《Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy》
Chapter 1 Application
?"Are you an applicant? You''rete¡"
A calm but intimidating voice stopped Kyle in his tracks.
However, instead of feeling terrified, thetter heaved a sigh of relief as he felt safe in his vicinity. They were currently at the bottom of the mountain and up ahead was the recruitment site.
Kyle didn''t know the person guarding the gate but the people chasing him would certainly think twice if they still want to capture him.
"Y-yes¡ I''m an applicant. Here''s my token." Kyle stuttered as he brought out the token that was with him all this time.
He was keeping the token inside his inner coat so even if he was dirty, soaked, and filled with bruises, the token remained clean in his possession. It also rainedst night but the wooden token remained dry.
The guard looked at the young man''s token and nodded. He can guess what happened to this person on the way to this site. He shifted his gaze to the long road behind the young man and felt the presence of a few people who were probably chasing him.
If this young man failed to be recruited by any academy on site, he would certainly be weed by these people with bad intentions.
Anyway, it wasn''t his job to meddle with their affairs. As long as those people know how to draw the line, he would remain in his station and guard the gate. Today is thest day of recruitment as well so he didn''t want any trouble.
"I heard that there are only four Academies left¡ Good luck." The guard reminded as he let the dirty young man enter.
Most Academies don''t care about the identities of their students so it''s not unthinkable to be recruited if he''s capable despite his appearance. What they cared about is the talent you have and whether you suit the Academy''s standards.
Furthermore, the young man wouldn''t get the applicant''s token if he was just an ordinary young man. Though he looks pathetic, there must be a story about why he became like this.
"Thank you." The young man replied filled with gratitude.
"Mhmm¡" The guard waved his hand as he wanted him to leave right away. Kyle stinks for a bit after all.
Nevertheless, Kyle was still thankful since he thought that the guard would make it difficult for him because of his attire. He looks more like a beggar after running away from his pursuers for three days and two nights.
It wouldn''t be surprising if he was chased away so he was even prepared to give his entire savings. It was only five hundred zen but it should move the guard''s heart and let him in.
Since he was allowed to get in without any issues, he was really grateful to this hardworking man.
Kyle then looked at the stairs heading to the top of the mountain as heposed himself.
He was ufortable with his wet socks and underwear that turned coarse while walking but he didn''t mind it. What''s important is to get recruited today¡
It took him more than 20 minutes to reach the top and entered the recruitment site, he realized that there weren''t many applicants left. Furthermore, they are gathered in three different ces.
The site has twelve buildings that should represent the twelve academies in the region. It seems that the other academies have already reached their quotas and closed their recruitment¡
''Hmm? I thought there are still four Academies. Why are they only lining up for three recruitment buildings?'' Kyle mused as he looked around.
He soon found the other open recruitment building without any people lining up. It looks like a normal big house with a cloud of ck smokeing out of its chimney. Well, it looks like the other recruitment buildings but the difference is the banner written outside the building.
Vermont, Academy of Dark Arts.
Kyle finally had an idea why no one ising here to try their luck. Based on the memories of the original owner of this body, the Dark Arts had only be legal a decade ago after the Treaty of Keslore was signed.
However, even if it had be legal to practice Dark Arts, it doesn''t mean that it is publicly acknowledged.
People will still frown at those who train such ill-fated practices.
Of course, he has no ns of enrolling here as well so he immediately went to see the open recruitment sites.
Lakrine, Academy of Summoning Arts.
Dorelts, Academy of Mystic Arts.
Rakmiths, Academy of Elemental Arts.
Kyle helplessly smiled after seeing this¡ He was previously hoping to enroll in the Knights Academy but it seems that he was toote.
His second option was the Academy of Alchemy Arts since it has low requirements but obviously, it was closed as well. They might even be the first Academy to reach their quota¡
''Although the chief told me that I have no talent except for my good physique, I should still try¡'' Kyle had no other choice but to fall in line in one of the academies and hope to be recruited by any of them.
He first went to the Rakmiths Academy.
In any case, Rakmiths Academy is one of thergest Academies not only in their eastern region but in their entire country. Unlike other academies that focus only on one type of Element, this Academy teaches every kind of them.
Today is thest day of recruitment and it is already five in the afternoon. The recruitment should be until eight in the evening so he should still have some time¡
While he was in his line, he wasn''t bothered by anyone perhaps because of his attire or his smell. They only looked at him with a condescending look which didn''t hurt him.
Even while others are chatting with their friends or making some acquaintances, Kyle remained quiet waiting for his turn.
However, he was actually cursing his terrible fate deep in his mind.
He was simply walking his dog to the park to befriend some beautiful girls who also own some cute dogs¡ It was a technique that was taught to him by his friend to meet some new girls. Unfortunately, before his n bore fruit, he was stabbed by a fleeing robber after attempting to stop him.
''I shouldn''t have meddled with their affairs¡ I was too hasty showing my manliness in front of those cute--''
Kyle shook his head to erase his random thoughts. There''s no point thinking of this right now, he can only learn from his mistakes.
He had transmigrated in a younger body with the same name and living in some alternate world. Based on his memories, this is somehow simr to the Victorian Era with the vast industrial revolution going on.
As a matter of fact, his father is a train operator or engine driver in one of the steam-powered trains in the city. He''s well aware of the situation of this current era¡ or at least, on themoner''s side.
The only difference in this world is that Arcane Studies exists¡ Although only minorities can learn them, it still greatly shows how different this ce waspared to his previous Earth.
"Next¡"
Suddenly, he heard the voice of the person guarding the doors of the recruitment building¡
It was finally his turn¡
The twenty or so people who were previously in front of him had either remained inside or were sent out after failing.
As soon as he entered, the facilitator of the recruitment waved his hand and washed away his filth using some sort of water spell.
It seems that his smell was truly unbearable¡
"Thank you¡" Kyle expressed his gratitude as he finally felt a bit morefortable.
The middle-aged man with thick sideburns only nodded at him as he offered him a seat. He then exined to Kyle what he should do.
There were a series of tests to see whether he suits the Academy.
In this world, magices from life itself. All living beings possess magical energies within themselves, but only a select few can tap into these energies. For better or worse, life has changed drastically as a result of all these magical energies and the limits are far from discovered.
"I will be imbuing my energy to trigger your hidden potential¡ Don''t resist. You just have to ept it." The middle-aged man said.
Seeing that Kyle was ready, he started¡
He first checked the vitality of the young man and confirmed that he hasn''t learned any Arcane Studies yet. Then, he proceeded to use his elemental energies. He started with the water element which is the mostmon affinity that people with potential could easily awaken.
Unfortunately, there was no reaction even after three minutes¡ He then proceeded with other elements.
After almost twenty minutes, the middle-aged man finally frowned.
"I''ve wasted my time¡ You can leave now."
Kyle failed the first assessment. He didn''t even pass the most basic part so there was no reason to continue with the second and third assessments.
Kyle has already lowered his expectations but he was still disappointed after hearing the man''s words.
He had no time to pity himself as he proceeded to the two other recruitment sites¡
Unfortunately, the results are all the same. He has no talent. He didn''t even pass their first assessment and he was also ridiculed by the facilitator at Lakrine Academy.
In the end, he found himself in front of the Dark Arts Academy recruitment building. This is hisst option since he can''t really go down the mountain or his death is guaranteed.
As he was about to walk inside, he heard a voice behind him.
"Hey, ck-haired guy¡ Are you thinking of enrolling there? I wouldn''t do that if I were you." A blond young man wearing an oversized coat called out to Kyle.
He looks like one of those guys delivering newspapers in the city.
"Why?" Kyle bluntly asked.
The blond young man didn''t mind as he answered.
"Their recruitment process isn''t as gentle as the others. If you didn''t pass the remaining academies, I don''t think that you''ll be lucky there. I''m just giving you some advice, don''t bother¡"
Before he finishes his words, he saw the ck-haired guy enter the recruitment building without any hesitation.
Kyle entered the building not because he wanted to die but because he will certainly die if he didn''t get enrolled today.
"Wee¡ I''m Lesley, I will be assisting you with your enrollment."
"Hmm?"
To his surprise, the person who weed him is a beautiful woman who seem to be around 18 years old. He was expecting another old and strong-looking man to conduct the assessment but this doesn''t seem too bad.
"Wait--Am I going to be enrolled right away?" Kyle asked doubtfully after recalling her words. Shouldn''t heplete their assessment first?
"Ahh¡ We''ve been watching you since you entered the site. Even if you don''t have talent, you can still learn the Dark Arts."
The young woman''s words immediately put hope in his dreary eyes¡ He couldn''t contain his excitement and asked.
"Really?"
"Of course, you simply need toplete the enrollment. We have a different way of assessing our students, after all."
''Finally!'' Kyle was truly d that he didn''t listen to the young man''s words. He didn''t expect that he was talented in Dark Arts.
Hepleted filling out the form and paid his admission fee¡ It was 1,000 zen and since he wascking, he owed the academy 500 zen. ording to Lesley, he could make a promissory note and pay it at ater time. The Vermont Academy seems very nice to its new students.
"Great¡ Now, student Kyle Marshall, you only have topletely awaken your talent¡ You just have to drink this potion and you''ll be a talented student once we arrived at the Academy." Lesley exined with a gentle smile on her face.
Kyle didn''t find it suspicious since he heard about this before. It happens in other academies as well after youpleted their assessment. It''ll also leave a trace or mark on your body that''ll help people identify you as a student of the said academy.
Also, anyone without this mark can''t enter the Academy.
Kyle epted the ck potion and drank it upon Lesley''s instruction¡
Gulp¡ Gulp¡
He emptied the vial with two gulps and felt his body heating up¡
Soon, blood started oozing out of his orifices and he couldn''t describe the pain he was feeling¡ He didn''t even have the chance to scream as he felt his life disappearing¡ again.
Finally, he clutched his chest in pain and looked at Lesley who had betrayed him.
He wanted to punch her in her face but in the end, he died¡
Chapter 2 Activation
?After noticing that Kyle''s life force disappeared, Lesley bitterly smiled.
"It''s a waste of another potion¡ Dex, collect the token and add this body to the third chamber." She spoke as if this had happened most of the time and called for someone''s assistance.
Soon, a hooded man silently appeared¡ His lips are stitched with ck strings and couldn''t utter any words. There are plenty of bruises and patches on his body like a zombie but he moves wlessly like an experiencedborer.
Aside from this unusual appearance, he still appears clean as he wasn''t emitting any foul smell.
As Dex carried the body, Lesley recalled something and changed her instruction.
"I forgot that this man has no affinity to any elements or any talent of sorts. I don''t think Wexor would eat this thing. Just store his body in the mortuary¡ He can still be used as fuel or something¡"
Dex paused for a moment after hearing Lesley''s new instructions. He didn''t show any form of acknowledgment but instead of going to the basement, he continued to exit through the backdoor where the airship is waiting.
All the recruitment buildings have an airship owned by the Academy to transport all the enrollees to their academy grounds.
Lesley stayed in the recruitment building for another hour before shaking her head.
After staying here for a week, she had only sessfully recruited two students for this academic year.
"No wonder no one wants to take this mission¡ It''s impossible to recruit five people in this region. Tsk." Lesley muttered in annoyance.
She previously thought that she can earn easy contribution points after epting this mission but she didn''t expect the people around this area to be so pathetic¡
After scanning the people outside onest time, she decided to leave the recruitment site and headed back to the academy together with the two newly recruit students and the corpses she collected.
***
Thud¡
Kyle''s body was ced in a cold storage room filled with other dead bodies.
Kyle didn''t know how much time had passed but as soon as he regained consciousness, he felt like he was being suffocated. He tried moving his body and realized that he was in an awkward position.
''W-what''s going on?''
He can''t see anything. It waspletely dark and he wasn''t sure if he went blind or something. Nevertheless, he can still fill the coldness of his surroundings and the stiff corpses he was piled into.
He extracted himself from the piled-up bodies before being able to breathe properly. He was cold and starving but it was good to be alive¡
Suddenly, before he can even understand his situation, he was weed by several panels with messages like notifications in some games he had yed before.
[ Congrattions! You have activated the Divine Extraction System. ]
[ You can now extract and obtain mystical properties of this world. ]
This was the first message he saw followed by a different panel.
[ You have died. ]
[ Your soul does not belong in this world. ]
[ Your soul has been rejected. ]
[ Restarting life. ]
[ You havee back from the dead. ]
[ Remarks: You have to use the system and absorb the mystical properties of this world so you can belong to this world and die the next time your life ceased. ]
"Huh? Rejected?"
Kyle was dumbfounded after reading the message.
"What''s going on here?" He rubbed his eyes vigorously but the message in the panel was still there. He wasn''t seeing an illusion.
Then, he saw a few more notifications after brushing away the earlier ones with his hands.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Hmm? Extract what?"
At this time, Kyle''s eyes had already gotten used to the darkness and he can now see the cold room he was sent into¡
He confirmed that there are other bodies within the room and the thing that is giving him some bit of light was the glowing ne of a dead person close to him.
Kyle didn''t answer the message that appeared in his vision and was heard in his mind. He needed to consider this very carefully.
First of all, he didn''t know what will he extract¡ Is it the bodily fluids of the dead?
"Urgh¡"
Kyle shudder at the thought of this but he immediately recalled the first message.
"No, I can extract and obtain mystical properties¡ but does it mean that I''ll belong to this world once I used the system?" Kyle muttered.
The reason he was still alive was that his soul was rejected, probably by someone who was managing the souls of the dead in this world.
Once he started using his system, he will belong to this world and he''ll certainly die if he met another unfortunate situation¡
"Tsk¡ Where am I anyway?" Kyle muttered to himself as he only knows that he was in a cold andrge room filled with dead bodies.
Other than that, he can tell that the bodies here are also around his age, twelve to fifteen years old, and they seem to have died simr to how he died. Blood was oozing out in all of their orifices.
Surprisingly, he didn''t feel too nervous or shocked after seeing the dead¡ It was weird. He still recalled his past life that he can''t even muster enough courage to take a nce at his uncle inside his casket.
He doesn''t feelfortable seeing a dead body¡
"Is it because of the potion?" Kyle muttered before shaking his head.
Anyway, after seeing the dead, he immediately connected the dots and learned about his situation.
They were thrown in this cold storage room and they''ll probably be sent soon to the crematorium or worse, be a cadaver in Vermont Academy.
He believes that this suspicious academy that kills their applicants would certainly have a use for dead bodies aside from burying them.
Thud¡ Thud¡ Thud¡
Suddenly, he heard the sound of turning gears and in a few moments, he felt that their room was ascending.
Kyle''s eyes lit up after noticing this. It seems that he was really inside the Academy''s airship!
Chapter 3 Extraction
?Kyle felt dizzy for a moment because of the rocky movement of the airship¡ After a while, the airship finally stabilizes and he realized that he received several more notifications from his system.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
It seems that touching the dead bodies allows him to extract something from them.
Kyle ignored the message again as he sat down on the cold floor. He doesn''t feelfortable sitting on the dead body so he had to endure it.
"Haa~ I didn''t expect I''ll be boarding an airship like this¡" Kyle muttered as he recalled the memories that fused in his soul.
Kyle Marshall was only thirteen years old and was previously earning money by helping his father''s friend, a watchmaker working at the alleys of Melthorn City.
The watchmaker had a son whom he wanted to send to one of the Arcane Academies. Unfortunately, his son got caught in an ident and his dream could no longer be achieved.
To make a long story short, Kyle ended up being the receiver of the old man''s inheritance. It includes not only the applicant''s token but also the expensive pocket watch that caught the eyes of ten or so robbers.
A few days ago, when Kyle was nning to visit the old man in the alley before going to the recruitment site, he saw the old man being beaten by a group of people.
They were looking for the watch, Kyle wanted to return it to save the old man but thetter warned him not to give it. In the end, the old man was killed and the robbers were also nning to kill him¡ Whether he surrenders the pocket watch or not, he knows that he''ll be killed by these people.
Ha~
Kyle sighed after recalling this event as he inspected his body¡ The token is already gone but the pocket watch is still there.
Click¡
He pressed the button of the spherical watch as its gold-ted cover opened up revealing the burned device. That''s right, it was already broken.
However, it was definitely working fine when it was first given to Kyle ording to the memories of this body.
He didn''t know when it turned like this, but he had noticed what happened to the device when he was running for his life¡ He previously thought of using it as a weapon so he checked it while he was running.
''Is this rted to my transmigration?'' Kyle thought as he believes that there should be a reason foring here. Perhaps, this broken pocket watch was the medium he used to enter the boy''s body¡
''I''m probably reading too many fantasy books to even think of this¡'' Kyle helplessly smiled as he touched the corpse beside him.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''There''s no point waiting for the unknown¡ Instead of feeling safe and secure that I won''t die even if I''m weak, it''s better to get stronger and perhaps, I''ll even enjoy my life even if it''s not going to be long.''
Kyle said in his mind as he decided to start using his system. In any case, he has quite a lot of corpses to extract here so he should obtain a lot of mystical energies or whatever from them. He''ll worry about his next action once he got out of this room.
He then took a deep breath before answering the system''s question.
"Yes¡"
In an instant, he received feedback from the system.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.01 ]
''Hmm? That''s it?''
Kyle was unsure what to feel after seeing the result. He doesn''t even know what this energy represents¡
Ding¡
As soon as he thought of this, he had another notification. It seems that after using the system, its corresponding functions started activating as well.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 0.63, Agility 0.91, Intelligence 0.71, Vitality 0.52 ]
[ Avable Energy: 5 ]
Kyle stared at the new panel he was seeing¡ He can easily guess what those attributes stand for but he has no clue about the energy points that he had obtained. Based on how it was separated and how it says ''avable'' on it¡ He feels like it''s a usable point or some form of currency¡
He wasn''t sure.
However, despite not knowing what it really was, he knows that the higher the number, the better. Simr to his attribute points.
He looked at his surroundings again and confirmed that there should be 20 or so bodies around him.
''Since these guys died from the potion as well, I guess they''re not that talented like me¡'' Kyle thought as he decided to start with his extraction. Since these people are weak like him, he wasn''t expecting too much.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.01 ]
Kyle wryly smiled at this as he continued.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.01 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Strength +0.01 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.01 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.01 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Agility +0.01 ]
¡
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.01 ]
For some unknown reason, he was mostly getting Intelligence Attribute and no Vitality Attribute at all. It seems that there is some rule that he wasn''t aware of yet.
Kyle stopped for a moment as he felt the changes happening to his body. It wasn''t much with one or two extractions but twenty of them is quite a huge sum.
He extracted a total of 21 dead bodies¡
There was only one more left and after resting for a while, he decided to continue.
He picked this corpsest since he felt something different about it¡ He wasn''t sure if it was because of his heightened intelligence or if he was just imagining things.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.05 ]
As expected, this man was quite different from the rest.
The one he extracted this time was the guy who had a glowing ne. It''s the one giving him some light in this dark and cold room¡
After extracting the points in his body, Kyle bent down to take the ne.
Chapter 4 Arrival
?"I''ll take care of this for you¡" Kyle muttered as he helped himself take the ne.
The ne looks simple with only a rough ck thread, perhaps it was made of a few strands of nylon, but its pendant was quite interesting. It is a creamy pearl that wasn''t even a perfect sphere and was tied clumsily on the ck thread.
Nevertheless, it is still dimly glowing in the dark which had helped him quite a lot.
He inspected it for a while but he can''t tell the reason why it was glowing. He decided to just wear it on himself.
It felt refreshing to him¡ It also feels like he could see better in the darkness. It is a magical experience¡
''The system didn''t get triggered¡ Is it because it''s not a corpse or there are not enough mystical properties on this?'' Kyle thought for a moment.
After not getting any results in his inspection, he decided to check his attributes to confirm the improvements in his body.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 0.68, Agility 0.94, Intelligence 0.89 (+1), Vitality 0.52 ]
[ Avable Energy: 110 ]
"The improvement wasn''t much¡ But what''s with this plus one?" Kyle muttered after seeing the addition in his intelligence attribute.
Of the 22 corpses, fourteen of them gave him Intelligence Attributes. Three of them gave Agility, and thest five provided him with Strength attributes.
All of them are only 0.01 points except for thest one that gave him 0.05 points.
Kyle pondered for a moment before removing his ne and cing it on the floor.
As expected, the refreshing sensation disappeared together with the +1 points in his intelligence.
With this experiment, he confirmed that the ne he''s wearing is a mystical tool.
''Even this guy didn''t survive drinking that potion? What the heck is that potion anyway? Why is it so deadly?'' Kyle frowned after recalling that painful experience.
It was unfortunate that aside from the attributes, he can''t tell anything else that has changed inside his body.
Gurg¡ Gurg¡
Suddenly, his stomach rumbled as he hadn''t eaten yet¡ Thest decent food he had eaten was the boiled sweet potato he bought at the market. It was delicious when they were freshly boiled and he can''t help but swallow his saliva after recalling it.
Then, the next things he ate while running from the robbers were leaves and moss. He found several mushrooms at that time but since he has zero knowledge about them, he didn''t dare to eat them as it might cost him his life. He was lucky at that time that it was raining so he was able to drink plenty of water at the very least.
Kyle gritted his teeth as he decided to check all the belongings of the corpses around him.
"Please, excuse me¡"
After several minutes, he noticed that all of them are missing their applicant''s token so Kyle was able to guess that it was all taken by Lesley.
He even found several zen notes and coins. He didn''t count them yet but it should be more than a thousand zen.
What''s even more important is the food he found¡ He got a couple of hard and already bitten gran bars in one of the pockets of the dead.
It was difficult to eat but it at least put something in his stomach. He can''tin right now¡ After having a few bites, he adjusted his breath and covered himself with a few more jackets.
This room, or perhaps the mortuary, was really cold. Even with his increase in strength, it didn''t help at all.
He tried to conserve his energy as much as possible since once theynded, someone will certainly open the door and he will be discovered. He had no idea what was going to happen to him but he knows that he needed energy for that.
He looked at the tightly sealed iron door before looking at the entire room with the help of the dimly glowing ne.
He confirmed that aside from the tiny venttors in the ceiling, there was nothing he could do in the room that can help him see the situation outside.
He remained in his position for several hours until he fell asleep¡ The moment he woke up, he had no idea how much time had passed.
Without anything to do, he fell asleep once more and the moment he woke up again, he was already feeling warm.
''It''s warm... What happened?''
He wasn''t able to immediately open his eyes since everything is bright¡ He guessed that while he was sleeping, he arrived at the destination of the airship and was now being transported somewhere.
He adjusted his body to a morefortable position before he slowly opened his eyes. It was already morning and he realized that he was being moved using a cart together in a pile of dead bodies.
There were 7 or 8 bodies in each of the three carts.
''Did they not notice that I have several coats covering my body and I was breathing before they carried me out? What the--?''
Kyle''s eyes widened as he realized that the one pulling the cart behind him appeared like a zombie. No, it appears like a human that was patched together. There were stitches everywhere and the color of the skin differs in every other patch.
Suddenly, their eyes met.
Kyle held his breath and didn''t make a sound. He felt truly frightened and unsure of what to do in front of this abomination.
''Don''t eat me¡'' Kyle thought but he realized that the being has a stitched mouth.
It means that he won''t likely be bitten by them.
After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Kyle realized that the being is no longer looking at him.
The abomination continued working like he didn''t see Kyle moving.
Kyle heaved a sigh of relief as he looked at the being once more.
''I know that there are mystical things in this world¡ However, I didn''t expect it to be like this. It looks disgusting. No wonder Dark Arts isn''t wee to the society.''
Chapter 5 Mysterious Man
?After a while, Kyle found himself being taken to what seemed like a factory.
ck smoke wasing out of its six chimneys and he could hear the sound of steel being hammered even from the outside.
The smoke also started getting thick as he nears the factory. He could barely see the blue sky and he couldn''t help but remember his days in the streets of Melthorn City.
He somehow missed that city¡ Although he only fused with the memories of the previous Kyle, he still felt like it was his own memories.
He shook his head to clear his mind as he looked around his surroundings.
Aside from the factory they were heading to, he was able to see the middle-size airship where he came from. It was docked at a near dockyard together with three more airships of the same size that are being painted and repaired¡
He can see the logo of the Vermont Academy on this airship so he can''t be mistaken.
Anyway, he can tell that it was a middle-size airship since Kyle had already seen arge one passing above Melthorn City before. Its size wasparable to a castle.
If hepared it to the one he''s seeing now, he can tell that it was not even half of therge airship¡
Kyle then shifted his gaze to the other side and confirmed that there was a huge fortress or perhaps, a castle that should be the Academy itself.
''Now¡ What''s going to happen to me?'' Kyle asked himself. He''s heading towards the factory outside the castle.
Perhaps because of the smoke being produced, the factory was built quite far away from the academy where students should be studying. Not too far from this factory, was a row of residential buildings that also seemed abandoned because it was so big but he can''t even see any children ying outside or pedestrians walking in the streets. It feels deste.
Of course, he might be mistaken because of the angle he''s viewing the area and because of the noiseing from the factory that''s messing with his mind.
Kyle considered jumping out of the cart but the road ahead feels ominous. He hadn''t seen any people aside from theborers in the dockyard¡
The only sound he was hearing was the hammering of steel and the smoke belching out of the chimney of the factory.
Creak. Creak. Creak.
Suddenly, the three carts separated. One of them was headed to a small gate going to the eastern side of the academy castle and the other one was going to the residential area.
As for his cart, it was still headed to the factory¡
''Oh no¡''
Kyle suddenly heard someone''s footsteps and he couldn''t help but hold his breath. He wasn''t sure whether he was in trouble right now so he has no idea how to handle this situation.
He nced ahead of them and realized that a bulky middle-aged man together with a teenager who seemed to beborers at the factory was looking at the cart he was in.
They didn''t stare too much perhaps because they were also ufortable in front of the zombie who was pulling the cart.
Since Kyle was unmoving, they didn''t notice that he is actually alive¡
Kyle then heard the teenager speak in a soft voice as they passed by.
"Are they students of the Academy who died outside? They all look younger than me¡"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man shook his head and answered.
"It''s another batch who failed the assessment of the Academy. Do you remember that ck potion you saw before?"
"Yes¡ You told me not to even touch it."
"Mhmm¡ It''s the Darkness Possession Potion. You''ll end up like this if your curiosity got the best of you¡" said the middle-aged man who then urged the teenager to continue walking ahead.
They only have half an hour to take a break and they can''t waste their time here.
Kyle somehow felt that it was his chance to get away. Those two guys are definitely ''normal'' people. Perhaps, they could help him in his situation and leave this ce.
He looked at the zombie, or whatever abomination it was, and prepared to jump out¡ He moved the hands and feet that were covering him to adjust his position.
However, at this time, he heard a voice close to him.
"One of them is alive? Did Lesley make a mistake? Is it a dyed reaction? This is interesting¡"
He didn''t know when but a man wearing a faded brown coat and tight trousers is already watching him and talking to himself. He seemed so mysterious since Kyle didn''t sense his presence until he had spoken.
''No¡''
At this moment, Kyle''s vision was locked onto a pair of eyes that were crystal clear like sapphire. It feels like his mind is being muddled. He has to think of something¡
The zombie has already stopped pulling the cart as soon as this unknown person arrived and Kyle has no idea what was going to happen to him.
Nervously, he said, "Hello there¡"
"Mhmm¡ I can feel that the Darkness Possession waspleted in your body. You have a weak life force with you but you can definitely be epted even with your current state¡" said the mysterious person.
He then touched his beard for a moment as if he was considering what to do.
In the end, Kyle wasn''t even able to introduce himself and the man didn''t even ask any questions to him.
He just ordered the zombieborers.
"It''ll be a problem for Lesley if he joins the ceremony¡ Just bring him to Mr. Heinz. He''ll know what to do."
Kyle was confused about what was going on and wanted to say something in reply. However, he was stunned by a sudden magical scene happening in front of his eyes.
The mysterious man, who was previously scratching his beard, suddenly showed summoned a cane and tapped the ground.
With a thud, a strand of Kyle''s shadow suddenly extended and went to the tip of the cane before returning to normal.
It didn''t hurt him but he felt quite ufortable seeing a part of his shadow had gone to the cane.
"It''s a normal procedure¡"
The man said as he revealed a smile showing his perfect white teeth before disappearing into nothingness.
Chapter 6 Laboratory
?As soon as the man disappeared, Kyle realized that he could no longer remember the man''s face. His facial features, skin tone, hair, and even his voice were blurry.
It was as if he was shrouded by a shadow and he can only remember the smile with the perfect white teeth that he had revealed before he disappeared.
"What was that?" Kyle uttered. A wave of tumultuous emotions rose up in his heart.
He had even forgotten how he had arrived inside the factory and was greeted by a bunch of curious people working at the factory¡ It was like he was a rare animal being paraded in front of many spectators.
"Why is that man seems alive?"
"I think he had mistaken it for a wagon and decided to take a ride?"
"Haha¡ He''s probably looking for a female''s body. He can''t take it anymore and decided to choose a cold one."
"Hmph! You''re talking about yourself."
They wereborers who appear to be melting or hammering steel near severalrge furnaces making the temperature here really high¡
There were only about fifty of these workers since some of them seem to have taken a break.
Kyle''s weird situation didn''t escape their eyes and they immediately made fun of him as a form of entertainment in their bleak life.
Kyle jolted awake as soon as he heard their words, he urged himself to jump out of the moving cart since he really just want to leave right now. He wasn''t just scared, he was also embarrassed.
However, he felt a mysterious force beckoning him to stay on it¡
''What¡''
It was another magical experience as he stayed on the kart until he arrived at his destination¡ He was brought deep inside the factory and passed through six doors before the sound of steel being hammered can no longer be heard.
The room, or perhaps theboratory he was sent into, was massive. From the bright yellow light brought by the chandelier, he was able to see the situation of the room.
There were rows of shelves filled with ss jars¡ Each ss jar has something in it that is being preserved and they were filled with blue or red liquid. At the further right corner were shelves filled with books while the left corner was blocked by a few shelves¡ The central part, on the other hand, was a couple of workbenches filled with devices that he can''t understand.
Nevertheless, he also noticed familiar apparatuses or instruments normally used for science experiments.
Near the entrance, was an elevated tform that had a sofa and a wooden table which was probably being used as a resting area.
''Laboratory¡ Don''t tell me¡'' Kyle had a sudden thought of what was about to happen to him.
Thud!
The cart finally stopped. This time, Kyle also felt that the restrictions bounding him had disappeared and he can now move out of the cart.
However, he noticed that the ''zombie'' started moving again so he went stiff immediately. He doesn''t know how to deal with this creature.
Bang!
The cart was suddenly lifted up and he wasn''t able to react. The seven bodies including Kyle were dropped to the floor.
"Aackk¡" The sudden drop took him off-guard as hended in an awkward position.
The bodies on top of him were also quite heavy making it even more painful.
Creak. Creak.
Then, without any reaction from the zombie, it continued pulling the cart again and exited theboratory leaving him astounded.
"Urgh¡"
Kyle pushed the bodies off him and extracted himself from the pile. He was already sweating after doing this but he finally had the time to see the man who was looking at him curiously¡
He ignored the pain in his body as he cautiously looked at the man.
The person was old. He had a wrinkled face and balding white hair. Nevertheless, he looks somewhat professional with hisboratory coat and goggles while holding a quill¡ He''s seated behind a desk and Kyle only noticed him now because the ''zombie'' was previously blocking his view.
"Hey¡ Did you juste from the batch of corpses delivered by the Variant?"
The old voice sounded surprised and amused by the situation. He seems to be expecting the delivery of the corpses but not a living one.
''He doesn''t sound hostile¡ I can do this¡''
Kyle soon brought his fear, uneasiness, worry, and apprehension under control. He took a deep breath to gain some courage as he replied, "Yes¡ There seems to be a mistake. As a matter of fact, someone already noticed this and I heard him mention that Mr. Heinz will take care of it, is that your name, Sir? Ahh, my name is Kyle, Sir."
"Mhm¡ That''s indeed my name. Can you remember the face of the person you''ve met before?" Heinz asked as he put the quill pen down and sp his hands.
He seems to be enjoying this conversation and stopped working altogether.
This time, Kyle was already able to stand up but he stayed near the pile of corpses.
"I''m sorry. After the man disappeared, I can''t remember his face anymore¡" Kyle then paused for a moment before he continued.
"Well, I can remember his perfect teeth."
The old man''s mouth twitched as he seem to understand his situation and nodded.
"So it was the vice headmaster. No wonder."
The room suddenly plunged into silence. Kyle was unsure how to reply to that. He wasn''t interested in the vice headmaster. He''s interested to know what''s his n for him.
Kyle thought for a moment before cautiously asking. "Sir Heinz, may I know what''s going to happen to me? Are you going to turn me into a zombie, like the one that brought me here?"
Heinz raised his brows after hearing his question.
"Zombie? That''s not a zombie. That''s a living being, not undead¡ Zombie is from Necromancy. That''s a Variant, a product of Dark Alchemy... It''s from a different branch. Ahh, why am I even exining this to you?" The old man shook his head as he added.
"The vice headmaster probably wants me to ept you as my student¡ I was also previously in your situation. The Dark Possession took too much time to show its effect because of my unique physique. You''re probably the same as me¡"
At this time, Heinz spoke softly and looked at Kyle''s body as he recalls his past experience.
Chapter 7 Temporary
?"You''ve also experienced this?" Kyle''s eyes widened after hearing the old man''s words.
Although they''re probably not the same, since he has a system, he still felt delighted that he has a predecessor. It means that he really has a chance to continue living¡
He couldn''t help but feel excited as he asked the senior.
Mr. Heinz faintly smiled and nodded.
"Indeed. That was about fifty-three years ago when I meet my master."
"Fifty-three years?"
''And you''re still working here till now? Should you not be in a retirement home now? Furthermore, Dark Arts have only legalized 10 years ago¡ It means--'' Kyle added inwardly as he was surprised after hearing this revtion.
Is he going to be like him? He started getting worried. Although it''s good to be alive, wouldn''t this be like a prison to him?
Mr. Heinz seem to have read his thoughts and exined calmly. "My master''s mission is to develop a new branch of Dark Arts. Five decades ago, all the practitioners of Dark Arts are being suppressed by other Arcane Paths¡ We don''t have a ce like this. We''re all in hiding and trying to survive¡"
Gurg¡ Gurg¡
As Heinz was recollecting his past which was filled with chaos and war, Kyle''s stomach started grumbling again.
Well, he was previously nervous and was only thinking of how to survive in his situation. He met a scary Variant, he encountered the mysterious vice headmaster that took a part of his shadow, and he even thought that he would be the subject of an experiment because he had somehow survived even after being pronounced dead.
Now that he felt that his life is at least spared, his stomach finally remembered that he was starving.
Heinz looked at the empty te on his desk confirming that he doesn''t have a portion of food he can give to the poor young man.
"Endure for now. How old are you?"
Embarrassed, Kyle meekly replied, "I''m 13 years old. Sir Heinz. I''ll be 14 on September 10."
ording to the memories that fused with him, the Arcane Academies ept 13 to 16 years of age and he heard that they would normally graduate after ten years with a stable ie.
This is what the previous Kyle was attracted to, and so, he immediately epted the opportunity once the old watchmaker showed it to him.
Furthermore, the Academy of Knights, which he originally wanted to attend, can bepleted in just six years, the rest of the four years was to simply experience the world outside before bing an official knight. The old watchmaker also informed him that graduates of that Academy earn ten times more than those in the securitypanies or mercenary squads.
That was enticing for Kyle.
In addition to that, he knows that his father would have a hard time sending him to a secondary school and even to college so he knows that he needed to attend one of the Arcane Academies since his daily expenses can be covered by the Academy. Besides, there are also ways of earning money inside the academy ording to the old watchmaker.
Lastly, although his father is earning 40 zen every week, he''s currently paying his debt because he was scammed by his previous co-worker. Right now, he''s only getting 20 zen every week and barely enough for the two of them to pay their rent and daily living expenses.
If not for the old watchmaker, he wouldn''t have money to pay half of the admission fee at all.
Mr. Heinz thought for a while as he tapped the desk a few times before asking Kyle.
"Mhmm¡ Do you know the facilitator that made you drink the potion?"
Kyle blinked for a moment at this sudden question. He can certainly remember that woman¡
"It was Lesley."
He was infuriated with that woman who only looked at him with her cold and unconcerned eyes while he was in pain and dying. Although she''s probably only doing her job, it was still a very cruel way.
Of course, he can''t really me her since he wanted to enter the Vermont Academy. If that was their way of finding suitable students, he can only me his luck. He can only consider filing aint to the Association behind the twelve academies about the Vermont Academy''s method of epting students¡
Kyle gritted his teeth after recalling the young woman.
He still felt that he was tricked by her into thinking that the potion is normal and safe to drink!
She had clearly said that it will only awaken his talent and by the time they arrived at the academy, he''ll be a talented student!
He doesn''t have a hidden talent at all. Even if she can''t change the fact that their admission exam is deadly, she should''ve been honest!
If he''s not a transmigrator with a system, he would''ve sure died in the process.
Noticing Kyle''s raging eyes, Mr. Heinz revealed a faint smile as he can guess what happened.
"Since it was Lesley, it''s not good to send you to this year''s batch. You can temporarily work here for a year. Since she''ll be graduating this academic year, you''ll be able to attend the academy safely at that time. In the meantime, you can learn a few things from me."
Kyle was confused¡ Of course, he didn''t dislike the idea of learning from Mr. Heinz since he looks like a decent senior.
However, why is Lesley seem so special? She''s also graduating this year? How old is she for real?
"I''ll abide by your arrangements, Mr. Heinz. However, I''m curious why I have to be careful of Miss Lesley. ording to your words, she seems to be a student as well. Won''t the academy protect me from her? Why would she even want to deal with me? I''m sure that I didn''t offend her."
''Isn''t she the one who should be hiding from me after lying to me like that?'' Kyle added inwardly. He wanted to curse but he still recalls that he was in front of a senior who seem to be acquainted with Lesley.
Mr. Heinz didn''t mind his many questions as he answered with a bitterugh.
"Lesley has a deep background and is an outstanding student of the Dark Alchemy Department. Since you have a unique physique, you''ll be a very good subject for her experiment. She might think of advancing her Tier 2 Variant to a Tier 3 with your participation."
Chapter 8 Basics
?"My participation?" Kyle asked as he saw the old man gesture for him to be seated.
He promptly followed the direction Mr. Heinz pointed and he seated on the sofa. He then closed his eyes for a moment to try and forget his empty stomach but it was difficult. However, he still endured his rumbling stomach as he wanted to get to the bottom of this.
Mr. Heinz seems to know what he was going through but he doesn''t have ns of feeding Kyle.
At the very least, he continued exining Kyle''s situation at the moment.
"Yes¡ Listen, the one that brought you here is the first tier of the Variants. They are usefulborers but useless inbat. They''re slow and too stiff to doplicated things. The second tier is decent but not strong enough. They were stillcking and not cost-effective."
Kyle felt that he knows where this topic would lead to. He listened intently and made sure to keep them in mind.
"As for the third tier, they''re strong and scary. Even the First-ss Practitioners of Elemental Arts would be shredded by them if they were not careful. Unfortunately, the method to create the third tier Variant has been lost. We only know that it requires a specific physique¡ As for that physique, we don''t really know what we should be looking for."
Indeed. At this point, Kyle shuddered as he can guess what he was about to say.
"Lesley might think I''m suitable to advance his research¡" He softly muttered.
"Right¡ Lesley has a very, very good memory. She also has a bit of influence over the Academy, she can easily make it difficult for you inside the academy. She can make you want to go out of the Academy and make you disappear. The next time you appear, you might be a Tier 3 Variant if lucky... but lifeless if you''re unlucky."
Kyle understood this easily and nodded. Since Lesley has a deep background within the Academy, there''s no point shing against her. He swiftly made a decision.
"Yes, I understand now. Please let me stay here, Master Heinz!" Without any hesitation, Kyle shamelessly called him his master.
Although he has the Divine Extraction System, he needs time to safely develop. In any case, Lesley will graduate in a year so he should be fine waiting that much.
Furthermore, he will also learn from a very experienced master who seems to have a special position within the academy.
Even though he found it weird that Heinz''sboratory is inside this steel factory away from the Academy, there must be a story behind it and he''ll slowly get to know it.
Of course, Kyle was also curious about the "First-ss Practitioner" since even the previous Kyle didn''t encounter these words before. However, he knows that''s it not appropriate to ask about it yet.
''It would be better if youpared their strength to the police''s field revolver instead¡'' he mused.
Seeing the polite and decisive young man in front of him, Heinz couldn''t help but smile. It seems that hisboratory would be quite lively again.
He didn''t dislike the idea of having an apprentice since he knows that he was already old. He also wanted to pass down his knowledge and find someone to continue his legacy.
He tapped the desk with his fingers feeling satisfied with this development.
''I''m close to it¡ I''m close to having a breakthrough in my research¡ Even if I can''tplete it due to my health, someone will continue it for me and my master. We will create a new branch of the Dark Arts!'' Heinz brooded as a hint of madness in his eyes leaked for a brief moment.
Kyle didn''t notice it as he was also busy suppressing his hunger.
After a while, Heinz finally decided to feed Kyle.
He let the corpses stay on the floor and called another Variant that was staying within the factory to bring a meal for the young man. There were roasted mutton and lemonade from the leftovers of the workers. It was quite a fulfilling meal after so many days and he couldn''t help but look gratefully at the old man.
After this, Heinz allowed Kyle to use the bathroom to clean himself and even gave him a trench coat to cover himself.
"There''s a market near the residential area outside. I can see that you have brought some money with you. You can spend it there to buy a change of clothes¡ I will show you to your room--Ah, there''s another delivery. You have to help me for now." Heinz suddenly said as he looked in the door''s direction.
Kyle just finished cleaning himself and was excited to learn more from Mr. Heinz. He doesn''t want to leave the factory yet unless he learns about the situation outside.
Since this is the territory of the Academy of Dark Arts, he has to be careful. What if some weird guy took a part of his shadow again?
Luckily, a new batch of corpses was delivered¡
Creak... The door opened and the Variant sent another batch of dead bodies.
"Master Heinz, where did these corpsese from?" Kyle asked as he looked at the Variant delivering another 8 corpses to theboratory. These corpses were unfamiliar and their clothes are quite different.
"Hmm? Where else? It''s from another recruitment site. You''re not thinking that the ce you were recruited is the only site, right?" Mr. Heinz asked in disbelief.
Kyle was stunned for a moment before nodding his head.
"I didn''t think of that. Thank you for rifying, Master Heinz."
"What are we going to do with them?" He asked cautiously and suppressed his uneasiness in front of the dead bodies.
He was curious about their purpose since this would have been his fate if his soul wasn''t rejected by the underworld.
"We''ll use them as fuel¡" Heinz answered without a trace of emotion.
"Fuel?"
"Yes. In Dark Alchemy, a human body can be used as fuel and they''re quite effective. With the help of Quince Furnace---" Heinz paused for a moment before sighing.
"There are too many things you don''t know. I''m not a good teacher so it''s better if you read the basics first¡ You know how to read, right?" Heinz asked as he walked towards the mini library inside theboratory.
Chapter 9 Fated
?Kyle wryly smiled as he indeedcks general knowledge about the Arcane Paths, the Dark Arts, the Vermont Academy, and other things rted to mysticism.
He had only finished his primary education after all.
Luckily, Mr. Heinz has plenty of books here to help him gain enough knowledge about the other side of society. He felt really lucky to have this kind of mentor.
"I can read Soi without any problems¡ I know a little Heumish as well since I thought I was going to study at the Academy of Knights." Kyle replied after browsing his memories.
Soi is themonnguage of the Millton Kingdom and the Pallham Empire. He wasn''t sure about the history between the two nations because the previous Kyle wasn''t too interested in it. However, he heard from his primary teachers that Pallham Empire has a deep connection to their Millton Kingdom.
Anyway, aside from this, he knows that Melthorn City was in the Millton Kingdom.
"That''s good enough¡ I''ll pick a few books and you have to finish reading them in a month..." Heinz said with his hoarse voice as Kyle immediately felt a headache.
''I have to read books in two months¡ Just how many should I read?''
Soon, he saw Heinz in front of the bookshelf at the leftmost side of the room. He took out over eight books and put them on his desk¡
''Eight books¡ That should be doable.'' Kyle thought as he approached Mr. Heinz.
"Not this. These are too advanced for you. Read the ones that are left on that shelf." Heinz spoke to Kyle as he pointed at the shelf.
Kyle was astounded at this as he felt that it was too much!
He looked at his Master again and confirmed that his face doesn''t seem to be joking.
"M-master¡ That''s probably over a hundred books."
He doesn''t think he can even finish a single book per day! He''s not a machine and his system doesn''t help him read faster. He wasn''t even sure if his intelligence is enough to make it easier for him.
However, even afterining, Heinz simply looked at him nonchntly.
"It doesn''t matter. Just read what you can read. After a week or so, I''ll be teaching you something that can help you absorb information faster. I just have to confirm a few things to the vice headmaster before teaching you any of the Dark Arts." Heinz exined as he waved his hands.
Kyle finally rxed after hearing Mr. Heinz''s words. Indeed, his Master already thought of things and he just have to follow him.
For now, he wanted to extract the corpses that were delivered.
"I understand, Master. I''ll help you arrange these bodies first. Where would you like me to put them?" Kyle asked as he already approached the corpses.
He then noticed that these people still have a few coins bulging in their pockets. Just like Lesley, the facilitator on the other recruitment site doesn''t seem to be interested in the items owned by themoners.
Heinz thought for a moment before epting Kyle''s assistance.
"Just line them up and remove all their clothes. I need to inspect them first¡ If there''s nothing wrong, bring them behind that door¡ No, I''ll bring them away, you''ll probably die if you get near the furnace."
Kyle was stumped by the sudden instruction. However, he knows that he can''t always question his Master so he decided to just follow his instructions for now.
He''s also not interested in the dangerous furnace that could kill him.
He took a deep breath to condition his mind. It will be a lie if he says that he''s not ufortable looking at the dead bodies.
To be honest, he has been bothered by them all this time but he just can''tin in front of the old expert.
Right now, the room is bright so he can easily see their expressions. Their eyes are open, dry blood on their orifices, expressions of fear, pain, and despair, he can see it all.
They all didn''t die peacefully.
Hu~
It was unlike when he was in the cold and dark room where he can''t properly see their faces so he wasn''t too afraid.
"I¡ I''ll work on it now, Master Heinz..." Kyle answered forcefully as he first worked on the first batch of bodies.
There were three female bodies from them but Kyle didn''t stop moving even for a moment. It was just a bit difficult since their clothes are tighter than he expected. Furthermore, they were still quite cold, and perhaps, because of the potion, they didn''t make a mess after their death.
Kyle previously heard in his past life that after death, the muscles loosen releasing the strain on the bowel and dder. It would normally result in a release of poop and pee at death.
However, it didn''t happen to these bodies.
Perhaps it was because of the potion they drank¡ He couldn''t tell.
After removing all their clothes, Kyle also had the time to at least close their eyes and rigid jaw.
Then, he turned to the new batch of corpses that were delivered.
He looked at his Master who seem to be preparing to go out before he shifted his gaze back to the corpses¡
''Alright¡ Let''s try."
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes¡
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.02 ]
After the sessful extraction, he checked Heinz''s reaction and confirmed that he didn''t notice anything.
''Good¡ It''s untraceable.''
With this in mind, Kyle extracted the other seven bodies as he removed their clothes, and lined them up.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.01 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Intelligence +0.01 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Strength +0.01 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5. Agility +0.01 ]
¡
Seeing that his attributes slowly increase, Kyle couldn''t help but smile¡ Perhaps, it''s a good idea to stay here.
Then, as he was happily checking his attributes, he was suddenly interrupted by the delighted Mr. Heinz after seeing his work.
"Oh? It''s my first time seeing someone smiling like that while dealing with the corpses¡ It seems that you''re fated to work here. Good. Good¡"
Chapter 10 Ignorant
?Kyle''s heart skipped a beat after hearing Heinz speak but as soon as he finished listening, he awkwardlyugh.
"N-no, Master Heinz¡ I just noticed that they still have money in their pockets. Do you mind if I take them with me?"
He immediately found a reason as he tapped one of the dead body''s pockets.
Clink... Clink¡
The sound of coins was heard stunning Heinz for a moment.
"Haha¡ Alright, take whatever you want from them. All of their belongings will be tossed on a different furnace anyway."
Heinz said as he seemed satisfied that his student didn''t mind stealing from the dead. Although Heinz hasn''t taught him the Dark Arts Principles yet, he feels like Kyle is really suited to learn them.
Heinz then wore his coat and checked the time with his silver pocket watch. After this, he found his cane on the side of his desk before looking at Kyle''s work.
It didn''t take long for Kyle to undress all of the corpses and take their money. He put aside their dirty and bloodied clothes and looked at his Master.
He wanted to see what kind of inspection he''ll do this time.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Mr. Heinz walked around the bodies with his cane and carefully checked each of them.
He seemed to be looking for something but Kyle has no idea what it is. He can only stand on the side and wait for his master to finish his inspection.
After a while, Kyle decided to just check his attributes panel.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 0.70, Agility 0.95, Intelligence 0.96 (+1), Vitality 0.52 ]
[ Avable Energy: 150 ]
Of the eight corpses, five of them gave Intelligence, two of them gave Strength, and thest one gave Agility.
Furthermore, two of the intelligence extraction gave 0.02 points.
The extraction number is very low but Kyle didn''t care at all. In his mind, these corpses are basically normal human beings that didn''t learn any of the Arcane Path.
They are just teenagers like him with pathetic attributes.
He had a feeling that once he extracted the bodies of those who had truly dabbled in the Arcane Path, he would have a better result.
For now, he doesn''t have an idea where to get find these corpses but he wasn''t in a hurry since he knows that he just needs to be patient.
Suddenly, as he was nning to count the money he collected from the corpses, he noticed that the surroundings started getting dark. The light provided by the chandelier appears to have been covered by a thin veil of darkness while the shadows started moving¡
The room started getting colder and he knows that this isn''t a natural phenomenon.
Kyle looked at his master only to see him whispering something. He can''t understand what he was saying but he can somehow understand what''s going on.
''A ritual?'' Kyle shivered at the thought as he stand rooted on his spot.
Soon, a phenomenon that suits the Dark Arts happened in front of him.
The corpses suddenly opened their eyes!
Kyle almost jumped up in surprise as he wasn''t expecting that at all. He immediately stepped back since this is seriously creeping him out. If possible, he wanted to go outside theboratory.
However, he gritted his teeth as he watched everything happen. The old man was truly befitting his image as an expert in the Dark Arts as Kyle saw the corpses start trembling.
''W-what now¡'' Kyle was frightened as he then realized that the corpses were nning to stand up¡
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The stiff joints of the corpses started popping as they slowly stood up in unison.
Then, they seem to have received a simr order as they started walking to the door on the opposite side. That seems to be the ce where the Quince Furnace is located.
It didn''t take long for the walking dead to reach the room¡
''Are they going to jump one by one inside the furnace?'' Kyle smiled ruefully as he can''t help but imagine the naked corpses jumping into the furnace and getting incinerated.
"Mhmm¡ Isn''t that interesting? You will also learn that in the future."
Mr. Heinz suddenly spoke interrupting Kyle''s thoughts. The surrounding darkness also retreated and everything returned to normal.
Kyle wasn''t interested in the walking dead at all. It looks creepy and not cool.
Are there any normal Dark Arts? He wanted to ask this question but he still smiled at his master and answered.
"It''s the first time I''ve seen something like that. I even thought that you revived them."
"Haha¡ There''s no such thing as reviving the dead or resurrection. Even Necromancy Branch can only create undead. In any case, I don''t normally use this technique to bring them to the furnace. I just want to show it to you so you''ll know what kind of Arts you''ll be learning in the future."
"So it was like that. Master Heinz must be incredible. Although I haven''t learned the technique yet, I''m sure that controlling so many of them at once can''t be done by any students¡"
Kyle''s praise brought a smile to Heinz''s face as thetter nodded in satisfaction.
"Indeed. You''re quite lucky to be taught by me."
At this point, Heinz looked at the time as he recalled that he still has something to do.
"I''ll leave you here for now. Don''t enter the furnace, and don''t touch any of the materials and ingredients. I don''t want to see your corpse when I returned. Just focus on those books if you don''t want to go out."
"Yes, Master. Be careful on your way." Kyle answered with a stiff smile. He knows that he''scking basic knowledge so he certainly wouldn''t y around inside thisboratory.
As soon as Heinz left, Kyle sighed and looked at the shelf in the corner¡
''I should''ve asked him what should I read first.''
The corners of Kyle''s mouth twitched as he randomly picked a book.
Cabbalistic Philosophy and Radical Omens.
He had no idea what kind of book this is but he flipped the pages for a moment and confirmed that it was written in Soneiti. He can read this book but he doubts himself whether he could understand them¡
In the end, he ced the book back and tried finding books that have "Basic", "Fundamentals", "Beginner", "Primary", and other words that would hint that it''s for an ignorant person like him.
Chapter 11 Intruder
?As Kyle was looking for a suitable book, he found something different that attracted his attention.
History of Vermont, Academy of Dark Arts.
It was only a thin book perhaps because this academy doesn''t have a deep history yet. Dark Arts were only legalized about ten or so years ago so it''s already impressive that they have developed an organized education system for their enthusiast.
''I guess learning the Academy''s history should be the first thing¡''
Kyle inwardly said as he flipped the book open with interest. He first saw the emblem of the Vermont Academy which wasn''t too embellished but quite weird.
It was easily recognizable because it was only in red and ck. They have chosen a design with a shield with a symmetrical squared top and pointed bottom supported by a pir on either side. There''s a fairlyrge open book with a symbol of an eye at its center and surrounded by a red me in a figure of a snake.
''They should''ve chosen a better one. Even just a normal one would be enough. It really shows how creepy the academy is.'' Kylemented with a sigh as he flipped the page.
He then read the significance of the design of the emblem.¡ He only skimmed through it and realized that the book in the design represents the Book of Mysteries that allowed the pioneers to tread on this Arcane Path.
The next page exins the establishment of the Academy¡
On June 12, 882, the Vermont Academy of Dark Arts was founded through Act. No 1412 after the Treaty of Keslore was signed by the Millton Assembly. It was the result of the rmendation of the Chairman of Dark Sorcery Refuge, Morgan Vermont, to the Millton Commission, the upper house of the Millton Assembly. It was meant to fill the need of the practitioners of the Dark Arts to meet the increasing demands for instruction in the higher levels of learning¡
Kyle skimmed through the introduction but noted a few things in his mind.
''Morgan Vermont¡ Dark Sorcery Refuge.'' He ruminated.
He then learned that thend where the Academy was built was previously a battlefield. It was the Battle of Vited Karma that happened 30 years ago and had supposedly made thisnd barren. It seems that it was taken by the Dark Arts Practitioners as it has plenty of negative energy, spirit, or something simr.
The book then stated the early years of the academy, the expansion, and development which made the academy and its surroundingnd beautiful.
It also stated the changing paradigms and constant values of the academy¡
"Hmm¡ Sounds like a normal academy except for the things they''re teaching here." Kyle muttered as he appreciated the realistic sketches of the Academy and a few important people in it.
Since he didn''t read the entire book and only skimmed through it, it onlysted for about 30 minutes or so¡
After closing the book, he returned it to the shelf and was nning to find another book. He had already forgotten to count the money in his pocket¡
As Kyle was finding the books with the keywords he was looking for, he heard footsteps approaching theboratory.
"Another delivery of corpses?" Kyle muttered.
He was looking forward to that¡ Although the increase in Attributes was abysmally low, it is still an increase and he wouldn''tin about it.
He didn''t move away from the shelf and just looked at the door patiently.
With a creaking noise, the door slightly opened and Kyle saw the thin and pale hands like that of a girl so he immediately realized that the visitor isn''t a Variant.
As expected, as soon as the door fully opened, he witnessed a frail young girl simr to his age hugging a couple of thick books.
''Another worker? Maybe an assistant¡ Mr. Heinz didn''t mention any visitors¡ He also didn''t tell me when will he return¡'' Kyle was thinking of what to say when the young girl also noticed Kyle in front of the shelf¡
She was shocked at the appearance of an unknown young man that was browsing the books on Mr. Heinz''s shelf.
A while ago, she saw that Mr. Heinz had left the building heading towards the Academy. So she was expecting that there''s no other person here and she''s nning to return the books she borrowed.
She was always doing this and had permission from Mr. Heinz. In exchange, she would clean theboratory from time to time and run some errands for him.
Seeing the strange person inside the room, exactly when Mr. Heinz was out, she immediately realized what was going on.
"A thief!" The young girl shouted to get the attention of other people¡
"W-wait¡ªI''m not¡"
The young man wanted to exin but she knows that giving him time to prepare will be dangerous for her. She had only learned a couple of Dark Spells and the person in front of her might have more. She can''t underestimate the young man who dared to trespass on theboratory.
In short, she needed to act first while the man was caught unprepared.
''I can do this¡''
She finally found an opportunity to use what she learned from the books against a real person!
With a hint of madness and excitement in her eyes, she cast the second spell she had been studying for several months.
"Dusk Imprisonment."
Her voice triggered a sudden phenomenon as Kyle felt the restriction in his movement. It was ufortable and he felt suddenly sleepy. His vision was slowly being covered by darkness. It was scary at first but there was also afortable sensation that made him want to sleep¡
''No!''
Kyle shouted in his mind. He felt that once he fell asleep, he would no longer wake up¡ or at the very least, he would be at her mercy once he passed out.
He can''t let that happen¡
As he felt his body being shrouded with darkness bit by bit, he mustered all his strength to resist the imprisonment and uttered in a weak and desperate voice¡
"I¡ student¡ Heinz¡"
Chapter 12 Failed
?The young girl''s eyes lit up after seeing the sessful spell¡
She felt the magical phenomena was released by her chant in a very smooth and swift manner. Furthermore, she didn''t feel any resistance from her enemy.
It means that her speed casting is alreadyparable to the real students of the Academy. Without a doubt, her constant practice bore fruit and she''s now capable of apprehending criminals.
''Keke¡ Master will praise me for capturing a thief.''
As she thought of this, she heard the young man''s indignation¡
"I¡ student¡ Heinz¡"
''Hmm? Student Heinz?'' The young girl was confused as she repeated inwardly. She then looked into the young man''s eyes filled with agony.
He was trying to stay conscious using his will and he looks miserable. He was desperate to stay awake but it was only a matter of time before he falls asleep andter, die in her hands. She knows how powerful the Dusk Imprisonment was, especially if it sessfully wrapped around the target.
ording to the Book of Six Basic Dark Spells, the easiest way to fight against it was before the spell hits his body.
"What are you trying to say? Hmmm¡ Wait! Are you¡"
She immediately realized something wrong as she quickly dispelled the imprisonment.
Unfortunately, she wasn''t used to this yet¡ She failed several times and in the end, she wasn''t able to remove it.
At the very least, she''s still a beginner so the Dusk Imprisonment so shouldn''tst for long¡
"Did I assault Mr. Heinz''s student?" She muttered with a hint of nervousness in her voice. Indeed, Mr. Heinz is an expert and wouldn''t leave hisboratory unprotected.
She was no longer thinking of eliminating the young man as she looked at him with guilt.
"Well, he didn''t introduce himself so I have to defend myself. Right¡ That''s self-defense. Besides, he should only sleep for a few minutes. It wouldn''tst long since I''m a beginner and weak practitioner..."
The young girl said as sheforted herself.
Then, a few workers arrived but she sent them away telling them it was just a misunderstanding¡
She then slowly walked closer to the young man and confirmed that he was only sleeping.
The Dusk Imprisonment is normally stronger than this. It shouldn''t just put the person asleep but slowly eat away the life force of the victim. If that happens, the young man should be paler and there should be a hint of exhaustion on his face.
She ruminated for a while before she hesitantly adjusted the young man''s position. It was a bit difficult since the young man was heavy but she still managed to make him lean on the wall.
''He looks clean and smells good¡ His hair is still wet so I guess he just took a bath¡ Eh, this coat is from Mr. Heinz¡ Not good.'' The young girl sighed as she leaned on the desk.
At this moment, she already confirmed that this young man is innocent.
She had to think of a way to clear up the misunderstandings.
After ten minutes, the young girl noticed the man''s eyelids twitch and confirmed that he was about to wake up.
She already thought of how to exin herself so she wasn''t too nervous. She just needs to show him her status and even entice him with knowledge¡
''I can tell that he has talent¡ He must''ve consumed the Darkness Possession Potion sessfully¡ If that''s the case, he''s probably justcking knowledge about the Dark Arts¡ It''s not a big problem.''
She couldn''t help but smile as she felt that she had analyzed the situation really well. The young man in front of her must''ve been recruited while she was away for three days.
***
"Am I still alive?"
Kyle thought after opening his eyes. He was blinded by the light for a few moments but after his eyes adjusted, he realized that he was still inside theboratory.
Soon, he saw the young girl staring at him while leaning on Mr. Heinz''s desk. She''s quite skinny and looks really frail or malnourish... Aside from that, her long ck hair that reaches her waist made him recall a certain ghostlydy.
''Ugh...''
She seems to be simr to his age but she might be older than he thinks.
Kyle finally recalled the fury in his heart but before he could speak the woman already opened her mouth.
"Ehem¡ I apologize. It was a misunderstanding since I''ve never seen you before. Furthermore, Mr. Heinz also didn''t give any instructions that someone will be in hisboratory. In any case, the attack I used wasn''t harmful. It just made you asleep and you''re perfectly fine... Well, you were saying that you''re Mr. Heinz''s student, is that right?" The young girl exined and guided the direction of their conversation. Her eyes were trying to show that she was innocent and weak but Kyle wouldn''t believe it.
He was speechless for a moment. He still wanted to scold her but she made it difficult for him. However, Kyle also recalled that he''s helpless against her if she decided to use her spell on him¡
Kyle gritted his teeth and slowly nodded.
Seeing his reaction, the young girl awkwardly smiled and replied.
"I''m Denise White. I''m running some errands for Mr. Heinz. I normally clean hisboratory twice or thrice a week. If you''re his student, we will be seeing each other from time to time."
Kyle finally learned the name of the person who attacked him. He took a deep breath to collect his mind as he decided to carefully choose his words. In any case, this young girl is stronger than him.
Denise knows Dark Arts that he hasn''t learned yet so she might prove to be usefulter on. Furthermore, she might think of killing him if he showed hostility. Pushing him inside the Quince Furnace might not be difficult for her.
He suppressed the irritation in his heart as he replied.
"I''m Kyle Marshall. Mr. Heinz just epted me as his student a while ago¡ It''s nice to meet you, Denise. Let''s forget about the matter before. As you said, I just fell asleep."
"Hehe¡ You''re really kind. I guess you''re very special. Mr. Heinz wouldn''t ept just any disciple after all. Oh, are you trying to find a book?" Denise asked.
Seeing that Kyle wasn''t mad and sounded so polite, she felt a lot better and decided to help him a little. It''s also been a while since she was able to talk to someone simr to her age so she decided to befriend him for now.
''Great¡ Mr. Heinz won''t scold me.''
Chapter 13 Guide
?"Yes¡ Do you have any suggestions?" Kyle calmly asked unaware of Denise''s thoughts. He already stood up with difficulty as the floor hurts his butt.
''She''s smaller than I thought¡'' He mused.
He noticed that he was a head taller than Denise now that they were closer to each other. Somehow, he felt confident that he''ll easily get stronger than this girl once he learned how to practice Dark Spells.
Denise, on the other hand, was unafraid of the taller young man and replied with confidence.
"If you don''t have any knowledge about the Dark Arts and had just taken the Darkness Possession, I don''t think it''s appropriate to learn the Dark Spells yet¡" Denise said as she looked at the books on Mr. Heinz''s desk.
They were books of Spells, Rituals, Necromancy, and other branches of Dark Arts. Obviously, Mr. Heinz wouldn''t read these books so it means that Kyle had selected them.
Kyle noticed this as he shook his head and exined the misunderstanding.
"No, those were books Mr. Heinz said that I can''t read. He told me that I should read all the books on the leftmost shelf in two months."
Denise looked at Kyle like he was an idiot and said, "Two months? That''s impossible. Perhaps, if you''re not going to try and understand them, that might be doable. However, if you want to learn them, it''s different. It will take you many years¡ Did you mishear him?"
Kyle had the same reaction as her when he first heard Mr. Heinz.
''It seems that she''s not aware of the technique Mr. Heinz was talking about¡ I guess all of the things she learned are from the books.''
Kyle''s lips curled up as he smiles thinking that he indeed has a much better situation than Denise. He may be ignorant now, but surpassing this girl will be easy for him.
"I didn''t mishear him¡" Kyle replied as he unconsciously raised his chin in delight.
He didn''t want to tell her about the technique that Mr. Heinz will be teaching him to absorb knowledge faster. It''s his privilege as a real disciple.
''There''s no need to let an errand girl know about it.'' Kyle thought as he finally felt better. At the very least, he learned that the technique to absorb knowledge faster isn''t amon thing.
Denise looked at him with doubtful eyes but she didn''t continue prying.
"Ehem¡ What do you suggest I read first?" Kyle asked deciding to change the subject.
Denise wasn''t surprised by the question and answered with a hint of pride.
"Mhmm¡ You have to learn how to develop the talent you just awakened. Since you consumed the Darkness Possession, learning Dark Arts will be easier than other Arcane Paths. However, you need to umte energy inside your body."
"So, how do you umte energy?"
At this question, Denise smiled and picked up a book from the shelf. It''s the third book from the left of the first row at the bottom.
Guide to the Darkness.
''It doesn''t sound evil enough¡'' Kyle mused after reading the title.
At this time, Denise decided to act as his senior and exined, "There are a few ways to umte energy¡ The easiest is the potion, like the Darkness Possession Potion. It''s not only to awaken talent but it can also increase your dark energy. The normal one without any external help is meditation¡ªHmm¡ I think Mr. Heinz is already returning. Good luck!"
Denise didn''t finish her introduction. As soon as she felt Mr. Heinz''s presence, she left Vincent alone in theboratory. She doesn''t seem frail at all as she runs quickly to the door¡
Kyle was curious how Denise can sense Mr. Heinz''s presence.
''That''s interesting¡ I want to learn that too.''
Kyle thought as he arranged the books on the desk. He kept the Guide to the Darkness book with him and returned all the others to the shelf.
He then seated on the nearby sofa and wait for Mr. Heinz to arrive.
Kyle sighed as he wasn''t sure whether he was doing what he was supposed to do right now.
At the moment, he doesn''t know his purpose for transmigrating here. Of course, he doesn''t have any desire to return to his world since he''s basically dead after being stabbed. His body might even be still in the morgue since no one would probably im it¡
''My transmigration is most likely rted to the pocket watch that was broken but I don''t have the skill to fix it. Maybe I can try and ask someone to take a look at it once my situation stabilized.'' Kyle thought of a n.
This time, he just decided to at least be capable of getting stronger since he dislike the fact that he could easily get robbed and killed with this young and weak body.
The Vermont Academy is the best ce for him to develop since this should be a good ce to get ustomed to this world... It doesn''tck food, there''s a warm bed, he could learn one of the Arcane Paths, and he even obtained a system that will make him stronger as long as he doesn''t court death.
It is unfortunate that there''s a weird Lesley inside the Academy right now but he won''tin about it.
Creak¡
Finally, Mr. Heinz arrived and he seemed to be satisfied with his visit to the Academy as he was full of smiles.
He noticed Kyle reading a book and nodded.
"Guide to the Darkness. Good choice..."
"Master Heinz, you finally arrived. Someone came when you were out¡"
Kyle immediately reported what happened without leaving any details behind. Although he mentioned to Denise that they should forget it, it didn''t mean that he wouldn''t report it to the owner of this Laboratory.
As expected, Heinz frowned after hearing about the Dusk Imprisonment that put him to sleep.
"I''ll be teaching her a lesson¡ That first-level Dark Spell can consume someone''s life force. It''s a good thing that she''s a beginner, she probably made a mistake and only put you asleep¡"
"What? It''s that dangerous?!" Kyle was indeed shocked as he immediately checked his attributes panel.
Chapter 14 Decrease
?[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 0.70, Agility 0.95, Intelligence 0.96 (+1), Vitality 0.50 ]
[ Avable Energy: 150 ]
''This¡ 0.02 points of Vitality disappeared!''
Kyle eximed in his mind. Vitality is not something he could get from the corpses for some reason. The least valuable is probably the Intelligence Attribute since he can easily obtain it.
So he wouldn''t mind if his Intelligence decreased by the same amount but it was Vitality!
Vitality is very important since it signifies his life!
''That girl is vicious¡'' Kyle took a deep breath as he grumbled in his mind.
At the very least, Denise is just a beginner just like what Mr. Heinz mentioned so he wasn''t too affected.
"Master Heinz, is it possible to increase my life force? Well, just in case Denise took some of my life force without my knowledge, I want to at least replenish them." Kyle asked curiously.
Since this is a fantasy world that has magic and mysticism, there might be another way of increasing his life force. While he''s still young, he might as well learn how to do it.
Heinz looked at him with interest before nodding his head.
"It''s possible. The increase in life forcees naturally while you''re still growing up so you should be fine. If you want to vastly increase your life force, then you really have to tread the Arcane Path. Finish that book you''re holding and you''ll understand."
"I understand, Master Heinz. I''ll finish the book today."
After hearing this, Heinz removed his coat and hung it on the coat rack. He then went to his desk to continue what he was writing previously.
Kyle continued reading the Guide to the Darkness and was finally introduced to the Dark Arts¡ However, he suddenly heard familiar footsteps approaching theboratory¡
Creak.
The door opened again and another batch of corpses are delivered. There are only seven of them this time.
Kyle sighed for a moment after seeing the lifeless young boys and girls. They all didn''t die peacefully after consuming the Darkness Possession potion.
''What a cruel requirement¡ Shouldn''t they change their method of recruitment?'' Kyle mused but he didn''t speak in the end.
There might be something he wasn''t aware of and he''s not in a hurry to learn about it.
Anyway, these young ones are still considered students of the Vermont Academy since they should''vepleted the enrollment form before receiving the potion.
''They should''ve received a proper burial at least¡''
Kyle added inwardly as he closed the book he was holding and assisted Mr. Heinz by undressing the corpses and lining them up. He didn''t forget extracting them so he still felt a bit better.
***
After a few hours, Kyle had his dinner in the mess hall and met severalborers of the steel factory¡ Perhaps, because he came from theboratory, none of them talked to him and only looked at him cautiously.
However, it doesn''t mean that they weren''t talking about it.
"Isn''t that young man we saw riding the cart with corpses?"
"That''s him¡ I thought he''ll be used as fuel."
"Is he one of Mr. Heinz''s errand runners?"
A group of workers noticed Kyle easily. He''s quite small since he''s only 13 years old and hadn''t fully grown yet. Aside from that, he has ck hair which isn''tmon in the area.
Kyle heard them talking but he didn''t mind it at all.
After leaving the mess hall, he returned to his room to continue reading books.
A while ago, Mr. Heinz showed him his room which is just beside theboratory. It is only about a 15 square meter room with a bunk bed, wooden study table, chair, and a small washroom squeezed together.
There isn''t any window but there''s venttion on the ceiling.
This isn''t quite bad and this is even better during his college days.
''Mhmm¡ It''s not cold here¡ Is it because of the nearby furnace?'' Kyle guessed as he entered the room and felt the warmth inside.
He realized that it is actually colder in the mess hall just now perhaps because of the poor venttion. He then found a candle on the desk and lit it up with a matchstick at the side.
After lighting up the room, Kyle observed his new ce and sighed at his current situation.
During this time, he should be watching the news on the TV or perhaps, scrolling up his phone thanks to various social media applications. However, he can''t do it anymore.
He died in his previous world and he now has a new life... It is even a world that could easily threaten his life if he''s not careful.
He wanted to open the book and continue reading but after seeing the warm and soft bed at the side, he shook his head and blew the candle¡
When he first arrived in this world, he had to run continuously and endure the coldness brought by the pouring rain.
After that, he slept in the cold storage room of the airship. After arriving here, he was then put to sleep by Denise on the hard and rough floor of theboratory.
Now that he was lying on a soft bed, it only took a minute before Kyle was seen sleeping soundly.
***
On the next day, he should be reporting to Mr. Heinz at seven in the morning¡
As soon as he woke up, he realized that it was still dark¡ At first, he thought that it was still too early but he immediately recalled that the room has no windows.
He can''t tell what time it is!
''Ugh¡ There''s no rm clock here¡''
He immediately stood up and opened the door. In the hallway, the windows are all open so he immediately saw the bright sunlight!
It''s already morning!
He then returned to his room to prepare himself. He swiftly washed his face and used the clothes that were prepared for him yesterday before going to theboratory.
As soon as he entered, he saw Mr. Heinz waiting for him on his table¡
"Good morning, Master Heinz¡"
"Mhmm¡ It''s good that you''re fully rested. You will be consuming another potion today."
Chapter 15 Enhancement
?Kyle was happy after seeing that Mr. Heinz wasn''t angry about beingte. The old man was even smiling so he thought that everything was alright.
However, Kyle froze once hearing that he''ll be consuming another potion.
Consuming potion was an unpleasant memory for him. He even courted death because of it.
''Just why?'' Kyle looked at the old man to confirm that he was serious.
Heinz noticed his reaction and he couldn''t help but chuckle.
"It''s fine. It''s fine. I''m the one who made this potion. I''m nning to give you three potions for this month which will help you develop quickly. Listen, not just anyone can drink the potions I''ve prepared for you. I even have to get permission from the Academy''s Vice Headmaster before you get to drink them¡"
Kyle resigned to his fate and replied.
"Of course, Master Heinz. I trust the potions you made. Thank you for taking care of me."
"Good¡ You have to fill your stomach first before you drink the potion." Heinz said as he gestured for Vincent to sit.
There''s a loaf of bread and warm water on the table which should be his breakfast. Kyle followed his instruction and finished his meal in a few minutes.
"Master, may I know what kind of potion is that?" He asked after drinking the water.
"It''s a Spirit Enhancement Potion. It may not increase your life force like what you wanted but this one can increase your intelligence by leaps and bounds! It''s best to drink within 7 days after consuming the Darkness Possession potion." Heinz exined with a hint of excitement.
''So it was like that¡ It''s indeed the right time to consume it. This potion also hinted that spirit somehow rtes to intelligence¡ Noted.'' Kyle mused as he felt that he understood one of the principles in this mystical world.
This time, Kyle''s gaze shifted to Mr. Heinz and he finally noticed a hint of tiredness on the old man''s face. He noticed the dark circles under his eyes and that his clothes were the same asst night.
Kyle''s back straightened as he realized something.
"M-master Heinz, did you make those potions overnight?" He asked in surprise after connecting the dots. He already noticed that aside from the deep blue Spirit Enhancement Potion that Heinz was holding, there are two more potions on the side of his table.
This guy is already so old but he''s still capable of pulling an all-nighter to make potions!
"Mhmm¡ I was entranced and didn''t notice the time. I was also excited since I thought that I''ll only get permission to give it to you after five days or so¡ In any case, that''s not important. The second potion will be consumed once you fully absorbed the Spirit Enhancement potion. With your talent, it should only take you two or three weeks." Heinz exined.
"I¡ Thank you, Master Heinz. I will not disappoint you." Kyle replied with gratitude. This is his true feelings since he felt really blessed with Mr. Heinz guiding him.
Compared to the Darkness Possession, the name Spirit Enhancement feels mystical and beneficial to his body¡ He wouldn''t refuse this kind of enhancement.
On the other hand, the Darkness Possession sounds like a devil will be summoned to take over his body.
"I know. Here, I will open it for you." Mr. Heinz said as he gestured for Kyle to get closer.
Heinz instructed him that once he uncapped the potion bottle, he had to consume it within ten seconds.
Kyle didn''t find it weird since it probably contains mystical powers that can''t be exposed to air for too long.
After confirming that Kyle understands his instruction, Heinz finally uncapped the potion.
Waaahhhh!!
An ear-piercing scream, that seems to be from a female pig that was being butchered, dazed Kyle for a moment.
He even stepped back after being surprised¡ If he was the one holding the potion, he must''ve thrown it away already!
The screamsted for only three seconds but it almost made him piss his pants.
"M-master¡ I heard a scream just now." Kyle said filled with worry.
"I know¡ Hurry up." Heinz replied with a familiar smile on his face.
This time, Kyle is no longer feeling the warmth and fatherly figure that he was sensing before. What he felt was that Mr. Heinz is crazy!
Yes, it took him some time but he realized that this old man who keeps smiling at him isn''t simply looking at him with love and care but with insanity!
Nevertheless, he had no other choice but to follow him for now. He had to get stronger if he wanted to control his fate!
After making this decision, Kyle gritted his teeth and epted the potion¡ Without any hesitation, he drank the deep blue potion with a few gulps not wasting any of it.
Although he hasn''t eaten any poop yet, he can somehow tell that this potion taste like a mixture of poop and pee¡
For some reason, the potion doesn''t have any smell but it has a very strong taste!
He wanted to vomit it out but the smiling old man in front of him made him persevere¡ It feels like he''s going to be killed if he doesn''t drink the potion.
As soon as he swallowed all the potion liquid, he wanted to ask his Master for water to clean his mouth but he suddenly felt an incredible pain in his head like he was struck by a baseball bat!
"Aakk!"
Kyle held his head in pain as he dropped to the ground¡ After a while, he could no longer endure it as he started convulsing!
He then faintly heard Mr. Heinz''s voice as if he was directly speaking to his mind¡
"You can endure it. You endured the Darkness Possession Potion so you can endure this as well."
Kyle felt betrayed but he has no time to curse his Master.
Chapter 16 Success
?Kyle''s painful cry didn''tst for long because he immediately lost the strength to scream.
As expected of the Dark Alchemy, all their potions are abnormal! Aside from the terrible taste and painful headache, he felt like he was going crazy as he started hearing things¡
The sound of steel being hammered was suddenly ringing to his ears, the gossiping workers who should be in the mess hall felt like they were shouting in his ears, and it was followed by the sound of footsteps from everywhere¡
So much information was being injected into his mind as he felt incredibly helpless¡
''I can''t¡''
Kyle gritted his teeth and tried to endure the pain as he didn''t want to pass out. He has a faint feeling that he would no longer wake up after losing consciousness.
As he was trying to think of something he could do, he heard Mr. Heinz''s voice trying to console him. Then, it was followed by his surprised voice¡
"Oh! Good¡ Good¡ You actually have a low-grade Spirit Pearl. You''re really fated to be my student¡ This is great¡ I''m no longer worried."
Kyle didn''t understand what he was trying to say and he can''t be bothered with it.
As soon as Heinz finished speaking, his mind could no longer endure the stress as his vision ckened, and slowly fell to the floor.
***
Kyle didn''t know how much time had passed.
As soon as he woke up, he realized that he was lying on the sofa and alone in theboratory¡ The pain in his head was already gone and as a matter of fact, he felt really well!
"Weird¡ Feels so good like I slept for so long¡" Kylemented after standing up and feeling refreshed. It doesn''t feel like he was tortured by a potion just a while ago.
He then nced at the shelves filled with various alchemical products and realized the changes in his sight.
''There are no changes in my physique but my eyesight has improved. I can even see some items hidden in the dark¡ Those nasty things on the ss jar are certainly the flesh or organs of some creatures. Definitely not human¡''
''My sense of smell can also distinguish even more subtle smells¡ So this Spirit Enhancement, huh¡''
Kyle ruminated about the changes in his senses.
He sighed after a while since he felt like he can''t control his current situation and was always being dragged around.
"Hmm?"
Noticing that Mr. Heinz wasn''t present, he decided to check his Attributes panel to see the exact improvement in his Intelligence.
Thest batch of seven corpses that arrived yesterday added 0.02 to his Strength, 0.02 to his Agility, and 0.03 to his intelligence¡
So thest time he checked, he has 0.99 Intelligence and +1 thanks to his ne.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 0.82, Agility 1.07, Intelligence 5.99, Vitality 0.50 ]
[ Avable Energy: 185 ]
"W-what?!"
As soon as he saw the huge change in his Intelligence attribute, Kyle even thought that he was hallucinating. The Spirit Enhancement Potion was so good! It''s even better than extracting the poor corpses of those people yesterday.
Aside from getting 5 whole points for his Intelligence, there''s also an additional 0.10 in Strength and Agility attributes¡
"Amazing¡" Kyle couldn''t help but clench his fist in excitement.
Of course, it doesn''t mean that he has the desire to experience that again but he felt a lot better after seeing a decent result from that torture.
''Eh? Why is the plus one beside it missing?'' Kyle suddenly recalled the +1 provided by his ne.
He immediately touched his chest to check the pendant on his ne. To his surprise, the white pearl is already missing and he only has a ck thread hanging on his neck.
Kyle frowned at this as he vaguely recalled thest words of his master before he passed out.
''He mentioned something about the low-grade Spirit Pearl¡ Did it help me absorb the potion?'' Kyle guessed.
Mr. Heinz sounded delighted after seeing the pearl so it must be rted.
Grumble¡
Kyle heard his begging empty stomach as he looked at the pocket watch that Heinz left on his table.
He then stood up to check the shiny brass pocket watch and it seems different from what Mr. Heinz was carrying yesterday. It has a wolf head engraved on its cover which made it look elegant.
Anyway, Kyle opened it by pressing its top and he confirmed that it was half past two in the afternoon.
It was no wonder he was hungry.
Creak¡
The door of theboratory suddenly opened and he saw Denise with a tray of food.
Denise seem to be aware that Kyle is already awake and she smiled at him after opening the door.
"Hello, Kyle! I''m back again¡ Mr. Heinz said that you''ll be hungry once you''ve woken up so I prepared some food for you."
Kyle was a bit surprised that Denise is aware that he has woken up but he immediately recalled how she also noticed Mr. Heinz''s arrival yesterday.
She probably has a technique that allows her to sense someone''s presence.
''But why did she get surprised by my presence when she first entered the room? She even attacked me because of that¡'' Kyle found a problem but he decided not to share his thoughts.
"Thank you, Denise."
"Mhmm¡ Just return them to the kitchen after you''re done."
Kyle nodded at this.
Seeing that Denise is about to leave, he recalled something and asked. "Do you know what date it is?"
"Yes¡ It is May 5." Denise paused for a moment before she added. "Friday."
Since there was no calendar inside theboratory, Denise didn''t find anything wrong with Kyle''s question. Furthermore, she heard that he drank a potion that will stimte his spirit¡ It wouldn''t be surprising if he had forgotten a few things as a side effect of not fully absorbing the powers of the potion.
After thanking the young girl again, Kyle no longer hesitated as he filled his empty stomach.
Chapter 17 Books
?Kyle was surprised as soon as he saw the tray of food that Denise left for him. It doesn''t seem simr to what the workers are eating.
Aside from the two pieces of buttered bread, there are two slices of meat and a cold pudding on the side.
Gulp¡
As soon as he smelled the fragrance of meat, he no longer hesitated and started eating. It only took him less than ten minutes before putting down his spoon.
"Mhmm¡ It''s tastier than I expected." Kyle nodded in satisfaction. He likes the vorful meal for today.
After drinking water to cleanse his pte, he turned his eyes to the shelf as he wanted to read a book and see if his high intelligence affects his reading speed and readingprehension.
''Ahh¡ I haven''t finished the Guide to the Darkness yet.'' Kyle recalled the book he brought to his roomst night.
He then brought the cutleries back to the kitchen before returning to his room to read the book.
Since Mr. Heinz might return and give him some instructions about his improvement, he decided to return to theboratory and wait for him while reading.
He then selected three books to read for the whole day¡
Guide to the Darkness.
The Stimtion of Darkness.
Introduction to Dark Spells.
The first book, Guide to the Darkness, allowed him to learn how the Darkness Arcane Path helps practitioners get stronger without losing their humanity. It also shows how it differs from other Arcane Paths which is quite interesting for Kyle since the book listed a few experiences of their predecessors and their encounter with other Practitioners.
The book depicts the arduous path but it also shows the grandeur of those who persevered.
''Mhm¡ So those who practice Dark Arts can''t increase their life span and still die of old age at around 70 to 80 years old. Their life is actually shorter than other paths. Furthermore, most of their high-level techniques consume the life force of the spellcaster¡ Although the offensive power of their spellcasters is several times more powerful than many elementalists, it''s not worth the price unless it''s a matter of life and death.''
Kyle mused as he realized that aside from the Necromancy Branch, the other Dark Arts Practitioners can only rely on very rare elixirs to increase their life span. The worst thing about this is that the book hinted that these elixirs weren''t something they could make.
Most likely, it is from the Arcane Path of Alchemy Art or Holy Art. For those who had consumed the Darkness Possession Potion, any attempt of using normal alchemy wouldn''t be sessful at all and only Dark Alchemy will work on them.
At the end of the book, he noticed that there was a note saying that they previously have a way to increase their lifespan.
Unfortunately, one of the conditions for signing the Treaty of Keslore is to remove this technique from their heritage and stop the Dark Arts Practitioners from using this method.
''So it has been forbidden¡ Tsk. It''s really wed¡'' Kyle shook his head as he found many problems in this Darkness Path.
The book only noted that practicing this Art can lead to some side effects but it didn''t really mention what the side effects are.
''Is insanity included in that? Or perhaps being cold-blooded?'' Kyle mused as he recalled Mr. Heinz and Lesley''s indifferent eyes when he was suffering.
***
The second book, The Stimtion of Darkness, allowed him to learn about various studies surrounding this Arcane Path.
Aside from Dark Alchemy and Necromancy, there are Rituals, Corruption, and Dark Magic.
The book gave brief information about these branches and Kyle couldn''t help but like the Dark Magic.
The Rituals teaches long incantations and ceremonies which can be very tiring. However, Dark Magic was spellcasting and that''s what he likes to learn!
Nevertheless, the main content of this book is the creation of the Practitioner''s Magic Zone!
The Magic Zone is the area or limit where you can cast your Dark Spells or other techniques.
Depending on the strength of your Spirit, the size of your Magic Zone differs.
''So it''s about the spirit¡ No wonder Mr. Heinz exined how difficult it was to get permission to drink that potion.''
The book then exined how to create the Magic Zone but unfortunately, he can''t understand how it works. If possible, he needed somehow to demonstrate it for him.
In the end, he just decided to read the third book. Although he can''t cast any spells because he hasn''t developed his Magic Zone yet, he still has a good memory so once he created his magic zone, he can immediately continue learning the Dark Spells.
***
It was already eight in the evening when he finished reading the books and he realized that he was indeed a fast reader.
Of course, he already noticed that he can read faster with the first book but it still felt surreal as he looks at the thick books on the table.
Creak. Creak.
The door to theboratory opened. Mr. Heinz finally arrived with a few things in his hand. He had changed his clothes and he seemed to have fully rested after making those three potions.
The other two potions were still on the desk but Kyle didn''t dare to investigate them afraid that they needed to be handled using some sort of magical ability he was unaware of.
"You''re still here¡ Have you eaten your dinner, Kyle? I''ve brought some food with me." The old Mr. Heinz asked lovingly. It feels like he truly cares about him.
However, Kyle can already tell that this kind of care is simr to having a pet¡
Yes. Looking at him now, he can subtly tell from his breathing, eyes, and subtle movements that this old man is truly looking at him as some sort of experiment subject that he needed to take care of.
Kyle exhaled as he gathered his thoughts.
"Yes¡ I just finished eating dinner. Denise brought it here." Kyle replied as he stood up to greet his master.
"Mhmm¡ I told her to serve you while you''re staying here. If you need anything, just ask her."
Kyle finally understood why Denise was acting like that. She brought his lunch and dinner because she had be his servant!
''But why did she order me to return the tableware myself? Tsk...''
Kyle cleared his throat before he replied. "Yes, Master Heinz¡ Speaking of which, I''d like to learn how to establish my Magic Zone, can I ask her to teach me?"
Chapter 18 Crystal
?"Magic Zone?" Heinz nodded his head and he immediately understands why Kyle was requesting Denise''s assistance.
He then returned to his desk and took a key from his pocket. He unlocked the drawer of his desk and took out a blue crystal from it.
"Denise only learned by herself. I didn''t teach her any of the basics. At most, I was answering a few of her questions. It''s alright if you wish to learn the fundamentals from her¡ However, you need to pass a certain test¡"
"Ahem¡ Is she a genius? Is it normal to learn the basics of Dark Arts just by reading a book?" Kyle was a bit embarrassed since he thought that Heinz personally taught her.
"Yes, she might be a genius but she can''t attend the academy. Anyway, you can learn from her but you can''t spend all of your time practicing this. You have to finish all the books here." Heinz exined as he pointed at the shelf.
Kyle inwardly sighed as he no longer bothered asking why she can''t attend the academy. Instead, he started looking forward to the test that Heinz was talking about.
"Of course, Master Heinz. Tell me what kind of test I should do." Kyle felt a bit excited as he approached his master and looked at the blue crystal on his desk.
Based on the books he read, the Magic Zone doesn''t require having a painful experience just to establish it. What it requires is a deep understanding of how spirituality works.
He wasn''t worried that he''ll experience another torture from this process.
"Mhmm¡ This Spirit Converging Crystal will measure the strength of your spirit. You should at least create one strand inside it if you want to pass to create a magic zone."
"One strand?" Kyle repeated. He hadn''t read any books rted to mystical items yet so he was unsure what the Spirit Converging Crystal does.
"Yes¡ You''ll understand me if you touch the crystal." Heinz then gestured for him to hold it.
Kyle did as he was told and held the small blue crystal with his right hand.
Nothing happened.
"Uhmm¡ Do I have to do something?" Kyle cautiously asked.
"It normally takes some time. Just wait for it."
"Got it..." Kyle replied with a nod as he patiently observed the crystal.
Finally, after about a couple of minutes, three white strands glowed from the inside of the blue crystal.
Kyle''s eyes lit up but he didn''t say anything and just waited if there is some more changes on the crystal. However, this time, Heinz already spoked in delight.
"Great¡ I guess that low-grade Spirit Pearl helped you stimte the effects of the potion. You''re lucky, Kyle."
Thetter finally recalled his missing pendant after hearing this. He then turned his gaze to his master and asked.
"Low-Grade Spirit Pearl? Was that my pendant, Master Heinz? Also, what do these strands represent?"
Heinz naturally knew that Kyle wasn''t aware of any mystical items so he patiently replied.
"That pearl is a just natural mystical item that slightly improves someone''s spirit. If you take Spirit Enhancement Potion while it''s in your possession, there''s a small chance that it will break apart and aid in your consumption." Heinz paused for a moment and looked at Kyle seriously before he continued.
"Normally, humans can only absorb 30% of the potion''s medicinal effects. If you''ve consumed the Darkness Possession Potion, it will increase by another 10%. A total of 40% can be absorbed and the rest would be wasted. However, with the spirit pearl, it can reach up to 50% or even 60%."
Heinz then looked at the strands on the Spirit Converging Crystal and nodded.
"The strand is just a measurement we use to identify the strength of our Spirit¡ Right, you can have that crystal with you so you can slowly see your progress. Anyway, the crystal you''re holding can sense up to 20 strands, if you needed arger one, just let me know."
"Thank you, Master Heinz! I understand now. As for this crystal, I''ll probably need a long time before I can reach that number of the strand¡ so I won''t be needing arger crystal anytime soon." Kyle said as he scratches his head.
"Do you have any more questions?" Heinz asked.
Kyle certainly has many questions like the two other potions he hadn''t consumed yet or if he can consume the Spirit Enhancement Potion again to increase his intelligence, or perhaps, his Spirit.
Of course, he wanted to know the answer to this not because he wanted a taste of another Spirit Enhancement Potion, but in order to prepare himself in case he had no other choice.
However, it seems that Heinz hadn''t eaten yet and he''s probably going to work as well. He decided not to waste any more of his master''s time.
"I have no other questions, Master Heinz¡ I will continue reading books in my room. I''ll also ask Denise to teach me about the magic zone tomorrow."
Heinz permitted him to do so after reminding him not to forget reading books. After that Kyle quickly left theboratory.
In his room, Kyle lit up the candle on his desk and yed around with the Spirit Converging Crystal before cing it on top of his book.
After 15 seconds, the three white strands on the crystal disappeared like they had lost their battery¡
''Since the crystal measures my spirit and the same spirit seems to refer to intelligence ording to my Attributes Panel, then I guess it can be easily calcted. I have 5.99 or six points in my intelligence and three strands on the crystal¡ Then, if my guess is right, having 1 strand is equal to 2 points in intelligence¡''
Kyle analyzed after seeing the changes in the crystal.
This can be confirmed by improving his intelligence points and seeing the changes in the crystal.
If his intelligence became 8 points and gained another strand on the crystal, that will basically confirm his guess about this attribute.
''It won''t be long¡''
Kyle smiled after thinking about this as he lie on his bed to sleeppletely forgetting to read the book he brought with him.
Chapter 19 Learning
?On the next day, Kyle decided to find Denise after having his breakfast.
At this time, the workers within the factory seem to have been informed about his real identity and no one is gossipping about him anymore.
They will only take a few nces at him before continuing with what they were doing. It seems that it has something to do with the difference in their status so they don''t feelfortable around him.
"Hey, are you really ready to create your magic zone? How many strands did you make?" Denise asked as she lead Kyle outside the factory.
It was quite noisy and ufortable but Kyle felt that he had to get used to it.
After all, he can''t just always stay inside theboratory or his room. There are many things he wanted to learn and being in that small space wouldn''t help him.
''Hmmm¡ This ce looks like normalnd owned by a noble.'' Kyle mused. He didn''t immediately answer Denise''s question as he looked at the surroundings.
The academy is just about 500 meters away from the factory while the small town seems to be a few hundred meters more than that.
He also observed the other ces surrounding the Academy Castle, like the Tower, the Dockyard, another factory that was emitting a cloud of ck smoke, a huge field that seem to be a military ground, and other buildings outside the castle''s walls.
All the other ces are quite open and the academy is the only one that is walled or heavily fortified.
''Ahhh¡ The history book said that thisnd was once a battlefield, this must be a remnant of that past.'' Kyle mused as he noticed the difference between the old castle and the buildings that wereter erected in the surrounding area.
Nevertheless, he can''t deny that the castle looks imposing. It has an asymmetrical shape and there areplex roof lines and detailed carvings on the external walls showing how intricate it was.
"Ahem¡" Denise cleared her throat as she noticed that Kyle was ignoring her.
"Ahh¡ You were saying something?" Kyle asked.
Denise''s mouth twitched as she took a couple of breaths to calm herself before she replied.
"I was asking whether you''re ready to make your magic zone. I also want to know how many strands you made. I''m sure that Mr. Heinz won''t be stingy with you. You should''ve tested the strength of your spirit already¡"
"I only made three strands. Alright, teach me how to make the magic zone." Kyle calmly replied as he observes the young girl in front of him.
She''s now wearing outdoor clothes but still covering herself with a coat since the cold breeze woulde from time to time. Although it''s already spring, thisnd is in the mountain area so the temperature is still quite low.
"You''re in a hurry¡ Fine, let me exin." Denise''s lips curled up as she moved ten steps away from Kyle.
"Since we''ve all consumed the Darkness Possession, we can trigger a certain state in our bodies that allow us to vaguely sense our surroundings in apletely different way from our normal five senses. This doesn''t require meditation or ritual but it requires a strong spirit. It''s called the Phantasm State."
"Phantasm State?" Kyle repeated as he recalls that word being mentioned in one of the books but he can''t really understand it since it wasn''t exinedpletely.
"Yes¡ This state is only for us who had taken this Arcane Path. The other paths have different requirements to establish their magic zone. Right, I heard from Mr. Heinz that Radiant Spirit is for the Knights¡"
"I see¡" Kyle nodded as he allowed the young girl to continue.
"You didn''t notice but I''m already in a Phantasm State and it covers 18 meters around me. At this state, I can use Dusk Imprisonment on you again."
As Denise said this, Kyle recalled the 0.02 points that were taken away from him because of that spell.
"Don''t you ever use that again¡" Kyle coldly said as he looked at Denise seriously.
"I¡ I know¡ That was just a mistake."
Kyle nodded as he observes the youngdy in front of him. Just like what she said, he can''t really tell that she''s already in a phantasm state. It doesn''t feel different at all.
"Can''t you maintain your Phantasm State for a long period?" He asked.
"I can''t¡ It has limitations and I can''t tell you how long itsts and how fast I can use it again. It''s everyone''s secret." Denise replied with a smile.
"That makes sense¡" Kyle agreed since this can be used as the spellcaster''s weakness.
He then looked at Denise and was about to ask how she entered the Phantasm State but he notice that she wanted to say something more. However, she seems to be hesitating about it.
"If you have something more to say, just let me know¡ I don''t want any idents to ur. Do you understand?" He asked probingly.
Thankfully, Denise didn''t mind his tone and her expression softened as she nodded with a sigh.
"There is a side effect when entering the Phantasm State for an extended period¡ Ahem. You don''t have to worry about the side effects as long as you know how to exit that state when you needed¡"
Kyle frowned at this but he wasn''t too surprised that there is a side effect. Poweres with a price.
Just the Darkness Possession Potion has a ''death'' side effect already¡
"I understand. I will not exceed my limit¡"
Denise finally nodded as she started teaching how to enter the Phantasm State with her personal experience.
Kyle listened intently and followed her instructions.
It requires patience, concentration, an understanding of spirituality, and most important of all, a desire to enter the Phantasm State... At the very least, once he entered this state, he would no longer forget it and it would only take him a few seconds to form it again ording to Denise.
"It''s alright if you can''t learn it immediately. Do you know that the first-year students of the academy normally require six months to enter this state and form their magic zone?" Denise said as she looked at the young man who had his eyes closed for over an hour now.
Chapter 20 Phantasm
?"Six months?" Kyle ruminated over her words.
He didn''t find it very surprising since if it was that easy to tread the Arcane Path, there would be plenty of people studying it.
"Alright¡ Let me share a few of my experiences on how I entered that state. You might get some inspiration." Denise said as she started telling her story again.
Kyle listened to her words and would attempt to enter that state from time to time.
His trainingsted for seven days before he managed to briefly enter the Phantasm State.
''Is this the Phantasm State?'' Kyle muttered to himself as soon as his surroundings suddenly changed.
No, it wasn''t his surroundings that has changed but his vision. During this state, he realized that he was standing on a dome with a radius of 9 meters!
Inside this dome, he may not sense everything that is happening but he had the power that allows him to observe everything or everyone inside it if he willed it. Perhaps, he just needed some time to get used to it so he canpletely grasp everything in it!
''This must be the magic zone¡ Does it mean that I can cast spells in this 9-meter range?'' Kyle immediately had an idea but he can''t test it out since he doesn''t know any spells at all. He also doesn''t know whether this range is big or small for a newbie like him.
Anyway, the Introduction to Dark Spells only mentioned the descriptions of each spell. This includes their strength, cooldown, negative effects, and various requirements to learn them¡ There is a brief instruction on how to form this spell but not a step-by-step guide that he wanted to see. It feels like he was reading a riddle instead of a guide.
He then noticed four lights glowing in his body around his chest but he can''t tell what it is. Having no clues about it, he decided to ignore it for now.
He then thought of stepping forward to check whether the dome or the magic zone will move as he walks. However, before he can even take a step, he realized that the Phantasm State was about to end!
This feeling is natural and he didn''t miss it.
In addition to that, he can also feel that if he tried to concentrate and put all of his attention on it, he can somehow make itst longer. Nevertheless, he knows that he has to be careful doing that experiment since he was already warned by Denise not to do such a thing¡
"Phew¡ It was only about 10 seconds¡" Kyle helplessly smiled as the magical state he was previously in had disappeared. Of course, he wasn''t too disappointed since he finally learned how to enter the Phantasm State.
Just like what Denise said, after being able to enter once, he was now able to grasp how to do it the next time.
''It''s about three minutes before I can enter the Phantasm State again. It''s so long¡'' Kyle mused as he sat on the nearby stone.
He wanted to rest for a while but he suddenly heard a buzzing noise in the Academy Castle and realized that some students were about to go out.
Kyle heard that there is a dormitory in the eastern part of the academy but the students would still leave the academy from time to time to head towards other ces.
''It''s time to leave¡'' Kyle said in his mind as he swiftly left the open field near the factory.
He had to hide from that crazy Lesley if he didn''t want to get captured and be experimented on.
"Hey! Are you going to leave now? I was just about to watch you¡" Denise asked as she held a few dirty cleaning tools. It seems that she was nning to wash them while watching Kyle manifest his Phantasm State.
Kyle was about to brag that he already manifested it but he felt that it was better to keep it a secret for now since he hasn''t learned any spells yet.
In any case, he''s not nning to learn Dark Spells from her since she''s only self-learned. It would be better to learn them from Mr. Heinz himself so there wouldn''t be any ws.
He also read that there could be side effects while learning spells so he had to be careful about it.
"Yes, I''m done for today."
As soon as Kyle said this, he turned his back on her and went to his master''sboratory.
He didn''t mind Denise''s grumble behind him as he wanted to ask Mr. Heinz about learning spells. In any case, he had already read 15 or so books after being here for more than a week.
Most of them were rted to alchemy. Obviously, Mr. Heinz learned Dark Alchemy and it was quite easily guessed after seeing hisboratory and the potions he made.
He learned plenty of mystical materials, herbs, or any ingredients that can be used for creating potions or mystical items. Of course, learning how to make a potion is a different story as he had to enter the academy for that to learn.
Creak.
As he entered theboratory, he noticed that Mr. Heinz is busy on his workbench¡ He wasn''t concocting any potions but he was studying a few materials that are emitting a weird vibe.
He also noticed that there is a naked female corpse just outside the door leading to the furnace. It seems to have been delivered just recently.
This is the first time this had happened after the delivery of the corpses from the recruitment site.
Kyle wasn''t in a hurry to extract it and ignored it for now. He wanted to find a book first. Anyways, he knows that Heinz had already made an invisible wall of energy that istes him from any disturbances.
Even if he made any noise, Mr. Heinz wouldn''t be affected at all.
Of course, if someone uninvited entered theboratory while Heinz is in this state, a hidden Tier 2 Variant would take care of them. He only learned all of this after Denise prattled on and tried showing how she knows more about Mr. Heinz than him.
''Do I have to wait until he''s done with his study? I just want to get a book about forming spells¡'' Kyle thought for a moment as he looked at the shelf.
He still has plenty of books he needed to read.
In the end, he decided to select a couple of books. One of them is titled Compendium of Mystical Artifacts: First Edition and the other is The Great Dark Spells¡
As he was nning to return to his room and read them there, he suddenly heard Mr. Heinz''s words with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Ohh¡ I can feel that you''ve improved once more. Thest potion is also fully digested¡ It''s faster than I expected. You can now drink the second potion. Is that alright?"
Chapter 21 Luck
?Kyle had a stiff smile after hearing Mr. Heinz''s words. He was definitely not asking a question¡ He was telling him to drink the second potion.
Kyle had the urge to escape from it but rationality made him stay.
''I can do this¡ I''m not a child. I''m an adult inside a young man''s body. There''s no need to be afraid. If all the students are capable of doing this, I should be able to do it as well.'' Kyle encouraged himself as he looked at his master.
He reminded himself that once the torture was done, his attributes will greatly improve and he will get stronger.
After taking a deep breath, he answered. "If Master thinks that it''s time to drink the potion, then we can do it now¡ I''m looking forward to it."
He lied so easily but Mr. Heinz didn''t care about it.
"Great! Let me help you¡"
Mr. Heinz swiftly left the workbench and turned to his desk. This time, he took the red potion leaving the yellow one.
"The second potion is called Idle Mind. I know you''re probably thinking of learning spells but with your current ability, you can only record four spells in your phantasm state."
"Idle Mind potion¡ Four Spells..." Kyle repeated as he ruminated over the name.
In his mind, he also connected the four lights in his body to the number of spells he can cast.
''So those lights in my chests represent the number of Spells. The books really made it so difficult.'' Kyle grumbled.
Anyway, he already knows that spellcasting can''t just randomly happen by doing some incantations.
It has limitations.
It requires to be recorded or imprinted on his body before he can chant them and release those spells. As for how that works, he doesn''t have an idea so he was looking for Heinz in the first ce. In short, he can''t cast the spells that aren''t recorded in his body.
"Does that potion increase the number of spells I can use even though I only have three strands?" Kyle asked referring to his spirit.
Mr. Heinz chuckled as he nodded.
"That''s right¡ This is one of the results of my Master''s research. You can''t find this potion even inside the Academy." He didn''t exin further but it''s enough for Kyle to know that this potion isn''t normally given to other students of the academy.
It is a perk that he can only get as Mr. Heinz''s apprentice.
"Alright¡ Drink it now¡"
"T-thank you, Master Heinz. Please save me if something went wrong." Kyle said as he looked at the red potion.
When Heinz opened it, Kyle didn''t hear any terrifying scream or smell any foul stench. However, he didn''t put down his guard.
''I just have to swallow it immediately. I don''t have to taste it.'' Kyle took a deep breath as he reminded himself before epting the potion and consuming it immediately.
Gulp! Gulp!
Heinz was obviously d to see the decisiveness of his apprentice.
"You''re really brave! I just recalled that this potion can only be consumed by those who had a special physique. Since we had a simr experience after consuming the Darkness Possession, I guess I don''t have to warn you about it¡"
''W-what?!''
Kyle''s eyes widened after hearing this.
After all, he doesn''t possess the physique that Heinz was talking about!
He really died after consuming the Darkness Possession Potion! On the other hand, Heinz was only in an inanimated state thanks to his special physique!
They''repletely different!
Kyle no longer has a chance to regret as he already consumed the potion. He also started feeling the changes in his body.
He can''t vomit it out anymore¡
''Ugh¡''
The potion tastes a bit bitter. This was his first impression followed by extreme cold inside his body. The chilling sensation was definitely not an imagination as frostbite started forming on his finger.
He wanted to speak but he realized that he can''t make any sound. His movements have also turned sluggish¡
''I have to do something¡''
Kyle thought as his mind churned thinking of what he could do. He feels like he would freeze to death this time!
His first thought was to warm himself with a nket but his gazended on the doors leading to the furnace¡
Then, his eyes noticed the naked female corpse. He didn''t think too much of it as he started walking in the direction of the corpse. He was slow as he was struggling internally and fighting off the coldness that was brought by the potion.
In the meantime, Heinz was just watching Kyle with a smile as he thought that Kyle was nning to go near the Quince Furnace to warm up¡ He didn''t find anything wrong with it.
''Right, my Master helped me with ck me to resist the coldness¡ Unfortunately, I can''t use the ck me like him¡ You have to rely on yourself, Kyle.''
Heinz encouraged Kyle in his mind. He felt that nothing is wrong with his decision. In any case, he knows that Kyle wouldn''t die even if he failed to digest the potion. At most, he would have to recover for six to nine months then he will be fine again.
Experiencing negative effects from potions made with Dark Alchemy isn''t surprising at all.
After about three minutes of sluggish movement, Kyle finally reached the naked corpse.
"I''ll slightly open the door for you to keep you warm. However, you can''t enter since you''ll surely die in your current state." Heinz said with his creepy smile as he pushed the door open. It seems that he truly cares for Kyle but thetter didn''t care about the furnace at all¡
Kyle could no longer stand up as he fell on the floor and "identally" touched the corpse in the process.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''Yes!'' Kyle shouted in his mind.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +30. Strength +1.50 ]
Chapter 22 Rule
?''What? 30 Energy Points and 1.5 in Strength Attribute! Who is this person?'' Kyle felt incredibly surprised and also happy after seeing the extraction result from his system.
It was such a huge difference!
Normal human teenagers were only worth 0.01 but this woman had given him much more than that.
Thanks to the sudden increase in his strength, another source of pain umted in his body but because of this, the coldness seems to have been pushed back. Instead of feeling pain, he feltforted by this type of pain spreading throughout his body.
Kyle resisted the urge to moan in pleasure as he gritted his teeth and waited for the effects to disappear¡
After several minutes, Kyle finally felt rxed as hey beside the naked corpse. As he opened his eyes, he realized that he can see the pale face of the female corpse and she seem to have been shot by a gun, or perhaps, something had struck her forehead with a piercing weapon.
He also noticed that she seems to be a middle-ageddy with a plump face and body¡
''Ugh¡ Why am I even observing a corpse?''
He then realized what he was doing as he sat up and observed the changes in his body instead.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 2.22, Agility 3.07, Intelligence 7.05, Vitality 0.50 ]
[ Avable Energy: 215 ]
''Mhmm? What''s with this increase?''
Kyle was shocked as he only extracted 1.5 points of Strength from the unknown female corpse. However, he actually gained 2.0 points in his Agility and 1.06 in his Intelligence.
As he was confused about it, he recalled the Idle Mind Potion. Surprisingly, it didn''t just raise his Intelligence but also his Agility.
"How is it? Do you feel some changes in your body? Kehehe¡ I knew that you''d survive this¡ You''re really very special, Kyle." Heinz finally spoke after seeing him confused about his situation.
Heinz seem to be imagining what other potions he would be feeding on him!
Kyle shuddered at the thought¡
"I feel stronger, Master Heinz¡" Kyle answered with a faint smile.
"Stronger? Mhmm¡ One side effect of the potion is a slight increase in Dexterity so it''s not surprising. However, you should use your Phantasm State again."
Kyle nodded as he used the Phantasm State without any issues¡ It only took him four seconds to enter the state.
This time, he noticed that the previous four lights in his body has turned into six lights!
It means that 2 empty slots for Dark Spells have been added!
He then checked his Magic Zone but unfortunately, there aren''t any qualitative changes on it.
After canceling his Phantasm State, he looked at his master and he couldn''t hide the excitement on his face. Although he has many problems with Mr. Heinz, it doesn''t change the fact that he''s still improving at a very rming rate.
Just a week ago, his attributes hadn''t even reached a whole point. In just a few days, all of his attribute points had exceeded one point except for his Vitality.
"I can now see six lights around my chest¡ There were two new lights, Master Heinz." Kyle reported.
Heinz felt genuinely happy since it''s rare to have such a capacity among freshmen.
Having two is the mostmon among the novices. Heinz also believes that having four lights is expected of Kyle since he has a special physique like him.
"That''s great¡ Now you can learn the Original Dark Spell that my Master and I have created and developed for the past decades¡ It requires five lights to record this single Dark Spell and only those with nk spells slots or those who hadn''t learned any spells are capable of learning this¡" Heinz spoke with a bit of mncholy in his voice.
"It has such a high requirement? Wait---Master Heinz, you aren''t using this original Dark Spell?" Kyle cautiously asked.
Of course, having a new Dark Spell that isn''t recorded in any books sounds impressive but it means that its negative effects would be first discovered by him.
Although Heinz may have some theories about the possible negative effects, he wouldn''t be sure about it until Kyle experienced it himself. This is quite dangerous¡
If possible, Kyle just wanted to learn some normal Dark Spells that barely have any side effects on the user. This is the reason why he wanted to browse several books about Dark Spells.
"I''m not using it. I already had my set of spells when we developed this original Dark Spell. " Heinz said as he closed the door leading to the Quince Furnace.
The temperature finally returned to normal as he sat behind his desk.
Before Kyle could ask about the details of this dark spell, Heinz immediately added.
"The academy doesn''t ept students with three more recorded dark spells¡ So you can''t learn other Dark Spells aside from the ones I''ll be teaching you¡"
"Ah? There''s a rule like that?"
"Yes¡" Heinz gently nodded.
"So it''s normal that some freshmen students already learned how to use Dark Spells and such?" Kyle ruminated as he looked at the books he was nning to read.
"Of course. Although it was a bit chaotic before the Treaty of Keslore, there are still many families that were passing down their knowledge in this Arcane Path to their younger generation. The recruitment sites we have arranged are only for those without any background in Arcane Studies." Heinz calmly exined.
''Indeed¡'' Kyle felt a bit embarrassed since he forgot that not everyone was like him with a humble background.
Nevertheless, it''s a good thing that he had changed and finally has a background in this Arcane Path before he officially attends the academy.
Chapter 23 Choices
?After a while, Heinz chased him away as he was told that he needed to rest for two or maybe three days before he can start learning Dark Spells.
ording to Heinz, the consumption of the potion did some internal damage to his body and he needs to recover first.
He was also told that he can only select his second first-tier Dark Spell in the book titled the Great Dark Spells.
This made Kyle a bit disappointed. He already thought of Dark Spells he wanted to learn based on the books he read but in the end, he can only select one of them and the other is already set by Heinz.
''Just what kind of original spell was that? Why does it require so much space?'' Kyle grumbled as he read the book in his room.
All the first-tier and second-tier Dark Spell requires only a single slot to be recorded. As for the third-tier spells, there were no records of them in the books at all.
"Tsk¡ I can''t select a better Dark Spell this way. I have to know what kind of original Dark Spell I''ll be learning first."
Since he only has a chance to learn two Dark Spells if he wanted to attend the academy, he has to choose carefully.
He read the book regarding the Dark Spells and found a few decent ones. Just like some of the games he had yed in his previous life, the Spells can be categorized as those that are meant for offense, defense, support, or special ones that can be abination of other types.
If the original Dark Spell he was about to get from Mr. Heinz is a defensive type, he was thinking of getting an offensive type Dark Spell to match it properly.
Nevertheless, it would be better if it''s a special type since it can be abination of offense and defense, or even support and offensive spells.
After deliberating for a long time, he listed five Dark Spells that may be useful for him.
They were Ghost Hand and Dead Heart for his support-type Dark spells.
Ghost Hand allows him to create another invisible hand around him. Once he learned it, he can control it within the range of his magic zone. Furthermore, the number of hands can increase as his mastery increases. The only downside is that it can''t be relied on for offensive purposes like strangling someone within his range. It has weak ''durability'' and can easily be shattered by other spellcasters.
''Well, it can probably carry a gun¡'' Kyle mused.
As for Dead Heart, it''s a very popr Dark Spell since it allows the body to function even if the heart has been injured or even shattered. It doesn''t mean that the heart is no longer needed once it was learned. However, the Dead Heart made of Dark Spell can temporarily save the practitioner so he can flee from the enemies or wait until medical treatment is avable.
There are some ws about it but it is still a decent assurance to many practitioners.
"Hmm¡ I think Ghost Hand is good. It''s not like I''m going to die inside the Academy while learning spells. If I''m going to go out, perhaps Dead Heart is a must-learn spell." Kylemented as he looked at the other choices in the list he made.
Among the offensive Dark Spells in the book he read, he found that Curses were quite impressive since they can be untraceable with enough preparations.
Of course, he didn''t select the Ritual Curses that require a ceremony. Instead, he listed the Curses that can be casted easily as long as they''re inside his magic zone.
One of them was called Ghastly Ailment which gives several illnesses to the target making them weak or vulnerable and the other is Flesh Bane which rots one''s flesh¡
Kyle circled the Flesh Bane in his notes as he felt that this ability might be really good but it has some problems. It targets a whole area instead of a single person.
It may be good if he fights alone against many but it is a disaster if it''s a group battle.
As for thest Dark Spell that he listed, it is a special type.
It can be used as a defense spell but depending on the user, it can be used as an offensive type as well¡ It''s called Gloves of Contagion.
"This looks good¡ But it requires a high-level mastery to be useful." Kyle paused for a moment as he stared at his notes.
"Since I will have a peaceful time for a year, I should have some time to master it." He muttered.
This spell summons a glove in one of your hands that can absorb attack spells. If sessfully caught, you can return it to the caster. The only problem is that if the mastery of your skill is lower than the attack you received, it can be dangerous since you''re catching it with your hands.
At this moment, Kyle closed his book as he decided not to waste his time and read the book regarding the Mystical Items.
***
Three days had quickly passed and during this time, no new corpses has arrived in theboratory. He even asked Mr. Heinz to let him see the corpses if there was any delivery.
Heinz found it quite weird but he didn''t question Kyle since it might be his hobby so he decided not to interfere.
Today, Mr. Heinz brought Kyle to the basement of the facility. The entry to not too far from theboratory.
At first, Kyle didn''t think too much of the basement but as soon as he entered, he couldn''t help but gasp.
"Incredible¡ How is this even built?" Kyle was awed as soon as he saw the ce. He didn''t expect that there is actually a massive and empty hall below them all this time. It was a bit dark so it was giving him a vibe that it was a mausoleum¡
Heinz just smiled as he flicked his finger. This time, several stones glowed from the pirs of the hall lighting up the ce.
"Alright¡ I will help you form the spell¡ Enter your Phantasm State."
Chapter 24 Spell Model
?Kyle wasn''t too surprised about his Master''s attitude so he just followed his instructions.
"Master Heinz, I can only enter the Phantasm State for 10 seconds..." Kyle said for a moment before he continued.
"I''m already in the Phantasm State¡"
Heinz didn''t do anything and he just seem to be confirming something. After the Phantasm State ended, Kyle was still unaware of his master''s n.
"Good¡ We''ll start after you swallow this pill."
"Pill?" Kyle asked as he looked at the bottle that Heinz was holding.
It contains a green pill with yellow spots and it''s about the size of a fingernail.
''That doesn''t look nice¡'' Kyle said as he looked at his master once again.
Heinz wasn''t wearing his coat right now so Kyle was also curious about how did he pull it out. Anyway, he took the pill bottle from Heinz and uncapped it. Luckily, he brought a bottle of water with him so he can easily swallow the pill.
This water is prepared for him by Denise as it seems that she''s aware of what''s going to happen.
Kyle didn''t hesitate to swallow the pill since he already knows that Spell Recording isn''t as dangerous as those enhancement potions. The most dangerous about dark spells is the method of their usage.
After drinking the water to help him swallow the pill, Kyle noticed that Heinz activated the magic circle on the floor!
He didn''t notice that it was there until it was activated! Theplicated pattern of the magic circle glowed with faint yellow light stunning Kyle for a brief moment.
He only realized now that he was actually standing in the middle of it.
Then, he felt that Heinz put his left palm on his back and spoke solemnly¡
"Since the dark spell you''re about to get isn''t recorded in any of the books, you won''t be able to record its spell pattern and imprint it in your body. We will be calling for a certain existence to help you. I''ll be doing it for you..." Heinz exined.
Furthermore, Heinz knows that even if Kyle learned how to record the spell pattern, doing it sessfully in five spell slots wouldn''t be easy.
Kyle was confused about the series of events just now as he can only nod in nervousness.
"Do not enter the Phantasm State..." Heinz instructed.
''Even if I wanted to, I still need to wait for the three minutes cooldown.'' Kyle replied in his mind.
Soon, he noticed some changes in his surroundings, or perhaps, his vision in the surroundings¡ He realized that even without entering the Phantasm State, he was able to see the six lights in his body.
Suddenly,plicated patterns of dark energy appeared in his chest and it''s quite simr to the ones drawn on the floor.
''This¡'' Kyle was surprised as he tried to rx and not resist whatever is happening to him.
He feels as though the surrounding dark aura within the hall is starting to gather in five of his spell slots.
After some energy was gathered, Kyle heard Heinz mutter a ritual or perhaps, a prayer. He can guess that he wasmunicating with the secret existence that held the power of the darkness.
"Eternal Darkness, my guardian, I wandered from your path ande to praise your will.
Lead me so I can bring darkness into my encumbrance¡
I request this of you with true devotion... Empower me with your glorious soul."
''The recording is starting¡ So this is how it goes, I wonder why it''s not recorded in the book¡'' Kyle thought as he allowed his master to do whatever he needed to do.
Soon, he felt something inside his stomach¡ It must be the pill that he swallowed just now! It was gathering all the surrounding energy and it was suffocating him a bit.
He suddenly felt bloated and had a sensation that he was about to explode¡ However, the first light in his body was suddenly filled with darkness before his sensation returned to normal.
Perhaps, three to five more of that, and the first light would turnpletely ck¡
This happened repeatedly for three hours until all five lights turned ck¡ Kyle almost gave up in the process! The process was just too long!
Based on the books he read, the other first-tier Dark Spells only require 10 to 15 minutes to be recorded. If you''re really bad, it can be up to 30 minutes though it''s really rare to happen.
Kyle''s process was too long!
Thud!
As soon as the spell modeling was over, the faint yellow glow on the floor''s magic circle vanished and Heinz kneeled on one knee. He was exhausted in the process and it feels as though he had aged by another 10 or so years.
"Master Heinz¡" Kyle immediately helped the old man as he was worried that he''d die early. He still needs his protection after all.
"I''m fine¡ You can inspect the Spell Model in your body now." Heinz weakly said as he looked at Kyle with great anticipation.
The Spell Model he mentioned is the recorded spell in his body.
Kyle can understand Heinz''s thoughts since this is an original Dark Spell that he created with his master¡ He must be anxious to know whether it was a failure or a sess.
"I will check it now¡"
Kyle then entered the Phantasm State and this time, there are only two lights in his body. However, one of them is visiblyrger than the other.
The white one is the empty slot while the ck one was the one with the Spell Model. His consciousness immediately checked the Spell Model and he swiftly learned what it was¡
"Spell Dispersion¡ A dark spell that targets any form of mystical attack on the user. It activates even outside the Phantasm State¡ Wait---"
Kyle immediately tried to recall the information and confirmed that the Spell Dispersion works even if the Phantasm State is inactive!
There was no such ability that works outside this state in all the books he read before!
Chapter 25 Second Spell
?As soon as he finished inspecting the Spell Model, he received a notification from the system but he has to ignore it because Heinz was already anxious.
He removed the notification in his vision and excitedly asked his Master.
"Master Heinz, was the spell you recorded called Spell Dispersion?"
He almost couldn''t believe what he just saw. This Spell Dispersion was too powerful. It was no wonder why the requirement was so high. This ability would make him the Spellcaster''s bane!
Heinz''s faintly smiled after hearing the name of the Dark Spell.
"That''s right. However, don''t be smug¡ Do you believe that if I throw a Spell Curse on you, your Spell Dispersion wouldn''t be able to break it apart?" He asked after seeing Kyle''s face.
Kyle jolted at this question as he answered with a nervousugh.
"I believe you, Master Heinz. I¡ I''m not thinking of that¡ I know that this Spell Dispersion still has limits. It''s not omnipotent."
"Good¡ It may be good against freshmen or novices but Spell Dispersion still has a dy and capacity. As for its specificities, you have to discover it yourself."
"I understand, Master Heinz." Kyle said as he gently nodded.
"Alright¡ You can stay here to record your second spell. Denise recorded her Spell Model here alone so you should be able to do it since you''ve already experienced a sessful one."
''But she''s a genius¡ I''m not!'' Kyle wanted toin but he just nodded and agreed with it. In any case, he already understands theplete process of recording spells thanks to what his master did.
If it is an original Dark Spell or he has no copy of the specific Dark Spell''s Spell Model, he has to do the process that Mr. Heinz just did.
It was by consuming a pill to trigger the spell lights, activating the magic circle to gather the energy of darkness, praying or calling for the secret existence that rules the darkness, waiting for the existence''s blessing, condensing enough energy, recording the spell in the spell slot or light, and form the Spell Model.
It was an arduous process.
However, since there are existing spellbooks already, there is no need for a long process. He simply has to use the magic circle to gather enough energy and record the spell he wanted to form a Spell Model.
There were only three steps for that.
"Yes, Master Heinz¡ I''ll just consider what Dark Spell will suit me with Spell Dispersion."
"Mhmm¡ You''re right¡ I will leave you here. Take your time."
"M-master, do you have a suggestion?" Kyle asked as he saw Heinz leaving just like that.
Heinz seem to be expecting this question but he didn''t turn around and simply answered while walking away.
"Hehe¡ If I were you, I will select a dark spell that enhances my movement speed."
"Ahh? There is something like that? I''ve read a few spellbooks but I didn''t find any Dark Spell that provides movement ability." Kyle asked in surprise.
"There''s none¡ You''ll learn it in your fourth year."
''Then why did you suggest it to me?'' Kyle was speechless.
What an entric old man¡
He then asked about the activation of the magic circle¡ He read the books that activating it requires a connection to be formed. However, he had no idea how can that be done.
"Just stand there and focus¡ You''ll feel the connection with the magic circle in five minutes if you''re a genius¡ But about three hours if you''re trash." Heinz answered with a harsh tone as he closed the door.
Kyle was left alone inside the silent hall¡ Perhaps, if it was weeks ago before he had numerous encounters with life-and-death situations, he would feel scared being alone here.
However, he only felt a bit cold and didn''t mind the silent and creepy surroundings he was in.
''Alright¡ Let''s see those messages from the system first¡''
He finally had the time to check the message. Soon, his eyes lit up as soon as he realized what the messages are!
"Indeed! The purpose of the energy points is finally here."
[ Consume 50 energy points to improve Spell Dispersion? ]
Kyle didn''t immediately answer as he checked his collection of points.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 2.22, Agility 3.07, Intelligence 7.05, Vitality 0.50 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv1 ]
[ Avable Energy: 215 ]
''So it''s like this¡''
Kyle faintly smiled as he noticed that there is additional information in his character panel.
After confirming this, he returned to the previous notification and answered.
"Yes!"
He may not know how good the level 1 Spell Dispersion was but raising it to a higher level would allow him to have a higher chance of dispersing the spells of stronger Spellcasters.
He used his Phantasm State again after the cooldown was over and confirmed that he can raise the level of the Spell Dispersion again.
However, the price had doubled.
[ Consume 100 energy points to improve Spell Dispersion? ]
"No."
Kyle promptly answered. He will consider it after he recorded his second spell. He was only left with 165 energy points so he has to choose carefully.
Anyway, now that he had his first Spell Model, he had to consider his second spell.
He immediately removed the Gloves of Contagion from his list since its defensive ability will ovep with his Spell Dispersion.
For now, Flesh Bane was removed as well since it targets a whole area and he might even be affected if he''s not careful. He then removed the Dead Heart from his choices since he has no ns of leaving thisnd yet.
He was left with Ghastly Ailment and Ghost Hand in his choices.
After deliberating for a while, he finally chose the Ghost Hand¡ It may be a terrible choice as itcks offensive abilities at the early stages but with the help of his system, he can hasten his level of mastery and make the Ghost Hands multiply and get stronger!
Chapter 26 Return
?Kyle no longer hesitated as he started his spell recording¡
He sat in the middle of the magic circle and meditated. He wanted to feel the connection that Mr. Heinz was talking about.
This process wasn''t easy but it didn''t take long before he felt the Darkness in his body gets connected to the magic circle¡ He finally realized that only those who hadpleted the Darkness Possession can use the magic circle inside the hall.
''It''s here¡ It probably took me less than half an hour¡'' Kyle mused. Since this is his first time, he didn''t mind being slow¡ The next time would surely be easy.
As soon as he noticed that the magic circle became active and steadily gathered the energy of darkness, he started to slowly guide this energy into his spell slot or the white light in his chest.
The process is slow but it''s better than making a mistake.
He then recalled theplicated pattern he had seen in the book to record the Ghost Hand Spell. Before this, he has no idea what those patterns are but after he witnessed Heinz''s Spell Recording, he finally realized their purpose.
He leads the gathered energy to form a pattern that corresponds to the Dark Spell that he wanted¡
After about half an hour, Kyle finally felt his spell light being full as his Spell Model was finallypleted!
"Phew¡ That was harder than I expected¡" Kyle uttered in exhaustion as he satfortably on the cold floor.
Therge magic circle has already dimmed and the excess energy in the surroundings has slowly disappeared.
After a while, Kyle finally checked his character panel.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 2.22, Agility 3.07, Intelligence 7.05, Vitality 0.50 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv2, Ghost Hand Lv1 ]
[ Avable Energy: 165 ]
Kyle finally smiled as soon as he saw the new Spell in his list of Dark Arts.
Then, he entered the Phantasm State to ''touch'' the second spell slot to trigger his system''s perks.
[ Consume 8 energy points to improve Ghost Hand? ]
"Ahh? It''s different in each spell?" Kyle muttered as he realized something really helpful.
The Spell Dispersion requires 50 energy points to level up but the Ghost Hand only requires 8 points! The difference is huge! It was no wonder why the Spell Dispersion is so special!
Instead of being unhappy about the cost of Spell Dispersion, he actually felt a lot better since he can easily tell how valuable it waspared to the normal Dark Spell found in the books.
Anyway, seeing that the price of an upgrade is low, Kyle was about to answer yes but he decided to use the spell first.
He triggered the Dark Spell after waiting for the cooldown of his Phantasm State¡
"Ghost Hand¡"
Suddenly, an illusory hand that can probably cover his entire head with its palm appeared in front of him.
Since he doesn''t have much time, he decided to see the ability of the hand.
''It feels like it''s connected to me¡ How magical¡'' Kylemented in his mind.
He then controlled this hand to catch the ss bottle. Seeing that it could carry a bottle of water. Kyle tested its speed¡
"It took five seconds to reach the limit of magic zone¡ It''s a bit slow but it''s not that bad."
Kyle muttered as the Phantasm State ended. The ten seconds were just too quick!
''I need to find a way to extend this state¡'' Kyle helplessly smiled as he can''t really enjoy the feeling of controlling the Ghost Hand with such a quick duration.
Anyway, he proceeded to upgrade the Ghost Hand¡
[ Consume 8 energy points to improve Ghost Hand? ]
"Yes¡"
Kyle answered. He didn''t stop there and continued upgrading it since the cost is quite low.
[ Consume 16 energy points to improve Ghost Hand? ]
[ Consume 32 energy points to improve Ghost Hand? ]
[ Consume 64 energy points to improve Ghost Hand? ]
"Yes¡"
As soon as it reached level 5, the next level is already worth 128 energy points so he had no other choice but to stop.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 2.22, Agility 3.07, Intelligence 7.05, Vitality 0.50 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv2, Ghost Hand Lv5 ]
[ Avable Energy: 45 ]
Kyle smiled as he experimented with his Ghost Hand for quite some time. After reaching level three, he was able to form a second Ghost Hand and it was quite a marvelous sight.
These illusory hands had be faster and they were able to shatter the ss bottle quite easily.
Of course, he also used these hands to pick up the shattered pieces of ss and it took him quite some time.
He continued doing experiments with his Ghost Hands but after about an hour, he realized that the Ghost Hand Spell Model had turned gray¡ It seems to be fading away.
"This¡" Kyle was momentarily confused as he tried to understand what was going on.
Then, he recalled the book he previously read¡ His eyes lit up in realization as he didn''t feel rmed and he even felt d after seeing this development in his spell light.
"It took me almost an hour before the energy was depleted¡ Not bad¡" Kyle smiled as he decided to leave the basement to check the time.
He wanted to know how long it would take before his second spell will be filled with energy again.
However, before he could even open the door and leave, he heard a familiar voice on the other side and he couldn''t help but listen silently.
"I need a potion from you, Sir Heinz¡ The ones in the Academy are too conservative. I want your potent potions¡"
As soon as he heard these words, Kyle''s body stiffened afraid to make a noise. He recognized this female voice!
The voice was too familiar!
''It was definitely from Lesley!''
There was no way he would make a mistake!
Chapter 27 Dragged
?Kyle didn''t know whether he should hide behind pirs near him but in the end, he decided to stay quiet.
Mr. Heinz knows that he''s here so he shouldn''t be leading Lesley to where he was¡ unless Mr. Heinz wanted him to meet her and get him to fight her in a battle!
Does he want me to test my Spell Dispersion this early?! She''s already graduating this academic year! She must have plenty of Spells! There''s no way I can fight her!
Furthermore, I can onlyst 10 seconds! She''s probably just getting heated up and I''m already unable to continue. No¡ No¡ I''m overthinking this.
Kyle shook his head as he calmed his breath and listened to their conversation quietly. He soon heard his Master''s agitated voice.
"I''ll be reprimanded by the Vice Headmaster again, Lesley. I can''t help you. If you obtained the Vice Headmaster''s approval, I will make that potion for you. Don''t make it difficult for me" Heinz replied with exasperation. This matter had definitely happened before and he was used to this.
"There''s no way I''ll get permission¡ I didn''t even get enough contribution points. We can just keep this a secret. You need money, right? The academy is not funding your research anymore. Aside from a few materials being given to you, you don''t have financial support from them anymore. How about it? In each potion you make, I''ll purchase it for three times the current market price." Lesley spoke as he lowered her voice.
''Is she that rich? No wonder she didn''t bother checking our bodies for some spare change.'' Kyle mused.
This time, Heinz didn''t answer immediately as he seem to be hesitating with the offer. As expected, Heinz''s financial situation isn''t really good. Considering how he had no results in his research for many years, it must''ve been difficult for him to raise enough money to continue his Arcane Studies.
Noticing Heinz''s hesitation, Lesley decided to strike while the iron is hot¡
"Aren''t you thinking of epting an apprentice before? I heard you mention it several months ago. Since youck money, it will be difficult for you and your apprentice¡ This is an opportunity. The money you''ll earn from me can be used for your future apprentice or even improvement of your facility..."
Heinz finally sighed after hearing this. He indeed spent all of his money on the three potions he prepared for Kyle.
Those potions are worth more than 10,000 zen each and since it was made by Heinz, they can normally be sold for 20% more.
"Fine¡ Let''s discuss it in my office and we''ll sign a contract¡" Heinz replied with a tired voice.
"Great! But aren''t you going to the Animus Haven Hall?" Lesley asked.
Heinz''s mouth twitched after hearing this but he didn''t show it to Lesley as he urged him to follow him. "It''s not important¡ Let''s hurry andplete the deal."
With that said, the two finally left the hallway leaving Kyle frozen behind the door.
After a while, when he could no longer hear their receding footsteps, he finally heaved a sigh of relief¡ Of course, he didn''t immediately open the doors as he was worried that he''ll be noticed by Lesley if he went to hide in his room.
Although unlikely, she might enter her Phantasm State and discover his familiar aura within her range. In the end, he decided to stay inside the basement for a few more hours to ensure that she has already left.
"Ahh¡ Did she call this ce Animus Haven Hall? I wonder what that means¡" Kyle muttered as he waited inside the hall.
***
After two more hours, he entered his Phantasm State and realized that his second spell light was already turning ck. It wasn''tpletely ck yet but at this rate, it should return to its previous deep color in another four or five hours.
Kyle didn''t feel unhappy about this slow rate of recovery¡ After all, he stillcks proper training and he''s only beginning in his Arcane Path¡
Clink!
Kyle twisted the door knob and opened the door slightly. After confirming that no one is around, he finally returned to his room and threw the pieces of shattered ss in the garbage bin.
Gurg... Gurg¡
His stomach suddenly grumbled so he has no choice but to visit the dining area to request some food.
While going there, he already confirmed that Mr. Heinz and Lesley has left the building. However, before he could even enter the dining area, he heard some unfamiliar voices that were causing trouble in the area.
They seem to be overbearing as they were scolding someone in the dining hall.
"Who do you think you are?! If Heinz is not here, why should we listen to you?"
"You stupid girl! We''re not nning to make it difficult for you but you''re overstepping your line."
"Take her out and we''ll teach her a lesson¡"
"R-right¡ Come with us¡ We''ll teach you how to properly serve people."
Soon, Kyle noticed four young men wearing the Academy''s as they surrounded a small girl who was already on the floor. The girl was undoubtedly Denise and she already has bruises on her body. Her lips are already bleeding and her cheek seems to have been pped as it was already swelling.
The workers including the chefs and other servants were only quietly watching and didn''t dare to interfere. They were obviously afraid of the Academy''s students who practices the Dark Arts.
It was a familiar situation for him¡
Kyle was also a weak bystander in his younger years during his previous life. He was someone who didn''t want to trouble the kind parents who had adopted him, fed him, and given him a ce to stay.
It was only in hister years that he changed his view of his life and that change even cost him his life.
"Aahh! Let go!" Denise cried as she tried to fight back.
Kyle clenched his fist as he saw Denise get dragged by her hair. The one who was dragging her was a freckled-faced blond man and he seemed to be very excited about what he was doing.
''Why is Master Heinz not here yet?!''
Chapter 28 Senior
?In this situation, his first thought was to call the police.
Unfortunately, they aren''t in a city where there is a patrolling police just a few blocks away. He also recalled in Kyle''s memories that he has an aluminum whistle simr to the ones the police are using and he would normally blow it in this type of situation.
However, since he can''t call the police, the second option was certainly to call the owner of this building, Mr. Heinz!
He immediately asked the nearby chef who seem to be nning of escaping. "Where''s Mr. Heinz?"
The middle-aged man was startled as he looked at Kyle. A trace of hope immediately showed up on his face as he replied. "He left with the Vice Headmaster''s niece. I''m not sure where they went."
''Niece? Was that Lesley? Ugh¡ What should I do?'' Kyle felt like he had a headache.
"Do we have a way to contact him? This is an emergency, something might happen to Denise!" Kyle couldn''t help but raise his voice as Denise and the gang of students has already left. They seem to be nning to bring her somewhere quiet.
Although he somehow dislikes the young girl for removing his 0.02 Vitality points, she had been really useful, or perhaps helpful, over the past few days while serving him.
He can''t imagine what''s going to happen to her in the hands of those perverted-looking guys.
"I think once the smoke of the factory was out, he will immediately notice it ande back here. However, he will be furious at that time!" It was one of the kitchen helpers who answered as the Chef seemed to be frightened by Kyle.
"C-can''t you just help Denise? You''re also practicing Dark Arts¡" The middle-aged chef added as he recalled how furious Heinz was when that incident happened.
"Tsk! Do you think I''m already good enough to deal with them?! Just stop the furnace! Hurry! We need Mr. Heinz to return! I will handle his angerter! I''ll take responsibility!" Kyle said thest part to everyone including the workers who were having a break in the dining area.
"Alright! Please save Denise!" One of the muscled workers said as he brought his food and run towards the smithing area together with a few of his colleagues.
Seeing this, Kyle no longer hesitated and followed the group outside the building.
***
Denise could no longer endure the treatment of these four ugly and disgusting young men. Unfortunately, she didn''t have the power to resist¡
She tried using her barely-learned Dark Spells but she was slow andcks practice.
The moment she entered her Phantasm State, she was immediately pped by an illusory hand that was summoned by one of the four. It was definitely a first-tier Dark Spell called Ghost Hand.
She had also learned this Dark Spell including the Dusk Imprisonment.
This had forcefully canceled her Phantasm State and she could no longer see the illusory Ghost Hands. Nevertheless, she can tell that there are four of them holding her body.
Ghost Hand may be easily destroyed by another Dark Spell but it is on the premise that you can see it.
"P-please¡ Stop this¡ I''m sorry¡" Denise cried and begged but the young men just dragged her while she was sobbing.
She can already feel that she''s not going to get home this time¡ She had seen their patches a while ago so she knows that these people are third-year students.
It means they already have a decent foundation in Dark Arts and its corresponding mysticism.
"Kekeke¡ Do you think we won''t recognize you? I''m Gower! One of your sister''s victims!" The blond young man spoke as he threw Denise to the nearby tree.
Bam!
Denise cried out in pain as she weakly looked at them. Her eyes filled with shock followed by an undisguised hatred.
Cough! Cough!
Denise coughed out some blood as her internal organs were injured from that throw.
"Ugh¡ Now that I look at it, she looks too skinny, did I make a mistake?" Gower ruminated as he nced at his friend. "Davy, look at her face again."
"Ahh¡ Hmm¡ She does resemble Cressida¡ Is she really her younger sister? Her face is a bit toomon." Davy, the young man with brown messy hair and a skinny body, muttered softly as he walked closer to Denise and observed her face carefully.
The others two did the same while they were controlling their Ghost Hands to restrain her movement and to raise her chin¡
"Mhmm¡ She''s a bit malnourished. If she gained some weight, she''ll definitely look like her older sister."
"That seems to be the case. Lear, Are you sure that Heinz doesn''t care about her?" Gower asked the person behind him with a serious tone.
"O-of course! She''s only a servant there. We can do whatever we want with her¡" Lear replied with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
At this moment, Denise had already despaired and given up as she couldn''t even muster enough strength to call for help.
"Whatever¡ Let''s just enjoy her for a bit¡ªAh, who''s there!" Gower was about to unbuckle his belt when he noticed that someone had entered his magic zone.
The others immediately reentered their Phantasm State and confirmed that someone has indeed followed them¡ Furthermore, he didn''t stop moving and approaching them calmly!
This young man was brave!
Gower shook his head as he summoned his Ghost Hand.
"Tsk¡ This worker doesn''t know what''s best for him¡" At this moment, he thought of sending his Ghost Hand to break the bones of this young man.
"I''ll break his left arm¡"
"Mine''s his right leg¡"
"Then, I''ll break his jewels¡ Kekeke¡"
It was the same for the other three as they summoned their Ghost Hand¡ Although it isparatively weak, it can move really fast! If the four of them worked together, they believe that they can be unstoppable!
Eh?
As they believed that their stalker is finished, they suddenly saw something iprehensible¡
The four Ghost Hands disintegrated as they faded like a cloud of smoke and tworger Ghost Hands suddenly appeared!
''Sh*t!''
They finally realized that they are dealing with a senior student!
Chapter 29 Evidence
?The young man was probably a fourth year or fifth year since he has already grasped the intermediate realm of the Ghost Hand Spell!
They wanted to immediately apologize and even offer the young girl they were about to partake.
However, before Gower and Davy could speak, they saw the illusory hands cover their entire face¡ They were grabbed so quickly and even failed to use their other spell.
They were too nervous about the fact that their Ghost Hands had suddenly vanished!
Crush! Crush!
"F*ck! That was so strong?!" This time, it was Kyle who was surprised as soon as blood sttered everywhere.
That''s right, the two Ghost Hands that were summoned by him crushed the heads of the two third-year students like watermelons! Kyle failed to control their strength!
He was nning to do the same thing they did to Denise and drag them by their heads¡ Well, since they have very short hair, dragging them by hair is not possible so he can only think of grabbing their heads.
He was only trying to scare them and buy some time until Mr. Heinz arrived¡ Unfortunately, it didn''t work as he nned.
''Not good¡'' Kyle knows that he messed up. He didn''t n to kill them with his Ghost Hands. He finally bes a criminal.
He nced at the corpses again and to his surprise, he only felt some difort after seeing the sttered flesh and brain matter¡ He would certainly not feel like this if it was in his previous life.
It appears that the Darkness Possession had changed something in him.
At this time, he heard the words of the two students who had luckily remained behind the two so they weren''t targeted by the Ghost Hands.
"Y-you killed them?"
"That''s Gower! He''s from the Pucelle Family!"
Kyle had never heard of Gower and his family. Nevertheless, he didn''t show any reaction to their words as he tried to remain mysterious. In any case, it was already dusk so they weren''t able to properly recognize him.
"Why did you drag that girl?" Kyle asked ignoring the matter about the Pucelle Family.
He needed to drag their conversation since his Phantasm State has already ended. Since the two were obviously unaware of that, Kyle felt a bit confident bluffing them.
"She¡ She''s Cressida''s younger sister." One of them answered.
"Mhmm?" Kyle knitted his brows as he had no idea about Denise''s background.
Luckily, they didn''t wait for Kyle to ask and the two immediately blurted out whatever they know.
"I''m Lear! I''m one of those students humiliated by Cressida two years ago! Senior, you should know what happened at that time. She''s a meremoner but she dared to think of going against a Professor and many other noble families."
"That''s right! We''re just here to humiliate her sister now that she''s gone¡ We''re not even nning to kill her¡ I''m Bassette Gough! I swear on my family name!"
Kyle frowned at this as he looked at Denise.
She has already fainted and needed some medical treatment.
As for the two, he wasn''t sure how to deal with them. If they suddenly attacked, he would bepletely vulnerable.
''Wait¡ They also have cooldowns with their Phantasm State. Perhaps they''re also trying to buy time?'' Kyle finally felt that staying with them will be dangerous. They might be waiting for an opportunity.
"You''re taking revenge on that poor girl because you can''t deal with her sister? Is that it?" Kyle asked as he looked at the two with contempt.
He needs to maintain the dominance he had shown earlier.
"O-of course not¡ Cressida had just disappeared so we can''t take revenge on her." Lear replied as he tried to appear unafraid of Cressida. However, Kyle can tell from his reaction that he was indeed weaker than Cressida.
"I think that all of you have gone too far with your actions. I will report the both of you to the headmaster." Kyle said as he tried to act unaffected.
''You''re the one who had gone too far!''
In Lear''s mind, he indeed wanted to get this matter handled by the headmaster since two of his friends had died!
''Let''s see who would be punished¡'' Lear was already gloating as he knows the headmaster''s attitude in these types of cases. He can already imagine how furious the headmaster would be once he learned that Gower died!
Gower may have a terrible personality but that is just a normal side effect of learning a few Dark Spells that can affect someone''s mind.
Speaking of which, it was a pity that they underestimated their opponent and only used Ghost Hands just now. They wouldn''t normally use this technique if they know that they were dealing with another Spellcaster.
If they didn''t think that the person who followed them was aborer, they wouldn''t have been helpless against those Ghost Hands.
"F-fine¡ Let''s report this to the headmaster." Bassette has simr thoughts to Lear as they looked at each other with confidence.
They may be reprimanded for injuring themoner girl but the one who had killed Gower and Davy would surely be punished.
"Mhmm? What a strong scent of blood¡ I could smell it from the workshop."
As Kyle was nning to continue with their conversation, he suddenly heard Mr. Heinz''s voice from behind him!
He immediately looked behind him and confirmed that his master has arrived.
"Master Heinz!" Kyle called out.
Heinz seem to be in a hurry to get here as he didn''t even have the time to put down the paper bag in his hands. He looked at Kyle disappointedly before looking at the group of students behind.
"S-sir Heinz! That senior killed Gower and Davy! We have to report him to the Headmaster so he can receive his punishment!" Lear immediately said as he also recognizes Heinz.
"R-right! We witnessed everything!" Bassette added in a hurry.
They expected Heinz to be filled with anger after hearing that someone was killed.
However, to their surprise, Heinz remained calm and even looked at them with disdain.
"Senior?" Heinz repeated as he looked at Kyle.
Thetter awkwardly smiled as he was helpless about this. He didn''t correct the two since he didn''t want to reveal his identity either.
Anyway, Kyle was expecting to be scolded and was prepared to exin his side. He already formted his words in his mind. However, Heinz''s next words stunned him¡
"Next time, if you''re going to eliminate your enemies, make sure you do it properly and not leave any evidence behind."
Chapter 30 Tolerance
?"¡"
Kyle was speechless at that reply from Mr. Heinz. He had prepared his exnation and carefully chose the words he wanted to say. However, all of that was wasted as Mr. Heinz was actually tolerating his action!
He seemed to be encouraging his method of dealing with the rude students!
After a moment of hesitation, Kyle replied.
"I will try my best next time¡"
He can only respond like this as he saw Mr. Heinz raise his hand. This gesture seemed unembellished but he felt that something is about to happen with such a simple action.
As expected, Heinz had ruthlessly attacked Lear and Bassette!
In front of an expert, the two third-year students were unable to react as their eyes suddenly turned ck as they fall to the ground, lifeless.
At this time, Heinz finally spoke Kyle even feels like he was being lectured.
"That''s the advanced realm of Dusk Imprisonment. It doesn''t just restrict someone''s movement or put them asleep. The spell eats away their target''s life force. Of course, those who die in this Dark Spell are weaklings like those two. If you''re the one who received it, you probably won''t die easily since you have a special physique like me¡"
''No, Master Heinz. I don''t have that physique¡'' Kyle wanted to reply but he only helplessly smiled in the end.
Luckily, Kyle knows that his master doesn''t have ns of testing his physique like that since Heinz should know that even if he could survive, it will cause irreversible damage to his life force.
"Bring them all back¡ They''ll be used as fuel." Heinz finally said as he turned his back to return to the factory.
"M-master Heinz, Denise is still alive¡" Kyle replied intuitively.
"Of course, I know. I''m referring to the four¡"
"Right! Thank you for your help, Master!"
"Tsk¡ Bring them back fast if you don''t want to get caught by other students."
As Heinz said this, he finally disappeared from Kyle''s sight.
Thetter can only work faster as he ran toward the group. Thankfully, he had grown stronger so he should be able to carry two bodies at the same time.
He first checked Denise''s condition and confirmed that aside from her swollen cheek and bruises, she seem to be fine¡ Being dragged by her hair was probably painful as well since patches of her hair can be seen around.
She might''ve fainted because of her boundless indignation about her fate¡ Kyle sighed after seeing the skinny girl suffer such horrible treatment.
"Urghh¡"
As Kyle was trying to get Denise to lean on the tree, thetter started waking up as her eyelids twitched.
"You''re safe now¡ Those four guys are already dead." Kyle whispered as he stood up.
He wasn''t sure how Denise would react once she was fully awake so he decided to extract the corpses first.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +12 Intelligence +0.15 ]
"Oh¡ 0.15 points? That''s quite good." Kyle muttered after seeing the result of the extraction.
''Gower''s corpse was actually equal to 15 corpses?'' He mused.
He then continued extracting the other three.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Agility +0.11 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Intelligence +0.11 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Strength +0.12 ]
Kyle felt satisfied with the harvest but he still can''t help but sigh after realizing that no Vitality points were found once again.
''Is it really unextractable? Can I only increase my vitality through normal means?'' Kyle mused but he immediately shook his head.
''No, I stillck enough samples. I need to expand the variety of corpses I''m extracting¡ Right, all the corpses I extract had consumed the Darkness Possession. Even that woman from before must be from the Darkness Path¡'' Kyle''s thoughts raced as he reached an idea.
''Perhaps I should try extracting the corpses from other Arcane Paths? Hmm¡ I can also try extracting from animals¡ if possible.''
He may not be able to do that right now so he can only keep this in his mind.
Anyway, he decided to check his character panel to admire the improvement he made. He still wasn''t sure about the value of his attributes in the real world since he doesn''t have anyone topare with.
He can''t see the attributes of other people so he can''t tell whether these values are eptable at his age or perhaps a bit low.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 2.34, Agility 3.18, Intelligence 7.31, Vitality 0.50 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv2, Ghost Hand Lv5 ]
[ Avable Energy: 73 ]
"T-thank you for saving me." Denise weakly said as she saw Kyle staring at the corpses.
She thought that he was regretting his action of killing the students so she wanted to remind him that he had saved her in exchange for their life and that he shouldn''t me himself for it.
"It''s good as long as you''re fine¡ I''ll be bringing these corpses to theboratory now¡" Kyle replied as he carried two at a time.
Of course, before he entered theboratory, he took the money from these people since it would be such a waste if they were just burned.
When Kyle returned to the same spot, Denise has already left. She had probably returned home as well¡
After Kyle cleaned the whole ce to leave no evidence behind, he felt finally relieved as he returned to theboratory¡
This time, Mr. Heinz had truly scolded him about this matter and was told to practice his control!
He will have to train inside the Animus Haven Hall until he had a perfect grasp of his Dark Spell!
Chapter 31 News
?Kyle didn''t feel too surprised about this development as he epted his fate.
A month quickly passed in this process and during this time, no one had looked for him about the death of the third-year students.
He suspected that Mr. Heinz took the me for it or it waspletely sealed using his authority as a special researcher.
Well, he can''t really tell since he was mostly inside the Animus Haven Hall and can''t hear any news. He was training his Ghost Hands, reading books, or just using his Phantasm State whenever he can.
Apparently, the duration of the Phantasm State can''t be extended just by having a strong Spirit or Intelligence in Kyle''s case.
It can only be lengthened with the umtion of experience and his body getting used to the state of phantasm.
If his body wasn''t used to it, even with his high Spirit, he would subconsciously reject this state limiting his duration inside. If he forcefully tried extending it without his body getting used to the sensation, it can cause irreversible damage to his mental state and he might really fall into darkness without getting back.
As of now, he wasn''t sure what it means to fall into darkness but it sounds like something a horror movie would quote so he decided not to test himself and just follow the expert''s advice.
After a month of hard work, Kyle managed to naturally increase his Phantasm State duration to 25 seconds and the cooldown to 2 minutes!
It was such a huge improvement for him.
ording to Mr. Heinz, it was normal to have such improvements during the early stage and it will be more and more difficult as he grows stronger.
Today, Kyle was waiting for his meal to be brought by Denise inside the haven hall¡
After the incident with the Gower and hisckey, the two of them had somehow be closer and Kyle would even notice Denise would blush after seeing him from time to time.
''Am I really bing more handsome?'' Kyle asked himself after recalling Denise''s face.
Luckily, thetter is already taking care of herself so she was slowly extricating herself from the status of a malnourished girl.
Kyle shook his head as heard the door open.
Denise brought a tray of food. It has a pot of tea, biscuits, broiled bone, and devilled kidneys enough for the two of them.
Since Kyle had been staying inside the hall most of the time, he had already fixed the solemn lighting here and added somemps to brighten up the ce.
Mr. Heinz didn''t mind it especially when he said that he''ll be spending his own money.
"Didn''t I tell you that you can have your breakfast beforeing here?" Kyle asked as he helped her set up the table.
The table is near the door a few meters away from the magic circle.
"Isn''t it boring eating alone? Anyway, did you notice that the factory is doing good over the past month? The food has improved and the weekly sry of theborers was no longer being dyed." Denise muttered as she started eating her food.
''It''s because of Mr. Heinz''s agreement with Lesley¡'' Kyle answered inwardly. He also realized now that the sries of those workers were actually being dyed before. It seems that this ce wasn''t really doing well before.
"What are the workers even doing? I heard from Master Heinz that they''re only doing superficial metalworks¡ However, does it not provide a stable source of profit?" Kyle asked curiously¡
Since Denise is closer to the workers it was better to ask her. Mr. Heinz doesn''t seem to like it if he''s meddling in things unrted to Dark Arts.
"Mhmm¡ It''s indeed superficial. Aside from the special furnace that is being used, the pieces of metal they''re making don''t involve any ritual or mysticism. They are only making parts of some mystical items. They will still be processed by several experts in another workshop."
Kyle nodded after hearing this answer from Denise. He already has these thoughts as well.
Denise then continued¡
"The money they''re earning from this work is sometimes being used by Mr. Heinz for his experiment¡ Urgh¡ I even heard from the Vice Headmaster before that he might rece Mr. Heinz because of this. Unfortunately, no one from the Academy can take care of the special furnace other than Mr. Heinz."
Kyle finally realized why theboratory that should be in a solemn ce is actually connected to the metal workshop!
''So it''s all about the Quince Furnace¡ I wonder how special it is and no one could rece Mr. Heinz.'' Kyle mused. He didn''t ask Denise about the specialty of the furnace since it''s very unlikely that she knows of it.
The two then chatted about random things and Denise also mentioned the recent news in the town.
It appears that almost all students in the higher years have left the academy to gain practical experience. Several airships were seen yesterdaying and going at the dockyard.
"Right! It''s already June 12! Tomorrow, you''ll be consuming your third potion made by Sir Heinz, right? Good luck!" Denise reminded after recalling the date.
Kyle jolted after hearing this since he had almost forgotten this arrangement. He has already shared his experience with the potions with Denise and he also mentioned the third potion to her.
"Haa~ I just hope that it won''t kill me¡" After saying this, he changed the topic. "Is there still no delivery of corpses for Mr. Heinz?" Kyle asked since the delivery of corpses rarely happens and he already instructed Denise to inform him if there was any news.
At this time, he was expecting to hear another bad news but he soon saw Denise''s smiling face.
"Yes! I heard that there will be a delivery tonight¡" Denise answered with a smile. She didn''t know why Kyle wanted to see more corpses but she was still looking out for him.
After sipping her tea, she added. "You can also wait for the corpses of those higher-year students. I''m sure some of them will die."
Chapter 32 Secrets
?It feels like Denise was cursing those students but she certainly was not. It was ording to her experiencest year when a bunch of students went out.
Weeks or monthster, many of them would return as corpses.
"That''s good news. Ah, no! That''s... that''s quite sad to hear..." Kyle immediately corrected himself.
However, Denise was already giggling as she put down her cup of tea.
She already knows that Kyle has some sort of fetish regarding corpses so she didn''t really mind his reaction.
"Right, are you curious why the corpses are being cremated?" Denise suddenly asked with a teasing smile.
Kyle started scratching his chin as he tried to recall anything about this in the book he read before.
Unfortunately, he couldn''t remember anything rted to the death of Dark Arts Practitioners. Then, he decided to make a guess.
"Isn''t it for fuel? Their bodies still have some sort of mystical power so the Academy is thinking of using them instead of wasting them¡" Kyle tried to guess.
He didn''t really think too deeply about this matter since he thought that it was not that important.
However, upon seeing Denise''s smug face after he replied, it seems that it wasn''t only that.
"Is it not something I can learn from the book? Tell me about it if you know more."
"Your cold pudding is mine for the next whole week."
"Deal¡" Kyle answered with a sigh. In any case, the cold pudding will only be served twice or thrice a week during lunch.
Denise pped her hands after hearing this.
"Great! I only learned of this after hearing it from my sister when she was still here. She mentioned that anyone who had consumed the Darkness Possession Potion and diedter on will have their bodies possessed by an evil spirit. They will transform and be evil creatures. No matter how many years had passed after consuming the potion, it will happen. She said that no one is an exception."
Denise exined stunning Kyle for a moment.
''Our body will be a vessel of evil spirits after death?''
Kyle didn''t expect something sinister to happen even after his death. Luckily, he wasn''t immediately cremated after ''dying'' and was transported instead giving him time to resurrect.
However, Kyle suddenly frowned as he recalled that not all corpses are being sent into the furnace.
"I remember that some bodies were being sent to other ces aside from this workshop. Do you know what''s being done to them?"
At this question, Denise just shrugged while showing her palms.
"Don''t you have any idea?" Kyle still continued. He also has guesses but he wanted to hear her thoughts first.
"Well, they''re probably being turned into undead by the Necromancy Branch. Or perhaps being used as food for certain creatures or existences that we don''t know. You can probably imagine something more. As long as those corpses weren''t in a state where they can be vessels of the evil spirits, then isn''t that good enough?" Denise replied.
Kyle gently nodded as he can also agree with this.
"I wonder why it wasn''t written in any books." He ruminated.
"There might a reason we don''t know¡"
"Mhmm¡ By the way, did you consume the Darkness Possession even after learning about this?" Kyle curiously asked. Since they''d just finished eating their food, they decided to just have a chat while digesting the food.
"No¡ My sister already fed me before she taught me a few things. Well, it was a pity that she can''t teach me most of the time since she was also busy. She can only write letters¡ If it wasn''t for that, I''m probably several times stronger than those bunch of third-year students¡"
Apparently, Denise wasn''t previously staying in the academy''s territory and it only happened after her sister made arrangements for her to learn in the academy. Unfortunately, her sister, Cressida, disappeared after offending a few people so even after Denise was at the perfect age to study, she didn''t have the support she needed to do so.
She was already lucky that Cressida had prepared lodging for her in the town and introduced her to a few trustworthy people. These people helped her to earn a bit of money so she can feed herself and not just die out of starvation.
Kyle finally learned about her full story but he still felt that something was off.
"How did your sister know that you''d survive that Darkness Possession? Isn''t that a bit too dangerous?" Kyle asked after recalling his own experience.
He knows that many people had died on the recruitment sites. It means that the chance of surviving isn''t that great at all.
"Heh heh¡ That''s another trick she learned. If you want to learn it. You have to pay me this time." Denise said as she believed that Kyle isn''tcking money at all.
However, Kyle just shook his head.
"I don''t think I''ll be needing that method. It''s not like I know someone whom I wanted to tread on the same Arcane Path." Kyle replied as he stood up.
It''s time to practice his Phantasm State. Later, once the corpse delivery has arrived, he has to be there and "help" Mr. Heinz take care of them.
Seeing this, Denise could only cheer for him as she revealed the duration of her Phantasm State for the first time.
"Good luck! I''m sure you can alsost for three minutes like me if you continue doing that for the next whole year. Heh heh¡"
With that said, Denise left the hall with all the cutleries leaving Kyle alone to practice.
''Three minutes?'' Kyle mused as he realized the huge difference between them.
''Wait¡ Didn''t she say not to let others know about this since it can be considered a weakness that can kill you? Why did she tell me that?''
Kyle shook his head thinking that this might just be her bluff. Anyway, it wasn''t important to him for now as he entered his Phantasm State and summoned his Ghost Hands.
Chapter 33 New Batch
?After a few hours, Kyle finished his training as he visited theboratory. It was about time for the delivery of the batch of corpses.
He wasn''t sure of the exact time so he decided to be early. He can''t bete for this or he would lose his chance to extract the corpses.
"You''re here¡ Are you going to find new books?" Heinz asked after seeing Kyle enter theboratory. He''s still wearing hisboratory gown like he normally would inside theboratory and was inspecting a few mystical materials that seem to have been found in the ocean.
Kyle thought of this since he can see some barnacles and terrible rust in the few items. He then cleared his random thought as he replied.
"Yes, Master Heinz. Are you busy? Can you suggest a book for me?" He asked.
Heinz thought for a moment before he agreed. It is indeed about time since he should''ve more or less read those fundamental books about Dark Arts.
"Alright, read that book Contemporary Rituals of the Human Era. You may not understand much about it but it will at least make you familiar with words and such once you entered the Academy. Aside from that, it might help you select which branch you''d be specializing in¡"
"Branch specialization? Does it happen in the second year in the Academy?" Kyle asked curiously.
"No¡ It''ll be in the fourth year. The first three years will be fundamentals for all branches."
"I see¡ I''ll look for the book." Kyle replied as he went to find the book on the first shelf.
He easily found the book but he didn''t immediately pick it up as he looked at his master. Seeing that he wasn''t busy, he decided to confirm the things he heard from Denise.
It wasn''t that he didn''t believe her but he knows that experts would normally have better and more detailed answers.
"Master Heinz, I heard from Denise that many higher-year students left for practical training outside the Academy''s territory¡ Do you know what they would normally do at that time? I''m curious¡"
"Hah¡ You haven''t even entered the Academy and you''re already curious¡" Heinz chortled as he continued what he was doing.
Kyle scratches his head as Heinz was indeed right. He was too excited about this.
Nevertheless, he at least tried¡ If he didn''t, it would keep him at night unable to fall asleep.
After picking up the gray book with a cover drawing of a magic circle he wasn''t aware of, he decided not to leave and read it on the sofa.
The Contemporary Rituals of the Human Era contains various rituals that require prayers, magic circle drawing, candles, and some even needs sacrifices.
However, just like what Heinz said, he couldn''t understand most of it as it requires to be read in anothernguage he wasn''t familiar with.
''Is this Oardic?'' Kyle wryly smiled after reading the content.
The previous Kyle had only learned Soi and a little bit of Heumish because of his desire to attend the Knights Academy.
The main prayers needed toplete the ceremony were written in Oardic so he can''t even tell what was being requested or summoned in this ritual. He can only have some vague understandings thanks to the few sentences written in Soi¡
"Master Heinz, I need to learn anothernguage¡ Do you have any idea?" Kyle asked as he gave up after skimming over a dozen of pages.
Heinz looked at him for a moment before shaking his head.
"It''s not something you can learn in a few days. You''ll slowly learn thenguage in your first three years in the academy."
"T-that''s great¡ Do you have any trantion dictionary I can use instead?" Kyle helplessly asked. It''s better to learn it early. With his heightened intelligence he believed that learning anguage wouldn''t take him very long.
Clink!
Suddenly, the door of theboratory opened as three Variants came in with a cart of corpses each!
''Ugh¡ They''re already stripped naked.'' Kyle felt a bit disappointed since he can''t loot them.
Anyway, he immediately acted like he was surprised by their appearance. As soon as the Variants left, Kyle asked cautiously.
"Master Heinz, is the recruitment still not over? These guys seem to be around my age as well."
As he said this, he observed the injuries in the bodies of the young girls and boys.
Without waiting for Heinz to reply, Kyle realized the difference in their deaths.
"Aahhh¡ This is different."
All of them seem to have died simrly to the middle-aged woman he had seenst month. The one that has given him 1.50 points for his Strength.
They were shot in the head or pierced by a sharp object. If it''s really a gun, it doesn''t seem to have a high caliber since the bullet didn''t pierce through the other side of their skull.
"Don''t think too much¡ Just study hard so you won''t end up like them." Heinz replied after thinking for a moment. He seem to have a few more things to say but decided to hold back.
Noticing that his master didn''t want to exin, Kyle didn''t follow up and decided to just line up the corpses as he did before.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes¡" Kyle answered as he looked at the female corpse. She''s blonde and seems to be around 16 to 17 years old. Her body is also very cold like the others.
He couldn''t help but pity this youngdy for dying at such a young age.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Agility +0.31 ]
''So high?'' Kyle was surprised as this result shows that this young girl is better than Gower and the others.
Hismenting face has already changed into a grinning one but he immediately tried to control his emotions.
He might be seen as someone who has a fetish again.
Unfortunately, it was already toote. As soon as he lifted his head, he noticed that Heinz was looking at him with his serene and deep brown eyes...
Thetter then shifted his gaze back to his experiment while shaking his head.
"¡"
Chapter 34 Ritual
?Kyle wryly smiled as he can''t do anything about this.
Exining things would just make it more difficult for him.
''Whatever¡'' Kyle inwardly sighed as he continued his extraction.
There is a total of 19 corpses this time and all of them seem to be high-quality. He was looking forward to the changes that will happen to him today as he believed that he might reach a double-digit in his Intelligence if most of his extraction were to be sent in this attribute.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +9 Strength +0.34 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Agility +0.31 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +9 Agility +0.31 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Intelligence +0.33 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Intelligence +0.33 ]
***
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Intelligence +0.33 ]
After neatly lining up all the corpses on the floor, Kylepleted his extraction as well and had a very great result.
During this time, he had to stop for several minutes as the changes in his body were stressing him a bit¡ The feeling of getting stronger in such a quick manner felt like he was about to burst.
He felt his body bloating when multiple strength was added. He felt his head expanding as intelligence increased and he felt that everything is so slow as his agility ranks up.
It only added a total of 2.04 points in Strength, 1.24 points in Agility, and 2.97 points in Intelligence but he felt some qualitative changes in his body. That was six corpses that provided Strength, four that provided Agility, and nine that provided Intelligence.
With this division, it can truly be said that Intelligence is the easiest one¡ He couldn''t help but feel a bit excited.
Kyle was wondering how advanced or powerful he waspared to the other freshmen in the next academic year!
As he was about to check his character panel, he suddenly heard Mr. Heinz''s curious voice.
"Mhmm¡ Did you justplete some sort of ritual I wasn''t aware of? I''m telling you, a ritual with those corpses is dangerous. You might attract some existences you don''t ever want to be associated with."
Heinz warned seriously as he faintly sensed some changes in Kyle.
He didn''t notice any form ofmunication to certain existences but he had a vague feeling that Kyle did something¡ After all, Kyle''s presence somehow grew stronger in his perception.
Furthermore, Kyle must''ve read some books that are too advanced for him and decided to experiment with them.
''As expected of an expert, he was able to notice my minute changes. I have to be careful next time¡'' Kyle ruminated as he answered Heinz.
"I understand, Master Heinz¡ I will be careful."
"Alright¡"
Luckily, Heinz doesn''t seem to mind his unusual actions¡ Perhaps, he was only worried that something might happen to him before he drinks thest potion tomorrow.
After leaving theboratory, Kyle didn''t immediately return to his room as he decided to go out to get some fresh air.
He saw a lot of people going in and out of the workshop since it was already time for the night shift to work. Some of them are going home and some will start working for the rest of the night.
"Hey, are you still afraid of going to town?"
Someone spoke behind Kyle and without looking back, he knows that this is the kitchen helper who had previously suggested killing the furnace to attract Mr. Heinz''s attention to make him return.
His name is Felix and he has been working in the workshop''s kitchen for three years.
Kyle looked behind him and confirmed that Felix is already about to go home. He''s no longer wearing his apron or uniform for work. Instead, he''s wearing a clean shirt and a vest on top while holding his topcoat with his right arm.
"I''m not afraid¡ I just offended a few people so I need to be careful¡" Kyle answered.
"Heh¡ You''re thinking too much. If you really offended someone in the academy, you wouldn''t be safe even here. It''s only eight o''clock, there are still plenty of stores open, follow me. I''ll show you around."
Kyle hesitated for a moment. He knows as well that it should be fine to go out since Mr. Heinz has handled everything for him.
Furthermore, Lesley has left the academy for her practical training¡ No one would reallye looking for him¡
"Alright. Do you know if there are any watchmakers around?" Kyle asked.
"Of course! I can bring you to the best one I know."
With that said, Kyle asked Felix to wait for a while as he returned to his room to get a coat and the broken pocket watch.
Most of his items like clothes and such were purchased from the town. However, it wasn''t he who purchased them. He simply ordered Denise to run an errand for him.
Soon, Felix and Kyle went to the nearby town together with other workers who recognized them.
As they entered the town, Kyle finally realized that a portion of it waspletely abandoned. It is the part that he could see from the factory or the workshop.
"Do you know why this part of the town has been abandoned?" Kyle asked curiously.
Felix stopped moving for a moment as he recalled what he had heard from the others.
"It was already like this when I arrived here five years ago. I heard from the older residents that some foolish students made some sort of experiment in this part of the town. Although it was resolved by the Academy Officials, some said that the ce is already cursed and there are still evil spirits lurking there. Anyway, as long as you don''t live in the area, the evil spirits won''t bother you."
Kyle gently nodded after hearing the story. He didn''tment about this as they continued to visit the watchmaker''s home.
Chapter 35 Watch
?The two were invited to the watchmaker''s shop and also his home at 4 Silver Street.
Along the way, Kyle realized that this town may not be as bustling as Melthorn City, but there are still plenty of people from all walks of life.
Aside from the various shops like pubs, bakeries, tailors, cobblers, or barbers shop, there are also gambling houses and even brothels ording to Felix.
Kyle looked at the house at 4 Silver Street¡ It looks quite simr to other houses with high-pitched roofs, ornate gable trim, bay windows, and decorative red brickwork.
If Kyle didn''t know that the person here is renting with other people, he would think that this watchmaker is quite rich.
''I wonder how much is the rent here¡'' Kyle thought as he recalled Felix''s words.
Felix had briefly introduced the man beforeing here.
The watchmaker''s name was Gerard Widrick and he was actually specially recruited to work in this town by the Academy''s officials since the ce previouslyck some watchmakers. That happened eight years ago.
ording to Felix, since the Treaty of Keslore had only urred over ten years ago, developing a town wasn''t easy. To solve this, the Dark Arts Faction brought several people to build this town and hopefully make this ce normal by inviting normal people. This isposed of various professionals who had difficulty earning a living inrge cities, some unfortunate refugees, various children in numerous orphanages, businessmen who wanted to find opportunities, and some volunteers.
Of course, many of them are also people who had been connected to the Dark Arts. Either through their family members, idents, or curiosity.
Gerard is one of those recruited professionals to work in this small town.
"Sir Gerard¡ I have a customer for you. He''s my friend and also works at the factory. You have to give him a discount." Felix introduced as the door opened.
From the entrance, Kyle saw a workbench used by the old watchmaker. It is filled with various tools and devices for tinkering. There are also various watches on a small shelf beside this table. Based on their intricate designs that differ from each other, Kyle can tell that these are Gerard''s own creations.
He wasn''t simply an artisan that repaired watches but he also makes them.
"Come in¡ I didn''t think that a customer would stille at this time. Can I see your watch?"
A man in his fifties weed the two as he gestured for them to enter. Because he''s at home and it''s alreadyte, he wasn''t expecting a customer toe in and was already in his simple shirt and trousers.
"Good evening, Sir Gerard. I''m Kyle Marshall¡ I''m sorry foring thiste." Kyle introduced himself as he handed over the gold-ted pocket watch.
"Mhmm¡" Gerard acknowledged Kyle''s introduction as he took the pocket watch from him. It didn''t take long before he confirmed the problem. It was indeed broken like it was burned from the inside.
Some parts have even melted.
This isn''t a normally broken pocket watch that he would often encounter.
"What happened to this thing?" Gerard couldn''t help but ask.
Although he already has ns on how to fix it, he couldn''t think of how it was severely damaged like this.
Of course, Kyle already thought of a reason that wouldn''t make thingsplicated.
"It was already like this when it was given to me¡ It has some sentimental value so I can''t just throw it away. I hope you can fix it."
Hearing this, Gerard did not pursue the matter as he suggested. "Since it''s already broken like this, I''ll have to change everything except for the external parts. It will look the same from the outside but the inside would bepletely new. That will be a 160 zen..."
"Ah? It''s almost simr to the price of a new one." Felixmented after hearing the price. The newest pocketwatch would mostly be priced at 185 zen and above depending on its design and style.
One hundred sixty zen is already above his monthly sry in the workshop. He was only earning 35 zen per week and an additional 10 nolls per day as a form of meal.
Of course, Kyle also felt that it was quite pricey but he didn''t really mind it.
Then, Gerard exined why his price was like that.
"It''s already a discounted price, Felix. I will not disassemble another pocket watch and transfer its internal gears to this one. I will be assembling a new one or even making use of the broken ones here and turning them into a new part of the watch."
Kyle didn''t mind this so he immediately agreed.
"That''s fine. If you can still use the internal parts, that''s even better. Do I have to pay the downpayment?" Kyle asked as he already pulled out his wallet.
He has already earned a lot of money after rummaging through the belongings of the dead.
He has a total of 2,100 zens with mostly 1, 10, and 20 denominations, and a pouch filled with coins. He already counted those coins and there were 213 of them. Since each coin was 10 noll, that would be equal to 2,130 noll or 42.6 zen since a 50 noll is equal to 1 zen.
With this amount of money, Kyle didn''t mind spending 160 zens to fix the pocket watch.
"It''s easy to talk with you. Just 50 zen of downpayment will be enough. You can return here after four days."
"Four days¡ That''s fine."
With that said, Kyle gave him five 10 zen notes as they chatted for a while as he is also curious about the origin of the gold pocketwatch.
Unfortunately, Gerard can only vaguely guess that his pocketwatch is actually for ady because of its smaller sizepared to the normal ones used by men. As for the artisan who made it, Gerard didn''t find any marks that were left behind so it was hard to guess.
After this, Felix and Kyle separated as he returned home after filling his stomach with skewers that were sold in the streets.
On the next day, Kyle nervously went to theboratory to consume his third andst potion that willplete his uniqueness and essentially start the new branch of the Dark Arts.
Chapter 36 Uniqueness
?Kyle didn''t have a good sleepst night as he kept thinking of the potion that he''ll be consuming today. He doesn''t have any good experience with all potions that he had ever consumed so his reaction was quite normal.
"Master Heinz¡ I''m ready." Kyle announced his presence as he entered theboratory.
There, the man in histe sixties is already waiting for him with suppressed excitement in his eyes. Heinz is the one who was truly looking forward to this day since thisst potion will essentiallyplete the research that he had been doing for the past decades.
"Come here¡" Heinz said as he observed the young man closely.
Kyle has met all the requirements that he needed for this final step. He has a special physique that has great resistance against the Darkness Possession. He at least has five spell lights to sessfully amodate the Spell Dispersion in his body and the most important thing was his rationality¡ Over the past month, Heinz had observed Kyle openly or secretly as he confirmed that aside from his fetish for dead bodies, there was nothing wrong with him as a human being.
This made him realize that Kyle''s absorption of the Darkness Possession potion was better than his or even his master''s. After all, everyone should have some sort of negative effects after consuming this possession.
Perhaps, it was the fetish he developed but if that was already the negative effect, then that is certainly eptable.
"Master Heinz, may I know what potion it is this time?" Kyle asked as he looked at the deep purple potion that was already on the table.
The Spirit Enhancement was deep blue in color and the Idle Mind potion was red so he knows that the third is different from the other two.
"Before that, I need to know if you''re aware of the negative effects of learning the Dark Arts¡"
Kyle nodded as he already read this in the books. "Yes, Master Heinz. However, it also says that as long as you abide by the rules, suffering from the negative effects of practicing dark arts wouldn''t be a big deal."
Heinz chuckled at this. He knows something more than what those books are teaching the students. Nevertheless, he didn''t exin much and replied with the same line of thought.
"Yes¡ But I must say that while novices like you wouldn''t be too affected by it, it will get stronger the more you learn or the more you use the Dark Arts. It''s not something you can avoid as you tread this Arcane Path." Heinz solemnly spoke as he looked into Kyle''s eyes.
Kyle was no longer ignorant like before so he wasn''t too surprised after hearing this.
It may sound scary but he has already made enough preparations and self-reflection. He already has the Darkness Possession so he can only be eager to tread this path.
"I understand, Master Heinz..." Kyle replied as he wondered why Mr. Heinz decided to talk about this now.
He felt a little baffled at this since these things will be learned in the academy as well. He simply can''t find the connection or rtion of this matter to the potion he was about to drink.
Luckily, Heinz''s next words answered his questions.
"This potion is something you''ll never find anywhere. My master, Laurin Schifter, named it the Anti-Corruption Force Potion. Its effects were something all Spellcasters of the Dark Path would want to obtain¡ However, even if they drink a river of this potion, they will not obtain the uniqueness it contains."
At this point, Heinz paused for a moment before he continued.
"This uniqueness is called Incorruptible Body."
Before Kyle could reply, the old man popped out the cap of the potion bottle and the thick scent of blood wafted throughout the whole room.
Yes, the deep purple potion has the scent of blood.
Then, Heinz showed his familiar creepy smile to Kyle and added. "It''ll be a lot easier consuming this now¡ Your body has already adapted so you shouldn''t worry about this potion."
Kyle wryly smiled after hearing this. There was no way he would believe that but he didn''tin. This is his fate if he wanted to be different from the rest of the Dark Arts Spellcasters.
He swiftly summoned his character panel to recall his current attributes. This way, he would see the quantified improvement he''ll receive after drinking the potion.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 4.38, Agility 4.42, Intelligence 10.28, Vitality 0.50 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv2, Ghost Hand Lv5 ]
[ Avable Energy: 243 ]
After taking a deep breath, he epted the potion and poured all the liquid into his mouth. He swallowed it quickly hoping that the taste wouldn''t linger too long.
However, his action was futile as the terrible taste of rust with rich sourness and acidity permeated throughout his whole body¡
In just a few seconds, Kyle may not be seeing the changes in his body in his current state but he can tell that the Darkness Possession inside his body is acting up again!
The potion seems to have triggered the Possession that he had consumed before and starting to lose control again!
At this rate, he felt his body exploding simr to when he consumed the Darkness Possession!
"Urghh¡" Kyle gritted his teeth as he knelt on the ground.
"Heh heh¡ You''re really suited for this." Heinzmented after seeing his condition.
Apparently, even with this extreme condition, Kyle only had a nosebleed! His internal body may have been messed up, but aside from showing redness in his skin and this nosebleed, he is actually holding up pretty well!
It is much better than Heinz had expected!
Chapter 37 Realms
?It appears that Heinz was right! His body has already adapted after being tortured by those two potions before.
However, he can''t simply admit it¡
''It must be the sudden increase in my attributes. There was no way I can adapt just by suffering from a couple of potions¡'' Kyle organized his thoughts as he tried to not focus on the pain brought by the Anti-Corruption Force Potion.
After quite some time, the pain all over his body is starting to subside. Mr. Heinz seem to be aware of this as he whispered to his ears. "Enter the Phantasm State."
That whisper felt like a shout in his ears as he realized just now that his hearing sense has been amplified.
Without any hesitation, Kyle entered the Phantasm State¡
As soon as he did this, the subsiding pain suddenly returned like a gushing river! The intense pain surprised him as his Phantasm State was automatically canceled as a result. However, removing his Phantasm State didn''t mean that the pain would disappear as well!
Heinz''s eyes lit up after seeing this result.
"It''s finally here¡ It''s the final phase of the potion, Kyle¡ You can endure it. You won''t just reform your incredible physique but this will also increase your magic zone."
Kyle wanted to curse his master again but this time, he noticed some changes brought by his system.
He immediately pulled out his character panel while in pain and confirmed that there is indeed something new!
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 4.38, Agility 4.42, Intelligence 10.28, Vitality 0.85 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv2, Ghost Hand Lv5, Incorruptible Body Lv1 ]
[ Avable Energy: 243 ]
For some reason, he learned another Dark Art! Furthermore, his vitality had actually increased by 0.35 points!
At this point, he immediately focused on his 3rd spell light and decided to increase its level! He can feel that by increasing its level, the surging pain in his body would be easily amodated by his strong body art or technique!
[ Consume 30 energy points to improve Incorruptible Body? ]
"Yes!" Kyle answered without wasting any time. He doesn''t have the time toin about the expensive consumption!
As soon as he answered, he immediately felt that the pain has weakened a lot so he decided to continue.
[ Consume 60 energy points to improve Incorruptible Body? ]
[ Consume 120 energy points to improve Incorruptible Body? ]
"Yes¡"
As expected, the pain has be bearable after leveling it up¡ Although he can still feel his achings muscles, it feels like his body has be numb already.
He then checked his character panel to see his energy points.
[ Avable Energy: 33 ]
Seeing the remaining points, Kyle wryly smiled as he was truly lucky for being able to extract several corpses in thisboratory.
"H-how¡"
While Kyle was starting to calm down, he suddenly heard Heinz''s shocked voice.
Mr. Heinz didn''t fail to notice that Kyle had somehow fully absorbed the effects of the potion¡
It was iprehensible even for him!
Although the contents of the potion have enough mystical properties to reach the limit of the Intermediate Realm of the Incorruptible Body, it doesn''t mean that the consumer will really reach this realm!
Heinz is already happy if Kyle has sessfully amodated the Incorruptible Body even at the lowest Elementary Realm since that would be the normal result even with all the requirements he and his master have listed.
He didn''t expect that Kyle''s physique was so monstrous that it can fully absorb the effects of the potion without wasting any of it.
Kyle suddenly recalled the books about potions he read before and realized why Heinz was so surprised. However, it was already toote so he can only own it¡
After calming his breath, he replied with a tired voice. "I think I''m really lucky, Master Heinz¡ Ahem¡ I mean, your potions are truly effective. From the Spirit Enhancement, the Idle Mind, and this Anti-Corruption Force¡ All of them are of the highest quality out there."
Heinz gulped as he didn''t think that his potions were that impressive. Since he was the one who made it and he also has decades of experience in Dark Alchemy, he obviously knows the limits of his potions.
Nevertheless, before he could express his thoughts, Kyle quickly shifted the topic.
"Master Heinz, I just felt an increase in my life force. Did you not mention that only the Alchemy Arts of another Arcane Path can give such an effect on us?" He asked.
At this question, Heinz didn''t seem surprised as he answered with a mocking tone. "Heh¡ That increase is negligible¡ It''s already amazing that you felt that slight increase but do you think that that amount can really increase your lifespan? That might even be a natural vitality increase since you''re still young."
Kyle was stunned for a moment before gently nodding. Indeed, he''s still young and hasn''t reached his peak vitality yet. Also, the addition of 0.35 points is indeed pretty low¡
Nevertheless, this made him aware that some potions or techniques of the Dark Arts can still provide a small increase in his vitality. The rule that says the Dark Alchemy can''t increase the life force of the practitioners of the Dark Arts isn''t absolute.
''Although the amount is extremely small, it will umte if I continue to gather them.'' Kyle thought as he stood up slowly.
Heinz inspected Kyle''s body for a moment before shaking his head.
"It seems that you''ve really reached the Intermediate Realm¡ Go ahead and return to your room to rest. Don''t enter the Phantasm State for now. Wait for another hour or two. You might be feeling fine but you''re Phantasm State is currently exhausted."
"Yes, Master Heinz!" Kyle answered as he turned his back to return to his room.
However, before he could even make it out of theboratory, something unexpected happened.
Boom!
Kyle almost missed his step as an explosion followed by an earthquake disrupted his movement¡ Based on the sound of the explosion, it urred not too far from theboratory!
Chapter 38 Secret Orders
?"W-what was that?" Kyle nervously asked as he subconsciously looked at the Quince Furnace''s room.
Luckily, the explosion didn''t seem to be rted to the furnace so he shifted his focus to his Master. To his surprise, Mr. Heinz looked more scared than him!
Although he was also rmed by the explosion, he didn''t turn pale with fright like what was happening to Mr. Heinz.
"Master Heinz, are you alright? There must be an ident outside. We should get out and see what''s going on." Kyle said as he tried to remind his master.
"Everything will be fine, Master Heinz¡" Kyle added some reassuring words tofort his master.
''Wait¡ It should be the other way around. You should be the one reassuring me with your words.'' Kyle thought for a moment before shaking his head.
It''s not important right now. They should know what''s the situation outside.
As he opened the door of theboratory, he finally heard his master speak¡
"Be careful¡ Someone dared to attack the academy grounds they''re not simple¡"
Kyle froze on the spot after hearing this.
"M-master¡ Did you just say that someone just attacked the academy?"
''Aren''t they crazy?! Who would dare to attack this ce?! The Holy Arts Faction? The five churches?''
As Kyle''s mind raced, another explosion urred but this time, it was heavily suppressed and the ground had only trembled a little.
This time, he decided to just run outside to see what was happening. Aside from his curiosity getting the better of him, he also felt safer going outside as this is his natural reaction whenever there is an earthquake. He has to go outside in case the building suddenly starts copsing.
In any case, his master seems to have recovered a bit after being shocked and he should be strong enough to protect himself.
As he went out, Kyle realized that most of theborers and the kitchen staff had also stopped working as they figure out what was going on.
There, he saw Felix outside the factory and was looking at the dockyard like everyone else. Kyle followed their gaze and realized that the dockyard was indeed attacked!
Furthermore, there is an airship nearby that has a different emblem.
"Felix, do you know which faction is attacking the academy?" Kyle asked as he stood beside the man.
The dazed Felix jolted awake after hearing his words. Realizing that it was Kyle, Felix immediately rxed and replied with a soft voice.
"Look at that emblem on their airship, that''s definitely from the Holy Arts Faction''s Sentinels¡ Order of the Untainted Sentinels to be exact."
The emblem he was pointing at was the symbolic tree shrouded by a white me¡ Below this emblem was a sentence in Oardic, "Let there be eternal light".
"Are they attacking the Academy? Isn''t the war over?" Kyle asked in a confused tone.
"That may be true. But as you know, there are still a lot of people who hate the Dark Arts Faction. It''s not that surprising¡" Felix muttered thoughtfully before adding. "However, any conflicts would normally happen outside each other''s territory. This is the first time that the Sentinels dared to cause trouble here¡ Ah, I just heard these things from Sir Gerard."
Kyle nodded and didn''t doubt his words. He also felt that Gerard knows a lot of things since he had noticed a few mysticism books mixed with crafting books in his house before.
"Oh! They''re here!"
Soon, the crowd noticed a few people going out of the Academy¡ From the distance, Kyle can tell that a few of them seem to be Variants¡
There''s also another horse riding squad that was from the nearby tower and they are hurrying to the dockyard.
Kyle didn''t have to ask as he can already guess the identity of these ck-robed men¡
"Vessels¡"
Kyle muttered as he recalled the book he read before, it was the History of Vermont, Academy of Dark Arts.
The book mentioned the Dark Arts Faction''s Order of the Evanescent Vessels but he didn''t think too much of it since he felt that it was not necessary or helpful in learning the Dark Spells.
As for the reason why these people are called Vessels, he had a few guesses after reading some mysticism books and he couldn''t help but shudder just at the thought of it.
Soon, the two groups met at the dockyard where a couple of Academy''s Airships were destroyed. These airships were still burning and crumbling into pieces but as the group of Vessels arrived, the fire and smoke suddenly vanished and the airships were left in an unrecognizable state.
''I wonder what kind of Dark Spell they used to extinguish that¡'' Kyle muttered as he saw the changes.
He looked at the group of Sentinels and Vessels facing each other but obviously, he have no idea what their conversation is about.
They were too far¡
"Everyone, get inside and continue your work¡" All the workers that were outside the factory including Kyle suddenly heard Mr. Heinz''s voice.
Finally, the crowd realized that this is no time to gossip as they returned to work. Of course, everyone is still curious about this incident but they''re all afraid of their boss.
"You too¡ Go and rest inside¡ It''s too early for you to associate with them." Heinz said as he approached Kyle.
Kyle felt that it wasn''t just a warning but also a reminder... As he was about to reply, he nced at Heinz only to realize that the old man is no longer wearing hisboratory coat.
He''s wearing a ck robe draped over his gray frock coat simr to those Vessels!
Whoosh~
At this point, there is also a sudden change in the dockyard... A huge dome that seems to be made of shadow covered the entire dockyard and its surroundings!
Chapter 39 Reminder
?''What is it this time?''
The sudden change in the surroundings rmed Kyle as he stepped back intuitively. Although he was quite far from the dome of shadow, his senses is telling him that he was in danger.
Then, Heinz spoke again as he reminded his student.
"Return¡ Don''t look at it for long or you''ll suffer. I''ll be monitoring this ce."
With that said Kyle no longer hesitated as he returned inside the workshop worriedly. He wasn''t sure what happened just now but since his Master insisted, he knows that he has to suppress his curiosity.
Kyle could only sigh as he sat on his bed and pray that everything will be alright¡
''Ahh¡ Am I even a believer?'' Kyle suddenly realized that the god he was faithful to may not even exist in this world.
With that in mind, he searched the other Kyle''s memories to see whether his faith lies in some gods or goddesses in this world.
To his surprise, Kyle was actually an atheist¡ It was no wonder he doesn''t have clear memories of attending worship services in the city. He even has to dig into this memory just to be sure of it.
It was all because of his father who didn''t bother introducing him to any of the faiths¡ It''s probably because of his stingy personality that doesn''t want to donate any of his earnings.
Kyle shook his head after recalling this bit of memory.
Anyway, being an atheist doesn''t mean that he''s unaware of the widespread churches on the continent. There were five of them and they have churches or congregations in everyrge city or town.
In Melthorn City where he came from, the most prevalent was the Church of the Fortune Goddess followed by the Church of the Three Paragons.
As for the other three churches, they only have small chapels in the city to amodate the few believers in the area.
Kyle shook his head as he decided to just pray nheless¡ If it''s ineffective, he''ll consider praying to the other gods, especially the Fortune Goddess to bless him with wealth and health.
After he prayed for his safety and his fast recovery, he immediately fell asleep as his body was indeed quite tired after consuming that potion.
When he woke up, it was alreadyte at night and if not for Denise waking him up, he would probably miss his dinner since the kitchen staff was about to close the canteen.
After finishing his dinner, he went out to practice his Phantasm State again only to see Denise waiting for him.
"Denise, do you know what happened this morning?" Kyle instantly asked.
Theboratory is closed so he can''t ask his Master. As for the kitchen staff, he knows that they wouldn''t know anything considering their position.
"Why do you think I would know? It''s not like you''re unaware of my status?" Denise looked at him humorously as if he was an idiot.
Speaking of which, she was indeed correct. For some reason, he felt that Denise would know everything that was going on at the academy grounds
He can onlyugh at himself after realizing this habit.
"My bad¡ Do you know when will master return?" He asked.
"Yes¡ He also mentioned to me what happened." Denise replied with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Y-you¡" Kyle felt that he was being yed around but he was already an adult. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before asking the young girl calmly.
"What did Master Heinz say?"
"Tsk¡ You''re not fun¡ He said that the Untainted Sentinels were only trying to show their might. Nothing to be rmed about¡"
"Huh?" Kyle looked at Denise as he can''t tell whether this girl is joking or not.
"You''re telling me that they only came here to show off? They destroyed two airships¡" Kyle added as he was quite dumbstruck at this exnation. He can even see that the reparations and construction are still going on.
Denise can understand Kyle''s feelings about this but she''s also quite helpless. She can only remind him of what she heard from Sir Heinz.
"Sometimes, knowing less can save you from trouble. It''s better not to dig up on it until you''re on the same level with them."
Kyle understood what she meant so he can only suppress his curiosity. After a few moments, he recalled something and asked.
"Do you know if someone died?"
Denise seem to know that he was going to ask this so she answered with a smile.
"Don''t worry, I reminded Sir Heinz about your fetish. He went out to pick up the corpses for you to see."
Cough! Cough!
Kyle choked on his saliva as soon as he heard Denise''s words. It seems that she was spying on him most of the time!
"What did you say to Master Heinz?!"
"Heh heh¡ Do you not like it? Should I tell him not to bring any more corpses here?" Denise said with a teasing smile.
"W-wait¡ That''s not what I meant." Kyle replied as he was afraid that his supply of corpses would be cut off if she really did that.
This girl is truly unafraid of him but he can''t me her for that since he had truly learned a lot from her.
"I know¡ Just ask your master if you have more questions about what happened. However, I suggest that you just focus on your study¡ Once you entered that academy, it won''t be easy for you."
"Hmm?" Kyle curiously looked at her.
"Since you''re not from a prestigious family, you will be treated differently. If you''re targeted inside the academy, even Master Heinz would not be able to protect you.."
''Just like what happened to my sister¡'' Denise added in her mind.
Kyle remembered the novels and books he read before including some moves and dramas so he gently nodded. He can understand what she was implying with her words and wasn''t surprised about it.
After thanking her, Kyle continued with his Phantasm State training while hoping that his Master would return soon.
Chapter 40 Familiar Person
?Kyle knows that the matter this morning wasn''t as simple as what Heinz had described. Nevertheless, they were right that he''s not in a position where he needs to learn about these things.
He hasn''t even officially started his Arcane Studies yet!
Although he already has a mysticism foundation since he can already use Phantasm State and even has Dark Spells stored in his spell lights, it must be remembered that he wasn''t registered or has any record in the government that deals with those connected to the Arcane Path.
As far as he knows, he was reported as a dead man by Lesley in his registration form. He doesn''t even know whether his father was informed of his "death".
Kyle sighed as he shook his head to clear his random thoughts.
Since he had plenty of sleep today, he''s nning to spend his night training¡ His goal was to add at least 5 or more seconds in the duration of his Phantasm State!
"Enter¡"
Kyle muttered as he triggered his Phantasm State. His word wasn''t some sort of a chant or spell. This is simply Denise''s suggestion to resolve his 3 to 5 seconds dy when entering the Phantasm State normally.
Well, the dy can actually be longer than that if he wasn''t in a good condition or when he was stressed. Although a few seconds wasn''t long, if he was in a battle, that few seconds can be a matter of life and death.
To resolve this issue of concentration, Denise suggested using a word as a stimulus for the activation of the Phantasm State.
She also mentioned that once he got used to it, he may not even use his voice after a while and just trigger it by saying it in his mind.
As soon as he entered his Phantasm State, he confirmed that his Magic Zone has already reached twenty-five meters¡ This is a huge improvement considering he''s only been training for over a month.
He then summoned his two Ghost Hands as he controlled them to reach the edge of his zone¡
''Six seconds? That was quite slow¡'' Kyle mused as he looked at therge Ghost Hands. It seems that their size can impede their travel speed as well.
It was unfortunate that he can''t control the size of this Dark Spell.
After ying around for a while, he confirmed that his Phantasm State can nowst longer. It''s already 90 seconds!
''Is this the result of having the Incorruptible Body?'' Kyle mused¡
In a sense, the Phantasm State has something to do with the physical body of the spellcaster. After all, the body has to get used to it to extend its duration.
There are no other options.
''It''s really different from a normal Dart Arts Practitioner. Master Heinz did great¡'' Kyle thought as he knows that this uniqueness would surely bring him a great advantage over other students.
Kyle didn''t stop training until his Ghost Hands'' spell light became dim. It means that he already used up all the stored energy and he has to wait for a while to fill it up¡
''Should I just train inside the Animus Haven Hall?'' Kyle mused before shaking his head.
Although his spell light can quickly recover inside the hall, it was just too boring there. It was unlike here where there is a cold breeze from time to time and he could gaze at the stars to pass some of his time while waiting for the cooldown.
Kyle continued with his routine for another four hours before returning to his room. It seems that Mr. Heinz wouldn''t return this night so he can only give up his n to extract corpses.
In any case, he should have other opportunities to increase his attribute points at ater date.
''Ahh¡ I forgot about it.'' Kyle recalled something at this point as he pulled the drawer of his study table. There, he found the Spirit Converging Crystal collecting dust.
Since his Intelligence is already 10.28 points, it should be about time to check the white strand that will appear inside the crystal.
After holding the cold crystal with his right hand¡ He waited for the strand to appear.
It took several minutes before the response urred simr to his first try.
''Five strands¡ So it''s really 2 points of Intelligence per strand of spirit.'' Kyle mused as he ced the crystal on the desk so he won''t forget it the next day.
He was nning to see the number of Denise''s spirit strands tomorrow. He really wanted someparison since he felt that the third-year students who messed with Denise before were quite underwhelming.
If possible, he wanted topare with third-year or fourth-year students but since he doesn''t know one, he can only ask Denise to help him.
On the morning of the next day, Kyle immediately went to theboratory to see if there was a delivery of corpses made.
Unfortunately, Master Heinz hadn''t returned yet since yesterday.
"Did he join the fight and got injured?" Kyle muttered¡
Although Mr. Heinz would also bete from time to time, this is the first time that Kyle felt that something was wrong.
As he was nning to have his breakfast at the dining hall, he realized that someone was observing him from the end of the corridor. The familiar person was silent and unmoving¡
However, Kyle didn''t feel scared as he already obtained some sort of creepiness resistance after staying here for over a month.
"Vice headmaster?"
Chapter 41 Status
?Although he could barely remember this person, his chilling smile was something that had etched in his mind.
After all, this person had taken a small part of his shadow before he was sent to the factory! He could still remember that day.
ording to Mr. Heinz, the person''s identity is most likely the Vice Headmaster who had visited hisboratory on that same day. Unfortunately, Kyle had forgotten the man''s face so he wasn''t able to confirm it¡
"So you can remember me?" The pale-faced man asked as he didn''t deny his identity.
Kyle took a deep breath as he gently nodded to the Vice Headmaster. There''s no point panicking. In any case, he knows that he shouldn''t be in danger. If this person has bad intentions, he would have died already when he was still on that cart pulled by the Variant.
"Are you here for Master Heinz? He seem to have gone out yesterday after the disturbance in the dockyard. Would you like to wait inside theboratory?" Kyle asked unhurriedly as he stood on his spot.
The Vice Headmaster, on the other hand, didn''t answer and just walked closer to him.
Thetter almost flinched at this action but he maintained his position since he was not feeling any animosity from the Vice Headmaster in the first ce.
Then, Kyle suddenly heard the familiar cane that ripped his shadow. It had somehow appeared while the man was walking¡
''What Dark Spell was that? Illusion? Transformation?'' Kyle mused as he can''t figure out how did he miss the appearance of the cane.
Only when it struck the floor and made a sound did he notice its presence. It was magical and quite cool, to be honest¡ If possible, he wanted to learn this spell so he was already thinking of asking the Vice Headmaster about it.
The man then tapped Kyle''s shoulders twice before speaking¡ "You''re doing great¡ You already have two Dark Spells. Make sure not to add more if you want to attend the Academy next year."
Kyle froze as he realized that the Vice Headmaster can really sense his Spell Model¡ Nevertheless, what was even more shocking was his Incorruptible Body that is undetected by the Vice Headmaster!
He knows for sure that the man had only detected his Spell Dispersion and Ghost Hands¡
''So I was right¡ No wonder the third light wasn''t as imposed as the other two. The Incorruptible Body isn''t a Dark Spell but is considered as Dark Arts. Only dark spells are detectable from others¡'' Kyle has finally confirmed his thoughts about his third Dark Arts.
Unlike the Spell Dispersion and Ghost Hand''s Spell Model in his body, the Incorruptible Body can''t be used actively¡ It is a passive ability that he gained and it is basically his physique and not some sort of spell that can be used up or needed to be "refilled" with energy.
In short, he really doesn''t have to worry about being unable to enroll.
"Y-yes, Vice Headmaster. Master Heinz already reminded me."
"Mhmm¡ I see. You can now call me Headmaster Jean starting today." The man replied with an incredible sense of joy.
Kyle was speechless for a moment. He knows from the book he read that the Headmaster did not change ever since the Academy was built!
It was quite surprising that the Headmaster would just suddenly change!
''Is it rted to what happened yesterday? Is that the reason why Mr. Heinz can''t return yet? Urgh¡ I''m thinking too much¡ I must congratte him first.'' Kyle thought as he immediately changed his mood.
"Congrattions, Headmaster Jean." He calmly spoke.
''Lesley''s uncle is now the headmaster¡ How lucky¡'' Kyle added in his mind.
The evil woman truly had a solid background! No wonder she was able to spend a lot of money to buy Mr. Heinz''s potions¡
''Ahh¡ If I''m not mistaken, Headmaster Jean shouldn''t know about Mr. Heinz and Lesley''s transaction at that time. Tsk¡''
Although Kyle wanted Lesley to be reprimanded because of this, Mr. Heinz might be affected as well so he decided not to bring up this matter.
"I''ll be waiting for your master in hisboratory¡ You can go ahead."
"Yes, Headmaster Jean..." Kyle replied as he heaved a sigh of relief. He can finally leave the corridor.
After a few hours, Mr. Heinz finally arrived while leading a total of five carts pulled by the Variants. Needless to say, the carts were filled with corpses!
Furthermore, they are dressed as corpses! They weren''t just extractable, they are also lootable corpses!
Of course, Kyle didn''t follow his master since he knows that the Headmaster is still waiting in theboratory.
He would be scolded if he interrupted the discussion of the ''adults'' so he has to wait until Headmaster Jean was out.
It was only in thete afternoon did the Headmaster leave and this time, Kyle can finally recall half of his face!
Before, he can only vaguely recall the man''s smile showing his white teeth¡ However, he can now recall the lower half of his face which seems to be an improvement¡
As he was about to enter the workshop, he suddenly saw Denise so he quickly called her.
"Denise! Hold this¡" Kyle said as he handed the Spirit Converging Crystal to the girl.
"Ahh?" Denise was a bit surprised by his sudden approach but she still held the crystal.
Seeing the blue crystal in her hands, she immediately realized what Kyle wanted to happen.
She didn''t refuse as she also waited for the crystal to produce results.
"I''m also quite curious how many strands I''ll make¡ It has been a while since I got tested¡ Right, how many strands did you make? Are there any changes?" Denise asked with a teasing smile. She knows that it''s not easy to increase someone''s Spirit so she believes that Kyle still has the same result. Three white strands.
However, his answer exceeded her expectations.
"I only made five¡" Kyle answered.
In his mind, the corpses that were delivered a while ago will allow him to increase his stats once more so he didn''t mind revealing his current Spirit.
Chapter 42 Answer
?"Did you really make 5 strands? That was impressive. Are you sure you''re not from a family of Spellcasters?" Denise said in surprise. She can still recall how Kyle mentioned that he had only made three strands a month ago.
Anyway, since Denise''s older sister had attended the Academy for a while, she learned quite a few things from her¡ She also learned why her sister, Cressida, had be a target of envy from the sons and daughters of the so-called noble families.
She remembered how Cressida mentioned that one of the first activities in the academy was to determine the Spiritual Force of the students.
At that time, Cressida had produced a total of 15 white strands while her ssmates that are supposedly nobles and such had only produced 3 to 8 strands!
The difference is so huge that it was no wonder she failed to befriend anyone and has even be a target for the nobles. Furthermore, Cressida was only starting in her Arcane Path so she had a lot of potential to grow.
This resulted in numerous threats to her life until she disappeared.
''Well, I''ll warn him of the dangers if it reaches eight¡'' Denise thought as she looked at Kyle''s face.
Then, she realized that Kyle wasn''t focusing on her question and was instead looking at the crystal in her hands. At this time, the Spirit Converging Crystal in her hands had already shown results¡
There were a total of 17 strands in it!
"W-what¡ 17 strands and your magic zone is small? Did you not mention to me that you can only cover 18 meters at that time? Are you neglecting your training? I can''t believe your magic zone is that small considering your massive Spiritual Force¡" Kyle said in surprise.
The difference in their strands is indeed huge.
He only has 5 strands but he can already cover twenty-five meters! Although what was needed to increase the magic zone is the physique''s adaptiveness to the mystical state, it doesn''t mean that the Spiritual Force wasn''t part of it.
Denise didn''t seem surprised at his reaction and she looked at him with aplicated gaze.
"Heh¡ I can only train normally. I''m not like you that can drink those potions that were worth 10,000 zen each."
"R-right¡" Kyle nodded as he felt really thankful for the resources that his master gave him.
"You''ve had Spirit Enhancement Potion including that Idle Mind Potion. If I managed to drink those potions as well, it might get a lot easier to expand my Magic Zone."
"Well, I might learn how to make these potions someday. In the future, as long as you have the ingredients, I won''t charge you abor fee and I''ll make them for you." Kyle can only give her an empty promise after seeing her feeling down.
"Hurry and get in¡ If you''rete, Sir Heinz might put send those corpses to the furnace already."
With this reminder, Kyle hurriedly went to theboratory. He realized that the carts where the corpses are piled up are still in the corridor outside theboratory.
''Right¡ I didn''t see the Variants go out just now.'' Kyle mused as he ignored the corpses for now to check theboratory.
There, he saw Mr. Heinz seemingly busy. There are items on his workbench and he seemed quite nervous handling them.
''No wonder the Variants can''tplete their delivery.''
Realizing that it was not appropriate to enter, he decided toplete his extraction in the corridor.
Kyle cautiously nced at the Variants¡ They still looked quite scary with patches all over their bodies but he was no longer scared of them.
"You can leave the corpses here. I will be carrying them inside once Mr. Heinz finished his job." Kyle decided to speak to them since he knows that Variants have brains and can understand instructions.
They may not be capable ofmunicating with their stitched mouths, but they can still understand what he was saying.
"¡"
The Variants didn''t reply so he continued.
"I will be staying here to guard the corpses. They''re not going anywhere. I''m sure you have other tasks so you can just leave them here. Take the cartster tonight or tomorrow when it''s convenient." Kyle said as he tried to appear reliable in front of the Variants.
"¡"
Finally, after more than a minute of staring contest with the Variants, Kyle saw them lowering the handle of the carts before stepping out.
Soon, the five Variants left the carts to Kyle without any words¡
"Phew¡"
Kyle heaved a sigh of relief as he started working. He finally had the time to observe the corpses and realized that the first two carts have corpses that are wearing normal working clothes. If he would make a guess, they''re probably some of the workers in the dockyard that had perished after the attack happened.
''"re they going to be incinerated as well? Aren''t they normal people? They didn''t drink the Darkness Possession so they shouldn''t be a vessel for evil spirits and be evil creatures after death..."
Kyle muttered in confusion as he recalled the reason why they are being incinerated in the first ce.
In any case, he didn''t think too much of it as he started his extraction.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes."
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +2 Vitality +0.01 ]
"¡"
Kyle had to pause for a moment after seeing the result.
This is the first time he had extracted a Vitality Attribute! It was quite unbelievable and also a pleasant surprise to him.
"So it''s ordinary humans¡ I can only extract vitality points from those unrted to Mysticism or Arcane Path¡"
Kyle finally had an answer to this mystery as he continued his extraction with mixed feelings.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +2 Vitality +0.01 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +2 Vitality +0.01 ]
¡
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +2 Vitality +0.01 ]
Chapter 43 Improvement
?A total of 18 bodies were extracted from the two carts filled with ordinary people.
His Vitality has now turned into 1.03 points finally exceeding a whole number!
Then, with the addition of 36 energy points from the eighteen corpses, his Avable Energy is now 69 points.
The bodies of normal humans can only provide 2 points of energy each which seems to be the limit for their kind.
Then, Kyle continued extracting the third, fourth, and fifth carts and all of them were Spellcasters like him.
Surprisingly, his extractions this time weren''t mostly intelligence, it was mostly strength this time¡
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Strength +0.20 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Strength +0.20 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Agility +0.21 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Intelligence +0.22 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Strength +0.20 ]
***
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +8 Strength +0.20 ]
"Hmm¡ Now that I look at it, these people are all quite pale¡" Kyle muttered after observing the bodies for a while.
Of course, the paleness he was talking about wasn''t simr to the paleness brought by being frozen or losing blood¡
Most of the people in the town and the students in the academy were slightly tannedpared to these bodies. It''s probably because of the region they were in so he could easily tell the difference.
Furthermore, he can see their faces clearly since their death didn''t involve physical weapons. It appears that most of them died through Dark Spells¡
''Are these people actually from the south? They''re from that airship brought by the Untainted Sentinels? However, they seem too weak¡ They''ve only provided a small number of attributes. There''s no way they would think of attacking this ce with such a weak lineup, right?'' Kyle surmised as he believes that it was too ambitious to send these levels of attackers to one of the strongholds of the Dark Arts Faction.
Anyway, he didn''t look into it too much as he decided to check whether they still have belongings in their pockets.
Unfortunately, aside from their clothes, all of them had their items taken away already. Not even a single coin was left.
"That''s enough¡" Kyle muttered as he decided to check his attributes this time.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 6.78, Agility 5.47, Intelligence 11.82, Vitality 1.03 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv2, Ghost Hand Lv5, Incorruptible Body Lv4 ]
[ Avable Energy: 261 ]
Kyle couldn''t help but smile after seeing his progress.
He felt fortunate to be able to stay here in the workshop for several more months. Once he entered the academy, it would be a lot more difficult to extract corpses and his progress would certainly halt.
Unless he learned how to increase his attribute on his own without the help of his system, it would be difficult for him to raise his attributes.
After a couple of hours, Heinz had finished his job and instructed him to undress and line up the corpses. It didn''t take him that long thanks to his improved strength. He can now easily carry the bodies instead of just dragging them on the floor.
After a while, Kyle finally had the time to ask Heinz and satisfy his curiosity.
"Master Heinz, may I know why ordinary people are going to be incinerated here as well? If I''m not mistaken, most of the bodies being sent here were at least rted to mysticism. But there were quite a lot of them who didn''t seem to have any rtions to the Arcane Path¡"
"Oh? So you''re sensitive to this as expected¡ Were you able to tell it through their physique or their blood? How did you differentiate them?" Heinz just answered with a question but Kyle was quite helpless about this. He can only answer his Master for now.
"It might be rted to my physique¡ After touching them, I can somehow tell a slight difference between those who had started their Arcane Path and not."
Heinz nodded at this answer and he didn''t find it weird.
"Your physique is much better than I expected. This is a good thing¡ In any case, the Quince Furnace that we have here is special¡ Any corpses will be helpful to us in making potions or even forging special steel. However, I can''t just hog all the corpses being sent to the Academy since the other departments have used them as well."
"R-right¡ So even ordinary humans can be used in the furnace¡ You mentioned before the Necromancy Department uses corpses for their experiments, are there any other departments aside from that?"
"Of course. There''s even a department that would purposely bury some corpses and wait for them to be possessed by evil spirits and turn into evil creatures."
"Ahhh? Isn''t that dangerous? What department was that?"
"Corruption¡ Essential Corruption Department."
Kyle paused for a moment as he looked at Heinz''s face to make sure that he wasn''t joking¡
''Essential Corruption? When did corruption be essential?'' Kyle could only nod and notment on it. In any case, he would learn about this once he started his study.
The two then chatted for a while as Kyle mentioned his meeting with the previous Vice Headmaster. As expected, the recent attack seems to be rted to the changes inside the Academy.
Heinz didn''t delve too deeply into this but it''s already enough for Kyle to know that Headmaster Jean is the absolute ruler of thisnd.
It''s better not to get on his bad side.
***
After a couple of weeks, Kyle finally had the time to return to 4 Silver Street to take his pocket watch. It was long overdue but since he already made a downpayment, Sir Gerard was able to wait for him.
Mr. Heinz had given him plenty of tasks to get used to his Incorruptible Body so he barely has time to rest.
Now that he obtained it, Kyle couldn''t wait to inspect it. After all, this pocketwatch seems to be rted to his transmigration!
Chapter 44 Seal
?Click!
Kyle pressed the top of the pocketwatch to flip open the cover. There, he saw the well-made timepiece with a simple gold pattern. It looks the same ording to Kyle''s previous memories¡
''Everything seems to be normal¡'' Kyle thought as he checked the time.
However, he didn''t stop inspecting since ording to the books he read, there are many mystical items in this world but almost all of them are dormant.
They needed to fulfill certain requirements in order to awaken them. Furthermore, there are mystical items that are truly evil so he has to be careful in case he got affected by them.
Kyle took a deep breath before entering his Phantasm State.
"Enter¡"
The moment he said this, his vision immediately focused on the pocketwatch¡
"It''s really mystical¡" Kyle mused after noticing a tiny ck me inside the pocketwatch¡ ording to that book, the ck me represents the mystical properties of the item.
However, it was quite small than what he was expecting. The size wasn''t even half of his fingernail. Furthermore, as Kyle ced it down on the desk, the tiny me disappeared from his vision. It means that the item can only be activated while being held or it has certain properties that would make it unnoticeable unless it was held.
Kyle then picked it up again to continue his inspection.
Even if it has mystical prowess, it seems to be quite useless¡ ording to the books he read, this tiny me can probably attract weak ghosts or minor bad luck to the wearer.
Of course, he wasn''t sure about its specific effects yet so he can only make a guess. Anyway, it should be in a very negligible state so as long as he doesn''t deliberately trigger the ck me, there shouldn''t be a problem.
Once he learned more about mystical items, that the time he will try to experiment with them.
''However¡ This also means that it''s not a dormant item¡'' Kyle mused as he decided to learn the sealing method he found in one of the books in the small library.
This is to ensure his safety and those in his surroundings.
This sealing method isn''t a secret method and it can be learned in the first three years inside the academy so it wasn''t surprising that Mr. Heinz has a book for it.
With this in mind, Kyle began his study¡ He decided not to bother his master to seal it for him since he believes that there is no immediate danger from it.
***
Two months had quickly passed and during this time, he tried sealing the pocketwatch only to fail all the time.
Today, the 14th of August, year 893, would be his 4th attempt to seal the pocketwatch.
He has been using the Animus Haven Hall toplete the sealing process since the location meets one of the conditions in making the ritual.
It is a ce that is filled with the essence of Darkness. Well, he wasn''t sure what the essence of Darkness was, but Mr. Heinz mentioned that this hall has plenty of it so he decided to just use the ce with his permission.
Currently, Kyle is wearing his white shirt and light brown trousers while on his barefoot. He''s crouching on the ground as he ensures the condition of his magic circle.
"I hope everything goes well this time¡" Kyle muttered with a sigh while holding a bottle filled with liquid mercury.
The magic circle he made is very smallpared to the one on the floor of the hall. Furthermore, this isn''t an engraved magic circle but one that is made with silver powder.
The circle has the pattern of an eight-angled star with two ovepping circles inside and a crescent moon shape at the center.
Beside this crescent moon is his golden pocketwatch.
Just with all of this, he can already start his sealing process. He simply has to call the ''Eternal Darkness'' to seal it for him¡ However, the problem with this is the fact that he has barely started his Arcane Path so ording to Mr. Heinz, his connection with the Darkness isn''t that deep yet.
This is probably the reason for his failure during his first attempt. The second attempt was to request the sealing process to be done by the Eternal Darkness'' Hallowed Spirit. It seems to be part of the Eternal Darkness that is tasked with this kind of request.
It was sessful but the sealing was too weak!
It onlysted for five days and it was broken immediately. At this point, Kyle had no choice but to ask Mr. Heinz for his guidance. In exchange, he would have to practice his Spell Dispersion with him for 6 hours every day in two sessions. It was hell for Kyle since dispersing this expert''s attack would be deadly for him if he failed even once.
In any case, the third attempt was to make some changes to the magic circle. It had failed as well but it was a mistake on his part during his prayer.
He simply can''t restart the ritual since he has to purchase the silver powder every time he failed and procuring them isn''t easy.
Today''s fourth attempt is simr to the third attempt, he will add the liquid mercury so the Hallowed Spirit can channel stronger power to seal the pocketwatch¡
''I can do this¡''
Kyle took a deep breath as he started the ritual.
He poured the liquid mercury into the outer circle of the silver powder.
Then, without wasting any of his time, he started his prayer.
"Hallowed Spirit, the ruler below the Eternal Darkness, hear my voice in my time of need.
Lead me so I can bring darkness into my encumbrance¡
I request this of you with true devotion... Empower me with your glorious soul.
Seal this Mystical Item with your unlighted me¡"
After finishing his prayer, he entered his Phantasm State and felt the power of the Darkness.
Soon, the silver and the mercury "melted" together and disappeared living a burn mark on the floor. At this time, Kyle saw the tiny me of the pocketwatch and became still like it was frozen¡
"Sess¡" Kyle muttered as he heaved a sigh of relief.
Then, he heard another voice behind him.
"Congrattions¡"
It was Mr. Heinz who has been watching him from the darkness all this time.
Chapter 45 New Identity
?Kyle was startled after hearing this but as soon as he recognized the owner of the voice he couldn''t help but look behind him with a helpless look on his face.
"Master Heinz, please don''t scare me like that. I didn''t even hear you enter from the door. Is there a secret passage here? Or did you use some sort of teleportation technique?"
"Hah¡ Teleportation? I didn''t think I would hear that again. There was no way I can use something like that." Heinz said as he walked closer.
"So that ability really exists¡ That''s good to know." Kyle muttered thoughtfully.
"Just how many bottles of silver powder did you use this time? It''s not cheap, you know?"
"Ahem¡ I just want to make sure that this pocketwatch won''t cause trouble."
"Mhmm¡ Can I inspect it?" Heinz asked.
"Of course. If possible, can Master also check how long will this sealst?"
Heinz agreed before Kyle handed the pocketwatch¡
Although Kyle asked for his master''s opinion about the sealing ritual, he didn''t mention anything about the pocketwatch at all. This is also the first time that Heinz saw him perform the sealing ritual.
"Mhmm? Isn''t the energy contained too low? There''s no need to seal this item at all. The Level 2 Sealing Ritual you performed is enough to seal this for about 10 years or even more. Ahh, you''re just practicing, right?" Heinz asked after realizing the negligible mystical properties of the pocketwatch.
Normally, this kind of low-grade mystical item wouldn''t need ritual sealing at all. Suppressing it with one''s power would be enough to ensure that it won''t act up.
"Y-yes, Master Heinz¡ It''s a practice. I''m already training my Spells and Phantasm State. I''ve also finished reading all the books on the shelves... So doing what I''ve learned would be very helpful for my growth."
"Very well. It''s indeed good to experience certain rituals¡ Just make sure you do it here to be safe."
"I understand, Master Heinz¡ Can you also tell what kind of effect this tiny ck me does if remains unsealed?"
At this question, Mr. Heinz closed his eyes as he tried recalling the specifics of this mystical property.
"Mhmm¡ Since it''s a ck me with no other properties around it, it has something to do with death. However, since it''s incredibly tiny, at most, it can probably attract bad luck once every other month if you''re wearing it all day."
"Once every other month¡ I guess it''s not a big deal but it''s better to seal it as well."
Heinz nodded and added. "You can also suppress it with your energy¡ Anyway, if you deliberately trigger it, you can probably use it as a catalyst to bring illness to your target. Well, you''ll learn it in the academy. It should be a ss called Rudimentary Usage of Mystical Artifacts. You should pass that subject. It''s important."
"Yes, Master Heinz!"
After confirming that Kyle''s ritual wouldn''t cause trouble, Heinz finally left leaving him to continue with his practice.
Click¡
Kyle checked the pocket watch once more as he looked at the unmoving me inside by entering his Phantasm State.
''I think it had gotten bigger¡ But the difference is too little¡ I can''t confirm yet.'' Kyle shook his head as he decided to check it once more after a few months.
Checking it every day would make it more difficult for him to see the minuscule changes.
With this in mind, Kyle just continued practicing his spells since there are no other things to do anymore. There is no corpse delivery and there are no more books to read.
Of course, he would also re-read a few advanced books from time to time. Even though he doesn''t understand most of them,mitting them to his memory might be useful once he started his Arcane Studies.
Time passed quickly and in a blink of an eye, the enrollment for the freshmen of Year 894 had just ended.
Last year''s sses started on May 8 of Year 893 while this year, the sses would start on Monday, the 7th of May.
Kyle still has less than 5 days to wait and currently, he''s in town buying new clothes and other things he might need inside the academy.
During this time, Kyle has alreadypleted the special training arranged by Mr. Heinz. Unfortunately, he doesn''t have anyone topare with so he was still unsure how he differs from the nobles or those people who grew up from a family with mysticism background.
"Vale!"
As Kyle was waiting for his turn in the tailor shop, he heard someone calling for Vale outside the shop. He ignored this as he continued reading the fashion magazine in his hands.
"Vale¡"
Again, he heard the name being called by a familiar woman''s voice¡ However, this time, she was already closer to him.
Finally, he recalled something as he immediately look up and answered. "Yes?"
There, he saw Denise looking at him with a smile. She then pursed her lips as she whispered to him.
"You have to get used to your new name¡ Hurry up, Sir Heinz is waiting." Denise said as she turned around and left.
Kyle could only sigh as he advised the tailor that he''ll be out for a while.
''I already expected to have a new identity but I really can''t get used to this name¡''
Apparently, he had three choices for a new name that Heinz had prepared for him.
They were Eustace, Clovis, and Vale. All of them were rted to Heinz and had a noble background. Even the Headmaster has already agreed to this¡
Eustace is an orphan adopted by Whithope Family. It is a family working for Heinz. He is supposedly 14 years old this year but was killed by one of Heinz''s experiments. No one knows him aside from the Patriarch of the Whithope and Heinz himself.
Clovis Becker, on the other hand, was Heinz''s nephew. He also suffered the same fate as Eustace.
Lastly, was Vale Chambers.
ording to Heinz, Vale was vulgar and petnt, but very capable. This is to be expected from somebody with a gruesome past.
He was born and grew up in a fairly rich family in a developing port, he lived in peace until he was about 8 years old, but at that point, life took a turn for the worst.
He lost his family to a food shortage and was caught up with the wrong people. Heinz found him when he was 11 years old in the streets and was finally adopted by the Chambers Family through his rmendation. Unfortunately, he was only able to survive until two years ago...
What Kyle liked about Vale''s identity is the benefits he''ll get from being part of the Chambers Family.
Chapter 46 Last Warning
?Heinz was waiting inside a normal bookstore in the town. The ce looks abandoned right now but the store also sells popr novels so every time there is a new release of books from popr authors, the store can very busy at times.
At the moment, Heinz had closed the store to meet Kyle here. As for Denise, she would have to return to the workshop since it was time to clean theboratory, or so he thought.
Cling¡ Cling¡
The bells chimed as the door opened. Kyle entered the store and found Heinz on the counter reading a novel.
The Vanity of Turald¡
ording to his memories, Turald is a fictional vampire character and is quite popr among young adults. Even Denise had read a couple of volumes about this vampire. He didn''t expect that even Heinz would be interested in this.
This is quite unexpected for Kyle.
Thump.
The book closed as Heinz noticed that Kyle has arrived.
"It''s good to read a few novels or just those popr ones from time to time. You can use it to make friends inside the academy."
"Yes, Master Heinz. I''ll keep it in mind."
Heinz looked at Kyle for a while before shaking his head.
"Sometimes, I''m wondering whether you''re really 14 years old. Even if the training and potions I gave you helped in increasing your spirit, they won''t make you mature so easily. Although you seem clumsy and incapable at the beginning, you grew so quickly and had gotten used to the world of mysticism so easily¡" Heinz paused for a moment before he continued.
"I also noticed that you befriended those workers who are probably 20 years older than you. You''re quite unusual¡ In any case, all the workers in the workshop except Denise would be sent away to ensure that no one knows you here, Vale Chambers."
"Y-you''re not going to kill them, are you?" Kyle blurted as he felt something off.
"Heh¡ I''m not as cruel as you think¡ Although I can experience bouts of madness because of the Dark Spells I''ve learned, I''m not that evil to kill those who had worked for me for a long time."
Kyle heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this.
Then, Kyle heard footstepsing from the inner room of the store.
With a creaking noise, the door behind the counter opened, and a blonde nobledy came into sight.
Her overcoat is unbuttoned revealing the rather simple dress worn underneath. The smooth, corset-like tied fabric of her dress covers her stomach where the continuous flow is broken up by a light leather belt worn low around her waist¡ It was a beautiful sight...
Kyle had just seen this outfit in one of the fashion magazines in the tailor shop a while ago.
''It looks more impressive in person.'' Kylemented in his mind as he shifted his gaze from the gorgeousdy to Heinz.
"This is Baroness Florence Chambers¡ You already heard about her but I still need you to meet each other."
"I understand, Master Heinz..." Kyle answered with a gentle nod.
He then recalled all the information about her.
''She''s the only member of the Chambers Family excluding me¡ She owns a manor in the countryside. She didn''t re-marry after her husband died. Vale Chambers, her adopted son, died early after a certain experiment failed. Florence, Vale''s mother, is also about to die due to a certain disease that Master Heinz didn''t mention¡ However, she doesn''t look unhealthy at all.''
Anyway, once Florence dies in another year or two, Kyle would be inheriting her title once he had be an adult.
At first, Kyle thought that it would be bothersome to take over such responsibility but in the end, he chose this identity since Eustace and Clovis'' identities were either too troublesome or too poor.
Of course, it is only one of the reasons why he chose the Chambers Family.
"Are you curious why she''s about to die although she looks so healthy?" Heinz asked as if he could read his thoughts.
Kyle nodded as he was indeed curious.
"It''s because she can''t adapt the Incorruptible Body¡"
"Ahh¡ She also consumed that Anti-Corruption Force Potion?" Kyle asked in surprise.
This time, it was Florence who answered.
"Yes¡ The Malefic Branch is something that our Master wanted to achieve¡ The Whithope Family, the Becker Family, the Chambers Family, and Master''s ckcolt Family worked together to create this Branch. I really thought that we would fail in the end¡ Your existence is the proof that we''ve seeded¡ It''s a pity that almost all the pioneer researchers have already died¡ It was only Sir Heinz who was left."
''Malefic Branch¡ It sounds suitable for Dark Arts'' branch¡'' Kylemented in his mind as he looked at his Master.
"Yes¡ However, it isn''t over yet¡ The Malefic Branch isn''t just about Spell Dispersion and Incorruptible Body¡ Kyle¡ªNo, Vale Chambers¡ There are a few things left that I need to study but my days are also numbered. I probably have three more years. During this time, I will try to explore this path but I can''t guarantee anything¡ It will be all up to you so you have to study well¡ Don''t get captured by Lesley."
"W-what?" Kyle wasn''t expecting that his Master would suddenly announce such a thing. He thought that he only needed to inherit the new branch of Dark Arts. As for Lesley''s matters, he had long noted it in his mind.
Before he could ask even further, Heinz continued.
"I will leave today with Florence since I can''t continue my research in the workshop anymore. Denise wille with me as well. I decided to nurture her from now on."
"¡"
Kyle felt that things are happening too quickly¡
Then, Florence walked closer and handed over a ne to Kyle.
"This is the proof of your identity as the only son of the Chambers Family. Keep it well."
Seeing this, Heinz reminded Kyle onest time.
"If you ever had to go outside the academy, be careful of the Holy Arts Factions¡ They are cruel and many of them are true believers of the devils."
Thesest words had certainly confused Kyle even more but the two already left using the backdoor.
Chapter 47 Unplanned
?Kyle was stumped by the sudden disappearance of the two people¡ They didn''t even wait for him to ask questions.
''Why are you in a hurry?!''
Even though they have long nned this, Kyle was at least expecting some celebration since he was already about to enter the Academy.
Furthermore, he wasn''t just a simple student who has been recruited from one of the recruitment sites.
He is the inheritor of the Malefic Arts or the new branch of the Dark Arts that the four families had built over the past few decades.
Kyle could only sigh as he looked at the ne given to him by Madam Florence. He wasn''t sure if he will ever meet her again so it was quite a pity that he couldn''t even ask some questions regarding his new identity or the things he has to look out for.
As he inspected the ne in his hands, he realized that even though it was a thin silver chain ne that shouldn''t be that expensive, it has an exquisite gemstone as its pendant.
"Hmmm?"
Kyle may not be a jeweler in his current life or his previous life, but he knows that this red gem is most likely a ga. If it has a deeper color, he might think of it as a ruby¡ In any case, what attracted his attention was the tiny obsidian sword inside the ga stone!
''So this is an artificial gemstone?'' Kyle mused as he wondered how the sword got stuck inside. In any case, he entered his Phantasm State.
As soon as he did this, his vision swiftly shifted to the ne in his hands. As expected, the ne has signs of being a mystical item.
There is a pale glimmer of blue light surrounding the whole ne in his hands. The glimmer is even stronger as it gets to the pendant.
Unlike his unlucky pocketwatch which shows a tiny ck me, this ne''s blue light or glimmer means something good.
ording to the books he read, this is the simplest mystical item out there that provides enhanced durability.
It is specifically called Spirit Protection. It is something that can be learned by those with a background in Arcane Studies even before going to the Academy.
People would normally use this method to ensure that their precious items wouldn''t be damaged, get rust, or even get dirty while being stored.
The most it could do is protect the item itself so Kyle has nothing to worry about wearing this ne all the time.
After wearing it around his neck, Kyle looked at the book that Heinz was previously reading¡ He noticed just now that when he activated his Phantasm State, the book with the title, The Vanity of Turald, was also showing signs of being a mystical item.
"Ahhh? Did he really just leave it here?" Kyle muttered in surprise. As soon as he opened the book, he found out that the content was different from the cover! This is definitely a book of mysticism!
The paper book cover was removable so Kyle gently took it off as he read the true title of the book.
The Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted¡
''This doesn''t sound like a legal book¡'' Kyle paused for a moment as he flipped the book open once more¡
After a few minutes, Kyle took a deep breath as he couldn''t help but reprimand Master Heinz in his mind¡ After all, what if he didn''t use his Phantasm State? What if he didn''t notice the mystical properties of this book? Wouldn''t it be dangerous to let it stay here?
Wouldn''t it be a waste if he didn''t get to learn this?
Kyle had mixed feelings about this sudden discovery. He immediately, returned the paper cover of the book to disguise it as the romance book of the vampire.
After that, he looked at the table once more using his Phantasm State to ensure that he didn''t miss anything¡ Then, he returned to the tailor shop as he needed some set of new clothes from the academy.
Although he will receive three sets of his uniform as part of the tuition fee, he also needed some casual clothes.
He also needs to have a set of shoes so he can''t return to the workshop yet.
***
After two hours in the town, Kyle returned to the workshop only to be greeted by the new manager who had reced Mr. Heinz. She seemed to be a strict middle-aged woman with nted brows and oval-shaped reading ss resting on her nose.
She introduced herself as Madam Celia and she was already informed about Vale''s early arrival in the academy''s territory. She doesn''t know him as Kyle and only knows that he will be staying in the workshop for the remaining days until the opening of the Academy.
After greeting her, Kyle continued to the corridor leading to the closedboratory and to his room¡
''Should I also tell Mr. Gerard about the change in my name?'' Kyle mused as he entered his room. After pondering for a while, he decided to just casually inform him about this.
"I''ll just tell him it''s my real name and Kyle was an alias when I was still working part-time in the workshop¡ I can just me it as a noble thing¡"
In any case, it''s not like he had done a crime and that the police are chasing after him.
It was only to ensure that Lesley would forget about his existence and avoid confusing the records since there should be a dead Kyle Marshall already.
On the next day, Kyle was surprised that there is another delivery of corpses! Madam Celia can also handle them but she decided to inform Vale about it since she was also notified that this young man has been helping Mr. Heinz with the Quince Furnace¡
Kyle didn''t expect this as he thought that all the deliveries from the recruitment sites werepleted two days ago.
"W-wait¡ This is not from the recruitment sites!"
Chapter 48 Shadows Fault
?The delivery that was made by the Variants today was different from the one two days ago. These bodies are all adults!
Just by seeing this, he can already tell that these people did not die from trying their luck in surviving the Darkness Possession. It must be something else!
Kyle then walked closer to a couple of carts in the corridor sent by the Variants.
After further inspection, the bodies have injuries again on their foreheads like they were shot by a bullet or stabbed by a sharp object.
"This injury again? Madam Celia, do you know what''s the cause of their deaths?" Kyle asked. His Master didn''t bother answering his question so he decided to try his luck with the new manager.
"Mhmm? Didn''t they die after being shot in their heads?" Celia asked in return as she nced at him slightly confused.
Kyle wryly smiled as he shook his head.
"It''s quite weird that there are no signs of blood. There is no pration of the bullet on the other side. It even feels like they have a hallowed skull."
Kyle feels like a huge syringe was used to stab their skull and extracted their brain matter. That''s right, this is what he was thinking all this while when he investigated the first corpse. He just didn''t want to admit it since it was too weird¡
However, over the past few months when his knowledge about the world of mysticism deepens, he learned that these things weren''t that impossible to happen.
"Well, they might be those unregistered practitioners¡ You know that those in the ninth year and tenth year students will help hunt those who are practicing mysticism without a license, right?"
"Aahh¡ It was actually their task. I didn''t know. I only know that there were people assigned to hunt those who are practicing any of the Arcane Arts without permission."
"Indeed¡ They were only helping the officials for some time for the experience. I''m thinking that this is the result of their job or something. Even if it''s their vacation, they would normally continue their hunting job if they encountered one¡"
Kyle nodded after hearing this exnation. Of course, this still doesn''t exin how they died.
Seeing that "Vale" was looking serious, Celia added.
"Well¡ It''s not important, is it? As long as they don''t turn into evil creatures¡ That should be enough. In any case, they''re doing that to lessen the number of evil creatures roaming around... So don''t think too much of it."
She also noticed the abnormalities of their deaths but she knows not to dwell on this for her own good.
"You''re right¡ I will help arrange them since I have nothing else to do."
"Thank you¡ This is also my first time sending corpses to the Quince Furnace so I''d really want your help this time---Ahhh, you''re undressing them?" Celia asked in surprise after seeing what Kyle was doing.
"Yes¡ Sir Heinz said that their clothes and other belongings would be sent to normal furnaces while the bodies would be sent to the Quince Furnace. Did he say something different?"
"Well, he didn''t mention it specifically so I thought that everything goes in there..." Celia replied as she continued watching Kyle.
The young man was quick on this task so Celia can tell that he''s been doing this for quite a while now.
''Won''t it be difficult for me once he left? Should I also get an apprentice or assistant?'' Celia mused as she decided to help.
However, instead of doing it manually simr to what Kyle does, she decided to use her Ghost Hands.
Kyle didn''t miss this as he entered his Phantasm State as soon as one of the bodies started getting naked.
Soon, he realized that Celia also has two Ghost Hands that were smaller than his Ghost Hands¡ Furthermore, the Ghost Hands even seem like they are female hands¡
It feels like Kyle''s Ghost Hands were from a 9 ft tall giant while Celia''s Ghost Hands were from a young female in her teens¡ It looks quite delicate but at the very least, her hands look more solid than the illusory hands that Kyle summoned.
"Ahem¡ This is the first time I''ve seen that version of Ghost Hand¡" Kyle couldn''t help butment after seeing it.
Celia didn''t seem surprised at this reaction as she replied with a smile. "Don''t worry, you''ll be able to change your Ghost Hands if you reached the Advanced Realm. Well, that will probably happen in your 7th or 8th year if you learned it now."
"Eight years? I''ll probably be bored and learn a different skill instead." Kylemented. Of course, he can simply increase the realm with enough energy points. There is no need to wait or practice it for such a long time.
"Well, that''s for average students¡ In any case, I''m sure you won''t be bored once you entered the Academy."
"Did you also graduate from the Academy, Madam Celia?" Kyle asked while continuing his task. Then, he suddenly recalled that the Academy was only built 11 years ago.
Lesley''s batch might even be the first graduates!
Celia justughed it off and replied.
"I did not¡ However, I had a niece and nephews study there so I know you won''t be bored."
"Really?" Kyle was doubtful. Ten years of study was too long. Anyway, he indeed doesn''t feel anything wrong about it¡ As a matter of fact, he weirdly feels excited to go and study.
"Well, it might be something to do with the tradition."
"Tradition?" Kyle repeated.
"Yes¡ The Academy''s Vice Headmasters might take a part of your shadow¡ It''s not bad for you, it will onlypel you to stay and study in the Academy and not betray the Dark Arts Faction. Ahhh¡ªI probably shouldn''t have said that¡"
As soon as Kyle heard this, he immediately felt everything making sense. No wonder he didn''t have the urge to leave after arriving here! Even after learning the benefits of his Extraction System, he didn''t have the guts to leave this ce and go to variousrge cities to extract corpses!
It was all that damn extracted shadow''s fault!
Chapter 49 The Nobles
?''So it was like that¡ No wonder Sir Heinz isn''t worried that I''ll just suddenly flee or disappear after they''ve left. That missing shadow is unconsciously forcing me to attend the academy and be part of the Dark Arts Faction¡ That was genius¡'' Kyle couldn''t help but be impressed at the method that the Dark Arts Factions used to retain all their members.
Of course, he still felt that it was too much since he was still quite young and should''ve been properly informed about it.
Celia seem to have read Kyle''s mind as she immediately added.
"Don''t think too much of it¡ However, if you''re really bothered by it, you have to remember that some other factions does it worst. The Holy Arts Faction would force their graduates to work for their faction for the rest of their lives¡ The Alchemy Arts Faction, on the other hand, would have a 10 to 20 percent cut on their sales once they''ve be licensed Alchemists¡"
"W-what? Isn''t that a bit too much? If that''s true, then the Dark Arts Faction''spelling to study and being loyal to the Faction isn''t a big deal at all."
"Yes¡ Of course, these are only the things I know on the surface. There might be special exceptions simr to our faction."
Kyle''s eyes lit up after hearing this.
"There''s an exception? Can I take back my shadow someday?"
Celia only gave a gentle smile and didn''t voice her answer¡ Nevertheless, it was enough for Kyle to know the answer.
''I guess she''s not allowed to speak¡ but that''s fine¡''
"Thank you, Madam Celia¡ Since I''m about to attend the Academy, do you have any advice for me?" Kyle asked. He felt that he had gotten closer to the manager so he wasfortable asking for any advice.
Celia didn''t expect that sudden question so she pondered for a moment.
"Mhmm¡ Advice? Well, I think you just need to choose the most suitable branch of Dark Arts for you¡ Choosing a branch that you will be specializing in will happen in your fourth year. That''s a very important decision¡ The Academy may give you suggestions at the end of your third year but it would ultimately be your decision¡ The Academy won''t stop you from your choice."
"There''s no option to change my branch?" Kyle asked.
"There is¡ However, you will be repeating your fourth year. Each year is important so I would like you to avoid that if possible." Celia reminded.
The two continued chatting while they finish their task. Kyle also extracted all 18 bodies which had given another boost to his attributes. Furthermore, the lowest attribute point he got was 0.30¡ Although there is no vitality increase, it was still a decent improvement for him.
Kyle then looked around theboratory and confirmed that most of the items and ingredients on the shelves has already been collected by Mr. Heinz.
The ce no longer looks like aboratory and soon, it will simply turn into an office by Manager Celia.
***
The day before the opening ceremony of the Academy, Kyle can already enter the academy to upy his dormitory room.
Nevertheless, for the next two days, Kyle still has nothing to do so he would either visits the abandoned part of town and wait for ghosts or would spend his time in the town to avoid the noiseing from the workshop.
Although he has already gotten used to the ce, he would still feel better without the banging noise of steel.
"Clear the way! Clear the way!"
Suddenly, he heard the sound of hooves from galloping horses as avishly designed carriage was hurrying to the Academy.
The coachman driving the carriage was continuously shouting at the pedestrian along the way¡
"A noble? I wonder which family is this from¡"
"Heh¡ Can''t you see that insignia they''re tantly waving around? That''s Featherstar Family¡"
"Ahh? One of the founding members of the Dark Arts Faction?"
"I wonder why they''re still sending a member of their family to Vermont Academy? I''m sure they have better Dark Arts teachers in their county¡"
Kyle looked at the carriage as the crowd started gossiping about the Featherstar Family¡ Unlike these gossipers, he knows better why the nobles are sending their children to this Academy instead of sending them to normal schools or even universities.
"It was the Moontomb Family the other day¡ Now it was the Featherstar Family¡" Kyle wryly smiled as he felt that this year''s freshmen students would be filled with geniuses from various families that had brought and started the Darkness Arcane Path.
As he was about to buy a skewer being sold on the streets, a loud explosion suddenly urred. The ground trembled as the people cried in shock.
Boom! Boom!
Two more explosions urred causing a huge panic¡
"T-the carriage of the Featherstar Family was attacked!"
Luckily, it was attacked a couple of blocks away from him so he wasn''t too affected.
Nevertheless, the sudden attack on the noble family is definitely a piece of bad news.
As expected, after a few moments, the sound of battle immediately erupted¡
Without any hesitation, Kyle started running away¡ Although he wanted to handle the corpses, he wasn''t brave enough to do it while there is still a danger lurking around.
Instead, he went to a nearby Tea Parlour. The second floor of the building will allow him to see what was going on while staying in a safe spot¡
Kyle greeted the waitress with a smile as he went to his seat and opened the window¡ He would alwayse here so the workers already know his tea.
The customers had also heard of the problem a couple of blocks away but they weren''t too worried. After a few questions to the waitress and the security personnel, everyone started calming down.
In the meantime, Kyle was observing the situation from afar and realized that the carriage of the Featherstar Family seem to be baiting the enemies from the start!
After the carriage started burning from the series of explosions, a few masked individuals started getting closer to either confirm the kill or take something inside¡
However, several ck-robed people started surrounding them!
Without any doubt, these people are members of the Evanescent Vessels!
Chapter 50 Vermont Academy
?"Interesting¡"
The sudden appearance of the members of the Evanescent Vessels astounded Kyle. However, after a moment of thought, he felt that this is also understandable since these noble families can''t bring their private guards inside the Academy.
In exchange for this, the Academy Officials would guarantee the safety of the students as long as they are within the territory of Vermont Academy.
Aside from the Academy''s Credence and Ethics Committee which isposed of highly qualified students. There is also the Academy''s Supernatural Security Force that protects everyone inside the Academy walls. Kyle wasn''t exactly sure about this Security Force but he knows that they weren''t people to mess with.
Anyway, when ites to external affairs, the Academy had partnered with the Order of the Evanescent Vessels to protect them which should be the most reliable force out there.
Well, Kyle previously learned how great this organization was¡ ording to Mr. Heinz, there are only three organizations among the 12 Factions that could equal the Evanescent Vessels.
It was the Untainted Sentinels of the Holy Arts Faction, the Lore Hunters of the Elemental Arts Faction, and the Illustrious Liquidators of the Mystic Arts Faction¡
If the masked figures weren''t from those three factions, their only option is to run once the Vessels have appeared.
Whom~
Suddenly, he felt waves of energy and it seems quite familiar to him¡
''Field Distortion? A weaker one? I guess this is not a big deal¡'' Kyle muttered as he realized that the previous area of the incident be "normal" in his eyes or everyone''s eyes¡
After 3 minutes or so, before his tea has even arrived, he realized that the battle was already over. He may not have seen the battle because the ce seems to have been distorted but he knows that numerous dark spells were used just now¡ He can tell this much because the restless energy surrounding the street had started calming down.
''I wonder how long this distortion was¡ I want to see the result¡'' Kyle mused as he looked at the pedestrians who seem to disregard the "normal scene" on the road where the carriage exploded.
Well, the distortion that he mentioned was the method of istion that the Vessel did just now. That''s right, the Vessels isted the battlefield from ordinary people using distortion or perhaps through the illusion that they''ve made. This level of distortion is enough to stop ordinary people from entering the perimeter and make them think that everything is normal.
Kyle had previously seen them use a simr technique but instead of this low-level field distortion, what he saw that time was a huge shadow dome. It was when the Untainted Sentinels attacked the dockyard a year ago.
However, since the enemies today are quite weak, the Vessels didn''t use that high-level distortion and instead, use this "illusion"¡
It can be easily broken by experts but it''s certainly enough to fool ordinary citizens¡ including him if he wasn''t aware of this istion method.
"Here''s your tea, Sir."
The kind waitress served his tea and Kyle gently nodded to thank her. As Kyle returned his gaze to the window, he confirmed that the distortion was gone¡ What was left was the broken fancy carriage on the streets.
The horses had even conveniently vanished!
There are already a few police officers handling the scene and Kyle could no longer see any members of the Vessels or the masked robbers.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Kyle noticed that a young girl hurriedly approached the broken carriage. This young girl wearing a graceful blue dress and feathered hat, or perhaps a fascinator hat, appears quite delicate as she ordered the police to take something out of the carriage.
It appears that she had forgotten her luggage inside so she had to return and take it.
Although Kyle was in a distance, he can guess that this girl is the one who was ambushed just now.
Of course, he only felt a little interested since she might be his ssmateter on. In addition, he wanted to remember her face. He wanted to ensure not to get entangled with her since she looks like she will bring a lot of trouble to those people surrounding her.
She hasn''t even entered the academy and she already caused one!
As the girl left the scene, Kyle also finished his tea and paid for it before leaving.
''Well, I''m not hoping that corpses are to be sent to the workshop. Ahem¡ I just want to help Manager Celia since she wasn''t used to the job yet.'' Kyle reasoned in his mind as he hurriedly returned to the workshop.
However, there are no corpses that were delivered yet. It might be dyed or it was sent to other facilities instead.
It was quite unfortunate but he didn''t think too much of it. In any case, he already possesses a decent amount of points in each of his attributes.
***
Days passed quickly and it is now Sunday, the 6th of May. Tomorrow would be the entrance ceremony so Kyle can now enter the Vermont Academy. He may have been able to enter at an earlier date but he decided not to because he wanted to help Manager Celia with any corpse delivery.
He looked at his room in his workshop onest time.
Well, he wouldn''t miss this room, a room without any windows. So he carried his luggage and locked the room quickly.
Click...
He then returned the keys to theboratory. He looked for the Manager but she hasn''t arrived yet since it was still quite early.
Before leaving the workshop, Kyle looked at himself in the mirror that was in the hallway.
Thanks to all the nutritious meals served in the workshop, he grew up quite well for a 14-year-old like him¡ He looked at his short ck hair, his ck eyes filled with vigor, the new vest on top of his shirt, and his gray overcoat before he nodded in satisfaction.
He couldn''tment much on his face but he can say that his appearance is more pleasing to the eye than his appearance in his previous life.
Soon, he arrived in front of the Academy and realized that many students at his age were arriving as well. He had even seen a few unfamiliar airships waiting for their turn tond at the dockyard.
Kyle looked ahead and waited for his turn to be checked by the guards. There were more than twenty people in the queue when he arrived but it shouldn''t take long before his turn.
After all, they only needed to briefly show their proof of eptance.
When it was his turn, he realized that more than 30 people is already lining up¡ It seems that it is a busy weekend for the Academy.
Without waiting for the guard to speak, Kyle showed an emblem he was keeping in his coat''s inner pocket.
He only needed to show the emblem that was given to him by Mr. Heinz some time ago and he can already enter.
"Oh¡" The guard looked at the brass emblem engraved with the insignia of the Vermont Academy before shifting his gaze to Kyle to have a good look on his face.
To Kyle''s surprise, even the few students behind him had also reacted as soon as he had shown the emblem.
Chapter 51 The Garden
?Kyle then heard the whispering voices behind him¡ He wasn''t sure which of his attribute improved his sense of hearing but he was quite thankful for it.
"Brass Emblem¡ Another noble family, huh? I wonder which family is he from¡"
"He doesn''t have a fancy carriage. His luggage case is new but cheap. His coat is the same¡ I''m guessing he''s a son from a countryside noble family."
"Nice try¡ But it''s not¡ I''m 70% sure that he just robbed that emblem from someone. Did you not hear about the incident--"
"Idiot¡ The emblem is marked. You can''t steal it. The guard will be able to tell."
"Whatever, he still looks like a newspaper seller in the streets of our city¡ Heh heh¡"
Kyle could only sigh in his mind as he waited for the guard to finish inspecting the emblem.
"Uhmm¡ Ehem¡ Is there something wrong?" Kyle asked the guard after noticing that it was taking some time.
"Nothing¡ We just need to scan it. Wait for a moment." The guard replied as he handed the brass emblem to one of his colleagues.
After a few seconds, the scan was finallypleted.
"Vale Chambers¡ You may enter." The cold and deep voice from the other bulky guard stopped everyone from gossiping.
In the meantime, Kyle was also curious about how the guard learned his name through that invisible scan.
The brass emblem doesn''t have any other texts engraved on it aside from the "Vermont Academy" written at the bottom part of the insignia.
However, the guard only held it for a few seconds and he didn''t use any mystical item but he still learned of his identity.
After getting the emblem ck, Kyle briefly nced at the people behind him.
Well, he just wanted to look at the guy who called him a newspaper seller.
Although it was true, that was over a year ago and many things have already happened. It didn''t feel nice being called as such once again and it was also quite rude since it feels like he was being mocked.
After remembering his face, he decided to just continue entering the gate.
He would first have to get verified in the Registrar Office so he can get his uniform and ID. He would further be assigned to his dormitory after that.
There are several signposts pointing in the direction of various offices and buildings so it wasn''t that difficult to find the Registrar Office.
Kyle passed through the Auxiry Supplies Room, First Information Room, and Lockers Room, before arriving at the Registar.
In the meantime, he also noticed that the academy castle, or building, appears properly maintained and there is almost no moss or dirt that can be found on the walls and stone pirs.
"Next!"
Kyle heard a female voice behind the window of the office as the next student approached her.
It didn''t take long until his turn since there are three windows assisting the students.
The process is smooth since Mr. Heinz has alreadypleted all the requirements that must be submitted and he only needed to show up for the formalities.
In just a few moments, he received a small box containing his uniform including his identification card and the keys to his dormitory room.
"Do you have any questions?" The beautifuldy in the office asked with a smile after providing all of these things.
Perhaps, if this is a normal Academy, he would think that this kind and gentle-lookingdy is a harmless person. However, after knowing Lesley or even Denise, he''s sure that thisdy is also a Spellcaster.
"Ahem¡ I would like to know if the dormitory room I''ll be staying in is for four or eight people¡" Kyle asked after organizing his thoughts.
"Since you''re assigned to the Seven Pirs Garden¡ It''ll be a four people room, Vale. As I''ve checked, you already have two roommates assigned to your room seven¡" The officedy replied after checking the documents.
She then continued to exin that the Seven Pirs Garden has seven rooms that can amodate a total of 28 people.
All the other dormitory rooms are for 8 people already.
"I see¡" Kyle nodded as he also realized that it was all thanks to the brass emblem that he could stay at the Seven Pirs Garden.
It seems to be a nice ce and only nobles, or people with a great background, can stay in the Seven Pirs Garden.
After thanking the kind officedy, Kyle followed the direction leading to the Seven Pirs Garden.
Normally, he would still have to visit the Health Room for a medical check-up and meet the Vice Headmaster in the Academy Admin Office for shadow extraction before he can get his uniform. However, all these steps were omitted thanks to the early arrangement made by Mr. Heinz.
"Ohh¡ This looks really nice¡" Kyle muttered in admiration after seeing the Seven Pirs Garden at the separate building close to the left wing hall of the Academy.
The garden has a monument of a four-winged horse made of ck stone at its center. Then, surrounding this garden were the seven rooms arranged in a crescent moon form.
As Kyle was thinking of going close to the monument to read its description written on a steel te, he saw someone going out of room seven so it immediately attracted his attention.
''Hmm?''
It is a young man with short gray or maybe a little silver hair wearing the uniform of the Academy. With the way he carries himself, Kyle can guess that this person is indeed noble.
Then, four more students from different rooms appeared as they seem to have nned to go somewhere.
Kyle then heard their conversation although he didn''t really n to.
"Zeno! I heard that the first thing we''ll do after the ceremony is to reveal our Spirit Strands¡ Is it true that there''s going to be a reward for the highest scorer?" A chubby young man asked the silver-haired youth after they met.
"It''s true¡ However, don''t think too much of the reward since I''ll be taking it for sure." Zeno replied without any hint of arrogance in his voice as if he was simply reminding his friends.
Chapter 52 New Place
?"Haha! As expected, I guess you already exceeded ten strands¡" The chubby youth beside Zeno added with obvious ttery.
Zeno seem to like these words but he didn''t confirm the number of his Spirit Strands.
"We will see¡ It will be a huge surprise tomorrow." Zeno replied as his friends continued to tter him.
It was unfortunate that he didn''t hear hisst name. However, he can guess that Zeno came from a powerful background while those who are sucking up to him were probably from a lesser noble family.
In any case, didn''t bother talking to them for now as he waited for them to leave before entering the seventh room.
Click¡
He realized that the door wasn''t locked so there was no need to use the key¡ As soon as he opened it, he saw a person seated on the couch in the living space.
"Mhm?" Kyle was a bit surprised as he thought that the room is now empty. However, after thinking about it, thedy in the registrar office mentioned that he has two roommates already.
The student also noticed his arrival and gave him a warm smile.
"I''m Harith¡ Harith Stratwell. I thought that no one would be arriving here anymore. It''s a good thing there will be three of us in the seventh room." Harith said as he put down the snacks he was eating.
Based on the smell, it seems to be roasted chestnuts that Kyle would normally see being sold by the street-corner sellers in the town.
"Stratwell? Is it the same with the Stratwell Hospital? Ah, I''m Ky¡ªI mean, Vale Chambers."
Although there is no Stratwell Hospital in the nearby town, there is a Stratwell Hospital in Melthorn City where he came from.
"So it''s Vale Chambers¡ You''re right, the Stratwell Hospitals belongs to my Grandfather." Harith expected that he would be recognized so he didn''t think too much of it.
He then paused for a moment as he tried to recall the Chambers Family.
Unfortunately, nothing wasing up in his memories. Nevertheless, he knows that his tutor wouldn''t miss any important families in the kingdom. This means that Vale shouldn''t be a very important personality. He''s probably one of the countryside nobles who sacrificed all their savings to bring their beloved son to the Seven Pirs Garden of the Academy in hopes of befriending other nobles.
ording to his tutor, this is a normal thing to happen since the Vermont Academy is the only ce where the sons and daughters of the Faction''s noble families would gather. Making connections here is very important, especially to those declining noble families or those with a shallow background in the world of mysticism.
"I''m sorry for not knowing your family. However, since you were able to get here, I''m sure that you have a great background as well. Ahem¡ I will be eating my snacks in my room so I won''t be disturbing you."
Harith said as he stood up while taking his roasted chestnuts.
"Right, you can use either of these two rooms on the right¡ The one on your left is upied by Zeno Roquemont¡ and this is my room." Harith added as he pointed at the room beside Zeno''s.
''So it was Roquemont¡''
Kyle was about to ask about the name of their other roommate but since Harith already mentioned it,
''The door at the center must be the shared washroom then...'' Kyle mused.
He then selected the nearest room on the right side so he will be near the main door. He also entered his room swiftly as the smell of the roasted chestnut still wafted throughout the whole living space.
''I was expecting bunk beds when I heard that I will be staying inside in a four-person room. This is actually better than I expected.'' Kylemented in his mind as he saw his room.
It is certainly better than his windowless room in the workshop.
He then found a button on the wall near the door and pressed it¡ Then, themp, or perhaps bulb, on the ceiling lit up illuminating the whole room.
"Hmm? Is it using electricity? Or something different?" Kyle muttered as he curiously looked at the ball of light.
ording to the books he read, the kingdom has already discovered electric lighting but it is still in its infancy¡ Using gas for lighting was still prevalent in the cities andrger towns.
In the workshop, most of the lighting came from oilmps or even candles so it was quite surprising for Kyle to see this "bulb."
Of course, he decided not to ask Harith about this light since he would probably be looked down upon if he did that.
He decided not to think too much of it and med it on the mysteries of this world instead.
The inside of the room was quite simple. There is a white cab where he can keep his clothes, a study table, a chair, a bed, a small shelf where he can ce dozens of books, a mirror, and a window¡ There is also venttion on the ceiling and Kyle felt that this ce is quite decent.
After a while, Kyle already emptied his luggage and organized his things. He then checked his uniform to see if it''ll fit.
"Hmm¡ I look good." Kyle muttered to himself with a smile after wearing his ck and maroon uniform.
It includes a full suit, coats, ties, and hats. There is a pair of each of them so he didn''t have to wear the same clothes all the time.
In any case, all the male students have the same set of uniforms except for the ties which will help people identify your Academic Year.
For a first-year student like him, his ties have a patch of one eight-angled star. The second-year students have two eight-angled stars and so on.
After removing his hat, he decided to leave to walk around the campus and familiarize himself with the surroundings¡
However, as soon as he came out of the Seventh Room, a woman who seemed to be a professor approached him.
"Are you student Vale Chambers? I was sent by Headmaster Jean to look for you."
Chapter 53 Headmaster
?"Headmaster Jean?" Kyle repeated.
"Yes¡ He doesn''t want to be called Headmaster Hoffman. Ahem, I don''t know the reason why he''s calling you but he seemed to be in a good mood so don''t worry. Maybe he just wanted to ask about your enrollment." The female professor replied.
Kyle gently nodded as he tried to think what the Headmaster was nning to do this time.
"I see¡ Where can I find the Headmaster, Madam?"
"He''s in the Headmaster''s Office¡ You can find your way there. I''ll be going elsewhere. By the way, I''m Professor Ste Harwin. I''m teaching Fundamentals of the Magic Zone. Make sure to attend it." Ste said with a smile as she seemed to be looking forward to the ss.
''What did Headmaster say to her? Ugh¡'' Kyle felt a headache as he replied. "Thank you, Professor Harwin¡ I''ll be looking forward to your ss¡"
With that said, the female professor finally left leaving Vale to his own device.
It didn''t take long before he found the Headmaster''s Office.
Along the way, he met a few female students. They are all wearing skirts that reach their ankles and high-cor dress uniform that covers their upper chest and neck.
They all look prim and properly feminine but ording to his memories, the female students have another uniform. That particr one looks morefortable since that dress uniform is sleeveless and low cut bodices¡ If he wasn''t mistaken, it can be worn on specific days.
"Come in, Vale¡"
As he was about to knock on the door, he heard the Headmaster''s familiar voice.
Kyle took a deep breath before entering the spacious headmaster''s office.
Headmaster Jean is seated behind his desk and he seemed to be ying a board game on his own. Kyle wasn''t sure if it was a chess game but whatever it is, he certainly doesn''t know how to y it so he didn''t stare at it for too long.
"Did Heinz teach you how to y Rack and Ruin?" Headmaster Jean asked as Kyle closes the door.
"No, Headmaster Jean..." Kyle replied.
''Is that the name of the board game?'' He added in his mind.
"Ah? How about Invasion or even Stroke of Luck? Those are games that nobles would normally y or even gamble."
Kyle shook his head after hearing this. He doesn''t really care whether he would befriend a few nobles or not. He''s not in the academy to befriend them in the first ce. He''s here to learn how to get stronger by understanding the Darkness Arcane Path.
His Extraction System doesn''t give him knowledge and he can only obtain it here in the Academy. He won''t waste the opportunity given to him.
"Well, I guess this is not important¡ I called you here since Heinz mentioned a few things to me¡ He told me that he didn''t leave enough money for you. Is that true?" Headmaster Jean asked.
"¡"
Kyle was momentarily speechless after hearing this. He didn''t expect that they will be discussing how poor he was.
"Yes, Headmaster¡ He left me with ten thousand zen. I heard that it should be more than enough for my first three years here since most of the expenses will be covered by the Academy. Master Heinz also mentioned that I can start epting a part-time job after my third year." Kyle replied.
"That''s correct. The truth is¡ Heinz had an incredible contribution to the Academy before he left. I asked him for any rewards that he wanted¡ and he made two requests¡"
As Headmaster Jean said this, Kyle felt that one of the requests was rted to him. Otherwise, there is no point in bringing him here in the first.
He was right¡
"He first requested to no longer be tied down by the Faction¡ I granted it. The second request is that I should give you an opportunity¡" The Headmaster said as he showed an ominous smile.
Kyle recalled seeing this same smile when his shadow was taken from him.
"What opportunity, Headmaster Jean?" Kyle cautiously asked.
However, the Headmaster only maintained his smile and answered.
"I don''t know¡ However, whatever opportunity it is, I can only give it to you once."
Kyle felt rmed as he realized that this request is certainly an incredible thing. He''s unsure what was about to happen to him in this academy¡ There are certainly plenty of opportunities here aside from the opportunities gained by attending sses.
If the headmaster assisted him in one of the most beneficial opportunities that can be gained in the Academy, it would certainly bring a huge change to him.
"If you have something in your mind you can tell me about it." The Headmaster asked.
"I can''t think of anything yet, Headmaster. If I found any "opportunity", I will inform you immediately."
"Good¡ Onest thing, Heinz mentioned that you have an interesting hobby that is quite simr to Professor Chalton of the Necromancy Department¡ If you don''t mind, I can give you an opportunity to see my collection in my basement."
"¡"
This time, Kyle was truly speechless and unable to react for a while. It took him a few seconds to process what he was trying to say¡
''Master Heinz¡ You''ve really done it this time. You even mentioned that to the Headmaster¡'' Kyle could only sigh inwardly.
Nevertheless, he truly considered his offer for a moment¡ After all, the corpses in his collection might be extraordinary.
"I will think about it first, Headmaster. I need to consider it carefully since I can only receive one opportunity."
"Very well." Headmaster Jean expected this answer so he allowed him to take his time.
They ended their discussion here and Kyle simply returned to his dormitory room instead of walking around¡
On the next day, all the first-year students including Kyle gathered at the auditorium to attend the entrance ceremony.
Chapter 54 Entrance Ceremony
?The Entrance Ceremony started at eight in the morning at the Auditorium where all the first-year students gathered.
The Headmaster didn''t even attend and it was only supervised by Deputy Headmaster Webir.
During the entrance ceremony, Vale realized that it was only the Headmaster who doesn''t like to be called by hisst name for some reason. He wanted to be known as Jean and not Hoffman.
In any case, the Deputy Headmaster exined that the Entrance Ceremony should''ve been in the gymnasium. Unfortunately, an ident urred and this has to be held in the Auditorium instead.
As for what ident urred, Vale had no idea what it was.
The speech was quite precise detailing the Academy''s mission to provide students ess to quality education aside from the Dark Arts. Not only are they being prepared for the world of mysticism but also for the society.
After the speech, the Deputy Headmaster introduced the Representative of the First Year Students.
Apparently, she was recognized to be the mostpatible in the Darkness Possession among all the students. During her "possession", she did not experience any pain or rejection in her body. It means that the higher-ups are expecting her to reach the apex of the Arcane Path¡
Vale may have a "special physique" ording to Mr. Heinz but it certainly can''tpare to the physique of the Student Representative¡
He then heard a few people whispering how she only had her eyes turn ck for a couple of seconds before returning to normal.
''That was impressive then¡'' Vale thought as his gaze turned to the young blonde girl standing on the stage.
Perhaps due to the uniform, Vale could hardly see any difference from the female students aside from their hairstyle. The majority of the girls have blonde hair followed by those with red and brown. The minority, on the other hand, has ck hair and could probably be counted on one hand.
Maya Featherstarpleted her speech by ending it with a promise that she''ll be a role model student for not only the first-year students but for the whole academy¡
"I wonder if she was attacked recently because someone doesn''t want her to be a student representative¡" Vale muttered softly but unfortunately, the one next to him still heard him.
"Keke¡ You''re quite behind with the news. Although the benefits of being the Student Representative are quite decent, it''s not enticing enough for the other nobles to attack her. It was said that she was ambushed by the Masked Moguls¡
Vale shifted his gaze to the young man beside him. Although this young man should only be 13 or 14 years old like him, the auraing from him was quite different. It was simr to the gangsters around the streets of Melthorn City.
This confused him for a bit as he entered his Phantasm State without being noticed.
As expected, this person had also entered the state and even dared to use some Dark Spell to shroud his body¡ª
''Ahh¡ It''s not a Dark Spell¡ Is it a Mystical Artifact?'' Vale mused as he suddenly noticed that the amulet this person was wearing was causing the problem¡ He then canceled his Phantasm State as he answered the young man.
"I didn''t know about that. It''s also my first time hearing about the Masked Moguls."
At the very least, the Masked Moguls shouldn''t be a special organization run by the 12 Factions or even the 5 Churches¡
"We can talk about itter. I''m Chad Bulmung."
"Vale Chambers." Although Vale was curious about the amulet and the Masked Moguls, he didn''t ask further as he simply introduced himself.
The two then nodded to each other and at the same time, the Deputy Headmaster finished his closing remarks as he allowed one of the male professors to get on the stage.
He didn''t introduce himself and just spoke clearly to everyone.
"Ahem¡ I will be calling your names one by one as we will be assigning your ss¡ For the First-Year ss 1 under Professor Saullon. Darryl Crane, Shannon Everett, Sheryl Price¡"
The professor called all 120 students. Vale Chambers was sent to ss 2 and Chad Bulmung will be joining him as well. Unsurprisingly, the one assigned to their ss was Ste Harwin.
Since there is a total of 120 new students, it was divided into four sses with 30 students each.
Vale was actually surprised at first that there are so many students today considering how deadly the Darkness Possession was.
However, he immediately recalled the various families that received the blessing of the¡ The Featherstar Family is just one of them.
ording to the books he read, the founding members of the Dark Arts received some sort of "blessing" that allows them to see through the mysteries of the Arcane Path.
He''s unaware of its specifics but knowing that they have an advantage is more than enough.
After the division of ss waspleted, the Professors led their students to their study ssroom at the right wing building of the Academy.
Professor Ste Harwin appears quite amiable so almost all the students felt rxed andfortable as they chose their seats.
"I won''t be assigning seats. You can take whichever seat is free. You can settle it by yourself." Professor Harwin said as she waited for everyone to find their seat¡
Then she handed pamphlets to everyone.
"It is aplete detail of your scheduled subject and the professors assigned to them¡ As you can see, I will only be teaching two of the subjects there."
At this time, Vale also received a pamphlet withplete detail of their scheduled sses.
Chapter 55 Schedule
?''Hmm? There are only morning sses?'' Vale mused as he saw the scheduled subjects.
He is currently seated in the third row near the open window and beside him was Chad Bulmung.
Thetter also has simr thoughts as he muttered softly¡
"This is not even a whole day ss¡ We have plenty of time during the afternoon."
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, there would be four sses.
Oardic and Soi from 6 to 8 AM. Intermediate Arithmetic from 8 to 9 AM. Fundamentals of the Magic Zone from 9:30 to 11 AM, and Physical and Health Education from 11 AM to 1 PM.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, there would be four sses as well.
Elementary Spirit Law from 6 to 8 AM. Basic Usage of Mystical Artifacts from 8 to 9 AM. Music and Arts from 9 to 10 AM and Darkness Path from 10:30 to 12:30 PM.
Finally, there is also a ss on Saturdays and it''s only in the afternoon.
It is Millton Kingdom''s History from 1 PM to 2 PM and Essential Dark Spell from 2 PM to 4 PM.
''Why did they have to sneak in a schedule on Saturdays? Can''t they just add it on Friday afternoon or any other weekday?'' Vale frowned as he checked the daily schedule.
He didn''t mind the number of sses but it doesn''t seem properly distributed in his opinion.
''What are we going to do for the rest of the day then?''
As he reached his thoughts, Professor Harwin continued.
"There will be no sses for today. However, after you leave this room, you are obligated to visit the assembly hall and join any of the student clubs¡ Your seniors are waiting there right now. You have to enter any of the clubs within this week."
"Professor Harwin, can we join two or more clubs?" One of the female students asked.
"You can. However, you have to ensure that you''ll be taking them seriously. Emily Ga, are you nning to join two or more clubs?" Professor Harwin asked.
With this question, almost everyone nced in Emily''s direction.
This action seem to have put pressure on her as she stiffened for a moment before answering. "Not really, Professor. I just spoke to a few seniors a while ago and all of them are inviting me to join their club¡"
Vale nodded after hearing this. Emily looks quite beautiful so it wasn''t surprising that she was immediately recruited.
Professor Harwin wasn''t surprised as well as she added¡ "You may only be first years but you already have a chance of earning contribution points. These points may not be useful in your first three years but when you umte plenty enough, you''ll be benefiting a lot once you''ve stepped into your fourth year."
"May I ask what can we do with the contribution points?" A male student in front asked.
Professor Harwin didn''t immediately answer as she creased her eyebrows while looking at the student.
"Alvin¡ Vendel, right?" She asked.
It seems that she was trying to recall everyone''s name.
"You''re correct, Professor."
"Mhmm¡ The contribution points would be very useful in your fourth year when you choose your branch of specialization. Of course, you don''t have to think of it for now¡ That will still take quite some time. Many of you might even quit or be expelled in the first three years." Professor Harwin said with a knowing smile on her face.
"Ahh? We can be expelled?"
"I didn''t hear about this¡ Isn''t it enough to survive that Darkness Possession?"
"Professor, what are the grounds for expulsion?"
"Yes¡ We''re curious. Can you please let us know?"
Almost everyone wasn''t aware of this policy so they curiously asked the kind professor.
She didn''t think too long since it is also one of the things she has to mention¡
"I''m sure that you can easily guess the answer. You will be graded based on the results of your examinations, attendance, behavior, and a few more things as you finish your first year. There are written and practical examinations and all of this will greatly affect your final score. Failing most of them can lead to your expulsion¡ I''m telling you now that you may want to enjoy your academy life but ensure that you can pass all the requirements that the Academy is expecting of you."
She then paused for a moment before looking at a red-haired female student behind Vale.
"Lisa Grayback¡ Can you guess what other reasons can someone be expelled?"
After being asked, almost everyone nced in her direction. Some were curious why she was specifically asked. As for the others, they simply wanted to admire her looks since she appears quite charming.
Lisa didn''t expect to be asked as well. She unconsciously stood up after being called as her mind raced to find an answer.
"I think we can also be expelled if we disregard the Academy Rules. One of them is regarding violence¡ There''s also about bullying, stealing, or even unsupervised ritual. We are not allowed to summon a mysterious existence through a ritual¡ unless a professor or someone with authority is watching."
Professor Ste Harwin nodded. She was satisfied with this answer as she allowed Lisa to take a seat.
"Well said¡ These Academy Rules are written on a stele at the entrance of the Academy''s main hall. You may want to check it if you have some time."
Noticing that no one has other questions, the Professor continued.
"Lisa Grayback is the only student who passed the Public Recruitment in the southern region of the kingdom. She''s expecting a lot from you who had a deeper background in the world of mysticism so I hope that you won''t disappoint her."
Chapter 56 Student Clubs
?''The only student who passed the public recruitment?'' Vale repeated in his mind as he recalled hisst year''s attempt to enroll.
Lisa certainly achieved an impressive feat and everyone in the ssroom knows this as well. If she has amon background, it means that she drank the Darkness Possession potion which has a very high chance of death.
For them, the act of force-feeding the potion may have been eptable if they are still in a state of war against the other "righteous" factions but it is different now. During that time, ording to their parents or elders, they would have to "collect" various children from many towns and cities to have them drink the deadly Darkness Possession. No one thinks too much about its danger since they are at war.
They would turn these people into their elite soldiers after nurturing them for years¡ if they ever survived.
However, now that they are in a peaceful era, these unnecessary deaths can be avoided if they have an expert on their side.
In short, no one really thinks that people would still think of enrolling in this academy unless they have some background in the Darkness Arcane Path.
The looks given at her were mixed. Some pity her, some were curious, some with disdain like she was dirty, and a few were uninterested.
''Professor, you''re trying to get her into trouble, aren''t you?'' Vale was quite surprised but he didn''t speak.
Lisa sat down as she felt everyone''s burning gaze. It seems that they have plenty of questions in their minds and were just waiting for Professor Harwin to leave so they can start talking to her.
To be honest, she was also shocked after hearing the professor''s words. She didn''t think she was alone.
After all, there are a total of 30 students here. She was expecting that other public recruitment or enrollment sites were able to invite a few people¡
However, it appears that she had greatly underestimated herself.
''Am I that special?'' Lisa asked herself.
"You''re amazing¡ Does it mean that you haven''t learned how to create your Magic Zone?" Chad Bulmung asked in a soft voice.
"Magic Zone?" Lisa repeated.
At this question, Vale and the others know that she''s aplete noob about this.
In any case, this is the reason why she''s in the academy. She can easily learn about all the basics so even if they have an advantage today, it will only help them in the first two years in the academy.
"Let''s talk about itter. Let''s be friends¡" Another female student beside Lisa said in excitement¡ She looks at Lisa like a rare species as she made up her mind in befriending her.
Professor Harwin then cleared her throat to get everyone''s attention.
"Ahem¡ That''s all for me. I would normally ask everyone to introduce yourselves to each other but you''ll be doing it in another ss. That''s Elementary Spirit Law tomorrow and I''m assigned to that subject as well. We will be checking your Spirit Strands at the same time." She then paused for a moment as she looked at everyone''s reaction. Seeing that no one is upset that they didn''t get to introduce themselves today, she continued.
"You can now visit the Assembly Hall. You have a week to select a club so make sure you visit all possible clubs that you may like before joining them."
After saying this, she left the ssroom leaving the students to their own devices.
A group naturally formed to those who are seated close to each other.
Some were excited about tomorrow''s Spirit Strand test while others are discussing the club they wanted to join.
Needless to say, Vale easily grouped up with Chad, Lisa, and Aubrey, the girl seated next to Lisa.
A few ssmates wanted to talk to Lisa but seeing that she already formed a group, they silently backed out.
"Guys, are you going to visit the Assembly Hall now?" Another student close to them asked.
His round face and plump body would make everyone remember his name.
"Yes¡ You''re ir Etton, right? Do you want to join us?" Chad asked as he showed his smile.
"Thank you! I want to join a specific club¡ However, I don''t think I can do it alone."
Vale was curious as he followed up with a question.
"What club is it?"
After hearing the question, ir''s eyes lit up as he immediately introduced the club he was interested in.
"It''s the Variant Research Club. It''s a club aiming to strengthen the current versions of Variants and even discover the third type. I heard that they already made progress. As you know, most of the Variants are from male body parts. I want to help them to make a female version¡ Female Variants are the best. If money is their only problem---"
p! p! p!
Before he can finish his words, a few students started pping as someone stood in front of everyone. He has short blond hair, a sharp nose, and brown eyes like many others¡
Vale couldn''t recall who he was but he didn''t seem nervous standing in there. It appears that he was used to attracting attention.
After clearing his throat, their ssmate started his agenda.
"You probably all know who I am. However, I will still introduce myself. I''m Neil Somerhalder. Yes¡ I''m from the Somerhalder County."
Vale had no idea who he was. However, some of his ssmates were surprised at this young man''s identity¡ Chad Bulwung even reacted with an exnation.
"I thought I only misheard the professor a while ago¡ So it''s really the Somerhalder of the Rune Arts Faction¡ I wonder how were you able to attend here?"
"Interesting¡ ''A Somerhalder Learning The Dark Arts: Is he a Spy or an Exile?'' I think that it''s quite a good headline."
Jody Lumbarde, a female student with short red hairmented after hearing his introduction. It seems that she''s nning to join the Academy''s Publication Club or something simr.
Neil didn''t mind her words. He was d to be recognized by his fellow ssmates so he nodded proudly and continued with his speech.
Chapter 57 Assembly Hall
?"That''s right¡ My family sent me here after learning that I have better talents in the Dark Arts. I''m also speaking in front of you today to invite you all to the Survivors Club¡ It''s a Club currently led by two eight-year students. They need young elites like us to continue their groundbreaking research. If you join me, not only you''ll learn advanced knowledge from our seniors but I can also share some knowledge regarding the Rune Arts¡ If you''re not convinced, visit me in the Seven Pirs Garden¡"
Neil may have charisma thanks to his good looks and obvious confidence, but his ssmates weren''t easily convinced. Furthermore, he didn''t even give a proper introduction to that student club.
Although most of the students in ss 2 aren''t nobles, theye from a family with a background in the Dark Arts.
In short, they already have vague ideas about the clubs they wanted to join.
Even if a son of an earl stood in front of them and invited them to join a club, they wouldn''t necessarily follow their words.
Nevertheless, Neil was still able to convince five boys in his group. These five weren''t from the Kingdom''s nobility but their families were still quite influential.
ording to Chad, those five were connected to the families under the Necromancy Branch of the Dark Arts Faction.
"Does it mean that the Survivors Club is rted to Necromancy Branch?" Vale asked after recognizing that their decision to join seemed to be connected to the branch their families came from.
"You''re right¡ I''m not too sure but the Survivors Club seemed to be researching a better way of extending life through the same theory used by some Necromancer¡ I''m not really sure."
This time, it was ir Etton who answered.
As for Lisa, she''s just listening on the side. She doesn''t have any ideas about the branches of the Dark Arts Faction and the families involved in this.
"Let''s not care about them then¡ Let''s find a suitable club quickly¡ We don''t have afternoon sses so it''ll be boring if we just return to our dorm every day." Aubrey added as she urged everyone.
As Neil and his team left, some groups also started leaving so Vale naturally agreed to her suggestion.
***
The assembly hall was bigger than the auditorium so this is probably the best ce to gather all students from all academic years.
As soon as Vale''s group entered, they felt like they were in a fanfare. Plenty of seniors were trying to call for the freshmen to consider joining their club.
"We are the Reader''s Hub¡ Consider joining us if you want to be together with people with the same hobby. Ahem¡ This club is supervised by Professor Elnora White, the most beautiful Practitioner of the Dark Arts!"
"Join the Oardic Trantion Club if you have the skills¡ You can earn contribution points every month. However, you have to pass your ''Oardic and Soi'' subject first¡ We will wait for you next year¡ You can always change your Club in the first three years so consider joining us by then. For now, you can y around in other pathetic clubs like Reader''s Hub, Writer''s Cave, and Seeding Soil Starters."
"If you want to study the brain, join the Brain Teaser''s Club. We receive fresh brains monthly for research purposes."
"We''re the Self-Defense Club¡ In your third year, your Physical and Health Education will focus on sports and self-defense. Consider joining so you''ll be ustomed to such activities."
It ispletely different from Vale''s expectations.
He thought that since this was the Academy of the Dark Arts, the ce should be gloomy, creepy, and filled with weird people who probably wanted to summon an evil existence.
Well, he didn''t have much experience with the Academy students. The one with Lesley and the third-year scumbags left a bad impression on him.
However, now that he looked and listened at them, they seem quite normal¡ Perhaps, the exception was the Brain Teaser''s Club since they were hinting that it''s a Human Brain and not some sort of animal! It was quite disturbing for him¡
''I''ll consider it if it''s a whole corpse¡''
"Cough¡ Cough¡" Vale immediately erased that idea as he doesn''t want to make another misunderstanding.
"Hmm? Did you already make a choice? Let me remind you, what the guy in the trantion club said is only a half-truth¡ We can indeed change clubs any time within the first three years but it can only be done twice." Chad said after noticing Vale''s reaction.
"I have no ns of joining any clubs yet¡ However, thank you for reminding me about that rule... Let''s follow ir first. He mentioned that he wanted to join the Variant Research Club, right? Should we check it first?" Vale replied as he shifted the topic to their plump ssmate.
"Sure! I''m also quite curious about this¡ Lisa, have you seen the Variants already?" Aubrey asked¡
At this question, everyone noticed how thetter suddenly paled. It seems that she had recalled her first encounter with the Variant.
"The Variant¡ is that scary undead, right?" She asked.
Vale smiled at this as he answered. "Yes¡ But they''re not undead. They''re not products of Necromancy but Dark Alchemy."
He exined it simrly to how Mr. Heinz exined it to him.
Lisa was doubtful at his words but since the others supported Vale''s im, she can only ept the truth¡
''Those Variants are living? Isn''t that too cruel? It''s probably better to die than to turn into something like that¡''
Lisa can only pity them inwardly as she looked at ir, who wanted a female version of it, with aplicated gaze.
Chapter 58 Clubs Mission
?ir noticed her gaze but he decided to ignore it. In any case, he believed that this is an epted practice among the Dark Arts practitioners so there is nothing to feel guilty for.
"They should be at Stall No. 22. Let''s go..." ir said as they passed over a few stalls made by various clubs.
There were many normal clubs like those rted to cooking, music, and even tea enthusiast''s club. Vale even saw a Fortune Telling Club. As far as he remembers, there shouldn''t be a branch of Dark Arts that is close to divination or fortune-telling¡
Well, there is a ritual to learn how many years a person has left before he dies. However, that requires a high-level ritual that must be done with expensive sacrifices and no normal student can do that.
Soon, their small group arrived in front of Stall No. 22, the Variant Research Club.
There is a table and a couple of students who were ying chess on it¡ They didn''t seem interested in recruiting freshmen so it surprised the group momentarily¡
"Excuse me. I''m a freshman student. May I ask if you guys are recruiting?" ir was extremely polite as he interrupted the two students who are ying.
The two didn''t realize that there are people in front of their stall so they were a bit flustered and immediately cleaned up the table.
They were not expecting that someone would actually think of joining their club!
"Y-yes¡ Did you make a mistake? Read the poster we ced again. This is the Variant Research Club. We research Variants most of the time in an operating table. It''s filled with blood and can be a bit disgusting for weak girls and boys. You have to consider this carefully."
"That''s right¡ We''re trying to make various improvements and it can''t be done by just giving theoretical papers. We would do it in a literal sense¡"
The two seniors were seriously warning them! They''repletely unlike the students of other clubs.
Their trustworthiness immediately increased, especially to ir who was still hesitant until now.
"Great! I knew it! That''s how it''s supposed to be¡ I thought that you guys are just thinking of formting theoretical papers and submitting them to the Dark Alchemy Faction to be tested¡ I''m relieved." ire truly sighed in relief after hearing their exnation.
It appears that he wanted to confirm this before joining this club.
The two members of the club were happy upon hearing this as they looked at Lisa and Aubrey¡
"Yes! We''re really doing it. However, since you are only first years students, you can only assist or watch us do the practical thing. Of course, we can give you a live experience in your third year. Is that alright? I can help you sign your names now."
"That''s right! Next week, there will be a dissection and it will be done by a few sixth-year seniors under the professor''s watch¡ It''s a special activity done in our club. If you join now, I will let you watch them in the gallery. Ahem, may I ask for your names?"
Realizing that they were mistaken to be interested in the club, Aubrey and Lisa immediately shook their heads and said.
"No. I''m not interested. We''re justing along with our ssmate."
"Me too." Lisa meekly said as she even stepped back for a bit.
The two recruiters didn''t hide their disappointment after hearing the two.
"Is that so¡ I hope that we can still be friends. May I ask what ss are you in?"
"You can still consider joining us if you can''t find other clubs that suit your interest..."
ir decided to interrupt them at this point. He even raised his double chin as he spoke proudly.
"Ahem. I''m the only one who wanted to join the club. But I still have a few questions. I wanted to know the name of the adviser of the club. How many members are there? Can I gain Contribution points here? What kind of path are taking in strengthening your Variants?"
His questions go on and on so Chad immediately interrupted¡
"Since our friend has found the club he was looking for¡ We will be leaving now. We also need to find our clubs."
ir immediately thanked everyone for apanying him.
Then, in the next hour or two, the others also found the clubs they wanted to join except for Vale.
Lisa Grayback wanted to join the Reader''s Hub since she needed plenty of knowledge. Unfortunately, after learning that the Reader''s Hub focused on reading romance, adventure, and detective novels, she''s considering joining the Library Committee instead.
Apparently, the Student Clubs were either made by a group of students after getting an adviser or made by the academy itself.
The difference in this is that the student-made clubs require a professor or an adviser to be established, while the academy-made is not.
Anyway, she''s nning to observe the Library Committee for a couple of days before applying for it.
Aubrey Hall, on the other hand, was nning to join the Board Game Club!
Vale was actually curious why board games have their own Club in the Vermont Academy of Dark Arts.
Lisa also had the same thoughts as she knows one of the board games on the table. It is the Rack and Ruin that the Headmaster ys in his office.
"Isn''t this game for the gamblers?" Lisa asked curiously.
Chad only smiled as he exined with a smile.
"Well, any game can be used by gamblers. Just think of it as some sort of entertainment. Who knows, it might be useful when we''re doing missions outside the Academy someday."
The female member of the Board Game Club heard this and immediately agreed.
She sped her hands and looked at Chad with a beaming smile.
"You''re right! Many of the student clubs are aiming for that in the first ce. The era has now changed, those of us who are treading the Arcane Path must learn how to blend into society¡ This board game will do just that!"
Chapter 59 Ranker
?Vale nodded at the reasonable exnation from the female student. However, he didn''t expect that Aubrey would have such a hobby¡
He was initially expecting that she would join the Tea Appreciation Club since she was looking at their stall for quite a long time.
"Ahh¡ I''m going to look for a different club. Are youing with us, Aubrey?" Chad asked with a flustered face.
After being approached by the excited female student from the Board Game Club, he seemed to be panicking for a bit and it didn''t escape Vale''s eyes.
"Yes¡ I''ll check this ce again on thest day to submit my application form. I''m not in a hurry."
After they left the stall, Chad lead the group to a crowded stall.
There were about a dozen students surrounding this stall so Vale couldn''t help but be curious.
"What club is this?" Vale curiously asked as he can''t see the poster in front.
"It''s the Ranker''s Club¡" Chad answered as he looked at the group of students queuing up. He recognize that most of them were from ss 1¡
"Ranker''s Club? Interesting¡ Even that guy is nning to join. What does this club do?" Aubrey asked as she saw a familiar person.
Chad followed her gaze and realized who she was referring to¡
"So even Wilfred Moontomb is nning to join this club. I guess I''ll be looking for another club." Chad wryly smiled as he realized that too many students are nning to join.
As far as he knows, the club only epts 3 students per year to join their club. Furthermore, there will be a series of tests that you needed to pass in order to be epted.
Aside from Wilfred, Chad also noticed a few guys who are from noble families.
"Ahem¡ What does the Ranker''s Club do?" Vale repeated Aubrey''s question.
This time, however, someone answered before Chad could reply.
"It''s a club aiming to be part of the Evanescent Vessels. Joining it won''t guarantee your eptance in the Order but it gives you a higher chance."
At this sudden answer, not only Vale''s group surprised but also a few students around them.
This familiar voice was definitely from Maya Featherstar!
Vale immediately looked behind him and confirmed that he was right.
"Thank you for answering¡" Vale replied with a gentle nod. Although he still has a few questions, he realized that the entourage of girls behind Maya was also looking at him with pressuring gaze.
On the other hand, Chad Bulmung was excited after seeing her closely.
"Are you also nning to join the Ranker''s Club?"
Maya pursed her lips as she turned her gaze to the crowded stall before shaking her head...
"Not anymore¡" With that said, Vale noticed that she looked at him once more before leaving to visit another club.
"Vale, do you know each other?" Aubrey softly asked as she also noticed the profound nce that Maya gave him.
"No¡ It''s my first time talking to her." Vale answered.
''Wait, did she see me observing her that time at the town?'' Vale thought but he immediately shook his head. He must be overthinking it. He was too far from the site of the incident and Maya''s magic zone shouldn''t reach him from that distance.
"Also, she''s the student representative of the first year. She should be in the Student Council, right?" Vale added.
Although he wasn''t sure what the benefits she''ll get from the Student Council, he knows that it is better than what the Ranker''s Club can offer.
"That''s right¡ However, they''re still allowed to join other Clubs since the student council shouldn''t be that busy this time of the year." Chad added as he looked at Maya''s back once more before shifting his gaze to the crowded stall.
"Well, she probably just wants to talk to you, Vale." Lisa added as she slowly feltfortable with the group.
"Let''s stop talking about her¡ What are your ns now? Haven''t you found any club yet? What are your hobbies anyway? Perhaps we can help you find." Aubrey asked Vale.
"I just want a club that will not be too tiring¡ Even if it is, I want something that could hone my skills." Vale answered after some thought.
"Then the Ranker''s Club is suited for you... The Credence and Ethics Committee is possible as well. Since you''re from Chambers Family, you probably have two Dark Spells already. You can apply to those two." Chad suggested.
Aubrey nodded at this agreeing to his suggestion.
However, as they were walking around, another recruiter heard their conversation and immediately joined in.
"Heh¡ The Ethics Committee has a high requirement since they''re tasked to maintain peace and order within the Academy. You can call them the academy police. Don''t bother applying to it unless you''re in the third year. I think you can consider joining our club instead. It''s the Spirit Crafter Club."
It was from another student that was taller than Vale. He has a kind, gentle face and seemed a very approachable person. It was no wonder he was tasked to be the recruiter for their club.
"I''m Wade Saxon¡ I''m a sixth-year student and currently the Vice-President of the Club. Spirit Crafting may not be useful for you until you''re in your third year but I assure you that you''ll like it..."
Vale was intrigued by this including the others beside him. They didn''t mind him suddenly joining their conversation as Vale asked a few questions.
"It''s my first time hearing about Spirit Crafting, what does your club do? And what''s the requirement to join this Club?"
Wade smiled after realizing Vale''s interest but before he could answer, something happened at the stall of the Ranker''s Club.
Several gasps and exmations were heard¡
Then, one of the fifth-year recruiters of Ranker''s Club said in surprise.
"Great! Wilfred Moontomb, you deserve to be a member of our club¡ Having two high-grade Dark Spells before you even enter the Academy... I''m impressed."
Chapter 60 Undecided
?Vale was curious about the Dark Spells that Wilfred learned¡ Thankfully, Wilfred''spanions seemed to notice that the surrounding students had taken interest in their matter.
With a deliberate increase in their voices, they also started praising their incredible ssmate.
"You''re the best, Wilfred. I think even Maya won''t have such great Dark Spells. It is actually the Spectral Hands! I heard that you''ll need at least eight Spirit Strands before you can even attempt it!"
"Indeed¡ I believe that you should have been the Student Representative. Spectral Hands and Fear Stream. Thebination of these two will surely put you on top of all the first-year students."
Wilfred was certainly d after hearing his ssmate''s praise. He was indeed disappointed that he wasn''t selected as the student representative. However, since his goal foring here isn''t as simple as being part of the Student Council, he didn''t take it to heart and moved on quite quickly¡
What he really wanted was to get closer to the Order of the Evanescent Vessels and learn even a bit of their secrets.
"Thank you¡ I will be working hard as a member of the Ranker''s Club¡" Wilfred said to his senior before ncing at the crowd who was curious about him.
As soon as his eyesnded on a few cute girls, his smile widened even more as he acted cool while fixing the cor of his uniform.
In the meantime, Vale''s group was also quite impressed with the two skills Wilfred learned. Only Lisa was clueless about it.
"Spectral Hands and Fear Stream is indeed at the higher end of the First Tier Dark Spells. As expected of a seedling from the Founding Members of the Dark Arts Faction."
Chad Bulmungmented like an experienced old man as he touched his chin. His mind filled with thoughts.
"With those two Dark Spells, I think he has already nned all his future Dark Spells..." Valemented as he also knows that those two Dark Spells will really work well together. Unfortunately, it has a high requirement so not everyone can think of having these spells in the early stage.
However, if you''re in thete stage already, you wouldn''t really select this Dark Spell anymore.
Since the number of Spell Models that a spellcaster can create is limited, no one would pick several First Tier Dark Spells as their Spell Modelposition¡ If they grow stronger, they would consider Second Tier Dark Spells and wouldn''t pick high-end First Tier for sure.
"Tomorrow, there will be a Spirit Strand Test on everyone¡ I believe Lisa doesn''t have a single spell model yet¡ If you reached five spirit strands, I will suggest a good Dark Spell for you. You can learn it easily and it''s also strong." Aubrey said with a smile.
She doesn''t seem to care about Wilfred''s matter and was thinking of something else.
Lisa was still a bit unsure but she was not an idiot either. She can vaguely tell that the selection of Dark Spells is very important.
After considering for a moment, she probed Aubrey... "Can I ask if it''s possible to do it after a few years when I''ve learned enough?"
Since selecting a Dark Spell is important, she wanted to select them on her own... After all, even though Aubrey seems very kind, they only know each other a few hours ago.
There was no way she could trust her future on her.
However, as soon as she asked this, she felt she was scolded.
"No!"
Aubrey, Chad, and even Wade Saxon of the Spirit Crafters Club answered in unison frightening her for a moment.
The three looked at each other for a moment before letting Aubrey exin the reason why.
"It will be very difficult to enter the Phantasm State if you''re already 16 years old. That''s a requirement to have a Dark Spell. If you''re creating a Spell Model at that age, you will require an expert''s assistance to do it for you. That''s a difficult thing even for the experts so no one would do it unless you pay them a hefty sum."
At this exnation, Lisa''s eyes lit up.
"No wonder 13, 14, and 15 years old have a chance of being epted as a First Year Student of the Academy. That made sense!"
She was previously curious why all the Arcane Academies were epting these ages in one group. It was for this reason all along!
''So there is a disadvantage if you start stepping into the Arcane Path at an older age.''
"Thank you for informing me. I will certainly take your suggestions for my first dark spells¡" Lisa added. She felt a bit excited learning about the Dark Spells and couldn''t help but look forward to tomorrow''s Spirit Strand Test.
In the end, Vale and Chad were undecided about the club they wanted to join. They can only dy their selection and check the Assembly Hall again tomorrow after their ss. This event is open for the whole week anyway.
At the very least, they visited all the open stalls in the Assembly Hall. Although ording to Chad, other Clubs didn''te to the Assembly Hall for some reason so they didn''t see all the clubs yet.
Perhaps, their requirement is too high or they already have plenty of members. There is also a chance that they were justzy and had forgotten the recruitment today.
Click¡
After Vale entered the seventh room in the dormitory, he realized that his roommates were still out. They might still be in the Assembly Hall or still eating at the cafeteria so he didn''t think too much of it.
On his bed, Vale was still thinking of the club he''ll be joining¡
"The Battle Arena Committee is good since I''ll see plenty of battle techniques¡ The Spirit Crafters Club is interesting since there will be plenty of mystical artifacts¡ As for the Club that seems to deal with human corpses, there is only the Survivor''s Club, Spirit Body Research Club, and the Underworld Prier Club¡"
Chapter 61 Test
?Vale fell asleep while thinking of the various student clubs that he can join. With so many clubs within the Academies, his choices of suitable clubs are plenty and it alles down to what he likes.
Different clubs give him different benefits. However, if he wanted to make use of his Divine Extraction System, he has to choose something that handles corpses like Necromancy, Alchemy, and other rted Research Clubs.
In the end, he fell asleep while still undecided.
The next morning, he woke up from the noise made by his roommates who are also getting ready to attend their morning ss.
As soon as he came out of his room to use the bathroom, he realized that Harith and Zeno are already wearing their uniforms and about to head out.
"Vale! I heard you''re in ss 2¡ You''re ssmate with Leonore Rnd, right? Be careful of her¡" Harith greeted him in a very unusual way.
"Leonore Rnd?" Vale repeated. He had no impression of her. Of course, within their ssroom, there are 15 male and 15 female students.
He doesn''t know all of them yet but it''s not that surprising to be unaware of their names.
Zeno noticed that Vale had no idea about her so he decided to enlighten him.
"Since we''re roommates here, I''ll tell you who she was¡"
Vale gulped as he felt that they were being too serious about this.
"The Rnd Family is part of the Ritual Branch¡ Since you''vee from a declining noble family with a weak background in the Dark Arts Faction, it''s not surprising that you don''t know them. However, their family is the best in Curse Magic¡ If you befriended her, that''s good¡ But if you offended her, we might get implicated in her curse so be careful around her and not bring us harm."
"¡"
Vale was quite speechless about this. He thought that they were truly caring about him. Instead, they simply wanted to avoid any implications if he offended the Curse Magic experts.
"I''ll be careful¡" Vale could only reply as he went to the bathroom to clean himself.
He still has 23 minutes before the ss so he wasn''t in a hurry. After all, he only needs to walk for two or three minutes.
Zeno and Harith just shrugged at his uninterested reply and left the seventh room.
After a while, Vale also left to attend his first ss of the day, Elementary Spirit Law.
***
As soon as he entered the room, he realized that he was thest one to arrive. There are already groups chatting about the clubs they''ve selected while some of them were still being invited by Neil to join the Survivor''s Club.
After finding his seat beside Chad, Vale turned to him and asked.
"How are you waking up so early? Are you used to this early morning routine?"
He initially wanted to ask if they have an rm clock but he decided to ask this way instead.
"Heh¡ Just sleep early and you''ll wake up early. Of course, you''ll also get used to it." Chad answered as he shifted his gaze to the girls behind them.
"How about you, Aubrey?" He asked.
"My roommates decided to wake each other up¡ Since there are no servants here, we can only help each other." Aubrey answered.
The three then looked at Lisa before thetter answered.
"I''m quite used to it¡ So there''s no problem for me. I even had time to prepare breakfast." Lisa said which impressed Vale for a moment. He didn''t even have the time to eat anything.
He can only wait until their break to fill his stomach¡
At this point, Professor Ste Harwin finally arrived.
She waste for about three minutes but it doesn''t really matter.
"Good morning¡ As I''ve said before, we will be testing your Spirit Strands for today. I want everyone to see their current state andpare it by the end of the year¡"
Professor Harwin said as she stood behind the pulpit stand on the podium of the ssroom.
As soon as she said this, everyone started whispering as they couldn''t contain their excitement.
"I''ll be surprising everyone with my Spirit Strands¡"
"Haha¡ Me too, they''ll be surprised to see a two-strand-student attending the Vermont Academy."
"Pfft¡ Indeed, everyone will be surprised how you got epted."
"Heh. This is only the beginning. The result here doesn''t matter. What matters is our growth rate."
"That''s right. I might be defeated in terms of Spirit Strand today, but I''ll be the best one at the end of the year."
"Dream on¡"
Vale and Chad were talking about today''s test while Professor Harwin was preparing the Spirit Converging Crystal.
"I wonder who gets the highest score for today¡ Ah--why did she bring out a big crystal? Isn''t it enough to test us with 20 Spirit Strands Capacity? That crystal should provide 30 Spirit Strand, right?"
"Yes¡ It seems so¡ I''ve seen a Spirit Converging Crystal with a 20 Spirit Strands limit so I can tell."
Vale replied as he was also surprised at this. After all, he heard that the crystals used during this test should only be a 20-Spirit-Strand limit.
"Alright! For those who don''t know what crystal is this, it''s called Spirit Converging Crystal. It measures the strength of your Spirit through the white strands, or what we call Spirit Strands, that will form inside the crystal after holding it for a certain amount of time¡"
Professor Harwin exined as she looked at Lisa. Then, she continued.
"It''s better to see how it works. Who wants to go first?"
"Me!"
The reply was so fast and it came from the proud son of the count, Neil Somerhalder.
"Very well. You can go ahead and stand on the tform. Hold the crystal tightly and don''t drop it."
"Got it!" Neil replied as he stepped onto the tform and took the crystal on the pulpit. He even raised it slightly to show everyone the process.
After a few minutes, Spirit Strands started showing up as he held it closer to Professor Harwin to confirm the number of strands.
"Neil Somerhalder. Eight Spirit Strands." Professor Harwin announced. She didn''t show any reaction whether it was good or bad making it a bit awkward for Neil who was expecting to be praised by the gorgeous professor.
Chapter 62 Spirit Strands
?As Neil was about to be disappointed by herck of reaction, he finally heard his ssmate''s surprised voices.
