Child of Destiny

…

As the battle progressed, David and Darren started to get a better understanding of each other. They familiarized themselves with the style and strength of their opponent.

After fighting for quite some time, David was finally able to recognize all of the artificial talents that Darren had. Most of those talents were auxiliary ones that could be more helpful in battle such as ocular talents and special body constitution.

The ocular talent that Darren possessed was similar to foresight which could read through the movements of his opponent and predict their next course of action. Aside from that, it also had the ability to see the invisible energy within the air which greatly countered most mentalism techniques.

On the other hand, the body constitution that Darren had was something called the ‘Plague Body’. It was a special physique that made the host able to contain all kinds of curses and sickness techniques that could influence his opponent during battles.

If David’s mental energy was not in divinity grade, then he would most likely be affected by the ‘plague’ techniques that Darren mixed in each of his attacks. .

Aside from those two, Darren also had a basic talent that focused on combat such as a weaker version of ‘Gifted Adepts’ and ‘Sword Geniuses’. These artificial talents might be inferior compared to their original counterparts when it came to individuality, but when combined together, their overall potential was worse than theirs.

Moreover, Darren seemed to be pretty talented as he was able to reach certain thresholds when utilizing those talents, particularly his sword-related talents. He was able to form his ‘Sword Heart’ just by relying on his weaker version of ‘Sword Genius’ Talent.

With his ‘Sword Heart’, his understanding of sword techniques became much more profound, giving him the ability to bring out their real potential in battle. And by combining this with his specialized Evil Qi, Darren seemed to be able to find a path that perfectly suited him.

Having that thought, David could not help but acknowledge that Darren was one of the most talented Unforgiven One that faced. Though, he rarely encountered an Unforgiven One despite roaming around the world.

This was not the most important discovery that David had found out yet. It was the fact that Darren was only a lower-rank member of the organization despite having this kind of talent. This could only mean a single thing – the Hexech Laboratory did not only gain a lot from the infamous ‘Project Genius’, but they also produced quite a number of talented individuals during the process.

Moreover, some of those produced talents were at least comparable to the top prodigies of different continents.

David already met someone from the Shadow Alliance, who possessed a talent comparable to him. Yet here he was facing another person of the same generation who was capable of giving him a lot of trouble. He was afraid that when he met the top talent that the laboratory had, he had to use everything he have and rely on the final phase of his ‘Limit Break’.

Bang!

Darren was forced to slide away from David after blocking a powerful strike. He skidded back and drew a long trail on it while keeping an eye on his opponent. After exchanging blows with the latter, he knew that he was a little lacking compared to David in every aspect.

He might have multiple talents and possessed such a powerful Qi like the Evil Qi, but he was still inferior when compared to this famous young man of their generation. His Martial Arts were also top-notched as the Hextech Laboratory put a lot of effort into acquiring and improving it. It could even rival the Martial Arts of ancient and prestigious families, but it still fell a little too short in front of the famous Wanderer.

The most troubling part was the fact that he could not use any of his power moves. It was not because he did not want to use them, but the problem was he could not find an opportunity where he could use those advanced martial skills. If he was forced to use such moves, then there was a high probability that David would quickly counter him right before he completed the preparations.

Fortunately, David was in a similar situation. But it did not mean that they were in a similar situation. In his kind of battle where each side had to rely purely on their techniques and foundation in martial arts, the one who had the most experience would most likely come on top.

This was where their difference came from. David obviously had the advantage in this area. Even though Darren almost had everything, he was still pushed to the losing end since he was fighting a more experienced fighter.

The two continued to exchange blows and Darren was slowly being pushed back the more the battle progressed. He knew that he could not let his continue and had to somehow find a way to escape this predicament.

The most obvious choice was to ask some assistance from Marion Halls, who was stupidly watching from the sidelines. It was not he did not want to help Darren, but he just could not find the right opportunity to strike.

Right now, he was nothing but useless baggage.

‘Since there is no use of him, it was better to turn him into cannon fodder,’ thought Darren as his crimson eyes suddenly turned ruthless. ‘We can still turn him into a decent test subject as long as he did not die.’

Right after that thought flashed through his mind, Darren carefully angled his body while trying to block the incoming strike from David. He skillfully positioned himself to make sure that he could borrow the force from the attack to retreat to where Marion was located.

Bang!

He properly blocked the attack but purposely let himself get pushed by the attack, taking advantage of that situation to retreat strategically.

David naturally was able to notice the strange movements of his opponent. After fighting Darren for quite some time, he should have enough understanding of the latter. And based on their previous exchanges, this kind of response shouldn’t be how Darren fights.

But despite being confused for a moment, David still continued to press on. He was already preparing for a big move, so such a small change would not be able to affect his advance. After carefully laying the traps, he was confident that he would be able to end this fight.

Swoosh!

Marion panicked a little when he saw Darren was sent toward his location. But after seeing the latter wearing a confident look, he quickly regained his composure and prepared to give assistance.

“Buy me some time. A few seconds is more than enough,” said Darren without carrying any emotion before quickly retreating behind Marion.

Marion was confused at first but quickly sprung into action. He gathered all of his remaining energy before fearlessly charging toward David.

He knew that he was no match for the latter, but since Darren had his back, there was nothing to be afraid of. He believed that the latter would assist him when the situation turned too ugly for his side.

In the meantime, Darren quickly halted his steps and immediately took a stance. He held his black sword with both hands in front of him while channeling his Evil Qi into it. The shadowy flame that the black sword hand quickly turned violent.

Darren raised the sword over his head, pointing it toward the sky. The raging flame covering it quickly turned even more violent before shooting upward. It stood tall as if it was a blazing pillar.

David, who was facing them, quickly noticed the move that Darren was preparing. He also understood that the latter was planning to use Marion as a sacrificial pawn just to buy enough time for this advanced technique.

He could only smile bitterly as he watched his old rival who was charging at him. The previously known as one of the young geniuses of the Dark Continent was now being used as a cannon fodder.

Throwing those useless thoughts at the back of his head, David quickly adjusted his speed and suddenly adjusted his body. He pressed his right foot in front of him, making him slide forward. At the same time, he repeatedly flipped his golden staff while moving it around him with both of his hands, building up a decent momentum.

When he thought that it was enough, he suddenly strode forward. He then followed the movements of his golden staff and borrowed its momentum to throw a sweeping strike toward Marion.

Bang!

Marion used his strongest defensive skill to face the incoming strike head-on. He suddenly stomped on the ground and firmly planted his feet on it. He was clearly planning to use his body to block his particular strike.

He could already sense the slowly building up energy behind which clearly indicated that Darren was preparing a pretty powerful skill. If he could buy even a few extra seconds, then Marion was more than willing to use his body to delay David.

“Idiot!” muttered David as his golden staff finally came in contact with Marion’s body. He was mocking the latter for being na?ve. Marion had no idea that he was only being used as a sacrificial pawn at this very moment.

Through his Enlightened Eyes, David knew that Darren would not hesitate to kill Marion if the situation called for it. Of course, he did not care about that. All he wanted was to push the foolish guy away from his path so that he could have a clear view of Darren.

Bang!

Marion was quickly sent flying by David’s golden staff. He even felt that he had broken quite a few bones in the process. But despite that being the case, he still felt satisfied as he knew that he already accomplished his goal.

“Tsk!” David clicked his tongue when he saw that Darren already finished preparing his move. He was already a step too late. He could neither stop his opponent nor prepare a similarly strong technique for a counterattack.

Left without a choice, he could only play the defensive role.

“Don’t be too happy yet. I have more than enough cards hidden under my sleeve,” muttered David when he saw the mocking look of his opponent.

……