Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix
Chapter 1282 - 1282: Ambush

When Rain got within range, he summoned the chains that he used to stop the doppelgangers, to stop the giant shadow spider… they only lasted for a few moments since their levels were so low, though. Moreover, the beast was absorbing their energy…

Still, that slows down the monster and makes Raing get closer two steps at a time instead of one, and the beast realizes that. The giant shadow spider realized that running away was a waste of time… and decided to turn and face Rain for real this time.

With a sudden halt in her movements, the monster raised her multiple limbs and, with an evil gleam in her eight eyes, released a massive dark web. The dark threads surged from her abdomen, intertwining and weaving together in a complex pattern that expanded rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the dark web formed a massive barrier, surrounding Rain from all sides. The monstrous spider-woman's intent was clear—to ensnare him within her inescapable trap. The shadows emanating from the webcast an eerie and suffocating atmosphere, signaling the imminent danger Rain faced.

However, Rain reacted fast... As the dark web closed in on him, he reacted with a sudden burst of movement. In a display of remarkable agility, he spun in the air violently fast, a whirlwind of motion that seemed almost too quick for the eye to follow. The ominous sword in his mouth and the two mana swords in his hands became blurs of motion as he expertly maneuvered through the dark strands.

With each rotation, Rain's blades sliced through the dark web, cutting it into shreds. The powerful spin created a cyclone of destruction, scattering the dark threads in all directions. The combination of Rain's incredible speed and the razor-sharp edges of his enchanted blades made quick work of the ensnaring web.

The dark web, intended to trap and immobilize, now lay in tatters, its threat neutralized by Rain's swift and precise counterattack. As the remnants of the shredded web dissipated, Rain landed gracefully on the ground, poised and ready to continue his assault. With a single Impulse, he closed in on the beast… their weapons collided as they tried to overpower each other…

Rain's swords began to lose their mana, but Rain ignored that… he had another surprise in store for the beast in front of him. When the mana blades were absorbed, and the claws of the monster approached his neck, a massive mana blade fell from the sky and impaled the beast from chest to bottom… the monster trembled in agony for quite a while, thanks to the vicious attack.

"Hasta luego, bitch," Rain said and then pierced the chest of the monster with his left hand.

You lost the skill Snow Field.

You lost the skill A Matter of Skill.

…

Rain began to turn the essence of the monster into a core while the creature absorbed his power and trembled all over, thanks to the power of gratitude. The beast couldn't even shout, thanks to the mana sword that had impaled her. Regardless, it didn't take long until all the shadows covering the monster's body vanished, and only the body of the giant spider was left, completely immobile.

The Gratitude path leveled up.

…

You recovered the skill Snow Field.

You recovered the skill A Matter of Skill.

…

Rain felt his body getting lighter again as he recovered his skills, parameters, and mana as well. Before long, he pulled the hand from the corpse, and then he saw the core on his hands.

Level 25: Sonic Shield - Creates a protective shield made of sound waves, enhancing defense against physical attacks.

Level 30: Devouring Melody - Infuses attacks with a devouring melody, causing continuous damage over time and weakening the target's vitality. Cost: 100 mana per second.

Level 35: Enervation - Casts a sound spell that reduces the strength of enemies within a specified range. Cost: 150 mana per second.

Level 40: Sonic Barrage - Unleashes a barrage of sound projectiles in a wide area, causing damage and inducing a state of fatigue in affected targets. Damaging their health and stamina by the level of the skill multiplied by ten per second. Cost: 150 mana per second.

"Are you guys all right?" Rain asked via Telepathy.

"The doppelgangers all vanished just now. I take it that you defeated their master, Dad," Sealyn said. "Aside from a few scratches, everyone is fine. At this point in time, we are masters at enduring hardships that test our resolve and resilience daily."

She had a point… the group didn't survive the last one hundred years relying on luck, after all. Regardless, Rain was itching to analyze the skills of the giant shadow spider and then turn it into a path, but that had to wait… for now, Rain decided to contact the others.

"Terra, how are things on your end?" Rain asked. "Terra?"

"Am I kind of busy here!" Terra shouted. "Just when we were about to defeat the lord of the zombies, the yellow mist clan joined the fight. If you are done over there, we could use a hand."

"Roger, I am on my way," Rain said and then he ended the call while wondering the best options in that situation.

Rain quickly dashed to where the others were, and while they were on the ground exhausted, they quickly got up once they heard Rain's explanation and his condition. He still had two holes in his back and side, wounds that were still bleeding. He looked far worse than everyone else, so if he kept going to fight, they felt that they had an obligation to do the same.

"You should just stay with me and cover for them for a distance, you look really in bad shape, Dad," Sealyn said.

"Really? I doubt that you can find someone with stronger and more well-defined abs than mine," Rain said.

"I am not talking about that…" Sealyn said and then rolled her eyes. "Well, let's go and stop wasting time."