Child of Destiny

Chapter 2249: The Opening Gambit

......

After the silent confrontation came to an end, both leaders issued their commands almost simultaneously.

"Alucard," Shin said without taking his eyes off Malzareth. "Go give Diablo a hand."

At almost the same moment, Malzareth’s cold voice echoed across the battlefield.

"What are you four waiting for?" His crimson eyes briefly swept across Henrick and the others. "Destroy that barrier surrounding the altar."

The four executive lieutenants instantly snapped out of their daze. "Yes, Lord Malzareth!"

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The battlefield erupted into motion.

Henrick vanished from his position, his body melting into the shadows as he rushed toward the crimson barrier.

Beside him, Velkris disappeared as well. The twin demonic swords at his waist had already left their sheaths before his figure completely faded from sight, leaving behind only several fleeting afterimages.

At the rear, Agata swiftly raised both hands.

Boom!

A gigantic magic circle immediately unfolded behind her, causing torrents of demonic flames to gather overhead before condensing into an enormous sea of crimson fire.

Meanwhile—

Bang!

Mordrake violently kicked off the ground.

The earth beneath him shattered into countless fragments as his colossal body shot toward the sky like a cannonball.

His two colossal battle axes dragged behind him as he flew forward, their razor-sharp edges carving two deep trenches across the earth before finally lifting into the air.

The sheer momentum behind his charge resembled an enraged mountain crashing toward its prey.

Whoosh!

High above them, Alucard calmly hovered in midair, his enormous crimson wings spreading majestically against the blood-red sky.

His scarlet eyes quietly watched the four approaching executives without the slightest ripple of emotion.

His gentleman’s coat fluttered elegantly in the violent winds as he slowly raised the blood-forged sniper rifle resting upon his shoulder.

He slowly raised the blood-forged sniper rifle resting upon his shoulder and aimed it downward.

At the same time—

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Countless streams of fresh blood surged outward before rapidly solidifying behind him.

One after another, exquisitely crafted blood rifles materialized in midair.

They spread out into a magnificent circular array behind Alucard like the wings of a crimson angel of death, every barrel silently locking onto a different target below.

Bang!

With a single pull of the trigger, Alucard’s sniper rifle roared.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

At the exact same moment, every blood rifle surrounding him fired in perfect unison.

A torrential rain of crimson bullets descended upon the charging Demonic Players, painting the heavens with countless streaks of scarlet light.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The instant the crimson rain of bullets descended from the heavens, Mordrake let out a savage roar and violently spun both of his gigantic battle axes.

Whoosh!

The heavy weapons whistled through the air, generating a terrifying vortex around his enormous body. The violent winds tore chunks of earth from the ground, lifting countless shattered rocks into the sky before drawing them into the spinning storm.

"Roar!"

Boom!

With a deafening bellow, Mordrake swung both axes upward with all his might.

The raging vortex erupted into a colossal demonic tempest, carrying jagged boulders and violent winds as it surged toward the incoming barrage of crimson bullets.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The moment the two forces collided, the heavens exploded.

Countless crimson bullets detonated against the storm, producing one explosion after another until the battlefield was swallowed by a sea of fire, shattered rocks, and chaotic mana.

Amid the blinding explosions—

Shing! Shing!

Two razor-thin flashes suddenly sliced through the chaotic storm.

Henrick and Velkris burst out from within the explosions themselves.

Using the violent shockwaves and distorted mana fluctuations as perfect cover, the two assassins had already slipped through Alucard’s line of fire without anyone noticing.

Their blades shot straight toward his vital points.

Shing! Shing!

Just before the swords could reach him—

A pair of black flashes erupted from Alucard’s shadow.

Clang! Clang!

Steel collided against shadow, making the eyes of the assassins squint narrowly.

Standing before them were two humanoid figures forged entirely from darkness.

Shadow clones.

Without uttering a single word, the clones crossed their obsidian daggers against the incoming blades before slowly dissolving into drifting wisps of darkness.

Diablo had quietly interfered as he had never taken his eyes off the battlefield.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Seeing that the ambush had failed, Henrick and Velkris immediately abandoned the exchange.

The instant the shadow clones disappeared, both of them retreated without the slightest hesitation, vanishing in opposite directions.

"Roar!"

Almost simultaneously, Agata completed her spell.

The enormous sea of demonic flames behind her violently condensed before transforming into a colossal blazing serpent.

The creature let out a deafening roar as it tore across the battlefield and flew into the sky. It then opened its enormous jaws wide enough to swallow Alucard whole.

But Alucard had already anticipated this.

The moment Diablo’s shadow clones intercepted the ambush, every blood rifle floating behind him suddenly dissolved into countless streams of crimson liquid.

Swoosh!

The rivers of blood converged toward the sniper rifle resting in his hands.

