Child of Destiny

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Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of explosions erupted in different parts of the isolated dimension as Sigurd and Arthur flashed in different places while exchanging blows against each other.

Their figures continued to disappear and reappear in different places while executing their respective skills and techniques.

Sigurd had the upper hand most of the time due to the overwhelming difference in terms of battle experience. But that was slowly disappearing as he continued to fight against Arthur.

Arthur might not be as fast as Shin in improving in battle since he was not a Battle Genuis, but he at least had some tricks under his sleeves. As a Martial Arts Prodigy, he was able to memorize all the techniques and skills that Sigurd was using just by looking at them.

Adding the tricks that his 'master', who already faded from his memory, he was able to counter every move Sigurd had most of the time.

The trick that this master had told him about his Martial Arts Prodigy Battle Talent gave him the ability to repeatedly counter his opponents by accurately striking the weakness of their technique, which he had already uncovered through it.

After seeing the techniques and skills that Sigurd had used during this battle, Arthur was able to see through its secrets just by seeing it once. Then he was able to uncover most of its mysteriousness after seeing it multiple times, giving him the ability to strike the very core once they were used once again.

So long as Sigurd used it more than once, Arthur would be able to counter it without a problem the next time he used it, giving him serious problems as the battle went on.

Unless Sigurd could continuously improve during the battle like a Shin, who was a complete monster, or at least someone at Owen's level, his chances of winning this battle would slowly dwindle as time went by.

Sigurd, despite his confidence, started to feel some pressure as the battle progressed. He felt that all his secrets were slowly being revealed to Arthur as the battle continued.

He knew that he would be at a great disadvantage the longer they battled, so he wanted to end this as soon as possible.

But as he was doing that, the old Sigurd watching in the distance sent him a mental message, telling him to continue to battle at this pace as he wanted to see how much Arthur could grow in this battle.

Due to this, Sigurd suffered quite a bit, especially when Arthur was slowly getting more aggressive as the battle went on.

This started to put some pressure on him, which annoyed him quite a lot.

Little did he know that this battle was putting a great toll on Arthur's mind, which was slowly affecting his performance.

Even if the effect of being in multiple special states in this place was not as serious as when he was inside the dungeon, staying in this condition where he had to keep everything under control cost him quite a lot, especially since it already exceeded his limit since earlier.

He was just holding on by sheer will, forcefully keeping his mind clear while making sure that he was in full control of everything.

Arthur knew that he would not be able to defeat Sigurd despite all the advantages that he had if this continued longer. All the advantages he had gotten would slowly disappear if he further overworked his mind and body by forcefully maintaining all the special states together.

Combat State Reality Manifestation, Dual Elemental Dragon Fusion, Legendary Grade Mana Manipulation Technique: Dragon Aura, Personal Natural State meant of his Martial Arts Prodigy Combat Talent: Dragon Solace, and Modified Pinnacle Omniscience Peak Talent Ability: Dragon Eyes – any of these could put a great toll on his mind and body, much less using all of them simultaneously.

Adding the fact that he was already keeping them for an extended period of time, Arthur had already reached his limit ages ago. He was only holding out due to his determination to clear this trial since he could not afford to lose everything that he had built up until now.

But he must admit that he had grown a lot since the time he first arrived here.

"It is time to end this," said Arthur as he distanced himself away from Sigurd, preparing for his final move. If he still lost with all of these, then he would most likely fail the entire trial altogether.

"I've been waiting!" said Sigurd as he grinned widely before also preparing for a final move of his own.

Bang! Bang!

The auras that these two released reached their peak, almost filling the air with violent ripples that were caused by the repeated collision of their powers.

"That's enough."

But before they could even perform their respective technique, the old Sigurd suddenly interrupted them. His words might be simple and had been said in a casual manner, but they were like a clap of thunder that exploded inside the head of the two, waking them up from their highly focused states.

The young Sigurd was unwilling to stop here, especially when it looked like he had been beaten up by Arthur from the most recent exchanges. He refused to bend down and accept this outcome. But he could not disobey this old man. He was nothing but a spiritual avatar created to test Arthur.

