Child of Destiny

...

The people watching in the forums already switched on a different link since the live feed that Pogo was broadcasting had already been cut off after Shin had killed him.

The moment they switched channels where they were watching, they were immediately greeted by a horrifying scene when a single person was fighting an army of players – no, it could not even be considered a fight as it was more like a one-sided slaughter.

Shin had killed anyone he came across, switching between his in-game skills and other real-life techniques that he had turned into an in-game combat technique.

Then, there was the instance when the high-caliber experts launched a coordinated attack but still failed after falling into a trap.

They might be skilled themselves, but none of them could match Shin, who was in the combined state of Reality Manifestation and Dual Elemental Possession while also being influenced by his Natural State – the Perfect Zenith.

They could withstand a blow or two, but they would surely be killed when the exchange exceeded more than that, especially when they were silenced by Shin's skill. With no movement skills that they could use to escape, none of them were able to survive within the ten-second duration of the silencing skill.

It might sound short, but for experts of Shin's caliber, it was more than enough to dispose of anyone, who could not even put up a fight.

As for the mages, supports, and marksmen in the distance – none of them were able to survive the ambush of Shin's Elemental Reapers.

The people watching the scene shivered as they witnessed the one-sided slaughter. Moreover, some of the viewers with keen eyes immediately realized that the strange phenomenon that was occurring in the different parts of the Shunkai Forest was due to these Elemental Spirits.

Some of the experts that were fighting against Shin and his group were able to realize those facts as well, but it was already too late to use their 'Spirit Awe' skill to forcefully unsummon the Elemental Spirits as the damage was already done.

When Hanzo and the rest were forcefully unsummoned, most of the forces that were attacking Shin had already been dealt with. What was left were a few scattered individuals, who were lucky enough to survive the slaughter.

The place where Shin was surrounded by the corpses of the low-ranking Godlike Players, Maverick Gods, and a few official and unofficial rankers. Some of these corpses were already turning into specks of lights, indicating that they could no longer be revived.

The scene was captured by a certain scout who had decent photography skills before posting it on the official website of the game.

This particular image was immediately flooded with likes and shares, especially when the air of mysteriousness shrouded him. Adding the black-and-white lightning covering his swords and slightly illuminating his figure, this photo immediately attracted a lot of attention.

That was when the image was compared with the recent image that Miss Bunny had posted after Shin had defeated the God of Carnage 'Haowin'.

The fans of Shin, who was also known as the Battle God Sickarius, immediately reacted to the photo, claiming that it was indeed their idol. They even posted the photo on the official website of the Empyrean Talons, particularly on the web panel dedicated to him.

They even started a discussion in the forums and compared his signature moves and styles with the ones that were showcased by this mysterious expert.

There were a lot of differences between the two, but there were also some noticeable similarities at the same time. Those with keener eyes could also see that signature move 'Infinity Edge' Shin had used multiple times when fighting Pogo. This partially confirmed that this mysterious expert was indeed the Battle God of the Empyrean Talons.

Miss Bunny, who was the official manager or administrator of the website, immediately took notice of this before contacting Shin if she could use the image and add it to his album.

Shin, who just got a rare opportunity to catch his breath, could not help shaking his head after seeing the message and learning that his cover had already been blown up.

Since it was already like this, then he could only admit it, especially when the other forces that were after him could already guess his identity after a close observation.

He had already met his goal, anyway. He had delayed the discovery of his true identity as much as possible, so he did not have much problem with that.

Moreover, he could now use his true fighting style and unleashed his real strength without holding back.

His next opponents would most likely be the members of the evil factions, so he would not be showing any mercy to them.

Speaking of which, Shin suddenly sensed that the air had turned cold and eerie, indicating that the forces of the dark were finally making his move.

"I guess they have no intention of letting me catch my breath," he mumbled as he swept his gaze at his surroundings and realized that the eerie air was coming from every direction.

He was surrounded once again. But this time, the opposing force was fully prepared and had an organized and better formation.

Crack! Crack!

Rumble! Rumble!

He could also see that some of the corpses of the fallen players started standing up one after another, making them look like zombies.

Shin sighed before telling Miss Bunny to do whatever she wanted.

Miss Bunny happily thanked Shin as this would also boost their official website. Moreover, she also reminded Shin to give her a copy of his entire battle as she wanted to create a short 'movie-like video' of this particular event.

Shin shook his head as he did not reply. He just turned his attention to the new forces that would be challenging him. But this time, he would be showing them a whole different experience than they would be expecting.

He had consolidated all his knowledge and experiences by applying his new lessons in battle. It was time to put them together and use all of them in practice.

Fusing the black and white swords in his hands and turning them back to their original form, the [Yamato], Shin stood in the middle of the battlefield with a straightened back.

He was releasing an immeasurable pressure that made the air heavier. The remaining experts immediately realized the sudden change in the atmosphere. They also noticed the appearance of the evil forces that were gradually stepping out of the dark.

With the appearance of the Corrupted Cult, the experts immediately realized that they were now trapped between a monstrous individual and a group of lunatics. They did not know what to do as either choice would not be good for them.

Rumble! Rumble!

The ground was trembling as the giant undead monsters and corrupted creatures were marching steadily toward Shin. They had a steady yet chaotic rhythm, which added to the eeriness that was filling the air.

Hum~! Hum~!

There was also a simultaneous humming of the dark mages and necromancers as they walked behind the formation of the undead monsters and corrupted creatures. They seemed to have chanted a series of cultist prayers that were reverberating in the air.

As if responding to their incomprehensible words, the place suddenly turned dark while the already chilling air became colder.

