Apocalypse Unbound

Grit and Fire

"I’ll make sure to go easy."

Grey watched them. Though he was smiling, he was pissed. They wanted to beat him into submission, which was quite comedic, as it would have made more sense if they were stronger than him. But they weren’t, even as a group, and Grey found that insulting.

Granted, their lack of strength was mostly why they wanted him to stay, but still, there were better ways to convince a guy. Other than that, Grey didn’t care about them, nor did he have any reason to. He wasn’t an overly moral person, all about risking his life to do good. He had no attachment to them or anyone else, for that matter—not Amy nor Wendy. The only one he remotely cared about was Jace, and he was also gone. So, Grey was done caring about others.

Grey thought being in a group would only frustrate him, especially when there was no structure and a couple of unwilling members.

"One last chance, Grey," Nathan warned. "It’s not too late to rethink your choice."

Grey chuckled. That’s exactly what he should be telling them.

At Grey's mocking reaction, Pius's brow creased, and he immediately used his ability, engulfing his bat in flames as he charged.

"Pius, wait!" Nathan yelled, knowing Grey wasn’t an opponent one could solo.

"This will be fun."

Apollo chuckled, leaping off Grey's shoulder to watch from the side.

Grey, seeing Pius approach, analyzed his movement—or more specifically, watched his flaming weapon.

‘A flame element user, huh?’ This could be an opportunity.

Pius swung his weapon downward, and Grey caught the flaming bat. The force of the swing reverberated, making Grey’s arm slightly numb.

Pius’s eyes widened, his shock evident as he saw Grey absorb the strike with eerie ease.

He had put a great deal of force into that strike, yet Grey was able to receive it so casually. What was even more baffling was that he held the hot iron with his palms like it was molten.

Pius’s face twisted in disbelief. He yanked and twisted the bat, trying to pull it free, but Grey’s finger pressed against it, unyielding.

"Not yet."

This further stunned Pius. Grey was obviously burning—he should want to get rid of the weapon, but instead, he was doing the opposite. "Crazy" was the only thing that described this action, and Pius wasn't going to tolerate it any longer.

"Screw you!" Pius cursed as he yanked his bat out of Grey’s grip and swung again, aiming for the head. But this time, Grey evaded by jumping backward. He glanced at his scorched palm and grinned. It was all according to plan.

Grey didn’t find the fight intriguing, but if he was going to partake, then he’d get something out of it.

Ding!

==========

[You have been exposed to the element: Fire]

[Player is compatible]

[Element Saving]

[Successful]

[Congratulations on activating Element: Fire]

[You have unlocked a new skill: Fireball]

==========

"Totally worth it."

Grey formed a fist. Being exposed to ice before had enabled him to awaken ice elements, so he thought, why not with fire? This was why he had caught Pius’s flaming weapon, letting his hand get scorched like a Thanksgiving turkey. Masochistic, maybe, but totally worth it. He barely felt any pain, and even now he could feel that he was starting to heal.

Pius, noticing Grey was distractedly staring into the air—most likely at his status screen—gritted his teeth, mad that Grey wasn’t taking them seriously. Grey had taken a dump on his pride, as vulgar as that might sound, and he wasn’t going to take it lying down. He withdrew his bat and spun it, creating an arc of raging fire that he directed toward Grey.

Grey, satisfied he had gotten something out of a predictable fight, decided to end this swiftly. He used [Quickstep], appearing behind Pius. With a subtle touch, he used [Overcharged], and Pius’s body went into spasms from the current of electricity coursing through him.

With a body to the ground, Grey announced.

"One down."

"You bastard!" Nathan yelled as he descended with a raging fist of a massive gauntlet of rock headed directly toward Grey’s face, but Grey leaped to the side, evading the clobbering force. Ice shards bombarded the area Grey moved to the second he reached there, but Grey had expected this and reacted. He dashed sideways to avoid getting hit. He didn’t even have to use [Quickstep], as his agility was enough for him to swiftly react.

Rush, seeing Grey’s movement, panicked. He was as fast as when they had fought earlier, and Nathan couldn’t keep up, as his focus was on strength and endurance. Grey, dodging another one of Nathan’s attacks, turned his attention toward Rush and decided he would be the next target. Rush, realizing Grey was headed for him, summoned multiple ice shards and released them as fast as he could, but he couldn’t hit the target as Grey’s visage veered like a blur.

