Ten minutes had passed since Siegfried disappeared after following Chaos.
“Kyu! Leonid Ajusshi!” Hamchi called out to the Master clinging to the ceiling just like the Mutated Three-Legged Octopuses.
“Hmm?”
“Come down! Owner punk is gone!”
Thud!
Leonid jumped down and asked, “You want us to follow him?”
“Kyu! That’s right! I’m worried about owner punk! We should follow him!”
“But how can we find our way? This labyrinth can trap us forever if we take one wrong turn. Siegfried has the compass and the map, right? Why don’t we just stay put for now?”
“Kyu! Suit yourself! Hamchi is going to go look for owner punk!”
“Hmm?!”
“Sniff! Sniff! Hamchi’s nose is very sensitive! It’s more sensitive than a dog’s nose. Kyuuu!” Hamchi said while sniffing around.
“Really? Hmm... I guess that’s possible for a Great Spirit of the Forest!”
“Then what are you waiting for? Follow Hamchi! Kyuuu!” Hamchi exclaimed. Then, he got on all four and started sniffing after Siegfried’s scent.
***
Siegfried walked for quite a while following Chaos.
“How much farther do we have to go?” he asked.
“We’re almost there,” Chaos replied while checking the map.
Thirty minutes passed.
“Hey, are we there yet?”
“Don’t pressure me! We’re almost there!” Chaos lashed out, but his eyes were still focused on the map.
Thirty minutes passed even further...
Siegfried narrowed his eyes and said, “Hey, tell me honestly. You’re lost, right?”
“...!”
“Right?”
Chaos was speechless at Siegfried’s accusation, but he soon mustered the courage to defend his innocence.
“N-No! Why would you think I’m lost? I have never lost my way once in my life!”
“Really?”
“Y-Yeah!”
“I think you’re lost.”
“I said I’m not!”
“Well, you can just say you’re not. Why are you shouting and acting all defensive?”
“That is...!”
“Just continue leading the way if you’re not lost~ And you might wanna chill, too~”
“Ahem!”
Siegfried was not certain after seeing the demon’s reaction. ‘We're definitely lost.’
It turned out that the kidnappers were indeed the biggest morons on the continent just as he and Hamchi suspected.
‘But this is worse than I thought. He has a map, yet he’s lost? Oh my god! Is he blind? Are his eyes for decoration purposes only?’
To make matters worse, the demon was lost while holding a map. To be fair, the Daedalus Underground Great Labyrinth was not a dungeon one could navigate just because they had a map with them.
“Hey, give that to me,” Siegfried said.
“Silence! I will not pass this map to you!”
“Then do you want to keep wandering?”
“N-No...”
“Then hand it over,” Siegfried said before snatching the map from the demon’s hands. Then, he took out the Inzaghi’s Compass and Inzaghi’s Map before asking, “Is this where your owner is waiting?”
“Y-Yeah...”
“Hold on.”
Siegfried proceeded to use his artifacts on the map he snatched from Chaos.
“Hmm... It looks complicated.”
“That’s right! We’re not lost because I’m stupid! It’s just that this place is—”
“Can you shut up?”
“...”
“Ah, it’s here,” Siegfried said while pointing at the third corridor on their left. It was the exact same corridor Siegfried and Chaos emerged from just a while ago. He smirked and said, “You were doing so well but kept making the wrong turn at the end.”
“Heok?”
“Tsk... Tsk...” Siegfried clicked his tongue. Then, he sneered, “Don’t you know how to use a map?”
“S-Shut up! Give that to me!” Chaos exclaimed before snatching back the map. Then, he haughtily said, “Just stay quiet and follow me!”
“Pfft! It’s funny how you still have your pride after all that,” Siegfried said, laughing before following behind the demon.
***
Fifteen minutes later...
“So you’re here, you little brat.”
Siegfried was now face to face with Chaos’ master, Metatron.
“Eup! Eup! Euuup! (Your Majesty! Have you come to save me?)”
Beside Metatron on the floor was Gringore, who was bound and gagged.
“I applaud you for your bravery in coming all the way here just to save your subject. That is indeed quite admirable for a little brat,” Metatron said while trying to sound as majestic as possible. Then, he sneered, “No, is it foolishness rather than bravery? Hahaha!”
“My lord!” Chaos rushed and knelt in front of Metatron. Then, he reported, “I, your loyal servant, Chaos, have brought the one in possession of the Demon Sword, Avenger!”
“Excellent work, Chaos. I shall not forget your loyalty once I ascend the throne as the demon king,” Metatron said.
