Debuff Master

Chapter 576

Meanwhile, outside the Barrier of Victory...

“Good!” Deus exclaimed while looking within the Barrier of Victory. He had a huge smile tugging at his lips, which showed that he was happy with how things were going.

“How are things going inside, Elder-nim?” Hakken asked carefully.

None of the Weapon Maestros could see what was happening inside the Barrier of Victory.

“I’m satisfied with the results.”

“Did Elder Brother win?”

“He lost.”

“Ehh?!”

“But he put up a good fight,” Deus added, still smiling.

“By a good fight, you mean...?”

“He struggled until the very end despite facing certain defeat,” Deus said. Then, he smiled warmly and said, “He’s truly my one and only disciple.”

“Elder Brother is an excellent martial artist, and it was probably his talents that caught your eyes, Elder-nim.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“P-Pardon me, sir?”

“That kid used to be a piece of trash.”

“A p-piece of trash...?”

“He didn’t even have an ounce of talent, and the only good thing about him was his stubbornness. His ability was in the gutters, but his stubbornness alone was already above the skies.”

“R-Really...?”

Hakken could not believe what Deus was saying. He thought that Siegfried was someone blessed with innate talent, so he was truly caught off guard by this shocking revelation.

“I managed to turn that hopeless unrecyclable piece of trash into this, so isn’t that proof of how great my teachings are? Hohoho!”

“Ehh...?”

“Kekeke!”

Deus started cackling and praising himself with his own mouth, but Hakken could not disagree with what he was saying.

Why?

It was all because Deus was indeed capable of turning a piece of trash on the side of a road into valuable treasure, but there was another far more important reason than that.

‘I’ll die if I dare disagree with him!’

Hakken knew what cruel fate awaited him the moment he questioned Deus' words. He was familiar with Deus’ infamy, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of the infamous beatings.

‘Master, Elder Brother, I hope both of you are fine...’ Hakken prayed.

Krwaaaang...!

Hakken had just said his prayers when the Barrier of Victory finally crumbled.

***

Shwiiiik!

The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp infused with Touch of Death flew at great speeds toward the Weapon Seeker.

“...!”

The Weapon Seeker’s instincts were screaming at him that the oncoming hammer was extremely dangerous.

‘I can’t evade it. I’ll die even if I block it.’

The Weapon Seeker knew that he could not dodge the incoming +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

What if he tried to evade it? Siegfried would just use Flying Sword, making it impossible to dodge. What if he blocked it with Demon Sword: Papiyas? He would still die from the impact.

The Weapon Seeker could tell that the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp contained mana capable of killing him if it as much as grazed him. The only option he had was to block the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp from a distance and disperse as much of its energy as possible.

‘I have to block it.’

The Weapon Seeker cranked up Flying Sword to the max.

Chwak! Chwaaak!

The mana weapons around Siegfried turned and came flying back to the Weapon Seeker.

Shwiiiish!

Then, they formed a line in front of the Weapon Seeker and started spinning like a windmill.

The Weapon Seeker displayed excellent ability to adapt to the situation by recalling the mana weapons and using Torrential Flower Rain defensively.

Krwaaaaaaaaaang!

The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp infused with Touch of Death collided with the Weapon Seeker’s Torrential Flower Rain, triggering a massive chain of explosions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp showed no signs of stopping as it destroyed one mana weapon after the other.

“Arghhh!”

The Weapon Seeker used all of his mana to conjure and split the mana weapons to further bolster the Torrential Flower Rain in an attempt to block the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

His defense proved to be effective, as the energy behind the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp was slowly dissipating every time it smashed a mana weapon apart.

A few seconds later...

Boom!

The final mana weapon in the form of a shield collided with the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp and exploded.

Siegfried’s +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp managed to break through the Weapon Seeker’s Torrential Flower Rain. The Weapon Seeker tried to block it with Demon Sword: Papiyas, but the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp knocked the sword away before driving itself into his chest.

“...!”

The Weapon Seeker was flung far back and crashed into the Barrier of Victory.

Krwaaaang...!

The Barrier of Victory crumbled.

***

Shwaaaaa!

The heavy downpour continued, and both Siegfried and the Weapon Seeker were lying motionlessly on the ground.

‘I don’t have the strength to move a finger...’ Siegfried thought with his eyes shut tight. He could not open his eyes because of the rain—no, he did not even have the strength to open his eyelids right now.

[Siegfried van Proa]

[HP: ??????????]

[Mana: ??????????]

[Stamina: ??????????]

He was so weak right now that he would die if a Level 1 Adventurer lightly tapped him with their fist. His HP, Mana, and Stamina were almost at rock bottom.

He didn't even have the strength to stand up right now.

This was the price he had to pay for using the third stage of Overclocking and failing to defeat his opponent before the Grand Duel ended.

