Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

At close quarters, the enemies' assault was almost lethal. The combination of the sound wave's force and the water blades' cutting ability made them a dangerous threat in close combat. However, at the distance where Rain and his allies engaged them, the potency of their attack was severely compromised.

"Mages and archers! Attack the flying monsters freely!" Branden shouted.

Around the same time that Branden gave the order, Rain saw the enemy battalions moving… he saw one of them moving first and then ten others moving right behind, and then he informed Branden.

"They are taking this seriously now…" Branden said while biting his nails.

Now things truly were looking like a war… In the end, a messenger approached Branden and told him the orders that Revan had decided. He was also having a hard time dealing with the bats, and the wind was against them, so the damage being caused to the beasts was minimal. He had to split his forces to deal with the monsters and enemies since he was responsible for the right side of the western wall.

"... Cor, you will lead the frontlines," Branden said after he thought for a short while. "The royal guards aren't with us anymore, so do things as you see fit on the field. Those who can attack from a distance will remain here and deal with the monsters. Keep your guard up."

It was the first time in a long while that Jori's group was going to split up and work independently. While the frontline seemed confident, the backline seemed a bit worried.

"Don't worry, we got this," Jori said. "Just keep the monsters busy, and we will get the head of another general."

"Rain, I want you to keep an eye on the enemies and return to the wall if you see any big and suspicious movements," Branden said. "Quick thinking and moving fast will be the key while we can't see the enemies well enough."

"Roger that," Rain said and then nodded.

Just when Rain was about to jump from the wall alongside the others, he had an idea of what he could do to deal with the monsters. He looked at Liss and wondered if she could pull it off… her strength was wind and fire magic, after all.

"Enhance Asche's arrows, and now with wind magic, that should help her hit the bats," Rain said.

Liss blinked several times after she heard that… she was used to enhancing Jori's sword and Reca's spear, but Enhancing their bow and arrows was something that he hadn't done before… mainly because Asche never needed that kind of help. Also, it was very inefficient since the Mana would only last for a single attack on the arrows.

"Do you want to try?" Asche asked.

Liss nodded, but then she had another idea… one that it would be better to save Mana. Instead of just enhancing the whole bow with wind magic, she just Enhanced the string.

When Asche fired the next arrow, he noticed that the projectile was a lot lighter than before and flew for a longer distance as well.

Still, Asche didn't hit the target since the speed and power had been far too great… In the next moment, Liss used her wind magic on Asche's right hand as well, and then when she shot the next arrow, it pierced the head of the target and killed it, just like she wanted.

"It looks like your tip helped them," Jori said when they began to see the bats falling like rain as well.

"Maybe I still feel like they are showing progress too fast," Rain thought and then turned to face the enemies. "Let's forget about them."

While Rain couldn't see the enemies, he recognized their auras a bit. The ones in the frontline were the golem masters. At least three hundred of them were ready to fight… it was hard to imagine how well golems would fare in those weather conditions.

Rain couldn't help but blink several times when he saw the golems emerging from the ground like it was nothing… their bodies were a bit different as well… It was made of mud instead of stone.

"They can use mud golems as well…" Rain said.

"As long as they aren't fire Golems, we can manage that," Cor said and then raised his sword to make everyone raise their guards.

Those could be interpreted as famous last words, but Rain wouldn't let the current commander of their group die like that… it would be disastrous, after all.

Rain's astonishment deepened as he saw the monsters moving. While they were earthy monstrosities known as golems, what set them apart was their method of locomotion.

Rather than lumbering forward on their legs like conventional golems, these mud constructs seemed to glide effortlessly across the ground. Their bodies, composed of a mixture of water and earth, had taken on a slick and fluid consistency that allowed them to slide rather than walk. The terrain beneath them became almost like a makeshift track as they propelled themselves forward with eerie grace.

What struck Rain as particularly surprising was the trade-off between durability and speed. As the mud golems slid across the rain-soaked ground, they lost some of their structural integrity, causing portions of their forms to erode and disintegrate.

However, this apparent weakening had an unexpected side effect: it made them faster, their sleek and fluid movements enabled by their deteriorating bodies.

"Charge!" Cor shouted once he pointed his sword toward the enemies.

Rain wasn't entirely sure if that was a good idea, but he followed his orders… Besides, they couldn't let the enemies reach the walls and damage the long-ranged fighters, after all.

Still, in the end, his instincts proved themselves to be correct. Rain was one of the first to attack the mud golems, and he punched the target with all his might… making it explode. Unfortunately, that hadn't been only thanks to his attack…

The monster exploded, and numerous sharp rocks flew in all directions and hit the humans. Even Rain, who had a high endurance, felt a burning pain when he protected his head with his arms, but he didn't have his forearm guards with him… then he began to feel some blood falling.