Child of Destiny

…

Cling!

Clang! Clang!

In the other part of Frozen Kingdom, Diablo was currently being besieged by a group of players filled with the assassin- and thief-related classes. They were trying to kill him with everything they had but still could not get the job done despite their advantage in numbers.

Diablo was skillfully dodging and blocking everything with ease as if he was only fighting a bunch of beginner players. Even if he was being ambushed from behind, he would always avoid it as if he had a pair of eyes at the back of his head.

There was a lot of time when he was almost caught in a predicament that was impossible to escape from, but he would somehow find a way to escape the clutches of death every time.

This made the players attacking him respect him even more. They were already looking up to him when he was still a part of the Pandemonium Descendants, as one of the Troupe members, in particular, but this current situation boosted that feeling right away.

They were one of the best groups within the organization and their task was to assassinate high-profile targets. This main job might be similar to the Sweepers, but the only difference was they were directly reporting to the mysterious leader of the organization. And all of the orders that they were receiving from him were always been confidential.

Right now, they were ordered to head over to the Frozen Kingdom and deal with Diablo, who was constantly getting in their way.

When Diablo was a part of the organization, this particular group was the one that he was leading most of the time. He used to be their captain who led them in every assassination job that they had.

Who would have thought that he would be one of their targets?

Diablo felt a little nostalgia when fighting them, but he knew that it would be impossible to return to the past and fix everything. Now that they were standing at opposite ends, they could only raise their daggers and point at them at each other.

Cling!

Clang! Clang!

Diablo blocked yet another attack from the opposing side in a skillful manner before quickly launching a counterattack.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

A series of flashes flew through the air as he swung his dagger multiple times at one of his assailants. And when that person tried to get away, he suddenly noticed that he could not move away as his leg was caught in a trap unknowingly.

“Crap!” he noticed it way too late and he had to pay for it. Before he could even do anything to escape that predicament, Diablo already emptied out his Health Bar within an instant.

Diablo did not even give the others the time to save their comrade. And when the group saw that, the expression on their faces immediately turned dark. They had already been fighting him for quite some time already, yet they still hadn’t landed a single hit on him. They were constantly being led since the start of the battle.

They were very familiar with Diablo’s fighting style and set of skills since they were working with him before he left the organization. They were also aware of his secret cards, so they knew that they could not afford to drag this battle.

They were also aware that Diablo was also familiar with each one of them, making it hard for them to take him down. This was the reason why they had brought some elite members of the other squad. And those players were one of the people that the organization had nurtured.

But despite their efforts of trying to make this as fast as they could, Diablo was still able to drag it this long, somehow. And when his ‘Demon Eyes’ started working, it would be impossible to stop him from turning the tables around.

Little did they know, Diablo had significantly grown after leaving the Pandemonium Descendants. He even reached a higher realm that used to be impossible for him before.

He had to thank Shin for that since their encounter was without a doubt the reason why he broke free from his previous shell.

Even though he did not use the higher phase of Demon Eyes, he could still deal with this group due to the experience that he had from that intense battle against Shin.

Due to this miscalculation from the side of Pandemonium Descendants, they had to pay a heavy price. And this could lead to the failure of their operation entirely.

The group understood their current position very well, so they quickly picked up their pace and started launching themselves at Diablo without caring for their lives. They threw a restless series of attacks which give their former captain a lot of trouble.

Swoosh!

Diablo hopped back dodging the two daggers of the two assassins flanking him from both sides. And when his feet touched the ground, a slight tap of his foot propelled him toward the air before he flipped backward and dodged the other attacks that were directed at his back.

Ta-ta!

And when he fell back on the ground once again, he quickly spun around, swinging his dagger in the process deflecting the flying daggers and needles.

Cling! Cling! Cling!

The group of assassins did not want to give him any window to catch his breath, no matter how small it was. They continued launching a series of coordinated attacks that were fatal enough to cost Diablo’s life if he tried to retaliate even for a moment.

