Child of Destiny

BOOM!

The instant the two separated from their previous exchange, neither of them allowed the distance between them to remain.

Bang! Bang!

The earth beneath their feet simultaneously collapsed.

Two enormous craters appeared almost at the exact same moment as Shin and Malzareth launched themselves toward one another like opposing comets destined to collide.

Swoosh!

The surrounding landscape blurred, but neither of them had accelerated. They had simply reached a speed where the world itself could no longer keep up.

BOOM!!

The next collision erupted less than a second later.

The possessed [Yamato] met the gigantic execution club head-on, unleashing an explosion powerful enough to tear apart the already devastated battlefield.

The violent shockwave rolled outward in a perfect circle.

Hundreds of enormous swords embedded within the Sword Graveyard were uprooted from the ground before being thrown into the distance like weightless leaves.

Crackle! Crackle!

Above them, the storm clouds summoned by Thunder Domain churned violently, summoning towering pillars of violet lightning that descended continuously from the heavens and struck indiscriminately around the land.

Every bolt left behind enormous craters while rivers of molten earth spread across the already ruined landscape.

However, neither combatant paid the slightest attention as their eyes contained only each other.

Bang!

Shin twisted his wrist.

Instead of contesting Malzareth’s overwhelming strength directly, the blade slid along the surface of the gigantic execution club before redirecting the tremendous force toward the side.

The momentum, carrying enough power to flatten a mountain, missed him by less than an inch.

BOOOOOOM!!

The redirected strike crashed into the distant horizon.

An enormous mountain standing several kilometers away exploded into countless fragments before disappearing beneath a cloud of dust.

Before the echo of the explosion had even faded—

Shing!

Shin suddenly shifted his grip before thrusting the [Yamato] forward with explosive speed. This caused the tip of the sword to suddenly appear before Malzareth’s throat within an instant.

The blade was engulfed in an intense violet radiance.

Layers upon layers of folded space seemed to wrap around the sword itself, causing the surrounding reality to distort as the thrust pierced straight toward Malzareth’s neck.

The tip of the blade did not simply advance—

It seemed to collapse the space before it, forcing the distance between itself and its target to disappear.

Bang!

The razor-sharp tip slammed into the Oni Armor of War, producing a deafening metallic explosion.

Violent ripples spread across the crimson-black armor from the point of impact as the tremendous force compressed the thick plating inward before shattering its surface layer.

Crack! Crack!

However, the cracks survived for only a brief instant.

Dark crimson demonic mana immediately surged through the damaged sections, rapidly knitting the shattered armor back together beneath the endless flow of power.

Within a fraction of a second, the Armor of War had completely restored itself, as though it had never been damaged in the first place.

Malzareth remained completely composed despite having been placed in such a dangerous situation just a moment earlier.

Beneath the Oni Mask of Slaughter, a savage grin slowly widened. ”Good!”

Boom!

Without the slightest hesitation, the towering Oni twisted his waist before swinging the gigantic execution club with enough force to seemingly shatter the dimension itself.

The surrounding air exploded as the enormous weapon swept across the battlefield, dragging a violent wave of destruction behind it.

Swoosh!

Unfortunately, the strike met nothing but empty space.

Right before the execution club could reach him, Shin had already stepped into the Void itself, disappearing into a distorted ripple of space.

Boom!

The colossal swing continued unabated, carving a massive scar across the battlefield before disappearing into the distant horizon.

Crack! Crack!

Even the surrounding dimension trembled beneath the overwhelming force carried by the swing.

Shing!

Before the residual shockwave had even dispersed, another spatial ripple suddenly appeared above Malzareth’s shoulder.

Shin emerged without warning.

The possessed [Yamato] descended like a streak of violet lightning with its blade wrapped in layers of folded space as it slashed toward the gap beneath the Oni Armor.

Bang!

The sword struck true, making the armor cave inward once again before countless fractures spread across its surface.

However, before Shin could press the advantage, Malzareth answered with another monstrous backhand swing.

WHOOSH!

The execution club swept toward Shin with terrifying speed, forcing the latter to abandon the exchange before the strike could completely erase the surrounding space.

Swoosh!

His figure dissolved into countless violet particles before disappearing into the Void once more.

Shing!

An instant later, he emerged from Malzareth’s blind spot for the second time, but the latter immediately countered before he could even capitalize on the small openings he had forced.

Swoosh!

This scene repeated itself as Shin continued to appear around Malzareth, with each attack targeting a different weakness hidden beneath the Armor of War, never repeating the same angle twice.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every collision produced a deafening metallic explosion, causing the crimson-black armor to repeatedly crack beneath the relentless assault before rapidly repairing itself under the endless surge of demonic power.

Likewise, Malzareth never allowed Shin to dictate the pace.

Every time the latter emerged from the void, a devastating counterattack was already waiting for him.

His swings might appear simple with no elaborate movements, nor deceptive feint, but they condensed absolute destruction into every strike.

