Child of Destiny

...

BOOM!

The clash between Shin and Mephisto produced yet another explosion that made the already raging flames of the surroundings become even more violent.

The trees, plants, and other vegetation were scorched black by these flames, turning them into ashes. The whole place seemed to have become an inferno in the physical realm where the raging flames burn violently.

Puff!

Shin flew out of the blazing cloud of flame and dust as a raging fire tried to burn him. He stopped a few distance away before shaking the [Yamato] in [Divine Constellation Possession] which devoured the flames on his body.

He squinted his eyes as he glared at the cloud of flame and dust in the distance and activated his 'True Sight' skill to see through it.

From the earlier exchange, he sensed something odd from Mephisto. It was a familiar feeling yet also somewhat different at the same time.

The earlier exchanges had given him a rough idea of his opponent's strength, and he felt that Mephisto's overall stats did not lose to anyone with a Tier 3 Class, which was rather surprising. He was not sure what it was, but he suspected that it was most likely due to the current state that the latter had.

Swoosh!

A huge hole suddenly appeared at the center of the blazing cloud of flame and dust followed by the silhouette that was charging straight to Shin.

Shin quickly sheathed the [Yamato] and assumed his signature sword-drawing stance while waiting for the opposing side to arrive.

Shing!

When the Mephisto reached his range of attack, Shin quickly pulled the sword from its sheath and swung it forward.

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

Swoosh!

Bang!

Mephisto swung his sword right at the same time and deflected the strike from his opponent, creating blazing sparks that flew in the air.

Shin quickly retreated while briefly retrieving the [Yamato] before suddenly thrusting it forward once again.

Swoosh!

The blazing sword left a burning flash as it moved forward and flew straight to the chest of his opponent.

Mephisto did casually twirled his blazing sword and deflected the incoming stab from the opponent while continuing to move forward.

Clang!

Then Mephisto suddenly twisted his body in the air and threw a sharp kick at Shin and produced an intense sound of cutting through the air. He was taking advantage of the latter's awkward form, where Shin could not swing his sword.

But Shin quickly reacted as he flipped the sheath on his left, holding it in a forehand grip, before swinging it straight at the area between Mephisto's feet and shin.

Bang!

Their actions seemed to be a casual one, but they carried a strong force behind them which was why a shockwave was quickly produced right after the collision.

The two paused briefly, maintaining their positions, before exploding in an intense melee exchange.

Mephisto attacked with sharp quick punches, kicks, knee attacks, and other hand-to-hand combat techniques, mixing them with the sword movements that he was already using to confuse Shin.

The speed of his attacks was so fast that Shin was forced to respond with his combination. But since the rhythm of the battle was out of his control, he could not find the time to switch the forms of his sheath. He got swept with the tempo that Mephisto had and was forced to continue battling with just the Jade Kirin Scripture and Celestial Vermillion Bird Method.

He had to keep up with the speed of his opponent and switch between the quick draw, sword movements, and other sword techniques that he could use.

He did not lose in a bit and was able to regain his footing not long after and started taking the initiative from time to time.

Despite being able to adjust to the style of his opponent, Shin did not immediately go back to his 'Myriad Transformation Swordsmanship' as he wanted to continue polishing the current style that he was using.

With the earlier suppression that he was in, he realized some of the flaws in his new swordsmanship aside from his previous problem.

By fixing these flaws one after another, he felt that he would be able to properly integrate the Perfected Four Symbol Scripture and the Jade Kirin Scripture into his new style.

He started using the pressure that he was getting from his opponent to improve his swordsmanship.

He first started with the two sets of swordsmanship that he had, the quick draw and sword movements of the Jade Kirin Scripture and the Celestial Vermillion Bird Method.

When he was with these two, he then proceeded to the 'Meteor Form' of 'Mondi's Style' and used both the sword techniques under the Celestial Vermillion Bird and Sacred White Tiger Methods together.

The [Yamato] was in [Divine Constellation Possession] while the 'Meteor Form' was using the longsword form of the [Summit Shaper Possession].

He executed multiple variations and combinations with all of these and fixed all the flaws that he had found.

