Affinity: Chaos

Chapter 1946: The Offer Still Stands

Bang!

Three Gnomes exploded from a single attack from Reynolds. Hearing Grey’s words and seeing Klaus’s reaction, they knew whatever was happening on the Principal’s side was definitely serious.

Alice made a move as well, killing two Gnomes with a single attack.

Grey watched the scene and turned his gaze to the sky, he did not think he was needed here, so it was better if he assisted the man battling the Old Gnome. Even though there was a sense of urgency in him to hurry to the Trial Land to help out, he also knew the four of them would not be of much help there. If his Teacher who is a Ninth stage Sovereign was asking for help, their opponents were definitely too strong to deal with. He did not know much about the situation of the Trial Land, all he knew from his Teacher was that it was an old Faction. He had been to some ancient Factions and even trained with their members, so he knew although the younger generation might be weak, the older ones were definitely strong. His Teacher growing to become a Ninth stage Sovereign in such a short time is testament of the Faction’s might.

‘Void, keep them safe.’

After dropping this instruction with Void, he flew into the air, his destination was the battlefield of the two Peak Sovereigns. With his strength, he could definitely assist a Peak Sovereign and not be a burden.

Klaus and the others sensed Grey’s receding aura, and sensing the direction it was headed, they knew he wanted to finish the battle between the two Peak Sovereigns so they could leave as soon as possible. Focusing on the opponents before them, Klaus did not hold back, attacking one Gnome after the other.

The Gnomes panicked at first, only after seeing a few of their companions die did they come back to their senses and immediately started fighting back. Their numbers were great, so even if Klaus and the others could basically one-shot each of them, their collective strength is enough to fight back.

Six to seven Gnomes surrounded each of the trio, not giving them the chance to pick them off one by one. They also brought out their Puppets, further increasing their strengths.

Without Grey to cut off the connections to Puppets, the Gnomes were free to fight with their Puppets. Even if Grey were here, most of these Gnomes would have still brought out their Puppets oblivious to the fact that the person there was the same Grey Dawson they were told not to bring out their Puppets in his presence. The only Gnome who knew of Grey’s identity among them was dead and did not have the opportunity to warn them about it.

Unlike Grey, Klaus and the others could not disregard the Puppets, forcing them to slow down their assault. When the Gnomes noticed that these people only looked untouchable when facing just one person, they regained some confidence and started fighting in a more coordinated manner.

Klaus was frustrated, but he did not let this affect him. He would not be able to go help out if he lost his life due to carelessness. After his initial outburst, he calmed down and took the fight seriously, making sure he did not give any of his opponents the chance to gain the upper hand. Klaus’s attacks were fatal but slow, and in some cases, he needed some buffer up time before releasing these attacks. Luckily, his defense was top notch. Among the group, Klaus could be said to be the one with the strongest defense. His ice was almost impenetrable, especially for Gnomes whose strength were between the Fourth and Sixth stage.

Reynolds and Alice were untouchable in the battle, their speed made it hard for the Gnomes to keep up with them. Grouping together has been the only way the Gnomes have been able to keep them from killing them all. Even with this, they had still lost a few people.

They were initially around fifty plus Gnomes when they rushed out of the mountain, in a matter of a minute or so, only thirty were left alive. This is even with the fact that Grey did not join in the fight. Void has not made a move as well, watching from the side. His help was not needed, this he was well aware of.

….

In the sky.

The two Peak Sovereigns were exchanging blows at breakneck speed. Any Sovereign below the Seventh stage would not be able to keep up with the speed of the duo. The Gnome was a Dual Elementalist, having the Wind and Darkness elements.

The man he was fighting was a Wind Elementalist, making them matched in speed.

When Grey arrived, he squinted his eyes, pondering if he should join them or watch. The Old Gnome did not bring out his Puppet, knowing that Grey was present, he did not want to take any risks. When fighting against someone in the same cultivation stage as himself, he knew even a millisecond is enough to decide the outcome of their battle. Since that was the case, he would rather fight it out with his opponent. Besides, he was not that weak and was confident he could defeat most people in the same stage as himself.

The Man also noticed the Gnome was no pushover, putting his all into the battle. Both still had their weapons, clashing with it as sparks flew everywhere.

Grey continued watching their fight, not joining them. He was waiting for the perfect time before he attacked, as long as his single attack was well-timed, he believed the Man would be able to capitalize on it and end the battle.

Grey’s presence was noticed by both parties, putting pressure on the Old Gnome. The Man had nothing to worry about, knowing Grey would only help him and not attack him. He was also well aware Grey could exchange blows with Peak Sovereigns, even if it was only for a short time, it was more than enough in a battle of equals knowing there is someone by your side who can momentarily distract the opponent.

The Old Gnome’s expression darkened when he noticed Grey watching from the side. He had exchanged blows with Grey before, and even though he was stronger, he knew he could not neglect Grey’s attacks. For some reason Grey’s attacks bordered between a Ninth and Peak Sovereign, making it effective against him. The Old Gnome would not neglect a normal Ninth stage Sovereign’s attack, much less one that is close to that of Peak Sovereigns. He wanted to leave, but he knew that was impossible with this Man fighting him. A glint flashed through his eyes as he spat out an odd looking dagger. The dagger was small, releasing intense darkness elemental essence.

As soon as the Man saw the dagger, his heart skipped a bit as a wave of danger enveloped him. If he was touched by this dagger, he was certain the effect would be catastrophic to him.

Grey’s eyes turned sharp as soon as the dagger appeared, sensing just how dangerous the dagger was even from over five hundred meters away.

‘How come he has something like that?’ He thought to himself. He could not help but feel glad the Old Gnome did not use this dagger during their exchange the last time, if not, he would have been in serious trouble.

The appearance of the dagger made the Man wary, giving the Old Gnome the opportunity he needed to retreat from the battle.

Both parties stopped fighting, staring at each other from a distance.

Grey strategically positioned himself in a way whereby if the Old Gnome wanted to escape, he would be able to block him. All he needed was to stop the Old Gnome for a split second and the Man would catch up, and both the Old Gnome and the Man were aware of this.

“Boy, the last time I offered to take you under me and ensure you keep your life.” The Old Gnome looked at Grey, taking a deep breath he said, “That offer still stands.”

The Man turned his gaze to Grey when he heard this, he did not think the Old Gnome would offer to take Grey under him. There might have been no reaction on his face, but his heart was filled with concern. If Grey were to accept the Old Gnome’s offer, he would be the one in danger.

“My answer is the same as before.” Grey shrugged, replying in a casual manner. He did not even show any signs of being under pressure of facing a Peak Sovereign.

The Man did not find this surprising, after all, he had seen Grey exchange blows with a Peak Sovereign before and even though he did not come out on top, he was able to keep his life. Anyone who can exchange blows with a Peak Sovereign naturally have nothing to fear when faced with one.