“What’s that?”
Siegfried narrowed his eyes and inspected the creature that shot out from the well.
“Isn’t that the scumbag? But what’s wrong with his skin color?”
The creature that shot out of the well after Carell was none other than Salvatore.
There was something strange about his appearance, and it was clear he was no longer the same Salvatore.
His skin was dark purple, both of his eyes were pitch black, and his blood vessels were prominently bulging all over his body.
From his appearance alone, it became clear that he had been possessed by something.
“Did you do this to him, Carell?” Siegfried asked.
“Your Majesty—“
“Carell!”
“That guy... is extremely strong. H-He is a demon...!”
“Huh?”
Siegfried flashed his Rune of Insight at Salvatore.
[Salvatore van Valencia]
[The ex-lord of the Valencia Territory who is now a fugitive.]
[He was infamous for being a tyrant.]
[He is currently under the influence of Demon Sword: Swarm.]
[Type: NPC]
[Race: Half Human Half Demon]
[Level: 260]
[Titles: Bloodsucking Tyrant, Ambitious Man, Slave of Ambition, Evil Lord, Valencia’s Leech, Embodiment of Greed]
It turned out that Salvatore had really become a demon!
Sseuuu...!
On top of that, his body was exuding a sinister aura now that he was possessed by the Demon Sword: Swarm.
“Oh?” Siegfried raised a brow and scoffed in disbelief after reading the details provided by his Rune of Insight. Then, he grumbled, “Hey, there’s a limit to things, you know? Ah... This is such a hassle...!”
Siegfried was glaring at Salvatore with eyes full of disdain right now.
He already loathed the man, but his actions made him even more unbearable. Who knew he possessed a demon sword and would sell his soul to a demon?
“Your Majesty... The well is connected to the Valencia family’s treasure room... and that is where he got the sword...” Carell said while panting.
Siegfried scoffed and replied, “Just sit tight and rest. I’m not curious how that guy got stronger—Wait, what? D-Did you just say treasure room...?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I-I’m loving the sound of that...!”
Siegfried’s ears perked up at the mention of the treasure room.
The Valencia Family were blood relatives of the Emporio Kingdom’s royal family, which meant they were royalty themselves.
They did not have a close relationship with the royal family due to some political issues, but they were, without a shred of doubt, bound by blood with the royal family.
What was the treasure room of such a family going to look like?
It was definitely going to be filled with expensive items and mountains of gold!
‘Oh! Jackpot! Jack pissing in the freakin’ poooot!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly as dollar signs flashed in his eyes.
If he were to kill Salvatore here and now without anyone knowing, then he could take everything of value in the treasure room for himself!
“Who knew I would run into—“ Siegfried muttered with a grin.
It was then.
“What lowly fools.”
Salvatore’s insidious voice interrupted Siegfried’s happy daydream.
“Oscar... you’re still alive...? Keke! I should’ve wrangled your neck and decapitated you!” he said with a snicker while looking at her. “What a stupid wench. Kekeke! You should’ve just run away. Did you really think you could stop me if you brought your friends? You just led them to their deaths! Keke! Kekeke!”
“...”
“Haven’t you considered that I left you because of how foolish you—“
Chwaaak!
Salvatore was unable to finish his words as Oscar struck and cut his mouth with her sword.
“Stop running your filthy mouth,” she said.
But...
“Keke... How ferocious.”
Salvatore’s mouth regenerated instantaneously; his regeneration speed was almost as fast as a troll’s regeneration speed.
“But you can’t beat me. No one can! No one can stop my grand ambition!”
“I will stop you,” Oscar growled in response as she tightly clenched her sword.
“Will you be alright, Dame Oscar?” Siegfried asked, seemingly worried.
Salvatore was currently possessed by a demon sword, after all. In addition, it hadn't been that long since Oscar got her Burning NPC buff, which meant that she wasn't exactly powerful yet.
“Your Majesty, please let me finish this with my own hands.”
“No.”
“But Your Majesty...”
“I do not wish to see you get hurt, Dame Oscar,” Siegfried said with a shake of his head.
“Let me help you,” he added.
“Pardon me?”
“You can fight him one-on-one, but I will be helping you. That should be fair, right? He’s using a demon sword while you have nothing, so it’s only right for us to level the playing field, right?”
Siegfried was right.
