Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain's technique was a calculated fusion of his recent training and the skill known as Perfect Guard. Although Rain couldn't physically move at the incredible speed required to individually block hundreds of attacks in a single second, he improvised a solution by strategically positioning his arms to intercept the incoming barrage.

Perfect Guard, a skill honed through rigorous practice, allowed him to pinpoint the trajectory of most attacks he could see and block them with a punch, optimizing his defensive stance. However, the sheer volume of the assault took its toll on Rain. As the mana-infused spears collided with his arms, a burst of minor explosions occurred, signaling the dispersal of the magical energy.

The pressure of the impact pushed him backward. That being said, his arms bore the brunt of the damage.

The downside of this defensive maneuver became evident as Rain's arms displayed signs of burns, the consequence of absorbing and neutralizing the magical attacks. Simultaneously, he felt the strain of expending a considerable amount of mana to reinforce his defenses against the relentless magical onslaught.

Before long, the guards began to fly away… even though they had their shields, they knew that only that wouldn't be enough against Rain. However, more guards were approaching in the distance, and they probably knew what Rain could do.

"It isn't over, huh…" Jori said. "Aren't their numbers even higher?"

"I don't have many strategies against non-living enemies… actually, I have none," Rain thought. "Still, there should be something that I can do… not against so many of them, though."

"I can help with that," Sakaki said when he returned. "Stealing information will be impossible when they use this much mana for literally anything. So, we will have to focus on the primary targets."

"We were doing that, and you were the one who wasn't," Rain said.

"Anyway, just throw me with all your might toward those guys," Sakaki said.

Raind didn't have time to question that, so he just did it… Sakaki ended up absorbing some of his mana, but in the end, he hit the head of one of the guards, and then, after half a second, some sparks of lightning spread across it. In the next moment, the Guard exploded.

The explosion resulting from Sakaki's impact with the Guard's head created an impressive sphere of mana that swiftly propagated through the air. As the sphere expanded, it collided with nearby guards, triggering a series of secondary explosions. The force of the blasts engulfed dozens of guards in a chain reaction, obliterating them in a burst of energy.

The destructive chain explosion emanated outward, causing a chaotic display of lights and sound. However, not all guards fell to the devastating blast. Some managed to evade the expanding sphere by swiftly moving away, demonstrating a level of tactical awareness.

In the aftermath, the immediate area was littered with debris, and the acrid scent of lingering magical energy filled the air. Rain and the others, though successful in eliminating a significant number of guards, realized that the remaining forces were adapting to their tactics and quite fast at that.

"As expected, even though they have a ton of mana, their efficiency is questionable since they can't level up as non-living beings," Sakaki said. "Even with a lot less mana, I can affect them like this by making their mana go berserker. I could explain how, but that would take too long."

"We don't have time for another lesson here!" Terra shouted when the guards began to fly and approach them.

Rain just threw Sakaki once more to disperse some of the guards when his target was hit… he could tell that the enemies' mana worked like electricity to make their whole bodies move, so he didn't need that explanation. Causing a malfunction in such a simple system was Sakaki's forte.

Regardless, the mechanical guards ignored the losses and kept charging and reaching the group. When they got close enough, Rain stabbed a bunch of them in the face and just scratched, making them malfunction. Before they could explode, Terra punched them and forced them to hit their allies.

"You don't want them to explode right in front of us, right?" Terra asked.

"It was all according to plan. I knew that you would do that," Rain said.

"Yeah, right…" Terra said.

The plan to take the mana from the enemies was no longer possible, but Vanessa was doing her part stealing the mana from the cannon and enhancing Asche, Liss, and Reca's attack. It seemed that they were taking too long to launch the second attack, but it eventually happened.

Vanessa was flying above the group while pointing to the cannons and stealing as much mana as possible and transferring to those three… thanks to that, their techniques received power beyond their current limitations.

When they fired the attacks, the explosion couldn't be compared to the previous one… the blast of the attack pushed them away for several meters and made thousands of pieces of the cannon fall… at the same time, they were able to see the cannon tipping a little.

"Let's go again!" Liss shouted when she saw that the hole had become dozens of meters deeper now.

"The mana that I took from the damaged parts was restored fast… I will have to get closer and stay closer to make things more efficient," Vanessa declared. "I hope that you aim well in order not to destroy me."

"We will do our best," Liss said.

"It would have been better if you said that you wouldn't hit me no matter what…" Vanessa said.

The assault continued, with Rain and his allies facing wave after wave of mechanical guards. Despite their efforts, the situation remained tense on both sides. Vanessa continued her task of siphoning mana from the cannon to enhance the attacks of Asche, Liss, and Reca. The guards, despite suffering losses, kept charging, forcing Rain and the others to adapt to the evolving battlefield.

Still, things soon would change…