"Eight Spirit Strands? Aren''t we all the same age? Why is there such a big difference?" One of the boys whispered after realizing the disparity in their spirit strands. Needless to say, before he entered the Academy, he already had his Spirit Strand tested.
The others had the same thought but didn''t directly voice it out since they still felt indignant about being defeated by someone who grew up from a different Arcane Path''s Faction.
"That''s impressive! I knew it. You should''ve tested your spiritst¡ Now, everyone else would feel like garbage¡"
"As expected of my new friend. You probably have the same or even better Spirit Strands than Maya¡"
Hisckeys added to boost his ego.
Neil was obviously delighted by this response but there are still some of them who were unconvinced as they whispered.
"He''s from Somerhalder¡ He might be using a Rune to increase his Spiritual Force."
"Ssshh¡ You shouldn''t use him of that without any piece of evidence."
"Haha¡ Who cares. Having eight strands might be the best achievement for starters in the past decade but it''s different now."
Thesements came from the female group seated behind Neil''s friends. They were led by a female student who has a short figure with blonde hair tied up to make twin tails.
Vale didn''t even have to ask who they were and Chad already informed them.
"That''s Leonore''s group¡" Chad muttered.
"Do you know her?" Vale softly asked.
Chad shook his head at this and replied. "Not really¡ I only know the Rnd''s Curse¡ If I''m not mistaken, she''s from the same Rnd Family. It''s better not to mess with her." Chad reminded as he also looked at the girls behind him.
However, Aubrey doesn''t seem to be concerned and was only looking at her smugly.
In the meantime, Professor Harwin didn''t miss all their reactions and she didn''t mind it at all. She''s even smiling after hearing all of this.
After having enough of their conversation, she continued.
"You can now take a seat, Neil. Thank you for showing your ssmates how it''s done. Next? Anyone would like to volunteer? If there''s none, I''ll be calling you one by one."
"Ahem¡ Let me try it!"
Finally, someone volunteered again. This time, it was the plump ir Etton.
He copied Neil''s actions and held the crystal for a while. After a few moments, the white strands started showing up¡
"ir Etton. Six Spirit Strands." Professor Harwin announced.
ir was a bit disappointed at the result but he still showed his smile and thanked the professor. Thetter didn''t give any words of encouragement or anyment at all.
Instead, she continued asking for volunteers.
However, no one wanted to so she decided to randomly call their names one by one.
"Felicia Lobb. Four Spirit Strands."
"Emily Ga. Five Spirit Strands."
"Reid Baldry. Four Spirit Strands."
"Junius Robson. Five Spirit Strands."
"Alvin Vendel. Five Spirit Strands."
"Jody Lumbarde. Eight Spirit Strands."
As soon as Jody''s spirit strands were revealed, amotion urred. Their reaction is different now since they have already realized the difference in their Spirit Strands.
Most of them only have four or five strands but Jody and Neil were actually so impressive.
Those who hadn''t tested their Spirit Strands for quite a long time started getting nervous. It was the same for Lisa who never had a chance to test her Spiritual Force.
Soon, it was Aubrey Hall''s turn.
She didn''t feel pressured at all as she even looked at Leonore with a provoking gaze. She didn''t see Jody and Neil as her opponent at all!
"Aubrey Hall. Sixteen Spirit Strands."
Almost everyone thought they heard incorrectly.
"W-what?! Is there a mistake? How can it be so high?!" Neil reacted and he even stood up in surprise.
"That''s right¡ Sixteen is a bit too much."
"Are you sure she''s only 13 years old like us? What if she''s already 16 or even older than that?"
"What did you say?! I will be turning fourteen in two weeks." Aubrey felt offended after hearing thest bit. She certainly doesn''t look sixteen or seventeen.
Before Professor Harwin can stop them, one of her studentsmented on the situation.
"Sixteen Spirit Strands isn''t that surprising¡ I''m sure that the other students who came from the Faction''s Founding Members would have simr strands."
It was Leonore whomented on this.
"Hmph! But the Hall Family doesn''t even belong to any of the Dark Arts Faction¡ They are merchants." Neil retorted. He wasn''t expecting that someone in this ss would exceed his Spirit Strand by arge margin. It was even double his result!
He thought that all the monstrous students are in ss 1 already.
Upon hearing his reaction, Leonore didn''t bother to exin and only smiled. She seems to know more about Aubrey''s identity and Vale didn''t miss that hint.
Professor Harwin decided not toment as well but she already noted Neil''s behavior.
She was about to call for Chad Bulmung but she decided to change it to Leonore¡
Everyone became silent as she stepped on the tform and held the Spirit Converging Crystal.
Even Vale was interested to see the result. After all, even the proud Zeno seems to be wary of her.
"Leonore Rnd. Seventeen Spirit Strands."
As soon as this was announced, several gasps were heard.
Aubrey also looked at Leonore with a sigh. She couldn''t help but think about all the money she spent to achieve her current state.
It seems that even after spending millions of zens, she''s still unable to match the real elites of the Dark Arts Faction.
''I''m still close to her result¡ It''s just a difference of one strand. I just need to show the same level of progress and I''ll be able to repay all the money spent by my family to give me this body.'' Aubrey inwardly said as she looked at Vale curiously.
All this time, she was watching his reaction¡ For some reason, she couldn''t get a strong reaction from him even after she revealed her 16 Strand and Leonore''s 17 Strand.
Chapter 63 Results
?"Chad Bulmung. Twelve Spirit Strand."
"Lisa Grayback. Nine Spirit Strand."
At this point, Neil''s face was already ashen. He no longer has the energy to express his disbelief. He heard from his family that normally, the Spirit Strands of first-year students would only be four, and the highest would be eight.
If there are 13 or 14 years old with a higher Spirit Strand than that, they were most likely from the main family of each Arcane Path.
As far as he knows the Dark Arts Faction only has five Founding Members or main families¡ The Moontomb, Featherstar, Angrt, Ravinie, and Vermont Families.
As for the remaining families, they were just recruited by the founding members bing the second generation or even the third generation of the Dark Arts Faction.
Neil had studied all of these families¡
He thought that he only has to worry about Leonore since she was from the Second Generation Family which was connected to the Ravinies.
However, he was wrong. Jody Lumbarde is only from a Fourth Generation Family but she was already equal to him in terms of Spirit Strands!
Then, the Bulmung Family, a third-generation family which is the same as his Sommerhalder Family in the Rune Arts Faction produced Chad Bulmung who had four more strands than him!
Even the unknown girl who was recruited from themoners had a higher baseline than him!
''I can''t believe this¡'' Neil didn''t expect that there are already 4 people who had a higher Spirit Strand than him. Not even half of them were called.
As Professor Harwin continued calling the names of his ssmates, he couldn''t help but feel nervous. Luckily, the next students who were called had ordinary Spirit Strands.
Most of them have 4 or 5 Spirit Strands with a few 6 or 7. No one has reached a simr or above his result.
''I guess I only have to worry about those four¡'' Neil sighed inwardly as he noticed that there were only three people left uncalled.
The next person was another 13-year-old male student withmon brown hair. He has a freckled face and looks very ordinary. He wasn''t in any groups so no one cheered for him as he stood up and walked to the front.
Soon, Professor Harwin''s voice stunned many of them.
"Dalton Stranway. Sixteen spirit strands¡"
This is the second 16-strand student of ss 2!
"Another one? What are we supposed to do?"
"Aren''t our ss 2 so amazing?"
"I think that the teachers failed to properly distribute the students."
"Don''t think too much¡ It''s our growth speed that is important. They might have an incredible starting line but their talent may not be as good." One of Neil''sckeys consoled himself and the others who only had 4 or 5 spirit strands.
"That''s right¡ Furthermore, having a higher spirit strand is not everything in Dark Arts¡ It might be true if you''re in Dorelts Academy. However, we''re in Vermont Academy so you can''t lose hope."
It was Leonore who spoke this time. She observed Dalton very carefully but she doesn''t have an impression of him at all.
Even Chad, who was most informed about the families surrounding the Dark Arts Faction, doesn''t know this man at all.
"Stranway¡ They''re probably from a fourth-generation family like the Chambers Family¡ I know all the second generation and most of the third generation¡ The Stranway Family is not included in them so he must be from a countryside branch." Chadmented.
He can''t make sense of how this person was able to possess a Spirit Strand simr to those nurtured by the second generation families and even the main families.
"It''s probably simr to mine¡ He has a special physique. It''s either a natural gift or something bought with money like mine." Aubreymented with a soft voice and only their small group heard of it.
Vale was quite surprised that Aubrey didn''t mind telling her secret. Although she didn''t mention what type of physique she has, this information is still quite sensitive in his opinion. Well, it''s probably not a big deal considering the fact that she''s from a huge merchant family.
As soon as the other person was called, Vale realized that he was thest person. He wasn''t sure if the Professor deliberately arranged this¡
"Warren Lawstein. Seventeen Spirit Strands."
Again, the whole ss looked at Warren with a questioning gaze. This person belongs to another "weak" family.
The Lawstein doesn''t even belong to a special branch of the Dark Arts Faction. Instead, they are simply a supplier of specific spiritual herbs. They don''t own a hugend and only supply two types of herbs to the faction.
It was quite baffling that he could equal someone from the Second Generation Family, Leonore Rnd!
Leonore looked at Warren who seemed happy about the result of his Spirit Strand test.
"Thank you, Professor. It''s my first time having this test¡" Warren said as he expressed his gratitude before leaving the tform.
His seatmates immediately started talking to him. They were curious as to why he had never tested his Spiritual Force before and how he was able to achieve his result¡
They weren''t too interested in Vale''s result since they believe that he''ll just get an average result¡
"Ahem¡ I must be lucky since I heard that my father fed me the essence of Pride Pomegranate when I was young." Warren revealed.
"Pride Pomegranate? Does it really exists?"
"Hehe¡ Of course¡ I''m sure you''ll learn more if you join our student club." Warren replied with an invitation to his club.
At this point, Vale already held the Spirit Converging Crystal and was waiting for the result toe out.
Aubrey, Chad, and the others who were paying attention to his actions noticed that the appearance of the Spirit Strands is taking quite some time which shouldn''t be normal on this asion.
''It''s already five minutes¡ Why was the result dyed for such a long time?'' Chad mused as he looked at the crystal with a frown.
Chapter 64 Vales Spirit Strands
?The students who were also discussing the Pride Pomegranate noticed that Vale''s result was taking too much time.
"Was it broken?"
"That makes sense. There must be a malfunction after assessing a couple of 16 spirit strands and 17 spirit strands."
"Hmph! That Spirit Converging Crystal probably has a limit of 30 spirit strands. It won''t malfunction just by testing us."
"Then why is he taking a long time?"
"Perhaps, he can''t even produce a single strand?" Neilmentedzily. He doesn''t really care about Vale''s result.
"Haha! That would be embarrassing¡ Jody, you should publish it in our Academy Publication if he''s unable to produce a single strand."
"Tsk¡ I haven''t even joined them yet. They still want to test me." Jody replied while shaking her head.
Of course, she also thought that it would be an interesting article so she was watching Vale carefully. The test she needed to pass in order to join the club was to write an article after all.
She was already thinking of writing about Leonore''s result since she''s the most interesting person she knows at the moment. However, if Vale really obtained a Zero Strand result, that might be a very funny story and would give her a better chance of passing the test.
However, after ten minutes a result finally came up¡ This time, Professor Harwin finally showed a reaction¡ She was first shocked after seeing the number of strands before looking at Vale very seriously.
"Vale Chambers. Twenty-Five Strands." Professor Harwin announced.
"¡"
No one reacted after hearing Vale''s result but they all look dumbfounded.
"Twenty-five? That''s so amazing!" Lisa reacted after processing it in her mind.
"Indeed¡ What kind of training did you do to reach this level?!" Chad asked with genuine curiosity. He knows fully well how difficult it was to increase someone''s spiritual force.
Although developing your Spirit at an early age is much easierpared to when you''re older, it should be impossible to exceed the 20-Strand limit!
"Twenty-five? Can I see the result, Professor?" Neil asked as he couldn''t help but doubt what he just heard.
The others also nodded their heads since they have never heard someone of their age have this kind of Spiritual Force.
"That''s right! Show us the crystal!"
"We need to make sure that it''s not tampered with!"
"Having twenty-five strands is just too unbelievable. I''m unconvinced. Please allow me to see the result as well!"
Vale was stunned after hearing the sudden usation. He didn''t look at his ssmates who seem to have been offended by his result but looked at the Professor who has been trying to show an indifferent expression all this time.
Thetter appears amused after hearing their usations.
"You can''t believe that Vale managed to obtain such a result?" Professor Harwin asked.
"I-it''s not that we''re doubting you, Professor. We just want to see it to make sure." Neil replied.
"I''ve been handling numerous Spirit Converging Crystal in my family. I''ve learned that they can malfunction if they''re damaged."
"Yes, he''s right¡ We''re just worried that we''ll not get his real result. It''s also for Vale''s sake."
It came from Roswell Curtis and Larry Hegan, two of Neil''sckeys who only obtained 4 Spirit Strands.
"Very well. Vale, show it to them¡" Professor Harwin nodded as she felt that there was nothing wrong with showing it to them.
However, Vale''s friends didn''t take this lightly.
"Professor! Isn''t that a bit too much? They''re doubting your ability to count the number of Strands. If there is something wrong with the Spirit Convergin Crystal, there''s no way you wouldn''t notice it as well."
"That''s right! They''re just trying to cause trouble."
Chad and ir spoke in turn.
Neil and his friends wanted to argue but Vale spoke first. He didn''t want to make this a big deal.
"It''s fine¡ Let them check it. It''s probably their first time seeing someone with 25 strands." Vale said with a chuckle as he passed it to them.
Chad and ir alsoughed as they understood Vale''s intention.
The strands wouldn''t disappear quickly so Vale just tossed it over to Neil''s group. It would take some time and it''s enough for Neil''s group to count the number of Strands.
They can also check that the crystal is not damaged or malfunctioning if they tested themselves again.
Vale returned to his seat as Neil looked at him viciously. He was offended by Vale''s words but he decided not to express his anger for now.
He immediately checked the crystal only to confirm that Professor Ste Harwin was right.
''Twenty-five strands¡ How is this possible? Even some of the sixth-year students wouldn''t have this many strands!'' Neil was seriously questioning Vale''s identity right now.
The Chambers Family doesn''t have anything in their name that can allow one of their members to achieve such a result.
He can somehow understand Aubrey Hall''s uniqueness since she has a huge merchant family behind her. She was simply lucky. Her rich father might''ve spent a huge amount of money to procure potions or sacrificed enormous wealth to call upon a mysterious existence to help her possess a high level of spiritual force.
She might even be possessed by this existence right now.
It was the same for Warren who was lucky to be fed with a legendary fruit. His story might be an exaggeration but there is still a chance that it''s true.
As for Dalton, he might''ve just inherited his talent from his ancestor since he had heard that the Stranway Family was previously a loyal servant of a deceased king. Not many people know of this but his Sommerhalder Family knows this well.
Neil took a deep breath as he calmed his thoughts.
He can only ept that he has seven ssmates that have better baselines than him.
"It''s real¡ Congrattions on having the highest Spirit Strands in our ss." Neil gritted his teeth as he congratted Vale''s achievement.
Vale didn''t think too much of this achievement since he wasn''t evenpeting against him. However, he still smiled and acknowledged Neil''s words.
In his mind, he was actually feeling quite helpless¡
''My problem is probably the fact this number of strands wouldn''t increase for quite a while unless I managed to find a corpse in the Academy¡'' Vale sighed inwardly as he was starting to consider if he has to use the Headmaster''s "opportunity."
Chapter 65 Lessons ( 1 )
?This is Vale''s real concern.
Thanks to the shadow taken from him by the headmaster, he can''t leave the Academy unless it was willed by the holder of his shadow. Perhaps, he can only leave the Academy if he does a mission outside.
Furthermore, he wouldn''t have any thought of permanently leaving the academy or escaping from it thanks to this "curse".
It was quite scary because he can''t feel this "curse" at all and seem natural to him.
What if he can''t extract any corpse for the next 10 years? Wouldn''t he be stuck on 25-Strand?!
That would be extremely suspicious and also embarrassing. He would be aughing stock of his batchmates for being incapable of improving¡ He just can''t imagine doing that.
''Well, I might still improve naturally without the extraction. So I shouldn''t be too worried about this.'' Vale mused as he tried to console himself.
On the other hand, Chad and his ssmates around him wanted to start talking about his incredible spirit strand. However, Professor Harwin already stood in front and was watching them carefully.
"The result of your Spirit Strand Test doesn''t tell your talent. The reason why you''re here in the academy is to improve and discover your talents. Furthermore, we are all Dark Arts Practitioners. We don''t heavily rely on powerful Spiritual Force¡" She exined.
"Why is that, Professor? Isn''t a stronger spiritual force always better?" Felicia Lobb who had obtained 4 Spirit Strands in the test asked. She was concerned about her low result so she wanted an answer to her question.
Professor Harwin didn''t mind this question as she was also nning to exin this to them.
"It''s true that having more Spirit is better. However, it''s not everything to us. Let me give you an example. A practitioner of the Dark Arts who had specialized in Necromancy only needed 10 Spirit Strands to summon a Phantom Knight. This Phantom Knight is equal to a 3rd ss Spirit Knight that would normally have 25 to 30 Spirit Strands¡"
Professor Harwin paused as he looked at everyone''s reaction. Many of them didn''t know about this so they were listening attentively.
Noticing that they were taking notes, she continued¡
"Another example is the Curse Magic that we have. With your 8 Spirit Strand, you can learn basic Curse Magic. As long as you possess anything that belongs to your target''s body, like hair, nails, or even saliva, you can attack them without caring for their distance. Every time your Spell Light is refilled, you can activate this Curse Magic¡ and that would slowly kill your target if you''re diligent¡"
Vale nodded at this exnation as he already thought of this after reading numerous books. The Curse Magic is truly scary and it can only be countered by a few things like Anti-Curse Spell, Mystical Artifact, or by having a huge difference in Spirit.
Of course, there are still many things left unsaid but the idea is already there so Vale didn''tment on Professor Harwin''s exnation.
She continued exining the difference between the Darkness Arcane Path to others like those in the Alchemy, Elemental, and Summoner Arcane Path¡
Thanks to the Dark Spells and Rituals of their Arcane Path, they can indeed fight against those with higher Spirit¡ However, there is one thing that was needed in order to win¡ It is by having enough preparations.
Especially if you wanted to win against an opponent through rituals. It will require time and money to obtain all the resources you needed.
Another student asked a question. It was Reid Baldry who simrly obtained 4 Spirit Strands in his test.
"Professor, I heard we can''t learn a third dark spell or we won''t be epted in the Academy¡ I didn''t question my father about it but I''m curious now¡ May I know the reason for that?"
Vale, Lisa, and some others were also curious about this so they looked at the Professor expectantly¡
"It''s going to be discussed in yourst subject for today, the Darkness Path ss¡ But I guess I can still answer that¡ The reason is quite simple, you need to learn a total of three Dark Spells that were formted by the Dark Arts Faction. These spells weren''t something that rogue practitioners can learn¡ Only the Dark Arts Practitioners who had entered this Academy can learn these spells. With this set of spells, you will be stronger than those rogues¡"
Her students perked up as their attention was turned to these three spells.
"May I know what those spells are, Professor?" Alvin Vendel asked
"Indeed¡ I only learned one spell since I''m worried that it will take a long time to create my third spell slot. I wish to learn the Dark Spells immediately." Roswell Curtis added.
Professor Ste Harwin shook her head as this wasn''t something she should be teaching them.
"Your professor in that ss is a retired member of the Evanescent Vessels. He will be able to answer all your questions regarding those three fundamental Dark Spells."
"Ahhh¡ Professor Morton Sullivan?" Chad Bulmung asked in surprise. He seems to have researched all the Professors in the Academy.
"Yes¡ Professor Sullivan served as a Vessel for 40 years. He had vastbat experience and will be able to exin Dark Spells in a better way than I am. What I''m going to teach you here in this ss is the way to increase your Spirit, control your Magic Zone, and advance your Phantasm State."
Ste paused for a moment as she looked at her students. She realized that they were all quite baffled at thest part¡
"You probably haven''t heard from your parents or tutors about the advancement of your Phantasm State¡ That''s normal. It can be life-threatening if you decided to explore it on your own so the Academy should teach this thing to you for your safety."
Vale was certainly interested in this topic so he attentively listen¡
He didn''t expect that his Phantasm State can still change! At first, he thought that it is simply a requirement in order to see the Magic Zone that you have. However, it seems that he was thinking too lightly of it!
Chapter 66 Lessons ( 2 )
?The remaining time in the ss was an eye-opener for them. Professor Ste Harwin taught them various things rted to Magic Zone and Spirit.
She didn''t make any in-depth discussion about the advancement of the Phantasm State but they will certainly touch on this subject in the next lessons.
Noticing that there were only 10 minutes left before the end of the ss, Professor Harwin looked at everyone¡
"Do you have any questions?" She asked.
Leonore then raised her hands to get the Professor''s attention.
After being called, Leonore spoke while seated.
"Professor, you mentioned that we can increase our Spirit through meditation¡ You''re also expecting all of those with four or five strands to end this academic year with at least 10 Strands. May I ask about your expectation of my current state?"
Since Leonore has 17 Spirit Strands, she was expecting that she''ll be able to get a better result than those with 4 or 5 strands. She''s curious if the meditation that she''ll learn will only give her 5 more Spirit Strands for the whole Academic Year.
If that were the case, she might as well continue her family''s method instead.
"The others with high Spirit Strands probably have the same question. Unfortunately, since you''ve exceeded the 10 Spirit Strand already, it would be difficult to say¡ It will all depend on your talent¡ What I can say is that every 10th mark would be difficult to break through. In short, those with 16 or 17 Spirit Strands would have an easier time reaching 20th but 21st Strand would not be easy."
Leonore and the others with high Spirit Strands nodded in realization.
Some of them even started looking at Vale who had a very abnormal Spirit.
They weren''t sure if he was extremely talented or was simply lucky to obtain a rare treasure that was able to enhance his Spirit.
After this question was answered, Jody raised her hand for another question.
"About the Magic Zones, are we also going to learn how to change its shape?" She asked with a hint of excitement.
Previously during the ss, Professor Harwin hinted that the Magic Zone they have isn''t indefinite. If they have met certain requirements, their magic zone can move!
"That''s right¡ However, you will have to ensure that your Phantasm State canst at least five minutes before we can do that."
"Aahh?! Five minutes?"
"Perhaps, five seconds?"
"Is that true, Professor?"
Many of them were obviously surprised about this while Lisa was just curiously looking at their reaction.
"Isn''t five minutes a bit too much? I know a third-year student who can onlyst three minutes¡"
"That''s true¡ Are you also going to help us reach that duration, Professor?"
Vale noticed that even Chad Bulmung with 12 Spirit Strands wasining. It means that he probably doesn''t have a long duration as well.
Chad then turned his gaze to Vale after noticing that he was being looked at.
"Vale¡ How long can youst? Just tell it to me¡" Chad whispered but Lisa and Aubrey heard him. They also leaned closely to Vale to hear his answer.
Vale hesitated for a moment before teasing Chad.
"You can guess¡"
Chad pouted at this as he knows that Vale doesn''t have ns of telling his secret. To be honest, even the Academy may not necessarily know your limit.
After all, what''s important to them is that you pass the requirement for your Academic Year.
The First Year students might require a minute or two or even less when ites to the duration of the Phantasm State.
As Vale was wondering what was the requirement for first-year students like him, Professor Harwin finally answered.
"That right¡ I will be helping you increase your duration¡ However, it wouldn''t be a direct help since it will be in a different ss. It''s your Fundamentals in Magic Zone ss that will be taught by another Professor. Just to let you know, this year''s requirement is only tost for 90 seconds. This Professor will fail you in her ss if you can''t reach 90 seconds for the whole academic year so you have to study well."
Ste exined. Her ss is only about Elementary Spirit Law. It is simply a theoretical ss. The things that she''ll teach them will only help them in other subjects.
"What?! Ny seconds?" The students eximed as they felt that it was too long.
"Correct¡ Since we still have four minutes. I want everyone to enter their Phantasm State while raising their hands. Put it down if you ended your Phantasm State. This way, I can tell you your current level and make a better n for you."
With that said, everyone followed her instruction and entered their Phantasm State¡
This includes Lisa who had just learned the Phantasm State today. Unfortunately, she still can''t enter the Phantasm State and would probably need more practice.
Ste Harwin looked at her students with a helpless smile.
Most of her students onlysted around 20 seconds. There were only a handful of students in her ss that can surpass a minute¡
After three minutes. It was only Vale who was left in his Phantasm State. There was no point continuing this so she ordered him to cancel his Phantasm State.
"Very good. I''ve seen everyone''s current state. With my help, I''m sure that everyone will improve in just a few months. For now, I won''t be teaching you the meditation technique to help you increase your spirit. Ahem¡ Your next ss is Basic Usage of Mystical Artifacts¡ Listen attentively since your professor in this ss will think that you are all fast learners¡"
After saying this, Professor Ste left the ssroom leaving the students confused.
Everyone was baffled until the Professor finally arrived.
She only seems to be in her forties but her hair is already turning mostly white. She has a reading ss resting on her nose and a cane that was helping her walk.
With a weak and hoarse voice, she spoke to everyone.
"Good morning. I''m Shirley Harrison. You can simply call me Professor Harrison. Unlike the Elementary Spirt Law that has 2 hours, we only have an hour in this ss so I want everyone to pay your full attention to every word that I say."
Shirley took a deep breath before continuing¡
"For our first ss, we won''t be doing boring things. Instead, we''ll summon a mysterious existence through a Mystical Artifact¡"
Chapter 67 Lessons ( 3 )
?"Ahh? We''re going to summon a mysterious existence?"
"Awesome! Are we going to participate?"
Everyone was quite excited as soon as they heard the Professor''s words. Summoning a mysterious existence seems very intriguing and all of them wanted to witness this strange phenomenon.
Professor Harrison smiled after hearing them and nodded. "That''s right. I will show it to you once and we''ll find volunteers to copy my actions¡ Before that, has anyone tried summoning a mysterious existence before?"
At this question, they all looked around their ssmates only to see four people raising their hands.
They were Leonore, Aubrey, Neil, and Dalton.
All four of them have decent backgrounds so Vale and the others didn''t seem surprised.
"I thought you''ve also experienced summoning such existence before¡" Vale whispered to his seatmate, Chad Bulmung.
"I''ve seen one before but I''ve never tried doing it. It''s quite scary if you don''t have a strong spirit. They even said that these existences might pull you when they''re returning to their origin." Chad exined as he looked at his four ssmates who had experienced calling a mysterious existence. With their current Spirit, there shouldn''t be any problems as long as they tried summoning a weak existence in the underworld or whatever ce it was.
"They can pull you? That''s quite dangerous¡" Vale replied with a frown. Although he knows that there is a danger in this type of ritual, he had only read it in the books and it wasn''t specified what kind of danger they''ll be encountering.
''I thought that being injured and spiritually exhausted are the only problems¡'' Vale mused. He didn''t expect that being pulled by this existence is another thing that he has to worry about.
"Mhmm¡ Since we have experienced students, I expect that they''ll volunteerter. In any case, we will summon an ArchFey and her name is Mennena¡ She''s been living inside this mirror for hundreds of years and she can see someone''s special characteristics¡ Like their Special Physique, Mystical Talent, or even your hidden Artifact. She can pry someone''s secrets so it''s quite fun calling her out." Professor Harwin exined with a smile.
On the other hand, many of her students don''t think that it was fun at all!
Calling out an existence that is capable of seeing through your secrets isn''t wee! The four who had raised their hands a while ago were already regretting their actions.
After all, they will be the ones who will be trying to use the mirror first. Once this existence called Mennena appears, she might reveal their secrets in passing and it''s not going to be pleasant for them.
"Alright¡ Don''t make any noises since I''ll be starting¡"
Professor Harrison said as she ced the hand mirror in front of her.
After confirming that she can see her reflection clearly, she started chanting a prayer to call for this existence...
"Esteemed ArchFey of the Third Era, the 13th Warden of the Spirit World, the current Spirit of the Pristine Mirror, grant me your audience¡ In ordance with the vow, a practitioner of the Darkness Path will find the light within the darkness and it''ll outshine even the darkest of shades."
Vale has been observing the ritual while he''s in his Phantasm State since he didn''t want to miss anything.
As soon as Professor Harrison finished her chant, Vale noticed that a bit of her spiritual energy was consumed.
Soon, the mirror she was holding started gathering a vast amount of energy and Vale has to cancel his Phantasm State as a result. He felt that if he didn''t do so, he would be noticed by the mysterious existence that was being summoned.
As everyone was waiting for the result, they heard a high-pitched voiceing from the mirror that the Professor was holding.
"Shirley! It''s been a while! You don''t seem injured. You only have some sore muscles. You need to exercise from time to time. I bet you''re staying in your smokey room 24/7¡ You should go out and smell some grass¡ You''re only 33 years old but look like 50¡ Ah, are you experimenting with your eyes again? You look like you''re about to---"
The voice was instantly cut off as Professor Harrison released the mirror from her hands and ced it on the pulpit stand.
"Ahem¡ That''s how it is¡ Did you remember the chant I made? It will only consume a bit of Spiritual Energy so it won''t be dangerous. At most, you''ll need two to three days of rest to recover this energy." Professor Harrison said with an awkward tone.
The four "experienced" students were truly worried now after witnessing how Mennena, the spirit of the Mirror, was able to rant on their professor just like that.
Thankfully, there is a way to stop it from ranting and it''s by unhanding the mirror itself.
Leonore, Aubrey, Neil, and Dalton gulped in nervousness as they looked at each other.
In the meantime, Vale was actually looking at Professor Harrison carefully.
''She''s only 33 years old? She looks really old¡ I wonder what kind of experiments she''s doing to look like that.'' Vale was concerned about this.
Whatever she was doing, he wanted to avoid it at all costs.
"Alright, who''s going to try first?" Professor Harrison asked.
Surprisingly, one of the four immediately raised a hand.
"I will do the honor, Professor..." Neil said as he stood up.
"Oh, you''re brave¡ That''s how it should be. Since I''m here watching you, there''s nothing to worry about." Professor Harrison said with a gentle nod.
She likes how Neil is actively participating in her ss.
"I understand, Professor. I suggest that after my attempt, the next one would be Vale Chambers." Neil said out of nowhere.
Vale was obviously confused as he knitted his brows.
''Why did I suddenly got involved?''
Professor Harrison was simrly confused so she asked Neil curiously.
"Professor, our ssmate, Vale Chambers has 25 Spirit Strands. He probably has a higher Spirit Strand than our Student Representative. We just wanted to witness his skills." At these words, Neil''sckeys chimed in.
"That''s right, Professor! We just want to witness the skills of our strongest ssmate."
"Indeed¡ I''m sure he also wanted to try this activity."
Chapter 68 Lessons ( 4 )
?"Oh, so it was like that." Professor Harrison nodded in acknowledgment. She didn''t know that Vale has 25 Spirit Strands and she was quite shocked to hear that number.
It is not easy for 13 or 14-year-old kids to handle such a huge amount of Spirit. There are cases that they will turn insane or lose their mindpletely and be a perfect Vessel for evil spirits.
Of course, she decided not to mention this possibility since Vale looks stable in her eyes. She didn''t want to scare him so she can only praise him for now.
"You have a very impressive Spiritual Force, Vale. I''ll be looking forward to your participation¡ Ah, you indeed have a higher Spirit Strand than Maya Featherstar so your ssmate was right." The Professor added.
"Ahh? He''s higher than Maya?! So it was true!"
"How is that possible?"
"This is unbelievable. Howe he wasn''t the Student Representative?"
"That''s right! He should rece Maya!"
"We should inform her about this so she can abdicate her position!"
Amotion suddenly urred after hearing the Professor''s revtion. Some of them were even deliberately making it difficult for Vale!
At this rate, there might be rumors that he was nning to rece the Student Representative after the ss!
Their ssmate from a countryside family had a better result than the celebrity family of the Dark Arts Faction! This news will truly shake the entire first year or even the Academy itself! Jody was already considering the article she was nning to submit.
After all, the five Founding Members of the Faction had always been at the top! There were only a few times that they were challenged and most of it didn''t end well for the challengers.
She didn''t care if this caused trouble for Vale. What matters is that this news is certainly juicy enough to be epted in the Academy Publication Club!
''This¡''
Vale was also surprised at this and he started to consider this matter seriously. There was no way his Spirit Strand test result would just remain inside his ssroom at this moment.
Soon, it will be heard by the heir of the Moontomb Family and the Featherstar Family.
''It seems I had too much fun with my extraction¡'' Vale sighed inwardly. Nevertheless, even if he returned in time, he wouldn''t undo such a thing. Having a higher Spirit is much better than having a lower one.
Furthermore, if he wasn''t able to extract corpses, this 25 Spirit Strand would most likely be stuck in this number since at this stage, it''s extremely difficult to increase your Spirit. After all, this level of Spirit is already for sixth-year students or those 19 and 20 years old.
''Should I retain my current Spirit Strand to 25 so they don''t think too much of me?'' Vale bit his lips as he considered this move.
If he became incapable of increasing his Spirit, anyone who was thinking that he was a thorn in their flesh would think twice if they were nning to deal with him. After all, he would seem incapable of improving if his Spirit Strand didn''t change for years.
It was a cowardly move but it will essentially remove or lessen the number of people who would be keeping an eye on him¡
Of course, there is also a danger in this method so he didn''t want to do this as much as possible. If he can, he wanted to continue extracting corpses even if it bes suspicious as long as he gets stronger.
After all, he realized that the flexibility of his Spell Dispersion skill doesn''t simply depend on the level of this dark spell or the amount of dark energy he possesses in his body. His Spirit or Intelligence is also a factor that he has to consider if he wants to control this top-tier Dark Spell!
Vale sighed at his Professor''s words and replied¡
"I will try my best, Professor."
He can only agree to participate in this activity.
Neil was obviously happy after hearing this. His n was simple, he wanted the mirror to expose Vale''s secrets. Whatever little information it provides would be enough for him and his family to research it. After all, he believes that Vale was only lucky to obtain some sort of treasure.
If he learned what it was, he would certainly ask his parents to obtain it as well.
"Neil, do you remember the chant I made to call the Spirit of the Mirror?" Professor Harrison asked as Neil nervously held the mirror.
"Yes, Professor. I''m reciting it in my head so I won''t forget it. I''m actually curious why it wasn''t in Oardic. It would be more difficult for me to remember if that was the case." Neil replied.
"Yes¡ It''s not in Oardic since we''remunicating with a friendly existence this time. However, it will be different if we''ll trying tomunicate with an unfamiliar existence. You will have to use Oardic if you don''t want to offend this existence." Shirley exined.
She didn''t have to exin what would happen if they offended the mysterious existence or failed tomunicate with them at all.
The others also nodded in agreement. Some of them didn''t even notice thenguage that was used. Only when Neil pointed it out did they recall the uniqueness of Oardic¡
"You can start now." The Professor said after noticing that Neil was ready.
Neil took a deep breath as he looked in the mirror. This is the first step that he had seen from Professor Harrison.
Then, he started to chant in Soi.
"Esteemed ArchFey of the Third Era, the 13th Warden of the Spirit World, the current Spirit of the Pristine Mirror, grant me your audience¡ In ordance with the vow, a practitioner of the Darkness Path will find the light within the darkness and it''ll outshine even the darkest of shades."
Soon, Neil felt a bit of his energy get sucked into the mirror. It wasn''t very rming and it was even quite gentle, unlike his first experience in his family''s treasury.
"Oh~ A new face! You''re Neil Sommerhalder, aren''t you? A seedling from a Rune Arts Specialist attending the Dark Arts Academy, what an odd one. Ah, you actually have broken roots¡ You''re born incapable of receiving the Rune Blessings? Or maybe you''re an illegitimate son? You''re mother is---"
At this point, the Mirror has already left Neil''s hands and stopped talking. Neil''s face was full of cold sweat as he turned his gaze to his ssmates.
Right now, even Professor Harrison was already regretting this first-day activity.
Chapter 69 Spirit Of The Mirror
?"Rune Blessing?" Vale repeated. He wasn''t interested in Neil''s identity. Whether he''s an illegitimate son or even an adopted son, he doesn''t care.
However, the Rune Blessing is new to him¡ He looked at Chad Bulmung hoping that he knows about it but unfortunately, he only shook his head.
He was also clueless about the Rune Blessing.
Luckily, ir Etton was close to them and was able to exin what it was.
"Rune Blessing is simr to our Darkness Possession¡" He exined in a few words.
Professor Harrison heard this as well and immediately found a way to divert the topic. It''s not good to stay on the topic of Neil''s identity.
"Ahem¡ ir was right. The Rune Blessing is indeed simr to our faction''s Darkness Possession, it''s their ritual before epting a practitioner. If you''re curious, the Elemental Arts Faction has Elemental Baptism. The Alchemy Arts Faction has Fire Infusion. The Summoning Arts Faction has Grimoire''s Election and the Mystic Arts Faction has Mystical Law''s Trial to name a few."
Vale and the others repeated these rituals in their minds as they found this topic quite interesting. As someone who had suffered from the Darkness Possession, they were obviously curious about the other Arcane Paths.
"It''s my first time hearing about this."
"Me too. These things weren''t in any books I''ve read."
"I wonder if we can also walk on this path even if we alreadypleted the Darkness Possession."
"Hah¡ That''s possible if you want your body to copse and die painfully."
Professor Harrison also agreed to this. "That''s right. You can''t walk on two paths or your body will be unable to support your life."
"Yes, Professor. We''re only joking about it." Junius said as he fixed his reading ss.
In any case, learning the names of the other path''s rituals felt like their horizons are broadening¡ They also wanted to ask the professor what was being done in those rituals she mentioned but at this time, Neil has already recovered and started to call for Vale''s participation.
"I think Vale is now ready to participate. Since I''ve done my part, I hope that our strongest ssmate will not back out." Neil said interrupting everyone''s thoughts.
Of course, now that they gained some juicy information from Neil thanks to the mirror, everyone was now interested to hear Vale''s information.
Vale nced at him for a moment before shaking his head. It seems that he had truly offended this guy for having a record-high Spirit Strand.
To be honest, he was also a bit worried after watching Neil''s performance. He had realized that Neil had wanted to unhand the mirror the moment it spoke but he failed to do so.
It seems that afterpleting the chant or the ritual to call for the mysterious existence, there would be 10 to 15 seconds where Mennena can''t be interrupted while talking.
Only after passing this mark will he be able to release the mirror and cut it off from speaking.
"Vale, are you ready?" Professor Harrison asked.
"Yes, Professor¡" Vale answered as he stood up from his seat.
"Don''t be nervous¡ If you feel that your energy is being consumed, don''t panic, and just let it be. It''s normal to happen during a ritual since every time you call for a mysterious existence through a Mystical Item, something must be traded in exchange. In this case, the mirror will require your energy to be consumed in exchange." Professor Harrison reminded.
Vale nodded in acknowledgment before he started the ritual.
"Esteemed ArchFey of the Third Era, the 13th Warden of the Spirit World, the current Spirit of the Pristine Mirror, grant me your audience¡ In ordance with the vow, a practitioner of the Darkness Path will find the light within the darkness and it''ll outshine even the darkest of shades."
Vale recited calmly as he observe the changes in the mirror. He didn''t mind the slight decrease in his energy since he was quite used to it.
Then, the room suddenly turned quiet as everyone wanted to hear the existence''s assessment of Vale. Even his new friends were curious about this matter so they all waited with bated breath.
"Hmm? You''re using Vale¡ª" Mennena didn''t even finish speaking before Vale cut her off.
"Esteemed ArchFey Mennena, it''s an honor to meet you." Vale interrupted.
Since he can''t unhand the object, he decided to engage in a conversation instead!
Furthermore, Vale mentioned Mennena''s name since ording to the advanced book he read, this is the best way tomunicate with the existence they called.
It must be remembered that the ritual itself doesn''t include Mennena''s name. However, before the activity began, Professor Harrison purposedly mentioned the existence''s name and he believed that it was for this reason!
It was to directlymunicate with existence instead of letting it rant whatever it wanted to say.
Professor Harrison''s eyes lit up after seeing Vale unafraid ofmunicating with the existence in the mirror.
''I guess he obtained that 25 Spirit Strand for a reason¡'' Shirley mused as she looked at Vale with interest.
In her previous sses over the past few years, it was normal for her to see terrified students after seeing that the Mirror would somehow emit a feminine voice.
Furthermore, the reflection that''ll you''ll see in the mirror will still be your face that seems to have been possessed by the spirit of the mirror¡ It was quite creepy and only those who were holding the mirror would understand the terrifying experience.
"Oh? So you know my name¡ Very well, I can tell that you have a very strong desire to find corpses. Why is that? Are you nning to be a Necromancer?" Mennena asked.
"Ahem¡ I haven''t decided what to specialize in as of yet. Do you have a rmendation?" Vale replied politely ignoring the first question.
"I don''t rmend Necromancy. Just be a normal Dark Spellcaster. Ugh, what''s with your Spell Model? It''s weird. I can''t make a rmendation for your set of spells if you have that."
Vale immediately understood that Mennena saw through his first Spell Model. He didn''t reply to that as he decided to end their conversation.
He''s still ufortable since his whole ss is listening to his conversation with the mirror.
Chapter 70 Subjects
?As Vale returned to his seat, he noticed that Chad and the others were looking at him with fascination¡
"What Dark Spells did you learn? Is it not listed in the Fundamental Dark Spells?" Chad curiously asked.
"Don''t answer that, Vale. You need to keep it a secret. The Academy doesn''t mind whatever Dark Spell you learned as long as you learned the three required Dark Spells of the Academy." Aubrey reminded.
"Cough. Cough¡ She''s right. I was too excited. In any case, I will also keep my Spell Model a secret." Chad replied.
Vale can only drylyugh since he can''t reveal his Spell Model except for the Ghost Hand. Even if he uses the Spell Dispersion, there was no way he''d say that it''s a Spell Dispersion either.
After all, this particr spell is only strong if his opponents don''t know of this. This spell isn''t invincible so he has to be careful whenever he uses it. Over the past year, he has been experimenting with this Spell Dispersion and learned many of its weaknesses.
One of its weaknesses is that it can''t stop any summoned undead by Necromancers. It also can''t stop Spells that are on the higher level and higher realm.
''It''s a good thing I stopped Mennena from talking by calling out on her.'' Vale heaved a sigh of relief as he looked at Professor Harrison. The Spirit of the Mirror had almost revealed his real identity!
In the meantime, Professor Shirley Harrison was looking at him and she seemed to be very satisfied with his performance.
"Alright¡ Next volunteer!"
The ss continued as the others also tried to experience this. This includes Lisa Grayback who basically has zero experience in this matter. It was even her first time seeing a Mystical Artifact.
Fortunately, because of Vale''s example, Mennena was no longer able to rant and only revealed some eptable information¡
Nevertheless, it was still enough to learn more about their ssmates.
They learned that Dalton has toothache so he wasn''t talking much. Leonore has been ncing at Vale over 30 times now. Emily was already thinking of the next subject, Music and Arts, since she had a great talent for this.
Chad Bulmung also tried and asked Mennena what branch he should specialize in. Although he already made a decision, he simply wanted to ask for a second opinion. In the end, Mennena suggested pursuing the path of a Dark Alchemist. The Spirit didn''t mention the reason but Chad decided to consider it seriously.
"Alright, everyone¡ I want to remind you all again that Mennena is a friendly existence. Do not ever think that all beings you''ll summon will be this kind and chatterbox. Remember what I said before about the possible dangers you''ll experience."
"Yes, Professor!" The ss replied in unison.
Since there are still 15 minutes left in the ss, Shirley decided to exin what would they expect in this ss for the rest of the year.
"In the first three months, we will be discussing various types of Mystical Artifacts and how to identify them. Just so you know, not all mystical items have mysterious existence or spirits living in them. The mirror that I showed you is just another type of mystical item. In any case, there will be an exam after the three months was up and if everyone passed, we will be visiting the Ageless Chamber so you can see our collection of mystical items." Shirley exined as she gave them something that they''ll look forward to.
As expected, everyone''s eyes lit up after hearing this. Now that they''d seen the wondrous ability of a mystical artifact, there was no way they would pass up such an opportunity. Hearing or reading about these things isn''t as good as seeing them in real life.
"Ageless Chamber? I heard from my brother that it''s the Academy''s treasure vault!" Reid Baldry said in excitement as he seemed to have a brother studying in the academy.
"That''s an exaggeration. At most, it''s just a museum of mystical items. Most of the items ced there don''t have potent abilities. Otherwise, first-year students like us wouldn''t be allowed to view them." Neil chimed in as if he had already seen the chamber before.
"Professor, how many mystical items does the chamber have?" Felicia asked curiously.
Professor Harrison smiled after hearing them as she exined a bit more. "The Ageless Chamber has a couple of terrifying mystical items inside so don''t underestimate it. As for the numbers, there should be about 30 of them."
The first part was addressed to Neil while thetter part answered Felicia''s question.
''Huh? So the Academy only has 30 Mystical Artifacts¡ Isn''t it a bit too low? They''re actually very rare?'' Vale mused as he thought that there should be over three hundred artifacts inside the academy.
It was quite underwhelming that they only have 30 of them.
However, he noticed that Neil, Leonore, and the others looked very impressed about the number of artifacts the Academy has.
''Is that actually a lot?'' Vale mused as he doesn''t really have anything topare with. He only knows that his Master Heinz has a couple of Mystical Artifacts so he thought that they were quitemon among the Dark Arts Practitioners.
It''s a good thing that he learned of this early.
After the ss ended, their Professor for the Music and Arts subject arrived 10 minuteste.
He introduced himself as Professor Axel Seddon.
"You guys are probably curious about this subject. You are all in the Academy of Dark Arts but there is a subject of Music and Arts." Professor Seddon said as he looked at everyone.
He''s a gentleman in his early thirties. He carries himself like a real nobility. The way he walks to the tform and even how he looks at his students appears very polished like an art.
This was all noticed by students especially the nobles who had always attended banquets and simr gatherings.
Furthermore, these noble students recalled something else as they saw Professor Axel¡ it was their traumatizing etiquette tutors!
Chapter 71 Music
?"Hmm¡ Does any of you know why we have this ss?" Professor Axel Seddon asked as he ced his cane to the side and leaned on the pulpit stand.
A few students raised their hands so he just randomly pointed to one and gestured for him to answer. It seems that he has no idea about their names but it''s quite normal since it''s only their first day.
"I think it''s because we also need to prepare ourselves when we''re out in society. We''re no longer at war so we need time to socialize and maintain this peace. Learning Music and Arts might be helpful in doing so." Neil answered.
"Thank you¡ Are there any other answers?" The professor asked.
At this point, many of them started raising their hands so Professor Seddon pointed at a few people and allowed them to answer.
"I believe that this subject will also allow us to discover our talents in this field."
"Learning Music and Arts will teach us to understand the world around us so I think it''s necessary to learn this subject even if we''re studying the Dark Arts."
"It''s good for recreational activities since it might give us peace of mind. I heard from my father that learning Dark Spells and some serious rituals had adverse effects. Perhaps, by using this entertainment, we''ll be able to remain in control of our emotions."
Felicia, Reid, and Alvin answered.
"Good answers¡"
The professor nodded in acknowledgment. However, he was still unsatisfied.
Then, Professor Seddon looked at Vale as he prompted him to answer.
Vale was already thinking of his answer even before he was called so he wasn''t too nervous when he was randomly called.
"I think that the ''Music and Arts'' subject that we will learn is also part of the Dark Arts so it''s normal to learn them."
At this answer, Axel showed a smile and made a follow-up question. "Why do you think so?"
"I''ve read a few books. One of them is Cabbalistic Philosophy and Radical Omens. This book mentioned how old rituals use dances, music, stone engravings, and other forms of art in order tomunicate with mysterious existences. Since we''re in the Academy of Dark Arts, I just assumed that the Music or any Arts that we will learn is quite different from the ones we will learn outside the Academy."
Vale answered as his ssmates were stunned for a moment.
"Cabbalistic Philosophy and Radical Omens? I also have that book but most of it was written in Oardic¡ Are you already fluent in Oardic?" Chad Bulmung asked in surprise.
"Eh? The ones I read were written in Soi." Vale answered as he recalls the first book he picked up on the shelf of theboratory before.
Although he already started learning Oardic over the past year, he wasn''t fluent yet.
"Your family is better than I expected."
"Indeed¡"
Chad and Aubrey muttered as they seem to have no ess to the Soi version of that book.
"Good¡ All of your answers are correct. This subject is indeed something that will help you all merge into society quite easily. The most important thing is that you''ll also gain knowledge about various rituals that require Music and Arts." Professor Axel Seddon said as many of his students felt a bit surprised.
Most of them hadn''t connected Music and Arts to the rituals made in the Darkness Arcane Path. They didn''t think too much of it before aside from being a form of entertainment.
Some of them even started considering the Music Club as their option when joining a student club.
"Professor, I''ve never heard of a ritual rted to Dark Arts that requires dancing¡ I''ve also never heard of anyone using it. Is this unpopr because it''s inconvenient and not too usefulpared to normal Dark Spells?" Dalton asked curiously. Although he has a toothache, he couldn''t help but ignore it to satisfy his curiosity.
He seems to be hinting that he''s uninterested in it unless it will be very useful inbat.
Professor Seddon didn''t answer immediately and looked at his students.
"Are you all thinking about this?" He asked with a faint smile on his face.
"No, Professor. Although I haven''t seen anyone use music or other forms of art toplete a Dark ritual, I''ve seen various churches use music, dances, and paintings to worship their gods. Now that I think about it, their actions may not be really useless. Perhaps it truly has an effect on the gods they''re worshipping."
This time, it was Chad Bulmung who answered as he somehow connected this to the church. The other students also started thinking about it and they couldn''t help but nod in agreement.
"Indeed¡ The churches have these rituals. However, I have never connected them as a form of arcane ritual. I thought it was only a form of tradition." ir added as his family is actually connected to one of the churches.
Professor Axel Seddon was satisfied with their words as they are showing interest in this subject.
"The churches predominantly use musical rituals to connect to their gods aside from their normal prayers. We will go deeper into this topicter on so I can only say that the spirits connected to another realm like music¡" He said mysteriously astounding everyone in the room.
"Ah? Is that real?"
"Spirit that is connected to another realm?"
"I''ve never heard of this before. This idea sounds great!"
"This isn''t simply an idea. It''s the truth¡"
"This is why we''re studying here in the first ce. We don''t know much about the world of mysticism."
"I wonder if that realm is the Deity''s Realm? It sounds cool."
"Is it different from the Spirit World where Mennena originated?"
Variousments were heard as they discovered another new word today.
Vale felt really satisfied that he was able to attend the academy. After all, he believes that he''ll learn a bunch of things here that he can never touch upon in normal society.
The ss ended after Professor Seddon informed them what to expect in his subject for the whole academic year.
This made everyone excited and also nervous at the same time since this subject is actually more dangerous than any other in their current sses!
Chapter 72 Popularity
?"Vale, I think that this subject will be more dangerous than Professor Harrison''s ss..." Chadmented as Professor Seddon left the ssroom.
It''s already 10 in the morning and they have 30 minutes break before the two hours ss will start. Most of them are already preparing to go out of the ssroom.
"I think so too¡ Based on his words, any mistake in music, dance, or any arts might attract a different existence. We have to pay attention especially if we''re contacting a strange existence." Valemented.
"Well, just make sure not to call for one if you''re unsure. In any case, there should be plenty of alternatives that we aren''t aware of as of yet." Aubreymented.
"Let''s go to the cafeteria¡ We only have 30 minutes break." Lisa said as she noticed that most of their ssmates have already left. Although she''s also quite interested in the topic, she was unable to follow them.
Everyone agree and the group of friends then went to the cafeteria at her suggestion.
The food is free unless they want to get the special meal and drinks that the Academy has prepared. The tray of food they got contained fried fish, an egg, a biscuit, and arge cup of tea.
Furthermore, Vale also noticed that there is a post about the scheduled food forter.
It was written that dinner would be fried fillets of sole, green peas, and grapes. Nevertheless, what caught his interest is that they can have tea time around three in the afternoon. The cafeteria will serve a cup of tea, a slice of an apple, and a pudding.
''I wonder how the academy is earning money.'' Vale mused.
After all, the academy''s tuition is only a one-time payment of a thousand zen. There was no way that this academy can continue to run if they have no other sources of ie.
''Ahh¡ There''s also a factory outside run by the Academy¡ I guess that''s another source of ie.'' Vale thought as he ate his meal together with his group.
As he thought they would have a pleasant or uninterrupted meal, the students from other sses had also arrived.
It seems that their break time only has about 10 minutes of difference. Then, Vale''s group including the others in ss 2 heard something interesting from the other first-year students.
"Can you see him? I heard he doesn''t look impressive."
"Well, he''s probably not handsome but with his Spirit Strand, I think even Maya would take an interest in him."
"Ugh¡ I just can''t ept it. How could someone exceed the Spirit Strand of the Featherstar and Moontomb at the same age?"
"Sshh¡ He might be hearing you."
The students of ss 2 who were eating leisurely and chatting about theirst subject looked at the students who had just arrived.
Most of them are in ss 1¡
Since there are four cafeterias in the whole academy, some students may note to this area so it was quite normal.
As for the other students in different Academic Years, they seem to have different break times so the ce isn''t crowded yet.
"I think we should go¡ I''m nning to return to our ssroom now. I''ve finished eating anyway." Vale said as he felt that something might happen if he stays there.
It''s not like he''s afraid of something but he just felt ufortable if he was treated like an animal in a zoo.
Chad and the others agreed as they promptly finished eating their meals and stood up.
However, at this moment, another group of people arrived. It was Maya''s group together with other students who seemed older than her.
Then, after looking at the emblem of their coat, they realized that three of them are third-year students! As expected of the beautiful student representative, she even found escorts from higher years.
At this point, there is also another group of students who had approached Neil''s group. These students were from ss 3 and they seem to be friends with Neil.
"My friend, Neil¡ I heard that your ss has someone who was better and stronger than Maya, is that true?" The young man asked. Although he probably doesn''t have the intention to put Vale into trouble, his choice of words immediately attracted everyone''s attention including Maya and her escorts.
Neil was stunned for a moment as he felt that there was something wrong. However, he noticed that Maya was there and Vale was also not too far from him.
After some hesitations, he decided to answer while raising his voice a little bit.
"Ahem¡ Is that how the rumors were said? It wasn''t like that at all. He simply has a higher Spirit Strand than Maya ording to our Professor. It''s not a big deal, right? After all, everyone has a different starting point. I''m sure that Maya will surpass him someday."
Neil calmly spoke as he wanted to please Maya by saying these words.
However, it actually backfired as he felt Maya''s stinging gaze. It seems that she didn''t like how he tried tofort her.
"Cough¡ Cough¡ Let''s not talk about that. Have you decided what Club you''ll be joining?" Neil changed the topic immediately but his friends didn''t take the hint and continued asking.
"Where''s this guy? Is he the one beside you?... No? Did he not leave your ssroom?"
"Just tell us his name then¡"
They asked incessantly so Neil had no choice but to point at Vale''s group.
Of course, Maya and her escorts noticed his action as they locked their eyes on Vale.
Their only choice was either him or Chad Bulmung but since Chad doesn''t appear impressive, they immediately concluded that it was Vale who has already stood up and was about to leave.
Then, the others also noticed how Maya was looking at Vale so everyone in the cafeteria immediately recognized him.
"Is he the one with 25 Spirit Strands?"
"It seems so."
"Maya only has 18 Spirit Strands while this unknown guy has 7 more¡ I wonder which family is he from?"
They were all curious about Vale''s identity so it wasn''t that surprising¡
Then, to everyone''s surprise, Maya started walking in Vale''s direction! It seems that she was about to confront him!
Chapter 73 Fox
?Vale felt really ufortable as everyone was looking at him.
Luckily, his friends noticed this and they all decided to surround him as they headed toward the exit¡
"Wait!"
At this point, Maya already called out so there was no way for them to ignore her or they would be seen as arrogant students.
Vale sighed inwardly as he looked at the approaching students.
"Is there anything we can help you with?" Aubrey asked as she stood in between the two. If Maya wanted to scold Vale for being better than her, Aubrey has manyebacks in her head to humiliate her.
Luckily, Maya didn''t seem to be as arrogant as she thought. She seems calm like when they met her at the Assembly Hall.
"I was simply curious about your friend. He managed to get 25 Spirit Strands at the age of 14. Not even the elites of our family were capable of doing that." Maya said without any hint of sarcasm in her voice. She seem genuinely interested so Aubrey''s excitement died down.
"Mhmm¡" She observed Maya for a moment before ncing back at Vale who had a helpless smile on his face.
Vale nodded at Aubrey and replied to Maya¡
"I was just lucky¡ Twenty-five Spirit Strands might even be my limit already so don''t expect too much. In any case, we should hurry and return to our ss." Vale said as they don''t have a long break.
Before Maya can reply, he continued. "You should also use this time to have a break. It''s nice meeting you, Student Representative Maya."
He then gestured that he was about to leave but it wouldn''t be easy.
"Hey¡ Maya hasn''t finished talking yet!" The third-year student behind Maya suddenly spoke as he felt that Vale was being disrespectful.
The other one also felt the same and added.
"It''s impolite to leave just like that¡ I think you should attend etiquette lessons first. I can give you a rmendation."
The other students silently chuckled after hearing this but they were still continuing with what they were doing. Although they were listening, they didn''t want to make it too obvious.
Aubrey wanted to defend Vale at this point but Maya red at the two seniors before apologizing to Vale.
"It''s not my intention to hold you here. I apologize for taking your time. Let''s meet again some other time."
With that said Maya left the cafeteria as if she had forgotten to have a meal. The two third-year students didn''t expect this development since they thought that Maya wanted to cause trouble to this student in ss 2.
They were even prepared to make it difficult for him to join any Student Club. Unfortunately, Maya''s action discouraged them from going too far.
Without any other choice, they immediately followed Maya out of the Cafeteria.
''It''s really hard to recruit this girl to our Club¡'' One of them thought as he looked at Maya''s back.
In the meantime, Vale frowned at Maya''s subtle action just now.
''She used a Dark Spell so openly? Is it not prohibited to use it here?'' Vale thought as he still felt the remnant of Dark Energy that she subtly used a few moments ago.
Apparently, Maya tried inspecting his body just now! Although she failed in the end thanks to his Spell Dispersion, it was still a reckless move!
Luckily, as soon as he felt intimidated by the pressuring gaze of the third-year students just now, he immediately activated his Phantasm State to protect himself.
''Why did she do that?'' Vale sighed inwardly as he wasn''t sure how to expose Maya for doing that. In the first ce, he can''t prove that she tried inspecting his body with a particr spell.
It seems that he has to follow Lisa''s advice to read the Academy Rules first.
''I''ll check itter after ss¡'' Vale thought as he left the cafeteria with his friends.
Back in the ssroom, most of their ssmates haven''t returned yet since they still have 10 minutes or so¡
They simply decided to chat about Maya''s appearance a while ago to pass the time.
"I thought that she was really mad just now¡ I guess it was her first time knowing someone better than her." Lisamented as she recall how Maya was looking at Vale intently.
"I think she has been eyeing you since we met her yesterday at the Assembly Hall¡" Chad added.
"Ahhh, she was already into him since yesterday? Howe I didn''t know of that?" Aubrey asked in surprise. She looked at Vale with knitted brows.
"Chad was exaggerating. She only nced at me for a brief moment when we were looking for a student club. He''s thinking too much." Vale replied as he recalled yesterday''s incident.
Click¡
The door in the ssroom opened as Neil''s group finally returned.
Vale''s group just ignored him as they decided to continue chatting. However, Neil suddenly approached them so they all nced at him with questioning looks on their faces.
"Vale, I apologize for pointing you out a while ago. My friends keep asking me so I can''t keep your identity a secret. In any case, they''ll know of you sooner orter." Neil said with a very unusual gentle tone in his voice.
Vale looked at him in shock as he never expected Neil to even bother apologizing. He didn''t really mind his actions since he was already expecting this to happen.
"I understand¡ Just don''t exaggerate my achievement so I won''t get caught into trouble by our seniors." Vale replied.
Although Neil''s apology seems very forced as he was still trying to reason out, Vale couldn''t be bothered about it and just epted his apology.
"Hmph¡ He probably realized that you will be ssmates for a long time so it should be better for him to side with you, Vale." Aubrey added in a whisper as Neil left for his seat.
Vale only smiled as he no longer bothered to discuss this matter.
After a while, all his ssmates have returned and their subject where they''ll learn more about the Darkness Arcane Path finally started.
Chapter 74 Darkness Path
?Among all the subjects in the first year, this is probably the subject where he can learn about the spell that Maya used to try and inspect his body.
He was suspecting that Maya decided to immediately leave after he canceled her secretive inspection spell with Spell Dispersion. If possible, Vale wanted to know how to find traces of this spell so he can call her out the next time she tried using the same move.
"I''m Lucius Angrt and I''ll be your Professor in this subject for this year."
Lucius, a middle-aged man with strange ck eyes without pupils and short silky ck hair appeared in front of them. He didn''t seem to have used the door and they only felt his presence the moment he spoke¡
Many of the students were surprised by his presence as they were jolted awake by his deep voice.
"Angrt? The Angrt Family? One of the Founding Members of this Arcane Path?"
"Incredible¡ I thought they were only teaching the higher years."
"But how did he enter without our notice?"
"A Dark Spell, perhaps?"
The professor didn''t mind as he heard his students gasp and whisper. In any case, he was keeping an eye on one of his students.
"There''s only one person who managed to see my entry. It''s certainly better than ss 3 and 4 who had all missed my presence." Lucius said as everyone was prompted to look at Vale.
''Hmm?''
It was as if they have rehearsed this action so Lucius was amused by their reaction.
Nevertheless, they weren''t wrong¡ The young man they were staring at was indeed the only one who noticed his presence.
It appears that in just two days, everyone has already acknowledged this person as the most impressive among them.
Lucius couldn''t help but show a faint smile after realizing this.
"What''s your name, young man?" Lucius asked with interest.
"It is Vale Chambers, Professor." Vale replied with a gentle nod.
"Chambers? Are you rted to Baronnes Florence Chambers?" He asked immediately after recognizing the name.
Vale was stunned for a moment as he thought that no one knows about the Chambers Family that was in the far countryside. The Chambers Family didn''t produce any outstanding people and has only been able to connect to the Dark Arts Faction because they were assisted by the ckcolt Family or the perpetrator of the Malefic Branch of the Dark Arts.
In short, they shouldn''t be popr.
"Yes¡ She''s my mother." Vale can only answer.
''She''s supposed to be my adoptive mother based on the records.'' Vale added in his mind. He decided not to exin too much about his identity as it would ensure that he wouldn''t make mistakes.
"I understand now¡ Florence has a great talent and you seem to have inherited her genes." Lucius nodded after confirming his suspicion. He seems to have known his ''mother'' which is quite nerve-wracking for Vale.
"Very well, our first ss would be an informal one. We''ll simply do an activity today."
Everyone nodded in understanding as it appears that all the professors have the same thought about the first day of their ss, it was to let their students gain interest in the subject they were teaching.
It is well epted by everyone since the first impressionsts as they say.
Seeing everyone''s excited eyes, Professor Lucius Angrt continued.
"I would like to ask if there''s anyone here who knows what would happen if any of the practitioners of the Arcane Arts died. You can tell me whatever you know, it doesn''t have to be aplete detail."
Someone suddenly raised their hand after hearing this.
"Alright, introduce yourself before telling us your answer¡" Lucius said as he pointed at one student.
Surprisingly, it wasn''t Neil who had raised their hands.
It was Chad Bulmung instead.
"I''m Chad from Bulmung Family. Professor Angrt, I heard that¡ª"
"Call me Professor Lucius instead. There are three Professors with the Angrt surname here." Lucius interrupted.
"I understand, Professor Lucius. Ahem¡ I heard that once a practitioner of any of the 12 Arcane Paths died, they have to be quickly frozen, cremated, or sealed depending on the condition. In most cases, they have to be cremated instead since freezing or sealing costs quite a fortune in the long run." Chad answered.
"That''s correct. Do you have anything to add?" Professor Lucius asked as he pointed at Jody.
"Yes. I''m Jody Lumbarde. I only want to add that if the corpse didn''t receive those treatments within a day, there is a high chance that it''ll be possessed by an evil spirit."
The other students nodded at this except for Lisa who was still clueless about this matter.
She looked at everyone in shock simr to how Vale reacted when he first learned of this. She had seen many people being cremated back in the city instead of normal burials. She thought that they were only thinking of saving up space since a jar of ashes is easier to store than a coffin.
However, now that she thinks about it, perhaps, those people are rogue practitioners and have to be cremated.
"That''s true¡ However, I must correct you on one thing¡" Professor Lucius said as he noticed that everyone seem to be satisfied with Jody''s answer.
"There''s more to it?" Jody asked in surprise. She felt that there was no way she would miss such information. After all, her parents should''ve informed her a long time ago if there is more about it.
"Yes¡ You mentioned that it will be evil spirits who would be possessing the dead bodies. However, I must rify that any wandering spirit can possess them and turn them into a creature you don''t want to encounter. However, since the chances are small, many people had forgotten about it."
"Ahh? Any spirit? Even those that are harmless?"
"Why are their chances of appearing low? I''ve only heard about the Evil Creatures, after all."
Felicia and Alvin asked curiously.
"The answer is simple, most of these harmless Spirits would be toote. The Evil Spirit would notice these corpses a lot quicker¡ Furthermore, even if they sessfully transformed the corpses into ''evil'' creatures, they would normally target animals, or just prank some people¡ In any case, our activity for today is rted to that¡ We will meet a human corpse that was possessed by a weak and harmless spirit¡"
Chapter 75 Cage
?"Is that true?" ir''s eyes lit up in excitement. As someone who had a deep interest in the Variants, his fascination with various forms of living beings surpassed anyone in this ssroom.
He had only heard about these Evil Creatures and had never met one before. He didn''t expect that not even a week had passed in the academy and he would encounter them already.
Needless to say, it''s difficult to meet Evil Creatures since corpses are immediately handled by the morgues or various institutions working for the Factions to cremate them quickly.
However, as expected of the Dark Arts Academy, they have actually decided to disrespect a corpse and allowed it to be possessed and be a ve or perhaps a pet of some sort.
"That''s right¡ We will be meeting a docile one so you need not worry. Are you all ready? We will be leaving this ssroom since I can''t bring the creature here." Professor Lucius asked.
At this point, one of them raised his hands.
"Professor Lucius, do we have something to note if we saw the creature?" Vale asked curiously. His knowledge about the evil creature came from the books and most of them don''t have anything good to say about these creatures.
Although he mentioned not to worry, they should at least know the do''s or don''ts in this matter.
Professor Lucius nodded as he looked at everyone in the ss.
"If you''re seeing an Evil Creature that is possessed by a strong Evil Spirit, you have to run for your life since your pathetic spell models will be useless against them. Currently, all of your Spells might be useful for parlor tricks but not for real creatures of the Arcane Path." Professor Lucius reminded them ruthlessly.
Although he wasn''t sure what Spells they have stored in the spell lights, they must be in the elementary realm and would only be useful against ordinary humans.
"Just try not to make fun of it so it won''t look at you menacingly¡ You might dream of it every single night and cause you a nightmare. That''s not good." He added.
The other students felt a bit offended since they were all proud of their skills. To be honest, they have been waiting to show off their Spell Models all this time but they didn''t have any chance.
Nevertheless, no oneined as none of them would dare to say that they have a spell capable of defeating an Evil Creature. None of them have ever tried fighting an Evil Creature after all.
It would be a very embarrassing moment if they tried and were defeated instead.
"We understand, Professor."
"We''re ready! Please, lead us the way."
Neil already stood up in excitement. He wanted to see this creature as quickly as possible.
"Very well. Follow me." Professor Lucius said as he lead the ss to a huge and cold hall. It was located at the underground facility of the right wing building of the Academy.
Serenity Hall.
This is the name of the ce ording to the huge words written on the steel gate.
Everyone was silently following the Professor as they were led to a corridor made of white marble. Soon, they entered a huge circr room where a human-size birdcage can be seen at its center.
The ce was lit up by bulb-like devices simr to the ones Vale found in his room.
Anyway, the ce is too huge for a single human-sized birdcage so it was quite suspicious. Vale believed that the Serenity Hall has another purpose other than storing a single ''docile'' evil creature.
The huge white room doesn''t have any other doors or exits aside from the ones they used. Everyone would have to pass through the white corridor if one wanted to enter or leave this ce. There were also no windows around so Vale felt like this is a highly sophisticated prison.
"We''re here¡" Professor Lucius said.
"Ahh? Where is it, professor? The cage is empty." Neil asked.
The others nodded as they can''t see the creature that Professor Lucius told them¡ Is he ying a prank on them? Some of them thought as they looked at their professor.
At this point, Professor Lucius didn''t seem surprised as he continued.
"I can remove the seal to let you see it with your naked eyes but you can also use your Phantasm State to see it¡ Is there anyone here who hasn''t learned how it''s done?" He asked.
Everyone nced at Lisa since she was the only one without any mysticism background here.
Lisa shyly raised her hands.
Professor Lucius nodded and said. "It''s fine¡ You''re here to study how it is done after all. For now, I''ll allow everyone to have three minutes to view the creature with your Phantasm State¡ After that, I''ll remove the seal around the cage so that not only can you see it, but you''ll also feel its presence or aura."
Without waiting for any more words from the professor, they immediately entered their Phantasm State to view the evil creature¡
"Aahhh¡" Felicia gasps in shock after seeing the creature. It was simr for the others as they weren''t expecting a hideous appearance so suddenly appear inside the cage!
"I-it''s a demon!" Neil shouted as he stepped back in shock.
"Is that really a docile evil creature?"
"I can''t even think how that being was supposed to be a human corpse before."
"Professor, why are we not killing it? Is that thing useful?"
The others asked curiously as they made sure to step back¡ From their perspective, the steel bars that are keeping the creature are a bit too thin¡
Since the creature is a bitrge with a muscr build, it appears as if it could easily bend the bars open so it could free itself.
Of course, they know that the cage wasn''t simple since ording to the Professor, it has a seal that even hides the creature from the naked eye.
But even if that was the case, many of them were still a bit afraid of getting near!
Chapter 76 Exit
?Professor Lucius smiled after seeing their reaction. The creature inside the cage does have a terrible appearance but it wasn''t the worst thing he had ever seen.
It brings him joy seeing them terrified¡ He even wanted to remove the cage to tease them and see them piss their pants.
Nevertheless, he controlled his urge to tease them as he took a deep breath.
He didn''t answer their questions and asked his students instead.
"How do you think we''re keeping it alive?"
No one expected such a question. Most of them are in a daze looking at the creature so they didn''t have the time to think of a good answer.
After a while, someone spoke with a curious tone.
"Is it being fed by normal food? If not, perhaps some sort of spiritual food¡" Neil said. He actually thought that this creature doesn''t need food and only requires some sort of mystical energy. However, from their Professor''s question, he seems to be hinting at something else.
Professor Lucius then looked at the others who were still staring at the creature in their Phantasm State.
"I think that it needs to drink some blood like the vampires in the novels¡" Feliciamented.
"That''s a good one¡ However, I think it requires living beings as their food. After all, the body they were controlling was previously dead. It probably needs life or maybe soul in order to continue functioning." This time, it was Jody who had answered.
Professor Lucius still didn''t answer¡ He didn''t say whether it was right or wrong and was quite annoying for Vale.
''He was acting so mysterious like Master Heinz¡ I don''t like it.'' Valemented in his mind as he saw Heinz''s behavior in Professor Lucius'' actions.
"Professor¡ It''s already three minutes. I think Lisa wanted to see the creature as well." Chad suddenly reminded me as Lisa red at him.
She doesn''t want it at all! However, the Professor already acted as he waved his hands to remove the seal.
It was as if he cast a spell on it.
''No¡ He didn''t cast a dark spell¡ He pressed something on the cage using his Dark Energy to remove the seal.'' Vale mused as he noticed the Professor''s subtle action.
His action seems that he cast a spell just now but he simply used a lump of energy to press or activate something on the cage.
If he wasn''t mistaken, he should''ve targeted the Magic Circle that was carved on each bar of the cage.
This was quite interesting to Vale since he was still learning how to do this seemingly easy action.
At this point, everyone was in for another surprise as the seal that was suppressing the creature was removed.
It means that the creature''s aura was finally released! Everyone shivered at the sudden cold and menacing aura wrapping around their bodies.
Lisa was also shocked as she saw the two paralyzing eyes staring at her with a disturbing obsession. She also swears that she saw a me from its broad mouth with great intensity.
Smoldering and smoking skin adorns its muscr head, which itself is cracked all over. There''s also a plume of shadow that escapes the creature''s angr nostrils set within apact nose.
It was no wonder her ssmates were terrified after seeing this creature! Lisa finally understood what they were feeling just now!
Its blubbery body disgusts her already so the moment it looked at her, she couldn''t help but step away to escape its line of sight. She hid behind Vale as she felt ufortable.
Perhaps, it is onlycking some bony wings and this creature would appear close to the demons that he had seen in some paintings in the churches.
"It''s horrifying¡" Lisamented as she sucked in a cold breath.
Vale nodded in agreement.
Lisa then looked at the others and they all have the same reaction since they were also wrapped by that menacing auraing from the creature.
"Indeed¡ It also eats humans in order to stay alive¡" Professor Lucius said.
"W-what?! Humans? Living humans?" Emily asked in concern.
"No¡" The professor answered.
"So¡ The academy is feeding it with corpses then?"
"Isn''t that a bit too much?"
The professor expected this reaction so he exined. "That''s right¡ It only needs one human corpse a month¡ Just in the kingdom, hundreds of people are dying every day. You don''t have to worry aboutcking enough food."
''That''s not what I''m concerned with¡'' Lisa thought as she also can''t ept that human corpses are going to be defiled by this creature.
Although they were already dead, she believes that they shouldn''t be treated like that. It''s probably the influence of the church in her life so she couldn''t help but frown at this practice.
"Professor, does it need a normal human corpse or those practitioners of the Arcane Path?" Vale asked this time.
"Anything will do. However, if it''s a practitioner, then there is a higher chance that it doesn''t have to be fed for a few more months."
"I see¡ Then, will it still eat even if we give them more corpses than needed?" ir asked as he looked at the creature.
"Yes¡ It will eat human corpses whether it already had its fill or not." The professor continued to answer.
"Since it eats corpses, then it should also be capable of killing humans and eating them. Then, why was this creature considered a docile one or different from the other evil creatures?"
Lucius nodded as this was the question he was waiting for.
"It is docile because it canmunicate with us. On the outside, we call all of them evil creatures since they were all possessing dead bodies and can be harmful to society¡ However, these docile ones who were capable ofmunicating are what we call Messengers. Of course, they all must be eliminated. We are only keeping this one alive for various reasons like showing it to young ones like you and not being clueless about the outside world."
Before the students further ask, Lucius immediately cut them off and changed the topic.
"You will know someday why they are called messengers. I will not discuss it now¡ Instead, we will have an activity of testing your might against this creature. I need ten volunteers who will try to fight against this creature."
At these sudden words, everyone froze and their eyes immediately looked toward the exit!
Chapter 77 Strategy
?Even Vale was not thinking of fighting against this creature. It is too risky since he barely knows anything about it!
He wasn''t sure whether the Spell Dispersion even works on this thing! What if it doesn''t use a spell? He would only have to rely on his Ghost Hands.
Although he''s confident in this spell, he wouldn''t dare say that it''s enough to deal with this two-meter-tall creature.
Seeing that no one wanted to volunteer, Professor Lucius didn''t disy a disappointed look. He understands how they feel so he swiftly added a benefit for them.
"Very well, I will reward you with 1 Contribution Point if you managed to defeat the creature. If you showed excellent performance, I will give an additional point. You may not be able to benefit from the Contribution Points system right now but you''ll thank me for it in the next few years when you needed them."
Although many of them know that the contribution point is important, only a handful of them knows its real value thanks to the seniors they know who had studied in the academy.
After some hesitations, Leonore asked. "Professor, what are the odds that we will be killed by that creature?"
"Good question. With me around, there''s zero percent chance you''ll get killed, only some slight injuries I guess. However, it is probably a 90% chance that you''ll die if I''m not here."
Hiss¡
''We only have a 10% chance of survival without the Professor?''
The students weren''t happy with this percentage at all. Although they won''t die with the Professor''s presence, they would get injured!
It is only the start of the academic year and no one wanted to be injured at this stage. Some of them were thinking that this professor will only bail them out if they were already injured and were about to die.
That wouldn''t be easy¡
For 13 or 14 years old like them, they have only studied in their homes and seen livebat from a distance¡ So almost all of them have zerobat experience.
Nevertheless, the contribution point was very important for them¡ Leonore, Dalton, Neil, and the others know this very well.
Seeing their hesitation, Professor Lucius tried convincing them once more.
"We have the best infirmary right now¡ Doctor Gray is currently staying here and is one of the best doctors of the Dark Arts Faction. Even if you get injured, you will be fine with his help. You don''t even have to worry about being absent from tomorrow''s ss¡ Besides, this creature has been staying here for a couple of years now¡ It hasn''t been fed properly as well so it''s incredibly weak. Are you really afraid?"
Many of them started hesitating as they seriously considered the benefits of this¡
In the end, four people decided to raise their hands as they volunteer themselves. They stepped forward and grouped together near the professor.
It was Leonore, Neil, Aubrey, and surprisingly, Emily Ga! She only had 5 Spirit Strands so it means that she was only able to learn the lowest kind of Dark Spell¡ Many of them started questioning her decision inwardly¡
Nevertheless, none of them spoke about it.
"Professor, what if we killed it? Are we going to be responsible?" Chad suddenly asked as if he was worried that they''ll have to pay the academy for the "damage of property".
"Hmm? If you kill it? Then, I''ll give you more contribution points." Professor Lucius said with a smile.
"Haha! Very well¡ Let me in!"
At this point, Vale took a deep breath and decided to join the fun as well. He raised his hands and stepped forward to join the others.
The others also thought of participating especially after they saw Vale join the fun.
In a few moments, the ten students that will challenge the creature were formed.
They were Leonore, Neil, Aubrey, Emily, Chad, Vale, Warren, ir, and two of Neil''sckeys, Roswell and Larry.
It was quite surprising for them that Dalton Stranway wasn''t participating with his 16 Spirit Strands. However, they recalled how he has a toothache ording to Mennena so they just thought that he was still ufortable with the pain.
As the group was already formed, Professor Lucius no longer wasted time as he instructed the students.
"Very well, all the other students who weren''t participating should move back. After I release the other seal on the cage, there will be a Magic Circle that will show up on the floor. It covers 18 meters in radius and will also be the arena for your other ssmates so don''t enter it or you''ll be targeted by the creature as well."
"Wait, Professor! Can you give us at least five minutes to form a battle n?" Leonore suddenly interrupted as she knows nothing about the abilities of her ssmate.
Although Vale may have a decent Spirit Strand, she doesn''t think that the Chambers Family has a high-tier Dark Spell.
She wanted everyone to at least inform her about their Spell Models or what they can do so she could strategize for the team.
"I guess that''s fair enough¡ I will give you ten minutes." Professor Lucius said after realizing that they still have plenty of time.
His ss has two hours to burn so he didn''t mind ten minutes of prep for them.
Leonore heaved a sigh of relief as she faced her ssmates.
"We need to understand each other so we can form a strategy. You all should know that Spells have four categories¡"
Vale nodded at this as he also learned this while he was still in theboratory of his master.
"Yes, they were an offense, defense, support, and a special type which can be abination of any of those three..." Chad added obviously aware of this ''basic'' knowledge.
Leonore nodded in acknowledgment as she spoke. "Then, I''ll go first. My first spell model is Flesh Bane and the second one is a support-type Curse Spell. It allows me to amplify the pain felt my by target¡ It works well with my Flesh Bane."
She didn''t inform them of the name of this Curse Spell but it was fine. After all, it''s enough to know its ability. Nevertheless, this can also mean that the Curse Spell may not be as simple as amplifying pain.
Chapter 78 Ghost Hands
?Flesh Bane was something that Vale had also considered before. This is indeed a good offensive Dark Spell so it guarantees that they have enough power against the creature.
"As expected from the Rnd Family¡ I bet that Curse Spell isn''t as simple as you said¡ Heh heh¡ I''m next. My first Spell Model is Dusk Imprisonment and the other is Darkness Coil." Neil said with a hint of pride.
Vale wasn''t sure but it seems that the Darkness Coil is quite a rare one or a high-tier Dark Spell.
He wasn''t sure if he had read about it since there are just too many spells but only a handful of them can be learned.
"You have good control-type support spells¡ Next," Leonore said as she looked at the others.
"I have Severe Ailment Spell and Ghost Hand¡" Warren said. He actually has quite a simple set of spells which was quite unexpected. Nevertheless, Warren might really just be lucky to be able to eat the Pride Pomegranate. Without that lucky encounter, perhaps, he''ll just be an average first-year student with these spells.
"My first spell model is called Dire Chains and the other is Spirit Hand." Aubrey Hall said with a hint of pride.
"Spirit Hand? That''s not inferior to Spectral Hands, right?" Chad couldn''t help butment. He recalled how Wilfred Moontomb has Spectral Hands and passed the requirement to be a member of the Rankers Club. If Aubrey actually tried to fight for a position, she might also be recruited with this set of spells.
Aubrey smiled after hearing this.
"If it''s in the Advanced Realm, it won''t lose against the Spectral Hands. However, if both spells are in the Elementary Realm, the Spectral Hands would still win.
The others also revealed their spells and most of them havemon Dark Spells. They were either Ghost Hand, Dusk Imprisonment, Dark Mist, Nightmare, or Ghastly Ailment which only requires 2 Spirit Strands in order to build their Spell Model.
Finally, it was Vale''s turn. "I have Ghost Hands and another defensive Dark Spell that protects me from other spells."
"Oh? Is it simr to my Dark Mist? Or another version of it I''m unaware of?" Chad asked after hearing his words.
Vale smiled and replied with a nod. "Something like that."
At this time, Leonore already formted a n.
"Very well, we don''t have many offensive spells. It''s normal since we only have a set of beginner dark spells. Anyway, I want Aubrey''s Dire Chains to be fully utilized. Those with Ghost hands must use them immediately and hold back the creature¡ The Dire Chains will give my Flesh Bane a boost in pration ability so it must cover the creature before I use my Flesh Bane."
"Good n¡" irmented. He has Ghost Hands so approves of this n. Other than holding down their target, the ghost hand isn''t really useful. It''s not meant forbat in the first ce. Luckily, there were many of them with simr abilities so if they worked together, their Ghost Hands should do just fine.
"Neil, I want your Darkness Coil if the Dire Chains failed to hold out. Warren, instead of focusing on Ghost Hand, I''ll need your Severe Ailment to disrupt the creature''s natural healing capability¡ My Flesh Bane will be more effective with hispromised health." Leonore exined as she showed her knowledge of various Dark Spells.
Vale then waited for her specific instruction but she seemed to have ignored her. Anyway, she noticed that he was looking at her so she thought for a moment¡
"Uhmm¡ I''m sure that your Ghost Hands are better than the others, I will trust you that you''ll be able to hold the creature steady¡ There will be six or seven of you that will work together, anyway."
Leonore said. She wasn''t really thinking much of Vale''s Ghost Hands. After all, everyone here should have Elementary Realm Dark Spells. It means that Vale''s Ghost Hands shouldn''t be different from others. At most, he probably has a longer duration of Ghost Hands than the others considering his high Spirit Strand.
As for Vale''s defensive ability, it may not be useful if the Creature will attack with brute force instead of a spell. In short, she believes that everything relies on her Flesh Bane.
"Time''s up¡ Are you ready?" Professor Lucius said even though not even ten minutes had passed.
Leonore noticed this but she didn''tin and answered. "We''re ready, Professor!"
"Good!"
Professor Lucius then allowed them to get into position as he confirmed that the other students had also backed away.
Then, without any more hesitations, he lifted thest seal that was on the cage¡
"Good luck, show everything you''ve got¡" The professor said as he nced at the ten brave students.
As soon as the seal was removed, the creature inside felt it and swiftly dashed towards the exit!
However, that is where the professor was standing!
It ignored the ten students within the magic circle that has appeared and wanted to escape!
"I will let you escape if you win against these ten students¡" Professor Lucius said calmly as his hands remained crossed behind his back.
"Liar!" The Creature spoke with a voice that seems to havee from the abyss. It was eerie and intimidating¡
The students inside the circle were even affected by an invisible pressure that made their control of their dark spells slower.
There was one exception on them but he didn''t interrupt the conversation between the Professor and the Creature.
"You''re a liar! I won against the other students and you didn''t let me leave!" The creature added.
It seems that it wasn''t the first time that the Professor tricked this creature.
"I''m telling the truth. You just need to win a total of 100 times. I think you''ve already won a dozen times¡ or maybe more than that, you just have to continue winning." Professor Lucius said like a professional scammer.
The creature wanted to say more but at this time, Vale and the other finally made their moves¡
A total of six small Ghost Hands and threerge Ghost Hands appeared heading straight to the Creature''s limbs!
"Someone has an Advanced Realm Ghost Hands!"
Felicia, who was only watching the show, immediately recognized the three terrifying Ghost Hands that Vale had summoned!
Chapter 79 Battle
?There were five realms of spells. The weakest was the elementary realm followed by the intermediate realm and the advanced realm. These three realms are the ones considered "achievable" while thest two are called the expert realm and perfect realm which is simply a legend for almost all of the Arcane Paths.
The expert realm had only been seen once in the past three hundred years while the perfect realm is simply something that they''ve seen on the records.
Needless to say, Vale''s advanced realm Ghost Hands should be something that not even the graduates of the Academy would achieve!
There may be people who were capable of doing that but they would certainly not focus their time on this support-type Dark Spell! They would rather have intermediate realm Tier 2 Dark Spell than advanced realm Tier 1 Dark Spell.
''This¡ Is the Headmaster aware of this?'' Professor Lucius was also stunned after seeing the three Ghost Hands summoned by Vale. If he wasn''t mistaken, these hands can still increase their size if Vale has enough Spiritual Force¡
This was simply inconceivable. He had never seen a 13 or 14-year-old practitioner capable of promoting their Dark Spells to the Advanced Realm!
Did he start learning his Dark Spell as soon as he came out of his mother''s womb?
As Lucius and the other students were shocked by the Ghost Hands, the Creature also felt some dangering from it.
Nevertheless, Ghost Hands is still one of the mostmon Dark Spells out there¡ It only needs a few moments in order to escape from its grasp. Even if it seems stronger, it shouldn''t be capable of harming his tough skin. What it was worried about was the few Dark Spells that wouldnd on him the moment he gets entangled by the Ghost Hands.
Bam!
Several Ghost Handsnded on the creature''s body. However, except for Vale''s Ghost Hands, all the others have dissipated like a mist.
The three Ghost Hands with seemingly wrinkled skin grabbed the arms and neck of the creature!
"Now!" Vale shouted as he wasn''t sure whether his Ghost Hands canst for long. This is his first encounter with this creature after all.
Luckily, Leonore and the others were attentively watching the situation so as soon as they saw therge Ghost Hands grabbing that creature who had approached the professor, they immediately release their Dark Spells.
ck chains started wrapping over the body of the creature as Aubrey''s Dire Chains were activated.
nk¡ nk¡ nk¡
The chains were being broken apart by the struggling creature but they would immediately repair themselves as Aubrey continued to supply her Dark Spell with her energy.
Even with the Ghost Hands suppressing its position, it could still squirm about and casually destroy the chains!
Then, Leonore''s Flesh Bane finally arrived¡
"Aaaahhhh!"
The Creature cried in pain as the Magic Circle on the ground started getting stronger. It was as if the Seal was trying to suppress the Creature''s burst of power!
A part of the Creature''s chest started rotting as the Dire Chains moved like snakes until it covers even its mouth...
"We''re doing it! Hurry up! Release all the curse spells. Bombard it with whatever you can throw!" Leonore said in excitement as she that the Creature can feel pain.
To be honest, she was afraid that this creature doesn''t feel pain since it had basically upied a human corpse. It shouldn''t have any pain receptors anymore.
However, it seems that the creature had reconstructed a new body out of the human corpse making itpletely different from what it was before.
The Ghost Hands that were dissipated a while suddenly started forming once more¡ Unfortunately, most of them were incapable of doing a dual-casting¡ It means that they can''t use both Spell Models at the same time.
The only exception was Leonore, Vale, Aubrey, and Warren¡
Leonore was able to use her second spell that could amplify the pain felt by her target. Aubrey had also used her Spirit Hand after her Dire Chains became stable.
The Spirit Hands appear like it was from a female hand and look more illusory. It waspletely unlike Vale''s Ghost Hands¡ The ones Vale had summoned looked more like a floating hand of death than a ghost.
This Spirit Hand rushed toward the Creature''s eyes in an attempt to blind it while being held by Vale''s monstrous Ghost Hands.
In the meantime, Warren used his Severe Ailment Spell to weaken the creature''s resistance against the Flesh Bane and Dire Chains¡
"Incredible! They''re winning?"
"Can they actually kill the Evil Creature¡"
"Perhaps it was already too weak. Ugh, I should''ve joined them."
"Indeed¡ That one contribution point would''ve been a great reward."
"What a pity¡"
Everything was going well for the next 30 seconds or so as the Creature remained in ce with the cooperation of the ten students. It was continuously getting injured and its situation is getting worse.
The Flesh Bane Dark Spell continued spreading throughout its body and it might kill the creature in a few more minutes!
The watching students were getting excited by the fact that their ssmates can suppress the terrifying creature. Some of them regretted their inaction... They could''ve been the ones earning that contribution point!
However, as they were nning to apud their ssmates, something unexpected happened!
The creature that was suppressed by Vale''s Ghost Hands started gettingrge all of a sudden¡ The Ghost Hands can no longer suppress the Creature as it had to release its hands and tried pressing on it instead.
Furthermore, those with pathetic Dark Spells had already fully consumed their energy and had to wait for a while before they can cast them again.
''This¡'' Vale frowned at the sudden change of the creature''s physique.
''It''s already injured and weakened but it can still win against my Ghost Hands. How can we even win against this? Is it really impossible from the start?'' Vale sighed as he saw the creature be 2 times bigger.
He then noticed Leonore looking at him from the side.
"Vale, my Flesh Bane has all been used up. Luckily, the Flesh Bane''s effect wouldn''t be treated by this creature anytime soon. We still have a chance¡" Leonore said as she also looked at the others.
She wanted to instruct them on what to do but they already spoke before she could even ask.
"Leonore¡ We can''t use any of our spells anymore."
"We''ve lost. Let''s just surrender."
Chapter 80 Against The Evil Creature
?"Let''s give up for now¡ I''m sure that Professor only wanted us to experience how strong this creature was." Neil said as he agreed with his two friends.
The fluctuation of energying from the Creature reminds him of his family''s Guard Captain. It is a figure that could not be defeated in his eyes.
There was no way the three novices like them can win against it!
The Creature in front of them may even be stronger than the Guard Captain that he knows so they have to retreat before it''s toote.
However, Leonore shook her head.
There was no way she would ept that.
Even if they don''t kill the creature, they have to suppress it for at least a minute so she can argue to the professor that they have technically defeated the Evil Creature.
"Vale¡ What about you?" Leonore asked as she can''t be bothered convincing the other students.
"Let''s give it a try¡" Vale said as he noticed Chad, Leonore, Aubrey, and Warren nod in agreement.
"Great!" Leonore was d since Vale''s Ghost Hands would be crucial in the n that she made in her mind.
"My Ghost Hands can stillst for quite some time. Let''s try one more time." Vale added. He already checked his Spell Light and confirmed that it is stillpletely ck.
It means that it is still filled with energy and that there is nothing to worry about.
As for the duration of his Phantasm State, it''s not something he has to worry about at all!
Leonore smiled as she gave another series ofmands.
"Chad, use your Dark Mist¡ Cover the Creature''s body¡ It hasn''t finished its transformation but once it''s done, we''ll be in trouble. We need to weaken its senses."
"Alright¡" Chad said as he immediately used the Dark Mist.
The Creature is still squirming about as its muscles keep expanding and retracting to form a much more horrible appearance.
Nevertheless, what Chad was worrying about was the fact that the Curses they''d cast on the creature were starting to dissipate at a faster rate!
The rotten flesh caused by the Flesh Bane had also started separating from the Creature''s body as it formed a new flesh to cover its chest.
The Creature wasn''t just transforming, it is reforming its body and removing its curses in the process!
Furthermore, it had waited on them until they exhausted their energy!
"Don''t falter¡ Vale''s Ghost Hands is in the Advance Realm¡ Even if it can''t kill the creature, it can suppress it for quite some time. Aubrey will use her Dire Chains once more¡ Neil, stop acting like a loser and used your Darkness Coil!"
"Ugh¡ Fine!" Neil decided to follow these people for now but he already started stepping back as he would certainly escape out of the Magic Circle if they were in danger.
The Darkness Coil was another version of Dire Chains but instead of focusing on the suppression effect, it is used to capture targets. Furthermore, it is very effective if used against other practitioners who weren''t practicing the Dark Arts.
Under Leonore''smand, everyone was able to collect themselves¡
"Graaahhhh!"
The Creature finallypleted its transformation. It had be taller and its arms had be bulkier. Its huge palms can even cover their entire head!
It suddenly pounced towards them targeting Vale who was controlling the three Ghost Hands that were still grabbing on its body¡
The Dark Mist was useless!
The others who didn''t want to participate anymore had no choice but to work together. If Vale was defeated, they would be next!
Several Ghost Hands were summoned once more but it was even more useless now. The creature just waved its hands and the Ghost Hands were instantly destroyed except for the ones that Vale summoned.
They were still clinging to its body no matter what the creature does.
Boom! Boom!
The Evil Creature mmed his hands on the ground creating a huge shockwave as soon as it had gotten near them¡ Most of them were out of bnce as their spells got canceled.
"We''re doomed..." Neil said as he already saw his fate. His Darkness Coil was ineffective¡
The difference in their strength was just too much!
The Creature''s next action was brutal¡ It started punching the students and those who weren''t able to dodge in time were sent flying to the other side of the Magic Circle.
"Ack!"
"I give---"
"Save me."
Bam!
With another wave of its hands, finally, Leonore was hit¡ However, instead of being thrown away out of the magic circle like everyone else, something unexpected happened.
Leonore''s ne suddenly glowed brightly. A blue light blocked the Creature''s hands and Leonore was unscathed while the Creature was in pain!
"Graaah!"
Its right arm seemed to have been struck by lightning!
Vale realized that Leonore has this Mystical Item as her life-saving treasure so she wasn''t afraid to fight at all.
He nced at the others while in his Phantasm State and confirmed that some of them has Mystical Items on their bodies. He doesn''t even have one!
As the Creature realized that Leonore was hard to kill, it shifted on Vale instead¡
This time, Vale no longer hesitated as he utilized the Ghost Hands not to press down on the creature but to attack!
Therge Ghost Hands suddenly turned illusory and smaller as they swiftly attacked the creature''s demonic eyes. It only happened in a split second.
Psshhh---
To Vale''s surprise, the attack was so sessful and blinded the creature in instant!
"You dare?!" The Evil Creature''s deep and demonic voice resounded throughout the whole room as Vale took its vision.
Vale felt a chill on his body as he realized that the creature has now ced its full attention on him.
Whoosh~
In an instant, the creature appeared behind Vale like a real ghost¡ Vale didn''t have the time to recall his Ghost Hands!
Aubrey, Warren, and the others tried attacking the creature with their spells but it was simply impossible to injure the creature with their current set of Spells.
In the end, seeing that Vale was about to get smashed, Warren gritted his teeth as he tore what seems like a talisman as soon as the creature was about tond its attack.
Then, the Creature seemed to have been smashed by a huge and invisible fist as it crashed toward its cage.
Boom!
The attack was so strong but none of them celebrated. They can still feel the fluctuation of energying from the Creature¡
Chapter 81 Spell Dispersion
?Currently, the ones inside the Magic Circle were Vale, Leonore, Aubrey, and Warren.
Chad, Neil, Emily, and the others were struck by the Creature and had been sent flying out of the magic circle.
The fierce strikes that came from the creature were something they couldn''t endure with their current Dark Spells. They don''t even have proper safety equipment with them!
They were injured but luckily, since it wasn''t life-threatening, they weren''t hurriedly rushed to the infirmary and instead, decided to see the end of this ''ss activity.''
They wanted to know what will happen to their ssmates¡
"What''s this? They''re using Mystical Items now?"
"Is this allowed?"
"The Professor didn''t say it''s not allowed."
"That''s true¡ Then this might be easy for them."
"What? Do you think that it''s easy to find a Mystical Item that can kill that monstrosity?"
The other students startedmenting as they saw Warren''s talisman effective attack on the creature. It may not have killed it with one talisman but perhaps, if they used five more of those, they can actually win!
As they were excitedly looking at the battle, the Creature that was smashed into its cage suddenly let out another roar and a blue beam of light suddenly appeared hitting Vale''s body!
It happened so quickly that he didn''t have the chance to dodge at all.
Whoosh~
"Aahh!"
"Professor, save him!"
"This is bad."
Lisa and the others were shocked as soon as they saw Vale struck by the light. They weren''t sure what that was but it was definitely an attacking from the Creature!
Some of them looked at Warren but he no longer has any talisman in his hands. It seems that he only had that one Talisman he used moments ago.
Professor Lucius knitted his brows as he looked at Vale covered by the light.
"He should be fine as long as he''s inside the Magic Circle." He said with certainty.
Nevertheless, they couldn''t help but worry about Vale''s current predicament¡
Vale was covered by the blue light as he grunted in pain.
"Hold on!" Leonore shouted as she no longer hesitated and jumped in front of Vale. Since she has another defensive mystical item that she can''t remove from her body, she decided to jump in front of Vale and save him from danger.
Her mystical item activated as it should, but to her surprise, the beam of light has already disappeared and perhaps, she only assisted Vale for less than a second.
''What''s going on?''
The lightsted about six or seven seconds and it disappeared.
She immediately looked at Vale and confirmed that he was in a good condition. It was quite surprising¡
''Does it not have any effects? Impossible¡ My mystical item was activated¡ It means that the beam of light was dangerous.'' Leonore thought. She also noticed that the Ghost Hands that Vale summoned is still there!
''Incredible¡ He''s still in his Phantasm State even after getting attacked like that? Just what kind of resilience does he have?''
Leonore wasn''t sure what training Vale did but she certainly wanted to know how he had done that.
On the other hand, the Evil Creature including the Professor was quite surprised about what happened just now.
"What did you do, brat?!" The Creature spoke with a hint of madness in his tone. It was fuming in anger as plumes of smoke starteding out of its mouth and nostrils¡
It wasn''t mad at Warren for striking him but at Vale for stopping his attack!
Professor Lucius has the same thought. He had seen the Evil Creature fight someone before and the beam of light just now should be enough to put Vale out ofmission. Even fourth-year students would be helpless on that unless they have made enough preparation to block an attack filled with Spiritual Energy.
''As if I''d answer your question...'' Obviously, Vale knows that he doesn''t have to answer the Creature.
He was lucky that his Spell Dispersion works passively after it reached thete stage of the Intermediate Realm.
Currently, as long as he got exposed to danger caused by any type of spell, the Spell Dispersion can act with a very limited range.
It can disperse any spell that is two or three inches off of his body¡ Needless to say, the distance is so short that even if the spell was being dispersed his skin can still feel the burning heat that was produced by the spell.
After a few seconds of passive spell dispersion, Vale controlled his Spell Dispersion to ultimately stop the Creature from casting the spell.
After surviving the attack, he didn''t feel happy at all. He exposed his Spell Dispersion, and his Professor might realize what it was. He couldn''t help but feel angry at this hideous monstrosity¡
"Support me¡" Valemanded his team this time as he controlled the Ghost Hands to be on the offensive.
Since the Creature can reform its body and recover from any injury in a given time, Vale realized that they have to kill this creature quickly before it recovers.
This time, he decided not to limit his control with the Ghost Hands!
Crash! Crash!
In the blink of an eye, two of the illusory ghost hands appeared on the creature''s ankles¡ With a strong grip and twist, the creature''s ankles were broken!
"Aarrggghhh!"
The Creature screamed in pain as it didn''t see how the Ghost Hands appeared instantaneously on his feet!
Bam!
The creature could no longer stand as it dropped to the ground¡
Leonore and the others didn''t miss this opportunity as they swiftly cast their Dark Spells¡
"You think you can kill me with this?! I won''t die!" The Creature shouted in anger as it tried reforming its body after receiving numerous curses and injuries.
If given some time, it would recover from its injuries and it would certainly attack Vale once more but this time, it would use its sharp nails to pierce his heart.
''There''s no more next time¡'' Vale thought as he silently controlled his Spell Dispersion and affected the Creature''s lower body.
Chapter 82 Ritual
?The reason why Vale only targeted the lower body with his Spell Dispersion was simple.
It was because most of the spells or curses that his ssmates had cast were targeted at the Creature''s head and chest¡
So if Vale used his Spell Dispersion in all of its body, he would be helping the Creature disperse the Curse Spells instead.
Unfortunately, his Spell Dispersion wasn''t in a perfect realm yet so it affects a certain area instead of a certain spell in the area.
He can disperse the spell that was cast even by his ssmates.
With this problem, he had to learn how to adjust. Of course, this is only a temporary solution to this problem. He can permanently resolve this issue once he advanced his Spell Dispersion to level 7 or the early stage of the Advanced Realm.
Well, that would still take a lot of time since it requires a huge amount of energy points.
He won''t be able to collect that much any time soon.
"Leonore, just continue amplifying the pain¡" Vale instructed as he saw the Flesh Bane and other ailment curses start affecting the creature.
"Understood¡" Leonore replied. She would do this even without Vale''s instruction. For some reason, she noticed that the Creature''s regenerative ability has weakened quite a lot.
In any case, Vale didn''t stay idle as well and controlled his Ghost Hands to target the Creature''s head.
He wanted to crush its head if possible!
"What did you do?!" The deep and demonic voice resounded throughout the room once more.
The Creature was shocked as it felt that his lower body was somehow unable to recover¡ His ankles were still broken and not being healed!
Normally, the Creature should only take less than ten seconds before he can properly feel the sensation in his feet.
This is the first time his healing powers had be useless!
''You''ll never know the answer¡'' Vale answered in his mind.
Vale didn''t want to waste his time talking to the Creature as he realized that his Phantasm State is weakening. Although he should still have plenty of time, the exhaustion in his mind was just too much¡
His Phantasm State can supposedlyst for 20 minutes which has 2 minutes cooldown duration.
Not even 10 minutes had passed but because of the Creature''s attack and passive suppression of those close to its body, Vale can''t fully maximize his Phantasm State. Well, he wasn''t really sure what was causing his Phantasm State to fail so he can only guess.
Perhaps, this is also due to his Incorruptible Body that is only at the mid-stage Intermediate Real or level 5.
He can feel that his Physique is trying to resist the Magic Circle he was standing on. Maybe because of that, his Phantasm State was easily consumed or exhausted.
Vale took a deep breath as his eyes turned solemn and all his attention was put on one of his Ghost Hands.
Controlling three of them might be easy but focusing on one Ghost Hand would bring him better results when ites to strength, speed, and durability.
"Vale, Wait---" Professor Lucius noticed the sudden change in the situation¡
Previously, he believed that the Creature would never be killed by these first years. At most, he was nning to show them how scary these Creatures are so they won''t act rashly once they''re out of the Academy and met these things¡
He doesn''t want them to sacrifice their life¡
Unfortunately, he miscalcted Vale''s abilities. A 14-year-old boy with an Advanced Realm Dark Spell was something he had never seen before.
He wanted to stop the match in that instant but he decided not to since he thought that the Creature might still win if Vale can''t effectively control the Ghost Hands. He believes that the Advanced Ghost Hands would be difficult for Vale to handle.
However, Vale didn''t seem to have any issues at all. Furthermore, he can actually control it for such a long duration!
His talent for learning Dark Spell is not only monstrous but also his Phantasm State!
Crack!
Lucius wasn''t able to react in time and save the Creature!
Vale''s Ghost Hands appeared on top of the Creature''s head and crushed it like a watermelon! Blood sttered all over the ce as some students started screaming in fear.
It was probably their first time seeing someone die¡
"T-the monster¡ the evil creature died?!"
"Vale did it!"
"Ugh! So unfair¡ My Phantasm State ended and I just barely saw what happened. What a pity!"
"This¡ They really killed it. Would they receive additional points?"
"That''s not important¡ What''s important is that our ssmates won! Vale even has an Advanced Realm! I''ll immediately tell it to that arrogant Wilfred Moontomb!"
Vale''s ssmates were delighted by the result. They didn''t care about the creature that died and were only happy for them. Of course, there is a mixed feeling on this since some of them wanted that Contribution Point as well.
To be honest, a group of six students was also thinking of challenging the creature in the second round. They only had to find four more ssmates who wanted to join them.
Unfortunately, their ns would never bear fruit as the Creature was killed by Vale''s Dark Spell.
"Eh? What is he doing?"
"I think, he making sure that it''s already dead."
"I see¡ What a ruthless man. He doesn''t even want it to give it a chance to survive."
"Yes, maybe this is some sort of a ritual."
Neil and the othersmented as they finally see Vale''s true character. Vale actually went to inspect the Creature''s body even though it was no longer moving and with a crushed head!
He''s someone who can''t be offended as he wouldn''t spare even your cold corpse!
Professor Lucius thought the same as he rushed beside Vale to ensure that he wouldn''t destroy the body even more.
Even if the Creature is already dead, it can still be used by other departments¡
"Vale¡ It''s already dead. You''ve won." Lucius reminded afraid that Vale would crush it into meat paste with his Ghost Hands.
Chapter 83 Monster
?Lucius is already not feeling good.
There has to be a caged Messenger in the Serenity Hall. However, it died because of him.
He has to rece this Creature as quickly as possible¡ If he didn''t do that, he would have to pay a huge amount of money which he didn''t want to do. After all, his sry as a Professor isn''t that much, to begin with.
The only reason he''s staying here is that he can use top-ss Facilities and plenty of resources for his research and all of that for free as long as he''s working as a Professor.
In the meantime, while Lucius'' heart was bleeding, Vale looked at the message that he got after touching the corpse of the Creature.
[ Monster corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''Monster?'' Vale repeated in his mind.
''No wonder¡''
This is the first time he had seen such a notification from the system. However, he was getting a ''human corpse'' in his notification during his extraction so he already thought that there is a possibility that he can extract other corpses.
In the end, his suspicion was right!
Without any more hesitation, he agreed to the system and extracted the ''monster''.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +40 Agility +1.25 Vitality +1.05 ]
Vale''s eyes lit up after seeing the notification.
He received 2 attributes from the extraction! The energy points that he got were even worth 5 or 6 corpses of Arcane Arts Practitioners!
This was incredible!
"Amazing¡" Vale couldn''t help but sigh in admiration after seeing the bountiful harvest.
"You found this amazing?" Professor Lucius repeated what he heard as he looked at Vale with a frown.
Thetter jolted at this as he realized that someone was beside him and looking at his actions. He was too focused on extracting the corpse that he failed to notice the Professor''s presence.
"Ahem¡ It''s my first time seeing a monster or an evil creature''s corpse this close so I can''t help but appreciate it."
"Hmph¡ Just leave it there. Don''t think of getting spoils from it. It''s the Academy''s property. Our ss is dismissed. I will provide your team with the Contribution Point so don''t worry about it. Leave this ce now as I''ll clean up this mess." Lucius said as he also signaled for those who are injured to visit the infirmary.
He''s not in a good mood and everyone noticed it.
"Thank you, Professor."
Everyone decided to leave including Vale¡ He didn''t want to offend the Professor even more.
Outside the Serenity Hall, his ssmates couldn''t help but talk about the battle and how Vale ended the life of that Creature.
"Vale, you''re incredible¡ Are you sure you''re not using a Mystical Item to increase the power of your Dark Spell? It feels like you''re already graduating student!" Felicia said in admiration.
"That''s an exaggeration. However, our ssmate is indeed on a different level." Carmen Ames, one of the female students in Leonore''s group, said while looking at Vale with interest.
"Don''t worry, I will spread this news to everyone!" Jody chimed in¡
''I''m not interested in that¡'' Vale replied in his mind.
"Good¡ Let''s see how arrogant Wilfred can be after hearing this. Have you submitted your article already?" Carmen asked.
"I''ll be submitting it in an hour. I still have to write about his achievement as the highest Spirit Strand test scorer." Jody replied.
Vale didn''t want to be famous but he can''t really stop Jody from writing an article about what happened in the Academy.
In the first ce, rumors about it will still spread.
He can only persuade her not to exaggerate what had happened and acknowledge the other''s efforts as well.
After saying this to her, Jody gave him a thumbs up.
Vale then went to the infirmary like the others since he was still hit by that beam of light a while ago. Although he was not harmed by that attack thanks to his Spell Dispersion''s effect, he still has to have someone check on him or another rumor will start.
***
Inside the Serenity Hall, Professor Lucius kneeled in front of the dead Messenger and observed its injuries closely¡
''The Flesh Bane and Ailments can only be sensed in the upper body¡ Furthermore, it has signs of healing as well¡'' Lucius muttered after noticing the weird situation of the Creature''s body.
After some time, he also finished inspecting its lower body.
''This is weird¡ The injuries on the lower body don''t have signs of healing. Did it really get this weak after being caged for some time?'' Lucius shook his head as he can''t believe that its regeneration ability would bepromised just by not being fed sufficiently.
He then took out three candlesticks from his coat''s inner pocket. He ced them beside the corpse and lit them up using a match¡
Lucius then cut his index finger with his pocket knife and dropped blood on the Creature''s body. After doing this, he chanted in Oardic.
"Glorius Gates of the Spirit World. Hallowed maker of the Soul Society. The Nameless Guardian of the Harbingers. I offer my blood to open the gates¡ I wish to call the spirit of the Fallen Messenger¡"
Lucius then waited for a while but after three minutes without a response, he couldn''t help but frown¡ This is the first time he failed to summon someone''s spirit. Furthermore, the creature just died a few minutes ago.
He had no problems summoning a spirit even if their body died two or three days already so it was baffling for him.
After a few moments, he decided to try it once more but after waiting for another five minutes, he still failed.
The candle wax on the floor is already getting thicker so Lucius decided to change them¡ He also tried dropping more blood to see whether it would make some changes.
Unfortunately, none of his changes worked. The spirit of the Creature seems to have disappeared!
''What''s going on? Why is the Nameless Guardian not replying?''
Lucius shook his head as he can''t imagine that something would happen to the Spirit World.
He can only guess that something must''ve happened to the Creature''s spirit¡
Chapter 84 Attributes
?Lucius became very silent as he tried to recall the Dark Spells of his students¡
Ghost Hands, Severe Ailment, Ghastly Ailment, Spirit Hand, Flesh Bane, Darkness Coil, Dark Mist, Dire Chains, Nightmare, and some support-type Dark Spells.
''None of them can destroy someone else''s spirit¡ It means that the Creature''s spirit should still be in a good condition¡ Perhaps it''s still hiding here?'' Lucius frowned as he entered his Phantasm State and scanned every part of the hall¡
With the Magic Circle that can suppress the Creature, its Spirit shouldn''t be capable of going out of this room unless it was taken by the Spirit World after the death of its possessed body.
He thought that it may have been hidden in the room so he can''t summon it from the Spirit World. Unfortunately, that doesn''t seem to be the case¡
''Ugh¡ I can''t even harvest its spirit¡ I really lost big time today.'' Lucius can''t understand why the Spirit is missing.
Since he has no answer to this, he can only take the corpse and bring it to the Necromancy Branch. They would certainly love this corpse and he might even get arge tip if he gave it to the right person in the Branch.
***
Vale had no idea about Lucius''s problem and the effect of his extraction on the corpses.
He''s currently on his way out of the infirmary after the nurses confirmed that he''s already fine¡ After being notified that his friends would still need to rest, he left with Lisa to visit the Assembly Hall once more.
Since the ss ended early, the two of them decided to just apply to the Club that they decided to join.
"Vale, do you have any suggestions about my first Spell Model?" Lisa suddenly asked while they were in the hallway leading to the Assembly Hall.
This question surprised Vale for a bit but he still answered sincerely.
"I think you should ask Professor Lucius for that¡ He''s our Darkness Path Professor after all. You can also consider asking the mystical mirror that Professor Harrison brought to us. Furthermore, you have to practice entering your Phantasm State first and see the number of your Spell Lights."
"Ugh¡ I just want to hear your suggestion. I''llpare them with the others'' suggestions so don''t worry about being burdened." Lisa said as she can tell that Vale didn''t want to be responsible if the Spell Model wasn''t suited for her.
With her insistence, Vale considered for a moment before suggesting two of the basic Dark Spells but with great potential.
"The Ghost Hands is actually quite good¡ If you have a long duration of Phantasm State, they can be very helpful since they''re like an extension of your arm. It''s very convenient when picking up things or touching dirty stuff¡ªI mean, things that you can''t touch with your hands like a hot cauldron, poisonous substance, or some other things."
Vale exined.
"That makes sense¡ In that case, I can also consider Spirit Hands and Spectral Hands, right?"
"Yes. But they have a higher requirement. Furthermore, their Spell Model might be difficult to obtain since they''re quite special."
"Ahhh¡ Is that so?" Lisa nodded as he recalled the Contribution Points Exchange Hall of the Academy. Perhaps, he would need a Contribution point to acquire these special Spell Models.
''I guess I''ll go with the basic ones first¡'' Lisa thought as she can still recall that Vale''s ''basic dark spell'' was still the most impressive spell in the battle against the Evil Creature.
She can''t help but think that Dark Spells'' worth may not be seen in their tiers but in the talent of their casters.
"What''s the second suggestion?" She asked.
"You can consider finding a support-type Dark Spell. Like the ones that can help you move faster. It''s all up to you, you can also consider finding a good Curse Spell. That way, you have a killer move. If anyone bullies you, just get their hair and curse them once you returned to your room."
''Ahh¡''
Lisa was stunned after hearing Vale''s suggestion.
First of all, she had never thought of finding a movement spell. She hadn''t even seen one for some reason. She thought that it was not popr or it was just difficult to learn. As for the Curse Spell that Vale suggested, she couldn''t help but shiver at the thought of cursing someone after getting their hair.
After all, if she learned this spell, others can learn it too and she might be the receiver of the curse someday¡ Perhaps, she needed to learn about Curse Spells and learn how to break them.
"Now that you said it, I guess I should really behave here. I shouldn''t offend anyone. Although there is a rule in the academy that prohibits you from using Curse on your fellow students, they might still do it subtly if they''re determined."
Vale nodded at this since this was also what he initially nned.
"You''re right¡ If you felt something off, immediately ask the Professors and have them cast All Curse Break on you. That''s a strong Tier 2 Dark Spell. If you can''t find a Professor with that spell, they''ll help you form a Sacrificial Ritual to remove any curse."
"I''ll keep it in mind¡ Thank you, Vale!" Lisa said with gratitude.
She couldn''t help but look at him with admiration. He was already very strong and evenparable with the Student Representative but he wasn''t arrogant in any way.
''Perhaps he''s also worried that he might get cursed by someone so he has to act friendly at all times¡ Well, I guess that''s not bad behavior.'' Lisa mused as they entered the Assembly Hall.
Of course, Vale wasn''t really worried about any Curse Spellsing at him with his current level of Spell Dispersion.
What he was worried about was his chances of extracting corpses might get lower and lower. The Monster extraction today might even be hisst chance for the rest of the year.
Vale sighed at this as he checked his current attributes panel.
[ Attributes: Strength 20.85, Agility 15.57, Intelligence 50.12, Vitality 10.05 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv5 ]
[ Avable Energy: 470 ]
Chapter 85 Club
?Vale had an impressive improvement over the past year.
It was all thanks to his Master''s misunderstanding about his love for the cold corpses. Of course, because of this benefit, he can''t say otherwise, or else, he would lose his chance to extract corpses.
His Master Heinz would even go far as collecting corpses from the outside just to give them to him. On his fourteenth birthday, he also received a dozen of corpses that were previously Arcane Arts Practitioners! Those twelve corpses were even beautiful women when they were still alive!
Up until now, he would still shudder every time he recalls his Master''s birthday present. When he returned to his room, he saw the 12 naked female corpses lying on his tiny room''s floor and bed.
He can''t evenin to his master and could only ept it with a smile.
In any case, Vale still feels happy every time he sees his current attributes.
His Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Vitality are incredibly highpared to those of his same age.
This is especially true in terms of Strength and Agility.
As a matter of fact, he had very difficult training thatsted for several months in order to learn a technique that allows him to control his fast-growing strength and agility.
It is called Nimble Talon ording to Heinz. Since Heinz is a Dark Alchemist, he requires a technique that allows him to fully be in control of his body or movement.
Alchemy requires high-precision actions especially the crucial parts when concocting potions and refining pills so it wasn''t surprising that Heinz possess such a technique¡
With Nimble Talon, Heinz''s dexterity can be said to be at its peak.
Needless to say, Heinz wanted Vale to learn this as well in case the young man got interested in the field of alchemy.
Vale then nced at his current set of Spell Models on his system.
The Spell Dispersion requires 800 Energy Points to advance to Level 5 or mid-stage Intermediate Realm. The Ghost Hand requires 1,024 Energy Points to advance to Level 8 or mid-stage Advanced Realm. Finally, the Incorruptible Body requires 960 Energy Points to advance to Level 6 or thete-stage Intermediate Realm.
He can''t advance any of them any time soon.
"Vale, I''ll be checking the Library Committee right now¡ Do you want to check it with me?" Lisa suddenly asked while Vale was lost in his thoughts.
Vale jolted awake at this question and answered.
"Aahh¡ Well, I''ll be checking the Battle Arena Committee. I''m thinking of joining that instead."
"What? Really?" Lisa asked in surprise.
She did not pay attention to thismittee but she heard some of their ssmates talking about it.
Their task is quite difficult since they would handle every event or match in the Academy''s Arena.
''Well, it''s probably not that difficult if you''re only a first-year student.'' Lisa thought.
"Is it surprising?" Vale asked after seeing her reaction.
"Well, I thought that you''ll join the Spirit Crafters Club. I saw you look really interested in it."
"That''s right¡ That''s actually my second option. Maybe if I don''t pass in the Battle Arena Committee, I''ll try the Crafters Club." Vale replied.
With that said, the two separated to find their clubs.
"Hi, are you interested in joining our club? I''m Nadine Sherris, the Club''s Secretary."
Just like the other clubs, the Battle Arena Committee had selected an attractive member to reel in some freshmen into their club.
Nadine is in her sixth year ording to her uniform. Vale can easily see the six eight-angled stars on her coat so he can''t be mistaken.
She has flowing waist-length brown hair that had two hair bands at the two sides of her front hair with bangs swept to the right¡ She had dazzling brown eyes and was quite charming in Vale''s preference.
After ncing at her healthy bosom, Vale couldn''t help but admire the club''s selection for their recruiter. They can certainly attract people with her at the stall.
He immediately collected his thoughts as he answered politely.
"Senior, I''m Vale Chambers. I''m indeed thinking of joining the club. May I ask what''s the requirement to join your club?"
Knowing that she was about to recruit someone, Nadine couldn''t help but feel excited¡
"Our requirements aren''t that high¡ After all, there are many positions in our club so anyone can probably fit in. However, since this is still an arena where there would always bebat, injuries, or even death, we need someone that is above average. After we learn about your situation, I will be able to give you suggestions on what position you''ll fill in our club."
Vale nodded¡
He didn''t expect that the Arena would have casualties as well. Aren''t they only students? Is it alright for students to die in the Arena?
Vale then thought for a moment and continued asking¡
"So, are you going to test me if I''m above average?"
"Yes¡ Let''s simply test your Spirit Strand. I have a small Spirit Converging Crystal here. It can produce a total of 10 Spirit Strands. We only need to see if you have 8 Spirit Strands and we''ll allow you to join our club."
"Eight Spirit Strands is above average."
"Yes!"
"Alright, let''s have a test then." Vale smiled as he got himself tested.
Soon, Nadine was holding a Spirit Converging Crystal with 10 Spirit Strands in it!
She couldn''t help but feel happy after seeing this.
"Hahaha!"
Nadine Sherris smiled gorgeously¡. Her bell-likeughter and the lightsing from the Crystal made Vale dizzy.
Afterughing for a moment, Nadine finally slowly stopped but there is still a trace of a smile hanging on her face.
She suddenly recalled something as she looked at Vale awkwardly before she exined herself.
"Ahem¡ I''m just happy since I can recruit someone better. You see, one of our Arena Coordinators recruited a freshman with 8 Spirit Strand yesterday. He looked so smug and kept bragging about it. Now, I have someone with 10 Spirit Strands. Kekeke, he''ll be surprised."
Chapter 86 Battle Arena Committee
?"Ten Spirit Strands¡" Vale repeated.
''Isn''t that because the Spirit Converging Crystal can only get ten spirit strands?'' He mused.
In any case, he decided not to tell her his real Spirit Strand since it might seem like he was bragging like the Arena Coordinator she was berating just now.
"Yes¡ It''s great that you have ten spirit strands¡ Ah, don''t tell me that you have more?" Nadine asked.
However, before Vale could answer, she immediately continued.
"Well, that''s impossible¡ That should be the limit for freshmen students unless you''re from the great noble families¡" Nadinemented as he knows that the Chambers family isn''t one of them.
Vale no longer bothered exining at this point and could only ask. "Can you tell me about the club activities and what will I do?"
"Of course¡ However, just fill up this form first as I''ll exin everything to you¡" Nadine said as she took out the application form.
He only needed to fill out the upper part with basic information. His name, year, ss, and reason for joining the Battle Arena Committee.
The lower part was to be filled by Nadine who had conducted the Spirit Strand test.
While Vale was writing, Nadine exined the situation in the club.
"Ahem¡ There are a total of 25 people in our club, you''ll be our 26th member... It''s not that bigpared to other popr clubs but we''re still receiving a budget enough to fund a 50-member club. You probably know the reason, it''s because our club is made by the Academy itself. We don''t even need an adviser or a professor. Even if we''re only less than 10 people here, our club wouldn''t get disbanded. Everything is run by the President and Vice-President of the Club. At most, the Vice Headmaster would check on us randomly to confirm our situation."
''There''s indeed not a lot of members.''
Vale nodded after hearing this exnation.
He also knows that clubs like the Battle Arena Committee are indeed an integral part of the Academy so it made sense that they can''t be disbanded.
Seeing that Vale was listening attentively, Nadine continued.
"Our President is a graduating student so he will be quite busy soon. Most of the matters of the club will be handled by our Vice President. His name is Elmer Vermont. He''s an 8th-year student of the Dark Magic Branch."
"Vermont?" Vale couldn''t help but look up as he stopped writing.
"Yes¡ He''s from the Vermont Family, the strongest n in the Dark Faction¡" Nadine said with a hint of pride in her tone as if she were part of the family.
"That sounds awesome."
"Indeed¡ In any case, you will start as a regr member. After you get used to the club and gained enough experience, the senior members can rmend you a position. Of course, you can also inform us what position you want. We currently have 2 Arbiters, 2 Timekeepers, 2 Scorekeepers, 2 Referees, 8 Corner Judges, and 3 Arena Coordinators."
"The rest are regr members I assume."
"Yes¡ Oh, there''s also me, a Secretary and there''s another Treasurer. The guy that is sleeping behind me." Nadine said as she pointed behind her.
There is indeed a male student slouching on a chair.
Vale didn''t think too much about it as he passed the form to her after filling it out.
"Great! Should we go to our club room?" Nadine asked.
However, before Vale could reply, Nadine smacked her forehead as she noticed the time.
"It''s already time to have our lunch¡ We can make it quick. I''ll just show you where our club room is¡
Vale seem to have grasped Nadine''s antiques as he just nodded and followed her.
He didn''t even bother asking whether it was alright to leave the Treasurer sleeping here.
On the way to the club room, Vale asked Nadine various questions about the club.
Apparently, there are 3 Arenas in the Academy so there were 3 Coordinators in the club that is assigned to each of them. These Coordinators would be the ones scheduling or managing the events that will use the Arena.
It sounds quite difficult since they are basically the managers of each Arena.
Then, as a regr member of themittee, Vale would normally be tasked with some odd jobs. He can be asked to secure the perimeter of the arena. Contact the people who will be fighting inside the arena. Ensure that the participants don''t carry prohibited weapons or even drugs. Dispose of the bodies if the participants are killed.
"Ah? There can be deaths?"
"Yes¡ Why do you sound so excited?" Nadine asked.
"N-no. Of course, not¡ I was just surprised."
"Don''t worry. It rarely happens. Most of the time, they were rogue practitioners who were captured here to be killed by the students. There are also cases that they can be Evil Creatures." Nadine exined.
"I see¡ But still, idents happen and students may die, right?"
"That''s correct. That''s why you can''t be a Referee. The two Referees that we have are both ninth-year students. They have amazing movement techniques and dark spells that could stop most of the killing moves."
Vale didn''t doubt that as he nodded in understanding.
There was no way that normal students can be referees in a battle of life and death.
"Right¡ There are also Associate Professors that normally handle these tasks. Especially if the participants are in the higher years."
"That makes sense¡ I was about to ask about the duels of 10th-year students."
Nadine smiled after hearing that.
Soon, they entered the club room and there are no members of the club inside.
The Club Room is quite spacious with a long round table in the center. There are also couches on the left and right sides of the room with round coffee tables beside them.
On the wall, Vale can also see a bulletin board where the schedule of events is posted. There''s also a part on the board about the assigned tasks of each member.
"Look, there is a duel scheduled on weekend. It''s Saturday at 8 pm. It''s between two fourth-year students in Necromancy Branch¡ You shoulde!" Nadine said as she also just recalled this event after noticing the post on the bulletin board.
Chapter 87 Elite
Vale was interested in this so there was no way he would miss such an opportunity to learn. Furthermore, they aren''t from Dark Magic Branch but from Necromancy Branch.
He had wanted to see the capabilities of Necromancers in this world for quite a long time now so he immediately agreed.
"I would love to¡ Right, can anyone attend the duel? I would like to invite some of my ssmates." Vale inquired as he felt that Lisa and the others might want to watch the duel as well.
"Of course. Anyone can watch the duel. The participants would like it as well since they might gain fans and they can humiliate their opponents even more with plenty of people watching them." Nadine replied with a knowing smile.
It seems that this is amon urrence and there''s nothing wrong with that.
Click¡
Suddenly, the door of the club room opened as a student with five eight-angled stars on his coat showed up. He''s a head taller than Vale and has bronze skin with firm muscles. He looks fit and seemed more like a knight than a spellcaster. This fifth-year student didn''t expect other people here so he also felt surprised.
"Senior Nadine¡ Is this a new recruit?" The man asked as he looked at Vale''s uniform. Since thetter is a first-year, his guess shouldn''t be wrong.
"Yes¡ I confirmed that he has at least 10 Spirit Strands with him. I''m just inviting him to watch the battle of the two Necromancers on the weekend." Nadine answered as she turned to Vale to introduce the man.
"This is one of our Corner Judges, Bailey Saxon."
"Nice to meet you, Senior Bailey. I''m Vale Chambers." Vale introduced himself as he felt familiar with the Saxon.
"So it''s Vale¡ I have a twin so make sure not to mistake me for the other. His name is Benedict and he''s also part of the club. You''ll meet him soon."
"I understand¡ I''ll be careful, Senior. By the way, may I ask about the tasks of the Corner Judges?" Vale shifted the topic as he was curious about this position ever since Nadine mentioned it. He can make a vague guess but he wasn''t too sure.
"Of course¡ I have nothing to do anyway¡" Bailey said as he exined the job of Corner Judges.
They were actually officials assisting the Referees by observing the battle on the corners of the arena. If needed, they would give their opinions, especially about the Referee''s decision. They would also judge the actions of thebatants to ensure that they weren''t cheating or acting in ordance with the rule.
Bailey even informed how he was able to change the decision of the Referee when he was about to proim that the match was a Draw.
"How did you do that, Senior Bailey?" Vale asked.
Bailey couldn''t help but smile after hearing Vale politely call him his senior. He didn''t expect that he actually likes this kind of treatment.
"It was a battle between a student from Dark Magic Branch and Essential Corruption Branch¡ They both passed out after five minutes in battle. It seems that they were in a draw but I noticed that the guy from the Corruption Branch was still cursed and would certainly die if left untreated."
"I see¡" Vale didn''t have to hear theplete story after hearing this.
Needless to say, the one from the Dark Magic Branch won the match since he only passed out while the other guy would die if left untreated.
"Kekeke¡ The guy from the Dark Magic Branch won 10 High-Grade Spirit Pearls at that time and he gave me 3 of them after learning about what I did for him." Bailey continued as he recalled those good times.
"Ahh? There''s a prize?" Vale asked as he didn''t expect that normal duels would gain such a reward.
Furthermore, he knows that Spirit Pearls are precious, especially the High-Grade ones that could greatly increase the Spirit of the Arcane Arts Practitioner.
"Of course¡ Why do you think they''d be willing to risk their lives?"
"R-right¡ I thought they were just practicing their Spells or wanted to gain some livebat experience." Vale scratched his head as he wasn''t thinking too deeply about this.
"That''s also part of it. However, getting a reward is always the best way to encourage people. Of course, the reward woulde from the opponent. There are cases that the Academy would provide the rewards but it only happens in certain events like the Elite Rankings."
"Elite Rankings?"
"Yes¡ You''re only first year so you don''t have to worry about that." This time, Nadine finally spoke as she felt that she was being ignored by the two.
"I understand, Senior Nadine. Is there something else I should know about the Club rules?" Vale easily shifted the topic.
Nadine thought for a moment before replying.
"Even if we don''t have activities¡ You shoulde to the club room and meet the other members. Who knows, they might teach you something if they''re in a good mood. Furthermore, we can use the Arena for free anytime, unlike the non-members. Ahhh, this Friday would be thest recruitment day. Next week, on Monday, all the new recruits would meet the Vice President so you have toe." Nadine exined.
After ensuring Nadine that he''ll attend, Vale left the Club Room to have his lunch.
As soon as he entered the Cafeteria, several eyes were immediately cast on him as if they were looking at a rare species.
''What''s going on this time?'' Vale felt that something was off.
He entered his Phantasm State swiftly and confirmed that there is no one behind him. It means that they were indeed looking at him.
He maintained this state as he felt morefortable or safe with this since he can easily use his Ghost Hand and Spell Dispersion during this state.
"Vale! Come here in our seat after you get your tray."
A female voice suddenly called out to him.
It was from Leonore and beside her was her group of female friends.
He didn''t expect that Leonore would suddenly be friendly to him but he didn''t mind it at all.
"Alright¡"
As he answered, he felt an undisguised hostility cast on him as he couldn''t help but nce at the source of it.
A familiar male student seated not too far from Leonore was looking at him with zing eyes¡
If he wasn''t mistaken, it was Wilfred Moontomb!
Chapter 88 Invitation
''What is it this time?'' Vale frowned as he felt the young man''s gaze on him.
He was sure that he had never spoken with this guy so Vale was curious why he was staring at him like this.
However, with his cautious personality, decided not to confront the guy. He doesn''t know what was going on so it''s better to keep his silence for now and observe the situation.
After taking his tray and sitting beside Leonore, Vale finally had the chance to ask his ssmates.
"Leonore, do you know why they''re looking at us?"
"Cough¡ Cough¡ Don''t include us. It''s only you." Carmen said before Leonore could reply.
Vale was dumbfounded as he was sure that he didn''t offend anyone. He looked at the others on the seat and they nodded at him showing how they agree with Carmen''s statement.
At the table, there were a total of five people.
Vale, Leonore, Carmen, Felicia, and Jody. Vale believed that the five of them from First Year ss 2 have been attracting some attention for quite some time now. He was actually wrong.
"Hah¡ It''s all because of the news of the Evil Creature''s death. You don''t need me to exin further, do you?" Leonore spoke before taking a sip of the warm broth that was included in their lunch.
Vale felt a bit conflicted after realizing the reason he was getting such attention.
"Who would spread that news? Jody?" Vale asked as he looked at his red-haired ssmate.
"Ahem¡ Even if I didn''t, it would still be known by others. Besides, it helped me get epted into the club. Next time, if you want something to be covered in our Academy''s Publication Club, just let me know and I''ll cover it for you." Jody said with a hint of pride in her voice.
Vale could only ept it but he was still curious why Wilfred was showing hostility. Is he also thinking of killing the Creature but he got in the way by killing it first?
After asking them about it, Carmen, Felicia, and Jodyughed together.
Vale was confused so he waited for them to exin.
"Heh heh¡ I think he''s angry because you got invited by Leonore to sit with us." Carmen softly said while trying to hold herugh.
"Indeed¡ He actually tried to seat with us a while ago. I think he''s interested¡ª" Jody''s words were cut short as Leonore red at her.
''He has a crush on Leonore?''
Vale could only sigh as he understood what was going on. In any case, he decided to not care about Wilfred since there was no way he would ignore Leonore for Wilfred''s sake.
He unconsciously nced at Wilfred because of this and confirmed that he was still looking at him with his burning eyes. It feels as if he wanted to tear Vale''s limbs apart!
''Ugh¡ This kid is too much¡ Am I also like this when I was 13 or 14?'' Vale couldn''t help but recall his past life.
He remembered that when he was 13 years old, he also had a crush on someone but would certainly not act like Wilfred¡ He dislikes being teased by his friends and rtives if it was known.
Their difference is too huge afterparing themselves.
While eating their lunch, Vale casually chatted with the others and learned about the Clubs they''ll be joining.
While Jody had sessfully joined the Academy Publication Committee, Carmen and Felicia had joined the Tea Appreciation Club.
It was quite unexpected but Vale can also imagine these graceful teenagers serving tea¡ They would certainly look elegant and he would love to receive their teas someday.
Cough¡ Cough¡
Vale cleared his thoughts as he looked at Leonore. She''s from a family that is known for their Curse Spell, the Rnd Curse to be exact.
Vale wasn''t sure what it was but since they gained fame because of it, he knows that it was something incredible.
He was surprised to know that instead of joining a club that specializes in Curses and Rituals, she decided to join the Fortune Telling Club!
"Do you also think it''s inappropriate?" Leonore asked Vale with a serious tone.
"Hey! We didn''t say it was inappropriate. We said it''s unexpected¡"
"That''s right!"
Carmen and Felicia immediately corrected Leonore''s words.
"It''s the same thing..." Leonore replied.
Vale can certainly agree with the two but since Leonore decided to join the club, she must''ve thought it through.
"Fortune Telling is actually quite interesting¡ Did you join the club to learn it or are you already practicing some type of divination?" Vale asked.
Leonore smiled after hearing his reply. "Well, I''ve learned a little. It''s called Chiromancy¡ It''s by reading the shape of the hands and the lines in their palms¡"
"What? Really?" Jody asked in surprise.
If possible, she might write an article about this if it was proven that Leonore was skilled in this art. She was already nning to make her friend famous!
Leonore seemed to have read her mind so she immediately shook her head and exined. "I''m just kidding¡ The Fortune Telling Club isn''t simple. Their President has learned a strange Dark Art called Dark Seer, it''s quite simr to the irvoyance of the Mystic Arts that uses Spiritual Vision or Inner Sight to look into their target."
"Dark Seer¡ That sounds awesome¡ However, we have a limited number of spells we can learn. Are you sure you want that spell?" Carmen asked with a concerned tone.
It''s not surprising that a graduating student would only have seven or eight spell models. This is amon thing since humans have natural limits.
Furthermore, after you recorded these spell models, changing them would be almost impossible unless you have some legendary pills and medicines that will allow you to survive the bacsh of your spell model destruction.
They were worried that Leonore might regret it if she decided to learn a very weird spell.
"It''s fine¡ I won''t be learning it that quickly. It has a high requirement anyway¡ I need to have 25 Spirit Strands and 5 Life Strands." Leonore calmly exined.
"Oh! Then Vale might be capable of learning it!" Felicia said after recalling Vale has 25 Spirit Strands.
However, these words seem to be thest straw for Wilfred as he could no longer hold it in and went to their side.
His sudden actions attracted their attention.
"Are you that student Vale Chambers that have 25 Spirit Strands and a strong set of Dark Spells capable of killing Evil Creatures?" Wilfred asked with his slightly high-pitched voice.
Vale unconsciously nodded while still feeling a bit surprised.
After confirming the identity of the handsome student in front of him, Wilfred clenched his fist as he invited Vale into a duel!
Chapter 89 Condition
"I''ve wanted to deal with that Evil Creature as well. However, you somehow killed it first¡ Let''s fight instead so I can at least tell how strong that Creature was." Wilfred said as he tried to find a reason for inviting Vale into a fight.
It was quite a ridiculous reason but the others who are listening didn''t mind it at all. They were excited to watch a duel between the two guys.
"I don''t think that''s necessary. The Serenity Hall will surely ce another Evil Creature there. Just wait for some time and fight against it if you want to prove yourself."
Before Vale can answer, Leonore already spoke for him. Although she wasn''t sure how long will it take to rece the creature, it will certainly happen since the Serenity Hall was built exactly for that.
Her attempt to defend Vale irritated Wilfred even more. After all, he wanted to show how he was more capable than Vale in front of her!
Now, his desire to deal with Vale increased further.
"Are you afraid? Do I have to put a handicap so you''ll agree?" Wilfred taunted Vale instead of answering Leonore.
Vale was momentarily speechless at this sudden turn of events but he still replied with confidence.
"I''m not. I just don''t think it''s necessary. I don''t think I can win against you." Vale''s reply surprised many of the students who were listening. He would actually admit defeat instead of fighting like a man!
Many of them were disappointed after seeing Vale''s unwillingness to fight. Those who were thinking about betting on Vale started thinking it over.
''Perhaps, he was really afraid so he doesn''t want to fight?'' Some of them thought as they looked at Vale while shaking their heads.
Some of them were also thinking that the rumors that he killed the Creature were an exaggeration. Perhaps, he was only able to get thest hit before it dies. The credit must also go to the nine other students who were his teammates at that time.
''Tsk!''
Wilfred would probably be happy with Vale''s reply if it was in the past but the fact that Leonore seems to be interested in Vale kept him irritated.
In the end, he decided to change his tactic.
"If you win our duel, I''ll give you a scroll containing a mid-grade Tier 2 Spell Model, it''s called Dark Familiar Summoning Spell. I''ll even add the Darkness Pill for you. You may becking to use it now but it will help you someday if you reached the requirement¡ You''ll have to earn at least 15 Contribution Points in the Academy if you want to learn this."
As soon as Wilfred made this offer, everyone in the cafeteria gasped in shock.
"A Summoning Spell! I want one too!"
"Is he even allowed to provide him a copy of that spell? Isn''t that something that his family gave to him?"
"Hmph¡ He''s rich, why do you care about it?"
"Can I also ept this duel?"
"You wish! You have four pathetic Spirit Strands. Wilfred has at least ten Spirit Strands. He''s in the Rankers Club, have you forgotten?"
The others couldn''t help but show their desire to obtain the Dark Spell Scroll.
The Academy doesn''t prohibit other students from acquiring Spell Scrolls outside. However, you would have to take the risk in case there is a problem with the Spell Model that was recorded on the scroll.
Aside from that, the scroll itself might even have problems. After all, storing the design of the spell model inside the scroll can not be done by ordinary people. A certain Arcane Art is needed to do this and if the one who created the scroll has evil intentions, you may not even see the stored spell model and get cursed instead.
Nevertheless, since the scroll came from Wilfred Moontomb, no one was doubting its legitimacy and everyone wanted to obtain it. There was no way the Moontomb n would give a dangerous Spell Scroll to one of their heirs.
Vale hesitated as he knew very well how important that scroll can be. Even if he doesn''t want to learn the spell, he can still sell this scroll for a huge sum of money.
It might even be his chance to obtain a Mystical Item for himself! Although he had saved a lot of money, it wasn''t enough to purchase a decent Mystical Item.
''This guy is too desperate¡'' Vale thought as he sighed inwardly.
Leonore also kept her silence since Wilfred''s offer is too enticing¡
Seeing that Vale was already hesitating, Wilfred couldn''t help but smile¡ He knows that Vale would agree in this fight even if he''s not confident of winning.
Wilfred knows how the poor act¡
As expected, Vale finally changed his stance.
"Alright¡ I will ept the duel¡ However, what will I do if I lose?" Vale asked.
"Nothing¡ You don''t have to give me anything. Winning against you isn''t a huge achievement anyway¡" Wilfred proudly said as Vale couldn''t help but appreciate how good this kid was in terms of provoking people.
If he hasn''t transmigrated, he would probably fall into his provocation and act like a hot-blooded youth.
"Let''s schedule a duel in one of the arenas then. I can do it for you. The Third Arena should be free on Sunday afternoon. Is that alright with you?" Vale asked.
Since he saw the schedule of duels posted in the bulletin a while ago, he knows that Sunday was rtively free.
"Sunday afternoon? Very well. I ept that." Wilfred nodded with a smirk on his face.
Since plenty of people witnessed and heard their conversation, Vale''s reputation would be at rock bottom if he ever run away from the duel.
In short, whether Vale will attend the duel or not, Wilfred believes that it was already his win!
Soon, the news of their duel spread throughout the four First Year sses.
It was a duel between the student with the highest Spirit Strand and a member of the mysterious and powerful Moontomb Family!
Chapter 90 Research
Vale returned to his dormitory after having his lunch with Leonore and the others.
He actually asked Leonore if she was aware of the details of Wilfred''s Fear Stream and Spectral Hands.
Unfortunately, because these couple of spells weren''t easily seen, she can''t provide a satisfying answer. Leonore only knows what was written in the Dark Spell Book.
The Fear Stream affects the mind of the target as the name suggests while Spectral Hands summons a hand that seems to havee from Hell. The summoned hand was also capable of touching the souls of the target.
Based on what they know, the Spectral Hands are made for offensive moves while Spirit Hands was for defensive and the Ghost Hand was for support.
Since Ghost Hand''s Advanced Realm is already so strong while being a support-type only, it means that the Spectral Hands'' higher realm is much stronger than the Ghost Hand.
Vale sat on the couch in the living room of his dormitory.
''Should I just go to the library?'' Vale mused. Although Wilfred''s spell shouldn''t be in a higher realm, he shouldn''t underestimate it. After all, his Spell Dispersion has its limit as well and he can''t be careless.
Anyway, he already read hundreds of books in his master''sboratory so he knows that the information he wanted may not necessarily be written in the books at their library.
At the moment, he''s currently waiting for Zeno or Harith to return since these two might know a few things about the two Dark Spells that Wilfred has.
After all, they should be ssmates with Wilfred and they might know other things that he wasn''t aware of.
Click!
The door opened as Zeno and Harith finally returned after an hour.
They were carrying a bag of snacks and they seemed to be chatting about the club they''d joined.
"Vale! You''re here! We heard about your duel against Wilfred, is that true?"
Harith''s eyes lit up after seeing Vale seated on the couch.
Zeno was also interested in this news so he listened attentively. Even though he was confident of himself, he wouldn''t dare challenge someone who hade from the First Generation or the Founding Members of the Darkness Path.
He didn''t expect that Vale was so unpredictable.
He was previously looking down on Vale since he was from the countryside but his past actions were something that he simply can''t ignore.
"It''s true¡ I actually want to ask you about this person."
Vale replied with a helpless smile as he already expected that they''d heard the news.
Since there wasn''t a lot of entertainment in the academy, gossiping would normally be everyone''s pastime so he wasn''t too surprised.
Furthermore, they weren''t busy in their clubs yet since they are still in their first week.
They will only be busy with their clubs in the next week after the recruitment week was over.
"Do you want to know about Wilfred''s Dark Spells? They''re Fear Stream and Spectral Hands." Harith immediately said.
Vale gently nodded as he replied.
"Mhm¡ I''m aware of it. However, can you tell me more about this spell other than the things found in the book? You can also tell me about Wilfred''s ability. That would be helpful." Vale asked as he has to be prepared for his duel against Wilfred.
He would never underestimate any of his opponents.
Zeno and Harith happily assisted Vale in his research and they informed him everything they know about Wilfred.
They informed him that Wilfred has 16 Spirit Strands¡ Based on what they heard, he canst up to 8 minutes in Phantasm State and his Magic Zone reaches up to 9 meters. Furthermore, Wilfred seems to have learned those two spells 3 years ago!
His mastery over those spells shouldn''t be that bad.
"Nine meters? Not ny?" Vale asked in surprise.
Zeno and Harith nodded in unison so Vale was a bit dumbfounded.
The range was too small!
''Is he not training his Phantasm State?'' Vale couldn''t help but add inwardly. Compared to Wilfred''s 8 minutes duration, his range was unimpressive!
"It''s indeed about nine meters. Why? Isn''t that quite impressive already?" Zeno asked.
"¡"
Vale didn''t know how to react since even his friend in the workshop, Denise White, had a longer range than Wilfred!
At that time, Denise almost had 20 meters in her range!
He thought that this distance was quite normal at that age so he had really worked hard over the past year to achieve his current limit.
He can even recall how he achieved a 25-meter range in his magic zone, 90 seconds in duration, and 2 minutes in cooldown of his Phantasm State. That was only in a few weeks of learning the Dark Arts!
"Are you too surprised?" Harith asked after seeing Vale unable to reply.
"Well¡ I''m surprised. However, may I ask the range of your magic zone?" Vale asked.
Harith and Zeno looked at each other before nodding. They didn''t seem to mind telling their Magic Zone.
Although they shouldn''t be revealing the details of their current ability, Harith and Zeno decided to inform Vale since they believe that he can''t do anything about it and that they would also quickly improve in the Academy.
"I have nine meters simr to Wilfred. As for the duration, It''s several minutes." Zeno replied. He seems to be proud that he''s equal to Wilfred.
"I can reach seven and a half meters¡ However, that can be easily expanded especially with the help of our current subject, Fundamentals of the Magic Zone." Harith replied with a smile.
He seem satisfied with his current achievement so Vale didn''tment about it.
Nevertheless, Vale finally has someone topare to. He thanked the two for all the information they gave and he also invited them to watch his duel.
The two were nning to watch even without his invitation so they immediately agreed.
On the next day, Vale somehow manage to wake up early so he was able to get his breakfast that was served early in the morning.
After entering the ssroom, all his ssmates looked at him with excitement¡
They have obviously heard about his uing duel with Wilfred.
"¡"
Vale could only sigh as he found his seat beside Chad Bulmung.
As soon as he sat down, Chad''s words almost made him choke.
"Vale, are you really going to fight Wilfred to win Leonore''s heart? Haa~ You''re so brave¡ I didn''t think that you were such a hot-blooded person. I wonder what you see in her to even provoke the Moontomb Family for her."
Chapter 91 Oardic
"Huh?" Vale was speechless after hearing Chad''s words.
He felt that his brain stopped functioning after failing to immediately understand what he was saying¡ However, Lisa and Aubrey''splicated gaze jolted him¡
"W-wait¡ That''s not true. How did the rumors go that way?" Vale wanted to exin but the door of the ssroom suddenly opened.
It was Professor Ste Harwin.
Aside from teaching the Elementary Spirit Law, she also teaches thenguage subject, Oardic and Soi.
"I should be your professor in Fundamentals of Magic Zone but since we have a new professor in the Academy, we have decided to let her take that subject and I''ll be teaching you this Language Subject instead." Professor Harwin exined.
Vale sighed at her sudden arrival. He can only sit properly as he greeted the Professor together with his ssmates.
Professor Harwin didn''t take their attendance but she nced at them for a moment to confirm that everyone is present.
However, Vale was sure that Ste had looked at him for a brief moment before she shifted her gaze.
He wasn''t sure if he was being paranoid but it seems that his duel against Wilfred was also heard by this Professor. She probably heard that it''s all about Leonore as well.
He wouldn''t be surprised if she heard this rumor.
Vale took a deep breath as he calmed his mind. There was no point worrying about this as it would just affect his studies¡
After a few moments, Vale listened attentively in the ss.
Oardic, or the so-called Magic Language, is something that is very important to him. Almost all the rituals of the Dark Arts need to use thisnguage to activate.
Furthermore, it''s also important for another reason¡
"Does anyone here knows which Arcane Path uses Oardic in most of their spells? Of course, the Darkness Path is not included¡ Raise your hands."
Professor Ste Harwin asked her students.
A few of them raised their hands and Ste randomly called for one.
"I heard that the Holy Arts Faction uses Oardic¡ There is also the Mystic Path but I''ve never met any of them before. I only heard that they use Oardic in most cases." Felicia answered.
Ste nodded at her but her answer wasn''t enough.
"While the Holy Arts Faction or those practitioners of the Radiant Path uses Oardic, it was only in thetter years of their development. Most of their Spells and Rituals were still using Eigina¡ It is an ancientnguage rumored to be used by the angels. This means that even if they can''t use Oardic, it''s not a big problem for them. " Ste exined attracting everyone''s attention.
This is their first time hearing about the angels being rted to the magguage. So most of them were shocked after hearing this.
They may have vaguely heard about the Eigina before but none of them connected it to the angels depicted by many churches.
"In any case, you''re right about the Mystic Arts. However, there is two more Arcane Path. Which Faction uses the Oardic Language, who can give it a try?" The Professor asked.
She called out a couple more students but unfortunately, they weren''t able to guess.
It wasn''t the Summoning Arts Faction, the Elemental Arts Faction, or Beast Arts Faction¡
The Elemental Arts Faction may have a few uses in Oardic Language, but it wouldn''t be a big deal for them even if they can no longer use the saidnguage.
With a few remaining factions on the choices, Professor Harwin decided to reveal the answer.
"One of them has a very popr Arcane Academy among themoners so maybe this is why you weren''t able to guess easily. Anyway, that is the Combat Arts Faction. Their academy may be the weakest in ranking but it''s simply because of their low requirement. They just keep epting anyone with a bit of skill." Ste exined while looking down at that academy.
Vale and the others finally understood as they gently nodded in realization.
The Combat Arts may not sound like an Arcane Path but their practitioners are actually numerous. After all, this Arcane Academy that promotesbat arts would teach Sword Art, de Art, Spear Art, and even Palm and Fist Art!
They weren''t simple techniques that can be learned by any normal soldier or warrior. They were Arcane Arts that are difficult to learn unless you possess a talent for the specific branch of Combat Art.
Nevertheless, because of the wide range of Combat Arts, it was no wonder that there were still plenty of people that can be epted into this academy.
However, because they were focusing on quantity instead of quality, the practitioners of this Arcane Path weren''t that impressive¡
"So it''s the Combat Art Academy..." Chad muttered. This Academy is indeed not popr among nobles, rich families, or those who wanted to look rich.
"How are they even using Oardic in their Combat Arts? They aren''t casting spells, right?" Lisa asked innocently.
To be honest, Vale also wanted to ask this question since he didn''t study the other Arcane Paths.
Professor Harwin smiled as she knows that Lisa doesn''t have a background in mysticism so she felt that it was normal that she ask this question.
"That''s correct, Lisa. They won''t be casting spells simr to what we do when we activate our Dark Spells. However, they still use Oardic in their Chants. These chants may be incapable of harming other people but they can improve their power with these chants."
"Is it the Enchantment that I''ve heard of before?" Lisa rified.
"That''s correct."
Noticing that Lisa was no longer going to ask questions, Carmen raised her hand.
"What''s the other Academy, Professor Harwin?"
Professor Harwin didn''t put up the suspense as she immediately answered.
"It''s the Alchemy Arts Faction¡ Their Arcane Path uses Oardic most of the time."
"Ah? Does the Alchemist use Oardic to chant as well? What kind of Spell or Ritual are they doing anyway? I thought they were only focused on controlling their mes and learning how to refine pills and concoct potions." Carmen asked curiously.
"Indeed¡ That is also what I''ve heard. It''s quite surprising."
"I''ve never seen the Alchemists in our family use Oardic at all."
The students started expressing their doubts since most of them have Alchemists in their homes. They have met them plenty of times but they''ve never heard them use Oardic or even use spells at all.
Professor Ste Harwin smiled as he expected this reaction from them.
Nevertheless, she doesn''t have ns of exining it to them since their ss isn''t all about that.
She just continued teaching them how to read Oardic until it was time for the next ss.
Chapter 92 Arithmetic
The next ss was Intermediate Arithmetic.
It was taught by an old professor with a distinctive long white beard and bald head. When he went to the ss, he immediately started teaching after introducing himself.
Perhaps he was already too old, he was no longer interested in knowing the names of his students.
Nevertheless, they didn''t mind this attitude since this is still the Academy of the Dark Arts. This ce is full of entric people so it''s not surprising to have a strange Professor.
Anyway, Vale realized that Intermediate Arithmetic has simrities to Algebra for freshmen students in Junior High School if hepares it to his previous life.
It was basic for him so he felt a bit bored in this ss.
While all of his ssmates were seriously listening and taking notes from time to time, his mind started wandering off as he entered his Phantasm State.
With the current range of his magic zone, he was able to sense the ss 1, ss 3, and ss 4 that wasn''t too far from their room.
He was simply bored that''s why he was doing this. He wasn''t looking for anything and just want to pass the time. However, before he could retract his Phantasm State, he realized that someone entered his Magic Zone with an incredible fluctuation of energy.
The man''s spirit is several times stronger than him!
''Not good¡''
Vale immediately canceled his Phantasm State¡ Although it''s extremely difficult to sense someone who was using their Phantasm State, it is not an impossible thing to do especially inside this Academy filled with excellent Practitioners of the Dark Arts.
He probably wouldn''t get scolded for spreading his magic zone since this is normal in the Academy but he still didn''t want to be discovered by that incredibly strong man.
''Ahh¡'' Vale suddenly froze as he felt that he was locked on by someone. Even though he''s no longer in his Phantasm State, his unique physique tells him that he''s currently inside a magic zone.
Then, someone suddenly spoke directly in his mind! Thankfully, it came from a familiar voice.
"Vale¡ Visit my office after your ss¡ I have to discuss something with you about your duel against Wilfred."
The voice came from the Headmaster!
Vale was shocked not because of the mysterious voice that was sent directly to his head but the fact that the Headmaster decided to get himself involved in a duel between two first-year students!
''Did I make a bad decision agreeing to Wilfred in the duel?'' Vale thought as he can''t help but worry about this matter.
Before he could even reply, he felt that the connection was already cut off.
Vale could only sigh as he felt ufortable all of a sudden.
His mind raced as he started thinking that the Headmaster might even ask him to lose deliberately to ensure that the prestige of the Moontomb Family wouldn''t be stained because of his willful actions.
Deliberately lose? That would a terrible and he didn''t want that to happen¡
Nevertheless, if he waspensated properly, he probably would have to think twice. After all, now that he thinks about it, the Moontomb Family probably has senior students here in the Academy.
There might be 8th-year, 9th-year, or even 10th-year students.
What would he do if these seniors find trouble with him?
Vale shook his head.
He wasn''t that afraid¡ However, he feels like it would be too troublesome if people started causing trouble for him because of the duel on Sunday.
''Ugh¡ Whatever¡ The Headmaster might even support me. I''ll think about what to do after talking with him.'' Vale thought as he calmed his mind.
As he looked around him, he realized that Professor Russel Ravinie was squinting his eyes while looking at him.
Some of his ssmates were also looking at him.
"Ahem¡ I''ve been staring at you for a while now and noticed that you weren''t focusing in ss." The professor said with a stern voice as a few people behind him suppressed theirughs.
Vale helplessly smiled as he decided not to defend himself. He acted like he was embarrassed as he shifted his gaze to the ckboard.
Well, he was indeed not paying attention but he only needed a nce to know the topic of the ss. It was integer arithmetic and simplifying equations...
This is too simple for him. Nevertheless, he''s not Neil so he decided not to boast.
"Very well. Since I can tell you''ve realized your mistake, I can let it go if you solve this problem¡"
As soon as they heard this, many of his ssmates started gloating at him.
Well, since he has the highest Spirit Strand and was capable of killing an Evil Creature, seeing him fail in this normal ss would make them happy even if they don''t really hate Vale.
Seeing someone who was on top suddenly fall to the bottom feels quite pleasant for them for some reason.
''Hehe¡ Now you''re in trouble¡ I wonder how you''ll embarrass yourself.'' Neil couldn''t stop grinning as he can already imagine how Vale would fail to solve the arithmetic problem.
Although they have high Spirits or Intelligence, it doesn''t mean that they could easily have logical thinking, and problem-solving skills, or recall all the equations that were just taught to them.
In other words, even if Vale has 25 Spirit Strands, it doesn''t guarantee that he''s capable of solving a problem that he had only seen for the first time.
Furthermore, Vale wasn''t even listening so he shouldn''t know the subject well.
A few students also nced at Leonore because of this.
''Heh¡ Look at this guy who wanted to fight Wilfred for you, he''s about to be humiliated.''
''Your suitor is in trouble, aren''t you going to help him?''
''I wonder if you will still look at him in favor if he failed this.''
Leonore may not have heard their thoughts but she can easily tell what''s in their mind just by staring at her.
She can only shake her head as she can''t control their imagination.
Soon, Professor Ravinie wrote a problem on the ckboard for Vale to solve.
His ssmates looked at the arithmetic problem and just after reading half of it, they were already dizzy as they could not follow.
Obviously, the old professor made it a lot harder to embarrass Vale! This old man didn''t even teach them how to solve thisplicated problem!
Chapter 93 Exams
Vale also knows that this old man is causing trouble for him.
Nevertheless, he immediately understood why. The old professor is from Ravinie Family, someone who was close to the Moontomb Family.
If he heard about his match against Wilfred, then this person might be targeting him on purpose.
''Seriously¡ This is getting more ridiculous¡'' Vale wryly smiled as he stood up and wrote the answer on the board.
While he was writing, most of his ssmates weren''t even looking at his answers.
Instead, they were looking at their Professor to see his reaction. They would easily know whether Vale made a mistake or not depending on his reaction.
Chad, Lisa, and Aubrey wanted to help Vale but they were also unsure about the subject. They can only re at Neil and the others who were giggling at the back of the ssroom.
"Eh?" Chad suddenly realize that something was off.
Their old professor was looking at Vale as if he was seeing a ghost. At this point, everyone in the ss had also noticed that their professor isn''t acting as they have expected.
"Y-you already studied this before?" Professor Ravinie asked after Vale finished answering the question on the board.
It may not be a difficult arithmetic problem, but for first-year students like them, they should need a few weeks of study to solve it.
From his words, everyone already realized that Vale provided the correct answer.
They looked at the ckboard once more but they still can''t understand the form he used to solve the problem.
They can''t even properly interpret the numbers on the board.
"Is he actually a genius?"
"You''re overthinking it. He just studied in advance."
"Are you telling me that he''s not listening because he already knows this subject?"
"Hmph¡ He definitely hired a tutor. Anyone can answer that if they studied early."
Vale didn''t feel happy after giving the right answer. After all, the words of his ssmates were making him ufortable.
He wanted to berate them for talking like that about him but his friend already chimed in.
"Stop being jealous... Ahem... Vale, is that really the correct answer? Why is our professor so stunned?" Chad asked thetter part in a soft voice.
Before Vale could answer, someone behind him already spoke.
"Do you even need to ask? He didn''t expect that the student who wasn''t listening to his ss was able to answer a problem he hadn''t taught yet¡ Of course, he was stunned." Aubrey answered matter-of-factly.
Indeed, the old professor was surprised by Vale''s intelligence.
Nevertheless, he wasn''t too disappointed that Vale was able to answer. After all, Vale only needed to study for about a few weeks or a month to solve the arithmetic problem he provided.
After reassessing Vale''s intelligence, the Old Professor spoke.
"It''s a good thing that you''ve studied ahead of time. However, you still need to focus on our ss since it will be a bad habit if you ignore the professor speaking in front."
"I understand, Professor..." Vale answered with a tired voice as he just wanted it to be over.
Unfortunately, the Professor isn''t done yet.
"However, if you really feel bored in our ss, just get a perfect score in our monthly assessment and I''ll rmend you to take the ss Advancement Exam. If you pass that exam, then you don''t have to attend this ss anymore." Professor Russel Ravinie added.
Vale, Lisa, and a few unaware students were shocked after hearing this.
"We can do that?" Vale softly muttered in disbelief. He didn''t expect that the Academy would have such consideration.
"Yes¡ However, you have to pass the first monthly assessment with a perfect score. In addition to that, if you fail the Advancement Exam, you have to be my assistant for the rest of the academic year."
Vale''s eyes lit up after hearing this.
It was the same for the others. Most of them didn''t mind being an assistant if they failed.
Unfortunately, the requirement is quite tricky to achieve. None of them here have the confidence to say that they''ll perfect the first assessment.
Nevertheless, there are still some of them who weren''t excited about it.
Failing the exam is actually a huge problem for them. Being an assistant to the professor may sound really cool but there is no contribution point that can be earned from doing that. You''ll just be the Professor''s errand boy and will only receive a thank you at the end.
"That''s very interesting, Professor. I will do my best to perfect the assessment. However, is there also a way to advance our Academic Year?" Vale suddenly asked a very unusual question and shocked his ssmates once more.
Not even a week had passed since the start of the ss but Vale is already thinking of jumping into another Academic Year!
"Vale, aren''t you a bit excited? I know you have 25 Spirit Strands but I assure you that you still need to learn plenty of things." Neil suddenly said as he could no longer keep it in.
The others had the same thought as they nodded their heads in agreement.
Even Chad was looking at Vale curiously.
''I wonder what he''s nning¡'' Chad muttered inwardly as he felt that Vale isn''t just talking nonsense. There must be a reason why he was asking that.
Professor Russel Ravinie also took a moment before he was able to answer.
"Are you referring to the eleration Exam? That can be done after the fourth year when you''ve chosen your branch. If you''ve shown excellence in your fourth year and even entered the Elite Rankings. Even the Headmaster might help you elerate."
"eleration Exam¡" Vale softly repeated as he gently nodded. "Thank you, Professor. I was simply curious since you mention that I can skip a subject. So I just thought that I might be able to skip a whole academic ss as well."
Vale exined with a smile.
Professor Ravinie shook his head as he replied.
"I understand, I suggest not thinking too much about it. I''m telling this to all of you. You''ll just be disappointed if you try to aim for the eleration Exam. Just study at your own pace and learn how your other seniors did it. Don''t rush with your studies."
"Yes, Professor!"
All the students answered as the ss finally continued normally.
Unlike Oardic and Soi ss which has two hours, this Intermediate Arithmetic only has an hour so it was over quite quickly.
After 30 minutes break, it was the Fundamentals of the Magic Zone.
Vale thought that this ss would be more theoretical but to his surprise, the Professor that has arrived brought 3 assistants with her as they went to the gymnasium.
Chapter 94 Magic Zone
In the hallway leading to the ssrooms of the first-year students, four people were chatting while walking to their next ss.
"Professor Charlotte, have you heard about the first years trying to have a duel for this girl from the Rnd Family? One of them is in ss 2, have you heard of it?" A male student wearing a coat bearing seven eight-angled stars on its chest spoke with a hint of exhration in his voice.
"Hahaha¡ They probably have pathetic Dark Spells but they still wanted to have a duel. What a bunch of interesting first years¡" Another male student with the same number of eigh-angled stars spoke. He knows very well that all first years only have 2 Dark Spells. If they really decided to fight, he believes that it would be over in less than 10 seconds since they would eitherck a support spell, a defensive spell, or an offensive spell.
Furthermore, the duration of Phantasm State should be quite boring.
They would also have to pay for using the Arena. It was basically a waste of time and money.
"Hmm¡ I think that our batch was also hot-blooded in our first three years in the Academy. We only calmed down in our fourth year after realizing how difficult this path was." A ck-haired female student chimed in.
To be honest, she also wanted to be like Leonore¡ An outstanding female student that many would fight for. She couldn''t help but imagine Leonore''s feelings right now.
She''s probably feeling so excited and proud right now since there are men who are willing to fight for her.
Professor Charlotte heard of this as well since Wilfred Moontomb''s background isn''t simple. In the first-year ss, aside from Maya Featherstar, there are 4 other students marked by the Headmaster.
All the news about these five students can be easily learned within their faculty.
"Stop talking about them¡ We''re here." Professor Charlotte spoke as she stopped at the door of the First-Year ss 2''s room.
As soon as she entered, she swiftly nced at everyone to confirm that they are all present. She was then followed by her four assistants in the ssroom.
Even without looking at these three, she knows that they were looking for Vale and Leonore¡ They have never met these two but they were interested in their love triangle since Wilfred Moontomb is involved.
"Good morning, professor." One of the students greeted which was followed by the rest of the ss.
"I''m Professor Charlotte Vermont¡ You can call me Professor Charlotte since my father is also teaching here." Charlotte said as she introduced herself.
She has short ck hair and fair supple skin. She looks to be in her twenties and seemed younger than Professor Shirley and Ste.
"This is only my second year of teaching in the Academy but I assure you that I''ll be able to teach you all the basics and allow you to freely control your magic zone in just six months. The rest of the ss would be full of activities that you''ll enjoy."
Her words immediately caught everyone''s attention. After all, Professor Charlotte indeed looks quite young. Some of them know that the Arcane Studies takes a very long time so it''s normal to have older teachers.
Nevertheless, after being reminded that she should only be teaching the Fundamentals of the Magic Zone, they easily epted her words as they look forward to the day they master their Magic Zone.
"You may be curious why I''ve brought three assistant students with me¡ Since this is our first ss, I want to bring you all to the gymnasium to do a small activity. Right, we would normally do this weekly so we can slowly see your progress in your control. Follow me."
With that said, the whole ss followed the professor and her assistants.
During this time, everyone noticed that the three assistants were always looking at them as if they were looking for someone.
Along the way to the gym, one of the assistants could no longer hold it in as he asked one of the students in a very soft voice¡
Soon, this student looked at Leonore and Vale before whispering back to the assistant. Vale didn''t miss this so he immediately realized what was going on.
''I really have to beat up Wilfred. Even if the Headmaster wanted me to lose for him, I''ll only do it if the price is right.'' Vale promised himself as he continued walking like he didn''t notice anything.
As they entered the gymnasium, they notice a circr stone tform at the very center.
It seems to be a normal tform but Vale noticed some engravings on this stone. If he wasn''t mistaken, those engravings are Oardic.
Since Oardic is used for magic-rted things, this stone tform is surely not simple.
As expected, after Professor Charlotte stood on top of it, she immediately started the ss by showing them something interesting.
"Stay where you are and watch what I''m about to do."
As soon as she finished speaking, an illusory wave of light appeared around her. She had just created a dome made of illusory shadow and it covers the whole gymnasium for a moment before shrinking to the size of a 10-meter range dome.
It was a magnificent sight for them as they look at their professor with interest.
They wanted to know what was going on.
Seeing that she caught everyone''s attention, Professor Charlotte smiled as she finally spoke.
"This 20-meter radius illusory dome is my magic zone¡ You can''t see other people''s magic zone but if you''re standing on this stone tform, the imbued magic on it will activate and disy your magic zone for everyone to see."
"Can we try it as well, Professor?" Chad immediately asked. This is everyone''s question in their mind so they waited for her answer.
"Of course. You''ve seen what I just did a moment ago. It is the simplest way to control your Magic Zone. It doesn''t have a fancy name but it''s called the Second Phase."
Chapter 95 Second Phase
''Shrinking the Magic Zone is called the Second Phase? It''s already a real technique?'' Vale thought amusedly as he looked at the reaction of his ssmates.
To his surprise, they were actually amazed by the fact that Professor Charlotte managed to shrink the size of her magic zone!
''This¡ I thought it was normal to do that after a few months of practice¡ Even Denise made it seem that way¡ Did I misunderstand her or something?'' Vale was unable to properly understand what was going on as he observed everyone''s reaction.
"Professor, does it have a specific requirement before we can control the size of our Magic Zone? I mean, can someone like me with 4 Spirit Strands do such a thing?" Reid Baldry, one of the students who only have 4 Spirit Strands, spoke on behalf of others who also have a low Spirit Strand.
"Of course¡ Even if you only have 3 Spirit Strands, it''spletely possible to shrink the size of your Magic Zone. It''s even easier to do it while you have low Spirit Strands and you might only need a month to master it. After all, if you only learned how to control your Magic Zone after passing the 20 Spirit Strand mark, it will be more difficult for you and you might need 3 or 4 months to do it."
The students nodded in understanding as they unconsciously look at Vale. They believe that all of them would probably learn how to use the Second Phase of their Magic Zone faster than him!
Vale noticed their gazes once more but he was already used to it.
''Since I have 25 Spirit Strands, they were probably thinking that I''ll take half a year before I can learn the technique.'' Vale inwardly sneered as he would certainly give them another surprise.
"Alright, the three assistants I''ve brought with me will be assisting you with your control before you try to step into the tform¡ Right, if you manage to at least shrink your magic zone by a meter before the end of our ss, I will give you a reward." Professor Charlotte said as she tried to encourage her students.
This is what she did in other sses but obviously, none of them was able to do it easily. Not even Maya or Wilfred in ss 1 were able to shrink their Magic Zone.
Those two outstanding students would probably need a week or two to aplish that.
Needless to say, Professor Charlotte has confidence that no one would receive the reward she prepared.
"Look at this wooden amulet. It may seem like an item you can find in some street stalls but this is a Mystical Item that each of you would want to have."
As she spoke, she showed the wooden amulet that has an Oardic Character engraved on it which means "Protector" in Soi.
"It''s a defensive artifact?" Neil asked curiously.
He wasn''t sure why they would need a defensive artifact. They were inside the Academy and they were only first-year students! It means that they won''t normally be exposed in battles unless they''re already in the fourth year.
The previous ss with Professor Lucius was a rare one since he simply wanted to make the ss a bit exciting and showed the Evil Creature.
Battling isn''t amon urrence since they''re still 13 or 14 years old.
The others have the same thought as Neil so they can''t help but look at their professor with anticipating eyes.
"That''s right¡ This amulet protects the wearer¡ However, it''s a protection from prolonged Phantasm State¡"
Except for Lisa, everyone''s eyes lit up after hearing this.
"Professor, that amulet can help us ignore the duration of Phantasm State?" Leonore asked with interest. She was also in disbelief since even in their family, she had never heard that something like this exist at all.
"T-that''s awesome! Professor, can I buy that instead? I''m willing to pay the price!"
"Fifty Thousand Zen! I''m willing to pay that much, Professor!"
"Stop it, guys¡ We need to follow the rules. If we get to shrink our Magic Zone by a meter, we can get that amulet."
"Right... I''m sure that the price of that item is over 50 thousand zen..."
"Professor Charlotte, what if there is more than one of us who aplished it? Ahem, I think one meter is quite a low requirement. I''m sure some of us can do it." ir bluffed but he certainly had a good question.
Professor Charlotte smiled as she can tell that her n was a sess. Her students had taken the bait and they''ll surely work harder. As a rtively new professor, she needed a good result so she can stay in the Academy.
If rewards like these can help her improve her yearly assessment, then she didn''t mind forking out this Mystical Item that only their Vermont n possess.
"I won''t be easy. As you all know, the duration of your Phantasm State is limited by your physique¡ If you try to exceed the limit of your physique, then there will be a side effect that you wouldn''t want to have. In short, you have a limited time of practice as well" Professor Charlotte said as she looked at everyone.
Then, as she noticed Lisa, one of the marked students of the first year, she immediately corrected herself.
She turned her gaze to Leonore before speaking out of concern.
"Ahem¡ Leonore, in case someone doesn''t know what will happen if you ignore the duration of your Phantasm State, can you tell me what would happen?"
Leonore jolted as she didn''t expect to be called out so suddenly.
Nevertheless, this question was easy so she swiftly answered.
"There is indeed a side effect¡ If you exceed the limit of your body and tried to maintain your Phantasm State, you will sustain internal injuries. Your organs will start to fail and the Darkness will start to reject you. Thetter is the worse. Once the Darkness rejected your body, it would be the end of your Arcane Path¡"
"Rejection by the Darkness?" Lisa repeated as she seem to understand what Leonore wanted to say but at the same time, it was confusing her as well.
"In other words, you will no longer be protected by the Eternal Darkness¡ If that happens, your body can be taken by Evil Spirit even if you''re still living¡"
Chapter 96 Try
''So it was like that¡'' Vale nodded solemnly as he finally realized what the side effect of overextending Phantasm State was!
Denise had mentioned to him about this side effect before and he also read this in the book.
However, it wasn''t mentioned specifically what side effect it was. He only knows that it''s certainly not good for the Practitioner of the Darkness Arcane Path.
He didn''t expect that the side effects would be too severe if he ignored the limits of his body.
''Internal injuries can still be cured by the current level of Alchemy ording to the books I''ve read. However, being possessed by an Evil Spirit isn''t something a mere student like us can deal with.'' Vale thought as he couldn''t help but recall the Evanescent Vessels of the Dark Arts Faction.
Based on what he knows, the Vessels are extremely powerful because they allow "something" to possess their bodies. Not even the Untainted Sentinels of the Holy Arts Faction or the Lore Hunters of the Elemental Arts Faction can deal with them if they became a "vessel".
This was ording to his Master.
Perhaps, only those at their levels can actually resist the power of the Evil Spirit¡
"Now, is everyone interested in this amulet? I will be able to provide as many as needed as long as you reach the requirement I''m asking for. Before the end of this ss, you should step on this tform and show us how you shrink your Magic Zone by a meter."
"Yes, Professor!"
"We will do our best."
The students answered with enthusiasm as they immediately gathered at the assistants brought by the Professor. These assistants have been waiting for them to teach them how it was done and the tricks they used to do it.
"Very well, we still have over an hour to do this so take your time." Professor Charlotte said with a smile.
Their ss is from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM. Since only 15 minutes had passed, they should have had a decent amount of time to learn the basics. As for being able to act on it, that would be hard to tell.
As Professor Charlotte allowed her assistants to teach the students, she sat on the stone tform and watched everyone.
Her Phantasm State remained active as she observes everyone''s bodies.
She''s not using a specific technique to scan the bodies of her student. It was a simple benefit of having a strong Magic Zone. It allows her to observe anything that is inside her zone¡
"Hmmm?" Suddenly she noticed that she was unable to properly inspect three of her students.
It was Lisa, Vale, and Dalton¡
She knows Lisa since she''s one of the five marked students by the Headmaster among the first-year students. This kid was quite special since she consumed the Darkness Possession Potion almost without any side effects. It was verypatible with her and it feels like she may even survive the potion even if she consumed it when she was six years old. Anyway, as Professor, she knows that it wasn''t as simple as that but the Headmaster didn''t say anything more than that.
As for Vale, she knows that he''s very special since he has 25 Spirit Strands which is unheard of in all the 13 or 14 years old in all Arcane Paths. She even thought that Vale should be one of the marked students but surprisingly, the Headmaster only smiled teasingly when she suggested it to him.
Lastly, Dalton Stranway who seems very ordinary in terms of looks, only knows that the Stranway family was previously a prestigious family until the king was reced by the current ruler.
''I wonder what''s special among these kids¡ Not even my Magic Zone can see through their Darkness Energy. Is it an artifact? Are they using a defensive Dark Spell right now? Ahhh¡ perhaps it''s their physique?''
Professor Charlotte''s eyes lit up after reaching this thought.
A special physique is something very special and needed to be studied carefully. After all, they didn''t have many volunteers with special physiques so their knowledge about it is extremely limited.
''If Lesley is still here, she''ll definitely take interest in them if I tell her about this¡ Unfortunately, she already left. I wonder when she''ll visit me.''
Vale didn''t know that Charlotte was already having some dangerous thoughts. If he knows what she''s thinking, he''ll probably try his best to get out of the Academy.
Time quickly passed and after 15 minutes, everyone already knows what they should do in order to shrink their Magic Zone.
They have about an hour toplete their task for today and receive the mystical amulet that only the Vermont n can create.
About 10 minutes before the ss is over, Professor Charlotte came forward and spoke with her gentle voice.
"Alright, is there any volunteer? The tform is ready. You can just step up and try it. To start with it, show us the original size of your Magic Zone. Then, in mymand, you have to shrink it by a meter in less than 30 seconds¡"
After saying this, she looked at everyone only to realize that no one except Vale was looking at her.
All of them are either looking at the ground or still focusing on their task.
Well, she expected such a reaction since she knows that they have failed. The task she has provided is quite impossible to aplish in just an hour¡ Although she already limited it to a meter size, it''s still difficult. After all, she knows that the duration of their Phantasm State isn''t that long in the first ce.
It means that they won''t have enough time to practice controlling their Magic Zone.
Furthermore, during their first time learning their magic zone, they would be more inclined to y around with their Dark Spells instead of their magic zone itself.
In short, she knows that she can save this amulet worth 80,000 zen today.
Thump¡
"Eh?" Professor Charlotte looked at Vale incredulously after seeing him step forward.
"A-are you going to try it?" She had a sudden bad premonition after seeing this student confidently walk at the stone tform.
Chapter 97 Physique
"Yes¡ I''m going to try it, Professor." Vale answered with a smile as everyone looked at him with mixed feelings.
"You can do it, Vale! Just don''t rush on it." Chad suddenly said as if he really believes that he can aplish this task.
For some reason, Vale''s circle of friends were looking at him with envy as they believe that he''ll get the amulet this time. On the other hand, some were looking down on him since they believed that Vale just wanted to try experiencing the stone tform.
Well, seeing their magic zone manifest with their naked eyes is quite an interesting experience after all.
''Hmph¡ Let''s see if Leonore will still look at you favorably if you fail.'' Neil couldn''t help but think of this as he nced at Leonore who seemed to be hoping that Vale would seed.
Neil shifted his nce with a bitter heart as he waited for Vale to fail.
Although he doesn''t like Leonore since he already has someone in his heart, it just doesn''t sit well with him that an outstanding girl like her would like Vale who didn''te from a notable familypared to him who had a decently influential family and he''s also good looking.
"Alright¡ You can go ahead and try, Vale. You might feel a bit of resistance since you''re standing on the tform but it''s fine. The tform is still a mystical item but you can just ignore that bit of resistance¡ You can show your magic zone whenever you''re ready."
Vale nodded at the instruction as he maintained his gaze on the tform. He wanted to properly see how the magical tform will show his magic zone¡
After taking a deep breath, he entered his Phantasm State.
At the same time, the stone tform detected this and indeed felt a bit heavy and cold but it was bearable.
''As expected, the tform is dyed by a few seconds¡ In that case¡''
Realizing that the tform can''t instantly show the range of his magic zone, he swiftly controlled it to only cover 17 meters. He certainly can''t reveal his real Magic Zone or Wilfred might refuse to continue the duel.
Anyway, since Wilfred and Zeno have 9 meters in range, then it shouldn''t be that surprising to show 17 meters since he has 25 Spirit Strands.
''This should be enough...''
Soon, the illusory shadow which was equivalent to his magic zone started spreading outward and stopped at the distance that Vale had set up 17 meters.
"T-that''s¡ What was his range, professor?" Aubrey immediately asked as she realized that Vale''s Magic Zone wasn''t something that can be ignored.
She initially thought that they have the same range because they were almost in the same position during the battle against the Evil Creature.
She thought his range was also around 10 meters! However, she was actually wrong!
"..."
The three assistants, who were previously making fun of Vale since he dared to get into a duel while only in his first year, found themselves speechless after seeing the range that Vale had just shown.
They may have a higher range right now but that is because they were already in their sixth year. They already have more experience and couldn''tpare to the first-year students. However, they realized that they were only better than Vale by a few meters!
''Is this the benefit of having a higher Spirit Strand?'' One of them couldn''t help butment after realizing the difference in their talents.
Neil almost choked after seeing this as well...
''How is this possible?!''
Professor Charlotte Vermont immediately calmed herself as she answered Leonore''s question. "It''s 17 meters."
Her voice was soft but everyone heard it very clearly.
She then shifted her gaze back to Vale as she showed a satisfied smile.
"That''s very impressive, Vale. However, since it is a bit too big, it will be harder to shrink it. After all, your physique will be receiving the burden if you deliberately suppress your Aura. It''s not something you can easily learn¡ª"
She wanted to exin to Vale how difficult it is and how he shouldn''t be discouraged even if he fails.
However, she hadn''t even finished speaking when Vale''s magic zone trembled as it started shrinking!
"Ahhh! He''s doing it!"
"H-how can it be so easy?!"
"Are we just dumb or he''s just too good?"
"Howe our difference appears so big?"
"He should start in the higher year¡"
Vale''s ssmates reacted differently as soon as they saw the magic zone disyed by the stone tform started shrinking.
As soon as it stopped, they can already tell that Vale had seeded. He didn''t simply shrink the magic zone by a meter but by over 3 meters!
This was an incredible performance and even Professor Charlotte has to admit that. She can still recall how it took her a couple of months before she was even able to control her magic zone so smoothly like how Vale did it.
"Professor, did I pass?" Vale asked but he wasn''t simply looking at the Professor. He was also eyeing his ssmates who were previously doubting his capabilities.
"Yes¡ You pass. How did you do it? Do you have a special physique that works really well with your control over your magic zone?"
Professor Charlotte was really curious about this since it was just too unbelievable.
She can only think of three possible ways how Vale did it so easily.
First, Vale must''ve learned how to do it already since he''s simply a genius. He must''ve consumed the Darkness Possession Potion at an early age and was able to practice for a longer time than the others.
Next, Vale was probably hiding a Mystical Item that she can''t detect that allows him to control his Magic Zone like a real expert. However, that is very unlikely to happen since the Secret Order should''ve reported this to them if Vale entered the Academy with such a high-level Mystical Artifact.
Lastly, Vale probably has a unique physique that makes it easy for him to bear the burden of shrinking his Magic Zone!
''You''re right, Professor. It seems to be a benefit brought by my unique physique.'' Vale answered in his mind.
He also realized this fact today after Professor Charlotte mentioned how having a special physique can help him finish this task.
Of course, he decided to not say this openly since his Incorruptible Body can''t be revealed to the public yet.
Chapter 98 Amulet
"Professor, I''m not sure as well. I must be lucky since the assistants were very good at teaching." Vale answered with a smile.
Of course, that was an obvious lie since he didn''t even properly listen to the three.
"¡"
The three assistants looked dumbfounded as they were sure that they can''t bring out someone''s talent with just a few words.
They know that Vale was using them to block Professor Charlotte''s further interrogation!
The Professor knows this as well as she just epted his reason for now.
"Very well¡ Congrattions, you deserve this reward. With this Protector Amulet on you, even if you exceed the limit of your Phantasm State, you won''t easily receive the bacsh."
"Thank you, Professor. Can you tell me how long will it extend my duration?" Vale asked curiously as he took the amulet from the professor.
It indeed looks simple but as soon as he touched it, he realized that it was quite heavy. It seems to be about a kilogram in weight even though it was only made of a piece of wood.
''This is quite heavy¡'' Valemented inwardly.
"The duration depends on the wearer. However, it should be about 25% of your original duration¡"
Vale immediately calcted.
Since his normal Phantasm State canst up to 20 minutes, it means that he has 5 more minutes with this amulet with him!
"This is awesome¡ If I have another amulet will the effect stack?" Vale immediately asked.
"¡"
Professor Charlotte was a bit surprised by Vale''s sudden question. Of all of the people that received this amulet, he was the only one who had asked such a question.
Most of the time, they would ask how to take care of it and ensure that the amulet remains in its top condition.
Perhaps it was because Vale was unaware that this item rarely appears, he was already thinking of getting more of them after realizing its effects.
Anyway, she still answered since the other students were also listening.
"The amulet won''t work with other simr amulets so you don''t have to possess more of them.
"I understand, professor."
With that said Vale returned to his position while fiddling with the amulet on his hands.
"Are there other volunteers?" Professor Charlotte asked.
After a few seconds, no one stepped forward.
"The assistants will remain here until the end of ss. You can continue with your practice and try the stone tform so you can see your Magic Zone manifest."
With that said, she decided to leave the gym with a heavy heart.
That was an amulet that costs 80,000 zen!
Her yearly sry wouldn''t be enough to cover her loss! If she wants to earn back her money, she has to do some missions assigned by the Academy. It would even be better if her research already bore fruit so she can earn plenty of money.
"Alright¡ You can all line up and try the stone tform¡" One of the male assistants said as he saw the students not doing anything. He thought that they were just shy and doesn''t want to be the first to step up.
However, the female assistant realized that it wasn''t that¡
''Ther confidence was hit by Vale''s disy of Magic Zone¡ They don''t want to be the next student to show their magic zone as they''ll obviously bepared to that monstrous guy¡''
As she thought of this, she decided to step on the tform and spoke kindly.
"Everyone, I will show you how it''s done once more. Don''t be too shy and just try this stone tform¡"
With this said, she entered her Phantasm State and showed her 20-meter magic zone to everyone. She was hoping that they''ll forget their insecurities in their magic zone and just enjoy the free time that was given to them by the professor.
Luckily, her efforts paid off as the students started forgetting Vale''s impressive performance. They tried the stone tform at the center of the gymnasium as they showed various ranges of magic zone¡
ording to Vale''s estimate, six meters was the shortest range while 11 meters was the highest one which was created by Dalton.
"Vale, can I inspect the amulet for a bit?" Chad Bulmung whispered as soon as everyone''s attention was ced on the stone tform.
Vale simply nodded and tossed the amulet to Chad.
Thetter was surprised at the weight of the amulet as he looked at it in disbelief¡
"Did you just put it in your pocket? Aren''t you afraid that it will rip it off?"
"It''s fine. Our Academy''s uniform is made of the best materials you can find in the region." Vale answered.
He didn''t really know what the uniform was made of but he can guess that it should be made of a decent fabric.
Aubrey also joined in and inspected the amulets after noticing Vale and Chad''s actions.
After inspecting the amulet for a while, the two were satisfied as they returned the amulet to Vale. They appear as if they can''t bear to part with it so Vale couldn''t help but feel amused by their reaction.
Soon, the ss was over, and they returned to their ssroom.
It was finally the Physical and Health Education ss¡
Simr to everyone''s expectation, they have a strong or physically fit professor in this ss¡ He may not be that tall but everyone can tell how this middle-aged man took really good care of his physique.
"I''m Professor Vern Raycraft¡ You might be wondering why Spellcasters like you needed a strong physique when you can do things easily with a simple wave of your hand¡" Professor Raycraft paused to look at everyone''s faces.
Seeing that they are all attentively listening, he continued.
"I''m telling all of you that this ss is very important. If you want to build a strong foundation to reach the highest stage of the Darkness Arcane Path, you must listen to me and take care of your body."
Professor Raycraft then started teaching about the subject of his ss for the next two hours. Unlike the other sses that immediately went into an activity, this professor decided to just bring out his textbooks and start teaching them about their physical bodies!
Chapter 99 Sinister Plan
Thest ss of the day was finally over.
As everyone was thinking of going to their club or looking for a suitable club, Vale has to excuse himself to visit the Headmaster''s Office.
Knock. Knock.
Vale was about to introduce himself after knocking on the door but the knob suddenly tilted as a familiar voice came to his ears.
"Get in."
It was the Headmaster''s voice and Vale couldn''t guess whether he was in a good mood or not.
"Headmaster, you''ve called for me?" Vale asked as he looked at the mysterious Headmaster seated behind an expensive wooden table at the center of the room.
"Yes¡ Before we get to the topic, I heard from Professor Charlotte that your Magic Zone only reaches 17 meters¡ That was odd, I''m sure that you reached me when I was still standing about 50 meters away from you." Headmaster Jean spoke amusedly. He didn''t seem angry that he gave false information to his professor and was simply curious why he did that.
Vale didn''t expect this sudden question so he wasn''t able to answer immediately. All his thoughts were rted to his duel against Wilfred and how the headmaster is rted to that¡
"Err¡ I just thought that I can''t reveal my real limits¡ I learned it from Master Heinz." Vale said as he can only me his master. Anyway, he''s not here so the headmaster wouldn''t be able to ask the old man.
"He mentioned to you not to show off?" Headmaster Jean asked curiously.
"That''s correct, Professor. I''m only following his words." Vale answered. Anyway, his master indeed mentioned that it was better not to reveal all his capabilities in case he had to fight someone in the academy.
He didn''t specifically mention not doing it with a professor.
"Fine¡ Let''s leave it at that. In any case, it is going to be traumatic for your ssmates if you reveal your real limits¡ I didn''t think that the Malefic Branch that your Master was trying to aplish would produce such an incredible result. If all the other products or perhaps disciples of this branch would have the same skill as you, it might really be an official branch of the Faction¡"
"I understand¡ However, Master Heinz mentioned that it is still iplete."
"Of course it''s iplete. If the new Branch is only limited to the improvement of your Magic Zone and possesses weird Dark Spells, it wouldn''t be enough to bepared with the other branches. Even if we put a specialization in the Academy, no one would want to study it. You''ll probably need 8 to 10 more years before the Faction can ept this new branch and let the Academy teach it to the Dark Arts Practitioner." Headmaster Jean calmly exined.
Vale could only nod as he wasn''t really thinking of it. He only wanted to see the limits of the Malefic Branch since if he had to be honest, he felt that it was very suitable for him and also very convenient when fighting against Spellcasters.
"Very well. I called you here to discuss your duel against Wilfred. Are you nning to kill him?" The Headmaster asked.
Vale almost choked after hearing this question.
"Kill him?" Vale never had the thought of doing so. At most, he thought of beating him up.
"Wait, can I really kill him?" Vale changed his question as he solemnly looked at the Headmaster.
The man was obviously d after hearing Vale''s determination.
Headmaster Jean tapped his desk a couple of times out of habit before answering with his gentlest voice.
"You can destroy his body¡ I only need his soul."
Vale felt a chill after hearing this. The Headmaster is giving him a go signal to not only defeat Wilfred in the battle but also kill him!
Needless to say, the Headmaster can only get Wilfred''s soul if Vale managed to sessfully kill him.
This was unexpected! He even thought that the Headmaster would reprimand him for fighting against the Moontomb Family!
This Headmaster is indeed evil! As expected of the Dark Arts Academy!
''I think I''m getting involved in something extremely dangerous¡ Is it rted to the first generation families?'' He mused.
Vale then asked a few more questions to the Headmaster before he went out of the office.
His face was filled with determination as he pocketed the Mystical Artifact loaned to him by the Headmaster.
***
Over the next few days, the first-year students started getting used to their new life inside the academy.
During this time, they also found their Student Clubs and started getting to know a few senior students thanks to thework brought by being a member of the club.
Furthermore, the name of the students who were living in the Seven Pirs Garden started spreading throughout the whole first year.
This actually confused Vale for a moment since he didn''t think that it was important.
Apparently, not anyone can upy a room in this area so Vale finally understood why his ce looks a bit special. Not even some nobles can get a room in the Seven Pirs Garden.
After learning that Vale is actually in this dormitory, they couldn''t help but reassess their evaluation of him.
It appears that he wasn''t simply a lucky noble from the countryside¡ He must possess a level of influence in the Academy if he was able to enter the Seven Pirs Garden!
Nevertheless, the most surprising news that Vale has heard was perhaps Lisa''s achievement. She finally entered her Phantasm State on Saturday morning giving them pleasant news before they started their ss in the afternoon of that day.
She even has a 10-meter range Magic Zone at the very start so it alerted some of the students who were sons and daughters of some small noble families.
They were itching to teach Lisa a lesson. They wanted to remind her not to show off in front of the ss but unfortunately for them, Aubrey was able to suppress them as soon as she learned their ns.
As for the History ss and the Essential Dark Spell on this day, Vale found it very enlightening.
This is true, especially for the Millton Kingdom History ss.
The book Vale read in Heinz''sboratory is all about the Darkness Arcane Path so he reallycksmon knowledge outside.
The history or outside knowledge that he knows are the things that ''Kyle'' has heard in the streets of Melthorn City and the vague history he learned in his primary school.
On the next day, it was finally Sunday¡ It was the date of his duel against Wilfred Moontomb!
Chapter 100 Duel ( 1 )
Vale''s duel against Wilfred attracted all the first-year students of the Academy.
Of course, there were some second-year students as well since their ssrooms weren''t too far from the first-years. They heard about the duel that the first-years were talking about so they decided to look around since it was Sunday anyway.
There''s nothing much to do at the moment¡ The clubs don''t have any activities at this time since they have just finished the recruitment week.
"Vale¡ I have a special dagger here that wasced with poison¡ The poison isn''t deadly but it can weaken Wilfred a lot. What do you think?" Zeno Roquemont whispered as he saw Vale going out of the dormitory.
"Are you serious?" Vale couldn''t help but ask. It was so unexpected for Vale since he thought that Zeno is a prideful man that wouldn''t use such an underhanded trick to win against an opponent.
"Of course¡ It''s not like weapons are prohibited in your battle. He might even be thinking of using a hidden weapon."
"¡"
Vale shook his head as he realized that Zeno was being serious.
"Although using weapons isn''t prohibited, we are still Practitioners of the Darkness Arcane Path¡ We need to use the Dark Arts or we would be shamed by the audience watching us¡" Vale answered.
"Tch¡ So you really care about the audience¡ªAhh! I get it. You want to look good for that girl... Was it Leonore Rnd? I understand. I understand." Zeno even repeated his words as he looked at Vale with a knowing smile on his face.
Once again, Vale was speechless at this reaction so he decided to just leave and see whether the arena is all set and ready.
Over the past few days, he had checked all the arenas in the Academy as a member of the Battle Arena Committee.
He learned how the arena is organized by themittee.
Since there was a practice match this morning, the Arena should''ve been a mess and needed an hour or two of cleaning before Vale and Wilfred could use it.
As soon as he arrived half an hour before the allotted time, he confirmed that the arena is indeed ready to be used.
To his surprise, some of his ssmates had even arrived so early!
Aubrey and Lisa were already looking for a good seat in the arena so they can watch the duel with a good view.
He wanted to greet them for a moment but he suddenly heard a familiar voice calling for him.
"Vale, it is still early. Come to the clubroom for a moment." Nadine Sherris spoke.
She''s not only his senior in the Academy but she''s also the secretary of the club he joined.
Vale couldn''t help but stare at her for a few seconds seeing how gorgeous she looks.
She''s not wearing her uniform but a modest dress that flows from top to bottom and has a V-neck that delicately reveals a fancy dress she had worn below it.
This is not amon dress that Vale would see in Melthorn City. Nevertheless, he knows that this type of dress is certainly worn by nobles of this country.
"Alright¡ I''ming." Vale answered as he followed Nadine to the Clubroom.
There were other members inside the club and as expected, these members would be the ones managing his duel against Wilfred.
Since his duel is only with another first-year student, there is no need for the Professors or the Academy Official to be involved in the battle.
Everyone believes that the students in the higher years are more than enough to handle this matter.
"Vale¡ I''ll be the referee in your duel. I won''t favor you so you have to be careful. Kekeke." Another student wearing his referee uniform spoke in a lively manner after seeing Vale enter the room.
"Senior Grover¡ So you were the one who got assigned." Vale''s eyes lit up after seeing this eight-year student of the Battle Arena Committee¡
This guy rarelyes to the club and will onlye once Nadine called for him to officiate a battle.
"Hehe¡ Make sure not to cheat in this duel since the Corner Judges were also experts. Furthermore, Leonore wouldn''t like it if you get caught."
"¡"
Vale can only nod as he greeted the other senior students who will be organizing his duel.
They talk about the rules of the duel one more time before he decided to leave.
"Alright¡ I will leave now. If some people notice that I''m having a meeting with the duel organizers, they might think I''m nning to cheat on my opponent." Vale said as he calmly went to the door to leave the clubroom.
However, before he could leave, Nadine asked him solemnly¡
"Vale, I''m not sure about the real reason for this duel. I only heard the rumors. However, did this guy you''re about to fightmitted something so grave that he deserves to die?"
Vale froze as soon as he heard this question. He didn''t expect such a sudden question!
It was as if Nadine knows that he was nning to kill Wilfred in this duel!
''Did he read my thoughts? Am I too obvious? I''m sure I didn''t release my killing intent just now.'' Vale''s mind suddenly raced as he tried to recall his past actions.
However, he can''t think of anything that would reveal his n. Unless the Headmaster had also informed this woman about his n, she shouldn''t be aware of it!
After collecting his thoughts, Vale answered.
"I do not know him well so I can''t really judge a person. Whether a person deserves to die or not isn''t up to me to decide." Vale answered.
After this, Vale left the Clubroom as he waited for the start of the duel.
***
In just a few minutes, the arena is already filled with people and to his surprise, even some seniors in the higher years have arrived to watch the duel!
As he stepped onto the dueling tform, he looked at Wilfred Moontomb on the other side. He''s also wearing his uniform since at the moment, this uniform is probably the only one in their possession that can withstand some low-level spells.
Wilfred''s voice then resounded throughout the whole arena.
"Vale, I heard that you obtained the Protector Amulet from Professor Charlotte Vermont. Isn''t it considered cheating if you possess such a high-level mystical artifact in this type of duel?! This duel would be meaningless if we''llpete with such high-level artifacts, won''t you agree?"
Chapter 101 Duel ( 2 )
Vale has indeed brought the amulet with him since he believes that this guy would also bring his own Mystical Artifacts.
After all, he still came from a prestigious n.
He even has the money to splurge by offering the Spell Scroll to him if he won this duel. With this in mind, Vale believes that Wilfred also has some mystical artifacts that could protect his life.
Of course, there was no way Vale would simply agree to his demand.
"If I remove Protector Amulet, shouldn''t you also remove one of your Mystical Artifacts?" Vale said as he pulled out the wooden amulet from his inner pocket.
He didn''t have to use his Phantasm State to tell that Wilfred was also carrying some Mystical Artifacts.
"Hmph! Very well."
Wilfred sneered as he removed his ne and threw it beside his friend outside the dueling tform.
Vale didn''t know what kind of Mystical Artifact was that but he can tell that it possess a certain level of spiritual energy stored in it.
He then looked behind him to find someone who can hold the amulet for him. He first saw Leonore at the side. However, if he threw it to Leonore to keep it safe for a while, the misunderstanding would just go deeper and he wouldn''t be able to exin himself no matter what he do.
In the end, he shifted his gaze and found Chad''s group¡
However, as he was about to toss it to Chad, Vale hesitated¡
''If I gave this to Leonore, Wilfred will probably be angry. If I can make him act on impulse because of this, it might be worth the shot.'' Vale mused.
Although he''s confident in winning against this person, it wouldn''t hurt if he tries to be more careful and add ayer of tactics... psychological warfare!
With this in mind, Vale signaled to Leonore to catch the Protector Amulet that he received from Professor Charlotte.
This action obviously attracted everyone''s attention.
After all, the amulet that he was carrying wasn''t just handed over to some random ssmates but it was Leonore Rnd who should be involved in the love triangle they were imagining!
''Why did this guy¡ª'' Leonore was also surprised as she caught the heavy amulet that Vale had suddenly tossed.
As she was trying to think of Vale''s purpose in doing this, the people around him already started a heated discussion.
"Ahh! Isn''t this a confirmation?!"
"Indeed¡ So it was like that. It was Wilfred who was trying to break them apart."
"I heard that Vale is only from a poor noble family¡ Maybe it''s because of that reason¡ª"
"Yes¡ He probably thought that Vale didn''t deserve Leonore Rnd."
"This¡ What a tragic story¡ Although he''s the one Leonore truly loves, he still has to fight the young master of the Moontomb Family."
"¡"
Vale felt that the reaction of the students was too much but seeing Wilfred''s red face like it was about to explode, he knows that his n was effective.
As long as Wilfred acts rashly, he could enact his n and kill this person as the Headmaster instructed.
''It''s not like you''ll really die¡ Your soul will be collected by Headmaster and you still have a chance to live¡ but maybe as a ghost or evil spirit.'' Vale thought as he looked at Grover, the referee of this match and his senior in the club.
Grover then looked at the two sides before speaking with a loud voice.
"Since this is your first duel, I will exin a few things. As you know, there are some rules in this duel. Although a few of them are essentially decided by both sides, you still have to adhere to the Academy Rules. One of the most important things is that you can''t enter your Phantasm State before the battle begins!"
"We understand." Vale and Wilfred answered at the same time.
"Good¡ Since you know that, you simply have to remember that I will be intervening if I found any form of cheating during this match which will result in your disqualification. If you admit defeat or surrender to your opponent, you will lose this duel. Lastly, if your life is in danger, I will do my best to save you. However, we are all Dark Arts Practitioners and all of our Dark Spell can be ruthless at times¡ If I can''t save you in time, you can only me yourself for choosing an opponent you can''t handle."
As Grover said this, he confirmed that there are no changes in the reaction of both Vale and Wilfred.
They were obviously aware of this rule already.
Grover then looked at the Corner Judges and confirmed that they were all ready.
Since Wilfred has brought many supporters who are also in the higher years, thanks to his influence as a young master of the Moontomb n, Grover has to rely on these Corner Judges to ensure that they won''t secretly intervene in this match.
After taking a deep breath, Grover entered his Phantasm State and confirmed that no one has entered their own Phantasm State as of yet.
"If you are both ready¡ You can now¡ begin!"
As soon as Grover said this, the two instantly entered the special state as they released their Dark Spells almost at the same time.
Vale has summoned three Ghost Hands¡
They were already in the Advanced Realm and even in Grover''s case, this is the first time he had seen a Ghost Hand that reached this level.
''So it looks like this¡ It''s unfortunate he didn''t learn the Spectral Hands or Spirit Hands but learned this support-type Dark Spell instead¡ What a pity.'' Grovermented in his mind as he knows that Ghost Hands weren''t really meant for battle.
If Vale has an Advanced Realm Spectral Hands instead, perhaps, Wilfred wouldn''t think of dueling against Vale.
On the other hand, Wilfred only has ate-stage Elementary Realm Spectral Hand but with thebination of his Fear Stream, this Spectral Hand would deal a massive blow on Vale if itnded on him first!
Chapter 102 Duel ( 3 )
Thanks to the seniors of the Battle Arena Committee, Vale learned plenty of things about the Fear Stream and Spectral Hands.
After all, these students were the ones always officiating the duels in the arena and had seen plenty of battles.
ording to them, the Spectral Hand mostly relies upon its speed to suppress or even kill its targets.
Furthermore, depending on the caster, this Spectral Hand can be extremely hot which could burn a person, or extremely cold which can freeze the target.
Of course, it can only be done if the caster''s mastery of the spell is already at a higher level¡
As soon as Vale saw Wilfred''s lone Spectral Hand, he can already tell that it was using a burning aura that may scorch him if it gets closer.
Furthermore, it was followed by a wave of energy and Vale guessed that it was the Fear Stream that could make him an idiot if he was hit.
''We''re separated by about 15 meters¡ He didn''t even bother moving forward. So it was a lie when Zeno mentioned that he should only have about 9 meters?'' Vale thought for a moment before erasing this idea.
Instead of that, he felt that Wilfred was using another Artifact that increases his Magic Zone!
Although he has no idea what type of Mystical Artifact it was, he believes that Wilfred is capable to procure this type of mystical item with his family supporting him in the background.
Thump!
Vale jumped sideways as he controlled the two Ghost Hands to stop the Spectral Hand.
A st of energy exploded as Vale detonated the two Ghost Hands as soon as they caught Wilfred''s Spectral Hands!
Thest Ghost Hand directly went to Wilfred''s spot who should be defenseless at this moment.
"What a decisive move! You can even detonate your Ghost Hands! As expected of the Advanced Realm! Your control is on another level!" Wilfred spoke as if he has everything under his control.
He actually praised Vale instead of feeling dismayed!
Nevertheless, Vale can tell that Wilfred is only acting tough!
Thest Ghost Hand arrived and was about to grab Wilfred''s head. Unfortunately, Vale was "caught" by the Fear Stream and the Ghost Hand suddenly turned illusory to the point that it was dissipating.
"Haha! Do you think my Fear Stream can be blocked by mere defensive spells or even our Academy''s uniform? You even think of running away¡ What a fool!" Wilfred was so excited after seeing Vale get hit by the Fear Stream.
Normally, their Academy''s uniform can block the lowest level of dark spells and provide a bit of resistance to many types of spells outside their Arcane Path.
With this knowledge, Wilfred knows that Vale would wear his uniform to weaken the effect of his Fear Stream¡
However, with the Mystical Ring Artifact he had worn on his finger, the effect of his Fear Stream would be unimaginable for a 13 or 14-year-old kid!
Wilfred doesn''t even care about the Ghost Hand that was aimed at him!
After all, he still has another Artifact that can easily cancel the Ghost Hand.
What he was really afraid of is that Vale could summon another defensive spell that could stop his Fear Stream! Luckily, Vale wasn''t prepared enough!
Seeing that Vale was sessfully hit by the Fear Stream, Wilfred resummoned his Spectral Hand. As long as the Spell Light in his body is still filled with Darkness Energy, he can easily summon another Spectral Hand to do his bidding¡
As soon as his Spectral Hand reached Vale''s position, he suddenly realized that the Ghost Hand which was supposedly dissipating because of the effect of Fear Stream, suddenly became vivid in front of him as it blocked his vision!
"Hmph! Your tricks won''t work on me¡ I still have¡ª"
As Wilfred believed that his other Mystical Artifact would defend his body, he realized that the Ghost Hand managed to grab his head without any form of resistance!
Thud!
''What''s going on?''
Wilfred couldn''t understand how the dissipating Ghost Hand that shouldn''t possess any more threat suddenly turn active again and was even able to grab his head!
He also couldn''t believe that his other Artifact did not activate to protect himself! Something is not right!
He had tested it before the duel began so he was sure that it could stop Vale''s Dark Spell!
''Not good¡ Wilfred''s defenseless.'' Grover realized that Vale''s control over his Ghost Hands was already on the expert level.
He was also tricked by the dissipating Ghost Hand just now!
As he was about to stop the battle and use his Dark Spell to freeze the Ghost Hand, Wilfred suddenly copsed to the ground as the Ghost Hand dissipated for good. At the same time, Vale also kneeled on the floor as he confirmed that Wilfred was killed just like that.
Furthermore, the Ring Artifact that the Headmaster gave him almost lit up so he had no choice but to cover his hands by kneeling on the floor.
The spectators may not recognize it but he didn''t want to take a chance.
In Grover''s periphery vision, he only noticed that Vale was also hit by Wilfred''s Spectral Hand¡ This Hand was able to dodge the resummoned Ghost Hands and struck Vale in his stomach.
He simply thought that Vale was injured.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The three Corner Judges immediately went to check Wilfred''s condition. His sudden copse was incredibly suspicious.
The Ghost Hand didn''t even put enough pressure to press on his head!
However, for some reason, Wilfred''s body copsed like it was a puppet whose strings have been cut.
"T-this¡ Wilfred is not breathing!"
"Give him the Life Pill!"
"Not good¡ It may not be enough. I''ll get the Darkness Soul Potion."
As soon as they heard the Corner Judges'' panicked voices, the spectators of the duel felt a chill on their bodies¡
Vale seems to have killed the young master of the Moontomb Family!
''This is bad¡'' Leonore already stood up as she looked at Vale filled with worry.
She can''t even think of celebrating his win since Vale had just offended a powerful family of the Dark Arts Faction!
Chapter 103 Result
"Unbelievable¡ The Chambers kid killed someone from the Moontomb. Is he not afraid of death?"
"Even if he''s not¡ He still has families outside the Academy. What is he thinking?"
"It''s an ident. I''m sure that the Moontomb Family will not take revenge on him. The battle was fair and square."
"That''s right¡ There''s no one to me. If you really want to find someone to me, you should me Academy for allowing such a dangerous duel."
"Ha! As if they would care if it''s fair and square."
The spectators who knows the Moontomb Family reacted differently. However, one thing is certain, Vale Chambers is going to be marked by this powerful family.
His future in the Academy may not be as bright as before as they decided not to get close to him until they learned what the Moontomb Family ns for him.
***
"Is he dead?"
On the stage, an eight-year student who is also a member of the Rankers Club asked coldly to the three Corner Judges and some officials of the Battle Arena Committee on the tform.
He isn''t too far from them so the officials heard his voice clearly.
They have already used almost everything in their means to try and save Wilfred. Unfortunately, they can only give up and proim his death.
"Yes." Nadine solemnly answered as he looked at the person who had asked.
It was the Vice-President of the Rankers Club and also Ranked 30 in the Elite Rankings of the Academy beating many ninth-year and tenth-year students.
He is Cornelio Moontomb and Wilfred''s cousin.
Nadine looked at the man cautiously in case he would try to suddenly attack Vale to exact vengeance.
Luckily, this man seem to be capable of controlling his emotion as he simply stared at the "weakened" Vale who was still kneeling on the tform.
Cornelio then shifted his gaze back to Nadine and spoke calmly.
"Don''t worry. I''m not going to deal with him right now. Regarding the Spell Scroll that Wilfred promised, tell Vale that he can''t acquire that since it''s our family''s property. Wilfred doesn''t have the right to give it to him."
Nadine didn''t think too much of it as she could understand why the Moontomb wouldn''t want to give that Spell Scroll.
She nodded and answered. "I will tell him about it."
"Mhmm¡ In case he still wanted the Spell Scroll, I will first ask our family to gain approval and we will be issuing another duel. At that time, we''ll give him more rewards if he still managed to win."
With that said, Cornelio looked at Wilfred''s corpse before shaking his head.
As soon as he left, Nadine finally rxed as she looked at Vale worriedly.
''As expected, they won''t let this go so easily¡'' Nadine sighed as she felt that the student she recruited was really quite special.
Now that Vale had offended the Moontomb Family, it would be difficult for him to stay in the academy unless he also has a strong backer.
***
"Let''s check on Vale''s condition¡ Don''t think too much about the Moontomb family. I''m sure he can do something about it." Chad spoke after seeing that Vale was already taken away by the officials. They seem to be bringing him to a doctor.
Chad also noticed that Aubrey, ir, and the others were still shocked at the sudden death of the Moontomb''s young master so he had to remind them of what they should be doing now.
"Right¡ Let''s meet him first." Aubrey replied in agreement as they immediately followed Vale to the infirmary.
She may not be expecting Wilfred''s death, but she still knows that Vale would win this duel. They should still congratte him for his victory.
As for the effect of this victory, that can wait until after their celebration¡
Their group swiftly left the arena as they saw Wilfred''s ssmates and friends mourning his untimely death.
As they were walking, they heard a few seniors whispering about Wilfred''s condition.
"I saw the Assistant of the Gold Necromancer just now. It seems that Wilfred still has a chance to live. However, it''s no longer as a human being."
"Ugh¡ That''s true. They just need to request the help of that prestigious Necromancer in the Academy."
"Yes¡ Even if they don''t like that method of the Necromancer. The Rituals Branch can also do something about his Spirit. Who knows, Wilfred might like it living as a Spirit instead of an undead."
"Let''s just wait and see what will happen."
Aubrey and Chad looked at each other after hearing this¡ None of them spoke but they certainly took note of what they said.
They were nning to let Vale know about this.
As soon as they arrived at the infirmary, they were surprised to see the Headmastering out of Vale''s room!
"¡"
Their group was stunned since none of them expected to see this mysterious and powerful Headmaster of the Academy!
Headmaster Jean, on the other hand, smiled at them as he carefully hides the Ring Artifact in his hands.
"Your friend is already waiting for you. You cane inside." The Headmaster said with a gentle tone.
"Y-yes, Headmaster. Thank you." Aubrey slightly bowed as she was ufortable staring at the vague feature of this man.
"Ahem¡ Is he not in good condition, Headmaster Jean? Is it alright to visit him now?" Chad asked cautiously.
He felt that since the Headmaster even went to check Vale''s condition, then Vale must''ve been in a bad condition that needed his immediate attention.
"He''s alright now¡" Headmaster Jean replied before he dissipated like a cloud of smoke leaving the group of students stunned.
After a few moments, Chad whispered¡
"That looks cool¡ I wonder what spell was that?"
"That''s probably a movement spell. We''ll learn it in our third year or fourth year." Aubrey answered.
Lisa, who was silent up until now, also looked interested in that movement spell. Since she doesn''t have any Spell Models yet, she was always looking out for a decent one.
Chapter 104 Infirmary
Vale sighed after seeing the Headmaster leave.
Just now, Headmaster Jean showed him Wilfred''s spirit inside the ring¡ The spirit seems to be sleeping and unaware that its body was already gone.
It looks quite pitiful but knowing that this guy doesn''t deserve to live, Vale didn''t ask what the Headmaster was about to do with him.
Headmaster Jean has already informed him before that the Moontomb Family was actively using poor people or beggars in somerge cities to conduct inhumane experiments.
ording to the Headmaster, killing Wilfred today may save plenty of innocent lives in the future.
Vale has many questions about this but he was already too tired to ask more questions.
''It''s a pity he took back the ring¡'' Vale sighed as he felt that it was really a good item.
The ring was actually considered a cheat item but because the Referees and the Corner Judges were only students, they weren''t able to notice anything wrong about it.
What Vale likes about it is that it has a very direct requirement to take the soul of its target.
The targetmust no longer possess a functioning brain to store its Spirit!
That was why during his duel, his Ghost Hand didn''t attack Wilfred''s external body. Instead, the Ghost Hand bypassed Wilfred''s skin, flesh, and skull to destroy his brain!
This is Vale''s strongest possible assassination technique with thebination of his Spell Dispersion.
If he doesn''t have the Spell Dispersion activated beforehand, there was no way Wilfred would be so helpless.
''However, why was the ring so energy-consuming? I was almost drained after using it once. That was so dangerous¡'' Vale could onlyin in his mind.
Knock¡ Knock¡
Vale looked at the door and gave the permission toe in.
Soon, he found his ssmates who were worried about his condition.
"Hey! You really surprised all of us¡" Aubrey spoke excitedly as she saw Vale looking fine on his bed.
"Indeed¡ I didn''t know that your Defensive Spell would work so well. I think that you didn''t even get hurt from the Fear Stream and Spectral Hands." Chad added in agreement.
He was still unsure about Vale''s second Spell Model but it''s definitely a rare defensive-type spell. If not, Chad couldn''t imagine how Vale could defend against the Fear Stream and Spectral Hands so easily.
"I was lucky¡ It''s a good thing that Wilfred decided to stay still. If he kept moving, my Ghost Hand and my other spell may not work well." Vale answered as he tried to hint to them that his spell isn''t that invincible.
"That was still so satisfying¡ Should I just learn the Ghost Hand as well? I hope that you can show me some tricks to quickly master it." Lisa joined in the conversation as she''s already considering the Ghost Hand as a must-have ability!
After she managed to enter the Phantasm State, she actually noticed that she has four spell lights. Each light represents a space to ce her Spell Model.
Currently, she''s allowed to learn any two Dark Spells she can record. The Ghost Hand is certainly a part of it.
"Ohh¡ That''s good. What about your second spell, do you already have one in mind?" Aubrey asked curiously. It seems that she has a suggestion to make.
"Err¡ I''m thinking of learning the Active Curse Break. Its requirement is having an 8 Spirit Strand so I''m allowed to learn it." Lisa answered after some hesitation.
Everyone was quite surprised after hearing this. Even Vale, who was leaning on the headboard of the bed, looked at Lisa with interest.
"Why did you choose it?" Vale asked.
"Are you going to be a specialized Spellcaster? Anti-Curse Specialist?" Aubrey asked while looking at Lisa with furrowed brows. She couldn''t understand why Lisa would take an interest in this type of almost useless spell.
Although Active Curse Break is a good spell to break curses, there are still Mystical Artifacts that can do the same thing. Although these artifacts are rare, they can still be purchased if you have enough money.
Lisa immediately shook her head after hearing Aubrey''s question.
"I''m not nning to be a specialist. I just need to earn some money. Breaking Curses can earn me quite a lot of money outside the Academy. So even if I get expelled or for some reason, I can no longer stay in the academy, I can still earn some money."
"¡"
The group was speechless about this reason. They didn''t expect that Lisa was actually troubled by money.
Seeing their deadpan expression, Lisa tried to exin.
"Ahem¡ Did you know that most businessmen, store owners, or even politicians suffer from various curses every now and then? If I''m not mistaken, theirpetitors would hire rouge Dark Arts Practitioners to curse them. That''s not easy to block since not all of them have a connection with the ck market where Mystical Artifacts are sold. In those cases, they were seeking help from some other practitioners that can help them break those curses. Most of them woulde from Holy Arts Faction but getting their help through official channels is extremely hard¡ Furthermore---"
Lisa shut her mouth after realizing that she seems trying a little too hard to exin herself.
"Ugh¡ Anyway, it''s for my security. Financial security."
She finally said hinting that she didn''t want to talk about it.
"We understand. Active Curse Break isn''t too bad as well. In case we''re cursed, we''lle for your help and we''ll pay you ordingly." Chad immediately replied as he ns to help Lisa earn some money.
Vale then looked at Chad suspiciously.
''He''s not thinking of getting himself cursed so he can ask Lisa to break it for him, right? Even if you like her, isn''t that a bit too much?'' Vale thought.
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door interrupting their conversation¡
This time, Leonore''s group has arrived. She had brought Vale''s amulet and was also worried about his condition.
Soon, they were all chatting happily in Vale''s room as they nned to celebrateter at dinner.
However, after Chad reminded Vale about Cornelio''s statement, Vale couldn''t help but sigh as he also felt troubled about this.
Nadine already mentioned this to him but in the end, he can only rely on the Headmaster since he''s the one who instructed him to kill Wilfred.
Chapter 105 Second Week
On the next day, Vale felt so ufortable since his action of killing a fellow student attracted plenty of notoriety.
Most of the students he passed by were looking at him warily, a few of them were looking at him with hostile gazes, and some of them looks at him with pity. In the meantime, his close friends didn''t change at all and treated him the same way as before.
"Vale¡ It''s a pity that you didn''t get the spell scroll. Don''t worry, I heard that Senior Cornelio will arrange another duel for you. He said that if you win this time, you''ll get not only the Spell Scroll but another treasure of simr level¡ or maybe even higher."
Neil said as he saw Vale entering the ssroom.
No one knows for sure whether he was sincere about this or was actually making fun of him.
This prompted Aubrey to react as she felt infuriated about this result.
"That cheater¡ He should''ve given that Spell Scroll already. Vale obviously won and he deserves to get it. Why did the Arena Committee not take charge of the bet?" Aubrey spoke roughly.
Vale helplessly smiled as he exined the rules set by the Academy. As a member of the Battle Arena Committee, he needed to learn these rules so he had studied them in thest couple of days.
"Since the duel between the two of us is not an event set up by the Academy, they''re not allowed to take care of the "prize" or bet before the fight. It is settled between the two parties after the duel."
"That''s stupid¡" Aubreymented.
"Y-yeah¡ We should''ve asked a third party to handle the reward before the duel." Vale answered helplessly.
He''s the one who was the most disappointed about this result. After all, the reward that he got from the Headmaster was simply an additional favor!
Previously, the Headmaster informed him that he has one favor he can use to get an opportunity from him.
He didn''t use it yet so now that hepleted a task given by the Headmaster, thetter simply added one more favor instead of giving him tangible benefits.
It may sound awesome but currently, he doesn''t really know how to use this opportunity.
He can only think that these two chances will help him greatly in the future.
Vale then shifted his gaze to Neil.
"Do you want us to have a duel instead? As long as you can give me a decent reward, I may not wait for Cornelio and we can do itter."
Neil, who was still sneering just now, suddenly shut his mouth and didn''t reply to Vale''s provocation.
Soon, Professor Ste Harwin arrived to start the Oardic and Soi ss.
"Before we start, I hope that everyone has already joined a club¡ The recruitment week was over and there were no longer any recruiters in the Assembly Hall."
"Yes, Professor. All of us have joined a club." Chad said as he already asked everyone about the clubs they''d joined.
"That''s great. I need to record it so when I call your names you have to tell us the club you''ve joined."
With that said, Professor Harwin started calling their names.
Vale was also quite interested in the clubs his ssmates had joined so he listened attentively.
ir Etton joined the Variant Research Club.
Leonore Rnd joined the Fortune Telling Club.
Dalton Stranway joined the Music Club.
Neil Sommerhalder joined the Survivors Club.
Lisa Grayback joined the Library Committee.
Chad Bulmung joined the Spirit Crafters Club together with Warren Lawstein.
The others joined some normal clubs as well, like the Tea Appreciation Club, Cooking Club, and others.
Perhaps the most interesting club that his ssmate joined was the Potion Research Club.
Alvin Vendel who only has 5 Spirit Strands actually passed the necessary requirements to join this special club.
Even Professor Harwin looked at Alvin deeply after recording the club he was able to join.
"Very well¡ I won''t be asking you why did you choose the club you''ve joined but I''m telling you that whatever club it is, there is definitely an opportunity to learn something new in these clubs so I hope that you take them seriously."
As she said this, she looked at Dalton Stranway who had joined the Music Club. Although this club looks simple and only for the purpose of entertainment, she knew very well that the things that can be learned within this club could be very useful to Dark Arts Practitioners who are thinking of specializing in Rituals and Ceremony.
After this small event, the ss continued as they started learning how to read Oardic bit by bit¡
Right now, Vale can already tell that Professor Ste Harwin wanted to teach them 20 new Oardic words every ss. The number may seem low but these words can be extremely crucial during many rituals or prayers. If a single mistake was made, it could have a negative impact on their physical and spiritual body.
Time quickly passed and all the sses for the day were finally over.
Vale and his group of friends went to lunch together before they separated and went to visit the club they''d decided to join.
Today, Vale would know if there is another student that was recruited aside from him.
As soon as he arrived at the clubroom, he realized that there are over a dozen of people inside.
This is the first time he had seen this ce to be filled with many people.
"Good afternoon, Seniors." Vale greeted as soon as calmed his mind.
"Vale! It''s good to see you. Now, all the first years are here." Nadine said as she looked at Vale and the two other students who had also arrived just a couple of minutes earlier than Vale.
They both have ck hair and deep-brown eyes making them look really familiar to Vale but he wasn''t sure where he had seen their faces.
''Are they twins?'' Vale couldn''t help butment in his mind after seeing the two first-year students.
Both of them looked attractive. The male one was handsome and had some air of superiority around him while the dimpled-face female looked innocent and fresh.
Seeing that Vale was observing them, the two decided to introduce themselves.
"I''m Prisci Hoffman."
"Philip Hoffman. Nice meeting you, Vale¡"
Chapter 106 Club Meeting
''Hoffman?'' Vale repeated in his mind.
He only knows one Hoffman and that is the creepy Headmaster who took his shadow without permission!
Looking at the confusion on his face, Prisci chuckled as she immediately exined. "We''re rted to the headmaster but it''s not what you think."
This confused Vale even more but since they just met each other, he can''t simply interrogate the two about their rtionship with the Headmaster.
"I understand¡ I just thought that he had a daughter¡ and a son." Vale said as he gently nodded to Philip.
"Alright, that''s it for the introduction. The next scheduled use for the arena would be on this weekend. The three of your will work together in the Third Arena and it would be our Club President himself who will be managing this important duel so it''s a great opportunity for all of you."
Nadine said as she gestured to the man who was seated at the center of the round table.
Vale''s eyes lit up after hearing this. He actually didn''t know the Club President and he only knows that he''s currently a 10th-year student ording to Nadine.
As for the Vice-President, Nadine previously mentioned him. He was Elmer Vermont and an 8th-Year student in the Academy. Elmer should be the one managing most of the matters in the club since the President would be graduating already.
The only time the President would get involved is during some important events that the club has to deal with.
''So he''s the president¡''
Vale then looked at the club president who seemed quite small¡ As a tenth-year student, he should be about 23 or 24 years old but his appearance was unusual.
His height was simr to him and furthermore, he doesn''t look intimidating as he had expected.
He seemed more like a freshman student than Vale!
Vale initially thought that the club president would look tough and strong but he was extremely wrong.
"President Noah Featherstar. I''ve heard a lot of things about you. It''s a great honor to finally meet you." Philip spoke as he immediatelypliment that president.
"Oh? Have you heard something about me? I wonder what those rumors are¡" The blond Club President spoke with interest.
"I heard that during your missionst academic year, you captured a dozen of Holy Arts Practitioners that were messing with the Dark Alchemy Branch in Remmington. That was really impressive." Philip replied in excitement.
These words shocked Vale for a moment since this implies a few things.
The war between the Dark Arts Faction and the Holy Arts Faction seems to have only ended in papers but it''s not in reality!
Although Vale already has these thoughts after seeing the attack in the dockyardst year, he still thought that it was only a special event that wouldn''t be repeated anymore.
''If the war is still ongoing secretly, then it''s definitely a high-level one considering the public seems to be unaware of it.'' Vale sighed inwardly as he now believes that this academy must be the safest ce right now.
The only probably is when he became a ninth-year or maybe even eighth-year student where he has to do an outside mission. He can only hope that the war between the two factions was already over at that time.
"Haha¡ So you''ve also heard about it¡ I was simply too strong for them. If you managed to pass the third year and had to choose a branch for your fourth year, I suggest that you guys choose the Essential Corruption Branch¡ This branch is the future of the Dark Arts. Not the Necromancy, Dark Alchemy, Dark Magic, and other branches¡"
Nadine frowned at these words so she swiftly interrupted.
"Ahem¡ It will still depend on your skills and talent. I suggest that you take the rmendation made by your professor in your third year. They will make a proper assessment of you based on your performance over the past three years."
After saying this, Nadine led the conversation so they only talk about the matters regarding the club.
Since they were about to receive a fund from the Academy, they discussed how it will be spent to ensure that the three Battle Arenas weren''t just properly maintained but also for them to be properly rewarded for their efforts.
During this time, Vale learned plenty of things about how the club is being run and how they have to coordinate with other clubs to ensure that the Arena would have a scheduled event every week.
After this discussion, Vale also heard the Club President rmend him as a Referee.
"Cough¡ Cough¡ Pres, I''m only a first-year student. I can''t do that yet. I''ll just be a petty officer for now."
"Petty officer? Haha¡ I like the sound of that¡ However, I heard that you have 25 Spirit Strands, right? Furthermore, I watched your battle against Wilfred. I think that you''re really fitted as a referee, don''t you think so?"
Vale froze as soon as he heard the President''s words.
''My Spell Dispersion is indeed suited for that¡ However, how did the president learn about it?'' Vale was stunned as he looked at the President carefully.
After a few moments, he erased that idea. Most likely, this person is only sounding him out.
In the meantime, Nadine was actually shocked after hearing the president''s words.
"Ahhh¡ Wait, you have 25 Spirit Strands as a first-year? I thought you only have ten¡"
Vale wryly smiled after hearing this.
"Secretary Nadine, I think that the Spirit Converging Crystal that you used to test me can only amodate ten Spirit Strands¡ You just assumed that it''s my limit as well." Vale reminded the dumb senior.
At this point, the other members suppressed their chuckles as they found it funny that Nadine didn''t properly check Vale''s Spirit Strands.
In the meantime, Prisci turned to Vale with excitement.
Her eyes were showing admiration and eagerness as she looked at him.
"So you''re the rumored 25-Strand student¡ You had a better score than Maya¡ I heard that she already wrote a letter to her family so she can receive the Spirit Amplification Potion. She probably didn''t like how you exceeded her."
Chapter 107 Failure
"Ugh¡ I hope she won''t think of me as an enemy." Vale replied as he knows that Maya is more dangerous than Wilfred.
After all, Maya seems to have a deep connection with the Order of the Evanescent Vessels. Furthermore, she wouldn''t be the student representative if she was weak.
"Haha¡ There''s no one thinking of causing trouble for you except those from the Moontomb Family. You''re capable of ruthlessly killing your own schoolmate after all. Perhaps, aside from you, no one else in the First Year students had tried killing someone. There was no way they would mess on you." President Noah Featherstar said with a chuckle.
This time, Vale couldn''t reply since what he said seemed to be true. Nevertheless, Vale still asked him about his rtionship with Maya. They have the same surname after all.
Then, Noah''s answer shocked Vale for a moment.
"She''ll be my sister-inw in the future¡ I''m courting her sister and I can already see my future with her¡ Soon¡" Noah replied with a longing face.
Vale was stunned as he thought that they were rtive already¡ He thought that Maya was his little sister or cousin!
''Is it just a coincidence that they have the samest name?'' Vale thought but an idea popped up in his mind.
''Is it about the things I''ve read before in some books? Preservation of the bloodline or something?'' Vale frowned at this thought but since this is an old-fashioned world with mysticism and such, he can''t reallyment about this kind of tradition.
Anyway, he still congratted the president as it feels like the right thing to say at the moment.
Noah liked Vale''splimenting words as he even promised that he''ll teach Vale plenty of things about the right way to be a Referee.
He also said that he, as a President of the Club, would be the Referee in case Cornelio arranged a duel for Vale!
"Really? Aren''t you busy?" Nadine asked.
She decided to just forget her blunder about Vale''s Spirit Strands matter. Next time, she swore that she''ll bring a Spirit Converging Crystal with 30-Strand capacity.
"It''s not that I can''t a lot an hour of my time on such an important event. Since Vale is a member of ourmittee, it''s normal to support him. If I''m the referee, that Cornelio won''t be able to pull up any tricks." Noah replied with confidence.
Vale was obviously d about this but also felt worried.
"Can I just decline this duel if I think it''s too dangerous?" Vale asked seriously. If possible, he wanted to avoid battling against them right now since they will certainly aim for his life.
The Moontomb Family definitely has tricks up their sleeves that they could use against a 14-year-old student like him.
Before the others could answer, Philip already spoke and gave his opinion.
"It will be difficult, he will surely arrange something so you can''t refuse the duel. I heard plenty of things about him and they''re not good. If you can''t find a stronger backer, it will be dangerous. However, as long as it''s a fair and square battle, you should be just fine. Right, you should be able to learn the Primary Dark Spell at that time so you will have other means of fighting instead of just relying on your Ghost Hands..."
Vale furrowed his brows after hearing this.
''Primary Dark Spell?''
Grover realized that Vale is unaware of the Primary Dark Spell so he swiftly exined.
"It''s one of the four Dark Spells that must be learned by the students of this Academy. The first one that you''ll learn is called Darkness Maniption. You should be able to learn within this month."
Vale''s eyes lit up after hearing this.
"Ahhh¡ So that''s the name of the spell." He knows about the required spells that all students must learn. It was discussed by Professor Lucius in theirst ssst week.
Grover nodded as he continued.
"That''s right¡ Once you learned this, you have to practice it daily and reach itste-stage Elementary Realm as quickly as possible. That Spell will be very helpful for you¡"
Grover then recalled something as he swiftly shifted the topic¡ "By the way, are you aware of what happened to Wilfred''s body?"
Vale tilted his head as he was curious about the sudden question.
"I''m not aware¡" He replied.
"It seems that something went wrong with the ritual made by the Gold Necromancer. I think he wasn''t able to retrieve Wilfred''s spirit for some odd reason."
Vale froze as he obviously knows that answer. The Gold Necromancer didn''t fail at all. The problem is that Wilfred''s spirit was already captured by the Ring Artifact that the Headmaster lent to him.
He didn''t even bother thinking of extracting Wilfred''s corpse at that time since he didn''t want to get too suspicious.
What the expert witnesses only knows is that he damaged Wilfred''s brain so he was killed¡ Regarding the missing spirit, he shouldn''t be implicated in it. At the very least, this is what he hoped to happen so he didn''t get in contact with Wilfred''s body.
"That''s a shame¡ I didn''t know much about the Gold Necromancer, is he that great?" Vale asked curiously.
Grover nodded at this and exined with a hint of excitement.
"You will learn about him in your history ss. His greatest feat was about 19 years ago¡ Just by himself, he protected the main branch of the Dark Sorceror Refuge in Grimgarde ins from the Illustrious Liquidators and Lore Hunters¡ He''s so awesome!"
"That sounds awesome¡" Vale nodded as he recalled that the Illustrious Liquidator was from the Mystic Arts Faction while Lore Hunter was from Elemental Arts Faction.
He knows that these organizations wereposed of the elite members of the faction they belong to.
It means that dealing with them alone would be an incredibly difficult task.
"That''s right¡ He''s probably the strongest Necromancer in our Academy right now. So his failure attracted the Headmaster''s attention and it was decided that the Headmaster himself will investigate¡ I hope that this won''t cause trouble for you."
"¡"
Chapter 108 Record
Contrary to their expectations, Vale heaved a sigh of relief after learning that the Headmaster would take care of this matter.
He wasn''t worried at all due to obvious reasons.
''He''ll take care of it for me¡ and for himself.'' Vale thought as he thanked Grover for informing him about this news.
As expected, the headmaster had really nned it out carefully.
Now, with his intervention, all the evidence that could make Vale the culprit for the "missing" spirit would be gone.
Soon, the Club Meeting waspleted after introducing all the present members to the new members. Then, as a celebration, they eat some snacks personally made by Nadine and ra, the Treasurer of the Club¡ They also brought chamomile tea which seems to be the President''s favorite tea.
Apparently, the tea was known for its calming effects and was frequently used as a sleep aid.
This made Vale realize that the President probably has a lot of things on his mind and needed this tea for that reason.
The President was the first one to leave followed by the Vice-President other members.
After a while, it was only Prisci, Philip, Vale, and Nadine that were left in the clubroom. No one would clean this ce except for them so they have to clean the clubroom themselves.
"These are the cleaning tools..." Nadine said with a smile as she opened a locker where all the tools are kept.
Prisci frowned at this as she asked. "Can we use our Dark Spells to clean the ce instead?"
Nadine looked at her with widened eyes and hurriedly asked in concern.
"Prisci, did you learn a Dark Spell meant for cleaning? That''s not good. We don''t have many Spell Lights in our bodies. You have to choose carefully¡ You have to think about your future and thebination of your Spells if necessary. Why would you¡ª"
"Ahem¡ Senior Nadine. It''s not like that." Prisci answered as she felt a bit embarrassed after Nadine pointed it out. It was as if she was nning to be a janitor with the way her senior speaks!
"Pfft¡ª" Vale and Philip couldn''t suppress theirughter as they imagined Prisci''s Spell Lights filled with Cleaning Spells.
Vale actually knows a couple of Dark Spell Models that were meant for such an odd task. It was normally used in Alchemy but even the Alchemist wouldn''t learn such a spell themselves.
Prisci red at the two as she exined with exasperation.
"Hey¡ I''m talking about my Gloom Force. That''s my first Spell Model. It''s alreadyte-stage Elementary Realm so I have decent control over it. I can weaken it to push out only the trash or dirt. Besides, Vale also has Ghost Hands to take care of things."
Nadine finally heaved a sigh of relief after hearing her exnation.
The Gloom Force is indeed a spell that can affect the surroundings. With Prisci''s current mastery, it should be possible to use it for cleaning.
Then, Vale''s three Ghost Hands would also work really well.
"Very well, you can use your spell if you want. However, make sure not to break things inside the clubroom or you''ll pay for it."
"Yes, Senior Nadine¡" Prisci and the other two answered in unison.
Before Nadine left, Philip recalled something and immediately asked.
"Senior, can we also have ess to the recording crystals?"
"Hmm? You can''t just ess them freely. You have to make a formal request before you can view those recordings." Nadine said with a teasing smile.
Philip was obviously disappointed after hearing that he can''t ess those files even after joining the club.
However, Nadine''s next words made him joyful once again¡
"Well, if you were assigned someday to clean or remove the dust in those crystals. Then no one will know if you viewed them or not. Alright, I''m leaving now. Lock the clubroom after you''re done cleaning."
The three answered with affirmation as Nadine closed the door to let them work by themselves.
Philip clenched his fist in excitement.
Prisci also seemed happy after understanding the hint that Nadine left for them.
It was only Vale who was confused by all of this¡
"Recording Crystals?" Vale asked.
He seemed to have read about it in the books of Mystical Artifacts but he didn''t dwell on it too much.
"Yes¡ All important battles within the Academy''s Arena are being recorded. Especially if it''s a battle to determine the Elite Rankers in the Academy." Philip exined.
"That''s right¡ So you can''t ask for the recording of your battle against Wilfred since the Academy won''t waste a recording crystal for that battle." Prisci added.
Of course, Vale wasn''t really going to ask for the recording of his match but it was still good to know that there''s indeed no evidence that can be used against him.
"I''m not curious about that¡ Anyway, do you know when can we "clean" the archive?" Vale asked as he looked at the door on the left side of the clubroom beside the washroom.
He now knows what that door was. Inside that room is definitely the ce where all the recording crystals are kept.
"Hmm¡ Look at this post in the bulletin board¡ The cleaning of the archive is done every month so we can check it at that time." Philip answered as he looked at the schedule posted by Nadine.
Seeing this, Vale couldn''t help but feel excited as well. He will certainly learn more about Spellcasters if he watches these recordings.
This is a great opportunity that he didn''t expect at all.
He thought that just having a chance to watch battles in the arena for free is already the greatest benefit he can get.
"So you''re not aware of it and you still joined the club?" Prisci curiously asked after seeing Vale''s reaction.
Vale scratches his head as he answered with a nod.
The three of them then talked about various things while cleaning the clubroom. In the end, Prisci didn''t use her Dark Spell and just cleaned the room with the tools like Vale and Philip.
Chapter 109 Curse
Vale was easily acquainted with the two since they were both carefree and friendly¡ They weren''t even bothered by him killing Wilfred in his duel.
It was quite a pleasant feeling for him and he was happy that these two were his clubmates.
"We''re finally done!" Philip happily threw the cleaning tools back into the locker.
It took them less than half an hour although there are three of them working together since they were chatting about various topics.
During this time, Vale learned that these two were from ss 3 and both of them has 16 Spirit Strands. They were really surprised after Professor Ste Harwin announced to them that one of her students in ss 2 has 25 Spirit Strands exceeding even Maya Featherstar.
''So it was really Professor Harwin who spread that to everyone¡'' Vale wryly smiled. He can''t really me the proud Professor so he can only forget about it.
The three of them separated after cleaning the clubroom. Prisci went to check the library while Philip returned to his dormitory¡ Unsurprisingly, he''s also using the Seven Pirs Garden. He was in the fourth room to be exact while Vale is in the seventh.
As for Prisci, she''s actually in the third room¡
Apparently, the first, second, and third rooms were used by female students while the fourth to seventh rooms were used by male students.
Anyway, as Vale was nning to return to his dormitory as well, he met Chad, ir, Leonore, and Lisa. They were nning of having some tea together at the cafeteria so they invited him.
Their group was an oddbination in Vale''s eyes.
He would normally see Leonore with her group of female friends¡ As for Lisa, she would always stick to Aubrey so it was quite rare not seeing them together.
ir, on the other hand, just always sticks to anyone and was quite friendly to all¡ even to Neil.
"Aubrey is still in her club. As you know, she joined the Board Game Club¡" Lisa reminded after noticing that Vale was looking for her.
"So it was like that¡ Leonore, how''s the Fortune Telling Club?" Vale asked¡
However, before Leonore can even answer, this question prompted a reaction from Chad Bulmung who always had unnecessary thoughts.
"Ahem¡ Should we leave the two of you so you can have a moment with each other? Or should we just stick around to make a cover for you so it won''t get too obvious?"
Vale was momentarily confused by this reaction but Leonore immediately know what this guy was thinking.
"I keep telling you that it was all a misunderstanding¡ Even that amulet that was tossed to me was just Vale''s acting if I''m not mistaken." Leonore spoke in exasperation.
"Alright¡ alright¡ I was just teasing you. Hehe." Chad immediately replied as he was afraid that Leonore would really be pissed off.
It''s not every day that he could drink tea with his beautiful ssmate after all.
After a while, they shifted the topic to the first-year student in ss 4 who seemed to have been affected by a strange disease¡
Some said it was a curse since the student was coughing out ck blood. It was really strange but luckily, after bringing her to the infirmary, she seem to be fine now.
"It''s my first time hearing about it. However, can we not talk about it while drinking this tea?" Lisa immediately added.
They then talked about other things before leaving the cafeteria to finish their assignments in other subjects.
Vale also returned to his dormitory and didn''t think too much about this disease at first. However, in the next few days, he keeps hearing about this strange disease that makes people cough out ck blood and weaken the person''s immune system¡ Weakening of health also means weakening of Phantasm State¡ The duration of their state has lessened by almost half because of this!
The students who were affected were stressed even more after learning this.
This situation also spread throughout the whole Academy affecting not only first-year students but also second-year and third-year students.
This matter rmed the Academy as about 30% of the students in the first, second, and third-year were affected in just four days!
On Thursday, May 17, 894, Professor Lucius Angrt thought them about the Darkness Maniption¡
"Everyone, because of the strange Curse that was spreading, we are advising you all to learn the Darkness Maniption as quickly as possible. Normally, it would be fine to learn it within two or three months. However, it was recently discovered that with the help of Darkness Maniption, you would have a lesser chance of being affected by the curse."
"Professor, why can''t we find the culprit that is cursing us? That will solve the problem a lot easier, right?" Neil suddenly asked.
He couldn''t understand how their prestigious academy which has plenty of Curse Spell Experts, would have difficulty finding the source of the problem.
This is the same question that the other students wanted to ask.
The incident happened so suddenly and many people were affected. The person who had caused this must''ve left some clues.
Professor Lucius shook his head at this question and firmly answered.
"If it''s possible, we could''ve done that already. Unfortunately, the cause of this incident was a Mystical Artifact that was already destroyed¡ To be exact, its destruction was the cause of the spreading curse¡"
This sudden revtion stunned the students¡
"Ah? There''s a Mystical Artifact that can still affect people even after destruction?"
"What mystical artifact is that?"
"Professor, are you telling us that there is no Spells, Rituals, or Ceremony, that can cleanse the Academy from the mess created by the Mystical Artifact?"
Leonore asked with a hint of doubt. Her friend, Carmen, was affected by this curse so she felt quite infuriated by the caster of this Curse Spell. Now that she learned that it was the result of an Artifact''s destruction, she felt even more annoyed.
She believes that the matter of the curse spreading throughout the Academy could''ve been avoided if the Professors or the experts acted immediately instead of ignoring the matter.
Chapter 110 Truth
Professor Lucius can understand Leonore''s reaction. However, this matter isn''t as simple as that.
He looked at everyone with calm eyes before he answered.
"The Mystical Artifact that was destroyed was a rare Ancient Sword. This sword was spilled with the blood of numerous Evil Creatures, Wandering Spirits, Arcane Arts Practitioners, and even regr humans¡ The curse that has been spread wasn''t visible or tangible to anyone¡ The curse has culminated inside the affected person''s body for at least three days before it showed any reaction."
"Three days?" Neil and the others repeated in a soft voice.
"Yes¡ Those who passed through the sixth building near the stable were the ones that were first affected. That building is where the Treasure Vault is located and where the Ancient Sword was destroyed."
Professor Lucius paused for a moment before he continued.
"The ce has already been sealed but there is still some remnant energy that has spread out throughout the Academy¡ The easiest way to defend against this weak curse is the learn the Darkness Maniption¡ With this Spell, you will have a higher chance of detecting the energy that will result in a curse¡"
The students then epted this exnation since they really don''t have any other choice.
***
In the meantime, inside the Headmaster''s Room, a couple of dark-robed individuals wearing white masks on their faces were talking to Headmaster Jean.
One of them has a huge build with a spear on his back and the other appears to be a female with only a rapier hanging on her waist.
"We''ve captured two more spies today. A total of thirteen spies have been caught over the past seven days. They clearly don''t care about the Treaty of Keslore anymore." The huge masked individual said with obvious hostility showing in his eyes.
It was the same for the female one behind him.
Headmaster Jean didn''t seem surprised with the news as he replied.
"I don''t think that''s odd. They never cared about the Treaty. They were just waiting for the right opportunity until they replenished their forces. Anyway, aside from the broken sword, are there any other broken artifacts or missing ones? What are they searching for, did they spill it out already?"
He asked calmly as he tapped his desk¡
"We extracted one of their spirits and learned that they were looking for a pocketwatch¡ We still can''t tell whether this is a diversion so we can''t trust this information yet."
"Pocketwatch?" Headmaster Jean repeated.
There are many Mystical Items in the form of Pocketwatch. However, none of them have impressive capabilities.
Their Treasure Vault should have a few of them but he doubts that they have incredible mystical abilities imbued in them.
This is also why the masked man was skeptical about this information even if they were from the spirit of the captured spies.
Perhaps, the people who sent them just gave this random information as a diversion.
Well, this is also the tactic of their special forces to feed the enemies wrong information so they were thinking that the enemy could''ve done that as well.
"I''ll check the vault once more and inspect all those pocketwatches. For now, continue your interrogation with all the spies in case you find more information. Also, tell all the informants outside to find any news about this pocketwatch as well. Any information about a strange pocketwatch would suffice." Headmaster Jean instructed.
"We understand¡"
With that said, the two robed individuals disappeared from the room only leaving a few traces of ck smoke in their previous position.
As Headmaster Jean was left alone, he couldn''t sigh dejectedly as this incident wouldn''t look good on him. As a new Headmaster, he actually allowed a group of spies to infiltrate the Academy and even caused some trouble for the students.
This will certainly rm the higher-ups of the Dark Arts Faction and he would have to exin the situation to themter on.
Just thinking about it makes his head hurt.
"We should at least know what are they searching for. If it''s really a pocketwatch, we need to know what it does to garner so much attention." Headmaster Jean muttered to himself as he stood up to check the treasure vault.
Although he has been there already, he hadn''t checked the pocketwatches that were kept in that room. He has to ensure that none of them possess some sort of hidden effects that the files have failed to record.
***
"Ashe, I''ll notify the informants outside to search for any news regarding a special pocketwatch. You go ahead and continue with your interrogation with the spies."
The dark-robed man who was previously in Headmaster''s Room spoke to hispanion. His name is Cleo and Captain of the Sixth Squad of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels.
They were still in the academy but they are already in the underground facility. The ce was barely lit up bymps ced on the walls of the facility.
"I understand, Captain. However, should we continue with our method of interrogation?" Ashe asked before Cleo could leave.
"Correct¡ Their lives don''t matter anyway¡ If possible, offer them to the departments who needed some corpses. They don''t deserve a cremation."
"Yes, Captain."
With that said, Cleo finally left like a cloud of smoke leaving Ashe alone in the underground facility of the academy.
She looked at the silent tunnel for a brief moment before turning her gaze to the wooden door next to her.
Her gentle eyes when talking to her captain suddenly changed and it was now filled with hostility.
She opened the wooden door and looked at the damp room that has poor venttion.
The smell was not good but she can easily ignore it with a bit of energy maniption around her.
"Alright¡ I won''t be as lenient as my captain¡ If you don''t spill everything you know, you''ll just suffer horribly before your death."
As she spoke, she looked at the infiltrators who had dared to cause trouble not only in their treasure vault but also in the students within the Academy.
Three of them are no longer breathing but the other ten should still be alive.
Chapter 111 New Spell
It was unfortunate that Spirit Extraction requires a ceremony and an offering would be needed.
It means that she will have to use some money in order to interrogate them.
However, her budget can only allow her to do a Spirit Interrogation for two more people.
''It''s a pity that we''ve already spent our budget on our new equipment. If we know that this will happen, we wouldn''t be in this tight situation.'' Ashe could only sigh inwardly as she started an isted interrogation.
Unlike that Headmaster with a special Ring Artifact that can capture a Spirit, Ashe''s squad doesn''t have the means to obtain a simr Artifact.
In the end, she can only try the normal method of interrogation that was taught to her more than six years ago.
Soon, cries of pain resounded throughout the facility but none of this can be heard above ground.
***
Vale was unaware that someone is searching for a strange pocketwatch but nheless, he was still not feeling good about the recent events within the Academy.
Everything that has happened seemed suspicious and he felt that there is something more about it.
Anyway, the days in the Academy continued as it is¡ It took him three days to create the Spell Model of the Darkness Maniption Spell as he officially gained his third active Dark Spell.
Of course, it was only dyed up to that date since he has to acquire the requirements to do the Spell Recording. They were the Darkness Pill, which is optional but he still purchased them, and the Magic Circle that he used.
Apparently, the Magic Circle that is free to use in the Ceremony Hall of the Academy is different from the Animus Haven Hall that Master Heinz made him use.
For this reason, he decided not to use it in case he had a strange reaction. In the end, he had to purchase a few things to create a Magic Circle of his own.
''Alright¡ let me see my attributes for now.'' Vale thought as he triggered his system.
He wanted to see the changes in it. He was also curious to see how much energy he would need in order to increase the level of his new spell.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 20.85, Agility 15.57, Intelligence 50.12, Vitality 10.05 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv5, Darkness Maniption Lv1 ]
[ Avable Energy: 470 ]
''Let''s increase its level¡''
Vale thought as he selected the Darkness Maniption Spell to trigger a notification.
[ Consume 10 energy points to improve Darkness Maniption? ]
A notification immediately popped out.
"Hmm? Only ten points?" Vale muttered after seeing the number of energy points he needed to advance the level of his Dark Spell.
''Well¡ This should be good enough¡''
As he thinks about it, this number seems to be alright. After all, this is only the first of the academy-exclusive Dark Spells that he must learn.
There are still other spells that he must learn and those spells would certainly have higher requirements.
''I guess I can''t increase its level yet since the professor might have to check it¡'' Vale thought as he wasn''t in a hurry since he was only staying in the Academy.
Increasing it to Intermediate Realm or even justte-stage Elementary Realm would be too suspicious. He has to control his urges on this unless he needed it in a hurry.
Anyway, Vale didn''t immediately reveal that he had finished recording the Darkness Maniption Spell Model in his third Spell Light.
He waited for at least another week before announcing it since there are no benefits to revealing it too early. He would just get more gazes filled with envy or some sort of admiration that he doesn''t really need.
Nevertheless, even if he dyed the announcement, he was still the first one to have it in his ss.
It was the 29th of May, 894 when he informed his ssmates that he alreadypleted his Spell Recording.
"Vale¡ You''re amazing¡ How did you do it? Can I use the Magic Circle you used to aid your Spell Recording?" Chad asked half-jokingly.
There is only one magic circle that helps them do the Spell Recording. So there shouldn''t be a difference between the Magic Circle he was using and Vale was using.
However, his friends were truly impressed as Lisa also asked Vale for help.
Hearing this, Aubrey decided to join their group.
"Alright¡ Let''s do it on Sunday afternoon. We should be able to rent one of the Training Halls and I''ll assist you with it." Vale answered.
He has nothing to do on that day so he might as well help his ssmates.
This way, he will also learn how they could fail from Spell Recording. He believed that it was actually quite easy so it was confusing him¡
''No¡ I shouldn''t think like that. It''s probably a benefit brought by the Incorruptible Body¡ Unlike them, I have a higherpatibility with Darkness Arcane Path thanks to this special physique.''
"Training Hall? Are we not going to the Ceremony Hall to use the Magic Circle there?" Lisa asked.
Vale suddenly froze as he did rent a room in the Training Hall to make his own magic circle. He didn''t use the free Magic Circle in the Ceremony Hall at all.
"Ahem¡ You''re right¡ Let''s use the Ceremony Hall." Vale answered while scratching his head.
Chad and ir didn''t think too much of it after hearing him correct himself.
But Lisa and Aubrey noticed something off with how he replied just now.
For some reason, they felt that Vale was really thinking of going to the Training Hall to help themplete their Spell Model.
It was very odd since there shouldn''t be anything in that ce except having a stronger concentration of the Darkness Energy.
''Wait¡ A stronger Darkness Energy? Perhaps there''s no need to use Darkness Pill if we use that ce instead? Will it be a lot easier if we rent a room there?'' Lisa suddenly had an idea.
It was the same for Aubrey as the two looked at each other with a hint of excitement in their eyes. It was as if they were starting to understand Vale''s mysteriousness!
Chapter 112 Experience
Vale was unaware of their thoughts but even if knows what was in their minds, it wouldn''t really matter.
As soon as the Darkness Path ss started, Vale informed Professor Lucius about his aplishment giving thetter a bit of surprise.
Some of his ssmates who didn''t hear his conversation with Lisa and the others, looked at him with wide eyes.
"You seeded? That''s good to hear¡ Although the curse has already weakened a lot, there''s no saying whether it could reappear once more. Alright, show me your Darkness Maniption. For those who wanted to properly sense it, enter your Phantasm State as well. Your normal eyes may not work efficiently in this case."
"Yes, Professor!" The ss answered as they indeed wanted to see how the Darkness Maniption works for a beginner like Vale.
Previously, Professor Lucius showed them how the Darkness Maniption works but his spell was already at an Intermediate Realm spell in the middle stage. It was too high level so they can''t properly assess its power.
At this time, Vale also stood up and spoke in his mind.
''Enter¡''
With this word as a trigger, he immediately entered his Phantasm State almost without dy.
Without any hesitation, he shifted his focus to the Spell Model representing the Darkness Maniption Spell.
Then, he raised his left hand and showed his palm to everyone¡
In a few moments, the room started getting darker as Vale umted the Darkness Energy in his surroundings¡
By triggering this spell, he can also use the Dark Energy that he had gathered in his body but if he did this, he had to replenish it by gathering this type of energy through the help of another magic circle, potion, or pills.
For this reason, he decided to use the umting Dark Energy in the surroundings.
"Can you put out the lights using this spell?" Professor Lucius pointed at the ceiling and asked after seeing that Vale has decent control over his new spell.
Within the ssroom, two chandeliers are lighting up the ce and it will require quite a bit of skill to put them out without enough practice.
Vale was also unsure how he would do that since he never tried it before. At most, he thought of using this Spell to increase his defense against Dark Spell or at least make his target vulnerable to Dark Spells¡
This is the most basic usage of Darkness Maniption based on his previous sses.
Anyway, now that Professor Lucius gave an instruction, Vale decided to follow.
He controlled the gathered Dark Energy as he lifted his hands motioning the energy to gather at the two chandeliers.
Like a cloud of eerie shadows, the gathered energy started moving to the chandeliers very slowly.
''Not good¡''
As Vale was controlling the energy, he can tell that his Spell Light isn''t stable at all. Before it reaches the chandeliers, he would lose control of the Dark Energy and it would scatter everywhere.
He wasn''t sure if the sudden copse of energy would cause trouble for his ssmates so he gritted his teeth and made a decision.
He immediately brought out his attributes panel and triggered the system to advance his mastery of the Darkness Maniption Spell!
[ Consume 10 energy points to improve Darkness Maniption? ]
''Yes!'' Vale answered in his mind.
As soon as he did this, his Avable Energy Points were deducted by 10 points. He now only has 460 Energy Points.
It may seem a huge number but since his expense grows exponentially, he knows that this number is too little for him.
In the meantime, Vale''s action of increasing the level of his mastery didn''t go unnoticed by the expert''s eyes.
"W-what?" Professor Lucius suddenly stopped his hand that was about to cast a Spell.
''That''s odd¡ I''m sure that Vale was about to fail¡ Howe it suddenly became firm.'' Lucius was confused as he looked at Vale curiously.
There were a couple of reasons he could think of. First, Vale was simply hiding his level of mastery and had no other choice but to show all he got after realizing that he can''t put out the light.
The other reason is that Vale just gained enlightenment after trying his best to put out the light!
Poof¡ Poof¡
After the Dark Energy gathered around the chandeliers, the lights were naturally put out leaving only a bit of light for them that wasing from the windows of the ssroom.
Just the presence of thick Dark Energy is enough to put an imbnce in the surrounding air causing the me to be extinguished. Vale didn''t have tomand it to target the lights at all.
"Well done, Vale." Professor Lucius said as he hinted for him to cancel the maniption spell. As for Vale''s secrets, he decided not to pry on it since it wasn''t against the rules.
"Thank you, Professor." Vale answered as he removed his control over the gathered energy.
As he did this, the gathered darkness disappeared and the lights in the chandelier naturally came back.
''So that chandelier is a mystical item?'' Vale mused as he sat back on his chair.
"I don''t have any more rewards I can give you as the first student to record the Spell Model¡ However, you will receive good grades because of it." Professor Lucius reminded as he was worried that Vale was expecting another reward like what happened with the Evil Creature.
Vale understood this well so he thanked the professor once more.
After this small event, Professor Lucius started his ss again¡ He thought them about his experience in recording the Spell Model and even had Vale share his experience as well.
This way, he was hoping that the ss would have their Darkness Maniption Spell recorded in their spell lights before the end of the month.
He also reminded his students about the monthly assessment that will happen on Thursday, the 31st of May.
Everyone was already aware of it. After all, tomorrow, they will have a monthly assessment in four of their subjects, the Oardic and Soi, Intermediate Arithmetic, Fundamentals of the Magic Zone, and Physical and Health Education.
At this moment, Vale''s ssmates couldn''t help but recall his arrogance, or maybe confidence, to perfect the Arithmetic ss and get a chance to take the ss Advancement Exam!
Chapter 113 Challenge
After the ss, everyone immediately returned to their dormitory to start reviewing what they''d studied over the past few weeks¡
Even the Student Clubs they joined were aware of their iing monthly assessment so they weren''t required to attend their activities. However, this also made them realize that only first-year to third-year students have these kinds of monthly assessments.
Well, this is probably because most of their studies are purely theoretical.
They learned that only when they reached their fourth year will they be graded based on their performance in the branch specialization.
Vale also reviewed his notes as he realized that aside from the Basic Usage of Mystical Artifacts ss, he has confidence in passing all of them.
The ss under Professor Shirley Harrison was just too much. In the past few sses, she revealed how ruthless she was as she swiftly taught them over 400 Mystical Artifacts.
Even with his heightened intelligence, he can''t easily differentiate these artifacts without enough time and familiarization.
She was unlike Professor Ste Harwin who was kind enough to only teach 20 new Oardic words every ss and would slowly exin each of their uses so they can safely make their own ritual someday.
''Wait¡ Are we going to make aplete ritual as an assessment instead?'' Vale suddenly had a thought. Although the Oardic and Soi ss is essentially anguage ss, this is still Dark Arts Academy. He wouldn''t be surprised if the assessment is an application of thenguage they learned!
With this in mind, Vale restarted his review of this subject¡ He was afraid that Professor Ste would think ofbining her ss into one Assessment!
Performing a specific ritual is certainly a goodbination to test what they''ve learned in Elementary Spirit Law and Oardic and Soi sses.
After studying his notes for over 3 hours, Vale felt tired and decided not to over-study.
He went outside to get some fresh air and wandered around the academy¡
Soon, he noticed that there were quite a lot of students who were looking at him. He felt this very clearly so he was a bit ufortable.
''I''m not that popr, am I? Why do you keep looking at me?'' Valeined in his mind as he started looking around.
Soon, he noticed that the ones who were looking at him were all senior students!
As he was trying to get some fresh air, he actually wandered around the buildings of the higher years¡
''Ugh¡ I guess I should leave¡ Wait¡ª''
Vale suddenly stopped in front of a building not too far from him.
He realized that this building was actually the Armory of the Academy or what they like to call the Treasure Vault.
''If that''s the case, this is where that vicious curse started¡'' Vale mused as he couldn''t help but be curious about this ce.
At this moment, he heard some footsteps that were approaching him.
"Hey, freshman¡ Do you know where you are right now?"
An annoying hoarse voice suddenly spoke behind Vale.
Vale sighed at this rude question as he looked around to confirm the ce he was in.
"I''m in the East Pavilion Garden, Senior." Vale answered showing how he was aware of this ce.
He then looked back and saw a student with six stars on his coat¡ It means that he''s a sixth-year student¡
Furthermore, Vale felt a bit disgusted after seeing his face. Half of his face was incredibly aged¡ªNo, it might be better to say that it was rotten.
Vale realized that the Variants he had seen before seemed much more eptable than this Spellcaster! He felt that something was wrong with this student since he had also seen his seniors in the Battle Arena Committee. These seniors have a decent or normal human appearance.
It means that even if they are in the Dark Arts academy, they don''t have to look evil or have some unusual trait on their bodies¡
''Is it because of a failed experiment?'' Vale mused as he looked into his senior''s eyes. His left eye seems normal but his right eye seemed rotten Vale can tell that it can still see.
"Are you being sarcastic? I''m telling you that this isn''t your ce. Return to your building¡" The man angrily said as he realized that this freshman was too brave.
Normally, freshmen students would already get scared just by hearing his voice. After seeing his face and his academic year, they should be thinking of getting out of his line of sight as quickly as possible.
"Senior, we''re not prohibited toe here. Are we?"
Instead of being intimidated, Vale replied with a hint of annoyance. The guy in front of him is obviously just looking for trouble.
Anyway, he knows that he''s right so he wasn''t afraid of facing him. As a matter of fact, Vale already finished spreading his Magic Zone and confirmed that a couple of academy guards are observing their confrontation.
It was quite surprising for Vale but he guess that this person was a troublemaker and has already been marked by the guards.
Furthermore, he realized that there seems to be a familiar aura around the Armory building.
"Ha! I reserved this ce as my recreational area¡ You''re not supposed to step on my ce¡ªAhh, now that I have a clear look on your face... I think I''ve seen you before. Are you that guy who killed his fellow ssmate? Or was it in another First Year ss?"
The man with a half-rotten face suddenly realized that he was looking at another promising student of the Vermont Academy¡
Vale felt even more disgusted after seeing his face of realization, admiration, and excitement¡
"Kahaha! You should fight me too¡ No, it''s too unfair¡ What about this, I heard that you didn''t get the Moontomb''s Spell Scroll¡ I''ll give you three of my Spell Scrolls if you win against one of my summoned undead!"
The man spoke with excitement and it was heard by all the sixth-year students in the surroundings.
This includes Nadine Sherris who was looking at Vale worriedly.
Chapter 114 Negotation
"Not good¡ A first-year student is being targeted by Mad Larkin! Look outside¡"
"Tsk¡ Is he causing trouble again? Does he think he can keep doing that because he has a backer here in the academy?"
"Err¡ Yes, I think he can do that because of his backer."
"That''s not the point! Someone needs to stop him! The reputation of our batch is getting worse in the lower years because of him."
Nadine Sherris heard her ssmates talk about Mad Larkin once again.
Larkin Nevil also known as Mad Larkin was one of the dual branch specialists.
It means that this man doesn''t just practice Necromancy but also the Essential Corruption branch through a special privilege he had gotten from the previous Headmaster.
Not any student can select two branches at the same time after all. However, if one has enough achievement, the Academy can provide this special treatment with strict requirements.
Furthermore, these students would have some form of immunity in many of the Academy Rules. This may sound unfair but the Academy is still essentially searching for the best Dark Arts Practitioners. If they can bring out their potential with this, they wouldn''t mind it even if they break some simple rules.
Nadine sighed as he also looked at the situation outside.
She has already acquainted with a few first-year students so she might know the person they were talking about.
"Ahh¡ Vale?"
Nadine froze as she looked at the familiar freshman student that has joined her club!
Then, he heard Mad Larkin''s proposal as she realized what Mad Larkin was nning! He was definitely thinking of making Vale his summoned undead!
Vale might be weak for now but he has a great talent! Mad Larkin has always been researching how to obtain an undead with growth potential!
He felt that the Necromancy Branch was too unfortunate for having an undead that could not be stronger than its previous self.
''This is bad¡ I need Vale to decline this offer¡''
Nadine wanted to immediately stand between the two but before he could do that, he noticed Vale looking behind him.
''There was no one there¡ªAhh, Headmaster Jean?!''
It was only after the Headmaster decided to reveal himself did she notice his presence. The others were also shocked by his sudden appearance.
They didn''t know why the Headmaster has appeared but with his presence, Mad Larkin will surely stop intimidating Vale and quickly find a ce to hide.
In the meantime, Nadine was surprised by another matter after seeing the Headmaster.
''How did Vale notice his presence before my senses could? Is that possible? Did the headmaster inform him beforehand?'' Nadine frowned while her mind raced for an answer.
She has a Dark Spell that allows her to have a better understanding of her surroundings and she''s confident about it once it''s active.
This spell even works even without the activation of her Phantasm State although in a weaker state. Since Vale was able to surpass the senses of a sixth-year student like her, she realized that Vale has more secrets than she thought.
''It must be a mystical item since he should only have two basic Dark Spells.'' Nadine concluded as she focused on the conversation outside.
"Vale Chambers, a first-year student from ss 2, and¡ Larkin Nevil, a sixth-year student from ss 1. What an oddbination¡ Are the two of you thinking of having a duel?" Headmaster Jean asked as he held his hands behind his back.
He looked at the two students with curiosity and disyed a strange smile on his face.
Larkin was also stunned at the sudden appearance of this new headmaster. He didn''t look good after seeing him since his strongest backer was the previous Headmaster of the Academy. He believed that Vice Headmaster Jean did something underhanded to take the position he currently has.
Unfortunately, he can''t prove anything and could only try and get out of this new headmaster''s sight.
''Ugh¡ Whatever¡ I''m sure he heard everything already¡'' Larkin thought as he decided to continue his provocation. He can''t waste the opportunity of getting a talented body for his future undead!
"Yes, Headmaster Jean! Please allow us to have a battle. I won''t personally fight¡ I will only use one of my undead with about the same level as this first-year student. Right, I heard that he has 25 Spirit Strands¡ In that case, I will also select someone with 25 Spirit Strands when they''re still alive." Larkin exined.
"Also, if he wins against my undead. I will give him three of my Spell Scrolls. They''re three Undead Summoning Scrolls! Not only can you use it to copy a spell model but it can also be used to summon three powerful Skeleton Warriors." Larkin immediately added as he looked at Vale with eagerness.
"Hmmm¡ I don''t think that''s enough. I''m sure that you wanted Vale''s body if he loses. Three Spell Scrolls of summoning undead is a bit too cheap for his life. Don''t you think so?" Headmaster Jean asked thetter part to Vale.
''Ah? You wanted me to ept this fight?'' Vale raised his brows as he can''t understand what this Headmaster was thinking.
''Does he have a n for me to win? This time, I will be fighting an undead¡ I don''t think he wanted to capture Larkin''s spirit.'' Vale thought for a moment before expressing his opinion about this matter.
"Ahem¡ I think that three Spell Scrolls would not be enough if that''s the case. Is there something more valuable you can offer aside from that?" Vale asked.
"Tsk¡ Do you think your life is so valuable?! Why don''t you¡ª" Larkin wanted to say something more but the Headmaster looked at him harshly.
He immediately felt suffocated as he shut his mouth¡
"I¡ I''m sorry. I think that is not enough¡ Cough. Cough¡" Larkin felt lightheaded after being suffocated¡
He swiftly tried to think of another form ofpensation but he didn''t really have many valuables with him. He always spends his money for the sake of research¡
''Ah!''
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he recalled something.
"I have contribution points. I still have 20 or maybe 23 of them¡ If you win, I''ll give it all to you including the Spell Scrolls! If you still don''t think it''s enough, then tell me if you have something in your mind!"
Chapter 115 Slender
Everyone in the building who was listening to their conversation jolted in surprise.
"Twenty-three? Contributions Points?!"
"Ugh¡ Howe he has so many? Is he not using it?"
"He''s probably umting it. I think he was nning to get the rare Mystical Item for Necromancers worth 60 contribution points." One of Larkin''s ssmates suggested.
This seems to be urate considering Larkin''s behavior. He truly wanted to be one of the best Necromancers. This is not just by obtaining strong undead summons but by bing an unordinary Necromancer that has mastered the Essential Corruption Branch!
If he acquired the Gold Spirit Crown or the mystical item worth 60 Contribution Points, Larkin would certainly get closer to his goal.
''Is he that confident?'' Nadine muttered to herself as she knows that Larkin wouldn''t think of wasting his Contribution Points.
There was no way he would give it to Vale unless he knows that he''ll certainly win against Vale.
Of course, Nadine knows that an undead summoned by a sixth-year student majoring in Necromancy would not be so simple even if it''s only an undead with 25-Spirit Strand.
If Larkin equipped it with enough mystical items, it would be extremely tough for Vale to win with his current set of spells.
As a first-year student, it''s already amazing if he gets to learn one of the academy-exclusive Dark Spells in just a month or two.
Nadine couldn''t think of a way how Vale can win this duel.
Nevertheless, Vale''s reply astonished her.
"I ept your duel request. However, to be fair, you have to give me two months to prepare. You also have to tell me what Undead will I be fighting on the date of the duel." Vale answered. He won''t ept any negotiation on this.
Although he was confident with his Spell Dispersion. He needs further study to confirm whether it works against an Undead who doesn''t use Spells to begin with.
Furthermore, he can also avoid any form of challenges during this time and he can focus on learning things and getting stronger.
"Two months? Very well. I can ept that. I''ll be using a Slender Zombie" Larkin replied with a hint of excitement in his eyes.
Soon, gasps can be heard in the surroundings as the students, who were aware of the strength of Slender Zombie, couldn''t help but feel that it was too difficult for Vale!
"Ah! That''s too unfair."
"That''s cheating!"
"But Slender Zombies can be summoned by 8th-Year students, right? Is he already that Advanced?"
"This is too much. He''s only fighting a First Year student¡"
"Hey, Mad Larkin! You should use Plump Zombie or just a Skeleton Warrior¡ Heck! Even Skeleton Knight is better. Slender Zombie should be prohibited."
The seniors in the buildings near them started berating Larkin for challenging Vale using a Slender Zombie.
Vale, who doesn''t know anything about Slender Zombie looked at the Headmaster to get his opinion.
Headmaster Jean noticed this as Vale heard his voice in his mind.
It was the same thing that had happened before.
''The Slender Zombie can be tricky to deal with¡ It''s very fast. It''spletely different from any type of undead. It also has a strong piercing ability¡ However, it has a weakness, it can''t fight for too long or it will slow down and be vulnerable. If you have confidence in catching up in its speed, then you can try. If you can''t you have to consider bolstering your defense instead and make yourself a bait. Your advanced realm Ghost Hands can do the rest if you y with it correctly.''
Headmaster Jean exined patiently.
Since Vale can''t use this telepathic ability, he can''t reply to the Headmaster so thetter just spoke without waiting for his reply.
Vale can only slightly nod to inform the Headmaster that he understands and that he''s confident about it.
"A Slender Zombie it is¡ You''re not allowed to change it. If you ever decided to do so, our duel will be moved by another two months." Vale answered after thinking for a while.
Nadine and the others were shocked by Vale''s bold response.
He actually dared to fight a sixth-year Student! Furthermore, it was Mad Larkin who can contend against the top 90 to 100 of the Elite Rankings!
Larkin may not have any ranking because he''s not participating in this Elite Rankingspetition, but everyone knows that he has the chance of getting a spot around 90 to 100.
''This guy!'' Nadine wanted to scold him for answering too quickly. He should''ve informed Larkin that he''ll think about it in the next three days or something!
He has to do some research at the very least!
"This guy is courting death¡"
"No¡ I think that first year has some confidence in his eyes when he answered."
"We should watch this match¡"
"There will be plenty of people. I wonder if the Academy will make it an official event and earn from selling entrance fees."
"Heh¡ It''s not impossible. The Headmaster might add another event like duels from other year levels or even a performance show against an Evil Creature."
"Haha¡ That was done by the previous Headmaster to get extra ie from his students. I doubt that the current Headmaster would be so stingy."
"Let''s hope so¡"
As the students around them were gossiping, Headmaster Jean also concluded the arrangement that the two students made.
"We''ll see you both in the next two months. Your duel will be on Sunday¡ That''s the 29th of July. Vale will fight against Larkin''s Slender Zombie. If Vale wins, he gets three Undead Summoning Scrolls with visible Spell Models. All of Larkin''s Contribution Points will also be transferred to Vale at that time. Because of this, Larkin can''t use his Contribution Points for the next two months to ensure that he wouldn''t use them up before the duel. Anyway, if Vale loses, his body will be handed over to Larkin as he requested." Headmaster Jean said as he looked at Vale.
"Before I conclude this¡ Vale, are you sure you aren''t thinking of iming his life if you win the match?" Headmaster Jean asked.
Chapter 116 Monthly Assessment ( 1 )
Vale smiled at this and answered loudly for everyone to hear.
"No, Headmaster. People might think that I only know how to kill my fellow schoolmates if I did that. I''m hoping that sparing his life would change their mind for thinking that I only know how to end the life of my opponent."
Vale spoke magnanimously but Headmaster Jean can see Vale''s ruthlessness hidden in his eyes.
The headmaster knows that Vale has other intentions but he decided not to pry too much about it.
Instead, Headmaster Jeanughed with delight.
"Hahaha! Indeed. As a fellow student of the Vermont Academy, you''re not supposed to be enemies as these people can be the ones that will save your life once you''re outside. Entering the academy isn''t just to learn the Darkness Path but to learn that the peak of this path can''t be attained by working alone."
Headmaster Jean said as he looked at Larkin Nevil.
"Very well. Since both of you have agreed to these conditions, I hereby announce that your duel on the 29th of July is now official. I will have Arena Master Noah take care of this matter."
As soon as he said this, Headmaster Jean disappeared like a cloud of smoke in front of everybody.
In the meantime, Vale was confused about the way the Headmaster called the President of the Battle Arena Committee¡
''Arena Master?''
This is the first time he had heard this title.
He noted this in his mind and thought of asking Secretary Nadine about it when he had the time.
''Ahhh¡ She''s here.'' Vale muttered inwardly as he saw Nadine looking at him worriedly. She was with many other students but her attractive face was easily noticeable within the crowd.
Anyway, she probably felt that his match against Larkin would be impossible to win even after 2 months of preparation.
It was quite understandable so he only smiled at her as he decided to leave first.
He can ask herter after the monthly assessment.
Soon, the news about Vale causing trouble with the sixth-year students spread throughout the whole of the Academy... except to the students who were busy preparing for the assessment.
It seems that Jody''s senior club member is among the crowd when Vale "provoked" Larkin by staying in thetter''s reserved garden.
"This¡ Isn''t this a bit too much?" Vale was dumbfounded as soon as he got a copy of the Academy Newspaper the next morning.
Although it wasn''t in the headline, a huge portion of the paper was still dedicated to his battle two monthster.
Furthermore, he was even painted as the provoker!
Perhaps, they don''t want to offend Larkin Nevil since he has some sort of backer but Vale couldn''t help but feel aggrieved about this matter.
He wanted toin somewhere but he didn''t know where. He can already tell that the Academy Publication Committee would just find an excuse since he''s only a first-year student without a strong family background.
"Vale¡ You''re really famous nowadays¡ Look, this headline about the Academy''s lifted curse is nothingpared to your provocation against a sixth-year student! You''re awesome!" Zeno spoke in excitement as soon as he finished reading the article.
The copy of the paper was just outside their dormitory so they were the first ones to receive this news. This seems to be a privilege for students staying at the Seven Pirs Garden.
"Are you being sarcastic, Zeno? Our friend here is in trouble¡ There''s nothing to admire about that. Vale, if you need help, just let us know." Harith added as they all walked to the hallway leading to their ssrooms.
"Thank you¡ I''m focusing on this monthly assessment for now¡ If I need some help with my preparations, you''ll be the first one to know." Vale said as he can tell that Harith is being sincere about it.
As soon as Vale entered his ssroom, he expected his friends to ask about the matter with Larkin but surprisingly, none of them seem to know about it¡
Well, except Leonore and Neil who seem to be looking at him with interest. These two probably heard about yesterday''s event but decided not to talk about it.
As for the rest, they were all concerned about the assessment so they don''t have time to read the special issue of the Publication.
''Wait¡ Jody should be aware of it too¡'' Vale mused as he nced at Jody''s seat.
However, it seems that she wasn''t aware of it since she just looked at Vale without any reaction.
After Vale found his seat, Professor Ste Harwin arrived with two Student Assistants that they had never seen before.
These two assistants were bringing two boxes filled with unknown materials.
Then, Professor Ste surprised everyone with the type of tests she had nned.
She announced that there''s only one assessment for thenguage ss and the elementary spiritw ss!
''I knew it¡''
Vale was stunned as this is also an idea that he had thought of. He didn''t expect that she''ll be thatzy tobine the tests of two sses.
"Alright¡ We studied a total of 180 Oardic words in ournguage ss while we tackled the Fundamentals of Human and Foreign Spirits in the other subject. Our assessment is simple, summon a friendly foreign spirit. However, you can only use Oardic words that I''ve taught you all in my ss."
"Ahh? Professor, isn''t this a bit easy?" Neil was the first to react and he believes that this assessment wasn''t challenging at all.
Some of his ssmates looked at him with confusion since they felt that it was just enough for an assessment.
However, Professor Harwin didn''t seem angry after hearing that her choice of assessment was easy.
Instead, she smiled at the student and replied.
"Would you like to go first?"
"Of course¡ However, what if my ssmates just copied my ritual to summon a spirit, wouldn''t that be unfair?" Neil asked as he looked at his ssmates.
Professor Harwin seem to expect this question as she pulled something out from one of the boxes brought by her assistants.
Chapter 117 Monthly Assessment ( 2 )
"That''s easy¡ Just hold this stone while performing the ritual. You should''ve learned of this in your ss with Professor Shirley¡ It''s called Oardic Prayer Stone and as you can guess, it can only activate if you''re using Oardic in your chant. You don''t have to use your voice and simply speak in your mind toplete the ritual¡ I''ve also prepared a few things in the other box to help you with your ritual." Professor Ste exined as she showed a gray stone that seems to be an unpolished silver in front of the ss.
She prepared 30 of them so everyone can try and summon one all at the same time.
On the other hand, Vale was actually feeling worried.
If one of his ssmates summoned a dangerous spirit because of inexperience, mistake, or deliberate action, they might find themselves in a precarious situation.
He felt that Professor Ste was taking this test too lightly.
Luckily, Vale''s concern was resolved by the student assistants.
"These two assistants I''ve brought are seventh-year students of Rituals Branch. They''re Stacy Hunter and Cliff Enright. With their presence, all the Spirit that you''ve summoned will be under their special Dark Spell. They''re the ones who will judge whether what you''ve summoned is a friendly foreign spirit or not¡"
Vale finally epted this exnation.
He may not know what Dark Spell they''ll use but since they were both studying under the Rituals Branch, then it can be said that they''re "experts" in this matter.
Soon, Neil was called out to start his attempt.
Although the Prayer Stones were handed to everyone in the ss, they didn''t make any attempts and watched Neil''s performance.
Neil stood proud as he felt that this is his chance to gain more fame. Perhaps, he can tell Jody to write it in the next publication.
He stepped in front of the ss and turned to the boxes that the assistants had brought.
¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom There were plenty of materials here which they also studied in the Elementary Spirit Law ss. These items were meant to be used in rituals that had a strong attraction to various types of Spirits.
Neil found some praying oils, paper talismans, incense, candles, prayer beads, and other items that can be used to perform a Spirit Summoning Ritual.
After some thought, he decided to light incense sticks instead. He then took three incense sticks, a matchbox, and a small pot of sand that was included in the box.
He then returned to his seat to start his ritual on his table.
Without any hesitation, Neil lit up the incense sticks¡
As soon as he saw the calming smokeing out of it, he held his Prayer Stone and closed his eyes¡
He started praying under everyone''s watchful eyes.
Vale looked curiously at Neil''s performance.
He was curious about what kind of living spirit will Neil summon. After all, this isn''t just a simple spirit. It is a Foreign Spirit!
It means that this spirit isn''t from humans like them but from the Spirit World! Any living spirit that originates in that ce is rtively strong once summoned.
None of them are considered weak by their standards¡
Whooshh~
Suddenly, the room''s temperature started going down as Neil''s eyes turned to the smokeing out of the incense sticks. It feels as if Neil had seeded to summon a spirit¡
Everyone entered their Phantasm State to ensure that they didn''t miss anything.
Although they should be able to see the Spirit with their eyes in this matter, entering the Phantasm State would allow them to have a better assessment of the situation.
Unfortunately, after waiting for over a minute the temperature started returning to normal and nothing happened.
Neil was speechless as he can''t believe that he just failed! No, he should''ve seeded, he was sure that the gates of the Spirit World were opened. There should''ve been a Spirit that came out of it!
''Did someone stop my summoned spirit froming out?'' Neil frowned as he thought of this idea.
He nced at the two Student Assistants if they were the perpetrator.
Stacy wryly smiled at him and answered while leaning on the wall close to the door.
"You seem confused about what happened. I won''tment a lot about this or point out your mistakes since this is part of your assessment. All I can say is that you terribly failed. You can try once more after assessing yourself. We don''t have unlimited materials here."
Cliff also found this opportunity to warn the others.
"Stacy is right¡ We don''t have unlimited materials. However, this should be enough for you to do 5 or 6 attempts each. We''re hoping that you''ll think carefully about your mistakes every time you failed. This is not a race. Everyone only needed to pass and you should all have the ability to pass since you''re just applying what you''ve learned."
''That''s easy for you to say¡'' Neil retorted in his mind as he pinched the incense sticks to stop the smoke froming out.
On the other hand, Vale was also thinking about Neil''s mistake.
He seem to have really summoned the Spirit World''s gate since the temperature suddenly turned low for a few moments. Unfortunately, it failed because of unknown reasons.
''If he made a mistake in his prayer, the gate of the Spirit World wouldn''t react at all¡ Is there something missing?'' Vale mused.
As Professor Ste allowed the ss the take any materials they needed from the boxes, Vale remained seated and started formting his Oardic Ritual Prayer first.
After 10 minutes of preparation, Vale noticed that his ssmates have started their ritual on their tables. Some of them were already scratching their heads as they realized that it wasn''t as easy as they thought.
''I hope my theory is right¡'' Vale prayed in his mind as he looked at the two boxes brought by Professor Harwin.
He was the only one left who hadn''t taken any ritual materials yet but there are still plenty of things here.
He found a bottle containing bone powder. Its origin wasn''t indicated but Vale knows that it''s from a human bone.
He didn''t take anything else and returned to his seat.
All of this happened under Professor Ste Harwin''s curious gaze.
Chapter 118 Vales Summon
Ste had noticed Vale''s actions from the very beginning.
She saw how he calmly prepared his Ritual Prayer for the first ten minutes. During that time, she saw him revising his prayer multiple times before he felt satisfied.
Then, from the five bottles of bone powder she had prepared, only Vale took one.
In her ss in Elementary Spirit Law, she taught them that using bone powder easily attracts evil spirits especially if it''s human bone powder.
If it''s an animal''s bone powder, the chances of attracting evil spirits might be lower but there''s a higher chance that you''ll summon a spirit with low intelligence¡ It means that assessing it whether it''s friendly or not will be tougher.
If a stupid spirit was summoned, it can be extremely scared and start causing trouble resulting in some idents. If it''s timid, it''s even more difficult to say whether it would pass as "friendly". It would depend on the summoner''s ability to pacify the spirit and make them friendly.
With this in mind, all the students decided to stay away from this item¡ except for Vale Chambers.
''Those bone powders weren''t meant to be used in this assessment¡ unless he knows something that I''ve never taught them yet. Wait¡ is he thinking of getting a chance to take a ss Advancement Exam in my two subjects?''
Ste''s eyes widened as she recalled the rumors about the Arithmetic ss.
She knows that Vale wanted to advance his ss as quickly as possible. It was already a rumor in the faculty room.
ording to Professor Russel Ravine, Vale was quite arrogant for thinking he could skip this subject.
Ste didn''t bring it up to Vale since she felt that he had just been tutored in Arithmetic by the Chambers n so he has some confidence. It wasn''t that surprising that he was nning to skip that ss.
However, Vale''s unusual actions in this assessment seem like he''s also nning to do it in her ss! Ste red at him as she felt that Vale was being confident.
In the meantime, Vale suddenly felt a chill as he thought that someone managed to call upon the presence of the Spirit World''s gate.
However, it doesn''t seem to be the case after observing the surroundings once more.
Vale can only shake his head to clear his mind.
As his ssmates started chanting their prayers, he remained in his seat as he drew the magic circle engraved in the Animus Haven Hall within his mind.
After recalling the strange magic circle, Vale removed the cap of the bone powder bottle.
He took a deep breath before he started pouring it on his table to form the magic circle.
While his ssmates are using incense sticks, candles, mirrors, and various items to summon a foreign spirit, Vale was the only one who thought of using a magic circle.
''As expected¡ He has experienced summoning a foreign spirit before. However, why did the Chambers Family teach him these things so early?'' Stemented in her mind after seeing how Vale looked soposed.
The knowledge of Magic Circles can be extremely dangerous if the person who had learned it doesn''t have a solid foundation in Arcane Studies.
In the past few weeks, she didn''t teach them how to use Magic Circles to summon a spirit. As a matter of fact, a fundamental study of Magic Circles would be on be tackled in their second year and would go in-depth in the third year.
If Vale really knows how to use magic circles this early, it means that the Chambers Family had truly invested a lot in this young man with a special purpose.
As for what it was, she doesn''t have a clue.
Soon, Vale finishedpleting his Magic Circle. It was a mini version of the Animus Haven Hall''s magic circle¡
After he ced the empty bottle to the side, Vale held the Oardic Prayer Stone and started praying in his heart.
"Glorius Gates of the Spirit World. Hallowed Maker of the Soul Society. The Nameless Guardian of the Harbingers. I, a devout follower of the Eternal Darkness, wish to open the gates of the World of Spirits¡ I wish to call for a living spirit residing in your world that wants to befriend me¡"
Vale said these words in Oardic.
The first part of the prayer is something that he had heard from Master Heinz first before Professor Ste Harwin taught it to them in the ss.
Calling the gates of the Spirit World is a must since as they said, the gates itself has awareness. They must be respectful when calling it during their prayers
As for the Hallowed Maker and the Name Guardian, they were referring to the two powerful beings that are protecting the Spirit World itself.
Nevertheless, it doesn''t mean that you always have to call these three special beings in every prayer pertaining to the Spirit World¡ It can either just be one of them since they all have control over the Spirit World¡
The chances of getting a reply from your prayer would actually be higher if you decided to call for all three of them at the same time.
"¡"
Vale waited for a minute but he didn''t get a response¡
Ste, who was watching him all this time also noticed that Vale seem to have failed in his first attempt.
Nevertheless, she can''t see any disappointment in Vale''s eyes.
As a matter of fact, Vale seems to be patiently waiting even after two minutes¡
Vale should''ve realized that he had failed ording to what she taught themst week.
''I guess he''s really stubborn¡ That can also be a good thing. If he gets out of this hurdle, I''m sure he''ll be¡ª''
Ste''s thoughts suddenly paused as she felt something around Vale.
Stacy and Cliff also looked at Vale''s direction as the spell that is protecting the whole ssroom suddenly reacted¡
"Y-you¡" Cliff was speechless as he realized something.
Stacy, on the other hand, was already rushing to scold Vale.
"Hey! Are you using a forbidden ritual?! You''re not allowed to do that¡ Ahhh!"
Stacy suddenly stepped back as a spirit shrouded in darkness suddenly pounced on her!
Professor was also rmed as soon as she noticed what Vale had just summoned.
"Dark Spirit!"
Chapter 119 Dark Spirit
Thump!
A reverberating sound suddenly stopped all the students from praying using their Oardic Prayer Stones.
"Aack!"
"W-what was that?"
"I was almost there... Who interrupted?"
"Tsk... I almost pissed my pants."
The ss startedining after being interrupted.
Professor Ste Harwin simply pped her hands to create a sound attack enough to disrupt everyone from what they were doing¡
Ste ignored the students and looked at her assistants.
"Calm down. Stacy, Cliff¡ Both of you should step back." Ste warned the two as she also informed everyone else who might get scared of the Dark Spirit.
All the students in the ss were truly shocked and disgruntled by the professor''s sudden action. This includes Vale who was still stunned by the reply of the mysterious beings from the Spirit World¡
He may not have heard their voices but their reply was obvious. They had sent a spirit to him just like that!
He thought that he would have to do four or five attempts to get a proper prayer.
p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® ''It was really effective¡ Those things that Professor Harwin taught us can''t be considered at all if I use that strange Magic Circle¡ I wonder what Master Heinz was thinking for cing it there. It''s definitely not a normal Magic Circle.
At this time, the bone powder on his table has already disappeared not leaving any marks at all.
As for the Dark Spirit, Vale can tell that it had already formed a rare connection in his soul and he could feel that it was agitated by Professor Harwin''s sound wave attack.
It was a normal reaction since Professor Harwin is an expert on the Darkness Arcane Path. The Dark Energy around her is thicker and strongerpared to the Dark Spirit that Vale had summoned.
Vale wasn''t sure how tomunicate with it but he still tried as he treated the spirit simr to his Extraction System¡
''Professor Harwin called it Dark Spirit¡ However, I haven''t read anything about it in the books in the library.'' Vale thought as he hesitated for a moment before he speak to the spirit in his mind.
''Calm down¡ Don''t attack anyone¡ If you really want to befriend me, you can''t harm anyone here.''
Luckily, even though he didn''t receive a reply, he can tell that the Dark Spirit started calming down as it hid behind him¡ No, to be exact, the spirit went to his shadow!
''What is this thing?'' Vale was stunned once more at the behavior of the Dark Spirit.
However, a sudden thought shed in his mind¡
Before Master Heinz left with Baroness Florence Chambers, he had left him a book. This book has a title that made him hide it with a fake cover and it was always hidden in his stack of clothes.
The book titled ''The Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted'', contained a detailed description of practices that were banned by the Association of the Harmonius Arcane Paths.
This includes practices that can enve a person''s nine generations of family. Vale also read about the curse that can heavily affect not just humans but thend, air, or even water. There were also chilling summoning practices that open the gates of the world of demons.
Furthermore, Vale also vaguely read about a practice that extends human life by consuming tons of human flesh, infants to be exact.
There were many horrifying practices listed in the book and Vale could barely read them since the book contains mysterious powers that make it difficult for him to properly read unless he spends his Dark Energy.
Nevertheless, he can vaguely recall the Dark Spirits written in the book¡ He didn''t think too much of it before since he thought that he wouldn''t encounter such a thing.
Professor Harwin''s words finally made him recall the content of the book regarding these Dark Spirits.
''Dark Spirits¡ Dark Spirits¡ If I''m not mistaken, they were indeed beings living in the Spirit World¡ However, in the book I''ve read, they''re considered to be the protectors or soldiers of the Soul Society. They''re the first ones to attack the people that had offended the Spirit World!''
Vale suddenly froze as he looked at Professor Harwin who was also observing him carefully.
"Vale, is there something wrong with the Spirit you summoned?" She asked.
Vale didn''t immediately answer as he carefully chose his words.
"If you think that a spirit hiding in my shadow is considered "something wrong", then yes."
"Well¡ It''s good that you can still reply like a human. You''re not possessed. However, I said that you should summon a friendly spirit, didn''t I?"
"Of course. Here, I''ll tell the Dark Spirit toe out." Vale said as this is where everyone can tell whether he passed the monthly assessment or not¡
"Go ahead¡ I''m waiting. Stacy and Cliff, don''t use those spells you''re preparing. Although Dark Spirits are considered harmful, you have to remember that we don''t know many things about them. Perhaps, ack of understanding about them is the reason why we consider them harmful or dangerous spirits."
With that said, Stacy and Cliff took a deep breath and rxed their posture. However, they remained vignt in case something went wrong.
"Yes, Professor. We''ll only watch him."
"You can continue now, Vale. We won''t act unless the Professor tells us to do so."
Cliff and Stacy answered.
Vale nodded at this as he also noticed their attacking stance a while ago.
Now that they''ve rxed themselves a bit, Vale startedmunicating with the Dark Spirit hiding in his shadow.
Soon, a dark mist came out of Vale''s shadow and remained hovering around him.
No one can tell its appearance since it was deliberately hiding itself.
It was quite frustrating for Ste not to see the Dark Spirit''s appearance but there was nothing she could do about it.
"Professor, did I pass the test?" Vale asked.
"Not yet¡ However, I can assess that it has good behavior. Let me ask you instead. How do you consider this summoned spirit as friendly?" Professor Ste asked.
Vale didn''t hesitate and simply answered.
"It seems kind and it doesn''t make me ufortable in its presence¡ I can also feel that it respects me. We somehow formed a connection after I sessfully summoned it."
As Vale said this, he looked at the Dark Spirit beside him who had suddenly decided to show its face!
Chapter 120 Strange Spirit
Vale was expecting a horrifying appearance behind the darkness covering the Dark Spirit¡ He thought that it was a monster that could scare away children and adults after seeing it.
However, Vale was stunned to see a beautiful female spirit! Those models in many foreign magazines he read can''t even hold a candle!
Just a few seconds ago, he thought of peeking through the darkness to see its appearance¡ Then, as if it could hear his thoughts, the Dark Spirit actually allowed him to see her!
"Beautiful¡" Vale muttered as he knows how to appreciate one. His voice was soft but Professor Ste Harwin didn''t miss it.
"You¡ Are you being beguiled by the Dark Spirit? What beautiful are you saying? It''s clearly not showing itself. It''s hidden in that cloud of dark mist¡" Ste frowned as she pulled out an item in her coat''s inner pocket.
It''s a golden handbell and obviously a mystical artifact. Vale wasn''t sure what it does but he can guess that it was an artifact that can break beguilement or perhaps, even illusions.
Vale raised his hands signaling to the professor to stop for a moment.
"Professor, I''m not being beguiled¡ The Dark Spirit just showed its face briefly to me after I requested it. You can say that she''s a bit shy since she can''t show it under everyone''s scrutiny... Besides, I''m sure you can tell that the Dark Spirit wasn''t nning of harming anyone. Right, I think that can be considered a friendly spirit already¡ The spirit is inactive. It certainly heard my request and granted it instantly¡ If it''s not considered friendly, then I can''t tell anymore what would you like me to do."
At this time, he also heard his ssmates agreeing. Thankfully, he has someone who can support him although it probably wasn''t needed.
"That''s true¡ Forming amunication is already a sign of it being friendly and can''t be considered hostile. We may not see its face but I believe Vale is telling the truth." Chad Bulmung supported Vale''s im. Although he hadn''t summoned a spirit yet, he felt that he had gained some inspiration after watching Vale.
He doesn''t feel any form of envy at all since he already knows that Vale was special.
It was the same for others.
Perhaps, if they were asked who has the chance of summoning a Spirit faster, then all of them would consider Vale if they put aside their pride.
"Congrattions on passing, Vale. Was it just one attempt?" Aubrey added before Professor Harwin can even announce the result.
"That''s right¡" Vale nodded and thanked his ssmates.
In the end, Professor Harwin investigated the Dark Spirit with the two assistants she brought. It didn''t take that long before the three of them confirmed that there wasn''t any hostility from the summoned Dark Spirit.
e¦Áglesn?¦Íel They still can''t see the face of the Spirit but it''s enough.
"Very well¡ Congrattion in passing, Vale Chambers¡ However, I would like to talk to you outside regarding the method of your ritual. Is that alright?" Professor Harwin asked.
Vale didn''t mind this as he answered.
"Of course." Vale stood up at this time and it seem to have signaled the Dark Spirit to hide back to his shadow.
"Are you not going to cancel your summon? You can already return the Dark Spirit to the Spirit World¡ It should be consuming your Dark Energy as it stays here." Ste reminded.
This is something that she had taught in her ss as well.
However, the strength of the summoned spirit should be rtive to the summoner. This is the reason why Professor Harwin isn''t too worried about the summoned spirit even if they are hostile.
At most, these spirits would be harder to deal with since they don''t have physical bodies. They can only be attacked by specific Dark Spells which she certainly has including the two assistants.
Vale jolted at her sudden reminder since she was right¡ He was supposed to feel the draining energy in his body but now that he observes his body, he realizes that something is different!
''This¡ I can''t feel my energy draining at all. Is it because it''s hiding in my shadow? Something is really strange with this spirit¡''
Vale was confused as he had no idea why it wasn''t draining his energy.
As soon as the two were in the corridor outside the ssroom, Vale decided to ask the Professor about this.
Ste looked at Vale doubtfully as she entered her Phantasm State to confirm what he just said. In this state, she would be able to vaguely see the flow of Vale''s energy, especially if they were standing close to each other¡
After a few seconds, her eyes widened as she realized that he was saying the truth¡
"What? How is this possible? It''s not draining your energy... Wait-I might''ve made a mistake. Even if you have plenty of Dark Energy in your body, you should still feel it if you concentrate. Can you try to wait for a while in case the drain is just too slow?"
Ste recalled that Vale has a very high Spiritpared to the others, it might be the reason why the Dark Spirit wasn''t draining much of his energy.
Unfortunately, Vale had the same answer after observing it for another five minutes. It wasn''t making any sense since Ste didn''t teach them anything about this.
''Why am I not getting drained? Did I really summon you?'' Vale muttered to himself but to his surprise, he somehow heard the Dark Spirit''s thoughts¡
"Professor, the Dark Spirit just mentioned that it''s not using my energy to stay here¡ It mentioned something weird." Vale said after listening to the voice in his head.
"What did it say to you?"
"The Dark Spirit mentioned that the path opened from the inside and not from the outside so it was able to stay here as much as it likes¡ Do you know what it means?" Vale asked.
After hearing this, Professor Ste Harwin can only sigh as she finally understood what was happening.
"No wonder¡ no wonder¡ It was granted freedom after you called for it in your ritual. You did well, Vale¡ You did well."
Chapter 121 Result
"What is it, Professor?" Vale asked after seeing his professor nodding a couple of times.
Ste sighed once more as she answered.
"It''s about the Spirit you summoned¡ It just mentioned that the gates of the spirit world opened for it to be summoned by you."
Vale was still honestly confused.
"Isn''t that the same thing with all the other''s summoned spirit? How would they get summoned if the gates don''t open?"
At this question, Ste shook her head as she exined again.
"Normally, the summoned spirit should get to hear your summoning prayer. At that time, it gets to choose whether to allow the gates to be opened by the summoner and let itself be summoned. However, in the case of your Dark Spirit, it was the rulers of the Spirit World who had decided to send the Dark Spirit at your request through your prayer."
"W-what? There is something like that?" Vale asked in surprise.
Aside from Professor Ste''s teachings about the Spirit World, Vale has no background in this subject since the books he read didn''t tackle things rted to the Spirit World. The books he read were mostly focused on the Darkness Arcane Path or the Dark Arts used by the Practitioners and several Dark Alchemy books.
"Yes¡ It happens in rare cases when the sacrifice to the rulers of the Spirit World was very attractive or if the one in the ritual is blessed by the Spirit World¡ Right, there are also cases that it would randomly happen for unknown reasons. However, thetter is extremely rare¡ There were only three instances recorded in our history."
Professor Ste paused for a moment as she stared at Vale''s shadow¡
She can''t feel the presence of the Dark Spirit no matter how she tried. She can only give up as she shifted her gaze back to Vale.
"Why do you think she was sent to you by the rulers of the Spirit World?" Ste solemnly asked.
She knows that Vale didn''t use a high-quality sacrificial ritual so the first reason can be eliminated. She can only think that Vale is blessed by the Spirit World or he was just lucky at the time he chanted his prayer.
Vale wryly smiled at this as he started scratching his head.
"Professor, I also wanted to know¡ I tried asking the Dark Spirit just now but it seems that it wasn''t aware of the reason as well¡ It only knows that it had to follow the opened path."
