Wain, Erza, Ern, and Alas were ready for battle. They waited for their opponent to make the first move.

"Don't disappoint me!" Statue exclaimed as he rushed toward them.

The Statue chose Erza as his first target. His golden spear came down on her with lightning speed.

'Damn!' Erza inwardly exclaimed as her eyes went wide.

She created several flaming crosses above her. The fire was strong enough to melt any metal, especially one as soft as gold, but the Statue's spear wasn't even hot. It easily cut through the crosses as it rushed toward Erza. She didn't have time to dodge, but she wasn't fighting alone.

Whoooooooosh.

A scarlet stream of wind appeared between her and the spear. It lightly tossed the spear aside, and Alas swept beside Erza as he took her with him.

Bam.

A moment later, the spear plunged deep into the golden floor as it left several thick cracks on the floor, shaking the entire arena.

"Thank you..." Erza muttered.

"No need. Just focus on the fight. The elves of the Royal Family are nothing compared to them. Though that's what a guardian of one of the seven trials that lead to the Royal Spirit should be." Alas said confidently as he stared at the Statue.

This was the hardest fight for him, but it was something he had dreamed of for so long. Alas wanted to be worthy, and there was no better way to prove it than through the trials of the Forgotten Forest.

Alas straightened his arm as he began to spin the spear like a wheel. It gradually turned into a wind disc, sharp enough to shred even the strongest steel.

The Statue attacked, and Alas threw the disc forward. It rushed toward the Statue with tremendous speed as the disc sliced through the air.

Whooooooooosh.

The Statue took a step back at the last moment as the disk whizzed a meter away from him. Alas' attack failed, but he didn't back away. Alas just snapped his finger, and the spear headed toward him at his will. There was a Statue in the spear's path, so it had to pierce the sturdy golden armor.

"Not bad." The Statue pronounced as he turned 180 degrees.

The Statue kicked the spear away with his foot, so it slammed deep into the wall.

"What the fuck...?" Alas muttered, "Even a man can't be that agile in such heavy armor, but it's a fucking Statue!"

Tremble.

One of the cells on Statue's armor became brighter as he found himself next to Alas. The Statue struck a swift blow from the top down.

'Shit!' Alas inwardly exclaimed.

Bam.

'Well, well. Is it worth it for the guardian to be so serious about the future owner of the Royal Spirit?" Ern smiled as he gripped the spear firmly between his palms.

Ern's hands trembled, but he had enough strength to stop the Statue's attack.

"The Keeper of the Royal Spirit? Who? This Elf...? Hmm... Maybe he is worthy... But, before he meets the Royal Spirit, he still has a lot to learn, or the Royal Spirit will reject him." The Statue mouthed as he stared at Alas.

"You seem to know quite a lot, don't you?" Wain uttered as dark streams of energy appeared beside him.

"You're different from them... You have a strange aura..." The Statue muttered," Wait... Are you a human?!"

"Yes. I am. Honestly, I'm getting tired of everyone being so surprised by this. Let's keep it simple, you need to stop us, and we need to beat you, so it's pretty plain and simple." Wain snapped his finger.

Whooooooosh.

Streams of energy enveloped him, and a noble red coat, white mask, and gloves appeared.

Wain walked forward as he placed his hand on the mask.

"Your words gave me some thoughts. We came here for the Royal Spirit, but is it as majestic as we think?" Wain muttered.

"What are you talking about...?" The Statue grew wary.

"To get to the Royal Spirit, we need to open the gate, isn't that ridiculous? The Royal Spirit, a powerful being, is under lock and key! That sounds like a fucking unfunny joke. So... Is the Royal Spirit an ally, a weapon, or just a bag of energy?" Wain calmly mouthed.

"How are you dare...! You are nothing but a wretched human being! You will never know even a particle of the true power of the Royal Spirit!" The Statue exclaimed furiously.

"Well, let's see what happens." Wain slowly removed the mask as dark flames covered his hands.

Whoooooosh.

Wain's silhouette blurred, and she was in front of the Statue's head. The Statue reacted instantly, but Wain's fist had already reached the Statue's face. The impact threw the multi-ton Statue aside as Wain flung him to the ground.

'Not bad.' Wain muttered inwardly, 'You were right. Your special ability is great for close combat.''

'Yeah. I told you so. I never cheat, at least, I want others to think so.' Black Sun Aristocrat smiled.

'Huh, whatever you say.' Wain stretched his arm.

p "Get up. Was one punch really enough for you? If so, you're not a keeper. You're a punching bag."

"Shut up." The Statue uttered as he thrust his spear into the ground, slowly rising.

"That wasn't a bad hit..." The Statue muttered.

Bam.

Suddenly Ern appeared beside him. He folded his arms together as a hammer and slammed the Statue into his chest with all his might. The shock wave drove the Statue to the ground as the floor split into several pieces.

"Enough talk. It's time to deal with this walking stone and get our rewards!" Ern exclaimed as he attacked again.

His hands turned into a blurry blur. Ern was beating very fast, and gradually cracks began to appear in the golden armor. The Statue tried to get up, but Ern didn't give it a chance. He kept punching as if his life depended on it.

Bam.

Ern struck right in the chest as the armor shattered into small shards.

"Bastard!" The Statue shouted furiously.

He swung his arm as three pieces of armor with flaming cells froze in the air.historical