Debuff Master-Chapter 1177
Whoosh!
A ghastly blue ghost flame set Lee Geon’s greatsword ablaze, giving it an eerie hue.
‘This bastard... is ridiculously strong now.’
Siegfried couldn’t even begin to grasp just how much stronger Lee Geon had become after absorbing the energy around them.
There was an overwhelming difference between before he absorbed all that energy and now. The sheer aura radiating from Lee Geon was so intense that Siegfried’s skin prickled from it alone.
[Beowulf]
[Type: Adventurer]
[Level: 589]
[Rank: Grandmaster]
[Class: Celestial Devouring Demon (Hidden Class)]
“Do you still think you can weaken me? A lowborn piece of shit like you will never weaken me. Know your place, Han Tae-Sung,” Lee Geon sneered.
“Ha! You really think so?” Siegfried scoffed and fired off Wave of Truth.
Wooong!
The debuff skill that canceled all enemy buffs shot forward, dispelling all of the buffs on Lee Geon.
For a brief moment, the buffs empowering Lee Geon were dispelled by the Wave of Truth. However, the keywords here were "for a brief moment." The buffs on Lee Geon roared back to life and empowered him once more.
How long were the buffs dispelled for? Not even a full second. All in the blink of an eye, Lee Geon’s buffs were dispelled, only for it to roar back to life and empower him again.
‘What the hell is going on...? Isn’t that too scummy? What the hell?!’
Siegfried was completely dumbfounded upon seeing that his Wave of Truth had done basically nothing against Lee Geon.
“I told you already, didn’t I? You can’t weaken me. I won’t get weaker than you. I can’t get weaker. Kekeke!” Lee Geon mocked him openly.
“...”
“Come now. Dance for me, Han Tae-Sung. Show me what you’ve got.”
Lee Geon looked quite relaxed after revealing his true power.
‘What the hell is this?’ Siegfried was stunned.
Still, he composed himself and gripped his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp and charged straight in.
He kept his debuff aura active and attacked Lee Geon with Invincible Spear Art.
“Too weak, Han Tae-Sung,” Lee Geon sneered.
Empowered by the energy he had absorbed, Lee Geon effortlessly blocked Siegfried’s attack.
His boosted stats completely overwhelmed Siegfried.
But that was not the only problem...
‘Argh!’
Every time Siegfried’s +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp clashed with Lee Geon’s greatsword, the shockwave unleashed was so violent that the impact alone felt like his hands would get ripped apart.
“Is this all you got? Is the main protagonist Han Tae-Sung just another insect crawling on the ground after all?” Lee Geon taunted.
Flash!
A burst of bright white light flashed, engulfing Lee Geon.
“...!”
Lee Geon flinched for a split second.
‘Now!’
And that was the opening Siegfried needed. His eyes glowed fiercely as his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp unleashed a flurry of strikes.
However, Lee Geon instantly broke free from the effects of Absolute Zero and blocked every single blow.
“I told you already, Han Tae-Sung! It’s not going to work against me! Keke!”
“...”
“Is that all you got?” Lee Geon sneered.
“Oh, I’ve still got plenty, asshole,” Siegfried snapped back.
Then, he unleashed Infernal Hellscape and Frozen Hell simultaneously.
Fwaaaah!
Ssshwooo...!
The area turned into a hellscape of raging lava and fierce subzero winds.
‘Let’s see if he can handle this,’ Siegfried thought, certain that Lee Geon couldn’t come out unscathed from the hell he created.
Unfortunately, he was wrong. Not just wrong, but dead wrong.
“Thanks for the meal,” Lee Geon said with a grin.
“Huh...?”
Siegfried wondered why he was grinning until the answer revealed itself seconds later.
Lee Geon’s greatsword greedily devoured the blazing heat of Infernal Hellscape and the chilling winds of Frozen Hell.
“Y-You’ve got to be freaking kidding me!” Siegfried screamed in disbelief. He couldn’t help but be stunned at the sight. Siegfried had fought against countless enemies with countless attack patterns, but this was his first time facing an opponent like Lee Geon.
An opponent that absorbed skills outright?
“Wondering what’s going on? This is called the Devouring Grand Art,” Lee Geon revealed nonchalantly.
“Devouring... Grand Art...?”
“Yup. It’s a skill that devours everything and makes it mine.”