Ste realized that Vale was indeed clueless about this so she can only try to investigate.
She continued asking him about the method of his ritual including the Oardic words he said.
"That worked?" Ste frowned after hearing Vale repeat the prayer he chanted.
"Yes¡ Professor. Is it odd? Was it not supposed to give a response with that prayer?"
Ste didn''t immediately reply as she tried to make sense of Vale''s ritual.
"I will repeat what you said to make it clear. After you made a Magic Circle that was passed down by your family, you started your chant¡ Glorius Gates of the Spirit World. Hallowed Maker of the Soul Society. The Nameless Guardian of the Harbingers. I, a devout follower of the Eternal Darkness, wish to open the gates of the World of Spirits¡ I wish to call for a living spirit residing in your world that wants to befriend me¡"
"Yes." Vane gently nodded after confirming that she didn''t make a mistake.
"Then that''s weird. If you decide to call the three powerful beings of the Spirit World without a decent sacrifice like your blood or other materials, then it shouldn''t work. You only used a bottle of human bone power¡ Although it was from an Arcane Arts Practitioner, it doesn''t have much value from those beings except to the conscious Gates¡ Even if you use your blood, a low-level practitioner like you won''t receive a response at all¡"
"¡"
"Was it because of the magic circle then?"
"Maybe¡ Unfortunately, I can''t tell you much about it unless I ask my mother." Vale replied.
"I''m not interested in this circle. It''s enough for me to understand the reason why your summoned spirit is special¡ Right, Dark Spirits are known as the Spirit World''s soldiers. They are powerful beings so maybe you''re one of the Blessed Ones of the Spirit World and they sent it to you to protect you." Ste added but her tone made Vale realize that she was just messing with him.
e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "I hope so¡" Vale can only reply as Ste allowed him to leave the ss since he''s done. He can take his time outside while waiting for the next ss.
Vale shook his head as he decided to just stay in the ssroom to watch his ssmates. He promised not to spread the prayer he used.
With that said, the two of them returned to the ssroom as the assessment continued.
It didn''t take long before the others managed to summon a spirit¡
Unfortunately, only six more students aside from Vale managed to summon a docile or friendly Spirit.
It was Aubrey, Lisa, Warren, Dalton, Chad, and Leonore.
The previously proud Neil Sommerhalder can only get a passing grade after summoning a tiny willful spirit. It can''t be considered as friendly but it also can''t be considered as hostile¡ At most, the spirit he summoned likes to prank people¡
It was the same for the others and a few of them even summoned a hostile one¡
A battle almost urred but Stacy and Cliff were vignt and took care of it in time.
"I''m sorry¡" ir Etton, the guy who was interested in having a female Variant, felt disappointed at the result of his assessment. He was one of the students who summoned a spirit that wanted to possess their body!
Although their possession wouldn''tst for long, it is still considered a hostile spirit.
"It''s alright¡ You''ll learn from your mistakes if you continue to study. In any case, this assessment won''t heavily affect your grades for the rest of the year. This is just the beginning of your path. I''m even impressed that there were only a few who made a mistake."
Professor Ste said to try and console those who had failed.
***
The three next subjects also made their monthly assessments but unlike Professor Ste''s style, they can only know whether they passed the exam or not at their next ss.
Chapter 122 Secret Identity
Everyone was tired after the monthly assessment¡
The Intermediate Arithmetic ss made them dizzy, the Fundamentals of the Magic Zone''s assessment made them feel so drained, and the Physical and Health Education made their bodies hurt.
Apparently, the professor of thest ss made them exercise in the gymnasium instead of having a written exam about health and the physical body.
It seems to be very effective for their own health but it is also unlike what they have thought. They have memorized the physical activities that Arcane Arts Practitioners must do. They memorized how to stay physically fit and other various things but in the end, the assessment wasn''t about memorization but an activity.
"That was so exhausting¡ I can''t¡ I''m going back to my room." Aubrey said tiredly as they went out of the ssroom.
As a spellcaster, she thought that she would only have to master her spells and learn how to use her Magic Artifacts. However, it was far from the truth and they have so many things to do.
"Hey, you haven''t eaten yet. You didn''t take your breakfast and you ate too little at yesterday''s dinner. You have to force yourself to eat or it will be bad for your health. Remember what we''ve learned." Lisa reminded as she held Aubrey''s hand.
"Ughh¡ Fine¡" Aubrey thought of it and she indeed feels a bit hungry.
As soon as they entered the cafeteria and smelled the scent of food, Aubrey immediately felt her hunger as she even walked passed Vale and Chad to get her tray of meals first.
As their started eating, the students from other sses had also arrived as they all looked tired and hungry.
Today''s monthly assessment seems really difficult for everyone.
"It''s Maya¡ I barely see her in our cafeteria." Chadmented silently after seeing the student representative enter the cafeteria with her entourage of followers. Some of them are her ssmates and a few of them were students of the higher years.
e¦Áglesnovel`c,om Vale wanted to ignore themotion she created just by entering the cafeteria but he can''t do so¡
The Dark Spirit that was hiding in his shadow suddenly reacted because of her presence.
"What?" Vale was confused as he nced in Maya''s direction.
It may have been a coincidence as Maya also briefly nced at him the moment he raised his head to look for her.
"I knew it¡ She''s really conscious of your presence. This is not the first time she did that, right?" Chad immediately said as soon as he noticed Maya''s eyes turning to look at Vale.
"You''re creepy¡ Why do you keep observing where she looks at?" Aubrey grunted at his words as she doesn''t believe it.
She also keeps stuffing food in her mouth all this time since she wanted to finish early so she can rest on her soft bed as quickly as possible.
"Ugh¡ It''s not that¡ I just can''t help but notice her. You know she''s beautiful. It would be even weirder if I don''t look at her." Chad argued as he felt that he was just being observant and not creepy at all.
Vale smiled at this as he decided to agree with his words.
"That''s normal, I guess. However, I don''t think that she''s conscious of me. Instead, she probably noticed something." Vale said as he ordered his Dark Spirit to keep hiding in his shadow.
For some odd reason, the Dark Spirit seems to be wary of Maya Featherstar or perhaps, the ones surrounding her.
"Kehehe¡ I think she wanted you to notice her improvement. Didn''t Professor Ste mention that Maya has lower strands than you? I think she was working really hard to surpass you." Lisamented on the side.
She rarely joins this kind of topic so Vale couldn''t help but look at her.
"That may be so¡ Right, you mentioned that you''ll record the Active Curse Break, how was it? I didn''t hear any news after you informed us about it." Vale shifted the topic since someone might hear them talking about Maya. It might seem rude if that happens.
Luckily, his ssmates understood his intention as they just talked about other things.
Lisa already recorded the Active Curse Break and Ghost Hands sessfully. She had actually asked for a Professor''s help to learn it first before she record the Darkness Maniption spell.
"Which professor was it? I''ll ask them as well in case I need to record another spell." Chad asked.
"It was our Professor in Arithmetic ss, Professor Ravinie¡" Lisa replied.
"Ahh? He can help with Spell Recording or do you have a certain connection with him?" Aubrey asked as she was surprised to hear that Lisa was quite close to a Ravinie.
Lisa is amoner and the Ravinie Family isn''t just a powerful n in the Dark Arts Faction but also a noble family acknowledged by the Kingdom.
The current head of the Ravinie Family is an Earl of the Millton Kingdom!
Aubrey viewed these people as proud individuals who wouldn''t think of getting close to amoner like Lisa. Although she''s quite talented, Professor Russel Ravinie should have some form of aversion to her.
"No¡ He''s the one who approached me and asked if I wanted some help regarding my Spell Recording." Lisa exined.
This baffled Aubrey even more but she decided to just remind Lisa of her thoughts.
"Lisa, be careful of him¡ He might have some ulterior motives I''m unaware of. I just can''t believe that someone from their family would be so kind to someone who isn''t part of the nobility. Well, unless you have a secret identity we''re unaware of." Aubrey added as she tried to avoid referring to her friend as amoner.
Although she doesn''t have any bad intentions, Lisa might feel offended being called like that in the academy where all of them should be equal.
"I don''t have a secret identity¡ I just lived a normal tragic life, someone who doesn''t even know their real parents. This is probablymon in some areas of the kingdom bordering other nations." Lisa wryly smiled as everyone realized that it was indeed not easy for her.
After some hesitation, she added.
"Right, I will be wary of the Professor from now on¡ Thank you for your reminder."
Chapter 123 Unreal
Vale woke up early the next day.
It was only four in the morning and the sky is still dark outside.
He thought of going to the nearby garden first to pass some of his time but as soon as stepped out of his room, he heard a familiar voice inside his head.
The voice was telling him to get visit him in the person''s room, the Headmaster''s Office.
Vale wasn''t sure why the headmaster was trying to call for him this early but he didn''t question him and just continued on his way.
In the hallway, he didn''t meet any students and only saw a few custodians cleaning up the ce. If he wasn''t mistaken, some sses of the higher years would even end early in the morning so it wasn''t that surprising that the custodians would mop the floor and clean the surroundings in shifting schedule.
The custodians would simply ignore him so he didn''t bother them as well.
As soon as he arrived outside the Headmaster''s Office, Vale was beckoned toe in.
"Vale, the door is unlocked, just get inside." Headmaster Jean spoke as Vale twisted the door knob and slightly opened the door.
For some reason, he felt nervous entering so he was taking his time. He couldn''t tell what was wrong so he wanted to be careful.
As soon as he had glimpsed what was inside, Vale was speechless as he gaped at the beautiful sight¡
''Corpses¡ Three female corpses and they''re even naked. Why did the Headmaster call me here?'' Vale was shocked as he can only make a guess.
Headmaster Jean probably took his Master''s words seriously!
"H-headmaster, did I arrive at an inconvenient time? I cer." Vale suggested as he tried to show that he has no idea why he brought three female corpses here.
"Don''t worry, Vale¡ It''s only the two of us here. I heard from Heinz that you need to see some corpses every other week or you might have some withdrawal symptoms. This is your reward."
"Cough! Cough! Cough. I think you misunderstand him, Headmaster Jean. Withdrawal symptoms? I don''t have that kind of thing. I¡ I really don''t know what withdrawal symptoms you''re talking about, Headmaster." Vale shook his head as he exined himself.
However, Headmaster Jean didn''t buy it at all.
"Heinz told me that every week that he can''t show you any corpses, you would keep asking him about it and even monitor the dockyard for the delivery of corpses. He even mentioned how you were trying to talk to the Variants under hismand to bring you corpses. Right, he also mentioned how you would check the corpses that are being sent to the town and the academy first since you''re not satisfied with the corpses sent to the factory¡"
"T-this¡ Headmaster, that may be true but it''s not what you think at all." Vale answered with exasperation.
"Of course, of course¡ It was my mistake. You don''t have to get mad at me. Just take these corpses with you since they''re my gifts after you''ve done a great job. This is also a form of encouragement so you can focus properly and prepare for your duel against Larkin Nevil. He will be a tough one but I''m sure you can deal with him. Heinz wouldn''t let you go if you''re still incapable of beating a mere Slender Zombie."
Headmaster Jean replied and he obviously doesn''t believe anything of what he says regarding his "attraction" to the corpses.
Well, it''s really difficult to exin unless he tells him about the system he has...
However, telling him about the extraction system wouldn''t just make thingsplicated but it will also be very dangerous for him.
Someone might even try to forcefully take it away from him through a series of rituals and experiments in case it was leaked.
Vale can only sigh in the end since he also wanted to extract the corpses that is already in his hand''s reach.
"Headmaster, I''ll just take a look at them briefly and you can take them back after¡"
"No need, you can take your time and I''m nning to send them to your roomter¡"
''So you can continue enjoying yourself.'' This is probably what the Headmaster wanted to add.
As soon as Vale realized what he was trying to do, he instantly paled as he felt that if his roommates notice three naked female corpses in his room, his reputation would certainly go down the hill. He wouldn''t even have the courage to face his fellow ssmates as he would die in embarrassment¡
"No!¡ªI mean, Headmaster Jean¡ You don''t have to be that considerate. I''m already fine checking them out for a few seconds."
Headmaster Jean was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"It''s up to you¡ I''ll go outside for a moment¡ You can take your time, I''ll onlye back in half an hour, or do you need more time?"
"Ugh¡" Vale was stumped as he saw the Headmaster leave the room.
Vale was thoroughly unable to follow the Headmaster''s thoughts.
In the end, Vale can only quickly extract the corpses so he can leave the room as quickly as possible.
As soon as he touched the first female corpse, he waited for his system''s notification¡
However, to his surprise, there was no reaction at all.
"That''s weird¡" Vale muttered as he tried once more.
After confirming that it was really ineffective, he tried the other two corpses¡ Unfortunately, he got the same result.
Vale frowned at the sudden unsessful attempt. This had never happened before. All the human corpses that he had tried to extract would always be recognized by the system.
''W-wait¡ It can''t be¡ª''
As he was holding the corpse''s body, a sudden thought came to his mind as he worriedly tried to activate the other function of the system¡ He was worried that his Divine Extraction System haspletely disappeared!
He quickly checked his attribute panel and like what he feared, he can''t ess the system!
''No¡ This can''t be¡''
eaglesnov?1,§ão§® At this time, the door of the office suddenly opened.
He thought it was the Headmaster but to his surprise, he saw his ssmates watching him¡ They were Lisa, Leonore, Aubrey, Chad, and even Maya can be seen behind them!
They were looking at him in shock followed by an expression of disgust!
Chapter 124 Reality
"Haaa!"
Vale''s eyes suddenly opened as he looked around and realized that he was still in his bed.
He was sweating profusely as many thoughts came into his head as he recalled being seen by his ssmates sitting down with three naked female corpses.
It was such a terrible memory.
"Thankfully¡ Whew¡ It''s all just a dream¡ Just a dream." Vale muttered to himself to calm down.
He then swiftly checked his system and confirmed that there is nothing wrong with it. He was able to see his attributes unlike in his dream.
Everything just felt so real as his heart was still beating crazily. He then carefully checked his body and confirmed that he didn''t wet himself on his bed.
"What the heck was that? Why did I even dream of it? Ugh¡ That is so scary¡" Vale sighed as he slumped on his bed to calm his raging heart.
After a while, he checked his pocketwatch ced on themp table near his bed.
After confirming that it was only five in the morning, Vale rxed for a moment.
He then went to the washroom to clean himself to leave early. He wanted to have an early breakfast¡
However, as he got outside, Vale''s heart thumped loudly as he heard the headmaster''s voice¡
He was being called to the Headmaster''s Office!
Vale''s eyes went wide as he unconsciously stepped back thinking of running away and ignoring his call.
However, the Headmaster''s magic zone can definitely reach him and could tell what he was doing. He has no way of escaping so he can only visit the Headmaster.
"What a coincidence¡ I also dreamt of being called by the Headmaster¡ That''s weird." Vale''s steps suddenly halted as he looked at the hallway leading to the office.
For some reason, the dream he just saw felt like a prophecy as he passes the custodian sweeping on the floor.
This doesn''t feel good at all.
As he looked at the door of the Headmaster''s Office, Vale silently prayed that he won''t see three naked female corpses inside waiting for his presence.
As soon as he heard the Headmaster''s signal to enter, Vale nervously twisted the doorknob and pushed it open.
''No way¡'' Vale wasn''t able to enter the room as he saw a cadaver bag inside the room.
It may be different from the dream he had but the fact that there is still a corpse inside this room made him nervous.
Headmaster Jean noticed Vale''s behavior and smiled at him knowingly.
It was as if he could read his mind. However, based on his dream, this Headmaster had aplete misunderstanding of his "hobbies."
After the door closed, Headmaster Jean started speaking.
"You''re already shaking with excitement. Heinz is indeed right¡ It''s been a while since you''ve seen a corpse so I''m sure that you''ll like my gift. This corpse is quite special. She''s from the Holy Arts Faction and part of the Untainted Sentinels. Among all the corpses we''ve collected, she''s the only one with an intact body since my niece was the one who dealt with her."
Vale jolted at the sudden exnation.
He understood that this corpse isn''t easy to go by so it will be very rude to reject this present.
As he heard thetter part of his words, he couldn''t help but imagine Lesley''s cold beauty¡ However, the Headmaster might have another niece so he decided to ask.
"Headmaster, I heard from Master Heinz that Lesley was your niece¡ Was it her who killed thisdy?"
"You''re right¡ She had only recently graduated but she was already capable of dealing with a 5-year member of the Holy Arts Faction''s Order. Isn''t she amazing?"
"R-right¡ She''s exceptional, Headmaster¡"
"Yes¡ You can take this corpse back to your room but I''ll have to take it backter this evening. The seal on her body would onlyst 15 hours and after that, an evil spirit might possess her." Headmaster Jean exined.
"B-but¡ I don''t think it''s appropriate, let me just inspect the body for a few seconds. Besides, I can''t carry this corpse back to my room without being noticed by people" Vale replied as he steps forward to start his extraction.
"Haha¡ Do you think I didn''t know that you''ve be a blessed of the Spirit World? You can simply ask your Dark Spirit to carry the corpse for you. It can hide the corpse inside your body¡"
eaglesnov?1,§ão§® Vale was stunned as soon as he heard these words. He had never heard anything about it. Even Professor Ste didn''t mention it to him.
"Is that true, Headmaster?" Vale asked.
"Yes, don''t be shy andmunicate with your Dark Spirit now. Take your time. Right, since this is the first, it might take a few minutes so I''ll leave to take care of something. I''ll be quick."
"Yes, Headmaster." Vale replied as he started speaking to the Dark Spirit hiding in his shadow¡
However, a sudden realization came into his mind. In his dream, the Headmaster left as well and he was exposed to his ssmates doing something with a female corpse.
''Hurry up!'' Valemanded the Dark Spirit since he felt that the dream mighte true but in a different way like how he should be presented with three corpses but has only been presented by a single corpse.
The Dark Spirit understood his thoughts as it immediately came out of his shadow and surrounded the cadaver¡
Vale then heard the Dark Spiritin about the bag. Apparently, the bag can''t be brought into his shadow.
It seems to be a Mystical Item that has a natural counter against the Spirit''s storing ability.
With this in mind, Vale opened the cadaver bag to reveal the beautiful female corpse.
"As expected of the Holy Arts Faction¡ They look sacred even if they''re already dead." Vale muttered as he touched the cold body.
As soon as he did this, his system was triggered.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
Chapter 125 Hidden Ability
"Yes¡"
Vale answered without any hesitation.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +30 Agility +0.75 Intelligence +1.05 ]
"As expected of the Headmaster¡ I extracted two attributes at the same time. They''re also incredibly high." Vale muttered after the sessful extraction.
He knows that his extraction with humans would get lower and lower the stronger he gets. This is the reason why he didn''t exceed a hundred in his attributes yet.
However, this woman still has still given him a whole number signifying that she''s out of his current level.
At the same time, that he did this, the Dark Spirit also stored the body inside his shadow after wrapping it with a dark energy.
Then Vale heard something from the Dark Spirit.
"Hmm? What did you say?" Vale asked after not understanding the Dark Spirit''s thoughts.
Apparently, the Spirit just revealed that the Corpse''s soul energy had somehow weakened and almost disappeared before the body was stored inside the shadow.
"Did it not happen because you moved it in my shadow?" Vale asked.
After hearing a negative response, Vale can only make a guess, his extraction somehow extracted the Soul Energy of the corpse¡
''Is this the requirement for extracting corpses?''
This would also make sense since he''s unable to extract a body multiple times. He can only do a single extraction of a corpse. This only means that he was extracting something out of the corpses and it appears that it''s the soul energy of the corpses.
This also made him question whether he could extract Wilfred''s body at that time. After all, Wilfred''s soul was taken by the Headmaster. Would he be unable to extract the body because of it?
Vale was curious to find an answer.
Nevertheless, he immediately cleared everything as he folded the cadaver bag and ced it in the corner of the room.
As he opened the door to leave the room, he realized that Headmaster Jean and Maya Featherstar were walking together as they seem to heading back to the Headmaster''s Office.
"Headmaster, Vale just came out of your room¡ He looks nervous as well." Maya halted her footsteps and reported it to the Headmaster as if he didn''t see it happen.
Vale realized that Maya was somehow suspecting him of entering the Headmaster''s office without permission!
Vale decided to ignore her since it was probably normal to react like that. Instead of talking to her to prove himself, he shifted his gaze to the Headmaster and spoke unhurriedly.
"Headmaster, I''m done with the task, I''ll be returning to my room now." Vale calmly said as Maya, who was waiting for the Headmaster''s response, realized that she was jumping to conclusions.
e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "Great¡ Train harder so you can deal with that Larkin." Headmaster Jean said.
"Yes, I will do so." As Vale said this, he didn''t even bother looking at Maya as he continued on his way.
Maya Featherstar felt her face turning red in embarrassment as she quickly spoke before Vale gets too far.
"I apologize for that. I was just surprised. Recently, someone tried to enter from the window of my room so I''m a bit agitated right now." Maya exined herself.
No wonder she was talking to the Headmaster about this¡
''Wait, is she supposed to talk with it to the headmaster immediately?'' Vale mused since he doesn''t really know the protocol about this.
Anyway, he doesn''t have the time to fool around with her so he only nodded and left immediately.
This made Maya feel extremely baffled. She was always the one in control of the conversation and always felt superior. However, Vale''s uncaring response to her felt extremely new to her.
Well, she can''t really me Vale right now, since his mind is currently recalling his dream¡
''This is weird¡ Did I get involved with someone who can give me prophetic dreams or signs of the future?'' Vale thought as he walked quickly.
He believed that the dream he had just now is a prophecy. Although it wasn''t exactly urate, it was still very simr.
The Headmaster invited him to his office to reward him with a female corpse and another student came to visit the Headmaster at his office.
Although the dream exaggerated things a little bit, it is still rtively the same.
''Dark Spirit are you the one who had given me that prophetic dream? Is it your mystical ability? You can give me some sort of revtions through dreams?'' Vale asked continuously.
Aside from the Dark Spirit, he didn''t get involved with some other people or mystical items that would give him such a gift...
If it''s not the Dark Spirit, he can''t think of anyone who can give him such a prophetic dream.
Unfortunately, the Dark Spirit didn''t respond after asking about the dream. It didn''t deny his ims but it didn''t confirm it as well.
Vale was at a loss since he can''t understand the Dark Spirit''s intention for staying with him.
He only knows it wasn''t thinking of harming him since he''s somehow connected to the Spirit. If he was harmed, the Dark Spirit will also gravely suffer at this point.
Anyway, after this matter, Vale''s monthly assessment continued.
Since they have alreadypleted the assessment for the Elementary Spirit Law subject, they have two hours of free time to prepare for the next subject¡
The Basic Usage of Mystical Artifacts!
This subject is probably one of the most important subjects during the first year since dealing with Mystical Items can be very dangerous for various reasons, especially if they were Mystical Items created by Dark Arts Practitioners.
Professor Harrison arrived on time as everyone nervously waited for the type of assessment they were about to take.
Luckily for them, they noticed that Professor Harrison didn''t bring any materials whatsoever so she probably won''t ask them to use a Mystical Artifact or even have them repair one.
Shirley Harrison looked at the students in her ss and calmly spoke.
"For your assessment, it will be simple¡ I have a mirror here and will show you ten Mystical Artifacts. If you answered at least 8 of them correctly, you passed. It may sound simple but the tricky part is that Mennena would be the one showing the items to you."
Chapter 126 Mysterious Mirror
Vale and everyone else were confused.
They know that Mennena is the spirit of the mirror. However, they can''t tell how would it differ if she''s the one showing the mystical items and if it was the Professor.
"Professor Harrison, what''s the difference?" Neil suddenly asked as he was also baffled.
"The difference? Mennena knows how you''ll fail the assessment but I don''t. Alright, who wants to volunteer first¡ You only have 15 seconds to identify each Mystical Item. Remember, I''m not asking you to tell me their usage or how they are made. I only need their names and that''s enough."
Vale frowned at this since in the end, it''s all about memorization. In any case, this is still an Arcane Academy so memorizing things should be quite normal.
"I''ll go first¡" Lisa raised her hands confidently.
This surprised their ssmates except Vale, Aubrey, and Chad who knows how diligent Lisa was. Since she''s the only one in their ss that doesn''t belong to any family with a background in mysticism, she has to double her efforts and would always stay in the library even if she no longer has a duty to be stationed there by her club.
"Alright, Lisa Grayback. Come forward and touch the mirror so we can begin. You''re the only one capable of seeing what has appeared and you can write your answer on the mirror itself using your finger. Then, Mennena would let me know if your answer is right or wrong."
"I understand, Professor..." Lisa answered as she stepped forward.
She heard her ssmate''s encouraging words as she nodded in acknowledgment.
Vale felt that this exam would be quite boring for those who are waiting but they realized that the Mirror will actually shine bright if the answer is correct and turn dark if the answer is incorrect.
Lisa only managed to get seven correct answers as she returned to her seat with a pale face. She failed the exam!
"Don''t worry¡ This is just the first assessment. It wouldn''t matter as long as you pass thest few assessments we have in our ss." Chad reminded her as he tried to cheer her up.
However, to their surprise, the next students didn''t even get seven points!
Even Chad, who tried tofort her only got 4 correct answers!
Lisa was actually impressive for having seven points!
Almost half of the ss has alreadypleted the exam but Lisa remained to be the highest scorer.
"Isn''t this a bit too difficult?"
"We''re just unlucky since it''spletely random¡"
"No¡ It was definitely Mennena causing us trouble. That Spirit probably knows the extent of our knowledge."
"What? Do you think it''s possible?"
"Of course¡ Mennena is a special Spirit residing inside the mirror. It can do more than just show images of Mystical Items."
"Whatever¡ In the end, if we memorize all those Mystical Artifacts we won''t be this troubled."
The ones who hadpleted the test couldn''t help butin about the difficulty of the exam. They didn''t expect to be unable to get a passing score in such a simple subject.
Vale listened to them as he was already not expecting a passing grade. He would probably be happy to get seven points simr to Lisa''s score.
Leonore was soon called out and scored 7 points followed by Aubrey who scored the same points.
It appears that this is the limit of this assessment.
Soon, it was Vale''s turn.
He copied his ssmates'' actions and touched the mirror to begin the exam¡
As soon as he did this, he saw the first image shown by Mennena. It was a bag that is emitting a faint yellow glow.
''An easy one at first, huh¡''
Baleful Knapsack.
Vale wrote his answer in the mirror. Then, the mirror made a reaction by brightly glowing in a matter of 2 or 3 seconds.
Then, the assessment continued as Vale identified the mystical items.
eaglesnov?1,§ão§® Spirit Pearl Ne. Dark Knight''s Torch. Flimsy ive. Dreamwhisperer, Trinket of the Night. Tranquility Goblet.
Vale had seven correct answers so he already felt satisfied.
Nevertheless, Vale didn''t rx as he remained focused¡
The eighth mystical item that the mirror showed was a cane. If Vale wasn''t mistaken, it was the cane used by the Headmaster!
Vale had no idea what it was so he can''t answer this question.
''Did she even teach us about this item? I''m pretty sure this is the first time she had shown us this cane.'' Vale frowned at the sudden realization.
No wonder Lisa and Aubrey failed to get a point from the 8th item onward!
As Professor Harrison reminded him of the time, Vale can only write what''s in his mind.
Headmaster''s Cane.
As expected, the mirror did not shine anymore as it turned dark.
"Whew¡ So Vale can also make a mistake¡"
"Indeed. I thought he was about to be famous again."
"There''s still the ninth and tenth question."
"Let''s watch for now¡"
Neil and his friends were obviously relieved after seeing Vale fail.
Vale might be stronger than them in terms of Spirit Strands and Dark Spell Mastery, but they are still confident with their studying habits so they should have a better score than him.
The ninth item was another familiar object¡ It was the furnace in the factory and he knows this very well.
However, this wasn''t taught in ss so Vale felt reluctant to answer.
''This is definitely the Quince Furnace¡ However, it''s not appropriate to guess this correctly.''
In the end, Vale wrote an incorrect answer.
Arcane Furnace.
Then, the tenth item showed up.
Once more, Vale was greatly shocked¡
"Professor, can you see the item that Mirror is showing to me?" Vale asked curiously.
Instead of using his time to think of an answer, he actually asked the Professor instead.
"Hmm? I can''t¡ However, Mennena knows the coverage of our assessment, she shouldn''t show you something impossible to be answered."
"I see¡ I understand, Professor." Vale answered with a gentle nod as he decided not to answer the tenth item.
This baffled the ss since the others would at least try and guess the answer.
As Vale returned to his seat, he couldn''t help but feel puzzled by the mysterious mirror artifact.
The tenth item that was shown to him was actually the book called The Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted!
Chapter 127 Question
Lisa looked at Vale curiously as she felt that he seemed troubled after the final item was shown to him.
She had no idea what was shown to him but it seem to have a deep connection to him or perhaps, it was something that he had personally seen before and had experienced its mystical ability.
''Should I ask himter about it?'' Lisa mused as she couldn''t help but feel curious.
Vale has always been a mystery to her after learning more about Spirit Strands and Spell Mastery¡
When she first entered the academy, she can''t really appreciate Vale''s high Spirit Strands since she doesn''t know much about them. This includes his Advanced-Level Mastery of his Ghost Hand Spell that he had shown to everyone.
However, after knowing plenty of things through her professors, ssmates, and books in the library rted to such topics, she can already tell how awesome Vale''s achievement was as a 14-year-old student.
"Dalton Stranway." Professor Harrison called out.
Lisa then watched attentively as she knows that this guy is also quite special.
Right now, there were already four students with a score of 7 points so she was curious whether he could exceed their scores or not. Perhaps, the only remaining students she thought of getting a passing score were Dalton, Warren, and Jody who knows plenty of things.
Unfortunately, she was thinking too much. Dalton only scored 5 points and Warren only scored 6 points.
As for Jody, she only got 4 correct answers!
Lisa suddenly had to readjust her understanding of her ssmates'' intelligence¡
''Having a high Spirit Strand doesn''t seem to mean having high intelligence¡ It''s unlike the book I''ve read. Or perhaps there''s a catch?''
Lisa mused as she felt puzzled at the result of this assessment.
''Well, having high intelligence doesn''t mean you''ll be omniscient. You still need to study things and learn them through normal methods.''
The exam for this ss was soon over and it was confirmed that no one passed.
Nevertheless, Professor Harrison wasn''t bothered by it as if she was expecting this result.
Before she left the ssroom, she reminded her students.
"Getting a perfect score in my assessment will be very difficult from now on so I''ll be considerate and wouldn''t mark your grades as failed."
After she left everyone was baffled for a moment¡ However, someone soon realized what was going on¡
Leonore looked at Vale amusedly and muttered. "So she made it difficult so someone won''t think of getting a ss Advancement Exam¡ No wonder it was so strange."
As soon as she said this, everyone''s eyes lit up in understanding.
Perhaps, the professors have already heard about Vale''s n to skip the Intermediate Arithmetic ss!
The Professors don''t seem to like this idea and made changes to their exams and made it even more difficult!
"So it was Vale''s fault¡" Lisa chimed in as she teased Vale.
Chad and others followed after and Vale didn''t seem to mind all these jokes. He knows he was just being teased and took it lightly.
The next assessment soon followed.
It was from Music and Arts ss and although it was a difficult exam, it is within eptable range, unlike Professor Harrison''s impossible-to-pass assessment.
They simply have to write down several dance and musical rituals done by humans in the past that have been transformed into modern rituals.
These things appear quite random for them and they probably wouldn''t use this in the near future¡ Nevertheless, Vale found this type of knowledge very important since he wouldn''t be staying here in the academy forever.
He would soon get out of here after he takes his shadow from the current Headmaster. It may not be in this year but it''ll definitely happen in a few years after he umted enough "favor" from the Headmaster.
"Vale, let''s have our early lunch¡" Lisa invited Vale after seeing that he was still seated.
The others have already stood up and rushed to the cafeteria since they were all hungry.
Vale then stood up and followed the others.
At this time, he also recalled something he was curious about¡
Since Lisa seem to know plenty of things he decided to ask her about the matter that''s been on his head over the past couple of days.
"Lisa, have you heard about the Arena Master in the Academy?"
Vale asked softly. He can still recall how the Headmaster called the President of the Battle Arena Committee an Arena Master. He has dyed researching it since he thought of asking Secretary Nadine about this after their next meeting.
However, after recalling how Lisa has been studious all this time, Vale thought of asking her instead.
Chad and Aubrey listened to their conversation but didn''t make anyments.
They didn''t seem surprised after hearing the word Arena Master so they must be aware of it as well.
Lisa then thought for a moment as she recalled what she had read about it.
"Arena Master? Well, I only know that you can only get that title after winning 10 duels in a row¡ Those duels must be in the same batch or in the higher years to be counted. Right, I seem to have read that your Club President must have this title to be elected."
Lisa replied.
Vale thanked her for answering this as he finally had some rification about this matter.
''Arena Master, huh¡ I wonder what benefit they''ll get from having that title.'' Vale said inwardly. He knows that the Academy wouldn''t be so stingy in giving rewards so he felt a bit curious.
In any case, their group didn''t take long to finish their meal. It was a couple of pieces of buttered bread, a slice of meat, and a cold pudding¡
After they returned to their ssroom, it was time for their assessment of the Darkness Arcane Path.
As they were expecting a difficult exam, Professor Lucius Angrt simply told them that recording the Darkness Maniption is already their assessment.
Instead of giving them a difficult exam, the Professor decided to lecture those who hadn''t recorded their third Dark Spell yet.
However, before he did that, he looked at Vale and asked seriously.
"Student Vale, you''re the only one who had recorded the Dark Spell ahead of schedule. Since you''ve passed perfectly in my assessment, are you nning on taking ss Advancement Exam in my ss?"
Chapter 128 Secret Organization
"No, professor... I won''t be taking your ss Advancement Exam." Vale answered immediately without any hesitation. This shocked his ssmates for a moment as they thought that Vale would immediately take the opportunity.
They all looked at Vale as if they didn''t recognize him anymore.
''That''s weird¡ Is he really that Vale?''
''Perhaps, he''s not really that impressive¡ What is he afraid of?''
''I''ll be taking that opportunity if it was me.''
''Well, he''s not omniscient so he''s probably unaware of many things. He''s only lucky to have an advanced study in arithmetic.''
This is the thought of some of his ssmates as they heard Vale''s answer.
Professor Lucius looked at Vale for a moment before asking once more.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Professor." Vale answered.
"Very well¡ Just in case, I would like to ask if there are others who had finished recording the spell?" Professor Lucius asked everyone this time.
After not hearing any answers from his students, he understood that Vale was still the only one who had finished the Spell Recording.
"Alright... I want everyone to record the spell as quickly as possible. If you haven''t recorded the spell within the next weeks, I will bring you a stronger version of Darkness Pill to help you with the recording ritual. It will greatly help you to ease the burden brought by creating the Spell Model but the pill isn''t for free. You have to pay 5,000 zen per piece¡" Professor Lucius exined.
The price may not be that expensive for those rich merchants and nobles but for some of them who came from a poor family, they were obviously frightened by this amount.
This includes Lisa who was worried about not being able to purchase the pill.
Currently, most of them were only using the free Magic Circle in the Ceremony Hall. It should give them a 30% chance of sess rate in their Spell Recording but it is obviously not enough to have a sessful Spell Recording.
"Professor, why are we in such a hurry? I heard from our seniors in the Second Year that they were only required to learn the Darkness Maniption Spell after two or three months. Not even two months had passed in our ss." Neil suddenly said as he has a connection to some higher years.
This question is also something that many of them wanted to ask.
Luckily, Neil has a thick face and would always ask questions without any hesitation.
"Let''s just say that the peaceful era mighte to an end soon¡ What would you do?" Professor Lucius asked.
This question rmed all of the students as so many thoughts immediately surfaced in their minds.
Neil thought for a moment as he answered matter-of-factly.
"We need to get stronger of course¡ Although the Dark Arts Faction has many strong practitioners and the Order of the Evanescent Vessels is incredibly powerfulpared to the other Secret Orders, they still have limited numbers. Our own strength is what will matter in case we''re at war once more."
Professor Lucius nodded at this as he continued.
"He''s right¡ Your own strength won''t betray you. Although this thing won''t happen any time soon, it can still happen."
"Professor, what about the Treaty of Keslore? Is it about to lose its effect?" Vale asked this time. He can''t imagine that the Treaty would just be disregarded like that.
That treaty is the one that made their Dark Arts Faction "epted" as part of the Arcane Paths making the eleven members of the Association of the Harmonius Arcane Paths into twelve. Vale believed that it would at least take another generation or two before changes can be made to this treaty, especially if the current king was reced.
"It''s still effective¡ However, a huge disturbance has been happening in some other Factions. Some of them are being med on our Dark Arts Faction even if we don''t have rtion in those incidents."
"What? Someone is trying to me our faction?" Chad asked in surprise.
"Yes¡ However, since we are also attacked by these mysterious individuals, their suspicion of us has weakened a lot."
"Ahh? Who dared to attack us?" Leonore asked with genuine surprise.
The Dark Arts Faction may have suffered from the previous war but that was because they have no allies!
They were fighting multiple factions while on their own. They even get to make these factions suffer tremendously and they had no choice but to agree with the treaty that Morgan Vermont suggested.
Although the treaty suppressed them because they were banned to practice some dangerous Dark Arts, they were at least able to grow in other branches of the Dark Arts and multiplied their practitioners by over twenty times in just a few years.
In short, Leonore knows very well that the current Dark Arts Faction is scarier than it previously was.
Professor Lucius shook his head at this question and answered.
"We don''t know as well¡ It will soon be posted on the bulletin boards of your clubs so you''ll know more about it. Anyway, I''ll let you know a few things about them now. It''s a secret organization and as you expected, we don''t even know of their official name. We only know that this organization isprised of multiple rogue practitioners of different Arcane Paths¡"
"What''s their goal professor?" Chad Bulmung asked.
"We don''t know¡ We only know that this organization sent a few people to our Academy to find and steal something. It''s a pocketwatch with an unknown purpose. If you have any information about a mystical pocketwatch with strange abilities, then you have to immediately let us know."
Professor Lucius solemnly said.
In the meantime, Vale froze at this sudden revtion.
He didn''t know that the Academy was actually attacked and this matter might even be rted to his golden pocketwatch!
''Are they searching for my pocketwatch? This is dangerous¡'' Vale''s mind raced quickly as he knows that he has to do something about it¡
Although he''s not hundred percent sure that it was his pocketwatch that was being tracked, there is still a high chance of it happening.
Currently, the pocketwatch is just ced on his room''s study table and could be found easily.
At this time, Vale''s eyes lit up as he recalled his beautiful Dark Spirit.
''Right¡ Dark Spirit, can you bring a mystical item in my shadow?''
Chapter 129 In Trouble
Vale frowned after he felt the Dark Spirit''s reaction.
"Why is that?" Vale muttered.
The Dark Spirit wasn''t speaking to him but he can feel her intentions, her needs, and her emotions.
As soon as he asked the previous question, he felt the Dark Spirit''s repulsion over mystical items. She can''t store any mystical items in his shadow at all just like what happened with the cadaver bag. It was quite baffling so Vale couldn''t help but be curious about it.
In the end, he decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with his dark spiritter this evening.
He hadn''t done sost night because he had so many things on his mind because of the assessment¡ In any case, he has so many questions with his Dark Spirit¡ He would ask her about her real appearance, her powers to give him prophetic dreams, the power to store things in his shadow, and her repulsion to mystical items.
Without a doubt, all of these things were something he wanted to rify since these were matters that he could never find in the books.
***
The ss soon ended and everyone couldn''t help but discuss the secret organization.
Some of them even started guessing the name of this organization based on the clues they have.
"Do you think they''re called the Rogue Spellcasters?" Chad suggested.
"That''s ame name¡ I think they''re called the Time Stealers Organization instead. Perhaps, the pocketwatch they''re searching for can control time." Jody suddenly suggested as she joined Vale''s group going to the cafeteria.
Well, her group of friends decided to immediately return to their dormitory and didn''t bother to have their lunch.
Since she doesn''t want to eat alone, she joined Vale''s group instead.
"Time Stealers Organization¡ That sounds awesome alright¡ As expected of our journalist ssmate." Lisamented as she thought that this name sounded cool as well.
She then paused for a moment before she added.
"Right, I think they can also be called the Thirteenth Path¡"
At this suggestion, everyone''s eyes lit up, and looked at Lisa with new light¡
"Thirteenth Path sounds cooler!" Jody reacted as she felt that this name idea might be useful in her future mystery-type articles.
"Indeed¡ That''s a good one, Lisa¡ I can''t even think of a proper one." Aubrey added as she doesn''t have a good naming sense at all. Even her dog was simply named Gran which means Gold in the Oardguage.
"How about you, Vale? Can you try to give them a name?" Jody asked as they all found an empty table to gather.
Their meal for today wasn''t that appetizing but would certainly give them energy for their club activities if they have one today.
They have beans and bacon with savory eggs, fried potatoes, and toast. It seems like a breakfast meal but no one wouldin.
"¡"
Vale started scratching his chin as he wasn''t able to answer since he didn''t think of any names at all. After a few moments, he tried...
"Well¡ How about the Viin Order?" Vale suggested after thinking for a while. It''s definitely a bad name but at least, he tried.
"That''s not going to work, Vale." Chadmented.
"That''s a bit too direct but that''s a good try." Lisa chimed in.
Vale could only chuckle as he knows that it was not a good name as well. In any case, he was thankful to know that there is actually a huge organization that is possibly aiming for his pocketwatch.
At first, he thought that they were simply gangsters who were looking for an expensive-looking pocketwatch.
However, that is obviously not the case after learning that several factions were attacked because of their search for this item¡
Of course, it''s still possible that he was imagining things and they weren''t searching for his pocketwatch¡ The possibility is only high but it wasn''t certain yet.
After their lunch, some of them visited their clubrooms while Lisa went to the Ceremony Hall to apply what she learned from the Professor.
Although she doesn''t have any Darkness Pill to help her, it''s not impossible to simply rely on the Magic Circle so she decided to try it for now.
In any case, Vale also promised to help them thising Sunday in case they still failed their spell recording.
"Vale, you should go to the club tomorrow!"
A familiar voice suddenly called out to him as he was returning to his dorm.
It was Philip Hoffman, his batchmate in the Battle Arena Committee.
Vale turned to his back and asked.
"What''s in the club tomorrow?"
Philip was actually not alone and behind him was Prisci. It seems that they were returning to the Seven Pirs Garden as well.
"Did you forget? We''re tasked to clean the Archive!"
As soon as he said this, Vale felt excited. He had almost forgotten about it! Thankfully, Philip reminded him today or he would''ve missed it if he feltzy going to the club.
"You''re right¡ Let''s clean the Archive Room together." Vale answered with a meaningful smile on his face.
On the other hand, Prisci seem to be frowning as she looked at Vale with aplicated gaze.
"Prisci¡ Are you not happy that we''re going to clean the Archive Room?" Vale asked.
"Aahh¡ It''s not like that. Well¡ You see, I saw your girlfriend and she seemed to be troubled. She''s surrounded by a few senior students and I''m not sure if she was acquainted with them¡ However, I might''ve seen her terrified¡ Can you check if she''s really alright or I''m just imagining things?"
"¡"
Vale didn''t immediately react.
He certainly has some female friends but not a girlfriend¡
At first, Vale thought that Prisci was making a joke but as she continued, he realized that she had mistaken something and that she was serious about this whole thing.
Vale took a deep breath as he processed these things quickly in his mind.
"Are you referring to Leonore Rnd?" Vale asked with a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"Yes." Prisci answered with a gentle nod.
Vale wryly smiled as he continued.
"I understand¡ First of all, she''s not my girlfriend. I''ll be in deep trouble if she has a fianc¨¦ from a high nobility. Where is she? If she''s in trouble, we should call for a Professor''s help."
Chapter 130 Clarification
"Wait¡ Leonore is not your girlfriend?!" Philip asked in surprise.
"No¡ I''m only 14! What are you thinking!" Vale couldn''t help but raise his voice as well. Furthermore, only his body was 14 but his mind or soul is older than that!
He doesn''t feelfortable with this thought since his modern mind wouldn''t allow him to do so. It may be normal here to get married early due to traditions and bloodline matters but as much as he can, he would certainly avoid it.
"Fourteen is already not a bad time for a rtionship¡ If it works well, you can just married at 16 then---"
"Stop¡ Stop¡ We need to search for Leonore first." Vale interrupted Philip''s next words as he knows it already. It may not be prohibited byw but his mind is prohibiting him¡
It wasn''t appropriate at all. He may consider some romance in his life but that would happen if he''s already at the right age so he wouldn''t get burdened by his conscience.
At the moment, he''s more interested in corpses that he can extract¡
''Ugh¡ What am I even thinking¡'' Vale shook his head as he cleared his thoughts.
Prisci also looked at her brother with a meaningful gaze to make him stop.
She then exined where she found Leonore and everything she witnessed at that time.
Of course, hearing that his ssmate may be in trouble, Vale didn''t hesitate to offer help.
If those seniors were really messing with Leonore and they didn''t misunderstand their intention, he wouldn''t mind helping her¡ No matter what, Leonore has been kind to him and she''s also very approachable¡
Currently, their group is heading to the West Pavilion Garden, or known as the Red Crow Garden because of the wooden sculpture at its center spot.
This garden is near the Ceremony Hall so it wasn''t surprising that there were first-year students here that have gathered.
''Right¡ I should inform someone.'' Vale immediately reminded himself.
If Leonore is really in trouble with some higher years, he knows that he would also be in trouble if he meddled with them without any preparation.
With this in mind, he spoke to his Dark Spirit and gave it an instruction.
Then, he also asked Philip to get a Professor that he knows.
Luckily, they were still in the Hoffman Family which is the same n as the Headmaster. It shouldn''t be a problem to get some help with their reputation.
"Alright¡ There''s an Elder in the Ceremony Hall, I''ll inform him quickly." Philip said as he swiftly left Prisci and Vale. He knows the importance of this matter as well.
Although this academy has rules that should protect its students, it''s not a guarantee that will make you safe inside this Academy of Dark Arts. It can be easily understood just by recalling how Vale killed a fellow first-year student a few weeks ago.
''Where is she?'' Vale muttered as he looked at the garden¡ It was spacious with many ornamental nts. It''s also filled with tall wintergreen boxwood shrubs that are blocking their view. Vale only knows that the garden is also designed to have five spots where people can gather¡
At its very center was the pavilion with the Red Crow sculpture¡
''Tsk¡''
Since he can''t find her, he decided to just enter his Phantasm State and search for Leonore''s whereabouts.
"They''re on that side¡ Behind the center pavilion." Prisci pointed as she seem to have a huge range of magic zone or perhaps some other means that he wasn''t aware of.
In any case, Vale also realized her location and she''s indeed surrounded by six other students.
"Let''s go quickly¡" Prisci said as she suddenly moved faster¡
Vale then felt the fluctuation of dark energy and realized that she was using a movement spell!
"Movement Spell?!" Vale asked in shock.
He thought that he can only learn it in his third year in the Academy!
''Ugh¡ I want to learn that too¡'' Vale bit his lower lip as he watch Prisci.
However, thetter seems to have noticed that Vale doesn''t know a movement spell so she quickly realized her mistake and returns.
"Ahem¡ Aren''t we prohibited from using Dark Spells?" Vale asked weakly after seeing her return.
Prisci didn''t seem bothered by this reminder as she replied with confidence.
"It''s fine as long as the Ethics Committee won''t catch you. Hold my hand."
She then offered her right hand to Vale.
"¡"
Vale didn''t immediately take her hand. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before he swiftly grabbed her hands.
''It''s warm¡'' Vale thought as thest female body he held was cold.
Vale sighed inwardly as he can''t believe that this is what he was thinking. He should be worried about his ssmate right now.
Well, it has been a while since he held a warm hand so he felt like this is some sort of unique experience.
Vale then observed Prisci''s movement spell¡
It seems to be a Movement Spell with a high level of mastery considering how he was also affected just by holding her hand.
He also noticed how his feet were sliding easily on the ground while Prisci was dragging him. Dark energy has gathered under his feet and he doesn''t have to move at all!
He simply allowed Prisci to lead him to the location!
He even found a field-type spell that seems to be the reason why it was difficult to locate them... Vale then decided to use his Spell Dispersion to remove this suspicious spell. He doesn''t know what more it can do so it''s better to remove it.
"We''re here¡" Prisci finally said as she saw the group gathered around Leonore.
They have really chosen a spot where other students would rarelye by. Furthermore, Professors would rarely go around this area so they actually dared to Leonore!
Currently, she was already on the ground holding her left cheek¡
It can be easily guessed that Leonore was pped or punched by one of the senior students.
"Hmm? Did you call your boyfriend?"
As soon as they arrived, one of the seniors also noticed their presence.
On his coat, were 7 eight-angled stars showing that he was a 7th-year student of the Academy.
His aura was different from the violent Larkin Neveil of the 6th-year, it was incredibly still and deep like an ocean¡
Even Vale can tell how different this guy waspared to the other students. His aura was close to his Club President, Noah Featherstar!
Chapter 131 Disappointment
Vale frowned as he felt that this person tall guy with ck hair simr to him was incredibly dangerous¡
Seeing a fellow ck-haired guy made Vale interested at first but as soon as he saw Leonore''s condition, he can only feel disdain for the guy.
Six students around 20 years old are ganging up on a barely 14 years old girl!
Vale couldn''t help but look at them with disappointment¡
"Seniors, are you harming my ssmate?" Vale asked the seventh-year students but he was looking at Leonore.
She was frozen on her spot perhaps unable toprehend why a handsome young man like him appeared in such a great time to rescue her¡
Vale sighed as he erased his random thoughts. It seems that Leonore was pped so hard she turned into a mute.
"She joined our Club and it''s normal for us to do this¡ You don''t have to bother us¡ You can leave now while I''m still being polite." The ck-haired senior said as he threatened Vale.
His voice was a bit hoarse as if he was trying to sound more intimidating. He didn''t cast any Dark Spell but it appears that he can do so at a moment''s notice.
On the other hand, Vale had a sudden realization about all this fuss¡
''Is this some sort of hazing I heard about?'' Vale muttered inwardly as he recalled his past life. Although he didn''t experience such things since he can''t even be invited to join clubs or fraternities since he always has to work in his free time, he still heard plenty of stories about this sort of thing.
There were even some unfortunate people who died during this type of hazing¡ ording to some news he heard at the very least.
Anyway, he can''t understand why these people would actually agree to get hurt or experience pain just to be epted in their fraternity or whatever club it was.
They said that it was to establish brotherhood but he believes that it was just all stupidity.
"Leonore, you have to speak up so I know what I''ll do." Vale ignored the man and spoke to Leonore once more.
If she wanted to leave or if the senior is not telling the truth, he wanted to at least hear it from Leonore first.
To make sure, he also swiftly cast a Spell Dispersion around her so that any control-type spell used on her would be removed at this instant.
As much as he wanted to help her, Leonore must also want to be helped or it will just be him beingbeled as too nosy.
Prisci understood this as well so she simply shut her mouth and observed the situation¡
From her point of view, she can tell that Leonore was hesitating.
She had mixed emotions and embarrassment seem to be the one on top of it. It wasn''t that surprising since her ssmate saw her in such a shameful position.
"Hey, Leonore¡ Answer quickly so these guys can leave." The ck-haired guy, who seemed to be the leader of the group, grunted as he ordered Leonore.
"Right, it seems that this guy had also broken my Solemn Field Spell. I want to know how he did that¡ We can''t make him leave just yet¡"
Another 7th-year student with a plump face added as he looked at Vale and then at Prisci who was standing behind the former.
"Tsk¡ You can handle itter. Who told you to set up a weak Field Spell¡" The leader said as he wanted to quickly finish this matter.
"Alright¡ alright¡ I''ll look for himter¡" The plump student said as he shook his head in disappointment.
In the meantime, Leonore finally decided on what to do¡
"Thank you foring here, Vale¡ This person here is the Vice-President of the Fortune Telling Club, Hector Gabb, and is one of the Dark Seers of the Academy. I''m fine. You can leave now¡" As she said this, she wasn''t looking at Vale but looking at the ground.
She doesn''t want to exin more about what was happening but it was enough for Vale.
Vale couldn''t help but crease his brows for a moment as he now understands why Leonore had such aplicated look¡
She had wanted to learn the Dark Seer Spell so much that she would rather get humiliated and hurt than pass up the chance.
Obviously, Leonore has probably researched a lot and realized that the only way of learning the Dark Seer Spell is to be part of the Fortune Telling Club.
Perhaps, not even some contribution points would allow her to learn this rare Dark Spell.
''I thought that this club is just a simple assembly that gathers divination enthusiasts¡ As expected of the Dark Arts Academy, anything can be unpredictable.''
Vale sighed as he realized that Leonore was telling the truth¡
He used his Spell Dispersion spell and so he knows that Leonore is not affected by any type of Dark Spell right now.
At this point, he can only give up¡
"Very well¡" Vale didn''t say anything more as he held Prisci''s hands and turned away. He didn''t expect that Leonore would be such a decisive girl even at such a young age.
Leonore looked at the receding figures as she bit her lips¡ There are many things in her mind right now but she just can''t give up the opportunity of learning that Dark Spell.
Her position in the Rnd Family is alsoplicated¡
''Thank you foring here¡'' Leonore muttered inwardly as she closed her eyes and waited for this "ceremony" to be over.
***
"What happened?" Philip asked as he met his sister and Vale going out of the garden.
He was already with the Elder from the Ceremony Hall so Vale can only exin everything that had happened.
The Elder didn''t seem surprised about this situation but he still decided to act.
"Although the Club Activities are rarely monitored, these types of activities that involve possible injuries must still be supervised by the advisers of the Club. I can still take a look." The Elder who seemed to be in his forties and wearing a gambler hat spoke in a gentle tone as he looked in the direction where Leonore and the others were.
Chapter 132 Insufficient
"He seemed like a responsible guy¡ Who is he?" Vale asked curiously as the Elder left in the direction they came from.
"He''s Elder Richey. One of the Elders in the Ceremony Hall¡ He''s ]a good friend of our family. I call him uncle when we''re alone. But¡ Vale, are you going to keep holding my sister''s hand? Although she''s not telling you off, it doesn''t mean you should keep doing that¡"
Philip asked while looking at Vale and Prisci''s hands. They were tightly holding each other''s hand and he can''t help but feel ufortable about it.
Vale''s eyes widened as he realized what he was doing and quickly removed his hands from her and apologized¡
"I''m sorry about that. It probably felt morefortable than the cold bodies I''m used to¡ªNo, I mean¡ Ugh, Nothing¡ I''m not going to exin anymore." Vale sighed at himself as he realized that talking more would just make the matter worse.
In the meantime, Prisci couldn''t help but chuckle at Vale''s panic reaction.
"So Headmaster Jean was right¡" Philip muttered while gently nodding his head.
Once more, Vale decided not to ask what he heard from the Headmaster. He had enough of this so he just shifted the topic.
"Ahem¡ Let''s return to our dormitory¡ I think that the Elder can handle this matter. It''s no longer rted to us.".
Philip didn''t mind this suggestion as he looked in the direction of the garden once more before agreeing to Vale...
"Right¡ Ourst subject will end at one o''clock tomorrow. How about you?"
"It''s the same¡" Vale answered as they started walking back.
"Good¡ We''ll clean the Archive Room at around 1:30 so you have to finish your lunch quickly."
Vale nodded since ''cleaning'' the Archive Room also means ''watching'' the recordings so they have to be there at the same time.
They soon separated in the Seven Pirs Garden as Prisci and Philip returned to the third and fourth rooms respectively.
After Vale entered his room, he realized that Harith and Zeno were out yet so he decided to just hide his pocketwatch in the middle of his stacked clothes.
He doesn''t really have other ce he could hide this thing.
He then took a quick shower before taking a nap.
He felt more refreshed this way.
After waking up, Vale recalled the corpse that he kept inside his shadow¡
He stood up to check that his door was locked and his curtain was covering the window. He didn''t want any more rumors attached to him so he has to ensure that no one watches him.
"Dark Spirit¡ Take the corpse out¡" Vale instructed.
Since he can''t really ess the "storage space" he has tomunicate with the Dark Spirit first.
"Right, do you mind if I give you a name? Calling you a Dark Spirit seems inappropriate¡ Furthermore, can I see your face again? Ahem¡ It''s not like I want to see it and appreciate your beauty once more. I just need to be sure I didn''t make a mistake¡ Ah, that''s right¡ You have some semnce to someone I know so I just want to check¡ No, I''m not making up reasons." Vale exined himself even after the Dark Spirit expressed her doubt over his reason.
Whom~
The Dark Spirit suddenly came out of his shadow bringing the cold corpse with her.
Thud¡
The cold corpse rested on the floor but Vale wasn''t focused on it.
He was looking at the dark spirit that was still shrouded with dark mist so he can''t see her face.
"Dark Spirit¡ It''s just the two of us. Can you not hide yourself when you''re with me?" Vale asked.
The Dark Spirit didn''t immediately reply as if it was hesitating whether to show itself or not.
After some hesitation, the Spirit agreed and Vale saw the dark mist slowly dissipating.
Gulp¡
Vale couldn''t help but feel excited as he gradually saw the heavenly appearance of the spirit¡ Her whole body was translucent but Vale can still see her face very clearly. Her long dark hair and her deep ck eyes were so captivating as she was solemnly looking at him.
Vale can''t believe that such a beautiful being has infamy because of their aggressive behavior and instincts to harm mankind. He can''t believe it at all.
"Why would they call you a Dark Spirit? Aren''t you supposed to be a Celestial Spirit or something simr?" Vale asked as he waited for the unique response of the Spirit.
However, contrary to his expectation, the Dark Spirit didn''t simply reply by making him feel her intention or emotion but she suddenly started speaking!
"Dark Spirit is my race, I''m not a Celestial Spirit¡ I don''t have a name so you can just call me whatever you want."
The voice from the Celestial¡ªNo, from the Dark Spirit sounded so ethereal and Vale was unable to immediately react.
He wasn''t even sure at first whether the voice came from the Spirit or not in those few seconds!
After a few moments of realization, Vale took a deep breath to collect his thoughts.
"Then, let me give you a name..." Vale can think of many female names if he wanted to but there are only a few names that he was greatly ustomed to. One of them is Alexa¡
However, calling her Alexa might feel a bit weird.
Vale hesitated for a moment as he observes the spirit floating in front of him¡
This spirit is indeed kind of translucent all over her body but around her feet, it had almost turned transparent¡ She was alsopletely naked and what was helping Vale from having some reaction was her really long hair that is covering some parts of her body.
"Lotus¡ ck Lotus--No, just Lotus¡ I will call you Lotus from now on, is that alright?" Vale asked after thinking for a moment.
"Lotus? It''s fine¡ Is it the name of your past lover?" Lotus, the Dark Spirit, asked without any hesitation.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Vale didn''t expect such a questioning from her. He didn''t think that this Dark Spirit had such amunication skill!
It appears that his knowledge of the Spirit World is greatly insufficient!
Chapter 133 Lotus
"Lotus, can you tell me a few things about the Spirit World? What does it look like? What do you do there? Your poption¡ Your enemies there¡ Your friends or anything¡"
Vale asked a series of questions as he can''t contain his curiosity... His knowledge about the Spirit World is greatly limited. Knowing about the ce she was living in before would greatly impact his understanding of her.
Lotus pursed her lips as she slowly sat on Vale''s bed¡
"I think I''ve lost some of my memories after leaving the Spirit World¡ I can only recall a few things like the rules we''ve had, the mighty beings that were protecting our home, the things I''ve done in the ce, and some residents of the Spirit World¡ It seems that this is done to protect the security and privacy of the Spirit World¡" She replied after a moment of thought.
"I guess that''s understandable. In any case, you mention that the Spirit World needs to be protected¡ I wonder who are you wary of in the Spirit World¡ Is it us, humans? I mean, the Practitioners of Arcane Arts?" Vale asked as he crossed his fingers hoping that she would deny his question.
Lotus then shook her head and rified.
"It''s not¡ It is the other race from the Abyss. However, you can also say that we''re wary of your kind. Especially those who practice the Darkness Path and the Mystic Path." Lotus answered.
Vale frowned for a moment before nodding in acknowledgment¡ He needs to process what she just said.
''So the Abyss is real¡'' Vale muttered inwardly as he read about it in the forbidden book that he obtained from Master Heinz. However, he didn''t take note of it before since he thought it was something he wouldn''t encounter any time soon.
"The other race from the Abyss¡ Are you referring to the Church''s enemies? The demonic race?" Vale asked as he easily connected the clues he had.
Of the five prominent churches in the continent, only the Church of the Fortune Goddess and the Church of the Divine Sorcerer introduced the demon race that ought to bring humans into eternal suffering¡
If there was a ce where the demon race resides, the Abyss seems to be the perfect ce for them.
Lotus looked at Vale after hearing his question before nodding her head.
"I see¡ Then why are you warry of us who practices the Darkness Path and Mystic Path? Aren''t we supposed to be your friends? I think you should be more wary of the Holy Arts Faction or the Radiant Path. I''m pretty sure they''ll be exorcising your kind once they saw someone from the Spirit World..." Vale added.
However, Lotus didn''t answer and only looked at Vale with exasperation¡
Vale''s eyes widened as he seemed to understand what she was trying to say by that reaction.
"Are you telling me that the Holy Arts Faction has deep ties with Spirit World? Aaah--That''s actually possible." Vale paused as he realized that a faction greatly tied with one of the churches might indeed be connected to the Spirit World.
It''s certainly possible since the Church probably needs the resources or powers that the Spirit World can provide.
"Yes¡ As for the other details, I can''t remember them." Lotus replied.
"I understand¡ Can you at least tell me what can you do aside from hiding in my shadow and taking corpses with you?" Vale asked as he decided not to pry too much to matter she can''t remember.
Lotus then looked at Vale with a meaningful gaze before answering¡
"I can fight¡"
Just these words alone made Vale smile from ear to ear.
He chatted with Lotus for a while before she felt tired and returned to his shadow.
Since Vale is not using his Dark Energy to sustain Lotus'' presence in the real world, she had to use her own energy¡
Well, being able to stay active outside his shadow for almost two hours is already a good thing. Although it would lessen the amount of time if she decided to use her abilities, it is still quite a decent addition to his tactics. It can be considered as his additional trump card.
He now felt a bit more confident fighting against the Slender Zombie.
Headmaster Jean soon came to pick up the corpse and left his room like nothing happened.
On the next day, Vale attended the ss and got the results of his previous monthly assessment.
"Congrattions, Vale¡ You got a perfect score on your monthly assessment. As you inquired before, you''re allowed to request a ss Advancement Examination¡ If you pass, you can skill this ss and use your time freely. If you fail, however, you have to be my Student Assistant for the rest of the year. So, what''s your n?" Professor Russel Ravinie of the Intermediate Arithmetic ss announced after entering the ssroom.
No one uttered any words as they waited for Vale to answer.
They were all interested in whatever the oue will be.
Vale hesitated for a moment before asking some questions.
"Do I have to perfect the ss Advancement Exam as well?"
Although he''s confident in his skills, he still felt worried that there would be plenty of tricky questions that he might miss one or two¡
"No need¡ You only have to at least get 85% and you''re good." Professor Russel answered.
"If that''s the case, can I also ask about the coverage of the exam?"
"The coverage is everything that I''ll be teaching for the rest of the year. You should''ve checked the Intermediate Arithmetic book already."
"I understand¡ Please allow me to take the exam, then."
As soon as Vale said this, everyone in the ss, except Leonore, looked at Vale with mixed emotions. Some of them are shocked, and excited, while a few of them disdained his guts.
As for Leonore, she didn''t attend the ss today due to some unknown reason.
"Very well, I''ll fill up the request form for the ss Advancement Examination. Once one of the Vice-Headmasters approved of it, you''ll be immediately informed. It will take a week or even less so it won''t be long."
Chapter 134 Mission
News about Vale''s brave attempt to take the ss Advancement Exam one of the stressful subjects in the first year made him famous once more.
Perhaps, the column assigned for the first-year batch was always filled with his name.
Furthermore, it''s to be expected that Vale would remain on the topic discussion until his result was out.
Chad, Lisa, and Aubrey didn''t even care about their results in the Fundamentals of the Magic Zone including the Physical and Health Education.
Their result in these exams won''t really affect their final grade as they heard.
With that in mind, as long as they got an average score in the ss, it would be enough for them.
After the ss was over, Vale looked at Leonore''s desk as he hesitated whether to ask someone about her condition¡
''No¡ I should stop getting involved in such matters for now. I need to focus on the battle recordings¡'' Vale thought as he went to eat his lunch with his friends before walking straight to his clubroom.
The others also went to their own clubs and busied themselves.
Only Lisa didn''t go to the Library, or her club''s area, as she decided to attempt recording his Darkness Maniption Spell once more.
"You''re finally here..." Philip said after seeing Vale enter the clubroom.
At this time, Vale also noticed Nadine, ra, and Prisci who seemed to be in the middle of a discussion.
"I''m pretty sure I''m notte..." Vale said as he knows the current time.
"Yes¡ We arrived first since our ss ended 30 minutes early. Our professor is quite likable." Philip replied with a smile.
It seems he''s also excited to see some battle recordings that are worth being saved in the Archive.
"Alright, Vale. You can sit down for now. ra is here to give a task to the three of you. It''s about the purchase of the Recording Crystal. As you know, we can''t really make these things in our academy. We have to purchase it elsewhere outside the Academy. So our club is responsible for doing that and you, first years are assigned to do such menial tasks¡"
Nadine exined as she gestured to ra, who is the Treasurer of the club, to continue.
"Do we have to do it now?" Vale asked.
This time, it was ra who answered.
"No¡ However, it will be on the 10th of June, Sunday since there will be a few students who will start challenging the Elite Ranking. In any case, you have to purchase 500 Recording Crystals and the budget has already been approved¡" ra paused for a moment as she looked at the other two.
"I''m just about to tell Philip and Prisci that the ce it can be purchased has been changed. As you know, the one handling the Recording Crystal production is apany under the Mystic Arts Faction. We are purchasing directly from them instead from the distributors. However, we recently received an offer from Alchemy Arts Faction to purchase from them at a discounted price. We need a good rtionship with this faction so we agreed¡"
"Ohh¡ Do we not have a good rtionship with the Alchemists?" Vale asked curiously.
ra shook her head at this and exined.
"Not really¡ We''re just starting a good one¡ However, the Alchemy Arts Faction has been at odds with the Mystic Arts Faction over the past few years due to some territorial dispute. They might be nning to slowly take all of their customers so they''re the ones who approached us... Well, it''s not like we''re no longer going to purchase from the Mystica Arts Faction. We will only lessen the amount since, no matter what, they''re still our partners."
Vale nodded in understanding¡ It seems that the Dark Arts Faction isn''tpletely unlikable. Perhaps, they were only besieged by the other Arcane Path, not because of hatred but as a matter of profit.
"I understand¡ How do weplete this purchase?" Philip asked as he leaned closer to the table.
"You''ll have to go outside the Academy''s territory. The three of you will have permission to leave using our Academy Airship. The transaction will happen on the 10th and it will be in Charville City''s Alchemy Branch¡ They have a business there called Retro Relics Antiques and you''ll bepleting your transaction in that ce."
ra then further exined that the visit to the city isn''t just for their mission. Other professors and students will be joining them in the airship toplete various missions in Charville City.
They will be leaving the city around six in the morning and are expected to arrive at the city after three hours of journey. Then, they were expected to leave on the evening of the next day.
"Are we exempt in our ss?" Philip asked.
Since they''ll be returning on Monday evening, they will obviously miss the morning ss.
ra looked at him with a smile before shaking her head.
"No¡ There will be no sses on the 11th of June that''s why we chose this date."
"What the asion?" Prisci asked.
"Hmm¡ Was it not taught in your history ss?" Nadine asked.
This time, Vale''s eyes lit up as he recalled the event that had happened on this specific date.
"Is it for the celebration of that event? The recapture of the Dark Sorcerer Tower?" Vale asked with interest.
Prisci and Philip also recalled this topic in ss. Well, they weren''t really interested in the history of the Faction. It''s enough for them to know a bit about their origin. They''re much more inclined to know about the present situation.
Nevertheless, they can still easily recall this matter after being reminded.
The recapture of the Dark Sorcerer Tower was actually a huge matter in the previous war. This happened after the great feat that the Gold Necromancer had done in the past.
"So it''s a celebration for recalling that event¡ Recapturing the Dark Sorcerer Tower was led by Morgan Vermont, the one who established the Academy. I guess it''s not that surprising, huh¡" Philip muttered
"That''s right¡ And one more thing¡ Professor Ste Harwin will join you guys since she also has business with the Alchemists. If you have concerns on that day, you can talk to her."
Chapter 135 Archive Room
"Ahem¡ Then, can we now clean the Archive Room?" Vale asked after the arrangement was made.
Although he was looking forward to going out of the Academy and getting into another city, he was more excited to see the battle recordings in the Archive Room.
He wanted to watch variousbat styles of the Spellcasters of this faction to broaden his horizon but what was more important is to find a collection of battle recordings with Slender Zombies involved!
His battle against Larkin Nevil''s Slender Zombie would not be easy since it wasn''t only him having 2 months of preparation, it was also the same for his opponent.
With that in mind, Vale can''t take this matter lightly since he hadn''t seen how a Slender Zombie fights while Larkin must''ve heard about his battle against Wilfred Moontomb.
ra smiled and looked at Nadine about this matter.
Well, she was like them when she had a chance of cleaning the Archive Room so she can understand how they feel.
"Well, if you have no more questions about your trip on the 10th, then go ahead and get your cleaning tools. Here''s the key to the Archive Room. I''ll be leaving already so just lock the door. Prisci, I''ll take the key from youter this evening. I''ll visit your room around seven¡ Is that alright?"
Nadine provided a series of instructions as Vale and Philip found their cleaning tools in the locker.
As soon as their ready, Prisci unlocked the door with the key she got from Nadine¡
The two seniors were watching the three with a hint of a smile on their faces.
"Alright¡ Just wipe the crystals properly and return them to their previous positions. Don''t break them. The item inventory list is on the book on your left side¡ We''re going to leave now." Nadine said as she left the clubroom with ra.
"Thank you, Senior Nadine, ra¡" Philip and the other two replied as they entered the Archive Room.
The light within the room ising from the shelves where all the crystals are left.
The room was only small about half the size of a ssroom.
Nevertheless, it has a total of seven shelves with eight rows each¡ Vale then counted the number of carefully ced Recording Crystals and realized that there were 40 crystals in each row!
This means that each shelf has 320 crystals!
There is lot of them and the three students couldn''t retain their calm anymore.
"We''ll clean them all in half an hour and watch the recordings after. We have five hours to do this¡" Prisci reminded as held back the two from immediately browsing the Archive to find a suitable battle to watch.
The recording crystals can''t be easily viewed after all.
There is a device needed to project the content of the crystal and there is only one of it inside the room.
"Alright¡ Let''s clean, let''s clean¡ I''ll take the shelf on the right side. Vale, you can take the one on the left side. Prisci, start at the center." Philip said as he started walking to the side he pointed for himself.
Vale didn''t waste any more words as he got to work immediately.
Vale carefully picked up the crystal at the bottommost row of the shelf using a soft fabric that has been prepared for the cleaning.
The crystal seems to be the size of an infant''s fist and it''s surprisingly light. It''s probably only about 10 grams in weight and Vale even felt that the inside of the crystal was hallowed.
The crystal has a bit of dust but after wiping it with a special fabric, it would shine once more. Then, Vale noticed that there was a serial number engraved on the crystal¡ This must be the one being used to identify each crystal.
Vale continued his action and as time goes by, his movement became faster and faster¡
"Vale, don''t use your Ghost Hand¡" Philip suddenly spoke as if he could read his mind.
"I''m not nning to, don''t worry¡" Vale answered without looking. He just continued on with his actions.
It indeed came to his mind to use his Ghost Hand to work faster but the Crystal is just too fragile. One mistake and he wouldn''t even know how he would rece it. He might even get kicked out of the club if that happens. That is something he wanted to avoid so he needed to be careful at this moment.
Soon, the three students wiped their sweat as they finished their task in a bit less than an hour. They exceeded the timeframe they made but that is still alright since they weren''t used to the task yet.
"Whew! Now, let''s check the item list!"
Philip suggested as he stood up and checked the book of records. It contains the list of all of the Recording Crystals within the Archive Room.
"Vale, do you have a battle you want to watch? I already thought of one." Philip said as he browsed the book.
"Hmm¡ I just want to see any battles involving Slender Zombies." Vale replied.
"I see¡ Prisci wanted to watch any of the battles involving the current third rank in the Elite Rankings of the Academy¡ It was Senior Light." Philip exined.
"How about you?" Vale asked curiously while looking at Philip flipping the pages of the book.
"Ahem¡ I want to watch Senior Lesley''s battle. She already graduated from the Academy but I was told by the Headmaster I should watch her since her skills are incredible."
As soon as Vale heard Philip''s answer, he couldn''t help but freeze and smile wryly.
He didn''t expect that up until now, he would still hear her name.
"So you''re interested in her¡" Vale muttered.
"No¡ no¡ Although we''re from a different branch, she''s still a distant rtive¡" Philip immediately denied it.
Of course, Vale was simply teasing him so he didn''t push it too much.
Soon, they found all the recording crystals they wanted to watch. Vale found two crystals, Philip found three, and Prisci found four.
"Alright, let''s do this. Let''s do a rotation. Let''s watch one of Vale''s crystals first followed by one of my crystals, then Prisci¡" Philip suggested.
Chapter 136 Disgusting
Vale didn''t mind this arrangement so he immediately agreed.
Philip then took the projection device that would allow them to watch the contents of the crystal. The mechanical device reminded Vale of the projector in his past life.
Philip simply put the Crystal like some sort of Compact Disk inside the projection device and soon, the device activated.
It indeed seems like a projector as they have to use the wall of the room to view its content!
''Impressive¡ This is made through Mechanical Alchemy? Or is it just a normal technological advancement of this era?'' Vale mused as he started watching the battle from the referee''s view.
That''s right!
Vale was actually surprised after realizing this. He thought he''ll be watching it from the audience or spectator''s perspective or even from the bird''s eye perspective.
This is much better than he thought!
It is closer to the duelists on the stage and he could even clearly see their faces.
"Miles Ellis of the Necromancer Branch versus Rayleigh Henry of the Dark Magic Branch. Your battle starts¡ now."
The referee announces and his voice seems quite young. Vale could guess that it was a student referee even if he can''t see him.
Miles Ellis is a female student with long ck hair and dark patches on her natural white skin. Except for a book in her right hand, she doesn''t seem to have other weapons. In the meantime, Rayleigh Henry is a male student who is wielding a staff. However, the staff doesn''t seem like a weapon meant for striking but for casting spells.
The staff looks like a frozen blue snake, on its end was the snake''s mouth biting a fist-size red orb.
These mystical items weren''t on the list they''d studied. They would probably learn more about this in the next few sses.
Philip and Prisci were also watching the recording with full attention. No matter what, this will broaden their horizon about the real battle between spellcasters.
They know that this type of battle is nothingpared to Vale and Wilfred''s match¡
As soon as the battle started, it only took half a second before Miles summoned three types of undead.
There was a Slender Zombie, an Infested Zombie, and an Assassin Zombie.
The Slender Zombie is simr to what he had read in books. They are skinny, tall, and have extraordinarily long limbs¡
The Infested Zombie is probably weighing about 600 kilograms in weight as it looked like a human ball with a stomach that seem to have mutated into a huge mouth!
The Assassin Zombie, on the other hand, has a figure that is simr to a normal adult human male and the only difference is that its nails were four or five inches long and they seem to be made of a special alloy.
What surprised Vale for a moment was their nonexistent clothes¡ It seems he was influenced by many games and movies in his past life where all the zombies have torn pants or shredded shorts on their lower bodies.
Well, this is probably because they were summoned by a Necromancer from the underworld or something instead of being infected by a zombie virus¡
Anyway, Vale shifted his focus to Rayleigh.
Thetter simply summoned a Dark Mist that covers about 3 meters in radius. It is not to disrupt Miles but to hide his own presence!
''So it can be used like that¡'' Vale mused.
However, this move was futile¡
The Assassin Zombie seems to be more excited after the Dark Mist was summoned! It pounced toward Rayleigh and attempted to tear him apart!
ng! ng! ng!
From within the Darkness, Vale and the others heard a shing noise and sparks would appear from time to time¡
At this moment, they realized that Rayleigh have the means to deal with the Assassin Zombie in closebat!
Unfortunately, they can''t see the battle because of the Dark Mist. They also can''t use their Magic Zone to sense the situation since this is only a battle recording.
Nevertheless, Miles seems to be worried about something as she ordered the Slender Zombie to assist the Assassin in battle.
As for the Infested Zombie, it probably couldn''t move from its position as its task seems to be to defend Miles from any harm.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Soon, the Slender Zombie continuously attacked¡ It didn''t care whether it would hit the Assassin Zombie inside the Dark Mist¡
Everything happened so quickly as Vale realized the terrifying speed of the Slender Zombie.
Boom!
After a series of attacks inside the Dark Mist, the spell finally reached its limit as Rayleigh''s figure was shown to everyone.
"Ah?"
The spectators in the recordings, Vale, Philip, and Prisci had the same reaction. Rayleigh was unscathed!
As Vale was wondering what kind of trick did he use to do this, he realized that the orb of the snake staff was glowing faintly¡
"Do you guys know about that snake staff?" Vale asked.
"Not really¡ However, I have a guess. The orb seems to be simr to the ones used in Dark Alchemy. It works simrly to Destruction Orb that we heard in ss but it should be stronger than that¡" Prisci answered as she was also trying to figure out the mystical item being used.
After pointing this out, Vale realized that the Assassin Zombie had its nails broken and some of them turned dull.
It appears that the staff was capable of providing a strong defense to its wielder.
However, the Slender Zombie doesn''t seem to be injured or damaged in any way¡
Whoosh~
In the blink of an eye, Rayleigh''s figure dissipated like a cloud of smoke and reappeared close to Miles¡
This time, he was already covered by the Cloak of Darkness spell! It is a Tier 2 Dark Spell and is one of the most popr spells among Dark Spellcasters.
As Miles was about to get bombarded by three Curse Spells that Rayleigh released upon his reappearance, something unexpected happened¡
The Infested Zombie moved and its strange Stomach Mouth opened widely before swallowing her whole!
Rayleigh was momentarily stunned after losing his target¡ Nevertheless, he stillughed it off and spoke with interest.
"Haha! I didn''t know you can do that with an Infested Zombie¡ Isn''t it disgusting inside?"
Chapter 137 Recordings
To some other viewers, it was such a traumatizing sight.
Seeing the huge and disgusting Infested Zombie swallow a girlpletely wasn''t a good sight¡ Luckily, Vale already had some sort of tolerance after seeing so many corpses over the past year.
''Well, this is probably why she has patches or infections all over her skin.'' Vale mused as he recalled the girl''s appearance who seemed to have a skin disease.
On the other hand, Prisci was frowning as she didn''t expect to see such a gross move by Miles.
"Ugh¡ She''s so brave." Philip couldn''t help butment as he held his hands together. He couldn''t imagine how it would feel to be inside that zombie.
If he was in her position, he probably wouldn''t dare to do such a thing.
This battle made him realize that he really isn''t fit to be a Necromancer.
Being a Dark Magic Caster is probably the best for him. They look mysterious and have unpredictablebat styles.
The battle between Miles and Rayleigh started getting dragged for too long because Miles was hiding inside the Infested Zombie and Rayleigh was doing his best to break the zombie''s defense, it wouldn''t be so easy.
Unfortunately, aside from it being extremely tough, the Infested Zombie can also spit out acid attacks although it can only remain in its position and turn its head. Furthermore, the Slender Zombie can always follow Rayleigh''s movement and he has to defend against its attacks or he will be in a bad position.
As for the Assassin Zombie, Rayleigh has a perfect way to counter it but it requires the usage of his Snake Staff''s ability. It means that he would have to switch on defense most of the time.
Then, if Rayleigh was about to kill one of the movies using one of his powerful Dark Spells, they would simply hide behind the Infested Zombie and take all the damage for them.
Rayleigh can be said to be a very impressive Dark Magic Caster¡
Vale estimated that Rayleigh has seven Dark Spells not including the spells stored in the Snakes Staff. Anyway, two of the seven spells are Movement Spells and are extremely helpful in how he deals with the Slender Zombie''s attacks.
''The Slender Zombie doesn''t have a strong physique¡ Every time it''s about to copse from Rayleigh''s Dark Spells it would hide behind the Infested Zombie to recover. It''s dexterous but not durable enough.'' Vale analyzed as he was already nning in his head how he would deal with this zombie if he was in Rayleigh''s position.
Soon, the match between the two ended in a draw¡
It was quite a boring battle but it is certainly an eye-opener. Both of them had prepared really well for their battle.
As the battle ended, Vale saw how the Infested Zombie spits out Miles from its stomach¡ She was drenched with a sticky white and purple fluid. She looks like she was in a terrible condition but after a few stretches on the ground, Miles stood up and looked at Rayleigh with a proud smile.
"It''s the first time I see this method of hiding... I''m impressed." Rayleighmented while kneeling on the ground. He''s extremely tired because of how the Slender Zombie and Assassin Zombie kept him running around the stage.
"Hmph¡ Since you didn''t defeat me in the duel, it''s considered my win in our bet. You have to pay up." Miles demanded while a few purple and white fluids were trickling down her face.
At this time, the recording stopped before the projection turnedpletely ck.
"What a match..." Philipmented."
"Indeed. No wonder the list recorded described this battle like that¡" Vale muttered after recalling what he read in the book.
The book of records in the Archive Room didn''t just list the date and participants of the recorded battle. There''s also a description of what to expect in the battle.
This is how Vale learned that a Slender Zombie was used in this specific Recording Crystal.
The book described this battle as an ''Interestingbination of zombies against a Curse Specialist. Slender, Infested, and Assassin.''
"Alright¡ It''s my turn now!" Philip said as he removed Vale''s crystals from the device and reced it with the crystal he had prepared.
It is now time to watch Lesley''s battle!
Vale also wanted to watch this battle so his full attention remained on the projection.
Soon, Vale witnessed how Lesley dominated her battles. She was a dual specialist and she was both a Dark Alchemist and a Ritual Expert.
She''s allowed to use her Variants as a Dark Alchemist and it wasn''t limited to one. She''s allowed to use three Variants at the same time!
Then, while these three keep her enemy busy, a blood ritual ispleted by her in less than 20 seconds.
This Blood Ritual would summon a hand of what seems like a giant devil enough to frighten her opponent into submission.
"That was sick¡ Ahem, that was terrifying." Valemented as he can''t be sure whether his Advanced Realm Ghost Hand can even stop the fingers of that summoned devil''s hand.
In addition to that, the devil''s hand doesn''t look illusory at all. It feels like there''s a real Giant Devil on the other side of the blood magic circle that Lesley had formed.
Time quickly passed, and they all watched the Recording Crystals they collected.
It was unfortunate that Vale only found two Battle Recordings since some of the descriptions in battles didn''t write whether a Slender Zombie was used.
Nevertheless, this gave him a rough idea of how to deal with this creature in his uing match-up against Larkin''s zombie.
Since they still have some time after watching all their selected recordings, they decided to watch a few "popr" battle recordings on the shelves.
They know they are popr because of the notes or descriptions written in the Book of Records.
It seems the secretary of the club was the one writing these notes so it was really helpful for the three.
"Let''s continue watching... We still have two more hours. We can watch several more battles." Philip said as he browsed the records book.
Chapter 138 History
The three of them found the battle recordings involving the top rankers of the Academy. Most of them are in their 10th year but many of them were also in the 9th and 8th year. Some special students are in their 7th Year but they can be counted in one hand.
Over the past couple of hours, the three of them realized how clueless they are in the world of mysticism¡
They found several uniquebat methods especially those who are Ritual Experts¡ They were capable of forming magic circles so quickly that would allow them to summon spirits, familiars, or even a being in the underworld.
Not knowing what they could summon out of their magic circle is extremely nerving. They have to either stop them from performing the ritual or get overwhelmed by the summoned beings.
There were only a few Dark Arts Practitioners who can deal with the Ritual Experts and they are surprisingly the Corruption Specialists.
They may not have Vale''s Spell Dispersion but they have a unique way of disintegrating the summoned creatures into nothingness¡
Vale wasn''t sure if they were summoned back to the spirit world, or maybe the underworld, by these Corruption Specialists. Well, there''s also the possibility that they were justpletely eradicated by their unique method.
''They''re interesting¡ Should I choose this field of study in my fourth year?'' Vale mused as he considers his future path as a Dark Arts Practitioner.
Since the academy doesn''t have a Malefic Branch and he obviously can''t form a branch by himself, he has to study under a different branch and became a dual specialist.
Of course, he''ll be the only one to know that he''s a dual specialist. Anyway, the Academy will not recognize his Malefic Branch any time soon.
Grug. Grug¡
Vale touched his belly as he felt hungry after a long day.
''Watching these battle recordings was quite draining¡ I should''ve brought some snacks.'' Vale sighed as he finally realized what was missing in their activity... It could''ve been a lot better if they were watching while munching some snacks!
He would make sure to prepare some food the next time they did this.
***
After eating his meal, Vale returned to his dormitory.
His exhaustion finally came to him as he had the urge to sleep immediately.
However, as he saw his room, he recalled how the Headmaster came to pick up the corpse on his floorst night.
Recalling how a corpse was in his room lying on the floor yesterday, Vale had no choice but to urge his body to clean the ce¡
It took him another half an hour to do this before he took a shower and finally slept.
Saturday came quickly and their monthly assessment for the Millton Kingdom History ss and Essential Dark Spell ss came.
The history ss is quite a simple subject filled with memorization of important events in the past.
On the other hand, the Essential Dark Spell ss greatly focuses on various Dark Spells in their faction. This is unlike the Darkness Path under Professor Lucius where they study all the paths they could take.
Anyway, the Essential Dark Spell ss includes the teachings about three required Dark Spells to learn before they can even be acknowledged as a real student of the Academy. There is also one optional Dark Spell they could learn exclusively in the Academy making it a total of four Primary Dark Spells.
Vale looked at the test paper provided by their professor in the history ss.
"Hmmm?"
Vale was intrigued by the type of assessment that their professor prepared for them.
The monthly assessment was actually forming an essay on how they would change the mistakes of the past.
**
March 13, 877: The Dark Sorcerer''s Oakvalley Camp waspletely wiped out because of thebined forces of the Prime Wisemen of the Rune Arts Faction and Lore Hunters of the Elemental Arts Faction. A total of 458 people died within the camp during their raid.
This includes 52 Third-ss Dark Magic Spellcasters, 12 Second-ss Dark Magic Spellcasters, 19 Second-ss Necromancers, 5 Third-ss Dark Alchemists, and 2 First-ss Dark Magic Spellcasters.
The enemies, on the other hand, have 8 First-ss Runecasters and 12 First-ss Elementalists.
The side of the Oakvalley Camp waspletely defeated because of the enemy''s strategy. They sessfully blocked the supplies of the camp, isted them, and massacred them after three days.
What could''ve been done to avoid the disaster?
**
Vale read the assessment that was given to them. The matter about the Oakvalley Camp has been their topic for a short period of time within the ss.
They studied the tactics used by the two factions to win against numerous spellcasters with their small team.
There were 90 spellcasters on the side of the Dark Arts Faction and only 20 on the side of the enemy team.
Although those twenty were all First-ss Arcane Arts Practitioners, they shouldn''t easily win against the Oakvalley Camp with their advantageous position.
''This is a good assessment¡ I guess they want us to learn from past mistakes.'' Vale mused with interest but he saw his ssmates frowning at the sight of their test paper.
"This is too difficult¡ What can we do if the First-ss Spellcasters on our side can''t even formte a way to win?"
"This might be a tricky question, however, there must be a way to resolve this."
"Tsk¡ Finding a correct answer is difficult since the professor is merely looking for an opinion on what should''ve been done."
"Right¡ We''re only giving an opinion on how to avoid the disaster. No one would really know whether our opinion is valid since we can''t return to the past."
"Good thinking! Then this is easy!"
As Vale heard his ssmates in the back row, he couldn''t help but shake his head as he thought of this exam differently.
The old professor is definitely looking for something in their answers and not just an opinion.
Vale analyzed the story for a little while longer before he had an idea and started answering on his paper.
''I don''t know if this is the correct answer but I hope it is close to the ideal answer.''
Chapter 139 Set Of Dark Spells
Vale believed that the Dark Arts Faction of the pastcks something very important which is why they''ve lost against a small number of experts even with the advantage of having a fortified camp.
It is their failure to take advantage of the technological advancement of mankind.
Although spells, rituals, mystical items, and other arcane techniques are incredibly powerful and useful in battles, they should''ve taken advantage of the technological advancement that mankind has developed¡
Guns and explosives.
Vale started writing about how powerful the guns and explosives can be¡ He noted how they were used by the police or the military to protect the peace and security of not just a city but the whole kingdom itself.
Anyway, based on the books he read, a revolver can still shoot to death the Third-ss and Second-ss Arcane Arts Practitioners.
As for the First-ss Practitioners, it can be said that killing them with guns is quite tricky but not impossible.
At this level, a huge part of their Magic Zone can already be a safe zone for the magician. They wouldn''t even need a strong Spell to defend themselves against gunshots.
Just entering their Magic Zone is enough to deal with the problem.
''Hmm¡ Is this enough?'' Vale asked himself as he finished writing about 500 words in the paper. He nced at his ssmates and realized that they were still writing intently¡
After noticing this, Vale decided to just add a few more words of advice about how they should''ve remained in the vicinity of the camp instead of sending out a part of their elite forces in hopes of catching the enemies off guard.
Then, Vale ended his assessment as he can''t really be bothered about the result of this exam. If he failed, it will not affect his mind since their result here is not enough to affect their overall grade.
Furthermore, he''s not thinking of skipping this ss unlike the Arithmetic ss so he didn''t mind getting a lower score.
Soon, everyone finished writing their papers and submitted them to the professor.
They would know the result of the exam next week.
"Vale, you look confident when you handed your paper to the professor... You think you can win against those 20 First-ss?" Chad asked curiously.
"I can''t really say¡ Although I heard how strong the Runecasters can be once they''re prepared, I just believe that the Necromancers of our Faction wouldn''t lose so easily if they have better ns." Vale answered vaguely.
"How about you, Aubrey? I noticed that you didn''t write a lot in your paper." Lisa asked softly. She had noticed that Aubrey finished writing early but waited for everyone to finish writing before she put down her pen.
"Hmph¡ The Oakley Camp did something stupid that''s why they lost. They failed to rely on their fortified camp to fight against their enemies. I don''t think I have to write a long narrative for this." Aubrey replied.
The others also started talking about their answers but most of them are simr to what Aubrey had just said.
Themanders in the Oakvalley Camp should''ve utilized their camp by fortifying it until reinforcements arrive.
However, because their intel made them aware that they were only dealing with a small team of 20 people, they felt humiliated and started an offensive move instead.
"Professor, are you not going to tell us the answer before you leave?" Neil asked as he saw that the old professor was about to leave.
"Hoho¡ There can be a lot of answers to this question. I might even discover a different answer that can be effective. I''ve many answers from the previous first-year students but it won''t be surprising to get some new answers... All I have to say is that as long as you believe that it can be effective to win against the Runecasters and Elementalists, then you have a high chance of passing the assessment."
Neil and the others felt satisfied with this answer.
After all, they felt that what they''ve written can be really effective in that situation¡ This is to the extent of their knowledge at the very least.
As soon as the professor left, Professor Morton of the Essential Dark Spell ss arrive a few minutes after...
"I heard from Professor Lucius that aside from Vale Chambers, Leonore Rnd has alreadypleted her Spell Recording. There''s also Dalton Stranway and Warren Lawstein if I''m not mistaken. Aside from those four, are there other students who have recorded the Darkness Maniption Spell?" Professor Morton asked.
"Dalton and Warren as well? Ugh¡" Neilmented as he already heard the news about Leonore but not the other two.
"Leonore? Is that why you were absent yesterday?"
"So it was like that¡ You want to surprise us, huh¡"
Leonore''s friends said with excitement after hearing about her achievement.
Leonore simply smiled at the two before she sneakily looked at Vale with aplicated gaze.
Vale didn''t fail to notice this but he decided to act clueless. Anyway, he''s not nning to reveal what she did with the "entrance ceremony" of the club she joined.
''Hmm¡ Did she learn how to record the spell with the help of those seniors before?'' Vale mused.
He was sure that Leonore hasn''t learned the spell yet when she met her in the garden.
Just a day had passed and she already learned it.
It''s not difficult to guess how she did it.
"Alright¡ Since no one is answering, I''m assuming that it''s still just the four of them. Very well, our monthly assessment will now begin¡"
Professor Morton then paused for a moment to check his notes before he started exining the assessment.
"I want you to write your ideal set of Dark Spells and exin why you want this set... This is all assuming that you will be Dark Magic Casters. I want you all to exclude the three required Dark Spells. This assessment may sound simple but this will let me know how you understand the Dark Spells of our faction¡ You have two hours toplete this assessment so you can take your time."
Chapter 140 Spell Plans
This assessment was quite exciting for the students.
None of them felt nervous and as a matter of fact, they felt excited.
After all, they were hoping to get genuine feedback from the professor.
They wanted to know if their train of thought is wrong and if they should change their nned set of Dark Spells.
With the help of the old and experienced professor, they were hoping that their choice of spells would be perfect if there are ws. In that way, they won''t regret recording their spells.
It must be remembered that removing your recorded Spell Models is not only difficult but it can also be very dangerous. It may even end their life as an Arcane Arts Practitioner.
That''s right, it''s not impossible to remove their Spell Model but it would have to be done with extreme caution and someone at the level of a Paragon must help themplete the task. In short, it is almost impossible.
''Hmm?''
Vale can still feel Leonore''s eyes on him. However, he decided to ignore it and focus on writing on his paper. He no longer wanted to be involved in her matter.
''I guess it''s alright to write about my Spell Dispersion and Ghost Hand¡ I don''t have to write about the Incorruptible Body since this is a special physique and not a spell¡'' Vale silently thought as he considers what to safely mention on his paper.
The Malefic Arts didn''t just allow him to learn Spell Dispersion and Incorruptible Body, it also prepared him to learn forbidden practices without suffering from heavy bacsh¡
He learned this already from Master Heinz but he only appreciated it after reading the Forbidden Practices of the Unlighted.
''Ugh¡ Should I really write this?'' Vale hesitated.
He wasn''t sure if there would be other people who might read his paper so he was worried that his secrets would leak.
After a while, he decided to stand up and speak directly to Professor Morton.
His actions obviously caught everyone''s attention but he didn''t mind it. He knows that Professor Morton really wanted to help them but he wasn''t sure if it''s appropriate to write about spells that he didn''t teach them!
Chad looked at Vale curiously before shifting his gaze to Aubrey and Lisa. The two seem clueless as well about Vale''s actions.
Seeing that Vale and the Professor engaged in a silent conversation¡ They soon ignored him and continued with their paper.
In the meantime, Vale was surprised to know that Professor Morton actually knows his Master.
"Hmm? It''s not that surprising¡ Sir Heinz is an excellent Dark Alchemist. Although he was unlike the entric Dark Alchemists that I''ve known, his skills are the real deal when ites to potion-making. As for the other branch of the Dark Alchemy, I can''t really say that much." Professor Morton replied as Vale continued to exin his matter.
"Then I guess my matter would be understandable. The set of spells that I have already has the blessing of Master Heinz¡ It includes some of his original Dark Spells so I''m quite unsure if it''s appropriate to write in the test paper."
"Original Dark Spells? So he was really working on that new branch he wanted all these years, huh? I guess he seeded now that I''m looking at you." Professor Mortonmented as he finally realized why Vale has such a unique ability.
It''s not normal for a first-year student to be able to kill another student at the same level and even dare to fight a sixth-year student.
However, since he was actually Heinz''s student, Professor Morton could imagine that the stubborn Dark Alchemist had seeded in his experimentations on this kid.
"You''re correct, Professor." Vale answered with a smile.
"Alright¡ I already used my Magic Zone to iste our surroundings. You can speak freely..." Professor Morton said.
Since the Professor is most likely a Master-ss Dark Magic Caster, his Magic Zone alone can already be used as field-type magic.
This is possible simply by having a strong Dark Energy gathered within his body. If he further used it with the Darkness Maniption Spell, the radius of his istion would be stronger and bigger.
Vale sighed in relief after confirming this as he mentioned to the professor his current set of spells, no matter what, this Academy would know of this matter sooner orter. He would be nning to study here for 10 years after all.
Even if he wanted to do a shortcut and take an eleration Exam that would still take quite a long time.
He has to build a better foundation of spells and he needs Professor Morton''s opinion about this matter. If it''s possible, he would also ask the Headmaster for a second opinion.
"So, Heinz wanted you to learn three Dark Spells and you already learned one of them which is the Spell Dispersion. Hmm¡ I''ve never heard of that spell indeed. So it''s really an original spell¡ I guess the other two were spells I''m also unaware of."
"Yes, Professor¡ The other one is called the Malevolence Infection Spell and the third one is something he would mention after I learned this second spell."
"Ugh¡ I haven''t heard of it as expected. So I may not give you proper advice about it. However, you should still think of getting one of the rare Dark Spells in our academy. I''m not sure how great those spells of yours are but I can guarantee that the academy has many rare Dark Spells you''d want to learn aside from the three required spells of the Academy."
"I understand, Professor¡ Then, I''ll change my answers to the test paper. I''ll only write the set of spells that I''d learn if I''m not Master Heinz''s sessor."
"Hmm¡ You can do just that¡ At most, with your talent, you can probably get 8 or 9 Spell Lights. You should try and write six spells you wanted to learn."
Vale agreed to his decision and soon returned to his seat as if nothing happened.
He already thought of the Dark Spells he wanted to learn before he attended the academy so it was quite easy for him to decide.
Aside from his Ghost Hands, he wanted to learn Madness Inducement, Cursed Contract Bestowal, Heart Burst, Severe Ailment, and Passive Curse Break.
Chapter 141 Assistance
Thanks to the books in Heinz''sboratory, Vale learned plenty of Dark Spells even before he attended Professor Morton''s ss.
It means that he had a long time considering the spell that he would like to learn inside the Academy.
Furthermore, Vale actually felt helpless after hearing the Professor''s suggestion, he only wanted him to write at least six Dark Spells.
However, as he entered his Phantasm State, he can see 12 Avable Spell Lights!
That''s right, aside from the four Spell Models in his body, he can see 12 other bright lights indicating that he can learn 12 more spells. Furthermore, he knows that this number can still increase since he hadn''t reached his limit yet.
ording to Master Heinz, the Spell Lights will only stop appearing at around 18 years old.
He still has about 4 years to umte Spell Lights!
He can only hope that the Malevolence Infection Spell will not consume more than 5 Spell Lights when recording its Spell Model.
After writing his set of spells and exining why he chose thisbination of spells, Vale submitted the paper to the Professor.
The ss finally ended after Jody, thest student, submitted her paper. She took almost an hour to think about her ns.
"We still have some time left but I''ll be returning to the faculty now to check your papers. Alright, ss dismissed."
With that said, the professor left the room as the ss celebrated. It was finally their free time so they immediately gathered their things and left.
Some of them would visit their clubs while others would have their tea in the cafeteria.
Lisa, Chad, Aubrey, and ir, on the other hand, decided to quickly finish their spell recording as they went to Vale to ask for his help.
"Vale, I''m sure you have some secret on how you recorded your spell faster than those high nobles¡ I''m not asking you for free. I''ll give you three Spirit Pearls. Ahem¡ Only low-grade ones though." Aubrey said as her group surrounded Vale.
Since Aubrey started to mention giving gifts, the others started copying her.
"I don''t have Spirit Pearls but I have an extra pocket watch with me. I notice that you don''t have one so you can have it. It''s a mystical item but it''s not a standard quality. Well, it can only help the wearer increase his focus a little amount." Chad said as he recalled the pocket watch he wasn''t using and still in his luggage.
As Lisa and ir were about to mention their gifts, Vale immediately stopped them.
"Alright¡ Alright¡ I''m not taking anything from you. I''ll help you all and you just have to keep this as our secret and a favor from me. Soon, I''ll be asking you some favors that you can''t turn down."
As Vale said this, his ssmates were the ones who were stunned. However, it was only a moment of hesitation. They immediately agreed with this¡
"It''s fine. As long as you''re not going to ask us to do something illegal." Lisa said.
"I won''t. I promise." Vale said with a smile. His n was simple, he would ask them to bring him some corpses. Maybe not today or this year, but it would happen someday.
He wanted to gather these people so he could get some helpers someday and get more ess to corpses.
His reputation may look questionable if he did this but he doesn''t care anymore. As long as he gets stronger with more corpses, he wouldn''t mind this at all.
Once he bes one of the strongest out there, who would dare to disrespect him?
Of course, he also not nning to reveal all of his secrets to them. He only thought of assisting them without informing them of his secrets¡
Vale soon left the ssroom and returned to his dormitory. He was nning to help themter around seven in the evening.
Although he initially thought of doing this on Sunday, he wanted them to have more time to record the spell so he changed it to a few hourster.
As soon as he entered his room, he swiftly changed into morefortable clothes before talking to the Dark Spirit in his shadow.
"Lotus, did you hear our conversation¡ You will be helping my ssmates in their Spell Recording."
"Fine¡ However, I''ll be drained quickly if I use my own energy. You have to supply me." Lotus answered with her ethereal voice.
Vale felt blessed just listening to her sweet and gentle tone of voice, if possible, he would like Lotus to be more active in conversation but unfortunately, she can''t spend her energy on useless matters.
Since she''s no longer in the Spirit World, the abundant spiritual energy is no longer within her reach. She would have to always calcte her move in order to not waste her energy.
"I''ll supply you. You mentioned that aside from Spiritual Energy, you can also use Dark Energy, right? I have plenty of those." Vale said with a proud look on his face.
Vale has already confirmed one of the principles of this world, it is the higher vitality, the higher the Dark Energy reserves.
Since he has 10.05 Vitality Points, his Dark Energy Reserves would have twice that of an adult practitioner. ording to his knowledge, having 4 to 5 points in Vitality is considered normal while his 10 points in the same attribute can only be achieved through the help of the Arcane Arts like potion, ritual, or mysticism.
"Hmm¡ I can tell. That''s why I suggested it." Lotus replied perfunctory making Vale a bit speechless.
"Ahem. I see¡ Very well, I''ll look forward to your helpter. In any case, they already know about you so it shouldn''t be that shocking to reveal your secrets." Vale muttered.
He previously thought of revealing his Magic Circle to his ssmates but changed his idea after his long chat with the Dark Spiritst night.
Vale soon fell asleep as he felt the need to recharge his energy.
***
A few hours passed quickly as Valepleted his nap and assisted his friend with their spell recording after their dinner.
They soon revealed an excited look on their faces as they realized that they will be helped by the Dark Spirit that Vale summoned in the assessment.
They have never expected this at all!
***
On Monday, Lisa and the others surprised the whole ss after revealing that they''d already recorded the Darkness Maniption Spell Model!
Chapter 142 Sold
Lisa and the others kept Vale''s secret and didn''t reveal Lotus'' ability to help with their Spell Recording.
First of all, Vale mentioned that this type of help can''t be done repeatedly since Lotus doesn''t have an infinite amount of energy and is already cut off from the Spirit World. He decided to exaggerate Lotus'' condition so Lisa and the others won''t rely on her from now on.
It''s not like he was being stingy but he knows that he has to limit this type of assistance as well. Learning how to properly record a spell without the assistance of Dark Spirit is what should be done since experience is what''s really important in this type of thing.
After all, Vale wouldn''t always be there for them.
***
On the 6th of June, Professor Russell Ravinie entered ss 2''s room with a serious face.
He looked at Vale for a moment before he spoke with a solemn voice.
"Vale Chambers will take the ss Advancement Exam for my ss. However, the Headmaster requested it to be watched by him since this is the first time someone tried doing this after a long while. Follow me." As he said this, Professor Ravinie couldn''t hide his smirk.
He reported this matter with grievances to the Headmaster for this exact reason.
He mentioned how Vale was actingzy in his ss and disregarded his pieces of advice most of the time.
His efforts obviously bore fruit as the Headmaster would also watch Vale take the exam.
Even though Vale was smart, he would certainly feel nervous in front of the prestigious Headmaster¡ It means that he would have a higher chance of failure!
Professor Ravinie could no longer wait for what he would do to Vale once he failed and be his student assistant.
There was no way he would make it easy for Vale.
As expected, the whole ss felt worried that Vale would fail the exam.
Taking a difficult test alone while guarded by the most prestigious person in the academy, would be nerve-wracking.
"Good luck, Vale." Lisa whispered as Vale stood up to follow the Professor.
"I''m sure that you can do it. I envy you." Aubrey said with a smile as she believes that Vale wouldn''t take this exam without some confidence in his skills. Although the pressure will be immense while taking the exam, as long as Vale managed topose himself, then it should be possible to pass this advancement exam.
Vale thanked his friends for their encouraging words.
Of course, he wasn''t nervous or bothered by the fact that he has to take the exam with the Headmaster.
Perhaps, he would be nervous before but now that he had gotten closer to him. Vale felt more at ease taking the exam with the Headmaster. This would even allow him to ensure that there wouldn''t be any tricks in the exam itself.
"Headmaster, this is Vale Chambers that I mentioned a while ago. He will be taking the exam under your watch as you''ve requested while I''ll be lecturing at ss 2." Professor Ravinie said after entering the Headmaster''s office.
Headmaster Jean is currently seated behind his desk and reading a few papers.
He looked at the newly arrived people and showed a faint smile.
"I understand. How long will he take the exam?" The Headmaster asked.
"The time limit is two hours, Headmaster. I already spoke with Professor Charlotte about the time he''ll take."
Since the Arithmetic ss is only one hour, Vale had to get permission to skip the next ss to take the exam.
Luckily, Professor Ravinie already worked on this matter and Vale only has to think about the exam.
Vale soon found the prepared desk for him to take the exam. There was a stack of papers on it filled with arithmetic problems.
After the Professor left some instructions to Vale, he left the Headmaster''s office to return to the ss.
At this time, Headmaster Jean was looking at Vale with interest.
Vale didn''t mind it and just focused on writing on the test paper¡ Since the exam is only for a Grade 7 or probably Grade 8 student, Vale felt confident since even if he hasn''t studied math for a long time, he can still easily recall the forms and equations that he had studied for many years.
Seeing that Vale was busy on his test and didn''t seem to be unbothered, the Headmaster decided to speak instead.
"You look confident. You''re not hesitating in what you''re writing." Headmaster Jeanmented.
"Well¡ This is not that difficult so I wanted to skip this ss and spend my time on something more valuable." Vale replied while still writing.
"More valuable? Are you nning to look for more corpses?"
"Ughh¡ Not really but that''s also possible. Do you have a suggestion, Headmaster?" Vale asked as he flipped his paper. He already finished answering one side first paper.
There were 6 pages more.
"Well, if you use the favor I gave you¡ I can bring you to a very good ce¡ It''s my basement. I have a collection there that I want you to see as a fellow enthusiast."
Gulp¡
Vale felt a bit nervous after being invited to someone''s basement.
Of course, he can tell that there is a great opportunity there but he couldn''t help but think that it could be very dangerous as well.
For now, he decided to switch the topic...
"I will think about it, Headmaster. Right, may I know what happened to his Spirit?" Vale asked.
He was referring to Wilfred''s spirit.
"What do you think?" The Headmaster returned the question.
Vale felt helpless about this but he still guessed.
"Did you refine it to make a Mystical Item? Perhaps it was used to feed an Evil Creature? Oh, you can probably use it to put a soul on a puppet. I heard that the Dark Alchemy is trying to achieve a living puppet. I think I''ve read about it in the Academy''s paper, am I right?" Vale answered while still writing on his paper.
At this time, the Headmaster felt amused as he didn''t expect that Vale would have so many ideas.
"That''s possible indeed¡ You have grasped the Darkness Path really well¡ However, I didn''t do any of those. I sold his spirit back to the Moontomb Family. I earned quite a lot so I gave you that corpse a while ago."
Chapter 143 The Twelve Arcane Paths
"¡"
Vale finally stopped writing after hearing the Headmaster''s words. He shifted his gaze to the Headmaster who was looking at him all this time.
The headmaster''s smile was something that Vale would never forget. After all, this is the smile that tore a part of his shadow when he first came here.
That was such a traumatizing experience. Although he already recovered from it, recalling how his shadow was ripped apart in front of his eyes wasn''t a good memory.
Anyway, he couldn''t tell whether the Headmaster is really in a good mood with this smile or this is just his normal ''business face''.
"Headmaster, you sold the spirit? Can the Moontomb family revive him with that? I mean, perhaps they can give him a new body or maybe put his spirit inside a fetus to be reborn?" Vale asked with a hint of concern.
The headmaster was stunned once again as he looked at Vale amusedly.
"You''re really imaginative, Vale. Your idea is something that even I haven''t thought of¡ Fusing a spirit inside the fetus to be reborn¡ That was good. It might be better if you be a member of the Evil Arcane Path! Your disregard for other''s life is so perfect for them. I''m sure that your ideas would be more appreciated in that ce. Do you want to change your path? I know some of the elders in that ce¡" The Headmaster said with a hint of excitement on his face.
Cough! Cough!
Vale almost choked at these words. He was being praised but it was definitely not something he would be happy about.
"Headmaster, you must be kidding. There is no Evil Arcane Path. Furthermore, I''m just joking. I just thought of those ideas because of Master Heinz."
Vale said before he silently apologized to his master for putting the me on him. Those ideas were something he read from various books in his previous life. Since he thought that the world of mysticism is quite dark and ruthless, he thought that these ideas were something they''ve also considered.
"Haha¡ Who told you that there''s no Evil Arcane Path?" The Headmaster asked.
"Well, even though we are treading the path of the Darkness, it is definitely not the same as being Evil. There''s probably some semnce here and there but I believe that our path will not lead us to be the personification of evil."
"Oh? Don''t you know about the Forbidden Techniques of this path? Anyway, I want to know what you think is the end of this path?"
Vale smiled and didn''t hesitate to answer while writing on his paper.
"The Forbidden Techniques of the Darkness Path can indeed harm many people if practiced but most of these forbidden techniques will harm yourself instead of some other people¡ Anyway, I''ve already tried to think about the end of this path but I think that I''ll get to learn more about it as I study here. For now, I only think that the Darkness Path is just another Arcane Path where I can learn a different form of mysticism. It depends on the practitioner on how he will use the knowledge of mysticism. If the person has an evil mind, even if he''s practicing the Holy Arts, he would be walking the path of evil."
"¡"
The Headmaster felt impressed at his words as he couldn''t help but tap the desk a couple of times before replying with great satisfaction.
"Indeed, an evil mind will walk the path of evil no matter what Arcane Path he learns. Wise words. I can''t believe I''m talking to someone who was barely 15 years old."
Vale smiled as he had already considered this matter ever since he learned about the Ghost Hand.
He no longer replied at he only smiled and continued to answer his test paper.
After a while, when Vale finished three pages of the exam papers, the Headmaster spoke.
"I just want to correct you in one thing¡ You mentioned that there is no Evil Arcane Path. However, among the twelve Arcane Paths, one of them is pure evil¡"
Vale paused once more as he felt suddenly confused.
He didn''t immediately react as he tried to recall all the twelve paths.
The four paths with thergest number of practitioners are the Knight''s Path, the Elemental Arts, the Alchemy Arts, and the Mystic Arts.
These four paths can be said to have the lowest requirement since they''ll ept anyone as long as you have a bit of talent in their path. They''re also popr since the things you''ll learn from them can be very helpful in everyday life.
Then, there were three other paths with unique requirements. They are the Rune Arts, Beast Arts, and the Summoning Arts.
Rune Arts require some sort ofpatibility if you want to reach an Intermediate Level. If you can''t, your skills will remain at an Elementary Level. The Beast Arts requires an affinity with animals or any other type of creature. As for the Summoning Arts, Vale wasn''t sure but they have a thing called Grimoire and you needed to havepatibility with it which isn''t an easy thing.
Then, there were the Holy Arts and the Dark Arts¡ These two paths have very distinguished ways of epting people. Vale can prove that easily.
Then, there is a special Combat Art. He wasn''t really sure about this as well but he only heard that they were adept at making enchantments and possessed a different form of Arcane Ability called Aura.
As for the other two, Vale didn''t know much about them aside from their names. Nevertheless, he was sure that none of them were called Evil Arcane Path.
They were the Psychic Arts and the Transformation Arts.
"Headmaster, I don''t think there is an Arcane Path that can be called the Evil Path. It depends on the person practicing the path and it can be an Evil Path or even a Virtuous Path." Vale said once more.
However, the Headmaster justughed at this and said mysteriously.
"You will soon learn about it. However, I can tell you that you''re right about one more thing, our Darkness Path is not the Evil Path."
Chapter 144 Travel
A couple of days had passed and Vale still can''t forget the Headmaster''s words¡
One of the twelve Arcane Paths is actually an Evil Path?
He just can''t imagine it. He tried guessing it by making some absurd reasons but it''s just not working out.
He guessed that it could be the Beast Arts¡
The Beast Path might actually lead to people bing monsters as they practice this Arcane Art... That was quite tragic and evil at the same time.
However, he read from the books that the elites of the Beast Arts Practitioners use the powers of some sort of mythical beast through rituals and blessings instead of integrating their bodies with animals like one would imagine if they heard of the Arcane Path at first. In short, they were borrowing the powers of these mythical beasts instead of turning themselves into beasts.
Of course, his knowledge is limited since they might really be capable of doing that. Nevertheless, it doesn''t seem to be an Evil Path in itself. At most, it can be described as a path for people with strange habits.
He can''t imagine someone would want to learn the Beast Arts¡ At most, these people were probably the ones who had no other choices.
Anyway, he also considered the Summoning Arts since they might be capable of summoning some evil incarnation in one of their arts.
However, Vale recalled that the Dark Art''s Forbidden Practices of the Unlighted also has a summoning ritual that is equal to that¡ or even worse.
Vale sighed after recalling this.
To be honest, he was really thinking that the Dark Arts is the Evil Path. He just didn''t want to admit it since this is the path he was practicing.
There was no way he would admit that he was practicing the path of bing evil!
When he said that it depends on the practitioner whether a path is evil or not, it is more to convince himself than to show his wisdom to the Headmaster.
Anyway, he thought of the Psychic Arts and it can certainly be evil but in a way, it can also be extremely useful for fighting against evil.
The Transformation Arts, on the other hand, doesn''t seem to be the problem since he can''t think of how it could be the Evil Path¡
''He''s not going to tell meter that the Holy Arts Faction is the Evil Path, right?'' Vale mused.
"Vale, are you missing the Academy already?"
At this moment, Prisci asked curiously as she saw Vale still looking at the clouds listlessly.
They''ve already boarded the airship heading towards Charville City. They have the mission to purchase Recording Crystals from the Alchemy Branch in that city.
The airship can easily fit 600 to 800 people inside and is a lot bigger than he expected. When he was seeing this airship from the dockyard, he didn''t think too much of its size and only realized how big it was after boarding it.
Anyway, Vale looked at Prisci who was wearing a violet dress and feathered hat matching her outfit.
She looks cute as she tries to imitate the fashion trend he had seen in some magazines...
"I''m just enjoying the view. Why would I miss the Academy?" Vale answered with a helpless smile on his face.
He''s currently wearing an overcoat and the chain of his pocketwatch can be seen hanging on his side pocket.
This pocketwatch wasn''t the one he was hiding from everyone. It is the pocketwatch that Chad had given him after he helped him with the Spell Recording.
Although he didn''t want to ept it, Chad insisted on giving it and he can only ept it after trying to reject it a few times.
This pocket watch wasn''t simple either. It actually slightly increases his focus. He was able to concentrate a lot easier with its help.
"Hey, can the two of you get inside now?" Philip asked while still standing at the door.
Vale and Prisci were on the ship''s deck and enjoying the scenery and wind outside.
On the other hand, Philip doesn''t feelfortable seeing the ground below them as he seems to be afraid of heights.
Prisci looked at her brother helplessly before signaling to Vale that she''s about to get inside.
"I''ll follow you. Your brother is probably feeling lonely." Vale said as the two went to Philip''s side.
Inside the airship, Vale felt like he was in a huge hotel lounge and there were a lot of people inside. They weren''t all students in the academy as some of them are professors, security officers, or some academy officials who had missions outside the Academy.
As the three of them found afortable couch to sit on and have some snacks, Vale felt someone looking at him with hostility.
He didn''t immediately expose the man by looking at him as he decided to enter his Phantasm State to urately pinpoint their location¡
After doing this, Vale felt the vague presence of man and he seems to have tried to hide his presence. Unfortunately for him, Vale didn''t have topletely sense the man to know his identity.
He was already familiar with this skill of hiding presence¡
''Professor Ravinie? Why is he here? No, why is he even looking at me with hostility? I just passed his Advancement Exam¡ should he not be happy seeing a capable student not wasting his time on a subject he already knows?'' Vale mused to himself.
In any case, he decided not to think too much of it as he probably just felt his pride being hurt. He probably thought he was about to have student assistance for the rest of the year only to fail miserably.
***
After traveling for about seven hours, Vale''s group left their cabin as they got ready to disembark.
They seem to have avoided a storm so they had to take a longer route and arrived reallyte at the city''s dockyard.
"Prisci and the two boys, follow me and I''ll be dropping you off at the shop. I''ll leave the transaction to the three of you. Right, make sure you count the crystals before leaving. It shouldn''t be that difficult, right?" Professor Ste spoke as she appeared in front of the three young students.
Chapter 145 Antique Shop
Vale and two others naturally agreed as they weren''t from this city. Although Charvale City isn''t even as big as Melthorn City where Vale grew up, it is still ratherrge with aplete railway system.
Many factories of various fields can also be seen as the city was actually surrounded by coal mines.
This is also what Vale learned when he asked Lisa about the city. Apparently, she had visited this city once and ording to her, this is not a ce where you go for a vacation.
Factories emit smoke, steam trains go here and there, and the city gets covered by fog until 10 in the morning.
It is also surrounded by mountains so the city can''t really expand even if they wanted to¡
"So it''s really like this¡" Vale muttered as they alighted from the horse carriage.
It''s only two in the afternoon but the sun could barely be seen because of the smoke pollution.
It looks terrible and Vale was certainly concerned about the health of the people living here. Nevertheless, he can''t do anything about it as he looked at the antique shop¡
"It''s here¡ You already know what to do so I''ll leave now." Professor Ste said as she left with the horse carriage after dropping off the three students in front of the Alchemy Branch''s shop.
The three weren''t sure about Ste''s mission in the city but it seems really important by the way she looks.
"Alright, it''s all up to us now¡" Prisci spoke with excitement.
Although this transaction seems a bit too much for first-year students like them, they were still looking forward to getting involved in these matters.
After all, they weren''t sure when will they get another chance of leaving the Academy''snd once again.
Vale agreed to her words as he looked at the shop.
It is a three-storey building with a wooden sign on top of its door, Retro Relics Antiques.
Vale has seen a few antique shops in Melthorn City but those shops weren''t as grand as this one.
Although this is only a business handled by an Alchemy Faction Branch, Vale can see that it was doing really well in this small city.
As soon as they entered, Prisci showed an emblem showing her status as a student of the Vermont Academy. It was given to them by Nadine to confirm their identity.
The guard outside swiftly took care of it and allowed them to enter the shop after returning the emblem.
Inside the building, Vale and the other two realized that two more groups of people seem to have business with the Alchemy Branch as well.
''Did we arrive at an inconvenient time?'' Vale mused but he then recalled how they werete in their arrival.
He then looked at the first group of people and they seem to act like some thugs of the street as they were bargaining with the clerk about the price of the item they were selling.
"How can you offer such a terrible price for these gems and jewelry?! We found them all in a 500-year-old catb! Do you think we''re fools?! You should triple the price!" The leader of the group of four people shouted as the veins on his neck bulged out.
"Grave robbers?" Prisci muttered after hearing them. No wonder these people came to the Antique shop¡
The female clerk, on the other hand, didn''t show any signs of being intimidated by the customer''s loud voice.
She remained calm and showed a business smile to the loud customer before she spoke with her gentle voice.
"Five hundred years? Then I guess someone already came to that catb and reced them with new pieces of jewelry¡ You see, the nes, armbands, circlets, and rings you''ve found have marks left behind by the Touch of Brilliance jewelry shop in the neighboring city. That''s right, the Touch of Brilliance is a jewelry store owned by the same person owning this Antique Shop."
As the female clerk said this, she took out a device from her pocket.
It seems to be a small shlight but there is a white stone on its end instead.
As she triggered the device, the stone lit up and she turned the light to one of the pieces of jewelry brought by the suspected grave robbers.
Then as expected, hidden marks were showing on the jewelry. It was the logo of the Touch of Brilliance shop making the group of four pale¡
"W-we''ve been cheated¡" The leader finally realized what has happened. The man who had given this to them cheated them!
"This¡ W-We gave up our carriages, horses, and belongings for these things and you''re telling me we sold them for a mere 430 zen!"
Just a single horse would cost about 500 zen. They gave a total of four horses for these gems and jewelry!
They couldn''t believe they were cheated¡ Furthermore, now that they think about it, they felt baffled how they easily agreed to sell their belongings when they''re not in extreme need of money.
Although the four of them weren''t rich, they weren''t living in poverty. They also weren''t searching for quick money when they decided to visit enter this city.
"It seems you''ve been cheated. I suggest that you report this to the police and tell them how you were cheated into selling your belongings for cheap jewelry¡ Ahem, cheap but high-quality jewelry." The clerk corrected herself as the pieces of jewelry are still items made by a store connected to them.
Calling them cheap may seem like she was trying to tarnish their reputation.
Anyway, she decided to give back the gems and jewelry since they were not epting her offer price.
"No¡ Just give us the money, we''ll chase those bastards now!"
The clerk''s eyes lit up after hearing this. It seems she did the right decision. In just a few seconds, shepleted the transaction as she carefully ced the pieces of jewelry in a small box before cing them aside to meet with the other customers.
However, before she could entertain them, she heard an argument inside the shop.
"You brats, are youughing at us?!"
Chapter 146 Elementalists
Vale looked at the other group of customers who were ridiculing the ones who were scammed.
This group seem to be in theirte teens and their bearing made him recall the nobles within the academy. However, the difference is that these people seem to be more arrogant like an older version of Neil Sommerhalder.
"Pfft¡ Getting scammed at such an old age, how embarrassing."
"You said it right¡ I would be so ashamed and bury myself if that happened to me."
"Who would even believe a stranger carrying various pieces of jewelry on the side of the road? It feels as if they don''t know that people can cheat others. Are they so innocent?"
"Haha¡ They didn''t even have it appraised first before epting it. What a bunch of losers¡"
The other group of four ruthlessly spoke with a softer voice. However, since the floor isn''t thatrge, the others easily heard their worlds as they furiously confronted them.
"You brats, are youughing at us?!"
Thergest man who seems to be in his thirties clenched his fist as he approached the group of teenagers. He was already infuriated because of the baffling way they were cheated and these people didn''t even feel sympathy andughed at them instead!
There is nothing more he wanted to do than to p the faces of the four and have them kneel and apologize.
He wanted to vent his anger and it''s a perfect time for these brats to receive his beating today!
As he approached them, he realized that the four of them didn''t get intimidated so he was even more infuriated¡
"You think that someone can save you?! Even if there''s police outside, my fist would be faster!" As he said this, he pounced at one of the teenagers and as he was thinking how this brat would be sent flying by his punch, he was met with a cold wave of energy stopping him in his tracks¡
''W-what''s going on?!'' The man was so confused including his threepanions.
After all, they can see how his friend was in an awkward position but somehow stopped moving as if there is an invisible hand holding him.
They couldn''t understand what was going on until the group of teenagers shifted their gaze to the newly arrived people in the store.
The three look like some rich kids and they seem just normal customers who looked interested in some items in the antique shop.
Nevertheless, they looked ufortable about the argument going on within the shop.
"Hey, why did you save him? Don''t you know who we are?" The leader of the teenagers asked with a cold voice as he waved his hand to ready himself for a battle.
He has short brown hair and dark blue eyes¡ However, as he observed Vale and the other two, his pupils turned white for a brief moment as he used some sort of ability to gather information about the three.
He didn''t expect that these three were actually Arcane Arts Practitioners until one of them summoned those eerie-looking hands¡ It''s definitely a spell from the Dark Arts Faction!
He was looking at Vale solemnly as he also felt rmed after seeing how fast those Ghost Hands are¡
In addition to that, three hands were summoned! It must mean that his mastery has already reached a high level!
Those three Ghost Hands appeared instantaneously and prevented the middle-aged man from being pierced to death by the Wind Arrow he conjured¡
Anyway, this is the first time he had seen the Ghost Hands but he knows that is definitely one of the basic spells of the Dark Arts ording to the books he read.
''If I''m not mistaken, an elementary realm can only summon one Ghost Hand¡ Since he can summon three of them simultaneously, does it mean that he had achieved an intermediate or maybe even advanced state?'' The man carefully analyzed Vale''s capabilities as he also warily looked at the other two.
"We don''t know you. However, we''re about to conduct business here and we don''t want to see any spill of blood while we''re here. If you want to kill the man, do it outside." Prisci answered imposingly as she was also unafraid of the four Elemental Arts Practitioners.
From the Wind Arrow that the man summoned, Prisci and the two can already guess their identities. They''re probably six or seventh-year students of the Rakmiths Academy.
"Hmph! You think you can order us around?!"
Instead of calming down, he decided to test the waters and see how these young practitioners would react if he attacked.
However, before he was able to conjure another spell, they heard the sound bell.
Cling! Cling! Cling!
The sound came from the handbell that the clerk has at the counter. It caught everyone''s attention but it wasn''t just to interrupt their fight¡ The clerk has actually called for someone.
Soon, they heard footstepsing from the upper floor.
At this point, Vale noticed something was off so he swiftly canceled his spell and allowed the middle-aged man that he caught to move once again. In any case, the Elementalist already removed the Wind Arrow aimed at the poor guy...
Thud.
He dropped to the marble floor as he looked at the two groups in horror. Without saying any words to hispanions, he swiftly ran out of the shop¡
Needless to say, he realized that these young ones are blessed with talent and had been epted into the Arcane Academies!
His friends also realized this as they swiftly ran off.
No one stopped them as they weren''t important.
As they left, a plump middle-aged man descended the stairs.
He looked at the two groups of Arcane Arts Practitioners as he smiled at them kindly.
"Please refrain from fighting inside our poor store¡ If you don''t do so, we will no longer treat you as our customers and will have to send you all out." The man said with a smile as he released a bit of his fiery aura.
Vale can guess that this is a real Alchemist.
Of course, they all nodded and agreed to the man''s words as they are indeed here for business.
Nevertheless, the Elementalist didn''t want to simply let it go.
After agreeing to the words of the Alchemist, he shifted his gaze back to Vale and sternly spoke.
"I''m Terrence Desmond, a student from Rakmiths Academy¡ If you''re not scared, introduce yourself..."
Chapter 147 Vessel?
Vale was unafraid of giving out his name. However, he didn''t want to say it because it feels as if he was being cooperative with the man.
He wanted to defy him for the sake of going against him.
With this thought, Vale just remained smiling as he shifted his gaze to the clerkpletely ignoring Terrence.
"We''re here to purchase some Recording Crystals. Can you assist us now?" Vale asked.
The Clerk also showed her business smile as she nodded.
"Of course, we can. However, they have arrived first so I''ll confirm whether they still want to do business."
The clerk said as she gestured to Terrence''s group.
"May I know if you''re still here to purchase something from us?" The clerk remained unfazed by Terrence''s aggressiveness a while ago as she continued with her job as usual.
Terrence''s eyes bulged out as he felt humiliated after being ignored.
As he was about to cast a spell, hispanions immediately held his shoulder as they reminded him of the store''s Alchemist.
Although the plump middle-aged man seems like a gentle person, they have felt his fiery aura a while ago so they know that he''s also an Arcane Arts Practitioner.
"Stop it¡ Let''s just finish our mission and leave. It''s not toote to deal with these brats after we''re done."
With that said, Terrence looked at Vale onest time and warned him¡
"I''m not done with you. We''ll meet again¡"
Terrence then turned his back as he used a mystical item to iste their surroundings so no one could listen to their conversation.
In the meantime, the plump middle-aged man looked at Vale''s group and spoke with a smile.
"Alright, if you don''t want to wait, how about I assist the three of you upstairs?" He offered while gesturing at the stairs. Vale also didn''t miss how he nced at his shadow for a brief moment.
Anyway, Terrence''s group including the Clerk, looked at the Alchemist of the store with a surprised look.
The second floor is normally reserved for VIP customers¡ Since Vale and the other two were treated like one, Terrence was momentarily stunned as he reassessed the status of the three Dark Arts Practitioners.
"Let''s go." Philip replied without any hesitation as if he was expecting this to happen.
Prisci was the same as she thanked the Alchemist before following Philip upstairs.
Vale was thest one to move as he felt Lotus'' emotions.
From the looks of it, the Alchemist seems to have noticed the Dark Spirit''s presence! Even if it''s not, he has certainly realized that there was something in his shadow¡
''Are you alright?'' Vale asked the Dark Spirit using his unique connection with her.
This Dark Spirit is very important to him right now. Even if Professor Shirley want him to send her back to the Spirit World, he would never do so. After all, she seems to have given him the ability to have prophetic dreams.
Although it had only happened once, he believes that he could experience it once more if he was about to into a terrible situation.
''I''m fine¡ However, that human can feel my presence. Because your shadow is too weak, I can''t properly hide my presence. You have to get stronger.''
"¡''
Vale was stunned after hearing Lotus'' reply. He wasn''t sure if he understood what she just said.
''My shadow is weak? How do I even make it stronger? Is that even possible?'' Vale knitted his brows as he had never heard anything about shadow strengthening.
Anyway, he can only assume that Lotus meant that he should be a stronger Dark Arts Practitioner to turn his shadow into something stronger as well.
"Alright, let''s talk about business. I assume you three are from the Vermont Academy. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, I''m Marion Fawns, the manager of this small store." The plump middle-aged man said as he sat down on a couch¡
The second floor doesn''t just have shelves of various treasures of the past but also a space to meet the guests and discuss business.
As the group sat opposite him, a servant came in a timely matter to serve them snacks and tea.
"You''re right, Sir Marion. I''m Philip¡ This is Prisci and Vale. We''re first-year students and were tasked to confirm the purchase of the Recording Crystals. Have you prepared them?" Philip asked as he lifted the cup of tea that was served to them quite quickly.
''Earl Grey? I don''t really like this¡'' Philipmented in his mind as he watched Vale take a sip of the tea.
"Of course, we have them prepared¡ We''re the ones who offered it to you in the first ce. We''re happy that you''re here toplete the transaction. In the future, we hope that all recording crystals needed by your Academy would be ordered from us." Manager Marion answered.
Vale wryly smiled at this as he knows that the Academy can''t fully cut their partnership with the Mystic Arts Faction. They must maintain their neutral stance.
If they really stopped their partnership with the Mystic Arts Faction for the Alchemist Faction, then that would just lead to even more problems.
"I will let the Academy Officials know of this." Prisci can only say as she can''t just tell the truth. She has to let the academy handle such matters.
They''re only here toplete their transaction after all.
"Very well. Please wait for a while as I already sent someone to take the crystals. Each of them is worth 300 zen. That is about 35% cheaper than the ones you purchase in the Mystic Arts Faction it can even be reused. Have you been informed about that?" Manager Marion said with a smile.
"Reuse? Are you telling me that we can cleanse the crystal and change its content¡ I mean, use it again to record?" Philip asked in a surprised tone to which Manager Marion replied proudly...
"Yes."
Prisci was also surprised as she thought that the content of the Recording Crystals are absolute and can''t be changed or removed. It should be a one-time use. If you want to erase the content, you have to destroy itpletely.
Reusing them is impossible.
This new product is definitely a useful crystal.
In the meantime, Vale didn''t know that the ones in the Archive Room don''t have that option at all.
He looked at the Manager who was satisfied with the two''s reaction. After all, this shows how better their products are.
It wasn''t simply cheaper but it''s also better!
Manager Marion then shifted his attention to Vale and politely spoke.
"Alright, while we''re waiting for my assistant, can I ask if you''re a member of the Evanescent Vessel?"
Chapter 148 Shop
As Philip and Prisci were still thinking about how they would save a lot of recording crystals because of this new function, they heard the Manager speak to Vale and they almost choked on their saliva.
"¡"
Vale was also stunned after hearing these words. Instead of immediately answering no, he probed the manager.
"Why do you think so, Manager Marion?" Vale asked. He doesn''t consider himself simr to the members of the Evanescent Vessels so it came as a great surprise to him.
"Well, I thought that the one with you is your Spiritual Guardian. Ahem¡ If I''m mistaken, then please don''t get offended. I''ve only seen the members of the Vessels a couple of times and you have some semnce with them¡ Ugh, I''m probably getting old since I''m speaking so much nonsense." Manager Marion said as he waved his hands
"Let''s just forget about it if I''m mistaken." He added.
"Mhmm¡ Well, I''m indeed not part of the Order but you''re notpletely wrong. I wonder, how did you sense my ''Spiritual Guardian.'' I''m sure that not even some of our professors can tell about its presence." Vale asked.
At this moment, Prisci and Philip were the ones speechless as they didn''t expect that Vale would actually confirm the presence of the Spiritual Guardian!
They didn''t know of this at all! Right now, they wanted to ask how Vale did it and have him teach it to them¡
''What do I do? Can he share how he did it? Should I offer him my movement technique Spell Model? I think he was interested in that thest time I showed it to him¡'' Prisci''s mind raced as she also wanted to have a Spiritual Guardian.
''So it was true¡ I thought those students in ss 2 are just exaggerating some things about him. He''s really too special. I need to be closer to him.'' Philip mused as he felt that being together with Vale would allow him to open more opportunities in his path.
Manager Marion looked at Vale with interest as he realized that Vale is not a part of the Evanescent Vessel. He was really thinking too much, there was no way a person as young as him would be epted within the Order so quickly.
Anyway, this made him more intrigued about the Spiritual Guardian hiding in his shadow.
He then smiled at Vale after beingpared to the professors in the Academy.
"I''m a genuine alchemist¡ First ss in rank. My sensitivity to precious ingredients is on a different level¡ So it''s no wonder I got better senses than some of your professors." Marion paused for a moment after saying this as if he realized something.
Vale and the other two were also the same.
''Did he just call my Lotus an ingredient?'' Vale''s rm went out as he entered his Phantasm State¡
He swiftly observed the surroundings and confirmed that there is no one nning to ambush him.
"Cough, cough¡ Let me exin myself, although Spiritual Beings can be used as ingredients in some precious pills and potions, I''m not thinking of doing that to someone else''s Spirit. At most, I''m purchasing them in some legal markets." Marion immediately exined.
Simr to the Dark Arts Faction, the Alchemy Arts Faction also has many prohibitions imposed by the Association of the Harmonious Arcane Paths.
Aside from being prohibited from taking someone else''s spirit, they also can''t use human lives in their pill and potion concoction due to obvious reasons.
Vale understood this so he epted his exnation. In any case, the Dark Alchemy of the Dark Arts can be crueler in some cases. It''s really all about the practitioner of the Arcane Path.
The group then chatted for ten more minutes as they talk about how the new feature of the crystal works before the Manager''s assistant arrive bringing five leather suitcases. The suitcases were quite thin but each of them carries a hundred recording crystals.
"Just like the standard ones made by the Mystic Arts Faction, the crystal needs to be properly maintained and can be quite fragile. Of course, this is not as fragile as the one they made but it''s better to be careful."
As the Manager said this, he ced one of the suitcases on the table¡
ck!
With a flip of the lock, he opened the suitcase and revealed the hundred recording crystals. The blue crystals look clean and were even shining a bit.
The Manager then showed how to record and delete its content to the three students.
Finally, Prisci paid them the 150,000 zen they owed.
After confirming the money on the bag, Manager Marion invited them to look around their shop in case they find something that they want.
"If you found something you want, I can give you a 15% discount. It''s only avable today so I think you should consider it." He added.
Although the three didn''t have an intention of buying here, they still decided to agree and look around. After all, they weren''t sure what they''ll find in this shop as well.
Vale, on the other hand, checked his wallet. Aside from the 10,000 zen he received from Master Heinz before, he also umted a total of 15,000 zen from the corpses he undressed over the past year.
With this money, he believes that he should be able to afford a decent mystical item for himself.
"Do you sell mystical items here, Manager Marion?" Vale asked.
Prisci and Philip also had the same question as they looked at the Manager.
They were still too young to appreciate the old paintings, sculptures, or pieces of jewelry from ancient times. What they would like to see was something that might be useful for them as practitioners of the Darkness Arcane Path.
Of course, this is what Marion wanted as well when he asked them to look around.
"If that''s the case, follow me on the third floor. That is where we keep all our mystical items."
Manager Marion then signaled his assistant as he lead everyone to the top floor.
As they entered the floor, he nced at his customers once more before asking¡
"Right, do you have anything in your mind about the item you''re looking for? Is it for offensive purposes? Or perhaps a defensive item? Right, as a student, you might want something that will help you in your study."
Chapter 149 Mystical Artifacts
"Mhmm¡ A support-type mystical item would be good. Do you have something simr to Rain Feather Anklet or Nymph Scale?" Vale asked before Prisci and Philip could even think of an answer.
"Oh? Those two can be used to increase your movement speed. They''re quite a popr product since their blueprint has been spread out over 50 years ago." Manager Marion nodded as he gestured for them to sit.
"Mark, get the Murloc''s Gem and the Nymph Scale that we have." He added as he looked at his assistant.
Mark simply nodded at this instruction and left to take the said items.
The third floor is actually quite empty.
There were only a total of four shelves and only 20 items were disyed on each of them. It means that they only have 80 mystical items in total.
It wasn''t a bad number considering that this ce isn''t a hotspot for Arcane Arts Practitioners.
While the assistant was working, Marion''s attention shifted to the other two.
"Do you want to take a look at the shelves or do you have something in mind?" He asked.
"I''ll take a look first. I don''t really have anything in mind right now." Philip said as he stood up to check the shelves.
On the other hand, Prisci has already considered what to purchase and asked.
"If you have an Unaging Cream, I would like to have a few of them. I''ll give it to my mother as a gift. I won''t use it, Vale. So don''t look at me like that."
"Cough¡ Cough¡ I was simply surprised since the Unaging Cream wasn''t taught in ss." Vale immediately said.
To be honest, he really thought that Prisci would want to use it. It baffled him for a brief moment and looked at her suspiciously since she was too young to use such a beauty product.
It seems he was thinking too much¡
"Haha¡ Good timing¡ I have just made a batch of them. They were quite popr among thedies here in the city. As I promised, I''ll give it to you at a discounted price."
With that said, Manager Marion left his seat to enter his room on the third floor. It seems to be hisboratory as well where he makes his potions or crafts mystical items.
Soon, the Assistant returned with two items in his hands.
One of them is a blue gem with a tiny silver de of grass frozen inside. On its side is a small green scale that seems like a talisman.
They were the Murloc''s Gem and the Nymph''s Scale.
"May I ask the difference between the two items?" Vale asked.
Although he already entered his Phantasm State and confirmed that they have both swirling blue energy inside them, he only knows that they both assist in the wearer''s speed.
"Of course¡ While the nymph scale only increases your running speed and stamina, the murloc''s gem increases your agility and dexterity." The assistant exined.
If Vale wasn''t mistaken, the increase in dexterity means getting better with his hands. It is either through wielding weapons or just by performing tasks using hands.
In a sense, it dictates his attack speed while using a weapon.
As for the agility itself, it increases his body''s nimbleness or quickness in his motions.
"In terms of running speed, the gem can probably provide me with a better result¡" Vale muttered.
"You''re right¡ There''s no doubt about that. It ismonly used by scouts or messengers in the military. However, the gem can provide a more bnced increase in your speed." Mark answered as he pointed out that the Murloc''s Gem is the better option.
"May I know about their price?"
"Let''s wait for Manager Marion for the price." The assistant replied with a stiff smile...
Vale wryly smiled as he nced at the shelves. There''s no price tag on them.
It means they don''t know whether they really received a discount on their items since the Alchemist can simply say the price and tell them that it''s discounted as they have no way to prove otherwise.
They can only trust that this shop wouldn''t scam them. Anyway, they still have a business partnership with the shop so Vale doubts that they''ll want to trick them just for the sake of earning a little money.
It didn''t take long before Manager Marion arrived.
He brought three small containers of the Unaging Cream. Vale also noticed that its brand name was Ageless Beauty Cream.
"I only have these three since all the others have been pre-ordered. However, since this cream is only meant for ordinary folks--Ahem¡ I mean, if aging is caused by mysticism, it may not be helpful. "
"Alright¡ That should be enough. I will take it." Prisci replied as she also asked for its price. They were 85 zen each which is quite expensive and perhaps, only rich merchants and nobles can only afford them.
Nevertheless, since this is a product of a genuine alchemist, it can still be considered cheap from another perspective.
Again, no one knows whether this is a discounted price or not.
Manager Marion then focused on Vale''s items as he described the items in great detail.
Through this, Vale learned the limitations of the items.
The Murloc''s Gem can only be used twice a day and needed to be submerged in water for at least 2 hours every day. If not, the next time he used it, the gem might lose control. Instead of increasing his speed, it might increase his heartbeat speed or his blood flow instead.
As for the Nymph Scale, it can''t always be ced on his body as he might grow some scales after some time. It has to leave his body for at least 3 hours before he can wear it once again¡
Vale sighed at these effects as he realized that these items were indeed not the samemon low-grade mystical items he had seen before.
"With those side effects, I guess that these items are at least Mortal-ss artifacts, right?"
Chapter 150 Purchase
Chapter 150 Purchase
ording to Professor Shirley Harrison, Mystical Artifacts have different levels of strength or power. With this difference, the Association of the Harmonious Arcane Paths created a standard ranking system for these artifacts. They were ranked ording to their contained powers, effects, limitations, and usage requirement.
There were a total of six ranks and each of them was still divided by three grades. They can still be low-grade, mid-grade, or high-grade.
The lowest rank was called Regr. They are the ones simr to Spirit Pearls that can slightly boost your intelligence. Almost all Regr rank items don''t have side effects because their effects are too negligible in most cases.
Perhaps, only some poorly made Regr Rank mystical items can have a bit of side effects on them.
The next rank was called Mortal Rank followed by Noble Rank¡ These items were the ones that aremonly seen in stores meant for Arcane Arts Practitioners. They can either be considered as
However, the Royal rank and Sovereign rank that followed were mystical items that can only be seen in the treasury of the big ns of each Arcane Path¡
As for thest rank called Arcana, they were items that Vale had no idea about. Even the Professor didn''t say what kind of items they are.
She only mentioned that these items may not even appear in the next hundred years or so and they can only know more about it in the higher years.
"You guessed right¡ These two items that Mark picked up for you were both high-grade Mortal Rank items¡ This is the reason why the side effects weren''t too much. As you know, the low-grade items of each rank have the worst side effects while the high-grade ones are the most ideal since they would have minimal side effects." Manager Marion paused and looked at Vale seriously before he continued.
"If we provide you with low-grade versions of these, then they might be cheaper but they would have shorter effect duration and the side effects would probably require you a lot of effort to maintain them."
Vale understood his point but still, he hadn''t mentioned the price yet.
He simply nodded and waited for the price to be revealed.
"If we include the discount, each of them is worth 2,080 zen." Manager Marion said.
Vale didn''t react at that amount as nced at Philip and Prisci¡
"That''s a fair price for a high-grade Mortal Rank¡" Prisci spoke after realizing what Vale wanted to hear.
Philip also nodded at this as he knows that Mortal Rank mystical items can be worth above 1,100 zen from the lowest grade while up to 2,300 zen for the high-grade ones.
Vale wryly smiled at this price as he recalled his Kyle''s Father, who was a train operator, only earns a bit over 2,000 zen annually.
In any case, Vale didn''t haggle on the price as he took out his small pouch where he kept his money.
After counting the zen notes he brought, he spoke¡ "I''ll be buying both the Murloc''s Gem and the Nymph Scale."
Manager Marion brightly smiled after hearing this as he sped his hands in excitement.
"Very well¡ It''s yours, Sir Vale. Mark, wrap these two items¡ªNo, take two of the Calming Pouches instead so our customer can carry them safely. There is no additional price for these pouches."
"Calming Pouches?" Vale repeated as he had never heard of it before.
"It''s just a Regr Rank mystical item made from a special fabric... It doesn''t have any side effects because of its minimal effects buts it''s good for storing some items that are emitting mysterious energy."
"I see¡"
Assistant Mark quickly went to work and brought two small pouches like a coin purse. He ced the mystical items inside before putting them on the table near Vale.
Manager Marion also confirmed the purchase and even gave Vale a simple receipt for the products.
At this time, Philip finally found an item that he liked.
It is a small mirror so Vale was reminded of Mennena. Prisci also seemed curious as she knows her brother well. They have a rich family and they have ess to many Mystical Items that aren''t being sold to the public.
Because of that, they have a higher standard when ites to owning Mystical Items.
"What kind of mirror is that?" Vale asked.
"I''m also curious¡" Prisci added.
Philip smiled at the two and replied proudly.
"It''s called a Scouting Mirror! It says in the description that it can allow the Practitioner to monitor their surroundings twice the size of their Magic Zone. If this is real, then I''m having it. As you know, the ones in the house are too high-quality. I can''t use them yet until I''m a genuine 3rd ss¡ This would do for now."
"What? Are you going to use it to peek at girls? That''s disgusting, brother." Priscimented.
"Huh? Why do you think I would do that? I''m not that kind of guy. Tsk¡ Manager, may I know the price for this mirror?"
"I''ll give it to you for 2,100 zen¡ However, I can''t give you a Calming Pouch for it since it won''t fit inside." Manager Marion replied.
Philip didn''t mind this at all as he paid for the item quickly. The mirror has the size of an adult''s palm and it has a wooden frame and a handle on it.
"I can only use it thrice a day but I want to try it now."
Philip said as he triggered the mirror by pouring his energy unto the item.
Then, under his control, the mirror showed the image or the reflection of the surroundings that is out of his magic zone''s range¡
"This is awesome¡ The coverage is small at the moment but once I increased my Magic Zone''s range in a few years, this will be a lot more useful. It''s a pity that I have to talk to this thing a few times a day or it''ll stop functioning." Philip muttered as he saw the effects of the mystical item.
After theypleted their transaction, the three left the store with five suitcases with them. Vale and Philip carried two suitcases each while Prisci carried one.
They n to walk to the arranged hotel for their group but as soon as they came out, the three of them felt a group of people watching them with hostility.
"Was that Terrence''s group?" Vale asked as he recognize the familiar aura of the man.
Chapter 151 Confrontation
"That''s them for sure¡ We just arrived here and aside from them, we didn''t offend anyone." Prisci replied with a calm voice.
She didn''t seem afraid of the group of people observing them with hostility.
It was as if she was used to this kind of situation.
"Vale, are you regretting saving that man''s life? After seeing the Manager, I think that he could actually save the guy as well. I''m sure he has an intention to do that and you may not need to act all¡" Philip said as he looked at Vale with a teasing smile on his face.
He didn''t mind Vale''s action but he wanted to know whether Vale has changed his mind already.
At these words, Vale simply shook his head and replied.
"No, I''m not regretting it. It''s also a good thing for me that I have good reflexes when ites to saving people¡ I don''t want to change that."
Prisci and Philip smiled at this reply.
"That''s true¡ If you hesitated now, the next time something simr happened to your close friends or rtives, you might react slower¡ It''s good to have a firm and resolute mind." Philip was satisfied with Vale''s answer since this is simr to the teachings they received in their n.
"Let''s just ignore them. I''m sure that they''re considering whether we still havepanions waiting for us so they''re not acting yet. Once we arrived at the inn, they won''t be able to stop us. At most, they can only cause some trouble but nothing too dangerous." Philip said as they continued walking.
The inn they were headed to isn''t a simple establishment since it could amodate a group of professors and students from a prestigious Dark Arts Academy, there was no way they would have poor security in that ce¡
Anyway, the street ahead is quite busy.
There were carriagesing and going and hawkers across the street. Some of them were selling fish, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and some goods like toys, trinkets, or even drapery¡
After going through the busy street, they finally arrived at the inn and realized that Terrence''s group was still observing them.
''They didn''t make a move in the end¡'' Vale mused.
It seems that Terrence''s group was truly on the lookout to find theirpanions here. They probably realized that there was no way that first-year students of the Vermont Academy would do missions alone in a city hundreds of miles away from the Academy.
Prisci then spoke to the clerk of the inn and realized that they were the first ones toe.
The other professors and students haven''t arrived yet so Vale and his group simply went to the rooms they have reserved upstairs to store their belongings.
After that, they went downstairs to have a meal. Although they had their meal in the airship, they wanted to taste the local foods of this city so they just ordered whatever seem like a new dish for them.
The adventurous meal took more than an hour to finish but the others still haven''t arrived.
"I''m filled with energy, I want to go look around outside. I''m not sure when we can go outside again so we should cherish this time." Prisci suggested as she looked at the two guys.
"Hmmm¡ Are you not bothered by the people who keep looking in your direction? It might be worse outside." Vale said since aside from Terrence''s group who were observing them using some mystical means, the other customers of this inn were also looking at them, especially at Prisci, who seem very adorable in her dress.
"It''s fine. It''s not like they can do anything to me." Prisci replied with confidence.
"Haha¡ They have to get through to me first so you''re confident." Philip added while looking at his younger sibling. He can also be a protective brother at times.
Vale also agreed to them as he didn''t want to be left alone either.
Who knows, he might even find a lying corpse on the streets¡
''Ugh¡''
Vale shook his head erasing this random thought. It seems that being unable to extract corpses is taking a toll on his mind¡
Anyway, they paid for their meal to the waitress before they left the inn¡
"Let''s visit the Sun''s Herald office... Follow me." Prisci suggested with a hidden hint...
"Isn''t that where the others are going?" Vale still asked curiously while observing the surroundings...
He heard in the airship about the mission of some other students. A few of them were headed in that ce so he can''t help but be curious about the ce. He knows that the Sun''s Heald is a newspaperpany operating in the city but aside from that, he knows nothing else.
"Ahh¡ Are you not aware that it''s one of the Dark Arts Faction''s businesses? It''s not really the faction''s property but it''s owned by the Ravinies¡" Philip exined while his hands remained in his pockets...
The Ravinie n is one of the founding members of the Darkness Arcane Path so it can indeed be considered as part of the Dark Arts Faction.
"So it was like that¡ I guess they have missions rted to that pocket watch¡ It seems they''re still searching for news about it." Vale softly muttered as this matter still bothers him a bit.
"Indeed¡ Perhaps we can ask these people here? I heard we can get a reward if we provided a clue." Prisci said as she stopped walking and looked at the people who had blocked their path¡
They went to the alley where not many people passes-by. Of course, they went to this alley for this exact reason so none of the three were surprised.
"Haha... I hope they have answers. However, it might be troublesome if they learned that we''re searching for something. It''s better not to ask them questions and just kill them." Philip suggested.
"We''re killing them?" Vale asked with a frown. He didn''t expect that Philip can be so ruthless with that face.
Although Vale had killed the Evil Creature and Wilfred before, it doesn''t mean that he''s already a person who just kills anyone who annoys him.
"What? You''re thinking of killing us? You brats, who only have two or three Spell Models?! Hahaha! What a joke!"
Terrenceughed loudly as he signaled his men to attack!
Chapter 152 Terror
The four Elementalist from the Antique Shop seems to have called their friends. There were now a total of eight people who seem to be sixth-year students as well.
Normally, if three first-year students are surrounded by this line-up, they should be terrified at this moment and begging to spare their lives¡
This is what Terrence thought would happen.
However, as soon as he heard that these freshmen students didn''t even get scared and still thought of killing them, he immediately snapped as he signaled his brothers to attack.
He may not have ns of killing Vale and the other two but he''ll make sure that they can no longer practice the Arcane Arts after this. This is the cruelest torture he can imagine after all.
For people who had started to practice Arcane Arts, their greatest fear wasn''t death but the incapability of being unable to be part of the mysticism world.
"I''ll take care of these Elementalists¡ Just support me."
Before Vale could even act, Prisci already spoke as she brought out a whistle in her pocket. It was made of wood and there was even a demonic face engraved on it.
Vale didn''t miss this as his Phantasm State allows him to observe almost everything in detail as long as it''s within his Magic Zone.
''Hmm? I assumed they have some secret bodyguards following them so they were unafraid¡ Are they really confident about winning without their bodyguards?'' Vale mused as he witnessed Prisci''s actions¡
Preeeeppp~
Prisci unhesitatingly blew the whistle and for a moment, Vale thought that she was trying to get the police''s attention in this ce¡
However, as soon as he noticed that the Wind Arrows thrown at them started to weaken, he realized that the whistle is a Mystical Item that works well against Elemental Attacks.
Whooossshhh~
"As expected, you guys are lowly Elementalist who can only learn the Wind or maybe even Water Element." Prisci ridiculed Terrence''s group as she held the whistle in her hands.
The Wind Arrows turned into a breeze and even made them feelfortable!
"Y-you have a high-grade Noble Rank item?!" Terrence was shocked as well as the people he gathered.
None of them expected that these freshmen would have something at this level in their possession!
"Haha¡ Are you that surprised? I''ll give you onest chance to run¡ If you don''t, we''ll be showing you how ruthless the Dark Arts Practitioners can be¡" Philip said proudly as he showed his hands and summoned a sword made of darkness.
It was quite threatening and even Vale was mesmerized at this sight.
Anyway, in Raksmiths Academy, Water Element is considered the most basic element to master followed by the Wind Element¡
ording to Prisci and Philip''s tutor, some students in that academy would even graduate even if they only learned one of the Elements. They don''t have harsh conditions at all as long as they can increase their mastery of any one of the elements.
In short, over 90% of the people studying at Rakmiths Academy weremoners or those with ordinary backgrounds. It means that mystical items at Noble Rank were something they won''t normally see¡ As long as the practitioners didn''t have a huge gap among them, the possession of such items could dictate the pace of battle.
"Hmph! There''s only one with a Noble Rank item, it probably can''t be used multiple times. I think we should still try."
"That''s right¡ She''s definitely bluffing. If she''s capable of dealing with us, she won''t give us a chance to walk away."
"That makes sense. Everyone, let''s pressure them with multiple Wind Spells."
"Your sword is not even that helpful¡ Dream on!"
As soon as they made their ns, they immediately acted on them as they swiftly summoned multiple Wind Arrows at the same time. Two of them can cast 3 Wind Arrows at the same time while the rest can only cast 2 at the same time.
"I''ll help you¡" This time, it was Philip who spoke as he realized that the 18 Wind Arrows might be too much for the Corruption Whistle that Prisci was using¡
As they faced multiple attacks from all sides, Vale noticed that the whistle was able to top ten of them at the same time while Philip used his de skills to cut the other wind arrows¡
However, two of the Wind Arrows passed through him¡ These two have different speeds and power behind them. Furthermore, it wasn''t moving in the expected trajectory as if it was sentient¡
"I can endure this¡" Prisci said as she bravely prepared herself for the impact¡ She knows that she won''t be killed by the arrows and would only get injured. After all, her dress today isn''t simple either¡
As she braced herself and hoped that her mystical clothes can take it for her, she realized that the Wind Arrows stopped right in front of her before dissipatingpletely giving her a cool breeze.
This shocked Terrence as he was the one controlling the Wind Arrows. He was targeting Prisci''s stomach at that time but for some reason, he lost control of the spell as it was dissipated so easily¡
"This is weird¡ Is it another mystical item? Tsk¡ What''s wrong with these brats?!" Terrence could understand how these freshmen can be so difficult to deal with!
In the meantime, Vale heaved a sigh of relief as he was able to use his Spell Dispersion in time¡ Since he wasn''t the one being targeted, the passive function of the Spell Dispersion won''t work so he has to control it and help Prisci.
"Whew¡ I''ll protect you if something passed through your defenses¡ I''ll be on the offensive as well."
As Vale said this, Prisci was momentarily shocked but she immediately gathered herself as the battle isn''t over yet.
In just a couple of breaths, she noticed three huge Ghost Hands appearing and rushing toward the people in front.
The size of these Ghost Hands wasrger than the ones Vale had shown in his battle against Wilfred Moontomb!
''So he was still suppressing himself in that battle¡'' Priscimented in her mind as she witnessed the true terror of the Advanced Realm Ghost Hands.
Chapter 153 Unfair
"Spectral Hands? No, it''s probably a Mutated Spirit Hands! Use the Aqua Shields!" Terrence said as the ones they were seeing were different from the previous Ghost Hands that Vale had used a while ago. It is triple the size of the previous hands!
Because of that difference, they have mistaken it for another Dark Spell.
Furthermore, Vale''s Ghost Hands weren''t justrger but it is also more vivid than before¡ It looks even more intimidating as threads of ck energy hurl around the three wrinkly hands he summoned.
"Brandon, use your Wind Vortex to push them away!" Terrence quicklymanded as he realized that Philip was actually bravely moving forward!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Aqua Shields they summoned copsed one by one as they stared at the huge wrinkly hands aiming at their faces!
Luckily, they have movement spells as well so they were able to dodge the attack and use another spell to slow down the three summoned hands¡
"What''s wrong with these hands?!" Terrence was exasperated. Although they have other spells that could probably win against it, they can''t summon it instantaneously like how Vale did it.
They needed some time to recite the chant but that wouldst for about a minute. They certainly don''t have that much time in this battle.
In the meantime, Vale was actually surprised by how much they were struggling to destroy his Ghost Hands.
He wasn''t even properly controlling the Ghost Hands and simply charging at them with no movement tricks at all.
''Am I that powerful? Perhaps they''re not stronger than the Evil Creature I killed before? That''s weird¡ Aren''t they a bit too weak for sixth-year students? Is it because they are from an ordinary background?'' Vale frowned as he watch Terrence and others started panicking as his Ghost Hands chased after them.
It was a pity that the Spell Lights in his body were already halved after forcefully destroying several Aqua Shields at the same time¡
''I''m quite strong but my spell can''t be used for too long since I have a little energy reserve¡'' Vale sighed inwardly.
At this point, Philip has already gotten near as he swiftly sliced one of the enemies using his sword made of darkness.
Sssaakk---
It passed through the man as if Philip''s sword was simply made of smoke. Philip didn''t get surprised at this as he continued to chase the other.
Prisci noticed Vale''s confusion and smiled at him. She didn''t exin what happened as she continued blowing her whistle to destroy the Elemental Attacks of the group of enemies. This allowed Philip to act a lot more aggressive giving no chance for the others to recite their long chants.
Thud!
Suddenly, three people dropped to the ground a few seconds after they were "cut" by Philip''s sword.
At this point, even Terrence realized that Philip''s sword wasn''t simply gathered energy that could be defended by using their Elemental State.
They have really failed to choose their enemy today¡
"That''s another Noble Rank mystical item! It''s not a Dark Spell!" Terrence finally realized that Philip was using a silver bracelet with a few dark stones embedded in it.
It was no wonder that the mysterious power of the sword can''t be shattered by their Elemental State¡
"Terrence! What have you done?! Just why did you bring us to this mess?!"
"This is your fault!"
"What?! You''re ming now?! Stopining and just run away then!"
Terrence snapped at his brothers as he decided to just leave¡ They can''t win like this since they were caught off guard by their Mystical Items¡ He wasn''t sure but those items were definitely above 8,000 zen in price! They have never seen that kind of money so they know that they were defeated by wealth this time and not by skills¡
Well, the creepy hands were also a problem but it''s not to the point that could threaten their life¡
Soon, the three unconscious people seem to have been dragged by something as they were pulled closer to Terrence''s group¡
Of course, Vale didn''t allow them to leave just like that as he used his Spell Dispersion secretly¡
Pah!
Terrence''s connection with his spell was weirdly cut off once again even though Prisci didn''t use his whistle¡ It was very weird since he didn''t see how that happen. He didn''t even have any chance to resist it at all.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At this point, his friends no longer saved their treasures as they started using their one-time-use mystical items...
They were Elemental Talismans but they were all high-grade Regr Rank.
These items were something they could purchase in the Academy using contribution points.
One contribution point allows them to exchange 3 Talismans.
They would normally carry 12 or so of these whenever they go out of their Academy as their life-saving treasures.
As soon as they used these talismans, therge hands that Vale had summoned finally dissipated¡ A total of 40 of them were used up giving them a great shock!
"Advanced Realm!"
This time, they also realized that Vale''s level of mastery on those hands have already reached a terrifying level...
"W-what going on? I don''t even have a spell atte-stage Intermediate Realm¡ but this brat has an Advanced Realm Spell?! How is this fair!"
What''s even more depressing was his strongest spell isn''t even an offensive spell. It was his Blessed Water at mid-stage Intermediate Realm that allows him to transform his drinking water into sustenance¡ It would allow him to survive just by drinking water even for five months.
He actually learned this spell to save money from food so he could purchase a Mystical Item that he really wanted.
However, today, he met a group of young brats who didn''t just possess expensive Mystical Items but also has amazing mastery of their Spells!
Their difference is just too huge¡
''Money¡ I need plenty of money!'' Terrence bit his lower lip as he knows that he could at least bridge the gap in his talent if he has money to purchase Noble Rank mystical items.
Unfortunately for him, his life is already in danger. He has to survive first in order to have a chance¡
As he was about to try and beg for his life, he heard some footsteps behind him.
His eyes lit up as he realized that a senior from his Academy had arrived!
"Senior! We''re being bullied by those rich brats who only have high-level items to unt! Please help!"
Chapter 154 Brylle
Philip jumped back and moved closer to Prisci even before Terrence noticed the appearance of his senior.
Vale also noticed his presence as he conjured his Ghost Hands once more and allowed them to hover around them¡
It doesn''t just protect him but their whole group.
"This is bad news¡ That guy isn''t like these ordinary students." Philip whispered as he observed the newly arrived student.
He wasn''t much older than Terrence. Perhaps just a year or two, but he was definitely on a different level.
The aura around him was quite terrifying¡ It was as if they were looking at the Assassin Zombie they have seen in the battle recordings. However, because they''re seeing it in person, it feels more terrifying as if he could simply teleport in front of them and cut their necks.
"Don''t worry¡ I won''t allow him to sneak in any elemental attacks within a five-meter radius around me¡ so stay close." Vale said in a whisper which made Prisci and Philip a bit surprised by how confident he was.
''So this is a guy who had challenged an elite Necromancer student¡ As expected, he''s really special.'' Priscimented in her mind.
Although Vale might be bluffing, it allowed her to concentrate on her Phantasm State and remain vignt.
She observed the ''senior'' carefully and aside from his terrifying aura, he seem to have an ordinary look with a short, trimmed hair parted in the middle.
He was wearing a knee-length frock coat and holding a cane in his left hand. He seem to have copied most of the adults or he was trying to look like one¡ Nevertheless, it doesn''t seem weird with the way he carries himself.
The senior looked at Terrence with disdain but he didn''t speak. It was as if he was disgusted at them for being defeated by a bunch of freshmen students from another school.
That was certainly humiliating so Vale and the other two can somehow rte to the senior''s expression.
"Who are they?" He asked coldly.
Terrence was, of course, unaware of their names so he wasn''t able to answer.
He only knows that they were students of the Dark Arts Academy¡
This irritated the seniors even more since they didn''t even know the people they were messing with.
"Tsk¡"
With another grunt, the senior looked at Vale''s group¡
"I''m Brylle Genio, a seventh-year student at Rakmiths Academy¡ I''m not sure about the origin of this conflict between my juniors and your group, however, I can see that none of you are hurt while our side has suffered injuries¡ Seeing that you''re younger and outnumbered, I''ll let you off this time if you just apologize and leave your Mystical Items here¡ Got it?" Brylle spoke coldly as he tried to make himself a benevolent person.
However, Vale and his group were simply disgusted by his attempt to settle the situation in such an unfair method.
"Dream on¡ Our Professor is already rushing here. You''re the one who should leave your belongings if you want to be spared." Prisci bluffed as she held her Corruption Whistle tightly.
If she noticed any strange movements from them, she''ll swiftly activate this mystical item¡
"Two more times. I can only blow the whistle two more times¡" Prisci whispered in a tired voice¡ It seems that each use of the whistle takes a lot of her stamina.
Vale and Philip heard this and gently nodded.
It''s normal for mystical items to have limits so Vale wasn''t surprised.
He was even impressed that she could still use it two more times. After all, Vale had seen her use it about five times already to dissipate some sneaky wind arrow attacks from the enemies.
"My sword can still work for five more minutes. This should be enough." Philip also added in a soft voice.
In the meantime, Brylle looked sighed as he felt disappointed by how they disregarded the kindness he was willing to show them.
"You''ve made your choice¡ Don''t regret it." Brylle coldly spoke¡
He was about to make his move so Terrence and his group immediately cleared his path and went to the sides.
Then, in a blink of an eye, three ming Sparrows flew out of Brylle''s hands¡ The blue and red fair on it makes the spell beautiful yet dangerous¡ Furthermore, this attack was quite tricky as the ming Sparrows were agile¡ Their trajectory is unpredictable and Philip would surely have a hard time catching them.
Preeeep~
Prisci blew the whistle hoping that it was enough to stop the ming Sparrows.
However, Brylle simply snapped his fingers a strong shockwave urred¡ It seems to be a type of Wind Spell as it disturbed the power that was released by the whistle.
"Your whistle''s corruption power is strong and it can eliminate weaker Elemental Spells. Unfortunately, you''ve met me today so that Mystical Item of yours is useless." Brylle said proudly as he intended to show the huge gap between their group¡
"I''ll handle this¡" Philip said as he stepped forward to face the three ming Sparrows.
However, Vale immediately stopped him as he already has another n¡
"Ignore the me spell¡ Deal with Terrence''s attack!" Vale warned him as he didn''t let his guard down and continued observing what Terrence and the others are doing.
As soon as Brylle released his me spell, Terrence actually gathered his strength to fire a Wind Arrow.
However, this Wind Arrow was conjured using most of his strength so it was on a different level. If they were hit by it, it could certainly threaten their lives.
Philip''s eyes widened as he also realized the Wind Arrow that was traveling really low and was almost out of his notice. Thankfully, Vale warned him as he shifted his attention.
He decided to trust Vale this time¡ In any case, he still has a way to survive this ordeal in case the ming Arrows hit him.
With a wave of his Corruption Sword, he hit the Wind Arrow who arrived first and he was shocked by the force behind it¡
Boom!
The collision broke his sword and the wind arrow!
At this time, the ming Sparrows arrived on top of his head but they simply dissipated like they were doused with water!
Before Philip could even celebrate, he noticed something terrifying happening on Brylle''s side!
''W-what''s that?!''
A dark evil spirit seem to have been summoned and was restraining the man from making any moves!
Chapter 155 Reverse
Terrence felt vomiting after seeing how his Wind Arrow which was connected to his mind was shattered by that sword!
He thought that the young man wouldn''t be able to react in time as he was too focused on the three ming Sparrows summoned by his senior¡
Unfortunately, one of them seems to have noticed his n and swiftly reminded him.
It was a failed attempt but he thought that it would at least ensure that the ming Sparrows would continue to burn their group¡
He would be happy if these freshmen had their faces burned until they can no longer be recognized!
This is Brylle''s signature move against his opponents after all. Anyone who messes with him would have their faces burned! He wouldn''t kill them but humiliate them for the rest of their lives!
As he was thinking that his sacrifice would be worth it, he suddenly heard Brylle making some faint gurgling noise¡
This confused him for a moment so he shifted his attention to his senior.
"W-what''s that?!"
Since he''s still in his Elemental State, he can see the dark spirit that seems to be made of a thick ck cloud of smoke very clearly¡
What''s even more terrifying is what seemed like a long hair that was floating like a snake waving around the surroundings¡
"Aahh!"
The others finally noticed the sudden appearance of the dark spirit as they shrieked in terror! After a few breaths, they collected themselves as they fired multiple spells in its direction.
Unfortunately, none of the spells worked! All the Elemental Spells seem to have been absorbed by the long hair as if it was an abyss that could devour anything!
This made them extremely afraid as they stared at the three freshmen like they were some sort of ghosts.
"They summoned a Demon! You evildoers!"
"Release him or we''ll call the police!"
"If you kill our Senior, the Academy won''t stop until they killed you!"
They immediately threatened whoever summoned this being as they realized that their spells weren''t effective at all!
Of course, Vale wasn''t nning of taking anyone''s life at the moment. He simply ordered Lotus to restrain Brylle''s movement and she did just that¡
''I can replenish more of my energy if I take his soul.'' Lotus suddenly spoke in Vale''s mind and he immediately rejected the idea.
''In that case, don''t call me out for three or four months. This person is not easy to deal with. He has three mystical artifacts protecting him and if I didn''t destroy them, I would fail to restrain him. I already exhausted most of my energy reserves so keep it in mind.''
Vale sighed as he decided to think of a way to replenish her energy once he returned to the Academy.
Although they are in a secluded area, they are still in the middle of the city and they can''t simply kill anyone. If the professors learned about what he did, he might no longer have a chance of going out of the Academy!
Being banned from going out would make him feel like a prisoner and he wouldn''t allow that to happen.
"Rx¡ I''m not killing your senior. I''m just restraining him with a simple dark spell." Vale finally said to the group as he bluffed them about Lotus being some sort of Dark Spell instead of a living spirit.
Philip and Prisci looked at Vale because of this. They were confused at first but in a brief moment, they realized what was going on as they couldn''t help but feel amazed at his idea.
It''s indeed not needed to let the enemies know about his abilities.
Making them think that the spirit was some kind of spell would make this "spell" effective even if Brylle and Terrence''s group caused trouble once againter on.
It would make their preparation useless in front of a fake spell!
Philip couldn''t help but think of Vale as a crafty old man like his tutor back in their residence.
''He was really calm and calcting everything that is happening. He was also able to monitor the whole ''battlefield'' and was able to give instructions at the right time.''
Snap!
Vale snapped his fingers as if it was a signal to cancel his ''Dark Spell''¡
Lotus immediately understood what she was about to do and simply returned to Vale''s side before sneakily entering his shadow¡ She needed a long rest.
In the meantime, it only looks like Vale summoned a lump of energy and took it back after using it.
At this moment, the proud Brylle Genio who is a seventh-year student of the Raksmith Academy was already unconscious while his eyes are open. It appears as if he couldn''t believe what was happening to him until he passed out.
Anyway, it was a pity that Lotus can''t collect Mystical Items or Vale would have ordered her to take all his belongings after restraining him.
"Alright¡ Leave your Mystical Items and money if you want to leave this ce¡" Vale said in a rxed tone.
Philip and Prisci who were quite tired because of the battle decided to act tough as well and copied Vale.
They easily collected some money and mystical items because Terrence and the others were already afraid as they can''t understand these freshmen at all. They have weird spells and mystical items.
They even defeated the senior they were proud of!
They were aware of Brylle''s achievement so they were truly stunned after he was defeated. Brylle was in the top 98 in overall rankings within the Academy beating plenty of senior students in the process!
It means that he has gained plenty of contribution points that allowed him to carry a lot of Elemental Talismans or some better mystical artifacts to make him stronger...
However, despite having all of that achievement, the terrifying Dark Spell that Vale summoned had still taken him out in a matter of seconds!
Furthermore, they were fighting against freshmen students!
This made them think that the difference between Dark Arts Practitioners and Elemental Arts Practitioners is so huge!
After a while when Terrence and his group left the alley, he spoke in an annoyed tone as he tried to say something to make themselves feel better.
"W-we were just ipatible with the Dark Arts so we were defeated this time. Don''t look so down! If we fight against the ones in Lakrine Academy or even in Dorelts Academy nearby, there was no way we would lose!"
Chapter 156 News
Vale had no idea about how they were trying tofort themselves after their defeat.
He was simply happy after getting his hands on a few Elemental Talismans!
ording to Prisci, these paper talismans were one of the most basic Mystical Items that were used by many Arcane Paths.
Even their Darkness Arcane Path has some Dark Talismans like Curse Talisman and Life Erosion Talisman that would range from Regr to Mortal Rank¡
There were also some Talismans that were higher ranked than that but they were rare since the paper used to store such mystical energy wasn''t easily seen.
Anyone with such a paper would rather use it in other important things than make them a one-time-use paper talisman.
For this reason, most of the Dark Talismans'' ranks weren''t that high¡ Furthermore, if you get stronger, you won''t be needing these talismans anymore. They would just take up space in your luggage so it''s not a popr item.
After all, once you learned five or six Dark Spells, you''ll get to realize that your Spell can be stronger and your Phantasm State can already allow you to defend against weak lower-tier Spells.
"Are we still going to the publishingpany?" Vale asked referring to the Sun''s Herald office that they were nning to visit.
"I''m already exhausted¡ I thought I wouldn''t have to use my whistle for five times but I used it for seven times¡ It''s too much for me. Let''s just return to the inn and stay there. In case they called for help, we would be fine staying there." Prisci replied. Although there is only a little chance, it is still possible that Terrence and Brylle would make the stupid decision of calling for someone else''s assistance to cause trouble.
"Don''t worry¡ We''re not going to be in trouble as long as the Professors returned." Philip confidently said as he pointed at his pocket.
Vale then nced at Philip''s pocket only to realize that he was actually carrying a Recording Crystal all this time!
Vale''s eyes lit up as he found out that this Philip was truly prepared all along¡
Since it has a function of being able to delete its content, there won''t be a problem if they just delete it when they arrived at the Academy and made sure that there are no further problems.
Vale and Prisci finally rxed at this as they rested in the inn.
After a few hours, a few professors and students started returning as they upied the whole upper floor of the inn.
It appears that they already had information about the pocketwatch that the secret organization was searching for¡
Apparently, the Dark Arts Faction has been interested in this matter and invested plenty of resources to find clues about this pocket watch. After all, the Vermont Academy was infiltrated because of this item and they wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Furthermore, searching for the mysterious pocketwatch would also allow them to find the traces of this secret organization.
"Senior Avery, may I ask about the news regarding that pocketwatch?" Philip asked their female senior. She''s a fifth-year student and is currently here as a member of the Tea Appreciation Club, she was tasked to purchase a few bags of tea leaves but she had also visited the Sun''s Herald Office with the Publication Committee and learned about the news.
"Oh? I didn''t know you''re interested with that." Averymented as she approached the group of three.
Herpanions already went to their rooms to either take a rest or take a bath afterpleting their task for today.
"Who wouldn''t be interested, Senior? It''s big news that someone infiltrated our Academy because of that¡" Prisci added.
"Haha¡ You''re right¡ Anyway, it seems that several rumors about a pocketwatch that could help the wielder control space and time appeared about 12 years ago. The infiltration to our Academy''s Armory appears to be rted to that."
"Twelve years ago? I''m impressed some people still remember that rumor. Is there any news about its location?" Prisci asked.
"Wait, it can control Space and Time? Is that confirmed?" Vale asked in surprise.
Philip was also curious about this since this power appears to be very powerful. He''s also unsure which Arcane Path is capable of creating such an Artifact.
"Of course not¡ The Professors and some experts didn''t believe it was real as well. They suggested that maybe it can only help with movement speed and was exaggerated as being able to control time. Anyway, these rumors were heard in multiple regions around the kingdom. There was even some spection that the pocketwatch is owned by one of the Paragons."
"What?!" The three freshmen asked in surprise.
All of them were familiar with the word ''Paragon''.
Among the five predominant churches, the Chuch of the Three Paragons is one of them.
The Three Paragons were portrayed as Beings of the Sky and ording to their sacred texts, any of their belongings possess an immense power that could disrupt the bnce of this world.
"T-this is a bigger issue than I expected..." Prisci muttered after a moment of contemtion.
If the Church is involved in this matter, then it is also exinable why it was difficult to trace the secret organization!
If there are powerful organizations that could equal the Arcane Path''s Factions, then that would be the five Churches that have immense supporters and deep backgrounds that could be said to be older than the Arcane Arts¡
"Haha¡ I can tell that you guys are already specting on some random things. However, remember that none of it has been proven. We can''t get ourselves in trouble without any piece of evidence, got it?" Avery chuckled as she saw their reaction.
"Of course¡ We understand, Senior. Is there any other news you''d like to share with us?" Philip asked politely.
"Right, I''ve seen plenty of Elemental Arts Practitioners, the Rakmiths Academy probably sent those people here to have a tour in the coal mines nearby¡"
"¡"
The three were confused as they silently looked at Avery waiting for an exnation.
She then smiled in realization as she exined briefly... "It''s not easy to be an Elemental Arts Practitioner. They would have to feel our nature''s creation"
Chapter 157 Claims
Avery''s words answered many of their questions.
Since they were still in their first year, they didn''t have sses rted to other Arcane Paths yet.
It seems to be a subject that will be discussed in the third year. Thankfully, Avery answered their question and allowed them to learn about the other Arcane Path in advance.
"So it was like that¡ Senior, did you try to enroll in that academy?" Philip asked out of nowhere.
"What? Of course not. I just learned about it in ss. But¡" Avery paused for a moment before continuing with a lower voice.
"I got myself tested and confirmed that I also have an affinity with Fire Element. Kehehe¡ If my body rejected the Darkness Possession at that time, my family would probably send me to that ce." Avery revealed her secret with a delightful tone.
"Senior Avery, I heard that your family supplies a quarter of the Serenity Scrolls to the whole Dark Arts Faction, is that really fine?" Prisci asked curiously.
This time, Vale was simply listening silently since he had no idea about Avery''s family. He doesn''t even know herst name.
Avery smiled brightly after realizing that her juniors know about her family''s business.
"You''re right¡ We supply Serenity Scrolls and we''re protected by the Dark Sorcerer Refuge thanks to that. However, we haven''t been prohibited to study other Arcane Paths except for the Psychic Arts, Holy Arts, Transformation Arts, Beast Arts, and Summoning Arts."
"This is the first time I''ve heard about this¡" Prisci said as she looked at Vale.
"It''s also my first time hearing about these exclusions. However, I at least know that Rune Arts Faction has a decent connection with the Dark Arts Faction since one of my ssmates is actually from a prestigious family in the Rune Arts Faction." Vale said referring to Neil Sommerhalder¡
"Right¡ We also have a ssmate from a small but powerful family deeply connected to the Mystic Arts Faction. I wonder what''s wrong with those five Arcane Paths¡" Philip muttered.
He can understand the Holy Arts Faction''s exclusion since they truly have a bad record in the Dark Arts Faction, however, he doesn''t know much about the other four so he felt curious about it. He''s already thinking of asking Professor Ste Harrisonter on.
***
Soon, as dinner time came, the whole inn had temporarily closed to serve the members of the Vermont Academy.
There were a total of sixty people within the inn which is not even half of the people who had dismounted from the Academy''s Airship¡
Apparently, they had other ces to go and only disembarked at this city since this is the only ce with a dockyard in the vicinity.
As they were all chatting about their sessful missions within the city and that they would earn a couple of contribution points because of this, Professor Russel Ravinie suddenly cleared his throat and caught everyone''s attention.
"Ahem¡ Before you all start your celebration, I think we need to address an important matter." As he said this, the waitresses were still serving the meals for everyone.
Some of the students were listening and some had already started eating.
At this moment, they realized that the five professors that went with them to this city all had a serious looks on their faces.
Before Professor Russel can continue to exin, Professor Ste already spoke.
"Professor, I think we''ve already discussed that we''ll let the Headmaster be informed about this matter once we returned to the Academy. We don''t have to ruin the mood here, do we?" She asked with a cold voice. It appears that she was disappointed that Professor Russel suddenly brought this up on this asion.
Professor Russel simply smiled as he looked at the young and beautiful professor.
"It''s fine¡ Now that I think about it, I don''t think we should trouble the Headmaster for this simple matter. The students of the Rakmiths Academy were attacked by our students. ording to their professors, many of them were injured. They were even robbed and their students testified that their Elemental Talismans and other Mystical Artifacts were stolen. Shouldn''t we try to resolve this matter as quickly as possible since we''re aiming to boost our reputation?"
Professor Russel replied revealing the incident that had happened this afternoon.
"What? Someone from our group attacked those from Rakmiths Academy?" A seventh-year student frowned as he heard the Professor''s ims.
He couldn''t believe it since he knows all of the sixth-year and seventh-year students who hade here to aplish a few missions.
Well, if anyone would attack the Elemental Arts Practitioners, he believed that they would be the sixth-year or seventh-year students like him¡ After all, the first-year to third-year students were incredibly weak with their pathetic Elementary Realm spell. At most, it can be used to prank people.
As for fourth-year to fifth-year students, they might have some bit of skills after learning in their branch specialization but they wouldn''t have the guts to test it against other people yet.
The fifth year is when you were constantly defeated in mock battles and would make youpletely humble...
Only when you reach your sixth year and attended the Twelve Academy Competition will you gain your confidence back. After all, in that ce, you will realize how powerful you are once more after fighting against the students of other weak Academies.
Professor Russel nodded seriously at the student who spoke before he shifted his gaze to Vale.
"That''s correct¡ It seems that a group of freshmen in our Academy ambushed the first-year and second-year students of the Rakmiths Academy. Over 30 of them were injured and I was informed that a spell simr to Ghost Hands seemed to have been used to strangle them¡ ording to the testimonies we heard, it was Vale Chambers'' group who did this. There are professors of the Rakmiths Academy outside, would you like to answer them first?" Professor Russel said as he looked at Vale.
This time, Professor Ste intervened before Vale and hispanions can even speak.
"Professor Russel, I think you should also mention how suspicious their ims are and they might be simply looking for trouble."
Chapter 158 Witness
After Professor Ste said those words, she shifted her attention to Vale''s group and continued calmly.
"You three, you don''t have to answer their questions for now. As Professors, we''ll have to investigate the authenticity of their ims first before we even start questioning you. You can''t just meet with another Arcane Arts Practitioner in these types of cases¡ You have to be careful as they might have the ability to control the mind or your voice or even the opinion of people by using some sort of beguiling artifact or something simr."
Vale couldn''t help but smile after hearing Professor Ste''s lecture¡
If there was an attribute for affection, his affection points for Professor Ste would certainly rise by a point or two.
Instead of speaking with them in amanding tone, she exined what they have to do calmly and even faced the old professor without any hesitation.
It must be remembered that Professor Russel Ravinie wasn''t just an old professor but someone who hade from a great background while Professor Ste Harrison did not!
Disagreeing with him might not be a good idea if Professor Ste doesn''t want to be troubled by a big family.
Vale looked at Philip and Prisci for a moment as they were obviously a bit shocked by what Professor Russel just said.
First of all, there is indeed something wrong with the ims of the Rakmiths Academy''s professors.
They had not attacked anyone aside from Brylle and Terrence''s group. It was surely a lie that they strangled a bunch of first-year and second-year students.
''Did Terrence and Brylle think that making this case bigger would cause trouble for us?'' Vale inwardly sighed as he nodded to Professor Ste.
"We understand, Professor Ste. We''re going to return to our rooms. We''ll let you handle this matter¡ and thank you for trusting us."
"Thank you for trusting us." Philip and Prisci added in unison.
Actually, Philip was already thinking of revealing the Recording Crystal to them but Vale gestured to him to hide it first.
"Let''s see what would happen first. I''m a bit curious about Professor Russel''s actions."
Vale muttered as he stood up first to leave the dining area.
"Professor Russel? Do you think he''s helping those guys?" Prisci asked.
"I think so¡ That person doesn''t like me for some reason so he must be so happy after hearing that the Professors from Rakmiths were looking for us." Vale replied.
"Very well¡ We''ll listen to you and wait for Professor Ste''s actions."
As they went upstairs, they met a few students who looking at them¡
To Vale''s surprise, he noticed someone looking at him with hostility¡
He barely knows anyone here so he was clueless why someone would look at him with such malice.
Vale swept his eyes as he tried to get a better look at the person who was giving him such a cold gaze. He did it naturally so he was sure that he wasn''t noticed at all.
''Hmm? Do I know that person?'' Vale paused for a moment as he tried to recall the person. Unfortunately, nothing wasing out of his memory.
After entering their shared room, Vale asked Philip and Prisci about the person.
"Do you guys know of that senior student seated close to the counter? He has thick eyebrows and short hair¡ It''s a bit dark where he was seated but he should have a tinge of purple hair."
Prisci visualized the image of the man as she immediately had an idea.
"The one wearing a dirty gray overcoat? I think he went to the mines a while ago but forgot to clean himself."
"That''s right¡ Now that you said it, I think his coat was quite dirty." Vale replied with a nod.
"If that''s the case, it must be Dale¡ If I''m not mistaken, he was previously Professor Russel''s student assistant for about 2 Academic Years. He should be a fifth-year student by now under the Essential Corruption Department."
Prisci replied as Philip acknowledged it with a nod.
"You know him that well? I''m impressed. Is he someone special?" Vale asked in surprise. He didn''t expect that Prisci and Philip would know about the person he was talking about so he felt that this Dale might be someone important.
Philip and Prisci looked at each other with smiles on their faces before they answered.
"The Mystical Artifacts that we both have were products we obtained from the Essential Corruption Department of the Academy. My item was called Lesser Corruption Whistle while my brother''s bracelet that could summon that dark sword was called Lesser Corruption Sword Armlet¡ I''ve seen Dale a few times before." Prisci exined.
"Why are you asking about him?" It is now Philip''s turn to ask.
Vale wryly smiled at this and exined what he just felt from him... He also mentioned how he suspects the guy to be one of Professor Russel''s aplices so they have to be careful around him.
"I think that the Professor has already made an agreement with the people from Rakmiths Academy¡ If Professor Ste failed to straighten the matter. I''ll be needing your help." Vale said.
"Of course! We''re all in this together! Isn''t that right, brother?"
"There''s no doubt about that." Philip replied without any hesitation.
***
After about an hour, Vale had a quick and refreshing nap...
While Prisci and Philip were filling nervous, he actually had the nerve to take a nap which baffled the two.
Anyway, as Vale was washing his face, he and the other two heard a knock on their door followed by the familiar gentle voice of their professor.
"Vale, Prisci, Philip... I need to talk with the three of you." Her voice was tired as if she had gone through a long battle.
Philip immediately let her in and gave a stool for her to sit on.
Professor Ste didn''t wait for them to ask and exined what had happened.
"It seems that the professors of the Rakmiths Academy hade prepared. I confirmed just now that the first-year and second-year students were indeed attacked by some sort of Dark Spell. It appears to be a Ghost Hand at an intermediate realm or higher."
"That''s impossible! We didn''t attack any first-year students at all!" Prisci said while raising her voice as could no longer stay silent.
"We didn''t do it, professor. It could be anyone¡ Why are they targeting our group?" Philip asked.
At this time, Professor Ste shook her head as she exined. "They have a witness and it''s a student in our Academy. He said that he didn''t stop you guys since he also has an important mission and he can tell that you were not nning to kill them and just teach them a lesson. His name is Dale Morvell."
Chapter 159 Proof
"Dale Morvell?" Prisci and Philip repeated in unison as they looked at Vale in surprise.
They were just talking about him a while ago and he warned them about this person. Now, this senior actually became a witness for the students of Rakmiths Academy!
At this time, Vale sighed as he already imagined the situation. Although he only had a guess based on the clues, he couldn''t help but feel that he got it right this time.
"You know about him?" Professor Ste asked curiously after seeing their reaction.
"Yes¡ Vale warned us about him a while ago¡ He said that Dale Morvell was looking at him with hostility." Prisci exined.
"I see¡ I guess this is because Vale has offended Professor Russel, huh¡" Professor Ste muttered.
Vale nodded as he added. "That''s what I thought too, Professor. In any case, I wonder why you trust us in the first ce¡"
Professor Ste smiled mockingly and answered matter-of-factly.
"There was no way you can win against that many first-year and second-year students¡ Although you have a decent mastery over your spell, your energy reserves aren''t that great. Perhaps, even maintaining your Phantasm State for five or ten minutes is already exhausting¡ Dealing with so many Elemental Practitioners equipped with Elemental Talismans would be difficult even for you, Vale."
Vale didn''t deny this and simply smiled at the Professor. He decided not to exin too much or it would seem like he was bragging.
However, it doesn''t mean that Prisci and Philip would remain silent¡
"Ha! Professor, I think that you''re mistaken¡ We actually defeated a bunch of sixth-year students and even one seventh-year student from Rakmiths!"
"That''s right¡ Don''t underestimate us¡ Vale, should we show it now?" Philip asked referring to the recording crystal.
"Sure¡ I think this is a good time to reveal their lies. Furthermore, I think that Professor Ste would be able to use it better." Vale replied with an agreement.
"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Professor Ste asked in confusion.
After a few moments, the female professor left the room with mixed emotions¡ She was mad at Dale for lying and at Professor Russel for taking this as an opportunity to deal with Vale.
She also felt a bit embarrassed after telling Vale that he was incapable of dealing with a bunch of first-year students.
If they can already deal with these sixth-year students, how much more for those freshmen in the Elemental Arts Academy? They will be destroyed!
Anyway, Professor Ste also felt proud that her students are so strong and capable of defeating some powerful students from another academy.
Perhaps, it is the right time to groom them into students that will bepeting in the Twelve Academies Competition.
As she left the room, she promised the freshmen that she''ll deal with the situation¡
Furthermore, she would ask for plenty ofpensation because of their wrongful usation.
''However, does it mean that the one who dealt with the freshmen of the Rakmiths Academy was Dale himself? Did he get paid by Terrence or Brylle?'' Professor Ste mused.
Actually, she wanted Vale''s group to be the one to reveal the Recording Crystal that Philip has. However, Vale have other thoughts about this incident and decided not to show up.
"Vale! I wanted to see their reaction once they saw our recordings¡ Why did you let Professor Ste take all the limelight?" Prisci asked.
Vale understood her point as he also imagined such a beautiful sight. However, he shook his head and exined.
"Did you forget that we need a device to show the content of that crystal? We obviously don''t have one here that we can borrow. It means that we can''t show its content and will only be used as a deterrent. If it was mysteriously destroyed in our hands, we''ll be in huge trouble since we''ll have no more proof of our innocence. However, if it was Professor Ste who was holding the crystal, it would be fine even if it was destroyed¡ The crystal will still remain as our proof of innocence... assuming that someone can sneakily destroy it in her hands."
Vale exined as if he could see the future. Well, he somehow did¡
His quick nap a while ago bore fruit¡ Lotus'' passive ability was triggered and allowed him to see an exaggerated version of the next events in his dream!
It seems to be a very powerful ability but it unfortunately doesn''t work most of the time. Vale could only guess that it would only work if he was about to be greatly humiliated or incur injuries.
"You''ve really thought this through¡ You''re amazing, Vale." Prisci praised him as she felt impressed with his calction.
Philip also nodded after realizing that Vale''s exnation was right.
"Hmm¡ That might happen. With our level, if Professor Russel used a spell that can destroy the fragile crystal in our hands, we would have no way of protecting it."
In the end, they can only ept that they won''t see their stunned expression¡
***
In the meantime, Ste decided that as a fellow professor, she had to keep the old professor''s dignity for the sake of the Vermont Academy''s reputation. It would be embarrassing for the whole Dark Arts Faction if a professor was found out to be guilty of harassing or bullying their students.
With this in mind, she decided to call the people that are involved and met with them¡
It was the three Professors of the Rakmiths Academy, all five Professors of the Vermont Academy, Dale the witness, and the five victims of the crime who were able to recognize Vale''s group very clearly.
"Why is Vale''s group not here yet? Are you still hiding those bullies?! We have to meet them!" The plump professor of Rakmiths Academy spoke with his high-pitched voice.
"I think they''re right, Professor Ste. Although you want to protect them, I think that with all the Professors on our side being present here, they should be fine showing up in our meeting." Professor Russel said with a calm voice as if he has everything under his control.
Professor Ste took her time to answer as she pursed her lips for a moment before asking the plump professor.
"Well, we''re also not seeing student Brylle and student Terrence from your Academy¡ so I don''t think it''s necessary to bring Vale''s group here."
Chapter 160 Troubles
Professor Ste''s words confused the professors of the Vermont Academy since it was their first time hearing about them.
On the other hand, the professors of the Rakmiths Academy were stunned including the five alleged victims of Vale''s group assault. They seem to know something based on their reactions.
Of course, their reaction didn''t escape everyone else''s sight so they immediately asked Ste to rify what she said.
"Professor Ste, can you tell us more about it?" A male professor in his middle age asked calmly. He was wearing a faded green frock coat and had a gloomy aura around him. His name is Norbert Curtis and is a professor in the Necromancy Department.
As soon as Ste mentioned the names of those two people, he noticed how the eyes of the Rakmiths Professors changed¡ It turned from being haughty into being nervous.
That was very a suspicious act for him
"What do you mean by this, Professor Ste?" Professor Russel also asked as he squinted his eyes¡ He couldn''t help but frown after seeing the reaction of the people from the Rakmiths Academy. It appears as if they were hiding something from him!
"Well, since they''re silent¡ Allow me to exin. Vale, Philip, and Prisci did indeed beat up a few students from Rakmiths Academy." Ste said as she looked at everyone''s reaction.
Professor Russel and student Dale turned their frowning faces into a delightful ones after hearing this. It seems they weren''t mistaken after all. If even Professor Ste was saying this, it means that it is confirmed as she probably heard it from Vale''s confession as well.
"So we''re right¡ Just bring them here so we can properly discuss their punishment. You don''t have to look for other people." Professor Russel immediately said.
"Indeed¡ I told you, I wasn''t wrong. I really saw them!" Dale added in excitement. He didn''t know why Vale and the others admitted to the crime he did himself but it was all well now that they confessed.
It seems that they got too scared and imed they had themitted crime before he could even pressure or force them into a confession.
He already made up a n on how to make Vale''s group the assaulters of the freshmen students from Rakmiths Academy but all of them don''t matter now.
"Professor Ste. Are you sure about this? Although Vale has records of being violent because of how he could kill someone in his batch, Philip and Prisci don''t have this kind of record. Besides, they came from a reputable n¡ I don''t think they''ll bother dealing with those weak and pathetic students of this Rak¡ªor whatever Arcane Academy it is."
An old female professor who was from Vermont Academy spoke in doubt.
She''s a Professor from Basic to Intermediate up to Advance Spell Fusion sses in the 8th, 9th, and 10th-year sses. She was basically the leader in this trip to Charvale City but because of her age, she simply distributed the tasks to the Professors and students.
She mostly remained silent and just kept on observing things.
Now that she spoke, Professor Ste couldn''t help but smile as she knows that she simply had to use the old professor to put herself in a favorable position.
In the meantime, the professors from Rakmiths Academy wouldn''t let her snide at their students pass just like that¡
"What do you mean pathetic?! Our students were ambushed! They didn''t expect that your student would be so violent and just attack out of nowhere!"
"Don''t make it seem like our Academy is incapable of producing a strong freshman student. That Vale or whoever they were was just lucky since our elite students didn''t join us here."
The Professors of Rakmiths Academy immediately angrily said after hearing her remarks.
Professor Ste simply sneered at this as she knows how Vale''s group defeated even a seventh-year student of their beloved Academy.
"Hmph! I haven''t finished speaking yet. Although Vale, Philip, and Prisci have indeed beaten up a few students of your Academy, they weren''t the first-year students but those sixth-year and seventh-year students of your Elemental Arts Academy."
Professor Ste said making everyone silent within the room.
***
During this time, Vale and the other two also found themselves in a difficult situation¡
After they left everything to Professor Ste, they decided to go out for a walk and at least enjoy the night street of Charvale City.
They would have to return by tomorrow evening after all.
They were also nning to purchase a few local souvenirs as well since they weren''t sure when will they get a chance to visit this ce once again.
However, as they were checking out the items being sold by the street hawkers, they heard amotion not too far from them¡
"Run! Run! The old butcher has been possessed by an Evil Spirit! Run!"
"Call the police! Hurry!"
"Don''t panic! The possessed person shouldn''t be capable of running around! We can just burn him into ashes! Don''t panic or you''ll get hurt!"
As a crowd of scared people started moving away, a few individuals mustered their courage to see the situation ahead.
They moved forward and kept warning the people who seem so terrified.
"Let''s have a look! I haven''t seen a possessed person before!" Prisci said in excitement.
Vale believes that this is a bad idea but something in him wanted to take a look as well. Although it may not be the best choice, he just felt that this is an opportunity to learn more about a possessed person¡
No, they weren''t even sure if the evil spirit possessed a living person. Perhaps, this is a situation where an evil spirit possessed a corpse and created an evil creature. Vale couldn''t erase this idea as he agreed with Prisci.
Philip has no problems with it as they followed the origin of the disturbance.
Soon, they arrived close to the ughterhouse and saw the figure of the possessed person¡
The butcher is quite huge and still wearing his bloodied apron and cleaver in his right hand. He seems to have just finished a ughter and appears quite scary¡
However, it wasn''t just like that, the man''s eyes has already turnedpletely ck and he was walking unsteadily.
At this moment, Vale and the other two were frozen on their spot as they realized that the possessed butcher had noticed their presence.
Chapter 161 Butcher
"That thing is looking at us¡ doesn''t it?" Prisci spoke as she naturally stepped back.
Her spells and mystical items don''t work well with a possessed person. At most, she can use her movement spell to run away.
As for Philip, he also has a terrible match-up against such a being. He has a Blood Curse Spell and Severe Ailment Spell but they''re not going to work well against a possessed person.
He can use his Lesser Corruption Sword Armlet against it but it is still on cooldown today.
After their battle against Terrence''s group, his formed sword was destroyed and needed some time to recover. Furthermore, even if it works, the Darkness Sword may not necessarily be enough to deal with the thick-skinned butcher.
Furthermore, ording to their studies, a possessed person would normally have 3 or 5 times their strength and would also have resistance against lower-tier Spells.
"I think we should run¡ Vale, don''t y a hero and deal with it. There should be plenty of authorities here. This is a huge city after all¡" Philip said as he looked at Vale with a serious expression.
He was afraid that Vale would try and use his Ghost Hands to fight with it. Although Vale can probably use it to dy the possessed person, he doesn''t think that it''s enough to win.
It is because of the affinity of the possessed person and the dark spell!
It means that the Ghost Hands wouldn''t be as effective when used against someone with the Darkness attribute¡
"Don''t worry, I''m not thinking of joining the fight¡ There are already some police officers rushing over. I''m more worried about the person who made him like that." Vale muttered in a soft voice.
"What? Are you telling me that someone used a spell to possess that guy?" Philip asked filled with worry.
"That''s correct¡ That person is still inside the ughterhouse and observing the situation¡"
"Ugh¡ What are they thinking?! Look, there are already a few injured and dead people!" Prisci added as she realized that they were toote and there were already some casualties¡ They didn''t notice these corpses for a while since they were too stunned at the menacing presence of the possessed butcher.
"Die!"
As Vale''s group was observing the ughterhouse, they heard someone''s voice as a bravemoner thought of killing the possessed person!
He''s probably a rtive of one of the dead bodies on the ground and he wanted a revenge for that¡
He was only equipped with a hammer so he was aiming to smash the head of the butcher¡
Bam!
The hammer sessfully hit the butcher''s head but it feels as if he hit a b or rock instead!
The butcher didn''t flinch and he simply waved his cleaver aiming to slice the man!
Prisci squinted her eyes thinking that the man would be cut in half, however, the police finally arrived as they heard a series of gunshots!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots were fired¡
This time, the butcher stumbled on his feet and missed his target!
"Go away! You''re just going to add to the casualties! Let us handle this!"
A group of police officers wearing blue uniforms appeared as they barricaded the street. They have truncheons on their waist and revolvers in their hands.
They seem to know what was going on as they weren''t surprised at the sturdy butcher who can resist bullets.
The man who had failed to kill the butcher followed the officer''s instruction and fled quickly¡
Suddenly, as Vale''s group was thinking that this matter would be handled swiftly, another police officer came to their side.
It was a young male officer who seemed to be in a rush.
"Are you guys Arcane Arts Practitioners? Perhaps you''re from Holy Arts Faction? Can you help us exorcise this thing?" The young officer asked as he seemed to have noticed their status based on how they carried themselves into this supposedly scary situation.
Vale was quite amused by the question as he answered. "No, we''re not from the Holy Arts Faction¡ Furthermore, we''re only freshmen students as well. We haven''t learned anything that can be useful in this situation¡ Please try and ask those guys that were observing the situation. They''re near the flower shop."
As he said this, he pointed at the flower shop not too far from their location¡ Three people wearing white and blue trench coats can be seen in that ce and although Vale wasn''t sure, they seem to be capable of dealing with this issue.
The young officer also noticed their presence as he nodded in agreement.
"Then, may I ask what faction you belong to?" He asked.
Vale actually didn''t want to tell him that but since he deliberately asked, he can only reveal it.
However, before he can speak, Prisci already answered.
"We''re from the Dark Arts Faction¡"
She didn''t mind answering this question but she soon realized that something was off after looking at the young officer''s reaction.
"Dark Arts?" The young officer repeated with a serious tone in his voice.
It seems that he was already being wary of them based on his body''s reaction.
"¡"
Philip also realized what was going on as he already got a hint from Vale a moment ago¡
Since Vale found out that someone orchestrated this incident, the officers had perhaps noticed this as well but couldn''t find the culprit as he did!
If that''s the case, they might be the mastermind of this incident because they belong to the faction that should have expertise in this type of mystical incident!
"Is there a problem with it?" Vale asked as he looked at the young officer who was in his twenties.
Well, Vale is still an Arcane Arts Practitioner who had seen many mystical things over the past year¡ He won''t easily be intimidated by a police officer like before.
The officer hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and leaving their side. He went to ask the ones in the flower shop instead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At this time, another series of gunshots were heard as the possessed butcher started moving closer to the other group of officers.
Vale and the other two shifted their attention to what was happening and confirmed that the butcher was still unharmed and no bullet holes can be seen on his body¡ It was quite baffling since they shouldn''t be this durable.
''It''s a good thing that they can''t move quickly.'' Vale thought as he sees that the butcher is simply briskly walking.
However, as soon as he thought of this, the plump butcher suddenly pounced towards the nearest officer and mmed his body making the poor officer simr to a meat paste!
Chapter 162 Strange
Prisci gasped and covered her mouth with her two hands. She didn''t expect to see such a brutal scene as soon as she shifted her attention.
The butcher can actually pounce like that! It happened so quickly that the officer was unable to react on time.
The poor police officer didn''t even have a chance to cry in pain as he immediately died from the weight of that possessed butcher.
They could even see the cracks on the ground making them baffled how the butcher became so heavy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots soon followed.
The other police officers didn''t have time to grieve at the death of their colleague as they have to ensure their survival first!
Obviously, they know that they have to buy as much time as possible until the special units arrived to take care of this situation.
"Vale, I think we should leave this ce¡" Philip said as he can tell that the situation is not favorable for them.
They have already filled their curiosity and learned about the possessed being. They should be satisfied with this already.
Prisci didn''t mind whatever decision herpanions would have and just remained silent while observing the movement of the possessed butcher.
Vale considered it for a moment before nodding his head.
Well, he noticed that the mysterious Arcane Arts Practitioners who were standing near the flower shop refused the young officer''s offer as well.
However, these people still left their position and directly rushed towards the ughterhouse¡
''It seems that they''re targeting the mastermind?'' Vale mused.
"Alright¡ Let''s leave¡" Vale finally said as he confirmed that there is already someone dealing with the suspected culprit of this incident...
Whom~
Unfortunately, as they were about to leave, a wave of energy passed through them making them momentarily unable to move.
It only took them a second to recover but to their surprise, the surroundings already turned foggy as the area seem to have been isted by some sort of Formation Arts!
"They''re finally here..." Vale muttered as he saw a couple of police officers entering the scene.
One of them is a female officer with long ck hair while the other is a huge man with an eyepatch on his left eye. Compared to the first group that has arrived, these two appear unbothered by everything as they looked at the possessed butcher with disdain.
Anyway, Vale also noticed that these two officers have blue gloves on their handspared to the white gloves of the normal officers.
The butcher seems to be attracted by their presence and instead of chasing the other poor officers, the butcher pounced on the two newly arrived officers as if they were his mortal enemies.
Bang!
The male officer shot at the butcher but this time, Vale was shocked to see that the butcher used his cleaver to block the bullet!
The butcher didn''t parry any bullet when dealing with the normal officer!
This made Vale believe that the special unit officer have different types of bullets meant for this possessed person.
Boom!
The bullet exploded after crashing on the cleaver¡
Nevertheless, the cleaver was destroyed into many pieces turning them into shrapnels that made the area even more dangerous.
Vale and the others immediately took cover as they realized that the butcher was simply ying around a while ago!
The man with an eyepatch wasn''t bothered by this as he even smiled at this turn of events¡
"Good! You have a decent sentience! Show me what you got!"
The one-eyed officerughed as he pulled the trigger of his revolver a couple more times¡
This time, the butcher can no longer block it and tried to evade it with its unexpected nimbleness.
If Vale would make a guess, this nimbleness is simr to when he reached 8 Agility Points! The butcher actually dodged the first bullet and was grazed by the second bullet!
"GGaaaarrgghh!"
A voice a seems to havee from the depths of hell was heard after the butcher was grazed by the bullet! A trail of blood can be seen flowing on his left shoulder and normally, it should not be enough to incapacitate someone.
However, for some reason, the butcher''s nimbleness wanes out as it continued screaming in pain before he finally copsed to the ground.
"Officer Spencer, you used three bullets for this possessed being¡ That''s 2,000 zen per bullet." The female officer reminded him as she looked at the slowly dying butcher. She remained vignt and held her revolver firmly.
"Ugh¡ I got too excited¡ I thought this butcher''s Evil Spirit would reach the same level as the one we encountered in Melthorn City---Oh, it''sing out. It''s all up to you, Officer Roma!"
The female officer didn''t reply as she looked at the cloud of dark smokeing out of the butcher''s body¡
As soon as she confirmed her target, she returned her revolver to her holster and brought out a talisman from her pocket. She then chanted a prayer in anguage that is not Oardic, Heumish, or Soi.
Soon, the dark cloud of smoke was attracted to the paper talisman as it turned in its direction.
Officer Roma then took out a small empty bottle with her other hand¡ She removed the stopper quite swiftly and surprisingly, the cloud of smoke entered the bottle like it had just found its home¡
From Vale''s perspective though, it looked as if it was sucked into it before Officer Roma closed it up again with the cork and even sealed it again with the same paper talisman she used a moment ago¡
Everything happened so quickly!
Then, the butcher that was previously possessed was suddenly dissolved into a purple liquid after Officer Spencer did something to it. It seems to be some sort of spell but Vale wasn''t sure what had happened. He only saw how Officer Spencer got closer and waved his hands while Officer Roma was busy collecting the cloud of smoke.
"Hmmm¡ Now that we''re done with this thing¡ How should we deal with those three kids?" Officer Spencer spoke calmly as he finally shifted his attention to Vale''s group.
Officer Roma was also deep in her thoughts as she stared at them.
Chapter 163 Targeted
"We''re about to leave this ce when we were caught by the Formation Circle you guys have activated so we can only stay here..." Prisci said as she noticed that they were being stared at.
Officer Roman nodded as she knows this as well.
"You''re right¡ You''re also just a bunch of kids so I don''t think that you were the ones who released this mutated evil spirit¡ However, we haven''t captured the mastermind yet so you have to stay here until everything is over."
Vale, Prisci, and Philip can only sigh after hearing this. They know that it would not be easy to leave after getting somewhat involved in this incident.
"Officer, since you don''t think we''re the ones who released the evil spirit, can you just let us go? Our professors would be worried if we don''t return quickly." Vale said as he tried to reason with them.
Unfortunately, Officer Roma simply shook her head as she shifted her attention to the ughterhouse.
She knows inside the building, an intense battle was going on¡ It was a battle between third-ss Arcane Arts Practitioners and there it won''t be easy for her and Officer Spencer to deal with this matter.
Nevertheless, after just ten minutes, there is already a result in this battle¡
During this time, the normal police officers were already taking care of the scene as they utilize the Fog Formation to avoid the eyes of the public.
They know that this Fog Formation wouldn''t work for a long time so they have to clean up the ce.
''Tsk¡ They didn''t even let me touch them¡ What a pity.'' Vale inwardly sighed as he looked at the corpses of the victims being taken away by the police officers.
''Should I visit the morgueter?''
As he thought of this, the battle within the ughterhouse seem to havee to an end. The previous three blond men wearing white trenchcoats have turned into two. It appears that one of them perished in the intense battle.
"State your names and affiliation¡" Officer Spencer spoke while holding his revolver pointed to the ground.
The two simply looked at each other before one of them helplessly smiled at Officer Spencer.
"We''re apprentices of the Wisemen¡ I''m Wesley and mypanion here is Leigh."
At these words, the two special unit officers looked at them with interest as they rxed for a bit. First of all, they already guess their identities because they were able to observe the intense battle that was within their magic zone.
Although they didn''t see the battle inside the ughterhouse, they sense some familiar Arcane Arts used in that building.
They were certainly Rune Arts!
Because of this, they guessed that these people were connected to the Rune Arts Faction and weren''t too nervous facing them.
After their confirmation, Officer Spencer gently nodded and asked. "Are you on a mission?"
"Yes, we''re 9th-Year Students and we''re tasked to kill the mastermind of this incident, Brice Watton, as part of our apprenticeship. That man also caused simr incidents around Steelpoint City and Arcadale Port... His body is still inside and we only needed his right eye as our proof."
Officer Roma epted their exnation as well since this isn''t an unusual thing. Arcane Academies would normally send their 8th-year to 10th-year students to conduct dangerous missions.
This is normally a requirement to be officially epted as a member of the Faction''s elite units after their graduation.
If they didn''t have enough mission aplishments, they wouldn''t receive an offer from these elite units¡ Of course, there are many other offers out there but the faction''s special squad, or Order of the Prime Wisemen in Rune Arts Faction''s case, may not think too much of you if you failed these assigned missions.
"How about your friend? There were three of you a while ago."
After hearing this, the two looked down and shook their heads.
"We''ve lost our friend. We can''t bring him back in his current state so we would appreciate it if you help us take care of his body so we can send him back to the Academy."
The two officers no longer asked questions as they wanted to see the scene themselves.
In the meantime, the two students of the Adaereth, Academy of Rune Arts, didn''t leave the Fog Formation as they rested on the side.
They noticed Vale''s group but they just ignored them as they slowly recuperated themselves¡
As Vale and the others were thinking that they will be able to leave soon, the two special unit officers came out of the ughterhouse and immediately went to find Vale''s group¡
"We''ve confirmed that Brice Watton is a Dark Arts Practitioner¡ We have no records of him so the three of you must stay here to be investigated." Officer Roma said in a serious tone.
Behind her was Officer Spencer who doesn''t seem to care what his partner was doing. He was even smirking as if he was finding this case funny.
Since they can''t find anything about the culprit, they thought that they might find a clue from his fellow Dark Arts Practitioners!
Prisci was obviously rmed by this as she immediately replied. "Then we''ll let you speak to our Professors."
"I don''t even think that we even have to stay here at all. Officer, I don''t think you should further involve three freshmen students of the Vermont Academy¡" Vale added as he reminded the officer about their age.
Philip, on the other hand, remained silent as his arms crossed in front of his chest.
Officer Roma sighed at this as she suddenly turned serious.
"You''re not going to leave until we finished this matter. You people from the Dark Arts Faction were causing a lot of trouble to everyone. This should teach you a lesson."
Thest part was said in a soft voice but the three didn''t miss this. At this point, they already realized that something was wrong¡
''Lotus, can you help us destroy the Fog Formation? We need to escape.'' Vale asked the Dark Spirit.
''I can''t, I''m too weak. I need a few months of rest¡'' Lotus replied instantly. She already informed Vale about this.
Vale wryly smiled at this. He indeed forgot about that for a moment.
Nevertheless, as he saw the ughterhouse, he immediately had an idea.
He looked at the female officer and said with a calm tone.
"Very well, we''ll follow your instructions¡ However, you mentioned that Brice Watton is a Dark Arts Practitioner, I want to confirm it with my own eyes. Let me enter the building."
Chapter 164 Extraction
"What?" Officer Roma didn''t expect Vale''s sudden question.
However, she didn''t find anything wrong with this request so she didn''t immediately deny it. Furthermore, the Fog Formation can still work for about 9 minutes so it should be fine.
She then looked at her partner and noticed that he didn''t care about Vale''s request as well.
"Very well. Only two of you can go inside¡ One of you should stay here with me." Officer Roma said after thinking about it.
The scene inside the ughterhouse is quite gruesome and filled with blood. This included the blood of humans and animals¡ Although she had some tolerance for it, she didn''t want to enter that building once again if possible.
Apparently, the other workers of the ughterhouse were brutally killed inside, and there were about a dozen of them.
Officer Roma sneered as she was curious how long they would be able to stay inside that building.
After a moment of hesitation, one of them spoke up.
"The two of you can go¡ I''ll stay here¡" Prisci said as she looked at her brother¡.
Philip didn''t want to leave her at first but after getting Prisci''s hint, he had no choice but to apany Vale inside the building¡
Soon, Vale and Philip entered the site under the watch of the two special unit officers...
There were already a few officers inside who seem to be investigating the scene of the crime.
None of them bothered at the two''s appearance and just continued with their work¡
The ce had a terrible smell so Vale used his Darkness Maniption to absorb the smell that is attacking his senses.
This is just one of the simplest use of the spell and could do plenty of other things if his mastery of it increases.
Anyway, the scene was quite horrible as Philip almost started vomiting on the spot.
Perhaps, he would really be unable to take it if the light in the building is brighter¡ Currently, there was only a dim light so they weren''t able to see the situation properly and could only vaguely see them.
There were dozens of skinned cows hanging on chain hooks and the dead bodies of the workers were everywhere. They could be lying on the ground, hanging on the wires, and some of their body parts were also everywhere.
"Vale¡ I''ll stay here¡ It''s enough that my crystal can capture everything¡" Philip said.
Apparently, after the incident with Terrence''s group, Philip decided to use it once again since they are still within the city!
Prisci knows this as well so she allowed Philip to apany Vale inside. This is to ensure that he would be able to record the scene inside the building!
Vale had also noticed this so he wasn''t surprised.
"Alright¡ Just endure it for a bit, I''ll be quick."
With that said, Vale approached the officers and informed them that he was instructed by Officer Roma to check something on the bodies of the Arcane Arts Practitioners who died here.
After hearing Officer Roma''s name, they immediately assisted Vale as they pointed at the four bodies of practitioners¡
"There were four of them?" Vale asked the masked officer. He can only see half of his face but Vale can tell that the man is already in his forties¡ He looked quite exhausted from his job and seemed like he wanted to leave the building as quickly as possible.
Nevertheless, with Vale''s question, he still answered calmly.
"The one with a missing right eye is the culprit¡ The one that was beheaded wearing a white trenchcoat was thepanion of the Rune Arts Practitioners. The other two were the owner and the bodyguard of this ughterhouse. They responded after hearing the cries for help of their employees... only to be killed by that ruthless culprit."
"It''s tragic¡" Vale shook his head feeling a bit downhearted after the deaths of innocent people.
"Indeed¡ You can inspect them as much as you want. In any case, we can''t tell much about them since they''re Arcane Arts Practitioners."
Vale then thanked the officer for exining things to him before he approached the four practitioners.
He first went to the culprit of this incident, Brice Watton¡ His body has several tattoos of ancient characters that Vale had no idea about.
''Ahhh¡ Are these Rune Characters?'' Vale mused as he knows that Rune Arts uses anothernguage different from Oardic or Heumish.
Anyway, he didn''t think too deeply about it as he touched its body¡ It looks as if he was inspecting the man but he simply activated his system.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''No¡''
Vale answered. He simply wanted to confirm whether he can extract the corpse¡
''Lotus, can you extract this person''s soul to recover your energy?'' Vale asked the Dark Spirit hiding in his shadow.
''Yes¡''
Lotus responded with a brief reply. Her voice sounds tired as well so Vale hopes that this can recover her strength.
''Very well¡ You can take this person''s soul to replenish some of your strength.''
Lotus no longer replied as she controlled Vale''s shadow to cover the corpse''s body¡
After a while, Vale heard the Dark Spirit speak.
''It''s done¡ It''s not enough.''
Vale nodded as he realized that he didn''t sense anything happening at all. Her ''extraction'' was also undetectable like his system''s extraction.
''Well, you can check the other corpses¡ Let me just try something.'' Vale answered as he tapped the corpse once again and triggered his system¡''
This time, nothing happened. The Extraction System could no longer detect the human corpse.
''As expected, I can''t extract anymore¡ Was my system feeding the same energy that Lotus needed? Soul? Spirit? Or Arcane Energy?'' Vale mused but he still keep moving and allowed Lotus to take the energy of the other three.
It was a pity that he can''t extract them anymore but an extraction of a few people wouldn''t make some huge changes to him at the moment. It''s better to allow Lotus to recover her strength¡
''Should we try the normal people? Can you recover your energy from them?'' Vale asked.
''I can''t¡ I don''t feel any sources of energy from them.'' Lotus replied as her voice finally had some energy in it.
Vale also confirmed that Lotus has enough energy to destroy the Fog Formation!
His n finally bore fruit and he was no longer afraid of the two Special Unit Officers!
Chapter 165 Escape
Vale continued extracting the bodies of the ordinary human corpses that were inside the building¡
It only gave him 0.14 in his Vitality Attribute but it was better than nothing.
It was unfortunate that he can''t extract the other bodies because they were too mutted. This includes the animals as well.
Of course, he wasn''t sure whether the animals can be extracted at all since he didn''t really have a proper sample. The cows and goats in the ughterhouse are already dismembered after all.
"Let''s go, Philip¡ We''re done here." As Vale said this, Philip heaved a sigh of relief as he immediately went out.
Deep in his mind, his respect for Vale increased by a notch. In his eyes, Vale was truly unbothered by corpses and even touch all of them without any hesitation.
It wasn''t something he could do without showing any signs of hesitation, disgust, and nervousness...
From this, Philip can guess that Vale had vast experience with these corpses or perhaps, the thing they''d heard from the Headmaster was true.
"How is it inside? You guys took much longer time than I expected." Officer Roma said with a teasing smile.
"Just staying there can be stressful¡ However, are we allowed to leave now?" Vale asked shifting the topic swiftly.
"As I said, you can''t leave just yet. You guys from the Dark Arts Faction can''t be underestimated even if you''re freshmen... Besides, I want to hear if you find something unusual with the corpse after checking it."
Vale simply shook his head after hearing this and replied.
"Except for the unusual tattoos of that person, there''s nothing strange about him. It''s probably because of how he was killed by those 9th-year students so I can''t find out more¡" Vale said as he looked at Wesley and Leigh who seem to be using some sort of Rune Device to get themselves heal faster.
Rune Arts Practitioners or Runecasters have a different method ofbat¡ They were using Rune Characters, Rune Devices, or something they weren''t aware of whenever they engage in battle.
The tattoos on Brice Watton''s body may not even be from him but they were marks left behind by the weapons used by the three students who killed him.
"Well, I still can''t let you leave. You have to apany us to our station¡ If you have matters in the Academy, we''ll inform themter on." Officer Roma said.
At this point, Vale was already losing his patience.
"Officer, are you just troubling us because we''re from Vermont Academy? If you have a problem with Dark Arts Practitioners, they were most likely those rogue practitioners. Even your Combat Arts Faction has many rogue practitioners. You should understand that."
Officer Roma and Spencer didn''t like how Vale started reasoning with them.
"We don''t belong to any faction. We''re working for the government¡ We''re from the police department so you have to watch your words." Officer Spencer finally spoke.
"It seems that you three wanted to rush your death. We''re only nning to torture you after learning more about the Vermont Academy¡ However, I''ve changed my mind."
Officer Roma said as she finally revealed her true color.
Indeed, these two officers were up to no good since the beginning!
Perhaps, they can''t actually cancel the Fog Formation Circle so they were still waiting until it was naturally removed to take care of them¡
This is not a new thing since Vale read a couple of books about Formation Circles. Many Formation Circles can not be controlled once they are activated. Most of them are those lower-tier ones and you either have to forcefully destroy them, wait for the time limit, or until their energy is consumed.
Vale sneered after hearing the officer. Prisci and Philip then stood behind Vale as they know that he was about to do something.
"So it was like that¡ You''ve finally admitted it." Vale said as he looked at them with disdain.
"What can you do? The Formation Circle still has 3 minutes. It''s enough to bring the three of you down¡ Officer Spencer, you have to carry these three after I knock them out."
Officer Roma said as she started fixing her blue gloves. She wasn''t nning to use her gun against them and it seems that she was thinking of only using her Combat Art to subdue them¡
Vale found an opportunity after seeing this. He didn''t hesitate anymore as he asked Lotus to break the Fog Formation for them!
''Follow me¡'' Lotus simply said as she came out of Vale''s shadow¡
Her sudden appearance stunned the two officers for a brief moment as they unconsciously made a defensive stance. After all, the energy they felting from that ck thing wasn''t weak.
It was a powerful energy that they had to be wary of.
However, they were baffled after seeing it charge in a different direction!
It actually went to the Fog Formation! It must be said that even if Roma and Spencer worked together, they won''t be able to forcefully get out of this formation¡
Seeing that Vale''s group was thinking of escaping, Roma looked at them with contempt as she believed that they''ll just fail.
As the three followed the path made by Lotus, their vision was filled with gray fog, and couldn''t see any other thing.
This made them nervous for a bit but they keep moving while staying together¡
After about 30 seconds or so, they were soon out in the streets as they heard the street vendors calling for their attention to buy their products.
As Vale looked around, he realized that he wasn''t seeing the Fog Formation anywhere¡ However, it should still be somewhere in the city.
''What a mysterious formation art¡ I wonder if we''re going to learn something simr.'' Vale mused as he signaled for the two to follow him.
"That was exciting, Vale¡ I didn''t know your Dark Spirit would be so awesome."
"Right! I want to summon something simr¡ Vale, can you really not teach us how to do it?"
Philip and Prisci said with anticipation as they looked at Vale''s shadow.
"I really can''t¡ You can think of it as a family secret. Anyway, let''s get out of here first."
They were still not safe and the two officers must''ve realized that they have sessfully escaped.
At this time, Vale also heard Lotusin about the huge amount of energy that was used just now.
Chapter 166 Points
Officer Roma and Officer Spencer took a few seconds before realizing that Vale''s group sessfully escape the Fog Formation Circle!
Furthermore, they escaped in a way that they have never thought of! It was only possible unless you''re a Formation Art Expert!
It should be impossible for even many graduating students of each Arcahe Academy much more for freshmen students!
However, they did it¡ They escaped by making a hole in the Fog Formation and they didn''t even leave it open!
As soon as they escaped, the hole they created was repaired as they got out! It may be the self-repair effect of the Fog Formation itself or it could be their doing but it was still something they have never seen before!
Officer Roma immediately nced in the direction of the two 9th-year students of Adaereth Academy.
"Hey! This Fog Formation was bought from your Faction''s Silver-ss Rune Designer, I think he was called Roger or Rogene, but a bunch of first-year students managed to break out! I think we should get a refund for this. Do you know where that guy was?" Officer Romained as she stood closer to the spot where Vale''s group disappeared.
Wesley and Leigh looked at each other with a frown as they were also baffled by how Vale''s group managed to escape. Nevertheless, they didn''t like how Officer Roma was looking down on the expert of their Faction.
"There was no way that the Fog Formation was at fault. If it is faulty, you can try copying what they did and escape from here. Furthermore, we don''t know any Silver-ss Rune Designer at our current level."
Officer Roma knows this as well but she just can''t help but me someone.
She cannot make a hole out of the Formation Circle!
"Don''t worry, Officer Roma¡ It''s just a couple more minutes and the whole formation wille off." Spencer said to calm her down. It was indeed annoying how three 13 or 14-year-old practitioners escaped from them but nothing good wille out if she stayed angry.
***
At this point, Vale''s group had no idea how stressful they have be as they hurriedly returned to their inn¡
As they reached the building, they were able to see the students of Rakmiths Academy including their Professors exiting the building.
They noticed Vale''s arrival and couldn''t help but look at them with aplicated gaze¡
Seeing their reaction, Vale knows that Professor Ste solved the problem for them.
"Should we tell her that we probably made another problem?" Vale considered for a moment as he looked at Philip and Prisci¡
The two didn''t seem to like the idea as they feel like they were some sort of troublemaker if they report another problem to them.
"Let''s just inform her tomorrow, I''m quite tired..." Philip said after a moment of hesitation.
"Or you can just let her know secretly. I don''t think you need us to exin the matter anyway¡ You can also take Philip''s crystal as another piece of evidence." Prisci suggested.
In the end, they let Vale take care of this matter.
Vale wryly smiled and just agreed to them.
Anyway, he felt that these two are still growing up and needed to sleep early¡ As an adult, he decided to just take care of the matter withoutining instead of passing it to children.
After entering the inn, the people looked at them with interest as they probably heard the whole story at this point.
Vale and the other two didn''t care about their gazes as the siblings went upstairs to rest while Vale was invited by Professor Ste into her room.
It''s the only ce where they can talk privately after all.
"Professor, what happened to your meeting with them?" Vale asked after entering her room.
"Thanks to the recording you guys have saved, everything went ording to n. We didn''t even have to check the recording as they were already intimidated and confessed everything." Ste said with a proud smile on her face.
It seems that she''s genuinely happy about winning that discussion¡
"Then what happened to Dale Morvell. He testified that he saw us beating up those first-year students."
"Ha! Don''t worry, his 9 Contribution Points will be taken and shared by the three of you." Professor Ste said with a smile but after noticing Vale''s confusion she immediately exined.
"Don''t think too lightly of this punishment. Any contribution point is hard to collect¡ It''s not simply because missions are difficult to aplish but also because the number of missions or achievements that can bepleted is limited¡"
"Is that so¡" Vale muttered.
"Yes¡ We also can''t be too harsh on him since he''s still a capable student in our Academy¡ A few monthster and there will be the Twelve Academies Competition¡ He''ll be one of the participants so he still has some privilege on this matter."
Vale wryly smiled as he can''t really do anything about this kind of rule within the Academy. Well, the world isn''t fair and this academy wouldn''t be fair either.
"Do you know what can you get from 3 to 9 contribution points?" Professor Ste suddenly asked.
Vale''s eyes lit up as these are the things he wanted to know. Since he''s only a first-year student, the Professors weren''t discussing things rted to contribution points. Normally, first-year students wouldn''t earn any points at this point after all.
However, now that he had a few Contribution Points, he certainly had the right to know more about it.
"Please tell me, professor."
Professor Ste smiled and answered. "You can get low-grade to high-grade Mortal Rank mystical items with that points. On the other hand, you''ll get Noble Rank items if you have 10 to 20 Contribution points."
"So it was like that¡ How about the Royal Rank items, professor?"
"They''re a bit more difficult to obtain as you''ll need 60 to 90 contribution points. That''s not easy to collect."
"Ah? The jump on that price was huge¡" Valemented as he thought that it would only be around 30 to 50 points.
"What about the Sovereign Rank, professor?"
Professor Ste looked at Vale with an amusing smile as she answered with a chuckle. "There were only 3 Sovereign Rank items in the Academy¡ Each of them is worth 1,000 contribution points. You probably need to save the Faction or perhaps block a meteor that was about to decimate our academy to get that many points."
Chapter 167 Second Spell
Vale wasn''t sure whether she was serious about it or not¡ Nevertheless, it feels like the Academy made it impossible to get a Sovereign Rank mystical artifact from them.
Of course, it is not that surprising considering how they only have three of them! If they made it easy, those three would''ve been taken away already.
Even the Royal Rank items are quite impossible for many students in the Academy.
After all, the contribution points have many other uses¡ Aside from the mystical artifacts, it can also be used to get some rare Spell Models, rare ingredients for Alchemy, secret Dark Arts Books, an exclusive Tier 1 or Tier 2 Variant, and other services and products that Vale wasn''t aware of¡
Because of all these things, it''s difficult to collect enough contribution points for a single Royal Rank mystical artifact.
"Thank you for your exnation, Professor. Since we will be sharing Dale''s 9 Contribution Points, I''ll be having 3 more points with me."
"Yes¡ I heard that you earned 2 points from Professor Lucius after killing that Evil Creature kept in the Serenity Hall. With that 5 points, you can get a rtively good Spell Model."
"What kind of Spell Model would that be, Professor?"
"Don''t expect too much but it certainly is a lot better than the 20 Free Spell Models that the Academy provides. Ah, if it wasn''t taught by your Darkness Path professor yet, it will probably be taught soon¡"
"I understand, Professor."
Vale felt even more curious about this as he asked more questions.
Apparently, the Academy only has 20 Free Spell Models, this includes simple spells like Ghost Hands, Dusk Imprisonment, Ghastly Ailment, and others¡ If students wanted something better or rare Spell Models, they have to earn it by getting contribution points to exchange for it.
As for Tier 2 Dark Spells, they were even more expensive as their lowest price was 30 points.
Vale can finally understand why the students in the higher years extremely value these contribution points!
It was no wonder they were always struggling to get it and would envy those who have many of them.
Because of how he easily earn 2 Contribution Pointsst month, he didn''t really feel pressured but now that he started learning about the usage of these points, he realized that he truly needed plenty of them and he has to be smart about using them and not waste each point.
The student and professor continued chatting about many things as Vale also confirmed that the Rakmiths Professors apologized by giving thempensation. It was 12,000 zen. It was quite arge sum of money and it was supposedly 6,000 zen but she protested it and raised it by a double.
Thanks to that, the three of them who were victims of false usations would receive 4,000 zen each. That is quite arge sum of money considering how an average person only earns about 50 zen a week.
Vale didn''t just earn back the money he spent to purchase the Murloc''s Gem and Nymph Scale but he also profited from it.
After this, Vale informed Professor Ste about what had happened in the streets of the city a while ago¡ She was shocked by the incident they encountered and if Vale didn''t mention the recording crystal, she might not believe everything that he said.
"Are you sure those two officers are Combat Art Practitioners?" Ste asked after a while.
"Yes¡ I''m sure that they''re using that mysterious Aura¡ Their weapons were also Rune Devices if I''m not mistaken."
"Aura and Rune Devices¡ They''re indeed signs of Combat Arts Practitioners¡ Alright, I''ll let the Headmaster know about this. Hand me over that recording crystal."
"Yes, Professor." Valeplied as this is also what he wanted to happen.
On the next day, Vale didn''t see student Dale or even Professor Russel as if they were avoiding him. Well, they were probably too ashamed after what they''d done and didn''t dare to see him.
In the afternoon, the people who had gone out for their mission had started to return one by one¡ They all boarded the Academy''s Airship at the same time and left Charvale City to return to the Academy.
After a long trip, they returned to the academy safely¡ It was uneventful but it was for the best.
After Vale''s group sent the Recording Crystals to the Clubroom, Vale swiftly returned to his dormitory and saw Harith and Zeno ying a board game in the living room. It was already seven in the evening so it was quite baffling that they were still ying at this time.
"Vale, you''ve returned¡ I heard you had a mission outside the academy. What a lucky fellow¡" Zenomented as soon as he saw Vale entering their room.
"It''s not really a pleasant trip¡ Anyway, what happened today?" Vale asked. There were no sses today because of thememoration of the Recapture of the Dark Sorcerer Tower.
He only knows what happened on that particr date but he doesn''t know any of the traditions they celebrate because of that¡
The two paused their game for a moment and exined what happened in the academy¡ It seems that there is a monument of Morgan Vermont together with the list of people he saved in the tower from the hands of the Holy Arts Faction.
There was a ceremony of giving flowers to the monument and a speech from the Headmaster was also made and it onlysted for about an hour.
After this ceremony, they were able to look around the gallery where they saw various paintings, sculptures, and ancient items that were rted to that event.
"A monument? Where is that located?" Vale asked curiously.
"It''s at the garden on the east side of the Serenity Hall."
Vale nodded at this as he hadn''t visited that ce yet. He only knows that on the west side of the Serenity Hall was the Contribution Points Exchange Hall which not many people would visit as well¡ Even if they do, perhaps they only visit the Exchange Hall about twice a year.
About two weekster, on June 23rd, Professor Morton of Essential Dark Spell ss, confirmed that all students of ss 2 managed to finally record one of the three Primary Spells of the Academy!
It was time for them to learn the second spell!
Chapter 168 Knowledge
"Anyone had an idea about the Second Spell?" Professor Morton asked the ss.
A few of them immediately raised their hands after hearing the question.
He gestured to the one sitting in front since he probably can''t remember his name.
It was Roswell Curtis and one of the average students in the ss.
"It''s called Light Absorption, Professor."
"Correct¡ What about the third Primary Dark Spell?" Professor Morton asked once more and this time, he gestured for Lisa to answer.
"It''s a Dark Summoning Ability called the Shadow Soldier¡" Lisa answered promptly although she was surprised after being called. She did not raise her hand after all.
Professor Morton nodded as he continued to ask questions.
"It hasn''t been taught in ss yet, but tell me anything you know about the Light Absorption, Leonore¡"
It was his first time calling someone''s name so she must''ve left some impression on him.
This is what most of the ss thought after hearing Leonore''s name.
Leonore hesitated for a moment as she tried to recall what she heard from the seniors in her club.
"Light Absorption doesn''t just allow us to steal the light in a certain area but it also passively grants a Night Vision ability to us."
Professor Morton was satisfied with this as he added.
"She''s right¡ This is the reason why Night Vision isn''t a spell that is rmended to record in one of your spell lights. As a matter of fact, all three Primary Spells ovep a few lower-tier Spell Models so these three are very important. It doesn''t just provide you with a strong spell but grants you a few passive abilities that you can use elsewhere."
Professor Morton looked at his students and realized that some of them are looking at him in a daze.
It appears that they weren''t aware of what he just said or they had a moment of realization after hearing his statement.
Because of that, he continued to exin¡
"Alright, think about the first Primary Spell, the Darkness Maniption doesn''t just allow you to control or shape your Dark Energy, it also grants you a boost in your Dark Spells, especially with Curse Spells¡ In short, those Spell Boosting Spells that you may have would ovep with the Darkness Maniption¡ Of course, you can think of it as having a stronger boost but it can also be a waste of Spell Light in your bodies."
Professor Morton then paused for a moment before asking another question.
"What about the third Primary Spell? Is there anyone who can tell us more about it?"
This time, only one student had raised their hand. It was Chad Bulmung.
"I heard that the Shadow Soldier is nurtured for months or years depending on the quality of your shadow¡ I wasn''t sure how it was done but I believe it takes a long time. If I''m not mistaken it was a Spell that doesn''t just require Spell Recording like the others but it needed an ingredient or material to sessfully record this Spell Model."
Many students in the ss, including Vale, looked at Chad with interest. They didn''t know this information at all.
"You''re right¡. The third Primary Spell can indeed take years to learn. It may be in your 6th year up to your 9th year and if you''re terrible, probably in your 10th year¡ The earliest one in our record though, took only 2 years to record the spell. However, that only happened to one student. Her name was Lesley Hoffman and the niece of the current Headmaster of our Academy."
Everyone was quite surprised after hearing this¡ She was probably a genius and they were quite interested to meet her.
"Professor, is she still in our Academy?" Chad asked curiously.
"No, she already graduated and is continuing her research outside the Academy¡" Professor Morton answered.
In the meantime, Vale couldn''t help but smile after hearing Lesley''s name again.
He had a sudden feeling that he would be able to meet her again someday.
Anyway, Jody raised her hand as she asked another question. She wanted to know about the ingredient that was needed for the spell so they can make enough preparations.
"Oh? You haven''t even learned the second Primary Spell¡ Learning Light Absorption isn''t easy as well. Anyway, Shadow Soldier can only be created once your shadow was mutated to a certain degree¡ This is why the Vice Headmasters or even the Headmaster themselves would rip apart a portion of your shadow¡ This action will help you mutate your shadow."
Their eyes lit up after hearing this¡ So the shadow that was taken from them had another purpose aside from binding them to the academy!
''So it was like that¡ It was a preparation for the third Primary Spell¡'' Lisa thought in silent. The ss had a simr realization as they all bobbed their heads in understanding.
Professor Morton then exined that shadow mutation takes a long time to happen and there are only a few methods known on how to do it¡
Of course, he didn''t discuss this matter deeply as they still have to learn the Light Absorption Spell.
The Essential Dark Spell sssted two hours and all of them received a copy of the Spell Model.
They were now tasked to record the spell in their free time. Furthermore, they have their whole Academy Year to learn this spell!
***
A month had quickly passed and during this time, Vale had been very busy in his club. Apparently, the higher years started challenging other students to get into Rankings.
Well, only fifth-year to tenth-year are included in this.
Nevertheless, the three Arenas became quite busy and of course, the members of the Battle Arena Committee had their hands full.
Thankfully, these battles were also quite useful for Vale, Philip, and Prisci as their understanding of various Dark Spells started going deeper and deeper.
It was beneficial for their growth as well.
This was especially for Vale who had originally thought that all Dark Spells are quite disgusting, cruel, and fear-inducing.
"So Dark Arts can also be beautiful¡" Vale muttered as he looked at ra Campbell, the Treasurer of the Battle Arena Committee, fight against her challenger from the Dark Magic Branch¡
Chapter 169 Spell Model
ra Campbell is a sixth-year student of the Rituals Branch. She appears quite harmless but her set of Dark Spells made Vale realize how this branch greatly differs from the other Dark Arts Branch¡
Over the past month, Vale had seen numerous duels among students of different branches and concluded a few things.
The Necromancy Branch focuses on Undead Creatures and spells that contain Negative Energy. It can be very nasty the stronger the spell they learned. They also seem to have the strongest physique among all the practitioners of Dark Arts.
The Essential Corruption Branch focuses on Darkness Abilities, Evil Aura, and Destruction or Corrosive Energy¡ They seem to have the weakest physical capabilities but their spells can be so devastating.
The Dark Alchemy Branch, on the other hand, was quiteplicated. After all, the Alchemy Branch was further divided by a few specializations. They can be pill-making, potion concoctions, variant or golem creation, poison arts, andstly, mutation techniques¡
All of them can be learned by Dark Alchemist but only one or two of them can be mastered unless you spend decades of study in each of them.
As for the Dark Magic Branch, they seem to have the most bnced abilities among other branches since they have a wide range of choices in their Dark Spells¡ You just have to be smart with your selection of Dark Spells.
Lastly, the Rituals Branch where ra belongs focuses on chants or incantations, spirit techniques, and some dark ceremonies¡ They seem quite weak but if they have made enough preparation in their battles, they can be unbeatable.
"What are those spells she used, Senior Nadine?" Vale asked curiously after seeing how ra defeated her opponent in such a strange but beautiful method.
Vale saw how her opponent cast a couple of Dark Spells at the same time. One of the spells was the Rotting Chains while the other is called Blind Apparition if he wasn''t mistaken.
The opponent''s dual cast was quite incredible and he was also moving while he was casting to potentially avoid any quick spells.
As Vale thought that Nadine would be on the defensive because of how troublesome the Rotting Chains can be, Nadine simply spoke two words in Oardic--No, he wasn''t even sure if that was Oardic. However, it sounds like it was so Vale was a bit confused about what happened.
Anyway, after saying those two words, two gorgeous Spiritual Beings appeared out of nowhere and protected her from harm!
Then, those two simply destroyed her opponent in less than a minute¡
"Hmm¡ If I answer you, you''d probably choose the Rituals Branch as your specialization in your fourth year."
Nadine said with a teasing smile. She wasn''t the Referee or Corner Judge of the duel. She simply came here to watch and support her friend like Vale.
"Really? Is that a spell suitable for me?" Vale asked.
Nadine thought for a moment before nodding at his question.
"Well, it might be verypatible with you since I''ve heard about your Dark Spirit¡" She answered.
Vale then looked at her with interest waiting for further exnation.
"You have to treat me¡ and ra for lunch if you want to learn more about it." Nadine said after seeing Vale''s expectant gaze.
"Alright!" Vale immediately answered. With his money, he didn''t mind treating them to a buffet a few times.
ra chuckled at Vale''s quick answer as she replied. "It''s called Name Evocation¡ Days or weeks prior to the date of your duel, you can form a temporary contract with some Spiritual Beings through Sacrificial Rituals or Spirit Calling Ceremonies. After the contract, you can use Name Evocation to call for their names and they can be instantly summoned."
Vale''s eyes widened after hearing this ability.
It has simrities with the power of Summoning Undead or other Summoning Techniques¡ However, it also feels simr to how he was connected to Lotus where he could summon her out whenever he needed as long as she has enough energy.
''No wonder she said that it could be a suitable branch for me¡''
"Name Evocation¡ What an awesome ability. However, I''m guessing that those Rituals or Ceremonies can be costly. Am I right?" Vale asked.
"That''s correct¡ But these costly rituals allow you to find the suitable Spiritual Being that you needed in a specific battle. As long as you have enough time to prepare, you can easily beat up your opponent if learned about their abilities, weaknesses, and mystical items they''re using¡"
"Indeed¡ Those two beings she summoned weren''t just beautiful, they''re also powerful¡ None of the man''s Dark Spells worked against them."
"Right¡ That''s what having enough preparation does." Nadine said with a proud smile as if she was the one who won the battle.
After Vale watched three more battles, he finally returned to his room.
However, he didn''t return to rest¡ He attempted to record the Light Absorption Spell Model in his Spell Light but after one hour of attempt, he lost his concentration again and made a mistake in the Spell Model he was creating¡
He doesn''t have a problem with the amount of Dark Energy he needed because of the Animus Haven Magic Circle he was using. However, he was having trouble with theplicated design of the Spell Model he needed to record.
The Light Absorption Spell Model was approaching the difficulty of the Spell Dispersion Spell Model.
''Should I purchase a mystical item that helps with my Concentration?'' Vale mused as he believes that his 5 Contribution Points should provide him a decent lower-tier mystical artifact for this.
Chad had previously given him a silver pocketwatch that can increase his Focus but it wasn''t enough¡
In the end, Vale decided to just give up for the day and try again on another day. Anyway, he has a whole Academic Year to record this Dark Spell¡ It''s better to take his time since he doesn''t have topete on this.
In addition to that, he doesn''t think that Light Absorption Spell would help him in his fight against the Slender Zombie next week.
As he recalled his duel against Mad Larkin, Vale sighed as he looked at his shadow.
Chapter 170 The Favor
"Lotus, I''ll be relying on you on my next duel..." Vale said in a soft voice.
He already discussed his n with the Dark Spirit and thetter had certainly agreed as long as he provides her with enough energy she can use.
He obviously agreed with her as he had even decided to use one of his favors from the Headmaster. He already mentioned to Headmaster Jean that he would like to visit his precious basement as long as it has corpses that he can touch¡
The Headmaster was ted after hearing this so on the 28th of July, the day before his duel, he would have a 3-hour tour in his basement!
Since he was expecting to encounter a few high-quality corpses there, he was expecting that Lotus would get a lot stronger and he would also have a chance to extract other corpses¡
"I''ve never fought against a Slender Zombie before¡ However, I should be capable of destroying its energy source if my Dark Energy is stronger than the zombie."
"Yes¡ We will make sure that you''ll be in your strongest state before the battle. But¡ are you sure you''re not going to just disappear so suddenly?" Vale asked.
To be honest, he was still quite worried that Lotus would suddenly disappear¡ After all, their rtionship is quite odd and it was formed in a strange way¡
He indeed summoned her through a ritual he made with the blessing of the rulers of the Spirit World, but it''s not a ritual to make a contract with her¡
Lotus is just his friend and not his servant of some sort¡ This is what he requested in his prayer chant after all.
This is also the reason why he''s being really cautious about his treatment of the Dark Spirit. Although he requested a friendly spirit in that ritual, it doesn''t mean that this spirit would forever stay like that whatever treatment he gave to her.
"I''m not going away¡ I can''t even return to the Spirit World. At most, I can probably use another host but that''s too troublesome and will make me a lot weaker." Lotus replied as she sensed Vale''s emotion.
"I see¡ Thank you for saying that."
Lotus no longer replied after this.
***
Days quickly passed and the day to visit the Headmaster''s basement finally arrived.
Vale suddenly heard the Headmaster''s voice inside his head telling him to visit him in his office.
This was just after Professor Morton''s ss ended.
"Vale! Have you finished your preparation? We wille and watch your match tomorrow¡" Chad suddenly said after seeing Vale hurrying to get out of the ssroom.
This attracted the other''s attention as they also said some encouraging words to him¡
Lisa and Aubrey, on the other hand, looked at Vale with smiles on their faces. The two of them had given Vale a report regarding Slender Zombies and even mutated Slender Zombies that they found in the library and heard from their seniors.
Vale didn''t ask for it but they still gave it to him in hopes of helping him in his duel.
Vale then thanked everyone and ensured that he will do his best in his duel before leaving the ssroom.
The stake in that duel is a huge deal to him after all. If he wins, he gets the scrolls and his opponent''s contribution points. If he loses, he had to participate in Larkin''s experiment to advance his research in Undead Creatures.
The stake may not be fair but the battle isn''t fair either¡ Vale would be the one to fight in the duel and he can use his Mystical Artifacts and Dark Spells. On the other hand, he will only fight a Zombie that is not capable of casting Dark Spells or using Mystical Artifacts.
It would seem that Vale was the one in favor of this battle¡
However, since this duel was suggested by Larkin himself, there should be something off with this rule and he surely has tricks up his sleeve.
As soon as Vale entered the Headmaster''s room, he greeted Headmaster Jean who was smoking behind his desk.
This is Vale''s first time seeing the Headmaster smoke¡ He didn''t quite expect that he was smoking but now that he thinks about it, it seems quite fitting to his character.
Headmaster Jean simply flipped the cigar it disappeared in his hands as soon as Vale entered.
"Alright. Let''s go¡" Headmaster Jean said as he stood up and approached Vale.
"Headmaster, may I know where this ce is?" Vale asked. He was simply curious to know the location of the basement whether it is within the Academy or not.
Headmaster Jean smiled at his question as he didn''t immediately answer.
He then held Vale''s right shoulder before speaking with his deep voice. "I can''t tell you."
Vale wanted to say something more but his surroundings suddenly turned dark and he can only see the Headmaster''s white smiling teeth before they also vanished in the darkness¡
''This¡'' Vale was stunned.
It was quite rming but he remained unmoving as he believed that the Headmaster wouldn''t harm him at all¡ If he has ns of harming him, he could''ve done it a long time ago and wouldn''t make it soplicated.
In addition to that, his Spell Dispersion''s passive ability didn''t work either¡ It means that the Headmaster''s spell was incredibly stronger.
Soon, a blinding light appeared in the darkness and after a few seconds, he realized that he was already in a different ce!
He''s now in the middle of a forest with a cottage house in front of him!
"Illusion? Wait, Teleportation Spell? Is it Tier 2¡ªNo, a Tier 3 Dark Spell?!" Vale was shocked as he realized what was going on!
Only about 20 seconds had passed and he already arrived at a ce he had no idea about. Vale couldn''t help but look at the Headmaster with deep respect.
He wanted to learn this Dark Spell too!
Headmaster Jean chuckled after seeing his reaction¡ Well, he expected that Vale would be surprised so he didn''t mind it at all.
"Just study well and you''ll learn all of it. Follow me, I''ll be showing you my collection. You have to ready your heart as you might find something that will blow your mind."
Chapter 171 Divinity
Vale sucked in a cold breath after hearing his words.
It seems the Headmaster''s collection that he was so proud of would really be mind-blowing with the way he speaks.
After a few breaths, Vale calmed his breathing and nodded to the Headmaster. "I''m ready, Headmaster. Whatever corpse collection you have, I''ll only be happy the rarer they are." Vale said like a real corpse enthusiast.
The Headmaster looked at Vale amusedly as he didn''t expect such a reply. He couldn''t help butugh as his mood had gone a lot better.
"Great! I''ve always wanted to show my collection to someone¡ I guess I really found the right person. Follow me!"
With that said, Headmaster Jean walked to the door of the cottage house and opened it. It seemed like it wasn''t locked but Vale noticed the fluctuation of energy as soon as the Headmaster touched the door knob.
There was definitely a high-level Formation Circle ced in this seemingly simple cottage house.
''Hmm?''
As soon as Vale entered, he saw a simple room with a clean bed, a study table, a rug made of bearskin, and a shelf.
Then, he saw the headmaster pulling the bearskin rug to reveal a secret door. It is quite a ssic hidden door that would lead to a secret basement¡
He didn''t make anyment as he simply watched the Headmaster and followed him silently.
The wooden stair leading down was quite steep but there is a lighting from the room allowing him to see the stairs clearly so it was quite easy going down.
Soon, Vale seems to have entered another world!
What he was expecting to be a nasty basement with various mummified corpses, turned out to be like a modernboratory!
There seems to be a dozen of fluorescent bulb on the ceiling giving a different vibe in the room. He was already quite used to the dim yellow light brought by candles or fires after all.
Aside from that, the basement was made of steel and was emanating some fluctuation of energy. It was definitely enchanted or has been enhanced by Rune Arts!
Then, as Vale observed the brightly lit room, he found dozens of frozen corpses lying on white stone beds. There were probably only a few human-like corpses and the rest were creatures, or maybe evil creatures that has been frozen here for a very long time¡
There is also a shelf where various human parts or creature parts or random items disyed¡ All of them are preserved in a mystical way.
Vale was extremely excited. Any corpses here are definitely valuable!
Headmaster Jean noticed Vale''s reaction and smiled.
"This isn''t all but these are the ones that would be rtively safe for you. Some corpses are too contaminated that they might kill you if you dare touch them. I can consider bringing you further down if you get stronger."
Headmaster Jean revealed leaving Vale speechless for a few seconds.
"There are still others?! Alright! I''ll do my best to get stronger, Headmaster!" Vale replied excitedly¡
"Good¡ Now, you can try and check them out. I''m sure these bodies would garner your interest."
"Yes, Headmaster!"
Vale answered as he walked closer to the white stone beds.
As he was about to speak to Lotus, he suddenly heard her cold voice¡
''I can''t replenish my energy from them.''
''Ah?'' Vale was stunned as soon as heard this. After all, he was worried that he can''t extract these corpses as well!
After realizing this, he immediately touched one of the human-looking corpses that were at the center of the steel room¡
[ Celestial corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
Whew~
Vale immediately sighed in relief after seeing a reaction from the system. It means that he can still extract them even if the Dark Spirit can''t use them.
This baffled him as he realized that his understanding of the energy being extracted is actually not what he had expected before¡ He had to make another theory about itter on once again.
"¡"
As Vale calmed down, he soon realized that the notification has changed once again.
''What''s this?''
From Human Corpse to Monster Corpse, and now, it turned to Celestial Corpse!
Vale gasped in shock as he tried observing the human-looking corpse once again while circling the white stone table.
Headmaster Jean noticed Vale''s stunned expression¡ He had been observing him ever since he touched that corpse.
''He wasn''t repelled by the corpse after touching it! I''m right¡ He really is special! Good¡ Good¡'' Headmaster Jean smiled from ear to ear after seeing this.
''Is it because he''s practicing the Malefic Branch? Can only those experimented on by Heinz could touch this thing? I wonder if it was as simple as that¡''
As he thought of this, he saw Vale almost jump in joy just a few seconds after making a few observations at the Immortal Corpse¡
''He really enjoys touching corpses¡ Very well, I should let him have his time¡ I hope he can answer my questions regarding these Immortal Corpsester on.''
"Vale, I''ll be staying outside¡ Make sure not to move the corpses from their beds or the seal would not work."
"Yes, Headmaster! I''ll be very careful and treat them with respect."
Headmaster Jean smiled as he actually thought that Vale would have plenty of questions about the corpses here. However, Vale seems to have other thoughts as he simply epted the weirdness of this ce¡
He wasn''t sure what Vale was trying to do but he seem genuinely delighted seeing the corpses so he just decided to ask him about itter¡
In the meantime, Vale still couldn''t believe the extraction he made just now.
[ Extraction sessful. Divinity +1.5 Vitality +0.5]
He didn''t get any Energy Points but he got Divinity Points!
This made him recall that his system isn''t a Corpse Extraction system after all!
In the end, he was stillcking some understanding of his system because of hisck of extraction samples and the fact that the system has no guide whatsoever.
''Divinity¡ I wonder what it does¡''
As he thought of this, he checked his current attribute panel.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 20.85, Agility 16.32, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 10.69 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv5, Darkness Maniption Lv 2 ]
[ Avable Energy: 570 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 1.5 ]
Chapter 172 Unknown Purpose
''Avable Divinity? It''s also an expendable point simr to Energy¡ But how can I use it?''
Vale squinted his brows as once again, there is no instruction whatsoever in his wed system. It would be great if it can give hints on how to use it but anyway, he didn''t dwell on it for too long and started experimenting¡
He first checked his skills.
[ Consume 800 energy points to improve Spell Dispersion? ]
This would certainly not work as he only has 570 points saved up. After a moment of thought, he decided to still try and improve it to see if there is something different that would happen.
[ Failed. You are missing 230 points toplete the upgrade. ]
Vale didn''t feel too disappointed since this is the expected result.
Anyway, he moved on quickly and tried focusing on his Attributes instead just in case he would get a reaction.
Unfortunately, there was no other notificationing from the system.
''This is weird¡ It doesn''t have any use at the moment but why is that?'' Vale frowned as he analyzed his situation.
Divinity Points should have a purpose and there was no way it is just a decoration.
Soon, an idea popped up in his mind.
Since the Energy Points are used to enhance or upgrade his Dark Arts or his Arcane Arts, perhaps Divinity Points are used to upgrade Divine Arts? In the first ce, was there even a Divine Art?
Vale sighed as can''t really prove this with his limited knowledge. He is only in the 3rd month of his first Academy Year!
In the end, he gave up thinking about it and he decided to just continue with his extraction¡
''Lotus¡ Are you sure you can''t replenish energy from them? I''ll be extracting all of them if you don''t¡''
Lotus seem to be confused but she still answered.
''Yes¡ I can''t recover my energy from these unordinary bodies. Also, what do you mean you''re extracting them?'' Lotus asked curiously.
This is the first time that Lotus seems genuinely curious about him so it was quite a surprise.
''Ahem¡ It''s just a metaphor¡ Don''t think too much of it.'' Vale replied after clearing his throat. In any case, it''s hard to exin his Divine Extraction System.
Luckily, Lotus didn''t press further with her questions as she remained silent.
Vale then looked around the room and confirmed that there is a total of 12 white stone beds with human-looking corpses on them.
Now that he observed them closely, he realized that these corpses don''t have genitalia!
All of them have missing sex organs or perhaps, they were born that way¡
''So this is a Celestial? A human-like being with no gender¡ They look taller than average humans and have bigger bone structures¡ Where did theye from? Spiritual World?'' Vale shook his head as he extracted them first.
[ Celestial corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Extraction sessful. Divinity +1.8 Vitality +0.5]
This time, the extraction of divinity was higher but the Vitality Points remained the same¡
Vale then continued with the other ten Celestial Corpses.
[ Celestial corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Celestial corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Celestial corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
¡
After a few extractions, Vale felt himself expanding as if he was about to explode¡ He realized that he was advancing too fast!
Now that he thinks about it, he isn''t getting 0.05 Vitality Points but 0.50! That was actually a huge deal! He was focused too much on this Divinity thing that he forgot that huge Vitality he was getting from each extraction!
After calming the raging vitality force that was sent to his body, he checked his attribute panel.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 20.85, Agility 16.32, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 16.19 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv5, Darkness Maniption Lv2 ]
[ Avable Energy: 570 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 19.7 ]
Vale was exhrated after seeing the huge increase in his Vitality Points...
16.19!
That was such an incredible increase and he had only extracted the Celestial Corpses¡ He was expecting a few more addition with the Monster Corpses he was seeing on the other white stone beds.
As for his Divinity Points, he was quite happy since the lowest extract was 1.5 points while the highest was 1.9 points. Although he has no idea about its usage, he knows that the higher, the better.
''Awesome¡ I wonder how Headmaster Jean collected these corpses¡ Did he kill all of them? Is he already that strong? Or perhaps he just found these corpses and transported them here?'' Vale couldn''t help but specte at these strange corpses in this basement that seems like a bunker.
He then looked at the Monster Corpses that he hadn''t extracted yet¡ These beings have simrities with the Evil Creature or Fallen Messenger that he killed in the Serenity Hall so he guessed that they will also be recognized as Monster Corpses by the system.
He touched thergest one. It is a horned being with a scaled body simr to a reptile. However, it still has human-like features with its two arms and two legs. If he would describe it, the corpse was like the demons in some paintings he had seen in his previous life.
[ Monster corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
Vale smiled after seeing that he was right. The previous monster corpse he extracted had given him 40 Energy Points and Attribute Points in both Agility and Vitality.
He was, of course, expecting something simr or even something better.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50 Strength +1.05 Agility +1.25 ]
Whom~
Vale felt his body getting a lot stronger. The extraction had given him a whole point after all! This increase was quite significant and with his low attribute, the sudden increase can easily be felt in his body¡
Chapter 173 Fragment
It was a pity that there is no Vitality Points but he wouldn''tin. He likes an increase in his Strength Attributes since he was guessing that Slender Zombies would have about 15 points in its Strength based on the battles he had seen over the past months.
If in case he needed to overpower the Slender Zombie in strength, his current 20 points or so may help him do so. However, it wouldn''t be enough since the Slender Zombie isrger than him and have very fast hands. Its dextrous hands that are always filled with power would be his threat if it managed to bypass his Ghost Hands or Lotus failed in her task.
Perhaps, he would only feelfortable if he has double the strength of the Slender Zombie.
As for the Agility Points, although he feels that it''s also important in his battle against the Slender Zombie because this type of zombie boasts its great movement speed, he already has two Mystical Items that would allow him to solve this issue. Any increase in his Agility is certainly appreciated but he would rather increase his Vitality than his Agility at the moment.
Vale then continued with his extraction hoping that the Monster Corpses would give him some Vitality Points.
[ Monster corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +45 Strength +1.15 Agility +1.05 ]
[ Monster corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +55 Strength +1.20 Vitality +0.73 ]
[ Monster corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Monster corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Monster corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
¡
[ Monster corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 Strength +1.05 Vitality +0.80 ]
Thud!
Vale sat on the cold floor as he started meditating.
The increase in his strength is just too much and he felt that his body is burning as if his bones are melting due to the transformation¡
He wasn''t too sure but perhaps he can already block a bullet at this level of strength.
Whew~
It took him about 20 minutes of meditation before he made a series of movements to ensure that he still has decent control over his new strength.
Of course, the movements weren''t just random actions. It was the technique taught by his Master Heinz and something he had used before.
It was the Nimble Talon that allows him to have better body coordination and it is normally a technique used by Alchemists especially when they are performingplex procedures during concoctions or pill-making.
After getting a better grasp of his new strength, he checked his attribute panel once again.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 29.65, Agility 23.82, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 27.44 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv5, Darkness Maniption Lv2 ]
[ Avable Energy: 1,245]
[ Avable Divinity: 19.7 ]
Vale''s heart started beating faster after seeing the result of his extraction today.
A total of 8.8 points were added to his Strength while 7.5 to his Agility. What was even more satisfying was his Vitality that had increased by 11.25 Points!
This is because all the Monster Corpses were probably dumb so he didn''t get any intelligence points from them.
Anyway, this massive increase in his attribute made him even more confident with his uing battle against Larkin''s Slender Zombie¡ªNo, at this point, he was no longer worried about his battle!
With his 1,245 Energy Points, he can finally upgrade his Incorruptible Body to level 6!
Once he upgraded this, the passive corruption or corrosive ability of the Slender Zombie would be nothing to him!
Of course, it is still better if Lotus can also get stronger so he might consider asking the Headmasterter if he can help¡
Vale then shifted his attention to the shelf on the side.
''I wonder what these things are¡ Headmaster Jean didn''t even put abel on them¡ I should''ve asked him a while ago.'' Vale mused as he approached the shelf that was filled with various parts of some unknown beings.
They were also preserved using a high-level Formation Circle but Vale can tell that the collection on the shelf felt even more precious.
There were a total of 16 items here with 4 items in each row of the shelf.
In any case, he wasn''t warned by the Professor about not touching them so they should be quite safe to touch¡
He wasn''t expecting too much as he touched the frozen eye that was disyed. It has about 4 inches in diameter and was certainly quite big for a human. Nevertheless, as he touched the eye, he was shocked to see a notification!
[ Immortal Fragment has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"¡"
Vale was truly speechless this time. He has so many surprises after entering this basement¡ Helping the Headmaster deal with that arrogant student was really worth the price.
Indeed, he doesn''t have a Corpse Extraction System but a Divine Extraction System!
He has no idea what an Immortal Fragment means but whatever it is, he knows that extracting it would be very beneficial to him.
Vale swiftly calmed down as he knows that he has to control his emotions during this time.
''Yes!''
After a moment, Vale finally answered the system as he waited for the result with bated breath.
[ Extraction sessful. Divinity +5 ]
Vale''s eyes lit up after seeing this. He may not be aware of the purpose of this Divinity but he knows that it won''t be long before he discovers it.
Well, Headmaster Jean may even help him with this issue¡ For sure, that mysterious headmaster should know something more about these corpses and immortal fragments.
Vale then continued with his extraction with other ''fragments''. Some of them were a w, a finger, an internal organ, a strange stone, a metallic object, or some other things but he didn''t care. He extracted all of them without any hesitation!
Chapter 174 Purple Crystal
It didn''t take that long before he finished his series of extractions.
He didn''t feel any changes in his body but he felt happy seeing the huge increase in his collection of points.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 29.65, Agility 23.82, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 27.44 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv5, Darkness Maniption Lv2 ]
[ Avable Energy: 1,245]
[ Avable Divinity: 99.7 ]
The 16 Immortal Fragments on the shelf provided him with a total of 80 Divinity Points¡ He was now missing 0.3 Divinity Points to reach a hundred.
Vale felt satisfied as he knows that once he discovers the purpose of this Divinity, he would have plenty of points he can spend¡
After a while, Vale decided to just look around the room since he has plenty of time¡ He observed the Monster Corpses and the Celestial Corpses to familiarize himself with them.
Perhaps, the Headmaster believes that he would need a lot of time to appreciate the corpses, he actually left Vale inside the steel bunker for about 2 hours and still hasn''t returned!
At this point, Vale already felt bored since he has nothing to do here¡ In the end, he looked around the shelf once again as he needed tomit these items to his memory in case he finds them outside. After all, the Immortal Fragments seem to be quite random and could be in any object. The only clue would be the aura they''re emitting¡
He touched the metallic object that seems just like a lump of metal or maybe even a piece of meteorite.
''Ahhh?''
Vale was surprised to see another notification from his system!
''W-what''s going on?'' Vale''s eyes widened as soon as he saw the notification.
[ Immortal Fragment has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
He already extracted this item just 2 hours ago and as far as he knows, he can no longer extract something that he had previously extracted. After all, the energy from the extracted item should''ve turned into system points already.
Anyway, Vale still agreed to the system as he allowed it to extract the item once again.
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.005 ]
This¡
Vale then checked his attributes panel and confirmed the increase in his Divinity Points.
[ Avable Divinity: 99.705 ]
"¡"
The extracted divinity is certainly the lowest amount of points he had ever extracted but Vale still felt incredibly excited at this new discovery¡
He suddenly had an idea as he tried the other Immortal Fragments.
[ Immortal Fragment has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''Yes¡''
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.005 ]
"It''s really like that¡ But does it mean I can get 0.005 points every 2 hours?
It appears that the Immortal Fragments that provided him the Divinity Points can''t be exhausted and would always gather divinity at a slower pace!
Now, he really wanted to know how he can use these new expendable points.
Of course, he still tried to extract the other Fragments since he has nothing to do¡
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.005 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.005 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.005 ]
¡
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.005 ]
After the extraction, he received a total of 0.08 points in the 16 Fragments.
[ Avable Divinity: 99.78 ]
The amount he received was almost negligible but he would certainly ept it.
Anyway, Vale''s attention turned to the Celestials Corpses¡
After a moment of hesitation, he approached one of the corpses once again just in case divinity points started umting in their bodies simr to the Immortal Fragments¡ After all, these Celestial Corpses provided gave him about 20% of the Divinity Points he has right now.
Perhaps, he can get 0.001 Divinity Points from them if they can also replenish their Divinity¡
Tap¡
As Vale touched the should of the cold corpse, he waited for the System Notification but unfortunately, it didn''t appear.
''Is it limited to the Immortal Fragments? Or perhaps the umted Divinity is too low and can''t be extracted? Right, maybe I should just wait for a bit longer and see¡'' As Vale thought of this, he suddenly realized that someone has reappeared within the room¡
"Are you done?" Headmaster Jean asked.
"Y-yes, Headmaster¡" Vale replied.
"Good¡ Can you tell me your thoughts about them?"
Vale was expecting some questions from the Headmaster so he didn''t take too long to think of an answer.
"They''re one of a kind. I''ve never seen these species before, Headmaster¡ These genderless human-like beings were certainly not humans like us. On the other hand, these beast-like beings had simrities with the Evil Creatures, or the Fallen Messengers as Professor Lucius would like to call them."
Vale answered.
"You''re right¡ These human-like beings were different from us. Did you not feel any rejection from them? Although they''re already dead and ced in a sealing formation, their bodies can be said to be Mystical Items at this point¡"
"Rejection? They''re simr to Mystical Items?" Vale repeated in a soft voice.
There is certainly no rejection whatsoever when he tried extracting them so he was a bit confused.
Was I supposed to get rejected and he didn''t tell me anything about it until now?
Vale was speechless about the Headmaster''s method.
Anyway, he can only deny this to the Headmaster since he didn''t feel anything at all.
"Headmaster, can you tell me where these beings hade from? Especially the ones on this shelf." Vale asked as he approached the Immortal Fragments¡
At this time, Headmaster Jean smiled as he also looked at the Immortal Fragments¡ However, he felt something off about them so he was shocked for a moment and didn''t answer Vale''s question.
"This is weird¡ Did you do something about them?" Headmaster Jean asked in confusion.
He wasn''t sure what was the problem but he can tell that there is something different in his collection.
"N-nothing¡ I just touched them for a moment." Vale answered nervously.
Headmaster Jean nodded at this as he pulled out a purple crystal in his pocket¡
Vale had no idea what crystal that was but he saw the Headmaster tap one of the items on the shelf using the purple crystal.
As Vale was holding his breath, he saw the crystal touch therge eyeball and as soon as it did, the purple crystal lit up and Headmaster Jean heaved a sigh of relief.
Chapter 175 Life Strand
Headmaster Jean looked a lot better after seeing a reaction but he wasn''t satisfied. He continued with the other items on the shelf before he finally rxed¡
"Although the light got weaker, all of them seems fine. Is it because of your Incorruptible Body? Was it ipatible with the items here?" Headmaster Jean asked as he looked at Vale curiously.
This time, Vale finally realized why Headmaster Jean reacted like that.
It appears that he detected that the Divinity of the Immortal Fragments had gotten weaker! Thankfully, his Divine Extraction System didn''t fully remove the source of Divinity of these objects.
It only extracted the Divinity it produces.
"Headmaster¡ I''m unsure about it as well. However, I feel a lot better after making contact with all of these objects." Vale replied after some hesitation.
Since Headmaster Jean already noticed that something was wrong, Vale would be too suspicious if he remained ignorant.
In the end, he decided to reveal a bit of what he knows.
"You felt a lot better?" Headmaster Jean repeated as he touched his chin in contemtion.
Perhaps because there is no table he can tap, he decided to scratch his chin as a habit.
"That''s correct, Headmaster." Vale answered as he noticed the Headmaster''s action.
The Headmaster then squinted his eyes as he observed Vale for a few seconds. Then, he searched his coat''s inner pocket and took out a familiar blue crystal.
"Catch this." Headmaster Jean said as he tossed the crystal to Vale.
Vale then caught the crystal and found it familiar.
It is a Spirit Converging Crystal. Furthermore, it seems to have a higher quality than the ones he had seen before.
"Oh¡" Vale nodded as he realized what the Headmaster wants.
Since he felt a lot better, the Headmaster believes that he probably got an increase or enhancement in his Spirit. With the help of the Spirit Converging Crystal, he would be able to know whether his Spirit Strands had increased.
Vale then held the crystal without any words and waited for the result.
Soon, 25 Spirit Strands appeared on the crystal. The 26th Strand hasn''t developed yet since he was still missing the 0.83 points.
"Hmm¡ I remember that you have 25 Spirit Strands on your first day of ss¡ It didn''t increase, huh..." Headmaster Jean said after seeing the result.
It seems it was true that Vale''s talent was already exhausted.
"Y-yeah¡ I guess it''s difficult to increase them with its current number."
"That''s true¡ You can keep that Spirit Converging Crystal. It has 80 Strand Limit¡"
"Thank you, Headmaster." Vale thanked him as he kept it in his pocket. He wouldn''t refuse a free gift so he didn''t hesitate at all.
Furthermore, he knows that this Headmaster is quite rich so he doesn''t need to be shy in these matters.
Headmaster Jean then went silent for a moment as he seem to be considering something. After a while, he finally spoke.
"I''m sure that you received some sort of benefit from these items on the shelf. Here, try this crystal this time."
Headmaster Jean said as he tossed a different crystal after some hesitation.
"What''s this, Headmaster?" Vale curiously asked. He had never seen something like this before.
"It is Life Converging Crystal. Just hold it for a while like the Spirit Converging Crystal. It allows us to see your Life Strands. However, Life Converging Crystals can only be used by the person who used them first. This is why we don''t normally test the students in the Academy so it''s normal that you don''t know about it."
"Ah? There was something like that?" Vale was shocked as he looked at the red crystal in his hand.
Since this item can only be used by the same person, then it is no wonder the Academy wouldn''t provide a free test to determine the student''s Life Strand¡
"Is this expensive, Headmaster?" Vale curiously asked as he waited for the result toe out.
If he would make a guess, this would allow him to detect his Vitality Points.
"Well¡ They''re expensive but you don''t have to worry, I''m giving them to you for free."
"Thank you, Professor¡ Can this crystal be purchased by Contribution Points?" Vale asked after seeing the Headmaster''s reaction.
"Yes¡ At the moment, this crystal is worth 2 Contribution Points if I''m not mistaken. Right, you can always visit the Exchange Hall to see the list of items you can exchange there¡ That way, you can also find something that you may want to save for¡"
Vale nodded as that should be simr to the price of Regr Mystical Items. It is quite expensive but not too much considering this item should be quite useful since not everyone has a System like him that allows him to monitor his attributes.
Soon, white strands started appearing from the red crystal¡
As soon as 8 Strands appeared on the crystal, Headmaster Jean went silent as he looked at Vale in shock. This shouldn''t be a Strand that a 14 or 15-year-old student should have!
As far as he knows only Arcane Practitioners around 40 years old would have 8 Life Strand!
Vale should only have 3 or 4 Life Strands at most!
However, it didn''t end there¡ The Life Strand continued appearing until it stopped at 13 Strands!
"W-what''s going on?" Headmaster Jean asked in shock. He was truly stunned by the result that Vale had shown!
"Headmaster, is there something wrong?" Vale asked curiously. He had no idea about the other''s Vitality so he doesn''t have anyone topare with.
He knows that his Vitality is high but he''s unsure how big was the difference between a Normal Arcane Arts Practitioner and someone like him with a system.
"Vale, you have the same Life Strand as me." Headmaster Jean answered with a hint of excitement in his voice.
After realizing that Vale has incredible vitality, he decided to just ept it and think of Vale as a precious talent of their Faction!
"Ahh¡" Vincent was simrly shocked before he looked at the Headmaster cautiously.
They actually have the same Life Strand! This might cause a problem for him.
"Haha! Don''t worry¡ This is our secret¡ I''m sure that this has something to do with your Master''s research. I hope that you get even stronger. Once that happened, the Malefic Branch would be epted as a special branch in our Faction¡ maybe in less than 10 years or so."
Chapter 176 Shadow Step
"I see¡" Vale can only say as he was still processing all the information he heard from the Headmaster.
"This is incredible, Vale¡ I''m not sure how the Malefic Branch made by Heinz works but it will surely be our Faction''s future. I hope that he can make plenty of you¡ No, I hope he seeds in his research..." Headmaster Jean said in excitement.
"¡"
Vale wasn''t sure how toment on that as he simply agreed with the headmaster.
"I hope he does¡"
After this, Vale was told to keep the Life Converging Crystal¡ He didn''t just profit from his Extraction but he also gained new items thanks to the generous Headmaster.
"Headmaster, may I know what are these items on the shelf?" Vale asked. It was now time to learn some things rted to this steel bunker and everything inside it.
Headmaster Jean was, of course, expecting some questions from Vale. This ce is extremely weird after all.
There are corpses from different species and otherwordly items that you wouldn''t find elsewhere. If Vale wouldn''t be curious about these things, it would be more suspicious.
"The ones on the shelf are called Arcana Relics¡"
Vale squinted his eyes as this is the first time he heard something like this. Well, it wasn''t surprising that he was unaware of it considering he doesn''t even know anything about Immortal Fragment.
Seeing Vale''s confusion, Headmaster Jean continued to exin.
"You can say that they are just broken pieces of a previous Mystical Artifact but they still contain incredible power that we can''t understand until today."
"A broken Mystical Artifact?"
"Yes¡ There is a rank above the Sovereign Artifacts¡ They''re called Arcana and these items here are highly connected to some Arcana that has appeared in the past¡"
"I see¡ Arcana Relics¡" Vale felt that he was learning things that a first-year student like him shouldn''t learn at this stage.
"Thank you for letting me know, Headmaster¡" Vale added.
"Yes¡ As for the Corpses here, I can only tell you that they came from a ce where all the Arcane Paths are discovered... You will know more about it some day if you''re fated."
"Hmm? A ce where all the Twelve Arcane Paths are discovered?" Vale asked in confusion.
To be honest, he has no idea how the practice of Arcane Arts started. He only knows that each Arcane Path has founding members or first practitioners¡ It was then spread to many people as these founding members started umting members to obtain a stronger force and better resources.
He didn''t think too much of it since he''s more focused on getting stronger in the present time.
The past is simply a history that he would learn in the Academy.
However, at this time, he felt that this past is actually quite important¡ After all, understanding the Celestials, Monsters, and Immortals would help him find whatever they left behind and perhaps, he can extract them!
"Yes¡ I can tell you now that I''m not aware of that ce and only the founding members were aware of it. Anyway, my collection is only something I inherited from the previous Headmaster so my knowledge is also quite limited¡" Headmaster Jean said with a smile.
Vale stiffened as soon as he heard this. After all, there are some rumors that Headmaster Jean actually killed the previous Headmaster to obtain his current position.
''Did he kill the Headmaster to obtain this basement filled with precious corpses and arcana relics?'' Vale mused as he nodded to the man in front of him.
Vale asked a few more questions about the corpses and the relics as he felt that this information would be very useful someday. Of course, he also answered some questions from the Headmaster.
In the end, Vale still asked for ''normal'' corpses...
"Headmaster, these corpses here are too high-level¡ Do you have a collection of normal ones? I mean, corpses of Arcane Practitioners? It doesn''t matter which Arcane Path they were practicing¡"
"Hmm¡" Headmaster Jean didn''t immediately answer and pondered for a moment.
"If you don''t have a collection of them, can you bring me to a ce with some preserved corpses?" Vale continued.
Although there is probably a different source of energy that he can extract using his system, thanks to his discovery of Immortal Fragments, he only knows about the corpses of people for now.
Until he learned what other things he can extract, he would certainly focus on extracting these corpses since they can stably provide him with attribute points.
"Hmm¡ My friend has a few so I can introduce you to him. He''s from Dark Magic Branch so those corpses he has with him were probably cursed due to his experimentation. Is that alright with you?" Headmaster Jean asked.
"Yes, Headmaster. That''s perfectly fine for me."
"Follow me¡" Headmaster Jean said as they left the steel bunker.
As soon as they were out of the wooden cottage, Headmaster Jean had no unnecessary words as he simply grabbed Vale''s shoulder once again as thetter''s vision turned ck¡
It was the teleportation technique once again!
It seems that this technique doesn''t work inside the cottage so he was led outside.
Then, in just a few seconds, Vale realized that he was back at the Academy Grounds. To be exact, he arrived at a huge building not too far from the Academy.
On his left, he can see the walled castle or the Vermont Academy about 3 miles away. The factory where he lived for a year was also quite visible because of the smoke it is emitting¡
If Vale wasn''t mistaken, he can see this area when he was still at the Steel Factory¡ This ce should be an empty hill!
He didn''t expect that there is actually a secret building here!
"Ho~ It seems that you realized where you are¡ Anyway, my friend is here and I''ll just inform him about your arrival."
"Yes, Headmaster! Ahhh, can you tell me about the movement technique you used? If possible, I want to learn this as well." Vale bravely asked.
As he experienced how awesome this ability was, there was no way he wouldn''t be interested.
Headmaster Jean simplyughed it off as he said with a chuckle.
"You can''t learn it since I''m using a Mystical Artifact to do this. However, the closest movement technique is called Shadow Step. It''s a Tier 2 Dark Spell and you should be able to learn it since its requirement is only 17 Spirit Strands and 8 Life Strands."
Chapter 177 Secret Laboratory
"Shadow Step¡ 17 Spirit Strands and 8 Life Strands¡" Vale repeated as he nodded his head.
He can indeed learn this Tier 2 Dark Spell right now.
"How many Spell Lights are needed, Headmaster Jean? Well, the first Original Spell of the Malefic Branch merged a few of my Spell Lights before." Vale asked remembering how the Spell Dispersion took five of his Spell Lights before¡
Perhaps, if he doesn''t have a system and he can''t extract Intelligence Attribute, he would take a very long time to produce Spell Lights. Apparently, the Spell Lights are rted to the level of your Intelligence and Vitality ording to Master Heinz.
Vale had also noticed this before so he wasn''t really worried aboutcking a Spell Light like the others. Nevertheless, he still has to know how to use them properly.
"It is quite special but it only needed 1 Spell Light if you recorded the Light Absorption so you don''t have to worry. But the Spell Model of that spell can only be exchanged in the Contribution Exchange Hall¡ Although we have some free Tier 2 Spell Models, the Shadow Step isn''t included."
"There is something like that? I understand, Headmaster." Vale answered with excitement.
"Alright¡ Stay here." Headmaster Jean said with a satisfied smile before he finally entered the three-storey building leaving Vale outside alone.
Vale then took this time to enter his Phantasm State and check his Spell Lights¡
As soon as he entered his Phantasm State, he first noticed his surroundings that is actually filled with Formation Circles. This is probably the thing that is hiding this building from being seen outside.
He didn''t dwell on it for too long as he shifted his focus to his body¡
Currently, he can see four dark Spell Lights since there are already Spell Models recorded on them. Surroundings these four were eleven more white Spell Lights¡
It means that Vale can still learn 11 more spells!
If he wasn''t mistaken, his ssmates should only have 2 or 3 avable spell lights after they recorded the Darkness Maniption.
They were expecting that this number of Spell Lights would increase as they grow older or as they chose their branch specialization in their 4th year.
In any case, ording to Professor Lucius of Darkness Path ss, the first graduates of this academy had 10 or 11 Spell Models recorded¡ There was even a special student with 12 Spell Models.
For those with low talent but diligent at studying, they would have 9 Spell Models at the very least. Of course, that would be very unlucky but it''s notpletely impossible.
This means that Vale''s current situation is abnormal. As long as he learned Dark Spell which only requires 1 Spell Light, he would have a total of 15 Spells once he graduated! Furthermore, his Spell Lights can still increase as he gets stronger each year! He hasn''t reached his limit yet!
ording to the professors, the Spell Lights will only stop producing once you hit 20 or 21 years old. It means that he still has plenty of time!
''Shadow Step¡ I should add it to my list.'' Vale noted in his mind.
Currently, he was aiming to learn the Madness Inducement Spell, Cursed Contract Bestowal, and Heart Burst in his set of Tier 1 Dark Spells¡
As for Tier 2 Dark Spells, it was reserved for his Branch Specialization.
Apparently, once you entered your 4th Year and chose a Branch, you have to reserve at least 3 Spell Lights for that specific branch¡ After all, no matter what branch you are in, you will need Spell Lights to record your Branch''s unique Spell Models.
Of course, you don''t need to have 3 Spell Lights immediately in your fourth year, you will only need 1 Spell Light at that time and you can just wait for another spell light to be produced inter years.
In short, the Academy requires 3 Spell Lights for the Academy-Exclusive Spells and 3 Spell Lights for your Branch-Exclusive Spells.
If you have decent talent, you will have 5 or even 6 Spell Lights for your own but if you''re terrible, you can only have 3 Spell Lights that you can use.
''Right, there is also a fourth Academy-Exclusive Dark Spell¡ However, that fourth one is only optional for other students with spare Spell Lights or with talent good enough to record it.'' Vale added in his mind as he wasn''t sure whether he should learn the 4th exclusive spell.
Anyway, he will consider it as time goes by. He''s only a first-year student after all. He still has plenty of time to think about it.
***
After five more minutes, Vale suddenly heard the Headmaster''s voice inside his head.
He was being told to enter the building and it should be safe.
Vale obviously did as instructed and entered the building ording to the Headmaster''s instruction.
As soon as he entered he saw a huge lobby with a chandelier illuminating the whole ce¡
There was no one in this reception hall so Vale remained silent as he followed the path the Headmaster mentioned.
He soon found himself walking in a hallway and this time, he saw a couple of Tier 2 Variants walking around! They were probably doing a patrol or something.
He''s quite familiar with them since Tier 2 Variants are the secret protectors of Master Heinz''sboratory. The aura emitting in their bodies ispletely different from those Tier 1 Variants.
Anyway, they didn''t react to Vale''s presence as they simply passed by.
Vale heaved a sigh of relief after seeing this as he continued on his way.
Soon, Vale entered aboratory and saw dozens of cadaver bags on the floor¡ These bags weren''t empty as Vale immediately felt excited¡
''Ugh! No, why am I feeling excited?! Tsk¡ This isn''t good.'' Vale immediately controlled his emotions he knows that this kind of emotion wouldn''t be good if he gets used to it.
Getting excited in front of corpses?! This is quite uneptable for him.
Unfortunately, two people noticed all of his reactions¡ From surprise, excitement, struggling expression, and finally a calm face¡
The two old practitioners shook their heads as they chuckled at the student''s unusual behavior.
Chapter 178 Isaac Vermont
"Vale,e here." Headmaster Jean spoke as he gestured to Vale inviting him to stand on his side.
Vale obliged as he approached the Headmaster and the man who seem to be the owner of this building.
"This is Isaac Vermont. As I mentioned before, he is from Dark Magic Branch and is considered to be a First-ss Spellcaster. However, he should be in the Expert Realm¡ I believe he is only hiding his real strength." Headmaster Jean introduced the man who seem to be a custodian.
Yes, the man was quite dirty and he was also wearing thick dirty gloves as if he just crawled out of a chimney.
Nevertheless, Vale can still tell that he should be in his forties¡
"Haha! Expert Realm?! I hope so¡ I really hope so¡" Isaac said with augh.
He then shook his head as he looked at the young student in front of him.
"Hello, Sir Isaac¡ I''m Vale Chambers." Vale introduced himself as he looked up to see the man''s face.
Isaac is a head taller than the Headmaster and he has long red hair tied in a ponytail.
He is probably the tallest person he had seen ever since he had transmigrated here.
"You''re from the Chambers Family? Interesting, I thought that your family has already declined. I didn''t expect that a talented seedling has appeared in this generation."
Isaac said with his deep and hoarse voice.
Vale smiled at this not thinking of further exining about his rtionship with the family.
Headmaster Jean also left it at that as he continued¡
"Alright¡ I''ll leave Vale here to you. He only wants to see these corpses. He should be able to walk back to the Academy once he''s done."
"It''s fine¡ It''s been a while since I had a visitor here. Right, is Lesley not nning to visit? You should tell her toe here if she contacts you." Isaac said to the Headmaster Jean.
"I''ll let her know. Thest time she wrote a letter was just three weeks ago. She''s still finding a decent body for research. Anyway, it''s only been 6 months since you''vest seen her."
"Haha¡ That''s true¡" Isaacughed it off as he ended his conversation with the Headmaster.
Thetter soon left the building after instructing Vale to follow Isaac''s words.
"Very well¡ You can inspect the corpses in thisboratory¡ However, these corpses died because of a gue so you might get affected by the disease if you opened the bags. Have you mastered your Darkness Maniption? It has to be in the Intermediate Realm so you can at least protect yourself."
"Intermediate Realm?" Vale hesitated after hearing this.
With his 1,245 Energy Points, he can upgrade his Darkness Maniption a couple of times and it will only cost 40 and 80, or a total of 120 Energy Points to reach the Intermediate Realm.
However, he is only a first-year student, and increasing his mastery to that level so quickly would garner suspicions and attract unnecessary attention¡
Although he is certainly in the limelight among first-year students, it is still quite eptable in his opinion.
Of course, it might be too much in other''s view but he has his own way of measuring his activeness in the Academy.
"I''ve just recently learned the Darkness Maniption, Sir Isaac¡ Is there any other way to avoid being infected?" Vale asked after some thought.
"That''s expected. I was even surprised you hesitated for so long. Take this¡"
In the end, Isaac gave him a ck glove. It can only be used on his left hand but Vale still epted it.
"Just wear it and you''ll be fine. It will consume a bit of your energy but you''ll be fine¡"
"Thank you, Sir Isaac!" Vale thanked the man and couldn''t help but rejoice at his decision.
Indeed, it is better to just be honest in front of an expert.
"Ahh¡ Are there any restrictions or side effects using this mystical item?" Vale asked as he felt a film of energy protecting his whole body as soon as he wore the glove. It was subtle and it seems that it can''t protect him from physical attacks.
If he wasn''t mistaken, this glove is probably an item meant for Alchemists to ensure that they won''t get infected or catch any disease from various ingredients they encounter¡
"Yes¡ You can only wear it for 30 minutes or it will stick to your skin. That would be a bit difficult to remove so be mindful of it."
"I''ll remember it¡ Thank you." Vale took a deep breath as he looked at the ck glove on his left hand. He had an urge of removing it after hearing that it will stick to his skin after half an hour¡
"Very well¡ You can go ahead and do what you want. I''ll be staying here on my workbench."
Vale nodded and thanked the man again before walking closer to the first cadaver bag¡
As he opened the bag and saw the purple human corpse with blue veins bulging out on its skin, he hesitated for a moment before looking at Sir Isaac once more.
"Sir Isaac, can I use my Dark Spirit to inspect the bodies?" Vale asked.
"Oh? You have contracted with a Dark Spirit? No wonder you want to see some corpses. If it wants to collect Negative Energy to recuperate, it''s not a problem¡"
Isaac said as he knows Dark Spirits more than Vale¡
Vale was momentarily stunned after hearing this¡ However, he immediately showed a grateful expression as he was thankful for his generosity.
After thanking him once again, he instructed Lotus to fill herself up. Apparently, as soon as he entered theboratory, Lotus already informed him that she can use the corpses to replenish her energy¡
Soon, Vale assisted Lotus in opening the cadaver bags so she can extract the energy she needed from the corpses.
Isaac watched him doing this for a few minutes before he spoke to Vale with his deep voice¡
"Dark Spirits can also collect energy from the living¡ Do you want to try?"
Chapter 179 Betrayal?!
"T-thank you for the offer, Sir Isaac¡ However, I don''t think I should do that. Besides, my Dark Spirit is already full and we still have six remaining corpses."
Vale answered after hearing the man''s suggestion. Although he was already hinted by Lotus that she can use living beings to replenish her energy, he didn''t think too deeply of it since he felt that it was such a cruel ability¡
At the very least, he thought of killing the person first before letting Lotus im their energy.
"Haha! You don''t have to be so stiff about such rules¡ I guess you grew up in such a safe and peaceful environment¡ It''s not like I''m going to let you use some innocent people. There is a prison about 30 feet below us and most of them wouldn''tst for half a year."
"I see¡ I will let you know if I need them someday, Sir Isaac¡" Vale can only reply after the man already said this much.
Maybe he was right¡
Vale''s morals were stillrgely based on his previous life. Although he knows that this is a different world and that he''s slowly integrating with it, he just couldn''t help but think that the value of life is simr to his previous world.
Of course, he still wanted to punch Lesley''s face at least once or twice¡
Even if he wants to change his morals, he would have to do it slowly or perhaps, not at all.
Anyway, it seems that Sir Isaac was feeling lonely since Lesley is no longer visiting him so he was talking a bit too much¡
Nevertheless, Vale wouldn''t abandon his conscience yet.
For now, he has to be firm on this matter or he would lose himself as he walks this Arcane Path.
''I won''t turn evil just because I''m practicing the Darkness Path¡ I still believe that there is no evil path and there are only evil minds.''
Vale said as he tried to convince himself to avoid bing evil.
After seeing how firm Vale was, Sir Isaac didn''t get angry as he nodded. "Very well¡ You still have time so just do what you want on the corpses. Unfortunately, there is no clean female corpse I can give you since I didn''t have time to prepare. All I have here are these practitioners who died from a gue."
"Right, I''m curious about this, Sir Isaac¡ What Arcane Path are they practicing? Why did they fail to protect themselves from this disease?" Vale curiously asked.
He can tell that the corpses seem to be in their thirties or forties. It means that they weren''t students who hadn''t learned Spells to protect themselves from a gue.
''Is this simr to the Severe Ailment? Is there a spell called Severe gue?'' Vale mused¡ To be honest, he wouldn''t be surprised if there is.
Of course, while he was asking the man, he didn''t stop helping himself as he opened the next cadaver bag.
Although Lotus has already finished replenishing her energy, he wasn''t done yet!
He decided to just extract the six corpses left.
"They''re all rogue practitioners. Most of them practice Combat Arts since they''re the easiest ones to get infected by gue or diseases¡" Isaac said after a moment.
"Hmm? I heard they have an aura that is also as mysterious as Elemental Energy and Dark Energy. Can''t that Aura protect them from diseases?"
"It can¡ However, the problem with this Arcane Art is that once you exhausted your Aura, they won''t just weaken but their pores will open up and their body will be vulnerable to various formless Spells or those that invade our body. Furthermore, they don''t have a Magic Zone¡"
"Ah? They''re that terrible? Ahem¡ I mean, I''ve seen a couple of Police Officers that are Combat Arts Practitioners before and they were quite impressive." Vale replied as he recalled Officer Roma and Spencer in Charvale City. They seem quite strong in his opinion¡
He didn''t expect that they have such a w.
Anyway, although Dark Arts Practitioners can also be vulnerable once they exhausted their energy, their bodies were still "baptized" by the Darkness Possession so catching a disease would be difficult unless it is a spell beyond their body''s limits.
"They''re probably just using some Runic Devices¡ They have guns made by Rune Arts Faction, right? Of course, not all of them are weak. If they''re First-ss Practitioners, then they''re really strong¡ Their Aura can cover at least a 10-meter range at that point and it can be considered as a weaker version of Magic Zone."
Isaac calmly exined.
Although he looked quite intimidating with his deep voice and height, he was actually so kind as he exined things to him without looking down on him.
"I understand, Sir Isaac¡ Thank you for letting me know." Vale answered as continued with his extraction.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +15 Agility +0.20 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +15 Agility +0.21 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +15 Agility +0.20 ]
¡
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +15 Agility +0.23 ]
"¡"
''What terrible luck¡ All of them gave Agility? What''s with these Combat Arts Practitioners?''
Vale shook his head in disappointment as he thought that his Intelligence will finally reach 52 points¡ He was hoping that it would allow him to have 26 Spirit Strands but it seems that he has to wait for a while before that happens.
[ Attributes: Strength 29.65, Agility 25.08, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 27.44 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv5, Darkness Maniption Lv2 ]
[ Avable Energy: 1,245 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 99.78 ]
He got a total of 1.26 Agility Points from the six corpses.
After finishing his extraction, Vale heaved a sigh of relief as he can finally return to his dormitory and rest.
However, as soon as he stood up, he heard Lotus'' warning!
''Dodge!''
Lotus shouted in his mind¡ Vale didn''t think twice as he swiftly jumped on his side while activating his Phantasm State and Nymph Scale followed by his wide-range Spell Dispersion¡
Boom!
A lightning bolt just struck the floor he was previously standing at!
Chapter 180 Expensive
Vale''s eyes widened as soon as he realized what had just happened.
''That was dangerous! That could''ve killed me!'' Vale started cursing in his mind as he saw how the floor was destroyed¡ The lightning strike left some molten stones about 2 meters in diameter as the temperature in the room started increasing.
Then, he looked at the Dark Spellcaster who just attacked him.
"Sir Isaac?" Vale was confused they were just talking with no issues or disagreements whatsoever and he was attacked out of nowhere!
Vale might understand if he offended the man but he was sure that the didn''t do anything that deserves to be struck by lightning.
Well, he called Isaac lonely in his mind but there was no way he can read his thoughts.
"Good reflexes¡ Do you know what the Headmaster said in exchange for allowing you to inspect my corpses?" Isaac answered with a chuckle¡
Vale had goosebumps hearing himugh as he couldn''t help but recall his Master. That person is a madman that wouldugh at him whenever he feels pain.
"This¡ He didn''t mention anything to me." Vale replied in exasperation.
"Oh¡ He didn''t mention but it doesn''t mean that this is all for free." Isaac replied.
Vale was stunned as they didn''t talk about payment. Vale used his favor to see the Headmaster''s basement but not in this building.
He indeed makes sense but this is just too much.
"Sir Isaac, are you telling me that you''ll be taking my life in exchange for the corpses I touched? Isn''t that a bit too much?" Vale frowned as he already started talking to Lotus about their escape n.
It is a good thing that they can talk with each other using the unique connection they have.
Although it will be difficult, he knows that with his Spell Dispersion and the Dark Spirit''s strength, they should be able to escape this ce. This is definitely the case especially if Isaac will blindly trust the Formation Circles that were installed in the building.
"Take your life? Who said I''m nning to take your life¡ Jean would kill me if I did that. I''m only nning to open you up for a bit. I''m curious how were you able to obtain a Nova-ss Dark Spirit¡ It shouldn''t be possible for a first-year student like you."
"What?! I just did what the instructor said and made a ritual to call for a friendly spirit! There''s nothing special on that." Vale exined as he started moving back to get more distance between them.
"A ritual to call for a friendly spirit? Pfft~" Isaac repeated as he couldn''t hide hisugh¡
"Then that''s even more suspicious¡ Dark Spirits aren''t friendly spirits¡ They''re considered to be the warriors or the protectors of the Spirit World¡ You needed a high-level ritual in order to summon one of them and a Tier 2 Soul Contract Bestowal spell to tie them up to this world." He continued.
"Sir Isaac, I''m not aware of that¡ Perhaps it has something to do with Master Heinz?" Vale asked as he wanted to prolong the conversation.
At this time, he didn''t stop looking for a way out¡ He can tell that the door of theboratory was now blocked by a Formation Circle, or perhaps a Dark Spell that he wasn''t aware of¡ He started getting closer to it and controlled his Spell Dispersion not to hit it so it wouldn''t be too suspicious.
Once he''s ready, he would surely use everything he had to run away.
"Heinz? Heinz Becker? That lunatic who wanted to create a new branch of the Dark Arts?! Hahaha¡ Are you telling me that he seeded?"
Vale finally realized that this person is also a lunatic¡ Well, what did he expect from Dark Arts Practitioners?
There are side effects in using Mystical Items and there are also side effects in learning Arcane Arts. He wasn''t sure about the other paths but for the Dark Arts Practitioners, Vale knows that the side effect of practicing this Path would affect the mind of the practitioners and they would start to disregard human life.
"Can you let me leave now, Sir Isaac? If you have further questions. I think you should just ask my Master." Vale said as he pushed the danger to Heinz.
"Indeed¡ He probably knows more than you." He then paused for a moment and observed Vale''s body from head to toe.
"However, it doesn''t mean that you aren''t special¡ I want to know your secrets." Isaac said in such a menacing manner as Vale no longer hesitated as he turned around to flee!
Isaacughed as he already blocked the exit a while ago¡
However, before he could mock Vale for being too reckless, he realized that the Spell Formation that should paralyze him from passing through that door didn''t activate!
''What? When did hepromise that?'' Isaac was momentarily at a loss since he didn''t expect that freshman student of the Academy is already capable of doing that.
''Was it a Mystical Item? But only a high-grade Noble Rank can do that¡ This is more enjoyable than I expected¡ No wonder Jean was asking me to test him. I thought he was simply thinking too much.''
Isaac then moved like a ghost as he followed Vale''s movement.
He can tell that Vale was using two movement-type Mystical Artifacts which should consume plenty of his energy in a short amount of time.
He was desperate to escape¡
"Block him!" Isaac said as he ordered the Tier 2 Variants to stop Vale from escaping¡
Although he can arrive quickly beside Vale, he decided to let him show more of his skills.
Indeed, Isaac witnessed a very suspicious Advanced Realm Ghost Hands!
Not even 10th-Year students are capable of doing that!
"Incredible! I guess your parents allowed you to practice the Dark Arts when you were 5 or even younger than that." Isaac said as he saw how the Tier 2 Variants got caught off guard and were off-bnced by the Ghost Hands that were thrown at them at such a high speed.
Although the Tier 2 Variants can stop even a raging elephant, once their center of bnce waspromised, they would still fall to the ground¡
Vale''s calction in his movements was terrifying. He didn''t even stop there, he allowed his Dark Spirit to attack the Variants ensuring that they wouldn''t go up!
This time, it was Isaac who started to panic.
"Hey! Stop! They''re expensive!"
Chapter 181 Run
Vale almost stumbled after hearing Isaac''s shout.
However, he immediately understood what he was saying as he hesitated for a moment before telling her Lotus not to kill them¡
''I''ll just incapacitate them¡ They''ll need weeks or months to recover.'' Lotus promptly replied.
This is what Vale liked about her. She doesn''tin and just follows his instruction whatever their situation was.
''That''s good enough.'' Vale replied in satisfaction.
Although he wanted to kill the Variants because of his current situation, he felt that they would be at the point of no return once he killed someone in this building.
Even Headmaster Jean might try to kill him in order to appease this lunatic Dark Magic researcher.
Anyway, once he gets out of this building, he should have a better chance of escaping and he would surely get the Academy''s protection.
Vale then focused on the closed door of the building¡ It wasn''t enchanted or protected by Formation Circle so he was a bit confused, he was sure that when he entered this building, that door was emanating a fluctuation of energy.
Well, he doesn''t have time to think about it as he can feel the presence of other Tier 2 Variants¡ This time, he doesn''t have the element of surprise when dealing with them. His Ghost Hands would not be enough to bring them down.
