Child of Destiny

Chapter 2255: A True Warrior

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Crackle! Crackle!

The blinding pillar of violet light gradually receded.

As the collapsing space slowly repaired itself, the battlefield hidden beneath the radiance was finally revealed once again.

Silence.

An eerie silence that lingered only after absolute devastation.

The center of the Illuminating Forest was transformed into a Dread Forest due to the sacrificial altar standing within it.

However, not only had the Dread Forest completely disappeared, but also a huge portion of the Illuminating Forest.

Not a single towering tree remained standing, while the lush wilderness that had once stretched across the land had been erased from existence, leaving behind nothing but a vast wasteland scorched beyond recognition.

In their place, enormous boulders littered the battlefield one after another. Some measured hundreds of meters across while others descended so deep that molten rock could be seen flowing beneath their fractured walls.

Countless canyons crisscrossed the land like gigantic scars carved by the wrath of ancient gods, while the nearby mountains that once surrounded the region were nowhere to be seen.

Some had been shattered into countless fragments while others had simply vanished, swallowed by the repeated collapses of space and the overwhelming waves of destruction.

The very landscape had been rewritten.

The earth itself seemed unable to bear the aftermath of the battle, as countless fissures continued to spread across the blackened wasteland.

Occasionally, a violent surge of violet lightning would erupt from those cracks before disappearing once more.

Elsewhere, remnants of dark crimson demonic mana still lingered within the atmosphere, causing the surrounding air to distort as if the battlefield itself had yet to recover from the collision of the two monstrous powers.

The lingering pressure remained so overwhelming that even ordinary Rankers would find it difficult to breathe, let alone step onto the battlefield.

This portion of the map should no longer be a part of the Illuminating Forest. It had become a forbidden battlefield where only two absolute monsters had crossed blades.

Situated at the very center of the devastated wasteland lay an enormous crater unlike all the others.

It stretched for well over a kilometer while its jagged edges were collapsing inward as residual spatial fissures continued to crawl across its surface.

The earth within the crater had completely disappeared, exposing layers of molten rock that still glowed beneath the fractured ground.

It was the epicenter where the final collision of Void and Destruction had taken place.

Standing amidst this land of ruin were two lone figures.

Neither had fallen, nor had they retreated.

The first was Shin.

His breathing had become noticeably heavier, while several tears had appeared across his battle attire.

His right hand still gripped the possessed [Yamato], though the intense violet radiance surrounding the blade had dimmed considerably after unleashing such an overwhelming strike.

Despite the obvious exhaustion on his body, his posture remained as steady as ever while his unwavering gaze remained fixed on the towering figure standing opposite him.

A considerable distance away, Malzareth continued standing proudly. But compared to his earlier domineering appearance, the Demonic Oni had become almost unrecognizable.

His massive right arm had completely disappeared as dark-crimson blood continuously poured from the severed shoulder before rapidly evaporating into demonic mana.

The result of the previous exchange was unmistakable.

Even after doing everything within his power to shift his body at the final moment, he had ultimately failed to completely evade Shin’s ’Thunder Eclipse’.

The Oni Armor of War that was once regarded as an impregnable fortress had also suffered unprecedented damage.

Countless fractures spread across the crimson-black armor while several sections had completely shattered and exposed portions of the Oni’s muscular body beneath.

Although endless streams of demonic energy continued flowing toward the damaged areas, attempting to restore the armor to its former state, the regeneration had become noticeably slower.

The armor was healing, but not nearly fast enough to erase the scars left behind by the Void Power infused in the earlier attack.

Even the Oni Mask of Slaughter had not escaped unscathed, as the upper-left portion had been completely destroyed.

The broken fragments lay scattered throughout the enormous crater, revealing part of Malzareth’s face for the very first time since he wore it in battle.

However, despite the grievous injuries covering his body and having lost an entire arm, the huge grin on the exposed half of his face had never disappeared.

If anything, it had only grown wider.

Shin furrowed his brows beneath his mask.

That strike had not been the strongest sword technique within the ’Jade Kirin Scripture’, as there were still the Eighth and Ninth Sword Movements.

However, those techniques were never meant to be wielded with the Power of the Void.

Their true potential could only be unleashed through the ’Primordial Lightning’, whose unparalleled explosiveness and overwhelming destructive nature perfectly complemented the nature of the scripture.

Unfortunately, the ’Primordial Lightning’ is more suited to ’Chaos Slasher Possession,’ which required both Nytheria and Whitie to manifest.

With Nytheria still slumbering, that choice remained completely closed.

That was why he had chosen to continue with ’Dimensional Cutter’ instead rather than switching the possession like he usually did.

