Affinity:Chaos

1718  Going Against The Tide

The duo originally didn't have any plans with battling anyone in the Seventh stage. Their plan was to challenge those in the Eighth stage after getting to the top four spots in the Seventh stage of the Sovereign Plane without having to compete. No one would dare to challenge them as long as they were there. They've beaten everyone who had come to challenge them since they got to the peak of the Seventh stage, hence the reason no one wanted to challenge them while Grey was still watching. Now that there was no one watching, and Grey, the only person who could threaten them, was battling them, they had no choice but to try to see if they could win, which meant using some of their hidden techniques. One of them had already used a secret technique to improve his strength, and when he thought he had killed Grey, Grey phased through the attack. Not just that, but Grey struck him in the end. Bang! His figure, which was standing close to Grey after his missed attack was cleanly struck by Grey, and he crashed into the ground, blood dripping from the side of his mouth. There's no way to dodge such attacks. His figure contorted, but he wasn't dead, or too injured to stop fighting. With the duo present fighting Grey, their best chances of winning is if Grey isn't able to keep up with them. Unfortunately, while they were still in the Seventh stage, Grey managed to keep up with them. Well, one of them at the moment. Seeing that Grey hadn't been defeated by his companion's attack, Vale realized that this wasn't the same situation as fighting any other Pyro Faction Seventh or Eighth stage Sovereign. While battling either of them, he knew that his opponent couldn't go above a certain level, but the level he predicted for Grey, Grey has already passed it. With no one to keep Grey in check, then he was free to do whatever he wanted. A genius Seventh stage Sovereign could be held by others his stage, Grey couldn't. So even when Vale's companion improved his strength to the Eighth stage, it still isn't enough to stop Grey from attacking. In fact, with him out of the way, there's no way Vale would be able to protect himself alone.

Grey aimed for Vale when he noticed that the other young man was out of the picture for a second or two. Vale didn't react slowly in this, he noticed how bad things were for him and reacted accordingly. He didn't dare to take Grey's attack since he knew that he wasn't Grey's match, physically, so he went for the best option. Since he had the superior cultivation stage, there's no point in taking Grey's attack. At least this is how it had been all this while. A Sixth stage Sovereign could easily evade a Seventh stage Sovereign, as long as they were faster. The scenario was different in this case. Grey, a Sixth stage Sovereign is no different from a Ninth stage Sovereign, and not even an Eighth stage one. Grey was very fast, so when the opportunity presented itself for him to attack Vale with a powerful attack, he didn't hold back. Vale didn't try to increase his cultivation since he believed that his companion would be enough to deal with Grey. Grey, on the other hand, had been in positions like this over the years. Knowing that he was inferior in terms of cultivation stage, he didn't say a word. Since this was a top Seventh stage Sovereign, he felt they would want to gain the advantage in this battle. Grey didn't attack Vale, rather, his companion who was forced to show a strength in the Eighth stage while being a Seventh stage Sovereign.

The fact that the duo were showing strength that belonged to people in the Eighth stages didn't matter to those in charge of the ratings, all they cared about was where an Elementalist ended. As long as any of them usually stay among the top two, they were guaranteed a top ten spot, well, not all of them. Now, Grey had the opportunity of choosing those in the potential top ten, and since he had to put himself in the top ten, he had to make sure that he was the one in the lead. The Sovereign Plane hasn't been one where people fought for positions in the Pyro Faction. They were used to knowing what they could achieve in each stage. Their abilities usually determine where they would be ranked. Now that Grey was fighting people above him, he'll naturally be the one ranked in the first stage of the Seventh stage, after beating these guys. No one would want to challenge someone who is able to defeat two people with strength surpassing the average Eighth stage Sovereign.

One of the top ten positions had to be his, and he'd only achieve it after gaining the number one status among the Seventh stage Sovereigns. As long as he could take out the duo, he'll gain a spot. Having multiple elements meant that he had multiple ways of dealing with other Elementalists. Each elements have elements they're usually inferior to, not that they aren't strong, it's just that the opposing element counters it, which puts it in a bad position. Grey, against two people who had a superior cultivation stage, this was something most of those in the Pyrmond Faction wanted to see, so they were all interested. They've seen Grey's talent and knew what he was able to achieve. As long as Grey was in position, there's a good chance that they would be able to get that as well. All they had to do was cheer him on and watch him bring pride to their Faction. Since entering the Pyro World, they could all sense that these youth from the Pyro Faction looked down on them, so seeing someone that could help them regain their pride, they'd naturally feel happy.