Godfall Battlefield, Moonshadow Gorge.

  The cliffs on both sides of the canyon were riddled with pitch black cracks, exuding a deadly stillness.

  Evelyn clutched her bleeding chest, her face pale as she staggered through the rubble, desperately evading the pursuit of the robed men behind her.

  After leaving Falling Ash City, she had followed the route marked on the map toward the elven city-state.

  But just as Aerin had predicted, the proud elves had no intention of granting her passage at all.

  The elven guards stationed at the outpost gate blocked her way.

  "You are a human mage. Why do you not use your own people's teleportation array? This is elven territory. Humans are not allowed to step in at will."

  "Turn back immediately. Take one more step and do not blame us for being ruthless."

  The leading elven guard spoke with finality, clearly ready to resort to force.

  Evelyn had no choice but to turn away. She was already lightly wounded and in no condition to contend with the elven guards.

  Besides, the alliance between elves and humans was fragile to begin with. There was no need to create another grievance.

  At this moment, she had nowhere to go. The elven teleportation array was closed to her, and using the Demon Tribe's teleportation array was out of the question.

  The Demon Tribe and humanity were mortal enemies. Even if she were willing to take the risk, she would only be cut down on the spot. It would be better to die in Godfall Battlefield itself.

  As Evelyn leaned against the rock wall, gasping in confusion and despair, a group of figures in black cloaks suddenly burst out of the mist and surrounded her.

  They did not waste a word and attacked at once.

  Fortunately, during her time in Godfall Battlefield, Evelyn had successfully advanced to Senior Mage, allowing her to barely hold her own.

  But there were dozens of them, moving in tight coordination and striking with ruthless precision. Against such numbers, she could not hold out on her own.

  Before long, she was grievously wounded and could only rely on the canyon's complex terrain to flee desperately, searching for a slim chance of survival.

  Strangely, the robed men did not intend to kill her right away. Instead, they deliberately slowed their pace, step by step forcing her toward the canyon's deepest and most hopeless edge.

  Only when Evelyn was driven to the brink of the canyon, covered in wounds and no longer able to resist, did the robed men stop their assault and slowly close in.

  "Evelyn, do you remember me?"

  One of the robed men slowly pulled back his hood, revealing a face twisted and contorted by hatred. It was Marcus, who had been missing for days.

  "It's you, Marcus?" Evelyn's pupils shrank, her brows knitting together.

  Beads of sweat covered her pale and beautiful face, and the pain in her chest made it hard for her to form a complete sentence."You... what do you want?"

  A sinister smile crept across Marcus's face as he stepped closer to the badly injured Evelyn."That's right, it's me. Surprised? I have been waiting for you here."

  "Did you think I would let you go just because Samuel did not die by your hand?"

  Marcus said with venom in his voice,"Let me tell you the truth. I have no intention of sparing either you or Allen. For Samuel's death, you will both pay with your lives."

  Evelyn was both furious and frantic. The wound on her chest tore open again, blood soaking into her robes.

  She tried to retort, but her strength failed her and she nearly collapsed, forced to brace herself against the rock wall just to remain standing.

  Marcus let out a sharp, derisive laugh."Save your strength, Evelyn."

  "I will not kill you for now. After all, you were once the person my son Karen cherished most in his life. To let you die here in such a messy way would betray his memory."

  The Karen he spoke of was the son killed by Allen, and every time the name left his lips, the hatred in his eyes deepened.

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  Marcus waved toward the robed men beside him, his voice dark and commanding."Capture her. Use her as bait to lure Allen here."

  "Once I personally kill that boy, this woman, I will take her back and deal with her slowly. She has other uses as well."

  The robed men surrounding them all nodded, their steps steady as they closed in on Evelyn.

  At this moment, Evelyn felt utterly hopeless. She looked at the robed men approaching with impassive faces, then slowly turned her gaze toward the abyss behind her.

  "Do you know why we drove you here?" Marcus laughed triumphantly, his voice echoing through the empty canyon.

  "The Moonshadow Gorge behind you is a prison of the Demon Tribe, holding countless man-eating demons."

  "I know full well that your entire family was slaughtered by the Demon Tribe. You hate those demons to your bones, wishing to crush them into dust."

  "Think carefully. Will you obediently come with me, or will you leap into the abyss and join the demons you hate the most?"

  A malicious gleam flickered in Marcus's eyes."Oh no, I fear that before you even reach the bottom of the cliff, the shadowed miasma above the canyon will erode you, and you will turn to ash before even feeling pain."

  "In that way, you will be trapped here forever, tangled with the demons who killed your family. How humiliating would that be?"

  Marcus's face was full of certainty. He had already figured out Evelyn's mindset.

  This girl was fiercely proud, and her dignity mattered most. She could never endure the humiliation of aligning with the demons who killed her kin, so she would be forced to surrender.

