Debuff Master

Chapter 714

The roof of the V-Sports Stadium nearly collapsed under the explosive cheers of the audience the moment Siegfried evaded all of the Pandemonium Guild’s skills with the Grand Duel.

WAAAAAHHHH!

— Han Tae-Sung! Han Tae-Sung!

— Han Tae-Suuuuuung!”

— Amazing! He dodged it just like that?! Look at the super play! Han Tae-Sung overcame the crisis by flawlessly using his skills!

Even the casters and commentators were on the verge of losing their voices as they screamed their lungs out with excitement. The broadcast cameras and the stadium’s display screens replayed Siegfried’s fantastic evasion over and over again.

This scene was destined to be remembered as one of the finest highlights of the year in BNW.

— Han Tae-Sung is simply incredible!

— He planned that! I can tell that he had it all calculated!

— Such composure! His composure is terrifying! Does he even know what fear is?! He’s in the heart of the enemy territory, and one wrong move can kill him, but he is unbelievably calm, as if he does not fear death at all!

The commentators showered Siegfried with praises while all of the cameras were focused on him.

— Unbelievable!

— He was outnumbered thirty-two to five hundred! That is a fifteen-to-one difference! Yet he overcame it!

— This is beyond belief! The Head Crusher Guild has breached a fortress defended by five hundred people with just thirty-two!

Smack!

Siegfried smashed the skull of his opponent trapped inside the Barrier of Victory with him.

Rumble!

The Barrier of Victory crumbled.

“Kill him! Kill him noooow!” Diesel screamed out of desperation. This time, he charged at Siegfried alongside the remaining Pandemonium Guild members, but it was to no avail.

Rumble!

Siegfried activated the Grand Duel once again and disappeared behind the Barrier of Victory with another one of the Pandemonium Guild members.

The Grand Duel's cooldown would reset each time Siegfried successfully defeated his opponent in a one-on-one duel. In other words, he could use the skill indefinitely as long as he won each duel.

“Argh! Aaaargh...!” Diesel groaned while trembling with rage.

Siegfried once again evaded the bombardment by hiding behind the Barrier of Victory, and there was nothing the Pandemonium Guild could do about it.

Their only hope was to either stop him from using the skill or defeat Siegfried in a one-on-one duel. However, how could anyone win against him? He was not just any other Adventurer—he was the Siegfried.

The Pandemonium Guild members had already witnessed Siegfried’s wrath firsthand, both in this battle and in the past, so they knew stopping him was impossible now that he was on a rampage.

“Fuck! Fuck!” Diesel cursed repeatedly.

Unfortunately, as time ticked by, more and more of his guild members fell to the ground.

Ten minutes later, Diesel fell silent after realizing that he only had fifty allies remaining, including himself and Chae Hyung-Seok.

“Phew...” Siegfried took a moment to catch his breath. He was no longer using the Grand Duel. Then, he said, “Man, it’s been a while since I’ve gone all out like this. This is kinda tiring.”

He looked around the battlefield before locking eyes with the remaining Pandemonium Guild members. The remaining guild members involuntarily trembled, and a chill traveled down their spine.

The one-man show that Siegfried had put on transformed the Hall of Decision into the Hall of Death. There were corpses littered all over the ground, and the sight of two hundred fifty of their fallen comrades was more than enough to break anyone’s spirit.

“Who wants to die next?” Siegfried asked. Then, he grinned and added, “I’m taking volunteers.”

“...”

No one dared respond to his question.

Who would willingly step forward to face certain death?

The Pandemonium Guild members slowly retreated toward the door leading to the throne room.

It was then.

“Tsk...” Diesel clicked his tongue. Then, he flashed a wicked smile and stepped forward before he growled, “You’ve fought well for a scumbag, Han Tae-Sung.”

He clenched his fists, and the gauntlets on his hands were set ablaze. The once-golden gauntlets shone red, and they looked far more threatening upon getting engulfed in flames.

[+15 Inferno Gauntlets]

[A demonic weapon crafted by Avant, the head blacksmith of the Bavarian Workshop.]

