Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

If direct attacks weren't working, the king decided to make the sea emperor use his magic… he raised his spear, and in the next moment, hundreds of water spears emerged from the ocean and began to surround Rain… the sky eventually got covered in those and Rain could barely see the sky.

"Poor choice of attack… as expected of you, Your Majesty," Rain said and then smirked.

In the next moment, the water spears began to fall like rain on Rain… pun intended. Still, there was no sound of impact… before long, all of them created a massive vortex of water that wanted to crush him, but they stopped midway and then began to freeze in the air.

In the next moment, the vortex of water began to spin above Rain, and then he sent it spinning upward… eventually, it disappeared in the sky, but after a couple of minutes, it began to fall, and then it crashed against the anti-magic barrier.

The ice began to fall around the barrier and froze the entire area, filling it ice cold and sharp shards… At that point in time, the king was completely astonished… Rain couldn't be that strong. Something was definitely off… the sea emperor was much more powerful than him. It was impossible for them to be evenly matched.

Rain looked to the sides while the king was completely astonished and realized that the plan was still on the hallway point. He had to keep buying time, but that would be difficult… it didn't matter how much he tried to look like he was having an easy time against the sea emperor… he wasn't.

— —

"Your Majesty… give the order for all of the puppets to return to the barrier. There is something wrong here," Joanis said. "That kid wouldn't return without a plan…"

"What are you talking about? I already gave them the order to return a long time ago," The king frowned. "I just want to kill this impertinent boy, and then everything else will fall into their right place. He is the only thing blocking our path."

"... How incompetent can you be?" Joanis asked while rubbing his eyes. "Are your eyes crap holes? They didn't return until now!"

"... What? How dare you raise your voice to your king?" The king furrowed his eyebrows.

"Your Majesty… you might have noble blood and come from a bloodline that has immense power, but your incompetence is even more legendary," Joanis said while dropping the act.

"You let your cowardice rule your actions for over two decades, and now you got carried away when I showed you the path to leave your mark in history… once that happens, you start to ignore my advice and let your emotions rule your actions… Please, you are no king. You are a jester on a throne."

The king's face twisted in shock and disbelief as he heard the searing insults from his most trusted ally, words that cut through the air like daggers and pierced the deepest corners of his conscience. Joanis' accusations had stung, but these were a different kind of assault, striking at the heart of the king's insecurities and doubts.

As the words echoed in his mind, they left him momentarily speechless, silencing his already troubled thoughts.

The king's alliance with Joanis had been built on trust and the shared pursuit of power and conquest. But in that moment, those bonds seemed strained, perhaps even broken, as Joanis' harsh words revealed a harsh truth.

As he grappled with the verbal assault, the king found himself unable to respond, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions and realizations. He could not deny the truth in Joanis' words, and that truth had struck a nerve, leaving the king annoyed by the force of the revelation.

"How dare you? HOW DARE YOU!" The king shouted. "Guards! Kill this bastard right now!"

The king showed an expression of utter disbelief when he saw Joanis showing a bored expression. Some guards arrived in the area, but soon they were dismissed with a single wave of Joanis' hands.

"... What?" The king asked, his face pale.

"Power lies on where people believe it lies, your Majesty," Joanis said. "What did you do to make you think that you have the absolute faith of your subordinates… aside from hiding in your castle for two decades? You wouldn't be able to raise this army if it weren't for me. You wouldn't have created the king's blade if it weren't for me.

You wouldn't have the knowledge or the tools to control the sea emperor if it weren't for me. Are you blind, or are you just insane? Someone like you can't accomplish a single thing. It is time to wake up from your delusions."

"Bastard… do you think that you can win this war without me? Without my blood?" The king grabbed his sword on the side of his chair and glared at Joanis. "Know your place, you scheming worm."

"I at least know what I am capable of doing and realize my own shortcomings; you are unable to do even that," Joanis said with a sweet smile. "It is a pity that I won't be here to see the future that I envisioned, but the next one won't make the same mistakes that I did… it is also a pity that I won't be here to see you become the most infamous king due to your sheer stupidity."

The king bit his lips in anger, to the point that they began to bleed a lot… in the end, there was no need for more words, and the king dashed toward Joanis to stab him in the chest. However, Joanis grabbed the weapon with both hands… the blades began to cut his hands, but that didn't faze him.

"Calm down, you can kill me soon enough, but I still have some orders for you," Joanis said and then smiled. "Unless you want to lose everything, you will obey me. First, you will…"