Child of Destiny

BOOOOOOM!!!

The collision between the colossal Elemental Anomaly and the descending nightfall erupted with enough force to shake the entire mountain range.

The black curtain of the ultimate sword technique collided head-on against the ever-changing mass of corruption, releasing a deafening explosion that drowned every other sound on the battlefield.

A storm of chaotic mana immediately exploded outward.

Pitch-black darkness intertwined with emerald Elemental Essence before violently tearing through the surrounding atmosphere, creating countless shockwaves that flattened everything in their path.

BOOM!

The distortion refused to stop there.

The clash between two opposing authorities pushed the surrounding space beyond its limits.

Cracks rapidly spread through the fabric of reality before collapsing altogether.

A colossal spatial rift swallowed everything nearby, revealing an endless abyss where neither light nor mana could survive.

Fragments of broken space continuously drifted around the battlefield, turning the entire area into a deadly storm capable of shredding anything that ventured too close.

It was complete chaos, but a single black silhouette burst out from the heart of that destruction.

Swoosh!

The figure pierced through the raging mana storm without slowing down.

The fragments of shattered space drifted past him while the violent currents of corrupted mana battered his body from every direction.

The endless darkness released by [Death’s Shadow] wrapped around him like a living mantle, shielding him from the lingering aftermath of the catastrophic collision while Grimrace continuously devoured every trace of corruption attempting to cling to him.

Only then did the silhouette emerge from the collapsing storm.

It was Shin.

The instant his ultimate technique collided against the colossal anomaly, every remaining Elemental Anomaly had instinctively poured its strength into reinforcing that final defensive wall.

For a single fleeting moment, the countless layers surrounding the altar had disappeared.

That single opening was all Shin needed.

Swoosh!

Without looking back, he shot straight through the path carved open by his own attack.

The blanket of darkness behind him continued to propel his body forward while his enhanced physique transformed him into nothing more than a streak of black light tearing across the battlefield.

In only a few breaths, he arrived before the place he had been trying to reach from the very beginning.

The ancient altar.

SHRIEEKKK!

The remaining Elemental Anomalies immediately sensed his arrival.

Panic spread throughout the entire pack.

The colossal anomaly behind him violently convulsed as countless grotesque bodies desperately tore themselves away from the massive fusion, abandoning their combined form in an attempt to return and intercept Shin.

Their shrieks no longer carried the excitement of predators hunting prey. They now transformed into cries of desperation.

Unfortunately, they were already too late.

Shin had already crossed the final line separating him from the altar.

Swoosh!

Ignoring every horrifying scream echoing behind him, Shin stepped into the air once more.

’Legacy Skill: Mondi’s Step’

His foot landed upon an invisible platform of mana before his body instantly accelerated again.

Pa!

Each step produced an explosive burst of speed, while the endless mantle of darkness spreading from his back propelled him even farther, making him resemble a falling star wrapped in eternal night.

His eyes never wavered.

His entire focus rested upon the ancient altar standing on the mountain hundreds of meters away from the gigantic, chained gate.

The fingers gripping the [Yamato] slowly tightened while the possessed blade softly hummed, making the authority of Abyssal Severance resonate once more with the Ancient Darkness.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shin raised the legendary katana above his shoulder.

The endless mantle behind him surged forward while the countless strands of darkness converged upon the blade.

He then swung with all his might.

Shing!

The heavens themselves seemed to darken as another curtain of endless night descended upon the altar.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The descending nightfall crashed upon the ancient altar without the slightest resistance.

The curtain of Ancient Darkness swallowed everything standing in its path.

The altar and the ritual inscriptions…

Everything was consumed beneath the overwhelming authority of Abyssal Severance before being violently purified into countless emerald motes.

The entire mountain trembled.

Then...

Silence.

The crimson currents filling the sky abruptly stopped flowing, as though someone had severed the veins connecting them to the heavens themselves.

Even the chaotic mana raging throughout the battlefield suddenly froze.

Shin instinctively halted his movements while every hair on his body stood upright. His instincts screamed louder than they ever had before.

Something had awakened.

SHRIEEEEEEEKKK!!!

The desperate cries of the Elemental Anomalies instantly echoed across the mountain.

For the first time since the battle had begun, their shrieks no longer sounded ferocious. They all sounded terrified.

The countless anomalies that had been charging toward Shin abruptly abandoned every trace of hostility.

Some desperately turned around while others frantically clawed at the ground as though trying to flee.

Even the colossal anomaly in the distance violently convulsed before attempting to tear itself apart, its countless bodies struggling to escape in every direction.

It was no longer trying to stop Shin.