They rapidly compressed, layer after layer, until every ounce of blood had merged into the weapon itself.

At the very tip of the muzzle, a tiny crimson sphere quietly formed.

It was no larger than a marble, but the terrifying amount of compressed blood energy contained within it distorted the surrounding space.

Alucard calmly pulled the trigger.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion erupted from the rifle.

Even Alucard’s reinforced body was forced backward slightly as both of his arms recoiled from the overwhelming force.

Swoosh!

A razor-thin beam of crimson light instantly pierced through space.

Before the blazing serpent could even close its jaws, the beam shot straight through its open mouth.

Boom!

A massive hole exploded through the serpent’s head before the crimson ray continued unabated, tearing through the entirety of its colossal body and splitting the gigantic creature into two burning halves.

The sky itself seemed to divide beneath that single shot.

The blazing remnants of the demonic serpent gradually dissolved into countless motes of crimson light.

At the same time—

Bang!

Like a charging fortress tearing through the collapsing explosions, Mordrake burst from the sea of fire with both battle axes raised high.

His enormous body charged straight toward the crimson barrier.

His objective had never changed.

The earlier exchange with Alucard had merely been a distraction. The true purpose of that assault was to create an opening for him to unleash his strongest attack against the barrier protecting the altar.

His crimson eyes locked onto the countless hairline cracks that had only just begun repairing themselves.

Although Diablo had successfully restored the barrier’s shape, it had yet to fully stabilize.

Its defenses were at their weakest.

If he struck now, the entire barrier would collapse once again.

"Roar!"

Mordrake tightened both hands around the handles of his gigantic battle axes as terrifying waves of demonic power erupted from his body.

The surrounding air trembled beneath the sheer force gathering behind the impending strike.

Naturally, Agata, Henrick, and Velkris immediately understood his intention. Without exchanging a single word, the three simultaneously moved to intercept.

Agata rapidly condensed another wave of demonic flames while Henrick disappeared into the shadows once more.

Velkris lowered his stance, both swords already prepared to cut down anyone attempting to interfere.

They only needed to buy Mordrake a single moment—and that would be enough.

Unfortunately, the Demonic Duo of the Empyrean Talons had been waiting for precisely this moment.

Snap!

A crisp snap echoed almost simultaneously from both Alucard and Diablo.

The battlefield instantly fell silent.

The rivers of slaughter energy drifting around the altar suddenly responded.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Countless crimson threads erupted from every direction before wrapping tightly around the bodies of the four Demonic Players.

"What—?!"

Before any of them could react—

The surrounding space violently distorted.

Boom!

The scenery around them abruptly changed.

In the blink of an eye, all four found themselves standing atop the massive platform crowning the sacrificial altar.

The crimson barrier now completely surrounded them.

They found that they had been dragged inside.

The platform itself bore countless scars from the fierce battle between Diablo and Dragulia. Deep fissures stretched across the stone like wounds carved by gods, while dried blood and lingering demonic aura still stained every corner of the battlefield.

It resembled less a battleground and more an enormous graveyard waiting to welcome its next occupants.

Only one question remained.

Whose graves would be added to this battlefield by the time the dust finally settled?

The answer stood less than a dozen meters apart.

Diablo and Alucard quietly took their positions side by side, facing the four executive lieutenants of the Church of Terror.

Neither of them spoke.

The moment the battlefield shifted to the top of the altar, they had already achieved their objective.

For a brief instant, silence enveloped the platform.

Then, almost simultaneously, the four Demonic Players immediately reacted.

Rather than falling into confusion after being forcibly dragged inside the barrier, they swiftly spread out into a combat-ready formation.

Henrick disappeared toward the front, naturally assuming the role of the vanguard.

Velkris silently circled toward the flank, searching for an opening to assassinate either Diablo or Alucard.

Agata retreated to the rear while countless demonic flames quietly gathered around her, preparing devastating long-range spells.

Meanwhile, Mordrake remained at the very center, his gigantic battle axes resting upon his shoulders like an immovable fortress that anchored the entire formation.

In merely a few breaths, the four had completely adjusted to the sudden change in circumstances.

Their objective had changed as well.

Destroying the crimson barrier from within was no longer an option.

Now that they stood atop the altar itself, the ritual platform continuously reinforced the barrier surrounding them. Every pulse of crimson energy flowing beneath their feet strengthened its defenses.

Brute force alone would no longer be enough.

If they wished to break free, then there was only one path left—defeat Diablo.

They would then seize control of the sacrificial altar. It was only at that moment that they could dismantle the barrier from its very core.

Across from them, Diablo calmly watched their formation take shape before tightening his grip around his weapon.

A faint smile slowly appeared on Alucard’s lips as he rested his blood-forged sniper rifle over his shoulder.

"So..." he muttered with unmistakable amusement. "...now the real battle begins."

...