All the princes and princesses of Vadise felt their blood boil and stared at Darian, clenching their fists. They felt satisfaction—a real kind of satisfaction. The people from Runedell looked nasty, like they'd just eaten a pile of shit.

Losing wasn't considered shameful to Vadise people; the Matriarch always said she herself hadn't been invincible in the past. She'd lost many fights and had to run away cowardly more than once to survive. What mattered was never losing the right mindset and the will to get stronger. Losing was actually a chance to learn where your flaws were.

But... Niall and his planet's malicious actions were obvious. He'd beaten all the princes and princesses on purpose, humiliating and mocking them, while his whole people egged it on and amplified the shame.

Now, though, Darian did what they couldn't— and did it in the best possible way.

Almost instantly, Niall recovered. Everyone noticed and sighed; Darian had indeed acted in the most humiliating way possible without seriously injuring him.

Tetoya turned to Darian and noticed something hidden in his eyes. After being close to him all these days, she already understood that Darian didn't act on emotional impulse. He was always planning something... and she felt a chill sensing his intent.

That's because, although Niall had recovered from any physical wounds, he was completely disturbed and mentally chaotic. His eyes radiated a madness that would take a long time to heal.

Darian was like a sinister demon who had nurtured and awakened the demon in his opponent's heart, sadistically.

"Piff, he's really a newborn calf that's not afraid of a tiger," the elf Konill said coldly. "The Wube blood in his veins is something else. His imposing presence isn't bad, and his combat skills are frighteningly refined. But after hiding from the universe for ten years out of fear of death, now he thinks he's invincible? Hahahaha."

All the main powers of Vadise closed their eyes. They'd researched everything about Darian and were also puzzled about this point.

After an incident with demons on Earth, Darian was taken by the humans of Aethel. He took part in a human tournament, then disappeared completely for ten years.

There was no info about where he'd been. Now that he was back, it was clear he hadn't died—he'd probably been hiding. He still had four rings, and his power didn't seem to have changed. So why return now?

Darian just gave a slight corner-smile. He turned his body a little and looked at the elf:

"Wube blood? Hahahaha... that's pathetic. Your words are pretty grand for someone whose days are numbered. Don't get so anxious; I'll finish your life some other time. Don't waste my time with useless talk and threats; by the rules you set, this isn't over yet. So... who's next?"

He spoke coldly and arrogantly, turned to the princes and princesses of Runedell.

"Hahahaha! You wanna kill me laughing?! You think that movement magic of yours is unbeatable? I'll give you a lesson!"

Following that scornful voice, a small figure jumped high and landed on the martial stage. It was a dwarf princess, about one meter forty, a bit round in build.

"I'm Second Princess Gneissa," she said, staring at Darian with contempt. "Know your place, idiot. Niall, being from the Wube family, has the most prestige and followers among the princes and princesses. But actually, he's only third in raw power. His blessing has major limitations, and you just got lucky that you had a perfect magic technique to defeat him."

At that moment, the martial stage's inscriptions closed again.

Gneissa snorted, and an indigo aura flowed out. Suddenly, a red flame rose about fifteen centimeters from the ground. At the same time, earth-element runes appeared and mixed into the flames.

In a second, the fire and earth runes combined, forming two rune-chains that grew fast, exuding a terrifying power.

That was a tank-type blessing—absurdly rare in non-dwarf races—called *Chains of the Volcanic Prison*. To use it, the user needed extremely high control over Earth and Fire; dwarves were known for that natural affinity.

The blessing warped reality by perfectly fusing two natural elements. Also, the chains could move almost piercing space, making them very hard to dodge. On contact, they bound the target and filled them physically and energetically, making escape nearly impossible.

It was a terrifying blessing, and the user could create as many chains as she could—at whatever size she wanted—limited only by her own talent.

Normally, one would make a single chain three to ten meters long, which was quite limited. But... this dwarf was truly amazing: she made two chains that grew to fifteen meters, able to attack from very far and from two different sides.

"Seriously?" Darian murmured, emotionless, staring at the dwarf and her elemental chains. "Come on, I'll put you in your place."

"Hehehe... unfortunately for you, my blessing specializes in trapping a single target, no matter how fast. Let's see how long you can run from my chains!"

Amid a wild laugh, Gneissa's two hands moved suddenly.

