A young vampire appeared in front of him with a spear extended. The guy was momentarily shocked to see that Elion had actually chosen to dive right in instead of retreating after the initial barrage.

But Elion could see in real time as the young vampire’s shock vanished quickly, replaced by deadly focus, readjusting his weapon, moving it quickly, and thrusting directly toward Elion’s chest with all the strength he could muster.

Woosh!

But as fast as the young guy was, Elion was faster, shifting half a step to the side with impossible agility, shocking the young guy once again as the spear passed harmlessly beside Elion.

He calmly placed two fingers against the shaft. "Fireball." A tiny sphere of flame appeared, spinning quickly as Elion poured a lot of mana into it.

The vampire’s eyes widened as he watched the spell explode against the spear.

The young noble was thrown backward, spinning through the air before crashing painfully onto the ground.

His weapon clattered several meters away, its dark metal glowing red from the heat. Another swordsman approached from behind.

Elion did not turn.

A small circle appeared near his shoulder.

"Water Bullet."

The spell struck the vampire directly in the stomach. The young noble folded around the impact before being sent flying into the courtyard wall.

Two more attacked from opposite sides.

Elion raised one foot and lightly stamped the ground. "Tremor." A pulse traveled through the stone, making the courtyard shift beneath their feet.

Both nobles lost their balance, and before either could recover, two small Fireballs struck their chests and threw them backward.

Elion continued walking forward.

He was not even running, and every spell he used was one that most of those present had learned as children.

Simple spells with almost no complexity.

Yet the mana compressed inside each one was so dense that every attack struck with the force of a siege weapon.

But the most shocking part was the fact that he even had all these affinities! What manner of monster had they provoked!?

"How many affinities does he have!?"

A mage raised both hands, summoning a wide curtain of blood-red flames.

Elion answered with another Water Bullet. The projectile tore through the center of the flames and struck the mage’s defensive barrier.

The barrier shattered instantly. The vampire flew backward and crashed into the growing pile of defeated challengers as his spell dissipated, having lost its source.

Another attempted to bind Elion with chains while he was seemingly distracted.

Elion raised an Earth Wall beneath him.

The stone rose violently, lifting him above the chains. A moment later, he stepped off the top of the wall and allowed himself to fall.

Several of them looked upward as he descended toward them.

Elion pointed toward the ground. "Fireball."

The spell struck the courtyard beneath him, and the resulting explosion spread outward in a controlled wave.

The young vampires were thrown from their feet, while Elion landed lightly at the center of the scorched stone.

Silence spread through the courtyard. Of the fifteen who had stepped forward, only Valerian remained standing.

Even he looked barely capable of doing so.

His hair was disheveled, blood trickled from one corner of his mouth, and one arm hung limply at his side after attempting to block Elion’s first Water Bullet.

Valerian stared at the young man standing across from him.

Elion’s clothing remained untouched, his breathing had not changed, and he had not used a single advanced spell.

Valerian clenched his remaining fist. "This is not over." He gathered every remaining trace of mana inside his body.

Crimson energy erupted around him.

The pressure was far greater than before, and the stones beneath his feet cracked as he forced himself beyond his usual limits.

The crowd watched with renewed anticipation as Valerian disappeared from his position. He moved quickly enough to leave a faint crimson blur behind him.

His fist tore through the air toward Elion’s face. Elion raised one hand, and a thin layer of water formed across his palm.

Valerian’s fist struck it.

The water rippled and then hardened around his fist, completely nullifying the momentum of his punch.

Elion looked at him with the calmest gaze Valerian had ever seen on a person.

Valerian’s eyes widened.

"Water Shield," Elion said, twisting his wrist as the shield burst outward.

Valerian was hurled across the courtyard and struck the gates behind the crowd with enough force to leave a shallow dent in the metal.

His body slid to the ground.

The last challenger had fallen. No one spoke for several long seconds as they watched the aftermath with mouths agape.

Elion looked around at the scattered nobles with a detached gaze.

Several were unconscious, but many others groaned while attempting to push themselves upright.

None appeared seriously injured, but every one of them had been defeated so thoroughly that there could be no excuse.

Elion had controlled every spell carefully, and it was clear that he could have killed them if he wanted to.

He had every right to, given that he was simply defending himself from a barrage of attacks. Everyone present understood that now.

The young man had not struggled to defeat them, but he had struggled to avoid accidentally using too much power.

Dorian folded his arms and grinned. "That was quite impressive. He never used anything beyond basic spells. I dare say achieving such an overwhelming victory without killing anyone is much more difficult than trying to win without holding back. It takes considerable control."

Mira nodded in agreement. "He was being gentle."

A nearby vampire overheard her, and his expression became even more complicated.

Gentle?

That was what they considered gentle? One of the nobles who had remained among the crowd stepped forward.

His face was pale, but anger burned within his crimson eyes. "You defeated fifteen people. That does not mean you can defeat everyone here."

This one didn’t even seem to care about the meaning of this fight; perhaps he was one of those who was simply enraged that their untouchable princess had finally found a man.

Elion could see the rage in his eyes. This one was completely blind in his anger.