​Bzzzt... CRACK!

​Bluish-white lightning crackled wildly across the blonde senior's palm. The sheer thermal energy made the surrounding air feel razor-sharp. His primary target? Adul, who was now curled up trembling on the stone floor, wrapping his arms protectively around his own head.

​On the other side of the arena, Charis was still sprawled out, his knees buckled from absorbing the previous ice impact. Lira screamed from the corner, reaching her hand out in vain.

​She wouldn't make it in time. The distance was too great. Her movements were too slow.

​Adul squeezed his eyes shut tight. Waiting for the searing agony to hit.

​Then, Eva moved.

​A single, feather-light step forward—and the girl seemed to vanish into thin air.

​An explosive burst of dense crimson aura erupted from her foothold, fracturing the stone floor and propelling her body forward at a speed that defied human logic. Swoosh!

​A split second before the lightning struck, Eva was already standing tall, acting as Adul's living shield.

​Her hands were empty. No daggers. But the aura enveloping her body was now boiling—a dark, blood-red mist swirling viciously around her arm. Her silver eyes locked onto the blonde youth. Hollow. Devoid of anger, devoid of killing intent.

​"You—" The blonde's eyes bulged in horror. "Aura?! Tch, you filthy Ash-Caste!"

​Eva didn't respond.

​CRACK!

​The lethal bolt of lightning was finally unleashed. A blinding white flash that should have been more than enough to roast Adul alive.

​But Eva didn't back down. She raised her arm, letting the aura churn even more violently. She didn't bother trying to parry it. Nor did she elegantly deflect it. She purely shoved it. The raw pressure of her crimson aura collided violently with the lightning spell, forcing its trajectory half a meter to the right.

​BAM!! The lightning slammed hard into the dungeon wall. Stone shrapnel sprayed through the air, accompanied by the pungent, charred stench of ozone.

​Adul cracked one eye open, his jaw practically unhinged. "E-Eva... you... you can—"

​"Get up," Eva cut him off.

​"Ow... i-it hurts—"

​"I said get up." Eva's eyes never wavered from the front. "Find a safe spot. Far away from here."

​Adul swallowed hard. Gulp. He hurriedly scrambled backward on all fours, his legs still feeling like jelly. He couldn't run; he could only drag his body away so he wouldn't be an easy target.

​The blonde senior ground his teeth. His shock was rapidly replaced by fury and bruised pride. "Just an Aura user, huh. Hah! That's nothing but a low-tier blessing meant for frontline grunts! Do you really think you can beat real mages with cheap tricks like that?!"

​He snapped his head toward his two lackeys. "Hey, don't just stand there gaping! Attack her together!"

​The Water-attribute senior reacted first. Shing! Shing! Razor-sharp ice shards materialized in the air—three, five, then eight projectiles rained down like a volley of arrows toward Eva.

​Simultaneously, the Wind senior intervened. Whoosh! He directed a violent gale—not lethal, but more than enough to completely ruin Eva's center of gravity.

​Eva began to maneuver. The aura at the soles of her feet detonated in micro-bursts, propelling her in a rapid zigzag left and right.

​The first ice shard grazed her ear. The second slashed her left shoulder. Sshk. Fresh blood dripped onto the floor. She evaded the third, fourth, and fifth by executing a rough dive roll across the dirt.

​But the lateral gale slammed into her again. Eva's boots slipped on the floor, which was now slick with melting ice.

​The blonde senior smirked widely. He saw the opening. The second bolt of lightning was unleashed—this time thicker, more blinding.

​Too late. Eva didn't have time to correct her stance. The lightning struck the floor mere inches from her foot.

​BOOM!

​The resulting shockwave sent Eva flying. Her back slammed brutally against a stone pillar. Thud. The sound of air being forcefully violently ejected from her lungs echoed.

​"EVA!" Adul screamed from the edge of the room.

​Smoke billowed. But slowly, the girl's shadow rose again.

​Eva stood up. Thick blood seeped from her shoulder. Her arms were covered in scrapes and bruises. Her breathing was now shallow and rapid. But her eyes... the look in her eyes hadn't changed in the slightest. Still hollow. Still dead.

​And for some reason, to those three seniors, that emotionless stare was infinitely more psychologically terrifying than a roar of pure rage.

