Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1443: Get serious

This weird realization added another layer of intrigue to the encounter, raising questions about how long Hilo had been within the black hole and what effects it might have had on his perception of time and events.

Overall, Hilo’s dispassionate and bored demeanor, coupled with his lack of awareness regarding recent events, painted a picture of a being who had become detached from the world outside the black hole’s confines.

"Sorry, but I don’t give autographs," Rain said while forcing a smile.

"You are acting like the other as well... it isn’t surprising that you are both from the same planet. He caused me a lot of trouble as well, so I had the idea of protecting myself here... the plan worked against him, but not against you, apparently. Or maybe he knew that facing me here would be useless. Unlike you."

"Maybe so, but who cares?" Rain shrugged. "A not so wise man once said that if you only try what you can do already, nothing will happen. The fun part of life is the uncertainty. If there is a book that says what will happen along the way and could read those, life would be pretty boring. Anyway, I didn’t come here to philosophy, I came here to beat your sorry ass. En garde, dickhead."

"You are indeed a hard-to-understand creature. My apologies, but I don’t have time to deal with you. I have more appropriate things to do."

Small black holes began to materialize in the vicinity, appearing almost as if they were being ejected into the space around them. From these newly formed portals, dark sentinels emerged, their imposing figures rising ominously from the depths of the black holes. It was a sight that made Rain tense his body, yet it also filled him with a sense of grim satisfaction.

What caught Rain’s attention was the fact that some of the dark sentinels emerging from the black holes showed signs of damage. It was evident that a significant number of them had already been destroyed, their shattered forms serving as a testament to the success of Rain’s plans thus far. It seemed that the careful strategies and calculated maneuvers employed by Rain were yielding results, disrupting the forces arrayed against them.

"It seems that you found my warehouses... that didn’t happen until now, even against him, so I wonder how you pulled it off."

Despite the unexpected developments unfolding around him, Hilo maintained his characteristic calm and composed demeanor. Rain couldn’t help but find Hilo’s unflappable facade somewhat annoying, especially in the face of such extraordinary events. However, he reasoned that Hilo’s apparent detachment might be a consequence of his association with the aspect of void.

As one of the machine gods tasked with overseeing the realm of emptiness and nothingness, Hilo’s existence likely differed from that of his counterparts, who interacted more directly with other species and entities. Without the need for social interaction or emotional engagement, Hilo might have developed a personality that prioritized stoicism and detachment above all else... or he just stayed the way he was from the very beginning.

Furthermore, the aspect of the void itself might have influenced Hilo’s demeanor, imbuing him with a sense of detachment and indifference that mirrored the nature of the empty spaces he presided over. In a realm defined by absence and negation, emotions and reactions might hold little significance, leading Hilo to adopt a demeanor of detached observation and impartiality.

"That would make sense... considering the answer that Loks came up with," Rain thought.

"Some of them are still operating at minimal power, so it seems that they are still fighting... you have allies who are fighting for you. Given the current number of survivors on your planet and the last data entry regarding their level, I don’t think that they will last long, but if they are people that you are relying on, then the data is useless."

"Yeah, and..." Rain said and then assumed his fighting stance.

"You must be their best trump card. Once you are done, they will be easier to deal with. I will use all of you to repair my army while I patiently wait for the end."

As Rain observed Hilo’s body starting to tremble, he was taken aback by the startling transformation that followed. Portions of Hilo’s form began to split and fragment, detaching themselves from his main body and assuming new shapes. These fragments coalesced and solidified, taking all sizes and taking on the eerie forms of the first dragons, albeit composed of dark purple gas instead of flesh and bone.

The sight was undeniably strange and disconcerting. Seeing the iconic shapes of the first dragons materialize from the essence of Hilo’s being was a surreal experience, made even more unsettling by their ethereal and intangible nature. Despite being composed of gas, the dragons’ forms varied in appearance, each one bearing a resemblance to its real-world counterpart, albeit with subtle differences.

Rain couldn’t help but marvel at the uncanny resemblance of these gas-formed dragons to their physical counterparts. Despite their spectral appearance, there was an undeniable aura of power and menace emanating from their ghostly forms, a reminder of the formidable adversaries they represented. Those creatures had red health bars on them as well, so it seemed that they were truly a part of his body.

"I will use this chance to measure your power and then calculate the exact force necessary to crush your forces."

Rain sighed... he hated when the enemies did that and tried to deal with him while using the same cliched method. While that was a good chance for him to get some nice experience, he had better things to do with his time. In the end, Rain just put his hands together and then bombarded all of the creatures from all sides with the rain technique.

The Rain skill leveled up.

The Origin Brawler path leveled.

The Rain skill leveled up.

The Origin Brawler path leveled.

...

"Get serious, asshole," Rain said.