Child of Destiny

While preparing for the competition, Crimson Soul couldn’t help but observe the lineup of the opposing side.

His attention was particularly focused on Shin and Owen, whom he considered the most serious threat among the group.

They were especially wary of Shin, who was known throughout the virtual world as the Battle God.

Even though Crimson Soul and Heartless Dream were confident in their own abilities, they still felt that they weren’t strong enough to confidently face someone like Shin, who stood at the pinnacle of the current stage of the game.

”Will the Battle God be participating in the competition?” Black Soul asked as he walked over to his captain.

Crimson Soul studied Shin and the others for a moment before furrowing his brows. ”I’m not sure either.”

He paused, seemingly assessing each member of Shin’s group. ”There is a high chance that Dark Knight Owen will take the stage. We’ll let Heartless Dream deal with him since the two of them should make a good matchup.”

”That Paladin must be the rookie who represented them in a few matches during the United Cup, so I doubt he’ll participate this time.”

”That kid might have some potential, but he’s still too inexperienced. He isn’t suitable for an occasion like this.”

Little did Crimson Soul know just how crazy Shin was. Instead of sending only their strongest members, Shin was deliberately using this opportunity to train the younger members of the team.

While Crimson Soul and the others were treating the competition quite seriously, Shin and his companions were already thinking about how to make the most of it for Samael.

”As for the other two...” Crimson Soul paused for a moment before narrowing his eyes. ”I don’t think I’ve seen them before.”

He then turned toward Black Soul. ”Have you investigated their backgrounds yet? Are they new members of the Empyrean Talons?”

Unfortunately, Black Soul didn’t have much information about the twins either, as this was also his first time seeing them in person.

At most, he had gathered the latest information from his subordinates and their intelligence network, but the details were still far from comprehensive.

”We don’t have detailed information about them aside from the basic details we’ve managed to gather,” Black Soul began before continuing with his report.

”They’re from the Lesser Kingdom of Juron. They were the former Guild Master and Vice Leader of the Rise Guild, which used to be the local overlord of the kingdom before it was disbanded by them...”

Before Black Soul could continue, Crimson Soul suddenly recalled something.

”The Lesser Kingdom of Juron?” he asked. ”The kingdom that was targeted by the schemes of the Demonic Churches of Envy and Terror?”

”That’s right,” Black Soul immediately nodded.

Hearing this, Crimson Soul couldn’t help but become more interested in the twins. ”Interesting.”

”I heard that even the Titan Guild was also caught in that trap, along with the surrounding powers of the kingdom... including the NPC forces.”

Black Soul immediately nodded. ”That’s right, Big Brother. All the reinforcements sent to assist Oath City at the time became sacrifices for whatever the Demonic Churches were plotting there.”

”It was said that the situation wasn’t resolved until the Demonic Duo and the Battle God of the Empyrean Talons became involved.”

Hearing this, Crimson Soul suddenly raised his brows. ”Was that when these two were recruited into the Empyrean Talons?”

He was beginning to suspect that the twins might be far more important than they initially appeared.

”If that’s the case, then we can’t afford to overlook them,” Crimson Soul said with a nod. ”How strong are they?”

”This...” Black Soul hesitated for a moment before replying. ”I’m sorry, Big Brother, but we haven’t been able to determine the true depths of their abilities either.”

”Aside from a few battle clips we’ve managed to gather, which clearly don’t reflect their actual strength, we have very little information about the two of them.”

”At most, we can make a conservative estimate that they’re around the level of god-level experts. After all, we’ve also gathered some intelligence suggesting that the two of them clashed with several executives of the Demonic Churches during that incident.”

”Even Immortal was suspected to have been involved, although he was most likely dealt with by the Battle God once again.”

Black Soul paused for a moment before concluding his report. ”Regardless... they shouldn’t be underestimated.”

Crimson Soul nodded before falling into deep thought.

He began considering the possible lineup the opposing side would use for the competition.

