Child of Destiny

...…

As Shin gazed upon Ashura, who was in the distance, he suddenly saw a giant apparition manifesting behind his opponent. It was at least dozens of meters tall giant that was towering over everything around it. Even Shin felt small and insignificant in front of it.

Moreover, it possessed a powerful and intimidating aura that was starting to affect its surroundings – even Shin, who was quite a distance away from it.

This giant apparition looked like a sacred immortal given the aura that it had. But that was only the start since its distinct features were starting to appear as time went by.

Upon closer inspection, Shin could see that this giant apparition of an Immortal possessed three faces. The one facing the front was an ordinary human face with an emotionless expression. The one facing its right looked like a demonic face with evil and horrifying features while the one facing the left looked like a kind and amiable deity.

Shin could feel three different kinds of auras coming from this giant apparition, and each of them was as strong as the strong opponents that Shin had faced up until now. It was as if he was facing three powerful enemies at once.

This three-faced apparition had a muscular body with six thick arms, which held different weapons each – a holy sword that possessed a dense sacred aura, an ancient-looking bow that looked very heavy given its size, a luxurious shield that seemed to be used for display rather than protecting its owner, a polearm weapon that was a combination of an axe and a spear, a Buddhist ceremonial dagger with an exquisite design, and a thing called vajra that looked like a small club weapon with ribbed spherical heads.

Each of its weapons had distinct features while also carrying a dangerous might that was unique to each of them.

"A Battle Spirit?" mumbled Shin solemnly as he looked at that deity-yet-demonic figure, thinking that Ashura might be someone on Ethereal Opening Stage Martial Artist.

But he immediately rejected the idea as he could still feel some gap between this guy and the Ethereal Opening Stage Experts or someone of equal strength that he had encountered in the real world.

Forget about Shiella, David, Jerimiah, Vincent, and his seniors in the Research Department, this kind of pressure was not even on the same level as Shaun, who he fought during his last special mission.

But Shin could also tell that despite that being the case, this suppression was already getting close to that level.

This could also mean that whatever Martial Arts attainment Ashura had, he was most likely to break through from the Core Formation Stage and about to reach the Ethereal Opening Stage, which was also the indication of graduating from in Foundation Building Realm and stepping into the Ascension Realm.

This also meant that the apparition behind Ashura was a reflection of his breaking through, indicating that his Aura Manifestation was about to become a real Battle Spirit.

That was impressive given that Ashura was the same age as Shin and the others.

The three-faced giant apparition that was sitting cross-legged behind Ashura suddenly started chanting out a series of mantras that Shin could not comprehend. He was not sure if it was a Buddhist, a Hindu, or Taoist mantras or a combination of the three, but he could feel a powerful suppression just by hearing them.

Shin did not know if it was a special technique of his opponent or just a mental suppression of the latter's Quasi-Battle Spirit, but it was quite effective against him.

He could even feel that the range of his 'Sensing Circle' was getting smaller due to the presence of the apparition while the effects of his 'True Sight' were becoming limited because of the sudden headache that was making him a little dizzy.

Seeing that he was starting to get affected, Shin could not help but also show his opponent his current Mentalism Attainment.

He started with the mind-cleansing technique of the Jade Kirin Scripture to make his head much clearer before also releasing his version of Quasi Battle Spirit.

Swoosh!

First, there was a humanoid figure that appeared behind Shin, who was slightly taller than him. It was a little vague due to its slightly shaking and constantly flickering figure, but it had a distinct feature. It looked like Shin but with a slightly older age and mature demeanor.

Roar! Shriek! Howl! Wail! Grr!

Then there were five distinct cries before five mythical creatures manifested behind Shin, which were the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermillion Bird, the Black Tortoise, and the Yellow Dragon.

They surrounded Shin and revolved around him as they carried different auras along with the elements that sovereign in. Among these five divine beasts, the White Tiger, the Vermillion Bird, and the Yellow Dragon had more distinct features and a slightly stronger might. This indicated that Shin's mastery of their respective elements was slightly better than the remaining two.

The five beasts around Shin were noticeably smaller than the three-faced apparition, and their individual might be considerably weaker too. But together, they were comparable to it and even slightly stronger in certain areas.

They would not lose to it in the slightest.

Boom!

There was a powerful suppressive aura that came out from them, fighting against the might of the three-faced apparition.

There was even a strong collision at the center of the two sides when their respective auras clashed against one another. It even created a small storm, which sent violent ripples in the air that spread in every direction.

This was the clash of their momentum, and neither of the sides got the upper hand as they were equally strong.

The formation of the Quasi Battle Spirits was not seen by the spectators since it was just the manifestation of the martial and mentalism insights and attainments of the two. The only ones that could see them were the opposing side, which was the target of their momentum.

Unless Shin and Ashura attained great mastery over their Battle Spirits, and their wills were strong enough to affect reality, they would not be able to properly project these manifestations into the physical realm.

Regardless, the live audience and viewers of the broadcast could see the collision of their momentum due to the violent wind and strong air currents that were wreaking havoc on the battlefield.

Aside from the few, who could guess what was happening, the players seeing this sight could not help but become amazed.

The two sides had yet to move, but the field was already being bombarded by their respective auras. That was a clear indication that these two were apex experts of the game.

…

"Hoh~!" Ashura slightly raised his brows when he saw that Shin was able to project such a powerful manifestation to counter his own. This also gave him a clear indication that Shin had a similar attainment in his respective discipline.

This also gave him a clear idea of how strong the opposing side could be.

He could not help but smile when he saw that before unsheathing the huge rectangular sword on his back.

