Child of Destiny

A few moments before Shin and Malzareth exchanged their decisive blows—

The battle within the crimson barrier had already reached its own climax.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions continuously erupted throughout the sacrificial altar as powerful skills collided one after another.

The six peak experts fought without the slightest intention of yielding, each of them unleashing everything they had in an attempt to overwhelm the opposing side.

The battlefield had long since descended into complete chaos.

However—

BOOOOOOM!!

An even greater explosion suddenly erupted from beyond the crimson barrier.

The entire region trembled violently.

The repaired crimson barrier immediately distorted under the overwhelming shockwave as countless new cracks spread across its surface.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Even Diablo, who had painstakingly stabilized the barrier with his special powers, could not completely suppress the terrifying aftermath produced by that collision.

The six combatants instinctively halted their movements.

Almost simultaneously, they disengaged from one another before turning toward the distant battlefield.

What greeted them was an unforgettable sight.

Beyond the fractured crimson barrier, a colossal pillar of violet light pierced straight through the heavens.

At its very center, violent purple lightning surged endlessly while countless spatial fissures spread outward, making it seem as though the world itself had been torn apart.

Even from this distance, everyone could clearly feel the terrifying pressure radiating from that single point.

No one spoke since they were fully aware that a phenomenon of such scale could only be produced by those two monsters fighting outside the barrier.

They waited for a while until the entire commotion had settled.

None of them knew what had transpired beyond the crimson barrier.

However, they all understood one thing.

The outcome of that battle would inevitably determine the fate of everyone fighting within the sacrificial altar.

Both sides possessed unwavering faith in their respective leaders.

Henrick and Agata might have pledged their loyalty to Dragulia, but even they could not deny the overwhelming might that Malzareth possessed.

His strength was something they had witnessed countless times. Even his title as the strongest warrior of the Church of Terror had never once been questioned.

What more for Mordrake and Velkris, who had followed the Demonic Oni through countless battlefields?

To them, Malzareth was an invincible existence.

Even so, the four of them could not completely dismiss the possibility of defeat. After all, the opponent standing against him was no ordinary Godlike Player.

He was one of the monsters who stood at the absolute summit of the virtual world.

The Battle God.

His reputation had never been built upon empty rumors or exaggerated tales.

Every title he carried had been forged through countless victories, each one serving as proof that he had repeatedly overcome seemingly impossible odds ever since he first stepped into the virtual world.

On the other side, Diablo and Alucard remained noticeably calmer.

If the executives of the Church of Terror believed in Malzareth because of the countless victories he had achieved, then Diablo and Alucard trusted Shin for an even simpler reason.

They had witnessed him accomplish miracles far too many times.

Among the countless experts who had risen throughout their careers as professional gamers, there were only a handful whom the two genuinely acknowledged.

Shin was unquestionably one of them.

...

*Ding*

A system notification suddenly appeared before the four executives of the Church of Terror.

The result of the duel had been decided.

Malzareth had fallen.

Although they had mentally prepared themselves for such a possibility, the notification still caused their expressions to stiffen.

However, they quickly suppressed the shock. None of them were ordinary players, so they knew exactly what needed to be done.

Swoosh!

Without exchanging another word, all four simultaneously crushed an Instantaneous Teleportation Scroll.

Brilliant lights enveloped their bodies before they disappeared from the sacrificial altar.

They had no intention of gambling their lives.

If they were captured alive, not only would they lose levels and equipment, but they could also expose information that would jeopardize everything their faction had worked to build.

Worst, they would most likely be forced to delete their current accounts and restart anew, which was something they would never want.

Retreating was the most rational decision.

...

Diablo and Alucard could only watch as the four vanished before their eyes.

”They’re quite decisive,” Alucard muttered while lowering his blood rifle. ”They didn’t hesitate for even a second.”

”That’s only natural.” Diablo chuckled as the twin auras surrounding his body gradually dissipated.

”With Malzareth defeated, no one can guarantee their survival after causing such a commotion.” He then added while canceling his Elemental Spirit Possession.

”So...” He stretched his shoulders before glancing toward the massive sacrificial altar they were standing on. ”What now?”

Alucard sheathed both his rapier and blood rifle before shrugging. ”Destroy the altar?”

Diablo nodded. ”But let’s first see what the Vice Commander has in mind.”

*Ding*

Almost immediately, a new notification sounded, making the two lower their heads at the same time.

It was a message from Shin through the team’s communication channel.

A brief silence immediately followed.

Alucard’s eyelids twitched slightly. ”He told us to handle everything ourselves, didn’t he?”