But as the battle progressed, the group finally realized that there was something amiss. And when they were trying to figure out what it was, a tragedy suddenly happened.

While two of them were trying to pincer Diablo from different angles, Diablo suddenly disappeared from their sight before instantly appearing right in front of one of them. And before that player could even react, Diablo gave him a hard elbow strike on his solar plexus, punching out the air from that person’s lungs.

And when the person was trying to recover himself, Diablo already threw a flurry attack that quickly emptied the health bar within an instant.

He also did not stop in there, he quickly pounced at the other player that was attacking from the opposing direction. He pivoted his feet for a brief moment before kicking the ground and launching himself toward that person.

His stiletto left a cold trail in the air as he thrust it forward and stabbed straight at the next target. And right after he pulled it back, he did a quick spin to dodge the other attacks from the other assassins as they tried to save their comrade.

While doing that, Diablo used the momentum of his spin to strengthen his attack as he swung the dagger he held on the other hand, slitting the throat of the person that he just attacked.

That assassin did not even know how he was killed as his eyes were directed in front of him. At first, his gaze was locked on Diablo before the latter disappeared. Then the next moment, the supposedly ‘target’ suddenly appeared in front of him once again before disappearing once again.

That was what he saw in his final moments before his vision suddenly turned dark, indicating that he already died.

“What kind of speed was that?!” – were the thoughts that were running inside his head before he died.

In the next moment, Diablo started killing the others one after another without giving them the time to react. They were still processing what just happened to the others when they discovered that they had already been taken down.

They could do nothing in front of Diablo’s counterattack!

The others who used to fight alongside him and went through countless battles could not recognize his movements anymore. He seemed to be a completely different person – someone who was much more vicious and ruthless to his opponents when he started attacking.

Understanding that they could no longer be his match, the remaining members could only put up a pointless struggle before they were taken down.

Out of the members of the group, there was a single person who could at least exchange a few blows against Diablo despite the current strength of the latter.

Even though that person was still being pushed back constantly, he was still able to put up a good fight and protected himself very well.

“You’ve grown so much, little punk! I guess you are not slacking off like the rest of them, huh?” commented Diablo while continuing his attacks on the final person.

The latter was silent for a moment before squeezing out a few words from his throat. “B-Big Brother, I-I’m-…”

But before he could even complete his words, Diablo quickly cut him off. “Don’t call me that! I am not worthy to be addressed like that anymore as I’ve let you all down.”

“Stick to your choice and be responsible for it!” he shouted before increasing his pace and throwing much complex series of attacks. 𝙗𝙚𝒅𝒏𝒐𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝙘𝒐𝒎

That other person was called, Ashen. He was young a couple of years compared to Diablo and received direct guidance from him. Out of everyone in their group, he could be considered the closest person to Diablo.

Diablo helped him and the rest of the members every time they were in a pinch and did not even ask for anything in return. But when he was the one who was needing their help, none of them had the courage to step up and lend him a hand.

They chose the temporary benefits over the eternal comradery that they were supposed to have. They might have regretted it now, especially him, but it was already too late for it. They already betrayed him and his trust.

Even though Diablo was constantly saying that it was his fault and that he let them down, they all knew that it was them who actually turned their backs on him.

Ashen deeply regretted it but after hearing the words that Diablo had said, he could only grit his teeth and continue exchanging blows against the latter. The only way that he could show his former captain his respect was to give his all and show the growth that he had since they last parted.

Diablo was very familiar with this kid, so he was able to read what was running inside the latter’s head. He inwardly applauded as he felt proud of this little brother that he used to have. This might be the last time that he would be able to give Ashen his guidance, so he controlled his face and started correcting the flaws of the latter.

This would be his final parting gift, the next time they met each other would be enemies. And when that time came, he would no longer show mercy.

‘I hope you find success in the place that you’ve chosen,’ he genuinely wished inside as he looked at Ashen with meaningful eyes.

As for himself, he still had to find a new place where he could stay and belong to.

……