Samuel's figure turned into an afterimage as he leaped onto the platform, his toes touching down and stirring faint ripples of magic.

  He raised his hand and clenched his fist, speaking with arrogant bravado."Do you dare to fight me?"

  The stands below instantly erupted in thunderous shouts. Samuel's earlier speculation had taken root in the hearts of the crowd, and now it all turned into accusations against Allen and support for Samuel.

  "Despicable scoundrel. You could not beat Leah, so you used such dirty tricks to threaten her!"

  "Leah, do not be afraid. Samuel will stand up for you!"

  "Teach him a proper lesson and let him know the academy's rules are not to be trampled!"

  Abusive voices rose one after another, all prejudice pouring down on Allen.

  Listening to the curses from below, Allen felt nothing but helplessness.

  Samuel's words had clearly involved Evelyn, yet these people only focused on hurling insults at him, not directing a single word of blame at Evelyn.

  So looks really are justice.

  He subconsciously looked toward the VIP seats and saw Evelyn standing rigid, her eyes blazing with anger.

  "Samuel. What nonsense are you talking about. Who threatened Leah in private?"

  Evelyn stepped forward sharply, glaring at Samuel on the platform, as if she might rush up to confront him the next second.

  She had always cherished her reputation and could not tolerate baseless slander, especially when it involved Allen's innocence.

  Beside her, Marcus let out two cold snorts. He lifted his eyes toward Evelyn and spoke slowly."Wild girl, whether you did it or not, you know it in your own heart."

  "If you had not used underhanded means to threaten Leah in private, how could she, a Ninth tier Intermediate Mage, lose to trash like Allen?"

  "So hypocritical. You pretend in the academy to be indifferent to fame and fortune and to uphold fairness, yet behind the scenes you will stop at nothing for a single token to enter the Godfall Battlefield."

  Marcus raised his voice so that everyone around could hear."I think the rumors circulating in the academy about you and this kid may not be groundless after all."

  His tone grew even more vicious."You have completely disgraced the Radiant Magic Academy."

  "I said long ago that you should get out of the academy together with this trash. If you stay here, sooner or later you will ruin the academy's reputation."

  These words were like a poisoned blade, stabbing straight into Evelyn's heart. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes instantly reddened.

  Wild girl was the deepest scar in her heart.

  Her family had all been killed by the Demon Tribe. Orphaned, she was taken in by Eleanor, which was how she was able to enter the Radiant Magic Academy.

  Marcus knew this past well, yet he deliberately tore open her wound in front of everyone, trampling on her dignity in the cruelest way.

  The magic within Evelyn surged violently, and she was about to rush onto the platform to confront Marcus.

  Seeing this, Eleanor immediately reached out and pressed a hand on her shoulder, soothing her and urging in a low voice.

  "Evelyn, do not fall for it. The academy has rules. You must not be disrespectful to an elder. Acting rashly will only give them more leverage."

  Evelyn bit down hard on her lower lip, her shoulders heaving with extreme anger. Tears and fury churned in her eyes.

  But she also knew that her mentor was right. The Radiant Magic Academy had strict rules: apprentices were not allowed to raise a hand against elders.

  Once she drew her sword, even if she were in the right, Marcus would seize on it as leverage. At that point, even Eleanor would find it hard to protect her.

  She forcibly suppressed the surging magic within her, her nails almost digging into her palms.

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  "So this must be Samuel?"

  Allen wore a calm smile, but his tone carried a hint of mockery.

  "Like father, like son. When the beam is crooked, the rafters are crooked too."

  He deliberately emphasized the word father, sweeping his gaze toward Marcus in the VIP seats, openly mocking the two as cut from the same cloth.

  Hearing this, Samuel ground his teeth, clearly truly enraged.

  Allen, however, smiled indifferently and continued."Samuel, on what grounds do you say I instructed Evelyn to threaten Leah in private? You are slandering people with nothing but empty words."

  A cold, contemptuous sneer spread across Samuel's face, his tone sharp and cutting."On what grounds?"

  "If you had not used despicable means to coerce Leah, how could she, with her strength, possibly lose to trash like you!"

  Leah below the platform was frantic. Watching the situation spiral further out of control, she never expected things to veer beyond her grasp and turn toward a farcical path of revenge.

  She hurriedly tried to explain."No. Evelyn did not threaten me. I was…"

  But before she could finish, her words were completely drowned out by the rising shouts of anger from the crowd.

  "Leah, do not be afraid. With Samuel here, he will definitely get justice for you!"

  "Do not waste words on these two despicable people. Let Samuel teach them a lesson!"

  Leah stood there, feeling utterly at a loss. She could not possibly say outright that she did not dare fight the Demon King, and could only let everyone be swept along by prejudice.