Arthur, on the other hand, was somewhat confused about what was happening. He could not understand why this old man suddenly wanted to stop them right now when he was the one who insisted Arthur accept his inheritance and bloodline.

"I acknowledge that you are very talented. And I must admit that you are very suited to be a Dragon Knight. Although, it also indicates that you are the perfect candidate to become the most powerful Dragon Slayer as well," said the old man, seemingly able to read what Arthur was thinking.

"It is just a pity that you have chosen a different path," he added before turning to the young Sigurd and waving his hand.

Not long after, that avatar slowly faded before turning into a glowing marble. When it landed on the hands of the old man, he infused something into that marble, making a series of runes appear on its surface.

The old man sighed as he looked at Arthur. "Can you grant this old man its 'dying' wish at the very least?"

Hearing those words, Arthur could not help but have a sense of déjà vu. This scenario was oddly familiar as it was somewhat similar to the last words that Grand Marshall Draco had said to him during his Empire Quest in the Frozen Kingdom.

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'Don't tell me this old man will give me a part of his inheritance in another form?' thought Arthur, somewhat excited. If he could somehow get that inheritance, then his strength would propel him to a whole other level without sacrificing anything. 'This is also good even if I don't get any clue regarding that piece of Divine Armor.'

The old man did not disappoint him as the next words were what exactly what Arthur was expecting. "I have been waiting for a very long time in this place for the perfect candidate to inherit my legacy, but when someone perfectly fits all the conditions and even surpasses it in most of the areas, he is already walking a path that is completely opposite to my past self."

"What a real pity," he added while shaking his head repeatedly. "But as you have already proven your resolve and even surpassed all my expectations, I must respect it and not force it on you."

He then paused for a moment pointed his index finger and shot a beam of light that flew straight to Arthur's forehead.

Arthur wanted to dodge by instinct, but he was unable to do so due to how fast that beam of light was. It already hit the center of his forehead before he could do anything.

Then he suddenly found himself entering a trance as a series of information flooded his mind. An overwhelming amount of information flashed through his eyes, showing a series of frames of someone showing him a spearmanship full of mysteries.

This spearmanship was no weaker than his Imperial Tactics, which were the advanced techniques of his family's Martial Arts. It could even be used with his family's unique Qi Circulation Method as if it were a part of the True Nine Dragon Arts, to begin with.

It was even more advanced compared to the inheritance that he had gotten from the previous game he played before, where he had gotten advanced swordsmanship.

"This is the Dragon Slaying Arts that I have created with all my life. I slightly modified it to fit your style and martial arts."

"It is supposed to be used with a sword since it is meant to be my family's swordsmanship. But since you favor spearmanship more and are more talented in it, I redesigned the entire Martial Arts and covert it into spearmanship to perfectly fit you."

It was at this moment that Arthur finished digesting all the knowledge about Martial Arts. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the old man with gratitude.

This Old Sigurd might have casually said those words, seemingly saying that what he just did was something trivial, but knew Arthur fully understood that it was not something that could be done that easily.

Old Sigurd ignored the expression that Arthur was making as he continued. "No matter how strong I am during my peak, this Soul Fragment that I have left behind still has its limits. Over time, my power is starting to disappear."

"I don't know when the next time someone like you appears before me will be. I don't even know if I will still be around if it happens."

"So, it is better to leave you everything and help me out in finding the right successor," he added as his body started to turn translucent and slowly faded away.

"Eh!?" Arthur was somewhat taken aback at how fast everything was developing. He wanted to say something to the old man but did not know where to start.

Not long after, this Soul Fragment of the legendary Dragon Slayer Sigurd Dragonborn fully fused with the glowing marble that he was holding.

*Ding*

Then a series of notifications bombarded Arthur's ears as the glowing marble flew into his hand.

He ignored most of them as he stared blankly at the spot where Old Sigurd was standing previously, feeling respectful.

He then clenched the marble in his hand before bowing deeply into the spot where the old man disappeared. "I promise to find you the perfect successor, Senior. You can count on me in this."

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