Elian raised his paintbrush wand to cast another spell, but before he could complete the motion, Kayden vanished into his Godspeed lightning form.

A flash of lightning tore through the air, and in the next instant, Kayden struck Elian with a forceful uppercut-like blow that sent him hurtling backward into the air.

The impact knocked the wand clean out of Elian's hand before he crashed back down to the ground.

Each time Elian tried to rise, Kayden appeared again in a burst of lightning, landing another blow from a different angle.

He moved too fast to follow, each strike coming from an unpredictable direction, leaving Elian staggering and unable to keep his footing.

At some point, Kayden stopped, believing Elian would realize the fight was over.

But Elian slowly pushed himself back to his feet, but this time, with a smile on his bruised and wounded face.

"Wait… is he smiling?" Gregory said in disbelief.

For the first time in a long while, something had made Elian smile.

"You've filled me with so much inspiration—something I haven't felt in a long time," Elian said, now grinning fully.

The words sent an uneasy chill through Kayden. Before he could react, a surge of mana from the surroundings rushed toward Elian.

"Mystic Field," Elian whispered.

The field expanded rapidly, its reach so vast that every team in the stands felt the wave of mana. Even the King and the Grand Magus, from where they sat, could sense that there were within his field's range.

Kayden moved instantaneously again, making a reappearance behind Elian, with his fist charged with so much current it could have split the ground apart.

He delivered a punch with the said fist and it landed, but Elian's body burst into splashes of watercolor that scattered into the wind.

Kayden's eyes widened, "What?"

The floating water colors coalesced back together to form into Elian who still had that defiant grin.

With a flick of his fingers, several painted large blades materialized around Kayden, slashing from every direction at once. But before they could land, Kayden vanished, and the blades collided with each other instead.

Then the blades shifted forms, transforming into what looked like birds, that darted onto Kayden's new position.

The first bird reached him near-instantly and exploded into a burst of bright color, but Kayden had already flashed away, reappearing midair on the opposite side of the field.

He recognized that Elian's magic strength at S rank had further been elevated within the mystic field, to the next rank. It wasn't something he was willing to risk facing head on.

However just as he repositioned, another bird had already closed that distance and was in close proximity, detonating once more again.

The cycle repeated over and over, explosions bursting across the arena as Kayden moved at lightning speed.

Elian always used his paintbrush wand to cast and direct his magic as pleased but right now there wasn't any need for it any more.

Within his Mystic Field, Elian himself had become the brush.

—-

"Why does his magic give me this sense of familiarity?" Aiden whispered to himself with some sort of concern growing on his face.

The system then replied him;

[Perhaps because it's similar to the Dragon Of Creation's Authority]

"Hm.." Aiden muttered, saying nothing more.

——

When the painted birds finally stopped coming, Kayden, having evaded the final blast didn't wait another second.

He thrust both hands forward toward Elian, and lightning energy began to gather and crackle between his palms.

And just as Kayden gathered his charge, Elian smiled and said, "Within this field is the ultimate canvas, and everything within conforms to my design."

The moment he spoke, the lightning around Kayden froze. Then slowly, his energy began to turn into color. The bright charge forming in his palm melted into watercolor and drifted toward Elian.

And following next, were the streaks of white lightning running through Kayden's body, which looked like it bled away from his skin in white liquid, flowing toward Elian too.

Elian had forcibly turned the white lightning around Kayden into white paint, drawing it toward himself. In doing so, he canceled Kayden's spell before it could activate.

Kayden quickly recast his godspeed lightning spell and was about to lunge forward when, suddenly, his body froze mid-motion.

His body, still glowing, started to flatten as his outline bled into color and the sparks around him hardened and stretched into streaks of paint.

Kayden looked down, watching his own hand smear like wet ink. Then he lifted his head toward Elian, with his teeth clenched, trying to fight against whatever was happening, but in that instant, his body locked completely.

"Hm," Elian murmured, with his hand outstretched toward Kayden. He looked like an artist adding the final touches to a masterpiece.

The work was complete. Before him stood a painting of Kayden, trapped forever in mid-motion, electricity bursting from his arms, his face frozen in that last fierce moment of struggle.

Every one was absolutely quiet. The crowds glanced at each other wondering what the hell just happened.

His teammates looked just as confused, staring at the view infront of them with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Did he just turn the Prince into a picture?" Thamoryn whispered to herself.

Oberon was utterly dumbfounded as well, and had no particular words to say.

Aiden had a clearer understanding of what just happened but even then could not deny how insanely powerful that magic was.

Then Thamoryn stood from her sitting place and walked forward to examine the situation for herself.

She took a look at the motionless painting of Kayden with a worried expression, then glanced back at Elian. "I trust this spell is undoable"

Elian gave a slight nod with a smile on his face.

Then Thamoryn turned towards the crowd and called out, "Winner Of The Tournament Of Power, Elian Of The Grey Demons!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and excitement, nearly every one of them stood up in a standing ovation at such terrifying power.

Elian's teammates continually clapped for him.

And even though the Ravens Grave Team would have preferred a much better outcome. They couldn't help but deep down acknowledge that Elian's power was far too great to not get that win.

Elian turned and began walking back toward the Grey Demons' stand, undoing the mystic field as he moved. This consequently undid the magic that turned Kayden into a painting.

Kayden's body snapped back to normal, still tense with his teeth clenched like he was fighting something that wasn't there anymore, but after a brief second he stopped, realizing the hold on him was already gone.

He turned his head and saw Elian walking calmly toward his team, one hand raised in a casual wave, almost like he was saying goodbye.

Then the noise hit him, it was the crowd roaring for the Grey Demons.

Kayden looked toward his own team and saw their faces, it was not angry nor disappointed, just tired and relieved that he had returned to normal.

Kayden realized then that he had lost the match to Elian.

"You fought well, Prince Kayden," Thamryn said.

But Kayden didn't respond. He simply turned and walked toward his team, with his head lowered, and his expression downcast from the sting of defeat.

His teammates gathered around him, no one said anything in particular, until Innis forcibly pulled him into her embrace, with his head balancing perfectly on her bosoms. "That was a really good match Kayden, you fought your best"

The others offered their own words of encouragement as well, each one trying to console Kayden.

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