Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1329: Familial Bias

Seeing another planet collapse in front of the group didn’t make things easier for them... it felt like an experience that they would never get used to it. Seeing it become red and bleed before completely exploding... Rain’s domain was flying fast, but it wasn’t as fast as it could, thanks to the size and the number of people in it.

The countless debris of the planet began to reach the group, and while Rain dodged the bigger ones, the others had to attack and destroy them with all of their might... mana hammers added with the power of wrath worked pretty well against those, and they eventually escaped the area without being hit.

After sighing in relief, the group soon realized that they had another problem on their hands... they couldn’t see anything in the distance. They could see some stars in the cosmos, but it was clear that they were too far away.

"I thought that we were close to the previous zone, but..." Isa said while looking around. "Maybe we aren’t. Never is too easy for us..."

"We are, pretty periodically, Arel would send away the energy harvested in that world away," Esmeralda said. "We gathered enough intel to know that all of the planets under their control are almost invisible, thanks to the spells that they put on them to control them."

"... It seems that we have a lot to talk about your journey," Rain said while looking at that group. "Still, I will try to contact Regis first... the spell is already working since we aren’t under the influence of their system no longer, and they are in that direction."

Rain began to adjust the course of the domain, but he was exhausted so that really was hurting his head. He had a hard time hiding that, but he could endure that a bit longer... the flow of mana was intense, and Regis soon responded to the call, so it seemed that they weren’t that far away.

"Hello? The call seems a bit better now," Regis said.

"Yeah, we escaped the zone," Rain said. "Still, the prison isn’t something like a small building, and it is close like to an entire solar system. We are approaching you guys as we speak, and we should arrive in a couple of days."

"You really did it... is Esmeralda and the others with you?" Regis asked.

"Yeah... just stay on your guard because things aren’t over yet," Rain said.

Following the conclusion of the call with Regis, Rain took a moment to share the events that happened after their group had split up. He detailed the encounters with Arel and the interference of the dragon god. The information relayed from both Arel and the dragon god had begun to form a more comprehensive understanding of the true enemy they were going to face.

As Rain narrated the unfolding events, the group gained insights into the intricacies of the challenges ahead. The revelation of the "machine gods" and the manipulation of entire planets by the ruling entities added layers of complexity to their understanding. While a clearer picture emerged, the mysterious nature of their adversary made it difficult to fully grasp the extent of the threat.

Rain’s words emphasized the importance of staying vigilant and adaptable in the face of the unknown. The realization that they were contending with forces that had ruled the cosmos for millions of years heightened the urgency of their mission.

"Machine gods... they are like super advanced relics, am I right?" Esmeralda asked. "Arel acted the same way to us as they did to you. So, we feared that you wouldn’t see through that. That is why we assumed that stance."

"You guys should have noticed that and played along with her for a while," Rain said. "Did she eventually discover your acting?"

"Yes, we kept that act for five years, but since we didn’t want to take any risks and were taking our time defeating the other lords, she eventually forced some of them to ambush us," Branden explained. "Whenever we attacked one of them, a bunch of others would come... we didn’t lose any of our forces, and we added them to our group as well, but it was better to stop taking those risks."

"I guess most of the lords that you obtained your control over were sacrificed to help in that battle..." Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes, some of them survived, though," Branden said. "Thanks to Iori. Over the years, he managed to create a magic space where he can store all kinds of things there, and he even recovered his old form there."

"Ehhh... is that so?" Rain asked.

"Don’t worry, he isn’t going to do anything to you," Esmeralda said. "We had a lot of time to talk about things over the last two decades. While he has his grievances with you for killing him. He knows that we have better things to do than fight with each other."

In silence, Rain delved into the complexities of the situation. He knew that despite the valuable insights provided by Esmeralda and her companions, he deemed it crucial to personally observe and analyze the unfolding events before making any definitive decisions. Acknowledging the potential for familial bias, especially given Esmeralda’s relationship with her brother Iori, Rain wanted to maintain an unbiased perspective on the matter.

Turning the situation towards Iori’s achievements, Rain was admired for the mastery of space magic displayed by Esmeralda’s brother. He speculated that Iori might have gleaned this extraordinary skill by carefully analyzing the abilities of one of the lords within the prison. That would explain a lot... the knowledge that Rain and the relics shared with him made that possible... so he wondered if he should force him to spill the beans.

Regardless, that could be done at a later date... everyone was exhausted, and they deserved some long rest. They were still in enemy territory, and there was no telling what would happen from now on.