Each swing of the gigantic execution club threatened not only to crush Shin, but to collapse the very space surrounding it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One continued weaving through dimensions in pursuit of the smallest opening while the other stood like an immovable calamity, crushing every attack with overwhelming might before answering with force capable of shattering the world itself.

None of them was willing to yield, nor had the intention to slow down the pace.

With every passing exchange, the duel only grew faster... and deadlier than before.

...

BOOOOOOM!!

The heavens had yet to recover from the previous explosion when the collapsing storm of Void and Destruction swept through the entire region once again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Two figures simultaneously burst out from opposite sides of the maelstrom.

Neither waited for the smoke to clear, nor intended to regain their footing. They just immediately accelerated against each other the instant they caught sight of the other party.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The distance separating them vanished in an instant.

BOOM!

The possessed [Yamato] collided against the gigantic execution club once again.

The impact unleashed another catastrophic explosion, sending countless spatial cracks spreading across the already devastated battlefield.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Reality fractured around the two as jagged fissures spread through the air before collapsing almost immediately beneath the pressure generated by the clash.

Bang!

The collision lasted only a fraction of a second.

Rather than contesting the overwhelming force directly, Shin twisted his wrist before allowing the blade to slide across the enormous iron club.

Shing!

The sharp edge scraped against the countless spikes covering the weapon, producing an ear-piercing screech as countless sparks erupted between them.

Using that single point of contact, he redirected the enormous momentum to his side while his body spun with the movement.

Rather than resisting the terrifying force, he merged with it.

The gigantic execution club missed him by less than half an inch.

BOOOOOOM!!

The redirected strike crashed into the earth behind him.

An enormous canyon several hundred meters long was carved into the dread forest before the resulting shockwave swept everything away.

But Shin had disappeared once again.

Swoosh!

Before the violent winds generated by the missed strike could even reach him, his figure distorted into countless overlapping mirages before scattering in every direction.

’Phantom Series: Movement Techniques – Phantom Dance’

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

In response to this move, Malzareth violently stomped on the ground, making the entire wasteland tremble.

Chunks of earth weighing several tons rose into the air before being pulverized beneath the pressure erupting from his body.

The crimson aura surrounding him exploded skyward while his execution club swept around his body in a complete circle.

BOOM!

A crimson shockwave erupted outward, and the sheer force generated by the swing instantly erased more than half of the surrounding mirages.

One after another, the phantom figures shattered into drifting particles of violet light.

However, they just repaired themselves before continuing their charge without any hesitation. Each approached from a different blind spot while their sword followed an entirely different trajectory.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

’Phantom Series: Killing Move – Phantom Execution’

The space became a cage woven from countless silver arcs.

One slash aimed for his neck, another pierced toward his heart, a few sought his other vital points, while several others targeted the joints hidden beneath the Armor of War.

”HAHAHAHA!” Malzareth laughed maniacally at this sight. ”That’s right! Show me more!”

Immediately after, his enormous frame suddenly moved.

Swoosh!

Despite his size, he accelerated with impossible speed. The gigantic execution club in his hands suddenly blurred as he repeatedly swung it with unstoppable force.

Countless crimson afterimages overlapped one another until the surrounding space transformed into an impenetrable domain of destruction.

’Demonic Oni Technique: Annihilation – Thousand Demon Rampage’

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Every purple-silver arc collided against a crimson flash, creating successive explosions that erupted throughout the region.

The storm clouds overhead were blown apart while countless swords embedded within the Sword Graveyard shattered one after another beneath the overwhelming shockwaves.

Even the Domain Skills surrounding Shin trembled violently.

However, within the endless barrage of explosions, one sword flash quietly slipped through everything.

Shing!

It traveled between multiple destructive swings like flowing water that found the narrowest crack in solid stone.

Shing!

The possessed [Yamato] silently emerged beneath the execution club itself. Its edge aimed directly toward the narrow gap hidden beneath Malzareth’s right arm.

The smallest opening.

The only opening born from the relentless exchanges.

After enduring hundreds of collisions and after weaving through countless swings capable of crushing mountains, Shin had finally forced one that he had been looking for.

He had waited through countless clashes just for this single instant.

Shing!

Without the slightest hesitation, the possessed [Yamato] vanished from its original position.

The blade accelerated beyond its previous limits, becoming nothing more than a streak of violet radiance that instantly tore through the surrounding dimension.

It carried countless spatial fissures erupting along its trajectory before collapsing into a single devastating slash.

The heavens seemed to split apart.

’Jade Kirin Scripture: Seventh Movement (Void) – Thunder Eclipse’

BOOOOOOM!!

A blinding pillar of violet light instantly engulfed the battlefield.

The space surrounding the slash collapsed violently, swallowing everything within its path before erupting into a cataclysmic explosion that shook the entire Dread Forest.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The dimension itself screamed.

Even the crimson barrier protecting the sacrificial altar rippled violently under the lingering pressure radiating from the attack.

For a brief instant, the entire region was swallowed by violet light.

...