4: Lava Enemies

Five years have passed since that day.

Now, Max has become a completely different man, unrecognizable in the eyes of those who have known him before.

Max had trained tirelessly under the guidance of the guardians, who took him in and treated him as if he were their son and not just another guardian or warrior.

He has managed to perfect his skills, and given the position of the guardians, Max was already that warrior that Atería needed.

His physique had changed drastically; Now, he is stronger, more agile, and more attractive than he ever was as a teenager. The ring that he always carried on his hand has become a very important amulet for his life. Thanks to that ring and his dedication; He has become a symbol of his power and determination.

At this point in his life, Max was training in the lava terrain, a vast expanse of molten rock and searing heat. There is nothing green around it, there are no flowers, there are no trees, it is just pure black earth and hot lava.

That day's training was particularly challenging, but Max moved with grace and confidence, as well as having the self-confidence to know how to meet his challenge. On one side of him, the guards watched him carefully, expecting the training to be successful as it always has been after the first year, nothing more than falls.

The guardians levitate in the air, Lyra and Aldrich remain standing, with their arms crossed and their hands hidden under the sleeves of their long white suit with gold decorations. And on the other hand, Celen and Telón, although they levitated, they were sitting in the air, completely focused on what they were about to see.

“Alright, Max, you're ready. “Now, prove everything you know, don’t let us down,” Lyra said with interest.

Max nodded, his body felt the strong hit of the heat of the terrain, he couldn't stop sweating. Luckily, since he started his training, the guardians advised him to train without clothes, or well, at least putting on boxers that covered his intimate area is more than enough.

The warrior planted himself firmly on the lava terrain, hoping that in that position, nothing that was coming could easily defeat him. His body is muscular, and his sweat stuck to his body like glue due to the strong heat in that field.

But his training has made him almost immune to this type of environment, and he was more than prepared to face what was coming.

“Get ready, Max. Today you will face a training that will test all your limits,” Lyra announced, her voice sounding clear and precise at her decision. With a wave of her hands, she summoned Max's first rival.

From the burning ground emerged an imposing and terrifying monster, its body is composed of molten lava and black rock, its shape is that of a human, it had a head, hands, feet and body of a human, but its face is flat, it had no eyes, mouth, nose or ears.

The lava monster was about 10 meters tall, it is robust, and every step it took caused the ground to suffer a strong shake. The monster had a humanoid shape, however, its limbs are very long and disproportionate to its size, which caused it to have no stability while it walked towards attacking its opponent; Max.

The monster's eyes are two black sockets that shoot fire from within, as well as towards his nose.

Although he got chills, Max didn't wait for the monster to attack first. Then, with an agile movement, he concentrated all the energy of his ring and launched a beam of blue light directly at the creature's chest; right where his heart was located.

However, the beam of blue light was not a great idea for an attack, as the beam hit the humanoid's chest, but it absorbed it completely without showing a sign of pain.

“Mm, very impressive. But Max, you will need much more than that, remember that you can do more,” Celen commented from her position, although she spoke softly, Max heard her comment perfectly, just as if she were speaking in his ear.

After listening to Celen's advice, he decided to continue. His concentration increased, Max knew very well that facing these types of monsters required more than brute strength. He decided to increase his speed and agility, he dodged a blow that the monster was close to giving the lava humanoid, and with luck, Max dodged it with the help of his good reflexes. Although when he dodged it, he fell to the ground, but due to the infernal heat of the earth, he had to stand up again, since his feet were the only ones that could resist him despite walking barefoot.

Quickly, the warrior channeled the energy of the ring, and created a barrier of light that temporarily imprisoned the monster while he analyzed the situation and thought about the best way to defeat it and win the battle. Max's ring continued to shine with every use of his power, and that light was what allowed him to create that protective shield.

But then, for Max, the worst came, Lyra summoned the second creature. It emerged from the ground, it is a reptilian beast, a black-skinned cobra with shiny eyes that were the color of lava. The beast moved quickly, although without forgetting stealth to attack Max. Max didn't see it coming, he never imagined having to face two monsters at the same time.

And they were monsters that are completely different.

The tail of the great reptilian beast is a long expanse of burning lava, and its skin is covered in obsidian scales. The lava from her tail sizzles all around her, and her size is what makes her much scarier compared to the lava humanoid.

“Shit, Lyra. Why are you doing this to me? "This damn shield won't hold up for long, and I still don't know how to fly," Max observed, as he tried to stay strong against the humanoid's lava attacks against his shield, and prayed to himself that the lava snake would not come closer more towards him.

“Now, you went too far, Lyra,” Telón commented to his partner, without stopping to look at Max.

Lyra simply stayed silent, hoping that Max could make the best decision in the face of his battle. Before it is too late.