“Your grace and benevolence is far too great for someone unworthy like me, my lord—no, the future ruler of the Demon Realm!”
“Bwahahaha!” Metatron burst into laughter after hearing him being referred to as the future ruler of the Demon Realm. Then, he looked at Siegfried and said, “You little brat.”
“Yeah?”
“Give me Avenger first and then I shall return your servant,” Metatron extended one hand and said.
Siegfried grimaced out of disbelief and replied, “Nope. Hey, a trade has to happen simultaneously. Do you think I’m stupid enough to give you what you want before receiving my payment?”
“What?”
“What if I gave you the demon sword, but you didn’t keep your word? Then I’d be the only one losing out.”
“Ah, you can’t seem to trust me. Hahaha! I’m the son of the Demon Lord of Vengeance! A noble demon like me will never break a promise with a mere human like you—”
“But I don’t know you...”
“...!”
“I don’t care if you’re the son of a demon lord or whatnot. Hell, I won’t even agree even if the demon lord came himself! But you expect me to trust his son? Ha! Don’t make me laugh! Does your tongue print a letter of guarantee or something?”
“You little bastard dares to insult—”
“We exchange at the same time, or there’s no deal—”
It was then.
“You insolent!” Metatron was furious, and a mana storm erupted from him, forming a tornado.
Woooong!
Siegfried’s inventory automatically opened by itself and the Demon Sword: Avenger slowly emerged from it.
‘What?!’ Siegfried was surprised by his inventory opening by itself.
Why did his inventory suddenly open by itself when he did not even push the open button? To make matters worse, the Demon Sword: Avenger was slowly trying to come out from Siegfried’s inventory.
“Come, my father’s artifact! It’s time for you to be in the hands of your true master!” Metatron commanded.
Then, an invisible force tried to suck the Demon Sword: Avenger out from Siegfried’s inventory and pull it toward Metatron.
‘This is dangerous!’ Siegfried instinctively knew the situation was not looking good. He remembered Metatron calling himself the demon lord’s son, and what was going to happen if the Demon Sword: Avenger fell into his hands?
‘I can’t beat him if that happens!’ Siegfried was certain that was going to be the end of him.
He placed down all of his debuff fields and grabbed the hilt of the Demon Sword: Avenger, but it came at a massive risk.
[Alert: Warning!]
[Alert: The Demon Sword: Avenger is sucking your HP rapidly!]
[Alert: The darkness might swallow you if you continue to grab onto the Demon Sword: Avenger!]
The fact that the Demon Sword: Avenger was a demonic artifact that sucked his HP just from grabbing the handle made it even more difficult for Siegfried to stop the disaster of it falling into Metatron’s hands.
‘I’m going to be screwed if this keeps up...!’ Siegfried gritted his teeth and hung on for dear life.
It was then.
“Kyuuuu! Owner punk!”
“Siegfried!”
Hamchi and Leonid appeared just in time.
“Don’t give up, owner punk! Kyuuu!” Hamchi exclaimed as he took out his magical wheel and started running on it to buff Siegfried.
“What’s going on, Siegfried?!” Leonid asked.
Siegfried looked at him and shouted in response, “Elder-nim! Please handle this for me!”
“Hmm?”
“Do not grab its handle no matter what! Just keep an eye on it and so it does not float away!” Siegfried shouted before throwing the Demon Sword: Avenger at Leonid’s feet.
Whoosh!
The Demon Sword: Avenger was lodged into the ground in front of Leonid, but that only lasted for a few seconds as it tried to dislodge itself and float toward Metatron once again.
“You little rat! I told you to come alone, but you brought others with you!” Metatron growled in anger.
“Hey, we need to talk,” Siegfried said in response. Then, he jumped into the air and exclaimed as he landed descent, “Just you and me!”
Bam!
He slammed his +13 Horse Fly into the ground, and the Barrier of Victory formed around him and Metatron to completely isolate them from the others.
Whoosh! Puuuk!
The Demon Sword: Avenger finally dislodged itself and flew toward the Barrier of Victory, but it lodged itself on the thick barrier. It tried to pierce through the barrier and reach Metatron, but it couldn't do so.
Thanks to that, Siegfried was able to spend a lovely time with Metatron.
“You dare to steal my property?”
“You little brat—”
“I hope you’re ready for a beating,” Siegfried said before he swung his +13 Horse Fly at Metatron.
***
Metatron was extremely weak after being isolated from the Demon Sword: Avenger, and the reason was that a demon that descended upon the continent would be unable to display their true strength without their godly artifact.
