Debuff Master-Chapter 833

The Garuda was a mythical beast with two heads and massive wings that specialized in preying upon dragons.

The Dragon Slayers were basically the embodiment of the Garuda’s powers. They were human beings infused with the powers of the divine beast, and they would stay dormant until awakened when a dragon ventured nearby.

“Captain Drake…” Phoenix growled while glaring furiously. He was unleashing the true power of the Dragon Slayer, and it was evident from the crimson flames blazing his eyes.

“You’ve crossed the line,” he said while advancing toward Siegfried, radiating with overwhelming power.

‘What the hell is that?!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly after sensing that Phoenix’s stats were surging explosively.

Fwoosh!

Surrounded by the fiery form of Garuda, Phoenix exuded an aura that was undeniably dangerous and was rippling the air as if twisting space itself.

“I’ll burn you into ash.”

At that moment, the golden armor crafted from the bones and scales of a Gold Dragon began to glow with a mix of radiant gold and soft pink hues.

“...!”

Siegfried felt a chill run down his spine as he recognized the spectacle before him.

The radiant aura enveloping Phoenix’s armor was not just any normal buff. It was the Hyper Armor, which was a defensive buff that far surpassed Super Armor.

Breaking through Super Armor was already a difficult task, but what about breaking through Hyper Armor?

It was nearly impossible.

Rumble!

Siegfried immediately unleashed the Wave of Truth, attempting to dispel the Hyper Armor surrounding Phoenix before it was too late.

However, the buff remained. Unlike conventional buffs, this was an innate ability of the Dragon Slayer, so external forces could not remove it. Moreover, the durability of the Gold Dragon’s armor amplified the effect even further, causing it to be even stronger than normal defensive buffs.

“Die, Drake.”

With those words, Phoenix lunged at Siegfried with terrifying speed.

“...!”

Siegfried quickly transformed his +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield to block the oncoming attack.

BOOM!

An eruption of flames engulfed Siegfried the moment Phoenix’s blade struck the +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

Fwoosh!

The flaming inferno consumed him, burning away at him with relentless ferocity as if it were a beast with insatiable hunger.

“Arghhh!”

Siegfried screamed in agony as the searing flames licked at his flesh.

But he could not give up…

Sssseuu!

He summoned the ice attribute energy from his Blood Frost Orb to counter the flames engulfing him, and then he kicked Phoenix with all of his strength.

Rather than pushing Phoenix away, Siegfried used the force to propel himself backward. The Hyper Armor buff enveloping Phoenix made it impossible to knock him back, so Siegfried decided to knock himself back instead to escape from the flames.

Whoosh!

Soaring through the air, Siegfried quickly transformed the +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp from a shield into a revolver.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Six bullets, each packed with immense energy, were fired directly at Phoenix.

“It’s futile,” Phoenix muttered as he withstood the bullets effortlessly before closing the distance between them in an instant.

‘Restrain him!’ Siegfried commanded his Frost Hydras and Night Stalkers to bind Phoenix down, hoping to slow his advance, but…

Phoenix casually busted through the Frost Hydras and Night Stalkers blocking his path. He also walked past the slowing effect of the debuff field as if he were taking a stroll.

One of Siegfried’s favorite skills, Shadow Hell, which had immobilized countless enemies for him, was utterly powerless against the Dragon Slayer.

“...!”

Siegfried could not believe what he was witnessing, as Phoenix became the first-ever enemy to break through his Shadow Hell.

The moment Phoenix escaped the debuffs, he closed the gap between himself and Siegfried in the blink of an eye.

“Stop your petty tricks,” he said nonchalantly.

Then, with his overwhelming stats, Phoenix unleashed a ferocious assault on Siegfried.

Siegfried could do little to retaliate. He transformed his +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield and desperately defended himself.

Unfortunately, Phoenix’s sheer stats seemed insurmountable. Not only did his immense stats render the difference in their combat experience void, but it also allowed him to dominate Siegfried completely.

‘Damn it!’

