Brilliant spell light raged across the platform as violent shockwaves of magic spread in layers, forcing the people in the stands to keep retreating.

  Two figures collided at blinding speed amid the light and smoke. The dull thuds of fists meeting flesh mixed with the crack of exploding magic, and in the next instant they separated again within the dazzling glow, their movements too fast for the eye to follow.

  Allen and Samuel were locked in a deadlock, neither able to gain the upper hand for the moment.

  By now, both had abandoned elaborate spells, instead wrapping their fists and legs in condensed magic and fighting at close range. Everyone watching was visibly shaken.

  "He is actually this strong?"

  "He dares to clash with Samuel at close range using pure magic and still hold his ground?"

  "How is he doing this? I thought he would not last three moves, yet he has fought to this point!"

  Amid the murmurs, someone voiced a heated suspicion."That kid must be using a forbidden magic boosting potion!"

  The person beside him immediately chimed in."I have heard of a violent magic potion that can unleash your latent potential in a short time and multiply your magic strength several times over!"

  "That has to be it! Otherwise how could an Intermediate Mage stand against a Senior Mage?"

  "But those potions have huge side effects. They damage the magic core afterward and can even leave you unable to advance for life!"

  Doubt and speculation intertwined, and the looks from the stands grew ever more complex. Eleanor and Evelyn firmly believed that Allen would never use a forbidden potion.

  On the platform, Allen and Samuel's fists collided again, magic crashing violently.

  Samuel's face twisted, savage fury churning in his eyes. He had always regarded Allen as trash, yet here was this opponent, at a lower magic rank than his own, fighting him to a standstill.

  The gap between his expectations and reality drove him nearly mad, and the magic around him grew ever more violent.

  "Let me tell you a secret," Samuel said viciously, so quietly that only Allen standing face to face could hear.

  "I am crippling you today. It has nothing to do with whether Evelyn threatened Leah or not."

  A cruel smile curled at Samuel's lips, his eyes burning with vengeance."My younger brother Karen liked Evelyn the most when he was alive. After I deal with you, I will send her to keep my brother company."

  "As for you, you trash, just be an honest, crippled nobody who can never learn magic again, clinging to life and scraping by."

  Samuel's mad laughter was drowned out by the ferocity of the fight. Only Allen could hear what he said.

  Allen said nothing, meeting Samuel's fists once more. Vast magic slammed into vast magic, and both were forced back three steps.

  Samuel nodded with a cold smile. Allen's strength had shocked him, but it only strengthened his resolve to cripple him. An opponent like this could not be allowed to live on to become a threat.

  "Allen, you are impressive, to push me this far."

  "I am going to use my full strength now. If you cannot stop it, surrender and step back in time, so I do not fail to hold back and shatter your magic core."

  His tone carried false pity, but he had already prepared to strike with lethal intent.

  Allen smiled as well and beckoned to Samuel with a finger."Go ahead and use everything you have. I want to see if you really have what it takes to cripple me."

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  "Samuel still hasn't gone all out! I think Allen has already reached his limit!" a student in the stands shouted, his tone full of admiration for Samuel.

  "Still putting on a show, clearly doesn't want to lose too badly!"

  "Looks like this battle will end soon. Once Samuel unleashes his strength, Allen is doomed!"

  Unlike the students' blind confidence, Augustine and the other elders in the VIP section frowned deeply, their expressions growing increasingly serious.

  They could see at a glance that Samuel had already unleashed all of his magic, yet they could not guess what hidden technique he might have up his sleeve.

  Even if there were a secret move, defeating Allen in such a short time seemed nearly impossible. Allen's magic reserves appeared limitless.

  Even more astonishing was the speed at which he absorbed magical energy from the environment.

  During such an intense duel, he could replenish what he expended in real time, like a perpetual magic source, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

  In the elders' view, unless Samuel could suddenly boost his combat power to a higher level, breaking the stalemate was impossible.

  Elder Marcus, seeing the others' confusion, curled his lips in disdain, a look of confident anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

  "Just wait. Samuel is about to go all out. That kid is dead for sure!" he thought, already prepared to watch Allen's magic core destroyed, leaving him a powerless shell.

