Child of Destiny

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The thunderous sound of artillery fire resounded from the top of the rock formations on the eastern side of the fortress.

Brilliant flashes erupted in the night sky as powerful mana fluctuations illuminated the darkness before the artillery shells streaked toward the Mana Dome protecting the fortress.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of explosions roared across the fortress as violent ripples spread throughout the Mana Dome with every impact from the artillery shells and magic bombardment.

The sheer force of the attacks demonstrated just how sturdy the Mana Dome protecting the entire fortress was.

Despite receiving one powerful bombardment after another, the barrier remained intact without showing any obvious signs of collapse.

However, Shin wasn’t worried.

He had a different purpose in mind when he ordered the attack at this exact moment.

While the bombardment continued, he swept his gaze across the fortress.

He wasn’t merely observing how the Mana Dome responded to the artillery fired by Owen and the Deicide operatives.

He was also examining the structure of the barrier itself, tracing the flow of mana circulating throughout the enormous dome and searching for its primary sources of power.

Once he located the points supplying the barrier with energy, he could attempt to cripple them and weaken its overall performance.

Doing so would effectively disable one of the fortress’s most important defensive measures, giving them the opportunity to launch a proper siege.

After carefully observing the fluctuations produced by the Mana Dome with every artillery impact, Shin finally identified the locations supplying it with power.

"A dozen lesser Mana Towers and four main towers, huh?" Shin mumbled as he marked their positions.

"Tsk! Tsk! Quite wealthy indeed." With that, he clicked his tongue before jumping from the rooftop and disappearing into the shadows of the night.

***

At the same time, Donato had just received a report from his subordinates regarding the artillery bombardment.

"Have you identified the source of the attack?" Donato asked while looking at the projected display formed by the crystals embedded in the center of the table.

The attack had just confirmed one of his suspicions, further strengthening his belief that ’that woman’ was attempting to strike against his faction once again.

"Reporting to the Fortress Master," the subordinate immediately replied. "We’ve confirmed that the artillery fire is coming from the top of the rock formations along the eastern side of the fortress."

Hearing this, Donato’s brows furrowed deeply. "Can our cannons reach them?"

"This..." The subordinate hesitated for a moment before replying, "That will be extremely difficult, Sir."

"Not only do they have an advantageous position due to the elevation, but they’ve also concealed themselves behind the rock formations, making it difficult to determine their exact firing positions."

Donato’s expression darkened after hearing this.

Without a clear view of the enemy’s positions, firing the magic cannons mounted on the fortress walls could easily work against them.

If they missed their targets and instead shattered the surrounding rock formations, the resulting collapse could send enormous boulders crashing toward the fortress.

Even though the fortress was still quite a distance from those rock formations, such a collapse could still alter the terrain on the eastern side of the fortress, potentially creating new openings that the opposing side could exploit.

Left with little choice, Donato settled on the safer option.

"Tell the Eastern Wall Commander to dispatch several units to locate the exact positions of those artillery cannons."

"Engage and eliminate the opposing forces if possible, but don’t pursue them too deeply into their positions," he added.

Donato could tell that the artillery bombardment wasn’t as simple as it appeared.

With a Mana Dome powerful enough to withstand such bombardment, there was little reason for the enemy to rely solely on artillery with limited firepower.

There had to be another layer to their attack.

He was certain there was an underlying trap somewhere, but he still couldn’t determine what it was.

For now, they could only locate the enemy and respond cautiously to whatever happened next.

"Understood!" The subordinate immediately saluted before turning around and leaving to carry out the order.

***

While the Mana Dome was being bombarded by the artillery, the western side of the fortress was already reaching its first exciting stage.

"A Grand Marshal-ranked NPC, huh?" Felix mumbled as he watched the cloud of dust kicked up by the approaching cavalry. "This is going to be my first time fighting one."

It was common knowledge that Monsters and NPCs in the Aurora Continent possessed very different strengths.

Monsters naturally possessed higher Stats and larger Health Pools, along with powerful physiques that granted them tremendous natural defenses.

NPCs, on the other hand, could rely on techniques and skills that had been honed to an extraordinary level through extensive mastery.

