Child of Destiny

...…

"Will you lend us your strength? Of course, we will also help you at achieving your goal in return."

Diablo was taken aback by those words as he was not expecting Shin to say them straightforwardly. He stared at the latter with an observant gaze, he wanted to know what this person was thinking right now.

Those words might look simple on the surface, but they could be interpreted in different ways depending on the intention of the speaker. And from what Diablo could tell, Shin was not only asking for his help for the quest that they were currently trying to clear, but the guy seemed to also be conveying something else.

Even Faker and Zero were looking at Shin with astounded expressions on their faces. Like Diablo, they could also tell that Shin was saying something else aside from asking Diablo to help them with their current quest.

'Is this guy trying to recruit Diablo to their adventurer team?' thought Faker as he continued to stare at Shin.

Zero was also having a similar thought. At the same time, he also remembered what Arthur told him before during the Shadow Ranking Cup. – "That guy is much harder to read which makes him unpredictable. And he is most likely the person that we lack to recreate that 'Legend'." –

– "What do you think? Feel think joining me climbing that summit? I can assure you that we can reach it." –

Thinking about the current strength that the Empyrean Talons had alongside their unique composition, Zero was thinking Arthur's words might be right. Especially when he thought about Arthur, Leonard, and Shin being in the same group as well as Cloe who was the best healer within the game.

Zero could tell that the trio would be an unstoppable force in the future and they were a few people who would be able to stand in their way. And adding the best support that anyone could ask for, their future was pretty much guaranteed.

Moreover, their group was also attracting more players who had a unique talent of their own, making their future prospects even brighter.

Zero was really tempted to accept Arthur's offer after witnessing the potential that the Empyrean Talons had.

Unfortunately, he had already chosen his own path and planned to see through it until the end. Walking the same path as those people who created unparallel legends might be appealing, but creating his own legend was also quite amazing.

Zero promised Arthur before to join him to climb that summit if ever he succeeded at creating a group that had the potential to match that legend.

But it didn't mean that he couldn't join the climb if he was not with their group. He could also reach that summit alongside them without directly joining them.

Regardless, Zero was also looking forward to the future that the Empyrean Talons held. And at the same time, he was also thinking that Diablo's addition to their group would make them even more 'complete'.

Shin didn't urge Diablo to immediately reply with his invitation. After all, his invitation was a little too sudden. But it didn't mean that he hadn't put any thought into it. It was quite the contrary.

He had a little understanding of Diablo after what he heard from Zero. Especially when they dueled against each other earlier.

Aside from that, he also considered the history that Diablo had with the Pandemonium Descendants. Or to be more precise, his reason for joining that organization which was the same reason why he left those people, the Irregulars.

Shin was still unfamiliar with the group and he also didn't have the chance to inquire about them from Arthur due to the series of events that were happening. But he knew that they influenced quite a lot of people due to the amazing achievements that did.

This particular group of legendary players was also the reason why Arthur insisted on forming an Adventurer Team alongside him and Leonard. And alongside it, this brother of his also wanted to teach the Pandemonium Descendants, the Troupe members in particular, for trying to tarnish the reputation of his idols.

Since their goals somewhat aligned with each other, then why not they joined forces and created a much more powerful group to take down that organization?

Shin knew that Diablo would not blindly accept his invitation. This was also the reason why he didn't extend his hand after their duel earlier.

During that time, he first wanted to make a good impression on Diablo and also showcased his ability which could be helpful in this situation.

Aside from that, he also confirmed quite a few things regarding Diablo, his cautious nature for example. He would not make a move unless he was certain that he could win or at least had the advantage.

Shin had that thought earlier when he learned that Diablo was observing them earlier. And even if he had a good opportunity to ambush them, he chose not to do it since he needed their strength to confront the members of the Pandemonium Descendants and weaken their forces.

