Debuff Master

Violent tremors ran across the ground. It felt like the Old Air Raid Bunker was going to collapse.

Rumble!

While Siegfried was flying toward the opposite side, the ceiling above him collapsed, forcing him to retreat.

Splash! Splash! Splash

Debris fell from above, blocking the passage and dividing Siegfried’s party into two.

They were cut off from each other and could not determine whether the other party was still alive or not.

“Hey! Can you hear me?!” Siegfried shouted, trying to reach the others on the other side, but there was no response.

He strained his ears, trying to listen to anything, but there was only silence.

This did not come as a surprise, as it was impossible for sound to travel through more than a kilometer of debris.

Just then, thunderous booms echoed from deep within the underground bunker.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound was coming from the core of the Old Air Raid Bunker, and the sound was so loud that it reached Siegfried’s party, even though they were still dozens of kilometers away.

It felt as if an all-out war was raging, and two armies were exchanging heavy artillery fire.

‘This isn’t an earthquake,’ Siegfried thought. The destruction was unnatural, as it felt more like the aftermath of a battle. Someone—or, something was fighting within the core of the Old Air Raid Bunker.

‘But who could it be…?” Siegfried wondered.

There was only one plausible answer.

‘The Church of Osric…!’ Siegfried deduced that the Church of Osric was already fighting the final soul fragment. With that in mind, he flew toward Cheon Woo-Jin and said, “Hey, this sound… isn’t it too familiar?”

"It is familiar…" Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a tense voice, “I think someone’s already there.”

“It's probably them, isn't it?”

“Most likely.”

“Our intel was leaked, then.”

“Agreed. That’s the only explanation.”

“Was it from our end or your end?”

“Does it matter? Either way, things have gotten quite dangerous now.”

“Pull everyone in when we get back.”

“And then?”

“We will vet them one by one.”

“Vet them? How?”

“You know about Oscar’s Fragarach, right? We will interrogate everyone with it.”

“Hmm…”

“If the spy is from our side, then that’s good. But if it’s from your side, then…” Siegfried said, trailing his words. Then, he continued in a grave voice, “That’s a nightmare. Four of the five soul fragments are on your side.”

“...!” Cheon Woo-Jin stiffened at those words.

“It would be the ultimate betrayal.”

“We can only hope that it’s not what you think it is…”

“Enough talk. You need to go back.”

“Go back? Where?”

“Protect the Fated Censer. I’ll handle things here,” Siegfried said, glancing toward the direction where the commotion was coming from. Then, he added, “We don’t have any other choice.”

“All right, I’ll leave things to you then,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a nod.

“It’s not like you’ve ever had a choice, right?” Siegfried snarked. Then, he added, “Oh, and one more thing. If we do manage to secure the final soul fragment, it’s going to stay with me. I’m not handing it over to you, just so you know.”

“That sounds reasonable.”

“All right, time to get moving. You’re wasting time. Take this path, and it will lead to an alternative exit,” Siegfried said, handing a copy of the map.

“Alright, see you later.”

With that, Cheon Woo-Jin led the Guardians down the alternate route.

‘I really hope the spy isn’t within the Guardians…’ Siegfried thought. The thought of the spy being one of the Guardians was dreadful, but he did not have the luxury to dwell on it for now.

Every second mattered right now. If the Church of Osric were truly fighting against the final soul fragment, then their situation would become dire.

He could not risk losing the final soul fragment to his enemies, as the consequences would be catastrophic.

Securing the last soul fragment was the top priority—it mattered far more than anything else, even the spy included.

Siegfried cast his doubts aside and bolted toward the core.

“Let’s move!”

***

While Siegfried was busy navigating the Old Air Raid Bunker, Gringore was busy appraising the art collection that Ninetail had plundered from the Iron Palace.

“This one… What era is it from? The dating’s a bit unclear to me,” Ninetail asked, holding up a sculpture.

“That is a piece from the Heroic Age about five hundred years ago,” Gringore replied confidently.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about this one?”

Ninetail proceeded to present more artworks to Gringore. She was no amateur in arts, but Gringore's expertise was on a whole different level.

Gringore was a prodigy who had captivated the entire continent with his talent in painting, sculpting, singing, acting, and even dancing. He was considered a once-in-a-century unrivaled talent on the continent.

Even someone as skilled as Ninetail had much to learn from him.

“What about this one?” Ninetail asked, holding up a torn portrait. Then, she continued, “I wasn’t sure whether this one is worth keeping or not. Does it even have any value? It's damaged, after all.”

The painting she held up was none other than the Guardian Wraith, which once contained the Savior. She salvaged it after Gringore had split it in half. From her perspective, the painting was not that valuable anymore, and it was probably worth not more than a piece of trash.

Still, she picked it up on the off chance of making a few coins from it at least.

Unfortunately, Gringore’s assessment was blunt.

“This has very little value,” he said flatly. Then, he proceeded to explain, “While the painting does give off powerful emotions, its quality isn’t extraordinary. In terms of technical skills, it’s subpar, and being a magical artifact in a severed state just makes it a piece of—-”

It was then.

Gringore’s eyes suddenly widened.

“W-Wait… What?!” Gringore gasped.