It was trying to survive.

Then—

BOOM.

A single pulse descended from beyond the colossal gate.

There was no explosion, no blinding light, no violent release of mana—only pressure. It was an authority so absolute that the surrounding world instinctively lowered its head before it.

The mountain collapsed while the heavens trembled. Even space itself seemed to freeze beneath that incomprehensible existence.

The fleeing Elemental Anomalies abruptly stopped while their distorted bodies became completely motionless.

They could neither move nor resist.

The next instant—

CRACK!

The nearest anomaly shattered without warning.

It was not from an attack, nor from a sword, nor from magic—its entire existence simply collapsed beneath the overwhelming authority pressing upon it.

Then another.

CRACK!

It then repeatedly happened across the battlefield.

The countless Elemental Anomalies exploded one after another while their grotesque bodies disintegrated into endless emerald particles before being purified by an invisible force beyond mortal comprehension.

No matter how desperately they struggled, no matter how frantically they attempted to flee, every trace of corruption was erased.

It was not a battle, but a judgment.

Shin could only watch in silence.

The creatures that had forced him into a desperate struggle moments earlier were now being effortlessly erased by nothing more than the presence emanating from beyond the gigantic gate.

Only then did Shin finally understand.

The Elemental Anomalies had never feared him. They had always feared the existence sealed beyond that colossal gate.

The predators had desperately become guardians not because they wished to protect the altar.

It was because they instinctively understood that the moment its connection to the slaughter energy was severed, the being sleeping behind that gate would be freed from something.

And the first ones to be judged would be them.

Shin silently watched as countless emerald motes drifted throughout the mountain.

Every remaining Elemental Anomaly was effortlessly erased beneath that incomprehensible authority, returning to the purest form of Elemental Essence before scattering back into the surrounding world.

There was no struggle, no resistance—only purification.

It was a scene that fully embodied the absolute authority possessed by an Elemental Being.

Unfortunately, Shin knew this display would not last.

The object continuously drawing in the rivers of slaughter energy had already been destroyed. And without that endless supply of slaughter energy sustaining the incomplete awakening, the Ancient Elemental Being would inevitably return to its deep slumber.

Then the gigantic gate would most likely close once again.

His expression gradually became solemn. ”But before that happens...”

He slowly lifted his head toward the chained gate. ”I have to eliminate the source of corruption.”

Purifying the Ancient Elemental Being itself was beyond his current capabilities. An existence standing at the pinnacle of elemental life was simply too far beyond his reach.

However, if he could destroy the source continuously corrupting it, then perhaps the Elemental Being’s own authority would finish the rest.

Fortunately, he already had a likely suspect.

Shin slowly turned toward a particular direction, where the thick clouds of dust stirred by the previous explosions quietly parted.

A lone silhouette gradually emerged from within.

Its footsteps were slow, calm, and almost leisurely. It was as though everything that had just transpired had merely been another insignificant step within a much larger plan.

The figure eventually stopped several dozen meters away.

Shin’s eyes narrowed beneath his mask. He immediately recognized that familiar silhouette. ”...Immortal.”

”So…” His voice became noticeably heavier. ”It truly was your scheme from the very beginning.”

The man said nothing.

Instead, Immortal slowly surveyed the battlefield.

His gaze lingered upon the countless emerald particles continuously ascending toward the heavens, silently witnessing the purification brought forth by the Ancient Elemental Being.

A trace of disappointment quietly surfaced within his otherwise emotionless eyes.

It was subtle, but Shin caught it immediately.

After a brief silence, Immortal slowly raised his head.

The decaying appearance disguising his true identity gradually dissolved. The exposed skeletal features of an ordinary Necromancer crumbled away like dead leaves before disappearing into the wind.

Beneath that false appearance, another figure slowly revealed itself, which carried perfectly human features. His eyes, on the other hand, carried neither warmth nor life.

The unmistakable characteristics of the True Undead—the Transcendent Race he had acquired almost immediately after joining the game.

However, it was also clear that something had changed.

Standing proudly upon his forehead was a pair of sinister demonic horns.

They were not decorations, nor equipment. They had naturally grown from his body.

It was an unmistakable sign that Immortal had pushed the evolution of his Transcendent Race even further than anyone should have been capable of during the current stage of the game.

The dense aura surrounding him was no longer composed solely of death.

The aura of corruption intertwined with demonic power, constantly leaking from his body before silently warping the surrounding mana.

The two incompatible powers seemed to have fused into a completely new existence.

Shin instinctively tightened his grip around [Yamato].

He fully understood that the true battle had only just begun.

...…