Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain was surprised… he didn't expect that at all… considering the secretive nature of the dragons and their usual behavior where they saw themselves at the top of the food chain of the world in all aspects. Considering that Iori wasn't with the other dragons, that kind of technique was also weird to be in his hands. Still, it was more worrisome than anything, because his defenses increased tremendously… Iori charged once more, and when Rain blocked the attack once more, he felt like he was being hit by a giant hammer that was being pushed by a meteor… that was insane. Rain took a deep breath and held his ground while Iori tried to push Rain back to Earth… Using a Matter of Skill was useless, and he had to adapt his plans a bit. Still, he couldn't return to Earth now since he didn't want the intervention of the dragons. In the end, Rain swung his sword with all his might and put some distance between them. Still, Iori soon reached him… the same thing happened several times until Rain realized that the effects of the sword weren't working aside from the extra durability… because Iori could use the dark ice. Ordinary ice couldn't slow him down at all. In the end, Rain took a deep breath and then decided to put another plan into action… he moved his right hand to the side, and while he could feel his back getting hot as they began to cross the atmosphere, he tried to punch Iori, but even in his enraged state, he avoided the attack by moving his head… However, his face was still pushed to the side, even though Rain missed the hit… the surprising event decreased Iori's rage and gave room to surprise… Rain used that chance to move away and take a deep breath while he moved out of the stratosphere… "He isn't used to using his rage as a power source yet… few people could have forced him to use that kind of power," Rain thought when he looked around. The power derived from the sins and virtues was clearly challenging to harness and control. For the dragons, in particular, mastering these powers was much of a difficult task, but it had some limitations. It demanded absolute control over the corresponding sin to utilize the powers obtained by them to their fullest potential. Dragons, as beings predominantly composed of corruption, were accustomed to tapping into these primal forces. Often, they could evolve significantly by focusing on just one sin. This specialization allowed them to deepen their connection and wield the power more effectively. For humans, however, controlling such powers was exceedingly difficult. Unlike dragons, who were intrinsically tied to these forces, humans had a limited capacity to handle the overwhelming and corruptive nature of the sins. The inherent corruption associated with these powers made it extremely challenging for humans to wield them without succumbing to their darker influences or losing control, often resulting in catastrophic consequences. "I need to deal with him before he understands what I did… it is a pity that I didn't think that I could do this in the past in order to improve that elemental affinity," Rain thought and then sighed. Rain couldn't complain much, since he never thought that he would have to be so stealthy in his life… in any case, there were some things that he could do to help with that. He just had to change his equipped skills and then let Skill Affinity do its magic. Iori eventually recovered from the surprise and soon decided to attack again, even though he had no idea what had hit him before… as the rage took half of his face once again, he charged toward Rain once more… only to have his chin almost destroyed once again by something invisible. The impact of the attack slowed down Iori as he felt the shock passing through his whole body. He had no idea what was going on, but he could tell that he couldn't let those attacks accumulate… he had studied Rain for long enough to know that a few good hits on the chin and he was done for, and there was nothing that he could do to protect that area without decreasing his attack power. As if it was following his will, the shadow on his face began to move toward Iori's jaw… in a matter of seconds, his mouth that was hanging open was repaired. Still, the shadow didn't return to its place… it wanted to stay there in order to avoid future damage. "You better not be the one doing this…" Rain said. "... Well, I can't deny that a part of me is doing that, the part that is in the armor at least," Nigel said. "That part of me sees that guy as a good vessel as well. Still, it shouldn't have the power to heal such wounds. It is only hiding the damage." That wasn't enough, but Rain couldn't blame Nigel either. Regardless, he took a deep breath and decided to increase the gear before the enemy could do anything else troublesome… Unfortunately, Iori was already doing that. As Iori's anger surged, the shadow that had initially covered half of his face began to spread, covering his entire body. However, this wasn't a mere darkening of his appearance; the shadow seemed to pulsate with an increasing surge of energy. The escalating fury radiating from Iori was transforming the shadow into something more ominous and powerful. In a mesmerizing display, the dense darkness surrounding Iori manifested into torrents of energy, crackling and coalescing into dark lightning bolts that crackled and moved around him. These bolts of dark energy sparked and zipped erratically, adding an eerie, almost surreal quality to the already intense atmosphere. The shadows seemed to dance and writhe, pulsating with immense power and malice, a visual manifestation of Iori's escalating rage. "You can't be serious…" Rain thought and then sighed. Iori's current display of abilities hinted at a remarkable junction of skills derived from various wrath-type dragons. The manifestation of dark ice resembles the Tempest dragons' characteristic power. The transformation of his skin into an almost diamond-like texture mirrored the unique attribute of the Golem dragons. Moreover, the swirling aura of dark lightning resembled the uncanny energy associated with the Storm dragons.