Chapter 846

Gosran was truly Siegfried’s natural predator, as she relentlessly drove him into a corner.

Swiiish! Swiiish! Swiish!

The arrows fired by her tore through the air like bullets and homed in on him with pinpoint accuracy.

“

Argh!”

All Siegfried could do was transform his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield to protect himself, as even attempting to approach Gosran was entirely out of the question.

“I’m done holding back. I’m going to get serious now,” Gosran said before nocking an arrow into her bowstring.

Sseuuu...!

The arrowhead emitted an icy-blue chill that radiated a cold aura. This skill was known as Arctic Arrow, a frozen projectile capable of freezing its target in sub-zero temperatures.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Gosran fired one Arctic Arrow after another at Siegfried’s shield like a machine gun. The speed of the projectiles was so overwhelming that Siegfried could not even attempt to evade the incoming arrows.

“D-Damn it! I’m the one who’s supposed to apply slows, not—

argh!”

Siegfried gnashed his teeth out of frustration while holding onto his shield tightly.

C-Crack...!

In an instant, frost began creeping along the surface of his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp. It spread until it reached the inner handle where Siegfried’s hands were located.

The freezing chill sent waves of pain surging through his hands as if threatening to rip his hands apart with frostbite.

However, Siegfried refused to let go. He knew all too well that letting go of his shield would mean instant death, as he would be riddled with arrows like a pincushion before plummeting to his doom.

However, Gosran was not about to let up.

Flash!

In an instant, she teleported behind Siegfried.

She was a ranged combatant, but she didn't shy away from close combat. She seized the opening she had created using Arctic Arrows and attacked Siegfried from behind without any hesitation.

“...!”

Siegfried’s eyes widened in shock.

Bam!

Gosran slammed her bow across Siegfried’s back.

“

Gahh!”

Blood spurted from Siegfried's mouth, and he was sent tumbling forward from the impact. He spiraled downward in freefall. The blow disrupted his flow of mana that was sustaining his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit, leaving him defenseless as he plummeted toward the ground.

Siegfried’s descent was rapid and dangerous.

“...”

Gosran watched his freefall and was conflicted about her next move.

What if he ended up crashing into the ground?

At the very least, he would suffer severe injuries.

However, holding back was not an option either, as their agreement to fight without holding back lingered in her mind.

‘

What should I do?’

Gosran hesitated momentarily.

However, she soon shook that thought off. She knew that Siegfried wouldn't want pity or restraint. What he wanted was a real duel—one that would decide either life or death.

Thus, she nocked another arrow and let it loose.

Shwiiiik!

Even while falling, Siegfried twisted himself in midair to barely evade the attack. It was a remarkable display of reflex and physical prowess.

Unfortunately, that was his limit.

BAAAM!

Siegfried crashed into the ground upon failing to regain control over his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit.

‘

It’s time to finish this,’

Gosran thought. Gritting her teeth, she drew multiple arrows from her enchanted quiver. Then, she pulled her bowstring all the way back before releasing the arrows.

Shwiiik! Shwiiik! Shwiiik!

A volley of arrows rained from above, targeting the area where Siegfried had crashed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kaboom!

The arrows detonated the moment they touched the ground, creating a massive mushroom cloud of flames and destruction that rose to pervade the skies.

The skill was known as Napalm Arrow, and it was a devastating area of effect skill that engulfed everything in its radius with insatiable flames.

***

Fwaaah! Fwaaaah!

“

Ugh...!”

Siegfried struggled to his feet amidst the searing inferno; his fleshly body was battered and burned beyond recognition.

[Siegfried van Proa]

[HP: ⬛⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜]

[Mana: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬜]

[Stamina: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬜]

The onslaught of Napalm Arrows would have undoubtedly killed him if he hadn't activated the third stage of Overclocking during his fall.

‘

I can’t even get close to her...’

Siegfried clenched his teeth as the harsh reality became clear. He was no match against Gosran. ‘

Even if I close the distance... it’s useless. Argh... I can’t even debuff her.’

Gosran’s ability to teleport at will gave her an overwhelming advantage that allowed her to effortlessly maintain her distance against enemies.