[Type: Weapon]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Attack Power: ???]

[Durability: 500/500]

[Effects: ???]

The gauntlets were enhanced to plus fifteen, which was truly an extraordinary feat.

‘This is going to get tough...’ Siegfried thought, feeling tense after seeing that his opponent possessed a powerful weapon. He braced himself and gripped his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp in preparation for the incoming attack.

Claaaang!

The two weapons collided, sending a shockwave through the Hall of Decision.

Baaam!

However, the one that was flung backward and crashed into the wall was not Siegfried but Diesel. The sheer force of Siegfried’s attack, coupled with the power of his weapon, had overpowered Diesel’s +15 Inferno Gauntlets.

“Is that really a +15?” Siegfried sneered, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

It was then.

“Hmm?”

Siegfried suddenly noticed flames on his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp, and they were creeping up his weapon. The flames were moving slowly toward his arm as if it were alive.

What came next was the problem.

Whoosh!

The fire raced up his arm and climbed to his chest.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: You are now burning under the effects of Hellfire!]

[Alert: Your HP is depleting!]

[Alert: Your HP is depleting!]

[Alert: Your HP is depleting!]

Siegfried was engulfed by Hellfire in an instant.

“AAARGH!” Siegfried screamed, overwhelmed by the agony of being burned alive.

Diesel grinned and roared, “FINISH HIM!”

The Pandemonium Guild members rushed forward.

“Not so fast!”

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

The Head Crusher Guild members stepped in, blocking Diesel and the remaining Pandemonium Guild members.

Thus, the final battle had begun with both sides colliding in a chaotic brawl for supremacy and victory.

***

While the final battle raged on...

[Alert: Your HP is depleting!]

[Alert: Your HP is depleting!]

[Alert: Your HP is depleting!]

The Hellfire relentlessly burned Siegfried.

“Kyuuu! Owner punk!”

“Oppa!”

Both Hamchi and Yong Seol-Hwa rushed to his side and tried desperately to extinguish the flames, but their efforts were in vain.

Whoosh! Fwaaaah!

The heat radiated by the flames engulfing Siegfried was hot enough to almost burn those trying to help him, too.

“Help our guild master!”

“Put out the fire! Quick!”

“Someone do something!”

The Head Crusher Guild members frantically tried to extinguish the flames, but nothing seemed to be working against it. The cursed fire was unyielding and unrelenting that it seemed impossible to extinguish by conventional methods.

“Damn it!” Siegfried screamed while writing in agony.

Meanwhile, a satisfied grin crept across Diesel’s face as he watched Siegfried burn.

“Oh? This thing works better than I had expected,” Diesel said smugly.

The Hellfire gnawed away at Siegfried’s HP, and it was being sustained by Diesel’s mana, allowing it to burn persistently, dealing damage to its target with each passing second.

This was truly befitting of a demonic weapon crafted by Avant, who was a blacksmith dedicated to nothing else but destruction and carnage.

“I’ll turn you into charcoal,” Diesel said with a grin. He started marching toward Siegfried while swatting away the Head Crusher Guild member, trying to block his path.

‘Damn it!’ Siegfried gritted his teeth while watching his HP plummet.

“You can try to hold on all you want, but it’s pointless! You’ll just continue burning and die a miserable death that will—!” Diesel exclaimed, his voice brimming with confidence.

But his confidence did not last that long...

Wooong!

Siegfried began channeling his mana, and a strange white frost seeped out of him. This was the ice attribute energy that he had received from the Chief of the Blanc Clan, Nanuqsa, as a reward for clearing that quest.

Sseuuu...!

The cold energy slithered across Siegfried and clashed with the Hellfire in a fierce battle. And just like that, a battle between fire and ice started throughout Siegfried's figure.

Sseuuuu!

Fwaaaah!

And just like that, the flames died out.

Fwoosh...

The Hellfire that had been scorching Siegfried and gnawing away at his HP had evaporated completely upon getting overpowered by the ice attribute energy.