“T-That’s damn overpowered...”
“Nice skills you’ve got there, by the way,” Lee Geon said.
Fwaaaah!
Ssshwaaa...!
Lee Geon grinned and added, “Too bad if someone used it against you.”
Infernal Hellscape and Frozen Hell erupted again. This time, the skills weren't coming for Lee Geon. Instead, their target was Siegfried.
Lee Geon had absorbed the skills and unleashed them right back at Siegfried.
***
“...!”
Siegfried was stunned when Lee Geon unleashed the skills he had absorbed right back at him. An instant later, the blazing heat and chilling winds of Infernal Hellscape and Frozen Hell swept over him.
“Arghhh...!” Siegfried groaned in agony, enduring the brutal attacks.
“Do you see your place now?” Lee Geon sneered.
Then, he lunged at Siegfried, not giving him any space.
‘Damn it! One wrong move and I’m dead,’ Siegfried thought, blocking the oncoming attack with Invincible Spear Art.
Clang!
Lee Geon unleashed a flurry of attacks right after the first attack was blocked.
‘Stay sharp. Stay focused!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly.
While defending against the relentless attacks unleashed by Lee Geon, Siegfried shut down all of his debuff skills. He realized that Lee Geon's sword was actively sucking them away, making the latter even stronger.
He couldn’t recklessly use his damage over time skills either, as both Infernal Hellscape and Frozen Hell weren't just absorbed; they were copied and unleashed straight back at him.
Siegfried knew that his other skills would only get absorbed, too, and his own skills would finish him off if he were to use them carelessly.
‘I’ll have to burst him down. That’s the only way I can win.’
Siegfried decided to use skills such as Heaven and Earth Cleaving Blade or Touch of Death. They were extremely speedy skills that would land so fast that Lee Geon couldn’t possibly absorb them.
“Is this all you’ve got? Is the great Han Tae-Sung just another grub?”
Lee Geon mocked him and continued mounting the pressure.
“Feeling like running into a wall—”
Shwik!
Siegfried transformed his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a saber in the blink of an eye and unleashed Heaven and Earth Cleaving Blade in an instant, carving a cross-shaped mark right into Lee Geon’s chest.
Chwaaaak!
Blood sprayed from the cut on Lee Geon’s chest. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
‘It’s not enough!’
Seizing the momentum, Siegfried used Nine Steps to Invincibility this time.
There was a reason he refrained from using Touch of Death. Touch of Death was a skill that dealt maximum damage when the target had multiple debuffs stacked on them. Without any debuffs, its power would drop by more than half.
Right now, Lee Geon had no debuffs on him at all, as he had been absorbing Siegfried’s debuff aura to use as fuel for his growth. Thus, Nine Steps to Invincibility, which was a skill that instantly killed its target after nine consecutive hits, was the better choice.
Bam! Bam!
The first and second strikes of Nine Steps to Invincibility struck Lee Geon, but...
“Is this it? That’s all the damage you can do?”
Lee Geon instantly recovered and counterattacked.
“...!”
Siegfried’s eyes widened. The wounds on Lee Geon’s chest were closing up by themselves.
In mere moments, his wounds disappeared completely.
[Beowulf]
[HP: ■■■■■■■■■■]
His HP was right back to one hundred percent, which meant that he healed from the damage dealt by Heaven and Earth Cleaving Blade in mere seconds.
“You’re starting to disappoint me, Han Tae-Sung,” Lee Geon sneered. Then, he cast Devouring Grand Art again.
Woooong...!
Siegfried's energy source, the Primordial Force, was absorbed by Lee Geon.
[Alert: Primordial Force has been stolen!]
[Alert: Primordial Force has been stolen!]
[Alert: Primordial Force has been stolen!]
(omitted...)
[Alert: Primordial Force has been stolen!]
[Alert: Primordial Force has been stolen!]
To make matters worse...
[Alert: Your HP has been drained!]
[Alert: Your HP has been drained!]
[Alert: Your HP has been drained!]
(omitted...)
[Alert: Your HP has been drained!]
Lee Geon greedily devoured Siegfried’s HP, Stamina, and Primordial Force, proving just how overpowered and broken his Devouring Grand Art was.
“A-Arghhh...!”