Well, he was already in absolute tatters due to the chain of explosions that triggered inside the Barrier of Victory, so he would be in the same shape even if he did not suffer from the side effects of his skills.

The Weapon Seeker was in the same shape as him. He managed to protect himself from Siegfried's +13 Vanquisher's Grasp using Torrential Flower Rain, but the Touch of Death infused within the weapon had made it extremely powerful.

The Torrential Flower Rain had drastically reduced the lethality of the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp, but it couldn't block it completely.

“M-Master! Elder Brother!”

“Master!”

“What are you doing?! Hurry up and help them!”

The Weapon Maestros rushed to their aid.

“Kyuuu! Owner punk!” Hamchi cried out and ran over to Siegfried.

However, Hamchi and the Weapon Maestros could not get anywhere near Siegfried or the Weapon Seeker.

Swoosh!

Deus had created an invisible and impassable.

“Neither of them are dead, so just stay there and watch,” Deus said.

“B-But, Elder-nim!”

“The victor is yet to be decided.”

“T-The victor...?” Hakken muttered, seemingly baffled by what he heard.

“The first to get up is the victor. Just stay there and watch for now.”

“Elder-nim...”

“Someone has to win in a duel like this, right?”

“...”

“It seems the victor will soon be decided,” Deus said, pointing into the distance.

The eyes of the Weapon Maestros turned to where Deus was pointing, and where he was pointing was—

Thud...

—The Weapon Seeker getting to his feet.

In the end, the duel that seemed to end in a draw ended in the Weapon Seeker’s victory.

“Argh...” The Weapon Seeker groaned. He was grasping his chest with his left hand while using Demon Sword: Papiyas as a cane with his right hand. He got up to his feet and extended his left hand toward Siegfried, saying, “I will... take the belt...”

Wooong!

The Megingjord left Siegfried’s Inventory and slowly drifted toward the Weapon Seeker, but...

Grab!

—Siegfried suddenly grabbed the Megingjord.

“...!”

The Weapon Maestros were shocked after seeing Siegfried standing up against all odds. They concluded it was against all odds, as Siegfried's figure was in tatters.

“I cannot... give this to you...” Siegfried growled, showing his stubborn and tenacious spirit that Deus valued highly.

“Argh...!” Siegfried groaned while grabbing the Megingjord with his little remaining strength. Then, he used his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp to support himself to his feet. His arms and legs were trembling uncontrollably, and it seemed that he would collapse any second. Nevertheless, he stayed on his feet and refused to fall down.

“This fight... is not over yet,” Siegfried said in a hoarse voice. Then, he added, “I told you... I will stop you...”

“...!”

“I am a man of my word...” Siegfried said, tightly clenching his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

“Why are you going this far? Am I someone so valuable that you would risk your life for me?”

“Yes.”

“...”

“You are someone worth risking my life for.”

Siegfried was telling the truth. Shakiro had taught him many things in exchange for nothing, and he was also the one who had given him the incomplete work of the Legendary Blacksmith, Herbert.

In fact, he even taught him his secret techniques, the Flying Sword, Torrential Flower Rain, and Lightning. In exchange, Shakiro asked Siegfried to use his teachings for good and not evil—that was it.

So was it not only normal for Siegfried to risk his life to stop him?

“But I have no memories of you nor those people over there,” the Weapon Seeker said, looking at the Weapon Maestros in the distance. Then, he looked back at Siegfried and added, “So I suggest you give up. There’s no reason for us to continue this fight.”

The Weapon Maestros’ weapons floated in the air once again, aiming at Siegfried. It seemed that the Weapon Seeker still had enough strength to use Flying Sword.

However, Siegfried had no intention of backing down.

“I can still fight... I can fight all day if you want to,” Siegfried growled.

“That’s impossible.”

“I will stop you even if it—”

It was then.

Thud!

Siegfried collapsed.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: You are exhausted!]

[Alert: You have fainted!]

He was not dead but he had lost control over his character after his HP, Mana, and Stamina finally struck rock bottom.

Swoosh!

The Megingjord drifted toward the Weapon Seeker and wrapped itself around his waist.

“So I have finally collected all the weapons...” the Weapon Seeker muttered. Then, he turned around and walked away through the downpour.

“M-Master!”

“Master!

“Masteeeer!”

The Weapon Maestros screamed at the top of their lungs and chased after him, but they were stopped once again.

“You will only die a meaningless death if you go after him. Just let him go if you don’t want to die at the hands of your master. You will see him once again as long as you and him are still alive,” Deus said. Then, he walked over to Siegfried, who was lying on the ground, and gave him a hug.

“You've fought well. It is now time for you to rest,” Deus said, smiling warmly. Then, he cast Teleport without uttering a single incantation.

Flash!

The entire Weapon Academy was swallowed by a blinding light, and everyone was teleported to the Proatine Kingdom’s capital.