Among all the techniques currently available to him, the Seventh Sword Movement reinforced by his ’Void Powers’ represented the strongest attack he could possibly unleash in that situation.

Fortunately, it had not disappointed him.

Although it had failed to bring down Malzareth, the damage it inflicted was undeniably catastrophic.

The towering Oni had lost an entire arm. Even the once-indestructible Oni Armor of War had finally revealed its limits beneath the relentless Power of the Void.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Shin gently twirled the possessed [Yamato] before smoothly returning it to its sheath.

Click!

He then raised his head and looked straight at Malzareth. "Do we still need to continue?"

"Hahahaha!" Malzareth suddenly burst into hearty laughter, his booming voice echoing throughout the ruined battlefield. "You still need to ask such a meaningless question?"

Boom!

He casually lifted the colossal execution club with his remaining left arm before resting it upon his shoulder. The terrifying weight of the weapon caused the surrounding ground to fracture beneath his feet.

"A true warrior never retreats..." he declared proudly. "...regardless of the situation!"

Shin merely shrugged. "A warrior indeed."

Swoosh!

His right hand quietly settled upon the hilt of the sheathed [Yamato] once more as his breathing gradually slowed.

He then took his signature stance, which now prepared solely for the final exchange.

Across from him, Malzareth likewise lowered his center of gravity. His hips sank while his towering body angled sideways.

The gigantic execution club slowly shifted behind his shoulder, gathering every remaining ounce of strength within his body.

Neither spoke another word.

Bang! Bang!

Almost simultaneously, the earth beneath them exploded as their figures vanished from their original positions.

BOOM!!

The already shattered battlefield trembled once more as two streaks of light rushed toward one another.

An instant later, they appeared only a few meters apart.

Malzareth was the first to move.

Bang!

His leading foot violently stomped against the fractured earth, forcibly halting his momentum. The resulting shockwave shattered the surrounding rocks before he raised the colossal execution club high above his head.

Boom!

Every remaining strand of demonic power within his body surged toward the weapon, making the dark-crimson currents spiral around the gigantic club like a raging storm.

The terrifying pressure continuously condensed until even the surrounding space began to groan beneath its overwhelming weight.

With a deafening roar, the Demonic Oni brought the execution club crashing downward.

’Demonic Oni Technique: Secret Art – Guillotine of Hell’

BOOOOOOM!!

At the exact same instant, Shin momentarily stopped moving as his breathing ceased.

Click.

His left thumb quietly nudged the sword guard away from its sheath.

Everything around him seemed to slow as only the descending execution club remained reflected beneath the [Nephilim’s Gemini Mask].

Then—

Shing!

The possessed [Yamato] was drawn in a single flawless motion as his body transformed into a streak of violet radiance that instantly crossed the remaining distance.

The sword did not simply cut as it severed the dimension itself.

A long spatial fracture trailed behind Shin’s path like shattered glass suspended in midair. The countless fragments of broken space silently peeled away from its edges before vanishing into the Void.

’Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw (Void) – Dimensional Fracture’

Shing!

Unlike every exchange before, there was no deafening collision, no catastrophic explosion, and no violent shockwave.

The two figures simply brushed past one another.

Swoosh...

They continued forward for another dozen meters before gradually coming to a halt.

Neither turned around nor spoke, making the battlefield fall completely silent. There was only the lingering spatial fracture slowly repairing itself behind them.

A moment later, Shin slowly straightened his body.

Swoosh!

He casually twirled the [Yamato] once before smoothly returning it to its sheath.

Click.

"You’re strong," he said calmly as he looked toward his opponent. "A warrior such as you deserves respect... It is a pity that we stand on opposite sides."

From Shin’s perspective, Malzareth reminded him of someone—someone who also fought like a true warrior.

For a brief moment, the towering Oni resembled one of his closest brothers—Leonard.

Unfortunately, fate had placed them beneath different banners. Otherwise, Shin would not have hesitated to invite such a warrior to fight alongside them.

Malzareth could no longer turn around. Even so, a satisfied smile slowly appeared beneath the broken half of the Oni Mask of Slaughter.

"Good..." His voice had become noticeably weaker yet also remained dignified. "...Then make sure to keep your sword sharp."

A brief pause followed. "Our next encounter... may not end the same way."

Thud!

The towering body of the Demonic Oni finally lost all strength, making his enormous figure crash onto the shattered earth and sending a cloud of dust quietly drifting across the silent battlefield.

Shin stared at his opponent as the wind gently swept across the ruined land, carrying away the lingering remnants of demonic mana.

After a while, he smirked. "Until we meet again..."

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