Debuff Master-Chapter 887

“Kyaaaak! You don’t even know my real name, owner punk?!” Hamchi shrieked, furious at the fact that Siegfried couldn't remember his full name.

“Ah, well, you see...”

“Hamchi’s real name is Prometheus Cactus Hydra Leviathan Bless Zacharias Anabolica Gallardo!” Hamchi shrieked, with his fur standing on end.

“Prometheus Cactus Hydra Levi’s—wait, no, that’s a jean’s brand...”

Siegfried looked dumbfounded after failing to memorize Hamchi’s full name in one go. Well, he could not be blamed, as it was not exactly an easy name to memorize unless you had an exceptional memory.

“Kyaaaak! Hamchi’s name is Prometheus Cactus Hydra Leviathan Bless Zacharias Anabolica Gallardo!”

“So... Prometheus Cactus Hydra Leviathan Bra—wait, no... What was it again?”

“Kyaaaak! Just call me Hamchi! My name is Hamchi!”

“Hehehe... My bad,” Siegfried apologized with an awkward grin. Then, he asked, “So, that bastard just called out Mochi’s real name?”

“Kyuuu! No! That’s her mother’s name!”

“Huh?”

“Mochi’s real name is Theia Ithus Cassiopeia Olive Grace Nashiteria Portofino! Gloria Jansen Honolique Taylor Elizabeth Audrey Isabel is not her name!”

“...”

“A long time ago, Mochi’s mother defeated that Red Knight of War! Kyuuu!”

“She did?” Siegfried replied.

However, his mind was preoccupied with the thought of not bothering to remember any of their names, be it Hamchi’s, Mochi’s, or the name of Mochi's mother.

After all, how was anyone supposed to memorize all of that?!

Hamchi was just Hamchi.

Mochi was just Mochie.

Besides, they were probably using a nickname because they also knew that their names were way too long.

“Kyuuuu! Do you remember my mother?” Mochi asked, puffing her chest out proudly. Then, she unleashed her pink aura and said, “Gloria Jansen Honolique Taylor Elizabeth Audrey Isabel is my mother! I am Theia Ithus Cassiopeia Olive Grace Nashiteria Portofino! Kyuuu!”

“Y-You’re the daughter of that cursed Great Spirit?!” Mars exclaimed.

The Red Knight of War’s fury was evident, and he still seemed to be enraged over whatever Mochi’s mother had done to him in the past.

“That’s right! Kyuuu! You’re going to lose again! I, Theia Ithus Cassiopeia Olive Grace Nashiteria Portofino, will defeat you once again just like my mother did!”

“Y-You! You insolent wretch!” Mars exclaimed in anger. Then, he roared, “Theia Ithus Cassiopeia Olive Grace Nashiteria Portofino! Do you really think you can stop me?! I refuse to suffer the same fate as before! I will not be defeated, just like how your mother, Gloria Jansen Honolique Taylor Elizabeth Audrey Isabel, defeated me!”

While the heated exchange between Mochie and the Red Knight of War continued...

“What the hell...? How are they remembering all their names so easily...?” Siegfried muttered in awe, as he could feel his brain short-circuiting just from listening to the names they were throwing around.

However, he knew this was not the time to be standing around.

Wooong!

Thanks to Mochi’s aura, the guild members all snapped out of the Red Knight of War’s mind control ability.

But that was not all.

“Ah~ Aaaah~ Ah ah ah~ Aaaah~ Woooooh!”

Gringore sang the Aria of Unshaken Resolve, and it resonated throughout the battlefield, amplifying Mochi’s aura.

The two abilities combined, creating an even greater synergy. One so powerful that even the Red Knight of War could no longer activate his unique ability, the Aura of Conflict.

“T-This can’t be...!” Mars gritted his teeth after realizing just how dire his situation had become.

Meanwhile, Siegfried was not planning on letting the Red Knight of War catch a break.

“Everyone! ATTACKKK!”

Waaaaaah!

At his command, the Head Crusher Guild rushed at their target, launching a full-scale assault once more.

