Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Eventually, they saw the look of surprise on Cor and Karla's face when they saw Branden, Esmeralda, Orcis, and Lorene ready to fight. Still, that didn't stop Karla from stepping up and then gulping before raising her voice.

"Listen closely, Rain, and all who stand with him," Karla declared, her tone resolute, "I insist on your immediate surrender. Hand over Rain without resistance, and I can ensure the safety of all the others. In these critical times for our nation, internal strife is a luxury we cannot indulge. Surrender stands as the only logical course of action.

If he accepts punishment for his actions, we can erase this tragic event from the pages of the history of our nation."

Karla's words hung heavily in the night air, casting an undeniable weight on Rain and his allies, who found themselves confronted with a daunting decision in the face of her ultimatum.

"... That is something they wrote, not her," Branden said. "They are forcing her to say all that in order to cause conflicts between us and the king's blade in case things aren't solved here."

"I figured as much," Rain said. "I guess I will have to give them my response for wanting my head and asking for it nicely. Stay here and defend this side."

Branden and Roan sighed when they heard those words… they already knew that Rain could do something like that, but they didn't think that it would be so soon. Without hesitation, he used Limit Breaker, Magic Boost, and Impulse to charge toward the enemies… In the next moment, a powerful blast happened on the sides of the group.

Karla and Cor fell to the side thanks to the sudden arrival and Rain's attack. One of the enemies on the left side suddenly was punched by Rain, and his chest was completely pierced by Rain's punch and then was sent flying into the distance.

His friends quickly pointed their swords at Rain while the fallen soldier was flying in the distance and then rolling on the ground for dozens of meters. Rain turned to face those guys while his arm was covered in blood, but he ignored that and just looked them in the eye… just like before, he couldn't see anything in there, no fear, no tension, only the desire to cut him down.

Karla looked at Rain in shock as if she was imagining that she would be the next to be killed, but Cor stepped forward and shielded her. However, the four other opponents suddenly attacked Rain.

As if they were copying each other's moves, the four soldiers swung their swords from left to right while targeting Rain's neck, but he blocked them with his forearm guards while frowning… were they holding back, he couldn't help but think of that since their attacks were too light… weren't they a special squad made to kill him?

The enemies tried to step away, but an earth wall blocked their escape, and then Rain stepped in and, punched their chests, and pierced them without holding back. If the enemies were doing that, he wouldn't, and thanks to that, his arms pierced their torso and ended up covered in blood as they fell one by one.

"What is going on here?" Rain asked while frowning.

Rain looked at Cor and Karla with eyes filled with suspicion, and Cor raised his sword… he was shocked as well, but he didn't look like he was about to attack Rain… if there was a scheme in place, they weren't part of it. In any case, before Rain could understand what was going on, he suddenly saw something approaching from the side, and he quickly raised his left arm and blocked an attack.

While being pushed away, Rain opened his eyes widely when he saw the first guy he killed attacking him… he was supposed to be dead. Still, then he recalled that he didn't see the messages of the system.

"What the fuck…" Rain thought.

Rain raised his guard when the enemy stopped and then landed. He took a food look at the chest of the guy and soon found that it was still bloody, but the wound wasn't there… At the same time, Rain looked to the side and saw the other guys that he supposedly killed getting up… her auras were growing more powerful as well.

"Now, this is one hell of a weird ability," Rain thought.

Karla and Cor also looked quite shocked… they saw those guys dying, even though they killed hundreds of magic people without suffering a single scratch… or did they? They couldn't know now after seeing that.

As if things weren't troublesome enough, the army in the distance began to move. Those five guys stayed close to each other while they were waiting for the reinforcements… it seemed that their orders were only to keep Rain busy while the others did the clean up.

Rain thought of facing them, but he had an idea and just jumped to the other side of the waterway. He didn't have to fight when those guys wanted, and he also needed to confirm something.

"Did I see that right?" Roan asked.

"Yes… I pierced their torso, and they healed from that wound in a matter of seconds," Rain said while he was getting rid of the blood in his arms. "I can't sense anything weird with the blood so that regeneration speed must be their natural ability or something similar to what the other guys had… have you heard of anyone in history that could do this?"

"No way," Branden replied. "Humans can't do that… but if they have the blood of others… we don't have much information about the warriors of other species… anyway, this isn't time for that, right?"

The approaching army displayed an unwavering resolve as they closed in on the waterway. Their ranks stretched far and wide, their formation disciplined and unyielding. With every step they took, the ground seemed to tremble beneath their might. It was evident that they had no intention of retreating; their determined advance painted a clear picture of their commitment to kill him.