The one-sided fight became even more one-sided when Ben started going on the offensive. He covered his body in solar energy produced by his Sun Dragon Slayer Magic and attacked the mages. His first targets are the ones closest to him, the Wizard Saints.
Ben moved at a very high speed to Fabian, the Blade Mage. He arrived almost instantly and took Fabian by surprise. Fabian tried to get away, but Ben caught his shoulder, preventing him from escaping.
"How many times do I have to tell you, buddy? A big blade isn't sharp and fast enough. A ultimate spell doesn't need to be strong and flashy. It just needs to be deadly. Even a punch can be an ultimate skill if it's deadly." Ben said before punching Fabian in the stomach really hard.
Fabian's body arched as he flew back really fast until he crashed into a boulder. He coughed up some blood but other than that he was fine. This guy didn't earn the title of Wizard Saint for nothing. He defeated one of the previous members in the competition, so he is really tough.
His reflexes are also really fast and he could actually block Ben's punch with his Blade Magic. He hastily made a blade to block Ben's punch. It broke easily because he didn't make it properly, but it could reduce the punch's power even if it wasn't by much.
The same thing also happened to the next Wizard Saint, Elrich the elemental mage. He was punched in the face though, but he can also block Ben's punch a little. His block was better than Fabian's because he was ready for it as he wasn't the 1st target.
But he still took considerable damage, especially because he was punched in the face. Jura, the 3rd target handled it better than the 2 of them. He is more experienced and his magic was better suited for defense.
Even so, Jura still took a lot of damage because Ben also used more power to attack him. He only reduced his power when he attacked Jessica and Ellie. Ben doesn't differentiate males and females, but this is a competition, so he used less power because he didn't want to kill them.
After the Wizard Saints, his next targets are the S-Class mages of every guild including Fairy Tail. Laxus, Erza, Freed, Cana, Bacchus, Ichiya, Minerva, Orga and Kagura were his next victims. They were punched and kicked in different areas and no one can defend well enough.
Then he went for the rest which included his sisters who also get punched really hard. They sparred with Ben the most among anyone in this world. So they were used to being hit by Ben and it was never a problem.
Everyone has been hit by Ben now, but they still don't give up. They could reach this stage with their power, so a punch won't take them out yet. Ben is quite satisfied seeing them stand up again after receiving his punches.
"That's how it should be. It won't be fun if you are done after being punched once. Now, unleash everything you have because only then will you successfully hit me." Ben said while grinning widely.
The mages grit their teeth before they start attacking Ben again. Ben grinned and covered his palms in golden solar energy before facing their attacks using his palms. He blocks, parries and counters their attacks using only his palms covered in golden solar energy without evading any of them.
Sometimes, he even redirects their attacks to hit others or even themselves. They're a very satisfying feeling when he used their attacks to attack them. Also, Ben wants to show them that they don't always need to use their own power to fight.
They can redirect their opponent's power to be used on their opponent's instead. It will save them a lot of energy so they can fight longer. Such a strategy is also quite efficient to be used against stronger opponents and if they face multiple opponents at once.
It's also very entertaining because the spectators were in awe of Ben's battle skills. They hoped to see him use strong spells, but such a show of skill is welcome too. Most mages only exchange magic spells during their fights, but Ben is fighting differently, which is refreshing for them.
The mages quickly get tired because of Ben's battle strategy. Although he has a lot more energy than them, the reason they became so tired is because they used more power with each attack. They can't damage Ben without doing that.
But even them going all out is still not enough to defeat Ben. In fact, none of their attacks land a clean hit on Ben's body even after a rather long time. He is like an adult fighting babies. It's so overwhelming that the spectators felt sorry for the mages.
"Are you done?" Ben asked, looking at the tired mages who slumped on the ground while panting hard.
These are the top mages on the continent, but they are being played by one man. Now everyone could see why he became the strongest on the continent. He's just too strong for anyone on this continent, a man standing above all.
The mages try to stand up, making Ben grin widely because their spirits haven't been crushed. They know the difference between their power and Ben's, so they expected this result and are prepared for this. That's why they won't get dispirited even though Ben crushed them effortlessly.
They try to continue fighting even though it won't change the result. But they don't want to just give up before doing everything they can. Even if they will be defeated, they will still give it their all and fight until they squeeze out the last drop of their power.
Ben just let them get up and attack him again even though their attacks have become weaker. He knew that this is a crucial moment for them because this situation is the best chance for mages to surpass their limits and become stronger.
Going through hardships like fighting strong opponents is the best way for mages to grow. That's why he always tried to make all his battles difficult even when he had gotten stronger. He also kept training relentlessly because he can do it every day, unlike facing strong opponents.
Now, these mages are facing the most difficult opponent they can find that won't kill them. So they need to use this chance well and exceed their limits. Ben wants to see them do that too, so he let them struggle even more.
Unsurprisingly, the first one who exceeds such a limit is Wendy. Ben wasn't surprised at all because he knew how hard she worked and he is the one who trained and taught her everything since they were kids. So he knew what she was capable of first hand and seeing her grow like this is not a shock to him.
He is just so proud of his sister who suddenly activated an imperfect Dragon Force. Yes, she activated Dragon Force on her own as a 1st generation Dragon Slayer, even though it's still not perfect. Still, it's a great achievement for her to activate it without an external source of magic power.
The only one who successfully did it so far was Ben when he fought the dragons. It's just that his power at the time wasn't enough to defeat Acnologia even when he used Dragon Force. So he transformed himself into a 3rd generation Dragon Slayer by forming the lacrima inside his body.
The others are shocked though, especially the Dragon Slayers. They never thought Wendy would be the one who got closer to Ben's level. But they forgot that she was raised by the man personally.
The only thing holding her back all these years was her hatred of fighting. But now she changed that. She still hates fighting, but only if it's not for a good reason. Her strong will to protect those precious to her has pushed her this far that she surpassed many people.
Ben smiled happily and said, "Our little crybaby has grown a lot, Gramps."