Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

It seemed that Iori had somehow tapped into or replicated the elemental techniques and powers possessed by these specific breeds of wrath dragons. This ability to emulate and wield multiple distinct powers at once indicated an alarming level of mastery and adaptability, reflecting a deeper connection or knowledge with the dragons embodying wrathful energies… At that rate, it looked like evenfall, Iori would show the power of the inferno dragons as well… but he assumed that it wouldn't be necessary since he charged toward Rain once again. At first, Rain could only attack the parts not protected by the armor, but now every single part was protected… even when he blocked the next punch, he felt his body being shocked as the lightning bolts passed through the sword… even though they lost a lot of power, that was still unpleasant. In the end, Iori twisted his body for a second after retreating and then punched Rain's sword with all his might to the side… the weapon cracked… and Rain was forced to let it go before it could suffer any more damage. The next punch soon followed Rain, and while he blocked it with his forearm, the crystal covering them cracked and Rain felt the lightning bolts hitting and burning his skin. Iori joined his hands together after raising them and then prepared to smash Rain's head, but once again, something invisible hit him from the side… and this time, it was massive and sent him flying to the distance. Iori clenched his teeth in annoyance… at the last moment, he was able to sense the magic in the attack, so he could tell that it wasn't something physical… It was some sort of magic. "This guy is annoying… I am too old for this shit," Rain thought. "I can't let this guy use the power of the inferno dragons out of rage as well. Time to finish this once and for all." Rain closed his eyes and then put the palm of his hands together… it was the best thing that he could do without giving away his true intentions. Iori thought that maybe Rain was praying to his gods, but he knew that everything that Rain does has a reason, all he does is for the sake of defeating his enemies. In any case, Iori knew that he couldn't let Rain do whatever he wanted, so he charged once again while trusting that the shadow would protect him. Despite that, he raised his guard and made the dark ice giant arms protect his face from the sides. As Iori charged, he immediately felt some impacts from the sides, and he felt that the dark ice giant arms didn't suffer any damage, so he continued. However, the number of attacks began to pile up… slowly by surely… eventually, they came from the front and began to slow him down as well. Iori ignored that and eventually reached Rain and smashed his face with a powerful punch… the crystal on his face began to crack, and his body was pushed downward, but Rain ignored it and the pain as well. It didn't take long for the enemy to realize what Rain was planning… even while he was being pushed backward… he kept attacking. In fact, his attacks increased exponentially now that he was inside Iori's barrier. Despite the protection of the shadow, Iori began to feel pain, and the damage was slowly piling up. In the end, Iori decided to fight fire with fire and then attacked Rain with a barrage of punches as well using his giant dark ice arms… Rain felt his consciousness fading as he got hit several times, but eventually, his attacks began to increase in speed. Iori felt an unknown force slowing down his fists… to the point that even the lightning bolts stopped hitting Rain altogether… he couldn't believe what he was seeing, thanks to the fact that Rain still had his eyes closed and his palms were against each other. Before long, the dark ice arms began to crack as those two began to cross the atmosphere once again… but eventually, they stopped falling. Blasts in the air began to spread in the area, and the atmosphere began to tremble while Iori was trying to hit Rain, but only managed to hit an invisible barrier… Iori's frustration and anger reached an unprecedented point, fueled by the futility of his attacks against Rain's impervious barrier. In a fit of unhinged rage, he let out a primal, thunderous roar that reverberated across the expanse, a clear sign of the sheer intensity of his fury and frustration Driven to the brink of fury-induced madness, Iori gathered all his remaining strength, channeling the culmination of his wrath into one cataclysmic attack. He converged his dark ice giant arms together, preparing to deliver a devastating, bone-shattering blow upon Rain, intending to launch him downward like a falling meteor. As the ominous shadow of his arms loomed over Rain, ready to initiate the crushing attack, an unexpected sequence of events unfolded. Before Iori could execute his decisive attack, his face became the target of an onslaught of unrelenting attacks, hitting with a rapid and precise flurry of strikes. Each impact struck with pinpoint accuracy, targeting the very foundations of his diamond scales. Countless attacks converged upon Iori's face, assaulting his defenses with surreal intensity. The cracks on his diamond-like scales multiplied and widened, unable to withstand the relentless assault. Blood seeped through the fissures, trickling down his face in lines, a red sign of the grievous damage sustained beneath the once-impenetrable exterior. The torrent of attacks shattered his resilience, eroding his confidence and igniting a sense of desperation. In the end, Iori didn't even have the chance to realize that he had lost… Rain opened his hands and pointed them toward the enemy, and in the next moment… all of the blood on his body left it. Iori opened his eyes widely once more… the technique that he inherited from his father… he didn't even have time to use it, but Rain had complete control over it.