What she was doing was not simply spamming a bunch of overpowered skills. This was the art of kiting, a technique where a ranged combatant would systematically maintain space while chipping away at their target.

There was absolutely nothing Siegfried could do against such an enemy.

Even if he somehow managed to close the gap and place down Blaze Field and Shadow Hell, Gosran could simply blink out of his debuff fields in an instant.

In other words, Gosran was immune to Siegfried’s most powerful weapon, his debuffs.

‘Somehow... I need to get close enough to use Absolute Zero. That’s my only option.’

He knew what he had to do to wine, but it was an uphill battle. One that required a brute-force approach rather than a solid strategy.

As much as he hated to admit it, this was the best he could do within the limitations of his current skills.

‘

The biggest weakness of my debuff... is that the fields are fixed in place. If the enemy leaves the field, then my debuffs are useless. For this to change... the field has to move with me. The debuff field must revolve around me—’

Ding!

A string of messages popped up before Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: You have leveled up!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 300!]

[Alert: All stats have permanently increased by 20%!]

[Alert: Awakening!]

[Alert: Class: Debuff Master has been upgraded!]

A new world unfolded before him.

***

“...You’re really strong,” Gosran grumbled, clicking her tongue as she watched Siegfried rise to his feet.

Even the strongest of tanks would have died instantly after falling from such a height. In addition to the fall damage, the bombardment of Napalm Arrows ought to have dealt fatal damage, too.

However, Siegfried managed to get back up to his feet, using his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp as a crutch.

The resilience he showed was nothing short of miraculous.

‘

Still... A promise is a promise,’

Gosran thought, recalling her agreement with Siegfried.

She nocked another arrow into her bowstring and drew it.

Flash!

A dazzling light erupted from Siegfried, forcing Gosran to shield her eyes from the glare.

“...!”

Gosran stared at him, utterly stunned after recognizing the light.

The aura enveloping Siegfried would appear during Awakening, a phenomenon that would happen whenever an Adventurer had transcended their limits to earn a new class.

In other words...

‘

H-He broke through the wall?!’

Gosran realized that Siegfried had just overcome the

wall

—the barrier separating ordinary people from extraordinary people. She flashed her Rune of Insight at Siegfried and confirmed that he was no longer the Debuff Master.

[Lord of Despair]

[An entity that brings boundless despair to his enemies.]

[Anyone who dares to face the Lord of Despair will feel as if they have been plunged into the deepest depths of hell. They will be overcome by crippling helplessness and will spiral into bottomless despair.]

[Type: Physical Damage Dealer]

[Class Type: Hidden Class]

[Rank: Master]

Siegfried had awakened as the Lord of Despair after shattering through the wall and reaching Level 300.

More importantly, he had become a Master.

“Let’s keep going,” Siegfried said; his voice was calm but more resolute than before.

“Ah! Yes!” Gosran replied eagerly, as she wanted to see what he was now capable of.

“Here I come.”

“Come at me whenever you’re ready.”

Boom!

Siegfried shot forward like a bullet, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

‘

H-He’s fast!’

Gosran barely managed to react by activating her teleport skill to widen the distance between them. She did what she did best, which was to kite her opponents from a safe range.

Unfortunately for her, Siegfried was faster this time around.

Boom!

As soon as she disappeared, Siegfried adjusted his trajectory mid-flight and chased her down.

“...!”

Gosran panicked and immediately teleported in quick succession, but Siegfried seemed to be capable of predicting her destination, as he was always chasing after her.

It was a terrifying display of speed. She could not shake him off no matter how many times she teleported away.

‘

I need to go as far away as possible.’

Gosran pushed her teleportation skill to its maximum range, but even that distance was shortened in an instant by Siegfried’s speed.

Siegfried’s stats had been permanently boosted by twenty percent after transcending the wall and becoming a Master, so his speed had transcended ordinary Adventurers.

This was the reason a Level 299 Adventurer could never hope to beat a Level 300 Adventurer. The gap in their stats alone was insurmountable, even though the difference was just a single level.

“Gotcha!” Siegfried exclaimed, appearing right in front of Gosran’s face.

‘

N-No! I have to get away!’

Gosran cried out inwardly, desperately trying to fly away.

Unfortunately, it was too late for her.