  At this moment, Samuel curled his lips into a cold, sinister smile. His expression suddenly turned solemn. Slowly, he raised his right hand, and the violent magic around him swirled into his palm.

  "Demon Breaking Palm!"

  As the spell was cast, Samuel vanished and instantly reappeared in front of Allen.

  Two tremendous impacts rang out simultaneously as their brilliant palm shadows collided violently. Dust and smoke exploded into the air, completely obscuring both figures.

  "Another Demon Breaking Palm? What is Samuel doing?"

  People in the stands looked on, puzzled.

  "Allen knows this move too, it won't hurt him at all!"

  "Didn't he say he would use his full strength? Why is he still using an intermediate spell? What a waste of time!"

  Voices of speculation and confusion rose one after another.

  Amidst the murmurs, the two figures shot upward through the dust and smoke, leaping tens of meters into the air.

  In midair, Samuel continuously switched spells, launching relentless attacks with ruthless precision.

  Allen calmly mirrored each corresponding move to block them, their magical clashes producing dazzling bursts of light high above the arena.

  While countering, Allen carefully observed Samuel's movements.

  His attacks were not random. Every strike was deliberately guiding him to a certain position, clearly intended to draw him into the high air.

  Realizing this, Allen slowed his own movements. He stopped counterattacking proactively and focused on defense instead.

  He wanted to see Samuel's true hand, and when the time came, he would use his boundless magic advantage to deliver a decisive counterattack.

  When their palms collided once again with full force, Allen keenly sensed that something was off.

  As the two separated again, a surge of terrifying magic suddenly erupted from Samuel's body.

  The violent magical shockwave swept across the entire arena, leaving everyone frozen in awe and fear.

  "It's the magic of a Third-tier Senior Mage!"

  "Samuel… he actually advanced to Third-tier Senior Mage!"

  Witnessing this, Augustine in the VIP section turned pale and sprang to his feet.

  He immediately saw through the situation. Samuel had long possessed the capability to ascend to Third-tier Senior Mage but had deliberately suppressed his magic.

  He chose this duel to forcefully ascend, clearly cornered by Allen, intending to use the absolute level advantage of a Third-tier Senior Mage to deliver a fatal blow.

  "Samuel! Stop!" Augustine shouted sharply, trying to intervene.

  The power gap brought by a higher magic tier was almost insurmountable. A single strike from a Third-tier Senior Mage could easily shatter an Intermediate Mage's magic core.

  "He's done for! Allen's finished!"

  "That's a Third-tier Senior Mage!"

  "There's no way he can survive, let alone block Samuel's full-strength strike!"

  Eleanor clenched her scroll tightly, and Evelyn wanted to rush onto the arena.

  High above, Samuel's face bore a cruel smile. His magic surged violently around him, and in his eyes, Allen was already nothing more than a corpse.

  Yet when he looked at Allen, he saw that his opponent showed no signs of panic. Instead, Allen remained calm, as if he had anticipated everything.

  Hearing Augustine's shouts growing closer, Samuel had no time to think. He had to act before being stopped.

  He condensed all his magic into his palm, forming a massive golden hand that ripped through the air, and he struck toward Allen with terrifying force.

  The pressure carried by the palm wind caused faint ripples in the surrounding space.

  He watched his palm pierce Allen's chest. But before joy could rise in his heart, the figure he struck dissipated into the air like smoke.

  Samuel froze in place, and even Augustine, halfway to the arena, halted mid-step, his eyes wide with shock.

  In the next moment, a cold, slightly amused voice sounded from behind Samuel:

  "Samuel, since you told me your secret, I guess I should tell you one of mine as well."

  Allen's figure slowly emerged, magic raging uncontrollably around him.

  "Actually… Karen, I was the one who killed him!"

  A massive explosion of magic erupted behind Samuel, generating a deafening sonic boom. Magic instantly converged in midair.

  Then, a pair of colossal hands, darkening the sky, appeared out of nowhere, radiating an earth-shattering, oppressive force, slowly looming above Samuel.