Child of Destiny

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Flame Drake was one of the most skilled Titled Rankers of the game who was aspiring to become one of the Godlike Players. The upcoming United Cup would be his chance to take that spot and earn himself a Godlike Title of his own.

Even at least the spot of being a Godlike Player was more than enough even if he could not get a title, especially when many rivals were participating in this major competition.

To acknowledge his efforts, he did everything he could in this current war between the major factions of the game. He had chosen the side of the Demonic Churches since they gave immediate boosts in stats once they converted their races into a Demon or at least into a Demonic Hybrid.

Flame Drake was once a Dire Naga Warrior, which was one of the newly unlocked races during the appearance of the Sky Island.

The race itself was powerful, especially with its enhanced regeneration of their racial abilities. But it also had a fatal flaw as they were weak against the Wingmen Tribe due to some sort of racial oppression.

Regardless, he still climbed the ladder of the Rankers and thoroughly solidified his standing as one of the top Titled Rankers of the game, who could contend against some Godlike Players.

This became the source of his confidence.

When the Faction War was released and the players started choosing their sides, he realized that the Dire Nagas were complementary to the Demon Race, which was why he had chosen their side.

The moment when he got baptized by the Demonic Churches, he unlocked a Demonic Hybrid Race called Demon Naga, which not only erased the weakness of his race but also enhanced his overall abilities.

With this newly found power, he joined the war and climbed in the ranks until he reached his current position – a Squad Captain of a Special Action Squad.

He also earned a few followers along the way, who helped him accumulate more war merits. His squad even became one of the most noticeable groups from the side of the Demonic Churches.

The people from the other side were even avoiding them due to their power.

With his achievements, Flame Drake had become one of the reliable pieces within the Demonic Forces, especially when he started showing his battle prowess that was comparable to some Godlike Players of the game.

His followers also increased due to this, earning him powerful people for his group. He now had at least a dozen of Titled Rankers following him along with a couple of Maverick Gods, who acknowledged him as their leader.

His group had become so powerful that one of the commanders had noticed him. The commander had even him a special mission where he could earn a lot of merit points and potential rank promotion.

With his newly acquired War Equipment Set, he set out along with his group, accompanying a powerful army of Demonic Monsters.

What made him a little upset was that he was not alone in this mission. Some groups with similar strengths as his group and the same level of reputation were also included in this operation.

That was when he learned that this was not going to be an easy competition, especially when he could see troublesome people leading the other groups, who were no weaker than him.

But at the same time, he also realized that this said operation would be a very crucial one, especially when such people with great merits were gathered in a single place.

Looking at the entire army composed of top elite players, powerful experts from different organizations, and the forces of the Demonic Monsters, Flame Drake knew that they were about to get involved in a huge war.

This made him curious about which front they would be sent. Given the combat prowess of this army, he was sure that they were about to be sent to one of the important fronts of the war.

"It is about time for us to get in real action," he mumbled as he could not help but get excited.

This might be an intense competition, but it could also be an opportunity where he could further solidify his standing within the Demonic Army.

The other leaders with similar strength and authority as him were also thinking at the same time as they organized their troops during the march.

At the very center of their army, the general who would be leading this operation was currently mounted on an undead horse, which was constantly emitting a ghostly flame from its head and hooves.

This general, who had sacrificed everything in exchange for power, was emitting a suffocating aura that covered the entire army. He looked like a death knight with unrivaled powers.

"One day, I will become like that too," mumbled Flame Drake as he looked at the basic information of the general and saw that the latter was a Level 175 NPC.

This NPC should be as strong as an Overlord Class Monster on the same level. But since he was currently reinforced by his demonic powers, this General should be at least as strong as King Class Monster and slightly behind Emperor Class Monster in terms of raw power.

Leveling up had become much harder after being promoted to Tier 3 Class – the Master Class – so most of the players were only averaging between levels 151 to 155 while those with insane leveling speed were at least 156 to 158.

This only proved that those NPCs and Monsters with higher levels than them would be troublesome to deal with.

Based on the current statistics, the Rankers could fight Chieftain Rank Monsters or Captain Rank NPCs five to ten levels higher than them.

The Titled Rankers and Maverick Rankers were at least on par with Lord Rank Monsters to Major Rank NPCs while regular Godlike Players and Maverick Gods could rival the might of Overlord Rank Monsters and General Rank NPCs – with also five to ten level difference.

Those top Gods and apex Mavericks, on the other hand, could not be measured by regular means as they could vary depending on the situation or the matchups.

But with the list that was released by the Mystery Pavilion – a mysterious information organization that had been running since the era of virtual games rivaling the Assassin Union, but mainly focused on the rankings of the players – these top gods were able to contend against King Class Monsters or Commander Rank NPCs alone so long as the gap between levels did not exceed between ten to twenty levels.

Some of them could even face an Emperor Class Monster by themselves.