Siegfried clenched his teeth and endured it before casting Wave of Oppression to disrupt the draining of his Primordial Force and HP, but it was to no avail.
Lee Geon’s Devouring Grand Art devoured the Wave of Oppression, too.
“I’m going to suck you dry, Han Tae-Sung,” Lee Geon said, flashing a vile grin. Then, he continued his relentless assault on Siegfried.
‘Hang in there! Wait for an opportunity to counterattack!’
Siegfried didn't stop for even a second as she kept stacking the Nine Steps to Invincibility.
‘Bait him in!’
He triggered World of Despair and dragged Lee Geon into his domain.
“Ughh... You’re so annoying... so damn annoying,” Lee Geon grumbled with a grimace.
Even though he had a completely overpowered skill, he couldn’t avoid getting debuffed while inside the World of Despair.
‘This is it!’
Siegfried went on the offensive and struck Lee Geon again.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The third, fourth, and fifth hits of Nine Steps to Invincibility landed.
Of course, the attacks barely did any damage to Lee Geon.
“What’s with this pitiful counterattack, Han Tae-Sung? Is this really all you got? Seriously?”
“Arghh!”
“What else are you hiding? Come on, bring 'em all out so I can get disappointed in you even more! Kekeke!” Lee Geon cackled before unleashing a barrage of attacks.
“Aaack!”
Even as his body was taking a beating, Siegfried forced himself to attack.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sixth, seventh, and the eighth attacks landed.
‘One more! Just one more!’
Siegfried was just one blow away before instantly killing Lee Geon, but just as he went for that final blow—
Kwachik!
Lee Geon suddenly grabbed Siegfried by the throat.
“I told you. Nothing you do will be enough against me,” Lee Geon said in a dead-serious voice.
“A-Aargh...!”
“Just die.”
Then, Lee Geon unleashed Devouring Grand Art, sucking out everything Siegfried had left inside him.
[Alert: Status Ailment!]
[Alert: You have been subjugated by the enemy!]
[Alert: Your character cannot move freely!]
He could feel that Lee Geon was draining away his Primordial Force, HP, and Stamina.
[Siegfried von Proa]
[HP: ■□□□□□□□□]
In mere seconds, his HP was almost gone.
“This is who you really are, Han Tae-Sung. You’re no predator—you’re just a prey,” Lee Geon snarled.
“U-Ughh...!”
“An insect like you should die like an insect!” Lee Geon roared as he tightened his grip on Siegfried’s neck.
[Siegfried von Proa]
[HP: □□□□□□□□□]
His HP was mere seconds away from hitting zero when—
Puuuk!
The +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp pierced Lee Geon's waist.
The ninth and final strike of Nine Steps to Invincibility had landed on Lee Geon.
***
Siegfried’s final gambit was a success, just as he had hoped.
[Beowulf]
[HP: □□□□□□□□□□]
As soon as the ninth attack of the Nine Steps to Invincibility landed, Beowulf’s HP suddenly dropped to zero, and he died instantly. There was no escaping death for Beowulf, as Siegfried had poured his heart and soul into the final strike of Nine Steps to Invincibility.
There was no escaping death for him.
No matter how broken the Devouring Grand Art was, even Lee Geon couldn’t use it to survive Siegfried's Nine Steps to Invincibility.
Thud!
Lee Geon collapsed to the ground.
Clang!
The massive greatsword in his hand shattered into pieces, as its durability had hit zero.
Thud!
Siegfried dropped to the ground as well when the one-sided beating from Lee Geon finally ended.
“Ughh...”
He tried to push himself up with sheer will, but it was futile.
His HP was down to just ten, and even that was ticking away.
Lee Geon had died first, but Siegfried was not going to escape death either.
[Alert: HP has decreased by 1!]
[Alert: HP has decreased by 1!]
[Alert: HP has decreased by 1!]
(omitted...)
[Alert: HP has decreased by 1!]
[Alert: HP has decreased by 1!]
Siegfried’s HP ticked away like a countdown timer to his demise.
“Kyuuu! Hang in there, owner punk! Hamchi will save you!”
With a shriek, Hamchi scrambled over and poured a potion into Siegfried’s mouth.
It was a close call—no, it was a brush with death. Siegfried would have died after Lee Geon if Hamchi weren't quick enough on his feet to feed him potions in time.
