Child of Destiny

Shin first looked toward Samael in the distance and issued his orders. ”Brat, lead the rest of Deicide and handle those two Commanders along with their remaining forces.”

He then shifted his gaze toward Donato, who was now staring intently at him. ”You can leave the big guy to us.”

The moment Shin finished speaking, Alucard and Diablo immediately drew their respective weapons, preparing for the final battle.

Alucard swiftly retreated and climbed onto one of the taller buildings behind them, giving himself a better vantage point.

Diablo, on the other hand, stepped into the shadows, preparing to merge with them and enter stealth at the slightest movement.

Shin remained standing where he was, carefully observing Donato’s movements and waiting for the Fortress Master to make the first move.

He was fully prepared to react the moment Donato acted.

This was his first time fighting an opponent with such an overwhelming advantage in Levels and Stats, so he couldn’t help but feel excited to give it a try.

He knew that the thrill of battling such an opponent would be completely different from what he experienced while fighting the Elemental Anomalies in the Lesser Kingdom of Juron.

”Blackie... I mean, Nythera is still digesting the Legacy of that Ancient Elemental Being, so I still can’t use her possession,” Shin mumbled before adding, ”The same goes for Grimrace.”

He paused for a moment before pursing his lips, then grinned. ”But I can at least try my new Legendary sword.”

At the thought of this, Shin couldn’t help but feel excited, as this would be his first time using the Legendary sword, [Permafrost], in an actual battle.

While the trio prepared themselves, Donato narrowed his eyes as he carefully observed them.

He did not immediately make his move, fully understanding that none of the three were ordinary opponents, especially after personally experiencing Diablo’s ambush earlier.

Instead, he gestured toward his two guards.

Bang!

The knight-type NPC Commander immediately kicked off the ground and rushed forward.

Poof!

At the same time, the assassin-type NPC Commander disappeared into stealth, erasing his presence as he melted into the surrounding darkness.

Seeing this, Samael immediately acted according to Shin’s earlier instructions.

He held his sword with both hands before him and began praying. ”I call upon the light of the Sun and Moon... Bless us with your presence!”

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Immediately afterward, motes of golden and silver light began rising from the ground, enveloping the surrounding members of Deicide and greatly increasing their Stats.

’Paladin of the Sun and Moon Skill (Tier 2): Moonlight and Sunlight Blessing’

Right after receiving the buffs, the nearby members of Deicide immediately moved, launching attacks against the Elite-ranked NPC soldiers.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Bang! Bang!

Meanwhile, Samael himself charged forward, heading straight toward the knight-type NPC Commander.

”By the strength bestowed upon me by the Sun... I will annihilate my enemies!” he continued chanting as he charged.

Swoosh!

His sword was suddenly engulfed in golden flames as he swung it toward the incoming enemy.

’Eclipse Justiciar Skill (Tier 3): Sword of the Sun God’

BOOM!

The moment Samael brought his sword down, the golden flames surrounding the weapon suddenly expanded, transforming into a gigantic sword that descended upon the incoming knight-type NPC Commander.

At the same time, the NPC Commander swiftly swung his sword with all his might, surrounding it with an intense flow of mana that revolved around the blade.

BOOM!

The moment the two sides clashed, the surrounding Elite-ranked NPC soldiers and Deicide members were forced to retreat.

The powerful explosion caused by their collision sent a series of shockwaves in every direction.

The violent ripples in the air forced everyone nearby to stop fighting temporarily so they wouldn’t be caught in the aftermath.

Samael didn’t have the chance to pay attention to his surroundings, as the knight-type NPC Commander immediately launched a follow-up attack, forcing him to respond.

Shing! Shing!

Their swords tore through the air, leaving brilliant trails behind them as they clashed one more time.

Bang!

Another explosive collision followed, causing the surrounding air to ripple violently once again and sending a powerful wave of force across the battlefield.

Shing! Shing!

The swords in their hands soon transformed into a blur of flashing steel, repeatedly colliding with one another as violent shockwaves spread in every direction.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

From higher up, Shin watched the battle between the two and couldn’t help but nod. ”This brat seems to have grown quite a lot.”

He was genuinely impressed that Samael could hold his own against such a powerful NPC despite the enormous gap in Levels and overall Stats, especially since the opposing side was a Commander-ranked NPC.

”With this kind of strength, he should be close to becoming a strong Unofficial Ranker... perhaps even a Maverick Ranker,” he mumbled as he gave the rookie Paladin another approving nod.

