Child of Destiny

...

Thirio didn't have the time to go back to their main headquarters to lift the curse that was reversed cast to him by Shin earlier because of the ongoing mission that they had. Due to that, he was still under the curse of the Blood Monarch.

It was also the reason why he was looking at the three a little nervously. He couldn't afford to die in this place.

Shin as Sickarius was one thing, but the real problem was the pair of Arthur and Leonard. Thirio would not get intimidated when facing either one of them if he met them on a normal occasion. But since he was currently under pressure from the curse, he was currently not in a position to fight with everything he got.

But the problem was running away was also not an option for him to consider. After all, it was an impossible task to run away when he was facing both the Dragon God Siegfried and the War God Simba.

While Thirio was currently in a dilemma, he suddenly heard that Shin wanted to take him on by himself. Such words provoked the former and looked at the latter with a solemn look on his face.

'Are all of these rising stars looking down on me? First, it is that 'Nameless Swordsman', and now there is another one that is trying to challenge me? He is not even an Official Ranker!' thought Thirio to himself as he glared at Shin.

Seeing the look that Thirio was making, Arthur and Leonard couldn't help but smirk as they were able to read what was running inside his mind. Then they shrugged their shoulders and let Shin take over.

The two find a spot where they could sit comfortably and enjoy the show. And when Thirio saw that, he became even more enraged for being provoked.

Given that, he quickly took out his war axe and immediately activated his berserk skill at the same time. And without further ado, he took the initiative to attack, not having any intention to give Shin the time to prepare.

But to his surprise, his supposedly surprise attack was completely read by Shin which also made his sudden move a step too late.

Before Thirio could even reach Shin, the latter suddenly strode forward to cut his advance while also thrusting his right-hand saber forward.

Due to his sudden charge, it was impossible for Thirio to stop his flight midair which was also why the saber pierced through his body. Moreover, Shin did not only throw an ordinary stab, but it also had a stunning effect as he accurately hit his opponent's heart.

'Extra Skill: (Modified) Heart Seeker'

And since Thirio was stunned midair, there was no way for him to escape the next attacks that Shin was going to throw at him. Naturally, this Messenger of the Corrupted Cult would try to remove the stun effect by activating his CC-removing skills.

Unfortunately, Shin was already familiar with his skills after fighting each other a couple of times.

Right after Thirio cast his CC-removing skills, Shin quickly pulled out the [Dusk Blade] from his opponent's chest while using the momentum of his movements to swing the [Dawn Blade] on his left hand at the same time.

'Extra Skill: (Modified) Destructive Slash'

Then Thirio was stunned once again after getting hit by such a heavy strike. And what came after that was a series of attacks that almost emptied his Health Bar.

'Self-Created Skill: (Modified) Triple Slash'

'Extra Skill: (Modified) Multiple Stab'

'Grim Reaper Skill: Purgatory Slash – Penta Slash'

Thirio was able to activate one of the special effects of his race and managed to defy death for a brief moment. And while he was sent flying by the fifth strike of Shin's 'Purgatory Slash', he saw that his HP was already close to hitting zero, so he tried to recover some of his health by drinking some potion midair.

But before he could even take out the Health Potions from his inventory, he saw Shin swinging one of his sabers in the air and releasing a crescent energy wave that flew straight in his direction.

'Grim Reaper Skill: Purgatory Slash – Energy Wave'

Swoosh!

Thirio was still under the effect of his undying skill, he would surely survive that attack even if he got hit by the incoming energy wave.

Boom!

But due to the powerful impact, Thirio failed to take out any Health Positions to recover his HP.  And what was even worse in it was the fact that Shin was not done yet.

After immobilizing Thirio in the air, Shin unexpectedly threw both of his sabers up in the air before using the 'Phantom Steps' to appear right above his opponent.

Then he flipped his cloak in the air, revealing the combat belt wrapped around his waist before taking out the paralyzing needles from it.

After that, his arms suddenly turned into blurs as he accurately stabbed all of the needles on his opponent's vitals. And because of that, Thirio suddenly lost control over his body and became paralyzed.

At this point in time, Thirio already lost the effects of his undying skills. So, Shin took advantage of this opportunity to activate the special effects of his 'Shadow Mark' Elemental Skill to teleport himself high up in the air, where his sabers were located.

Right after he caught both of them, Shin suddenly shot down towards the ground with an unimaginable speed.

Shing!

'Extra Skill: (Modified) Falling Lightblade'

Shin left a trail of light in the air as he descended towards his opponent while also swinging down both of his sabers at the same time.

