Debuff Master-Chapter 892

“Move to the basin and start building a temporary dam! The lake will take a while to drain, so we should prepare the dam to trap the water there!” Seung-Gu shouted.

“Yes, sir!”

Seung-Gu and the Proatine Kingdom’s workers moved toward the basin.

Collecting the fragments of the Omnistone was not an immediate priority, as it was tough enough to withstand any impact. Thus, they decided to prioritize the water first before hauling the Omnistone fragments back to the kingdom using the airships.

‘I hope it didn’t get washed down by the currents,’ Siegfried thought anxiously while holding his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp that was transformed into a gigantic net.

He planned to scoop out any object that caught his eyes, hoping that it was Michael’s wings.

Siegfried and the others watched the waterway like falcons looking for prey with nets in hand, watching to see if anything resembling a pair of wings floated by.

It was then.

“O-Over there!” Michael shouted.

“...!”

Siegfried hurriedly turned to follow Michael's finger and saw an object emitting a white hue getting swept away by the current.

“I’ll get it!” Siegfried shouted.

He used Flying Sword to control the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp that had turned into a giant net to scoop out the white object.

Sseuuu...!

Siegfried successfully scooped out a single white wing from the water.

[Alert: You have obtained Michael’s Wing!]

He hurriedly flashed his Rune of Insight at the white wing.

[Archangel Michael’s Wing]

[One of the twelve wings lost by the Archangel, Michael.]

[Type: N/A]

[Rating: Mythic]

[Note: It has an extremely powerful holy energy.]

“I got it! It’s your wing!” Siegfried exclaimed.

Ding!

Then, a string of messages popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: 8.3% progress for the Quest — Look for the Archangel’s Wings]

[Alert: You have reached Level 314!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 315!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 316!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 317!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 318!]

Siegfried gained five levels after retrieving Michael’s wing.

[Look for the Archangel’s Wings]

[Retrieve the 12 wings of Michael scattered across the continent.]

[Type: Epic Quest]

[Progress: 8.3% (1/12)]

[Reward: +5 Level per Wing]

[Warning: The Fallen Angels are also looking for Michael’s wings!]

Finding Michael’s wings turned out to be an extremely lucrative means of leveling up, as each wing rewarded him with five whole levels.

‘Jackpot!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly in joy before investing eighty percent of the skill points he gained equally into Eternal Flames and Embrace of Despair.

Why?

It was all because debuff was his main weapon.

Also, he was unable to increase the levels of his other skills. Most of his powerful skills had a level requirement that had to be met first before he could invest additional skill points into them.

‘I should save these just in case.’

He decided to save twenty percent of the skill points to level up his other skills in the future.

Why?

It was all because the high-tier skills required more skill points to level up.

“Please hurry over here, Michael!” Siegfried shouted.

“Okay!” Michael shouted in response and rushed over.

It was then.

Kaboom!

A laser beam flew straight toward Michael.

“...!”

Siegfried instinctively looked at where the laser beam came from.

And there it was, countless Fallen Angels flapping their black wings in the sky.

The warning in the quest details turned out to be true.

The Fallen Angels were after Michael’s wings as well.

And now, they were here to take it away.

***

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Proatine Kingdom’s airships fired volley after volley of artillery shells at the Fallen Angels.

‘No!’

Siegfried hurriedly spread out his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit and flew up.

Divine energy was required to fight against the Fallen Angels, so there was no way a bunch of airship cannons could deal any damage to them. In other words, the only one capable of wielding divine energy, Siegfried, had to step up.

‘How the hell did they know about this?’ he wondered.

It was then.

“My wing! Give me my wing!” Michael shouted.

“Here! Take it!” Siegfried shouted back and threw the wing at him.

As soon as Michael grabbed the wing...

Ssshhhh!

A radiant light burst forth, enveloping Michael. Then, a pure white wing appeared on his back.

“Argh!”

Siegfried staggered back after getting overwhelmed by the sheer force unleashed by Michael.

Exactly one and a half seconds later.

“Haa...” Michael let out a deep breath.

Boom!

He shot into the sky like a fighter jet.

Even though he only recovered a single wing, he emitted brilliant radiance and held a radiant sword of light.

He was truly the embodiment of all things divine.

“Wow...” Siegfried muttered in awe.

Michael dove straight into battle against the Fallen Angels and displayed his overwhelming might. Even with just one wing, he tore through the Fallen Angels with absolute ease.

[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]

Siegfried gained experience whenever Michael defeated a Fallen Angel.

It seemed that the system recognized Michael as a comrade of Siegfried and distributed Experience Points to him even though they were not in the same party.

‘Oh! I won’t say no to free powerleveling!’

Thanks to Michael, Siegfried leeched experience points without lifting a single finger.

[Alert: You have leveled up!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 319!]

Siegfried even leveled up without doing anything.

Meanwhile, Michael’s bodyguards, Shakiro, Metatron, and Chaos stood around doing nothing.

“He is extremely skilled.”

“T-The demon has returned!”

“A-Aaaack!”

The trio watched in silence as Michael tore through the Fallen Angels.

And just like that, the battle was over.

Michael landed softly on the ground, as light as a feather.

