Debuff Master-Chapter 821

“This is a report from Metatron, the chamberlain of the Proatine Kingdom. During their journey, they were ambushed by a mysterious old man. According to the chamberlain, the old man was so overwhelmingly powerful that resistance was futile,” the man reported.

“That can’t be true. There must be some sort of mistake here,” Siegfried refuted, refusing to believe the report.

“The report states that even Master Shakiro admitted he could not hold his ground against the mysterious old man and had no choice but to flee.”

“Then we need to go. Now.”

Siegfried immediately set off. Clearing the epic quest was important to him, but saving Shakiro and the others came first.

He hurriedly left the emergency meeting and headed straight to the Warp Gate to teleport to the mountain where Metatron and Chaos were last seen.

‘What kind of group is this, though? Those who normally wouldn’t even mix words are suddenly traveling together...?’

While walking, he could not understand how Shakiro, Mikhail, Metatron, and Chaos ended up traveling together when they never really had any real interactions. There was no reason whatsoever for them to be traveling together.

However, that mystery resolved itself as soon as he arrived at his destination.

The moment Siegfried stepped out of the warp gate—

“Your Majesty!”

“You finally came, Your Majesty!”

Metatron and Chaos rushed to greet him. They were badly battered and were barely standing, and it seemed that they had been anxiously awaiting his arrival ever since they contacted the Proatine Kingdom.

“Hey, what happened?” Siegfried asked.

“Well...” Metatron began explaining everything.

“Master did what...?”

“It is as I reported just now, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm...” Hearing that Deus had proposed their journey made Siegfried stop and think for a minute. ‘Hmm... There’s no way that Master would suggest that without any reason.

'But if Mikhail is really the Star in the divine revelation, and if that old man is an angel sent to capture him... Then it makes sense why none of Master Shakiro’s attacks worked. That old man must be an angel.’

Siegfried quickly pieced together the situation in his mind.

“A high-ranking angel. Yeah, it must be that...” Siegfried muttered after making speculations of the old man’s identity.

“Ah! Your Majesty!” Metatron suddenly exclaimed.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“That old man!”

“Yeah?”

“He’s an archangel! An archangel!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The concept of angels did not exist anywhere in BNW, so it was no surprise that Siegfried was unfamiliar with the term.

“Archangels, Your Majesty! They are the highest-ranking angels in the Celestial Realm! They are the equivalent of Demon Lords in the Demon World!”

“So, you’re saying that they’re ridiculously strong angels?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. And that cursed old bastard is none other than Archangel Auriel! He is unbelievably powerful, and he wields fire on one hand and a sword on the other!”

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“That’s really bad news...” Siegfried grumbled. He recalled how even the weakest angels were almost impossible to kill without Divine Power. If even the lowest-ranking angels was that strong, then it was no wonder that Shakiro’s attacks were ineffective against an archangel, which was a being on par with a demon lord.

‘There’s no choice. I need help from the religious orders.’

Siegfried immediately used the communication crystal to request help from each of the religious leaders. If Mikhail was truly the Star mentioned in the divine revelation, then they absolutely had to protect him no matter what.

Since their opponent was an archangel, they needed warriors capable of wielding Divine Power. In other words, only the high-ranking paladins of the religious orders stood a chance against an archangel.

Fortunately, the religious leaders responded to Siegfried’s call without any hesitation, and they sent their strongest paladins toward him.

In total, five hundred paladins—all at Level 299—were dispatched. This was quite a formidable army, as they were the best of the best from each religious order.

‘This should be enough,’ Siegfried thought.

Once the paladins joined them, Siegfried wasted no time and set out to find Shakiro and Mikhail.

‘Please hang on just a little longer, Master Shakiro. I will be there soon.’

Despite being worried, Siegfried trusted the Weapon Master.

Archangel Auriel was definitely powerful, but Siegfried believed that it would not be easy even for an archangel to take down someone as experienced and resourceful as Shakiro.

