Child of Destiny

…

As Shin took his sword-drawing stance, an invisible pressure was released from his body, different from what he usually had. He didn’t ha the Aura Manifestation for this current style, but the pressure that he was emitting was as strong as the one when he was using his Yin-Yang Swordsmanship.

On the other hand, Justin was slightly furrowing his brows due to the series of changes that Shin had undergone. The massive decrease in his overall stats due to the two Domain Skills surprised him a little but what made his face darker was the current pressure that he was getting.

From their previous battle, Justin believed that the reason that he lost was because of the multiple fighting styles that Shin was using at that time. It was his first time dealing with a person who possessed more than one fighting style and even used it in battle.

Shin was shifting from one style after another during that battle, messing up the tempo that Justin had at that time.

From the sword-drawing style alongside the magic swordsman style to the dual-wielding style before turning into the multiple swords style. Dealing with multiple styles was really a headache for Justin.

On top of that, there was also the multiple Elemental Spirit Possession that Shin had, which was also pretty insane. Most of the players with Transcendent Race and Class only had a handful of Elemental Spirits but Shin had plenty of them and even mastered each of their Possession States to a very high degree.

Moreover, Shin was even using those Elemental Spirit Possession to complement his multiple styles, especially his dual-wielding style, and multiple sword style.

That was the main reason why Justin chose to rely on this Ancient Battlefield to suppress the Elemental Spirits of Shin. With that, he would at least lessen the cards that the latter had during the battle.

The strength of the two Domain Skills might be out of his expectations but the two-fold berserk was at least within his plans.

What bothered Justin right now was the current state that Shin was in. From what he could see, it was the same as the one that Simba, Faker, and the rest had used during their earlier collision.

Regardless, Justin was still confident. The power of his contracted Demon King couldn’t be underestimated. At the very least, he was not afraid of the current strength of his opponent.

What’s more, he could use his full power and real technique without worrying about getting out of control within this place due to the density of the corrupted mana. With it, he would not have to worry about controlling his Demonic Powers, he could recklessly use it due to the endless supply of corrupted mana in the surroundings.

Having that in mind, Justin collected his thoughts and focused on the fight. He took out his halberd and unleashed his overwhelming Demonic Powers.

That power was so potent that it could even affect the surrounding space. The visible dark aura surrounding his body even created an illusionary image of a demon’s face behind him as he looked at Shin with his savage eyes.

The pressure that was coming out from Justin was even much stronger than what Shin had. And when the latter noticed that, he quickly summoned Hanzo without any hesitation.

“Void Reaper!”

Right after he said those words, the Ancient Void Spirit materialized behind him for a brief moment before turning back into a speck of light fused with the [Yamato]. The katana quickly took a massive chance on appearance while the pressure that was coming from Shin grew drastically.

‘Elemental Spirit Possession: Dimension Cutter’

Boom!

The opposing auras quickly clashed against each other, creating a powerful explosion when they came in contact with each other.

Crackle! Crackle!

There was even a black and silver electric current being produced at the center of the collision as well as some cracks in the space. This indicated the current level of powers of the two. They greatly surpassed the current milestone of power of most players in the game.

Though, the two of them represent different sources of power.

One of them relied on an external power provided by the game to reach this current level while the other summoned his real powers and enhanced them with the help of the system to get a glimpse of his potential future.

After gauging the strength of each other, the two quickly stomped on the ground and simultaneously launched themselves forward.

Bang! Bang!

Swoosh! Swoosh!

They disappeared from sight for a brief moment before reappearing away from each other, throwing their respective attacks.

Justin stomped strongly on the ground to forcefully halt his advance before controlling all of the momenta of his charge and directing it towards his halberd as he brandished it down.

A dense Demonic Power gathered on the blade of his halberd, surrounding it with a dark flame that drew an arc in the air. The Ancient Battlefield seemed to resonate with his strike as terrifying wails suddenly resounded in the whole place, filling the air with an eerie feeling.

‘Demonic Palace: Abysmal Strike’

Swoosh!

In the meantime, Shin controlled his breathing according to the ‘Jade Kirin Scripture’ and circulated the energy within based on the circulation technique of it.

And when he reached the ideal range to strike, he quickly pulled out the sword from its sheath before swinging it horizontally.

Shing!

The space seemed to be cut by his blade due to the spatial powers that the [Yamato] had due to the Elemental Possession. And the moment when he swung it, a thin line was suddenly drawn in the air, signifying the trail that it left behind.

‘Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw – Flash Horizon’

Swoosh!

Boom!

The halberd and the sword didn’t even touch each other when the collision of powers exploded. The respective auras covering the two weapons prevented them from advancing forward as the space in between them showed some signs of collapsing.

Shin and Justin stubbornly maintained their current postures, refusing to give the opposing side to show any sign of weakness. They persevered until the space at the center of the collision could no longer endure their powers and exploded.

