Behind Evelyn stood a group of young men and women dressed in identical magic robes.

  Their expressions were still somewhat green and inexperienced, clearly students from the lower years of Radiant Magic Academy.

  Graham hurried over to Evelyn's side in excitement, and the others followed close behind, unwilling to fall behind him.

  "Senior Evelyn! We are freelance mages from various regions, and we are on our way to Radiant Magic Academy to take part in the admission trials!"

  Evelyn glanced back at them. There was no ripple of emotion in her cool eyes. She simply nodded faintly in acknowledgment.

  Blending into the crowd, Allen felt that the atmosphere was oddly strange.

  The young people around him stared intensely at Evelyn's back, their eyes burning with enthusiasm. Their fervent expressions made it look less like a dangerous standoff and more like a fan meeting with a famous idol.

  Not wanting to stand out, Allen quickly put on an expression of wholehearted admiration and fixed his gaze on Evelyn's back as well.

  At that moment, a tall, middle aged leader of the Umbra Demon Tribe stepped forward from the opposing side.

  His appearance was not much different from that of a human, except for his eyes, which were exceptionally eerie. Within his pupils was another layer of dark red vertical pupils, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

  Now those layered pupils slowly rotated, locking onto Evelyn with undisguised malice.

  "I have long heard of Evelyn of Radiant Magic Academy. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation."

  "But you underestimate me far too much. You are nothing more than a student of Radiant Magic Academy. Even if your ranking is high, you dare to charge alone into my Umbra Gorge?"

  "I know exactly what you are planning. Kill me, and your academy's students will no longer have a major threat while training in this gorge. But with just you, an Intermediate Mage, you dare to trespass on my territory? You are hopelessly overestimating yourself."

  This time, before Evelyn could respond, the young apprentices behind her could no longer suppress their anger and shouted back in unison.

  "You are lying! Who said Evelyn is alone? We are all here!"

  The Umbra Demon leader glanced sideways at the crowd behind Evelyn, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. He let out a cold, disdainful snort.

  "A bunch of trash."

  The young people behind Evelyn were instantly enraged, yet none of them dared to step forward. They could only hide behind her and shout at the top of their lungs.

  "Senior Evelyn! Stop wasting words with him! Show him the power of Radiant Magic Academy!"

  Evelyn let out a soft breath. The golden radiance around her suddenly condensed, and she slowly drew the longsword from her back.

  "An Intermediate Mage may be insignificant, but killing you is more than enough."

  The moment her words fell, Evelyn struck first. With a light flick of her wrist, the light bursting from her blade condensed into a brilliant beam, carrying the power to purify all things as it shot straight toward the leading Umbra Demon leader.

  Caught off guard by Evelyn's sudden attack, the Umbra Demon leader did not panic. Instead, he grinned, revealing sharp fangs.

  "So this is a champion of the light faction. Attacking without warning, how laughable."

  The layered pupils in the Umbra Demon leader's eyes spun rapidly as dense shadow energy surged around him. He reached out and grabbed directly at the incoming blade of light.

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  At the instant the sword light collided with the shadow-formed hand, a violent shockwave of energy erupted. Gale force winds swept outward, dispersing much of the thick fog in an instant.

  "There is no need for honor when dealing with shadow scum," Evelyn said coldly.

  Her sword flashed again and again as sharp blades of light slashed forward in succession, instantly engulfing the Umbra Demon leader in a storm of radiant strikes.

  The Umbra Demon leader refused to fall back. Wielding his shadow-coated hands, he relied purely on his physical body to withstand the light blades, engaging Evelyn in close combat despite her sword. For a time, neither side gained the upper hand.

  The young apprentices beside Allen watched with shining eyes, staring fixedly at the battlefield.

  Allen himself was completely absorbed. Evelyn's combat form was nearly flawless, every movement precise and elegant.

  Her figure, wrapped in holy light, moved through the shadows like a breathtaking dance of battle, beautiful to behold and filled with raw power.

  "That Umbra Demon leader is at least a Soldier Demon," one young apprentice exclaimed.

  "A Soldier Demon of the Demon Tribe is equivalent to an Intermediate Mage, but there are vast differences even within the same rank," another added.