Vale covered himself with Dark Energy using his Darkness Maniption Spell and used his Spell Dispersion at a wider range¡
It covered almost a 5-meter radius of him so he was now only worried about physical attacks.
Bam!
He crushed the door and destroyed it easily¡
''It was destroyed just like that? Even if I removed the deadly Spell Formation, that should stop him for a minute or two! How incredible¡''
This action surprised Isaac once again as he didn''t expect that Vale would have such speed and power!
''What is that monstrous kid? Is he as strong as a Tier 2 Variant? No, maybe he''s even stronger than a Licker Zombie¡'' Isaac couldn''t understand where his strength came from¡
After all, the Academy has no ns of testing the physical strength of their First Year students¡ It means none of the Professors, including the Headmaster, knows about Vale''s 29 Strength Attribute or 14 Power Strands.
Well, during their first year, what was more important was their knowledge and not their strength so it was quite understandable¡ Although there are subjects that would help them obtain a decent physique, only when they reached their fifth year would they have to heavily emphasize the importance of their physical strength¡
This made Isaac frustrated as nothing is going ording to his n¡
He even has to repair his door.
"Fine. You''ve won, Jean¡ That student of yours is indeed more special than Lesley¡" Isaac said as he looked at Vale''s disappearing figure.
He also ordered the Variants to stop chasing after him after a hundred meters passed.
Soon, a shadowy figure appeared beside him and it turned out to be the Headmaster!
Thud¡
His cane knocked on the floor as he materialized from the shadow.
"So¡ Don''t you think we can hasten our n with his help? He should be ready in just three years or even less than that." Headmaster Jean said as soon as he appeared.
"What? That''s too early." Isaac said with uncertainty. Although he was impressed by what he saw, he can''t underestimate the other practitioners of different Arcane Paths that were around his age.
There should be other geniuses in his age group that were more impressive than him.
"It''s fine¡ Vale would be 4th year at that time and have chosen a branch¡ He should be able to give us a few wins. Furthermore, I didn''t tell you a while ago but he was able to safely touch the Immortal Corpse and Arcana Relics without any issues¡ He even drained them of their power."
This time, Isaac finally shifted his attention and looked at the Headmaster like he was crazy¡
***
In the meantime, Vale has no idea that the two old men were nning some scary things for him in the next three years.
It was as if Headmaster Jean was so confident that he would be able to win against the Slender Zombie tomorrow.
''They''re gone¡''
Vale looked behind him and confirmed that no one was chasing him¡
Furthermore, the hill where the building should be situated could no longer be seen as if it disappeared into nothingness.
However, he''s sure that it was merely an effect caused by arge Formation Circle.
He then looked around the other hills nearby and he couldn''t help but think that there are other buildings there hidden from the public''s eyes.
Anyway, Vale stopped using his Nymph Scale and Murloc''s Gem as it might start showing some side effects. He needed to return to the Academy and submerge the gem into the water for about two hours.
As for the Nymph Scale, he has to store it in another ce. As long as it''s not in his body, it would be enough¡ After all, he might start growing scales if he wasn''t careful.
''They''re quite a handful of items but they''re definitely useful¡ I think I''m faster than Prisci when she was using her Movement Spell.'' Valemented in his mind.
After all, his Agility Points were already quite high¡ If he used the two Mystical Artifacts, his running speed would surely leave all of the slow Variants that chased after him.
"How is it? Did you use plenty of energy?" Vale asked Lotus as he neared the Academy.
"I''m good. I barely used my ability a while ago. I think that the man was hesitating to attack just now. He wascking some bloodlust when he was looking at you." Lotusmented as she seem to be very observant of her surroundings.
Vale nodded as he was also confused by the man''s actions.
"Yes¡ I noticed that as well."
He could only sigh as he felt drained in his today''s "adventure".
Chapter 182 Help
Vale had a long rest that night after he confirmed from the Headmaster that Isaac was simply messing with him. He didn''t mean any harm and just wanted to test his skills.
Although he felt that it was too much for ''messing around'', Vale can onlyin with his words as he tried to seekpensation... However, he was told to talk about it with Isaac so he can only shut his mouth¡
Isaac is still a First-ss Spellcaster and he didn''t want to desperately flee once again.
He can only me himself for being too needy for those corpses that he has to go to such lengths just to find them.
Anyway, he promised himself not to enter suspicious ces again just to get some corpses¡ unless he has the strength to protect himself from lunatic practitioners.
Knock¡ Knock¡ Knock.
Vale woke up after hearing someone knock on his door.
"Vale, wake up! You have a duel, right? You have to eat with us first¡ You can''t fight with an empty stomach!"
Harith was on the other side of the door as he called for Vale.
Vale was confused for a moment but he swiftly checked his watch only to realize that it was already 11 in the morning.
Vale and Larkin have decided to fight at 1 in the afternoon so he only has 2 hours to prepare. It was still quite a long time but he was nning to wake up earlier than this.
He immediately stood up and opened the door to greet Zeno and Harith who were waiting for him. He then went to the washroom to clean himself before he changed his clothes and went out with them.
The three of them didn''t talk too much as they simply asked Vale about his preparations.
"I heard that you''re limited to 3 Mystical Artifacts in this battle¡ It''s the same for the Slender Zombie. Do you want to borrow our Mystical Items?" Harith asked.
Zeno also nodded behind him showing his willingness to help.
After thinking for a moment, Vale didn''t deny their offer¡ Instead, he asked them about the Mystical Items they are willing to lend.
Although he would not change his mind about his current n to kill the Slender Zombie, he was curious about the Mystical Items that these rich students would have.
His question made Harith and Zeno quite excited as they immediately introduced the Mystical Items they received from their parents.
Harith was the first one to speak as he showed the ring on his finger.
"I have three Mystical Items¡ Two of them were to help me with my studies but the other one is this¡ It''s called Fairy Ring."
"What does it do?" Vale asked. He didn''t enter his Phantasm State to see the color of energy within it and guess its power¡ Instead, he just decided to ask the owner of it.
"It helps me hide my presence¡ It works really well during the night. I feel like I can go anywhere unnoticed if it''s dark." Harith said mysteriously.
"Ahh¡ No wonder you have a Dark Mist Spell on you¡" Zenomented after hearing the effect of the ring. This is also his first time learning about his ring so he had a sudden realization.
"Haha¡ That''s right¡ This can be used five times a day and it also works well with Darkness Maniption." Harith said with a proud smile.
If his mastery over Dark Mist reaches the Intermediate Realm, the spell would reach at least a 20-meter radius and would be his yground in any duel if partnered with this ring¡ As long as he chooses his opponents very carefully, he knows that he would have a high chance of winning his battles.
"Fairy Ring¡ I guess it''s not suited for me. It hasn''t been long since I learned Darkness Maniption¡ It won''t work well." Vale answered.
"I guess so¡ If in case you want a Fairy Ring, just let me know since this item can only be crafted in a limited amount. Only about 5 or 6 pieces of these are produced each year. I''ll be giving you a discount¡" Harith added.
"Oh? Is this a Noble Rank?" Zeno asked.
"Of course¡ This is a low-grade Noble Rank so unless you have a specific Spell that can sense this Mystical Item''s effect, you would have a hard time finding me¡"
Zeno nodded at this as he started to introduce his Mystical Item¡
It is actually a Paper Talisman and he has 3 of them¡
Paper Talismans are known for their single-use purpose so Vale was honestly interested.
"All my Paper Talismans contain Tier 2 Dark Spells so they''re quite expensive¡ I can let you have them if you pay for them with Contribution Points." Zeno said as he recalled that Vale''s battle against Larkin wouldn''t just earn him prestige once he wins but also tangible benefits!
ording to the rumors, once Vale wins the battle, he wouldn''t just receive three Undead Summoning Scrolls and their Spell Model but also Larkin''s Contribution Points!
Larkin was said to have 23 Contribution Points at the moment and he was saving this much because he was nning to exchange it for the Gold Spirit Crown worth 60 Contribution Points¡
It''s said to be a low-grade Royal Rank Mystical Item and if nothing goes wrong, he should be able to get it in the next four years or when he reached his 10th year.
"I''ll ept 1 Contribution Point for each of them¡" Zeno said after seeing Vale''s reaction. This is a generous offer considering they are Tier 2 Dark Spells¡ If it is in the exchange hall, those Paper Talismans would probably cost more.
"What are these Tier 2 Dark Spells?" Vale asked after some hesitation.
"They''re Corrupted Chains, Blood Burst, and Phantasm Drain¡ You probably haven''t heard of them but I can give you a brief exnation. Corrupted Chains has simrities with Rotting Chains but it''s stronger. Blood Burst is a support-type Dark Spell that makes you two times stronger for a brief duration in exchange for a tiny loss in your vitality. The Phantasm Drain, on the other hand, lets you shorten the duration of your enemy''s Phantasm State¡ It works with other Arcane Paths as well."
Chapter 183 Cheer
Vale was quite tempted after hearing Zeno''s exnation.
What he was most interested in was the Corrupted Chains'' Talisman. Since it is a Tier 2 Dark Spell, it should help him restrain the Slender Zombie for a brief moment. This is important in case Lotus experienced some unexpected situation in the battle.
After all, he doesn''t know what kind of preparation Larkin made over the past two months.
He simply can''t say that his Slender Zombie would be simr to the Slender Zombies he had seen in the Archive Room''s recording crystals. It should be safe to assume that his Slender Zombie would be stronger than the others.
"Well, if I win the battle, I''ll be getting 23 Contribution Points¡ I don''t mind giving a single point for the Corrupted Chain Talisman." Vale answered after some time.
"Are you sure it''s only worth 1 Contribution Point?" Vale asked.
"Of course¡ I had this talisman for a year now and I''m not using it... Anyway, you can have Professor Ste appraise it for you so you can be sure that it''s genuine."
"It''s fine¡ I learned from Professor Shirley how to use this item." Vale replied.
Since he only prepared two Mystical Items, he still has 1 more slot and the talisman that Zeno offered might be useful for him.
Even if he didn''t have the chance of using it in his duel, he knows that he would have other uses for it someday¡
"Great¡ Tier 2 Corrupted Chains works well with Zombies since they were only sensitive to life¡ They would have a hard time sensing these chains once triggered" Zeno said as he handed over the Talisman to Vale.
It is made from thick paper with words written in Oardic¡ Vale can''t read it since it wasn''t taught in ss yet. However, the words have simrities to a couple of Oardic words he knows, Negative and Steel.
As for the contribution point, they can simply do the Transaction in the Exchange Hallter. There''s no problem doing transactions with Contribution Points anyway¡ It is not prohibited by the Academy and they even encourage these transactions for some reason.
Soon, the three of them had a meal at the cafeteria and met a few first-year students. Almost all of them know about Vale''s battle against a sixth-year student so some of them greeted him, a few of them gave him an odd look, and many of them seem to be gloating at his misfortune¡
Well, since he was known for his Spirit Strand which was even higher than Maya Featherstar, many of them wanted to see him fail.
It was quite amon thing among these ''elite nobles'' to disdain those who didn''te from a well-off family so Vale wasn''t too surprised.
This habit was observed in their families so it was normal that they would have the same behavior¡
Vale can only pity them as he knows that they''ll fail to see him defeated in this duel.
After some time, he went to the Battle Arena Committee to confirm the details of the duel once more before he went to the waiting room of the First Arena to do his final preparations before the battle.
***
Finally, it was one in the afternoon and the First Arena is now filled with people¡ Most of them are those in the lower years with a few sixth-year students¡
There were even some Professors waiting on the sidelines as they seem curious about this battle that attracted so much attention¡
Apparently, the Headmaster was also watching the battle! He was together with the Vice Headmaster whom they''d only seen in the Entrance Ceremony¡
Soon, Nadine went on the stage to announce the start of the duel.
"This is a match between Vale Chambers and Larkin Neville''s Slender Zombie. If Vale loses this duel, he will participate in Larkin''s research without anyints¡ On the other hand, if Vale wins, he will obtain Larkin''s Contribution Points and three Undead Summoning Scrolls with their Spell Models untouched."
Nadine then paused for a moment as she looked at the hundreds of students waiting for the battle to start.
"The referee of this duel will be Noah Featherstar a 10th-year student and also the Arena Master¡ The Corner Judges will be two 8th-year students of Dark Magic Branch, Grover Brownhill, and Charmaigne Hunter."
At this time, Nadine gestured for the participants to enter the stage¡
Larkin remained outside the stage and only used his Undead Summoning Spell to call his Slender Zombie¡
Whoosh~
A huge zombie with long limbs and scale armor suddenly came out of the ground in front of him¡ It wasn''t just that, this Slender Zombie was also equipped with a pair of w Gauntlets!
The Slender Zombie was about 3 and a half meters and as it moved closer to the center of the stage, everyone can see the great difference in their size¡
Many of them respected Vale for not pissing himself in front of such a scary creature¡
The Slender Zombie doesn''t have a nose but it hasrge ck and red eyes and a mouth that could probably fit a door.
This Zombie was even salivating with green liquid that made the others shiver in disgust.
On the other hand, Vale was simply wearing his Academy uniform and doesn''t seem to have any weapons with him¡
It is so suspicious since he shouldn''t possess a spell that is capable of killing thisrge zombie.
''As expected, this zombie is really prepared¡'' Vale mused after seeing the Slender Zombie that is equipped with a couple of Mystical Artifacts.
He then shifted his gaze to Larkin as he couldn''t help but smile¡ He discovered something.
''I finally know why he arranged this battle, he''s actually injured and couldn''t fight at all. No wonder he only wanted his Zombie to fight. If he joins in the battle, I will be targeting him instead of the Zombie.'' Vale thought as he noticed how weak Larkin was at the moment.
"Vale! Destroy that Zombie!"
"Win those Contribution Points! You can do it!"
As Vale was calcting his moves, he heard his two female ssmates cheering for him.
Chapter 184 Holy!
Vale smiled after hearing Lisa and Aubrey''s voices.
He looked in their direction and saw some of his ssmates cheering for him. Surprisingly, Leonore was also there and shouting something that he didn''t hear.
Anyway, he shifted his attention to Nadine who was exining the rules¡
They can only use three Mystical Artifacts, they can''t use Forbidden Dark Arts, getting help from another person outside the stage would be grounds for disqualification, and going out of the stage will get you the same result, disqualification.
After all of these simple rules are exined, Nadine left the stage allowing Noah Featherstar to continue.
Grover and Charmaigne also stood at the opposite corner of the stage to observe the battle.
"Are you both ready?" Noah asked.
"Yes¡"
"Grrr¡"
As the two answered, Noah looked at the Headmaster to get his permission to start the battle¡ He wouldn''t normally do this but with the Headmaster''s presence, he has to show his respect.
Headmaster Jean then nodded hinting that it was alright to start.
Then, without wasting more time, Noah announced the start of the battle.
"Fight!"
As soon as Vale heard the signal, he swiftly jumped back using his full strength to the edge of the stage¡
Bam!
His feet destroyed the stage''s floor as he exerted all of his strength from that movement. It means that it is his full 29.65 Strength on disy!
Furthermore, he also unleashed his full Agility at this moment.
That''s right, he''s no longer using his Nimble Talon to suppress his strength and agility¡
In the audience''s eyes, it seems that Vale is using a Spell Boost or maybe an Enhancement-Type Mystical Item to increase his speed and power¡ Only the Professors were able to see that he was simply using his physical abilities!
Boom!
The Slender Zombie followed Vale''s movement and crushed the floor with its w Gauntlet that seems to be emitting a vibration¡
The stones on the floor were actually being shattered after being cut by the w!
Soon, the human and zombie were running around the stage and the first-year students who were watching were having a hard time following their movements.
"T-this is crazy! Vale canpete against the Slender Zombie in terms of speed?!"
"That''s so awesome! I wonder what type of Mystical Artifact is he using?"
"Hey! Don''t keep running! That Slender Zombie won''t get exhausted unless you cut off its connection to its summoner!"
"Indeed¡ It won''t get tired! You have to change your strategy, Vale!"
Some students called out.
Although they were impressed by Vale''s speed, there was no way of winning against a Slender Zombie with just speed.
Larkin was also aware of it so he remained calm watching the battle. He believed that Vale was using a movement-type Artifact and that he should have another surprise to attempt to win this battle¡ He wanted to see what Vale was really made of¡
''If you''re not showing what you''ve got, then I''ll force you¡'' Larkin thought as he gave an order to the Slender Zombie.
Graaahhh!
The Slender Zombie seem to be very frustrated as it growled at Vale¡ Then, it stopped chasing Vale and stood at the center of the stage¡
It was as if it was telling Vale to stop running and attack him.
In the meantime, Vale was a bit frustrated. He wasn''t even using his two Movement-Type Mystical Items yet!
He was nning to use it once the Slender Zombie was about to catch him. However, he seem to have overestimated the speed of the Slender Zombie as it actually gave up and stood at the center of the stage to wait for him.
In the end, Vale still activated it as he decided to fight the Slender Zombie with his strength and speed¡
As soon as he did this, he felt extremely light and believed that he could arrive behind the Zombie in just a blink of an eye¡
''Lotus¡ It''s your time¡'' Vale signaled.
At the same time, he summoned threerge Ghost Hands and aimed them to suppress the Zombie.
"Hmph¡ As expected, it is still those Ghost Hands." Larkin smirked as he already prepared for it¡
As soon as the Ghost Hands neared, the Slender Zombie''s Scale Armour burst with blue me!
A strong fluctuation of hot energy followed after¡
"Hmm?"
Vale had no idea about this Scale Armor but as soon as he saw it activated, he felt his Ghost Hands started trembling before shattering and dissipatingpletely.
''Ahh? It''s simr to Spell Dispersion?'' Vale was shocked as he didn''t expect that his Ghost Hands would bepletely useless against the Slender Zombie!
Larkinughed after seeing Vale''s dumbfounded expression¡
"Amazing, right? A Zombie using a Holy Art?! Hahaha! It''s something I''ve prepared specially for your Advanced Realm Ghost Hands¡ Although it can only be used twice a day, it''s more than enough¡"
As soon as Larkin said this, he ordered his Slender Zombie to attack¡
Vale''s Ghost Hands can''t be summoned for a few minutes because of how he forcefully destroyed the spell. In his mind, it would be enough for the Slender Zombie to put Vale to sleep!
However, Vale didn''t just send out his Ghost Hands just now¡
Lotus was actually hidden from those three Ghost Hands! She was also injured by the Holy Energy but it didn''t stop her from possessing the Zombie secretly!
As Larkin thought that Vale would have to rely on his speed to flee once again, he realized that something was wrong with the Slender Zombie. It couldn''t move nimbly as if something invisible was restraining its body¡
There weren''t many Tier 1 Dark Spells that can restrict movements so Larkin immediately investigated only to find nothing¡ He can''t find the source of the problem but he felt something off with the Slender Zombie¡ The negative energy around him seems to be too strong¡
"What did you do?" Larkin was baffled¡
He couldn''t understand how the Negative Energy blew up inside the zombie''s body¡ Furthermore, it was weird that instead of getting stronger, the zombie seem to be struggling!
Of course, Vale didn''t have to answer as he allowed Lotus to do her job¡ It''s time for him to end this duel.
Chapter 185 Unexpected
"W-what''s happening?" Lisa was confused by the sudden change in the battle.
She was, of course, expecting that Vale would do some kind of a miracle to win this duel but she waspletely baffled by this sudden turn of events.
As soon as the Holy Arts appeared and destroyed Vale''s Ghost Hands, many of them started believing that Vale would be defeated in this battle. There were even some people in the crowdining about Larkin''s method¡
He actually dared to sneak in a Holy-Attributed Mystical Item inside the Dark Arts Academy!
No wonder he was confident about winning against Vale!
Although the Slender Zombie will also be affected by its own Mystical Item, it would weaken a lot if Larkin prepared a special potion for the Zombie.
Nevertheless, as they thought that Vale was doomed, he somehow crippled the Slender Zombie without their knowledge¡
"I think he used another spell but it was too fast¡" Aubrey can only guess but she can''t really be sure about it.
Perhaps, if her Magic Zone can reach the stage, she would be able to know what happened¡ However, due to obvious reasons, the stage was protected by a Formation Circle that stops others from inspecting the stage with their Phantasm State.
Only those with a Third-ss or maybe Second-ss ability can probably bypass this Formation.
At this moment, the Slender Zombie tried activating the Scale Armor''s Holy Arts once again but nothing happened¡
Vale was able to get closer using his incredible speed as he kicked the Slender Zombie''s right knee¡
Bam!
It was then followed by a resounding crack as the Zombie''s bones shattered!
Thud!
It kneeled on the floor but the Zombie isn''t feeling any pain¡
It looked at Vale menacingly and used its pair of w Gauntlets to cut him up¡
However, with Vale''s current movement speed and the Zombie''s current attack speed, there was no way Vale would be harmed.
Vale didn''t continue as he swiftly jumped back as he gained some distance from the Zombie.
''Not yet¡ Larkin is still not panicking. Perhaps the Holy Arts wasn''t his trump card?'' Vale mused¡ He was really caught off guard by the Holy Arts since it was too unbelievable for a Zombie to use this Mystical Item.
However, he felt that there is still something wrong. He was sensing some danger even after the Slender Zombie was restricted by Lotus.
This sense of danger got even stronger the moment he kicked the Slender Zombie. This was the reason why he immediately jumped back and put some distance¡
''I guess I''ll have to use the Talisman to make sure¡'' Vale thought as he pulled out the paper talisman.
If he doesn''t have this talisman, he would simply activate his Spell Dispersion to cut off the Zombie''s ability to protect itself followed by the Darkness Maniption to protect his body¡
Well, he actually used 960 Energy Points to level up his Incorruptible Body. With this enhancement, he was already confident of crushing the Zombie''s head with his hands without being infected by some kind of virus or disease¡
However, he decided to be careful just in case as he triggered the Paper Talisman''s effect¡
He poured a bit of his energy into the Talisman and ordered Lotus to return to his shadow¡ He was afraid that Lotus will also be affected by the power of Corruption brought by the Tier 2 Dark Spell, Corrupted Chains.
''Ahh! Shit!''
Vale suddenly noticed something was wrong as soon as he triggered the Paper Talisman¡
The Talisman has indeed summoned a bunch of corrupted chains from the void as he expected but the Corrupted Chains were actually uncontroble!
This shouldn''t be the case since a Spell that was stored inside the paper shouldn''t cause problems with the caster. After all, once the Talisman was activated, the caster would have the power to control the spell for a brief moment and send it to their target.
This is what Vale did¡ As soon as he felt that he gained control over the Corrupted Chain Spell, he targeted the Slender Zombie.
However, to his surprise, the Corrupted Chains started gathering beside him like he was about to be restrained instead of his target!
''Did I just get betrayed?'' Vale was shocked as he nced at the crowd¡ He was dumbfounded by the sudden betrayal of his roommates!
Then, in the corner of his eyes, he saw Harith and Zeno who wereughing at him¡ Vale felt a chill on his body as he didn''t really expect that those two guys were actually targeting him. He didn''t feel any signs of their traitorous behavior!
As he realized his predicament, he finally noticed that behind those two was a man who looked like Wilfred Moontomb, the student he killed¡ He then recalled Wilfred''s rtive, Cornelio Moontomb!
''So it''s him¡''
Vale actually watched some of his battle recordings on the second time he ''cleaned'' the Archive Room with Philip and Prisci¡
He was sure that it was Cornelio Moontomb!
''So it was like that¡'' Vale sighed as he felt the Corrupted Chains drowning him¡
The Referee, Noah Featherstar, felt worried as soon as he saw the problem in Vale''s Paper Talisman¡ It seems that he was sabotaged!
He can''t do anything about it yet unless Vale can no longer move and his life is in danger.
Thud. Thud. Thud¡
At the same time, the Slender Zombie regained its mobility as it started moving closer to Vale¡
Vale is in danger! He has to move or he''ll lose this match!
Noah immediately gathered his energy and prepared his Dark Spells to stop the fight any moment now¡
However, as he was doing this, Noah felt something was off as he noticed Vale''s eyes.
He wasn''t panicking or despairing in his current predicament.
Instead, Vale''s eyes were cold¡ He was looking at the Slender Zombie as if it was an ant that he could exterminate at any moment.
This surprised Noah including some other Professors who thought that this battle was over.
In an instant, the gathering Corrupted Chains dissipated into thin air as Vale moved like a ghost charging towards the huge Slender Zombie!
''This¡ What''s going on?'' Noah couldn''t believe what he just saw!
Chapter 186 Sacrifice
The next events happened so quickly and the crowd didn''t even have the time to react or process how Vale suddenly won the battle.
For some reason, the Corrupted Chains that were rampaging and trying to attack him, disappeared like they were some sort of illusion instead of a Tier 2 Dark Spell.
This was already baffling to everyone who was watching but Vale''s unusual burst of power was even more shocking¡
A single punch!
It only took him a single solid punch to destroy the head of the Slender Zombie!
It is well known to everyone that destroying the brains of the Zombies would lead to their true death¡
Seeing Vale destroy the Zombie''s head so easily, no one doubts that Vale has somehow won this duel!
"How is that possible?" Zeno stood up in horror after seeing how Vale survived that situation. Furthermore, Vale also killed the Zombie in a split second¡ This waspletely out of their expectation!
"This guy is hiding his strength all this time! He must be this strong already when he fought against Wilfred... He hid it too deeply!" Cornelio Moontomb clenched his fist after seeing Vale''s victorious battle.
"¡"
Harith, on the other hand, doesn''t feelfortable after betraying Vale''s trust¡ Wouldn''t this be too awkward inside the seventh room?
As they were thinking of the consequences of their actions, they heard someone''s voice questioning the current situation.
"Hmm? Why is the referee not announcing the winner yet?" Chad asked with a confused tone after seeing how Noah was simply staring at the headless Slender Zombie¡
This was heard by everyone else and also raised some questions¡
Yes, the Zombie is still kneeling with its two hands on the floor which is helping its body not to lie down but that should be its defeat already. The Zombie''s head has already exploded from Vale''s punch!
Is the referee waiting for the Zombie to grow another head to continue the battle?
This confused many of the First-Year students.
However, this didn''t take long as they saw the hands of the Zombie start twitching¡
It''s not over yet! This made them confused as they looked at the Zombie with curiosity.
"I won''t ept defeat!" Larkin, the summoner of the undead, suddenly shouted in madness as Noah felt a dangerous aura¡
"Y-you! It''s not allowed to use Forbidden Dark Art! Did you not listen?" Noah shouted as he shifted his attention to Vale.
"Vale! Run away! This guy is disqualified! You won the battle! Hurry!" As a Referee, he can certainly disqualify Larkin. However, it might be toote!
As soon as he said this, he felt the burst of energy not too far from him¡
Boom!
An explosion of dark energy urred and it all happened from the inside of the Slender Zombie! It was as if Larkin detonated a bomb!
Noah can only protect himself since he was too near to the explosion of energy! As for Vale, he was hoping that he has another technique to save himself or hopefully, the Headmaster can protect him.
Furthermore, the stage has a decent Formation Circle, as long as Vale was able to get out of the stage, he should be protected by this Formation Circle and weaken the explosion st¡
Of course, the Formation Circle still has limits and it wouldn''t save Valepletely. However, at the very least, it should neutralize about 30% of the explosion.
As for the side of the spectators, there is another Formation Circle there and also Professors who had immediately acted¡
They used various Dark Spells and Mystical Artifacts to ensure that the Forbidden Spell wouldn''t affect the other students.
After a few seconds, everyone heard Larkin''s crazyugh followed by his exhrated voice.
"Ahem! I''m telling you now that I didn''t use a Forbidden Spell! It may look like that but it''s simply a chaotic outburst after I tried summoning a different entity using the zombie''s body¡"
The stage was still filled with dark mist and no one knows the situation there¡ Vale was also nowhere to be seen so he probably failed to get off the stage in time.
"You''re still disqualified!" Noah said as he was looking at Larkin with cold eyes.
Larkin realized that he has indeed gone overboard for killing a first year but he has no other choice. The moment the sabotage didn''t work, he knows that his chances of winning havepletely gone down since he underestimated Vale''s speed and power.
There was no way he would admit defeat and give his hard-earned Contribution Points¡ It''s better to get punished and retain his points.
In any case, he knows that he can''t be punished severely since he''s one of the strongest candidates that will participate in the Twelve Academies Competition.
"I get it¡ I lost this match." Larkin replied since no one would take his scrolls and contribution points anyway.
However, as soon as he said this, he heard the gasps of the audience as the dark mist created by his zombie''s explosion cleared up¡
There is actually someone up there and standing silently.
"Then it''s my win¡" Vale spoke with a sigh as he looked at Larkin below the stage¡
This time, Vale almost lost the battle if not for Lotus'' sacrifice¡ His Spell Dispersion and Incorruptible Body weren''t enough to protect him from that explosion of chaotic energy!
"How?! How did you survive that?! This is impossible!" Larkin shouted in despair but it was drowned by the spectator''s cheer for Vale.
The audience started apuding even though they don''t understand how Vale just survived that devastating move released by the zombie.
Nevertheless, even if they don''t understand what happened, they know that Vale won the match and he deserves to be apuded for that.
In the meantime, Headmaster Jean sat down on his chair and shook his head in disappointment.
''It''s a pity that he has to sacrifice his Dark Spirit for that¡ I wonder if he can summon another Dark Spirit with the same ritual¡ If he can, then there''s no doubt about it, he should be the Blessed of the Spirit World¡''
Chapter 187 Rumors
Plenty of things happened after the battle.
First, Larkin was investigated after bringing in a Holy-Attributed Mystical Item inside the Dark Arts Academy.
Although there is no prohibition of that inside the Academy, Larkin would have to prove that he wasn''t a spy sent here or that he has no connection with the Order of the Untainted Sentinels that had previously attacked the Academy¡
Furthermore, Larkin will be investigated if he has a connection with the secret organization that has infiltrated the Academy searching for a mysterious pocketwatch.
There was also a rumor of him being expelled from the Academy due to his behavioral problems¡ This shocked many students in the higher years since they know that Larkin has a connection to the previous Headmaster of the Academy.
He''s also one of the best students who can represent their Academy in this year''s Twelve Academy Competitions.
Larkin had truly made a mistake this time.
Anyway, Vale''s duel against the Slender Zombie opened the eyes of all the other students, especially the first-year students¡
They finally had a better grasp of Vale''s incredible power.
He wasn''t simply smart but he was also strong.
***
In the First Room of the Seven Pirs Garden, a group of female students gathered as they talk about the recent battle.
"Maya, that Vale will be a huge problem¡ He is simply too strong." A female student with short red hair said in a worried tone. Her name is Goldie Forrest and she''s one of Maya''s roommates.
"Although he''s strong¡ I''m sure Maya can still win against him. No matter what, Vale''s spells were only those basic ones. You have to remember that Maya''s Dark Spells are all rare ones that came from her family." Another female student said as she tried to find fault in Vale''s current strength.
Her name is Crystal Ravinie and although she has the surname of Ravinie, she simply came from a branch family and doesn''t have the support of the main branch. Nevertheless, she has a bit of talent allowing her to get into this Dormitory with her own efforts.
Maya sighed after hearing their words. She was well aware that her ns to dominate the first-year batch would be very difficult with Vale''s presence.
She previously thought that her only problem was Wilfred Moontomb but she was wrong all along¡ It was Vale Chambers who was the most troublesome to deal with.
"Although I''m confident with my spells. I think I still have to respect Vale''s very unusual physique¡ I''m not sure but I think he wasn''t using some kind of spell to strengthen his body during his duel. It can only be a Mystical Artifact but an Artifact that could give you that level of strength is probably a high-grade Noble Rank or at least a low-grade Royal Rank item¡ Ana, what do you think?"
"Hmm?" Ana Chalton was a bit surprised after being asked.
She pondered for a moment before shemented.
"Vale was indeed using a movement type Mystical Item that battle. However, I asked the Professors a while ago but they all confirmed that he wasn''t using any strength-boosting type Artifact¡ This could either mean that he''s really gifted with monstrous strength or he consumed a high-grade potion beforehand."
With her sudden suggestion, everyone''s eyes lit up!
"That''s possible! Perhaps he requested 2 months of preparation to acquire a high-grade Potion from his family?" Goldie spoke with a hint of excitement.
Vale''s monstrous strength was too mind-boggling after all. They just can''t believe that someone of their age would already have such an incredible physique.
"That makes sense¡ However, even our family wouldn''t necessarily obtain a high-grade Potion in such a short amount of, especially with the Alchemists of our Arcane Path. As you know, our Alchemists weren''t necessarily good at brewing or concocting potions. Furthermore, high-grade Potions are only produced by First-ss Alchemists whatever Arcane Path they are." Crystalmented.
The others agreed with her exnation¡ Nevertheless, the potion is their best guess about Vale''s unusual power.
As a matter of fact, three days after the duel, a rumor about Vale''s unusual strength had spread everywhere and it was close to their guess!
It was said that Vale had consumed the Earth Eclipse Potion before the duel!
This is a high-grade Potion that can boost the strength of the consumer for about 30 minutes and they would also obtain a high resistance against Dark Spells.
This would exin how Vale easily destroyed the rampaging Corrupted Chains and smashed the head of the Slender Zombie.
Furthermore, the reason why many people was believing this rumor was because one of these potions has disappeared in the Exchange Hall!
There were previously four of them but when one of the sixth-year students tried exchanging for them, he realized that there were only three of them left!
He then recalled Vale''s duel and made this bold guess which was picked up by the Academy Publication news writers¡ However, some of them were still baffled at this since the high-grade potion should be worth 5 Contribution Points.
Anyway, since Vale was quite special, they didn''t think too much of the contribution points problem since he must have had a method to obtain them.
***
In the meantime, as his friends were happy about his victory and those jealous of him were hoping he would get humiliated one day, Vale was still downhearted about the loss of his friend. Because of this, he decided to visit the Training Hall every afternoon after his morning ss¡
The Training Hall allows him to borrow a room for himself where he could try his ritual.
Although five days had already passed after his duel against the Slender Zombie, Vale was still feeling dejected because of Lotus'' death¡
Her death simply came too fast and he didn''t even have the chance of saying goodbye or thanking her for her assistance all the time when they were together¡
"Vale, you''re here again? Are you going to borrow a Normal Training Room or use the Spell Combat Training Room?" The student managing Hall''s rooms asked Vale after seeing him arrive. The student is a member of the Training Hall Committee and is assigned to manage the ce around this time of the day.
"I''ll be using the Normal Training Room."
"Alright¡ Room Number 16 is avable. As you know, the first hour is free but the seeding hour will cost 100 zen per hour."
"I''ll just use an hour¡"
Vale then received a que that he has to ce on the door of Room Number 16 to inform others that it was upied.
Chapter 188 Forbidden Ritual
As soon as Vale entered the room and locked the door, he immediately started working.
The room was quite small and was only about 16 square meters. There was also nothing inside as this ce isn''t meant for people who wanted to rx¡
This room is used for practicing various Dark Arts that weren''t heavily inclined toward offensive abilities.
This ce is used to practice summoning undead, spreading curses, performing rituals, and others¡
What Vale came here today was, of course, to summon a friendly spirit hoping that he''ll get in contact with Lotus once again¡ It''s even better if Lotus got summoned once again.
Apparently, he learned from Headmaster Jean that Lotus may not have died¡ She may have just returned to the Spirit World without his knowledge.
Of course, this is just a guess. Headmaster Jean wasn''t sure about this since Lotus isn''t really in her best shape after losing contact with the Spirit World.
Furthermore, Headmaster Jean doesn''t have that much experience with Dark Spirit as well. His knowledge isn''t that much better than Vale''s since the Spirit World is still quite mysterious to all Arcane Paths.
Unfortunately, Vale already tried summoning a Dark Spirit 10 times but none of them had seeded.
He repeated the same process during the monthly assessment only to fail continuously.
''Let me try one more time¡ If it still doesn''t work, I''ll make some huge changes to the ritual and prayer.'' Vale thought as he continued moving to prepare the ritual.
He used the human bone powder to create the Animus Haven Magic Circle which is exactly the same powder he used to summon Lotus before. He had tried changing this ingredient but nothing worked. In the end, he wanted to see if he just have to be stubborn and keep using the same ingredient to get an answer.
After perfecting the magic circle for about 15 minutes, he then started his ritual.
He closed his eyes and sped his hands as he cleared his mind before saying his prayer.
"Glorius Gates of the Spirit World. Hallowed Maker of the Soul Society. The Nameless Guardian of the Harbingers. I, a devout follower of the Eternal Darkness, wish to open the gates of the World of Spirits¡ I wish to call for a living spirit residing in your world that wants to befriend me."
After finishing these words, he didn''t immediately open his eyes as he tried sensing his connection to the Spirit World.
He can feel the subtle link happening for a few seconds. Unfortunately, this link wouldn''tst long as no one is answering him¡
''Haa~ It''s still the same¡ I wonder what''s wrong.'' Vale inwardly sighed as he opened his eyes.
He looked at the human bone powder and confirmed that it was burnt¡
This proves that the Spirit World noticed his prayer. However, their answer is obviously a rejection of his request.
''I already tried changing the medium of sacrifice¡ ck Coil Candle, Scurvy Grass, Polecat Fennel, and some other materials¡'' Vale mused as he looked at his bag. It has a few bottles of human bone powder but he was hesitating whether he should try and get other expensive materials.
In the end, he just decided to modify his prayer and be a bit more aggressive with his prayer¡
He used the bone powder once again but this time, he used two bottles to make arge magic circle¡ Furthermore, he started modifying his prayer as he considered what to say to attract the attention of the Spirit World''s ruler.
Vale sighed as he shifted his attention to the other item in his bag¡
It is a book that was disguised as a fantasy novel¡ It is The Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted that was left to him by his master¡
He read some of its contents and one of the rituals in this book allows him to get an answer from the Spirit World¡ However, just like all the other contents of the book, this ritual has a bacsh. It would consume his life force or in other words, his Vitality.
Vale bit his lips as he decided to open the book and read the ritual once again¡
After spending 10 minutes to ensure that everything is perfect, Vale closed the book and hid it inside his bag once again.
He then took a deep breath as he sat cross-legged in front of the Animus Haven Magic Circle.
He then pulled out his prepared knife with his right hand before cutting his left palm.
"Thoeinsi, Zatriin, Posmese"
Vale spoke with Oardic Language.
His blood dripped at the center of the circle¡ Then, the blood started spreading to the bone powder turning his white magic circle into a red one.
Vale can even see a faint glow on it even though he wasn''t praying yet!
Furthermore, he already felt his connection to the Spirit World just bypleting this action!
''This¡''
The unusual phenomenon made Vale excited. This only strengthened his resolve to finish the ritual.
Vale clenched his fist as the blood stopped flowing¡ With his high vitality force, the wound he made will easily close. Furthermore, he triggered his Darkness Maniption spell to cover his palm.
After taking a deep breath, Vale closed his eyes once again before saying his modified prayer.
"Glorius Gates of the Spirit World. Hallowed Maker of the Soul Society. The Nameless Guardian of the Harbingers. I, Vale Chambers, a devout follower of the Eternal Darkness, wish to open the gates of the World of Spirits¡ I wish to call for a living spirit residing in your world that wants to befriend me. Bring me thepanion I sought for¡ Grant my wish and my blood offering is yours. Open the gates of the Spirit World or I''ll seek help with the Ruler of the Darkness¡"
This prayer wasn''t forbidden for nothing¡
As soon as hepleted this prayer, he felt his soul and flesh being sucked into the Magic Circle he created.
It was rming but he didn''t panic.
Then, he felt his life force being taken away and heard an answer from the Spirit World¡
Vale realized that another entered his room!
He didn''t fail to notice this because his Phantasm State has been active all this time!
As he opened his eyes, he saw a huge Spiritual Being standing in front of him and looking at him coldly.
Chapter 189 Secrets
Vale felt a bit intimated after seeing the floating Spiritual Being looking down on him. It appears simr to a human being having a head and limbs on its body.
However, it has a couple of horns on each side of its head simr to a goat, and three pair of wings on its back. One pair of wings were huge and seemingly made of silver. The two other pairs were smaller and seem like they were batwings¡
What was even scarier was the Spiritual Being''s eyes¡ There were four of them and Vale almost wanted to say that he made a mistake and that he wasn''t nning to call for the Ruler of Darkness at all!
Vale held his breath as he looked at the being¡ Then, his eyes lit up as he recalled something¡
"Are you a Messenger? Sir? Ma''am?" Vale wasn''t sure what to call the mysterious being but anyway, he recalled the Fallen Messenger theory of Professor Lucius.
If there is a "Fallen" one, perhaps there are also those normal Messengers¡ If that''s the case, Vale can imagine that this being could pass as one of the messengers.
The Spiritual Being noticed Vale''s reaction¡ It observed the room for a couple of seconds before it spoke without opening its mouth.
"So you know about our existence. Then, you know that I''ll be taking some of your life force for calling me, a Messenger, right?" The Being has a deep voice and Vale wasn''t even sure whether it is speaking through his mind or not.
"Wait, the blood I offered just now isn''t enough?" Vale asked after processing Messenger''s words. He thought that the blood that was poured into that circle was already enough. After all, he felt his life force being taken away during that time.
"¡"
The messenger didn''t seem to understand what he was saying as it looked at the magic circle for a moment.
"The blood you offered is only to call for my presence¡ It seems that you didn''t know how the ritual works before attempting to do it. At any rate, I can see that you have plenty of life force so it''s not a problem¡ Now, tell me why you let your first Dark Spirit die¡ Not even a century had passed and the Dark Spirit died already! Dark Spirits can live for tens of thousands of years but you let one of them die! Do you think a Spirit would still answer your prayer?!"
"¡"
Vale almost choked after hearing its words¡ To be fair, what he said was correct. If they learned how Lotus died so early, who would befriend him?
However, can he be fully med for it?
It was Lotus'' own decision for blocking that Zombie''s detonation. Everything happened too quickly at that time and he was only able to use his Darkness Maniption and Spell Dispersion to protect himself from harm. Even if he wants to stop her, he just didn''t have the capacity to do so.
Well, a part of it must be med on him and he knows that he still made a mistake. At the moment, he really wanted to get together with Lotus once again and this time, he won''t let her sacrifice her life.
"So you want to appease the guilt you''re feeling?" The messenger suddenly said as if it could read his mind.
Currently, Vale couldn''t even be bothered asking the Messenger why he came here in the first ce¡ The ritual he made isn''t for summoning a messenger at all¡ Anyway, he decided not to point this out and simply asked¡
"What can I do? Did Lotus really die? Did she not return to the Spirit World? Can I no longer summon a Dark Spirit because of this?" Vale asked.
He can feel that this mysterious messenger can''t stay here forever¡ He has to make use of his presence while he''s still here.
"The Dark Spirit has already returned to the Spirit World¡ However, you can no longer meet with the same Spirit again¡ So you have to forget about that Spirit already." The messenger then paused for a moment and looked at Vale with a hint of gentleness before speaking again.
"Since you''re willing to use your life force to ask for another Dark Spirit, then I will send you a different one¡" The messenger said which garnered Vale''s curiosity.
''Hmm?''
He thought that this Messenger is mad at him but it is still being kind to him even after what happened to Lotus. Is it really because he''s willing to spend his Vitality in exchange for a Dark Spirit?
Although he doesn''t really want other Dark Spirits besides Lotus, he still decided to ept it to satisfy his curiosity.
"I understand¡ Thank you, Messenger. Can I always summon a Dark Spirit from now on using the same ritual and sacrifice?" Vale asked.
"Perhaps¡ I don''t know. Maybe until His curiosity was filled."
"His curiosity? Who is it?" Vale asked in a confused tone.
"The Gates of the Spirit World seem to be interested in your body and I think I know the reason¡ There is a familiar scent in your body it feels as if---"
Before the Messenger could finish his words, he suddenly started turning illusory as if his time has run out¡
The Messenger can no longer speak but it waved its hand to take Vale''s life force and at the same time, summon a Dark Spirit to Vale''s side.
"Can I call you once again?" Vale asked again as he felt that the Messenger was about to say something very important.
Unfortunately, the Messenger could only disy a stiff smile after hearing his question before vanishing into thin air.
Vale could only sigh at this as he looked at the Dark Spirit beside him¡
This time, the Dark Spirit wasn''t hiding using a cloak of shadow and he could see her face clearly¡ She was wearing a gown made of dark matter and her hair was waving behind her like they were alive.
Although she has the same ck hair and ck eyes, the Dark Spirit is certainly different from Lotus. She looks like an elegant witch in Vale''s opinion.
"Can you also speak to my mind and enter my shadow?" Vale asked after a while.
Instead of answering, the Dark Spirit simply looked at Vale before nodding her head.
Vale wasn''t in the mood to try and persuade this Spirit to speak as he requested her to enter his shadow. Then, he opened his Attribute Panel to see the amount of Vitality taken away from him.
Chapter 190 Rumors
Vale sighed after seeing the amount of Vitality Points taken from him.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 29.65, Agility 23.82, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 24.94 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv6, Darkness Maniption Lv2 ]
[ Avable Energy: 285 ]
His Vitality went from 27.44 points to 24.94. It was 2.5 points or equal to 250 extractions of ordinary humans.
Headmaster Jean would probably be surprised if he learned that one of his Life Strands has suddenly disappeared.
Nevertheless, Vale didn''t think too much of it considering how his current age should only have 3 or 4 Life Strands ording to the Headmaster.
Although he no longer has an equal Life Strand with the Headmaster, he still has plenty of them and he would surely have another chance of extracting Vitality Points.
Vale then looked at his shadow where the new Dark Spirit silently entered. He can feel the unique connection he has with the Dark Spirit and knows that he canmunicate with her at any moment.
However, he doesn''t have the energy to chat with her for now so he decided to just clean up and leave the room.
Vale wasn''t sure what to feel at this moment. He feltplicated with the new Dark Spirit in his shadow. Although it was a short time, he felt really connected to that Dark Spirit¡
On his way to his room, Vale had many thoughts about his encounter with the Messenger.
''He mentioned that the Glorious Gates was interested in me? He also hinted that I have a familiar scent. What was it?'' Vale mused.
If he would make a guess, it was probably due to his Divine Extraction System or his Golden Pocketwatch¡ or perhaps, it was due to the fact that he died once and almost entered the Soul Society or maybe the Spirit World? Did he get a certain smell of being revived from the dead?
As Vale continued thinking, he had plenty of random thoughts¡
''Right¡ I should''ve asked him about the Divine Arts or anything rted to the Immortals¡ I gained Divinity from these so-called Immortals or Celestial Corpses after all¡''
Velt felt that it was such a shame that he can''t have a chat with the Messenger for a bit longer. He was also unwilling to spend another 2.5 points in his Vitality Points for that so he can only think of another way of learning about his Divinity Points and those Celestial Corpses he had seen before.
***
Another month quickly passed after this event and during this time, the first-year students'' Elementary Spirit Law ss would have their second Spirit Strand Assessment.
This is to know whether their Spirit was strengthened after learning various methods to enhance their Spirit.
Of course, this event brought another excitement among first-year students. This is especially to those at ss 1 who wanted to exceed Vale''s current Spirit Strands¡
Apparently, most students in ss 1 hade from core families of the Dark Arts Factions. Knowing that an "outsider" was able to surpass their sessor''s Spirit Strands, these families had gone all out to boost the Spirits of their children¡
Some of the students drank Spirit Enhancement Potions, Spiritual Water, or even consumed High-Grade Spirit Pearls and used some other Spirit Boosting Mystical Artifacts.
This is to ensure that their families'' prestige wouldn''t be tarnished just by a random guy who hade from a declined noble family.
On the day of the assessment, there were plenty of students and teachers awaiting the results. They wanted to know whether Vale would remain on top or not.
"Maya! You''ve reached 26 Spirit Strands!" Goldie Forrest eximed after seeing Maya''s astounding result.
"Incredible¡ If Vale''s Spirit Strand remained stagnant, then you''ll have the highest strand." Ana Chalton added after seeing her friend''s result.
It was the same for her ssmates who started congratting her. Her achievement was incredible considering how Crystal Ravinie only has 17 Spirit Strands who came in second ce in the ranking.
Apparently, even after they used up several enhancements brought by their family, they only managed to increase their strands to about 6 or 8 Strands.
Maya wryly smiled after hearing their praises¡ She feltplicated hearing all of them.
She knows very well that her achievement wasn''t easy.
She spent a huge sum of money to aplish this¡ She was also helped by several seniors in the Academy who used up over 130 Contribution Points in order to exchange a few precious items in the Exchange Hall only to offer them to her.
Perhaps, the price she had to pay to achieve this was equal to three Consumable Royal Rank Mystical Items.
It was simply too wasteful considering that with her talent, she can naturally achieve this without those expensive consumables.
Now, because of the pressure that Vale had given her, she had to ept all these offers. She''s now bearing the burden of ensuring the prestige of the Main Families¡
Unfortunately, because of the sudden and forceful increase in her Spirit, her body has already built up a strong resistance to potions and other consumables rted to Spirit Enhancement.
In short, her chances to breakthrough on her future bottlenecks would lower because potions will no longer guarantee their effectiveness due to her early intake.
Although she still believes that her talent won''t make her improvement stagnant, she still worries about this a lot since she dreams to be one of the Master Arcanists of the Darkness Arcane Path.
As she was unsure what to feel about her achievement, she soon heard a rumor that made her smile¡
''If that''s true, then I''ve won!'' Maya''s eyes lit up as she immediately went to a Professor to confirm the rumors.
Apparently, it was said that Vale has already reached his limit and could no longer increase his Spirit Strand! This rumor started spreading throughout the Academy¡
During his Spirit Assessment, Vale achieved the same result! More than 3 months had already passed and Vale''s Spirit Strand remained 25!
Chapter 191 Changes
The students at First Year ¨C ss 2 had at least gained 2 or even 4 strands increase in their Spirit.
This is specially for Lisa Grayback who had somehow increased her strand from 9 to 13! This is such an incredible achievement in the first three months in the academy considering that she''s amoner who knows nothing about mysticism until she entered the academy.
Vale''s other friends also had a decent increase so his same result made the others feel worried about him.
After all, their current young age should be the best time to increase their Spirit. Once they grow older, increasing their Spirit would be more difficult or even close to impossible at some point. This is simr to how the Spell Lights are formed after all.
After Professor Ste Harwin left the ssroom, Vale''s friends immediately went up to him andforted him.
"Vale¡ Although you didn''t get an increase, it might be due to your high Spirit Strand¡ It''s already 25 so increasing it would be more difficult than us with only 10 or so¡" Chad Bulmung immediately said.
He has 12 Spirit Strands before and has now 14 Spirit Strands. However, he doesn''t think too much of it since he has six ssmates that have higher strands than him.
"Right, you might need four or five months¡ We might have a stagnant improvement as well if that happened to us¡" Aubrey chimed in. She wasn''t really sure what to say.
"Hey¡ Don''t think that Vale would feel dejected because of this¡ You should remember how strong he is already. Even if we reach 25 Spirit Strands, I don''t even think I can handle that Slender Zombie." Lisa Grayback immediately added.
Those who were listening to their conversation silently also nodded their heads.
Even Neil who was smiling at Vale''sck of improvement had a stiff smile after hearing this. He also couldn''t imagine himself being able to deal with the Zombie even if he gets to learn another Dark Spell or two.
The Slender Zombie''s speed was just too much.
It was also equipped with a cheat item, a Holy-Attributed Armor that is basically a bane to all Dark Spellcasters like them. They can only deal with such Mystical Items if they have stronger Dark Spell to the point that Holy Attribute could no longer keep up with its purification power.
Lisa''s words certainly made them recall how powerful Vale Chambers was once more.
"Well, at least his Demonic Familiar has already died¡ So he won''t be that strong anymore." Neil muttered in a soft voice but everyone in the room heard it.
This includes Vale who suddenly had a cold look on his face. He didn''t like Neil''sment and he wouldn''t just pass it up¡
Thud!
The door of the ssroom suddenly opened and the next professor came in¡
It was Professor Shirley Harrison and she immediately felt that something was wrong in the room. She swiftly entered her Phantasm State and realized that Vale is actually in battle mode!
This made her quickly react and triggered her Darkness Maniption Spell to protect everyone and ensure that no one will get hurt.
"What''s going on?" Professor Shirley asked as Vale''s gathered Dark Energy and Ghost Hands retreated silently as he also canceled his Phantasm State.
Vale didn''t answer and simply looked at Neil once again before he calmly seated on his chair¡
Professor Shirley squinted her eyes as she noticed that no one is talking.
In the end, she just considered that these guys are ying around. This was not surprising, since this is quitemon to someone at their age. After learning a few Dark Spells, she knows that these students were quite excited about using them in real situations.
After confirming that no one was hurt and everyone doesn''t seem to have any words to say, she simply reminded them that using Dark Spells without the guidance of Professors or other Academy Officials was prohibited¡ They can only use these spells without the Professors if they are practicing at the Ceremony Hall or the Training Rooms meant for these activities or if they are in a situation where they were forced to cast their spells.
"Alright¡ In today''s ss, we will start learning about the Mortal Rank Items that are all decent at your current level of strength." Professor Shirley finally said as she continued with her ss.
***
Two dayster, Vale was still hearing the news about his Spirit Strands that has be stagnant¡
This was thanks to the Academy Publication Committee which would only publish its Freshmen Edition Newspaper once or twice a month depending on the importance of news they gathered.
Vale was quite stressed because of this even though he didn''t mind it at first. After all, he simply can''t get used to being talked about by so many people.
"Finally¡ They found different news¡" Vale muttered after picking up a newspaper.
Luckily, his sufferings stopped after a few days when articles regarding the Twelve Academies Competition started appearing.
They even stopped publishing their Freshmen Edition and just simply published their Main Newspaper and covered all news rted to thispetition.
This includes plenty of information about the students who will represent the Vermont Academy in thepetition. This piece of news was, of course, the hot topic of the Academy for the rest of the month or until thepetition ends.
Nevertheless, none of these piqued Vale''s interest¡ The Twelve Academies Competition is for sixth-year students and above after all.
It will still be in a few years before it would matter to him so he simply focused on his study and research about the Immortals and Divinity.
However, after thepetition, the news article that was published by the Committee stunned many students including Vale.
Apparently, at the end of thepetition, it was announced that in three years, or Year 897, several rules will be changed in this yearly event¡
One of the biggest changes was the fact that fourth-year students will be allowed to participate in this prestigious event!
Chapter 192 Worried
The news made all the current first-year students excited.
After all, the year that the changes will be implemented is the year they''ll be in their fourth year! It means that they''ll be the first Fourth-Year students who will be participating in this event!
In addition to that, they know that they can earn plenty of contribution points if they were able to win a few medals even if they don''t win the whole event.
All of them were looking forward to the day of this event. Some of them were even starting to think of what Mystical Item they would exchange for the contribution points they''ll earn in the future.
"What a coincidence¡" Vale muttered but he didn''t think too much of it. Although this is a good opportunity, he feels that it will still take a long time before this event happens.
He has no idea that this was implemented because of Headmaster Jean and Isaac Vermont''s decision to advance their ns after seeing his skills.
They have motives for pushing these changes and would only beter known by Vale.
***
After a few weeks, the buzz about this event died down as they still have to face the reality. There were monthly assessments and plenty of studying to do in their first year.
As such, it didn''t take long before several months had passed and the end of the year is approaching. It means that they will have some time off in the academy.
They will have two weeks of vacation allowing them to return to their homes¡ Well, this is only possible for lower years since those in sixth-year or maybe even the fifth-year students or higher, have plenty of things to do if they wanted to graduate or earn contribution points¡
They have to focus on learning the third Academy-Exclusive Dark Spell if they were even thinking of participating in the nextpetitions or if they want to ept top-rated Missions¡
Well, thepetition isn''t the only source of Contribution Points after all. Missions issued by the Academy are themon source of these points. However, those with high rewards would have high requirements as well.
The mostmon requirement was recording the 3 Academy-Exclusive Spells or the Darkness Maniption Spell, Light Absorption Spell, and the Create: Shadow Soldier Spell.
Today, December 20th of Year 894, Vale stayed in the Academy even though most of his ssmates returned to their homes.
The reason was simple, he doesn''t have a ce to return to¡ He can''t even think of returning to Kyle Marshall''s father since he felt guilty as his real son is no longer here.
He might''ve even been informed already that Kyle has already died.
As for the countryside where the Chambers Family is located, he also doesn''t feel right going there since he only registered himself as a member of that family for the sake of entering the Academy with a different identity and to help his Master¡
"Vale, are you going to stay in the Academy?"
A familiar gentle voice called out to him as he walk inside the library¡ It was Lisa Grayback who was currently tasked by her club to manage the library. She was behind the counter near the entrance and saw Vale entering with aposed look.
She was looking at Vale with worry¡
Apparently, another Spirit Strand assessment has been conducted two weeks ago¡ Vale''s Spirit Strand remained the same and everyone has basically confirmed that Vale''s talent was already exhausted.
It no longer garnered much attention since they already predicted this in the second assessment¡
Currently, Maya Featherstar and Crystal Ravinie of ss 1 hold the highest record in the Spirit Strand having 29 and 26 Spirit Strand respectively.
It was well known that they both used a massive amount of wealth to aplish this feat but no one talked about it since they were from the Core Families of the Darkness Path¡
Of course, it wouldn''t be surprising if the two of them would also have a stagnant improvement once they turned 18 in a few more years.
With the rate of their improvement, they should have 40 to 45 Spirit Strand before they turn 18¡ As for Vale, many of them believe that he would no longer obtain an increase in his Spirit¡ If he turned 18 and stayed at 25 Spirit Strand, that would basically confirm his fate.
Nevertheless, none of this bothered Vale anymore¡
After he showed his hostility to Neil Sommerhalder, thetter no longer bothered him afraid that he would really act on it. As for the others who were speaking some nonsense about him, he would only threaten them with his Dark Spirit if they did it in front of his face.
"Lisa¡"
Vale smiled after hearing Lisa''s voice.
Among his friends, he felt a lot closer to her probably because she''s also amoner like him¡ Of course, she doesn''t know about Vale''s background so she might have different thoughts about his identity as a son of a low-ranking noble. Nevertheless, he likes her genuine personality as she''s always eager to learn about everything¡
"I''m not nning to leave the academy this vacation, how about you?" Vale asked.
Lisa shook her head as she replied. "We''re the same¡ It''s not like someone is waiting for me at home."
Vale noticed her dejected expression so he decided to just shift the topic¡
"Right, have you found anything rted to the Immortals?" Vale asked.
He actually asked for Lisa''s help since she''s always at the library and he knows that he could trust her.
"I tried¡ However, it''s not going well. There are only a few more books I have to check and I can''t be sure if there''s anything rted to Immortals in those books. Perhaps, they''re on the second floor?"
"Second floor, huh¡ I heard that I need to pay one contribution point to ess the Second Floor for a single day." Vale wryly smiled.
Although he already has some contribution points on him, he felt hesitant to use them unless he was sure that it would give him the result he wanted.
"Yes¡ Perhaps, you can just ask the professors about them."
"I tried¡ However, our Professors are only Second-ss and barely First-ss Practitioners so they''re not aware of them as well." Vale replied since he already asked Professor Ste and Professor Lucius about the Immortals. Unfortunately, they were also clueless.
In the end, Vale had no other choice but to use his Contribution Points as he decided to explore the Library''s second floor today.
Chapter 193 Searching
Lisa looked at Vale''s back as he entered the second floor of the Library¡ She felt that Vale had changed a lot after his battle against the Slender Zombie.
She felt worried about his mental health but she also has plenty of other things to worry about so she could only support Vale with little things she could do as a member of the Library Committee.
She had truly done her best searching for clues about the immortals that Vale had mentioned, however, aside from the children''s fairytale books, she didn''t find any other clues.
She could also suggest to Vale about the Chuch Libraries but he should also be aware that it''s almost impossible to enter their library unless he decided to get baptized by the church. In the end, she can only tell Vale to try the second floor of the Academy''s library.
''I wonder if he''s trying to find a way to be an immortal¡ Ah... Wait--Did he spend most of his life force to forcefully increase his Spiritual Strength? Is he dying?'' Lisa''s eyes were filled with worry as she seem to have realized Vale''s problem.
It appears that his ssmate is finding a way to increase his lifespan all this time! This is a very important matter.
He must''ve used a forbidden Dark Art to increase his Spirit at such a young age.
''Not good¡ Should I ask the Club President for help?'' Lisa frowned as she recalled their president. Thetter knows almost everything about this library except for the fourth floor where only the Professors and those with special privileges were able to enter.
However, the President has a mean personality and it''s difficult to request something from him.
After some hesitation, Lisa sighed as she decided to just ask the President¡ In any case, even though he''s quite mean and very difficult to get along with, he''s still one of the most knowledgeable students here in the Academy.
***
Vale had no idea what Lisa was thinking about him the moment he left.
He was simply too focused on his task to find clues rted to the Immortals. He simply can''t let his Divinity Points go to waste. He must find a way to use them and learning about the Immortals might give him some clues.
"Yvaine¡ Can you tell me about the Immortals if I obtained crucial information about them?" Vale whispered as he stopped in front of the second-floor entrance.
Yvaine is the name of his new Dark Spirit. He gave her a name since he still needed tomunicate with her from time to time. She didn''t mind having a name so Vale decided to just think of whatever name he could think of.
Yvaine doesn''t sound too bad and it also means "evening star" which is quite suited to the beautiful Dark Spirit.
Unsurprisingly, she also has a simr situation to Lotus as she started forgetting some core information about the Spirit World after being sent to Vale.
She only retained some memories that allow her to adapt and survive in this world while apanying Vale.
Yvaine didn''t answer immediately as she considered Vale''s words for a moment¡
After a while, Yvaine sighed and exined in her cold but attractive voice.
"No¡ Any information about the Immortals is sealed in my memory. Although I mentioned that I can unlock the seal if I learned about them naturally, it doesn''t mean I can tell you about it. There must be a reason it was sealed."
"I understand¡ If it''s like that, then there''s still a chance you can tell me something about them if you unlock your memories. Who knows, this must be what the Spirit World''s Rulers wanted to happen." Vale muttered in reply as he entered the second floor.
There is a counter in front and he can see the dozens of shelves within the room.
The student behind the counter smiled at Vale and spoke politely.
"Do you have a Special Token or are you going to use your Contribution Points?" The student asked. Based on the number of stars on his uniform, Vale can tell that he''s a fifth-year student.
He doesn''t seem to be surprised about Vale''s presence since there are already three other students who were inside the library and reading a few books.
Vale smiled back at the student and replied. "I don''t have a token¡ I''ll use 1 Contribution Point... Here''s my I.D. card¡ Right, can you tell me about the Special Token?"
The student received the card from Vale and confirmed his identity.
"Vale Chambers¡ 28 Contribution Points." The student muttered as he used another card to tap on Vale''s card.
"Alright, I deducted 1 Point already. You can stay here for 24 hours. You can go out as well during that time but the timer would still run. Once your time''s up, a cute spirit will be sent to remind you to either extend or get out of the library. If you refuse to leave, the cute spirit will stop acting cute and throw you out. Right, the token can be received from various missions as a reward. It''s normally a reward personally given by the Professors." The student reminded.
"I see..." Vale muttered.
The fifth-year student can see that Vale is a first-year student and this must be his first timeing here so he exined the rules very clearly.
To be honest, he was quite shocked about the number of Contribution Points this student has. After all, he recalls that he only earned his first Contribution Point in his third year. However, this student already has 28 of them in just a few months in the academy!
''Ahh¡ Wait, Vale Chambers?'' The student finally recalled this name that was always in the newspaper a few months ago.
He quickly looked at him to check his face and confirmed that he was indeed quite familiar.
''No wonder he has so many points¡ It must be his reward for defeating Larkin in that battle.'' As he was thinking of this, Vale remained in front of the counter and seem to be hesitating on something.
"Is there something I can help you with?" The student asked with a smile.
He then saw Vale hesitating for a moment before nodding his head.
"As a matter of fact, yes¡ Can you help me find any books regarding the origin of the Arcane Path or any otherworldly beings?"
This question surprised the fifth-year student for a moment but he didn''t ask unnecessary questions to Vale.
"Certainly¡ You must be looking for the Book of Sacred Earth for the origin of the Arcane Path but for the otherworldly beings, I can only suggest a few books and one of them is the Analysis of the nar Spells."
Chapter 194 Forbidden Books
''Book of Sacred Earth¡ Analysis of nar Spells¡'' Vale repeated in his mind. These book titles sound awesome and he can''t wait to read them.
He then looked at the senior in front of him and asked curiously.
"May I know if I''ll get to study these books in higher years? Or can these books only be studied in the library?"
The fifth-year student smiled at this question and nodded. He didn''t mind talking to Vale since he had nothing to do at this time.
He was also bored reading books in this cold and silent room, so Vale''s curious questions made him quite happy.
"You can''t learn about them even in the higher years. At most, they''ll be mentioned in your history subjects but there won''t be any in-depth discussion about them. Especially for the Analysis of nar Spells¡" He then paused for a moment and looked at Vale with a teasing smile before he continued.
"Are you curious why the library''s upper floors are greatly limited instead of being open to all students?"
Vale wasn''t really that curious, but he still nodded to be polite.
"Yes¡ I''m curious, senior."
"Well, the first reason is that the books here are all enchanted, and opening them already gives you a hint of wisdom they contain¡ The other reason is that most of the knowledge you can obtain here can no longer be applied. Many of them are already forbidden or the materials needed toplete the rituals or ceremonies here can no longer be found in the present. One sample of this is the nar Spells that require the help of the otherworldly beings you''re searching for¡"
Vale didn''t expect to hear such important information¡ As expected, the seniors, especially the ones in the library, can''t be underestimated.
"I didn''t know about that¡ Thank you for letting me know."
The fifth-year student nodded as he waved his hand to Vale after teaching thetter where the two books he mentioned before can be found.
Vale easily found them and noticed that these books didn''t have other copies on the shelf. As a matter of fact, all of the books here are unlike those on the first floor, where there are always 5 to 10 copies of them.
As soon as he opened the Book of the Sacred Earth, he realized what the senior just mentioned to him, a wisp of wisdom already entered his consciousness as soon as he opened the book¡
This wisdom allowed him to read the book and easilyprehend what he just read. However, he can tell that it won''tst for a long time.
Luckily, his high Intelligence Attribute seems to help him with this concern as the duration of the wisp of wisdomsted until he finished reading the book.
''Two hours. I''ve been reading for two hours without any breaks¡ How marvellous¡ and scary.'' Vale sighed inwardly as he checked his pocketwatch after closing the book.
It was amazing that he was immersed in the book until he finished reading it but it''s also quite scary how he was drawn to it without care for the surroundings¡ It was as if the book had a strong beguiling spell!
He even thought of an idea¡ This book might be the best Mystical Item to disrupt his enemy!
He can try and bring this book in any duel and open it up in front of his enemy''s face, and thetter would be at his mercy once he''s drawn to the book.
Vale shook his head at these random thoughts.
He didn''t immediately read the second book as he organized his thoughts.
The Book of Sacred Earth actually seems like a fairy tale book¡ It discussed the origins of humans, the beginning of the churches, the theories rted to the origin of the Arcane Paths, and prophecies about the end of the world¡
Well, only a few Churches believe in the end of the world. As a matter of fact, most of the Churches believe that the meaning of the "End" was simply an end of an Era¡ It can be the end of the Era of the Arcanists and bring out another Era they weren''t aware of yet.
It was a fascinating read, especially on how the books discussed a few things about the Origin of the Arcane Paths¡
It was said the Arcane Paths was a gift given by the Sacred Earth or the world itself in order to face the evil beings walking onnd. As for how it was given, the book didn''t say any of that¡
If Vale wasn''t mistaken, the core families are hiding this secret as it must be a very important ce or there are some other secrets there that can''t be known to the public.
Anyway, there are other things in the books and Vale felt that reading this book would be considered a spheme if he''s a member of the church¡ It was no wonder this book isn''t allowed for everyone. The contents of that book significantly differ in their teachings and may cause unnecessary conflicts if it is widely spread.
The Dark Arts Faction already has enemies and adding the Churches wouldn''t make things better.
Before Vale could open the next book, he noticed that one of the students reading in the library was looking at him¡ She was seated two tables away from him, so he could easily see her.
The woman''s gaze felt like it was prickling his skin and he couldn''t help but turn his attention to her.
"May I help you?" Vale asked.
He''s not familiar with the older student. She was also hiding half of her face and he could only see her emerald eyes, so there was no way he could recognize her.
The female student blinked her eyes after hearing Vale''s question¡ She seemed to have just realized that she was staring at him.
"Ahem¡ You look cute, so I can''t help but stare at you. I apologize." The girl said with an apologetic voice.
Vale wouldn''t buy that excuse at all. Although he''s good-looking, he shouldn''t be that mesmerizing¡
However, it was quite unnecessary to point this out, so he only looked at her with doubt.
The girl seemed to have realized that her excuse was a bit terrible so she chuckled and continued¡
"I was just curious at your shadow¡ I''m Felisa Harrison, a sixth-year student of the Alchemy Branch. You should know my sister since she''s your Professor."
Chapter 195 Planar Spells
''Another person who can see through my shadow?'' Vale squinted his eyes after hearing her words.
"So it was like that¡ I didn''t know that Professor Shirley has a younger sister." He replied with a nod. He wasn''t sure what thisdy wanted, so he decided not to be too friendly.
"Well, now you know¡ I''m sorry for interrupting your study. I was just surprised at the Dark Energy surrounding your shadow. It is a different Dark Spirit, right? You''re really talented."
Vale smiled and didn''t answer. Almost everyone who watched his battle against the Slender Zombie knows that his Dark Spirit was killed in that battle. They may not have seen how it happened but they must''ve felt the disappearance of the Dark Spirit''s aura at that time.
"I''ve never seen a Dark Spirit before. Do you mind if I ask to meet your Dark Spirit? In exchange, I''ll let you see my Contracted Ghost Spirit¡ or whatever you want in exchange." Felisa continued seeing that Vale was losing his interest.
Of course, Vale doesn''t want to waste his time since he spent 1 Contribution Point to enter this ce. He can''t waste it chatting with another girl.
He didn''t think for too long and agreed with her.
"I don''t mind it¡ The Dark Spirit doesn''t mind it as well¡ However, I''d like to add a condition, I need to see some corpses¡"
"Eh? Corpses?" Felisa was a bit flustered by the sudden request. She thought that Vale would rather spend some time with her...
However, they are in the Dark Arts Academy and almost all the students here weren''t normal, unlike her. After some thought, she still agreed as she had some sources of corpses anyway...
"Alright. My Club is keeping a few bodies for experiments¡ However, they''re corpses of ordinary humans and not Arcane Practitioners. Is that alright?"
"That''s fine¡ Let''s do it on another day. I''ll look for you." Vale replied as he shifted his attention back to the second book on his table. It''s been a while since he extracted some corpses so he didn''t mind whether they are ordinary or not.
Seeing that Vale doesn''t want to talk anymore, Felisa couldn''t help but sigh as she also continued with her study¡ It feels as if her charm waspletely useless in front of this first-year student.
''Ahhh¡ I forgot I''m wearing a mask. No wonder he didn''t get attracted.'' Felisa shook her head as she realized this.
She knows that male students would always want to talk to her as much as possible. Vale shouldn''t be an exception, so she heaved a sigh of relief after recalling that her mask was on.
Of course, Vale doesn''t care about her thoughts as he opened the book titled Analysis of the nar Spells.
Simr to what happened in the other book, a trace of the book''s wisdom entered his consciousness, allowing him to enter a state of immersion.
He read the entire book once again and itsted for another 2 hours. The moment he checked his surroundings, he realized that all the other students have already left.
They may have taken a break outside, or their time was up¡
''nar Spells¡ How mysterious¡ No wonder the senior suggested this book.'' Vale sighed as he looked at the book in front of him.
The male student at the counter suggested this book after Vale asked about the otherworldly beings. It was odd at first.
He was confused why the senior suggested a book regarding an analysis of particr spells when he was asking for the otherworldly beings. However, after reading the book, he realized that the Spell Models of these nar Spells don''t just require the help of these Otherworldly Beings to be recorded, they needed to be in the ce where the Otherworldly Beings can be found.
If it wasn''t done in this particr ce, the recording of the nar Spell may be sessful, but the power it contains wouldn''t be at the same level as the other nar Spells recorded in this special ce.
It seems that the ce itself has some sort of power that even the current Arcane Researchers weren''t aware of¡ There were theories about how it can be replicated by some Magic Circles but there isn''t any evidence to back it up.
Finally, Vale also learned what the nar Spells are¡
In his conclusion, the nar Spells were close to the otherworldly powers and perhaps they were the Divine Arts that he was looking for!
"So nar Spells are considered to be the peak of all spells. It''s above the Tier 3 Spells and as long as you obtained the help of the Otherworldly Beings, you can learn them even if you''re just starting your journey as an Arcane Practitioner. How awesome was that¡" Vale muttered.
If the requirement was simply getting help from them, then even a ten-year-old Practitioner might have a nar Spell in their arsenal¡ It would be quite scary to face someone with such a strong spell.
ording to the books, the nar Spells could summon a meteor from the heavens, reconstruct someone from the ashes, resurrect someone from death, change the terrain through an earthquake, or call tribtion lightning from the sky.
Vale wanted any of these spells!
"I still don''t know any Spell Models of these nar Spells¡ I hope I can find them here." Vale muttered as he stood up to check on the other books.
Then, he recalled the student at the counter¡ He then went to his side and asked if he knew about any books that had nar Spell models.
Luckily, the student knows about these Spells Models¡
"Ahem¡ Let me remind you that these Spell Models can''t be recorded, no matter how talented you are. There is no Magic Circle, Ritual, or Darkness Pill you can use to aid you with your recording." The student reminded Vale after telling him the location of the books where samples of nar Spell Models can be found.
"Don''t worry, senior. I won''t be attempting to record them. I''m just curious how they look and how they differ from the Dark Spells that we''re currently using¡" Vale answered.
Although the student at the counter was still doubtful, he decided to just leave it be and epted his answer.
Meanwhile, as soon as Vale saw the Spell Models in the book he just opened, he couldn''t help but feel impressed.
Chapter 196 Upgrade
"They are all amazing spells¡ I wonder if there''s still someone who had recorded any of these spells." Vale muttered after closing the book.
The book is titled The Strange Spells of the Ancient World and true to its title, it indeed contains a few spells that are strange yet amazing spells of the ancient world.
First, he found the veryplicated Spell Model of the Meteor Summoning Spell¡ There is also the Ash Resurrection, Body Restoration, Avatar Creation, Shadow Muttion, Water Embodiment, and Divine Lightning Call¡
These Spell Models should be incredibly valuable if people can still record these spells in their Spell Lights. Unfortunately, none of these Spell Models have any values at the moment.
All these spells were something Vale would want to record if possible.
Anyway, there are other spell models but they are unfortunately iplete so there was no way to learn them even if there is a possibility to record the spell.
These spells have iplete model designs and they are the Abyssal me, Undead Resurrection, Miracle Catalyst, and Angel Summoning Spell.
As for those really strange ones, they were the Dice Summoning Spell, the Cursed Door Spell, and some other spells that have very random or even unhelpful effects in his opinion.
The Dice Summoning Spell can lead to a catastrophe if itnded on Number 1. This is a luck-based spell and could even lead to your death. On the other hand, if itnded on Number 6, it may bring you a miracle but it can also be a twisted miracle depending on the effect you wanted to have. It is an unwanted spell in Vale''s opinion.
As for the Cursed Door Spell, it was some sort of teleportation spell where any door you open can bring you elsewhere. Unfortunately, the destination of this spell can''t be controlled at all. The other side is random and Vale couldn''t help but feel that this is such a stupid spell¡ After all, it requires a stroke of immense luck to ensure your safety on the other side.
Nevertheless, Vale enjoyed reading the book.
Although he wasn''t sure whether these spells are the Divine Arts he was searching for, learning about them feels like he was able to see a different world of mysticism¡
The nar Spells were indeed spells that weren''t part of the twelve Arcane Paths!
At most, some other spells like Meteor Summoning can probably be copied by some First-ss Elementalists but they can only create imitations of these spells and will not be able to summon a real meteor that wille from the heavens¡
After a moment of appreciation for the book he just read, Vale copied the Spell Models of all the spells withplete model designs.
He wasn''t sure whether he would be able to use them but he has a strange feeling that it wouldn''t be a waste of time learning about these nar Spells.
''In the end, I didn''t find any articles rted to their appearance¡ I''m still unsure whether these otherworldly beings that have appeared in the past are the immortals I''m looking for¡'' Vale mused as he looked at the books in the library.
He didn''t feel dejected over this matter and even felt closer to the truth. He didn''t expect to find all the information he needed as soon as he entered the library''s second floor anyway.
It was all fine as long as he slowly learns about them.
''Well, since I still have plenty of time, I should explore the whole ce and find other interesting books to read.'' Vale thought as he stood up to read other books.
It doesn''t have to be anything rted to the Otherworldly Beings, nar Spells, or the Arcane Path''s Origin¡ He started reading books about some subjects that will not be taught in the Academy¡
The books were titled Astral Mysteries, Misguided Hexes, Undesirable Incantations of the Ancient World, and The Lost Arcane Path.
They were all interesting books and his 1 Contribution Point was certainly not wasted foring here¡
However, he was already in the library for 14 hours so Vale felt quite tired as he stood up to leave the room. He then noticed that there is already a different student at the second-floor counter.
Now that he thinks about it, the Library is actually open 24 hours which is very convenient for the students. Perhaps, only the Library Committee members are having trouble with it since they have to find someone to stand at the counter on the first and second floors in shifting schedules...
Anyway, Vale didn''t think too much of it as he left to check the cafeteria and luckily, although it was still early in the morning, their ce is still open and selling some freshly baked bread for the students.
After eating, Vale returned to his dorm and slept for about three hours before he returned to the library to ensure that he fully utilizes the contribution point he used¡
It was a good thing that he still returned because the next book that he luckily picked up gave him a huge surprise¡
[ Immortal Fragment has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
Vale stood rooted on his spot as soon as he saw the system''s notification. He was so excited after seeing that it was an Immortal Fragment!
He''s currently holding a book that has a thick cover like an alligator''s leather painted in red. There was no title written on the cover so he was nning to open it up and see its content only to be weed by the pleasant sound of his system''s notification.
Without any hesitation, Vale answered with a yes¡
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5 ]
Because of this, his 99.78 Divinity Points should''ve exceeded by a hundred now¡
As he thought of checking his attribute panel, he was surprised by a series of notificationsing from his system!
It has been quite a while since he got such a response from his Divine Extraction System so he knows that this is a good thing!
[ 100 Divinity Points have been detected. ]
[ New Features of the Divine Extraction System have been unlocked. ]
[ The System has fully assimted to the host. ]
[ You can now extract attributes from living beings. ]
[ You can now extract mystical abilities from all avable targets. ]
[ You can now reject the extracted mystical properties. ]
[ You have obtained 2 Special Spell Slots. ]
Chapter 197 Discovery
Vale''s heart started beating faster as he read the messages brought by the system upgrade. He didn''t expect that exceeding the hundred mark of the Divinity Points would result in such an upgrade!
''Two Special Spell Slots? No wonder the others can''t record any of these spells¡ It requires a different form of Spell Light.''
This was such a pleasant surprise, and it made him really excited.
Finally, he''s getting to know more and more things about his Divine Extraction System!
After confirming that no new notifications were popping up, he swiftly checked his attribute panel to see the changes.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 29.65, Agility 23.82, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 25.44 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv6, Darkness Maniption Lv2 ]
[ Avable Energy: 285 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 4.78 ]
Well, it was still the same.
However, he didn''t feel dejected as he entered his Phantasm State and checked his body.
''This¡''
He can still see his four active Spell Lights and 11 inactive Spell Lights, but on their side were a couple of golden lights, and for some reason, Vale believes that these Spell Lights can amodate those nar Spells!
''It looks beautiful¡ Now, do I just record those Spell Models? If I can record them, then what nar Spell should I choose?'' Vale thought to himself as he saw the two golden balls of light in his body.
The Meteor Summoning Spell is quite enticing, but he feels it is too destructive for his own good. He might not just kill his enemy with that spell but include himself in the casualties.
Ash Resurrection was a pretty awesome revival spell, but he''d rather find a Spell to avoid death. After all, based on the book he read, this Ash Resurrectiones with a steep price. There is a chance that he could no longer practice any Arcane Arts after being resurrected in this method.
Anyway, he still ced it on the third of his list since there is still a small chance that he will get resurrected with a better physique and talent.
After a moment of thought, he ignored the Water Embodiment and Avatar Creation.
Water Embodiment requires a rare potion used by Elementalists, which isn''t easy to acquire. As for the Avatar Creation, he would have to tear a part of his soul to do that. He didn''t like the idea of having his soul divided¡ He might consider this if he can also see his Soul Attribute.
In the end, he was left with Shadow Muttion, Body Restoration, and Divine Lightning Call.
Vale then looked again for The Strange Spells of the Ancient World book to read more about these Spell Models.
This time, opening the book didn''t give him a trace of wisdom as if it was just an ordinary book. He didn''t mind it since it must have an effect of only being effective once.
He flipped the pages quickly and found what he was looking for.
Shadow Muttion allows him to kill his target by mutting their shadows. It was an excellent ability since attacking your target''s shadow is much easier and more unpredictable.
However, aside from the normal Spell Recording process, it also requires him to consume another Darkness Possession Potion. It says in the book that while the potion is being digested, the Otherworldly Being will suppress it for the Practitioner while thetterpletes the Spell Recording in their Spell Light.
It is quite aplicated process, as one would expect for a Spell that Arcane Arts Practitioners could no longer record.
"This is a good choice¡" Vale nodded as he found the other spell.
Body Restoration, on the other hand, was a better alternative to the Ash Resurrection Spell. However, it feels as if it would be too excessive to use since he knows that once his Incorruptible Body turned into its Advanced Realm, it would have some simr effects.
Perhaps it wouldn''t be as better as the nar Spell, but it shouldn''t be too far from it.
As for thest spell, it was the Call of the Divine Lightning.
Just like its name, Vale could summon a lightning strike using this spell. It wouldn''te from his body, but the lightning will strike through the help of the sky.
It means that the spellcaster can avoid the limelight when casting this spell!
Of course, the only problem with this spell is that it can only be effective in an open space. It means that using it in a duel at a closed arena is impossible.
The roof will block it, and even if he forcefully used it, he would destroy the ce instead.
Vale wryly smiled at this thought as he made up his mind. He would learn the Shadow Muttion and the Call of the Divine Lightning Spell.
After making this decision, Vale finally shifted his attention to the leather-bound book that had given him the 5 Divinity Points.
''I wonder if this book will teach me about the Immortals.'' Vale mused as he took a deep breath before flipping its cover.
When he opened it, a trace of wisdom entered his mind. He wasn''t surprised by this sensation as his focus remained on the book.
The book was written in Oardic, so it wasn''t easy to read. Furthermore, it was written by hand and not through a printing press!
He couldn''t read some characters but could understand most of them through context clues.
To his surprise, this book isn''t a lecture book but a biography. It was a story of a man named Clovis Rosenvine.
"This¡" Vale was stunned as he continued reading the book.
Its content was mostly about his adventure in the sea in the year 330, which was more than 500 years ago! It means that the Twelve Arcane Path at this stage hasn''t fully developed yet.
In addition to that, he finally understood why this book had be an Immortal Fragment¡ The book itself has bathed in the blood of a real Immortal!
This discovery made Vale excited as he found more clues about the Immortals.
Chapter 198 Squirm
After another two and a half hours, Vale finished reading the book.
He closed it with a sigh as he felt his hand shaking. He was curious why the Academy would just leave this book here. It contains many secrets that could change the history that was being taught in the Academy.
"Ahhh¡" Vale realized something after some thought.
First of all, the book was written by hand. Clovis Rosenvine wrote it himself, and it may just be a hoax to get famous. No one can prove whether the content is urate. The year iming it was written in year 330 may not even be true.
The other reason the book was kept here was perhaps due to the Academy''s research. They have possibly concluded that its content is fake, or even if there were some truth to it, it had some mix of lies.
The fact that it contains divinity was perhaps the only reason it was kept here.
Anyway, Vale still organized the discoveries he read in his mind.
The book stated that there are 13 Arcane Paths which should only be 12. He didn''t mention the missing Arcane Path but hinted that only those blessed could pursue this path. It sounded like a hoax from another perspective, so not many people would probably believe this.
It also mentions how Clovis found the Origin of the Arcane Paths, but he can''t mention it because someone might kill him. Vale can believe this a little since he noted that the pool of blood where he soaked the book was found in this ce.
He further mentions that beyond the sea was another continent with advanced Mystical Items that he couldn''t understand. Again, this guy was probably just fantasizing about his dream as a sea explorer since he couldn''t even tell the coordinates of this ce.
Then, most of the contents were his daily life as an Elementalist with six recorded spells.
Four of his spells were Water Elements, and the other two were Wind and Fire Elements. It was no wonder he decided to be a Navigator on a ship before being a Captain of his own.
Anyway, the most disturbing thing in the book is how he mentions that the Abyss is getting bigger and bigger.
On thest page of his book, he imed that their crew reached the end of the world where the Abyss was seen!
Now that Vale calmed down, this also felt quite suspicious since he believed that the Abyss was simr to the Spirit World, a ce in a different ne. This is how he understands it from how Lotus exined it.
At this point, Vale shook his head as he brought the book to the counter.
"Senior, may I ask if you can tell me anything about this book?"
The female student who was about to doze off jolted when she heard Vale''s question.
Vale also felt bad about his interruption in her rest. He was too focused on his matter that he forgot to check whether it was appropriate to disturb her.
Luckily, the senior wasn''t mad at him as he looked at Vale momentarily before shifting her attention to the book he was holding.
"Mhmm¡ Is that the Biography of Clovis Rosenvine?" She asked.
"That''s right¡ Is this book popr?"
"Not really. I recognized it since that''s the only book with that stuffy cover. Are you asking whether it''s real or not?"
"Yes, senior."
"Well. I don''t know. I heard this book was simply a project of some seniors, and it was sent here for future references on making a realistic ancient book."
"Ahh?" Vale was stunned after hearing this exnation. He didn''t expect that twist at all.
Seeing Vale''s dumbfounded look, the senior chuckled a little as she shook her head.
"No, I''m just kidding. Aside from some unrealistic parts of the book, it has many survival tips in the sea and is very useful¡ You''ll also understand how the Elementalists of the past worked, so it''s very educational from a different perspective. Just don''t take those unrealistic discoveries so seriously, and you''ll be fine." The senior waved her hand as she said this.
''As expected, they concluded that those other things he mentioned were fake.'' Vale nodded in understanding as he thanked the senior once again before returning to his seat.
This time, he decided to just touch all the books inside the second floor, hoping to trigger his system and find another Immortal Fragment.
Luckily, there were only two of them inside the library''s second floor, so his action may seem stupid, but only one person would think of it.
As he thought, the female senior looked at him amusedly while he touched all the books. After some time, she simply shook her head and started dozing off.
"So it''s the only one, huh¡ What a pity¡" Vale muttered as he failed to find another Immortal Fragment or any extractable items.
Nevertheless, he didn''t feel too disappointed as his system had already obtained a new feature.
He can now extract living beings and the mystical abilities of his target. He doesn''t know how it works but is eager to try itter.
After a while, Vale left the library toplete his preparation.
He wanted to try and record the two nar Spells, but it requires a few things. He needs the Darkness Possession Potion for the Shadow Muttion and the Lightning Pearl for the Call of the Divine Lightning Spell.
He went straight to the Contribution Points Exchange Hall to see whether they had these items for trade.
"Good day, Student Vale¡"
A gentle female voice greeted Vale as soon as he entered the Exchange Hall. He didn''t recognize the voice, but since she knew him, she had probably seen his battle several months ago or read some articles about him in the Academy Newspapers.
However, the voice came from a middle-aged woman with closed eyes. Vale believes that she''s actually blind!
Her long blonde hair was neatlybed to the side, and she exuded a very mature aura around her.
"Good morning, Ma''am." Vale greeted back.
The Exchange Hall appears like a bank as she is seated behind the long counter. There''s no one else here aside from the two of them.
As Vale thought his visit to the Exchange Hall would be normal, he felt Yvaine inside his shadow squirming and wanted to get out!
Chapter 199 Exchange Hall
This unusual reaction stunned Vale momentarily since he had never seen Yvaine react like this.
Although some exceptional practitioners could detect her presence, she had never shown any reaction from them at all. She remained unperturbed and would only speak or show any response if Vale was talking to her.
However, in front of this blind woman, the Dark Spirit appears greatly unsettled and nning to escape!
"Oh¡ Your Dark Spirt doesn''t like my presence. Wait, let me fix that..." The blind woman spoke behind the counter as she took out an item in her drawer.
It seems this isn''t the first time this has happened, as she instantly realized why Yvaine was acting like that.
Clink. Clink. Clink¡
"Hmm?" Vale was surprised at the item that she just took out.
It is a silver handcuff with a long chain binding them together. The long binding chains were probably on purpose, so it wasn''t affecting her hand movements.
This item was very unexpected, and Vale couldn''t help but feel confused.
The blind woman smiled as she spoke after wearing them, "I have a strange physique and am naturally emitting a strong aura that disturbs all kinds of spirits. I need these cuffs to restrain that Aura."
"A strong aura? Is it simr to the Holy Aura?" Vale asked.
"You''re right¡ Normally, students would have their Spirits and any of their summons inside a Mystical Item, so they won''t be affected. However, your Dark Spirit is basically out in the open, so it can sense my Aura."
"With that Aura, you''re probably a strong practitioner¡ May I know your name, Madam?" Vale asked.
Since she appears to be a middle-aged woman, Vale can easily guess that she''s not a senior student. If that''s the case, she can be an Academy Official or maybe even a professor teaching in the higher years.
"Just call me Manager Faith."
"Manager Faith¡ May I know if your Aura is really that Holy Aura? Howe you were able to possess it? Furthermore, you''re inside the Dark Arts Academy¡" Vale asked as he approached the woman.
At this time, Yvaine has already calmed down after the Manager wore that handcuff.
Manager Faith showed a gentle smile as she was somewhat expecting such a question.
"It''s a long story, but this Aura is indeed the Holy Aura you''re aware of, and it isn''t something I''m born with."
She refuses to borate on her story, so Vale can only ept it as he goes down to his business. He started mentioning the materials he needed and requested to see what materials he could exchange using his current contribution points.
"So you''re looking for a single bottle of Darkness Possession Potion and a Lightning Pearl. Let me first check our inventory." Manager Faith said, but her eyes remained closed as she opened the book on her desk. Vale couldn''t help butment on it.
"Can you read it, Manager Faith?"
Thetter smiled at the question she would always hear.
"Of course¡ I have another eye." She mysteriously answered as she flipped the pages of the book.
Vale had no clue what the other eye was, but he decided not to probe further as it may seem rude to investigate her.
"Alright, we still have 16 Bottles of Darkness Possession Potion. You can exchange one contribution point for three of these potions. As for the Lightning Pearl, there are only two of them left, and you can use one Contribution Point to trade these two."
"Mhm¡ I only need one Darkness Possession Potion, Manager Faith. It''s the same for the Lightning Pearl."
"You can''t have that. You have to purchase the bundle that we have."
Vale smiled helplessly at this rule. Since he had no other sources of these materials, he can only agree as he spent two Contribution Points to get the three bottles of potion and the two lightning pearls.
They quicklypleted the transaction, and Manager Faith handed over a small booklet to Vale.
It contains the items he could exchange for his Contribution Points.
However, as Vale received the booklet, their fingers touched slightly and to his astonishment, the system notification popped up!
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
His eyes widened as he swiftly retracted his hand. Now that he thinks about it, his upgraded system allows him to extract living beings!
The upgrade hadn''t properly registered in his mind until now, so he was shocked by the sudden notification.
This was such a scary ability!
"Are you alright?" Manager Faith asked after noticing Vale''s expression.
Vale took a deep breath as he calmed himself from the shock. The notification has already disappeared, so it appears that he has to remain in contact with his target to extract their attributes or whatever he can extract from them.
"I''m fine, Manager Faith. Thank you¡ I just recalled that I have something to do. Can I keep this booklet?" Vale asked.
He also noticed that Manager Faith kept about 20 or so of this booklet inside her drawer, so he decided to ask.
"Yes, you can have it. However, that list is already six months old¡" Manager Faith replied.
"Eh? It''s not thetest?" Vale asked in surprise.
"Yes¡ Tell that to the Publishing Committee. They''re only printing copies every six months or so¡ They said the next copy would be provided in the first week of January. In any case, if you want something, just let me know, and I''ll check their avability."
"I see. Thank you for letting me know, Manager."
"Mhmm. Most of the items that are quickly being depleted are those ceremonial materials and potion ingredients. As for the Mystical Items, they won''t be sold so easily, so you can still use that booklet."
Vale nodded at this and thanked the Manager once more before leaving the ce.
He also felt terrible for her wearing the silver handcuff because of Yvaine, so he just quickly left so she could remove it already.
Chapter 200 Compendium
Vale swiftly returned to his room after leaving the Exchange Hall.
He''s the only one using the seventh room of the Seven Pirs Garden after Harith and Zeno decided to use themon dormitory offered by the Academy.
Well, it wasn''t that surprising after what they''d done to Vale. They were already lucky that he had no evidence that the Talisman he borrowed had been tampered with and was meant to target its own caster.
Anyway, Vale had a very peaceful life after the battle against the Slender Zombie, and even Cornelio Moontomb no longer messed with him.
The Headmaster probably did something about it, but he wasn''t sure.
After changing tofortable clothing, Valeid down on his bed to read the List of Tradeable Items. It is the booklet Manager Faith just gave to him.
"Let''s see¡"
Vale flipped the pages as he checked the list of items beginning with 20 contribution points. He wanted to see the best Mystical Item he could trade at this moment.
Soon, he found some mid-grade Noble Rank items that could be traded for 20 to 25 points.
Hungering Goblet ( Mid-Grade Noble Rank ) - 23 Contribution Points: A mystical goblet cursed by demons and blessed by druids. Filling the goblet with liquid poison activate its effect. The poison will turn into a safe stimnt that humans can consume. The transformed liquid must be consumed within 10 minutes, and the effect canst up to 30 minutes. Read the Compendium of Mystical Artifacts: 4th Edition for more details about its use and adverse effects.
Pair of Corrosive Gloves ( Mid-Grade Noble Rank ) ¨C 22 Contribution Points: Gloves that were soaked in Evil Creature''s Blood. It was refined by Arthur, a Tier 2 Dark Alchemist. It can emit corrosive energy to anything it touches. Read the Compendium of Mystical Artifacts: 3rd Edition for more details about its use and adverse effects.
Lesser Spirit Whistle ( Mid-Grade Noble Rank ) ¨C 21 Contribution Points: A whistle made of Golden Acacia Wood and further refined by an unknown Dark Alchemist. It can house up to 10 Ghost Spirits or 3 Phantom Knights. Read the Compendium of Mystical Artifacts: 4th Edition for more details about its use and adverse effects.
Wicked Ring ( Mid-Grade Noble Rank ) ¨C 20 Contribution Points: A ring made of Spirit Stone Dust and Scorch Vine. It can disrupt the Magic Zone''s perception ability. Read the Compendium of Mystical Artifacts: 4th Edition for more details about its use and adverse effects.
Dark Scout''s Scudgel ( Mid-Grade Noble Rank ) ¨C 20 Contribution Points: ¡
Fireweaver Satchel ( Mid-Grade Noble Rank ) ¨C 20 Contribution Points: ¡
Daydream Trinket ( Mid-Grade Noble Rank ) ¨C 20 Contribution Points: ¡
Spiteful Spirit Urn ( Mid-Grade Noble Rank ) ¨C 20 Contribution Points: ¡
Vale found these mystical items interesting¡ It was unfortunate that their negative effects and their maintenance requirements weren''t mentioned in the booklet and he still has to check the Compendium of Mystical Items to learn about it.
Anyway, he can''t reallyin since the space of the booklet wouldn''t be enough if they listed all the information.
It was already promising that they had ced a bit of introduction to each item.
"This Wicked Ring is good¡ It can disrupt the Magic Zone''s perception ability. If it works together with my Ghost Hands, it would be undetected." Vale muttered as he thought of how it would work well with his current abilities.
If the price is rtively lower, he would indeed purchase this ring.
However, he was still hesitant right now since he didn''t feel right spending all his contribution points right now.
Furthermore, he might not need this item after he graduates from the Academy. Perhaps, he should consider just saving it up until he has enough to purchase a Royal Rank mystical item.
Of course, there is also a problem with this decision. After all, doing some Academy-Issued missions would be a lot more difficult if he''s underequipped. At the moment, he only has two movement-type Mystical Artifacts and some low-level Elemental Talismans he got from the conflict in Charvale City.
It was not enough.
Even if he has the three Undead Summoning Scrolls, they can only summon some Skeleton Warriors. However, if he has the Wicked Ring, his current Ghost Hand Spell will be deadlier inbat. If he partnered it with his Spell Dispersion, he would be unstoppable.
''If I''m going out for some mission someday, I should try and get this ring¡'' Vale muttered.
He then spent another half an hour checking the other items.
He checked the Royal Rank items that can be traded for 60 Contribution Points and above, but he can''t really appreciate most of them since they are primarily for Necromancer Branch, Essential Corruption Branch, and Alchemy Branch.
As for the Dark Magic Branch, there is only one Royal Rank item for that.
Glimmer Cane ( Low-Grade Royal Rank ) ¨C 60 Contribution Points: A cane that passively increases Dark Spells'' power by 12-15%. It can also erase the target''s existence for 10 seconds. Read the Compendium of Mystical Artifacts: Royal Edition for more details about its use and adverse effects.
The introduction was so simple, but it shocked Vale a lot.
''Erasing the target''s existence for 10 seconds? How does that even work?''
He wasn''t sure about its description, and perhaps, he wouldn''t know about it until he obtained the item itself.
Anyway, he noted this item in his mind as he would probably trade for this item if ever he had a chance of doing so.
For now, he can only imagine wielding these fantastic items in the near future.
After some time, Vale fell asleep while thinking about the Mystical Items he could trade with his current points. With so many good options that are avable.
As soon as he woke up, he realized he had been asleep for over 12 hours. It appears that the forced immersion at the library took a toll on his body.
''It should be a sign telling me not to visit the Library''s second floor in session.'' Vale mused as he decided to eat before visiting the sixth-year''s dormitory.
Well, it was time to fulfill his business with Felisa.
Chapter 201 Commotion
As soon as Vale entered the sixth year''s dormitory building, several pairs of eyes started looking at him.
Since he''s wearing his uniform, people can easily see his single-star patch on his uniform, telling people that he''s only a first-year student.
Seeing a freshman in the dormitory of sixth-year students isn''tmonly seen. Furthermore, it''s already a vacation for first-year students, so he shouldn''t be here in the first ce.
Some seniors started pointing at him as they made Vale a topic of their conversation.
"Why would a first-year studente here?"
"He looks cute¡ Maybe he wants to spend his vacation with someone?"
"Hey, he''s still too little."
"Someone''s little brother, I guess."
"Hahaha! Can you not recognize him? Look at him closely¡"
One of the students suddenly said as he immediately recognized Vale walking in the hallway. The others were suddenly confused as they looked at Vale once more.
"Huh? Who is he? I still don''t know him."
"Ahh! He''s a fierce first-year student. I remember now."
"Now that you mention. This young man looks like Vale! Is he looking for another victim?"
"Hmph. I heard that his Spirit Strands was stuck at 25 and could no longer increase. Do you think that someone with exhausted potential would have the right to look for another victim?"
"Right¡ He barely won against the Slender Zombie. He probably didn''t improve that much after several months because of his stagnant spirit strand. Don''t expect too much from him."
"But why is he here? Wait---Isn''t that Lady Felisa?!"
Soon, they realized that Vale was approaching Felisa Harrison¡ She''s still wearing her face mask and only showing half of her face. Nevertheless, everyone in the sixth-year batch knows about her.
Even those who weren''t studying at the Dark Alchemy Branch had heard of her name.
She can be considered the top Alchemy Student in the sixth year''s batch and the best supplier of Tier 3 Spirit Enhancement Potion!
Even 10th-year Dark Alchemy Students aren''t capable of producing Spirit Enhancement Potion that has simr efficacy as the one she makes.
It was rumored that she obtained a lost technique to create that potion so no one could replicate her creations¡
"Is he going to ask for her potions?"
"Perhaps, even the one being sold in the exchange hall isn''t as good as the one she makes. However, Lady Felisa wouldn''t just ept anyone''smission."
"That''s true¡ I tried asking her before, but she just rejected me."
"Well, she''s still a student after all. She has many other things to do and she can''t spend her time just making one potion. If she made a potion for one, plenty of others would make a request."
"That''s true¡ However, it''s not like she''s earning a lot from that. It is still a Tier 3 Potion, so the profit wouldn''t be that big as well."
"Ah! Wait¡ªShe''s leaving with Vale!"
Soon, they saw Vale and Felisa walking away together. They were heading back to the main building of the Academy and they were all dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events.
No one expected that Vale would be able to convince her at all!
"Impossible!"
"Is he that charming?!"
"No, it''s simply her preference."
"Tsk, I didn''t know she likes younger guys¡ If I knew, I would already have a few of her Tier 3 Potions."
***
Vale had no idea about themotion he made after visiting the sixth-year students'' dormitory. He was too focused on using his Magic Zone at that time to find Felisa. The moment he did, he ignored his surroundings and headed straight toward her.
Luckily, Felisa was also expecting her, so she dropped what she was doing and apanied Vale. She even removed her face mask to show her pretty face.
"I didn''t expect that your Magic Zone has already exceeded 30 meters¡ Did you deceive your Professors?" Felisa asked as she nced in Vale''s direction.
They were headed to her clubroom and it would only take a few minutes to reach the ce.
"You noticed that?" Vale shook his head at this before he continued.
"The professor was not telling us to show our limit. She''s satisfied if we reach the 5 meters, 10 meters, 15 meters, or whatever distance she expects our age is supposed to reach."
Of course, his limit wasn''t just around 30 meters but it was still impressive how she noticed that he
"Mhmm¡ That makes sense. In any case, its real importance will only be felt in your fourth year."
The two chatted about random topics until they reached the clubroom.
"So you''re a member of the Cooking Club?" Vale muttered as he saw the clubroom''s sign.
Then, he suddenly froze as he realized something.
This is weird¡ Vale was expecting to extract some corpses of ordinary humans! Why would they go to the cooking club?
He looked at thedy beside him, but he noticed that she was simply smiling.
As she opened the clubroom and revealed therge kitchen, she finally spoke. "Don''t worry¡ we aren''t cooking the corpses. What we needed was their Vengeful Spirits trapped in their bodies. As for the corpses, they would be buried or cremated depending on the request of their families."
Vale furrowed his brows after hearing this. It was too weird from his perspective but anyway, this is the Dark Arts Academy and almost anything can happen.
"I didn''t expect that your club has connections outside and can collect corpses. Are you purchasing them?"
"Yes¡ It''s about 10,000 zen per body."
"Is that cheap?" Vale curiously asked.
Felisa didn''t expect such a question. After all, it appears that Vale was nning to purchase corpses too!
After a moment of hesitation, she replied.
"We''re partnered with a few hospitals, so it''s a bit expensive¡ There are other cheap options but we can''t take corpses from them. You can probably tell what''s going to happen if it was revealed that we''re looking for fresh corpses."
Vale nodded at this since various gangs or syndicates would surely take other people''s lives just to exchange them for money.
"Alright, before I give you the corpses you''ve requested, allow me to see your Dark Spirit."
Chapter 202 Flavor
"Here''s my partner¡ He''s a Ghost Spirit and I call him Reaper." Felisa said before Vale could even show his Dark Spirit.
Felisa used her bracelet to summon out the Ghost Spirit. The Ghost was illusory and had a figure of a tough middle-aged man. Its eyes werepletely white and it also held an illusory scythe that fits perfectly for his name.
Vale then noticed that from the Ghost''s knees to its feet, it turned from being illusory into a cloudy state¡ He couldn''t help but think that the Ghost was iplete. It wasn''t like the Dark Spirit withplete bodies.
In his opinion, the Ghost Spirit seems like a better version of his Ghost Hand Spell since it could simply show its other body parts.
He looked at the Ghost for a few more seconds before gently nodding at the Spirit. After confirming that the Ghost Spirit was simply floating around Felisa, Vale also urged Yvaine toe out.
As soon as she came out, Felisa''s eyes widened as she gasped in surprise¡
"Beautiful¡"
Felisamented as she saw Yvaine. Unlike Lotus, Yvaine doesn''t seem to like hiding in his shadow cloak.
Currently, Yvaine is showing her full figure and floating about 2 centimeters off the ground. Although she''s also illusory like the Ghost Spirit, she has more solidness on her figure as she stands there like a female assassin waiting for an order.
Like Vale''s first impression of her, Felisa thought Yvaine looked simr to a dark witch instead.
"Ahem¡ I''m going to use this Magnifying ss to observe her¡ Is that alright?" Felisa asked as she pulled out an antique-looking magnifying ss.
"Will it harm her?" Vale asked.
"No. Actually, you can try and use it first to observe my Ghost Spirit. It''s a lot easier to exin if you tried it." Felisa replied as she gestured to Vale to take the magnifying ss.
Vale hesitated momentarily before he checked the item under his Phantasm State. He then noticed a ck orb of energying from it, and based on what he learned, the ck orb of energy was simr to Dark Magic and could be anything.
Nevertheless, he didn''t find any harmful aura inside the magnifying ss so it must be a low-level Mystical Item.
Without wasting any more time, Vale epted the item and used it to observe the Ghost Spirit.
After a few seconds, he realized that this magnifying ss was actually an appraisal tool!
With this item, he was able to see the amount of energy that was hidden in their bodies. The magnifying ss can also help him locate the contractor of the Spirit he was appraising.
With the help of the magnifying ss, he can see the unique connection between the Ghost Spirit and Felisa through a tiny ck thread that binds them together.
It was a pity that this item is only effective on Spirits or, perhaps, Supernatural Beings.
"Interesting¡ I can tell that the aura I''m seeing is the Ghost''s Spiritual Energy. However, I''m also seeing some fluctuation of red energying from the Ghost. It''s different from the Spiritual Energy... What was that?" Vale asked as he returned the item to Felisa.
Felisa smiled at the question as she replied. "It''s the Ghost''s Magic Zone¡"
Vale''s eyes lit up after hearing this. It makes sense that the Spirit also has its own magic zone. After all, they need to have a specific "magic range" in order to know whether their spells or abilities can reach their target.
"So it was like that¡ In that case, the Ghost Spirit Magic Zone is about three meters." Vale muttered.
"Yes¡ That also means that my Magic Zone is three meters longer..." Felisa replied.
Vale nodded at this answer since he knew that contracted Ghost Spirit could not leave their summoner''s Magic Zone.
However, now that he thinks about it, he never asked his Dark Spirit whether they could leave his Magic Zone. It was a problem he had never thought of, so he didn''t bother asking Lotus or Yvain about it.
''Yvaine¡ Are you capable of leaving my Magic Zone?'' Vale suddenly asked using their unique connection.
''Yes.'' Yvaine replied as if her words were so expensive.
Vale wasn''t too surprised as Yvaine wasn''t really bound to him.
"Can I touch your Ghost Spirit?" Vale suddenly asked.
"Of course¡ Just don''t cast any spells as the Ghost might react."
"Got it." Vale nodded as he approached the Ghost Spirit¡ He then tried touching the Ghost''s body only to feel nothing. It felt like he was touching a cold mist.
"It''s Spirit¡ Unless Reaper is using a Dark Ability or you''re using a Mystical Tool, you won''t be able to touch it with your bare hands."
Vale smiled at this but he didn''t reply. After all, he received a notification from his system the moment his hands upied the space where the Ghost was floating.
[ Spiritual Being has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
This notification had also disappeared after a few seconds since he retracted his hands but Vale was already satisfied.
''So I can also extract Spirits¡ I wonder if they''ll die the moment I extract them.'' Vale mused. He was excited to try his system''s new power but it was not easy since he wasn''t sure whether his extracted Human or Spirit would perish.
He has to be careful about this, or else, he mightmit a crime.
Even if he wasn''t afraid to kill, he at least has to do it secretly, and the target of extraction must deserve to be extracted.
His conscience won''t allow him to extract innocent people or innocent Ghosts.
Soon, Felisa used the Magnifying ss to observe the Dark Spirit in detail. After about five minutes, Felisa was finally satisfied as she allowed Vale to check the corpses in their collection.
The Clubroom has a huge freezer at the back and it was meant to preserve food¡ However, besides the ingredients was a stack of corpses which made Vale vow not to eat the food made by this club.
Although they were using some sort of seal or formation art to ensure that the ''vor'' of the dead won''t go to the food ingredients, he still felt ufortable about it.
Chapter 203 Mission Board
Vale shook his head at this but he remained silent. Anyway, he''s not in a position to find faults in their club. If someone has to reprimand them, it has to be done by their adviser or, perhaps, the Headmaster himself.
"I don''t know how long you will stay here so I''m going to leave now. Just lock the club after you''re finished." Felisa suddenly said after showing him where he could find the corpses.
"I understand¡ Is there anyone visiting this club?"
"There''s none. All the other club members have other tasks. We have plenty of projects this month and the things here will probably be used by next month already."
"I see¡ Thank you, Senior. I''ll be checking the corpses now."
"Alright¡" Felisa waved her hand as she looked at Vale''s shadow once more before leaving.
She was impressed by the Dark Spirit''s ability to hide inside a person''s shadow. It is very unique and convenient. If possible, she wanted to learn this as well. Unfortunately, she only has three avable Spell Lights in her body¡
One of them is reserved for the third Academy-Exclusive spell, the Create: Shadow Soldier Spell, and the other one is reserved for Dark Alchemy-Exclusive Spell, the ck Fire Spell. It means that she only has one avable Spell Slot and she''s hesitant to use it on a movement or escape-type Dark Spell.
''Wait¡ I don''t even know what kind of Dark Spell was that. I should ask Sis Shirley about this.'' Felisa sighed inwardly as she went to meet her sister in the faculty.
In the meantime, Vale dly extracted all the corpses inside the cold storage room.
There were a total of 17 corpses giving him 10 Energy Points and a surprising 0.05 Vitality Points in each of them!
''Is it because of the system upgrade or because of the uniqueness of the corpses here?'' Vale mused after seeing the result.
It must be remembered that previous extraction of ordinary corpses had only provided him 5 Energy Points and 0.01 Vitality Points each.
However, now that he tried it again on normal corpses, the Energy Points had doubled and the Vitality Points had increased by 0.04 points!
In total, he received 170 Energy Points and 0.85 Vitality Points! It wasn''t bad at all!
If possible, he should ept an Academy Mission outside that will allow him to visit the nearby crematorium or perhaps, even work part-time there.
Vale smiled at this thought as he checked his Attribute Panel.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 29.65, Agility 23.82, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 26.29 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv6, Darkness Maniption Lv2 ]
[ Avable Energy: 455 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 4.78 ]
Vale was satisfied with this improvement but he recalled the other function of the system that wasn''t triggered.
It was the extraction of mystical abilities¡
Well, it should be expected since he was only extracting ordinary humans. He can only hope that this effect will be triggered in his next extraction session.
After spending a few more minutes inside, Vale left the clubroom without any problems.
Then, he went to the Academy''s Quest Pavilion in the northern part of the grounds.
The pavilion is detached from the Academy''s main building and already close to the forest at the back of the Academy.
Needless to say, this is the ce where students ept missions to earn contribution points. Vale knows that this ce doesn''t have anything to offer to a first-year student like him, but since he''s not prohibited from visiting the ce, he thought of broadening his knowledge about the missions offered by the Academy.
Furthermore, he wanted to find a way to extract corpses or people safely... And checking this ce might give him some ideas.
"Hmm?" Vale was surprised as soon as he entered the Quest Pavilion.
He thought plenty of students would be searching for a way to obtain a contribution point, but he noticed that only six students were present. Then, there were only three other Academy Officials that could be seen chatting behind the counter.
His entry didn''t garner any attention so Vale just continued observing the huge ce. He can actuallypare this ce to a vast lobby of an expensive hotel.
The ceiling was high and there was a huge chandelier above them. There are couches everywhere where people canfortably sit and chat with each other.
The ce looks cozy andpletely different from what he had expected.
Then, he shifted his attention to the bulletin boards where the six students were currently standing¡
Vale nced at the bulletin board they were standing at and realized it was for 8th-year students. There is also a huge note above the specific board says, ''For those with Create: Shadow Soldier Spell Only.''
Vale wryly smiled as he saw about 15 Mission Requests that were avable on that bulletin board.
"Let''s see¡" Vale muttered as he looked at the other bulletin boards.
He was trying to find the board that had the least requirement.
"Seventh-Year¡ Sixth-Year¡ Fourth-Year¡ Third-Year. Here it is." Vale softly said as he realized that the lowest requirement was actually being a Third-Year student. It wasn''t so surprising, so he just shrugged it off and checked its posted missions.
The missions that are ced here cannot be epted by Fourth-Year students and higher, so Vale felt that the Academy is really being fair to their students.
"So it''s like this..." Vale muttered as he read the mission.
Foraging Missions: Collect 25 fresh Wolfbane Cordyceps for 1 CP. Collect 11 des of Newmoon Shuttle Grass for 1 CP. Collect 1 Pride Pomegranate for 5 CP¡
Dynamic Missions: Searching for Training Partner with Intermediate Realm Darkness Maniption Spell for 2 to 4 CP. Create a team of three to help Ashwell Vige resolve the Paranormal Activities for 3 CP each. Be a Vessel for a Vengeful Spirit for 2 CP¡
Vale wryly smiled after seeing the missions posted here. He didn''t have to read theplete details of the mission to know that each of them was difficult to aplish. This is especially for the one requesting to be a vessel.
There were about 15 Foraging Missions, while only 6 Dynamic Missions can be seen posted. It shouldn''t be surprising since Dynamic Missions were mostly requested in the higher years'' bulletin boards.
"Ahh¡ It says For Third-Year Students or Lower." Vale''s eyes lit up after noticing one of the missions had noted this in the mission description.
Searching for Potion Tester for 1 CP: I need a student with a decent physique to test out my Energy Burst Potion and other simr potions. I will ept Third-Year students or lower. I''ll give 1 Contribution Point for every 3 Potions you drink. ept this mission at your own risk.
Chapter 204 Request
Vale took note of the Request Number before he went to the officials at the counter.
When they saw him walking, they all gently smiled at him.
"Are you a first-year student? There''s only one mission you can ept on the bulletin board. Are you thinking of taking it?"
The one who spoke was a middle-aged woman who had curly blonde hair. She noticed Vale''s patch on his uniform so it''s easy to tell that he''s only a first-year student.
"I''m thinking of epting it. However, is there any other information that I missed?" Vale replied as he reached the counter.
"Well, that mission is difficult. It says that you have to drink three potions to earn the Contribution Points. However, just drinking one potion would require you to recuperate for at least a month or two. If you''re looking for a quick Contribution Point, you have to forget about it. You''d probably need at least three months before you get that 1 Contribution Point. Nevertheless, it is still a rtively safe missionpared to going out."
The woman kindly exined as she noticed that Vale didn''t know much about the missions being offered here.
As Vale realized that she was amodating, he decided to ask some other questions.
"Thank you for letting me know. I''ll think about it first. Right, is there any way I can safely get in contact with Evil Creatures or Arcane Art Practitioners that are¡ criminals?"
"Hmm?"
Vale''s sudden question surprised thedy. She wasn''t sure why Vale was asking this but she still took a moment to think of an answer.
"Evil Creatures are difficult to find. Most of them are in hiding in their nest and even if one of them were detected, the nearby Arcane Academies will quickly purge or capture them. Of course, if you visit the Blue Fog Town, you''ll find plenty of them." The middle-aged woman said, followed by a chuckle.
Herpanions alsoughed after they heard her mention the Town. This response piqued Vale''s interest as he continued to ask.
"It''s my first time hearing about the town. Can you tell me more about them?"
These people aren''t busy so he might as well chat with them to keep them upied.
"You haven''t heard of the Blue Fog Town?" A middle-aged man wearing a cream-coloured coat asked in surprise.
"Hey, he''s only a first-year student and probably never left his house before entering the Academy. It''s normal that he''s unaware of it. Myrna, share with this kid what you know about the Blue Fog Town" The other guy said as he looked at Vale with a gentle smile.
Myrna is the name of the middle-aged woman who greeted Vale. She also seemed surprised that Vale wasn''t aware of the Town but she didn''tment about it.
Soon, Vale learned that the Blue Fog Town they were talking about was an infamous stronghold of Evil Creatures and unwanted beings located at the northern border of the kingdom. It was said that the Town was moving around the Fluke Forest and Opulence Gorge and even the Practitioners of the Twelve Arcane Paths couldn''t exactly locate it¡
It was said that when people are trying to find it, the Town would vanish or leave to a different ce. However, once there are unsuspecting people around, the Town will immediately be within their sight reach and would lead to your doom.
"Is this real? Or are those just rumors to scare some kids from exploring the forest alone?" Vale asked as he couldn''t help but doubt what he had just heard from them.
"It''s real¡ However, you don''t have to think about it since even 2nd-ss Spellcaster would go there. You can consider visiting that ce in the next decade or so."
Vale wryly smiled at this since he was indeed a bit too weak right now to consider checking out that Town.
"Right, you''re also searching for criminal practitioners¡ You might want to ask Professor Lucius Angrt for that. I''m sure he can help you."
"Professor Lucius?" Vale repeated. He had never considered asking the Professor for his request.
"That''s right. Although he isn''t a direct member, he is still an agent working for the Order of the Evanescent Vessel. He should have a way to fulfill your request."
"I see. Thank you for letting me know, Ma''am and Sirs."
"It''s fine¡ Are you not going to ept the Potion Tester Mission?" Myrna asked.
Vale shook his head at this and replied. "No¡ Perhaps if the reward was a bit higher than that, I''d ept it."
"Good decision!"
After their brief conversation, Vale finally left the Quest Pavilion.
He didn''t know that as soon as he got outside, these three immediately contacted the Professor who posted this mission for 1 Contribution Point.
***
"Hmmm? Someone wanted to ept it but the reward is too low?" An old woman in a wheelchair spoke with a weak voice.
She already has white hair and a weak body but she''s still in front of her workbench working on her potion ingredients.
"Yes, Master Sherah¡ It was reported by Senior Myrna and herpanions." Another female voice answered and if Vale was here, he would surely recognize her. She''s Maya Featherstar and the current Top 1 student of the first-year batch.
"Hmph¡ They''ll drink three or six of my potions for free and they''re still looking for more reward? Isn''t it an honor to drink my potions? They won''t even die from those potions since they have a lesser effect on those who consumed the Darkness Possession¡" Professor Sherahined after hearing Maya''s words.
Thetter can only helplessly smile and listen to her Master until she is done.
After criticizing the unknown student for almost 10 minutes, Professor Sherah finally stopped and turned to Maya.
"Tell Myrna that the rewards will be 2 Contribution Points for every three potions they drink. However, They have to be able to drink six potions in one month."
Maya raised her brows after hearing this absurd request. There was no way someone would ept this mission.
Once the third-year students learned that they would be drinking Professor Sherah''s potion, they would definitely decline this request, no matter how great they were.
Nevertheless, Maya can only nod and follow her Master''s request.
"I''ll let them know, Master Sherah. I hope someone will ept it as soon as possible."
Chapter 205 The Order
Vale had no idea what had happened after he left the Quest Pavilion¡
He didn''t waste any of his time as he swiftly went to the Faculty Room to look for the Professor.
Currently, he had a few ns in his mind in order to extract people, spirits, or any extractable targets. His first n is to look for Professor Lucius since he might help him get in contact with the criminals.
After all, he''s afraid to extract just anyone since he might kill them if he does that. Or even if he did not kill them, they''ll probably notice that he took something out of them and he would be in trouble.
There was no way he''ll reveal the power of his extraction.
The other n was to look for Headmaster Jean.
With the Headmaster''s help, he can use hisst favor to extract people or he can also request to allow him to be outside the Academy. Once he''s outside, he''ll think of another way to use his extraction system.
His final n was to ask for some help from his senior students. Those in the Battle Arena Committee would surely grant his request. He would ask them to summon Spirits or maybe Zombies and allow him to extract them and he would disguise it as a strange experiment.
After all, since he can extract Spiritual Beings, he believes that he can also extract Undead Creatures.
With a n in his mind, he soon found Professor Lucius and was just going out of the faculty¡
He doesn''t seem to be in a good mood but Vale still went to approach him.
"Professor, may I ask for your help?" Vale directly said. He doesn''t want to waste both of their time.
Professor Lucius looked at Vale with a hint of surprise. After all, Vale would barely participate in ss and would just usually listen and take notes silently.
He didn''t dislike this behavior but he just felt that it was unusual to be approached by this young man.
"How can I help you?" Professor Lucius replied as he stopped walking in the hallway.
Vale immediately exined what he wanted. Of course, also asked the Professor what he wanted in exchange for this favor since he knows that he wouldn''t tire himself without any form of reward.
"Hm? You want to get in contact with criminals or even evil creatures?"
"Yes, Professor¡"
"Are you nning to use a dangerous dark spell?"
At this point, Vale can''t lie since his extraction might have some effect.
"Yes, Professor. It''s rted to a secret spell that my Master taught me."
As soon as he heard, Professor Lucius nodded in understanding.
"I remember now¡ Your Master was Heinz Becker. Headmaster Jean mentioned it to me once¡ I guess that spell is rted to his life-long research."
"Yes, Professor."
"If that''s the case, this is for the advancement of the Dark Arts Faction''s new branch. I''ll help you with everything I can. However, I will be using my connections with the Order of the Evanescent Vessel so I would have to pay a price¡ I won''t be asking for money but instead, I want you to learn the Light Absorption Spell within a month." As Professor Lucious said this, he looked at Vale with a mysterious smile on his face.
"Ah?" Vale was surprised at the Professor''sst words.
"You want me to learn the Light Absorption Spell?" Vale repeated. He was confused since even if he didn''t ask, he would still record this spell.
As a matter of fact, he had already discovered the trick to record this spell and was simply waiting for the right time to do it.
"Yes¡ In February, I will be showing you our new Evil Creature imprisoned at the Serenity Hall. At that time, I need you to have Light Absorption Spell."
"I''m confused, Professor. Am I going to fight another Evil Creature?"
"That''s right. I heard that your Spirit Strand has remained stagnant over the past few months. I believe that if you engage in a battle, your potential will be triggered and your Spirit Strand might start being active once again."
Professor Lucius'' answer warmed Vale''s heart. In the end, the Professor was actually thinking of his current condition.
He didn''t expect that this cold and stoic Professor was actually monitoring his progress and thinking of a way to improve his Spirit Strands!
"Thank you, Professor¡ I will work on it." Vale replied with a grateful smile.
Professor Lucius was satisfied with this reply as he swiftly contacted his connection to grant Vale''s request.
Soon, Vale found himself outside the Academy¡
They weren''t heading toward the dockyard to ride an airship but headed to the hill behind it.
Vale suddenly recalled Sir Isaac Vermont''s hidden research building in the opposite direction.
"Professor, are we going to a hidden facility?" He asked.
"You can say so¡ A Formation Art was hiding that ce so you can''t see it right now. However, they should be seeing us heading towards their ce." Professor Lucius replied.
"I see¡" Vale nodded as he confirmed his previous guess. There were indeed many facilities surrounding the Academy and they were just hidden by Arcane Arts!
Soon, Vale and Professor Lucius arrived at the huge wooden house on top of a hill and no one greeted them aside from a few Tier 2 Variants standing in various corners.
This house was invisible when they were still at the bottom of the hill and had only be visible after reaching its 30-meter range.
As soon as they entered the house, a gentle voiceing from a gorgeousdy was heard.
"Who''s that freshman you brought? Is that your son?"
She was wearing a familiar ck uniform so Vale could guess that she was a member of the Order. As for the rapier on her side, Vale wasn''t sure if that was a required weapon for the Order or it was simply her preference.
Of course, this rapier-wielding woman was Ashe and she was the Vice Captain of the Order''s Sixth Squad.
She was the same woman the Headmaster tasked to investigate the Secret Organization that attacked their Academy for a mysterious pocketwatch.
"He''s not my son, Vice Captain Ashe¡ However, I''m looking forward to his development. Who knows, he might be a member of the Order in a few years¡ you''ll have to take care of him at that time."
Chapter 206 Duel
Vale wasn''t sure what he had gotten himself into but he remained silent. He can tell that the woman in front of them isn''t simple.
Although she looks delicate with her slim figure, Vale knows that all the Order of the Evanescent Vessel members is strong. They are basically the Elite Forces of the Dark Arts Faction!
He decided to just listen to their conversation and assess the situation.
''Sixth Squad? I wonder how many squads are there.'' Vale mused as he was curious to know how big this Order was.
"Ha! Do you think just any random kid can enter the Order?" Ashe looked at Professor Lucius with a hint of mockery before shifting her gaze to Vale.
This was the first time she put her attention to the young student and suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise.
Professor Lucius smirked at this but he didn''tment.
"Kid, do you want to have a duel with me?" Vice Captain Ashe suddenly asked which stunned Professor Lucius. He knows that she''ll be surprised by Vale''s Dark Spirit but he didn''t expect her to request a duel. Before he could even speak up, Vale had already replied.
"No thanks! I mean--I don''t want it, Vice Captain Ashe. I want to treasure my life." Vale almost instantly answered. He has so many problems in his past duels and right now, he wants to avoid any of them.
"Don''t reject me so quickly¡ You don''t have to win anyway. You just have to do your best. I''ll only use two spells and this sword. On the other hand, you can use whatever you have in your arsenal¡ If you make me satisfied with our duel, I''ll give you an item that can be used by your Dark Spirit. How is it?" Vice Captain Ashe didn''t give up after being rejected.
She even stood up and held her rapier as if she was ready to have a match with him.
Vale wanted to quickly reject her but herst words piqued his interest.
"An item that can be used by a Dark Spirit? Don''t they hate mystical items?" Vale curiously asked as he can still recall his conversation with Lotus about it.
Ashe tilted her head and asked. "What? It''s not like they hate them¡ They''re just having trouble with some of the Mystical Items, especially the ones created by Dark Alchemists. The one I have is something I obtained in my recent exorcism mission and I''m not using it anyway."
"Can I first see it and make sure that my Dark Spirit can use this item?"
"Of course¡ However, you have to make sure that I''ll be satisfied with our duel ''cause you may not have a chance of getting it." Vice Captain Ashe replied as she searched her small bag.
Vale had seen this bag before and as a matter of fact, most Academy Professors are using this bag. It should be a low-grade Noble Rank item that allows them to store plenty of items inside and it could even preserve food. It wasn''t too expensive but there weren''t many of them produced as well.
As Vale considered getting one of these bags, thedy took out an obsidian ring.
It doesn''t have any form of aura around it and seems ordinary in other people''s eyes.
Vale didn''t immediately take it as he asked Yvaine using their unique connection.
"Can you take it, Yvaine?"
Yvaine also went out of the shadow as soon as the ring appeared. She then replied to Vale with a confused tone.
"It''s odd¡ I''m feeling attracted to it. This had never happened to me before, so I''m unsure if it''s safe for me."
"It has some sort of attraction to spirits?" Vale repeated as he stared at the ring.
Meanwhile, Ashe was immediately mesmerized as soon as she saw the Dark Spiriting out of Vale''s shadow.
"Beautiful¡ What a mysterious Dark Spirit¡ Even Lesley couldn''t contract a Dark Spirit."
Vale didn''t respond to her as he shifted his attention to Professor Lucius. The Professor was also looking at the Spirit when he noticed Vale''s questioning look.
He immediately understood what Vale wanted as he gently nodded.
"The ring is safe. You can take it."
It was only at this time that Vale epted the ring.
The obsidian ring was cold to the touch. No ancient characters were engraved on it, and it is entirely in. There were even some scratches on it, making itpletely simple and less valuable in other people''s eyes.
"What do you call this ring? What does it do to Dark Spirits?" Vale asked.
"You Dark Spirit is probably disconnected from the Spirit World, making her incapable of replenishing her energy in a short amount of time. This ring should help the Dark Spirit gather Spiritual Energy about two times faster."
"Alright! Deal¡" Vale said without any hesitation as he returned the ring to the Vice Captain. He didn''t even ask Yvaine if she wanted it or not.
Well, the reason is simple, thisdy here would be the first living person to experience his Divine Extraction! Whether he gets the ring or not doesn''t matter to him.
Since she''s strong, he doesn''t need to hold back at all!
"Hahaha¡ Your eyes suddenly changed. I like that¡" Vice Captain Ashe chuckled after seeing Vale being determined.
This is what she wanted all along.
"This¡" Professor Lucius wanted to stop Vale from this recklessness since Ashe might identally hurt him. Although Ashe is a fellow Dark Arts Practitioner, it doesn''t mean that she would be kind to her opponents.
"Don''t worry¡ I''m not going to kill your student. I just want to experience the fighting strength of a genuine Dark Spirit, not some weak Banshee or Vengeful Spirits I''ve been dealing with over the past few weeks." Ashe immediately said after realizing what Lucius was thinking about.
In the end, Lucius can only offer his assistance as a referee in their match.
Soon, Vale found himself at the training hall in the basement of the secret building.
He was about 10 meters away from Ashe while Lucius was in their middle.
"Get ready!" Lucius announced as he looked at the two once more.
Seeing that they''re ready to fight, Lucius jumped back and announced the start of the duel.
Chapter 207 Ashe
Ashe didn''t move even after hearing Lucius'' signal to start the battle.
In her opinion, Vale still needs a decade or two before he can be a threat to her. Right now, she''s only looking at a practitioner who didn''t even have a year of properbat experience.
''Let''s see what that Dark Spirit can do¡'' Ashe muttered to herself as Phantasm State remained fully active and focused on the Dark Spirit''s movement.
Vale may not be a threat but the Dark Spirit may bring her some surprise.
Suddenly, three blurry figures were summoned by Vale and they targeted her in three different directions¡
Whoosh~
To her surprise, they were actually three Undead Hands¡ªNo, they were Ghost Hands but they weren''t illusory at all!
"Advanced Realm?!"
Ashe was shocked. Even her Ghost Hands weren''t in the Advanced Realm yet! She only has 2 Advanced Realm Dark Spells and Ghost Hand wasn''t one of them.
In the first ce, who would spend so much time in such a basic Dark Spell to the point of progressing it to the Advanced Realm?!
Ashe still didn''t move as she allowed the three Ghost Hands to approach her¡
''Create: Shadow Soldier¡''
The moment the Ghost Hands were about to grab her, a figure made of darkness appeared in front of her¡
Bam!
The Ghost Hand attacking her in front mmed on the Shadow Soldier''s body while the other two were caught by its hands!
With a single spell, Ashe was able to suppress the three Advanced Realm Ghost Hands!
Vale''s eyes lit up after seeing this. Although he had seen Professor Morton demonstrate the Create Shadow Soldier spell in their ss, seeing it being summoned by another Practitioner was still an eye-opener for him.
The one that Professor Morton summoned was like a childpared to the one summoned by Ashe!
As expected of the Order''s Squad Vice Captain, she seems to have more talent than their professor.
Anyway, he didn''t stop controlling his Ghost Hands even after being captured¡
He soon showed the real power of an Advanced Realm Spell!
Boom!
The hands grabbing the two Ghost Hands exploded!
Vale didn''t detonate the Ghost Hands but he controlled them to change their size! The Ghost Hands became bigger and the Shadow Soldier failed to restrain them!
Soon, threerge Ghost Hands struck Ashe in session!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The strikes were strong but weren''t enough to bring down the Spellcaster.
"Hmm?" Vale frowned at the sess of his Ghost Hands'' attack. Ashe should have some time to react but she just watched the Ghost Hands strike her.
Then, as he controlled his Ghost Hands to restrain her, Ashe suddenly made a move as she used her unsheathed rapier to strike the Ghost Hands!
In a single swing of her rapier, the three Ghost Hands were shattered at the same time!
It was such an effortless move so Vale was even more confused why she allowed herself to be struck by his Dark Spell.
Ashe then shifted her attention to Vale and said with a smile.
"That''s incredible. It''s not every day I see Advanced Realm Ghost Hands, so I want to see how strong they are. That was a good one."
She praised with a genuine smile on her face.
Nevertheless, Vale simply smirked at this as Yvaine finally made her move!
Yvaine is now wearing her Shadow Cloak as she arrives behind Ashe¡ At the same time, Vale also triggered his two Mystical Artifacts, the Nymph Scale and the Murloc''s Gem at the same time!
Activating both of them could cause strain on his muscles if it was prolonged so he didn''t waste his time and charged toward his opponent.
Yvaine used a technique that could bring nightmares to anyone who saw her eyes. However, Ashe seemed to be aware of this as she actually closed her eyes the moment Yvaine got closer.
Nevertheless, Ashe was still capable of fighting¡ The Shadow Soldier she summoned has already recovered and regained its limbs.
She used the Intermediate Realm Shadow Soldier to try and deal with Dark Spirit.
For some reason, Ashe seemed to be having fun and wasn''t using her deadly spells. The moment she noticed Vale charging in, she instead cast the Light Absorption Spell and Darkness Maniption Spell!
She can actually cast three Dark Spells at the same time!
The Light Absorption Spell blinded Vale for a brief moment as he missed his target.
Furthermore, with her Darkness Maniption Spell, she was able to gather enough Dark Energy to protect herself and to strength her Shadow Soldier!
Lastly, with the Light Absorption Spell active around her, the Shadow Soldier''s speed and power had also increased!
This is one of the passive skills of the spell, making the three Academy-Exclusive Spells very harmonious.
Of course, Vale didn''t panic as his Spell Dispersion Spell activated at the right time. However, he activated it in a range in which Ashe wouldn''t be covered by the Spell Dispersion¡
She can only guess what had happened on how he became unaffected by her Light Absorption Spell.
Then, with a flick of his fingers, he used two of his Elemental Talismans!
One of the talismans has an Ice Shard, while the other has a Wind Arrow!
They were the talismans he obtained from the Elementalists of the Rakmiths Academy.
This unexpected form of attack surprised Ashe, but that was it¡ With a swing of her rapier, the two low-tier Elemental Spells were shattered as well.
At this time, Vale finally noticed that the rapier she was using was being covered by a strong Dark Energy the moment it shed with the spells.
"Now!"
Vale shouted as he saw the spells being shattered. Thismand was meant for Yvaine who was ying around with the Shadow Soldier¡
Ashe was shocked as she felt a very threatening energy fluctuation behind her¡
She realized that the Dark Spirit had formed a dozen dark tentacles aiming to devour her! She even noticed that her Shadow Soldier was utterly immobile!
She was about to trigger one of her spells to escape since she was afraid that she''d be forced to kill the Dark Spirit with her rapier when suddenly, a slightly warm hand grabbed her forearm.
Then, her Spell Activation was canceled and before she could even react, she felt a strong suction force draining something out of her!
Chapter 208 Reward
Ashe felt a danger that she had only felt from Cleo, the Captain of the Sixth Squad¡
''Soul Drain? Vitality Suction? Death Channeling?'' Ashe was confused as she tried to understand the Dark Spell being used against her.
Once she knows the specific Spell, she will have a better chance of escaping from the Spell¡ Unfortunately, she was running out of time.
She didn''t expect that such a draining spell could work so quickly! She had never heard of this kind of Spell!
As she thought of just bursting with power to escape from Vale''s clutches, it was already toote as she saw the darkness creeping up on her.
''I lost¡''
Thud!
Ashe dropped to the ground, and Professor Lucius wasn''t even able to react until Vale stepped forward to check Ashe''s condition.
"She''s breathing¡ Good. Good¡" Vale was relieved as he sat on the ground near her.
At this time, Professor Lucius finally approached the two as he also checked the Vice Captain''s condition. It was a good thing that Ashe was still breathing and seemed to have just passed out.
He has so many questions he wants to ask Vale, but he knows it''s not the right time for that and it can also be inappropriate.
At this time, he only had a few things he needed to know.
"Is she cursed? Will there be a problem with her physical condition? I need to know what kind of ability you used, so I can tell the physician what happened. You don''t have to tell me what kind of Spell you used, but I need to know if there could be hidden injuries caused by that Spell."
Professor Lucius said as he looked at Vale.
Luckily, Vale had already thought of an answer to it.
"First of all, she mentioned a while ago that I have to use everything in my arsenal during the duel¡ I just did that, so I hope that I won''t be med if she was heavily injured."
Professor Lucius seemed to have understood Vale''s concern, so he immediately replied. "Of course, I''m a witness of this duel and I''m sure that Ashe will ept her defeat. I just have to warn you not to spread this information, as the prestige of the Order will be tarnished. You don''t want that to happen because the food you''ll eat tomorrow might be poisoned."
"Ahem¡ Of course, Professor Lucius. I won''t let this matter spread. I treasure my life." Vale replied. Being targeted by the Order of the Evanescent Vessels was out of his consideration when he epted the duel.
He was too focused on getting that obsidian ring and getting to try his new Extraction powers.
After he saw Professor Lucius gently nod, Vale continued. "As for the adverse effects of what I did to her, it seems that some of her life force was expended because of that¡"
Professor Lucius noticed that Vale was looking at something he wasn''t seeing and it was quite odd. Nevertheless, he didn''t point it out as he might just be being too sensitive.
"Alright¡ I''ll bring her to the infirmary first and wait for me here. You still want to see the criminals, right?"
"Yes, Professor¡" Vale answered.
Lucius then carried Ashe in his arms like a princess and Vale couldn''t help but think that his Professor was being stingy. He could''ve summoned a Shadow Soldier to carry her, but he decided not to.
Anyway, Vale kept his mouth shut as he saw them off.
As soon as they left, Vale finally focused his attention on the notifications he had.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +20 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Vitality +1.05 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Spell Light +1 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Complete Spirit Vision Spell Model ]
[ Extraction failed. ]
[ Extraction failed. ]
After seeing the format of extractions he made, Vale realized that his Extraction seemed to depend on how long he was holding his target¡
From the eight seconds or so that was holding the Vice Captain, he extracted a total of eight mystical properties.
Furthermore, the Extraction gets better and better!
The only problem was that the longer he extracted, the more difficult it could be. The Extraction seems to fail if he tries taking somethingpelling.
Vale then noticed that he could actually reject the extractions he made¡
Of course, he ignored this option and just epted all of them.
Soon, the Energy, Vitality, Spell Light, and Dark Spell were absorbed into his body.
He then checked his attribute panel to confirm the changes.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 29.65, Agility 23.82, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 27.34 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv6, Darkness Maniption Lv2, Spirit Vision Lv0 ]
[ Avable Energy: 475 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 4.78 ]
Vale smiled at these changes. For some reason, he didn''t feel too bad about the Extraction he did to the Vice Captain.
First of all, she''s the one who offered the fight, and he was told not to hold back. He even thought that Yvaine might die as well, and perhaps, the Messenger would already p him if another Dark Spirit died in his hands again.
In addition to that, he didn''t want to lose in such a battle. He may not seem like it, but once he made a decision, he''s the type of person who''d do everything in his capability to win a fight... Well, he''d only consider epting his defeat if he''s really the weaker side, or losing means more benefits to him.
"Right¡ I''m only here to touch the criminals and not to fight¡ You''ve forced me." Vale muttered to himself as he erased any trace of guilt he was feeling.
"Are you injured?" Vale asked Yvaine after seeing her turning illusory.
"A little¡ That woman has an Artifact that can repel various Spirits." She answered.
"I see. If possible, I''ll let you absorb the energy of some people that we''ll meetter."
Yvaine didn''t reply to this as she simply returned to Vale''s shadow.
Soon, Professor Lucius returned to the training hall. He also brought the prize Vale had won, the obsidian ring that Ashe had shown before.
Chapter 209 More Extraction
Professor Lucius gave the Mystical Ring to Vale with aplicated smile on his face.
"You deserve this. No one knows the name of this ring, so Ashe simply calls it the in Obsidian Ring."
Well, there are already Mystical Artifacts that are called Spirit Rings, Dark Rings, or even Elemental Obsidian Rings, so Vale couldn''t me her for choosing that name.
"in Obsidian Ring isn''t too bad¡" Vale replied as he gestured to Yvaine to take the ring.
Yvaine obliged as Vale saw her hands sticking out of his shadow.
Vale then watches her take the ring together with her into his shadow. It was a marvelous sight since this was the first time the Dark Spirit could put something in his shadow aside from themselves.
Professor Lucius also marveled at the sight since he didn''t have a Dark Spirit¡
His knowledge about them had also broadened, thanks to Vale.
After this, the Professor guided Vale to the upper floor of the building where the criminals were kept.
To his surprise, the criminals were actually not treated so poorly!
They were living in such an expansive room with a living space and bunker beds that could amodate about a dozen more prisoners. Although no walls were dividing their restroom, bedroom, and dining area, it still looked much better than he expected.
Furthermore, there were only six of them using the ''prison'' so the ce looks like a vacation house!
"This¡"
Vale actually expected a cold and damp underground dungeon with poor air venttion.
He thought that there would be a row of prison cells where he''ll hear and see people begging to get out.
Well, he probably got influenced by the books and movies he read in his previous life.
He then shifted his attention to the people inside. There were six prisoners, all bound by a handcuff that was thicker and stronger than the one used by Manager Faith.
A couple of guards were outside this room, but Vale also noticed ten Tier 2 Variants inside the room monitoring these criminals 24 hours a day.
"Are they Arcane Arts Practitioners of different path?" Vale asked curiously.
"Yes¡ All of them are from the Holy Arts Faction."
"Holy Arts Faction?" Vale repeated in shock as he looked at the six people once more. These people are ying board games to pass their time. These prisoners don''t seem bothered by their situation and they even ignore the two people who have just arrived.
"What are their crimes? Why are they kept here?"
"They attacked some students of the Academy outside. They were then captured by the members of the Order to be used as our supplier of Holy Water and various Holy-Attributed items." Lucius briefly exined, but this just made Vale confused.
"Hmm?" Vale tilted his head as he failed to understand why a Dark Arts Faction needed Holy Water and other Holy-Attributed materials.
Professor Lucius noticed his confusion and exined with a smile.
"People aren''t usually allowed here, especially for a first-year student like yourself. However, since you have a special rtionship with Alchemist Heinz and are also favored by the Headmaster, I think that it should be fine to let you know about these matters. Actually¡ª"
"Ahem¡ Professor, I think that it''s fine if I don''t know about the real reason they were imprisoned here. I believe that the lesser I know, the lesser chance I''ll have of getting into aplicated situation. I honestly just want to try something on these people. I didn''t expect that these prisoners were important to the Academy." Vale interrupted as he believed that knowing more would just cause him some trouble in the future.
Lucius helplessly at these words since he could understand Vale''s concern about them.
"Are you nning to use the same spell you used against Ashe?" Lucius asked.
"Yes, Professor." Vale answered without hesitation. At this point, he can only me Master Heinz for all the suspicious spells he''ll use from now on.
He''d just tell these people that this is just a part of being an experimental subject of the great Alchemist. In any case, he''s not nning to stay here forever¡ Once he retrieves the shadow taken from him by the Headmaster, he''ll just disappear right away.
"Very well, I''ll permit you to do that as long as you don''t kill them. In any case, these people can be reced. There are plenty of Holy Arts Practitioners who had been causing trouble to our students who were doing missions outside the Academy."
"Thank you, Professor!" Vale replied with a grateful smile as he couldn''t believe he quickly got a chance to extract Holy Arts Practitioners!
"Alright. I just have to add a condition¡ and that is for us to watch what you''re about to do."
As Professor Lucius said this, three people suddenly appeared behind them.
Vale hadn''t noticed them until they showed themselves! They were all wearing the same uniform as Ashe, so Vale could guess they were members of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels.
Based on their bearing, one of them might even have a higher position than Ashe! He was probably the Captain of the Sixth Squad!
At this point, even the calm and collected prisoners had a trace of panic in their eyes. They may have ignored Lucius and Vale, but the three people behind them brought dread to their very being.
The man Vale suspected to be a Squad Captain showed a dry smile and said. "Don''t mind us, kid. We just want to observe your skill. We''re not here to cause you some trouble¡ Whether you had that skill after obtaining your Dark Spirit or after you got experimented on by that delusional Alchemist, it doesn''t matter to us."
Gulp¡
Vale couldn''t really decline their request so he could only nod nervously... In any case, he has a foolproof reason for being a unique practitioner, thanks to Master Heinz. He just has to own it and y the part well.
Soon, the six prisoners were lined up, and Vale extracted them one by one!
He was even so careful about it and only extracted them in less than ten seconds. He was afraid that he''d extract too much to the point that they''ll be useless to the Order.
Chapter 210 Unexpected Problem
While Vale was busy with his Extraction, the members of the Order were silentlymunicating as two of them actually wanted some vengeance¡
However, Cleo, the Captain of the Sixth Squad, stopped his two members and decided to approach Vale in a calm manner.
He wanted to see how Vale defeated his Vice Captain, so he could only allow him to fulfill his reason foring here.
Soon, the other two realized that their Captain was right!
This young man in front of them was strange, and it was good they didn''t act impulsively.
"What do you think? The man just passed out after Vale touched him¡ There was some sort of energy fluctuation from the prisoner but I didn''t feel anything from that kid." Cleo said to the other two.
"Hmph¡ Isn''t it just some sort of Contact Curse? Perhaps it''s something simr to Soul Drain. It''s not a rare Dark Spell. It doesn''t seem threatening too. He has to touch them for a long time to be sessful. If it was me, he''s already cut up dozen times before he even touched me." Caleb, one of the members of the sixth squad, was not convinced as he felt disdained about Vale''s achievement of defeating their Vice Captain.
Although Vale''s technique can''t be detected by normal means, he wasn''t impressed at all.
Right now, he can tell that Vale was really just lucky to defeat their Vice Captain.
"Mhmm¡ Indeed. If the Vice Captain took him seriously, he''d really be dead. He won''t even have a chance to approach her. Vice Captain only lost because she underestimated this first year and she allowed him to get closer. Well, I can''t really me her since he''s only a freshman. Some first-year student at this point hasn''t even learned the Darkness Maniption Spell." The other female member, Damara, agreed with herpanion.
"Don''t be so sure. Let''s see how the other five will respond." Cleo softly replied as he knew that the prisoners might not be capable of connecting to their Spell Lights to cast their Spell, but they could still use a little bit of their energy to resist physical attacks or at least strengthen their internal organs or their bodies.
However, even after seeing what happened to their friends, they still dropped one by one and couldn''t resist Vale''s mysterious attack.
As soon as they saw Vale standing on his spot unmoving, Cleo realized that the man was probably exhausted.
"If it''s a Soul Drain, it''s already impressive that he could use it seven times a day..." Cleomented as he also knows some people with this Tier 2 Spell.
"Wait¡ªSoul Drain is a Tier 2 Spell¡ He''s only a first-year. Ahhh--It must be Alchemist Heinz''s original Spell Model and was derived from that Tier 2 Spell¡ He''s surely lucky to have such a Master." Lucius was initially surprised after realizing that Soul Drain is a Tier 2 Spell but he quickly recalled Heinz Becker''s face. That ambitious old man has plenty of things in his mind and this must be one of his finest creations.
The others also heard Heinz''s name and immediately went silent as they carefully thought of Vale''s potential.
All of them know Alchemist Heinz since he''s one of the best potion suppliers in the Academy. It was a pity that he had already resigned from his post but it seems that he also left an outstanding disciple to stay in the Academy.
Caleb, who was initially nning to say something, can only swallow his words as he also respects the old Alchemist.
However, as he looks at Vale, he suddenly recalled something as his eyes lit up and spoke with a mocking tone.
"Hey, aren''t you the first-year who killed the elite heir of the Moontomb n? Haha¡ What a coincidence¡ Did you know that Wilfred wasn''t really dead? His soul has already found a new body and maybe in three or five years, he''lle back to exact vengeance." Caleb said as he tried to scare Vale.
Unfortunately for him, Vale wasn''t listening to what he was saying. Even if he does hear him, he wouldn''t be afraid at all, especially right now after extracting these six elite Holy Arts Practitioners!
Vale checked the first Extraction, and it already made him excited.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +20 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Vitality +1.05 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Iplete Spell Light +1 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Complete Divine Sense Spell Model ]
[ Extraction failed. ]
Without any hesitation, Vale absorbed all of them. He had no idea what Divine Sense was but he would dly ept it.
The next person gave him an almost simr result.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +22 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Vitality +1.15 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Iplete Spell Light +1 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Complete Divine Sense Spell Model ]
[ Extraction failed. ]
After absorbing them, he checked his body with his Phantasm State and realized that the iplete Spell Light turned into aplete one and after checking his attribute panel, he also found out that the Divine Sense turned from Lv0 to Lv1 without the help of his Energy Points!
It means that he can also extract the Mastery of Spells if he already has that Spell Model recorded in his body! This was such a pleasant surprise as he checked the remaining four.
They provided varying Energy Points and Vitality Points and gave a different Spells.
Three of them gave aplete Extrasensory Perception Spell and the other one was a Blessed Healing Spell!
Vale had no idea how to use them but he''s already excited just by reading the names of these spells.
At this point, Vale checked his Attribute Panel once again, ignoring the people behind him.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 29.65, Agility 23.82, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 33.84 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv6, Darkness Maniption Lv2, Spirit Vision Lv0 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv1, Blessed Healing Lv0 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv2 ]
[ Avable Energy: 626 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 4.78 ]
"This¡" Vale realized something after seeing his Attribute Panel¡
There was a separation of Holy Arts and Dark Arts!
Dark Arts Spells uses the Dark Energy that he naturally gathers through meditation thanks to the mutation brought to his body by the Darkness Possession Potion he consumed over a year ago.
However, what about the Holy Arts and the Neutral Ability that he obtained?!
Chapter 211 Upgrades
Vale had no idea how he would use these Spells at all. He wanted to test it out but it had to wait untilter.
"Vale, are you alright?" Professor Lucius asked after seeing Vale unmoving.
He had already ordered the nearby Variants to take care of the unconscious prisoners. However, even after the Variants had finished their job, Vale remained motionless.
It was until Lucius called him out did he only react.
"Professor, I apologize¡ That technique was quite difficult to use. However, I now gained enough knowledge on how to use it. I appreciate your help, Professor." Vale replied with a stiff smile.
"Very well¡ The member of the Order has already left after seeing you use that strange ability of yours." Professor Lucius said as he looked at Vale with aplicated gaze.
It seems that he also wanted to ask Vale about the spell he used but he was hesitating to ask since he wanted to respect Vale''s privacy.
Of course, since this Professor is kind and Vale might need his help in the future, he decided to reveal a little about his ability. In any case, once Master Heinz publicized his research to apply for a new branch of the Dark Arts, his skills would also be known by the public.
"Profesor Lucius¡ The skill I used a while ago had something to do with the new Spell that Professor Heinz had developed. It''s called Spell Dispersion. Have you heard of it, Professor?" Vale said. He may not be able to tell people about his Extraction secret, but this other secret can be used to cover his system.
Lucius'' eyes lit up after hearing Vale''s words. As expected, Vale is such a sensible person that he doesn''t have to ask him.
"Spell Dispersion¡ So it was like that. I think I''ve heard him mention this before. However, I just shrugged it off as I thought that its requirement was too much. It requires a Physique that only one in a million could have."
Professor Lucius paused at this moment and realized something.
"You''re incredible¡ So does it mean it could mess with the wielder as well? Ahh¡ That makes sense. It probably requires a higher level of mastery to do that. Have you reached its Intermediate or even its Advanced Realm?"
As expected, Vale doesn''t have toplete the lie. People would just assume a few things andplete them for him.
Vale didn''t answer this question and simply nodded with a smile.
The Professor epted this exnation as this could at least allow him to sleep well at night.
After promising that he''ll record the Light Absorption Spell within a month to Professor Lucius, Vale finally returned to his dorm.
He took a quick shower to refresh himself before he recalled something and apologized to Yvaine.
Well, he has to apologize for not allowing her to replenish her energy from those six Holy Arts Practitioners. He had forgotten about it because he was too excited.
However, he promised her that he''d find her better sources of energy soon.
***
Three days had quickly passed, and the end of the year was getting closer.
There were fewer and fewer people staying in the Academy.
Of course, Vale also has ns to get permission to go out. However, it has to be after he at least learns how to use the spells he just learned adequately.
"Done¡ That took me quite some time."
Vale heaved a sigh of relief as he looked at his pocketwatch. About two hours had passed after he started to record the Light Absorption Spell.
He could''ve done this months ago, but he decided to dy the recording process since only three people in the ss had recorded this spell. He wasn''t in a hurry because of that and dyed it much as he could.
Vale then checked his Attribute Panel and was satisfied to see the Level Zero Light Absorption Spell included in his Dark Arts.
He then attempted to increase its level and was happy to see that it only required 9 Energy Points to level it up. With his current 626 points, Vale didn''t mind turning it to a Level Three or the peak of Elementary Realm.
After spending 63 points for this spell, Vale shifted his attention to his Incorruptible Body¡ He tried upgrading it to see how many points he was missing to upgrade it to Level 7.
[ Advancement Failed. You are missing 397 Points toplete the action. ]
Vale didn''t feel disappointed as it only made his decision firm about advancing the other Spells he learned.
With his remaining 563 points, he continued advancing his Neutral Ability called Extrasensory Perception Spell into Level 6.
As it turned out, this spell was simr to the one that the Headmaster used when thetter wasmunicating in his head. It can be used for Telepathy!
At that time, he obviously couldn''t answer the Headmaster since he didn''t know how. He would surely surprise the Headmaster if he tried talking in his head once again.
After a few days of research in the Library about the new spells he extracted from these people, this is simply one of the few things he discovered about the spells. He learned plenty of things and is looking forward to advancing this spell.
Luckily, this spell has a low-level energy requirement. Turning it into level 3 was only worth 20 points. Then, 40 points to level 4, 80 points to level 5, and 160 points to level 6.
It was a total of 280 points, and people might think it''s weird to level up such a weak support type spell but Vale needed this ability as it gives him a higher chance of survival.
After all, the Extrasensory Perception spell isn''t just for Telepathy.
He then checked his attribute panel with a satisfied smile on his face.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 29.65, Agility 23.82, Intelligence 51.17, Vitality 33.84 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv6, Darkness Maniption Lv2, Spirit Vision Lv0, Light Absorption Lv3 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv1, Blessed Healing Lv0 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv6 ]
[ Avable Energy: 283 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 4.78 ]
Chapter 212 Accepted
Vale then swiftly left the Ceremony Hall and went to the Combat Training Hall to test out his new spells.
He had previously tried using the Divine Sense and his Blessed Healing, but he failed to use them, making it seem like they were useless.
However,st night, after going through so many books on the first floor of the library, he learned that the Holy Arts Practitioners were actually using their Vitality to trigger their spells!
Of course, these people weren''t dying so quickly because they drank a potion called Pure Life. This potion is equivalent to the Dark Arts Faction''s Darkness Possession and allows them to use Holy Arts, or what they call Sacred Abilities, without using their Vitality.
They will be able to produce a different energy called Sacred Aura which they can use to cast these spells.
Since Vale can not consume that potion, he would have to use his Vitality to trigger these Sacred Abilities.
He hadn''t done this before and wanted to experiment with it now.
"This is going to be tough¡" Vale muttered as he didn''t have a teacher that would help him do this. He has to explore on his own and he knows that it will not be easy.
He was triggering his Dark Arts using the Dark Energy within his body, so he had to know how to utilize his Vitality to trigger the Spell.
At the very least, since he already has the Spell recorded, he simply has to learn the method of controlling his vitality force. This may not be easy since he only extracted their Spell Models and not the knowledge of how to use them, but he knows that it''s doable.
Luckily, after four hours of relentless attempts, Vale finally triggered the Divine Sense!
''No wonder they''re calling their skills as Sacred Techniques¡ This Divine Sense is too powerful!'' Vale thought as he marveled at the Spell''s power.
However, after about five minutes of exploration, he swiftly canceled the Spell as he felt a tiny reduction in his Vitality.
"Whew~ That was an incredible experience¡ I wonder how it would feel if I''m also using their Blessed Sense." Vale muttered. Of course, there was no way to enter the Blessed Sense or the equivalent of Phantasm State in the Holy Arts Faction.
"I just hope that other Holy Arts Practitioners can''t detect my Divine Sense." Vale sighed inwardly with hisck of information.
Anyway, the Divine Sense is simr to the Spell Dispersion that it can be triggered even outside the Phantasm State. It may not have a better range than his Phantasm State, but in this 8-meter range, Vale could tell that he was invincible. Of course, he would learn more about it once he triggered this Spell with enemies in range.
In addition to that, the Spell has a better introspection ability that allows him a better look at his body¡ Divine Sense is so much better than the Phantasm State''s introspection.
Furthermore, ording to the books he read, this Divine Sense could work well in identifying a Practitioner''s path even if they weren''t using their spells or entering their Magic Zone.
That''s right¡ This is what Vale liked about this ability¡ He can determine a person''s Arcane Path as long as his Vitality Force is higher than theirs or they don''t possess an artifact that blocks this ability.
With his Extraction System, he can basically guarantee that he would always have a higher stat than them.
Vale then checked his Vitality Attribute and confirmed that it had changed from 33.84 to 33.83.
With the five minutes of use of the Spell, he would have his Vitality deducted by 0.01. It was quite an eptable rate since he won''t be using this Spell all the time. Even if he does, he only has to use it in less than five minutes so it should be rtively safe to use it.
He then continued experimenting with the Blessed Healing and confirmed that it actually doesn''t work on humans.
He already confirmed this in the book but still felt disappointed after learning about it. Apparently, Blessed Healing only works on objects, especially water, as it could turn into Healing Water.
Perhaps, this Healing Water is what they call Holy Water for a marketing reason. As for the other items, it could, at most, help a little in removing curses, purifying objects, and other simr acts.
''Should I start selling Holy Water?'' Vale chuckled at the thought.
Over the past few days, Vale had a few ideas about why the Dark Arts Faction captured those prisoners instead of just killing them. He guessed that their abilities were being used to test various Dark Spells.
Perhaps a Necromancer can test the resistance of their Zombies through their assistance, or a Dark Spellcaster can use them to see how long their Spells couldst against the Holy Arts.
Their Holy Water might even be used to increase the resistance of some Undead that he doesn''t know about.
Of course, this might all be his imagination, but he felt that this is closer to the truth.
***
It was already evening when he returned to his room and realized a letter was in front of his room''s door.
After picking it up, he entered his room and opened the letter.
To his surprise, it came from Myrna, thedy from the Quest Pavilion.
She was informing him that the Potion Tester mission has now increased to 2 Contribution Points in every three potions.
The professor who had posted the mission also added that the one that would ept the mission must also be capable of drinking six potions in a month.
"Oh¡ It means that I can earn four contribution points in a month?"
Vale was tempted. To be honest, he felt that there couldn''t be any worse than his experience with the Darkness Possession and the other potions that Master Heinz made him drink.
Furthermore, he already has an Incorruptible Body at Level 6 or the peak of Intermediate Realm.
With this physique partnered with his Strength and Vitality, he can''t believe that he won''t be able to survive drinking those potions.
Lastly, he would also benefit from it since those potions seem to have some effects that could improve his body.
On the next day, Vale canceled his ns to record the two nar Spells and went straight to the Quest Pavilion to ept the mission.
Chapter 213 Unexpected Detection
Myrna assisted Vale with the eptance of the mission as she informed him to visit the Laboratory 4 toplete the task.
Laboratory 4 is on the fifth floor of the Academy, where the 5th-Year Dark Alchemists can be found.
It was quite a long walk but he didn''t mind it. He passed over a few custodians wiping floors and windows as he ignored them and headed straight to the fifth floor''s Laboratory.
Then, he noticed that he was about to pass a group of fifth-year students and decided to do something.
Well, he wanted to try his new Spell.
He activated his Divine Sense without entering his Phantasm State to check them.
There were a total of six people and they all ignored Vale, who was walking past them.
Divine Sense¡
Vale triggered his life force and swept his Divine Sense to the six people¡
Soon, he received feedback from his Spell.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 7 filled Spell Lights.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 6 filled Spell Lights.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 7 filled Spell Lights.
Mystic Arts Practitioner with 11 filled Spell Lights.
"What the heck?" Vale was surprised as soon as he analyzed the feedback sent by his Divine Sense.
His words attracted their attention, and they all looked at him simultaneously.
Vale immediately felt nervous. He believes that there is a spy among them but he can''t reveal it!
He briefly nced at the person he detected as a Mystic Arts Practitioner and confirmed that it was a male student who looked like a typical Dark Arts Practitioner. He looks gloomy with a scent of death around him as he seems to be practicing the Deathly Aura by Necromancers, or perhaps, he just finished creating a top-grade Deadly Poison.
"Are you alright, freshman?" One of the real Dark Arts Practitioners asked Vale in concern. She seemed to be a pure and gentle woman, but after using his Divine Sense in those few seconds, he found out that a part of her body was rotting. It seems to be a result of her failed Dark Arts Ceremony, and it was something he learned in Darkness Path ss.
He felt a bit of pity for her as he nced at her left breast, where it should be rotting now. She seemed to have noticed his action so Vale immediately waved his hand and answered.
"I''m alright, senior¡ I was just looking for Laboratory 4. Do you know where it is?" Vale asked.
Thankfully, they epted his reason as they pointed out where he could find the Laboratory.
After this brief encounter, Vale no longer encountered people and found the Laboratory.
As for the Mystic Arts Practitioner that he just discovered a while ago, he wasn''t in a hurry to expose him as the Academy might even be aware of this. After all, this is still an Academy with several First-ss Practitioners. There are also several Formation Arts here that should detect his abnormality¡ Lastly, how could a Mystic Arts Practitioner reach the 5th year without garnering suspicions?
How could he practice the Dark Arts, especially the Academy-Exclusive Spells and the Branch-Exclusive Spells? If he''s using some tricks to do it, howe it was undetected for so long?
With such a questionable situation, the Academy might even be helping him hide his identity.
Anyway, he''d still mention it to the Headmasterter if he had a chance. After all, there could still be a chance that this guy is a spy and must be apprehended.
As for how he would exin how he detected the man''s Arcane Path, Vale could just think of another lie¡ Anyway, once the man was apprehended, it should be easy for the officials to make him confess.
He could either tell that he sensed it because the man used a Mystic Arts Ability while his Phantasm State was active or just me Master Heinz once again for having a sensitive Phantasm State or something simr.
With this in mind, Vale felt more rxed as he knocked on the door of the Laboratory.
Soon, the doorknob twisted as a familiar beauty appeared in front of him.
It was Maya Featherstar.
Both of them didn''t expect the presence of each other.
Maya was the first one to recover and said, "You''re the one who epted the mission?"
Vale wryly smiled and nodded. "Am I not allowed?"
"It''s fine. I was just expecting a third-year student. Are you sure about this? You will be drinking some potions that may bring harm to your body. Although you won''t die from this, it can still affect your physique and cause internal injuries if you don''t have the qualifications to withstand the effects of those potions." Maya sincerely warned Vale.
Right now, she was only feeling pity for this person who couldn''t improve his Spirit Strand.
She can''t believe that he would resort to this job of epting dangerous tasks to have a chance to improve.
"Thank you for your concern¡ I''ve already decided. Isn''t it just Energy Burst Potion? I''ve read about it before I epted this mission." Vale replied with confidence.
At this point, Maya knows she can''t persuade him anymore, so she just smiles and allows him to enter the Laboratory.
"Have you also epted the mission? I didn''t know there would be two of us." Vale suddenly said, which almost choked Maya with her own saliva.
"What? I did not ept the mission. I''m Master Sherah''s student." Maya replied sinctly.
"Hmm?" Vale was momentarily confused, but he quickly realized that she was referring to being a disciple of the Dark Alchemist.
The two no longer spoke with each other as they entered the core roomboratory.
Vale observed Alchemist Sherah and confirmed that although she was already old and in a wheelchair, she was not weak at all.
Vale briefly used his Divine Sense and confirmed that the amount of energy inside her was no joke.
After introducing himself, Alchemist Sherah pointed at the table. On top of it was a ss bottle of ck potion.
The ck liquid wasn''t much, but it should be about 50mL.
Sherah then spoke in her old and weak voice.
"Get that potion and sit on this chair before you consume the potion. I need you to enter your Phantasm State before consuming it and tell me if any of your active Spell Lights will turn red."
Chapter 214 Benefits
Vale inspected the potion using his Phantasm State and Divine Sense before he finally rxed and epted his fate.
Well, his Divine Sense detected that the potion was dangerous, but it was in an eptable range. He didn''t know how the Divine Sense did that, but he liked how it feedbacks a lot of information to him.
''This ability is too magical. Furthermore, it''s only level 2. I wonder what it does if its level gets higher.'' Vale mused.
He actually tried looking for an equivalent Dark Arts Spell, but this Divine Sense was just too unique. It seems to be one of the Holy Arts Faction''s exclusive spells.
After sittingfortably, he saw Sherah''s gesture urging him to open the bottle and drink the potion.
"May I first know what kind of pain or experience I''ll get after drinking this?" Vale asked cautiously. He wasn''t afraid and he simply wanted to prepare himself.
"It will only make your body hot. This is an Energy Burst Potion, so if any of your Spell Lights turned red, it means that the potion was sessful and had increased that Spell''s power by three times. It should normallyst for two or three hours, depending on yourpatibility with the potion. If the potion fails, you will experience a weak corruption in your body and you''ll be an easy target for Evil Spirit and be possessed. This is why you have to consume this potion inside the Laboratory." Sherah answered.
Vale was content with this honest answer. He wasn''t afraid of being possessed by Evil Spirits as well since he had Yvaine''s protection.
Without any more hesitation, Vale uncapped the bottle and consumed the ck potion...
Sherah smiled at Vale''s decisive action while Maya frowned at the level of his confidence.
They were in the same year but she wouldn''t dare to drink that failed potion.
Maya suddenly realized something as she looked at Vale curiously.
''Is he not improving his Spirit Strands because he was focusing on his physique? No way¡ What kind of Spellcaster focuses on physique? He''s not a Knight or Combat Art Practitioner.'' Maya silently thought. Although having a strong physique isn''t a bad thing, it''s not the main focus of the Spellcasters.
It should be good enough as long as they''re healthy. After all, it''s better to spend their time learning better spells or increasing the mastery of their spells!
After reaching this conclusion, she didn''t notice how she was being ufortable at the thought of him being better than her.
"Urgh¡"
Soon, she heard Vale groan in pain.
His body is also turning red but the potion''s effect shouldn''t be over yet. It was only starting and it shouldst for five to ten minutes.
In the meantime, Sherah was observing the changes in Vale''s body while writing something in her small notebook.
"Hmm? Why is he not bleeding?" Sherah muttered as she carefully inspected Vale''s face.
She expected Vale to have all his orifices bleeding after 20 seconds of consumption.
She deliberately fed him a failed potion after all! She was only nning to let him drink a perfect potion on the third attempt, which should give her satisfying observation data.
"His body is resisting it? He''s not convulsing¡ Does he have a blessed physique?" Sherah softly said as she frowned while looking at the changes happening on Vale''s body.
She initially thought that Maya had the finest physique after Lesley left the Academy.
It must be remembered that Maya barely got any reaction after consuming the Darkness Possession Potion. Her eyes simply turned dark for a few seconds confirming that the possession waspleted. She didn''t feel any pain or experience any hallucinations making her the student representative of the first-year batch.
Everyone thought she had the best Spellcaster''s body and just needed a few more years to develop¡ As it turns out, the young man in front of her might have a different physique than her, but it wouldn''t lose out to her. Vale''s physique was already on a higher level than hers!
Soon, Vale started breathing steadily as the potion''s initial effect started wearing down.
Vale also used the introspection ability of his Divine Sense to ensure that there weren''t any problems in his body¡
He then noticed that his Ghost Hand Spell Lights had turned red and while doing this, he also found out that his Incorruptible Body''s spell light seem to have gotten slightly more prominent and darker.
"This¡"
Without any hesitation, he entered his Phantasm State to check his Dark Arts.
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv7, Darkness Maniption Lv2, Spirit Vision Lv0, Light Absorption Lv3 ]
"What?!"
Vale was shocked. His Incorruptible Body, which was supposed to be Level 6, has turned into Level 7! This is already the Advanced Realm! At this stage, he won''t even be afraid of the corruption brought by Unclean Zombie.
"What''s wrong?" Sherah asked in concern after hearing Vale''s exmation.
"N-nothing¡ I''m just surprised since I felt something change in my Ghost Hand''s Spell Light."
This answer made Sherah shocked and confused.
''Did it actually turn red?''
She knows that the potion should''ve been a failed one¡
''No, perhaps, it''s not a failure? Does the potion just have a higher requirement? Now that I think about it, the ingredients used in this potion are 30% more than the perfect ones.'' Sherah''s mind raced as she considered all the possibilities.
"Very good¡ Try entering your Phantasm State now and inspect your body. Tell me if your Spell Light has turned red." Sherah said after some thought.
"Wait, Master Sherah¡ He just used his Phantasm State. He might need some time to use it again." Maya said after noticing Vale''s dazed expression.
Sherah also recalled that first-year students would onlyst for about two minutes at this stage. It would already be amazing tost five minutes.
Vale wryly smiled after hearing this as he gently nodded.
Of course, Vale has no problems with that. He couldst longer than 20 minutes since a few months ago. He hadn''t checked how long he couldst now since he didn''t think of testing himself.
He simply agreed to Maya because his Divine Sense sensed another person inside the Laboratory!
Chapter 215 A Familiar Name
Vale couldn''t help but turn his head in the direction where he sensed the presence of another person.
Alchemist Sherah didn''t miss this action and raised her brows.
"Can you see her?" She asked softly.
Vale froze on his spot as he realized that this person wasn''t an intruder but perhaps, Alchemist Sherah''s student aside from Maya.
However, it seems that Maya is unaware of the other person''s presence as she looks confused at their conversation.
Vale thought for a moment as he decided to be cautious.
"Well, my senses were heightened after drinking that potion. I just noticed some movement a while ago, but I''m unsure if it''s just the wind or I was imagining things." Vale replied.
Sherah didn''t seem to doubt his words since the potion indeed had that kind of side effect.
She just didn''t expect that it would be so strong that it could detect her finest disciple.
"Cressida,e out here. You''ve already been found. You have to practice the Stealth Spell in Advanced Realm¡ I can''t believe that a first-year student sensed your presence." Alchemist Sherah spoke with a gentle voice.
Although it seems that she was reprimanding Cressida, she actually seemed satisfied with her achievement.
In the meantime, Vale''s eyes widened after hearing her name.
''Cressida?''
Vale repeated in his mind. This name is quite unique so Vale can easily recall where he heard this name.
He''s sure that Denise White''s sister was called Cressida!
ording to Denise, Cressida disappeared during a mission after offending numerous nobles and some professors in the Academy!
''Do they simply have the same name? Is Cressida amon name in this kingdom?'' Vale mused as his attention focused on the figure that was getting closer to them.
"She''s my Senior Disciple?" Maya asked curiously. She seems to know that she''s not Sherah''s only disciple, but she has never seen other disciples until today.
She observed the mysteriousdy and realized how unfathomable she was. Her Phantasm State wasn''t reacting to her so even if she''s seeing her, her Dark Spells may not necessarily find her!
"It''s good to see you, Maya. Master Sherah was supposed to give you a mission in order to meet me. However, the little guy here unexpectedly sensed my presence." Cressida calmly said as she approached them.
Vale tried to observe her, but unfortunately, she was wearing a veil aside from her dark clothes as if she had just attended a funeral.
Vale wanted to ask her if herst name was White or if she had a little sister but decided to keep his mouth shut for now.
"So she''s one of your disciples." Vale muttered as he tried to act normal.
Alchemist Sherah smiled proudly at this as she added.
"Mhmm¡ Her physique may not be as good as Lesley''s or Maya but she wouldn''t lose it in terms of talent. Anyway, how long does it take before you can enter your Phantasm State again?"
"I just need three more minutes, Ma''am Sherah." Vale replied.
"Very well. Don''t use your Ghost Hand without my instruction. For now, tell me how you felt the changes in your body¡"
Soon, Vale exined his experience to the Alchemist.
After that, Cressida also asked him a few questions about how he detected her presence.
Vale can only lie at this as he can''t reveal his Divine Sense. Then, Sherah instructed Cressida to return to her training room to practice her Stealth Techniques¡
''Is she training her to be an assassin?'' Vale mused. He was really curious about Cressida''s presence in the Academy but decided not to pry too much.
Perhaps, she''s simply hiding here after she offended several important people in the Dark Arts Faction.
But there is also a problem with this line of thought.
''Why did she not change her name then?'' Vale can only shake his head at this thought.
It didn''t take that long until Sherah urged him to disy his strengthened spell.
Vale summoned his Ghost Hand and confirmed that his already powerful Ghost Hand had be even stronger and faster. The hands had also turned bulkier and could easily lift a weight of about 80 kg!
With this version of Ghost Hand, the Slender Zombie would probably be easily destroyed by this spell.
Unfortunately, the potion''s consumption requirement was too high!
He would experience some corruption in his body to the point that his Incorruptible Body leveled up!
Perhaps, if he wasn''t the one who epted this task, they would need a month or even more just to recover from the potion''s side effects.
"Alright, you can leave now."
After Master Sherah felt satisfied, she gave Vale some healing liquid before allowing him to leave.
He can actually rest for a few days since he has a month to drink all the six potions she had prepared.
Maya looked at him with aplicated gaze as she couldn''t help but admire Vale''s toughness.
She apanied her outside and as they left the Laboratory, she softly asked.
"Vale, are you tempering your physique? Is that the reason why your Spirit Strands weren''t progressing?" Maya stopped walking as she looked at Vale curiously.
Vale saw her mesmerizing eyes and he couldn''t help but look away. It feels as if he is being dragged into an illusion as he stares at her. It might be his imagination or just an attraction he couldn''t exin.
"Not really. I just need some more contribution points." Vale replied with a smile.
"Didn''t you earn enough after defeating Larkin''s Zombie?"
"Ahem, it wouldn''t hurt to have more. I''m considering obtaining a decent Artifact before bing a fourth-year student." He answered truthfully.
"That''s true. I won''t waste your time then... Make sure to rest for at least three days before attempting to drink the potion again. Your body may seem alright, but there could be a problem we can''t see at the moment."
Maya reminded with her soft voice as she turned her back and left hastily.
Vale didn''t even have the time to reply as he could only shake his head and return to his dorm.
Chapter 216 Free
Cressida returned to her training room and removed her ck veil, including all her clothes, leaving herpletely naked in the cold room. Unblemished pale skin was revealed as her long ck hair waved behind her back.
The training room she entered was freezing. It is much colder than the cold storage room of the Academy''s Cooking Club.
Nevertheless, she didn''t even flinch after exposing her body to the coldness.
Her face remained stoic as she stood at the center of the room.
"Come out¡"
She softly muttered to the void.
Her voice sounded ethereal as she triggered some sort of reaction to the surrounding space.
Soon, a Banshee appeared in front of her, followed by another two, and it continued for a few seconds until there were 22 of them.
"Did you see the Dark Spirit in him?" She asked with a cold voice.
The Banshee didn''t speak with their voice, but Cressida received the answer she wanted. After nodding her head, she asked a few more questions¡
Soon, she went silent as if she had fully understood the Dark Spirit that was hiding in Vale''s shadow.
Then, Cressida opened her arms, signaling all the Banshee toe at her.
In an instant, the twenty-two Banshee started entering her body! Her skin started turning ck and her veins started bulging out.
Pain could be seen on her face, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.
After enduring all of this, her skin slowly returned to normal as the faces of the Banshe could be briefly seen on her skin before they all started calming down and disappearing on her body.
"Should we eat a Dark Spirit this time? I haven''t tried it before¡ I wonder what it will taste like?" Cressida muttered to herself.
***
Another two months quickly passed, and Vale failed to get out of the Academy to find some sources of energy or attributes because of the mission he received from Alchemist Sherah.
Nevertheless, he didn''t regret epting the mission as it allowed him to earn 4 Contribution Points.
It is still something he could celebrate.
Furthermore, he was able to focus on recording those two nar Spells.
As it turned out, it was good that he had spare ingredients, as he failed to record them on his first try.
Initially, he thought that he would have a spare Darkness Possession Potion and a Lightning Pearl but all of them were used in his attempt to record the Spell.
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv0, Shadow Muttion Lv0 ]
The addition of his Celestial Arts or the nar Spells in his attribute panel was such a pleasant sight for Vale. He wanted to try using them, but these Spells were extremely powerful.
The Divine Lightning can destroy a vast ce, while the Shadow Muttion works only on living beings, and it''s a sure kill if he can cut their shadow.
When Professor Lucius brought their ss to fight another Evil Creature in the Serenity Hall, Vale had to fight the urge to use his Celestial Art to end its life. In the end, he can only be satisfied with the extraction of a strange spell from the creature.
***
Another month passed just like that as the boring first-year ss continued. He barely had a chance to extract corpses, and he could only extract some after asking his seniors for some help.
Luckily, the seniors of the Battle Arena Committee were helpful.
Even Philip and Prisci asked some of their rtives to help Vale with his "research."
Yes, Vale said he was simply researching these corpses, so he was given a chance to see some of them.
Thanks to that, his attributes and energy points slightly went up.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 32.25, Agility 25.15, Intelligence 54.52, Vitality 35.10 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv7, Darkness Maniption Lv2, Spirit Vision Lv0, Light Absorption Lv3 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv1, Blessed Healing Lv0 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv0, Shadow Muttion Lv0 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv6, Traceless Shift Lv0 ]
[ Avable Energy: 583 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 4.78 ]
Finally, during the six weeks of summer break, Vale was able to get out of the Academy.
At this point, Aubrey has invited Vale to visit her family''s manor to have a vacation there before the start of their second year.
While Lisa, Chad, and even Leonore agreed to spend some time in her ce, Vale declined her offer.
He knows very well that once he joined them, he wouldn''t have a chance to extract. He simply wanted to have an Extraction Spree!
Ever since he obtained this system, he barely had a chance to use it on his own device. He was always relying on the people around him to provide him with sources of extraction.
During this summer break, Vale wanted to change this as he would explore the cities he could and find the corpses or living targets he needed.
"Vale, you want to ride the airship heading to Melthorn City?" Headmaster Jean asked.
"Yes, Headmaster."
"Hmmm¡ Are you not going to the Chambers'' Manor? Ahem, your mother is still alive. She may be sick right now and needed yourfort." Headmaster Jean with a teasing smile on his face.
"Headmaster, you know my situation. I''m sure Master Heinz is taking care of my mother." Vale replied with a weak smile.
Florence Chambers wasn''t his birth mother anyway. Furthermore, he barely saw her face, so even if she dies, Vale can''t really feel that sad. At most, he would feel that it was unfortunate as she seemed young too.
Of course, Headmaster Jean also understood his sentiment, so he didn''t push Vale too much and just agreed to let him leave the Academy.
"Once the six weeks break is nearing its end, you''ll feel the urge to return to the Academy, so don''t get too far, as the urge might hurt you if you can''t return in time." Headmaster Jean said mysteriously.
Of course, Vale didn''t doubt his words as he believed that the curse of the shadow could hurt him.
This is an Academy that could kill their applicants during their recruitment process, after all.
"I will remember that, Headmaster."
"Good... As for the spy you discovered. Are you still not going to tell me how you found him?"
"Headmaster, I was just really lucky at that time. It seems he was toox since he thought no one was looking at him." Vale answered.
Headmaster Jean knew that Vale wasn''t telling everything, but he decided not to force him. He simply waved his hand to send Vale away.
Soon, Vale brought his essential things with him as he headed straight to the dockyard.
He looked at the Airship that he was about to board and thought. ''Finally¡ I''ll be free for six weeks!''
Chapter 217 Syndicate
Vale stood on the deck of the Airship as he looked at a strangely familiar city.
He had never been here before, but the previous Kyle''s memories gave him some impression of this big and dusty city.
The Airship soonnded at the dockyard in the southern district of the city, and surprisingly, it wasn''t only him who disembarked. There were a couple of higher-year students, but since they weren''t wearing their uniforms, Vale can only guess that they were 5th-year or 6th-year students since they had 5 Spell Models recorded in bodies ording to the feedback sent by his Divine Sense.
They also seemed surprised after seeing Vale disembarked, but they quickly recovered and smiled at him.
They didn''t talk either, as they simply went on their way.
''It still looks the same.'' Vale sighed inwardly as he looked at the thick smokeing out of the nearby factories. He can also see the slums from where hended as Vale couldn''t help but feel nostalgic.
Almost nothing has changed, but it was reasonable since only two years passed.
After a while, Vale also left the dockyard and headed straight to Maybelle Street, where the previous Kyle grew up.
Right now, he''s unafraid of the gangsters or the people who were previously chasing after him. Only over two years had passed, but he hadpletely changed. If they dared toe at him, he wouldn''t mind extracting their living bodies or even their dead bodies.
He also hadn''t tried Extracting the corpses of the people he Extracted when they were still alive. He would undoubtedly consider experimenting on them if given a chance.
Soon, Vale noticed a few people eyeing him. They appear to be thieves, and since Vale looked well-off, he certainly is a good target. From how he carries himself and his expensive clothes, some thieves can really be attracted to him.
The coat he''s wearing is worth 500 zen, and the bag he''s carrying is about 310 zen. There is also a bulge in his pocket where he''s keeping his pocketwatch.
Nevertheless, Vale ignored them as he knew that they wouldn''t pose any threat to him. If they dared to reallye at him, they would be the first ones he''ll Extract in the city.
It didn''t take him long to find the small apartment he and his father previously rented. At this point, he entered his Phantasm State and scanned the ce.
"So he already left. I wonder if he''s still alive." Vale softly said after realizing a different family was now living in the small apartment. His previous neighbors were also no more, making him utterly unfamiliar with the nostalgic ce he grew up in.
Anyway, he decided not to overthink it anymore. His main reason foring here isn''t for Kyle''s father anyway.
He soon left the gloomy street and went to the central district. The thieves also seemed to have given up, so Vale felt it was a pity.
Nevertheless, he continued with his n since there should be a decent apartment where he could stay for a few days, so he went to find one first.
"Whew~" Valey on his soft bed after having his meal.
It was already 5 in the afternoon when he found an inn. It is only worth 14 zen a week, and that already includes breakfast.
This amount is still quite eptable, considering that factory workers earn around 30 zen per week.
Vale didn''t overexert himself today as he rested the whole night.
On the morning of the next day, he returned to the area around Maybelle Street in the southern district. He didn''t even eat his breakfast as he wasn''t feeling hungry.
His reason foring here was simple. He wanted to find those gangsters who chased after him for several days. Perhaps, they were simply following orders to chase after him to get the pocketwatch, but it doesn''t change the fact that they killed the old watchmaker. They need to take responsibility.
Yesterday, he wasn''t focused on searching for them when he entered his Phantasm State. This time, however, he would focus on searching for them.
Even if he had to search the whole city, he would certainly do so.
Vale walked past the early street vendors and continued on his way while his Phantasm State was active.
A few hawkers called him to purchase their items, but he simply ignored them and focused on his task.
Although he can observe everyone who has entered his Magic Zone, he has to concentrate on it since that is plenty of informationing right through his head.
"Hmm?" Vale raised his brows when some familiar people finally entered his Magic Zone.
There was no way he''d forget their faces since they were the ones who stabbed the old watchmaker.
There were four of them in total, and they were inside a stagecoach.
They seemed to be heading towards the slums, so Vale followed them on foot.
He wasn''t afraid he''d lose them since his Phantasm State could already cover more than 150 meters.
After passing through the busy street, the stagecoach moved faster, and Vale had to hasten his footsteps. Of course, he didn''t use his Mystical Artifact since his Agility could basically allow him to surpass their speed if he wanted to.
Instead, he simply used his Extrasensory Perception Spell to make himself untraceable to ordinary people.
That''s right. This is the reason why he upgraded this spell to Level 6 or Intermediate Realm. Not only could it allow him to use Telepathy, but it could also help him hide the fluctuation of energying out of him.
It may not be enough to fool other Arcane Arts Practitioners, but it''s more than enough for the ordinary humans around him.
Furthermore, with his Divine Sense, he already confirmed that aside from a few police officers patrolling the area, there weren''t any Arcane Arts Practitioners in this district at all.
"So it''s their stronghold?" Vale muttered after following these people for about half an hour in the slums area.
Well, he should''ve probably thought of this, considering that this ce isn''t really adequately regted by the city.
He soon confirmed that the people who had chased after him before had simr tattoo marks on their skin between their thumb and index finger.
The tattoo was only small, but Vale could notice this simrity quite quickly since they were all gathered together.
Vale didn''t immediately act and went to ask around.
After investigating for a little, he learned that this syndicate called themselves the Snake Brotherhood and was a huge headache to many businesses around the area.
Vale smiled at this discovery¡ Perhaps, his mind was already affected by several Dark Arts he learned since he didn''t think there was something wrong with what he was about to do.
"It''s time¡"
He waited until it was night before he finally made his move.
Chapter 218 Interruption
After entering his Phantasm State, he confirmed that there were 215 people in the stronghold of the syndicate.
There were also about a hundred people who had all gone out to patrol their territory. They seem to be involved in various robbery and murder crimes to earn their living, but their primary sources of money are brothels and fees they collect from various businesses around the area.
He won''t bother himself to investigate why the police weren''t properly acting against them as he doesn''t have the time for that.
"Interesting¡ They have some Mystical Artifacts, but none of them are Arcane Arts Practitioners." Vale stopped in his tracks after realizing the man he deemed the syndicate''s leader had opened a box.
It appears to be a safe box where he was keeping his wealth.
Although he only opened this box briefly, the fluctuation of energy from the Mystical Artifact allowed Vale to sense the presence of the Artifacts.
''It would be a waste to destroy it.'' Vale pondered for a moment.
He reassessed the n he had made and observed the leader carefully.
The leader is a huge bald man with bronze skin and a muscr body. He was over two meters tall and was undoubtedly very intimidating.
Perhaps, if Vale were a necromancer, he would consider this man to be his Phantom Knight or a Licker Zombie.
Vale shook his head at this random thought.
He was previously nning to use Divine Lightning Call to cause panic and lessen their numbers. However, it might destroy the safe box. It would be regretful if those Mystical Artifacts were destroyed in the process. At the moment, he was still unsure about the destruction that the Divine Lightning could create, so he had to be careful.
"The Divine Lightning can wait¡ Let''s try the other spells for now."
Vale muttered as he observed the surroundings.
At this moment, he suddenly sensed another stagecoach entering his Magic Zone. It is approaching the outer area of the slums, and he can tell that the members of the brotherhood are inside. It was a different group he followed earlier.
These gang members weren''t alone. There were eight kids with them, and they were all in poor condition. Some of them were even being mistreated...
Without any hesitation, Vale made his move. He didn''t use any spells and simply used his high Agility to arrive in front of the stagecoach.
"What?! A madman!" The coachman shouted as he realized a young man wanted tomit suicide. The horses will surely kill the young boy!
However, he was utterly wrong.
At this time, Vale used his Darkness Maniption Spell, prompting the horses to stop. Mysterious energy bound the horses, and they couldn''t even lift their hooves.
The coachman was shocked by the sudden turn of events that he almost fell from his seat after the sudden stop.
"Y-you!"
He didn''t even have the time to call for help as he felt his left-hand glove being removed. It exposed the tattoo mark on his hand, and instantly, he felt something cold touching his head.
He couldn''t see what it was, but it felt like a huge cold hand was grabbing his head!
''Arcanist?!''
This was the only thing on his mind as he realized that his fate was no longer in his hands. He remained silent, hoping that this mysterious man wouldn''t kill him.
At this moment, he heard the young man speak with a gentle tone.
"All the children inside can go out now."
As he said this, the door of the stagecoach opened like it was an automatic door, and one by one, young boys and girls around the age of 7 and 9 starteding out.
"Are you a policeman? Thank you for saving us!"
The oldest realized that they were being saved and thought their savior was the police. He could barely see the figure of their savior, but it was enough to know that a person was standing bravely in front of the stagecoach.
He can''t think of anyone saving them aside from the police force.
"Leave now..." Vale said as he looked at the children onest time.
With a strong young boy who grew up in the streets as their leader, they immediately acted and didn''t stay further.
Vale couldn''t help but nod after seeing this since he thought that it would be difficult sending them away.
Then, as the group of children left, Vale coldly smiled as he approached the three members of the brotherhood bound by his Ghost Hands.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the Extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +12 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.11 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Vitality +0.05 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
"Oh... It''s not bad." Vale muttered after seeing this result. Before, ordinary human corpses only gave him Vitality and Energy, so the addition of Agility was something he could celebrate about. It must be the effect of extracting a living person instead of a dead one.
"Hmmm¡"
The man had already passed out as Vale hesitated whether to kill this person.
''You''re about to destroy the future of those children¡ You don''t deserve to live.''
Vale muttered as he didn''t notice the changes in his body. A ck aura different from the Necromancer''s Deathly Aura was gathering around him. At the same time, the Incorruptible Body''s Spell Light was seemingly fluctuating.
"Come out¡" Vale said as he used his Ghost Hands to drag the other two members outside.
Without wasting any more words, he Extracted them as well and gave a simr result with a slight difference in the amount of energy he had taken.
Vale then used his Ghost Hands to end their lives and attempted to extract them.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"So I can do this¡" Vale muttered and immediately epted the Extraction.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +5, Vitality +0.03 ]
This means that he can actually Extract his target twice, when they were alive and when they were dead!
After Extracting the other two, he finally noticed that his Incorruptible Body''s Spell Light was acting weird!
"Yvaine, protect me." Vale immediately said as he wanted to use the Introspection Ability of his Divine Sense.
Whenever he uses this ability, his full attention is on his body, and he would have a slower reaction time if someone ambushed him.
Without anyints, Yvaine came out of his shadow, wearing the in Obsidian Ring on her finger.
She looked at Vale curiously for a moment before she shifted her attention to the crows who had been observing them all this time.
"Danger¡"
Chapter 219 Overlooked
Vale heard her speak but had to ignore her since he was afraid that something had gone wrong in his Spell Light.
Master Heinz had repeatedly reminded him that he was the first Practitioner of the Malefic Branch. He is the first recorder of the Spell Dispersion and Incorruptible Body. In short, the negative effects of these spells would be first known and experienced by him.
Heinz could only theorize what kind of side effects he''ll obtain, and that is obviously not a hundred percent urate either.
ording to what he learned over the past year, these adverse effects could result in mental illness, blood thirst, spirit possession, spell model corruption, or even their life.
Vale also had to ensure that his Spell Model was firm and wouldn''t just copse and result in some internal injuries. That is themon problem among original spells after all.
''The Spell Model doesn''t seem to have a problem¡ Why is it reacting like that? Did Master Heinz forget to tell me something about it?'' Vale frowned at this thought.
Although it appears to have no problems, he might be missing something about the Incorruptible Body¡ Heinz only mentioned that this Spell Model would give him resistance against corruption or even problems caused by practicing Dark Arts. At its higher level, it should give him a solid regenerative effect, and he also mentioned that it would allow him to practice Forbidden Arts.
Yes, it must be why Master Heinz left the book The Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted.
Soon, the Spell Light started calming down and Vale had no idea how it happened.
''At the very least, I know it reacted like that during or maybe before the extractions. Perhaps, it had something to do with that¡'' Vale mused as he considered doing the same thingter on.
In any case, he would have a lot of samples once he entered the stronghold of the syndicate.
Vale finally shifted his attention to Yvaine. She seems to be monitoring something above them.
"What is it?" Vale asked.
It was already dark, and no one was in the streets around this time.
It would be different in the Central District as that ce could be so lively at any time of the day. However, the Southern District would barely have streetmps as most were deliberately broken.
He tried looking for anyone, but Vale failed to notice the danger she was referring to.
"Someone is observing us through those special beings¡"
Vale frowned as he realized that Yvaine was looking at the crows. He detected their presence a while ago but ignored thempletely.
''Are they some sort of familiars? Why didn''t I notice something off? Ahh¡'' Vale''s eyes lit up as he realized something.
He immediately used the Spirit Vision Spell that he extracted from Ashe¡
As soon as he did this, he finally found the problem.
"Summoning Arts¡" Vale muttered under his breath.
He recalled Lakrine, the Academy of Summoning Arts. If a creature can evade the scrutiny of his Phantasm State, then it must be the summons from a Practitioner that had studied in this Arcane Path.
''Are you telling me that the Snake Brotherhood is protected by this Summoner? Or perhaps, they''re also targeting them?'' Vale was unsure how to proceed.
He didn''t like the idea of having an unknown witness in his actions.
He hesitated for a moment before hemanded Yvaine to kill the crows.
Thetter seemed to have noticed what he was about to do and tried to escape by flying away.
Unfortunately, Yvaine was faster as threads of darkness caught the three crows simultaneously before squeezing them to death.
Crash!
The crows didn''t have flesh or blood. They seemed like pieces of ss as they shattered into many pieces.
"Did that kill them?" Vale asked, unsure whether being shattered is actually a type of escape technique or it is really how they die.
Well, he had no clue since this was the first time he had seen something like that happen.
"They''re eliminated." Yvaine briefly said.
Vale epted this as he turned his gaze to the stronghold.
"Then, let''s not waste any more time."
Vale stopped using his Nimble Talon to limit or control his Strength and Agility.
By using his Ghost Hands, Darkness Maniption, and Light Absorption Spell, the lives of these ordinary humans were in his hands.
''It''s reacting again¡'' Vale muttered inwardly after extracting and killing a couple of syndicate members. He was referring to his Ioruptible Body Spell Light.
''Is it reacting because of my blood thirst? If that''s the case, then I should just let it be¡'' Vale decided to simply ignore this since there was nothing he could do about it.
He eliminated the scouts at the periphery of the stronghold just by using his Ghost Hands.
He actually tried using his Darkness Maniption alone, but its mastery is too low to use it on killing humans. At most, it can only suppress them.
He recently learned that if it is actually at the Advanced Realm, he could use the Darkness Maniption Spell to crush the heart of his target. It is most effective on ordinary humans, so he considered upgrading it after he had plenty of Energy Points collected.
After killing about 15 syndicate members, his movements were finally discovered!
"Lights! Lights! We''re under attack! They''re hiding in the darkness!"
"Call the police!"
"Hurry! Send the signals to the police!"
Soon, numerousmps appeared, and even a bonfire was swiftly ignited in the central part of the slums.
It appears that they were really used to this as their movements are quick and organized.
They even have connections to the police, confirming Vale''s suspicions that they have some backers.
At this moment, Vale also noticed six men who were carrying revolvers. One of them is the bald leader of the syndicate.
He seemed unperturbed by the sudden attack as he looked at the surroundings. He was also carrying his treasure box!
It was as if he was taunting the intruders to attack and take it from him! Vale smiled at the bravery of this man.
''Very well¡''
Vale obliged as he appeared at the center of the stronghold leaving many of them speechless.
He was so bold for appearing in front of them!
Of course, no one could see Vale''s face because of the Light Absorption Spell and Darkness Maniption Spell¡
Vale''s figure was utterly dark and blurry.
"Y-you''re an Arcanist? How did we offend you?"
The leader spoke in dread as he realized their opponent this time wasn''t someone they could mess with.
Chapter 220 Unknown Problem
Initially, Vale wanted to eliminate the members of this syndicate because he wanted to take vengeance for what they did to the old watchmaker.
However, after hearing the question from the bald man, he thought of dying his ns and asked.
"Who ordered you to take the golden pocketwatch a couple of years ago?" Vale asked.
This bald man may not be the person who killed the watchmaker and chased after him but it was his people who did it. Those people he ordered may not be aware of the reason why they needed the pocketwatch. However, the leader must know everything.
As expected, as soon as Vale asked this question, the man stiffened as he realized the seriousness of the situation.
"Pocketwatch? Two years ago¡" The leader ruminated as he realized what was going on.
"If you''re referring to the one we didn''t get, we don''t know where it went. We only know that the young man brought it to the recruitment site of Arcane Academies. My men stopped chasing after him since we didn''t want to offend any of the Arcanists in that ce. Besides, at that time, my men had already collected a few dozen pocketwatches with the description given to us. Are you also searching for it?"
"I''m the one asking questions. Who ordered you to find them?" Vale continued to ask... This time, however, his voice was apanied by a spell.
He expanded the Light Absorption Spell as the bonfire andmps dimmed simultaneously until theypletely faded.
There was only a single source of light, and that was the moonlight illuminating them.
This triggered a reaction in every member of the brotherhood as they couldn''t help but step back. They seem to have offended a Dark Arts Practitioner!
They were the greatest in the Darkness, and a small gang like theirs would be eliminated if they really fought in this environment!
''Dark Arts Practitioner?! What a mess¡ There''s no way to reason out with these people¡''
The leader gritted his teeth as he knew that the police officers might be unable to do something about this person. They might not evene as soon as they realize that another Arcanist was the one causing trouble.
He knows the colossal difference between Arcanists and ordinary humans like them.
Their guns might be effective for those who were just starting to practice their Arcane Arts, but it would be different for someone who would dare to face a couple of hundred men without fear.
There was no way this person would be so brave if he was just a weak practitioner.
"I don''t know, Sir Arcanist. I can''t remember their faces¡ I''m telling you the truth! They just appeared and told us to find all the Golden Pocketwatch in the city. They have given us three weeks to collect all of them. After receiving it, they rewarded us with a few things we couldn''t even use. It''s here."
The leader said as he gestured to the treasure box he was holding.
Vale squinted his eyes and asked why he was carrying it.
"Sir, it can drive away evil spirits just by opening this box. I thought that the enemy this time might be some sort of evil being, and this item might be useful. I didn''t know that it was an esteemed Arcanist. Do you want to see it¡"
"Oh, you want to try it against me?"
"O-of course not." The leader hesitated as he really wanted to try if this Arcanist would also be driven away. However, he can''t just answer yes after being pointed out.
"Alright¡ That''s enough. Since you don''t know anything about them, you''re useless." Vale said as he pointed his palm to the leader.
There was no need to prolong their lives.
The people around them can''t properly see Vale''s hand, but they realize what he is about to do!
"Attack!" One of them shouted, but not everyone was brave enough.
Some of them turned around to run away, and only a few others charged forward to attack the Arcanist. They were fearless and believed they would be rewarded once they took down this person.
After all, a rogue Dark Arts Practitioner like the one in front of them can be exchanged for a bounty!
Aside from that, if they decided to send this guy to the Church of the Three Paragons, they could even receive several bottles of Healing Water that are only avable to their members.
Whether he''s dead or alive, this guy can be worth a lot of money!
Blinded by greed, they immediately jumped in front and behind him, thinking he wouldn''t see all of them.
Unfortunately, their reckless action made it difficult for the leader and his trusted men to fire their guns.
''Traceless Shift¡''
Meanwhile, Vale remained unperturbed as he used the weird spell he got from extracting the Evil Creature in Serenity Hall.
As soon as he activated this spell, the treasure box that the leader was holding suddenly disappeared from his hands and somehow appeared in Vale''s hands.
It happened instantly, and before the leader could even react, Vale swiftly waved his hands as the Darkness that was covering his body had suddenly moved!
This Darkness was actually Yvaine, the Dark Spirit!
The people around him didn''t even realize what was going on as the Dark Spirit seemed to have taken their souls, and they dropped to the ground one by one.
Vale then extracted these people as he allowed Yvaine and his Ghost Hands to do the work!
Yvaine targeted the leader and those who were carrying the revolvers while he controlled the Ghost Hands to start killing or incapacitating everyone it touched.
Vale then heard their cries as they tried fighting him after realizing their fate.
"This evil incarnation, you''reing with us to hell!"
"You''re a demon!"
"Stop! Stop! Why are you doing this?!"
Vale didn''t care whether they were dead or alive as he extracted them all. If they were breathing, Vale would finish their suffering¡
Soon, the dark aura around his body is getting thicker and thicker.
The Spell Light of his Incorruptible Body was also flickering relentlessly as Vale continued killing people.
After extracting over a hundred people, he seemed to havee to his senses as he smelled the thick scent of blood around him.
''This¡'' Vale suddenly frowned as he felt something was wrong¡ Although he felt that his mind was clear, it also seemed surreal.
There were a lot of things on his mind as he gravely looked at his surroundings.
"Not good. Yvaine, let''s go¡ I''ll clean the surroundings with the Divine Lightning."
Chapter 221 The Orders
Vale left the slums filled with corpses¡ There were still some survivors trying to run away but he didn''t mind it as he allowed them to leave.
He was too ufortable in his current situation, so he couldn''t be bothered by them.
However, he knows that he created so much mess, and it wouldn''t be surprising if he left many of his traces behind.
If he were found out, it would cause a problem for him, and the Academy might be implicated. He must clean up the crime scene.
After getting enough distance, Vale willed his mind to trigger the nar Spell, the Call of the Divine Lightning!
He only knows that the spell can be easily triggered by the mind and not through Vitality Force like Holy Arts¡
As soon as his mind touched theplicated Spell Model in his body, he felt something disappearing from him. It was a subtle feeling, but he didn''t miss it.
Then, it was followed by the same sensation brought by targeted spells.
''So the Divine Lightning has to be within the Magic Zone? Then it must be a huge problem for those with a short-range zone.''
Vale mused as he stood more than a hundred meters away from the targeted area.
After choosing the area in his magic zone, the Spell Light in his body instantly turned dim. It means that the spell was already triggered, and he has to wait until its cooldown is finished before he can cast it again.
Soon, the dark clouds in the night sky gathered, blocking the moonlight that was illuminating the city.
In a few seconds, a single bolt of lightning came to strike the slums of Melthorn City''s southern district!
Boom!
A thundering roar shocked the citizens of Melthorn City as they looked at the sky.
They expected a heavy rain or thunderstorm to follow this, but all of a sudden, the clouds started dissipating as if the heavens were just teasing them.
The Bishops from the five prominent churches at the Melthorn City gravely looked at the sky as if they were facing an enemy.
"Is it a natural phenomenon?" An old man wearing a white robe with golden trim on its edges spoke in his hoarse voice. He was silently praying in front of the Fortune Goddess''s statue when the lightning struck and disturbed the solemnity of his prayer. He even felt that the blessing of the goddess had suddenly dissipated because of the disturbance.
It was the same with others as they sensed that something was with that lightning strike.
Soon, they ordered their people to investigate the unusual phenomenon within the city.
As soon as Vale left the southern district, a group of people who hade from different organizations arrived at the scene.
There were over a dozen of them. Some came with a partner, while a few came alone.
A few police officers even came over as they found several charred corpses around the area.
One of the most prominent figures among the people who had arrived was a couple ofdies wearing white trench coats and umbres, which they used like a cane.
These twodies remainedpletely silent as they slowly walked to where the lightning struck.
Some houses are still burning, and ck smoke where everywhere.
"Mhmmm¡ The fragrant smell of burnt corpses. It''s so nice¡" A man suddenly spoke after silently arriving behind the twodies. He also seemed to have rushed here, seeing that his hair was still dripping wet.
He''s wearing a red frock coat and trousers, which can be very painful to the eye, but thankfully, it is quite dark, so his clothes don''t seem to attract too much attention.
Thedies just ignored him, but he didn''t care and continued.
"Don''t you think so too, Lady Teresa¡ Lady re?"
After being called out, one of them finally spoke.
Thedy, who was called re, looked at the man as she reminded him. "This area is under our management. The Order of the Illustrious Liquidators doesn''t need to be involved."
"Whoa¡ I didn''t think that the Untainted Sentinels would care about these slums. Gahaha!"
Instead of leaving, the manughed it off, infuriating thedies.
The other Arcanists from different Orders had also arrived, but they kept their silence as they continued their investigation.
Soon, they all concluded that the phenomenon today wasn''t natural. Something seemed to have attracted the wrath of the heavens, but none of them could guess what it was.
"Find all the remaining members of the Snake Brotherhood. We need to know what they''ve been doing over the past few days. This bunch of ignorant people probably conducted a forbidden ritual¡" Lady Teresa of the Untainted Sentinels said to the police officers, which was agreed on by the others.
In the meantime, Vale didn''t know that this heavenly lightning alerted all the Arcane Arts Practitioners of the Melthorn City and its surroundingnd.
He simply returned to the hotel room he rented after ensuring he didn''t leave any traces of him.
***
On the balcony on the fourth floor of the Academy, Headmaster Jean was with Professor Lucius overlooking the ritual that was going on at the western garden of the Academy.
The ritual seems to be attracting the spirits surrounding the Academy grounds, but none of them cares about it. This yearly ritual reduces the number of evil spirits in thisnd and helps them lessen the number of evil spirit possession in the corpses or practitioners who had started bing vulnerable.
"Headmaster, something must be wrong with Vale Chambers... I already had some suspicions about him when he killed the first Evil Creature before. He can destroy the soul or perhaps the spirit of Evil Creatures! I''m sure he''s the culprit why I can''t summon the creature''s spirit. Then, I tested him with the second Evil Creature, and the same thing happened. I can''t be wrong." Professor Lucius said as he looked at the Headmaster seriously.
"Hmm¡ So you''re telling me he has a Tier 3 Dark Spell?" Headmaster Jean asked as he shifted his attention to the Professor.
"Yes! There can''t be any other way, as I''ve also checked his Mystical Artifact. The Dark Spirit also doesn''t have this kind of ability. We have to get this Spell Model from him!"
Chapter 222 Treasure
"You have to forget about it, Professor Lucius." Headmaster Jean spoke with a stern voice.
This cold reaction baffled Lucius as he didn''t expect to be treated like this after his discovery. He even spent a lot of money to capture another Evil Creature just to prove his theory.
"Hmm?"
Lucius felt something off as the Headmaster''s aura suddenly changed.
"Headmaster Jean, can you tell me the reason why?" He asked cautiously.
However, Headmaster Jean simply shook his head, refusing to exin.
This confused Lucius for a moment as he thought that he knew the Headmaster really well. As a matter of fact, he''s one of the Professors who assisted Jean to be the current Headmaster.
He thought he had gone closer to this person, but it seemed utterly one-sided.
"You can observe his progress, but you can''t intervene. Just teach the sses that you have and don''t think of anything else about that young boy. Sir Isaac is already watching him."
As soon as Lucius heard the man''s name, he immediately stiffened since there could only be one Isaac in the Academy. That would be Isaac Vermont, the son of Morgan Vermont.
Morgan Vermont established the Academy of Dark Arts and didn''t take any positions in the Academy. However, he sent one of his sons to conduct top-secret Arcane Research in one of their facilities.
If that man is observing Vale, then Vale''s significance is indeed something he can''t afford to ignore.
"Then please remind him to be careful of Vale. I''m unsure if the Spell he was using could be easily controlled. If it was a Tier 3 Dark Spell, there would be a chance that Vale might fail to suppress it since hecks enough Life Strands." Lucius said as he decided to give up taking Vale''s Spell Model.
As he said this, Headmaster Jean couldn''t help but chuckle. He didn''t borate on why he found Lucius'' words funny, leaving the Professor unsettled.
Professor Lucius could only bite his lips in frustration as he turned around to leave.
Soon, Headmaster Jean was left alone on the balcony.
As the cold wind breeze touched his face, Headmaster Jean closed his eyes and flicked his finger. In an instant, a squirming dark matter appeared at the tip of his finger.
If Vale were here, he would surely realize that it was his missing shadow.
Headmaster Jean yed around with it for a little before snapping his finger.
The shadow disappeared, but Jean''s smile remained on his face.
***
In Melthorn City, Vale summoned Yvaine and immediately asked. "Have you felt the presence of those crows again?"
"No." Yvaine tly answered.
Vale had used his Spirit Vision to confirm that no one was following him. However, he might''ve missed something, so he still asked the Dark Spirit.
It was only at this time that he could finally rx.
''This Incorruptible Body seems to be causing problems. I should ask Master Heinz about it.'' Vale sighed inwardly as he knew that his actions had been influenced by the side effects of this original Spell.
After making this decision, Vale checked his current attribute panel.
He didn''t have the time to check his extractions a while ago, but now, he was pretty excited to see the progress he had made.
Although he felt ufortable knowing that he had killed many lives, he couldn''t hide the fact that he wanted to see some improvement in his attributes.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 40.52, Agility 38.39, Intelligence 57.10, Vitality 45.20 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv7, Darkness Maniption Lv2, Spirit Vision Lv0, Light Absorption Lv3 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv1, Blessed Healing Lv0 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv0, Shadow Muttion Lv0 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv6, Traceless Shift Lv0 ]
[ Avable Energy: 2785 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 3.78 ]
Vale''s smiled from ear to ear as soon as he saw the progress he had made.
This is just his second day in his six-week summer break, but his progress has already made him incredibly stronger.
No wonder he felt his Nimble Talon iscking. He had so much increase in his strength and agility. He must retrain his technique in order to control his current strength.
However, his smile faded as soon as he saw his Divinity Points.
From 4.78, it went down to 3.78.
A single point was lost!
"This¡ Are you telling me that each usage of Celestial Arts would cost me 1 Divinity Point?! Isn''t that too much!" Vale couldn''t help butin after realizing what had just happened. This is the only exnation he could think of.
Vale lost his mood to upgrade his other spells.
''Tsk¡ So that was the reason why I felt something had disappeared from my body after casting that Spell! It was my Divinity Points that were used!
Vale sighed after a while as he couldn''t really do something about it.
At the very least, this would exin why casting nar Spells didn''t use any Dark Energy or Life Force. He could onlyfort himself by reminding himself that nar Spell still requires energy to be summoned. It won''t appear out of nowhere. Even if he recorded the Spell Model in his body, it could only help him trigger the phenomenon and notplete it.
If there were no Divinity Points that were used, there wouldn''t be lightning emerging in the sky at all.
Anyway, Vale was still thankful to learn about it now.
He also stopped himself from upgrading the mastery of this Spell because of this.
To be honest, he decided not to level it up with his energy points because he first wanted to see the original strength of the Spell. He wanted to see how strong the Divine Lightning was without forcefully advancing its level.
Now that his curiosity was satisfied, he would still not upgrade it because he doesn''t have many Divinity Points anyway. He would probably not use it for a long time unless it was an emergency.
At this time, Vale shifted his attention to the treasure box he got from the gang leader.
He first informed Yvaine to hide in his shadow just in case the man was telling the truth that it could drive away Evil Spirits.
Although Yvaine isn''t one, she''s still a Dark Spirit, and there might be some effects on her.
"Let''s see what we have here¡" Vale muttered as he slowly opened the box.
Clink...
The first thing that came into his sight was a demonic mask that made his body shiver.
Chapter 223 Summoner
It was no wonder that the bald leader said that this Mystical Artifact could scare away even Evil Spirits.
Vale could believe him after sensing the demonic auraing out of it.
He immediately closed the treasure box as he recalled how the leader was also quite quick in opening and closing this box. Vale shook his head at this thought as he took a deep breath before entering his Phantasm State¡
After doing this, he noticed that his Diving Lightning Spell Light was still dimmed. It means that even after quite some time had passed, he still couldn''t cast the spell.
''I wonder how long is the cooldown of this spell.'' Vale silently thought but immediately shifted his attention to his Darkness Maniption Spell.
Unlike the Divine Lightning, it has a quick cooldown, so he can use it once again.
He swiftly cast the spell and gathered the surrounding Dark Energy to iste the treasure box.
He was afraid that once he opened it again, it would be sensed by some other Arcanists who were passing by.
After being satisfied with the thick darkness around the box, he opened it once again and checked all the items inside.
Aside from the demonic mask, there is also a bundle of cash and pieces of gold coins.
Gold coins weren''t the currency of Millton Kingdom, so they must be from another country or perhaps, it is the currency of the Snake Brotherhood.
Vale chuckled at this random thought as he continued checking the box.
There is a small dagger inside, designed quite simrly to the Demonic Mask. The dagger''s sheath had a demonic face on it, and the de itself was made of ck metal.
Vale had no clue what metal it was, but it was certainly heavy. It weighs around 3 kilograms, which was quite surprising for a dagger that is only about 20 cm long.
Vale picked up the dagger and found no issues with it.
Through his Phantasm State, he noticed that both the mask and the dagger had a white me inside, which is quite umon for Mystical Artifacts.
In the Academy, they taught them how to identify the powers of Mystical Artifacts through the energy that they can see after entering their phantasm state.
It may not allow them to determine the exact power that it has, but it would at least give them an idea of where it can be used.
As for the white me he''s seeing, he recalled that it''s actually for summoning¡
''Summoning Ability? Are these items meant to be used in rituals?'' Vale pondered.
Anyway, he doesn''t know the side effects of these items so he was hesitant to keep them in his body.
He returned them inside the box and only took out the cash inside.
The cash was only about 900 zen, which is quite pitiful for a leader of arge organization.
At this moment, Vale suddenly felt something off and Yvaine also warned him.
"We''re being observed."
"Yes¡ I guess my Extrasensory Perception also works, even if I''m not activating it." Vale muttered as he stood up to be ready.
"Yvaine, can you see whether you can bring this box inside my shadow?"
"I can¡" Yvaine answered, which surprised Vale for a moment.
He wasn''t expecting anything when he asked Yvaine. After all, he had a simr experience with Lotus regarding this matter.
Then, Vale noticed that Yvaine''s obsidian ring lit up and covered the box before she carried it inside his shadow¡
After Yvaine came back, the box was no longer in her hands.
"How did you do that?" Vale asked curiously.
"They''re here¡" Instead of answering, Yvaine warned Vale again.
Vale also acted as he jumped away from the window.
Boom!
A huge humanoid figure suddenly came crashing through the window of his hotel room!
Graahhh!
To Vale''s surprise, it was a Slender Zombie!
Furthermore, it was wearing various items on its body that made Vale tremble. Whatever these pieces of equipment are, they are certainly made to deal with him!
There were Holy Artifacts among them and the others were things he had never seen before.
"Yvaine! Get back! Don''t get out of my shadow at all costs!"
He immediately shouted as he was afraid that Yvaine might die once again. Although he''s powerful now, Vale didn''t want to lose another Dark Spirit to a Slender Zombie!
As soon as Yvaine disappeared, Vale also made his move as he decided not to cause more destruction in the hotel room.
He didn''t engage in a battle, afraid that he would get entangled for too long. He escaped the ce by activating the Nymph Scale, allowing him to have full control of his body. This Artifact is certainly much better than his Nimble Talon in terms of utilizing his strength and agility.
Thud!
Valended on the dark alley near the hotel he had rented as he surveyed the surroundings with his Divine Sense¡
"Larkin?" Vale was shocked as he sensed the man''s presence about 30 meters away from him. He probably thought that his Magic Zone wouldn''t reach him as he satfortably on the balcony overlooking the mess he had created.
Vale''s expression then turned serious after noticing another person beside Larkin¡
Summoning Arts Practitioner with 9 filled Spell Lights.
This feedback from the Divine Sense allowed him to understand what was going on. If he wasn''t mistaken, this summoner was the one who ordered those crows to observe his movement.
He''s definitely Larkin''s aplice!
''So he followed me here to take revenge?'' Vale smirked as he ran toward Larkin''s position while the Slender Zombie followed after.
This Necromancer was actually a customer of a brothel and wasn''t afraid to create so much trouble.
Vale had to move quickly before the people of the Churches, including the Elite Units of the Twelve Factions, arrived at the scene.
Larkin realized that Vale had somehow found him, which baffled him for a moment. After all, the Slender Zombie he sent has an item that hides their connection to each other.
It means that Phantasm State shouldn''t help Vale locate his presence.
"Tsk¡" Larkin grumbled as he didn''t want to get caught by the Church either.
In the end, he signaled to his friend to stop Vale froming, but in the blink of an eye, three enormous Ghost Hands appeared in front of his face!
''So fast?!''
It was definitely faster than when they battled before!
Larkin jumped back and summoned his Phantom Knight to protect him, but it was still too slow!
The Ghost Hand grabbed his shoulder, ripping it apart!
"Aahhhh!" Larkin shouted in pain but he retreated steadily.
In the meantime, Larkin''spanion didn''t bother him as he finished his ritual and summoned a beaver with a small branch of redwood in its mouth.
Chapter 224 Death
"Run! Call the police!"
"Hurry! Leave this area!"
"Aahh! Zombie! Zombie! A demonic practitioner is here!"
"Don''t get in their way! Just run!"
The people on the streets started panicking as soon as they sighted the huge and terrifying Slender Zombies. The Slender Zombie that had been summoned this time was about 3 meters tall and would surely attract anyone''s attention.
The ground and walls would crumble wherever it went as its deathly aura spread throughout the surroundings.
A few pedestrians were already injured because of this, and Vale could do nothing about it.
He had to constantly move since the Zombie was equipped with Holy Artifacts and other Mystical Items.
He wasn''t exactly sure what all these items could do, but he knew very well that Larkin had prepared it for him. Larkin probably wanted him to engage inbat with the Zombie but he won''t allow that to happen.
He didn''t have enough preparation so it must be better not to confront the Zombie with the same spells he used against the previous Slender Zombie.
With this in mind, Vale decided to directly eliminate the Necromancer.
Once he did that, this Zombie should return to where it came from.
''Tsk¡ That Phantom Knight is weird.'' Vale grumbled after seeing one of his Ghost Hands being shattered by the Phantom Knight. Although Larkin was injured, he was still a Necromancer and a missing limb wouldn''t kill him.
Vale had to admit that he got careless as the Ghost Hand''s movement was too predictable. He didn''t expect that Larkin could summon a Phantom Knight instantaneously. It must be due to an Artifact that he wasn''t aware of.
Nevertheless, the other Ghost Hands utilized the surroundings to ensure they won''t get cut in half by the Phantom Knight''s Sword.
He controlled the Hands to hide on the floor or ceilings tounch sneak attacks on Larkin.
"Hmm?"
Vale noticed something off as soon as his Magic Zone sensed the presence of the Beaver. Unlike the crows that are undetectable, this Beaver''s fluctuation of energy was so obvious¡
He also noticed that the Summoner friend of Larkin was blocking his path. He was holding a ck book and doing his ritual to summon another being.
''Hmph...'' Vale didn''t mind his appearance as he cast his spell.
Spell Dispersion¡
He wanted to return the Beaver to where it came from.
Unfortunately, Spell Dispersion didn''t work against the beaver...
''No. Something happened when I used the Spell¡ Should I try a few more times?'' Vale squinted as he looked at the Beaver, who started turning red. He noticed a tiny reaction when he used the Spell Dispersion just now, so he felt he just needed to use it a few more times.
Then, he saw this summoned being rushing at him. He now had an idea of what was about to happen.
Vale decided not to call back his Ghost Hands and continue with his Spell Dispersion.
In his Phantasm State, he can see that his Spell Dispersion Light is still filled with energy. Based on his calction, it should allow him to use it 10 or 12 more times without a problem.
Vale used the Spell Dispersion a couple more times, and while doing all of this, he was dodging the Slender Zombie behind him!
As the Beaver was about to reach Vale and seemingly about to explode, Vale finally seeded in his fourth attempt!
Poof!
The Beaver that was about to explode vanished into thin air.
At the same time, the Summoner, who was about toplete his other summoning ritual, coughed violently as if he was drowned in water.
''It''s the bacsh of forcefully canceling a summon¡ Good!''
Vale then found an opportunity to get closer to the man as he grabbed his head and mmed it to the ground.
Bam!
He didn''t even have the time to scream in pain as he immediately passed out.
At the same time, Vale triggered his Extraction System!
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +20 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.55 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.75 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Complete Grimoire Attraction Spell Model ]
Vale had to stop with his extraction as the Slender Zombie was about to punch him to death.
He had to jump sideways to avoid the attack, but the poor Summoner couldn''t avoid the punch at all.
Crash!
The punch hit the Summoner''s body, almost turning the man into meat paste. It was so powerful that the ground also crumbled.
Then, Vale realized that the Zombie''s Holy Artifacts started emitting a strong force that should be capable of purifying normal Dark Spells.
''Not good¡''
At this point, Vale also felt the presence of the police officers and other Arcanists rushing their way to this alley.
He had to finish this quickly.
''This...''
Suddenly, the Zombie''s shadow blocked Vale''s vision, and he immediately had an idea of what to do.
Shadow Muttion!
Vale''s hands were suddenly surrounded by darkness as soon as he activated the spell. He didn''t waste any of his time as he swiftly made his move.
Riippp~
Before the Zombie could even make a step, Vale tore apart the shadow of the Zombie with his bare hands!
The Slender Zombie, who was about to rush to his side, was cut in half! This includes the Mystical Artifacts the Zombie wore on his torso!
Bam!
The Zombie was still squirming when itnded next to his feet, but Vale didn''t stop as he extracted it for a couple of seconds.
He wanted to extract the Zombie for a bit more, but he realized that his Shadow Muttion was still active!
It means that he could still use it on the Necromancer! He couldn''t just waste his 1 Divinity Point. He might as well use it to the fullest.
Vale swiftly arrived close to Larkin, who was still dealing with the two Ghost Hands that Vale had summoned.
"You''re finally here! I''ve been waiting for you!" Larkin''s eyes lit up as soon as Vale showed up.
He was indeed faking his struggle and was merely waiting for Vale to arrive!
Of course, Vale didn''t care about this as he already felt the dozen or so Evil Spirits surrounding him.
Larkin summoned another Phantom Knight to stop the Ghost Hands from causing trouble and pointed his finger at Vale.
"I''ll show you a real forbidden art, Vale! I will now send you to hell! Gahahaha!"
As soon as he said this, Larkin triggered the Forbidden Dark Spell he had prepared for several minutes. This Spell should allow him to send Vale to the World of Undead with the help of the dozen Evil Spirits he gathered!
However, to his horror, the Spell he had prepared did not activate!
In his moment of shock, he failed to respond to Vale''s actions.
He saw Vale picking up his shadow-like paper and tearing it apart with his bare hands.
Chapter 225 Holy Arts?!
"Aaaghh!"
Larkin felt his soul being torn apart¡ It was an indescribable pain as he died right after. Larkin didn''t even realize that his body was also cut apart in the process.
Thud!
His body dropped to the ground, lifeless.
His sufferingsted for only a few seconds, but after letting out a shrill scream, the nearby people who had already noticed the disturbance in this brothel shivered in fright.
''Hurry¡'' Vale urged himself as he touched Larkin''s body.
He then triggered his system and swiftly extracted the man. After getting two notifications, he felt the presence of the Untainted Sentinels just less than a hundred meters from him.
They were already nearby, so he had to leave.
"Tsk¡" Vale felt it was a pity, but he had to stop being greedy, or he might get captured by these people.
He swiftly jumped back to the dark alley as his Extrasensory Perception Spell was then used to the fullest in order to hide his traces¡
He didn''t use it for a long time as it was only meant to confuse the Arcanists.
"Yvaine! Hide my bag inside the shadow¡ Hurry." Vale immediately instructed his Dark Spirit. Thankfully, Yvaine was rtively quick as she appeared silently with an opened treasure box.
Vale just shoved his bag into the treasure box before telling Yvaine to hide quickly.
As soon as he saw a crowd of people not too far from him, he went to hide in the crowd like a normal resident of the city.
He ignored the notifications he was getting whenever he bumped into the people on the streets as he acted like another curious passerby.
Soon, more and more police officers arrived at the crime scene.
Many of them blocked the people who were crossing the streets, and some officers also started questioning those who had witnessed the gruesome appearance of the Slender Zombie.
"I saw it! I saw it! That creature had long arms and feet equipped with various things on its body!"
"It must be those Summoners I''ve heard of!"
"That''s right. They summoned a Demon in the middle of the city! Please capture those people! They destroyed my window!"
"Tsk¡ You wereining about your window when my store''s roof was torn apart."
"My wife was injured because of them. Officer, please help us! We don''t have money to send her to the physician. The culprit must pay for it! Someone has to pay!"
Vale listened to theints for a while.
He was also a victim in this incident, so he could understand where they wereing from.
''I should leave now.'' Vale thought as he started retreating from the crowd. It was enough to know that the situation was now settled, so he had to find another ce to stay.
He can''t return to the hotel room he was previously staying at for obvious reasons.
Luckily, he didn''t have to show his ID card when he rented the room since he paid in front. They shouldn''t find him easily unless they use some kind of magical ability to trace him.
Of course, with his Spell Dispersion, he should be able to avoid being tracked.
As he was retreating, he suddenly heard a shouting from the officers who were checking the corpse on the second floor of the brothel.
"Dark Arts Practitioners! This was done by a Spellcaster from the Darkness Path!"
As soon as Vale heard this, several police officers of the Special Unit arrived and walked into the crowd.
"We apologize for the inconvenience, but all Arcane Arts Practitioners in the vicinity must follow us. Move in front and stay behind me." A female officer spoke sternly as she observed the crowd.
It was the same on the other side of the streets as the Special Unit officers gathered all practitioners hiding in the area.
This move prompted a lot of violent reactions from the Practitioners who were just looking around out of curiosity.
However, after shing with these police officers for a few seconds, they immediately gave up as they followed their instructions.
Vale swiftly used his Divine Sense to scan these officers.
Combat Arts Practitioner with 8 filled Spell Lights.
Combat Arts Practitioner with 8 filled Spell Lights.
Combat Arts Practitioner with 8 filled Spell Lights.
Mystic Arts Practitioner with 13 filled Spell Lights.
Elemental Arts Practitioner with 14 filled Spell Lights.
Holy Arts Practitioner with 11 filled Spell Lights.
As Vale was scanning the officers, he identally sensed the members of the Orders as well.
"A 14-slotted Arcanist¡" Valemented as this was the first time he had seen a practitioner with 14 Spells.
This Elemental Arts Practitioner was quite eye-catching. He was wearing a red frock coat partnered with dark red trousers. It is quite weird, but it is certainly remarkable.
"You! Aren''t you an Arcanist?! Come here!"
The female police officer interrupted his thoughts after being called out.
It appears that they have other methods of telling people whether they are a practitioner or not.
"I''ming."
Vale stiffly smiled as he followed the officer''s instruction.
''I should''ve left quickly¡'' Vale thought.
However, he shook his head at this as he also noticed a few more members of the Order monitoring the crowd and the surroundings.
If he tried to escape, he would surely be marked as the culprit once they found him.
Vale had no choice but to cooperate.
Soon, a total of six people were brought to the police station to be questioned one by one.
As soon as it was Vale''s turn, he was brought to a small room. This time, he already conditioned himself, so he was no longer afraid to face them.
There is a table in the middle and two chairs on opposite sides. The blonde female officer from the Special Unit was seated on the left, so Vale took the seat on the right.
The officer had sharp eyebrows and a stern look on her face as if she wanted to kill people with her stare.
"You''re not carrying any identity cards with you. However, my artifact reacted that you''re an Arcanist. Tell me your name and the path you are practicing. Hurry." The officer asked impatiently.
"I don''t think it''s important... I''m not rted to the incident. You''re not even introducing yourself." Vale answered. He didn''t want to be too cooperative with these people as he wanted to act like a real rogue Practitioner.
"Hmph¡ You can call me Alisha. Now, if you don''t tell me about yourself, you might be the culprit of this incident, so you better start talking."
"Tsk¡ I''m Clovis Skye, a Holy Arts Practitioner."
Chapter 226 Fake?
Chapter 226 Fake?
On the other side of the interrogation room, a group of Arcanists watched Clovis and Officer Alisha''s conversation.
Clovis'' answer created a buzz among them as they had never expected to encounter someone who the Church or the Holy Arts Faction had probably exiled.
"Ho~ I didn''t know that there are Rogue Holy Arts Practitioners¡ I thought they were all being handled by your faction or the church..." Clyde, a special member of the Illustrious Liquidator, whispered in interest.
He looked at the man who imed to be Clovis, and he couldn''t really imagine him being a Holy Arts Practitioner. Initially, he thought that this young man was an Apprentice Knight. This isn''t a wild guess, but he analyzed it considering the vitality force, and spiritual power that he can feel from Clovis.
Of course, he wasn''t the only one who was shocked at this.
"They are rare, but they exist¡ It''s also my first seeing one. I didn''t expect to find one just after arriving in this city." Teresamented.
re also nodded at this as she looked at Clovis curiously. "Do you think he''s faking it?" She asked.
"I don''t think so. His Arcane Path can be easily proven if we ask him to cast a spell. We will easily find out if he was lying." Teresa answered.
No matter what, this young man shouldn''t lie about his Arcane Path since it could be easily discovered whether he was telling the truth or not.
Teresa and re, who were part of the Untainted Sentinels, feltplicated after seeing a fellow Holy Arts Meanwhile, Officer Alisha was lost for words after hearing the young man''s answer.
''I''m actually suspecting a Holy Arts Practitioner for being the culprit of the incident?'' Alisha suddenly had a stiff smile on her face.
Clovis was thest person she had to interrogate, and Clovis was also the most suspicious among all the rogue practitioners they had taken into custody.
It was already proven that the incident was rted to the Dark Arts Practitioners. To be exact, there is one Necromancer and a Summoner who the Zombie killed. ording to the investigators, there should be a third person, and it must be another Dark Arts Practitioner who practices a Spell simr to Spectral Hands or Ghost Hands.
They are now searching for this other person, so Alisha couldn''t help but feel disappointed that Clovis wasn''t the one they were looking for. She was so sure that Clovis was that other person since her instincts would generally be urate.
It appears that she was too tired today and made a mistake.
"Very well, show me any Spell of the Holy Arts Faction so I can send you away." Alisha said as she just wanted to finish her job today.
"Well¡ I only learned two Holy Arts spells." Vale hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"One of them is Blessed Healing¡ So can I try using it on your ss of water?" Vale asked.
However, as he thought that he was being inconspicuous, he heard the Special Unit officer react strangely.
Cough! Cough!
"What did you say?! Are you an exiled Priest? No, you''re too young¡ Are you an Acolyte? What sin did youmit?! Please don''t joke with me. What will you say next? You can use Divine Sense like the Bishops of the Church?" Alisha asked in exasperation as she couldn''t Normally, these priests would act like they are privileged, and no one can really me them for acting like that. believe that a practitioner who could cast Blessed Healing had even cooperated with their interrogation.
Normally, these priests would act like they are privileged, and no one can really me them for acting like that. People would typically try and get to the good sides of these practitioners since no one can tell when you would need their powers.
If, in the beginning, Clovis just spoke and told her that he was a young priest of the Fortune Goddess, or an Acolyte, or perhaps an emunicated priest, she wouldn''t dare ask him to follow her to the police station!
Since he was only a teenager, Alisha could believe him if he simply said that he was an Acolyte. He doesn''t need to be sote telling her about his identity!
''This¡''
Vale had no idea what it meant to have Blessed Healing since it wasn''t adequately discussed in their ss. He only knew that it was just a Tier 1 Holy Art and shouldn''t be that rare since it has low requirements.
"I¡ It''splicated." Vale answered as he realized that the Divine Sense was actually a Bishop-Exlusive Spell!
Anyway, he can''t reveal too much information. It''s better not to broaden his lie too much, or he might be found out. If he said that he''s an Acolyte or a Priest, there might be some follow-up questions that he couldn''t answer.
"Can I just try it on your ss of water?" Vale asked again, eager to prove his spell to leave this ce already.
As Alisha was about to agree, the door of the interrogation room suddenly opened.
Two gorgeousdies wearing white trench coats and holding white umbres like a cane entered the room.
Vale looked at the two, and he recalled who they were. His Divine Sense had previously noticed their presence, and they were both remarkable, so it was easy to remember them.
If he wasn''t mistaken, these two should be 11-slotted Arcanists of the Holy Arts Faction.
Practitioner.
"Lady Teresa¡ Lady re." Alisha immediately stood up after seeing the two.
From the way she respects the two, Vale can guess that thesedies have a high position, or perhaps, these two are Untainted Sentinels.
"Don''t mind us, Alisha. The wall is blocking our senses, so we quickly entered the room to see his Holy Arts clearly." re spoke as she looked at Alisha.
"We just want to watch him cast the Blessed Healing¡ I don''t believe that he had learned the spell at all. It must be a different or weaker version of the Blessed Healing, like a Touch of Grace or Lesser Purification." Teresa added as she coldly looked at the young man iming to be a Holy Arts Practitioner.
Chapter 227 Marked
Chapter 227 Marked
''So it was like that¡ It''s good that they''re also here.''
Alisha nodded as she also wanted to learn more about the Holy Arts. Their presence here would allow her to better identify these spells in the future.
"Very well¡ Clovis will try to use his Blessed Healing, and please let me know if it''s a genuine Holy Arts since I''m not experienced with this matter." She replied to the two Untainted Sentinels.
''Alright¡''
Finally, Clovis was d he could prove he was a Holy Arts Practitioner.
Without any more hesitation, Clovis ced the ss of water near him and ced both of his hands around the ss.
Soon, his hands started glowing with white light. It was a weak light, but the sacred aura around it was undoubtedly Holy Art!
Teresa and re looked at each other. They can no longer deny it. Clovis was indeed a Holy Arts Practitioner!
However, ording to Clyde, Clovis had a higher Life Force than people of the same age. It was such an odd thing to happen.
It must be remembered that Clyde was a unique member of the Illustrious Liquidators, and the people in this Order rarely made mistakes regarding this matter.
Unfortunately, Clovis seemed to have used some sort of trick since his current Spiritual Energy and Life Force could no longer be sensed no matter what they tried.
"Too weak¡ But it''s really a Blessed Healing¡ Did a Bishop teach you? Which one of them?"
Teresa and re only looked at the ss of water to confirm that Clovis had indeed created a very weak healing water.
It was quite pathetic at their current level, but it didn''t change the fact that it was real. With this level, Clovis can still be a great figure, especially in small towns or viges of the Kingdom.
"I''m sorry¡ I promised not to reveal it. It''s a bitplicated to tell." Clovis answered.
The two couldn''t help but wonder how Clovis turned into an unaffiliated Holy Arts Practitioner.
Nevertheless, holding him here was inappropriate since he hadmitted no crime. He had to leave, and they couldn''t do anything about it.
After all, they still have to search for the real culprit, and they can''t stay here for long. They can''t waste their time investigating an innocent man.
Who knows, this guy might just be on a secret mission simr to what they experienced when they were young.
As re was about to tell Alisha to send Clovis away, she suddenly recalled something as she looked at the young man and said, "Clovis, because of the recent activities around the area, we might need your cooperation regarding some matters."
"Hmm?"
It wasn''t just Clovis who was confused as Teresa also nced at her partner with a curious look. She didn''t know what re was thinking.
Clovis hesitated momentarily, but he still agreed to it.
In any case, he would no longer return here once he left this ce. It means the chances of meeting them again would be nearly impossible.
Furthermore, once he returned to the Academy, he would also learn a spell that could help him hide his identity since he has plenty of Spell Lights anyway.
He didn''t mind using one of them to record a Disguise Spell or something simr.
"Although I don''t think it''s necessary, I don''t mind cooperating¡" He replied.
re smiled at this as she looked at Teresa.
"That''s great. Teresa, you can mark him using your Divine Sense¡ That way, we can look for him once we need him."
As soon as re said this, Teresa''s eyes lit up as she finally understood what re was trying to do.
In an instant, Teresa used her Divine Sense to mark Clovis.
On the other hand, thetter was shocked to know that Divine Sense can actually mark people to locate them quickly in the future. He didn''t even feel how he got marked!
It was such a powerful ability!
re smiled after seeing Clovis'' reaction.
"You looked surprised. I guess your teacher did not tell you... Bishops are only capable of learning the Elementary Realm of the Divine Sense. Only the ones at the level of Cardinal can learn the Intermediate Realm." re exined kindly.
"So it was like that¡" Clovis muttered as he felt grateful to this talkative woman.
"What about the Advanced Realm?" Clovis asked curiously.
"Hmm?"
re then looked at Clovis with an amused smile before she answered. " Not even the Pontiff could reach that level. However, I heard that you could permanently mark a person in that realm. Amazing, right?"
Clovis'' face brightened after hearing this.
''So it means that the mark on me was not permanent?'' Clovis nodded at this thought as he thanked thedy.
It didn''t take that long before Clovis was allowed to leave the police station. It was quite a hassle, but he was happy that he could finally leave.
He didn''t waste his time as he headed straight to a hotel at the periphery of the city.
***
At the station, the two Untainted Sentinels watched Clovis'' disappearing figure.
"Why did you inform him about the Divine Sense?" Teresa asked re after Clovis can no longer be seen. It was quite weird that re mentioned these things even though she didn''t have to.
re chuckled at this question and answered. "Nothing, I was just assessing his knowledge. Those things I said were taught in the Academy. However, I noticed he was genuinely unaware, meaning he wasn''t educated in the Academy. Then, we know that someone outside the Academy taught him the Blessed Healing that only Bishops should know, so I get to minimize the Bishop that could''ve possibly taught him this."
re paused for a moment to look at her partner before she continued. "Now that you marked him, it shouldst for at least a month before it wears off. It''s plenty of time to search for that missing Dark Spellcaster, and then we can get back on him and find out his real identity. Aren''t you curious? Perhaps he''s undergoing a secret mission. It should be exciting, so we need to observe him!"
Teresa could only shake her head at this but didn''t mind what her partner was thinking. In any case, this was just a form of entertainment for her.
Chapter 228 Multiple Upgrades
"Whoo~"
Vale felt extremely tired as he sat on the bed. He rented a room to sleep for the rest of the night for three zen and ten nolls which was quite expensive. However, he didn''t bother negotiating as he needed a ce to stay to look normal.
Of course, he didn''te here to rest¡
He immediately checked his attribute panel to check what he got when he extracted the zombie, the Summoner, and the necromancer.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 41.52, Agility 39.80, Intelligence 58.05, Vitality 45.20 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv7, Darkness Maniption Lv2, Spirit Vision Lv0, Light Absorption Lv3, Create Shadow Soldier Lv0, Cursed Breath Lv0 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv1, Blessed Healing Lv0 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv0, Shadow Muttion Lv0 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv0 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv6, Traceless Shift Lv0 ]
[ Avable Energy: 2845 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 3.28 ]
His Strength, Agility, and Intelligence Points slightly increased. It was quite surprising, but Larkin gave decent attribute points, perhaps because he was practicing some Forbidden Art.
He also gained three new Spells. They were the Create Shadow Soldier from Larkin, Cursed Breath from the Zombie, and the Grimoire Attraction from the Summoner.
Unfortunately, he only got 1 Spell Light, so it was quite frustrating as two of the Spell Models took his two precious Spell Lights. It means that he only has 9 nk Spell Lights.
Of course, he could''ve rejected these Spell Models during the extraction but decided not to do that. Although he was frustrated by theck of Spell Lights, he still liked the spells he had extracted.
Anyway, his Divinity Points lessened by only 0.5 points. That was quite unexpected since he was expecting the nar Spell had consumed a whole Divinity Point. It shows that the Shadow Muttion was actually weaker than the Call of the Divine Lightning. Q1w22xd
Furthermore, as soon as he checked the Spell Lights in his body, he realized that the Shadow Muttion was usable once again!
It was unlike the Divine Lightning, which was still unusable up until this point.
After Vale appreciated the changes in his Attribute Panel, it was finally time to upgrade his Spells. With his 2,845 Energy Points, he can finally upgrade his spells.
The first Spell he upgraded was the Divine Sense.
The reason was obvious. He wanted to remove the mark that Teresa had left behind.
"Oh? It was actually as expensive as the Incorruptible Body." Vale muttered as he tried upgrading it.
To reach level two, he needed to spend 60 Energy Points. It means that he spent 420 points to advance the Divine Sense to Level 4 or the early stage of the Intermediate Realm.
It was quite expensive, but he was already lucky that he didn''t need to perform any ritual just to advance his mastery. He only needed points and he was grateful for that.
Of course, this also made Vale aware of why the Intermediate Realm of the Divine Sense was exclusive to the Cardinals of the Church. With such a high requirement, not just anyone can learn the Spell.
After that, Vale tested his Divine Sense and confirmed it had gotten stronger.
He also realized that he could leave three Tracking Marks that couldst 30 days on his target.
Of course, Vale used its introspection ability and found the Mark that Teresa left behind. It was actually on his shoulder.
He controlled his Divine Sense to try and remove this mark and confirmed that he could remove it at any time.
''Not yet¡ I''ll remove it once I''m ready to disappear.'' Vale silently thought as he just left the mark untouched.
After being satisfied with this and confirming that Vale''s Vitality Points weren''t much affected by his Divine Sense, he continued upgrading his Spells.
With his remaining 2,425 points, he can upgrade many of his Spells, so he immediately started.
The next Spell he upgraded was the Darkness Maniption Spell, pushing it to level 6 or thete stage of the Intermediate Realm. He spent 40 points to reach level 3 and 80 points to level 4, and so on.
He spent a total of 600 points, so he was left with 1,825 points.
Vale paused for a moment as he considered upgrading the Create Shadow Soldier. However, he recalled that this Spell was something he shouldn''t have learned yet. He shouldn''t be aware of its Spell Model until the next Academy Year. Furthermore, the Academy wouldter teach it to them, and they would have to demonstrate it once they learned the Spell.
If he showed an Intermediate Realm Shadow Soldier the moment he "recorded" the Spell, it would be pretty difficult to exin how he advanced it so quickly.
In the end, Vale decided not to touch this Spell for now as he shifted his attention to the Traceless Shift.
He was previously hesitant to level it up since this was a Spell used by Evil Creatures.
However, after using it to snatch the treasure box, he realized that this Spell could actually be so useful.
This rare Spell was rtively cheap as he only needed 3 Energy Points to advance it to Level 1.
Vale only spent 381 points to reach Level 7 or Advanced Realm.
''Let''s try it¡'' Vale silently thought as he used the Traceless Shift.
He targeted the pot beside the window and in the blink of an eye, the pot disappeared as it silently shifted its position into Vale''s hands.
It was silent and swift, as expected of the Advanced Realm.
"Incredible. This Spell should be called Steal¡" Vale muttered as he couldn''t believe that this Spell could be so good. It can only be used twice in its Level 0 stage, and the cooldown could take a few hours.
However, the Steal can be used 10 times in its Advanced Realm, and the cooldown is only three hours.
With 1,444 left, he leveled up all low-level Spells into Intermediate Realm except for the Create Shadow Soldier and the Celestial Arts.
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv7, Darkness Maniption Lv6, Spirit Vision Lv4, Light Absorption Lv4, Create Shadow Soldier Lv0, Cursed Breath Lv4 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv4, Blessed Healing Lv4 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv0, Shadow Muttion Lv0 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv4 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv6, Traceless Shift Lv7 ]
Chapter 229 Escaped
Vale spent a total of 45 points to advance the Spirit Vision to level 4 since it has the same price as the Traceless Shift.
As for the Cursed Breath, it requires 4 points to advance it to Level 1. In total, he had to spend 60 points to reach Level 4.
Unexpectedly, Grimoire Attraction had the same price as he spent another 60 points, leaving him with 1,279 Energy Points.
Vale stopped upgrading his Spell since he nned to record a Movement Spell in his second year in the Academy.
He also didn''t dare to upgrade his Celestial Arts since he might not be able to control its powers, and the most important reason was that the consumption of the Divinity Points might get higher.
With his pitiful amount of Divinity, he can''t afford to upgrade these Celestial Arts, or he might not even have a chance of using them.
***
Another three days quickly passed, and Vale heard some interesting news circting around the city.
First, he heard that the police had exterminated the Snake Brotherhood, which was quite surprising to others since they believed that the syndicate had connections to the police.
Of course, they were only surprised at first. As soon as they heard the other rumor, they immediately understood why they had met such an end.
Apparently, someone had leaked that they had dabbled in a Forbidden Ritual. This ritual attracted an enmity of demonic beings, and the huge bolt of lightning that struck their ce was proof of this circting rumor.
It was a great relief to many people and also to Vale, who was the culprit of this incident.
On the other hand, the disturbance created by the Summoner and Necromancer had also caused a stir. However, it quickly died down since no innocent lives were taken then. There were only a few injuries, and they were also quicklypensated by the city administration.
Clink.
Vale finished the cup of tea he purchased for 40 nolls as he looked outside the Tea Parlour.
This is the cheapest tea he could purchase since the price of tea typically reaches about 3 to 5 zen. They were so expensive as they were trying to keep up with the nobles.
It is so much better to purchase some tea leaves from the merchants.
''Tsk¡ There''s already a lot of movement within the churches and the police¡ I think those two will start looking for me in the next two or three days. I should leaveter tonight.'' Vale silently thought as he made up his mind.
Vale actually wanted to leave as quickly as possible after he upgraded his Spells. However, when he was thinking of removing the Divine Sense Mark on his body, he realized that he was also being monitored by someone about 40 meters away from him.
It is quite a decent range for a Magic Zone, and they would surely be undetected if they were monitoring some normal Arcane Arts Practitioner.
However, Vale was different. With over 150 meters range of Magic Zone, he wouldn''t miss the people who were trying to monitor him secretly.
Anyway, over the past couple of days, he realized that the one monitoring him also needed some rest. Around 11 pm and 1 am, he wouldn''t sense this person.
That would be the perfect time to remove the Tracking Mark on his shoulder.
Later tonight, he would surely leave this city, and he won''t be returning ever again.
***
At midnight, a group of young Elementalists was about to go outside Melthorn City.
They passed the lively red-light district and exited the western gates of the city before boarding a private carriage that had been waiting for them for quite some time.
As soon as the coachman noticed his clients, he heaved a sigh of relief as he waited for them to board. It didn''t take long before they departed without wasting so many words.
There were a total of four people within the group of Elementalists, and they were all silent throughout the journey.
It was only after 45 minutes when the coachman spoke.
"We''re here¡ This is the farthest I can go." The old coachman said.
They were about to enter a rough road leading to a forest about a kilometer away from their stop.
"Thank you¡ Here''s the rest of the payment." The leader of the group said as he handed over the payment.
The old coachman smiled and thanked the young man. He wanted to see his face, but unfortunately, he couldn''t recognize their faces since it was really dark and all of them were wearing cloaks of the Elementalist Faction.
As soon as he confirmed that the payment included a generous tip, he immediately left the ce.
"Lester, my Wind Fairy sensed someone ahead of us." A female elementalist in the group reported to the leader. She''s Addison Clements and a Wind Elementalist. She looked very pale, but it was just her natural skin tone.
She had what seemed like a silver ne wrapped around her left palm as shemunicated with her Wind Fairy.
"If they''re alone, then that''s not a problem. Can your Wind Spirit check how many people and how far they are?" Lester replied.
Hunter and Reed, who were silent all this time, frowned at this.
"Aren''t we supposed to be the first ones to know about the Night re Grass?" Hunter asked as he looked at their leader.
"Lester, are you sure that it wasn''t leaked?" Reed followed up, filled with doubt.
The reason they came here was to collect some Night re Grass. Only Elementalist like them should know about its presence in the forest now, so they couldn''t help but feel suspicious.
Other Arcane Arts Practitioners would not necessarily need this grass unless they were Alchemists.
"There was no way it was leaked. It must be a coincidence."
As Lester said this, Addison also nodded as she spoke.
"Indeed¡ Lester was right. This must be a coincidence. My Wind Fairy just confirmed that the man was alone, and he seemed to be lost. Unfortunately, my fairy can''t tell if he''s an Arcane Arts Practitioner."
Lester nodded at this and said. "That''s great. Reed, put him to sleep and throw him somewhere."
Chapter 230 Targeted
"Throw him?"
Reed couldn''t help but chuckle after hearing Lester''s words.
They were actually feeling kind enough to do this to the man they''d targeted. After all, what Lester probably meant was to hang this person on top of a tree or any branch so that he wouldn''t get eaten by the wolves or even bears around this area.
"Alright¡ How far was he?" Reed asked as he looked at Addison, who had a Wind Fairy under hermand.
Among the four Elementalists, she was the only one who had contracted an Elemental Spirit. The elemental affinity requirement for this was actually rtively high that only 1 out 20 Elementalists can form a contract to a Fairy or Elemental Spirit.
It was due to this reason that they dared toe here with only four of them.
"He''s moving. He''s probably heading to the Enchanted Linden Forest like us. My Wind Fairy can only roughly find the person''s traces about 600 meters from us."
"Alright¡ I''ll go ahead and deal with him." Reed said as he used his Wind Spell to boost his speed.
Before Addison contracted her Wind Fairy, Reed was actually the scout of this small group. It was because of his unique Wind Spell that had already reached an intermediate level.
With this Spell, he could move faster than anyone else in the group. Even if there was danger ahead, all of them were confident that this man could survive to warn them.
As Reed left the group, the others also hastened their movement so they won''t be separated by more than 400 meters.
"Hunter, why do you look so serious?" Addison suddenly asked after realizing that Hunter was gripping his staff tightly.
She didn''t find any danger around them, so she couldn''t help but be curious.
Hunter is their Fire Elementalist and their strongest in terms of firepower. He has the most destructive Spells butcks defensive and decent movement spells.
Apparently, he didn''t learn any other spells aside from Fire Element. Even though he was also slightlypatible with Earth Element, he didn''t bother learning any of the Earth Spells.
Hunter helplessly smiled after being noticed as he replied worriedly.
"I just remembered the rumors circting in Melthorn City. Wasn''t there a missing Dark Arts Practitioner? There was also that strange phenomenon that destroyed dozens or even hundreds of homes in the slums in the Southern District."
Addison squinted her eyes after hearing this. She was also aware of that news, and it happened on the day they arrived in this city.
"My Wind Fairy didn''t react. She would normally warn us if she sensed some negative energy." She said after some hesitation.
"You''re overthinking¡ If the missing Dark Arts Practitioner is that man, we would have sensed his Deathly Aura already." Lester added.
Elementalists like them were sensitive to the aura emitted by other Arcane Arts Practitioners.
"However, you''re right. We need to be careful since we don''t know the man."
Lester also agreed to this, but none of them was worried about Reed. After all, if Reed encountered an opponent he couldn''t run away from, then there was no way they could escape as well.
***
"Hmm? Did he notice my presence?" Reed muttered after realizing that the man had stopped moving.
He slowed down after his 30-meter Magic Zone reached the man. It was quite dark, but the moonlight was helping him see the person''s back.
He was quite smaller than he expected and must be a teenager.
After realizing that he was only a young man, Reed rxed quite a lot as he slowly approached him from behind.
"Alright¡ You can''t go any further than here. Once you wake up tomorrow, just return to the city and don''t loiter around." Reed calmly said as he triggered his Spell.
''Shockwave¡''
Reed controlled the Wind Spell to ensure that the strength was only enough to put him unconscious.
Whom~
The surrounding grass and dried leaves scattered as the Shockwave Spell hit the young man.
"Ah?" Reed was about to head towards the man since he expected that he would drop to the ground as soon as he was hit.
However, the moment he stepped forward, he realized that the man was still standing¡
The Shockwave didn''t even disturb him at all!
He suddenly had a bad feeling as he activated his Wind Run. It was his unique Wind Spell that allowed him to be the fastest among his group.
Thud!
As soon as he retreated, he realized that he had just escaped being grabbed by a dark hand!
He actually didn''t notice it until it reached his position!
Without any more hesitation, Reed prepared to escape. He knew very well that his job wasn''t to fight another Arcane Arts Practitioner. He had to retreat and wait for hispanions.
However, as he thought of this, the young man finally turned his back.
"Y-you¡" Reed was shocked when he saw the man wearing a demonic mask.
Without a doubt, he was dealing with a demonic practitioner¡ He may not necessarily be a Dark Arts Practitioner, but after seeing the dark hand a moment ago, he could guess it was probably a Ghost Hand or even the infamous Spectral Hand of the Darkness Path.
What was even more scary was that the moment his eyesnded on that mask, his movement or reaction time slowed.
It was such a scary sensation, especially when you could see three ghastly hands that seemed to havee from hell reaching out to your body.
Furthermore, he tried activating all his other Spells. However, after they formed around him, they would just dissipate into nothingness as if this ce had banned the use of Elemental Spells! It was so unfair!
He soon realized he was utterly incapable of moving as threerge and ghastly hands restricted him from moving¡
Then, the next thing he noticed was that this unknown person approached him and touched his chest.
As he thought he was about to die, he gritted his teeth and begged for mercy.
"I¡ I''m sorry¡ I was simply trying to---" His words were suddenly cut off as he felt somethinging out of his body before passing out.
Chapter 231 Appraised
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +20 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Strength +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light ]
Vale stopped extracting the Elementalist as soon as he passed out. He had no ns of killing this person since he believed that he didn''t deserve to die.
Furthermore, hispanions had already noticed something wrong and were rushing to his side.
''Oh? Is that an Elemental Spirit?'' Vale muttered after sensing something above him.
Without any hesitation, he used the Spirit Vision to observe it carefully.
Thankfully, his Spirit Vision had already reached the Intermediate Realm, so it allowed him to inspect the Elemental Spirit in a brief moment.
''A Wind Spirit, huh¡ Furthermore, it seems to have a wider range than me.'' Vale silently thought as he analyzed the Spirit using his Spell.
Apparently, his Divine Sense and Phantasm State couldn''t properly give him some feedback about this being.
His Divine Sense was most effective if used on humans, while his Phantasm State works perfectly on things or objects. As for the Spirit Vision, it works well on Spiritual Beings or simr beings, which is quite impressive.
''I wonder how Ashe reacted after realizing that his Spirit Vision Spell Model was gone¡'' Vale wondered but he swiftly shook his head to erase his random thoughts.
He saw that thepanions of the man he just defeated had already arrived.
"You didn''t escape?" The man, who seemed to be the leader of this group of Elementalists, spoke as he looked at Vale with a hint of vignce.
He was expecting that this person who wore a demonic mask would escape as soon as he realized he had to deal with three more Elementalists.
The leader then shifted his attention to Reed and was relieved that he was still alive and seemed to have just passed out.
Vale smiled under his masked and replied.
"I was attacked by yourpanion¡ Do you think you can just kill anyone as long as they''re alone? Are you a member of some Evil Cult?" He asked with a hint of mockery.
Of course, he knows that the Shockwave Spell that was used to attack him wasn''t meant to kill him. However, Vale needs to exaggerate it to stay on the moral high ground.
As expected, the moment he said this, the female Elementalist immediately responded. "We have no intention of killing you! We just can''t allow you to continue further. You might disturb us in our mission. You should be able to tell that ourpanion didn''t have any killing intent when he approached you."
In her mind, she felt infuriated after being used of being part of an Evil Cult by a man wearing a Demonic Mask!
She should be the one using him of being a part of an Evil Cult!
Of course, Vale didn''t mind what she was thinking as he stood closer to the unconscious Elementalist. It is time to interrogate them.
"How can I tell whether someone has killing intent or not? I''m not an expert. Just tell me everything you know about this forest and your mission." Vale said as his aura suddenly changed.
It was simply his Darkness Maniption Spell as he gathered the Dark Energy in the surroundings. Surprisingly, this area had an abundant source of Dark Energy. It may not be as rich as the Academy grounds, but it wasn''t bad at all.
Nevertheless, as he gathered this energy, Vale appeared more intimidating as the three Elementalists hesitated whether to fight or cooperate.
In the end, Lester, the leader of the group, decided to reveal what they knew as long as Vale promised not to kill theirpanion.
It didn''t take long before Vale learned the forest''s secret.
"So it was the Night re Grass¡ What does it do?" Vale asked. It was his first time hearing of this precious grass, but since it was important to Elementalist, it must be something incredible.
Addison, the female Elementalist, decided to answer this question.
"The Night re Grass only appears if a Fire Elementalist has gone out of control¡"
''Hmm?''
Vale was confused, but he remained silent.
Seeing that the man was unperturbed, she continued. "If his essence scattered to the Night Ember Grass, it would turn into Night re Grass, which can be used to create potions that extend life. As for Elementalists like us, it can strengthen our connection to the Fire Element. Night re Grass is also an ingredient to create a rare potion that replenishes our Elemental Energy."
Vale finally reacted after hearing this.
"It must be expensive then¡ No wonder you don''t want anyone to discover it." Vale muttered.
However, he was also thinking about what she said about a Fire Elementalist losing control.
If he wasn''t mistaken, she was referring to their Elemental State.
If the Darkness Path has Phantasm State, the Element Path has Elemental State. Simr to them, if the Elementalist exceeded their limit in their special state, they would have a chance of losing control of their powers and end up being controlled by the natural instinct of an Elemental Being.
"Expensive? A de of Night re Grass is ten times more expensive than the tea leaves used by royalty¡ Of course, they''re expensive." Addison replied mockingly as she realized that the person in front of them seemed to like money.
"Very well. I''ll be collecting all the Night re Grass. You can head back now." Vale said as he waved his hand to the Elementalists.
He also felt that the Demonic Mask was already reaching its limit.
''I didn''t think I could only wear this for 15 minutes. What a shame¡'' Valemented as he turned around to leave.
Apparently, the Demonic Mask and the Demonic Dagger that he acquired from the leader of the Snake Brotherhood have been appraised by Yvaine inside his shadow!
She may not know their proper names, but she learned about their usage and negative effects!
Yvaine may not have the premonition powers like Lotus, but she has a power simr to appraisers!
Chapter 232 Grimace
"What did you say?!" Addison was infuriated as soon as she heard the man''s words.
He actually wanted to monopolize the Night re Grass that they had waited to be fully nurtured! She couldn''t help but feel angry at the audacity of this person.
Her Wind Fairy had already started creating wind arrows and was waiting for the signal to attack.
However, before Addison couldmand the fairy to attack, their leader hastily spoke.
"Stop, Addison¡ Saving Reed''s life is more important. Just let the man leave." Lester said as he held Addison''s arm.
However, Addison didn''t want to listen as she knew that Reed had a Mystical Item that could protect his life. Using him as a hostage wouldn''t deter her from attacking.
Realizing that the situation might go out of control, Lester sternly spoke.
"Look above you¡"
After saying this, Addison looked above her only to realize that there were three huge and ghastly hands above them!
"Ahh¡"
The terrifying hands were huge and about three times the size of her Wind Fairy!
Addison almost stumbled after seeing these hands¡ Howe she failed to notice them?! They were obviously inside her Elemental State''s Magic Zone!
Hunter, who was also preparing to cast a spell, calmed down as he watched the masked man turn around to leave.
He also failed to notice the Ghost Hands above them. Nevertheless, if Addison really attacked, there was no way he would allow her to face the masked man alone.
Luckily, the masked man didn''t care about them casting their spells as he left swiftly. As soon as his figure disappeared, the Ghost Hands above them also dissipated like they were just illusions. However, they know for sure that those Hands weren''t just there as decoration.
''Whew~''
Hunter heaved a sigh of relief as soon as the masked man left. He was actually feeling threatened even though the man was just standing without any hints of defense. He even turned his back on his possible enemies!
In his mind, his Fire Spell could reach the masked man before those terrifying ghost hands could reach him. It was quite odd since he couldn''t tell where that person''s confidence wasing from.
"What do we do now?" Hunter asked.
He had always trusted his instincts and knew that the masked man was dangerous. Chasing him right away might be dangerous for them.
"He was probably that Dark Arts Practitioner that caused trouble in the city. Should we report it?" Addison asked as she walked towards Reed.
All of them could tell that theirpanion just passed out and still steadily breathing, so they weren''t concerned about his condition.
Lester shook his head at Addison''s suggestion.
"If we report it to the city, all the Night re Grass would be gone by then. Even if there are still some remaining des of grass, they would be taken by other factions, and we wouldn''t benefit from it. Once Reed wakes up, we''ll n our ambush¡ We have no choice but to kill this person. We''ll be using all our Elemental Talismans today to kill him."
Lester said with a sinister voice. He was the most frustrated among the group, but he was keeping it inside.
Since the man dared to take advantage of them, he would have to go all out. Furthermore, the man was most likely a wanted criminal, so they wouldn''t feel burdened eliminating this type of person.
Addison and Hunter looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
They brought high-level Elemental Talismans with them and will use them to drown that masked man with powerful Spells. They just need to make enough preparations to ambush him and it could guarantee their win even if they face a First-ss Dark Magician.
At this thought, they checked their belt bags where they were keeping their precious talismans.
"¡"
"¡"
"¡"
The three Elementalists went silent as they realized that their belt bags were missing!
"What happened?!"
"Where did it go?!"
"This¡ Was it stolen right in front of us?!"
Aside from feeling shocked, the three of them felt a chill run up their spine. If their bags were stolen without them realizing it, then that person could''ve done more if he wanted to mess with them!
At this time, Lester suddenly started panicking¡
"No¡ No¡ This is bad! My Awakening Token is inside that bag!"
Addison and Hunter were stunned since this would cause a massive problem for Lester. The Awakening Token was their only chance of advancing their Elemental Affinity after their Elemental Baptism. This would allow them to be a Second-ss Elementalist!
This token cost a vast fortune and Lester probably needs another decade to save enough money to get this one again!
Addison, Hunter, and Reed didn''t even have enough money to see this item in person!
"Not good¡ We should follow him quickly, or he might get away." Addison worriedly said. She could tell how frustrated their leader was.
He was previously hoping to use it together with the nourishment of the Night re Grass but all of it hade to an end after he lost his belt bag.
***
In the meantime, Vale had no clue about how these Elementalist were now grimacing.
As soon as Vale got out of range of the Elemental Spirit, he didn''t immediately rx as he used his Extrasensory Perception Spell to create a film of energy to hide his presence.
He also used his full agility to run inside the forest before removing the Demonic Mask on his face.
"Yvaine, hide this mask for now." Vale immediately said as he leaned on a nearby tree.
Yvaine silently appeared beside him and opened the treasure box where he could keep his things. Seeing this, Vale carefully ced the mask back into the box.
Just like what he had guessed before, the mask had a mystical ability rted to the summoning technique. It was based on the white me that he found during Phantasm State''s detection.
When Yvaine appraised the object inside his shadow, she learned that the Demonic Mask and Dagger were indeed strange. In Vale''s opinion, they are what he could call an Equipment Set.
If he wore both of these items at the same time, he could summon a strange living white me! He hadn''t tried it yet, but ording to Yvaine, the white me was most likely a sentient me, and he should be careful about it.
Chapter 233 Stabbed
Although this set of items has such a powerful effect when used together, it doesn''t mean they''re weak if used alone.
As a matter of fact, the Demonic Mask''s passive effect allows him to strengthen all of his Spells by at least 20 to 25%.
From a certain perspective, it was definitely a lot better than the Energy Potion that Alchemist Sherah could produce in herboratory.
After all, the Demonic Mask doesn''t cause a significant strain on your body after usage. The only problem with the mask was the fact that he couldn''t use it for long unless he repaired it.
That''s right, both the mask and dagger were actually damaged. Vale had no idea how to fix it unless he brought it to an expert in the Academy. It may cause some problems if he was questioned about its origin, but that''s the quickest way to do it.
He doesn''t know anyone who could fix this outside the Vermont Academy anyway.
Of course, there''s another solution to this, and that is to simply learn how to fix it. In his second year, he will study the fundamental reconstruction and creation of Mystical Items. Then, he''ll have an intermediate study of it in his third year.
He might be able to fix it at that time since he would also do some self-study, but if in case he fails to do so, he still has an advanced study of this subject in his fourth year.
''The side effect of losing vision if used excessively was quite scary¡ I shouldn''t use it again unless I fix the damage.'' Vale thought as he recalled the side effect of using this mask.
The loss of vision may be temporary if he exceeded the limit, but it was still quite scary to think about it.
This was why when he felt that the mask was starting to cover his sight, he immediately turned around to leave.
''Anyway, I still earned quite a lot today. I hope their bags have some valuable things.'' Vale muttered as he opened the bags one by one.
"Elemental Talismans? Not bad¡ They look a lot better than the ones I got from Brylle and the others." Vale muttered as he scoured the four bags. He didn''t know what level of quality they were since he was not an expert.
Nevertheless, the paper itself feels a lot more expensive than the ones he got from students of Rakmiths Academy.
He also found some cash in them but wasn''t too excited to see them since he wasn''tcking money.
Currently, most of his needs as a practitioner of Arcane Arts can be resolved by having enough Contribution Points. Whether they are Spell Models, Mystical Items, or knowledge, they could be found in the Academy.
As for having cash, he wouldn''t need plenty of them unless he started going out of the Academy most of the time.
''Well, having a few hundred more is not a bad thing.'' Vale silently thought as he estimated the amount of money he got.
It was only about six hundred zen, worth about the same price as a mid-grade Regr Mystical Item.
As he continued searching the bag, something finally caught his attention.
"Hmm?" Vale found a token about the size of his palm inside one of the belt bags. It wasn''t heavy, but it was quite cold to touch.
Without any hesitation, he entered his Phantasm State and saw a blue ball of light inside it.
"This¡ Isn''t this light mean it''s connected to a certain realm?" Vale frowned as he recalled what he had learned in the Rudimentary Usage of Mystical Artifacts ss.
Without a doubt, this mystical item was a rare and precious one. However, this type of item is normally used as a sacrifice during rituals.
As for what ritual this token could be used, Vale had no idea.
Anyway, he didn''t overthink about this since he still had other matters to attend¡ It is the collection of the Night re Grass inside this forest.
Vale then ced all the bags inside the treasure box with Yvaine''s help, but he kept six Elemental Talismans inside his pocket.
It might be useful since he was about to enter an unnamed enchanted forest. He may not find robbers or bandits in this ce, but encountering Evil Spirits or even possessing corpses inside wouldn''t be surprising.
After all, any Arcane Arts Practitioners who die here for various reasons may not be cremated in time. Not being cremated or being sealed only means one thing, a perfect vessel for Evil Spirit.
As expected, as soon as his Phantasm State spread around him, he felt the presence of two horrifying beings.
''No wonder they were going here in a group¡ There could be danger ahead.'' Vale silently thought as he recalled the group of Elementalists.
He then paused for a moment as he shifted his attention to the other things he had detected.
''If I''m not mistaken, the Night re Grass are those things emitting strong fluctuation of energy. There are indeed plenty of them. I should take as many as I can.'' Vale thought as he decided to take the nearby Night re Grass first before dealing with those Evil Creatures.
Each de of Night re Grass emits a faint red light which easily attracts the attention of nearby animals and people.
Without any hesitation, Vale collected the grass ording to what the Elementalists said.
After collecting a total of 14 des of grass, the Evil Creature finally noticed Vale''s presence as it quickly moved towards him.
"Hmm? What a strange Evil Creature... Did it grow up here in the forest?" Vale muttered in surprise.
Currently, his Divine Sense allowed him to sense the movement of the Evil Creature. It was quite big, simr to the size of the Evil Creature in the Serenity Hall, but it moved like a monkey.
The creature uses the trees and branches to skip the obstacles and reach him as quickly as possible.
Boom!
As soon as it had arrived, Vale was already prepared to fight¡
As the horrifying creaturended about 4 meters away from him, its chest was already stabbed with Demonic Dagger that Vale had just taken out from Yvaine''s treasure box!
It happened so quickly that the creature didn''t even notice the dagger stabbing into its chest and only felt a bit itchy at first¡
However, after a few seconds, the dagger on its chest erupted with mes, and it was already toote to remove it from its body!
Chapter 234 Discovered
As the creature was burned alive, Vale could finally see its appearance, thanks to the light brought by the fire.
The Evil Creature still looked ugly and had a short growing horn on its forehead. It seemed to be a different species of Evil Creature ifpared with the ones he saw at the Serenity Hall.
''Are their appearance depends on the corpse they possessed?'' Vale mused as he looked at the creature who was struggling to remove the Demonic Dagger.
Unfortunately, this dagger was too evil. If you used Spiritual Energy or any Arcane Arts to remove it from your flesh, the fire it had created would get stronger and stronger, like a fire being dumped by fuel.
If you want to remove it, you have to temporarily withdraw your energy and remove it with your physical strength. It may be excruciating if the fire had already erupted, but that was the best way to do it if you didn''t have a Mystical Artifact that was better than the dagger.
''So strong¡ I''m really curious how that small-time gang leader gets ahold of these items.'' Vale thought as he backed away after seeing that the Evil Creature decided to stop removing the dagger and charged toward him instead.
He had to back away since using his Ghost Hands wouldn''t solve anything. The Ghost Hands will just be another fuel for the dagger to strengthen its fire.
Nevertheless, this didn''t mean Vale could no longer do anything after the fire erupted. He can still use his connection with the dagger to stop the me. After stopping the me, he could then strengthen it by holding the dagger once more by passing his Dark Energy to it.
However, he didn''t have to do it now¡
Bam!
The Evil Creature charged towards Vale, but thetter was faster and could dodge the attack. The creature struck a nearby tree, and surprisingly, the tree didn''t catch fire. The nearby dry leaves also remained unaffected, showing how the demonic dagger could be so precise.
It must be remembered that this dagger is still a damaged one!
As Vale thought that the Evil Creature could stillst for a long time, it struggled to stand back up and soon dropped to the ground.
The orange fire that the dagger had created also dissipated simultaneously.
''Thirty-four seconds¡ How impressive¡'' Vale silently thought as he counted how long the creature wouldst.
Vale then approached the creature for an obvious reason. He needs to extract the corpse and hopefully get some decent attributes. Although it was a pity that he couldn''t extract it while it was still alive, it was still a good experiment since he learned plenty of things in this short battle.
He now had an idea of how strong his demonic dagger was. He learned that the dagger doesn''t consume a lot of Dark Energy, and he could hide its presence with his Extrasensory Perception Spell. It was unlike his mask, which was easily detectable because of the terrifying aura surrounding it.
Lastly, he learned that the side effect of this dagger is quite bearablepared to the mask''s temporary loss of vision.
Apparently, the demonic dagger only needed to be maintained by consuming gold. Based on Yvaine''s estimate, a gold coin couldst up to two or three months if the dagger wasn''t being used. However, he would have to use a gold coin if its power was used even once.
It was so expensive to use, but at the very least, this high maintenance requirement would get better once an expert craftsman had repaired the dagger.
At the least, this can be used in an emergency if hecks Dark Energy in a middle of a battle.
[ Monster corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +25 Agility +0.20 Intelligence +0.85 ]
"Oh? Intelligence attribute from an Evil Creature? What a rare sight¡" Vale muttered as he saw the recently elusive intelligence attribute.
Apparently, Vale already had a decent grasp of what to expect in his extractions, depending on his target.
He already knew that extracting Intelligence Attribute was only highly possible if he was extracting corpses of Arcane Arts Practitioners, except those practitioners of Combat Arts and Knight Path.
On the other hand, living Arcane Arts Practitioners would mostly give him Agility with a low chance of Vitality and Strength. Intelligence had the lowest chance among them, based on his observations.
It wasn''t a big deal since he could extract Spell Lights and Spell Models, so he was perfectly being unable to extract intelligence from living targets.
As for the Evil Creatures, he only had a chance to extract three of them, so it was pretty good to see that it was possible to get intelligence from them.
"Hmm? He''s escaping?"
As Vale was renumerating over the Extraction he made, he realized that the other Evil Creature that was within his 150-meter Magic Zone started retreating and moving away from him.
He was nning to extract that Evil Creature alive, so he didn''t hesitate to chase after the creature.
"You''re not getting away." Vale said as he dashed toward where the Evil Creature ran.
With Vale''s current Agility, not even a Slender Zombie, the fastest undead creature, could outrun him.
Needless to say, the Evil Creature, who wasn''t used to such fast-paced movement, failed to escape from Vale''s relentless pursuit. The darkness was nothing to him and he even feltfortable chasing the creature while basking under the moonlight.
"Graaahhhh!"
The Evil Creature''s cry was soon heard throughout the whole enchanted forest.
The birds, insects, and othernd animals resting in their nest perked up. Some of them started scurrying away from the source of that frightening cry, while some curled themselves inside their nest, hoping not to be involved in the matter outside.
Unfortunately, this cry also attracted the attention of another Arcanist camping in the central part of the forest. She had unblemished pale skin and long ck hair and was bathing in a stream when the Evil Creature''s cry startled her.
Realizing that she was not alone in the forest, she immediately took her towel to cover herself. She then quickly returned to her camp to dress up while her Magic Zone spread throughout the surroundings.
"Find the source of the disturbance¡" She spoke calmly, and soon, several Banshees adhered to hermand¡
Chapter 235 Coincidence
In Pludenn Street, Melthorn City.
"This is where he disappeared?" re asked after looking around the dark alley where rats and various bags of trash could be seen.
The smell was quite terrible, but she waspletely unaffected and kept observing the surroundings.
"Yes¡ The Tracking Mark of my Divine Sense has disappeared here. I can''t understand how he did that." Teresa muttered in a soft voice as she tried to recall how she sensed the disappearance of her tracking mark.
The moment she felt that the Tracking Mark had disappeared, she quickly tried to reconnect with it using various methods. However, she failed to do so, and she could only contact the detective she hired to follow Clovis'' movements.
Unfortunately, the detective was also clueless. He had stopped monitoring Clovis after around 11 in the evening, which was included in his contract with the Untainted Sentinel.
"Did he receive some help? Who can even remove a Tracking Mark made by the Divine Sense? I heard that even the Pontiff would have a hard time doing that¡" remented as her interest in Clovis just doubled because of this incident.
She already had a feeling that Clovis was quite special since he could use Blessed Healing at such a young age.
Now that he was able to remove the Tracking Mark as well, she couldn''t help but think about the young man''s teacher. Perhaps, his teacher wasn''t a Bishop but a Pontiff instead?
"We have to find him¡ I think that person is hiding a huge secret." Teresamented as she couldn''t believe someone capable of removing her Tracking Mark was hiding in the city without their knowledge.
This city is protected by the five prominent churches and seven of the twelve Elite Forces of the Twelve Arcane Paths.
An Arcanist capable of removing the Untainted Sentinel''s Divine Sense mark shouldn''t exist within the city.
"I understand. However, don''t you think that we should report this to the higher-ups first? It''s not like we can find that person with just the two of us. We need manpower to do this¡" re suggested as she also realized the significance of this matter.
"Yes. I''ll report this to the Church while you go ahead and inform the Sentinels."
"Alright¡ Are we going to issue an arrest warrant for him?"
"No need. We can''t just make Clovis and his master our enemies. It will just cause some unnecessary trouble. Just inform them what happened, and they''ll know what to do." Teresa instructed, and this time, re no longer asked questions as she left the dark alley.
Clovis'' disappearance had ignited their desire to find out his secret.
***
In the meantime, the person they were looking for was celebrating his recent extraction.
"Incredible! Another Spell Model!" Vale eximed in excitement after seeing the notification he got. Aside from getting attribute points, the Spell Model that he got was like a jackpot for him.
He still had several weeks in his summer break and he already gained so much. Perhaps, once he returned to the Academy, he could already deal with those students within the top 20 or even top 10 of the Academy''s Elite Rankings!
Of course, this was merely his guess considering the number of Spells he had recorded.
Anyway, since he got the very useful Traceless Shift from the previous Evil Creature, he was looking forward to the Spell he extracted.
He immediately checked his Neutral Ability to find the Spell¡
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv6, Traceless Shift Lv7 Lightspeed Lv0 ]
Vale had no idea what Lightspeed was meant to do, so he swiftly checked the Spell Model to understand it.
The Spell Model doesn''t look soplicated, and it only took 1 Spell Light in his body. Nevertheless, this leaves him with only 8 Spell Lights avable.
Well, there is also an iplete Spell Light, but it doesn''t really matter. He knows that he''ll still have a chance of extracting Spell Lights somewhere.
Anyway, he soon realized what the Lightspeed was used for, and he couldn''t help but joyfullyugh.
"I didn''t expect to get this from an Evil Creature. I should be hunting them every now and then." Vale said in excitement.
Finally, he can already say goodbye to his Mortal Rank Mystical Items. He could probably sell the Nymph Scale and Murloc''s Gem at this point because this Lightspeed Spell was a Movement Spell!
There was no way he''d let it stay at the Elementary Realm as he was prepared to upgrade it up to the Advanced Realm in one go.
However, a familiar cold voice interrupted him.
"I don''t think you should be hunting them. You''re lucky that the ones you found were pathetic creatures."
Vale was shocked hearing her voice as this woman had escaped his senses until she spoke!
She was already about 10 meters from him, and it was a huge blunder for him!
''Someone who can escape from my Phantasm State''s detection?''
Vale immediately recalled the woman he had met in theboratory before while he retreated away from the voice.
"Since you''re already here, I guess you already killed Larkin¡" Cressida said as she looked at Vale with a mysterious smile.
"Hmm?" He was right. It was indeed Cressida. However, her words confused him momentarily.
Vale was baffled by such a greeting as he carefully looked at the beautiful but ghost-like woman before him.
"How did you know about my matter with Larkin?" He curiously asked.
He was sure that Larkin didn''t leave any mark on him that would say he killed the man. He couldn''t help but wonder if she used some premonition spell or something simr. Or perhaps, she has been observing him ever since he arrived at Melthorn City!
This idea sent a shiver up his spine since he had never detected her in the city.
Luckily, he seemed to be overthinking as Cressida replied with a calm voice. "I''ve met Larkin before, and I know his personality. Aside from that, Maya mentioned something to me. She said that you defeated him and had him expelled in the process. Do you know that your shadow won''t be returned if you get expelled from the Academy? He was definitely seething with anger as soon as he learned about his expulsion. If that happened to me, I''d also kill the person who did it to me."
Chapter 236 Best
Vale didn''t know that the expulsion also meant being unable to regain the ripped shadow.
However, this confirms his guess that the removal of the shadow doesn''t necessarily mean he gets attracted to attend the Academy. It is all up to the desire of the holder of the shadow.
''It''s like a ve mark or something¡ How cruel.''
Vale sighed at this as he looked at Cressida calmly... She wasn''t showing any signs of hostility, or perhaps, she was hiding it really well.
She looks really pretty and a bit scary. In his opinion, Denise looks much better, especially once she grows up.
Vale shook his head to erase his random thoughts as he had plenty of questions for Cressida.
He kept his vignce up and decided not to ask her if she was here to make some trouble. Instead, he pried for information.
"Is there another way of getting my shadow back?"
Cressida looked surprised as soon as she heard his question. She thought that Vale would ask her about her reason for appearing here and how it was too much of a coincidence to be in the same forest on this night. She was even prepared to deploy her group of Banshee if he showed hostility.
However, the young man seemed unbothered by that and just asked her something unexpected.
After a moment of thought, she felt amused by his reaction and answered.
"There is definitely a way¡ I know three methods and one of them is to die and have someone revive you."
"¡"
She answered like it was such a safe method, so Vale couldn''t help but look at her seriously.
"That doesn''t sound doable¡"
He shook his head at this ridiculous solution. Although there is nar Spell that could probably help him with that, this Spell was too suspicious, and he wouldn''t dare to gamble his life just because of that.
"Haha¡ Of course¡ I didn''t mean it in a literal way. Anyway, the other solution is to get it back from the Headmaster or Vice Headmaster who took your shadow¡ You can do this forcefully."
"I don''t think I can do that¡" Vale replied. He already knows this method, but facing a student practitioner is different from a genuine Dark Arts Practitioner.
Cressida smirked at this answer as she continued.
"Heh¡ I did it with the previous Headmaster. That''s why I''m alreadyplete." She replied with a hint of arrogance in her tone.
''With the previous Headmaster?''
Vale wasn''t sure if she was merely being pretentious, but she sounded so confident about it. Nevertheless, this is indeed an important matter. There is actually someone who seeded in taking their shadow back from the Headmaster before their graduation.
This is certainly interesting since it means that he wasn''t the only one who wanted to get out of the bindings made by the Academy.
"I did with Master Sherah''s help..." She added.
"I see... So you already have your shadow back¡ Can you tell me the third method?" Vale continued to ask.
"Of course! I can tell you that, and I''ll even help you regain your shadow with that method. It will be a lot easier with my help. However, you have to give me your Dark Spirit." Cressida answered with a creepy smile on her face.
The aura around her had also changed as Vale couldn''t help but mistake her for a Vengeful Spirit or a Banshee.
The smile was quite disturbing as he recalled his master''s smile whenever he considered doing something absurd.
Vale shook his head as he summoned his Ghost Hands and prepared his Elemental Talismans before he spoke.
"That''s impossible. I won''t be giving my Dark Spirit. As a matter of fact, even if she wants to leave me, I won''t allow it." He firmly said while coldly looking at this mysterious Dark Arts Practitioner.
He also didn''t mind sounding so possessive of his Dark Spirit just to let her know that he was resolute about not giving up his Dark Spirit.
Furthermore, Vale immediately decided not to let her know about Denise''s whereabouts. He was previously hesitating whether to let her know that she still had a little sister waiting for her, but now that he had seen that Cressida seemed to have changed, Vale wouldn''t put Denise in possible danger.
"Haha¡"
Cressida chuckled as she expected that he wouldn''t give up his Dark Spirit. "I thought so¡ Then you have to give up knowing thest method. In any case, staying in the Academy is also better. You don''t know how dangerous it is for Rogue Practitioners to roam in various cities. You can also stop being so cautious. Maya warned me not to mess with you, so I won''t be taking your Dark Spirt."
She then paused for a moment as she looked at Vale''s shadow¡ She seemed to be looking at his Dark Spirit before she finally spoke.
"I was searching for another Dark Spirit hiding in this forest. If you helped me find that Dark Spirit, I''ll consider letting you know the third method." Cressida replied.
Vale heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this.
''I guess she wasn''t that unreasonable...'' Vale thought, but he remained vignt.
Anyway, herst request sounded more reasonable. He just can''t be sure if Yvaine would be willing to help him.
Vale then immediately asked Yvaine about it, but apparently, she didn''t seem to mind if another member of her species got caught by Cressida.
"Fine¡ I''ll help you, Senior Cressida." Vale answered as he looked ghostly woman, who seemed to have just taken a bath.
It seems that he would have a very long night and he may not even have a chance to sleep.
***
"Master Sherah, my Darkness Maniption Spell has reached thete stage of the Elementary Realm."Maya said with a weak smile on her face. She was already tired but was still overjoyed by her impressive achievement.
A week passed, and while Vale and Cressida were together searching for the Dark Spirit, Maya returned early to the Academy to ensure that she would be the best Second Year student once the ss started.
Apparently, on the first day of their Second Year ss, it wasn''t just their Spirit Strands that would be measured. It would include their mastery level in the exclusive spells they''ve learned.
Chapter 237 Puppet?
Dark Alchemist Sherah looked at her hardworking student with a smile and replied. "As expected of my student. The Light Absorption Spell will show its true might if your Darkness Maniption is at the Intermediate Realm. Aside from that, the Shadow Soldier Spell would be a lot easier to record if your two Exclusive Spells are at Intermediate Realm."
Maya''s eyes lit up after hearing her Master''s words.
"Is that true, Master Sherah? Can my mastery over the two other spells affect my Spell Recording with the Shadow Soldier?" She asked in excitement as her tiredness suddenly disappeared.
"This ismon knowledge. But even though I said it would be a lot easier, it would still take you a couple of years to record the third Exclusive Spell. As a matter of fact, any Spell Model that summons any special beings is difficult to record. Especially for the Shadow Soldier since it''s a very special Dark Art."
Maya nodded at her words. She didn''t mind the two years at all since she knew that this third exclusive Spell was exceptional.
If she can make her two exclusive spells reach the intermediate realm through the help of her Master''s potions, she will certainly break a record! Some eighth-year students haven''t even recorded the Create: Shadow Soldier Spell!
If she seeds in recording the Spell in her fourth year, she''ll definitely shine once she participates in the Twelve Academies Competition.
She can''t wait to start the ss and let everyone know she''s the best in their batch!
''Vale Chambers¡ You took the limelight I should have had at the beginning of our first year. Your previous achievement glory will bepletely forgotten this year, and my n can finally move forward.'' Maya silently felt smug as she looked at her Master gratefully.
***
It has been two weeks since Vale met with Cressida in the Enchanted Forest.
At that time, he noticed that the Elementalists were actually searching for him in the forest and wanted to deal with them.
Unfortunately, Cressida stopped him from doing so, telling him that he would just attract more trouble if he killed them.
Vale didn''t argue with that since he also felt ufortable showing his Extraction to this woman.
He didn''t mind the Professor and the Headmaster since, no matter what, they were acquainted with his Master Heinz, and they were aware that he was a ''test subject'' in order to create a Branch of the Darkness Arcane Path.
Whatever he does, they wouldn''t suspect too much if he med his Master for it.
However, it would be different with this person who wasn''t aware of it.
"Found it¡" Cressida said as she looked at the huge cave entrance about 300 meters away.
Over the past two weeks, they have stayed in various viges and towns surrounding the mountain range to rent separate rooms.
This is so they could search for the Dark Spirit that was staying somewhere in the forest.
The Dark Spirit that was around here doesn''t stay in a permanent location, but they know that it roams around the forest¡
Of course, during this time, Vale had already sold most of the Night re Grass that he found, allowing him to earn over 3 thousand zen in cash. Only a few of them were left in his bag, which he ns to use on his own.
They''ve also encountered two Evil Creatures, but Vale failed to extract them when they were still alive because of Cressida''s interference. He can only be satisfied with their corpse extraction.
ng! ng! ng!
As they got closer, Vale suddenly heard the sound of metal crashing on rocks as he realized that the cave was actually a mining ce¡ªNo, it was most likely a manmade tunnel!
"There''s a construction going on. It''s probably for the railway, look." Vale pointed at the workers who were being supervised by a group of well-dressed people. They seemed to be nobles or business owners who were overlooking the construction of the railroad.
"Should we ask them if they encountered some paranormal activities around here?" Cressida asked as she looked at Vale.
Over the past two weeks, she noticed that Vale''s vignce around her had lowered. She couldn''t help but feel happy about this because this was what she wanted to happen.
Vale hesitated whether to approach them.
"I''m not sure, but I feel like there''s a problem here."
"Mhmm¡ You''re right. Those people aren''t normal businessmen. They''re all Arcane Arts Practitioners. Especially the one wearing a blue coat. He looks intimidating."
"They''re still about 200 meters away. You can tell?" Vale curiously asked.
He can''t believe that Cressida has a wider range of Magic Zone than him.
"Of course not. I have my scouts." Cressida proudly replied.
This made Vale aware that her Banshee had already gone ahead to scout the area.
As they slowly got closer, Vale finally had a chance to use his Divine Sense. His range was about 170 meters, but it was enough.
Psychic Arts Practitioner with 10 filled Spell Lights.
Rune Arts Practitioner with 6 filled Spell Lights.
Rune Arts Practitioner with 7 filled Spell Lights.
Rune Arts Practitioner with 6 filled Spell Lights.
Rune Arts Practitioner with 7 filled Spell Lights.
Just like what Cressida said, the five were actually Arcane Arts Practitioners. Furthermore, four of them were Runecaster with a Psychic in the group.
"One of them is practicing Psychic Arts, huh¡ How rare..." Vale muttered as he was truly curious about the practitioners of this Arcane Path.
He had a vague idea about the Runecaster, but for the Psychic Arts Practitioners, he could only guess that they had some great mentality. They can probably use telepathy like it was nothing, or perhaps, bend a spoon with their mind.
"Did you just say one of them is a Psychic?" Cressida suddenly stopped in her footsteps as soon as she heard what Vale just said.
"Yes¡ Is there a problem with that?" Vale asked curiously. This was the first time he had seen her looking terrified.
She wasn''t even afraid of staying in the forest in the middle of the night! She was also unafraid of ghosts or scary creatures since she was used to having Banshee around her.
"Not good¡ We have to leave this ce now." She didn''t answer Vale as she swiftly turned around to leave.
There was no way Vale would stay here, so he also nned to escape.
However, it was toote!
Several Rune Characters were triggered by their movement as the Runecasters discovered their location!
The man wearing a blue coat nced at Vale before signaling to the four Runecasters to chase them.
Their action didn''t escape Vale''s senses as he even noticed the irregr breathing of the Runecaster. Their eyes were also dull and seemed emotionless, simr to a puppet!
Chapter 238 Undamaged?
"Did they find out my movement so early? Is it the Liquidators? Sentinels?" The man wearing a blue coat pondered as he tried guessing the identity of the intruders.
He was Christopher Gates and one of the members of the Order of the Oracle Hivemind. It was the Elite Forces of the Psychic Arts Faction and also one of the most problematic Orders among the twelve.
He was operating against the regtion set up by the Association of the Harmonius Arcane Paths, so he was vignt about spies or intruders around the tunnel.
Whooshh~
"Hmm? This aura¡ They''re not Sentinels or Liquidators. Are they spies sent by the Vessels?" Christopher was confused as soon as he noticed the woman''s movement spell.
She moved like a ghost and if he wasn''t mistaken, that was the Ghost Step of the Dark Arts Faction.
It is one of the basic movement techniques of the faction, and it can be easily recognized by how they appear like ghosts leaving some afterimage whenever they move.
On the other hand, her malepanion moved like he just cast a Wind Haste Spell of the Elemental Faction.
However, he didn''t feel any Elemental Fluctuation around him, so he could guess that it was most likely a Mystical Item''s effect¡ If not that, then the man was probably a Knight and could just basically move fast because of his natural physique.
''What a weirdbination¡ I''ve never messed with the Vessels because they''re one of the most ruthless organizations. Howe they''re targeting me? Am I overthinking this?'' Christopher felt frustrated as he wasn''t sure about the identities of his intruders.
It was a pity that they were out of his Magic Zone''s range, or he could''ve easily taken care of them and added them to his collection.
Christopher looked at one of the workers in the tunnel and gave a briefmand.
"Tell everyone to continue working until they drop dead."
The poor worker didn''t evenin and just nodded to the Arcanist.
"I will inform them, Sir Arcanist."
With that said, Christopher immediately left the ce to follow his four Runecasters.
Although those four were quite strong if they worked together, the Members of the Dark Arts Faction were very tricky to deal with, especially if they were Curse Spell Experts.
None of them brought any items that could break hexes or curses, so they have to be very careful if they don''t want to die a gruesome death.
***
In the meantime, Vale immediately used his Spell Dispersion to deactivate the Mystical Runes that they had triggered.
This affected the Runecasters'' n as they miscalcted the timing of their attacks.
Vale and Cressida had long fled the area before they even finished casting their Runic Arts.
Nevertheless, none of the Runecasters expressed their dismay as they simply reorganized their position to follow their tracks.
Vale found their actions quite robotic or machinelike.
"Cressida¡ Why are we fleeing? I think that two of us can deal with them." Vale said as he followed Cressida.
On the other hand, Cressida was looking at Vale curiously since she was sure that this young man wasn''t using any sort of Movement Spell!
However, for some reason, he was able to match her speed, and he could even talk calmly while doing this!
This shocked her since she didn''t expect Vale to use a Movement Spell that was so unnoticeable even if they were moving close together.
It took her quite some time before she gathered her thoughts as she answered Vale''s question.
"We can probably kill those Runecasters with their current condition. However, we would be in huge trouble if the Psychic caught us. We will be doomed at our current strength." Cressida replied as she was determined to leave this ce.
Her answer made Vale even more curious as she continued monitoring the people chasing them. From their distance, Vale could easily use his Ghost Hands and Shadow Soldier Spell. He can also try and use his top-grade Elemental Talismans to try and disrupt their movement.
"Is he that strong?" Vale curiously asked as he took out two of his Elemental Talismans. He was certainly not underestimating his enemies this time, but he also believed in his current strength.
Anyway, the Talisman that he had taken out was already appraised by Yvaine and confirmed that they both contain Fire Elemental Spells.
Of course, he couldn''t understand the spell model drawn on it.
There was only one chance he could tell its content and it was when he triggered the Talisman itself.
"The moment we enter his Magic Zone, we will be in huge trouble. No matter what, don''t look into his eyes. Use Dark Mist or Light Absorption Spell to hide from him. If your Dark Maniption is already at the Intermediate Realm, just use it to cover yourself and run away." Cressida said as she continued using her Ghost Steps¡ She could maintain using it for more than 10 minutes, and after that, she would have to rely on her normal running speed.
They had to put more distance from the Runecasters during this time, so she was now preparing to sacrifice her group of Banshee to deal with this.
On the other hand, Vale couldn''t help but feel that the Psychic was just too strong.
''You''re telling me that we will be defeated instantly the moment we enter their Magic Zone? Isn''t that a bit too powerful?'' Vale silently thought as he decided tounch a surprise attack with his Elemental Talismans.
In any case, he has plenty of these Talismans and he didn''t mind spending a dozen of them to see how powerful they are.
Without any more hesitation, he tore the first Elemental Talisman and the information about the Fire Elemental Spell came into his mind.
He then obtained the power to control this Spell as he targeted the Runecasters who were relentlessly chasing them.
It was a Fire Pir Spell and Vale could target an area instead of a person. With only a few seconds of calction in his head, he targeted the area where the Runecasters wouldnd.
"Take this¡" Vale muttered as he released the Spell. He also focused his attention on the four Runecasters as he wanted to see how they would react to this type of attack.
To his surprise, the Fire Pir Spell didn''t stop the Runecasters from moving even after being hit!
They were like machines that couldn''t feel pain!
Chapter 239 Weird Physique
"What?" Vale was shocked as he even failed to maintain his speed.
Only when Cressida reminded her did he pick up his speed again to leave the ce.
"Howe they''re unafraid of injuries? Although they have various techniques to heal their wounds, shouldn''t they show some hesitation moving inside the Fire Pir?" Vale couldn''t help butment after recalling what had just happened.
He can tell that the Runecasters were hurt since they reacted slower. The Fire Pir activated the moment they stepped on the area he had targeted. It was a clean hit.
Although they managed to put up a defense in the end, it was already toote, as their skin and flesh had already suffered from the Fire Spell.
"Hmph¡ They''re already out of their minds, so don''t think about facing them in a closebat battle. They won''t care about their injuries¡ªCareful!"
Cressida immediately warned when she noticed the Rune Characters being formed in front of them. It seems they had already ced these Runic Arts around the area before they even started whatever they were doing in that tunnel.
Vale also noticed those Magical Texts formed by the Runecasters, and since he had no idea what they could do, he would have a more challenging time responding to their attacks. With that in mind, he swiftly used his Spell Dispersion to stop the activation of those Spells.
Pssht~
The Runic Arts were swiftly deactivated like an ember doused in water. This confused Cressida, but she remained silent while observing Vale''s actions.
At this moment, Vale could tell that the amount of energy he used to stop the runes from activating was more considerable than stopping Dark Spells.
He could tell that Spell Dispersion which he could normally use for more than a dozen times was now limited to at least 7 or 8 more times!
He would have to use them carefully from now on!
At the very least, Vale finally had a rough idea about the strength of these Runecasters as he took out three more Elemental Talismans.
He used them consecutively, and as it turned out, the three talismans he had hastily taken out used the same Fire Spell, Searing Chains!
They were Tier 2 Fire Elemental Spells and should be worth around 4 thousand zen for each talisman!
Soon, three Searing Chains caught three of the Runecasters as they burned them alive, and the one who wasn''t targeted didn''t even help hispanions as he used the confusion caused by the Searing Chains to activate a powerful rune art.
This Runecaster actually has a range of 70 meters, and as soon as he got into range, he used all of his strength to target Vale¡
Thetter didn''t even feel anything, but he tried using his Spell Dispersion nheless. Unfortunately, the Rune was too fast for Vale, as he was hit by the attack before the Spell Dispersion activated!
"Vale, your body has been marked! That''s a Rotting Rune!" Cressida was shocked as soon as she saw Vale''s right arm marked by the Rune. She wasn''t that surprised that the three Runecasters were killed since their mind was already being controlled and their reaction time had gotten a lot slower because of that.
Anyway, she was actually confident in deflecting various Runic Arts that were targeted at her. She had fought a few Runecasters before and she knew a proper way of dealing with them.
Furthermore, as ast resort, she could use her Banshee to transfer the Rune Arts marked on her. However, she can''t do that with Vale since thetter wasn''t contracted with her Banshee.
"This looks bad¡" Valemented on the Rune that was on his right arm. Of course, he remained focused on the Runecaster as he ordered Yvaine to sneakily attack the man.
Yvaine restrained the man''s movement and even absorbed his energy before Vale finished him off with his Ghost Hands.
As he nned to extract the Runecasters, he felt the Psychic entering his Magic Zone, so he quickly informed Cressida to leave the ce.
"Hmm? Howe the Rotting Rune hasn''t disappeared yet? I already killed the caster." Vale asked in confusion while they were running away.
All types of Dark Spells, including curses, would normally stop working when the spellcaster dies unless you use a Forbidden Art.
This is why Vale initially didn''t mind the Rotting Rune that marked his body.
"Not good¡ It won''t disappear with just that. You have less than five minutes to remove that thing. Can you ask your Dark Spirit to do something about it?" Cressida asked as she also secretly ordered her Banshee to dy the Psychic that was chasing after them.
They will certainly sacrifice themselves to aplish this task, but as long as they buy enough time, the two of them should be able to leave the forest.
Once they left the forest, the Psychic would surely stop chasing after them.
"I can''t remove it. It has already entered your body." Yvaine suddenly spoke in Vale''s mind before he could even ask her.
¡¤?¦Èm "I see. Don''t worry. I think I can do something about it." Vale replied with confidence as he remained calm even though Cressida was already looking so worried that he might die at any moment.
During his introspection with his Divine Sense, he actually noticed that his Incorruptible Body was fluctuating crazily¡
Then, a dark aura also started gathering around his body.
This was simr to when he massacred the members of the Snake Brotherhood in the slums of the City''s Southern District.
His Incorruptible Body was acting strange once again!
''It seems I don''t have to spam the Spell Dispersion on this Rune. The Incorruptible Body was suppressing it really well. It might even help me increase its level. This is impressive¡'' Valemented in his mind as he observed the mark on his right arm.
Cressida did the same and realized that Vale''s right arm, which had started rotting, was acting weird. The Rotting Rune would glow to spread the effect on Vale''s body, but his Dark Aura would also get stronger, and it suppresses the Rune. It could not spread on Vale''s body at all!
Cressida''s eyes lit up as she finally realized something.
''I see¡ No wonder you epted Master Sherah''s mission. You''re not affected by the corruption of the potion, and you''re also unafraid of the flesh-rotting Rune. You must have the Dark Spellcaster''s Blessed Physique, the Tyrannical Saint''s Physique! Furthermore, this physique has already reached its peak! I can''t be wrong!''
Cressida looked at Vale greedily as she considered her options. She had to deal with the person chasing after them if she wanted to devour Vale to take his physique.
Chapter 240 Recovery
Vale didn''t notice the changes in Cressida''s eyes as his attention was on his right arm.
If in case his Incorruptible Body could no longer deal with the foreign substance that was rotting his body, he would have to use his Spell Dispersion to quickly erase it in his body.
"Hmm? I think that the Psychic stopped chasing us." Valemented after realizing that the man wearing that blue coat had disappeared from his Magic Zone.
"That''s good to hear. I sent four of my Banshee to sacrifice their lives. It was a warning to that person, and he probably realized that he''ll be in huge trouble if he continued on his chase." Cressida calmly answered as she looked ahead.
