Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1446: Crafty

Rain’s keen perception allowed him to discern the crucial truth: the extraordinary abilities possessed by those creatures came directly from Hilo’s essence. Through their connection, Rain could sense the faint echoes of Hilo’s presence lingering within these beings, subtly shaping their powers and capabilities.

The revelation struck Rain with an understanding. Hilo’s essence, infused with the power of the void, imbued these creatures with a unique effect. Their ability to weaken weapons and skills wasn’t merely a result of physical prowess but rather a manifestation of the inherent destructive force wielded by the void.

The void, with its unfathomable power to unravel and annihilate, transcended mere physicality. It possessed the capacity to corrode and undermine even the most intangible aspects of existence, including skills, knowledge, and the very fabric of reality itself. Rain realized that this was why the creatures wielded such formidable abilities—they were conduits for the primal energy of the void, capable of subverting and eroding anything they encountered.

"I didn’t want to show this, but this is a good chance for me as well..." Rain thought and then raised his hands and changed his path.

Hilo saw Rain’s aura changing, and soon, he didn’t hesitate in punching the enemies that touched him... before long, they turned into mist and dissipated, but Rain kept attacking them, even though he was supposed to be losing levels in his skills.

The skill Energy Absorption lost 200 experience points.

The Void Path received 400 experience points.

The skill Energy Absorption lost 200 experience points.

The Void Path received 400 experience points.

...

It didn’t take long for Hilo to understand that Rain was actually countering such a rare technique... actually, countering wasn’t enough to describe it. Rain was completely destroying it since the experience for a path was ten times more valuable than for a skill.

The Void path leveled up.

Lvl 10: Void Channeling - Channels the power of the void to imbue spells and abilities with the essence of cosmic emptiness, enhancing their potency and unpredictability. Higher levels increase the power of the effects.

Hilo stopped his minions and then began to study Rain when he noticed that the aspect of void in him suddenly grew a bit stronger. That much progress was something that it took him years to obtain, but a single and very simple lifeform did it with so much ease.

"I won’t deny it... your species get more interesting by the minute. I am surprised that we have annihilated you all once. The previous humans weren’t even a little bit as curious as you are."

"You might not find that so amusing pretty soon..." Rain said while scowling.

Weirdly enough, Rain felt a bit confused... he wondered why he was angry when he had cut ties with the previous Earth, and he had no connection to those who had died in that period aside from the relics. It looked like he felt a bit responsible for giving the people from that time the deserved closure for that end...

"It seems that doing things in a half-assed way won’t work with you. I dislike fighting since it is a waste of time and resources, but sometimes, this kind of thing can’t be helped."

As the darkness of the dimension coalesced, it was drawn inexorably towards Hilo as if he were a cosmic siphon, eagerly consuming the void’s essence. With each passing moment, the shadows converged upon him, swirling and writhing around his form in a chaotic dance.

Simultaneously, Hilo’s body underwent a transformation. Once towering and imposing, he began to diminish in size, his massive frame compacting into a more humanoid shape. Despite this reduction, he still retained a formidable stature, looming over Rain with an aura of imposing power.

Bolts of crackling dark energy erupted from Hilo’s newly formed figure, illuminating the dim expanse with their sinister glow. With each discharge, the frequency of these lightning-like tendrils increased, pulsating with the raw power coursing through Hilo’s veins. It was a spectacle of unearthly might, a testament to the unfathomable depths of power he now commanded.

As Hilo continued to absorb the darkness, his presence grew more intense, his very essence suffused with the primal energy of the void. With each passing moment, he became a beacon of darkness, radiating power and malevolence in equal measure.

"Shit... this might be bad," Rain thought as he began to sweat cold and shivers rain down his spine.

Rain thought of attacking the enemy before his transformation could be completed, but he had a feeling that things would only get worse if he had done that...

In the end, Hilo finished his transformation in less than ten seconds, so Rain didn’t have many chances... before long, he opened his eyes and then showed a pair of dark marbles that almost looked like black holes as well... those eyes didn’t show any emotion, even though Hilo was supposed to be for real this time.

Before long, Hilo pointed his right hand at Rain, and without any ceremony, he used his powers...

The skill Dragon Fire Resistance lost a level.

The skill of Draconic Anatomy lost a level.

The dragon slayer path lost a level.

...

"No chit chat or monologue, huh?" Rain said and then began to use Impulse around to avoid the power of the void, but nothing changed.

"I am not interested in talking anymore; this form is too troublesome to use, and keeping activated and working more than I have to is also annoying."

Rain tried to use Energy Absorption, but he couldn’t see or sense the attack... Hilo was attacking the power that he wanted to erase automatically.

"What crafty son of a bitch..." Rain said.

Rain used Teleport and then appeared behind Hilo, but the skills kept losing levels... and then when he was hit by a lightning bold made of void, he suddenly felt his shoulder getting numb and then a burning pain began to bother him... the wound wasn’t even there... there was only a hole of flesh where his skin was supposed to be.