After all, Siegfried understood better than anyone that true strength was not just about raw combat ability. A warrior’s resourcefulness to adapt to the situation and the ability to make judgement in critical moments was what truly defined a real warrior.

***

Unfortunately, finding Shakiro was proving to be quite challenging.

Siegfried tracked Shakiro’s trail based on whatever information provided by Metatron and Chaos.

However, because a considerable amount of time had already passed since the two last saw him, locating any distinct traces immediately was impossible. Fortunately, their pursuer, Archangel Auriel, left a very visible trail of flames that served as an excellent guide.

Siegfried and the paladins diligently followed the fiery trail in their search for Shakiro.

Siegfried even took to the skies with his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit to scout from above.

After nearly ten hours of relentless searching...

“Footprints! We found footprints!”

One of the paladins participating in the search announced his discovery near a massive waterfall.

Siegfried rushed over and examined the footprints closely.

‘These look like Master Shakiro’s footprints, but they’re unusually deep. He doesn’t weigh this much... Unless he was carrying Mikhail. If that’s the case, this depth makes perfect sense,’ he thought while inspecting the footprints.

Then, his eyes moved to the other footprints trailing behind, ‘These are too small to belong to Mikhail. And these prints lead up to this point but then turn back... That means Master Shakiro was carrying Mikhail, and they jumped from here. Their pursuer must have realized they were gone and turned back.’

Siegfried pieced together the clues from the scene with uncanny precision, almost as if he had witnessed the events himself.

For someone as sharp and cunning as him, deductions like this were second nature.

“They jumped into the waterfall. Everyone, make your way down to the base of the falls. I’ll head down first,” Siegfried said. Then, he turned and called out, “Hey! Hamchi! Let’s go!”

“Kyuuu!”

After giving instructions to the paladins, Siegfried spread open his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit and flew down alongside the waterfall.

‘I’m sure a fall like this wouldn’t cause serious injuries to Master Shakiro. He would have ridden the current as far as possible to avoid leaving any trace.’

While flying downstream, he carefully scanned both sides of the riverbanks for any footprints.

After roughly five kilometers...

‘Over there!’

He spotted two distinct sets of footprints along the riverbank. One belonged to Shakiro, while the other, without a doubt, belonged to Mikhail. The tracks continued from the riverbank into the forest.

“Hey, Hamchi. Do you still recognize Master Shakiro’s scent?”

“Kyuu! Of course, I do!”

“Think you can track him?”

“Wait! Give me a second! Kyuuu!”

Sniff! Sniff! Sniff!

Hamchi sniffed the air, trying to pick up Shakiro’s scent.

“Kyuu! Got it! It’s Shakiro’s scent!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! This way! Kyuu!”

“Go, Hamchi!”

“Kyuuu!”

Hamchi led the way by following Shakiro’s trail of scent.

Shwooong... Poof!

As they ran, Siegfried periodically fired signal flares into the sky to mark his positions. These flares served as beacons for the paladins to guide them to Siegfried’s location as they followed behind him.

***

Crash! Thud!

Shakiro tumbled over and over before slamming into the trunk of a massive tree.

“Argh!”

He tried to lift himself up, but it was impossible. His injuries were far too severe, and his strength had already been completely drained. His mana reserves were utterly depleted, and maintaining his aura weapons was now impossible.

“Filthy worm,” Auriel spat out with sheer disdain in his voice while standing over Shakiro and Mikhail with a scornful look.

“Please! Stop this! Just kill me and be done with it if it’s me that you want!” Mikhail stepped forward and cried out.

“Silence, traitor to your own kind. What foolishness is this? Why are you siding with a mere worm?” Auriel said coldly. Then, he clicked his tongue and spat with disdain, “You continue to disappoint me until the very end.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about!” Mikhail shot back. Then, he spread his arms wide and exclaimed, “But one thing is clear! If this is about me, then let him go and kill me! There is no need to harm anyone else!”

