Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Their singular large eye seemed to hold an intense and penetrating gaze, giving off an aura of unknown awareness. Their presence was striking, but their unusual, almost alien-like appearance was enough to send an unsettling chill down anyone's spine.

The absence of distinct human facial features and the strange, disproportionate eye made their human guise more disconcerting more than anything else...

In the next moment, a beam of energy was fired from their eyes toward Rain… this time, it wasn't ice, it was pure mana, and the attack passed through the wall with ease leaving a line on it… it had the same effect as the gun that Rain got before.

Rain looked to the side and squinted his eyes… only one of them attacked, so it seemed that they wanted to get used to their bodies first before going all out.

Rain confirmed that theory when one of the Monsters suddenly charged at him. Rain flew to the side again and the creature smashed its body against the ice walls, but soon recovered and began to chase him. Rain could see the movements of the monster getting sharper with every passing moment.

"I can't let them improve further," Rain thought and then stopped flying.

Rain flew toward the monster and much to his surprise, the creature stopped moving altogether… it didn't even try to dodge Rain's assault. Still, that didn't stop Rain from continuing… However, in the last moment, the creature fired a beam of energy toward Rain's left chest when he swung down the ominous sword.

The skill Scalebraker Technique received 500.000 experience points.

Rain barely had time to finish off the beast and move to the side as well to avoid having his heart pierced. Still, his left arm was blown away thanks to the attack. While the sword turned the beast into dust, Rain grabbed what was left of his arm and tried to reattach it while he was using Full Heal. However, that would take a while to work since a portion of his shoulder had turned into nothing.

"They are different now… there are no hesitation on their actions," Larisa said. "It feels like they are being controlled by something."

"No shit, Sherlock," Rain said as he covered his dismembered arm in crystal and attached it to his body while it was still healing.

The enigma surrounding the enemies controlling the ice dragons surprised everyone. The sudden transformation of the ice dragons into humanoid forms was as perplexing as it was disturbing. Rain and the others couldn't fathom when this control had been initiated or who precisely wielded such mastery over these creatures. Perhaps the transformation was the actual trigger…

The level of control exhibited over the dragons was remarkable, beyond what anyone could have anticipated. It demonstrated an extraordinary level of skill and power on the part of the entities manipulating these beings. The seamless transition from dragon form to these peculiar humanoid shapes highlighted the finesse and proficiency of those orchestrating this manipulation.

Rain, in particular, found himself at a loss, unable to discern the origin or identity of these controlling forces. The precise nature of these entities and the extent of their capabilities remained shrouded in mystery, adding to the overall sense of unease and bewilderment among those witnessing this unprecedented event. It looked like the number of enemies was far beyond what he had expected…

Rain thought that he would have some time… that the monsters would at least try to weaken him a bit more in order to make sure that the final five dragons would be able to win with one hundred percent chance of victory, but all of them began to move since they could tell that his left arm couldn't be used for a while.

"Come and get it," assholes," Rain said as the dragons began to fly around Rain.

The dragons' flying speed increased and in the end, they could fly as fast and as well as Rain… sacrificing only one of them and that was the final result. Before long, the beasts fired beams of energy through their eyes toward him in order to blow Rain to smithereens…

As the energy beams of the ice dragons relentlessly surged through the air, a pulsating resonance permeated the surroundings. The vibrations in the atmosphere intensified with each moment, causing an electric tension that crackled through the air. The whirring hum of the colliding energy echoed through the landscape, setting an ominous tone to the battlefield.

Despite the intensity of their attacks, a gradual realization dawned upon the ice dragons. Their unrelenting beams, filled with potent energy, collided violently, converging at the same spot in a cataclysmic eruption. The beams intersected and clashed with tremendous force, triggering a powerful explosion that sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the immediate vicinity.

Thanks to it, the ice dragons gradually became aware that their attacks were colliding solely with each other. They crisscrossed and intermingled, yet they failed to strike their intended target. In a moment of realization, the dragons recognized that Rain had escaped their attacks, leaving them trapped in a relentless cycle of self-inflicted attacks that only clashed and detonated upon themselves.

The dragons used their sharp senses to locate Rain… they messed up since attacking with their eyes didn't let them see things with their dragon eyes, when they usually would be able to… talk about trying to use a rifle with closed eyes.

Still, before they had the chance to find him, Rain appeared behind one of them and then stabbed the back of the head of the monster and killed it immediately… when the monsters realized that and they looked toward their ally, they didn't see anything. Their ally had disappeared as well…

By focusing the mana in their eyes without attacking, they were able to find traces of mana in the air that went upward until it reached the clouds, but soon the traces split into several ones, and the dragons didn't know what was happening…