Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

The next morning, Rain stopped meditating when his Mana was at eighty percent… he could keep going, but he decided to stretch his body a bit. When he did that, he felt his bones aching a bit. When he touched the spots, he felt the same pain…

"I guess I really should focus on using magic only today," Rain thought.

Rain joined the others and soon found himself having breakfast with them on the walls while they watched the enemies camp; even now, they didn't show any signs of change.

"They are losing precious time; I can't believe that they are making such a blunder," Jori said.

"They must have a hard time reaching an agreement on what they should do; they don't want to return home as losers, even more so after losing a fellow general," Rain said. "That is one of the downsides of having three generals that stand at the same rank without a commander. When they lose one, and the other two don't agree with anything, they can't do shit."

"The fact that they live in tribes and those tribes are only loyal to their leaders could be another factor," Reca said.

"Indeed, that is also another important factor," Rain said. "Their variety when it comes to techniques can be a weapon, but also a weakness."

"I don't see Lord Branden here," Liss said while looking around.

"Cor and his group aren't around either," Asche said. "They probably are having a meeting with the Lord Commander. Since no general is on this side, we can afford to take it easy without a leader."

Since that was the case, Rain decided to leave the walls and look for some weapon to use. His fists and magic could do the trick, and while he was planning to only use magic for a while, not having a weapon felt odd. Rain slept with his forearm guards for many years; he only took them to shower himself, and they still stayed nearby. No wonder he felt restless without them.

Still, even though he checked the supplies that they had on their side, he didn't find anything close to forearm guards. Rain felt like sighing.

"It is no surprise. Normally, one wouldn't use such a weapon against swords and axes and even spears," Jori said.

"What do you mean by even spears?" Reca furrowed her eyebrows.

"What I mean is, I can't even see forearm guards as weapons," Jori said.

"Even if it isn't a weapon, it made you lose your lunch plenty of times," Rain said. "Still, I can understand your way of thinking. It enhances my attacks a bit, but it is mainly a way to keep my real weapons safe, which are my arms."

"You should have trained the other paths a bit, right?" Terra asked. "You should be able to handle a sword or some knives."

Level 1: Swordsmanship Basics - Develops fundamental sword handling techniques, including proper grip, stance, and basic attacks.

Level 5: Defensive Maneuvers - Learned defensive maneuvers such as parrying, blocking, and dodging to effectively defend against enemy attacks.

Level 10: Blade Mastery - Enhances proficiency with the sword, improving accuracy, speed, and control in wielding the weapon.

Level 15: Dual Wielding - Acquires the ability to wield two swords simultaneously, increasing offensive capabilities and allowing for more versatile combat techniques.

Level 20: Sword Techniques - Learned advanced sword techniques such as thrusts, slashes, and spins, maximizing damage output and combat effectiveness.

Level 25: Agility Training - Focuses on improving agility, speed, and reflexes, enabling the swordsman to swiftly maneuver around the battlefield and evade attacks.

A little was fine… the path was at level ten when Rain recalled, but then he saw it at level twenty-five… It was probably because he used Earth magic as a blade during the fight with the enemy general. Still, Rain still wanted to use weapons without relying on magic. It was his trademark at that point…

"The enemies are moving! Assume your positions!"

One random soldier shouted, and then the group returned to the walls as fast as they could. Still, they were surprised to see the enemies on their side raising their camp… it was a bit too soon for them to give up on the war, though.

After one hour, they noticed that the enemies were moving to the eastern side of the city… they also heard that the enemies in the opposite direction were moving to the same location…

"I guess this is going to be an all-out war from now on," Rain said.

"Did they agree only to work together in a single place in order to make sure that they will win?" Terra asked.

"It would be more accurate to say that it would be easier to react and change the flow of the battle if the other side drags the other down," Asche shrugged. "It is funny that those guys wanted to conquer another country when theirs are still this split."

The royal guards began to return to their camp without receiving orders, but the others had to stay behind and wait for Branden. It didn't take long for him to show up.

"Attention, we will be moving to the northeast side of the city," Branden declared. "Don't rush and wait for further orders until all of your groups will be allocated to their designated locations. The enemies won't attack so soon, so don't leave anything behind and use this chance to rest as well."

The group began to pack their things, but Rain didn't have much, so he soon found himself bored and decided to help Liss and Terra, who were the weakest physically. Before long, Branden joined them.

"Things will get a bit complicated now since we will have to follow the orders of Revan directly," Branden said. "He is no fool, so we won't do anything insane that will cost the war, but you need to keep your guard up since he might send you to your deaths in order to increase his merit in the victory. There is no need to reward that much those who die on the battlefield, after all."