It was a sword that looked like a giant ruler with blunt edges but possessed mystical and profound patterns on its surface. It had a charred color but possessed a series of glowing engravings that seemed to be swimming on its blade.

It had a crimson tassel attached to the bottom of its hilt giving an elegant air to this weapon despite its rough appearance.

Bang!

A powerful pressure came out from the sword when it was unsheathed, that spread in every direction. The pressure was like a tidal wave as it headed toward the opposing side where the opponent stood.

Hum!

On the other hand, the [Yamato] on Shin's hand suddenly released a gentle yet strong humming sound as it felt the incoming pressure. It released its aura while being sheathed, fighting against the Sword Ruler of the opposing side.

Boom!

Yet another collision erupted as it also produced a secondary explosion that added to the chaos that was sweeping through the battlefield.

The collision between the might of their weapons surprised Shin and Ashura a little since this was their first time experiencing something like this. It was as if their weapons found an archrival that they had never seen for a very long time.

Ashura could not help but find Shin more and more interesting in every encounter. He found that Shin always gave him something new every time he saw the latter, both in the battle videos and personal encounters.

After adjusting himself, Ashura finally took the initiative to start the battle.

Zheng!

The sound of the sword cutting through the air could be heard as he swung that huge ruler-like sword in his hands.

It released a long and distant noise that seemed to have exploded beside Shin's ears, making his ears unable to hear temporarily. It was like a monstrous roar that shook him to the core.

When the howling of the huge sword ruler sounded, Ashura's figure seemed to have flickered. It was as if each of his movements were being captured frame by frame in everyone's eyes.

He twisted his waist and pulled his shoulders while twirling the sword ruler from side to side.

When he swung his sword ruler forward, a striking beam of light suddenly flew straight toward his opponent. It cut through the air, traversing across a distance of more than fifty meters.

This sword beam seemed to have absorbed the surrounding light as it cut through the air. For every meter that it traveled, the light it possessed grew brighter and purer. It was as if it was a stroke of a deity in a mortal realm.

Shin then felt that the surroundings within the radius of fifteen meters, with him as the center, suddenly grew darker. It was as if he was trapped within a dark room filled with various kinds of danger hidden behind the curtain of the shadows.

Shin grew more alert as he stared at the incoming beam of light. He felt that he could dodge it despite how mighty it was. But if he did that, he would be greatest by the surrounding darkness that suddenly enveloped him.

This single attack alone was more than enough for Shin to realize that his current opponent was different from the rest of his opponents inside the game. It was as if he was facing an equally strong and talented individual in the real world.

This attack even reminded him of those experts on the same level as his seniors despite it being greatly inferior in terms of might.

This seemingly ray of light from heaven carried the might of a powerful expert. It was brilliant and dazzling. It was sending a throbbing feeling that made Shin feel suppressed and overwhelmed.

An attack that came from the front was threatening while the dangers hidden in the darkness made him wary

It seemed to be a highly tactical attack that made full use of its coordination with the surrounding environment.

It was a type of attack that Shin had never experienced before from the people of the same generation.

It also carried a certain profoundness that he had felt before, albeit carrying a noticeable difference.

It was similar to the demonstration of Professor Henry when he was telling Shin about his future path. It carried an essence similar to the unification of Martial Arts and Mentalism but in a different sense.

Or to be more precise, it was a combination of modern Martial Arts and a different discipline.

Shin's conclusion was somewhat right, but barely off the mark as what Ashura had used for this attack was from a long-forgotten discipline called Cultivation. However, it was greatly modified to match the current principles of modern Martial Arts.

After appreciating the attack of his opponent and concluding what to do in response to it, Shin quickly assumed his signature sword drawing stance while watching the income sword ray.

Hu~!

As he inhaled and exhaled deeply to regulate his breathing, both Blackie and Whitie fused with the [Yamato], triggering the dual Elemental Possession.

'Elemental Spirit Possession (Light and Darkness): Chaos Slasher'

Crackle! Crackle!

The Primordial Lightning quickly enfolded the sword before spreading throughout Shin's body, dancing like snakes.

He then used the circulation of the Jade Kirin Scripture according to his memory, triggering the black-and-white lightning around him to become more violent.

He then used one of his Awakened Skills as a model while executing a sword-draw attack.

Click!

As the subtle sound of the sword being separated from the lid of the sheath reverberated in the surroundings, a blinding light suddenly leaked out from the gap between the guard and the sheath and illuminated the entire place.

Shing!

Then, when the sword was fully unsheathed, the light suddenly spread in every direction and cleared the gradually closing darkness around him.

Roar!

When he swung forward and sent a powerful sword energy toward the incoming sword light, a huge tiger with alternating black and white furs and stripes suddenly formed. It pounced forward with full ferociousness, opening its mouth wide as if threatening to devour everything.

'Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw – Eclipse Tiger Draw!'

Swoosh!

A devastating explosion erupted and wreaked havoc at the center of the collision when the Heavenly Ray and the Eclipse Tiger met.

A violent storm was formed and swept through everything in its path.

Shin and Ashura stood at both ends of this chaotic storm, looking upfront, and not removing their gazes away from each other.

Their cloak and cape violently fluttered along the wind as they maintained their respective postures.

Then their figures suddenly faded away before reappearing at the center of the storm, a meter away from each other.

Bang!

Their swords clashed against one another, sending strong ripples in the air that were followed by the sinking of the ground beneath them, which sent rock fragments flying everywhere.

The two stared straight into each other's eyes, seeing the burning fighting spirit from one other.

They smiled before putting more strength on their arms to force the opposing side to retreat.

Bang! Bang!

When their feet landed on the ground, they quickly charged at each other once again, officially starting this clash between two gods.

...