Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

The golden fox woman exhibited incredible agility, swiftly circling Rain with grace, her footsteps resounding in the arena. As she continued her dance-like movements, something extraordinary unfolded.

It was as though she was dividing into multiple versions of herself. Initially, these duplicates appeared somewhat transparent, like mirages in a scorching desert. However, with each passing moment, they solidified, becoming increasingly indistinguishable from the original.

Rain watched in astonishment, struggling to discern the real golden fox amid the sea of lifelike copies. Her illusions were so convincing that it had become nearly impossible to identify the true combatant amidst this captivating illusion. It left Rain perplexed, pondering how to confront this mesmerizing display of skill.

Rain used his earth magic to find the location of the real woman. Still, he blinked several times in surprise when he confirmed that all of them actually had weight and were stepping at the same time.

"The steps are too light… maybe she is trying to fool me," Rain thought, and then he assumed his fighting stance.

Waiting for the adversary to make her move first wasn't his style, so Rain jumped in toward her and then kicked several of the clones, but he just passed through them without feeling anything. The clones that were hit began to dissipate, but soon, they appeared when the hole in their formation moved away from Rain. At the same time, he felt a stinging pain in his leg.

When he looked at it, Rain felt a small cut above his heel, right above his weight, that was bleeding… Rain looked around since he didn't even feel the movements of a knife approaching, or even bloodlust for that matter… it was probably because she didn't want to kill him yet but make him stop moving.

"I guess she prefers to kill targets that can't move," Rain thought.

Rain couldn't find the real target that easily, so he began to run toward them and attacked the clones. However, they soon jumped away from the area and began to run in all directions as well.

The clones of the golden fox woman moved erratically and chaotically, displaying unpredictable actions. Some dashed across the arena floor, while others leaped into the air, executing impressive backflips with remarkable agility.

In a shocking performance, these duplicates navigated the space around Rain with unparalleled speed and grace. They carried out intricate maneuvers, weaving in and out of one another's paths and leaving spectators in awe of their fluid and unpredictable movements.

It was as if a mesmerizing dance of motion had taken over the arena, with each clone performing its own unique routine, creating a stunning and bewildering spectacle.

Rain ignored that and then punched some of the clones, but he only hit the air, and whenever he punched them, his arms would get minor cuts… this time, she was targeting his elbows since his wrists were being protected by the forearm guards.

"This is kind of annoying, huh?" Rain thought.

Rain knew that he didn't have time to waste, but he had to save his mana as well… in the end, he just closed his eyes and then began to focus on the area around him.

His previous actions made Rain realize some interesting things about his abilities and the limits of his magic. The Golden fox woman soon realized that Rain was up to something, and she couldn't let him do as he pleases.

Before long, her clones began to approach Rain and attack him. Naturally, they hit nothing and just dissipated after that. However, whenever that happened, Rain's body would be damaged. Cuts in his neck, face, and eyebrows began to increase, and blood began to flow through the wounds.

Jori and Reca displayed complex expressions as they witnessed Rain being gradually covered in a small but steadily increasing amount of blood. Although they had heard Rain's words earlier, they hadn't anticipated the intensity of the situation. In their minds, they had believed that Rain would easily handle any challenge thrown his way.

It was a clear reminder that even the most skilled and resilient warriors could face unforeseen and formidable adversaries. Rain was now grappling with a test of endurance and strength that surpassed their expectations.

Still, they soon realized that Rain had a plan of his own… he wasn't the type to go down that easily. Before long, Rain opened his eyes and then raised his right hand. The clones stopped attacking and then jumped away from the area.

All of the clones stopped moving and waited for what Rain was going to do. A gentle breeze began to swirl around the arena, gradually gaining momentum and producing a soft, whistling sound in the air. The golden fox, surrounded by her numerous duplicates, seemed to understand that Rain was using the wind to track her movements.

However, she remained confident, knowing that the wind alone couldn't harm her or her copies.

As the wind picked up, it formed small swirling patterns, creating tiny vortexes in the arena. Rain appeared to be attempting to disrupt the formation of the clones or disorient the golden fox herself. Despite his efforts, the clever opponent remained composed. She understood that even if a few clones were disrupted by the gusts, she could effortlessly create replacements.

This was a battle of strategy and wits, and the golden fox was determined to outwit Rain at every step.

Still, the golden fox was surprised to see all the clones suddenly disappearing… it was impossible for them to receive that much damage with only that much wind, but then she felt some stinging pain in her face and left eye.

"... What?" The golden fox muttered.

The golden fox kept feeling the stinging pain in her left side until she eventually realized what was going on… small particles of silver from the arena were hitting her and piercing her body a bit… Rain used the arena with his magic to get rid of all the nuisances, which had been pretty easy since metal reacted to earth magic. While she was in shock, Rain charged at her.