Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix
Chapter 1165 - 1165: Explanations

"If you keep killing them, they will keep getting stronger and eventually revert back to their true size and power," The bear man said. "They are beasts that can destroy entire worlds on their own. They are calamities that brought the end of countless societies."

When Rain heard the bear man's revelation about the guardians being calamities that brought the end of countless societies, he paused, allowing the weight of the information to sink in. The idea that these creatures could destroy entire worlds and had a history of causing such devastation left Rain in deep thought.

His mind started to connect the dots. The first dragons, the ancient beings that had wreaked havoc on Earth, obtained their power by absorbing the essence of the lands they attacked and destroyed. If the guardians in this zone could keep coming back, it suggested that their power might be sealed or utilized for other purposes.

Rain considered the possibility that these creatures were not only capable of physical destruction but also of draining the very mana from the area.

Thousands of people living in the zone for thousands of years would undoubtedly accumulate an immense amount of mana. If the guardians had the ability to absorb and manipulate this energy, it could explain their cyclical return and the difficulty in permanently eliminating them.

The realization struck Rain that the fate of the city and its inhabitants was intricately tied to these powerful beings and their ability to manipulate the life force of the land.

"The people from the past worked together to kill the four beasts in the span of one hour countless times until they failed and died," The bear man said. "When they die, they become stronger; when they kill powerful people, they become stronger too, but offering sacrifices pacifies the beasts and makes them lose some power over time.

The best moment to strike them down is after they have their daily meal. The founders decided to follow this system until we could become strong enough to pull that off or until someone capable of doing that could arrive."

"Eh… so, anyways, your death won't be useless," Rain said. "You will serve me even after death… I guess I can create the necromancer's path now."

"How many people have you all sacrificed over thousands of years?" Elisabetha asked. "It is better to die fighting than cowering in fear. If you are willing to do everything necessary to win, you should be the ones to do that yourself and endure the pain."

"Let's not become preachy, Elisabetha," Rain said.

"Since the founders founded the first city, over 43.800.000 people were sacrificed," The bear man said. "That happened 7500 years ago, after all. Every day, sixteen people are sacrificed when we don't have newcomers, we choose those among ourselves based on a lottery."

"And you still think that your life alone can bargain for all of those?" Rain asked. "Even though I am not virtuous enough to care about the lives of the people that I have never seen and couldn't ever meet, I still know that this is messed up."

"That isn't all," The bear man said. "There are other cities like this since the people were teleported to other areas. Well, the number of sacrifices could be ten times bigger than that."

"And revealing all that was supposed to make me feel empathetic toward you guys?" Rain asked.

Instead of that, Rain could only feel more pissed because that meant that meant that the beasts were millions of people, and if each one of them gave them around one thousand points of experience, they could have reached level ten thousand or something… that was simply insane.

"I am just saying this to reveal the weight on the shoulders of those that are aware of this," The bear man said. "Time and time again, people challenge those beasts. Eventually, they give up and reach the other zones, but we here know that things will only get worse. If we don't solve this problem, things will only become nastier in the future.

If you manage to free all the cities, as the leader of the first band, I declare that I, alongside all my members, will offer our necks to you, but you will have to lead the survivors."

"Not gonna happen. I am completely focused on making sure that my family and friends will survive. I can't overreach," Rain said.

"... As much as this doesn't sit well with me, you should do what he told you," Elisabetha said. "You will gain a massive force with countless types of skills and abilities. Their knowledge amount should be immensurable as well."

Rain's scowl deepened as he heard the bear man's explanation. The weight of the sacrifices and the twisted system of power left a bitter taste in his mouth. Elisabetha sensed the conflict within him. She didn't need words to convey her understanding.

Rain reluctantly accepted the compromise, knowing that, for now, aligning with these individuals was a necessary evil. The path ahead was uncertain, and the enemies they faced remained shrouded in mystery. His mind, sharp and calculating, began to strategize for the challenges that lay ahead.

As the conversation continued, Rain couldn't shake off the disturbing thoughts about the creatures and the millions of sacrificed lives. The responsibility of leadership pressed down on him, and the treacherous path he walked became more apparent.

"All right…" Rain said and then sighed. "As long as you free everyone and confirm that no one of my allies was sacrificed, I agree to cooperate with you for the time being. Where are they?"

"The only ones that arrived are you and those four," The bear man said. "I received information that others arrived in the other cities, but we can't contact them. We are expecting that you would contact them and stop their actions as well since they are causing some havoc."

"I am sure they are, considering the mess that you have here," Rain said and then sighed.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.