Debuff Master-Chapter 908

“Show yourselves if you consider yourselves priests! Stop hiding behind the innocent like cowards!”

Andariel showed no signs of stopping his psychological warfare.

“You are serving a false god, but I do not doubt that you have upheld your duties as priests! Will you turn your backs on the innocent and let them die? Are you going to forsake what you believed to be your sacred duties just to cling to your own miserable lives?!”

Andariel’s words cut like a sword straight through the hearts of the clergy members. He knew very well that this would be their deepest vulnerabilities, and his words pressed on their already existing wounds, festering them with guilt.

“Do not fall for it. Just ignore his lies and do not listen to a word he says. You will die for nothing if you go out now,” Siegfried said.

And he was right...

The Fallen Angels under Andariel’s command were already butchering the citizens in the main square as if they were livestock. The stench of burning flesh filled the air, causing thick smoke to rise into the sky and blot out the moon itself.

“The people are going to die anyway. Nothing is going to change just because you go there; you're just going to throw your lives away. Do not play right into his hands. The only thing we should be thinking of right now is to...” Siegfried trailed off.

Why did he trail off? Because he was furious.

‘Those sick bastards. They’re making me feel sick.’

Siegfried wanted nothing more than to kill every single one of the Fallen Angels and wipe them out completely.

Unfortunately, he had to swallow his anger. He knew all too well that no matter how angry he was, there was nothing else he could do right now. His main priority right now was getting the high priest and his followers out of Marine City—alive.

“The only thing you need to think about is escaping. Steel your hearts and your resolve. If you can’t stand to listen, then plug your ears or something. Do whatever it takes,” Siegfried said in a firm voice.

With that, Siegfried leaned against the door while continuously keeping an eye on Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance to monitor the situation outside.

Fortunately, it seemed they had chosen their hiding spot well.

The Fallen Angels were not interested in the tavern. They focused their search on houses where survivors were more likely to be hiding.

But meanwhile...

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Aaaaack!”

“P-Please! Just kill me! Please just kill—aaaack!”

Agonized cries continued to ring from the main square.

The stench of burning flesh had thickened so much by now that it enveloped the entire city.

“Cowards! Not only do you serve false gods, but now you use the very flock you were meant to protect as shields! You disgrace your faith by hiding behind them!”

Andariel’s voice continued to ring throughout the city as the Fallen Angels threw more innocent people into the fire.

But that was not all...

Under Andariel’s orders, the Fallen Angels began erecting execution sites all over the city.

Then, one by one, they started dragging people to the execution sites, slaughtering them without mercy.

While the execution was ongoing, the Fallen Angels made sure to kill the people as slowly as possible, ensuring that the clergy members would hear the people’s cries of agony.

‘These so-called angels are worse than demons,’ Siegfried clenched his teeth.

The reason Andariel ordered the Fallen Angels to execute people all over the city was to ensure that the high priest and his followers heard their cries. At this point, even demons would start taking notes from the atrocities that the angels were committing.

‘I swear I’m going to fuck all of you up one day,’ Siegfried gnashed his teeth while suppressing his desire to run out and kill the angels. He knew very well that sometimes it was impossible to save everyone.

***

An hour later...

Boom! Boom!

Explosions suddenly erupted around Marine City. freewebnøvel_com

“Huh?!”

Siegfried, still monitoring the city’s situation with Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance, noticed the movement of a large military force gathering nearby. It was the Arcadia Kingdom, one of the great powers of the southern region of the continent.

Marine City was a territory of the Arcadia Kingdom, so it was only natural for their army to respond.

The problem? It was like throwing eggs at a boulder.

A conventional army without any divine power stood no chance against the Fallen Angels, and they were basically marching toward their deaths.

However, for Siegfried and the clergy members, this was an opportunity.

While the Arcadia Kingdom forces fought to reclaim the city, they could use the chaos to escape.

‘They’ll retreat on their own if they see things aren’t working out for them,’ Siegfried thought.

With that reasoning, he waited for the opportune moment.

As soon as the Arcadian army launched their siege of the city, the Fallen Angels halted their execution spectacle and shifted their focus toward the aggressors.

“Let’s go!”

Without wasting another second, Siegfried led the clergy out of the tavern and toward the sewers.

Thirty minutes later...

Splash! Splash!

They successfully entered the sewers.

Buzz! Buzz!

And flies immediately gathered around them—no, more specifically, around Siegfried.

“Ugh... Damn it...” Siegfried grumbled under his breath.

Still, he forced himself to ignore it and pressed forward. “Just one hour. Stay strong; we are almost there.”

As they made their way through the sewer—

‘Ah, they’re retreating already...’

Siegfried saw that the Arcadian army was retreating like a receding tide.

As expected, they had definitely suffered heavy casualties in a short period of time and decided to fall back.

‘We need to hurry and escape. We don’t have much time.’

Just as they were about to press on—

“You priests who serve a false god! The army that came to help you has turned tail and fled!”

Andariel’s voice echoed once more.

“Now, I will resume executing the people of this city! I have spared the children out of mercy until now! But from this moment forward, that will change! For every minute that passes, I will only execute children from now on!”

The so-called angel turned out to be the pinnacle of evil.

At this point, it would not be surprising to say that he had already been corrupted past redemption and turned into a demon. Or perhaps, he was already a demon long before his fall from grace.

It was then that High Priest Nereus stopped walking and spoke up.

“I will not go, Your Majesty.”

“What?! What do you mean by that?!” Siegfried exclaimed, stunned.

