Child of Destiny

…

Bang!

Swoosh!

Haowin was sent flying in the opposite direction as Shin struck him with a powerful slash. That slash left a blinding trail in the air after being completed. It was still lingering in the air when the God of Carnage flew straight to the nearby mountain.

Boom!

The collision created a loud explosion that threw a cloud of dust and dirt in the air. Fragments of rocks and broken tree trunks could also be seen scattered in the air due to how strong the impact Haowin had created.

When everything settled down, Haowin could be seen standing in the middle of a huge crater that was created by the previous fall.

He was dusting himself in a casual manner as if the previous attack was nothing but an ant’s bite. The leisurely expression on his face was still present as he slowly raised his head and looked at Shin, who was currently hovering in the air.

He stared at Shin for a couple of moments before chuckling. “I know that this is bound to happen sooner or later, but I don’t expect that this is going to be under these circumstances.”

Shin, on the other hand, was currently frowning deeply as he listened to the reports that Hanzo and Solus were giving him.

He was not sure how strong Haowin was but given that he was able to survive the combined assaults of the three Elemental Spirits up until now, and almost escaping from them, he could tell that he was at least as strong as his current self.

Moreover, he could also sense a deep threat coming from this guy, who seemed to be acting in a leisurely manner.

He also heard from Hanzo and Solus that Haowin had become a true embodiment of evil, a True Demon, which meant that he looked in a constant state of Demonic Transformation. This transformation did not have any limitations or a limited time duration.

On top of that, it was much stronger than what he had seen from Justin and the rest of the Silent Night, as well as Andre, whom he just previously captured.

Shin thought about the battle that was going to happen and muttered to himself. “This is going to be much harder than my previous battle against that veteran demonic player. Should I use my Martial Arts again and try entering that Natural State for another time?”

“It will boost my battle prowess and fighting capabilities.”

It only took him a brief moment before he quickly rejected the idea. “Nah! It will be dangerous. Based on what Uno has said, I will suffer greatly if I try doing it again.”

“I don’t know what ‘illness’ he is talking about, but I am sure that it will be something to do with the imbalances that it can cause to my mind and body once I get back in the real world.”

Thinking about that, Shin shook his head and decided to not risk it.

Instead, he thought of the best solution that he had right now. “Let’s go with the strongest card that I have right now. I can also use my experience in the previous battle to try summoning my own version of Natural State when I am at it.”

Having that in mind, he quickly called out Solus and used her Elemental Spirit Possession.

‘Elemental Spirit Possession (Solar Flame): Divine Constellation’

The sudden appearance of the flame that enveloped Shin out of nowhere made Haowin frown a little. He could tell that this particular change was something to do with the technique application that concerned the Elemental Spirits, which was called ‘Possession’.

He had already faced quite a few people, who possessed such technique, and all of them were strong in their own right.

What made him frown here was the pressure that he felt coming from Shin. He could already feel a strong threat coming from the latter since the earlier appearance, but this pressure became much heavier the moment he saw that gorgeous flame.

But that was not the end as Shin also used the breathing technique that he learned just recently. The breathing technique that he had acquired when Berlin was reforging his weapon, the ‘Solar Breathing Technique’.

A mixture of white steam and blazing smoke came out of Shin’s mouth as he exhaled deeply.

He could feel that the surrounding fire elemental mana was gathering toward him and waiting for his command. He felt that he had absolute control over them as he was currently in this state.

At the same time, he could also feel that he was touching the ideal state that he was looking for. A light push was needed for him to fully grasp it.

The Reality Manifestation, the Elemental Spirit Possession, and the Solar Breathing Technique were helping him reach that ideal state, that Natural State.

Shin looked like a fallen angel that had been ejected from heaven with his current appearance. But with the blazing sword and four black angelic wings behind him, he still looked dignified and majestic, especially when he was hovering in the air and looking down at his opponent from above.

Adding the brilliant halo created by the radiance that his body was currently emitting, his current appearance could put everyone who saw him in awe.

Haowin, on the other hand, felt something different when he saw the sight of his opponent. He felt rather excited fighting this powerful opponent despite how dangerous the other party was.

After that, he suddenly leaped toward the sky before flapping his wings to throw himself higher. He stopped and hovered in the air a few distances away from Shin while staring at the latter.

‘Demonic Trait: Corroding World’

At the same time, he also released his own pressure to counter the one that Shin was currently emitting, which quickly resulted in invisible collisions in the air.

Black sparks clashed against each other where the respective auras met, which also created a series of subtle explosions.

Haowin clenched his fists tightly while keeping them in front of his chest. A moment later, he suddenly stretched his arms wide and opened his palms before releasing a much stronger pressure from his body.

Black miasma started leaking out from his body and spreading in every direction, dyeing the sky with its color.

The sky immediately turned dark due to this spreading black miasma as it also started to affect its surroundings. The mana filling the air also started to get contaminated due to it. They rushed toward Haowin and gathered around him, forming a black sphere.

Seeing what was happening, Shin squinted his eyes before increasing the pressure that he was releasing. He also controlled the fire elemental mana in the air, countering the incoming black miasma.

A blazing sphere quickly formed around Shin while repelling the black miasma that was trying to approach him.

Subtle explosions could be heard as the two opposing powers collided against each other.

Crimson and black sparks could also be seen at the point of collision, where the two forces met. Every time those stray sparks touched the trees underneath, they would either be burned into ash or blasted into smithereens.

This clearly indicated how strong the residual powers that were coming from the two.

…

As these two gods of the game were currently building up enough momentum, the players who were sent to scout what was happening could not believe what they were seeing.