“It’s a pity you’ve lost your memories,” Auriel murmured. Then, he raised his blade and pointed it at Mikhail, “But it changes nothing. Disappear now, traitor to your own kin—”

Whoosh! Baaam!

Out of nowhere, a weapon flew through the air and struck Auriel squarely on the side of his head, causing his head to snap to the side from the impact.

“Master!”

Siegfried seized the opportunity to rush to Shakiro’s side and help him up.

“...You’re here. I knew you would come. I was at my limit, but you arrived just in time,” Shakiro said, still somehow managing a faint smile despite his deathly pale face.

“I am here now, Master. Please rest easy now,” Siegfried said, handing him the Infinite Flask and helping him drink from it. Then, he said, “Take care of them, Hamchi.”

“Kyuuu! Don’t worry about them! Leave them to Hamchi!”

Siegfried entrusted Hamchi with protecting both Shakiro and Mikhail before stepping forward to face Auriel.

“Are you Archangel Auriel?” Siegfried asked.

“Hmm? Do you know me, worm?” Auriel replied with a hint of surprise.

It had been ages since humans had forgotten the Creator and the angels, so it was only natural for him to be surprised.

“Worm sounds a bit harsh...” Siegfried said with a smirk. Then, he continued with a smile, “Regardless, it is a pleasure to meet you, Archangel Auriel.”

“How dare you utter my name with your pathetic worthless tongue, worm,” Auriel snarled.

“We will not get anywhere if we keep this up. Why don’t we try talking this out instead?”

“There is nothing to discuss with worms.”

“Is that so?” Siegfried said, raising a brow and smirking.

It was then.

Rustle... Rustle...!

Paladins from various religious orders began emerging from the surrounding bushes, one by one.

“Well, well. So you’re the descendants of those wretched beings,” Auriel said, his lips twisting into a chilling smile. His gaze swept over them, instantly discerning the divine energy emanating from their figures. He realized they were the descendants of those who had once served the demigods long ago.

“This works out perfectly. I’ll wipe out the traitor and these pieces of trash all at once,” Auriel said in a voice brimming with confidence.

Even while surrounded by over five hundred elite paladins, the archangel seemed to be still confident that he would emerge victorious.

However, this was not some baseless confidence or arrogance.

Fwooosh!

The sky turned crimson red before fire started raining down from it.

“I’ll burn all of you worms to ashes,” Auriel said icily.

It was then.

Flap!

Eight massive black wings spread from the archangel’s back, followed by a massive tempest of violent energy.

***

The true power of Archangel Auriel was staggering, and it far exceeded anything Siegfried had anticipated.

“Die, offspring of sinners.”

With a single swing of Auriel’s sword—

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dozens of paladins collapsed, their bodies cleanly cleaved in two.

“...!”

Siegfried froze and was utterly stunned by the horrific sight. Even so, his instincts kicked in as he swiftly placed down Blaze Field and Shadow Hell in an attempt to debuff the archangel.

However, Auriel’s stats, which were comparable to a demon lord, rendered Siegfried’s debuffs completely ineffective. The archangel looked like an ordinary old man, but he displayed power surpassing that of a Grandmaster.

“Argh!”

“Aaaargh!”

“Ugh!”

The paladins from the various religious orders screamed in agony as they fell one by one in the face of Auriel’s overwhelming might.

‘This is crazy!’ Siegfried shrieked in horror inwardly.

He could not believe what he was witnessing. Even the highest-ranking paladins, who were imbued with the greatest divine power, were being effortlessly crushed beneath the archangel’s might.

He believed five hundred elite paladins would be enough to hold down even an archangel, but he was gravely mistaken.

The strength Auriel displayed was nothing short of absolute.

‘Damn it!’

With no other choice, Siegfried leaped into the fray.

He lacked the divine power to inflict any real damage on Auriel, but he could at least serve as a distraction and buy some much-needed breathing room for the paladins to reorganize and attack the powerful archangel.