Child of Destiny

...

Shin stared at the two for a couple of moments before fixing his grip on his sheathed sword. He slightly tilted his head to the side before leaning forward and letting his body fall freely.

During the fall, the muscles on his body suddenly relaxed while his joints started to loosen up.

Then-…

Boom!

His body suddenly disappeared.

The sonic boom that was created along with his movements reverberated in the whole place, shaking the trees and vegetation in the surroundings. It also created a spiraling hole in the air as he charged ahead.

Asmodeus held his sword with both of his hands and channeled his contaminated mana on it before swinging it upwards twice, forming a pair of arcs with its trail and sending consecutive sword waves forward.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The swords cut through the ground as they charged forward, heading straight to Shin.

Given Shin's speed, he would have a hard time changing his direction and dodging the incoming sword waves. It was clear that Asmodeus had timed his attack perfectly, making it close to impossible to dodge.

Most of the players would most likely forced to halt their charge and face the incoming sword waves head-on. They would be forced to either block them or counter them with their respective attacks.

But Shin was different.

With a sudden shift of his feet and ankles, his figure suddenly shook before turning into fading blurs that continued moving forward.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

He was able to easily dodge the sword waves without sacrificing the speed of his charge. He was already right in front of Asmodeus within an instant and currently in the middle of ducking forward.

Asmodeus wanted to use his perfectly timed attacks to delay Shin's movements and buy enough time for Lilith to cast her spell. But from the look of it, he still underestimated the speed and mobility of this opponent in the end.

Watching every move of his opponent, Asmodeus held his sword with both of his hands before swinging it down while his corrupted mana swirled around it and formed a spiral flow.

'Prince of Hell Skill (Demonic Executioner ): Nether Strike'

Swoosh!

On the other side, Shin stomped his foot on the ground to halt his charge while twisting his waist and grabbing the hilt of the [Yamato] with his right hand.

Adjusting his breathing and switching with the 'Golden Immortality Technique', he swiftly pulled the sword from its sheath while twisting his waist toward the other direction along with the swinging of the sword.

Shing!

'Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw (Metal Form) – Flash Horizon'

Swoosh!

Bang!

The two swords collided and created a violent ripple in the air that spread everywhere. The ground also shook due to the strong impact which was followed by the crawling cracks that spread in every direction.

Shin quickly retracted his sword and channeled his mana in it before swinging it thrice and drawing a triangular light with the trail that it left in the air.

'Jade Kirin Scripture: Third Movement – Trinity Storm'

Shing!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Asmodeus continuously moved backward dodging the sword strikes while using his sword to block the final attack.

Bang!

He was forced to slide a few meters back, drawing a long and deep mark on the ground.

It was clear that he was at a disadvantage, but he remained calm. He firmly held his ground while maintaining his fighting stance. From the aura that he was releasing, it seemed like he was already expecting such an outcome.

Fortunately, he was not alone. Lilith was already done casting her spell and activated it before Shin could even continue pursuing Asmodeus.

Bang!

Slamming the bottom of her long scepter on the ground, multiple magic circles appeared behind her. The runes and sequences filling the magic circles were made of black and corrupted mana while a crimson light shrouded them.

'Princess of Hell Skill (Demonic Tempress): Chains of Seduction'

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Along with the activation of the skill, the magic circles released black chains that flew straight to Shin. They seemed to have a mind of their own as they solely targeted Shin and chased after him without having any intention of letting go.

Shin constantly moved while leaving a series of afterimages behind, trying to shake off these chains. But despite his efforts, they seemed to be stuck at him and would not stop unless they caught up to him.

It was at that moment when he sensed a dense killing intent coming from his blind spot.

It was Asmodeus who was taking advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack.

Sword in hand, he transformed into a shadow that flew straight to Shin in a tricky angle. He then swung the sword when he reached the ideal range while it was being covered with a dark aura filled with the miserable cries of women.

'Prince of Hell Skill (Demonic Executioner): Strike of Torment'

Swoosh!

Slightly knitting his brow, Shin suddenly tossed the sheath on his left hand in the air as it transformed into a greatsword.

'Legacy Skill: Mondi's Style – Judgement Form'

He used the 'Telekinesis' skill to control the greatsword while executing a series of sword movements to ward off the incoming chains.

'Perfect Four Symbol Scripture: Divine Yellow Dragon (Self-Created Technique) – Gravity Sword'

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Shin did not bother to look at the greatsword slashing the incoming chains as his 'Sensing Circle' was more than enough to keep an eye on his surroundings. With it, he was able to accurately block the chains while dividing his mind into multiple fronts.

While the greatsword was dealing with the chains, Shin turned toward the other incoming opponent and swung the [Yamato] at the same time.

The blade of his sword was releasing a metallic luster and glittering lights as it traveled through the air. The sword seemed to have paused for an instant before suddenly accelerating and stabbing toward Asmodeus.

'Perfected Four Symbol Scripture: Sacred White Tiger – Deadly Fang'

Swoosh!

The speed of that strike surpassed Asmodeu's imagination, so he forcefully changed the trajectory of this attack. He swung it to redirect the course of his opponent's attack away from his heart.

Bang!

Asmodeus was about to retreat when he noticed a dark shadow from above. Casting his gaze upwards, he saw the flying greatsword falling toward him with an unstoppable momentum.

'Perfected Four Symbol Scripture: Divine Yellow Dragon – Mountain Crusher'

Swoosh!