Of course, some NPCs also possessed exceptional Stats and Physiques, but most of them still relied more heavily on their techniques and skills, especially at the higher stages of the current patch.

"That guy is Level 250 as well, right?" Felix asked as he watched the approaching cloud of dust. "This is going to be a little more interesting."

He rarely had the chance to fight opponents at this level, so he was eager to see whether he could hold his own against such an enemy.

"I’ve heard that almost all the Godlike Players can solo King-Class Monsters and NPCs dozens of levels above them..." he mumbled before turning toward his twin. "I wonder how I’ll fare compared to them."

He then looked at Felicia. "Are you going, or am I?"

He knew that Felicia was probably feeling the same curiosity, so he wanted to know whether she was interested in challenging such an opponent as well.

Felicia was indeed interested, but she was actually more interested in challenging the members of the Empyrean Talons.

Compared to them, these NPCs could barely keep her entertained.

The approaching Grand Marshal might be capable of providing some amusement, but after seeing how eager Felix was to give it a try, she immediately lost interest.

"Go. You can keep that gorilla entertained. I’ll handle the rest." She waved her hand toward her twin as though shooing away a bothersome dog.

Felix chuckled before hopping down from the boulder he had been sitting on.

After their initial ambush had nearly wiped out the guards stationed around the oasis, the remaining forces had been forced to retreat while waiting for reinforcements.

Felix would have been bored without anyone to fight, so the arrival of the Grand Marshal had come at exactly the right time.

Shing!

He unsheathed his two-pronged sword and stepped forward, calmly walking toward the approaching enemies.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

He twirled the strange weapon around himself several times before pointing it toward the incoming cavalry.

"Come!"

...

Meanwhile, Grand Marshal Ivar immediately spotted Felix standing in their path, even from a considerable distance.

He narrowed his eyes as he examined the opposing player, instinctively gauging his strength.

However, after sensing Felix’s current level and realizing that he had yet to cross the second Level Threshold—

Level 200...

Ivar couldn’t help but hesitate.

"Such an ant is giving our people trouble?" he muttered in disbelief.

Level Thresholds existed at every fifty levels for all players, monsters, and NPCs once they surpassed Level 150.

These thresholds represented major stages of growth, where an individual would experience a significant increase in strength after crossing each one.

Felix was only around Level 190, which was already considered extremely high among the players of the Aurora Continent.

Shin, who had recently approached Level 200, could already be considered one of the highest-leveled players in the game.

Even so, that level was still far from representing the true peak of the leading players, most of whom had already surpassed Level 200.

Shin had simply fallen behind because he had been trapped within the Secret Land of the Fallen Immortal Empire.

Although he had managed to make up some of the difference after exploring the Secret Land, he had later spent a considerable amount of time inside the Inheritance Tower, further delaying his level progression.

Compared to the current average level of the NPCs, even Level 190 was somewhat lacking, much less Felix’s current level.

Although NPCs weren’t familiar with the terminology players used to describe Levels, they could still sense the major thresholds that every individual encountered during their growth.

And to Ivar, Felix had yet to cross one of the most important thresholds.

Despite his doubts, Ivar couldn’t afford to underestimate his opponent too much.

With that thought in mind, Ivar reached behind his back and drew his greatsword.

Shing!

He casually swung it above his head several times while riding his warhorse before suddenly bringing it down and sweeping it forward.

Shing!

The instant the greatsword cut through the air, a massive crescent of energy shot toward Felix.

WHOOSH!

Felix, who was directly in the attack’s path, smirked upon seeing the incoming sword wave.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

He twirled his two-pronged sword around himself several times before bringing it to the front of his body.

The mana surrounding him began to dance with the wind as he maintained his stance, generating countless invisible ripples throughout the air.

He waited for a brief moment before flicking the blades of his two-pronged sword.

Dong~! Long~! Long~!

A series of deep vibrations reverberated through the air, resonating with the ripples of mana surrounding him.

The vibrations intertwined with the ambient mana, rapidly forming an invisible barrier before Felix.

It was also at that moment that the incoming sword wave reached him.

BOOM!

The enormous crescent collided with the invisible barrier, causing the energy contained within the attack to scatter in every direction.

The vibrations rippled violently through the air, yet Felix remained in the same stance, calmly holding his ground.

......

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