“What... What the hell...? No way!” Diesel cried out with a look of utter disbelief. The flames of the +15 Inferno Gauntlets were capable of burning everything in their path into ashes, but it was neutralized by Siegfried’s mana.

Ironically, Siegfried was unaware that this was even possible to begin with. He was so desperate to find a way to extinguish the flames that he used the ice attribute energy, and it miraculously worked.

“Time for a good beating,” Siegfried said, lunging toward Diesel and activating the Grand Duel.

Rumble!

The Barrier of Victory formed around them, encasing both of them in the arena where only one would emerge victorious.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Boom!

Siegfried used Machine Gun Smash and unleashed a torrent of strikes directly at Diesel’s head.

“Guaaah!” Diesel gasped in agony after taking the full brunt of the attack, and the aftermath left him stunned and defenseless.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: Stunned!]

[Alert: You are unable to control your character for 2 seconds!]

A string of messages popped up in front of Diesel’s eyes.

Two seconds seemed like a short while, but that was not the case in high-level battles. A single second could feel like an eternity whenever experts fought each other, and two seconds was more than enough to decide the outcome of the battle.

Sukeok!

Siegfried did not waste a single second and used Quick Draw, slicing off Diesel’s legs.

Thud!

Diesel collapsed to the ground, completely helpless.

Kwachik!

Siegfried grabbed the back of Diesel’s neck with his left hand.

“Hey, has anyone told you you’ve got a nice head shape?” Siegfried asked with a diabolical grin.

“W-What are you s-saying...?” Diesel stammered, barely able to form words.

“You should really consider showing it off since its shape is really nice. I really think it would make you more charming.”

“...?”

“Hold on for a second,” Siegfried said with a warm gentle smile similar to that of a saint. Then, he transformed his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a gauntlet infused with fire attribute energy and brought it closer to Diesel’s head.

***

The Barrier of Victory collapsed, revealing Siegfried and Diesel, and the entire scene was broadcast live across the world.

Tsssss...!

The scorching heat emitted by Siegfried’s +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp seared into Diesel's scalp, and the sight completely stunned every single viewer across the globe.

— H-Han Tae-Sung is...

— This man is just...

— He’s incredibly brutal...

The commentators had been energetic and screaming the entire battle, and for the first time ever, they stammered and struggled to find words to describe the scene.

Siegfried’s emotionless face was projected on the stadium screen and on broadcast screens across the globe. There was not a smile, a frown, or any emotion at all, and he resembled a robot more than a human being.

He looked like someone who had plenty of experience branding a person’s head, as he had methodically branded Diesel’s head with an almost mechanical efficiency.

— T-This is terrifying...

— Oh man, the bald gamers community is going to explode today...

— Haha... Hahaha...

Siegfried scorched Diesel’s scalp, making sure that he wouldn't miss a single spot.

“A-Aaaak! Y-You psycho...! You crazy basta—!” Diesel yelped after realizing what was happening.

“Shhh... Stay still,” Siegfried whispered gently.

“You lunatic—!”

“It’ll be all over soon.”

Siegfried held Diesel in place, rendering him immobile, while calmly scorching his scalp as if he were a surgeon performing a delicate operation. He ensured that Diesel’s hair would never grow again by scorching the roots beyond recovery, one precise stroke at a time.

Five minutes later, Siegfried exclaimed, “I'm done, dear customer!”

Then, he tossed Diesel’s lifeless body aside as if it were nothing more than a rag doll.

With that, he turned his attention toward the remaining Pandemonium Guild members, and then he gave them the most gentle and charming smile they had ever seen in their lives.

A wave of terror rippled through the remaining Pandemonium Guild members as a terrifying chill shot down their spines. One of them sheathed his weapon and placed it into his inventory. Then, he raised his hands and shouted, “I-I surrender!”

The others quickly followed suit, stuffing their weapons into their Inventories and throwing their hands up as well.

“We surrender!”

“We give up!”

“Please, stop!”

“Noooo!”

“I surrender! Please spare me!”

Unfortunately, surrender was not an option for the remaining Pandemonium Guild members.