Child of Destiny

...

Miko quickly rushed ahead and targeted Morgan's back was currently vulnerable to any kind of attack.

She was aware that it might be a trap but she was confident that she would be able to reach him before he could even turn his gun towards her direction.

Swoosh!

But right before her dagger reached the back of her target, she suddenly sensed approaching her from the side which made her turn her head towards that direction unconsciously.

Bang!

Due to her actions, her face was immediately smashed by the incoming shield from that side.

Swoosh!

Then she was sent flying towards the opposite direction before colliding with a huge tree standing in there. A chunk of her Health Bar also disappeared the moment all of it happened.

"Miko!" shouted Jude unconsciously when he saw that sight and wanted to charge ahead. But before he could even take a step forward, Morgan immediately pulled the trigger of his gun and released all of the accumulated mana on the tip of the muzzle of his gun.

Boom!

'Gunslinger Skill: (Tier 2): Magnum Laser'

Swoosh!

Then a beam of light flew straight to Jude, seemingly planning to devour everything on its path. And when he saw that, he quickly raised his shield in front of him while casting one of his strongest defensive skills.

'Guardian Skill: (Tier 2) Code of Protection'

Swoosh!

Then another spiritual avatar that looked like a larger version of himself appeared behind him before blocking the incoming beam of light.

Boom!

Despite blocking the attack successfully, the impact of the collision still pushed him backward. He was having a hard time stabilizing his footing due to the strong force that was accompanying him being too strong for him and his spiritual avatar to endure.

Bang!

Then his back collided with the huge tree behind him, making it fall on the ground. But aside from that, he didn't suffer any kind of damage. His Health Bar was still healthy as ever.

But he was still wearing a deep frown since he could already get a rough estimate of how strong Morgan was right now.

"I guess his crafty skills are still the same as ever," muttered Jude as he picked himself up from the ground.

He then turned to Morgan once again with a serious look on his face before muttering with a soft voice. "Golden Bullet, how can I forget why he is called that way."

"He used to be one of the top mercenaries and bounty hunters of «True Era» Online before he joined the Dark Hero Adventurer Team. I guess still have that side of him," he added with a bitter tone before making a serious look on his face.

"Every bullet is equivalent to money, so every shot should be enough to take a head – is that how he used to say things?"

"I can't afford to worry about other things when I am facing him," he said before getting ready for another round.

Seeing those actions, Morgan immediately understood that Jude was finally taking him seriously right now. "You finally taking me seriously, huh?"

After that, he turned to Hayden and said. "I'll be leaving her in your care now. But don't underestimate her, since she is more troublesome to deal with compared to this guy."

"You don't have to worry about that since I have no intention of underestimating anyone from your previous group," replied Hayden as he started walking towards the direction where he sent Miko flying.

Morgan looked at him for a couple of moments before turning his attention back to Jude. "I guess we can now focus on each other. I've been itching to teach you a lesson for quite some time now."

"You are still the as ever. You've always been confident at taking down your targets," answered Jude as he raised his shield a little higher.

"And that is how I get my title, Golden Bullet," responded Morgan.

On the other hand, Miko finally picked up herself from the ground and glared at the incoming knight in front of her.

She was also rubbing her cheeks since she still felt the burning sensation that was coming from it. Aside from that, she was also pretty enraged because of what happened earlier.

"How dare he hit me in my face!" muttered Miko as the expression on her face was starting to turn dark.

Not long after, she was finally able to recognize the person that was walking towards her in a calm manner.

"Hayden, the Immovable Mountain? Hah! This is quite unexpected," she said after having a clear look on the knight.

"Aren't you supposed to be a solo player? What are you doing with those guys?" she asked while distancing herself away from the knight.

In the meantime, Hayden stopped a few meters away from Miko before replying. "Things just end up like this."

"Immovable Mountain, is it? Some say that you are one of the top tanks in «True Era» Online. Let me see if you live up to your name," said Miko while jumping up and down on the ground.historical

She was keeping a close look on every move that Hayden was doing, including the slightest movement of his muscles.

At the same time, Hayden was also doing the same. He was squinting his eyes while locking his gaze at Miko. She might be not as famous as the other members of the Dark Hero Adventurer Team, but she was at least strong enough to rank on the top of the assassin list during that time.

Swoosh!

Then Miko's figure flickered for a moment, making Hayden's eyes suddenly turn wide.

"Where are you looking?" asked Miko as appeared beside her opponent while stabbing her dagger on the latter's waist.

But even if the tip of Miko's dagger was about to hit him, Hayden remained calm, seemingly ignoring it.

Instead, he slightly leaned his head to the side, dodging an invisible attack that was directed to his head.

"That was a nice try, but such a trick is not going to work for me," said Hayden as stared directly at the air in front of him.

A few moments later, Miko slowly appeared in front of him while the one that was targeting his waist disappeared all of a sudden.

After that, Miko quickly hopped away from Hayden, distancing herself away from him as far as possible.

Bang!

But all of a sudden, Hayden kicked the ground beneath behind, launching himself forward and catching up to Miko within an instant. And when he reached her, he quickly swung his sword strongly, seemingly planning to strike her down with that attack.

Seeing that, Miko nimbly hopped to the side, dodging the descending sword with a hair's breadth.

Bang!

And right after the sword hit the ground, she quickly lunged forward and thrust her dagger, targeting Hayden's head.

Swoosh!

Cling!

But her dagger was immediately blocked by the shield on Hayden's hand. And before she could even follow up an attack, the latter suddenly swung his sword upwards in a diagonal manner.

Swoosh!

Miko quickly jumped up when she saw that and rolled in the air, dodging the sword's blade with a very small margin once again.

Ta-ta!

And when her feet touched the ground, she immediately started hopping backward, creating a breathing space for herself.

On the other hand, Hayden didn't chase her unlike earlier. He just watched her get away from him before standing up straight once again.

"How unusual, isn't your style supposedly focuses on defending and counterattacking? Why are you initiating the offensive now?" said Miko with a playful tone on the surface but she was actually frowning hard deep inside.

"Since there are a lot of promising talents appearing here and there, we still need to make some adjustments to our usual style to not get left behind," replied Hayden with a casual tone.

He then remembered his encounter with Shin who seemed to be growing continuously in every fight that he went through. And right now, that guy already surpassed him in terms of battle capabilities and combat prowess.

With that, Hayden resolved himself to change his style a little to adapt to the changing era. He also saw that it was the same for the other members of their group.

Faker and Lawless were exceptions since both of them were just trying to get back on their old form. But it was a little different for Ravier, Ember, and Morgan.

Those three were striving to improve themselves since they couldn't afford to be left behind by the fast-moving era.

"Anyway, who about you show me your real skills and enough with those cheap tricks. You should know that it is not going to work on me," said Hayden as he looked at his opponent with squinting eyes.

Hearing that, Miko started smiling bitterly before saying. "I am a little surprised when I saw Tora and Yami earlier… Eh? No-… I guess they go by the name Faker and Lawless right now."

"My emotions are unstable earlier, so I apologize for that," she added as she took out another pair of daggers with chains tied on the bottom of their hilts.

"But it is going to be a little different from now on," she said as the aura surrounding her suddenly changed.

...