Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"What did you learn, Larisa?" Rain asked. "You should be the one who recovered the least memories."

"Nothing very useful, aside from most of the memories of my youth. I recovered some memories around the time I obtained my powers," Isa said. "I came in contact with survivors of other countries and shared my findings with them."

Larisa's mind processed an array of memories and knowledge she had recovered. Though she didn't openly show it, her findings were more severe than she let on. Studying the effects of the ice dragon's blood, Isa conducted various experiments, delving into the properties of the draconic essence.

She discovered that when infused with a human body, the dragon's essence had transformative abilities, enabling individuals to surpass their physical and mental limitations when in contact with mana.

This infusion marked the initial signs of what seemed like a system, a way for humans to interact and enhance their abilities through mana. However, Isa encountered limitations; she couldn't access the structured levels typically associated with such a system, and her control over mana remained unrefined and inconsistent.

The revelation of these findings hinted at the potential for unlocking incredible power within humans without many demerits. According to her, she was constantly suffering from headaches and fevers, and it was no surprise since the dragon's blood was essentially alien matter.

Still, without proper mastery over mana or a comprehensive understanding of this system, Larisa found herself at an impasse. She had discovered a glimpse of untapped potential within the human body, but harnessing and controlling it remained a daunting challenge.

"I see…" Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Did you contact them afterward, or you don't remember yet?"

"I don't remember yet, but maybe I helped them create the system," Larisa said and then shrugged. "I can't say for sure."

Larisa was looking more human now with her actions, probably because she recovered most of the memories that determined the type of person she was… Rain couldn't say if that was a good thing or not, though. It was better to assume a yes…

"Well, you won't trust my words, so I'd better show it," Nigel said.

"You are right," Rain said. "Make it flow at 1500 times speed," Rain said.

"Not like I was expecting anything else, but you at least should try to humor me by saying that you trust me a bit more," Nigel said and then sighed.

"Stop wasting my time," Rain said.

Nigel's newest memories began to appear. However, the images that unfolded were focused solely on battles. No recollections beyond the conflicts he engaged in appeared, casting a shadow over Nigel's intentions at that time and recent actions.

Nigel's memories depicted relentless battles, showcasing his quest to obtain more power. His efforts seemed centered around seeking parts of other colossal monsters, possibly in a bid to enhance his abilities. It appeared that Nigel sought to harness the strength of these creatures to augment his own, a strategy akin to the one he had employed with the giant lizard before.

However, the memories showed that despite his attempts, Nigel struggled to assimilate the power of these different monstrous entities. It became evident that he could only effectively utilize the blood or essence of the same type of monster he originally encountered.

His efforts to gather power by assimilating parts from various creatures proved futile, leaving him restricted to the specific lineage of the initial monstrous entity he encountered.

"Whenever I got closer to that one, the giant lizard would violently fight me, and I never stood a chance," Nigel said. "It even stopped using the spawns at some point."

"Since you didn't purify the essence, the power you obtained was deeply ingrained with that kind of beast, so you could only obtain more power by getting parts of similar beasts," Larisa said while holding her chin. "I suspect you weren't part of the group that I shared information with."

"You all are really slow… even now, you didn't realize that you don't know the dates of those events," The woman in the darkness said.

"... Well, it isn't like we have much use of calendars at those points in our lives," Larisa said.

"Still, do you have any idea how everything started or how much time has passed since the giant monsters appeared?" The woman in the darkness asked.

"... The memories aren't mine, so I never thought too much about that, but she has a point," Rain said while squinting his eyes. "Does that mean that you have any idea of how much time has passed with your memories?"

"I recovered a few, but I still don't know how things started exaclty. All my memories are still fragmented," The woman in the darkness said. "I am not going to share them with you yet."

"Just another reason not to trust you," Rain shrugged.

"I showed my memories. You don't trust me anyway, so what is the point?" Nigel said.

"The point of you doing that is to avoid becoming a pan or something," Rain said.

In those circumstances, Rain found himself in a difficult predicament. Despite his reservations and mistrust toward the woman in the darkness, he recognized a crucial reliance on the power vested within the ominous sword. This dependency on the sword's power, while annoying and unsettling due to the woman residing within it, became a necessity for him.

The decision to wield or not wield the ominous sword could lead to a difficult outcome. A devastating toll was exacted, resulting in significant casualties among their ranks. Rain's family and friends, initially showing signs of recovery, regressed into a state of prolonged unconsciousness, extending for weeks.

This unforeseen consequence left Rain feeling increasingly cornered, which was why she had the upper hand in that negotiation.

"What is the plan?" Isa asked.

"Well, first of all, I will keep the ominous sword hidden somewhere since this woman doesn't want to cooperate, and I will only use her as I see fit," Rain said. "As I said before, I am a real advocate of true gender equality so that she will suffer Nigel's fate for a while."