Jaws slackened as the exact same scene from moments ago repeated itself—but this time, the one being lifted was a genuine Apprentice.
What… the hell was happening?
Was this guy really a Novice?!
Elias held him up effortlessly, squinting slightly at the Resonance String vibrating around Damon's body. That insidious sound crawled into the mind like a whisper trying to convince him to die.
It was unpleasant.
Elias' lips curled faintly as he looked at the struggling boy in his grip.
"Guess I'm not the one getting miserable today," he said. "Turns out even a bug is more than enough to squash you, weak-ass fucker."
Damon choked, face turning red from lack of air. "G-go… to hell!"
At that moment, two dark red pulses shot toward Elias.
Damon's eyes lit up with twisted confidence, as though he already saw the outcome.
The pulses sliced through the air, leaving behind a faint, freezing sensation. Even before they reached him, Elias felt it—a subtle heaviness creeping into his body, like the world itself was trying to drag him down.
That alone was just the projection.
If it actually landed…
But Elias only clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
Then he activated a skill he hadn't tested before.
His dark eyes spiraled, turning into something like a void—deep enough that everyone watching felt a chill crawl up their spine.
[Hollow Requiem]
Invisible to others, what looked like devouring darkness spread outward from Elias' feet, extending several meters around him. It enveloped both him and Damon, who had gone stiff with terror while still held in the air.
And that was because, although no one else could feel it since they were outside its range, Damon could feel everything.
He felt an otherworldly power wrap around him—a presence so vast and disturbing that for the first time, the proud Scion let out a broken shriek of fear.
The dark red pulse heading toward Elias vanished.
The pulse surrounding Damon's body also disappeared.
The ringing of the Resonance String was cut off completely, as though its Song had been swallowed whole by sudden, absolute silence.
Not suppressed.
Erased.
Within the field, Elias felt something surreal settle over him.
It was as if all sound and presence outside had been cut off entirely, leaving only a hollow stillness. The world beyond no longer felt reachable—just distant, muted nothingness.
A void.
As if within this space, only he was meant to exist.
Then, just as quickly as it formed, Elias deactivated the skill.
A sharp drain hit him instantly.
His Mental Strength dropped at a frightening speed—so fast that even speaking would have felt like a strain in comparison.
The skill consumed it at an absurd rate. More than half of his remaining Mental Strength vanished in an instant.
Elias exhaled slowly.
He raised his head.
Damon was still in his grip.
But now his eyes were different.
Gone was the arrogance. Gone was the pride.
Only fear remained—raw, uncontrollable fear.
Even with his Resonance String still faintly ringing in the air, the moment the Silence Field disappeared, Damon didn't recover.
His gaze was unfocused, glazed over, like he had just witnessed something fundamentally wrong with reality itself.
As if something inside him had broken.
And now… he had no intention of resisting anymore.
Voices of shock and confusion erupted from the assembled teenagers, everyone struggling to make sense of what had just happened.
"Why did Damon call off his attack?"
"Something isn't right… look at his eyes…"
"You're asking the wrong question. How is this the same guy who got beaten yesterday? Or is he some kind of masochist who enjoys getting beaten up?"
Dozens of voices filled the train, but only one cut through them clearly enough to reach Elias—a voice domineering, calm, and full of arrogance.
"Do you realize what you've done?"
"Oh," Elias said casually, as though mildly curious.
He flicked Damon aside.
Now that he wasn't resisting anymore there wasn't any excitement he felt from beating him up.
It would just feel like bullying.
Damon hit the floor with a dull thud and didn't move, his body trembling faintly. The sight alone made several people stare in disbelief. It was hard to reconcile this broken figure with the tyrant who had been commanding them moments ago.
The one who spoke next was a boy with abnormally large fingers.
Elias recognized him immediately—the same one who had been hoarding a bathroom to himself the day before.
He sat at the far end of the cabin section, yet his voice carried effortlessly across the entire space, as though the air itself amplified it.
"The authority of a Noble must not be questioned," he said evenly. "And you've just shamed a Noble in front of commoners. If we let this go unanswered, wouldn't the rest of us Nobles on this train lose face?"
His green eyes locked onto Elias.
The ripples around him thickened… then began to spread outward.
The pressure from it was so suffocating it felt like a stone was pressing directly against the heart.
But Elias showed no sign of fear. He only looked at the boy with mild curiosity.
"So let me get this straight," Elias said. "When I got beaten up by this guy, you said nothing. But now that I defend myself, you expect me to just stand still and take it?"
The boy stayed silent for a moment.
Then his voice came again, flat and certain, as though stating an undeniable truth.
"Exactly."
Just one word.
But it was enough to make Elias conclude this bastard was the most brain-dead person he had ever met.
Elias shook his head.
"I see. The problem is your brain is like a coconut—mostly empty space with a bit of water sloshing around inside. A punch or two should fix that."
The boy's eyes narrowed sharply. His fingers tensed, stretching slightly as the atmosphere in the cabin grew even heavier.
But before anything could escalate—
A voice cut through it.
"Humph!"
It dissolved the tension instantly.
Nina.
She skipped toward Elias, completely ignoring the stares tracking her movement. Her blue eyes shimmered with excitement, and her pink hair—now tied into a ponytail—bounced lightly behind her.
Even the boy who had been speaking earlier became wary the moment he recognized her.
The Vangrova heiress.
The Vangrova family wasn't a Noble House, but their influence stretched so far that only High Noble Houses led by S-Rank Counts could even come close.
After all, with enough money, even beings at that level could be employed.
And the Vangrovas never lacked money.
Elias watched in confusion as Nina suddenly grabbed his arm like they were long-lost friends, her voice ringing brightly across the cabin.
"Listen, you suckers—this guy is my bestie. Nobody but me has the right to bully him!"