“Just as I said, Your Majesty.”

“You do know that guy is just bullshitting you, right?”

“I do. I am aware that the angels will still slaughter everyone in Marine City even if I go back.”

“Yet you still want to go knowing all that?”

Nereus smiled faintly and replied, “Your Majesty, I am a priest before anything else.”

“I know but—”

“I am bound by duty to protect the people of Marine City. They are dying, so how can I abandon them and run?”

“But what changes if you die with them?”

“At the very least, I will die with my conscience intact.”

“...”

“I cannot continue serving my faith while carrying this guilt weighing heavily both on my conscience and heart.”

“Ah...”

“Besides, I have entrusted you with our sacred relic. And even without an old man like me, the Church of Neptune can still be rebuilt and rise from the ashes,” Nereus said with a gentle smile.

Martyrdom.

Nereus was prepared to uphold his dignity as a priest and fulfill his sacred duty to the very end.

Of course, Siegfried could not fully understand the high priest’s resolve.

How could he possibly grasp the devotion of a man who dedicated his entire life to a single faith?

“I will go too!”

“Please take me with you, High Priest!”

“I will follow you as well!”

The other priests began stepping forward, voicing their willingness to join Nereus in martyrdom.

“Absolutely not!” Nereus shouted, his voice sounding sharp and stern.

Nereus’ martyrdom would be remembered by the followers and serve as a catalyst to strengthen the Church of Neptune’s unity.

What about the other clergy members?

Some of them were senior clergy members. If they all died here, it would be catastrophic for the Church of Neptune.

The scattered followers across the continent needed leaders to guide them.

“Please ensure the others escape safely, Your Majesty,” Nereus said.

“I will,” Siegfried replied with a nod.

He didn't bother stopping him.

Nereus had already made his choice, so Siegfried decided to respect the conviction and choice of the highest-ranking clergy member of a religious order.

“Please do not worry about them. I will take responsibility and protect them until we escape from this place.”

“I am forever grateful, Your Majesty.”

Leaving his followers in Siegfried’s care, Nereus turned around and addressed them.

“You must escape Marine City alive and focus on rebuilding the church. Understood?”

Tears streamed down the priests’ faces as they responded.

“Yes, High Priest! We will rebuild the church, no matter what!”

“N-No! High Priest!”

Nereus gazed at them with warm, compassionate eyes.

“Why weep? This is a noble and honorable death. Who knows? Maybe Neptune will take pity on this old man and perform a miracle. Wipe your tears. You must survive no matter what.”

With those final words, Nereus turned back the way they came and walked away.

***

While Andariel continued to unleash relentless psychological warfare and public executions in the main square, he received an unexpected report.

High Priest Nereus, the leader of the Church of Neptune, had willingly come to him.

And it was not just him...

Other high-ranking clergy members who were scattered throughout Marine City had made the same decision as him.

They had chosen martyrdom as well.

“Oh?”

A sinister grin stretched across Andariel’s face as he watched the clergy approach out of their own volition. The corners of his lips stretched from ear to ear so that it made him look like a demon rather than an angel.

Well, not that there was much difference between him and a demon, considering he had already burned innocent men, women, and children alive without any hesitation.

“Well, look at what we have here, brothers and sisters. It looks like the servants of the false god are here. Bind them to the chairs!”

He had no intention of granting them a quick death. He planned to break them by subjecting them to unspeakable torture until they denounced their god and admitted their lifelong devotion was nothing but a meaningless delusion.

With that, the torment began.

“A-Ack! Aaack!”

“Arghhh!”

“Just kill us already!”

“Kill me! Just end it!”

Despite being subjected to unspeakable torture, High Priest Nereus and his followers endured the excruciating pain. Not a single one of them gave in to the torture and renounced Neptune, and they also didn't say that their faith had been in vain.

Martyrs who were ready to die for their belief would not break so easily. Their resolve was like an impregnable fortress built on top of an unshakeable rock, and no amount of physical agony could break them.

“Oh? So you think you can hold out?” Andariel muttered with a hint of surprise in his voice. However, his gaze was cold, and there was obvious irritation on his face in the face of the martyrs' defiance. “Let’s see how long you can last then.”

With those words, he ordered the Fallen Angels to inflict far worse torture upon the martyrs.

***

Meanwhile, Siegfried nearly made his way out of Marine City after letting High Priest Nereus go.

‘Tsk... This is really pissing me off...’

Being forced to flee from the city did not settle well with him. He wanted nothing more than to slaughter every last one of those damned Fallen Angels, but retreat was the only viable option for now.

This reality frustrated the hell out of him.

He felt like he was trying to swallow three whole sweet potatoes without a drop of water. An unbearable lump of frustration was lodged in his gut.[1]

Being forced to walk away even after witnessing the horrible atrocities being committed made his blood boil.

‘I’m gonna be restless and fuming for days if I leave like this...’ he grumbled inwardly.

It was then.

Rumble!

Something in his Inventory started trembling before it forced its way out of his Inventory...

Rumble!

As if controlled by an invisible force, the Trident of the Sea God floated out from his inventory and landed firmly in his grasp.

‘W-What the hell is going on?’ Siegfried wondered, baffled by the bizarre phenomenon happening in front of his eyes.

Before he could even process what was going on—

“...Open your eyes to the voice calling out to you.”

—A mysterious voice whispered into his ears.

1. Swallowing or eating sweet potatoes without water is a Korean term used to describe frustration because it’s hard to swallow. I thought it would be fun to just translate it as it is. ☜

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