Rio was not going to sacrifice his own 'Path,' and he was not going to abandon Liam either, as he had promised to bring him back one way or another.
He chose the 'Path' of being happy and peaceful in the future, but if Rio becomes a 'hero,' his 'Path' will divert to a completely new destination that he doesn't want.
Rio still had no idea what Raika's actual plan was or what he wanted from him or why he was pestering him over and over, but one thing was for sure: Rio was not going to compromise.
And when both parties refuse to compromise, refuse to bend their 'paths,' and refuse to get out of each other's way, their 'paths' end up colliding and bring them face to face.
At that point, there was nothing else left to negotiate or talk about; it was now up to Rio himself to remove Raika from his 'path' and clear this 'obstacle' in his 'path' forward.
[Sword Intent!]
[Elemental Sword Art: Fire Type: Illusion burning dawn!]