The old black magician Metatron had used as his vessel had powerful spells, but his body was a complete mess to move properly. It was to the point that a noble demon like Metatron ended up suffering from arthritis of all things.
Anyway, the chances of Metatron winning against a close combat specialist like Siegfried while they were trapped within the Barrier of Victory were close to zero.
Thus, Siegfried proceeded to beat Metatron to a pulp, and the noble demon had nowhere to hide.
Puk! Puk! Pukeok!
Siegfried transformed his +13 Horse Fly into a club and beat Metatron as if he were tenderizing a piece of meat.
Puk! Puk! Puk! Pukeok!
Metatron would scream whenever he was smacked by the club, “Ack! Kuheok! P-Please! No! Not there—Ack! Don’t hit the same spot, you bas—Kuheok! I beg you! Not the same spot!”
The noble demon couldn't display his true powers and was subjected to a very one-sided beating by Siegfried.
Meanwhile, Chaos anxiously waited outside the Barrier of Victory while listening to the agonized screams of his lord.
“Heok! My lord! My loooord!”
Chaos tried to grab the Demon Sword: Avenger and use it to save Metatron, but he couldn't do so.
“Hoho! What do you think you’re doing?”
Leonid suddenly blocked Chaos' path and threw an extremely powerful low kick.
Kablam! C-Crack!
Chaos experienced having every single bone around his thigh snap at the same time for the first time in his life, and he helplessly fell on his butt.
Leonid wasn't worthy of becoming Siegfried’s master, but he was still renowned as the Grappling Master—one of the Five Star Heavens on the continent. His low kick packed enough power to snap Chaos’ leg in half and even rupture his thigh muscles.
Of course, there was no way a mere demon like Chaos could destroy the Barrier of Victory in the first place.
Thus, Metatron could not receive any help from outside and was trapped inside the Barrier of Victory to get beaten until he was barely alive.
“Y-You coward...! I told you to come alone, yet you...!” Metatron growled in anger. If Siegfried had come alone, he would have easily obtained the Demon Sword: Avenger, but his plans were ruined after Leonid showed up.
Siegfried awkwardly scratched the back of his head and replied, “Well, about that... I actually came alone but found myself a companion on the way so... Haha...”
“Y-You expect me to believe that bullshit?!” Metatron lashed out.
Ding!
A message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Alert: You have obtained a new title!]
Ten minutes had passed since Siegfried disappeared after following Chaos.
“Kyu! Leonid Ajusshi!” Hamchi called out to the Master clinging to the ceiling just like the Mutated Three-Legged Octopuses.
“Hmm?”
“Come down! Owner punk is gone!”
Thud!
Leonid jumped down and asked, “You want us to follow him?”
“Kyu! That’s right! I’m worried about owner punk! We should follow him!”
“But how can we find our way? This labyrinth can trap us forever if we take one wrong turn. Siegfried has the compass and the map, right? Why don’t we just stay put for now?”
“Kyu! Suit yourself! Hamchi is going to go look for owner punk!”
“Hmm?!”
“Sniff! Sniff! Hamchi’s nose is very sensitive! It’s more sensitive than a dog’s nose. Kyuuu!” Hamchi said while sniffing around.
“Really? Hmm... I guess that’s possible for a Great Spirit of the Forest!”
“Then what are you waiting for? Follow Hamchi! Kyuuu!” Hamchi exclaimed. Then, he got on all four and started sniffing after Siegfried’s scent.
***
Siegfried walked for quite a while following Chaos.
“How much farther do we have to go?” he asked.
“We’re almost there,” Chaos replied while checking the map.
Thirty minutes passed.
“Hey, are we there yet?”
“Don’t pressure me! We’re almost there!” Chaos lashed out, but his eyes were still focused on the map.
Thirty minutes passed even further...
Siegfried narrowed his eyes and said, “Hey, tell me honestly. You’re lost, right?”
“...!”
“Right?”
Chaos was speechless at Siegfried’s accusation, but he soon mustered the courage to defend his innocence.
“N-No! Why would you think I’m lost? I have never lost my way once in my life!”
“Really?”
“Y-Yeah!”
“I think you’re lost.”
“I said I’m not!”
“Well, you can just say you’re not. Why are you shouting and acting all defensive?”
“That is...!”
“Just continue leading the way if you’re not lost~ And you might wanna chill, too~”
“Ahem!”
Siegfried was not certain after seeing the demon’s reaction. ‘We're definitely lost.’
It turned out that the kidnappers were indeed the biggest morons on the continent just as he and Hamchi suspected.
‘But this is worse than I thought. He has a map, yet he’s lost? Oh my god! Is he blind? Are his eyes for decoration purposes only?’
