Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1091: Friends

As the day of the anticipated duel with Jori arrived, there was an air of excitement surrounding him. Jori, when he caught sight of Rain across the arena, couldn't help but grin with enthusiasm. Rain's aura seemed to hold a particular intensity that fueled Jori's excitement even more. It was clear that Rain's friend was genuinely looking forward to their impending bout.

Little did Jori know Rain's peculiar aura wasn't solely attributed to the upcoming fight. Rain had a funny plan brewing in his mind—one that he had given up on executing a long time ago. The prospect of facing Van, his daughter's future son-in-law, if he were to win against Jori added a layer of amusement to the situation.

It was fortunate for Rain that Jori couldn't read his mind, and the reasons behind Rain's unusual demeanor remained a mystery to everyone. Rain had long abandoned the idea of interfering in the love lives of his children, understanding the importance of letting them forge their own paths.

However, this particular chance to engage in a duel with a potential future son-in-law was too tempting for Rain to resist. He had the civil duty to bully Van…

As the time for the duel approached, Rain maintained a composed exterior, masking the hidden excitement and mischief within. The arena buzzed with anticipation, not only for the impending match between Rain and Jori but also for the potential showdown with Van if Rain emerged victorious.

"What is up with you?" Terra asked while frowning. "While you looked satisfied after the other fights, you look quite eager today. Do you have anything new to test against Jori?"

"Something like that," Rain said.

Terra accepted Rain's words at face value, but Seara still kept studying him… he had to calm down. Otherwise, they will realize what is going on. That could create problems between him and Sealyn, too, even though things haven't changed that much since the previous mission.

"Maybe things would have improved more if I actually took an interest in my kids' lives instead of just worrying endlessly about them," Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe treating them like kids that need to be protected all the time is what is causing the real issues here… Am I being too logical here? Could it be that being introspective can help sometimes?"

Eventually, Rain and Jori were called to the ring. All the excitement on Rain's mind had died, and now he couldn't help but keep thinking about all that… could he really be the core of all of his family-related problems? Could he accept that he could be wrong sometimes? Could his massive ego withstand that kind of damage?

"I am technically middle-aged, so maybe I should talk about this with other middle-aged Dads like Jori?" Rain thought. "I wonder if he will be fine about this after we punch each other."

In any case, Jori assumed his fighting stance, and Rain decided to do the same. It has been a while since he fought seriously against Jori, and while he wasn't going to use a sword, Jori still could pose a real challenge… he had more experience than Rain, at least technically, after all.

"Begin!!!" Esmeralda shouted.

Esmeralda was a bit too eager to see two of her friends punching each other, and her enthusiasm wasn't lost on Rain and Jori, who charged at the same time while using Impulse. A powerful shockwave spread across the arena as they punched each other, and their fists collided in the middle of it.

"Ugh…" Rain groaned.

Jori's fist was a lot harder than expected, and before long, Rain started to be pushed backward. It started slowly, but his charge soon started to get momentum… When Rain looked at Jori's feet, he saw him using Impulse again and again, even though he didn't have room to gain speed… that was enough to give him some extra power.

"Smart…" Rain said.

"This is just the beginning," Jori smirked.

Jori stepped away when Rain fixed his posture, and then he stopped being pushed… Still, Jori soon charged again, gaining the full power and momentum of another Impulse… midway, he raised his arm and then swung it down with all his might… like a sword.

Rain used his left hand to block the attack, but his fingers broke, and his hand was pushed away… Rain avoided the direct hit, but the blast of the wind cut his shirt in a line and his chest, too… the wound was shallow, but blood began to gush from it.

"This still is a barehanded technique, right?" Jori asked while smirking.

"No, you are disqualified," Rain said. "I declare myself the winner. Next."

"Hahaha, you are truly something else, Rain!" Jori laughed and then charged again.

"I have my moments," Rain shrugged.

Rain raised his arms, and with a cross guard, he blocked the next attack. Jori used another arm slash, and Rain barely felt the weight of it since their arms barely touched each other. Still, wounds in the shape of lines appeared on it once more.

Jori's technique heavily relied on speed and a unique application of mana manipulation. As Rain observed, Jori used Impulse repeatedly to build up momentum and increase the power behind his strikes. However, the true surprise lay in the way Jori used mana to enhance his attacks. He skillfully channeled mana into his arm, effectively sharpening it like a blade.

This added a cutting aspect to his strikes, making them even more formidable and faster.

Despite his intent not to cause serious harm, Jori's mastery over mana manipulation allowed him to fine-tune the level of sharpness. He adjusted the intensity of the mana infusion to ensure that, while his strikes packed a punch, they wouldn't sever limbs.

Rain, initially caught off guard by the unexpected level of power behind Jori's attacks, soon realized the intricacies of his friend's technique. What surprised Rain even more was the fact that Jori, despite going easy on him, posed a real difficult challenge.