Earlier, Elias had pushed Gravity Force past them and seized one of the rocks that had fallen, slowly levitating it above their heads.
The strain was evident on his face; sweat beaded on his forehead as he maintained intense concentration, his jaw clenched tight.
When the attack came, he released the rock with a grunt and then redirected another force toward the attacker.
The speed boy leapt with inhuman agility, narrowly avoiding the force push. Elias immediately unleashed another surge of power, his eyes narrowing with focus.
The green-haired boy stood with an irritated expression, dramatically brushing dust from his hair. "You'll pay for that, whoever you are!" he snarled, before drawing back his fist and punching forward. Green psychic energy crackled through the air toward Sasha. Elias shifted his stance, pulled the energy toward himself with a pained grimace, then redirected it with tremendous force back toward all three attackers.
The speed boy, disrupted mid-air, tumbled briefly before a more powerful force slammed into him, sending him spiraling backward with a yelp of surprise.
Even Dice, who stood at a distance, staggered back several steps. His eyes widened with shock before narrowing with cold determination.
"Argh! He can't keep up with all three of us. Confuse him!" Dice shouted, his voice commanding despite the frustration evident in his tone.
The green-haired boy settled into a fighting stance and unleashed a barrage of punches, each releasing vibrant green psychic energy that sizzled through the air. "Let's see how long you can play bodyguard, nobody!" he taunted with a mocking smirk.
Elias raised his stump, pulling a rock into the path of the green energy blast. It exploded into debris with a deafening crack that echoed through the cavern.
The remaining green energy streaked toward Sasha, and Elias exerted his Gravity Force pull; the energy shattered mid-air like a slob of thick liquid.
At that moment, the speed boy attempted to dart past Elias's flank. Elias pivoted, body tilting as he emitted a push force. "Not so fast," he muttered through gritted teeth, muscles straining with effort.
The speed boy was thrust backward but recovered quickly, his body twisting into a sharp kick. "You're way over your head!" he shouted as his foot sliced through the air with a whistling sound.
Elias bent away, narrowly avoiding the strike, then stood firm as Gravity Force exploded around him in a visible distortion of the air, rippling outward like heat waves.
"Ungh!" The boy staggered back, wincing in pain, but his power allowed him to resist the push. He attacked again with renewed fury, muscles tensing. "What kind of strange talent is this?" he growled, his face contorted with a mixture of pain and curiosity.
Green energy rained down again, some directed at Elias and the rest at Sasha; several were about to reach her. Elias stepped back with a swift movement and pulled everything around him except Sasha into his gravitational field.
The speed boy yanked involuntarily toward him; Elias met the boy's face with a boot kick that connected with a satisfying thud. "Gah!" the boy cried out as he reeled back.
The green energies surged toward Elias; he dodged two with precise movements, but four struck his barrier, which rippled violently before shattering with a sound like breaking glass. "Damn it!" Elias hissed through clenched teeth.
They attacked simultaneously, a coordinated assault that spoke of practice and intimate familiarity with each other's fighting styles.
A gleaming blade whistled toward his face, while a kick aimed for his head from the speed boy. A blow threatened his stomach, and green energy sizzled as it reached for his thigh—all converging in a single, terrifying moment.
"Gravity Force Hard Push!" Elias strained, his voice rising above the chaos of battle as veins bulged at his temples.
The speed boy felt an invisible hand seize him and slam his back against the spine of the rock before attempting to crush him flat. "ARGH!" he screamed, face contorted in agony.
Dice was forced meters back, but his sword cut through the force, splitting it in two as he slid to a halt before dashing forward to attack again with renewed determination. "Not bad," he muttered, a thin smile crossing his lips.
The green-haired boy was thrown far from them, tumbling backward before rolling to a stop, green energy enveloping him protectively as he struggled to regain his footing. "Son of a—" he growled, cutting himself off as he staggered upright.
Dice attacked again, his blade attempting to slice through another powerful push but met with nimble footwork that evaded all his strikes. A sudden force slammed into him, causing him to grunt in pain.
His sword began to glow, preparing to release a distance slash, but his body yanked forward unexpectedly, throwing him off balance. A strong knee connected with his face, breaking his nose with a sickening crunch, followed by a powerful push that sent him flying back ten meters.
"Ngh!" Dice was disoriented, blood streaming from his nostrils, but his sword continued to glow as he tumbled and somehow managed to land on his feet, albeit unsteadily.
Gravity Force passed through the speed boy, who was yanked toward Elias before being pushed violently toward Dice. He rolled across the ground and came to a halt just before his teammate.
They stood panting, exhaustion evident in their postures as they glared at Elias. Behind him, flashes of lightning darted across scorching pipes and the wheel—Sasha had not paused in her efforts to open the gate, working frantically despite the battle raging around her.
Without exchanging words, Dice attacked with a series of slashing attacks that cut through the air with deadly precision. A hard push disrupted his assault, sending him skidding backward with a frustrated snarl.
The green-haired boy, now covered in a cocoon of green energy, charged forward for hand-to-hand combat—fast and ferocious, each strike punctuated by the crackling sound of psychic energy.
Elias stepped back, reading every move with calculating eyes. Had it not been for his paralyzed hand hindering his movements, this fight would have been significantly easier. Every dodge caused a flare of pain to shoot through his body.
An energy blast erupted from Green's body and shot toward Sasha, but then it was pulled back abruptly and slammed against Elias's barrier with enough force to make him wince.
Green jumped back but found himself being pulled forward against his will; he broke free with a spike of green energy that shattered the gravitational pull. Dice had arrived once more, his movements sharp and deadly. The two of them pressed Elias relentlessly, forcing him to retreat under their coordinated barrage.
They never allowed him to rest or release his power fully, attacking from multiple angles whenever he attempted to gather his strength for another Hard Push. Dice cut through each gravity wave, while Green maneuvered behind him, charging a thick green blast that pulsed with deadly intent...
CREAK!
"I opened it... haha...!" Sasha's voice was triumphant but strained.
ROOOAAAARRR!