To make matters worse, the demon was lost while holding a map. To be fair, the Daedalus Underground Great Labyrinth was not a dungeon one could navigate just because they had a map with them.
“Hey, give that to me,” Siegfried said.
“Silence! I will not pass this map to you!”
“Then do you want to keep wandering?”
“N-No...”
“Then hand it over,” Siegfried said before snatching the map from the demon’s hands. Then, he took out the Inzaghi’s Compass and Inzaghi’s Map before asking, “Is this where your owner is waiting?”
“Y-Yeah...”
“Hold on.”
Siegfried proceeded to use his artifacts on the map he snatched from Chaos.
“Hmm... It looks complicated.”
“That’s right! We’re not lost because I’m stupid! It’s just that this place is—”
“Can you shut up?”
“...”
“Ah, it’s here,” Siegfried said while pointing at the third corridor on their left. It was the exact same corridor Siegfried and Chaos emerged from just a while ago. He smirked and said, “You were doing so well but kept making the wrong turn at the end.”
“Heok?”
“Tsk... Tsk...” Siegfried clicked his tongue. Then, he sneered, “Don’t you know how to use a map?”
“S-Shut up! Give that to me!” Chaos exclaimed before snatching back the map. Then, he haughtily said, “Just stay quiet and follow me!”
“Pfft! It’s funny how you still have your pride after all that,” Siegfried said, laughing before following behind the demon.
***
Fifteen minutes later...
“So you’re here, you little brat.”
Siegfried was now face to face with Chaos’ master, Metatron.
“Eup! Eup! Euuup! (Your Majesty! Have you come to save me?)”
Beside Metatron on the floor was Gringore, who was bound and gagged.
“I applaud you for your bravery in coming all the way here just to save your subject. That is indeed quite admirable for a little brat,” Metatron said while trying to sound as majestic as possible. Then, he sneered, “No, is it foolishness rather than bravery? Hahaha!”
“My lord!” Chaos rushed and knelt in front of Metatron. Then, he reported, “I, your loyal servant, Chaos, have brought the one in possession of the Demon Sword, Avenger!”
“Excellent work, Chaos. I shall not forget your loyalty once I ascend the throne as the demon king,” Metatron said.
“Your grace and benevolence is far too great for someone unworthy like me, my lord—no, the future ruler of the Demon Realm!”
“Bwahahaha!” Metatron burst into laughter after hearing him being referred to as the future ruler of the Demon Realm. Then, he looked at Siegfried and said, “You little brat.”
“Yeah?”
“Give me Avenger first and then I shall return your servant,” Metatron extended one hand and said.
Siegfried grimaced out of disbelief and replied, “Nope. Hey, a trade has to happen simultaneously. Do you think I’m stupid enough to give you what you want before receiving my payment?”
“What?”
“What if I gave you the demon sword, but you didn’t keep your word? Then I’d be the only one losing out.”
“Ah, you can’t seem to trust me. Hahaha! I’m the son of the Demon Lord of Vengeance! A noble demon like me will never break a promise with a mere human like you—”
“But I don’t know you...”
“...!”
“I don’t care if you’re the son of a demon lord or whatnot. Hell, I won’t even agree even if the demon lord came himself! But you expect me to trust his son? Ha! Don’t make me laugh! Does your tongue print a letter of guarantee or something?”
“You little bastard dares to insult—”
“We exchange at the same time, or there’s no deal—”
It was then.
“You insolent!” Metatron was furious, and a mana storm erupted from him, forming a tornado.
Woooong!
Siegfried’s inventory automatically opened by itself and the Demon Sword: Avenger slowly emerged from it.
‘What?!’ Siegfried was surprised by his inventory opening by itself.
Why did his inventory suddenly open by itself when he did not even push the open button? To make matters worse, the Demon Sword: Avenger was slowly trying to come out from Siegfried’s inventory.
“Come, my father’s artifact! It’s time for you to be in the hands of your true master!” Metatron commanded.
Then, an invisible force tried to suck the Demon Sword: Avenger out from Siegfried’s inventory and pull it toward Metatron.
‘This is dangerous!’ Siegfried instinctively knew the situation was not looking good. He remembered Metatron calling himself the demon lord’s son, and what was going to happen if the Demon Sword: Avenger fell into his hands?
‘I can’t beat him if that happens!’ Siegfried was certain that was going to be the end of him.
He placed down all of his debuff fields and grabbed the hilt of the Demon Sword: Avenger, but it came at a massive risk.
[Alert: Warning!]