Left with no other choice, Siegfried activated the third stage of Overclocking to boost his lacking stats in a last-ditch effort, but…

Bam!

Siegfried’s Super Armor shattered like glass under the force of Phoenix’s relentless attacks.

‘This is absurd…!’

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Siegfried was about to launch one final counterattack when…

Kwachik!

Phoenix grabbed Siegfried by his neck with a powerful grip.

“Urgh!”

“I’ll pay you back in full the humiliation you made me endure earlier,” Phoenix said with a smirk, his voice dripping with malice.

And before Siegfried could even react—

Boom!

Phoenix shot into the sky, dragging Siegfried along with him at breakneck speed.

***

Phoenix flew well over Mach 2.2, which was a terrifying speed.

To put that into perspective, Mach 1 is 1,224 km/h. This meant that in one hour, an object moving at Mach 2.2 would travel at least 2,692.8 kilometers.

In other words, Phoenix was flying faster than most advanced fighter jets.

“Grrrgh!” Siegfried groaned while struggling against the immense gravitational force that came with such speed.

However, there was something far more alarming than the crushing gravitational force, and it was their destination.

‘Damn it!’

Siegfried realized that Phoenix was heading toward the island where the mine that Captain Baroque once owned was located. Specifically, it was the mine where the Silver Dragon was sleeping.

Phoenix’s intention was clear. He was going to throw Siegfried at that island like a missile and then fulfill his duty as a Dragon Slayer.

‘No way in hell will I let you!’

Siegfried started panicking. The closer they got to the island, the stronger Phoenix would become. When they reached the island, Siegfried would be completely out of options.

It was not an exaggeration to say that it would be the end for him.

However, this was not the real problem.

Phoenix was protected by his Hyper Armor buff, so he could not be stopped. Moreover, being in midair made it difficult for Siegfried to use his debuff fields, leaving him even more helpless.

‘Damn it! Think! Think…!’

Time was not on his side, and at this speed, even a split-second mattered.

Unfortunately, Phoenix’s Hyper Armor buff made it nearly impossible to find a solution.

‘Absolute Zero is still on cooldown. What else can I use? I can’t use any debuffs in the air… damn it! There has to be a way!’

Then, an idea struck him.

‘It’s risky, but I’ve got no other choice.’

Without wasting a second, Siegfried quickly transformed his +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a sharp drill-like weapon. Then, he used Shakiro’s secret technique, Lightning, and drove the drill into Phoenix’s abdomen with all his might.

Thunk!

The weapon pierced through Phoenix’s Hyper Armor and embedded itself deep into his abdomen.

“...!”

Phoenix’s eyes shot wide open in shock at the unexpected counterattack.

‘W-What is this?!’

Then, a surge of massive energy flooded into Phoenix’s body through the drill head lodged in him.

Three.

Two.

One.

KABOOM!

Siegfried infused his mana into Phoenix’s body and triggered Splitting Heaven and Earth from within, causing a massive eruption from within the latter.

Shwooosh!

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Phoenix lost all momentum, and his figure plummeted toward the ocean below.

Although he hadn't exploded into pieces, the attack inflicted devastating damage on him, leaving him unconscious for a brief moment.

‘Now’s my chance!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly.

Seizing the opening, he grabbed Phoenix and redirected his trajectory away from the island.

‘This damn monster is still alive after that?!’

While crashing, he could not help but gawk at Phoenix’s absurd durability. Despite having Splitting Heaven and Earth detonate inside him, Phoenix had only been knocked unconscious.

However, this was not the time to dwell on such matters, as he had to fly as far as possible from the island where Silver Dragon was slumbering.

The key to weakening a Dragon Slayer was simple—distance.

A Dragon Slayer would become weaker the farther they were from a dragon.

***

Siegfried soared through the sky and flew as fast as he could with Phoenix, who was knocked unconscious, in tow. His speed matched the supersonic speeds that Phoenix had flown at earlier.

How?