They were starting to doubt whether they were playing the same game as these two, or even doubting whether they were from the same dimension.

They were too far from the two to clearly assess what was going on, but the current scene that they were seeing was more than enough to shake their eyes.

That blazing miniature sun and a huge mass of corroding miasma were more than enough to tell them that these pair were currently standing at the peak that they could only dream of.

These scouts might not be able to clearly see the appearance of the two players fighting right now and might not be able to identify them due to how bright the flames and how dark the miasma surrounding them, but they could tell that these two were among the top Godlike Players within the game.

Given that, these scouts quickly opened a live broadcast of what was happening while reporting to the higher-ups of their respective guilds and organizations.

When the news spread out, the more idle players from the nearby cities started to gather in this place and started their respective live broadcasts. Some of them even posted theirs on the official forums of the game, attracting more attention.

It did not take that long before the news reached the ears of the people, who could recognize those two.

“Damn! Did this guy say that he is in the middle of doing his class promotion quest now? Then how come he is fighting Haowin instead?”

“Hah! Shin Bro is quite enjoying himself fighting strong people, yet here we are struggling to clear our Class Promotion Quest.”

“Haha! I guess Junior Brother is too idle right now to have much free time to play with these guys.”

“Look at this guy! Here I am doing my best to look for the clues on how to upgrade my in-game Bloodline, yet he is out here enjoying himself fighting strong opponents.”

…

…

…

Back in the place where Shin and Haowin were currently facing, the accumulation of powers already reached the peak of both sides.

Boom!

Then, almost at the same moment, the blazing flame of the miniature sun and a huge mass of corroding dark miasma suddenly shrunk inside, seemingly receding toward the body of the two players situated right at their respective cores.

When everything recently, the figures of Shin and Haowin were revealed to every spectating player in the distance. This gave everyone a clear view of what was going on and told them the identity of the pair, who were currently fighting.

Bang! Bang!

Then, right at the same time, both Shin and Haowin flapped their respective wings, propelling themselves toward each other.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Shin left a blazing trail behind him as he flew toward his opponent. His sword was also raging with the gorgeous flame that was enveloping it. He looked like a meteor or a comet flying in a straight line as he threw a forward strike that cut through the air.

Swoosh!

In the meantime, Haowin turned into a steam of black light that was leaving a black smoke behind the path that it was taking. His demonic arms had become large and enfolded with a dark miasma. He then swung it forward, tearing through the space and leaving deep marks on the trajectory that it had taken.

Swoosh!

Boom!

Not long after, the collision immediately resulted in a huge explosion. The shockwave that it produced spread in every direction, pushing everything away from its center. It was so strong that even the trees on the nearby mountain were uprooted and sent flying along with it.

Such a sight sent shivers down the spine of every player that was watching the battle. Whether they were the once in recording the battle or the viewers watching from the live broadcast.

Yet, it was just the stat.

Bang!

Shin and Haowin were separated from each other after the brief pause during the initial collision. Then they sent themselves toward each other once again before having another explosive collision.

They repeated the process, making them look like a pair of lights that were flying in the sky while constantly clashing against each other.

Each collision would result in a resounding ‘boom’ reverberating throughout the place. There were also circular shockwaves that could be vividly seen by the naked eye even from a distance.

Each explosion seemed to be striking the chest of the scouts, spectating the battle from the distance due to how strong and deafening they were.

The viewers watching from the live feed posted in the official online forums were also starting to get at the edges of their seats as they could tell that the intensity of the battle was gradually rising.

They did not wait that long as Shin and Haowin finally finished measuring the strengths of each other and started using their skills.

They started showing off their real battle capacities.

Shin used some of his Mentalism Techniques with each of his moves, using the skills that he had in the game as the main model. And with the help of the Solar Breathing Technique, he was able to showcase a battle capability that shook all the spectating players to the core.

On the other hand, Haowin was starting to reveal the real strength of a True Demon. He was using the real powers of his race, as well as its unique racial skills. Aside from that, he was also amplifying the powers of these existing skills with the demonic powers that he had, turning them into a new set of skills.

Both sides were showing a strength that the ordinary players could only think of. They might have different approaches, but both methods had their own charm.

Shin was revealing to everyone that the game was not as simple as it was. It was as if he was telling them that anything was possible, and the real limit was themselves.

He was showing everyone that the in-game skills could also be used as a Martial Skill or a Mentalism Technique that could only be seen in the real world.

They did not know that it was called the Reality Manifestation, but all of them knew that this was something that they had to grasp if they wanted to reach the peak of this world.

Some people had taken this as a hint for the next progression of the game while others were suddenly reminded of the so-called hidden mechanic mentioned by the game developers in the recent announcement.

They then realized that this was something they needed to reach a height that they never had dreamt of reaching.

In the meantime, Haowin was showing a different point of view. He seemed to be telling everyone that there was nothing that could be done as long as they had the right amount of ‘STATS’.

As long as their respective Stats met a certain range, their avatars within the game could also achieve something that they could only imagine in the real world.

At the same time, they also had to possess a certain ‘Power’ or ‘Energy Control’ if they wanted to achieve something like this. It might not be the same as what Haowin had, but it had to be at least on the same level.

This was neither Reality Manifestation nor Hyperactive Immersion, but the sharp and quick-witted players could immediately tell that it was another hidden mechanic that they had to discover.

This clash between Battle God Sickarius and the God of Carnage, Haowin, would leave yet another mark in the history of the Virtual World.

This would fully start the spark of the next stage of progression.

……