Right after hearing the announcement from the Scorched Arbiter, they were surprised because they thought the beasts they were hunting were ordinary. They didn't realize they were elites.
Further, another announcement was made:
"If you want to identify an elite beast, here's a hint—they are always drooling."
Indraksha, Kharos, Nyxara, and Lilithra didn't realize the significance of what they were fighting. They were all scared but confident, thinking that if elites were this "weak," it would be easy to hunt the rest down. However, they didn't know that these two elite beasts had already slaughtered a total of 2,721 teams, leaving them tired and unable to go berserk during the fight with Team 252.
Ignis, after hearing the announcement, was somewhat surprised. He hadn't thought his team members were this capable. He hadn't acknowledged them at the start, but now they had earned his respect.
Ignis arrived at the Celestial Cave, where he saw 9,000 to 12,000 Elite Celestial Beasts that he would now have to defeat.
Each team member had been given a communicator, a device to stay connected if they got separated. Ignis used his communicator to call his teammates, realizing he couldn't hunt this many elite beasts alone. Sensing some teams nearby, he decided he would have to use them if he wanted to defeat the Celestial Apex.
Ignis called his teammates and said, "I've found the Celestial Cave. I'll send the coordinates—arrive in 5 minutes. That's all. Over."
Hearing his call, his teammates started moving toward the coordinates. Meanwhile, Ignis began hunting the elite beasts one by one. Skilled in mid- and close-range combat, he killed them as if they were ants. By now, Ignis had slain six beasts and earned 18 killing points.
Announcements started reporting Ignis's kills and his progress in achieving the required points. On her way to Ignis, Lilithra got separated due to thick fog. Kharos suspected they were caught in a trap set by a team, but it wasn't a team—it was multiple teams working together.
Lilithra, lost from her group, arrived at a remote village where she saw devils resembling herself. She was shocked to find others like her. The villagers welcomed her and asked which village she was from. When she explained she wasn't from a village, she questioned how such a village could exist in the trial cage.
The villagers realized she wasn't one of them but a Nethralian, someone from Nethralis. They calmed her down and asked if she was lost.
Meanwhile, Ignis had slain a total of 12 elite beasts, surpassing the 25-beast challenge. Although killing more wouldn't count toward the trial, it would provide valuable experience. Ignis had already manipulated nearby teams into fighting the elite beasts, using their distraction to gain an opening toward the Apex.
Kharos, Indraksha, and Nyxara were in big trouble. Teams 672, 54, 209, and 4123 had formed an alliance to pass the trial together. It was now 3 versus 20. As the fog cleared, they realized they were surrounded.
Kharos asked Indraksha to create a distraction. Indraksha used his stone element to create high-impact vibrations in the sand, causing a blinding dust storm. Meanwhile, Kharos instructed Nyxara to summon dead soldiers to overpower their opponents.
When the sand settled, the alliance realized they were trapped by Team 252. The dead soldiers charged, creating chaos, allowing Team 252 to escape and head toward Ignis.
Lilithra questioned the villagers about their existence, only to be interrupted by the Scorched Arbiter. A thunderstrike fell, turning the villagers to ashes. The Arbiter explained they weren't part of the trial but creations of the Celestial Beasts meant to distract participants. Lilithra thanked him and resumed her journey to Ignis.
When Ignis finally approached the cave, he was suddenly thrown back by a powerful force. Opening his eyes, he saw his worst nightmare—a Commander Celestial Beast, rivaling the strength of the Apex. But the Apex was there too. Together, they were ready to hunt the hunters.