Child of Destiny

...

Justin swept his gaze at the battlefield to look for the source of his unease.

He then saw most of his members struggling, especially the ones who were fighting the Godlike Players of the other side.

Zero was taking one four of their members. Those guys were not Godlike Players or Titled Rankers but they were Peak Maverick Rankers who were comparable in terms of strength.

These four players had a very balanced composition. A frontline of a Swordmaster and a Guardian Knight, a mage who was providing range support, and a priest to give them buffs and healing.

They might not be as amazing as the rest of their members individually but their teamwork was perfect. They were able to cover the weakness of each other and perform their roles to perfection.

Even Justin and Jugo would have to be wary of them since these guys were pretty skilled. On top of that, their Demonic Transformation was also a little special compared to ordinary ones since it could link their minds to each other.

It was as if they were moving in the same body. This made their teamwork reach perfection.

If it was any other top player, then these four had already taken down that person. Unfortunately, they were facing and current number one player of the game, the Sword God Zero, so they were currently having a hard time.

Moreover, Zero was also using Reality Manifestation, so keeping themselves alive was already a problem, much less trying to take him down.

Well, staying alive was also a great feat already given the strength that Zero currently had. Though, it would definitely be a different matter when the Sword God familiarized himself with his current state properly.

…

Aside from those four, there was also the trio of assassins of their group. These guys were the new recruit on their team after some of the original members parted ways with the rest of the Silent Night.

This particular trio was brothers, a triplet to be exact. This was also the reason why their teamwork ranked top among their group. They knew what the other two were thinking without voicing out their thoughts.

Their Demonic Transformation was similar to the previous four as they could also link their minds with each other after activating it.

But despite all of those amazing abilities, they were still having a hard time dealing with their current opponent – the God Slayer Lawless, who was also currently in the state of Reality Manifestation.

If not for their class having an insane speed and a variety of escaping skills, then the three of them were already been taken down ages ago.

They couldn't be more thankful for it being the case.

…

In the meantime, Ember and Ravier also found their opponent. A player with a Brawler Special Class found his way to them in the midst of chaos.

This guy had lightning abilities, giving him not only quick movement and attack speed but also a set of powerful offensive skills to counter their magical attacks.

This guy was also a new recruit of the Silent Night. He was not famous as he was not a public figure but a private independent player. And based on the battle prowess that he was showing, he was at least a Maverick Player who was comparable to a Godlike Player.

This guy was known as the 'Lighting Fist' in the secret list but his real name was never been discovered. Ember and Ravier didn't know him personally but they were aware of his previous achievements.

They were surprised to see him with the Silent Night as he had never been fighting alongside anyone else. He was always been a solo player.

Regardless of the reason, it still remained that he was currently an enemy and the couple didn't have any intention of letting him off. They were also giving out their best as this guy was currently using a Demonic Transformation.

He might not have a contracted demon but his current power already surpassed most of the players. He was also stronger than the couple when it came to individual strength.

But since they were working together, he was barely able to hold himself against them. Fortunately, his lightning element gave him an overwhelming advantage when it came to speed, so the two also needed to be wary of him and keep their distance if they didn't want to get caught.

…

The last final member of Silent Night was also busy keeping Charlotte busy.

She was a Demonic Human Archer and was the main marksman of the group and one of the original members.

She was known as the 'Shadow Queen' of the Adventurer Team as her achievements were not as amazing as the Godlike Players of their group but her strength proved something else.

She seemed to be the shadow of the group as she hid her real strength until it was absolutely necessary.

Charlotte and this Shadow Queen moved away from the main battleground while exchanging blows against each other.

The spells and skills that the two had were devasting enough to affect the other battles, so they tacitly distanced themselves away from the rest, making sure that they would not get in the way of their teammates unconsciously.

And as they were moving away, they left a devastated place in their wake, almost changing the terrain of the place due to their powerful attacks.

******

Getting a clear look at the whole battlefield, Justin finally found who were the missing members of the opposing side.

Shin and Cloe were not present alongside another priest who was mentioned in the reports. There was also the guy who always followed Zero wherever he went. Justin didn't know the reason behind it, but he was sure that this was not a good sign.

The outcome of this battle was no longer important. What they needed to do now was to retreat and reorganized themselves before thinking out their next move.

At the same time, the fact that Immortal was somehow forced to be isolated away from them was also bothering him.

But before anything else, he needed to take care of this annoying guy in front of him.

"I guess I also need to show my Contracted Demon too," he muttered in a solemn them while glaring at Arthur.

******

In the meantime, a few distances from the chaotic battlefield, Shin was looking for something alongside Cloe and Black Hand.

It might be strange for him not to join the battle as it was going to be an easy win if they partook in it.

