Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Chapter 342: Challenger

The castle's interior was shrouded in a dim half-light, with torches and sconces casting feeble glimmers that only partially dispelled the surrounding darkness. Normally bustling with activity, the grand corridors and chambers now exuded an eerie, deserted vibe as they stood silently under the darkness of night.

Amidst the gloom, an unexpected sight caught his attention. The royal guards posted within the castle were deliberately parting to the sides. They created a narrow corridor as though they intended to make space for Rain and the royal guard he had engaged with, setting the stage for a one-on-one battle.

This strange behavior puzzled Rain. The guards, who should have been resolute in their defense of the castle, were instead acting as if they wished to witness the impending duel between Rain and their comrade. Tension hung heavy in the air as all eyes, from friend to foe, focused intently on the unfolding confrontation.

"So, he is one, huh?" Rain thought. "This will be fun."

All of a sudden, the enemy suddenly thrusted his spear forward… he was a bit far away from reaching Rain, but he still felt some danger… Rain, out of reflex, raised his arms, and then he felt a sharp pain on his left arm…

"What the fuck…" Rain bit his lips in annoyance.

Rain knew that his forearm guard was supposed to protect him, and even though the spear may have fired something, it should have been blocked, but that didn't happen… under his forearm guard, Rain could feel the blood flowing from a wound.

Rain jumped backward with all his might and passed above the guards behind him and landed on the guard when he felt the danger again when the enemy moved his spear. The enemy stopped the thrust midway and began to walk toward Rain.

"I guess whatever he did, it has a limited range… no, It is too soon to think of that," Rain thought.

Rain couldn't heal himself, but it looked like the enemy still could use magic somehow. That didn't make any sense, and Rain couldn't believe that the technique that pierced his arm and ignored his forearm guard was a technique that relied solely on physical strength.

In any case, Rain raised his guard to the limits while the enemy approached. The other royal guards moved away in order not to get caught in the middle of the fight. Still, they all had their crossbows ready to be used if the opportunity arrived. In the end, they didn't have to be fair against an enemy that was threatening the life of the royal family.

"I was planning to give them the chance to realize that they are on the wrong side, but this was their last chance," Rain thought while squinting his eyes.

The Spearmen raised his weapons and then quickly began to thrust them toward Rain. He sidestepped while following the line of attack of the weapon. He avoided the hits… when the enemy was twenty meters away. Rain could react fast enough, but it was weird. Rain couldn't hear the sound of the movements of the spear… or even the blasts of wind.

Slowly but surely, the enemy began to approach Rain, and he was forced to stand his guard since nothing would happen until he learned the secrets of that technique… Moreover, the whole capital was waking up, so retreating while Branden was still in the castle wasn't an option.

When the meters were ten meters away, the thrusts of the spear began to scratch Rain, and since the enemy put more energy behind the attack, the wounds started to pile up and bleed more. Still, Rain endured because he had a feeling about that thing.

"I feel like I had seen this before… but how is this even possible?" Rain thought.

Even among the magic people, Rain never found someone with that kind of ability, and they had all sorts of techniques and tricks… while Rain was thinking about that, the enemy suddenly stepped in and then tried to impale Rain's stomach. He jumped to the side with all his might while using Limit Breaker to increase his defense and speed.

Thanks to that, the attack only scratched his left side, and when the movement of the attack ended, Rain charged toward the enemy.

The spearman raised his guard to block Rain's attack; even with a single arm, he was able to do that. Rain aimed at the face of the guy, but he only hit the forearm guard of the enemy, and that pushed him away for a few meters, but only that… even with Limit Breaker, he was unable to make the enemy fall or even break his arm for that matter.

"What kind of training Joanis made these guys endure?" Rain frowned.

Still, Rain's attack made the enemy flinch for a moment, and the other royal guards decided to buy time for their allies to recover. They fired a barrage of bolts at Rain, but he blocked most of them with his arms, even without looking at them directly. His senses and reflexes were razor-sharp that night.

Despite that, the guards didn't feel bothered by it since they bought enough time for their ally to recover. Rain could feel the anger of the spearman as he studied him. In terms of range, the enemy had the upper hand, but Rain had the advantage in all other aspects… the enemy felt really pissed thanks to that, but he knew better than to let that cloud his judgment.

After taking a deep breath, the enemy suddenly swung his spear to the side, and Rain felt a shiver run down his spine. Rain lowered his body, but he still felt a bunch of his hair being cut by an invisible strike… he assumed that the enemy could only use thrust attacks like that, but he was obviously wrong.

Still, that attack made the enemy expose his guard for a moment, and Rain charged toward him without hesitation…