Salvatore was currently borrowing his strength from Demon Sword: Swarm, which meant that this wasn't a fair fight.
“Your Majesty...”
“I hereby command you to go and—“ Siegfried said. He swiped his thumb across his neck and added, “Do this.”
“...”
“Hurry.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Oscar replied with a bow before she walked toward Salvatore.
***
“These crazy imbeciles... You will do what to me? Keke! You need a good beating to bring you back—“
Fwaaaa! Fwaaaaah!
Flames shot up from the ground and engulfed Salvatore.
Swoosh!
Shadows emerged from the ground and held him down.
It was the combination of Blaze Field and Shadow Swamp!
“You got this, Dame Oscar!”
“Yes! Your Majesty!” Oscar enthusiastically replied as dashed toward her opponent.
“Your dare!” Salvatore exclaimed as he swung Demon Sword: Swarm.
Unfortunately, Salvatore couldn't exert his full strength inside Siegfried’s debuff fields.
Clang!
Oscar’s sword and the Demon Sword: Swarm collided.
“...!”
And Salvatore was flung back at least three meters from a single blow.
“What in the...”
“Die,” Oscar uttered as she went on the offensive.
“You wench!” Salvatore shouted as he viciously swung his sword.
Sseuuuu...!
The Demon Sword: Swarm unleashed a thick black cloud of smoke and surrounded Oscar. No, it tried to surround Oscar.
Wooong!
Siegfried used Waves of Oppression to interfere with the demon sword’s skill.
However, that was not the end of it.
He used another debuff to shred Salvatore’s Attack Damage.
The result was...
[Salvatore van Valencia]
[HP: ??????????]
Oscar easily gained the upper hand thanks to Siegfried’s debuff fields. Of course, Siegfried wasn't just an off-field support.
“Oops~! My hand slipped!”
Siegfried would pretend that he had made a mistake and throw a projectile at Salvatore from time to time. The projectiles were not that strong, but it was more than enough to disrupt Salvatore’s movements and create openings for Oscar.
Shwik!
A projectile lodged itself into Salvatore’s thigh and...
Slash!
Oscar’s sword cut across his chest.
Splash!
A fountain of black blood spurted out from the wound.
“Keep the pressure up, Dame Oscar!” Siegfried shouted excitedly.
“Yes! Your Majesty!” Oscar shouted in response as she continued to unleash a barrage of attacks at Salvatore.
Siegfried proudly smiled while watching Oscar fight. He then smirked arrogantly and muttered, “Hohoho! So this is how Chae Hyung-Seok felt all this while... If I’m not a god, then what am I?”
He finally understood how Chae Hyung-Seok and the Buffers felt whenever they dictated the flow of the battle from the backlines.
The Debuff Master was a Physical Damage nuker, but his debuff skills made him influence the fight much more than a Buffer would. After all, his debuff skills were so powerful that they made the buff of the God of Buffers, Chae Hyung-Seok, obsolete.
The Graduate Gears, Master’s Necklace, and Master’s Amulet he had obtained from the Sky Tower had increased the power of his debuff fields exponentially. The strength that Salvatore had obtained from the demon sword was useless before Siegfried.
‘Let’s end this as soon as possible and raid the treasure room! Woo-hoo!’ Siegfried cheered inwardly.
“Dame Oscar! Get back!”
“Yes! Your Majesty!”
Oscar jumped back as soon as Siegfried gave the signal.
Sseuuu!
And he used Absolute Zero...
Flash!
A bright light flashed, and Salvatore was frozen.
‘I wonder how much that demon sword is going to fetch? It looks very expensive...’ Siegfried wondered while looking at the Demon Sword: Swarm in the now frozen Salvatore’s hand.
“It’s time to end this, Dame Oscar.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Oscar no longer seemed to have any lingering feelings as she walked toward Salvatore without an ounce of hesitation. Then, she swung her sword as hard as she could at Salvatore’s neck.
Everything was going to be nothing but a distant memory once she cut his head off.
Shwiiik!
Her sword was about to decapitate the frozen man’s head.
Crackle!
The sound of glass breaking reverberated as a black pillar of flame shot up from the ground.
***
“Kyah!” Oscar screamed as she was flung back.
“Dame Oscar!” Siegfried rushed over to her and helped her up.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-Your Majesty... Keuk...!”