They didn''t stop moving even after this discovery until they reached a small vige.
The vige was quite lively because there were a lot of children ying outside their houses. To be honest, Vale was actually quite impressed by these viges in the nearby mountains and forests. Although they were all using Thatched Houses, they mainly were two-storey, and all looked beautiful with their green sandstone brick as their walls.
They don''t seem to be poor families living here, and their ce seems more like vacation houses for the rich.
"Stop right there¡" As soon as they reached the vicinity of the vige, someone in the vige immediately stopped them.
It was as expected since not many people travel around this area. Even if there were, they wouldn''t being from the forest but from the opposite side.
"We''re travelers and we need your help. We''vee here to see a doctor. My friend here has been cursed in the forest." Cressida said with her most gentle, pleading, and attractive voice.
The man, who was nning to collect some fees, immediately abandoned his idea as he allowed Cressida and Vale to meet their vige''s physician. He was easily mesmerized by the woman''s beauty as he offered his help to escort them into the vige.
"I don''t need to be checked up, Cressida. I''m fine." Vale whispered as they followed the man.
"You may be capable of suppressing the Rune, but if you want to remove itpletely, you might need the help of someone from the Holy Arts Faction¡ The ones in the Mystic Arts and Alchemy Arts may also be capable of helping you, but you won''t find them in the ces around here."
"Is that so¡" Vale could only nod as he also thought that he might''ve missed something. This was the first time he fought against Runecasters after all.
They use magical texts to trigger some magical abilities and the Rotting Rune on his arm might have some other abilities that he wasn''t aware of.
Soon, Vale and Cressida were brought to a house that had a strong scent of medicine.
Without a doubt, they arrived at the only clinic in the vige.
"Doctor Bet! I brought you some clients!" The middle-aged man, who brought them here, called out in a loud voice.
"Let them in¡ and don''t shout! I have a patient here!" The doctor shouted back, which made Vale and Cressida look at each other.
After being gestured to enter, the two no longer hesitated and entered the house.
Of course, Vale remained vignt as his Phantasm State was activated once again. With only a couple of minutes of cooldown, he has no problems using it multiple times a day.
He then found three people inside the house. Two were Arcane Arts Practitioners, and the other was just an average person sleeping in one room.
Holy Arts Practitioner with 6 filled Spell Lights.
Holy Arts Practitioner with 1 filled Spell Light.
''Hmm¡ They''re indeed Holy Arts Practitioners. I guess they weren''t as rare as I thought.'' Vale mused as he thought that people who were practicing this Art would be difficult to find.
It turns out that aside from the Holy Arts Academy, their faction also has other methods to teach their followers.
Soon, the two were introduced to the doctor and his apprentice.
Doctor Be looked at Vale and Cressida with interest as if he realized their identity.
"My friend here was attacked by a Runecaster¡ It''s the Flesh-Rotting Rune. Can you do something about it?" Cressida immediately asked as she found a chair to sit on.
"Ah? You''re still alive? How long has it been?" The doctor curiously asked as he signaled to his apprentice to bring him his tools.
"Less than 10 minutes." Vale replied.
This confused the doctor even more as he hastily checked the Rune on Vale''s arm.
"It''s indeed the Flesh-Rotting Rune¡ You''re actually capable of suppressing it¡ Is it through a Mystical Artifact? Did youplete a Sealing Ritual?" The doctor asked as he gestured for Vale to sit on the patient''s bed.
Vale followed his instructions as he replied.
"It''s a little trick I learned in the Academy. Can youpletely remove it?"
At this time, he noticed that his Incorruptible Body''s Spell Model had already been satisfied and stopped fluctuating wildly.
"A trick? A defensive spell? Anyway, I can remove it for only 450 zen¡ For some reason, this Rune appears to have weakened a lot. The caster was probably a newbie so you''re lucky. If you got hit by an Intermediate or Advanced Realm Rune Arts, you wouldn''tst this long."
The doctor said as he even calcted the fee for his service.
"Isn''t that a bit too expensive?" Vale asked curiously. The price the doctor gave was simr to the four months'' ie of a factory worker in the city. This was certainly quite expensive.
Although he had plenty of cash, it didn''t mean he no longer cared how he spent them.
"It''s for the medicine I''ll give you. Here, take this pill." The doctor said as he handed over a gray pill to him.
"It can repair your damaged skin and muscles¡ Normal pills don''t work on Arcane Arts Practitioners so they''re all expensive." He added after seeing Vale''s doubtful eyes.
In the end, Vale could only receive the pill. After consuming it, the doctor also used a Holy Arts Spell that could cure diseases or wounds. It didn''t take long before his right arm recovered and the Rune Character disappeared.
"Alright¡ You can leave now. I suggest that you find a ce to stay for the night. This vige is safe and that Runecaster won''t dare to follow you here."
"Thank you, Doctor Bet."
Vale was curious why he was so confident about it but decided not to ask too many questions.
After paying and thanking the doctor, Vale and Cressida quickly found a ce to stay.
However, at this moment, Vale was warned by his Dark Spirit.
"The strange crows are back¡"
Chapter 241 Miscalculation
''Crows?''
Vale remained silent as he heard Yvaine''s warning. Thest time he had to deal with some strange crows was when he encountered the Summoner acquainted with Larkin a few weeks ago.
He then turned to Cressida and asked if she noticed something was off. He wanted to make sure of something.
"Hmm? I don''t think there''s a problem¡ Do you think we''re still being followed? I left a few Banshee in various areas around this vige. If there''s a danger, they will inform me about it." Cressida replied.
This confirmed Vale''s suspicion that she was incapable of detecting the Summoned Creatures of the Summoners.
He then triggered his Spirit Vision spell and confirmed that there were crows emitting some strange fluctuation of energy around the vige.
''Let''s not think too much. It might even be the protector of this vige.'' Vale replied to Yvaine, but it didn''t mean that he would lower his guard.
He found it weird that the doctor was confident that no one would bother them inside the vige. Vale could only think of one reason for that, and that was probably because of a strong Arcane Arts Practitioner staying within the vige.
Nevertheless, Vale''s Divine Sense and Phantasm State couldn''t detect this person, so they were probably stronger than him by several levels, or they had a Royal Rank or even a Noble Rank Mystical Item to hide their presence.
As soon as Vale entered his rented room, he didn''t immediately rx as he monitored the surroundings with his Divine Sense and Phantasm State.
After confirming that there are no hidden dangers around, he finally had the time to check his status and his Spell Lights.
He had a strange feeling that his Incorruptible Body had improved once more!
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 42.11, Agility 40.90, Intelligence 59.12, Vitality 46.05 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv4, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv8, Darkness Maniption Lv6, Spirit Vision Lv4, Light Absorption Lv4, Create Shadow Soldier Lv0, Cursed Breath Lv4 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv4, Blessed Healing Lv4 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv0, Shadow Muttion Lv0 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv4 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv6, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv4]
[ Avable Energy: 1344 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 3.28 ]
"It''s really in the mid-stage of the Advanced Realm. Master Heinz would probably go crazy if he learned about this." Vale muttered in excitement as his Master only expected him to reach the intermediate realm after a dozen years.
Obviously, Vale had long broken the record since only about two years had passed!
Unfortunately, there was no one he could brag about this achievement, so he could only celebrate by himself.
***
Vale soon felt tired, but he didn''t rest yet. He still had to meditate to hasten his recovery.
''Yvaine¡ Guard me for a few hours.'' Vale said to Yvaine before he started his meditation.
Yvaine only grunted at him as she was already used to this job.
Vale only stopped his meditation when he recovered most of the Dark Energy he had spent today.
After this, he ordered Yvaine to guard him while he was asleep. In any case, this Dark Spirit doesn''t need to sleep, so he might as well fully utilize her presence.
During the night, as Yvaine was lurking around Vale''s room to pass the time, she noticed some movements outside their rented room.
To be exact, it came from the next room where Cressida was staying at.
Yvaine didn''t wake Vale yet as she observed the situation first¡
However, because of her decision, Cressida had enough time toplete her preparation.
A strong wave of negative energy spread throughout the whole vige before focusing it on Vale''s room!
At this moment, Yvaine didn''t have to wake Vincent up as he already opened his eyes after being attacked!
He felt that he was being suffocated and something was trying to enter his body!
''Possession?!'' Vale looked at Yvaine and realized that she was also stunned at this situation.
"The attack came from Cressida. I can try and redirect the energy to my body." Yvaine acted quickly as she used a strange ability to redirect some of the negative energy going to Vale into her body.
However, as she tried doing this, Vale immediately warned her to stop!
''Stop! There are Banshees everywhere! Take care of them!'' Vale shouted in his mind. With his unique connection with Yvaine, they couldmunicate without any voice¡ Of course, he ordered her to do this since he felt his body was able to resist the possession ritual on him.
''So Cressida is really up to no good¡'' Vale''s eyes turned cold as he focused on resisting the possession ritual.
It appears that Cressida had really prepared a lot for this, as she seems to have used a high-level Possession Ritual.
Perhaps, if she were trying to take control of someone else, she would''ve seeded in just a few seconds.
However, Vale''s Incorruptible Body had already reached the Advanced Realm and it was something that she would never think of¡
Vale smirked at this as she used his Extrasensory Perception''s Telepathy and targeted Cressida in the other room.
"Senior Cressida¡ You can stop now. You won''t seed. I''ve known about your n all along. You''re just wasting your energy."
Vale said directly into Cressida''s mind. Of course, he was bluffing.
However, this would certainly put pressure on Cressida, and there is a high chance she would really stop.
As expected, thetter was shocked as soon as she heard Vale''s voice inside her head.
''How is this possible?!'' Cressida couldn''t believe it.
Vale had only studied in the Academy for a year, but he could already use the Telepathy that not even the Professors could pull off!
She couldn''t even reply to Vale since she had no idea how to use Telepathy like him!
"I have to leave¡" Cressida made up her mind to escape. She miscalcted Vale''s tenacity.
Normally, the ritual she made was enough to take the soul of her target. Once she seeded, she could then take the uniqueness of the body that had just lost its soul.
She has been doing this all this time, so she could now amodate a total of 22 Banshees in her body.
She was expecting to be capable of amodating another 10 or even 15 Banshee once she devoured Vale''s Tyrannical Saint''s Physique¡
''I should''ve just targeted the Dark Spirit¡ I was too greedy.'' Cressida frowned at her current predicament.
She was expecting to be capable of amodating at least another 3 or 4 Banshees in her body after consuming the Dark Spirit, but her chances have vanished now that Vale realized her n.
Unfortunately, before she could escape, the vige''s guardian made its move as he released a powerful pressure leaving Vale and Cressida frozen in their spot.
Chapter 242 Multiple Enemies?
The sudden frightening aura had only affected Vale and Cressida, who were causing trouble within the vige.
At this moment, the two of them heard the voice of the person who suppressed them with just his aura.
"Do not cause trouble in our ce. If you want to fight, do it outside our territory."
The deep voice came from an old man, and he didn''t sound angry. He was merely reminding them, and perhaps, he simply didn''t want any damage in the houses around the vige.
"Thank you for being lenient to us¡ We''re going to leave now." Vale immediately said as he was afraid that the man would change his mind or Cressida would say something stupid.
Luckily, the old guardian of the vige was reasonable and didn''t just throw them out.
Furthermore, he helped Vale stop the possession ritual he had been resisting all this time.
''Tsk¡ This vige isn''t simple. Howe I failed to notice that.'' Cressida frowned at this sudden turn of events as she looked at the Magic Circle she had created on the floor of her room.
With a wave of her hand, the Magic Circle that was formed by white powder scattered everywhere, leaving no signs of the Forbidden Ritual she had just used.
Then, without any more hesitation, she jumped out of the window and headed straight outside the vige.
There was no way she''d wait until Vale had fully recovered before making her move.
Since it was dark, her Dark Maniption Spell worked perfectly, and her Ghost Steps became even more unpredictable.
She was confident that no one would be capable of following her as she called all her Banshees back to her side.
However, as soon as she got outside of the vige, she felt a hammer struck her head!
Bam!
Cressida dropped to the ground as the pain coursed through her body¡ She immediately ordered the Banshees to get near her as she absorbed all of them in the blink of an eye.
Thanks to her quick response, the pain in her head subsided as she resisted the mind attack!
She immediately used her Light Absorption Spell as she covered herself with Darkness. She had to find her enemy. She knows that it wasn''t Vale who had ambushed her.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A figure of a man suddenly stepped out from behind a tree. He wasn''t too far from where Cressida dropped as he chuckled and said. "I thought that the two of you won''t leave the vige. I almost gave up."
Christopher, the man wearing a blue coat, was the Psychic that Vale and Cressida escaped from!
Vale, who had juste out of the vige, squinted his eyes as he readied his Spells with him. He was prepared to attack at any signs of his enemy''s movement.
He even pulled out two of his Elemental Talismans as his way to cover his actual Arcane Path.
In any case, this Psychic should still be unaware of his actual Arcane Path, so his trick should work just fine.
"It''s a good thing that both of you weren''t working together. Now, be my ves." Christopher finally attacked as the two Dark Arts Practitioners were already inside his range. He felt that there was no way he would fail this attack.
''I''ll be teaching you a lesson for killing my men.''
Christopher was extremely frustrated when his four Runecasters died in the forest. It wasn''t easy to find them since most Runecasters would stay in their workshops or territory.
Runecasters wandering around cities and towns would rarely appear.
Needless to say, he had no idea when he''ll get the Runecasters again. He can only be satisfied with these two Dark Arts Practitioners since they may not be capable of building or creating things, but they have lethality in terms of their fighting skills.
As soon as he felt connected to the female practitioner, he realized that he failed to connect to the young man not too far from him.
This baffled him for a moment as he shifted his focus to the young man¡
However, what weed him wasn''t a struggling young man resisting his mind attack but a Wind Elemental Spell!
It was a Wind Razor aiming to slice him in half!
"Hmph!"
Christopher realized that the Wind Razor doesn''t have plenty of Wind Element on them, so it might be a mystical artifact or the elemental talisman.
With this in mind, he simply waved his hand and blocked the wind razor with his Mind Energy.
This Mind Energy was something only Psychic like them could control during their Metaphysical State or when they entered their Magic Zone.
Bam!
As he expected, the Wind Razor wasn''t that strong. Nevertheless, this attack was followed by another Elemental Spell. It was an Ice Spear and it may be slower than the Wind Razor, but it has more power on it.
Christopher had to put in a bit more strength as he couldn''t control the female Dark Arts Practitioner yet. Once he gotplete control of thisdy, it would be two versus one, and it would be much easier for him to deal with the strange young man.
"This¡"
Unfortunately for him, Vale didn''t n to wait for him to fully control Cressida. As soon as he triggered the two Elemental Talismans, he summoned his three Ghost Hands stealthily and made them travel through the ground!
As expected, because of the messy fluctuation of energy, the Ghost Hands arrived beneath the Psychicpletely unnoticed!
When the man noticed that Ghost Hands was in front of him, it was already toote!
The Ghost Hands grabbed and squeezed the man!
This should be enough to kill the Arcane Arts Practitioner, but to Vale''s surprise, he didn''t cry in pain!
''Not good.''
Vale realized that something was wrong, so he used his Lightspeed and Dark Maniption to move around and be challenging to target.
He moved in a circle as he controlled the Ghost Hands to rip the man apart.
Bam!
The man was ripped apart, but no blood or flesh could be seen!
Vale felt shocked since he knew that his opponent shouldn''t have died yet. Furthermore, he didn''t know where this person might reappear, so he kept moving around.
Then, he heard several footsteps about 20 meters away from them. It was the Psychic who should''ve been ripped apart!
As expected, he was still unscathed!
"Whew, that was messed up¡ It was a good thing I only showed my illusion. So you''re ultimately a Dark Arts Practitioner and not a Knight or an Elementalist. What a strange practitioner¡ You have a physique not suited for a Spellcaster, you know?"
Chapter 243 Mental Manipulation
Christopher was indeed shocked the moment he saw the Ghost Hands appearing in front of his top-ss illusion.
If he was the one in that position, he knew that he would also fail to react in time and get caught by those Ghost Hands as well.
Luckily, he already reached the Intermediate Realm of the Misdirection Spell. This allows him to fool anyone in Magic Zone without targeting them specifically.
That''s right, the Misdirection Spell was extremely difficult to detect since this Spell would not target a person but the whole field instead. It could even create a realistic illusion that those Ghost Hands could touch.
As soon as he showed himself, he already used his Confusion and Mental Maniption to forcefully cancel the Ghost Hands Spell of the young man.
Poof¡
It was a sessful attack, and it had surely disrupted the young man''s energy flow and created a bacsh or internal injuries.
''Since you don''t have any Mystical Item to defend against my mind attack, this will be over¡'' Christopher silently thought as he already confirmed what kind of Mystical Items these two possess.
They were obviously unprepared to fight against a Mind Controller like him, so he felt confident appearing in person.
As expected, the young man stumbled as soon as his Confusion and Mental Maniption reached him.
With this, everything will be over and he would gain new ves to continue with his work.
"Alright¡ Stop struggling. You''re just wasting my time." Christopher said with chuckle before he ordered the female practitioner to stop resisting.
Although he didn''t see any changes, he knew that thedy''s mind defense was already crumbling. He knew he just needed a few more suggestions, and she would be his.
On the other hand, he looked at the young man weirdly as he realized that his Confusion and Mental Maniption didn''t seem to have a longsting effect.
This troubled Christopher a lot since his most aggressive Mind Attacks were on cooldown!
''Tsk¡ I can''t use those spells again for a minute¡ I don''t want to use it this early but I have to take the chance before he recovers.'' Christopher silently thought as he couldn''t believe the mind attack resistance of this young man.
If he wasn''t mistaken, the level of his defense had already reached the First ss Practitioners!
He couldn''t understand how he did it, but he had no time to think about it.
This is his only chance to incapacitate him!
''Sleep Inducement!''
Christopher finally used hisst hope. This Spell had already reached thete stage of the Elementary Realm so it could put asleep even a wild lion. Of course, this would work really well against humans or arcane arts practitioners too.
However, Christopher was still a bit worried.
The young man in front of him has an extraordinary physique that he had even mistaken him as a Knight.
He was initially nning to make him utterly immobile before using the Sleep Inducement Spell. Unfortunately, he had to change his n and hoped that this would be enough to deal with this strange man.
Thud!
As soon as the young man kneeled on the ground, Christopher felt ted as he used his Mind Control Spell! This is obviously different from the Mental Maniption Spell, which can only be used in making suggestions to the target.
Nevertheless, a drowsy man was the easiest target for him! With his various Mind Attacks, there was no way this young man would still win against him!
''You''re mine!'' Christopher celebrated in his mind. He even weakened his control over the female practitioner just to ensure that he had enough energy to control the young man.
As he thought that he had finally seeded, he noticed something weird in his surroundings. It feels as if his Spell was suddenly isted and couldn''t leave his body!
''What''s going on?''
Cough! Cough! Cough!
He suddenly heard the young man cough violently as if to scatter the Sleep Inducement Spell gathering over his location.
"That was dangerous!" Vale heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he noticed that he had seeded.
Apparently, he was in trouble just now after failing to disperse the Confusion and Mental Maniption! He miscalcted and thought that his Spell Dispersion would work against it.
Unfortunately, for some reason, his Spell Dispersion suddenly had a lower sess rate, or perhaps, his uracy became zero as he somehow missed the Spells! He failed to Disperse them, and this would rarely happen unless that caster was several times stronger than him and their Spell Activation was faster than his.
It was too weird!
Nevertheless, he had no time to think why his Spell Dispersion missed its target, so he could only change his tactic.
Instead of dispersing the Spell, he targeted the Psychic himself and used his Spell Dispersion!
This was a lot easier since this person was stupidly standing in the same ce! This rarely happens as most of his opponents would constantly move, making it difficult to target them with various spells.
It was a perfect n for him since his Spell Dispersion targets an area instead of a person.
After confirming that he had seeded, he immediately used his other spells.
Shadow Soldier!
A dark, blurry figure suddenly appeared in front of him¡ It looks quite weak, but this was not a problem for Vale.
¡¤?¦Èm Shadow Muttion!
Vale used his nar Spell without any hesitation!
The person in front of him was too weird, and he shouldn''t live for too long! Although it was a pity that he couldn''t extract him while he was still alive, it was better to end his life quickly since he might do something weird again.
Being unable to control his body for a few moments was a terrifying experience for Vale.
He was lucky that this Psychic wasn''t too athletic.
If he was the one in his position, once he realized that his opponent was struggling to move because of his mind attacks, he would use physical attacks to end the life of his target.
Christopher then used another strange Mind Spell to attack the Shadow Soldier, but this attack only managed to cut off the Soldier''s right arm and left leg as it stumbled beneath the man''s feet.
The Shadow Soldier was still alive, and as soon as Christopherthought it could no longer fight, he suddenly felt excruciating pain in his chest before his eyes dimmed, and his body dropped to the ground, lifeless.
Chapter 244 Flash
Vale heaved a sigh of relief as soon as his Shadow Soldier killed the Mind Controller¡
As expected, no one would expect that your head could be cut off by slicing your shadow. This cheat-like ability would be really useful as long as no one would know about it.
''I can only use this when no one is around¡ This is my strongest trump card.'' Vale silently thought as he looked at Cressida, who had passed out.
Vale didn''t think too much of it as he went to the Psychic, hoping to get a decent extraction.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''Yes.''
[ Extraction sessful. Iplete Misdirection Spell Model +1 Energy +30 Intelligence +1.75 ]
''Reject the Spell Model¡'' Vale didn''t hesitate as soon as he saw the iplete Spell Model being extracted. With his current Extraction System, rejecting what he had extracted was not impossible, so it was quite useful.
As soon as he felt the disappearance of the useless Spell Model, Vale felt satisfied with the result.
The Energy and Intelligence Points he got were quite decent.
Though it was a pity that he didn''t get aplete Spell Light or Spell Model because it was already a corpse, he was happy to take the 1.75 Intelligence Points.
However, he suddenly recalled the Divinity Points consumption of his Shadow Muttion.
Even without checking his attribute panel, he knows that he was now only left with 2.78 Divinity Points.
He had to find a way to increase them someday.
In any case, he continued searching the Psychic to find anything valuable.
As expected, he found various things from him. It includes money, identification cards, two mystical items, and a badge with written words.
He noticed that the Psychic''s name was Christopher Gates based on his identification card before he shifted his attention to the badge that seemed to have been made of crystal.
It was written in Soti, so Vale could read it quickly.
Order of the Oracle Hivemind.
"Not good." Vale froze in his spot as soon as he realized that he killed a member of the Phychic Art Faction''s Elite Forces.
Vale felt that he should stop lurking around here, so he quickly nced at the unconscious woman on the side.
Cressida was surrounded by Banshees, and people won''t normally see them even with their Magic Zone because of how they hide their presence.
However, with Vale''s Divine and Spirit Vision, there was no way he would fail to notice their presence.
He knew that if he approached her carelessly, these Banshees would tear him apart.
"Yvaine, can you send them away?" Vale asked his Dark Spirit.
Of course, he can also kill these Banshees using his Demonic Mask, but he just doesn''t like using it at the moment. The Mask''s side effect was still too much for him, so he nned to abuse this Mystical Item once it was repaired in the Academy.
Luckily, Yvaine didn''t mind being put to work as she swiftly came out of his shadow and showed the Banshee the difference between a vengeful spirit and a genuine dark spirit of the Spirit World.
This was also an excellent way for Yvaine to recover her Spiritual Energy. He had been extracting people and creatures all this time, and Yvaine didn''t get any to regain her energy.
Now, with all the Banshees in front of her, she couldn''t wait to devour all of them.
Soon, the screeching noise created by the Banshees filled the surroundings, and perhaps, it even woke up the vigers not too far from them.I think you should take a look at
After about five minutes, the Banshees were gone, and Vale had free time to extract Cressida.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the Extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.55 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.75 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Create: Shadow Soldier Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
Vale then stopped his Extraction as soon as he failed.
He was already satisfied with this, and as he thought of searching Cressida''s body for any valuable items, he heard the rustling of leaves not too far from him.
It can''t be just some random animals since he already scanned the area a while ago. With this in mind, Vale quickly shifted his attention to the source of the noise and realized that someone had actually entered his Magic Zone and reached about 50 meters of him without being noticed!
''Tsk¡ Isn''t that the 14-Slotted Arcanist!'' Vale jolted as soon as he realized the identity of the person who had just arrived.
He would never forget this person who loved wearing red suits and trousers.
''What is he doing here?!'' Vale had to quickly leave this ce.
He may have fooled the police officers and the two Untainted Sentinels about his actual Arcane Path, but he felt different with this person.
Without any hesitation, he used 48 points to advance his Lightspeed to Level 5¡ He didn''t feel satisfied with this and further pushed it to Level 6 by spending 96 more points.
''One more¡''
In the end, Vale used another 192 points to advance its mastery to the Advanced Realm! He spent a total of 336 points, but Vale didn''t regret it at all.
As soon as he confirmed that his advancement was sessful, he left the ce in a sh!
The moment Vale disappeared, a couple of silver legcuffs formed where he previously stood, barely missing his feet!
He was almost caught!
"What? He disappeared?!"
Clyde, the member of the Illustrious Liquidators, was dumbfounded as soon as he realized that his target had simply gone out of his Magic Zone''s range! He was so confident that he would catch Clovis with his Mystic Arts!
Clyde stood on his spot for a few seconds as he couldn''t believe what he had just witnessed.
He looked in the direction where Clovis had disappeared before looking at the poor woman who had been attacked by that pervert in the middle of the night.
He shook his head at his ipetence in stopping that young man as he tried recalling what had just happened.
''That person is too weird. How can a Holy Arts Practitioner move that fast? That doesn''t make any sense. Tsk¡ No wonder he escaped from those Sentinels..''
Chapter 245 Return
Clyde then went ahead and checked the woman''s condition.
She looked really pale and weak, so he couldn''t help but pity her. He wasn''t sure what Clovis had done to her, but he must''ve terrorized this woman to the point that she couldn''t even wake up after he stirred her up with his Elemental Energy.
Soon, six more members of the Liquidators arrived, and he ordered them to treat the woman immediately. She also had to be questioned after being attacked by Clovis.
They need to understand why Clovis fled Melthorn City in a hurry despite not being suspected as a criminal.
His actions were too suspicious, and the Sentinels even mentioned that Clovis was able to remove the tracking spell they had ced on him.
''I''m sure that the Tracking Spell they mentioned was the Divine Sense of the Untainted Sentinels or High-Rank Bishops and Cardinals of the Church. If Clovis was capable of removing this mark, I must know how he did it. It is crucial information for the Order.'' Clyde''s face turned serious as he firmly believed that it was really the Divine Sense''s Tracking Mark used on Clovis.
Although it was not the only Tracking Spell that the Holy Arts Faction had, he had a hunch that he wasn''t wrong this time.
After some quick preparation, he tried using his Moment Tracing Ritual to see whether he could follow Clovis'' footprints.
Unfortunately, Clovis'' footsteps disappeared after he reached 30 meters. The young man seemed to possess an anti-tracking spell which was quite surprising.
''Just how many Holy Spell did he learn at such a young age? I only learned three spells at that age. Tsk¡ This is so frustrating.'' Clyde couldn''t help butin as he thought this mission was rtively easy.
As a matter of fact, he even found a few Elementalist who were supposedly searching for the Night re Grass in the Enchanted Forest. He heard about their encounter with a man wearing a demonic mask.
Although he knew that he was not Clovis since the masked man used Dark Spells in their encounter, he couldn''t help but feel that they were rted at some point. They might be partners, or perhaps, they were actually members of that Secret Organization.
This had confused him a lot since he thought that this Secret Organization had stopped its operations in Melthorn City after the huge incident a few months ago.
Clyde could only sigh as tracking people wasn''t really his forte. He didn''t even have a Tracking Spell and could only use a ritual taught to him in the Academy many years ago.
On the next day, Clyde could only report to the Order of the Illustrious Liquidators that Clovis could use a strange movement spell or technique that allowed him to disappear in a sh.
Furthermore, Clovis had a mysterious spell, artifact, or knowledge that could remove high-level tracking spells and perhaps, even the Tracking Mark left by the Sentinel''s Divine Sense.
Lastly, he reported his suspicions about Clovis'' involvement with the Secret Organization. If he was right, then it would certainly make sense why Clovis wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
Staying under the watch of the Sentinels might expose his identity and cause him to fall into a trap. He must''ve taken a chance to escape after being worried about it.
After looking at his written report, Clyde then ordered one of his subordinates to bring the letter back to their Regional Commander. It would be up to them how they''ll proceed with the pursuit.
Haaa~
Clyde sighed afterfortably reclining on his chair.I think you should take a look at
It was a really tough month for him. It started with the strange lightning, or what they call the Heaven''s Wrath, to the slums of the Southern District, killing hundreds of people in the process. It was followed by an incident that involved the death of a Necromancer and a Summoner.
Then, It was followed by the mysterious Holy Arts Practitioner.
It didn''t even end there. The woman he had savedst night had somehow disappeared from the clinic without anyone noticing.
''Clovis Skye¡ We''ll meet again someday. I''m sure of it.'' Clyde firmly said in his mind as he dozed off on his chair.
***
In the meantime, another student in the Vermont Academy had arrived early even though the summer break wasn''t over yet.
She wasn''t wearing her academy uniform since she would be in her second-year ss after the summer break. It means that she needed to make changes in her uniform.
She could simply order a new one at her expense or have it modified to add another eight-angled in her uniform.
Since she needed to save money, she decided to head toward the Student Welfare Department to request a modification instead. It was a lot cheaper, and anyway, the uniform still fitted her and looked brand new.
After having her uniform fixed, she nned to leave her bag and other things at her dorm. However, she met a gorgeous woman who seemed to be a professor at the Academy.
Of course, she knows this person really well as she was the one who had urged her to enroll in this Academy. The gorgeous woman wasn''t a professor but an alumnus.
"Senior Lesley, I didn''t expect to meet you here¡ I thought you already left the country." She greeted her warmly.
"Hmm? You know me?" Lesley then looked at the cute girl who had spoken to her and tried to recall her name.
After a few seconds, she immediately recognized her.
"Ahh, aren''t you Lisa? Lisa Grayback?" Her eyes lit up after seeing a familiar figure.
The Lisa Grayback she had seen before looked like a beggar and was too skinny. But now, she hadpletely changed!
If it were other people, they would surely forget Lisa since she was too different. However, Lesley was unique. Her memory was one of her talents, so she immediately recognized Lisa after closely looking at her.
It also helped that she had used her Phantasm State to inspect Lisa when she was still a malnourished poor girl in the city.
"Yes, it''s me, Senior Lesley. I''ve followed your instructions and will follow in your footsteps from now on."
Chapter 246 Still There
Lesley was beaming as soon as she heard Lisa''s words. It was delightful to hear that a junior wanted to follow in her footsteps.
Lesley was also simr to many Arcane Arts Practitioners. She wanted to leave a legacy and be one of the greatest Arcanists that has ever lived.
Having a faithful follower seems to be a good start for that to happen. It may have been just empty words but she still liked it nheless.
Lesley then looked around the hallway before speaking in a soft voice.
"That''s great to hear¡ However, did you mention this to other people? As you know, I may have helped many people, but I also have a lot of enemies. You''d be in trouble if they learned your connection to me." She warned with a concerned look on her face.
Lisa felt overwhelmed by Lesley''s kindness as she immediately answered.
"No, Senior Lesley. No one was aware of it. Although I''ve heard several professors and students mention your name, I kept my silence and even acted curious about you. Hehe¡" Lisa replied with a mischievous smile on her face.
Lesley was satisfied with this answer.
"Alright. I''ll be meeting the Headmaster. I''m sure we''ll meet again someday. I hope that you''re already a sessful Spellcaster at that time." Lesley said as she waved goodbye to her junior.
"Yes, I will do my best, Senior."
Lisa didn''t want to take too much of her idol''s time, so she quickly left after saying goodbye. She also didn''t want to be seen by other people since she knew that Lesley wouldn''t like it.
After Lisa''s figure disappeared from Lesley''s sight, she still couldn''t stop smiling. It was as if Lisa''s appearance made her recall plenty of things.
"I hope she grows quickly. Her physique hasn''t awakened yet¡ Should I push her a bit? No, I can''t rush now¡ I should just take my time. Once she''s ripe I--"
As she was muttering to herself, she suddenly heard a familiar voice in her mind.
"Lesley¡ What are you nning this time?"
Lesley was startled at this and she quickly replied.
"Ah¡ Uncle Jean¡ I''m not nning something. I was just happy to see a familiar face. Right, I heard that Sir Heinz had already left. I mean--Did he really not leave any method ofmunication?"
Lesley immediately shifted the topic as she conversed with the Headmaster using telepathy. Her desire to find Spellcasters with great physiques wasn''t new to the Headmaster. Up until today, even if she was doing missions assigned to her by the Order of the Evanescent Vessel, she was still doing her research to create a perfect Tier 3 Variant.
"Hmph¡ Don''t think of doing something weird to her. She has great potential as a Spellcaster. You can''t ruin her. Do you understand?" Headmaster Jean still reminded her niece as he knows her personality too well.
As expected, Lesley''s face turned sour when she heard his words.
However, she still nodded to her uncle like an obedient niece. There was no way she could openly disobey her uncle.
At the very least, once she used Lisa in her experiment in the near future, her uncle would have no choice but to ept it and only give her some punishment. She wasn''t afraid of that at all.
"Very well. Come to my office. You still have something to report." Headmaster Jean finally said before cutting off his connection with his niece.
Lesley, who wanted to say something more, could no longer reply because of that.I think you should take a look at
''I hope that the Secret Organization finds that pocketwatch already. Why are they causing so much uproar because of it? I can''t even sleep because of the problems they created.''
Lesleyined as she continued her way to the Headmaster''s Office.
***
In the Enchanted Forest, just more than 15 kilometers from Melthorn City, Vale could be seen moving quickly. It can be seen that he had a clear destination in his head and wasn''t just moving randomly.
Soon, Vale stopped running as he canceled his Lightspeed Spell¡ It depletes his Stamina quite a lot, but thankfully, he had a decent amount of Strength which also gave him plenty of Stamina.
"Great¡ They''re still here." Vale muttered, out of breath.
He was looking at the corpses of the four Runecasters he had previously killed.
That''s right! Although it seemed like he escaped to another city from the direction he ran into, he actually circled around the mysterious vige to revisit this ce!
Since not even a day had passed, the corpses of the Runecasters were still emitting some form of energy brought by the Rune Arts they had cultivated or practiced.
The wild animals haven''t approached them, and the Evil Spirit hasn''t found them yet.
Without any hesitation, Vale quickly went to their side and extracted them.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +20 Agility +0.30 Intelligence +0.20 ]
''Too low? Is it because they have been here for a long time already? Tsk¡'' Vale could only shake his head after seeing this. There was nothing he could do about it, so he could only continue and ept what he got.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +20 Agility +0.20 Intelligence +0.15 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +20 Agility +0.20 Intelligence +0.20 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +25 Agility +0.25 Intelligence +0.15 ]
After extracting the other three, Vale continued searching for their belongings, and unfortunately, they only had Regr Mystical Items.
Perhaps, Christopher Gates had already taken their valuable items and sold them for money.
''In any case, I still have a few weeks on me. I just need to visit a different city far from here so I can continue with my Extractions.''
Vale silently thought as he pocketed the four Regr Mystical Items that he found. They were actually rings that seemed to help Runecasters cast their Runes a lot faster. This wasn''t just a wild guess as he recalled how these people channeled their energy on these rings before casting their spells.
They may not be helpful to him, but he can still convert them into cash.
Chapter 247 Different Art
ng! ng! ng!
''What? Is there a battle going on?''
Vale was startled when he heard the sound of shing swords ahead of him. He immediately entered his Phantasm State and used his Extrasensory Perception Spell to weaken his presence. He then found a ce to hide quickly.
Bang! Bang!
A couple of gunshots followed as he realized that this battle seemed to involve some officials. After all, only police officers or those in the army would have firearms.
The country has strict control over firearms. It would be extremely rare for bandits or even normal criminals to possess some firearms, unless they were like the Snake Brotherhood which had ties with corrupt officials.
It had already been a week since the incident in the Enchanted Forest, and Vale had already visited a couple of cities or a total of 6 morgues.
If there were some people searching for him as ''Clovis'', they would surely not think that he''ll be lurking around various morgues to increase his Vitality.
"Hmm?"
As he swept his Divine Sense, he realized that themotion ahead of him was a battle between ordinary people with only three Arcane Arts Practitioners.
However, Vale was baffled by the feedback sent to him by Divine Sense.
Martial Arts Practitioner with 5 filled Spell Lights.
Martial Arts Practitioner with 5 filled Spell Lights.
Mystic Arts Practitioner with 8 filled Spell Lights.
He was sure there was no Martial Path among the twelve Arcane Paths. The closes path he could think of would be the Combat Arts or the Knights Path.
Vale then swiftly moved to find the Arcanists he had sensed.
Soon, he found a battle between two groups of people.
The first group had a luxurious carriage protected by a couple of knights and police officers who weren''t in their uniform. Nevertheless, Vale could guess that they were police officers because of the revolver they were using. It was a revolver that was only issued to police.
The second group had over 20 people but was underequipped, with only one strong robed Magician behind them.
Needless to say, the robed Magician was the Mystic Arts Practitioner he detected just a few moments ago.
It means that the Martial Arts was the Arcane Path of the Knights!
''I didn''t know they were called like that. I wonder why they don''t call themselves Martial Artists.'' Vale mused as he watched the battle between the two groups.I think you should take a look at
Currently, only one of the knights could fight since the other one was restricted by a Mystic Art that was simr to the Dire Chains of the Dark Arts.
However, the mystical chains were glowing in red light and seemed disconnected from the spellcaster. It means that the Knight could only overpower the chains to remove it, or he could just wait until the energy on it was depleted.
Vale then shifted his attention to the female Knight who was about to attack the Magician. He wasn''t sure who would win, but right now, he had no ns of interfering unless it would benefit him.
He chose to remain in his position and observe the situation.
***
"Knight Rose, you should just give up. You are still young. You have a bright future ahead of you. Stop protecting the son of that corrupt Baron before it''s toote. Look at this¡" The Mystic Arts Practitioner spoke with an intimidating voice as he waved his hand to destroy the guns of the police officers.
He did it so effortlessly that the officers could only step back and pull out their batons.
Knight Rose was obviously startled as soon as she saw how the robed Magician crumpled those guns like pieces of paper.
They couldn''t even win with two Knights. Now that she was alone, she knew that she could die in this battle.
However, her honor as a Knight wouldn''t allow her to surrender.
"The Baron''s son is innocent, and he shouldn''t bear his father''s sin. If you have problems with the Baron, then look for him in his manor, not his son!" Knight Rose righteously spoke.
However, she knew it was futile to convince the Magician in front of her since he wasn''t righteous either. He was just using the corrupt Baron as a justification for the ughter he wanted to happen.
With that in mind, Knight Rose charged at the Magician, her sword raised and her shield ready. She hoped to close the distance before the Magician could cast any more of his Mystic Spells. She knew she had the advantage in strength and armor, but she also knew that Mystic Arts was unpredictable and dangerous.
The robed Magician saw the female Knighting and quickly muttered an incantation. It was in Oardic, and Vale found this incantation interesting. It seemed quite different from Spells that he was aware of.
Anyway, the Magician pointed his staff at the female Knight and unleashed a st of fire. Knight Rose dodged to the side, avoiding the mes, but she felt the heat singe her hair. She cursed and continued her advance. She covered herself with a stronger aura, not caring if she got exhausted prematurely.
The robed Magician didn''t stop and used another spell, summoning a swarm of butterflies in various colors. The butterflies flew around the Knight, leaving trails of white lights as they entered through the gaps in her armor. For some reason, the Knight''s Aura didn''t block the lights!
Knight Rose was rmed as she ignited herself with a fiery aura, but they were too many! She felt a surge of pain and anger, but she did not stop.
The robed Magician smiled wickedly and prepared his final spell. He aimed his staff at the Knight''s chest and cast another Mystic Arts. A bolt of lightning shot out of the staff, crackling with electricity. Knight Rose braced herself for the impact, but it never came.
The lightning bolt hit her shield, which was made of a mysterious arcane metal. This Mystical Artifact conducted the electricity, sending it back to the staff!
Boom!
The staff exploded in the Magician''s hand, sending sparks and splinters flying. The Magician screamed as he dropped the staff and clutched his wounded hand.
Chapter 248 Free
Vale was watching the intense battle with bated breath and he wasn''t really sure who to cheer on.
He knew that both of them seemed to have their own circumstances, so it was inappropriate to judge who was right or wrong.
With that in mind, he kept his silence and observed the battle since he was learning from it.
He realized that the Agility of the Knight seemed to have reached 30 points if it was quantified, and it was pretty impressive.
After all, the female Knight appeared to be only in her early twenties so having such a high attribute at this young age should be rarely seen.
"Die!"
Vale then heard the female Knight''s battle cry.
Knight Rose seized the opportunity she saw and lunged at the robed Magician. She swung her glowing sword with all her might, cutting through the Magician''s robe and flesh.
Vale wasn''t sure about the rank of her weapon, but it must be very high to cut through that Mystical Robe that was emitting a strong fluctuation of mystical energy.
The Magician then fell to the ground, blood spilling from his wound. He looked up at the female Knight before shifting his gaze to the sword she was holding with fear and regret in his eyes.
''It''s a High-Rank Royal Rank Sword!''
This was his first time fighting someone with such an imbnced weapon! It was too unfair to bring in a battle between 2nd ss Practitioners!
Unfortunately for him, he failed to realize the true power of the Knight''s sword until it was toote!
If he had recognized it earlier, there was no way he would rely on his Mystical Robe to protect his body!
Knight Rose looked down at the Magician with contempt and pity. If her shield failed to reflect the previous attack, she would be the one to die.
She then raised her sword again, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Anyst words?" She coldly asked. She had no ns of letting this man stay alive.
The Magician then whispered something that the Knight could not hear.
All of a sudden, the Magician closed his eyes and breathed hisst.
''You don''t want to be killed by a Knight?'' Rose frowned as she no longer felt the desire to behead the man.
She simply lowered her sword and sighed. She may have won the battle, but she felt no joy or pride. She only felt relief that it was finally over.
Knight Rose then turned away from the corpse and looked at the people who were still thinking of continuing the battle. Many of herpanions had already died and it was all because she couldn''t control the power of her sword artifact. If she could fully use this sword, perhaps, no one would be hurt on their side.
Lastly, she also hesitated to use this sword because of the side effect it has. If she failed to restrict her own sword, she may also be the added to casualties of this incident.
"Enough! I''ve killed the Magician supporting your group. Put down your weapons!" Knight Rose spoke with a loud voice as she also released her Aura.
She had obviously weakened a lot, but she still had enough strength to deal with these ordinary people.
"I surrender!"
"Please let us go¡ We were just coerced by the Magician! We have no other choice!"
"We also didn''t want to do this! Have mercy!"I think you should take a look at
Clink. Clink. Clink.
One by one, the ambushers dropped their weapons as they pleaded for mercy.
Knight Rose had already seen enough blood today, so she just ordered the remaining guards to seize the weapons and tie the criminals.
As she thought of checking her client inside the carriage, she suddenly felt a wave of warm energy behind her.
She quickly looked at the source of the anomaly and realized that the Magician that she had supposedly killed was actually still alive! Furthermore, he seemed to be nning to have other people join him in hell!
"Not good! Run!"
She immediately shouted, but she knew that it was already toote! The man was already at a critical point! With the strength of the fluctuation she could sense, the explosion could certainly cover more than 200 meters!
The Magician then looked at her with deranged eyes as if he had gone crazy.
''No!''
She had never expected that the Mystic Arts Practitioner could actually fake their death and even be capable of self-destructing!
As she saw the Magician gets covered by a bright light, she could only close her eyes in despair and hope that her Sword and her Physique could help her.
She braced herself for the impact, but it never came!
As she opened her eyes, she realized that there was a man wearing a demonic mask holding the head of the Magician.
"Aaackk! Stop! What are you doing?! Y-you!¡ª" The Magician wanted to say something more, but the Masked Man didn''t stop what he was doing.
He even held the Magician''s head close to his mask before dropping him to the ground.
Thud!
The Magician had already passed out, but the Masked Man wasn''t finished yet. Thetter summoned a Ghost Hand and crushed the heart of the Magician!
Since the Magician was defenseless, the Ghost Hand could pass through his body and target his internal organs.
It was a quick death, but the Masked Man didn''t even stop at that.
Knight Rose saw the man put his palm on the Magician''s body as if he was doing some sort of ritual that she wasn''t aware of.
Cling!
She immediately pulled out her sword as she readied herself for battle.
The man may have saved them, but it doesn''t mean that her group was no longer being targeted.
After some hesitation, Knight Rose finally spoke.
"Thank you for saving us from that mad man¡ However, I''d like to apologize if I have to draw my sword. Who are you? Are you also targeting my client?" She asked cautiously while she looked at the Demonic Mask.
However, she immediately felt dizzy just by looking at it, so she shifted her attention and focused on the man''s Ghost Hand instead.
"I''m just a passerby interrupted by your battle here. However, since I''m already here, I''ll be taking something from you all. But don''t fret -- None of you will die."
Chapter 249 Return To The Academy
Vale soon left the road filled with many unconscious people lying on the ground.
He did what he just said and didn''t kill anyone aside from the Mystic Arts Practitioner who was about to destroy everyone in the vicinity. He didn''t even steal the money or Magic Items of those people since he still has principles.
He simply extracted them since it was also a waste to just ignore them.
After all, he had already stolen their attributes and other mystical properties so he felt that it was a bit too much to even steal their money and valuables.
Since the Knight''s group didn''t do anything to him that deserved death, he decided not to overreact and controlled the urge of his Mask and his Incorruptible Body.
Nevertheless, Vale was satisfied with what he did.
''I didn''t expect I''ll get a decent Spell from the Knight.'' Vale muttered while feeling the changes in his body.
Apparently, it seems that it was true that most of the Knights only have passive Spell Models in their bodies.
He read before that they mostly have Physical Augmentation, Aura Burst, Hyper Awareness, and Indomitable Will. These Spells were the popr ones that almost all Knights had.
However, there was still the most basic thing that all Knights possessed, and it was the Meridian ess Spell Model!
Once this Spell was triggered for the first time, Vale would be able to manipte his Meridian System allowing him ess to the Knight''s Aura!
After he survived that, he would be able to use Aura Maniption through the same Spell Model!
He really wanted to use this Spell Model immediately but he was worried that it would cause conflict with the Dark Energy within his body.
He didn''t want to die in such a pathetic way, so he decided to reign on his urge and wait until he learned more things before using this Spell.
As for the Spell Model that he got from the Mystic Arts Practitioner, Vale rejected it since it was the Mystic Body Bomb. It was the Self Destruction Spell that the man tried to use.
There was no way Vale would use such a suicidal spell, so he rejected it as soon as he saw its name.
He was already satisfied with the Meridian ess Spell since it would greatly change his battle style if he sessfully controlled his Aura.
''I wonder if Headmaster can give good advice about this.'' Vale mused as he continued his way to Magfall City.
This city was where he nned to stay for the rest of the summer break since there would be an airship heading back to the Vermont Academy that would pass there.
***
A few weeks quickly passed, and the start of the new Academic Year had finally arrived.
The Entrance Ceremony for the new batch of First Year Students had just started, and it could be seen that the number of security within the Academy had increased by a couple of times.
"Whew~ I arrived in time¡" Leonore Rnd said with a tired voice as she entered the Academy grounds.
She looked exhausted as she had rushed to this ce after being entangled with some troublesome matters.
Nevertheless, her eyes glowed, and observed the Academy without any problems.I think you should take a look at
Vermont, the Academy of Dark Arts was buzzing with activity as the students returned from their six weeks of summer break.
At this moment, she could see some students who were eager to resume their studies of the mysterious Arcane Path and those who wanted to learn new Dark Spells.
Of course, the others seemed more interested in catching up with their friends and rivals as she saw the many groups of studentsughing and chatting.
The halls were filled with whispers of thetest rumors and scandals, as well as the asional scream of a Hex or some Curse Spell that had gone wrong.
The teachers and professors watched over the chaos with a mixture of pride and disdain, knowing that they had to mold these young minds into the future masters of the Dark Arts. The Academy was a ce of power, mystery, and danger, and the students loved it.
Cough! Cough!
Leonore immediately stopped using her Spell after being overwhelmed by the information she got by activating that Spell.
Nevertheless, she seemed so excited at the sessful activation of her Spell.
''I''m close to it¡ At this rate, I''ll be able to learn the Dark Seer Spell before the Twelve Academies Competition Starts.'' Leonore thought with a smile as she stepped forward to see her ssmates.
She had to attend the first ss no matter what since they would have to show their Spirit Strands and Dark Spell Mastery. She can''t miss this chance to show off her skills.
''I wonder if Vale had at least improved his Spirit Strands over the past six weeks. Once he turned 18, increasing the Spirit Strands would be extremely difficult. He should try to use all possible means while still young.'' Leonore silently thought as she truly felt pity for her ssmate.
Although Vale had a high Spirit Strand that many couldn''t reach yet, everyone knew that it wouldn''t matter soon as it was rumored that Vale had already exhausted his potential.
Even if he were strong now within the Academy, it would not be the same once they all reach their higher years or when they graduated.
***
It didn''t take long before Leonore entered the Second Year ss with a smile, happy to see her friends from the First Year. She had made some good connections in her first year, so she was looking forward to learning more with them.
She then greeted them warmly and joined them at their table, where they chatted about their summer adventures and ns for the new term. They were a diverse and talented group, each with their own strengths and interests. Leonore felt lucky to have them as her allies andpanions.
''Right¡ Where is that guy?'' Leonore mused as she nced around the room, curious to see if Vale was there.
She then noticed a boy sitting alone in the back row, who looked bored and aloof.
Without a doubt, it was Vale Chambers. He had ck hair and eyes, and he wore a coat over his uniform. He seemed to ignore everyone else, focusing on the Paper Talisman in his hand.
''Let''s see¡''
She decided to investigate Vale and whispered an appraisal spell under her breath. It was a spell she had learned from her mentor, allowing her to see through illusions, disguises, and the strength of her target. She aimed it at Vale, hoping to have a vague grasp of his Spirit Strands.
She simply wanted to see if there were some improvements in his strength.
However, she was shocked when she saw nothing change and Vale was already looking at her coldly.
Chapter 250 Assessments
Leonore frowned and blinked, confused by the result.
She suddenly felt nervous after realizing that she didn''t just fail, but Vale also noticed her actions!
''No¡ He shouldn''t have noticed it. My Spell is undetectable. I tried it on the guards outside the Academy. None of them noticed this Appraisal Spell at all.'' Leonore thought as she tried tofort herself.
She quickly shifted her attention back to her friends to avoid Vale''s eyes. She was hoping that Vale had just nced at her by chance.
Unfortunately, she still couldn''t help but feel that something was off. She didn''t know how she failed since she felt the activation of her Spell. She also felt some of her Dark Energy being used in that brief moment.
''Not good¡ He''s still staring at him. He really noticed me.''
Leonore tried to ignore Vale''s burning gaze behind her, but in the end, she realized that she should just apologize to not make the matter worse.
She tried showing her most pitiful face as she turned to Vale.
However, this time, Vale looked at her with a mocking smile.
Seeing that Leonore didn''t know what to do and was probably panicking inside, he mouthed: "Nice try."
Leonore felt a surge of anger and intrigue, and she didn''t know if it was hate or attraction. She knew that this person was someone she had to be careful of, and maybe someone she wanted to challenge.
Luckily, even though Vale may have been offended by her actions, it wasn''t to the point that he''d forget that they were ssmates.
Leonore nned to apologize at this point, but some students entered the ssroom, interrupting her.
They were Lisa, Chad, and Aubrey. They immediately surrounded Vale as soon as they noticed him sitting alone at the back row.
She could no longer apologize in this situation, so she nned to do it after ss.
It didn''t take long before Professor Shirley entered the ssroom and looked around.
Nothing changed in ss 2 since they will only be separated in their fourth year when they selected their Dark Arts Specialization.
"Since everyone''s here¡ Let''s start the assessment."
As soon as she said this, everyone immediately paid attention since they were looking forward to this very moment.
They wanted to show off how much they had gotten stronger within a year. Furthermore, many of them are confident that they have exceeded Vale''s Spirit Strands.
Although all these people spent a huge sum of money to increase their Spirit, that was nothingpared to the satisfaction they''ll get once they confirm that they''re better than thest year''s best student.
"Heh¡ I guess everyone''s excited to get tested. However, there are changes in this year''s assessment. We need to find suitable students to attend the Twelve Academies Competition once you all advance to the fourth year. So as early as now, the professors will be taking note of your achievements to consider your participation." Professor Shirley said with a smile.
"Ahh? What kind of changes is that, Professor?" Neil asked in excitement. The idea of participating in the Twelve Academies Competition stimted his desire to achieve a good result in today''s assessment.
"I hope it''s not about having better Mystical Artifacts."
"Perhaps it''s an additional exam?"
"Idiot¡ It''s probably something rted to the Competition¡"I think you should take a look at
The students started guessing, so Professor Shirley stopped them by revealing the added assessment.
"We will now be testing your Power Strands and Life Strands. Normally, this is done during your fifth year in the Academy. After all, your Power and Life Strands will not increase that much until you reach your third year or fourth year. However, inst week''s conference with the Headmaster, we voted to add these assessments today at the Academy''s expense."
As Professor Shirley said this, she thought that her students would get excited. After all, they must be curious about their own power and life strands.
However, to her dismay, her student had a stiff smile on their faces as they seemed to have felt betrayed after the revtion.
"Professor¡ We''re just in our second year. I don''t think I can even produce a single power strand. As for our life strand, there''s nothing special there either." Alvin Vendelmented. He hadn''t prepared himself aside from his Spirit Strands after all.
Felicia immediately spoke after hearing his words.
"No way. As long as you consumed the Darkness Possession sessfully, it already gives you a couple of Power Strands."
"Ugh! That''s still not that much. We''re not Knights or Combat Warriors anyway." ir also added.
"True¡ I don''t think we need to keep track of our Power Strand as Spell Casters. We should just focus on our Spirit Strand."
"That includes the Life Strands. All of us should have about the same since we are of simr age. I don''t think it''s that important."
"Idiots¡ This is free! What''s with this so manyints?!"
As they voiced out their opinions, Dalton Stranway scolded his ssmate.
This time, Dalton was alreadyfortable with his ssmates, so he couldment like that.
Although he sounded so aggressive with what he said, his ssmates who weren''t appreciating the new assessment recalled the requirement for the Power and Life Strand Assessment.
Their eyes lit up, and they asked the Professor.
"Does it mean that we will get the Power Converging Crystal for free? It will not be taken back?!"
"I heard that the Life Converging Crystal is worth 2 Contribution Points! Can we really have it?" Reid asked in excitement.
Finally, Professor Shirley heard the response that she wanted to hear. It was a good thing that Dalton scolded them for her. After all, these crystals can only be used by one person!
Once you triggered these crystals, they would no longer respond to other Practitioners! This was a huge expense for the Academy!
"That''s right¡ Here are the crystals." Professor Shirley said as she took out two pouches of crystals.
Thud. Thud.
One of the pouches contained Red Crystals, which were known as Life Converging Crystals. The other pouch, on the other hand, included Green Crystals or the Power Converging Crystals.
"Alright, who wants to go first?" Professor Shirley asked as she looked at everyone.
Surprisingly, as soon as she asked for a volunteer, everyone unconsciously looked at Vale. Some were subtle, but many of them just immediately looked behind as if they were telling Vale to volunteer first.
Chapter 251 Report
''Should I volunteer instead?'' Lisa Grayback thought momentarily as soon as she realized that Vale was the center of attention once again.
She looked at Chad and Aubrey, and they seemed to have the same idea.
They don''t want to put pressure on Vale as they nned to get tested first. Although they were also interested to know about Vale''s improvement, they were worried that Vale would be aughingstock in the whole ss.
They can already see Jody writing a good headline for the Newspaper Club.
However, as she thought of raising her hand, Vale already agreed!
He didn''t seem to mind their ssmates'' eagerness to put him in a difficult situation.
As Vale stood up, Lisa noticed something.
''Ah?''
She was startled as she was sure she saw a hint of a confident smile on Vale''s face!
An idea suddenly came to her mind!
''Did he improve his Life Strand or Power Strand in exchange for a stagnant Spirit Strand?! Isn''t that too stupid? What is he thinking?!''
She wanted to scold Vale for doing that since his future as a Spellcaster might bepromised because of this reckless decision.
Nevertheless, she couldn''t say a word since it was inappropriate for amoner like her toment about such methods.
After all, this could be a tradition passed down to each member of the Chambers Family.
"Good! Vale Chambers can go first. We will only test the Power Strand this time. We''ll do the assessment one at a time. Ahem¡ This green Crystal has a limit of 20 strands, so it''s more than enough, and you can use it even until you graduate. I hope to see at least 3 or 4 Power Strands in each Crystal so good luck." Professor Shirley said as she invited Vale toe forward.
"What?! Four strands? Professor, you must be joking. It is too unfair for us." Emily immediately said as she knew that her Power Strand was nothing impressive.
"Professor, I heard that with our current age, our Life Strand should be around 3 or 4 Strands, but for the Power Strand, I think that a single strand is actually the average."
"T-that''s right¡ Professor, you might''ve confused it for a moment. Please don''t expect 4 Power Strands from us... We''re Spellcasters."
Professor Shirley shook her head after hearing this. She then held the red Crystal tightly and spoke earnestly.
"That''s right¡ That must be the average. However, we aren''t looking for average students to participate in the Twelve Academies Competition. If you want a better chance, you must have a 3 or 4 Power Strand right now and increase it to even 6 or 7 before the Competition."
The students immediately quiet down after recalling the purpose of this assessment.
Indeed, this assessment wasn''t just to boast about their Spell Mastery and Spirit Strands achievement! They have to be excellent students suited to be the representative of the whole Academy.
They could only watch Vale as he walked up to the front of the ssroom with a mysterious smile on his face.I think you should take a look at
''The Power Converging Crystal only has 20 Strand Limit? This isn''t even that exciting.'' Vale thought as he knew this was his chance to prove himself, to show everyone what he was capable of.
Although he didn''t really like to boast his current strength because he was too far ahead, he felt that this might actually be his chance to receive more benefits in the Academy!
He wanted to graduate as quickly as possible and get a chance to take back his shadow¡ He knows that he can''t do it if he continuesying low.
Perhaps, showing his real power might do the trick.
He reached out and gently touched the red Crystal Professor Shirley handed over. He then felt a warm sensation in his palm, and it feels quitefortable.
"Unlike the Life and Spirit Converging Crystal, the Power Converging Crystal might jolt your body for a brief moment, but that''s normal¡" Professor Shirley softly said, but it was enough for everyone to hear.
Vale nodded at this as he closed his eyes and let the Crystal scan his body, revealing his innate strength. He heard the teacher''s voice in his ear, praising him for his calm andposed demeanor.
He waited for a couple of minutes until he heard amotion from the ss. He opened his eyes and saw that the red Crystal was actually glowing brightly, disying a stunning sight.
''Is this what''s supposed to happen?'' Vale silently thought as he nced at the Professor. It seems that there is a huge difference between the two other assessments.
He looked inside the Crystal and saw that twenty small white strands were swirling around, which was something he already expected.
''Was that glowing effect happen if I reached the red Crystal''s limit? It didn''t happen in the Spirt Converging Crystal though...'' Vale mused.
He then heard someone pping and immediately nced at Chad. It was then followed by Lisa, Aubrey, and others as they started cheering for him.
As for the others, they were too stunned to even react. Their mouths were wide open as they couldn''t process in their heads how a fifteen-year-old like him could have a Power Strand meant for a First-ss Knight!
This was too unbelievable!
The Professor, on the other hand, recovered quickly as she looked at Vale with a smile of approval and admiration. Although she was equally confused, the result wouldn''t lie.
''I should report this to headmaster as quickly as possible...''
After the cheer calmed down, she announced to the ss:
"Vale Chambers, you are a prodigy."
Thetter felt a surge of pride, happiness, and excitement after seeing everyone''s reaction.
''So it wasn''t that bad showing off my current strength. However, this is just the beginning.'' Vale thought as he looked at the Professor, expecting some recognition or reward for exceeding expectations.
Unfortunately, before she could even speak, Neil stood up and mmed his hands on his table.
"Professor! This is definitely weird! Having a 20 Power Strand is just too suspicious! There must be something wrong with the Crystal¡ or perhaps, Vale used one of the Forbidden Rituals of the Dark Arts Faction to increase his strength! Should we not report him to the Association to have him investigated?!"
Chapter 252 Crush It
Neil Sommerhalder couldn''t believe what he had just witnessed. He had been waiting for this day for several weeks, hoping to impress everyone with his own power. He had always wanted to be a top student, excelling in the theory and practice of Dark Arts.
His bloodline may have stopped him from bing an excellent Runecaster, but his talent in Dark Arts was supposed to be at a higher level! It was confirmed by the elders of his n, and as a matter of fact, he only had to recuperate for about three hours after he consumed the Darkness Possession Potion.
His talent could not be denied with such an achievement.
Furthermore, he had trained his body since he was young. He was aiming to be a Necromancer, and it has the highest demand in terms of physical requirements.
He was confident that he would get at least four strands, maybe even five strands!
Having done everything he could, he knew that his own efforts wouldn''t betray him.
But then, Vale Chambers had to ruin everything.
He had seen Vale touch the red crystal and produce twenty strands, the maximum possible in that crystal. He had seen the whole ss go wild with apuse and admiration. He had seen the teacher congratte him and call him a prodigy.
He hated him.
He hated him for stealing his spotlight, for making him look like a fool, for being better than him. He hated him for being so calm and confident, as if he knew he would ace the assessment.
He couldn''t ept that Vale had such a diverse and versatile power while he couldn''t even advance his Dark Spells to the intermediate realm.
''I can''t just stay like this¡'' Neil then looked around him and confirmed that he had a few ssmates who were looking at Vale with the same gaze.
They also didn''t like how Vale took all the spotlight in today''s assessment.
''Good¡ They will surely support me.'' Neil thought with a wicked smile as he considered how to reveal Vale''s true colors.
He refused to believe that Vale was that talented, that gifted, or that lucky. There was no way he was that inferior, that mediocre, that unlucky.
''I don''t believe that the test was fair, that the crystal was urate, and that the result was final!''
With this in mind, Neil decided to challenge it.
"Professor! This is definitely weird! Having a 20 Power Strand is just too suspicious! There must be something wrong with the crystal¡ or perhaps, Vale used one of the Forbidden Rituals of the Dark Arts Faction to increase his strength! Should we not report him to the Association to have him investigated?!"
He decided to use Vale of cheating, of using some forbidden ritual to boost his power. In case that was too much, he didn''t forget to suggest that there may be something wrong with the crystal, that it was probably faulty or tampered with. He wanted Vale to retake the assessment under his supervision and scrutiny.
''I bet you''re a fraud¡ I''ll see how you cheated if you do the test once again.''
***
The usation had obviously stunned many of his ssmates.
The other students reacted to Neil''s usation with a mix of shock, anger, disbelief, and amusement. Some of them, especially Vale''s close friends, were appalled by his rudeness and jealousy as they defended Vale''s achievement.I think you should take a look at
"Neil, what are you talking about? Vale didn''t cheat. He''s just amazing. You''re just jealous because he''s better than you. Stop being such a sore loser and ept the fact that he''s a genius." Chad immediately said as he looked at Neil, filled with disdain.
Chad had always felt that Neil was trying hard to be at the top of the ss and that there was nothing wrong with that. However, Neil had finally crossed the line.
Chad wasn''t sure why he was doing it, but no matter what, he shouldn''t use his ssmate of the usage of Forbidden Ritual. This is a grave matter and shouldn''t be joked about.
"That''s right. Do you have any proof that Vale used a forbidden ritual? Do you even know what a forbidden ritual is? Do you realize how serious your usation is? You could get in trouble for making false ims. You should apologize to Vale right now." Aubrey Hall demanded as she felt that it was so ridiculous to use Vale of something so serious.
He even has the audacity to report it to the Association of the Harmonious Arcane Paths!
Neil was obviously startled as he heard those words, but he looked at his friends to get them on his side.
Some of them were curious and wondered if he indeed had a point.
"I don''t think that a Forbidden Ritual was used. It will be up to the experts to decide that. However, perhaps there''s something wrong with the crystal as you said. In any case, we should let the others use the crystals to make sure. If they also get a ridiculous result, then you can be right." Alvin said cautiously.
Junius, his seatmate, also whispered something to him.
"Do you really want Vale to take the test again? Do you think he''ll fail this time¡ªI mean, would he get fewer strands? What if nothing changed? What will you do about this situation?" Junius reminded his friend worriedly. It feels as if his friend was being rash in his decisions and he felt genuinely concerned about it.
At this time, Leonore found an opportunity to speak. Since she offended Vale just a few moments ago, she had to redeem herself!
"Why are you so angry at Vale? He didn''t do anything to you. He just took the test like what we''re about to. He just happened to be awesome at it. He doesn''t deserve your hate. You should be happy for him and congratte him."
As Leonore said this, she looked at Vale with a pleased smile on her face.
"Alright¡ That''s enough." Professor Shirley finally made up her mind after hearing all their opinions.
She then took something out of her pocket. It was an obsidian stone and felt quite heavy.
The students looked curiously at this stone, but Shirley''s next action stunned them.
She threw the stone at Neil, which startled him for a bit.
Thud!
He easily caught the stone and realized it weighed about 8 kilograms. It was heavy.
"Professor, what''s this?" Neil curiously asked as he failed to understand what was going on.
Professor Shirley didn''t waste her words and briefly answered.
"Crush it without using your Dark Energy. Just your pure physical strength. I want to see what would happen."
Chapter 253 Rewarded
"¡"
Neil was stunned by the Professor''s instruction. He didn''t have to try, and he knew that there was no way he could not crush this stone with his physique alone.
Although he was confident with his strength, it was definitely not at this level.
Nevertheless, he could see that Professor Shirley was already coldly looking at him, so he had no choice but to obey.
***
Professor Shirley was not happy about the usation that Neil had made against Vale Chambers, one of her best students. She already knew about Vale''s mysterious identity, and even the Headmaster was watching him.
A few weeks ago, she also heard Professor Lucius muttering Vale''s name as if he wanted to see Vale as quickly as possible. It was too suspicious, but this made her aware that Vale was special.
She decided to settle the matter once and for all.
She wanted everyone to witness the truth as she pulled out the spherical obsidian stone in her possession to test their strength.
She looked at Neil and said. "Since you have a question about Vale''s result, let''s settle this matter with that stone. Hurry up and crush it. This is a test of your power. It''s a simple test but an effective one."
"I¡ I''m already trying, Professor." Neil said as his face was already turning red.
Neil was actually trying to crush it, and she didn''t even notice!
He then switched to two hands and tried it one more time. However, he felt that he was just being embarrassed here.
Not even a crack can be seen from the stone!
"Alright¡ That''s enough. This stone is tough and heavy. It takes a lot of force to break it. Pass that stone to Vale, and let us see how he would do it." Professor Shirley said with a light smile on her face.
"Wait! Professor, give me another chance." Neil said as he wanted to try stealthily using his Dark Energy.
However, Professor Shirley shook her head.
"No, Neil." she said. "You had your chance. And you wasted it."
She then turned to Vale and gestured for him to start.
Vale stepped forward to take the stone from Neil. He kept his silence all this time since he felt that the Professor was handling this matter really well, and he was right.
Professor Shirley''s method was better than he expected. Instead of dirtying his hands and wasting his words, it''s better to let the Professor handle it.
''I''ll just identally extract youter...'' Vale thought with a wicked smile on his smile.
After getting the stone from Neil, he stood at the center of the ss and spoke softly.
"You can enter your Phantasm State to inspect me while I crush this stone." Vale said as he gave them time to enter their Phantasm State!
He was so confident, and this made Lisa, Chad, and Aubrey smile at their friend.
''He can actually be so boastful at some time.'' They thought unanimously as they entered their Phantasm State.
Then, after confirming that everyone had entered the Phantasm State, Vale made his move. He didn''t show any strain on his face or sweat from his forehead.
He simply smiled and crushed the palm-sized stone with his right hand.
That''s right! The stone shattered into many pieces!I think you should take a look at
This shocked his ssmates but not the Professor. With the 20 Power Strands, she knew that Vale was indeed capable of doing something like that. It wasn''t even that close to what he could really do with that number of strands.
''I wonder what was his real limit? Since I only have 20-limit Power Converging Crystal, I can''t test him further. This is really fascinating.'' Professor Shirley mused as she looked at Vale with admiration.
In the meantime, the center of attention silently lowered his hands and looked at the dust with satisfaction.
He had seeded.
He had crushed the stone with ease.
''That thing can''t be crushed by anyone below 10 Power Strands. I wonder if its purpose is just to be crushed like that. Why is Professor Shirley even carrying that in her pocket?'' Vale couldn''t help but think about it as he nced at Professor Shirley with a polite expression.
"Ahem. Professor, thank you. That was interesting." He said with a stiff smile after realizing that Professor Shirley was looking at him.
"Well done, Vale. That stone can only be crushed if you have at least 10 Power Strands. Even without the Power Converging Crystal, you have already shown what you''re capable of. "
Professor Shirley said before she turned to Neil and frowned disapprovingly.
"And you, Neil." she said. "You have proven your weakness. You can just sit down and wait for your turn. Regarding the matter of the Forbidden Ritual or whatnot, let the experts handle it. However, I''m telling you now that Vale didn''t have any signs of using a Forbidden Ritual."
She looked at the rest of ss 2, who were stunned and excited by what they had seen.
"ss 2, you have witnessed their strength. Vale Chambers did not cheat on the Power Assessment. He scored a perfect 20-Power Strand because he is a powerful Arcane Arts Practitioner."
She paused and sighed again.
"I hope you all learned a valuable lesson today. Don''t judge others by their results. Judge them by their actions. And don''t make usations without proof. Make them with evidence."
She then used a Dark Spell to clean up the shattered pieces of the stone before she continued.
"Alright¡ Let''s not waste any more time and have everyone tested."
"Yes, Professor!"
Soon, the Power Assessment waspleted.
Just like what everyone feared, they indeed got 2 Power Strands in their assessment. There were only a few exceptions. They were Neil, Dalton, and Warren, which all had 3 Power Strands.
As they thought that they would get second ce in this assessment, Lisa Grayback''s result shocked them!
She actually had a 5 Spirit Strand, which is very impressive!
Although her result couldn''t bepared to Vale''s result, she actually felt genuinely happy about this since she believed that Vale was just too unique and shouldn''t be counted in the rankings.
As the Power Strand Assessment was finished, Professor Shirley smiled at Vale.
"Alright, since you have the best result here that could probably not be broken until you all graduate here, I''ll be rewarding you."
The Professor said as she handed him a book.
''The Book of 12 Unique Advanced Dark Spells¡ This is Interesting.'' Vale thought as he read the title of the book.
The book contained a list of twelve dark spells, their properties, and their applications. It was quite timely since he felt that he needed some better Dark Spells in his Arsenal.
"Study this book and make sure not to be rash in your Spell Selections. Your Spell Lights are limited, so I hope this book will make you reconsider those low-level Spells you''re fantasizing about." Professor Shirley Reminded
Chapter 254 Life Strands
Vale nodded at the Professor and kept the book on his table.
He couldn''t read it now, but he would surely study it once he returned to his dorm.
***
Lisa looked at Vale with aplicated gaze. She thought that she had gotten closer to Vale''s level during this summer break, but today''s assessment made her realize their vast difference.
She shook her head at this thought as she reminded herself of one thing.
''Unlike them, I have no background in the world of mysticism and barely learned something from Senior Lesley. I didn''t have anyone to support me, and I didn''t have any riches that could help me with my advancement. I should be satisfied that my talent isn''t bad.''
She felt better at this thought as she looked at her ssmates.
Their ss had just finished their Power Assessment, where they had witnessed the amazing disy of Vale Chambers'' physique. They had also seen the humiliating defeat of Neil Sommerhalder, who had used Vale of cheating by using the Forbidden Ritual.
She couldn''t help but feel disappointed at her ssmate for causing such a scene.
Anyway, Professor Shirley did not make them wait for long as they continued the assessment.
"You still have more assessments toplete," she said. "The next will be the Life Assessment."
She reached into her pouch and took out tiny red crystals.
"These are Life Converging Crystals." She said while holding up one of them.
"They are special crystals that can measure your life force... Unlike the Power Converging Crystals, they can only measure 15 Life Strands. Don''t think that it''s too low since I only have 11 Life Strand¡ Once you reach 10 Life Strand, increasing it by another strand would be extremely difficult with our Arcane Path."
Professor Shirley looked at their expressions before she continued.
"When you hold one of these crystals in your hand, it will connect with your soul to create the Life Strands on the crystal."
She looked at them with a serious expression.
"This test will not only determine how much life force you have, but it can also be the potential you have as an Arcanist and as a person. It may also determine how much freedom you have in your life..." Professor Shirley mysteriously said, which confused many of the students.
They thought that the life strands would just allow them to quantify their life force. Was there actually more to it?
They didn''t expect something like that at all.
"Are you ready?" The Professor asked.
The ss nodded nervously.
"Yes, Professor." They said in unison after some hesitation.
"Very well, let the test begin."
She pointed at Chad Bulmung, who was very noticeable after gaining some weight during the summer break.
"Chad, you go first." She said as she went to her seat and gave a crystal to him.
"Yes, Professor." Chad nodded confidently. He held the crystal in his hand and waited for a few seconds before it showed some reaction.
After some time, he saw four white strands appear inside it.
He smiled and announced the result to everyone.
"Four. I have four life strands."
Professor Shirley nodded approvingly.
"Well done, Chad." she said. "I''m expecting everyone to have at least 3 or 4 Life Strands. However, it wouldn''t be surprising to have 5 or even 6 Strands since all of you are talented."
She turned to Dalton Stranway, a short and skinny boy with a freckled face who was quite good in academic studies.I think you should take a look at
"Dalton, you''re next," she said. She was no longer looking for volunteers and decided to just call out everyone in the ss and get them tested one by one.
Dalton was startled after being called so suddenly, but he still replied. "Yes, Professor."
He held the crystal in his hand and waited for its reaction
He saw five white strands appear inside it. "Five¡ There are five strands!" He was shocked at this result since he wasn''t expecting much with his life force.
"Good¡" Professor Shirleymented as she noted the result in her record book before continuing.
She turned to Warren Lawstein, a quiet student who didn''t seem to have many friends in the ss.
"Warren, you''re next."
Warren nodded confidently, and after some time, he revealed that he also had 5 Life Strands! This made everyone excited as they felt that it was quitemon to see 5 Life Strands.
Then, it was Leonore''s turn.
She held the red crystal confidently and got 6 Life Strands!
Leonore faintly smiled at this result and he was already expecting this much.
''Joining the Fortune Telling Club may have been challenging, but the benefits I got were worth the price.
"Very well, Leonore," she said. "You have a higher Life Strand than I expected."
She then turned to Aubrey Hall, a smart and diligent girl who was good at both academic and arcane studies. ording to all the professors in the first year, Aubrey Hall can be considered the model student in ss 2.
Aubrey nodded as she held the crystal.
She saw four white strands appear inside it, which was what she had expected. Nevertheless, she couldn''t help but frown as she announced her result.
"Four."
Professor Shirley nodded sympathetically.
"It''s not bad. You don''t have to frown like that." She said as she recorded the score.
"Y-yes, Professor." Aubrey nodded as she kept the crystal. It was already hers since Life Converging Crystals can only be used by one person, simr to the Power Converging Crystal.
It was then followed by Lisa, who got the same result, four life strands.
Lisa was satisfied with this result since having a 5 Power Strand and 4 Life Strand at her age was definitely eptable.
The assessment continued, and the rest of the ss had simr results of three or four white strands in their crystals.
Then she turned to Vale Chambers, who was thest one to go. Vale held the crystal in his and waited for almost a minute before a result came out.
Professor Shirley smiled warmly at him.
"What''s the result?"
"It''s 15 Life Strands, Professor." Vale answered.
There was a gasp from the ss. They already expected Vale to be awesome, but some of them started to really consider what Vale had done to get this monstrous.
Although they felt amazed by Vale, they also felt intimidated by him.
Neil couldn''t help but clench his fist as he felt that this was too ridiculous.
In the meantime, Vale was thinking of something else. He was curious why the Professor had to ask them to do the test one by one and wait for the strands to appear instead of just passing over the crystals and having all the results simultaneously.
Chapter 255 Unbothered
The next was Spirit Strand Assessment, and this time, everyone felt motivated. They put aside their curiosity about Vale''s unnatural results and felt excited about the Assessment.
''So it seems that Vale was focusing on his Life Strand and Power Strand when he entered the Academy¡ No wonder his Spirit Strands stopped improving. I wonder if we get to see progress this time.'' Aubrey Hall mused as she looked at her handsome ssmate.
Of course, she''s also aware that even if Vale was forever stuck in 25 Spirit Strands, it would still be quite impressive. After all, she knows many decent Dark Arts Practitioners with only 20 Spirit Strands¡ Most of them were already in their 30s and 40s and didn''t have a chance to study in the Academy.
Furthermore, ording to the seniors in her club, some 10th-year students only have 20 Spirit Strands. These people were certainly average, but this means that it''s not impossible to graduate with only 20 Spirit Strands.
Perhaps, the reason that many of them have high Spirit Strands in this batch was also because of the many advancements in the development or creation of Pills and Potions.
Soon, the Spirit Strand assessment started.
The average strands were 10 to 12 Spirit Strands. It was a great improvement considering that in their first year, most of them only have 4 to 5 Spirit Strands.
Just like what the professors said before, the Spirit Strands were the easiest to increase at their current age and would stop developing at the age of 20.
"I doubled by Spirit Strands¡ Hehe¡" Alvin Vendel said in satisfaction after getting 10 Spirit Strands. He previously had 5 Spirit Strands so he couldn''t help but feel proud of himself.
"Heh¡ I caught up to you. Do you remember teasing me for having 4 Spirit Strands?" Roswell, his seatmate, replied with a gloating smile.
In the meantime, the top rankers in their ss also had decent improvements.
Warren and Leonore, who previously scored 17 Spirit Strands, now had 23 and 25 respectively. This showed how Leonore had a faster improvement speed than Warren.
On the other hand, Aubrey and Dalton, who had 16 Strands in their first year, now both have 22 Spirit Strands.
As for Chad Bulmung, with 12 Spirit Strands in his first year, he now has 19 Spirit Strands.
When it was Vale''s turn, everyone went silent.
However, Professor Shirley even thought of making a joke.
"Vale, I selected a Spirit Converging Crystal that has 40 Spirit Strand Capacity. You''re not telling me that you''ll max it out as well, right?"
"Am I going to get a reward if I max it out?" Vale asked.
This stunned Professor Shirley for a moment.
However, her face turned serious as she considered the possibility.
If Vale really did that, then it''s different.
If you have a high Life Strand and Power Strand, you''ll be considered great and talented, but the Dark Arts Faction wouldn''t think too much of it. After all, most Dark Arts can be learned even with a poor physique and life force.
However, having high Spirit Strands at such a young age was different.
As a matter of fact, even if the elders of the Dark Arts Faction were already old, weak, and sickly, they were still unfathomable and could destroy an entire city poption with their rituals and dark spells if they really wanted.
If Vale was this great, the Council must be aware of this to ensure that his potential wouldn''t be wasted.
"If you have that many Spirit Strands, I will request the Headmaster to have you elerated¡ Perhaps you can even participate in this year''s Twelve Academy Competition because of that."I think you should take a look at
Professor Shirley said.
"I''m not really excited about that, Professor. How about getting my ripped shadow back to me instead?" Vale suggested, which made the ss extremely silent.
His ssmates looked at the Professor since they wanted to see her reaction. This request sound a bit too ridiculous since it was known by everyone that they couldn''t simply take it back unless they graduated from the Academy.
Furthermore, they were allowed to enter certain areas in the Academy because of this ripped shadow. It is simr to proof of their identity as a student of the Vermont Academy.
"Hmmm?"
This request had indeed momentarily stunned the Professor.
She had never expected such a request, but she had to take Vale seriously. This young man was filled with mystery, and she won''t even be surprised if he said that he was an incarnation of the Darkness Emperor.
"I will have to ask the Headmaster for that request since I don''t have any authority concerning the shadows. You have to change your request. Are you sure you don''t want any special eleration exam?" Professor Shirley replied.
Vale sighed at this and answered.
"That''s certainly great, Professor. But I might miss a lot of things if I did that. Furthermore, I think I have a chance for that exam even if you don''t suggest it to the Headmaster. Instead, may I request one thing from you? You can call it a favor."
"Of course¡ If there''s something I can help you, I will try my best. We can discuss that once you reach the limit of the crystal."
As their conversation ended, Vale finally started as he held the Spirit Converging Crystal.
His ssmates remained silent all this time¡
Thest time they had an assessment wasn''t long ago, and at that time, Vale only had 25 Spirit Strands. They couldn''t help but feel that it was too weird if Vale suddenly increased his Strands by 15 or even more!
That would make them question Vale''s humanity! Perhaps, he wasn''t even a human in the first ce and hade from the Spirit World!
Perhaps, that was also the reason why he got a Dark Spirit to contract with him!
***
In the meantime, while Vale was waiting for the white strands to appear, a group of hooded people surrounded the Academy. They appeared out of nowhere, and the guards of the Academy were already lying on the ground, lifeless.
They didn''t even have the time to react as they died swiftly without being able to report the situation to the Academy Officials.
Luckily, the Academy Grounds was still in a massive Formation Circle¡
As soon as they stepped inside the Academy, the Headmaster, the Professors, and the members of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels stationed in the Academy sensed their presence.
Headmaster Jean calmly looked outside the window of his room while his hands were behind his back.
"We''re under attack? That''s surprising." He muttered.
However, although he said he was surprised, he didn''t seem bothered by the attack.
Chapter 256 Strange
The day was bright and sunny at the Vermont Academy of Dark Arts.
The students were busy attending their sses. Some of them were doing their assessments, while others were already learning new knowledge from their Professors.
Everything seemed normal and peaceful until a loud siren followed by an explosion shook the ground and shattered the windows of the first and second buildings of the Academy.
The students and professors who were situated near the Academy Entrance looked outside and saw a group of people wearing ck hooded cloaks, armed with swords and wands, storming the Academy gates. There were more than 40 of them, and they were shouting slogans and curses, dering that they were here to purge the Academy.
It was so sudden that they were unable to properly react.
"Everyone... The Academy is under attack. We are facing the members of the Secret Organization searching for the Ancient Relics of the Three Paragons."
A female voice suddenly resounded throughout the whole Academy. It was from the Vice Headmaster of the Academy.
After this, she continued telling the students to stay calm and follow their professors'' instructions. She also announced that the Academy''s defenses were already activated, and reinforcements from the Order of the Evanescent Vessel wereing.
''This¡'' Vale was stunned after realizing what was going on. He didn''t even have the time to check his Spirit Converging Crystal as he pocketed the item and readied himself to get away. The other students also stopped caring about his result as they carried their bags, ready to run away immediately.
However, some students were extremely silent after the announcement that the Academy was under siege. No, perhaps they were also too scared and didn''t know what to do as they were frozen on their spot.
Vale was right. He heard some of his ssmates whispering their concerns.
"A-are we going to the shelter? Shouldn''t we vacate the Academy as fast as we could?"
"Do we even have a shelter? I''m sure that this will be settled quickly."
"I hope so¡ I think the 7th-year students up to the 10th-year would help in this battle, right? With their numbers, I''m pretty sure that this will be over quickly." Dalton said with confidence.
He seemed to know many higher-year students that could possibly help in this situation. It wasn''t that surprising since Vale heard that the Music Club that he joined had more than 60 Senior Students, and it seemed to have the most members in all the clubs within the Academy.
Dalton probably had plenty of connections now after being part of the club for one year.
At this time, Professor Shirley, who had been silent for quite some time, finally spoke with a calm and gentle voice.
"ss¡ I just heard some instructions from the Headmaster. All of us must stay in our ssroom. This includes all the First Year, Second Year, and Third Year Students. Since our rooms are close to the center of the Academy, this instruction is understandable. After all, the target of the attackers must be a specific area in the Academy. They''re probably nning to steal or destroy something instead of nning to annihte everyone."I think you should take a look at
Seeing that everyone was nodding in agreement, she continued. "There were only 45 people who had entered the Academy. This number is too small if they want to cause major problems for the Academy. The Headmaster suggested that the ones attacking in front were simply a diversion and the real target was elsewhere. In short, there''s nothing to worry about and everything is under control as per the Headmaster."
At these words, the students finally heaved a sigh of relief. They can also feel a strong fluctuation of Dark Energy around the Academy, so they know that the Professors are fighting right now.
''Hmm¡ Is it really that simple?'' Vale mused as he entered his Phantasm State¡ With the coverage of his Magic Zone, he was confident that he''d sense all of the enemies who had entered the Academy.
''Oh? Is it because of the Academy''s Formation Circle being activated? My Magic Zone is actually being suppressed.'' Vale was surprised as he realized that his Magic Zone could only cover 180 meters which was his limit before the summer break.
Nevertheless, this was more than enough to see the situation outside.
''Ahhh¡ There''s total chaos outside¡'' Vale silently thought as he realized that the Academy had really be a battlefield.
The professors of different dark arts branches acted to fight off the attackers and protect them. The professors of the Necromancy Branch summoned undead creatures such as zombies, skeletons, and ghouls. Theymanded them to attack the cloaked invaders, biting, wing, and tearing them apart.
It was such a morbid sight, so Vale quickly shifted his attention.
The Professors of the Rituals Branch started chanting prayers using their formation circles, drawn on the ground with blood. There were also Oardic characters written on the ground and Vale could hardly understand them.
These Professors called for various spirits from the Spirit World, such as ghosts, banshees, and wraiths. They unleashed them on the enemies who were trying to enter the Academy as they started possessing, haunting, screaming, and draining them of their life force.
''Whoa~ So they can be this terrifying¡ I wonder if Yvaine can handle this many spirits from the Spirit World.'' Vale mused as he couldn''t help but feel impressed by the immense power brought by those spirits.
Cressida''s Banshees couldn''tpare at all.
In the meantime, the Professors of the Essential Corruption branch started to gather students of higher years. They used their dark energy to create barriers and shields around them, blocking the spells and attacks from the invaders. They also used their dark energy to corrupt and weaken the enemies, making them sick, dizzy, and confused.
The Professors of the Dark Magic Branch, on the other hand, confronted the enemies with their dark spells. They used their wands, staves, and various mystical items to cast powerful curses, hexes, jinxes, and sts at them.
The battle was fierce and chaotic. It was obvious from Vale''s perspective that the members of the Secret Organization were outnumbered and outmatched by the Academy''s forces. However, they were determined and fanatical, believing that they would seed.
This confused Vale.
Although they were fighting with courage and zeal, hoping to destroy the Academy, he couldn''t help but feel that something wasn''t right with how they acted.
Chapter 257 Spy
As Vale was wondering about their real intention for causing such a scene in front of the Academy, he finally sensed a group of three people entering the Academy from the eastern side.
They stealthily climbed up the wall, and Vale had almost failed to sense them. Luckily, he kept his Extrasensory Perception Spell activated.
At this time, Vale finally decided to use his Divine Sense. Using this spell in the chaotic area outside the Academy was quite tricky. It was due to the intense fluctuations of energy caused by numerous dark spells, undead creatures, and spirits. This also includes the various spells from different Arcane Paths used by the members of the Secret Organization.
Using the Divine Sense amid such a chaotic battlefield would most likely fail, and there was also a chance of being detected.
He learned these things over the past few weeks outside the Academy.
''Divine Sense¡''
Vale triggered the spell model in his body.
Transformation Arts Practitioner with 8 filled Spell Lights.
Transformation Arts Practitioner with 8 filled Spell Lights.
Transformation Arts Practitioner with 9 filled Spell Lights.
"Oh¡" Vale was surprised as soon as he saw the Arcane Path of those three intruders.
"Vale, is there something wrong?" Lisa asked Vale after hearing his soft voice.
This surprised thetter for a moment as he replied.
"Nothing¡ I just tried sensing the situation outside and was a bit surprised." He said with a low voice. Everyone was chatting silently, so he also softened his voice.
However, his voice was still heard by everyone in the ssroom as they looked at him weirdly.
Neil, who was one of his avid haters, said mockingly. "Hmph¡ He''s bluffing. There''s no way he can sense what''s happening outside. There are multiple seals activated, and the Formation Circle of the Academy is also disrupting the flow of all Arcane Energy."
Emily also nodded at this. "Although I''m not Neil''s friend, he should be correct about this."
"Tsk! Do you have to say we''re not friends?" Neil said as he red at the red-haired girl.
"As if you canpare yourself to my friend. If you can''t do it, it doesn''t mean that Vale is also ipetent. It''s your problem for having a 3-meter Magic Zone." Chad said with cold voice.
This had obviously angered Neil¡
"What?! I don''t have a 3-meter Magic Zone! It''s already 14 meters! I''m telling you!"
At this point, Professor Shirley, who was using her telepathy tomunicate with the people outside, could no longer stand their bickering as she sternly spoke.
"Stop making noise¡ The situation outside isn''t settled yet. Be ready for further instructionsing from the Headmaster. Their decision might change at any time."
"Yes, Professor."
Everyone answered simultaneously as they all went silent. They could tell their kind professor was not in a good mood.
In the meantime, Vale was keeping his senses focused on the three Transformation Masters.
No one seemed to have noticed their presence aside from him since the Professors, including the newly arrived members of the Order, did not bother going in their direction.
''Hmm? Are they going to the East Pavilion? Wait--They''re headed to the Armory!''I think you should take a look at
The Armory or the Treasure Vault was also in the East Pavilion''s direction!
Vale felt surprised as he thought that the Secret Organization already entered that ce and tried searching for the Pocketwatch.
They should''ve failed to find the Pocketwatch there and shouldn''t be targeting the Academy anymore.
As he thought of informing the Headmaster through telepathy, he realized that a student was actually hiding and waiting for the three people!
Vale swiftly used his Divine Sense.
Mystic Arts Practitioner with 11 filled Spell Lights.
''That''s the spy I detected not long ago!'' Vale gasped as he recognized the fifth-year student who met with the three intruders... No, he should be a sixth-year student now!
At this moment, Vale finally realized what was going on. After getting so many hints, there was no way he couldn''t connect it.
The young Mystic Arts Practitioner was definitely a spy of the Secret Organization, and these Transformation Arts Practitioners helped him ensure that no one would notice his disguise as Dark Arts Practitioner.
Then, it would also exin why they are targeting the treasury.
Perhaps, the treasury wasn''t really breached then, and the Mystic Arts Practitioner only messed it up by using some sort of mystical ability. He may have been helped by a few other members of the Secret Organization at that time to make the people think that the treasury was no longer being targeted.
''I should inform the Headmaster¡'' Vale immediately thought as he used his Phantasm State to locate the Headmaster''s location.
Boom!
The ground suddenly shook, and the aftershock dizzied almost every student in the Academy. Vale also failed to concentrate because of this, as he failed to find the Headmaster.
"Not good! The Academy''s Protection Circle was damaged. Three enemies entered the building. Tsk." Professor Shirley grunted.
Although she''s also a Spellcaster, she prioritizes her research and expanding her knowledge. She was only a third-ss Practitioner, and it could be said that some 9th-year or 10th-year students were stronger than her.
If she had to fight against the intruders, who were all First-ss Arcanists, she would definitely die.
Luckily, the other Professors also came out of their ssrooms as they gathered together.
There were a total of nine of them, including Professor Ste Harwin, Eric Saullon, Elnora White, and Law Morton.
Aside from Professor Morton, the others can be considered weak in individual battles.
However, now that they gathered up, their confidence rose as they readied themselves to fight and protect their precious students.
***
In the meantime, Vale had already slipped out the moment the Professors came out of the ssroom!
Apparently, as soon as he contacted the Headmaster and reported the situation, he was ordered by the man toe with him!
Of course, Vale refused to follow as he didn''t want to be in danger in this situation. The opponents are First-ss Arcanists after all! There was no way he would underestimate these people.
However, the Headmaster offered something that he couldn''t refuse!
Chapter 258 Purification
"So Vale really has a detection spell¡ Was it from Heinz as well?" Headmaster Jean muttered as he calmly stood on top of the Left-Wing Building''s roof.
He was watching the meeting of the three squirrels and one student in the East Pavilion Garden of the Academy.
ording to Vale, the three squirrels were actually Transformation Arts Practitioners!
He would''ve failed to realize their real identity if not for Vale''s reminder!
''What a fearsome detection ability¡ I wonder how it works.'' Jean silently thought as he looked at what was going on below him.
He was also baffled by how Vale didn''t know that they were in the form of squirrels.
Vale''s detection didn''t capture the appearance of the practitioners and only sensed them as Arcanists who practice the Transformation Arts.
It was something he couldn''t even do unless he possessed a Mystical Artifact at the Royal Rank level.
Unfortunately, he had never considered that Vale might''ve used a different path''s detection ability so he was unable to guess what Spell was used. He could only think that it was another ability that Heinz gifted to his disciple.
"Headmaster, the lower-year Professors are dealing with the First-ss Practitioners from the Secret Organization, should you not help them first?" Vale asked using his telepathy as soon as he got out of the main building.
He could still feel that the battle was going on and he didn''t like the idea that those young students could die once the Professor failed to stop the invaders.
"Hmm? There were only three enemies¡ What are you afraid of? They can handle that." Headmaster Jean replied as he seemed to fully trust Professor Morton and the others.
"T-then¡ What should I do? You have to keep your promise, okay?" Vale asked while fully circting his Extrasensory Perception Spell. He had to make sure that he won''t be detected by those intruders.
"Yes¡ If you help me this time and bring glory to our Academy in the Twelve Academies Competition in your fourth year, I will give your Shadow back. Isn''t that very generous of me?" Headmaster Jean said as he shifted his gaze to Vale.
He also tried sensing his presence using his Phantasm State and realized that Vale''s stealth ability was quite impressive.
Perhaps, if he didn''t know his general location and he doesn''t have Vale''s shadow with him, he would''ve failed to sense this young student.
''This young man is getting more and more fearsome¡ I hope Heinz could make plenty of him. Furthermore, If he could make them a bit more submissive, that would be a lot better.'' Headmaster Jean thought as he felt that Vale''s loyalty is a bit toocking¡
Nevertheless, he didn''t think too much of it since Vale is just one of the first sessful products of Heinz''s research. He believes that over time, Heinz would be able to make better adjustments and have loyal subjects.
"You''re right¡ You''re very generous, Headmaster." Vale replied earnestly without having any idea about Headmaster Jean''s thoughts.
He was too focused on how he could get his shadow six years early!
Concerning the Twelve Academy Competition, he wasn''t worried about it at all. He already has the confidence to win a fewpetitions right now. So if he was given a couple more years of preparation, he believes that he could even deal with 10th-year students.
This wasn''t some sort of delusion because his mastery over nar Spells would''ve increased at that time and perhaps, he could even get a few more golden Spell Lights over the next two years.
"Very well¡ See those squirrels, lock into them as they might disappear from my sight. You have to tell me their location since I don''t have any Spells to see through their Transformation Arts."
"Eh?" Vale was surprised.
''The Headmaster doesn''t have any skill that could sense them?'' Vale mused as he realized that the Headmaster wasn''t that omnipotent after all.I think you should take a look at
"Vale, these three were Expert Shapeshifters. It''s not easy to sense their presence. It''s literally an Arcane Art they''ve mastered for three or more decades. You''re just weird since your Detection Spell could make their decades of practice useless¡ Do you understand that?" Headmaster Jean suddenly said as if he could read his mind.
At thisparison, Vale''s eyes lit up since that indeed makes sense!
These Practitioners spent most of their lifetime perfecting the spell in their Arcane Path. It was normal that they could fool even the Headmaster whocks a proper Spell to counter them.
''Right¡ I''m lucky to have my Divine Sense.'' Vale thought as he agreed with the Headmaster''s n.
***
In the meantime, while the two of them were tailing the spy and the three squirrels near the Armory, the battle in the main building had already involved the students!
"Tsk! One of them is a Holy Arts Practitioner! Not good!"
"It''s just two Elementalists and one False Priest¡ They''re not going to do anything¡ª" As Professor Saullon thought of underestimating the enemies, he suddenly felt his feet turn cold.
As soon as he looked down at his feet, he realized that an ice had already formed!
''Shit! Howe I didn''t detect it at all?!''
His Phantasm State had been active all this time and he was sure that he was monitoring the surroundings properly.
Professor Shirley immediately acted as she helped the Professor who was caught in the stealthy attack.
She took out a pouch containing a cloud of glittering dust and sprayed it over the surroundings. Luckily, the three intruders didn''t move in their position since even though they caught Professor Saullon, the others remained rtively fine from the attack.
They must be afraid of rushing over since Professor Morton had already summoned three Spectral Hands ready to crush them if they get near.
"It''s the mist! Be careful!" Shirley reminded everyone as they poured out more Dark Energy around their bodies¡ She had also noticed thiste but because she had a defensive Mystical Item, she was able to resist the Frostbite.
"P-professors! Kill them already!"
"Hurry!"
At this time, the students in their rooms started getting cold and they could only try to resist it by gathering together.
The first-year students were the most affected as the field-type Elemental Spells of the two intruders covered more than 20 meters around them!
Realizing that the students are suffering, the Professor had no other choice but to hasten their ns. They could no longer wait for Professor Ste''s Curse Spells to take effect!
"Kill!"
Professor Morton sent out his Spectral Hands to allow the other Professors to cast their Tier 2 Dark Spells without being interrupted by the False Priest.
"Fool! You are all going to die here!" The False Priest shouted as he cast a powerful Holy Spell!
"Great Purification!"
Chapter 259 Real Target
The Great Purification spell was the strongest counter against the Spellcasters of the Dark Arts Faction. Even if the Caster was weak, this Tier 2 Holy Spell has a strong effect against Curses, Dark Spells, Undead, and others.
Not even the Professors could ignore this spell.
Luckily, this knowledge was something that even first-year students knew.
As soon as the Professors realized that the False Priest was capable of using the Great Purification, they immediately halted their Spell Activation.
As for those who had already activated their Spells, they immediately canceled them before they get hit by the Holy Spell. Professor Morton was quick on this as he swiftly dismissed his Spectral Hands from further approaching the enemies.
"Hahaha! Kill them now!"
After the Priest saw the Spellcasters retract their Dark Spells as soon as he cast the Great Purification, he immediately ordered the two Elementalists to take care of them!
The Great Purification Spell couldst for more than five seconds after all!
This is the perfect time to deal with these Spellcasters!
Since they have canceled their spell activation to avoid getting bacsh from the Great Purification spell, they would also need a few seconds to trigger their Spell Lights again¡ Those few seconds would be enough for the Elementalists to deal with them!
The two Elementalists didn''t have to be reminded, as this was their n all along. The three of them partnered together for thisbination attack.
They used their Wind Spell to quickly arrive beside the Professor who had summoned three Spectral Hands.
It may be safer to use other Elemental Attacks from a distance. However, getting near their target and using short-range Spells with short casting time is more efficient.
As they were about to behead this Spellcaster, they noticed the man''s smirking face before they sensed some activity above them!
''Shit! It''s a trap!'' The two of them realized it toote¡ They wanted to back off, but they dashed forward so quickly and could no longer change their direction!
Bam! Bam!
In the blink of an eye, two beings with stitched bodies dropped from the ceiling and crushed the two Elementalists!
"Idiots! Did you forget that we have Tier 2 Variants?" Professor Morton looked at the False Priest gloatingly.
The Variants of the Dark Arts Factions was created for the sole purpose of dealing with the troublesome Holy Arts Practitioners¡
Over the past decade, the Variants had changed from secret weapons into assistants orborers since they were supposedly no longer at war with the Holy Arts Factions. However, it doesn''t mean that they have weakened because of theirck of battle experience.
Their abilities were deeply ingrained in their brains and they could perform assassination tasks with great ease, even if it was their first mission.
"Y-you¡" The False Priest stuttered as he didn''t expect such a sudden turn of events.
He had fully believed that as long as he cast his Great Purification, no Dark Spells, Spirits, or Undead could reach him.
He was extremely wrong as he failed to calcte the presence of the Variants.
"Hmph! Capture him alive! We can use him to get some information from the Secret Organization." Professor Morton said as he ordered the two Variants.
Of course, the False Priest won''t let himself be captured so easily. He didn''t waste his time as he fled from the Variants and used various Holy Arts, hoping to dy them.
He may be incapable of battling the Variants but he hadpanions outside the building who could help him deal with these products of Dark Alchemy.
***
In the meantime, outside the main building of the Academy, Vale watched the Headmaster allow the Spy and the three Shapeshifters enter the Armory.
They seemed to be prepared as the Mystic Arts Practitioner had easily dismantled the defenses that wereid on the building.I think you should take a look at
All the traps and formation circles seemed useless in front of the sixth-year student.
''No¡ He''s definitely not a sixth-year student. He''s most likely a First-ss Mystic Arts Practitioner. There''s no way he could do all that so swiftly without decades of experience.'' Vale mused as he could tell that the defenses ced on the building were extremelyplex.
He then shifted his gaze to the Headmaster and realized that he was just calmly watching the four¡
Soon, the four started entering the Armory, and this time, the Headmaster finally made his move.
"Once they enter, they''ll be considered trapped. I''ll stop them from escaping, so enter the Armory with me. I won''t find them if they shape-shifted as an object¡ Well, I don''t think your detection spell can enter the building, can you?"
Vale didn''t immediately answer as he tried to use his Divine Sense inside the Armory¡ Just like what the Headmaster said, it couldn''t prate the building for some odd reason.
"I can''t, Headmaster."
"That''s good to hear. Only Immortal Items can prate that building."
Headmaster Jean heaved a sigh of relief. He didn''t exin too much, but Vale could guess a little from that reaction.
As soon as the four intruders stepped inside the Armory, Headmaster Jean no longer hid his presence and appeared at the entrance.
The squirrels on the student''s shoulder immediately looked behind as they sensed Jean''s presence.
"Student Mark, why did you enter Academy bringing those cute pets with you?" Headmaster Jean teased the man with his deep voice.
However, Mark took his time to answer as he looked around the Armory like he was sightseeing.
The Armory was a huge ce with many shelves and crates where Mystical Items were kept.
For high-level items, they were in the inner area, where they were mostly behind ss cases preventing anyone from touching them.
"Headmaster Jean, you finally showed up¡ I need your help. I''m looking for something here."
Instead of being scared, the gloomy, pale, and skinny student, who also seemed tock sleep, answered calmly.
There seemed to be something off, so Vale swiftly readied his spells.
If he found any problems, he''d be ready to activate his Spell Dispersion or his Traceless Shift if they ever thought of using Mystical Items.
He was right!
As soon as the ''student'' answered, Vale felt a fluctuation of energy aimed at the Headmaster!
"That''s futile¡" Headmaster Jean said as he struck the ground with his cane.
The sound created by the cane seemed to be a form of mystical ability as it also destroyed the invisible attack of the enemy.
''As expected of the Headmaster.'' Vale thought.
However, as Vale thought this would be rtively easy, he realized that the Shapeshifters were emitting a strong energy fluctuation!
The Headmaster also noticed this as he realized what was going on!
"Hoh~ So I''m your real target?" Headmaster Jean asked as he looked at the transforming squirrels.
"Yes! And this will be your grave!" Mark replied as he looked at the Headmaster with deranged eyes and a wicked smile.
Chapter 260 Animal
The next events happened so quickly, and Vale could only react on his instincts.
Rooaar!
The three squirrels transformed into ferocious bears as they charged toward the Headmaster. They were emitting a bloodthirsty aura around them as they bare their fangs and ws to rip the Headmaster apart.
The moment they reached the Headmaster''s range, Vale noticed some changes on the cane he was holding.
It formed into dark chains and moved like a snake, strangling the three creatures simultaneously.
Based on the amount of Dark Energy that the chains had, it must''ve consumed a lot of Dark Energy. Vale couldn''t help but wonder how much Dark Energy the Headmaster had.
''Not good¡'' Vale''s Extrasensory Perception Spell noticed something and wanted to warn the Headmaster.
He realized that Mark had just used a Mystic Spell! He may not know what it does, but it was definitely a dangerous spell that must be avoided.
He wanted to use his Spell Dispersion to assist the Headmaster, but based on how it works, it will also disperse the Spell that Jean was trying to use since he was in the direction of the Mystic Spell.
With this in mind, Vale pulled out an Elemental Talisman from his pocket and tore it apart.
Whoosh~
As the Talisman was activated, a wall of ice formed in front of the Headmaster, blocking the Spell that Mark had just used.
Thud!
The invisible Mystic Art crashed on the wall of ice as it started cracking¡
"Tsk¡" Mark frowned at the sudden appearance of the ice wall.
The Spell he used was called Bone Softening, and it was something he could only use three times a day. Nevertheless, any living being that got hit by this Mystic Spell would be entirely at his mercy.
''I miscalcted that boying here.''
He thought Jean would try to defend against his Bone Softening Spell using a Dark Spell. He was prepared to bypass this, but the ice wall''s appearance hadpletely caught him off-guard.
He had never expected that someone in the Dark Arts Academy would use an Elemental Talisman!
He looked at Vale, who was also at the entrance of the building, and decided to kill him first.
He could only use the Bone Softening Spell twice and he had no idea if this young man would interrupt him once again.
With a flick of his hand, a gold coin engraved with aplicated Formation Circle appeared in his hand.
''This is an expensive Mystical Item, and I n to use it against Cleo¡ but I can''t waste my time any longer. You''re lucky to die from this Royal Rank---Eh?''
Mark still felt that using this coin on Vale was a bit too much since he had originally prepared it for Cleo, the Sixth-Squad Captain of the Vessels. It would seem too overkill to use it on a Second Year student of the Academy.
However, he was aware of Vale''s identity and that he has a Dark Spirit protecting him in the shadow. If he used a hastily-formed Spell, Vale''s Dark Spirit could just quickly deal with it and waste his time.
With this in mind, he decided to go all out so he could focus on the Headmaster.
Unfortunately, the gold coin that he was holding tightly seemed to have been sucked into the void, disappearing from his sight!
He wasn''t even able to react until it was gone!
''W-what was that?!'' I think you should take a look at
Mark''s eyes widened as he couldn''t exin what had just happened.
He checked his sleeve again and confirmed that the gold coin was really gone!
Beads of cold sweat suddenly formed on his back as he failed to understand what was going on.
Unfortunately, he doesn''t have the time to think for long as the Transformation Artists are already reaching their limits.
''Mark! What are you doing?! You''re supposed to kill the Headmaster while he''s busy restraining us!''
''I''m on it now!'' Mark answered as he decided to ignore Vale for now.
He had to change his ns as he swiftly backed away and went to a nearby shelf.
He was nning to use an item inside the Armory!
"Hey, you''re not supposed to touch them¡" Headmaster Jean coldly spoke while restraining the struggling Bears with his Dark Chains.
To be honest, these Bears were incredibly strong, and it wouldn''t be weird if they got to escape once he used a different spell.
However, he couldn''t just let Mark use any of the items here.
He used a portion of his energy to cast a Dark Spell.
"Shadow Soldier¡" Headmaster Jean muttered.
This caught Vale''s attention as he swiftly looked at the Shadow Soldier that had appeared beside Mark¡
"This¡ You can do it like that?!" Vale was shocked as soon as he saw the Headmaster use his enemy''s shadow to create the Shadow Soldier!
That''s right! Headmaster Jean used Mark''s shadow to trigger the Spell instead of using his own shadow!
Vale had never thought that this was actually possible. It was a good thing that he saw it now since he
''Is this perhaps an Advanced Realm Shadow Soldier?! Will it work with Shadow Muttion Spell?'' Vale thought in excitement as he also wanted to do something like that.
Summoning a Shadow Soldier using your opponent''s shadow, then making itmit suicide using the Shadow Muttion¡ That seemed like a cruelbination, but it seemed like a proper trump card.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Vale heard three consecutive punches from the Shadow Soldier as it tried to fight against Mark who was nning to take something on the shelves.
"You dare underestimate us?!" One of the Bears spoke with a barely audible voice as he felt that the ck chains were weakening.
He started to release a stronger aura as the chains started creaking, threatening to be broken at any moment.
"What a tough bear¡" Headmaster Jean wryly smiled as the ck Chains were supposed to expose them to a strong corruption.
If these chains caught some other Arcanists, they should''ve weakened a lot by now, and the Vengeful Spirit he had prepared would be able to use their bodies as Vessels.
A corrupted body would be a perfect target for Vengeful Spirits, after all.
Unfortunately, it didn''t go as nned as the three Bears resisted his chains like they were normal ones instead of mystical ones.
"Tsk¡ I''m not fond of killing animals, but you''ve given me no other choice."
Chapter 261 Problem
''What? You''re not fond of killing animals, but aren''t youpletely unaffected if it''s other humans?'' Vale was a bit stunned after hearing Headmaster Jean''s mutterings.
He didn''t expect that this scary Headmaster would be this entric.
''Was he going easy on them because they were transformed into animals? Ugh¡ What a weird Headmaster.'' Vale could only shake his head at this since this only proves that all Dark Arts Practitioners have some sort of weirdness in them.
Nevertheless, Vale witnessed how strong the Headmaster really was.
While he was using his Shadow Soldier to deal with the fake student of the Academy, he also started using three more Spells to deal with the three Bears!
''Four Spells at the same time?'' Vale looked at the Headmaster with great interest.
After all, he was only capable of doing some dual casting.
As a matter of fact, he had been practicing his Tri-Casting for quite some time now.
At the moment, if he used his Lightspeed followed by his Ghost Hands, casting a third spell, like Spirit Vision, would cancel his Lightspeed Spell or the first Spell he cast.
Even if he fully concentrated, the third Spell would onlyst for a brief second which was utterly useless. At the very least, using a Mystical Item as his third Spell could be used as an alternative.
It was such a difficult task, and he could probably surpass his limit after a few months or years of practice.
''Incredible¡ Headmaster was using Shadow Soldier, Darkness Maniption, Corruption Chains, and another dark spell I''m not even aware of¡ Wait, is that¡ª''
Boom!
The Bear charging at the Headmaster, suddenly crashed to the floor. Vale''s eyes lit up as he briefly saw what had happened.
The moment the Headmaster triggered the Dark Spell on the ferocious Bear, Vale realized what was the fourth Dark Spell that he was using.
"Shadow Mariote!"
Vale eximed.
Shadow Marriote was the fourth Academy-Exclusive Dark Spell that was optional for the students. The students were only required to Record the Darkness Maniption, Light Absorption, and Shadow Soldier.
This fourth Dark Spell was extremely difficult to record, and some Professors don''t even have this Dark Spell recorded on their Spell Lights.
The moment the first Bear crashed to the ground, the two others followed as their dropped head first to the ground.
However, this didn''t end their lives.
Poof¡ Poof¡ Poof¡
Suddenly, the three ferocious bears that were supposedly unconscious disappeared, leaving the crashed floor in full sight.
Headmaster Jean didn''t need to speak as Vale already knew what to do.
With the activation of his Divine Sense, he immediately located the three Shapeshifters.
Vale didn''t speak with his voice as he used his telepathy while his Divine Sense was active since he didn''t want to inform the enemies that he was capable of seeing through their disguise.
''Headmaster, they turned into objects as you expected¡ They turned into one of the broken stones.''
''What an impressive ability¡ Let them stay there for now. Let them think that we can''t find them. I''ll take care of Mark first.'' Headmaster Jean replied.
He was impressed by both of their skills.I think you should take a look at
Vale''s perception spell and the shapeshifters'' ability were something he''d rarely encountered¡ Perhaps, even the Order of the Evanescent Vessels members would fail to sense these Shapeshifters as well unless their Spirit Vision or other detection spells had reached the Advanced Realm.
Vale couldn''t help but smile at this n as he even acted surprised at the sudden disappearance of the Shapeshifters.
"Headmaster, where did they go?" He asked while trying to look around.
"They most likely escaped. I''ll deal with this foolish student first." Headmaster Jean cooperated as he attacked Mark with all his might.
He knows that the three shapeshifters were injured because he used his Shadow Marite on them to control them for 2 seconds, enough to crash their heads to the reinforced floor of the building.
They were lucky that there weren''t any pikes or sharp objects near them, or he would have used them to put a hole in their heads.
''I guess we''re done here, huh¡'' Vale silently thought as he could already tell how this battle would end.
The intruders in front of the Academy are slowly getting captured or killed by the Professors and the members of the Order.
Although there were also casualties on the Dark Arts Faction''s side, there were only a handful of them, excluding the guards who were killed in the first encounter.
***
In the meantime, while Vale was watching the Headmaster capture Mark and secretly monitoring the three Shapeshifters, someone had finally noticed his disappearance within the ssroom.
"W-what happened?! Did he get captured by the enemies?" Professor Shirley asked in shock as she looked at the people beside Vale''s seat.
The empty seat in the back row was in perfect condition, so she could tell that Vale didn''t have a chance of fighting back when he was ''captured.''
''Not good¡''
She immediately returned to the ss as soon as the matter in the hallway was dealt with, and she certainly did not see anyone going out of the ssroom then.
Only when Leonore tried looking for Vale did everyone realize that he had actually disappeared.
Unfortunately, the students around Vale''s seat also had no idea when Vale had disappeared.
"P-professor, do you think he was targeted by those intruders?" Leonore asked in concern.
Vale was simply too excellent. Perhaps, the Secret Organization had heard of his talent, and they targeted him to bring him to their Organization.
"T-that''s¡" Lisa wanted to deny Leonore''s guess, but that was actually quite possible.
Considering Vale''s talent, he would undoubtedly be desired by an Organization that didn''t care about your Arcane Path.
They were all aware that the Secret Organization came from different Arcane Paths and could care less about their enemies. Forcefully recruiting Vale was certainly something they were capable of.
At this point, Professor Shirley was already feeling worried, so she decided to inform the other Professors in the nearby rooms.
"Vale disappeared?" Professor Morton frowned as he heard Shirley''s im. He also swiftly used his Spirits to look around the surrounding area.
"Then what are we waiting for?! Let''s search for him! Inform the Vessels outside!" Professor Ste immediately said as she was also worried about Vale''s situation.
As for the person they were looking for, he still had no idea about the problem he had caused.
Chapter 262 Captured
"Hmm? What are they doing?"
Vale immediately noticed something was wrong when he sensed the restless professors and students inside the Academy''s main building.
Although he wasn''t monitoring them, he couldn''t help but notice their actions since they were still inside his Magic Zone.
They seemed to be worried about something, so he couldn''t help but reveal his telepathy to ask Professor Shirley.
"Professor, is there something wrong?" Vale asked while using his Extrasensory Perception spell tomunicate.
"¡"
Professor Shirley didn''t immediately answer, or perhaps, she actually couldn''t answer.
After all, the Professor must also find Vale''s location through her Magic Zone to reply with her own telepathy spell. If he was outside her Magic Zone, she would fail to answer back.
''I''m about 40 to 45 meters away from the Professor. Is that her limit? Isn''t that a bit too low for a third-ss Spellcaster?'' Vale thought.
As he was pondering about this, he suddenly recalled how he had just disappeared from the ssroom because he used his Lightspeed and ESP¡ For sure, no one would''ve noticed his escape at that time.
Now that everything calmed down, they have probably noticed his disappearance!
Thump¡
Vale couldn''t help but p his forehead as he immediately spoke to the Professor.
"Professor, it''s me¡ Vale Chambers. Headmaster Jean called me to do something, so I went out after finding an opportunity while you were all busy. I''ll be back after I finished my assignment from him."
With that said, Vale noticed that Professor Shirley had calmed down, and she seemed to have informed his ssmates about it as well.
He was right. They were indeed looking for him because of his sudden disappearance.
After resolving this matter, he finally focused on the matter in front of him as he guarded the door of the Armory.
Soon, Mark was captured by the Headmaster, and his left and right arm was cut off to ensure he could no longer cast any Mystic Arts.
It was a bit cruel, but it was necessary.
After that, Vale informed the Headmaster of the location of the three Shapeshifters, who probably thought that they would be able to get away with their tricks.
Since they were injured and Headmaster Jean caught them by surprise, the Corrupted Chains bound them quickly, and this time, Jean made sure to restrict them until they returned to their human forms.
Poof¡ Poof. Poof.
Three men in their fifties appeared. They were all pale, and their skin had already turned purple because of the Corruption.
"Headmaster, can I take a closer look at them?" Vale asked after everyone was captured.
"Of course. However, they''re not corpses yet, and you can''t turn them into one." Headmaster Jean immediately reminded as he recalled that Vale was interested in corpses.
"I''m aware, Headmaster. I''ll just put them to sleep." Vale answered while shaking his head.
Jean looked at the young man silently for a moment before he nodded.I think you should take a look at
"Very well. Take your time."
At this answer, Headmaster Jean also surveyed the surroundings and informed the people outside about his sessful capture of the intruders.
He was actually quite tired already as these Shapeshifters'' powers had exceeded his expectation. Perhaps, if he weren''t here in the Academy, these three could do anything they wanted before Isaac and the others could arrive.
Soon, rushing footsteps could be heard as one of the members of the Vessel finally arrived at the scene.
It was Ashe, the Vice Captain of the Sixth Squad.
The moment she arrived, she witnessed Vale touching the four captured people while he was grinning like a fool.
She wanted to say something to Vale about her missing Spirit Vision Spell Model, but since the Headmaster was present, she first acknowledged his presence.
"Headmaster Jean, we''ve also settled the matters outside. However, there was one more Shapeshifter among the enemies, and we failed to sense his presence until he captured someone."
***
In a fortified castle in the eastern region of Millton Kingdom, a group of cloaked men were kneeling at one knee behind a young girl who was busily eating her food.
As soon as the young girl heard the report of the cloaked men, she dropped her utensils and red at the squad leader.
"We only captured one of our four objectives? We sacrificed dozens of our men for this! Howe you''ve failed this terribly?! We have a spy inside the Academy, and we have made a year-long preparation!" A blonde teenage girl who seemed to be from a noble familyined to the cloaked person behind her.
She was eating the sweet pastries on her table, and now that her mood had soured, she wanted none of it, and she was even tempted to pour her hot tea into the man.
''This is so infuriating¡'' The young girl clenched her fist as she controlled her emotions.
The squad leader had just reported that they had basically failed to aplish their A-Grade Mission even though they had arranged four First-ss Shapeshifters and five Second-ss False Priests!
"Hu!"
Looking at the man''s eyes, she knew that he was also disappointed by the result of their mission. She could only close her eyes as she calmed her breath. She didn''t really like to cause a scene as much as possible.
''All of these people are idiots¡ I should''ve asked Uncle Howard to join the mission.''
After calming down, she slowly asked. "Which one did you capture?"
The cloaked man heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he noticed that the young miss was able to calm down.
"Young Miss, we captured Philip Hoffman¡" He answered.
To be honest, even Philip Hoffman''s capture had almost failed. They were simply lucky that this young man was actually quitete and wasn''t in the central area of the Academy when they arrived.
"Philip?! You captured him?!" The young miss was shocked as she thought that the objective they captured was the Mystical Items they were looking for.
Apparently, their attack on the Vermont Academy was meant to take two Mystical Items and two Students.
The easiest target was supposedly the Mystical Items, so she was expecting that they were the ones they managed to take, at the very least.
"Bring him to me¡ No, tell me where he is. I''lle instead!"
Chapter 263 New Method?
Thud!
Prisci dropped to the ground as her knees weakened after hearing the bad news.
The Secret Organization captured her twin brother, and none of them knew why he was targeted! At the very least, Prisci couldn''t think of a reason at this moment.
"We will find them, Prisci. Get yourself together. He''s definitely alive since they had a chance to kill him a while ago, but they decided to sacrifice three of their men to take him." Cleo, the captain of the sixth squad, exined to the young student.
He went here with a few members of the squad to inform Prisci of the situation and to ask her if she had an idea why Philip was taken away.
However, he failed to consider her emotions since they were in a hurry.
A female squad member immediately went to Prisci''s side and consoled her.
"Prisci, I''m Bell from the Ames n¡ You know that we''re experts in curses and hexes. I managed to Curse one of the people who captured your brother. It couldst for six hours, so I''m sure we''ll know their base soon. We''ve already sent people to track them and informed the Vessels outside to be on guard. Right now, we just need information on why he was captured. Do you have any idea?" Bell asked in a soft voice.
"Let''s first bring her to the infirmary. There are also many ears here." Cleo suggested as Prisci was still unable to answer.
Bell agreed to this as she assisted Prisci.
The whole ss had, of course, heard their conversation so all of them could sympathize with their ssmate.
Maya, who was seated in the front row, couldn''t help but feel puzzled.
The Hoffman family may have produced strong Spellcasters like the Headmaster, but there were plenty of stronger Spellcasters from other families.
One of them was obviously her family.
''Philip was targeted by the Secret Organization? Is it because of his talent? That''s weird. He seemed just like an above-average student. He wasn''t outstanding in any way.'' Maya pondered as she couldn''t think of a reason why a powerful criminal organization suddenly targeted Philip.
They even sacrificed so many powerful Arcanists just to take him with them!
''They also had plenty of chances when Philip was outside the Academy. Why didn''t they capture him at that time and wait for him to enter the Academy?'' Maya couldn''t help but feel suspicious of this unusual event.
It seems that they were missing something but she could only hope that this will also be noticed by the members of the Vessel.
At the moment, she had no ns of getting involved further as she needed to focus on her own growth.
***
In the meantime, Vale was delighted after realizing that he just extracted a Transformation Spell.
"I''m quite lucky¡" Vale muttered as he checked the Spell Models within his body.
He got the Human Shapeshift Spell, and he was already satisfied with that. There was even an iplete Object Transformation Spell from his extraction a while ago, but he rejected it since it would just unnecessarily upy his limited Spell Light.
Apparently, there are different Transformation Spells for Humans, Objects, nts, Animals, and some Creatures. Considering this, getting the transformation spell for humans was quite lucky for him.
As for Mark, Vale didn''t get much from him besides the iplete Spell Light that at leastpleted one of his unfinished Spell Lights, adding another slot for him.
As for the Spell Model, it was an iplete Push Force Spell that he also rejected. This Mystic Art''s Spell can only push the target, and the force would depend on your energy.I think you should take a look at
It was quite useful in some way but not for him, so he didn''t hesitate to trash it.
"Vale¡ Can you check the whole Academy to see if other Shapeshifters are still lurking around?" Headmaster Jean suddenly asked, interrupting Vale''s thoughts.
"Y-yes, Headmaster." Vale immediately answered.
However, as he was about to leave the ce, Ashe suddenly appeared in front of him.
Vale felt nervous as he obviously did something quite uneptable to this woman. He experimented on her and extracted not only her attributes but also her Spell Model and Spell Lights.
She certainly worked hard on these things, so Vale knows that she had probably been stressed out after learning what had happened.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Vale asked with a fake smile.
"Heh¡ You can act so innocent, huh¡ It doesn''t look like you could destroy other people''s Spell Models." Ashe said while smirking.
As expected, this woman wanted to get revenge.
Vale wanted to apologize for that, but Ashe interrupted him.
"I don''t mind that you destroyed my Spirit Vision spell. I also wanted to rece it with a better spell. It was perfect for me."
"¡"
Vale was dumbfounded as she stared at the woman carefully. He wanted to see if she was being sarcastic.
Ashe noticed his reactions as she smiled. "Since you can destroy a Spell Model safely, can I ask you to destroy my friends'' Spell Models as well?"
"¡"
Vale didn''t immediately understand what was going on. It took him a few more seconds to process what she had just said.
"You want me to destroy others'' Spell Models?" Vale repeated as his mind raced.
Indeed, there are many Spellcasters who made stupid decisions when they were young and recorded pathetic Spell Models.
Even if they are not Pathetic, perhaps these Spells were already useless to them or wouldn''t work in theirbination of Spells anymore.
There could also be other reasons, like finding a better spell, or they just wanted to free up one of their Spell Lights.
With Vale''s extraction, he can indeed safely remove this from them!
Unfortunately! He doesn''t have that kind of precision ability yet!
His Extractions at the moment are random. He couldn''t control what he should extract or what he should not.
''No¡ Perhaps, I''m not using the system properly? Am I too reliant on its auto-extraction process? Can I actually control my extraction? Am I wasting its full potential?''
Vale straightened his back at this thought as an idea popped into his mind.
Chapter 264 Curious
The idea of being able to extract what he wanted was great, and Vale knows that really well. It made him excited just by thinking about it, but there was a problem.
How could he do that?
Does he need more Divinity Points to evolve his system, or perhaps, he can control the Extraction if he practiced enough?
''This is interesting¡'' Vale mused.
He felt that this was worth studying for and he nned to look more into it after this invasion matter was settled.
"Hey! What are you thinking so deeply? Did you think I''m not aware of what you did to me?" Ashe suddenly asked as she saw Vale deep in his thoughts.
Vale jolted at the reminder as he smiled.
"Senior Ashe, I apologize for what happened. However, that ability of mine can''t be controlled yet. Perhaps, if you give me some time, I can help you with the elimination of your unwanted Spell Models." Vale replied after giving some thought.
"You can''t control it? Am I lucky that you destroyed my Spirit Vision and not my other Spells?" Ashe immediately felt shocked at this thought.
"Ahem¡ It was like that, Senior. In any case, I need at least a few months to study my Spell. I''ll inform you once I get to control my Spell."
Ashe then noticed the Headmaster''s gaze as she could only nod at this answer.
"Very well. I''ll be contacting you again..." Ashe paused for a minute as she realized how troublesome it would be if she had to look for him.
She immediately changed her mind.
"No, if you''re confident you can control your skill, you can look for me at the dockyard. Our sixth Squad will be stationed there for the whole year. If you need someone to test your Spell, I can also look for some prisoners you can practice on. However, you have to get the Headmaster''s permission for that."
"Thank you, Senior Ashe! I will not disappoint you." Vale answered with a smile.
He certainly wouldn''t waste such an opportunity. If he could really control his Extraction System, then he would have plenty of customers he could extract from.
After all, the number of Arcanists who wanted to change or remove their old Spell Models didn''t juste from the Dark Arts Faction.
If he does this well, perhaps he can ''help'' other practitioners of different Arcane Paths.
***
Soon, the invasion of the Secret Organization was settled by the Academy Officials and the Faction''s Order of the Evanescent Vessels.
A total of three Squads were now stationed in the Academy instead of only two Squads. Furthermore, the new Squad that was sent to the Academy had some experience dealing with the Shapeshifters, so their previous stealthy intrusion would no longer be repeated.
Furthermore, the security in the Academy heightened by a few levels as several experts that came from the Faction arrived at the Academy to repair the Formation Circles.
Unfortunately, because of the damage that was done, the Academy suspended the ss for a week.
It was quite uneventful for the other students because they could only do self-studies and could only visit a limited area on the campus.
However, for Vale, it was such a busy day.I think you should take a look at
"Thank you, Headmaster Jean." Vale said to the man in front of him.
"It''s alright¡ However, why do you want to see all those corpses even if most of them can no longer be recognized?"
Vale went silent for a moment as this was the first time that the Headmaster was truly interested in his actions. After all, in his previous extractions, the Headmaster simply thought that it was his hobby, as per Master Heinz.
However, it seemed that he grew some suspicions after he requested to see the corpses of the members of the Secret Organization before they got cremated.
Of course, Vale had already prepared a reason for this, and he didn''t even have to think too much.
''Yvaine,e out.'' Vale said to the Dark Spirit hiding inside his shadow.
After Yvaine came out, Vale looked at the Headmaster.
"It''s because of her, Headmaster. The corpses still have some remnant Arcane Energy around them. This Dark Spirit feeds on them to recover some of her energy. I''m just helping her." Vale said, which made the Headmaster nod in agreement.
This is the same reason he gave to Sir Isaac Vermont, and as expected, it worked well with the Headmaster.
Thankfully, none of them have Dark Spirits, so they can''t really find fault in what he says.
"Very well. You have to take care of your Dark Spirit¡ I''m sure she''ll be helpful in the Twelve Academies Competition."
"I will definitely take care of her. We''ll both get stronger for the Competition." Vale replied.
"Mhmm¡ Speaking of getting stronger, I heard from Professor Shirley about your absurd results in your Spirit Strands¡" Headmaster Jean curiously said as he looked at Vale from head to toe.
He could feel that the young man hadpletely transformed after the summer break. He didn''t know how he did it, but Vale seemed to have other secrets he wasn''t aware of.
"Was it thanks to Heinz''s experiments?" He probed.
Vale stiffly smiled after hearing this.
''I guess it''s normal to grow suspicious. Even with Master Heinz''s experiments, my growth was simply too fast. However, I can''t really give other reason.''
"You''re right, Headmaster Jean. Perhaps, it''s also thanks to my natural talent." He replied.
"That''s true¡ In any case, you should visit your clubroom¡ I heard that you''re a close friend of the twins. You should be aware of what happened to her brother."
Vale''s mood suddenly changed as he recalled what had happened to Philip.
Philip was a great friend and they had naturally grown closer together. After all, at the end of every month in the past year, they would visit the Archive Room with his sister to watch recordings of other Dark Arts Practitioners battling against other Practitioners.
"Yes, Headmaster. Is Prisci in the clubroom?" Vale asked. He hadn''t met Prisci since he heard the news, so he certainly wanted to see her.
"You''re right. She still hadn''t mentioned any valuable information about why her brother was targeted. If you learned anything, let us know." Headmaster Jean said.
Chapter 265 Secret
Vale was a bit shocked after hearing the Headmaster''s words.
In his mind, the Headmaster should be aware of the twin''s secret since they were from the same family.
''Why would they even tell me about their secret if they didn''t tell you anything?'' Vale thought but he still slightly nodded to the Headmaster.
Anyway, what Philip and Prisci said about their family seemed true. The twins weren''t in the main branch of the Hoffman, and that they were only able to study here because of their own efforts¡
They may have received recognition from Hoffman Family''s Main Branch, but they were still in aplicated position in the n.
In any case, Vale still asked the Headmaster about the things he knew about the situation with Philip before leaving his office.
Soon, Vale found himself headed to the clubroom.
He already used his Phantasm State and confirmed that Prisci was indeed alone and seemed to be waiting for someone.
Knock. Knock.
Vale knocked on the door to inform the person inside that someone was about to enter.
"Prisci, I didn''t know you were here. Are you alone? Where are our seniors?" He asked.
Prisci then looked at Vale with a faint smile and answered. "They were at the Assembly Hall. That ce was unaffected by the previous incident, so the club recruitment still continued there."
Vale nodded at this. He had forgotten about the Club Recruitment for first-year students. It seemed quite interesting to recruit some first years, so he would probably visit the stall if he didn''t have much to do.
"I see¡ Right, I heard about what happed to your brother. I just spoke to the Headmaster about it, and it was unfortunate that they have a way to prevent him from locating him through his Shadow. They''ve really made enough preparation." Vale sighed as he couldn''t really do anything about it either, especially since they weren''t even aware of his exact location.
"Yes¡ I heard that the curse used by the Vessels had also disappeared after reaching a forest. However, I''m still relieved that my brother''s Shadow hasn''t yet disappeared from Headmaster Jean''s collection. It means that he''s still alive and waiting to be saved." Prisci weakly said.
She was probably worrying about this for several days, so it wasn''t surprising that she wasn''t in good condition.
"Indeed¡ I also heard that no one knows why he got captured. It was really baffling."
"I couldn''t think of a reason as well. Perhaps, it wasn''t even for ransom since the family didn''t receive any information from them¡ Did the Headmaster ask you to find more information from me?"
Vale wryly smiled at this and nodded.
"Yes¡ He was just worried about you two, so he wanted more information."
"Hmph¡ He should be aware of it. He''s just asking you to probe me if I told anyone about it." Prisci said.
At these words, Vale suddenly felt a chill behind his back as he swiftly used his Phantasm State and Darkness Maniption to iste the area.I think you should take a look at
Since his Darkness Maniption had already reached the Advanced Realm, the spell would sense anyone who tries to peek through them.
"Ahem¡ Although the room has Formation Circle to protect us from leaking information outside, I think it''s much better to use this spell to hide our conversation from the others." Vale immediately said as he took a deep breath.
"Are you surprised?" Prisci asked.
"Yes¡ I didn''t know that you really have such aplicated rtionship with the Hoffman family. Although it feels dangerous, I''m inclined to know what is going on."
Vale said with interest. He didn''t expect the Headmaster to be aware of the reason Philip was captured but acted unaware in front of him and the Order of Evanescent Vessel.
Furthermore, Prisci wasn''t allowed to tell the reason¡ Perhaps, the Hoffman Family was watching her to ensure that she would reveal their secrets!
"Don''t worry¡ I revealed it because I knew that no one was watching me anymore. Do you want to know what''s our secret that I can''t reveal to the Order?" Prisci asked while looking at Vale.
At this point, Vale was really curious. He can choose to say no and stay out of trouble, but it would bother him in his sleep. Furthermore, he was already at the point that even First-ss Arcanists wouldn''t scare him anymore.
''Right¡ I''m only scared of the Headmaster since he basically has my Shadow. I can name dozens of powerful curses he could use on me with that piece of Shadow. However, if he doesn''t have that, I may not necessarily be in trouble if I faced him in battle.'' Vale thought while looking at the pretty but weakened Prisci in front of him.
She looked quite pitiful but also looked elegant and beautiful.
After a few considerations, Vale finally nodded.
"Yes, I want to know your secret. Perhaps, I can even help you. No, I''m not bragging. I might really help you with my current abilities. You should''ve heard the rumors that the Shapeshifters'' abilities are useless to me¡ Those rumors are urate. My detection ability is unmatched." Vale said with a confident look on his face.
For some reason, he wanted to look reliable in front of this girl. Now that he had gotten strong enough, he felt that doing some good deeds didn''t sound that bad.
As expected, as soon as he said this, Prisci couldn''t help but smile.
"Your detection ability is unmatched? That''s quite a big word for a second-year student." Prisci chuckled as she felt it was too much even if Vale was a talented student. In any case, she decided to just ept it since it wasn''t every day to hear Vale boasting about his skills.
Vale just smiled at this as he sat in front of her.
After some hesitations, Prisci bit her lips as she decided to reveal their secret to her friend.
For some reason, she felt that Vale''s luck was incredible, and perhaps, he could share his luck with them and save her brother in the process.
"Vale, do you remember the ranks of the Mystical Items?" She asked.
"Of course. From the weakest, it was the Regr, Mortal, Noble, Royal, and Sovereign Rank¡ Wait, don''t tell me¡" Vale''s eyes lit up as Philip and Prisci''s secret might have something to do with the Sovereign Rank item! If that were the case, then they''d really be targeted by any organization!
Chapter 266 Convinced
Prisci smiled after seeing Vale''s reaction.
However, she immediately shook her head as she corrected him.
"No, it''s not about the Sovereign Rank item. It''s probably something above them."
"Above the Sovereign Rank?"
At this point, Vale was truly stunned as he almost blurted out the Immortal Item¡ However, he suddenly recalled one of the legends he had read about the Mystical Items.
"Are you referring to the legendary Arcanas?" Vale asked curiously. Although there were records that say that Arcanas exist, no one had really seen them in person.
He couldn''t even imagine what kind of Power you''ll get if you possess one.
Prisci nodded slightly after hearing Vale''s question.
"This¡ Isn''t this too dangerous? Why did you tell me about it?" Vale couldn''t help but feel nervous after knowing such a huge secret.
"Don''t worry. I won''t let the others know¡ In any case, I can''t tell you anything more than that since we''re also unsure if it was really one of the legendary Arcanas. However, if you help me save my brother, I could tell you more about it." Prisci said mysteriously.
"Ahem¡ You want me to save your brother? I think that you''re overestimating me." Vale couldn''t help but look at Prisci with a strange gaze after hearing what she had just said.
"I''m not overestimating you. If I''m not mistaken, you have a powerful background supporting you in secret. There was no way your Power Strands, Life Strands, and Spirit Strands would get so incredibly high with your skills and talent alone. I''m not asking you to make a move yourself. If you could ask your supporters to help us, then I''ll tell you more about the Arcana." Prisci said seriously as she looked at Vale with determined eyes.
"¡"
Vale was a bit stumped after she pointed it out. Indeed, his progress was too incredible. Everyone in the Academy who knew about his progress probably thought the same thing.
Seeing that Vale wasn''t answering, Prisci believed that she hit the nail and continued.
"You don''t have to keep it secret. Your showing fast progress means that you and your supporters have a goal in mind. If you help me save my brother, I''m sure that the secret of Arcana will be helpful to you."
Vale wryly smiled as he couldn''t really save Philip since he had to attend sses, and it was just too dangerous, considering that Philip was probably in a fortified prison of the enemy.
After taking a deep breath, Vale answered.
"I''m not really sure why you''re trusting me so much. I may have someone helping me, but it won''t guarantee anything. Furthermore, we barely know anything about our enemies."
"If you really can''t help us. Then there''s nothing I can do about it." Prisci weakly smiled as she leaned on her chair.
Vale went silent for a moment as he considered the things he could do in this situation.
Saving Philip on his own was certainly close to an impossible task... However, perhaps it wouldn''t be so bad if he decided to just help other people to save Philip. With his current set of skills, it doesn''t sound impossible at all.
In the end, Vale believed that this was a worthwhile task. After all, if he gained a clue about the Arcana just by saving a kidnapped person, he''d be willing to save everyone who got kidnapped. If he could extract an Arcana, his sacrifices would be worth it.
"Alright¡ I''ll try to look into it. Philip is also my friend, so I also wanted him to be saved. Even if I can''t save him personally, I''ll do everything I can to help." Vale said as his voice was filled with righteousness.I think you should take a look at
"Thank you, Vale."
***
After their small conversation, Vale was thinking of returning to his room to practice his Extraction Precision.
However, a stern but prettydy blocked him in the hallway.
She was ra Campelle and the Treasurer of the Battle Arena Committee.
"Senior ra, I thought that you were in the Assembly Hall for the club recruitment?" Vale asked with a smile.
ra squinted as she looked at Vale''s face for a while.
"Mhmm¡ You look decent¡ You have to go there as well. Benedict and Bailey can''t properly recruit first-year students because of their scary looks. You look more pleasing to the eye, so guard the stall with Nadine."
"Cough¡ Cough¡" Vale didn''t know whether he should be happy for theplimenting from this pretty senior.
Nevertheless, he still agreed since he was still a member of the Club and he had to participate in such activities. Since he was benefiting from the Archive Room''s recording crystals, he didn''t mind doing some work for the Club.
"I will visit the Assembly Hall now, Senior ra."
"Alright¡ You have to recruit only one student. Once you do that, you no longer have to bother returning to watch the stall." ra reminded.
"I see¡ Did we have a recruit already?" Vale asked curiously.
ra shook her head at this, implying that there were no sessful recruitments.
"There aren''t a lot of students this year. Only 60 first-year students enrolled, so recruiting even one of them is difficult. Haaa~ They should really lower the standards and stop feeding those poormoners with that deadly Darkness Possession." rained as she started walking away.
''No wonder¡''
Vale also agreed to her words since the Dark Arts Faction eventually had to change their method. Nevertheless, he also knows the reason why the Darkness Possession was needed.
Aside from it helping people awaken their talent in Dark Arts, it also ensures that the Dark Arts Faction would not be flooded with undeserving practitioners, and it also ensures the exclusivity of the Dark Arts to the selected Families.
Vale heard from Master Heinz that the elders of the Dark Arts Factions were really against the public recruitment that was forced on them by the Association in the Treaty of Keslore.
Anyway, Vale headed to the Assembly Hall and realized that it was so busy. The ce had also be a hangout area where all types of students came just to see this year''s cute and fresh first-year students.
''Ah¡ I forgot to ask about our stall''s spot¡'' Vale thought as he felt dazed seeing so many people.
He was about to use his Phantasm State to search for Nadine and the others when suddenly, he felt a soft and supple body bumping on his back.
Chapter 267 Serve?
Vale raised his brows as he looked behind him.
Although the ce was crowded, it wasn''t to the point that someone would just bump into you. He couldn''t help but feel suspicious about this as he observed the young girl in front of him.
She wore a uniform with a single star on her right chest so Vale could guess her year.
She had short red hair, a paleplexion, and was quite chubbypared to other female students at her age. Nevertheless, Vale felt that this girl wasn''t simple. His Extrasensory Perception Spell was warning him, and he wouldn''t ignore that.
"I¡ I''m sorry¡ I wasn''t looking." The young girl said as she apologized to Vale. However, she looked at the young man she had bumped into and noticed that he wasn''t buying her exnation, so she pointed to a nearby stall.
"The Fortune Telling Club is giving a free service to the first 15 first-year students to visit their Club... I was too focused on their signage. I''m sorry."
Vale looked confused at this as he looked in the direction she pointed.
Indeed, he saw that the Fortune Telling Club members were doing free divination for a few students. They seemed to be using what was simr to Tarot Cards, which was quite interesting.
He even saw Leonore assisting the students that were lining up.
"Are you nning to queue in their line?" Vale asked as he stepped back to give way to the first year.
"N-no, Senior. I''m just curious whether they''re really capable of divination like the Mystic Arts Practitioners or they were just having fun." The student said in a soft voice. She certainly didn''t want to offend the members of the Club, so she was being careful.
"Well, it''s not impossible that their divination can be urate at times since they were performing some rituals, and they also call for mysterious existences to help them with their prophecy. It''s a different method from the Mystic Arts and the Holy Arts, but they''re certainly capable¡ I heard they were called the Dark Seers in our Faction."
The young girl''s eyes lit up after hearing Vale''s answer. She couldn''t help but feel that he was knowledgeable.
"I see¡ So it was like that." She nodded at this and looked at the young man once more, and asked. "May know what club you are in, Senior?"
At this point, Vale couldn''t help but smile as he introduced himself. Perhaps, he can even recruit this mysterious girl before going to their stall.
"You can just call me Vale. I''m just a second-year student¡ I joined the Battle Arena Committee. Do you want to check my Club?"
Vale said as he used his Divine Sense to check the status of the girl.
Soon, a surprising feedback came from the spell.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 4 filled Spell Lights.
''Ahh?'' Vale was stunned as soon as he discovered the number of Spell Models recorded by this girl.
This was unexpected since first-year students were only allowed to record two Spell Models before entering the Academy. After all, they are worried that the students wouldn''t have enough Spell Lights for the three Academy-Exclusive Spells and Branch-Exclusive Spells.
Of course, Vale didn''t show that he noticed it and just acted normal.
Thankfully, the girl was interested in the Battle Arena Committee, so he invited her to check the stall with him.
At this time, he already learned of her name. It was Celina Vermont.
That''s right. The Vermont of the Vermont Academy.
He wasn''t exactly sure, but she seemed to be rted to the legendary Morgan Vermont of the Dark Arts Faction. This may also be the reason why she was allowed to have four Spell Lights.I think you should take a look at
As a matter of fact, she might''ve even recorded the Darkness Maniption and Light Absorption Spells already.
"Whoa~ You brought a first-year?" Nadine looked at Vale in shock.
Even Benedict and Bailey couldn''t help but respect Vale''s dedication to the Club. To be honest, they didn''t care if they had a recruit this year since many of the members still had several years before they could graduate.
It doesn''t really matter if they have a year or two without any recruits. Nevertheless, a new recruit would certainly make their clubroom lively, so they were happy to see a new face.
"Ahem¡ She hasn''t decided yet, Senior Nadine. It''s up to you to persuade her." Vale replied to Nadine.
Nadine raised her chin on this as she felt confident recruiting people. She shifted her attention to the girl beside Vale and suddenly froze.
"¡"
Her eyes blinked for a moment as if she wanted to see whether she was seeing the right person.
"Aren''t you Celina Vermont? You''re the Student Representative of your batch, right? You''re supposed to be in the Student Council. Are you still looking for another club?" Nadine asked.
This was the first time Vale heard about this, as he couldn''t help but look at Celina once more.
"Yes, Senior Nadine. I heard that there weren''t that many tasks in the Student Council anyway."
Celina then paused for a moment as she seemed to be hesitating to say something¡ Nevertheless, before the others could ask, she took a deep breath and continued. "If it''s alright, can I hear more about the Club from Senior Vale?"
Nadine''s eyes lit up after hearing this. "Of course! Vale is one the finest students of his batch."
Benedict and Bailey also gave Vale a knowing smile as they nodded in agreement.
"Ahem¡ The three of us n to take a break, so you can use this ce to chat." Nadine said as she stood up to give her seat to Celina. The other two club members also followed and immediately left the stall for Vale to manage.
''Seriously¡ Have these guys forgotten that one of our members'' life is in danger?'' Vale couldn''t help but shake his head at their carefree manner.
Anyway, this was also something he liked about this Club, so Vale had just epted the task.
As soon as the Seniors disappeared, Vale sighed as he used his Darkness Maniption to iste their surroundings. He didn''t feel satisfied even with this, so he also used his Extrasensory Perception Spell to sense if there was anyone trying hard to listen to their conversation.
After doing all of this, Vale finally faced the young girl and asked curiously. "Alright, Celina¡ No one can hear our conversation in the little dome that I made. You can tell me now why you approached me."
Celina''s eyes widened. "Ugh¡ Was it too obvious?"
Before Vale could even answer, she continued. "Anyway, it''s not really important¡ I want to meet you and am also interested in this Club."
"You want to meet me?" Vale asked.
"Of course! You weren''t aware of it, but the status of your Strands was out of proportion! You''ve also made a deal with the Headmaster to return your Shadow in consideration of your future talent. However, I''m here to change that¡"
This time, Celina was already speaking in a haughty voice as she continued. "I want you to give me that Shadow and serve me. Be my Personal Shadow Knight!"
Chapter 268 Challenge
Vale was speechless by the sudden job offer from a student younger than him. It was so unexpected that he didn''t know how to react.
''Is this amon thing among Dark Arts Practitioners?'' Vale mused as he looked at the young girl with a questioning look.
"I heard your situation from the Headmaster, and you''re perfect as my Personal Shadow Knight." Celina added.
"I''m perfect?" Vale repeated. He decided to humor this young girl for now.
Seeing that Vale didn''t reject her immediately, Celina nodded and smiled.
"Yes! Your family background can be ignored, so it''s good for me. Furthermore, you are just an experimental subject by a mad Alchemist who dreamed of having a new Branch of Dark Arts. You must want to get away from him, right? Then, I''m already at the age where I need a Shadow Knight protecting me in secret. My father has been asking me to select a few from his retainers, but I know that you''ll be perfect for the job since you''re really strong ording to the Professors."
To be honest, it sounded pleasant to Vale''s ears how sheplimented him at thetter part of her words.
"Really? I''m not strong though¡ You have to find an older Knight if you want to be protected. Perhaps an eight-year student would do." Vale answered after some consideration.
"Hmph¡ I don''t like them. They''re too old for me. You look nice and weren''t far from my age, so you''ll do."
Vale looked at the young girl as he couldn''t help but feel impressed by her confidence in her delusions.
''A typical spoiled brat from a prestigious noble family, huh¡ I wonder what the Headmaster is thinking. He should know this will happen after this girl started asking for information about me.''
"What would I gain if I be your Shadow Knight?" He asked.
"Of course, you will have the honor of protecting me, the Future Dark Sorceress of the Faction! You will earn a lot of money and ess to many Forbidden Dark Arts. Furthermore, I can let you meet my Great Grandfather! Right! I can also bring you to many sacred ces that normal practitioners could only dream of entering."
Celina said with a proud look on her face.
''Money and chance for meeting your great grandfather? That''s probably enticing to someone else but not to me¡ Well, unless I can extract him.'' Vale thought after hearing Celina''s proposal.
As for the offer of getting ess to the Forbidden Dark Arts, he already has The Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted, where all the Forbidden Spells of the Darkness Arcane Path are listed, so he didn''t even consider it.
"That''s quite tempting for the other practitioners, Celina. However, you can''t recruit me with that. I also have other ns, so I can''t work as your Knight in the Academy. You can probably look for others. How about Maya? Have you asked her?"
Vale replied.
He also prepared himself to be scolded by the spoiled young girl, but he was surprised that she just chuckled after hearing his rejection.
''Am I not clear enough?'' Vale thought.
"Hmph¡ I know that you''ll reject me since you weren''t from the faction and were recruited outside. You''re clearly unaware of your position and how great it is to serve me. That''s fine¡ I know you''ll change your mind."I think you should take a look at
Vale helplessly smiled at this as he was slowly losing his patience. After a sigh, he replied to the young girl.
"I''m an outsider, and I can''t see the value of being your Personal Shadow Knight¡ So isn''t it more the reason you shouldn''t select me? I also don''t think that my decision will change."
Vale replied. He was still trying to recruit this girl into their club, so he decided to calm down and reason with her.
Celina shook her head at this as she looked at Vale seriously.
"Alright, Senior Vale¡ You can now tell me your price to change your decision. I know that you''re just trying to put more value on yourself to make yourself expensive. I heard it from my butler. It''s the style of the business-mindedmoners who wanted to take advantage of their rich employers."
Vale''s mouth twitched after hearing what she had just said.
''Do I look like I''m negotiating? This kid¡'' Vale was speechless as he decided to just be clear to her.
It seems that entertaining her for too long made his intentions unclear.
"Celina, listen to me. I''m not trying to negotiate with you. I think that your butler just wanted to let you know about the possible intentions of other people. It doesn''t mean that all people with humble background you encounter have those thoughts."
Of course, Celina didn''t give up as she still tried to entice Vale into bing her Knight.
In the end, Vale had enough and thought of an idea.
"Are you confident with your Spirit Strands?"
"Of course! Hehe¡ I already have 21 Spirit Strands. I heard that your Spirit Strand got stuck to 25, right? It is still high but definitely not enough to be an elite. Furthermore, even though you have a decent Power Strand and Life Strand, it''s not enough. However, with my help, your Spirit Strand will surely experience massive growth!" Celina said.
As a matter of fact, she wasn''t interested in Vale''s Spirit Strand. What she wanted was his high Power and Life Strands, which is perfect for a Shadow Knight.
''I see¡'' Vale gently nodded.
As expected, the others weren''t aware of his Spirit Strand''s growth because the invasion of the Secret Organization interrupted his assessment. Because of that, no one had seen his Spirit Converging Crystal or how many strands he actually made.
The Professors were also busy with the Academy''s reparation and couldn''t be bothered to reassess his Spirit Strands. Aside from that, they were also worried about Philip''s situation, so they couldn''t spare their time to check.
"How about this¡ If I have my Power Strand and Life Strand twice your current Power and Life Strands, you have to give up on me and also give me a chance to enter the sacred ces you mentioned a while ago without being your Personal Shadow Knight." Vale said with a teasing smile.
"No way! I know you have over 15 Strands or more on both Strands! That''s not fair! How about you double my Spirit Strands with your Spirit Strand, and I''ll ept it, huh?" Celina replied as she raised her chin while looking at Vale.
Chapter 269 Concentrate
Celina smirked as she thought that her challenge would give him a headache.
However, her smile froze as soon as she saw him smiling.
"I can ept that condition¡" Vale suddenly said, which made the young girl feel a chill behind her back.
"Y-you¡" Celina squinted her eyes as she looked at Vale. She had a bad feeling about this.
''No way.''
She was momentarily speechless as she considered whether Vale was just bluffing and messing with her.
She wasn''t even serious about that ridiculous challenge. However, now that Vale epted it, it would seem that she was too indecisive if she just backed out.
Furthermore, doubling her Spirit Strands means that Vale should have 42 Spirit Strands!
Which 14 or 15-year-old would have such a ridiculous number of Spirit Strands?!
Was he conceived by a human and a spirit?!
Celina''s eyes widened as soon as she reached this thought.
''R-right¡ I think I heard of this before¡'' Celina felt that she had discovered the young man''s huge secret. ording to what she heard from the conversation between her great grandfather and her father, there were instances when humans, mostly women, would conceive a child from Spiritual Beings, Demonic Beings, or even Mystical Entities that came from a different realm.
The child born from the forbidden affair would normally have an appearance close to the humans, but some parts of them differ. They could still be identified with their unique traits, so they would typically be a subject of scorn and would be killed before they could even mature.
Nevertheless, others were born that looks entirely like any other child born from both humans.
''Vale was probably one of them¡ A child born from a mysterious entity and a human¡ The Chambers Family must be investigated! I have to tell this to Father!''
"Fine! I''ll ept that! However, we don''t have a Spirit Converging Crystal that exceeds 40! There was no way to test your limit. How about this? I''ll request my father to get a Spirit Converging Crystal with a 50-Strand limit. That should arrive in a few days. We''ll go ahead and assess your Spirit Strand on that day."
"Mhmm¡ That''s fine. However, you should join our club."
"Deal!"
Celina said as she offered her hand to Vale.
Vale epted it as they shook their hands.
''Oh? You''re being sneaky?'' Vale thought as he used his Spell Dispersion to stop Celina from probing him.
"It''s not polite to use that Spell." Vale warned.
Celina seemed unperturbed as she exined. "Ahem¡ It was a habit taught to me by my butler. I''m trying to change that already. It won''t happen again."
"Fine¡ Then fill up this form so you can officially join the club¡ Senior Nadine will exin all the other matters in the club. I''ll be leaving now." Vale said as he canceled his Darkness Maniption spell that was isting them before using his telepathy to inform Nadine that Celina already decided to join, and she needed to brief her about the club.I think you should take a look at
Nadine seemed surprised by his sudden contact through telepathy as he forgot that she wasn''t aware that he had such an ability. In any case, Vale decided not to exin too much as he left the Assembly Hall after he saw Nadine and Celina chatting with each other.
He just let Nadine handle the rest of the recruitment process.
***
On the next day, Vale woke up early as he had to practice the precision of his Extractions¡ He couldn''t do it without a sample, so he had to be early and visit the dockyard for the supplies of the corpses. Although there wasn''t any sess in his training, he felt that he already had a better grasp of what he should do to have a precise extraction.
Luckily, the ss was still suspended, so he had a lot of free time.
"Vale! You''re here again. Aren''t you being a bit too serious about this? I thought the rumors were fake." Ashe said with a chuckle while holding a cup of hot tea. She saw Vale entering the dockyard even though the sun hadn''t fully risen yet and she couldn''t help but tease him.
"Good morning, Vice Captain Ashe. I guess the Sixth Squad would stay here for a long time, huh¡"
"Yes. So expect me here having a cup of tea every morning. The other members didn''t like meeting with other people, so they''re mostly hidden in their posts."
"No wonder I don''t see the others¡ I guess that''s also a good thing for the members of the squad. It''s better not to expose their identities, especially if they have missions outside." Valemented.
It was already normal to have a short chat with this Vice Captain since she basically runs the whole dockyard. She was the one who could decide who could be allowed to enter or exit the dockyard. This also includes the airships that were using the dock, so he had to be respectful.
"Heh¡ You''re thinking too much. They''re just beingzy¡ In any case, look at the gray Airship. That''s the one with a supply of corpses. They''re all sealed using a Paper Talisman so you''ll have an easier time touching them."
"Cough¡ Cough. That doesn''t sound appropriate, Vice Captain. Anyway, what''s the difference with the paper talisman?" Vale asked as he swiftly changed the topic.
The methods taught in ss were only the freezing and ritual sealing methods to preserve corpses. He hadn''t heard about the Talisman method.
Vice Captain smiled at Vale''s reaction and replied. "These corpses came from Lushfort¡ That''s where our Necromancy Branch is located. They''re using Paper Talisman to preserve corpses there. You''ll understand what I''m saying once you visit the corpses."
"I understand." Vale didn''t waste any more time as he decided to enter the Airship.
After entering, he easily found the morgue since this wasn''t his first time here.
Soon, Vale saw the corpses as he finally understood what Ashe was telling him.
''They''re simr to the Jiangshi that I''ve seen before¡'' Valemented in his mind as he recalled some information from his past life.
Nevertheless, this didn''t stop him from his experiment. After he realized that there were a total of 20 corpses he could extract, he couldn''t help but smile.
This is thergest number of corpses delivered over the past week¡
''It seems that Lushfort was a decent ce to farm attributes.''
He then approached the first corpse and gently touched its shoulder.
''Concentrate¡ I just want to extract Intelligence¡ Just Intelligence, nothing more¡'' Vale repeated in his mind like a mantra as he triggered his system.
Chapter 270 Not Forgotten
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
Vale closed his eyes as he answered the system.
''Yes¡''
At this time, his mind wasn''t just repeating his mantra. He was also trying to sense the ''Spirit'' or the Intelligence of the Corpse.
Recently, he discovered how the Spirit Converging Crystal and revealed his number of Spirit Strands.
He felt how the Crystal works, and he was using the same idea to sense the Corpse''s Spirit Strand or Intelligence.
In a way, he was trying to replicate how the Spirit Converging Crystal detects his Intelligence and turns it into a Spirit Strand.
Technically, if his theory works, he could also use this method to extract Power or Strength Attributes and Life or Vitality Attributes.
As for the Energy, Agility, Spell Models, and others he could extract, he would think about it once he could urately extract Intelligence or Strength Attributes.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Agility +0.05 ]
''Ugh¡ I failed again. And the Extraction is also too low. Is it because of the way they''re sealed? Or maybe I''m doing something wrong?'' Vale sighed as he saw the result.
Anyway, he didn''t give up after a single failure. He continued with his extractions as he wanted to get used to the sensation of extracting attributes.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Strength +0.05 ]
"Continue¡" Vale muttered as he didn''t stop.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Strength +0.05 ]
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Intelligence +0.05 ]
He then continued with his extractions as he immersed himself in the sensation of the Attribute gains¡ Although the attributes he extracted were close to zero, they would be a considerable gain once umted.
¡
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Agility +0.05 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Intelligence +0.05 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Strength +0.05 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Intelligence +0.05 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Intelligence +0.05 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Intelligence +0.05 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Intelligence +0.05 ]
"Ohhh! I''m doing it." Vale eximed as soon as he got four consecutive Intelligence Extractions. It feels as if he received enlightenment after being immersed in the Extraction.
''I think I''m getting the hang of it.'' He thought.
Of course, it might just be some coincidence since it was natural to have a higher chance of getting Intelligence Attributes from the corpses of Arcanists. However, the fact that he started feeling the ''Spirit'' strand of the jiangshis or bodies made him realize that what he was doing wasn''t a waste of time.
With this in mind, Vale continued. This time, he was more determined and focused.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''Yes.'' He answered calmly.
[ Extraction sessful. Intelligence +0.35]
''This¡''I think you should take a look at
Vale suddenly felt an indescribable relief and satisfaction as soon as he saw the result of his Extraction.
This time, he knows that he really seeded. After all, the Intelligence he extracted was way higher than what he could get from the normal system extraction. Even the Energy Points had disappeared because of it!
''The attribute increased from 0.05 to 0.35. This is so much better¡'' Vale felt delighted as he didn''t mind the missing 5 Energy Points.
The increase shows how his concentration on extracting only the Intelligence Attribute was sessful.
''So that''s how it is¡ I should only start the Extraction once I feel connected with the Spirit. Furthermore, I have to keep my grasp on it until the extraction dy is finished.'' Vale silently thought as he tried to recall how he had seeded just now.
Luckily, he could still extract nine corpses, so he felt confident he would get a decent result once he was done.
''Extract¡''
[ Extraction sessful. Intelligence +0.35]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Intelligence +0.05]
[ Extraction sessful. Intelligence +0.35]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +5 Intelligence +0.05]
[ Extraction sessful. Intelligence +0.35]
[ Extraction sessful. Intelligence +0.35]
[ Extraction sessful. Intelligence +0.35]
***
[ Extraction sessful. Intelligence +0.35]
"I did it¡" Vale muttered as he leaned on the wall, feeling dizzy after his Spirit increased drastically after some extractions.
Although there were some mistakes at first, Vale finally had a clear grasp of extracting Intelligence from the corpses.
He may still have a long way to go before he can extract Spell Models, but this was certainly a good start.
Vale looked at the corpses in the morgue, and he couldn''t help but feel grateful to them. Without their assistance, there was no way he would learn this trick.
''Right... I should also thank Ashe for leading me to this method of Extraction. If she didn''t suggest this, I''d probably blindly think that the system''s Extraction was absolute and couldn''t be changed.''
Vale smiled at this thought as he thanked the corpses once more before leaving the Airship.
When he came out, Ashe could no longer be seen, so he just headed back to the Academy.
This time, he was nning to meet the Headmaster.
However, before he could do that, he sensed someone''s gaze drilling into his back.
"Hmm? I almost forgot about you¡" Vale softly muttered as his gaze turned cold.
***
Neil Sommerhalder woke up early as he nned to rent the training room for the whole day to practice his spells. He thought to at least have ate-stage Elementary Realm Dark Spell in the next three months or in the second assessment of their Spell Mastery.
Although the first assessment of their Spell Mastery wasn''t done yet, it would bepleted in the next couple of days, and he had no hope of increasing his mastery on that day.
Instead, he was focused on the second assessment to surprise his ssmates.
''Eh? Isn''t that Vale? Where is he going?'' Neil was curious as he followed his ssmate from afar. He didn''t disguise or use stealthy spells to himself and just acted like a typical student.
He knows that he would look suspicious if he tried to hide his presence. In any case, they are in the Academy, so he knows that Vale will let his guard down and won''t mind his stalking.
He was indeed right! Vale didn''t notice him!
What made him speechless was how he saw Vale meeting with a beautiful member of the Order of the Evanescent Vessel in the Dockyard near the Academy!
Chapter 271 Simple Operation
"If I''m not mistaken, thatdy was part of the special Vessel Squad protecting the Academy. So Vale has a special rtionship with the vessels? Is that rted to his secret for having absurd Power Strands and Life Strands?"
Neil couldn''t help but think about it. After all, no matter how much he hated Vale for taking his spotlight, he couldn''t help but dream of having his attributes as well. He wanted to awe his ssmates for having high Power and Life Strands, like how Vale showed everyone how great he was.
He would always imagine himself in Vale''s position, and if he had this much talent, he would surely have a rtionship with Maya Featherstar by now.
''It''s really wasted on you¡ I should be the one with this talent¡'' Neil bit his lips as he recalled his inferiority once again.
''I wonder what he was doing there¡'' Neil thought as he just waited for Vale outside the Academy.
He didn''t know why he was doing this. He only knew that he couldn''t help but be curious about Vale''s secrets.
''Is he being trained by the Vessels? Should I ask for training from them? I wonder how much he paid for that... Haa~ This is so frustrating.'' Neil scratched his head as he felt dismayed at his current situation.
He wanted to know whether there was a secret way to have such high attributes, but he couldn''t ask Vale for that.
After some hesitation, he decided to just follow Vale for now and slowly learn about his connections in the Academy and gradually learn his secret.
Soon, he saw his ssmate returning from the dockyard, and he seemed in a good mood as he did something productive in that ce.
''What training can he even do in that ce? Is he studying how Airship works? Is he nning to be a craftsman or something?'' Neil mused as he entered the Academy and positioned himself where he could naturally observe Vale entering the Academy without being suspicious.
At this time, he had no idea that Vale had already sensed his presence.
Perhaps, because of his heightened senses due to the Focused Extraction he made, Vale managed to sense Neil''s gaze even without entering his Phantasm State. It could also be the effect of his Extrasensory Perception Spell, but he wasn''t sure.
In any case, since Vale sensed his presence, there was no way he would miss a chance to ''identally'' extract this person to try his Focused Extraction.
''Is he observing me? Hmm¡ Perhaps he saw me going to the dockyard? I wonder what''s in his mind this time.'' Vale silently thought as he decided to enter the first floor of the Library instead of heading to the Headmaster''s office.
After entering the Library, he noticed that there were many students from different years who were busy with their self-study. It couldn''t be helped since the sses are still suspended.
He then found a random book and sat in the corner.
After a few minutes, he noticed Neil entering the Library, and although he was being sneaky, Vale could sense that Neil was observing him in the corner of his eyes.
Realizing that Neil was probably up to no good again, Vale decided to go ahead with his n.
***
"Oh¡ This ce is crowded." Neilmented as he entered the Library.I think you should take a look at
He also found a random book to not look suspicious and sat somewhere in the center where he could see Vale''s figure reading intently at a book that lower-year students would rarely read.
''Was that Western Necromancy and Practical Chants? Why would he read that book?'' Neil frowned as he also wanted to check that book out of curiosity, but Vale was seated near the shelf where these books could be found.
He didn''t want to be noticed yet since Vale would be conscious of his presence once he was seen.
With that in mind, he considered leaving the Library. He could just check the bookter so he won''t waste too much of his time stalking him.
However, as he thought of this, something unexpected happened.
He felt something heavy leaning on his shoulder, making him stay on his feet. Furthermore, he felt colder, as if he had just doused himself in freezing water.
''Not good¡''
His eyes noticed that everyone in the Library wasn''t experiencing the same thing! He could only think that this was a Curse Spell, and he had to break it before its toote.
He tried reaching into his pocket, but as he was trying to move his fingers, he felt someone touching his back.
He wanted to speak and call for help, but a sudden sensation of getting his soul sucked into the abyss made him wet his pants before his vision suddenly turned dark as he felt his body draining with energy.
Thud!
Everything happened so quickly, and the people around Neil only noticed something was off after thetter went unconscious in his seat.
They didn''t notice the young man who touched his back and how a dark spirit seemed to have escaped from Neil''s shadow.
Nevertheless, none of them disturbed Neil''s sleep. It might not happen every day, but it was not rare to see someone pass out in this Dark Arts Academy.
Furthermore, they could tell that he was still breathing and had no visible injuries.
It feels like he fell asleep after pulling an all-nighter and his body could no longer persist.
Some of them even felt that this student was quite diligent in his study to the point that he would rather pass out than stop studying.
Even the Librarian assigned at this time only nced at Neil''s figure before shifting his attention back to the records he was filing.
In the meantime, Vale couldn''t help but smile after he confirmed that his simple operation was utterly unnoticed by the students in the Library.
''I guess hiding from those Illustrious Liquidators and Untainted Sentinels during the summer break wasn''t pointless¡'' Vale silently thought as he decided to check his Attributes Panel.
Chapter 272 Current Attributes
"Hmm¡ I didn''t think that Neil had this Spell with him." Vale sighed as he didn''t expect such a massive gain from his ssmate.
Honestly, he wasn''t expecting much in extraction with Neil. After all, the man doesn''t even have half of his attributes, and furthermore, he only has five filled Spell Lights in his body.
With such pitiful attributes and a small collection of spells, Vale would already be happy if Neil got weakened and could not attend the ss that would soon start.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 62.5, Agility 60.95, Intelligence 86.15, Vitality 61.55 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv6, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv8, Darkness Maniption Lv7, Spirit Vision Lv4, Light Absorption Lv6, Create Shadow Soldier Lv1, Cursed Breath Lv4, Moonlight Curse Lv0 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv7, Blessed Healing Lv4 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv0, Shadow Muttion Lv0 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv6 ]
[ Transformation Art: Human Shapeshift Lv0 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv7 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv7, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv7 ]
[ Avable Energy: 498]
[ Avable Divinity: 2.78 ]
"Moonlight Curse¡ This is supposed to be a rare Dark Spell. If I''m not mistaken, it can only be bought using contribution points. I wonder how he got this Spell¡" Vale softly muttered as he looked at the new Spell Model in his body.
He didn''t get any Spell Light from Neil, so this Spell Model upied one of Vale''s Spell Lights. Nevertheless, Vale didn''t mind it since he still had 7 Spell Lights avable.
''Should I try using this?'' Vale thought, but he immediately shook his head after recalling the effect of the curse.
The Moonlight Curse was only effective against living beings basking in the Moonlight. Even if he went to the Training Hall, he could only try it on dummy targets, and the effect wouldn''t be visible.
''Whatever¡ I know this Spell will be useful.'' Vale thought as he gave up practicing the Spell in the Training Hall and headed to the Headmaster''s office.
Although this Curse Spell was situational and couldn''t be used at a specific time of the day, Vale would still choose this over othermon Curse Spells. After all, he already had other ''basic'' Spells he could use at any time.
He knows that this Situational Curse Spell''s effect would be more potent than othermon Curses even if he decided not to increase its mastery.
Lastly, with his current set of spells and attributes, Vale already has the confidence to get his missing shadow piece back in his fourth year.
It might sound arrogant, but this was something he was confident in considering the skills of the Fourth-Year Students that he had seen in the Academy and Fifth-Year Students of the Raksmiths Academy. This includes the Seventh-Year Brylle Genio, who also failed to defeat him before.
As he reached this thought, Vale couldn''t help but daydream¡I think you should take a look at
Once he imed his Shadow back, he''d really disappear from the Academy, and perhaps, he should start nning what he should do once he left.
Vale shook his head after reaching this random thought.
''I can''t becent¡ My knowledge about the other Arcane Paths is still terrible. I have to learn more about them.'' Vale reminded himself.
He was also feeling a bitplicated with his n to escape since there was also a subject he wanted to learn that was only avable in the higher year.
''Can I learn those with only self-study?'' Vale sighed.
He was referring to the Spell Fusion ss that would start in his eighth year in Academy. It would start as a Basic Spell Fusion ss, followed by the Intermediate Spell Fusion ss in the ninth year, and the Advanced Spell Fusion ss in the tenth year.
It feels like a waste if he can''t learn that after escaping.
There were also other interesting universal sses he wanted to attend. These are subjects that need to be learned by all Dark Arts Students, no matter what Specialization they took in their fourth year. Some of them are the Temporal Blood Magic ss in the seventh year, Arcane Talisman Crafting in the Fifth Year, and others.
"Vale, you look like you''re troubled. You''re not thinking of saving Philip from the Secret Organization, right?" Headmaster Jean''s voice suddenly startled Vale, who was thinking too deeply about his future ns.
"Ahem¡ Headmaster, please don''t just use your Telepathy. At least inform me about it first. You can just nudge me with a bit of your energy to let me know." Vale said as he calmed his breathing. He was already near the Headmaster''s office, so he couldn''t believe that this old man would use his Telepathy instead of just waiting for him.
"Oh¡ That was a quick reply. Did you reachte-stage Elementary Realm in your Telepathy Spell?" Headmaster Jean asked.
''It''s already in the Advanced Realm¡'' Vale answered in his mind.
Of course, he had no ns to inform the Headmaster about it since it was unnecessary.
"Headmaster, my mastery isn''t important. I came here to ask about Philip''s situation¡ I''m worried about him." Vale said as he changed the topic.
"Hmph¡ Worried? You just did something funny in the Library¡" Headmaster Jean said with a chuckle as he removed his Telepathy Spell. Furthermore, when Vale tries to use his Telepathy, he fails to connect to the Headmaster.
''Is he using a Spell or a Mystical Item to stop me?'' Vale mused. He felt that this ability to stop someone from using Telepathy on him was pretty helpful.
As for the Headmaster learning about what he did in the Library, he wasn''t too surprised. After all, this person has his Shadow and could easily spy on him. He was already happy that his Shadow wouldn''t let the Headmaster know about his current Spell Lights and Attributes.
Soon, he arrived at the Headmaster''s Office as he wanted to discuss Philip''s situation.
"Why do you want to know? Did Prisci tell you something?" Headmaster Jean asked as he leanedfortably on his chair.
Vale stepped closer to the Headmaster and sat on the chair in front of thetter''s desk.
"She didn''t tell me anything¡ That''s why I want to help. Perhaps she''ll tell me about it if I manage to save her only brother." Vale answered as he looked at the Headmaster calmly and seriously.
Chapter 273 Convinced
Headmaster Jean didn''t show any reaction after Vale revealed his intention. He didn''t even feel surprised that he really wanted to save Philip at all. The Headmaster seemed more curious about Vale''s motivation to save Philip.
After thinking for a while, the Headmaster shook his head.
"Even if it''s you, it''s too dangerous. You might die there, and I can''t let that happen. Heinz will surely me me if something happens to you. He may no longer send us his next experiment¡ªI mean, new apprentice, if you died there. Your future is limitless, and sending you out on a dangerous mission is too early. Only 9th-year and 10th-year students are allowed to take such missions." Headmaster Jean replied.
"Wait¡ Does it mean there''s already a mission sent out to save Philip?" Vale asked in shock.
Is the Academycking so many personnel that they can''t even mobilize professional Arcanists to save their student?! Are they actually relying on students to save someone kidnapped in their territory? Isn''t this too pathetic?!
Headmaster Jean seemed to have read Vale''s thoughts as he calmly exined.
"Some reconnaissance missions are already assigned to them, and there are also few information gathering missions¡ They weren''t dangerous tasks. The Order had also mobilized a couple of squads to rescue Philip once we clearly grasped our enemies."
Vale still couldn''t believe it since it felt like they were really taking their time to save Philip.
''No, perhaps they''re aware that Philip isn''t in real danger yet?'' Vale suddenly thought.
This mystical world should have potions or spells that would enve or hypnotize people. If they had used such methods, Philip should''ve revealed his secrets by now.
Vale read about such methods, and although they are forbidden, no one was stopping the Secret Organization from doing it to their captured target. They are a criminal organization in the first ce.
Nevertheless, since the Academy wasn''t in a hurry, perhaps they knew that Philip should still be fine.
Vale squinted his eyes as he hoped that was the case and that Philip could protect himself until a certain period passed.
"Then, when are you nning to save Philip?" Vale asked.
"Soon¡ It will happen soon." The Headmaster said.
Vale wasn''t satisfied with this answer.
"Tsk¡ Philip might''ve already died at that time." Vale couldn''t help butin for Philip''s sake.
Even if not for Prisci''s reward, Vale still wanted to save his friend. After all, Philip has been really good to him over the past year as they both shared their knowledge or what they''ve learned every time they watch the recordings of battles in the Archive Room.
Thinking that he may no longere back made him ufortable.
"It''s not easy to save him. Our Dark Seer predicted that his life wouldn''t be in danger in the next three weeks, so we have some time."
After some thought, Headmaster Jean finally revealed such crucial information to Vale.
"Dark Seer?" Vale repeated as he nodded repeatedly. He could finally understand why the Headmaster was taking his time.
"Yes¡ You know about them, and they can be trusted." Headmaster Jean said as he crossed his arms.
However, Vale had already thought about this situation with prediction ability. Lotus'' made him think about it before, so he also knew it couldn''t always be urate and couldn''t predict many things.
"Is that the only thing that the Dark Seers found out?" Vale asked.
"Yes¡ So you don''t have to worry." Headmaster Jean answered.
This made Vale disappointed, as he said in exasperation.I think you should take a look at
"The Dark Seers are amazing¡ However, it doesn''t mean that Philip is not suffering at this time, right? We only know that he might die in the next three weeks. What if his fingers were already cut off by the time we rescued him? What if he was being tortured right now? What if they already removed his eyes and fingernails to make him reveal his secret? Shouldn''t we save him as quickly as possible?" Vale said as he pointed out something that should be obvious.
Headmaster Jean squinted his eyes as he looked at Vale seriously.
"Is that something you''ll do if you captured someone you wanted to get information from?"
"That''s not important, Headmaster¡ Just give me Philip''s location and the strength of the enemies. I''ll try to save him. If I don''t think I can save him, then I''ll just retreat." Vale said with a sigh. He really wanted to try.
Headmaster Jean could tell that Vale was serious about his n to save Philip. This had actually exceeded his expectations. After all, Vale shouldn''t be at the level capable of sneaking into arge organization to save someone.
He wanted to know. He was curious whether Vale could save Philip. He also knew that Philip may not be in a good situation right now, but unfortunately, he really couldn''t do much in his current situation. He just can''t order the Vessels to charge to the enemy base without preparations.
After all, the death of a Vessel couldn''t bepared to the life of a second-year student.
Headmaster Jean closed his eyes to think about Vale''s proposal.
He wanted to save Philip as quickly as possible, but the enemy''s territory was tricky.
''Haa¡ This is giving me a headache¡''
He considered many things, and itsted for five minutes before he was able to decide. In the end, Headmaster Jean nodded.
"You''re right¡ Go ahead and save Philip. This is the information you need." Jean said as he handed over a piece of paper to Vale.
Vale couldn''t help but be surprised that he seeded in convincing the Headmaster.
"T-then¡ What about my sses?" Vale asked.
"Ha! Now you''re worried about your ss? Don''t worry about them since I''m the one giving you a mission." Headmaster Jean said as he waved his hands to send Vale away.
"Thank you, Headmaster!" Vale said as he immediately left the office just in case the Headmaster changed his mind.
Thud!
As soon as the door closed, Headmaster Jean looked at the empty couch near the door and chuckled.
"How was it?" He asked.
Whoosh~
A figure of a man sittingfortably on the couch suddenly appeared. If Vale was here, he would certainly recognize this person.
He was Isaac Vermont, the owner of the mysterious building at the hill near the Academy.
He didn''t answer the Headmaster as he seemed to be deep in his thoughts.
After some time, he muttered¡
"He noticed me."
Chapter 274 Joined Forces
"That was nerve-racking¡" Vale softly said as he headed straight to his dormitory.
His room was no longer in the Seven Pirs Garden but in the Five Gourds Garden. Again, it wasn''t a shared dormitory but private rooms for top students in their first year.
As soon as he entered his room, he jumped on his bed to rx and release the tension in his body. He didn''t expect that there was someone else in the Headmaster''s Office, and it was quite ufortable staying there. Furthermore, he could tell that the person hiding in the room was incredibly strong.
He didn''t dare to probe the man since thetter was hiding¡ It means that he didn''t want to be noticed, and perhaps, he was actually interrupting the meeting between the two when he arrived.
Vale shook his head as he decided not to overthink this matter.
Instead, he checked the paper that was given to him by the Headmaster to find out more information about the enemies.
The information he got wasn''t a lot, but it was enough to roughly know about Philip''s situation..
"Murton Castle in the eastern region¡ It''s Viscount Coulston''s castle. They''re believers of the Chuch of the Three Paragons, and his territory is known for rich orchards and timbend. They also started as practitioners of the Combat Arts, but they branched out, and their younger generation shifted to other Arcane Paths." Vale muttered as he summarized the information they currently have.
No wonder they issued a mission to gather more information. They only know superficial information about the ce where Philip was being held.
Perhaps, some peddlers in the streets would know more about the Couldston Family than the informants of the Academy.
Vale could only shake his head as he decided to gather information himself.
"Where is the Murton Castle in the first ce?" Vale sighed as he decided to get a mapter and asked Ashe if there were will an Airship heading near this ce.
***
In the meantime, while Vale was making his preparations to go on a mission to save Philip, Neil''s sudden sickness spread throughout the Second-Year ss¡
After all, they heard that Neil''s Spell Model was destroyed due to unknown reasons, and he had also weakened a lot, as if a demon drained his energy.
"No, Professor Shirley! I did not perform any forbidden ritual or summon mysterious existences." Neil eximed as he attempted to sit up from the bed.
"Stop overexerting your body. Just lie down and answer me calmly. You don''t have to be so agitated."
Professor Shirley said as she looked at her student. To be honest, Neil''s performance in his first year was impressive. With his abilities, she could tell that Neil would be a great Necromancer in the future. The only problem was his attitude which he should be able to fix easily since he was still young.
His hot-bloodedness and hispetitive spirit should be natural, so she wasn''t too worried about it. In a few years or more, she knew that Neil''s attitude would eventually change since this is the Dark Arts Academy.
However, the physician who had checked Neil''s condition informed her about her student''s weakened state. It was as if Neil performed a forbidden ritual, which took his life force and power¡ In short, his youthfulness had somehow decreased because of this!
''You would be strong even if you don''t perform a forbidden ritual¡ What made you do that?'' Professor Shirley silently thought as she looked at Neil with aplicated gaze.I think you should take a look at
"I¡ I''m telling you the truth, Professor. I''ve never thought of performing a forbidden ritual." Neil repeated as he closed his eyes to recall what he had experienced a while ago.
"You passed out while reading in the library. Many students noticed how you just slumped on your chair. The physician thinks that it''s an aftereffect of getting your life drained. If you didn''t do something that would weaken your body, then someone else might''ve done it¡" Shirley said as she considered that Neil might be telling the truth.
After all, nothing would happen if she just kept doubting the young man.
"R-right! I remember now! It must''ve been Vale who had done this to me! I was secretly following him, and he probably noticed me!" Neil eximed.
"You''re secretly following your ssmate?" Shirley repeated.
"Yes, but that''s not important¡ I didn''t harm Vale! However, he must''ve attacked me while I wasn''t paying attention!"
Professor Shirley sighed at this before she answered calmly.
"Neil¡ Did you forget you used him of using a forbidden ritual to increase his Strands? You also suggested sending him to the Association to be investigated¡ However, all of it was nonsense since Vale didn''t have to perform such a dangerous task to reach his level. Now, you''re using him again for attacking you? Do you think he has the ability to drain your life and even destroy your Spell Model without being noticed by the students that were near you?"
Neil sucked his breath as he wanted to reason with the Professor but couldn''t find the words he wanted to say.
He knew that Professor Shirley was right, but he couldn''t just ignore his gut feeling. He could swear that Vale had something to do with it, but he couldn''t prove anything aside from Vale being on the same floor as him.
''If he used a spell, there was no way it would go unnoticed¡ªWait, perhaps it''s through his Dark Spirit?!'' As he thought of this idea, Professor Shirley suddenly interrupted.
"If you think he used a Dark Spirit to attack you, just give up. Dark Spirits aren''t that powerful. Furthermore, they suck at hiding their presence. Once a Dark Spirit appeared, they could make everyone in that room feel a chill in their bodies."
Realizing that Professor Shirley had no ns to believe him, Neil could only give up as he thought of contacting the seniors with whom he was acquainted.
Professor Shirley soon left the room after promising that she''ll investigate what happened.
Neil only nodded as he watched her leave. He wasn''t hoping this biased Professor would really care about him.
''What should I do? Can my seniors even help me with this problem?'' Neil frowned.
As he was considering what he should do to make Vale admit his crime, someone opened the door of his room without knocking. He thought it was the physician, but what greeted him was a beautiful young girl with short red hair who seemed quite familiar.
"Oh? I didn''t know you were awake, Senior Neil. I heard what happened to you, and I want to ask a few things about your condition--Ah, I''m sorry. I was so excited I didn''t introduce myself."
The young girl said as she curtsied to him like a real noble.
"I''m Celina Vermont, the student representative of the first-year batch."
Chapter 275 The Captured
Vale had no idea that the girl who wanted to take his shadow was now meeting with his trashy ssmate, Neil Sommerhalder.
However, even if he knew, he would just find it amusing. He believes these two wouldn''t be in any form of threat to him now or even in the next few years.
Their growth couldn''t bepared to his speed of development since he has the Extraction System. Even if they have better and more affluent families behind them, he at least has the Headmaster on his side, and there shouldn''t be any real threat to him inside the Academy.
***
On the next day, Valepleted his preparations as he silently went to the dockyard to meet Vice Captain Ashe, who had arranged his flight.
Aside from Headmaster Jean, Professor Shirley, Nadine Sherris, Chad Bulmung, and Vice Captain Ashe, no one else knows that he decided to leave the Academy.
Of course, when Vale informed the Professor, she was confused as she couldn''t believe he got the Headmaster''s permission to leave!
Furthermore, ording to their estimate, he might be away for a couple of weeks or even a month!
Those sses he''d miss would be so important for a second-year student like him.
Luckily, his connection with the Battle Arena Committee became useful. He borrowed the reusable Recording Crystals after Nadine permitted him, and he just asked Chad to record the sses for him.
That way, he could easily learn the topics that require demonstrations if Chad''s notes weren''t enough for him to study what he missed.
Everything went smoothly after that.
After arriving at the dockyard, Vale greeted the Vice Captain who was guarding the dockyard.
"Is that the only thing you''ll bring with you?" Ashe asked after seeing that he was only carrying a small sack bag.
It doesn''t even contain essential things and seems like a thick book to her.
"Yes¡ I''m not particrly eager to carry many things. I''ll just purchase everything else that I need." Vale replied.
Ashe then went silent for a moment before she sighed.
"Vale, are you sure about this? Our enemies aren''t just practicing a single Arcane Path¡ It''s an organization that epts every Path and has many Holy Arts Practitioners on their side. It would be difficult to escape once you''re captured." She reminded.
"Right, you also have to remove the Spell Models of my friends. You can''t die before you can do that. I already informed them that you''re just training to increase your precision with your Spell Model destruction."
Vale couldn''t help but smile at this as he nodded. "Don''t worry. I''ll return if I can''t handle the job. Who knows, this mission might even help me with my current problem with the precision of my spell. Once that happens, I hope you''ll tell them my service isn''t free."
"Haha! Alright! Just make sure you return alive."
After saying their goodbyes, Vale boarded the Airship headed to Aerodenn City, the closest city to the Murton Castle.
***
Philip Hoffman woke up with a throbbing headache and a metallic taste in his mouth. He tried to move but realized he was chained to a stone wall in a dark and damp dungeon. He tried breaking it but couldn''t summon his strength!
To his horror, he realized he couldn''t even feel his Spell Lights or enter his Phantasm State!I think you should take a look at
''This¡''
He had no idea where he was or how long he had been there. Thest thing he remembered was how he waste in his ss and he was walking back to his dormitory. Then, a ck mantle appeared above him and two hooded men stunned him with a spell as he failed to avoid the mantle that shrouded him.
''Prisci¡''
Philip wondered if his sister was worried sick about his disappearance. He couldn''t help but hope that the Academy and the Vessels were already looking for him. They should be aware that he was missing by now.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
As he was deep in his thoughts, he heard footsteps approaching, and saw a dim lighting from a torch in the corridor.
He braced himself for a round of interrogation or even torture, but to his surprise, he recognized the face of his captor.
It was the Previous Headmaster of the Academy! Sir Charles ckwood, his mentor and favorite teacher at the Academy. He was a tall and slender man in his fifties, with pale skin, ck hair, and piercing blue eyes. He wore a long ck cloak and carried a silver cane.
"Sir ckwood?" Philip gasped. "What are you doing here? Why are you doing this to me?"
The previous Headmaster smiled coldly and leaned closer to Philip.
"Hello, Philip. I''m sorry to see you in such a state, but it''s necessary for our n. I''m sure you''re aware of your value¡"
Philip felt a chill run down his spine. He had a slight idea of what he was talking about but still couldn''t understand why this old man would dare to provoke his family and the Academy just to capture him!
"If you wanted my secret... You don''t have to imprison me here. What''s your real n?" Philip asked as he calmed himself. He knows that he needs information.
"Ha! You have plenty of time to tell your secrets to our young miss. We''re not in a hurry. We even tolerated the Treaty of Keslore to prepare for theplete destruction of the Dark Arts Faction¡ª" Charles paused as he realized that he had said something unnecessary.
Charles chuckled and tapped his cane on the floor before he continued. "You''ll find out soon enough, my boy. You''ll be part of our n. Once the Prophet has arrived, you''ll be our organization''s greatest spy."
Philip felt a surge of fear and anger. He couldn''t believe what he was hearing.
''A madman!''
He had betrayed the Academy, and the Dark Arts Factions, joined a shady organization, kidnapped him, and nned to use him for some evil scheme.
"Y-you''re insane!" Philip shouted.
The old man''s smile faded, and his eyes shed with rage like an absolute madman.
He raised his cane and pointed it at Philip''s chest. "Silence, you insolent worm! I have sacrificed everything for the Dark Sorcerer Refuge! But¡ But¡ª"
"Stop it! He''s mine! Old freak!"
As Charles was about to lose his mind, a high-pitched voice from a young noblewoman reprimanded him for his unsightly actions.
Chapter 276 Another Identity
Vale Chambers felt a surge of excitement as the Airship finally descended at the dockyard of the Aerodenn City.
He had been on board for four days, stopping at eight other cities along the way, but none of them had matched the scale and splendor of his destination.
Aside from the capital city, Aerodenn City could be said to be the second crown jewel of the Millton Kingdom, a hub of innovation and industry that had grown rapidly in the era of the industrial revolution.
Vale could see the gleaming railway tracks that connected the city to the rest of the kingdom. It was a very impressive sightpared to the Melthorn City he was familiar with.
He could also see the towering factories that spewed out smoke and steam that blocked the sunlight. This is probably amon scene in every developing city in the kingdom.
''Now¡ What should I do first?'' Vale mused.
He grabbed his luggage and followed the other passengers as they alighted from the Airship.
He was greeted by a bustling crowd of people, some wearing elegant suits and dresses, others wearing simple clothes and caps.
He then heard a cacophony of voices, speaking in different ents andnguages. He smelled a mixture of aromas, from coal and oil to spices and flowers. He felt a rush of adrenaline as he stepped into the city.
During his summer break, he was mostly staying in the small viges and towns away from the noise and smoke of the city. This is why seeing the bustling Aerodenn City made him feel nostalgic for some reason.
''Right¡ I have to move. If possible, I must save Philip as quickly as I can.'' Vale reminded himself as he decided to explore the city a bit before heading to his hotel.
After the long journey, he was hungry, so he needed a ce to eat.
He noticed that there were many hawkers selling food on the streets, offering a variety of dishes and snacks. He saw familiar muttons and fried balls of dough stuffed with meat and cheese and decided to try one. He bought one from a friendly vendor and bit into it. It was hot and crispy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside. He savored the taste and bought another one.
Vale continued to walk around the city, admiring the architecture and the people. He saw shops selling all kinds of goods, from books and newspapers to clothes and jewelry.
He saw theaters and museums, parks and gardens, churches and temples. He saw cars and bicycles, trains and trams, balloons, and airships. He saw everything that made Aerodenn City a great city¡
Nevertheless, he wasn''t just looking around like a tourist.
During all this time, his Phantasm State was active, and he was observing the Arcane Practitioners who had been following him ever since he descended from the Airship.
''Ahh¡ Now that I think about it, the Airship I used was probably known by others as a property of the Dark Arts Faction. Although it is also being used for public transportation, they might still be wary after the incident¡'' Vale couldn''t help but scratch his head after forgetting such an important matter.
Nevertheless, the ones following him don''t seem to have any other intention unless he acts suspiciously.
This is why he decided to be like a typical tourist visiting the city.
''Oh¡ He''s gone.'' Vale silently thought after biting on his snacks. The Mystic Arts Practitioner that was following him started dashing away until he got out of his Magic Zone.
He had probably finished his observation task, or perhaps, he already passed the mission to someone else.
''Ah¡ They''re here¡''
As expected, Vale felt the presence of two Mystic Arts Practitioners that was approaching him really fast.I think you should take a look at
''Should I eliminate them? However, I''m still quite far from the castle¡ I can''t bring too much attention on me before I save Philip¡'' Vale considered for a moment before deciding to watch how it goes first.
Currently, he wasn''t worried that the Untainted Sentinels or the Illustrious Liquidators had recognized him since he had made two disguises today.
He knows well that the two people approaching him weren''t the Liquidators who were searching for Clovis Skye.
"Sir, can I ask you some questions?"
As Vale walked to the streets, two gentlemen wearing ck trench coats blocked him on his path.
"Hmm?" Vale acted surprised as he looked at the two.
"I just arrived in the city today. If you''re going to ask for directions, you should try the vendors on the streets." He said with an apologetic tone.
The two Practitioners looked at each other before shaking their heads.
"No¡ We''re not here to ask for directions."
"We''re here to inform you that Dark Arts Practitioners are prohibited inside the city. We''vee to escort you outside the city."
These words attracted the attention of the people on the streets.
The word "Dark Arts Practitioners" seemed to have scared many of them as they started looking at Vale warily.
Those heading in their path had even changed their direction to ensure they won''t get in their way.
Vale found this scene interesting. He wasn''t sure why they were acting like this, but he wasn''t worried at all.
He calmly nodded at the two and answered.
"You probably made a mistake. I''m not a Dark Arts Practitioner."
At this answer, the two gentlemen were confused as they couldn''t believe that their intelligence was incorrect.
One of them started ring at Vale as he said. "You don''t have to lie. We know that you''re an Arcanist. Now, show us one of your Spells if you want to prove yourself."
Vale squinted his eyes after hearing this¡
''It seems they weren''t sure what Arcane Path I''m practicing. However, they can tell that I''m a Practitioner¡'' Vale silently thought as he nodded to the man.
However, instead of casting a spell, he pulled out his sack bag containing a thick book.
As soon as the book appeared, everyone in the streets looked at Vale with interest and eximed.
"A Grimoire!"
Chapter 277 Confused
"This¡"
The two Mystic Arts Practitioners were stunned as they looked at the gray Grimoire the young man had just shown them.
Apparently, Vale was right.
They weren''t aware of his Arcane Path and simply intimidated him in hopes of causing trouble. They were itching to capture a Dark Arts Practitioner, so they wanted the young man to make a scene and attack them with his Dark Spells.
That way, they would have every reason to capture and sell him for arge sum of money.
If he wasn''t using any Dark Spells, they wouldn''t mind either as they would still capture him for causing a scene and consider whether he can be sold depending on his Arcane Path.
"Y-you''re a Summoner?" One of them asked as they looked at the Grimoire in Vale''s hands. Thispletely destroyed their ns as Summoners weren''t people they could go against ording to their boss.
"Yes!" Vale answered with a smile.
The surrounding people heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. Some of them stopped paying attention as they continued on their way.
They didn''t mind a Summoner''s presence but were undoubtedly wary of Dark Arts Practitioner.
Vale noticed their reactions as he couldn''t help but feel that being a Dark Arts Practitioner was a disadvantage.
"Are you still going to ask me to summon something in the middle of the street to prove that I''m a Summoner?" Vale asked as he acted as if he was about to summon something.
Of course, he can''t really summon anything since he hadn''tpleted a ritual to call anything from another realm. However, he could use Yvaine to act as his Summon, so he didn''t mind making a show if needed.
The Grimoire he was holding was something he had gotten during his Summer Break adventure. Thanks to his Grimoire Attraction Spell Model, he got a response from this gray Grimoire when a peddler was selling it as a nk book in one of the small viges he visited.
The origin of the Grimoire was quite suspicious, but he would certainly take it. He can just study about Summoners in the Academy to perfect his disguise someday.
''Oops¡ My Shapeshift Spell is about to run out.''
Vale wryly smiled as he decided to upgrade this Spellter.
''I should''ve pushed it to reach the Advanced Realm.''
As he was contemting what to do with his Shapeshift Spell, the two gentlemen finally decided to leave him be.
They didn''t even apologize for their rude interruption of his sightseeing and just turned their backs on him to leave.
Vale could only shake his head.
''Whatever¡ You''re the one going to be followed now.'' He silently thought.
Their action made him realize that he couldn''t just passively wait for his enemies. He decided to follow them as they had now be his targets.
He activated his Divine Sense and ced a mark on the two!
Thanks to Lady Teresa of the Untainted Sentinels, he learned the secret ability of Divine Sense. He could now use the Tracking Mark using this Spell and follow the two without being noticed.
They don''t even need to be in his Magic Zone, and he could tell where they are as long as he tried connecting with the mark he left.
However, he would have no idea where they are if he weren''t trying to connect with these Marks. So it was no wonder that Teresa still hired a detective to follow him.I think you should take a look at
''Alright¡ I''ll check on youter.'' Vale thought as he went on his way to a secret location that Ashe told him before leaving.
That''s right. It was a ce that only the Vessels were supposed to know.
Luckily, he made an impression on the Vice Captain as she was willing to assist him on his mission.
''I wonder what Philip is doing right now¡'' Vale couldn''t help but sigh after recalling his friend''s situation.
This would be a tough mission for him, so he could only hope that Ashe''s connection would be helpful.
They had abducted Philip from the Academy to the Murton Castle, a mysterious fortress owned by Viscount Coulston, a powerful noble who had ties to the Secret Organization.
There was no way Vale would go there unprepared.
He knew that he had to find a way to infiltrate the castle and free Philip. It would be difficult if he just went there blindly without proper information.
Although he had done some research beforeing to Aerodenn City, he needed to learn more about Viscount Coulston himself, his castle, his guards, the Arcanists, and his secrets.
It would be great if he found someone who could help him, who knew the castle well, and who could be trusted.
''It should be right about here¡'' Vale thought as he recalled Ashe''s instruction.
At this time, he already upgraded his Human Shapeshift Spell and used it once more for a longer duration, so he wasn''t worried about his Spell suddenly deactivating.
He soon found the old pub where he hoped to find his contact.
He entered the pub and looked around. It was cozy, with wooden tables and chairs, dim lights, and soothing music ying, perhaps because it was still early.
The locals seemed friendly as they looked at Vale with a smile and curiosity.
He didn''t mind them as he walked up to the bar and ordered a special drink.
The locals looking at him probably wondered why a young man like him woulde here alone.
Although it wasn''t rare for someone at his age to visit a pub, his clothes probably made them confused. He doesn''t seem like a factory worker orborer after all. He seemed like a professional with the way he carried himself.
''After ordering the special drink¡ Ashe mentioned that someone would approach me.'' Vale mused as he scanned the crowd using his Divine Sense.
He spotted the lone Dark Arts Practitioner sitting in a corner booth, wearing a leather jacket and a hat. He had a scar on his cheek and a cigarette in his mouth. He looked like someone who had seen some action in his life.
As soon as his Special Drink came, this person looked at Vale as if he had eyes everywhere.
Just like what Ashe mentioned, this man decided to approach him.
"Do you mind if you join me in my booth?"
The man said as he looked at Vale with curiosity and suspicion.
He was baffled since this Vale should be a Summoner, ording to what he heard from his informants in the streets just now!
Chapter 278 Information Broker
Vale sat in front of the scar-faced man.
He was curious about this person since the city prohibited the presence of Dark Arts Practitioners. However, he was here in the pub in in sight! He even looks like a person who fits the description of an evil-looking practitioner!
He couldn''t help but wonder how he wasn''t escorted out by those Mystic Arts Practitioners yet.
In the meantime, the man was also carefully observing Vale. He seemed to be confused with the young man''s Arcane Path, and he was trying to figure out whether the intelligence he got was urate or not.
"Weird¡ How did you know that special drink? I don''t think that there is a Summoner who was supposed to know that. Who are you?" He asked while keeping his hands in his pocket.
Vale could tell that this person was holding a Mystical Item in his pocket and was ready to attack at any time. He could understand the man''s position since an unfamiliar Practitioner suddenly came and used their secret code.
"Good morning, Senior. Vice Captain Ashe sent me here. She said that you''ll be able to help me with my mission." Vale answered, ignoring how he was referred to as a Summoner.
He also didn''t introduce himself yet since he was unsure whether to assume another or use his Clovis Skye identity again.
He didn''t n to reveal his real identity, especially while conducting such a dangerous mission. So telling his real name wasn''t his option.
"Vice Captain Ashe? Isn''t she guarding the Academy? Are you a student there?" The man asked.
Vale smiled at this. "Her squad is now guarding the Airship''s Dockyard instead of the Academy."
He answered. He didn''t confirm that he was a student on purpose. In any case, he wasn''t required to provide his information to this person.
"Very well¡ You can call me North. I''m one of the Order''s informants in this city. I can''t give you my real name. You also don''t have to provide me with your real name."
"I understand, Sir North. Please call me Eustace." Vale replied as he decided to use this familiar name.
"Alright, Eustace¡ Before you ask questions, I must tell you that my information isn''t free. It''s only free for the members of the Order but not for others. In this city, I''m what you call an Information Broker. People woulde to me for information, whether they were criminals, bounty hunters,w enforcers, and even Arcanists. This is why I''m still here, even if the city dislikes the presence of a Dark Arts Practitioner."
"I understand, Sir North. What''s the price for the information?"
"It depends. You can buy information with money, which will be at a discounted price since you''re referred here by Ashe. If you don''t have money, you can use valuable information to trade with me."
Vale nodded as he didn''t mind paying for information. As long as it was worth the price, he was prepared to spend a lot of money.
"That sounds good to me. Tell me something about the Murton Castle and the Viscount owning that Castle. If you have information about the young man they recently captured in the Vermont Academy, just let me know, and I''m willing to pay the price." Vale softly said while observing the surroundings with his Phantasm State.
Although he could tell that Sir North had already used an Istion Spell to ensure that no one would eavesdrop on them, he couldn''t help but be cautious.
"Hmm?"
North raised his brows after hearing the information that the young man wanted. He had a sudden realization as if he was able to realize Eustace''s identity.
"So it was like that¡ This information was quite pricey since many people wanted to know about the handsome young man imprisoned in the Castle''s dungeon."I think you should take a look at
Vale remained silent as he simply gestured for the man to continue.
Soon, he learned about Philip''s situation and the people involved in this incident.
It turns out that Viscount Coulston was already bedridden due to sickness, and the one who was in full control of the Castle and their territory was his young daughter.
It doesn''t seem suspicious initially, but Sir North further exins that the young daughter appears to be involved in a cult.
The cult was suspected to be the Secret Organization, but they couldn''t confirm yet.
Nevertheless, they know that the Castle had four types of Arcane Arts Practitioners.
They were Shamans or Mystic Arts Practitioners, Aura Masters or Combat Arts Practitioners, Dark Magicians or Dark Arts Practitioners, and Elementalists or Elemental Arts Practitioners.
With such a solid lineup, it was no wonder gathering information would only be tasked to 9th-year and 10-year students of the Academy.
"So there are Rogue Dark Magicians in that Castle¡ However, the ones who attacked the Academy had False Priest¡ Are you telling me there are no Holy Arts Practitioners in that Castle?"
"Yes¡ They have already left, as far as I know. They are quite popr among criminal organizations after all."
"Hmm?" Vale was confused about why they were so popr.
Realizing that the young man was curious about it, North smiled and added.
"That''s right¡ They are still Holy Arts Practitioners even if they are called False Priests. One of their useful abilities was that they could bless the corpses so they could not be used in Necromancy, Puppetry, or even as a Vessel for the wandering Evil Spirits."
Vale nodded in understanding as he continued to ask questions about Philip''s situation. As soon as he was satisfied, he paid Sir North a total of 900 zen. It was costly, but Vale was satisfied with his service as North had even answered questions that weren''t rted to the Castle.
However, Sir North only looked at the money on the table as he looked at Vale seriously.
"Eustace, wait for a moment. If you tell me more about your connection with Vice Captain Ashe, you can take this money back¡"
"Huh?" Vale, who was about to leave, was surprised as he didn''t expect that this man would be so interested in his rtionship with Ashe.
''Wait, is he jealous or something?'' Vale frowned at the thought.
"Ahem¡ I''m just curious since you''re a Summoner. The Order of the Vessels, or even our Dark Arts Faction, weren''t that friendly to your Faction. I want to know the reason... It feels like I''m missing something important¡" North eagerly said as he was genuinely baffled by this young man''s identity.
Luckily, Eustace didn''t seem to mind about it as he took back the money he put on the table and answered.
"I became Vice Captain Ashe''s friend after I defeated her in a duel. I''m not a real Summoner. It is only a disguise simr to what you''re doing now."
Chapter 279 Attack
"Y-you¡ You defeated Vice Captain Ashe?!" North couldn''t help but raise his voice after hearing what Vale said.
He could tell that Vale was only about 15 to 17 years old based on his appearance. If he defeated the Vice Captain in a fair duel, then this young man was definitely a genius! No, perhaps he was simply disguising himself as a young student!
Vale gently nodded to the Information Broker before leaving with his money. Although Sir North would probably not change his mind, it was better to be safe.
''Indeed¡ He must be using a Spell or a Mystical Item to disguise himself as a young man. No wonder he dared to rescue a student imprisoned in that Castle!''
North added in his mind as he was left in his seat, dumbfounded at this realization. He suddenly had the urge to leave his post and just visit the Vice Captain of the Sixth Squad to know more about Eustace.
In the meantime, Vale wasn''t interested in Sir North''s thoughts as he headed to the Mystic Arts Practitioners that had targeted him a while ago.
Now that he knew the situation in Murton Castle, it was time to deal with those suspicious Arcanists who had blocked him in the streets.
He activated his Divine Sense to confirm the location of those two¡
Since he knew that Murton Castle was filled with powerful Arcanists, there was no way he would rush there immediately. The corrupt officers in this city would be a good source of Energy Points for him.
''I can''t be too stingy now¡ Although I don''t want my Shadow Soldier and other skills to reach the Advance Realm, I have to advance them now, or I may not have a chance to do so.''
Vale silently thought as he nned not to use any of his nar Spells or Celestial Arts in this mission unless it was a life-and-death situation.
To ensure he wouldn''t be in such a bad situation, leveling up his other skills would be his best option.
One of the Spells that could be very useful was the Shadow Soldier Spell. He still couldn''t forget how Headmaster Jean used this Spell to make his target fight his own Shadow!
Spawning a Shadow Soldier from your enemy''s Shadow was something he also wanted to try. However, it doesn''t seem possible unless his mastery has reached the Advanced Realm.
Lastly, he also wanted his Spell Dispersion to level up. If possible, he wanted to push it to the peak of the Advanced Realm.
Unfortunately, after leveling up his Human Shapeshift Spell to level 6, it cost him 189 points, leaving him with only 324 Avable Energy Points. There was no way he could advance his Spell Dispersion Spell to his desired level.
Soon, Vale found himself in front of a huge building. After scanning it with his Phantasm State, he realized that it was a cotton mill.
The machines were very loud, and they thundered relentlessly.
Plenty of workers were inside, all working in such terrible conditions. They do not have proper protective gear, and based on how the mills work, they would certainly catch a lung disease at this rate. They''d probably inhaled most of the dust in the yarn as they worked on them.
It was also crowded with children around the age of 10 doing dangerous tasks, such as clearing blockages on spinning frames in mills. He even noticed a few children being beaten after making a mistake or so.
After seeing this in his Magic Zone, he finally recalled that this world wasn''t filled with the matters of the Arcanists.
''I guess I could help them a bit¡'' Vale silently thought as he looked at the Arcanists who had made a secret headquarters in the basement of this factory.
Without any hesitation, Vale entered the factory. He used his Extrasensory Perception Spell to remove his presence and Lightspeed Spell to hurry inside.
With his Agility and Lightspeed Spell, he was confident that no one could catch a glimpse of him.
He passed through the workers quite easily before arriving at the secret door heading to the basement. It was open, so he entered it without any issues.
At this time, he already sensed the presence of 12 Mystic Arts Practitioners.
"They seem to be guarding something here¡" Vale muttered as it was so weird that 12 Arcanists would actually gather in this barely lit basement!
They even have a huge factory above ground to ensure that their operations here would go undetected.
It seemed he had entered a huge warehouse as the ce was filled with crates or wooden boxes.
''What are these things? It''s actually limiting my Phantasm State''s senses?''I think you should take a look at
Vale was shocked. No wonder he was having difficulty scanning this ce.
If he didn''t use his Divine Sense''s Tracking Mark on those two suspicious men, there was no way he would find this ce because of the content of the crates in this basement!
It seemed that he had discovered something huge in this ce!
"Who''s there?!"
Unfortunately, he had no time to investigate as he seemed to have triggered a Formation Circle. They found him.
A few Mystic Spells were suddenly used as they headed straight towards him.
''Hmph!''
Vale waved his hands as he used a wide-range Spell Dispersion, erasing a total of 6 Spell in one go¡
"Elementalist?!"
"We have an intruder! Quick! Report this to the Captain!"
"Don''t let the man escape!"
Vale heard their words as he was curious why they thought he was an Elementalist after removing their Spells simultaneously.
He couldn''t help but wonder if the Elementalists have simr dispersion abilities.
Anyway, Vale had no ns of making this a long battle. He''s not here to test his Spells or to chat with them.
Without hesitation, he summoned his Ghost Hands to attack the two people nning to report the situation to their Captain.
Then he also made his move as he showed them his terrifying Agility!
Since they weren''t using any Field Type Spells to block or slow down his movement, he was free to move everywhere!
As soon as he got near his target, he would use his Cursed Breath and give them a slight jab.
"S-shit! He''s not an Elementalist! He''s a Knight!"
With his Meridian ess being active and his 31 Power Strands, his slight jab on their sternum made them fold to the ground easily.
The Mystic Arts Practitioners tried to restrain Vale, but their Spells couldn''t lock on him! Since they couldn''t target him, their Spells kept missing!
"Y-you! Aren''t you the Summoner?!"
Finally, one of the men who was marked by his Divine Sense recognized Vale.
However, none of that matters, as he was the only guy left.
He saw the young man''s palms zooming on his face. He was terrified.
He wanted to use his Spells, but for some reason, his Spells kept dissipating whenever he triggered his Spell Model!
Vale smiled at the man''s despairing look as he triggered his system.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
Chapter 280 Mass Extraction
Vale couldn''t help but feel happy after getting so many experimental subjects.
First, he decided to use the Auto-Extraction mode of his System. He didn''t guide or control his System in which attribute it should extract.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +30 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Vitality +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Basic Anti-Curse Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
''Remove the Basic Anti-Curse Spell Model¡'' Vale immediately controlled his System as soon as he saw the pathetic Spell Model. This Basic Anti-Curse Spell was useless against Intermediate Realm Curses, so having it would be a waste of his Spell Lights.
Seeing that the Spell Model was discarded, Vale continued with his Focused Extraction. He took a deep breath to calm his mind as he carefully sensed the Spirit of his target.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the Extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
''Intelligence. Give me more Intelligence.'' Vale answered the System while repeating his mantra in his mind.
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.30 ]
''It''s effective¡'' Vale smiled as soon as he saw the extraction result. The Spirit of his target was a lot easier to feel than the corpses who no longer had Souls in their bodies. He then continued until he could no longer extract any intelligence.
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.10 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +15 Intelligence +0.10 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.10 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.10 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +30 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
After reaching this limit, Vale continued extracting the others. He repeated the same process by extracting them using his System''s Auto Extraction before continuing with his Intelligence-Focused Extraction.
Well, although it says Intelligence-Focused, he would still extract Energy Points.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +30 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
***
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
For some odd reason, the Extraction of energy points this time was incredibly high. Perhaps because these people are Mystic Arts Practitioners?
Vale wasn''t sure. Nevertheless, from just one person, he seemed to have extracted a total of 400 Energy Points!
Of course, they seem to be on the verge of death, but Vale was still happy with this result.
As for the Vitality, Agility, and Strength Attributes, he tried it on his sixth target onwards and it seemed a lot easier for him this time. He could now differentiate the four Attributes!
The only problem he noticed was that if he started extracting Intelligence Attributes, the chances of extracting other attributes would get lower and lower.
In short, if he wanted a bnced extraction, he could continue using his Auto-Extraction.
He wasn''t sure why there seemed to be such a rule in his Extraction, but he didn''t mind it since this would also ensure that he would have any attributes he wanted.
After extracting all the 12 Arcanists, Vale didn''t stop yet as he tried doing another experiment.
"You should still have another Spell Model¡ Let me try extracting them." Vale muttered. This time, he would finally try what Ashe really wanted to do.
To extract or destroy someone else''s Spell Models without endangering their profession as an Arcanist.I think you should take a look at
Normally, forceful destruction of Spell Models could result in harsh bacsh, like being unable to practice any Arcane Arts anymore or even destroying all Spell Models in the process.
Furthermore, even if you were sessful in destroying your Spell Model, you''d no longer have a chance of recording another Spell since even the Spell Light would normally be destroyed in the process.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the Extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Failed. ]
''Continue¡'' Vale didn''t give up after a single failure as he had plenty of time to experiment on these people.
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +30 ]
''Oh? So you still have some energy points left? Where is thising from? Is this your Arcane Energy?'' Vale silently thought.
Nevertheless, he shook his head in his random thoughts as he had to focus on his extraction.
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +30 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +30 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Arcane Armor Spell Model ]
"Oh~" Vale''s eyes lit up as soon as he saw the unfamiliar Spell Model that was extracted.
Although it was iplete, he felt that this Arcane Armor was quite good, so he decided to keep it in his Spell Light. In any case, he could simply rece it if he didn''t get the other part of the Spell Model.
He just needs to guide any newly Extracted Spell Model to this specific Spell Light with an iplete Spell Model. That way, it would automatically destroy the Iplete Spell Model and rece it with a new one.
However, he was hoping that he wouldn''t have to do that.
He continued with his Spell Model Extractions with all the twelve practitioners, and he didn''t realize that already three hours had passed.
He was too focused that he failed to notice the passing of time.
"Whew! That was exhausting, but that also felt really good¡" Vale muttered as he opened his attribute panel to check his current status.
At this time, he has already upgraded his Create Shadow Soldier Spell, including his Spell Dispersion.
Since the Create Shadow Soldier''s Base Points were 5 Energy Points, he used a total of 630 points to upgrade it to Level 7 or the early stage of the Advanced Realm.
This way, he could finally copy the Headmaster''s technique.
As for the Spell Dispersion Spell, he had to spend a total of 3200 points from level 6 to level 7.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 66.12, Agility 65.05, Intelligence 92.42, Vitality 63.12 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv7, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv8, Darkness Maniption Lv7, Spirit Vision Lv4, Light Absorption Lv6, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Cursed Breath Lv4, Moonlight Curse Lv0 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv7, Blessed Healing Lv4 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv0, Shadow Muttion Lv0 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv6 ]
[ Transformation Art: Human Shapeshift Lv7 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv7 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv1, Soul Bind Lv2 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv7, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv7 ]
[ Avable Energy: 974]
[ Avable Divinity: 2.78 ]
Chapter 281 New
Vale looked at his attributes panel for quite some time. He was smiling in satisfaction as he felt more and more confident that he would be able to roam around this world and not be bound by any faction or organization once he retrieved his shadow.
He got two new Spell Models, which would be a big help for him. They were the Arcane Armor and Soul Bind.
He really liked this Soul Bind since he no longer needed to record the Cursed Contract Bestowal that he was nning to obtain. It saved him 3 Contribution Points!
After some rest, Vale decided not to kill these people as he felt that it would be more interesting to see them stronger once again.
He would then try to extract them if he still found them doing some shady business.
"Now let''s see all the Mystical Items you have with you¡" Vale muttered as he decided to take all their wealth.
In any case, these people seem to be part of a syndicate or criminals, so he didn''t feel bad about his actions.
He collected a total of 1,900 zen in cash and 540 noll in coins. As for the Mystical Items, he got quite a lot of them.
They were 12 Left-Hand Gloves that had an emblem of a goat''s head surrounded by a thorny vine with flowers. Then there were also three canes that had blue and green energy in them after looking in his Phantasm State.
He wasn''t sure what kind of abilities they had, but it must be Mystic Arts. Vale would consider selling themter. It feels that these items were customized for a specific organization so using them might bring more trouble. Unfortunately, Yvaine can only fit the gloves on the Treasure Box.
As for the cane, they could not fit inside, so Vale couldn''t bring them.
Ultimately, he decided to destroy the canes so these people won''t be able to use them after they recovered their strength.
After doing this, Vale finally shifted his attention to the stacked crates within the warehouse.
''I wonder what''s inside these things¡'' Vale muttered with curiosity.
Since the content of these things can''t be prated by his Phantasm State''s senses, he couldn''t help but be curious about them. Furthermore, they are being guarded by 12 strong Mystic Arts Practitioners.
If any normal practitioner had entered this ce, they would surely die from thebination attacks of these Arcanists.
They might even kill other infiltrators just by using the Trap Formation Circles surrounding the basement.
They were simply unfortunate to be targeted by an exceptional Practitioner like him.
This means that these crates were most likely illegal but very important.
Crack!
Vale forcefully opened one of the crates. He didn''t use any Spell to open it since, with his current strength, even a metal door would not stop him.
"Hmm? What''s this?" Vale muttered as he looked at the contents of the crate.
There were small purple rocks that had some white powder poured on them.
Vale picked one of them as he was thinking of removing the white powder to see if it was a shiny purple crystal or amethyst rock instead.
However, as soon as he picked it up, he was stunned because the System had actually reacted!
He just heard the familiar notification sound and didn''t even see the message yet, but he already knew it must be something ''Extractable''!
[ Immortal Shard has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''Hmm? Immortal Shard? Not an Immortal Fragment?'' Vale silently thought after reading the message. This was the first time he had seen such a notification from the System.
He knows that the Immortal Fragments were Arcana Relics, ording to Headmaster Jean.
However, he had no idea about the Immortal Shards.
Nevertheless, Vale was trembling in excitement. A single crate probably contained about a thousand of these purple rocks or shards!I think you should take a look at
Then, there were dozens of these crates inside the warehouse!
He really struck it rich this time!
Without any more hesitation, he consented the System to start the Extractions.
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.14 ]
Crash~
As soon as the Extraction was done, the purple crystal, or the Immortal Shard, shattered and turned into dust.
This reaction from the Extraction was undoubtedly different from the Immortal Fragments.
The Immortal Fragments wouldn''t be destroyed in the Extraction and would even "heal" and umte Divinity once again after a certain period had passed.
Furthermore, the Immortal Fragments gives at least 5 Divinity Points. However, the Immortal Shard had only provided less than 3% of that.
Of course, even with this small amount, Vale was still smiling for ear to ear.
After all, there are thousands of these shards in front of him!
Vale calmed his breath as he first looked outside.
He wanted to ensure that he wouldn''t be interrupted by his Extraction Spree. After confirming that there were no changes outside and that the workers had only changed because of their shifting schedule, Vale returned to the basement and locked the doors.
"Yvaine¡ I''ll be busy, please guard the door."
Vale said as he would probably be too engrossed with his extractions once he started. He needed Yvaine to observe the surroundings for him.
"Mhmm¡ I will take their energies then." Yvaine answered, referring to the Mystic Arts Practitioners.
"Will you kill them?" Vale asked.
"I can." The Dark Spirit answered with a nonchnt voice. Needless to say, she doesn''t value other people''s lives, which was quite understandable since she wasn''t human in the first ce.
"Ahem¡ If you don''t mind, try not to kill them since they might be a source of energy again."
"I will try."
Vale was already satisfied with this answer as he instructed her to deal with any intruders if she could but retreat to him if she couldn''t.
Then, he returned to the opened crate to start his Extraction.
[ Immortal Shard has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.14 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.14 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.14 ]
¡
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.14 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.14 ]
Chapter 282 Information Extraction
After three hours of extraction, Vale finally cleared up all the crates in the warehouse. The ce was now filled with white powder as the crystals turned like that in every extraction he made.
It was tiring¡
He was only finished after seven hours of extraction. He barely had any breaks, but luckily, the basement was a bit cold and kind of refreshing. He only had to touch the crystal, and the system will do the rest.
Nevertheless, the extraction was still more than 22,000!
It was a good thing that the system didn''t feel tired or overheat after so many extractions.
"Whew¡ That''s so incredible. Although they''re a one-time-use item, they still gave me many Divinity Points. I wonder where they came from¡" Vale muttered as hey on the floor, feeling a bit exhausted.
He felt quite sleepy, but he still has to move.
In any case, he opened his attribute panel to check his Divinity Points.
[ Avable Divinity: 3,144.80 ]
Hu~
Vale let out a breath of satisfaction after seeing the massive increase in his Divinity Points.
From 2.78 points to 3,144.80 points in just a single day! He had never imagined that his n to save his friend would give him so many benefits.
''I need to know where they get all of these¡ They must be using them for some kind of ritual, crafting, or even as a power source in their Formation Circle.'' Vale mused as he started imagining the purpose of those crystals or Immortal Shards.
He wasn''t in a hurry to upgrade his Celestial Arts as he shifted his attention to Yvaine, who was still guarding the door.
At this time, Yvaine had already killed two intruders. They werepanions of the Mystic Arts Practitioners since they are also wearing the Left-Hand Glove with the emblem of the Goat''s Head.
The third or thest person who intruded wasn''t killed but was captured by Yvaine.
It was a perfect chance for him to ask questions.
"Yvaine¡ Can that person still speak?" Vale asked the Dark Spirit, who seemed bored already after waiting for him for several hours.
"Yes."
"Thank you¡ You can go back and rest now." Vale said as he allowed the Dark Spirit to enter his shadow and rest.
Then, Vale summoned his Ghost Hands to wake the person.
ording to his Divine Sense, this person is a Combat Arts Practitioner.
Furthermore, he actually has a pistol hidden on his waist. He may not be in a uniform, but this person might be a police officer.
With that in mind, he reused his Shapeshift Spell to transform. It''s a bit inconvenient since he can only dual-cast for now. It means that while on his Shapeshift Spell, he can only rely on his Ghost Hands and passive abilities. If he tried using other spells, the Shapeshift Spell would be canceled in a matter of seconds.
"Wake up¡" Vale spoke with his deliberate low voice while using his Ghost Hands to nudge the unconscious man.
With three Ghost Hands waking him up, the man soon opened his eyes as he instinctively tried holding his pistol.
However, he was stopped by one of the Ghost Hands.I think you should take a look at
"Don''t bother." Vale said as he had the other Ghost Hand take the pistol from him.
"Y-you! Who are you?! Do you think you''ll survive after messing with us?!" The man said with a hint of shock after looking around. He realized that the enemy had entirely overtaken this hideout!
"I don''t even know the name of your organization. Tell me about it so I can be careful¡" Vale said as he approached the man.
"Y-you don''t know us, but you still dared to attack us?!"
"Hey, you don''t have to raise your voice. No one would hear you even if you tried screaming here." Vale calmly replied as he controlled his Ghost Hands to grab the head of the man.
"You have so many questions¡ Tell me about the crates that were stored here. Where did you get them?"
"Ha! It would be best if you leave now, or else you''ll die a gruesome death. Ourmander will be here at any moment, and you''ll regret messing with us." The man said as he tried to scare off Vale.
However, it wasn''t effective against him.
Vale even smiled at him as he pulled out his Demonic Dagger.
He may not possess any Psychic Art to make him speak, but this mysterious dagger that could burn anyone it wounded was an excellent item to force out a confession.
It didn''t take that long before Vale managed to get information from the man.
First of all, he learned that they were members of the Bluedes Mercenaries hired by a butler from Wild Willow Mansion in the southern part of the city.
None of them knows for sure about the real identity of their employer, but it could be one of the three sons of Baron Sinir who owned the mansion or even all three of them. As for Baron Sinir himself, he was supposed to be on his deathbed, so it was out of the question for them.
The crates were actually delivered from their mansion to this ce to be takenter by some merchants.
Vale also learned that they had already delivered a total of 6 crates to the Merchants.
''What a pity¡'' Vale sighed as he felt that those crates would be wasted by them.
In any case, he didn''t learn the ''normal'' use of these purple rocks since these people were just hired mercenaries meant to guard the crates. They were just a bunch of rogue practitioners that could be involved in many criminal activities like human trafficking,bor exploitation, or even assassination missions.
After getting everything he needed, Vale extracted him until he died.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +30 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.75 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Arcane Armor Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
Vale nodded in satisfaction as he saw the Arcane Armor leveled up once. He then continued to extract the man''s corpse, including the other two that Yvaine had previously killed.
Chapter 283 Upgrades
The three corpses didn''t give that many attributes, especially the other two, but he epted them dly.
Perhaps because their corpses had been lying around for a few hours, the attributes he extracted from the two were less than 0.10 points.
Nevertheless, he didn''t mind this since he had just extracted thousands of Divinity Points.
Although the system didn''t trigger any upgrade on its function, the Divinity Points he just received would allow him to upgrade his current Celestial Arts. He might even upgrade them up to their Perfect Realm!
It was a pity that he didn''t get any golden Spell Light, so he couldn''t learn any Celestial Arts right now.
"Hmm?" Vale jolted as he sensed another group of people entering his Magic Zone¡
It was already two in the morning, but these people decided to gather and surround this factory.
''So they already noticed that something was wrong?'' Vale silently thought as he counted the number of enemies.
If he wasn''t mistaken, themander of the Bluedes Mercenaries had already arrived.
''There are so many of them? What a big mercenary group¡'' Vale frowned as he observed the enemies outside.
There were 200 of them, and all of them were Arcane Arts Practitioners! Although most of them were just beginners, it was still quite impressive that they were able to gather so many Practitioners at once.
After all, it''s not easy to find those with talents. You would need a special method to sense their potential, and it would also be tricky to find the best Arcane Path.
''It seems that themander of the Mercenary Group is indeed special. No wonder the other guy has so much confidence that I will be scared if he''s mentioned.'' Vale silently thought as he found the possible leader of the group.
Vale then squinted his eyes as he realized that a few police officers were also involved. It appears that even Baron Sinir or his sons had been notified of the situation and mobilized the officials of the city.
They seem to be listening to one person whom he suspected as themander of the Mercenary Group.
As he was about to escape, Vale recalled the revolver he put aside a while ago¡ He immediately took it and kept it inside his coat''s inner pocket.
Although it''s not a Mystical Item, he wanted to have it just in case he needed it. He then looked outside with his Divine Sense once more and confirmed that there were many Elementalist, Shaman, Knights, and Combat Artists outside.
The Suspected Leader was a Mystic Arts Practitioner as expected. Vale could tell that he could win against this leader if they fought one-on-one, but the problem was that he probably wouldn''t survive if hundreds of Arcanists attacked him on all sides.
His Spell Dispersion may help him block a few volleys of attacks, but it still has a cooldown, and he wouldn''t be able to maintain such a powerful spell for a prolonged period.
His physical strength and incredible speed would also be useless if he received an attack that pierces his physical defense and spells that targets the surroundings.
As for his Arcane Armor, he wouldn''t want to test it against so many enemies.
Furthermore, he already felt quite tired after so many extractions and wanted to sleep. In any case, these people weren''t really his target.
He''d probably try to kill them if they really had a life-and-death grudge between them. In his mind, it was better to keep them alive so he couldter find the source of those Immortal Shards.
''Alright, let''s have a quick upgrade¡'' Vale thought as he used his Divinity Points to upgrade his Divine Lightning!
[ Consume 5 Divinity Points to improve Call of the Divine Lightning? ]
Yes!
Seeing that it only requires 5 points, Vale didn''t hesitate to upgrade it. He spent a total of 75 Divinity Points to upgrade it to Level 4 or the Intermediate Realm of this nar Spell.I think you should take a look at
He was hesitant to upgrade it further since he might fail to properly control or calcte the Spell''s strength.
He also upgraded the Shadow Muttion Spell.
[ Consume 4 Divinity Points to improve Shadow Muttion? ]
Yes!
Vale only stopped upgrading it after reaching level 6. He spent another 252 Divinity Points for this, but he felt that it was worth the price.
Lastly, Vale also upgraded the Moonlight Curse to Level 6! He spent 378 Energy Points on this, but he felt that it was necessary for his next n.
''They''re here¡''
As soon as he felt that a group of scouts had entered the factory, Vale finally triggered his Divine Lightning¡
He felt some of his Divinity Points were consumed in the process, but he ignored it for now.
Soon, dark clouds blocked the moonlighting from the sky. The Arcanists realized that something was off as they looked above them.
"Is it going to rain?"
"This will be difficult¡ We''re not sure how many enemies are inside the warehouse. The rain might help them escape our senses."
"Wait¡ I have a bad feeling about this. We need to retreat¡ª"
As one of them was about to warn hispanions, a deafening roar resounded throughout the city. A bolt of lightning struck the factory in the middle of the city!
Boom!
The lightning only struck once, but the damage was massive!
It sted dozens of Arcanists who were caught in the area of destruction, and another dozen of them died on the spot!
They''ve been charredpletely!
Everything happened so suddenly as none of them expected such a phenomenon to ur. They may have prepared for an ambush but not for a natural phenomenon like that.
The leader of the Mercenary Group was also dumbfounded.
Howe they were so unlucky to be struck by lightning right now?! Isn''t this too unfair?
As he thought there might be another lightning strike, he couldn''t help but look up, only to realize that the gathering clouds had already dissipated as they were now basking in the moonlight.
It was such a weird lightning strike, as if nature was toying with them.
Many of the mercenaries and police officers heaved a sigh of relief as they also looked at the sky and the moon.
Unfortunately for them, basking in the moonlight was prohibited after receiving the Moonlight Curse!
Chapter 284 Blueglades Mercenary
"Commander Lucas, I think that we''re dealing with Dark Arts Practitioners. It would be too dangerous if we don''t have a single Holy Arts Practitioner here." One of the Elementalists working for the Bluedes Mercenery Group reminded their leader.
"It doesn''t matter. We have plenty of Shamans on our side." Lucas answered.
Lucas Treadway was the one and only Commander of the Mercenary Group. He didn''t just inherit this position, but he fought for it for several years. As a matter of fact, a gunshot left a mark on the left side of his face, and although this could be healed with alchemy, he decided to leave it there to remind him of his fortunate survival against his strongest foe.
Right now, he was looking at the factory emitting a strange fluctuation of energy. He had just ordered his best scouts to check the situation inside.
He was clenching his fist in worry as the items they were protecting might''ve been damaged already, causing this strange fluctuation. Those items are extremely expensive, and it could be said that it was more than half of the Baron''s wealth.
Losing those items wouldn''t just affect the Baron, but also their Mercenary Group.
"Hmm?"
As he was waiting for his scouts'' report, he suddenly felt something ominous as he looked at the sky.
He wanted to warn the others, but as soon as he felt a powerful energy striking at them, he had to shift his priority and trigger his life-saving treasure.
Boom!
A powerful lightning struck the factory! The building copsed, and fire started to spread.
Luckily, most of his men weren''t too near the strike zone and were only injured. As for the unfortunate ones, they could only me their luck.
''No¡ It doesn''t seem a natural phenomenon¡'' Lucas realized something was off.
He immediately looked at his Vice Commander, who was an Elementalist.
"Helen! Is it possible for an Elementalist to cast a Lightning Strike?!" He asked in worry.
If their enemy summoned that lightning, they would have to reconsider their ns! None of them has the confidence to stop that kind of powerful attack.
Helen squinted her eyes as she understood the Commander''s concern.
She may have stopped her studies at Rakmiths Academy in her sixth year, but she knows very well that Spell Models containing lightning''s power could only be found in old books that could no longer be practiced or recorded for some reason.
"It''s impossible, Commander. However, the enemy might be in possession of a Mystical Artifact with such power."
"Do you think they have it?"
"If it''s not a natural phenomenon¡ Then it''s most likely the enemy''s Artifact. However, we shouldn''t be worried too much. That attack is powerful that could destroy a terrain. It probably only works once a week, or perhaps, it requires a long ritual toplete."
Helen replied with confidence.
Lucas nodded at this as his worry had lessened after hearing her exnation.
He wanted to give amand to clear the rubble and find the entrance to the basement when suddenly, he heard his men crying in pain¡
"Aackk!"
"D-don''t get closer to rubbles!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Several men started convulsing before copsing to the ground.
At this time, Lucas realized that the Lightning Strike had just now left some remnant energy!
Those who don''t have strong Arcane Energy protecting their bodies would be electrocuted to death!I think you should take a look at
Helen also realized this as they immediately warned their members¡
Many of them immediately retreated as they had no confidence in resisting the deadly static left by the lightning strike.
Nevertheless, their unfortunate encounter didn''t end there.
"Cmander¡ I think¡ I want¡ to sleep for now."
"Me too¡"
"I''m getting tired. Wake me up tomorrow, Commander."
Suddenly numerous members of the Mercenery Group felt their eyelids closing. They felt tired and wanted to take a long sleep.
Obviously, the Commander was alerted since so many of them wanted to sleep at the same time. It doesn''t make sense!
He didn''t know what was happening, but he could tell that sleeping in this situation was dangerous.
Suddenly, Lucas felt tired as well, but he also felt a chill on his back after sensing this. It feels like he would die if he really closed his eyes at this point!
He resisted the urge to sleep with everything he got as he gathered his energy in his chest before roaring out loud.
"Don''t! Sleep! Open your eyes!"
His roar created a powerful wave of energy as it broke the Curse that was slowly killing his members.
Crack¡ Crack¡
Two of his silver bracelets suddenly broke apart as he kneeled to the ground.
"Commander!" Helen shouted as she quickly went to Lucas'' side.
"I''m fine¡ I just used too much energy." Lucas said as he looked at the low-grade Noble Rank Mystical Items that were broken just now.
Those two silver bracelets had the power to strengthen his Mystic Arts.
During his roar, he activated two Mystic Arts to help him clear the static left by the Lightning Strike and the strange Curse that was making them sleep to their death.
Unfortunately, the power was too strong, and he had to rely heavily on his Mystical Items. This caused too much stress on the item as they broke after finishing their task.
"W-what kind of Spell did you just break? Howe two Noble Rank items were used up?" Helen asked in shock after seeing the broken bracelets. She knows the power of those bracelets really well.
She was aware that even her strongest Spell, the Firestorm, wouldn''t even require a fourth of the bracelet''s ability to break it.
Seeing two of those bracelets breaking at once, she couldn''t imagine what kind of Spell their Commander tried to break!
Nevertheless, thanks to the Commander''s action, the Curse was broken and the deadly static lessened. This allowed his members to stay awake and move closer to the rubbles.
"L-look! Someone''s up there!"
"It''s the enemy!"
"You dared show up?! You''re courting death!"
"Commander! Give us themand to attack!
Suddenly, a figure wearing a demonic mask and ck trench coat appeared standing atop the rubbles. They didn''t have to ask, and they knew that this person was the culprit to all of this!
Chapter 285 True Plan
Lucas looked at the figure wearing a demonic mask warily. He didn''t have to observe the person using his Mystic State as he could already tell he was dangerous.
The mask he was using seemed to be a high-grade Noble Rank item, as he couldn''t
He tried to recall which Order or Organization likes to wear this type of mask, but he couldn''t think of it at the moment.
"Who are you?! Why are you doing this to us?!" Lucas asked, but at the same time, he used his telepathy to order his Formation Experts to lock the surrounding area.
They can''t let this man escape no matter what!
Unfortunately, the culprit has no ns to speak!
He just pointed his hands at the group of Formation Experts in the Mercenary Group¡
There were no signs of ritual, activation of Spells, or usage of Mystical Artifacts.
However, the clouds in the sky started to gather once again as everyone realized what was about toe!
"Retreat!" Lucas shouted as he looked at his Formation Experts.
As a matter of fact, he didn''t have to warn them as they already felt that something was off. They immediately canceled their ritual as they scattered away.
Boom!
Another Lightning Strike devastated the area that the masked man had just pointed!
Six of the Formation Experts were charred to death, while the others were sted away from the point of impact.
They may not have died, but they were seriously injured.
In addition to that, the area where the lightning struck was filled with static electricity that could kill anyone who walked there.
Lucas and Helen realized that they were most likely fighting against a Master Arcanist! There was no way a First-ss Practitioner was capable of doing this!
Even if he had done this using a Mystical Item, there was no way a First-ss Practitioner could control this level item so effortlessly and repeatedly! Even Royal-Rank Items already have challenging bacsh in every usage.
However, this person had used the Lightning Strike twice!
Lucas could only imagine what kind of side-effect this man had endured for using such a forbidden-like Spell.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of gunshots was suddenly heard as the Baron''s men attacked the masked man. They didn''t care about the injured mercenaries, as they were here to secure the merchandise in the factory''s basement.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Whoa!"
"W-what''s going on?!"
"Magic!"
"Come here, Father! Look outside!"
"There are people fighting! Look!"
The ordinary citizens who came out of their houses to see what was happening witnessed a strange scene.I think you should take a look at
Under the illumination of the moonlight, they saw the police officers shoot at the Masked Man, but the bullets had strangely stopped in front of him as if there was an invisible wall.
Adding the rubble and fires everywhere, the children who had woken up and looked outside their windows couldn''t help but feel it was so magical.
However, for the Arcanists in the surroundings, they could see one huge and ghastly hand stopping the bullets from hitting him.
''What is that thing?'' Lucas clenched his fist as he felt something ominous about that devil-like hand.
It was the same for the others as they shuddered at the sight of it.
Those bullets just now weren''t ordinary bullets used by regr policemen. They were products of Runecasters, and these bullets can prate even a 12-inch thick metal door!
Seeing how the ghastly hand could stop these bullets, they could only think that this summoned hand was at the peak of the Advanced Realm or even the legendary Perfect Realm!
At this time, the Masked Man seemed to have enough of the show as he waved his hand¡
It was already quite dark, but the man seemed to have briefly taken all the light with him, scaring all the people within 500 meters!
That''s right!
The man appears to have full control of the light and darkness within 500 meters as he disappears the moment the darkness shrouds everyone.
"Isn''t that the Light Absorption Spell of the Dark Arts Faction?" Helen muttered as she confirmed that the masked man had disappeared.
Lucas nodded at her words, but he was also thinking of something else.
"Helen¡ Isn''t his actions a bit too weird?" He said while looking at the previous spot where the Masked Man was standing.
Helen looked at the Commander as she also nodded.
"Yes, it was as if he was trying to send a message. A warning, perhaps¡"
"Mhmm¡ It seemed that he was working alone. He could always escape whenever he wanted. However, he deliberately showed his powers to us."
"You''re right¡ However, let''s not overthink. Perhaps, the message wasn''t for us." Helen said as shemanded the others who weren''t injured to remove the rubbles so they could investigate.
Right now, she had no time to think about this secret message as the Orders of each Faction had also arrived to investigate. She would have to answer so many questions from them and keep the secret of their merchandise at all costs.
***
In the meantime, Vale silently appeared in front of his hotel room. A few people were outside, and they didn''t seem to mind his presence.
Vale was no longer wearing his ck trench coat and mask this time as he wore a fitted suit instead.
Anyway, he was still using his Shapeshift Spell to ensure that Vale Chambers'' face would never be seen in this city.
He entered the building and saw a group of people who were talking about the lightning and the destruction of the cotton mill. They seemed to have just woken up, so his entrance wasn''t suspicious.
After getting in his room, he felt tired and wanted to sleep quickly, so he ordered Yvaine to guard him.
As hey on his bed, he started thinking about what he just did in front of many people.
''If the Secret Organization was the one helping the Snake Brotherhood in Melthorn City¡ The appearance of the Divine Lightning and Demonic Mask should alert them of my presence here.''
Vale then closed his eyes as he touched the golden pocketwatch hidden in his chest pocket.
Chapter 286 Rescue
The Secret Organization was still searching for the pocketwatch that he was holding. Vale didn''t doubt this after connecting everything that had happened so far.
Furthermore, the Demonic Mask and the Demonic Dagger were most likely the items they had given to the Snake Brotherhood.
Once they recognized the simrity of what happened here to the slums in Melthorn City, they might send their people to scout or investigate this ce. This was something Vale wanted to happen.
''I hope they send many Transformation Experts or even False Priests to investigate.'' Vale thought as he started falling asleep.
***
Vale woke up almost past noon. He had forgotten to tell Yvaine that she should wake him up when the sun rose.
Anyway, he swiftly washed himself and went to the first floor to eat at the cafeteria.
During this time, he heard the other hotel guests gossiping about the incidentst night.
They were all talking about the terrible things that had happened in the cotton mill. The building was destroyed, and plenty of people lost their jobs. It was so pitiful as they would probably not be able to eat for days, and many families would have to beg for food.
It was all thanks to the Demon Incarnate that had appeared in the city.
They could only thank the Bluedes Mercenary Squad and other Law Enforcers for fending that demon off.
''Ugh¡ Right.'' Vale couldn''t help but feel bad about those affected people. As for the name they gave to him, he wasn''t bothered at all. Anyway, they should soon forget about the Demon Incarnate.
Vale sighed as he considered what to do.
He didn''t just destroy the Bluedes Mercenary''s secret hideout, but he also destroyed the source of ie of hundreds of families.
After thinking for a while, Vale decided to visit Sir North once again.
He didn''t dy as soon as he made his n.
He swiftly went to the pub where the man was waiting for his customer. Vale no longer used the secret code tomunicate with him as he swiftly approached North.
"Hmm? Sir Eustace, are you not satisfied with the information I gave you?" The scar-faced man curiously looked at the young man.
There weren''t many customers today, so he wasn''t busy and even thinking of going home early. Seeing the young man approach him, he couldn''t help but wonder if he wasn''t satisfied with their deal yesterday.
"It''s not like that, Sir North. I''m just wondering if you could help me." Vale replied as he sat in front of the man.
He then exined how he wanted to help the workers or families who had lost their jobs because of the destruction of the cotton mill.
As soon as he said this, North couldn''t help but look at the young man in a new light. Thoseborers'' situation was indeed awful after what had happenedst night.
There are chances that the females would have to work in the brothels, and some may even resort to stealing in order to survive.
The Churches around here may have charitable organizations, but there was a limit to what they could do.
"I''m not saying I''ll help all of them¡ I just want to know if there are organizations helping them so I can donate something." Vale said in the end.
"Of course. You can consider a few organizations, but the one I can suggest is the charitable organization led by the Sentinels if you want to give these people simple jobs. However, if you want them just to receive some food and necessities for a short while, you can consider the Reform Club. This Club is actively helping refugees but also helps the ones in need within the city."
"Hmm¡ I can''t busy myself on these. Can I just pay you to assist me? I''m willing to give this much and a dozen of these precious gloves."I think you should take a look at
Vale said as he handed a stack of money worth 5,000 zen. He didn''t think much of this since most of his wealth was taken from the corpses. As for the gloves, they were kinda useless to him since they were owned by the Bluedes Mercenary.
They must be worth something.
As expected, North''s eyes lit up after seeing the gloves. "You''re willing to exchange these gloves for money to support those people? Do you know how much these gloves are?" He asked. He didn''t even care why Vale had them in the first ce.
"I''m not sure¡ However, they are just Regr Mystical Items, right?
"Indeed¡ Each of them is worth 900 zen. Are you still willing to sell them here?"
"That''s good. It''s fine." Vale replied with a calm voice.
He was feeling guilty about what had happened to the factory. At that time, he was too focused on gaining the attention of the Secret Organization, so he didn''t consider the aftermath. Since he learned of it today, there was no way he would ignore it.
"Very well, you can rest assured that I''ll work on it. As a matter of fact, I''ll leave now to settle this matter." North said as he stood up.
He took all the gloves and the money with him.
"Alright¡ I''ll visit again..." Vale said as he left the pub first.
When North was finally alone, he recalled something important and wanted to ask Eustace.
However, thetter had already disappeared and could no longer be sensed in his Phantasm State.
''He didn''t mention that I should hide his name as the donor.'' He silently thought¡
In the end, he shook his head as he decided not to overthink.
"I guess it''s alright to spread his name since it must be an alias." North muttered.
At this time, Vale didn''t know that his donation, which was worth over 15,000 zen, would lead to something he wouldn''t expect in the future.
***
On the night of the same day, Valepleted his preparations. This time, he would infiltrate the Murton Castle and rescue Philip Hoffman, his friend and ssmate.
He had prepared several things for this operation, hoping they would be enough to get him past the Castle''s defenses.
He wore a dark cloak and a mask to conceal his identity and carried a dagger on his waist.
Thanks to this mask, he doesn''t have to use his Human Shapeshift Spell to conceal his face.
''Hmmm¡ This Castle is weird.'' Vale mused after scanning the ce. He realized that the defense outside was heavily reliant on normal guards with only a few Arcane Arts Practitioners.
Anyway, it might be weird, but this didn''t stop him from his ns.
He approached the Castle in the middle of the night when the guards were less alert.
He cast his first Spell, Ghost Hands, to create three ghastly and illusory hands that grabbed and choked the nearest guards. He quickly moved past them, avoiding the torches and spotlights illuminating the walls.
Chapter 287 Straightforward Infiltration
After killing the guards at the tower and the few patrolling ones, Vale extracted them swiftly and used his Divine Sense once again.
Combat Arts Practitioner with 2 filled Spell Lights.
Combat Arts Practitioner with 2 filled Spell Lights.
Combat Arts Practitioner with 2 filled Spell Lights.
Mystic Arts Practitioner with 4 filled Spell Lights.
He sensed a dozen people outside, but only four were Practitioners. These Practitioners weren''t even that impressive.
After thinking for a moment, Vale ignored them as he maximized his use of the Extrasensory Perception Spell to hide his presence.
He first needs to find Philip before causing too much scene or before they find out about the death of the guards at the tower.
To be honest, he considered using the Divine Lightning at first, but since Philip''s location was unknown, he had to infiltrate the Castle first for better detection.
As he stepped about five meters from the main gate leading to the inside of the Castle, he finally realized why he couldn''t properly sense the Arcane Arts Practitioners of the Castle.
''A Concealment Formation Cirle¡ I wonder if the Mystic Arts Experts do this, they''re actually so good.'' Valemented in his mind as he detected the harmless Formation Circle.
''My ESP spell should stillst for about 10 minutes¡'' Vale thought as he carefully scanned the surroundings.
After confirming that no other traps were ced at the entrance, he focused his gaze on the gate.
Two Dark Magicians guarded it, and they only had pitiful three filled Spell Lights in their bodies.
This is a bit disappointing for Vale since he was expecting that the members of the Secret Organization would be more impressive, especially if they were in one of their Headquarters or important Fortress.
Vale searched once again if there were hidden traps, but he didn''t find anything.
He couldn''t help but feel dismayed after realizing that he had overestimated this Castle because of how the Order of the Evanescent Vessels made him think that this was such an imprable fortress.
''Ugh¡ I''m thinking too much¡ I''m still doing a dangerous mission. I guess I''m just too impressive.'' Vale thought as he readied himself to cause a scene.
He had already found Philip''s subtle aura and was ready to take the man with him.
''Game¡''
The Dark Magicians before him wore ck robes and wielded staffs that glowed with dark energy.
Once he triggered his Spell Light to activate a spell, he knew they would sense his presence, so he cast his Lightspeed Spell first, to boost his Agility and reflexes.
"Someone''s here¡ª"
"Intruder!"
As expected, triggering a spell within their magic zone would be quickly sensed by their Phantasm State, even if he was using his ESP Spell to conceal his movement.
Spell Activation is just too difficult to hide when you''re doing it inside a magician''s Magic Zone.
''It''s toote for you.''
Vale dashed towards the gate, dodging the bolts of dark magic that the dark magicians fired at him. These Spellcasters didn''t activate any spell lights in their bodies but used their staff''s power for almost instantaneous magic casting.
Nevertheless, Vale reached them before they could activate other spells, and stabbed them both with his dagger.
Whom~
Suddenly, the two Dark Magicians were ignited as they burned to their death. They didn''t even have the chance to scream as their throats were destroyed by Vale at the same time.I think you should take a look at
Slowly, Vale''s body was oozing with dark aura, and he failed to notice it.
He didn''t stop his actions as he unlocked the gate with one of the keys he had taken from the guards using his Traceless Shift.
He could forcefully open the gate with his current strength, but because there was a connected Trap Formation on the gate, he decided to just use the already existing keys. He doesn''t know what kind of Trap would activate, after all.
As he entered the Castle, he detected more enemies patrolling the area. Most of them were Aura Masters who could manipte their own life force, Elementalists who could control fire, water, earth, and air, and Shamans who could summon spirits and use curses different from Dark Arts.
Vale knew he would waste a lot of time fighting them all, so he decided to use his speed and stealthy movement instead.
He cast one of his Dark spells, Light Absorption.
"Not good!"
"Elementalist! Use fire!"
"Light the torch! Quickly!"
"Don''t panic! Observe your surroundings with your Magic Zone!"
"Tsk¡ My Zone is only four meters!"
The untrained practitioners started getting nervous as soon as Vale''s Light Absorption Spell activated.
The spell was capable of draining the light from his surroundings, creating a sphere of Darkness around him. He became invisible to the naked eye, and only those with enhanced senses could detect him. He moved through the shadows, avoiding contact with most of the enemies. But those who were unlucky had been extracted by him.
If he had plenty of time, he would surely extract all of them.
However, he was worried that Philip would be taken hostage, making it difficult to rescue him.
''Oh? I''m using three Spells?'' Vale suddenly thought to himself after realizing what he was doing.
His Light Absorption, Lightspeed, and Extrasensory Perception Spells are active at the same time. At first, he thought the ESP spell would deactivate after using his Light Absorption Spell, but he realized that it was still active and working perfectly.
Bang!
With brute force, Vale destroyed the inner door and entered the Castle''s hallway.
''Hmm? They both have 11 Spell Lights?'' Vale mused as he activated his Divine Sense this time.
He saw two more Dark Magicians who could certainly sense him inside the Darkness he had created.
These two are more powerful than the ones at the gate and have a barrier of dark magic around them.
It seemed simr to the Arcane Armor, but it was made of Dark Energy.
"Stop right there, fellow Dark Magician."
"Tell us why you''vee here before it''s toote."
The two spoke calmly, unfazed by Vale''s fluctuation of energy.
Vale didn''t answer them as he calcted their strength.
He knew he couldn''t break through them with brute force, so he used another Spell, Create Shadow Soldier, to summon a loyal minion from the shadows.
The Shadow Soldier looked like a humanoid figure made of Darkness, with glowing red eyes and sharp ws.
"Shadow Soldier?! You''re from the Academy?" One of the Dark Magicians eximed.
Chapter 288 Infiltrate
The Shadow Soldier that Vale summoned was from his own shadow. Since this Spell had already reached the Advanced Realm, he could summon three of them at the same time, but he didn''t do it yet.
"So you can recognize this Spell¡ I wonder why you guys betrayed the Faction and attacked the Academy. You even hurt and kidnapped innocent children."
Vale replied as he watched the two summon their Vengeful Spirits. He didn''t stop them from casting their spells as he was also trying to do something.
"You think we should obey the Faction just because we''re practicing the same Arcane Path?! Hmph! You don''t have to know the reason. You''re about to die anyway."
"Haha¡ That''s right. Since the Academy had sent someone here, I''m sure there will be others like you who would stupidlye here without preparation. You probably received a mission in exchange for Contribution Points. It''s a pity that everything you''ve umted would be gone today."
Vale nodded at their answer as he realized that they were indeed aware of how the Academy works. Nevertheless, they were still wrong about one thing.
"Since you know that I''m from the Academy¡ There''s no point keeping you alive." Vale said as his body started oozing a ck aura without his notice.
With a wave of his hand, the Shadow Soldier that he summoned dashed forward¡ The two Dark Magicians used the Summoned Spirit to ck this lone Soldier and also used their Spectral Hands to attack Vale.
However, Vale triggered his Shadow Soldier once again, and this time, he used the shadow of the two men.
To Vale''s surprise, the Shadow Soldiers beside the two looked more intimidating than the one he summoned on his side.
They were taller, had broader shoulders, and had more extended ws.
Vale found this interesting since he initially thought that the Shadow Soldier would look all the same if summoned by the same Spellcaster.
"Aaackk"
"Y-you¡ You have an Advanced Spell?!"
The two were caught off guard as they didn''t expect a young man like him to have an Advanced Realm Spell at such a young age. Furthermore, this Spell was something that only 8th or 10th-year students would learn!
It doesn''t make sense that he has already reached the pinnacle of this spell at such a young age!
''Not good¡'' They both released their control with their Vengeful Spirits. The Spirit would not vanish, but it would be uncontroble by the caster. In the end, these Spirits saw Vale''s Shadow Soldier close to them, so even without their instructions, they attacked the Soldier with their Bale Aura and Evil Screech.
"Tsk! This is too annoying." One of the Dark Magicians said as he could tell that the Shadow Solider that was summoned using their shadows had mutated to some extent.
They weren''t expecting a melee battle against these Shadow Soldiers!
Luckily, they still have vast experience, so after being hit by the Shadow Soldiers'' ws a couple of times, they managed to push them away and use their Movement Techniques to get some distance.
They were injured, but they could still use their spells.
They weren''t using Darkness Maniption but they had ess to other impressive Dark Spells like Darkness Coil, Spectral Hands, Gloom Force, and Rotting Chains.
The two Dark Magicians fought against the Shadow Soldier, and they were impressively overpowering the Shadow Soldier after a few rounds.
It was unfortunate that the Soldiers excelled with Physical Attacks, so the two Arcanists were able to deal with them after a few rounds of exchanges.
As expected from his fellow Dark Arts Practitioners, they know how to handle other Dark Arts Practitioners.
Nevertheless, the Soldiers allowed Vale to finish his preparations.
Boom!
Vale''s stomped on the ground to give him the momentum he needed to arrive next to the two.
They noticed his actions, and instead of being scared, they actuallyughed at Vale.
"Haha! You''re dead!
"Idiot! Dashing forward like that¡"
They looked down on Vale as they had set up a trap specifically for people who would look down on Spellcasters like them.I think you should take a look at
However, to their surprise, the young masked man seemed to be covered by invisible armor and destroyed their traps with brute force!
"No way¡ This is Aura¡"
"W-what''s going on¡ª"
The two were too surprised by Vale''s sudden burst of Aura as they allowed the weakened Shadow Soldier to counterattack!
In the blink of an eye, the two Dark Magicians were pierced by the ws. They were already dying the moment Vale touched them¡
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
''Yes¡'' Vale answered as he waited for the extraction to finish.
Honestly, he couldn''t control the Aura he used to bypass the traps since he only had the passive Spell Model, Meridian ess.
Nevertheless, this didn''t stop him from bursting with Aura, thanks to this Spell Model.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.55 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.75 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spectral Hand Spell Model. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
"Ahhh¡"
Vale paused for a moment after seeing the Spectral Hands Spell Model being extracted.
He already has the Ghost Hands, so having the Spectral Hands would be too redundant. However, he also felt that this might be quite interesting if in case he could summon numerous Hands.
After all, the Ghost Hands were supposed to be used just like an extension of hands to make tasks a lot easier. They weren''t meant forbat but were more inclined to be used for crafting or light duties.
''Ugh¡ I can''t waste my time thinking about this.'' Vale said in his mind as he decided to just ept the Spell Model.
He then tried extracting the other Dark Magician and got a decent result.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Strength +0.45 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Vitality +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Darkness Coil Spell Model. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
Again, he didn''t want to overthink and just epted it as is.
He also stopped himself from doing focused Extraction since that requires time to be triggered.
With this in mind, Vale gave the two to Yvaine since she''ll need plenty of strengthter on.
He then continued to head towards Philip. At this time, his senses could tell that two people were approaching him in his dungeon or prison.
He had to hurry!
Chapter 289 Shapeshifter
Vale followed the signs that led him to the dungeon, where Philip was being held captive.
He had to go through several corridors and stairs, avoiding more enemies along the way.
Most of the time, he would just use his Lightspeed to bypass them. Dealing with them with Spells would just waste his limited energy, so if he wanted to attack, he would just rather push them with brute force or m them to the ground.
If he had to use a Spell, he would use his Darkness Maniption since it barely consumes his energy. With such a Spell, he could easily control the shadows around him and create distractions or traps for his foes.
He was basically unhindered after dealing with those two Dark Spellcasters.
''It''s here¡'' Vale stopped in front of the dungeon''s door.
It would lead to several cells, one of which was where Philip was being held.
Vale then triggered his Divine Sense and Spirit Vision to confirm that Philip was still there.
Martial Arts Practitioner with 5 filled Spell Lights.
Martial Arts Practitioner with 5 filled Spell Lights.
These two Knights were behind the door waiting for him to enter.
His Divine Sense then detected the other prisoners inside.
To Vale''s surprise, most of the prisoners here were practicing the Holy Arts!
Holy Arts Practitioner with 1 filled Spell Light.
Holy Arts Practitioner with 1 filled Spell Light.
Holy Arts Practitioner with 1 filled Spell Light.
...
Holy Arts Practitioner with 1 filled Spell Light.
There were a total of 8 Holy Arts Practitioners with a single Spell Model recorded in their Spell Light.
This was quite confusing since he thought that the Secret Organization was nurturing False Priests to fight against Dark Magicians.
It seems that this organization was hiding too many secrets.
Nevertheless, Vale wasn''t bothered by this as he locked on Philp''s position.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 5 filled Spell Lights.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 13 filled Spell Lights.
Transformation Arts Practitioner with 6 filled Spell Lights.
Philip was certainly the one with the 5 filled Spell Lights. The others were probably the ones managing this castle.
''Hmm? 13-Slotted Arcanist? He''s the same as the Headmaster¡'' Vale thought as he swiftly made his n. I think you should take a look at
There are numerous traps and formation circles inside the dungeon, and it would be difficult to enter unless he destroyed them first.
Furthermore, he has to consider the 7 Elementalists behind him, who probably thought of ambushing him once he engaged in battle.
They must have felt confident with their stealth techniques, but they were so easy to find with his Divine Sense active.
It didn''t take him that long to decide what to do as he put his full force in his right foot before kicking the rusted metal door of the dungeon¡
Bam!
The force shattered the brittle metal door surprising the two Knights behind.
Nevertheless, they swiftly used their Aura Shield around them, which blocked any physical or magical attacks.
Vale knew that these guys had terrifying vitality, so there was no point fighting them with brute force. ording to the books he read and from his Master Heinz, even shattering their hearts wouldn''t kill them immediately. They could still fight for a minute beforepletely falling down.
With this in mind, he knows that he has to use his Spell Dispersion to cancel their source of magic and make them vulnerable.
''Let''s see how powerful this spell has be¡'' Vale thought as he triggered his Spell.
It must be remembered that his Spell Dispersion had now reached Level 7 or the Advanced Realm. He spent over three thousand Energy Points to upgrade this Spell, so he was expecting to see the effectiveness of this Spell against all of these people.
Whom~
As soon as he triggered the Spell, a wave of light swept over everyone inside the dungeon. This includes not only the Knights, but also the prisoners, the elementalists, and the three people at the very back of the dungeon.
The wave disrupted everyone''s magic, and those who were casting spells caused it to backfire on them!
Vale witnessed everything clearly because his Phantasm State and Spirit Vision were activated when he did this.
He saw how they screamed in pain as their own spells and mystical items turned against them, burning or freezing or electrocuting them.
That''s right, his Spell Dispersion no longer just stops any Arcane Spell, but he could use it to disrupt the direction of the Spell or even trigger them prematurely while being casted!
Of course, if he used this power of the Spell Dispersion, it wouldn''t look stealthy since there would be a wave of light visible to everyone. Nevertheless, this was still a very powerful wide-range disruption spell!
After that, Vale canceled his Spirit Vision as he used his Ghost Hands and summoned Yvaine to deal with the aftermath. They were to finish off the struggling enemies.
He then entered the dungeon unhindered as he saw rows of cells filled with prisoners who looked weak and hopeless. He searched for Philip at the very end of the dungeon and was surprised at what he saw.
Even with a weak light, he saw the three figures he was looking for.
At the center was an old but dignified man standing firmly while holding his cane with his right hand. He looked at the masked Vale warily as he silently gauged his strength.
Vale ignored him and saw Philip sitting weakly on a cot in a small cell. He looked pale and thin, but he had no visible injuries. Vale felt relieved to see him alive but also worried about his condition.
However, as he looked at the other man, he saw a simr face and figure. It was another Philip Hoffman!
Vale''s eyes lit up after seeing this, and he couldn''t help but smile at this trick they had prepared.
''No wonder there''s a Shapeshifter I sensed a while ago¡'' Vale thought as he looked at the old man who seemed to be gathering his Dark Energy and was prepared to fight.
Chapter 290 Saved
"What''s this?" Vale asked the old man as he looked at the two Philip Hoffman.
Using his Divine Sense, he could already tell that the real Philip was the one on the left. Nevertheless, Vale felt that he should act clueless about this in order to learn more about the enemies.
After all, there must be a big reason why they captured Philip and kept him alive for so long instead of just killing him after getting the information they needed.
He wouldn''t believe that they couldn''t get the information about the Arcana from Philip. With all the various Arcane Spells out there and numerous Potions or Mystical Items with magical effects, they must have a way to get confessions from their prisoners.
The old man ignored his question as he looked at Vale curiously.
"That mask¡ Do you know what it is?" The old man asked as he squinted his eyes. He wasn''t too bothered by how Vale disrupted the flow of Arcane Energy in the surroundings and made all the spells uncontroble for a brief moment.
He knows that there was a simr Artifact in their organization, but it can only be used a couple of times within a month. The masked man seemed to have done the same, but the range was too small, so he wasn''t worried that he could repeat such a thing.
In the meantime, Vale was a bit stunned by the sudden question.
''Oh¡ Right. I''m wearing this to confirm something from them.'' Vale thought as he subtly touched the edge of his mask.
"So you know about the mask. I found it in a bunch of trash, so I took it with me. I like it¡ Do you have other equipment with this design?" He asked.
"From bunch trash? Ha!" The old man shook his head as he also shifted his gaze to the dagger on Vale''s waist.
"So you''re the one who triggered that heavenly lightning and also destroyed the Baron''s Rare Formation Nodes ¡ How did you summon that lightning?"
''Hm? Rare Formation Nodes? Is he referring to those Immortal Shards?'' Vale finally learned something from this.
He thought for a moment before he nodded to the old man.
"Hmmm¡ So you''re not an idiot. I can answer your question, but you have to answer mine as well. I''m curious about your organization. If you tell me something about your organization, I will tell you how I summoned those lightning."
"Hahaha¡ If I tell you about our organization, you must join us. If I informed the Commander about your skills, I''m sure he wouldn''t mind all the lives you''ve taken. You''re worth a hundred Arcanists after all." The old man said as he looked at Vale with a creepy smile.
Vale couldn''t help but recall Heinz after seeing this.
"You want me to join your cult?" Vale asked curiously.
He didn''t expect a sudden invitation after everything he had done. To be honest, with all the skills or spells he had shown when infiltrating this Castle, he thought that they would consider just fleeing this ce.
"Yes¡ I can tell that you are connected with the Dark Arts Faction after seeing your Spells. Are you sent here by the Vermont Family? You don''t have to lie since there was no way you would have that Dark Spirit following you without their family''s support. You must be connected to them in one way or another." The old man said as Vale felt a bit confused for a moment but he suddenly had an idea.
"You''re right¡ I''m connected to them in some way." Vale said as he flipped his hand and showed an amulet to the old man.
Needless to say, the amulet he showed was the same item that he got from Professor Charlotte Vermont when he showed the limit of his Magic Zone during his First Year ss.
During that time, she used the Protector Amulet, which was exclusively produced by the Vermont n, to reward her student. Any practitioner possessing this item would have their Phantasm State extended for a long period without suffering any bacsh.I think you should take a look at
As soon as he showed it, the old man''s eyes lit up as expected.
"Heh¡ So I''m correct. Those bastards are the real problem in the faction. They actually managed to produce a monster like you¡ Did you learn from Morgan?" The old man asked.
He was probably referring to Morgan Vermont, the man who established the Academy, or the legendary figure who had made all the other Arcane Paths Factions stop their aggression and made the Treaty of Keslore.
As Vale was about to answer, he realized that the old man''s preparation had beenpleted.
Several Soul Draining Chains were slowly creeping out on him and were ready to pounce once he put down his guard.
"I can''t answer that¡ In any case, can you tell me now why you have someone disguised as Philip?" Vale asked.
"The answer is simple¡ We are not going to give Philip back¡ Don''t you want other items simr to that mask and dagger?"
As the old man said these words, Vale finally felt the chains moving.
''Yvaine, secure our escape route. I have a bad feeling about this¡'' Vale ordered his Dark Spirit as he dashed forward. He didn''t have to wait for her answer as he knew that she would make it happen.
Whoosh~
Vale used his full agility and strength to appear instantly beside the group.
It appears he was about to save the fake Philip on the right side of the old man.
The old man was disappointed that his chains didn''t catch the masked man, but he wasn''t panicking when Vale got closer.
The moment this person grabbed the fake Philip, this would be over.
Of course, he didn''t forget to act.
He acted as if Vale guessed the real Philip as his eyes widened.
"How did you find out?!" He shouted as he tried dragging back "Philip" to his side.
At the same time, he summoned his three Spectral Hands to wee Vale.
It appears that he also reached the Advanced Realm of this Spell, so Vale thought it would be interesting to summon his Ghost Hands¡
As he did that, he didn''t stop moving and grabbed the shoulder of the fake Philip.
"Philip! Wake up! Let''s escape now!" He shouted.
Chapter 291 For The Darkness Path
The old man had a wicked smile on his face the moment he heard that¡ As expected, sealing the Dark Energy from the real Philip and connecting his Dark Energy to the fake Philip would make this masked man think that the one on his right was the real one.
In the old man''s mind, he guessed that the masked man tried sensing the Darkness Possession of his fellow Dark Arts Practitioner and didn''t get a response from the real Philip. He probably thought that the disguise couldn''t replicate the Darkness Possession of a fellow practitioner!
''Now!'' The old man ordered the Shapeshifter as he attacked Vale with his summoned Spectral Hands.
As soon as the Shapeshifter received the signal he was waiting for, he opened his eyes, which were certainly different from the real Philip and tried to use a Spell.
The Transformation Artists didn''t have plenty of attacking spells in their Arcane Path unless they could reach the Expert Realm, where they could slightly copy other Arcanists'' Spells.
Nevertheless, the Spell he was about to use was called Forced Haunt. This Transformation Spell would consume a lot of his energy to forcefully transform the person he first saw once he opened his eyes. The transformation could be anything that the caster wanted. In this case, he was hoping to transform his opponent into a pig.
As he opened his eyes, he saw the masked man and triggered his Spell.
''Ahh?''
However, to his surprise, he failed to activate his Spell.
''What''s going on?'' He was baffled since he felt weakened, as if he had activated the Spell. However, he knows that he failed to activate it.
This made him confused, but something terrifying happened¡ He felt a few of his Spell Models being destroyed while being grabbed by the masked man!
He wasn''t even able to scream in pain as he passed out shortly after!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
At the same time, the Ghost Hands stopped the Spectral Hands that were aiming to kill Vale.
"This¡"
The strength of the Ghost Hands surprised the old man. He already knew that the masked person in front of him had Advanced Realm Ghost Hands. However, he didn''t think too much of it because, in the first ce, the Ghost Hands weren''t meant to be used inbat.
He knew that it was a lot easier to increase the mastery of such basic spells since they could be nurtured even if you weren''t inbat.
However, he was wrong to underestimate these Ghost Hands.
''These Hands are too tough¡ Don''t tell me he has higher Spirit Strands than me?!'' The old man thought as he shifted his attention to the Shapeshifter.
To his horror, he discovered that the man was already unconscious and had already returned to his original appearance.
The masked man was not fooled!
He seemed to have attacked the Shapeshifter before thetter could release his Spell.
''Not good¡''I think you should take a look at
The old man quickly changed his tactic as he tried grabbing the listless Philip in order to use him as a hostage.
However, instead of grabbing Philip, he held a Shadow Soldier that the masked man had summoned using his Shadow!
"Y-you!" He wasn''t afraid of it but annoyed at the fact that this Dark Spellcaster could always move one step ahead of him.
"Fine! Just die!" The old man said in a cold voice as he no longer nned to keep Philip and the other prisoners alive.
In any case, as long as he killed this intruder, he wouldn''t get heavily punished by his Organization.
Suddenly, there was a burst of demonic energying out of his body. This wasn''t simr to the Dark Energy that Dark Arts Practitioners use.
The energy felt more suffocating and destructive. Furthermore, the Shadow Soldier was quickly shattered¡
As the energy spread, the skin of the unconscious Shapeshifter started turning ck. It was the same with the other prisoners!
Of course, Vale was unaffected as he triggered his Arcane Armor the moment he noticed that something was off. Furthermore, he summoned another Shadow Soldier to rescue Philip.
''I can''t use my Shadow Soldier anymore¡'' Vale thought as the Shadow Soldier Spell Light had finally dimmed after thest one was summoned.
As a matter of fact, even his Ghost Hands started to reach its limit as well. Fighting against the Advanced Spectral Hands was indeed too much even for him.
He even had to ask Yvaine to assist this Shadow Soldier in bringing out Philip outside the dungeon.
"Hmm? You''re still not dead?! Wait¡ªIsn''t that an Arcane Armor?! Just how many Mystical Artifacts do you have with you?!" The old man was pissed off as he gathered his energy from his hand to his cane.
He wanted to strike his cane on the ground and summon a cluster of evil spirits¡
However, before the cane hit the ground, he realized he could not move.
This time, Vale no longer hesitated as he used his Shadow Muttion to freeze his movement.
Of course, he could not do this before when it was only a Level 0 Spell. However, now that it was Level 6, freezing the target wouldn''t be so difficult as long as he was holding the Shadow of his target. Or at least, he was stepping on it, like what he was doing now.
"W-what did you do?" He asked while he remained in his position.
The freeze wasn''t perfect, but it was enough for Vale.
"I got something good from the Shapeshifter. I hope that you have decent Spell Models as well." Vale replied as he opened his palms and patted the old man.
For some reason, the old man felt that the masked man wasn''t just going to kill him but was about to do something even more sinister.
"Y-you! Stop what you''re about to do! I''m Charles ckwood! I''m the previous Headmaster of the Vermont Academy! I''m doing this for the sake of the Dark Arts Factions! At this rate, the Dark Arts Faction will be eliminated by the Association! I''m doing this to ensure the continuity of our Path!"
Chapter 292 Secrets
Charles was extremely terrified as soon as he realized that he lost control of his body.
This was something he had never experienced before. With his decades of experience, even the Forced Haunt by Shapeshifters would fail to transform him forcefully since he knows almost every counter to the Spells thrown at him.
Catching him off-guard was extremely difficult.
However, this masked man was just too weird. He was using various techniques that a Dark Spellcaster shouldn''t be capable of.
This includes the insane show of strength and speed that shouldn''t be found among Spellcasters! Nevertheless, he wasn''t too suspicious and simply thought that his enemy used Strength and Speed Boosting Spells.
However, the Arcane Armor and the Spell Disruption shouldn''t be Dark Arts. They must''vee from his Mystical Items.
This made him confused since the masked man was doing too many things at once. He knew how difficult it was to control a powerful Mystical Item while casting Spells.
Furthermore, these Mystical Items should be at the Royal Rank, considering how it could stop his Decaying Aura from infecting his body.
The demonic mask shouldn''t have the ability to stop this Aura. Then, the man used another unknown Spell to stop his movement!
This was just too weird for him since he didn''t see any signs of Spell Activation!
After considering all these things, Charles realized that he was no match for his opponent.
As soon as he saw the masked man touching him, he felt something ominous and that his death was creeping up on him.
He had to do something¡
"¡at this rate, the Dark Arts Faction will be eliminated by the Association! I''m doing this to ensure the continuity of our Path!"
He had no choice but to reveal his n.
"Hmm? You''re telling me you''re doing this for the sake of the Darkness Path?" Vale asked as he paused his Extraction for a moment.
Vale was actually feeling excited after he saw the result of his Extraction from the Shapeshifter.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Beast Shapeshift Spell Model]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +10 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Human Shapeshift Spell Model]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Voice Maniption Spell Model]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]I think you should take a look at
Those three Spell Models are awesome!
He actually didn''t stop extracting and kept holding the man even after receiving a failure. He wouldn''t normally do this since the Extraction could take some time.
However, since he was just holding the guy, he didn''t mind continuing with the Extraction until he failed the third time.
He felt that he was really lucky today, so he wanted to extract this old man as he might get something decent.
It might even be better if he gets a Spell Model that he already has so he would no longer spend some Energy Points to increase their level.
However, the old man said something very interesting, so he decided to stop and listen. Even if he was simply trying to buy some time, Vale felt it might be important since the old man was now desperate.
"What did you just say?" Vale asked while his Shadow Muttion was active.
Of course, he couldn''t hold him for long. He could only do this for 60 seconds, so he would end his life if this old man didn''t give him a satisfying answer. If possible, he would extract him to death!
There was no way he would let this old thing live after doing that to his friend. Philip may not have visible injuries, but he definitely suffered in this dungeon.
"I''m telling the truth! At this rate, the Association would gather all the powerful Factions to team up once again to destroy the Dark Arts Faction! I had no choice but to change the Faction from the inside, but I got exposed by that Jean after I invited him! He made me a criminal even though I just wanted to ensure that we wouldn''t get into another war!" Charles said in exasperation.
"What does it do with Philip?" Vale asked. He didn''t really care if the Association attacked the Dark Arts Faction. As a matter of fact, he was also curious why they were just allowing the Dark Arts Academy to kill people in their recruitment process! That was actually terrible!
He thought that the Association didn''t care at all.
"Philip? He''s important! He has the perfect physique to be the best item! With his great talent, he would be one of our best Mystical Artifacts! Perhaps, we could make a Sovereign Rank item out of him! Don''t you have that Mask and Dagger? They''re both made from the best Elementalists that dared to oppose their Faction. They''re iplete, but they''re definitely strong, right?!"
Vale was stunned and couldn''t speak after hearing this.
This was something he had never expected at all.
''They''re creating Mystical Artifacts from other Practitioners?'' Vale clenched his fist as he realized the dark side of the Arcane Path once again.
He couldn''t help but take a deep breath to calm his raging heart. Indeed, an evil cult really exists in this world.
It was a good thing that he learned it this early.
"So it was like that¡ Do you have anything else to say?" Vale coldly asked.
The Dark Aura that was spilling out of his body was getting denser, and he wasn''t noticing it at all.
This time, Charles could tell that the young man didn''t understand him.
He was like Jean Hoffman, who didn''t understand the importance of being loyal to the Association!
"You don''t understand! The Dark Arts Faction is not a match against the three opposing Factions! If you include the two Churches aiming to destroy them, you''llknow that changing the Faction''s view is better!"
Vale shook his head at this. He already knows that the Dark Arts Faction was wanted by other Factions and Churches.
It was obvious, considering how they could disregard human lives at some point. Nevertheless, it doesn''t mean that those other factions are better.
This man just admitted that they were using humans to create Mystical Artifacts!
Vale already had enough so he started his Extraction.
Chapter 293 Prepared
Once again, Vale didn''t stop after getting a single failure.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spectral Hands Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +10 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Corrupted Chains Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Moonlight Curse Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
"Ahhh¡" Vale''s eyes widened as he felt something ominous after extracting the previous Headmaster of the Academy.
He wanted to take the old man''s belongings and even explore the castle for a bit, but his Extrasensory Perception told him to run away quickly. He could only grab the cane that was on the ground before he decided to move.
He didn''t understand what was happening, but he knew he had to follow his instincts since this Spell wasn''t just for show.
He controlled the Shadow Soldier to bring Philip and ordered Yvaine to protect the two;
As for him, he also dashed out of the dungeon to take cover.
The moment he did this, a massive Formation Circle covering the whole castle appeared. The ground and the surroundings glowed brightly!
He could feel that a vast amount of energy was gathering at the center of the castle. He wasn''t sure what kind of Formation Circle he was dealing with, so there was no way he would stay in the castle for long.
"Stop!"
"You thieves! Come back here!"
"The Viscount''s guards are already surrounding the castle. You have nowhere else to go!"
"Surrender now or prepare to die!"
The remaining guards, who weren''t Arcane Arts Practitioners, tried stopping them from leaving the castle. Unfortunately, they were too weak to hold them back.
With the Shadow Soldier''s Speed and Yvaine''s Deathly Gaze, they could only watch their backs as they disappeared from their sight.
Vale also had no issues fleeing the ce with his current speed.
As soon as they got out of the castle, the pirs, walls, ceilings, and statues inside the castle started crumbling.
The castle copsed in a matter of seconds, burying even the remaining guards inside!
Boom! Boom¡
''This¡ How ruthless. They wanted to erase any form of evidence to the point of sacrificing their own people.'' Vale couldn''t help but sigh as he felt that this was simply too much. He couldn''t imagine doing the same thing if he ever had people working under him.
"You still managed to escape?" A high-pitched female voice interrupted Vale''s thoughts as he looked ahead of him.I think you should take a look at
About 30 meters away from him, a group of people started to surround him and Philip¡ At this time, he already ordered Yvaine to enter his Shadow and for his Shadow Soldier to disappear.
''So they''re the real enemies?'' Vale thought as he scanned the group of people.
There were over 50 of them, and they were all Arcane Arts Practitioners.
ording to his Divine Sense, most of them are Combat Arts Practitioners. There were only 4 Holy Arts Practitioners and 5 Mystic Arts Practitioners.
The one person that rmed him was the girl who had spoken just now. She was a Psychic Arts Practitioner with 9 Spell Lights!
She seemed like a fragile and chaste nobledy on the outside, but she was definitely rotten on the inside. Vale could feel something off on her.
Vale then fixed the mask on his face as he held Philip tightly. The previous Headmaster seemed to have used a restraining spell on Philip, so he was still listless. He seemed to be partially awake and notpletely unconscious.
"Who are you?" Vale asked the nobledy.
"Oh¡ Right. I''m Tracie Coulston. I''m the owner of that castle you destroyed with your Dark Arts." Tracie replied.
She didn''t even mind introducing her real identity, so Vale was a bit rmed.
"I destroyed the castle?" He asked.
"Yes, you are a criminal who rescued a prisoner that our family caught. You even used explosives to destroy our castle. How cruel¡ As expected of the Dark Arts Faction, you even killed the innocent guards and servants in the castle."
"Ha! So you wanted to put all the me on me? You don''t even know my identity. Good luck with that."
"We don''t know yet. However, it''s not like you''ll be able to escape from here." Tracie said with a yful smile on her face.
It appears that while Vale was infiltrating the castle, she already made up a n to ensure that he won''t be able to escape and that they could me the Dark Arts Faction no matter what.
"You''ve made a mistake¡" Vale muttered as he decided to end this farce.
As he said this, Tracie''s False Priests finished their ritual and cast their Spells.
"Holy Chains! Bind the sphemer!"
Vale squinted his eyes as he used his Spell Dispersion to destroy the chains.
Crash¡ Crash¡ Crash.
The chains started disintegrating as they neared him. However, there were dozens of them, and even after destroying ten snake-like silver chains, they just kepting back!
Seeing that the chains would keeping unless he stopped the priests, Vale changed his tactics.
He held Philip tightly with his right hand while holding the cane in his left hand. Then, he used his Lightspeed to evade the Holy Chains from wrapping him.
With his Agility and Lightspeed, the chains looked very slow in front of him.
During this time, he was also using his Spirit Vision to locate the Trap Formations they ced around the castle.
After finding an escape route, Vale left them a gift. He didn''t want to stay here for long since his Dark Energy and Life Energy weren''t infinite.
Anyway, the gift he left them was another Divine Lightning aiming to kill the young nobledy.
After all, there was no point using any Dark Arts in front of those False Priests. They could just use a strong Holy Aura, and his Ghost Hands, Moonlight Curse, or other Dark Spells would disappear in seconds.
However, something unexpected happened. It seemed they were waiting for the Divine Lightning all along!
"Haha! Come at me!" Tracieughed as she noticed the changes in the sky. She doesn''t seem afraid of the lightning strike! She even looked above with great expectations.
Chapter 294 Thief
Boom!
As soon as the lightning came, Vale noticed that Tracie was already holding a double-edged sword and it was pointed at the sky. She wasughing in excitement!
''Does she think she''s an immortal?'' Vale frowned.
As he saw that the lightning didn''t create the destruction he was expecting to see, he suddenly had a bad feeling about this. They were actually baiting him to summon his lightning all this time.
They were indeed prepared to deal with his Divine Lightning!
That sword she was holding must be the bane of all Lightning Attacks!
He then heard the group cheer as they celebrated their sessful operation.
"Haha! My sword is finallyplete! That lightning must''ve reallye from the heavens. This is awesome." Tracie said in delight as she looked at her sword that was emitting a strong fluctuation of energy.
"Congrattions, young miss."
"This a great news¡"
"Now, if we turn Philip into a Mystical Artifact, we will be able to advance our n."
"Perfect! Capture that masked man! Hurry!"
Vale was about to disappear with his Lightspeed when he heard their words.
''You think you''ve won already?'' Vale silently thought as he hated the idea that they used his lightning to power up their Mystical Item or whatever they did just now.
Without any hesitation, Vale used his Ghost Hands. Three ghastly and terrifying hands appeared, and he controlled one of them to hold the cane of the previous Headmaster. Then, the other two Ghost Hands were used to protect him.
After doing this, he used his Light Absorption to remove any light in the surroundings, and at the same time, he shifted his focus to the sword and triggered his other spell.
Traceless Shift!
In the blink of an eye, Vale held the heavy double-edged sword in his hands!
"Shit! He stole the sword! After him!"
Within the darkness, everyone heard Tracie''s high-pitched voice as shemanded them to chase after Vale.
Of course, thetter was already running away the moment he got the sword!
''Yvaine, can you keep these items inside my Shadow?''
''Impossible.'' Yvaine answered.
Vale already knows this, but he still tried, just in case.
Whoosh~
Vale kept moving while his Ghost Hands were active.
The number of people that they mobilized was actuallyrger than the ones he detected a while ago.
Numerous spells woulde flying at him as soon as they sensed his presence¡
Luckily, Vale was still filled with stamina, and running away wasn''t a big problem.
After some time, he managed to escape their pursuit, and at the same time, he felt that Philip was waking up.I think you should take a look at
No, he was coughing out blood!
Vale stopped momentarily as he put down his friend.
Vale had prepared his healing medicine for this situation, so he forcefully fed it to Philip.
It seemed quite effective and this made Vale heave a sigh of relief.
''Stay strong, Philip...''
After Philip stopped coughing, he started breathing calmly. He finally looked a lot better, but he was still unconscious.
He called out his name softly, "Philip? Philip, can you hear me? It''s me, Vale."
Philip didn''t respond. He didn''t even open his eyes. Vale felt a surge of fear in his chest.
He checked Philip''s pulse and breathing. They were weak but steady. He tried to wake him up by shaking him gently or pping him lightly. Unfortunately, nothing worked.
After inspecting him a bit with his Spirit Vision, Vale realized that Philip was unconscious not because of physical harm but because of mental harm. If he would make a guess, someone had used a powerful mind spell on him to probably search or erase his memories or alter his personality to make him loyal to the enemy.
Vale could only imagine what they''d done. He might be overthinking, but he couldn''t help but consider these things.
Vale felt anger rising in him. He should''ve acted wildly a bit more. However, he needed to save Philip and continuing to fight in that situation might just hurt thetter.
''Tracie Coulston¡ I''ll remember you. Let me put a Mark on you for now...'' Vale silently thought as he lifted Philip''s body and carried him over his shoulder.
He cast a spell to create a cloak of invisibility around them and headed for the exit. It wasn''t really an invisibility spell. It was simply his ESP spell that could iste their presence and be ''invisible'' in others'' magic zone¡
In short, they could only ''see'' them using their eye vision and not with their Magic Zone while in this state.
''Hmm? They''re still here? Just how many people did they mobilize to chase us?'' Vale mused as he moved forward. He had entered the nearby forest and nned to get to the next city from there.
He was hesitating whether to stop and fight or just focus on escaping.
''Tsk¡ I''ll just deal with you guyster on.'' Vale thought.
In the end, Vale decided to be on the defensive.
Philip looked fragile right now, and a random offensive spell might end his life. His rescue mission would bepletely pointless if he died right now.
He needed to get out of the Viscount''s territory, or he''ll just be facing more enemies and obstacles.
He used his spells, mostly his Ghost Hands, to defend himself and Philip. As expected, he didn''t take some hits and wounds since he kept his focus on deflecting attacks instead of counter-attacking them.
Although he felt his strength and dark energy draining, he felt that it was more than enough to leave this ce.
In any case, with his Agility, Strength, and Vitality, it was simply impossible to chase him unless they were using a vehicle or a horse in this jungle.
It didn''t take that long until the enemies gave up as they exhausted their Arcane Energy and physical stamina.
***
In the meantime, while Vale was approaching the small vige that he found, the incident about the destruction of the Murton Castle started to spread in every Association''s Factions and Arcane Organizations, including the five prominent churches.
The nickname Devil Incarnate had started to spread throughout the kingdom. As a matter of fact, a wanted poster was already being printed to be sent to all the cities and towns in the kingdom!
Chapter 295 Current Attributes
Vale looked at his friend, who was still unconscious. Philip looked a lot better now after he continuously fed him his Healing Medicine.
He even made ten more of these medicines in case Philip needed more.
About an hour ago, he took his time to level up his Blessed Healing spell from Level 4 to Level 6 to enhance the effect of the "Healing Potion" he could make.
It was a good thing he did this since Philip''s face started having some color afterward. He no longer looked pale, and his cheeks also started turning red.
They''re currently staying in a small vige, and Vale made sure that this ce didn''t have a single Arcanist to avoid a simr incident he had to go through when he was together with Cressida.
He would no longer make the same mistake.
''Whew¡ What a long day¡'' Vale silently thought as he looked outside the window of their room.
He spread out his Magic Zone once again, and this time, he fully concentrated on this task. To his surprise, he was able to reach 310 meters!
It seemed that the battle a while ago made him even better with his control over his Phantasm State.
Three hundred meters was a range that even Headmaster Jean wouldn''t reach!
It also means that his Divine Sense could scan such a vast range if he used enough energy.
After confirming that they should be safe for now, Vale finally checked his status so he could see the improvement he made thus far.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 69.35, Agility 68.25, Intelligence 100, Vitality 67.80 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv7, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv8, Darkness Maniption Lv7, Spirit Vision Lv4, Light Absorption Lv6, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Cursed Breath Lv4, Moonlight Curse Lv6, Darkness Coil Lv0, Spectral Hands Lv1, Corrupted Chains Lv0]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv7, Blessed Healing Lv6 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv4, Shadow Muttion Lv6 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv6 ]
[ Transformation Art: Human Shapeshift Lv8, Beast Shapeshift Lv0, Voice Maniption Lv0 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv7 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv1, Soul Bind Lv2 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv7, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv7 ]
[ Avable Energy: 1857 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 2797.80 ]
"Mhmm¡ This looks great¡ I could probably pass as a Shapeshifter with this set of skills." Vale muttered with a smile.
The addition of the Voice Maniption would really make him untraceable at this rate. He could already see himself freely roaming the world without being traced by any Factions once he got his shadow back.
''Eh? Wait--I''m sure that my Intelligence should''ve exceeded 100 by now.'' Vale furrowed his brows as soon as he noticed that there was something wrong with his status.
He tried to recall his previous extractions as he looked at his attributes doubtfully.I think you should take a look at
''I can''t be wrong¡ I extracted several Intelligence Attributes, and I should be around 107 points by now. What''s going on?'' Vale was speechless as he tried to think of a reason.
''Is that the limit of my attributes?'' Vale thought after some time.
''Is this the limit that a human Arcanist can reach?''
Vale couldn''t help but reach this conclusion. This was not good news to him since it meant he would waste his intelligence extractions from now on!
Vale shook his head in frustration.
Nevertheless, Vale still felt grateful since he had already learned about his Focused Extractions.
The limitation he discovered today means he could no longer use his Auto-Extraction as it would just waste his extraction attempt if he got Intelligence points instead.
''I guess I can''t reach one thousand attributes, huh¡ Perhaps I have toplete something to exceed my limit?'' Vale silently thought.
Anyway, he decided not to overthink this as he shifted his attention to the cane and the sword he got.
The silver and ck cane was from Charles ckwood, the previous headmaster. After entering his Phantasm State, he saw three ck mes inside.
It means that the cane has the power of darkness inside.
Vale couldn''t help but recall something from this. This is simr to the golden pocket watch that he had when he allowed Master Heinz to check it.
At that time, the Pocketwatch had a tiny ck me inside, which could bring misfortune to people possessing the item. This is what they concluded when they checked it before in their Phantasm State.
However, the Pocketwatch ispletely different now.
After it was fixed and kept in his bag for so long, the Pocketwatch had already changed and seemed to have gathered enough mystical energy.
This is the reason why he had decided to always keep it beside him from now on.
He was actually starting to believe that this Pocketwatch was really an item that was previously owned by the Paragons! It may be in its recovering state right now, but Vale knows that it was only a matter of time until it gets back to its peak.
''This Cane should have an interesting power. I should ask Headmaster Jean about this. They have a simr Cane¡ perhaps I should just sell this to him if he liked it?'' Vale thought to himself as he looked at the intricately designed cane.
This cane doesn''t seem to suit him, so he didn''t mind selling it if an opportunity came. The silver design on it makes it heavier.
He would rather choose a light wood material if he ever had a cane. He also wanted to make it with a simpler design instead of making it too luxurious.
After looking at this, he shifted his attention to the sword. It is currently shrouded in darkness and doesn''t look like a sword at all.
His face turned serious as he asked Yvaine.
"Can you still restrain its power? You''re not draining it, are you?"
"I can''t drain it even if I want to. Lightning works well against Spirit. I might die if I went too far." Yvaine answered.
The power emitted by the sword was simply too much.
If he did not ask Yvaine to restrain it, there was no way he would be able to enter this vige without garnering suspicions.
Chapter 296 Found
Three days had quickly passed after Vale infiltrated the castle.
At this time, even the students in the Academy had been informed that the ce where Philip was being held was destroyed by an Arcanist known as the Masked Devil Incarnate.
No one knew which Faction this Arcanist belonged to, but ording to the noble family that was attacked, the Masked Devil was capable of using Dark Arts, and he had various Mystical Artifacts that allowed him to summon lightning, use an Aura, and possess a monstrous strength.
In short, the Masked Devil certainly had an organization supporting him behind the scenes.
Because of this, the Dark Arts Faction was med for the death of many innocent people working in the castle.
Of course, the Faction didn''t stay silent after being used by those people. The Dark Sorcerer Refuge released a statement that the Faction wasn''t involved in the destruction of the castle.
It wasn''t just that. They also spread a piece of information rted to the Secret Organization.
They hinted that the Viscount''s family must be involved with the said Organization searching for the relics of the three Paragons. They suspected that the Organization must''ve offended someone they shouldn''t, so they received such a strong retaliation for the Masked Devil.
In the Vermont Academy, Headmaster Jean was reading the newspaper with a frown.
He then looked at the tall, middle-aged man seated on his office couch.
"Isaac¡ Do you think Vale was involved in this thing? To be fair, it feels like something he could do¡" Jean said after putting down the newspaper.
"Aren''t you overestimating the kid?" Isaac asked as he yed around with the card he was holding.
Jean shook his head at this as he exined. "I''m not saying he did this alone. However, he must be involved in some way, considering how the Dark Seers failed to ount for the appearance of the Masked Devil and how Vale volunteered to check out the situation¡ I believe it wasn''t just a coincidence."
Isaac went silent for a brief moment before he nodded.
"If he inherited the secret treasures of the Chambers Family and if Heinz didn''t tell you everything about his experiment, then perhaps, this is rted to Vale." Isaac said. He was also considering how the Masked Devil summoned such a bolt of lightning that even the five Churches had to be wary of.
The churches may not have spoken out loud about this matter, but ording to their sources, even the Cardinals were mobilized to try and subdue this Masked Devil.
Unfortunately, this person disappeared after the incident, and until now, no one knows his whereabouts.
"Mhmm¡ I wonder when will he return... He''s really taking his time." Jean muttered as he summoned Vale''s shadow in his palm.
"Speaking of which, what about Philip''s shadow?" Isaac asked.
Jean smiled at this and showed Philip''s lively shadow.
"He''s fine¡ He still has plenty of energy. It seems that he was really saved. I''m guessing that while the Masked Devil was causing chaos outside the castle, Vale must''ve sneaked in and saved Philip in the process." Jean replied before keeping the two''s shadows back to his body.
As the two continued chatting about the news they''d recently received.
The people they''ve been waiting for have finally arrived.
The door of the office opened, and a group of seven Dark Alchemists entered the room.
"Good afternoon, Headmaster Jean. I''m Zach Everette, the Captain of the Vessel''s Alchemy Division. I''ve heard plenty of things about you."I think you should take a look at
Zach, a tall and skinny man in his twenties, introduced himself with a gentle smile on his face. His blond hair, which was slowly turning white from its roots, was quite eye-catching since he was too young to have white hair.
"I should''ve greeted you outside, but I had another visitor to attend to¡ª" Headmaster Jean said as he gestured to Isaac, who was sittingfortably on the couch.
"It''s alright, Headmaster Jean. We''re basically interrupting your operations in the Academy bying here on such short notice." Zack waved his hands.
He didn''t really mind meeting here in the office. He felt that this was much better than weing them in the dockyard.
"In any case, I''m already excited to see Master Heinz''s apprentice¡ When can I meet him?" Zach asked the Headmaster.
This time, the other six who had alsoe with him looked at Headmaster Jean with an expectant gaze.
***
In the meantime, in the middle of the day in Carmen Vige, where Vale and Philip are staying, a couple of Arcanists started looking around its surroundings.
The two of them looked very calm as they silently scanned the whole vige.
"Seriously, did the enemy think we won''t find them here?" A man wearing a ck trench coat and top hot said with a hint of confusion.
"Erika, go ahead and report this to the Viscount." The man said as he looked at his assistant.
"Sir Sherman, the enemy this time is very strong. Are you sure you can handle this yourself?" Erika asked after some hesitation.
"I''m fine. You''ll just hold me back if you stay here." Sherman replied as he waved his hand to send Erika away.
Erika could no longer stop her boss as she swiftly left to find the Viscount. If she could bring back reinforcements as quickly as possible, then that would be the biggest contribution she could make.
***
At this time, Vale stood up as he suddenly felt something was off. He immediately entered his Phantasm State as he spread his Magic Zone¡
''They found us?'' Vale silently thought.
There were tiny fluctuations of energy in the surroundings. Although it was barely noticeable, there was no way he would miss these changes after being on high alert over the past couple of days.
"Is something wrong, Vale?" Philip asked after seeing Vale looking so serious.
Philip had already woken upst night. He was still weak, but besides forgetting numerous things while he was captured, he seemed okay.
Before Vale could even answer, the house they were at started shaking!
The walls and ceilings started to crack as Vale had no choice but to be on the defensive.
Boom!
A powerful tornado spell seemed to have been used as the roof of the rented house was blown away in just a few seconds!
Chapter 297 Match
''What a strong Wind Spell.'' Vale thought as he looked above to see the floating perpetrator. At this time, he already had his Human Shapeshift Spell activated and didn''t look like his original appearance at all.
Nevertheless, he still looked young simr to Philip''s age.
At this time, he wasn''t in a hurry to either escape or fight. He wanted to see if he could actually extract this person who managed to evade the natural detection of his Extrasensory Perception Spell.
The only reason he felt that something was off just now was because of his unnatural high intelligence. Having 100 Intelligence Points or 50 Spirit Strands seems to have increased his sensitivity in the surroundings.
"This¡ Should we not run away, Vale?" Philip softly asked while looking at the man floating above the vige.
The vigers also witnessed this scene as they started panicking and running away. Seeing someone flying might be quite an awesome sight, but it was also terrifying from another perspective.
Nevertheless, Vale didn''t feel the pressure facing this man for some reason. Right now, with his current set of spells, he just can''t think that someone could defeat him alone. Perhaps he would consider running away if there were a dozen of them.
"Haa¡ So they have to send me to chase after a kid? Tsk¡" Sherman said with a frown as he fixed his top hat while floating.
"Hey, are you the Masked Devil?" He added.
"Masked Devil?" Vale couldn''t help but smile after hearing this. He certainly heard about this nickname after staying here for a while.
"Yes, the one who destroyed the Murton Castle? Are you his apprentice or something? You don''t look that impressive." The man said as he briefly nced at Philip before shifting his gaze to Vale.
He could guess that Philip was the one who had been rescued from the castle. On the other hand, Vale seemed too young to be the notorious Masked Devil he heard from his employer.
Since the Devil Incarnate could summon lightning and defeat the previous Headmaster of the Vermont Academy, he was expecting something more.
He was expecting a mysterious man with a deathly aura surrounding his body, holding a skull cane, with a devil-like face, sinister eyes, and evil spirits surrounding him¡
However, Vale''s appearance disappointed him.
In the meantime, Vale was also assessing the man. He used his Divine Sense but to his surprise, he didn''t get a feedback!
The man must have a powerful Mystical Artifact to avoid the Divine Sense''s detection!
Vale took a deep breath as he considered a few things for a moment before deciding not to answer the man''s question. He didn''t see the benefit of answering him for now.
Instead, he raised his hands and opened his palm.
''Traceless Shift¡''
Vale triggered his spell as he targeted the man''s top hat. He knew that it was a Mystical Artifact, so he didn''t hesitate to take it. That would surely surprise the man, and Vale wanted to see how he would react once it was stolen.
However, something unexpected happened when he triggered his spell.
For the first time, he felt resistance using the Traceless Shift!
He saw how the top hat only shook for a moment before stabilizing again.
''This guy is too mysterious¡ This is dangerous.'' Vale silently thought as he looked at the person above them with a serious look on his face.
"Ho~ What did you just do?" The man squinted his eyes as he asked curiously. He touched his top hat and inspected it briefly but didn''t find anything wrong.
He was confused.
"What you did seemed harmless, so my defensive spell didn''t activate. I''m curious¡" He muttered.
Vale frowned at this since the man didn''t seem to notice what he just did! It means his Traceless Shift was resisted without much effort!
Then, he also tried using his Spirit Vision, and once again, he actually failed to see something abnormal in the man even though he was literally floating in the sky!
After some thought, Vale decided to change his tactic.I think you should take a look at
"I''m Eustace. Who are you? Why are you doing this to us?"
He needed to know the person before him, so he decided to engage in a conversation.
"Eustace, huh¡ That''s a rare name. Are you from the western region?"
"What if I am?" Vale asked.
"Mhmm¡ I just want to know my enemy. You can call me Sherman. I''m an Arcanist hired to chase after the Masked Devil, not you and your friend. Now, tell me where the Masked Devil is, and I promise as a respected bounty hunter, you won''t be involved in my hunt."
He paused for a moment as he seemed to have realized something and said, "Oh, did he leave the two of you after sensing my presence?" Sherman added as he started descending.
"He must''ve fled by now, huh¡"
With his current strength, he can''t feel threatened by a couple of kids, so he appears quite rxed.
Well, considering he was sent here to chase after the Masked Devil Incarnate, it was certain that he had the strength to back his confidence.
Vale decided that it was enough to probe this man.
He summoned his three Ghost Hands before Sherman couldnd beside them.
Sherman smirked, seeing the three giant Ghost Hands that Vale had summoned.
He also used a simr technique, but in his case, he used three human-sized Fire Hands to stop his Ghost Hands!
Vale felt it was a ridiculous match, but to his surprise, the Ghost Hands barelysted for a couple of seconds before being destroyed!
"Hmm?" Vale was momentarily surprised, but he quickly collected his mind.
Whoosshh~
The three Fire Hands didn''t disappear yet as they started getting closer to him.
''So Ghost Hands are a bad match against these ming hands?'' Vale furrowed his brows as he looked at the Spellsing at him.
He decided not to dodge this spell since Philip was behind him.
Instead, he confidently used his Spell Dispersion Spell to remove the Fire Hands in his sight. He even used his Shadow Soldier Spell at the same time and made it appear below Sherman while he was descending.
However, another unexpected thing happened.
''W-what? Isn''t this a bit too tough?!'' Vale thought as he gathered his Dark Energy in his palm and pped the weakening Fire Hands.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The Elemental Spell was finally dealt with.
That''s right, his Spell Dispersion just now didn''t disperse the Fire Spell but only weakened it to the point that he could just p it to disappear.
The Spell Dispersion was still working, but it didn''t seem effective against the man''s spell!
''What''s going on?''
Vale then shifted his attention to his Shadow Soldier and realized that a hand-sized mirror, held by Sherman, was beaming light on his soldier and made it unable to move!