Bang!

The two skidded on the ground as they tried to nullify the force that pushed them away. They left a long trail on the ground as they forced themselves from moving further away.

They were at least fifty meters away from each other when they managed to stabilize themselves.

Shin quickly sprung back into action right after that. He charged ahead and used his ‘Mystic Movements’ foot technique, sprinting forward. And when he accumulated enough momentum, he discharged everything and exploded with a powerful outburst of speed.

Swoosh! 𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝑚

He also sheathed the [Yamato] at that time. And when he reached Justin in almost an instant, he quickly unsheathed the sword and thrust forward.

Shing!

‘Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw – Flash Strike’

Justin just stabilized his footing at that time and was vulnerable to the incoming attack. But he was already expecting that attack to come, so he was prepared to face it.

He enfolded his demonic arm with a purple false by gathering the surrounding corrupted mana in the air. He then twisted his hips and pushed from there to throw a powerful punch, greeting the incoming tip of the thrusting sword.

‘Demonic Palace: Annihilation Fist’

Boom!

Yet another explosion was produced by their collision, sending the two of them away from each other once again.

Shin was thrown high up in the air while Justin was pushed skidding once again. But it only took an instant for those two to quickly stabilized themselves before preparing for their next attack.

Shin skillfully flipped in the air as he sheathed the sword with a quick and smooth motion before curling his body while keeping an eye on the position of his opponent. And when his gaze finally locked down on Justin, his body suddenly stopped as his foot seemed to step on something in the empty air.

‘Legacy Skill: Mondi’s Jump’

Slightly inclining his body, Shin suddenly kicked behind him and launched himself straight at his opponent while unsheathing his sword for another time.

Shing!

Due to the gravity combined with the force of his kick, the momentum of his descent reached an unbelievable degree.

Swoosh!

With his insane speed, his sword drew a thin line in the air as it released a blinding glow right after being pulled out from its sheath.

He modified the sword-drawing techniques that he had with his current actions and produced yet another form.

‘Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw – Flash Descent’

On the other hand, Justin stomped strongly on the ground, producing a resounding ‘bang’ sound alongside a series of cracks on the ground’s surface.

He then held his halberd with both of his hands and channeled his demonic powers into it which solidified after an instant, creating an extra layer of sharp aura on the blade.

He waited for a couple of moments for Shin to arrive before dragging the halberd and swinging it at the latter with every ounce of strength that he had, releasing a resounding wry cry. “Haaa!”

‘Demonic Palace: Hell Execution’

Boom!

The explosion this time exceed the previous ones as it even created a strong ripple in the air. Then it was quickly followed by an unstoppable shockwave that extended in every direction and swept all of the corpses lying on the ground.

Shin was sent flying in the air once again, reaching a much higher height than earlier. He flipped multiple times in the air as he tried to nullify the force from the collision. It took him quite some time before he fully stabilized himself.

He then used the remaining steps of the ‘Mondi’s Jump’ to buy himself enough time to switch the [Nightwalker’s Cloak] with the [Dawn’s Mantle] and used the ‘Flight Skill’ that it had to suspend in the air.

On the other hand, Justin rebounded back as he forcefully nullified the burden that his body received from the impact. He even sent some of the force toward the ground which led to his feet sinking into it followed by the creation of a massive crater.

Both sides suffered some injuries from those exchanges, making their respective Health Bars drop a little. If it was in the real world, then the two of them should have suffered some internal injuries, serious enough to hinder their movements.

Fortunately, they were currently inside the game, freeing themselves from those burdens. But at the same time, the look on their faces took changed.

Shin was slightly furrowing his brows as he was slightly surprised at the additional strength that Justin had found. But it was not strong enough to put a serious threat to him given his current strength.

And now that he warmed up a little, the next attacks that he would be launching would be serious ones.

Meanwhile, Justin was currently wearing an ugly look on his face. He knew that Shin should also be strong after entering the mysterious state that he saw from Faker, Simba, Zero, and Lawless earlier, but he was not expecting that he would be this strong.

Even with the suppression of the Ancient Battlefield, the Purgatory Graveyard, Shin still possessed a strength that could contend against him. This was supposedly the playground where he could be the strongest.

He was also surprised that Shin was able to use his Elemental Spirit Possession when his Elemental Spirit was supposedly suppressed by this specialized battlefield.

Justin was afraid that he was no longer Shin’s match under normal circumstances. Fortunately, he prepared the transport item before challenging Shin.

Though, there was still a bitter feeling within him after learning that Shin had become this strong.

He was supposedly suppressing Shin in this place, yet their strengths remained to be in equal footing. It felt like all of the sacrifices and preparations that he made were all meaningless.

He gritted his teeth and tightly clenched his weapon while glaring at Shin. “I refuse to believe it! I refuse to believe that I can’t defeat you after everything that I’ve done!”

……