Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Despite the urgency of the situation and the need for a united front, the demi-human's reluctance to abandon their homeland for the sake of survival unnerved Rain. It appeared that the safety and security they had found within their territory had blinded them to the real issue at hand… "I guess it can't be helped… we will split our forces and if no one can do that, I will command the demi-humans who want to fight and can use their heads to understand the situation," Isa said. "We will depart in three days, and we need to regroup with the others in less than one week to have any chance of reaching the dragons. That is all." In the final moments of the meeting, despite initial reservations, Regis found himself aligning with Isa's decision to take charge and confront the impending danger posed by the ice dragons. While he might have been somewhat worried of Isa's assertive approach, he ultimately recognized the necessity of acting swiftly to face the threat. As the discussion progressed, Regis found himself compelled to support Isa's actions to gather those willing to depart the island and confront the ice dragons. His alignment with Isa's plan was not only rooted in his belief that confronting the threat was necessary but also in his desire to maintain unity among the demi-humans, realizing that a fractured faction would be severely disadvantaged against the enemies. Moreover, Regis's influence and respected position among the demi-humans carried significant weight. When he endorsed Isa's call for those ready to leave the island and fight, it resonated with many others. Notably, the three most powerful warriors among the demi-humans responded positively to Regis's support, rallying to his side and bolstering the number of supporters for their collective cause. Isa, recognizing Regis's support and the sway he held among their people, granted him the position of commander of the army of the demi-humans. This decision not only honored his wisdom and experience but also served to solidify their forces under his leadership. Consequently, more individuals joined their cause, encouraged and motivated by the alignment of their most powerful warriors with Regis as their commander. This collective stance served to unite the demi-humans, rallying them together for the imminent confrontation against the ice dragons. "We have brought to our side around seventy percent of our forces…" Regis said after the three days had passed. "Now, how are we going to proceed." Seventy percent of their forces was around thirty thousand people… it was quite the massive number, but a lot less than they had one hundred years ago. In any case, moving that many people a few thousand of the sea folk was going to be difficult… the giant monsters that Seadrei once had were killed one hundred years ago, so they couldn't use that. "You can use this, Dad," Sealyn said while passing the spear to Rain. "That won't be necessary," Rain said while smiling. In the three days leading up to their departure, Rain remained busy in furthering his mastery of the Magic Scribe Path. His focus on experimenting with magical inscriptions and symbols didn't waver. Isa, recognizing the importance of Rain's skills, lent her assistance, aiding him in understanding and practicing various aspects of the magical craft. However, unbeknownst to Rain, his intense focus on his studies and collaboration with Isa didn't go unnoticed. His jealous wives, troubled by trust issues, observed his interactions and efforts closely. Their monitoring served as an additional layer of security on Rain's activities during this time. Despite this, Rain made significant progress in his studies. Drawing upon the knowledge accumulated from the Magic Scribe Path, he managed to solve a significant issue. Utilizing a colossal block of Earth, he etched a massive magic circle embedded with the symbols he had mastered. Pouring his mana into this creation, the circle began to levitate and expand, taking the form of a gigantic floating platform. Drawing inspiration from the wind dragons and their flying fortress, Rain wanted to replicate a similar structure. As his friends and companions stepped onto the platform, their presence and mana caused it to expand further, siphoning a fraction of their mana to fuel its growth. Although the resultant structure spanned a colossal five kilometers in width and length, it was only half a meter deep, making it relatively fragile until it began to expand more. However, Rain's experimentation yielded an unexpected realization. Despite anticipating that he might learn a new skill to absorb mana, he discovered that he already possessed this ability, akin to the Mortal Bet. His newfound understanding of absorbing mana complemented his creation, enabling the platform to expand further as it absorbed mana from those who stepped onto it. The sea folk were the first after Rain's friends to jump on it, and then the demi-humans joined them. The whole structure became big enough for everyone's tents when it was ten kilometers wide and long, so Rain, in the middle of the circle, began to use their mana to move toward their destination. "Everyone is starting to look uncomfortable since they can tell that their mana is being drained," Terra said while looking around. "I will do something about that," Rain said. In the end, Rain expanded his domain and made everyone receive the effects of the Parameter Boost. They would need all the help they could get. After all powering everyone up would do the trick. While everyone was trying to understand what had happened as they saw their parameters increasing, Rain could sense the wind getting colder, even more so since they were moving pretty fast. "Another issue, huh?" Rain thought. "This will decrease our speed a bit, but we should be able to reach our destination despite that." Rain used a bit more of the mana that everyone received with the power-ups to erect thin glass walls around the platform, just enough to deal with the wind. They wouldn't actually help for defensive purposes… but it couldn't be helped since the platform was too big for him to use anything else.