  He had already planned it. Once Evelyn was captured, Allen and Eleanor would inevitably rush into Godfall Battlefield to rescue her.

  At that time, he could use the canyon's complex terrain and the robed men's strength to trap them all, avenging his son once and for all.

  Evelyn's face grew paler, cold sweat sliding down her temples and dripping onto the cracked ground.

  The robed men's oppressive magical pressure forced her backward. Pebbles beneath her feet tumbled off the cliff, instantly consumed by the shadowed miasma, leaving no sound behind.

  "It is better than endangering Allen and Mentor!"

  She summoned the last of her strength and shouted, all fear gone, leaving only a resolute, desperate determination.

  Marcus's pupils constricted sharply. He felt a surge of dread."No! She's going to jump!"

  He reacted quickly and tried to stop her, but he was a step too late.

  Evelyn leaped with finality, her body tilting backward. As she glanced over her shoulder, she met Marcus's twisted, enraged face.

  A faint, bitter but serene smile curved her lips, and then the surging shadowed miasma swallowed her completely. Her figure vanished instantly into the canyon.

  Marcus watched helplessly, his outstretched hand frozen in midair.

  He trembled with rage, roaring toward the canyon, but all that returned were echoes of the swirling miasma. His eyes burned with unwillingness and deep-seated hatred.

  The Shadow Miasma surged and churned beneath Moonshadow Gorge. This place had once been a cage used by the Demon Tribe to imprison those Demons who had gone astray.

  Not to mention someone like Marcus, merely a Senior Mage. Even an Archmage who rashly stepped inside would only be corroded by the miasma and end up with nothing left of body or bone.

  "Damn it! That wretched woman! She would rather leap to her death than allow herself to be used by me!"

  Marcus roared toward the gorge, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with resentment and venom.

  His carefully laid bait plan had completely fallen apart. The flames of revenge burned even hotter because of this sudden turn of events, yet there was nothing he could do about it.

  Several robed men exchanged glances. The one in the lead stepped forward and said,"Marcus, you promised us the plan was foolproof and that using that woman would draw Allen out."

  "Now that she is dead, will Allen still willingly enter Godfall Battlefield?"

  He paused and added,"We agreed in advance that we are only responsible for carrying out the assassination inside Godfall Battlefield."

  "If you want to launch an assault on Radiant Magic Academy, that will be a separate commission. The payment will be recalculated, and the price will be doubled."

  Marcus's face instantly turned ashen, all his calculations collapsing in an instant.

  He had thought Evelyn would submit under humiliation, but he never expected her to be so resolute that she would resist with her life.

  "Even if Evelyn is dead, I still have a way to draw Allen here."

  Marcus tried to argue, though his words lacked confidence, because his most reliable bait was already gone.

  Before he could finish speaking, Marcus's gaze suddenly locked onto a figure on the opposite side of Moonshadow Gorge.

  A figure was sprinting across the shattered rocks of the gorge, moving at astonishing speed. That familiar silhouette made Marcus's pupils contract sharply.

  "Allen! It is him! It is him!"

  Marcus's fury instantly turned into wild delight. His face lit up with manic excitement, all his earlier frustration swept away.

  "I never thought this little bastard would deliver himself right to my door! This saves me a lot of trouble. No need to rack my brain to lure him into Godfall Battlefield anymore!"

  He quickly turned and barked orders at the robed men,"Get ready to move! This is our target this time! Make sure..."

  Before he could finish, Allen had already reached the edge of the cliff.

  Under the stunned gazes of Marcus and the robed men, Allen did not pause for even a moment. He did not spare a single glance for the danger of the gorge.

  He followed the direction where Evelyn had fallen and leaped without hesitation. His figure was instantly swallowed by the thick Shadow Miasma and vanished from everyone's sight.

  "Madman! This madman! He really threw his life away!"

  Marcus stood there dumbfounded, then flew into a rage, stamping the ground furiously.

  He was not unhappy that Allen had gone to his death. He was furious that Allen had died so easily.

  He had wanted to personally torture Allen and make him pay a painful price for the deaths of his sons Karen and Samuel. Dying by falling into the gorge was far too merciful for him.

  The leading robed man spread his hands and said with a light laugh,"Well, the trouble is solved."

  "No matter what, the target has fallen into the gorge. We can consider the mission successfully completed."

  "We made it clear beforehand. Once the payment is made, there are no refunds. One hundred thousand high grade magic crystals. You cannot go back on your word."

  Marcus trembled with rage, gasping for breath.

  He knew very well that the Dagger Tribunal's influence spread across the entire continent and that their methods were ruthless. He did not dare to lash out at these robed men.

  He could only curse loudly toward Moonshadow Gorge, venting the fury and unwillingness in his heart.

  Marcus stared at the empty edge of the cliff and, in the end, could only grit his teeth and accept this outcome.