Child of Destiny

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Bang! Bang!

The collisions between Shin and Ashura were like bomb explosions as every time their weapons met, the surrounding environment would always be reformed or turn into complete devastation.

The air would explode for every collision, sending violent ripples everywhere, while the ground would sink even deeper, creating more craters underneath their feet.

In terms of speed, Shin had the absolute advantage due to his style greatly relying on it. He was not utilizing the ever-changing sword style of the Myriad Manifestation Swordsmanship as he could not find the right opportunity to use it.

Ashura was fast, but that was only for his burst speed which was meant for a straight line. His foot techniques such as 'Burst Step' and 'Surge Step' were meant for catching up to running opponents or surprise attacks. The former was for long-distance travel, covering almost twenty to twenty-five meters, while the latter was meant for short-distance ambush.

Both foot techniques possessed explosive speed that could catch most of his opponents off-guard. But they were lacking in terms of mobility, which Shin was taking advantage of.

His foot techniques focused not only on instantaneous bursts of speed but also flexibility, which greatly helped him overwhelm his opponent to a certain degree.

This was one of the reasons why he was mostly using his quick draw techniques and the other sword movements under the Jade Kirin Scripture, especially when most of them focused on speed and quick assaults.

Moreover, his speed was further applied by the 'Primordial Lightning' which greatly complimented this style of fighting.

But this advantage was not absolute since Ashura was covering his weakness with his explosive strength and absolute power.

If Shin had the advantage when it came to speed and mobility, then Ashura had the absolute edge in terms of raw strength and overwhelming power. Each swing of his sword ruler was like a strike from a giant, fully packed with physical strength and raw power alone.

Even Shin was not willing to confront such powerful strikes head-on.

Aside from that, Ashura was also launching a series of attacks that were empowered by his unique mana manipulation, which was producing huge explosions with every swing of his huge weapon.

Bang! Bang!

Boom!

Each explosion covered a huge area which was forcing Shin to constantly be on the move to avoid the range of those strikes.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Utilizing their respective advantages, Shin and Ashura were stuck in a deadlock.

One was sly and cunning, patiently waiting for an opportunity to counterattack, while the other was violent and straight-up destroying everything around him in hopes of catching his opponent with it.

Shin circled Ashura with his 'Mystic Lighting Steps', leaving a series of electric afterimages and lighting trails on his path, while the latter continued to swing his sword ruler, using his 'Cosmic Wielding' to further destroy the already ruined surroundings with each of his strikes.

After a few more minutes, the two understood that they could not afford to let this state continue. Both were suffering great consequences while maintaining their current states.

Shin had to be constantly on high alert and in full focus to make sure that he would not be caught in the explosive strikes of his opponent while moving at high speed. This was consuming his concentration at an alarming rate.

Ashura, on the other, had to continue attacking violently to put constant pressure on Shin so that the opposing side would not be able to launch an ambush with ease. It was effective, but it was consuming a long of his stamina to a great degree.

They both understood that they needed to do something to change the flow of the battle, so they simultaneously adjusted their styles as if they had had a tacit agreement.

They seemed to be following the same script as they made their respective move at the same time.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Ashura held his sword ruler with both of his hands, placing it in front of him horizontally, while pulling his shoulders back. Spreading his feet apart from each other, he slightly leaned toward his left while twisting his waist a little.

At the same time, a shadowy flame surrounded his sword ruler before patches of lights appeared on its surface, resembling the starry sky of the calm night.

This was the advanced version of his unique mana manipulation, and he called this power that he was wielding the 'Cosmic Energy' – the Power of the Primal Stars.

It was derived from the unique energy that he was using in the real world, which greatly complemented the Cultivation Techniques that he was using.

However, the cultivation method that he was using was widely used in their country, particularly by those from noble and aristocratic families, which also indicated that he was not only the one who commanded such powers.

Others also possessed similar energies, albeit carrying certain differences due to the unique characteristics of an individual.

Ashura was just a little more talented compared to them, which was why he could wield these powers much better in comparison.

Bang!

Right after Ashura's 'Cosmic Energy' was manifested, the surrounding air suddenly became much heavier along with the immense pull of the gravitational force.

The ground sank even further due to this while a few small fragments of earth bounced upwards and hovered in the air before gradually being crushed by the pressure surrounding Ashura.

Ashura stood patiently on his spot while steadily maintaining his stance, waiting for his opponent to make a move and reveal himself.

While Ashura was preparing himself, Shin seemed to have merged with the surroundings as he controlled his breathing and erased his presence.

