Child of Destiny

...…

Shin and Diablo stood in their respective positions completely unmoved. They stared at each other and observed the current state of the opposing side.

As they studied each other, the respective auras that they were emitting spread outward before clashing against each other the moment they meet.

A powerful ripple was sent in every direction at that collision, making the surrounding air move violently. It was like a powerful vortex of wind centering the two who caused it.

The alternating black and white mana that Shin had and Diablo's purple mana created another layer of a vortex that made the surrounding area even more chaotic.

Bang! Bang!

Then the two of them suddenly kicked the ground and disappeared from their respective positions, signifying how fast their current speed was.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Cling!

The loud sound of metal clashing against each other could be heard as Shin and Diablo met at the center point between their previous locations.

There seemed to be nothing noteworthy in that collision since nothing happened.

Yet…

They stood still and held their positions, trying to overwhelm each other with their strengths. But neither of them moved.

Boom!

It was at that moment when sonic booms followed their previous actions before colliding with one another and causing a powerful shockwave in every direction, centering the two once again.

This shockwave was much stronger than earlier as it resonated in every area. The ground tremble and sent the snow on the ground up in the air before being swept away by a strong gust of wind that circled the area.

The nearby trees shook violently, almost making them fall. It was as if a devastating storm arrived alongside the sudden occurrence of a world-shaking earthquake.

The two stared each other straight in the eyes while carrying the calm look on their faces. Then they disappeared once again before reappearing in a different location alongside another collision.

Bang!

This process repeatedly occurred as the two continued to exchange blows. The whole area was completely devastated due to their repeated collision. This sight signified the current strength of the two while they were being reinforced by their respective states.

The exchanges were slowly getting more and more intense as time went by. Shin was also starting to showcase his superior strength and martial prowess, making Diablo take caution whenever he attempted a bold offensive.

But it didn't mean that he was at disadvantage. His class still had a clear advantage in terms of speed. And with the help of the advanced techniques that the 'Demon Eyes' had provided him, the battle remained to be on equal ground.

Diablo properly utilized the techniques recorded by the 'Demon Eyes' and skillfully executed them in battle. He even made those 'stolen' techniques became his own. They also properly fused with his style which made him even stronger.

Alongside the foot techniques designated for Shadow Dancer Class, Diablo was able to circle around Shin while launching attacks from different directions.

The fighting style that he had right now was derived from all of the experiences of the experts that he had faced so far, which made it even more unpredictable. This was also the reason why his attacks always came with all kinds of strange angles that were hard to figure out.

But despite that being the chase, he still failed properly land a clean hit at his opponent. Shin's defensive maneuvers were still solid as ever.

And since he was not using the 'Reality Manifestation', his 'Ultra Instincts' innate trait was properly working once again. He now broke away from the clutches of the strange method that was restricting it earlier.

Shin didn't know how Diablo did it earlier, but it became less significant when he learned that this innate trait couldn't be restricted when he assimilated with it in the 'Reality Manifestation' State.

Setting that thought aside, Shin couldn't help but become more surprised at Diablo the longer they fought.

Shin might not be using any advanced moves from his swordsmanship yet, but all of the skills that he just use were more than enough to suppress most of his opponents with it.

Unless that person was as strong and talented as him, and also possess a similar level of Martial Arts that he was using, fighting him on an equal footing was close to impossible.

But Diablo still achieved it!

This signified how talent Diablo. Though, most of the credit should go to the 'Demon Eyes' since it was able to create a set of techniques that was comparable to the moves that Shin was currently showing.

But it was still too early to give the full evaluation for that ocular skill since Shin was still not showing the real power of Yin-Yang Swordsmanship.

"Let's try picking up the pace then," muttered Shin as he executed the real version of the 'Infinity Edge' combat technique.

'Yin-Yang Swordsmanship: Sword Transmigration'

Sword flashes with black and white colors suddenly surrounded Shin as he executed the sword technique, warding off the shadow blades that were coming from every direction.

Seeing how powerful the technique was, Diablo had no choice but to retreat for a moment to have a clear look at Shin.

He then gritted his teeth when he realized the real strength of Shin's swordsmanship. But he refused to give in and use his strongest technique and accepted the challenge.

'Legendary Combat Technique: Darkness Excursion'

Supported by the 'Hyper Active Immersion' State, Diablo went back to the offensive.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Cling! Cling!

Since the 'Darkness Excursion' was a combination of foot and offensive techniques, Diablo was able to move at insane speed, circling around Shin, while also attacking during the process.

While Shin was surrounded by the black and white sword flashes, Diablo suddenly transformed into a purple shadow moving at a speed that was impossible to be spotted by the naked eye.

The speedy exchanges lasted for a few moments before Shin was able to predict Diablo's next move and executed another sword technique.

'Yin-Yang Swordsmanship: Sword Progression'

He pointed the [Dawn Blade] in a certain direction and lunged forward with a speed that was comparable to Diablo's.

Swoosh!

And while he was moving forward, the white flame surrounding the [Dawn Blade] moved in a spiral manner before creating a pointed tip at the head of the saber.

His movements might be too sudden but Diablo was able to quickly respond in time and executed a foot technique before turning into black smoke.

'Shadow Dancer Skill (Tier 2): Shadow Waltz'

Swoosh!

He then appeared behind Shin and struck with his stiletto as his opponent was brushing past him.

Purple mana surrounding his body gathered at his weapon before creating a layer around it, increasing its size.