  "That Umbra Demon leader is no match for Senior Evelyn at all!"

  "Evelyn is incredible. Purify that Umbra Demon leader already!"

  "Go Evelyn! Go Evelyn!"

  Listening to their discussion, Allen roughly grasped the power hierarchy of this world.

  There were different races such as humans and the Demon Tribe, each with their own independent ranking systems. He could not help but wonder which level he himself belonged to.

  "While in the castle, the demon attendants had called him the Master of the Abyss. The title sounded quite imposing."

  While letting his thoughts wander, Allen raised his arms and shouted along with the crowd, afraid of standing out.

  "Go Evelyn! Evelyn, I love you!"

  The moment the words left his mouth, the noisy edge of the battlefield fell completely silent.

  All the young apprentices turned their heads at once, staring at Allen in stunned disbelief.

  Allen looked back at them in confusion, muttering to himself. What was wrong with them? Had he shouted the wrong slogan?

  "You have no shame at all! How can you say something so frivolous to Evelyn!" a female apprentice cried angrily, her face burning red as she covered it with her hands.

  The young male apprentices around him glared at Allen one by one, their eyes so fierce it was as if they wanted to tear him apart alive.

  Allen quickly waved his hands and said apologetically,"I am very sorry! I did not know your customs here. Back in my hometown, this is just a common way to cheer for someone strong!"

  He muttered to himself: I never thought that the phrases I used to cheer for idols in my previous life would turn into lewd words in this world.

  It seemed that the customs in this world were extremely conservative, almost as if there were strict rules about propriety.

  Evelyn, still locked in fierce combat with the Umbra Demon leader, clearly heard Allen's shout.

  Her heart skipped a beat. Her hand gripping the sword tightened slightly as she stole a glance back, her icy gaze glaring sharply at Allen, full of reprimand.

  Allen immediately felt that hostile gaze, his heart skipping a beat. This was bad Evelyn had heard him, and even in the middle of battle, she could spare attention to warn him. Her power was truly extraordinary.

  "Watch out!" Allen shouted loudly.

  At that moment, as Evelyn momentarily diverted her focus, the Umbra Demon leader seized the opportunity and launched a sneak attack.

  "Arrogant brat! Ruining my plans!" the Umbra Demon leader roared, and the shadow energy around him surged violently, condensing into a black energy strike that shot straight toward Evelyn's back.

  Evelyn had already sensed the danger and heard Allen's warning.

  Her brows furrowed tightly. Without turning her head, she quickly formed a seal with her left hand, and her palm erupted with dazzling holy light, striking toward the direction of the Umbra Demon leader's sneak attack.

  "Holy Light Purification Palm!"

  The holy light collided with the shadow strike with a tremendous explosion, sending violent energy rippling outward. The Umbra Demon leader was blown back, stumbling ten steps before finally regaining his stance, his chest heaving violently.

  "You actually wield advanced purification magic!" the Umbra Demon leader exclaimed in shock, clearly unprepared for such a hidden skill.

  A cold smile curled on Evelyn's lips."Holy light is the bane of you Shadow Creatures. Using purification magic against you is perfectly fitting."

  She raised her sword to strike again, ready to finish off the Umbra Demon leader.

  The Umbra Demon leader clutched his chest, a fierce glint flashing across his face. Suddenly, he shouted loudly,"Blake! If not now, then when?"

  "This woman is powerful. We cannot let her escape!"

  Hearing the call, Evelyn immediately halted, cautiously retreating while keeping her sword ready and scanning her surroundings.

  "Allies? Or just bluffing?" she wondered.

  Seeing that the Umbra Demon leader did not flee after shouting, but steadied himself instead, Evelyn's heart sank. It seemed he really had backup.

  At that moment, the shadow on the grass beside the Umbra Demon leader twisted violently.

  "The next second, a Demon in a black robe slowly emerged from the shadows."

  A gentle smile adorned his face as he carefully observed Evelyn. He spoke slowly:

  "So young, yet possessing such pure holy light magic. A pity you are not of my Demon Tribe; otherwise, you would be worth proper training."