Rumble!

A stream of black aura shot out from Siegfried, staining the surroundings in a pitch-black hue.

“...!”

Gosran’s eyes widened in horror as thousands of shadowy hands stretched out from within the black aura.

This was not an illusion, and neither were they Siegfried’s hands. They were manifestations of the black aura itself. The writhing darkness formed into what looked like thousands of hands, and they were all reaching out toward her.

Seuk! Seuk!

The shadowy hands wrapped around Gosran, binding her tightly.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: Your character has been restrained!]

But that was not the end of it...

“Gwuuu Oooh...!”

“Come... with us... to the abyss of endless despair...”

Chilling voices echoed from within the black aura as the hands gripped Gosran with overwhelming strength.

***

The Demon Realm was home to countless demons, and the vast realm was divided into numerous domains. One of them was Domain 7, and it was being ruled by the Demon Lord of Vengeance, Vernas.

The atmosphere of Domain 7 had grown increasingly tense over the years. Truth be told, it had been declining in power over the past four hundred fifty years, and it was now ranked at the very bottom among all of the domains.

The reason?

The Demon Lord of Vengeance, Vernas, had led an invasion into the human realm four and a half centuries ago, only to be utterly defeated by a human hero. After suffering such a humiliating defeat at the hands of a mere mortal, he was forcibly recalled to the Demon Realm.

Since then, Vernas had spent the last four hundred fifty years bedridden. The damage inflicted by the human hero was so severe that staying alive was already a struggle for him.

However, it seemed that Vernas’ struggle for survival was finally nearing its end.

Vernas, lying sick in his bed, asked his children in a frail voice, “...Have you still not found the Avenger?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

None of his children dared to answer him.

Over the past four hundred and fifty years, countless demons had ventured into the human realm in search of the Demonic Sword: Avenger, but none of them managed to return with it.

“My sons, my daughters... I do not have much time left. The time given to me... is no more than six months to a year at most—

cough! Cough! Cough!”

Vernas said, his voice was weak and was trembling.

His words were cut short as he coughed up blood and convulsed violently.

“F-Father!”

“Father, no!”

His children cried out and rushed to his bedside.

He had been weak and frail for centuries now, but this was the first time he was in this much agony. He also hadn't coughed up this much blood before, which meant that he was indeed on the brink of death.

“Deus... if only it weren’t for that accursed wretched human–

argh!”

Vernato growled through his clenched teeth, cursing the name of the human hero who was the reason he was in this state.

Even though he was the Demon Lord of Vengeance, Vernas was unable to exact any form of retribution against Deus. No, it was more like he believed it was impossible to exact vengeance against him.

After all, the mere mortal was most likely long dead, and his body had to have been reduced to dust and bones beneath the ruthless passage of time.

At that moment, Baroque stepped forward.

“Father!”

As Vernas’ second son, Baroque was the closest contender to inherit the throne as the next Demon Lord.

“You must stay strong, father! You are a mighty demon lord!”

“My son...” Vernas muttered, turning his fading eyes to him. Then, he asked, “Where is your elder brother...?”

“F-Father...”

Baroque’s anger raged inside of him when his father, even on his deathbed, was still looking for his firstborn son.

“Is he... still missing?”

“Yes, father. My brother’s whereabouts are still unknown.”

However, Baroque knew exactly where Metatron was and what he was doing, but he had decided to hide the truth.

Why?

It was all because Metatron was the apple of Vernas' eye as well as a constant source of pain and regret.

“That fool... I wonder where he is and what he’s doing...” Vernas growled under his breath.

Even as he neared death, Vernas was still worried about Metatron.

Perhaps it was true, as they said, that people would reflect on their past mistakes once death drew close to them. Vernas shed a tear as memories of his harsh treatment of his firstborn flooded his mind.

Metatron.

The son he had once hoped would grow into a competent and ruthless demon befitting his role as the eldest. Instead of growing into half of that, he was clumsy and inept, always falling short of his father’s expectations.

Back then, Vernas scolded and punished him harshly, thinking that it would motivate him to improve. But looking back, he couldn't help but be filled with guilt.

He had simply done his duty as a demon lord, but as a father, he had been far too cruel.