Oscar was in agony as black flames engulfed her body, just like Carell. It seemed that the pillar of flame just now had inflicted some sort of magic burn on whoever touched it.
‘But what was that?’ Siegfried looked back at the pillar of black flame.
Absolute Zero was not a skill that could be easily broken.
However, it actually shattered like nothing just now.
‘How?’
Siegfried observed Salvatore after he broke free from Absolute Zero, but...
[Chaos]
[One of the high-ranking demons in the demon realm and a loyal servant of the Demon King Ignito’s son, Metatron.]
[He is possessing Salvatore van Valencia’s body through the Demon Sword: Swarm.]
[Type: NPC]
[Race: Demon]
[Level: 299]
[Class: Demon Smoker]
[Titles: Loyal Demon, Big Picture Painter]
The one that broke Absolute Zero turned out to be not Salvatore but the demon he was contracted to through the Demon Sword: Swarm, Chaos.
“Heup...!”
Chaos took a deep breath.
“The air is nice here. Hohoho! How long has it been since this body of mine has ascended into this world?”
The demon repeatedly breathed in and out as he thoroughly enjoyed the air.
There were three ways a demon could appear on the Nürberg Continent.
The first was to cross through the door connecting the continent and the Demon Realm, the second was to be summoned through a ritual, and the third was to enter into a contract with a human through an artifact.
There were pros and cons in each of these methods.
The first method was the easiest, but the demon would only be able to use five percent of its original strength. The second method would adjust the demon’s strength depending on the summoner's strength.
However, it was different for the third method.
The third method allowed the demon to use its full power, and it did not matter how weak or powerful the summoner was, as the main catalyst would be the artifact. As such, most of the demons preferred to get summoned through an artifact acting as a catalyst, as it would allow them to use their full strength and easily seize the summoner's body for themselves.
Chaos had been roaming the Nürberg Continent all alone without any artifact or summoner as he had to fulfill the mission given by Metatron, and being summoned through the Demon Sword: Swarm was a huge breath of fresh air for him.
‘Hoho! Serving my lord will become much easier from now on!’ Chaos thought with a grin. Then, his gaze landed on the human standing in his way.
“What’s that?”
Siegfried narrowed his eyes and inspected the creature that shot out from the well.
“Isn’t that the scumbag? But what’s wrong with his skin color?”
The creature that shot out of the well after Carell was none other than Salvatore.
There was something strange about his appearance, and it was clear he was no longer the same Salvatore.
His skin was dark purple, both of his eyes were pitch black, and his blood vessels were prominently bulging all over his body.
From his appearance alone, it became clear that he had been possessed by something.
“Did you do this to him, Carell?” Siegfried asked.
“Your Majesty—“
“Carell!”
“That guy... is extremely strong. H-He is a demon...!”
“Huh?”
Siegfried flashed his Rune of Insight at Salvatore.
[Salvatore van Valencia]
[The ex-lord of the Valencia Territory who is now a fugitive.]
[He was infamous for being a tyrant.]
[He is currently under the influence of Demon Sword: Swarm.]
[Type: NPC]
[Race: Half Human Half Demon]
[Level: 260]
[Titles: Bloodsucking Tyrant, Ambitious Man, Slave of Ambition, Evil Lord, Valencia’s Leech, Embodiment of Greed]
It turned out that Salvatore had really become a demon!
Sseuuu...!
On top of that, his body was exuding a sinister aura now that he was possessed by the Demon Sword: Swarm.
“Oh?” Siegfried raised a brow and scoffed in disbelief after reading the details provided by his Rune of Insight. Then, he grumbled, “Hey, there’s a limit to things, you know? Ah... This is such a hassle...!”
Siegfried was glaring at Salvatore with eyes full of disdain right now.
He already loathed the man, but his actions made him even more unbearable. Who knew he possessed a demon sword and would sell his soul to a demon?
“Your Majesty... The well is connected to the Valencia family’s treasure room... and that is where he got the sword...” Carell said while panting.
Siegfried scoffed and replied, “Just sit tight and rest. I’m not curious how that guy got stronger—Wait, what? D-Did you just say treasure room...?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I-I’m loving the sound of that...!”
Siegfried’s ears perked up at the mention of the treasure room.
The Valencia Family were blood relatives of the Emporio Kingdom’s royal family, which meant they were royalty themselves.
