Marius said,"I will cripple your magic core and see if you still dare to curse me."

  Marius slowly extended his right hand, magic tightly coating his palm. He intended to personally destroy Hart's magic core and turn him into a complete cripple who could no longer use magic.

  "You still have not recognized your place. You still do not understand that lowly people should act like lowly people."

  "After I cripple you, I will watch how you kneel and beg me to let your sister stay by my side as my maid."

  Arrogant and cruel laughter echoed through the open field of jagged stones, mixed with Marius's wanton arrogance, sending a chill down the spine.

  Hart closed his eyes in despair. His body was covered in wounds now, and he had no strength left to resist.

  Even if he still had the power to fight, there was no way he could harm Marius in the slightest under the protection of so many people.

  He hated his own uselessness, hated his own weakness, that he could only watch his family be abused by Marius and be completely powerless to stop it.

  From the start, he had never planned to come back alive from this resource battle. He only wanted to give up his life to teach Marius a lesson.

  But he had never expected that Marius would have an Archmage as a guard. In the face of an absolute gap in power, all his struggles now seemed so laughable and pale.

  Now, seeing that he was about to become a cripple without a magic core, never again able to protect his sister.

  And even having to watch his sister be forced to stay by his enemy's side, Hart's spirit collapsed, leaving only endless despair in his heart.

  A burning pain spread from his lower abdomen, cutting through flesh and bone, heading straight for his magic core.

  That near-shattering agony made his entire body convulse, his consciousness beginning to fade.

  Marius, however, was in no hurry. The speed at which his hand moved downward was astonishingly slow. He seemed to enjoy this dull knife slicing flesh, the pleasure of watching his opponent fall into despair and collapse.

  At that moment, from the forest nearby, a choked and fragile yet resolute sob suddenly rang out.

  "Do not hurt my brother!"

  "I will go with you. I will stay by your side as your maid. Please do not hurt my brother!"

  A satisfied smile instantly appeared at the corner of Marius's mouth.

  He had been waiting for this voice, waiting for Hart's sister to reveal herself, waiting for her to willingly lower her head to him.

  He immediately stopped what he was doing and turned his gaze toward the dense forest.

  "Camilla, you are finally willing to come out?"

  A slender figure slowly emerged from the trees. It was Hart's sister, Camilla.

  Her hair was somewhat disheveled, her face streaked with tears, her eyes red and swollen.

  Seeing the graceful figure standing at the edge of the forest, Hart struggled to rise.

  But the pain in his body dragged him back down. He could only lie on the ground and roar in fury with all his strength.

  "Who told you to come here? Camilla, who told you to come here?"

  "Did I not tell you to take this chance and escape? Why did you not listen to me?"

  Looking at her brother covered in wounds, Camilla could not hold back her tears. She shook her head.

  "Brother, I cannot go. If I leave, you will die. I cannot leave you alone."

  Hart trembled with anger, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his face growing even paler.

  He clenched his teeth and shouted bitterly,"Even if I die, it is none of your business. Camilla, leave now. Even if I die, I will not let you stay by this beast's side. I will not let you suffer humiliation."

  Marius, watching the siblings protect each other in grief, let out a couple of contemptuous laughs.

  "How touching. Such deep sibling love. But no matter how touching, it will not change anything."

  "But I never said I would kill your brother." A flash of malice passed through Marius's eyes as he continued.

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  "The academy has its rules. During the resource battle, intentional killing is forbidden."

  "But if I accidentally cripple your magic core, you cannot blame me. After all, on the battlefield, fists and feet have no eyes, do they?"

  Watching Marius's casual, mocking smile, Camilla could not help but tremble all over. She wiped her tears fiercely and said,"Let my brother go, and I will go with you."

  Marius looked at Camilla, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth."Kneel, Camilla. Is that the attitude of someone begging for mercy?"

  "If you want me to release your brother, show me enough sincerity. Kneel and beg for mercy!"

  Camilla was completely stunned. Her fingertips clutched the edge of her dress tightly, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

  Marius looked at her helpless, humiliated appearance with satisfaction.

  One of the guards beside him could not help speaking up."Marius, that is enough!"

  "Camilla has always been submissive at the academy. She has never provoked you. Why do you have to force her like this, driving them to the edge?"

  Marius glanced at the guard with a warning look."Take your money and do your job. Don't meddle in matters that are none of your concern. Enough talk."

  "If you dare betray me, if you dare plead for this brother and sister, this is what will happen to you!"

  Marius lifted his foot again and stomped hard on Hart's chest. Already severely injured, Hart now bled even more from the corners of his mouth.

  The guard's face darkened, and he clenched his fists. He could not tolerate Marius's despicable behavior, but thinking of Marius's influence in Aetherlan City, he could only swallow his anger.

  He could not stay in the academy forever. Once he left, Marius could easily find and take revenge on him.

