Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Among their most weird features were the feathers adorning their heads. These head feathers resembled a regal crest, with varying sizes and shapes among individuals. Often, they showcased a blend of colors and patterns, enhancing their avian heritage.

Their hands and feet often bore a resemblance to talons, featuring sharp, curved nails that were robust and dexterous. These adaptations aided in grasping objects and added to their distinctive appearance.

The beast people were surprised to see humans that could fly as fast as them and soon flapped their wings to attack them from a distance. Rain made his friends zig-zag in the air and avoid the wind. Blades fired by their wings, and soon they approached the beast people.

Without hesitation, while those groups were shocked by it, they began to hit their stomachs with the staves and, made them grunt in pain and made them fall without air in their lungs.

"Their defense was really low…" Jori said after he and Reca passed the first group of flying beast people with ease.

"They are flying creatures who attack from a distance… they aren't used to getting hit," Reca said and then looked in the distance and saw another group of them flying toward them.

Instead of waiting, Rain made his friends fly to the side and toward him since he was getting too far away and the mana consumption was increasing. Jori and Reca had a hard time dealing with the wind, but soon, they got used to the speed. Despite that, they could look over their shoulders and see the flying beast people gliding through the air insanely fast.

An unknown skill of this path leveled up..

The Earth Mage's path received 10 experience points.

"I guess this isn't a bad way to level up the path," Rain thought. "It is quite fun, too."

It would be even more fun if Rain actually could control how his friends attacked, but he didn't know the limits of their bodies. He might end up breaking their arms or, while being too careful, not showing their true potential.

In any case, the flying beast people eventually got close enough to attack, and those two blocked their wind blades with the earth staves. The weapons didn't suffer a single scratch, so the adversaries grunted in annoyance and were forced to get closer to attack. Their numbers increased, and soon, they began to pile up around them.

"Rain!" Jori shouted. "We can attack for a while!"

"Relax, I will let you see something good when the time comes," Rain said.

The time came soon enough, and then Rain made his friends spin and made them fly toward both sides. The flying beast people were caught off guard, and soon they were hit and knocked down just like that since the flying speed of those two soon increased. Soon enough, all of the pursuers began to fall.

"... Ugh… why did you do that?" Jori said while showing that his face was blue and that he was about to throw up.

"Ah… sorry, I forgot that you guys get dizzy easily," Rain forced a smile.

"Anyone would get dizzy from this… I never felt this sick before," Reca said and then fell to her knees on the earth platform.

Rain sighed since his friends were such drama queens… perhaps Rain should experiment with that before thinking that his friends were exaggerating in their reactions.

In any case, the flying pursuers eventually stopped coming, and the sun began to set in the distance. The group had already crossed a very large distance, but Rain couldn't find any signs of their capital. According to Branden, he would be able to find some roads that would lead to the city, and he would confirm the place by seeing a large arena. It will be hard to find such a thing at night…

In the end, the group decided to take a break around midnight and hide underground until morning. Rain took a nap during that time, but soon he woke up when he heard some sounds outside. When he went to check it, Rain was able to listen to some screeches and the wound of wings flapping.

"What is it?" Reca asked. "Are they surrounding us?"

"No, but they are moving toward their capital to alert others of us," Rain said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I know the right direction now, but I think that we will receive one hell of a warm welcome."

The group learned now that the avian beast people probably worked delivering messages to other villages in their realm, and their flying speed easily reached two hundred kilometers per hour, so it was hard for any type of enemy to invade their lands and surprise the whole kingdom.

Rain wondered if Joanis had some avian beast people on their side as well… Rain didn't see them until now. Still, considering how annoyingly resourceful he could be, it wouldn't be surprising.

When morning came, the group began to move again, and they didn't find any blockades in their path. Despite that, they found a large number of people heading in the same direction while running… It seemed that they wanted to serve their King and fight the invaders. They either didn't trust their King, or they had too much time on their hands.

Around noon, the group finally could see a large city in the distance… it was actually the only city that they found there. The place didn't have a castle, but there was this huge ass arena.

The beast arena resembled the ancient coliseum but with a unique distinction. It stood alone in the kingdom as a structure crafted entirely from shimmering silver. This extraordinary building sparkled in the sunlight, captivating all who saw it.

Rain couldn't help but wonder about the immense wealth this arena represented. He contemplated whether selling such a magnificent structure could provide him with a fortune vast enough to purchase a seemingly endless supply of potions for an entire decade.