strength and strength alone.”

Apparently, Deus, in his youth, had quite the pride in his appearance.

“Haha… hahaha…” Siegfried laughed weakly, unsure how to respond to his master’s confidence.

In truth, there was nothing wrong with his confidence. He did possess strikingly exotic features, towering height, solid build, and a mysterious aura that made him undeniably captivating. In fact, his charm would not go unnoticed wherever he went.

However, it was evident that he couldn't care less whether he was handsome or not.

“Siegfried” let out a sigh and lamented, “Sigh… I’ve chased down countless strong warriors, hoping to learn something from them. But all I find are worthless losers, no matter how much I search. How am I supposed to beat them at this rate?”

Siegfried felt his chest tighten as he watched his master let out a sigh of apparent despair.

‘You worked so hard, Master…' Siegfried thought.

It finally made sense why his master had given him the quest "Master’s Regret."

Siegfried decided to take this opportunity and ask something that he had been curious about for quite a while now. “Pardon me for asking, but why are you so desperate to become stronger—”

A blinding flash of light illuminated the entire "Suzdal Empire Ruins: 458," interrupting Siegfried's words.

Zaaaap!

Then, the headquarters of the Church of Osric, which was originally the Guardians’ headquarters, the Heaven’s Eye, appeared in the distance, and a tower of light consisting of green, black, purple, and white shot upward, piercing the heavens.

A whirlwind of energy erupted and swept across the region.

“Argh!”

“Gaaah!”

“I… I can’t… hold on…!”

Despite their resistance being enhanced, the expedition team buckled under the overwhelming pressure of the otherworldly energy.

Daode Tianzun and Betelgeuse—the two most powerful veterans in the expedition team couldn't escape unscathed from it.

However, there was one young man standing unaffected. He looked unimpressed as he muttered, “Hmm? What’s with this bizarre energy?”

Meanwhile, Siegfried was forced to grit his teeth and endure the storm, “W-What in the world is happening…?”

He had no idea what was happening, but he could tell that something big was about to happen.

The Church of Osric was undoubtedly working on the four Soul Fragments of Apocalius, and they were trying to do something beyond catastrophic.

“We have to move! NOW!” Siegfried shouted with great urgency.

***

“Creators of a new world…”

Immortal Alchemist Acheron, who had turned out to be the true leader of the Church of Osric, addressed her followers from the altar, which resembled a throne more like an altar.

The Almighty Soul was embedded in the center of her forehead, while the Ignite Soul and Void Soul were in each hand of hers. Finally, her right eye shimmered in an ominous hue, as the Requiem Soul was embedded in it.

Acheron had transformed her body into a vessel for the Soul Fragment of Apocalius, similar to what Count Arial had done by embedding the Almighty Soul into his third eye.

“Soon, this world will be gone, and a new world shall emerge. I will destroy this corrupted world and create something pure.”

The followers gazed at Acheron with reverence, completely enraptured by her.

“Master!”

“O Divine Creator of the new world!”

“Lord of Genesis!”

“Grant us a new beginning!”

The followers wholeheartedly believed in Acheron. After all, each of them bore scars made by the cruel world they lived in.

Some of them were illegitimate children of nobles, while others were denied career advancements despite their extraordinary talents solely due to their common backgrounds.

Some of them were merchants riddled with debt after being wronged by those in power, while some were sold as slaves against their will.

Each and every one of them was a victim of the Nurburg Continent’s rigid societal structure ruled by the elites. In their eyes, Acheron’s vision was not merely a revolution but the destruction of the world that had wronged them in so many ways.

Thus, her offer was simply irresistible to them.

“Go, warriors of the divine! Annihilate those fools who dare to pursue us! Those fools who cling to the old corrupted world! Leave none of them alive,” Acheron commanded.

As he was speaking, the Almighty Soul embedded in her forehead pulsed and unleashed a radiant white light imbued with the power of Omnipotence.

Flash!

As soon as her words fell, the bright white light erupted, transforming the followers into extremely powerful warriors.

Their levels surged to Level 299, and they were clad in +15 enhanced artifacts. Even those who were frail and old were transformed into warriors with strength rivaling that of a major kingdom’s royal knight.

The Almighty Soul in Acheron’s hands was incomparably more powerful than what Count Arial could have ever imagined wielding.

“A-Ahh…!”

“Master! This is a miracle!”

Drunk on their newfound strength, the followers’ faith burned even brighter.

“Go! Show those fools the power of the dawning new age! Prove yourselves as Angels of Genesis and engrave your names forever in the annals of history!”

Burning with faith and their newfound powers, the followers spread their luminous wings and soared toward Siegfried and his allies.

After the followers left, Acheron muttered under her breath, “This body shall serve as a vessel, from which the creator of the new age will descend…”

Then, she stepped into the massive censer—the True: Fated Censer—located behind the altar. Once inside, she lit the Flames of Annihilation, offering herself as a sacrifice to the flames.

Fwaaaah!

The flames roared like a hungry beast and devoured her entirely.

“From the ashes of the old, the creator of the new age shall awaken,” she murmured before closing her eyes and surrendering herself to the raging inferno.

Fwoosh!

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