He used a stealth skill to disappear from the sight of his opponent while maintaining his extreme speed as he circled around the latter.

He also switched off the 'Primordial Lightning' to not leave any trail behind that could lead his opponent to find him. Instead, he swapped it with the 'Eternal Flame' of Solus as he also switched the dual Elemental Possession with hers.

'Elemental Spirit Possession (Eternal Flame): Divine Constellation'

In terms of might, Solus' flames were slightly inferior to the 'Primordial Lighting', but Shin could control it very well and even keep it hidden while the [Yamato] was kept inside its sheath.

Moreover, his mastery of this element was much better compared to the previous energy. He might also not have his signature 'Eclipse Wielding', but he could at least bridge the gap between the two powers with the help of the 'Solar Breathing Technique'. He could also enhance it with other elements by applying all the tricks that he had learned up until now.

If he wanted, he could also use the triple elemental powers by combining the three breathing techniques. But he had to release the elemental possession at that time since the balance would collapse because of the fire element being more powerful compared to the other two elements due to Solus' powers.

Shin seemed to have merged with the surroundings due to the series of techniques and tricks that he had used. Ashura could not find any trace of him even with his heightened senses – not even the slightest bit of sign or the tiniest movement from the surroundings like the vibration of the ground could not be found.

That was something suddenly hit Ashura.

He quickly adjusted his stance, turning his sword ruler and twisting his waist toward the opposing direction as he swung upwards.

A beam of light flew toward the sky as he swung the sword ruler. This light devoured the surrounding light once again just like the previous attack that Ashura executed at their first exchange.

Swoosh!

'Mystic Cosmic Method: Heavenly Sword Ascension'

He did not even bother to look if his opponent was indeed there or if he was going to hit someone. He was confident with his actions as he was sure that Shin would appear there.

Shing!

And Shin did not disappoint as he came out of a little spatial rift after using 'Void Steps'. He flew straight toward Ashura while unsheathing his sword and swinging it down during his descent.

'Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw – Blazing Final'

Swoosh!

The gorgeous flame danced along the wind as the sword continued to press forward. These flames mimicked the movements of a dancing dragon, twirling and coiling around his sword and arm while pressing downward.

Bang!

The collision immediately led to another devasting explosion that created a storm of chaotic energy once again.

Circles of shockwaves were sent in every direction, making the flames and cosmic energy spread everywhere and create circles in the air.

Ashura was about to follow up with another attack since Shin would most likely be pinned in the air for a moment due to that clash.

But he was quite surprised that Shin seemed to have disappeared once again. He mysteriously disappeared as if the previous attack never happened.

Ashura's intuition of danger intensified suddenly. Exerting his strength on his legs and flipping back, he distanced himself from this spot several meters away.

Swoosh!

At the same time, he placed his sword ruler in front of him, using its surface as some sort of shield to block the flashes of flames that were coming after him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The raging flames were warded off by his 'Cosmic Energy,' absorbing a portion of it to strengthen itself. The specks of light that were surrounding the shadowy flame of his sword ruler turned brighter each time it blocked the flames.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After several collisions, Ashura suddenly stopped retreating. He found a tiny gap between the flashes of flames that were assaulting him, so he quickly swung his sword ruler casually and naturally.

Boom!

This swing finally hit something solid for the very first time since the time Shin had started avoiding his sword strikes.

Sparks flew in the air while the flames filling his surroundings scattered.

Shin, who had disappeared previously, finally revealed himself once again to the eyes of everyone.

Due to the powerful strength behind Ashura's swing, Shin had to retreat to nullify most of the force behind that strike. The [Yamato] also strongly recoiled because of the strong collision, forcing Shin to land on the wrong foot.

Ashura naturally would not let this opportunity slip away from him. It was now his turn to dictate the rhythm of this battle!

Swoosh!

He slightly bent his back before swiftly pouncing forward and repeatedly swinging his sword ruler during the process.

Shin knew that he could not face these strikes head-on as the recent clash was more than enough of a lesson. He quickly executed one of his foot techniques to maneuver himself and skillfully dodged the sword ruler with the tiniest margin possible.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Shin could hear the sharp and powerful sound of each swing as the sword ruler brushed past his face, cheeks, or head every time he dodged.

Aside from that, the 'Cosmic Energy' surrounding the sword was also clashing with the 'Eternal Flame' that was protecting his body, consuming some of his energy and concentration.

"This can't go on," realizing that he could not let this continue, he quickly switched his elemental possession once again along with his breathing technique.

