Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1434: A cosmic game of one-upmanship

Level 30: Spatial Transmutation - Transform the properties or composition of objects by reshaping their spatial structure, converting one substance into another through spatial manipulation. Higher levels of this skill grant more efficiency in its use.

Level 35: Spatial Phasing - Phase through solid objects or barriers by temporarily altering their spatial properties, allowing for infiltration or evasion without leaving a trace. Higher levels of this skill grant more efficiency in its use.

Level 40: Spatial Echo - Leave behind residual spatial distortions that mimic your actions or presence, creating illusions or diversions to confuse or mislead adversaries. Higher levels of this skill grant more efficiency in its use.

After learning those new skills, Rain decided to take a break and then asked Terra how much time had passed since the last time he had showed up... while frowning, she said that it had been around eight hours. However, Rain experienced around forty.

"Since I have to use the extra mana, I decided to use with Time Dilation on myself alone, but I am still surprised," Rain thought. "Still, I can’t use this for combat."

Time dilation required precise control... if Rain tried to use any other type of magic, he would lose control over the spell. It made sense since, from all the aspects, time magic was supposed to be the most difficult.

Rain considered using that to help speed up the process of Sealyn’s delivery in order to avoid some problems that might happen related to the enemies... still, while he could imagine her accepting that, it would be unfair to Van and everyone else who would lose such an opportunity to enjoy those moments. Besides, even if it wasn’t his intention, it was possible to cause harm to the baby...

"I will probably find their findings of the power of the aspects on living beings eventually... so it is better to wait for that," Rain thought. "I can’t believe that I am looking forward to obtaining that data and making use of it when people like me were used as test subjects for it."

In any case, if things go well, Rain would be able to gather as much data as he got from Loks from all the other machine gods... studying all that before the fights were absolutely necessary in order to increase their chances against the others. It was also a good idea to try to use the knowledge and combine it against the right target... for example, it felt like the aspect of space would be useful against Ateros, the machine god of matter. For some reason, Rain felt that such a being would operate in a similar manner to Loks, so he could use his experience against them and the aspect of space as well.

"The aspect of probability would come in handy when planning... the issue against Fortus would mean that they would be able to see all my attacks coming," Rain thought. "Alongside Lonos and Arel, the machine god of probability will be a massive pain in the ass to deal with."

Those three seemed the most dangerous of the machine gods... at least in theory. It was impossible to tell how the others could fare in combat since Rain didn’t have enough information about any of them. Even though he obtained some knowledge of their skills thanks to Loks, it was still limited.

Lvl 5: Information Analysis - Analyzes data and information to assess its relevance and reliability, distinguishing between credible sources and confusing information.

Lvl 15: Spirit Guide Invocation - Invokes the guidance of benevolent spirits, calling upon their wisdom and guidance to navigate spiritual realms and life challenges.

Lvl 20: Information Synthesis - Synthesizes disparate data points into coherent narratives or actionable insights, identifying correlations, trends, and anomalies within complex datasets. You can gain experience and skills when analyzing their uses. Higher levels grant more experience.

Lvl 15: Energy Amplification - Amplifies the potency of energy sources, increasing their output and efficiency for enhanced performance and effectiveness. Increases potency and cost by ten points per level.

Those were the skills Rain obtained when the machine gods began to work together... or when he analyzed their date of when they started to work together. Even though he was just reading books with the information about Loks life, it felt like he had actually lived all that. freeweɓnøvel.com

In any case, thanks to those skills, the machine gods began to make a lot more progress, and soon, they reached planets that had signs of life on them. At first, it was just vegetal life, but as they obtained access to that kind of planet, their progress speed improved even more.

Rain felt that it seemd a good part to take a break and then rest for a bit to resume his research with a clear mind, but he decided to keep going. The more he knows about them, the more the chances the group will have against the machine gods.

As he headed deeper into the data he was analyzing, he began to see patterns emerge, leading him to what he was expecting... Finally, at the point he had anticipated, Rain discovered the evidence he had been searching for. It was here that he confirmed his hypothesis: the machine gods had indeed gained the ability to operate independently. Like Rain himself, they had ascended to a level where they could manipulate the fundamental forces of reality, transcending their original programming.

With this newfound power, the machine gods embarked on a journey of their own, engaging in a cosmic game of one-upmanship. Just as Rain had pushed the boundaries of his own understanding, they now pushed the limits of their capabilities, using their control over the basic powers of reality to outdo each other in a ceaseless quest for supremacy.

"Competition is often described as the mother of innovation. When individuals or entities compete against each other, they are motivated to find new and better ways of doing things in order to gain an advantage," Rain thought. " The machine gods should know this better than anyone else..."