It was even slowly melting away!
Chapter 298 Deal
"Ho~ You have some nice spells. What kind of Dark Art was that? You actually managed to weaken my Advanced Realm Molten Hands and even pped them safely without burning your hands." Sherman said with genuine curiosity.
He looked at Vale with an amused smile as he didn''t expect such a result.
The Molten Hands he used just now were simply meant to scare the two kids. He didn''t intend to kill them since he felt they should be given a chance.
After all, when he was their age, he alsomitted various petty crimes to survive in the streets of arger city.
Because of that, he had a soft spot for these kids that weren''t on the right path. He then shifted his attention to the summoned being below him.
"This Shadow Soldier was also quite impressive. It''s been a while since I''ve seen someone use this Spell. It''s resisting my mirror really well. I didn''t know you could have such a tough summon just by using a shadow as a medium. I thought it won''t be stronger than Evil Creatures¡" Sherman said with interest. He couldn''t help but praise the Shadow Soldier that Vale summoned.
"Eustace, tell me¡ Are you the Masked Devil''s son?" Sherman asked.
He can''t tell what realm of mastery Eustace has achieved with this Shadow Soldier Spell since he had no one topare with. Nevertheless, he knows that not just anyone can suppress this being. It was a good thing that he was the one who got this mission.
If other bounty hunters tried chasing this kid, they would certainly die just from the Shadow Soldier he was suppressing.
''It seems I have to be careful of Dark Magicians with Shadow Soldier in the future.'' He added in his mind.
This time, Vale realized the threat of the man in front of him, so he answered cautiously. "I''m not¡ The Masked Man had already left the two of us since his mission was simply to rescue him!" Vale said as he pointed to Philip.
"I''m sent here to bring back the student your employer kidnapped. If you want to know about that person, ask the Dark Arts Faction. They might be the one who hired that Masked Devil." Vale added.
He also canceled his Shadow Soldier spell at this time since he can only use three Spells at the same time.
Because of that, three of his Spells were unusable for a few moments. They were the Traceless Shift, Ghost Hands, and Shadow Soldier.
As for his Spell Dispersion, the cooldown of this Spell was only a few seconds since he didn''t use its wide-area function.
''Should I use Shadow Muttion?'' Vale pondered as he stepped closer to Philip. He also grabbed the cane and the lightning sword wrapped into a cloth bundle.
"Hmm¡ He already left?" Sherman repeated as he touched his shaved beard.
"Yes¡ If you still want to capture us, then we will fight to the death!" Vale answered though he wasn''t really intent on doing that.
He was simply waiting for a chance to activate his nar Spell. He was confident that this man shouldn''t be able to defend against a Celestial Arts¡
The only problem with this n is even if hended the nar Spell, Vale himself wasn''t confident of destroying the man''s shadow.I think you should take a look at
This person had too many defensive spells and artifacts with him!
As he was considering of using his Lightspeed and Light Absorption to escape, he heard Sherman sigh as he looked at them.
"Tsk¡ My mission is to eliminate the Masked Devil and not to kidnap kids, alright? Don''t lump me in with those nobles¡ I don''t have the same hobby as them. However, I can''t just pretend I didn''t see you." Sherman paused as he thought for a moment.
"If you manage to stop one of my attacks, I''ll just let the two of you go."
After hearing this, Vale realized that this person wasn''t that bad. Although he was a bit dumb for not thinking that he was the Masked Devil, he seemed to have morals and wasn''t that ruthless. Vale liked this type of person, so he agreed.
"Very well, Sir Sherman¡ Come at me¡" Vale nodded as he triggered his Arcane Armor and Spirit Vision.
Although he can''t observe Sherman''s energy cirction with the Spirit Vision, he would at least know the flow of energy around him.
That way, he would be able to properly adjust his Spell Dispersion.
Well, if Sherman would only use his Physical Strength to attack, Vale was confident that with his Strength and Life Attributes, he would be able to survive without any issues.
However, if he uses a Spell, it would be a different story. He had to use his Spell Dispersion in this case.
"Mhmm¡ Nice aura. I can say that you have a solid foundation. You must have a great teacher." Shermanmented, but he didn''t stop making his move.
He stretched out his hand and pointed his left index finger at Vale like a gun. Then, the Arcane Energy around them started to gather at the tip of his finger.
Philip worriedly looked at Vale as he could tell that the person in front of them was probably stronger than his father or anyone he had seen in the Hoffman Family Branch.
As soon as Sherman was reaching the limit of his attack, Philip felt droplets of cold sweat forming on his forehead and sliding down his cheeks.
He wished he could disappear, but Sherman''s Aura was making him stay on his feet!
It was an invisible suppression that no First-ss Practitioner should be capable of.
''This guy is a Master Arcanist or even higher!'' Philip shouted in his mind as he saw a ray of lighting out of Sherman''s finger¡
He closed his eyes in despair, but as he was expecting to be killed, he realized nothing had hit him.
To his surprise, Vale was still firmly standing on his spot while Dark Aura was spilling out of his body simr to the Necromancers and Duhan Knights he had seen before!
Chapter 299 Attention
Sherman looked at Eustace and Philip, who were running away after he allowed them to leave. He couldn''t help but realize how old he had gotten over the past years working as a bounty hunter.
''That fellow is only about fifteen or sixteen years old, but he actually managed to stop 50% of my full-force attack¡ What kind of monster did the Dark Arts Faction create this time? Did they forget how they were almost annihted because of their experiment?'' Sherman shook his head as he shifted his attention to the people behind him.
A cute and plump female Arcanist, followed by a dozen Radiant Knights, were rushing to the vige.
Needless to say, the female Arcanist was Erika, his assistant. She had called for reinforcement since they were expecting to fight against the Masked Devil Incarnate.
"W-what happened here? Where''s the enemy?"
Erika was shocked as soon as she saw the destroyed house and the fleeing vigers.
Sherman could only scratch his head and pointed to the spot where he attacked Eustace.
"They escaped." He said with an apologetic smile on his face.
Erika was speechless since she knew Sherman wasn''t this type of person. If the enemies really escaped, he wouldn''t just wait for her reinforcement and would''ve followed the Masked Devil instead.
Nevertheless, she didn''t point this out as she looked at the area Sherman had pointed out.
It was devastated, and the surrounding was filled with rubble, but there was certainly a spot where the enemy caught or blocked Sherman''s attack!
"The Masked Devil resisted your Unshaded ir?"
Erika asked in surprise as she looked at Sherman to confirm her guess.
Sherman didn''t answer, but he gently nodded and left the scene. It seems that he was no longer in the mood to chase their target.
Erika wanted to say something more, but a few vigers started surrounding them. In the end, they still caused trouble in the peaceful vige, so she had topensate them for all the damages.
''Masked Devil Incarnate¡ I didn''t know you were that impressive. It''s a pity I didn''t see the battle.'' Erika silently thought.
***
In the meantime, while they were busy at the vige, Vale and Philip ran as fast as they could.
"Ugh¡"
Vale felt a sharp pain in his chest where Sherman''s ray of light had hit him.
He knew he was lucky to survive, but he also wondered how he had managed to resist such a powerful attack.
"Are you okay, Vale?" Philip asked, looking at him with concern.
"You took a direct hit from Sherman. I can tell that he''s a Master Arcanist or even above that¡ How did you do that?"
Vale wryly smiled at this as he shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
"I don''t know, Philip. I just¡"I think you should take a look at
''I just focused on my Arcane Armor, Spell Dispersion, and Incorruptible Body. I guess they somehow worked together to protect me.'' Vale wanted to say this, but his spells weren''t spells he should be sharing with others.
First of all, the Arcane Armor was not a Dark Spell, and the other two were Spells from the Malefic Branch, which wasn''t recorded in the Academy as ''Safe Spell to be Recorded" yet.
"I just did it¡ I was lucky that my physique wasn''t the same as normal practitioners." He answered.
Philip nodded as he was really impressed by what he witnessed a while ago.
A dark aura was spilling out of Vale''s body, and that must be one of his secrets. He didn''t mind if Vale wanted to keep it a secret, so he replied with a smile.
"That''s amazing, Vale. I guess you''ll get more enemies in the Academy at this rate." Philip said with a joke.
Vale smiled weakly as he knew what he was trying to say. "No thanks, Philip."
"Ugh¡ But I don''t feel very strong right now. I feel like I''m about to copse." Vale added as he closed his eyes for a moment. He had already consumed several bottles containing his healing medicine, but they were ineffective.
Philip wrapped his arm around Vale''s shoulder, supporting him. "Don''t worry, Vale. We''re almost there. We just need to get to the next city, and we''ll be back at the Vermont Academy."
Vale looked up and saw the path ahead of them. The sun was still bright, and they could sense a few people hunting in the forest while some were traveling on their carriages heading to the next city. The beautiful scenery around them seemed lovely and was a nice ce to rx, but unfortunately, they couldn''t stop right now as Sherman might change his mind and chase after them.
"Come on, Vale. We can do this." Philip said, encouraging him.
Vale nodded as he looked behind them. "Should we try asking them to give us a lift?"
Philip also looked behind and used his Phantasm State. Unlike Vale, he doesn''t have a spell that helps him detect the presence of Arcanists. However, he at least learned how to sense the presence of Mystical Artifacts.
He only sensed a couple of Regr Rank Artifacts inside that carriage. They were Talismans meant to drive away bad spirits and curses.
They don''t seem connected to their enemies, so after some hesitation, Philip agreed with Vale''s suggestion.
He also realized that they are too eye-catching while running faster than horses. Furthermore, he couldn''t use his Movement Spell for a long period, unlike Vale.
***
The Church of the Three Paragons was in a state of panic.
The Masked Devil, the mysterious Arcanist who had the power to summon a Heavenly Lightning, had sessfully escaped after wreaking havoc in the castle.
They didn''t care how he killed dozens of guards, priests, and knights¡ What mattered to them was that the Masked Devil had stolen the Divine Sword, a sacred relic that was said to contain the ancient power of the three paragons.
The Cardinals, the highest-ranking officials of the Church, had gathered in the Grand Hall to discuss the situation. They were all nervous and angry, ming each other for the failure.
"How could this happen? Why was it even in the Coulston''s possession?!" Cardinal Lucius, the leader of the Order of the First Paragon, shouted.
Cardinal Marcus, the leader of the Order of the Third Paragon, nodded. "Viscount Coulston had borrowed it a few days ago for a special mission. He pledged three of his mansion and all of his wealth if it was not returned in the stipted time."
Cardinal Sophia, the leader of the Order of the Second Paragon, sighed. "It''s obvious, Lucius. He was certainly called the Devil Incarnate for a reason. I heard he was safely using the Living Mask and Dagger without suffering any form of mind corruption. He probably used his devilish powers to resist. Lastly, he can use various mystical abilities because he has at least numerous Artifacts that are probably of Royal Rank."
Chapter 300 Return
300 Return
Lucius clenched his fists. "Then we must stop him. We must find him and kill him before he does any more damage. We must reim the Divine Sword and restore our honor."
The wealth of the Viscount may be enticing, but it didn''t really matter to them if the Divine Sword was missing. It was their mistake that they believed that nothing would go wrong after lending it to him. They were too confident that having various spies working for the Viscount and monitoring the sword all the time would resolve the problem.
Sophia shook her head. "It''s not that easy, Lucius. He is too powerful for us to handle alone. Even the Elite Bounty Hunter that the Viscount hired failed to catch him. Furthermore, the Masked Devil didn''t leave any clue aside from the fact that he uses Dark Arts. This person could be hiding anywhere. We need help. We need allies."
Marcus frowned. "What allies? Who would help us? The other Churches hate us for our arrogance and greed. The rebels and mountain bandits that could be useful at this time despise us for our oppression and cruelty. The heretics mock us for our hypocrisy and corruption. We''re only allied with a few organizations taking care of Arcanists rejected by therge Factions.."
Sophia smiled bitterly. "There is one who might help us. One who can deal with the Heavenly Lightning and wanted to take one of the Celestial Bodies in our possession¡"
Lucius raised his eyebrows. "Who?"
Sophia looked at him with a cold gaze and whispered.
"The Thunder Emperor..."
***
Vale Chambers and Philip Hoffman walked through the gates of the Vermont Academy, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. They had just returned from a harrowing ordeal, and both of them didn''t want to go through the same experience again.
''Should I look for Prisci, first?'' Vale thought but he immediately shook his head. He should just let the two siblings get together first. His matter could be der.
It must be remembered that Vale had agreed to rescue Philip under Prisci''s request, who had promised to reveal their secret about the Arcana they were aware of.
There may be few pieces of information regarding Arcana but Vale knew they were mysterious and powerful forces that governed the world of Arcanists and Vale was eager to learn more about them.
But their return wasn''t that smooth. Headmaster Jean, the leader of the Academy of Dark Arts, had summoned them to his office as soon as they arrived.
They weren''t even inside the Academy when a shadow soldier appeared in front of them and told them to head to the office.
''So you can send your voice through the Shadow Soldier? Howe I''m not aware of that¡'' Vale thought. He also felt curious why the Headmaster did not use his Telepathy for convenience.
''Ahh¡ Perhaps he can only use his Telepathy one at a time?''
**
It didn''t take long before Vale and Philip entered the headmaster''s office, where they saw Prisci waiting for them.
As soon as she saw Philip and Vale entering the room, she did not waste her time as she hugged her brother. She didn''t have to speak to tell how happy she was that they were able to meet again.
Itsted for a few seconds as she recalled that the Headmaster and Vale were also in the room.
"You''ve be skinny¡" Priscimented as she separated from her brother.
At this time, the Headmaster also spoke.
"Wee back, student Vale Chambers and Philip Hoffman. I''m d to see you are safe and sound. It was a huge blunder for the Academy to allow such intruders to kidnap its students. Because of what happened, the Academy will now waive your tuition fees and both of you will be given 10 contribution points for returning alive. But I''m afraid I have some questions for you." He said.
"Of course, sir. We''re happy to cooperate." Vale said, trying to sound calm. However, deep inside, he was already celebrating. He previously had 29 Contribution Points after working as a Potion Tester for Professor Sherah. Now, he will receive another 10 Contribution Points making it a total of 39 Points!
"Good. Then tell me, where have you been for the past few days? And what do you know about the Masked Devil Incarnate?" Headmaster Jean asked.
Vale nced at Philip, who nodded slightly. They had agreed on a story beforehand, hoping to avoid suspicion.
Philip knows that Vale was the Masked Devil but he already swore with his life not to tell anyone about it. Vale was his savior and there was no way he would put him in danger.
If it was spread that the Masked Devil and Vale were the same person, he would be the target of the Secret Organization.
"They took me to the Murton Castle, where they kept me in a dungeon. I can''t recall what happened to me inside but I''m sure they extracted some information from me. I managed to escape thanks to Vale''s assistance. However, it was with the help of a Master Arcanist who was also an enemy of the Coulston Family." Philip exined.
"That''s right. I didn''t know his name at that time but he happened to be there and I''ve taken the chance to save Philip while he was busy fighting against the soldiers. Then we both got injured and had to recuperate. We hide ourselves in a small vige for a few days before we headed back here." Vale added.
Headmaster Jean narrowed his eyes, as if he didn''t believe them.
"Is that so? And how did you escape from the castle? I heard there was a huge explosion that destroyed most of it." He asked, referring to the article he read about the incident.
"That was the Master Arcanist or the Masked Devil''s doing. He used some kind of powerful spell---Ah, No, it was done by Tracie Coulston. She''s the one who destroyed the castle and med it on the Masked Devil." Vale responded.
"I see. And you have no idea who this Master Arcanist is? Or why he wore a mask?" Headmaster Jean asked. "As you know, the Dark Arts Faction is now being med for his actions. We aren''t afraid to take the me but we at least needed to meet with this Masked Devil so we''ll know how to proceed and avoid offending him." Headmaster added with a smile. He seemed to be trying to show that they were harmless and just wanted to meet with Masked Devil for negotiation.
"No, sir. We never saw his face or heard his real name." Vale replied.
"Hmm¡ And what about you, Prisci? Do you know anything about this?" Headmaster Jean turned to Prisci.
Prisci hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
"No, Headmaster. I don''t know anything about this Master Arcanist or the Masked Devil Incarnate. I don''t think our parents would be able to hire someone at that level to rescue my brother." She answered.
Headmaster Jean sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Very well. I suppose I have no choice but to believe you for now. But if you find some clues about his identity, you must let me know about it." He said.
"Yes, Headmaster. We understand." Vale and Philip said in unison.
"Good. Now go back to your dorms and rest. You have missed a lot of sses and assignments. You will have to catch up on them as soon as possible." Headmaster Jean said.
"Thank you, sir." Vale and Philip said again.
They got up and left the office, followed by Prisci.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Prisci grabbed their arms and pulled them aside.
Chapter 301 Bandit
"Vale can you use your Spell to iste our surroundings?" Prisci asked.
Vale didn''t question her as he simply used his Darkness Maniption, Spell Dispersion, and Extrasensory Perception Spell.
"Done."
"Thank you, Vale. You saved my brother. I didn''t forget our deal. I''m wondering if Philip already told you about the Arcana?" Prisci asked.
"Not yet. I didn''t even mention our deal to him." Vale replied with an awkwardugh.
Philip also chuckled at this as he didn''t mind how his sister requested Vale to rescue him. As a matter of fact, Vale Chambers had been the topic of their conversation most of the time when they were together.
It has been like that ever since they witnessed how Vale defeated Bryle Genio of the Rakmiths Academy.
It was no wonder Prisci relied on Vale to rescue him.
"I was injured and we''re busy running away so we didn''t really have the time to talk about it. If it''s only about the Arcana, I can tell Vale about it. In any case, the Secret Organization must''ve taken that information from me as well." Philip replied with a helpless smile on his face.
"We can talk about itter. The two of you can catch up first. I also need to settle my things." Vale said as he showed his luggage. It was the wrapped sword and cane. They were his spoils in the battle a few days ago and they had to be maintained in case these Mystical Artifacts started going out of control.
Prisci nodded at this as she stood closer to Vale.
"Thank you again, Vale. Thank you for saving my brother and risking your life for him." Prisci said as she hugged Vale.
Vale also wrapped his arm around her, feeling a bond of friendship and trust between them.
After a few seconds, Vale looked at Philip, who smiled and joined them in the hug.
***
Three days had quickly passed after Vale and Philip returned to the Academy.
At this time, the three Cardinals of the Church of the Three Paragons arrived at the secret base of the Thunder Emperor, feeling nervous and uneasy. They hade to ask for his help in a matter of utmost importance and urgency.
Cardinal Lucius looked at the mountain ahead of them and couldn''t help butment. "I still can''t believe that his territory is on top of this Fog Mountain."
"Mhmm¡ It feels suffocating." Cardinal Sophia added.
Cardinal Marcus nodded as he held his staff tightly.
They went silent after this as they remained vignt.
They had to retrieve the Divine Sword, a sacred relic that had been stolen by the Masked Devil Incarnate, a mysterious figure who could wield all kinds of Arcane Spells. It didn''t matter what kind of Artifact he used to be able to wield Spell from different Arcane Paths, it was still threatening for them so they needed the help of the man who proimed himself as the Emperor.
The Divine Sword was the key to unlocking the secrets of the Paragons and they needed it more than the Celestial Body they have in their church.
The Thunder Emperor may have a bad personality but he was still someone who honors his words.
He was a powerful and feared Elementalist who would even dare to fight against the Order of the Lore Hunters of the Elemental Arts Faction.
He had a reputation for being ruthless and cunning, but also for being a master of lightning magic. This was the reason why he even called himself an Emperor.
If their estimation was right, he was one of the few people who could match the Masked Devil Incarnate in terms of strength and skill.
The Thunder Emperor also had a personal interest in the corpse of the Celestial Being, as he believed it could be a source of his own power and destiny.
''Since we no longer have a use for the Celestial Corpse¡ I guess this is a good chance to employ the Thunder Emperor and strengthen our ties with him.'' Cardinal Lucius said as he also sighed at the current situation of their church.
Even though they are considered to be one of the five Prominent Churches of the continent, they were actually the weakest among them in terms of authority and power.
They can''t even rely on their Pontiff at this moment.
Whoosh~I think you should take a look at
A cold breeze passed as they soon entered the territory of the Thunder Emperor, which was hidden in a remote mountain range that was also filled with fog all year round.
They were soon escorted by a group of guards who wore ck armor and helmets that covered their faces. They carried spears that crackled with electricity.
''These mountain bandits are more equipped than our knights.'' Cardinal Sophiamented in her mind.
They led them to arge hall where they saw a throne made of metal and wires. On it sat a man who wore a ck cloak that covered most of his body. His face was partially hidden by a mask that resembled a hawk''s beak.
His eyes glowed with a blue light that matched his hair. He held a staff that emitted sparks and thunderbolts.
He was trying to showoff his power.
He was the Thunder Emperor, or what he would like to call himself. However, he was simply called a Mountain Bandit by the others. Obviously, those who openly call him Mountain Bandit were already killed.
''I wonder how arrogant he''ll be after this meeting.'' Cardinal Lucius silently thought.
The Emperor was only 26 years old but had achieved so much. He was narcissistic and difficult to deal with since he always like to be above the others.
He looked at them with an expression of contempt and curiosity.
"Wee, cardinals of the Church of the Three Paragons. I''m honored by your visit." He said sarcastically.
"Thank you for receiving us, Thunder Emperor. We appreciate your hospitality." Cardinal Lucius said politely.
He wanted to call him Mountain Bandit but he controlled himself from doing that.
"Cut the pleasantries, old man. I know why you''re here. You want me to help you find and kill the Masked Devil Incarnate who stole your precious Divine Sword." The Thunder Emperor said bluntly.
Well, although it wasn''t in the newspaper because they have suppressed it, the Emperor must''ve nted some spies near the Church.
"Yes, that''s right." Cardinal Sophia said boldly.
"And why should I help you? What''s in it for me?" The Thunder Emperor asked.
"We are willing to offer you anything you want in exchange for your assistance." Cardinal Marcus said eagerly.
"Anything I want? That''s very generous of you." The Thunder Emperor said mockingly.
He then smiled wickedly and said.
"Very well then. I''ll help you on one condition: You give me the corpse of the Celestial Being."
The three cardinals sighed. They were already expecting this and prepared to give up the Celestial Corpse. However, they still hoped that the Emperor would request something different.
They had no choice but to agree to his terms.
They nodded reluctantly and replied. "We agree to your condition. You help us retrieve the Divine Sword and kill the Masked Devil Incarnate, and we''ll give you the corpse of the Celestial Being."
The Thunder Emperorughed loudly and said:
"Excellent. I''m d we have a deal¡ Please take care of the Celestial Corpse until then."
He then stood up and said, "Now, let''s get to work. I''ll need some time to prepare and gather some information. I''ll contact you when I''m ready to make my move..."
He paused for a moment as he looked at their reaction. "Ah, do you think I didn''t know that even Sherman failed to capture this guy? So don''t make me hurry. Until I contact you, stay out of my way and don''t bother me."
He then waved his hand and said. "You may leave now. My guards will escort you out."
The three Cardinals red at him but they still left the hall, feeling a mix of relief and dread.
They hoped they had made the right decision.
Chapter 302 Glasses
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Lisa Grayback woke up to the sound of her rm clock, which was set to 6:00 am. The rm clock wasn''t some sort of Spell but a Runic Device that she had brought with her to the Academy.
She got this during the summer break since most of her ssmates were using them so she had to try it as well.
"Ugh¡" Lisa groaned and stretched her arms, feeling tired and sore. She had stayed uptest night, studying for a test on the Intermediate Spirit Law.
She knew she had to ace it, or else she would lose her only advantage.
She got out of bed and put on her uniform, which consisted of a ck skirt, a white blouse, a red tie, and a ck zer. She then wore the coat or what she would like to call her Magician Robe on top of it which is considered to be a Regr Mystical Item.
She also wore a silver pin on her chest, which had the symbol of the Vermont Academy, a shield with a book, an eye, and a snake.
She brushed her teeth andbed her brown hair, which she tied in a ponytail. After fixing her hair, she looked at herself in the mirror and sighed.
''Not good enough¡ Should I join Aubrey and the others in their evening routine?'' She considered for a moment.
She wished she could look more attractive and confident, like some of the other girls in her ss. But she knew she was just an ordinary girl, with ordinary features. She knows that she can onlypensate by working hard with the talent she had.
She grabbed her backpack and left her dorm room, which she shared with two other girls who were alsomoners.
Well, they aremoners but unlike her, their family has connections with the Dark Arts Faction so before they attended the Academy, they already recorded a Spell Model.
The two were still asleep, as they had different schedules and sses.
Lisa walked to the cafeteria, where she got a simple breakfast of toast and coffee. She ate quickly and headed to her first ss, which was Ethical Spellcasting.
She arrived at the ssroom, which was located in the main building of the Academy. The Academy was arge and impressive structure, made of stone and ss. It had five other buildings, each dedicated to a different branch of Dark Art: Rituals, Dark Alchemy, Dark Magic, Necromancy, and Essential Corruption.
Lisa''s ss was in the main building where the first-year to third-year students are.
She entered the ssroom and took her seat in the back row. She preferred to sit there, as it was less noticeable and less crowded. Furthermore, Vale Chambers was close to her.
She didn''t have many friends in her ss, as most of them were from noble or wealthy families who looked down onmoners like her. They thought she didn''t belong in the academy, which was supposed to be for the elite and gifted.
The only exceptions are Aubrey, Chad, Leonore, and Vale. Of course, there are still a few of her ssmates who just didn''t know how to talk to her since they have no topic of conversation.
She ignored her lively ssmates and focused on the teacher, who was a young woman with blond hair and blue eyes. She wore a blue robe and a hat that had the symbol of Dark Summoning on it. She was Assistant Professor Machley, an alumnus who had just graduated a couple of years ago.
"Good morning, ss. Today we''re going to review your Darkness Maniption that you should have mastered by now. I hope you''ve been practicing it diligently." She said.I think you should take a look at
She then proceeded to write some words on the ckboard, it wasn''t through some marker but through her maniption of Dark Energy.
"The Darkness Maniption is probably the Spell that you would use every time when you face other Arcanists. This is the most versatile Dark Spell that can be used for various purposes. To cast this spell, you need to focus your mind not only on your Spell Model but also on the Dark Element you want to manipte, and chanting some words may make it easier for you if you''re just starting to master it. The more you concentrate and the more vivid you imagine your control, the stronger and more precise your spell will be." She exined.
She then turned to the ss and said¡ "Now I want you to practice this Spell in pairs. One of you will cast the spell while the other will observe and give feedback. You will switch roles after five minutes. Use these targets as your aim. I want you to wrap these dummies with your Dark Energy" She pointed to some wooden dummies that were ced at the front of the ssroom.
This confused the ss since the activity seemed very simple. There was no challenge doing this since all of them should be able to do this much.
"I can see your confusion¡ However, these dummies will reject your Dark Energy so it will be tricky¡ This is actually a training meant for third-year students but due to the recent incidents and the changes in the schedule of the Twelve Academies Competition, we will have to train you guys differently."
As soon as the ss heard this, they couldn''t help but feel excited since they were actually advancing their training!
"Great! Let''s begin, Professor."
"I''m excited. I''ll be attending the Competition!"
"Hmm¡ The students in ss 1 would probably fill in the numbers."
"Hey! We have Vale and Leonore here! I''m sure they''ll enter."
"T-that''s true¡"
"What about Neil?"
Assistant Professor Machley then pped her hands and announced the start of the activity.
The ss got up from their seats and formed pairs. Lisa looked beside her and realized that Aubrey had somehow partnered with Chad in reluctance.
She couldn''t help but panic as she looked around. She felt a pang of loneliness and frustration as she realized once again that she didn''t have many friends here.
She then noticed that there was one person who was also alone: Vale Chambers.
Vale Chambers sat next to her in ss. He had ck hair and eyes that contrasted with his pale skin. He wore sses that made him look smart but also nerdy.
He was quiet and reserved, rarely speaking or interacting with anyone.
''W-wait¡ When did he start wearing sses?'' Lisa felt confused as she stared at Vale''s eyes.
Chapter 303 Activity
Lisa had always been curious about Vale, as he was very different from the other students. He was incredibly powerful and could be considered to be on par with their senior students.
Although many students doubted him after stagnating with his Spirit Strands, he didn''t seem to care about it. As a matter of fact, he didn''t seem to care about grades or status, or poprity either. He just did his own thing without bothering anyone.
He also had a mysterious aura about him that intrigued her.
Lisa took a deep breath as she reminded him about the activity.
"Vale, we need to participate in the activity. Should we pair up?"
He looked up at her with surprise as his mind seemed to wander off.
"Hi¡ Lisa. Yes, let''s work together¡ What''s the activity again?"
Lisa wryly smiled as she was right, Vale wasn''t listening to the assistant professor at all.
''I thought all the boys are interested in this gorgeous and young professor? Does he have a different taste with girls?'' She mused.
"Ahem. The activity was quite simple. We just have to take turns using our Darkness Maniption spell¡" Lisa then exined what they should do and added the assistant professor''s reminder that the dummy would actually reject their Dark Energy in the process.
Vale nodded after understanding what they have to do.
With his current mastery of the Darkness Maniption Spell, this wouldn''t even pass as an exercise for him.
Anyway, they quickly began to practice the Spell taking turns to cast and observe.
Lisa went first. She entered her Phantasm State and focused her mind on the Dark Energy surrounding them and chanted¡
"Darkness¡" This was her own chant. Spellcasters don''t have to chant their Spells as long as they ess their Spell Models. However, by creating your own chant, your control and casting speed was said to greatly improve so she was doing it.
Then, her dark energy that seemed to be a tiny ck me appeared at the tip of her finger. She aimed it at the target and released it. The ck me flew towards the target and hit it, leaving a small "scorch mark" before spreading throughout the whole dummy.
However, before it even covered half of the dummy, a repulsive force seemed to have been triggered as Lisa''s dark energy started dissipating.
Well, it was actually the same with the others.
"W-what? Howe it''s retreating?"
"What kind of Mystical Item is this?"
"It must be a Royal Rank item!"
"Fool¡ Even a Regr Mystical Item would be enough to shatter your Spell." Warren teased Roswell who immediately jumped to the conclusion that the dummy was a Royal Rank item.
"If I''m not mistaken. There''s a talisman that rejects the Dark Energy inside the Dummy¡ It won''t be effective forever but it''s enough to deal with our Darkness Maniption Spell." Leonore exined after seeing how she also failed to cover the whole dummy.
Assistant Professor Machley didn''t respond to this and simply smiled at her students.
At this time, Lisa finally heaved a sigh of relief knowing that it wasn''t only her who was having a hard time.
"How was that?" She asked Vale.
Vale nodded and replied. "Not bad. But you can do better. Before you release your energy, try to expand them inside you. Make it bigger and stronger. Then, don''t focus on just wrapping your Dark Energy¡ The professor only said to wrap it but it''s better to think of it as filling the dummy with your Dark Energy instead."
"Fill it up?" Lisa nodded as she seemed to understand what Vale was trying to say.
"Okay. Thanks for the advice. It''s your turn now." She added.I think you should take a look at
However, Vale shook his head. "Just try again. I''ll be watching."
Lisa didn''t argue and just agreed with him. Anyway, she knows that Vale was monstrous and perhaps, this training was just too simple for him.
She took a deep breath as she tried once more, following his suggestions. This time, she managed to make the energy stronger and hit the target with more force.
As soon as the dummy was almost filled or covered with Dark Energy, it started to recede once again. She failed but she was happy with the result.
She immediately looked at Vale with an expectant smile. For some reason, she wanted to be praised after improving with just a simple instruction! She believed that she deserves praise from the best student!
''Eh?''
She suddenly realized that Vale was looking at her awkwardly¡
''No, it seems that his face was turning red. Is he embarrassed? What happened?''
"Ahem¡ You did well. Good job. Keep it up." Vale said as he then stepped forward and took his turn.
He closed his eyes as if he needed serious concentration to do this. It was quite baffling but no one noticed this since they were all busy aside from Lisa who was watching Vale intently.
Snap!
Vale simply snapped his fingers and the dummy started to be covered in darkness immediately.
He didn''t summon a tiny surge of Dark Energy like Lisa! The dummy was covered in darkness instantaneously!
However, when only a tiny fraction was left in the dummy, the Darkness suddenly receded making Lisa feel pity about it.
As she was about tofort Vale, she heard him chuckling.
"I almost destroyed the Talisman. I didn''t know it would be destroyed if I filled the dummy with Darkness Energy¡ It''s a good thing I noticed it immediately. Don''t worry, you can continue practicing, Lisa." Vale said with a hint of a smile on his face.
Lisa didn''t understand it at first but after a few seconds, she realized that Vale had deliberately canceled his Spell!
"T-thank you?" She responded.
"Haha¡ No problem. You can continue now, Lisa."
Lisa wryly smiled at this as she agreed to Vale.
They continued to practice, or perhaps, Vale continued watching her practice.
During this time, Lisa felt that she had gotten closer to Vale. Aside from talking about the Spell, they found that they had a lot inmon, such as their love for books and their curiosity for magic.
They enjoyed each other''spany and had fun throughout the whole ss
She felt a bond of friendship and respect forming between them.
However, she didn''t notice that someone was watching them from afar, with a look of interest and amusement.
It was Aubrey Hall who had forced the two to be partners in this activity. All this time, she was looking at the two secretly, and seeing how they were so close together by the end of the ss, she couldn''t help but feel proud of herself.
''Well, well, well. Looks like Vale has found himself a girlfriend. How cute.''
Chapter 304 Too Much
"Captain, you''ve been observing Vale for a few days¡ Are you still curious about him? Why don''t we just ask him directly?" Elena asked her captain as she saw him observing the second-year student once again.
"Can''t you tell that this person is too suspicious? His current statistics reported by the Professors were too weird. Those Spirit Strands, Life Strands, and Power Strands were too much! What if he was already controlled by a Psychic from the Secret Organization? Even if not, this student might''ve been reced by a Shapeshifter already." Zack replied in exasperation as he felt baffled at this student.
His team''s Spells and Mystical Artifacts fail to scan or evaluate Vale''s status. This wasn''t something that would normally happen as it means that Vale''s Spirit was too high or that he was using a Mystical Item that stops them from probing him.
Just being untraceable already says a lot to them since no second-year student would bother to hide their current strength with high-level Artifacts. As a matter of fact, they would normally be proud of their achievement and wouldn''t use any Mystical Items that block people from sensing the amount of their Dark Energy, the number of Spell Lights, and their Artifacts, especially inside the Academy.
Normally, they would only be conscious of this when they reached their fourth year or sixth year since there would be plenty of practical subjects during these years.
"I don''t think he''s a Shapeshifter though¡ The only thing that changed about him ording to his ssmates was the sses he was wearing. However, Headmaster Jean confirmed that it was due to a mystical item Vale had been using. It seemed to affect his eyes as kept using it." Elena exined.
"Is that so?" Zach responded as he looked at her.
"Yes¡ Unfortunately, even the Headmaster doesn''t know which Artifact it was since Vale doesn''t have ns to reveal this item yet."
Zach sighed at this as it seems that he really had no other choice but to force Vale to reveal his true identity.
Zach Everette was a member of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels. Specifically, he was the Captain of the Order''s Alchemy Division and a master of Dark Alchemy.
He had blond hair that was turning white from the roots, a sign of his extensive use of Dark Alchemy''s Mutation Inducement. He was in histe twenties but looked older than his age.
He came to the Vermont Academy for a mission rted to the previous infiltration of the Secret Organization into the Academy, but he also had another goal, which was to meet the disciple of Dark Alchemist Heinz Becker.
ording to the information they gathered, the disciple was Vale Chambers, a second-year student of the Vermont Academy. He was only 15 years old, but he was a prodigy in terms of his Attribute Strands.
He wasn''t sure if Vale was already this talented when Heinz Becker had noticed him or if Vale evolved into something after Heinz helped him.
Zach took a deep breath as he followed Vale after his ss ended.
Zach had heard of Vale''s reputation and was curious to see how great he was. If possible, he also wanted to use him to meet Heinz Becker so he could learn from the great Alchemist.
He had a feeling that Heinz had recently made a huge breakthrough that could change the course of Dark Alchemy, so he wanted to learn of it first.
He soon found Vale in one of the openboratories, working on an experiment. He knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer.
Theseboratories are meant for the Introductory Alchemy ss of second-year and third-year students. This ss existed to ensure that when they reached their fourth year, they wouldn''t be overwhelmed or scared of choosing to walk in the path of Alchemist.
"Hello there..." Zach said with a smile. "You must be Vale Chambers, the disciple of Heinz Becker."
***
''He''s finally here¡'' Vale silently thought as he looked up from his work and showed a frustrated expression.I think you should take a look at
Of course, he recognized the man who had appeared as Zach Everette, the Captain of the Order''s Alchemy Division. He had seen his picture in one of the files that Heinz had given him.
Thankfully, the Headmaster already informed him about this person so he was no longer surprised that he was being watched.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly.
During the past few days, he had been using his Spell Dispersion and ESP Spell to ensure that no one would probe him and discover his secret. Although he knows that his natural high Intelligence could block these types of investigative spells, he would still use his defensive spells from time to time to increase his sess rate.
He even had to wear his Demonic Mask inside his room when this person tried probing himst night using a powerful probing artifact.
The problems in his vision had gotten worse because of that!
"I''m here to talk to you, Vale Chambers." Zach said.
"I''m interested in your work, and your potential. Aren''t you working on a unique potion? You should''ve heard about me since I conducted a few seminars with your seniors for a few days in the field of Dark Alchemy, I can help you." He added.
Vale shook his head at this as he didn''t need any help or someone to analyze his creation. In the first ce, he was only doing some minor adjustments with his Healing Medicine or Holy Water that he could make through his Blessed Healing Spell.
He was simply trying to make its shelf life longer. He couldn''t ask other Professors about this since they would question his possession of Holy Water and the source would obviously be questioned.
"My work is none of your business, and my potential is not for you to judge." Vale bluntly said as he was already feeling annoyed after being interrupted and being probed in secret for a few days.
"Oh,e on," Zach said. "Don''t be so rude. We''re both blessed with talent in Dark Alchemy, after all. We have something inmon."
"We have nothing inmon, Senior. I''m not going to specialize in Dark Alchemy either. I''m just here to restudy what I''ve learned in my ss." Vale replied.
"Is that so?" Zach curiously said. "Then why did you ept Sir Heinz Becker''s help? He''s not exactly a noble mentor, you know. He''s a madman who experiments on living beings and creates abominations."
Vale sighed as this person was obviously unaware of how he really met Sir Heinz.
"Master Heinz? I don''t know why you suddenly brought him up but he''s a genius who pushes the boundaries of Dark Alchemy and Dark Arts¡"
Zach went silent after hearing this as he tried probing Vale once again. He used his Spirit Vision and Dark Sense but once again, he failed.
This time, Vale wouldn''t pass it up. He endured it when he did it sneakily. However, he tantly tried to inspect his body like a pervert in front of him.
Vale looked at the man in front of him and spoke coldly.
"Senior, I don''t think you''re allowed to do something like that. You need to be taught a lesson."
Chapter 305 Ritual
Zach stiffened after hearing what Vale had just said. From the way he looks, he could tell that Vale was being serious about this.
However, he also noticed something.
''Wait¡ Did he really sense my probing Spells? Even the Professors here would barely notice anything after I probed them with my Spirit Vision. How did this kid¡ª''
"Senior, you know that it''s impolite to suddenly use your Spell without their knowledge even if it''s not harmful to the target." As Vale said this, he immediately summoned Yvaine, his Dark Spirit.
Yvaine had gotten a lot stronger perhaps because she had secretly absorbed a part of the Divine Sword''s power inside her. Her cold and deathly aura emanated throughout the wholeboratory and her Darkness Cloak seemed like a huge mantle waving through the wind.
''This¡''
Zach''s face turned serious as soon as he saw this Dark Spirit. Dark Spirits weren''tmonly seen but for a Captain of the Alchemy Division, he certainly had many chances to meet them.
At the very least, he had seen over a dozen of them, and all of them have onemon thing. They are all aggressive and difficult to control. They can doplicated instructions but they wouldpensate with theirbat ability and power.
Nevertheless, the one in front of him was different. When he looked at the female spirit, she was emanating hostility but also intelligence.
That''s right¡ There was a light in her eyes that made Zach shudder. Those eyes weren''t something he could find in other Dark Spirits!
As soon as she stared at him, he was instantly frozen¡
Of course, Vale was aware that Yvaine''s Deathly Gaze wouldn''tst for long since her opponent was still a strong Dark Alchemist with a high Spirit Strand.
The moment Zach was caught in surprise, he swiftly used his Ghost Hands and experimented on him¡
In the blink of an eye, one of his Ghost Hands appeared and touched Zach''s shoulder.
"Stop!"
Perhaps, Vale''s action was too aggressive so Elena, who had been secretly watching everything, could no longer resist as she appeared in between the two.
"Student Vale, I know that my Captain offended you. However, it''s not appropriate to attack him because of that. If he really wanted to harm you, he would simply ask the Order''s Curse Experts to curse you with the hair we found on your desk. Furthermore, Captain Zach didn''t even activate his defensive spells to show that he''s unwilling to fight." Elena immediately exined as she covered her with Dark Energy. It is to protect herself from the Dark Spirit''s gaze.
"I understand, Senior. I''m not nning to harm him either." Vale replied as he rectracted his Ghost Hands and ordered Yvaine to return to his shadow.
Just now, he tried triggering his system when his Ghost Hands touched Zach.
Unfortunately, his system didn''t acknowledge this contact, and the Extraction System was not triggered.
''Is it really impossible to do some touchless Extraction?'' Vale mused as he ignored the woman in front of him.
Extracting numerous people was quite an exhausting process since he had to move and touch his target until the process was over. Doing it a few times may be tolerable but for a hundredth time, it could be quite exhausting and dull repeating the same process over and over again.
This is why he had been trying to deepen his connection with his Ghost Hands and hopefully use them as his hands'' extension when he needed to extract people.
''Perhaps I stillck enough practice? Should I consider trying this out in the town? No one would be able to see my Ghost Hand if they can''t enter their Magic Zone anyway¡''
Vale felt that this was a good idea so he decided to just end this farce. He also had to quickly finish his experiment with his Holy Water, after all.I think you should take a look at
"Alright, Seniors from the Order''s Alchemy Division¡ Please stop using your Probing Spells on me again. If you try it again after this warning, I won''t just report it to the Headmaster but I''ll also act myself to ensure you won''t be able to do it again." Vale finally said as he returned to his experiment.
Zach, who was finally able to react, clenched his fist in frustration as he looked at Vale with a hint of disappointment.
''Tsk¡ It might cost me a lot but I have no choice but to get someone who can fairly test Vale for me. I''m sure he has a unique physique that made Sir Heinz ept him as a disciple¡ However, I need Vale to cooperate if I want to study his physique.''
As he reached this thought, he turned his back and left theboratory without a thought.
Elena apologized to Vale once again before following her captain outside.
Vale, on the other hand, didn''t nce at them as he continued doing what he was needs to do.
It took him almost two hours of experimentation before he felt satisfied and kept his Modified Healing Water.
''Mhmm¡. Not bad. Do I actually have talent in Alchemy?'' Vale thought to himself as he left theboratory.
Based on the aura he saw using his Spirit Vision, the Healing Water shouldst for at least 5 days before its power dissipates.
Well, all potions that are made through Spells or mostly made of ritual and formation, wouldn''t have a long lifespan. They would dissipate quickly and it''s the same for Vale''s Healing Water that was made using the Blessed Healing Spell.
However, after some adjustments to what he recently learned in their Alchemy ss, he managed to increase his Healing Water''s lifespan by 2 more days.
As soon as he returned to his dorm, he thought of taking a shower to refresh himself but he suddenly felt the Divine Sword!
''Not good!''
Vale quickly moved as he shouldn''t be sensing the aura of the Divine Sword in the first ce! He locked the door of his room and went to check the Divine Sword that was about out to burst with energy¡
"Yvaine¡ Suppress it for a bit. I just need 20 seconds!" Valemanded.
Yvaine swiftly acted while Vale immediately moved his bed.
Underneath his bed was a formation circle, simr to the one he was using in the Animus Haven Hall.
After that, he carried the sword that was being suppressed and ced it at the center of the Formation Circle.
As soon as he signaled Yvaine to stop suppressing the sword, Vale immediately started the Sealing Ritual.
"Hallowed Spirit, the ruler below the Eternal Darkness, hear my voice in my time of need
Lead me so I can bring darkness into my encumbrance¡
I request this of you with true devotion... Empower me with your glorious soul.
Seal this Mystical Item with your unlighted me!"
Chapter 306 Sealed
The sealing ritual he used was the one that Heinz taught him when he previously decided to seal his Golden Pocketwatch.
The Sealing Ritual itself wasn''t that strong, ording to Heinz, but perhaps, because of Vale''s unusual connection with the Spirit World, the seal that he made had a different level of intensity.
Vale had noticed how effective it was, especially when he tried resealing the Pocketwatch that was slowly recovering its power.
However, it seems that he had underestimated the Divine Sword. The seal barelysted for a week, and Vale had to redo the sealing ritual.
This time, Vale prayed really hard, hoping that the sealing ritual would get stronger that way.
Whom~
Vale suddenly heard a familiar sound confirming that the ritual waspleted. The Formation Circle he made had also disappeared confirming that the seal was sessful.
"That was close¡" Vale sighed as he slumped on the floor. He was really nervous a few moments ago when he felt the Divine Sword''s lightning energy.
If the Divine Sword''s power were fully released, perhaps, his room wouldn''t just be in a mess but the whole dormitory building. He could only imagine the trouble he''ll get into once that happened.
"Thank you, Yvaine¡ You did well." Vale said as he appreciated her work this time. The Dark Spirit simply nodded and returned to his shadow.
She didn''t really like talking, so Vale just got up and took his sword before he fixed his bed.
He looked at the Divine Sword using his Spirit Vision, and if hepared it to the previous seal, the one he made today seemed stronger.
''Interesting¡'' Vale silently thought.
The only problem was that this sealing method wasn''t really that great from the start. After all, the only medium he used was the silver powder from the Formation Circle he made aside from the prayer he chanted.
The other Sealing Rituals would require expensive tools and ingredients, and some would even sacrifice the lives of animals.
On the other hand, Vale barely spent his money on this sealing ritual. What he needed to learn was a stronger sealing method.
It wouldn''t just be for the Divine Sword but also for the Mysterious Golden Pocketwatch in his possession.
"I guess I should ask Professor Shirley about this. Or should I try asking Professor Lucius instead?" Vale mused as he wasn''t sure which Professor to ask about this.
In the end, Vale postponed his n to practice his touchless Extraction and focused on finding a better sealing method.
''Touchless Extraction can wait¡ I need a new sealing method as quickly as possible.''
It was unfortunate that they weren''t teaching this in ss yet, so he had to work harder in order to learn a new Sealing Method.
***
On the next day, Vale looked at his sealed Divine Sword and Golden Pocketwatch as soon as he woke up. Seeing that there were no signs of wear and tear on the seal, he heaved a sigh of relief as he washed himself to get to the morning ss.
He was already proud of his sessful sealing.
Although he hadn''t asked any Mystical Item Appraisers yet, he knew that the sword was a masterpiece, and it was probably a Sovereign Rank Item considering how it easily absorbed his Divine Lightning.
Tracie Coulston didn''t exaggerate when she called it a Divine Sword at all.
It was a weapon that could channel his Dark Energy and unleash powerful spells. Although he hadn''t tried using it, he knew he could do it if he wanted to. As for the price he had to pay, he believed it was his Vitality, so he decided to postpone experimenting with it.
"Alright! That''s all for today¡" Professor Morton said after finishing his Intermediate Darkness Path ss.
Vale''s thoughts were interrupted as he heard the Professor''s words. He immediately stood up and followed him out of the ss. He decided to ask Professor Morton about his problem¡
The Professor seemed doesn''t seem to be in good healthpared to when they were in the first year.I think you should take a look at
He was now a tall and thin man, with pale skin and dark eyes. He seemed like an overworked worker now that he observed him again. He wore a ck robe and a silver pendant around his neck. He learned several dark arts, such as curses, necromancy, and spirit maniption, so Vale knew that this Professor was also knowledgeable of the Sealing Rituals.
He may not be a master of each field, but he was approaching it.
He was also one of Vale''s favorite teachers, always encouraging his students to explore the mysteries of magic and not just the Dark Arts.
"Professor Morton, I have a question for you." Vale said as he approached him.
"Ah, Vale Chambers, the prodigy of the second year. What can I do for you?" Professor Morton asked with a smile.
Vale smiled stiffened after being called a prodigy¡ No wonder Chad, Aubrey, and the others are calling him that way.
"Ahem¡ I want to know if there is a way to improve my Sealing Ritual. I havepleted it on my Mystical Item, but I feel that it is not enough. Is there a better method?" Vale asked eagerly.
Professor Morton looked at him with curiosity. "You havepleted your Sealing Ritual? Ah, did you learn it from your parents? Perhaps from Sir Heinz? That is impressive, indeed. May I see it?"
Vale hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
"I''m sorry, Professor¡ I can''t show it yet."
Professor Morton helplessly smiled at this young student.
"Fine¡ Can you at least tell me how you sealed it?"
Vale didn''t mind this answering this, so he exined to him how he learned from Master Heinz''s guidance and how he had performed the Sealing Ritual.
Professor Morton listened attentively, nodding and praising him for his knowledge of such a difficult ritual.
Apparently, what he did was actually more difficult than using expensive materials and special Formation Circle or Spells to seal a Mystical Item.
After all, not everyone would be heard in their prayers, unlike Vale.
"You have done very well, Vale." Professor Murton said.
"You have created something that even 10th-year students could fail... But you are right, there is always room for improvement."
He paused and looked at Vale seriously.
"Tell me, Vale, do you know what the Sealing Ritual that you''ve done does to your item?" He asked.
Vale nodded. "It seals the energy inside the sword, preventing it from leaking or being stolen by others."
"That is correct. But do you know how it does that?"
"Yes? I think I''m borrowing the power of the Hallowed Spirit, the Ruler below the Eternal Darkness¡" Vale answered cautiously. He wasn''t sure at all.
Professor Morton smiled.
"That''s right¡ This is very reliant on the existence that you''ve called. It could also be dangerous, but I won''t be talking about that for now."
Vale nodded as he listened attentively.
"There is another method of sealing that is more advanced and more secure than the one you used."
Professor Murton looked around before he leaned closer to Vale and whispered in his ear.
"It is called the Soul Bonding Method."
Chapter 307 Threatened?
"Soul Bonding Method?" Vale repeated as he had never read or heard anything like this before. Nevertheless, it sounded cool, so he expected this method to be more beneficial than the one he was using.
"That''s right¡ Do you value that Mystical Item you sealed?" Professor Morton asked suddenly.
"Of course. It''s really important. I think I will use it more often in the future." Vale answered after some thought.
"Then, that''s perfect. After all, the Soul Bonding Method isn''t just a Sealing Method. It''s also a method to properly control Mystical Items. I''m guessing that the item you needed to seal was probably too strong for you, or you can''t handle its adverse effects." Professor Murton said.
Vale nodded at this since that was indeed the case. The Divine Sword wasn''t something he could control at the moment. Perhaps there was a ritual or requirement to make it docile, but he had no way of asking Tracie about that right now.
"So that''s indeed the case. This Soul Bonding Method creates a link between you and your Mystical Item. If you make a perfect Soul Bonding Process, it will even allow you to control this item with your mind. However, that will be a bit tricky."
"Why is that, Professor?" Vale asked.
"It''s better if you ask the person who''s an expert on this. She''s Professor Gale Evans, and she teaches in the fourth and fifth year''s Soul Path ss¡ I''m sure she can help you if you pay her or something. Alright, I''ll leave now. I still have a ss."
Professor Murton said he didn''t even wait for Vale to answer as he turned around and left.
"Thank you, Professor!" Vale still appreciated the Professor''s help. He finally had an idea of what to do. Before going to the clubroom, he decided to meet the female Professor after ss.
Even if the female Professor refuses to teach him, now that he has learned about the Soul Bonding Method, he could just research it or even ask his seniors in the clubroom in case they know this method. Furthermore, he can also use his Contribution Points to request some seniors to teach him about it if he bes desperate about it.
Vale finished his morning ss, and Lisa and the others invited him for lunch. Realizing that he didn''t eat his breakfast, he immediately agreed as he also bonded with his friends.
For some reason, he noticed that Aubrey was quite energetic today as heughed and teased Lisa for something he wasn''t sure of. On the other hand, Lisa was taking it lightly as she simply pouted at her friend before continuing to eat.
Soon, Vale found himself being blocked by a familiar student.
"Uhmm¡ Celina? Do you need something?" Vale asked as Celina blocked his way to the higher years'' building.
Since the two of them had different tasks in the club and other schedules, they would rarely meet up, even if they were clubmates.
Celina smiled at Vale, and he could tell that it wasn''t a kind smile.
"Senior Vale, It''s been a while¡ I''ve been really curious about you over the past few weeks."
"Oh¡ Was it because I rejected you?" Vale asked. He wasn''t really surprised at this point.
"Rejected? Haha! You''re making it sound as if I confessed my feelings to you... Anyway, that''s also one thing. You rejected my offer. After all, I don''t think you''ll have a better job than bing my Shadow Knight after you graduate here. I''m sure you''ll change your mind someday once you realize how great my family is."
"Mhmmm." Vale just nodded at her as he doubted that would happen at all.I think you should take a look at
Seeing how uninterested he was, Celina felt insulted as she gritted her teeth in annoyance. It took her a few seconds to calm down as she smiled once again and said. "I heard everything from Senior Neil¡ It was quite interesting how you used your Dark Spirit to suck his energy and even destroy his Spell Models."
Vale was confused at first, but he soon recalled how she was talking about his previous Extraction on Neil at the library. He had almost forgotten about it.
"What do you mean? I''m not involved in that¡ You should know that Dark Spirits have a unique presence. Summoning them out would easily be noticed by everyone."
"Hmph! I think you had forgotten that the Vermont Family are the ones who had a better understanding of the Dark Spirits. No other ns know about the Dark Spirit that we do. This means that I know that when a Dark Spirit reaches a certain level, they can suppress their energy and hide in other people''s shadows aside from their contractors. I''m sure that you''re the one who did that to Neil!"
Vale shook his head at this, as there was no way she could prove it anyway. It''s not like she was there carrying a recording crystal.
As long as he denies such allegations, she couldn''t do anything.
"I see¡ Unfortunately, I didn''t do it."
"Hmph! I know you did it. However, I will be lenient for you this one time." Celina said as she turned and walked passed Vale.
This momentarily confused Vale as he thought this girl would be so difficult.
It seemed that she had a n in her mind, but right now, Vale couldn''t be bothered about it, so he headed straight to the higher year''s building.
He would think about her matter once she did something stupid.
***
He soon found Professor Gale Evans in her office, which was located near the Dark Soul Tower, one of the most isted buildings in the academy. As far as he knows, only Necromancy Branch students can enter that ce.
Anyway, Vale knocked on the door of her office and waited for her response.
"Come in."
An icy voice said from inside.
Vale opened the door and entered the office. He saw a middle-aged woman sitting behind arge desk, surrounded by books and papers. She had long silver hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore a white robe and a gold ne with a purple gem. She looked at Vale with a stern expression.
"Who are you? And what do you want?" She asked with a stern voice.
''I guess this will be a bit difficult.''
Vale thought as he bowed slightly and introduced himself.
Chapter 308 Errand
"Good afternoon, Professor Evans. My name is Vale Chambers, I am a second-year student. Professor Murton introduced you to me¡ He mentioned that I could ask for your help." Vale said politely while observing the Professor''s expression.
"Hmm?"
Professor Evans raised an eyebrow. "My help? With what?" She asked.
Vale felt that although she sounded irritated, it might just be her voice and because she was also busy with what she was doing. Perhaps it was not a good time for her, but since he was already here, Vale decided to just try.
If he was rejected, he could just go for n B.
"Ahem¡ I havepleted my Sealing Ritual on my Mystical Item, but I want to know if a better method exists. Then, Professor Morton told me about the Soul Bonding Method and said that you are an expert in it. I was wondering if you could teach me how to do it. I''m willing to pay the price for an advanced lesson." Vale exined as he looked at her with unwavering eyes.
Professor Evans looked at Vale curiously as if she was trying to recall who he was. His name sounded familiar, but she couldn''t remember.
She then closed her eyes for a moment. Once she opened them, her eyes had already turned white.
It was quite a frightening sight if others saw this, but Vale had seen something scarier. He could tell that the Professor was using a Spell simr to the Spirit Vision.
"Mhmm¡ Interesting. Your Spiritual Strength seems stronger than mine. With that level of power, I think even a Sovereign Rank item wouldn''t cause you a big problem. What kind of item are you trying to seal?" Professor Evans asked curiously as she put down her pen.
Vale stiffened for a moment as that was certainly a valid point. With his current Spirit Strand, he could suppress most of the Mystical Items that exist out there.
Master Heinz had also mentioned something simr to this when he found out that his Golden Pocketwatch had a very weak effect on its user.
After some thought, Vale answered. "Ahem¡ I''m not nning to use that Mystical Item for a while, Professor. I can''t just keep it somewhere else without proper sealing or restrictions as it might cause trouble or even attract bad spirits while it was unattended."
"That makes sense¡" Professor Evans nodded as she continued asking about the Sealing Ritual that he had made.
Vale expected this already, so he swiftly exined how he had performed the Sealing Ritual taught to him by Master Heinz.
Professor Evan listened attentively as she found nothing wrong with Vale''s method.
"Do you know what the Soul Bonding Method does?" She asked as she leaned on her chair. It seemed that Vale had really caught her attention now. Her previous thoughts of sending him away were no more as she probed Vale''s knowledge.
Vale nodded as he repeated what he heard from Professor Murton.
"It creates a link or bond between my soul and my Mystical Item rather than a seal. Based on how he exined it, this bond seemed stronger and more stable than just creating a normal Seal to suppress the item."
"That''s right, it allows for a mutual exchange of energy and information between you and the mystical item. This bond also protects you from the negative effects of using that Mystical Item, as it creates harmony between your soul and the item." Professor Evans said.
"However, you can''t use this method on any Mystical Item. The item should be strong enough to bear the connection you''ll make using your soul." She added.I think you should take a look at
"That should be fine. The mystical item I sealed shouldn''t lose to some high-rank Mystical Items." Vale replied.
"That''s good¡ The next requirement is for the user to have a powerful soul and spirit. You don''t seem to have a problem with that, so it will now depend on yourpatibility with the item."
"Compatibility?" Vale repeated.
To be honest, he wasn''t sure if he waspatible with a sword. He knew that wielding a sword wasn''t something he could underestimate. He had tried swinging the divine sword before, but he wasn''t really feeling anything special using it.
"Yes." Professor Evans said. "Every Mystical Item at the Royal Rank and above has a soul of its own. Wait¡ªCalling it a soul might be too much for you." She immediately corrected herself as soon as she saw how shocked Vale was after iming that a mystical item had a soul.
"Let''s just call it their Essence. The Mystical Items at such a level have an Essence where you can link with them¡ This linking process is some sort ofmunication between you and the mystical item. If you feel thepatibility, you can create a bond that is stronger than any seal you''ll ever see."
She looked at Vale intently.
"But there is a problem with this method," she continued. "If you are notpatible, you will not be able to create a bond, or worse, you will end up harming your soul or the artifact''s soul, or both. Are you sure you want to learn this method?"
Vale expected this much. He even felt more inclined to do this Soul Bonding Method. So he didn''t hesitate to answer.
"Yes, Professor. I will do my best to learn this method. Right, can I actually do it with multiple Mystical Items?"
"Of course. It''s fine as long as your soul can bear the burden of having it linked with a Mystical Item. However, I advise that you only think of having a single Soul-Bound Item. It''s also for your safety."
Professor Gale Evans exined as she started writing something in her notebook.
As soon as she was finished, she ripped the paper and gave it to Vale.
"Get all the items in the list if you want to learn this method."
Vale''s eyes lit up as soon as he heard this.
''Finally¡'' He immediately took the paper and checked its content. However, he finds its content odd.
''Hm? These things can be used to start the Soul Bonding Method?'' Vale felt hesitant as he realized that what was written in the paper was mostly food.
Professor Gale grunted as she noticed Vale''s confusion.
"Ahem¡ They''re not rted to the Soul Bonding Method. Just get everything on the list, and once you return, I''ll give you the book you need to study. Hurry up! I don''t have money, so use your wallet to purchase them."
Chapter 309 Removing Spell Models
"Y-yes, Professor¡ I was just curious if you missed something from the list." Vale said as he looked at the list once more.
The items were so random. He didn''t expect that she would give such a simple instruction. He was only told to run an errand in exchange for the Soul Bonding Method, which was a valuable piece of knowledge. He wouldn''t even mind using his Contribution Points to purchase this knowledge.
"Now that you said it, let me add a few more things. Give me the paper." Professor Evans said as Vale handed the paper.
Vale wanted to p his mouth for saying those words as the Professor indeed added a few more things!
"Here¡ I''ll give you untilter tonight to get all the things here. You can leave now." Professor Evans said after writing for a couple of minutes.
Vale just briefly nced at the items before he nodded. "Yes, Professor! Thank you for your guidance!"
As soon as he left the room, he immediately checked the items on the list.
The list included things like:
A dozen fresh eggs
A pound of bacon
A loaf of bread
A jar of honey
A bottle of milk
A bag of coffee beans
A box of tea leaves
A bunch of bananas
A basket of strawberries
A cake with chocte frosting
A pack of candles
A spool of thread
A pair of scissors
A needle and a thimble
A book of crossword puzzles
A deck of cards
A bottle of perfume
A silk scarf
A pair of earrings
''What the¡ It''s just filled with random items. Is she being serious?'' Vale sighed at this as he had no choice but to follow her for now.
In any case, he had earned a lot of money before, so he didn''t mind spending even a couple of thousand. Furthermore, the things she was searching for weren''t Mystical Items, so he wouldn''t have to spend a lot of money. He only needs to spend his time searching for all of them.''I think you should take a look at
''It will probably take me a few days to get all of this on my own.'' Vale thought as he decided to get some help.
As he was thinking who to ask, he recalled something important¡ It was a perfect time to use his connections with other people.
With a n in his mind, he immediately went out of the Academy to visit Vice Captain Ashe. Since he already had a lot of practice, he''s already quite confident doing some Focused Extractions.
Furthermore, Vice Captain Ashe had a lot of helpers in the dockyard. Most of them didn''t have many things to do, especially if no Airships were docking or leaving the yard.
As soon as Vale''s figure appeared in the dockyard, Vice Captain Ashe immediately sensed his presence as she quickly went out to wee Vale.
"Hey! I thought you''d already forgotten about our deal!"
"There''s no way I''d forget that. Thanks to your suggestion, I was able to learn more about my Spell."
The two then continued chatting for a while as Ashe escorted Vale inside her squad''s office. Currently, Captain Cleo could not be seen as he left on a mission together with two other members of their squads.
Soon, Vale informed Ashe about the list of items he needed to purchase. He exined that he wouldn''t be asking for a fee if she could help him collect them before sunset.
"Mhmmm? They''re quite simple to find¡ Alright, I have someone take care of it." Vice Captain Ashe said as she didn''t even question why Vale needed those things.
She just called for someone who seemed to be a porter working in the dockyard and handed over the list to him.
Vale then recalled the money needed to purchase these things. He nned to provide the required cash, but before he could fork out his money, Vice Captain Ashe gave the porter a bundle of cash.
"Alright! I''ll call the others now. How long do you think you need to do the cleansing?"
"Cleansing? It sounded as if I would be exorcising them¡ Anyway, I needed at least five minutes or so." Vale answered.
"Only five minutes? That''s quick?" Ashe replied in shock as she asked Vale a few more questions. She had already used a signal to ask her friend toe and they were just waiting for them to arrive.
After 15 minutes or so, a group of people finally arrived. There were a total of four people, and all of them were girls. Ashe had certainly called her small group of friends.
They all looked excited as they were looking forward to removing their unused or already useless Spell Models.
"Ashe! We''re here! I''m so excited¡"
"Ahh? Is it this kid?"
"Impressive. He looks so young! I can''t believe he bested you in your duel."
"Ashe, are you sure we''re not interrupting your conversation? Ahem, we can arriveter, after an hour." Thest girl said as she looked at Ashe and Vale with a meaningful smile on her face.
The three other girls also changed their expressions as they looked at Ashe with wide eyes.
"Hey! Are you being serious now?" Ashe shook her head as she introduced Vale to them.
"This is Vale Chambers. I must remind you all that you can''t underestimate him. He already removed my Spirit Vision Spell Model, and you can look at me now. I''m all good. Aside from being weakened for a while, I didn''t suffer permanent injury whatsoever." Ashe exined, just in case they were doubting the young man in front of them.
Vale politely nodded at the girls who were older than him. He could tell that they were members of the Order as well, but they seemed to be on a different squad.
"Alright! Start with me, Vale. I just want to remove my Dead Heart Spell Model."
The girl who said this has tanned skin and reddish hair. She also had a few scars on her slim body. As soon as she announced what Spell Model she wanted to remove, her friends seemed shocked as they looked at her with an inquisitive gaze.
"Hey, stop staring at me like that. Dead Heart Spell may be a decent life-saving Spell, but I already found a Mystical Item that could rece that. If I could use my Spell Light for something else, then that''s better. You all know that I''ve wanted to record a strong Curse Spell, right?"
Chapter 310 Delayed
"Oh! Are you sure about that, Carol? I think Dead Heart is still good¡ Ugh, whatever, it''s up to you¡ What Curse Spell are you thinking of recording?" Ashe curiously asked.
Vale was also curious, so he listened attentively while observing the woman in front of him.
"Hehe, I''m thinking of recording the Vision Bane. The Dead Heart isn''t that great anyway¡ It could work against 3rd and 2nd ss Arcanists, but it won''t be easy to use against a First ss Arcanist. During our work, I noticed that our targets are just getting stronger and stronger. I''ve probably only used this Spell less than five times within five years." Carol replied as she sat beside Vale.
"That''s true¡ However, Vision Bane? It requires 10 Spirit Strands and 6 Life Strands, right? That would be tough to record." Ashemented.
"Yeah¡ You''ll probably need a month or two to record that."
"I guess it would happen in another six months since you need to recover after Vale removed your Dead Heart Spell Model."
The others also agreed.
Carol knows this as well, but she already made up her mind.
"I''m ready now, Vale¡ I will trust you on this. Well, if you did something wrong or inappropriate, I''m sure my friends here will not make it easy for you."
Vale wryly smiled at these words, but he still nodded.
"Alright¡ I need to touch your hands while doing this." Vale said as he offered his hand.
"Hmm¡ That''s fine. Is this going to be painful?"
"Not really¡ However, you will feel weakened. That''s all." Vale replied. He could certainly weaken the intensity of his Spell Model Extraction so his target wouldn''t feel pain.
However, he didn''t bother doing it with others, so they would just pass out in pain in the process.
Carol heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Vale''s words as she closed her eyes and waited for her fate.
At this time, Vale also focused on Carol. He confirmed the number of her Spell Lights and each of their location.
"Can you pour your Dark Energy into the Dead Heart Spell Model?" Vale asked. He needed to find the exact Spell Light.
After all, even though he knew that Carol had 9 Spell Lights ording to his Divine Sense, he didn''t know what spells were inside these Lights.
"Got it¡" Carol replied as she guided her Dark Energy to her Dead Heart Spell Model.
Using his Spirit Vision, Vale was able to locate the Spell Model he needed to extract.
"Thank you. You can rx now. I''ll start the Extraction." Vale said as he started doing his ritual.
He repeated his chant in his mind before he started his Extraction.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the Extraction? ]
"Yes¡ I will extract the Dead Heart Spell Model."
[ Extracting¡ ]
As soon as Vale saw this notification, he was momentarily shocked. After all, this is the first time he got a dy on his system''s Extraction.
This had never happened before.
Nevertheless, he remained focused on his task as he kept his attention on the Dead Heart Spell Model.I think you should take a look at
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Dead Heart Spell Model ]
As soon as Vale saw the sessful Extraction, Vale immediately let go of Carol''s hands just in case the system continued extracting her.
The moment he did this, Carol slumped on the couch. She didn''t just suffer from the sudden removal of the Spell Model but also the Energy that was taken from her.
Her friends immediately checked her condition as they prepared several bottles of medicine and Mystical Artifacts meant to help her recover faster.
This was actually quite effective as Carol woke up after three minutes, and her eyes were already filled with energy. Although she still looked weak, she still looked excited.
"How is it?"
"Are you still in pain?"
"Can you check your Spell Models? Perhaps Vale made a mistake¡"
"Right¡ Now that you mention it, what do we do to him if he removed Carol''s Shadow Soldier Spell or other important spells instead?"
"The answer is obvious. Of course, we''ll skin him alive." Ashe answered.
The other girls whispered in their conversation, but Vale could obviously hear them since they were talking too close to him.
In the meantime, Carol had already entered her Phantasm State as she checked the Spell Lights in her body.
''Finally!''
Soon, she confirmed that she still had 9 Spell Lights, and one of them was already empty. She checked which spells remained and confirmed that her Dead Heart was missing!
She also confirmed that all her remaining Spell Models are in good condition and nothing was damaged in the removal process.
"You did it, Vale! Thank you! Right, how much was the fee for this? Ashe didn''t tell us about it." Carol said in excitement. She wanted to pay for Vale''s service immediately but didn''t know if Vale was even looking for money.
"It''s alright¡ I already mentioned the payment to Ashe." Vale answered.
"What? That''s it? Are you sure? You only requested to run an errand. It''s not even worth 500 zen! Are you sure about it?" Vice Captain Ashe asked Vale since, now that she considered it, that price was too low for his service!
"Five hundred zen? That''s too low! You shouldn''t be shy about charging us for your service."
"That''s right, don''t lower the value of your service. Especially if it''s this excellent!"
"Even if we''re your friends, you should know how to separate business and rtionship. You''d be taken advantage of by other people at this rate."
The girls thought the same, as they also didn''t want to owe Vale too much. There were four of them who needed Vale''s service, and they may not be sure how he was doing it, but it''s certainly not as simple as it seems.
''This¡''
Vale was a bit speechless as he even heard some genuine advice from them, making him ttered.
Of course, he was also feeling guilty since he was taking their Spell Models and Energy! They may find their Spell Models useless, but definitely not for him!
"Alright... Let''s talk about the payment after Iplete the job."
Chapter 311 Return
The girls soon agreed to pay Vale 1,500 zen each for the job. It may not be that much, but it''s because they weren''t earning huge money working for the Order in the first ce.
They were also tight on their budget.
At the very least, they agreed to help Vale if he needed them, like when he asked Ashe to run for an errand.
This works well for Vale since he might ask them for corpsester on.
Soon, Valepleted his task as he extracted a total of four Spell Models from the girls.
They were Dead Heart Spell, Ghost Hand Spell, Active Curse Break, and Dusk Imprisonment.
All of them are Tier 1 Dark Spells. As for the Energy Points, he got 40 for each of them, giving him a total of 160 Energy Points in today''s session.
''Mhmm¡ My Ghost Hand''s level didn''t go up after I extracted the Spell Model¡ I guess the level is already too high. Maybe I need a few more Ghost Hand Spell Models?'' Vale pondered as he checked his Attribute Panel.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 69.35, Agility 68.25, Intelligence 100, Vitality 67.80 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv7, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv8, Darkness Maniption Lv7, Spirit Vision Lv4, Light Absorption Lv6, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Cursed Breath Lv4, Moonlight Curse Lv6, Darkness Coil Lv0, Spectral Hands Lv1, Corrupted Chains Lv0, Dead Heart Lv0, Active Curse Break Lv0, Dusk Imprisonment Lv0 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv7, Blessed Healing Lv4 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv4, Shadow Muttion Lv6 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv6 ]
[ Transformation Art: Human Shapeshift Lv7, Beast Shapeshift Lv0, Voice Maniption Lv0 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv7 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv1, Soul Bind Lv2 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv7, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv7 ]
[ Avable Energy: 2017 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 2797.80 ]
He could only guess that after advancing the Spells to Level 7 of the Advanced Realm, he would need several more simr Spell Models before he could level them up. If that was not the case, perhaps he actually needs to extract a Spell Model with the same Mastery Realm or even above his current Realm.
''Well, I guess that Ghost Hand Spell Model I extracted isn''t even at the peak of Intermediate Realm.'' Vale thought as he closed the panel and looked at the girls.
They were all tired except for Ashe, who had simply watched everything. At this time, she was taking care of her friends, who could not leave the couch because they all felt weak.I think you should take a look at
"Guys¡ I think you need a long rest. Should I call your partners to take you away?" Ashe asked the four with a chuckle.
She felt quite happy that Vale had done what he had promised her. Vale may not have realized it but his sess today would certainly attract plenty of people. It doesn''t matter whether they are from the Dark Arts Faction or not. Vale would be able to service all of them if he wanted.
Of course, she wouldn''t spread this information unless Vale wanted him to do so. After all, she wasn''t sure if Vale was taking adverse effects whenever hepleted one job. Doing so many Spell Model Removal might cause permanent injury or damage to his body. She wouldn''t want that to happen.
"I-I''m still fine. I just need a few minutes of rest. In any case, I''m actually curious if Vale can extract one more Spell Model in me." Daisy, the one who gave up her Active Curse Break, said in a weak voice.
The Active Curse Break that she had thrown away was actually a great Spell since it wasn''t just meant to break the curse of the Dark Arts Faction. The Mystic Arts Faction also had some curses in their Arcane Path. The Summoners could also do the same if they have Summoned Beings that could use Curses.
Furthermore, there are numerous Mystical Items out there that could actually curse the Arcanists who tried using them!
It was a really useful Spell, so Vale was so excited when he extracted it a moment ago.
Daisy reasoned out that all the members of her squad have Active Curse Break, so she could just rely on them if she needed to break a curse.
In addition to that, she had already recorded another spell that could protect her against Curses or Hexes. It is called the Passive Curse Break, which could passively protect her. It may be selfish, unlike the Active Curse Break that could be used on others, but she certainly had a point.
"Senior Daisy, I apologize. I can''t do it again on the same person. The sess rate of removing another Spell Model would be less than 50%, so it''s better if we don''t push our luck." Vale replied with an apologetic tone.
He could do nothing about this since it seems to be a problem rted to the system itself. He had tried with others, and most of the time, he couldn''t even extract two Spell Models in a single extraction. He felt that he was only lucky that one time when he got twoplete Spell Models.
"I see¡ It''s okay. Can we also call our friends for help? They were still on a mission outside, so it may happen in the next two or three months." Daisy added as the others also looked at Vale with inquisitive eyes.
They were undoubtedly excited to tell their friends about the sessful removal of their old and useless Spell Models.
"Of course. You can tell them about it. Just let me know in advance about their number so I can make enough preparations. However, please make sure that this knowledge is only within the Order." Vale replied after some thought.
"Sure! Thank you, Vale¡" The girls agreed immediately.
The preparation Vale mentioned was actually quiteplicated.
He would consider removing some of his unused Spell Models at that time! After all, with the three new Spells he got today, he also used three Spell Lights!
It means that he was only left with 1 Spell Light today!
As Vale was thinking of leaving for now, the attendant that Ashe had ordered to get all he needed finally arrived. The man was carrying a box where he stored everything.
It was quite amazing that he managed to fit all of them inside.
After Vale confirmed everything was there, Vale finally left to bring them to Professor Evans.
Chapter 312 A Trick?!
Chapter 312 A Trick?!
Vale headed straight to Professor Evans'' office. He couldn''t wait to receive the books and start learning the secrets of the Soul Bonding Method.
To be honest, this method seemed really precious, and he felt that he was taking advantage of the Professor''s kindness. Her request was too insignificantpared to the value of the knowledge he would get to learn.
''Wait¡ Is she really being kind?'' Vale thought as he was nearing the Professor''s office. He suddenly felt that the request she made had a hidden trick.
Perhaps this was some sort of a prank? What if once I arrived with all these things, she would justugh at me and tell me how foolish I was to believe her?
''This¡''
He couldn''t help but wonder if there was something he missed.
He stopped in front of the office''s door and pondered momentarily. However, he couldn''t find any issues with the requested items.
''Whatever¡ I might be overthinking things.'' Vale thought, hoping Professor Evans would appreciate his effort and reward him with her teachings.
He knocked on the door and waited for her response.
"Come in." A cold voice said from inside.
Vale opened the door and entered the office. He saw Professor Evans sitting behind her desk, reading a book. She looked up and saw him with a huge box in his arms.
"Ah, you''re back," she said. "Did you get everything I wanted?"
Vale nodded and ced the box on the floor. He then took out the list and handed it to her. At this time, he was still nervous, unsure whether the Professor would stay true to her words.
This is the Dark Arts Academy after all. It wouldn''t be that surprising to find entric professors here.
"Yes, Professor Evans," he said. "I got everything on the list."
Professor Evans took the list and scanned it quickly. She noticed checkmarks beside each listed item showing how Vale checked them one by one. She nodded at this and smiled slightly.
"Let me see what you got." She muttered.
She then got up from her desk and walked towards the box. She took out the items individually and sifted through them before she felt satisfied with their quality and quantity.
In the meantime, Vale just watched the Professor silently as she took out the eggs, bacon, bread, honey, milk, coffee beans, tea leaves, bananas, strawberries, cake, candles, thread, scissors, needle, thimble, crossword puzzles, cards, perfume, scarf, and earrings. She arranged them neatly on a table near the window.
After finishing, Professor Evans snapped her fingers and a couple of Tier 1 Variants appeared beside her!
This shocked Vale a lot as he didn''t even notice their presence until he saw them!
He wanted to ask how she did that, but the Professormanded the Variants.
"Take these items to theboratory. Don''t damage them. Handle them with care."
After saying that, she shifted her attention to Vale and spoke kindly.
"You have done me a great favor. I don''t want to go out of my office these days... Your arrival was perfect."
She walked back to her desk and sat down.
"Now, let''s talk about your reward," she said.
Vale felt a surge of excitement. He hoped that Professor Evans wouldn''t just give him books but also teach him about the Soul Bonding Method now.
He walked towards her desk and bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Professor Evans. I am ready to learn from you." Vale immediately said.
Professor Evans chuckled as her eyes glinted.
"Good. I''ve readied the books you need to study."
Professor Evans said as she reached for a drawer and pulled out a stack of books. She ced them on the desk and showed them to Vale.
They contain the basics of the Soul Bonding Method. They are rare and valuable, so you must treat them with care and respect."
She pointed at each book and exined a little bit about them. Vale listened attentively as he knew that this was important.
To his surprise, some of them contained topics that were written in the book of The Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted!
The Soul''s Secrets: A Guide to Understanding Your Soul''s Structure and Function
The Soul''s Language: A Guide to Communicating with Your Soul''s Voice
The Soul''s Harmony: A Guide to Creating Bnce and Peace Between Your Soul and Your Magic
The Soul''s Partner: A Guide to Finding and Bonding with Your Soul''s Mate
The Soul''s Sacrifice: A Guide to Merging Your Soul with the Essence of the Artifacts and People''s Soul
Vale looked at the books with awe and curiosity. He felt that he was about to do something that should be forbidden, so he couldn''t help but look at the Professor warily.
"Can I check them now, Professor?" Vale asked.
"Not so fast," she said. "There is one more thing you need to know."
She looked at him seriously.
"These books are not enough to learn the Soul Bonding Method. You can only understand it." She paused for a moment to look at Vale''s reaction before she continued.
"In the end, this is simr to other Dark Arts. The Soul Bonding Method is not something that you can learn from books alone. It is something that you have to experience for yourself."
Vale nodded at this since that was the same when he was learning Spells. He had to experience how to record or use spells since books could only do so much.
"How can I experience it, Professor?" Vale asked eagerly.
Professor Evans gently smiled as she leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear.
"It is something that you have to do with me."
Vale was confused by Professor Evans'' words. He did not understand what she meant by doing the Soul Bonding Method with her. Well, he must be thinking too deeply, so he asked once more.
"Professor Evans, what do you mean by that?" He asked, baffled.
Professor Evans smiled and touched his cheek gently.
"I mean exactly what I said, Vale." She said softly.
"The Soul Bonding Method is not just a technique. It is a ritual. A ritual that involves two essence or souls merging into one. A ritual that requires a partner."
She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Vale was unable to move.
"And you, Vale, are my partner." The Professor whispered, and there seemed to be a force that prated Vale through his ears¡
Then, she kissed him passionately on the lips.
''Wu--''
Vale felt a jolt of electricity run through his body. He felt his mind go nk, and his will fade away.
What was even more chilling was that he felt his soul being drawn to hers as if by a ma.
Chapter 313 Trance
Chapter 313 Trance
''This¡'' Vale''s mind went nk as he did not resist the Professor''s advances.
No, he did not know how to resist! It seemed that he had forgotten how to do it.
Instead, he kissed her back and surrendered himself to her.
He did not know what would happen next or what the consequences would be. He didn''t even care if he was making a mistake by doing this.
He only knew that he was about to enter a Dark Path that might lead him to glory or ruin. He concluded this as he felt his soul drawn to the Professor.
"Umph¡"
Vale and Professor Evans kissed for a long time, oblivious to everything else.
They felt their souls resonate as if they were made for each other. They felt a surge of emotion and passion, as well as a sense of understanding and trust.
They broke the kiss and looked into each other''s eyes. It was a marvelous sight. They saw their own reflections, as well as something more. They saw their partner''s soul, their true self!
It was a weird sensation, and Vale felt confused¡ However, as the Professor hugged him, Vale''s mind went "clear" as he smiled and hugged the Professor.
"Vale, you are amazing." Professor Evans said with a sincere voice. Her eyes remained on Vale''s face as if she was trying to etch Vale''s face in her mind.
"You have a beautiful soul, full of light and power. You are the perfect partner for me. I''m so foolish to only realize it now¡" She added with a hint of ecstatic voice.
"Professor Evans, you are wonderful." Vale said in a trance. "You have a brilliant soul, full of wisdom and grace. You are the perfect partner for me."
His words reverberated throughout the whole room. If someone else were in the room, they would realize that Vale seemed to be chanting a ritual without his knowledge!
After Valepleted those words, the Professor smiled even more brightly as her eyes started changing colors. It was slowly turning ck, but Vale didn''t care about this at all.
They kissed again and moved towards the couch. Theyy down together, cuddling and caressing each other.
Professor Evans guided Vale as they whispered sweet words and secrets to each other.
They felt their souls grow closer and closer. There was only one step left before they became one.
They felt a wave of ecstasy wash over them as they began the real Soul Bonding Ritual.
Whoosh~
But something unexpected happened before they couldplete the ritual!
A dark shadow emerged from Vale''s body, taking the form of a beautifuldy with ck hair and red eyes. She was Yvaine, the Dark Spirit that had been hiding inside Vale''s shadow!
"Disgusting¡" Yvaine said in a chilling voice jolting the Professor awake.
Yvaine had been watching the whole scene with anger and emotion she couldn''t understand.
Although she initially nned to be an observer till the end, she somehow did not like Professor Evans or what she was doing to Vale.
She heard that the Professor was about to teach Vale the Soul Bonding Method, but she did not trust the Professor''s motives or methods.
She did not want her to take Vale away from her.
Yvaine paused in shock as she reached this thought¡ ''I don''t want her to take Vale from me?''
She didn''t realize that she had such thoughts until now.
Nevertheless, since she already came out, she decided to intervene and stop the Soul Bonding Ritual.
She pushed the Professor away and reached out her hand to touch Vale''s forehead. She sent a jolt of dark energy into his mind, breaking his trance and waking him up.
The Professor couldn''t even stop her as Yvaine''s presence was just too much! Furthermore, she was in a middle of a ritual. She was in a state where she couldn''t easily ess her Spell Models!
She fell on the couch and could only watch Vale waking from his trance.
Vale opened his eyes and saw Yvaine''s face above him. He felt a sharp pain in his head and confusion in his heart.
His eyes lit up as he realized what happened.
"W-what have I done¡"
He looked around and saw Professor Evans looking at him pitifully.
"P-professor¡" Vale muttered as he felt a surge of fear and guilt. He felt fear because of how he failed to resist the Professor. This shows how strong she was if he was caught unprepared! She was certainly dangerous!
It doesn''t matter if he has a Spell Dispersion if it wasn''t fast enough to dispel the Professor''s Spell!
On the other hand, he also felt guilt since he realized that he somehow enjoyed what they''d done deep inside! He somehow liked that fleeting moment even though he shouldn''t!
Hu~
After he collected his thoughts, he looked at the Professor sternly. This time, he had already activated his defensive Spells to ensure that he won''t be tricked again.
He did not like what Professor Evans had done to him or what he had done to her. He did not like the fact that he had been forced into this or that he had enjoyed it.
He jumped up from the couch and grabbed the books he needed. He wrapped them in a cloth and carried it with him.
He looked at Yvaine and nodded gratefully.
"Thank you, Yvaine. You saved me." He said softly.
Yvaine smiled and hugged him¡ or that was what he thought. She simply went past him and returned to his shadow.
As he thought that he would be ignored again, he heard Yvaine''s voice with a rare warm tone!
"You''re wee, Vale."
This made Vale smile for a bit as he felt that Yvaine seemed shy to reply in front of him. He may be delusional, but he couldn''t help but consider it.
Then, he looked at Professor Evans with contempt before he left the office without looking back.
He did not know what would happen next.
He did not know the consequences of turning her down but he wasn''t afraid of facing it.
Chapter 314 Study
Vale hurriedly left the Professor''s office. He wasn''t sure where to go as he considered confronting Professor Murton and asking him whether it was all his n.
However, Professor Murton had already warned him about Professor Evans, so he couldn''t entirely me the old Professor if something went wrong. It was also his mistake to trust a suspicious female Professor within this Academy of Dark Arts.
Nevertheless, he could also try reporting this to the Headmaster, but it feels like he would just make a big deal out of it, considering how he had also obtained the important books she prepared. Furthermore, Professor Evans may reason that she was simply trying to help him familiarize with the Soul Bonding Method.
After all, he was the one who asked her to teach him!
Vale sighed as he recalled what had happened between him and the Professor.
He could still feel her warmth and hear everything she whispered in his ears... It was a strange feeling.
"Hey¡ Vale, why are you smiling like that? It''s creepy." Suddenly, a familiar gentle voice interrupted Vale''s thoughts.
Vale jolted as he looked at Maya, who was oddly in this building.
"Creepy? What are you saying?" Vale asked as he would not ept that his smile just now was creepy. At most, it should be called a sheepish smile.
"Whatever¡ You''re smiling alone, so of course, it''s creepy. Even if you could talk to spirits or special beings that normal people couldn''t see, you should still control your expressions and act like they do not exist if you''re in a public space. You should know about that by now." Maya said as she looked at Vale curiously.
His clothes were messy and¡
''Was that¡ª'' Maya''s mind went nk as she noticed Vale''s lips and neck.
"That''s not important¡ I''m leaving now." Vale replied as he shook his head.
Realizing that Vale was about to leave, she immediately recalled why she was looking for him.
"Ahh¡ Master Sherah wanted to meet you. Visit herboratory when you have time."
Vale raised his eyebrows, confused by the sudden request.
"Is it about being a Potion Tester again? Did she post a mission?" He asked.
Maya shook her head at this. "No, it seems to be about Senior Cressida. I''m not sure. Just talk to Master if you want to know more."
"Cressida?" Vale repeated as he recalled his travel experience with her. "Alright¡ I''ll visit her in herboratory..."
He lied. He doesn''t have ns to visit that old Professor. Since Cressida was weird, her Master must also be weird, so it was better not to interact with them for now.
Luckily, Maya felt satisfied with his answer and just left after giving Vale a weird look.
***
Vale then went back to his room and locked the door.
He quickly washed himself as he felt that his body had sweated quite a lot from a while ago.
After that, he checked the Divine Sword and his Pocketwatch to confirm that the seal was still there.
Then, he opened the books he got from the Professor and started to read them.I think you should take a look at
''I should be able to finish this in a day or two.'' Vale mused.
It didn''t take that long before he was fascinated by the contents of the book, which exined the theory and practice of the Soul Bonding Method in detail.
The books said that the Soul Bonding Method could create a bond between one''s soul and another soul or essence, usually the essence of a magic artifact. Just like what Professor Murton said, the bond was stronger and more stable than a seal, as it allowed for a mutual exchange of energy and information between the ''partners.''
The bond could protect the partners from external interference or internal conflict, as it could create harmony between their souls. It means that if he did this bond with the Divine Sword, there wouldn''t be any other Arcanist that could control it aside from him.
The books also said that the Soul Bonding Method could not be learned from books alone. This was simr to what Professor Evans mentioned.
It was something that had to be experienced with a willing partner.
The partner could be another Arcanist, a spirit, or an artifact.
The books gave some examples of sessful Soul Bonding cases, such as:
A Dark Spellcaster who bonded with his staff, enhancing his spellcasting abilities and modifying a bit of his spells.
A Knight who bonded with an elephant, gaining its strength or power and bing its rider.
A Runecaster who bonded with a sword, making it his loyal and powerful weapon andpanion.
The books also gave some examples of failed Soul Bonding cases, such as:
A Necromancer who bonded with a cursed ring, losing his free will and bing its ve.
A Shaman who bonded with a demon, corrupting his soul and turning him into a monster.
An Aura Master who bonded with a mirror, trapping his soul inside it and losing his body.
The books warned that the Soul Bonding Method was not without risks and challenges.
It required a high level ofpatibility between the partners, as well as a high level of concentration and control over one''s Arcane Energy.
If one fails to create a bond, one might end up damaging one''s soul, the partner''s soul, or both.
The books also warned that the Soul Bonding Method was not without consequences and responsibilities.
It would not be easy to undo once it created a link between the partners.
There could also be other side effects that would depend on the Arcanist''s partner.
The books advised that the Soul Bonding Method should not be taken lightly or casually. It should only be done by those ready and willing tomit themselves to their partners, for better or worse.
"For better or worse? Isn''t this a bit too much? I just want to control the Divine Sword." Vale muttered with a helpless smile on his face.
Anyway, he read the books carefully and diligently until he fell asleep on his bed.
Chapter 315 Different
It took Vale three more days before he decided to try the Soul Bonding Method with the Divine Sword or what he would like to call the Lightning Sword.
After reading all the books he got, he concluded that his bond with Lotus, Yvaine, and his system was already an experience in itself.
It means that perhaps, he no longer needs the hands-on experience that Professor Evans wanted to happen between them before he tries it on his mystical item.
After his ss, he immediately went to the Training Hall and rented a room. He brought several things with him, including the wrapped Lightning Sword.
He chose this ce since it already has a Formation Circle that istes and protects the room from any outside interference.
He took out his Sword and unwrapped it.
He ced it in the middle of the room and looked at its gorgeous design. Its silver de and ck hilt have intricate marks and a faint glow.
Even without using his Spirit Vision, he could feel its power while holding it.
He touched its de gently and felt a surge of energy from it as if it was alive.
''Well¡ It''s probably the lightning energy I''m feeling¡'' Vale thought.
He then closed his eyes and entered his Phantasm State. He tried to connect his spiritual energy to the Sword, creating a bridge between them.
This technique was not new to him¡ This was quite simr to how he does his Focused Extraction. He would first connect to the Spirit of the person he was targeting before he begins his Extraction if he wanted to extract their Intelligence Attributes.
However, this time, he wasn''t going to extract Intelligence Points but to Connect with it!
As he felt the Spirit of the Lightning Sword, he opened his eyes, and this time, he focused on his Soul.
The Soul was aplicated ''thing'' on his body that he didn''t know how to utilize.
However, thanks to the books he read, he knew a few things about the Soul and Spirit.
The Spirit was considered the breath of life. It was described as if it was a me of life that was in all living beings, including nts and animals. It was also the food of Evil Creatures!
On the other hand, the Soul was considered to be a man''s inner nature. With regards to the dead bodies, the book even mentioned that the Soul was actually the one turning into a ghost by Evil Spirits, if the corpse was left untreated.
''This is harder than I thought¡'' Vale silently thought as he attempted to connect with the Sword.
He wanted tomunicate with the Sword''s Essence or Soul, creating a link between them.
After some time, he spoke softly to the Sword. He wasn''t expecting an answer, but he wanted to familiarize himself with it until he got a response.
"Hello¡ I''m Vale Chambers. I know that you have an Essence. You may not have sentience, but I know you can respond to your wielder¡"
He waited for some time, but there was no reaction whatsoever
"Can you hear me?" he asked. "Can you understand me?"
Vale started talking to it while he connected to its essence. He continued doing this a few more times before he stopped.
He didn''t feel too disappointed after being ignored since he knew he wasn''t wasting time forming a bond with it.
"Well¡ That''s a failed attempt." Vale muttered as he decided to do the Soul Resonance Test. After reading the books, he had been preparing for this over the past three days.
The books said that before attempting the Soul Bonding Method, one had to find out if one''s partner or target waspatible.I think you should take a look at
To learn whether it waspatible with him, he had to do the Soul Resonance Test. But he decided to skip this process a while ago since doing this test would cost 3,000 zen.
However, now that he had failed with his first attempt, he had no other choice but to do it.
This is the only way of measuring theirpatibility.
The Soul Resonance Test was easy to perform. One only had to use a Resonance Crystal that cost 3,000 zen each.
The resonance could be measured by counting the strands that would appear in the crystal. It could be rated on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.
He needed to get at least five strands to confirm theirpatibility.
Vale held the crystal tightly and pressed it on the Lightning Sword.
"Begin¡" Vale muttered as he hoped to get a high resonance with the Sword.
After five minutes had passed, he realized that there was no reaction on the crystal!
''Did I get a crystal with a factory defect or something?'' Vale frowned, but he recalled that it was tested before it was given to him. So the crystal shouldn''t be broken.
However, since he did not see any strands appearing, hear any sound, or feel any reaction, he wondered what he was doing wrong.
''Did I miss something?''
He looked at the books again, and after some time, he realized that he had skipped a small detail.
The books said that before attempting the Soul Resonance Test, one had to prepare oneself and one''s partner¡ It sounded simple, but it actually meant that he had to cleanse his body and mind, as well as the Mystical Item''s condition.
The books even gave exaggerated examples of how to prepare oneself and one''s partner, such as taking a bath or a shower, using water infused with herbs or crystals; meditating or praying, using candles or incense; and chanting or singing, using words or melodies.
''What the¡'' Vale sighed as he understood why he skipped this part while reading the book for the first time. It feels too superstitious and unreliable.
Unfortunately, even if he wanted to do it, he did not have much time or resources to do this now.
He also had other sses as a Second-Year Student in the Academy. The sses like Magic Circle Fundamentals, Ethical Spellcasting, Introductory Alchemy, Intermediate Spirit Law, and others have provided some assignments that he needed to work on, so it was tough to study the Soul Bonding Method on top of that.
He had to bnce his schedule and budget and hide his activities from others. He did not want anyone to know what he was doing, especially Professor Evans.
It took him another week before he managed to find some spare time to buy the requirements he needed, like the herbs, crystals, candles, incense, and better materials for a formation circle.
This time, he used them to prepare himself and his Sword in his room instead of the Training Hall.
He tried the Soul Resonance Test again and again, but he still failed. He saw no improvement in his results.
However, as he was losing hope, he felt a surge of energy from the Sword, as if it was alive.
''What happened?'' Vale was shocked as he realized that the Lightning Sword was doing something different for the first time.
Then, he realized that Yvaine was already beside him, looking at him pitifully.
"Your Soul is different¡ You still have a faint connection to the Spirit World, so it won''t work. Let me help you." Yvaine said while looking at him like he was a miserable man.
"Y-you¡"
Chapter 316 Lightning
"You waited till now before saying it to me?" Vale said, but he immediately shook his head.
"No, it was my fault for not asking you¡" He was a bit lost as he didn''t expect that this Dark Spirit could solve his problem just like that. He had been studying the Soul Bonding Method diligently, so he couldn''t help but feel disappointed in himself after realizing that it was all for naught.
Yvaine just stared at him as she seemed unwilling to exin further.
"Please help me, Yvaine." Vale requested. He still knew that he had to be polite whenever he asked for help.
"Mhmm¡ This will be quite different from the method you''re trying to do with the Sword¡ I would have to integrate with the Sword and control it to form a bond with you." She replied.
"W-wait¡ That''s not good. Will you be included in the Soul Bond? Isn''t that a bad thing for you? You can no longer return to the Spirit World once that happens, right?" Vale asked. He didn''t want Yvaine to be trapped with him forever.
To be honest, once he became a bit stronger, he was nning to free her so she could do whatever she wanted. He could even help her return to the Spirit World if she wanted.
It was to apologize to Lotus, who had ''passed away'' because of his failure to protect her.
"Don''t think too much¡ I won''t be included with your Soul Bond. The Sword you have here is special, so it won''t respond through your normal method. The problem is that you have a unique connection to the Spirit World. I eliminated it briefly, so the Sword responded for a moment. However, it won''tst that long, so I have to enter the Sword."
"Got it! Let''s do it!" Vale said, although he was still a bit confused.
Anyway, he knows that he really had a faint connection with the Spirit World, which was slowly disappearing ording to the Messenger he had seen before.
Perhaps, the Lightning Sword didn''t want to be bonded with a "Spirit," so it wasn''t reacting to his attempts.
Soon, Yvaine forcefully ceased control of the Lightning Sword. Vale could easily tell the changes since the faint blue glow had now turned into a dark aura.
Without waiting for Yvaine''s signal, Vale immediately began with the Soul Resonance Test.
Vale pressed the Resonance Crystal, and indeed, it immediately showed a result!
He got a 9 strand within the crystal! This wasn''t just his resonance with the Sword but also with Yvaine¡
After confirming thepatibility, he continued with the real Soul Bonding Process.
He detected the Essence of the Sword or Yvaine within the Sword and created a link connecting him and the Sword.
From here, everything went smoothly as the sword started feeling Vale''s presence.
Before the ritual waspleted, the weakened Dark Spirit swiftly came out of the Sword, escaping the faith of being bound to Vale.
***
Unbeknownst to Vale, a strange phenomenon urred as he bonded with the Lightning Sword.
A loud thunderp echoed across the sky, followed by a bright sh of lightning.
The sky turned dark as if a storm was brewing. The students and professors of the Arcane Academy looked up and saw the phenomenon with awe and fear.
Chad and Aubrey, who were about to leave the Physical Training Field, saw the lightning strike¡
"Wow, did you see that? That was amazing!" Aubrey''s eyes lit up as soon as she saw the sudden lightning.
"Yeah, I saw it. But I don''t think it was amazing. That was scary¡ Let''s go in!" Chad replied as he didn''t like the rumbling noise that followed the lightning.
"Aren''t you curious? Is that a natural phenomenon? A sign from the gods? A prank from some mischievous Arcanist?"
Chad shook his head¡ "I don''t know. Maybe it was a magic ritual. Ahh¡ Someone might be summoning a Lich! Was it the Gold Necromancer?"
"Hmph¡ The Gold Necromancer was already too old. He didn''t even act when we were under attack by the Secret Organization. Furthermore, all the necromancers in this generation are too weak. The most they could summon, aside from Skeleton Warriors, are Phantom Knights! Phantom Knights! Can you imagine that?! None of them could summon a Death Knight, much less a Lich!" Aubrey said angrily as she seemed so disappointed with the Necromancers of today.
Chad felt that it was quite funny, but he tried not tough. "I guess so¡"
"Interesting. Maybe this has something to do with the Order''s Alchemy Division. I heard that they were staying here to conduct an experiment. Maybe they''re making a top-grade potion." Suddenly, another student joined in their conversation. It was Leonore Rnd, their ssmate.
Chad and Aubrey heard her clearly as they nodded gently.
Their second-year ss had recently learned in their Alchemy ss that creating a top-grade potion could create certain phenomena that could affect the surroundings.
Maybe this was actually the one mentioned by their Professor.
Simr conversations around the Academy had urred as they looked above.
None of them knew whether this was a natural urrence or triggered by something else.
There was only one person inside the Academy who had a strange feeling about what was happening.
Snap¡
Headmaster Jean snapped his fingers as he summoned Vale''s shadow in his collection.
''Another lightning¡ I don''t think this is just a coincidence. Is the Masked Devil here?'' He mused while observing Vale''s ripped shadow.
It was moving strangely, like it was being stimted by something, so he couldn''t help but feel suspicious.
He immediately tried looking for Vale using the shadow''s guidance, but to his surprise, he could only roughly sense Vale''s location and not feel his presence at all.
He couldn''t even use his Telepathy to connect to him!
''Is he inside a strong formation circle?'' Headmaster Jean thought.
As he considered visiting Vale in his room, everything suddenly turned normal. Vale''s shadow moved calmly, and he could now sense his presence again or use his Telepathy of him if he wanted to.
''Strange¡''
Chapter 317 Detected
The Thunder Emperor was sitting in his tent, studying a map of the Eastern Region of the Milton Kingdom.
In his maps, several marks indicated the strongholds of the Dark Arts Faction and other organizations unaffiliated to the faction but were hiding Arcanists who practice the Dark Arts.
He had been hired by the three cardinals of the Church of the Three Paragons to find and retrieve the Divine Sword, a legendary artifact stolen from the Church by a mysterious thief, the Masked Devil.
This Arcanist was a huge mystery for him. He knew that a powerful Arcanist like the Masked Devil had left some traces somewhere. There was no way that an Arcanist of his caliber would just suddenly appear out of nowhere.
He must be an old and rich Dark Spellcaster within the country.
"I''m not getting any progress. What''s going on? Am I missing something?" He muttered while looking at the map carefully.
The Thunder Emperor was a notorious mountain bandit who had earned his name and fame by using his powerful lightning magic to raid and plunder viges and caravans. Of course, this was true a few years ago when he was still starting to spread his name, but he was no longer doing the same job as before.
He was now epting missions that those so-called righteous organizations wouldn''t dare to take. His earnings with these types of jobs were several more times than when he was still plundering caravans.
"Sir, I think finding this person would be difficult. He was using a mask when he destroyed the castle. No one knows his face, age, or even his gender. Perhaps he was only copying a male voice to throw us off. By now, he could''ve changed his face¡ No, just removing his Mask would make us helpless. If he was desperate to hide, he might even destroy the Mask to ensure it won''t be traced back to him again."
The Thunder Emperor''s assistant said while checking various wanted posters on his table. They have collected these posters over the past ten years, and there were thousands of them already.
They were hoping that the Masked Devil would match in one of them.
The Thunder Emperor frowned after hearing his subordinate.
He had been tracking the thief for weeks, following his trail of clues and rumors. He only learned that the heavenly lightning also appeared in the slums of Melthorn City aside from the Murton Castle.
This clue was a dead end. The assistant might be correct¡
As he was thinking of pping the mouth of his assistant for being so annoying, his mystic staff started vibrating.
Weng¡ Weng¡
The Thunder Emperor''s eyes lit up as soon as he saw this. He immediately held the staff tightly and closed his eyes¡
Boom!
Suddenly he witnessed a scene that the staff was trying to show him.
A loud thunderp echoed across the sky, followed by a bright sh of lightning.
The Thunder Emperor looked at the phenomenon with shock and excitement¡
''Where is this ce?'' He silently thought as he quickly observed the surroundings where the lightning strike urred. Itsted for a brief second as his vision disappeared and the staff returned to normal.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately took his pen and a nk paper before drawing what he had just seen.
He felt a sudden surge of intuition. He realized that it had something to do with the Divine Sword. He realized that someone might''ve triggered the real power of the Divine Sword!
He felt a sudden surge of anger.
''That Divine Sword is mine!''
Soon, he finished drawing and showed it to his subordinate¡
"Hey! Can you recognize this ce?" He asked.
The assistant jolted by the sudden question, but he quickly looked at the drawing.
After a few moments, he made a guess."
"A fortress? No, it looks more like a noble''s castle. The size is too big¡ Perhaps it''s owned by a duke? I''m not sure¡ However, that castle''s design seemed newpared to the old ones we''ve seen in the south."
"Call the others! I want to know where this ce is as quickly as possible."
"Y-yes..."
The assistant wanted to say more. He felt this would be too difficult since the kingdom had many huge castles. Most of them are owned byrge Arcanist Organizations, followed by the Nobles. It would be too difficult.
However, to his surprise, one of their members had actually realized where this ce was!
"It''s Vermont Academy! I''ve seen it before when I was still a porter. I''ve seen it from afar, but I can''t be wrong. I''ve seen someonemanding a group of zombies in that ce! There was no way I''d forget it."
The Thunder Emperor smiled brightly. He didn''t doubt his subordinate''s words since everything would actually make sense!
The Masked Devil uses Dark Arts, and Vermont is the Academy of Dark Arts! Even an idiot could guess that the Masked Devil had taken refuge in the Academy after escaping from the Sherman, the Elite Bounty Hunter!
''Perhaps he''s a Professor there? He''s a public figure that can''t be recognized as a criminal¡ Using a Mask would make sense.'' The Thunder Emperor silently thought.
Without any more hesitation, he gave a series of orders to his subordinate as they couldn''t let the thief escape again.
He grabbed his staff and stood up. He wore a mask that resembled a hawk''s beak, hiding his face and his identity. His eyes glowed with blue light, matching his hair.
Bzzt¡ Bzzt¡
His staff emitted sparks, showing his power and his excitement.
He decided to act quickly and decisively¡
''Hmph¡ I wonder how the Academy will protect you from me¡'' The Thunder Emperor smirked as he thought of his n.
This time, he imagined himself storming into the Academy to find the Masked Devil!
However, before he could leave, he recalled that there might be someone who could help him familiarize himself with the Academy.
"That old fool should still be alive¡ I''m sure he wanted to take revenge. This is perfect."
Chapter 318 Safe
The Thunder Emperor decided to meet up with an old acquaintance. Someone who might be able to help him with his mission.
Of course, this person had a grudge against the Academy and its current Headmaster, so he knew that he would be sessful in recruiting him.
"That old man isn''t that strong, but he still knows a lot about the Academy¡''
The Thunder Emperor muttered as he decided to meet up with Charles ckwood, the previous Headmaster of the Vermont Academy.
Many people may have thought that he died after fighting against the Masked Devil. But he knows he had survived through a strange Dark Arts.
He got this information by simply bribing the servants of the Coulston Family.
Soon, the Thunder Emperor left his tent and rode his horse toward an abandoned cabin in the woods. He used the lightning pulse magic of his staff to signal his arrival. He didn''t want to surprise the old man that much after all.
''He''s indeed here¡'' He silently thought after his Magic Zone felt the presence of the old man.
As he reached the cabin, he dismounted from his horse and knocked on the door.
The door opened slowly, revealing a man in his sixties with gray hair and beard. He wore a ck cloak and hood, hiding most of his face and body. He held a poorly made cane in his hand, supporting his limp.
This old man looked even weaker and older than before.
''I guess that Masked Devil had really done him good. But¡ What''s this smell? Is he in the middle of concocting potions?'' Hemented in his mind.
Charles also looked at the Thunder Emperor with recognition and resentment.
"Why are you here, Mountain Bandit?" Charles asked coldly.
The Thunder Emperor ignored the smell as he removed his mask and showed his face. He grinned and bowed mockingly.
"Hello, Headmaster," he said sarcastically. "It''s been a long time."
Calling him ''Headmaster'' when he was about to ask for a favor may be wrong, but he knew what he was doing.
As expected, Charles just grunted after hearing how the man addressed him. He didn''t shut the door and continued staring at the Mountain Bandit.
"I need your help¡" Thunder Emperor said as he exined his reason foring here. He started exining how the three Cardinals hired him to retrieve the Divine Sword and how he got the clue that it could be in the Vermont Academy.
Charles hesitated at first since he was still rtively weak after the Masked Devil sucked his vitality and destroyed his Spell Models. He hadn''t fully recovered yet.
However, he also couldn''t think of a better time to get revenge since he was already in bad condition, and he could tell that his ailment was worsening.
In the end, Charles decided to join the Mountain Bandit in his mission as long as he could act independently. He wouldn''t take any orders from Mountain Bandit and would prioritize his own goal.
The Thunder Emperor agreed with this as he only needed information from this old man after all.
Charles then asked to wait for him for about two more hours as he was indeed making a special drug that could help him recover his strength, even for a brief moment.
***
In the meantime, at the Vermont Academy, Vale realized that several Magic Zones had started spreading out and focusing on his location.
After reaching 100 Intelligence Points, his current Phantasm State had be so sensitive that he could tell the flow of energy within this Magic Zone.
''As expected, my Formation Circle didn''t iste the effects.'' Vale thought, clueless about the strange phenomenon that had happened in the sky above the Academy.
He only guessed that they felt that unique pulse of energy that had happened after he connected with the sword.
''They''reing¡'' Vale squinted his eyes as he felt the energy of three people rushing to get to his dormitory.
He looked at the Lightning Sword or the Stormbringer, ording to the memories of the sword.
He looked at it for a moment and gave amand. In an instant, the sword buzzed and turned into a ray of light before entering his body.
''Incredible¡ I wonder why the Church of the Three Paragons wasted its full potential¡ Why didn''t they try the Soul Bonding Method on this sword?'' Vale thought as he couldn''t help but feel curious about this. If this sword was actually Soul-Bound to others, there was no way it could''ve been stolen in the first ce.
"They''re here¡" Vale muttered as he looked toward the door.
Knock¡ Knock.
Vale took a deep breath before he opened the door.
Professor Lucius, Professor Ste, and Captain Nova of the Order''s Fifth Squad were outside.
Unsurprisingly, they questioned him about the strange phenomenon outside the Academy. Vale was unaware of it, so he denied any involvement.
The three of them didn''t immediately believe his exnation as they had suspicions about him beforeing here.
"Vale¡ Even if you''re not involved in the lightning, do you have some clue about the person who can control such powerful lightning? We learned that Sherman, the Elite Bounty Hunter, hasn''t given up his search for the Masked Devil yet. If he learned about this strange lightning, it wouldn''t be surprising to see him lurking around the Academy in a few days or so." Captain Nova said after some time.
"I''m not involved, Captain Nova¡ I''m still quite tired, so if that''s all, I like to get some rest." Vale said as he sent the three people away.
They inspected him several times using their Spells, but aside from sensing his strong Spiritual Energy, they didn''t find anything wrong.
"You can go ahead and rest." Professor Lucius said as he coldly looked at Vale before turning his back.
Vale heaved a sigh of relief after seeing them walking away.
However, as soon as he closed the door, he heard the Headmaster''s voice inside his head.
"I don''t know what you''re doing inside your room, but make sure not to cause trouble. Remember, you need to participate in the Twelve Academies Competition¡ You have to get your chance to participate with your own efforts, or I won''t be returning your shadow even if you graduate."
¦Ñ¦Á¦°d¦Ás¦¦Ïvel Vale''s eyes glinted as he heard the Headmaster''s voice...
He didn''t even bother to reply to the Headmaster as he stared at the Pocketwatch on his bed. He took it with him and kept it in his pocket, his thoughts unknown to anyone.
Chapter 319 Vessels
Another week had quickly passed after the strange phenomenon that had urred in the skies above the Vermont Academy.
Captain Stein Nova, a dignified man in his forties, was assigned to protect the Vermont Academy, one of the kingdom''s most prestigious institutions of Arcane Arts. As a leader of the fifth squad, he acted as a model for his squad members. He made sure not to miss his patrols every day.
He had been stationed here for only a few months, but he had grown fond of the ce and its people.
He was nning his usual patrol around the academy grounds, checking for any signs of trouble or danger. There are many naughty students in this Academy, after all. Cases of misused Dark Spells, failed Rituals, and quarrels between students from different branches of Dark Arts could happen any time of the day.
He had a routine that he followed every morning, starting from the main gate and ending at the Headmaster''s office. He enjoyed his job, as it gave him a sense of purpose and responsibility.
Seeing the growth of the students that will soon be the pirs of the Dark Arts Faction was something he enjoyed every day.
"Hmm? A failed ritual?" Captain Nova muttered as he felt a burst of energy. He wasn''t sure where it came from, but his first guess was that it was from the 8th-Year students of the Dark Magic Branch.
But as he was about to leave his quarters, he heard a loud explosion outside.
He quickly grabbed his sword and ran to the window. He saw a huge fireball rising from the nearby forest, followed by a cloud of smoke and ash. He also saw several figures flying in the air, hurling fireballs and lightning bolts at each other.
He recognized them as Elementalists, a type of Arcanists who could control the natural forces of earth, air, fire, and water.
"The Academy is under attack?! Is it the secret organization again?! They''re pushing their luck!" Captain Nova angrily said as he put on his mask and cloak, which bore the symbol of his Fifth Squad: a golden circle with a white star in the center.
He rushed out of his room and headed towards the main gate. He hoped that his squad was already there, ready to deal with the intruders.
In any case, there was no way these Elementalists could enter the Academy so easily. It is now fortified by the Fourth Division, and even his squad would probably need an hour to destroy it.
However, to his surprise, the Formation Nodes that were hidden on the walls of the Academy had been destroyed already!
A hole was made in the Barrier, and the gate was already open. He saw several guards lying on the ground, wounded or dead. He saw several Elementalists flying over the wall,ughing and taunting. He saw several lower-year students running away, screaming and panicking while the Professors and the higher-year students who happened to be near the gates protected them.
He felt angry and outraged. He drew his sword and activated his Dark Aura. He felt a surge of dark energy coursing through his body, enhancing his senses and abilities.
Then, he shouted with all his might¡
"Descend!"
This word seemed simple¡ However, if it was said by a member of the Evanescent Vessel, it had a very powerful meaning.
As he shouted this, all the members of the Order heard this as well.
They recognized the voice of the man who shouted with all his might.
Even Captain Cleo and Vice Captain Ashe, who were rushing to the Academy, heard Captain Nova''s voice.
Because of that, they realized that the situation in the Academy was serious. After all, calling for the Descent of the Order''s Secret Existence, could affect the lifespan of the Vessels.
Soon, the 14 members of the Order inside the Academy shouted the same word.
"Descend!"
Suddenly, a suffocating pressure descended around the Academy.
The higher-year students and professors who were rushing to help, suddenly felt the pressure. It was bearable for them but certainly not for the Elementalists that were causing trouble at the gates of the Academy.
***
Lisa Grayback, who was managing the library, looked outside the window as soon as she heard themotion. She didn''t n to leave this building since they were already informed that this was one of the safest ces in the Academy as this ce was guarding important books and documents of the Dark Arts Faction.
As she looked outside to see what was going on, she heard the battle cry of the Members of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels.
"Descend!"
It seemed to be a spell that triggered the descent of a mysterious being!
The whole Academy''s temperature started dropping as Lisa saw one of the members of the Order start morphing outside!
It was such a terrifying but magical sight to behold!
"So it was like that¡ They''re really Vessels for a Mysterious Being in another realm." A familiar voice muttered beside her.
Lisa looked at her side, only to see Vale standing close to her.
"V-Vale¡ Do you think that they can protect us?" Lisa worriedly asked.
Vale nodded without hesitation.
"It''s fine¡ The enemies are too weak. They''re just a diversion, simr to the tactics used by the Secret Organization¡ That won''t work twice." Vale calmly said as if he could see what was happening within the entire Academy.
Vale seemed so reliable when he said this, so Lisa also calmed down as she prayed for everyone''s safety.
***
In the meantime, Captain Stein Nova, who had first called upon the presence of a mysterious being, transformed into being closely simr to the Death Knights with high intelligence.
He charged toward the Elementalists, ready to fight them.
But before he could reach them, he heard another explosion from afar. He shifted his attention to the source of the explosion and saw another group of Arcanists attacking the nearby settlement or town. They were wielding various weapons and tools, emitting different colors and shapes.
He recognized them as Aura Masters¡ However, he didn''t mind them. These Aura Masters are like cockroaches with strong vitality. Curse Experts are required to kill them quickly. The other squads should be able to deal with them even without his assistance.
Boom!
As soon as he killed one of the Elementalists who dared to attack one of the fleeing students¡ He saw the enemies retreating so hastily! They were using some Talismans to allow them to survive the Pressure brought by their Descent.
''So it''s another diversion¡ It doesn''t matter.''
"Chase after them! Do not capture them! Kill!" Captain Nova shouted with his deep and coarse voice.
He didn''t mind whether the Elementalists were just a diversion.
He believed that whoever sneaked inside the Academy would be dead for sure!
Chapter 320 Found
Captain Nova heard another explosion from inside the Academy.
He was right! After his squad chased after the fleeing Elementalists outside the walls, another group took this chance to create a hole and enter the Academy.
Of course, he didn''t stop his chase as someone would be waiting for them inside¡ªsomeone who was even stronger than a Captain like him.
He quickly shifted his attention to the fleeing Elementalists while also wondering about the intention of their infiltration this time¡
''Is it about that damn pocketwatch again? Or was it rted to the lightning a few weeks ago?'' He thought for a brief moment before recalling that the ''Descent'' wouldn''tst that long.
He had to hurry and kill all these Elementalists before their timer ran out.
***
In the meantime, while all of this was happening, Isaac Vermont was observing everything going on from the top of the Dark Soul Tower of the Academy.
He was watching the Elementalists and the Aura Masters outside the Academy, who seemed to be experts of destruction. They would destroy anything they pass through without caring whether they''re valuable or not.
"This is interesting¡ They''re not targeting the students or the professors. They''re causing chaos as if that was their true goal." He muttered with interest.
He had been trying to find out the invader''s identities and purpose foring here. However, their actions really show that they were just distractions.
''They''re too weak and unruly¡ I don''t think they''re from the Secret Organization¡ Are these hired mercenaries?'' He guessed while observing the fluctuations of their energy. They weren''t that impressive. If their 9th-year and 10th-year students have Mystical Artifacts with them, they would be more than enough to deal with these enemies.
Soon, he heard an explosion at the nearbyboratory and realized that someone had entered the Academy through a secret path¡
''So it''s him¡ He had truly gone mad this time¡''
He recognized the intruder as Charles ckwood, the previous Headmaster of the Academy.
Although they have made changes to their defensive structures, the secret path couldn''t be easily removed. They could only block it with a Formation Circle, so it could no longer be used. However, it seemed that Charles had brought someone who could forcefully break this Formation.
"Sherman isn''t here¡ I guess I should just watch for now¡" He muttered as he ignored the presence of the previous Headmaster and hispanion, who was wearing a weird mask and staff.
No, he wanted to ignore those two. However, he heard their conversation, which garnered his interest.
"Mountain Bandit, are you sure that your Staff will react on the Divine Sword?" Charles asked the man beside him. He felt even more exhausted after breaking through the secret path they used to enter.
They quickly arrived at the center of the Academy, but because of the traps that were ced in the secret path, they had certainly caught the attention of the Headmaster and other Professors inside the Academy.
They had to find the Masked Devil and steal the Divine Sword quickly.
"Yes, I''m sure. It''s been reacting ever since we entered this ce. It was faint, but it was reacting. The sword was hidden somewhere here." The Thunder Emperor replied as he moved in the direction where he could sense it.
"They''reing at us¡ You have to make sure that we''re in the right direction."
"Of course. This staff was made from an object found together with the Divine Sword. To be specific, this is made from the Scabbard of the Divine Sword." The Thunder Emperor said.
"What did you say?"
It wasn''t just Charles who was surprised by these words.
As a matter of fact, Headmaster Jean Hoffman, Isaac Vermont, and Vale Chambers were listening to their conversations as well.
Jean and Isaac looked at the staff with greed while Vale connected his mind to the Stormbringer to ask if it was true.
In the meantime, the two infiltrators already stopped in front of the library.
They didn''t enter the ce since they could feel a terrifying formation of art blocking their path.
"Only those with ripped shadow can safely enter this ce¡ If you''re sure it''s inside, then we should give up¡" Charles said as he looked behind them.
He could see Jean Hoffman appearing from the shadow of a nearby pir. Jean was holding his ck top hat with his left hand while his cane with his right hand.
The man was showing his unbothered smile as if he didn''t mind their infiltration into this ce...
"Hello, Charles... Hello, Mountain Bandit... Wee to my academy." He greeted.
"Are you telling me that the Divine Sword was inside our library?" Jean continued as if they were friends.
The Thunder Emperor didn''t even nce at him and just stared at the door of the library.
"It is inside¡ I''m sure of it. Are you the Masked Devil?" The Thunder Emperor asked.
Jean''s eyes widened as soon as he heard the question¡ He blinked for a moment beforeughing out loud.
"Hahaha! That was unexpected. No, I''m not the Masked Devil. I don''t even have an idea about his identity. I can''t remember any brave Dark Arts Practitioner who would dare offend the Church of the Three Paragons besides Sir Morgan Vermont." Headmaster Jean replied as Darkness suddenly shrouded the three of them.
"Charles, you''re already too old. I heard that you didn''t evenst an hour against the Masked Devil." He said as he slowly approached the two.
"Kekeke¡ You''re too arrogant, Jean. If you didn''t have the help of three Master Arcanists, you would''ve failed to take my position. You''re just alone now and there are two of us here." Charles said as he flicked his finger to swallow a ck pill.
The pill immediately took effect, and an aura that wouldn''t lose from the Descend Spell of the Vessels appeared.
The Darkness that the Headmaster was trying to use stopped a few meters away from the two.
"We''re both in the Darkness Path, Jean¡ You''re a lot easier to deal with than the Masked Devil." Charles said as his eyes turnedpletely ck.
His gray hair and beard also started turning ck while his skin became bronze¡
"So it''s indeed a forbidden pill¡" Jean stopped moving as he shifted his attention to the Thunder Emperor. "Hey, Mountain Bandit, aren''t you going to attack me?"
The Thunder Emperor smirked as he replied. "I''m the Thunder Emperor¡ and I don''t need to act to deal with you. The old man is more than enough."
The Thunder Emperor said as he charged and mmed his staff at the door of the library¡
Boom!
Chapter 321 Battle
The door of the library started shaking as the staff exploded with the power of lightning.
The attack failed, but the Thunder Emperor didn''t feel disappointed. He was merely assessing how strong it was.
"Whew~ That was tough¡" He said as he stepped back a couple of times.
In the meantime, Charles frowned at his action as the sparks of lightning almost reached him. He had to move to avoid being hit by the staff''s lightning power.
Charles grunted at this as he shifted his attention to Jean.
"Aren''t you going to stop him from destroying the door? I can tell that there are many students hiding behind that door. Once it''s opened, many students will be injured if you let him be." Charles said to Jean as he held his cane tightly.
Charles knew that his movement was already slow. In terms of movement speed, he would failpared to the person in front of him.
It was better to be on the defensive so he could only taunt Jean to attack... He even decided to shrink his Magic Zone in order to increase his concentration.
"Heh¡ I don''t want to¡ I''ll wait until the effect of the pill disappears." Headmaster Jean said with a chuckle as he remained on his spot. He was also a bit unsure about the Forbidden Pill that Charles had consumed. With that in mind, he was simply considering when to summon his Shadow Soldiers to attack them.
¦Ñ¦Á¦°d¦Ás¦¦Ïvel "Y-you¡"
His answer made Charles speechless. He didn''t expect that the dignified Headmaster would be so shameless.
"Just go ahead and help your friend destroy the door." Headmaster Jean added.
"Hmph¡ Just watch me!"
The Thunder Emperor said as he approached the library door again, which was locked and sealed by a formation art. His attack a while ago failed to even make a dent in the door, but he was still filled with confidence.
He raised his staff and pointed it at the door. He prepared to unleash a different lightning magic this time.
"Stand back," he said to Charles ckwood. "I''ll handle this."
Then, he unleashed his lightning magic on the door, sending a bolt of electricity toward it. This time, it was red! It was a bolt of red lightning!
Boom!
But instead of breaking the door, the lightning bolt bounced back and hit him in the chest. He flew back several meters,nding on the ground with a thud.
He groaned in pain and shock. He looked at the door, which was unscathed.
"What the hell?" he eximed.
Charles ckwood smirked at him.
"Did you really think it would be that easy?" he asked mockingly. "This is not just the Order''s Formation Circle¡ That''s a formation left behind by Morgan Vermont. It''s not something you can break with brute force. It''s easier to find the key for this thing or get someone inside to open that damn door." Charles said while his eyes remained on Jean.
The Thunder Emperor red at him.
"Then how do you suggest we get in?" He asked angrily.
Charles ckwood shrugged.
"I don''t know," he said casually. "Maybe we should ask him."
He pointed at the man who had been watching them all this time.
This time, the Thunder Emperor finally shifted his attention to Jean, who wore a ck cloak and hood, hiding most of his face and body. He held a cane in his hand as if he was a limp.
"Jean Hoffman¡ Are you really going to shelter the Masked Devil?" The Thunder Emperor asked.
"I''m not sure what you''re talking about. However, if you defeat me, I can let you pass through that door. So if you''re going to attack, juste at me." Jean said.
The two looked at each other and decided to team up for different reasons.
The Thunder Emperor decided to team up with Charles ckwood because he needed help to get past the formation art. On the other hand, Charles ckwood chose to team up with the Thunder Emperor because he couldn''t kill Jean Hoffman alone unless he made a suicidal move.
Thud!
The Thunder Emperor struck the ground with his staff and shouted. "You''ll regret this!"
Charles ckwood also made his move as he used his Hell''s Chain to tie up Jean and make him incapable of dodging.
Jean Hoffman smiled wickedly at them.
He didn''t care about the lightning attack and the chain that bound him.
He raised his cane and pointed it at them. He prepared to unleash his dark magic on them, intending to destroy their Spells.
However, his casting was too slow.
The two spells hit him perfectly.
He felt the chains wrap around his lower body and the lightning strike his chest. He groaned in pain as he realized that they were stronger than he thought. His robe actually failed to fully neutralize their attacks.
Nevertheless, it wasn''t to the point that he couldn''t handle it. He didn''t even stop casting!
"Is that all you''ve got?" Jean taunted.
"You think you can defeat me with such weak spells? Let me show you what real dark magic is." He added.
With a wave of his hand, he released a Dark st, a dark spell that could fire a beam of pure darkness at the target.
Whoosh~
The beam was fast and powerful, and it headed straight for Charles.
Charles didn''t panic as he reacted quickly and cast his Shield of Darkness. This dark spell could create a barrier of darkness to protect himself. It was stronger than just using his Darkness Maniption Spell. Furthermore, the Dark st wasn''t the best spell against a Dark Spellcaster like him.
Thud!
The shield blocked the beam, but it cracked under the pressure.
Charles knew he had to act fast, or he would be overwhelmed. He won''t trust the Thunder Emperor to help him in the first ce.
He cast Dark Wave, which should also corrupt his target. However, in this case, his target was another Dark Spellcaster stronger than him, so the Dark Wave could only create a shockwave of darkness to push the enemy back.
"Hmph!"
The wave hit Hoffman and knocked him back...
Charles took this opportunity to cast another spell: Filthy me, a dark spell that could create a ck fire that could burn anything it touched.
He wasn''t simply relying on his Lightning Staff¡ He was still a proud Elementalist!
The me flew towards Hoffman, who dodged it narrowly.
He was actually surprised by Charles'' speed and skill. That Dark Wave was dangerous. Although it didn''t deal damage, it caught him off-guard.
''It seems that Forbidden Pill can increase his Casting Speed, Vitality, and Power¡'' Jean silently thought as he realized that he had to deal with Charles first before he could focus on Thunder Emperor.
He swiftly summoned his Dark w, followed by his Shadow Soldier¡
The w shed at Charles, who barely avoided it. He felt a sharp pain on his arm where the w had grazed him. He saw blood dripping from his wound and felt a cold sensation spreading through his body. He knew it was a sign of dark poison.
It wasn''t over yet. The Shadow Soldier appeared beside him as he cursed loudly.
"Bring it on!"
He ignored the pain and cast his other Spell, Gloom Spear, to pierce the Shadow Soldier...
It seemed that he was actually expecting this as he summoned the Spear almost instantaneously. The Spear easily pierced through the Shadow Soldier before it could even attack!
It didn''t even end there, the Spear continued heading towards Jean Hoffman.
Whoosh~
Charles wasn''t expecting much from this attack, but to his surprise, Jean was pierced by the Spear!
It was thanks to the Thunder Emperor, who also threw another Spell, making him unable to dodge the Gloom Spear!
Poof!
Unfortunately, as Charles and the Thunder Emperor were about to celebrate, ''Jean Hoffman'' shattered like ss.
Chapter 322 Another One
?
Charles and the Thunder Emperor watched as Jean''s body shattered into ss, falling to the ground.
"What?!"
They gasped in shock, realizing that it was a trap. They knew that no human dies like that! It must be a Spell or Technique that they weren''t aware of.
"Where?!"
Charles grunted as he knew that Jean was still alive and hiding somewhere. They looked around, trying to find him as they spread out their Magic Zone to sense any fluctuation of energy around them.
Then, they sensed his dark energy, but they couldn''t urately pinpoint his location.
Headmaster Jean was using a Dark Spell to conceal himself, and most likely, he was waiting for the right moment to strike.
''If you''re going to y like this, then so be it!''
The two decided to stick together and cover each other''s backs. They already knew that Jean was more powerful than them and that they had to work as a team to defeat him.
Of course, they had to act fast before Jean could recover from their previous attacks.
Whoosh~
They cast their spells, hoping to hit him by chance.
Charles released his Night de, a spell that could manifest a de of darkness to sh the target.
On the other hand, Thunder Emperor used his Fire Wave to sweep the area. Well, this is also the only spell that he got that he could cast in just a second or two.
Boom!
Their spells shed in the air, creating sparks and smoke. They hoped that theirbined attack would be enough to break Jean''s defense and reveal his position in the process.
But they were wrong. Jean was not affected by their attack!
They didn''t see one figure but six figures from the shadows.
"Clones?!" Thunder Emperor gritted his teeth as he wasn''t good at these illusion-type spells.
"No, they''re Shadow Soldiers¡" Charles said as he gripped his cane tightly and was prepared to shatter the Shadow Soldiers with his spell.
Although there were five clones and one real Jean Hoffman, he didn''t n on attacking them one by one but to destroy them all simultaneously!
Charles waved his cane and released his Cane''s Gloom Force Spell, aiming to hit all the six figures rushing at them¡ However, as he did this, he felt the air on his left side move!
"Y-you!"
Jean emerged from the shadows beside Charles and the Thunder Emperor. The six figures were all Shadow Soldiers!
The real Jean had only appeared now!
Jean smiled wickedly and spoke with a soft voice.
"Toote. You''ve lost."
He raised his hand and cast Eternal Doom! It is a dark spell that could create a void that destroys everything in its range.
Charles and the Thunder Emperor felt a surge of fear as they saw the eerie darkness looming over them. They realized that they had no escape. This spell wasn''t just Light Absorption or Darkness Maniption. This spell could really kill them if they entered this void!
Realizing that they couldn''t flee, they faced the Spell and shouted.
"Let''s die together!" Charles shouted as he cast a Tier 2 Spell, Dark Nova!
"I won''t die with you two!"
Thunder Emperor roared as he cast a quick Lightning Strike/
Their spells collided with Jean''s Eternal Doom Spell, creating a massive explosion of light and darkness. The hall shook violently as the st rocked the foundation of the building.
The fate of the three magicians was unknown.
***
Vale had been watching the battle from the Library, using his Phantasm State and Spirit Vision to project his vision outside. He had seen the fierce fight between the three Arcanists, who had used various spells and techniques.
He had seen the twists and turns of the battle and the final explosion that had engulfed them. He didn''t miss a thing in that fight, as he realized that the Headmaster was truly unfathomable.
It wasn''t that surprising that he managed to rece Charles ckwood as the Headmaster.
Unfortunately, thest explosion activated the Library''s final defense, which forcefully blocked his Magic Zone from reaching outside the Library.
He didn''t know how the fight ended.
"Hmm?" Vale raised his brows as he realized that Lisa was clinging to him. He didn''t notice this till now since he was too focused on observing the battle outside.
He had to fully concentrate just to follow the movement of the three high-level Arcanists so he was quite defenseless just now.
Of course, he didn''t call her out as she seemed afraid after the building started shaking. Furthermore, it was followed by the Formation Arts activating to its full capacity, so she probably thought that the Academy was in a dire situation.
It must be scary for her, considering she had no idea what was happening outside.
Vale helplessly smiled at this as he let Lisa cling to his arm.
''Oh¡ The door is opening¡'' Vale thought as he felt the gears of the door start moving¡
Everyone inside the Library also noticed the changes as they nervously looked at the door.
Soon, a familiar figure appeared with the usual smile on his face.
They all sighed in relief after realizing it was their Headmaster.
"We''ve settled the infiltrators inside the Academy¡ However, you guys can''t leave yet as the Masked Devil must still be inside the Academy." Headmaster Jean said as he held the Thunder Emperor''s Staff while looking at Vale with a wide smile on his face.
Vale had a stiff smile as he bowed slightly to the Headmaster.
Jean was about to say something, but suddenly, his smile vanished as he looked behind him. To be exact, he was looking outside the Academy.
"He''s finally here¡" He muttered.
Vale was curious about his words, so he also spread his Magic Zone to the limit.
To his surprise, he saw a familiar person facing off against Isaac Vermont!
It was Sherman, an Elite Bounty Hunter who almost killed him that time when he was escaping with Philip!
"Don''t leave this room¡ I need to help a friend outside." Headmaster Jean said as he closed the door once again before disappearing to help Isaac deal with Sherman!
Chapter 323 Target
?
Vale was rmed by what the Headmaster had just said.
Jean actually needed to help Isaac Vermont to deal with Sherman! As far as he could tell, Isaac was about the same strength as the Headmaster. They were below him in terms of Attributes but possessed an unfathomablebination of spells and even a fusion of spells that he hadn''t even learned yet.
In short, they were stronger than him in terms of Spell Combination and Controls, and he thought Sherman was just as strong as them.
''Is it possible that Sherman can handle the two of them?'' Vale suddenly felt nervous.
He thought that he already understood the strengths of Arcanists, but it seemed that he was still too naive.
Before the door sessfully closed, he held Lisa''s hands.
"I need to follow the Headmaster outside, Lisa¡" Vale said as he tried removing her hands so he could quickly move.
"Let me follow you!" Lisa said while holding unto Vale''s hands. Since the Formation Art was about to recover and seal the door, Vale decided not to argue and just brought her with him¡
With his Lightspeed Spell, ESP Spell, and natural Agility, he was able to pass through the door without being noticed by others.
"Whoa~ As expected, you''ve really learned an awesome movement technique even though we''re only in our second year¡ Did you get it in the Exchange Hall after getting so many contribution points?" Lisa asked as they got outside the library before the Formation Art fully sealed them inside.
"Yes¡" Vale briefly answered as he tried to see what was happening outside.
"Ahh¡ Aren''t we going to be scolded by the Headmaster for going out after telling us to stay there?" Lisa suddenly asked worriedly.
"Heh¡ You should''ve thought of that before clinging to me." Vale replied as Lisa realized that she was still holding Vale''s hands.
"Ah."
She quickly removed her hands and looked around like nothing happened. The surroundings outside the library were terrible. There were rubbles everywhere, and she could still feel the remnant energy of the Spells that were used in the battle.
''Darks Spells and Elemental Spells?'' Lisa silently thought. It wasn''t her first time sensing Elemental Spells, so she was able to make a guess.
She was even able to see some torn clothes and sttered blood, so it seemed that the Headmaster had actually cleaned up the battlefield before leaving.
"If they were able to create this mess while fighting the Headmaster, it means that they were elite Arcanists. Is it the Secret Organization again? Why are they so persistent?" Lisa muttered as she looked at Vale, who was focusing on something else.
***
Outside the Academy, Sherman ran towards the buildings, dodging the debris and mes that littered the ground.
"I didn''t expect the Thunder Emperor''s force to be this strong. They already caused this much damage to a prestigious Academy?" Sherman muttered as he looked around.
He followed the Thunder Emperor after learning that he was hired by the Cardinals of the Church of the Three Paragons to retrieve the Divine Sword. Searching for the Divine Sword means searching for the traces of the Masked Devil, his target.
Although Viscount Coulston did not hire him this time, he still wanted to test his strength with the Masked Devil, so he escaped from his assistant today to see whether he''ll get lucky.
''I heard that he''s using the Devil''s Face, a forbidden Living Mask that the Alchemy Arts Faction and the Mystic Arts Faction created. Once I confirm that it''s really Devil''s Face, I can capture him this time¡'' Sherman thought as he excitedly searched for the traces of the Thunder Emperor.
Sherman had prepared two Mystical Items to deal with the masked Devil. It was a pair of gloves called the Gloves of Annihtion that could help him fight against the Divine Sword and a token called the Amulet of Serenity, which could calm his mind and emotions. It''s a must-have item when facing against Dark Spellcasters, especially against the wearer of the Devil''s Face.
He was confident he could defeat the Masked Devil to satisfy himself and im his bounty.
"Hmm? Have they already dealt with the Thunder Emperor? That''s weird¡"
As he was about to enter the building where hest sensed the Thunder Emperor''s aura, he saw two figures standing in front of him. As a Bounty Hunter, he was able to recognize them.
They were Isaac Vermont and Headmaster Jean Hoffman, two of the strongest magicians in the Academy.
Sherman didn''t care about these two as he only cared about his target. He ignored them and tried to enter the Academy.
"Stop right there," Isaac calmly spoke, but the Arcane Energy that Sherman was trying to gather shattered in an instant... "You''re not going anywhere."
"Get out of my way¡" Sherman said as he triggered his Mystical Item¡ His Gloves of Annihtion started turning red as he nned to get serious.
Jean and Isaac didn''t back out as they decided to work together to stop him.
Isaac whistled and called for 10 Tier 2 Variants while Hoffman casted some Curse Spells at him.
Sherman didn''t feel troubled as he dodged the Variants and activated his gloves and amulet. He felt his power increase and his mind clear.
***
As Vale watched the battle with bated breath, he suddenly heard Yvaine''s warning from his shadow!
Vale felt his Arcane Armor would be enough to deal with this, but he recalled that he wasn''t alone, so he quickly embraced Lisa and dodged the attack!
Boom!
It was a simple Fire Ball. It was probably the most basic spell of Elementalists specializing in Fire Element. However, the power was quite incredible, so the caster must be very strong.
"You''re still alive¡ I thought the Headmaster already killed you." Vale was surprised after seeing the Thunder Emperor still alive.
"¡"
The Thunder Emperor didn''t answer as he continued attacking without wasting words.
Nevertheless, Vale noticed that he had dull eyes and seemed dead already. This was quite confusing since it felt that the Thunder Emperor was already dead. Unfortunately, Vale had no time to overthink.
''I can''t use other Path''s Spells or even high-level Dark Arts with Lisa here¡'' Vale''s mind raced as he decided to only use his mon'' Dark Spells¡
He first used his Ghost Hands, followed by Light Absorption¡
''Ahh¡ Should I try my Touchless Extraction with this guy?''
Chapter 324 Successful
?
"Vale¡ I think something was off with this guy¡" Lisa said as she looked at the masked man trying to kill them.
She doesn''t know the Thunder Emperor, but she knows that he doesn''t act like a normal Elementalist.
"What''s wrong?" Vale asked while controlling his Ghost Hands to block the spells of the Thunder Emperor.
His Light Absorption was apparently infective, so he had to change his tactics.
He even sneakily used his Shadow Soldier Spell, but it didn''t work at all. It feels as if the Thunder Emperor was immune to any Dark Arts. Even the man''s shadow couldn''t be manipted!
"It feels like he''s a puppet¡ No, maybe not. I think he has the same Aura as the Variants, so I''m confused." Lisa answered, but she wasn''t sure either.
Vale nodded as he could understand what she was trying to say. Unfortunately, the Thunder Emperor''s unusual behavior doesn''t seem important at the moment.
Boom!
Suddenly, the building of the Academy started shaking after an explosion. It seems that the battle outside was already reaching its peak.
Vale couldn''t check the situation outside as he continued to fight against the Thunder Emperor together with Lisa.
''So his lightning magic was really from the staff. He''s not using any lightning spells anymore. This should be a lot easier.'' Vale thought as he watched the Thunder Emperor continuously use his Fire Spellsm,
Aside from this, Vale also noticed how the Thunder Emperor was really acting strange since he was also not speaking or showing any emotion and simply attacking them relentlessly.
Vale used his Ghost Hand Spell, hoping to restrain him or slow him down. The Ghost Hands sessfully grabbed the Thunder Emperor¡ However, after being hit by Fire Spells, his Ghost Hands started dissipating one by one.
''It failed¡ Touchless Extraction is still too much.'' Vale silently thought as he considered how to end this battle.
He shifted his attention to Lisa, who also started casting her Dark Spells. Unfortunately, she only has Elementary Realm Spells, so they were pretty useless.
On the other hand, the Thunder Emperor used his Fire Spells like fireballs, firewalls, or firestorms. He tried to burn Vale and Lisa or st them away.
Unfortunately, if Vale felt that his Darkness Maniption could no longer protect them, he would use his Spell Dispersion to destroy all the Spells that the Emperor or the Mountain Bandit was throwing.
The three of them continued fighting, creating a fierce and chaotic battle. The hallway was filled with fire, shadows, and ghostly hands that would appear from time to time when Vale''s Ghost Hand Cooldown was over.
"Vale! This guy isn''t just strong! He''s really immune to Dark Arts!" Lisa eximed after seeing how the enemy could basically ignore any Dark Spells that would hit his body.
She saw how Vale used his Corrupted Chains Spell and Dusk Imprisonment while his Ghost Hands would grab the Emperor''s feet, but they were really ineffective!
The Thunder Emperor would just burst into fire, and the Dark Spells would disappear!
Vale jolted as he realized that Lisa was already panicking,
"Ahh¡"
Honestly, he had already started having some fun since he could finally use some of his lower-level Spells against someone without worrying about the consequences.
It was a good thing that Lisa didn''t question him why he had so many Dark Spells! She probably missed it since she was too focused on the battle.
"Just continue casting your Spells if your Spell Light still has some energy left. It''s a perfect time to increase your mastery." Vale said while he remained focused on using his Ghost Hand or even his Spectral Hands to try the Touchless Extraction.
That''s right. He was also using Spectral Hands to touch the Thunder Emperor at an angle where Lisa couldn''t see it.
"Just continue¡ Alright¡" Lisa agreed without any qualms. Although she felt confused that Vale even had the thought of increasing his Spell Mastery in this situation, she didn''t question him as she trusted her ssmate.
''Since it''s you¡ There shouldn''t be any problem.'' Shemented in her mind as she also noticed that Vale still looked confident in their situation.
She may not know that Vale had rescued Philip in the Murton Castle, but she was able to make her own assumptions after searching for him when he was away. Furthermore, she noticed how Vale returned at the same time when Philip was rescued and brought back to the Academy.
The others may not have noticed it, but since she was paying attention to Vale''s actions, she was able to make a rough guess.
As expected, she soon took note of Vale''s excited expression while fighting against the Thunder Emperor. It seemed that something good happened.
''He''s not struggling! I''m the only one desperately attacking this masked guy. I''m even being protected while fighting¡ Just how strong is he? Why is the difference between our strengths too huge?'' Lisa sighed internally as she saw Vale finish the enemy off.
She didn''t see it clearly, but Vale simply waved his hand, and the masked enemy copsed to the ground like a puppet that had its string broken.
"Whew¡ That was tough¡" Vale said with an exaggerated voice.
Lisa wryly smiled as she shook her head. "Yeah, that was tough."
Since Vale wanted to make it seem that he struggled in that fight, she decided not to point this out and agreed with him.
"Let''s take a look at his face." Vale said as he approached the Thunder Emperor. Of course, he wasn''t really interested in the criminal''s face.
Just now, he seeded in doing his Touchless Extraction!
Although only Energy Points were extracted at that time, he still felt that it was a great achievement.
Now, he wanted to see whether he could still Extract the man normally.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
''Yes¡
Vale answered in his mind.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.55 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Fire Wave Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Fire Arrow Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
Chapter 325 Doubt
?
Vale hesitated for a moment before refusing the Fire Wave Spell Model.
First of all, he only had one Complete Spell Light remaining in his body. Well, there are also three iplete Spell Lights, so he needs one more to get anotherplete Spell Light to make it two.
The other reason was that the Fire Wave wasn''t really a strong offensive Fire Spell. It was mostly used for wide-range attacks. He probably would consider that if he ns to disguise himself as an Elementalist.
However, for now, he doesn''t need it.
As for the Fire Arrow Spell. It was iplete, so he didn''t bother to get it either since he didn''t know when he could take another iplete Spell Model to make a whole.
"He looked handsome¡ Why is he hiding his face?" Lisamented after Vale removed the mask he was wearing.
Vale looked at her for a moment before shifting his attention to the bandit''s face.
''This is handsome? So this is your type?'' He mused.
Vale thought for a moment before he answered in humor.
"Mhmm¡ I think he was from a noble family. I heard that he had an alias... He was called Thunder Emperor, but his partner also called him Mountain Bandit. Perhaps, he still had an attachment to his noble family, so he likes to call himself Emperor even though he''s only a bandit now?" He said.
It was obviously amon plot that he had seen in many movies or dramas, so he just blurted it out.
However, Lisa looked like she really believed what he had just said.
Her eyes turned round as she felt worried that they had killed a noble. Although she was already an Arcanist, it was deeply ingrained in her brain that offending nobles could result in a terrible death.
Vale saw her reaction, so he immediately spoke.
"Hey, that''s just a joke¡ I don''t think this guy is really from a noble lineage. He probably called himself Thunder Emperor after obtaining that staff that can produce lightning."
"R-really?" Lisa said before she sighed in relief. "Well, I guess it doesn''t really matter."
"Right¡ Do you know why this person was acting like that? Are all Elementalists simr to him?" She asked.
Vale immediately rejected this idea, as he had already seen many Elementalists before.
"I don''t think so¡ Perhaps we should ask the Headmasterter¡" Vale said mysteriously.
He then started looking around to search for Charles ckwood¡ However, the man seemed to have disappeared, and he couldn''t find any traces of him.
In the end, Vale stopped thinking about it as he spread his Magic Zone to see the situation outside.
Surprisingly, he found that Headmaster Jean and Isaac were struggling against Sherman!
"Just who is this guy? Howe he''s so strong?" Vale muttered in disbelief.
Sherman truly deserved to be a bounty hunter of rogue Arcanists. He was actually so strong! It was a good thing that Sherman was kind enough to let him go during their first encounter.
''Let''s see¡''
Vale then tried using his Divine Sense to inspect Sherman''s Arcane Path once again, but as expected, he failed on it.
His Divine Sense only returned feedback from Isaac and Jean but not from Sherman.
"Tsk¡"
Vale was now hesitating whether he should help the Headmaster. He could consider summoning a Divine Lightning or even sneakily use his Shadow Maniption, so they can work together and kill this person.
After all, Sherman might be a huge threat someday.
But if he did that, whatever item Sherman has, it would belong to the Headmaster or even Isaac. It would be a pity if these two got stronger and he didn''t
After some thought, he felt that Sherman''s existence was quite necessary.
He had some admiring morals after he let go of two 15 years old Arcane Arts Practitioners. Since he had been given a chance, he should give Sherman a chance as well.
"Very well. Let''s do this¡"
Vale muttered as he decided to give Sherman an opportunity to escape. Although Sherman was winning the battle, it wouldn''tst for long since Isaac and Jean could easily replenish their Dark Energy within the Academy.
On the other hand, Sherman would just be exhausted the longer the battle goes.
With this in mind, Vale used his Spell Dispersion in one of the Formation Nodes of the Academy, making a hole in the Trap Formation that Isaac had set up.
As expected of Sherman, he noticed this immediately and quickly used this opportunity to escape¡
"Vale¡ What did you do just now? Was it you?"
Suddenly, Vale''s body hair stood up as he heard a familiar voice.
It was Professor Gale Evans!
Although he wasn''t afraid of her, he couldn''t help but shudder after recalling his experience with her.
This woman could draw people close to her without the target noticing. His high Intelligence or Spirit, passive Spell Dispersion, and even ESP Spell didn''t work on her!
What more for other students or people who had weaker defense than him?
"Professor Evans?" Lisa asked after seeing the very attractive and appealing Professor. She couldn''t help but frown at the Professor''s appearance, who seemed to be seducing everyone in sight. Although this is the Dark Arts Academy, she couldn''t help but dislike this kind of ''Dark Arts.''
Professor Evans briefly nced at Lisa and nodded slightly to acknowledge her presence.
Then she continued looking at Vale. She even licked her lips in the process!
Lisa wanted to say something, but the Professor''s voice suddenly became stern as she asked Vale again.
"Vale, aren''t you going to answer my question? What did you do just now?"
Vale squinted his eyes as he carefully chose his words.
''Since she''s asking, she must be unsure what I did. I guess she only made a vague guess. I can y this around¡''
"Ahem¡ I don''t understand, Professor¡ I''m simply binding this intruder as he might wake up and escape." He answered.
That was true since his Corrupted Chains were still wrapped in the Thunder Emperor''s arms.
"Heh¡ We both know that this guy was a puppet. Headmaster Jean was already controlling him with Shadow Marrite. There''s no need to wrap him." Professor Evans replied.
Lisa and Vale''s eyes lit up after hearing this.
"No, we didn''t know..." Vale said.
"Shadow Marrite? Isn''t that the fourth Academy-Exclusive Dark Spell that we could learn? I don''t think that''s the case. Why did he attack us if he was controlled by the Headmaster?" Lisa asked doubtfully.
Chapter 326 Cleared
?
Professor Evans heard Lisa''s question, but she simply ignored her and continued looking at Vale with a discerning eye.
She knows that Vale didn''t simply bind the unconscious Mountain Bandit on the floor.
He seemed to have done something more than that while Headmaster Jean, Isaac Vermont, and Sherman were fighting outside. She wasn''t sure what it was, but it allowed Sherman to escape.
"I think you''re overthinking it, Professor Evans. We''re going to leave now." Vale said as he grabbed Lisa''s arm and took her away.
Gale wasn''t nning to let Vale escape.
She wanted to use her Judgement Eye Spell, but someone suddenly held her shoulder.
"That''s enough, Professor Evans. Just let the two go." Headmaster Jean said in time.
Gale failed to activate her spell because of that interruption¡ "Y-you¡" Gale looked at the Headmaster with fury as she felt her Dark Energy start going out of control.
It was the bacsh for that forceful cancetion of Spell Activation.
Luckily, Headmaster Jean didn''t want her to be injured as well, so he used a Spell to calm the flow of her Energy.
Nevertheless, Gale didn''t thank him because of that.
"Why did you do that? I''m not going to hurt Vale! Tsk¡ I''m sure you noticed that Vale did something just now. Are you sure you just want to let him go?" Gale Evans said as she wanted to reprimand the Headmaster.
She doesn''t seem afraid at all.
"Yes. Don''t mind him¡ We need him to participate in the Twelve Academies Competition and win a fewpetitions for us. If you have problems with him, settle it after I return his shadow." Jean said with an eerie smile on his face.
Gale felt confused, but she knew that the Headmaster had probably nned something for Vale. She knows this person really well..
She could only sigh because of this as she shifted the topic.
"Did you use the Thunder Emperor to attack him?" She asked.
"Well, I want to see Vale''s current strength. I thought of forcing him into a life-and-death situation to show his real power. Unfortunately, a puppet is still a puppet. He''s not strong enough." Headmaster Jean said with a helpless smile on his face.
If possible, he wanted to do it himself¡ He wanted to attack Vale and force him to use all his strength. However, it wouldn''t be good if Vale started considering them as his enemies. It wouldn''t do good for his n.
"Hmph¡ Are you even going to return it?" Isaac suddenly said as he appeared behind the Headmaster.
As a Dark Alchemist, directbat wasn''t his forte. However, he decided to fight Sherman with the Headmaster because he wanted to try some of his new Alchemical Items.
"Of course¡ I''m nning to return it. As long as we keep Heinz with us, he could produce more Vale in the future. There''s nothing to worry about." Headmaster Jean replied.
This answer made Professor Gale''s eyes light up.
"So I can do whatever I want with him once he gets his shadow back?" She asked.
"Yes¡ That means that the Twelve Academies Competition is already over, so you can do whatever you want." Headmaster Jean said as he turned around to leave.
As for Professor Gale, she started giggling by herself as she looked in the direction where Vale had disappeared.
***
The Thunder Emperor, a known mountain bandit that turned into a mercenary, was defeated and captured after infiltrating the Vermont Academy.
This information quickly spread in the western and southern regions of the kingdom where Thunder Emperor''s forces are active.
After his disappearance, his bases started getting attacked by some Arcanist Organizations that he had offended before¡
Hundreds of his men died, and most of his wealth was plundered.
However, as the ''empire'' of the Thunder Emperor started copsing, Thunder Emperor suddenly appeared together with Charles ckwood, the exiled Headmaster of the Dark Arts Academy. There was also a mysterious Arcanist that was supporting them, but not even his name was known.
The three of them stopped all enemies who were nning to destroy everything he had built.
"Hmm?" Vale knitted his brows as he read the article in the newspaper.
''The Thunder Emperor returned to his base with Charles? No way¡'' Vale knows very well that this is impossible.
There was no way he would be able to escape after being captured by the Headmaster.
''Puppetry? No¡ Is it Cursed Contract Bestowal?'' Vale sighed internally as he felt pity for the two.
The Headmaster must be controlling everything from behind the scene.
Perhaps, the mysterious person that was together with the two might even be the Headmaster or Isaac Vermont, who had nothing better to do.
Those who plundered his wealth might even be the Headmaster himself. After all, the news about the Thunder Emperor''s capture wouldn''t be this fast. It would require weeks or months since the spreading of information across various provinces wouldn''t be an easy thing to do.
Nevertheless, Vale didn''t think too much of it as he was already happy with the result of his experiment. Although his Touchless Extraction was still limited in distance and capacity, he felt that as long as he practiced daily, he would be able to get a decent result.
This was indeed what he had done over the past three months.
Vale continued practicing his Touchless Extraction and continued extracting Energy Points.
Most of his targets during this time were the Variants that always lurked around the Academy.
He could only extract them with 5 to 8 Energy Points, but it was better than nothing.
After three months, however, Vale had to stop his experiments as the Spell Mastery Examination had finallye.
The Examination this time wasn''t just for ss 2. Three other sses will join them, and everyone will see the Spell Mastery of their fellow batchmates.
"Hahaha! Finally! Vale, you could show everyone that you''re the only one who deserved to attend the Twelve Academies Competition." Chad suddenly said after their ss ended.
Tomorrow would be their Examination, so there were no club activities today. They were nning to return to their dormitory, to at least practice their Spells a little bit more.
"What are you saying? There would be ten spots in each batch¡ Why do you want him to go alone?" Aubrey suddenly asked Chad as she lightly smacked the back of his head.
"Haha¡ I guess he was just too happy that the Spell Mastery Examination would be together with other sses. I wonder if Maya could match Vale." Lisa muttered as she was also looking forward to tomorrow''s examination.
Chapter 327 Examination
?
The second-year students of the Academy gathered at the Assembly Hall, where the examination would be conducted.
It will be supervised by three Professors from higher years, and it seemed that Professor Ste had already called for them.
No professors are supervising them at the moment, so the Hall is a bit noisy.
Leonore looked at Vale, who was together with his group of friends. She had wanted to talk to him, but whenever she had a chance, his friends or maybe their ssmates would just pop out, and her chance would be gone.
Then, their sses became so busy since they had several weeks of having no sses, thanks to the Secret Organization and the Thunder Emperor''s attack.
Because of these incidents, the professors didn''t hold back as they left them with so many things to do. They couldn''t even enjoy their Club Activities as they had to always think of the assignments and reports they needed to do.
Leonore sighed internally as she looked at the other students who should be marked by the Professors.
Among the students, there were four who stood out the most. They were Maya Featherstar from ss 1, Vale Chambers from ss 2, Leo ze from ss 3, and Luna Moon from ss 4.
They were considered to be the best students in their respective sses, and they had mastered several Dark Spells, including the Light Absorption Spell, which was the second academy-exclusive Spell. Perhaps, only about 50% of them had learned this Spell¡
''If I''m not mistaken, Maya''s Light Absorption Spell was already at the peak of the Elementary Realm. I wonder how she did that¡'' Leonore silently thought as her Light Absorption Spell was only in the early stage of the Elementary Realm.
This was even through the help of their Club President. She could probably ept it if Maya only reached the middle stage of the Elementary Realm, but the peak stage was just too fast.
"Leonore¡ I heard from my friends in ss 1 that Maya had already learned Dark Nova and Spirit Hand Spells in Intermediate Realm. Do you think she cheated?" Jody, one of Leonore''s friends, whispered as she noticed that her friend was looking at Maya.
"I''m not sure¡ But I heard that Maya was now learning under Professor Sherah¡ She''s an old professor in the Dark Magic Branch. Professor Sherah might even be one of the professors that will supervise us today." Felicia answered beside her.
Leonore agreed with Felicia since she had also heard about Maya''s current master. However, she didn''t think too much of it.
"Warren and Dalton also had two Intermediate Realm Dark Spells¡ It''s not that surprising if Maya also had two." Leonore exined.
If she and Vale weren''t present in ss 2, Warren and Dalton would probably be in the top spot of ss 2. Their growth speed was just too great that they almost surpassed her in terms of Spirit Strands.
Anyway, Leonore shifted her attention to the top student of ss 3.
His name was Leo ze. He was a fiery and passionate boy from a famous family and had a close rtionship with her Rnd Family.
Well, it was quite natural to be their friends since their families both specialized in the Art of Curses. In the Dark Arts'' Ritual Branch, aside from the Ravinie Noble n, the Rnd and ze families had authority.
"Hahaha! I will show everyone how great I am! Don''t worry!" Leo suddenlyughed as he heard his ssmates cheering for him.
His ssmates had probably given up on standing out in this examination, so they could only cheer for their friend and hope that he would bring glory to their ss.
Leo had spiky red hair and brown eyes, and he wore a red jacket with ck stripes. Since they will only have an assessment today, the professor informed them that they have a choice of not wearing their uniforms.
Although many students still decided to wear the uniforms, Leo was obviously not one of them.
Leonore then heard their conversations and learned that Leo had already recorded several Dark Spells in their peak stages of Elementary Realm. They were the Spectral Hands, Flesh Bane, and Dusk Imprisonment. He was confident that he could ace the exam and show off.
On the other hand, Luna Moon was a shy and sweet girl who came from a mysterious family of Dark Magicians. She had long silver hair and purple eyes and wore a blue dress with whitece under her uniform coat. Leonore only knew that Luna focused on learning Corruption-Rted Spells.
Including Vale, these four students would probably be the most watched students in this examination.
''Should I also show off my skills?'' Leonore thought to herself as she considered revealing her achievement as a Dark Seer¡ However, she shook her head. It was still too early for her. Perhaps, she needed two or three more years before she could show off this ability.
Creak~
Soon, the door of the Assembly Hall opened. They saw Professor Ste entering together with three other Professors from the higher years.
Unfortunately, Felicia''s guess was wrong as Professor Sherah wasn''t included in the supervisors for today''s examination.
"Good morning, students. These three professors will be assisting us today to see your Darkness Maniption Spell Mastery and one of your best Spells. Yes¡ We only need to see two of your Spells. Your Darkness Maniption Spell and any other Spell that you want to show us. It doesn''t matter what Spell it is. You just need to show off how well you can control it and how great it is. However, keep in mind that you will be performing this under the pressure of the Dark Aura of these three Professors."
Ste exined as the students started whispering to each other. They didn''t expect this form of assessment so many of them started looking worried. They weren''t that confident to show off with only two Spells!
Ste listened to their silentints but she just continued.
She introduced the three professors.
The first one who caught the eyes of many male students was Professor Zara Zane, a young and cheerful woman who teaches Dark Illusions, a type of Dark Magic that can create false images and sounds to deceive or confuse others.
Then it was Professor Cyrus Crane, an old and serious man who teaches Dark Curses and Hexes. He looked very strict and demanding to his students, but he also looked very knowledgeable and experienced.
Finally, it was Professor Mark Morton, another old man who teaches Shadow Arts, a type of Dark Magic that can manipte shadows and darkness.
After introducing the three, Professor Ste continued. "I want everyone to take this matter seriously¡ I want you all to do your best and not hide your hidden skills. If you do well in this examination, you will earn 2 Contributions Points. It wasn''t limited to one student but to at least 30 Students! And the student who could show the highest level of mastery in their spells would receive special teachings from our three great Professors."
Ste exined as she looked at the students with a reserved smile on her face.
It was as if she was hiding something about this examination.
Chapter 328 Write
?
It didn''t take long before the test started. It began with ss 4.
Professor Ste looked at the students as she considered who would go first.
''I need someone who can set the mood¡'' She silently thought.
After some hesitations, she decided to call for Luna. She wasn''t just a role model student but also a talented Arcanist. She would certainly perform well and would give a good start to give some excitement for everyone.
***
On the other hand, Luna almost stepped back as soon as she saw Professor Ste looking at her.
''No¡'' She said in her mind. She bit her lips as she realized that Professor Ste was indeed nning to make her the first student to take the examination.
Although she was confident with her looks, she didn''t like being stared at by many people.
"Luna¡ Stand here." Professor Ste called her as she gestured where to go.
"Watch her carefully since you''ll be following her next." Ste added.
Luna could only sigh as she walked onto the stage nervously, clutching her pendant.
She looked at Ste before shifting her gaze to the three other professors who were the judges of the test. She bowed politely at them as she looked at the Recording Crystal that was pointed at her.
"Don''t be nervous, Luna! We''re here for you!"
"You can do it! Just rx and imagine that the Professors are frog¡ªmph!" The student who said this suddenly received a head smack out of nowhere.
Thankfully, his words seemed effective as she looked at the audience watching her from their sections and smiled timidly.
"You can begin now. Use your Darkness Maniption Spell to control the Dark Energy around you. The stage you''re using will produce enough darkness that you need. It will not run out. However, make sure that you only gather the amount of Dark Energy you can control, as Maniption is the key to this examination¡ Once you''re satisfied with your performance, you can just stop and cast your second Spell." Professor Ste instructed enough for everyone to hear.
Luna nodded at this as she took a deep breath and entered her Phantasm State. She swiftly triggered her Darkness Maniption Spell as she felt the Dark Energy gathering around her.
"Darkness Maniption¡" Luna said softly while observing the flow of energy around her. Of course, her words weren''t an incantation but her own chant to activate her Spell Model.
With these words, a sphere of made of darkness floated above her hands.
Whom~
The sphere was only the size of a human head, but it had a cold and sinister aura.
It also absorbed all the light around it, making the hall darker and colder. She controlled it for only about 10 seconds before she felt that it was enough and scattered it above her, creating a beautiful scene of darkness and light merging together.
"Whoa~"
"So we can do that?"
"Of course. However, don''t try copying her. Creating a sphere would be difficult if your mastery hadn''t reached the peak of Elementary Realm yet."
"Right¡ I''ll just focus on what I can do on my Spell."
The audience gasped in awe and admiration again. The students, especially those who barely knew her, were impressed by Luna''s skill and beauty in creating such a mysterious sphere of darkness with the Maniption Spell. Most of them weren''t using their Darkness Maniption to create such a beautiful sphere after all.
They pped and cheered for her louder, praising her for her talent.
The professors nodded in approval and appreciation of her skills. They were impressed by Luna''s precision and timing in creating such a precise spell. Without a doubt, she had a passing score on this part of the exam.
Luna didn''t stop as she continued with the second part. Well, unlike Vale, her Phantasm State could onlyst for 7 minutes. The 7 minutes was even pushing her limit, so if possible, she only uses her magic zone within 5 minutes duration.
"I''ll start with my second spell now..." Luna muttered, enough for Professor Ste to hear.
As Luna triggered her second Spell Model, a surge of power ran through her body, and she felt a connection with the Darkness. She raised her hand and pointed it at the ceiling, where she wanted to create her second Spell¡
Luna calmed her breathing as she spoke softly.
"Moonlight."
Whom~
A beam of light shot out from her hand and hit the ceiling.
The beam of light was a mix of dark and white, but it had a gentle and soothing glow. It spread across the ceiling, creating a beautiful pattern of stars and moons. It seemed as if the ceiling already had this design, which was exposed because of the Spell.
It illuminated the hall, making it brighter and warmer¡ But while this was happening, their shadows also started dancing simultaneously.
As she finished casting the Spell, many students recognized the Spell she used.
"Moonlight Dust! A Tier 2 Spell?!" Neil was the first one to react.
"What? That''s a Tier 2 Spell? She already learned it while we''re only in our Second-Year?" A student from another ss said in disappointment. He was disappointed in himself that he couldn''t use such a spell.
"How is that possible? Did she start training when she was two?"
"This is impossible¡ If the standard is this high, I really won''t have a chance of being selected to attend thepetition."
The students who were probably thinking of using Ghost Hands, Dusk Imprisonment, Nightmare Spells, and other basic spells with high mastery started despairing at the sight of Tier 2 Dark Spell.
The three professors were satisfied with her performance as they gave her a passing mark. As for her specific grade, no one knows yet. Perhaps, it will be announcedter on once they confirm which students will get the Contribution Points reward.
Nevertheless, the examination continued.
The second student from ss 4 was Jake Jones. His Darkness Maniption Spell wasn''t as impressive as Luna''s since he only used this spell to create a Fog of Darkness around him.
The control wasn''t that great either.
Furthermore, his second spell wasn''t a grandiose spell like the Moonlight Dust, but it was simply a Ghost Hand that could carry a pen and write his name and address.
It was impressive for him but not for many.
***
Author''s Note: Character Designs are out! Check the Book Profile to see them!
Chapter 329 Examination ( 1 )
?
Almost every student heaved a sigh of relief as they saw Jake performing normally.
He was certainly a normal student like many of them, which brought them to the reality that Luna was indeed a rare case. Many of them, who were getting nervous because they couldn''tpete with Luna''s performance, suddenly felt relieved.
None of them insulted his Ghost Hands, which could only carry a pen to write something. The other students even started cheering for him as they felt that he was the representative of ordinary students like them.
''These guys are too simple-minded¡''
Professor Ste couldn''t help but chuckle at this, as she had already expected their reaction. This was the reason why she brought Luna first and followed up with an ordinary or average second-year student.
Anyway, she continued calling out the students.
There were other interesting students in ss 4, but none of them reached Luna''s level. At most, they could perform the Darkness Maniption Spell to its Fog Form and Wall Form, but certainly not a Floating Sphere Form like what she did and scatter them to form a beautiful sight.
"We''re now going to ss 3." Ste said as she looked at Leo ze, the best student in the ss.
She decided to call him out first to boost the confidence of ss 3.
She knew Leo ze as a passionate student who had learned a decent set of Dark Spells. In her mind, he would certainly not lose out against Maya or Luna.
Leo walked onto the stage confidently, wearing his eye-catching red jacket.
He looked at the three professors and nodded arrogantly. He looked at everyone watching him and grinned widely. He even winked cheekily at one of the female students in ss 2.
This surprised many of them as they looked at Lisa, who had her eyes popped out in shock.
"Lisa, what was that?" Aubrey was the first one to ask. She grabbed Lisa''s shoulder as she looked at her with a teasing smile.
"Hey, I didn''t know you had a new friend. Are you two close?" Chad asked as he started getting closer to them. He knew that Lisa had a soft voice, so he naturally leaned closer.
Lisa immediately shook her head while also looking at Vale''s reaction.
"No, no¡ It wasn''t like that. He''s also a member of the Library Committee. He keeps bothering me, but that''s all." When she said this, she was actually looking at Vale as if she was trying to exin it to him.
Of course, Aubrey didn''t just ept this exnation. She started asking a few more questions.
This simple interaction caught Vale''s attention as well, so he looked at Leo curiously and watched his performance intently.
Leo didn''t care what was happening off the stage as he took a deep breath and entered his Phantasm State.
Using his Darkness Maniption Spell, he gathered a huge amount of Dark Energy that could cover his entire body. After feeling satisfied with the amount of energy he had gathered, he continued controlling it and made a cape¡
The cape that was made of Darkness didn''t seem natural and looked stiff, but it still appeared like a thick and hard cape as he moved around.
He circled the small stage for a few moments before feeling satisfied with his performance. He dissipated the Cape of Darkness with a flick of his finger before he quickly shifted to his Second Spell.
With the momentum he gathered, he triggered his Spell Model with most of his Dark Energy reserves.
Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy in his body as he felt a connection with the fire¡
He raised both his hands and pointed them at the air, where he wanted to create his second spell.
He then shouted to ensure that everyone would hear what spell he was about to use.
"Dark me!"
Whoosh~
Leo created a ck fire that erupted from his hands and filled the air!
The Dark Fire was unusually ck, and it had a hot and violent aura. It raged across the stage, creating a strong heat.
"Another Tier 2 Spell!"
"Dark me! It''s really the Dark me! How can he learn it?"
"Hmph. It''s actually easy. You just need the Dark Fire Grass and a few expensive Mystical Items and you could also record this Spell Model."
"Dark Fire Grass? Does it not cost 13 Contribution Points in the Exchange Hall?"
"Yes¡ There was no way to record that spell with just amon ritual and prayer like the ones we recorded... It requires real expensive materials."
The audience gasped in awe and fear as some of them started backing away from the stage. His ssmates started praising and pping at him as he gently nodded and finished his spell by scattering the fire everywhere before they vanished into thin air.
After this performance, he looked at Lisa and gave a noticeable wink.
This had obviously attracted the attention of many students.
So this time, Vale couldn''t help but think that Leo really wanted to cause trouble for Lisa.
''He should be aware that Lisa has aplicated position in the Academy since she''s not from the Faction¡ What is he thinking? She barely has any friends because of her status, and it might get worse because of this¡'' Vale frowned as he had already noticed some hostile gazes from other female students in ss 3 and a few in other sses.
Vale sighed at this as he decided to observe the situation for now.
"Amy Adams."
Professor Ste continued calling students after Leo left the stage.
Amy used her Dark Maniption Spell to create a short and fuzzy sword... It was a good attempt, but the three old Professors weren''t that impressed.
Amy then followed it up by using Dire Chains. She showed off how fast she could extend and retract the chains that she summoned and the range they could reach. Again, it was an average performance.
***
The examination continued until it was ss 2''s turn.
Finally, Professor Ste looked at Vale with a warm smile on her face.
Chapter 330 Examination ( 2 )
?
Vale expected to be called first and he was already prepared to go up.
However, to his surprise, Professor Ste shifted her gaze from him and called for Neil Sommerhalder instead!
"Haha¡ As expected¡" Neilughed as he went to the stage.
He wasughing since the students in other sses thought that he was the best student in ss 2. As he was the first one to be called, they all paid attention to him, and he liked the feeling of being in the limelight.
Vale was stunned for a moment, but after understanding what was going on, he simply chuckled and watched Neil.
In any case, he still hadn''t decided which of his Dark Spells he should use. To be exact, he had two options and he was still unsure which one he should use to show off in front of these students and professors.
"Professor Ste was having fun¡ She might arrange for you to be thest examiner, Vale." Chad muttered as he also realized what the professor was thinking.
"Well, she''s saving the best forst¡" Aubrey teased¡
"I think that Neil was really working hard¡ He might have a better Spell Mastery than me." Vale calmly said but even Lisa scoffed at him after hearing this.
"That''s impossible. I heard that Neil had his soul drained after he used a Forbidden Spell¡" Lisa softly muttered.
"Right, a few of his Spell Models were even destroyed in the process. I wonder why he did that." Chad added.
"Didn''t you hear that he was using Vale that he had done that to him? Oh¡ Vale, since you''re here, can you tell us now if it was really you?" Aubrey asked with a teasing smile. She certainly doesn''t think that it was Vale''s doing so she was justughing it off.
''I extracted his Energy Points and took one Spell Model¡ However, it seemed like it has been exaggerated into soul-draining and multiple Spell Models being destroyed.'' Vale mused as he shook his head at Aubrey''s question.
The only Spell he took from Neil was the Moonlight Curse.
Anyway, he shifted his gaze to Neil¡
His Darkness Maniption Spell was certainly good. Although it wasn''t better than Leo and Luna''s performance, it was still eye-catching. Using this Spell, he expanded his shadow and turned it into a giant. It covered not only the whole stage but also the walls behind him.
No other students have than something simr so it caught everyone''s attention.
The others even started hesitating about what they should doter.
"Should I also create something simr? I thought of making a cape, but I don''t think I could do it better than the others. Perhaps I should try copying this guy instead?"
"Heh¡ Expanding the shadow seemed easy from your perspective, but that''s more difficult than making a cape or a sword. Just stick to your n."
"That''s true¡ Just do what you''re used to. If you don''t perform well, you''ll get a lower grade, and those 2 Contribution Points will be gone."
"Hmph! Even if I do my best. I don''t think I''ll get that 2 Contribution Points anyway¡"
"I''m thinking the same thing. Might as well try something incredible to get a higher chance of being selected."
Vale heard their words, but he didn''t think too much of it.
He was too focused on what the giant shadow could do¡ He expected it to do something incredible than just being huge, but to his dismay, after it expanded, Neil simply canceled the Spell.
''That''s it?'' Vale felt a bit disappointed.
In the end, it was just a huge empty humanoid shadow that could be used to darken the surroundings. Of course, the others didn''t feel it was strange since controlling such a huge shadow was also a huge burden to the Arcanist.
After this, Neil continued to use his second Spell.
Perhaps, he would use his Moonlight Curse if he still had that Spell since it had an excellent special effect once it was activated. However, since he no longer possesses the Spell, he had to cast a different one.
It was Rotting Chains!
Six chains made of dark fluid appeared from the ground¡ The chains were thick and oozing with the power of corruption.
"Awesome!"
"What a great Spell!"
Reid and Junius praised their friend as soon as they saw the terrifying Spell manifesting on the stage!
"Mhmm¡ It''s at the peak of Elementary Realm. Not bad." Aubrey gently nodded. This is already very impressive since they''re only in their second year.
The Sommerhalder family was indeed right to send Neil to the Dark Arts Academy instead of the Rune Arts Academy.
Neil went off the stage with his chest held up high as he felt satisfied with his performance. Well, many others had also pped for him after seeing his Rotting Chains.
Unfortunately for him, Warren Lawstein was the next student who was called out, so Neil''s performance was immediately forgotten.
Warren had used his Darkness Maniption Spell to create a Full-Body Armor!
The Armor wasn''t intricately designed, but it was certainly a sight to behold. His performance was probably better than Leo and Luna!
As for the second Spell he used, it was a Spirit Hand that could move quickly within the limits of his magic zone. It was quite underwhelming, but it was a good performance nheless.
Chad Bulmung followed next, and he didn''t even try that hard. He only yed around with the examination as if the result didn''t matter to him.
"Double Sword!" Chad shouted as two swords made of Darkness appeared. He waved it a few times before feeling satisfied and canceling the Darkness Maniption Spell.
His second Spell was only a Dark Mist Spell, which he was really adept on. It was the same Spell he used when he fought against the Evil Creature in Serenity Hall.
Again, his performance was quite average. Although he should be able to do better, he seemed to be holding back.
''Is he injured? Perhaps, he doesn''t like to stand out?'' Vale mused.
***
Several more students followed until only five students were left for ss 2.
That would be Dalton Stranway, Lisa Grayback, Aubrey Hall, Leonore Rnd, and Vale Chambers.
Chapter 331 Examination ( 3 )
?
Dalton Stranway was called next by Professor Ste. She was looking at Dalton with an expectant gaze, gesturing for him to start.
Snap!
Without any incantation or chant, Dalton snapped his fingers to activate the Darkness Maniption Spell.
Then two beautiful Dark Lotus Flowers appeared beside him¡
After doing this, he looked at Vale calmly and nodded.
This action rmed many students. He ignored the judges and other students to look at Vale!
Aubrey was the one who was shocked the most as she stepped back from Vale.
"Leo winked at Lisa¡ That''s understandable since Lisa is cute. However, Dalton and Vale? W-what''s going on?" Aubrey muttered softly but Vale had certainly heard her.
He wanted to smack her head for overthinking Dalton''s action, but Chad had already flicked his finger and hit Aubrey''s forehead.
"Ouch!" Aubrey touched her forehead while looking at Chad like she was about to cry.
"Hey. You''re embarrassing Vale¡ Dalton is just challenging him to make something better." Chad said with a sigh.
"I know! I''m just teasing them." Aubrey answered.
"Ahhh¡ I''m sorry." Chad immediately apologized.
Lisa only chuckled at this as she found this interaction funny.
As they were chatting, Dalton had already finished his second Spell¡ It was Spectral Hands, and it seemed that he was really challenging Vale at this point.
After all, everyone in the ss knows that Vale has Ghost Hands. Since he summoned the Spectral Hands while looking at Vale, they could certainly tell that Dalton was looking for a fight.
"Lisa Grayback!"
As soon as her name was called, the hall immediately went silent.
This made Lisa feel nervous even more.
"You can do it, Lisa." Aubrey whispered as Vale, Chad, ir, and even Leonore, spoke softly to encourage her.
"Isn''t she themoner who passed the public recruitment?"
"Incredible¡ She didn''t quit yet?"
"She''s cute. Someone must be protecting her."
"Heh¡ Are you talking about Leo? Didn''t he winked at her a while ago?"
"Ohh! Is that true?"
Those words weren''t said out loud, but since Lisa''s Phantasm State was active, those words were very clear to her.
''Don''t mind them¡ Just show your best performance to everyone.''
While Lisa was walking up to the stage, he suddenly heard Vale''s voice inside her head!
''Telepathy?!''
Lisa immediately turned her head and looked at Vale in surprise.
Her action had obviously garnered some attention as they also looked at Vale curiously.
''Ahem¡ Focus. Don''t mind me¡'' Vale immediately said, as he didn''t expect Lisa to have such a strong reaction.
Lisa seemed to have noticed her mistake as she quickly turned her head back and stood at the center of the stage.
Professor Ste then gestured for her to start.
Lisa closed her eyes and took a deep breath¡ It took her a few seconds to ready herself before she triggered her Spell Model.
As soon as she opened her eyes, the Dark Energy that surrounded the stage started manifesting and turning into a visible arrow¡
As many of them thought that it was too simple for the examination, they suddenly realized that several more Dark Arrows appeared beside her.
Soon, a total of 30 Arrows were formed as they floated around her!
It didn''t end there, Lisa pointed up as the arrows flew upwards and hit the ceiling before vanishing into thin air!
"Incredible¡ You could really save your Spell Lights with the Darkness Maniption Spell. It can be used for defensive, support, or even offensive moves."
"Indeed¡ Unfortunately, I can barely manipte my Dark Energy. It will probably take me a few more years to copy that."
"Hmph¡ She''s still amoner. After she graduates, she''ll just be a mercenary or work as a bodyguard for other families."
"Hahah¡ That''s true¡ I hope I can hire her."
Vale sighed after hearing those words as he etched in his mind the faces of these people.
He would consider using his Touchless Extraction with these peopleter on.
Lisa then continued with her next Spell. It was a Darkness Coil¡
Since a target was needed to cast the Spell, she aimed the Spell at the dummy that was prepared on the stage.
Unlike the Dusk Imprisonment that drains the target''s life while being wrapped by the dark energy, the Darkness Coil would bind the target and stop them from using their Spell Lights.
Nevertheless, the image of the Darkness Coil normally depends on the caster. In Lisa''s case, her Darkness Coil looks like a ck python wrapping over the dummy and squeezing it tightly.
It was a simple performance but since the image of the ck Python looked real, everyone could tell that her Mastery wasn''t just at the early stage of the Elementary Realm.
Whew~
Lisa heaved a sigh of relief as she left the stage. She felt that she had a decent performance just now. She believes that she may not enter the top 10, but it''s possible to enter the top 20 with that performance.
***
"Aubrey Hall!" Professor Ste announced,
Aubrey went to the stage and tried to create a Full-Body Armor simr to what Warren had done. However, as she manipted her Dark Energy to create a helmet, she stopped herself from doing it and felt satisfied showing her face to everyone while her body was covered with Dark Armor.
For her second Spell, she used her favorite Spell, the Dire Chains.
It was the one she had used against the Evil Creature before, and it was already at the peak stage of the Elementary Realm.
Leonore followed next as she used her Dark Maniption Spell to create a flying sword and used her Flesh Bane spell, which wasn''t visually appealing at all.
Finally, it was Vale Chambers'' turn.
He walked onto the stage calmly, wearing his ck coat with silver buttons over his uniform. He looked at the three professors who were the judges of the test and bowed respectfully.
As soon as he finished his greetings, Professor Ste gestured for him to start.
Vale didn''t hesitate and spoke softly.
"Darkness Maniption."
Whoosh~
With the activation of the Spell, everyone witnessed how his Spell created a cape or cloak of Darkness that draped over his shoulders and covered his body.
It was a marvelous sight but it wasn''t just that.
The Cloak of Darkness was dark, with a cold and sinister aura surrounding it. Vale didn''t notice, but his Incorruptible Body seemed to react to how he activated his Spell!
The audience gasped as they realized that if they ignored its sinister aura, Vale''s Cloak would be more beautiful and elegant than Leo''s stiff Cape of Darkness!
Lisa was also a bit stunned as she felt that Vale waspeting with Leo instead of Dalton, who was challenging him openly a few minutes ago!
Chapter 332 Examination ( 4 )
?
''What''s with this Aura?'' Professor Ste silently thought as she looked at Vale''s Cloak of Darkness.
Many other students had tried to create a cloak, mantle, or cape that was made of Dark Energy a while ago. However, only Vale''s Cloak seemed natural as it swayed perfectly around him.
Furthermore, the Aura that was emitting out of it appeared to be pure Dark Energy.
As she was inspecting Vale''s cloak, Ste suddenly heard a voice inside her head.
''Mhmm¡ The Aura is simr to the Dark Spirits. Did he assimte with his Dark Spirit, Ste?''
It was Professor Zara Zane who had asked.
Ste shook her head and replied. ''I''m not aware of it, Zara. I also can''t feel the presence of the Dark Spirit, so I''m sure that he wasn''t borrowing its powers.''
''I see¡ Cyrus and Mark are thinking the same thing. I guess Vale just had a natural affinity with the Dark Attribute.''
''Oh¡ What are their thoughts? Their faces don''t look good.'' Ste asked.
''They were curious about the cloak¡ It doesn''t seem like it is made for a defensive move. We''re trying to inspect it, but it''s too pure¡ or something is blocking us from inspecting it.''
''Alright¡ Do you want me to ask him about it?'' Ste asked as she was also curious.
''No need. Just let him finish. It''ll be embarrassing if we can''t even probe the cloak he made.'' Zara said as she looked at Vale curiously.
She didn''t mention it to Ste, but she actually had another guess why they couldn''t probe Vale''s cloak of darkness.
''Does he also have an Advanced Realm Mastery over the spell? Isn''t it too ridiculous? Ugh¡ What am I thinking¡'' Zara shook her head to erase her random thoughts.
Ste didn''t know what she was thinking as she could only nod and let Vale continue.
The other students watching him also felt shocked after seeing Vale''s Darkness Maniption Spell.
The Dark Aura that his cloak was emanating was something familiar after all.
"This is too sinister¡ It''s almost as if he''s an Evil Creature."
"Ahh¡ Now that you mention it, there''s a semnce."
"Fools¡ That''s definitely an aura simr to the Death Knights, not Evil Creature."
"Isn''t that the same?"
"Both of you are wrong¡ That''s definitely an Aura from the Spirit World! I promise!"
"It''s the Aura of Corruption!"
The students started arguing in suppressed voices as they tried guessing what they were seeing and feeling.
Vale heard them clearly but simply ignored them and continued with his second spell.
As soon as he canceled the first spell, everyone watched him with bated breath as they were curious about his next spell. After all, most of them know about Vale''s story¡
At the beginning of his first year, he was known by his batch because of his high Spirit Strands, which exceeded Maya''s score.
Then, he became known as someone who had his talent depleted and could no longer improve. After reaching his second year, his amazing Power Strands and Life Strands were known by everyone.
Now, they wanted to see whether he still deserved his title as a genius.
''Let''s see what you got, Vale¡'' Maya thought as she watched Vale cast his second spell. She was actually infuriated at him after he decided not to meet her Master to discuss something about Cressida''s disappearance.
In the meantime, Vale raised his hand and whispered a few words to cast his second spell.
The Second Spell was something he had hastily leveled up by a few times just a few minutes ago.
It was the Moonlight Curse that he had extracted from Neil!
He pointed his palm toward the ceiling, creating a bright sphere of light that hovered above him. The sphere emitted a silvery glow that filled the entire hall with moonlight.
The students and the professors who were watching his performance gasped in awe and fear as they felt the curse of the moonlight seeping into their bodies. They felt their skin turning pale and their veins ck, their energy, or perhaps stamina, being drained by the spell.
"What is he doing? He''s cursing everyone in the hall!" One of the students shouted as he immediately realized what was going on. He was familiar with the Aura emitted by the spell since he also had an early-stage Elementary Realm of this same spell.
"W-why is the Istion Formation Art not working?!" Zara jolted as she stood up from where she was seated. She also recognized the spell as soon as the bright sphere of light appeared. However, she wasn''t worried at first and was only rmed as soon as she felt that she was also affected by the curse!
The stage had a Formation Circle to ensure that any curse, hexes, dark magic, or anything rted to dark arts wouldn''t harm the audience. They didn''t notice that it was broken, so they failed to react quickly.
"Stop him! Stop him now!" Professor Mark Morton yelled as he prepared to cast a spell. He didn''t bring any Mystical Item with him, so he would have a slower casting speed than the other professors.
"Is he insane? This Moonlight Spell is too risky. Ites with a price... He''s risking his own life and everyone else''s with this spell!" Professor Cyrus said as he raised his hand to cast a spell and stop the Moonlight Curse.
Nevertheless, amidst the panic that Vale''s performance created, some students were still enjoying the scene, deserving to be called a student of the Dark Arts.
"Wow, he''s amazing! He''s using a Dark Spell that affects everyone in such arge area!" One student eximed.
"Awesome¡ It can affect so many people. Is this an Advanced Realm? I can feel I''m being cursed."
"He''s affecting over a hundred people at the same time¡ What a fearsome Spell!"
"Vale! You can stop now. We know that you''re the best already. Cough¡ Cough¡"
Vale smirked as he saw the effect of his Dark Spell affecting everyone in the hall.
He had shown them a power spell and hoped that he''d get the Contribution Points reward for this examination.
It didn''t take that long before the professors quickly cast a counter-spell, purifying the moonlight curse and restoring everyone''s health.
They were shocked and angry at Vale''s reckless and dangerous act, but they also had to admit that he was a talented and formidable student.
Chapter 333 Examination ( 5 )
?
"That was too dangerous, Vale¡" Professor Ste couldn''t help but mutter after confirming that the Spell was finally dispersed and that although it affected many students, the Curse was immediately broken thanks to Zara''s powerful Active Curse Break.
Vale didn''t speak or leave the stage as he nced at the Professors that were judging the examination.
After Vale''s performance, these three professors were stern and displeased. They immediately asked him to exin himself and why he used such a dangerous and reckless Dark Spell.
Zara, Mark, and Cyrus looked at Vale as if they were about to apprehend him if he answered poorly.
"Professors, I simply followed your instruction. I used my best Dark Spell for everyone to see. It''s not my fault that the Formation Circle was poorly made and couldn''t stop the Spell of a second-year student like me." Vale answered and passed the me to the Formation Circle, which was supposed to stop the Dark Spells from affecting the audience.
The professors shook their heads and sighed.
They spoke with each other for some time as they wanted to hear their colleagues'' opinions about Vale''s performance.
"He''s being arrogant and irresponsible¡" Mark sternly said.
He didn''t like the fact that Vale still caused some trouble to them.
"He had endangered everyone''s lives with his Dark Spell. That''s Moonlight Curse, and it''s probably at the Advanced Realm. He needed to learn humility and discipline, or else he would never be a true master of the Dark Arts." Cyrus added after some thought.
Zara, on the other hand, smiled at their reactions andmented. "I also think that Vale had gone overboard this time, but I can''t really me him. He needs to show off. Furthermore, showing that Advanced Realm Moonlight Curse is perfect for this asion. If I had that Spell at that age, I would use it every day."
She said this with a softugh making the other two professors mesmerized by her beauty.
The three professors then discussed this matter for a few moments while Professor Ste remained on the side, waiting for their decision.
Of course, while they were doing this, the students also couldn''t help but discuss what they''d just witnessed. Many of them couldn''t help but shudder after recalling how the Moonlight Curse affected them.
"I''ve seen a Moonlight Curse before, but it wasn''t that awesome. The caster would normally borrow the power of the moonlight during the nighttime and not create a moonlight! I wonder if this is the peak stage of the Intermediate Realm or if it already reached the Advanced Realm."
"Heh¡ It must be the Advanced Realm. Even the Formation Circle failed to stop it. Furthermore, I have an Anti-Curse Amulet with me, but I still got affected." Another student added.
On the other hand, Neil Sommerhalder was speechless by Vale''s performance.
He had a vague feeling about the Moonlight Curse that he had seen. He wasn''t sure about it, but he felt that Vale was mocking him while casting that spell. He wasn''t too sure, but he seemed to have felt Vale''s gaze a while ago.
"I lost my Moonlight Curse¡ However, Vale suddenly had them¡ Did he not destroy my Spell Model at that time and take it instead?" Neil muttered, but he couldn''t really ask someone about this.
It was too ridiculous. He wouldn''t even believe that such an ability existed. If he ever confided to someone, they would just certainlyugh at him¡
''No¡ I think Celina might believe me. She''s also from the Vermont Family. Perhaps she knows something about a Forbidden Spell?'' Neil thought deeply as the other students continued praising Vale''s performance.
"That was insane! I wonder if we''ll actually die if the Curse wasn''t broken by the Professors." One student said while still trembling.
"That''s true. But I wonder if Maya can do a better one." His ssmate replied. His voice wasn''t loud but it was enough for everyone to hear.
"Hahaha¡ I''m sure that Maya can do better." Leo ze suddenly said while clenching his fist tightly. He doesn''t want to admit it, but Vale''s Dark Spell was indeed better than his.
If it was Maya who had done that, he wouldn''t feel infuriated, so he could only hope that the Student Representative could perform better.
Soon, the professors finished discussing the matter.
In the end, they decided to just issue a warning, and if he ever repeated such a stunt again, he would face serious consequences.
This decision surprised many students. They were curious when Vale would ever have a chance of repeating this mistake. Are they going to do another examination simr to this?
Then, their decision was quite meaningless.
Some students epted this decision, but of course, there were also others who didn''t like such a light punishment.
However, Zara''s next words stunned them.
"After this examination, we will allow five students to challenge Vale if you didn''t like what he had done¡ If you defeat him, you''ll get 2 Contribution Points, while we deduct Vale''s contribution points if he loses. It doesn''t matter if he doesn''t have enough points, we can just put negative points on his record."
This decision garnered mixed reactions from the students. Their decision obviously angered Vale''s friends, but the others found this as a great opportunity.
Vale looked at the professors with a curious gaze. He wasn''t sure why they suddenly came up with such a stupid idea.
As he was about to speak, he suddenly heard Professor Zara''s words inside his head.
"Don''t think that this is unfair. We didn''t say it, but if you win against the five students we''ve chosen, we will take you as our disciple. You can choose among the three of us. Just nod at me if you understand."
Vale was speechless with the ''reward'' they''d thought of giving to him.
''Did they think I''ll get excited from that?'' Vale sighed after a few moments.
He changed his n. Instead of disagreeing with the duel, he decided to get a better reward.
''Professor Zara¡ Can you give me a different reward? I already have a Master¡ So, can you allow me to see corpses instead? The more, the better.'' Vale replied using his telepathy.
Zara was stunned as soon as she heard Vale''s reply. It wasn''t because of his request but because he could also use telepathy!
Chapter 334 Examination ( 6 )
?
Zara looked at Vale in shock as she couldn''t help but wonder how many Spell Models does he have right now.
She heard from Professor Ste that Vale has Ghost Hands, Darkness Maniption, Light Absorption, and a defensive spell that she wasn''t sure of. Then, Vale showed the Moonlight Curse a while ago.
After that, Vale started using Telepathy!
For a second-year student, that''s already quite a lot of Spell Models considering their Spirit Strands shouldn''t be able to handle so many Spell at this age.
''This young man is really special¡ No wonder Professor Gale has been interested in him¡ I thought she was exaggerating, but it must be true. Ugh¡ Did they do it already? If it''s Professor Gale, I don''t think that even Vale could resist her.'' Zara immediately shook her head as she reached this thought.
"Ahem¡ I''m surprised that you can use Telepathy. You''ve hidden yourself really well. Alright, let me discuss it with the others." Zara said as she talked to Mark and Cyrus.
Vale didn''t have to wait long as she heard Zara''s reply almost immediately.
"They agreed to it. We can discuss the corpsester once you''ve won. It''s good that Professor Cyrus and Mark already have a collection they''re ready to show you."
Vale felt satisfied with this reply as he returned to his position.
"V-Vale, are you alright with that?" Lisa suddenly asked worriedly.
In her opinion, Vale acted with the rules. Although his Spell affected the audience, it shouldn''t be his fault that the stage had a weaker protective measure.
"I''m fine, Lisa¡ It''s also a good opportunity for me to test my Spells." Vale replied.
Chad, Aubrey, and his other ssmates were also worried for him.
They had already heard a few students in other sses talking about how excited they were to fight Vale.
They even heard that Leo ze would want to volunteer.
"Oh? He didn''t get scared even after showing off my Moonlight Curse?" Vale asked curiously. Although he thinks that Leo had decent skills, it was just enough for the usual standard of Second-Year Students.
He didn''t seem that impressive at all, aside from his thick face for winking at Lisa while in front of many.
"Yes¡ I think someone said you can''t use the same Spell again after 12 hours or so. Ahem¡ Is that true?" Chad asked in a soft voice.
However, Aubrey smacked the back of his head this time as she scolded him. "You can''t ask something that private! Furthermore, the others are listening¡ What if Vale can use it again? Wouldn''t it be better if they get surprised?" Aubrey exined while shaking her head.
Chad apologized at this while Vale and Lisa justughed it off.
In the meantime, Maya was observing Vale and realized that he wasn''t nervous at all. It even seems that he was looking forward to the duel when he went off the stage just now.
''Is he that confident?'' Maya frowned as she silently observed Vale.
Even though she learned top-tier Dark Spells from her family, she wasn''t that confident in winning every battle, especially if her set of Dark Spells had been exposed.
Since Vale had been famous during his first year, his set of Dark Spells had already spread throughout their batch. Everyone here was basically aware of his Dark Spells by now, so it shouldn''t be impossible to defeat him in a duel.
''Unless he hadn''t shown all of his Spells yet.'' Maya silently thought as she nced at her ssmates, who were eager to have a duel with Vale.
Vale''s prominence in his first year had different implications for every student.
Some of them started taking Ghost Hands as their support-type Dark Spell, while others started avoiding it to find something that could defeat it in a battle.
Most of her ssmates were in thetter part as they all watched Vale''s battle against the Slender Zombie. They all believed that Vale consumed the Earth Eclipse Potion at that time, so he was able to overpower the Zombie with his brute force.
Now that the same potion was no longer being sold to the Exchange Hall, they believed that they had a better chance of overpowering Vale in a duel.
''They''ll probably be in shock¡ I don''t even want to fight him.'' Maya thought to herself as she recalled Vale''s unnatural physique. Vale''s physique was just too unfair.
Even her Master wanted to obtain his special special physique, so it wasn''t surprising.
She looked at Professor Ste, who was looking at her with a gentle smile.
''No¡ I''m not interested in fighting him! Find someone else!'' Maya wanted to scream at her, but she couldn''t use Telepathy. She could only shake her head at the professor, showing her refusal.
In any case, the examination continued as ss 1 hadn''t been called yet.
This time, Professor Ste called Philip Hoffman to go on the stage first.
Philip was viewed as a cool and handsome student, so several girls started cheering for him as soon as he got up the stage.
His Darkness Maniption Spell allowed him to create a spinning sphere of Darkness before he expanded it to create a spinning barrier around himself.
This performance was impressive, so even Vale couldn''t help but nod in approval. He would consider using this technique if he needed a defensive move someday.
As for Philip''s second Spell, he actually used something that wasn''t visually appealing. It was the Severe Ailment Spell!
The Severe Ailment Spell was a type of Curse Spell that targets a person''s or animal''s immune system.
Naturally, it didn''t have any visual effects, so most of the students didn''t like it.
However, the Professors, including Vale, noticed that Philip''s Curse Spell had already reached the Intermediate Realm. Furthermore, Philip was able to control the Spell to hit the dummy stealthily.
No one had noticed that he had used the Spell until the dummy showed signs of being infected by the curse.
''No wonder he chose to use this Spell¡'' Vale thought to himself as he looked at Philip going down the stage.
"Prisci Hoffman!" Professor Ste called out as the next student came up.
Prisci performed her spells with joy and enthusiasm butcked precision and timing. Her Darkness Maniption seemed to be in its early stage of the Elementary Realm, including the Blind Curse she used as the second Spell.
Vale looked at her curiously as he couldn''t help but ponder¡
''Aubrey and Prisci seem to have simr concerns, they''re purposely holding back.''
Chapter 335 Last Examination
?
Vale wasn''t sure why they were holding back with their performance today, but he didn''t have ns to ask them why. They must have something in their mind, so he decided not to point it out.
The exam with ss 1 continued, and Vale realized that there were indeed many talented students in this ss.
This is especially true with Maya''s group of friends.
Goldie Forrest created a gorgeous coat with her Darkness Maniption Spell, followed by the usage of Ghost Apparition Spell. The Apparition wasn''t that popr, but anyone who has this Spell could be a scary opponent, especially if she reached the Intermediate Realm of this Spell.
Crystal Ravinie and Ana Chalton, the other two loyal friends of Maya, had also performed well with their Darkness Maniption Spell but only showed a weak but high-level Spell on their second Spell.
Soon, Vale heard their conversations as they went off the stage and stuck closer to Maya.
"Maya¡ If you''re nning to challenge Valeter, make sure not to use a spell with a long cooldown. Also, don''t show your most lethal Spell." Ana reminded. She knew that Maya would be called in just another minute or so, and she must not let Vale know her real strength.
"What?" Maya was shocked momentarily before shaking her head.
"I''m not nning to have a duel with him. You guys can go ahead and volunteer."
As she said this, Goldie and the others looked at her in surprise. They couldn''t believe it.
If there was someone who could defeat Vale in a duel, they believed that it was guaranteed to be Maya Featherstar. As for them, they only believe that they have at least a 75% chance of winning against him with all their preparations.
"Aren''t you the one who was the most eager to show who''s the real boss of the Second Year?" Goldie asked softly.
Maya''s face suddenly turned red after hearing this. She quickly blocked Goldie''s mouth with her hands.
"Sshhh¡ What are you saying? I''m not trying to be a boss¡ I just want to defeat him since I believe I have learned plenty of things in my family and shouldn''t disappoint them. I want to do it by performing better in our Academic sses, not in a duel." Maya immediately exined, hoping not to cause a misunderstanding.
Luckily, as she nced in Vale''s direction, it seemed that he was too focused on watching their ssmate performing his second Spell, Dark Mist, and didn''t hear their conversation.
Soon, Professor Ste called her out.
She was indeed thest student for this exam, and she could somehow understand why.
As soon as she stood on the stage, she used her Darkness Maniption Spell to create a disk made of Darkness on her feet!
Then, she used the disk to float a few inches off the ground!
It was only about 4 or 5 inches, but it certainly surprised all of them!
"Whoa! Maya is indeed the best in our batch!"
"Of course¡ I''ve never doubted her."
"She wasn''t that showy, but she really deserves to be the student representative."
"Indeed. She doesn''t go around and seek duels here and there¡ unlike a certain someone who wanted to be a center of attention and even challenged our seniors."
Vale heard their words and knew that he was the one they were talking about.
He simply nced in their direction and remembered their faces before shifting his attention back to Maya''s performance.
In his mind, he believed that he could do it as well. He knew that once he tried it, he would do better than Maya¡
''This exam is really good¡ I learned a few more uses of the Darkness Maniption Spell.'' Vale thought to himself as he recalled all the other techniques he had seen.
The Full-Body Armor, Spinning Barrier, Floating Sword, Multiple Arrows, and now, a Floating Device!
The Darkness Maniption Spell truly deserved to be called the core of the Dark Spellcasters.
"Vale¡ I think Maya performed better this time." Chad muttered.
This time, Aubrey didn''t disagree. She even nodded with Lisa after hearing this.
"Indeed. I never thought that it was possible to do that." Vale replied nonchntly.
However, his answer shocked Aubrey and Lisa as they looked at him with doubt. Even Leonore, who was silently listening behind them, couldn''t help but look at Vale curiously.
"That''s impossible¡ Are you telling us you can''t do that?" Aubrey muttered.
"I see¡ So there''s something you can''t do as well." Lisa said with a bright smile on her face while nodding continuously.
Vale was stunned momentarily as they seemed to have misunderstood his words.
He certainly said that he didn''t think it was possible to do that, but he didn''t mean he couldn''t.
Anyway, he decided not to exin himself and just shook his head and continued watching Maya.
After she finished her trick with the Darkness Maniption Spell, she continued with her second Dark Spell.
She looked at the Professors judging the examination before she triggered her Spell.
"Dark Nova¡"
As soon as the Professors realized what Maya aimed to do, they quickly acted and reinforced the stage''s Formation Circle!
"Y-you!" Zara was shocked as she saw Maya adamant about the usage of this Spell.
Mark and Cyrus also grunted as they poured their Dark Energy into fortifying the defensive Formation Circle they ced on the stage.
They wouldn''t make the same mistake again!
Boom!
The Dark Nova created a powerful explosion that made the hall tremble¡
Luckily, this was much easier to deal with than Vale''s Moonlight Curse which could bypass their defenses.
Professor Ste clenched her fist tightly as the hall was surrounded by a bright light followed by darkness.
Crack¡ Crack¡ Crack¡
Soon, the barrier created by the Formation Circle started shattering due to the sheer power that Maya had released.
However, Ste ignored it. She looked worried and immediately went to the stage to check Maya''s condition. She covered herself with Dark Energy to bypass the defensive circle and grabbed Maya''s shoulder.
"You idiot¡ Dark Nova uses your Life Force¡ This is just an exam! Why are you so determined?"
Maya looked weak after using that Spell, but she still smiled and replied.
"I won''t be joining the duel¡ I need to take a rest, Professor."
Chapter 336 Duel ( 1 )
Chapter 336 Duel ( 1 )
"W-what?" Professor Ste was shocked as she didn''t expect that Maya would be so against the duel that she''d rather injure herself.
As she was about to scold her student, she heard Zara''s voice inside her head.
''Ste, how''s her condition?'' Zara asked worriedly.
''Not good¡ Her life strands went down for sure.'' Ste answered as she started inspecting Maya''s body.
''I see... Don''t worry too much. She''s from the Featherstar Family. They have a way of increasing life strands a lot faster than others as long as they haven''t reached their twenties yet. Maya must be aware of this, so she''s not too worried.'' Zara exined.
''That''s good to hear.'' Ste heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. She then carried Maya to bring her to the infirmary and let her get some rest.
Maya''s friends hurriedly went over as well, but after Ste assured them that Maya was safe, they could only return and wait for the final part of the Examination.
Since the Examination has already ended, Zara can rece Ste to take care of the duel that is about to happen.
"Not good¡ We''re nning to have Maya and Vale fight. Now that she''s injured, who''s going to deal with that student?" Cyrus asked with a weak voice.
"Philip might be able to do it. There''s also Leo, who has learned a decent set of Dark Spells." Mark replied while looking at the students.
"Let''s not worry about that for now. First, let''s announce the students who will receive the 2 Contribution Points for their performance." Zara suggested.
Mark and Cyrus looked at each before agreeing to Zara.
The three then stood in front of everybody and announced the 30 students who would receive the contribution points.
Everyone in the ss turned silent as they waited for their names to be called. They were hoping that they would also learn their ranking in this Examination.
Unfortunately, Zara exined that the names to be called out weren''t in a specific order butpletely random.
The excited students immediately calmed down because of this.
Soon, the top scorers were called.
The top 30 had mostlye from ss 1¡
To be exact, 15 students from ss 1 were included in the top 30.
"As expected¡ Everyone in ss 1 came from the core families of the Dark Arts Faction."
"Indeed¡ It would be more embarrassing if they failed to dominate here."
"I heard that some of them already learned the Darkness Maniption Spell before entering the Academy."
"That''s not true¡ However, they learned much earlier about the Spell Models and the existence of Dark Energy."
Vale listened to them silently while he congratted his ssmates who had been included in the list like him. They were Dalton, Warren, Leonore, Lisa, and Aubrey¡
"If you''re unconvinced with your result, we are giving you a chance to duel against Vale Chambers¡ If you win against him, you will receive 2 Contribution Points. We are doing this as we know you''re holding your grudges after Vale affected you with his Moonlight Curse. Instead of keeping it inside you, I rmend that you challenge Vale to let it out."
Zara announced as she tried to make it sound like it was really Vale''s fault for having this duel segment in the Examination today.
One of the students immediately took this opportunity as he shouted.
"Allow me! I challenge Vale to a duel!" The one who spoke was Leo ze.
Vale didn''t feel pressured as he looked at Leo calmly¡
"He used Dark me a while ago. It''s a Tier 2 Dark Spell. Be careful, Vale." Aubrey reminded me as she looked at Leo.
Lisa hesitated for a moment before she spoke. "I heard that Leo has Mystical Items that protect him from Curses and any Corruption-Type Spells¡ Avoid using these spells when facing him."
Lisa and Leo were both members of the Library Committee, so it wasn''t that surprising if she knew a thing or two about him.
Vale thanked the two for their words as he went to the stage. He then looked at Zara and used his ESP Spell''s Telepathy to ask her a question.
''Professor Zara, I can ept more than five challengers. So if you like, you can find more challengers. It didn''t matter if they were third year or fourth year. However, I should get ess to more corpses.''
As Vale said this, Zara looked at Vale looking stunned.
Vale wasn''t sure what she was thinking, but he could make a guess.
Zara hesitated for a moment before passing the message to Professor Mark and Cyrus.
The other two didn''t like Vale''s confidence as they looked at him with scorn¡
After some time, Zara replied.
"Very well, defeat Leo and the others first, then we''ll set a schedule with your fight with other students in the higher years. The two professors may not like your guts, but I''m the opposite. I like your confidence, Vale. If you were selected to attend the Twelve Academies Competition, you must have this confidence, or you''ll just die there¡"
As she said this, Zara cut off their connection, and Vale could no longer speak to her using telepathy. It seems that she used a spell to block off any Telepathy Ability pointed at her.
''What? I could die in thatpetition¡ Why? Isn''t that a friendlypetition between the twelve academies?'' Vale was a bit speechless, but he didn''t have the time to rify her words.
In the meantime, Leo was ready to be in a battle as he stood opposite Vale, waiting for the announcement to start the duel.
Cyrus stood at their center and looked at the two students before announcing the rules of the duel.
"You can use any Dark Spells and Mystical Items that you have. However, any help from the outside would result in disqualification¡ Moving off the stage will also disqualify you." He paused for a moment and waited to see their reaction.
Seeing that they don''t seem to care, he continued.
"Any questions?" Cyrus asked onest time.
"Ah, yes! I have a question!" Leo raised his voice as he seemed to have recalled something and pointed at Vale. "Vale has a Dark Spirit Summon. Can he use it?"
"Yes¡ If you have a summon, you can use it as well." Cyrus answered without hesitation.
"Don''t worry. I won''t send out my Dark Spirit." Vale said with a smile.
"Tch¡" Leo just grunted at this since there was no way he would believe his opponent.
Seeing that there were no more questions, Cyrus no longer wasted time as he announced the start of the duel.
Chapter 337 Duel ( 2 )
Chapter 337 Duel ( 2 )
The students inside the Assembly Hall were filled with anticipation and excitement as the two second-year students stood on opposite sides of the stage. They were about to start a duel, and perhaps, this duel would determine the strongest second-year student right now.
Lisa sped her hands as she waited for the battle to start.
"Don''t worry. Vale would win." Aubrey said with a smile as she looked at Lisa, who seemed to be very nervous.
Lisa nodded at this as she also felt that Vale had a higher chance of winning.
Soon, Vale and Leo walked to the center of the stage, where they faced each other with a distance of about ten meters between them.
They stared at each other intently as they prepared for their duel.
Leo felt a surge of adrenaline and excitement running through his veins. He knew that Vale was a formidable opponent who had defeated other students with his unusual fighting method. Vale had even defeated a Slender Zombie, so he knows that he has to be wary of Vale''s strength.
In the meantime, Vale does not care about Leo''s motives or feelings.
He only cared about winning the duel¡
''Should I even use a Dark Spell?'' Vale mused to himself.
After some hesitation, he felt that he did not need any Spells or weapons to deal with this guy. He only needed his speed and strength, which should''ve exceeded the limits of many Knight Arts Practitioners.
Vale smiled slightly, as he waited for the signal to start.
Leo didn''t know why Vale smiled like that, but he felt a surge of anger and hatred burning in his chest. It felt as if he was looking down on him.
Leo looked at Lisa and muttered softly. "I will show you that I''m better than this guy¡"
Many didn''t hear his words, but Vale didn''t miss that¡
''Alright¡ You need to be beaten up.'' Vale thought to himself.
As soon as Cyrus announced the start of the battle, Leo smirked wickedly and activated his Dark me Spell.
He raised his right hand, which was covered by his ck glove. The glove was actually a magical item that enhanced his Dark me Spell by at least 10 to 15 percent. With the help of his glove, it allowed him to freely manipte Dark mes within his Magic Zone with minimal effort.
Leo felt the dark mes coursing through his veins as he waited for Vale to make his move¡
Seeing that Vale was also waiting, Leo no longer hesitated as he made the first move.
A ball of Dark me shot out of his hand, flying towards Vale at high speed.
Vale reacted quickly, dodging the Spell by moving to the left.
He sprinted towards Leo, closing the distance between them.
Leo was not surprised by Vale''s dodge. He had expected him to be fast and agile since he had witnessed Vale''s fight against the Slender Zombie.
He had also prepared for his close-range attack.
He again pointed his right hand at Vale and shouted, "Dark me Wave!"
A wave of dark mes erupted from his hand, sweeping across the stage. This Spell was still the Dark me Spell, but because of the Mystical Glove he was wearing, he could change its form ording to his desire.
Vale saw the wave of dark mesing at him. He knew he could not dodge the attack this time and had to face it head-on.
''His Dark me doesn''t have a cooldown?'' Vale felt a bit surprised, but that was it. He wasn''t worried at all.
He gathered his strength and jumped over the wave of Dark mes,nding behind Leo.
He swung his fist at Leo''s head, aiming for a knockout blow.
"Y-you!"
Leo sensed Vale''s fisting at him. He knew he could not dodge the attack, so he had to counter it with his own attack.
He turned his head slightly and opened his mouth, spitting out a stream of dark mes at Vale''s face!
Whooshh~
''What? That''s possible? Is this better than the Cursed Breath?!'' Vale thought to himself as he felt the heat of the Dark mes on his He raised his arm and pped the stream of Dark mes away from his face using his left palm.
face. He could avoid or endure it, but he decided to deflect it with his hand.
He raised his arm and pped the stream of Dark mes away from his face using his left palm.
Vale then continued his fist at Leo''s head, hoping to end the duel with one hit.
Bam!
Leo felt the impact and shock of Vale''s fist on his head.
''Y-you!'' Leo couldn''t believe it. His face was filled with indignation as he looked at Vale.
He still has two other spells he could use and two more Mystical Items in his possession that he hadn''t activated yet!
However, despite all of his preparations, he still fell to the ground, unconscious and defeated.
Thud!
Vale stepped back as he waved his hand in his face¡ It seemed that the Dark me Breath was still on his face, giving off some weird scent.
"Whoa~"
The audience gasped and cheered as they witnessed the end of the duel.
"Awesome! I knew it!" Chad said with augh as soon as he saw Leo dropping to the ground.
Aubrey nodded at this as she looked at Vale in a new light. "How cruel¡ You didn''t even use your Dark Spell. Why''d you have to disrespect him like that?" It was followed by a chuckle as she couldn''t help but find this duel funny.
Vale smiled as he looked at Professor Cyrus, who nodded and announced. "The winner is Vale Chambers!"
Except for Leo ze''s friends, the others pped and cheered. They congratted Vale for his fantastic performance.
However, Neil didn''t like how Vale had won the battle.
"Professor, please rethink your decision. This is a battle between two Spellcasters, however, Vale didn''t fight like a Spellcaster! He must be disqualified!" Neil shouted.
He wasn''t sure how the others would react, but luckily, Leo''s friends started chiming in and raising the same concern.
They looked at Neil gratefully as they requested the Professor to disqualify Vale and give the victory to Leo.
Chapter 338 Knight
?
Vale sighed as he heard Neil''s voice.
He was no longer surprised that Neil came up with another reason to annoy him.
For some reason, his ssmate really hated him ever since¡ At this point, he was already considering Extracting everything from him so he could just send this young man back to his family in the Rune Arts Faction.
Professor Cyrus was also a bit shocked by the sudden request to disqualify Vale.
As she was about to answer, she heard Ste''s voice inside her head and realized what was going on.
''So it was like that¡'' Cyrus shook his head after understanding the situation.
In his opinion, Neil was just jealous and resentful of Vale, who had surpassed him in practical andbat aspects of Dark Arts.
He had always tried to find faults and ws in Vale''s performance and methods.
Now, he saw an opportunity to discredit and humiliate Vale in front of everyone.
"He didn''t use any spells! He only used his physical abilities! That''s not how a spellcaster should fight! That''s cheating!" Neil eximed once again as he realized that the professors were silently discussing the matter.
"Please, disqualify Vale!" Leo''s friends added.
They hoped that theirint would make Professor Cyrus change his decision and give the victory to Leo instead of Vale.
The audience murmured and whispered as they listened to their ims.
A few of them agreed with Neil''s group, but it could be seen that the majority disagreed with him. However, this majority didn''t speak and just watched what would happen.
Of course, there were still others who were confused and curious why this was happening in the first ce.
As for Vale''s friends, they didn''t seem to care about Neil''s protest. They were pretty confident that Vale had just proven that Leo didn''t deserve to experience his Dark Spell. The disqualification was just out of the question.
After some time, Professor Cyrus pped his hands, creating a loud sound that silenced the audience.
"Enough!" he said sternly. "I have heard your protest, but I do not agree with it."
He looked at Neil and Leo''s friends with a serious expression.
"Vale did not cheat or break any rules. He used his speed and strength, which are part of his abilities as a spellcaster. He did not need any spells or weapons to win the duel. He won fair and square."
He looked at Vale with a proud expression.
"Vale showed us that there is more than one way to fight as a Spellcaster. He showed you, or us, that there is more than one type of Dark Art in this world. Lastly, he may not have said it, but I can tell that his physique is born from a sessful Dark Arts Ritual¡"
He looked at the audience with an authoritative expression.
"He deserves our respect and admiration, not our doubt and criticism."
He stomped his feet on the ground, creating another loud sound that signaled the end of the discussion.
"The winner is still Vale Chambers!" He dered firmly.
The rest of the students pped and cheered as they epted Professor Cyrus'' verdict.
Vale smiled and bowed again as he thanked Professor Cyrus. He also thanked Zara and Mark, as he knows that they''ve been discussing their verdict using their telepathy.
Now that it was settled, Professor Cyrus continued looking for his challengers.
The next one who volunteered was Warren Lawstein, his ssmate in ss 2. Perhaps, Vale only had to worry about his Severe Ailment Spell that could inflict various diseases and conditions on the target, such as fever, nausea, paralysis, and more. As for the man''s Ghost Hands, he knows that he could just ignore it.
In the battle, Vale even decided to get hit by the Severe Ailment Spell as he tried to see how much he would be affected by the Spell.
To his surprise, he only felt a slight difort in his body as he sensed Warren''s Spell hitting him.
He shrugged it off easily¡ Perhaps it was due to his high Strength and Vitality or that he possessed an Advanced Realm Incorruptible Body.
''It seems that Intermediate Realm ailments or curses will no longer work on me¡'' Vale thought to himself as he saw Warren looking at him nervously.
This time, Vale didn''t use his Spell once against him as he just dashed forward and grabbed his arm¡
"I surrender¡" he whimpered before Vale could do more damage to his arm.
Professor Cyrus sighed at this as he announced the victor once again.
''Warren isn''t bad¡ He''s even better than other second-year ss'' Student Representatives in thest 3 or 5 years. This Vale is just too strong¡'' Cyrus thought to himself, already considering which fourth-year students he would send to challenge Vale.
Anyway, the next second-year student to challenge Vale was Dalton Stranway. He was then followed by Philip Hoffman. Unsurprisingly, Vale also won the matches against them, giving the impression that Vale was truly undefeated.
There were still two students in ss 1 that were better than Philip in terms of Spell Mastery and Spirit Strands, but they decided not to participate, saying that they have nothing against Vale Chambers.
In the end, thest student to challenge Vale was Neil..
This surprised Aubrey and the others as they knew that Neil was avoiding any direct conflict or battle against Vale.
Neil would always find fault in Vale''s actions, but that was it. This was the first time Neil had challenged Vale to a duel!
"Vale¡ I know this is a good chance, but make sure not to kill him." Chad suddenly said in a low voice.
As a matter of fact, Aubrey and Lisa had the same concern, as they didn''t really want to see their friend killing a ssmate.
After all, although they are in the Dark Arts Academy, they aren''t evil people¡
Seeing how his friends were looking at him, Vale helplessly smiled and nodded.
''Don''t worry¡ I''m not going to kill him¡ I''ll only make him unable to continue studying here.'' Vale added in his mind as he watched Neil getting on the stage.
He noticed that Neil didn''t seem afraid even after he defeated the four top students in their batch. It was quite baffling, so Vale used his Spirit Vision to inspect him carefully.
After a few moments, he finally realized what was going on.
''Seriously¡ Is Celina behind this?'' Vale thought to himself as he looked around to see if Celina was watching.
Chapter 339 Slipped Away
?
Vale was right.
He found Celina at the corner of the Assembly Hall, smirking at him. He wasn''t sure when she appeared, but she seemed really satisfied.
''Is she happy because she thinks I''ll be her Shadow Knight in the future?''
Vale vaguely guessed as he already had an idea of how Celina thinks of herself. Perhaps, she was feeling happy that her "future" Personal Shadow Knight was capable of winning against the top students of his batch.
As for the item she had given to Neil, it was probably a test for him¡ or perhaps, she really wanted him to be defeated by Neil so he could see the value of the Vermont Family.
Vale shook his head to erase his random thoughts as he stared at Neil.
Aside from the familiar Protector Amulet he was carrying, he still had three other Mystical Items on his body, making him threatening under normal circumstances.
***
The Assembly Hall buzzed with anticipation as Vale Chambers and Neil Sommerhalder stepped onto the stage. This will be the final duel, and everyone was excited to see the match and broaden their horizon.
Vale''s unique fighting style truly opened their eyes. He seemed to be using support-type Spells that helped him boost his speed and strength, which was very umon among Spellcasters.
Watching his battle was always exciting as they gained insight into dealing with melee fighters like him.
''Is he not going to use his Spells again?'' Professor Cyrus thought to himself as he saw Vale''s preparations. In the end, he was also looking forward to how Vale would win now that Neil has several Mystical Items with him.
The crowd hushed as he raised his hand, signaling the start of the battle.
"Eat this!"
Neil wasted no time, his hand shing through the air as he called upon the shadows to manifest his dark spells. He was using his bracelets to assist him with casting Spells¡
Rotting Chains slithered from his fingertips, aiming to ensnare Vale and drain his vitality.
However, Vale was agile and nimble. He evaded the chains with graceful leaps and rolls. He relied on his keen reflexes and physical prowess to outmaneuver his opponent.
The crowd erupted into gasps and cheers as Vale showcased his acrobatic skills, narrowly dodging each ghastly chain.
This was really something they would never see in normal Spellcasters'' duels.
With a sh of determination in his eyes, Vale closed the distance between them. His muscles tensed, and heunched himself at Neil, delivering powerful strikes and swift kicks. Vale''s martial arts don''t seem to be that good, but each of his strikes releases a powerful force.
That''s right. Everyone could tell that Vale''s kicking postures or closebat skills weren''t at the level of a professional, but since he was strong and fast, his techniques didn''t matter at all.
Neil struggled to defend himself, but since he was prepared for it, his other mystical item produced a Dark Barrier around him, protecting him from suffering severe injuries.
''Not good¡'' Neil gritted his teeth as he realized that he couldn''t properly ess his Spell Models while being relentlessly attacked.
His spells faltered as Vale''s assault pushed him to the brink. He couldn''t cast his Ghastly Ailment and Spirit Hands as he focused on defending against Vale''s onught!
The crowd watched in awe as the battle unfolded before them. Vale''s fists and feet became a blur of motion, each strikending with precision and impact.
The Assembly Hall reverberated with the sounds of their sh, echoing the fierce determination of their rivalry.
Crack¡ Crack¡ Crack¡
Neil''s defensive mystical items started being destroyed as Vale continued with his attacks!
''Y-you¡'' Neil couldn''t believe it.
Despite his possession of three Low-Grade Mystical Items, he found himself outmatched by Vale''s sheer physicality and unwavering resolve.
''Just what kind of training did he do to reach this point?!'' As he reached this thought, he felt his soul and everything in him being sucked!
As he was about to surrender, Vale delivered a final blow, a powerful roundhouse kick that sent him sprawling to the ground.
The Assembly Hall erupted into cheers and apuse as Vale stood victorious, his chest heaving with exertion and triumph.
Professor Cyrus immediately stepped forward to dere Vale, the winner and checked Neil''s condition.
''Tsk¡ Not good¡ I should''ve stopped the battle before thatst kicknded¡'' Cyrus thought as he realized that Neil''s condition was really bad.
He immediately called Zara to give Neil some first aid before sending him to the infirmary.
***
In the meantime, in the corner of the Assembly Hall, a first-year student almost fell to the ground after witnessing the result of the duel.
"No... it can''t be! How is this happening?"
Celina''s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. The weight of her miscalctions bore down on her, and she struggled to maintain herposure. Just like that, three Noble Rank items in her collections were destroyed!
Her eyes darted around the Assembly Hall, searching for a glimmer of hope, a chance to salvage her wounded pride. But all she could see was Vale''s triumph, his victory shining like a beacon in the sea of disappointment.
''I made a mistake¡ This Neil is too foolish¡ How can you be defeated by someone who''s only using support-type Spells? Tsk¡'' Celina silently thought as she saw everyone congratting Vale on his well-deserved win.
Her gaze narrowed, resentment burning within her. After a few moments, she started calming down.
''It''s not my fault¡ Neil is just too weak.''
"This isn''t over, Vale. You may have won this battle, but I''m far from finished."
As the crowd dispersed, Celina slipped away, her mind filled with a newfound determination. She would have to reassess her strategies and find new ways to assert her family''s dominance.
The setback only fueled her desire for power and control.
With a steely resolve, Celina retreated into the shadows, plotting her next move.
The failed n might have bruised her ego, but it had also ignited a fire within her, a burning ambition to prove her family''s might and secure Vale as her Personal Shadow Knight.
Chapter 340 Fundamentals
Chapter 340 Fundamentals
After getting back to his dormitory, Vale checked his current Attributes.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 70.35, Agility 68.25, Intelligence 100, Vitality 68.40 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv7, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv8, Darkness Maniption Lv7, Spirit Vision Lv4, Light Absorption Lv6, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Cursed Breath Lv4, Moonlight Curse Lv7, Darkness Coil Lv4, Spectral Hands Lv4, Corrupted Chains Lv4, Dead Heart Lv4, Active Curse Break Lv4, Dusk Imprisonment Lv4 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv7, Blessed Healing Lv4 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv4, Shadow Muttion Lv6 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv6 ]
[ Transformation Art: Human Shapeshift Lv7, Beast Shapeshift Lv4, Voice Maniption Lv4 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv7 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv6, Soul Bind Lv2 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv7, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv7 ]
[ Avable Energy: 1168 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 2797.80 ]
He had to use 384 Energy Points to upgrade his Moonlight Curse from Level 6 to Level 7.
As for the other missing Energy Points, he used them to upgrade those level 0 to level 4, so he doesn''t have any level 0 Spells in his Spell Models anymore. With regards to Neil''s Spell Models, Vale didn''t bother keeping them at all. Aside from the Energy Points and Attribute Points, he discarded everything from him.
He then upgraded his Arcane Armor to Level 7 since this was really a useful Spell.
After feeling satisfied, Vale even forgot to even change his clothes as he fell asleep with his uniform on.
The next morning, Vale started the day with an early morning ss, Ethical Spellcasting, taught by Assistant Professor Machley. The ss focused on the responsible and ethical use of Arcane, delving into the history of magical mishaps and the importance of considering the consequences of their spells.
Vale really liked this ss as it would always remind him that all Spells that are recorded in their bodies don''t just give power. The Spells they are using have negative effects.
It may not show up in the first three or five years, but the Spells could affect the minds of the casters depending on their chosen path.
This is why some old Rogue Arcanists could be so extreme with their title, whether they are Runecaster, Elementalists, Priests, Beastmaster, or others.
Today, Vale learned that most of the Tier 3 Dark Arts weren''t being learned, not because they are very difficult to learn but because the negative effects may be too much for the Arcanist¡
"Professor, what should we do if we want to safely learn Tier 3 Dark Arts?" Lisa asked curiously. The rest of the ss had the same question, so they looked at their Professor expectantly.
"That answer is simple, but you may not have a chance to do it.." Machley answered with a smile.
Lisa squinted her eyes as she realized what she was trying to say. "Will it be very expensive?" She asked.
Assistant Professor Machley nodded at this and replied. "To safely learn a Tier 3 Dark Arts, you need a stronger version of the Darkness Possession. That way, the negative effects of the Spell Model could be neutralized by your physique."
She paused for a moment to look at their surprised expression before continuing. "I won''t be suggesting you do that if you''re not prepared since the second Potion of the Darkness Possession would be deadlier than the previous. Furthermore, the Dark Alchemist, who could make this potion, could only produce about 3 or 4 potions per year, and therge ns are currently monopolizing this potion."
"You might have to consider working for them if you want to get a chance to Record Tier 3 Spell Models. In any case, once you work for them, they can also freely remove your unneeded Spell Models if you want them changed. It isn''t that bad working for the families that had started the Dark Arts Faction." Assistant Professor Machley said with a gentle smile on her face as she continued on with the ss.
However, Vale couldn''t help but raise his brows after hearing the Assistant Professor''s suggestion to her students.
''Why does it feel like she''s rmending us to work for these families?'' Vale thought to himself. Lisa also had the same expression as they couldn''t help but look at each other.
Nevertheless, they just went silent and listened to the ss.
''Professor Machley was probably working for these noble families. I wonder if she has a Tier 3 Dark Spell I can extract¡'' Vale thought.
Of course, he wasn''t serious about this intrusive thought but simply curious about her.
As the ss continued, Vale learned a few more things about the ethical way of using Arcane Arts.
He was at least learning a lot in the Academy, so his resolve to disappear after he got back his Shadow was starting to weaken.
During lunchtime, Vale met up with his ssmates, Lisa Grayback, Aubrey Hall, and Chad Bulmung, at the Academy''s courtyard. Today, they decided to eat in this ce instead of the crowded Cafeteria.
They shared stories about their club activities, discussing thetest news they read in the Academy Publication and exchanging tips on studying for uing exams.
This time, Vale realized that many things were going on in the Academy.
The Library Committee was nning to have an event in the Library called Summer Reading Challenge.
The Sixth-Year students were also preparing to head to the yearly Twelve Academy Competitions, and ording to the news, the Arts Academy was expected to be in the bottom three, together with the Psychic Arts and Transformation Arts Academies.
sixth-year students of this batch weren''t that impressive. The Dark Arts Academy was expected to be in the bottom three, together with the Psychic Arts and Transformation Arts Academies.
Chad also shared that the Dark Soul Tower of the Academy seemed to have a huge activity over the past few days, but he wasn''t sure what was going on there.
On the next day, Vale attended Introductory Alchemy, led by Professor Zach Everette... That''s right. He was the Captain of the Order of the Vessel''s Alchemy Division, and there was no way Vale would forget this guy.
Vale was a bit surprised, but since Zach was indeed a Dark Alchemist, he certainly deserved to be teaching.
"Good morning, ss! Wee to Introductory Alchemy. I will be recing Professor Harrison for a few weeks. I''m Zach Everette¡ Call me Professor Everette." The Professor gently smiled as he introduced himself.
"Today, we''ll be diving into the world of potion-making. Alchemy isn''t just magic. It is an art and science where precise measurements and careful mixing can create extraordinary results. Let''s begin, shall we?"
The ss nodded in anticipation, eager to learn alchemy from this new Professor.
"Our first potion for today will be something simr to the Healing Elixir of the Holy Arts Faction, called Second Breathe Potion. It is a fundamental potion with mild healing properties. This potion can mend minor wounds, alleviate pain, and promote overall well-being. But remember, uracy in measurements and the proper sequence of ingredient additions are crucial."
Chapter 341 Charm
Chapter 341 Charm
Professor Zach Everette had, of course, noticed Vale''s presence in the ss. However, he simply nodded at Vale like they didn''t have an unpleasant experience before.
Vale didn''t mind it as he listened attentively to the ss. He started to like their Alchemy ss, especially after he sessfully created a simple potion that could extend the storage life of his Healing Water.
So he didn''t really mind if the Professor had a bad rtionship with him as long as they had good teaching skills.
Luckily, Professor Zach was indeed a good teacher.
After a few discussions, the ss transferred to theboratory to continue with their experiment. They would have to make the potion that Professor Zach taught them just now. It was quite fast, but it was also exciting for everyone.
As they entered theboratory, Professor Zach instructed them to group into three to make this potion.
However, since Neil was missing, one group only had two members.
In the end, they were Vale and Leonore, who had somehow be partners because of Professor Zach''s insistence.
"Alright¡ To start, we''ll need a base of distilled water. Measure out precisely 200 milliliters and pour it into your cauldrons." Professor Zach said. He didn''t have ns to show his alchemy skills and simply watched his students do what he instructed them.
Vale and Leonore carefully measured the water, ensuring uracy, before pouring it into his cauldron.
Seeing everyone was following, Professor Zach continued. "Next, we''ll add the dried treated chamomile flowers. Crush them gently to release their healing properties, and add two tablespoons to your cauldrons."
Several more instructions followed as the potion requires a total of 4 Supplementary Ingredients and 2 Main Ingredients.
Vale and Leonore worked together, enjoying the soothing aroma that filled the air as they made the potion.
Everyone continued to follow the instructions, and a sense of excitement filled the room. They observed the transformation of the potion, noting the color changes and the subtle shifts in energy.
Leonore whispered excitedly. "I can''t wait to see the healing powers of this potion¡"
Aubrey, who was beside them, wryly smiled as shemented. "Don''t expect too much. This potion is very basic and can only cure minor injuries. It''s nothingpared to the real potions of other Factions."
Chad nodded, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "That''s true¡ But this is just the start. We''ll certainly learn other potions in this ss."
"Well, you''ll learn more if you select the Dark Alchemy Branch in your fourth year..." Valemented as he waited for the ingredients to dissolve in the cauldron.
Professor Zach noticed that everyone had done great, and only thest step was missing.
"Lastly, we''ll need to infuse the potion with your Dark Energy... Select a member of your team who will focus on channeling your Dark Energy into the potion. You have to remember to stop once you feel that the cauldron is filled with your Energy."
Everyone was aware of thisst step since they already discussed this in the ssroom. However, now that they are on this part, they hesitated about which of their team member shouldplete thest step.
"You can do it¡" Vale gestured to Leonore, who seemed very excited.
"N-no¡ You can do it, Vale. I might ruin the potion." She replied with a bit of nervousness in her tone.
"You can do it¡ Just go ahead." Vale said as there might be a different effect if he did it. After all, he had a mixed energy inside his body, especially after he activated his Meridian ess.
Perhaps he would try itter once he was alone.
"Fine¡ Let me do it."
After a few more encouraging words, Leonore was finally convinced.
She went on ahead and put her palm on top of the cauldron before she closed her eyes, visualizing her Dark Energy and gathering them on her palms¡
After that, she continued infusing the Dark Energy, hoping to bring relief and well-being to the potion she was making. Of course, while making the potion, her intention or thoughts may not matter to the result, but she still felt that she must do this with all her heart.
"Well done, everyone! Your Second Breath Potion isplete. Take a small vial, carefullydle your potion into it, andbel it with your names." Professor Zach said as he looked at the students with a gentle smile on his face.
''I guess this approach is better than getting on Vale''s wrong side.'' Professor Zach Everette thought to himself.
Unaware of his thoughts, Vale and Leonore carefully transferred the potion into a vial, feeling a sense of aplishment.
As the ss concluded, Vale and his friends had even gathered topare their potions out of excitement.
***
Their days in the Academy peacefully continued like this, even after several months.
Perhaps there was only one person in the Academy who had been restless over the past few months¡
It was Professor Gale Evans.
Gale Evans was a beautiful and seductive woman who worked as a professor in the Academy. She had long silver hair, blue eyes, and a curvy and voluptuous body.
In her office, she wore a tight red dress and high heels, and a pair of sses on her nose. She taught the subject of Soul Path and Dark Arcane Enchantment, which was the art of creating and using mystical items in the sixth-year and seventh-year sses of the Dark Magic Branch and Rituals Branch.
She was also a master of charm spells, which was the art of influencing and manipting the emotions and thoughts of others, but she wasn''t teaching a subject rted to this spell.
Anyway, she had a special interest in Vale Chambers and had been observing him over the past few months. She had been impressed by his talent and potential in various fields of Dark Arts. Well, she had also been attracted by his appearance and personality, which were different from the other students.
"He''s really impressive¡" Professor Evans muttered to herself as she licked her lips. She was reading the news about Vale, where it stated that he had just passed the eleration Exam of another subject. It was the Intermediate Spirit Law!
Chapter 342 Foreboding
?
As Professor Gale Evans continued to read about Vale Chambers'' achievements, her curiosity and interest in him grew. She couldn''t deny the strong connection she felt towards him, both intellectually and physically.
However, she was aware of the professional boundaries between a professor and a student, making her internal struggle even more intense.
"Vale¡ Are you rted to that Lightning Strike that happened at our Academy a few months ago?" Gale muttered to herself as she kept recalling how a strange phenomenon was triggered in the Academy, leading to the descent of a strange lightning.
Furthermore, this lightning resulted in the Thunder Emperor''s and the Previous Headmaster''s appearance in the Academy. What was even more terrifying was that the Elite, and perhaps the Legendary Bounty Hunter of the World of Mysticism, was also attracted by that strange lightning.
She had a strange feeling that Vale was rted to this event. To be exact, it was probably rted to the Soul-Bonding Method that he tried learning from her.
Unfortunately, she could not prove it unless she got Vale to confess.
***
Days turned into weeks, and Professor Evans found herself unable to resist the desire to get to know Vale on a deeper level. She decided to approach the situation with caution, mindful of the potential consequences. One evening, after the day''s sses had concluded, she lingered in her office, contemting her next move.
''I need to do something¡''
Deep in thought, Professor Evans reached for her collection of Ancient and Forbidden Spellbooks, searching for a solution that would allow her to explore her feelings withoutpromising her professional integrity.
When she previously charmed Vale, she actually felt a strong resistance from him. She could only overpower him at that time since Vale didn''t seem to have control over his defense. However, that may be different now.
Vale would surely be cautious of her and not allow himself to be at her mercy again.
In addition to that, she also had to do something with the Dark Spirit that was intelligent enough to act on its own and protect Vale¡
That Dark Spirit had truly wasted such a perfect opportunity for her.
Flip¡ Flip¡ Flip
As she flipped through the pages, her eyes fell upon a forgotten spell¡ªa spell of Shared Dreams.
This Spell wasn''t on the list of Forbidden Spells, but since it''s not a popr Spell that couldmonly be used, it was basically forgotten, and no one bothered learning it.
Intrigued by the possibilities, Professor Evans delved into the Spell''s intricacies, studying the requirements and potential oues. The Spell had the power to create a shared dream experience between two individuals, allowing them to connect on a subconscious level and explore their deepest desires and emotions in a safe and controlled environment.
Her heart started beating faster as she continued reading the page.
''This is it¡'' She silently thought while her eyes were glued to the book.
The more she read, the more convinced she became that this Spell could provide the opportunity she sought¡ªto understand Vale on a profound level without overstepping boundaries or jeopardizing their positions within the Academy¡ or at the very least, that is what it appears outside.
"Ha ha¡" Professor Evans couldn''t help but chuckle as she realized how good this Spell was.
Once Vale fell asleep, his natural defense would undoubtedly be weaker, and she would have a perfect opportunity! What was even better was that Dark Spirits could never stop this kind of Spell at all!
With a newfound determination, Professor Evans prepared for the ritual to start Recording the Spell. It will be very difficult since she found out that it requires 2 Spell Lights to record this Spell.
It means that she had to be very careful since if she damaged any of her Spell Lights, it would take her a very long time to recover and dy her ns.
''It won''t be long, Vale¡'' Professor Gale Evans muttered as she closed the book.
***
It was a typical day at the Academy, and Vale found himself engrossed in practicing Touchless Extractions¡ Of course, on the surface, it seemed that he was only practicing his Ghost Hands Spell.
As Vale stood in the training room, he focused his energy, channeling it through his fingertips. His ssmates, Lisa Grayback, Aubrey Hall, and Chad Bulmung, were also present, each engrossed in their own magical practices nearby. They rent one big room to practice their Spells today since it would be cheaper and more efficient since they get to use a huge practice area for themselves.
Anyway, Vale wasn''t ''Extracting'' his ssmates, but he was simply practicing to shorten the dy of his System Notifications. After all, the System Notification would only appear in 4 to 6 seconds once he touched his target using his Ghost Hands¡ It was too long, and he was trying to find a way to shorten it.
Vale''s mind wandered momentarily as his Ghost Hands began executing random but seeminglyplicated movements. But as he closed his eyes, a sudden wave of unease washed over him. It felt like a premonition, a warning of something ominous on the horizon.
Unsettled by the sensation, Vale paused for a moment, trying to shake off the feeling.
''Is that my ESP Spell working?'' Vale thought to himself.
"Is something wrong, Vale?" Lisa asked, noticing his sudden change in demeanor.
Vale forced a smile and replied. "Oh, it''s nothing. Just a passing thought. I''ll get back to practicing."
Determined to push aside his concerns, Vale resumed his training. He focused his concentration, visualizing the target he intended to extract... It was Lisa who was on his opposite side.
She was also practicing her Dark Spells as she tried removing one of Vale''s Ghost Hands by using her Darkness Maniption.
Poof!
Vale''s Ghost Hands suddenly exploded, giving Lisa a scare. She wasn''t injured but was surprised by the sudden destruction of his Ghost Hands.
"What happened, Vale? Are you alright?" Lisa asked as she noticed that something was off with Vale today.
Vale took a deep breath as he shook his head. "I''m fine, just a minor mishap. I must have lost focus for a moment."
As the group confirmed that he was fine, they all returned to practice.
On the other hand, Vale couldn''t shake off the persistent feeling of foreboding. He wondered if this bad feeling earlier was bothering him to this extent. Despite his curiosity, he resolved to continue with his daily routine, hoping it was simply a coincidence.
Chapter 343 Dream
?
As the end of the Academic Year drew near, Vale''s anticipation for his third year at the Arcane Academy grew with each passing day. He had immersed himself in his sses, soaking up knowledge like a sponge, but it was the Magic Circle Fundamentals ss that had truly captivated him.
Yes, it was the ss that Professor Morton was teaching.
One sunny afternoon, Vale and his friends gathered in the courtyard, discussing their ns for the uing academic year.
Aubrey, always full of enthusiasm, eximed.
"I can''t wait to delve into the Advanced Applications of Magic Zone! I really want to control my magic zone to any shape like how Professor Harrison does it. There''s also the Enchantments¡ I''m sure they''ll be very interesting to learn."
Lisa, known for her curiosity and love for experimentation, chimed in.
"I''m more interested in exploring Ancient Rituals. They hold the key to unlocking forgotten powers, and I want to be at the forefront of that discovery."
Chad, the practical and methodical thinker of the group, added.
"While enchantments and rituals are fascinating, I believe mastering Weapon Sealing Circles will give us an edge. Imagine being able to seal the negative aspects of our mystical items¡ It will be safer for us to use our Contribution Points for Mystical Items in the Exchange Hall."
Vale nodded, listening intently to his friends'' aspirations. Since these things would be difficult to learn outside the Academy, he couldn''t help but realize that he truly needed to stay here. Furthermore, there was also the Spell Fusion ss in the 8th-year to the 10th-year sses that he could possibly learn if he stayed here for that long.
A surge of excitement coursed through his veins, and he said with a smile¡ "I want to explore all of those areas."
"But I can''t help but wonder if there''s something even more extraordinary waiting for us in the depths of the Academy¡" Vale said mysteriously as he recalled his book with Forbidden Spells and the existence of the nar Spells and Celestials. There was also the Stormbringer, which was filled with mystery.
As his understanding of the mysterious sword deepened, he discovered that the Three Paragons may not be some sort of imagination but real beings that had once existed in this mortal world. This belief had strengthened a lot after he ced the recovering Golden Pocketwatch together with the Stormbringer together.
''I should really stay in the Academy to learn more about it¡''
Vale''s eyes suddenly widened as he reached this thought.
''Wait¡ Am I being influenced by my missing Shadow now?'' Vale shuddered at this thought¡ For some reason, he found that his recent thoughts of staying in the Academy might have something to do with the Headmaster''s subtle influence on his Shadow!
"What do you mean, Vale? Do you have something specific in mind?" Lisa asked as she raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Vale paused for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. He recalled their conversation as he carefully chose his words.
"Aren''t you from the Library Committee? I''ve heard rumors of a hidden section in the Academy''s library filled with ancient texts and forbidden knowledge. I can''t help but wonder what secrets lie within those pages." He answered.
Lisa gently nodded.
"That makes sense¡ I haven''t been to the third floor or the fourth floor. That is where they''re probably keeping such knowledge."
Aubrey''s eyes widened, her curiosity piqued. "Forbidden knowledge? That sounds risky but incredibly thrilling. Unfortunately, it won''t be easy to learn them."
"You probably have to sell your soul to the Academy for that¡" She added with augh.
Chad, ever the cautious one, nodded. "Indeed¡ Forbidden Spells or knowledge oftenes with consequences."
As the group continued their animated discussion, their excitement for the future grew. They exchanged ideas, spected on potential challenges, and shared their dreams of bing powerful Arcanists.
It was in these conversations that their individual paths began to intertwine, forging a bond that would carry them through the trials and triumphs of their magical education.
***
Professor Evans was reading a book in her office near the Dark Soul Tower.
After a few moments, she closed the book and looked at the time.
Seeing that the time was ripe, she began her ritual.
She already gathered the necessary ingredients and materials for this attempt.
She had also learned the Shared Dream Spell Model a few days ago.
However, she still had to perform a ritual to ensure that Vale''s defenses wouldn''t stop her n.
Soon, she performed the intricate incantations, channeling her own Dark Energy and Desires into the Spell Model toplete the ritual.
''I must do this in one try¡'' Professor Evans thought as her eyes were filled with determination.
Finally, as she felt that her ritual was enough, she cast the Shared Dream Spell, directing it towards Vale, who was at the edge of her Magic Zone, hoping he would be receptive to the shared dream experience.
It didn''t take long before shey asleep on the ground.
***
That night, as Valey in bed, his mind drifted into a realm of dreams.
Unbeknownst to him, Professor Evans'' Spell had taken effect, forging a connection between their subconscious minds.
In the dream realm, they found themselves in a serene forest, bathed in moonlight.
Walking through the dream together, Professor Gale Evans and Vale engaged in deep conversations, exploring not only their shared passions for the Dark Arts but also their desires, fears, and the depths of their souls.
Almost all of their secrets were revealed in this dream, but the Professor wasn''t satisfied with that.
''Something''s wrong...'' Professor Evans thought to herself as she realized that there was a huge part of Vale that she couldn''t uncover no matter what she did.
Nevertheless, she decided not to do anything too suspicious, or Vale might stop cooperating.
''This is more difficult than I thought''
She could only give up unveiling Vale''s deepest secrets and continued to condition his mind.
Theyughed, they debated, and they discovered new facets of each other''s personalities. It was a profound and intimate experience that allowed them to connect on a level beyond the boundaries of their academic roles!
As the dreamscape began to fade, Professor Evans and Vale found themselves back in their own rooms, waking up with a mix of confusion and intrigue.
The shared dream had left asting impression on both of them, sparking a newfound understanding and curiosity about their connection.
As Vale recalled what had happened, he shuddered in fear as his back was filled with sweat.
"That''s not me..." He softly muttered.
Chapter 344 Confrontation
?
"That''s not me..." Vale softly muttered, his voice tinged with a mix of confusion and unease. The vivid memories of the dream were still fresh in his mind.
He couldn''t shake off the lingering sense of disconnection.
The intimate moments and profound conversations they shared in the dream felt foreign to him as if he had been a mere observer of his own actions. It was as though someone else had taken the reins of his consciousness, guiding him through the dreamscape.
Vale held his head as if it would help him think of what had happened.
"Not good¡"
As Vale tried to make sense of it all, a wave of anxiety washed over him. The realization that he had been an unwitting participant in this shared dream left him questioning his own identity and the boundaries of his own thoughts.
''If it''s not me, then that''s¡'' Vale had an idea what had happened, but he shook his head. There was no way that the real Kyle still existed¡ After he took over this body, he never felt any signs of its owner.
However, he couldn''t just ignore the strange feeling he had.
"I felt... different," Vale admitted to himself, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I had no control over my own actions. What if the dream revealed a hidden side of me that I didn''t know existed? Darkness Possession? No... Is there still another soul inside me?"
Doubts gued his mind as he grappled with the unsettling notion that perhaps the dream had unveiled a part of him he had suppressed or ignored.
The fear of losing control and sumbing to the unknown thing gnawed at his core.
It took him a long time to calm down as he decided not to overthink his dream for now. He felt a headache just by thinking about it.
***
On the next day, as soon as Vale woke up, he checked the seal of his Golden Pocketwatch. It was kept hidden in his wardrobe under his clothes.
''Tsk¡''
Vale immediately stepped back as he felt that his Stormbringer had started reacting on the golden pocketwatch.
''Should I also use my Soul-Bonding Method on the Pocketwatch?'' Vale thought to himself before closing the wardrobe.
He already confirmed that the seal was fine and didn''t require any more sealing. Based on his observations, the Golden Pocketwatch was regaining its powers faster and faster.
Before, he only needed to seal it every three months. Then it changed to every two months and over the past few weeks, he realized that he might do it every month from now on.
Anyway, Vale continued his routine as he cleaned himself before going out to have breakfast.
Since there were no sses today, he considered visiting the Club Room afterward. However, as he was having his meal, he saw Professor Gale Evans in the corner of his eyes. She had already attracted a lot of attention since she was certainly one of the most attractive professors in the Academy.
Some students started having conversations about how they wanted to be together with Professor Evans, even if it was only in their dreams.
At this point, Vale couldn''t help but recall what had happened in his dreamsst night.
"About that dream¡ Is it a premonition? Did she bring me to her dreams? Or perhaps it''s the desire of the previous Kyle?" Vale shook his head as he felt that thest part was a ridiculous thought. The previous Kyle would never have a chance of encountering the Professor.
It means that the dream he had was probably his own or influenced by the Professor.
''Is there even a spell to make us meet in our dreams?'' Vale thought to himself as he considered the possibility. In this world of mysticism, there wouldn''t be any surprise if the Professor could really do that¡
Perhaps the Professor noticed his gaze as she actually turned her head to look at Vale''s direction and gave him a gentle smile before she leftpletely.
Of course, there were other students beside him, so many of them also considered the possibility that it was them being eyed by the Professor.
Vale heard their excitement, but he just sighed at this and continued eating.
After a while, Vale started hesitating about what to do¡ He was afraid that that dream would happen once again, and this time, his secrets might be revealed to her. He had a strange feeling that revealing his secret in his dream would also let the Professor know about it.
''I need to get to the bottom of this¡'' Vale silently thought. He was now filled with determination. He would confront Professor Gale Evans.
''I''m not sure if the Professor influenced my dream¡ It''s better to ask her¡ However, I need to make some preparations.''
He knows very well that confronting the Professor might be a trap. If he failed to resist her charm, Yvaine may no longer choose to protect him.
Vale made his way to the Contribution Points Exchange Hall, scanning the shelves filled with mystical items or artifacts.
His eyes fell upon a small amulet, shimmering with a protective aura. The description indicated that it granted immunity to Charm Spells or any Mind-Controlling Spells for a limited time. ording to the book, the strength of the amulet relies on the user''s Spirit Strands, which is the perfect item for him.
Although the Professor had an effective way to bypass his defenses, Vale had confidence that he had a higher Spirit Strands than her.
Drawing on his umted Contribution Points, Vale exchanged them for the Enigma Amulet for 10 Contribution Points.
It was that expensive since it was a Low-Grade Noble Rank Item¡
''I can''t believe I''m using my hard-earned Contribution Points for this.'' Vale thought to himself as he received the amulet.
As he fastened it around his neck, a surge of reassurance washed over him. He knew he had taken the necessary steps to safeguard his mind and emotions.
With the protective amulet in ce, Vale finally felt ready to seek answers from Professor Gale Evans.
Well, with the addition of his strong Phantasm State, Arcane Armor, and Spell Dispersion, he believes that he would be fully protected against her.
Soon, he approached the Professor''s office, still wary but determined to uncover the truth behind that strange dream.
Knocking on the door, Vale entered the Professor''s office.
Professor Evans looked up, her eyes meeting Vale''s with a mixture of curiosity and warmth. However, Vale noticed a flicker of surprise in her expression, as if she had expected a different reaction from him.
Chapter 345 No Wonder
?
Inside the grand chambers of the Church of the Three Paragons, the Three Cardinals gathered around arge, ornate table.
Cardinal Sophia, the wise and perceptive leader, Cardinal Lucius, the charismatic and persuasive diplomat, and Cardinal Marcus, the stalwart and courageous warrior, exchanged concerned nces as they contemted the recent turn of events.
The failure of the Thunder Emperor to retrieve the Divine Sword from Vermont Academy weighed heavily on their minds.
What was even more troubling was the fact that the Headmaster of the Vermont Academy used some sort of maniption spell on the Thunder Emperor, making him like a puppet under his control.
The Academy hadpletely thwarted their ns, leaving them no closer to obtaining the powerful relic.
Cardinal Sophia, her voice filled with determination, broke the silence. "We''ve got all the reports about the Mountain Bandit''s condition. Jean Hoffman, the Headmaster of Vermont Academy, has proven to be a formidable adversary. Not killing that Bandit was such a great move¡ We underestimated his cunning and influence. I thought he would only be as strong as that old Charles."
She paused momentarily as she looked at the other two''s expressions before continuing. "But we cannot let this setback deter us from our ultimate goal. The Divine Sword must not fall into the wrong hands."
Cardinal Lucius, his eyes aze with fervor, nodded in agreement. "Indeed, we must adapt our strategy. The Headmaster''s control over the Thunder Emperor, or that Bandit, is a grave concern. I think we should try and regain control of him. Jean might be expecting this to happen, so we have to be careful. We can''t just kill the Mountain Bandit since he should still possess vital information about the location of the Divine Sword."
Cardinal Marcus, his grip tightening on the hilt of his staff, spoke with conviction. "I will assemble a team of our most skilled operatives. We shall infiltrate Mountain Bandit''s base, rescue that foolish person¡ Then, we''ll reim the Divine Sword with our full force. If we have to tten the Vermont Academy, we must do it."
Cardinal Sophia hesitated, but she still nodded. "Yes, but we must proceed with caution. The Academy''s defenses are formidable, and the Headmaster''s influence runs deep. Isaac was also a big problem. We''ve tried buying information about him, but it''s not going well."
The Three Cardinals exchanged nods, their resolve unyielding. They knew that their quest to retrieve the Divine Sword was not only crucial for the Church''s cause but also for the bnce of power between the Five Churches and the Twelve Arcane Factions.
Cardinal Sophia thought for a moment before outlining the n in her mind. "We will gather intelligence, we can consider recruiting allies within the Academy, and strike when the time is right. The Headmaster''s hold over the Mountain Bandit must be broken, and the Divine Sword must be secured. Our operatives shall be prepared for any challenge that lies ahead."
As the Cardinals dispersed, each taking on their respective roles in the intricate web of their mission, a sense of determination and anticipation filled the air.
They knew that the path ahead would be treacherous, but they were unwavering in theirmitment to retrieve what was rightfully theirs.
Of course, they also kept cursing the Masked Devil, who hadpletely disappeared after the incident. As a matter of fact, the three of them were already suspecting that the Masked Devil was actually the Headmaster of the Academy, but none of them dared to mention this yet.
***
In the meantime, Isaac Vermont, unaware of the Church''s renewed determination, was getting bored. Jean asked him a favor to guard the base of the Thunder Emperor while he returned to the Academy.
He was watching over Thunder Emperor''s movement for several months¡ However, the people who had hired this person had never appeared.
"I guess this bait is not working, huh¡ Should I make my move?" Isaac muttered to himself.
However, after some thought, he immediately shook his head. He knows that the Secret Organization, or whoever was behind the Thunder Emperor, would soon make their move.
He just had to be patient.
Unfortunately, even after several weeks had passed, the enemies did not make their move.
"I underestimated their caution," Isaac muttered, frustration evident in his voice.
"But I mustn''t let impatience cloud my judgment. They will reveal themselves soon, and when they do, I will be waiting." He said as hefortably reclined on his chair.
After another day had passed, Isaac realized that he had to do something¡
''The Church should have three Ancient Relics of the Three Paragons¡ They don''t have the pocketwatch and lost possession of the divine sword. As for the third item¡''
Isaac''s eyes lit up as he finally understood what he should do.
He sent his subordinates to find out about this item.
While he had little personal interest in the items left by the Three Paragons, he recognized their significance as potential sources of information about the Church''s ns and the Secret Organization''s motives.
Soon, he got hold of rumors and whispers within the underworld that hinted at the existence of the third Divine Item, known as the Creation Ring.
It was indeed not in possession of the Church, and they were also searching for it. The one their Pontiff wore seemed to be just a replica of the original Creation Ring.
Its powers were said to be shrouded in mystery, capable of granting unimaginable abilities to its wielder. Isaac knew that uncovering the secrets of this ring could provide invaluable insights into the ns of both the Church and the Secret Organization.
"Creation Ring¡" Isaac muttered.
With renewed determination, he dispatched his informants to scour ancient texts, hidden archives, and underground markets in search of any leads on the Creation Ring.
It was a race against time as the Cardinals of the Church continued their preparations, unaware of Isaac''s shift in focus.
Days turned into weeks, and Isaac''s informants finally unearthed a cryptic clue about the whereabouts of the Creation Ring.
"No wonder Jean wanted Vale to participate in that deadlypetition¡"
Chapter 346 Longing
?
After Isaac heard about the clue that his team found out, he couldn''t help but recall Jean''s ns to send Vale to thepetition, specifically, the Arcane Trial Tower Contest, which was part of the Twelve Academies Competition.
It turns out that the Creation Ring might be one of the rewards to be given to the winner of this contest!
He had agreed to help Jean change the Twelve Academies Competition''s requirements for a different reason. It turns out that Jean had deeper ns than him.
He couldn''t help but smile at this. He didn''t mind that Jean was keeping secrets from him¡
He understood fully well that Jean wouldn''t be the Headmaster just because of his talent as a Dark Magician. It was because of his cautious behavior, capability to read people, and connections that run deeply.
Without these skills, Jean would not be a Headmaster this early.
''I guess I should just let him continue with his ns. However, isn''t this a bit too risky? Is he betting it all on Vale''s talent? That boy can still lose or even die in that contest.'' Isaac thought for a moment as he tried recalling Vale''s skills.
Although he had to admit that Vale had great potential, he couldn''t imagine that Vale would dominate that contest, especially if no other students had everpleted the Arcane Trial Tower, not even the ninth-year or tenth-year students of other Academies!
Isaac shook his head as he decided not to overthink this. Jean must have his ns. Perhaps the Dark Spells of the Malefic Branch was the key to conquering that Tower.
In the end, he just decided to continue with his job. He satfortably on his chair, waiting for the Secret Organization to rescue or silence the Thunder Emperor.
***
In the meantime, Vale found himself in an awkward position inside Professor Gale Evans'' office.
"Professor Evans¡ That dreamst night. Was it your doing?" Vale asked as he entered the room. His Phantasm State was active, and his Spell Dispersion was ready to release in case he found something off.
This Professor knows a way to bypass his defenses, and he couldn''t be too careful when meeting her.
"Dream? Ahh¡ Are you fantasizing about me even in your dreams? I didn''t know you''d be so naughty, Vale." Professor Evans said as if she had no idea what that dream was.
To be honest, if Vale wasn''t an "observer" of that dream and was really the one chatting andughing with her in that dream, he would probably be infatuated with her or sumbed to her charm.
Vale squinted his eyes as he tried to see if the Professor was just messing around. There was no way he would believe that Professor Evans had nothing to do with that dream. It was too suspicious, and that dream was too detailed in his memory. He never had such a vivid dream until then.
''She''s ying innocent?'' Vale thought to himself.
For now, he just wanted to know if she made that other ''Vale'' inside the dream to mess with his mind or if that person in his dream was actually the leftover soul of the previous Kyle.
He wanted to know if there was still a "Kyle" inside him once and for all!
Of course, if the truth wasn''t in any two, he would dly take it as long as he knew what was really going on inside him.
"Vale¡ Are you only here to ask that question? Or do you want to continue from where we left off?" She asked with a teasing smile on her. She even started unbuttoning her coat while looking at him.
This time, Vale realized that this Professor wouldn''t really admit what she had done. Perhaps she could also tell that her intention to make him submissive and closer in that dream had really failed.
That was why she was a bit surprised when she saw him enter the office calmly in the first ce.
Vale''s suspicions grew as Professor Gale Evans'' yful demeanor shifted into something more dangerous. Her true intentions began to reveal themselves, and it became clear that she had ulterior motives.
"Vale, my dear," Professor Evans purred, her voice dripping with seduction. "You possess a power that I could use to further my own ambitions. You could also use me to get stronger. Join me, and together, we can unlock a level of Arcane Art that exceeds anything you could achieve on your own."
Vale''s heart pounded in his chest as he listened to her enticing words. The idea of gaining unparalleled strength under Professor Evans'' tutge was tempting. He felt a strange attraction to her offer, his mind clouded by the promise of power.
Just as Vale was about to give in to Professor Evans'' persuasion, his Enigma Amulet, the mystical item he had recently taken from the Exchange Hall, began to glow with an intense light. It pulsed with energy, clearing his mind and reminding him of the danger he was facing.
Realizing that he was being manipted without his Spell Dispersion being triggered, Vale took a step back, his expression hardening with determination.
He couldn''t allow himself to be trapped by Professor Evans'' selfish desires.
''Again with that strange Charm Spell¡ Howe I''mpletely helpless on that?'' Vale gritted his teeth as he held the amulet tightly. Once activated, the amulet could onlyst for 10 minutes. It could even be shorter, depending on the strength of the Spell it was dealing with.
He needed to get away.
"I''m sorry, Professor Evans, but I can''t ept your offer," Vale said firmly as he started leaving. Since he couldn''t get an answer from the Professor, staying here was no point.
''I won''t allow myself to be used for your personal gain.'' Vale thought to himself as he shrouded himself with his Spell.
Professor Evans'' charming facade cracked, her eyes narrowing with a mix of frustration and anger.
She had painstakingly used her 2 Spell Lights to use that Shared Dream Spell, but it had actually failed to make her closer to Vale!
"You dare reject me? You foolish boy! I have the power to make you great, to shape your destiny!" Professor Gale shouted.
Each of her words created a buzz inside Vale''s head as he felt Gale''s charm getting stronger and stronger.
Vale''s grip tightened on his Enigma Amulet as he took a cautious step towards the door to escape.
"I refuse to be a pawn in your game, Professor. Find someone else to fool around¡"
With that, Vale fully activated his Spell Dispersion before he turned and fled from Professor Evans'' office, leaving behind the allure of power and the dangerous temptations that she represented.
As Vale raced through the corridors of the Academy, he couldn''t shake off the lingering feeling of betrayal, danger¡ and longing for the Professor''s embrace.
His body was filled with cold sweat as he realized that the Professor had still affected his mind, even with all of his preparations.
He then shifted his attention to his amulet and realized that there was already a huge crack in its middle!
Just like that, his Mystical Item worth 10 Contribution Points was destroyed!
Chapter 347 Idea
?
Vale''s heart raced with a mix of fear and confusion as he hurriedly made his way to the Headmaster''s Office.
There was no way he would just forget about this incident and go on with his life. Professor Evans was just too much!
He needed to seek guidance from Headmaster Jean about Professor Gale Evans'' aggressive behavior and the dangerous hold she had over him. Since his mystical item had already been damaged, he had to make an assurance that he wouldn''t just get charmed by the Professor without his knowledge.
As he entered the office, Vale found Headmaster Jean seated behind his desk, engrossed in a stack of papers. Sensing Vale''s presence, he looked up, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Vale, what brings you here?" Headmaster Jean asked, his voice gentle yet authoritative.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Vale recounted the events that had transpired with Professor Evans. He exined the maniptive tactics, the allure of power, and the lingering effect it had on his mind, even after his escape.
Headmaster Jean listened attentively, his expression growing increasingly grave as Vale spoke. When Vale finished, the Headmaster leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in thought.
"I apologize for what you''ve experienced, Vale. It seems that Professor Evans has crossed a line." Headmaster Jean said, his voice tinged with regret. "I will personally address this matter and ensure that such behavior is not tolerated within our Academy."
Relief washed over Vale as he realized that Headmaster Jean was taking his concerns seriously. He had ced his trust in the right person.
As Vale left the office, a faint smirk yed across Jean''s face.
Unbeknownst to Vale, Headmaster Jean had been aware of Professor Evans'' actions all along. He may not have orchestrated the entire scenario, but he had allowed it to happen as a test to gauge Vale''s resilience and discernment in the face of maniption.
Deep in thought, Headmaster Jean pondered Vale''s next steps. If Vale were still affected by Gale''s scent, it would be challenging for him to conquer the Arcane Tower, a formidable challenge that he needed to win in the Twelve Academy Competition.
Determined to help Vale ovee this obstacle, for his own greed, Headmaster Jean considered a dangerous mission that could test his abilities further.
"I have no other choice¡ This is for your own growth." Headmaster Jean muttered to himself.
After careful consideration, he decided to send Vale on a mission during the break before the new Academic Year started.
The mission would not only test Vale''s skills but also provide him with an opportunity to grow, both as a Dark Spellcaster and as an individual¡ or at least, this was what he was hoping to happen.
***
After a few days, when Headmaster Jeanpleted his preparations, he decided to visit Vale inside his room to break the news of his mission. In any case, this would involve something that he really wanted, so he could guarantee that Vale would do anything to get assigned to this mission.
"Hmm?" Jean raised his brow as he felt a strong force blocking his entry into his room.
It caught him by surprise, and he wasn''t mad about it.
It took him a few seconds, but he managed to forcefully enter Vale''s room. Then, he suddenly felt a strong killing intent sweeping over his whole body, which was still shrouded with Darkness.
Since it came to this, Headmaster Jean decided to just continue with the act.
''Let''s see what you got¡'' Jean thought as he tried looking for Vale.
However, before he could even locate Vale''s position within the room, he suddenly felt that the Darkness around him was being stripped away!
This rmed him for a moment as he expected Vale to attack using strong offensive Dark Spells or even use his Dark Spirit. The sudden suction or removal of the Darkness Energy caught him by surprise.
Nevertheless, it wasn''t enough to make him reveal himself. This action even revealed Vale''s position.
''Let''s try to use Shadow Soldier Spell on him¡ Let''s see how he''ll react.'' Jean mused as he triggered his Shadow Soldier Spell.
However, for some reason, the Shadow Soldier refused toe out of Vale''s Shadow!
That''s right. It refused to go out, or perhaps it couldn''t go out!
''How is he doing it?'' Jean thought to himself¡ He could tell that the Spell had activated, and the Vale''s shadow was already squirming.
Jean then recalled Vale''s Dark Spirit and realized that it was probably the one causing trouble.
''What a strong Dark Spirit¡''
Soon, he felt Vale gathering a frightening amount of Dark Energy as if he was ready to surrender his life just to defeat him!
"Stop! It''s me, Headmaster Jean¡" Jean immediately said and revealed himself, afraid that Vale would harm himself.
"So it was you, Headmaster. I thought it was Professor Evans getting her revenge after you scolded her." Vale replied with a smirk on his face.
Jean simply waved his hand as he decided to forget about this matter.
"I came here to give you a good news. I heard from Professor Zara, Mark, and Cyrus about your request to get ess to some corpses of humans or Arcanists. They asked me for permission since they were afraid that it might harm you¡ Don''t think badly of them since they were just looking out for you. They even canceled their arrangements to have you fight against their Fourth-Year Students for your sake..." Jean said with a smile.
"They canceled the arrangements?" Vale wryly smiled at this. "In any case, I don''t mind even if they consult you about it, Headmaster. Are you going to give me ess now? Where are they?" Vale asked with a hint of excitement.
If the ss started once again, he would probably have to wait for another year before he gets a chance to extract corpses.
One year without any Extraction felt so disastrous!
"Yes¡ I made special permission for you to enter the Dark Soul Tower of the Necromancy Branch! You''ll get plenty of corpses there!" Headmaster Jean replied with a creepy smile that was familiar to Vale.
"Dark Soul Tower?" Vale frowned as he felt that his intention to look for corpses was being misunderstood by the Headmaster and those three Professors.
If the Necromancers were using that ce, the Tower might be filled with Undead and Spirits, instead of corpses! What he needed was fresh corpses, or at least those that were well-preserved since the quality of his extractions would deteriorate if the corpses were badly damaged.
Headmaster Jean noticed Vale''s frown, so he chuckled and exined.
"Don''t worry¡ It will be filled with fresh corpses from ordinary humans, including Dark Arcanists¡ You just need to reach the third floor."
Chapter 348 Convinced
?
"The third floor?" Vale''s excitement was tinged with a hint of concern as he had already heard rumors about this Dark Soul Tower, thanks to Chad Bulmung, who was always up to date with thetest news around the Academy.
The thought of encountering undead and spirits instead of the well-preserved corpses he needed troubled him.
Even if there were corpses in that Tower that he could extract, he knew that the quality of his extractions would suffer if they were badly damaged.
Vale hesitated for a moment as he carefully chose his words. Although he was quite interested in this Dark Soul Tower, he must make his priority clear.
"Headmaster Jean, I appreciate the opportunity, but I must emphasize the importance of obtaining well-preserved corpses." He spoke with a determined tone, hoping to rify his intentions.
"Ahem¡ My Dark Spirit also needed to replenish her energy, and quality directly affects her recovery. Even if they aren''t fresh, well-preserved bodies are crucial."
Vale wryly smiled as he couldn''t believe he was having such a conversation with the Headmaster. It feels like he was some sort of gourmet trying to negotiate with the best quality ingredients out there.
Headmaster Jean nodded understandingly, realizing the significance of Vale''s request.
"I understand your concerns, Vale. I assure you that the Dark Soul Tower will have a designated section with the necessary resources. You will find well-preserved corpses of ordinary humans and Dark Arcanists on the third floor. I can guarantee that¡ If you''re not satisfied, I will allow you to take any one of the items inside my secret basement."
"Secret Basement? That one with¡ Immortal Corpses and Immortal Item?" Vale asked. He knows the value of anything that was inside the basement. Even the stone beds where the corpsesy were extremely precious in his eyes.
"That''s right. Are you still doubting me?" Jean asked with a confident smile on his face.
Relieved by the Headmaster''s assurance, Vale''s frown eased.
"No, Headmaster. I will make the necessary preparations and get this done with utmost care."
"Good¡ You only need to clear the third floor. Don''t think about entering the fourth floor, as I won''t be able to save you there."
"I understand, Headmaster¡ But may I know what''s on the fourth floor?"
"Just think of it as a ce where only Necromancers could survive. You don''t have the Passive Ability of Necromancers called Enduring Body that lets them resist the power of Corruption so you''ll die the moment you step into that floor... " Headmaster Jean quickly replied.
"Hmm?" Vale raised his brows as he looked at the Headmaster carefully. "The fourth floor has the power of Corruption?"
"That''s right. The first floor is the Labyrinth of the Dead. The second floor is the Chamber of Illusions. The third floor is the Hall of Shadows, and the fourth floor is the Jail of Corruption. As for the fifth and sixth floor, you''ll get to learn it if you decide to enter the Necromancy Branch."
"I won''t be a Necromancer, Headmaster. They look too creepy for me. Ahem¡ I mean, Necromancers had this strange aura that made them easily identified on the outside. I want to be like a normal citizen, Headmaster." Vale replied.
Headmaster Jean just shook his head as he exined what Vale should do in the Tower.
Well, the possible corpses that Vale could extract weren''t the main thing why the Headmaster decided to send him to the Tower.
Headmaster Jean wanted him to train his Magic Zone in that ce¡ He wanted to strengthen his Phantasm State since that was the only way he could defend against Professor Evan''s charm in the future.
"Headmaster, are you telling me that I have a weak Phantasm State?" Vale asked in surprise.
"Not exactly. You have a strong Phantasm State in terms of its duration and range. However, it was only a singleyer of protection. You have to learn theyered Magic Zone, and you can learn it inside the Tower¡ Well, you have at least 10 to 15 percent chance of learning it." Headmaster Jean added.
Vale seriously noted this as Professor Evans was indeed a threat to him. He also recalled Sherman, the Elite Bounty Hunter that he couldn''t prate with his inspection spells, like Spirit Vision and Divine Sense.
Perhaps Sherman was actually using a multiyered Magic Zone, so he was unable to use his Divine Sense against him!
''It''s finally making sense¡'' Vale thought to himself.
He expressed his gratitude to the Headmaster, his mind already racing with thoughts of the challenges that awaited him.
Headmaster Jean was satisfied with their conversation. He was actually thinking of enticing Vale with contribution points if he refused to cooperate.
However, it didn''t even reach that point as Vale just epted the "good news" he gave.
***
Over the following days, Vale dedicated himself to meticulous preparations.
Since the Dark Soul Tower was still being used by one of the sses in the 7th year, Vale had three days of preparations until they left and two weeks of attempts to clear the three floors of the Tower.
Anyway, he sought guidance from the Academy''s Library, studying various things rted to necromancy¡ He wanted to set his expectations once he entered that ce, after all.
Aside from the Library, he also decided to visit the three other Professors.
Professor Zara, Mark, and Cyrus, who had initially expressed concern, became valuable sources of knowledge, sharing their insights and experiences in the Dark Soul Tower.
Vale also spent hours refining his spells, focusing on three spells that would aid him in his journey through the Tower.
Finally, the day arrived for Vale to venture into the Dark Soul Tower. Headmaster Jean met him at the entrance, his expression a mix of anticipation and caution. "Vale, the path that lies before you is treacherous and filled with unknown dangers. Are you prepared?"
Vale straightened his posture, determination shining in his eyes. "I am ready, Headmaster. I have prepared myself mentally and physically, and I am confident in my abilities."
With a nod of approval, Headmaster Jean extended his hand, holding a small, intricately carved key. "Take this key, Vale. It will grant you ess to the first floor of the Dark Soul Tower."
Chapter 349 Chamber
?
Vale epted the key, his fingers tracing the intricate patterns etched into the metal.
He didn''t have to enter his Phantasm State, and he could already tell that this was a Mystical Item.
"With that key, you can escape from the Tower anytime. However, it only works on the first and second floors. The floors above them have different escape routes if you no longer wish to continue and take a rest. Remember, you have two weeks to use this Dark Soul Tower. You don''t have to rush." Headmaster Jean reminded.
Vale had also learned this from the three other professors, so he nodded without questions.
"Go ahead¡" Headmaster Jean said as he gestured for Vale to enter the Dark Soul Tower.
Vale didn''t hesitate as he had been waiting for this for several days.
He took the prepared torch near the door of the Tower before opening it with the key given to him.
As Vale stepped through the towering doors of the Dark Soul Tower, a chill wind greeted him, carrying whispers of Ancient Spirits and the faint scent of decay. The atmosphere was heavy, and the darkness seemed to swallow the feeble light that emanated from his torch.
Whom~
The first floor stretched before him, abyrinth of winding corridors and hidden chambers. Shadows danced along the walls, and eerie noises echoed in the distance.
Vale took a deep breath, steeling himself for whaty ahead.
His Phantasm State was now activated.
"So it''s like this¡" Vale muttered.
As soon as the door closed, he realized that his Magic Zone was indeed restricted. He could only cover about 100 meters ahead of him, which was already quite impressive ifpared to other students entering this Tower, ording to Professor Zara.
She mentioned that most students could only use 10 meters of Magic Zone to scan their surroundings.
"It still has an advantage¡ Let''s go."
Vale ventured further into thebyrinthine corridors of the first floor. The shadows seemed to twist and elongate as he moved, creating an ever-shifting maze that challenged his sense of direction.
The echoes of his footsteps reverberated through the stone walls, adding to the eerie ambiance.
Perhaps, if his Magic Zone only reaches 5 to 10 meters, he would be quite afraid inside thisbyrinth.
As Vale explored, he discovered the first hidden chambers that were scattered throughout the first floor.
ording to Professor Cyrus, each chamber held its own secrets and challenges. Some contained ancient tomes filled with forbidden knowledge or useless knowledge while others concealed traps and puzzles that tested his intellect and magical prowess.
Of course, Vale was repeatedly reminded that even if he gets to have a copy of a forbidden knowledge here, he wasn''t allowed to practice it if he didn''t want to be expelled from the Academy.
"Tsk¡"
Vale tried to sense what was inside, but his Phantasm State couldn''t reach past the door, so he had no other choice but to open it. Spirit Vision and Divine Sense don''t work as well.
Creak¡
Pushing open the heavy stone door, Vale found himself face-to-face with a horde of Unclean Zombies and Infested Zombies. The putrid stench of decay filled the air as they lurched towards him with outstretched arms, their vacant eyes fixed upon him.
They immediately sensed his presence and growled with their foul breath.
''This is the worst!'' Vale thought to himself.
He didn''t mind if he encountered a Slender Zombie or a Plump Zombie. Although they had the stench of death around them, it was bearable! It was unlike these two!
Drawing upon his dark energy, Vale unleashed the spells he prepared tobat the undead.
Spectral Hands materialized from the shadows, reaching out to grasp and immobilize the zombies.
Ghost Hands, ethereal and chilling, tore through the ranks of the undead, dispersing them into ashes. Since his Ghost Hands were already in the Advanced Realm, Vale didn''t doubt that he''d crush these zombies.
''Hmm? They''re not disappearing?'' Vale thought as he noticed that the Zombies just kept spawning.
Aware of the potential danger, Vale quickly cast Arcane Armor, encasing himself in a barrier that provided protection against the zombies'' attacks.
Crash! Crash!
Suddenly, he realized that his Spectral Hands were caught by one of the Unclean Zombies and were bitten so hard that they just crushed into nothingness.
His Spectral Hands couldn''t be summoned for another 5 minutes, so he used a different spell for now.
Darkness Coil, a spell that summoned tendrils of darkness, entangled the zombies, rendering them helpless.
In the midst of battle, Vale spotted a group of Infested Zombies closing in on him.
This Infested Zombie was abnormal, if he would describe it. It could avoid his Ghost Hands and could actually think when was the best time to charge in and attack!
It wasn''t just blindly throwing itself at him!
Thinking quickly, Vale released his fourth Spell, Corrupted Chains.
His current limit in his simultaneous spellcasting was only three¡ If he tries to use a fourth spell, his control with other spells would be unstable, and there''s an extremely high chance that his Dark Energy would copse, and all the spells would be canceled in the process.
In short, he shouldn''t be doing this.
However, Vale was fearless. He had 70 points in his Strength and 68 Points in his Agility¡ Even without all these Spells with him, he was quite confident that he would survive this swarm of Zombies.
Soon, his Corrupted Chains bound the disgusting and smelly Infested Zombie.
Seeing how it was struggling and how he felt that his Spells were also about to copse, Vale smiled.
With a thought, he triggered his Touchless Extraction!
One¡ Two¡ Three¡
Within three seconds, Vale saw a notification from his system.
[ Undead Being has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
Vale couldn''t contain his excitement the moment he saw this message. There were so many undead within this chamber! Even if he only gets 1 Energy Point each, he would dly ept them!
Without a doubt, he wouldn''t say no to this question.
Chapter 350 New Rewards
Chapter 350 New Rewards
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +4 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Memory Fragment. ]
Vale looked at the result of his Extraction with curiosity. The four Energy Points didn''t surprise him as it was quite eptable. However, he was curious about the Memory Fragment.
It was the first time he had seen this. He epted the Memory Fragment and he waited for something to happen.
At that moment, a flood of memories surged into Vale''s consciousness. Scenes from the zombie''s past shed before his eyes, fragmented and distorted. He caught glimpses of a life once lived, a family left behind, and the tragic circumstances that led to his transformation into an undead abomination.
Vale was captivated by the intensity of emotions emanating from the extracted memory fragments. He witnessed the zombie''s struggle against its own insatiable hunger, the maddening thirst for human flesh that consumed its every thought. He felt the sorrow and remorse buried deep within, remnants of the humanity that had been lost.
''Shit¡ That was dangerous!'' Vale opened his eyes as he got himself entangled with a zombie. Luckily, his Arcane Armor was still active.
He was merely surprised. He then ignored the zombies clutching on him as he controlled his Ghost Hands to crush the zombies in the surroundings.
The memory that shed through his eyes felt like a revtion to Vale. The Extraction of memory fragments was not just a mere ability; it was a profound connection to the essence of these creatures, a glimpse into their forgotten lives.
The weight of this realization settled upon him, leaving him awestruck by the significance of what he had discovered.
''Memory Fragments¡ Very interesting. Let''s try some more.'' Vale thought as he looked at the horde of Unclean Zombies and Infested Zombies around him.
With renewed focus, Vale continued to engage inbat, his Ghost Hands moving with precision and speed. One by one, he extracted fragments from the remaining undead creatures, each memory revealing a unique story of tragedy, loss, and the relentless hunger that consumed them.
''Quite useless memories¡ They''re all about their daily lives¡'' Vale thought to himself. Nevertheless, he wasn''t too disappointed since these Zombies were quite normal in terms of their ranks. Perhaps he could get something better if he tried it on higher-level Zombies or Undead.
As the number of zombies dwindled to half, Vale''s anticipation grew. He could sense that something significant awaited him at the heart of the hidden chamber.
He wasn''t sure what it was, but he felt a strong and cool energy somewhere in the chamber.
Suddenly, he saw a radiant blue crystal pulsating with otherworldly energy at the far corner of the hidden chamber.
"I knew it¡"
It cast a gentle glow that illuminated the surrounding area, dispelling the darkness that had shrouded the chamber. The Zombies were previously blocking it, so he didn''t notice them.
He then used one of his Ghost Hands to lift the crystal carefully.
To his surprise, the onught of zombies ceased the moment this happened. The remaining Zombies crumbled into dust, never spawning again.
The chamber fell silent, the oppressive atmosphere dissolving into a calm stillness. It was as if the crystal''s presence had severed the connection between the undead beings and their relentless pursuit of flesh.
''So this is how you clear the chamber? Focus on the objective and ignore the horde of Zombies?'' Vale silently thought. It was quite a pity that he didn''t get to extract the remaining Zombies.
He tried returning the blue crystal, but even after doing this, the Zombies didn''t appear. This confirmed his guess.
Vale sighed at this as he controlled his Ghost Hands to hand over the blue crystal.
As soon as he got it, a trace of information was injected into his mind.
Iplete nar Spell Model: Aurora''s Embrace. ( First Part )
"This¡" Vale was shocked as he didn''t expect such a reward¡
However, he immediately calmed down after recalling the problems with the nar Spells or Celestial Arts.
''They''re not spells that just any Arcanists can learn¡ In the end, this is quite useful for me but not for the others. This is probably just one of those Forbidden or Useless Knowledge they reminded me¡'' Vale thought as he tried checking the information he got.
Once he got theplete Spell Model and recorded it sessfully, it was actually quite a powerful Spell!
This spell would allow him to manipte and channel celestial energies, creating dazzling disys of light, harnessing the power of the stars, and bringing forth the essence of the cosmos.
Well, the description he got might be exaggerating it a bit, but it was probably something simr to Sr Energy or Sr Power that he knew.
Vale then started to imagine what he could do with this Aurora''s Embrace if he ever recorded it in his Spell Light. He could probably use it to create shields to protect himself or his surroundings or unleash a sr beam that bursts his target with blinding light¡
Vale couldn''t help but chuckle after reaching this thought.
''I don''t even have any Golden Spell Light anymore¡ I can''t record it for now. I wonder how I can get one again¡'' Vale thought to himself as he kept the crystal in his pocket and picked up his torch that was thrown to the ground a while ago.
Vale continued on his way and on his second hidden chamber¡ He extracted a dozen of Plump Zombies and received their 4 Energy Points and useless Memory Fragments. It was their same daily lives or memories that made them feel happy as a human.
Anyway, he had been careful not to destroy them with his Ghost Hands as he still needed their Energy Points.
As for the reward within this chamber, he actually got a scroll containing a Forbidden Dark Spell! Unfortunately, a huge part of the Spell Model was missing.
It was called Dark Eye Sacrifice, where you''ll exchange your eyes to get the vision of a Devil.
''Useless¡'' Vale muttered as he already saw theplete Spell Model in his Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted book.
He was also tempted to learn this before, but the fact that his eyes would turnpletely red made him reject this idea. He didn''t like a Spell or technique that would change his appearance unless it was temporary.
Chapter 351 Another Reward
Chapter 351 Another Reward
Vale continued his path through the Labyrinth of the Dead.
He navigated through the next hidden chamber and this time, he encountered a group of Gusher Zombies.
With precision and care, he used his Ghost Hands to extract their Energy points and Memory Fragments that held their mundane daily lives.
Vale couldn''t help but sigh after getting their fragmented memories.
It was a bittersweet reminder that these creatures were once human, finding happiness in memories now lost to them.
With another batch of extractionspleted, Vale turned his attention to the reward within the third chamber¡ªa scroll containing another Forbidden Dark Spell known as "True Demonic me."
However, as he unrolled the scroll, he noticed that a significant portion of the Spell Model was missing, simr to the Dark Eyes Sacrifice a while ago.
It was a pity since this True Demonic me wasn''t in his Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted Book.
Although disappointed, Vale carefully kept the scroll in his inner pocket.
''Should I even learn this if I get theplete Spell Model?'' Vale thought to himself.
''I guess I should remove some of my pathetic spellster on¡''
Anyway, Vale decided to stop his exploration for now to take a rest.
He needed to wait for the cooldowns of his Spells, especially his He had some Spell Models in him that weren''t really useful most of the time, so he might consider removing them if he found a decent recement.
Anyway, Vale decided to stop his exploration for now to take a rest.
He needed to wait for the cooldowns of his Spells, especially his Arcane Armor Spell, which has the longest cooldown as of the moment.
After about half an hour of rest, Vale continued on his path.
As he delved deeper into the first floor or the Labyrinth of the Dead, he encountered a strange hidden chamber that emanated an ominous aura. The air grew heavy with darkness, and the flickering torch in his hand cast eerie shadows on the chamber walls.
Nevertheless, Vale bravely entered the ce as he Activated his Arcane Armor.
Suddenly, emerging from the shadows, a towering figure d in ck armor and wielding a wicked-looking sword stepped forward.
Growl~
It was the Death Knight!
ording to the Professors, this was the fearsome boss of the first floor.
He had to defeat this being, so the hidden path to the second floor could open.
''So I missed three or four hidden chambers?'' Vale thought to himself since, ording to the Professors, the first floor had six or seven hidden chambers before encountering the Death Knights¡
He was sure that the Professors weren''t lying, so perhaps, he dids something unusual that made him immediately encounter the Boss'' Room!
''Was it due to my Extractions?'' Vale silently thought as he recalled how the Zombies no longer spawned back after Extracting them.
Anyway, Vale looked at his enemy this time.
The Death Knight''s crimson eyes glowed with a malevolent energy, and its presence sent a chill down Vale''s spine.
Although Vale was confident he could win, he couldn''t help but shudder at the thick, murderous intent being thrown at him.
''This Death Knight seems strong but¡''
Vale swiftly assessed his options. He remembered the Holy Water he had created through his Blessed Healing Spell.
This sacred substance held healing abilities, but ording to what he read, it also has the power to weaken the undead and purify their dark essence. It was a good time to use this item and subdue the Death Knight and extract its energy.
Summoning his courage, Vale took a vial of the Holy Water from his pack and uncorked it. The liquid shimmered with a soft, radiant glow, providing a stark contrast to the darkness that surrounded them.
He knew that the Death Knight''s unholy nature would be vulnerable to its purifying effects, so he was quite confident on how this battle would end.
As soon as the Death Knight charged, Vale didn''t hesitate and sshed the Holy Water onto the undead, causing it to recoil in pain¡ That was how it looked, though he wasn''t sure if it could even feel pain.
The once formidable figure now seemed weakened, its armor corroded, and its movements slowed.
"One more¡" Vale thought as he sshed another bottle.
The Holy Water had disrupted the dark magic that fueled the Death Knight''s power, creating an opening for Vale to subdue it and extract it.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +4 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Memory Fragment. ]
Vale epted the Memory Fragment as the Death Knight crumbled into ashes, and soon, memories of battles, training, and the art of swordsmanship filled his mind.
Amidst the chaotic jumble of memories, he found an interesting memory¡ªan image of a middle-aged man gracefully wielding a sword with precision and skill.
The technique was known as "Shadowde Dance," a fluid and deadly style that emphasized swift movements and precise strikes. Then, as if his system could also tell how valuable it was, the Shadowde Dance was etched into his body and soul!
He could feel that the Sword Technique was slowly being ingrained into his body and mind.
Excitement welled up within Vale as he realized the potential of this newfound skill.
It was a Sword Technique and not a Spell that requires a Spell Light and Spell Model to learn!
He knew that his journey through the Labyrinth of the Dead would be fraught with peril, and having the Shadowde Dance technique at his disposal could prove invaluable.
"Whew~"
Taking a moment to focus his thoughts, Vale carefully recalled the technique to hasten the adjustments.
With each passing second, the Shadowde Dance technique became clearer in his mind, and his body instinctively adjusted to amodate its nuances.
As the knowledge settled in his mind, he summoned the Stormbringer from his body.
This Divine Sword was too strong, so he suppressed it to look like a normal sword.
With the essence of the Death Knight''s Shadowde Dance technique pulsing through his veins, Vale felt a surge of anticipation.
He knew that to truly master this newfound skill, he had to immerse himself in practice and be one with the rhythm of the sword dance.
After finding a spot within the Boss'' Room, Vale drew his sword, its de glinting in the dim light.
He took a deep breath before he began to move ording to his memories.
The Shadowde Dance was aplex and intricate style, requiring a delicate bnce of speed, agility, and technique.
Soon, Vale''s body responded to the memory fragment he had extracted, as if the movements were ingrained in his very being.
Chapter 352 Second Floor
?
Yvaine looked at Vale curiously. It has been a while since he started practicing the sword technique he had just learned.
She hade out of the shadow to ensure that Vale could practice without any worries, and she couldn''t help but feel mesmerized by his movements.
Vale''s feet glided across the ground, his steps light and graceful.
He weaved in and out of imaginary opponents, his sword slicing through the air with swift and precise strikes. Each movement flowed seamlessly into the next, creating a mesmerizing disy of deadly elegance.
''Shadowde Dance¡ This is awesome¡'' Vale silently thought.
As he continued to practice, he could feel the essence of the Death Knight, or the middle-aged man, guiding his every motion. It was as if the fallen swordsman''s spirit was lending him its expertise, honing his skills with each passing moment.
Vale didn''t expect that the Memory Fragment, which he thought was quite useless because it only gave him useless memories, would give him such a valuable technique.
He couldn''t help but feel excited at what kind of memories he would get soon.
After some time, the de dance became more natural to Vale, the patterns etched into his muscle memory.
He lost himself in the rhythm, his mind focused solely on the intricate steps and fluid motions. The world around him faded away, leaving only the dance and the sound of his own breath.
Hours turned into days as Vale tirelessly practiced, pushing his body to its limits. Sweat glistened on his brow, and his muscles ached with exertion, but he pressed on, driven by a determination to master the Shadowde Dance.
With each passing day, Vale''s movements became more precise, his strikes more powerful. He could feel the dance bing a part of him, an extension of his very soul.
As Vale twirled and spun, his sword a blur of steel, he knew that he was on the path to mastery.
The Shadowde Dance had be his own, no longer from the middle-aged man in the Memory Fragment¡ He made his own expression with his unique style and determination.
"Whew~ That was harder than I thought... Even with the memories, that still took some time."
Finally, after days of relentless practice, Vale lowered his sword, his body drenched in sweat. He stood there, panting, feeling a sense of aplishment wash over him. The Shadowde Dance had be a part of him, a weapon in his arsenal that he could call upon in the face of any challenge.
With newfound confidence, Vale sheathed his sword and nned to continue his exploration. However, he heard his stomach grumbling¡
He had been here for several days, so he had to go out first¡
Vale then took out the key in his inner pocket and poured energy into it.
Whom~
Suddenly, his surroundings crumbled as if the space was being distorted. Soon, he appeared in front of the First Floor''s entrance door.
"That''s faster than what I thought¡" Vale muttered as he saw the familiar door.
Just like that, he was able to go out of the Tower.
As soon as he stepped out, Headmaster Jean''s figure suddenly appeared and looked at Vale curiously.
"It took you five days to clear to the first floor?" Headmaster Jean asked curiously. There was also a hint of disappointment in his voice.
Vale could tell what he was thinking, so he smiled and replied. "I received some interesting things inside, so it took me some time. I will enter the Tower again to clear the second and third floors after I fill my stomach and sleep for a bit."
Vale said as his stomach started grumbling once again. He also started feeling sleepy but knew he needed to fill his stomach before sleeping.
Headmaster Jean could only nod at this as he watched Vale leave to head back to the Academy''s Main Building.
***
Vale moved swiftly as he headed towards the cafeteria to have a meal. Then, he returned to his dormitory to have his much-needed rest.
If not for his high vitality, he would probably copse just on the second day of his sword practice.
After six hours of sleep, Vale felt energetic as he took his things with him and returned to the Dark Soul Tower.
The guards already knew his identity, so there was no problem heading there even without the Headmaster''s presence
Once again, Vale used the key to open the door of the Tower.
Of course, he wouldn''t restart his exploration.
After getting inside, Vale focused his thoughts on the key in his hands. Pouring his energy into it, a faint glow surrounded the key as space itself seemed to distort around him. In an instant, he found himself back at the exact spot where he had left off in the Dark Soul Tower.
''Amazing¡ I wonder if there''s a Spell simr to this I can use outside.'' Vale thought as he looked in front of him.
The second floor''s entrance door stood before him, its imposing presence beckoning him to continue his journey. With a renewed sense of purpose, Vale took a deep breath and stepped forward, crossing the threshold into the Chamber of Illusions.
Once inside the Chamber of Illusions, Vale immediately sensed a shift in the air¡ªa subtle whisper of magic that hinted at the illusions that awaited him.
ording to the Professors, this floor would test his senses and perception, so he was prepared.
His Phantasm State was already active.
His Magic Zone expanded, allowing him to survey his surroundings within a range of at least 100 meters. With this enhanced perception, he could see through the illusions thaty ahead.
Vale stood at the center of a vast chamber, surrounded by countless paths that seemed to stretch into infinity. Each path was shrouded in illusionary mist, making it difficult to discern the true way forward.
''I guess relying on my heightened senses was too much¡'' Vale silently thought as he activated one of his spells, Divine Sense.
With this Spell, he knew that navigation through these illusions would be a lot easier.
Chapter 353 Essence
?
After Vale closed his eyes, he started focusing, reaching out with his Divine Sense.
Whom~
Suddenly, the surroundings became clear for Vale.
It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing the hidden reality behind the illusions. With each step he took, he could sense the energy of the true path, guiding him through the maze of illusions.
''As expected of an Advanced Realm Spell of the Holy Arts Factions¡ This is too useful.'' Vale thought to himself as he navigated through the chamber.
He encountered whispers and echoes, illusions that tried to deceive him.
There was even a "survivor" of the Tower, that tried tricking him. Well, with his Divine Sense, he was able to realize that it was just an undead shrouded in illusions.
He extracted the undead before killing it.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +4 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Memory Fragment. ]
The Memories showed him the life of the undead as a thief who tried entering the Academy.
''Hmm? Are they cing the criminals they caught inside this Tower?'' Vale thought to himself.
This situation happened a few more times as he extracted their energy and memory fragments. This time, Vale realized that most of the undead here were criminals, unlike the ones on the first floor.
Anyway, his Divine Sense acted as apass, guiding him towards the source of the illusions.
Finally, as he reached the end of the chamber, he heard several shrieksing from the ones controlling the illusions within the whole floor.
Undead Imps!
It led him to a group of Undead Imps, mischievous creatures that had been responsible for the illusions that gued the chamber.
The Undead Imps, sensing Vale''s presence, scattered everywhere.
However, there were a few of them who revealed themselves with wicked grins upon their half-skeletal faces.
These Imps were probably the leaders of their small pack.
''So this is how they look¡'' Vale thought as he already knew about them through his studies.
Of course, he wasn''t aware that the Undead Imps were here. The Professors told him it would no longer be a challenge if he knew everything inside the Tower.
''They''re already undead, but they can still use their Arcane Spells? What Necromancy is this?'' Vale thought as he felt the Arcane Energying from these Undead Imps.
The Undead Imps didn''t waste their time as they started making noise and activated their Spells.
They unleashed a flurry of illusory attacks, trying to disorient and confuse Vale.
There were screams of terror, waves of confusion, and other Spells he couldn''t guess, but he was undeterred.
His Phantasm State remained strong, and his Divine Sense provided him with the rity and focus to see through their tricks.
Shing~
With a swift motion, Vale unsheathed his Stormbringer Sword¡ He could probably easily clear this floor with the power of this Divine Sword, but it would unnecessarily consume his energy.
Instead, he decided to use the Shadowde Dance technique he had just learned. He moved gracefully and precisely, striking down the Undead Imps one by one.
Luckily, these Undead Imps weren''t that nimble.
His sword sliced through their ethereal forms, dispersing them into nothingness.
''Ugh¡ That was a mistake. I couldn''t extract them like this¡'' Vale thought.
Killing these undead beings wouldn''t leave corpses, so he has nothing to Extract after.
After realizing his mistake, Vale stopped using his sword and opted to use his Ghost Hands and Spectral Hands.
He started Extracting them this time and was surprised by the result.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +10 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Imp Essence. ]
"Ahhh¡ I can extract this?" Vale was stunned as soon as he saw what he had just extracted.
One of his Transformation Arts, called Beast Shapeshift, has one vital requirement regarding what creature he could shapeshift. That was the Essence of the Creatures he wanted to shapeshift.
This was why he could not use this Spell even after recording the Spell Model unless he only wanted to shapeshift into normal animals.
He was thinking of buying these Creature Essences in the Exchange Hall, but he had forgotten about it since it wasn''t really necessary and he had no use of them yet.
Now that it had appeared, Vale couldn''t help but smile as he had saved some of his Contribution Points once again.
As he epted the Essence, he didn''t feel anything aside from the pulsing of his Beast Shapeshift Spell Model.
"Alright¡ Let''s continue." Vale muttered as he looked at the remaining Imps¡
sh!
With a wave of his hand, the Undead Imp he had just extracted was cut into two. It then vanished into nothingness, never to spawn again in this chamber.
Shriek!
The other Imps didn''t like what they saw as they attacked Vale together.
"Come!"
Vale didn''t falter after being bombarded by Spells as he continued with his onught, and as thest of the Undead Imps fell, the illusions that had gued the Chamber of Illusions dissipated. The chamber transformed into a serene and tranquil space, devoid of deception.
Vale stood amidst the aftermath of his battle, his breath steady and his spirit unyielding.
''I think I got too much Imp Essence¡ I guess my Shapeshift won''t just copy their appearance but also their Aura and Spells at this point.'' Vale thought to himself as he considered using his Shapeshift Spell before entering the third floor.
He probably extracted more than 30 Imps just now¡ All of them provided 10 Energy Points and Imp Essence!
"Yvaine¡ Come out." Vale said as the Dark Spirit, shrouded in a huge ck cloak, came out of his shadow.
"Do you want me to guard you again?" She asked with her ethereal voice.
"Kind of. I will be using a Spell, and in case something goes wrong, you have to put me unconscious." Vale replied with determination.
Well, he was worried that the Essence he Extracted would also affect his mind when hepleted his transformation.
Having Yvaine by his side would make him feel more at ease to experiment.
Yvaine tilted her head in confusion, but she still nodded after.
Vale was already satisfied with this as he focused and channeled his energy into the Shapeshift Spell.
As the Shapeshift Spell enveloped him, his body underwent a remarkable transformation.
His form shrank and contorted, taking on the appearance of a mischievous Imp.
Then, he sprouted leathery wings from his back, his skin turned a deep shade of crimson, and his eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity!
Chapter 354 Train
?
Yvaine''s eyes glowed with a gentle, violet light as she observed Vale activating the Spell.
Although she preferred staying inside Vale''s shadow, she still liked it when she was outside, especially in this Dark Soul Tower with rich Dark Energy.
''So he''s doing a mutation this time?'' Yvaine thought as she saw Vale''s body start distorting.
"This human can really be so random sometimes."
She understood the importance of this moment and the risks involved, so she carefully observed the young man.
Soon, Vale''s transformationmenced.
Yvaine''s gaze never wavered, her eyes filled with a mixture of awe and concern as she witnessed a familiar aura of an Imp taking hold of him.
''It wasn''t just a simple disguise¡ A perfect transformation?''
She could sense the immense power surging through Vale''s body as it shrank and contorted, gradually assuming the form of an Imp.
Yvaine observed the changes rippling across Vale''s being¡ªthe sprouting of leathery wings, the crimson hue of his skin, and the intense glow in his eyes. She could feel the surge of demonic energy emanating from his transformed form!
''No wonder he asked me to knock him out if he went out of control¡'' Yvaine mused.
She remained vignt, ready to intervene if the transformation veered toward danger. Her ethereal form pulsed with a protective aura, her connection with Vale growing stronger as she prepared to fulfill her duty as his guardian.