​On the other side of the arena, Charis didn't waste energy launching a blind attack.

​He stood observing, his chest heaving rapidly. Cold sweat dripped from his chin, but his brain was spinning in overdrive. He recorded everything.

​Lightning Senior: Attacks are always frontal, linear, and mana-greedy. Ice Senior: Always snipes from blind spots, likes to chip away damage. Wind Senior: Support. Operates on the right flank, his only job is to break the opponent's stance.

​A pattern. There was a rhythm there.

​Charis turned to Lira, whispering his plan rapidly. "Lira, I need your help."

​Lira looked at him in horror, her eyes wet. "W-with what? I—"

​"A fireball. Shoot it at the Wind guy."

​"B-but my accuracy is terrible when I'm nervous—"

​"It doesn't have to hit!" Charis interrupted firmly. "Just startle him. Keep him busy dodging for one second."

​Lira swallowed hard. She wiped her tears away roughly, then gave a panicked nod. She thrust her hands forward, trembling violently. A lopsided, asymmetrical orange fireball materialized in her palms. Whoosh. Lira chucked it blindly.

​Sure enough, the fireball flew way off the mark, arcing high into the air. But the startled Wind senior reflexively jumped backward. His channel of wind was abruptly severed.

​Now! Charis sprinted toward the center of the arena. He didn't cast a wind shield like usual. He focused all his mana into his palms, directing a highly condensed vortex of wind... straight into the body of the Lightning senior.

​"Do you have a death wish, trash?!" the blonde shouted, preparing to fry Charis.

​But Charis had no intention of injuring him. He merely needed the push force.

​Whoosh! The concentrated gale slammed into the blonde from the flank. His body was violently shoved half a meter to the left, his stance crumbling entirely. He stumbled in shock.

​One crucial second. And Eva was not going to let such a beautiful opening go to waste.

​The girl had already blurred, reappearing directly on the blonde's right side.

​She pulled one fist back. Crimson aura, as dark as blood, condensed densely over her knuckles. It wasn't just muscle power—it was the physical manifestation of internal energy primed to detonate upon impact.

​The punch sank flawlessly through the blonde youth's solar plexus.

​OOF!

​The sound of air being violently expelled from his lungs was horrifying. The blonde's eyes bulged as if ready to pop out of their sockets. His body folded in half, launched backward, and rolled across the floor before coming to a pathetic halt near the Ice senior's boots. His mouth opened and closed, gasping for air like a beached fish. Unconscious.

​"Good," Eva murmured. A lethal compliment.

​Charis didn't stop. Momentum was on their side. He pivoted toward the Ice senior and fired his second wind blast squarely at the opponent's ankle. Scrape. The Ice senior lost his balance, the magic gathering in his hands completely fizzling out.

​Eva followed up instantly. She spun her body in mid-air, delivering an aura-clad sweeping low kick right to the side of the unfortunate mage's knee.

​CRACK.

​The sickening sound of bone dislocating echoed. The Ice senior collapsed with a muffled shriek. His leg wasn't shattered, but he was guaranteed not to be walking on it for the next month.

​Only the Wind senior remained.

​The youth had just finished dodging Lira's post-targeting fireball. He turned around to find both of his comrades already knocked out like discarded trash. Before him stood Charis, taking a long, steady breath, and in the corner of his eye, Eva slowly turned her head to look at him.

​The Wind senior's knees began to shake. He hastily threw both his hands high in the air. "E-enough! Okay, you're crazy! We surrender!"

​The blonde, just barely regaining consciousness, tried to crawl. "Y-you... haven't won yet... cough... I can still—"

​"Shut your mouth!" the Wind senior barked, cutting his friend off. "Look at your own condition, you idiot!"

​The blonde looked up with agonizing effort. He stared at Eva.

​The non-mage girl was still standing tall. Blood dripped from her shoulder; her skin was mottled with bruises. Yet her posture did not waver. There was no triumphant smile, no arrogant mockery. The girl simply stood in silence, treating their existence as nothing more than pebbles on the side of the road.

​For the blonde, his ego and pride were shattered far worse than his ribs. He hung his head low, then limped out of the arena without daring to meet anyone's eyes. The Ice senior followed, dragging his leg pitifully.