Basically, they could be considered as a one-man army!

This data alone was more than enough to tell everyone how absurd the gaps between regular gods and those standing at the peak of the game.

Everyone wanted to reach that level and this war was one of the opportunities that could lead them to that direction, which was why a lot of experts gathered in this place and joined the Faction War to gain more experience and nurture their strengths.

As Flame Drake was currently organizing his thoughts and making a thorough plan inside his head where he could take advantage of the situation in the most effective way possible, he suddenly sensed something and swiftly raised his head.

Not only him but the rest of the top players and leading NPCs as well.

Even the Demonic General situated at the center of their ranks could also not help but raise his head as he sensed an immense pressure coming from above the army.

Swoosh!

That was when they saw a silhouette of a person rapidly falling from the top of the cliff.

Bang!

Before any could even react in time, that person landed in the middle of the army and blasted all the soldiers, players, and Demonic Monsters gathered in that spot with a powerful shockwave.

"Who is this stupid guy who dares to provoke an entire army?" mumbled Flame Drake as he quickly raised his head.

If this person was not as stupid as it seemed, then there was a high chance that there were other people who would come after him. It was also possible that there might be marksmen or mages waiting on the cliffside and getting ready to cast their skills and spells.

This was most likely an ambush laying in wait for them.

The other leaders also did the same as they raised their heads, looking for the signs of their enemies. But despite how hard they tried to look, they could not find any signs of an army waiting for them. Not even a single soul was present at the edge of the cliff, much less in the area ahead of them.

"What the heck? Don't tell me this guy just accidentally fell while trying to scout us?" shouted one of the leaders within the army.

Not long after, the dust settled down and revealed a figure of a person wearing a dark cloak that seemed to be stained by blood for a very long time.

This cloak seemed to be soaked in the pool of blood for a very long time due to how deep the blood color that it had, which also gave the people around the impression that he was not someone that they could not mess with.

The people around him did not dare to approach him as they were too afraid of the aura that he was emitting.

Swoosh!

A gentle breeze bounced from the cliffside and flew the cloak of this person, revealing the crimson set of armor that he was wearing.

It was a light armor meant to be used by swordsmen but with a much domineering design. The somewhat sharp edges on the joints along with the golden runes tracing along the partitions of the parts were giving of an ancient feeling that indicated that it was no ordinary armor.

When the hood slightly fluttered along with the breeze, those who were paying attention to his person saw that he was wearing a sleek yet eerie demon ghost mask. The combination of the colors red, black, gold, and white complimented each other and matched the entirety of the armor, indicating that it was also part of the set.

While everyone was observing this person, they suddenly heard him say. "I know that there are still people who will try to march toward the Stormy Mountain Range and attempt to attack the Storm Fortress."

"I guess it is only right to choose this place as a testing ground," he paused for a moment and swept his gaze at the surroundings before continuing. "There are quite a few decent test subjects to practice my newly improved style."

From the tone that he had, it seemed like he was talking to himself rather than the people around him. It even looked like he was not putting these people in his eyes as he saw them as nothing but a bunch of training dummies.

Seemingly understanding the meaning behind his words, those hot-headed players around him could not help but explode in anger and charge at him.

"Just who is this idiot to stand in our path!? He is just one person! Get rid of him!" the man standing the nearest even took the lead to charge, brandishing his weapon along with his strongest skill.

Seeing that, the others also responded and pulled out their respective weapons, pouncing at him while also activating their skills.

Witnessing that scene, Flame Drake, who was standing on a boulder a little further away, shook his head and commented. "Such a bunch of idiots! Can't they see the difference in strength by the aura of the other party alone?"

"What do you expect from a bunch of nobodies?" said another leader standing not far from him.

Uno, who was at the center of everything, slightly shook his head. "A bunch of trash."

He then calmly reached out inside the cloak, grabbing the two shortswords hanging at the back of his waist.

Shudder!

Everyone standing within the hundred-meter radius away from Uno felt a cold shiver that ran through their spines right after his hands gripped the hilt of those words.

He had yet to pull his weapons out, yet everyone had already sensed the intense bloodlust coming from him.

Moreover, it was just a hint of what he truly possessed.

'Yin-Yang Cultivation Arts: Yin Form – Snowstorm Sword'

Swoosh!

There seemed to be an invisible circle that was drawn within the hundred-meter radius before a transparent dome of energy was formed.

Then a cold breeze swept through everyone before the people who were charging at him fell on the ground one after another.

No blood flowed out from their corpses. Aside from the countless cuts that were visible from the different parts of everyone and the cold vapor coming from those 'wounds', nothing else could be found from them.

They all died in an instant!

Seeing that scene, Flame Drake and the other experts who were on the same level as him realized something.

"A Godlike Player. This is an Apex God's strength! An absolute being who stood at the very peak of the game!"

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