After that, he switched the 'Meteor Form' of the left-hand sword and used the 'Judgement Form' while still maintaining Astaroth's spirit possession with it, the same [Summit Shaper Possession].

He continued using the Sacred White Tiger Method for a while since there were still a few sword techniques that needed to be executed with a greatsword. He then switched to the Divine Yellow Dragon Method immediately after.

Not long after fixing all the problems with this form, Shin changed the 'Mondi's Style' once again and used the 'Conviction Form' while using Vladimir's spirit possession, the [Blood Thirster Possession].

The sword techniques that Shin had used with this form were very few. Aside from a couple of techniques from the Celestial Vermillion Method and the ones that could be used with a rapier from the White Tiger Method, he did not have anything else.

He had limited stabbing techniques under the two methods, especially the ones that were compatible with blood elements.

He just forcefully integrated the fire elemental attacks from the Celestial Vermillion Bird since the two elements were not that compatible.

The metal elements from the White Tiger Method were more compatible, but there were very few sword techniques that he could use for stabbing attacks under the savage techniques of this particular method.

Aside from these little problems, Shin no longer found anything that he had to polish.

His swordsmanship took more shape and became more solid and sophisticated. The switching for forms from 'Modi's Style' had become smoother along with the swapping of Elemental Spirit Companions and their possession.

He could now switch the forms and possessions of his left-hand swords with a thought and a simple mumbling of the code name of each Reaper's Retainer.

With these changes, the switching of style from the sword-drawing and the complex swordsmanship became faster and more convenient.

Shin's movements also changed and faster. His arms and hands seemed to be turning into blurs and flashes as he switched between the two styles and between the different forms of the sheath in his left hand.

Everything seemed to be instantaneous and natural.

Shin just found it a pity that he could not use the other forms as he still did not have a proper breathing technique for the corresponding element, which would fit them.

While all of this was happening, Mephisto was naturally able to see through Shin's actions. He knew that Shin was using him to polish the 'Myriad Transformation Swordsmanship' further, but he did not mind.

He even cooperated and increased the pressure that he 'provided' during the exchanges!

He wanted Shin to polish this complex swordsmanship and become stronger!

This was how confident Mephisto was! He wanted his already powerful opponent to become even more powerful so that he could enjoy a more thrilling battle.

But while he was doing that, he was also gradually getting stronger himself. He was also adjusting to the growth of his opponent and matching each change that the opposing side was making.

He even copied the style how Shin fixing his style along with the swapping of swords and elemental spirit possession.

Every time Shin switched with a new style and possession, Mephisto would do a similar thing, calling upon a different power from the elemental spirits that he had consumed before applying it to his style and using its abilities in battle.

At times, his blazing sword turned into a black sword made of death energy. Sometimes it would become a blue sword filled with extreme heat. Other times, it would become a white sword that absorbed the heat in the surroundings and showed some ice abilities.

These different swords were used to match the styles and sword techniques that Shin was using.

Shin did not notice it at first as he was too immersed in polishing his swordsmanship and style. But when he was done with everything, he realized that he was facing a monster that was not inferior to himself.

Moreover, he also found out the reason why Mephisto was able to contend against a Tier 3 Class Player like Shin, who also had his stats boosted by his Elemental Spirit Possession. "What the heck? He is in a constant state of Elemental Spirit Possession! How is that possible!?"

"Moreover, it is a perfect possession! Is it because he has become one with the Elemental Spirits that he has consumed?" he asked his elemental spirits as he created a distance between him and Mephisto.

"Most likely," answered Hanzo briefly.

"Tsk! Now I understand why those guys sent this guy after me," cursed Shin as he suddenly disappeared from his current location and reappeared in another.

Swoosh!

Boom!

In the spot where he previously stood, a huge explosion occurred as Mephisto sent a huge fireball in that direction, trying to catch Shin.

Shin took a deep breath as he charged forward. He left a series of afterimages behind him before disappearing from his enemy while also erasing his presence.

Mephisto halted his actions and scanned the surroundings with his sharp eyes, trying to look for the trances of his opponent. But despite activating most of the skills that could enhance his senses, he still could not find the location of the other party.