​The Wind senior paused briefly as he passed Charis. "Circle Three... you aren't as pathetic as the rumors say," he muttered quietly, before hurrying off to catch up with his friends.

​The underground arena was swallowed by a profound silence once more.

​Only the rhythm of their heavy panting could be heard. The torches on the walls cast a dim, flickering light across their pale faces.

​Charis stood frozen. His gaze was glued to the palms of his own hands. Hands that had previously only been capable of erecting cowardly shields for protection, had today just been used to create a tactical opening. Magic wasn't solely about destructive power; it was also about momentum.

​Something within his mindset had shifted sharply. And he loved the feeling.

​Lira jogged over. The girl didn't say a word; she merely grabbed one of Charis's hands and held it tight. Charis offered a small smile and squeezed back.

​Across the room, Adul forced his wobbly legs to carry him over to Eva. "E-Eva... crazy, you... you were absolutely terrifying just now."

​Eva looked at him. Then she let out a long sigh—not a sigh of annoyance, but an exhausted sigh of relief. "You're the reason I had to step in."

​"I—I didn't mean to! I was just trying to dodge, and then my feet—"

​"I know." Eva cut him off. But her tone wasn't cold. "Are you alright?"

​Adul blinked. "Huh?"

​"You fell earlier. Your knees are scraped."

​"Oh... y-yeah. Just scrapes." Adul looked at Eva's bleeding shoulder. "But you... your shoulder..."

​Eva glanced at her own wound. "This? Just a scratch." She touched her shoulder, wincing slightly. "It stings. But it's fine."

​The scent of damp grass and fresh air welcomed them as they finally emerged from the stuffy dungeon. It felt like a welcoming gift upon returning from hell.

​The afternoon sun had almost completely sunk behind the Academy's dormitory roofs. The Luminara sky painted a canvas of deep purple and faded orange.

​At that precise moment, Roland and Rianor were just descending the steps of the main building.

​Roland's footsteps halted. His eyes narrowed, scanning the battered, chaotic condition of his caravan before him. Adul, covered in dust with badly scraped knees. Eva, sporting a torn, bleeding shoulder and bruises. Charis, staring at his hands in awe, and Lira, clinging to him.

​Roland clicked his tongue softly. Tch. He arched a sharp eyebrow. "What exactly were you all playing to end up looking this battered?"

​"A-ah! I-it's nothing at all, My Lord!" Adul blurted quickly, his voice still pitchy and trembling.

​Roland stared at the boy intently for three full seconds. He didn't believe a word of it. But he chose to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't going to bother interrogating them right now.

​Beside him, Rianor paid Adul no mind. The man's eyes were locked on Eva.

​He scanned the gash on her shoulder, the fresh blood staining her sleeve, before returning to the girl's face. Adul's injuries were the scrapes of a child tripping, but Eva bore the wounds of a genuine life-or-death struggle.

​"Are you alright?" Rianor asked suddenly. It wasn't directed at Adul, but at Eva.

​Eva looked at him. "It's just a scratch, what about it? Are you worried?"

​"Your blood suggests it is more than just a scratch."

​Eva rubbed her shoulder, wincing a little. "It stings. But it'll close up on its own soon enough. I'm used to this."

​Rianor didn't argue further. He simply gave a small nod.

​Eva saw the nod. A slight flush of red crept onto her cheeks—not much, just a hint. But it was enough to make her quickly look the other way.

​Roland let out a long sigh, brushing invisible dust from his coat. "Hah... whatever. I'm not going to wring the information out of you lot. But, if there is a problem that we should know about—"

​"There isn't," Eva cut in quickly.

​"Good to hear," Roland replied with resignation, turning on his heel. "Let's head back to the carriage. The night wind isn't good for the bones."

​They walked slowly across the stone courtyard of the academy. The silhouettes of the Luminous twin towers loomed at their backs. Far ahead, their soot-stained carriage waited faithfully. Dom was still sitting cross-armed on the driver's bench like a giant gargoyle, while Naya squinted at them from behind the door.

​The sun was fully swallowed by the western horizon. Points of starlight began to emerge, decorating the dazzling night sky of the Luminara Capital.

​However, far away at the southern border, beyond the jagged peaks of black mountains untouched by moonlight... something ancient and pitch-black pulsed slowly once more. Patiently biding its time to rise.