Child of Destiny

“Why don’t we give it a try?”

Hearing these words and seeing that devious grin on Shin’s face, Leonard knew that this would not end well for his side.

He knew this young devil for quite a long time already, so he knew that he was up to something bad whenever he saw that familiar grin.

He would rather chicken out than suffer under his hands. “No, thanks! I’m good!”

Shin then chuckled and dropped the topic altogether. He knew that the others would not want to be his test subjects. He would have to find someone else if he wanted to know his exact progress with the Mirage Sword and test some of his comprehension of the phantom movements.

Maybe he would ask David for a quick spar later or look for a decent sparring partner from the guards that the Springfield Family had sent and stationed throughout the neighborhood to protect them.

He did not want to test such a technique, which he had yet to master, against his friends. He did not want an accident to happen later, so it was better to look for someone who was more powerful and more experienced than they were to oversee everything.

He then went to chat about some other topics with the others, particularly listening about the events within the game while the core members of Empyrean Talons were busy with their respective business.

Since the Monter Trio were still trapped within a special region and the Demonic Duo were nowhere to be found, no one could deal with the more serious matters that might be related to them.

One of the biggest waves that was affecting the game right now was the ongoing war between the Righteous Churches and the Evil Faction.

“From what I have heard, the Hall of Heroes has also taken actions as well. Then, following their steps, the Temple of the War God, the Dragon Sanctuary, and the Martial Alliance have also made their respective responses,” said Molton, recalling all the news that he just received.

“That is only right. After all, this is another invasion from the demons of the Hell Realms. It is only natural for those forces to make such movements,” added Arthur.

Leonard nodded his head. “They do not want the tragedies from the Repelling Era to happen once again.”

“Ah! Now that you have mentioned it, I heard from some of my friends that quite a lot of players from the Evil Faction have already entered the Hell Realms and started exploring there!” said Molton.

“Among the bunch, who have first arrived there, the forces of the Pandemonium Descendants have reaped the most benefits.”

“I even heard that they are the ones who are leading the exploration on that side,” he added with a somewhat heavy tone.

Arthur thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “That is only natural. After all, they are the ones behind the opening of that portal.”

“We should have that much benefit in exchange for the merits that they have accumulated,” he added, finding himself quite impressed with that dark organization.

“Fortunately, only three of the realms under the Hell Realms are available for exploration,” commented Leonard before quickly adding. “Moreover, they will be trapped there for quite a while, giving us a bit of breathing space.”

“After all, we will not have to worry about them creating chaos everywhere now,” he chuckled, thinking that one of their headaches had decreased.

Hearing this, Molton shook his head. “But it will also give them quite a lot of safety as well. After all, no one will sabotage their operations there, giving them enough freedom to do whatever they want.”

“They will be able to grow there without encountering any kind of resistance. At most, their rivals will be the only ones to compete with them on that side,” he added with a bit of concern. “I even heard from a few people that they have been slowly relocating their main forces there, seemingly planning to transfer their headquarters deep into that realm.”

“We can’t do anything about it. After all, they are from the Evil Factions,” commented Shin, telling Molton not to worry about it.

After all, they could not do anything about them for the time being.

After chatting for a while, Alice and Jilian had finally finished their sparring, walking over to the group.

The others gave them a good round of applause, commending them for such a good display. Even though they had been chatting earlier, they were still paying attention to their match, which was quite entertaining.

The two had fully showcased the strengths of their respective families, particularly the difference in their Mentalism Methods.

The Potter Clan focused more on utility and auxiliary techniques, which further enhanced their combat capabilities.

They were also experts at pyromancy, which also made them one of the best fire controlling family throughout the world.

Paired with their cunning mind, which focused on meticulous planning, dealing with them was extremely demanding for an individual’s mind.

The Stuart Clan, on the other hand, was known for its extremely powerful techniques. Their Mentalism Methods were filled with mysteriousness and profoundness that made it hard for other people to comprehend.

However, among all these techniques, the Stuart Clan was widely known for their defensive and movement techniques.

Even though the ancestors of their clan had created quite a lot of techniques meant for other areas, such as attacking methods and auxiliary techniques, their defensive techniques and maneuvers had made them what they were.

Because of this, the Stuart Clan had earned itself another alias, which was the ‘Guardian Household’ of the Soaring Continent.

Their Mentalism Methods, which were mostly based on the characteristics of a ‘Lotus’, had become their symbol, which also became the emblem of their clan.

Utility and Auxiliary versus Defense and Movements, such a matchup was quite interesting indeed.

However, since this was just a sparring match, both sides did not show too much of their cards. They were just showing what they could do and helping each other with their respective progress.

The two gave the rest an acknowledging nod before leaving the battle arena for the others.

In response, the group took turns using the battle arena, having a quick sparring match to check their progress and do some light exercise to loosen up.

Just like that, an entire day had passed.

Looking around, Shin could not help but frown and ask. “It seems like Big Sis and Senior Brother have been quite busy these past few days. I have never seen them around either.”

“Now that you have mentioned it, it seems like that is the case,” seconded Arthur.

Hearing this, Cloe rolled her eyes at them before giving them a sarcastic remark. “You guys sure are observant.”

She then quickly added. “Big Sister Shiella has been quite swamped with office work recently. Auntie Jane seems not to be around in the company these days.”

“Uncle Nathan said that Mom is on an important business trip,” Arthur frowned when he heard this. He could not help but feel worried about his mother. “With the current situation, it is dangerous for her to move around too much, especially when our family is still at war with the Hydra Guild.”

Alice seemed to have recalled something when she heard this and quickly chimed in. “I heard from my family that my mother is also included in this trip.”

“Ah! I also heard that Mother is out for a business trip!” exclaimed Molton, seemingly hearing something similar.

“Mom, too!? I thought that it was just a simple trip to visit an old friend,” she said thoughtfully, feeling that this was a bit suspicious.

“Could it be just a coincidence?” said Molton, but still feeling a bit suspicious.

The others found this a bit suspicious as well, but they just dropped it, thinking that it was just a mere coincidence.

However, Shin, who knew a bit more than others, felt something was amiss. ‘Mom is around. Don’t tell me, she is also with them in this so-called ‘Business Trip’?’

He was also a bit suspicious, but he set that thought aside. After all, he was assured that they would be fine with his mother around.

He then proceeded to another topic. “Speak of Big Sis, how is the situation with the Gold Mountain and the entirety of the Sky Deceiving Valley?”

Hearing this, the others could not help but turn to Shin almost at the same time, before looking with contempt.

He was unable to fully withstand their gazes, forcing him to snap. “Just tell me what it is.”

“Tsk! Tsk! That is supposed to be your fief, your dukedom!” said Arthur while clicking his tongue repeatedly.

“You don’t know anything about it? What an irresponsible duke we have here,” said Leonard, adding more insult.

Cloe could not help but nod in agreement, seconding what the two had said. “So irresponsible! So unreliable!”

Molton did not say anything, but the expression on his face told everything. Jilian, on the other hand, continued to give Shin a look of contempt.

The corner of Shin’s mouth could not help but twitch uncontrollably. “Is it my fault that Big Sis is so competent that I have almost forgotten that I am supposed to be the Duke governing such a huge land?”

…