Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix
Chapter 1296 - 1296: Coming back

Thanks to that massive progress, Rain could actually use ten rings without feeling like he was losing all of his willpower. Only when he added two rings to a doppelganger was when things get complicated.

"Hmm, I can use this… a single meditation ring on a doppelganger cancels the mana cost for me," Rain thought. "That doesn't decrease mental strain, though. For whatever reason…"

Still, that was a huge discovery. It was essentially another copy of Rain that could do the same things that he could do under his complete control and without any extra cost to exist… it was the perfect tool for grinding.

"Hehehe, boy…" Rain smirked.

"You might want to change your expression when you are satisfied alone for whatever reason," Elisabetha said. "That truly creeps me out, and I have the worst of the auras here."

"I guess you indeed… have a point," Rain said and then got up when he suddenly lost control of one of the doppelgangers.

Rain immediately made the other retreat, but in the end, all of them were quickly disposed of in a matter of seconds, and Rain didn't even see what had happened. After clicking his tongue, Rain analyzed the situation…

Despite Rain's keen observation, he couldn't find any unusual occurrences in the vicinity. There were no signs of the enemies detecting his presence, and no magical interference was evident. Despite these assurances, his doppelgangers were swiftly and efficiently eliminated without any apparent cause. While Rain had relaxed a bit, he didn't drop his guard all that much…

A single unsettling explanation crossed Rain's mind, but he chose to dismiss it momentarily. The possibility that there might be an unknown force or an undetected ability working against his doppelgangers lingered, causing a sense of concern, but that was something that he had considered many times already.

Nevertheless, Rain decided to gather more information and investigate the situation further before jumping to conclusions. The mysterious disposal of his doppelgangers was a worrisome development that demanded careful consideration.

"Let's report this to the others," Rain said and then used Telepathy.

After doing that, Rain summoned four doppelgangers and made them wear a single meditation mastery ring each and made them work as sentinels a bit far away from their previous positions. If he couldn't watch the enemies, they at least could work as lookouts.

"All right, you will train with the bow, you will train with the sword," Rain said. "You will train ice magic, and you… I guess it is useless to make a doppelganger train their body for me. You can train earth magic then."

"It would be a lot more efficient if you made them train a single aspect," Elisabetha said.

"My main fighting style won't change, but I still need some tools," Rain said. "Besides, training other paths doesn't mean that I am planning to use them. They will just help me complete the foundation of my main fighting style."

"I can't see that," Elisabetha said.

"That is because you aren't a visionary," Rain said. "Well, only I know perfectly what I am lacking off, and only I can solve those aspects."

Elisabetha had no idea what Rain was talking about, and while she could read his thoughts, she decided not to pry since she could tell that Rain had something interesting in mind, and she liked to be surprised as well.

In the end, Rain's doppelgangers began to work as he commanded them, but after a couple of hours, they stopped when Rain saw the enemies approaching from the distance… his plan to keep them at a distance worked.

"They came a lot sooner than I expected… I was imagining that…" Rain furrowed his eyebrows and then stopped talking. "Whatever, it is time to prepare for the battle."

Rain, observing the approaching enemies, realized that their numbers had increased by around fifty percent. The unexpected addition was a contingent of 150 mechanical knights. Thanks to their sudden appearance, Rain was unsure of where they had come from.

"It seems a pretty decent estimation of your forces," Elisabetha said. "With those four armies coming at the same time, neither of you will be able to help each other."

Very aware of that, Rain quickly alerted everyone in the camp and summoned his doppelgangers back to him. Determined to use them more effectively, he was surprised when the mechanical knights stopped several kilometers away from his side of the wall. In contrast, the other groups continued their advance.

The peculiar behavior of the mechanical knights raised questions in Rain's mind. He couldn't discern their motives, but he understood the need to prepare for an imminent battle since they were planning to use mind games and tactics to annoy him.

"Oh, yeah? Do you want to be nasty?" Rain asked. "I will show you how nasty I can be."

The mechanical knights assumed their ranks by forming twelve lines with twelve members in each one of them. They didn't move a single inch from their spot, and they kept their guard up with their shields and spears ready for action as they waited for Rain.

Their plan was simple: make Rain waste as much time as possible while the other armies attacked his friends and killed each one of them. If he doesn't fall for the bait, they will attack their base from a distance. They were equipped and had enough mana to do that for hours. So, in one way or the other, they would achieve their goals.

Much to their surprise, Rain decided to choose the third option… all of a sudden, from the sides, dark mana swords began to hit the mechanical knights. Despite their size, the monsters began to crack and suffer damage, but soon they turned and blocked the projectiles… that had been their downfall.

Barely a second had passed after they split to defend two directions… giant dark mana swords were fired from the direction of the base, and the creatures were destroyed instantly.