***

The barrage of attacks aimed at the Red Knight of War could only be described as merciless. He was like a training dummy that took every single attack aimed at him without even retaliating, and the reason he could not even retaliate was due to one person–Gosran.

Shwiiiik! Whiiiish!

Gosran unleashed a relentless barrage of Arctic Arrows, which were laced with freezing energy, that induced a slowing effect that grew stronger over time and limited the knight’s mobility.

“Argh...!”

The Red Knight of War’s movements became visibly sluggish each time an arrow struck him. Before long, even shifting his weight onto one foot demanded immense effort from him.

But that was only the beginning...

Woooong!

Siegfried used the Embrace of Despair, bringing the Red Knight of War’s already sluggish body into an even worse slowed state. His movements slowed to a crawl as if he was moving in ultra-slow motion.

The Red Knight of War was locked in a chain of slow debuffs.

“Y-y-you d-damned... bastards...!” Mars growled while gnashing his teeth.

He found himself completely helpless and unable to unleash his full power after receiving stacks of debuffs. He was a sitting duck that was forced to take the relentless barrage of attacks aimed at him.

Fwaaaah!

Siegfried joined the fray without hesitation.

He activated Eternal Flames to reduce the Red Knight of War’s defenses. Right after, he followed it up with Absolute Zero.

Flash!

A bright white light erupted, freezing the Red Knight of War in an ice prison.

‘He’s trapped now.’

With the Red Knight of War fully trapped in ice, Siegfried was not going to waste this opportunity. He used the Transcendent Torrential Flower Rain and summoned dozens of radiant aura blades in the air.

Shwiiiiik!

Boom!

The aura blades rained down and impaled the Red Knight of War before triggering a chain of powerful explosions.

‘Time to end this,’ Siegfried charged Touch of Death.

The Red Knight of War was already quite battered and only had twenty percent HP remaining, so it was possible for Touch of Death to kill him.

Shwiiiik!

Siegfried swung his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp at the Red Knight of War’s head, but...

“H-Huh...?”

Siegfried was flustered after finding out that he dealt no damage at all.

[Red Knight of War: Mars the Mad]

[HP: ⬛⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜]

He was certain that the attack connected, but the Red Knight of War still had twenty percent HP remaining.

‘What nonsense is this...?’

A question mark popped up above Siegfried’s head.

“Ack!”

“Argh!”

“Aaaah!”

The guild members around him suddenly screamed in agony and...

Swoosh!

They were disintegrated into particles as if they were hit by Touch of Death.

“W-What the hell is going on...?!”

Siegfried was extremely flustered by the sudden turn of events when more than a hundred of his comrades had instantly died for some reason.

It was then.

“You dare...”

Crack... Crack...!

Shockingly, the ice trapping the Red Knight of War cracked open.

Wooong!

And ancient runic symbols started appearing all over the knight’s body, forming a ring that started rotating around him and unleashing an ominous aura.

‘He didn’t get damaged at all? And my comrades died all of a sudden? No way! Did he reflect my attack and...?’ Siegfried wondered.

Swoosh!

The dead guild members dropped red beads, and the beads floated toward the Red Knight of War.

[Red Knight of War: Mars the Mad]

[HP: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛]

The Red Knight of War absorbed the HP that the guild members had lost and restored his[1] own health bar to max.

“That’s crazy,” Siegfried muttered, stunned by what he was seeing.

He couldn't have imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that a boss monster would be capable of reflecting damage just before it died and absorbing the damage dealt to recover its own HP.

“You damned pieces of trash! I will kill you all!” Mars roared.

It was then.

Chwaaaak!

The Red Knight of War swung his sword, sending forth red aura blades that struck Siegfried and the remaining guild members.

“Ack!”

Siegfried hurriedly transformed his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield and blocked the red aura blade.

Booom!

A massive explosion occurred the moment the red aura blade and the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp in shield form collided, flinging Siegfried dozens of meters in the air. He only stopped when he crashed into a building.

***

“Ughh... What the hell is with that damage?” Siegfried grumbled as he struggled to his feet, shaking off the dust and debris that clung to his battered figure.

