Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

As Rain tumbled and fell amid the terrain, the impact erected the recent layer of snow, causing it to burst into a flurry that spread out in all directions. The sudden fall created a mini-blizzard of snow that flew and scattered, momentarily obscuring the scene.

Terra, observing from a distance as she approached, was initially shrouded in the sudden flurry of snow, briefly losing sight of Rain amid the commotion. However, as the flurry settled, she caught sight of Rain gradually rising from the snowy ground.

He stood up, brushing off the accumulated snow from his body with deliberate movements, shaking off the cold powder that had gathered on him during the fall.

Yet, amidst Rain's attempt to rid himself of the snow, Terra's sharp eyes noticed a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. Concern flashed across her face as she wondered if she had pushed the chase too far.

In the next moment, Terra got even more confused when Rain crossed his arms and looked at her while thinking… that probably wasn't the best time to do that. Terra knew that Rain was pretty good when it came to counters, but she still charged at him with all her might and without a care for a counter.

"He isn't going to use magic if I am not using it… he is too prideful for that," Terra thought, and then in the next moment, she punched Rain with all his might.

Rain blocked the punched directed at his nose with the palm of his right hand, but the impact still pushed him backward for several meters. While he was sliding in the snow, he saw Terra lowering her posture to use Impulse once again. Once again, Rain blocked another punch aimed at his nose with his left hand this time…

Terra could tell that Rain suffered damage, his body wouldn't have been pushed backward for dozens of meters through the snow if that weren't the case, but she felt that something was amiss, and she couldn't pinpoint what…

"He is trying to mess with my pace by acting like he is plotting something… he won't fight with tricks when Danny and Annie are watching," Terra thought.

Terra's instincts were on point; Rain had deliberately chosen not to utilize certain tactics during their confrontation. He stuck to a specific strategy, avoiding employing his full array of sneaky or deceitful moves, especially when Danny and Annie were watching.

Still, Rain indeed possessed various subtle methods and techniques to employ sneakiness without making it overtly obvious. However, in this instance, his priority wasn't about outwitting Terra or causing her genuine harm. He had deliberately limited his options to avoid injuring her, thereby reducing his strategies to a more straightforward defensive approach.

This limitation stemmed from his concern for Terra's well-being and his reluctance to escalate the confrontation to a point where it might cause her harm.

"I am sorry about this, but it is the best option," Rain thought. "There are some lines that I can't cross no matter to protect my pride."

When Terra charged again, Rain pushed his body forward and opened his hands. With a quick and heavy strike, his right palm made Terra's right punch pass by the side of their head, and the other hit her solar plexus several times in a row.

Terra felt a bump there… it didn't hurt that much, but she could tell that Rain used the technique to decrease her stamina with each hit, and the attack on the solar plexus made that even more obvious.

"If he is planning to stretch out the fight, I have to be quicker… palm strikes have a larger area so that he can deflect my attacks despite the difference in strength," Terra thought.

Terra went as far as to use Limit Breaker and Magic Boost… Everyone's confusion was palpable as they observed Terra's approach. There was a collective sense of shock among them, evident in their expressions, as they watched Terra showing her strength.

It seemed odd to them, especially considering Terra's initial goal, which appeared to be trying to showcase Rain's combat prowess and determination to his kids. Utilizing such intense techniques and relentless attacks felt unnecessary, given the initial impression that Terra intended to show Rain in a favorable light.

Her actions seemed illogical with the earlier idea of making Rain appear more impressive or valiant during the fight. The confusion among the observers grew as they struggled to reconcile Terra's actions with her apparent intentions… they didn't have time to think of that because Terra charged once more.

Rain let her punch him, but at the same time, he inclined his body backward and kicked the back of her knee while he also grabbed her right arm. Both of them fell on the snow, with their backs against the snow, but Rain put Terra under an arm lock and prevented her from moving it or turning.

Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Terra opened her eyes widely when she felt that she couldn't muster as much strength as before, even while her Limit Breaker and Magic Boost were active. She tried to turn around to get up using the other arm, but Rain made them sink into the snow, and that decreased their mobility even more.

"The heck is this?" Terra said while trying to free herself.

"I call this the arm lock of love," Rain said. "If you don't free yourself in ten seconds, you lose. One, two, threefourfive, six…"

"Don't count so fast!" Terra said.

Terra's acceptance of Rain mixing martial arts techniques and rules she didn't know reflected her open-mindedness and willingness to adapt to different styles and a lot of naivety as well. She didn't mind this blending of techniques because she valued the diversity of approaches in martial arts. However, her concern arose when Rain resorted to cheating in another aspect of their match.

Counting too fast wasn't something that she could accept since it was clear that he was messing around to win…