But Shin had another plan in mind. And it was going to be more troublesome if they took down Immortal and the rest right away.

"Are we heading in the right direction?" asked Shin as he cut down more branches while walking ahead.

"Don't worry, I am sure of it," replied Cloe with full confidence.

"It is going to be hard to find if Immortal die since the Mana Signature that he left behind will be erased without a trace. It is a unique ability of his Class based on what Zero had informed us."

"He had been on Immortal's tail for a long time as well as the rest of the top 'Dark Players' of the game, so he is very familiar with this method," she added as she held the special device that Zero had lent them.

"Yeah, that is the reason why I ask him to come with us instead," said Black Hand but immediately shook his head. "But we will not have enough people to hold the members of Silent Night if that is the case."

It was better if Shin and Zero swapped places in this particular job since they were practically equal in terms of battle prowess right now. But unfortunately, the latter was not that familiar with the area of Magic Array and Formations, unlike Shin who had a bit of knowledge regarding it.

Moreover, Shin could also apply his knowledge in Mentalism Formations and Array Building when it came to that area. On top of that, he could also use the Reality Manifestation to increase his proficiency in it when he was inside the game.

As for Cloe and Black Hand, they also had some experiences when it came to that area. Cloe was almost a Master Ranker Alchemist and already opened a branch path of that profession, a Talisman Master.

She still hadn't explored that area since she wanted to focus more on alchemy, but she was already familiar with the Magic Sequence required for creating the talismans. After all, Holy Magic also had a unique magic sequence of its own.

As for Black Hand, he was an Array Master himself. It was a rare profession but not that uncommon since it was one of the required professions for building a town or a city, as well as setting up defenses for the territory of large guilds and other organizations.

It was rare not because it was hard to find. But it was due to the difficulty of passing the test required for it. This was also one of the reasons why the guilds treasured their Array Masters.

Shin was surprised earlier when he heard Black Hand's a real lifestyle profession, but at the same time, he also found it reasonable.

Given that Black Hand had a good head on his shoulders alongside his strategic skills, it was the best sub-class that Shin could think of.

It also made him wonder how an Array Master fought in battle. From what he could tell, it must be similar to the methods that a Mentalist would employ in battle.

This thought also made Shin curious if the Hand of Midas Trading Firm also possessed an Array Master of the same caliber as the other Masters of that lifestyle guild.

Setting that aside, the real reason why Shin brought these two was to look for the teleportation formation somewhere in the vicinity.

He experienced the methods of the Corrupted Cult multiple times already, so he would not be tricked by them again.

The first time was the incident in the Shunkai Forest, where he first encountered the Undying Guild. In that battle, the Corrupted Cult managed to sneak such a huge army of corrupted undead without anyone knowing.

Then there was also the incident in the Beast Glades Kingdom as well as the recent event that took place in the Saint Heaven Kingdom.

Those incidents had multiple things in common, but the thing that stood out the most was the presence of the Corrupted Cult and its army that managed to sneak into those Kingdoms.

If such an army was being mobilized, the surveillance of different kingdoms shouldn't have missed them, especially when they had such a huge number.

Then how did they manage to do it?

The answer couldn't be more obvious, the Corrupted Cult definitely hid a Teleportation Formation somewhere, which was also huge enough to transport such a large army.

Right now, out of the members of their opponents, Immortal was the only person who could build it, and Shin knew that it would be hidden somewhere in the area.

The only problem was how they were going to look for it given the size of the Frozen Kingdom. And even if they managed to deduce the major location of that teleportation, locating the exact spot would also be another problem. Especially if Immortal hid it properly.

Fortunately, Zero was with them right now. As someone known as the 'hunter' of the 'Dark Players' of the game, he surely had the means to track those guys down and one of them was the special tracking device that Cloe was currently using.

That device could sense the recorded corrupted mana that a certain individual had. It could lead them to the place where Immortal hid the teleportation formation.

Even if Immortal managed to erase some of the traces left behind after building it, he wouldn't be able to hide the residual mana lingering in the air.

After all, it was a recently built formation, so the mana ink used to draw it was still fresh and would emit small fluctuations in the air. And it was what Shin was targeting right now.

…

Not long after, Shin, Cloe, and Black Hand were standing on top of the Teleportation Formation that Immortal had built recently.

"He sure hides it very well," muttered Shin as he looked around.

It was still just a formation and couldn't transform anyone yet, but it was already been built properly, only missing an altar to be completed and create a portal.

"It is also built it perfectly," he praised after not seeing any flaw in the formation.

But not long after, his lips curved into an evil grin. "Tsk! Unfortunately, they are not the ones who will be using this nor can benefit from it."

"Maybe we should thank him for giving us such a good preset," he added as his grin turned higher.

...…