[Alert: The Demon Sword: Avenger is sucking your HP rapidly!]
[Alert: The darkness might swallow you if you continue to grab onto the Demon Sword: Avenger!]
The fact that the Demon Sword: Avenger was a demonic artifact that sucked his HP just from grabbing the handle made it even more difficult for Siegfried to stop the disaster of it falling into Metatron’s hands.
‘I’m going to be screwed if this keeps up...!’ Siegfried gritted his teeth and hung on for dear life.
It was then.
“Kyuuuu! Owner punk!”
“Siegfried!”
Hamchi and Leonid appeared just in time.
“Don’t give up, owner punk! Kyuuu!” Hamchi exclaimed as he took out his magical wheel and started running on it to buff Siegfried.
“What’s going on, Siegfried?!” Leonid asked.
Siegfried looked at him and shouted in response, “Elder-nim! Please handle this for me!”
“Hmm?”
“Do not grab its handle no matter what! Just keep an eye on it and so it does not float away!” Siegfried shouted before throwing the Demon Sword: Avenger at Leonid’s feet.
Whoosh!
The Demon Sword: Avenger was lodged into the ground in front of Leonid, but that only lasted for a few seconds as it tried to dislodge itself and float toward Metatron once again.
“You little rat! I told you to come alone, but you brought others with you!” Metatron growled in anger.
“Hey, we need to talk,” Siegfried said in response. Then, he jumped into the air and exclaimed as he landed descent, “Just you and me!”
Bam!
He slammed his +13 Horse Fly into the ground, and the Barrier of Victory formed around him and Metatron to completely isolate them from the others.
Whoosh! Puuuk!
The Demon Sword: Avenger finally dislodged itself and flew toward the Barrier of Victory, but it lodged itself on the thick barrier. It tried to pierce through the barrier and reach Metatron, but it couldn't do so.
Thanks to that, Siegfried was able to spend a lovely time with Metatron.
“You dare to steal my property?”
“You little brat—”
“I hope you’re ready for a beating,” Siegfried said before he swung his +13 Horse Fly at Metatron.
***
Metatron was extremely weak after being isolated from the Demon Sword: Avenger, and the reason was that a demon that descended upon the continent would be unable to display their true strength without their godly artifact.
The old black magician Metatron had used as his vessel had powerful spells, but his body was a complete mess to move properly. It was to the point that a noble demon like Metatron ended up suffering from arthritis of all things.
Anyway, the chances of Metatron winning against a close combat specialist like Siegfried while they were trapped within the Barrier of Victory were close to zero.
Thus, Siegfried proceeded to beat Metatron to a pulp, and the noble demon had nowhere to hide.
Puk! Puk! Pukeok!
Siegfried transformed his +13 Horse Fly into a club and beat Metatron as if he were tenderizing a piece of meat.
Puk! Puk! Puk! Pukeok!
Metatron would scream whenever he was smacked by the club, “Ack! Kuheok! P-Please! No! Not there—Ack! Don’t hit the same spot, you bas—Kuheok! I beg you! Not the same spot!”
The noble demon couldn't display his true powers and was subjected to a very one-sided beating by Siegfried.
Meanwhile, Chaos anxiously waited outside the Barrier of Victory while listening to the agonized screams of his lord.
“Heok! My lord! My loooord!”
Chaos tried to grab the Demon Sword: Avenger and use it to save Metatron, but he couldn't do so.
“Hoho! What do you think you’re doing?”
Leonid suddenly blocked Chaos' path and threw an extremely powerful low kick.
Kablam! C-Crack!
Chaos experienced having every single bone around his thigh snap at the same time for the first time in his life, and he helplessly fell on his butt.
Leonid wasn't worthy of becoming Siegfried’s master, but he was still renowned as the Grappling Master—one of the Five Star Heavens on the continent. His low kick packed enough power to snap Chaos’ leg in half and even rupture his thigh muscles.
Of course, there was no way a mere demon like Chaos could destroy the Barrier of Victory in the first place.
Thus, Metatron could not receive any help from outside and was trapped inside the Barrier of Victory to get beaten until he was barely alive.
“Y-You coward...! I told you to come alone, yet you...!” Metatron growled in anger. If Siegfried had come alone, he would have easily obtained the Demon Sword: Avenger, but his plans were ruined after Leonid showed up.
Siegfried awkwardly scratched the back of his head and replied, “Well, about that... I actually came alone but found myself a companion on the way so... Haha...”
“Y-You expect me to believe that bullshit?!” Metatron lashed out.
Ding!
A message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Alert: You have obtained a new title!]
