Child of Destiny

”Let’s see...” His booming voice shook the battlefield. ”...whether your blade can cut through overwhelming strength again!”

BOOM!

The colossal execution club descended with irresistible momentum.

From Shin’s perspective, it no longer resembled a mere weapon.

It had transformed into a gigantic meteor plunging toward the Atlas World, carrying enough destructive force to bury mountains, shatter kingdoms, and reduce everything beneath it into ruin.

’Demoni Oni Technique: Secret Art – Destroyer of Worlds’

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The heavens roared.

The descending mass distorted the atmosphere, compressing the air beneath it until successive explosions erupted long before the weapon had even reached the ground.

However, Shin remained perfectly calm.

His gaze quietly followed the falling meteor while his body settled into the familiar sword-drawing stance.

Hu...

His breathing gradually slowed while all the distracting thoughts vanished.

Only the descending execution club remained reflected beneath the [Nephilim’s Gemini Mask].

His right hand then gently rested upon the hilt of the possessed [Yamato].

Click.

The subtle sound of his thumb nudging the guard echoed across the ruined forest.

It was almost inaudible, but it sounded louder than thunder from his opponent’s perspective.

Shing!

Immediately after, the possessed [Yamato] was fully unsheathed.

For a brief instant, it seemed as though Shin had swung only once. But the sky suddenly exploded with purple silver.

The countless sword flashes bloomed across the heavens in rapid succession, each one carving open reality itself before disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared.

They did not merely cut through the atmosphere but tore apart the space itself.

’Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw (Void) – Flash Requiem (Spatial Rend)’

Shing! Shing! Shing!

The innumerable flashes transformed into countless razor-thin spatial fissures before converging toward one precise point like tributaries returning to a single river.

They targeted the very center of the descending meteor.

BOOM!

The descending meteor collided with the converging web of spatial rifts, causing the heavens themselves to split apart.

BOOM!!!!

A cataclysmic explosion erupted from the point of impact.

Violent shockwaves swept across the devastated region, flattening everything in their path as countless spatial fissures spread outward like cracks upon a shattered mirror.

For a brief moment, reality itself seemed to fold inward.

The opposing forces of Void and Destruction collided head-on, causing space to bend and distort under the overwhelming pressure before threatening to collapse entirely.

The terrifying confrontation lasted only a few breaths.

Eventually, both powers exhausted one another.

The collapsing dimensions gradually stabilized, while the violent shockwaves slowly subsided.

Then—

BOOM!

A gigantic silhouette burst through the lingering maelstrom.

Malzareth descended from the fading explosion like an ancient war god returning from the apocalypse.

The instant his armored feet touched the earth, the ground caved beneath him. A massive crater spread in every direction as countless fractures raced across the battlefield.

Swoosh!

He slowly raised his head. With the ’Oni Mask of Slaughter’ sharpening every one of his senses, he immediately felt that there was something wrong.

The surrounding mana, the air, even the space itself seemed to be fluctuating unnaturally.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Without warning, dozens of figures emerged from the lingering spatial distortions surrounding him.

Every one of them was Shin, who stood in a different position around the gigantic Oni while assuming the exact same sword-drawing stance.

The collective sound of a sword guard being nudged echoed through the entire region.

Click!

Immediately after, Malzareth saw every Shin simultaneously unsheathe the [Yamato], creating silver lights erupt from every direction.

Each figure transformed into a streak of light that tore across the battlefield, their blades slicing through reality itself as countless spatial fissures converged upon the towering Oni.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Every slash came from a different angle, but all of them were aimed solely at a single target.

They formed a flawless execution that sought to sever not merely Malzareth’s towering body, but also the very space that he occupied.

’Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw (Void) – World Splitter’

...

Seeing the countless spatial slashes converging upon him, Malzareth’s grin only widened beneath the Oni Mask of Slaughter.

He slowly shifted his footing before gripping the colossal execution club with both hands.

Boom!

The pressure erupting from his body instantly surged to an entirely different realm.

The surrounding atmosphere trembled violently.

Even the already fractured space seemed to groan beneath the overwhelming weight of his presence, as though reality itself could scarcely endure the power gathering around the ancient Oni.

The muscles beneath the Oni Armor of War swelled with terrifying force as his fingers tightened around the massive handle.