The experts were getting a strange feeling from listening to those chants. They felt that their skins were being stabbed by tiny needles, sending shivers down to their spines.

It was at that moment that they knew that they had to leave this place as soon as possible.

Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling that they had, they quickly turned around and started rushing out for this place. The zombies that were made from the corpses of the fallen players also moved, responding to their actions.

Roar!

"Ahh!"

Battle cries and horrific roars mixed in with the chants of the members of the corrupted cults as the battlefield became even more chaotic.

Shin, however, did not care about any of that. He kept standing in his place while focusing his gaze along with his 'True Sight'. He kept sweeping his gaze as if he was looking for something.

He did not respond to the proposal that Immortal's Apostle had passed to him. Aside from not trusting the latter, he also did not have the time to consider it either.

He was also quite curious why these factions wanted to capture him, but at least had a rough idea of what it was given the clues that he had gotten from Hanzo earlier.

The Sea Soul was meant to be used to heal someone. As for who it was, he could only say that they were a very influential figure that could affect the balance between the Evil Faction and the alliance of the Righteous Churches.

If the Supreme Temple and Martial Alliance could go such lengths of issuing a bounty quest just for him, then he could at least deduce that the NPC that needed the Sea Soul was somewhat related to a special event, or even a major one at that.

But since he already had some clues on his hands, why not use his connections instead? He could contact the 'Secret Recipe', which was an organization specializing in gathering information regarding NPCs, special creatures, and others.

He could also ask Molton, who was already a grand scholar.

But at the same time, he could also use the information that Immortal was plotting something behind the Demonic Churches and Corrupted Cult. If he used this piece of information to his advantage, he could foil the plans of this notorious Lich God once again.

…

Shin was busy looking for the signs of the top experts of the Corrupted Cult when the undead monsters and corrupted creatures started increasing their pace.

Bang! Bang!

Their heavy steps started reverberating throughout the whole place, making the already noisy and chaotic battlefield become even more of a mess.

At this point, Shin suddenly noticed something and directed his gaze at a certain figure, who was naturally blending in with the group of hooded individuals.

He smirked before facing that direction and moving his head.

His steps were slow yet steady at first, but he was gradually increasing his face with each passing second. It reached until he was sprinting forward, fearlessly charging toward the horde of undead monsters.

Swoosh!

When he was about to reach the opposing force, his figure suddenly transformed into a streak of light that cut through the air before passing through the horde of monsters.

Crackle! Crackle!

'Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw (Lightning) – Moonlight Splitter'

Shing!

The vertical line that his sword had drawn connected the starting and the ending points of his action.

Roar! Roar!

It cut through all the monsters in its path, making them cry in pain before collapsing on the ground one after another.

The people who had seen this scene – both the viewers and the people on the battlefield – could not help but gulp hard.

They could only describe that strike in a single word or even two – fast! Extremely fast!

Shin seemed to have instantly traversed tens of meters while also cutting through the monsters that were on his path.

Shin had already done it in the past, but there was a clear difference between this one and the previous versions that he had before.

Not only did this sword contain the principle of a swift sword, but it was also extremely sharp and accurate – he had sliced through the tough bodies of the undead monsters in a single stroke while also targeting their weak points.

In the eyes of the average player, such a move was amazing and worthy of praise. But for the top experts of the game, this sword strike contained profound mysteries that were converging into one.

What was even scarier about it was how Shin made it so casual and ordinary despite how flashy it was.

Shin, who just executed the attack, was aware of what caused all of this. It was the 'Sword Heart' that he had just recently acquired.

He did not notice it earlier when fighting against Pogo because he was too focused on closing the distance between them and suppressing the latter with his aggressive attacks. He was also polishing the sword principle that he just recently learned at that time.

But now that he had already consolidated everything and combined what he just learned with what he had accumulated in the past, the signs became more obvious to the eyes.

The result of the fusion of his accumulated knowledge and experience and the abilities of the Sword Heart was much more amazing than he had expected.

That earlier strike felt like he became the sword itself. It might be brief, but it was already a good sign.

Riding the momentum that he had and forcefully maintaining the state that he was in, Shin flipped the sheath on his left hand, holding it into a forehand grip before changing its form.

'Legacy Skill: Mondi's Style – Judgement Form'

Right after the sheath turned into a greatsword, Shin swiftly raised it above him, channeling his energy into it while also applying the principles of the heavy sword at the same time.

Then, while he was simultaneously using multiple circulation methods and breathing techniques, the channeled energy became heavy and domineering as Astaroth fused with it.

'Elemental Spirit Possession (Earthen Metal): Earth Warden'

The monsters surrounding him seemed to have been frozen in place when the greatsword was raised in the air. It was as if the gravity in the air around Shin seemed to become stronger, pulling everything down and restraining the movements of the monsters.

Swoosh!

Shin then swung the greatsword down with unstoppable momentum until it was slammed into the ground.

Swoosh!

'Perfected Four Symbol Scripture: Divine Yellow Dragon – Earth Crushing'

It was as if the air contracted and a powerful pressure locked all the monsters around him in place, no one was able to move.

Boom!

Not long after, there seemed to be an invisible hammer smashed to the ground, cursing everyone that was within its range aside from Shin, who was standing dead center of it.

The ground sank and a huge crater was formed expanding at least dozens of meters around Shin while the monsters that were caught in that attack slammed into the ground and crashed into meat paste.

Two moves – Shin just executed two moves, but it was more than enough to send a message to everyone.

This was the new and true might of Battle God Sickarius.

...…

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