Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

As the tornado approached, its power was terrifying. It began to pull the fleeing beast people toward its epicenter with an almost irresistible force. The unfortunate individuals closest to the tornado felt the ground beneath them freeze, locking their feet in place as they desperately struggled against the inexorable pull of the icy winds.

Panic and fear welled up within the beast warriors as they realized their impending doom.

The ice tornado's harsh grip showed no mercy, slowly but relentlessly tugging the beast people closer, like a predator drawing its prey into its maw. Despite their desperate efforts to escape, the tornado's icy clutches were unyielding. With each passing moment, more and more of them were ensnared, and it became clear that they were powerless against the elemental might of this frigid tempest.

"At this point in time, this can't even be considered training for them… my strategies are just too good," Rain said as he watched the beast people being turned into ice while they were spinning in the air. Stay connected via empire

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, the tigermen were running away and the ones that emit steam are resisting," Terra said.

Dana, Kei and Gila didn't have an endless pool of mana either, their relics and their teamwork kept the spell working once the same level as the spell of the ice dragon, but after thirty seconds, it began to dissipate. That was actually good since the recruits began to be pulled by the ice tornado as well and their heavy shields weren't enough to stop them from slipping.

When the spell dissipated, a bunch of the beast people fell on the ground and cracked like glass, some only lost their limbs, others only had broken bones.

"Finish them off men," Rain declared. "I will chase the guys who are running away."

Rain could see dozens of tigermen in the distance crossing large distances with their weird technique… Rain wanted to learn that since they didn't use their physical strength like Rain did while using Impulse.

Their technique had potential, but Rain reached them in no time while using Impulse a few times.

When the enemies realized that escaping wasn't an option, they turned around and began to run around Rain while leaving after images thanks to that technique… but all of a sudden, one after the other snapped their own legs on the floor and when they saw what was going on, they confirmed that Rain froze their legs.

Without wasting time, Rain fired spinning ice needless at their hearts. They tried to defend themselves with their leather armor and arms, but those were pierced effortlessly.

The skill Frostbite leveled up.

The polymath path received 300 experience points.

The skill Frostbite leveled up.

The polymath path received 310 experience points.

…

Rain killed them, but he still left one alive… in the end, he approached the guy and freed him from the ice.

"How many of you will have to die before you understand that this is useless?" Rain asked. "Tell your queen that we are hunting the guy since he is causing us trouble as well. This is her final warning. Come at us with the intention of killing again, and none of you will survive to tell the tale and when I am done with that guy, I will deal with her you guys as well.

Unlike you bastards, I won't target common villages, but I will be sure that not a single person able to fight will be left alive in your country."

The terror in the beast warrior's eyes was clear as he locked gazes with Rain, the warrior who had dispatched his kin with ruthless efficiency. At that moment, Rain's visage was devoid of warmth, and his voice held a chilling resolve that sent shivers down the warrior's spine. It was a clear contrast to the cool composure he had displayed earlier.

The warrior had seen firsthand the consequences of underestimating Rain's capabilities. His serious demeanor and the unwavering tone of his words left no room for doubt — Rain was not to be trifled with. He had displayed the skills and prowess to back up his threats, and the warrior knew that confronting him further would be a fatal mistake.

His words lingered in the air like a cold, biting wind, and it was clear that Rain desired nothing more than to leave in peace. But as he made abundantly clear if others were intent on denying him that peace, they would unwittingly provoke the very war they sought. It was a chilling ultimatum, a stark reminder of Rain's capacity for both kindness and mercilessness.

The Tigerman left the area in a hurry… he never thought that he would see so many of his allies being defeated so fast… he disappeared into the mountains while running for his life.

When Rain returned, he saw the recruits finishing off the clean up… although that was pretty much the first time that they killed enemies, they didn't hesitate since they knew that the situation could have been reversed. However, some of them still were careless and ended up lowering their guards when they delivered the final blow.

Thanks to that, Terra was healing a bunch of them and scolding the ones that she raised in the orphanage.

"They lost ten percent of their total forces, but it feels like this was a calculated loss," Roan said while cleaning his sword.

"I think the same… but it doesn't matter. We will continue with the plan," Rain said.

"What are the next steps?" Roan asked. "You can't keep this secret forever and everyone is dying to know what you have in store in your big head."

"Spread the word to the whole kingdom that we are training new warriors," Rain said. "For now, we will only accept those with no history of fighting and those that aren't related in any way to the soldiers of the previous war… I should also ask Branden and Esmeralda if those guys keep disappearing."