Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1523: Instant Attack

It became apparent that Lonos, too, had arrived at a similar conclusion regarding the nature of their final battle. The overseer’s motives, shrouded in mystery and intrigue, hinted at a deeper purpose beyond the mere survival of the species.

For Rain, this realization came with a cascade of introspection and contemplation. From the moment he first gained access to the power of the machine gods, a change had occurred within him. The immense capabilities bestowed upon him, now integrated into the path system, hinted at a different goal than simply defeating the machine gods to ensure humanity’s survival. There something that was missing...

The paths system, typically reserved for skills developed by those born with it, now housed the incredible powers of the machine gods, a testament to Rain’s unprecedented evolution of people from Earth.

As Rain pondered the implications of his newfound abilities, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his journey was about more than just the survival of his species. There was a deeper purpose at play, a grand design unfolding before him... he should have considered that when he obtained the power of the lords as well, but he had other things in his mind that kept him from thinking too much about it.

"I will cross that bridge when the time comes, for now, you guys are the enemies that we need to dispose off," Rain declared.

Lonos went silent for a short while, thinking about the situation. Rain had a point... from his point of view, the last two machine gods and the dragon god were the enemies that the humans needed to worry about the most. The overseer still didn’t know anything about them.

Still, it was weird... considering that the lives of his friends and family were on the line, one would think that Rain would be more cautious or impatient... even though he bought ten years for them to get stronger, was that enough for them to become a menace for the last two machine gods truly? Even agaisnt Fortus, that would be very unlikely... while weaker than Lonos, he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

"Well, this could happen as well, but the outcome still can change. Once you suffer total defeat, you might change your mind."

"Why would you want to change my mind when you told Arel to crush me as soon as possible?" Rain asked.

"As I told you, the future is certain in stone, but the process might change. That is all."

The feeling of the area changed, and then Rain was able to feel the resolution in Lonos’ aura. He opened his arms and then slowly opened them, and then instantly, Rain was attacked dozens of times... Rain’s instincts didn’t even have time to warn him... Lonos used an instant attack many levels higher than Origin Punch... Rain’s mind blanked for a moment, and then, when he recovered, he spat some blood from his mouth.

"Is that the lowest level of your attack?" Rain asked.

"That is right."

"Are you going to use the same retarded tactic of starting slowly and then eventually get serious?" Rain asked.

"I am aware that the others did the same to you and met their ends, but that is the type of beings that we are. We are logical. If you don’t present a danger to us now, there is no point in trying to use all of our strength to crush you instantly. Besides, experiments need to be done calmly and with focus. Right now, you are my test subject to learn the limits of your species."

Rain sighed heavily, his frustration with the machine gods’ modus operandi evident in the exhale. Their arrogance and disregard for humanity irked him to no end, but he refused to let their actions bother him.

Despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him and the seemingly insurmountable challenges ahead, Rain remained focused. If the machine gods insisted on treating him as nothing more than an insignificant insect, then he would defy their expectations at every turn.

With each trial and tribulation he faced, Rain was determined to prove them wrong, to show them that he was far more than they had ever imagined. Their underestimation of his capabilities only fueled his determination to succeed, driving him to push beyond his limits and emerge victorious against all odds. He did that many times and will do that again...

"Show me what you can do agaisnt instantaneous attacks. Using the information path to steal information from my skills to learn them won’t work since I won’t have time to activate the skills. So, what are you going to do?"

"... Why don’t you try to find out?" Rain asked while scowling.

"Nothing, huh? Maybe that will change in the future."

Rain didn’t like that... but he was starting to think that Lonos could use his power to see the future whenever he wanted. Asking such questions could be the trigger to see the future... in that case...

Lonos attacked Rain again... even without moving from his spot, and he punched Rain twenty times in a single moment. His head shook from one side to the other violently until he spat some blood again, but soon, he flinched when he saw Rain’s eyes.

As Rain recovered from the attack, a peculiar calmness washed over him, reflected in the emptiness that seemed to linger in his eyes, with a gaze that showed no hint of hesitation or doubt or any emotion for that matter. He appeared almost trance-like as if he had emptied his mind of all distractions and focused solely on the task at hand.

At that moment, Rain’s expression was serenely clear. His eyes, once filled with the intensity of battle, now seemed to reflect a profound stillness, as if he had tapped into a reservoir of inner peace amidst the storm raging around him.

"You truly are an interesting being. Your capacity to think is pretty fast for a being of mere flesh and bones."