Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"Head straight into the exit of the city and wait for me there. Don't hesitate in attacking anyone approaching you who looks suspicious," Rain said.

"Wait, Rain!" Branden said. "This is insane."

"Hoping that the monster will stop before reaching us is even more insane," Rain said.

The group had already reached the main path that was going down to the exit of the city, and the dragon was already burning the stairs two hundred meters above… they didn't have time to talk anymore.

Rain touched the ground and then made an earth spear emerge from it and fly at Sonic speeds toward the enemy. The fire dragon blocked the attack with its cheek after closing its mouth, and that was what Rain had hoped for…

Rain used Impulse and kicked the ground toward all his might before propelling himself toward the fire dragon. Before the creature could reach, Rain kicked his nose.

A large impact echoed in the area and the body of the dragon trembled as its massive weight encountered Rain's fist. Rain also felt his bones cracking thanks to the massive weight of a flying dragon moving toward him, but he ignored that and kicked the face of the beast to land below.

The fire dragon was a terrifying sight to behold. Its enormous body was covered in fiery red scales, emanating intense heat. These scales bore scars from countless battles and testaments to their long life of conflict.

Its eyes glowed with a malevolent intelligence, matching the fiery power it could unleash. The dragon's immense wings, resembling tattered flags of flame, stretched high above the city's tallest buildings. Their shadow seemed to devour everything in their path.

Rain felt a mix of awe and terror as he stared at this colossal creature. It was a stark reminder of the raw, primal forces that existed in this world, capable of reducing cities to rubble and lives to ashes with a single breath.

"My attacks stopped its advance, but I can't see much damage…" Rain thought. "Still, I should gain a shit ton of experience if I were to defeat this."

It seemed that Rain was getting carried away, and soon he realized that when he heard more explosions in the distance… not just one dragon came to attack the city.

Rain locked eyes with the fire dragon, and an icy chill ran down his spine. The dragon's gaze was nothing short of mesmerizing and terrifying. Its eyes were twin infernos, ablaze with an otherworldly rage and fury.

At that moment, Rain sensed an ancient and overwhelming power within those eyes. It was as if he was staring into the very heart of elemental destruction, and the dragon's gaze pierced through him with a searing, malevolent intent.

The fury radiating from those eyes was tangible, a force of nature that could annihilate everything in its path. Rain, in comparison, felt like a mere mortal in the presence of an immortal, and the gravity of this realization weighed heavily upon him.

While Rain felt a bit bad for the dragon and could understand that the creature failed to stop one of its allies from being humiliated further, he wasn't understanding enough to risk his life to let the beast do what it came to do at his expense.

The monster opened its mouth again and used Fire Breath insanely fast, making the stairs that Rain had a moment ago melt. Still, he used Impulse to escape below the dragon, and then Rain punched the creature's stomach.

The whole body of the monster convulsed in pain. It seemed that Rain was actually causing damage, even though he couldn't see blood. Still, he was expecting that much since he was also using the technique that he learned from the second general that he killed.

The monster soon recovered when Rain landed, and then the beast did the same, trying to crush him with its massive weight, but Rain escaped once again with Impulse.

"It is trying to hide its weaker areas…" Rain thought.

The only area of the monster that wasn't covered in scales was the chest, and that was also the only area that Rain punched, which he didn't feel his fists cracking when he attacked.

While Rain was thinking about that, the monster opened its mouth again, and when Rain thought of running away, he saw a Barrage of Fireballs being fired at him.

"Shit!" Rain thought.

Realizing the imminent danger posed by the approaching fireballs, Rain swiftly took action. He knew that both innocent bystanders and his companions, Branden and Esmeralda, were still behind him, vulnerable to the impending attack.

Rain harnessed the power of the earth element in a remarkable display of his elemental mastery. He conjured a sturdy wall of earth from the ground, forming an imposing barricade right in the path of the fiery projectiles. But he didn't stop there. In one fluid and precise motion, he called upon the water element.

A colossal wave of water surged forth, cascading down upon the earthen barrier. This ingenious combination of earth and water created a formidable defense, a fusion of elements that offered both solidity and protection. As the fireballs made contact, they were met with this unyielding shield.

The intense heat of the flames was immediately countered by the cooling presence of the water. It hissed and evaporated upon impact, enveloping Rain and those sheltered behind him in a protective veil of steam. The powerful synergy of earth and water absorbed the fiery assault, diverting the flames harmlessly away from their position.

The area trembled while the barrage of Fireballs was hitting the mudwall, but at least since Rian kept feeding it with mana, there were no signs of the wall cracking.

Before long, the fire dragon began to fly again while studying the small creature in front of him. Rain could see the confusion in its eyes. Maybe if the dragon had good senses, it could tell that Rain wasn't a magic person, and that only made things more puzzling.