They did not have a close relationship with the royal family due to some political issues, but they were, without a shred of doubt, bound by blood with the royal family.
What was the treasure room of such a family going to look like?
It was definitely going to be filled with expensive items and mountains of gold!
‘Oh! Jackpot! Jack pissing in the freakin’ poooot!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly as dollar signs flashed in his eyes.
If he were to kill Salvatore here and now without anyone knowing, then he could take everything of value in the treasure room for himself!
“Who knew I would run into—“ Siegfried muttered with a grin.
It was then.
“What lowly fools.”
Salvatore’s insidious voice interrupted Siegfried’s happy daydream.
“Oscar... you’re still alive...? Keke! I should’ve wrangled your neck and decapitated you!” he said with a snicker while looking at her. “What a stupid wench. Kekeke! You should’ve just run away. Did you really think you could stop me if you brought your friends? You just led them to their deaths! Keke! Kekeke!”
“...”
“Haven’t you considered that I left you because of how foolish you—“
Chwaaak!
Salvatore was unable to finish his words as Oscar struck and cut his mouth with her sword.
“Stop running your filthy mouth,” she said.
But...
“Keke... How ferocious.”
Salvatore’s mouth regenerated instantaneously; his regeneration speed was almost as fast as a troll’s regeneration speed.
“But you can’t beat me. No one can! No one can stop my grand ambition!”
“I will stop you,” Oscar growled in response as she tightly clenched her sword.
“Will you be alright, Dame Oscar?” Siegfried asked, seemingly worried.
Salvatore was currently possessed by a demon sword, after all. In addition, it hadn't been that long since Oscar got her Burning NPC buff, which meant that she wasn't exactly powerful yet.
“Your Majesty, please let me finish this with my own hands.”
“No.”
“But Your Majesty...”
“I do not wish to see you get hurt, Dame Oscar,” Siegfried said with a shake of his head.
“Let me help you,” he added.
“Pardon me?”
“You can fight him one-on-one, but I will be helping you. That should be fair, right? He’s using a demon sword while you have nothing, so it’s only right for us to level the playing field, right?”
Siegfried was right.
Salvatore was currently borrowing his strength from Demon Sword: Swarm, which meant that this wasn't a fair fight.
“Your Majesty...”
“I hereby command you to go and—“ Siegfried said. He swiped his thumb across his neck and added, “Do this.”
“...”
“Hurry.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Oscar replied with a bow before she walked toward Salvatore.
***
“These crazy imbeciles... You will do what to me? Keke! You need a good beating to bring you back—“
Fwaaaa! Fwaaaaah!
Flames shot up from the ground and engulfed Salvatore.
Swoosh!
Shadows emerged from the ground and held him down.
It was the combination of Blaze Field and Shadow Swamp!
“You got this, Dame Oscar!”
“Yes! Your Majesty!” Oscar enthusiastically replied as dashed toward her opponent.
“Your dare!” Salvatore exclaimed as he swung Demon Sword: Swarm.
Unfortunately, Salvatore couldn't exert his full strength inside Siegfried’s debuff fields.
Clang!
Oscar’s sword and the Demon Sword: Swarm collided.
“...!”
And Salvatore was flung back at least three meters from a single blow.
“What in the...”
“Die,” Oscar uttered as she went on the offensive.
“You wench!” Salvatore shouted as he viciously swung his sword.
Sseuuuu...!
The Demon Sword: Swarm unleashed a thick black cloud of smoke and surrounded Oscar. No, it tried to surround Oscar.
Wooong!
Siegfried used Waves of Oppression to interfere with the demon sword’s skill.
However, that was not the end of it.
He used another debuff to shred Salvatore’s Attack Damage.
The result was...
[Salvatore van Valencia]
[HP: ??????????]
Oscar easily gained the upper hand thanks to Siegfried’s debuff fields. Of course, Siegfried wasn't just an off-field support.
“Oops~! My hand slipped!”
Siegfried would pretend that he had made a mistake and throw a projectile at Salvatore from time to time. The projectiles were not that strong, but it was more than enough to disrupt Salvatore’s movements and create openings for Oscar.
Shwik!
A projectile lodged itself into Salvatore’s thigh and...
Slash!
Oscar’s sword cut across his chest.
Splash!
