Child of Destiny

.....

Captain Bernard didn't know how to react to the sudden turn of events. He then took a look at the two old men beside him and noticed that both of them were also in awe of what had happened.

Contrary to the Captain's reaction, the two kids who were engaged in the match looked like they were enjoying their fight. Both of them had a satisfied smile on their faces.

For geniuses like them, having a suitable rival was a must, because having an unrivaled talent meant living a lonely life. It was like walking a solitary road. So knowing someone who was walking on a similar path as them was quite invigorating.

The two of them continued to exchange blows as if there was no tomorrow. The more they traded skills, the fiercer they became.

Even though Shin didn't have a lot of skills in his arsenal, he still managed to fight Arthur on equal footing by relying on his experiences that he got from fighting against other kids in the camp.

All of the kids in the organization had different kinds of skills because they were specially trained based on their own talent in combat.

Some were trained as assassins, some as soldiers and other types of fighting style. So Shin knew how to respond to different kinds of situations.

No matter what kind of Military Art or skill Arthur used, Shin always had an equally strong response for it. So when Arthur noticed that he couldn't beat Shin by relying only on ordinary skills, he changed his approach. He started using his family Martial-Arts.

He raised his right hand and formed a claw, then swung it downwards with an unimaginable strength.

'Nine Dragon Arts: Dragon Claw'

When Shin saw Arthur's strange movement and felt the immense threat coming from his claw, he immediately retreated backwards. After dodging the attack, he felt a shiver run down his spine when he saw the claw marks on the ground where he had been standing a moment ago.

'What a powerful attack! So this is the strength of a skill from a Martial-Art Family.' Shin was amazed by the skill that Arthur had used, but before he could catch his breath, Arthur's speed suddenly accelerated. It was as if his feet had unexpectedly gotten turbo boosters.

'Nine Dragon Arts: Dragon Pursuit'

Shin was forced to dodge repeatedly because of this turn of events.

.....

"Looks like that little rascal of mine is taking it seriously this time, huh?" said Captain Bernard in relief, as if the burden on his shoulders had been lifted.

The Old General looked at his son skeptically and said, "So you are proud that your son only managed to suppress his opponent by using our Family Martial-Art? Let me tell you, if Shin had a similar skill then this match would be much harder to predict".

He paused for a few seconds before turning his head to his old friend. "What do you think, Old Monster Plum?"

Old Plum was still focused on the match while fondling his beard as if he was waiting for something to happen.

When the Old General saw his friend didn't reply to him, he furrowed his brows a little before turning his attention back to the match.

.....

While Shin was repeatedly dodging Arthur's onslaught, he was trying to find a way to escape his current predicament. Suddenly he found his feet unexpectedly rooted to the ground.

'Nine Dragon Arts: Dragon's Capture'

Followed by a powerful rotating punch that was faster than the 'Meteor Fist',

'Nine Dragon Arts: Dragon Strike'

Shin knew that he had no choice but to confront the incoming strike. He calmed himself down and lowered his hips while raising both of his arms trying to block the attack.

Subsequently, he felt as if time slowed down, the fist that couldn't be seen by naked eye was now clearly visible to his eyes. A sudden thought popped up in his mind as he recalled something that he had heard two weeks ago, 'Do this stance training for two weeks and your body will be back to its perfect condition. It may even give you a very nice surprise someday.'

He smiled and said to himself, 'So this was what that Old Geezer meant about the surprise, huh?'

Then he moved himself according to the Yin-Yang stance, slow and calm.

When Arthur's fist was upon him, the back of his hand came in contact with it and managed to deflect the attack. Shin was still moving his body while muttering to himself. 'Feel the every change in your body while absorbing the force you got while guiding and redirecting it towards your desired location before releasing it'.

Shin guided the force from the impact to his right hand before releasing a palm strike to his opponent.

Arthur was startled by Shin's sudden counter and got hit by it square on his chest, before it sent him flying backwards. He collided with a tree and fell to the ground.

The process looked so long but it just took a few seconds to happen.

....

The jaw of the Father and Son Duo on the sidelines almost dropped to the ground because of what happened. They looked at each other and saw shock was written on their face.

Few moments later, the Old 'Demon Fist General' looked at his old friend and asked, "Isn't that the classic 'Yin-Yang Twist' followed by a 'Sudden Counter'?".

Old Plum was still fondling his beard and said calmly, "Yeah, what I taught that kid was the 'Yin-Yang Stance', even though it is just a training stance, it is still the first move of the 'Yin-Yang Techniques'. I didn't expect that kid to learn it this way and what's more in just two weeks. As expected of a 'Battle Genius', they really grow in battle". The old professor looked more and more satisfied in his decision to take Shin as his disciple.

At this moment, Captain Bernard regained his composure and said, "Well this match is still in our bag. That little rascal still has his final trump card".

...

Arthur slowly stood up while patting his chest, as if removing the dust from his shirt. He looked at Shin and said with a smile, "You are really strong. You are the first person of the same generation as me that managed to force me to come this far. So as a reward, I'm going to show you what I'm truly capable of."

Suddenly, Arthur's pupils turned into vertical slits like the eyes of a snake or a lizard. Then his aura changed once again. This time he looked like a young dragon that was arrogantly looking down at everything as if he was the ruler of this world.

The moment Shin saw those eyes; he knew that he was in danger, because he had read about it at the camp.

It was called 'Foresight'. Even though it didn't really have the full ability to see what would happen in the future, it still could see more than ordinary eyes. The wielder of it could see every movement in his surroundings and through it, they could predict what would be the next move of their opponents and counter it before it happened.

