Child of Destiny

...

As Shin and the others wrapped their battle on their side, a similar thing was happening on the other battlefield. Leonard, Lawless, and the rest of the group were about to finish their battle.

Nel was currently kneeling on one knee while using his iron mace to support himself. He then stared at the three people standing a few meters in front of him before laughing out loud. "That was fun! You guys are worthy to be called warriors of the upcoming Era."

He then put more strength on his arms and forced himself to stand up before continuing. "That you still count me out. Not until I take my last breath."

"Sounds good to me!" responded Lawless as he understood what Nel meant with those words.

Leonard was the same as he immediately took his fighting stance once again. "A true warrior never stops. They only did when they die in battle."

"Then let's have one final dance," said Owen as he followed after the two.

The others from the blackline already finished their battle as well as cleared the remaining fallen knights. They were about to join the other three when they suddenly hear Lawless shout at them. "You can leave this to us. This is a battle that needs to end in a warrior's way."

Hearing those words, the others quickly stopped preparing the spells, especially the three mages who were about to finish their finish summoning most powerful spells.

In the meantime, the three on the frontline were already preparing for this final exchange. The same for Nel who was already summoning all of his remaining strength.

The Vanguard King squatted his hip and faced the three sideways. Raising his left hand, he opened his palm widely and pointed it at the three while resting his iron mace on his shoulder.

Boom!

With a loud explosion sound, a black aura suddenly exploded from his body before turning into a shadowy flame with a towering height that was as twice Nel's.

The flame-like aura dance alongside the wind before shrinking and compressing within Nel's body before forming a spherical object within his chest. And when it happened, another explosion could be heard as the pressure coming from him became even more suffocating.

Boom!

Then he looked at the three, turning his left hand and doing a taunting gesture at them. "Come!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Seeing that, the three quickly sprung into action. They simultaneously stomped on the ground and charged at Nel in a very aggressive manner.

Owen took the lead as he accelerated forward, overtaking the two who were running shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

During his charge, a blue aura suddenly covered his body before turning into an image of a bison aggressively running forward.

Owen raised his shield in front of him during the charge before further increasing his speed. And during that time, his body suddenly transformed into a light that dashed forward, heading over to Nel who was grinning from ear to ear.

'Class Fighting Style: Divine Charge'

The Vanguard King waited patiently for Owen to arrive before swinging his iron mace forward with a strength that seemed to be able to obliterate anything that was coming his way.

It was at that moment when Owen's shield met the iron mace as if it was greeting him for his arrival.

Boom!

Looking from the spectator's point of view, the others could see a huge bison being stopped by a giant with his iron mace.

The sturdy head of the bison clashed against the iron mace, refusing to be stopped by it. Unfortunately, the giant seemed to be having a similar thought and also refused to budge despite how strong the force that clashed against him was.

Boom!

With a powerful explosion, the aura covering Owen with the image of a Bison slowly crumbled right after the collision.

Owen continuously stepped backward, trying to regain his footing. The impact from that clash was so strong that almost made him stumble on the ground.

Swoosh!

Then the curtain of snow that was produced by the previous clash was suddenly split open as Nel charged through it and appeared right in front of Owen and was about to swing his iron mace down.

Seeing that, Owen quickly lowered his head and raised his shield over him before using his most powerful defensive skill.

'Class Fighting Skill: Divine Bulwark'

Blue mana suddenly shot up from the ground and moved in a spiral manner, forming a dome-shaped barrier around him that protected him from the incoming attack.

Boom!

A loud explosion immediately followed right after the iron mace descended. The ground shook violently as the shockwave produced by the collision sent the snow up in the air before a huge crater was formed with Owen and Nel situated at its center.

Owen might have successfully blocked that attack, but he lost all of his remaining strength right after that exchange. He collapsed on the ground and could no longer continue fighting.

But that would be fine since he already brought enough time for Lawless and Leonard to adjust their current state.

Lawless already used the bloodline power of his Special Race and Class to its maximum limit, making his appearance look like a ferocious tiger that was showing its might.

A scarlet aura was surrounding his body which had a black hue swimming on its surface from time to time. His eyes were shining with a brilliant light as he appeared right beside Nel, squatting down and about to throw a powerful punch.

Nel quickly recognized now dangerous Lawless right now, so he quickly forgot about Owen and redirected his next attack towards this ferocious tiger instead.

Boom!

The impact from this collision forced Nel and Lawless to be separated from each other, sliding back and leaving a long trail on the ground.

The grin that Nel had grown larger when he felt his right arm trembling violently due to that last exchange.

Licking his lips, he was about to charge at Lawless and continue the fight when he sensed something dangerous from behind. And when turned his head, he saw Leonard aggressively pouncing at him like a violent beast.

Currently, Leonard's body was currently covered by a flame-like aura. It was a crimson aura that resembled a lion's mane dancing alongside the wind. And just like Lawless, he was not wielding his battle axes as they also fused with arms and turned them into his most dangerous weapon.

Leonard quickly swung his fist forward right after he reached the target.

Due to how suddenly Leonard appeared behind him, Nel didn't have the time to counterattack. He could only raise his iron mace in front of him and used it to block the incoming fist.

Boom!

Nel was pushed by that powerful punch, forcing him to slide back once again. And right after he stopped himself from moving, he found himself in the middle of two hungry beasts, circling around him as if he was some sort of prey.

"You two are the best!" shouted Nel as slammed his iron mace on the ground.

