Child of Destiny

…

As the invisible storm looming around the Sky Deceiving Valley was right around the corner, a real ‘storm’ was currently undergoing on a particular place within the region.

Boom!

The duel between Shin and Zero reached a whole other level. The former was still under his state of enlightenment while the latter continued to help at completing it.

As the battle progressed, Zero was able to see that Shin was continuously getting stronger and slowly reaching the state of being one with the sword. A little push was only needed for him to finally set his foot in that stage.

“I guess, it is finally time to push him to the limit,” muttered Zero as he suddenly disengaged away from Shin to create some space before quickly taking a stance.

He then held his sword in front of his chest with both of his hands while squatting his hips a little and facing Shin sideways.

Hu~!

With a deep breath, he was able to solidify his focus and stabilize the energy within his body.

Then, a moment later, he suddenly kicked the ground underneath him and lunged forward, greeting the incoming opponent with and powerful strike with his sword.

Bang!

The initial collision of swords was already devastating as a powerful explosion immediately followed. But that was only the start since the next exchanges literally created a storm-like collision.

There were no in-game skills involved in those exchanges. They were just pure swordsmanship and combat techniques that they incorporated inside the game, inspired by their real-life skills. 𝐛𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗼𝐯𝐞𝗹．𝐨𝐫𝗴

In terms of swordsmanship alone, it was clear that Zero had a slight edge since he had higher attainment when it come to understanding the sword.

But given Shin’s Battle Genius talent alongside his current state of enlightenment, that gap was slightly bridged as the battle continued.

After a few more moments of intense battle, the time that Zero was waiting for finally arrived.

Bang!

Right after sending Zero away from him, Shin suddenly stopped moving. It looked like he turned into a statue as not even a muscle moved an inch from him. His eyes also lose all of the focus as his mind seemed to be roaming around somewhere else.

Zero stared at Shin for a couple of moments before quickly spreading his senses in their surroundings to make sure that no one would disturb Shin.

After making sure that no one was lurking around the place, he looked for a spot nearby to sit on while guarding Shin and waiting for the state of enlightenment to finally be over.

Boom!

Not long after, a powerful explosion suddenly occurred, making the falling water from the falls to flew up in the air for a moment before falling back once again.

Hearing the loud explosion, Zero sightly raised his head and looked at the spot where Shin was standing. In there, he saw a young man walking calmly amidst the pouring water from the sky.

The air around Shin completely changed as there was a hint of mysteriousness mixed with it. There was also the sharp feeling that his body was emitting, it was as if his entire being was a sharp sword itself.

“Heh! Not bad,” muttered Zero to himself before standing up and walking over to Shin.

“Congratulations on achieving the state of being one with the sword!” said Zero when he arrived near Shin before quickly adding. “Though, it is only your mind that actually achieved it.”

“If you want to stabilize that state and fully synchronize it with your real body, then I don’t mind lending you a hand,” he also said with a mysterious tone.

Shin turned his head at Zero for a moment before responding. “You really are talking as if you know me in the real world. Have we met each other before?”

Zero was silent for a moment as he was thinking how he was going to reply. And after a few moments of thinking, he answered. “I am not sure how to call it, but I guess we are future schoolmates?”

Hearing that, Shin suddenly came into a realization. He turned to Zero with a slight frown before asking. “The young Swordmaster? Dylan White?”

“Hoh~! That is quick,” replied Zero, not denying what Shin had said. He himself was also quick to catch on, so he understood the meaning of the frown that Shin was wearing. “As for my current appearance, you can say that I am the same as you who can hide our identities pretty well.”

Shin didn’t inquire about that matter any longer as he was thinking about something else. And after a few moments of hesitation, he finally asked. “That is one thing, but I think we have met each other even before that.”

“Though, I am also pretty sure that it is our first time meeting each other,” he added, seemingly contradicting what he just said.

But Zero didn’t mind and quickly responded. “What a coincidence. I happen to also feel the same. You are giving off a feeling that is somewhat familiar to me yet also unfamiliar at the same time.”

Then the tone of his voice suddenly turned serious as he continued. “Maybe you are related to the person that I am looking for.”

Shin knitted his eyebrows even further before saying with full curiosity. “The person that you are looking for? That is quite intriguing.”

“Since it may be someone that is related to me, can I ask who is this person that you are looking for?” asked Shin, interested.

Zero stared at Shin for a couple of moments before answering. “Unfortunately, I don’t have enough details for that person since I only meet him once and it happens for a very long time already.”

“I almost even forget how really look like,” he added with a bitter tone.

He was silent for a brief moment as remembered a young man of his age who had a very strong talent in swordsmanship despite saying that he is not interested in it. The defeat that he suffered from that young man was still vivid in his mind which was why he couldn’t forget him.

After that, he turned Shin before adding. “Aside from his unnamed yet amazing swordsmanship and the name that he gave me, I don’t have any clue to find him.”

“Hah! What a mysterious guy you are looking for,” commented Shin with a laugh, as he strangely felt a little friendly with Zero for some unknown reason.

At the very least, he felt a little favorable with the guy after receiving some help from him.

“Will you mind sharing the name of that person at least? Who knows I may really help you find him in exchange for lending me a helping hand?” offered Shin sincerely.

“If you put it that way, then I am afraid that I will not be able to refuse,” responded Zero jokingly as he also felt a little friendly with Shin.

It was very unlike him but he really felt at ease with Shin. Maybe because they were of the same age and also fellow practitioners that were walking on the path of the sword.

“That guy’s name is ‘Uno’. Someone with a very rude and cheeky attitude but very talented when it comes to Martial-Arts and Swordsmanship” said Zero in a nonchalant manner.

On the other hand, Shin suddenly trembled when he heard those words.

No-…

It was actually when he heard the name that Zero had said.

He was stunned for a moment as a strange thought entered his mind. ‘It couldn’t be possible, right? It might be someone with the same name.’

The change in his expression was very quick which was why Zero couldn’t spot it. But he at least could sense the sudden change of atmosphere surrounding Shin, so he couldn’t help but ask. “Is there something wrong? Don’t tell me you really know who is that guy?”

“Who knows?” answered Shin with a joking tone, trying to act as calm as possible. And at the same time, he suddenly asked with a nonchalant tone. “That is quite a unique name. May I ask where you guys met?”

Zero was taken aback by Shin’s words but didn’t put much thought into it after seeing that Shin just asked it naturally.

He fell into deep thought as he was trying to recall what happened during that time. “Hmm… let me think about it first.”

And after a few moments of thinking, he immediately continued. “If I remember correctly, I am just turned 6 at that time.”

He took a brief pause when he said those words as the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched. “I am very young yet my father throws me in the middle of a forest while saying that it is for me to become stronger.”

“I have a very good talent when it comes to swordsmanship as I inherited it from my father. Though, that is also the reason why he gave such a brutal test for his son to humble my growing ego,” he added with a bitter tone.

……