"Guardian Reaper!" the moment when he released Solus, he immediately called out Astaroth while transforming the sheath of his sword into a great sword.

'Legacy Skill: Mondi's Style – Judgement Form'

'Elemental Spirit Possession (Earthen Metal): Summit Shaper'

Bang!

With the help of the 'Great Dominator Technique' to control the element of the earth and enhance his physical attributes provided by the 'Judgement Form' and 'Summit Shaper', Shin was able to barely able match the physical strength of his opponent.

Swinging the greatsword at hand, Shin was able to forcefully halt the continuous barrage of Ashura.

However, his feet sank deeply on the ground, reaching his ankles.

Shin slightly frowned as he noticed another problem – Ashura had never used his elemental possession since the very beginning of the battle!

He could tell that the latter also possessed a Transcendent Race given the little specks of light revolving around his body. There were merely three of them, but each of those elemental spirit companions seemed to carry the same air as Solus and Hanzo or even the fusion of Whitie and Blackie.

And as if responding to Shin's thoughts, Ashura suddenly mumbled. "First Servant."

Swoosh!

Shin then saw that one of the specks of light revolving around Ashura, which represented one of the Elemental Spirit Companions, suddenly separated itself from the other two and flew behind the latter.

For a split second, Shin briefly saw a manifestation of a humanoid silhouette behind his opponent before quickly turning into a light that fused with Ashura.

But instead of weapon possession, physical possession, or body metamorphosis like what Shin, Leonard, and Arthur had, Ashura's Elemental Possession was materialization similar to what Zero had.

Swoosh!

'Elemental Spirit Materialization: Sacred Wings'

"Sh*t!" Shin could already guess what kind of boost Ashura would get after seeing the four angelic wings that grew from the latter's back.

Ashura with powerful physical prowess was already troublesome, much less if seraphic speed was added to the equation.

'Weapon Skill (Main: Yamato): Nephilim's Wings'

Without any hesitation, Shin quickly summoned his version wings in response to his opponents' actions. He could not let his advantage disappear just like that, so he had to match the opposing side with his own.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Taking advantage of the brief pause of his opponent during the possession, Shin quickly retreated to create a certain distance between them.

But Ashura was able to respond in time and caught up to him.

Ashura moved at high speed around Shin and left a series of shadows surrounding the latter at the same time.

Each shadow had the same appearance as Ashura, wielding his huge sword ruler and possessing four angelic wings on their back.

Shin then saw these shadows slash their sword rules simultaneously and fiercely. A light cutting through the air was horrifying despite the holy aura that they possessed. They rained down at Shin like a downpour, completely covering all the possible escape routes that he could use.

From Shin's perspective, these sword lights seemed to transform into a group of golden dragons with their heads circulating from above before all of them swopped down at Shin with their mouths fiercely opened.

'Mystic Cosmic Method: Heavenly Dragon Collapse'

Facing attacks from all directions with devasting might, Shin could not find an opening to dodge. Even with the help of his escape and movement skills, he would not be able to break through this blockade as the flow of mana was being disrupted by these dragons.

All he could do was to go in an offensive – fighting fire with fire.

He flipped the greatsword and held it in a reverse manner while releasing Astaroth and the Judgement form, turning it back to its sheath form.

At the same time, Shin proceeded to sheath the [Yamato] while using the fusion of Whitie and Blackie once again and switching his energy with the 'Primordial Lightning' for another time.

Following the familiar stance, breathing, and energy circulation technique, Shin swiftly unsheathed the sword and skillfully swung it with great force.

This time, the energy that came out from the sword did not fly forward as he skillfully controlled its movements, making it revolve around him instead.

The movements of the sword energy resembled a dragon that coiling around him. He was using another Awakening Skill for a model to supplement this sword technique.

Roar!

'Jade Kirin Scripture: Quick Draw – Eclipse Dragon Draw'

That was when the energy surrounding him turned into a majestic dragon. It followed through the movement of the sword energy, tracing the path that it took.

Unlike the 'Eclipse Tiger Draw', this awakening skill was slightly inferior in terms of might and offensive power. But it was more flexible and easier to control, which was why Shin was able to achieve such a result.

Roar!

The dragon opened its large mouth devouring the smaller dragons around as it coiled around the space surrounding Shin.

It crushed everything while protecting Shin inside.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amid the explosions, Shin suddenly broke through and decisively took the initiative to attack Ashura, not giving the latter any opportunity to have enough space for large and powerful swings.

An intense exchange immediately broke out, making the live audience and online views go crazy!

This battle did not disappoint as it not only met their expectations but even surpassed them to several levels!

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