Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

In the end, Rain decided to bring only those who were relatively old to his pocket dimension among the magic people. The new generation didn't have anything to do with the current situation… to some extent, so Rain decided to leave them alone to have a life of peace. Only those who were older than thirty were forced to join him.

At first, no one felt like listening to Rain, but after seeing the residents of his pocket dimension and hearing him about his goals and the situation, they slowly began to change their minds…

Level 20: Aura Reading Discern emotional and energetic auras, allowing you to understand the feelings and intentions of others.

Thanks to Aura Reading, Rain could tell that their change of mind was real, so he let them join the camp without being forced to become mana batteries… they had been enemies before, but now they had the same enemies. It wasn't a good idea to treat them like prisoners of war.

As the newcomers from the magic people joined their camp, a palpable sense of confusion and surprise rippled through the gathered crowd. Many exchanged puzzled glances, their expressions reflecting a mixture of curiosity and apprehension at the unexpected turn of events.

Rain observed their reactions with a keen eye, anticipating the potential for resistance or skepticism from his allies, particularly those who had long regarded the magic people as enemies.

To his surprise, however, there was a noticeable absence of overt hostility or resentment among Esmeralda and her faction. Despite decades of conflict and animosity between their respective groups, they remained surprisingly composed and receptive to the newcomers.

While some lingering tensions undoubtedly lingered beneath the surface, there was a collective recognition of the greater threat posed by the machine gods and the need for unity in the face of adversity.

Rain couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at their unexpected understanding and acceptance. He had braced himself for potential objections or complaints from Esmeralda and her faction, expecting them to harbor lingering resentment towards their former enemies.

"Not a single complaint?" Rain asked.

"How could we complain when you are so overworked and always end the battles looking worse than everyone else?" Esmeralda asked. "Their leader is dead, and if you brought those guys here, then it is fair to assume that you are one hundred percent sure that they won't be a problem."

"That is right, they have my high-quality seal of approval of not being one hundred percent stupid to try anything retarded," Rain said. "That being said, I am still surprised by you guys reactions."

"Well, you see… past enemies look so small if compared to the existential dread that we are facing," Esmeralda shrugged. "The enemies have been around for millions of years and destroyed countless civilizations… that makes you realize what is truly important in the long run."

In addition to the two thousand magic people who had joined them, Rain and his allies also welcomed one thousand beast people into their ranks. While initially serving as potential reinforcements, the beast people could also be utilized as mana batteries for Rain, further bolstering their collective strength and resources.

Recognizing the importance of integrating the newcomers into their group and equipping them with the necessary skills for survival and combat, Esmeralda and Roan took the initiative to start teaching them useful skills.

Drawing upon their own expertise and experience, they imparted valuable knowledge and techniques to the newcomers, ensuring that they would be better prepared to face the challenges ahead.

Meanwhile, Rain retreated to his pocket dimension, where he could focus on his own preparations and strategizing without distraction. After taking a deep breath, Rain infused his mana into the chained enemies, and soon, the paths system was activated on them… at the same time, some of their power increased a bit… probably because their mana was being drained.

That was also because they had some of the skills that their mana was being used for.

"The mana production is increasing by the minute… this is good," Rain thought. "Let's see how far this will go."

Rain used the new source of mana for a while to increase the power of the sealing chains of those enemies, just to be sure. They were behaving for now, but it was clear that they would try to free themselves eventually.

"Why don't you let those two take care of things here?" Elisabetha asked. "If those guys will try to escape, they will try that when you are busy."

Rain looked at Hardt and Loar… thanks to Aura Reading, Rain could tell that they were very different from the others, but would he trust them that much? Hell nah. Still, Elisabetha had a point… his next secret technique was also tied up to that place so that they could create problems for his future goals.

Some people are like that… even if they end up fucking their future, they are fine as long as they drag with them the people that they hated the most.

Rain looked at Hardt and Loar… they didn't seem like those kinds of people, at least not anymore. It might be worth the hassle of trusting them a bit. In the end, after a long sigh, Rain went to explain to them his idea after he also gave them a pair of spectral weapons.

"So… these can do that…" Hardt said. "How further do you think you can improve this?"

Loar looked like he had the same questions, and Rain could tell what they were thinking. The potential of that technique was almost endless, as long as Rain was alive and had mana… but to make the technique even more broken, there was one element that was missing.

"It is hard to say," Rain said and then shrugged. "Potential is relative to our resources and time available. Maybe it will reach its true peak, maybe it won't if we all die soon. Who can say otherwise?"