Diablo let out a long, helpless sigh. ”I would’ve been more surprised if he hadn’t.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose before shaking his head. ”That monstrous trio has always hated dealing with miscellaneous work.”

”If someone else can do it, then they will gladly leave it to them.” He added in full helplessness.

Alucard nodded in complete agreement. ”I heard that’s exactly why Miss Arielle became the Commander.”

”As long as someone else handled all the paperwork and logistics for them... those three were more than happy to charge into the battlefield.” Diablo shook his head as he chuckled.

”I suddenly feel bad for our Commander.” He sighed while shaking his head. ”It feels like she has been cleaning up after those three idiots ever since the founding of the Empyrean Talons.”

The two then exchanged helpless smiles before turning toward the enormous sacrificial altar once more.

”Looks like we’re the ones cleaning up this time.”

***

In the meantime, Shin was already making his way toward another destination.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

A pair of magnificent wings suddenly unfolded behind Shin’s back. They shimmered with a faint gray radiance as countless runic feathers fluttered in the wind.

With a single beat of those majestic wings, Shin transformed into a streak of light that tore through the skies.

Boom!

A deafening sonic boom echoed across the heavens as his figure shot toward the direction of the Glacial Cave at astonishing speed, leaving behind nothing but a fading trail of black-and-white light.

He was rushing to that place where he had left Felix and Felicia. It was also where the sealed portal rested, which the gateway suspected to lead toward one of the mysterious Outer Realms showed in the most recent patch notes of the game.

Based on the quest description shared to him by Felicia, there was also a clue about the Atlantis Kingdom, which was the only major region of the Awakened Continent that had yet to be discovered by the players.

As for the situation in Oath City, Shin was not particularly concerned.

With the executives of the Titan Guild helping the NPCs living there, he believed they were more than capable of stabilizing the city.

The Illuminating Forest was no different.

Although his battle with Malzareth had almost completely reshaped the majority of the region, he had complete confidence that Diablo and Alucard could deal with whatever remained there.

Compared to those battlefields, the sealed portal worried him far more.

Immortal was far too cunning to overlook a questline of such significance. That man rarely acted without preparing several layers of contingency plans.

There was still a possibility that Immortal had arranged another move aimed directly at the portal while everyone’s attention was focused elsewhere.

That uncertainty prevented Shin from lowering his guard.

*Ding*

Fortunately, not long after sending an inquiry through the team’s communication channel, Felix immediately replied.

Everything around the sealed portal remained peaceful.

The report allowed Shin to quietly breathe a sigh of relief. Even so, he never slowed down.

His destination remained unchanged. Until the portal was successfully opened, he intended to personally guard it.

Only then could he fully focus on the numerous quests still awaiting his attention.

He only hoped that Felix and Felicia could complete their preparations before another unforeseen complication arrived.

***

Elsewhere, another group from the Empyrean Talons was currently dealing with a quest no less important than the others.

Jilian—or ’Rook’, as she was known within the virtual world—had personally invited the girls of the Adventurer Team to accompany her on a special expedition.

As for why such a refined young lady had chosen an in-game name like ’Rook’, no one had ever managed to get a proper answer from her.

At the moment, however, none of the girls had the luxury of caring about such a trivial matter because they had just encountered a far more troublesome problem.

They currently stood before an enormous ancient gate. Its surface was covered with countless divine inscriptions that had long since faded with time.

A translucent system window floated before them.

Miss Bunny stared blankly at the notification for a long while before slowly turning her head. ”...Whose brilliant idea was it to make this an all-girls expedition?”

Almost instinctively, everyone turned toward the same person.

”...Lorraine.” Without the slightest hesitation, Chloe—better known throughout the virtual world as the Gentle Goddess, Arielle—mercilessly sold out her friend.

”I...” Lorraine, who went by Nala inside the game and was known as one of the most notorious gunslingers of the virtual world, froze on the spot before weakly raising a hand in surrender. ”How was I supposed to know something like this would happen?”

Beside them, Alice—the Elemental Goddess Charlotte—silently pinched the bridge of her nose before letting out a long sigh.

Her beautiful face was filled with complete helplessness as she reread the notification for the third time.

System: Requirement Unfulfilled.

System: A male and a female are required to open this gate.

...

Silence engulfed the place as no one spoke again.

Then—

”...Should we pretend we never found this place?” Miss Bunny suggested with complete seriousness.

Unfortunately, that was not an option.

This ancient gate happened to be the only entrance leading toward the boss chamber of the secret dungeon.

Which meant...

They needed a man.

Desperately.

......