Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix
Chapter 1238 - 1238: Forcing the path

A sense of foreboding settled over Rain and Seadrei as they realized the demon king might be hidden within the labyrinthine network of caves. The absence of any discernible organization and defenses around the stone mountain added an extra layer of mystery to their target's lair.

It became clear that reaching the demon king would require venturing deep into the dark recesses of the mountain and navigating through the maze of cave entrances.

"We will have to split up," Seadrei declared. "We can't waste time while the others are fighting. When one of us finds the enemy, we will send signs to the other to help with the location of the battleground."

"I don't like this… but you have a point," Rain said.

Seadrei activated his own domain and tried to do the same as Rain before entering one of the caves. Rain moved in the opposite direction and entered the place using a cave in the other city of that hive-looking mountain.

The cave that Rain chose was pretty massive, but while it was spacious, he soon started to feel even worse… the sloth field was affecting him to the point that even the bacteria in the air were eating his flesh faster than before.

"Is it showing less resistance than before because of the sloth path, or is it because the concentration of bacteria here is much higher?" Rain thought.

Rain couldn't tell, but he had to endure the situation because it would be troublesome if the demons attacked him from behind as well. Without wasting time, Rain began to fly to reach the demon king as soon as possible.

The cave presented itself like a serpentine labyrinth, twisting and turning with no apparent logic. Its path moved unpredictably, going up, down, and sideways, creating a disorienting journey for anyone venturing within. The uneven, jagged walls seemed to close in and expand at seemingly random intervals, adding to the sense of confusion.

The weird thing was the fact that Rain didn't find the path splitting either.

Rain, determined to locate the demon king, touched the walls in an attempt to sense the malevolent energy emanating from their target. However, the walls provided no clear indication of the demon king's location. Instead, Rain's touch only heightened his unease as the malevolence seemed to seep through the very stones themselves.

As he continued along the winding path, Rain realized the cave was not only a maze of twists and turns but also a trap filled with danger. The air, thick with the malevolent energy, harbored a concentrated presence of the chaotic bacteria, making every surface a potential danger.

A momentary lapse in attention could prove disastrous, as Rain learned when a mere touch to the cave's surface resulted in a swift reaction from the bacteria. The microorganisms devoured the flesh on Rain's finger at an alarming rate.

"This is worse than I thought," Rain furrowed his eyebrows.

"It doesn't feel like the bacteria are being reproduced here, but they sure like this place," Elisabetha said. "At the same time, I can't see anywhere that the demons would use to stay, but with his much corrupt energy, they could recharge their energy just by staying inside."

Elisabetha had a point, but Rain soon forgot about that when he found the light at the end of the tunnel… only to find himself on another side of the cave. He should have known that the enemy would have done that…

"There is only one real path, I guess," Rain thought and then tried to use Telepathy. "Seadrei, can you hear me? Did you find the demon king?"

Unfortunately, Rain didn't receive any response… the amount of energy in that place was affecting his Telepathy. If he couldn't bypass such a thing of a single place, how was he going to communicate with the other zones? The skill was already at level thirty, and yet…

In the end, Rain decides to forget about that and soon begins to fly as fast as possible and enters another cave. Even with his speed, it took a couple of minutes for him to reach the other side of the cave, and he confirmed another miss.

Rain's impatience grew with each successive twist and turn and failure in the serpentine maze of caves. The continuous frustration reached a point where maintaining the sloth field became even more challenging for him. Anger welled up within him, and he had to exert extra effort to keep his emotions in check.

Arel's words about the demon king being no fool echoed in Rain's mind. The enemy had created a labyrinthine network of caves, seemingly designed to confuse and frustrate anyone attempting to navigate through it. Rain couldn't help but acknowledge the demon king's cunning strategy, even though it got on his nerves.

As Rain continued to navigate the seemingly illogical pathways, his anger reached a boiling point. The constant dead ends and misdirections tested his patience. The demon king's nature and the intricate design of the cave system proved to be more than just a physical challenge; it became a mental and emotional trial for Rain.

Before long, Rain decided to do something drastic, but then a massive tremor inside the mountain made him realize that Seadrei had found the demon king first. That was the thing that he feared the most.

"In terms of raw parameters, he should be around ten percent stronger than me," Rain thought. "But this is a difference that can be ignored with cheap tricks and a decent battle plan… Still, he had been so strong from the beginning that his skills to outwit the enemies were rather weak.

Rain wanted to have faith in Seadrei, his father-in-law whom he had known for decades, but he couldn't deny his stubborn nature. He also seemed to be hastier lately for some reason, and that would make him prone to make mistakes.

"Let's just hope that you won't be smashed by this," Rain said, and then he equipped the wrath path and summoned his giant earth arms.

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