As the transformation neared itspletion, Yvaine felt a sense of relief.
Vale had sessfully assumed the form of an Imp, his aura pulsating with newfound power.
"Are you still Vale?" Yvaine asked the creature in front of him.
"Keek¡" The Imp made some noise.
It seems there was a problem with his throat, and he couldn''t properly speak.
Realizing this, Vale reassured Yvaine by nodding his tiny head and speaking through their unique connection.
''I''m fine, Yvaine¡ Thank you for guarding me. I think this creature has a problem as it can''t speak.''
''I understand.'' Yvaine replied as she hovered around Vale.
In the meantime, Vale also marveled at his new Imp form. He could tell that the aura that was pulsating from his body was the essence he had Extracted from the Undead Imps¡
"Let''s see¡" Vale muttered as he entered his Phantasm State.
It feels different.
With his transformationplete, he could feel the Imp''s instincts coursing through him. He couldn''t properly describe it, but he could sense the world in a different way.
''Oh¡ I can also use the Imp''s Spells?!'' Vale''s eyes lit up as he realized the changes in his Spell Models.
Unfortunately, he can''t use his other Spells aside from the Imp''s Spells within the duration of his transformation, but it waspletely fine for him.
The Imp''s Spell, a dark and potent force, was now at his disposal. He would like to try it!
Grinning mischievously, Vale decided to put his newfound powers to the test.
He checked his four new Spell Lights and found them fascinating. They were Mischief''s Veil, Phantasmal Mirage, Ebon Shield, and Nightfall''s Embrace.
After he focused his senses on their Spell Models, he was able to understand what they could do.
The Mischief''s Veil creates a shroud of illusionary magic that cloaks him in invisibility, allowing him to move silently and undetected through the shadows.
The Phantasmal Mirage summons an illusory duplicate of him, confusing enemies and diverting their attention away from the real target.
The Ebon Shield erects a protective barrier made of dark energy, shielding him from iing spells and physical assaults.
Lastly, Nightfall''s Embrace unleashes a devastating burst of shadow energy, engulfing arge area in darkness and dealing significant damage to all adversaries caught within its radius.
''Aside from the Nightfall''s Embrace, all the other three were used by the Imps a while ago.'' Vale thought to himself.
Eager to put his new spells to the test, Vale decided to start with Mischief''s Veil.
He focused his energy and triggered the Spell Activation.
Soon, he started feeling the cloak of an illusionary spell envelop him. As he moved, he noticed a ripple in the air, hinting at his presence, but it quickly dissipated, leaving him effectively invisible.
Vale marveled at the newfound stealth and freedom he possessed. He could now navigate the chamber undetected, ready to strike at his enemies with precision.
''This looks cool¡ It''s a bit unfortunate that I can''t use it in my human form¡'' Vale thought as he canceled the Spell after 30 seconds or so.
Next, he turned his attention to Phantasmal Mirage.
Concentrating on the Spell, he summoned an illusory duplicate of himself¡ or to be exact, another Imp version of himself.
The mirage stood beside him, mirroring his movements wlessly. He couldn''t help but feel impressed by the level of detail and realism the Spell provided.
''As expected of an Imp¡ They''re really the masters of illusions. Perhaps only Divine Sense can pierce through this Spell.''
He could imagine how this illusion would confuse and divert his adversaries, creating openings for strategic strikes or providing a crucial distraction when needed.
With a sense of anticipation, Vale then brought forth the power of Ebon Shield. Dark energy swirled around him, forming a protective barrier.
He could feel the shield''s strength and resilience, providing him a newfound sense of security. It was quite good against Physical Attacks, but Spells might be its weakness.
''Not as good as my Arcane Armor¡'' Vale silently thought.
Having practiced with Mischief''s Veil, Phantasmal Mirage, and Ebon Shield, Vale felt he could use them six more times before his energy reserves were exhausted.
''It was quite good¡ Let''s try thest Spell then¡''
It was finally time to unleash the might of Nightfall''s Embrace.
I didn''t take long before Vale unleashed Nightfall''s Embrace, his surroundings were engulfed in darkness. Shadows danced and writhed, causing a chilling sensation to grip the air.
Then, a burst of energy exploded.
Boom!
It obliterated everything in its path.
The power of the Spell was awe-inspiring, leaving Vale in shock of its destructive potential.
Chapter 355 Corpses
?
The energy expended from casting Nightfall''s Embrace took its toll on Vale.
As the darkness dissipated, he felt drained, and his Imp form faded away.
Poof!
In the blink of an eye, Vale returned to his real form.
He looked at his hands and feet and couldn''t help but smile at what he just did.
''That was satisfying¡'' Vale thought to himself as he looked at the surroundings. He took a moment to catch his breath and recover from the exertion.
Vale knew that pushing himself further without rest would only hinder his progress, so he found a good spot in the chamber and sat down. He allowed himself a moment of respite.
''It''s a pity that I can''t increase the Imp''s Spell Mastery with Energy Points¡ They will be stronger if I can do that¡''
He reflected on his aplishments, the mastery of the Imp''s Spells, and the power he now possessed.
After about an hour of rest, his energy was renewed as he prepared himself for the challenges that awaited him on the next floor of the Dark Soul Tower.
ording to the Headmaster, the third floor, or the Hall of Shadows, would have plenty of corpses¡ He was, of course, looking forward to this floor the most.
He saw the daunting entrance door of the Third Floor and pushed it open without hesitation.
As he moved forward, Vale couldn''t help but feel a surge of excitement.
What weed him was a dimly lit hallway stretching out before him. The air seemed heavy with an eerie presence, and shadows danced along the walls. It was a sight that both intrigued and excited Vale, fueling his determination to explore further.
Soon, Vale''s Magic Zone adjusted as it was finally able to cross the surrounding area.
"There''s no one?" Vale muttered as he carefully scanned the surroundings with his Magic Zone¡
Of course, it was impossible that no one was here. It means that they must be hiding, or he must walk further to find them.
As he ventured further into the Hall of Shadows, he was finally met with what was supposed to be aharrowing sight.
There were hundreds of zombies which had suddenly appeared in front of him! The air was thick with their presence, and a sense of darkness hung heavy in the atmosphere.
''No¡ Something''s different. They''re not Zombies!
He immediately activated his Divine Sense to scan them and realized that there were Evil Shadows, manipting these once-human corpses, puppeteering them to do their bidding.
They have studied these beings in their Intermediate Spirit Law ss.
ording to their professors, Evil Shadows were Beings that were closely simr to Evil Spirits. However, instead of possessing these corpses and transforming them into Evil Creatures, Evil Shadows only control the corpses to do their bidding.
''I can''t damage these corpses, or the quality of Extractions will be affected¡'' Vale thought as he considered which Spell he should use in his arsenal¡
It didn''t take him that long to decide which Spell he should use.
After taking a deep breath, Vale unleashed his wide-range Spell Dispersion.
Whom~
He wasn''t sure how effective this would be, but it was better than using his Ghost Hands that could crush these corpses.
Growl~ Growl!
To his surprise, the Spell Dispersion proved incredibly effective. As the Spell Dispersion took effect, the connection between the Evil Shadows and the human corpses they entered was severed!
One by one, the corpses that were previously emitting a strange aura started copsing on the ground.
''This Spell Dispersion is a lot more useful than I thought.''
He couldn''t help but feel a sense of satisfaction and aplishment at the sess of his Spell.
He had expected a challenging battle, but the effectiveness of Spell Dispersion had caught him off guard. It was a testament to his growing mastery of Spells.
With the Evil Shadows separated from the human corpses, Vale found himself facing a crucial decision. He had to choose a spell that would not only destroy the Evil Shadows but would not damage the bodies on the ground.
Furthermore, he had to act quickly so they wouldn''t be able to return to the bodies and control them once again.
"Ahh¡ Why would I need to use another spell?" Vale immediately changed his mind as he brought out his Stormbringer Sword!
With a swift and fluid motion, Vale unleashed his Shadowde Dance technique!
His movements were a mesmerizing disy of skill and agility as he weaved through the crowd of Evill Shadows, his Stormbringer Sword shing through the air with deadly precision.
Whoosh~
It had only been a few days when he practiced the sword technique, but he also had the experience of the Death Knight he extracted.
Each strike of his sword sent ripples of lightning energy through the Evil Shadows, disrupting their movements and attempts to regain control of the bodies.
With every swing, Vale severed an Evil Shadow or two!
The hall echoed with the sh of steel and the fading groans of the defeated Evil Shadows.
This prompted all the other Evil Shadows to stop their attempt to control the bodies¡ They instead focused on Vale and used their shadow tendrils to bind him.
"Hmph!"
Vale continued to dance amidst the chaos, his Shadowde technique bing a symphony of power and grace.
With each swing of his sword, he struck down the remaining Evil Shadows¡ He even tried Extracting some of them, but to his dismay, the system notification didn''t appear.
It was unfortunate, but he knew that not everything could be Extracted, so he wasn''t too disappointed.
As thest of the Evil Shadows were vanquished, Vale stood amidst the silent aftermath.
The once-controlled corpses nowy motionless, their souls finally at rest¡ or that was what he thought at the very least.
The chamber was filled with an eerie stillness, and a sense of aplishment washed over Vale.
"Whew¡ You did well, Stormbringer¡" Vale muttered as the sword sparked with some electricity before calming down.
After returning the sword to his body, Vale took a moment to catch his breath and appreciate the beauty of theid-down corpses.
"Cough¡ Cough¡" Vale immediately shook his head as he erased this random thought.
Chapter 356 More Memories
"There''s too many of them¡ I wonder how long it will take me to Extract all of them." Vale muttered to himself as he looked at the hundreds of corpses on the floor.
Headmaster Jean was right. These corpses were indeed of decent quality, and he could tell it even without Extracting them.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, in the corner of his eyes, he noticed that there was a treasure chest on the other side of the Hall! He immediately stood up to check it, but he recalled something.
He was worried that if he took these treasures inside the chest, the corpses would disappear!
The chance was low, but he wouldn''t risk it.
So, instead of checking the treasure chest, Vale started with his Extractions first.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''Yes¡''
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +20, Intelligence +0.3, Memory Fragment ]
"Oops¡"
Vale made a mistake. He didn''t control his extractions and identally used the auto-extraction mode of the System.
After all, his Intelligence Attribute was already full at this moment, and any of his extractions with the said Attribute would just be wasted.
As for the Memory Fragment. Vale still epted it, and after skimming through the memories, he realized that he hit the jackpot.
''This is possible?'' Vale thought to himself.
The Memory Fragment revealed the story of an unfortunate Elementalist who had his Spell Models destroyed, rendering him unable to harness the power of elemental spells. However, before meeting his demise, the Elementalist had hidden a valuable treasure in a massive tree located at the back of his house in a distant vige.
Excitement coursed through Vale as he realized the potential significance of this information. Of course, he wasn''t too excited about the treasure since it seemed to be only worth about a thousand zen or two.
It wasn''t much.
He was excited about the possibilities that could be given to him with Memory Fragments Extractions.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''Yes¡''
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +20, Agility +0.35, Memory Fragment ]
Vale continued with his extractions, and not many of them could excite him. They were mostly useless, with a few useful ones that allowed him to realize that the outside world was perilous. There were so many rogue Arcanists lurking in the cities, and most of them were being dealt with by the Factions'' Orders.
Instead, they were being handled by the Elite Bounty Hunters like Sherman.
This made him respect the man a little bit more.
A few memories also made him knowledgeable about Elemental Alchemy and Summoner''s Grimoire¡
''Wait¡ This is actually good.'' Vale thought to himself as he realized the significance of some of these memories. He made sure that this important knowledge would be etched into his mind and not just disperse after.
As Vale continued his extractions, he came across a Memory Fragment that revealed the life of a humble herbalist who possessed a deep connection with nature and the healing arts of the Alchemy Arts Faction.
In this memory, he witnessed the herbalist''s serene existence in a peaceful vige surrounded by lush gardens and vibrant flora. The herbalist had a profound understanding of the medicinal properties of various nts, herbs, and fungi, using them to create potent remedies and healing potions.
Vale observed as the herbalist delicately harvested rare herbs from hidden groves,muned with the spirits of nature, and performed intricate rituals to infuse his potions with powerful healing energy. The memory showcased the herbalist''s kind andpassionate nature, as he selflessly treated the ailments of those in need.
Needless to say, he didn''t throw away this memory.
He absorbed the memory without hesitation as he felt a deep resonance with the herbalist''s connection to nature and the medical technique.
He realized that this knowledge could be invaluable, not just in the Academy for his survival outside the Academy.
After extracting over 50 corpses, almost four hours had already passed.
It was really testing his patience. He was even using his Touchless Extraction at this point!
Well, the reason that it was taking a few minutes for each Extraction was because of the Memory Fragment¡ He couldn''t just ept all the memories since his brain might explode if he received everything. He had to choose whether to retain the memories or not whenever he viewed them.
''Next¡''
[ Demi-Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''Yes¡'' Vale answered casually, but his eyes widened as he looked at the corpse before him. He thought it would just be a normal extraction, but what he found was a Demi-Human!
''Did I read it correctly? Demi-Human?'' Vale asked himself once more as he looked at the result of the Extraction.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +20, Agility +1.55, Divinity +0.5, Memory Fragment. ]
"Hmm? This¡" Vale was stunned as he looked at the corpse of an old woman who seemed to be a hundred-year-old human. She doesn''t look different from other human corpses...
''A Demi-Human that has Divinity? What''s going on here?''
Vale was confused but he still epted the Memories of the old woman. Then, he was even more speechless as he saw her memories.
This memory fragment revealed the life of a Mystic Arts Practitioner. She was a hermit who had lived in istion for more than 70 years¡ She was only in her 20s when she started her istion training and came out when she was in her 90s.
As expected of a person with Divinity Points, she had touched upon the Forbidden Mystic Arts called Time Maniption.
In this memory, Vale witnessed the Magician''s awe-inspiring abilities to bend time to her will. He saw her freezing moments in time, elerating her own movements to unimaginable speeds and even glimpsing into the future to gain foresight and advantage in battles.
''Is this even real?'' Vale was speechless.
The memories he had seen were just too unbelievable.
The magician''s prowess with Time Maniption was unparalleled, and Vale felt a surge of fascination and inspiration as he absorbed the memory. He understood that this arcane knowledge could greatly enhance his own strength. At the very least, this had broadened his horizon.
''Why is this woman not being discussed in our history lessons?'' Vale silently thought as he carefully searched the memory.
"This memory felt moreplete than the others¡" Vale muttered as he continued to immerse himself in the memories of the Hermit.
Chapter 357 Treasure Chest
The Hermit, or the Magician''s name was Katharina Carlisle. She doesn''t seem to have any nicknames, so he couldn''t help but feel confused. He couldn''t recall her name being mentioned in the History ss they''d studied.
For a Mystic Arts Practitioner who could manipte time, Vale knew that her name must be widely spread in the past.
It was unfortunate, but perhaps the missing fragments of her memories could answer his confusion.
In any case, as he absorbed the memories, he realized something even more amazing.
The Hermit had hidden a powerful artifact called the Temporal Timepiece, which was rumored to amplify Time Maniption abilities to unimaginable levels. The location of this Artifact remained a mystery, and only those who possessed the deepest understanding of time magic could unlock its secrets.
In short, even if Vale gets this Artifact, he wouldn''t be able to use it unless he had the talent that was needed.
''Wait¡ This looks like¡''
Although the chain was different and there was a vibrant glow that was missing, Vale could see the simrities between his Golden Pocketwatch and the Temporal Timepiece in Katharina''s Memories!
Vale''s heart started beating faster as he realized this¡ He already guessed that his Transmigration was rted to that pocketwatch¡
Perhaps it was Katharina''s Temporal Timepiece? Did she obtain it from the Paragon? How did she even die in the first ce? Furthermore, why was she inside this Dark Soul Tower together with other ''normal'' corpses?
Vale had so many questions that couldn''t be answered.
In the end, he really had to quicken the energy recovery of that pocketwatch.
Although he probably doesn''t have the talent to wield this type of Forbidden Arts, the prospect of harnessing the power of the Temporal Timepiece ignited a fire within him.
Unfortunately, there was only one Katharina Carlisle that could give him such a clue¡ All his other extractions had barely given him valuable memories.
''Should I visit her cave where she trained for decades?'' Vale thought as he finished his extractions with the memory of the Dark Soul Tower''s Guard, who tried to steal something from the Tower and was caught red-handed.
After confirming that he had extracted everyone, he finally shifted his attention to the Treasure Chest on the Third Floor.
Vale cautiously approached it and even covered himself with an Arcane Armor just to be safe.
nk!
Vale opened the treasure chest and confirmed that it was safe. There were three scrolls and two crystals.
He didn''t have to open it and knows they contain knowledge he wouldn''t easily get in the Academy.
''Are the Professors the ones filling these Treasure Chest to encourage their students?'' Vale thought.
"Ahh¡ Perhaps a Student Club is managing this Tower and putting these crystals and scrolls?" Vale muttered as he checked the crystals first.
These crystals could immediately inject information into his brain, so it was quite easier to check them first.
Iplete nar Spell Model: Aurora''s Embrace ( Second Part )
Iplete nar Spell Model: Aurora''s Embrace ( Third Part )
Vale wryly smiled after getting the information inside. Thest or the Fourth Part was still missing, and he could probably get it on the fourth floor.
Of course, this nar Spell couldn''t be learned just by anyone after getting aplete Spell Model¡ Nevertheless, it can still be valuable in terms of research to strengthen the Spell Models or even recreate the Spells with a weaker version.
With a sigh, Vale continued checking the scrolls. The previous scroll he opened contained an iplete Forbidden Spell called Dark Eye Sacrifice. He couldn''t help but look forward to the content of these scrolls.
Vale cautiously unrolled the first scroll, his eyes widening as he read the content inscribed upon it. It was written in Oardic so he didn''t have trouble reading it.
This scroll contained the knowledge of a sinister spell known as "Eclipse of Destion." There was even aplete Spell Model for this!
As Vale delved into the scroll''s contents, he learned that this dark magic allowed him to shroud an entire area in darkness, draining the life force of all who dared to step foot within its boundaries.
It was simr to some Corruption Spell, but the range of this Spell was massive. Aside from learning its Spell Model, the scroll revealed the intricate ritual required to cast the Spell, including the precise positioning of Arcane Symbols and the utterance of a prayer to a mysterious existence in another realm. Vale felt a mix of awe and unease as he realized the devastating power contained within this Spell.
''Seriously¡ Who''s cing this destructive Spell inside the treasure chest? Isn''t this a bit too dangerous?'' Vale thought as he worried that some other madman would casually learn this Spell and spread terror to the kingdom.
He could imagine that if Neil got into this ce and acquired the scroll, that man would probably immediately learn this Spell and test it in nearby towns or viges.
''No¡ Perhaps this is a special case? Do others get different scrolls?'' Vale thought as he considered asking the Professors or the Headmaster about this once he got out.
He rolled the scroll once again and kept it inside his coat''s inner pocket.
With a sense of both anticipation and trepidation, he continued to unroll the second scroll. This scroll revealed the secrets of a hauntingly malevolent spell known as "Soul Eater''s Grasp."
It also had aplete Spell Model this time.
As his eyes scanned the intricate diagrams and wicked chants, Vale learned that this dark magic allowed him to summon ethereal tendrils that could drain the life force and consume the souls of his enemies.
''It''s quite simr to the Tier 2 Dark Spell, Soul Drain¡ However, this was more sinister¡'' Vale thought as he read its content.
The scroll warned of the dangers of wielding such power, cautioning that the use of this Spell woulde at a terrible cost. Vale sighed as this Spell was once again, requiring its caster to contact another mysterious existence in another realm.
Chapter 358 Tremors
Chapter 358 Tremors
Finally, Vale unrolled the third and final scroll. The air around him seemed to grow colder as he read the words etched onto its surface.
This scroll contained the incantations and rituals required to invoke the "Curse of Eternal Torment."
It wasn''t a Spell this time.
It was simply a Curse Ritual that the first Dark Magicians were keen to use over a hundred years ago.
As Vale absorbed the knowledge within, he realized that this Spell had the power to inflict unending suffering upon its target, binding their soul to a perpetual state of anguish. The scroll warned of the irreversible nature of this curse, for once cast, its effects could never be undone.
''This is too cruel¡'' Vale thought as he grappled with the moral implications of wielding such a Curse Ritual, aware of the irreversible consequences it would bring.
Vale sighed as he rolled the scroll. The weight of the dark arts he had uncovered was putting pressure on him.
He knew that these spells held immense power, capable of reshaping the world around him. However, he also understood the inherent danger and ethical dilemmas associated with harnessing such dark arts. He pondered the responsibility that came with the knowledge he now possessed.
''Let''s save these for now¡ They might not be useful for me right now, but it can change in the future.'' Vale thought as he stared at the door leading towards the fourth floor, the Jail Corruption.
Headmaster Jean had warned him not to enter this floor since a physique that was unique to Necromancers was needed to survive. It was called the Enduring Body, which could protect them from the power of Corruption on the fourth floor.
After some hesitation, Vale decided to move forward. He still had a week of exploration, and it would be a pity to stop now.
Perhaps if the Evil Shadows or Zombies kept respawning, he wouldn''t mind staying on the lower floors. However, that obviously wasn''t the case, so he could only ascend.
As Vale ascended to the next floor of the Dark Soul Tower, a sudden surge of energy crackled through the air, causing the very foundations of the Tower to tremble.
Vale was only halfway through the stairs, so he was shocked by the sudden reaction of the Tower and released his Arcane Armor, afraid the Tower would copse!
***
Outside the Dark Soul Tower.
The Professors and Headmaster Jean felt unease as they noticed that the Dark Soul Tower was acting strange.
This had never happened for the past ten years or so!
There was no way they would miss the sudden disturbance within the Tower. This immediately raised concerns and prompted them to investigate the source of the disorder.
Among the many professors, there were three of them who had been paying special attention to this Tower.
Professor Zara, a seasoned expert in Dark Illusions and Ancient Dark Arts, furrowed her brow as she sensed the powerful energy emanating from the Tower.
"This is highly unusual..." She murmured, her eyes narrowing with a mixture of curiosity and caution. "We must ascertain the cause of this disturbance immediately."
She muttered in a low voice, informing her Summons to follow her.
Professor Cyrus, known for his expertise in Dark Curses and Hexes, nced at his disciples. "Something strange happened in the Dark Soul Tower. Stay here and continue your study. I need to let the Headmaster know about it."
His students nodded in understanding as they also couldn''t help but look in the direction of the Dark Soul Tower.
Professor Mark, a specialist in Shadow Arts, was the first one to arrive beside the Headmaster.
"Headmaster Jean, we must intervene. The Tower is only essible to a select few, and if Vale Chambers is the one using it, we need to ensure his safety and the integrity of the Academy."
"I know¡"
Headmaster Jean said as he felt a knot of worry tighten in his chest. He knew that Vale Chambers was the sole upant of the Tower at that moment, and the sudden disturbance raised concerns about his well-being.
"Alert the Fourth Squad¡" He instructed, his voicemanding yetden with concern.
"We cannot afford to waste any time. We must ensure the student''s safety and find out the reason behind this Tower''s disturbance."
As the professors and Headmaster Jean hurriedly made their way toward the Dark Soul Tower, Professor Ste, an expert in Dark Magic, appeared beside them and voiced her worry.
"This disturbance might be a sign¡ The Tower''s Seal might be loosening already." Ste said in a low voice. It was only a guess since she wasn''t an expert on this, but she had a bad feeling about it.
Headmaster Jean nodded as they continued on their way.
As soon as they arrived, they realized that there was already a female Professor who was watching the Tower intently.
"You guys took your time, huh¡" She muttered as the group of people arrived.
It was Professor Gale Evans.
"Did you discover something?" Headmaster Jean asked.
"Well¡ The Dark Soul Tower is no ordinary structure, so it''s difficult to investigate." She said as she turned to face them.
A teasing smile yed upon Professor Gale''s lips as she watched her colleagues express their worries and urgency. "Ah, the Dark Soul Tower¡" she mused, her voice carrying a hint of amusement.
"Always keeping us on our toes, isn''t it?" She added.
Headmaster Jean knew this woman''s attitude well, so he knew he needed to calm down when speaking with her.
Professor Zara raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. "Do you suspect that the loosening of the ancient seal is responsible for thismotion, Professor Gale?" she asked, her voiceced with intrigue.
''It seems that Professor Ste''s intuition was right¡''
Professor Gale nodded, her eyes glinting with abination of knowledge and amusement. "Indeed," she replied.
"The Dark Soul Tower''s Seal has been holding back a yful Mysterious Existence, ording to the First Patriarchs of the Five
Families. Its gradual weakening could be the very reason behind the tremors we''re witnessing."
c71241599ffa2342522e9fa0e93245a9d8ec4ad4e8c3c5baf0c66a8666374fd03cec1db93d13aee93b78ddcbc4384587ea15cdd61a2d0cec5555040229
Chapter 359 Discovery
Chapter 359 Discovery
Professor Cyrus spoke up.
"If the seal is indeed loosening, we must act swiftly to reinforce it¡" His tone conveys a sense of urgency.
Of course, he wasn''t going to help with the seal as he was bad at it. Nevertheless, this was the best suggestion he could make.
Professor Gale chuckled softly, her amusement evident. "No need for such haste, Cyrus." She reassured.
"The seal''s weakening is a natural urrence, a sign that the Tower is ready to reveal its secrets to those deemed worthy."
Headmaster Jean, intrigued by Professor Gale''s insights, inquired. "And how can we ensure the safety of our students and Vale Chambers within the Tower, Professor Gale? Should we be concerned about the potential dangers that he''ll face?"
He asked while looking at her warily. The real reason why he was a bit helpless about this woman was because of the Mysterious Existence she was connected with.
Her Charms and other Spells could even affect him to a certain extent, especially if she requested some help from the Mysterious Existence that had fancied her.
Anyway, although this Mysterious Existence couldn''t bepared to the one sealed inside the Tower, Headmaster Jean would still listen to Professor Gale''s insight because of it.
A mischievous glimmer danced in Professor Gale''s eyes as she responded.
"Rest assured, Headmaster Jean, the Tower has its own way of protecting those who possess the strength and wisdom to navigate its depths. Vale Chambers might have triggered something, and he should be more than capable of warding off any harm."
As the professors absorbed Professor Gale''s words, a sense of relief washed over them.
While the loosening of the ancient seal presented a unique challenge, Professor Gale''s confidence and understanding of the Tower''s intricate workings offered a glimmer of hope.
Soon, six members of the Fourth Squad of the Order of the Untainted Sentinels arrived¡ They were all wearing a hooded cloak and a mask that covered half of their face.
"There''s a problem with the seal? Who''s inside the Tower now?" The captain of the squad asked in concern.
"It''s Vale Chambers¡ He seemed to have triggered something. Anyway, let''s wait for now. We can''t help him since the Tower haspletely closed its doors." Headmaster Jean said as he nced at the Tower.
He only wanted Vale to get stronger inside the Tower through the help of the Evil Shadows. With those Evil Shadows, he believed that Vale would only take less than a week to discover that he could defeat them by using his Magic Zone as his weapon.
Once he discovers it, he will surely learn how to strengthen his Phantasm State.
With a stronger Phantasm State, his chances of winning in one of the toughestpetitions against the other Academies would be a lot higher.
Headmaster Jean sighed as he realized that Vale was really an unpredictable fellow.
''You have toe out safely, Vale¡''
***
"W-what going on?!" Inside the Tower, Vale felt like he was about to throw up.
The ambient darkness seemed to swirl and coalesce around him¡ Then, he felt his Incorruptible Body''s Spell Model pulsating within him.
He also noticed that his body was starting to emit a strong aura of darkness! He felt simr to the Evil Creature he had faced before!
Then, with a blinding sh, Vale found himself transported to a floor vastly different from the one he had expected¡
''Is this the Jail of Corruption? Or did I get sent to a different floor?'' Vale thought to himself as he observed the ce.
He found himself standing in a chamber suffused with an ethereal glow. The walls were adorned with ancient symbols and arcane sigils, pulsating with otherworldly energy.
At the center hallway was a mist that his Magic Zone couldn''t pass through.
Confusion washed over Vale as he realized that he couldn''t feel any force of Corruption within the chamber.
"Tsk¡ Why did this happen?" Vale muttered as he clicked his tongue in frustration.
At the very least, he could tell that the ce was still filled with the essence of Dark Arts. He should still be inside the Dark Soul Tower since the air was heavy with the scent of death and lingering dark energy, hinting at the Dark Arts that were practiced within these walls.
"Ahh¡"
Just then, he noticed that the dark aura emitted by his body seemed to like the floor itself as it continued growing out of his body and spreading everywhere.
''Is it my Incorruptible Body''s fault?'' Vale mused.
It appeared that the Tower, with its intricate mechanisms and hidden enchantments, had recognized his Incorruptible Body as a sign of his affinity with the realm of necromancy, leading him to this ce.
Well, it was a wild guess, but he had no other clues besides what the Headmaster said.
''The ones who should enter here were students with Enduring Body¡''
He obviously doesn''t have it, but he at least possesses the Incorruptible Body, which should be a better version of this physique. It must be due to this that he encountered a problem.
Anyway, Vale decided to move forward and pass through the mist¡
''Perhaps that''s the Jail of Corruption?'' He thought¡
As he stepped foot into the "Jail of Corruption", a shiver ran down his spine.
The air felt heavy with an eerie presence, and the dimly lit corridor seemed to stretch endlessly before him.
Hu~
After taking a deep breath, he cautiously ventured forward, his senses heightened.
Vale looked at them briefly but after a few seconds, he just passed The walls of the corridor were adorned with faded murals depicting scenes of dark rituals and practices of necromancy.
Vale looked at them briefly but after a few seconds, he just passed through them as he can''t appreciate art.
Well, the other reason is that the images seemed toe alive in the flickering torchlight, evoking a sense of both fascination and unease within him.
As he continued his exploration, he entered a vast chamber that revealed itself to be a library of ancient tomes and grimoires.
"This¡ Is this real?" Vale muttered to himself at the unexpected discovery.
The shelves towered above him, their once ornate carvings now worn and weathered but Vale could tell that they were still enchanted and protected by magic.
Suddenly, the scent of aged parchment and dust filled the air, adding to the mystique of the ce.
Grimoires of various sizes and bindings lined the shelves, their titles written in archaguages and symbols that hinted at the dark arts contained within.
''Ugh¡ They''re not Oardic¡ Whatnguage is this?''
As Vale thought of this, he was momentarily frozen as he suddenly heard some footsteps approaching him from his back.
c71241599ffa2342522e9fa0e93245a9d8ec4ad4e8c3c5baf0c66a8666374fd0f4b13592ffa0926a26b45530981eba711e3361e9ce44e2fb256dfd7acdddd152
Chapter 360 Entity
?
Outside the Tower, Headmaster Jean and the others monitored the surroundings carefully. They were afraid that something might just pop out of the Tower if they ignored this matter.
Jean squinted his eyes as he summoned Vale''s shadow in his palms¡
"It''s still here¡ However, the shadow isn''t moving. Did he enter another realm?" Headmaster Jean muttered as he looked at the unmoving shadow. This rarely happens, so he could only guess Vale''s situation.
''This Tower must be taken down in the future¡'' Jean considered this matter seriously.
The Dark Arts Factions didn''t build the Dark Soul Tower. The Tower was already erected on thisnd, hidden behind a mountain, before the Academy was even made.
Jean''s knowledge about this ce was also quite limited to what he heard from the Patriarchs of the Five Main Families of the Dark Arts Faction and the Previous Headmaster of the Academy.
Nevertheless, there was one thing he was sure of, the Dark Soul Tower was sealing a Mysterious Existence.
Some believe that this Mysterious Existence is an ethereal spirit, the remnants of a powerful Necromancer who once sought immortality and merged their essence with the Tower. Others specte that it was a manifestation of the collective knowledge and energy umted within the Tower over countless centuries.
On the other hand, ording to the First Patriarch of the Moontomb Family, the Mysterious Existence was said to be a guardian of the Tower, tasked with preserving something that was sealed inside. It is rumored to possess immense wisdom and an intimate understanding of the Dark Arts, especially the Dark Soul Arts.
The First Patriarch of the Vermont Family also mentioned to him that the Mysterious Existence likes to shape-shift, taking on various forms and appearances, making it difficult to discern its true nature.
Some im to have encountered it as a spectral figure, while others describe it as a shadowy presence or a mesmerizing light that dances through the corridors of the Tower.
What is certain is that the Mysterious Existence holds great significance within the Dark Soul Tower. Those who encounter it are often left with a sense of awe, reverence, and a profound understanding of the immense power that resides within the Tower''s depths.
''I wonder how you will change this time, Vale¡ I hope this is a good opportunity for you.'' Jean muttered as he sighed and turned his back, leaving this matter to the Professors and the Fourth Squad of the Order.
***
Meanwhile, inside the Dark Soul Tower, Vale immediately covered himself with his Arcane Armor and Dark Energy. His Spell Dispersion was also ready to be thrown.
With a quick jump, Vale distanced himself from the sound of footsteps before turning his gaze to the Being behind him.
There, standing just a few paces away, was a figure cloaked in darkness. The hood of their cloak obscured their face, leaving only a glimpse of piercing eyes that seemed to shine with an otherworldly light.
Vale''s heart quickened, unsure of what to expect from this unexpected visitor.
Vale used his Divine Sense, followed by his Spirit Vision, to see through this Being, but he simply failed. Nevertheless, this also tells him a lot.
''An otherworldly existence¡'' Vale silently thought.
Then, the Mysterious Existence''s gaze locked onto him, its eyes sparkling with recognition and intrigue.
It could sense something unique about Vale, a spark that set him apart from others who had dared to enter the Tower.
"You... You have journeyed through the realms of life and death."
The Mysterious Existence spoke in a voice that resonated with ancient echoes. "I can sense it. You have tasted mortality and emerged anew. Very interesting¡"
Vale''s eyes widened in astonishment. How could this entity know of his past, of the rejection he had faced in the Spirit World?
Vale looked at the Being with a frown. It was as though the Mysterious Existence possessed a connection to realms beyond the mortal ne.
The entity seemed to have read his thoughts and added. "I have seen a glimpse of your journey, human. Your resilience, your defiance of death... It is a rarity among mortals."
"Hmm?" Vale found something was off. He didn''t defy death because he was resilient. It was because of his system!
This tells him that the entity doesn''t know the existence of his Divine Extraction System and believes that he defied death with his own efforts.
Vale couldn''t help but smirk at this.
After a few moments, he hesitated to speak, unsure of how to respond to the Being in front of him.
Before he could think of something, the entity already continued speaking.
"I want to send you at the core of this Tower to free me¡ However, you are still too weak. You have the power to resist Demonic Corruption, but that''s not enough. You need to get stronger. Reach the level of the weakest Immortal to get a better chance. I will send you away for now. Return once you''re ready. If you seed in freeing me, I''ll give you a precious Immortal Item."
''That''s it?''
Vale didn''t like this request¡ If he wasn''t feeling threatened by this existence, he would immediately say no. However, he knew he had to be careful since he was basically in the base of this fellow.
"But I am weak. I''m unable to fulfill such a task. I cannot free you from this Tower in my current state, or maybe even in the future." Vale replied.
A faint smile danced upon the Mysterious Existence''s spectral lips. "Indeed, youck the talent for such a feat¡ But I can aid you, even in your mortal form. I offer you this broken Immortal Item, a remnant of its former glory. Though shattered, it still holds great potential."
Vale eyed the broken artifact in the Mysterious Existence''s outstretched hand, a mix of skepticism and curiosity in his gaze. The offer was tempting, but he was wary of epting such a deal without guarantees.
"I will not return to free you unless you provide something of value in return," Vale asserted, his voice firm.
"I seek knowledge, power, and¡ means to save me from great dangers."
To be honest, he wanted to request corpses from this Being, but he didn''t feelfortable if someone was watching him Extracting corpses.
The Mysterious Existence''s eyes gleamed with a mixture of amusement and respect. It understood the mortal''s desire for self-gain and ambition. With a nod, it kept the Broken Immortal Item and handed Vale a different one.
"Take this, human¡" the Mysterious Existence spoke, its voiceced with a hint of mystery. "Though it is still broken, it possesses the essence of immortality. Use it wisely, and when the timees, return to fulfill our agreement."
Chapter 361 Isolate
Chapter 361 Iste
Vale grasped the broken artifact, feeling a surge of energy entering his body.
Nevertheless, he didn''t feel rmed. He could tell that the energy was harmless.
"This is indeed an Immortal Item¡" Vale muttered. It wasn''t because he had an appraisal ability but because his system could recognize what he was trying to extract.
[ Immortal Fragment has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
Of course, Vale didn''t Extract the item¡
Instead, he observed it carefully.
Though damaged, its essence still emanates a faint glow, hinting at the immense power it once held.
The artifact, or the Broken Immortal Item, was crafted from an ancient material that seems to be a fusion of metal and ethereal essence. Its surface was adorned with intricate engravings and symbols, weathered by time and wear. The markings, although faded, suggest a rich history and deep significance.
Again, he couldn''t understand what was written on it. He probably needs to take another Ancient Language ss to learn this.
Anyway, the Broken Immortal Item takes the form of a handheld object simr to a scepter or a ceremonial staff.
It was empty at its pinnacle, where a pristine gemstone might have once resided. It probably held a precious stone or crystal and might even be a source of higher Divinity Points.
The fractured nature of the artifact was evident, with visible cracks running through its structure. Yet, despite its damaged state, there was an undeniable air of resilience andtent power that surrounded it.
"What does it do?" Vale asked.
After all, he wasn''t an expert in this. Using his Phantasm State, he could tell the broken staff had an orb of blue light inside. This could mean a lot of things, but it should be a power rted to nature¡ which was quite weird since this is the Dark Soul Tower.
He expected this Immortal Item to be rted to Darkness or something Evil.
The mysterious entity smiled at his question as it then started fading away. Nevertheless, before itpletely disappeared, it still answered Vale''s question.
"Cursed Growth¡ and¡ You can only take a single book on the shelf, so choose carefully."
"What?" Vale repeated as he looked at the disappearing figure of the entity. He thought that the entity would exin what Cursed Growth was¡ However, he was instead told to take one book in the shelves.
Their meeting was so short, and he couldn''t even tell whether he should really follow their instruction and return here once he got stronger.
After all, he doesn''t think that aplete Immortal Item could give him a significant boost in his strength. At most, he was looking forward to Extract a genuine Immortal Item.
''Alright¡ Let''s not return here. I''ll just get into trouble once I free him.'' Vale thought to himself as he looked at the shelves.
He couldn''t read a single book, so he simply used his Spirit Vision and found a random book that was emitting a strong Aura. Well, it must be something good, so he picked it up.
As he held it in his hands, he felt a faint but powerful surge of Ancient energy from within its pages. The book seemed to vibrate with a mysterious aura, as if it was happy being taken from its shelf.
"Interesting¡" Vale muttered as he ced the Broken Immortal Item down and opened the book.
It revealed pages filled with intricate symbols and glyphs in the same Ancient Language he couldn''t decipher. Yet, as he gazed upon the text, he felt an inexplicable connection, as if the book itself was trying tomunicate with him.
''It''s a pity¡ I can''t understand you¡'' Vale closed the book and looked around.
His Phantasm State was already reaching its limit, so he wanted to go out as quickly as possible. He didn''t feelfortable, especially if the entity was still watching him.
Luckily, he found an exit leading to another floor. He wanted to leave this ce even if he went to the higher floor.
As Vale prepared to escape this strange floor, the Mysterious Existence''s voice echoed through the chamber.
"Remember, Vale, our fate is intertwined. The day wille when our paths converge once more."
With those enigmatic words lingering in the air, Vale passed through the door, which was actually an exit to the Tower!
Just like that, he arrived outside the Dark Soul Tower, carrying the broken Immortal Item and the Ancient Book!
***
As Vale stepped out of the Dark Soul Tower, the professors who were gathered outside couldn''t help but be taken aback by his sudden appearance.
Their expressions shifted from anticipation to worry as they noticed the exhaustion on Vale''s face and sensed something amiss.
Professor Gale Evans, with a concerned tone, approached Vale first. "Vale, my dear, what happened inside the Tower? We were worried about your safety. Please, tell us what transpired."
Vale, who felt really tired today, suddenly had some energy in him as he stepped back from the seductive Professor.
"P-professors¡"
Vale was certainly surprised by their presence here!
''Were they waiting for me?'' He thought.
Professor Mark, furrowing his brow, chimed in. "Indeed, Vale. We sensed a disturbance in the energy within the Tower. We were preparing to send some experts when you emerged. Are you alright? Did you encounter something inside?"
Vale wryly smiled at this question. After a moment of thought, he decided to tell them the truth¡
In any case, he didn''t want to free whatever that entity was.
He nodded at the Professor and began recounting his encounter with the enigmatic entity within the Tower. Of course, he excluded something they shouldn''t know, like how it recognized that he defied death before.
The professors listened intently, their worry deepening with each word.
Professor Cyrus, his voice filled with trepidation, spoke next. "Vale, the Mysterious Existence is a powerful force that has been shrouded in mystery for centuries. Its true nature and intentions remain unknown. It''s a good thing that you didn''t make a promise with it."
Professor Ste nodded. "This Mysterious Existence has a way of affecting those whoe into contact with it. We must ensure your well-being and monitor any changes or signs of its influence¡"
The captain of the Fourth Squad, who had been observing the conversation, stepped forward with a stern expression. "Vale, as the captain of the Fourth Squad, it is my duty to protect the Academy from any potential threats. The emergence of the Mysterious Existence is a matter of great concern. We have to iste and observe you for a while until we confirm you''re not possessed."
Chapter 362 Unexpected Improvement
Chapter 362 Unexpected Improvement
"W-what?"
Vale''s eyes widened in disbelief as the Captain of the Fourth Squad suggested isting him due to the possibility of being possessed by the Mysterious Existence.
''Are you serious? Don''t you have any spell to confirm I''m not possessed?'' Vale thought as he felt a bit disappointed in the Captain.
On the other hand, the Professors seemed to dislike the Captain''s idea as well, especially Professor Gale Evans, who appeared to be ready to smack his head.
The weight of the suggestion hung heavily in the air, and Vale could sense the tension building among the professors and the Captain.
Feeling confused and frustrated, Vale took a step forward, his voice steady but filled with determination.
"Captain, I understand your concern, but I assure you that I am not possessed. The encounter with the Mysterious Existence was unsettling, yes, but I am still in control of myself and my actions¡"
While saying this, he was also thinking of a way to prove that he wasn''t possessed.
Professor Zara, her voice calm yet firm, interjected. "Captain, we must exercise caution and not jump to conclusions. I don''t see any changes in Vale''s condition. Istion may not be necessary at this point."
"Indeed, Captain¡ In the first ce, the Dark Soul Tower was known for its strong purifying power. Anything that wasn''t given as a reward could never be taken out of the Tower¡ or they''d be purged. This includes the Evil Shadows, Vengeful Spirits, and other Spiritual Beings that could possess our Students. Istion may do more harm than good." Professor Ste added.
''Ohh¡'' Vale didn''t expect that the professors would strongly side with him.
He could see the conflict within the Captain''s eyes, torn between the responsibility to protect and the need for understanding.
The Captain hesitated for a moment before finally relenting, realizing the validity of the professors'' arguments.
"Very well," the Captain conceded, "but we must remain vignt and closely monitor Vale''s well-being. Any signs of unusual behavior or influence must be reported immediately."
Vale nodded, acknowledging the Captain''s concern while appreciating the professors'' unwavering support. "I understand, Captain. I will alsomunicate any changes or concerns that arise."
Professor Gale Evans finally found an opportunity as she spoke with a hint of excitement.
"Now that it''s settled, can you tell us about the two items you''re holding? I don''t think the first, second, or third floor gives that kind of reward."
The other Professors were also curious about this as they looked at Vale simultaneously.
Vale hesitated for a moment before he answered cautiously.
"You''re right, Professor. I didn''t get these items on those floors."
As the professors and the Captain were about to inquire further about the damaged staff and the Ancient Book that Vale held, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Headmaster Jean, returning earlier than expected, appeared with a smile hanging on his face.
"Ah, Vale, there you are¡" Headmaster Jean said, his voice carrying a mix of relief and curiosity.
The Captain of the Fourth Squad then reported what had happened as Headmaster Jean nodded in understanding.
"I need you for a moment, Vale¡" He then shifted his attention to others and continued. "Professors, Captain, I will take care of him. Please ensure that the Tower is safe before letting the Necromancy Students enter again." Jean said as he grabbed Vale''s shoulder.
Without waiting for their replies, Jean and Vale were shrouded by darkness before disappearing.
***
Just like that, Vale arrived inside the Headmaster''s office. This wasn''t the first time he encountered this technique, so he wasn''t too surprised.
''This Shadow Step again¡ It seemed really cool. Should I record this instead?'' Vale mused as he was already considering recording the Dark Spells he found in the Dark Tower...
He already has Lightspeed, and with his incredibly high Agility, he believes he could beat even the Headmaster if they run in a marathon. However, the convenience of the Shadow Step seemed too obvious.
"Vale, only those who reached the fifth and sixth floor of the Tower would normally get Mystical Items. However, I believe that you barely have the capacity to reach the Fourth Floor¡ What happened?" Headmaster Jean asked as he returned to his seat.
Vale wryly smiled at this. In any case, he already expected to be questioned,? so he simply decided to tell the truth.
This includes the mysterious floor he entered.
"Hmm?" This shocked the Headmaster since no one had ever reached that floor before.
As Vale continued, the Headmaster''s eyes widened as he realized that Vale sessfully negotiated with that entity.
This time, Vale mentioned what he heard from the entity before he left the Tower.
"Our fate is intertwined. The day wille when our paths converge once more¡ That sounds like a threat." Headmaster Jean repeated.
"That''s right, Headmaster. I''m sure that the mysterious entity will try to do something again. I don''t think I''ll clear the Dark Soul Tower again. This might be thest time I enter it..." Vale said as he returned the metal key to the Headmaster.
"I understand. It''s better if you don''t enter again. Just keep those things with you. I can already tell they''re not being tracked and do not possess any sentience. It should be safe to use them."
Headmaster Jean instructed as he shifted his attention to the Ancient Book. "As for thenguage in that book... It''s called Ievada. I''m not an expert on it, but I know that thisnguage was used by the first empire built on the southern continent. No one speaks thisnguage now, so you might have trouble deciphering it. Even our Language Professors have limited knowledge about it."
"I understand, Headmaster." Vale replied.
He stayed inside the office for a few more minutes as Headmaster Jean asked about his experience on the first three floors.
Finally, after Vale returned to his room, he checked his Attribute Panel to see how many energy points he had umted.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 79.85, Agility 75.95, Intelligence 100, Vitality 75.10 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv7, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv9, Darkness Maniption Lv7, Spirit Vision Lv4, Light Absorption Lv6, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Cursed Breath Lv4, Moonlight Curse Lv7, Darkness Coil Lv4, Spectral Hands Lv4, Corrupted Chains Lv4, Dead Heart Lv4, Active Curse Break Lv4, Dusk Imprisonment Lv4 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv7, Blessed Healing Lv4 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv4, Shadow Muttion Lv6 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv6 ]
[ Transformation Art: Human Shapeshift Lv7, Beast Shapeshift Lv4, Voice Maniption Lv4 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv7 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv6, Soul Bind Lv2 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv7, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv7 ]
[ Avable Energy: 8,990 ]
[ Avable Divinity: 2798.30 ]
"Ahhh¡ It reached level 9?"
Vale was stunned as he saw the improvement of his Incorruptible Body.
Chapter 363 New Academic Year
Chapter 363 New Academic Year
Vale didn''t even have the time to be shocked at the massive increase in his Energy Points as he was stunned to see that his Incorruptible Body had already reached Level 9! This equals the peak stage of the Advanced Realm!
Just one more Level and it will reach the legendary Perfect Realm!
ording to the lessons he had, no one had ever reached that realm in their Spells! Even if there was, there were no records of it whatsoever.
"How did this happen?" Vale muttered to himself as he tried recalling what happened in the Dark Soul Tower.
He could recall his excessive release of Dark Aura at that time, which was triggered by his Incorruptible Body.
In the end, he could only think that it was rted to how he entered the strange room and was contacted by the mysterious entity. Perhaps it was the tower itself that helped him level it up.
''I guess I saved a lot of energy points for this, huh¡'' Vale thought as the cost of upgrading the Incorruptible Body from Level 8 to Level 9 would be 7,680 points! That would be too huge!
''I wish it was the Spell Dispersion that was upgraded instead¡'' Vale mused as the Spell Dispersion was his most expensive Spell right now since it has the base price of 50 Energy Points!
Furthermore, it can be a very useful offensive and defensive Spell.
On the other hand, the Incorruptible Body wasn''t some sort of offensive Spell, so it was a bit of pity, but nheless, Vale was still happy with this discovery.
"Now¡ What should I do with these energy points? It''s almost nine thousand¡" Vale muttered as he turned his attention to his Energy Points.
To be honest, he really liked to level up his Divine Sense. After all, it was frustrating to him when he was unable to ''inspect'' Sherman.
He believes that a stronger Divine Sense would do the work for that.
However, he was a bit hesitant to spend his hard-earned points on a Support-Type Spell!
Currently, his Celestial Arts were the most reliable offensive spells. However, he couldn''t even use them, unless he was hiding his identity.
''Should I just push my Ghost Hands to the limit?'' Vale thought to himself.
This basic Spell that he got had been really useful. He was also known in the Academy for using this Spell. Unfortunately, it is still a Support-Type Spell that was only strong because it was high Level.
Ultimately, this Spell would also be useless if he met another Dark Spellcaster with high-level Spectral Hands or Spirit Hands.
It took him some time to decide what to level up first. In the end, he recalled one of the spells he would certainly get in the future. It was the Shadow Mariote Spell. It was the fourth Academy-Exclusive Spell that was not required to be learned by students, but he certainly would.
ording to what he learned, if he wanted to record the Shadow Mariote, he would have a higher chance of sess if the three other Academy-Exclusive Spells were actually in the Advance Realm!
With this idea, Vale leveled up his Light Absorption to Level 7, spending 576 Energy Points.
He didn''t stop here, he also upgraded his Spirit Vision from Level 4 to 6 and Beast Shapeshift Spells from Level 4 to Level 7.
That was 96 Energy Points and 336 Energy Points, respectively.
Realizing that his Energy Points had barely decreased, Vale closed his eyes and increased his Divine Lightning and Shadow Muttion to Level 7!
That was 560 and 256 Divinity Points!
In the end, he spent a total of 1,824 in today''s upgrading session! That was 1008 Energy Points and 816 Divinity Points
As for the remaining points, he wanted to keep them for now and upgrade his Spells depending on his situation.
If he needed to cure people, he could just increase his Blessed Healing Spell''s Level. Or if he needed a better disguise, he would just increase his Transformation Spell''s Levels.
Furthermore, he might find a chance to use his Grimoire and summon some items or spirits someday. He knew that he would need a lot of points for that, especially if he would disguise himself as a Summoner in the future.
He believed that it was better to have extra points than insufficient points.
He then checked his Energy Points and confirmed that he still had plenty.
[ Avable Energy: 7,982] [ Divinity Points: 1982.3 ]
Soon, Vale fell asleep due to tiredness while his Broken Immortal Item and Ancient Book were beside him.
***
Weeks passed, and the academic year began anew.
The campus buzzed with anticipation as students reunited after the summer break.
During this time, Vale was feeling tired. The past few days had been exhausting for him as, for some reason, he still kept dreaming of Professor Evans, although the Headmaster confirmed that she wasn''t doing it anymore.
Headmaster Jean personally investigated this matter, and in the end, he was told that he might just be suffering from a trauma she brought to him.
He then suggested Vale take therapy, but in the end, Vale refused it because he didn''t want his body to be closely investigated by another Arcanist. He had too many secrets on him.
Because of that, he approached the start of the semester with a mix of trepidation and determination.
He would resolve this problem on his own!
Luckily, as he settled into his sses, Vale found sce in the support of his friends.
***
In the meantime, in the cafeteria of the Main Building of the Academy¡
A young red-haired female student smiled at the sight of a familiar senior, Vale Chambers.
As the new academic year began, Celina Vermont, a determined second-year student, couldn''t shake off her desire to have Vale Chambers as her Personal Shadow Knight. Despite her previous unsessful attempts, she was determined to find a way to make Vale agree to her request.
With her mind set on her goal, Celina hatched a n.
It was a n she had considered over the past few months. She even consulted several experts in her family about this.
Now, she was ready...
''Vale¡ You''ll be mine¡''
Chapter 364 Vale’s Replacement
Chapter 364 Vale''s Recement
Heinz Becker, a brilliant and enigmatic Dark Alchemist, was immersed in his daily life within the chambers of the Becker Family Manor.
This estate, now under the ownership of the Chambers Family, served as his sanctuary andboratory for his ambitious research into the Malefic Branch of the Dark Arts.
Within the Manor''s dimly lit halls and shadowy chambers, Heinz conducted his groundbreaking experiments, pushing the boundaries of Magic and Dark Alchemy.
His ultimate goal was to create a new generation of powerful practitioners who would embrace the Malefic Branch and revolutionize the understanding of Dark Arts.
As he toiled away in his privateboratory, surrounded by ancient tomes and arcane artifacts, Heinz reveled in the endless possibilities thaty before him. He had so many ideas and hypotheses, each waiting to be tested and refined¡
However, he was getting too old now. He had to hurry and show his results. Without results, no one would even botherpleting his research.
"I wonder what he''s doing now¡" Heinz muttered as he recalled his first experiment.
After a couple of years, he had remarkable sesses and created other experimental subjects with extraordinary abilities.
Vale Chambers, his very first sessful human trial experiment, had be his most promising pupil. Under his careful guidance, Vale had mastered the intricate techniques of Spell Dispersion and attained an Incorruptible Body¡ªan achievement that fascinated and intrigued him even now¡
After all, he had difficulty replicating this sess with other subjects.
Nevertheless, he didn''t give up since Vale''s progress served as a testament to his own prowess as a Dark Alchemist¡
Flip¡ Flip¡ Flip¡
Heinz then shifted his attention to the letters he received from Headmaster Jane. They were letters regarding the Vale''s situation and also requests to send more "Vale Chambers" to the academy.
''Vale''s doing really well¡ However, the potions I made for him were still iplete. If he didn''t increase the mastery of his Spell Dispersion and Incorruptible Body to Advanced Realm before he turned 16, then his Spell Models would copse.''
Heinz thought as he believed that Vale was still iplete¡ It was a pity that he didn''t have the best potion at that time when he guided Vale.
Anyway, thanks to the Headmaster''s advice, he formted a daring n for the uing academic year. At the same time that Vale reached his fourth year in the Academy, he intended to send several other carefully selected subjects, each possessing unique talents and abilities, to the Vermont Academy.
He envisioned them as emissaries of the Malefic Branch, poised to showcase the power and potential of this unexplored realm of Dark Arts. Their presence would challenge the traditional understanding of the Dark Arts and pave the way for a new era of magical exploration.
"Kukuku¡"
Heinz chuckled as he imagined the faces of those prominent families of the Dark Arts Faction when they realized the powers of his Malefic Branch.
Knock. Knock¡
The knocking sound of the door suddenly interrupted his thought as he felt the presence of one of his apprentices on the other side.
"Evelyn? Come in." Heinz said with a gentle tone.
Evelyn was one of his best apprentices. He had no doubt that Evelyn was better than Vale Chambers, so he was treating her differently. Evelyn wasn''t just Vale''s recement but also his perfect experimental subject.
He had no doubt that if she faced Vale inbat, Vale would easily be defeated because hecked the necessary talent to master Dark Spells faster.
Currently, her Incorruptible Body had already reached the peak stage of the Elementary Realm through his help. He spent ten times more potions than he spent on Vale.
Because of that, she was already scheduled to drink her second Darkness Possession potion so she could achieve even more in the Darkness Path.
"Master Heinz, the new batch of people seeking your guidance has arrived¡" Evelyn said as she looked at her Master with reverence.
"Hmm? Where''s Denise? She''s supposed to filter them out before sending them to me¡" Heinz asked.
Denise White, a previous errand girl working for him, had now be his secretary, doing misceneous things for him, including managing the Manor.
She also had ess to most of his Alchemical Items and Books that not even his apprentices could get close to.
"Miss Denise informed us a few hours ago that she can''t be disturbed right now. I think she was preparing to do a ritual."
As Evelyn said this, Heinz''s eyes lit up as he recalled Denise''s n to summon a Dark Spirit.
"Right¡ I forgot about that. I''m really getting old. Fine¡ I''ll take care of them." Heinz said with a sigh as he stood up from his seat to meet his visitors.
Denise White was indeed talented, simr to her older sister. Unfortunately, her weak physique limited her growth in the Darkness Path. It was a good thing that she was also interested in Alchemy, so she had different methods of getting stronger.
nk¡
As the gate of the Manor opened, Heinz saw the new batch of people and realized that there were more of them than he expected.
These people were primarily young boys and girls.
However, in some cases, there were those who were already in their twenties, but he would still ept them as long as they passed his tests.
Of course, he wouldn''t just feed them some Darkness Possession Potion to test them. He wasn''t that brutal to his people.
Furthermore, the main ingredient for this potion could only be purchased from the Vermont Family. Although he could still make them with his current inventory, he doesn''t have unlimited resources, so he had to be prudent.
Instead, Heinz exposed them to rituals, spells, and enchantments, pushing their limits and unlocking their hidden potential.
In this way, he would be able to find new apprentices who could potentially be the next Malefic Arcanist.
***
In the meantime, Denise White, a young and ambitious Apprentice Alchemist, found herself engrossed in her personalboratory within the Becker Family Manor. While she had faithfully served as Heinz''s secretary, her true passiony in the realm of Dark Magic¡
As she meticulously prepared herboratory for the ritual, she surrounded herself with carefully arranged ritual materials, mystical items, and dimly lit candles.
Theboratory had soon be solemn as she focused on the intricate steps of the ritual.
Chapter 365 Return?!
Chapter 365 Return?!
Denise meticulously followed each step of the ritual, her hands steady and precise as she handled the sacrifices she had prepared.
She carefully arranged the candles and other items, ensuring perfect alignment in the Magic Circle.
The candles flickered, casting dancing shadows that seemed to mirror Denise''s own determination. Her eyes shimmered with a mix of excitement and reverence as she prepared to delve into the unknown.
With a breath held in anticipation, Denise chanted the ritual prayer.
"Oh, Glorious Gates that lead to the Spirit World, Sacred Weaver of the Soul Society, Nameless Guardian of the Harbingers, As a devoted follower of the Eternal Darkness, I humbly beseech you to grant me passage.
In this solemn moment, I seek to open the gates, To beckon forth a Dark Spirit from your realm, One who desires friendship and kinship with me.
With utmost reverence, I call upon the unseen, May my words reach their ethereal ears, May they heed my sincere plea and answer my call.
Oh, Dark Spirits, hear my earnest invocation, ept the offering of my devout devotion, Open the path between our worlds¡
Glorious Gates, I call upon your power. Break the barriers that separate our existence, And let the boundless energy of the Dark Spirits flow."
As the ritual reached its crescendo, Denise''s focus intensified.
She closed her eyes, shutting out the world around her, and allowed herself to be fully immersed in the moment. Her mind was calm as she tried sensing the unseen entities she sought to connect with.
The ritual she just made was certainly different from Vale''s incantations¡ This was what real incantations should be since she doesn''t have any good connections with the Spirit World, unlike Vale.
Soon, the room seemed to tremble as if responding to Denise''s call.
A surge of energy coursed through the air as it pulsated throughout the through... Shadows danced and swirled as if drawn to the intensity of the ritual.
''Please¡'' Denise said onest time before she opened her eyes.
She extended her hands towards the center of the ritual circle, palms upturned, ready to receive the manifestation of the Dark Spirit she sought to contract with.
And then, in a sudden burst of ethereal energy, a presence materialized before her. It was a dark figure shrouded in shadows, its form ever-shifting.
However, before it could fully materialize, something unexpected happened!
A sudden disturbance halted the process. The Dark Spirit that was originally intended to be summoned remained hidden in the depths of the Spirit World. No! It was being pulled away!
''W-what''s going on?!'' Denise was already about to cry since she spent most of her savings toplete this ritual.
If she failed this time, she would have to save for six months to redo the ritual.
"Why are you retreating?!" Denise could no longer hold it in as she asked with a teary voice.
She wasn''t expecting an answer, but she was shocked to see that a new presence emerged.
She could tell that it was different from the previous Dark Spirit she was trying to summon. This Dark Spirit seemed stronger, and she could feel that it had a high sentience!
Soon, an ethereal Dark Spirit in a female figure that was shrouded in a cloak of shadow appeared in front of her.
A powerful aura enveloped the room as this Dark Spirit fully emerged and stepped forward to take over the summoning.
''Another Dark Spirit took over the summoning ritual? What''s going on?'' Denise was confused.
This Dark Spirit was captivating, and she exuded an air of ancient wisdom and mystery.
In any case, she couldn''t mess this up. She knew that summoning a Dark Spirit was just the first phase. They could still return to the Spirit World since they were different from other Spiritual Beings that could normally be summoned.
She knew that there would be a test for her, and depending on how she scored on this test, the Dark Spirit could either leave or stay with her for some time.
Denise, filled with anticipation and curiosity, couldn''t help but feel a sense of apprehension. She spoke cautiously.
"Who are you, Spirit? What name do you bear?"
At first, she didn''t want to ask this since Dark Spirits don''t have names, ording to Heinz. Usually, it would be the summoners who would give names to them.
However, she felt that this one looked different, so she couldn''t help but ask instead.
Then, as she waited for an answer, an ethereal female voice filled the room, carrying a haunting melody.
"I am Lotus¡"
***
Meanwhile, in the well-lit clubroom of the Battle Arena Committee, Vale Chambers had no choice but to speak with Celina Vermont since Nadine told him to teach her how to use the recording crystals.
Then, as Vale was about to tell her how to purchase these items from the Alchemy Faction, he felt a sudden unease ripple through him.
It was as if an invisible presence had brushed against his senses, sending a shiver down his spine. He couldn''t quite put his finger on it, but there was something in the air that felt familiar yet enigmatic.
''Is that my ESP Spell? Am I being cursed by Professor Evans this time?'' Vale thought to himself as he couldn''t really interpret what he felt just now.
He wasn''t sure if it was rted to the Golden Pocketwatch, the Stormbringer, the other Kyle in his dreams, or perhaps the Mysterious Entity he met in the Dark Soul Tower¡ Well, it might even be about the Immortal Item or Ancient Book that he had brought with him!
There are just too many things he didn''t know.
"Hmm?" Celina noticed the subtle change in Vale''s demeanor.
"Is something the matter, Vale?" She inquired, her eyes filled with curiosity.
She had been looking forward to this meeting and was ready to negotiate once again with Vale¡ She had made a lot of preparations, and this time, she knew that even if Vale wouldn''t immediately agree to be her Personal Shadow Knight, he would definitely be tempted.
Chapter 366 Threats?
?
Vale shook his head at Celina''s question and shifted the topic.
"Nothing¡ Do you have questions regarding your task?" Vale asked.
He knows that Celina was involved with Neil''s sudden procurement of high-level Mystical Items before. However, he didn''t have any proof of it, so he decided not to me her for that. In any case, he still defeated Neil at that time without even using any of his Spells.
"I''m fine¡ The procurement of that recording crystal would be quite difficult if I''m alone. I hope we get more first-year recruits this year." Celina replied.
Well, she was the only one in her batch, so she always had to team up with her seniors if she was assigned a task. This includes the cleaning task within their Archive.
"I see¡ Then tell me why you wanted to meet me. I''m sure it''s not all about the Club Activities." Vale said as he looked at Celina carefully. He wasn''t feeling threatened by this young girl, so he was quite fearless facing her.
Celina smiled at the question. She wasn''t surprised that Vale was aware of her ns.
"I''vee across something that might interest you, Vale." She whispered, her voiceced with intrigue.
Vale was uninterested as he knew that she was simply trying to win him over to be her Personal Shadow Knight.
He simply raised his brow as he allowed her to continue.
"ording to the new rules, next year''s Twelve Academies Competition would allow 4th-year and 5th-year students to participate... I''m sure there will be huge pressure on you once you''re selected as a participant."
"Mhmm?" Vale was a bit confused. He doesn''t know why he should be pressured into thatpetition between twelve academies.
They were only fourth-year students, so the expectation shouldn''t be that high. They should just be making up for the numbers there since the realpetition should still be those in the higher years.
The students who will participate there shouldn''t be in a situation simr to his where they could get their shadows back once they won.
"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.
Celina smiled as she crossed her arms.
"You might feel you''re great here in the Academy, but once you''re in the Twelve Academies Competition, you will be in deep trouble if you''re not prepared. I don''t think I have to tell you that you will face against Acolytes, Runecasters, and Aura Users¡ Those three could already negate your Dark Energy¡ If you were matched against those lunatic Psychic Arts, you''d be in even greater danger."
"Hmm? I understand I might be in trouble against those young priests or acolytes, but runecasters and aura users? I don''t think so¡" Vale replied. As for those Mind Controllers, he wasn''t too sure either whether he could resist their powers.
"Heh¡ You''re not reading the kingdom''s newspaper, are you? The Runecasters Association has already made new discoveries with their Anti-Dark Magic runes. All rogue Dark Magicians are now being hunted by the police with this new Rune they developed. You should expect them to use this Rune in thepetition¡"
Vale was quite speechless as he was indeed unaware of it. He wasn''t reading newspapers most of the time, so he probably missed a lot of important news around the kingdom.
Celina was satisfied with Vale''s reaction and continued.
"As for the Knights, you should know that they were using a unique Arcane Art that could produce a very unusual energy called Aura around their bodies. This Aura protects them from Curses and Hexes, so you''d be forced to fight them head-on¡ Even if you''re as strong as those Slender Zombies¡ That won''t be enough against those muscle freaks."
Vale highly doubted that, but he didn''tment about it.
"So what do you want me to do?" He asked.
Celina finally chuckled as she replied. "Since I''m your rich and kind junior, I can help you acquire the Shadow Step Spell Model, a technique that would enhance your mobility and prowess.
Celina knows that the Shadow Step Spell Model required 25 Contribution Points to obtain. Additionally, a ritual involving the Shadow Stone was necessary to sessfully record the spell in Vale''s Spell Light or Spell Slot.
Knowing that Valecked such a movement spell and the necessary Contribution Points to get its Spell Model and precious Shadow Stone, she believed that by presenting him with the opportunity to obtain such a coveted spell, she could further bend him to her will.
"Ohh¡"
Vale was indeed interested in the Shadow Step''s Spell Model. However, he could just wait a few years, and he could certainly get it on his own. He doesn''t think he''d need it in thepetition either.
Furthermore, he might not even wait that long, especially if he decided to go rogue and extract some Dark Arts Practitioners¡
Professor Evans would probably be the first on his list if he wanted to extract someone.
Vale didn''t speak, so Celina went on to exin the requirements for acquiring the Shadow Step, emphasizing the need for Contribution Points and the elusive Shadow Stone that may not be avable in the Contribution Exchange Hall. Even if there was a Shadow Stone there, it would be worth around 10 Contribution Points!
She painted a picture of the immense power and advantage Vale would gain with this spell, hoping it would fuel his desire to possess it.
"Without the Shadow Stone, even if you have the Spell Model, you''d only have less than five percent chance of recording it sessfully¡"
"Mhmm¡ So you''re saying that I''ll get them from you? What''s the catch? If you want me to be your Personal Shadow Knight for that Spell Model, you have to give up. I can get them someday." Vale said.
"Of course not! I know that the value of those two things would not be enough for your service¡ Instead, I want you to join me on a mission outside the Academy. It''s arranged for the next two months, so you have plenty of time to prepare."
She then continued to exin about the mission she received and that she was willing to shoulder all the expenses.
''That''s weird¡''
As soon as Vale realized that Celina was trying to get him out of the Academy, he immediately knew what was happening.
He didn''t immediately give a reply as he looked at her coldly, weighing the pros and cons of this mission.
''This must be a trap¡''
Vale silently considered whether he was afraid of the trap or not.
Chapter 367 Tempted
?
Celina lightly smiled as she saw Vale being tempted by her request.
The allure of the Shadow Step and Vale''s desire for a powerful movement technique was her bet to take Vale outside of the Academy.
She believed that by tempting him with this opportunity, she could ensnare him in her web of maniption, ultimately achieving dominance over him¡
She couldn''t help but feel excited about this.
She wanted Vale to be hers before thepetition started. After all, if her Personal Shadow Knight achieved great results in thepetition, then it would be the same as the Vermont Family achieving results!
She would then be famous in her n and would be envied by many.
On the other hand, Vale''s mind raced as he analyzed the situation.
He knew that Celina was cunning and had her own agenda, but the allure of the Shadow Step Spell Model was undeniable. The power and advantage it could provide him in his pursuit of Dark Arts were tempting.
She was also right about the difficulty of procuring the Shadow Stone needed to record this Spell Model. After all, his highly-rated Dark Spells like the Create Shadow Soldier and Moonlight Curse were just stolen or extracted from others.
Even the Spell Dispersion and Incorruptible Body required some unique potions to record them.
Nevertheless, Vale was not one to be easily swayed or manipted. He had learned to trust his instincts, especially when it came to matters of danger and deception. He also trusts his own strength to deal with any problems that he might encounter in this request. As he looked at Celina, his expression remained cold and guarded.
"Celina," Vale finally spoke, his voiceced with caution, "I appreciate your offer, but I cannot simply ept it without more information. What is the nature of this mission? Why do you want me specifically? And what guarantee do I have that it is not a trap?"
Celina''s smile wavered slightly, her eyes narrowing as she realized that Vale was not as easily convinced as she had hoped. She knew she had to tread carefully if she wanted to gain his cooperation.
However, she wasn''t too disappointed about this since she still had other ns to ensure that she could take him outside.
"Senior Vale, I understand your concerns¡" Celina responded, her tone tinged with a hint of frustration. "The mission I speak of involves retrieving a rare artifact from a hidden location outside the Academy. It requires someone with your unique skills and knowledge in the dark arts... To be exact, your Advanced Realm Ghost Hands would be useful on this mission."
She paused for a moment, carefully choosing her words. "As for the guarantee, I am willing to offer you a binding magical contract. It will ensure our mutual cooperation and safety throughout the duration of the mission. You have my word that I have no ill intentions towards you."
Vale''s eyes narrowed further, his mind working through the possibilities. A binding magical contract would indeed provide some level of assurance, but he couldn''t shake off the feeling that there was more to this than meets the eye.
He then recalled something and asked doubtfully. "Wait¡ How can you ept such a mission? Retrieving a rare artifact? Isn''t that supposed to be given to higher years?"
"Of course, not¡ Second-year students can now ept these missions as long as they have a senior with them and it isn''t rated to be highly dangerous. After all, there were changes in the Twelve Academies Competitions, so they''re probably preparing the students a lot earlier. As for the reason that it requires two months of preparations, it''s rted to the new port being built to the town where the mission''s objective is located." Celina replied.
That sounded a good argument, so Vale could only nod. Anyway, he could also check this missionter.
"Very well, Celina," Vale finally replied, his voice firm. "If you are willing to provide a binding magical contract and answer any additional questions I may have, then I will consider joining you on this mission. But remember, I am not one to be easily deceived or used. Should I sense any treachery or maniption, our agreement will be null and void."
Celina''s expression turned serious as she met Vale''s gaze. "Agreed, Vale. I understand the weight of your words, and I assure you that I have no intention of betraying your trust. We will discuss the details of the mission further, and I will answer any questions you have."
As the conversation continued, Vale couldn''tpletely shake off his suspicions. The mission outside the Academy held both promise and danger, and he knew he would need to maintain his guard so he wouldn''t suffer if he was met with a trap.
Soon, Vale left the clubroom, and Celina was left alone.
Unbeknownst to Vale, as he walked away, Celina''s smile transformed into a sinister grin. She relished in the sess of her n¡ It was unfortunate that the mission would still happen in two more months, but it would also allow her toplete the stage she had prepared and fully use her family''s Elite Arcanists to capture Vale and bend his will.
Once they were outside, she could guarantee that no one would be able to save Vale from her ns.
''It''s your fault for rejecting me¡''
***
On the next day, the third-year ss continued as usual. There weren''t any early assessments for now, but there would be many of them before the academic year ends since they would have to choose which Dark Arts Branch they''ll take next year.
That''s right. During this year, they have to really consider what path to take so they won''t waste a year of study.
As the morning sun bathed the Academy in golden hues, Vale prepared himself for another day of learning and discovery.
Today, he would attend his Alchemy ss, a subject that had always intrigued him. This subject wasn''t something he could easily learn outside the Academy, so he really wouldn''t dare to miss this ss.
Nevertheless, there was another reason he was excited about today''s ss, which was also the reason why he wouldn''t choose the Dark Alchemist Path.
Well, he currently held an advantage over his ssmates thanks to the collection of memories he had extracted from the corpses of skilled alchemists inside the Dark Soul Tower!
Chapter 368 Which Branch
Chapter 368 Which Branch
Professor Alexis, a distinguished alchemist with a sharp gaze and a passion for the subject, stood at the front of the ssroom.
"Good morning, ss¡"
He said as he looked at the third-year students, his voice resonating with authority.
"In your previous year, you''ve learned basic concoctions of potions, pills, and even proper preparation of ingredients in various methods. With that skill, you can probably start working on a small apothecary or some Arcane Shop. However, if you want to improve and perhaps be an owner of your own shop someday, you have to listen to our ss carefully¡ Today, we shall delve deeper into the world of Alchemical Potions."
Vale leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the Professor.
He was well aware that the alchemy subjects of second and third-year sses would only teach the basics of Alchemy. Things like Dark Body Maniption, Artificial Element Transmutation, Dark Golem Contructs, and Reconfigurations could only be taught once you''ve entered the Dark Alchemy Branch.
Nevertheless, the Professor was right. Even if their only knowledge was rted to the most basic potions, they could probably earn a living by working as an assistant or even making their own shop if they had the money to purchase supplies.
Professor Alexis continued. "Alchemy is the art of transmutation, of harnessing the fundamental forces of nature to create something greater. Today, we shall create a potion that enhances an Arcanist''s physical strength and endurance. This potion only works with Arcanists. Pay close attention, for this potion requires precision and understanding."
"Ahh! Professor, is that simr to the Earth Eclipse Potion?" Warren asked as he recalled the famous potion that was rumored to be the potion that Vale used to fight against a Slender Zombie.
The question attracted everyone''s attention, so they looked at Professor Alexis to wait for an answer.
"Earth Eclipse Potion? No¡ This is called Night Rage Potion. It may not be as strong as that potion, but it''s cheaper by more than 80% and has an effect that is about half of the Earth Eclipse Potion. Additionally, this potion is greatlypatible with Dark Arcanists, unlike the Earth Eclipse Potion. Alright¡ I''ll show you how it''s done."
Soon, the ss buzzed with anticipation as the Professor moved gracefully to the front of the room, where a tableden with ingredients awaited. He began to exin the process step by step, detailing the properties of each ingredient and the precise measurements required.
Midway through his exnation, Professor Alexis paused and turned to the ss. "Now, can anyone tell me if the ingredient called ''Glowroot'' can be reced with something else while retaining the desired effects?"
The ss was a bit surprised by the unexpected question. Nevertheless, their minds started to race as they searched through their memories about the ingredient that was mentioned.
They all know that Glowroot could enhance blood flow circtions, but aside from it, they couldn''t think of any raw ingredient that could rece it in this concoction.
Vale hesitated for a moment, not wanting to appear presumptuous. He waited for someone else to speak up, but when no one did, he raised his hand.
Professor Alexis noticed Vale''s raised hand and nodded in his direction. "Yes, Vale, what do you think?"
Vale took a deep breath before speaking. "Professor, the Glowroot can indeed be reced with an alternative herb called ''Lumina Fern.'' It possesses simr properties and could enhance the potion''s effects even further."
Professor Alexis'' eyes gently nodded and replied. "There are three ingredients I could think of, and the best recement is indeed the Lumina Fern... Very well, could you borate on the preparation and properties of this herb?"
While Vale''s ssmates were still surprised that he got the correct answer, Vale remained unfazed by the question as he gathered his thoughts.
Drawing upon the memories he had extracted, Vale described the Lumina Fern in detail, exining its unique properties and the proper method of harvesting and preparing it. He offered insights from the alchemists whose memories he had absorbed, providing aprehensive understanding of the herb''s potential.
Of course, Vale wasn''t just showing off for answering the Professor''s question.
What he wanted to happen was to gain trust with the memories he had extracted.
Apparently, he had extracted so many memories from the corpses before, and there was some contradicting knowledge from them, so a part of him was telling not to trust it fully.
After all, the memories he got may appear genuine from their perspective but might differ from reality.
Professor Alexis listened attentively. He first doubted that Vale could adequately exin his answer, but his skepticism gradually gave way to fascination.
"Vale, your knowledge of the Lumina Fern is impressive. However, that ingredient is indeed quite rare in the western region, so we''ll have to use the Glowroot for now."
The Professor then paused momentarily as he suddenly had an idea. "Do you want to take the lead and continue with the concoction? I will guide you on what to do."
Vale didn''t hesitate and epted the challenge. In any case, they will be doing thister in their practical activities, so he might as well go first to test his skills.
A sense of excitement and responsibility welled within him as he gathered the necessary ingredients and followed the Professor''s instructions in the precise measurements and techniques.
With each step, he drew upon the memories of the Alchemist''s past, making his movement fluid, and he could even recall what to do without the instructions guiding him.
As the potion took shape, the ssroom was filled with a fragrant aroma. It was a testament to the sessful fusion of ingredients and Vale''s perfect continuation of the potion making...
The potion shimmered with a vibrant energy, hinting at its remarkable potency.
Professor Alexis surveyed the ss, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Well done."
Vale''s ssmates exchanged astonished nces. They didn''t expect that Vale had talent in Alchemy!
"V-vale¡ Are you going to the Alchemy Branch too?" Jody Lumbarde, the member of the Academy Publication Committee, asked in exasperation.
If Vale was in the same Dark Arts Branch as her, she felt that there was no way she could show off her skills! Although she also had talent in alchemy, she didn''t believe she could equal Vale.
Her question had also rmed the other students as most of them didn''t want to be overshadowed by Vale''s talent!
Chapter 369 The Mission
Chapter 369 The Mission
"Ahh¡"
Vale didn''t expect such a question, but he could understand what they were thinking.
He then paused for a moment, meeting Jody''s gaze.
''I guess it doesn''t matter if they know my ns now¡''
Well, they were probably thinking that if they all attended the same branch of Dark Arts, they would constantly bepared to him.
With this in mind, he decided to address their thoughts honestly.
"No, Jody¡" Vale replied calmly. "I will choose the Dark Magic Branch."
Jody and the other students exchanged surprised nces. They had expected Vale to pursue Dark Alchemy, given his exceptional skills in the activity just now.
Vale could see their shocked faces as they were probably thinking how he wasn''t capable of choosing the right path.
Nevertheless, he had reasons for his decision.
Professor Alexis also looked at Vale with curiosity and asked.
"Interesting¡ I thought that we''d meet again in your sixth-year Alchemy ss. Why did you choose the Dark Magic Branch? Why not the others? I heard that you''re quite talented in other branches... Professor Lucius even thought you''d take the Essential Corruption Branch, considering how you seemed interested in the Evil Creatures. Professor Harrison also mentioned that you''ll be a great Ritual Master. You even summoned a Dark Spirit, right?" Professor Alexis asked.
It appears that these Professors would talk about him during their break times.
Vale''s ssmates also had the same question, so they all looked at him, waiting for an answer.
Vale wryly smiled at this and answered after some thought.
"While Dark Alchemy is fascinating, it is not the path I wish to explore. I have personal reservations about the other branches as well. Necromancy, for instance, is a branch I find rather unpleasant... I don''t think I could work on this branch for the rest of my life. Then, the Essential Corruption Branch doesn''t align with my unique physique¡ And as for the Rituals Branch, I don''t believe I would excel in ceremonies or incantations."
To be honest, his second option was the Essential Corruption Branch. However, because he heard that their bodies would need to absorb a certain type of corruption to excel in this branch, he had to give up. After all, his Incorruptible Body would not allow him to absorb this type of corruption.
The ss nodded at Vale''s words, each of them processing their own thoughts and aspirations within the realm of Dark Arts.
Some of them started rethinking the path they nned to take.
With the discussion concluded, the ss ended, and Vale''s daily life at the Academy continued.
In the days that followed, Vale immersed himself in his study, especially in the Magic Circle ss and Twelve Arcane Paths ss.
The Magic Circles ss wasn''t too difficult for him, thanks to the memories he extracted¡ But since it was only a fragmented memory, he couldn''t excel in the ss. At the very least, the memories allowed him to understand the principles of the Magic Circles quite easily.
On the other hand, the Twelve Arcane Paths ss was what he was really excited about. He could finally learn more about the other Arcane Paths. This would be a good preparation for him before the Twelve Academies Competition.
***
Two months had flown by, filled with intense studies and newfound friendships.
It was finally time for Vale to embark on the mission he had promised to Celina Vermont. Their objective was to search for a rare artifact in a distant town, a task that was filled with questionable details. Nevertheless, Vale was not going to back down¡ Especially with the current Divinity Points that he had.
''Let''s see what kind of trap you''ve set for me.'' Vale thought as he felt unafraid of what Celina was about to do.
With his current strength, he could only think of a few people who could match against him.
They were Bounty Hunter Sherman, Headmaster Jean, Alchemist Isaac Vermont, and Professor Gale Evans¡
Sherman was just too unfathomable, and he couldn''t even measure his strength.
Headmaster Jean, on the other hand, has a piece of his Shadow. One thing he learned in the Academy was that you should not trust a Dark Arcanist who has a part of you. Whether it was your hair, blood, or even your favorite item that has a close connection to you, it could be used to curse you or even bind your soul with it.
Perhaps, even if Vale knows he could be stronger than the Headmaster, he wouldn''t dare to fight against him until he got his Shadow back.
As for Alchemist Isaac Vermont, Vale knew that he could get in trouble going against this man. He was a walking biological weapon, after all.
Perhaps if he wasn''t restricted from using his poison and many other alchemical products, he would be able to deal with Sherman. Unfortunately, he was inside the Academy and had to limit what he could bring out in the battle.
Soon, Vale and Celinapleted their preparations as they also signed their Binding Magic Contract.
To expedite their journey, they boarded an Airship that would swiftly carry them to their destination.
As the Airship glided through the clouds, Celina skillfully maintained her facade, ensuring that Vale remained oblivious to her true intentions.
''Let''s see what will you do¡ I know you''re not an idiot. You''ve probably prepared some things and thought you''d be safe with that contract and that Dark Spirit of yours¡'' Celina contained herugh as she looked at the sky.
Unbeknownst to Vale, Celina had secretly assembled a team of Arcanists from her family posing as innocent passengers and mercenaries on the Airship.
Their mission was to capture Vale and bring him under Celina''s control, to mold him into her Personal Shadow Knight, as they had discussed in their previous conversation.
"Hmm?" Vale suddenly felt something was off as he realized that the atmosphere within the Airship had changed.
''A Magic Circle was activated?'' Vale thought to himself as he spread his Magic Zone. Then, he activated his Divine Sense and realized that the Airship was actually filled with Arcanists from various Arcane Paths!
''So her surprise isn''t in the town. It''s actually in the sky. It seems that this girl can''t wait, huh¡''
Suddenly, without warning, the calm air was shattered as the disguised mercenaries or Arcanists sprang into action, revealing their true colors.
Soon, Vale and the unsuspecting passengers found themselves caught in the midst of a ferocious surprise attack.
"Vale! Help me!" Celina shouted as Vale saw a couple of mercenaries was about to capture her.
Chapter 370 Not Yet Over
Chapter 370 Not Yet Over
Vale''s instincts were sharp, and he quickly realized that something was amiss.
''Aren''t you the one who set this up?'' Vale frowned at Celina''s acting.
He knew that this ambush was too suspicious, and he could only think that Celina was merely ying the victim, and her cries for help were nothing more than a ruse.
However, he didn''t have the time to confront her as he made a split-second decision to prioritize the safety of the unsuspecting passengers.
It seems that these mercenaries weren''t holding back at all and trying to make this a real ambush. Other passengers had already perished!
''They really don''t value other people''s lives.'' Vale thought as he proceeded to subdue the enemies.
With a swift motion, he unleashed his Spell Dispersion spell, a powerful ability that could neutralize and destroy iing spells. The air crackled with energy as the spells of the Arcanists and mercenaries were shattered into nothingness, their magical attacks rendered useless.
"W-what?!"
"Is it the Runecaster''s Anti-Dark Magic Rune?!"
"Not good!"
The Arcanists, taken by surprise at Vale''s unexpected disy of power, momentarily faltered. They couldn''t even tell how he did it.
"Is that your doing?!" One of the mercenaries near Vale asked in frustration as he tried to activate his Spell again.
However, Vale simply smirked as he drew his Stormbringer to cut the man''s arms! It was such an unexpected attack from a student of the Dark Arts Academy!
They have never considered that their target could wield a sword! Furthermore, Vale did it so swiftly using his Shadowde Dance¡
Their confidence wavered as they realized they were facing an opponent who couldn''t just dismantle their spells easily but also fight them with a sword!
If they couldn''t use their Spells, they would have to fight in physicalbat, which they weren''t prepared for!
"He can''t do it repeatedly! Use your Spells once again!" One of the mercenaries in the crowd shouted. He seemed to be the leader and was closely paying attention to Vale''s movements just now.
He could tell that Vale was an expert swordsman simr to the Knights he knew.
''This is not going well¡ Why is he even wielding a sword?!'' He thought to himself, frustrated with this discovery as this wasn''t in their briefing!
He couldn''t help but nce at Celina''s direction for giving them iplete information. However, she also seemed confused since she had never seen Vale using a sword!
''How can he do this?!'' Celina stood in shock as she witnessed Vale''s ferocious attack.
Nevertheless, they couldn''t give up just because of that.
As the battle continued, they confirmed that Vale could only use his Spell Disrupting Technique for a certain period of time. Although it was difficult to fight against him, it allowed them to at least have some chance to fight against him.
As for the Dark Spirit that they expected to appear, it hadn''t shown itself at all!
They were told that Vale''s strength would heavily rely on this Spirit, but it was nowhere in sight!
The mercenaries were caught off guard as the Mystical Items they equipped were meant to deal with Vale''s Moonlight Curse, Ghost Hands, and Dark Spirit!
Seizing the opportunity, Vale swiftly moved through their ranks, using his nimble movement to incapacitate them one by one.
The Arcanists, surprised by Vale''s agility andbat prowess, were unable to mount an effective defense.
They underestimated his abilities, never expecting him to possess such skill in spell destruction and close-quartersbat.
Thud!
As Vale incapacitated thest of the Arcanists, a feeling of triumph washed over him. He had even "saved" Celina from the Mercenaries without his knowledge because he was too focused on using his Shadowde Dance to cut down his opponents.
Just like that, Vale had sessfully eliminated the immediate threat, ensuring the safety of the innocent passengers on the Airship.
''As expected, not showing my true skills in the Academy was the right choice...'' Vale thought as he also realized that the enemies were prepared to deal with his known skills.
It was a good thing that Celina only knew that he was just an outstanding student and didn''t think that his level was already the same as First-ss Arcanist or even better.
Vale then summoned his Ghost Hands to Extract the dead and unconscious people around.
At this time, the guards who were previously locked up by Formation Arts had freed themselves and immediately went to Vale''s side.
"Thank you for saving us, young Arcanist. I''m Gene Henry, the Vice Captain of the ship. I didn''t know that the people we''ve picked up in Bellmourne City were criminals." Gene said, relieved that the situation was finally resolved.
There were a total of 25 criminals on the ground. They were either dead or unconscious because of Vale''s attacks.
"It''s fine¡ Please treat the injured, and I suggest that we immediatelynd." Vale said as he spread out his senses to ensure no enemies were hiding around.
Gene, on the other hand, agreed to Vale''s suggestion.
"Yes! I''ve already informed the captain of the situation here. We should bending on the next town immediately."
At this time, the ship''s crew members started helping the victims. However, one of them went to the Vice Captain''s side and reported that themunication system was still down.
Vale didn''t think much of it since they would bending soon, so he tried looking for Celina.
He immediately saw her being treated by one of the crews of the ship, and looked miserable.
Vale wanted to confront her and question her motives, but suddenly, he heard a slow, mocking p from behind.
p¡ p¡ p¡
Vale''s senses heightened, and he spun around to face a strong foe.
The man in front of him was unnoticeable from his Divine Sense, and his Magic Zone didn''t pick up his energy fluctuation either.
A mixture of apprehension and adrenaline coursed through Vale''s veins as he locked eyes with the mysterious figure. It was clear that this opponent was no ordinary Arcanist or mercenary.
As the pping ceased, the stranger''s lips curled into a sinister smile. "Impressive, young Arcanist. Your little disy of power certainly caught my attention."
Chapter 371 Shift
Chapter 371 Shift
Vale''s grip tightened on his weapon, his heart pounding with uncertainty.
He could tell that this new opponent was unlike the second-rate Arcanists he had easily knocked out just now. He had to take this seriously.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Vale replied with a steady voice while observing the man who had suddenly appeared.
The man exuded an aura of power and darkness, standing tall and imposing.
Although the Divine Sense couldn''t tell his Arcane Path, Vale did not doubt that this person was a Dark Arts Practitioner.
The stranger had a lean and muscr build, his frame honed through rigorous training and battles fought. His jet-ck hair was slicked back, entuating his sharp features.
''A necromancer?'' Vale guessed.
The man was dressed in a dark, form-fitting attire and flowing coat that billowed around him¡ This kind of appearance perfectly aligned with the Necromancers he had seen in the Archive''s Recording Crystals.
Furthermore, the man had no visible weapons.
Perhaps, his Mystical Items were those intricate silver rings on his hands.
At this time, Gene and the other Third-ss Arcanists on board dared not to intervene as they could tell that they were no match against this person. They just signaled to Vale that they would prioritize saving the passengers.
''Hold on¡ Young Arcanist! We will soon dock in the nearest town! The police would catch these criminals once wended!'' Gene said, using his telepathy before he ran away back to the cabin.
Vale just ignored the Vice Captain as he couldn''t help but feel a sense of unease as he assessed the stranger''s appearance. Furthermore, he could tell that the Airship was not descending at all!
The Captain of the Ship might even be dead by now, or he was also an aplice from the start.
Suddenly, the stranger''s voice cut through the tension.
"You''ve proven yourself capable, young man. But I assure you, my power surpasses your wildest imagination. Just stay still and let me seal your soul. Once you wake up, you''ll be back in the Academy¡ You''ll forget what happened here, and you''ll not be hurt."
''What?'' Vale was a bit shocked as the man''s words were scarier than he thought.
"You want to seal my soul? You''re indeed a Necromancer. Are you working for that girl behind me?" Vale asked as he circted his Dark Energy and readied himself to release his nar Spells.
He wouldn''t hold back this time.
The stranger''s smile widened, his eyes glinting with a malevolent gleam. "Oh, who knows¡ I''m no one special, young man. Hmm¡ It seems that you don''t want to make this easy. But I have another proposition for you. Join my Organization¡ I''ll have a way to rece the shadow that was taken by your Headmaster. If you join me, you will no longer need to attend the Academy, and my Organization will teach you everything you want to learn. You will also have a lot of freedom in the process, so you don''t have to worry about being confined."
"What?!"
Celina eximed. However, she immediately realized what she had done and covered her mouth with her hands.
It seemed that the second offer the man had given wasn''t part of their agreement. Vale couldn''t help but smile at his situation.
Vale''s resolve hardened, his eyes narrowing with determination.
There was no point continuing this conversation¡
"Dream on¡" Vale dered as he summoned his Ghost Hands to shift the man''s attention.
The stranger''s smile faded, reced by a cold, calcting expression. "Very well, Vale. If that''s your choice, then prepare yourself. The real battle begins now."
As he said this, he looked at the three Ghost Hands and summoned three Vengeful Spirits to catch them¡ He then continued summoning ten or so White Ghost Servants to protect him from all directions.
Vale didn''t think too much of this since, at the same time, he activated his nar Spell.
Shadow Muttion.
This Spell was then covered with another Dark Spell, Darkness Maniption! With thisyered Spell, Vale believed that the Necromancer would not realize that what he was targeting was his shadow!
In an instant, darkness coalesced around the man, swirling and twisting like malevolent spirits.
Then, the Darkness took the form of razor-sharp tendrils that aimed to sever the man''s shadow, bringing about his demise.
Vale did not stop after casting three of his Spells. He could tell that the man could stop his Darkness Maniption''s attack. So, with nimble movements, he lunged forward, his Stormbringer Sword gleaming with deadly intent.
He aimed a precise strike, intending to cut off the man''s shadow and end the battle.
Whoosh~
It was sessful! He cut it!
However, to his surprise, the man did not scream in pain!
As he looked back, he realized that his opponent remained standing, seemingly unaffected.
Instead, it was his White Ghost Servant who crumbled to the ground...
The man''s voice dripped with amusement, "Impressive¡ I didn''t expect your sword to actually injure me just by hitting my shadow. What a peculiar sword¡ But you''ve underestimated me, young man. My Ghost Servants here will protect me. My powers extend beyond the realm of shadows."
Vale''s eyes widened in realization, he didn''t expect that the man could survive by using this kind of technique.
The man thenunched his attack. He was indeed a master of death and dark arts, capable of summoning an army of undead!
Without hesitation, the man revealed his Necromancy. He raised his hands, summoning Death Knights, Zombies, and Skeleton Warriors to his side. The deck of the Airship became overrun with the chilling presence of his undead minions.
Vale knew he had to act swiftly, but he couldn''t use his Blessed Water since they weren''t enough to deal with these undead... His Divine Lightning would also destroy the Airship, so he couldn''t use it.
''I should''ve extracted better Holy Arts¡'' Vale thought as he didn''t expect that he''d fight against a Necromancer. His Dark Spells weren''t good against them.
Having no time to think, Vale used his sword technique, Shadowde Dance¡ It allowed him to move with unparalleled agility and strike multiple foes simultaneously.
He engaged in a fierce dance, his sword shing through the undead with precision and grace.
He was tempted to reveal the real power of his sword. However, he changed his mind as an idea popped into his mind. He would aim for the Necromancer''s items!
"Traceless Shift¡"
Chapter 372 Death Knight
?
Vale tapped into the arcane energy within him, activating his Spell, Traceless Shift.
This ability granted him the power to manipte the dimensional fabric around targeted items, allowing him to bring them to himself.
Vale took this Spell from an Evil Creature, and up until now, he couldn''t fathom this mysterious Spell''s principles. He only knew why it worked, but he had no idea how it was doing it.
Whom~
In an instant, Vale''s hand reached out towards the Necromancer''s Magic Robe, an artifact that enhanced the Necromancer''s abilities, and the Mystical Rings that granted him additional powers. Through the maniption of dimensions, Vale sessfully extracted these items, weakening the Necromancer''s capability and leaving him vulnerable.
After his Traceless Shift reached the Advanced Realm, it could now ''shift'' multiple items at the same time!
As the Necromancer''s items were whisked away, the bnce of power shifted. Some of the Death Knights under the Necromancer''s control were suddenly released, their connection to the dark magic severed.
The Necromancer was confused by his sudden disconnection with some of his summoned Undead, but it didn''t take long before he realized what Vale had done.
The Necromancer''s eyes widened in shock and fury as he realized the loss of his mystical items. His voice trembled with anger¡ "You dare steal from me? You will pay for this!"
This wasn''t the first time he had encountered someone who was capable of stealing items since there were Mystic Arts Practitioners who could also do something simr. However, this was undoubtedly the first time someone seeded in stealing something from him!
Unfazed by the Necromancer''s threats, Vale stood his ground, the stolen Magic Robe and Mystical Rings in his possession. "Let''s see what you can do without these artifacts¡"
Vale muttered as he realized that 6 out of 18 Undead Beings had turned against their summoner!
In an instant, Vale gained some helpers!
It turns out that the man can only summon 12 Undead Beings without those artifacts.
''Watching those Battle Recordings was worth it...'' Vale thought as he was aware that Undead Beings summoned by Necromancers wouldn''t just disappear if they got weakened.
They would only vanish if the summoning Spell itself was canceled. In this case, the sudden disconnection of the Necromancer''s artifacts had severed their connection, leaving the Undead Beings without guidance.
Of course, the battle was still not easy.
Vale fought with determination to extract the Necromancer alive! He no longer nned to kill him off so quickly!
Hemanded Yvaine to stash away the Mystical Items he had stolen before charging forward, striking down the remaining undead minions and pressing the offensive against the enraged Necromancer.
During this time, Vale didn''t get too close to the uncontrolled Undead Beings since they might also attack him.
Instead, he circled around them and fought against the Zombies and Skeleton Warriors.
"Hmph! I still have 3 Death Knights on me¡"The Necromancer said as he cast another Spell on himself.
Bone Armor!
"Come, young man!" the Necromancer taunted, his voiceced with arrogance.
He only lost control of 2 Death Knights, 2 Shield Zombies, and 2 Skeleton Warriors. It wasn''t a big deal for him.
Vale pressed forward, striking down the remaining undead minions with his Stormbringer Sword. His movements were swift and precise, his strikes calcted to weaken the Necromancer''s forces.
''Just stay there, Necromancer¡ I''ll deal with you once these Undead are done.'' Vale thought as he ignored the Necromancer for now.
Although it was amon strategy to attack the Summoners first instead of the Summoned Beings, Vale knew that these Necromancers had Dark Spells that could keep them alive for a long duration.
With that in mind, he decided to target the Undead Beings to let the Necromancer spend more Dark Energy in the process!
ng! ng! ng!
The battle intensified with shes between Vale, the Zombies, and Skeleton Warriors. Though the Necromancer had lost control of some undead, Vale knew he had to cut down their numbers further.
Each swing of Vale''s de carried the weight of half of his physical strength and sword technique, but to his surprise, they weren''t being crushed so easily!
''They''re stronger than I expected¡'' Vale thought as his respect for the Necromancers grew slightly. He thought that these Zombies wouldn''t be so powerful!
Vale had no choice but to use his whole Strength and Agility in the process¡
However, it wouldn''t be easy¡
One of the Death Knights finally caught him!
The Death Knight lunged forward with a powerful swing of its massive sword.
''Hmm?''
Vale''s reflexes kicked in, and he swiftly evaded the attack, narrowly escaping the deadly de.
In response, he retaliated with a series of quick strikes, aiming for the gaps in the Death Knight''s armor.
His Shadowde Dance technique came into y, allowing him to move with unparalleled agility. He darted in and out,unching precise and calcted attacks.
The sh of steel echoed across the deck of the Airship as Vale and the Death Knight engaged in a fierce duel.
The Death Knight''s movements were heavy and relentless, its strikes fueled by a deathly aura.
On the other hand, Vale relied on his nimble footwork and quick reflexes to evade the brute force of the undead warrior. It was a battle of finesse versus raw power.
Luckily, his Incorruptible Body was already Level 9, so the Deathly Aura and Corruption Energy that were trying to seep into his body were being negated.
ng! ng! ng!
Despite Vale''s skill and determination, the Death Knight proved to be a formidable opponent.
Its unholy strength and resilience pushed Vale to his limits.
''So strong? What if I''m fighting against three or five Death Knights?! I''d probably have no other choice but to use the Stormbringer''s real power or use my Divine Lightning¡'' Vale mused as he realized that they are tougher than the ones in the Dark Soul Tower.
The sh of their weapons sent sparks flying, each strike resonating with a force that shook the airship''s deck.
Nevertheless, he knew that prolonging the fight would serve a dual purpose. Not only would it give him an opportunity to gather more information about the Necromancer''s abilities, but it would also force the Necromancer to expend more dark energy to maintain control over his forces.
With this strategy in mind, Vale deliberately made the fight more challenging. He feigned vulnerability, allowing the Death Knight tond a few grazing blows, all the while observing the Necromancer''s reactions.
The exertion on the Necromancer''s face was evident as he struggled to maintain control over his undead minions.
''So it''s like this¡''
As the battle raged on, Vale''s determination remained unyielding. He used this as an opportunity to increase his mastery in his Shadowde Dance and keep the Death Knight at bay.
Chapter 373 Extracted
?
Vale soon realized that the Necromancer''s Dark Energy had dwindled significantly.
It was because his Divine Sense could now pass through his defenses! It gave him feedback that stunned him a bit.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 10 filled Spell Lights.
The man had fewer Spells than he thought!
''It feels as if he had at least 13 or 15 Spell Lights¡'' Valemented in his mind. ''I guess I have to end this now¡''
Summoning all of his remaining strength, he unleashed a flurry of attacks, striking with precision and speed on the Death Knight''s body.
The Death Knight, caught off guard by Vale''s renewed vigor, faltered for a split second.
It was the opening Vale needed.
With one final, decisive strike, Vale''s Stormbringer shed with a lightning bolt before it found its mark, decapitating the Undead.
Vale only unleashed a fraction of the Stormbringer''s power, but it was extremely effective against the Undead!
Bam!
The Death Knight crumbled to the ground, its dark energy dissipating into the air. The battle was won, but the fight against the Necromancer was far from over.
Vale stood, panting and with several beads of sweat on his body. However, he wasn''t that tired.
He cast a determined gaze towards the Necromancer, his eyes filled with a burning resolve.
"Impossible¡"
The Necromancer clenched his fist tightly as he realized that even after sending the Death Knight plenty of Dark Energy, it wasn''t enough to defeat the student!
At this time, he realized that Vale was hiding a deep secret. Then, an idea came into his mind.
"You¡ You''re not a student! You must be a trained spy sent by the Association... I can''t be wrong! Killing you here would be my greatest contribution to the Faction."
The Necromancer shouted some rubbish words, but Vale ignored him once again as he shifted his attention to the remaining Undead.
With a stomp, he charged to eliminate them!
Boom!
As Vale swiftly dispatched the remaining Undead, including those who had lost control, he made a conscious decision not to extract their memory fragments.
After all, he would be vulnerable for a brief moment if he epted the Memory Fragments of the Undead. He had no choice but to focus solely on eliminating the threat they posed.
The Necromancer, witnessing the destruction of his forces, felt a wave of shock wash over him. He had underestimated Vale''s strength and resourcefulness.
''That sword can attack my shadow and spark with Lightning from time to time¡ It must be a Royal Rank item. A student like him can''t possess that sword unless a huge organization is backing him. Tsk¡ Celina targeted a spy this time¡''
Thud!
As thest Undead crumbled, Vale prepared himself for the final confrontation.
The surrounding air turned heavy as the Dark Energy around the airship thickened.
The Necromancer summoned all his power, pushing his Bone Armor to its limits and unleashing a barrage of Dark Spells.
However, he realized that Vale''s Spell Disrupting Technique was activated once again! For some reason, all the Dark Spells aimed at Vale were destroyed!
This includes his attempt to secretly summon a Skeletal Mage!
It was such a blunder since he lost his attempt, and he had to wait for another 3 minutes to summon the Skeletal Mage!
''This is bad¡'' The Necromancer gritted his teeth as he faced Vale''s attack.
Vale attacked him with his sword, but luckily, the Bone Armor was strong enough that it wasn''t disrupted instantly.
"Hmm?" Vale raised his brow as he realized that his Spell Dispersion could not entirely dispel the Bone Armor. It seemed that he had to cast a focused Spell Dispersion to remove it.
The Necromancer then used a part of the Bone Armor as his staff to deal with Vale''s onught temporarily.
With each sh of their weapons, Vale pressed forward, his movements fluid and precise. He skillfully evaded the Necromancer''s attacks, countering with calcted strikes of his own.
The Necromancer, growing desperate, could sense his control slipping away.
Nevertheless, he wasn''t too afraid of Vale''s lightning sword or capability to cut his shadow, so he wasn''t panicking. He was even relieved that Vale was fighting in closebat as he felt he could corrupt Vale slowly while staying within his 3-meter range.
Unbeknownst to the Necromancer, Vale had a secret weapon up his sleeve.
The moment Vale got closer, he immediately found an opportunity to touch him and activated his Divine Extraction System.
The moment his hand made contact with the Necromancer''s body, a surge of energy coursed through his veins.
The Necromancer felt his strength wane as if his very soul was being drained away.
"W-what are you doing?!"
The realization struck the Necromancer like a bolt of lightning.
He had fallen into Vale''s trap, unaware of the true extent of his opponent''s abilities. Panic and fear shed across his face as he struggled toprehend what was happening.
"Soul Drain?! Impossible¡" Even for an old Necromancer like him, Soul Drain required certain conditions, and one of them was being inplete focus without any distraction. He even had to prepare some ritual items to maintain his concentration for a prolonged period just to cast the Soul Drain Spell!
However, it seemed that Vale could do it almost instantly!
Of course, Vale liked the idea that the man thought that he was using a Soul Drain Spell instead of his Extraction System.
The Divine Extraction System worked its magic, siphoning the Necromancer''s essence, weakening him further with each passing moment. The once powerful sorcerer was reduced to a mere shell of his former self, his dark powers fading away.
"You thought you could seal my Soul, look at you now¡" Vale spoke with a voice filled with quiet resolve as he checked the notifications he got.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Strength +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Corpse Explosion Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Feign Death Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Locate Corpse Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +10 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
Chapter 374 Spell Replacements
Chapter 374 Spell Recements
After the Necromancer breathed hisst, Vale took a moment to catch his breath, his gaze steady as he surveyed the aftermath of the battle.
He could no longer see Celina, but he didn''t care about her for now. In any case, he would still see her in the Academy or elsewhere.
As he checked the notification once again, Vale couldn''t help but smile as he saw the three Spell Models he had just extracted.
It must''ve been painful for the guy since he didn''t control the extraction to weaken the pain he''d receive from having his Spell Model sucked out.
''Let''s see¡'' Vale mused as he considered which of his current Spell Models would be reced by the three new ones.
Without a doubt, he wanted all of the three new Spells, but he didn''t have the Spell Light needed.
He only had 1 Vacant Spell Light and 3 Iplete Spell Lights, so he needed one more to get a second Spell Light.
However, he didn''t like the idea of having no Vacant Spell Light, so he decided to remove three undeserving Spell Lights from his collection.
The Corpse Explosion was a decent Spell since this was probably the safest way to destroy evidence. Furthermore, there wouldn''t be a need to use an Incinerator or Sealing Technique to ensure that no Evil Spirit could possess the corpses that he might encounter someday.
The Feign Death Spell, on the other hand, was a better version of the Dead Heart Spell, so there was no doubt that Vale would save this Spell.
As for the Locate Corpse Spell, this was something that he really wanted as it might get easier for him to find corpses outside the Academy.
''Hmm¡ This is quite tough.'' Vale silently thought as he decided to ept the Spells.
He removed his Cursed Breath for the Corpse Explosion, the Dead Heart for the Feign Death, and the Darkness Coil for the Locate Corpse¡
He wasn''t using the Cursed Breath, and the Darkness Coil wasn''t that effective since he already had Dusk Imprisonment.
Then, he double-checked if there were still criminals on board that he hadn''t extracted yet. He used his Ghost Hands to check them individually, and after less than five minutes, he felt satisfied and checked his current Attributes.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 82.55, Agility 79.95, Intelligence 100, Vitality 78.80 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv7, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv9, Darkness Maniption Lv7, Spirit Vision Lv6, Light Absorption Lv7, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Moonlight Curse Lv7, Spectral Hands Lv4, Corrupted Chains Lv4, Active Curse Break Lv4, Dusk Imprisonment Lv4, Corpse Explosion Lv0, Feign Death Lv0, Locate Corpse Lv0]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv7, Blessed Healing Lv4 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv7, Shadow Muttion Lv7 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv6 ]
[ Transformation Art: Human Shapeshift Lv7, Beast Shapeshift Lv7, Voice Maniption Lv7 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv7 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv6, Soul Bind Lv2 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv7, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv7 ]
[ Avable Energy: 8,390]
[ Divinity Points: 1982.3 ]
"Hmm¡ Now that I think about it, I didn''t get any Memory Fragments from these guys. Is it because they''re not in the Dark Soul Tower?" Vale muttered as he felt that it was such a waste.
If he could get their Memory Fragments, he could easily use Celina of being the mastermind of this attack. After all, those memories would leave him some clues about any physical evidence they''ve left behind.
In the end, he could only bring these people to the Faction for autopsy or any investigation to find out which organization they came from.
***
After the airshipnded in the nearby town, a squad of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels awaited Vale and others.
The Vessels listened attentively as Vale and Vice Captain Gene recounted the harrowing ambush they had faced.
Furthermore, they confirmed that it wasn''t just Celina who went missing but also the Captain of the Airship!
As Vale had previously thought, the Captain was part of this.
The Vessels could only promise to conduct an investigation and assured Vale they would leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of justice.
They assured him they would look for Celina and save her from her kidnappers.
''Seriously?'' Vale couldn''t help but shake his head as they concluded that Celina was a victim of this crime. Anyway, he couldn''t really say otherwise since Celina was still part of the Vermont Family. He couldn''t just pin the crime on her, or he might be the one to suffer.
Vale didn''t want to stay here any further, so he decided to just board another airship heading back to the Academy.
***
Returning to the Academy, Vale wasted no time in seeking out the Headmaster. He felt a sense of urgency in rying the events that had transpired on the airship.
While traveling back, he had a bad feeling that Celina wouldn''t stop just yet. That problematic girl really wanted him to be her Personal Shadow Knight!
''She might even be starting a ritual to curse me¡ I need to hurry.'' Vale thought.
Although he had an Active Curse Break, Incorruptible Body, and Spell Dispersion, he still felt the need of informing the Headmaster just in case.
With a determined gaze, he recounted the battle, the defeat of the Necromancer, and Celina''s disappearance while he was inbat.
Headmaster Jean listened attentively, his expression grave with concern. ording to the description Vale had given, the person he had killed might be the Silver ss Necromancer of the Vermont Family, Bone Fletcher.
Jean sighed at this as he realized that this matter might actually be serious.
Nevertheless, he still assured Vale that he would personally oversee the investigation and consult with the Vermont Family regarding the matter.
"For now, Vale, I must insist that you remain within the Academy grounds while I finish my investigation." Headmaster Jean said firmly.
Vale nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Days turned into weeks as the investigation unfolded.
Vale could tell that there was already a result in the investigation, but it seemed that the result wasn''t nned to be reported back to him.
It was only after a month before Headmaster Jean decided to disclose the result of their investigation to him.
Chapter 375 Puzzled
Chapter 375 Puzzled
"Vale, I have received the results of the investigation." Headmaster Jean began, his voice steady but tinged with seriousness. "The person you encountered on the airship was indeed Bone Fletcher, the Silver ss Necromancer of the Vermont Family."
It was the first time Vale had heard this name, so he didn''t think too much of it. As for the Necromancer being part of the Vermont Family, it didn''t surprise him a bit.
''If this guy was famous, I could probably sell his items in an auction to earn a lot of money.'' Vale mused.
"While Bone Fletcher''s actions were undoubtedly heinous, it seems that he had acted on his own ord, without the knowledge or approval of the Vermont Family." Headmaster Jean continued, his voice filled with a mix of relief and concern. "The family has expressed their deepest apologies for the actions of their rogue member. They were d that you''ve eliminated him."
Vale nodded as he looked at the Headmaster''s expression. It seems that he still wanted to say something, but he was hesitating.
This was quite rare, so Vale couldn''t help but ask.
"Is there anything else, Headmaster?"
Realizing that Vale had noticed something, Headmaster Jean could only sigh and reveal another matter.
"Morgan Vermont seemed thankful for your contribution, and he wanted to meet you. He invited you to visit the Vermont Castle."
Vale didn''t hesitate as he answered immediately. "No, thanks¡ I mean¡ªHe doesn''t have to thank me. I''ll be busy since I missed a couple of days in my sses."
There was no way Vale would want to be alone with that legendary figure of the Dark Arts Faction.
The old man had so many legendary feats over the many decades he had been alive. Their history ss had covered most of his achievements, and even up until their third year, they were still studying some of his achievements in the past.
Vale could only think that this person was already a Grandmaster Arcanist in secret. It means that he was dangerous!
Seeing how Vale immediately rejected the idea, Headmaster Jean couldn''t help but chuckle as he had already guessed how Vale would react to this.
"Alright..."
Headmaster Jean understood Vale''s thoughts and respected his decision not to meet with Morgan Vermont.
He knew the weight of such a meeting and the potential dangers that could arise. With a nod, he acknowledged Vale''s response.
Jean had to do his best to cancel this meeting or at least dy it for years.
"I understand, Vale¡ Leave it to me. However, you can''t leave the Academy for the rest of the year." The Headmaster said.
Vale hesitated for a moment before he nodded.
"I can do that¡"
"Good. Your studies and your safety are of utmost importance. Just focus on your sses and aim for the number one spot for the Competition''s participating students in your batch..."
"Yes, Headmaster."
Vale felt a sense of relief knowing that the Headmaster supported his decision. The thought of being in the presence of such a renowned figure in the Dark Arts Faction was both intimidating and unsettling. He preferred to keep his distance and concentrate on honing his skills within the familiar grounds of the Academy.
He still doesn''t know many things about Arcane Paths, and his system may not save him if Morgan decides to do something about him.
Days turned into weeks as Vale immersed himself in his studies and training. He attended sses diligently, absorbing knowledge from his professors and refining his mystical abilities.
As for Celina, she had appeared in the Academy once again after two months, telling everyone that she was sick and had been taken by her family to recuperate.
Of course, Vale confronted her about the incident they faced, but he realized that Celina had wholly changed. She had even forgotten about the incident in the Airship and her desire to make him her Personal Shadow Knight.
''This is too suspicious¡ It''s a good thing I didn''t meet Morgan¡'' Vale thought as he felt that his ESP Spell had truly saved him this time.
It was as if he was meeting a different Celina!
It might be an act to fool him, but there was a higher chance that something happened to Celina. After all, her reckless action brought the demise of a powerful Silver ss Necromancer. This could also be a punishment for her previous actions.
Vale could not be bothered about this, so he just ignored her for now and focused on his studies.
His routine of daily life in the Academy provided a sense of stability amidst the uncertainty that loomed outside its protective walls.
During this time, Vale''s friendships with his ssmates had also deepened, and they supported one another through rigorous training sessions in the Ceremony Hall and Training Hall. Furthermore, they also studied together when solving challenging assignments their Professors gave.
Outside of sses, Vale continued his search for the nar Spells, the Golden Spell Lights, and other Arcane Paths, especially the Psychic Path. He always visited the libraries, consulted ancient tomes, and delved deeper into the mysteries of Arcane Arts.
Though progress was slow, Vale remained determined to learn as much as possible while still in the Academy.
As time passed, Vale''s skills grew, and he became more adept at handling his Magic Zone. His dedication and perseverance did not go unnoticed by his professors, who saw great potential in him.
Vale''s effort finally bore fruit in the fifth month of the third-year ss.
During the morning ss, Vale heard Professor Zara announce the names of the students rmended to consume the second Darkness Possession Potion.
He had been eagerly waiting for this moment, knowing that the potion would enhance his Phantasm State''s abilities and strengthen his magical prowess. With this second potion, he believed that he would be able to stop his nightmare!
However, as the names were called, ss 2 was surprised to hear Lisa Grayback''s name among the chosen few.
The first batch was actually Vale Chambers, Leonore Rnd, and Lisa Grayback!
Lisa, a quiet and reserved student, had always been underestimated by other students in the ss because of her background. The news of her inclusion in the group to consume the second potion caught most of the ss off guard.
Whispers filled the ssroom as some of their ssmates exchanged surprised nces. Warren Lawstein, known for his exceptional control over Dark Spells, and Dalton Stranway, whose Magic Zone had already exceeded 24 meters, were expected choices.
The fact that Lisa was selected instead left many puzzled.
Chapter 376 Stumble
Chapter 376 Stumble
Vale couldn''t help but feel a sense of admiration for Lisa. He had witnessed her dedication and hard work in their training sessions. She possessed a strong determination to learn, and he believed that she deserved this opportunity to further enhance her abilities¡
As the ss settled down, Professor Zara addressed the students, sensing their curiosity and surprise.
"I understand that some of you might be surprised to see Lisa among the chosen few." Professor Zara began, her voice calm and reassuring. "But let me assure you that the decision was made based on careful consideration of each student''s potential and progress."
She went on to exin the unique qualities Lisa possessed, her unwavering focus, and the significant strides she had made in her Dark Arts, especially in her Magic Zone''s 2nd Phase. Furthermore, Lisa''s Life Strand had increased a lot and this would ensure her survival.
Professor Zara further emphasized that the Second Darkness Possession Potion would not be wasted as it would surely amplify Lisa''s strengths and enable her to reach new heights in her Dark Arts Mastery.
The ss listened intently, their initial surprise gradually turning into eptance, and some of them decided to just support Lisa. In any case, with their pitiful 4 or 5 Life Strands, they certainly couldn''tpare to Lisa.
Chad Bulmung, a boisterous and outgoing ssmate, couldn''t contain his excitement. He leaned toward Audrey Hall, another close friend of Lisa, and whispered¡ "Lisa made it! I win! I always knew she had it in her!"
Audrey nodded." Yeah¡ I know she''s talented but I thought it''ll take a year or two. Tsk¡ Dalton and Warren were probablyzing around¡"
As she said this, she handed over a small object to Chad. It seemed that these two were aware of this event and had bet on who would be selected to consume their Second Darkness Possession Potion.
Audrey had obviously lost and paid something to Chad.
Vale noticed the two''s transaction but he just shook his head at their yful behavior and congratted Lisa.
In any case, he couldn''t help but feel a surge of joy as well. He remembered the countless hours Lisa had spent practicing and refining her Dark Arts in the Ceremony Hall.
''I hope this Second Potion won''t be as deadly as before.'' Vale mused. He hoped for this not just for Lisa but also for himself.
After all, the Darkness Possession they''ll consume this time wasn''t the same as the first one. The concentration would be higher and would have a stronger effect on their bodies.
In the meantime, Lisa was also overwhelmed by the support, but she was too shy to receive their praise and congrattions, so she just went silent and lowered her head.
As the ssroom settled down, Professor Zara exined that the consumption of the potion would happen at the Ceremony Hall after the ss.
The next sses passed quickly as Vale, Lisa, and Leonore followed Professor Zara to the Ceremony Hall to receive their potion.
As they walked through the hallway, excitement and anticipation filled the air.
The Ceremony Hall loomed before them, its towering doors beckoning them inside.
Vale couldn''t help but feel that something had changed in the Ceremony Hall. It seemed that the Professors had prepared it as the Dark Energy around the Hall had gotten stronger or more concentrated.
As they rounded a corner, Vale caught sight of the other group of students from ss 3, led by their own professor, Professor Lucius. Vale recognized Leo ze, but had no idea about the names of the other two.
Leo ze, known for his arrogant demeanor, met Vale''s gaze with a challenging smirk.
''What do you want this time?'' Vale thought as his jaw tightened, his protective instincts kicking in.
Lisa was also taken aback by this man''s presence as she worriedly looked at Vale. Without being told, she knew that Leo had a different idea about her friendship with Vale.
She could tell that Leo would want to mess with Vale because of their closeness. It was such a stupid reason, but Lisa could do nothing about it.
''This¡''
However, before any confrontation could escte, Leo stumbled and bumped into Vale after getting closer, causing him to lose his bnce.
Vale''s initial reaction was one of anger and frustration, but he quickly realized what Leo was thinking.
Taking a deep breath, Vale steadied himself, refusing to give Leo the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead, he met Leo''s eyes with a calm andposed expression.
"Watch where you''re going..." Vale said firmly, his voice devoid of aggression.
Leo, stunned by Vale''s measured response, quickly recovered and offered an apologetic smile. "My bad, man. I didn''t mean to bump into you. Just got caught up in the excitement, you know?"
As he said this, he looked at Lisa behind Vale. Initially, he thought of angering Vale as he wanted to show Lisa about his real personality.
However, Vale handled it well, and it frustrates him.
Vale nodded, epting the apology. "No worries. Just be more careful next time."
The Professors didn''t mind their exchange as Professor Zara informed Lucius that they''d be using the Ceremony Hall first.
Professor Lucius agreed with this and informed them that they would be waiting outside.
"Professor, can''t we watch them consume their potion?" Leo asked as he wanted to see Lisa''s face while she was in pain after consuming the potion.
He was already imagining it.
However, Professor Lucius just shook his head and looked at his student. Although Leo was quite talented, he really had an attitude.
***
Entering the Ceremony Hall, Vale''s gaze swept across the room, taking in the sight of his fellow ssmates. The Hall was silent as no other students were using the ce for now. It was reserved for the first batch of third-year students who will be consuming their second Darkness Possession Potion.
Near the Main Formation Circle, Vale saw a familiar figure. It was Professor Zach of the Alchemy Division.
He carries a bag with him, which contains the Darkness Possession Potions they''ll be consuming.
That''s right. The potion, a concoction of rare and potent ingredients, was carefully prepared by several Dark Alchemists, and Zach Everette, from the Order of the Evanescent Vessel, would monitor them once they consumed the potion.
Chapter 377 New Notification
Chapter 377 New Notification
"Vale, you go first¡ Stand at the center of the Formation Circle and drink this potion." Professor Zara said as she handed the ck potion to Vale. She inspected it first to confirm that it was the right potion.
Vale nodded, exchanging a nce with Lisa and Leonore. He could sense their nervousness, but he also saw the glimmers of excitement in their eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Vale positioned himself at the center of the formation circle. With steady hands, he raised the vial to his lips and drank the potion.
Gulp~
Almost immediately, he could feel the surge of power coursing through his veins.
It certainly tasted a lot better than the first Darkness Possession he consumed but he couldn''t appreciate it.
He braced himself for the pain he had been warned about. As the power of the potion took hold, he felt a searing sensation, as if his body was being reshaped from within.
"Ugh¡"
The pain was intense, but Vale fought through it, knowing that this was a necessary step to advance his Phantasm State.
Despite the difort, Vale''s focus remained unwavering. He could sense his Magic Zone expanding and his Phantasm State growing stronger with each passing moment. The feeling of transformation was both exhrating and humbling as he realized that the Phantasm State he had previously been proud of was, in fact, iplete.
"This is the real Phantasm State," Vale silently acknowledged as he could feel the difference in the quality of his Magic Zone.
Suddenly, the pain started growing stronger, as if something inside him was being changed. He felt his Spell Models shaking as if they were about to be destroyed.
''This¡'' Vale felt rmed as Professor Zara didn''t mention anything about this at all!
Nevertheless, during the pain, there was a glimmer of sce.
Vale suddenly sensed that the number of Spell Light in his body started increasing¡ In a few seconds, he felt that he had 4 Spell Lights in his body! This continued until he had a total of 8 Spell Lights!
This side effect of the potion wasn''t mentioned by Professor Zara and Alchemist Zach!
Of course, he was thankful for this and he wouldn''tin at all.
As the pain gradually subsided, Vale found himself feeling a lot better and his aura radiating with newfound strength. He had endured the effects of the potion, and though it had been a challenging experience, he knew it was all worth it.
He then quickly checked his body to see if there was a problem with his Spell Models¡
"Whew~" After confirming that all of his Spell Models are fine, he couldn''t help but feel relieved.
However, as he checked his Spell Lights, something unexpected happened. He received a new notification from his system!
This had never happened before!
[ Eight Normal Spell Lights have been detected. Do you want to fuse the Eight Normal Spell Lights to get an Evolved Spell Light for 300 Divinity Points? ]
"What?"
Vale''s mind raced with excitement and curiosity. The opportunity to fuse his Spell Lights reminded him of the special Spell Light that was needed to record the nar Spells!
That''s right. The Evolved Spell Light might be the Golden Spell Light he was looking for! However, the presence of Professor Zara, Alchemist Zach, and his ssmates made him hesitate. He didn''t want to draw attention to himself, especially during such a significant moment.
"Is there something wrong?" Lisa worriedly asked after seeing Vale''s reaction. Vale seemed shocked for some reason.
"N-nothing¡ I''m just overwhelmed by the changes made by the potion." Vale said as he immediately thought of a reply.
Suppressing his eagerness, he decided to postpone his decision to fuse until a more suitable time. He knew that the offer from the system would still be there, patiently awaiting his response.
Furthermore, there might be some noticeable changes in his body, and he couldn''t allow the others to notice that.
"That''s good¡ Your body was turning ck a while ago. Did you notice?" Leonore asked.
This surprised Vale since, aside from feeling the pain brought by the potion, he didn''t notice any other changes in his body.
"I did not¡ Was it normal?" Vale asked as he turned to the Professors.
"I think so." Alchemist Zach replied as he walked closer to Vale.
Professor Zara also approached Vale, their expressions filled with confusion. However, after some time, it had changed to satisfaction. They examined him closely, confirming that his condition was stable and his Phantasm State had indeed strengthened.
"Vale, you''ve handled the transformation remarkably well¡ With that, you''ll be able to learn the Third Phase of your Phantasm State. Master it before thepetition." Professor Zaramended, a hint of pride in her voice.
"Your Magic Zone must have expanded significantly. I can see great potential in your future path. You have to consider choosing the Alchemist Path."
Alchemist Zach muttered as his gaze remained on Vale''s physique.
"I didn''t expect that the potion would be so effective. You''re lucky." He added.
Grateful for their encouragement, Vale nodded appreciatively.
With the confirmation of Vale''s condition, Professor Zara turned her attention to Lisa, who was next in line to consume the potion. The atmosphere in the room shifted as all eyes turned to Lisa, anticipation mingling with a hint of nervousness.
"Lisa, it''s your turn." Professor Zara said, her voice filled with encouragement. She then gave the same instruction as Lisa stood at the center of the Formation Circle.
Lisa took a deep breath, her hands slightly trembling. She recalled how Vale felt the pain after consuming the potion. Thinking she was about to experience the same, she couldn''t help but worry.
She exchanged a nervous nce with Vale, seeking reassurance.
Realizing what she was thinking, Vale smiled warmly, silently conveying his belief in her abilities.
Gulp~
As Lisa consumed the potion, she braced herself for the painful experience.
The power surged through her veins, but instead of pain, she felt a surge of warmth spreading throughout her body. The transformation seemed toe more naturally to her as if the potion was unlocking the dormant power she had always possessed.
Chapter 378 Senior
Chapter 378 Senior
As Lisa''s body underwent the transformation, she could feel a surge of Dark Energy coursing through her¡
''It''s not painful¡ Is there a problem with the potion?'' She mused in confusion.
The warmth that enveloped her wasforting, like a gentle embrace from the potion itself. It was theplete opposite of what she was expecting.
Then, her senses heightened, and her vision sharpened as she absorbed the potion''s effect. For a brief moment, colors appeared more vibrant, and the sounds became more distinct. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing a realm of possibilities beyond her imagination.
"Incredible¡" Lisa muttered. A newfound confidence surged within her, recing her initial worries and doubts.
''Is this what Senior Lesley mentioned? Is this really my talent?'' Lisa silently thought as she recalled what Lesley had told her before.
However, before she could think too much of it, she felt the Formation Circle shaking.
Whom~
Within the Formation Circle, her body was suddenly enveloped by Dark Energy.
The onlookers, including Professor Zara and Alchemist Zach, watched in awe as Lisa''s transformation unfolded.
They weren''t worried about the Dark Energy wrapping around her body.
They exchanged nces, acknowledging the unique nature of her experience. It was as if Lisa''s affinity for the Darkness Path had found harmony with the potion, resulting in a seamless integration of power.
"So she also had a unique physique¡ No wonder she was improving so quickly." Professor Zara muttered.
"Indeed. It''s probably a rare Dark Arcane Physique¡ I don''t think even the Headmaster knows about her unique constitution." Alchemist Zachmented.
The other two students heard of it and couldn''t help but feel enlightened.
ording to their studies, three types of special physique suit the Darkness Path.
The first was the Dark Arcane Physique. This physique was associated with individuals who had a unique affinity for darkness and shadow magic. Those with this physique have a natural connection to the darker aspects of the arcane arts.
One noticeable aspect of this was that consuming the Darkness Possession potion was not painful for them. This was what happened to Lisa, indicating that she possesses a certain type of Dark Arcane Physique.
Maya Featherstar also had this type of physique, but it wasn''t awakened because of the potion. Instead, it was most likely because of her bloodline.
The other was the Seamless Arcane Physique, often found among necromancers and practitioners of advanced dark arts.
Those with this physique undergo a rigorous training process and consume a specific potion to obtain it. One sample of this was the Enduring Body that the Necromancers learn in order to conquer the Dark Soul Tower.
This physique grants them a heightened resistance to physical and magical fatigue, enabling them to endure the intense rituals and spells associated with necromancy. Individuals with the Seamless Arcane Physique often have a well-toned and agile build, allowing them to seamlessly blend physical prowess with their mastery of the arcane arts.
Lastly, the Impure Darkness Physique. It was suited for those who delve into curses, hexes, and rituals involving entities from other realms. Practitioners with this physique have a unique connection to the forces of darkness, but ites at a cost. They often exhibit physical signs of their affinity, such as pale or ashen skin, glowing eyes, or even some otherworldly features.
The Impure Darkness Physique could also be associated with a more robust and imposing build, reflecting the power and intensity of their dark magic.
Most of the students with unusual features had this type of physique¡
Vale, standing at the edge of the Formation Circle, couldn''t help but feel a surge of pride as he witnessed Lisa''s transformation. He knew that Lisa would really be a great Dark Arcanist at this point. After all, not many students in the Academy could possess or even Awaken their Special Physique.
As Lisa''s transformation reached its peak, the warmth that had filled her began to subside, leaving behind a sense of empowerment.
Professor Zara approached Lisa, her eyes gleaming with pride.
"You have truly embraced the essence of the potion, Lisa¡" She said, her voice brimming with admiration.
Alchemist Zach echoed Professor Zara''s sentiment, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "Your transformation was remarkable, Lisa. Ahem¡ You should consider bing an Alchemist. I''m even willing to ept you as a disciple. Once you graduate, you''re guaranteed a spot in the Alchemy Division of the Order. No¡ªI think I can arrange for you to be a member in your seventh year in the Academy. How about it?"
Lisa''s heart swelled with gratitude for the support and encouragement from her professor and the alchemist.
"Thank you, Professors. I''m indeed nning to be an Alchemist, Professor Zach. However, I want to meet Senior Lesley first before joining any Organization."
As she said this, her eyes widened as she realized something.
"Oh? Lesley? Is it the Lesley that had graduated here a few years ago?" Professor Zara asked.
"Mhmm? That monstrous girl?! You know her?" Zach was also surprised.
Lesley was quite famous since she achieved so many things for the Academy before. It was a pity that Lesley had only participated twice in the Twelve Academies Competition, or she would have achieved more aplishments.
Realizing that she could no longer take back what she had just said, she could only ept it.
Lisa nodded awkwardly. "Yes, Professor Zara. I''ve heard so much about her achievements and contributions to the Academy. She''s the reason I decided to enroll here. I believe meeting her would provide valuable insights and guidance for my journey as an Alchemist. For now, can you not tell anyone that I know her?"
The Professors weren''t sure why she wanted to keep this matter a secret but still agreed to her request.
In the meantime, Vale, who had been silently listening, felt a mix of emotions upon hearing Lesley''s name.
Lesley was the one who had fed him the Darkness Possession Potion that had literally killed him.
He had been avoiding Lesley ever since, fearing her curiosity and potential desire to dissect his body to understand his miraculous survival.
''This...''
Chapter 379 Eye
Chapter 379 Eye
''No¡ It''s different now.''
As Vale''s thoughts raced, he realized that he had grown significantly during his time at the Academy, thanks to his Divine Extraction System.
He had be stronger and more skilled, and he now possessed the confidence to face Lesley, should their paths cross again. Vale took a deep breath, reassuring himself that he was no longer the same vulnerable young man who had once fallen victim to the Darkness Possession Potion.
"Vale? You looked pale just now. Are you alright?" Professor Zara asked.
"Ahh¡ I''m alright, Professor. I''m just shocked to hear Lesley''s name. I''ve seen some of her battles in the Archive Room before. She''s indeed a talented Alchemist. I didn''t expect that Lisa knows her." Vale replied.
Lisa seemed to like what she just heard. She felt really proud that she had a connection to Lesley.
"Indeed! I knew you''d appreciate her as well. If you want to meet her someday, I''ll introduce you to her. She likes talented people." Lisa said as she knew that Lesley would surely realize Vale''s talent.
Vale wryly smiled after hearing this.
Alchemist Zach seemed to dislike being ignored as he interrupted.
"Haha¡ Lesley is indeed great. But I''m still better since I''m older and more experienced than her. You should consider again to be my disciple, Lisa. My offer wouldn''tst forever."
He then shifted his attention to Vale.
"Vale, you can also consider bing my disciple. I can tell that you have a certain type of Seamless Arcane Physique. It can even be better than the Enduring Body. It''s probably close to the Tyrant Moon Physique or even an Innate Dark Sorceror Body simr to Sir Morgan Vermont."
''It''s actually Incorruptible Body¡ It''s also considered an Impure Darkness Physique.'' Vale thought as he smiled at the Professor.
"I''ll think about it, Professor Zach. You should know that I already have a Master."
"Ahhh¡ Indeed. I hope that Senior Heinz is doing well. Haha¡" Alchemist Zackughed awkwardly after being reminded about Vale''s master.
With thepletion of Lisa''s transformation, the attention shifted to Leonore, who now stood at the center of the Formation Circle, ready to consume her second Darkness Possession Potion.
She felt a lot more pressured since Vale and Lisa''s transformation was quite evident. She was able to tell just from their fluctuation of energy that they had be a stronger Dark Arts Practitioner.
''I''ll be the best Dark Seer¡ I can do this¡'' Leonore encouraged herself before drinking the potion.
Soon, the energy in the Ceremony seemed to intensify, mirroring the internal changes urring within her. She could feel her Magic Zone expanding, reaching outwards like tendrils seeking to connect with the world around her.
As the transformation progressed, Leonore''s presence seemed to grow more grounded and centered. The power that coursed through her was raw yet controlled, like a raging river flowing within the confines of a strong dam. She felt a newfound connection to the Dark Elements as if she couldmand the Darkness itself.
Vale and Lisa watched in awe as their ssmate underwent her transformation. They could sense the immense power of Darkness radiating from Leonore.
As the effect of the potion was about to subside, a hushed silence fell over the room.
An otherworldly eye materialized above Leonore! It was the size of a huge metal door of the Hall!
Its presence was both awe-inspiring and unsettling, casting an eerie glow that illuminated the Ceremony Hall.
Vale and Lisa exchanged wide-eyed nces, their surprise evident.
As the eye hovered above her, Leonore remained unaware of its existence. However, everyone, including Professor Zara and Alchemist Zach, was taken aback by the sight.
"Dark Seer? She truly has delved deep into the Dark Arts. Has she made a pact, selling her soul in exchange for such power?" Professor Zara muttered as she immediately understood what was going on.
Alchemist Zach''s brow furrowed in concern. "A Dark Seer? But isn''t she from the Rnd Family? Known for their mastery of curses? Why would someone from such a renowned family choose to pursue such a dangerous path?"
He hadn''t really paid much attention to Leonore. As soon as he learned that she was from the Rnd Family, he just assumed that she used her family''s achievements to reach her current level. However, it seemed that he had underestimated her.
Vale and Lisa''s confusion deepened. While they had heard of Dark Seers and the ability to see glimpses of the future, they had underestimated the gravity of Leonore''s chosen path. The otherworldly eye that had just appeared was something they had never expected to appear during the Darkness Possession.
"Whew~"
Leonore, still unaware of the audience''s reactions, felt an indescribable sense offort. It was indeed quite painful at the first few seconds of her consumption. However, it didn''t take that long before she sensed her improvement.''
''I''m different now¡'' Leonore thought as she clenched her fist.
As Vale thought that Professor Zara and Alchemist Zach would tell her about the otherworldly eye, they actually ignored that fact and just congratted Leonore.
Just like that, they decided to leave the Ceremony Hall.
This stopped Vale from asking Leonore about it. He wasn''t sure if it would be insensitive to ask her about that.
''Is it a Forbidden Dark Arts?'' Vale mused.
After all, it would make sense why they couldn''t discuss this openly since the Treaty of Keslore stops them from practicing these Arts.
''Interesting¡ I guess it''s not really prohibited as long as it''s not known by the Association.'' Vale silently thought as he recalled the scrolls that he got from the Dark Soul Tower.
To be honest, he also wouldn''t pass if he got an opportunity to learn powerful Forbidden Dark Arts, especially if it was the Blood Magic or an ability to summon a Mysterious Entity that was stronger than Dark Spirits.
As Vale and the others exited the Ceremony Hall, they found themselves face-to-face with the ss 3 students who were waiting for their turn to use the Hall with Professor Lucius.
Leo, annoyed that they didn''t get to use the Ceremony Hall first, couldn''t help but mock them for their seemingly quickpletion of the ceremony.
His tone was soft, as if he was trying not to be heard.
"They finished so early? I guess the potion didn''t give them much development, huh..."
Chapter 380 Classes
Chapter 380 sses
Vale felt a surge of annoyance at Leo''s remark but chose to maintain hisposure. He exchanged nces with Lisa and Leonore, who shared a mix of frustration and determination. They knew that Leo''s words were meant to belittle them, but they were confident in the growth they had experienced during the ceremony.
Leonore, always quick to respond, retorted¡ "Looks like you''re in a hurry to get your turn, Leo. I think you won''t even survive the Potion¡"
The other students beside Leo were stunned. They were indeed worrying about the effects of the Potion on them. They had barely survived their first Potion, and even if the Professors told them they were ready, they couldn''t help but doubt themselves.
They gritted their teeth in frustration as they tightly held the ck pearl in their hands.
Professor Lucius, observing the interaction, stepped forward to intervene.
"That''s enough¡ Since you''re all in the same batch, you''ll be working together someday. Unity within the Academy is important." With a calm yet authoritative voice, he continued to emphasize the need to support and respect one another, as they were all part of a shared journey toward mastery of the Dark Arts.
Leo, realizing that hisment had provoked a response, reluctantly backed down.
"Yes, Professor." He then offered a half-hearted smirk before turning away.
As Vale and hispanions walked away, they couldn''t help but consider waiting for Leo''s group to see if they could really improve significantly from the Potion.
However, Leo might think that Lisa was waiting for him, so they decided to leave.
***
On the following day, Vale and the other students of ss 2 were taken aback by the news that the top ss 3 students had experienced a major setback. Rumors spread throughout their batch, revealing that the ss 3 students had not only failed toplete the Darkness Possession Ceremony but also suffered injuries.
This rmed the other students who might be scheduled to take the Potion next week!
''That guy actually failed¡'' Vale silently thought as he confirmed the truth.
His curiosity was piqued, so he sought out more information about what had transpired. He discovered that the ss 3 students had underestimated the intensity and power of the Darkness Possession Potion. In their eagerness to achieve quick results, they had secretly consumed a high-grade Dark Spirit Peal before drinking the Darkness Possession Potion to get a higher dosage than rmended, hoping for a greater transformation.
However, the excessive dosage brought by the Dark Spirit Pearl had backfired, causing severe side effects andplications. The students'' bodies had struggled to withstand the overwhelming surge of dark energy, resulting in injuries and a failed transformation. It seemed that their impatience and disregard for caution had cost them dearly.
Vale could only shake his head.
He was previously thinking of extracting this guy to make him suffer a bit, but it seemed unnecessary at this point. Instead, he focused on studying the several Mystical Items in his possession.
The sses he was receiving weren''t quite enough, so he had to do some self-studies since he wanted to hasten the recovery of his pocketwatch.
***
In the meantime, Chad Bulmung led a rather peaceful and content daily life within the halls of the Academy. While he had not been selected by Professor Zara to consume the Second Darkness Possession Potion, he harbored no resentment or impatience. Instead, he remained focused on honing his skills and patiently awaiting his next opportunity.
Each day, Chad approached his studies with unwavering determination. He did not dare to bete or skip any sses, immersing himself in the vast world of magic and knowledge.
During the weekend, however, Chad would mostly stay within his dorm.
In his room, the sun gently filtered through the window, casting a soft glow on his study desk. As he sat there, engrossed in his books, his roommate, Marcus, entered the room with a mischievous grin.
He was from ss 4 and was quite an average student.
"Hey, Chad! Still buried in those dusty tomes, I see. What incredible secrets are you uncovering today?"
Chad looked up, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"I''m just trying to study for the next exam."
Marcus chuckled, plopping down on his own bed. "Well, while you''re busymuning with the darkness, don''t forget to have some fun too. Life in the Academy isn''t all about studying, you know."
Chad nodded, appreciating Marcus''s perspective. He valued the bnce between academics and enjoyment and knew the importance of maintaining a well-rounded experience. However, what he was reading right now wasn''t just any book.
It was a copy of a book that he brought from his home. He wasn''t allowed to bring this to the Academy since it contained a family secret.
It contains the full ritual that would grant him the Ghost King Body, a specific Impure Darkness Physique. The allure of this power was undeniable, promising to enhance his talents in Dark Arts to unparalleled heights. However, Chad was acutely aware of the drawbacks that apanied this path, so he was studying it carefully before making his decision.
Apparently, the Ghost King Body, while granting him immense strength and talent in the realm of darkness, would render him vulnerable to arcane arts that had the ability to suppress or eliminate ghosts. Holy Arts and Lightning Element Arts, for instance, would pose a significant threat to him. Chad pondered the consequences of this choice, weighing the potential benefits against the inherent risks.
"You''re right, Marcus. I''ll make sure to take breaks and enjoy thepany of friends. Speaking of which, have you heard anything about the ss 1 students who underwent the Darkness Possession Ceremony?" Chad replied as he casually closed his book and kept it in his drawer.
Marcus''s eyes lit up with excitement. He certainly heard about Maya Featherstar, Philip Hoffman, and Crystal Ravinie''s sess.
The two then chatted for a bit before hanging outside.
In the next few days, Chad found himself in the Advanced Magic Circle ss, surrounded by his ssmates.
As Professor Morton exined the intricacies of formingplex magical patterns, Chad couldn''t help but feel a surge of excitement.
If he wants to obtain the Ghost King Body, he would need to master a certain Magic Circle.
Luckily, Professor Morton was about to test and teach them with advanced Magic Circles today.
Chapter 381 Magic Circle Class
Chapter 381 Magic Circle ss
"Good morning, ss!" Professor Morton greeted everyone with a warm smile.
"Today, we shall explore the intricacies of the Infernal Circle, a powerful tool used to invoke andmunicate with infernal entities. It may sound dangerous but it''s not. We will be working with a modified and safe version of the Circle, suitable for your current level."
Chad Bulmung''s curiosity was piqued. He listened intently, eager to test his skills and uncover the secrets of Infernal Circles.
"This must be a sign that I should start with my Ghost King Body ritual¡" He muttered, his eyes glimmering with excitement.
Within their ss, they were taught about the four types of Magic Circles that Dark Arts Practitioners wouldmonly use. They were the Necromantic Circle, Infernal Circle, Cursed Circle, and the Chaos Circle.
These Circles may be insignificant depending on the branch of Dark Arts you''ll take, but knowing them was still necessary.
Professor Morton, aware of their enthusiasm, decided to begin the ss.
"As you know, the Infernal Circle had many variations. The Impure Abyss Circle, the Unfair Pact Circle, the Great Torment Circle, and the Sinner''s Circle¡ We did not deeply discuss these circles, but you all know what an Infernal Circle could do."
At this point, he asked Warren to tell the ss what he knew about the Infernal Circle.
"Professor, as far as I know, this Circle is used by practitioners to invoke and bargain with demons, devils, or other evil entities. The Circle may be inscribed with sigils, symbols, or names of the infernal powers and may require sacrifices or offerings to appease them."
Professor Morton was satisfied with his answer and continued. "That''s right¡ Among the four variations of Infernal Circles mentioned, I brought a weakened Impure Abyss Circle. However, an important part of the Circle is missing, and you must fill it up using what you''ve learned so far."
He looked at everyone''s reaction, and as expected, they looked even more excited.
"The Magic Circle you''ll create will be tailored to summon a lesser entity, one that the Association does not forbid. Remember, safety is paramount, so we will utilize protective barriers and omit any dangerous elements. Open your notes and books if necessary toplete a version of your Impure Abyss Circle. Once you have a design, present it to me first so I can judge if it''s feasible."
"Yes, Professor!"
Soon, the students brainstormed and sketched their designs.
Chad''s mind raced with ideas. He envisioned a circle adorned with ancient runes and symbols, carefully inscribed to beckon a curious and informative entity from the abyss.
He immediately checked his book about the Magic Circles for these entities.
The ss would be 2 hours long, so they have plenty of time toplete their Circle and use it.
Groups of students were formed as they shared their thoughts and ideas about this activity.
"I want my Impure Abyss Circle to summon something that focuses on knowledge and understanding¡ However, since this is still an Infernal Circle, the knowledge I''ll get would probably be dangerous for me. But it might be a good start." Chad exined, his voice filled with determination.
Lisa, intrigued by Chad''s concept, leaned closer, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"An entity that is knowledgeable? Will it be simr to Mennena, that Arch Fey?" Lisa remarked, her voice brimming with fascination.
"Ahem¡ I''m hoping that it would be as friendly as Mennena, at least." Chad replied.
"I''ve seen many Magic Circles that embody the thirst for knowledge and the pursuit of truth in the second edition of our Advanced Dark Magic Circle Book. You have to check that book if you want something safer." Audreymented on the side.
It seems that she also had the same idea.
With their designs taking shape, the students gathered around Professor Morton to present their Impure Abyss Circles and exin their intentions.
However, Professor Morton shook his head after seeing the design shown by Emily.
It actually required liters of lion''s blood to activate, so Professor Morton immediately advised her, also for everyone''s sake.
"Your design, Emily, shows great ambition, but the requirement of liters of lion''s blood is far too dangerous and impractical. The entity you''re about to summon also wouldn''t survive without the moonlight..." Professor Morton exined, his voice tinged with concern. "We must prioritize safety and ethical practices in our summonings."
Jody, who had designed a circle that drew upon the power of ancient relics, received a simr response from Professor Morton.
"While I appreciate your creativity, Jody, using ancient relics without proper understanding and precautions can lead to unintended consequences¡" Professor Morton cautioned, his voice filled with wisdom. "We must ensure that our summonings do not disrupt the delicate bnce of the infernal realms."
As the ss continued, Professor Morton carefully evaluated each design, highlighting potential ws or dangers that could arise from certain summonings. He stressed the importance of responsible and ethical practices, reminding the students that their actions had consequences beyond the ssroom.
Finally, after several failed attempts, there''s one student who passed Professor Morton''s standard.
Chad, known for his affinity for ancient rituals, showcased a magic circle that will be adorned with flickering candles, darkened skulls, and intricate pentagrams.
"My Impure Abyss Circle represents the ancient traditions and the search for forbidden knowledge¡ or perhaps, I''ll call it Infernal Knowledge¡" Chad shared passionately.
Professor Morton looked at the Magic Circle design for some time before he nodded approvingly, acknowledging Chad''s dedication to exploring the boundaries of infernal magic.
"Well done, Chad¡" Professor Morton praised, his voice filled with admiration. "Your Circle captures the essence of the Impure Abyss beautifully, drawing forth the allure of forbidden knowledge. However, I just noticed that this Magic Circle aims to call a Sage Spirit¡ While they are knowledgeable, I don''t think you''ll get important knowledge from them, so don''t expect too much."
"I undestand, Professor. As long as you confirmed it''s safe, that would be enough." Chad answered with a mysterious smile on his face. As expected, the Professor would never guess his real intention for calling a ''useless'' Sage Spirit.
As time passed, Professor Morton carefully gave advise to half of the already.
After more than 30 minutes, Vale finally stood up bringing his design to the Professor.
Chapter 382 Design
Chapter 382 Design
"Professor Morton, Ipleted my design. Please take a look." Vale said as he approached the Professor.
As soon as he did this, his ssmates immediately stopped what they were doing and watched the Professor. They wanted to know whether Vale would also have his design rejected like many of them.
Professor Morton, his aged eyes twinkling with anticipation, observed the paper in Vale''s hands. He knew very well that Vale didn''t just have abnormal Attribute Strands but also talent in Dark Arts.
"Let''s see what you have, Vale. I''m expecting something good." Professor Morton acknowledged.
Vale presented his Magic Circle, its intricate patterns and pentagrams captivating all who beheld it. The design seemed to dance with a life of its own, pulsating with an otherworldly energy.
''You embedded an intent on the paper?'' Professor Morton was a bit surprised as he realized that Vale''s Spirit Strands seemed to have reached 40 Spirit Strands already!
The one he just made was quite simr to the book on the second floor of the Library in terms of quality! The book there had some intenting from the authors, allowing their readers to immediately understand the book''s essence!
In short, the paper that Vale was holding deserved to be ced on the second floor of the Vermont Academy''s Library!
"Y-you¡ Do you know what you just did with this paper?" Professor Morton stuttered as he asked Vale.
Vale, on the other hand, was frozen by Professor Morton''s reaction.
''Did I fail?'' Vale said in his mind as he realized that Professor Morton''s anticipation had changed into a shocked expression as if he couldn''t bear to see the design he had made.
''Where did I go wrong? Is it because Ibined a few things I''ve learned in my extracted memories? Vale thought.
During his time in the Dark Soul Tower, he obtained some random pieces of knowledge, including the Magic Circle Designs.
Vale could only sigh as he answered the Professor''s question.
"It''s my design, Professor. I know that a part of it hasn''t been discussed in our lessons yet, but I made some advanced studies¡ In any case, ording to what I''ve learned, this Magic Circle could simply summon an Imp that would perform Illusions for its summoner. This Infernal Being might be dangerous in normal circumstances, but the Magic Circle contains the Seal of the Silver Star, so it won''t be able to do anything else aside from performing weak illusions until the effect of the circle is gone."
"No¡ I''m not talking about that, Vale. I think that this paper had an Intent on it¡ Only special practitioners can nt their Intent in things they drew or written. Anyone including those without the knowledge of the Arcane, would easily understand what you were trying to convey once they see this. It''s quite simr to the book on the second and third floors of the Library."
Vale was stunned by the Professor''s praise. He had a chance to enter the second floor of the Library before, so he was well aware of what the books could do on that floor!
''Did I not notice it since I''m the one who made it?'' Vale thought.
His ssmates who were waiting for the Professor''s evaluation were also surprised. Professor Morton had barely nced at the paper and was already shocked! He didn''t have to say directly, but Vale''s design might be incredible.
Seeing that Vale was indeed unaware of how great the paper was, Professor Morton decided to calm down. He must report it to the Headmasterter.
He no longer doubts Vale''s talent at all.
"Thank you, Professor. I didn''t realize it had reached this level. I must consider myself fortunate," Vale responded with a smile, though Professor Morton sensed that luck alone couldn''t have brought about such a remarkable achievement.
With a sigh, Professor Morton decided to delve deeper into studying the Magic Circle that Vale had presented.
As he examined the design, he recognized it as a simple Abyss Circle capable of summoning an Imp. However, what fascinated him was the additional feature of enhanced illusion abilities bestowed upon the summoned Imp. Professor Morton appreciated Vale''s decision to incorporate the Seal of the Silver Star, a symbol that could control and limit the Imp''s actions.
"This is an intriguingbination, Vale¡" Professor Mortonmented, though he noted a practical w in the design. "While the inclusion of the Silver Star ismendable, it may prove too potent, even capable of suppressing a Death Knight. Nevertheless, it remains suitable for use in certain situations."
Vale breathed a sigh of relief, relieved to hear Professor Morton''s positive assessment of his Magic Circle design.
His ssmates, witnessing the exchange, apuded and expressed their curiosity, eager to examine Vale''s creation.
They immediately asked him if they could have a look.
Observing the growing interest, Professor Morton intervened, suggesting that Vale ce the design on the table for everyone to explore.
"If it''s alright with you, Vale. Just ce the design on the table so everyone can take a look."
After hearing this, Vale didn''t hesitate to agree. He was nning to show it to his friends anyway. So he might as well show it to everyone who wanted to gain some inspiration.
As Vale ced the design on the table, the atmosphere in the ssroom shifted, bing bustling and lively. Students gathered around, examining the Magic Circle with great interest. They began to grasp the significance of Professor Morton''s earlier remarks, experiencing the sensations of information being transmitted directly to their minds.
''So this is the intent that the Professor mentioned.''
''How mystical... Did he cast a spell on it?''
''This is incredible... This wasn''t even taught in our ss yet. Just how did he learn to do this...''
In awe of Vale''s aplishment, their perception of him transformed. They now recognized the difficulty involved in creating such a design, with some even unaware that such possibilities existed.
In the end, the ss took a lot more time as they tried perfecting their Magic Circle. The two-hour ss wasn''t enough, and they had to continue this activity in the next lesson.
Chapter 383 Path Recommendations
Chapter 383 Path Rmendations
Months slipped away like grains of sand in an hourss¡
Maya Featherstar, a top student from ss 1, achieved remarkable sess in her studies. Her natural talent, partnered with her relentless pursuit of knowledge, propelled her to the pinnacle of her ss¡
Perhaps, if it wasn''t for Vale''s monstrous performance over the past few months, she would always be the topic of the academy''s publication for the third-year batch.
''This guy¡ He''s really having the time of his life.'' Mayamented as she read the newspaper while having her tea.
ording to the news, Vale Chambers'' rtionship with Lisa Grayback deepened with each passing day. Maya wasn''t sure, but Vale must''ve liked the cutemoner.
The newspaper was even written by his ssmate, Emily Ga, so the news was quite reliable. Emily had even noted how the two were always together, and it was observed keenly by their fellow ssmates and Professors.
They radiated an undeniable intimacy that left others curious and intrigued.
Maya, annoyed by the content of the newspaper, crumpled it up and threw it away.
Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, Chad Bulmung embarked on a covert quest.
Driven by an unyielding determination, he sought toplete the ritual of the Ghost King Body. He was treading a treacherous path fraught with danger and uncertainty, but he knew that this was his only chance to achieve better results and not lose out with his friends that are quickly improving.
Chad''s solitary journey showcased his ambition and unwavering resolve as he delved into the darkness, hungering for power beyond the norm.
As for Aubrey Hall, she had also started training, honing her Spirit Strands. Only a few knew about her dedicated practice as she worked tirelessly to master her skills.
As seasons changed, several months flew by, bringing the students into the final month of their third year.
This crucial period marked the long-awaited rmendations from their respected professors concerning their future paths in the Dark Arts. Anticipation hung heavy in the air as they prepared to receive the guidance they needed.
Although all the students probably have a Dark Arts Branch in their mind that they''d want to join, they still like to hear the opinions of their Professors. After all, their rmendation would be based on their performance over the past three years.
The Professors wouldn''t just tell them what Branch they were fitted to but also exin why they reached that conclusion.
***
Inside the confines of ss 2, an air of anticipation filled the room as the students anxiously awaited their fate. Professor Ste Harrison, the one entrusted with the task of delivering the long-awaited rmendations, stood before them.
"As you all know, our Dark Arts Path consists of five branches: the Rituals Branch, the Dark Alchemy Branch, the Dark Magic Branch, the Essential Corruption Branch, and the Necromancy Branch." Professor Harrison began, her voice carrying a hint of authority.
"Remember, the rmendation I''ll provide today is not solely my decision but a collective agreement among the professors. While there are other factors at y, they need not be disclosed."
Understanding the gravity of the moment, the students responded in unison, their voices tinged with excitement and curiosity.
"We understand, Professor."
Professor Harrison nodded at this and continued, her gaze scanning the room before she announced the first name.
"Dalton Stranway, the unanimous rmendation from the professors is the Dark Magic Branch. Your academic performance is above average, your Power Strands are low, you rank within the top 8 in Spirit Strands, and your Life Strands are normal. Additionally, you have reached the peak stage of the Elementary Realm in Darkness Maniption Spell. Lastly, ording to the records you''ve reported, you still have four empty Spell Lights. If these records are urate, the Dark Magic Branch is indeed the suitable path for you."
The revtion left the ss stunned, as they were well aware of Dalton''s inclination towards the Rituals Branch. Their gaze shifted towards him, a mixture of surprise andplexity in their eyes.
Sensing the ss''s reaction, Professor Harrison addressed their concerns. "Based on Dalton''s previous activities involving Magic Circles, Spirit Communication, and Incantation Practices, it is advisable to reconsider the Rituals Branch."
Dalton could only nod in response, his mind swirling with conflicting thoughts.
He was not ready to give up on his initial intention, but he would certainly take the Professor''s words into careful consideration. After all, there were still a few weeks left before they had to finalize their selection of which Dark Arts Branch to pursue in their fourth year.
Next on the list was Leonore Rnd, and the room held its breath as Professor Ste Harrison prepared to reveal her rmendation for the aspiring student.
"Leonore Rnd, after careful consideration, the professors have unanimously agreed to rmend you to the Rituals Branch." Professor Harrison announced, her voice carrying a note of certainty.
"Your academic performance showcasesmendable dedication, while your Power Strands are within the average range. In terms of Spirit Strands, you rank among the top 5 in the ss, and your Life Strands exhibit promising potential. Furthermore, you have disyed remarkable progress in the Intermediate Realm of Spirit Communication."
The ss listened intently, their eyes fixed on Leonore, who sat with a mixture of anticipation and hope.
Professor Harrison continued, providing additional insights. "Your involvement in various activities rted to Magic Circles, Incantation Practices, and the study of ancient rituals has demonstrated your affinity for the Rituals Branch. Your meticulous attention to detail and your ability to connect with the mystical forces make this Branch an ideal fit for you."
As the weight of the Professor''s words settled upon Leonore''s shoulders, a sense of fulfillment and purpose washed over her. The Rituals Branch, a path she had long yearned for, now stood within reach.
Soon, Emily Ga was rmended to the Essential Corruption Branch. It was then followed by ir Etton and Warren Lawstein being rmended to the Necromancy Branch.
Professor Harrison, knowing that Warren is one of the top students, added.
"Remember, Warren, the final choice rests with you. Take this rmendation as a guiding light, but ultimately, it is your passion and determination that will shape your future."
Then, it was Lisa''s turn.
She wanted to enter the Dark Alchemy Branch for Lesley''s sake, so she could only hope that the professors would also think that it would be a good choice for her.
Chapter 384 More Recommendations
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As Lisa''s name was called, the students stopped chatting as they were also curious about her.
Although she doesn''t have any connection to the Dark Arts Faction, her achievements over the past year couldn''t be denied. All eyes were fixed on her as Professor Harrison revealed her rmendation.
"Lisa, after careful deliberation, the professors have put forth two potential branches for your consideration." Professor Harrison announced, her voice carrying a tone of assurance.
"You have shown exceptional promise in two areas: the Essential Corruption Branch and the Dark Alchemy Branch. Both hold unique opportunities for your growth and exploration within the realm of Dark Arts."
''Two Branches of Dark Arts?''
''Does it mean that she was that awesome?''
''No¡ That''s now how you measure her talent. Perhaps she''s just that in, so she wouldn''t excel in one Branch.''
A murmur of intrigue rippled through the ssroom as Lisa listened to the Professor.
Professor Harrison continued, shedding light on the reasoning behind the rmendation. "In the Essential Corruption Branch, your academic performance has beenmendable, showcasing a deep understanding of the intricacies of manipting corruptive energies. Your Spirit Strands, ording to Professor Lucius, exhibit a natural affinity for the darker forces... It means that you might be capable of connecting with the Evil Creatures."
She paused briefly before shifting her focus to the second rmendation, the Dark Alchemy Branch. "On the other hand, your unwavering dedication to the art of alchemy and your meticulous attention to detail have not gone unnoticed. The Dark Alchemy Branch holds the promise of honing your skills in the delicate transmutation of substances."
Lisa nodded at this as her mind raced with the possibilities thaty before her: the Essential Corruption Branch, with its allure of harnessing malevolent energies, or the Dark Alchemy Branch, where the secrets of transformative potions, pills, and others awaited her.
Although her mind was in the Dark Alchemy Branch, she also couldn''t help but recall that Lesley was known for being an expert in two branches. They were the Rituals Branch and the Dark Alchemy.
''Perhaps I should also have expertise in two branches?'' Lisa mused as she reconsidered her future ns.
She may not think twice if she only had one option, but having two rmendations from the Professors gave her confidence that she might have the same talent as Lesley.
"Remember, Lisa, this is not a unanimous agreement among the professors. The final choice rests with you, and it is a reflection of your aspirations and the path you wish to embark upon. Consider your passions, your strengths, and the future you wish to create within the Dark Arts." Professor Harrison concluded.
Lisa nodded, a mixture of thoughtful contemtion evident in her eyes.
The rmendations continued, and after a few minutes, there were only a few students who hadn''t been called yet.
"Felicia, the professors have unanimously agreed to rmend you to the Rituals Branch¡"
Felicia''s eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and pride while Jody, her best friend, listened intently. She could already tell that their destinies were taking separate turns.
"Jody¡." Professor Harrison continued. "After careful consideration, the professors have rmended you to the Dark Magic Branch. Your exceptional grasp of spellcasting and natural aptitude for manipting dark energies have been exceptional."
''Indeed¡'' Jody silently thought. They were both rmended for the path they wanted to take.
Nevertheless, the once inseparable pair of friends were about to be split up, their paths diverging in the realm of Dark Arts.
A somber silence settled upon them as the realization sank in.
Felicia and Jody exchanged nces. They could only hope that they''d remain friends even after going on a different path.
Soon, it was Roswell and Larry''s turn. They were theckeys of the missing Neil Sommerhalder.
It was quite surprising since both of their names were called at once. However, it was no surprise that they were both rmended to the Necromancy Branch, given their families'' long-standing affinity for the Dark Arts Branch. The legacy of necromancy ran deep within their bloodlines, and their destiny seemed preordained.
Soon, it was Aubrey Hall''s turn. Coming from a wealthy family of merchants, she entered the Academy with an open mind, ready to embrace whichever path the Professors deemed suitable for her.
Professor Harrison''s voice resonated. "Aubrey, the professors have rmended you to the Necromancy Branch."
''Necromancy Branch? How did I get rmended for that? Can I use my money to get a stronger summoned?'' Aubrey wryly smiled as she shook her head.
Her initial surprise quickly transformed into a sense of eptance. Her family''s merchant background may have seemed inappropriate for this path, but the professors had probably recognized something within her.
Professor Ste noticed Aubrey''s nonchnt expression and thought that Aubrey wouldn''t take the rmendation seriously.
With this in mind, she immediately gave a piece of advice, her voice carrying a blend of wisdom and insight.
"Aubrey, Necromancy, at its core, is not solely about the maniption of death and the afterlife. It epasses the delicate bnce between life and death, the cycles of existence, and the understanding of the energies that intertwine them. You might enjoy this Branch more than the others, so think carefully."
"I understand, Professor. I''ll think about this carefully." Aubrey replied.
After her, there were only two students left. They were Chad and Vale.
As Vale thought that he would be calledst, he suddenly heard his name being called.
"Vale Chambers¡" Professor Harrison announced.
"Most of the Professors have rmended you to take the Rituals Branch."
A collective gasp filled the room as the students absorbed this unexpected turn of events. Whispers of surprise and spection reverberated among them¡
''Rituals Branch?''
''Howe he got rmended with this branch?''
''Not sure¡ Perhaps this Branch is better than I thought?''
With Vale''s current strength and talent, they thought that he would be rmended to the Dark Magic Branch. It was quite unexpected that he got rmended to a branch that doesn''t excel in intensebat.
However, Professor Ste Harrison''s words did not end there, as she continued. "In addition, a select few professors have also recognized your unique potential and have rmended you to the Necromancy Branch."
Chapter 385 Better Than Vale?!
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''Rituals and Necromancy Branch?'' Vale raised his brows as he listened to the Professor.
Vale felt a wave of disappointment after hearing this... The Dark Magic Branch, the path he had set his sights on, had not been rmended at all.
Although he still felt that he should just choose the Dark Magic Branch despite not being rmended, he didn''t feel good that it wasn''t among the options given by the Professors.
The allure of the Necromancy Branch, with its dealings involving corpses, zombies, and other eerie practices, initially piqued his curiosity since it would help his Divine Extraction System.
This branch would surely give him plenty of chances to Extract.
However, now that his System could extract living things and even objects at some times, he no longer needed to be attached to the corpses.
Furthermore, the Necromancy Branch, with its darker and potentially unsettling practices, didn''t align with his true aspirations. He couldn''t shake off the feeling that it would lead him down a path he wasn''t ready to embrace fully. No¡ªHe didn''t want to get used to the practices of the Necromancy at all.
The Rituals Branch, on the other hand, called to him in a different way.
Vale recognized his natural affinity for the Spirit World and rted phenomena. After all, his experience with the Messenger, Lotus, and Yvaine could prove this.
After careful consideration, Vale made his decision.
However, he continued looking at the Professor, waiting for her to exin a few things.
"Our rmendations were carefully selected after considering all your grades in various subjects. You should know that your grade in Magic Circles Study is at the top of the ss. Your innate abilities to channel and harmonize energies make you a perfect candidate to delve into the intricate art of rituals. It is within this branch that you''ll uncover the secrets of Ancient Ceremonies and learn to wield the power of Darkness beyond our Realm..."
The ss fell into a hushed silence as they were fascinated by the unique rmendation. Some of them were also rmended to the Rituals Branch, but the Professor didn''t give them such a high evaluation¡
''The Power of Darkness beyond our Realm? What was that? Is there a different form of Darkness?''
This was a question that everyone wanted to ask.
However, Professor Harrison wasn''t finished yet.
"In the Rituals Branch, you will not only embrace your natural affinity but also explore the depths of your own potential. You should know by now that your affinity with Dark Spirits isn''t normal. If you study this branch, you will learn to navigate the intricate threads that connect our world with the Spirit Realm. You might be able to help Sir Heinz with this path."
This confused the other students since they had no idea who Sir Heinz was.
Nevertheless, seeing that Vale wasn''t confused, they could tell that Sir Heinz might actually be his backer. They could only think that the man was perhaps from the Chambers Family, whom the Professor knew.
Vale nodded at this, showing his acknowledgment.
Professor Ste Harrison then shifted her focus to the other branch.
Her eyes filled with a mix of caution as she began to address the topic of the Necromancy Branch.
"Just to be clear, Vale¡" Professor Harrison began, her voice carrying a note of caution.
"The Necromancy Branch has been rmended by two esteemed Professors within our academy. While I may not personally endorse this path, their belief in your potential to summon an Abyssal Knight is worth considering."
As she spoke, whispers spread through the ssroom. The students exchanged uncertain nces.
''W-what?''
''Abyssal Knight? Did I hear it correctly?''
''Does it mean that he has the potential to reach the Golden-Rank Necromancers?''
''No¡ It might even be above that!''
His ssmates started whispering as they knew very well that the Abyssal Knight wasn''t just above the Death Knight. The Abyssal Knight is on a whole different level. Even the Arcane Association would ban this Undead Being from being summoned if possible.
The notion of summoning an Abyssal Knight, a creature of immense power, held both fascination and trepidation among the students.
"I must stress, however, that delving into the realm of necromancy is not without its risks¡" Professor Harrison continued. "The intricate knowledge and control required to manipte the forces of death and summon such beings is not to be taken lightly. The path of the Necromancy Branch demands utmost caution and unwavering dedication."
The room fell into a contemtive silence.
Professor Harrison''s words seemed to echo, cautioning Vale against cing too much hope in the possibility.
''Abyssal Knight sounds cool¡ However, I don''t think I can Extract a Necromancer with this Summoning Spell. Should I learn how to summon it instead?'' Vale mused.
"Ahem¡ I would advise against getting your hopes up, in case the two Professors have made a mistake in their high evaluation." She added, her voice tinged with a hint of concern.
"It is vital to approach this branch with realistic expectations and a deep understanding of the potential consequences."
Professor Harrison concluded, her voice filled with finality¡ "The choice ultimately rests with you, Vale. Consider the rmendations carefully, weighing the risks and rewards of each path. You still have a couple of weeks before you submit your chosen path.
Finally, it was Chad Bulmung''s turn. He was thest student to be called.
"Chad, the professors have unanimously agreed to rmend you to the Dark Magic Branch based on your performance. Your grades in various subjects might show that you have the skills to be ced in the Rituals Branch, but we''ve all agreed that your current Spirit Strands and 7 Empty Spell Lights would greatly help you in the Dark Magic Branch."
"What? You have seven empty Spell Lights?!" Aubrey, the one seated beside Chad, asked in surprise.
The others were also stunned since they weren''t 18 yet!
Their mouths hung open as they looked at Chad in shock.
He already has 7 Empty Spell Lights!
If they include the Spells he learned before attending the Academy and the required Spells they should learn, it means he would surely have at least 12 Spell Lights before turning 18!
They would already feel great if they could have a total of 9 Spell Lights before they turn 18, but Chad had actually reached this level already!
It appears that he was more incredible than Vale!
Chapter 386 My Jobs?
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''Ohh¡'' Even Vale was quite surprised since he had seen many old practitioners with a small number of Spell Lights.
Chad''s number of empty Spell Lights was indeed impressive.
He knew this well since he always used his Divine Sense to tell the number of Spell Lights of the people around him.
Even some of the Professors in the Academy only have 9 or 10 Spell Lights.
Seeing that Chad had no questions, Professor Ste continued.
"Very well¡ Think about the path that you''ll choose for this couple of weeks before submitting the form to the faculty."
With a nod, Professor Harrison concluded her remarks, leaving Vale and his ssmates to ponder the Branch of Dark Arts that was rmended to them.
Soon, the students gathered around as they talked about their ns once again. Many of them didn''t get rmended to the Branch they wanted, so they continued seeking the opinions of their ssmates on whether they should follow the rmendation or continue with their nned Branch of Dark Arts.
Nevertheless, Vale and his friends seemed to be quite satisfied with the rmendations they had.
Vale didn''t have to ponder his options for too long.
After all, he realized that he no longer had to join the Dark Magic Branch because he could easily extract Dark Spells using his Divine Extraction System, whether they were living or not.
Furthermore, the rmendation for the Rituals Branch intrigued him. The rituals, ceremonies, and advanced magic circles he would learn couldn''t be easily extracted like spells.
After all, he knew it would be challenging to obtain such knowledge from Memory Fragments, so he knew this was the right decision.
He could only set aside the allure of Necromancy. The Necromancy Branch, with its focus on manipting life and death, held a darkness that didn''t align with his values¡ and aesthetics, so he just couldn''t ept it.
''Well¡ It''s probably not too bad if I learn the summoning method of the Abyssal Knight.'' Vale mused. It''s not like the Branch he takes could stop him from learning other Dark Spells.
During the next few days, Vale thought, reading a few things about the Ritualists.
He wanted to set his expectations about the things he would learn in the next few years or about his future once he graduated.
Every day after ss, he would visit his club, which wasn''t as lively as before. Since it would be the end of the year, the duels and otherbat practices that required the Arena had lowered.
He would meet with Nadine and a few seniors in the club and ask about their opinion on the Rituals Branch.
"Right. Are you curious about what kind of jobs you''ll get as a Ritualist after graduating?" Nadine suddenly asked, which made Vale lean with interest.
He was alone in the clubroom reading a book he borrowed from the Library. The book was about the Church of the Three Paragons, and he was getting bored with it already. Luckily, Nadine came in.
"I didn''t think of that Senior Nadine. Tell me about it¡" Vale replied as he closed his book.
"Hehe¡ I knew it. You did not even consider that. I guess your family is that rich, huh¡ Anyway, I know six possible jobs you can get. I know them because some of my friends in that Branch had already graduated andnded in some of those jobs. They earn about 500 to 800 zen monthly, so it wasn''t that bad. "
"Six types of jobs? Mhmm¡ I guess that''s already good." Vale muttered. Having many options for a job title was certainly a good start.
As for the monthly earnings, he knew from his father that the minimum wage workers earn about 30 to 40 zen per week. So the 500 to 800 zen per month was indeed not bad for an Arcane Arts Practitioner.
"Yes, they are ult Consultants, Paranormal Investigators, Museum Curators or Artifact Experts, Ritual Designers or Event nners, Arcane Historians or Researchers, and a maybe Teacher here in the Academy¡" Nadine exined as she started brewing her tea in the clubroom.
"Interesting¡" Vale muttered. "Thank you for informing me about them." He said in gratitude. He could certainly guess what kind of work they were with those job titles, but he couldn''t help but be curious and wanted to visit the Library if he could find anything about these jobs.
"You don''t have to visit the Library. I know about them. Just join me here." Nadine said as she served tea to Vale as well.
The two of them sat down and chatted about the jobs that Vale may take after graduating.
It was such an interesting conversation for Vale since he realized how he would actually get himself ustomed to the outside world once he finished studying.
If he became an ult Consultant, he could assist individuals or organizations in performing rituals for specific purposes, providing guidance on magical practices, and helping them tap into the hidden powers of the supernatural realm or the Spirit World.
''Sounds like a low-paying job¡'' Vale mused.
On the other hand, the Paranormal Investigator was quite eptable to him. With his knowledge of rituals and the Spirit World, he could be hired to explore haunted locations, conduct investigations into supernatural phenomena, and provide insights into the spiritual or mystical aspects of such urrences.
''This shouldn''t be such a difficult job. Furthermore, most of the people who would probably require my help are those nonpractitioners. It would feel great helping them.'' He thought.
However, Nadine would actually like it if he became a Museum Curator or Artifact Expert. His understanding of ancient rituals and magical artifacts could make him a valuable asset in museums or historical institutions. He could specialize in curating exhibits rted to dark magic, ult history, and ancient rituals. His expertise would also involve identifying and authenticating mystical artifacts while providing insights into their historical and magical significance.
It seemed such a very safe job that would rarely involve getting hurt unless the mystical artifacts he would deal with were dangerous.
"Ahhh¡ I''m wrong. I think being a Ritual Designer or nner will suit you the best! You have a lot of Spirit Strands, right? With that many strands, I think you can even help with the rituals of other Arcane Arts Practitioners, not just the Darkness Path." Nadine suddenly said as she recalled the fourth job she had suggested.
Vale wryly smiled after hearing what this job would make him do. Apparently, his task on this job would involve creating unique and enchanting experiences for special asions, incorporating elements of dark mysticism, magic, and ancient traditions into weddings, parties, or other ceremonial events.
Chapter 387 How Does It Work?
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Vale didn''t like being an Event nner, although it was probably a good option if he wanted a safe environment.
However, he couldn''t do that since a safe environment would be a misery for him. After all, he wouldn''t find anything he could extract with such a job.
Of course, these were only his thoughts if he ever graduated¡ He wasn''t even sure if he would still be here in the Academy in the next couple of years.
"T-that''s quite a safe job indeed, Senior Nadine." Vale replied to the kind senior.
"Hahaha! I was just messing with you. What''s with that reaction? I don''t think being an Event nner suits you."
Vale helplessly smiled as he realized that Nadine wasn''t being serious just now.
"Anyway, the Arcane Historian or Researcher might be a good choice if you want to do plenty of research to advance this Branch. My friend is an Arcane Historian and is currently working for an organization backed by several rising nobles. He would delve into the history of dark magic, study ancient texts, uncover lost rituals and lost Dark Arts, and contribute to academic research in the field of Arcane Studies."
Vale nodded as this indeed sounds like a decent job than being a nner.
"Lastly, I mentioned that you can be a Teacher in this Academy¡ However, you can also be an Author. You can share your knowledge and experiences by writing. It can be about the history and practice of rituals and create educational resources for aspiring practitioners¡ My tutor was like that. He was teaching various courses or workshops and guided many students."
Nadine paused for a moment and added.
"I heard some rumors that you can already infuse your Intent to your writings or drawings¡ You might be one of the best Book Authors if you can create a book filled with your Spiritual Intent."
"That was just a single piece of paper, Senior Nadine. It would be too much for me if I did that in a whole book with hundreds of pages." Vale replied while shaking his head.
"Haha! That''s indeed quite difficult. At the very least, you might finish your book for a year or two if you write a single page daily." Nadine chuckled.
The two chatted for a bit more as Vale asked about her friends working as a Ritualist.
It was such an eye-opener for him since the Dark Arts Practitioners were bing increasingly connected to society. He certainly likes this development since he may no longer be worried about being recognized as a Dark Arts Practitioner in the future.
***
After spending some time in the clubroom, Vale made his way back to his dormitory, gathering a few essential items before heading towards the Training Hall. Among the items he carried was his treasured Golden Pocketwatch, which he suspected might hold a deeper secret.
Reserving a Practice Room for himself from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Vale entered the Training Hall with anticipation. It was time to explore the potential powers of his Golden Pocketwatch, which he now believed could be the very same Temporal Timepiece that once belonged to Katharina Carlisle, the mysterious corpse he had discovered in the Dark Soul Tower.
Using his Extraction System, Vale had managed to extract memories from Katharina''s trapped Soul, revealing the existence of the Temporal Timepiece and its extraordinary abilities.
After being inspired by the memories he had witnessed, Vale was determined to unlock the pocketwatch''s power and harness it for his own purposes.
Well, he was only able to do his experiment now since the pocketwatch seemed to have recovered more than half of its energy already. It should be enough to pull off some unique abilities from the pocketwatch.
Putting it together with the Stormbringer was probably a good idea as it hastened the item''s recovery.
''I really want this item to be fully functional before the Competition¡'' Vale silently thought as he felt that the Twelve Academies Competition was too suspicious.
After all, Headmaster Jean was willing to give up his control over his shadow if he won one of its contests. It must not be that easy.
The condition was too good to be true, and there must be a catch that he wasn''t aware of yet.
Clink!
With great focus, Vale began his experiments, trying to replicate the actions and intentions of Katharina as he had observed in her memories.
''Was it Time Dtion?'' Vale thought as he scoured the memories of the olddy.
He carefully manipted the flowing energy of the pocketwatch. Then, he opened the cover of the watch by pressing the button at the top. After that, he used the crown, or the small knob, to turn the hands of the pocketwatch, and whispered incantations that he recalled in the hopes of activating the pocketwatch''s hidden temporal abilities.
Time passed as Vale tirelessly persisted, trying variousbinations and techniques, but despite his efforts, he couldn''t seem to awaken the desired powers within the pocketwatch.
Frustration washed over him as he realized that his attempts were in vain. The pocketwatch remained silent and ordinary, refusing to reveal the mysterious abilities he had hoped to unlock.
''What am I missing?'' Vale frowned as he believed that he had already tried everybination he could think of.
''So is it about being a Demi-Human?'' Vale silently thought.
''Should I be a Demi-Human first? How does that even work?''
He had tried researching the Demi-Humans before, but he couldn''t find anything. At the very least, he doesn''t seem to have any authority to ess such information.
In short, he was at a dead end.
''No¡ There must be a different exnation¡ My Stormbringer is usable. I guess I really have to do the Soul Bonding method. Tsk¡ The only problem is that I can''t tell whether my Soul is strong enough to bind two powerful objects at the same time.'' Vale wryly smiled after reaching this thought.
He had thought of using the Soul Bonding Method with this pocketwatch before, but the books he got from Professor Gale Evans made him cautious of binding two Mystical Items at once, especially at their level. His Soul might torn apart if it was too much, so it might be better to follow the book and bind another item after two years.
As Vale left the Training Hall, he was thinking of having his dinner, but he was soon stopped by a familiar voice in his head.
It was Headmaster Jean¡
"Vale,e to my office. Your master had sent you a gift. He probably knows you''ll participate in the Twelve Academies Competition¡"
Chapter 388 Upgrade?
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"Hmm?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected message from Headmaster Jean, Vale''s curiosity piqued. Without hesitation, he altered his course and made his way to the Headmaster''s office, wondering what gift his master, Dark Alchemist Heinz Becker, had sent.
''He finally thought of sending something for me. If I hadn''t stolen all that money from the pockets of the corpses before, I would''ve starved to death here.'' Vale mused, exaggerating his situation.
Well, even if he didn''t pick up their money, he could certainly earn some money here if he wanted to.
Clink~
Upon arriving at the office, Vale was greeted by the imposing figure of Headmaster Jean, who wore an enigmatic smile.
Behind him, a small package wrapped in ck velvet sat on the desk, emanating an aura of mystery.
Headmaster Jean gestured for Vale toe closer. "Vale, your master has been keeping a close eye on your progress. He believes in your potential, and with the Twelve Academies Competition approaching, he probably sent you this gift to aid you in thepetition..."
"Mhmm¡ Thank you, Headmaster. You even troubled yourself. You should have just left it in my dormitory." Vale replied in gratitude.
He felt that the Headmaster shouldn''t even deal with this matter. He could''ve just used one of his Shadow Soldiers to send the package to him.
''Ahhh¡'' Vale paused as he looked at the Headmaster carefully.
''Does it mean that this gift is quite special?'' Vale''s eyes suddenly lit up as he reached this thought.
Since the Headmaster had to give it directly to him, the gift was probably something important or perhaps he was just overthinking these things.
Headmaster Jean seemed to know his thoughts as she smiled at him.
"Here¡ I already inspected it with my Spell. It should be safe. I''m also unaware of what kind of item it contains, so I''m guessing that it''s rted to the Malefic Branch. It''s quite interesting since I can''t recognize its energy fluctuation."
"Malefic Branch? I guess that makes sense, Headmaster." Vale replied with a nod.
He then carefully unwrapped the package, revealing a beautifully crafted obsidian amulet adorned with intricate runic symbols¡ or at least what it looks like.
The Amulet resonated with dark energy, pulsating with an otherworldly glow.
Headmaster Jean continued. "There was a note in his letter to me¡ Heinz mentioned that the Amulet he''s giving to you is his creation. It is probably imbued with the essence of malefic energies, designed to enhance your abilities and provide you with an edge in thepetition."
Of course, this was only his guess since he was still unsure about the Malefic Dark Arts that Vale had learned.
''Ohhh¡ So this Amulet can increase the power of my Spell Dispersion¡ Interesting. I just hope that it helps me control it instead.'' Vale mused. After all, his Spell Dispersion still affects an area instead of a targeted Arcanist. It means that the dispersion of spells would work on his friends'' Spells and even his own.
This was why Spell Dispersion must always be the first to be released in his Spell Attacks. It was also not advisable to use this Spell when doing abination attack with a team unless they were aware of his Spells.
Of course, it''s not every day that he gets a gift, so Vale''s heart swelled with gratitude as he thanked the Headmaster.
The Amulet felt warm against his palm, as if it were calling out to him, urging him to embrace the power it held.
He couldn''t wait to try it out.
After confirming that Headmaster Jean no longer has anything to say, Vale slightly bowed¡
"I''ll take my leave now, Headmaster. I''m going to try this out in the Practice Hall."
"Mhm¡ Go ahead. Make sure that you can wield it." Headmaster Jean replied, waving his hand as he watched the young man leave.
As soon as the door closed, Jean seemed to have recalled something.
"Ahhh¡ Did I mention about his fellow disciples attending the Academy next year?" He muttered. After some thought, he just shook his head¡
Anyway, this matter doesn''t seem to be that important, so he no longer bothered Vale about it.
***
After leaving the Headmaster''s office, Vale couldn''t contain his excitement. He considered going to the Exchange Hall to have this item officially appraised by the mysteriousdy working in that ce.
He knows that with the skills of thatdy, she should be capable of giving him good feedback about this Mystical Item.
However, after some thought, he decided to take the challenge of exploring it on his own. After all, he needed some sort of skill to appraise some items since he had been finding various Mystical Items whenever he went out of the Academy¡ or even just by entering the Dark Soul Tower inside the Academy.
''Mhmm¡ It''s quite unusual, but this is indeed an item for the Malefic Branch.'' Vale silently thought.
Thanks to his Phantasm State, Vale was able to tell that the Amulet was indeed an item for the Malefic Arts.
Soon, Vale reced his current Protector Amulet, adorning his neck, with the Obsidian Amulet. Then, he made his way to the center of the training.
He carefully sped the obsidian Amulet in his hands. Its smooth surface seemed to radiate a subtle warmth.
With determination in his eyes, he began his series of experiments, eager to discover the extent of the Amulet''s power.
As Vale channeled his energy into the Amulet, a surge of Dark Energy enveloped him, enhancing his senses and deepening his connection to his Phantasm State.
''Hmm? Is this simr to the Protector Amulet?'' Vale mused as he felt the simrity to the Amulet he received in his first year at the Academy.
Soon, he felt a peculiar sensation coursing through his body, as if an invisible force was strengthening his very essence.
''This¡''
Vale''s eyes widened.
Through rigorous experimentation, he soon realized that the Amulet had an unexpected effect on his Incorruptible Body!
He immediately felt excited since his Ioruptible Body had already reached Level 9, or the Peak of the Advanced Realm! Perhaps the Amulet could actually allow him to reach the Perfect Realm!
Chapter 389 Year End
?
Vale didn''t immediately celebrate as he didn''t want to be too disappointed.
He continued with his experiments and used the Amulet as a catalyst. It indeed amplifies his physical and spiritual capabilities, allowing him to strengthen his Ioruptible Body¡
However, his intuition was correct. He soon realized a problem.
''What a shame¡''
A wry smile crossed Vale''s face as hepleted his experiments.
The Amulet, though powerful, was inherently limited. It could only aid him in reaching the intermediate realm, a level he had already surpassed.
Nevertheless, he also realized that the Obsidian Amulet helps his Phantasm State much better than his Protector Amulet.
Because of this, he didn''t feel that it was wasted. He decided to continue his Phantasm State Training within the confines of the Practice Room.
Clink!
After some time, Vale opened his pocketwatch and looked at the time.
"Thirty-eight minutes of Phantasm State¡ Not bad." Vale muttered in satisfaction as he finally concluded his unnned training.
The 5 minutes that have been added was already a decent increase.
Then, with the obsidian Amulet around his neck, he made his way to the dining hall. It was time to fill his empty stomach.
***
The following day, Vale dedicated himself to extensive research on the three enigmatic Paragons.
His focus narrowed on finding books and texts that shed light on their identities and the significance of the Stormbringer and the Temporal Timepiece.
"Vale¡ You''re here again." Lisa said with a warm smile after seeing him entering the library.
She couldn''t help but admire her ssmate. After all, Vale was already considered at the top of the ss, but he was still doing some self-studies. He never wasted his time and continued working hard.
Of course, she was also doing the same since she felt that she was stillcking because of herte introduction to the world of mysticism.
"Ahh¡ I found a few interesting books. I''ll be going to the third aisle again¡" Vale replied.
"Mhmm? Third aisle? Are you interested in the five prominent churches or those less likely known or even disbanded churches?" Lisa curiously asked.
After being ssmates with Vale for three years, they had obviously gotten close, and she no longer minded asking such questions.
"Ahh¡ It''s not like that. I was just curious about the Church of the Three Paragons. As you know, they seem to have some connection with the Secret Organization¡ Well, that''s how it appears, but I think they''re just being used as a cover." Vale said with a mysterious smile.
Lisa''s eyes lit up as she liked this type of story.
"Oh? Are you nning to be a detective?" Lisa asked, followed by a soft chuckle.
The two chatted for a bit more before a few students came in, so they decided to get back to their business.
"Let''s see¡ Where did I stop?" Vale muttered.
He soon immersed himself in the ancient tomes, manuscripts, and scrolls that chronicled the Church of Three Paragons. The dusty pages revealed that no one was really studying about these Churches, and he could certainly understand them.
At the very least, he was thankful that this library did not throw away these ''unused'' books.
Soon, he read some fragmented stories of the Paragons, their mythical exploits, and the profound influence they had on the realm of Arcane Arts.
''Paragons can use magic, calling them miracles¡ However, it wasn''t properly noted. They seem more like Mystical Arts Practitioners.'' Vale mused.
With each page turned, his understanding deepened. He also noticed that centuries ago, the world''s Arcane Arts weren''t developed yet. It was still in the exploration stage, and the Paragon''s ''Miracles'' seemed to be quite simple now, especially if they were using nar Spells.
Soon, he discovered that the Church of Three Paragons wasn''t just a revered institution but also a powerful force with over a hundred thousand knights many years ago...
''Is it exaggerated?'' Valemented in his mind.
He wasn''t sure, but he certainly knew that their church in the Melthorn City, where he grew up, didn''t even have a single knight. Well, they were probably not showing themselves, but he certainly couldn''t feel their presence.
Anyway, ording to the book, the Paragons themselves were legendary figures, embodying different aspects of power and wisdom.
''Mhmm¡ It''s getting quite repetitive¡'' Vale silently thought as he read more and more books.
Finally, after some time, when he delved further into the texts, he uncovered references to the Stormbringer and the Temporal Timepiece¡ and a piece of ring.
''This is it!'' Vale''s back straightened as he read the texts carefully.
It became apparent that these artifacts held immense significance, intricately tied to the Paragons and their unparalleled abilities.
''The third item is the Creation Ring worn by the Church''s Pontiff?'' Vale gently nodded as he read this part.
It seems that there was no way for him to obtain all three items of the Paragons.
''That was such a wishful thought¡'' Vale wryly smiled as he shook his head.
***
As the final days of the third-year ss came to a close, a sense of aplishment filled the air, not just the third-year ss but also the other years.
The students of Third-Year ss 2, having submitted their chosen paths within the five branches of Dark Arts, were eager to celebrate their achievements and bid farewell to their shared experiences.
With a collective decision, the students of ss 1 to 4 organized a grand farewell party, merging it with a celebration ofpleting their third year at the Academy. They rented a part of the Assembly Hall of the Academy where they held the part.
The venue was meticulously decorated, with dark hues and shimmering lights creating an enchanting ambiance.
Tables were adorned with low-level lighting mystical artifacts, casting a mesmerizing glow that added to the magical atmosphere.
The students spared no effort in ensuring that the party reflected their shared passion for the Arcane Art.
As the evening approached,ughter and chatter filled the air as the ssmates and friends from other sses gathered together, exchanging stories, reminiscing about their time at the Academy¡
They eagerly discussed their chosen paths within the Dark Arts.
Soon, a familiar voice was heard in the crowd.
"What? Vale chose the Rituals Branch?" Maya asked in disbelief. "Ah..." Realizing that other students heard her, she quickly covered her mouth.
Chapter 390 Exchange Hall
"I guess everyone thought that I''d be taking the Dark Magic Branch¡" Vale muttered as he heard Maya''s reaction.
Considering how he had informed his friends that he was nning to choose the Dark Magic Branch before, he wasn''t too surprised at all.
Nevertheless, what surprised Vale was when he heard that Maya was also taking the Rituals Branch! Initially, he thought that Maya would choose the Dark Alchemy Branch, considering that her Master was from the Branch of Dark Arts¡
''Ahh¡ We actually have the same situation.'' Vale silently thought after recalling that Sherah, Maya''s Master, was also a Dark Alchemist like Heinz.
Anyway, Vale didn''t overthink it.
The feast was a magnificent disy of culinary delights, with various delectable dishes representing different regions and traditions. There were even some expensive enchanted delicacies that shifted vors with each bite to beverages that sparkled like stardust.
Vale made sure to enjoy the meal since he contributed to the expenses as well.
The celebration continued until midnight before they were told to return. Apparently, there would be plenty of spirits within the Assembly Hall, and the concentration of the spiritual energy might causeplications for them.
Vale and others didn''t know that the Assembly Hall was thisplicated, but they didn''t ask further and just concluded the celebration. In any case, they are still inside the Dark Arts Academy, so it wouldn''t be surprising to have such phenomena.
***
Finally, it was the summer break.
During their summer break, almost everyone left the Academy to return to their homes, but Vale found himself fully immersed in his research and experiments with the mystical items he possessed.
Well, Headmaster Jean had prohibited him from leaving the Academy due to what he did when he had previously left.
He had basically offended the Vermont n for what he did to the "traitor" of their n and leaving the Academy right now might be dangerous.
Anyway, Vale embraced the opportunity to delve deeper into his studies, and he would even seek guidance from the professors who were basically living within the confines of the Academy.
He would also spend his time exploring other uses of his Devil Mask and Dagger, the Broken Immortal Item, the unreadable Ancient Book, and other items in his possession.
After a couple of weeks, Vale made up his mind, and he decided to visit the Exchange Hall once again.
As he stepped into the Contribution Points Exchange Hall, he noticed a familiar face among the bustling crowd. It was an Assistant Professor from the third year, although Vale couldn''t recall his name at the moment.
Nevertheless, he approached the Assistant Professor, hoping that he could assist him in his search for the missing or thest part of the Aurora''s Embrace spell model.
"Good morning, Professor¡ I didn''t know that you''re working here as well." Vale greeted as he recalled the otherdy who should be working here. That mysteriousdy, who was sensitive to the Dark Spirit, had left a deep impression on him.
"Vale¡ Why did you not leave to meet with your family? You may not be able to return in the next summer break." The Assistant Professor asked in concern.
"It''s too far from here, Professor..." Vale answered.
Without waiting for his reply, Vale exined his business to the Assistant Professor, mentioning the information he had gathered about the Exchange Hall''s system.
Well, Vale learned that the Necromancy students would get artifacts from the Dark Soul Tower and exchange them for Contribution Points in this Hall.
If this was the case, he was hoping that the missing part of the nar Spell Model would be avable in this very ce.
The Assistant Professor listened attentively, nodding as Vale spoke. Understanding the significance of Vale''s request, he offered to check the inventory of the Exchange Hall to see if they had the final part of the Aurora''s Embrace spell model avable for purchase.
"I''m not too familiar with this Spell Model, and all the mystical items from that Tower aren''t being listed here in normal records. I have to check the inventory myself¡"
"I will wait here, Professor. If you need help, you can just tell me." Vale replied with a nod, even offering his assistance.
As the Assistant Professor left to check the room behind him, Vale had nothing to do, so he just walked around the Exchange Hall and checked the disyed Mystical Items.
As he wandered through the hall, he noticed a newly added section that caught his attention.
It was a disy showcasing the top 10 mystical items that were frequently exchanged with Contribution Points.
Intrigued by this selection, Vale approached the area and examined the items with keen interest.
"Mhhmm? These things are popr?" Vale muttered as he checked the items. Their price ranges from 4 to 10 contribution points.
They were quite cheap so that must be the reason why the students were exchanging for them.
There was also a sign on the shelf where the items were properly listed from the least popr to the most popr.
Bonebound Tome: A mystical copy of a weathered and ancient tome filled with entric, dark rituals and incantations. It grants the reader a deeper understanding of Dark Rituals and the ability tomune with restless spirits.
Corruption Shard: A small, obsidian-like shard infused with dark energy. When held, it enhances the user''s ability to tap into the power of corruption, allowing them to manipte and control dark forces.
Dusk Veil: A dark, flowing cloak that weakens the wearer''s presence and grants movement enhancements when passing through shadows.
Whispering Skull: A small, intricately carved skull that acts as a conduit formunicating with the spirit realm. It amplifies the user''s ability to hear and understand messages from the deceased, aiding in divination and spirit channeling.
Blood Rune Amulet: An amulet adorned with ancient runes and infused with the essence of blood magic. It enhances the user''s proficiency in blood rituals, allowing them to harness life force energy for spells and sacrifices.
"They actually sound really useful..." Vale muttered in interest.
Unfortunately, as he was about to continue checking the other five, the Assistant Professor finally returned and called out to him.
Chapter 391 Aurora
Cleomenes, the Assistant Professor, had meticulously searched through the records and shelves of the Exchange Hall.
It took him some before a glimmer of hope crossed his face as he discovered what Vale had been seeking.
He immediately checked it out of curiosity. After all, Vale was quite popr in his batch, and anything he was interested in was probably something good.
''This crystal¡'' Clemones suddenly frowned as he realized what Spell Model it was. He had to check it once again to make sure, but indeed, it was the Aurora''s Embrace as written in the box. There was no mistake at all.
''Why is he looking for this? Wait¡ Is he nning to record this Spell Model?'' Cleomenes was stunned.
However, he immediately shook his head as it should be impossible to record this Spell. Perhaps Vale was simply interested and would it as a research project since he had already obtained a copy of the three other parts.
After calming down, he confirmed that there was only one remaining copy of the fourth part of the Spell Model¡ It means that it would be more expensive than the other copies.
As soon as he left the storage room, he immediately called Vale and showed the crystal to him.
Vale''s heart raced with excitement as he confirmed its content.
''This is it¡''
He had finally found thest part of the nar Spell Model.
"Unfortunately, since we only have one copy of this, this will be more expensive than the others. It will be worth 3 Contribution Points." Cleomenes said, which surprised Vale.
It seemed luck was on his side.
It wasn''t expensive at all! After all, this was a nar Spell, which will be recognized as Celestial Art by the Divine Extraction System!
''This is great¡'' Vale thought.
However, he couldn''t tell it was cheaper than he anticipated and went along with the Professor.
Then, after showing some hesitation, Vale agreed to exchange the required Contribution Points for the final part of the Aurora''s Embrace Spell Model.
Holding the precious piece in his hands, he felt a surge of aplishment.
He then expressed his gratitude to the Assistant Professor before leaving the Hall.
Cleomenes didn''t mind that Vale seemed to have forgotten his name as he smiled warmly, d to have been of help to a dedicated student like him.
***
Vale immediately made his way back to his room¡ He took a few items with him to record the Spell Model of the Aurora''s Embrace.
He couldn''t do the Spell Recording in his room, so he had to borrow a Practice Room instead.
Apparently, he had already epted the System''s offer to merge his eight Spell Lights.
Thanks to the merge, he was able to get one Golden Spell Light or what the System called as Evolved Spell Light.
It wasn''t a bad trade at all. Considering that his Spell Dispersion had to merge five Spell Lights, the eight Spell Lights for a Golden Spell Light was definitely a good deal, and he would dly take it if he ever had another chance.
Anyway, Vale no longer wasted his time.
As soon as he got into his Practice Room, he went on ahead and made the Animus Haven Magic Circle that he was familiar with¡
To his surprise, this Magic Circle wasn''t just helpful for Dark Arts-rted matters. This could actually be used in various situations, like the recording of the nar Spell Model.
Afterbining all the parts of the Spell Model, Vale was able to start the recording process.
"Let''s do this one at a time¡" Vale muttered to himself.
The recording wasn''t that different from the method he used before. The only difference was that the Spell Model was moreplex.
He expected to fail several times, so he had brought many things with him since he wouldn''t leave the room until he was done.
Finally, after five hours and failing dozens of times, Vale left the room he rented, wobbling from exhaustion.
The Spell Recording process eats a lot of Dark Energy and also exhausts the mind of the Arcanist.
However, this was still a huge sess, considering that he had failed numerous times when he tried recording the Light Absorption Spell. It evensted for months.
This just shows how significant his improvement was.
''I can''t even try the spell right now¡'' Vale thought as he jumped to his bed.
After recording the Spell, his understanding of the nar Spell also deepened.
While the Shadow Maniption requires the shadow of a living target, and the Divine Lightning Call requires an open space to be useful, the Aurora''s Embrace requires the night sky for a powerful effect, but even if not, it would still work.
As hey on his bed, his mind buzzed with excitement¡ He wanted to try using this Spell. It seemed safer than his Divine Lightning after all.
"Yvaine, wake me up after four hours..." Vale said to the loyal Dark Spirit before closing his eyes.
He didn''t have to wait for an answer as he knew she was listening.
As expected, as the night sky gradually enveloped the Academy in darkness, Yvaine came out of his shadow and woke him up¡
"Thank you¡" Vale said as he immediately fixed himself before he ventured outside.
To ensure that there wouldn''t be a problem, he even used his various spells to hide his presence and put a disguise.
For this, he used his Human Shapeshift Spell to change his appearance, Meridian ess Spell to activate his Aura andpletely remove his Dark Energy Fluctuations, Lightspeed Spell to be untraceable, andstly, he equipped the Mystical Dark Cane that he got from the previous Headmaster to ensure that he won''t be recognized.
It was a bit difficult using a fourth spell, but it was still possible if in short duration. Thanks to that, he was able to use his Spell Dispersion to ensure that he went undetected.
After leaving the Academy, he went to a secluded spot miles away where he could fully embrace the "celestial energies" needed to practice the Spell.
"Finally, a good spot." Vale muttered as he stood in a prairie field.
After resting for a bit, he confirmed using his Divine Sense that there was no nearby presence.
With thisst check, he raised his hands towards the sky, palms open, as if he was calling upon the stars above.
In response, the night sky began to shimmer and twinkle with an ethereal glow.
Chapter 392 Trapped
Chapter 392 Trapped
Soon, wisps of what Vale believed as ''celestial energy'' started to gather around him, intertwining with his abundant Dark Aura.
Then, a radiant aura formed around his palms, emanating a mesmerizing blend of shadows and starlight.
With a focused mind and steady control, Vale released the energy, directing it towards a boulder about 100 meters away.
Whoosh~
As the energy made contact, the rock came alive with a breathtaking disy of light. Colors danced and swirled around the rock''s edges, reminiscent of the Northern Lights.
"This looks more attractive than I thought¡" He muttered.
Vale stood in awe, marveling at the beauty and majesty of the Aurora''s Embrace.
It was a spell that truly lived up to its name. It embraces the target with celestial energies and harnesses them to create a spectacle¡
As the disy faded, Vale couldn''t help but feel confused.
''That''s it?'' Vale was a bit dumbfounded after realizing that the Spell just ended. He even felt some of his Divinity Points disappearing from that activation!
''Did I miss something? Maybe my target must be a living being¡''
As he thought that Aurora''s Embrace was a Spell that only works against living beings, something unexpected happened to the boulder.
Crash~
It suddenly crumbled into dust!
The previous 2-meter huge boulder disintegrated just like that!
"This¡"
Vale was speechless after seeing the result of his nar Spell. It seemed so beautiful yet so deadly!
Although the boulder didn''t have any Arcane Energy protecting itself, it was still a tough object and couldn''t be turned into dust so easily. Even some Tier 2 Dark Spell weren''t capable of doing this!
"Amazing¡"
With a mix of excitement and confusion, Vale couldn''t help but be thrilled by the unexpected oue of Aurora''s Embrace spell.
The power it held was far greater than he had anticipated, as evident by the boulder crumbling into dust with a single touch of celestial energy. He didn''t even gather much ''celestial energy'' from that attack.
Furthermore, this is just a level 0 nar Spell¡
A surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins as he realized the immense potential and destructive force of the Spell.
If possible, he wanted to try it if it would work the same way with Spiritual Beings, Zombies, or other Arcanists.
Vale wanted to check the dust to see if there was some remnant energy from his attack, but as he was about to approach it, he sensed a presence approaching. The person was moving fast, and he would estimate that he would arrive in just 10 seconds or so.
rmed by another person''s presence, Vale moved without hesitation. He swiftly activated his Lightspeed Spell, disappearing from the location in an instant. His body moved with such speed that it seemed as if he had teleported.
Whooosh~
The prairie field became silent once again.
Vale''s decision to leave quickly was driven by his instinct to protect his identity and avoid unnecessary attention.
He also didn''t bother using his Divine Sense to identify the person who had been hurrying toward his location since it would just waste his time. It was better to just retreat to the safety of the Vermont Academy.
He may be curious about the approaching person, but it was better to just leave¡
***
As Vale swiftly disappeared using his Lightspeed Spell, he believed he had evaded any potential pursuers. However, much to his surprise, he failed to detect the presence of three individuals who had stealthily approached his location.
''A trap?'' Vale was surprised, but he didn''t panic.
He used his Divine Sense, and luckily, the Spell was effective on them.
It means that these people weren''t as great as Sherman, who couldn''t even be detected by the Divine Sense of the Holy Arts Faction.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 10 filled Spell Lights.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 11 filled Spell Lights.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 10 filled Spell Lights.
Elemental Arts Practitioner with 12 filled Spell Lights.
''Hmm? Elemental Arts Practitioner?'' Vale knitted his brows in confusion as he realized that the man he had detected first was an Elementalist.
As for the three figures who had surrounded him, two of them were d in the distinct uniforms of the squad members from the Order of the Evanescent Vessels, so it was pretty easy to identify them.
The other man, on the other hand, was a familiar dark cloak and should be their squad captain.
''It''s not the sixth or the fifth squad¡'' Vale silently thought as he had already seen the vice-captain and captains of those two squads. The cloak they were all wearing had the same quality.
"Who are you?" one of the captains demanded, his voiceced with authority.
There was no way Vale would answer the truth.
With a quick decision, he maintained his disguised form, keeping his true nature hidden.
"Clovis Skye¡ I''m just passing by and not here to fight against you." Vale answered. Of course, he also made sure to use his Voice Maniption Spell.
"Clovis Skye?" The captain repeated before continuing to ask questions. "What are you doing here? Did you make that phenomenon in the sky a while ago?"
"Again, I''m not here to fight, so just leave me alone. Why are you even together with an Elementalist?" Vale asked as he shifted his gaze to the man who had just arrived.
His question seemed to have triggered them even more as one of them shouted, filled with urgency.
"That''s it. Just capture him! We cannot allow him to escape!"
They didn''t hesitate and immediately acted!
Their hands raised in amanding gesture, and a chilling aura enveloped the area. The death energy spread in the air, and one by one, they began to summon their undead minions.
With a wave of their hands, the ground trembled as zombies wed their way out of the earth, their lifeless eyes fixed on Vale.
Skeleton knights emerged, their bony forms ttering as they brandished their rusted swords. Above them, four Flying Bone Eagles soared through the air, their skeletal wings casting an eerie shadow.
All three of them were Necromancers!
Chapter 393 Fourth Year
Chapter 393 Fourth Year
Vale doesn''t have a decent counter-spell against the undead minions of the Necromancers.
Most of his Dark Spells were better used against living beings. As a matter of fact, he also had three Necromancer Spells with him, and they were all useless against these zombies and skeletons...
In the end, Vale chose to end this quickly by using one of his Celestial Arts.
Vale briefly focused as he activated one of his Spell Lights. As soon as he felt the deduction of his Divinity Points, the sky above them suddenly changed¡
"Don''t follow me!" Vale shouted as he unleashed the Divine Lightning.
Boom!
In an instant, a bolt of lightning streaked through the sky, illuminating the dark battlefield.
The crackling energy struck with precision, obliterating all the summoned undead creatures at the same time.
The zombies disintegrated into dust, the skeleton knights shattered into bone fragments, and the Flying Bone Eagle was consumed by the electrifying power of the Spell.
"An Elementalist?!"
The squad captains stared in disbelief as their summoned forces were decimated by Clovis'' Lightning Spell. The power he wielded was beyond their expectations, and it sent shockwaves through their ranks. They realized that capturing Clovis would be no easy feat.
"Summon the Soul Eaters!" One of themmanded, but before they could cast their spells, Vale seized the opportunity to disappear from their sight.
This time, he made sure that no one would catch him.
Utilizing his Lightspeed Spell and Agility to the limit, he moved with such swiftness that he became a blur, vanishing into the depths of the shadows. Furthermore, he used his wide-range Spell Dispersion Spell to ensure that no Tracking Spell or any Spying Spell would lock on him.
"He''s gone, Captain Wayman."
"He''s so quick¡ He just disappeared from my Magic Zone¡ That''s 45 meters!" One of them said in frustration.
Left standing amidst the remnants of their decimated summons, the four people exchanged wary nces.
They knew that Clovis possessed a power that surpassed their own, and they would need to report this to the higher-ups. They had to find this person!
Even if he doesn''t pose any threat to them right now, there was no way an Arcanist that has a power surpassing a Squad Captain of the Order, would be left unknown.
After some time, the Captain Wayman looked at the man Clovis hinted to be an Elementalist.
"Did you use any Elemental Spells? How did he recognize you as an Elementalist?" He asked.
"Indeed. Perhaps the two of you had met before¡ He seems like an Elementalist. I don''t think normal Artifact can release that kind of Lightning." Another Necromancer added.
However, the Elementalist simply shook his head.
"I''m using an Artifact to hasten my speed. I wasn''t using any Elemental Spell a while ago. Furthermore, I have two other items stopping my Elemental Energy from leaking." The Elementalist answered as he also shook his head in confusion.
He couldn''t remember any actions he made that had hinted to Clovis that he was an Elementalist.
"Then how was he able to find you?" One of the Necromancers asked.
Captain Wayman was deep in his thoughts as he recalled something¡
His eyes lit up in disbelief¡
Everyone else realized that their Captain had discovered something.
"Captain? Did you recognize him?"
Captain Wayman shook his head and exined with a serious voice. "That man was probably part of the Untainted Sentinels, holding a very high position."
After hearing this, the other three already had an idea of what he had discovered.
"I''m guessing that he used the Divine Sense, a Holy Spell only Bishops can learn." Captain Wayman said as he realized that this matter wasn''t simple.
***
pounding with a mixture of exhration and caution. The encounter had solidified his belief in the potency of his Celestial Meanwhile, Vale safely returned to the Academy, his heart pounding with a mixture of exhration and caution. The encounter had solidified his belief in the potency of his Celestial Art, but it had also made him acutely aware of the dangers that awaited him outside the Academy''s walls.
Although he was able to get away from them, he may not be as lucky as he is today.
Nevertheless, Vale made sure not to act suspiciously and acted the same way the next day.
***
Several weeks had passed since Vale''s encounter with the Order of the Evanescent Vessels, and the start of the fourth year in the Academy had finally arrived.
Excitement and anticipation buzzed through the air as students gathered in the courtyard, eager to embark on a new chapter of their Arcane Studies.
With the beginning of a new Academy Year came a new Curriculum or Branch of Dark Arts...
Vale, along with his fellow ssmates, eagerly awaited the unveiling of their new courses and the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills.
As the students gathered, they were informed of a significant change¡ªa shift in their ssroom location.
No longer confined to the familiar lecture halls, the students of the Rituals Branch were tomence their studies in the second Ceremony Hall of the Academy.
This Hall was renowned for its potent concentration of Dark Energy, making it an ideal environment for delving into the depths of the Dark Arts¡
Vale nced at his ssmates and counted that there were only 14 of them¡ They were too few, considering that there were about 120 third-year students! It means that only a little over 10 percent had chosen the Rituals Branch!
''What did they choose? Dark Magic? Necromancy?'' Vale was stunned as he thought that there would be a lot more students choosing this Branch.
Nevertheless, he didn''t show his surprise.
Vale and his ssmates entered the second Ceremony Hall and marveled at the sight of the mysterious Hall... The atmosphere was palpable, charged with an intensity that sent shivers down their spines.
The air was filled with dark energy that was pressuring them to some extent.
"Mhmm¡ Beautiful." Maya, standing behind Vale, muttered at the sight of the Hall.
The second Ceremony Hall itself was indeed a sight to behold.
Intricate tapestries adorned the walls, depicting ancient spells in ancientnguages and figures of legendary Arcanists.
The vast expanse of the Hall provided ample space for experimentation and practical spellcasting or rituals, ensuring that the students could fully immerse themselves in their studies.
Then, Vale took his seat among his new ssmates¡ However, as he was about to feel excited about the new ss, he realized that Maya and Leonore were seated beside him.
Chapter 394 Subjects
Chapter 394 Subjects
"Mhmm?" Vale felt a bit conscious as they seated close to him when the Hall was quite empty with only 14 students in.
The massive Ceremony Hall could probably fit a hundred students at the same time.
''Ahhh¡'' An idea suddenly came to his mind as he turned to Maya and Leonore and posed a question that had been lingering in his mind, "Are you guys thinking of participating in the Twelve Academies Competition? I mean, do you know how many students will be epted for that?"
Maya, with her amiable demeanor, didn''t mind his inquisitiveness and promptly responded, "If there are no changes in the rules this year, they will select 5 students from each year to represent our academy. And I have every intention of being one of them."
Leonore, known for her quiet confidence, chimed in with a determined tone, "In that case, I''ll strive to secure the second spot. Thepetition will be fierce, but I''m up for the challenge."
Maya then turned to Vale and softly spoke. "Master Sherah was still waiting for you. She hadn''t forgotten how you''d left Senior Cressida to be captured by the Elementalists¡ Luckily, she was able to escape."
"Huh?" Vale was dumbfounded after hearing her words. He wanted to exin himself, but their conversation was momentarily interrupted as Professor Ludwig, a seasoned expert in the field of Dark Rituals, made his entrance into the room.
The ss fell into an attentive silence as he strode towards the podium, exuding an air of authority and wisdom.
With amanding presence, Professor Ludwig cleared his throat and addressed the ss.
"Wee, students, to the fourth-year Rituals ss. I am Professor Ludwig, and I will be your guide through the intricacies of this special Dark Art."
Vale wasn''t familiar with this Professor, but he must be quite decent, considering he has 12 Spell Lights with him.
Then, Professor Ludwig began discussing the subjects that would be covered throughout the year, his words captivating the entire ss.
Some students even started scribbling down their notes, eager to absorb every ounce of wisdom being shared.
"There will be six subjects that you have to master for this year: Ceremonial Rites, Unspoken Incantations, Sacrificial Rituals, Ancient Magic Circles, Spirit Communication, andstly, the Ritual Theory and Components."
"Ceremonial Rites will be the foundation of our studies¡" The Professor exined in his deep voice¡ "In this subject, we will explore the power of precise gestures, some important incantations, and the creation of the perfect ambiance to channel dark energies effectively."
As the Professor said this, Harley, one of the students, couldn''t help but interject. He was from ss 1 and Maya''s ssmate. His eyes gleamed with curiosity. "I wonder what kind of incantations we''ll learn. Will it be from differentnguages, or will we only focus on Oardic?"
"We will only tackle both Soi and Oardic Incantations. It''s not easy to use anothernguage. There might be some difficulty pronouncing them correctly; we don''t want any unexpected consequences."
Professor Ludwig answered before he moved on to set their expectations about the Unspoken Incantations.
He exined that it''s an art of using silent or mental words, thoughts, or intentions toplete rituals or influence magic without vocalizing them.
Leonore nodded at this and softly muttered. "I''ve heard that mastering Unspoken Incantations requires immense focus and control. It''s a discipline that separates the truly skilled from the rest."
"Oh~ Aren''t you a Dark Seer? Do you need to learn it?" Vale asked curiously.
Leonore smiled as she felt d that Vale would initiate a conversation.
"After getting into the first stage of being a Dark Seer, I learned that I have to be more familiar with mysterious entities. The quickest way to do this is to learn from this branch." She answered with a soft voice.
Vale nodded in acknowledgment as they went silent again to listen to the Professor''s exnations.
The ss continued, with Professor Ludwig introducing the other subjects.
Sacrificial Rituals ss was the subject where they would study the methods, benefits, and risks of offering something or someone as a sacrifice to a mysterious Entity or even the gods worshiped by other people in exchange for something else.
Ancient Magic Circles seemed to be the most interesting ss for Vale since they will study the history, design, and usage of various magic circles that can enhance, amplify, or alter the effects of spells and rituals. After all, these things weren''t something he could easily extract from people.
As for the Spirit Communication ss, Vale felt that it would be quite easy since it''s just an art of establishing and maintaining contact with spirits, ghosts, or other entities that exist beyond the physical realm. With his unusual connection with the Spirit World, he shouldn''t have any problems with this ss.
''I just hope that I won''t attract that Messenger again.'' Vale mused as he recalled the terrifying uninvited Being that had appeared in one of his rituals before.
Professor Ludwig then continued to exin thest ss.
It was the Ritual Theory and Components. It involves the analysis and understanding of the principles, rules, and mechanisms that govern the workings and oues of Dark Rituals. This subject will also cover the exploration and identification of various materials, objects, or substances that can be used as ingredients, catalysts, or tools for performing rituals.
''Mhmm¡ No wonder Nadine mentioned that I can work as a Museum Curator or some sort of Appraiser after graduating here.'' Vale thought as he listened to the Professor.
With each topic, Vale and the other students exchanged whispers, sharing their excitement, questions, and spections about the ss.
Finally, the Professor exined that he would teach the Ancient Magic Circles and Sacrificial Ritual ss.
"Now that you''re aware of what to expect in this branch, we can start with the measurement of your Spirit Strands. I already received a report about the Strands that you have, but that was a record of your strands about two months ago. With your current age, changes could happen a lot faster. Any questions before I proceed?"
One of the students raised her hand and asked. "Professor, may I know the three Branch-Exclusive Spells that we have to learn?"
Chapter 395 Spirit Converging Crystal
Chapter 395 Spirit Converging Crystal
The one who asked the question was Felicia Lobb, Vale''s ssmate in ss 2 in the previous years. She was seated close to other students from ss 4st year and seemed to have befriended them already.
Other students like Vale leaned closer as they were also curious about these Spells.
They already got a copy of the Academy-Exclusive Create Shadow Soldier Spell with them before they finished their third year. They could take their time to learn this Spell even if itsts until their 10th year in the Academy. It wasn''t strict at all.
Well, there wasn''t any pressure unless you wanted to excel and be recognized by the Professors and even the Headmaster.
On the other hand, the Branch Exclusive Spell must be learned before they reach their ninth year, or their enrollment would be in jeopardy.
Professor Ludwig nodded, acknowledging Felicia''s question with a warm smile.
"Ah, excellent question. Felicia, was it?"
"That''s indeed my name, Professor." Felicia answered.
"Mhmm¡ The Branch-Exclusive Spells are indeed a crucial part of your journey in the Rituals Branch. These spells are specifically designed to harness the special Dark Arts and enhance your capabilities within this field."
He paused for a moment, allowing the anticipation to build within the room before continuing.
"Let me provide you with a brief overview of the three Branch-Exclusive Spells that you will have the opportunity to learn and master."
As he said this, almost everyone in the ss readied their notes.
"They are Soul Swap, Shadow Gate, and Spirit Shatter Spells."
Then, the Professor continued to briefly exin each of them.
The Soul Swap temporarily grants the caster the ability to exchange their soul with another living being.
The Spell requires the use of an Ancient Magic circle, a blood sacrifice, and a verbal incantation. Both the caster and the target must be within the confines of the Magic Circle for the Spell to take effect.
What Vale found interesting about the Soul Swap was that it could be utilized for various purposes, such as evading death and taking possession of another body that could be used for interrogation. It is a spell that delves into the realms of identity and existence, but it should be approached with caution due to its profound and potentially irreversible consequences.
Vale''s heart beat faster as he felt that the Soul Swap seemed quite simr to his current situation. However, his Soul Swap wasn''t temporary but a permanent one.
Vale wryly smiled as he entertained the thought.
On the other hand, Shadow Gate was another tedious Ritual Spell that could enable the caster to create a portal to the Shadow Realm, a dimension shrouded in Darkness and horror.
To perform this Spell, a magic circle, an object cursed by Darkness, and a silent incantation are required. Shadow Gate can be employed for purposes such as travel, exploration, or hiding. However, it is crucial to note that this Spell is highly dangerous and unpredictable. The Shadow Realm is a ce of unknown perils, lurking horrors, and the risk of losing oneself within its depths.
''This Spell is too unreliable¡'' Vale thought, feeling that performing such a long ritual only to have an unpredictable gate wasn''t worth it at all.
At the very least, the third Spell seemed better. The Spirit Shatter was a grim and borderline forbidden art that brings about the instantaneous and irreversible demise of a living being by obliterating their Spirit.
Perhaps, if this Spell could be activated instantaneously or without rituals, it could really be banned by the Association.
Well, to perform Spirit Shatter, a magic circle, a Spirit Gem, and an incantation are required.
"If possible, I don''t want to learn them, but I had to¡" Vale muttered in a soft voice. He''d rather learn Dark Rituals that don''t require a Spell Model to be able to cast them.
Nevertheless, his silent remark was heard by Leonore and Maya.
They looked at him with a frown.
"You''re lucky our Professor didn''t hear that¡"
"Why did you even choose this Branch if you don''t want their Spells?"
Leonore and Maya said respectively.
Vale didn''t answer their question as he just covered his mouth and shook his head.
As Professor Ludwig concluded his exnation, a weighty silence settled over the room.
The students exchanged nces, their expressions a mix of intrigue and contemtion. Aside from Vale, they all felt that the Spells were great.
The allure of these Branch-Exclusive Spells was undeniable for them¡
Finally, it was time to measure their Spirit Strands. There were only 14 of them in the ss, so this part shouldn''t take that long.
The students were called one by one to hold a crystal with a 45-strand capacity.
The first one to be called was Maya Featherstar¡ She may no longer be the representative of their batch, as it wasn''t decided yet, but she was still considered among the top students, so everyone was excited to see the number of her Spirit Strands.
"You should know how to use it. Just hold the Crystal long enough until it can no longer produce any strands." Professor Ludwig reminded.
"Yes, Professor." Maya answered as she held the Crystal.
After confirming that the number of strands was no longer increasing, she gave it to the Professor to have it checked.
"Maya Featherstar has 29 Spirit Strands!" Professor Ludwig announced to everyone.
Maya even took two minutes to have them appear in the Crystal!
Aside from the students, Professor Ludwig was impressed since even the graduates won''t normally have this many Spirit Strands. About 15 to 20 Spirit Strands were considered to be the Normal Strands.
Several students then followed after.
Alford Atkins had 14 Spirit Strands.
Felicia Lobb had 16 Spirit Strands.
Leonore Rnd had 24 Spirit Strands.
Ethel Wheeler had 13 Spirit Strands.
Sue Wheston had 12 Spirit Strands.
Elmer Sherris had 15 Spirit Strands.
It didn''t take long before it was Vale''s turn.
Everyone, including the Professor, heard rumors about Vale''s outstanding Spirit Strands.
"Vale, this is a 45-Strand Spirit Converging Crystal." Professor Ludwig stated, holding the Crystal out to him. "Is this enough to get the exact number of your Spirit Strands?"
The question caught Vale off guard, momentarily stunning him.
Chapter 396 Exceed
Chapter 396 Exceed
"Ah¡" Vale was stunned after hearing the question.
Since the Professor asked, he probably heard that he had previously filled the 30-Strand Spirit Converging Crystal during their assessments in their third year.
This question also attracted his ssmates... They looked at Vale curiously, causing a momentary silence to envelop the room.
"I haven''t checked my Spirit Strands as well, Professor¡ Since I don''t have a Spirit Converging Crystal that can record above 30 Strands."
That was a lie. However, he didn''t want to appear presumptuous by simply stating the number of his Spirit Strands. Instead, he decided to let his actions speak for themselves.
Professor Ludwig nodded at this as he gestured for Vale to continue holding the Crystal.
Perhaps because the Crystal''s quality was high, it only took three minutes or so before the 45 Strands appeared on the Crystal.
Aside from Leonore and Felicia, who had seen this several times in their first-year to third-year Spirit Strands Assessments, all the others were surprised.
They exchanged intrigued nces, their eyes fixed on Vale. They had heard the tales of his extraordinary abilities. They had also seen his duel and heard about his Spirit Strands surpassing the norm. However, they had never seen his Spirit Strands until now.
"Did he reach the limit?"
"Incredible¡ So all those rumors are true."
"Indeed. Perhaps that rumor about him consuming a Dark Spirit is also true?"
"Consuming a Dark Spirit? Is that the reason why he has such a high Spirit Strand?"
"Idiot¡ I heard from Neil that Vale''s mother was a Dark Spirit. He''s an offspring of a human and a spirit."
"Neil? Who was that?"
The excitement in the room was evident as the other students leaned forward,menting about Vale''s background and rumors they had heard about him.
"Ahem¡ I''m not a Half-Spirit." Vale suddenly said as he heard their conversation.
Nevertheless, none of his ssmates seem to care about it as they eagerly await the Professor''s words. They were hoping that he would bring arger Spirit Converging Crystal!
On the other hand, Professor Ludwig took a moment topose himself, his voice filled with a mixture of awe and admiration as he announced¡ "Vale, your Spirit Strands exceed the capacity of this 45-Strand Crystal. It seems we will need a more powerful instrument to urately measure the extent of your extraordinary gift."
Indeed!
The room erupted into a chorus of excited murmurs and whispers. The students couldn''t contain their curiosity and admiration, their eyes filled with a newfound respect for Vale.
Maya and Leonore, in particr, looked at him with a newfound interest, recognizing the magnitude of his potential.
"However, I won''t be forcing you to take another assessment. The fact that you have at least 45 Spirit Strands is more than enough for me. We can just stop here. But if you''re also curious about your Spirit Strands, I can make a request for better equipment to be brought here." Professor Ludwig said.
As a Professor, they weren''t really required to know the exact Spirit Strand. As long as they weren''t below the rmended Spirit Strands, then there shouldn''t be any problem.
This announcement had obviously rmed Vale''s ssmates.
"Professor, you should''ve said that it''s mandatory."
"Right¡ Now, Vale won''t be revealing it."
"Vale, go ahead and have another test with a different instrument. Whatever the result is, it won''t get out of this room. It''ll be our secret."
His ssmates said with a mixture ofugh. They didn''t seem serious about their words, so Vale answered. "That should be enough, Professor¡"
"I see¡ I will respect your decision. I won''t be asking how you reach that level, but I can tell that you have a harmonious energy in your body, so I know you''re not using Forbidden Arts. That''s good enough for me."
"Thank you, Professor¡ But I have a question. Are there even Half-Human and Half-Spirits in our current era?" Vale asked as he recalled that he was already used of being an offspring of a Spirit before.
It may sound like a valid argument why he had such an absurd Spirit Strands, but he wanted to know how often it happens.
The question stunned the Professor momentarily. However, he could understand why Vale would suddenly be curious. To be honest, he also felt that Vale might be rted to the Spirit World, considering how he could summon a Dark Spirit using the most basic Ritual and even had astounding Spirit Strands.
Professor Ludwig then smiled warmly at Vale, appreciating his honesty. "I understand your curiosity, Vale. The existence of Half-Human and Half-Spirits is indeed rare, but it is not unheard of. Throughout history, there have been ounts of individuals with mixed heritage, possessing both human and spiritual qualities. So there might be a few of them living in every city."
He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing, "In our current era, while it may not bemon, it is still possible for such individuals to exist. The blending of human and spiritual energies can ur through various circumstances, whether it be through ancestral connections, unique encounters, or even a convergence of powerful energies during significant events... or perhaps what we call Special Ceremonial Rites."
Vale listened intently, his curiosity piqued. Although he wasn''t questioning his origins, considering the rumors surrounding him, he felt this information may be quite helpful.
Professor Ludwig continued. "However, it is important to remember that the true nature of one''s heritage is not solely defined by their Spirit Strands. Your Spirit Strand exceeding the 45 mark will not necessarily tell that you''re an offspring of a Spirit. There are many factors that must be considered."
Vale nodded, absorbing the Professor''s words..
The ssroom fell into a thoughtful silence as they realized that there was indeed a chance that Vale was an offspring of Spirit!
"If that''s all, then let''s continue with the assessment." Professor Ludwig said.
It didn''t take that long before the Spirit Assessment waspleted. As expected, only three students had exceeded the 20 Spirit Strands.
They were Vale, Leonore, and Maya.
Chapter 397 Junior
Chapter 397 Junior
Evelyn Miller, Edward rk, and Odell Taylor strode confidently through the grand entrance of Vermont Academy. After about three years of training under the tutge of the Master, they were finally allowed to enter the Academy.
"Let''s not waste this opportunity given by Master¡" Evelyn said to her fellow disciples.
Edward and Odell nodded in agreement. This was their only way to pay back the kindness they had received.
They were here to expand the influence of their Master, Heinz Becker, and his Malefic Branch, an unexplored and powerful branch of the Dark Arts.
"Uhmm¡ But should we really meet the first disciple? Vale was it?" Odell asked.
"I don''t really want to since he barely received training and advanced potions from Master Heinz. He only learned from Master for about a year. At that time, Master Heinz hadn''t perfected his potions yet. I guess he won''t be as great as the three of us." Edwardmented.
Evelyn nodded at his friends as she was also thinking the same thing. However, they have to listen to their Master. "Let''s just greet him like what Master told us. We don''t have to bother getting close to him. It will be embarrassing if he doesn''t perform well in the Academy and will disgrace our Malefic Branch."
Odell nodded in agreement. "That''s true¡ Our names will soon be known in the Academy and the Dark Arts Faction. It would be shameful if our senior wasn''t as powerful as the three of us."
They looked down upon Vale, considering him merely the first experimental subject of Heinz,cking the proper care and attention they believed they had received.
On the first day of their ss, their Spirit Strands were measured and turned out to be 14 Spirit Strands. Their names were immediately spread throughout their batch.
In this batch, with only an average of 6 Spirit Strands, it is indeed considered higher. Furthermore, the first-year students of the previous year only had 12 Spirit Strands as the highest, so the Professors couldn''t help but praise the three.
"Right¡ Let''s meet with him after a few weeks. Let''s first familiarize ourselves in the Academy." Evelyn suggested as she couldn''t find the Energy she needed to meet with their senior. She felt toozy to do it.
Edward and Odell were also not interested in their senior, so they immediately agreed.
***
Evelyn, Odell, and Edward settled into their daily routine at Vermont Academy, eager to prove themselves and expand their knowledge of the Dark Arts.
Although they received some education from Master Heinz, the experts in the Academy are still on a different level.
Their days were filled with a multitude of sses, each designed to hone their skills and deepen their understanding of not just the Dark Arts but also the world of mysticism. It was different from the training or education when they were still at the manor.
In the mornings, they attended the Elementary Spirit Law ss, led by a seasoned professor who delved into the intricacies of spirit maniption and the fundamentalws governing the spiritual realm. They learned several methods to channel their energies, establish connections with the Dark Energy, and harness their powers precisely.
"It''s indeed all basic, just like what Master Heinz had mentioned..." Evelyn muttered as she continued her study.
Next on their schedule was the Darkness Path ss, a subject close to their hearts as disciples of Heinz Becker. Under the guidance of a renowned Dark Arts expert, Professor Lucius, they explored the depths of the Realm of Darkness, one of the Twelve Arcane Paths in the world. They also studied the Darkness Possession, allowing them to realize how great it was for them to consume the second potion before even entering the Academy.
"We''ve really benefited a lot from Master Heinz." Evelynmented as she realized that other students who had enrolled had only consumed the Darkness Possession Potion once!
"Indeed. The Second Darkness Possession here can only be imed if selected by a Professor. It could evenst for two or three years long." Odell added as he felt grateful that he already consumed his second potion.
In the afternoons, they attended the Fundamentals of Magic Zone ss, where they delved into the understanding and maniption of the Phantasm State.
They learned to control their Magic Zone better, manipte the flow of the Energy, and cast spells with precision within their Zone. This was something they had learned from their Master, and took this subject quite easily.
Their schedule also included sessions in the Rudimentary Usage of Mystical Artifacts, where they honed knowledge about objects with magical properties. They even learned to infuse mundane items with spells, enhancing their power and utility. Unfortunately, this type of enhancement couldn''t be easily done in their first year.
Nevertheless, this ss allowed them to explore the practical applications of various artifacts circting in the kingdom.
Finally, after two weeks in the Academy, the three of them decided that it was time to meet their senior in his clubroom. They had already heard that a student named Vale Chambers was a member of the Club, so they didn''t hesitate to visit him.
"He''s already fourth year¡ I heard that the Twelve Academies Competition will now ept fourth-year students. Do you think that he''ll be selected as a participant?" Evelyn asked as they headed to the clubroom''s building.
"Ugh¡ I hope so. That would sound great, but let''s not hope too much." Odell replied.
"Haha¡ I guess his Spell Dispersion is still at the early stage¡ Since we''re already in the middle stage, we could probably rece him in thepetition." Edward added with augh.
"Oh? Aren''t you the Fantastic Three? Ahem¡ I''m sorry, I''m Nadine, a member of the Battle Arena Committee¡ Are you thinking of joining our Club?"
Nadine asked as she saw the three first-year students in the Hallway.
Seeing the number of eight-angled stars in her uniform, the trio immediately recognized that she was a ninth-year student.
"Ah¡ Senior Nadine, we''re looking for our Senior Disciple, Vale Chambers. Is he in the clubroom right now?"
''Senior Disciple?'' Nadine repeated in her mind, but she didn''t think too much of it.
Her eyes lit up as she felt that it was a good thing that there would be more juniors in their Club. They were reallycking some personnel right now. Furthermore, most of their officers had already graduated.
"He''s inside the clubroom now¡ I will give you some private time. We don''t have activities today anyway." Nadine said as she gestured for the three to enter the clubroom.
The three epted it as they thanked the senior.
With their heads held high, the trio approached Vale''s clubroom...
They entered the room with a dismissive air, barely acknowledging Vale''s presence.
Chapter 398 Everyone’s Happiness
Chapter 398 Everyone''s Happiness
Evelyn didn''t look properly at Vale, but she used her Magic Zone to observe him.
She was expecting to sense Vale''s leaking aura of Incorruptible Body. However, she was disappointed that he didn''t even have a tiny amount of it!
After all, if it was leaking, it would mean that Vale had reached the peak stage of this Body Incorruptible Body''s Elementary Realm. If that were the case, they would follow Master Heinz''s request and give Vale a potion to help him advance to the Intermediate Realm¡
''He''s no good¡ He already learned the spell for several years, and it''s only at the early-stage or mid-stage of Elementary Realm.'' Evelyn thought as she decided not to give the potion to Vale since it would just be a waste. If he can''t reach the peak stage for more than three years, then there was no point giving the potion to him.
Of course, she didn''t think that Vale could have any mystical items that could suppress it since such items couldn''t be easily acquired. To be exact, any items that could suppress someone''s aura, presence, or ability were rarely found and could be very expensive.
Edward and Odell thought of the same thing as they exchanged nces.
Right now, they could tell that Vale wasn''t that great. As a matter of fact, they even asked about him from their seniors in second-year or even their clubmates, but none of them knew about him. They seem to have heard about Vale having decent Spirit Strands, but that was it. Those who were known in the Academy were still those seniors in the 9th year or 10th year who hadpleted difficult missions outside the Academy.
Some of them were even involved in dealing with the members of the Secret Organization.
''If we''re in the same year, our names will surely be known by everyone in the Academy. However, Senior Vale didn''t even achieve anything that would make him famous to everyone. Is he not using his Spell Dispersion and Incorruptible Body properly?'' Evelyn thought as she shook her head.
"Senior Disciple, you must have heard about us. Master Heinz told us to greet you, so we came here meet you. We only had a chance to visit you today since we were busy in the Academy." Evelyn said as Edward and Odell nodded in agreement.
Vale, who was confused by their sudden entry and Nadine''s aura moving away, finally realized what was going on.
''I thought Senior Nadine forgot something in the Arena. I guess she just wants us to have some free time. Ahh¡ Is she thinking of inviting them to the club?'' Vale thought as he recalled that no students joined their club this year.
He then looked at the three with a frown as he couldn''t recall that he had junior disciples. Master Heinz had never mentioned it, but he decided not to expose his Master.
"Mhmm¡ I see. It''s our first time meeting, and I don''t know your names yet. Since we will be in the same Academy for several years, let''s introduce ourselves first. I''m Vale Chambers, and I am currently a fourth-year student."
As he said this, he used his Divine Sense to check their Spell Lights.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 3 filled Spell Lights.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 3 filled Spell Lights.
Dark Arts Practitioner with 3 filled Spell Lights.
''Three Spell Lights already? Did they learn the Darkness Maniption Spell before entering the Academy?'' Vale silently thought.
"I''m Evelyn Miller¡ I may not be Master Heinz''s Senior Disciple, but he told me that I''m his Number 1 Disciple." Evelyn said proudly. She recalled how Heinz told her that she was the best disciple he ever had.
In the meantime, Vale was unsure how to react to that introduction.
''Hmm? What does that even mean?'' Vale knitted his brow in confusion, but he didn''t speak.
"I''m Edward rk. It''s nice meeting you, Senior Vale."
"I''m Odwell Ellis. All three of us already reached the Intermediate Realm of our Incorruptible Body. However, it seems that you''re only at the mid-stage of Elementary Realm, Senior. It will be quite embarrassing if you have lower talent than us, so please don''t spread your identity as our Senior Disciple. We will be in charge of spreading the Malefic Branch''s influence from now on. Can you do it for us, Senior Vale?" Odwell asked.
This time, Vale realized that he was indeed not overthinking about their attitude. They were indeed dismissive of his identity as their Senior Disciple.
''Intermediately Realm, huh...''
He found it quite funny how these kids were so confident in themselves.
"So you''re not here to join our Club?" Vale asked as he decided not to be provoked by these young students.
"Mhmm? No, we''re not here for that." Evelyn answered with a frown. She thought that Vale would act out if they showed such behavior. She was even prepared to challenge him to a duel since she was very confident with her Spell Dispersion.
"I see¡" Vale nodded in understanding.
''If you''re still annoying after a few years, I hope your Incorruptible Body and Spell Dispersion are at higher levels. They will probably give a decent increase in my Spell Mastery if I extract them at that time.'' Vale thought as he wasn''t thinking of extracting their low-level Spells for now. It would be a waste to take them so early. He would let them grow stronger for now.
As he reached this thought, he couldn''t help but think of himself as a genius. ''Master Heinz, I hope you have more disciples like them.''
His eyes lit up at this idea, and he looked at Evelyn with a smile. "Right¡ Are there only the three of you? I mean, are there any more disciples under our Master?"
The sudden question confused the three, but they still answered proudly.
"That''s right! Master has 30 more disciples, but only the three of us were allowed to enter the Academy and spread our names as disciples of a new Branch!" Odell spoke, filled with pride.
Evelyn and Edward grinned as they were also proud of this.
On the other hand, realizing he could have more targets, Vale smiled happily like the three.
Chapter 399 Unreal!
Chapter 399 Unreal!
Evelyn''s group left the clubroom with frustration written on their faces. They didn''t get the reaction they wanted from Vale. They wanted some conflict to happen and wanted to show that they were more talented than him.
However, Vale didn''t seem to care about them and was even happier knowing that there were 30 more disciples who could have been better than him!
Edward also felt unhappy with how their conversation ended just like that. Their Senior Disciple even invited them to join his club, which was somewhat unexpected.
"Let''s not think about him anymore. I guess he was still thinking that he''s better than us." Edward said as they walked through the hallway.
"Huh? Why will he think of that?" Odell asked, confused by Edward''s sudden im.
Evelyn also frowned and waited for Edward to exin.
"Did you forget what Master Heinz told us? He previously imed that only those with Special Physique can learn the Malefic Branch. This is what he taught to Senior Vale. Until now, Senior Vale probably believes he has more affinity in Malefic Branch than us since we didn''t "die" during the Darkness Possession like him and Master Heinz." Edward exined.
Evelyn and Odell''s eyes lit up after hearing this.
Indeed, their Master hadn''t perfected the potion at the time when he epted Vale as a disciple. However, during their time in the Manor, they received the perfect potions, so they were able to learn the Spell Dispersion and acquire the Incorruptible Body without experiencing "death."
"So it was like that¡" Odell muttered as he felt relieved.
"That made sense. Let''s just let him feel superior for now. Soon, he will hear our names as we spread the greatness of our Branch." Evelyn said as she clenched her fist.
"Ahh! But we forget to ask if he will be participating in the Competition." Edward said as he stopped walking, considering whether to return.
***
In the meantime, Vale was listening to their conversation as they were still within the range of his Magic Zone.
He couldn''t help but chuckle as he realized that they were really dedicated to spreading the Malefic Branch. He even suspected that Heinz had really brainwashed these kids.
"Let''s give you a mark for now so I can observe your movement in the Academy." Vale muttered as he activated his Divine Sense and left a Mark on each of them.
In any case, the usage of energy is only one time, and he didn''t have to maintain it. The Mark will automatically be removed after three months unless he ces another mark.
After finishing this, Vale momentarily paused as he sensed the Headmaster entering his Magic Zone.
"This¡"
He immediately realized that he had been careless, and the Headmaster had probably detected the Mark he left behind.
Luckily, the Headmaster seemed to have just passed the building and wasn''t monitoring his movement.
''Now that I think about it, can someone sense the Mark inside the Academy?'' Vale mused. If someone detected the Mark and traced it back to him, he would surely be in trouble.
''Should I remove it?'' Vale was conflicted. However, after some thought, he felt quite fearless, considering how much he had in his arsenal.
''Headmaster Jean needs to win that contest in the Competition. I should be fine until then.'' Vale thought arrogantly as he dismissed the idea of removing the Mark.
***
As the weeks turned into months, the Academy buzzed with anticipation for the uing Twelve Academies Competition.
The Academy Publication Club''s newspaper was filled with articles, spections, and predictions about the event. Predictions about the Academy''s participants and even students in other Academies were written in the newspaper.
Of course, the official participants weren''t announced yet.
Students from the Fourth Year to the Tenth Year eagerly awaited the announcement of the selected participants who would represent their respective branches and academic years.
Since there were five branches in Vermont Academy - Rituals, Necromancy, Dark Alchemy, Dark Magic, and Essential Corruption - each academic year would send their top three students topete against the top three students from each of the other branches.
The ultimate goal was for each academic year to secure five spots for their respective curriculum.
In the Rituals Branch of the Fourth Year, Vale Chambers, Leonore Rnd, and Maya Featherstar earned the opportunity to represent their Branch in the selection.
"It''s quite different now¡ Before, the professors would just select the top five ording to their preference." Maya muttered after realizing the format of the selection event. It seems that the Academy is taking thepetition this year seriously.
The stage was set for an intense showdown as the top three students from the Rituals Branch would face off against the top three students from the Necromancy Branch, Dark Alchemy Branch, Dark Magic Branch, and Essential Corruption Branch.
"Indeed¡ But sounds like the Dark Magic Branch would have the edge in this selection." Leonoremented. After all, the Necromancers, who were strong contenders, would only have strong summons in their sixth year. The summons of the fourth-year necromancers would only be Skeleton Warrior or Unclean Zombie at this stage.
ording to the statistics shown in the publications, from Sixth-Year to Eighth-Year, the Academy would normally send Necromancers to the Twelve Academies Competition.
The Ninth-Year and Tenth-Year were the only ones that varied since they had Special Dark Spells and had a chance to learn Shadow Soldier that year.
As the day of the Selection Competition drew near, the Academy Publication''s newspaper was filled with articles profiling the selected participants.
At this point, the achievements of each participant over the past year years were revealed.
"W-what?" Evelyn held the newspaper with trembling hands as she read such an absurd im in the articles.
Her friends immediately noticed her reaction and looked at the article she was reading.
There, they saw Vale Chamber''s profile and his achievements over the past three years. What stunned them the most wasn''t his strength that rivals the Slender Zombie but his Power Strands, Life Strands, and Spirit Strands, which shouldn''t be possible at his young age!
"Impossible!"
Chapter 400 Other Academies
Chapter 400 Other Academies
Evelyn, Edward, and Odell gathered around the newspaper, their eyes fixed on Vale''s profile and the astonishing achievements attributed to him.
"Impossible!"
The revtion left them speechless. Their previous underestimation of Vale was now reced with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
Evelyn''s hands trembled as she clutched the newspaper tightly. Her mind raced, trying to process the information before
"I... I can''t believe it¡" She stammered, her voice filled with a mix of astonishment and regret. "We''ve been so blind. No, perhaps it''s really all about his strange physique?"
Edward, who had once dismissed Vale as insignificant, felt nervous after recalling their first encounter. "Did Master Heinz make a mistake? Perhaps the potion that Vale received was already perfected."
"No, that''s impossible. Master Heinz will not make such a mistake when assessing someone''s talent. Our Senior must''ve hidden something from our Master. Did you recall Senior Denise''s story? She mentioned that Senior Vale was freely taking the items of the corpses they were incinerating. I think he obtained a rare treasure during those times and hid it from Master." Evelyn said as if she was there when it all happened.
On the other hand, Odell, who had been the most vocal in belittling Vale, stood in stunned silence. He still couldn''t get over the fact that Vale''s Spirit Strands were already surpassing those who had graduated from the Academy!
He finally realized why Vale had been so calm during their provocation in his clubroom!
"Shit¡ We should look for him again." Odell suggested after some time.
***
Meanwhile, far away from the Vermont Academy, in the training grounds of Dorelts, Academy of Mystic Arts, a Shaman can be seen training in a very unique method.
He was Alex Graham, a 4th-year student of the said Academy.
He was honing his abilities with precision and finesse while waiting for the Twelve Academies Competition.
The vast training ground was filled with golems armed with spears and swords. All of them were Mystical Items with various effects, providing a challenging environment for Alex to test his skills.
With each movement, he unleashed his Mystic Arts, filling the surrounding space with his mesmerizing spells.
Chains, spears, arrows, and even a whip made of blue and green energy manifested from his fingertips as he deftly dispatched the golems. His footwork was impable, allowing him to evade attacks whileunching precise counterattacks.
Boom!
As thest golem fell to the ground, Alex''s friend entered the training ground, a look of anticipation on his face.
"Alex! I got the news you''ve been waiting for." The young man said as he looked at Alex, who had just finished his routine.
"It''s about time, Foster... You''rete." Alex said, waving his hand to calm the Mystical Aura surrounding his body.
With beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, he turned his attention to the newspaper his friend held.
"What? I brought it as soon as I got a copy, you know?" Foster replied with augh.
As Alex stood beside his friend, his tallness, which was unusual for his age, could be easily recognized. Nevertheless, Alex was a figure of authority and nobility.
His eyes, a striking shade of emerald green, sparkled with curiosity as he read the newspaper.
''I guess there would be some changes, huh.'' Alex mused as he nced at the broken golems behind him.
The golems he destroyed were supposedly his preparation against the Zombies or Skeleton Mobs of the Dark Arts Practitioners. He had been told that in the previouspetitions, all the sixth-year to eight-year students of the Vermont Academy were always Necromancers, so he was expecting that those fourth-year students would be the same.
Anyway, Foster carried the news that had been circting among the Academy''s students¡ªpredictions about their potential opponents in the uing Twelve Academies Competition.
After some time, Alex finished assessing the unofficial rosters of all the Academies.
"So there is still no information about those lunatics¡ In any case, it seems that we only need to worry about Rakmiths and Magrath." Alex muttered, referring to the Elemental Arts Academy and the Holy Arts Academy.
As for the lunatics he mentioned, they were the students of the Farrel, Academy of Psychic Arts.
"Indeed¡ The geniuses from the Knights Academy and Rune Arts Academy were already in their fifth and sixth year. We don''t have to worry about them." Foster said, his voice filled with a sense of cautious optimism.
However, Alex recalled something. His expression remained pensive as he absorbed the information. His thoughts drifted to the Dark Arts Academy.
"Tell me more about the Vermont Academy." Alex said, his voice tinged with curiosity.
He had been very interested in the appearance of the Secret Organization and followed their traces to learn more about them. ording to his research, almost all of their operations had always seeded, but for some reason, the Dark Arts Academy was always a problem for them.
Their top Transformation Artists and various Practitioners from different Arcane Paths would always make some greatbinations that were even able to prate the defenses of their Dorelts Academy.
Not even their Headmaster and Professors could defend against the infiltration of Arcanists from numerous Arcane Paths simultaneously.
However, the Dark Arts Academy seemed to be capable of thwarting their attacks with minimal losses.
"I only heard a few things about the Dark Arts Academy¡" Foster paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before responding.
"Aside from Maya Featherstar and Vale Chambers, I don''t have much information about their other participant. In any case, they seem to be sending their Ritualists so perhaps we should be prepared for Curses and Hexes rather than their Zombies or Skeletons."
"Do you think they''ll send five Ritualists in the fourth-year batch?"
"I don''t think so. They will probably send some Necromancers as well. But don''t expect too much since they will only be in their Fourth-Year. Their summons wouldn''t be great¡"
"Mhmm¡ That makes sense. Keep an eye on their students'' profiles and recent achievements¡" Alex said as he continued with his training.
For a ''shaman,'' his way of training could considered odd. However, his friend didn''t find anything wrong with it¡
"Don''t overdo your training¡" Foster said as he paused for a moment, recalling the news he had recently heard. "Right, I heard that Sir Clyde will be watching the Competition this time¡ Is that the reason why you''re practicing this hard?"
Chapter 401 The Orders
Chapter 401 The Orders
Clyde, from the Order of the Illustrious Liquidators, was an enigmatic and revered figure among Mystic Arts Practitioners.
He hadn''t died yet and was still actively working for the Order, but his life and achievements were already being studied at the Academy of Mystic Arts.
Clyde was born with an innate connection to the Mystic Force. From a young age, his raw talent and unyielding determination set him apart from his peers. He possessed an uncanny ability to manipte and bend the formed Mystical Forces, which was considered a top-ss Mystic Arts.
Among his most legendary feats was the Battle of the Ebon Citadel. It was during this fateful encounter that Clyde single-handedly thwarted an army of Dark Sorcerers, turning the tide of the war. His mastery of illusions, or what he would like to call Reality Maniption, left his enemies bewildered and disoriented, rendering them helpless in the face of his onught.
What was even more admirable about him was that he wasn''t epting a high position in the government or even in the Order just so he could stay in the field, aplishing difficult missions that normal Shamans or Mystics couldn''t handle.
If you ignore his hobby of wearing a red frock coat and red trousers, Clyde was a beacon of hope and inspiration for aspiring Mystic Practitioners.
Alex''s eyes lit up as he recalled Clyde¡ Thanks to his father, he had acquainted himself with this legendary figure.
"Does it mean that he already captured Clovis Skye?" Alex muttered in a soft voice.
"Mhm? Did you say something?" Foster asked.
"Ahh¡ It''s nothing. Thank you for your reminder, Foster. I can''t disappoint Sir Clyde, so I''ll have to work hard." Alex said as he waited for Foster to leave the training ground before triggering the Magic Circle that could summon the armed Golems.
***
At the dockyard of Maynard City¡
"We''re finally leaving this ce¡" re muttered as she boarded the Airship that they''d waited several hours because of numerous dys. Of course, she was with her partner, who also felt relieved after stepping onto their Airship.
Teresa and re, members of the prestigious Order of the Untainted Sentinels, possessed not only remarkable skills but also a captivating beauty that mesmerized those who crossed their path.
Dressed in their signature white trench coats and wielding matching white umbres, their appearance exuded an air of elegance and grace.
Several passengers immediately took notice of their presence and made way for them.
"How long before we return to Melthorn City?" Teresa asked.
"It should be six to eight hours, so we have plenty of time to rest..." re said as she entered their cabin.
For the past year, they weren''t justpleting missions assigned to them by the Order of the Untainted Sentinels.
During their free time, they would tirelessly search for clues regarding Clovis Skye, a mysterious young man who seemed to have received teachings from an exiled Bishop of the Church of the Fortune Goddess.
Well, despite their relentless efforts, he remained elusive for a long time, leaving them with a sense of frustration and intrigue.
However, their persistence finally paid off when theirmissioned Seer from Maynard City delivered long-awaited news. They were informed that the man they had been seeking would make an appearance at the Roaring Summit within the year. He would appear during a huge event where many people gathered.
This immediately minimized their choices.
The Roaring Summit doesn''t have many huge events¡ After they removed some small events that would take ce at the summit, they were left with one event. It was the Twelve Academies Competition, a gathering of the most talented mages from various academies.
"To think that it would be the same venue for the very first Competition¡" ire muttered.
The news from the Seer had truly stirred excitement within Teresa and re. It was an opportunity they couldn''t afford to miss. Not only would they have a chance to witness the intense Competition, but it also presented a potential breakthrough in their search for Clovis Skye, a young man they couldn''t dismiss because of his ability to see through the Divine Sense and even remove it.
re couldn''t contain her curiosity and questioned Teresa. "Are we really going to attend the Competition? Are we not going to cause some problems with the bnce of power there?"
They still had a mission they had to do, but if they went to the Competition, it meant that they had to give them up. It may stain their record, so she wanted to ask Teresa once again.
Furthermore, the presence of two elite Untainted Sentinels might threaten the people from the Dark Arts Academy and Psychic Arts Academy.
Teresa nodded, her eyes gleaming with determination. "Of course. Let''s approach the Directors and request an official invitation. Whether we be part of the security detail or even judges, it doesn''t matter. Our main goal is to freely roam some areas near the summit and keep our eyes open for any sign of that elusive boy. In any case, we both wanted to see that nostalgic event¡"
The two of them had also been part of the Competition when they were in their sixth year to their ninth year in the Academy.
At that time, there were only Ten Academies participating in the event since the Dark Arts Academy and Psychic Arts Academy weren''t recognized by the Association of the Harmonious Path yet.
"Do you think that Clovis will be there as a student or just an audience for thepetition?" re asked out of nowhere.
Teresa paused for a moment as she removed her uniform and hung it on the coat rack.
Feeling morefortable, she sat on the side of her bed before answering.
"I also thought that he would just be there coincidentally during the Competition. He could be on a mission or even on a vacation. However, it was too good to be true. So I think that he might be there as a participant¡ After all, the prophecy from the Seer made it seem like he would aplish something big in that event."
Teresa said as she used her Divine Sense to sense her surroundings.
Her Divine Sense had already gotten a lot stronger, and she was confident that she''d find Clovis the moment he entered her 100-meter Magic Zone.
Chapter 402 The Contests
Chapter 402 The Contests
Vale had no idea that his acquaintances from the Order of the Illustrious Liquidator and the Untainted Sentinels would be attending the Competition.
Nevertheless, he probably wouldn''t mind even if he learned about it unless they were from the Order of the Oracle Hivemind.
Furthermore, he was quite confident that they hadn''t connected him to the Masked Devil, so even if he got recognized, they wouldn''t be hostile to him.
''Mhmm? Is it about time?'' Vale thought as he heard Yvaine reminding him of the appointment he had made.
A week had already passed from the inter-academy Competition, and with Maya, Philip, Crystal, and Luna, he will participate in the Twelve Academies Competition.
Today,? Vale and Maya would get to know a few of their Seniors in the Branch. This was due to the fact that they will be participating in therge Competition for the first time. They would receive advice, tips, and tricks to win as a Ritualist in the Competition.
Vale felt excited at this since they would meet Anderson Powlett, Thelma Cameron, and Cassie Welsh, who were renowned figures who had previously participated in the Twelve Academies Competition. Vale knew that their guidance and advice would be invaluable as he prepared for the uing event. After all, he had seen their battles in the Recording Crystals in the Archive Room!
Vale would certainly like to meet them, especially Anderson Powlett, who was able to create a floating Magic Circle! This man didn''t need to use a tedious process of making a Magic Circle using silver powder to start a ritual!
He only needed 3 seconds to summon this mysterious Magic Circle, followed by a Prayer that couldst for 5 seconds, and he would be able to summon a Mysterious Entity''s eyes that could petrify almost anyone.
Soon, Vale and Maya met at the garden''s entrance and exchanged nces. They were both excited to meet their seniors and arrived almost an hour early from the appointed time.
As the sun cast a warm glow over the East Pavilion Garden, Vale and Maya''s anticipation grew.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Soon, they heard some heavy footsteps. A group of people were approaching the pavilion.
It was Anderson Powlett, a tall and imposing figure, approaching them with a confident stride. His piercing gaze met Vale''s, and a knowing smile yed on his lips. "Vale Chambers, the prodigious talent of our Branch. It''s a pleasure to finally meet you¡" Anderson greeted, extending his hand in a firm handshake.
Vale returned the gesture, feeling a surge of admiration for the senior mage. This man actually has 9 filled Spell Lights already.
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Powlett. I''ve heard great things about your performances in the previouspetitions."
Anderson then shifted his gaze to Maya. "I heard a lot about you from your older sister. Hehe¡ I''m sure you''ll surpass her achievement by participating this early."
Thelma Cameron appeared next, her radiant smile lighting up the garden. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked at Vale.
"Ah¡ Vale, we''ve finally met. I heard a lot about you from Nadine." Thelma said with a flirtatious wink, causing Vale to be stunned. Maya, on the other hand, seemed to know Thelma already.
''What did Senior Nadine tell her?'' Vale silently thought.
Cassie Welsh, who appears calm andposed, joined the group with an air of serenity. "Vale, Maya, I hope you guys weren''t waiting for long¡" Cassie remarked, her voice carrying a soothing tone.
Soon, the group gathered under the shade brought by the pavilion as they chatted about the Twelve Academies Competition.
"To be honest, I''m a bit worried since the Ritualists during this Academic Year wouldn''t normally possess decent fighting capability until they reached the 7th-year or 8th-year once you started learning about the Fusions. However, I heard that you guys defeated all the Necromancers in the same year, so I guess your Darkness Maniption had already reached thete stage of Elementary Realm." Anderson said, as this was also Cassie and Thelma''s thought.
They were indeed surprised that two fourth-year students of their Branch got 2 of the five spots for the big Competition.
"We were lucky, Seniors. None of our opponents learned their branch-exclusive spells yet." Vale answered with a smile.
However, his answer just shocked the other three.
"Wait, are you telling us that you already learned one of our Branch-Exclusive Spells?" Thelma asked in shock.
"Hey, isn''t that a bit too fast?" Cassie followed as she only learned her first Branch-Exclusive Spell in her sixth year!
"Ahem, we were just lucky, Seniors." Vale said.
"Yes¡ Master Sherah taught me a few tricks to immediately amodate another Spell Model in my body. If you want to learn it, I could ask my Master about it." Maya added that she didn''t mind telling the truth.
The Senior Students exchanged nces as they thought that they already knew their skills ording to the reports they heard. However, it seems that they still underestimated these two.
"Impressive! Is it the Soul Swap or Spirit Shatter?" Anderson asked.
"I learned the Spirit Shatter, Senior." Maya answered as she turned her head to Vale with aplicated gaze... She wanted to add that it was not effective against Vale, who had such a monstrous Life Strand. If she knows that this Spell wouldn''t work well, against those with higher Life Strand, she would rather learn the Soul Swap instead.
"I actually learned the Shadow Gate, Senior¡ Why did you not ask about that Spell?" Vale replied, stunning the three.
"V-Vale¡ The Shadow Gate is the hardest one to learn. We only learned this Spell in our eighth year. How did you do that?" Thelma asked as her eyes brightened up. She looked at Vale, filled with interest, as she had never expected that a junior in her batch would have such a great talent.
Vale was stunned as he realized that the difficulty of those Spells was actually different from each other. Well, he indeed spent a lot more contributions to obtain the materials he needed to record the Shadow Gate Spell.
"It''s probably thanks to my Special Physique, Senior. In any case, do you think that learning this Spell would help us win the Competition?" Vale asked.
This time, it was Anderson who answered.
"Of course! There are seven types of contests, some of which are further divided into groups or individual run. Do you know these contests?"
Maya nodded and answered.
"Yes, Senior. They are Labyrinth of Secrets, Mirage of Wonders, sh of Champions, Spectacle of Talents, Tower Ascension, Monster Hunter, and Trial of Skills."
Chapter 403 The Contests ( 2 )
Chapter 403 The Contests ( 2 )
Vale smiled at the names of these contests.
In simple words, the Labyrinth of Secrets was a maze challenge. The maze was filled with traps, puzzles, and enemies that required the use of specific escape, detection, or movement arts to finish. The winner was the one who could escape the maze first or the one who could go the farthest in the allotted time.
The Mirage of Wonders was an illusion challenge. This contest has an individual run and a group run. In this challenge, the contestants must break the illusions and find the treasure that the organizers had prepared. Apparently, to ensure that the students would be excited about this, the organizers would always ce low-grade or even mid-grade Royal Rank Mystical Items as a reward. This wasn''t even part of the real awards to be given to the winners. Of course, it was also a tactic to promote the sponsors of this Competition.
The sh of Champions, on the other hand, was just a duel tournament. It was a bracket-style tournament between two students from different academies, using their arts to fight against each other. The winner was the one who could defeat, incapacitate, or force the opponent to surrender. What was exciting about this was the fact that it had a grouppetition. There would be a three-versus-three tournament as well. However, the one who joined the one-on-one tournament could not join this mode of Competition.
Nevertheless, the Spectacle of Talents has the most modes in the contest. It has three ways: they could participate in Solo, Double, or Triple. Well, in this contest, they only needed to use their Arcane Arts to create a spectacr show. The performance would then be judged by a panel of experts who evaluate the creativity, skill, and harmony of the performers and their art.
"Senior, do you think we''ll only excel in the Spectacle of Talents?" Vale asked jokingly. As a Ritualist, their Ritual Arts could indeed be beautiful if they wanted to join this contest.
Furthermore, if Vale used his Shadow Gate, it could really attract the audience and the judges since he could advance this Shadow Gate Spell to Advanced Realm. Once advanced, he could control it to create a huge Gate when activated.
"Haha! Of course, not¡ The Shadow Gate is more suited to the Labyrinth. However, I think that having this same spell could be very good in the group battles¡ As you already know, the Shadow Gate requires a darkness-cursed item, a magic circle, and a short incantation. It may seem tedious but once summoned, it could basically guarantee the victory of your team."
This sudden suggestion surprised Vale and Maya.
"This¡ How was that possible?"
"That''s a bit confusing, Senior."
As they learned from their Professors, the Shadow Gate was simply a technique to create a portal to the Shadow Realm, a dimension shrouded in darkness and horror. In their mind, they could only use it for travel, hiding, or even exploration once they got stronger.
They had no idea how it would be good to use in a group battle.
The three Seniors smiled knowingly after hearing their confusion. It seems that they also had a simr idea when they were younger.
This time, it was Cassie who had cleared their confusion.
"The Shadow Gate can also be a ce for a pre-made Ritual Setup."
As soon as Vale and Maya heard this, they no longer needed a lengthy exnation.
Their eyes lit up in realization as they indeed didn''t think of that.
"If that''s possible¡ Then it''s really awesome!" Maya said in delight as she looked at Vale.
"Yes¡ It feels like cheating. The enemies would certainly do their best to stop such a ritual from happening. It would be tough protecting Vale while he tried to open the Shadow Gate. Furthermore, he must at least reach the middle stage of the Elementary Realm to at least amodate 2 or 3 pre-made Ritual Setups." Thelma added as she seemed to be reminiscing about the previous tournaments she attended.
Vale immediately thanked his seniors for such a great suggestion.
Then, the three of them continued discussing what they could do whenpeting with other contests.
What interested Vale the most was the Tower Ascension. As its name suggests, they had to clear the trials of each floor until they reached the top of the Tower. It was quite simr to the Dark Soul Tower.
What was even more interesting about this was that no one had ever cleared this Competition. There were ten floors in this Tower, but the highest they could ever reach was just the eighth floor.
"Unfortunately, this Tower can only be entered alone. It''s not a group contest. Furthermore, all levels of students will enter the same Tower as it can simply adjust the difficulty level of each trial depending on the person who had entered." Anderson exined.
He further informed them that the Tower could only ept 20-year-olds and below, so most students from eighth year and above couldn''t attend this Competition.
"Yes¡ This is also probably the other reason why they decided to ept 4th-Year and 5th-Year students in the Competition. They probably wanted to have a higher chance of clearing it this year." Thelma added.
Vale nodded in understanding since this was the first he had heard of this limitation.
"I didn''t know about. They should''ve done this earlier¡ or better yet, send third-year students too." Vale said.
However, Cassie shook her head at this. "That would be too dangerous. There are cases that which the Soul and Spirit of the contestants would be permanently damaged in this contest. Furthermore, your equipped Mystical Items could also be lost in the Tower."
Maya''s eyes widened after hearing this. "W-what? It''s that dangerous? Are there cases where people died in that contest?"
"No one has died yet since the Tower can expel you. However, you can be in a near-death state¡ Luckily, there will be plenty of healers that will be waiting for you, so any type of injuries you can get from that Tower can be healed." Anderson said, but Maya wasn''tforted at all.
Meanwhile, Vale looked even more serious. He already had a hunch that this would be dangerous, considering how the Headmaster was willing to give up his shadow if he won this contest. However, he didn''t expect that the danger could be so.
After a few moments, Vale sighed and replied jokingly.
"I guess I''ll just focus on the Monster Hunter event."
Chapter 404 See for Yourself
Chapter 404 See for Yourself
The Monster Hunter event, as the name suggests, was a thrillingpetition in the Twelve Academies Competition. It aimed to test the skills of the participants in hunting down and defeating creatures deemed as monsters by the organizers.
These battles took ce in various settings, such as cages or specially constructed environments that resembled the natural habitats of the monsters.
Furthermore, this event held significant importance as it attracted arge audience ofmoners or non-practitioners, including some rogue practitioners who couldn''t attend any Academy.
The Arcanists who participated in the Monster Hunter event symbolized power and strength to them. The spectators eagerly anticipated witnessing these dangerous monsters being vanquished by the skilled Arcanists.
On the other hand, the Trial of Skills was another contest in the Twelve Academies Competition, but it catered to a more specific audience. This contest focused on testing the knowledge, wisdom, and critical thinking abilities of the participants. Only those involved in research, crafting, or alchemy would likely find enjoyment in this contest. It required a broad range of information and emphasized mental prowess rather than relying solely on Arcane Spells.
"The Monster Hunter event in the sixth-year and seventh-year batch is no easy task if you want to take on the monster alone." Anderson responded to Vale with a chuckle.
"They usually pit us against fierce opponents like Rhilma or mutated animals caused by some mysterious corruption. Dealing with them can be quite challenging since no specific Arcane Path holds a clear advantage. As a fourth-year student, they''ll probably arrange simr creatures for you."
"Rhilma? So it was like that. I haven''t met them yet. I wonder if the Academy is keeping some of them." Vale asked as he recalled that the Academy has the Serenity Hall where they could imprison an Evil Creature.
"Unfortunately, the Academy doesn''t keep those creatures for long¡ They''d normally be sent to various sses in the higher years to be used as experimental subjects. Unlike the Evil Creatures that could survive using Arcane Energy, the Rhilmas have strong desires to eat human flesh." Thelma added.
Vale nodded at this since, based on their studies, these creatures would indeed die after a few weeks if not fed properly. However, he didn''t think too much of them before since their professors emphasized that if the animals that were mutated were only cats, dogs, rabbits, or any smaller ones, they wouldn''t really pose any threat to Arcanists like them.
Only thosemoners who don''t have guns or weapons could probably die from those creatures. Furthermore, these mutated animals would rarely appear, typically in ces with a high Arcane Energy concentration, triggering their mutation.
Naturally, such mutations are not amon urrence. There have been numerous instances of groups of animals being exposed to Arcane Energy without disying any signs of mutation. It almost seemed as if the mutations were random or limited to only a select few animals, much like how only a few individuals possess the inherent "talent" to be Arcanists.
The group continued discussing the matters that they had to look out for during the Competition. This includes their set of Spells, the Mystical Items they could bring, the Potions and Pills they could use, and the importance of the duration and cooldown of their Phantasm State.
This type of conversation was also happening to the other three students in their batch who were selected to participate in the Competition. Philip Hoffman and Crystal Ravinie from the Dark Magic Branch and Luna Moon from the Necromancy Branch had also met their seniors in their Branch and started sharing their experiences.
Finally, Anderson gave his final advice to Vale and Maya.
"Are you guys aware of the Elite Rankings in our Academy?" Anderson suddenly asked.
"Yes, Senior. I heard that only fifth-year students and above can enter the Elite Ranking." Vale replied since he knew that they could only have a ss for Mock Battles in their fifth year.
"That''s right¡ However, because of the changes, I heard that the Headmaster can allow the five of you to test your strength by challenging the Rankers in the Academy. I suggest that you take this opportunity." Anderson chuckled as he looked at the two''s expression.
"Can we really do that?" Maya''s eyes were filled with excitement since if she managed to enter the top 100, she could earn 1 Contribution Point monthly!
It was better than nothing, but at the very least, he could have a chance to challenge the 90th rank to increase it by 1.5 Contribution Points per month.
"Haha! Of course! However, the two of you have to be careful. Maya, I know that you''re incredibly strong, especially with your incredible control of Darkness Maniption Spell and with your special set of Dark Spells, but that would be tough against the Rankers."
Anderson then shifted his attention to Vale. "Vale, I know you have ridiculous strength and vitality. You also have a decent Ghost Hand Spell. However, the Rankers are on a different level. Especially those in the top fifty. Even with my skills, I can only reach the Rank 79 in the Academy."
"Senior, I heard that the top 50 were all 10th-year students with a handful of 9th-year students¡ May I know what''s special about them?" Vale curiously asked.
He had seen a few battles of the Elite Rankers in the Archive Room, but aside from not knowing what Spells they were using, he didn''t think that they were that special, considering how he was even able to defeat the Previous Headmaster.
After all, even if the Previous Headmaster was already old and weakened, he should still be quite strong. Unless, of course, Charles ckwood was in a bad condition, and his forte wasn''t in actual head-onbat but rituals or crafting.
Maya also learned forward as she was curious about it.
This time, however, it wasn''t Anderson who answered.
Cassie looked at the two and thought of an idea.
"I think that instead of telling you two, it''s better if you see for yourself¡ How about challenging your Seniors in a duel? This way, you''ll see the difference between the rogue Dark Practitioners and the ones educated by the Dark Arts Academy."
As Cassie suggested this, Thelma immediately raised her hand.
"Me! Let me do it! Vale, you''re a member of the Battle Arena Committee, right? I''m sure you can reserve an Arena. I can allow the two of you to fight me simultaneously. I''m Top 88 in the Ranking, so I have to give this handicap..."
Chapter 405 Special Spell?
Chapter 405 Special Spell?
Vale didn''t think lightly of her, although he was pretty much confident that he could win against any of his seniors.
After all, he had a Dark Spirit, various Arcane Spells, and powerful Mystical Items, including nar Spells, in his arsenal. If he still loses against other students, it would probably be because hecks experience or he was beingcent and wouldn''t go all out.
"Alright, Senior. Let''s do it. I will arrange the third Arena for today. It''s free for two hours. That should be enough." Vale said after looking at the time.
After confirming this, they no longer stayed in the Pavilion and entered the Arena Hall.
There weren''t many students in the Hall. Some of them were waiting for a battle to start, and some were even doing their assignments or self-study here.
"Vale, do you think it''s a good idea for us to work together?" Maya questioned, expressing her uncertainty about the decision they had made. They hadn''t yet coborated inbat, so there might be some challenges when it came to coordinating their spells.
"You''re right... I''m not sure how we''ll be able to synchronize our efforts, but perhaps this is a great opportunity for us. After all, we''ll eventually need to work together since we''re in the same ss and will be participating in the Competition." Vale responded, feeling confident that he could adapt to Maya''s abilities.
"Alright... I''ll give you two three to five minutes to n your strategy. Don''t be shy!" Thelma interjected upon overhearing their conversation. Vale and Maya dly epted the offer, taking advantage of the time to discuss their tactics while also waiting for the Referee to arrive.
"Vale! It''s been a while since you proposed a duel arrangement." eximed a member of the Committee who had just arrived. It was Bailey Saxon, the former Corner Judge of the First Arena, who now served as a Referee for the Third Arena.
"Senior, we appreciate youing... We''re just engaging in a friendly battle to prepare for the Competition¡" Vale replied to the cheerful senior from their club.
He then exined their situation before they prepared Arena.
Soon, the students and the Referee gathered at the center of the stage.
"Alright! The rules remain the same. However, since this is a friendly battle, we won''t have Corner Judges overseeing the match... Vale Chambers and Maya Featherstar versus Thelma Cameron... You may nowmence!" Bailey dered, signaling the start of the duel with a wave of his hand.
"Come at me! Don''t hold back!" Thelma shouted at the two after seeing them waiting for her to make a move.
Maya''s eyes gleamed with determination as she prepared to unleash her Dark Nova Spell, a powerful burst of dark energy that could engulf an area of the stage.
"I won''t be holding back, Senior!" Maya answered as she also prepared to use her movement spell in case she needed to dodge a counter attack from Thelma.
Vale, adjusting to Maya''s Spell, focused his energy and prepared to cast his Corrupted Chains Spell, conjuring ethereal chains that could bind their opponent. This may not be too effective against another Dark Arcanist, but it works well in restricting their movement.
Clink! Clink! Clink¡
The sound of chains was heard as they charged towards the target.
"Good start!" Thelmamented.
She wanted to show these juniors the difference in their skills, so she was also not going to hold back.
With a swift motion, she unleashed her first special Spell, Terror Grasp, enveloping the Arena in a dark and menacing aura. The Spell had an eerie quality, as if two different forces were intertwining.
For some reason, Maya and Vale felt the chilling presence of Spectral Hands converging in Thelma''s Spell. It was as if hundreds of Spectral Hands were trying to draw them to the Eternal Darkness!
''This¡'' Vale wasn''t exactly sure what Spell she was using, but he could immediately tell that this was a powerful spell. It might even be at the peak of Tier 2 Spell! He was impressed by how Thelma only needed an instant to use this!
Not stopping there, Thelma followed up with her second special Spell, Dark Illusion. The air around them grew thick with darkness as an enigmatic mist shrouded the battlefield.
"Not good¡" Maya gritted her teeth as she felt that her control with her Dark Nova Spell had disappeared.
Vale had the same problem as his Corrupted Chains were disintegrated just like that¡
''What an interesting Spell¡'' Valemented in his mind as he started to struggle to maintain his focus.
Maya was in the worst situation as she found herself trapped in a bewildering illusion!
The battle took a sudden turn as Maya found herself unable to defend against the onught of the Dark Illusions. If this continues, the Illusions would break her mind and eat her Soul!
It seemed like all hope was lost.
Vale, however, managed to secretly activate his Spell Dispersion, which provided him with a momentary reprieve from Thelma''s onught. This also helped Maya for a brief moment, stopping the Referee from saving her.
However, after the Spell Dispersion was deactivated, the Dark Illusion continued bombarding his mind or vision!
If not for his absurdly high Spirit Strands, he would be immediately affected.
''No wonder she''s in the Ranking. With these two spells, she could go ahead and smack her opponent to death.'' Vale thought as he readied to break the Spell using the Previous Headmaster''s Cane or what he would like to call ck me Cane because of its emblem.
"Alright! That''s enough!" Anderson suddenly said as he saw that the two fourth-year students were just resisting the Spells thrown by Thelma and not counter-attacking.
Thelma nodded at this, as she was also not nning to continue injuring them.
Bailey naturally announced the end of the battle.
''Oopss---''
Vale immediately held back from using the Cane as he also ordered Yvaine to leave Thelma''s shadow. That''s right¡ Yvaine was already inside Thelma''s Shadow, ready to attack.
Whom~
Yvaine''s menacing figure wearing a huge Shadow Cloak appeared and floated towards Vale.
Seeing the Dark Spirit leave her Shadow, Thelma''s words were stuck in her throat¡
"T-that¡ Did it just leave my shadow? Vale, you--" Thelma stammered.
Even Anderson and Bailey hadn''t expected that.
"Unbelievable! I never expected you to withstand Thelma''s Spell Fusion! I thought you guys were helpless..." Cassie eximed, her eyes wide with surprise and curiosity, as she gazed at Vale.
Chapter 406 Reminder for Future Spell Fusion
Chapter 406 Reminder for Future Spell Fusion
"Are those Spells the result of Spell Fusion?" Vale asked, his curiosity piqued, while Maya''s eyes widened in realization.
Anderson smiled at their reaction. "Indeed. What you faced today was not just a powerful Dark Spell. It was the oue of Spell Fusion."
Vale and Maya exchanged nces, their curiosity growing. They knew that Spell Fusion was a technique that could only be learned in their 8th to 10th year.
"Could you tell us more about this Spell Fusion, seniors?" Vale inquired, confident that their seniors were considering educating them about this Spell Technique, given that they had already witnessed its power.
"Of course, but let''s not discuss it here." Cassie replied.
Their seniors invited them to leave the Arena, and they headed to the cafeteria to have a more detailed discussion about what Thelma had done to them.
Once their meals arrived, Anderson began exining the true nature of Thelma''s spells.
"The first Spell she used, Terror Grasp, was a fusion of Spectral Hands and Fear Stream. And then she followed it up with the fusion of Darkness Coil and Blind Apparition, which created the Dark Illusion that trapped Maya in that nightmare..."
"Incredible... Is the fusion permanent, senior? Does it mean we can no longer use Spectral Hands or Fear Stream once we''ve fused them for the Terror Grasp?" Vale asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as he hadn''te across any detailed reviews of Spell Fusion.
"Unfortunately, no... Once you''ve fused spells together, you can no longer use the individual spells. Understanding the fusion process will shed light on why." Cassie answered.
"That''s correct... Two spell models arebined to create a new and modified spell model, rendering the old ones unusable." Thelma added.
Anderson emphasized the immense significance of Spell Fusion, highlighting its potential to amplify their abilities and stressing the importance of mastering this technique. While they might not be able to utilize Spell Fusion in the uingpetition, they needed to be cautious, as Elemental Arts Academy introduced this concept much earlier to its students.
As Vale and Maya learned about the early introduction of Spell Fusion in the 8th year for Elementalists, they couldn''t help but feel a sense of unfairness. They questioned why they had to wait for four more years to learn this technique in the Academy.
"Isn''t that unfair to us? Why are the Elementalists allowed to start fusing their spells earlier?" Maya voiced her dismay, her disappointment was evident.
Vale shared the same sentiment, feeling the weight of the long wait ahead before he could learn Spell Fusion.
It was eight long years! It was quite a lengthy period!
Anderson responded, wearing a helpless smile on his face. "Haa~ We share your thoughts, Maya... However, our Spell Fusion is different from the other Arcane Paths. It is far more dangerous and puts a greater strain on our bodies. You''ve already experienced the peril of Darkness Possession. The other Paths don''t have to go through that. Just from that aspect, you can see that our Path is distinctive."
Cassie chimed in, trying to lift their spirits. "Well... Don''t be too disheartened. Our Dark Spell Fusion is undoubtedly much stronger than the other paths. By the time you graduate, you''ll be able to learn how to fuse three Dark Spells, while the other Arcane Paths would already be content with fusing two Spells." Her words carried a sense of pride in being a Dark Arcanist.
Vale and Maya finally epted this as they continued to ask questions.
"So it was like that¡ May I know some otherbinations of Spells? I currently have Dusk? Imprisonment, Ghost Hand, Corrupted Chains, Spectral Hands, and Moonlight Curse." Vale asked in excitement as he was hoping that his current Spell would have decentbinations for a fusionter on. If not, he would have to consider which Spell he should record first.
However, as he thought that his seniors would enthusiastically give advice about which Spell he should fuse someday, they all looked at him as if he was a monster.
"Vale, you have recorded the Shadow Gate, Darkness Maniption, Light Absorption, and one more movement spell. That was already a total of nine Dark Spells! Are you sure that it''s fine?" Maya suddenly asked, leaving Vale speechless. She was worried that Vale would not have enough Spell Lights for the Shadow Soldier and the other two Branch-Exclusive Spells.
Indeed, Vale had forgotten about that. He even felt smart excluding the Spells from the Malefic Branch.
He then immediately thought of a reply.
"Ahem¡ I was just lucky since I had more Spell Lights than the others. I''m sure Seniors had already seen others with more Spell Lights than me."
Anderson and the other two immediately gathered their thoughts as they nodded to Vale.
"You''re right¡ I remember that Lesley had 10 Spell Lights when she was only in her 7th year. However, you''re still amazing, Vale."
"Incredible¡ If you actually learned the Dark Mist Spell, you can fuse it with Ghost Hands and create an Ethereal Darkness Prison. Mhm¡ Let me think for a moment." Cassie muttered as she tried recalling the Spell Fusions in their lessons.
"Well, you''ll know it soon, Vale. Don''t worry. Almost all of our Spell can be fused with another Spell. That''s another reason it''s only being taught in our 8th year." Thelma added.
"Wait! I remember now. Dusk Imprisonment and Ghost Hands work as well. They can be fused to create a Dusk Grasp Spell. You also mentioned that you have Moonlight Curse and Spectral Hands¡ There''s a great fusion for that Spell, and it was being used by Rank 75, who had beaten Anderson twice. It''s called Lunar Touch¡ It''s quite a terrifying Curse Spell." Cassie immediately added.
Thelma''s eyes lit up after hearing this.
"Ahh! That was right. It''s Anderson''s mistake to fuse a difficult Dark Spell together, so he''s having a hard time advancing his Rank. He had be weak against Curse Spells. Remember, Vale and Maya, if you want to advance your Rankings someday, you need a stronger curse than your opponent or a better anti-curse spell."
Chapter 407 The Roaring Summit
Chapter 407 The Roaring Summit
?
Vale then continued receiving advice from his seniors.
It was Cassie who was mostly giving advice. She informed him that his Spectral Hands and Corrupted Chains could be fused to create a new Spell called Chain of Souls. She further exined that it was a spell that conjures chains of dark metal that wrap around and pierce the enemy. Then, darkness would emerge from the chains and attack the enemy''s soul, weakening and paralyzing them.
It was such a powerful Spell, but Vale only has one Spectral Hands Spell!
Apparently, he also likes thest Fusion Spell that Cassie rmended.
It was the Ghost Hands, Spectral Hands, and Moonlight Curse that could actually be fused to create a Moonlight Specter!
"Right! This Moonlight Specter Spell is really powerful. Unfortunately, no one learns this Fusion Spell since the Ghost Hands and Spectral Hands had to reach the Advanced Realm before you can fuse them with the Intermediate Moonlight Curse. It would take you years for that to happen." Cassie added, expressing her opinion on this difficult Fusion Spell.
"Indeed. Most of the Spell can be fused with only Elementary Realm or Intermediate Realm mastery, but some spells require Advanced Realm mastery¡ If you think about it, it would feel like it would be a waste since an Advanced Realm Spell is already a strong spell, even without any fusion. Removing two Advanced Realm Spell will require a dedication and a strong heart." Thelmamented with a chuckle.
Normally, it would take at least five or more years to get an Advanced Realm Spell. In normal cases, it would certainly feel bad if you had to give up two of them.
"What about me, Senior? Aside from the Spirit Shatter and the Academy-Exclusive Spells, I currently have Dark Nova, Spirit Hand, and Dark w¡ What do you think I should record next for a better fusion? Right, I also have 29 Spirit Strands at the moment, so I can record Tier 2 Spells already." Maya asked with excitement.
"Well¡ I''m sure you can ask your older sister for advice, but I can also help you¡" Anderson replied as their discussionsted for another half an hour before they separated.
Vale and Maya felt really thankful to the three as they didn''t just learn about the Twelve Academies Competition but also the future that was awaiting them.
"Vale¡ What do you think about the Fusion Spells of the other Academies? Do you think we can deal with that if we face them in the duel tournaments?" Maya asked seriously as they walked in the hallway leading to the student dormitories.
She may not have done her best in the duel against Thelma, but she could tell that even if she used her Featherstar Physique''s ability, she would struggle to defeat the Senior with those two Fusion Spells.
Vale simply smiled at this as he recalled the pieces of advice they received a while ago.
"It doesn''t matter¡ Just like what they told us, the fusion spells of other Paths weren''t that great since they had it easy. Senior Anderson even mentioned that Elementalist''s Fusion Spell was something like Frosty Gale¡ A fusion of Ice Wall and Wind de Spell¡ They''re not as scary as the fusion of our Dark Spells." Vale replied with confidence. They even heard that the Fusion Spells of most Holy Arts Practitioners weren''t meant for battle.
"Don''t think too much of it. Just think of them using a stronger spell. If we have better Spells, we don''t have to worry."
Maya wryly smiled at this, but she understood what Vale was trying to tell her.
"Alright. Let''s do our best in thepetition."
***
Avery''s eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunlight filtered through his window.
It was the day he had been eagerly anticipating for months - the start of the Twelve Academies Competition.
"Are we finally at the summit?" Avery muttered to himself as he stretched his limbs.
He couldn''t help but feel a surge of excitement as he realized that it''s already morning. Today marked the beginning of a grand event that would test the skills and abilities of young arcane practitioners from all over the kingdom.
Avery, a young man with blond hair and piercing blue eyes, was a fourth-year student at Lakrine, the prestigious Academy of Summoning Arts.
Among his peers, he held the esteemed reputation of being the best in his batch. What set him apart was the extraordinary nature of his summoning abilities. While most students could summon objects like swords, shields, or everyday items, Avery had managed to summon something far more remarkable - a Silver-Haired Ape. This impressive feat had earned him recognition and admiration among his fellow students and teachers.
As he rose from his bed and wore his academy uniform, Avery couldn''t help but hold his Grimoire and pose like he was about to summon his Silver-Haired Ape...
"Kekeke¡ This is awesome." Avery tried suppressing hisugh as he felt really cool doing this.
After appreciating his elegance, he then stepped out of his cabin to visit the deck of their Airship.
They were headed to the Roaring Summit, the majestic location where the Twelve Academies Competition would take ce.
In this Airship, he was together with all the other students from Lakrine who will be participating in the event.
As he stood outside, Avery soon caught sight of the ind where thepetition would unfold. It was a breathtaking sight.
"Awesome¡ I''m so lucky that thepetition rules have changed. It''s perfect." Avery muttered as he saw a huge city perched atop a lofty teau.
As their Airship got near, they could see that the city bustled with activity, its streets filled with visitors, patrolling guards, and practitioners of arcane arts from all walks of life.
However, as their Airship was about to descend, a sudden shift in the atmosphere caught his attention. The once bustling streets had also fell into a hushed silence, and a sense of unease hung in the air.
"What''s this Aura?" Avery muttered as his gaze shifted towards the sky, where a dark airship emerged from the horizon, casting an ominous shadow over the city below.
Chapter 408 Mysterious Lady?
Chapter 408 Mysterious Lady?
"W-what?!"
"Pirates?"
"The City is under attack!"
"Fool! We are in the fifthrgest city in the Kingdom. No pirate would dare to attack this ce."
"It must be an entric visitor or something."
Whispers of concern rippled through the crowd as people exchanged worried nces.
The sight of a dark airship emanating a chilling aura fueled their anxiety, and thoughts of impending danger raced through their minds.
Avery''s heart skipped a beat as he, too, was momentarily taken aback by the foreboding presence.
"Do not panic. We are not under attack."
Suddenly, they heard one of the Professors at Lakrine Academy announce his findings calmly. He was Professor Klein and was known for his capability of summoning five Spiritual Beasts at the same time.
Avery also noticed that Professor Klein had his Grimoire summoned already, and his eyes were glowing with yellow light. It means that he summoned the powers of his Phantom Eagle, the Eagle Sight, to investigate the situation.
Hearing their Professor''s voice, they certainly calmed down a lot as they looked at the Airship with curiosity.
Soon, as the Dark Airship loomed closer, the distinctive emblem on its hull became visible. It was none other than the Airship of the Vermont Academy, the renowned Academy of Dark Arts.
''That looks cool¡'' Avery couldn''t help butment in his mind.
The Airship that their academy was using was still the same for thest two or three decades. However, the ones that the Vermont Academy uses looked pristine and filled with power.
It doesn''t look like a passenger airship at all¡ It seemed as if it was ready to engage in war, which Avery appreciates a lot.
"Alright¡ Stop dawdling at them. We can disembark now." Professor Klein said as he closed his Grimoire, leading the students in front.
However, after the students disembarked, Professor Klein went to a corner and discreetly reopened his Grimoire, a faint glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
Professor Klein then whispered an incantation as he summoned forth his trustedpanion, the Phantom Eagle. The majestic creature materialized, its ethereal form taking shape beside him. With a mere flick of his wrist, he sent the Phantom Eagle soaring into the sky, its keen eyes scanning the surroundings with unparalleled precision.
As the Phantom Eagle circled overhead, Professor Klein tapped into its heightened senses, seeing through its eyes and hearing through its ears.
Each p of its wings carried it closer to the individuals sent by the Vermont Academy, allowing him to gather information in secret.
He observed them carefully as if he were searching for something.
After some time, he felt satisfied with his investigation and canceled the summoned beast.
"Their Headmaster is indeed here."
***
Geraldine Walsh, a fourth-year student from Kildare, the Knights Academy, was in her hotel room when she felt the sinister aura permeating the air. The arrival of the dark Airship from the Vermont Academy ignited a fire within her¡
As the chilling presence settled around her, Geraldine''s grip tightened on the hilt of her sword. Memories of her sister''s tragic fate at the hands of a rogue Dark Arts Practitioner resurfaced, fueling her resentment towards those who delved into the Dark Arts.
To her, they were all tainted by the same darkness, regardless of their individual intentions or affiliations. It doesn''t matter if they came from a prestigious academy or were practicing it in their basement; they were all evil to her.
"I will teach all of you a lesson¡" Geraldine muttered through her gritted teeth.
Her eyes burned with fierce determination, her red hair seeming to flicker with an inner me.
Unable to contain her restlessness, Geraldine decided to leave her hotel room. The bustling city felt calming for her. It offers some distraction from the tumultuous emotions swirling within her.
"Whew~"
As she immersed herself in the vibrant atmosphere of the city, she felt her raging heart starting to calm down.
She observed the diverse array of people, practitioners and non-practitioners alike, going about their daily lives, each absorbed in their own way of life.
Although her anger towards the practitioners of Dark Arts remained steadfast, Geraldine couldn''t help but acknowledge theplexity of the world around her.
She knew that not everyone from the Vermont Academy shared the same malevolent intentions as the rogue practitioner who had taken her sister''s life. However, the pain and grief she carried made it difficult to differentiate between friend and foe.
"Haa~"
Geraldine sighed as she could only hope that she could control her emotions in thepetition.
As she was thinking of returning to her hotel room to meet with her ssmates, she noticed a figure seemingly out of ce amidst the vibrant surroundings.
It was a remarkable youngdy as her hair was a striking mix of white and ck. She seemed to be looking at the candies and pastries sold by the hawkers.
At first nce, she appeared harmless and beautiful, but Geraldine''s instincts immediately sensed something amiss.
A disgusting aura emanated from the youngdy.
''This Aura¡ I can''t be mistaken¡''
Geraldine was certain that this youngdy was a Dark Arts Practitioner!
Her hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of her sword, her immediate reaction to cut through the Dark Arcanist!
However, as she prepared to strike, a suffocating aura suddenly locked onto her, rendering her motionless.
"W-what''s going on?!"
Surprised by the unexpected turn of events, Geraldine found herself unable to move, trapped under the weight of this mysterious girl''s power.
The youngdy finally looked in her direction. She was frowning and seemed baffled by the situation.
"Miss, have you mistaken me? I''m sure it''s our first time meeting, but your killing intent is definitely directed at me." She remarked, her voice carrying an air of intrigue.
"I¡ It''s a mistake¡ Are you the one causing this? I don''t intend to attack you¡" Geraldine replied, her voice tinged with a touch of uncertainty. "Please, stop... I just made a mistake."
The youngdy''s expression softened, and she let out a gentle sigh. "Ah... Right, it''s my Spirit. She felt your killing intent so¡" She exined, her wordsced with a hint of apology.
"Ahem... Miss Lotus, stop suffocating her. She might die¡" She whispered, directing her attention towards an unseen presence.
Chapter 409 Blocked
Chapter 409 Blocked
"Ahh¡ª"
As the suffocating Aura dissipated, Geraldine felt a wave of relief wash over her, allowing her to breathe freely once again.
The tension in the air gradually eased, and she found herself able to move, though her hand still clutched the hilt of her sword. She looked at the mysteriousdy, her eyes filled with a mixture of caution and curiosity.
"I apologize¡ I just reacted like that after sensing your Aura. It''s my mistake." Geraldine said as she calmed down. She then released her grip to the hilt of her sword.
"I don''t mind it. I''m sure you know some hateful Dark Arcanists¡ I was also like that. Ah, are you going to participate in the Competition?"
"Yes! I''m Geraldine Walsh, a fourth-year student at Kildare Academy. Are you here to participate as well?"
"Oh, so you''re a Knight! No, I''m only here to watch. I''m not a student of Vermont Academy. I''m Denise White¡ Good luck to your Competition¡" Denise said as she waved her hand and prepared to leave.
"No, I''m not a Knight¡ But I will be one someday. Once again, I apologize for my actions a while ago." Geraldine said as Denise left the ce.
After Geraldine could no longer see the mysteriousdy, her expression eased up as she felt that she just survived an encounter with a beast¡
''I''m sure that she was talking to a Spirit¡ Tsk. A rogue Dark Arts Practitioner with a Spirit I couldn''t sense¡ That girl is dangerous.'' Geraldinemented in her mind as she realized that Dark Arcanists are truly on a different level.
Denise White wasn''t even from the Academy, but a Knight like her was already made helpless by a summoned spirit! This would''ve never happened if she faced young practitioners of other Arcane Paths!
Geraldine helplessly smiled at this as she realized that avenging her sister''s death was easier said than done.
***
As the Airship of the Vermont Academy approached the Roaring Summit, the students onboard, a total of 45, felt excited while some felt nervous. Thirty-five of them were participants, while the other ten students were here to assist them in various ways.
Among them, Vale Chambers couldn''t help but notice something peculiar.
The students from the 8th to 10th year, who were representing their Academy were not among the top 30 in the Elite Rankings.
This realization puzzled Vale, but fortunately, Maya was there and exined that those elite students had epted important missions for the Dark Arts Faction, which probably held greater significance than individual achievements in the Twelve Academies Competition.
Vale wasn''t sure what kind of the mission was, but he didn''t think too much of it.
"Mhmm?"
As their Airship drew closer to their destination, Vale couldn''t help but notice the attention they garnered.
"That''s a lot of Spells targeting us¡" Vale muttered as he felt numerous spells scanning over their Airship.
There was even a surveince eagle, likely part of the city''s security measures, observing their arrival. Anyway, they paid little mind to the presence of these people, as their actions were quite expected given the nature of the Competition and the chilling Aura emanating from their Airship.
Upon disembarking, they were warmly greeted by officials from thepetition organizers.
The officials led them to the hotel where they would be staying until the start of the Competition. It was clear that not all academies had arrived yet, as the Competition was still two days away.
As Vale set foot on the ground, he felt a strange sensation wash over him.
It felt familiar, yet he couldn''t quite ce it.
"Vale? Are you alright? Don''t be too nervous." Philip said as he patted Vale''s shoulders.
"Ahh¡ It''s nothing. I probably felt ufortable with those Magic Zones sweeping over us." Vale replied.
As he walked with the group, he pondered if the thing he felt had something to do with Master Heinz''s disciples or perhaps the enigmatic Creation Ring. He brought the Timepiece and the Stormbringer after all.
Vale smiled at the thought but dismissed it as the excitement of being in a new city. Unlike the industrial cities in the central part of the kingdom, this ce felt fresh and invigorating, with a gentle breeze that brought a sense of tranquility. It waspletely different from others, with smog covering the entire city and the noise created by trains and factories.
Just as Vale thought they would reach their hotel room without any further interruptions, a group of individuals d in white robes abruptly blocked their path.
"Mhmm?" Vale''s eyes widened as he looked ahead.
To his surprise, two figures among them looked familiar. It was re and Teresa, the Untainted Sentinels he had encountered before!
''Not good!''
Instinctively, he hid behind Philip and others as he tried not to act to gather attention.
They might be capable of using their Divine Sense, but if they have the same level of Divine Sense or if he has a higher level than them, they shouldn''t notice his presence.
"Aren''t they Untainted Sentinels? Why are they blocking our path?" Philip muttered in curiosity as he looked ahead.
Vale couldn''t help but feel curious as well.
"Are they here to cause trouble?"
He then looked at the Headmaster Jean and six other Professors who were leading their group and felt that there shouldn''t be any problems.
Headmaster Jean looked at the five people blocking them before taunting them with a smile on his face.
"Are you here to ask for help? I heard that a lot of Untainted Sentinels died in your recent operation¡" He provocatively remarked, his wordsced with a hint of mockery. He was well-informed about the recent events and the perilous circumstances surrounding the Sentinels.
The leader of the group, an old man, responded with a seemingly innocent smile. "That''s funny, Headmaster Jean. I''m just here to take a look at your students. You see, we want to make sure that none of them are carrying a disease..."
His words struck a nerve among the students, and their sense of pride and dignity was challenged.
"What did you say?!" A tenth-year student among them bravely conveyed everyone''s reaction.
It was evident that this treatment was not extended to students from other academies participating in the Competition. Even the more experienced students who had previously taken part in the event had never encountered such disrespect.
Chapter 410 Unfathomable Rich Kid?
Chapter 410 Unfathomable Rich Kid?
Headmaster Jean narrowed his eyes, a mix of anger and disbelief etching across his face.
It wasn''t just the tenth-year student who felt disrespected by the ns of the Organizers of this event. In the previouspetitions they attended, they never had to go through such an inspection.
"Old Fletcher¡ An inspection to check for disease? You must have gone senile¡" Jean retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He also signaled for his students to calm down and let him handle the situation.
The old man chuckled, his amusement evident. "Hahaha! It was an order from the top! The Association asked us to see if we can purify you all if you are carrying a disease. As you know, your students will be meeting the students from the other 11 academies. Furthermore, the third princess will be participating in the Competition¡ So, as you might have expected, this Competition will be a lot different from the previous ones because many royalties will be attending this event. We want to ensure their safety." Old Fletcher exined.
Upon hearing this, the Headmaster and students realized that the old man might be speaking the truth and wasn''t intentionally making things difficult for them.
After all, if the royalties are really involved, then it would be a different matter.
Nevertheless, it doesn''t mean that it would feel better to them.
"Before you proceed to your rooms to drop off your luggage, allow us to perform a simple Inspection Spell to check your bodies¡" Fletcher said, ncing at the students behind Headmaster Jean before revealing a creepy smile.
The students exchanged nces, as they couldn''t hide the frustration on their faces.
Headmaster Jean reluctantly agreed to the inspection, realizing that resistance would only lead to furtherplications. However, he made it abundantly clear to the members of the Untainted Sentinels that they were strictly limited to using Inspection Spells and nothing beyond that.
After some time, Headmaster Jean sighed.
"Very well¡ You can inspect them. However, you have to ensure that you''ll only use a Spell to detect whether they have a contagious disease or not¡ I will be watching you. If I see you doing something that could harm my students, I won''t care whether you''re following someone else''s orders. You will be the one to pay the price." Headmaster Jean responded, his voiceced with authority.
The members of the Untainted Sentinels nodded in apparentpliance, masking their true intentions.
"Ahem¡ Of course. You can watch us. We aren''t here to cause trouble. In any case, we''re confident that the students in the Holy Arts Academy wouldn''t need our help to defeat your students in the Competition. Keke¡" Fletcher said with augh.
After they assured the Headmaster that they would adhere to his request and utilize the designated Inspection Spells, they immediately prepared their spells.
They seem like they are doing nothing wrong. However, behind their facade ofpliance, they harbored ulterior motives.
Alongside the Inspection Spells, they nned to covertly utilize their Divine Sense and Arcane Appraisal abilities within the confined range.
Their aim was simple: it was to gather valuable information on the students, believing that they could do so without being detected by the Headmaster or anyone here¡
By obtaining this information, they could provide the Holy Arts Academy with a significant advantage in understanding theirpetitors in the uing Competition.
It was a calcted move, aplishing the inspection mandated by the royals while simultaneously gaining tactical insight.
''Kekeke¡'' Old Fletcher couldn''t help but chuckle as they started activating their Spells.
Whom~
As the members of the Untainted Sentinels spread out their Divine Sense and Arcane Appraisal, they began meticulously assessing the strengths and capabilities of the students. Their spells allowed them to delve into the essence of each student''s magical aptitude, discerning their inherent abilities and potential. They carefully observed and noted their findings within their minds. They were looking for exceptional talents or unique attributes that the students may have.
