Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"Those guys are so…" Rain said and then took a deep breath. "It seems that they don’t want a quick death."

"Sit still and let me heal you," Terra said and then smiled in relief. "How did you escape several of those explosions?"

"I didn’t… I took them head-on," Rain replied. "But since I was expecting that this would happen and I wanted to unlock the next path to Sage’s path, I kept Mana Barrier and Mana Shield equipped."

"I know Mana Barrier, it is one of the first skills of that path," Terra said.

"Mana Shield is basically the same thing, but you can equip it as well, and it is two times more efficient," Rain explained. "Long story short, my mana pool was evaporated to protect me from those attacks, but even though I have so much, it wasn’t enough to completely nullify it."

While that was true, Terra was still impressed that Rain’s mana was strong enough to withstand all the explosion of energy within those five soldiers… they were pretty strong mages as well, so their abilities were more than decent… but Rain’s magic skills were even better, even when he couldn’t control them properly.

Amidst the ongoing battle, the human soldiers found themselves unable to shake the haunting image of Rain surviving the devastating aerial explosions. It defied their comprehension and left them feeling unnerved. To them, Rain had transcended the limits of mortal capability, becoming an almost otherworldly figure. This unexpected turn of events sowed doubt and uncertainty among their ranks.

The noble sacrifice of the special soldiers, while commendable, had unintended consequences. The regular troops, who had mentally prepared themselves for the harsh realities of war, now grappled with a different kind of horror. They had become unwitting pawns, seemingly expendable for the greater good. This realization instilled fear and unease among them.

The soldiers’ once-unshakable resolve had begun to falter, with their morale taking a significant blow. In the midst of chaos, they looked to their leaders for guidance and reassurance, desperately seeking stability in an increasingly turbulent battlefield. Emotions on the battlefield were now in conflict as courage and determination battled against doubt and trepidation.

— —

Even from a distance… Joanis saw what had happened. While squinting his eyes, he kept looking at the battlefield while not hiding his displeasure… that was why he disliked using the same tactics twice against the same adversary… they could come up with ways to counterattack them.

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"His reserves of mana are astounding to be able to endure that," Joanis thought. "He came prepared to face that again… did he survive in the same manner against Phel’s squad?

No, there are times that he shows much stronger magic and much stronger physical capabilities, and he is trying not to show either of them now, he knows that my soldiers can pass information to me insanely fast… it is a pity that Phel’s squad only informed me how they were killed."

Trying to keep targeting Rain seemed too reckless now… thanks to the suicidal attacks, he got stronger once again, not by a large margin, but Joanis knew that he was closer to another path and whenever he got a new path, his potential would increase, that was the real problem.

Joanis waited for the information regarding the other sides of the battlefield, and without assistance, the human soldiers were able to fight on equal terms thanks to their equipment, highly resistant to magic. However, only that… if they couldn’t win at least on one front, insisting on that battle plan was useless.

"We have to slow things down… he probably won’t stay here for long. Even if he stays, there is another unknown factor that we can use," Joanis thought.

— —

Once Terra finished healing Rain, they realized that the enemies suddenly began to retreat… not even half an hour had passed since the start of the battle, and they didn’t have the chance to use the sunlight agaisnt the magic people either. Still, it was clear that Joanis decided to cut his losses.

"Did you predict that?" Terra asked. "Your frown says no."

"No, I didn’t predict it… but it seems that Joanis wants to slow things down since the favor is on our side," Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He knows that we can’t stay here forever. Besides, the magic people are fighting on two fronts. Time is on the human side while the flow of the battle is on ours."

While Rain was being healed and he couldn’t use magic, he was able to recover it, so he went to help Terra and heal some people. Despite his good intentions, some of them actually tried to push him away since they didn’t want to be healed by a human, on the right side of that guy, there was the corpse of his friend that died by the hands of the humans, after all.

"Patients should obediently follow the recommendations of the healers," Rain said and then punched the guy in the stomach and almost knocked him down before he had the chance to heal his limping leg.

"What is the point of breaking his ribs to heal his broken leg?" Terra asked.

"He can run now, but he couldn’t before, that is why," Rain replied. "Anyway, you should be buffy enough now to knock them down with a punch in the gut, so use that as you see fit."

"I am not buffy, I am a perfectly slender and delicate girl," Terra said.

"Your six packed abs have something to say against that argument," Rain shrugged.

There were too many people injured, so it didn’t take long for Rain to run out of stamina. Fortunately, some of the inhabitants of the capital were passing around spiritual potions for the healers for them to continue their work and they didn’t hesitate in giving some for Rain and Terra. They were using their brains and they were a lot less hot-blooded than the guys on the battlefield…

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