*Whoooosh!*

In a split second, two rune chains, each as thick as an arm, shot forward—moving faster than the eyes could follow, coiling toward Darian's body.

Everyone from Vadise held their breath, tense at the scene. That blessing really was complex—and terrifyingly effective against those who relied on speed, acting like assassins.

But...

Swiftly, Darian dodged, taking three steps to the side.

The two chains seemed to have eyes; suddenly, they changed direction and lunged at him again, even faster than before.

Everyone's hearts tightened in despair. It looked like Darian really wouldn't be able to dodge anymore using that "magic technique" of his. Until suddenly...

...he reached out his hands to grab the chains directly.

"Pathetic! Does he not want his hands anymore?!" The people from Runedell burst out laughing.

Seeing that, Gneissa laughed too. "Trying to grab my Chains? Hahahaha! Everyone can clearly see you brought this on yourself!"

In a second, Darian's hands had already gripped the two terrifying chains tightly.

Everyone from Vadise almost jumped in fear; some even closed their eyes, unable to bear what they thought was coming.

But there was no sound of burning.

"W–What?!"

The instant Darian grabbed them, both chains froze. The powerful energy and fluctuations vanished as if they'd evaporated. Now, they looked fragile, like they could snap with a light tug—and then, they simply dissolved in his hands.

Every face was frozen in shock. Gneissa's eyes went wide; she just couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Konill, the elf, stood up abruptly, almost thinking there was something wrong with his own vision.

Darian, meanwhile, just stared indifferently at the dwarf in front of him. Trying to play with elements in front of him? Even if it was a blessing that warped reality, its base was still two natural elements. The current Darian had absolute control over all seven natural elements.

"Hmph! Showing off with something that small? Are the people of Runedell begging to be humiliated?!" Tetoya's mocking voice thundered like a storm.

The princes and princesses of Runedell grew even more stunned, while Niall kept an odd expression, clenching his fists with all his strength.

Darian muttered, "The princess is really good at circus tricks. It's rare to see a dwarf with that kind of skill... what a waste."

Darian's mockery made Gneissa's face flush red with rage. "Don't get cocky! I was just testing your strength before—now I'll let you feel the true power of my chains!"

Even though her tone was firm, the previous failure had shaken her confidence. She didn't dare summon two long chains again; instead, she growled lowly, and a single powerful chain appeared, swinging sharply.

In fact, using two chains did reduce the maximum potential. Now, with just one, ten meters long, she reached full power. Without hesitation, she attacked straight at him like lightning.

But this time, Darian didn't even move.

The chain closed in fast and, in an instant, wrapped around his body. Gneissa felt a surge of joy in her heart. She could almost hear his screams of agony. Just as she was about to unleash her full power through the chains...

Darian smiled.

Then she saw the chain slowly breaking apart into countless rune fragments, like a rope rotting away.

After that, Darian waved his hand. All the runes from the chain trembled and pulsed under his command.

Everyone fell dead silent.

Darian moved his hand again, and the runes came together once more... in seconds, an identical chain to the princess's had formed.

He smiled coldly. The chain was ten meters long and cracked through the air like a whip, making a chilling sound.

**Slap!**

"AHHHH!!!!!"

A scream of agony echoed through the palace. A merciless strike hit Gneissa squarely, sending her flying a few meters before she rolled across the floor. She tried to get up but quickly fell to her knees, letting out a blood-curdling cry.

A long black mark ran across her body—from her waist to her hair, all scorched in a horrifying way, with black smoke rising. A sharp, burnt smell slowly spread through the palace.

She roared for a few seconds before Darian snorted and dissolved the chain and all its power. The dwarf stopped and collapsed unconscious.

The fusion of two elements in perfect harmony was truly something terrifying and magical; normally, it was impossible to achieve. It burned the body, yes, but more importantly, it struck the person's soul. The pain she felt was a mix of both. But Darian stopped before the damage to her soul became serious.

At that moment, the inscriptions on the arena opened, and two people from Runedell rushed in. They sighed in relief—she was fine, just hit by an absurdly painful counterattack.

They looked at Darian but didn't dare say a word. Fear had already taken over their hearts. He'd won in a crushing way, leaving everyone confused and terrified. Thankfully, though, he hadn't gone too far.

Darian crossed his arms over his chest. His face radiated calm indifference, making everyone swallow hard.

"Two down. Who's the third?"

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