1716 Getting Second Thoughts? Two minutes went by very quickly, and the trio on the platform had not stopped even once since the start of the battle. Grey was able to stop Vale's Elemental Warrior from having a serious impact in the battle thanks to him being an Inscriber. Not just that, but his speed was giving him the advantage against the duo themselves. Neither Vale, nor his companion could keep up with Grey, which meant that there was no way they could beat him. Grey was too fast for them. Vale soon came to the realization that they had to reduce the size of the battlefield. Although the sides of the platform were sealed to make sure none of the impact of the attacks caused any harm, the upper part was open. Grey was using his superior speed to get away from each of their attacks, making it impossible for them to take him down. With two minutes going by, a few of the people seated couldn't help but reevaluate Grey. Being able to hold the duo to a stalemate for two minutes is already a legendary feat. Even if Grey were to lose in the end, the stories won't be about his stupidity anymore, rather, his bravery to challenge two people with superior cultivation stages and still holding his own. Vale felt like he had lost face, being held by Grey to this extent. He looked at his companion and said, "Increase your strength. That should be able to take him down." "I'll be out for a week." Vale's companion was a little hesitant. "He can continue fighting at this stage, we either make the move and take him out, or try to outlast him." Vale said, his expression was sour. Doing either of this would make them look weak, but if they didn't, and had to rely on their higher essence reserves, they'd be even more embarrassed. Thinking of this, Vale decided that it was best if they were disgraced for one person using his ability to gain more strength, than when both had to play a game of cat and mouse with Grey. Vale's companion thought about it, and with gritted teeth, he used a secret technique to improve his strength. Grey saw this after blocking one of their attacks and his expression turned serious. Before, he knew that he could dodge their attacks, making them frustrated before taking them out. But from the looks of things, they didn't mind using their secret techniques just to catch up to him. He had been refusing to engage in a head to head combat with them as he knew that they were stronger, with this young man increasing his strength now, there's a good chance that he'll be able to close the gap with him in terms of speed. Vale created a large hand made from the darkness element, and his companion stood on it. The hand was drawn back like a bow, and like an arrow, Vale's companion's figure was shot out. The speed was spine-tingling. If they were facing someone else, even if that person were to be in the Eighth stage, the person would be worried since the duo's strength wasn't anything to joke about. Grey knew there was no way to dodge this attack, well, unless he phased through it. He couldn't use his ability to pull or push anything around him for some time, but at the moment, he didn't have any problems with phasing through an attack, or person. Realizing that dodging the attack was futile, he went with the next best, trying to phase through attacks. Of course he can't do it every time since there's a limit to it, but he could at least get it done once in a few minutes which was enough for him in competitions like these, or life and death battles. Grey's decision making was top notch, he didn't dilly dally, since he already had something in mind, there was no need in making things harder. He acted like he was panicky and wanted to dodge the attack, which made Lord Dante almost stand up. The only reason he stayed on his feet was when he recalled how crazy Grey's physique was. Even if Grey was hit by this attack, he'll not only live, but the chances of being seriously injured were low. Besides, he had a few things to help him recover. He left Grey alone to learn that he shouldn't be overly confident. Being a genius doesn't mean that one should not be able to know where the limit lies. Grey acted like he didn't know his limits, so Lord Dante felt this was a chance for Grey to realize that he wasn't untouchable. Grey didn't know that Lord Dante was contemplating if he should save him or not. If he knew, he still wouldn't be bothered. He didn't want Lord Dante to save or help him, he had an agreement with him, and that was getting to the top ten. He didn't plan to do that based on Lord Dante's favor, he wanted to achieve this on his own, so he naturally didn't expect to receive any help. Vale's companion appeared before Grey, a smile plastered on his face as he tried to attack Grey with the dagger made entirely from the darkness element. The dagger was aimed straight at his heart. Grey didn't move, and Vale's companion's expression changed as he quickly tried to change where the danger would hit. He expected Grey to at least react and make sure the attack didn't hit Grey in heart, the second he realized Grey didn't show any signs of moving, his eyes widened. He wanted to win, but he didn't want to kill anyone in the process. With Grey not moving, once the dagger hit him dead in the chest, there's no way he would be able to defend against this attack. 'Oh no.' The heart of the young man skipped, he didn't want to kill anyone that could be a potential companion against the Gnomes.