Chapter 92 - The Survival Round (Part Three)

"So you know formations too?", she asked. "Well, I do use them quite a lot", he said as he shrugged. He didn't know what was the big deal behind a simple formation. Emilia on the other hand just smiled. "Well, as expected. He is not an ordinary blacksmith", she thought.

The Lava was coming towards them, and Robert didn't understand his role in all this. He knew his element was not necessary. "What am I here for?", he asked. "Mana supply", said Lucas as he completed the formation. He then went towards the empty circle and stood in it. "Mass Elemental Manipulation Circle, Activate!", he said as he raised his hands.

The three of them felt a suction from their bodies, and they began to feel weak. Lucas looked at his MP and it began to go down rapidly. "What should I do?", he thought and the solution came from valentine once again. "Draw a star, and interconnect the ends. At the center, draw an M and an inverted M together", he said. Lucas drew the symbol on his hand for confirmation.

"Yes, just like that, and it will activate on its own. You will be able to absorb the Mana faster than before. Although the effects aren't permanent", he said. Lucas nodded his head and he instructed the others to do the same. He couldn't move from the place now, as he was connected to formation. 

Everyone followed his instructions and they drew the same formations on their chest. After drawing, it activated immediately sensing the Mana flow decreasing rapidly in their bodies. They began to sense their bodies being the medium in the formation, and they were now concentrating on the important part. 

"Robert, I want you to direct a wind strong enough to push the Lava to the back. Which means to counter the force by force", he said. Robert nodded his head and he began to concentrate on his Wind Element, and the sword at his hip began to glow green. "Seems like the spirit wants to help too", thought Lucas.

"Emilia, you and I are going to try and split the Lava in two, making it go past us. I want everyone to stick close to us", he said. Tobias was standing right behind Robert, and Michelle was behind Emilia. Lucas smiled. "It's time", he said as he sensed the rising Mana in the middle. 

"NOW!", he said and Robert began his counterattack. Winds began to howl, and gusts of dust began to surround them. "[Fusion]", he activated and began to fuse the large amounts of Mana. He was beginning to feel dizzy, but there was also the refreshing sensation of the Mana entering his body.

"This is the only thing that is keeping me from falling unconscious", he thought as he began to fuse the elements. The brown and red wisps that were in the middle began to turn orange, and slowly he began to sense a different element.

"Weirdly, I feel some familiarity to this element", he smiled as he remembered the words of Valentine. "Indeed, there is Fire", he realized. He then nodded towards Emilia, and the both of them began to maneuver the Mana that had gathered in the middle.

The both of them were having a hard time trying to gain control of the Mana, as controlling it seemed something impossible. "Maybe, I must take control", thought Lucas as he was about to motion to Emilia. Then something struck him. "Follow the breathing technique I showed you. Maybe that is what is throwing us off", he said.

He looked and saw the Lava rushing towards them at a fast pace. Both Lucas and Emilia were trying very hard to merge their efforts in manipulating the Lava. Slowly, both of them felt the connection with the Lava. Lucas opened his eyes and he saw the Lava near them. "Robert. Change of Plans. Split it with one of your sword techniques, we will try to hold it in position", said Lucas.

Robert nodded his head and he did the Third Form. The huge amount of Mana that he had gathered formed a green slash, and it cut the Lava into two. The lava was separated in two, and Lucas and Emilia began to maintain the same position. "Easier said than done", muttered Lucas as he began to pant.

The both of them were running out of breath, and Lucas had an idea. "Robert, is it possible to push this downhill faster than normal?", he asked. Robert nodded his head, but he wasn't sure if it was possible for him. He then heard Sarah's voice. "Allow me to lend you a hand", she said and the mana began to one again run erratically.

He could feel the Mana around him distorted, and he put his hands forward. His eyes began to glow green, and the wind was visible all around him. He waved his hands, and the gust of wind began to slow the Lava down. "Now, to pull it towards me", he thought as he looked at the place. 

He closed his fists, and he tucked them into his hip, as he spread his legs. "What is he doing?", thought everyone. Robert didn't understand what he was doing either, but he felt his body move on its own. Thus, he allowed it to move accordingly. 

He took a deep breath and he let it out. Everyone felt the changes in the wind surrounding them. No one knew if it was his doing. The Lava was now speeding up quickly. Lucas and Emilia were struggling to keep up with the pace of the speed. "Michelle, cover us!", he said as he sensed his control slipping away. 

She nodded her head and called a sphere of Darkness around all of them separately. Robert systematically slid his feet, and his breathing was stable. He was like a mountain, unnerving and steady. He pushed his palms out as he let out his breath, and he moved in a circle. 

He began to move his palms and legs rhythmically, and it was calming to see. But along with his movements, the direction of the wind kept changing. It was keeping the Lava at bay, and everyone was safe. After a few minutes, the Lava began to seep into the ground, and monsters spawned around again. 

The three of them were beat due to exhaustion. Michelle and Tobias let them rest, and the both of them went on a spree. Michelle was crazily swinging her scythe, and Tobias was ripping them all into pieces. One of Michelle's eyes turned crimson, and the scythe was pulsing. "Is Death going to evolve again?", he asked as he saw the pulsing was growing stronger. 

Michelle smiled. "You have good eyes, kid", she said. He knew it wasn't her, but Death talking to him. Lucas smiled and he watched the massacre. After a few minutes, the pulsing was too strong, and Michelle's body was slowly being consumed by the Darkness. "It is a process", she said as he watched.

Lucas knew what will happen next, and he ordered everyone to come next to him. He ordered Emilia to erect a structure and they all hid inside as a red pulse was released, killing all the monsters along with it. They all left as they felt a quake underneath them. " The next eruption!", exclaimed Lucas as he ordered everyone to get back into positions. 

They began the same procedure, so Lucas and Emilia could rest more. "It was a good thing there weren't any avalanches in the cold mountain ranges", muttered Lucas as he saw the difficulty of controlling a mass amount of Mana.

He concentrated on the maximum, and this time, the both of them could make a slight split, but it wasn't enough for all of them to stay safe. Robert did the same again, and they were exhausted. "We need to save our energy in the next round. And for that, I need to choose the most suitable terrain", he began to think.

After the second round, they only had one more Lava to face, and they went back to rest. They began to recover from the fatigue of the controlling, and Lucas began to see the weaknesses of the team. "Individually, we are strong. But when we are as a team, we do not have the synergy to do things", he concluded. 

He decided that to make the team stronger, they needed more amount of time. "We need to reach the point where one does not need to communicate and execute the attacks perfectly. We need to increase the synergy between us", he began to talk out loud. "Don't worry. For the first time as a party, we are doing quite well", said Robert as he looked at Lucas.

The third was about to hit them and the eruption this time was three times larger than the first one. "This is going to be a challenge", he smiled.. And Lucas loved a challenge.