It was as if Shin had disappeared in thin air.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Then he found himself surrounded by the afterimages of Shin, who was currently in the middle of taking a sword-drawing stance.

Click!

There was a subtle sound that reverberated in the whole place, which also indicated that the sword was about to be unsheathed from its scabbard.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Then Mephisto saw that all the illusionary figures of Shin surrounding him simultaneously jumped forward and charged at him all at the same time.

Shing!

'Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw (Fire Form) – World Splitter (Blazing)'

Fire trails were left in the air as all the 'Shin' charged forward. These blazing trails intertwined with each other while heading toward Mephisto, who was standing still right at the center.

Mephisto frowned briefly before an excited smile appeared on his face. He then held the blazing sword with both of his hands and infused his demonic mana in it.

Swoosh!

The bright fire that the sword had seemed to have been contaminated by the dark mana that mixed with it as it increased in size.

Not long after, the sword had become a very huge sword covered with shadowy flame.

Mephisto stomped onto the round while forcefully swinging the giant flame sword in his hands, sweeping everything in its path.

'Class Fighting Style: Dark Heaven Cleave'

The giant sword drew a huge arc in the air as he swung it wide, covering almost every direction. And with it, the fire trails of the incoming attack from Shin were wiped clean and disappeared within an instant.

But Mephisto did not dare to lower his and swiftly turned around.

Holding the huge blazing sword in his hands, Mephisto used the momentum of his previous actions and raised the sword above him as he swung it down with great power.

'Class Fighting Style: Dark Heaven Annihilation'

Boom!

The blazing sword was slammed on the ground creating a huge expression before the shadow flames on its blade spread in every direction.

Shin, who was hiding in the area, rapidly retreated. He was trying to avoid the shadow flames as he could feel a serious threat coming from them. But when he realized that it was impossible to escape from it, he quickly halted his retreat and focused his senses.

He channeled the blazing mana into his sword before unsheathing and swung it horizontally, covering every direction.

Shing!

The sword released a sword wave that created a ring of fire that spread everywhere, clashing against the shadow flames that were trying to approach him.

'Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw (Fire Form): Sunlight Cleaver'

Swoosh!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions continuously erupted as the two flames clashed.

Whoosh!

It was at that moment when Mephisto broke through the blockade and flames and leaped over the explosions to fly toward Shin.

The blazing wings on his back were noticeably increased. They were now four wings behind him with the first pair releasing the usual flames while the pair under it contained the dark and shadowy aura.

In his hands was a smaller version of the previous blazing sword that he had used as he swung it down during his descent.

Swoosh!

Shin instantly realized that Mephisto was using a Secret Skill. A skill that was the fusion of his Class Fighting Style and Elemental Spirit Possession.

But this one was not the regular Secret Skill as he seemed to have combined two different possessions when executing it.

'Demonic Secret Skill: Destruction of two Heavens'

Swoosh!

The black-blazing sword released an intense and blinding light as he slashed it down toward his opponent.

Shin quickly adjusted his stance and inhaled deeply, using two different breathing techniques altogether.

Then the sheath on his left hand turned into a longsword as he used the 'Meteor Form' of 'Mondi's Style'. Quickly after it, Astaroth fused with the sword and activated the [Summit Shaper Possession], changing its form and infusing it with Mental Element.

Controlling the elements of fire and mind, Shin held the two swords beside him parallel with each other.

He would be using two different sword techniques from the 'Four Symbol Scripture' and fusing them. But he was not yet confident with this since it was a move that did not belong to the ones that he had already fused before.

However, if he wanted to face this incoming attack from his opponent, he had to use an unconventional technique to match the overwhelming power of a Secret Skill.

Bang!

The ground beneath him exploded, sending multiple rock fragments in the air.

The pair of swords in his hands released two different energies: a violent flame and metallic luster, as he waited for the opposing side to enter his attacking range.

When it was at the right moment, he swung the swords simultaneously as the fire and mental elements spiraled and intertwined with each other before fusing.

Then the roar of a fearsome tiger and the cry of a blazing bird immediately followed after his actions

Roar! Shriek!

'Myriad Transformation Swordsmanship: Crimson Slash'

Swoosh!

BOOM!

...