The aura blade fired by the Red Knight of War slammed against his shield with the force of a tactical ballistic missile, sending him back dozens of meters through the air before he crashed into a building.

Even with Siegfried’s high Defense, the sheer impact dealt quite the damage. He managed to withstand the attack, but the agonizing pain from the attack seemed to pervade even his bones.

However, he had no time to be amazed by the Red Knight of War's power.

Why?

It was all because the Red Knight of War was just getting started.

“Die!” Mars roared.

“Ack!”

“Arghh!”

“Urkkk!”

The moment he sent Siegfried flying, the Red Knight of War immediately turned his gaze toward the remaining guild members. With almost blinding speed, he charged into their ranks, swinging his crimson sword that mercilessly struck down those around him as if he were the harbinger of death.

As expected of a Level 449 boss monster, he displayed that his level was not just for show by slaughtering countless guild members in the blink of an eye.

Every swing of his sword struck down dozens, and the guild members fell before they could even raise their defenses against the rampaging knight.

“...Damn it!” Siegfried cursed after watching his comrades get slaughtered.

Only Yong Seol-Hwa, Seung-Gu, Gosran, and Daytona survived the one-sided massacre.

However, it was clear that they would die soon.

“Ack!”

“Kyaaah!”

Yong Seol-Hwa and Daytona were in immediate danger of being killed by the Red Knight of War.

‘No!’

Siegfried rushed to assist his comrades; he sprinted with every ounce of his strength to stop the Red Knight of War.

Swooooosh!

But before he could even get anywhere near them...

The Red Knight of War swung his red sword and sent hundreds of aura blades at Siegfried. In an instant, Siegfried was forced to transform his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield and plant his foot into the ground, bracing for impact.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Kyaaah!”

“Ack!”

While he was busy defending—no, holding on for dear life against the bombardment of aura blades, Yong Seol-Hwa and Daytona had already perished at the hands of the Red Knight of War.

After killing the two, the Red Knight of War turned his sights on none other than Mochie.

“Did you say your name was Theia Ithus Cassiopeia Olive Grace Nashiteria Portofino?”

The Red Knight of War remembered Mochi’s full name—unlike a certain individual.

“I will rip you to shreds, you damned spirit,” Mars growled before lunging at her.

“Kyu?!” Mochi was caught off guard by the sudden attack. She was still releasing her pink aura to support Siegfried and his comrades, so she couldn't move at all.

Why?

She was like a totem rooted in place while unleashing that pink aura, and the channeling would be interrupted as soon as she moved.

“Kyaaaah!”

Hamchi suddenly appeared and blocked the Red Knight of War’s path.

“Where do you think you’re going?! Kyaaaaak!”

He looked extremely fierce. He had already wronged Mochi once, so he had to get in her good graces this time. Thus, he fought more fiercely than ever before.

Unfortunately, the Red Knight of War was so strong that Hamchi’s attacks were futile.

And...

“Get lost, you insect,” Mars said nonchalantly before thrusting his sword forward.

Puuuuk!

The red sword pierced Hamchi's chest and exited through his back.

“...!”

Hamchi stood frozen.

“H-Hamchi!” Siegfried shouted and desperately ran like a madman toward his trusty companion.

‘N-No! No! Don’t! Don’t do this!’

“K-Kyuu...” Hamchi looked at the Red Knight of War. Then, he chuckled weakly and groaned, “You just made a huge mistake.”

“Ha! What?” Mars scoffed.

“You’re... really fucked, buddy. Hamchi is... angry for real now.”

As soon as his words fell...

Sseuuu...!

—Hamchi's figure shone brightly.

“W-What’s happening?!” Siegfried exclaimed, surprised by the suddenly bright light Hamchi was emitting.

Hamchi was evolving. His silhouette resembling a hamster slowly changed, turning into the silhouette of a human.

Flash!

At that moment, another burst of blinding light erupted from Hamchi.

Sseuuu...!

When the light dissipated, a young man walked out from it.

‘E... Evolution?!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly, shocked by Hamchi's human form.

He had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that the hamster he had spent nearly two years traveling around with could evolve... into a human of all things.

1. Mars pronoun is now he/him ☜