The remaining three lava men soon came running back while Grey was poking fun at Klaus.
"Since when did you turn into a bully?" Klaus asked.
"I've always been a bully." Grey replied with a laugh.
Klaus sighed and said, "You guys deal with them, I'll be in charge of stopping all their attacks."
He had the strongest defense among them and could easily protect the others. The others all had destructive elements and could deal a good amount of damage to the three lava men.
"I'll protect myself, I can't trust you with my life. You might just allow them to strike me." Grey said.
Klaus chuckled but didn't say anything. He actually had the thought of letting them hit Grey one or two times. With Grey's strong physical body, he knew he wouldn't die from the attack. At most he would just feel some pain. Unfortunately, Grey knew his intentions and didn't want his help. Since he had the earth element too, he could defend the attacks.
"A shame."
The three lava men started their combined attacks once again. But with all four friends working together. It was too easy for them to deal with the lava men.
Klaus, just like the plan, was in charge of defending all attacks coming their way. He blocked each of the lava men's attacks before they could even move three feet from them.
Alice and Reynolds attacked, Grey acted like a support too. Only attacking occasionally.
Before long, all three lava men were dealt with.
Grey didn't get too involved in the battle. Alice and Reynolds were the only attackers, but they managed to kill them off within three minutes.
Klaus blocked all the attacks, which made things easier for Alice and Reynolds.
"Well that was easy." Grey commented from the side.
"You always watch from the side, useless." Klaus said.
"I'm the group's cheerleader. You guys need me to cheer you on." Grey replied shamelessly.
"At times, I tend to forget how shameless you are." Klaus gave up.
Grey always shows this serious and nonchalant look that even his friends tend to forget he was occasionally playful and shameless, just like Klaus.
"Should we move on to the next round?"
"It's going to be harder than this one."
"The harder the better. I need a real challenge."
"Yeah, me too. These levels have been too easy."
"Weren't you being beaten up a few minutes ago by those lava men?"
"Fuck! I was ganged up on! Can you fight four of them on your own?"
"Of course, didn't you see how easy it was for me to handle three of them?"
"I could've handled them too if I had the space element you pig!"
"Who are you calling a pig?"
"You. What can you do about it? Pig!"
Grey and Klaus started their cussing session with Reynolds not joining the party this time. Klaus has always had the advantage whenever it comes to this, and since Grey is too strong now, he also has his own advantages. It was best for him to stay on the side and watch the duo.
….
While Klaus and Grey were having a battle of words, the middle-aged man and Elder were stumped.
"Did you see what he did?" The middle-aged man couldn't help but ask, pointing at Grey.
The Elders nodded. When they saw Alice and Reynolds attacking Grey all of a sudden, they thought maybe something happened since they couldn't hear what was happening inside. But all of a sudden, they saw one of the lava men standing on the place Grey was standing on while Grey appeared among the lava men and attacked.
"Such battle knowledge. They are all so well familiar with each other."
"Being able to switch places with an enemy at any time is a dangerous skill to have. Such a figure can not be made an enemy, no matter what!"
"The boy is something else. I wonder how he was able to get this powerful."
"I believe they are all grade nine geniuses. If that's the case, they are special."
"Building a bond with them won't be that easy. If only we can recruit both Fire Elementalists."
"We can offer them some techniques."
"We'll wait for them to step out."
….
Inside the volcano.
Grey and his friends had gone to the next round, and to their shock, the next challenge didn't have to do with fighting. It was breaking through an array formation that could attack. Any wrong move and they would be blasted by a powerful attack.
"This shouldn't be difficult." Grey sensed the array and said, "Give me some time, I'll make a few tweaks to this thing and we'll be able to pass through with ease."
This time, they encountered the group of seven once again. As they advanced, the number of people they encountered started to dwindle. It was common in trials like this. Since each level gets harder, fewer people would be able to advance. It was like a way of filtering the talents. Only those who are strong enough could get to the last levels.
The deeper you go in, the better it is for you.
Also, the heat had gone up once again. However, with the heat comes some benefits. Absorbing it gives each Elementalist a good amount of nourishment, and their essences are well filled. The constant fighting and nourishment will make one's essence grow stronger and they can use more powerful attacks.
Grey and Alice had it easier since they had the fire element. Klaus and Reynolds continued with the same method as before, but this time, they've been able to increase the size of the hole. They've seen the benefits and didn want to waste the opportunity.
The trio waited as Grey went to work. After about ten minutes, Grey stood up and wiped off the sweat on his head.
"We can go now."
He took the first step and instantly retreated.
"Well, not just yet." He said with an awkward smile as an explosion rang off.