If a 'Foresight' was trained to its max level, it could even evolve into 'Pinnacle Omniscience', an ability that not only could affect one's eyesight, but also their other four senses.

A 'Pinnacle Omniscience' wielder not only could know everything around them and predict movements; they could also fool others' senses by relying on it.

What's even more problematic is that those eyes were being wielded by a Martial-Art Prodigy, so it made the young dragon even fiercer.

Shin knew that he didn't have a chance against someone at that level. All he could do was give his all and try his best to experience the feeling of fighting someone with this kind of talent.

He took a deep breath and calmed his mind. He took a step forward while raising both of his hands. Each of his hands formed a blade, one in front of the other, in front of his chest. He then unknowingly entered a state of tranquility. He forgot everything around him. The only thing in his mind was himself and the calm surroundings.

In this state, what he could only see was eternal darkness, but he can clearly sense what was happening in his environment.

And then the atmosphere surrounding him also changed. It was as if he transformed into a fierce tiger, waiting patiently for his prey.

At the same time Arthur made his move. He didn't care about the changes Shin made, since for him, the stronger his opponent was, the better.

Even though his movement was too sudden and too fast for anyone to react to, it was still clearly sensed by Shin. For him that sudden attack was like a violent ripple on the surface of calm water, so he responded to it accordingly.

....

The changes in the atmosphere that Shin produced made Old Plum nod his head, "Hmm, looks like this kid is starting to understand the real purpose of the 'Yin-Yang Stance', huh?".

The Old General also nodded his head " '*Deep Meditation'. This kid really knows how to improve himself during a battle. Battle Geniuses sure are scary."

*(Deep Meditation: the act or process of spending time in quiet thought)

"Ah, that's what it was! It is still not enough for him to defeat someone with 'Foresight' talent", is what Captain Bernard wanted to say, but he stopped right away because he saw that Shin was still able to respond to every movement that his opponent made. He looked at his father and asked. "Dad is that-....?"

But before he managed to complete his sentence, the Old General confirmed it right away. "Yeah, it is an 'Immediate Response' Talent". The Old General clicked his tongue and said in amazement, "Tsk! This kid really has some fearsome talent."

'Immediate Response' was the same level of talent as 'Foresight'. If 'Foresight' focused on one's senses, especially eyesight, then 'Immediate Response' focused on body reflexes.

Anyone who wielded this kind of talent was born with reflexes superior to other people. They could react to any kind of attack almost instantly.

Human reflexes had a split-second delay before the body could react to any situation. But 'Immediate Response' ignored that small time frame. Their body could react automatically to any kind of movement that happened in their surroundings without even thinking.

What's more, it could also further evolve into 'Ultra Instincts' if trained to its max level. 'Ultra Instincts' surpassed the concept of 'mind becoming one with the body', because it was a state where one could respond to any attack before it could even be executed.

If a Battle Genius in Deep Meditation wielded 'Immediate Response' in battle, then it was the same as giving a pair of wings to a tiger.

.....

The two kids continued their battle, without giving up an inch to their opponent, trying to gain the upper hand.

Shin should have been at an advantage since he was in deep meditation and using 'Immediate Response' at the same time, but he just learned the deep meditation not too long ago. What's more, he was only using his 'talent' unconsciously.

Unlike Arthur, who was already aware of his 'talent' since he was little and had more experience than him at using it. So compared to Arthur, Shin was just like an infant that was just starting to learn how to walk.

Arthur was continuously shifting between Military Arts and his Family Martial-Arts that he knew, trying to suppress Shin by using them. While Shin was relying on 'Yin-Yang Twist' and using it to borrow the force that came from Arthur's attack to send it back by using 'Sudden Counter' and some Mafia Martial-Arts that he knew.

.....

Old Plum was still fondling his beard while he said to his friend, "Having two '*Chosen Ones' in our country, and what's more in the same generation. Looks like our chances in the upcoming 'Battle for Supremacy' are quite positive this time, huh?"

*(Chosen Ones: They are people that have a peak class talent like 'Foresight' and 'Immediate Response')

The Old General looked at him and said, "If you are talking about the 'Empire Wars' nine years later, then it is still going to be difficult. I heard that the Noble Families from different Continents have their own 'Chosen Ones'. Especially Dark Continent and Lost Soul Continent. From the reports that I have received, those two Continents at least have two in their ranks each".

Every Continent in the world held their own 'Youth Competition' every twenty years. All participants should be under twenty years old. Whoever won the top three group places, would become the representatives of their Continent for the 'International Empire Wars'.

The 'International Empire Wars' were held after every 'Youth Competition'. Those who managed to enter the top ten would go on to fight for the unclaimed territories of the world and for expedition permits for the unexplored places. That was called 'The Battle for Supremacy'.

Old Plum crossed his hands behind his back and said, "I just hope we can regain our standing this time."

The Old General said while smiling bitterly, "That time, that guy shook the whole world because of the talent he had shown. Defeating all of the geniuses who came from different parts of the world while wielding 'Godly Intuition'. Even an old man like me was in awe at that time'."

Thirty-one years ago, the Soaring Continent dominated the whole 'Battle for Supremacy' because of a certain man wielding a supreme talent called 'Godly Intuition'.

'Godly Intuition' was at the top of the 'peak class talent' chart. Earlier, it was not even in the chart, but once this man showed up, he suppressed all the other talents around the world using it and became the unshakable rank-1 talent.

What this man really wielded at that time were two different kinds of peak class talent, the 'Pinnacle Omniscience' and 'Ultra Instincts'.

He used the combined forces of these talents to defeat the other youths of his generation at that time. These two talents complemented each other and formed a new talent and he called it 'The Godly Intuition'.

........