A fountain of black blood spurted out from the wound.
“Keep the pressure up, Dame Oscar!” Siegfried shouted excitedly.
“Yes! Your Majesty!” Oscar shouted in response as she continued to unleash a barrage of attacks at Salvatore.
Siegfried proudly smiled while watching Oscar fight. He then smirked arrogantly and muttered, “Hohoho! So this is how Chae Hyung-Seok felt all this while... If I’m not a god, then what am I?”
He finally understood how Chae Hyung-Seok and the Buffers felt whenever they dictated the flow of the battle from the backlines.
The Debuff Master was a Physical Damage nuker, but his debuff skills made him influence the fight much more than a Buffer would. After all, his debuff skills were so powerful that they made the buff of the God of Buffers, Chae Hyung-Seok, obsolete.
The Graduate Gears, Master’s Necklace, and Master’s Amulet he had obtained from the Sky Tower had increased the power of his debuff fields exponentially. The strength that Salvatore had obtained from the demon sword was useless before Siegfried.
‘Let’s end this as soon as possible and raid the treasure room! Woo-hoo!’ Siegfried cheered inwardly.
“Dame Oscar! Get back!”
“Yes! Your Majesty!”
Oscar jumped back as soon as Siegfried gave the signal.
Sseuuu!
And he used Absolute Zero...
Flash!
A bright light flashed, and Salvatore was frozen.
‘I wonder how much that demon sword is going to fetch? It looks very expensive...’ Siegfried wondered while looking at the Demon Sword: Swarm in the now frozen Salvatore’s hand.
“It’s time to end this, Dame Oscar.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Oscar no longer seemed to have any lingering feelings as she walked toward Salvatore without an ounce of hesitation. Then, she swung her sword as hard as she could at Salvatore’s neck.
Everything was going to be nothing but a distant memory once she cut his head off.
Shwiiik!
Her sword was about to decapitate the frozen man’s head.
Crackle!
The sound of glass breaking reverberated as a black pillar of flame shot up from the ground.
***
“Kyah!” Oscar screamed as she was flung back.
“Dame Oscar!” Siegfried rushed over to her and helped her up.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-Your Majesty... Keuk...!”
Oscar was in agony as black flames engulfed her body, just like Carell. It seemed that the pillar of flame just now had inflicted some sort of magic burn on whoever touched it.
‘But what was that?’ Siegfried looked back at the pillar of black flame.
Absolute Zero was not a skill that could be easily broken.
However, it actually shattered like nothing just now.
‘How?’
Siegfried observed Salvatore after he broke free from Absolute Zero, but...
[Chaos]
[One of the high-ranking demons in the demon realm and a loyal servant of the Demon King Ignito’s son, Metatron.]
[He is possessing Salvatore van Valencia’s body through the Demon Sword: Swarm.]
[Type: NPC]
[Race: Demon]
[Level: 299]
[Class: Demon Smoker]
[Titles: Loyal Demon, Big Picture Painter]
The one that broke Absolute Zero turned out to be not Salvatore but the demon he was contracted to through the Demon Sword: Swarm, Chaos.
“Heup...!”
Chaos took a deep breath.
“The air is nice here. Hohoho! How long has it been since this body of mine has ascended into this world?”
The demon repeatedly breathed in and out as he thoroughly enjoyed the air.
There were three ways a demon could appear on the Nürberg Continent.
The first was to cross through the door connecting the continent and the Demon Realm, the second was to be summoned through a ritual, and the third was to enter into a contract with a human through an artifact.
There were pros and cons in each of these methods.
The first method was the easiest, but the demon would only be able to use five percent of its original strength. The second method would adjust the demon’s strength depending on the summoner's strength.
However, it was different for the third method.
The third method allowed the demon to use its full power, and it did not matter how weak or powerful the summoner was, as the main catalyst would be the artifact. As such, most of the demons preferred to get summoned through an artifact acting as a catalyst, as it would allow them to use their full strength and easily seize the summoner's body for themselves.
Chaos had been roaming the Nürberg Continent all alone without any artifact or summoner as he had to fulfill the mission given by Metatron, and being summoned through the Demon Sword: Swarm was a huge breath of fresh air for him.
‘Hoho! Serving my lord will become much easier from now on!’ Chaos thought with a grin. Then, his gaze landed on the human standing in his way.
