MTLNOVEL Chapter 380: Hero Of Destiny
Daniel was stunned when he heard this man's identity, because he immediately recognized the person standing before him.
This was the founder of the Irenwald family, in other words the ancestor of his old friend Eva—one of the most powerful heroes in history.
'I'd like to know what will happen if he finds out his family has been destroyed,' Daniel thought to himself. He honestly couldn't guess at all.
After all, he didn't even know what these people he was fighting actually were. Were they just fake copies? Or were they truly remnants of the real awareness of those people?
"If I'm not mistaken, your name should be Daniel, my friend—someone from another world." A glow from the River of Destiny appeared in the eyes of the Hero of Destiny.
For a moment it looked like he read Daniel's entire past, present, and future, and even managed to glimpse a massive karmic thread tying this boy to the family he himself had founded.
"It's an honor to meet you." Daniel bowed slightly. He knew there was nothing he could hide in front of someone like this hero.
"It seems my family has been destroyed." Destiny let out a sigh. Yet there was no trace of anger or sorrow in his eyes.
As someone who had become one with destiny itself, he knew every sunrise would eventually meet a sunset.
"I'm sorry."
"There's no need to be sorry. At least it looks like one of my descendants is still alive and even has a good relationship with you. Maybe, with your help, they can rebuild the family." The hero nodded.
Even though he had tried to read this young man's destiny, he was only able to see his past and present—there was nothing about the future.
That could only mean two things: either there was no future at all and this boy would soon die,
or his future was taboo and untellable, far beyond his own level. That seemed highly unlikely, since he was someone who had merged with destiny and stood at the true peak.
Still, when looking at this boy's past and present, it didn't seem entirely impossible either.
"I didn't expect those creatures to attack this world as well, and for the will of this world to cooperate with the will of another."
"You know about the corruption beasts?" Daniel asked with shock and curiosity. This man was from many years in the past.
And he didn't speak as though he had only recently learned about them.
"They have many names, but they are creatures that devour worlds, walking a path they believe will one day let them devour even the gods." The hero gave a short explanation.
But he didn't go further. Some things couldn't be spoken of too much, or they could become dangerous.
Daniel noticed that too and only nodded.
"Can I ask, are you real? Because you feel very real."
"Well, you could say partly. What you're seeing is a remnant of my awareness left in this world. So we are real, and also part of the true person. But these bodies are false, and they don't hold our real power." Destiny paused, then explained.
"I see. So you all are still alive?"
This time the hero smirked and didn't answer. He simply waved his hand, and they suddenly appeared in a battlefield.
"Enough questions. You came here to defeat me. Whatever answers you're looking for, you'll find them sooner or later yourself."
"Then may I ask your name?"
"My name has been lost in history. You can call me whatever you like. Still, most people used to call me Elias."
Daniel nodded and drew his sword. For Elias, the sight of that sword stirred countless memories, though they weren't pleasant ones.
The battle began with Elias's attack. He activated [Chain Fist of Destiny].
His fist tore through the air, and golden and black chains burst from his fingers, like threads of destiny twisting through the air and shattering crystal.
The chains surged toward Daniel, as if trying to lock his destiny and erase him completely from the cycle of fate.
Daniel defended with [Royal Barrier].
The shield repelled the chains, but one of them struck his arm, leaving a shallow wound, as though his destiny itself had cracked for a moment.
For an instant he felt like his past and present were fading away and his entire identity was being erased—though it quickly returned to normal.
He used [Mana Healing] to close the wound. Elias followed up with [Dance of Destiny Paths], giving him no chance to counterattack.
His body blurred like a shadow, and gray paths appeared in the air, each path launching an unpredictable strike.
It looked like each path was the destiny of a different person—in fact, as if every path was a different life of Daniel himself.
The battlefield filled with glowing lines, and one blow struck Daniel's chest, as though aiming directly at his destiny.
Daniel dodged with [Bloody Shadow Dance], but a deep wound still appeared along his side. He healed with [Mana Healing] and countered with [Death Roar].
The black roar disrupted Elias's mind, like death whispering directly in his ear.
"The Law of Death—I still remember how annoying that is." Elias laughed. It was the only Law that had ever forced his own Law to its knees.
Elias defended with [Shield of Destiny].
An aura of destiny cycles surrounded him, absorbing the roar into an endless loop and reflecting it back at Daniel, as though forcing him to relive his own fate.
Daniel resisted with [Mystic Aspect of the Moon's Law], but the pressure grew heavier.
Elias struck with [Void Destiny].
He unleashed a terrifying, destructive roar, and a black void opened in the air, as if swallowing Daniel's very destiny. The void shredded space into dust, trapping Daniel in a dark abyss.
Daniel used [Shadow Weapons] to summon shadows that filled the void, but the void swallowed him whole.
For a moment, it looked as though Daniel had been completely erased—his body vanishing into the dark emptiness. His destiny consumed, annihilated.
It seemed as if his identity, past, present, and even future had all been destroyed.