  On the VIP seats, a faint, hidden smile curved at the corner of Marcus's mouth. This was exactly what he wanted. By using Samuel's hand to get rid of Allen and Evelyn, he could both settle his personal grudges and clear away obstacles within the academy.

  Watching this, Samuel felt even more satisfied.

  His father Marcus had told him that his younger brother had died at the hands of a Gale Demon.

  He had also deliberately directed Samuel's anger toward Allen and Evelyn, falsely claiming that the two were in collusion with the Gale Demon.

  Samuel was grief stricken, yet unable to find the Gale Demon for revenge, so he poured all his hatred onto Allen and Evelyn instead.

  In his eyes, his brother had liked Evelyn in life but could never have her, while this pair of shameless lovers lived on in peace.

  He could not tolerate this happiness being built upon his brother's pain.

  He secretly swore that Allen and Evelyn must pay the price. What his brother could not obtain, no one else should dare to touch.

  Samuel swept a contemptuous glance over Evelyn, then turned his gaze back to Allen, the killing intent around him growing ever more intense.

  Allen still wore a smile as he spoke."By your logic, the reason I had Evelyn threaten Leah is because I was afraid I would lose, right?"

  Seeing Samuel snort in tacit agreement, he continued.

  "Then tell me, Samuel, compared to Leah, whose magic level is higher, and whose strength is greater?"

  Samuel snorted coldly. He did not even need to argue for himself, because the apprentices in the stands below were already shouting out the answer one after another.

  "Nonsense. Of course Samuel's magic level is higher!"

  "Samuel is the top genius of our Radiant Magic Academy. That is universally acknowledged!"

  "Even in the other three great academies, Samuel is a first rate powerhouse!"

  Allen spread his hands, his tone tinged with mockery."Not necessarily."

  "When the Holy Demon Prison Tower opened, I seem to recall hearing people from Blaze Light Academy mention that Samuel…"

  He deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping over Samuel's darkening face, then slowly finished the second half of the sentence.

  "They said Samuel is a little mutt. Judging by that, your so called genius reputation might be a bit exaggerated."

  Samuel clenched his fists, almost unable to restrain himself from striking on the spot, but then forcibly suppressed his anger.

  He would let Allen be arrogant for a little longer. Once the battle began, he would properly teach this foul mouthed kid a lesson and make him pay a painful price for his words.

  "It was Felix, that piece of trash, who said it, right?" Samuel ground out through clenched teeth, his eyes full of disdain.

  "That guy thinks he is qualified to judge me? Whether it is exaggerated or not, you can come and try it yourself!"

  Allen let out a light laugh, his tone calm."Of course I will try. I was just about to experience your methods for myself."

  "After all, once I beat you, all those slanderous rumors you made up about Evelyn and me will naturally collapse on their own."

  Hearing this, the stands instantly erupted in an uproar, gasps and mocking laughter interweaving.

  "Damn. Is this kid dreaming?"

  "Just an Intermediate Mage, and he actually dares to think about defeating Samuel, a Senior Mage?"

  "Samuel was already invincible among those of the same level when he was an Intermediate Mage. Now that he has advanced to Senior Mage, his strength is even more unfathomable!"

  "If Samuel cannot hold back, this kid is probably going to be seriously injured!"

  Evelyn stared at Allen on the platform, her face full of worry, and could not help but shout angrily.

  "Allen, come back. Do not fight him. He is deliberately provoking you, trying to take advantage of the chance to make a move on you!"

  She knew Samuel's character too well. On the surface he seemed upright and honorable, but in truth he was vicious and cunning. This duel was bound to be full of hidden danger.

  Samuel cast a sideways glance at Evelyn, his tone filled with contempt.

  "Who are you to speak here? This is a resource battle recognized by the academy. Since he accepted it, he does not get to back out. Whether he wants to fight or not, he has to fight."

  Samuel paused, a cruel smile curving across his face as he deliberately raised his voice.

  "I am not as despicable as you people. Do not worry, I will not strike to kill."

  The words sounded generous, but they hid deadly intent.

  Samuel had already planned it out in his heart. The resource battle indeed had a rule against killing, but if he accidentally shattered Allen's magic circuits, no one could blame him.

  At that point, Allen would become a useless person unable to learn magic and would naturally be expelled from the academy.

  He would both settle his personal grudge and completely remove an obstacle in one move.

  Samuel stepped toward Allen bit by bit, magic flowing around his body, an oppressive pressure washing over the air.

  As he walked, he spoke in a tone that sounded almost charitable.

  "I am not unreasonable either."

  "If you take back what you said just now, kneel down and kowtow to me in apology."

  "And then hand over the Godfall Battlefield access token. I will let this matter go and spare you once."