  Seeing this, Camilla's tears spilled over again.

  "Fine, I will kneel..." Her voice was so weak it was almost inaudible.

  Marius nodded with satisfaction, his eyes full of pride. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

  He wanted to use the resource battle to humiliate those who dared to resist him.

  In the future, anyone who wanted to offend or oppose him would have to think twice and would no longer dare provoke him in the slightest.

  Camilla slowly knelt before him. The feeling of controlling everything and shamelessly humiliating others made him reveal an even more cruel, cold smile.

  On the viewing platform, everyone who saw this scene was burning with anger. Outraged curses rang out repeatedly, echoing across the entire platform.

  "That beast! Bullying people is one thing, but to humiliate them like this is insane!"

  "Hart and Camilla never provoked him. He only did this because he set his sights on Camilla, forcing the siblings into a dead end. It's outrageous!"

  "Marius is abusing his power! Just because he has influence, he can trample on others' dignity and act as he pleases?"

  "People like us, from ordinary families, can be humiliated and bullied at will?"

  "Scoundrels like Marius should be expelled from Luminara Magic Academy and punished!"

  The apprentices shouted angrily, chaos breaking out on the viewing platform.

  Hawke, Marius's father, sitting at the side of the high platform, suddenly darkened. He could no longer tolerate it!

  "Silence!" Hawke slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily.

  "Do you think you lowly people can speak freely and insult others at will? Say one more word and do not blame me for being harsh!"

  Berton's immense magical pressure instantly spread across the viewing platform, making all the apprentices with lower magic levels present breathe rapidly.

  The curses and shouts from the crowd immediately stopped. Everyone instinctively lowered their heads, unwilling to meet Hawke's gaze.

  Berton, standing nearby, showed a look of displeasure, his brows tightly furrowed.

  Hawke's actions had already broken the rules. He clearly wanted to use his pressure to intimidate everyone, which was far too arrogant.

  Berton then slowly raised his hand and waved lightly. A surge of magical force swept out, instantly counteracting the pressure released by Hawke.

  Berton said,"The competitions and disputes within the resource battlefield are not my concern. They are the apprentices' trials and part of the rules of the resource battle."

  "But if anyone dares to release magical pressure or attack others recklessly on the viewing platform, don't blame me for being unforgiving!"

  Hawke finally regained his senses after hearing Berton's warning.

  With a hint of apology in his tone, Hawke said,"I acted improperly. Thank you, Headmaster Berton, for reminding me. I will never make the same mistake again."

  Berton did not say anything further. He simply waved his hand slightly. The resource battle was meant to let apprentices experience the cruelty and reality of the world, allowing them to grow quickly through competition and conflict, learning to survive.

  Marius's actions were indeed excessive and despicable, but such predation and bullying were only the tip of the iceberg in the cruel magical world. Berton could not intervene, nor could he interfere too much.

  His gaze returned to the crystal mirrors reflecting the resource battlefield. In the mirror, he saw the figure steadily approaching Marius's position. It was Allen.

  Berton sighed helplessly, worry filling his eyes. In his heart, he thought: This apprentice of mine may be about to fail here.

  Marius had an Archmage and four Ninth-tier Senior Mage guards. Even with extraordinary talent and strength, Allen could not possibly face such a group of powerful opponents. Going there now was undoubtedly walking into a trap.

  On the jagged stone field of the resource battlefield, the atmosphere remained tense and humiliating.

  Camilla slowly bent her knees, inching them closer to the ground. The dignity and stubbornness in her eyes were being gradually swallowed by despair.

  Just as her knees were about to touch the ground, a force suddenly swept over her, firmly supporting her body and stopping her from kneeling.

  "What are you doing, Camilla?"

  The voice was calm but carried to everyone present.

  Hearing the voice, Marius, his guards, and the barely conscious Hart on the ground all turned their gazes toward Camilla.

  "You are Allen."

  Camilla looked in surprise at the figure that had suddenly appeared. She recognized him.

  Allen had arrived following the sounds, missing what had happened just moments before.

  As soon as he got there, he saw Camilla about to kneel before Marius. The humiliating sight stirred displeasure in his heart.

  He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Marius and the guards.

  "I just arrived and almost thought I was mistaken. Are apprentices of Luminara Magic Academy really expected to perform such kneeling rituals when seeing others?"

  Allen's gaze swept over them as he said,"Do you have a problem with me? Or do you think that I, an apprentice of the Headmaster, am unworthy of your attention?"

  "Why is it that you don't kneel when you see me?"

  Marius had never imagined that Allen would also come to this resource battle.

  After a brief moment of shock, Marius's expression shifted, a flash of malice and ecstasy appearing in his eyes. A haughty, cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

  Allen had not even come looking for him yet, and here he was daring to show up voluntarily. Marius thought: He is seeking his own death!