Child of Destiny

...…

Shin and Lorraine had regrouped with Owen and Ithilien who were accompanying Samael and Huahua. Diablo was also with them, but he rather hid in the shadows using his stealth skills while following the group's secret.

Shin could still sense that Diablo was around them, and he could accurately monitor his movements, so he did not bother him so long as he would follow them.

Owen and Ithilien had explained the situation to Shin as they ran toward the Maze Forest while riding their respective mounts at the fastest speed possible.

"The corrupted monsters seem to have been waiting for us to leave the base before they launch the surprising attack. Fortunately, the members of the Secret Society are on standby for this kind of situation," said Ithilien while riding her mount at the front of the group along with Shin and Owen.

"There are also the skilled players of the kingdom there; some of them are even rankers, so defending the base is not that hard, especially since most of the players are already there."

"The problem is those Demonic Monsters that come out of nowhere. The Drows and Zombie Elves are already a problem, so the appearance of these monsters puts more burden on everyone," she added in a heavy tone.

"It will be a problem if the Pandemonium Descendants send their people too. I am not sure if the people from the base will be able to hold them back," commented Owen at the back of the group.

Shin fell into deep thought as he said. "So, we must be fast at collecting the relics. The one that we will be having the most trouble with will be the crown in the hands of the Pandemonium Descendants. And that is the only one that we are lacking right now."

Ithilien glanced behind them and looked over to Huahua. She nodded her head. "We are lucky to encounter someone carrying the Moonlight Chalise of Purity."

Shin agreed before saying. "For now, we must defend the base in the Maze Forest to the best of our ability and make sure that it will not collapse while we are thinking of a way to get the 'Crown of a Ruler' from the hands of the Evil Faction."

The others nodded their heads heavily as they rushed toward the Maze Forest.

It was at this moment when Diablo suddenly materialized beside Shin along with his mount, a strange creature that looked like a griffin without wings and had grey feathers. Its body was emitting a dark and eerie aura, which seemed to help it to enter stealth.

The others were just in surprise and almost attacked Diablo due to his sudden appearance. Fortunately, they were able to hold themselves back they had recognized him.

Shin, who was always aware of Diablo's presence, was not surprised at all and just gave the latter a casual glance while nodding.

He could tell that Diablo had something important to say since he dispelled his stealth, so he waited patiently.

As he expected, Diablo had given them a piece of crucial information. "I suggest you give some attention to the 'Big Three' of the Kingdom. They will most likely side with the Pandemonium sooner or later."

Shin gave Diablo an inquiring look as he said. "Why did you say that?"

Diablo thought for a moment before continuing. "I know Paimon very well. He is a very tricky and treacherous individual. He will do anything and everything that he can think of just to achieve his goal."

"Moreover, he is quite skilled at pulling people to his side and manipulating them to his wishes without being noticed. I am very confident that he is not trying to lure the three powerhouse guilds to his side at this very moment."

Shin raised his brows and asked. "Are you saying that these three powerhouse guilds are going to join them? Isn't it the same as hurting their foundation? This kingdom is one of their main bases of operation if I am not wrong."

Diablo nodded his head and continued. "You are right about that. But given the current situation where the reputation of the 'Big Three' is at its lowest, it is not strange for them to consider his offer."

"And if he promised them to hand over the control of the kingdom once it has been corrupted successfully by the 'Withering', I am sure that they will be tempted to join them."

Shin quickly realized what Diablo was trying to say and asked again. "Are you telling us that the Big Three will join the Evil Faction? This place is only one of their major branches. There are still the other branches from the other kingdoms, so I think it is most unlikely to happen."

"It is possible for the Clear Water Guild since they recently emerged within the game, and this is the only branch that they have. But I doubt that the Mythical Guild and the Golden Dawn will do the same."

Diablo shook his head and asked in return. "Then what if these branches separated from the main branch and become independent?"

Shin was surprised at first but shook his head. "I doubt the members of the guild will let it happen."

Diablo shook his head once again. "You don't understand. The Pandemonium have their way of converting the entire guild branch into an Evil Faction so long as their leading figure agrees to it."

"The whole guild, especially their members, will be converted into corrupted and demonic players forcefully when that happens," he clarified.

Hearing what he had said, Lorraine, Ithilien, and Owen, who were listening to them the entire time, could not help but gasp.

"How can they do such a thing?" Lorraine could not help but ask.

Diablo shook his head repeatedly as he answered. "I am not entirely sure about it either. It is not my area of jurisdiction when I am working with them. But I can reassure you that they have the means to do it since they have done it multiple times already."

"And don't underestimate their connections either since they have all their spies scattered far and wide. They have been scheming for the game for much longer than you can think," he added with a series tone.