Asmodeus was about to curse when saw the greatsword change its trajectory and head toward Lilith.

'Princess of Hell Skill (Demonic Tempress): Center of Attention'

She attracted it with a spell before calling the chains that she had sent earlier.

Before the great sword could even reach her, the chains wrapped themselves around it and prevented it from moving further ahead.

Freed from the chains, Shin was now free to do whatever he wanted. He quickly stepped forward and chased after Asmodeus while swinging the [Yamato] repeatedly.

Asmodeus already recovered himself at that moment and quickly swung his sword in response. He repeatedly blocked the incoming strikes of his opponent, not letting a single strike reach him.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew in the air as the two exchanged blows.

And when things looked like in a deadlock, Shin suddenly extended his left hand in the air and called for the trapped greatsword.

The greatsword was unable to break free from the chains due to how tight they wrapped themselves in it. But when it reverted to its sheath form, the chains loosened momentarily, giving it enough time to break away.

And when it returned to his hand, Shin quickly transformed it into a rapier before striking forward with a series of stabs.

'Legacy Skill: Mondi's Style – Conviction Form'

Blazing embers and metallic luster mixed around the blade of the sword as it turned into multiple sword flashes that rained down toward his opponent.

'Perfected Four Symbol Scripture: Celestial Vermillion Bird (Metal Reinforced) – Pheonix Nest'

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Asmodeus was immediately overwhelmed by the rain of blazing sword flashes, forcing him to retreat repeatedly while trying his best to protect himself.

But no matter how good his defense was, there were still a few stabs that broke through it and hit his body.

Fortunately, he was able to twist his body in response and avoid his vitals from getting hit.

However, he still suffered quite a lot of damage in the process.

Whoosh!

During the crucial moment, a purple light suddenly bathed his body followed by a comfortable feeling that washed over him.

At the same time, his dropping health bar suddenly rose, returning it to full.

'Princess of Hell Skill (Demonic Tempress): Cure of the Tempted Heart'

Seeing that Shin could not help but stop the attack. He then briefly retreated while repeatedly clicking his tongue.

'So, she can also heal others, huh?' thought Shin as he glanced over at Lilith, who was already casting another spell. Based on the violent flow of mana, he could tell that she was preparing an offensive spell this time instead of a crowd-control one.

'Should I set aside the thought of testing my current fighting style against them and finish this off?' Shin started to consider as he felt that the two seemed to be trying to buy some time based on their less aggressive attacks.

Others might not be able to tell it, but he could see that they were somewhat subdued and reserved with their attacks.

He had already exchanged some blows against Mammon, the Sloth Devil, before and he could tell that that guy was very skilled and quite troublesome, especially when he had gone all-out.

Comparing these two 'devils' to that guy, this pair seemed to be trying to hide something.

It was as if they were trying to survive for as long as they could and waiting for their reinforcements to arrive.

Thinking about it, Shin could not help but curse slightly. "Damn! There are more members of the Pandemonium Troupe stationed here."

As he came to a realization, it suddenly drew to him that this operation was a crucial part of the plot that the Pandemonium Descendants were scheming.

He then exchanged a few more blows with Asmodeus before creating more distance between them.

He then put the [Yamato] back to its sheath before initiating an Elemental Spirit Possession. "I guess I can't play with you guys that long. I can't afford to be surrounded by you people."

Swoosh!

Divine Flames suddenly gathered around Shin before fusing with his sheathed sword.

'Elemental Spirit Possession (Eternal Flame): Divine Constellation'

As Solus merged with the [Yamato], the surrounding temperature suddenly rose sharply, making these 'Lust Devils' sweat purposely due to the intense heat.

They felt that their skins were being scorched while their breathing was getting harder due to this environment.

This clearly showed how different the current Elemental Spirit Possession that Shin had after reaching the third tier of his class.

It could already affect the environment, which also affected his opponents greatly.

The spell that Lilith was preparing was also slightly affected by the sudden change in temperature. Her accumulation of mana slowed down while the formation of the magic circle was greatly hindered.

Asmodeus immediately sensed the immense threat coming from Shin the moment the [Yamato] completed its transformation.

Rapidly retreating away, Asmodeus gathered all the demonic powers in his body and prepared for the incoming attack.

In the meantime, Lilith did not dare to hold back either as she activated one of her 'Demonic Chants' that boosted her speed in casting a spell and enhanced her focus greatly.

From the sudden change that they had seen from Shin, they could tell that he had already caught up with their plan.

They did not expect him to figure them out this early. They were not holding back with their earlier advances, but they were indeed quite reserved in everything. It was because they were prioritizing their survivability rather than taking down Shin.

They might be proud experts, but they were not idiots. They completely understood the current gap between them and Shin, so they would not blindly challenge him with the thought of defeating him.

They planned to continue with this pace until their reinforcements arrived, but who would have thought that Shin would be able to see through their plan this early?

Not planning to have any reservations, the couple quickly activated their strongest berserk skills.

'Prince of Hell Skill (Demonic Executioner): Dark Synergy'

'Princess of Hell Skill (Demonic Tempress): Blinding Beauty'

At the same time, Shin suddenly charged at them. He left a blazing trail in his wake as he took the flight.

He then unsheathed the blazing [Yamato] during the charge and swung it forward, drawing a beautiful and majestic arc in the air while advancing.

Shing!

'Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw (Fire and Metal Form): Blazing Final'

Swoosh!

...…