This was only possible because Siegfried channeled all of his mana into his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit, pushing it to its absolute limit.

They passed the site of the naval battle and crossed across the Wailing Canyon. He flew beyond the borders of the Green Isles until eventually reaching a nameless, desolate island roughly one hundred fifty kilometers away from the Green Isles.

Only after reaching the island did he finally let go of Phoenix…

Boom!

Phoenix crashed into the island’s white sandy beach with enough force to create a crater more than three meters deep.

“Damn… This guy just doesn’t die, does he?” Siegfried grumbled, his eyes narrowing as he observed Phoenix.

Even after sustaining injuries severe enough to knock him unconscious and a fall from a height of over two hundred meters while traveling at supersonic speeds, Phoenix was somehow still alive.

The Dragon Slayer’s tenacity was truly beyond belief, and this only made Siegfried certain not to let his guard down just because they were far from the Silver Dragon.

‘I need to finish this once and for all.’

Siegfried wasted no time. He immediately placed down Blaze Field and Shadow Hell to stack layers of debuff on the Dragon Slayer.

Then, he decisively activated the Grand Duel.

Krwaaaang!

The Barrier of Victory shot up from the sandy beach, engulfing Siegfried and Phoenix.

“Ugh…”

Phoenix groaned, shaken awake from the tremors as the Barrier of Victory manifested.

“Cough! Cough!”

He hacked up a mouthful of blood as he trembled in agony. Then, he clawed his way out of the crater.

Was it because he was now far from the Silver Dragon?

The image of Garuda that had taken over him was nowhere to be found, and he looked significantly weaker than earlier.

“You finally awake?” Siegfried taunted.

“...Captain Drake. Cough! Cough!” Phoenix rasped while coughing up heaps of blood again.

“Time to finish this,” Siegfried said nonchalantly.

Without giving Phoenix a chance to recover, he began channeling Touch of Death.

“W-Wait!” Phoenix shouted out of desperation. His instincts warned him when he saw the mana gathering within Siegfried’s weapon. “Captain Drake! Listen to me first!”

“What?”

“L-Let’s make a deal!”

“A deal? What kind of deal?”

“I’ll give up hunting the Silver Dragon on this island! And from now on, every time I hunt a dragon, I’ll hand over their corpses to you!”

“...Eh?”

Siegfried’s eyes widened at the offer, and he unknowingly lowered his arm. The offer was so good that he was now hesitating whether to swing his weapon or not, even though he had resolved himself never to drop his guard against Phoenix.

“Did you just say… you will hunt dragons for me?” he asked.

“Y-Yes!” Phoenix stammered, nodding frivolously.

“And you’ll keep doing it? Indefinitely?”

“Of course!”

“Hmm… Hmm… Hmmmmmm…”

Siegfried fell into a dilemma. The proposal was indeed tempting, as having a Dragon Slayer hunt dragons and deliver their remains to him would rake in profit beyond anything he could ever imagine.

This business arrangement might potentially even elevate Siegfried to the level of a financial mogul not only in the Nurburg Continent but also in the real world.

“Hey, are you sure? Are you serious?”

“I only care about killing dragons! I have no use for their remains! What you do with them is none of my concern!”

“But why…?”

“Because dragons deserve to die!”

“...Come again?”

“The Creator created Dragon Slayers like me to keep the dragons in check.”

“Uh-huh…?”

“The dragons had committed unforgivable sins in the past, so they are creatures that must be punished. I exist as Garuda’s avatar to deliver the punishment that the dragons justly deserve. I am not hunting dragons for the money.”

“What do you mean by that? Care to elaborate?”

“There is a history no one remembers anymore, Captain Drake. A long time ago…”

Phoenix began to explain why Dragon Slayers were hunting down dragons, why dragons deserved to die, and the truth behind their existence. As he recounted his story, it became clear to Siegfried this was tied to a pivotal event in the history of the continent.

The Crusade for Freedom—the very crusade that led to the downfall of the religious order that was devoted to worshiping the Creator.