Noticing that the ice spikes were ineffective against Grey, Rush decided to switch tactics. He focused his energy and unleashed a relentless beam of ice, a continuous stream of freezing power that crystallized everything in its path. The sheer intensity of the attack drained his mana reserves rapidly, but Rush didn’t care—his only goal was to strike Grey. If the beam connected, it would create the perfect opening for Nathan to deliver the finishing blow.

But then an urgent voice yelled, "Rush, stop!"

It was Nathan, and just in time—he noticed Rush was about to hit the bystanders watching, causing him to halt his attack. Rush gritted his teeth. He knew Grey had purposely moved in front of the onlookers, knowing he’d have to stop lest he risk hitting them too.

"Coward," Rush cursed, but Grey simply shrugged. It wasn’t intentional, as he was forced into that position. Besides, they were the ones ganging up on him, so who was the coward?

With a blitz, Grey appeared in front of Rush, shocking him, and was about to land a gut-twisting punch to knock Rush down as well, but a gust of cold wind escaped from the ice user.

[Cold Gust: An ability that releases a concentrated blast of frigid air, instantly lowering the temperature to sub-zero levels. This icy gust can freeze the moisture in the air, and is powerful enough to slow down or immobilize opponents temporarily.]

This would have slowed down Grey enough for Rush to keep his distance and for the approaching Nathan to intercept, but...

==================

[Cold Immunity taking effect]

[Cold Gust has been resisted]

===================

[Cold Immunity] gave Grey a natural resistance to cold-based attacks or environmental conditions allowing him to continue his actions without any negative impact from the freezing attack.

Rush’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched his ability fail to take effect. The cold gust that should have slowed or even stopped Grey had no impact at all. Before he could react, Grey’s fist drove forward, smashing into Rush’s gut with brutal force.

Rush’s body doubled over from the impact, his breath forced from his lungs in a painful gasp as he spat out in shock. The sheer power of the blow left him momentarily paralyzed, the wind knocked out of him, and his mind reeling from the overwhelming pain.

"Rush!" Nathan let out a furious shout, his fist coming like a raging truck, which Grey deemed worthy to receive with his own, using [Lightning Gauntlet]. The two fists collided, releasing a shockwave with enough force to push the watching crowd backward—the destructive force of lightning against the defense of Earth.

"Why are you doing this?" Nathan yelled in anger, which made Grey genuinely confused if that was a serious question.

"You attacked me first. What are you talking about?"

Nathan clicked his teeth. He couldn’t refute that—they attacked him first, so he had no right to be angry, but he was—more so at himself for feeling so helpless.

He launched his other blow, which Grey received as well, and then another and another.

The intensity escalated as the exchange grew faster. Each punch became a blur, their movements almost too quick to follow. The sound of fists colliding echoed like thunder as the two clashed repeatedly, neither giving an inch. The air around them seemed to vibrate with the sheer force of their battle, as powerful blows were traded back and forth in a relentless, furious rhythm

A grin spread across Grey’s face as he effortlessly matched Nathan’s every move, his eyes gleaming with a spark of excitement. Nathan, on the other hand, was breathing heavily, his punches growing slower and less precise. Sweat dripped from his brow as his arms began to tremble with fatigue. Each swing felt heavier as if his strength was draining away with every passing second. 

Nathan didn't understand how Grey was able to keep the pace.

He had thought Grey was an agility-type awakened from the way he moved, but he seemed to have more stamina.

Maybe it was because Grey’s level was higher than his? but by how much, and for there to be such a massive difference?

How many more zombies did Grey kill that propelled him to be strong enough to take on three men who had been fighting since the start of this?

Grey's fist crackled with electricity as he swung it toward Nathan. The moment their fists collided, the air sparked with energy. Lightning surged through Grey's punch, sending a jolt of power that shattered the earthen gauntlet protecting Nathan’s left hand. The stone fragments exploded away, leaving his hand exposed and trembling. Nathan instinctively recoiled, leaping back as the shock numbed his arm, the remnants of the gauntlet crumbling to dust at his feet.

Nathan bit his lip and noticed the expression on Grey’s face—it was excitement. Grey was enjoying the battle, and this was when Nathan realized that Grey was a monster, one that couldn’t be tamed, by him or anyone.