In the meantime, Thirio could only stare at Shin as he waited for his death. He didn't know why he couldn't react to each of Shin's attacks even though he could see each one of them pretty clearly. It looked like he was always a step too late whenever he tried to do anything.

At first, he thought that it was his imagination. But now that Shin could clearly counter each of his moves before he could even do it, he was now sure that this guy was able to predict whatever he was thinking before he could even put them in action. It was as if he was an open book right in front of Shin.

Having those thoughts, Thirio was now able to see what kind of monster he was up against. He even started to feel scared after knowing that such a monster existed – a monster with a completely different breed from the freak that he encountered back in the Elven Kingdom.

'It looks like there is a massive ripple that will shake the entire Gaming World,' thought Thirio to himself as he watched the coming blades severed his head.

Ta-ta!

Then Shin landed on the ground alongside the items that dropped from Thirio's body. And after stabilizing himself, he quickly stood up and sheathed his sabers with one smooth motion before turning around and looking at Arthur and Leonard in a cool manner.

"That is easier than what I have expected," said Shin as he looked smugly at the two.

Hearing that, Arthur couldn't help but chuckle a little before commenting. "Heh! Are you that proud that you bully someone who doesn't have a personal trait?"

"Huh? He didn't have one?" asked Shin with a frown before quickly adding. "How did you know?"

Arthur sneered at him and calmly answered. "Isn't it obvious? He didn't notice that you have one until the end, so it can only explain that he doesn't have a Personal Trait of his own."

"Is that so?" said Shin before pursuing his lip. "Tsk! This 'Personal Trait' feature sure is too overpowered. That guy is really giving me a lot of trouble when I am fighting him earlier as a Nameless Swordsman. But now that I fully unlocked its next stage, dealing with him is as easy as pie."

When Leonard heard that, he couldn't help but become a little curious and asked. "How many stages did you unlock?"

Shin thought for a couple of moments before answering. "Hmmm… I managed to evolve it twice, so does that mean I unlocked two stages?"

"Heh! Just two? You are still way too far before you catch up to us," commented Arthur as he looked at Shin with a smug look on his face.

"Why? How many stages are you on?" snarled Shin.

Hearing that, Arthur raised three of his fingers and answered proudly. "This much! And I am almost reaching stage four with my 'Pinnacle Omniscience' Personal Trait."

Then Shin turned his head towards Leonard and asked. "What about you? You also have one, don't you? What is it and which level are you on?"

"Primordial Aptitude, also level three," answered Leonard in a nonchalant manner before asking in return. "But what did you do earlier? Why do I feel that you are not using the common method for the 'Personal Traits'? Is there a trick that you added?"

Shin suddenly clicked his tongue when he heard those words. "Tch! You really are unexpectedly much sharper than before. Did you eat something strange this time?"

Leonard shrugged his shoulders and gave his remarks. "It may be unnoticeable to others but I can clearly see small details when I am focused. For example, the fact that you are always taking a brief pause every time you finish your moves."

"It is not your usual style, you used to be attacking in a rapid manner until your opponents can't keep up anymore. It was the same for your counters, you are always reacting to your opponent's attacks on the spot before counterattacking."

"But this time, it seems like you are reading your opponent's movements first before making our own move. It is very brief, but each of those pauses is precise and perfectly timed."

Hearing that, Shin couldn't help but smile before patting Leonard's shoulders. "Oh~... It looks like you really picked up quite a lot of things when training with your master. To think that you can even spot all of that?"

This time, Arthur suddenly butted in and asked. "So, what is that trick? Tell us before the others finish cleaning the battlefield."

Then Shin crossed his arms before answering. "It is not that special actually. You know that my Personal Trait is 'Ultra Instincts' and it mostly affects my reflexes and reaction speed. And because of that, I can move my body pretty well inside the game."

He took a brief pause and asked the two. "Do you remember my personalized technique in the real world? The 'Zone'."

He waited for the two to nod their heads before continuing. "I managed to incorporate it in the game with one of my skills. So, by combining those two, I can easily predict my opponent's movements and react to them before they can even execute it."

"I haven't mastered it yet, so I did some practice during our previous battle earlier. Thankfully, I managed to get myself completely familiar with it because of that."

After that, Shin turned around and looted the items that Thirio had dropped before leaving the two.

Leonard stared at Shin's back for a couple of moments before saying. "Looks like we can no longer slack off. That guy is really close to catching up with us."

Arthur nodded his head unconsciously when he heard those words before asking. "Want to have a little spar later, after we are down with here?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," replied Leonard while also nodding his head.

...…

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