Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix
Chapter 1195 - 1195: Second round

It was amazing that Rain broke the spirit of someone who had been enduring that kind of life for who knows how long. His psych should have been pretty strong if he managed to keep his sanity after all that.

"Considering his mana pool to summon those creatures, he must have focused solely on increasing that," Rain said. "He knows that he can't fight alone, so he is planning to create an army of shadows… time to learn how he can use shadow magic."

Rain forced the weakened ruler to explain the intricacies of his magic. The king, his mind and body pushed to their limits, struggled to articulate coherent thoughts. Nevertheless, amidst the groans and gasps, fragments of information came out.

From what Rain could understand, the essence of his power lay in the manipulation and amalgamation of sin's magic, a dark force born from the dark thoughts of sentient beings. The king had somehow attained full control over this malevolent energy, converting it into a singular, potent force.

It became evident that achieving such mastery required intense training to navigate the complex web of sin magic.

The next was the critical step in utilizing this energy as a weapon. Materializing the amalgamated sin's magic demanded not only control but also the ability to shape it into a tangible form. Total mastery over the mana used to control the shadow was essential. Rain grasped that manipulating shadows required a profound understanding of the interconnected elements of sin's magic.

The curious aspect was that the shadows could expand limitlessly, drawing upon the constant production of sin magic by sentient beings. This limitless source provided a unique advantage, allowing the king to amass an ever-growing army of shadows to wield as a formidable force against his adversaries.

By making the shadows converge, he could create those crystals in which he could put inside things to control them with his mind or use them to create all forms of things.

"I would dare say that you would only have trouble trying to master this with me around," Elisabetha said.

"While the foundation is similar, the process is different from what I truly want," Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Still, trying to learn this might come in handy… maybe we will be able to separate your corrupt power from your body."

"That will be hard since I am filled with rage only, while that guy had all the other sins," Elisabetha said. "Moreover, his level of wrath can't be compared to mine when it reaches a point that it blinds the mind of myself and even you. He didn't even reach that level because he focused on controlling all of his desires equally."

That was truly curious… but it was something that could be explored at a later time. In the end, Rain stopped his torture session and used his magic to make that guy recover fast. Making him recover the water that he lost and some nutrients as well. When he woke up and saw Rain, he suddenly got up, but soon he fell when he felt a sharp pain in his knees… they were completely broken, after all.

"I give up. Victory is yours," Rain said.

The enemy opened his eyes widely in confusion, and then he clicked his tongue when Rain disappeared… in the next moment, a bunch of people who had been waiting outside found Rain appearing there. He was a bit wounded, but he looked fine overall.

"You took your time there…" Terra said while checking Rain's body for internal injuries.

"How was it?" Sealyn asked.

"I don't have much time to explain, but I will give a brief summary of the situation," Rain said.

Rain took a moment to tell everyone about the events within the castle, sharing the details of the interrogation and the insights gained into the king in the shadows' formidable powers. Elisabetha's potential connection to her own corrupted energy and the distinctions in their desires became apparent during the discussion.

Despite ending the torture session, the information obtained offered valuable perspectives on the intricacies of manipulating sin's magic.

Following the talk, Rain's focus shifted to more practical matters. He headed to the board to assess the changes in his recent endeavors on his status within the zone. To his surprise, he discovered an unexpected addition: he had five thousand more points than he had anticipated. Even though he had conceded the final match, the points he had earned up to the fourth challenge remained intact.

The revelation piqued Rain's curiosity further, prompting him to study into the secrets of the zone. He had uncovered valuable information about the king in the shadows' powers and the potential for harnessing sin's magic. However, a critical step remained, confirming the condition of the weakened ruler.

"I will be back soon," Rain said.

Rain decided to challenge the king in the shadows again and soon returned to the chamber… only to see him back on the throne completely healed… Still, it wasn't like time had been reversed… he could feel the hate in that guy's eyes. He still recalled what happened because it happened a few moments ago…

"You…" The king in the shadows said while getting up from his throne.

"I have come to hang out again," Rain said.

The others outside waited for Rain's return to hear more explanations about what had happened… the things that they had learned seemed a bit confusing. A bit too confusing, in fact… still, while the first run lasted for five hours, the second run lasted only for half an hour. Even though the enemy knew some of Rain's cards, he didn't have time to think of ways to counter them perfectly.

"Are you going to head there again?" Terra asked when she saw Rain with a broken arm and his nose bleeding.

"Only tomorrow, farming this place for points in the best," Rain said while smiling. "Anyway, call the others. I am going to explain what I learned here in detail."