Hearing that, Shin fell into deep thought. Given his knowledge of the game being related to some matters in the real world, he started to suspect that the Pandemonium Descendants were being supported by a giant group behind them just like the other superpowers within the game such as the Center Order, Hydra Guild, and Dragon Pavilion.

He then recovered himself from being distracted and turned to Diablo and asked. "So, what do you suggest us to do then?"

Diablo was silent for a moment before turning to Shin. "Leave the base to you friends and come with me to prevent the worst-case scenario from happening."

"We can also steal the final relic that you are looking for if we are lucky," he added with a confident tone.

Shin knitted his brows and asked. "Do you have an idea where those guys are hiding?"

Diablo answered and confirmed it indirectly. "You have given me such a good gift to show your sincerity, so I must perform well to show my thanks and appreciation."

Shin knew that Diablo was talking about the Martial Manual that he had given the latter earlier. He then turned to the others and exchanged glances with Lorraine.

Lorraine seemed to have understood his intention and nodded her head in response.

That was then Shin decided and said to Diablo. "Then let's send these guys to the base in the Maze Forest first to make sure that no accidents will happen to them."

"We have to make sure that the relic will not get stolen away by the opposing side," he added in a serious tone.

Diablo nodded his head. He knew that Shin wanted to escort the rest himself to avoid getting ambushed by the Pandemonium along the way. It was better to be careful than to get caught in an unexpected ambush.

During the journey, the rest remained silent before Shin suddenly remembered something. He then turned to Diabo and asked. "There are quite a few troublesome people on the opposing side. Are you sure that the two of us will be enough?"

Diablo knew that Shin was talking about the members of the Pandemonium Troupes stationed on the other side, so he was not surprised by this question.

But in response, he just turned to Owen, Ithilien, and Lorraine, seemingly trying to tell Shin something.

It was at that moment that Shin had realized what happened in the earlier battle. The three must have taken down one of the Lust Devils, or even both.

He then turned to the three and gave them an inquiring look.

Owen scratched the back of his head before answering. "Well, we somehow eliminated those two from the troupe. That pair is quite troublesome to deal with, but Miss Nala was able to snipe the demonic player named Lilith, so we can handle the rest quite well," directing the credit to Lorraine.

Shin saw Lorraine look at him with a prideful look, seemingly telling him that it was time to let her join their team. He then shook his head before directing his gaze back in front. He could already guess what happened next with that information alone.

With that, the only ones that they had to worry about were Paimon, Amon, and Mephistopheles. But those three were still had to deal with, so he was still not fully convinced.

Adding the clues that he had gotten, he suspected that the Corrupted Cult must have sent a representative for this operation, so he was still not fully confident with the plan.

Understanding Shin's concern, Diablo immediately said. "You don't have to worry too much about the troupe members. From what I can see, Paimon must have already achieved what he wanted from this operation and just stayed to reap some extra benefit and stir the waters for more chaos just to have more fun."

"Amon and Mephistopheles still mark you as one of their main targets – the same for me. But they will no longer stay here since they will be reviewing your strength for the time being."

"I know how they work well. If they have failed to take you down in this operation, they will retreat for now and reassess your overall strength and abilities before sending the information to 'Pride'."

Shin knitted his brow deeply as he found it a little contradicting to what he knew and saw. "Why is that? From what I can see, this is a good opportunity to take me down and delay my progress."

Diablo gave him a mysterious smile before replying. "That is because I am here."

Hearing that, Shin could not help but give the latter a skeptical look, seemingly saying that was too narcissistic. He had a narcissist on his side, but this level of narcissism was in a whole other dimension.

Diablo could not help but chuckle when he saw that look and continued. "I am not telling you this because of that, but it is because they know that I know them well."

"Moreover, this is a form of their respect and acknowledgment of my strength as their former colleague. For as much as I know them, they also understand me as well."

He then turned to Shin and pointed at his eyes. "You have fought me before, so you should understand what they are afraid of."

Seeing that, Shin finally understood.

Diablo was right. They had fought before and saw what this guy was capable of. That kind of analysis and growth was similar to what a Battle Genius could do in battle but in a much scarier state.

He had witnessed how Diablo analyzed his style and responded to it during the battle, so Shin understood his capabilities very well.

If Diablo were given the chance to record and analyze the battle styles and capabilities of their members, then the Pandemonium Troupe would have a hard time facing him in the future.

Their cards would be revealed to him, and he would find a way to counter them soon after.

Shin now understood why Amon refused to make his move unless it was absolutely necessary. He was worried that Diablo would record him and analyze his weakness during the battle.

Thinking about that, Shin could not help but give Diablo a complicated look as he now realized how scary this person was.

Fortunately, Shin was starting to lure Diablo to their side. Even though fighting someone with such abilities was thrilling, it would not be fun to deal with him as an enemy.

He started to respect this person and wanted him to join their side the more he knew about him.

...