Boom!

His actions caused the ground underneath them to tremble. Then a delayed shockwave immediately followed, further destroying the ground and making the debris fly up in the air.

Lawless and Leonard were forced to jump away from the epicenter, trying to distance themselves from it.

Whoosh!

That was when Leonard heard the sharp sound of an object splitting the air apart.

Without further ado, he quickly halted his steps and took a stance before focusing his crimson mana on his right fist. And when the accumulation of powers reached its peak, he suddenly swung his fist where the sound came from.

'Blood Sutra: Muerte Sangre'

His fist left an intervening trail of lights in the air resembling the blood flowing within the veins of a person.

Boom!

Then his fist collided against an iron mace that split the could of dust and snow in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, Leonard quickly pulled his fist back before putting it beside his waist alongside the other. Those fists glowed with crimson light as his mana formed a spherical energy covering them.

Then, in the very next instant, Leonard started throwing a series of consecutive punches in front of him.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

'Blood Sutra: Sanguine Tempestad'

Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions immediately followed as Leonard continued to throw a barrage of punches with unstoppable momentum.

With such a violent attack, Nel was forced to stay on his spot and swung his iron mace repeatedly, exchanging blows against Leonard.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The series of explosions continued to create shockwaves that further destroyed their surroundings. But regardless of what was happening around them, Leonard and Nel continued to throw their attacks, completely unbothered.

Roar!

And just like a tiger patiently waiting to jump on its prey, Lawless sneaked behind Nel and threw a powerful punch at the fully exposed back of their opponent.

'Berserk Heaven Killing Style: Fist of Wrath'

Swoosh!

Right before Lawless' fist hit its target, Nel suddenly spun his body while swinging his iron mace and sent the two flying in opposite directions.

Bang! Bang!

He didn't bother to look at the two as he quickly raised his iron mace in the air and pointed it toward the sky, gathering all of his remaining energy on it.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

While he was gathering his energy, Leonard and Lawless quickly picked themselves up and directly sent themselves back to where Nel was standing.

While charging ahead, the auras that were covering their body grew stronger as they circulated their respective energies to the fullest.

A few moments later, their respective auras turned into a pair of ferocious beasts, charging toward Nel in the distance. A savage and dreadful tiger for Lawless while a majestic yet fierce lion for Leonard.

Lawless pulled his right fist back gathering all of his mana into it. He was flexing his arm so hard that it made his muscles contract. And when he reached the ideal distance away from Nel, he threw that fist forward while releasing a dreadful howl.

Roar!

'Berserk Heaven Killing Style: Destruction of Heaven'

In the meantime, Leonard was doing something similar. He was taking large strides while dragging his fist which was filled with blood elemental mana. Each step that he took left a deep footprint on the ground as his fist left a beautiful trail in the air.

And when he was about to arrive beside Nel, he forcefully stopped his charge with a powerful stomp before transferring all of the force toward his fist and thrusting it forward.

Bang!

And with a roar similar to what Lawless had released, he shouted at the top of his lungs as he swung that fist with all his might.

Roar!

'Blood Sutra: El Puño Del Infierno'

Swoosh!

Boom!

Right before the two fists reached their target, Nel suddenly swung his iron mace toward the ground, creating a powerful explosion that extended in every direction.

Despite the continuous damage that they were receiving and the powerful shockwave that was trying to push them away, Lawless and Leonard refused to give in and continue to move forward.

"HAHHH!"

With a powerful shout, the two summoned all of their remaining strength and pushed their fists further ahead.

Boom!

And alongside a delayed explosion, a blinding light suddenly devoured the figures of the two together with Nel who was standing in the middle.

…

The others worried looked at the explosion as Cloe cast a sturdy barrier that protected them from it. Owen was now beside them as Seven saved him earlier when the Nel was busy exchanging blows with Leonard and Lawless.

They refused to remove their gaze from the thick cloud of dust created by the explosion waiting for it to settle.

Looking at the corner of their eyes, they knew that both Leonard and Lawless survived the explosion given that their HP Bars were still in there, albeit hanging with a sliver of health.

When the cloud of dust subdued, they could finally see three figures standing in the distance. They were still maintaining the postures that they had at the final exchange, seemingly unable to move.

The fists of Leonard and Lawless were still a few inches away from Nel's body but the damage of their final attacks could easily be seen.

Right now, Nel's black armor was fully destroyed while his body hidden underneath was full of wounds.

Their punches might not have connected but the forces behind them clearly reached Nel and flanked him from both sides.

Nel continued to stare at the ground and his iron mace in front of him as he couldn't raise his head. He lost all of his strength and was unable to move a single muscle within his body.

But despite that being the case, a satisfied smile was currently present on his lips as he knew that he could finally rest.

He then forced himself to open his mouth and spoke. "T-Thank-… y-you. Thank you for everything."

'For making me remember the thrill of such an exciting battle, for fulfilling our wish, for freeing our souls, for carrying our legacy, and for carrying the future.'

He had many things that he wanted to say but couldn't voice them out as he no longer had the strength to say them. He could only maintain his smile as he waited for his body to disappear.

Leonard and Lawless also refused to move as they watched Nel turn into specks of dust and scatter along with the gentle wind.

They had an unexplainable feeling inside their chest that they couldn't say. All they could do was stared at the scattered dust with meaningful eyes, ignoring the iron mace and black bead that was left behind.

The legendary Vanguard King was no longer bound by his curse and could finally rest.

...