Siegfried approached him and said, “Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you.”

However, Michael’s face looked grim—no, it was more befitting to say that he had a dark expression.

‘Ah...’ Siegfried immediately understood the reason behind it.

Michael was no ordinary angel. He was the Chief Archangel, the first angel to be ever born. For him to cut down his own kin was not a triumph to celebrate—no, it was a tragedy to mourn.

“Michael...”

“This isn’t right. This endless war between races... And the slaughtering of our own. None of this makes sense at all.”

“I agree with you.”

“How did it come to this...?”

Siegfried was unable to offer any words of comfort to Michael. It was impossible for him to understand how Michael felt. After all, he had to kill his own kin just to survive.

The only thing Siegfried could do for him was stand there and be around for him.

***

Siegfried said goodbye to Michael and the others before returning to the Proatine Kingdom’s royal palace.

Running around the entire continent in search of the remaining eleven wings was not feasible. Thus, they agreed that Michael and his party would continue their search, and they would contact Siegfried whenever they needed his help.

Awaiting him at the royal palace was the report containing the current situation in the Marchioni Empire...

“Here you go,” Ninetail said, passing the report.

“Thanks,” Siegfried replied, taking the report and reading through it.

To summarize the empire's current situation...

1. The leader of the rebels was Giorgetto von Posteriore, the second son of the late emperor—Emperor Stuttgart’s half-brother.

2. Giorgetto was believed to be dead, but he suddenly appeared with an army of otherworldly people.

3. Giorgetto’s rebel army easily overpowered the empire’s forces.

4. A lot of nobles sided with Giorgetto’s faction, as many believed that Emperor Stuttgart lacked legitimacy, as he was an illegitimate son of the late emperor who only seized power through a coup.

5. The empire’s forces are at a significant disadvantage.

6. An important battle that might just decide the fate of this civil war will soon happen.

“Otherworldly people...? It should just say Adventurers if it’s us, no?” Siegfried asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty. The otherworldly people mentioned there are not the Adventurers,” Ninetail replied with a nod.

“Then who?”

“It’s a certain race from a dimension called Coral.”

“Huh?”

“They look like us humans, but they’re entirely different.”

“How so?”

“That, I have no idea. I only received reports of them and never saw one with my own eyes. All I know is that they have pink skin and their bodies are made of mana,” Ninetail replied with a shrug.

“Hmm...”

“As for their combat prowess...” Ninetail muttered, flipping through the pages of her copy of the report. Then, she read out the part she was looking for. “A single Coral Warrior managed to cut down fifty of the empire’s knights in an instant.”

“What?!”

Siegfried was shocked, and understandably so. The Marchioni Empire’s knights were renowned for their combat prowess, and among those Siegfried saw during the World Peace Conference, not a single one of them was below Level 299.

“Are you sure? Those otherworldly people are that strong?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I believe that is the reason the empire is struggling in this civil war.”

“Wow...”

“Also, a fifth of the empire’s nobles have sided with the rebels. And in that process, quite a few of the empire’s troops were backstabbed by their allies.”

“It’s a complete mess...”

Siegfried finally understood why the Marchioni Empire had an indifferent stance on various things happening across the continent. Based on the report, it was not that they did not care, but rather, they could not afford to get distracted even for a moment.

“Ugh... What the hell is going on?” Siegfried grumbled.

“Who knows?” Ninetail replied with a shrug.

“We have to carefully choose sides in times like this.”

“Huh? Pardon me?” Ninetail muttered, surprised by what she heard. Then, she asked, “What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?”

“We will hit the jackpot if we join the winner. I mean, think about it. Whoever wins this civil war will basically rule the world, no?”

“...”

“Well, it could be a gamble, so it’s wiser to remain neutral at times like—”

It was then.

“Your Majesty!”

A signalman rushed in and reported.

“An urgent call for Your Majesty!”

“Hmm? What happened?” Siegfried asked.

“T-The Marchioni Empire...! Emperor Stuttgart has personally called!”

There was a saying that said, "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."

It seemed that even Emperor Stuttgart wasn't exempted from it.

“I’ll head there right now.”

“Yes, sire!”

Siegfried wasted no time and immediately rushed over to the communications room.

***

On the way to the communications room...

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Michele suddenly appeared and desperately called out to Siegfried.

“YOUR MAJESTY!”

“Later! I’m busy right now!”

“Please listen to what I have to say first!”

“Emperor Stuttgart called. Let’s talk later.”

“You must side with the emperor no matter what!”

Siegfried stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked, “Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“This is a test!”

“A test...?”

“Emperor Stuttgart is testing not only the empire’s nobles but the whole world as well!”

“What the hell are you talking about? What test?” Siegfried asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“I reached that conclusion after analyzing the civil war.”

“Huh? You did?”

“Emperor Stuttgart is going easy on the rebels!”

“What?! He’s going easy on them?!”

Siegfried’s eyes widened at what he heard.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What do you mean by that? Tell me in detail, but make it quick.”

Siegfried could no longer understand what was going on, so he asked for a quick summary from Michele.

Why?

It was all because the report compiled and submitted by Ninetail showed that Emperor Stuttgart was in no position to go easy on anyone—let alone the rebels.

Not at all.