Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1439: Absolute void

Rain checked the areas ahead with more caution while using Remote Viewing... there was the chance that the target also hid some planets in illusion veils to catch him off guard. Still, it was hard to pull that off when Rain had to get so close, and the expanse was literally endless.

"I considered myself somewhat good at sensing things, but that was a long time ago... huh?" Rain thought while looking around. "The aspects have some detection skills, but they aren’t useful in this kind of situation, so I guess I will focus on remaining hidden."

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.

Using that skill and by distorting the space around him, Rain would be able to avoid being seen or touching anything. He figured out that Hilo would be able to sense his approach if he were to interact with one of the planets in his territory in any shape or form.

In the end, Rain did the right thing because all of a sudden, he teleported and then appeared inside a massive chunk of Earth. When he began to move around, Rain eventually realized where he was... in the mantle of some planet.

The mantle was hot, with temperatures increasing with depth. Near the boundary with the core, temperatures reached thousands of degrees Celsius. This intense heat causes rocks to partially melt, creating a semi-molten layer known as the asthenosphere.

Within the upper mantle, the rocks were often in a semi-molten state due to the high temperatures and pressures. Convection currents in the mantle cause the slow movement of semi-molten rock. These currents play a crucial role in redistributing heat within the planet and driving the movement of tectonic plates on the surface. The mantle was primarily composed of silicate minerals, including olivine, pyroxene, and garnet, among others.

"It is pretty similar to Earth..." Sakaki suddenly said. "This place is filled with energy; it is a pity that you can’t absorb it while you are like that."

Rain needed to avoid being detected, so that goes without saying. In any case, he decided to leave the mantle of the planet before teleporting away, and he didn’t have to move that much. Soon enough, he reached the surface of the planet and soon opened his eyes widely...

Rain found himself confronted with an overwhelming sight: an endless sea of dark sentinels spanning the horizon of the planet. These formidable machines, towering in size, stood as an imposing force, their sheer numbers rendering any attempt at an accurate count nearly impossible. Yet, Rain’s intuition suggested that the gathered host numbered well into the hundreds of thousands, if not more.

The realization struck Rain with a heavy sense of astonishment. An entire planet had been covertly repurposed to serve as a storage facility for these dark sentinels. Such a colossal undertaking hinted at the magnitude of the forces at play and the intricate machinations of those orchestrating their deployment.

Ordinarily, the machine god of void would have little use for such pawns, their purpose, and utility perhaps obscured by the enigmatic nature of the void itself. Yet, Rain couldn’t shake the feeling that their assumptions might be flawed. Perhaps there was a deeper purpose behind the gathering of these dark sentinels, one that eluded their current understanding.

"... What are we going to do about them?" Terra asked.

"Can’t you send them here, and we will destroy them while they aren’t awakened?" Seara asked.

"It is possible... but we aren’t sure if these are the only ones that Hilo has," Rain said. "We might be able to destroy all of them here, but if he has more..."

The group couldn’t start any confrontations until they confirmed the location of the target. It was hard to tell what the enemy could do, considering the skills of the void that Rain had access to, so it was better to be cautious.

Lvl 1: Void Perception - Initiates the ability to perceive the subtle energies of the void, granting awareness of the emptiness that pervades the cosmos. You can measure the distances and search for things with more ease as the level of the skill increases.

"Even with this skill, I can’t find any traces of his activities... it is at a low level, and it isn’t compared to the real void path, but even so..." Rain thought.

Rain decided to keep moving toward the target destination, following the same route that they had planned... Thanks to that, it didn’t take long before they found in a similar situation. They suddenly appeared on another planet shrouded in the darkness of the void that also was filled with dark sentinels.

"This won’t do it... a mistake is bound to happen," Sakaki said. "Keep the skill active and level it up to improve our chances of finding these kinds of places."

Rain thought that it would be a waste of time to do that since it would take a while... and they needed all they could get, but soon, he changed his mind.

The skill Void Detection leveled up.

The void path leveled up.

Lvl 5: Void Shroud - Envelops oneself in a shroud of cosmic emptiness, rendering the practitioner invisible to both physical and magical detection. Higher levels increase the chance of success against enemies that can also use detecting skills. You become impossible to detect unless the enemy can use one of the aspects.

"I guess he is using this skill... no wonder I wasn’t able to detect these places," Rain said.

"Makes sense... if he had all the time in the world, he wouldn’t stand a chance of finding these places," Sakaki said.

Using Void Detection on the territory of the void machine god was a great way to gain experience, but Rain had to keep moving. Still, even in his wildest dreams, he didn’t think that he would be able to find dozens of planets like that.