Having that thought in mind, Shin was sure that Diablo would definitely look deeper into the backgrounds of each member of Empyrean Talons, especially when he showed his brilliance during the previous duel.

Shin was confident in their group and he knew that Diablo would also have some thoughts of being a part of such a formidable group.

Now that Shin had properly laid the net and thrown out the bait, he only needed a small push to further lure Diablo towards them and patiently wait for results.

Though, he also knew that this was not going to be easy. After all, they were still not familiar with each other and there was also the factor of uncertainty to be considered.

On top of that, there was also the matter regarding Diablo's previous group. Shin was aware that the latter was going to have a second thoughts due to that.

'If that is the case, then his decision was most likely to refuse us,' thought Shin as he stared at Diablo.

Exactly at the same moment, Diablo shook his head and replied. "I'm afraid that I have to politely decline your invitation at joining your team. Though, I appreciate that you are thinking highly of me."

Shin was already expecting that and was not disappointed. He at least conveyed his intention. And if ever Diablo suddenly had a chance of heart and decided to join a group, the Empyrean Talons would definitely come first in his mind.

He didn't want to be this calculative when it came to building up relationships but he couldn't be helped since Diablo's talent and potential were way too good to give up.

Though that thought of recruitment could only wait to be continued in the future, and it might also be good in some ways.

"Sigh, I guess that's a pity then," Shin immediately 'gave up' on recruiting Diablo to their team which made the two beside him to be confused.

He could feel that Faker and Zero had a lot of questions with the gaze that they were giving him. But Shin just ignored them and continued. "Then we should discuss the real business time."

"You should have read the message that I sent you, so I supposed you already had a gist of the situation?" he asked, catching Diablo off-guard at the sudden change of the topic.

Diablo stared at Shin in an even stranger way. He needed a few moments to reorganize himself and adjust his thoughts before nodding his head. "Yeah. I'm somewhat aware of the current situation."

"And even if it is a little bold, I think your plans are pretty good. You can both a direct confrontation with the members of the Earners and let the Sweepers deal with them to weaken their battle prowess."

"That way, you only needed to keep your eyes on the Corrupted Cult while you are continuing your quest," he added, agreeing with the majority of the plan.

"As you can see, we have a deal with the Pandemonium Descendants, so we can't work with you openly," said Shin.

"I can understand that," Diablo nodded his head before asking. "So, what role do you want me to play?"

Shin was glad that Diablo was able to see through what he wanted to do. And after a brief pause, he quickly stated. "Before that, we still need to ask your opinion."

"Since you are familiar with the Pandemonium Descendants, we want to know if it is possible for them to send their Troupe members for this operation."

This was the concern that Shin was most worried about. The matter with Immortal, Silent Night, and the Earners was already troublesome enough, so he didn't know if they could handle more than it.

If they were still something to add and make their situation much more complicated, then they didn't know what to do next.

They just dealt with the current problem at hand and weakened their forces, so the next encounter should be much easier to handle. The problem was if there were still some variables that they needed to consider.

Diablo could tell what Shin was worried about and quickly understood what was the job that Shin wanted him to do. "Given the scale of this operation and the importance of the quest that they were doing, there is a high chance for the high-ranking troupe members to arrive."

"But you shouldn't have to worry about them. I can at least buy you enough to time deal with them until everything is over," he added with full confidence.

Shin slightly knitted his brow before voicing out his doubts. "We know that you are familiar with them and we are also aware of your strength but are you sure that you can handle them alone?"

Diablo shook his head a little, also smiling at the same time since he could understand Shin's thoughts. "Just like you said, I am familiar with them, so I know how they are going to operate."

"They are definitely going to send their Troupe members to assist this quest but they can send all of them since they still have some matters to attend – and those were as equally important as this one."

He paused briefly before continuing with a confident tone. "At most, they can only send one of the four 'archdevils' and three 'upper demons'. If they send anyone weaker than those guys, then they can forget clearing this important quest."

...…