”Since they’re the ones who suggested these three one-on-one duels, there’s a good chance those two will take the stage,” he muttered before turning toward Black Soul. ”You and Fleeting Dream can discuss among yourselves who will take the final spot.”

”You’ll most likely face one of those two,” he added.

He then turned toward Shin in the distance. ”At worst, I’ll try to entertain the Battle God if he decides to participate.”

”But if he doesn’t...” Crimson Soul paused briefly before continuing. ”Then the other candidate will most likely be one of those two as well.”

With that, he gestured toward Heartless Dream, signaling him to finalize their lineup.

...

Not long after, everything was set.

The first side to send out its combatant was the alliance between Mirage Soul and Illusion Dream.

Black Soul stepped forward.

After careful consideration, their side had decided to choose Black Soul over Fleeting Dream.

Although Fleeting Dream’s Xeromancer Class was one of the most powerful classes in the Green Marbly Kingdom, particularly in a desert environment, it also had its weaknesses.

The canyon was certainly too small for large-scale warfare, but it was still large enough to serve as an arena for one-on-one combat between experts of their level.

For a mage-type player like Fleeting Dream, the available space was neither narrow enough to restrict his opponent nor wide enough to allow him to fully utilize his strengths.

He wouldn’t be able to bring out his full potential in such a confined environment, which his opponent could easily exploit.

If he were a burst-type mage, the relatively limited space might actually work in his favor, since there would be fewer areas for his opponent to evade.

A single overwhelming spell could potentially end the battle immediately.

However, that strategy became a major liability if the initial burst failed to finish the opponent.

Black Soul, on the other hand, had built his reputation within the Sandspine Waste itself and was extremely familiar with the surrounding environment.

His stealth abilities were also greatly enhanced by the desert terrain, which was one of the main reasons he had earned the notorious title of the Desert Spider.

In their eyes, Black Soul was the perfect candidate for testing the waters against the twins.

...

Unfortunately for them, none of the combatants they were expecting stepped onto the field.

Instead, Samael suddenly stepped forward.

He was nervous, but there was also a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

After all, this might be one of the biggest fights of his gaming career.

Even though Shin and the others had repeatedly told him not to put too much pressure on himself and simply focus on enjoying the battle against a powerful opponent, he still couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Owen’s earlier words certainly hadn’t helped calm him down.

However, when Samael recalled the training sessions he had undergone against the other monstrous members of the Empyrean Talons, he suddenly realized something.

Black Soul’s aura wasn’t nearly as intimidating as he had initially imagined.

”I can do this,” he muttered to himself as he firmly strengthened his resolve.

...

Meanwhile, the opposing side couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

”What the heck is this!?”

”Why is it that kid!?”

”Are they serious!?”

They were utterly shocked by the choice Shin and the others had made.

Even Crimson Soul and Heartless Dream couldn’t help but frown deeply, wondering whether this was taking things a little too far.

Unlike the others, however, the two immediately began thinking about the deeper reason behind this decision.

Their surprise soon turned into indignation.

”Are they looking down on us?”

”Isn’t this a little too much? I know they’re powerful, but there’s no need to humiliate us like this!”

”Black Soul! Beat that kid up! Teach him a lesson!”

Their shouts only made things worse for Samael, who was already feeling timid after seeing the reaction of the opposing side.

However, the moment he heard them insulting Shin and the rest of the Empyrean Talons, the expression on his face suddenly hardened.

Rage began to burn within his eyes.

He was seething with anger!

Yet, despite that anger, he remained calm, remembering the lessons the others had taught him.

Seeing this reaction, Shin couldn’t help but smirk. ”Tsk! The insults came at exactly the right time.”

He paused before adding, ”We don’t have to worry about the kid getting beaten too badly anymore.”

”Can the brat win?” Owen asked.

Shin merely shrugged. ”The chances are extremely slim. But this could be good fuel for his future growth.”

......