'Extra Skill: (Empowered) Vital Strike'

Swoosh!

Before the tip of the stiletto struck Shin, he quickly halted his movements and hopped away from the Diablo to create some distance. But the latter persisted and chance after him, not willing to let go.

Midair, Shin rotated his wrists to flip the sabers that he was holding a couple of times, building up good momentum. Then he swung them in a horizontal manner. They might be close to each other but their respective trajectories were parallel with one another.

'Yin-Yang Swordsmanship: Beheading Blade'

The tip of Diablo's stiletto was almost upon him at that time but he still retaliated with a speed rivaling his opponent.

Diablo calculated inside his head after seeing Shin's fearless straightforwardness. He then realized that he would be at a disadvantage in this exchange. He might be able to land a clean hit that would deal a lot of damage but his opponent would claim his head in exchange.

Without any hesitation, Diablo stopped his attack by retracting his arm before disappearing in front of Shin without leaving a single trace.

'Shadow Dancer Skill (Tier 2): Extreme Vanish'

He might be forced to take a step back but he still didn't give up on offense.

Instead of retreating, he used the one-second invulnerability and momentary boost of the speed of his skill to fearlessly move forward.

The invisibility effect of the skill also granted him the chance to get near Shin without being noticed.

He ducked forward, barely dodging the sabers of his opponent that were moving like the pair of blades of a scissor.

Right after closing the distance, he quickly swung his shortsword horizontally at the exposed waist of his opponent. The purple aura surrounding his body also reinforced the shortsword just like what happened to his stiletto earlier.

'Twilight Skill: (Empowered) Deadly Laceration'

Diablo was confident that this attack was going to land since Shin was still suspended in the air which also prevented the latter from executing any movement techniques. And due to the previous actions that Shin did, his arms were now in an awkward position to counterattack.

Unfortunately for Diablo, Shin still had a way to move in midair.

'Legacy Skill: Mondi's Jump'

Pa!

He kicked the air to propel himself away from his opponent and narrowly escape his dangerous predicament.

Swoosh!

Diablo was taken aback by what happened but still managed to recover himself within an instant before chasing after Shin.

At the same time, he swung his shortsword and stiletto in the air, sending a series of purple waves toward his opponent.

'Class Fighting Style: Shadow Cyclone'

Seeing the barrage of energy waves flying at him at extreme speed, Shin also did the same and sent a series of sword waves forward. But instead of using the normal way of using his in-game skills, he used them as a medium to execute an advanced sword technique from his arsenal.

'Yin-Yang Swordsmanship: Sword Crusade'

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Whoosh!

Bang! Bang!

A series of violent explosions immediately occurred right after opposing energy waves clashed against each other.

But despite seeing how powerful the series of explosions were, Diablo continued to move forward, ignoring violent ripples in the air and the chaotic aura left lingering in the air.

His shadow seemed to move and enfolded himself, protecting him from the explosions as he moved ahead. And when he broke through, his speed suddenly accelerated, turning himself into a purple flash of light.

'Class Fighting Style: Killing Shadow'

While moving ahead, Diablo was thrusting his stiletto forward, cutting through the air on his path. A sonic boom was accompanying him alongside the spiraling aura that was spearheading his charge.

'Basic Combat Technique: Second Drive'

'Class Fighting Style: Final Strike'

Shin stopped moving backward when he saw that before flipping the [Dusk Blade] with a twist of his wrist.

The power of the Abyssal Moon enhanced the dark light surrounding it, covering the entire blade of the saber and turning it to pitch black weapon. He then waited for a brief moment before swinging that saber forward in a horizontal manner.

His actions might be simple but it was executed in a very swift manner, leaving a black trail in the air as it continued to move forward.

'Yin-Yang: Swordsmanship: Blade Culling'

A flash of light occurred when the two brushed past each other and suffered a huge amount of damage due to their respective moves.

(-89,440)

(-90,002)

They failed to land the hit on their targeted spots but the damage was still enormous for their respective Health Bars. And since they already suffered a few scratches in their earlier exchange, these particular strikes almost emptied their remaining Hit Points.

Then they paused for a brief moment to take an Advance Health Potions to recover their HP Bars back to a desirable amount before resuming their battle.

The next exchanges reached an extremely high intensity, completely showcasing their respective skills and styles.

Diablo cycled his in-game skills perfectly and executed them in a manner that broke the logic of the game. He also used the improved combat techniques recorded by the 'Demon Eyes' to compensate for the areas where he was lacking and also treated them as if they were a real form of Martial Arts.

On the other hand, Shin showcased a godly display of his swordsmanship as if he was in the real world. He surpassed the limitations of the virtual world as he summoned his real strength within the game.  Each of his moves contained the essence of his real Martial Arts and Swordsmanship, unrestricted by the system.

The two continued to lose their Hit Points as they continued the duel.

They could feel proud of themselves as they showcased the pinnacle of the virtual battle. Any player who would watch this battle in the future was going to be inspired regardless of their standing in the real world.

Especially when these two individuals represented both types of players.

One of the sides was an ordinary person who surpassed the limitations of the game and became a better version of himself. Broke free from his limited talent in the real world and showed the possible evolution of humanity.

On the other hand, the other person was a Practitioner who ignored the restrictions of the virtual world and summoned his real strength in this game. He showed that this world was no different from reality.

Alas, no matter how amazing this battle was, it still needed to come to an end. And the outcome would be decided by a final exchange just like any other legendary battle.

...…