Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1466: Accepting the costs

"It is hard to say... there is the first option. He will ignore us because we are another target for the machine gods, and we can keep them busy as well, so he might want to use us like that," Rain said. "The second possibility is that he will target us, but he should know that we are ready to defend the planet and use it as our fortress, so things won’t be that easy for him. He might be able to blow up the planet, but it is hard to say if he will maintain his powers. If the planet dies, the overseer might die, and the path system could be gone as well."

The dragon god was no stranger to the intricacies of power and strategy. Having roamed the world for thousands of years, his wisdom and experience surpassed that of most mortals. As a being from the era of modern Earth, he possessed a wealth of knowledge comparable to Rain and the relics themselves, understanding their capabilities and potential weaknesses with detailed insight.

Despite his strength, the dragon god recognized the limitations of his position. Alone against a united front of Rain, the relics, and their allies, he faced a difficult challenge. He understood that his raw power alone might not be enough to secure victory in the face of such formidable adversaries.

Aware of the potential countermeasures that Rain and the relics could employ against him, the dragon god found himself with few viable options. His mastery over the path system and his ancient knowledge granted him a considerable advantage. Still, even he knew that brute force alone would not guarantee success against opponents as resourceful and determined as Rain and his allies.

In the face of such adversity, the dragon god weighed his options carefully, seeking out any advantage he could find to tilt the odds in his favor. Every move he made was calculated, and every decision weighed against the risks and rewards. For despite his unparalleled strength, he knew that victory would not come easily and that he would need to rely on all his cunning and guile to emerge triumphant in the end.

"I suppose we can’t rule out any possibility, and we need to be ready for all options," Esmeralda said.

"If we are going to move from now on, we will have to move entirely as a group since he might use that chance to decrease our strength," Branden said. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Rain groaned in annoyance... that was too difficult to accept, even though it made sense. However, to avoid the chances of losing their strength at any level, everyone will have to be put at risk to some extent... instead of risking with high chances half of their numbers, they would have to risk with small chances all of them.

"This would be a good time for the overseer to show himself..." Sakaki said. "He should be aware that the dragon god is thinking along those lines, after all. He can’t stay on the fence in a situation like this."

"But it is exactly what he is going to do," Rain said. "He said that he considered you guys friends, but remember that from his perspective, we all are only a small fraction of people who had once lived on this planet. He is playing the game of numbers with logic in mind... that is why I can’t bring myself to hate him completely."

"I guess that even if it is insanity, he is aware that even if the dragon god goes insane and he destroys and kills everyone, he still can start things over anywhere he wants... and that will be the new beginning of our new species, a third beginning, I guess," Larisa said. "It won’t be optimal for the overseer, but if it is the bet with the highest chances..."

"For now, we shouldn’t think about those kinds of things. Let’s focus on what we can do," Regis said. "The dragon god always had been a potential enemy, but at least one of the machine gods was dealt with. Now, we have to choose between the machine god of time, energy, information, spirit, and probability."

"None of them seems like an easy choice," Sakaki said. "Thinking logically, the dragon god will probably target the easiest in theory, that would be Lidos of the aspect of spirit. So, we should target another."

No one had any idea which one they should target... the options were decreasing, but that wasn’t making things actually easier. Considering how much each one of them would benefit them to make things easier afterward, defeating Rais, the machine god of information, would probably be their best bet... he also should have enough information about the other machine gods and the dragon god to benefit them... However, that would be the kind of thing that the dragon god could anticipate.

"Something that none of the enemies could anticipate would be us attacking two of them simultaneously," Esmeralda said after thinking for a moment. "It might be risky, but if we pull it off, we will have half of the power of the aspects on our side... we will end up suffering many losses, but..."

The group had grown accustomed to the harsh reality of their battles against the machine gods. Losses were not just expected but practically guaranteed in their encounters. Despite their numerous victories against overwhelming odds, they understood that their luck wouldn’t hold out indefinitely. It was a sobering realization that tempered their optimism and forced them to confront the grim truth of their situation.

So when Esmeralda proposed the idea of splitting their forces and attacking two machine gods simultaneously, they didn’t hesitate to entertain the notion. It was a desperate gambit born out of necessity, a last-ditch effort to turn the tide of the war in their favor. They knew that the odds were stacked against them, but they also knew that they had no other choice. It was a risk they were willing to take, for the alternative was unthinkable.