“What’s wrong? Did you find something?” Ninetail asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. The fact that a genius like him would gasp could only mean one thing, and that one thing caused her eyes to turn into dollar signs that were flashing brightly.

However, Gringore looked so shocked—no, he looked mortified.

“W-We must report this to His Majesty at once!”

“Report what?”

“The painter of this work! It’s—!”

Kaboom!

An explosion rocked the room, sending Gringore and Ninetail to the ground.

And that was only the beginning…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Out of nowhere, artillery shells began raining down on the Iron Palace.

***

Siegfried raced through the Feiogh Underground: Old Air Raid Bunker and headed straight for the central area at breakneck speed.

Along the way, he encountered countless tentacle humanoid monsters, but none of them could slow him down.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The distant echoes from the central area grew louder and more violent with each passing second, making him feel even more desperate.

Siegfried pressed forward with an increasing sense of desperation, but no matter how fast he moved, his movement speed was not going to change the situation.

When he was about five kilometers away from the shelter’s central area…

“Stop them!”

“Kill them all!”

A group of Church of Osric zealots appeared, blocking Siegfried and his party’s path.

The zealots unleashed a barrage of skills, driving Siegfried’s party to a corner.

“Go on ahead, oppa! We’ll hold them off!” Yong Seol-Hwa shouted urgently.

“Got it!” Siegfried replied. Then, he placed down Blaze Field and Shadow Hell to support his comrades before charging toward the central area once again.

‘Damn it… someone leaked our intel,’ Siegfried thought. He was certain of it this time.

The unexpected appearance of the Church of Osric zealots had confirmed his suspicions, as there was no other reason for them to show up at such a critical moment.

‘I need to move faster. It will be a disaster if I delay any longer!’

Determined to secure the final soul fragment, Siegfried pressed on with great urgency.

However, his advance was abruptly halted once again.

Splash!

A torrent of crimson liquid came splashing down from the ceiling above, drenching him.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: You have been afflicted with Bleeding!]

[Alert: Your HP is decreasing!]

[Alert: You have been afflicted with Sepsis!]

[Alert: Your blood is decaying! Your character’s stats are reduced!]

The warning messages flashed before his eyes, showing the severity of the situation.

“Damn it!” Siegfried growled while watching his HP bar rapidly decrease.

It was then.

“We finally meet, Siegfried van Proa.”

A cold and sinister voice emerged from the shadows, and a figure clad in a blood-red robe stepped forward.

Ding!

A quest notification appeared before Siegfried’s eyes…

[Alert: The quest, Master’s Regret, has been triggered!]

Standing before him was the Church of Osric’s Red Cardinal, Vladimir. He was the Descendant of Blood Master Berserk.

“I will be settling my debt from back then, Siegfried van Proa,” Vladimir sneered with his eyes glowing with malice. Then, he bared his fangs and growled, “That cursed mouth of yours…! Today, I’ll rip your mouth open, shred you to pieces, and feast on your blood! You will die at my hands today, Siegfried van Proa!”

“Sigh…” Siegfried let out a lengthy, weary sigh while shaking his head. Then, he grumbled, “Just my rotten luck… as if I wasn’t busy enough...”

“You’re still so full of arrogance,” Vladimir snarled.

“Save the yapping for when you’re gonna beg for your miserable life later,” Siegfried shot back.

Without wasting another second, Siegfried lunged at Vladimir.

“Kyuuu! Hamchi is here to help, owner punk!” Hamchi exclaimed, springing to action. He took out his magical wheel and ran on it to buff Siegfried.

‘I have to finish this quickly,’ Siegfried thought. He needed to take down Vladimir once and for all before securing the final soul fragment.

The stakes were higher than ever. Bleeding and Sepsis were draining his HP and strength, so getting into a battle of attrition could spell his doom.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!

Siegfried activated the third stage of Overclocking, amplifying his stats exponentially. Then, he placed down Blaze Field and Shadow Hell to debuff Vladimir while activating Elemental Shower to shred the Red Cardinal’s elemental resistance as well.

Vladimir was weak against water-attribute energy, so Siegfried planned to use that to his advantage in this battle.

“You filthy insect!” Vladimir roared powerfully.

Gwaaaaah!

With a guttural scream, Vladimir transformed.

Chwak! Chwaaak!

His muscles bulged grotesquely. His red robe was torn apart, as it could not contain his growing size.

“Kyaaaah!”

After the transformation, Vladimir now resembled a blood-drenched beast that looked both extremely powerful and swift.

“I’ll tear you apart!” Vladimir bellowed. His voice sounded both metallic and eerie as he charged at Siegfried.

It was then.

Bang!

The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp transformed into a revolver and spat flames.

Boom!

Vladimir’s head exploded like a watermelon upon getting hit by a bullet, but…

“H-Hey, what the hell?!” Siegfried cried out with his eyes widened in disbelief.

His head had been obliterated, but Vladimir’s body was still charging at him like a hungry beast chasing after its prey.

Siegfried desperately tried to stop the charge by commanding the Frost Hydras and Night Stalkers, but they failed to restrain the headless monstrosity that was once the Red Cardinal of the Church of Osric.

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