"This... this can't be happening!"
The woman's face turned pale as she gazed at the terrifying surge of mana.
Compared to her clumsy efforts, Owen had truly mastered the fusion of the four elemental magics to the highest degree, wielding each element with the precision of an artist.
"Are you going to surrender now, or should I help you do it?"
"I... I surrender!"
If she were to be hit directly by such an attack, there was no doubt—she would die, and even the traces of her existence would be completely erased!
"Then get out of here. What are you waiting for?"
"You! Don't get too cocky, you've only won two matches!"
"Losing to a lowborn from the Lost Dimension? You don't even qualify as a lowborn. Just shut up and go."
With a casual wave, Owen summoned a gust of wind that blasted the woman off the platform. "Next!"
"Winner, Owen!"
"Go, my dear! Show them what you're made of!"
"O-Owen, good luck!"
Emily finally mustered the courage to cheer, but her voice was too soft, quickly drowned out by Elaine's enthusiastic shouts.
"Are you going to keep waiting? Are you waiting for them to wear me down before you dare to face me? How about this: all of you come at me together. It'll save some time."
"Damn it! So arrogant! If I hadn't lost already, I'd definitely get up there and put you in your place!"
Kris stomped his foot in frustration, but Owen didn't even glance at him, instead looking toward the light orb.
"I'm requesting to fight all six of them at once. Is that allowed?"
"As long as both sides agree, it's within the rules."
"Then what are we waiting for? Come on, let me see if these so-called nobles have any real skills."
"Angela, this guy is way too arrogant!"
The lively girl shrugged and said helplessly, "But he does have the right to be arrogant. Why don't you all just go up together? But if you lose, it'll be pretty embarrassing."
"I don't care anymore, I'm going up! My name's Rylan—remember it, because you're going to lose to me!"
Finally, someone couldn't stand Owen's arrogant demeanor any longer and leaped onto the platform, carrying a long spear on his shoulder, pointing it straight at Owen.
"I'll make you understand how ridiculous your arrogance is!"
[Thunder Armor]
With a shout, Rylan was instantly surrounded by lightning, forming a suit of thunderous armor around him. But Owen remained completely indifferent.
"What about the others? Are you sure you don't want to come up together?"
"You're ignoring me? You're asking for it!"
Rylan gritted his teeth and hurled his spear directly at Owen's face!
However, in the next moment, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and thunder rumbled!
"With your level of skill, you dare to bark at me? Let me show you what real thunder is!"
[Thunder Tribulation·Catastrophe]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderclaps echoed one after another as countless bolts of lightning rained down from the clouds, striking Rylan squarely!
At first, Rylan managed to hold on, but soon the lightning grew more intense, even scorching and melting the hard stone tiles beneath him!
Rylan couldn't take it anymore!
This was clearly a master-tier spell, powerful enough that even someone like him, accustomed to being struck by lightning, couldn't withstand it. His body was reaching its limit—if he kept pushing, he'd be turned into a charred corpse!
"I... I surrender!"
"Pathetic, get out of here!"
Owen opened his palm, controlling the lightning within it as if he were a god descended to earth.
"I told you, I'm allowing you to come at me together. It doesn't matter how much you try to wear down my mana—don't you understand? The gap between us is so vast that numbers won't make a difference.
Against the likes of you, I'm more than enough on my own."
Owen's unabashed insult made the faces of the Ascended Dimension group grow increasingly sour.
"Tina!"
"Alright, alright, I'm coming. Geez, I thought I wouldn't have to step in this time."
The lively girl, Tina, pouted, completely unconcerned by Owen's taunts.
She knew those words weren't directed at her. Just as she could sense Owen's strength, Owen hadn't underestimated her either.
A diamond-tier level 9 with an SSS-grade non-elemental mana core—Owen and Tina's strength was nearly equal. If Owen didn't unleash his full power, defeating Tina wouldn't be easy!
"Hey, you're going too far. Look at how angry you made my teammates. I could have watched a few more matches without lifting a finger!"
"What I said was just the truth."
"Even if it's true, you shouldn't be so blunt. You'll never make friends like that."
Tina pouted, then pulled a staff taller than she was from her storage ring, hugging it to her chest.
"Tell you what, I won't bully you. I'll give you ten minutes to rest and recover your mana."
"No need. Dealing with them didn't use up much mana."
"Pfft! You're so straightforward! But they really were too weak. It's hard to have any fun fighting them. I hope you won't disappoint me."
"I think you're mistaken—you're the challenger here."
Buzz!!!
A piercing sonic boom suddenly exploded on the platform, and everyone instinctively covered their ears, but what they saw left them stunned!
The lively girl had merely tapped the platform, and a massive stone golem rose from the ground, each of its movements causing the earth to tremble!
But Owen's response was even more astonishing!
[Time Stop]
A clock appeared out of nowhere behind Owen, and as its hands froze, so did the stone golem, its body locked in place, unable to move!
The next moment, a fierce wind suddenly whipped up, swirling around Owen and lifting him high into the air. As he looked down at Tina, his right hand clenched into a fist, and the ground on either side of the golem erupted, crushing the golem to dust!
"Ugh! Being forcibly frozen in time feels so weird! I'm fully aware, but my body can't move. I don't like it!"
Tina finally broke free from the effects of [Time Stop], angrily tapping her staff. The space in front of Owen instantly shattered, with violent spatial turbulence tearing at everything around it. But just as the turbulence was about to reach Owen, the broken space healed itself instantly!
"Spatial magic? How unfortunate—I know a thing or two about that as well."
"You're so versatile! Is there any magic you don't know?"
"So far... no."
Owen smirked slightly and flicked his fingers, sending Tina soaring into the sky. She shot through the clouds at an incredible speed, quickly turning into a tiny speck of light and disappearing!
"I! HATE! Gravity magic!"
Soon, Tina's childish voice echoed from the sky, and to Owen's surprise, she had pulled down a star and hurled it at him!
"I refuse to believe you can withstand this!"
"You don't have to believe it—I can't. But who said I had to take it head-on?"
Owen's voice suddenly came from behind her. Tina realized too late that Owen was also skilled in shadow magic. She instinctively swung her staff at him, but he grabbed her by the neck and pinned her down, sending them both plummeting toward the ground!
At this height and speed, crashing into the ground could be fatal!
"Are you crazy? Let me go!"
Tina's eyes welled up with tears, but Owen remained unmoved.
"You'll kill us! Oh, you're so annoying!"
Seeing the ground rapidly approaching, Tina had no choice but to transform into a harmless breeze and land safely.
The star she had pulled down was also thrown into the spatial turbulence by Owen, where it was torn to pieces.
"I've never been treated like this before!"
Tina stomped her foot in frustration, her once neat and pretty dress now a mess thanks to Owen.
"Hmph, that just means you haven't met me sooner."
"I don't care! I'm going all out! I don't care about the consequences!"
"Bring it on!"
"You arrogant man!"
Tina pouted and, from where she stood, began drawing a complex and intricate magic circle on the ground.
Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from the circle, Owen remained calm.
The previous opponents had been too weak to be satisfying. Even using his full power felt like overkill.
But now, this peanut's performance far exceeded Owen's expectations.
"Let's end this with a bang, peanut. You're pretty good."
"Your whole family is a peanut!"