After watching the exchange for a while, Shin suddenly turned his gaze toward a certain section of the battlefield where Samael was fighting the knight-type NPC Commander.

A faint smirk appeared on his face. ”Let’s see how he’ll handle two of them at once.”

...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Under the pressure of the knight-type NPC Commander, Samael was too occupied to pay attention to everything happening around him.

However, that didn’t mean he had lowered his guard.

He had undergone intense training under Shin and the other monsters of the Empyrean Talons, so he was already accustomed to fighting under such pressure.

He had also learned to keep his senses sharp and constantly monitor his surroundings for unexpected developments, especially when it came to ambushes.

Swoosh!

While exchanging blows with the opponent before him, Samael suddenly felt a tingling sensation coming from behind.

His eyes immediately widened.

He was extremely familiar with this sensation. It was the same warning he constantly experienced whenever Diablo or Shin attempted to sneak up on him from his blind spot while deliberately leaking a trace of killing intent.

It was the instinctive warning that a deadly attack was approaching.

Swoosh!

Samael swiftly shifted to the side.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He continued exchanging blows with the knight-type NPC Commander while deliberately adjusting his movements to stay away from the path of the killing intent coming from behind him.

He was usually unable to respond to the instantaneous attacks Shin and Diablo launched from stealth because of their incredible speed and unpredictable angles.

However, the ambush from this NPC Commander was much easier to deal with because of his highly trained senses.

He was still a little too slow to completely evade the attack, but he already had another way to defend against it.

”Oh, Light that shines through the day and night... protect me, your Justiciar,” he silently muttered as he raised his sword horizontally above his head, blocking the descending blade of the knight-type NPC Commander.

Bang!

The impact forced Samael to halt his movements momentarily, as the tremendous force pressing down on him felt like a giant boulder.

Shing!

Taking advantage of this opening, the assassin-type NPC Commander finally made his move after stalking the young Paladin through the previous exchanges.

He materialized directly behind Samael and swung his daggers, their blades carrying immense killing intent.

Clang! Clang!

However, just before they could reach their target, the daggers suddenly struck a thick layer of light coating Samael’s entire body.

’Eclipse Justiciar Skill (Tier 3): Bulwark of the Light’

The layer of light served as an additional defense for Samael while simultaneously enhancing his overall strength and defensive capabilities.

Bang!

Samael suddenly exerted more force with his arms, pushing the knight-type NPC Commander backward.

At the same time, the assassin-type NPC Commander swiftly retreated after his ambush failed.

He was about to enter stealth again when Samael suddenly pointed at him. ”Oh, Light that guides the world... lead me to my enemies!”

A beam of light shot from Samael’s index finger and flew straight toward the retreating NPC Commander.

’Paladin of the Sun and Moon Skill (Tier 2): Glimmer Mark’

Swoosh!

The beam struck the assassin-type NPC Commander, and a glowing emblem immediately appeared above him, marking his position and preventing him from entering stealth.

Once marked by the skill, the NPC Commander could no longer take full advantage of his abilities.

Samael didn’t immediately charge after him.

Simply rendering the Commander’s greatest advantage useless was already more than enough.

Without stealth, the assassin-type NPC Commander could no longer hide, giving the members of Deicide a perfect opportunity to engage him.

Swoosh!

Instead, Samael charged toward the knight-type NPC Commander, who clearly possessed enough strength to overwhelm the rest of Deicide and cause even greater chaos among their ranks.

Bang! Bang!

Samael took the initiative and engaged the NPC Commander in an intense melee battle, fully trusting the members of Deicide to understand his intentions.

He had already seen them in action and personally witnessed how they could move as a single unit without needing to communicate much with each other.

He trusted them to take advantage of the opportunity he had created.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Just as he had expected, the elite members of Deicide immediately pounced on the assassin-type NPC Commander after his position was exposed.

With no choice but to fight, the NPC Commander was forced into a battle that heavily disadvantaged him.

From a distance, Shin couldn’t help but give Samael another satisfied nod. ”Not a bad response. He’s starting to read the battlefield properly.”

Being confident in one’s strength was good, but knowing how to make use of one’s allies was even more important when the situation called for it.

”He’s even making full use of his Class’s strengths,” Shin chuckled, clearly becoming more interested in the new Class Samael had recently obtained.

After making sure that Samael could handle the situation on his own, Shin shifted his gaze toward Donato, who was clearly preparing to make his move.

”Now~! Should we give the main event a try?”

...