Roar!

A deafening roar echoed across the devastated forest.

The crimson aura surrounding Malzareth suddenly took shape, manifesting into the gigantic visage of a horned demon.

Its eyes glowed like burning suns while its enormous jaws opened in a silent roar before the entire apparition surged into the colossal execution club.

The countless metal spikes covering its surface radiated a sinister crimson light, making every inch of the weapon pulse with destructive intent.

It was no longer merely an execution club. It had become a calamity capable of reducing entire battlefields to ruin.

Without the slightest hesitation, Malzareth swung with all his might.

Boom!

The gigantic club swept through the air, unleashing countless waves of pure destruction in every direction.

There was no technique, nor deception—only absolute annihilation.

’Demonic Oni Technique: Secret Art – Demon of Calamity’

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The waves of destruction and the countless spatial fissures clashed once again.

Successive explosions erupted across the heavens as the two supreme powers continuously devoured one another, each collision generating enough force to tear apart the surrounding landscape.

The dimension itself descended into chaos.

A violent storm of shattered space, demonic mana, and sword intent swept across everything within its reach, erasing a huge portion of the dread forest and leaving behind nothing but devastation.

Even the massive crimson barrier protecting the sacrificial altar—situated far from the epicenter—could not remain unaffected.

Boom!

The enormous barrier trembled violently.

The crimson ripples spread across its surface one after another as if the lingering aftermath alone was enough to threaten its stability.

...

Far away, Diablo, Alucard, and the four executive lieutenants instinctively glanced toward the distant battlefield.

Even while locked in their own life-and-death struggle, they could clearly sense that the clash between the two leaders had already escalated into a realm where none of them could casually intervene even if the situation called for it.

Diablo and Alucard might still be confident that they could also showcase the same level of power if they in they were only in a perfect state.

Diablo was still exhausted from his earlier battle against Dragulia, while Alucard was involved in multiple battles in the Oath City.

If not for these cases, then they were confident that they could stand on that stage as equals.

Even so, they could not deny that the two monsters currently fighting beyond the barrier had already pushed one another into a state where every exchange surpassed the previous one.

Regardless, that kind of battle made the blood within their veins boil even more.

A smile slowly crept across Diablo’s face while Alucard’s crimson eyes gleamed with unmistakable bloodlust.

As warriors who had reached the summit themselves, there was nothing more exhilarating than witnessing two true monsters crossing blades at full strength.

...

In the meantime, the battle beyond the crimson barrier continued to rage without respite.

Shin and Malzareth exchanged dozens more blows, neither side showing the slightest intention of yielding.

Each collision shook the heavens, while successive explosions echoed throughout the surrounding wasteland as sword intent and destructive force clashed relentlessly against one another.

Shin displayed the pinnacle of finesse.

Every motion was stripped of unnecessary movement He relied not only on flawless footwork and unpredictable positioning.

Instead, he combined the deceptive footwork of the Phantom Series with the instantaneous displacements of his Void Techniques.

He created a fighting style that defied conventional perception. Mirages, afterimages, and spatial shifts blended together until even the heightened senses of the Ancient Oni could no longer completely trust what they perceived.

Along with the profound mastery of his sword techniques, he managed to weave through Malzareth’s overwhelming offense before retaliating with impossibly sharp counterattacks.

Every exchange became a battle of judgment as much as a battle of strength. Every slash sought the smallest opening, turning precision itself into a deadly weapon.

Malzareth, on the other hand, embodied the true might of an Ancient Oni—a race born for endless war.

Every swing of his colossal execution club carried enough force to collapse the surrounding landscape through sheer violence alone.

His techniques were straightforward yet absolute, using overwhelming destructive power to dominate the battlefield and forcibly crush any advantage Shin painstakingly created.

Even when Shin’s exquisite techniques gained the upper hand, Malzareth answered them with overwhelming power and an unyielding defense.

The Armor of War absorbed countless sword strikes that would have carved through ordinary foes, while the Ancient Oni answered each opening with devastating retaliation, repeatedly forcing Shin to break away and begin the exchange anew.

One fought with unparalleled mastery while the other fought with overwhelming domination.

Neither philosophy proved superior.

With every passing exchange, both monsters continued pushing one another toward even greater heights.

......