After all, they couldn''t becent. The students of the Holy Arts Academy were expected to defeat the Dark Arts Academy, so they could not mess this up. They had to ensure that the Dark Arts Academy didn''t have anything that could threaten them.
"Mhmm?"
However, amidst their thorough evaluations, an unexpected anomaly emerged.
One particr student, a young male, appeared to be impervious to their spells. Despite their powerful Divine Sense and Arcane Appraisal, this particr student remained elusive, undetectable to their probing abilities.
''Did I get weaker? Impossible¡ I''m only inspecting a kid. Is it a Mystical Artifact? But only Sovereign Rank can stop my ability. There''s no way he''s carrying that.''
Old Fletcher and the other Sentinels exchanged perplexed nces, a sense of intrigue and curiosity mingling with their confusion.
Just by exchanging nces, they could tell that they were also troubled to sense the limit of this young man. However, if they use the Spell to confirm whether he has a contagious disease or not, it actually works really well!
The Disease Inspection Spell tell them that he wasn''t carrying any form of disease!
It was a rare urrence to encounter an individual who could resist their powerful Arcane Appraisal Spell. Furthermore, three of them could use the Divine Sense, but they all had the same result.
Questions swirled in their minds, fueling their determination to uncover the truth behind this enigma.
The five Untainted Sentinels discussed their ns using their telepathy as they acted as if they were still using their Disease Inspection Spell.
What made this student different? How did he shield himself from our scrutiny?
These were the questions in their minds.
However, they couldn''t discuss for too long.
"Is it still not done? You guys have gotten really weaker¡ I guess that incident about your Sentinels wasn''t without reason." Headmaster Jean suddenly said as he reminded them of the incident where several Sentinels died in their operation.
"That''s enough, Headmaster Jean. Those Sentinels have died because of the rogue practitioners of your Darkness Path. Hmph¡ We''re done inspecting them." Fletcher said as he paused for a moment.
He then shifted his nce to one of the students before he continued.
"However, that young kid with ck hair must step forward."
Chapter 411 The Competition ( 1 )
Chapter 411 The Competition ( 1 )
?
As the young man stepped forward, it became apparent that he was none other than Vale Chambers.
Vale couldn''t help but smile inwardly, knowing full well why his abilities had thwarted the Untainted Sentinels'' inspection.
With his own array of powerful spells, including Divine Sense, Meridian ess, Incorruptible Body, and ESP, it was no surprise that he could hinder their attempts to probe his body. He also had his Mystical Items with him, the Obsidian Amulet from Heinz¡
Lastly, his passive Spell Dispersion further added to their confusion. After all, all these Spells are high-level. One of them was even Level 9 or one step away from reaching the Perfect Realm.
"Seniors, is there a problem? I''m confident that your Disease Inspection Spell is working on me¡" Vale calmly addressed the Untainted Sentinels, ensuring that he didn''t impede the specific spell they had employed.
His heightened Spirit Strand allowed him to discern whether the intrusive spell targeted his Spell Lights or not. He made sure only to cancel the Spells that were trying to invade his secrets.
Old Fletcher, taken aback by Vale''s response, found himself at a loss for words.
''This¡''
He had contemted asking Vale to remove any protective mystical items he might possess, but the young man had cleverly preempted that possibility. By affirming that the Disease Inspection Spell should work on him, Vale had left no room for doubt.
Old Fletcher realized that challenging Vale''s statement and being proven wrong would only lead to furtherplications.
After all, all five of them are aware that the Disease Inspection Spell was indeed working fine as he had imed.
''Tsk¡''
The situation had taken an unexpected turn, so he wasn''t able to immediately reply...
Headmaster Jean keenly observed the exchange, his sharp mind piecing together the puzzle.
''Ohh~''
He recognized that Vale''s ability to counter their inspection was likely a manifestation of his affiliation with the Malefic Branch.
Impressed by the young man''s resourcefulness, Headmaster Jean couldn''t help but hope that Vale''s peers, such as Evelyn and others, would disy simr ingenuity and skill.
''I hope all of Heinz''s pupils would be as good as him or even better¡'' Jean thought momentarily as he couldn''t help but feel excited for the future of the Dark Arts Faction. After all, he believed that Heinz''s sess would be the sess of the whole Faction.
Headmaster Jean then turned his attention to Old Fletcher and inquired.
"Do you have any further questions for the young man?"
The hallway fell silent as all eyes focused on Vale, awaiting the next course of action. To be honest, the other students here were also baffled as to why they suddenly called out to Vale.
At this moment, as Fletcher was thinking of a response, another Untainted Sentinel took over.
"Headmaster Jean¡ We meant no harm to the young student. Yes, the Disease Inspection Spell is working on him as he said. However, we wanted to ask him a few questions¡ To be exact, we wanted to ask him if he knows a man named Clovis Skye." Teresa said as she shifted her attention to Vale Chambers.
"Clovis Skye?" Jean squinted his eyes as he had no idea about this person. At the very least, he couldn''t recall this name right now.
He shifted his attention to Vale and noticed that the young man remainedposed and looking at the Sentinel without any fear.
He then spoke to Vale using his telepathy, and after confirming that there was no problem, he allowed Vale to reply.
"I''m not aware of that person, Miss Sentinel." Vale replied.
As he thought that Teresa and re would press further, they actually just nodded and turned their backs.
The inspection of the Sentinels was done just like that.
However, this wasn''t good for Vale¡
''That reaction¡ I''m sure they''re still suspecting me.'' He couldn''t help but frown after seeing how Teresa and re had easily given up.
Although they only had a brief encounter before, he could tell that these two were persistent and wouldn''t give up just like that.
"Alright¡ The mood has soured, but we''re fine. Think of it as their tactic to break our morale, so we mess up in the Competition. They might do this underhanded tactics, so we won''t get our footing in this Competition. However, keep in mind that everything will change this year." Headmaster Jean said as he encouraged the students.
"Yes, Headmaster!"
"We will show them who''s the boss!"
"That''s right¡ We will dominate this time!"
Headmaster Jean smiled after seeing their reaction.
Over the past few years, the Competition has always been difficult for them even though they were stronger individually. It''s all because the Academies are working together to deal with them. Even if they could excel in some individualpetitions, they would still rank in the bottom three for the overall Academy Score.
However, that would finally change.
The students weren''t sure why it would change, but it was, of course, thanks to the Headmaster and a few members of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels working behind the scenes. Well, even the Secret Organization had actually helped them without them knowing about it.
The previous close connections of the Arcane Path soured over the years.
The Mystic Arts Faction started hating the Alchemy Arts Faction for taking a huge chunk of their business. The recording crystal business was part of it.
The Rune Arts Faction and the Psychic Arts Faction are now being used by the Harmonious Arcane Path Association of colluding with the Secret Organization.
The Elemental Arts Faction was also being targeted by other Organizations as tens of thousands of the Elemental Talismans they sold weren''t working properly for some odd reason.
The Summoning Arts Faction had also started fighting against the Church of the Divine Sorcerer because the church imed that the source of their Grimoire was from an Evil Existence. They obviously didn''t like it. So, in turn, the Knights Faction and the Combat Arts Faction had to step in to protect the church¡
Many more situations had happened over the years, and the Dark Arts Faction had secretly sided with some Factions to give them a helping hand.
Now, the Dark Arts Faction only had to worry about a few Factions, which they no longer consider as a threat.
''If it''s only 4 or 5 factions we will be dealing with¡ Then this will be a piece of cake¡'' Headmaster Jean thought as he led the students.
***
A day quickly passed, and during this time, the students indeed received a few "bullyings" from the Holy Arts Faction, but as the Headmaster told them, they made sure not to cause problems.
They silently gritted their teeth as they swore to deal with them in the Competition.
Finally, on the next day, the long-awaited Competitionmenced.
The grand arena brimmed with excitement and anticipation as representatives from various academies, audiences, nobles, and arcanists from all corners of the kingdom gathered to witness the spectacle.
Chapter 412 The Competition ( 2 )
Chapter 412 The Competition ( 2 )
Within the arena, the cheering and apuse from the audience reverberated through the air, their enthusiasm fueling the adrenaline of thepetitors.
The noble families, adorned in their finest attire, watched with keen interest, their expectations high for the students from their respective academies.
However, their attention was also drawn to the central tform, where the First Prince of the Kingdom, Oliver Millton, resided. Donned in a luxurious robe of red and gold, he upied the highest honor within the arena.
Despite his prestigious presence, the First Prince chose not to deliver a speech. Instead, he graciously allowed the event organizers to proceed, lending his ear to their announcements and directives.
The one who stepped forward to address all the participants was Odessa, the Royal Mage. Despite her rtively young age, she had earned the title of the Sky''s Strongest, known for her remarkable feats such as toppling five war airships alone and defeating many Arcanists who dared to impede her while floating in the sky. Currently unaffiliated with any of the 12 factions, Odessa served the Royal Family.
"It has been quite some time since I was invited to witness the skills of the young practitioners from the 12 prestigious Arcane Academies of our Kingdom¡" Odessa began, her voice carrying a sense of anticipation. "I eagerly look forward to each and every one of your performances. As you are all aware, we have arranged better rewards for the winners of each event, aiming to encourage your utmost dedication and excellence."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the participants gathered within the arena. d in their academy uniforms, their aura radiated with potent Arcane Energy.
Odessa smiled, appreciating the sight before her, and continued. "To ensure that the audience that has gathered here today will not be disappointed, we shallmence with the first event: the Spectacle of Talents! Unleash the beauty of your Arcane Arts before this vast audience, leaving them captivated and in awe!"
As Odessa finished speaking, a wave of excitement surged through the participants.
They were initially informed that the sh of Champions would be the first event. However, it seemed that they would be able to rx first and showcase their abilities.
After all, thispetition was the easiest one since they only had to perform¡ They only need to showcase their mastery, creativity, and the sheer artistry of their magical abilities.
Soon, the event proceeded simr to how their professors discussed it
With hearts brimming with anticipation, they prepared to step onto the stage, ready to leave an indelible impression on the audience and the judges of this event.
***
The eventmenced with the fourth-year students from each academy taking the stage. One student from each batch was selected to showcase their talents in this highly anticipated event.
Soon, the sequence of performances was announced, building up the excitement within the arena.
The first to step on stage was a female student from the Holy Arts Academy.
It appears that this was deliberately done since the one selected for this event was none other than the third Princess of the Kingdom, Ceres Millton.
Vale even had a feeling that once the Princess had finished her performance, the First Prince would also stop watching and leave the arena.
"She looks absolutely graceful.¡"
"As expected of the Third Princess, she shines brighter than the sun!"
Whispers of admiration and excitement spread throughout the crowd. The spectators recognized the significance of witnessing a member of the royal family participating in this event.
Ceres, with her long blond hair cascading down her back, stood on the stage with an air of confidence and grace.
"Student Ceres¡ You can now begin!" The umpire announced.
The anticipation in the arena was palpable as the signal to start echoed through the air.
Ceres didn''t hesitate after hearing the signal.
With a wave of her hand, she activated her Holy Arts, setting the stage for a truly spectacr show.
A radiant glow enveloped Ceres as she tapped into the holy magic within her. Beams of light, shimmering with ethereal energy, burst forth from her fingertips.
The audience gasped in awe as the lights danced and twirled, painting the air with vibrant colors.
With each movement, Ceres weaved intricate patterns in the air, creating mesmerizing shapes and symbols that seemed toe alive. She called upon the power of her Holy Arts to manifest illusions of celestial beings, their ethereal forms swirling and twirling around her.
The arena transformed into a beautiful, heaven-like realm as the audience watched in awe. Even clouds of light gently swirled around Ceres, creating a breathtaking backdrop for her performance.
Perhaps this performance would be perfect if there was an enchanting melody to fill the air and captivate the hearts of everyone.
As the performance reached its climax, Ceres unleashed a burst of holy energy that enveloped the entire stage. The audience was bathed in a soft, radiant light, and a sense of peace and serenity washed over them.
"Sanctify, Rejuvenate, Radiance, followed by Benediction¡ Impressive¡ That final burst of energy must be a wide-range Exorcism Spell¡ That actually looks good." Odessamented as she couldn''t help but appreciate the Third Princess'' performance.
Even the First Prince couldn''t help but smile after seeing her performance.
Needless to say, the panel of experts was equally entranced by Ceres''s disy of talent.
They marveled at the seamless integration of creativity, skill, and harmony in her performance. It was clear that Ceres had not only mastered her Holy Arts but had also infused her own unique style and artistry into her showcase.
As Ceres gracefully concluded her performance, the audience erupted into thunderous apuse, their cheers echoing throughout the arena.
Ceres, her face beaming with satisfaction, took a bow, expressing her gratitude for the overwhelming support from the audience.
''I''ve won¡'' Ceres silently thought as she calmed her breathing. She believed that the next students wouldn''t be able to surpass her performance.
The bar had been set high, but the excitement and anticipation in the arena only grew as the audience eagerly awaited the next enchanting disy of talent and artistry.
Chapter 413 The Competition ( 3 )
Chapter 413 The Competition ( 3 )
"Vale, did you see Princess Ceres'' performance? She was absolutely mesmerizing¡ Are you getting nervous now?" Mayamented as the Princess stepped down the stage.
Apparently, the one selected to participate in this Spectacle of Talents was Vale Chambers. Of course, this means that he won''t be able to participate in other contests¡ªspecifically, the Mirage of Wonders, Trial of Skills, and the Group Segment for Monster Hunter.
Vale nodded. "Yes, it was an incredible performance."
"But Vale, my friend, you have a unique talent for Dark Arts. I have no doubt that you will create something equally beautiful and captivating." Philip chimed in. From the day he was rescued by Vale from that dungeon, he had always believed that his ssmate could do anything.
Luna and Crystal, though not as close to Vale, offered their words of encouragement.
Vale wryly smiled at this as he could tell that they were also feeling worried because the Princess'' performance was indeed captivating and difficult to forget¡
"I will give it my all and make Dark Arts shine on that stage." Vale could only reply as the contest continued.
***
The next student to take the stage was a talented young woman named Serena from the Mystic Arts Academy. As the apuse for Ceres''s performance gradually subsided, Serena stepped forward, ready to showcase her own unique abilities.
Serena, with her mesmerizing violet eyes and flowing dark hair, exuded an aura of mystery. The audience leaned forward in anticipation¡
As soon as she heard the signal from the umpire, she gently nodded and activated her Spells.
''I can do this¡'' Serena muttered to herself.
With a flick of her wrist, she began her performance, utilizing the Toxic Illusion, Mirage Weaver, and Spark spells to create a spellbinding spectacle.
Toxic Illusion was Serena''s specialty, and she expertly manipted the toxic fumes, creating illusions that seemed almost tangible. At hermand, the green fumes twisted and contorted, morphing into fantastical creatures andndscapes.
Next, Serena employed her mastery of the Mirage Weaver spell. She conjured shimmering mirages that danced and shimmered before the audience''s eyes.
Thissted for three minutes before Serena unleashed her final spell, Trinket Spark.
Brilliant sparks of mystical energy burst forth from her fingertips, illuminating the stage with a dazzling disy of light. The brilliance was a lot different from Ceres since the green fumes were still surrounding her. The sparks she created had also intertwined and swirled, creating intricate patterns that mesmerized the onlookers.
"Three Mystic Spells meant for battle could actually be so beautiful in her hands¡ Marvelous¡"
"She did well indeed. This ispletely different from the previous Competitions since they don''t have many spells this time, so they had to be creative with their recorded Spells."
The panel of experts watched in awe as Serena effortlessly showed the harmony of her Spells. They had witnessed such a captivating disy.
Her Toxic Illusion, Mirage Weaver, and Trinket Spark spells were meant to torture and kill her target, but she infused them with her style and artistry and created such a spectacle.
As Serena gracefully concluded her performance, the audience erupted into thunderous apuse, their cheers echoing throughout the arena.
Then, she looked at a certain area in the central tform and realized that the First Prince was no longer there.
Indeed, he had only visited this ce to show some support to the Third Princess.
''So it was like that¡''
After feeling disappointed for a brief moment, Serena immediately changed her expression as she expressed her gratitude to the audience with a smile and a slight bow.
Thepetition continued with each academy''s representative showcasing their talents. The student from the Elemental Arts Academy mesmerized the audience with a dazzling fireworks disy, filling the sky with bursts of vibrant colors and sparkling lights. It was a spectacle that left the crowd in awe.
However, the student from the Rune Arts Academy faced a slight mishap. Despite his best efforts, one of the three Runic Symbols he created failed to activate. It was likely due to nervousness, causing a small mistake in his otherwise intricate performance. Nheless, the audience appreciated his efforts and apuded him for his creativity.
The student from the Beast Arts Academy brought forth a magical sight as she opened her grimoire and summoned a flock of rainbow sparrows. The colorful birds soared through the air, creating a captivating disy that enchanted the onlookers.
While these performances weremendable, Princess Ceres and Serena''s earlier disys had set the bar incredibly high. Their incredible performance left a deep impression on the audience, making the subsequent performances appear somewhat mediocre inparison.
The crowd couldn''t help butpare the current participants to the brilliance they had witnessed earlier.
However, the atmosphere in the arena suddenly shifted as a female knight apprentice finally took her ce on the stage.
The apprentice''s name was Amelia, a determined and talented young warrior from the Knights Academy.
As she stood there, her half-body armor gleamed under the sunlight¡ Silence fell over the crowd, captivated by her presence.
With a swift motion, Amelia unsheathed her sword, its polished de catching the light.
Her eyes remained closed as her mind focused on her performance.
''Let''s see how a swordsman will amaze this huge crowd¡'' Odessamented in her mind. She was really enjoying their performance and didn''t leave with the First Prince.
She wanted to see this till the end.
Soon, Amelia began her performance.
Her sword danced through the air, leaving trails of shimmering light in its wake. Each strike was executed with wless technique, demonstrating her mastery of the art of swordsmanship.
However, this wasn''t a simple sword dance¡
As the performance progressed, Amelia''s movements became more intricate and dynamic. She seamlessly transitioned between graceful flourishes and powerful strikes, captivating the audience with her skillful disy.
The crowd erupted into apuse and cheers as Amelia executed a series of breathtaking maneuvers, showcasing her agility and control.
As soon as her performance reached its peak, she raised her sword and looked at the sky¡
Then, to everyone''s surprise, dark clouds started to gather!
Vale, who had been watching the performance, couldn''t help but straighten his back as he witnessed her actions.
"This.."
Chapter 414 The Competition ( 4 )
Chapter 414 The Competition ( 4 )
As the dark clouds gathered overhead, a sense of anticipation filled the air.
Vale, who possessed the legendary or perhaps the Divine Sword Stormbringer, felt a surge of recognition and astonishment.
He couldn''t believe his eyes as he realized that Amelia was also summoning a lightning bolt! This was quite different from his Call of the Divine Lightning and the Stormbringer''s innate ability to store and release lightning, but the essence feels the same.
It appears that her sword was trying to attract the lightning, simr to lightning rods he had seen in his previous life.
"This..." Vale whispered in awe, his voice barely audible amidst the growing excitement in the arena.
He could sense a powerful energy emanating from Amelia, intertwining with the storm brewing above. He wasn''t sure if she was activating a spell or triggering the effect of her sword.
As if in response to Amelia''s unspokenmand, bolts of lightning began to crackle within the dark clouds.
The audience gasped in amazement as streaks of electricity illuminated the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the stage.
"Awesome¡ Is she going to summon a lightning? Isn''t this dangerous?"
"That''s simr to what happened in our Academy¡"
"Ahh¡ I remember that one¡ However, this one takes a lot longer to gather and release. The one that struck our Academy happened too quickly."
"Indeed¡ If this can be easily controlled, it''ll be a devastating attack."
The students around Vale couldn''t help but admire Amelia''s work andpare it to the bolt of lightning that struck the center of the Academy.
Soon, Amelia''s preparation waspleted.
With a swift motion, she raised her sword high and channeled her energy on her sword¡
Then, a brilliant bolt of lightning shot forth from the dark clouds, hitting her sword!
It then illuminated the entire arena with its dazzling radiance. The electric surge danced across the stage, captivating the audience with its raw power and beauty.
However, many of them couldn''t help but feel worried about Amelia''s condition¡ After all, she was still struck by lightning!
Vale couldn''t help but consider whether there was a connection between his own weapon and the sword being used by Amelia.
"Beautiful¡ No wonder I was told that the Knights mostly wonst year''s Spectacle of Talents... Are they all possessing simr swords?" Odessa couldn''t help butment. She could also tell that the lightning didn''te from Amelia''s Spell or other Mystical Items hidden in her body. It was all done by the sword she had in her hands.
"Incredible!"
"As expected for the Storm Knights!"
"A young Storm Knight! Awesome!"
The audience erupted into a frenzy of apuse and cheers, their excitement reaching a crescendo. They marveled at the extraordinary disy of swordsmanship and the electrifying spectacle that Amelia had conjured.
''Storm Knight?'' Vale''s eyes widened in realization.
The Storm Knight was basically the equivalent of the Holy Knights of the Church of the Fortune Goddess. However, the Storm Knights were from the Church of the Eminence of the Sea!
With this information, it somehow made sense that Amelia was capable of attracting that lightning! Although he wasn''t sure what the Storm Knights could do, he could at least guess it now after hearing thements from the audience¡
"So a Storm Knight is actually capable of that¡ I''ve never seen them before." Maya muttered.
It seemed that it wasn''t just Vale who was clueless about their abilities.
"There weren''t many Storm Knights to begin with¡ I heard from a senior in my Club that they only recently became active. About two or three years ago, they started some massive recruitment." Philip suddenlymented as he heard Maya''s fascination.
"Oh¡ I think I''ve heard of that too¡ I think it''s rted to them gathering the Divine Treasures of the Eminence of the Sea." Crystal added.
Vale could only nod with this new information and made sure to take note of it.
As the lightning subsided and the dark clouds dispersed, Amelia lowered her sword with a satisfied smile.
The crowd continued to shower her with thunderous apuse, their admiration for her skill and the enchanting performance was evident.
Princess Ceres and Serena, who had also watched Amelia''s performance, could tell that the judges would have difficulty selecting the winner. With the three of them closely vying for the top spot, perhaps they need to use their connection to secure the winner for this event.
***
After the stage was fixed, the announcer called for the next participant, hailing from the esteemed Combat Arts Academy.
While the Knights Academy and Combat Arts Academy may appear simr to outsiders, they were vastly different in their approaches tobat. The Knights harnessed the arcane energy known as Radiant Force, enabling them to utilize active or passive spells and various forms of close-range magic.
On the other hand, the Combat Arts Practitioners relied heavily on theirbat techniques and the unique Meridian ess that granted them ess to Aura. This reliance on Aura made them renowned as Aura Masters.
As the male student named ude stepped forward, Vale could tell that the audience wasn''t as hyped as before.
It was probably because of the previous performances of the Aura Masters. Their performances were probably mediocre since they would only show their Combat Techniques.
Nevertheless, ude''s confidence was radiating as he seamlessly blended his martial arts skills with his invisible Aura¡
Normal people could not see this Aura, but they could tell that his Combat Techniques and Footwork wereparable to experts even though he was still so young.
To the astonishment of the crowd, ude''s movements left behind faint traces of Aura, etching intricate patterns on the stage.
"Mhmm? Are you seeing this?"
"Wait¡ He''s not randomly using his techniques around the stage!"
"It''s as if he''s drawing a magic circle with his very own Aura."
"That''s what he''s doing!"
The audience watched in awe as the stage came alive with intricate markings, each stroke seemingly imbued with mystical power.
The spectators couldn''t contain their curiosity after seeing a pattern simr to a Magic Circle used by Spellcasters...
Then, as everyone expected, the pattern activated!
Chapter 415 The Competition ( 5 )
Chapter 415 The Competition ( 5 )
As soon as the pattern glowed with a bright blue light, it also immediately dimmed.
It was probably because hecked enough aura to activate whatever pattern it was, or perhaps it was really just like that¡ The pattern was just meant to glow for a brief second.
Nevertheless, it was still a sight to behold.
After all, the pattern or the magic circle he created covered the whole stage. Everyone could tell that even higher-year students or spellcasters wouldn''t be capable of activating such a huge Magic Circle.
Anyway, after ude''s awe-inspiring disy of hisbat skills and little of his aura-based magic circle, a student from the Alchemy Arts took the stage.
Using a concoction of colorful potions, he showcased a mesmerizing experiment that delighted the spectators with its vibrant and enchanting effects.
Following the Alchemy Arts performance, it was the turn of the students from the Transformation Arts Academy. He astounded the crowd by seamlessly transforming into various forms¡ªa majestic peacock, a graceful bat, a whimsical fairy, and even a floating sword. Each transformation was executed with precision and skill, leaving the audience in awe of the students'' mastery of their craft.
For a fourth-year student, this was very impressive. Vale and the others could tell that they had certainly sent their best student for this event.
Next in the lineup was supposed to be the Psychic Arts Academy, but it appeared that they did not have any participants from their fourth-year and fifth-year batches for this event.
However, the audience was informed that they would have the opportunity to participate in the sixth-year event, where they typically showcased their talents through puppetry.
Finally, it was time for the Dark Arts Academy''s representative, Vale Chambers, to take the stage.
While the initial excitement had diminished among the audience, who were already contemting the exceptional performances of Ceres, Serena, and Amelia, Vale was undeterred.
Of course, the fact that he hailed from the Dark Arts Academy added. It seemed to have cast a shadow over the reception he received, resulting in a rtively subdued apuse.
"Good luck, Vale!"
"You can do it!"
"Just do your best!"
The students from the Vermont Academy started cheering for Vale. They expected him to be very nervous now since the Dark Arts don''t have the advantage for this event.
After all, just from the name of their path, it would be difficult for them to recall any beautiful or mesmerizing spell. Even the higher years could only entertain the crowd with some Darkness Maniption Spell or some Ghost Hands and Spirits swarming around¡
Even that type of performance was still scary, so they couldn''t ce highly in this event.
Furthermore, the Academy doesn''t allow them to use their summons, whether spirits or undead, to entertain the crowd by ordering them to dance due to the policies of the Faction.
"I just need to do what I nned ahead. Everything should be fine¡" Vale muttered to himself.
To be honest, he got to participate in this event because he lost to the others on a coin toss. What he really wanted to participate in exchange for this event was the Mirage of Wonders or the Illusion Maze Challenge.
Anyway, Vale had no choice but toe up with a n for this event. At the very least, the Headmaster doesn''t really care about this event as well, so there was no pressure. What he really needed to take seriously was the Tower Ascension.
As he stepped onto the stage, he felt the gazeing from the umpire about 20 meters away from him.
"Are you ready?" The umpire spoke softly, but he could hear it clearly even with their distance.
Vale nodded at this as he stood at the center of the stage.
It didn''t take long before he heard the man''s voice once again, signaling the start of his 5-minute performance.
"Alright¡"
With a wave of his hands, he initiated his performance by casting the Light Absorption Spell.
Whom~
As the spell took effect, the entire arena was engulfed in darkness, causing rm among the audience, panel of experts, Royal Mage Odessa, and the students and professors from each Academy.
"Ahh!"
"W-what''s going on?!"
"I can''t see!"
"I''m blind!"
"Fools! This is Magic!"
"Ah! This is Dark Arts!"
"Indeed! He summoned the night with his magic!"
"What kind of power is this?!"
The sudden transformation from bright morning to pitch ck left everyone scared, in awe, or confused.
Even Headmaster Jean was stunned, realizing that Vale had reached the Advanced Realm without his knowledge, showcasing a mastery over the Light Absorption Spell that was beyond expectations.
''I was told that his mastery was only at the peak of Elementary Realm¡ This kid is really hiding his skills.'' Headmaster Jean silently thought.
As the darkness enveloped the arena, the audience then became aware of a cking noise that sent shivers down their spines.
It seemed to be the sound of metal chains grazing on the ground. However, they couldn''t be sure.
Clink¡ Clink¡ Clink¡
The source of the sound remained a mystery until Vale released a fraction of the absorbed light, creating a spotlight that illuminated only himself.
All eyes were now fixed on Vale as he stood amidst the darkness, a solitary figure bathed in the spotlight.
Headmaster Jean smiled at the method Vale used to get everyone''s attention. The panel of experts also appreciated this as they looked at Vale curiously.
Gradually, Vale allowed a dim light to fill the arena, revealing chains that stretched across the stage and its surroundings. The chains, known as Corrupted Chains, seemed to extend for kilometers, leaving the audience astounded and bewildered by the sheer scale of Vale''s spellcasting.
"No way¡ Is this illusion?"
"Howe he could produce so much chain!"
"He can tie up a whole town with this!"
"This must be from a Mystical Artifact or a Ritual he prepared in advance."
Amidst the gasps and whispers from the audience, various spections arose.
The sheerplexity of the chains defied exnation, leaving the spectators in awe of Vale''s immense energy and skill.
Undeterred by the audience''s reactions, Vale continued his performance, showcasing his abilities further.
Since he still had plenty of time, he continued to unleash his Moonlight Curse, allowing its special moonlight effects to mesmerize and enthrall the onlookers.
The darkness brought about by the Light Absorption Spell enhanced the beauty and impact of the Moonlight Curse, leaving the audience spellbound.
Of course, he made sure that the curse wouldn''t affect the audience.
Finally, Vale concluded his performance by offering a glimpse of his nar Spell, Aurora''s Embrace.
Chapter 416 The Competition ( 6 )
Chapter 416 The Competition ( 6 )
As Vale prepared to unveil his final act, the arena was filled with anticipation.
With a grand sweep of his arms, he channeled his energy into casting Aurora''s Embrace, a nar Spell no one had ever witnessed before.
As soon as Vale felt the Divinity Points disappearing from him, he knew that he had to timely cancel the Spell since he didn''t intend to pulverize something on the stage¡ He only wanted to show the Aurora''s effect on the crowd.
Whom~
Suddenly, the darkness that had enveloped the arena seemed to melt away, reced by a breathtaking scene.
The ceiling of the arena transformed into a vast expanse of shimmering stars, casting a soft, ethereal glow over everything below.
The audience gasped in awe as they found themselves immersed in a celestial dreamscape.
Colors danced and swirled in the air, forming vibrant ribbons of light that weaved through the arena. There were shades of blue, purple, and pink intertwined, creating a dazzling disy that seemed to defy the boundaries of reality.
The spectators were spellbound, their eyes wide with wonder as they beheld the mesmerizing beauty unfolding before them.
They had never seen anything like this before¡ It doesn''t seem to be a Spell that a Dark Arts Practitioner could create!
"Dark Arts? This is Dark Arts? Are you kidding me?! How is he doing this?"
Princess Ceres wasn''t moved by the spectacle as she tried questioning what she was seeing¡ However, she couldn''t hide her honest thoughts. Her eyes didn''t leave the enigmatic Aurora. She watched it with a mix of admiration and envy.
The radiant glow of the Spell reflected in her eyes, leaving her in awe of the skill and creativity disyed by a Dark Arts Practitioner that she supposedly hated.
"This indeed weird¡ I''ve never heard of a Dark Spell simr to this before." First Prince Oliver, known for his astute observations and appreciation of the arcane arts, couldn''t help but be impressed and intrigue by Vale''s performance.
His usualposed demeanor gave way to a smile of genuine fascination as he absorbed the magnificence of the unknown Spell¡ He recognized the rarity and significance of witnessing such a spell, appreciating the depth of Vale''s abilities.
''Vale Chambers¡ Interesting.'' Prince Oliver noted in his mind as he looked at the Headmaster of the Vermont Academy.
***
Headmaster Jean also found himself perplexed by the nature of Vale''s spellcasting. It defied categorization, and he couldn''t help but feel a sense of confusion.
"Mhmm? I can feel the Dark Aura around it, but what Dark Spell can produce this thing? It looks like an Aurora¡ but we don''t have any Spell to create this¡"
Jean muttered as he narrowed the possible answer.
"Then it must be an illusion¡ But the scale is too huge, considering he didn''t set up a Formation Circle. But if it''s not an item or formation circle, was it a different Arcane Spell?"
Jean''s eyes narrowed as he suddenly recalled something¡
''This guy¡''
He would surely question Vale after this Competition.
It was clear that Vale had surpassed his expectations, delving into realms of magic that probably went beyond the confines of Dark Arts.
Anyway, while Headmaster Jean was left pondering the true nature of the Spell, Vale continued with his performance as he slowly stopped the Aurora''s Embrace from further activating. He certainly didn''t want something or someone to get pulverize with this Spell.
The two Untainted Sentinels, re and Teresa, on the other hand, stood vignt on either side of the stage, their unwavering gazes fixed upon Vale himself.
The Aurora''s Embrace was undoubtedly beautiful, but since they were standing close to the stage, they were also able to sense the power hidden behind that Spell. It was definitely not a Spell meant for a performance like this¡ They had goosebumps as their instinct told them to run away¡
''This Spell is too powerful¡ What the heck is this?''
re and Teresa looked at each other as they were ready to attack Vale if he ever controlled this Spell to kill the nobles or the members of the royal family.
That''s right, they suddenly realized that Vale might not be a student in the Academy and a terrorist hiding in in sight.
They immediately used their Magic Zone to locate the third princess and the first prince¡ Once Vale started to shift his focus on them, they would have to attack him.
***
In the meantime, the audience as a whole was left in awe, their apuse momentarily suspended as they absorbed the transcendent beauty of Aurora''s Embrace. It was a spell that transcended darkness and light, revealing a side of Vale''s abilities that had remained hidden until now.
"I didn''t think that a Dark Arcanist could produce something like this¡"
"Indeed¡ They seem to be capable of controlling the Dark¡ It doesn''t mean that they''re inherently evil."
"That sounds right¡ Just think of them as someone who can control the beauty of the Night¡"
"They should just call themselves Night Practioners¡ Haha!"
The audience couldn''t help but feel lighthearted after realizing that what Vale was doing wasn''t really scary or threatening.
As Vale took his bow to express his gratitude to the crowd, the audience erupted into thunderous apuse, their minds filled with wonder and amazement at the extraordinary disy of magic and artistry they had just witnessed.
re and Teresa also took a deep breath as they realized that Vale was indeed not a terrorist.
"That was nerve-wracking¡ I think he''s really Clovis¡" Teresa muttered as she clenched her fist.
"You really think so?" re asked as she turned to her partner.
"Yes¡ They have semnce¡ Furthermore, I can''t tell his Arcane Path or the number of his Spell Lights with my Divine Sense. I don''t think it''s simply a coincidence. It won''t be surprising if I can''t use my Divine Sense to the Headmaster, but I don''t believe that many young people can stop my Divine Sense. Aside from Clovis, I can''t think of anyone else." Teresa answered.
In the first ce, young practitioners wouldn''t usually bother using anti-inspection items or spells in their bodies... They don''t have that much to hide anyway.
However, if there are young ones who would even use high-grade Anti-Inspection Artifacts, then she could only think of Clovis as of the moment.
She first didn''t entertain this thought since she believed that Clovis was a Holy Arts Practitioner¡ But thanks to the Spell that Vale had shown, Teresa recalled a rarity that could make this happen.
"He''s definitely an offspring of a Spirit and a Human¡" Teresa added in a soft voice.
Chapter 417 Award
Chapter 417 Award
re''s eyes widened as she heard her partner''s im.
She wanted to immediately reject this idea, but after thinking about it, she realized why Teresa imed such a thing.
"A Dual Path Practitioner?!" re eximed as she recalled that only Half-Human, or an offspring from a Human and Spirit, were somehow capable of pulling this off!
If Vale was indeed Clovis like what Teresa imed, then the question of why Clovis was a Holy Arts Practitioner and Vale was a Dark Arts Practitioner could be answered!
"A Holy Arts and Dark Arts Practitioner¡ What a weirdbination¡ However, you can''t tell this to anyone else." re added.
Teresa nodded at this, as it wouldplicate things even more if she tried informing the higher-ups about this possibility.
Their Arcane Path had done plenty of research about the existence of Half-Human and Half-Spirit, and it didn''t end well. They were either tortured or killed due to various experiments done by their Faction.
They didn''t want that to happen to Vale or Clovis since they weren''t holding a deep grudge against him anyway. At most, they were curious about his goals, his ability to remove the Divine Sense, and reason for practicing the two Arcane Paths.
"Well, there is still a slight chance that I''m wrong, so I won''t be informing anyone else. Let''s just confirm his identityter on." Teresa added.
"That makes sense¡ However, the Seer mentioned that Clovis will do something big in this Roaring Summit¡ Is this what he meant? Turning the day into night and showing us the beautiful aurora?" re asked curiously.
Teresa shook her head at this. She wasn''t sure either, but since the Competition willmence in several weeks, it wouldn''t be surprising that it could happen on another day.
***
The highly anticipated Spectacle of Talents for the 4th-year batch had finally concluded with an awe-inspiring performance by Vale.
Then, the panel of experts passed the scores they had given to each participant.
During this time, the audience had already made their list of winners and shared it among their friends. Nevertheless, it didn''t take long before the score was tallied, and a result was made.
The crowd was filled with anticipation as the announcer, a female Arcanist with a sweet voice, prepared to reveal the results.
Before announcing the winner, thedy exined the awards that would be given for each ce.
The third-ce winner would receive a Mid-Grade Noble Rank Barrier Talisman, with their academy earning 50 points in the overall academy rankings. The second-ce winner would be awarded a Mid-Grade Noble Rank Healing Talisman, and their academy would gain 100 points in the overall rankings. However, the first-ce winner would receive both Talismans, and their academy would earn a significant 200 points in the overall rankings.
After rifying the prizes, the announcer built suspense by announcing the third-ce winner.
"Now... for the Third ce! Serena from Dorelts, Academy of Mystic Arts!" The audience erupted in apuse, acknowledging Serena''s talent and achievement.
Her control with the toxic fumes was indeed remarkable, so it wasn''t surprising that she won.
With the third-ce winner celebrated, the tension in the arena grew as the audience eagerly awaited the announcement of the second-ce winner.
Since Serena was already called, the audience could already think of the two remaining winners.
"The Second ce is awarded to Vale from Vermont, Academy of Dark Arts!" Thedy said with a cheerful voice.
"Ah?"
"He got second ce?"
"He didn''t win¡"
The revtion surprised many, as many of them believed that Vale should have been the contest''s winner.
However, realizing that the first-ce winner was likely the Third Princess, the crowd refrained from voicing their opinions out loud.
After all, it would not be wise to offend a member of royalty.
As anticipated, the announcer proceeded to announce the first-ce winner. "And now, the moment we''ve all been waiting for. The First cer of our event is none other than our Princess, Ceres from Magrath, Academy of Holy Arts!"
The arena was filled with a mix of apuse and respectful silence. Princess Ceres, being a member of royalty, had secured the coveted first-ce position.
She was happy with this result as she immediately went to the panel of judges to give them gifts as thanks for their hard work before she received her awards.
The participants, though some of them were disappointed, disyed sportsmanship and offered their congrattions to Princess Ceres. They recognized her talent, status, and¡ wealth.
With the announcement of the winners, the Spectacle of Talents for the fourth-year batch concluded¡ In any case, there would still be a segment for the higher years, but Vale, Maya, Philip, Crystal, and Luna didn''t have the time to watch the event.
They were assisted by their seniors, who were basically their managers who came here with them, to move to the next location for their group event.
They would have to enter the group stage of the Labyrinth of Secrets.
The Labyrinth of Secrets Contest was a thrilling Maze Challenge that required teamwork and coboration to navigate its intricate paths and reach the ultimate goal.
It could be filled with traps or even unknown creatures, and a battle could not be avoided.
While on their way to the next location, Vale received words offort and support.
Philip, with a lighthearted tone, reassured Vale.
"Winning second ce was still a significant achievement. We earned 100 points for our academy, which is already great. I''ve heard that thispetition doesn''t usually award points, so you''ve definitely made our seniors proud by securing those points for us¡ and you pressured them too. Haha!"
"That''s true¡ Even the Headmaster is probably not thinking that we''ll get a ce in that contest." Luna added.
Maya, on the other hand, expressed her discontent, suspecting that Princess Ceres had swayed the judges in her favor.
"Hmph! It''s obvious that the Princess used her influence to manipte the judges. They were probably afraid to ce her lower due to her royal status." Maya bravelymented.
Perhaps, this was what everyone was thinking, but none of them was voicing it since she was still a princess.
Vale smiled at this as he replied calmly.
"It''s alright¡ Thanks for your support. Next time, let''s strive to surpass her. I hope I get the opportunity to challenge her in the sh of Champions¡ I''m sure the judges won''t be able to help her at that time..." Vale dered with a very low chuckle, igniting a mixture of excitement and unease among Maya and the others.
"V-vale... Don''t kill her, okay?" Maya suddenly reminded.
Chapter 418 The Labyrinth ( 1 )
Chapter 418 The Labyrinth ( 1 )
Vale was taken aback by Maya''s sudden reminder and quickly reassured her.
"Of course, Maya! I would never think of teaching her lesson to that extreme. It''s all in good spirits and healthypetition."
Maya chuckled at Vale''s reaction as the others also rxed, knowing that Vale would surely deal with the third princess.
As they engaged in friendly banter, their excitement was soon stopped by the reminder from their two seniors to maintain silence as they approached the entrance of the mysterious Labyrinth.
Maya''s curiosity was piqued as she gazed at the colossal cave.
"It''s quite a cave, isn''t it? It could easily amodate a herd of elephants." Shemented in awe.
Her observation also led her to notice that only eight out of the twelve groups had arrived so far. However, they didn''t have to wait long before the remaining four groups made their appearance. Among them were the students from the prestigious Holy Arts Academy, who drew the attention of the others.
Of course, their group also drew some attention because they had just witnessed Vale''s second-ce victory in the previous contest.
Anyway, in this particr contest, there would be no audience to witness their journey through the Labyrinth. However, eager onlookers would be waiting on the other side, anticipating the arrival of the group that would escape the Labyrinth sessfully.
The event organizer further exined that if any group failed to have all membersplete the Labyrinth, even if the others sessfully traversed its challenges, their group would be disqualified or treated as having failed.
Thus, it was crucial for all five members of a group to enter and exit together.
With the guidelines rified, the first group called to enter the Labyrinth was none other than the group led by the Third Princess from the Holy Arts Academy.
''I guess they''ll always pick this academy to go first for the sake of the Princess?'' Vale mused.
The event organizers then allowed a brief 15-minute interval before permitting the next group to enter the Labyrinth. This interval allowed the previous group to venture deeper into the Labyrinth and ensured a fair and equal start for each participating team. Furthermore, there was also a matter of repairing the Formation Circles, recing the arranged traps, and changing the creatures or puppets in the Labyrinth.
In any case, they were informed that there were many exits on this Labyrinth. There were plenty of them, depending on the paths they chose at first. ording to their Seniors, it was almost impossible for the same group to make simr decisions and choose the same direction since they would all have varying specialties depending on their Arcane Path.
***
Once again, the Dark Arts Academy entered the Labyrinthst.
They found themselves inplete darkness, devoid of any traces left by the previous groups. This was precisely as they had anticipated.
"ording to our n, I will lead the way, Luna will be in the center, Maya and Crystal on her side, and Philip will stay behind." Vale reminded everyone of the formation they had agreed on to venture deep inside the Labyrinth.
Whom~
Maya, utilizing her Light Absorption Spell, took the initiative to release the absorbed light, casting a soft glow that illuminated their surroundings.
This strategic use of the spell ensured that they would have a reliable source of light in the darkness. Not everyone possessed Vale''s Spirit Vision, after all.
Although their Phantasm State and spells like Darkness Maniption could assist them to some extent, they were aware of the limitations.
The duration of their Phantasm State, in particr, was a crucial factor.
"My Phantasm State can onlyst for 12 minutes with this Spell active." Maya reminded the group.
Considering the circumstances, this was already an impressive duration.
With a sense of urgency, Vale urged the team to move quickly since time was of the essence in their pursuit of victory.
Soon, they encountered the first challenge within the Labyrinth: a series of eight cave entrances thaty before them. Without hesitation, Vale made a swift decision, stating¡ "We''ll take the second entrance on the left."
He didn''t wait for an answer and immediately started walking to the entrance.
The group remained silent, trusting Vale''s instruction. This was obviously discussed prior to entering the Labyrinth.
They just allowed him to navigate their path.
Of course, it was understood that Vale''s choice didn''t guarantee absolute safety or the absence of obstacles. However, through their discussions, they hade to rely on his ability to choose the path with the least potential trouble, thanks to his connection with the Dark Spirit.
Indeed, Vale summoned Yvaine from his shadow, releasing the Dark Spirit to guide them through the Labyrinth.
***
''I can feel four Formation Circles ahead¡''
Vale heard Yvaine''s voice inside his head¡
''Alright¡'' Vale nodded at this as he secretly summoned his Shadow Soldier ahead of them to dismantle the traps with Yvaine''s help.
After all, he couldn''t use his Spell Dispersion on these Formation Circles effectively if they remained dormant. He had to wait for them to be activated to use the dispersion¡ That would be a bit dangerous since he would need a quick reaction, so he might as well destroy these formations ahead of time.
"That''s it?" Maya was confused as she controlled the light to illuminate the surroundings.
The others had the same question after they reached the end of the first path they had chosen.
"It was cleared by Yvaine¡ Let''s go." Vale said as they entered the cavern.
Their next challenge brought them to a cavern with a seemingly impassable pond in the center. At first nce, it appeared to be a dead end.
However, Vale already knew that the exit was hidden beneath the water''s surface.
The solution was simple¡ªthey needed to drain the water¡ or at least remove the thing that looked like a water.
Vale turned to Crystal and requested her to use her Corruption Spell on the pond.
"Got it! Let me handle it." Crystal responded, activating her spell.
As her Corruption Spell took effect, the once-clear pond transformed into a dark, swirling liquid. To their surprise, the transformed pond began to writhe and take on a life of its own. It rose up to a height of five meters, poised to attack them.
"W-what? I didn''t do that¡" Crystal eximed, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.
Chapter 419 The Labyrinth ( 2 )
Chapter 419 The Labyrinth ( 2 )
Maya and the others immediately got ready to attack, but Vale hastily stopped them.
Vale reassured everyone. "It''s alright. It appears to be a water monster, probably some sort of amoeba. Let me take care of this quickly."
Though the others didn''t fully understand what Vale was saying, they watched as he swiftly assessed the situation and moved into action.
With determination and confidence in his eyes, Vale located the core of the monstrous entity. With a wave of his hand, he summoned four old and weary ghostly hands, which materialized to drill through the monster and crush its core.
Crash!
It happened too quickly!
With a resounding ssh, the pond monster was vanquished, its existence reduced to nothingness.
Just like that, the path leading to the next challengey open before them, beckoning the group to continue their journey through thebyrinth.
***
Steven, one of the officials entrusted with overseeing the safety protocol of the Labyrinth of Secrets Contest, found himself assigned to the task of repairing traps and formation circles as soon as the students cleared them.
He''s a middle-aged man with a distinguished air, exuding an aura of experience and authority. His brown hair was neatlybed, reflecting his meticulous attention to detail. His short beard and mustache were well-groomed, adding a touch of sophistication to his appearance.
Afterpleting his task of clearing the paths of the previous students¡ He turned his attention to the next group that was about to enter.
"Let''s see what these kids would do this time." He muttered as he found these fourth-year students a bit too weak to his liking. He could immediately tell that difference when this contest was for sixth-year students.
Anyway, it was his responsibility to ensure that thebyrinth remained in optimal condition for each group.
Additionally, in the rare event that the students became trapped for an extended period, he would be in charge of closing off the path they hade from to prevent anyplications for the next group of students.
While the likelihood of such an urrence was slim, he understood the importance of being prepared.
As thest group entered thebyrinth, Steven prepared himself for another routine repair job. However, he soon sensed something unusual.
A sensed surge of mystical energy emanated from two distinct sources.
"Hmm? Are they from the Summoning Arts Academy? But didn''t they already pass through?" Steven murmured to himself.
He was a bit confused by the unexpected presence of summoners.
However, upon closer observation, he realized his initial assumption was incorrect. These individuals were not summoners; they were Dark Arts Practitioners.
''Interesting¡''
Curiosity piqued, Steven focused his attention on the group''s progress. He noticed that the two summons that had gone ahead were acting as scouts, guiding the Dark Arts Practitioners through thebyrinth. A tactic often employed by summoners, it was intriguing to witness the same strategy utilized by practitioners of the Dark Arts. After all, their summons don''t typically share sense!
Steven couldn''t help but be intrigued by these ''scouts'' they summoned.
Then, to his surprise, the group swiftly dispatched the Slime Monster that blocked their path.
"I didn''t expect Corruption and Ghost Hand to be so effective against those creatures¡" Steven mused, impressed by their unconventional methods.
After watching two groups barely killing the Slime Monster a while ago, he could easily tell how good these current students are.
As he continued to follow them, he was amazed by how these students effortlessly cleared the paths before them.
''Isn''t this a bit too quick?'' Steven muttered to himself.
They disyed remarkable skill as they defeated monsters, destroyed formation circles, and skillfully navigated through traps. Evidently, they possessed an innate ability to discern the most suitable paths, making remarkable progress toward the end of thebyrinth.
However, Steven couldn''t help but feel a sense of anticipation and curiosity when, in their final round, the group inexplicably veered towards the most challenging path to exit.
"What bad luck..." Steven muttered, realizing that he could''ve witnessed a record-breaking time if the group had selected a less difficult path.
''These guys¡ You almost had it! Why choose this difficult path?! Tsk¡'' Steven couldn''t help but shake his head. It was unfortunate, but it seemed that the scouts they summoned weren''t as capable as he thought.
"This is where true strength and ingenuity are tested..." Steven sighed as he decided to stay and watch them clear the final stage.
***
"We''re here¡ But Vale, I can feel something off in this cavern¡" Lunamented as her eyes trailed from wall to ceiling.
"Yes¡ There''s an Evil Creature here. We just have to kill it, and we''ll get to the other side. The other paths will take a bit too long. They seem to be mazes. This is the quickest path that my Dark Spirit could find."
Their eyes widened as they heard Vale''s words. To be honest, they expected his Dark Spirit to find a path where they could avoid this Creature!
As they were about to question Vale for his decision, the air suddenly grew thick with an oppressive aura.
Growl~
The sheer presence of the Creature weighed heavily on them, causing even Luna, known for her unwaveringposure, to falter momentarily.
Sensing their unease, Maya reminded them to stay focused and protect themselves with their Darkness Maniption Spell.
"Stay strong!" Maya shouted as she continued to inform them that the Creature could exploit the vulnerability of their mind to disrupt their thoughts and even invade their souls.
Her words echoed the teachings of her master¡
While the organizers of the contest surely did not intend for the participants to fall victim to soul control, she understood the importance of taking precautions. With potential idents lurking in thebyrinth''s depths, it was better to err on the side of safety.
Vale nodded at Maya''s words before he swiftly took action.
He simply waved his hand, and the suffocating pressure surrounding them abruptly dissipated.
"Eh?"
Maya''s eyes widened in astonishment. Through her sensitive Phantasm State, she could recognize that Vale had utilized a spell rather than relying on a mystical item.
However, she could not recall a Dark Spell capable of liberating them from the Creature''s oppressive miasma and pressure.
Then, she noticed that Vale was about to dash forward¡ She wanted to warn him not to be so rash but it was toote!
With a fluid motion, Vale unleashed his Lightspeed Spell, his body blurring with incredible speed as he evaded the Creature''s instinctive attack¡
Chapter 420 The Exit
Chapter 420 The Exit
Bam!
Vale dodged the preemptive attack of the Evil Creature, leaving a hole in the ground¡ The Creature''s ability seems to be rted to an invisible energy attack.
Even with his Phantasm State, he barely noticed the attack until it was almost at his body.
''Is this meant to be defeated by fourth-year students?'' Vale silently thought, but he didn''t stop moving.
A faint shadow was released from his body before it hit the Creature''s shadow¡ This all happened without being noticed by the Creature itself.
Just like that, the Shadow Muttion Spell was activated. Now, he only needed to cut the Evil Creature''s shadow to end its life.
"Grrooowl~"
The Evil Creature seemed to have sensed Vale''s threat as it tried to avoid a direct confrontation.
However, Vale didn''t allow that to happen. In a decisive moment, he drew forth his sword.
Vale knew he couldn''t waste a lot of time if they wanted to quickly finish this Labyrinth. The de gleamed with an otherworldly radiance as if infused with the very essence of lightning and darkness.
It was the Stormbringer Sword!
Philip was able to recognize it as his eyes widened in surprise. ''He brought it with him?!''
With a surge of determination, Vale swung his sword with all his might, cleaving through the Evil Creature''s malevolent form.
The air crackled with energy as the de connected, passing through the Creature''s body.
Thud!
Just like that, the Evil Creature fell lifeless to the ground. Not even a minute had passed since they entered the Cavern!
Maya and the others stood in stunned silence, their minds racing to process the incredible disy of power before them.
''Whoa~ Was the sword that powerful?! I didn''t know about that¡ That''s probably worth more than a million zen¡'' Philipmented in his mind as he saw Vale trouncing the Evil Creature.
They had been prepared to unleash their strongest Dark Spells, yet Vale had effortlessly dispatched the Evil Creature with just abination of speed and a single swing of his sword.
"What in the world was that technique?" Crystal eximed, her voice filled with astonishment.
"I didn''t even know he was carrying a sword¡ Where did thate from?" Luna added as she failed to see how Vale suddenly held a sword in that brief moment.
"T-that was¡" Maya was also unable to answer as she couldn''t recall where Vale could be hiding that sword
Nevertheless, she noticed that Vale didn''t seem satisfied with the separated body of the Creature. They saw him kneel beside it and touch its head as if to savor the ugly sight of dead Evil Creature.
''What is he doing? Is it a ritual?''
Maya and the others, including Steven, who was hiding, all had the same question in mind.
Vale stayed there for a few seconds before standing up with a satisfied smile on his face.
Maya couldn''t help but frown at this as she shifted her focus to the dead Creature''s face, curious why Vale looked happy.
''Ew~''
The demonic face was terrifying, with blood oozing on its orifices¡ Its red eyes were even open and seemingly looking at her. She would probably have a nightmare because of this.
''Did he feel satisfied after looking at that face for a while?'' Maya didn''t know that Vale had such a hobby. She could only shake her head in disappointment.
***
Outside the Labyrinth, a vibrant atmosphere filled the air as a multitude of people gathered to witness the winners of the intensepetition.
The Labyrinth''s exit was surrounded by a grand gallery filled with spectators eagerly awaiting the emergence of the students. Excitement crackled in the air as the anticipation grew with each passing moment.
The audience gallery was a sprawling structure elevated above the ground, providing a perfect vantage point for onlookers to witness the students'' triumphant arrival...
The seats were filled with family members, friends, and supporters of the various academies, their eyes fixed upon the stone entrance, ready to catch a glimpse of the emerging participants.
Adjacent to the audience gallery was a designated area for the students who had sessfullypleted their run through the Labyrinth.
This section provided a temporary resting ce for the participants, allowing them to catch their breath and bask in the victory of their aplishment.
It was a bustling scene, with students from different academies mingling, sharing stories of their experiences, and eagerly exchanging nces to gauge the strength of their fellowpetitors. After all, this wasn''t the onlypetition where they would meet.
Among the groups gathered in this area, Princess Ceres Millton and her fellow Holy Arts Academy students could be seen enjoying their refreshments.
Thud!
Suddenly, a group of students came out of the stone door. The eyes of the students in the resting area immediately shifted to the group that had justpleted the contest.
"We did it!"
"Hahaha! How long was it?" The students eximed in joy.
The spectators also cheered for these students from the Mortimer, Academy of Transformation Arts.
Then, the Labyrinth Official announced the time they took to escape the Labyrinth.
38 minutes.
Hearing this, the students hugged each other as they felt satisfied with the result.
"Huh? They''re already happy about that?"
Ceres couldn''t help but ridicule them. He couldn''t help but feel confused as to why they would have such a reaction to a terrible result.
Anyway, she didn''t think much of it as she knew that her group would win this contest.
The other 10 Arcane Academies had alreadypleted their runs, leaving only the Farrel Academy and Vermont Academy groups still inside the Labyrinth of Secrets.
"It''s our win¡" Rizza, a fellow 4th-year student from the Holy Arts Academy, eximed with a sense of relief after seeing that Mortimer had taken such a long time to reach the exit.
After all, Farrel Academy had always been a strong contender in this contest, often securing either the third or even the first spot in previous years.
"I guess we have to keep winning all the other contests from now on¡" Ceres muttered as she felt that it would only be appropriate to win all the contests in their batch.
Chapter 421 Result
Chapter 421 Result
"Yes, it''s already our win here. We''re faster than Mortimer Academy by 10 minutes, so it''s already guaranteed. Let''s win all the way!" Rizza replied, her voice tinged with a mix of excitement and pride.
They had also beaten the Adeareth or the Rune Arts Academy by 7 minutes, so they felt that no one could defeat them anymore.
"I guess the fourth-year students of their Academy weren''t as impressive as their sixth-year batch¡ The Psychic Arts and Dark Arts Academies would probably show the same result." Ceres muttered as she couldn''t help but notice that the other Academies'' fourth-year students weren''t as impressive as their sixth-year counterparts.
Her senior ssmates, who had gathered around, also nodded in agreement. "Well, the Psychic Arts and Dark Arts Academy have never had decent records in this contest¡" one of them remarked with a hint of amusement.
"Kuku... Isn''t it because we''re bullying them before?"
"Sshhh... That''s no longer allowed."
Ceres''s curiosity piqued as she heard their conversation and couldn''t resist asking. "You guys are bullying who?"
She leaned in closer, eager to uncover the secret conversations happening among her seniors.
The seniors exchanged hesitant nces. However, since the Princess was the one asking, it didn''t take long before one of them decided to enlighten Ceres.
"Well, Princess Ceres, in previouspetitions, it wasmon for the higher-ups to select a group of students, like those from the Elemental Arts Academy, to stay behind and intentionally hinder the Dark Arts students'' progress. This was done to dy them and ensure they wouldn''t achieve a high ranking."
Princess Ceres gently nodded after hearing this. Surprisingly, she didn''t feel disappointed or outraged by this revtion.
"Well, they deserved that." She replied calmly, her voice reflecting a hint of understanding. "But that would be a pity for the Elemental Arts Academy."
Her senior nodded, acknowledging her sentiment. "It''s true, but since only three academies will receive points or rewards in the end, there are bound to be groups that won''t get any. In a way, they might as well contribute by hindering others."
Ceres nodded in agreement, appreciating the strategic approach. She didn''t find anything wrong with this method.
Just as she was about to ask for more details, the stone door at the Labyrinth''s exit suddenly began to vibrate, signaling the imminent emergence of a group.
The next students should be from Farrel Academy¡ These Mind Controllers would be a massive problem in the sh of Champions, so Ceres immediately paid attention as she wanted to familiarize herself with them.
Excitement filled the air as everyone turned their attention towards the door, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next group.
"Huh?"
However, as the group emerged from the Labyrinth''s exit, everyone was stunned to see that their uniforms were different. They were unmistakably wearing the attire of the Dark Arts Academy.
Confusion filled the air, as everyone knew that the Psychic Arts Academy was supposed to be the next group to enter after the Transformation Arts Academy. The Dark Arts Academy should have been the final group to navigate the Labyrinth.
Had there been somest-minute changes that no one was aware of?
Whispers filled the crowd as they tried to make sense of the unexpected turn of events. "Aren''t they from Vermont Academy?" One student spoke out loud, his voiceced with bewilderment.
"Indeed, what happened to Farrel Academy?" another pondered aloud. The confusion was evident on everyone''s faces.
The Labyrinth Officials, too, were momentarily taken aback by the unexpected twist. However, they quickly consulted with the event Timers to confirm the situation and the timings on the other side.
The verdict came as a shock to everyone. The Vermont Academy hadpleted the Labyrinth in less than 10 minutes, surpassing the Farrel Academy, who had entered 15 minutes earlier.
"9 minutes and 40 seconds! The Vermont Academy has reached the end of the Labyrinth in less than 10 minutes! We have a winner!" The Labyrinth Official announced, his voice was filled with a mix of surprise and awe.
The crowd erupted in a chorus of gasps and murmurs, as this record-breaking time was unprecedented, even among the higher-year students.
They hesitated to apud the Dark Practitioners, but as soon as one of them started pping, the crowd just followed. There were no loud cheers for Vale''s group at all.
Some supporters of the Holy Arts Academy, unwilling to ept the unexpected oue, voiced their suspicions.
"Impossible... Is there some sort of mix-up?" One of them questioned, their voice tinged with doubt. "There must be a mistake¡" another added, seeking an exnation for this unprecedented feat.
These words continued for a while as the officials had no choice but to conduct further investigation.
The Labyrinth Officials, experienced in handling such situations, immediately called upon the special officers who had been trailing behind each group.
Among them, Steven emerged from behind Vale''s group, ready to shed light on the situation.
He confirmed that the Dark Arts Academy had indeed taken the fastest but most challenging path within the Labyrinth.
"I''m not allowed to disclose the details of what they did inside the Labyrinth, but I can tell you that the exit they chose was the most difficult one¡" Steven revealed.
His words hung in the air, leaving a sense of mystery and intrigue. The crowd could only ept this exnation, albeit with lingering curiosity.
As the revtion sank in, Ceres squinted her eyes and looked at Vale, the leader of the Dark Arts Academy, with a cold gaze.
''Most difficult one? We''ve also chosen a difficult path¡ Just what kind of path they encountered. Tsk¡''
As she thought of this, the stone door vibrated once again, and the students from Farrel Academy came out. She was no longer interested in this and decided to leave.
"Just take the award, Rizza. I need to get some rest." Ceres said as she turned her back to leave the resting area.
***
In the meantime, a young girl with a striking mix of ck and white hair sat in the audience seat, her eyes fixed on the unfolding event.
She couldn''t help but smile after seeing the students of the Dark Arts Academy. She even eximed after hearing that they achieved a record-breaking time in the Labyrinth.
Beside her, a faint figure of a Dark Spirit perched quietly, sensing the girl''s growing interest.
With a gentle nudge, the young girl turned to the Dark Spirit and whispered softly. "Lotus, do you want to meet him? He''s the person I''ve been talking about all this time. I heard he also has a Dark Spirit..."
Chapter 422 Sensed
?
Lotus, an ethereal presence bound to the girl, showed a faint smile on her face.
''She must be d to see another Dark Spirit¡'' Denise thought.
"Indeed, it would be fascinating to meet him..." Lotus answered.
Denise''s eyes sparkled after hearing this. Without any hesitation, she scanned the bustling crowd, searching for any signs of Vale''s group.
Soon, she chuckled mischievously as she swiftly left her seat in the audience to meet Vale.
"He will definitely be surprised to see me here. Hehehe..." Denise thought to herself, aware that her appearance had changed significantly. She knew that Kyle, who now has the name Vale, would probably still recognize her, but she was eager to see his reaction.
However, as Denise attempted to approach Vale, she was unexpectedly blocked by a few individuals from the Holy Arts Faction. It seemed that they had noticed she was a Dark Art Practitioner and were determined to prevent her from getting too close to the participants of the event.
"Stay right there..." one of the guards sternlymanded.
"You''re not allowed to get closer to the Princess." another added, eyeing Denise suspiciously. "Especially a Dark Arcanist like you." a third person chimed in, their tone filled with disdain.
These three guards seemed to be observing her all this time. There was no way they just happened to block her path.
Denise felt frustration welling up within her, wanting to argue and exin herself.
However, she quickly realized that arguing would only dy her chances of meeting Vale. Suddenly, she spotted Vale''s group preparing to leave the area.
They had already received the reward from thepetition, and there was no point staying here.
Realizing the urgency of the situation, Denise made a split-second decision to back off and find an alternative way to meet Vale.
"Hey! Where are you going?" One of the guards shouted as she saw Denise escaping.
They began to follow her, suspicious of her intentions.
"So annoying..." Denise muttered under her breath, picking up her pace as she moved hastily through the crowd.
Denise contemted using her Dark Arts to lose the pursuing guards, but she knew it would only escte the situation. Just as she was about to lose hope, she remembered her faithful Dark Spirit, Lotus.
"Lotus!" Denise called out, her voice filled with urgency and determination. She knew she had to find a way to lose the guards.
"Don''t kill them¡"
She entrusted her Dark Spirit with the task of dealing with the guards while she sought an opportunity to meet Vale on her own terms. In any case, the Dark Spirit doesn''t trigger any form of fluctuations like Dark Arcanists when using their abilities.
Their actions are challenging to detect, so she was sure that Lotus could deal with this matter silently.
As Lotus took action, Denise seized the moment and slipped away, carefully maneuvering through the crowd.
She knew that time was of the essence, and she had to find Vale before the guards caught up with her.
***
In the meantime, Vale gazed at the rewards they had received for achieving first ce. Along with the 200 points for the Academy Rankings, each of them was given a Peak-Grade Spirit Pearl.
The pearls had a mesmerizing mix of purple and green hues, and they shimmered with a captivating shine.
As Vale examined the reward, his expression remained distant, as if he wasn''t entirely satisfied.
Crystal, noticing his demeanor, asked him curiously¡"This should be awesome! This can help us add one Spirit Strand to our bodies as long as we have less than 40 Spirit Strands. This is a great item. Why do you look like that?"
Vale wryly smiled after hearing this.
He understood the value of the Peak-Grade Spirit Pearl to other Practitioners. The opportunity to add a Spirit Strand to their bodies without any negative effects was incredibly rare. It was a chance to increase their Spirit Strands, regardless of whether they had reached the limit of their innate potential or not.
Crystal''s question was interrupted by Maya, who interjected, "What else could be the reason? This means Vale''s Spirit Strands are already over forty..."
Maya''s words surprised the others, causing even the senior student apanying them to be taken aback. The realization that Vale possessed such a high number of Spirit Strands was surprising to everyone present.
"Is that true?!"
"Wait¡ How was that even possible?"
"Is the rumor true about you being a Half-Spirit true?"
"Indeed¡ That rumor wasn''t as unbelievable as I thought."
Vale didn''t want to make a big fuss about it, so he simply smiled at their reactions. However, amidst the conversation, he suddenly felt a familiar aura nearby. His instincts kicked in, alerting him to the presence of someone he probably knew.
"Senior," Vale addressed the senior student, "since we don''t have any morepetitions today, I''ll be looking around. I''ll return to the hotel once I''m finished."
"Wait! Where are you going? You can''t do that¡ You have to move in group." The senior student said as he tried stopping Vale.
"This won''t take long!" Vale said as he used his Lightspeed Spell to leave the ce.
Maya and the others were quite surprised to see Vale being so urgent. He probably has some reason so they decided to cover for their friend.
"It''s fine, Senior Gabbi¡ Vale probably saw a family member."
"Our nextpetition will be tomorrow afternoon, so we have plenty of time."
"I heard that the fifth-year''s duel tournaments would startter today. Should we watch them first?"
Senior Gabbi could only sigh as he heard Maya and the others'' words. In any case, he couldn''t leave them to chase for Vale, so he decided to just go with the group and hope that Vale would return in time.
***
''Is that a Dark Spirit?'' Vale mused.
His curiosity had been piqued, and he feltpelled to investigate the source of the familiar aura¡
''Yvaine¡ Are you feeling this?'' Vale asked the Dark Spirit inside his Shadow.
"Yes¡ I can also feel the presence of the Abyss around us. Be careful¡"
Chapter 423 Reunion
?
Vale was a bit surprised after hearing Yvaine''s words.
He had also heard the word Abyss from Lotus, and that ce doesn''t sound great. He had an impression that it was a ce that could even cause trouble to the Spirit World, even though there were plenty of powerful entities living there.
ording to Lotus, the Abyss should be a terrifying ce where Dark Spirits like her had to stop from spreading throughout the Spirit World. It seems to be capable of invading the Spirit World, which was quite baffling to Vale.
He then maximized the limit of his Magic Zone to observe the surroundings before asking Yvaine once again.
''Abyss¡ Are you referring to the Demonic Beings? Are they here?'' Vale asked in concern.
"Yes. However, I can''t pinpoint their location¡ I only sensed their drifting essence." Yvaine answered in a serious voice.
"I guess it wasn''t serious. I''m sure that those beings won''t dare toe here." Vale said as he recalled that this ce was basically heavily guarded not just by one faction but all twelve Arcane Factions within the kingdom.
Yvaine didn''t reply anymore, so Vale continued searching for the familiar aura.
It didn''t take long before he found a familiar young girl trying to escape from the guards.
"This girl¡ What did she do this time?" Vale muttered in a soft voice as he used his ESP spell to suppress any fluctuation of energying from his body before arriving beside the young girl.
"Denise, did you steal something from them?" Vale''s voice sounded beside Denise, giving her a scare.
"Kyle! Ahh¡ Vale! I was looking for you. I thought you wouldn''t recognize me with my hair and mature body." Denise eximed, a mixture of surprise and relief evident in her voice.
With a chuckle, Vale replied, "Heh~ You''re only 14, right? I don''t think your body has fully matured yet." He yfully took Denise''s hands into his own, a genuine smile gracing his face.
He then reactivated his Lightspeed and carried her away.
"Ahh! What''s this Spell, Vale?!" Denise asked in shock. They were moving so quickly!
"Hehe¡ You don''t have a movement spell, right?" Vale answered with a softugh.
"Hmph¡ I''ll also surprise youter¡." Denise replied mysteriously as they chatted while moving away.
The wind rushed past them, carrying their voices and creating a sense of exhration and freedom.
After some time, they stopped in a secluded spot, and Vale gently set Denise down on her feet.
"Denise, it''s truly wonderful to see you again¡ I didn''t know you''d also be here¡ Wait, did youe here for me?" Vale suddenly asked.
Denise nodded at this as she replied.
"Yes¡ Master Heinz sent me here to give you a gift for entering thepetition. He probably thought you wouldn''t achieve much in thepetition, so he wanted me to bring you the corpses of beautiful nobles from Ruri Kingdom."
"Ahhh? Wait, what? I have so many questions¡ Corpses of beautiful nobles? How could he even have that? Why did ite from the Ruri Kingdom? Also, why did he think I wouldn''t achieve much?" Vale asked in one go as he was baffled by Denise''s sudden words.
Denise seemed to have expected this reaction and chuckled.
"I can exin everything to you. However, do you really want us to talk in this dark alley?"
"Ahem¡ Let''s go to a nearby shop then. I noticed a coffee shop in the corner a while ago." Vale replied as he took the lead.
"Right¡ About the corpses¡ Do you really like them? Should I just dispose of them? I''m keeping them in a small storage house, and I''m paying for it for three zen a week." Denise said, which made Vale hesitant to answer.
"W-well¡ Can I take a look at them? Master sent them, so it won''t be appropriate to just dispose of them, right?" Vale replied after some thought.
Denise narrowed her eyes as she looked at Vale with a mix of disappointment and relief.
She was disappointed at his hobby, but she also felt relieved that he hadn''t changed that much after entering the Academy. He was still the Kyle Marshall that she had befriended in thatboratory.
She had seen many people change their behaviors after entering the Vermont Academy in a few years, so she was still somewhat pleased by Vale''s reaction.
"Alright¡ Let''s have a coffee first since I won''t be in the mood to eat once we go to that ce." Denise replied as she was still not used to being around corpses, unlike Vale.
Although she may appear unbothered by it, she was merely putting up with it since she needed Heinz''s help.
Soon, the two of them entered a coffee shop, where Denise exined the situation to Vale.
Vale learned that the corpses were actually bought by Heinz, not because he really wanted Vale to have them but because Heinz wanted to study the tattoo marks on their bodies that seemed to be capable of drawing power to another realm or perhaps entity.
It was the specialty of the Ruri Kingdom''s nobles, and it doesn''t seem to belong to any of the 12 Arcane Paths. The closest was the Rune Arts, but they were still different since the markings weren''t anything close to the ones used by the Rune Arts.
After all, the Runes werenguages of the ancient, while the ones in the bodies of the Nobles were more like drawings of the ancient.
This made Vale even more curious about the nobles. He couldn''t wait to see what kind of attributes he could extract from them.
Then, Denise exined why Master Heinz had such a low expectation of him.
"He was feeling bad that he failed to give you the best potions he could make but was able to give it to Evelyn and the others¡ Ahh, you should''ve met them already, right?" Denise asked.
"Those kids¡ Yeah, I met them. They''re quite prideful." Vale answered.
"Heh¡ Of course, they''ve beaten a few young Elementalists before they were allowed to enter the Academy by Sir Heinz¡ Anyway, he knows that you will reach the limit of your potential, so he wanted to at least give you those corpses."
Vale shook his head as it seemed that Heinz had underestimated him. Well, that wasn''t surprising since the old man had no idea about his system.
As he thought of asking Denise about the storage room where she kept the corpses, he suddenly felt a very familiar presence getting close to him¡
"Ahh¡ Lotus?" Vale asked in surprise.
Denise was also baffled as she looked at Vale in shock.
Chapter 424 Corpses
Chapter 424 Corpses
"Ahh... Lotus?" Vale asked in surprise, sensing a very familiar presence approaching.
Denise, too, was taken aback by Vale''s recognition of Lotus.
Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Vale, her thoughts racing to find an exnation.
"You know her?!" Denise eximed, her voice filled with astonishment. She couldn''t understand how Vale could possibly know about Lotus.
Vale had a wry smile on his face in response to Denise''s question. "Yes... It''s been a while, Lotus... Do you still remember me?" he asked, addressing the invisible presence that only he and Denise could perceive¡
At that moment, Lotus, the Dark Spirit, materialized within the confines of the coffee shop. She stood before Vale, her ethereal form exuding an air of mystery. No one else in the shop could see her, as her presence remained hidden from all except for the two.
"I have a vague recollection of your appearance¡" Lotus replied, her voice carrying a hint of curiosity.
Vale sighed softly, realizing that Lotus''s memory of him was not as strong as he had hoped.
He proceeded to exin to Denise the events that had transpired between him and Lotus before. He recounted how Lotus had been his Dark Spiritpanion, but unfortunately, she had met her demise while protecting him.
"T-that happened?"
Denise listened in awe, shocked to learn that Lotus had been Vale''s Dark Spiritpanion in the past. She couldn''t help but feel a sense of wonder at the mysterious workings of fate.
It seemed that Lotus hadn''t truly perished but had returned to the Spirit World. After a long period of recovery, Lotus had found her way back to the mortal realm and had chosen to be summoned by Denise this time.
"What a coincidence! Ahh¡ No, perhaps we''re really fated to each other?" Denise mumbled thest part as she couldn''t help but look at Vale expectantly.
The reunion of Vale and Lotus was beyond anything she could have imagined.
"This could probably be a great story in a book! The Forbidden Love of Human and Spirit!" Denise eximed in excitement.
It appears that aside from practicing her Dark Alchemy, she also had plenty of time to read various novels.
As they sat in the cozy coffee shop, Vale, Denise, and Lotus spent a few minutes catching up and sharing brief stories of their respective journeys.
As expected, Lotus couldn''t say much as she couldn''t recall most of her memories yet.
Soon, Vale shifted the topic to the essence of the Abyss that Yvaine had detected a while ago.
At this time, Vale also summoned Yvaine, which made Denise really excited.
"Whoa~ Dark Spirits looks so cool¡" Denise muttered as she realized that, indeed, all Dark Spirits had an unfathomable aura around them.
"Ahem¡ Lotus, did you notice the essence as well?" Denise asked. She had a vague idea of the Abyss since she read it in some ancient book written in Oardic. However, she only knew that it was another realm simr to the Spirit World, where Practitioners could normally sense if they performed some ritual.
As for the beings in the Abyss, she doesn''t have information about them.
"Yes¡ It was faint, but it was definitely there for a while."
With this, Vale could confirm that Yvaine didn''t just make a mistake a while ago.
"What do we do about it?" Vale asked. He certainly had no idea about what to do on this matter.
"Nothing¡ Ignore it. It''s not a problem you can resolve. Just leave this ce if something happens." Yvaine replied.
Lotus also nodded at this, as she didn''t seem to like dealing with such a problem.
"Alright... Then let''s go and visit the storage room¡" Vale said eagerly, his excitement palpable. He stood up to pay for their drinks, ready to meet the corpses that his Master had gifted for him.
Although he didn''t like to bebeled as a corpse lover, he couldn''t refuse the free extractions either.
Denise wryly smiled, amused by Vale''s enthusiasm.
She followed him, leading the way to the storage room she had rented for the corpses. It didn''t take long for them to arrive at their destination, and Denise unlocked the door, revealing a room filled with twelve beautifully preserved corpses of women in their twenties and thirties.
There was no decaying smell and they were all in perfect condition thanks to Heinz''s unusual sealing method.
Vale''s eyes widened in awe as he took in the sight before him. The bodies were adorned with intricate tribal tattoos, marking them as unique and distinct entities. It was a stark contrast to the Rune Arts that Vale was familiar with, and his curiosity was piqued.
''Master Heinz really had an amazing preservation technique. It''s a pity I didn''t learn it from him.'' Vale silently thought.
Heinz didn''t have a reason to use this Sealing or Preservation Technique in theboratory since the Quince Furnace would be their immediate destination. It wasn''t surprising that Vale wouldn''t see Heinz using the technique.
"Awesome..." Valemented, his voice filled with genuine excitement.
He approached one of the corpses, carefully examining the markings on its skin. The tribal tattoos held an air of mystery, and Vale couldn''t help but marvel at their beauty.
Denise looked at Vale, her expression a mix of curiosity and confusion.
"Are you that excited?" she asked, unable toprehend Vale''s fascination with the corpses. She couldn''t help but wonder if Vale intended to do something more to them.
Vale smiled and nodded at her. He understood that Denise might misunderstand his true intentions, but he couldn''t reveal the existence of his Divine Extraction System to her.
Instead, he replied, "There''s more to it than meets the eye. Corpses of Arcane Practitioners are more interesting than you thought..."
Denise just shrugged after hearing this since Vale sounded like Heinz¡
''Crazy¡''
Vale ignored her reaction.
Then, he ced his hand on one of the corpses¡ At that moment, a message shed in his eyes from his Divine Extraction System.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
Chapter 425 Current Attributes
Chapter 425 Current Attributes
Vale didn''t hesitate to agree to his system message.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +95 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Fiend Essence ]
As soon as the Extraction was done, Vale''s eyes widened as he realized that the tattoo marks on the corpse had also dissipated, exposing the beautiful corpse even more.
"Ahh¡" Denise was simrly surprised as she noticed what had happened.
Indeed, Vale wasn''t just fooling around when he was looking for the corpses.
"What was that, Vale?" Denise asked.
"I also wanted to know¡ These corpses are really high quality¡ Master Heinz must''ve bought them for an expensive price." Vale muttered as he realized the huge Energy Points he got from that one Extraction!
As for the Fiend Essence that he extracted, he doesn''t have an idea about it, but it might be simr to the Imp Essence.
With enough Fiend Essence, perhaps he could also transform into a Noble of the Ruri Kingdom.
Vale chuckled at this thought as he continued extracting the others.
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +90 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Fiend Essence ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +97 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Fiend Essence ]
¡
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +95 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Fiend Essence ]
''They don''t give other attributes, but they give a lot of Energy Points. So weird¡ I thought it was only one time, but all twelve of them had the same result. Just what kind of humans are you?'' Vale thought as he wasn''t sure what to feel about the result of this.
He gained almost 800 points just from this session''s Extraction. It was quite impressive.
This time, Vale checked his current attributes.
[ Name: Kyle Marshall ]
[ Attributes: Strength 87.55, Agility 85.29, Intelligence 100, Vitality 82.75 ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv7, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv9, Darkness Maniption Lv7, Spirit Vision Lv6, Light Absorption Lv7, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Moonlight Curse Lv7, Spectral Hands Lv4, Corrupted Chains Lv7, Active Curse Break Lv4,? Dusk Imprisonment Lv4, Corpse Explosion Lv1, Feign Death Lv1, Locate Corpse Lv1, Shadow Gate Lv3 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv7, Blessed Healing Lv4 ]
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv7, Shadow Muttion Lv7, Aurora''s Embrace Lv3 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv6 ]
[ Transformation Art: Human Shapeshift Lv7, Beast Shapeshift Lv7, Voice Maniption Lv7 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv7 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv6, Soul Bind Lv2 ]
[ Neutral Ability: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv7, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv7, Levitation Lv0 ]
[ Avable Energy: 11,105 ]
[ Divinity Points: 1649.3 ]
''I''m getting closer and closer to the limit. Will I be some sort of transcendent being after all of them reach 100 points?'' Vale mused as he couldn''t help but imagine what would happen once he reached the limit.
It was certainly one of the things that made him happy whenever he extracted people. It was unfortunate that he didn''t get any attributes today, but he would dly ept the Energy Points.
Vale then checked the amount he needed to upgrade the Incorruptible Body to Level 10 or the Perfect Realm.
[ Advancement Failed. You are missing 4,255 Points toplete the action. ]
''That was a lot¡ But I''m getting there.'' Valemented in his mind as he shifted his attention to the Levitation Spell. It was the Spell he got from the Evil Creature that was in the Labyrinth.
He wanted to try this now but had to hold back until he returned to his room or got into a secluded spot.
"Vale¡ You''ve been grinning for a while now. What did you do? Those tattoo marks on their bodies had all disappeared¡" Denise asked curiously.
"Just think of it as something simr to what the Dark Spirit does to replenish their energy..." Vale said after some thought.
"What? Is it true?" Denise asked in surprise. She wasn''t really thinking too much of it, but perhaps, Vale was indeed partly Spirit.
Vale could only nod at her question since it''s better than her thinking that he loves touching corpses.
***
Afterpleting the extractions, Vale and Denise bid their farewells, knowing that they had to part ways for now. Denise couldn''t shake off her concerns about the Abyss, and she didn''t want to linger in this city any longer. She didn''t want to put Lotus in harm''s way by involving her in any potential danger that might arise. She just died protecting Vale, so Denise knew not to repeat the same mistake.
"Very well, then. Please send my regards to Master Heinz¡" Vale said, his voice tinged with gratitude.
"Alright... If your juniors be too arrogant, just teach them a lesson¡" Denise said with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she referred to Evelyn''s group.
"Oh... Can I?" Vale asked, seeking Denise''s permission to confront the arrogant juniors. Although he would do it without her approval, having Denise''s side is better to lessen his guilt.
"Of course¡" Denise replied with a knowing smile. With that, she turned and left the storage room, Lotus silently following her.
As Denise departed, Vale couldn''t help but feel a sense of longing for his connection with Lotus. Using telepathy, he whispered¡ "Let''s meet again, Lotus." Though Lotus didn''t respond, Vale could sense her presence lingering, observing him from somewhere.
With a sigh, Vale hastily made his way back to the hotel where his senior and friends were anxiously awaiting his return. He probably made them worried after he just ran away.
***
The next morning, as the sun began to rise, Vale and his group made their way to the Coliseum, where the Monster Hunter Competition would take ce. Unlike the Arena, where the Spectacles of Talents were held, the Coliseum provided a grand stage for the students to showcase their skills in battling formidable monsters.
Of course, they weren''t here to participate yet. Instead, they''re here to watch their seniors.
As Vale entered the Coliseum, he could feel the excitement in the air.
The crowd was buzzing with anticipation, creating a lively and energetic atmosphere. The spectators filled the stands, eagerly awaiting the start of thepetition.
Vale and his group soon found a spot among the audience, ready to witness the thrilling disys of skill and strategy that were about to unfold.
Chapter 426 Solo Event
Chapter 426 Solo Event
Carlston Peterson, a dedicated sixth-year student at Vermont Academy, was excited as he prepared for the Monster Hunter event.
Today marked a significant moment for him as he would bepeting against the best sixth-year students of the other Academies.
The event for the day was the Solo Hunting challenge, where one member from each team would face off against a formidable monster. To Carlston''s surprise and delight, he was the chosen participant from his team.
Standing in the resting area for the participants, Carlston nced out at the crowd that had gathered to witness the thrillingpetition. The atmosphere was charged with excitement, and he couldn''t help but feel a mix of nerves and determination. Among the sea of faces, he recognized many of his seniors and juniors from the Academy, eagerly waiting to see his performance.
''I thought I would not get nervous, but standing here today puts a lot of pressure.'' Carlston silently thought, especially after seeing Vale''s group.
After all, aside from the 4th-year batch, no one else had gotten any points for the Academy. Their overall ranking points were solely from Vale''s batch.
''Can I even get the top three here?'' Carlston sighed as he shifted his attention to the announcer.
The announcer''s voice boomed through the arena¡
"Let''s begin! The first to take the stage and fight against the Savage Golems is Nellie from Lakrine, Academy of Summoning Arts!"
Carlston''s focus shifted to Nellie, who was about to face the two imposing Savage Golems. The golems, towering figures made of stone and earth, emanated an aura of raw power. Their rocky exteriors were adorned with ancient symbols, hinting at their mystical origins.
Carlston and other participants already knew what they would face as organizers informed them about an hour ago. Nevertheless, even with an hour of preparation, they won''t be able toe up with a foolproof n to deal with two golems that have plenty of immunity.
''Let''s see how he will deal with it.'' Carlston mused.
With determination in his eyes, he saw Nellie open his Grimoire, a mysterious book that only Summoners could have, and summoned a Gale Wolf and sh Knight.
The Gale Wolf, a majestic creature with shimmering fur and fierce blue eyes, exuded an air of agility and speed. The sh Knight, on the other hand, was a knight-like entity surrounded by an ethereal aura, wielding a gleaming sword of light.
"Whoa~"
"Those are beautiful¡"
"They''re just decoration. Those summons are trash."
"I think they can still do it."
The audience murmured as they saw Nellie''s summons.
The battle began as Nelliemanded his summoned allies to engage the Savage Golems.
The Gale Wolf darted around the golems, using its speed to evade their colossal fists, while the sh Knight unleashed powerful sword strikes, aiming to weaken their stony defenses.
The sh between Nellie''s summoned creatures and the Savage Golems was a spectacle to behold. The golems unleashed devastating blows with their stone fists, causing the ground to tremble with each impact.
Yet, Nellie''s strategicmands and the prowess of his summoned allies proved to be a formidable force.
As the battle raged on, Carlston couldn''t help but be captivated by the skill and determination disyed by Nellie. Each move was calcted and executed with precision, showcasing the bond between the Summoner and summoned creatures.
The crowd erupted in cheers and apuse as Nellie''s Gale Wolf and sh Knight worked in perfect harmony, gradually wearing down the Savage Golems.
With a final coordinated strike, the sh Knight shattered the stony exterior of one of the golems, rendering it motionless. The remaining golem, weakened and outnumbered, met a simr fate as the Gale Wolf lunged forward, delivering a decisive blow.
It was 12 minutes and 55 seconds.
The Summoner took almost 13 minutes to finish the battle.
The arena was filled with exhration and admiration as Nellie emerged victorious, the defeated golems dissipating into dust. However, Nellie himself wasn''t satisfied, and the other judges and participants knew the reason why.
It took quite a long time for him to deal with slow-moving golems that don''t even have special abilities aside from being hard.
As the cheers subsided, Carlston knew that it would finally be his turn¡
***
Soon, a group of people cleared out the stage and dispersed the Summoner''s Aura, which could affect the performance of the next student.
Carlston took a deep breath as he waited for his name to be called, his eyes fixed on the two towering Savage Golems summoned by the officers of the event.
"I can''t let the Fourth-Year students carry our Academy in the Overall Rankings... I need to show them that their seniors are also reliable!" Carlston said in his mind, his voice filled with determination and a strong sense of responsibility.
As soon as his name was called, Carlston stepped onto the stage, his gaze locked on the Savage Golems before him.
It didn''t take that long before the signal to begin the battle sounded¡
Undeterred by the noise of the audience, Carlston summoned his trusty allies: three Flesh Ghouls and five Storm Wraiths.
These were no ordinary summons. The Flesh Ghouls, bearing the marks of decay and wielding wicked ws, emanated an aura of death and decay.
The Storm Wraiths, ethereal and emanating a blue glow, glided through the air with an unsettling grace. Together, they formed a formidable force under Carlston''smand.
That''s right, he is a Necromancer in the Vermont Academy.
"Come!" Carlston shouted to the golem, although they probably didn''t understand him.
With unwavering focus, he deftly evaded the golems'' devastating attacks. He may have poor agility, but he has quick reflexes, allowing him to maneuver through the chaos with the help of his Darkness Maniption.
Brandishing his Bone Spear, a weapon infused with necromantic energy, he also struck with precision and strength, aiming to exploit the weaknesses in the golems'' stony defenses.
Well, he tried aiming for their joints.
The Flesh Ghouls tore into the golems'' rocky skin while the Storm Wraiths unleashed bolts of dark energy, weakening their opponents.
The battle raged on, the sh of sturdy bone against stone echoing throughout the arena.
Carlston and his summoned allies fought with unwavering determination, their coordinated attacks chipping away at the golems'' formidable exteriors. The Flesh Ghouls and Storm Wraiths fought alongside him, theirbined efforts creating a symphony of darkness and death.
"So Necromancers can actually fight like this¡"
"Indeed¡ It was a pity he couldn''t summon a Death Knight¡ This would be over if he did that."
"He''s only sixth-year¡ It''s already impressive that he could summon Storm Wraiths."
"Mhmm¡ Indeed. No wonder he was selected in this Solo-Hunting."
The rogue Arcanists watching the event couldn''t help butment after seeing the Carlston''s battle.
Chapter 427 Sword Technique
Chapter 427 Sword Technique
After more than 6 minutes of battle, Carlston summoned all his strength and unleashed a devastating blow with his Bone Spear.
This Bone Spear was one of the Branch-Exclusive Spells that he learned in the Necromancy Branch alongside Corpse Explosion and Corpse Animation.
At the moment, it had already reached the early stage of the Intermediate Realm!
Boom!
With a resounding crack, one of the Savage Golems stumbled under the force of the attack¡ Its left knee joint was crushed! It was almost reduced to a pile of rubble under its own weight.
Nevertheless, Carlston did a quick work on it by letting his remaining Ghoul tear it apart.
The remaining golem, now outnumbered and weakened, faced the relentless onught of the Flesh Ghouls and Storm Wraiths.
In a final coordinated assault, thebined forces of Carlston and his summoned allies overwhelmed the remaining golem.
With a thunderous crash, the second Savage Golem fell, defeated in less than 8 minutes.
The crowd erupted with thunderous apuse and cheers, as they didn''t care if Carlston was a Dark Practitioner at this moment. They enjoyed the exciting battle, and that was what they wanted to see...
Exhausted but ted, Carlston stood victorious¡ He could only hope that this was enough for him to reach at least the third ce in the event to get a score for the Academy.
***
"The students of the Vermont Academy were quite formidable this year." Kate Duffey muttered,her voice filled with a mix of admiration andpetitive spirit.
She''s a sixth-year student in the Knights Academy, and she couldn''t help but feel that the Dark Arts Academy this year was different from what she heard from the seniors.
"Indeed... They even dominated the Fourth-Year''s Labyrinth¡" Geraldine replied, her tone tinged with a hint of helplessness.
"Haha... I heard about how they set a record in that Labyrinth... I guess you guys are unlucky¡" Kate retorted yfully, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"Hmph... The same thing won''t happen in the Tower Ascension and the Duel¡" Geraldine responded confidently. After all, she wasn''t really able to show her skills in the first two contests of their batch.
"That''s the right attitude. Don''t feel pressured¡" Kate encouraged, offering a supportive smile.
Soon, the time came for Kate to step onto the stage, her name echoing through the coliseum.
With a deep breath, she focused her mind, ready to face the two Savage Golems.
Geraldine, filled with admiration for her senior, cheered loudly, silently praying that Kate would achieve an even faster record than Carlston.
Simultaneously, her gaze shifted to Vale''s side, determination burning in her eyes as she resolved to surpass them in the uingpetitions.
However, Vale seemed to have sensed her gaze as he looked at her with curious eyes¡
''Ahh¡'' Geraldine quickly shifted her gaze in reaction¡
''Ugh¡ Why did I look away like I was guilty? I should''ve stared at him and waited for him to look away instead... Tsk¡'' Geraldine thought in frustration.
In the end, she decided not to look at him anymore.
As the battlemenced, Kate''s concentration sharpened, her eyes locked on the towering Savage Golems before her.
Drawing upon her mastery of enhancement spells, she swiftly cast a series of spells as she drew her sword.
''Eight minutes, huh¡ I need to finish this in less than 7 minutes to win!''
Knights like her could also use ranged Spells, but she still likes the old Enhancement Spells since they were a lot easier to augment in her battle style.
With a sh of light, Kate fortified herself, her body infused with an ethereal glow that enhanced her strength and resilience. Empowered by her spell, she dashed forward, her speed surpassing that of the golems.
As their massive fists swung toward her, Kate invoked a protective shield, deflecting the blows with ease.
Seizing the opportunity, Kate unleashed a powerful st of energy from her sword, channeling her magical prowess into a devastating attack. The golems staggered under the force of the st, their stony exteriors showing signs of wear.
Sensing their vulnerability, Kate swiftly followed up with a swift and precise sh, directing her enchanted de toward the golems'' weak points.
At this moment, Kate already used her Fortify, Dash, Shield, st, and sh¡ A total of five spells.
Kate then released a strong fluctuation of energy as she continued her relentless assault, her spells and strikes harmonizing with her sword style, the Eight Wave Sword Technique.
With each sessful spell and strike, the golems'' defenses crumbled further, their once formidable presence diminishing.
''How long was it? Is it five minutes already? Tsk¡ I need to hurry!'' Kate silently thought as she could see the golems started weakening.
As the battle continued, Kate summoned all her remaining energy, pouring it into one final, awe-inspiring strike¡
It was the eighth strike of her Eight Wave Sword Technique! She even imbued it with her st Spell!
Boom!
With a blinding explosion, the golems shattered into a cascade of debris, defeated by Kate''s sword skills.
The crowd erupted in thunderous apuse, their cheers echoing throughout the coliseum¡
***
"Impressive... Was that sword technique all learned by the students of the Knights Academy?" Vale muttered after seeing the battle end.
He couldn''t help but be captivated by the sword style that Kate had demonstrated.
Vale had honed his sword techniques and even mastered the Shadowde Dance, a technique he had extracted from the Dark Soul Tower. In short, his expertise allowed him to discern the quality and effectiveness of various sword styles.
Observing Kate''s fluid sword movements, Vale could tell that her technique was exceptional. It possessed effectiveness and precision that spoke of countless hours of training and dedication.
"Mhmm... I don''t think so¡" Maya replied, her voice tinged with contemtion.
"The Sword Technique she used was different from the other Knights I''ve seen. Perhaps they also have different branches like our Academy."
Vale nodded thoughtfully¡
"That made sense¡"
"Why? Do you want to learn their sword technique?" Maya teased.
"Haha¡ Vale, I know you have a sword, but you''re a Spellcaster¡ To be exact, a Ritualist. I don''t think that a sword would be appropriate in the long run." Crystalmented.
Chapter 428 The Winners
?
Thepetition pressed on, with one Academy after another showcasing their students'' abilities. Following the Knights Academy''s impressive disy, it was now the turn of the Holy Arts Academy to take the stage.
To the surprise of Vale and the others, the student from the Holy Arts Academy didn''t possess the typical spellcasting abilities they had seen before.
Instead, they exuded an aura reminiscent of a pdin or a holy knight they could see in the Church of the Fortune Goddess.
It also became evident that this student belonged to a distinct branch within the Holy Arts Academy, focusing on martial prowess and the augmentation of their abilities through the use of Holy Arts¡ This is quite simr to their Academy with several branches.
Anyway, with a weapon in hand, the student skillfullybined hisbat skills with the power of the Holy Arts. His strikes carried some sort of sacred essence, imbued with righteousness and purity, as he confronted the Two Savage Golems.
It was a unique approach, blending martial prowess with the holy energy of their chosen path.
The Elemental Arts Academy followed suit, showcasing the mastery of the elements in their battle against the golems. The Mystic Arts Academy came next, disying their enigmatic and mystical abilities. One by one, the various Academies took their turn, each offering their distinct styles and techniques to ovee the formidable adversaries.
As thepetition progressed, they realized that Kate from the Knights Academy was still the quickest one to deal with the Savage Golems.
Then, thest Academy to face the Savage Golems was Farell, the Academy of Psychic Arts.
Vale''s excitement peaked at the thought of witnessing the capabilities of psychics. How would they fare against golems, beings devoid of emotion and sentience?
''Can they even use Mind Techniques on a golem?'' Vale mused.
He already encountered a Mind Controller before so Vale couldn''t help but feel curious.
He wanted to carefully observe the extraordinary abilities possessed by psychics, who could delve into the depths of the mind and even manipte unseen forces.
***
"Vale¡ I think that the Psychic Arts will be the most difficult to deal with in the sh of Champions¡ They can use Mental Energy to control their targets within their Magic Zone. Do you have anything to fight against Mind Corruption?" Luna curiously asked.
"Hah! Don''t worry about him¡ Just remember the number of his Spirit Strands¡" Maya interjected.
"Ahh¡ That''s true¡ Vale doesn''t need aplicated Spell. Having a double or even triple Spirit Strands should be more than enough." Luna nodded in agreement.
"Yes¡ However, I suggest that you don''t use your Dark Spirit against them¡" Philip added.
"Oh?" Although Vale doesn''t have ns of using Yvaine since she was exhausted in the matter within the Labyrinth, he couldn''t help but feel curious.
"Do you think my Dark Spirit can be controlled easily?" Vale asked as he shifted his attention to Philip.
"Hehe¡ It might be a different matter if the ones using the brainwashing technique were Shamans, Runecasters, or Dark Magicians. However, if it''s the Mind Controllers, they have a special branch that deals with Spirit or Summoners. I''ve read before that even an Abyss Knight summoned by a Gold Necromancer can fall into their hands. Mind Controllers are different." Philip exined.
Vale wanted to ask more questions but they suddenly heard the signal to start the battle as they shifted their attention to the stage.
As the battlemenced, the student unleashed his Psychic Arts with glowing eyes...
Utilizing his Mental Energy, he tapped into the Golem''s vision or core, channeling his abilities to disrupt and control the movements of the Golems.
With each calcted maniption, the Golems found themselves momentarily immobilized or diverted from their intended path.
Even Vale could barely perceive what the student was doing while running around the Golems.
"So that''s the Misdirection Spell¡" Philip muttered as he recognized that trick that was being used by the student.
Just using this single Spell, the student started confusing the Golems and disrupting their attacks. The battlefield became a whirlwind of deception and misdirection, with the student skillfully outmaneuvering his opponents.
But the most awe-inspiring feat came when the student exerted his control over one of the Savage Golems. Through his unknown Psychic Arts, he managed to partially override the Golem''s programming, directing its immense power towards its counterpart.
The sh between the two creatures shook the stage, unleashing a disy of raw force and destruction.
It only took less than 4 minutes and the battle concluded, leaving everyone in awe of the student''s incredible prowess.
"How is that possible?"
"I didn''t know they could also control those creatures with no Sentience and just followed someone''s orders¡"
"It''s not that simple¡ He took over the Golem''s Core. You can''t control a golem unless you have ess to its core."
"Look at those Arcanists on the side of the stage. They all looked pale since the student had forcefully taken control of them. They must''ve suffered some bacsh because of that."
The Arcanists who were also watching the eventmented. They seemed to have encountered this same situation before as they analyzed what had happened.
Soon, the crowd erupted in thunderous apuse, recognizing the exceptional talent disyed by the student from the Psychic Arts Academy.
They may be unsure about the Misdirection Spell and Forceful Control of the student but they know that something went wrong with the Golems like it had some defect. The defect was definitely done by the student and they didn''t doubt it at all.
"Impressive¡ I guess I have to be careful about that ability, huh¡" Vale muttered as he continued to listen to the awarding ceremony.
The first ce was taken by the Psychic Arts Academy. Aside from the additional 200 points in the overall rankings, he received a Token that allows him to request a High-Grade Noble Rank Mystical Item.
The second and third ces were taken by the Knights Academy and the Dark Arts Academy. They had also received the same Token but they were only for Low-Grade Noble Rank and High-Grade Mortal Rank Mystical Items respectively.
Chapter 429 Group Hunt ( 1 )
?
On this same day, variouspetitionsmenced for different batches in the Academy. Vale and his group broadened their horizons as the numerous students in other Academies used their best set of Spells to win thepetition they entered.
This way, even though that duel or the sh of Champions hadn''t started yet, Vale already had a rough idea about the things he should look out for.
"In the end, the Holy Arts, Psychic Arts, and Rune Arts Academies were the ones we should look out for¡" Maya muttered as they headed back to their rooms.
"Indeed¡ Especially the new Rune that goes against the Dark Arts Practitioners. How troublesome¡ It''s a huge problem if all of them can you that Rune." Philipmented.
Just like the news they read in the Academy Newspaper, the Rune Arts Faction had indeed created a new Rune that works perfectly well against Dark Spells.
It was certainly not in the same principle as the Holy Arts but it feels more like Mystic Arts Ability that could dismantle the Dark Energy used by their Dark Spells.
This was such a piece of troubling news for them¡
***
In the afternoon, the group hunt of the Monster Hunter event for the fourth-year batch would finally start.
In this group match, Vale wouldn''t participate since he was selected for the Solo Hunt.
Instead, this would be a match for Philip, Crystal, and Maya.
Vale and Luna would be on the audience stand to cheer and support their ssmates.
"Oh¡ You''re not going to participate this time? Your name was Vale, right?" Suddenly, Vale heard a gentle voice behind him. It was from an unfamiliar youngdy and she seemed amused at how she found him here.
Vale curiously looked behind and realized that it was the third princess, Ceres!
''She''s talking to me like we know each other...'' Vale mused seeing how shefortably addressed him.
"Yes." He answered.
"I see¡ We have the same strategy then¡ In tomorrow''s sh of Champions, I''ll be taking the first ce." Ceres added, confusing Vale for a moment.
He could understand why she mentioned that it was a strategy to not participate in today''s Monster Hunt. After all, they need to hide their Spells at the moment, so the opponents or other students wouldn''t easilye up with a strategy.
What Vale couldn''t understand was the reason she was bragging that she would get the first ce in tomorrow''s duel.
"Good luck to you, Princess Ceres¡ However, the judges won''t be able to help you at that time¡" Vale replied with a teasing smile.
However, as soon as he saw the faces of the people around them, he immediately realized that what he just said was somehow telling her that she had cheated in otherpetitions to win.
Even Luna was stunned as she looked at Vale with wide eyes.
"Y-you¡" Rizza, Ceres''s groupmate wanted to berate Vale but Ceres held her hand to stop her.
"It''s fine¡ If he''s not satisfied with my win, I''ll show it to him tomorrow." Ceres said with a cold smile on her face.
This time, Vale decided not to reply as he might really anger the people around them. Instead, he shifted his attention to the stage and forgot the people behind him.
He thought of just enjoying the Monster Hunter that was about tomence¡
''Are they also sending Two Savage Golems or a different creature?'' Vale mused.
However, as he thought that he would be able to peacefully watch the battle, he sensed the activation of the Divine Sense near him!
''Mhmm?'' Vale suddenly realized why Ceres decided to get closer to him!
''I knew it¡ This girl wouldn''t just randomly stay at the audience stand. She wanted to probe the students with the Divine Sense.'' Vale silently thought as he sensed the activation of the Divine Sense behind him.
Since he has an Advanced Realm or higher mastery than her, she certainly couldn''t tell that he could sense her Divine Sense.
Nevertheless, she had probably realized by now that she couldn''t probe him with her Divine Sense and suspected him to possess an anti-inspection Mystical Item.
"Tsk¡"
Vale heard Ceres click her tongue in frustration. As expected, she didn''t get the result she wanted.
She even tried putting her Divine Sense mark on him!
''This girl¡ She''s going too far¡ She''s already using a Spell against her opponent before thepetition starts. She doesn''t deserve to be a practitioner of Holy Arts¡'' Hemented.
Vale shook his head as he decided to allow the mark to enter his body as he wanted to use it against herter on.
''You''re even a Princess and you''re using such an underhanded trick¡ Let''s see what will happenter¡'' Vale silently thought as he decided to take advantage of the Divine Sense mark she left on his body.
He acted normal and didn''t seem to have noticed the Divine Sense as he continued watching the event.
Anyway, the Princess also continued staying for a while even after her probing, and watched the group hunt of the Rune Arts Academy against a couple of Imps!
Yes, the organizers had actually arranged two Imps for each group to deal with¡
It was quite unexpected, however, it''s also understandable. Normal fourth-year students were stillcking in the number of Spell Lights they had¡
On the other hand, the Imps may be quite tough to deal with but their strength was average and they only excelled in their special ability, illusions, or deception. It was a perfect opponent for their current batch.
***
The young Runecasters, armed with their Runic Weapons, prepared to face the challenge ahead.
The three Runecasters, Felia, Marcus, and ra, stood side by side, as they looked at the caged Imps across the stage...
Amelia wielded a runic staff, Marcus held a runic bow, and ra carried a pair of runic daggers. Their weapons crackled with arcane energy, ready to be unleashed against the Imps.
Chapter 430 Group Hunt ( 2 )
Chapter 430 Group Hunt ( 2 )
Felia, the leader of the group, looked at herpanions, determination gleaming in her eyes.
They were the first group to face the Imps so she noticed the nervousness of her members.
It was understandable as they were all being watched by hundreds of people and even their Headmasters. They felt quite pressured, especially after knowing that they only earned 150 points in the Overall Rankings at the moment. They are currently at the bottom of the Rankings¡
Although only two days passed, a total of 12 contests of varying levels had beenpleted.
Only the students from the 7th-year batch were able to get some points for them.
"Stay focused, everyone. Don''t think about the audience for now. We need to be prepared for their deceptions. Remember, our runic weapons are our strongest defense against their tricks."
Marcus nodded, gripping his runic bow tightly. "I agree, Felia. Let''s make sure our attacks are filled with Runic Aura... We can''t afford to fall for their illusions. If one shows signs of being drawn to their charm, don''t hesitate to use the rm Rune."
ra, known for her agility in the group, twirled her runic daggers in her hands. "I''ll be ready to strike whenever an opportunity presents itself. Just give me that opening and I''ll kill them."
The three exchanged nces as they readied themselves.
Soon, the signal was given and the battlemenced.
The Imps were freed in their cage andunched their savage attacks, apanied by illusions that aimed to deceive the Runecasters.
The surroundings twirled with energy as the Runecasters focused their attention on breaking the illusions¡
Felia brandished her runic staff, tracing intricate patterns in the air. The symbols glowed brightly, forming a protective shield around the group.
"Stay within the runic barrier! It will help us see through their illusions¡" She reminded, her voice determined.
She had to remind them about this. Even though they were already aware of it, the Imps could affect their critical thinking and decision-making. Voicing out some of their moves could be helpful in the battle.
Marcus notched an arrow on his runic bow, his eyes scanning the battlefield. "Keep an eye out for any inconsistencies. Their illusions will have subtle ws. That''s our cue to strike¡" he advised, his voice steady and focused.
ra weaved through the chaos, her runic daggers poised for action. While she was moving around, she continued looking for an opportunity to strike the Imps.
As the Imps continued their onught of Illusions and Disguise within the smokescreen they created, the Runecasters remained vignt.
They watched for any slight inconsistencies in the Imps'' movements, their keen eyes trained to see beyond the illusions.
Of course, they weren''t just watching as they were also throwing Spells and cutting through the illusions of beasts, humans, warriors, and even birds that were trying to distract them¡
The Imps would also try to disguise themselves as a member of their group and try to get closer to them. However, the smokescreen wasn''t enough to block and vision and locate their real members. It was thanks to the special Runic Barrier they had prepared for this event.
Soon, Felia unleashed a powerful runic spell, causing the ground to tremble beneath the Imps.
The symbols she inscribed danced with energy, disrupting the Imps'' attempts at deception.
"Expose their true forms!" Shemanded, her voice resolute.
Whatever rune it was, it drained a lot of her energy as her face paled¡
Nevertheless, this was an opportunity!
Marcus took aim, his runic arrows guided by his unwavering focus. With each shot, a well-ced arrow found its mark, piercing through the Imps'' illusions and almost hitting the head of one of the Imps!
"Eeekk!"
The Imp was surely scared that it moved away from its previous position.
"Your tricks won''t protect you forever!" He dered loudly. This was his way of ensuring that his mind wouldn''t get affected by the Imps deception.
After all, they were informed that their minds should remain unwavering ording to their seniors.
ra finally moved with the intention to kill. She wielded her runic daggers shing through the air.
She anticipated the Imps'' movements, her keen instincts guiding her attacks¡
The battle reached its climax as the Runecasters coordinated their attacks, exploiting the Imps'' vulnerabilities.
''Indeed, physicalbat is the best against the Imps as long as you can break through their illusions¡ I guess the organizers are going easy with the fourth-year batch, huh¡'' Vale mused as he could already tell that the battle was about to end.
With each strike of their runic weapons, the illusions that were hastily made shattered, revealing the true Imps.
The Imps, caught off guard by the Runecasters'' resilience, desperately tried to survive¡
But thebined might of Felia, Marcus, and ra proved too much. The runic powers of their weapons overwhelmed the Imps, leaving them defeated and vulnerable.
Eeeekkk!
With onest cry, the Imps dropped to the ground, lifeless¡
The stage erupted with apuse as the audience enjoyed the battle and felt happy at the death of the disgusting Imps¡
The three Runecasters stood side by side, their chests heaving with exertion but their spirits soaring as they appreciated the audience cheering for them.
''So Runic Weapons were just some sort of Mystical Items with special or controlled abilities?'' Vale mused as he recalled all the Runic Weapons that were used and the Runic Pistol he had seen outside.
Vale had to do his own research even though he already heard plenty of things from his seniors and the Professors.
After all, he doesn''t know his first opponent for tomorrow''s sh of Champions.
''I guess Senior Anderson and the others are worrying too much¡ I don''t think these kids already learned Spell Fusion in their respective Path.'' Vale silently thought as he believed that no one could beat him in tomorrow''s duel¡
If they could beat him, it''s probably because they were disguised as young students or they also had a system that''s better than his Divine Extraction System¡
As he was thinking of this, he soon heard Maya''s group being called to take the stage¡
Chapter 431 Group Hunt ( 3 )
Chapter 431 Group Hunt ( 3 )
Maya, Philip, and Crystal prepared to face off against two cunning Imps.
They stood on the stage waiting for the signal from an event official who held the key to release the caged Imps.
"Remember to follow the n and adjust ording to the Imps'' movements and illusions..." Philip muttered.
"Yes¡ Maya, don''t get too excited and reveal your secret spells." Crystal whispered as she knew that the Featherstar Family had a secret spell that was exclusive to their family.
If she used that Spell, the battle may end quickly, but in turn, her teammates wouldn''t have to do anything at all. Furthermore, Maya could suffer bacsh in the Spell as she was still too young to use a high-grade Tier 2 Dark Spell.
"Of course! We''ll stick to the n." Maya replied with a chuckle.
Soon, the Monster Hunt officer l announced the start of the hunt!
Maya, her eyes glowing with excitement, stepped forward to start the battle.
She swiftly activated her Spell as shadows coalesced around her hands, forming a swirling vortex of dark energy.
With a sweeping motion, she released the Dark Nova, a devastating st that engulfed the Imps in an abyss of shadows.
This quick Spell disrupted the Imps from casting mid-grade Illusions since they had to hastily cast a Spell to protect themselves¡
Unfortunately, Maya''s Dark Noval Spell wasn''t that great against Imps who were essentially living in the darkness. Nevertheless, Maya wasn''t worried as she maintained her casting her Spell.
Philip, his gaze intense and unwavering, held out his hand, his voice dripping with a sinister tone.
"Blood Curse!" At the same time, crimson energy gathered around his fingertips. Then, he unleashed the Curse Spell, causing the Imps to writhe in agony as their life essence slowly drained away, weakening them with each passing moment.
The illusions they released and the disguise they nned to do were quickly halted¡
Crystal, her presence cloaked in shadows, moved with eerie grace.
"Tsk¡ That Blood Curse almost hit me¡" She softly muttered. She then activated her Darkness Coil, as dark tendrils materialized, wrapping around the Imps, restricting their movements and sapping their strength.
As they thought that it would end like this, the Imps suddenly turned red as they burst with a powerful aura!
The Imps of the previous battle didn''t go like this!
"They''re going berserk! Change of ns! Fight them with our nextbination!" Maya shouted.
Philip and Crystal also had no time to question why the Imps started bursting with power. They could only adapt and continue on with the hunt!
The battle raged on as the Imps fought desperately to counter the students'' relentless assault.
Maya conjured Spirit Hand, creating spectral appendages thatshed out at the Imps, striking with precision and force.
The Imps'' attempts to retaliate were also met with her Darkness Maniption, as she twisted their illusory attacks into harmless shadows. It was aplicated use of Darkness Maniption that disrupts visible illusions.
Philip, his gaze unwavering, unleashed Severe Ailment upon the Imps, infecting them with a debilitating curse. Their movements slowed, and their strength waned.
Philip then utilized Light Absorption after he noticed that Maya''s Darkness Maniption started getting overwhelmed by the Illusion Shift Spell of the Imps¡
''Aren''t they a bit too strong? They weren''t like this with the first team¡'' Philip couldn''t help butin in his head.
Crystal, her form melting into the shadows,unched a surprise attack with Shadow Step, darting between the Imps with lightning speed.
Boom!
She struck them with the power of Gloom Force, a concentrated burst of dark energy that left the Imps reeling, their defenses shattered.
As the battle continued, the students realized that the Imps weakened a lot and they were no longer bursting with energy.
Each spell cast, each move executed, demonstrated their mastery over the forbidden powers they wielded.
The Imps, realizing the gravity of their predicament, desperately used deceptive tricks and illusory tactics to survive¡
Unfortunately, Maya, Philip, and Crystal saw through their charades. Their current Darkness Maniption and Light Absorption Spells allowed them to have the ability to pierce through the veil of deception.
Maya''s Dark Nova severely injured one of the Imps¡ Philip''s Blood Curse drained the life force of the other Imp, leaving it weak and feeble. Crystal''s Darkness Coil had then constricted both Imps, leaving them helpless against the relentless onught.
Finally, after a few more seconds, the Imps were defeated.
Theyy on the ground, lifeless.
Maya, Philip, and Crystal stood silently as they exchanged nces¡
As they caught their breath, they couldn''t help butment about the battle just now¡
"They''re a bit stronger than we thought¡" Philip muttered.
"I think they were drugged¡ That berserk isn''t normal for Imps unless they consumed some medicine beforehand¡" Maya softly said, agreeing to Philip''s statement.
"That''s what I thought¡ It''s not a coincidence. We''ll probably know more if we watch the next battles. I don''t feel right about this." Crystal added. She felt bitter that they didn''t kill the Imps faster than they initially nned.
The Imps'' skin got tougher, their vitality increased, and their illusions seemed like an Intermediate Rank already.
Unfortunately, they couldn''t reallyin about the behavior of the Imps they faced to the officials. They couldn''t prove anything either, so the officers could just say that they had triggered something on the Imps that made them go berserk.
Instead, it''s better to watch the other battles first.
***
As Vale observed the Imps crumbling before the might of his friends'' dark spells, a sense of unease settled within him.
His gaze shifted to the indifferent faces of the judges and officials. Theirck of reaction caught his attention, raising suspicions in his mind.
"Something''s wrong¡" Vale thought silently, his brows furrowing. "Those Imps were clearly stronger than the ones we faced before. Tsk... Could it be that we''re being targeted once again?"
Vale''s mind raced with thoughts, his instincts telling him that there was more to this battle than met the eye. He couldn''t shake the feeling that their prestigious Vermont Academy was being deliberately undermined, perhaps by rivals aiming to put them at the bottom of the rankings.
As he thought of words tofort his friends, he suddenly heard the Headmaster''s words.
"Vale..." The Headmaster''s voice resonated.
"You have to be careful in the uing duel tournament. Your well-being is of utmost importance. If the situation calls for it, it''s better to concede and prioritize your condition for the Tower Ascension."
Chapter 432 Tracing Mark
Chapter 432 Tracing Mark
"Hmm?"
The Headmaster''s words struck Vale with a mixture of concern and confusion.
While he understood the importance of the Tower Ascension, Vale knew well that their Academy would gain more attraction to the audience if they won the duel.
After all, the purpose of this Competition wasn''t just to have ''friendly'' interaction with the other Academies or to gain various Mystical Items but also to attract people to enroll in their Academies.
The duel tournament, or the sh of Champions, was undoubtedly the best ce to show off.
Vale realized that his own personal strength and readiness for the Tower Ascension were crucial, even if it meant making difficult decisions in the tournament.
"Headmaster Jean, may I know the reason why?" Vale asked, using his telepathy.
Headmaster Jean was a bit taken aback since, with the distance they have, Vale shouldn''t be capable of replying since he should be out of range!
He realized that Vale''s Magic Zone was bigger than he expected!
"The other factions could use their influence to change the result of thepetitions, but not in the Tower Ascension¡" Jean replied after some thought.
''Ugh¡ That''s messed up¡'' Vale couldn''t help but shake his head after hearing this. The Headmaster didn''t have to say more as he understood what was going on.
"I understand, Headmaster. I''ll be careful." Vale could only reply as he saw Maya''s group leaving the resting area of the participants.
They weren''t nning to watch the rest of the event in the resting area, and they seem to be headed to the audience stand where Vale and Luna are watching.
"Very well¡ If you need something for the Tower Ascension, tell your Senior Gabbi about it..." Headmaster Jean said as they ended the telepathy.
Vale sighed as he realized that this Competition wouldn''t really be fair even though they had already be closer to other factions.
He then waited for his friends to arrive at their stand and said someforting words to lighten their mood.
"It''s fine¡ I think that something''s wrong with this contest. We''re unlucky." Maya replied to Vale. Philip and Crystal were in the same mood.
They easily epted their defeat, but anyway, they didn''t believe that the people controlling the results behind the scenes could do it in allpetitions in every batch.
***
Simr to the Dark Arts Academy''s strategy, those who had participated in the group hunt would not enter the duel tournament.
This way, they ensured that their student would not reveal their set of Spells to everyone and have it countered the next day.
It didn''t take long before the Group Monster Hunt Competition ended with the win of the Holy Arts Academy, followed by the Knights Academy and the Beast Arts Academy.
Furthermore, five groups had actually encountered Imps capable of using berserk!
The officials were, of course, questioned because of this. However, they answered this question by telling people that Imps would normally act like this in certain circumstances depending on how they were attacked¡
"Whatever¡ Let''s just destroy them in the duel tournament. Vale, no mercy¡ Alright?" Crystal suddenly said as she held Vale''s arm. She looked at Vale seriously as if she wanted him to kill his opponents.
Vale smiled at this and nodded confidently. "I''ll win¡ Even if the judges will not be fair."
Maya wanted toment, but after opening her mouth, she realized that she wished Vale to win no matter what, so she closed her lips and nodded¡
***
re and Teresa were entrusted with the crucial task of safeguarding the ordinary citizens of the kingdom from the growing presence of Arcanists within the city.
They understood the potential risks that apanied the increase of Arcanists. It was often corrted with a rise in criminal activities.
Their duty was to protect the vulnerable people who could not wield Arcane Energy. It may sound simple, but it could be very exhausting.
During their patrols over the past two days, re and Teresa encountered numerous instances of illicit activities.
They came across cursed objects being sold, capable of causing harm to those whocked Arcane Energy.
They also discovered rare ingredients being peddled, stored improperly, and posing a potential threat as they could turn into poisonous substances.
There were even some mutated pets being sold, and they recognized them as failed experiments of rogue Alchemists. Those beings are dangerous and must be burned to ashes...
There were also prohibited items that were being sold, like treasure maps leading to a Master Alchemist''s Laboratory or Spell Books¡ They were just things used to scam those Practitioners who were just starting in their journey.
Dealing with such matters had be a routine part of their duties. However, they were primarily assigned to ensure the safety of the audience stands during events held at the Coliseum and other gathering ces...
As thetest event concluded, Teresa''s attention was drawn to Vale, who was leaving with his friends.
"Hmm? He was marked by a Divine Sense..." Teresa murmured, her voiceced with curiosity.
re heard this and shifted her focus. She then followed Teresa''s gaze until she spotted Vale, the individual they suspected of being Clovis.
"Ahh... He''s indeed marked. Howe he can''t remove it?" re questioned aloud, her mind racing with possible reason.
Teresa pondered the question for a moment before offering her insight. "Perhaps he has chosen not to remove it¡" She suggested, recalling how Clovis had also refrained from removing the Divine Sense mark until he was no longer being watched.
re nodded¡ "Then we will know for certain if he is truly Clovis once he decides to remove it. Should we follow him from now on?"
Teresa''s brows furrowed as she considered the implications.
"I''m not so sure... Jean might notice itter and remove it. That''s precisely why I didn''t use the Divine Sense mark on him when we first met him and only the Inspection Ability. Jean would fail to detect the Inspection of the Divine Sense but not the Tracing Mark it could leave behind." She exined, her voice tinged with caution.
"However, who put that mark on him?" re suddenly asked.
Chapter 433 Ominous
Chapter 433 Ominous
Headmaster Jean, the esteemed Headmaster of the Vermont Academy, held a significant role in this year''spetition.
His presence at the Roaring Summit extended beyond being a mere chaperone for the students participating in the Twelve Academies Competition. He had a deeper purpose - to ensure Vale''s safety even after he conquered the Ascension Tower, or at least that was his fervent hope.
Having consulted with the Dark Seers within their Faction, Jean had received confirmation that their Academy would achieve something remarkable in this highly anticipatedpetition.
He firmly believed that Vale possessed the potential to ascend to the highest floor of the Tower and im the coveted item waiting there. He couldn''t think of anything else since there wasn''t anything special in this ce aside from the Tower.
Anyway, Jean understood that once Vale cleared the Tower, he could not protect the special item he would receive.
If necessary, Jean was prepared to relieve Vale of the burden and personally safeguard it. Yes, he was nning to protect it and give up Vale''s shadow in exchange.
Yet, amidst the anticipation, Jean couldn''t ignore the lingering tensions that existed between their Dark Arts Faction and other factions, particrly the Holy Arts, Elemental Arts, and Knights Factions.
While their connections had improved with the other factions, he knew that those rival factions still harbored aspirations that could potentially threaten their standing.
"At least it wasn''t as dire as thepetitions in previous years¡" Jean thought to himself, recalling past instances when their faction faced more severe challenges from the other Arcane Factions.
He took sce in the rtive calmness of the current situation, though he remained vignt.
During the second night, as his students slumbered, Jean continued his patrol, ensuring their safety and guarding against any potential ambushes from jealous factions.
It was during this watchful endeavor that his attention was drawn to Vale, who somehow bore a mark from a high-level Tracing Spell.
"Mhmm? What''s going on here? Vale was marked... And I''m sure this is a spell of considerable power from the Holy Arts Faction¡" Jean murmured, slightly taken aback by the revtion.
"It doesn''t appear dangerous, but I can''t believe they have already set their sights on him."
Jean sighed in frustration.
With a determined resolve, Jean pulled a piece of Vale''s shadow from his palm and gently blew on it.
In that moment, the mark on Vale''s body dissipated, removed by the Headmaster''s intervention.
He decided not to think too much of this as he could tell that the Holy Arts Faction wouldn''t dare to really attack him and that Tracing Mark was the only thing they could do.
As he continued on his patrol, a peculiar sensation enveloped Jean, causing him to perceive a subtle disturbance within the summit.
It felt as though a ndestine ritual was taking ce, yet he struggled to pinpoint its exact origin.
"I don''t have a good feeling about this¡" Headmaster Jean muttered, his instincts warning him of potential danger in the uing days in the Roaring Summit.
It wasn''t just Jean who had sensed something off. All high-level Arcanists were able to perceive that a ''storm'' that would disturb their peace wasing¡ Whether it was from nature or man-made, they weren''t sure.
***
On the third day of the Twelve Academies Competition, the highly anticipated sh of Champions, a duel tournament exclusively for fourth-year students, was finally set tomence.
This marked a significant departure from previouspetitions, which had only allowed sixth-year students to participate. The inclusion of fourth-year students in this event added an extrayer of excitement and anticipation.
The tournament followed a rtively simple yet somewhat unfair structure that hinged on luck.
It all began with the assignment of numbers to the twelve participating students. Each student would randomly draw a number, which would dictate their matchup in the duels. This random pairing system meant that the matchups werergely unpredictable and could potentially pit strongpetitors against each other in the early stages.
After the initial pairings were determined, the students would engage in their duels, with only six emerging victorious.
These six winners would then advance to the next round, where they would once again be randomly paired against each other. This additional element of chance ensured that the matchups remained unpredictable throughout the tournament.
Eventually, the final three winners would emerge from these subsequent duels. These top three students would then engage in a battle royale, fighting against each other to determine the first, second, and third-ce rankings in thepetition.
At the very least, this thrilling climax to find out the rankings added an extrayer of intensity and excitement to the sh of Champions, as the remaining contenders would fight fiercely for the coveted top positions.
In short, the participants would only need to win a couple of times to get to the top three.
"Hehehe¡ Vale, I think they would pair you to fight Ceres¡ Holy Arts versus Dark Arts¡ They probably think you would be easily defeated." Philip muttered.
"I don''t think they can influence the matchup that heavily¡" Luna muttered.
"Heh¡ Don''t underestimate them¡ I''m sure that this rule was implemented for her sake. The previous duel tournaments weren''t like this." Maya interjected.
"Ahem¡ I''m sure Vale would be happy if they really matched him up with Ceres¡ Is that right, Vale?" Crystal added.
Vale simply smiled at their reaction as he realized that his friends had enormous trust in him.
"Matching up against Holy Arts might be tricky, but I don''t think I would lose unless¡" Vale didn''t finish his words as his eyes focused on the stage they were using¡
Something feels odd about it.
Furthermore, he also felt something off around the city after they went out to have breakfast.
Well, the city was still lively, and there were still plenty of peddlers. However, Vale could feel a gloomy atmosphere starting to cover the Roaring Summit.
''Am I overthinking this?'' Vale thought as an ominous sensation crept over him¡
Chapter 434 Duel
?
As the sh of Champions began, the participants were called to prepare themselves for the assigning of their numbers.
The tension in the air could be felt as everyone eagerly awaited the announcement of their opponents. Soon enough, the matchups were determined through a random selection process.
Vermont, Academy of Dark Arts versus Lovell, Academy of Beast Arts.
Lakrine, Academy of Summoning Arts versus Farrel, Academy of Psychic Arts.
Rakmiths, Academy of Elemental Arts versus Mortimer, Academy of Transformation Arts.
Kildare, Academy of Knights versus Langhorne, Academy of Combat Arts.
Adaereth, Academy of Rune Arts versus Aufidius, Academy of Alchemy Arts.
Dorelts, Academy Mystic Arts versus Magrath, Academy of Holy Arts.
The arrangement appeared eptable, but Vale couldn''t help but think that it was nned after seeing the Princess'' reaction, including the smug faces of the panel of experts.
Vale shook his head at this as he focused on the announcements made by the organizers.
Since there was only one stage, the battle had to be done one at a time.
The first battle on the stage was set to be between Vale of the Vermont Academy of Dark Arts and Cain of the Lovell Academy of Beast Arts.
"So we will start with an exciting battle¡" Odessa, the Royal Mage, muttered as she heard the first battle would be participated by a student that garnered her curiosity.
It was the same for the panel of experts watching the event. They all looked at Vale either with curiosity or with animosity.
Apparently, when Valepleted his performance in the Spectacles of Talent, he had already caught these people''s attention.
Because of that, the experts, including Odessa, went to the organizers to get a copy of the Recording Crystal to rewatch Vale''s performance.
They had to watch it a few more times to understand the phenomena that Vale had created.
In the end, all of them felt something off about the Aurora that he had shown off, but none of them could find real problems with it.
They could only tell that the Aurora doesn''t seem to be a harmless ability¡
Their investigation didn''t end there. They also used their influence to get Steven''s recording crystal! This made them aware of Vale''s ability inside the Labyrinth¡ They had all seen Vale''s performance, and even Odessa was already thinking of recruiting Vale in her Mage Tower.
After all, she doesn''t discriminate against people. It doesn''t matter what Arcane Path you choose; she''ll dly ept you if you have enough talent.
''He defeated that Evil Creature so easily¡ It must be a Forbidden Art, but since it''s only a recording, we couldn''t tell what forbidden art it was.''
''Now that you''re going to fight a genius Beastmaster, I''m sure you''d be forced to use that same technique¡ If that were a Forbidden Art, then this would be thestpetition for your Academy.''
''Show us that technique once again, Vale¡ My Appraisal Eye would always be here.''
These were the thoughts of the panel of experts watching the first duelmence.
Vale could feel their intense gaze and was momentarily confused about their unusual behavior.
Anyway, he may not be aware of why they were looking at him like that, but he had a guess about it.
"Ohh¡ Is that the guys who showed us the Aurora?"
"Indeed¡ His team also broke the record of the Labyrinthpletion. Although they''re only fourth-year students, they''re all promising."
The audience buzzed with anticipation, expecting Vale to emerge victorious due to his previous performance.
However, as the battlemenced, an unexpected turn of events urred.
''I knew it¡ There really is something off with this stage¡'' Vale silently thought after stepping on it.
A subtle formation art was activated, and he wasn''t sure what it did to him¡ However, he suddenly felt that his Spell Lights were disturbed.
Furthermore, he wasn''t sure if it was really part of thepetition or just aimed at him.
"Stand within the inner circle of the stage." The referee of the match said as he waited for Vale and Cain to be in position.
Vale wanted to ask the referee about the formation art, but Cain suddenly sent him a message through telepathy¡
''Just surrender¡ You''re not my real target, and you might just die since I can''t properly control my power. Do it while I''m being kind.'' Cain said with a calm tone but arrogant behavior.
Vale was a bit speechless as he didn''t know what to say¡
He just continued approaching the referee, and as soon as he got inside the inner circle, the referee immediately announced the start of the duel.
He didn''t bother to repeat the rules at all, leaving Vale no chance to ask about the Formation Art¡
''Mhmm?''
As Vale wanted to cast his Ghost Hands and Dusk Imprisonment at the same time, he realized that his Dark Spell Lights became blurry¡
They were still there, but they seem to have been temporarily blocked!
''Is this the Formation Art''s ability? What the¡ They''re tantly cheating already?'' Vale thought as he looked at Cain¡
''It seems that he didn''t know about the Formation Art affecting me¡'' He thought.
This sudden handicap was a surprise for Vale, but he wasn''t too worried about it. Aside from his incredible Attributes, he also noticed that his other Spell Lights worked perfectly well.
''Very well¡ Let''s win this for now and ask the Headmaster what to do after this.'' Vale thought of a n as he looked at his opponent.
In the meantime, Cain, with his mastery of Beast Arts, summoned the strengths of various beasts to enhance himself.
As a genius fourth-year student of Lovell Academy, he was able to draw upon the power of four beasts! Normally, only in 7th year or higher could do something like this.
Vale could even see the phantom image of four beasts that Cain used to strengthen himself¡ A huge dog, a fierce falcon, an aggressive crocodile, and an exotic swordfish!
This was the first time Vale had seen anything like this, so he couldn''t help but wait for Cain to finish his ritual¡
Chapter 435 Winner
?
Cain had obviously noticed Vale''s reaction to his preparation¡ To be honest, he was prepared to cancel his Spell the moment Vale made his move.
However, contrary to his expectations, Vale allowed him to finish with his Enchantments, and he even seemed amused by the Beasts he summoned!
''Tsk¡ He''s underestimating me¡'' Cain silently thought.
Well, he was right¡
During Vale''s third year in the Academy, he had a subject called Twelve Arcane Paths that allowed them to study the other paths to their introductory level.
Vale could somehow recall that Beast Arts could summon the powers of mythical beasts in another realm¡ This was why he was a bit curious and wary about his opponent.
After all, he had no idea which Mythical Beasts could Cain summon. He may have to adjust his abilities depending on which Mythical Beast it was.
''T-that was it?'' Vale sighed as he seemed to have forgotten that fourth-year students could not draw the power of Mythical Beast.
Because of that, Vale wasn''t worried, even if he couldn''t use his Dark Spells.
''Anyway, this will still be a good learning experience since Beastmaster at Sherman''s level might also appear someday.'' Vale thought as he watched Cain umting his strength.
''It''s also a good time to analyze the Formation Art suppressing my Dark Spells¡'' Vale mused.
Whoosh~
As Cain finished consolidating the strength of the four beasts, Vale decided to let him take the initiative.
He wanted to assess Cain''s tactics and gauge the full extent of his abilities. With a calm and focused demeanor, Vale braced himself for the iing assault.
"Come¡" Vale muttered, and with Cain''s enhanced hearing, he didn''t have trouble hearing Vale''s provocation.
Cain, fueled by the strengths of the dog, falcon, crocodile, and swordfish, lunged forward with incredible speed.
"Look at my fist!"
His movements were a blend of grace and ferocity as he unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one infused with the essence of the respective beasts.
Pah! Pah! Pah!
His attacks were swift and precise, aiming to exploit any opening in Vale''s defense.
Vale, relying on his honed physical capabilities, evaded Cain''s onught with deft footwork and agile maneuvers.
Of course, it was the footwork of the Shadowde Dance¡
Furthermore, with his current Agility Points, it made him easily anticipate and counter Cain''s attacks. Despite not being able to unleash his Dark Spells, Vale remained a formidable opponent.
At this moment, the people who had ced the Formation Arts started sweating after seeing Vale''s current movement. They could certainly tell that Vale already knew that he couldn''t use his Dark Spells, but he wasn''t panicking at all!
***
As the battle continued, Vale seized the opportunity to study Cain''s technique and adapt his strategy.
He analyzed the patterns in Cain''s movements, searching for weaknesses to exploit.
''So he could summon four beasts to strengthen himself, but he can''t release their unique powers at the same time¡'' Vale silently thought after seeing how Cain would use the Falcon''s w Strike, but he couldn''t use the Dog''s Charm Eyes at the same time.
It would probably be a perfectbination if he could use those two at the same time¡ It would be even more deadly if he could actually release four unique Abilities simultaneously!
With each dodge and parry, Vale learned more about his opponent''s style and the limitations of his beast-enhanced abilities.
As Vale continued to suppress his strength and be at Cain''s level, he realized that Cain''s strengthy in his speed in switching the unique abilities and his physical agility.
''I guess that was it¡'' Vale thought as he felt satisfied with everything he had learned about the Beast Arts.
Learning this in duel had given him a deeper impression than the ones he learned in ss.
Vale then decided to use his true Agility and Strength against Cain.
He waited for the perfect moment, watching for a slight opening in Cain''s defenses. Then, with a burst of explosive power, Valeunched a counterattack.
With lightning-fast strike and precise movement, Vale''s physical prowess was on full disy.
A single blownded with precision, delivering a powerful impact that tested Cain''s defenses. The sh of their powers created a symphony of sound reverberating throughout the arena.
Boom!
It was such a powerful strike that Cain was almost dazed from a single strike!
However, the swordfish''s phantom image appeared behind Cain, and it seemed to have brought him alive and regained his strength!
''Oh¡ So it had that ability¡'' Vale thought as he continued attacking. He wanted to see how much healing prowess this swordfish could provide to Cain.
Cain, though formidable with his swordfish''s help, struggled to keep up with Vale''s relentless onught. He tried to match Vale''s speed and power by drawing more mystical energy from his crocodile but found himself still at a disadvantage.
''How is he so strong?! He''s not even using any of his Dark Spells! How is this?!'' Cain couldn''t help but find this astonishing. The strength of the beasts he had summoned could only take him so far against Vale''s unwavering attacks and refined physical abilities.
''Not good¡''
Vale seemed to think that he didn''t have to use his Dark Spells¡ or perhaps he was too dumb to realize what Dark Spell Vale was using against him.
"Aaahh!"
With onest battle cry, Cain summoned all his strength to trade blows with Vale!
However, Vale no longer wants to prolong this fight. With a final, mighty blow, hended a decisive strike that sent Cain sprawling to the ground.
Thud!
The crowd erupted into apuse, acknowledging Vale''s prowess¡ Many of them expected him to win, but not in this manner where he didn''t use any of his Dark Arts!
While Cain had put up a valiant fight, it was Vale''s unfathomable physical prowess and strategic adaptability that secured his victory¡ at the very least, this was what the audience had seen.
As the announcement of the winner was made and the cheers subsided, Vale extended a hand to help Cain up¡ or that was what everyone thought.
Chapter 436 Extracted
Chapter 436 Extracted
''I thought he had some sort of special ability¡ He even told me to surrender.'' Vale silently mocked his opponent. He couldn''t help but look at Cain disappointedly.
''Haa~''
It seemed that his expectations were a bit too high.
Cain, who was still feeling the pain caused by thatst punch, saw Vale offering his hand. As a young man from a prestigious noble family, he felt that it would be fine to ept Vale''s sportsmanship. Furthermore, many people are watching him, and dismissing Vale''s hand wouldn''t look good.
Even if he lost the match, he wanted to look better in front of many people as it would at least save his dignity.
However, as soon as Cain held Vale''s hand, thetter decided to use his selected Extraction System¡
It wasn''t his Auto Extraction where he gets energy points, attributes, or spell lights. As soon as Vale triggered the Spell, he immediately browsed through his Spell Lights!
Well, he still couldn''t understand the Spell Models that Cain had since they were different from Dark Spell Models. Nevertheless, he could see howplicated they were, so he simply needed to select the mostplicated Spell Model to extract.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Strength +0.85 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +0.45 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Wild Whisper Spell Model? ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Memory Fragment ]
Vale was quite happy with the Wild Whisper Spell, which allowed him tomunicate with beasts and animals. The higher the mastery, the higher the level of understanding he would have with them¡
However, he was shocked by thest extraction.
''There''s a memory fragment? Is it a bonus?'' Vale mused as he hadn''t tried extracting the young man''s memory.
After all, he had only previously extracted memory fragments from the spirits of the dead, and he had no idea how to extract them purposely.
On the other hand, Cain only felt dizzy and slight pain in his chest afterpleting his Extraction since Vale had been really careful in doing this. His proficiency in this was all thanks to the seventh squad of the Evanescent Vessels.
Cain''s knee had then weakened as he almost fumbled to the ground.
However, thanks to Vale''s attentiveness, he was able to hold Cain and not let him fall to the ground. It was at this time that the medical practitioners arrived.
It just seemed as if Cain was still feeling the pain from Vale''sst attack, so no one suspected that he attacked him once again with his system.
"We will take it from here."
Vale nodded at the physicians as he was also quite busy absorbing Cain''s memories.
Vale seemed pretty dazed while walking to the resting area, but people just thought he was contemting the battle he had just won¡
None of them could think that he was already learning about Cain''s past¡
''It''s not as useful as I thought¡'' Vale thought to himself after a couple of minutes.
The memory fragment didn''t contain a very important technique or skill he could benefit from, but it made him aware that Cain knew about the Immortal Shards.
That''s right. The memory had given him a clue where he could find more of these Immortal Shards or Formation Nodes, as the Practitioners would like to call them.
''Those Formation Nodes are indeed so expensive¡ No wonder they''re really mad after I turned them all into dust.'' Vale silently thought as he recalled his first encounter with the Immortal Shards.
He then shifted his attention to the stage and saw that the students from the Summoning Arts Academy and the Psychic Arts Academy were about to fight¡
Avery, representing the Lakrine Academy of Summoning Arts, stood tall with confidence radiating from his body.
Across from him stood Maurice with a staff in his hand, his eyes gleaming with determination. He was also a skilled practitioner from the Farrel Academy of Psychic Arts.
One of them might be Vale''s opponentter, so he certainly had to watch this battle.
"Come!" Avery shouted.
Using his grimoire, he summoned a towering Silver-Haired Ape that made the audience gasp.
The massive creature stood by his side, exuding strength and agility. Furthermore, Avery''s arsenal also included a variety of spells that could enhance his summon''s abilities and boost theirbined speed. This might be a tough battle for the Mind Controller.
"Why don''t you try attacking me?" Maurice, on the other hand, was well-versed in the intricate arts of the mind.
"Fine!" Avery wasted no time as hemanded the Silver-Haired Ape to fight.
The majestic creature pounded the stage, its silver fur glistening under the spotlight. It looked at Maurice with hostility before charging at him.
Avery also cast spells to strengthen his summon and increase their speed, turning them into a formidable force.
Maurice, relying on his mind spells, attempted to disrupt Avery''s strategy with a Misdirection Spell and Confusion Spell.
The Spell obscured the vision of bothbatants. It wasn''t affecting the surroundings and was targeted to their minds. The blurriness in the surroundings was only in Avery and the Ape''s perspective.
However, Avery''s connection with his summon made them avoid panicking in the situation as they carefully located Maurice¡
"Graaahh!" The Silver-Haired made a deafening roar that made Maurice almost stumble.
Avery and his Silver-Haired Ape moved in perfect harmony. The moment the Ape roared, Avery''s Magic Zone sensitivity increased as he located Maurice''s location!
The Misdirection and Confusion Spell was now useless!
Maurice had no choice but to adjust his battle style as he wielded his staff to fight while casting Mind Spells¡
Unfortunately, Avery and his Ape showcased their agility and power, aiming to overwhelm Maurice with a relentless onught.
Maurice couldn''t find the right timing to cast his Mind Spells because of their relentless assault!
It was such a bad match for a Mind Controller like him!
The battle raged on, with eachbatant disying their skills and tactics. Avery''s summon unleashed devastating blows, while Maurice utilized his Psychic Arts to deflect and evade, relying on his misdirection spells to confuse and disorient his opponent.
Despite Maurice''s best efforts, Avery''s summon proved to be relentless. Thest body m of the Silver-Haired Ape incapacitated Maurice, leaving him unable to continue the fight.
Chapter 437 Winners
Chapter 437 Winners
The crowd erupted into apuse as Avery emerged victorious. His strategic use of enhancement spells,bined with the strength and speed of his summon, proved to be too much for a Mind Controller.
Nevertheless, Avery didn''t seem to consider shaking Maurice''s hand as he turned his back and left the stage as soon as the announcement was made. No onemented on this as they realized that Maurice was also exhausted.
He may have won, but the time limit of the Silver-Haired Ape was definitely reaching its end. After all, they could see how the Silver-Haired Ape started appearing illusory like a ghost¡ It was one of the signs that the summoned creatures were about to return to the Grimoire.
The audience and the panel of experts had all noticed this, so for sure, even the participating students had realized this as well.
''So I can simply drag the battle for long, and the summon can automatically disappear in 5 minutes or so?'' Vale mused as he was looking at the Grimoire held by Avery.
It seemed a nice strategy, but Vale probably didn''t have to do that much just to defeat this person.
The battle then continued with other academies.
The next duel was from the students of Rakmiths, Academy of Elemental Arts, and Mortimer, Academy of Transformation Arts.
In a disy of skill and mastery, Susan, a talented student from the Elemental Arts Academy, emerged victorious. Her control over the elements proved to be a formidable force against Mortimer''s transformations.
Next, the sh between Kildare, Academy of Knights, and Langhorne, Academy of Combat Arts, took center stage. The battle was intense, with both sides showcasing their prowess inbat.
It was a battle between an Arcane Knight and an Aura Master. The battlested more than 15 minutes, and both got really tired that it was difficult to tell who would win.
However, it was Geraldine, a fiery red-haired beauty from Kildare Academy, who ultimately emerged as the victor. Her skill with a sword and unwavering determination proved to be the deciding factor.
As the excitement continued to build, it was time for the battle between Adaereth, Academy of Rune Arts, and Aufidius, Academy of Alchemy Arts.
Vale''s interest was piqued as he watched Iris from the Rune Arts Academy and Cathrine from the Alchemy Arts Academy prepare for their duel.
''I know that Runecasters also use Runic Weapons in their battles¡ However, I''m not sure about the Alchemy Arts¡ Are they going to Alchemical Weapons too?'' Vale mused.
In their study of the Twelve Arcane Paths, they''ve only tackled the Achievements of the Alchemy Factions in the field of medicine and craft. However, they didn''t discuss any of their battling achievement.
Iris soon brought out her Runic Weapon in the form of a sword¡ However, she flipped it with her hand, and it suddenly turned into a whip!
This runic weapon glowed with ancient symbols, pulsating with raw energy.
Across from her, Cathrine can be seen only wearing a cloak on her body. She doesn''t have visible weapons at the very least.
As the battlemenced, Iris swiftly moved across the battlefield, her whip shing through the air with deadly uracy.
She was trying to use her distance to attack Cathrine!
Pah! Pah!
Each strike sent waves of runic energy surging toward Cathrine, who deftly evaded the attacks with agile movements¡
"That''s useless!" Cathrine shouted as she conjured mes using her unique alchemical mixtures.
Though shecked the ability to create mes like the Elementalists of the Elemental Arts Faction, her mastery ofbustion potions and other alchemical materials allowed her to control and manipte fire as a formidable weapon.
The sh between the Runic Weapon and Cathrine''s controlled mes created a mesmerizing disy of light and heat.
Cathrine, utilizing her alchemical expertise, controlled the powerful mes as they danced and swirled around her.
''So this is an Alchemist¡ They use fire to fight with the help of their potions. Interesting.'' Vale mused as he saw Cathrine unleash waves of fire, attempting to engulf Iris in a torrent of heat.
Iris, relying on her agility and the protective enchantments on her Runic Weapon, skillfully dodged and parried each fiery assault.
She soon countered Cathrine''s mes with calcted strikes of her whip, aiming to disrupt her opponent''s focus and control over the fire. It didn''t take her that long to realize that Cathrine required more focus to control those raging mes.
Cathrine, in turn, utilized her alchemical arsenal to create explosive bursts of me, attempting to overwhelm Iris with sheer intensity. Well, it doesn''t matter if she couldn''t control the fire explosions as long as she wasn''t getting too affected.
As the battle intensified, Iris found herself on the brink of defeat.
Cathrine''s mes grew more fierce and unpredictable, threatening to consume her.
However, Iris, driven by determination and the will to protect her academy''s honor, mustered her remaining strength.
Vale''s eyes widened at the final move she made.
Iris turned her whip back into a sword as she channeled the ancient powers of the runes into a powerful spell.
The runic symbols on her sword glowed brighter than ever, releasing a surge of energy that disrupted Cathrine''s control over the mes.
Vale realized that it had the same essence as his Spell Dispersion, but it was moreplicated than what Master Heinz had created for the Malefic Branch!
''What kind of Rune Arts is this?'' Vale couldn''t help but feel curious.
Then, Iris threw the sword beside Cathrine as it exploded with the disruptive energy!
Crash!
Iris'' runic weapon was destroyed in the process, but it did its job!
Iris managed to disperse the power of the me! Furthermore, the disruption left Cathrine vulnerable and unconscious due to bacsh!
Just like that, Iris won the battle. However, she was also too exhausted and even looked saddened at the fact that her runic weapon was sacrificed for this first victory.
As Vale saw the battle ended, he soon heard the Headmaster''s voice inside his head.
"Vale¡ Did you have problems in your duel a while ago?"
Vale didn''t hesitate and answered immediately.
"Yes, Headmaster. There was Formation Art that stopped me from using Dark Arts."
Chapter 438 Petrified
?
"As expected¡ They probably used an Ancient Formation Technique to create that. I can''t find any traces of it." Headmaster Jean answered with a sigh.
"Can we do something about it? I don''t think I have to tell you this, but that''s cheating, Headmaster." Vale added.
"Unfortunately, Professor Evans isn''t here, so we can''t find any evidence about this Formation Art. The fifth-year students used their Dark Spells in the same stage yesterday, so we can tell that they can freely activate and reactivate this Formation Arts. It will be difficult to prove unless we find the nodes they used."
"Oh¡ You''re not a Formation Art Expert, Headmaster? That''s interesting¡" Vale replied as he found this information quite valuable. "Ahem, if that''s the case, what are we going to do about it?" He continued¡
"I''m afraid that they might try to cause trouble and prohibit you from participating in the Tower Ascension if you make a scene. They wanted the Third Princess to reach the highest floor, and you''ve shown too much threat to her n." Headmaster Jean gravely said.
"What? They were thinking of that?!" Vale eximed in shock.
"That''s what my Shadow Soldiers heard¡ However, Odessa doesn''t seem to be part of their n, so I''m still thinking of consulting this matter with her." Jean said¡
Vale raised his brows after hearing this as he couldn''t help but nce at the Royal Mage.
"Be careful, Headmaster¡ She might be part of this as well."
"I know¡ Just try finding the nodes on the stage. I can''t investigate it since there were too many people watching."
Vale could only nod at this, but it might be part of their n to try and prohibit him from participating in the Tower Ascension.
After all, if he finds the Formation Nodes and they try removing them, he might be used of destroying the Barrier Formation Art that protects the audience from stray Spells of the contestants.
If they could use the Formation Arts so stealthily, they should be capable of disguising these Formation Arts as well.
Vale sighed as he realized that his duels had suddenly beplicated.
''If they really wanted to use me of something to get disqualified, then this would be difficult¡ Tsk¡''
Vale couldn''t help but look at the Third Princess with a cold gaze.
***
"Mhmm?" Ceres noticed a piercing gaze cast on her, so she quickly shifted her attention to the source¡ She noticed the elite student of the Vermont Academy staring at her, and she couldn''t help but feel disrespected.
As the Third Princess of the country, she certainly didn''t like being stared at like that.
However, she was about to fight in the duel, so she had to focus¡
Her eyes fixed on her opponent, Anya Hao, from the rival Dorelts Academy of Mystic Arts.
She was actually quite surprised that her opponent was not Serena, who won third ce in the Spectacles of Talent. Serena left a deep impression on her, and indeed, even the others were surprised by Anya''s participation.
Nevertheless, they all know not to underestimate someone from the Mystic Arts Academy.
The air was filled with excitement as the battle was about tomence.
"You may now begin!" The referee shouted to signal the start of the duel.
Taking a deep breath, Ceres summoned the power of the Radiance Spell, casting a brilliant beam of light towards Anya.
She didn''t waste her time!
The intense energy surged forward, seeking to blind and overwhelm Anya.
However, thetter swiftly countered with a huge Mystic Hand! This illusory hand deflected the radiant attack.
Ceres was undeterred by her failure to end the battle quickly as she swiftly followed up with the Magic Immunity Spell, enveloping herself in a shimmering barrier that rendered her impervious to Anya''s Mystic Spells.
Aside from the Exorcism Spell and Healing Spell, the Holy Arts was quite famous for this Magic Immunity Spell.
For the next 30 seconds, Ceres was shielded from Spells, allowing her tounch a relentless assault.
Ceres felt more confident with this active Spell as she unleashed the Holy Smite Spell, channeling holy energy into a concentrated st.
The Spell erupted towards Anya, aimed at disorienting her and disrupting her ability to cast spells.
Anya, sensing the danger, swiftly employed the Revitalize Spell, empowering herself and weakening the effects of Ceres'' attack.
''So a Holy Smite is only this weak since I''m not evil¡'' Anya thought to herself as she looked at the third princess carefully.
"I''m not yet done¡ Come at me¡" Ceres shouted as she noticed that Anya seemed to be taking her time to analyze her attacks.
Since a direct assault might not be enough, Ceres decided to use her strategic advantage. With a swift incantation, she activated the Spell Reflection, creating a protective shield that would bounce back Anya''s spells.
This Spell Reflection wasn''t part of the Academy''s exclusive spells. As a matter of fact, it wasn''t being taught in the Academy. It was a Neutral Spell, but it could use any type of Arcane Energy, like Holy Energy, to activate. In a way, as long as she uses her Holy Energy to activate it, it could be considered a Holy Art and doesn''t break any rules.
The battlefield seemed to shift as Ceres anticipated Anya''s next move.
Anya, unaware of Ceres'' defensive maneuver, prepared to unleash her most potent Spell, the Petrification. It was one of her Academy-Exclusive Spell!
Haa!
Without hesitation, she released the Spell as she nned to change her strategy depending on how Ceres would respond. After all, she could only cast this Petrification Spell thrice a day, so she had to consider whether she had to save her other chances and use them for her next duels.
"W-what?!"
However, as she cast the Spell, her attack rebounded after hitting Ceres'' body!
Anya didn''t have the time to react, turning her into stone!
The audience was silent as the battle that was seemingly reaching the climax ended abruptly.
"Oh... So the Holy Arts can actually reflect Spells?" Vale muttered in interest.
The battle came to a dramatic close as Anya remained frozen in petrified form.
Chapter 439 Chaos?
?
Ceres, triumphant butpassionate, approached her defeated opponent to cast a Rejuvenation Spell and ensure Anya returned to normal.
After this, the medical practitioners quickly checked Anya''s condition and brought her to the infirmary¡
The second round of the duel tournament would continue after a 15-minute break to ensure that all the contestants had rested enough and received treatment for their injuries.
It didn''t take that long before the event continued as the second-round matchup was announced. Once again, the matchup was through a random selection, which was participated by the students.
Ceres from Holy Arts Academy versus Avery from Summoning Arts Academy.
Iris from Rune Arts Academy versus Geraldine from Knights Academy.
Vale from Dark Arts Academy versus Susan from Elemental Arts Academy.
''So they didn''t want me to match up with the Third Princess in the end¡'' Vale thought after hearing the announcement.
They were soon sent back to their resting area to give them theirst 5 minutes of preparation before theymenced the battle.
***
In the meantime, while this was all happening in the coliseum, amotion urred in the city.
A rogue Dark Arts Practitioner infiltrated the city and summoned a Mysterious Evil Entity through a ritual!
The city guards, the various Orders of the Factions, and the various Academy Officials were rmed as they sent people to stop the entity and investigate the matter.
This is a huge matter since the summit was filled with talented students from all over the country¡ Furthermore, the First Prince and the Third Princess were also in the city!
They have to quickly settle this problem!
Teresa and re were also sent to investigate the matter as special officers of the Order of the Untainted Sentinels.
They were in their white uniform while also carrying their white umbre. They were moving quickly while spreading their Magic Zone around them.
They were not part of the Evil Entity Subjugation Squad, but they were assigned to search for the rogue Dark Arts Practitioners who had infiltrated the city.
After all, they concluded that a single person couldn''t do the ritual as it requires numerous sacrifices and ritual prayers by at least a dozen people to get a response from the Evil Entity.
"This is getting moreplicated than I thought¡" re muttered.
They originally wanted to be here to investigate the mysterious young man they met before. They just wanted to see Clovis and learn more about his identity.
However, it seemed that they would have to put in more effort.
"Well¡ We''re still doing our job as Sentinels, so I don''t see any problems---Oh¡ I found them. They''re inside the Tailor Shop¡ I can see traces of their Dark Energy." Teresa informed ire, and they immediately moved to enter the shop.
Teresa and re cautiously entered the Tailor Shop, their senses heightened and alert.
As soon as they stepped foot inside, the air pulsated with dark energy, and the ambush of the Rogues sprung.
The room erupted with chaos as the practitioners unleashed their sinister powers, aiming to overwhelm Teresa and re.
Dark Coil, Ghost Hands, Ghastly Ailment, and Lung Curse were among the Spells that were thrown to the two Sentinels.
However, the two skilled Holy Arts Practitioners were not caught off guard.
Their Divine Sense had warned them of the impending danger, allowing them to prepare for the attack. With swift reflexes and quick spellcasting, they engaged their adversaries in a battle¡
Teresa flicked her sleeves as she channeled her Holy Arts with grace. She conjured divine shields to deflect the iing dark spells while simultaneouslyunching radiant beams of light that pierced through the darkness, striking her foes with righteous force.
"Don''t die so easily¡ We still need you to let us know about your ns here." Teresa muttered as she controlled her strength.
re, on the other hand, embraced her inner strength and unleashed her Holy Arts with ferocity.
Instead of casting Spells, she weaved intricate patterns with her hands, summoning gusts of wind and cascades of holy mes with each of her punches.
Her attacks engulfed the rogue Dark Arts practitioners, leaving them scorched and disoriented.
"Hey¡ Don''t kill all of them." Teresa reminded.
"It''s fine¡ We just need two or three people anyway." re replied.
The sh of powers reverberated throughout the shop, the sound of spells colliding, and the crackling energy filling the air.
The rogue practitioners, realizing the formidable strength of their adversaries, grew desperate, attempting to overwhelm Teresa and re with sheer numbers and create a path to escape.
But the two Sentinels stood their ground. Their synergy was evident as they fought as a well-coordinated team.
It wasn''t easy to guess that these two had been partners for a long time.
They moved with synchronicity, covering each other''s blind spots and countering their enemies'' every move. Theirbined Holy Arts created a radiant barrier of protection around them, shielding them from harm.
The battle didn''tst that long as the tide gradually turned in favor of Teresa and re.
One by one, their opponents fell to the ground. Most of them had died, and the others were luckily incapacitated.
The room fell silent, save for the heavy breathing of the victorious Sentinels.
"Whew¡ That was good exercise. We should do this from time to time." re muttered.
"I don''t want to¡" Teresa replied while shaking her head.
As they took a moment to gather their strength and assess the situation, they turned their attention to the five surviving rogue practitioners.
They suddenly felt that the Evil Entity outside was still not defeated by the Arcanists who went to subjugate it.
With a sense of urgency, they approached the captives, their eyes piercing with determination.
Teresa spoke firmly. "Who sent you? What is your objective?"
The rogues exchanged nces, their expressions filled with a mix of defiance and fear.
One of them, a hooded figure, suddenly burst into maniacalughter, his eyes gleaming with madness. "We''ve seeded! The Roaring Summit is doomed! Hahahaha!"
The man''s words hung in the air, leaving Teresa and re momentarily puzzled. They weren''t too surprised by his actions since they''d seen numerous crazy people with their job as Sentinels.
Then, the realization quickly dawned on them. The attack they had just experienced was not merely an act of revenge or chaos but a deliberate n to set in motion a series of events that would bring chaos to the city.
Chapter 440 Second Round
?
Before they could interrogate the leader further, he abruptly took his own life, leaving the Sentinels stunned by the abrupt turn of events.
The man seemed to have used a hidden poison to silence himself! The others who were captured noticed what had happened and swiftly killed themselves¡ It happened so quickly that Teresa and re failed to stop them in time.
The room fell silent once again, but the impending danger loomed over them like a dark cloud.
"What a bunch of lunatics¡"
"We have to inform the others about this quickly. At least we should let Odessa know¡"
Teresa and re said as they exchanged a knowing nce.
They understood that time was of the essence, and they needed to prevent the summoning of the three Mysterious Evil Entities before they wreaked havoc within the city.
Without wasting another moment, the Sentinels sprinted toward the locations where the entities were likely to appear.
They weren''t merely guessing, but by using their Divine Sense, they could locate the presence of many Dark Arts Practitioners a lot faster than the other Arcanists.
"I''ve only sensed two gatherings of Dark Magicians¡" remented.
"It''s fine¡ Let''s just focus on those two. I already informed Odessa about the situation. Let''s hurry." Teresa replied.
They could already sense the terrifying presence of the entities. Although the ritual wasn''tpleted yet, they could feel the malevolence seeping into the very fabric of the city.
As they arrived at the first location, an eerie stillness filled the air. The people were already evacuated by the police officers, and a group of Arcanists from the Order of the Prime Wisemen had also arrived. They were all carrying their unique runic weapons, so it wasn''t difficult to identify them.
The two groups nodded at each other. They didn''t have the time to exchange pleasantries as the matter was too urgent and pressing.
Thud¡ Thud¡ Thud¡
Suddenly, the ground quivered, and a massive entity materialized before them, its grotesque form emanating darkness and despair. The Sentinels and Wisemen braced themselves for the imminent battle, their determination unyielding.
They immediately signaled for the police officers to get away as they would just be casualties if they stayed in the area.
Soon, the Sentinels and the Wisemen engaged the four-meter-tall Evil Entity into a fierce battle.
Meanwhile, the second Mysterious Evil Entity emerged in another part of the city, causing panic and chaos among the unsuspecting residents.
However, the reason why Teresa and re didn''t worry about them was because Odessa was already rushing to help.
***
The crowd in the coliseum buzzed with anticipation as the second round of the duel tournament was about tomence.
Vale Chambers sensed something off in the surroundings once again, but because they were inside the coliseum, protected by numerous Formation Arts, he couldn''t tell what was going on outside.
As the first match of the second round began, Vale''s attention turned to the duel between Ceres and Avery.
''Ceres will most likely win if Avery only has that Silver-Haired Ape in his Grimoire¡'' Vale silently thought as he waited for the duel to start.
He was certainly not underestimating the Ape''s power, but he knew that Ceres had already thought of a n to deal with this creature.
As soon as the referee announced the start of the battle, the two students immediately sprang into action.
Ceres radiated an aura of purity as she activated her Rejuvenation Spell.
This Spell doesn''t just remove abnormal statuses of the target but also provides regeneration of her stamina, strength, and Holy Energy.
Whom~
She followed it up with Sanctify Spell, creating a protective film of barrier, and Radiance Spell that bathed her in a brilliant glow, enhancing her strength and agility.
Of course, the Radiance Spell could also be thrown to the target, but once it was cast on herself, it created anotheryer of protection.
Just like that, Ceres used three Spells simultaneously! It appears that she was getting to fight in closebat against Avery.
On the other side of the arena, Avery opened his Grimoire, as he summoned forth his Silver Haired Ape, a massive creature with incredible strength and agility.
Bam!
The stage trembled as the Ape charged toward Ceres, its primal fury unleashed.
The battle unfolded with a flurry of intense exchanges. Ceres moved with grace as she weaved through the attacks of the Silver-Haired Ape.
She doesn''t appear to be worried about getting hit, thanks to the Sanctuary she cast that could deflect the Ape''s powerful strikes to a certain extent¡
''Let''s see what you''ll do if I kill your Summon¡'' Ceres thought as she cast her most potent offensive Spell.
With a radiant burst of energy, she unleashed Holy Smite, searing the Ape''s flesh and forcing it to retreat momentarily.
However, Avery did not panic¡ His gaze turned cold as he gave a series ofmands to his summon.
The Silver-Haired Ape, wounded but not defeated, charged at the frail woman in front, its primal instincts driving it forward.
It continued attacking Ceres like it was ready to die!
With each sh, the stage shook¡ Ceres continued to dodge or deflect the desperate attacks of the Ape while thetter chased after her.
However, the Ape started turning illusory after 3 minutes¡ It was a lot faster than before!
Ceres saw this as an opportunity as she managed tond a devastating blow¡ It was a palm strike on the Ape''s belly!
As the creature fell and shattered into thousands of light particles, Avery took a deep breath before reaching into his Grimoire once more, summoning a white sword¡
The de gleamed with ethereal light as Avery waved it a few times to get a feeling of it.
"So you can summon a weapon like the others¡" Ceresmented.
"You have to be careful¡ I will try not to kill you, but you might receive a few cuts from this sword." Avery warned.
"Ha! Bring it on!" Ceres chucked as she taunted her opponent.
As the duel entered its final phase, Ceres and Avery engaged in intense closebat. Ceres relied on her fist techniques with the power of her Sanctify and Radiance spells, channeling holy energy to enhance her attacks.
However, Avery proved to be a formidable opponent, swiftly countering Ceres'' assaults with skillful parries and precise strikes of his sword.
Chapter 441 Summon?!
?
"A pdin?" Vale muttered as he realized Ceres had most likely taken the Pdin''s path. It was very different from the Holy Knight''s path and Divine Sorcer''s path, which mostly ended in the Church or Nobilities...
The Pdin would most likely be epted in the Order of the Untainted Sentinels like re and Teresa. Furthermore, since she was also a princess, choosing this path seemed to be a perfect decision.
Boom!
The sh of two different Arcane Energies reverberated throughout the coliseum.
The crowd held its breath, captivated by the disy of skill of the two students. They all watched with admiration and respect, recognizing bothbatants'' remarkable talent and resilience.
Even if one of them was defeated now, they would certainly not underestimate them.
In a pivotal moment, Ceresunched a devastating st of radiant light toward Avery, who deftly evaded the attack.
Sensing an opportunity, Avery closed in, his white sword arcing through the air with deadly precision. The de sliced through the air, finding its mark, and Ceres staggered back. Her defenses were breached!
Avery wanted to end the battle, but he suddenly felt a strong fluctuation of energy as Ceres prepared a very intimidating Holy Spell!
With a resolute focus, Ceres channeled her arcane energies, blending the power of Holy Smite and Radiance Spell before releasing it to her opponent!
A wave of shock rippled through the crowd.
They realized that the power she was emitting wasparable to those 8th-year or even 9th-year students! Even the seasoned Arcanists in attendance exchanged astonished nces, realizing the extent of Ceres'' hidden potential.
Avery was overwhelmed by the Holy Energy as he couldn''t help but jump back.
The ground trembled beneath their feet as Ceres unleashed the devastating Spell. A torrent of holy energy surged forth, engulfing Avery and filling the arena with a blinding radiance.
The sheer force of the Spell sent shockwaves rippling through the coliseum, causing dust to scatter and the onlookers to shield their eyes.
"A Spell Fusion of Holy Smite and Radiance Spell¡ Sacred Light. Tsk. I didn''t know she was already capable of doing this." Geraldine, one of the participants seated not too far from Vale, muttered in frustration.
''No wonder the power was too strong¡ So that''s a Spell Fusion in action.'' Vale silently thought as this was the first time he had seen such a disy.
He couldn''t deny that it was indeed powerful, and even if he was the receiver of the attacker, he wasn''t sure whether he could safely defend against it.
The audience also realized what was going on¡
"No wonder I felt like we''re watching an 8th-year student''s duel¡ She actually used a Spell Fusion."
"Incredible¡ She''s only in her fourth year, but she managed to use such a Spell. She deserved to be the winner of this whole tournament."
"Indeed¡ I think no one can stop her now."
"The Summoner was also great for forcing her to release that Spell..."
Theymented as they appreciated the beautiful match being unfolded.
When the light finally subsided, a stunned silence hung in the air. The crowd''s eyes were fixed on the aftermath of Ceres'' powerful fusion spell.
Avery, though battered and disoriented, managed to rise to his feet, his expression a mix of astonishment and admiration.
He would probably have to recuperate for months if he didn''t use his Grimoire to block that attack. He then raised his hands in defeat as he believed that Ceres really deserved the win.
Ceres, visibly drained from the exertion of her extraordinary feat, stood tall amidst the remnants of her Spell.
She had revealed her hidden strength, not by choice but out of necessity, to ovee the formidable challenge that Avery posed.
''Tsk¡ I wanted this Spell to deal with Vale. If he forfeited in our match because of this--'' Ceres thought as she shook her head, worried that Vale would be afraid to face her.
If he surrendered without fighting, she would not be able to burn Vale with her Sacred Light Spell.
Nevertheless, as soon as the referee announced the winner, the coliseum erupted in a thunderous cheer and apuse, a testament to the awe and respect that the audience held for both Ceres and Avery.
***
It didn''t take that long before the second match started.
Iris was now wielding a Runic Weapon in the form of a Spear because her Whip was destroyed in herst battle. It also seemed a good decision, considering her next opponent was a sword-user.
''She also changed her weapon?'' Iris silently thought as her eyes locked on Geraldine, who wielded a gleaming red sword, different from the sword she used when she fought with the student of Langhorne Academy.
"Fight!"
As the referee announced the start of the battle, the two swiftly entered their Magic Zone. It was Radiant Spirit for Geraldine and Chrono Shift for Iris.
The two Magic Zones ovepped as they essed their Spell Lights.
Without hesitation, Iris lunged forward, and her Runic Spear glowed with a mysterious light.
The surroundings pulsated with energy as she unleashed a flurry of swift and calcted strikes, each one infused with the ancient power of the runes.
''Frost?'' Geraldine squinted her eyes as she realized that the Spear has the power of Ice Element.
''It seems that you really prepared it for me¡''
Geraldine, with her sword in hand, met Iris head-on. With fluid movements and impable timing, she deflected and parried Iris'' attacks, showcasing her exceptional skill in swordsmanship.
Furthermore, her red sword started emitting a heat wave that dissipated the coldness in the surroundings.
The sh of metal echoed throughout the coliseum as the twobatants engaged in a fierce dance of des. Iris''s Runic Spear glowed with frost energy, pulsating with each strike, while Geraldine''s red sword gleamed with a fiery aura.
Vale carefully watched the two as he wanted to see whether his Shadowde Dance was enough to deal with theirbat style.
Their movements were a symphony of grace and precision, each anticipating the other''s actions.
It was quite amazing to see that such young practitioners, who hadn''t even reached their twenties, would be so talented.
It was really no wonder why they got to enter the Competition.
Regrettably, just as the battle was intensifying towards its climax, a cataclysmic event unfolded.
The very stage on which Iris and Geraldine shed erupted in a tremendous explosion, engulfing the area in an ominous haze.
A colossal Evil Entity materialized, its ominous presence shrouding the entire battleground!
The devastating st sent both Iris and Geraldine hurtling through the air, their fate now uncertain.
The spectators, judges, and their fellow ssmates gasped in horror, realizing the dire situation that had unfolded.
The Evil Entity had disrupted the battle, leaving the fate of the courageousbatants unknown and casting a cloud of uncertainty over the entire coliseum.
Chapter 442 Tendrils
Chapter 442 Tendrils
''What in the world is that?'' Vale gasped, genuinely shocked after seeing the Evil Entity so close to him. He was quite lucky since two or three more Barrier Formations were still active and protected his area.
He was even ready to fly away from this ce with his Shapeshift and Levitation¡
Roar!
The Evil Entity roared as if to announce its presence to the world.
Its form was a twisted amalgamation of darkness and malevolence. It radiated an aura of pure maleficence, casting a suffocating shadow over the once vibrant coliseum.
Its figure was shrouded in an inky ckness, its shape constantly shifting and writhing like a living nightmare. Sinister tendrils of energy extended from its core, crackling with dark power and reaching out with an insatiable hunger.
Glowing red eyes red with an intensity that sent chills down the spines of all who dared to meet its gaze. Its presence was an embodiment of chaos, a harbinger of destruction, and an undeniable force to be reckoned with.
"Vale¡ Escape! Don''t use your Dark Spells in front of that creature, or you''ll be targeted! Let the others deal with that thing! Move!" Suddenly, Headmaster Jean''s voice echoed inside his head.
Vale gulped as he thanked the Headmaster for his warning.
"I''ll escape now, Headmaster¡" Vale replied as he surveyed the surroundings.
As chaos erupted with the appearance of the malevolent Evil Entity, he noticed that panic spread among the guards, students, low-rank arcanists, and other onlookers.
Nevertheless, the high-rank Arcanists swiftly sprang into action, attempting to establish a perimeter to protect the spectators from the encroaching danger. The Professors also joined forces to analyze the nature of the Entity and devise a n to counter its menacing presence.
While some audience members fled in fear, many remained rooted to their spots, their curiosity and concern outweighing their instinct to escape.
It didn''t take that long before the building''s powerful enchantments and barriers flickered, strained by the immense power of the Evil Entity.
It would soon copse, and it wouldn''t take long before the coliseum copses.
The Priest, Holy Knights, and Shamans began channeling their Spells, attempting to weaken and repel the Entity.
Brilliant spells and protective wards illuminated the battlefield, creating a barrier of defense against the encroaching darkness.
***
Meanwhile, amidst the chaos, Iris and Geraldine slowly regained their senses as a couple of medical practitioners healed them...
They were both shocked at the sight of the Evil Entity that they''d only seen in the books before.
"Can you move?" One of the medical practitioners asked.
"Yes¡ I can still ess my Spell Lights. There''s no problem moving." Geraldine answered as she picked herself up.
It was the same for Iris, who just used a Runic Symbol on her body, and she immediately sprang up.
This was good news for the medical practitioners as they immediately led the injured students to leave the ce.
However, Geraldine didn''t immediately follow as she nced at the Evil Entity once again. As someone aiming to be part of the Order of the Faith Guardians, she had trained a lot with her detection ability.
She wanted to see if she could find the weakness of the Evil Entity, but instead of finding that out, she noticed a figure sneaking around the Evil Entity¡ The figure seemed to be investigating the source or the Sacrificial Materials used to summon the Entity.
It was too dangerous, and if the Entity noticed the figure, that would be a certain death.
''W-wait¡ That small figure looks like a student¡ What''s going on?'' Geraldine was shocked that a student was doing something so dangerous.
She got curious about the person''s identity and wanted to pierce through their stealth ability. However, as she was nning to cast a vision spell on her eyes, she was held by the Medical Practitioners and carried away from the ce.
"Ahh¡ Wait¡"
It seemed that they thought that she was frightened and was frozen at the sight of the Evil Entity. They didn''t even stop after hearing her protests as they left the coliseum.
***
As soon as the barrier was broken, the Priests, Holy Knights, Shamans, and other arcanists valiantly battled the Evil Entity¡
However, while this all happening, a figure with a very weak presence arrives at the foot or the source of the Evil Entity.
It was Vale Chambers.
Utilizing his ESP Spell, he concealed his presence, determined to find a way to safely touch the creature¡
As he got nearer, the air thickened with the stench of corruption. Vale knew he had to protect himself from the Entity''s malevolent influence, so he had to use the Arcane Armor¡
It was certainly dangerous to use a Mystic Art while wearing his uniform, but he believed that everyone would be busy fighting the Entity, and his ESP spell should be enough to hide his presence.
With caution and resilience, Vale navigated through the chaos. His ESP Spell was working overtime to avoid detection. It wasn''t just for the other Arcanists but also for the Evil Entity.
He knew that a direct confrontation could prove fatal, so he relied on his strategic abilities to find the opportune moment.
"Now¡"
The Evil Entity''s attention was fixed on the courageous fighters, giving Vale a small window of opportunity to get really close to the creature.
Using his Lightspeed Spell, Vale braved the noxious aura and quickly approached the Entity.
It wasn''t over yet¡ The challenge was great since he couldn''t rely on his Ghost Hands and Spectral Hands for his Extraction, as they would draw the attention of the Evil Entity, ording to Headmaster Jean.
With nerves of steel, Vale waited for the perfect moment, his heart pounding in his chest.
''I can''t touch the main body¡'' Vale muttered as he looked at the dark tendrils of the Entity instead.
When the creature was momentarily distracted by the relentless assault of the Arcanists, Vale seized another opportunity.
He reached out and grasped one of the writhing dark tendrils of the Evil Entity.
Chapter 443 Upgrade
Chapter 443 Upgrade
Psshh~
As Vale''s hand made contact with the Evil Entity''s dark tendrils, he realized that it was boiling, and if not for his Arcane Armor being active, there was no way he could hold this for long.
However, his Arcane Armor started getting vaporized, so he had to hurry.
Vale activated his Divine Extraction System in an instant¡ At this time, he wasn''t in a position to use his Selective Extraction and had to rely on the system''s Auto-Extraction mode.
The system went to work as he saw several notifications.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +8,500 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Strength +15.85 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Agility +15.10 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +6.10 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Vitality +20 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Malevolent Essence ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Doombringer Ring ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Evil Eye Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
The process was intense, and Vale could feel the raw power surging through him as he battled against the Entity''s resistance.
The Entity had obviously realized that something was sucking out its power as it rampaged and turned its anger to the poor Arcanists trying to stop it will all their might.
The arena quaked under the strain of the sh, and the Arcanists redoubled their efforts, sensing a glimmer of hope.
The Arcanists could sense the Entity weakening as Vale''s Extraction System continued its work. They weren''t sure why this had suddenly happened, but there was no doubt that the Entity''s corrupted essence was being cleansed as they continued to fight¡
However, Vale suddenly encountered a problem.
''No¡''
Vale immediately released his hands when he realized that something was happening to his body¡
He wasn''t sure what it was, but he could tell that a strong energy was trying to burst out of him. Obviously, he wasn''t in a good ce to lose control of his power, as he might even fall unconscious.
He had to leave this ce quickly!
[ You have attained the maximum attributes of a human¡ ]
A message from the system starting from this phrase shed in his eyes, but he didn''t have time to worry about it. He brushed it off and moved quickly.
He tried rushing outside to freely use his Lightspeed Spell and Levitation Spell and find a secluded ce, but as soon as he got out of the coliseum, he felt the presence of two other Evil Entities fighting against the numerous Arcanists in the Roaring Summit.
"Not good¡ I can''t go too far from here."
Vale didn''t know for sure, but he could tell that something was about to happen to him. It seems to be rted to the system, so he had to hide quickly¡
''Ah¡''
As his mind raced to find a solution, he finally recalled his Shadow Gate!
Without any hesitation, Vale called for Yvaine to get the materials he needed before he cast the Shadow Gate Spell. Unfortunately, this Spell requires a Cursed Object to be sacrificed to be sessfully activated. Without the Cursed Object, the chances of it being activated would be less than 5 percent, and it would also consume a lot of Dark Energy for nothing.
Nevertheless, its power to open a different dimension was truly useful.
''Hurry up¡''
It took a few seconds before the space in front of him twisted, and a dark hole was opened.
If one peered inside, a ritual setup could barely be seen inside a dark room. It was one of Vale''s hidden cards.
However, as soon as he hastily jumped inside, the setup was dismantled, the materials scattered, and the silver powder in the form of Magic Circle was brushed aside.
As soon as Vale entered, the Shadow Gate immediately closed, and at the same time, Headmaster Jean felt Vale''s presence disappear.
"What?!" Headmaster Jean was shocked as he swiftly summoned Vale''s shadow in his palm.
He was currently gathering the students and professors of the Vermont Academy, as he had no ns to help the subjugation of the Evil Entity. He was expecting that Vale had already arrived here since he knew that the young man had a movement spell and that the Evil Entity wouldn''t be able to catch him if he focused on running.
His immediate thought was Vale was killed by someone who thought of taking advantage the chaos that had ensued.
Luckily, Vale''s shadow was still active, although it had paled a lot. This means that Vale was just too far from him.
''Just where did this kid go this time¡'' Headmaster Jean silently thought.
For a moment, he considered using a dark spell on the shadow to force Vale toe to him. However, as the situation was chaotic, he decided to wait for now until the situation calmed down.
***
Royal Mage Odessa stood amidst the aftermath of the vanquished second Evil Entity that had appeared in the city. A mixture of relief and intrigue washed over her.
She couldn''t help but feel curious about the perpetrator of this incident and about the goal they were trying to achieve.
The appearance of multiple Evil Entities wasn''t easy to make. The perpetrators of this event must be wealthy to obtain the sacrificial materials they needed to call for those beings.
"At least ten or so Royal Rank Mystical Items must''ve been used¡ Who would spend this much to cause chaos in a city? Or do they think this is enough to kill the royalties?" Odessa muttered.
She immediately shook her head as it wasn''t the time to think about this. Two other Evil Entities were still alive.
The first Evil Entity that had appeared had already weakened a lot thanks to the Arcanists of various factions working together. They were lucky that the summoned Evil Entity weren''t the strongest ones. Well, the rogue practitioners were probably unable to prepare the sacrifice for a Demonic Entity to appear.
Then, she shifted her attention to the third Evil Entity, who seemed to be very weakpared to the other two.
She couldn''t help but feel curious about which strong Arcanist made it like that.
With this in mind, she swiftly rushed to the coliseum.
Chapter 444 Aftermath
Chapter 444 Aftermath
As Odessa neared the coliseum, the sounds of spells being cast, the sh of weapons, and the fervent shouts of multiple Arcanists filled the air.
Odessa''s heart quickened with anticipation, knowing that within the chaosy the answers she sought.
''I wonder what kind of Battle Formation they''re using right now¡'' Odessa thought with interest as she hastened her pace.
After stepping into the coliseum, Odessa''s gaze swept across the battlefield, searching for any signs of the powerful Arcanists or any abnormalities that might have yed a role in weakening the Entity.
Unfortunately, everything seems normal¡
The Arcanists weren''t even at her level. They mainly were Second-ss Arcanists with a few First-ss Arcanists.
After watching them for some time, Odessa gently nodded.
''Well, they''re better than I thought but¡ Are they part of a Secret Order?'' Odessa thought to herself as she observed their coordinated movements.
It was quite unfortunate that even though they were skilled, they were not of the caliber she had expected. There were only a handful of First-ss Arcanists among them, so the battle was taking longer than it should be, even with their organized tactics.
Odessa wanted to join the battle, but after some thought, she stopped her movement and decided to observe the battle unfold.
She wanted to allow these Arcanists to im the honor of defeating the Evil Entity themselves. After all, the creature was already weakened, and if she joined in, it would seem like she was trying to take their contributions. She didn''t want to offend these people.
She watched as various spells collided with the Entity''s form, each strike weakening its defenses. The Arcanists fought with bravery and determination, and it didn''t take long before their collective strength pushed the Evil Entity closer to its demise.
Finally, the moment arrived. With a final surge of power, the Arcanists unleashed a devastating tier 3 Spell, piercing through the Entity''s defenses.
Boom!
It was such a powerful Spell that caused the creature to twist and crack!
"Seismic Rapture? Not bad¡" Odessa muttered as she realized the Tier 3 Elemental Spell that was used.
It was then followed up by a few more Tier 2 Spells that other Arcanists released simultaneously.
Soon, the malevolent creature let out a deafening roar, its form crumbling under the onught of magic. As the dust settled, the battlefield fell silent, and the victorious Arcanists stood amidst the remnants of their fallen foe.
"Careful¡ There should be a Malevolent Core left behind. Seal it quickly!" Odessa warned the Arcanists as she swiftly made her move to check the remnants of the Evil Closer.
The Arcanists and other Professors took this seriously as they searched for the Core.
Yet, as Odessa moved closer to the defeated Entity, she realized that she couldn''t feel the Core at all.
"Can''t we detect it using our Magic Zone? I can''t find it, Royal Mage Odessa." One of the Arcanists of the Lore Hunters said.
"Maybe it was destroyed as well?" One of them added.
Odessa shook her head at this and replied. "That Core should be fluctuating with demonic energy. It''s also a tough as a Sovereign Rank Mystical Item. There''s no way it would be destroyed by one Tier 3 Spell."
Confusion filled her mind as she recalled her previous encounter with the Evil Entity and the sealed Malevolent Core she had obtained from it.
The other Evil Entity has this Core, so it was quite surprising that this creature in the Coliseum doesn''t have one.
"Where did it go?" she muttered to herself, her voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
The absence of the Malevolent Core raised more questions than answers. Had someone else already taken it? Or was that reason for the weakened state of the Evil Entity?
Intrigued and determined to uncover the truth, Odessa and the others began to search the surrounding area for any traces or clues that might shed light on the missing Core.
Everyone carefully examined the remnants of the Entity, hoping to find the broken pieces of the Core at least.
Unfortunately, this Core seemed to have just vanished.
As Odessa and the others wanted to call it quits. They suddenly felt someone''s presence.
They immediately shifted their attention to the person and realized that it was Clyde, a member of the enigmatic Order of the Illustrious Liquidators.
Clyde''s striking appearance, adorned in a red frock coat and trousers, made it easy for them to recognize him. Furthermore, he was some sort of a legendary figure among the Mystic Arts Practitioners.
"It seems that you guys are looking for that Core. That must be what he had taken a while ago." Clyde said, confusing everyone present.
Noticing their reaction, he smiled mysteriously and continued.
"I noticed an interesting kid meddling with the Evil Entity during the battle¡"
Clyde then exined how he had attempted to follow the mysterious kid, only to realize that his figure vanished or escaped his Magic Zone in an instant.
"What?"
"Someone escaped your Magic Zone?"
"Sir Clyde¡ Do you have an idea about his identity?"
The implications of Clyde''s revtion raised many questions. After all, someone who could take the Core from such a powerful creature without their notice was an incredible feat!
Curiosity piqued within Odessa as she processed the information. "Could this individual be connected to the cultists who summoned these creatures?" she inquired, her voice filled with fascination and suspicion.
Clyde''s smile after hearing the Royal Mage''s question.
"The ones who summoned these Creatures were indeed part of that cult who liked to call themselves the Order of Fatality." Clyde acknowledged.
"However, this particr kid seemed to be different. Rather than working against you, I believe he may have actually aided your cause. He might have tampered with the Core, altering its nature. I couldn''t say for sure."
This revtion left the gathered group even more bewildered. The notion that an unknown individual, potentially unrted to the cult, had influenced the Malevolent Core added ayer ofplexity to the unfolding events.
However, they realized that now was not the time for further discussion. The aftermath of the battle needed their immediate attention.
Putting their questions and spections aside, Odessa and the others swiftly shifted their focus to the task at hand. They worked tirelessly to restore order to the za, mending the damage caused by the battle and providing aid to any injured arcanists.
Chapter 445 Aftermath ( 2 )
Chapter 445 Aftermath ( 2 )
After the matter with the Evil Entities had calmed down, a deep investigationmenced to ensure the eradication of the cult or the Order of Fatality within the city.
Of course, multiple organizations came into y to secure the safety and well-being of the popce.
The city mayor, including the royal family and the Association of the Harmonious Arcane Path, stepped forward to provide support and assistance to the families of those who had tragically lost their lives in the battle.
They understood the importance of healing wounds, both physical and emotional, and worked tirelessly to ensure that the affected families received the care andpassion they deserved.
Simultaneously, efforts were focused on identifying the summoned creatures...
In the end, they discovered that the Evil Entity was called Zyran, and it belonged to the third tier of creatures from the Eternal Abyss Realm.
Fortunately, because of the rushed nature of the summoning ritual, it allowed them to swiftly suppress the Zyran and prevent further chaos and destruction. If they had used a perfected summoning ritual, killing those Zyrans would have been a lot moreplicated.
"Haa~ So it was really going to be dyed." Princess Ceres sighed as she looked at the busy city while having her morning tea.
Reparations and various constructions are ongoing after the destruction caused by the Zyrans.
"It will only be dyed for two weeks. It sounds great... I think that this was a good chance to prepare for the Tower Ascension." Gabbi, one of her teammates, said.
"Huh? What about the otherpetitions?" Ceres asked as she raised her brow.
"Oh¡ I heard that the other contests might get canceled since the coliseum had taken more damage than we thought. It wasn''t just the barriers that were destroyed. It seemed that even the foundation was damaged. There might be idents if we continue using it."
"Tsk¡ Are there not enough Elementalist or Mystic Arts Practitioners around? They could''ve fixed that if they worked together." Ceres muttered.
Gabbi smiled at this and was about to exin to the princess. However, before she could speak, Ceres waved her hand.
"Ahem¡ I know that their Spells were most likely for offensive or defensive styles. None of them would probably waste their Spell Lights and record a support-type spell."
Gabbi gently nodded at this.
Anyway, most of the students were indeed disappointed about the decision made by the Organizers of the event, but they had no choice other than to ept it.
They could only feel grateful that none of them were severely injured from the surprise attack made by the cult.
The news about the dy or postponement of thepetition soon spread.
At the very least, this dy provided an opportunity for more people, like the Academy Professors and high-level students, toe together and coborate in securing the safety of the city.
That way, the postponement might get shorter due to their help.
The students, all of whom were considered elites within their respective academies, embraced this responsibility with enthusiasm.
"Headmaster! Please, let us patrol the surroundings too! Vale was still nowhere to be found¡" Maya spoke with sincerity as she felt worried for her ssmate.
Philip, Crystal, and Luna were behind her, hoping that Headmaster Jean would agree.
Jean sighed as he understood what these kids were feeling right now.
However, he had to be firm since they were precious young students of his Academy. They were only 4th-year students, and if they somehow encountered a real rogue practitioner who didn''t care about the lives of other people, they might be in danger.
After all, the Dark Spells recorded by Maya and othersck its killing ability. Most of their Dark Spells could only weaken or suppress people.
Whether they were curses, dark magic, or rituals, they weren''t ferocious enough.
Well, this was also necessary as the corruption brought by the Darkness would be stronger if they recorded Spells that were too "dark."
"Let''s wait for him¡ Let''s give him two more days. If he didn''t return at that time, I''ll be the one to bring him back." Headmaster Jean said.
Seeing that Vale''s friends weren''t satisfied, he continued.
"To be honest, I found broken pieces of a Cursed Artifact outside the coliseum¡ I''m thinking that he used his Shadow Gate Spell to escape from the Evil Entity. He was probably targeted and had to escape through that method. However, this is a secret, and no one should know about it." Headmaster Jean exined.
Maya''s eyes lit up after hearing this. She didn''t expect that the Headmaster had investigated this much.
"So it was like that¡" Philip heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this.
"Are we to keep quiet about this since we can''t let others know that he learned the Shadow Gate Spell?" Luna asked curiously.
"That''s part of it. However, the main reason was that a few Shamans and Holy Knights were looking for someone who had escaped through this method. They thought that the man was a member of the cult or someone who must be investigated. It will get moreplicated, so it''s better to keep his identity a secret..." Headmaster Jean said with a soft voice.
Even though he had been staying in the hotel most of the time, his multiple Shadow Soldiers allowed him to gather information all over the city without leaving this ce.
***
Amidst the ongoing events in the Roaring Summit, Vale regained consciousness and found himself within the confines of a dimly lit room.
''Where is this?'' Vale thought, but he soon recalled what had happened.
"Ahh¡"
It was the very space he had conjured using his Shadow Gate Spell, a mystical realm he had ''contracted'' during the recording process of this Spell...
As he slowly became aware of his surroundings, a throbbing headache caused him to grimace in difort.
"What happened to me?" Vale muttered¡ Thest thing he could recall was that he had leaped into the depths of this ritual chamber, and then he was overwhelmed by a wave of excruciating pain coursing through his entire being until he fell unconscious.
He didn''t know how long he had been here, so his first thought was to get out¡ However, a sudden realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"Ahh! That''s right!" Vale eximed, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and urgency.
He immediately checked his attribute panel.
Chapter 446 User Upgrade
Chapter 446 User Upgrade
As soon as Vale opened his system, he was bombarded by a series of notifications.
[ You have attained the maximum attributes of a Human Being. ]
[ You have 1,000 Divinity Points. ]
[ You have reached all the qualifications required to acquire theplete version of the Divine Extraction System. ]
[ Ascendence is required to amodate theplete version. ]
[ 1,000 Divinity Points have been used. ]
[ ¡ ]
[ ¡ ]
[ ¡ ]
[ Ascensionpleted. ]
[ Congrattions! You have obtained the Half-Celestial Body. ]
[ Congrattions! You have obtained a Special Title. ]
[ Selective Extraction activated. ]
[ You have obtained a Special Attribute: Force. ]
[ Arcane Energy and Aura have been integrated into Force. ]
[ You have obtained ess to Combat Power Identification. ]
[ You have received Extraction Space. You can now ess the system''s Fuse, Analyze, and Reverse functions. ]
[ You need to Transcend to obtain theplete Celestial Body. ]
[ Error detected¡ ]
[ Error detected¡ ]
"W-what?" Vale had a mix of reactions as he read through the notifications.
There was an Ascension that he was not aware of. It also consumed a thousand of his Divinity Points, which, in his mind, was too expensive!
He was grateful for the rewards, although he didn''t know what they could do, but was the Error detected?!
''Ugh¡ Whatever¡'' Vale shook his head since there was no point finding the Error he had no idea about.
With this in mind, he swiftly brushed off the notifications and checked the changes in his attribute panel.
[ Ascended Name: Kyle the Uncrowned Paragon ]
[ Race: Half-Celestial ]
[ Attributes:
Strength: 100
Agility: 100
Intelligence: 100
Vitality: 100 ]
[ Force: 1,250 ]
[ Combat Power: 1,040,000 ]
[ Human Arts List ]
[ Celestial Arts List ]
[ Spirit Arts List ]
[ Otherworldly Essence List ]
[ Avable Energy: 29,645 ]
[ Divinity Points: 649.30 ]
"Whoa~"
Just the first words he read already made Vale surprised.
He didn''t expect to gain such a fancy title.
"Uncrowned Paragon? So that''s the Special Title I got¡" Vale repeated as he scanned through his attribute panel.
After some time, Vale took a deep breath as the new information started sinking in.
He was no longer a human and had mixed feelings about this. After all, he had been a human all his life. Even if he became a Dark Magician, he still feels like a normal human with some enigmatic powers.
However, since the system already indicated it for him, he had to ept the truth.
''Well, I guess I''ve been extracting too many things into my body¡ No average human could contain all of these.'' Vale thought after some time.
He then shifted his attention to his attributes. All of them had be 100 points, and it was pretty surreal considering how he started with a single digit¡ªNo, it wasn''t even a whole number.
Vale wryly smiled at himself as he recalled how he started with his Divine Extraction System.
He then looked at his Force, the Integration of his Arcane Energy and Aura. This was quite an amazing attribute. After all, he could finally quantify the amount of energy he has, which would allow him to tell the energy consumption of his Spells urately.
"It was even over one thousand¡ I wonder how much was thatpared to the Headmaster or even Sherman¡ Well, the Sentinels were also a goodparison." Vale muttered.
The next new thing in his Attribute was the Combat Power. This had actually made him confused. However, he still had an idea about this since it seemed simr to some games he had yed in his previous life.
In his own understanding, it was the overall fighting capability of an individual. Since hisbat power was over a million after his Ascension, he believed this should be very high.
''So this will help me learn when to fight and run?'' Vale thought to himself.
Nevertheless, he was aware that Combat Power was just an estimation based on their attributes, weapons, and spells. He couldn''t just blindly trust it.
There was still something that must be considered out of the Combat Power, which was the strategies and helpers that could be involved in a battle.
He then checked his Human Art List, which contained all his Arcane Spells.
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv7, Ghost Hand Lv7, Incorruptible Body Lv9, Darkness Maniption Lv7, Spirit Vision Lv7, Light Absorption Lv7, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Moonlight Curse Lv7, Spectral Hands Lv7, Corrupted Chains Lv7, Active Curse Break Lv7,? Dusk Imprisonment Lv7, Corpse Explosion Lv7, Feign Death Lv7, Locate Corpse Lv7, Shadow Gate Lv7 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv7, Blessed Healing Lv7 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv7 ]
[ Transformation Art: Human Shapeshift Lv7, Beast Shapeshift Lv7, Voice Maniption Lv7 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv7 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv7, Soul Bind Lv7 ]
[ Beast Art: Wild Whisper Spell Lv7 ]
Vale''s eyes widened in disbelief as he processed the information before him.
"What? All of my spells have reached the Advanced Realm?" He muttered in a mixture of excitement and astonishment.
With his spells now at such an advanced level, he realized that he could finally advance his ns.
"If all my spells have reached the Advanced Realm, then it should be fine to utilize my Energy Points to get a Perfect Realm Spell¡" Vale muttered, a glimmer of excitement dancing in his eyes.
For so long, Vale had diligently saved his Energy Points, refraining from hasty advancements in his Incorruptible Body Spell and other useful Spells like Spell Dispersion.
He had done so with the foresight of having a reserve in case of emergencies or unforeseen circumstances. After all, depending on the situation, it might be better to have a Divine Sense or even a Traceless Shift in a Perfect Realm.
However, with all his spells now elevated to the Advanced Realm, the purpose of hoarding these Energy Points seemed to diminish. After all, with so many energy points, he could advance more Spells to the Perfect Realm!
But before that, he checked the other features quickly.
The Celestial Arts List also had some changes.
[ Celestial Arts: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv7, Shadow Muttion Lv7, Aurora''s Embrace Lv7 ]
Even Aurora''s Embrace had also advanced.
The Spirit Arts List, on the other hand, contained all the Neutral Spells that he had.
[ Spirit Arts: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv7, Traceless Shift Lv7, Lightspeed Lv7, Levitation Lv7, Evil Eye Lv7 ]
Then, the new Otherworldly Essence List contained quite some interesting information.
[ Essence:
Imp Essence: 28
Fiend Essence: 75
Malevolent Essence: 165 ]
He was still unsure how to use these extracted Essences, but that''s not important right now. Vale suddenly recalled his Extraction to the Evil Entity.
''Right. I remember getting the Doombringer Ring¡ Where was it?''
Chapter 447 The System
Chapter 447 The System
''Ahh¡'' Vale finally shifted his attention to one of the rewards he got from the system.
"Extraction Space¡"
As he said this, he immediately found himself in an isted space. It doesn''t seem that his whole body entered this Space. Instead, it was only his soul, or maybe his vision, that was affected.
Inside this ce, he could see his Spell Models, the Essences he had extracted, and the Ring he had gotten from the Evil Entity!
''So you''re here¡''
It was indeed the Doombringer Ring that he was looking for.
He immediately took this Ring, and as he thought of wearing it, he automatically exited the Extraction Space, and the mystical item was already in his hands.
''Cool¡ Now it feels like a real Divine System!'' Vale was quite excited as he realized that he could now extract some "drop items" and leave them in his Extraction Space!
"I hope this was not a one-time thing."
Vale smiled as he stopped himself from wearing it.
Well, he had to get this appraised first to make sure that it was safe. After all, using his Phantasm State, he could tell that it contained very malicious Spells or power.
Whether it was targeted to the wearer or not, he wasn''t aware of it. He had to be very careful about this thing since it came from an Evil Entity.
Anyway, he returned to the Extraction Space and left the Doombringer Ring there for now.
ording to his system, he had already gained ess to the Selective Extraction, Fuse, Analyze, and Reverse.
The Selective Extraction was something that he had already learned. However, because he learned of it on his own, it required a lot of focus and was difficult to control. There was also a high chance of failure in this method.
However, since the system had already given him ess to this feature, it meant that everything would be a lot easier.
''No more random extraction¡'' Vale thought to himself.
The Fuse function made Vale realize he could start the Spell Fusion! In fact, he realized that the Essence that he had extracted could be included in the Fusion of Spells!
He couldn''t wait to try it!
He immediately recalled all thebination spells that his Seniors told him! Most of them were Spell Fusions that were rmended by Cassie and a few from Anderson and Thelma.
''What if I fuse them with other Arcane Paths? I wonder if that would be possible¡ There might be a higher difficulty, but I must try it. Perhaps I could make a Spell Fusion that no one else had ever seen.''
Vale was lost in his thoughts as he started imagining his future with this incredible system feature. Of course, he wasn''t expecting that this would be apletely easy Fusion that no setback could happen.
He probably had to pay a price or meet some conditions toplete the Fusion.
He then shifted his attention to the Analyze feature. To his surprise, it was actually an Appraisal Feature! This Analyze feature was only limited to what he had extracted, so he could not analyze the Temporal Timepeace and the suspicious items he got from the Dark Soul Tower, but he was still satisfied with it.
Finally, the Reverse Function included in the upgrade was quite interesting¡ After all, this Reverse Function allowed him to return something he had taken or extracted to their owner. It was something he had never thought or considered that might be needed.
After all, he had only considered extracting corpses that don''t need their attributes and humans who deserved to be extracted to teach them a lesson.
''I''ll probably not be using this, but since this was free, I''ll dly take it.'' Vale thought to himself.
After absorbing all of this information, Vale couldn''t help but smile in satisfaction.
It feels like he had gone back to the start when he had first acquired his system.
There were plenty of new things he could explore with thispleted version of the system, and he had also be incredibly strong after ascending to a Half-Celestial. He even gained a title that he didn''t know whether it had a purpose or just a decoration on his attribute panel.
With so many changes that had happened to him, it wouldn''t be wrong to call this a new start for him.
Vale then exited his Extraction Space and looked around.
He didn''t know how much time had passed, so he had to leave now.
He then started stretching his body to get a feel for his new strength. He clenched his fist and punched the air a few times as he adjusted with his Agility and Strength.
After some time, Vale felt confident that he had returned to "normal", so he activated his Shadow Gate Spell.
***
In the midst of Vale''s mysterious disappearance, Maya found herself contemting the possibility of taking his ce in the Tower Ascensionpetition.
With each passing day that Vale remained absent, the weight of responsibility began to settle on Maya''s shoulders. If he didn''t reappear soon, she would have to step up and face the challenges of the tower that she was not prepared for.
In her room, Maya stood before a mirror, her reflection mirroring the turmoil within her.
"Vale, where are you?" she murmured, her voiceced with concern.
She was trying to prepare herself mentally and physically, but it was difficult. Though she possessed confidence in her own strength, she recognized the immense difficulty of the Tower Ascension. Many seasoned sixth and seventh-year students had struggled to surpass the fifth floor, casting a shadow of doubt over Maya''s own chances of sess.
Just as Maya was deep in thought, Philip knocked on her door and informed her about the urgent summons for a meeting involving all participants of the Tower Ascension.
As she opened the door, she saw Philip waiting for her.
Philip noticed Maya''s nervous demeanor and gently inquired.
"Are you okay? You seem quite tense." Philip asked in concern.
"I''m fine¡" She replied, attempting to mask her apprehension.
Philip helplessly smiled as he could tell what was going on. However, he couldn''t do anything about it, so he simply escorted Maya to the meeting room after offering a few encouraging words...
However, before they could leave the building they were staying at, a suddenmotion filled the ce. The murmurs of excitement and surprise reverberated through the air.
Chapter 448 Attraction
?
Ceres made her way to the meeting hall, joining the other participants who were gathered for the Tower Ascensionpetition.
As she entered the hall, she could feel the gazes of the other students, and they were surely using their Magic Zone to observe her movement.
She immediately found an empty seat and waited for the organizers just like the others.
They were gathered here to receive important instructions on how they would enter the Tower andpete for the coveted rewards that awaited them on each floor.
ncing around, Ceres spotted the familiar faces of the other ten students from various academies who would be participating in the event.
She had crossed paths with some of them before, whether it was during the intense Monster Hunt Competition or the thrilling sh of Champions.
Each student represented a different academy, bringing their unique skills and experiences to the table.
''Mhmm¡ A new face from the Psychic Arts Academy, huh¡'' Ceres thought to herself but didn''t think it would help the Psychic Arts Academy.
Anyway, Ceres couldn''t help but notice that one of the participants was missing. The student from the Vermont Academy had yet to arrive, leaving an empty seat among the group.
Though it was still early, Ceres couldn''t help but wonder about Vale''s absence.
She hoped that he hadn''t decided to back out of thepetition, as she had been looking forward to beating him this time.
The sh of Champions had been postponed, but Ceres still held a desire to prove her skills, even if only in the context of this particrpetition.
As she patiently waited for the proceedings to begin, Ceres observed her fellowpetitors, carefully analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.
Since they were using their Magic Zone to observe her, she decided to use her Divine Sense as well.
''Let''s see¡''
It didn''t take that long before she identified a select few who had the potential to reach the fourth floor of the Tower, just like herself.
Among them were Serena from the Mystic Arts Academy, Amelia from the Knights Academy, and ude from the Combat Arts Academy.
She took notice of them not just because they had a decent number of Spell Lights, but she also respected their fighting styles.
Thanks to her older brother, she had detailed information about the Ascension Tower¡ With this information, she considered the three students best suited for the challenges that awaited them inside the Tower.
Of course, she was included among them.
Despite being primarily trained as a Spellcaster, she had also honed her skills as a Pdin, allowing her to adopt a more aggressivebat approach when necessary. She believed that her versatility would give her an edge in thepetition, providing her with the ability to adapt to different situations and opponents.
nk!
The door opened in the meeting hall, and the organizers of the event arrived, drawing the attention of all the participants.
Ceres couldn''t help but feel a tinge of disappointment, assuming that Vale had chosen not to participate after all.
However, her disappointment quickly turned into surprise and curiosity as she heard footsteps hurrying to enter the room.
''Finally¡ I thought you escaped from me¡''
Vale had indeed arrived, but something seemed different about him. His appearance had somewhat changed, leaving Ceres intrigued and eager to discover what had transpired during his absence.
"He looks different... No, his temperament seemed to have improved. What happened to him?" Ceres pondered silently, her eyes fixed on Vale.
She had previously used her Divine Sense on Vale and even marked him for some time, so she had a deep impression on him.
However, now that he had gotten closer again, she couldn''t help but notice a significant transformation in him. The proximity between them allowed her to discern the change with more rity.
Vale possessed impably smooth and unblemished skin, the kind that would make her envious. His charm had a captivating effect, even on her.
Fortunately, Ceres had developed a strong resistance against such allure. Unlike the other female students who were easily affected, she swiftly regained herposure and averted her gaze.
"Aren''t you Vale Chambers? You should stop using your Spell. What are you? An Incubus?" The official spoke sternly as he nced at Vale''s entry.
"N-no, Sir." Vale was a bit flustered as he was certainly not using any Spells to attract other people.
''So Maya and the others are telling the truth¡ What do I do?'' Vale''s mind raced to find a solution¡
''Ahh¡ Is this some kind of passive effect brought by being a Half-Celestial?''
He suddenly had this idea as he confirmed that none of his Spell Lights were active. After learning the possible cause of the problem, he immediately activated his ESP Spell to weaken his presence.
As soon as he did this, the female students immediately returned to themselves as they shifted their attention to the official in front.
''What now¡ Do I have to constantly use a Spell to suppress the effect of being a Half-Celestial?'' Vale thought with a helpless smile on his face.
That was certainly not a good idea since his Phantasm State doesn''tst forever.
As he reached this thought, Vale recalled that the duration of his Phantasm State and the range of his Magic Zone had probably changed after his Ascension.
''I should do some testster.'' Vale silently nned.
Soon, the Event Official announced that the Tower Ascension would start immediately after an hour.
They are only allowed to bring five Mystical Items with them. It wasn''t a lot, but it was enough.
This rule was implemented because once they are "killed" inside the Tower and sent back outside, there would be a considerable chance that the item would not return together with them.
They didn''t want them to waste precious Mystical Items since retrieving them was impossible.
Vale then continued listening to the officer. They were informed of various things rted to the Tower to ensure that they wouldn''t die identally. After all, in that ce, there wouldn''t be any officers that would follow them to ensure their safety.
Nevertheless, at this time, Vale also started inspecting the other students who will bepeting in the same event¡
At this time, he couldn''t help but nce at the female student wearing the blue and white uniform of Farrel Academy.
Chapter 449 Tower Ascension
?
Farrel Academy, or the Psychic Arts Academy, was something that Vale was always wary of. After all, the studentsing from this Academy could be more terrifying than a Dark Arts Practitioner.
For him, anyone capable of controlling the minds of other people or enving them with their words were people he had to take note of.
However, what he really was surprised about was that his ESP Spell was reacting to a female student of this Academy. It seemed to be warning him that she was either dangerous or special.
''This Spirit Art or Extrasensory Perception Spell was really mysterious¡'' Vale silently thought as he certainly wouldn''t doubt this Spell that he had extracted from a Fallen Messenger.
As the names of the participants were called one by one, Vale discovered that the Psychic Arts student''s name was Lexie Steen.
Each of them was given a bronze key by the event officer, which would serve as their entry and exit pass for the Tower Ascension. Simr to the Dark Soul Tower, the key could only be used once, making it a unique souvenir after thepetition.
After some time had passed, the Tower Ascension finallymenced.
They were brought to a ce outside the bustling city where the Tower was located. It was said that the Tower was already here even before the city was built. This was also the reason why the location of the Twelve Academies Competition wouldn''t change even after being attacked by the cult.
''Mhmm¡ It looks grand. It was certainly better than I thought.''
Vale gazed at the Tower, marveling at its ancient and mystical appearance.
It emitted an air of mystery as it was situated on the edge of the teau. The Tower was surrounded by polished ground and adorned with numerous Formation Arts, serving as protective measures.
The sight was truly awe-inspiring.
''There are ten floors indeed¡'' Valemented.
"Alright¡ Let''s begin!"
The officer called the first student to enter. They were already informed that only one person could enter at a time, indicating that thepetition would take a considerable amount of time.
Due to this, apart from their ssmates and professors, no one else was present to witness thepetition unfold. Well, it would be boring since no one would be able to see the situation inside.
The first participant, a student from the Beast Arts Academy, stepped into the Tower.
Almost immediately, everyone outside saw that the first floor lit up, signifying that the student hadmenced their challenge. This was their only way of telling the progress of the student who had entered.
The initial stages seemed rtively easy, as within five minutes, the second floor was also illuminated. However, after eight minutes, the student was abruptly sent out of the Tower, having only managed toplete the first floor.
"Almost!" The student shouted in annoyance as he walked away. He didn''t even bother going to the resting area as he probably knew he wouldn''t get in ce in thispetition.
He didn''t want to waste his time watching everyone surpass him.
''I guess Beast Art wasn''t suited for this type ofpetition, huh¡'' Vale muttered as he knew that all the participants sent here were elites in their Academy.
If their result was bad, then most students of that Academy would probably have the same result.
The other students also didn''t feel bad about the result they had seen. As a matter of fact, they were looking forward to seeing otherpetitors fail to ascend to the higher floors.
Of course, a few of them had also shown some concern¡ They realized that the Tower Ascension was indeed a formidable challenge.
***
It was now the turn of the student from the Rune Arts Academy.
He entered the Tower with determination, hoping to surpass the previous participant''s achievements.
To the surprise of many, the student from the Rune Arts Academy managed to make it to the third floor, surpassing the previous record. However, his progress came to an abrupt halt as the light on the third floor dimmed, indicating his failure to clear the challenges. He was swiftly ejected out of the Tower, disappointment etched on his face.
''At the very least, none of them are injured like the stories I''ve heard¡ I guess it''s because they didn''t reach the fifth floor.'' Vale thought to himself as he also noticed that they still had their weapons equipped.
The next participant, Avery from the Summoning Arts Academy, stepped forward.
He looked quite excited since as soon as his name was announced, he even ran to the door of the Tower and swiftly activated the key¡
Whom~
Lights blinded Avery''s vision before he realized that he had entered the Tower. As his eyes adjusted, he marveled at the sight before him.
"Oh¡ This ce was really a good ce to form a contract with another realm¡ It''s filled with Arcane Energy. Senior Abel was right." Avery muttered as he looked around the dimly lit hall or the first floor of the Tower.
''The higher floor must have a better concentration of energy. I''ll use that ce to get the best summons!''
Avery thought with a smile. This was one of the reasons why he wanted to enter this ce. ording to the seniors in the Academy, they had used this ce toplete a ritual to get a new summon in their Grimoire. It was quite dangerous since there wouldn''t be anyone who could help if you identally summoned an unruly creature, but it was worth the shot as long as he was careful with his ritual.
He immediately shook his head as he had to think about thister.
"I should deal with the problem first¡" Avery thought as he immediately realized why the first floor had been rtively easy for the previous students.
At the center of the hall was a wooden golem wielding a wooden sword.
He knew that defeating the wooden golem was the key to progressing to the second floor. Without wasting any time, he swiftly retrieved his Grimoire, a book of summoning, and began to summon his trusted Silver-Haired Ape.
However, before he couldplete the summoning, the wooden golem lunged towards him, its target set on his head.
"W-wait! I''m not ready yet! I''m still summoning!"
Chapter 450 The Fifth Floor
Chapter 450 The Fifth Floor
"W-wait! I''m not ready yet! I''m still summoning!" Avery called out in desperation, his voice filled with a mix of fear and indignation.
However, the relentless wooden golem showed no mercy. Its sword was already swinging downward with rming speed.
With no time left toplete the summoning, Avery made a split-second decision. He tightly grasped his sturdy Grimoire, realizing that he would have to rely on his own precious item or his ancient book to parry the attack.
As the wooden golem''s sword descended, Avery raised his Grimoire in a defensive stance, channeling his energy into the book''s surface.
A burst of magical energy erupted from the Grimoire, forming a shimmering shield just in time to intercept the golem''s attack.
Boom!
The impact sent shockwaves through Avery''s body, but he stood firm, refusing to yield to the immense force.
With every ounce of strength he could muster, Avery retaliated by swinging his Grimoire towards the head of the wooden golem.
Ancient symbols glowed on the book''s surface as it naturally tried to protect itself from being damaged by the collision.
Bam!
The wooden golem seemed to have realized that his Grimoire wasn''t ordinary, as it blocked the attack by using its sword.
"Tsk¡ You''ve made me do this! Come on!" Avery shouted as he no longer bothered summoning his Silver-Haired Ape and fought with his Grimoire.
The wooden golem dly used its imnted sword technique and fought against Avergy like a noble knight!
Avery doesn''t have good reflexes, but he still managed to dodge the golem''s relentless attacks since he was a fast runner. Every time the golem overextended in its attacks, he would use this opening to smash it with his Grimoire.
The wooden golem, though mighty, began to show signs of wear and tear under Avery''s relentless assault.
Its wooden structure cracked and splintered, its movements growing slower and morebored.
"Hmph¡ Take this!"
Avery seized an opportunity, pressing his advantage and striking with all his strength.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Blow after blow, Avery''s Grimoire battered the wooden golem, each strike inching him closer to victory.
Sweat poured down his face, his breathsing in ragged gasps, but he refused to yield. The battle reached its climax as Avery delivered a final, decisive blow, shattering the wooden golem into a pile of splinters and debris.
"Ahh! That was so difficult!" Avery eximed as he sat on the cold floor.
Panting heavily, Avery looked at the aftermath of the intense battle.
The room fell silent, save for hisbored breaths and the faint hum of residual Arcane Energy in the air. He realized that the battle would''ve been a lot easier if the Mystical Items he brought were for his own use. However, what he brought were items that could amplify the power of his Silver-Haired Ape.
This was the reason he mainly relied on his physical strength and the sturdiness of his Grimoire when he was caught off guard.
With the wooden golem defeated, Avery took a moment to catch his breath, his heart still pounding with adrenaline.
After a few moments, Avery prepared to ascend to the second floor of the Tower, ready to confront whatever awaited him on the next floor.
However, his attention was drawn to a chest that had mysteriously appeared at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor.
"Ahh¡ I forgot about you."
Excitement coursed through his veins as he approached the chest, eager to see what awaited him inside. He finally recalled that they would receive some rewards every time they conquered a floor.
With a sense of anticipation, Avery opened the chest, revealing its contents.
His eyes widened as he beheld a shimmering vial within. It was a couple of Arcane Energy Potions, they''re a valuable elixir known for replenishing one''s energy reserves.
Avery''s heart swelled with gratitude, realizing the significance of this reward.
"Not bad¡"
Though he had hoped for something more substantial, he understood that this was just the first floor, and better rewards could taken in the next feet.
Avery pocketed the Arcane Energy Potions, knowing it would serve as a valuable asset in the trials toe.
He then stepped forward to ascend the stairs leading to the second floor. At the same time, he started to summon his Silver-Haired Ape. He didn''t want to get ambushed again, so it was better to summon it already.
***
Meanwhile, everyone saw Avery''s sess on the first floor from outside the Tower.
However, none of them were excited as hested quite a while on that floor. Soon, they saw him advanced from the second floor to the third floor within 12 minutes.
As soon as the fourth floor lit up, everyone finally gathered their attention to the Tower and waited to see whether he could clear this challenge as well.
It only took him 8 minutes toplete the third floor, which was faster than the second floor. It was certainlymendable.
"Oh¡ It seemed that he ran into trouble¡"
"More than 20 minutes had already passed since he entered the fourth floor¡ He was taking too much time.."
"Indeed¡ I wonder what happened to him."
The people outside couldn''t help but wonder how Avery remained on the fourth floor for so long without being defeated or iming victory.
Nevertheless, they knew that he wouldn''t exceed a specific time within a floor since the mysterious owner of the Ascension Tower would not allow someone to stay there longer than they should.
Whom~
Finally, after a few more minutes, the light on the fifth floor lit up¡
"He did it!"
"I hope our Academy could be in the top three this time¡"
"He should be! Avery was a genius after all."
The seniors of the Summoning Arts Academy cheered at the achievement of their junior.
However, fate had other ns. Despite Avery''s best efforts, his time on the fifth floor was cut short,sting only a mere 8 seconds before being abruptly sent out of the Tower.
Thud!
Avery was sent outside with an injured arm... Even his Grimoire was heavily damaged and was almost torn apart.
"That was too unfair! There was no way we could clear that fifth floor!" Avery shouted in indignation as he endured the pain in his arm.
Chapter 451 My Goddess
Chapter 451 My Goddess
Avery''s voice resounded throughout the ce, but none of them spoke to deny his words. After all, they weren''t sure what he had experienced inside as the challenges could change depending on the person who had entered.
Nevertheless, the seniors in his Academy startedforting him as they quickly called for the medical practitioners to treat him.
"It seemed that you gained a decent reward on the fourth floor¡ That must be Frosted Saint Wine, right?" Abel, Avery''s Senior in the Academy, said as he assisted his junior to be brought to the infirmary.
"Oh? You know about this wine, Senior?" Avery''s previous disappointment was turned into curiosity as he thought that this was an unimportant wine when he got it a while ago.
"Let''s talk about itter¡ There are many people listening to us here." Senior Abel said with a soft voice.
This had certainly caught Vale''s attention as he decided to listen to their conversion secretly.
With his current Magic Zone, even if he hadn''t consumed his third Darkness Possession Potion yet, he was confident that no one would be able to notice his actions.
Soon, he heard something interesting.
The reason why Avery took so much time on the fourth floor was due to his real intentions for participating in thepetition.
It was none other than to use the power of the Ascension Tower to call a being in another realm to be his Summon!
Vale gently nodded at this as he thought that this was certainly a good idea¡
"Interesting¡ Should I try that as well?" Vale thought to himself.
They were allowed to enter the Tower with five Mystical Items after all.
The rule stated that he had to wear or equip them before entering the Tower. Since he could change what he''d carry, it must also be a good idea to try doing the ritual.
"Then, I''ll bring the Grimoire, the Stormbringer, the Obsidian Amulet¡ Including my coat and pants, that would be a total of five Mystical Items." Vale thought to himself.
However, he could still bring out other items through Yvaine''s help, but he decided not to rely on this trick since that might be grounds for disqualification if they learned about it.
Anyway, the fourth student had soon entered the Tower.
He came from the Alchemy Arts Academy, and no one was really expecting from him. After all, they were known for their intelligence and craftsmanship and not for their fighting prowess.
As expected, he only cleared the second floor and decided toe out. He didn''t even bother entering the third floor since he didn''t want to get hurt.
Then, the next student to enter was Susan from the Elemental Arts Academy.
As a genius student who had learned Fire and Water Spells, it was quite expected that she would be able to breeze through the first and second floors within 4 minutes.
She was doing this quickly since if every one of them could only reach the fourth floor, the winners would be judged depending on how fast they cleared the floor.
In her mind, the highest floor they could probably reach was the fifth floor. What she wanted to do was quickly reach this floor and stay there for the longest time. Of course, if she could clear it, then that would be the best, but her hopes weren''t that high.
***
Susan calmed her breathing before ascending to the third floor.
"This was quite unexpected." She muttered.
The third floor had aplex Formation Art challenge.
Breaking the formation required precision and knowledge, as a single mistake could lead to dire consequences. The Formation Art had the potential to be more intricate or even turn against her, posing a threat to her life.
Fortunately, Susan''s dedication to her studies paid off.
During her second year at the Academy, she delved deep into the intricacies of Formation Arts, receiving special lessons from the esteemed Professors. Armed with this knowledge, Susan approached the challenge with determination and patience.
It took her several minutes of careful analysis and strategic thinking, but Susan sessfully deciphered the Formation Art and broke its hold.
As a reward, she received a Level 2 Formation Node on the treasure chest at the bottom of the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
Though not as valuable as what her family possessed, she epted it graciously, knowing its worth was about 7 to 10 thousand zen on the outside.
Since Susan barely spent her Elemental Energy, she ventured into the fourth floor without hesitation.
"So it''s a battle again¡ Come at me!" Susan muttered as she saw two wooden golems wielding heavy maces as their weapons.
"I''ll end this quickly¡"
Since no one was watching, she didn''t mind attacking with her most potent spell immediately.
It was one of her Fusion Spells!
Susan fused the powers of Fire Ball and Fire st!
The result was the summoning of three ming Sparrows, ethereal creatures wreathed in mes. The ming Sparrows swiftlyunched themselves at one of the wooden golems, unleashing fiery devastation upon impact.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, one of the wooden golems was reduced to splinters, consumed by the searing mes of the ming Sparrows.
With only one golem left, Susan''s task became significantly easier. She deftly evaded its swings, retaliating with her elemental spells. The battle raged on, but Susan''s mastery over fire magic proved to be the deciding factor.
In less than 8 minutes, Susan emerged victorious, the remaining wooden golem reduced to a pile of charred debris.
She stood amidst the aftermath, her chest heaving with exertion and a triumphant smile adorning her face. She had ovee the challenges of the fourth floor with skill and finesse, proving her worth as an elemental mage from the Elemental Arts Academy.
"Headmaster said she''d rmend me to the Order of the Lore Hunters if I cleared the fifth floor¡ Perhaps I could really do it?" Susan thought to herself as she drank the Arcane Energy Potion that she got from the first floor. It only recovered about 25% of her energy, but she was already satisfied with that. After all, if it was more potent than that, there would certainly be a side effect.
She couldn''t deal with any side effects right now as it could affect her battle performance.
She then took the reward on the fourth floor, which was a scroll containing a summoning circle, and she kept it inside her coat before ascending to the fifth floor with a hint of nervousness.
After all, Avery onlysted a few seconds inside this ce.
"W-what¡"
As soon as she entered, she immediately realized why Avery found this difficult to pass through¡
The sight before Susan was truly unsettling.
Standing before her was a creature that seemed straight out of nightmares¡ªa demonic being with a goat head, wielding a massive sword. Its imposing figure sent shivers down her spine, and she couldn''t help but wonder if Avery had encountered the same terrifying entity.
"Oh, my goddess¡"
Susan knew that this creature was out of her league! This was indeed unfair!
Chapter 452 Progress
Chapter 452 Progress
The increase in the difficulty of the fourth floor and the fifth floor was too drastic!
"Fine¡ Let''s do this!" Despite the mounting fear and the overwhelming odds, Susan gritted her teeth as she entered her Elemental State, summoned every ounce of courage within her, and prepared to engage in a battle against the demonic being.
Rooaaar!
The goat-head creature charged forward.
"Bring it on!"
Susan used the Elemental Spells at her disposal. Sheunched a barrage of spells, aiming to weaken and subdue her formidable opponent.
Most of the spells she had thrown were Tier 1 Spells like Heat Wave, Fireball, Wind de, and Piercing Gust.
However, the goat-headed creature ignored all these Spells and charged forward...
Bam! Bam! Bam!
All the spells hit their target, but the creature didn''t budge!
Realizing that Tier 1 Spells weren''t effective, she quickly used her movement spell, Wind Haste, to swiftly avoid the enormous creature that was wielding a sword.
"Tsk¡ I''ll just dy as much as I can. There was no way those other students could kill something like this." Susan said as she epted the fact that she''d be defeated by this creature. Even without using his Spell Fusion, she could tell that it would be useless against her opponent.
Furthermore, if she used her Spell Fusion, she would spend a lot of energy, and she might be defeated a lot faster. It was better to use her remaining power to preserve her strength.
She could only hope that she wouldst the longest on this floor.
Boom!
She was able to dodge another one of its attacks, but the rubbles that were thrown everywhere almost hit her. Luckily, she was able to defend against it with her Wind Shield.
''I need to do something¡'' Susan said in her mind as she couldn''t just continue running away. She had to at least slow down the movement of the creature.
She threw a few Tier 1 Spells that could restrict the movement of the demonic being¡ If they didn''t work, she would continue to use other Elemental Spells to block its vision and to hide her presence.
Unfortunately, after more than 4 minutes of battle, she already ran out of Elemental Energy!
The creature was unstoppable and didn''t seem capable of getting tired!
After a few more seconds of fiercebat, Susan found herselfpletely overpowered by the sheer strength and ferocity of the demonic being.
With one swift motion of its colossal sword, it struck her down, ending her valiant struggle.
"I tried¡" This was her thought before her vision went ck.
In an instant, Susan was expelled from the Tower, her body engulfed in a blinding light as she was transported back to the outside world.
Exhausted and disheartened, she took a moment to catch her breath and reflect on her encounter with the demonic creature.
''It was indeed unfair like Avery had said¡ If the fifth floor was already like that, then it was no wonder the highest floor on record was the 8th floor.'' With a sigh, Susan epted the treatment of the medical practitioners who had immediatelye to assist her.
"That was a good job, Susan¡ You quickly finished the first floor up to the fourth floor¡ You alsosted longer than Avery on the fifth floor. It''s guaranteed that you have a better result than him." One of the seniors in her Academy said in aforting tone.
"Thank you¡ I hope that my performance was enough to get into the top three."
Although her attempt had ended in defeat, Susan knew that the Tower was a ce of immense challenges and trials. It tested the limits of one''s abilities and pushed individuals to their breaking points.
It means that not just anyone could pass through the fifth floor, and she believed that it wouldn''t happen for the fourth-year and fifth-year batches at the very least.
***
The next student was Lexie Steen. She was from the Psychic Arts Academy and someone Vale was interested in.
It was unfortunate that he couldn''t see her Combat Power yet, as he needed to make physical contact with them.
That''s right, Vale could also see the Combat Power of someone else, thanks to the Upgraded Version of his System. However, he had to touch them physically, like he was trying to trigger his Extraction System.
He had already tried this with Maya, Philip, and others in the Vermont Academy whom he had met a while ago but not with the fellow participants of this Competition.
Most of them are averaging 200,000 in Combat Power. He couldn''t help but wonder how strong Lexie was.
Anyway, Vale soon realized why he felt wary of Lexie¡ She didn''t take that long to reach the fifth floor!
The other students and professors were also quite surprised by her performance.
Then, they saw the lights of the fifth floor lit up for a while.
Whom~
After ten long minutes, the light flickered once again. Vale and the others thought that Lexie woulde out but to everyone''s surprise, she actually ascended to the 6th floor!
Whispers and murmurs reverberated throughout the crowd as they marveled at Lexie''s seemingly unstoppable ascent¡
"What? She cleared the fifth floor?"
"No way! Even some seventh-year students couldn''t reach the sixth floor."
"Is she going to win thispetition?"
"If Princess Ceres stumbled¡ Then, she might really win this contest."
"Lexie is definitely the winner of this Competition."
The spotlight had shifted to Lexie, and the audience began to specte about her chances of emerging victorious in the Competition.
As themotion settled, Vale couldn''t help but anticipate what was about to happen.
"She did it!"
After Lexie stayed for about 20 minutes on the sixth floor, one student from the Psychic Arts Academy shouted¡
This had certainly excited everyone as Lexie Steen continued to defy expectations by clearing not only the sixth floor but also ascending to the seventh floor¡
She didn''t have any ns to give up, which gained a lot of respect from the audience. After all, if she got "killed" on the seventh floor, the rewards she had gathered from the lower floors had a high chance of being lost.
It means that Lexie truly wants to reach the higher floors for glory and not just for the rewards.
Everyone was left in awe of her astonishing progress.
Chapter 453 The Peak of the Tower
Chapter 453 The Peak of the Tower
"That''s weird¡ How could she reach the seventh floor?" Ceres muttered as she looked at one of her subordinates who was secretly guarding her.
This person was hidden in the shadows and was barely noticeable to other people.
"ording to the records that we have, Lexie doesn''t have this kind of ability. She had always been weak inbat and was only sent here to gain experience. It was impossible for her to have a huge change in just a month of preparation."
Her shadow guard answered in a method that she was the only one who could hear.
"Then, what was going on? How could she reach the seventh floor?" Ceres asked in annoyance. This was beyond her expectations.
"Forbidden Art, Princess. It would be possible if she used a Forbidden Art inside the Tower." The shadow guard answered. However, he also had another suspicion, but he decided not to tell her.
Ceres'' eyes lit up after hearing his reply.
"Then, there should be no problem disqualifying her in thepetition, right?" She asked.
The shadow guard thought for a moment before nodding.
"If we could find some traces, then it should be possible. However, I suggest not to use her if we couldn''t find evidence."
"Tsk¡ Then, it might not be easy to do that. If she dared to use a Forbidden Art, she should be confident of hiding it from other people as long as she doesn''t have a witness." Ceres faintly smiled as she thought that this would be an easy win for her.
It was a pity that the Forbidden Arts of the Holy Arts Faction were too obvious. It would typically change the caster''s appearance, and it couldst for days. There was no way she could use that to gain an advantage in this Tower Ascension.
Luckily, Lexie''s advance halted at the 7th floor.
After staying there for more than 10 minutes, Lexie was soon taken out.
As soon as she appeared outside the Tower, her seniors and the medical practitioners quickly checked her condition.
They were all worried and excited to see the student who had reached the seventh floor.
However, she didn''t seem injured at all. She only seemed weakened in her current state, but there were no wounds whatsoever.
Furthermore, she didn''t ept the treatment of physicians as she quickly left the ce with her ssmates or seniors in the Academy.
Vale monitored their movement to eavesdrop on their conversation but realized none of them were talking.
Vale''s eyes lit up as he realized what was going on.
''Ahh¡ Are they using telepathy?''
Vale could only give up as he decided to forget about Lexie for now¡ Although he wanted to know more about her, his turn was getting closer, so he had to stay here for a while.
The next student to enter the Ascension Tower was from the Transformation Arts Academy. The young man didn''t even reach the third floor, but he was quite satisfied with the reward he obtained from the first and second floors.
Furthermore, no one was expecting too much about his result, so he wasn''t worried about the result he made.
The next student was from Kildare, the Knights Academy. It was none other than Geraldine, the gorgeous red-haireddy who had a unique sword style.
The Knights Academy seemed to have been known for getting better results in thispetition so the pressure around her was quite a lot.
Luckily, she managed to reach the fifth floor andsted inside it longer than Susan. Her vitality was indeed quite incredible as a Knight.
"I wonder why it wasn''t Amelia that was sent here¡" Vale muttered.
Geraldine had certainly left a deep impression on Vale after seeing her performance in the sh of Champions.
However, it was Amelia who had truly caught his attention among the students of the Knights Academy. After all, Amelia had previously summoned a bolt of lightning during her performance in the Spectacles of Talents, which made his Stormbringer react.
Amelia aimed to be a Storm Knight, and Vale was curious how an apprentice knight could fare against the Ascension Tower.
Anyway, thepetition continued, and there were four remaining Academies left.
The next student to enter was from the Combat Arts Academy, who had even failed to reach the fifth floor. His ascend halted at the fourth floor. He only sustained a few bruises on his body and quickly recovered, thanks to the physicians.
Then, it was finally Anya''s turn.
Vale recalled how this young girl could use a Petrification Spell. It was a powerful Mystic Spell that he wanted to learn if possible.
She had shown it once in the sh of Champions, and was unfortunately reflected by Ceres'' unique Spell. It was a bad match. If she wasn''t matched against Ceres at that time, she would''ve certainly advanced to the next round of the duel.
Whom~
As soon as she entered, a couple of officials arrived beside Ceres, informing her that it would be her turn next.
She needed to get prepared as she had to enter immediately once her name was called.
Naturally, Vale would be thest one to enter, and he didn''t mind it at all.
***
As Vale was waiting for Anya to finish her ascension to the Tower, he suddenly heard the Headmaster''s voice inside his head.
"Vale, do your best to reach the 10th floor. Even if you fail to clear that floor, you will still be rewarded, and I need you to give it to me. Then, I will return your shadow¡"
"Headmaster¡ Are you that confident in me? You just saw the result of the other participants." Vale replied with a hint of surprise.
With regards to handing over the reward that he gets in the Tower, Vale didn''t really mind it. With the System on his side, he could easily obtain something better, and it was just a matter of time.
Jean smiled at Vale''s question.
"Yes¡ However, I know that you''ll achieve something big. I already asked the Dark Seer about it. It''s probably rted to your special physique, dark spirit, or your Malefic Branch Dark Spells."
"Got it¡ I''ll do my best, Headmaster." Vale replied with a helpless smile on his face.
Anyway, now that his piece of shadow was getting closer to him, he would certainly do his best to clear this old Tower.
''I wonder if this Tower will get destroyed after I cleared it¡'' Vale thought to himself as he looked at the peak of the old and majestic Tower of the Roaring Summit.
Suddenly, an inexplicable sensation washed over Vale, causing him to freeze...
It was as if an unseen presence had fixed its gaze upon him, piercing through theyers of his being.
A shiver ran down his spine, sending a chill through his body, as he felt the weight of that stare from the peak of the Tower!
Chapter 454 Priceless Artifacts
Chapter 454 Priceless Artifacts
At that moment, time seemed to stand still as Vale grappled with the eerie sensation coursing through him.
Thoughts raced through his mind, wondering who or what could be observing him from such a vantage point.
He couldn''t help but recall the Dark Soul Tower of the Vermont Academy. That ce was also hiding a powerful entity, and he even made contact with it.
''Seriously¡ Is this Tower also dangerous?'' Vale couldn''t help but wonder.
No one had ever reached the 10th floor of this Ascension Tower since only 20 years old and below could enter it.
The strongest Arcanist that had entered this Tower could only reach the 8th floor. In short, no one could tell him what to expect on the 9th and 10th floors aside from the possible rewards he''d receive.
Vale immediately shifted his attention elsewhere as there was no point in looking at the peak of the Tower.
Luckily, as soon as he shifted his attention, the piercing gaze had also disappeared.
The enigmatic nature of the Tower only deepened the mystery, leaving him with more questions than answers.
"Wait¡ Perhaps bing a Half Celestial can cause some problems inside." Vale muttered to himself.
He had never considered this before, but his ''race'' might actually affect his entry to the Tower, which was restricting the age of people who could ess it.
As Vale sat in his resting area, a mix of trepidation and intrigue washed over him. He couldn''t help but wonder what awaited him beyond the Tower''s imposing facade.
The presence that lingered at the peak, though unsettling, ignited a curious fire within him.
However, there was no point overthinking this matter as he shook his head to erase his random thoughts.
With a deep breath, Vale nced at the light showing on the third floor of the Ascension Tower.
Anya didn''t take that long to reach the third floor. She was certainly faster than Susan from the Elemental Arts Academy.
After some time, she also reached the fifth floor, which seemed to be the greatest hurdle for all the participants.
As Vale was thinking that Anya might clear the fifth floor, something happened.
Whom~
21:42
Whom~
Suddenly, the lights on the fifth floor vanished, and a figure outside the Tower appeared.
Anya had also failed to pass through the fifth floor. She remained calm even with her failure and only shook her head to show her frustration.
The audience, including the professors and other students from the Mystic Arts Academy, couldn''t help but express their disappointment.
"I thought she could reach the sixth floor with her previous performance."
"I wonder if the two remaining students could surpass Lexie."
"Right¡ The two remaining students were from Holy Arts and Dark Arts Academy¡"
"It''s the third princess, so she might reach the seventh floor as well."
"That student from the Dark Arts Academy could not be underestimated as well. He had a decent record in thepetitions he had participated..."
Soon, Princess Ceres was called to enter the Tower.
She didn''t rush to enter like the others, and she even had the time to wave at the people who hade to support her.
As soon as she entered, everyone went silent as they were anticipating what floor the princess could reach.
At this point, their attention was also drawn to Odessa, the Royal Mage who was rumored to have defeated the huge Evil Entity that had appeared in the city without any help from the soldiers and other Arcanists.
This level of strength undoubtedly deserved the title of the Royal Mage.
Then, a few of the experienced Arcanists noticed something off with her expression.
Though her countenance bore the strength of a seasoned mage, there was a flicker of concern etched upon her features.
As Vale''s gaze shifted toward her, he also noticed the furrowed lines on her forehead and the slight tension in her shoulders. It was evident that her attention was fixed upon the highest floor of the Tower, just as he had been moments ago.
"Did she also draw the Tower''s attention?" Vale thought for a moment.
The worry in Odessa''s eyes mirrored Vale''s previous unease. It means that he wasn''t hallucinating a while ago.
''I wonder what entity lives there¡'' Vale sighed as he would be the one to enter next. He already got the signal from the officials to get ready.
***
In the meantime, Ceres swiftly ascended to the fifth floor of the Tower.
As she entered the hall, her eyes fell upon a daunting sight¡ªa demonic being, its visage adorned with a goat''s head and wielding a massive, ominous ck sword.
"I see¡"
Despite the intimidating presence before her, Ceres remainedposed, her determination unwavering.
A smirk yed upon her lips as she muttered.
"No wonder the others have fallen. You certainly look like a formidable opponent."
With a swift motion, she reached into the depths of her pocket, retrieving a small, intricately crafted amulet. It was one of the five Mystical Items she had been permitted to bring into the Tower.
As a wealthy princess, she had chosen only the most potent and coveted artifacts to aid her in this perilous challenge. This particr amulet had been gifted to her by her older brother, the First Prince.
The goat-headed demonic being, sensing thetent power emanating from the amulet, appeared wary and hesitated for a moment. Unlike its previous encounters, it refrained fromunching an immediate attack, a testament to the amulet''s threat¡
With amanding voice, Ceres called forth the amulet''s protective enchantment, her voice ringing out with authority.
"Come forth and protect me from this vile creature!"
As the amulet cracked and shattered into a thousand shimmering fragments, a magnificent sight unfolded before her eyes.
In the ce of the amulet, a radiant white-armored knight astride a majestic white horse materialized, ready to fulfill its purpose.
Without the need for further instruction, the armored knight charged forward with unwavering determination. The sh between the knight and the goat-headed demon erupted into a flurry of steel and malevolent energy.
Chapter 455 Mysterious Undead
Chapter 455 Mysterious Undead
ng! ng! ng!
The knight''s sword gleamed with an otherworldly light as it deftly parried the strikes of the demonic being''s ck sword. Each blow reverberated through the air, sending shockwaves of power in all directions.
Ceres watched in awe as the battle unfolded before her. The knight fought with a grace and precision that spoke of years of training and battle experience. She had no idea who this knight was, but he was probably at the level of a Grand Knight.
With every swing of his sword, the knight''s strikes grew more powerful, each blow pushing the demonic being further back. The sh of steel echoed throughout the chamber, apanied by bursts of magical energy and the asional roar of the demon.
However, Ceres could feel that the demonic being wasn''t being injured. The knight was putting pressure, but the enemy was still filled with malevolent energy that she could feel even from where she was standing.
It was as if the goat-head being was only waiting for the right chance to counter.
''Tsk¡ Do I have to use my other amulet?'' Ceres considered for a moment as soon as she noticed the gaze of the creature.
The creature was actually looking at her while fighting the white knight!
"Y-you¡"
This had certainly startled Ceres as she used her cloak to hide her presence immediately¡ Among the five Mystical Items she brought inside, two of them were the Amulets that could help her summon a special being, and the other three were support-type Mystical Items.
One of them was the cloak that hides her presence. The other was a reading ss that helped her with all the traps and Formation Circles, and finally, it was her ring that increased her Holy Energy Recovery by 100%.
Thanks to all her Mystical Items, she was able to conquer all the lower floors easily.
''Whew~ I''m now invisible from that demonic being¡ I hope my knight can kill it in time.'' Ceres thought as she knew that the amulet she used as a sacrifice could onlyst for 7 minutes since she summoned an impressive white knight.
Perhaps if she was a bit stronger and could help in the battle, she could summon a skilled swordsman or an expert archer, and they couldst for more than 20 minutes.
However, she could tell just from a nce that she''d die in a few seconds if she relied on her physical strength to fight. Although she was confident with her strength, there was no way she''d overestimate herself.
As the battle raged on, Ceres realized that she had to do something to help the white knight.
She stood firm, her eyes locked on the fierce contest, ready to provide support or intervene if necessary.
The struggle between the knight and the demonic being reached its climax, eachbatant pushing themselves to the limits of their strength and skill.
Soon, she found an opportunity to cast her Spell.
Holy Smite!
She doesn''t have many offensive spells, but each one of them could be devastating against a creature with an evil nature.
The Holy Smite drained almost all of her Holy Energy reserves as she used the Spell without limit.
The White Knight seemed to have recognized his summoner''s assistance and used this as an opportunity.
The knight gathered its strength and swung the sword with all his might¡
Then, with a resounding strike, the knight''s sword found its mark, piercing through the heart of the goat-headed demon.
A deafening roar filled the chamber as the demonic being dissipated into a cloud of dark energy, vanquished.
Thud!
The ck sword dropped to the ground. It remained on the floor, unlike the goat-headed being that had dissipated.
Ceres let out a breath as she confirmed that she won the battle.
''Is this the reward for clearing the floor?'' Ceres muttered as she approached the giant ck sword. She doubted that she could carry it with her.
Then, she watched as the white-armored knight, victorious but weary, slowly turned to face her.
The knight''s visor lifted, revealing piercing blue eyes filled with gratitude. With a nod of acknowledgment, the knight faded away, returning to the ethereal realm from whence it came.
"Cool¡ I hope my brother could give me more of these amulets." Ceres muttered as she recalled the face of the White Knight. She couldn''t help but blush just by imagining the knight''s full appearance behind his armor.
***
Outside the Roaring Summit.
As the Twelve Academies Competition unfolded, another group, consisting of merchants and Arcanists as bodyguards and their caravan, embarked on their journey towards the Summit.
Unfortunately, they encountered a sinister and formidable adversary.
Without warning, the peaceful journey of the merchants was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of a unique undead being. This undead being, armed with a sword, exhibited a level of intelligence and strategy that surpassed that of the average mindless undead.
It engaged inbat with the Arcanists hired by the merchants, exploiting their weaknesses and emerging victorious. To their disbelief, the second-ss Arcanists, despite their training in Elemental Arts and Combat Arts, were unable to ovee this lone undead opponent.
"Impossible¡" The head of the group was stunned as he saw the people he hired started dying one by one.
With a final swing of its sword, the undead swiftly dispatched the remaining Arcanists, leaving only the trembling merchants in its wake.
The head of the caravan, his voice quivering with fear, mustered the courage to confront the undead, asking, "W-what is it that you want?"
To their surprise, the undead spoke, its voice cold and devoid of emotion. "Take me to the city where the Competition is being held¡" The undead demanded.
"Competition? The Twelve Academies Competition?"
The undead nodded.
The merchant, realizing the dire consequences of resistance,plied with the undead''s request.
He wasted no time in organizing a carriage and instructing his servants to make the necessary arrangements. He delegated the task of transporting the undead to the Roaring Summit to two capable coachmen, emphasizing the importance of working together to ensure a safe and swift journey.
As the carriage started moving, a chilling smile crept across the undead''s face, relishing in the ease with which it had dispatched the Arcanists.
Its voice, barely above a whisper, betrayed a deep-rooted animosity as it muttered¡ "I will have my revenge soon... Vale, this time, I will not fail to end you."
Chapter 456 Vales First Floor
Unbeknownst to Vale, a powerful undead who had a grudge against him was rapidly closing in on his location.
Oblivious to the imminent danger, he stood captivated, his attention fixated on the progress of Ceres within the Ascension Tower.
Vale observed as the sixth floor of the Tower illuminated, a clear indication that Ceres had sessfully ovee the challenges of the fifth floor. This particr level had proven to be a formidable obstacle, eliminating the majority of students who had dared to venture further.
"As expected of the princess¡"
"I didn''t expect a Holy Arts Practitioner to have such an incrediblebat prowess."
"Indeed¡ She''s too different from the other Priestess I''ve seen."
"What do you know? She''s aiming to be a Pdin, not a Priestess¡"
"Whatever it is, our kingdom will surely prosper with such a talented princess."
The crowd erupted into a euphoric cheer, their excitement could not be hidden. Even Odessa, the esteemed Royal Mage, couldn''t help but disy a rare smile at this remarkable achievement.
''I wonder what kind of Mystical Item she got from her older brother¡'' Odessa thought as she observed the light on the sixth floor.
It seemed that it was a lot easier than the fifth floor as Ceres soon progressed to the seventh floor.
However, despite the jubtion surrounding Ceres'' triumph, a sense of foreboding hung in the atmosphere. After all, it wasn''t easy to progress from the seventh floor onwards. The people who had done so were less than 12 people, and they had all ended up as legendary figures in the world of Arcanists.
"No¡"
"The light disappeared!"
Simr to Lexie from the Psychic Arts Academy, it appeared that Ceres was destined to encounter an insurmountable obstacle on the seventh floor of the Tower.
The pattern was bing evident, as if the Tower itself conspired to test the limits of these exceptional individuals, challenging their resolve and pushing them to their very limits.
Just like Vale thought, Ceres soon came out as she failed to clear the seventh floor even aftersting there for over 15 minutes. At the very least, she had undoubtedlysted longer than Lexie.
If Vale failed to break her record, the first-ce award for thepetition would be hers.
At this point, Vale had already stood up and got closer to the Tower. He noticed Ceres'' expression, and she didn''t seem disappointed by the result she made.
As a matter of fact, Vale could see her delighted expression as she held a couple of items with her.
''It seems she got a decent reward from clearing the fifth and sixth floor¡'' Vale thought to himself as he waited for his name to be called.
After Ceres had received treatment from the skilled medical practitioners and was escorted to the designated resting area, Vale''s attention was immediately captured by the sound of his own name echoing throughout the surroundings.
His name was called by the Tower Official. It was the signal he had been waiting for, indicating that it was now his turn to enter the towering structure known as the Ascension Tower.I think you should take a look at
As he made his way towards the entrance, a symphony of cheers erupted from his friends and fellow students at the Vermont Academy.
Their supportive voices reverberated in his ears, filling him with a surge of determination and confidence. He even heard the voice of the Headmaster within his mind, offering words of encouragement and urging him to give his all in the uing trials.
"Alright¡ I will not disappoint you." Vale muttered as he looked at the Tower.
With a mix of excitement and anticipation, Vale stepped forward, clutching the enigmatic key that had been bestowed upon him.
As he crossed the threshold into the unknown, he was momentarily blinded by a brilliant sh of light. It didn''t take long to adjust his vision as he looked around the surroundings.
Vale found himself standing within the vast and grandiose hall of the Tower''s first floor.
At the center of the hall, his gaze fell upon the first challenge that awaited him: a wooden golem. Despite its aged appearance, the golem seemed to possess the talent of a warrior. It stood tall and poised with a wooden sword gripped tightly in its hand.
Vale couldn''t help but smile at the sight of the seemingly harmless opponent before him as he sensed no immediate threat. With his current strength, he just couldn''t feel threatened by this enemy.
"Let''s begin¡" Vale muttered as he entered his Phantasm State.
He knew better than to underestimate any challenge within the Ascension Tower. It was a test of skill, strength, and resilience, and Vale was determined to conquer each floor with unwavering focus.
With a steely resolve, he prepared himself to face the golem head-on¡
Without warning, the wooden golem lunged forward, its wooden sword poised to strike.
Vale remainedposed as he wanted to ensure that there wouldn''t be any sort of ambush or hidden weapons aiming at him while dealing with golem...
However, it seemed that he overestimated the first floor as he didn''t feel any movement aside from the golem¡
Vale wryly smiled as he invoked one of his most useful spells, Traceless Shift.
Through the mastery of his spell, the wooden sword disappeared from the golem''s grasp, reappearing in Vale''s own hands.
The golem, unaware of the sudden exchange, continued swinging its arms as if still wielding a sword.
Seizing the opportunity, Vale wasted no time. With a swift and powerful swing, he brought down the wooden de upon the golem, shattering it into countless wooden fragments.
Just like that, the first floor of the Ascension Tower had been conquered, a testament to Vale''s skill and determination.
As the echoes of the golem''s destruction reverberated in the hall, Vale took a moment to observe the surroundings to ensure that it had really ended.
However, as he saw the treasure chest materializing out of nowhere, he knew that the trial of the first floor had truly ended.
''So it was really just like that¡ Howe someone failed this first floor?'' Vale couldn''t help but recall the other students who had failed as he approached the treasure chest.
Chapter 457 Vales Tower Ascension ( 1 )
Vale looked at the wooden sword he was holding, and after noticing that there was nothing special from it, he threw it on the floor and focused on the treasure chest.
He wasn''t sure if it was the same for others, but he saw three items inside.
There was a vial of potion, a talisman, and a Spirit Pearl.
Vale wasn''t an expert in Talisman Craft and could not recognize its usage. However, he was able to identify that the potion was one of those expensive universal Arcane Energy Recovery Potions.
Instead of giving specific energy to an Arcanist, it helps the consumer''s physique to increase their recovery rate.
"Yvaine, keep these things inside the chest..." Vale said as he saw his shadow moving and rippling like a surface of water.
Then, he saw the treasure chest and quickly transferred the items inside.
Just like that, Vale was able to store the items without burdening his movement.
As Vale made his way to the next floor of the Ascension Tower, the people outside noticed some changes in the Tower.
The light that had illuminated the first floor dimmed while the second floor lit up. The speed at which Vale ascended was astonishing, leaving everyone in awe.
Not even a minute had passed since he entered the Tower, and yet he had already progressed through the initial floor with seemingly effortless ease.
Ceres and Lexie, who had previously held high hopes of securing the top two positions in thepetition, were taken aback by Vale''s rapid advancement.
They couldn''t help but feel a tinge of rm and surprise at his swift and seemingly effortless progress.
How could he have traversed the first floor so quickly, as if he didn''t even face a challenge and just walked through it?!
Meanwhile, Vale remained blissfully unaware of the reactions of his peers. With unwavering determination, he pressed on to clear the second floor of the Tower.
This particr level presented him with a Formation Circle that he needed to dismantle in order to proceed to the third floor.
"I''m not particrly well-versed in Formation Circles... I suppose I''ll just break through it with sheer force¡" Vale muttered to himself, contemting the best approach.
Although he possessed the ability to analyze the intricacies of the low-level Formation Circle, he decided that it would be more time-efficient to simply destroy it using his own strength.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Vale unleashed a series of powerful blows, shattering the threeyers of the Formation Circle with brute force. Astonishingly, he aplished this feat without even relying on his Mystical Items.
Instead, he relied solely on the might of his fists. Ever since bing a Half-Celestial, Vale''s strength had reached an unprecedented level, making it difficult to gauge orpare to others.
He believed it was wise to fully harness the potential of his own physical body before relying too heavily on external aids.
He wanted to do this to assess how much power he had gained since the higher floor would surely require a higher level of control of his strength¡
As Vale arrived at the bottom of the stairs leading to the third floor, he also noticed a wooden treasure chest.
"Are these Formation Nodes?" Vale muttered.
Upon opening a treasure chest, he indeed found three Formation Nodes. Each node possessed a distinct pattern, indicating that they could be used to create different Formation Arts.I think you should take a look at
Vale was intrigued by this discovery, even though he couldn''t help but feel a slight disappointment that they weren''t the Immortal Shards he had be familiar with.
Nevertheless, he stored the nodes with Yvaine''s help, recognizing their potential value in the challenges thaty ahead.
He wasn''t exactly sure, but he could tell that those three Nodes could help him create three different Barriers or Protections. None of them had signs of being an offensive Formation Arts.
Without hesitation, Vale ascended to the third floor, only to be greeted by the sight of a small cat.
"Mhmm?" Vale raised his brow as he looked around, only to confirm that the cat was the only living being in the third floor.
Uncertain of its significance or purpose, Vale cautiously approached the feline. However, the cat swiftly reacted, evading his advance.
"Ah, so that''s how it is... Do I have to capture you? Is this a test of my speed?"
Valemented as he realized that capturing the cat was likely a part of the trial.
Almost as if the very Tower itself could hear his words, Vale suddenly felt the air within the hall grow thin. It became clear that he had to capture the elusive cat before sumbing to suffocation.
The stakes were raised, and Vale''s agility and speed would be put to the test as he''d race against time to capture the cat.
However, Vale simply smiled as he realized what the test would be. If he used his Lightspeed Spell together with his absurd agility, he knew that there wouldn''t be a problem capturing this ck cat¡
But he had something in his mind, inside of using his Lightspeed Spell, he used one of his newly learned Beast Arts.
Wild Whisper¡
"Come to me¡"
Vale spoke to the cat using the Spell that had reached the Advanced Realm¡
Meow~
Just like that, the ck cat was momentarily dazed and walked towards Vale.
As soon as Vale caught the cat, it suddenly burst into a puff of smoke, and the surroundings of the floor returned to normal.
Thud...
What reced that cat was a treasure chest, confirming that he had cleared the third floor.
"Interesting¡ I wonder who created this Ascension Tower." Vale thought to himself as he nced at the wooden chest.
Simr to the first and second floors, his exploration of the third floor yielded yet another intriguing result.
As he eagerly opened the treasure chest, he was delighted to find three Mystical Items nestled within its depths.
These items, though seemingly simple, appeared several times better than the ones he got from the first and second floors.
As he held them, information about these items surged into his mind. Thanks to this information, he recognized the three items as the Amulet of Swift Steps, Crystal of Elemental Shield, and Orb of Arcane Insight.
Chapter 458 Vales Tower Ascension ( 2 )
Chapter 458 Vale''s Tower Ascension ( 2 )
The first Mystical Item that caught Vale''s attention was a small, intricately crafted amulet.
It was the Amulet of Swift Steps¡
As he held it in his hands, he could feel a faint surge of energy emanating from within. This amulet had the power to enhance his speed and agility, allowing him to move swiftly and gracefully in a short period of time. He could only use it three times a day and had to store it in a cold temperature once a week to ensure that its quality would not weaken.
''Not that bad¡''
This time, Vale decided not to keep this item inside his shadow and wore it.
With the Amulet of Swift Steps adorning his neck, Vale knew his speed had be even more exaggerated. Nevertheless, he didn''t mind it at all.
''I hope there''s a mirror around¡'' Vale randomly thought as he patted the amulet on his chest.
Anyway, he took his time to check the other items as he might need them on the higher floors.
The second item, the Crystal of Elemental Shield, was quite an enchanting item. It was a shimmering crystal, transparent yet radiating an ethereal glow. Aside from it being usable only twice a day, it was also an item that could not be repaired if damaged. It was quite fragile for a defensive item.
It possessed the ability to create a protective barrier, granting Vale enhanced defense against various forms of elemental attacks. It was unfortunate that it could only protect him from Elemental Attacks, but it was a good addition to his defenses.
With the Crystal of Elemental Shield in his coat''s inner pocket, Vale felt a newfound sense of security.
The third Mystical Item was an orb that pulsated with a weak blue light.
The Orb of Arcane Insight was a powerful tool that would unlock the depths of arcane spells and mysticisms.
By harnessing the Orb''s energy, Vale would gain heightened intuition and a deeper understanding of the ancient spells and enchantments he would encounter. It would also enable him to decipher cryptic inscriptions, unravelplex puzzles, and tap into hidden sources of mystical power. With this invaluable tool at his disposal, Vale knew that he would be able to navigate any traps or trapping formations with ease.
Unfortunately, the Orb has limited energy. As soon as it was consumed, he would have no way of replenishing it. At the very least, it doesn''t have any negative effects on its users.
Upon feeling a sense of satisfaction with the mystical items he had obtained, Vale continued his ascent to the fourth floor of the Ascension Tower.
However, what awaited him on this floor turned out to be quite unexpected.
"What kind of test is this?" Vale muttered.
Unlike the challenges that tested his speed, strength, and arcane abilities, the fourth floor presented him with a different kind of trial ¡ª a test of knowledge.
As Vale entered the fourth floor, he was greeted by the sight of a broken Ritual Magic Circle sprawled across the floor.
He spread out his Magic Zone only to discover that no other living beings were inside¡
It became apparent to him that in order to progress to the fifth floor, he would need toplete this ritual or the magic circle.
He surveyed the scattered materials strewn about the room, noticing candles, oil, incense, and various other objects that held the potential to aid him inpleting the magic circle.
Whether they are all needed, he wasn''t aware of it yet.
Fortunately, Vale had always been diligent in his studies, particrly in the realm of magic circles. In his second year, he had achieved a decent grade in Magic Circle Fundamentals.
In the following year, he had even ranked second in the Advanced Magic Circle ss, surpassed only by the exceptional Lisa Grayback. Moreover, the current year''s Ancient Magic Circle ss had proven to be rtively easy for him as well.
Armed with this knowledge and experience, Vale felt prepared to tackle the challenge before him.
"Let''s see..." Vale muttered to himself as he knelt down to analyze the intricate details of the broken magic circle.
His eyes carefully scanned each line, curve, and symbol etched into the floor. He noted the position of the half circle made of silver powder, as well as the cement of the candles, oil, incense, and other objects that surrounded it.
Vale''s mind raced as he recalled the principles and theories he had learned throughout his magical education¡ but he couldn''t solve it.
Vale scratched his head as he decided to just use the Orb of Arcane Insight that he obtained a while ago. Anyway, this item was meant to be used.
As soon as he poured his energy into it, the Orb pulsated with bright blue light, and his eyes also started to glow.
Then, he began to piece together the puzzle, mentally filling in the missing lines and symbols, envisioning how the magic circle was meant to bepleted.
He assessed the purpose and intent behind each element of the ritual, considering how they wouldbine to create the desired effect.
''Mhmm¡ This Orb is too good¡'' Vale thought to himself as he continued analyzing the Magic Circle.
The Orb, together with his analytical mind and deep understanding of magic circles, allowed him to approach the task with confidence and precision.
As he continued to delve into the intricacies of the broken magic circle, Vale''s confidence grew.
After carefully analyzing the arrangement of the scattered materials, he felt a surge of certainty that he could solve the problem at hand.
"Let''s begin..." Vale whispered to himself, ready to take action. With a steady hand and a focused mind, he began the process ofpleting the magic circle.
The silver powder was meticulously ced, connecting the fragmented lines and restoring the circle''s integrity. The candles were positioned in their designated spots, their flickering mes casting an enchanting glow. The incense was carefully ignited, releasing fragrant wisps of smoke into the air.
With the physicalponents in ce, Vale knew that the final piece of the puzzley in the incantation.
''But how would I know the incantation?'' Vale thought to himself.
Chapter 459 Vales Tower Ascension ( 3 )
Chapter 459 Vale''s Tower Ascension ( 3 )
Of course, since Vale chose the Ritual Branch in the Academy, he had some ideas about the incantation that must be used. However, he had no idea about the number of attempts he could use the Magic Circle that he had arranged.
After some thought, Vale looked at one of his mystical items.
Once again, he used the Orb''s ability and almost exhausted its energy.
"Mhmm¡ So it was like that." Vale muttered as various hints and clues became apparent in his mind.
It didn''tpletely resolve the problem, but he gained the proper insight on how to resolve this issue.
Given that the magic circle he was working with did not involve the entities of the Spirit World, he deduced that the incantation required would be rtively simple, serving as a direct reference to the Fifth Floor of the Ascension Tower.
Without hesitation, Vale began to weave the words of power, his voice resonating with amanding tone. In a melodic rhythm, he chanted in Oardic:
"By the sacred circle''s embrace, Let the path to the fifth floor be in ce. As I invoke this incantation true, Grant me passage, the challenges anew. May the mysteries of the Tower unfold As I ascend to heights untold."
This incantation was quite a typical pattern based on their studies, and he only made a few changes. It wasn''t something unique.
Vale''s voice carried the weight of his determination and knowledge, each word infused with intent. The incantation echoed through the room, resonating with the energies of thepleted magic circle.
A moment of silence followed as Vale noticed a subtle hum of Arcane Energy being triggered by his incantation.
Then, as if in response to Vale''s invocation, the Magic Circle ignited with a brilliant surge of light. The room trembled, and a gateway to the fifth floor materialized before him, shimmering with an aura of mystery.
"Whoa~ I feel like a genuine Ritualist this time¡" Vale couldn''t help but smile and praise himself for a well-done job.
As Vale''s heart swelled with triumph upon unlocking the path to the fifth floor of the Ascension Tower, he couldn''t help but feel a surge of curiosity about the mysteries thaty ahead.
After all, the Fifth Floor seemed to be a very difficult challenge that stopped most of thepetitors. Not just for the fourth-year students. It was the same for the higher-year students, ording to Anderson and the others.
"Right¡ My rewards first¡"
Before venturing further, his attention was drawn to a familiar sight at the bottom of the stairs leading to the fifth floor.
There, gleaming in the dimly lit room, stood a Bronze Treasure Chest.
It was no longer a Wooden Treasure Chest from the first to the third floor.
"So, am I getting a better reward?" Vale smiled at the thought.
He believed that the intricate engravings and ornate design hinted at the treasures it held within. Vale was certainly excited to see what was inside.
Approaching the Bronze Treasure Chest with a mix of anticipation and caution, Vale gently opened it to reveal three Mystical Items carefully ced inside.
These items were specifically crafted to aid in the creation of advanced magic circles, further enhancing Vale''s abilities in the mystical arts.
"Oh¡ It''s rted to Magic Circles this time, huh¡" Vale nodded.
The first item he retrieved was a Sky Crystal Prism, its multifaceted surface shimmering with an array of colors. This prism possessed the unique property of refracting and channeling magical energies, allowing Vale to manipte and control the flow of mana within a magic circle. With this mystical tool, his precision and control over the intricate patterns of magic would be greatly enhanced.
It was like a core to a Magic Circle¡ However, not all Magic Circle requires such an item unless they''re at a higher level.
The second item he got from the chest was an Ancient Rune Scroll, weathered and inscribed with ancient symbols. This scroll contained an unknown Rune, and he probably had to get this thing appraised since he had no idea how to use it¡ He had to get this deciphered, and he could only hope that it wouldn''t be too expensive.
The final item that awaited Vale''s grasp was a Spirit Inkwell, its ink infused with spiritual essences.
''Mhm¡ This was mentioned in one of our sses¡'' Vale muttered as he recalled his lessons.
This ink possessed an inherent connection to the spiritual realms, allowing Vale to infuse his magic circles with spiritual energies. By utilizing this mystical ink, Vale could enhance the spiritual aspects of his rituals, unlocking new possibilities and tapping into higher nes of existence¡ if possible.
''These things can be bought for 15 Contribution Points in the Academy, not bad¡" Vale nodded in satisfaction.
With these three potent Mystical Items in his possession, Vale felt that he had gotten richer.
After he kept the items in his coat''s inner pocket, Vale continued on his ascend.
As Vale stepped foot onto the fifth floor of the Ascension Tower, an eerie atmosphere enveloped him.
The air grew heavy with a sense of foreboding, and a thick bloodlust filled the hall. The surroundings took on a darker tone, illuminated only by faint, flickering torches that cast dancing shadows on the stone walls.
The hall itself was vast and grand, adorned with intricate carvings and symbols that spoke of ancient rituals and forgotten knowledge.
In the center of the hall stood a towering figure, bathed in an ominous aura. It was the goat-headed creature, reminiscent of the Baphomet from Vale''s past life.
The creature''s eyes gleamed with a malevolent intelligence, and its ck sword crackled with dark energy, casting an unsettling glow.
If the other students who had reached this floor had seen this, they would easily realize that the being they confronted was nothingpared to the one in front of Vale.
"So this we''re getting serious now?" Vale muttered as if he was talking to the Tower.
As Vale locked eyes with the enemy before him, he could sense the raw power emanating from the creature. This being was certainly stronger than the Evil Creatures he had met before but a lot weaker than the Evil Entity that was summoned in the city.
The goat-headed creature spoke, its voice echoing through the hall, carrying an unsettling blend of menace and slyness.
"So, you have finally arrived, seeker of Ascended Being. I am the Guardian of the Fifth Floor, tasked with testing your mettle and pushing you to your limits. Prepare yourself, for only those who prove worthy shall progress further."
Chapter 460 Vales Tower Ascension ( 4 )
Chapter 460 Vale''s Tower Ascension ( 4 )
"Oh? You can talk?" Vale was surprised as soon as he heard the being''s voice.
ording to the Headmaster and even the Seniors who had experienced entering the Tower, they had never encountered someone inside the Tower who was capable ofmunicating with others.
He couldn''t help but wonder if the other fourth-year students encountered the same thing.
"Wait¡ªDid you just call me an Ascended Being?" Vale asked as he suddenly recalled how he was addressed by the creature. As for the pressure being emitted by the creature, he was able to dismiss it thanks to his Phantasm State.
Nevertheless, the demonic being doesn''t seem to have ns to answer his questions.
Instead, it raised its ck sword¡
Without warning, the Goat-Headed Creature unleashed a deafening roar, shaking the very foundation of the hall.
The twelve pirs in the hall had even started shaking!
Whoosh~
Its sword swung with lightning speed, slicing through the air with a trail of malevolent energy.
Vale''s instincts kicked in, his reflexes honed through memories he had obtained while training his Shadowde Dance.
With a swift motion, Vale brandished his Stormbringer Sword, a weapon forged with ancient enchantments.
ng! ng! ng!
The sh of steel reverberated through the hall as Vale parried the creature''s strikes with deft precision.
He relied on his incredible strength and mastery of the Shadowde Dance, a sword technique that blended grace and deadly precision.
His sudden sword usage wasn''t just because he wanted topete with this weapon. Actually, Vale found himself unable to rely on his Arcane Spells.
A sudden restriction in his Spell Models limited his ess to the arcane arts. Though he possessed the ability to break free from these constraints, he made a conscious decision to embrace the challenge and face his foe head-on with his sword alone.
''It must be that roar¡ My Spell Dispersion worked passively, but it failed topletely stop its effects¡ Well, it''s at least weakened.'' Vale thought as he also felt worried that forcefully removing the restrictions would result in some unusual reaction.
Vale started considering how to end this creature while he showcased the mastery of his sword technique.
Each swing of his sword was met with a fierce counterattack from the Goat-Headed Creature, its strikes fueled by malevolent magic.
The hall echoed with the sh of their weapons that continued for another two minutes¡
With every passing moment, Vale realized that the Goat-Headed Creature had two other interesting abilities aside from the roar.
One of them was rted to Enhancement, while the other was rted to the Aura it was emitting and trying to corrupt his body.
''Alright¡ That''s enough¡''
Vale''s determination burned bright. With a stroke of his sword, he channeled his inner strength, his 100 Power Strands were activated!
Boom!
That attack surprised the creature as its sword was pushed back and almost lost in his hands.
Vale smiled as he had already analyzed the Goat-Headed Creature''s patterns and discovered its area of vulnerabilities.
With a surge of energy, heunched into a series of rapid strikes, his Shadowde Dance reaching its crescendo.
The Goat-Headed Creature staggered under Vale''s relentless assault, its dark magic flickering. Sensing an opportunity, Vale pressed forward. He summoned the unique ability of the Stormbringer Sword as bolts of lightning started arcing through the air with a final, decisive blow.
The creature let out a haunting screech. Its right arm that was holding the sword was torn off!
At this time, Vale jumped forward, grabbed the horn of the Goat-Head Creature, and dragged it to the ground.
Boom!
Without hesitation, Vale continued¡ He activated his Extraction System and focused on iming the Roar Spell.
Well, he only had one Spell Slot on him, so he could only take one more Spell.
[ Mystical Being has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
''Yes¡''
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100, Strength +0.4, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.1, Complete Conqueror''s Roar Spell Model, Malevolent Essence +40 ]
[ Avable Extractions: 4 ]
"Oh? What''s this?" Vale muttered. He was first surprised to see that there was already a value in the Essence he had extracted.
However, what surprised him the most was the remark telling him that there were four more avable attributes or properties that he could extract.
Of course, he immediately triggered the Spell and confirmed that it was the two remaining abilities of the creature, including the Corrupted Memories and Corrupted Essence.
Vale didn''t think too much of this since he no longer had a spare slot or Spell Light in his body. As for the Corrupted Memories and Essence, he declined to take them in his body.
''Right¡ Let me advance my Incorruptible Body to Perfection.'' Vale muttered as he felt that this was a good ce to advance his physique.
However, before that, he noticed that the Goat-Headed Creature''s form started dissolving into shadows, leaving only therge sword as his loot.
It seemed that the Extraction helped end its life faster.
After ensuring that he was the lone inhabitant of the fifth floor, Vale found sce in the center of the hall.
With a determined expression, he activated his Divine Extraction System. From the array of options, he carefully selected the Incorruptible Body and advanced it.
Just like that, his 15,360 Energy Points had disappeared, and he felt the changes in his body.
"It''s starting¡"
Vale felt a tingling sensation spread throughout his body. The air around him crackled with an intense energy, signaling the initiation of a profound transformation.
This was the first time he had advanced his Spell Model to the Perfect Realm, and just like what he thought, this wasn''t a simple matter.
Vale took a deep breath, mentally bracing himself for the uing ordeal.
"Ugh!" Vale gritted his teeth as the process was not without consequence; painnced through his being, searing his nerves and testing his endurance.
Waves of agony coursed through his veins, threatening to overwhelm him.
He endured in silence, refusing to yield to the torment. As each moment passed, he could sense his body undergoing a remarkable metamorphosis, adapting to the newfound power coursing through his veins.
Minutes stretched into what felt like an eternity as Vale endured the excruciating pain. Every fiber of his being screamed in protest, yet he persisted.
He had yearned for this moment, the realization of the Perfect Realm of the Incorruptible Body¡ªa state of being that had probably transcended mortal limitations!
''Isn''t that a bit too painful? Is it because I advanced it through my Energy Points and not through some sort of training?'' Vale thought to himself.
Chapter 461 Vales Tower Ascension ( 5 )
Chapter 461 Vale''s Tower Ascension ( 5 )
Hu~
Vale''s body trembled, but there was a newfound strength emanating from within him. The torment he had endured had not been in vain. With each passing second, he could feel his Incorruptible Body solidifying, honed to perfection.
He could feel that the transformation was already over, but the Body Spell was still active.
A surge of tion washed over Vale as he realized that his Incorruptible Body seemed to have gained a new ability.
Thanks to the Spell Model in his body, he could tell that he no longer just had a strong defense against Corruption or other invasive Spells like hypnotism and curses but also a physique that allowed him to be unaffected by his own Spell Dispersion!
This would allow him to just spam the Spell Dispersion if he encountered a Spellcaster!
Vale couldn''t help but smile at this idea.
He then shifted his attention to the ck sword. Aside from the Bronze Treasure Chest at the bottom of the stairs leading to the sixth floor, he realized that the ck sword might also be a reward.
He decided to pick it up, and to his surprise, his system was actually triggered!
[ Otherworldly Item has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes!"
Vale answered without hesitation. It was the first time he got this notification from an item that was not an Immortal Fragment or Immortal Shard.
[ Extraction Sessful. Phantom Sword Technique has been learned ]
"What?"
Vale was stunned as the Phantom Sword was sent to his mind, allowing him to learn the technique without any problems¡ Although he hadn''t tried using the method yet, he could tell that it would not take that long before he could reach an eptable level of mastery with this sword technique!
Just like that, Vale had learned a new Sword Technique!
''I wonder if I could also fuse Shadowde and Phantom Sword¡'' Vale thought, but he suddenly noticed the changes in the Hall.
The pir started shaking as if it was about to copse.
This was the signal of the Tower telling him to enter the sixth floor quickly.
Vale then took the items inside the Bronze Chest¡ They were three talismans and he didn''t check them and just kept them in his pockets.
Anyway, he wasn''t a Talisman Expert.
He then swiftly ascended to the sixth floor and met the next challenge.
"So it''s another battle?" Vale thought.
He found himself confronted with a different challenge. As he surveyed the Hall, his gaze shifted upwards, revealing a ceiling adorned with intricate webs.
The air hung heavy with an eerie stillness, broken only by the faint scuttling sounds that reached his ears.
His attention was drawn to a pair of crimson eyes, glinting in the dim light.
Arge spider emerged from the shadows, its legs skittering across the web-filled ceiling. But it wasn''t just one spider that Vale faced; his Magic Zone detected the presence of numerous arachnids lurking in the shadows, their presence sending a shiver down his spine.
Although he wasn''t scared of them, their sight was still quite horrifying¡
''I wonder how the other two defeated these creatures? Did we have a different challenge? Or do they have a special ability that works against spiders?'' Vale silently thought as he recalled Lexie and Ceres reaching the seventh floor.
The sight of the multitude of spiders engulfing the Hall already sent a chill coursing through his veins.
With a deep breath to steady his mind, Vale focused his gaze on the menacing creatures before him. His grip tightened around his sword, his mind calcting the move he had to make to eliminate all of them.
There was no room for hesitation or doubt; only swift and decisive action would see him through this tricky situation.
''Well¡ Since I just obtained the Perfect Realm of my Incorruptible Body and learned a new Sword Technique, I might as well put them into action.'' Vale mused¡
As the spiders closed in, he used his Stormbringer once again and charged forward using his Phantom Sword Technique, slicing through the air with lethal uracy.
Whoosh~
Each swing of his de was met with a flurry of retaliatory strikes from the spiders, their sharp fangs and venomous bites a constant threat.
Vale swiftly moved through the chaos, dodging webs and evading the lethal jaws of his arachnid adversaries.
''So this Phantom Sword is really good in one-on-onebat butcks in crowd control.'' Vale thought as he couldn''t help butpare his Shadowde to the Phantom Sword.
Nevertheless, as he continued using the Phantom Sword, he felt himself being integrated into it more and more.
His movements started appearing as if he had honed his skills through years of training and dedication.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With every spider defeated, another seemed to take its ce, their numbers seemingly endless.
''They just keeping¡'' Valeined, but he wasn''t worried at all.
His determination remained unyielding¡ He also felt that this was actually a good opportunity to make sure that his Phantom Sword Technique wasn''t just a memory in his head but also a technique that he could use in battle.
The sh raged on, the battle growing more intense with each passing moment.
Vale''s body glistened with sweat, his muscles straining with the exertion. After 15 minutes ofbat against the unending spiders, he could feel the weariness creeping in, but he refused to sumb to the slight fatigue.
The spiders may have outnumbered him, but he possessed an indomitable spirit that propelled him forward... Well, that was certainly his immense Force that he hadn''t fully used yet.
"Haha¡ I think I''ve mastered it!"
A triumphant chuckle escaped Vale''s lips as he effortlessly cleaved through four arachnids with a single powerful swing of his de.
His gaze then shifted to the imposing figure of the massive spider looming above him, its eight legs poised in a menacing stance. However, instead of rushing to aid its dying offspring, the spider remained eerily still, observing Vale with unblinking eyes.
A surge of resoluteness coursed through Vale''s veins. If the spider queen refused to act, then he would take matters into his own hands.
Vale then taunted the enemy above him... "Since you''re content staying put, I''ll eliminate all your offspring first!"
Chapter 462 Vales Tower Ascension ( 6 )
Chapter 462 Vale''s Tower Ascension ( 6 )
Since Vale had already established his proficiency with the Phantom Sword, he no longer hesitated to unleash his Arcane Spell. With resolute focus, he activated his Corpse Explosion Spell.
This Necromancer Spell that he extracted was already at the Advanced Realm.
It means that he could already target ten corpses and detonate them simultaneously!
''This is my first time using this¡ I hope that explosions would be strong enough¡'' Vale silently thought he selected ten spider carcasses as his targets¡ Then, he triggered the Corpse Explosion without dy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of thunderous explosions reverberated through the hall, obliterating hundreds of spiders in an instant.
The impact was so immense that the very foundations of the hall seemed to tremble. Amidst the billowing smoke and debris, only a few remnants of the arachnid horde remained.
"Whoa~ That was dangerous¡" Vale muttered as he even had to activate his Arcane Armor Spell to protect himself from the shockwave of the explosion.
Realizing that some spiders were still struggling, Vale swiftly summoned four Shadow Soldiers using his Shadow Soldier Spell to eliminate them.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
After a few seconds, only the Spider Queen stood defiantly, perched on the webs above.
Vale took a deep breath as he confirmed that all the small spiders were dealt with. Then, he shifted his attention to the creature above him.
"Are you going to attack or not?" Vale challenged, his gaze fixed on the formidable arachnid monarch.
The Spider Queen, seething with anger, retaliated by unleashing a barrage of webs while maintaining a safe distance from Vale''s deadly des.
Psshh~
Undeterred, Vale skillfully evaded the entangling webs, relying on his Lightspeed Spell.
Then, he suddenly maneuvered through the air.
Determined to take the fight to the enemy, he activated his Levitation Spell!
"If you won''te to me, then I shalle to you!"
Vale propelled himself towards the Spider Queen, ready to engage in a battle that he had imagined for a long time!
''An airbat¡'' Vale thought excitedly since this would be his first fight while flying!
As Vale soared through the air, he triggered his mystical weapon''s ability as well.
Soon, his body was surrounded by the crackling energy of the Stormbringer Sword.
Since no one could see him here, he didn''t mind triggering the power of this divine sword or the holy artifact of the Church of the Three Paragons.
Lightning danced along the edges of the sword, eager to be unleashed upon his enemy.
The Spider Queen, her eight eyes gleaming with malice, prepared to face this aerial onught with a screech that surprised Vale for a moment.
Luckily, it was still a Spell Attack, so his Spell Dispersion worked against it.
With a lightning-quick maneuver, Vale swiftly closed the distance, his sword ready to strike.
The Stormbringer Sword burst with power, its de shimmering with an ethereal glow.
Whoosh~
As he swung the sword, arcs of lightning erupted, streaking toward the Spider Queen with blinding speed.
Boom!
The Spider Queen, caught off guard by the sudden attack, attempted to evade the electrifying assault.
But Vale''s mastery over the Stormbringer Sword was already at a higher level.
He anticipated the creature''s movements, his strikes following its every dodge as if guided by an invisible hand.
''As long as you''re inside my Magic Zone, you''re not escaping from me¡'' Vale thought with a smile.
I didn''t take that long before bolts of lightning crashed into the Spider Queen, each strike delivering a surge of paralyzing energy.
The arachnid monarch convulsed under the onught, her exoskeleton crackling and smoking. However, it didn''t copse and continued fighting with its sharp legs and webs!
However, Vale continued moving like a mosquito around the huge Spider Queen. This was to ensure that his movement wouldn''t get predicted so easily and also to get used to the Levitation Spell since he had just recently extracted this Spell.
The air around them buzzed with electricity as the battle between the lightning-wielding Arcanist and the spider queen intensified.
''You''re tough¡ Just how did those two clear this stage¡'' Vale muttered as he realized that even the divine sword could not cut through the tough body of the spider¡
As for the abdomen that he wanted to target, it was wrapped by a tough silver-like web, and his sword would just bounce off of it.
Undeterred by the Queen''s resilience, Vale pressed on. His movements continued getting more precise as he controlled his Levitation Spell.
Vale weaved through the Spider Queen''s attacks better and better¡ His sword strikes also started growing more deadly with each passing moment.
It was certainly difficult to use his Shadowde Dance and Phantom Sword without the ground helping me, but it didn''t take long before he got used to it.
The Stormbringer Sword became an extension of his will¡ As if it was responding to Vale''s desire to end the battle, the sword pulsated with a stronger lightning energy.
"Haa!"
Vale used this chance and unleashed a devastating torrent of lightning, channeling the very essence of the storm through his de.
"EEekk!"
The Spider Queen, caught in the tempest of electrifying power, writhed in agony as the lightning coursed through her body.
The Spider Queen''s movements grew sluggish, her once formidable defenses crumbling under the relentless assault.
Finally, it fell to the ground¡
Boom!
Sensing its imminent defeat, the Spider Queen mustered a desperate final attack, attempting to ensnare Vale in her web of treachery.
Psshhhh~
"Hmph!"
However, Vale was prepared.
With a burst of energy, he infused his Darkness Maniption Spell to create a curtain that protected him from the web¡ Since he no longer has to use his Levitation Spell, which requires quite a lot of focus, he easily activated his other Arcane Spell.
After the failed attack from the enemy, Vale approached the Spider Queen.
[ Mystical Being has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Malevolent Essence +40, Spider Egg +50 ]
"What?"
Vale was stunned as soon as he saw the result of his extraction.
Chapter 463 Vales Tower Ascension ( 7 )
Chapter 463 Vale''s Tower Ascension ( 7 )
"Spider Egg?"
Vale muttered in surprise as he saw the result of his Extraction. This was such a rare result of Extraction, so he was momentarily confused.
"Ahhh¡" He immediately recalled that he could also extract "things" using his Divine Extraction System. He even had an Extraction Space where he could see all his system collections.
As he thought of checking the Spider Egg inside this Extraction Space, he noticed the Spider Queen started dissipating like a curtain of ash melting into the surroundings.
A Bronze Treasure Chest had also appeared at the bottom of the stairs leading to the seventh floor, simr to the previous ones.
Vale couldn''t help but smile at this as he checked his Extraction Space. There, he found the 50 Spider Eggs that were the same size as his fist. They were certainlyrger than normal ones.
"Why did they get extracted? Are they some sort of delicacy I must try?" Vale suddenly thought, but he shook his head immediately.
He didn''t expect that his first thought was to eat them¡
''I must be hungry¡''
Vale wryly smiled as he used the Analyze feature of the Extraction Space.
With its help, he realized that those Eggs were containing dead spiders.
[ Dead Silver Recluse Spider ]
However, the Egg Sac and the dead spiders could be used in Alchemy or even in Crafting.
This result also made Vale realize that he probably couldn''t extract a living being. Nevertheless, he didn''t feel disappointed as he felt that these Spider Eggs could be helpful someday.
As he thought of moving forward, he remembered one crucial thing¡
"Right¡ I should start the ritual here. It shouldn''t take that long." Vale muttered as he pulled out his Grimoire.
The seventh floor or the higher floors might be a better ce to start the Grimoire Summoning Ritual since the higher floors had a higher density of otherworldly energy.
However, as he recalled that everyone failed the seventh floor and that the highest record was the eighth floor, he thought of just doing it here.
After all, he might not have a chance of doing itter on due to some reasons that might arise.
"Very well¡" Vale muttered to himself. As he slowly recalled the things he had studied about the Summoning Ritual using the Grimoire.
Ever since he obtained this Grimoire, he certainly did his own research about the method to fill its page or to get a contracted being.
He knew that summoning a powerful being would require certain incantations with the help of the embedded powers of the Grimoire.
With a deep breath, he opened his ck Grimoire. Its ancient pages had very faint arcane symbols and cryptic writings.
Based on his studies, these symbols would be the ones helping him bind the summoned being.
Soon, Vale stood at the center of the hall, and he began the summoning ritual.
He used the de of his Stormbringer to cut his left index finger.
Then, He held his hand above the open book, tracing the intricate sigils with his bloodied finger, infusing them with his intent.
The air around him grew heavy as his words echoed through the chamber.
"From the depths of the Ethereal Realm of Abyss, I implore you to answer my call. By the pact of blood and spirit, I summon a creature of power to be bound by my will..."
As the final words left his lips, a surge of the Tower''s Mystical Energy filled the room. Then, a seemingly portal materialized before him, oozing with otherworldly energy!
Vale''s heart raced as he awaited the arrival of the summoned entity, his eyes fixed on the swirling vortex.
But to his surprise, a shadow of a demonic being emerged from the portal, but he could see its eyes, which were zing with fury.
It snarled at Vale, its voice dripping with disdain.
"You, mortal? No, you reek of Celestial essence. I will not be shackled to one tainted by their presence."
Then, the shadow of the demon returned to the vortex, and the hall returned to its calm state.
Vale''s brow furrowed in confusion¡ and frustration.
It was his intention to summon a demonic being as he had many questions about them. After all, these beings from the Abyss seemed to be too mysterious.
Of course, Vale could not do this in the outside world since it was prohibited to summon a demonic being.
"Very well¡ Let''s do a normal one." Vale muttered.
He reopened his Grimoire and adjusted his approach. He no longer used his blood, but instead, he cast the Moonlight Curse above him and started his incantation.
"By moonlit glow and starry night, I call upon the Realm of Light. Through ancient words and whispered plea, I summon you, fair one, to me.
From hidden groves and enchanted des, Where magic thrives and beauty cascades, Come forth, oh fairy, with wings of grace, Bring wisdom true to this mortal''s embrace.
I ask you, fairy, to join with me."
Vale couldn''t help but smile as he felt that he was really suited to be a Ritual Expert. Although he had only attended a few sses in the Ritual Theory ss, he felt that he really had a talent for it.
''It should be good now, right?''
Then, a soft breeze swept through the chamber, carrying with it the delicate scent of blooming flowers. From the corners of the room, tiny specks of light emerged, twirling and dancing in the air.
As the luminescence intensified, a graceful fairy materialized before Vale, her wings shimmering with iridescent hues.
The fairy regarded Vale with a curious gaze, her voice melodic as she spoke. "You have summoned me when you have a Dark Spirit? What is it that you seek?"
''What?'' Vale couldn''t immediately answer after the fairy pointed out that he had a Dark Spirit with him.
However, as soon as he heard the second question, he immediately adjusted his mind and replied.
"I seek your aid, noble fairy. I wish to forge a pact, to have your wisdom and magical prowess at my side."
Chapter 464 Summoner
Chapter 464 Summoner
Vale felt that he lost some points from the Fairy after learning about the Dark Spirit in his shadow.
Nevertheless, he didn''t immediately give up and asked the Fairy to join him.
The Fairy didn''t immediately answer and tilted her head, studying Vale intently. He felt a bit ufortable being stared at by the little being, but he remained calm and waited for the Fairy to speak.
After a moment, she finally smiled and nodded. "Your heart is pure, and your intentions genuine. I shall lend you my aid, mortal. But remember, our pact is built on respect and harmony¡ Make sure to protect the Grimoire and feed it with otherworldly essence so I can also get stronger¡"
Vale''s heart swelled with joy as he heard the Fairy''s response.
"Of course! I will protect the Grimoire, but what about the otherworldly essence?" Vale asked.
The Fairy didn''t seem to expect Vale''s question. "Mhmm? They''re essence from the otherworldly presence¡ Just check your Grimoire."
As she said this, the Fairy''s body dissipated and turned into many specks of light before rushing to the ck Grimoire that Vale was holding.
Vale watched as the Fairy dissipated and saw that a page in the Grimoire had the faint figure of the Fairy just now.
He could finally call himself a Summoner! With his Human Shapeshift Spell, he could undoubtedly create another identity as a Summoner.
As he inspected the content of the page, he finally realized what the Fairy meant.
Within the pages of the Grimoire, Vale discovered a detailed description of the Fairy, apanied by intricate illustrations that brought her ethereal beauty to life.
Below the illustration, Vale could see the long description of the Fairy.
Description: The Moonlight Fairy was a vision of enchantment, radiating an aura of grace and ethereal charm. Standing at a mere six inches tall, she possessed delicate features that mirrored the delicate intricacy of her wings. Her skin was luminescent, reflecting a soft glow reminiscent of moonlight¡
¡her wings, fragile yet resilient, were adorned with iridescent patterns that radiated the power of the moonlight. It allowed her to move swiftly and silently through the air. d in a gown woven from the finest silk spun by moonlight spiders, she exuded an aura of elegance that captivated all who beheld her.
Abilities:
Nature Maniption Lv1: The Fairy had the ability tomand and manipte the forces of nature. She could summon gentle breezes,mand the growth of nts, andmunicate with woond creatures.
Essence Absorption Lv1: As a unique requirement for her sustenance and growth, the Fairy relied on consuming the essence of mystical beings. By absorbing the essence, she could enhance her magical abilities, strengthen her connection to nature, and further unlock her hidden potential.
Healing and Restoration Lv3 ( Inactive ): Through her connection to the life force of nature, the Moonlight Fairy possessed the gift of healing. She could mend wounds, cure ailments, and restore vitality to those in need.
Illusionary Magic Lv3 ( Inactive ): With a wave of her delicate hand, the Fairy could weave illusions, creating fantastical visions that could deceive the senses and even create imaginary adversaries.
"Four Spells, but two of them are Inactive¡" Vale muttered as he realized that the Fairy was perhaps weakened after being bound to him. It appears that he had to give her the essence she needed so she could get back to her previous state.
As he thought of using the Malevolence Essence and the Fiend Essence for that, he suddenly felt the floor shaking.
It seemed that he already reached the limit of his stay here.
He quickly closed the Grimoire and went to the Bronze Treasure Chest.
As soon as he opened it up, he saw three items.
They were all Spirit Pearls!
Based on their size and the energy contained inside, Vale suspected that they were all high-grade Spirit Pearls.
''Three items once again. I think I''m doing really well¡'' Vale smiled as he kept the items before rushing to the stairs.
He recalled how Anderson and the others informed him that the rewards they''d get should only be a single item on each floor, and the Tower would rarely give two items at the same time.
Obviously, Vale was consistently getting more than that. So, he already knew that he waspleting a certain requirement that allowed him to get more rewards.
***
Outside the Ascension Tower.
Princess Ceres stood at the observation area and was now seated near Odessa.
It wasn''t because she wanted to garner more attention, but it was an order to ensure her safety due to the incident several days ago. As a member of the royalty, her treatment was certainly different from the others.
Anyway, her eyes fixed on the lights that adorned the first floor as soon as Vale entered.
As she continued watching for a while, the lights began to shift, moving upwards to the second floor, then the third, and eventually reaching the seventh floor.
At this time, it wasn''t only her who felt surprised but also many Professors and students who had previously attended the Twelve Academies Competition.
After all, the Dark Arts Academy didn''t have a good result for so long.
Ceres was confused and she couldn''t help but share her bewilderment with Odessa, the Royal Mage, who stood beside her.
"Lady Odessa¡ What''s going on? Does the Dark Arts Faction possess simr Mystical Items that can summon Guardian Knights?"
Odessa''s gaze remained on the Tower, and smiled at her question.
"Indeed, Princess. It seems that Vale has prepared quite a lot. Or perhaps the Academy spent a lot of money on this. However, if that''s not the case, then it means that his talent is really great. If he gets to reach the eighth floor, even if he doesn''t clear it, then his talent surpasses anything I had imagined. It''s better to take him to our side."
Princess Ceres, aware of Odessa''s fondness for all types of talent and her inclination to bring them to her Mage Tower, couldn''t help but smile wryly upon hearing this.
Chapter 465 The Seventh Floor
Chapter 465 The Seventh Floor
As the lights illuminated the seventh floor, Headmaster Jean let out a sigh of relief. Though he attempted to maintain an unaffected demeanor, a subtle smile gradually formed on his lips.
His bets on Vale were indeed right¡ From Vale''s mysterious Malefic Branch Spells, his unique Physique, his Dark Spirit, and his unusual fondness for corpses, Jean knew that Vale was special.
"I wonder if he''s really going to get the ring¡" Jean muttered as he looked at the people who wanted the DarkArts Academy to fail in this contest.
They were all frustrated right now since Vale had reached the seventh floor faster than the other two. If Vale couldst even just a minute, Vale was basically guaranteed to win and would obtain the first-ce reward.
This first-ce reward might not be as great as the reward on the 10th floor of the Tower, but it was something they had prepared for the third princess. Even if Vale failed to clear the Tower, Jean would be happy to see them giving up the reward to Vale.
***
Inside the Tower, Vale could somehow tell that the audience outside was probably shocked at the result he had made. After all, when Ceres and Lexie reached the seventh floor, everyone was also praising them.
"Now, let''s see what stopped those two from clearing this floor¡" Vale spoke softly as he reached the seventh floor.
He soon encountered the entity that had prevented the other two students from progressing beyond this floor. To his surprise, it was a perfect replica of himself.
The doppelganger standing before him possessed a slightly palerplexion, but in every other aspect of appearance, they were identical.
However, there was a noticeable difference in terms of the weapons they were wielding. The one that the copy wielded was a saber, contrasting Vale''s usual sword.
It appeared that the Tower could replicate his attributes but not his mystical items.
Vale wondered if the duplicate could also cast his spells, so he prepared tounch an attack to see if that was the case¡ However, the copy suddenly spoke with a confident tone.
"I am the superior version of you... the embodiment of your body and abilities in their fullest potential... This body is best for Saber Techniques and bes a strong Warrior and not a Spellcaster. Allow me to demonstrate."
With those words, the copy initiated the attack, and the battlemenced.
The doppelganger didn''t even wait for Vale to reply to his words.
Nevertheless, Vale decided to fight it with his sword techniques and a few support-type Spells as he was curious about what this doppelganger wanted to show¡
ng! ng! ng!
The sh of des echoed through the air as the doppelganger skillfully employed Saber Techniques that Vale had no idea about... However, he could tell that the Saber Technique was more sophisticated and beautiful than he thought.
"If this is all you got, then I''m not convinced!" Vale said as he skillfully defended himself, utilizing his Shadowde Dance technique to evade and counter the onught.
In moments of urgency, when his sword couldn''t keep pace with the rapid saber strikes, Vale resorted to his arsenal of spells.
He activated his Lightspeed, momentarily enhancing his agility to evade the copy''s strikes.
Then, his Arcane Armor materialized around him, providing a protective barrier against the relentless attacks. Vale even employed his Darkness Maniption Spell, creating shadows to disrupt the copy''s rhythm and open opportunities for counterattacks.
Although it''s not fair, the Spells are part of him since he was a Spellcaster and not a Warrior.
"I''ll show you¡"
The battle raged on, as the copy''s saber seemed to be getting heavier and sharper... Even just the wind created by its shes could tear the pirs and the floor!
"This is Saber Intent!" The copy shouted as if trying to teach Vale.
Vale had to use the lightning power of his Stormbringer to not be overwhelmed by this Saber Intent that could break his Darkness Maniption and even his Arcane Armor¡
He even tried casting his Spell Dispersion, but it had no effect. It means that the Saber Intent was indeed not a Spell but a power that only a "Warrior" could probably possess; he wasn''t entirely sure.
The sh of their weapons reverberated throughout the chamber as they exchanged blows a dozen more times.
Despite their fiercepetition, neither managed to gain the upper hand.
Vale even started using Spells like Ghost Hands and Corrupted Chains, but the doppelganger was somehow capable of emitting this Saber Intent throughout his whole body, making him slightly invulnerable to Spells.
Well, he could still see that the Corrupted Chains affected the copy, but it doesn''t seem to havee from an Advanced Realm Corrupted Chains. It feels as if he was only hit by an Elementary Realm Dark Spell!
"Interesting¡ Show me more." Vale muttered as he suppressed himself from using his Celestial Arts to end the battle quickly.
''Before I extract you, I want to see the full potential of this Saber Intent¡'' Vale thought to himself.
As the battle continued, their skills appeared so evenly matched that the battle eventually reached a stalemate.
"Can you see it now? I''m not using Spells but only my Saber Intent to deal with you. Once you''re defeated and out of this Tower. Stop your journey as a Spellcaster and start studying the Saber Art. It''s not toote if you change your path¡ You''re still young." The doppelganger said as if he really cared about Vale.
The doppelganger''s words struck a chord within Vale, making him realize that this copy might actually be looking out for him, albeit in a peculiar way.
However, Vale shook his head, a confident smile forming on his lips.
"I haven''t shown everything yet," Vale replied calmly, his eyes fixed on the doppelganger. "If that''s all you''ve got, then I''ll end this now."
As Vale decided to end this battle, he activated his Celestial Art, the Shadow Muttion, and aimed it at the doppelganger without notice.
In a swift and unexpected move during their sh, Vale diverted the trajectory of his attack.
Instead of targeting the doppelganger directly, he aimed at the shadow beneath them, cutting through it with precision.
The doppelganger''s right leg was severed, mirroring the exact injury inflicted upon its shadow.
Chapter 466 Memories
Chapter 466 Memories
It appears that the doppelganger wasn''t capable of feeling pain. The moment it lost its right leg, it didn''t scream or even show any hint of enduring the pain.
It was confused¡ However, Vale found this as an opportunity and continued.
Before the doppelganger could grasp what was going on, Vale repeated the maneuver, this time targeting the shadow of the doppelganger''s left arm. As his sword sliced through the shadow, the doppelganger''s arm was severed in perfect synchronization.
The duration of the Shadow Muttion had also ended¡
As the enemy was now weakened, Vale swiftly suppressed this mysterious enemy to the ground with his hand, preventing any further retaliation.
At the same time, he activated his Extraction System.
[ Mystical Being has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100, Strength +0.5, Agility +0.3, Intelligence +0.7, Fiend Essence +40, Echo Saber, Memory Fragment ]
"Oh¡ Did I extract his weapon?" Vale muttered in confusion. After all, the weapon should be just a lootable item he could pick up on the ground.
However, as he looked around, he realized that the Saber that the doppelganger was holding was still there. It means that the weapon he extracted was different.
"Where did thise from? Is it his Soul-Bound Weapon?" Vale mused. He knew that his Extraction System couldn''t extract something the target did not possess, so he could only make this guess.
As the energy flowed into him, Vale also felt a surge of strength and intelligence, assimting the doppelganger''s attributes into his being. Because he had already extracted other mystical beings with their attributes, he had already gained more than 1 point in his Strength and Intelligence attributes.
Furthermore, since he was already a Half-Celestial, each increase in his attributes was more significant than before.
Soon, the memories of the doppelganger entered his mind.
His consciousness was transported into the perspective of a Wandering Spirit.
Through this method, Vale witnessed the experiences of a wandering spirit who had possessed a man who wielded a saber as his weapon of choice.
''So this Wandering Spirit gained a lot of experience through this method?'' Vale mused.
He then realized that the possessed man wasn''t fully controlled by the spirit or the doppelganger.
As a matter of fact, the spirit seemed harmless and just taking shelter inside the man''s body.
Nevertheless, the man continued to dedicate himself to mastering the art of the Barbaric Saber Technique, honing his skills through relentless and arduous training.
Vale found himself immersed in the intensity of the man''s struggles as if he had personally undergone the same rigorous regimen.
This Memory Fragment he obtained had better effects than his previous Extractions!
The training and battle experience of the man felt like it was his!
"Ahhh¡ Wait¡"
Just as the man was about to delve into the teachings of Saber Intent, Vale''s immersion was abruptly interrupted, leaving him yearning for more.
The memory fragment he essed only covered the knowledge of the Barbaric Saber Technique.
"Urgh! What a pity!" Vale grumbled in frustration as the effects of the Memory Fragment dissipated. That Saber Intent felt so cool and he wanted to learn it!
''Haa~''
Vale wryly smiled as he felt that he had been too greedy. At the very least, he had gained valuable insights into the Saber Technique, expanding his repertoire ofbat skills.
"Shadowde Dance, Phantom Sword, and Barbaric Saber¡ I guess they weren''t that bad. I could probably pass as a Combat Warrior if I use my Aura." Vale muttered.
While he couldn''t help but feel disappointed, he acknowledged that even a partial understanding of the Saber Technique was a step forward.
He may not change his path like the doppelganger wanted him to do, but he certainly felt that this Saber Technique could be useful someday once he started roaming the world.
"W-what did you do to me?" A weak voice suddenly interrupted Vale''s thoughts as he realized that the doppelganger was still alive and pressed on the ground.
However, as Vale was about to answer, the doppelganger started melting into the ground¡
At the same time, a silver Treasure Chest had also appeared at the bottom of the stairs leading to the other eighth floor.
Vale''s confusion was quickly reced by tion as he saw the Treasure Chest.
"So it was indeed like that¡" Vale muttered.
The reward was a Wooden Treasure Chest from the first to the third floor, while from the fourth to the sixth floor was a Bronze Treasure Chest. ording to this pattern, the seventh floor up to the ninth floor would most likely give him the Silver Treasure Chest, and thest floor would be a Gold Treasure Chest.
Vale excitedly approached the chest and quickly checked its content.
"These are¡ Alchemy Ingredients?" Vale asked himself as he was confused at the contents of the Treasure Chest.
There was a red feather that was faintly emitting some heat, a ck stone that could absorb the surrounding light, and a blue scale the size of his fist.
Vale used his Phantasm State to do a quick inspection of these items. He may not know their names with this inspection, but he could at least see the type of energy kept inside them.
Soon, he saw the fiery fire inside the red feather, a drop of ck water inside the stone, and a tiny blue sphere of light inside the scale.
Vale immediately learned the affinity of these items, so he finally had a rough idea about them¡
He kept all of them inside his pocket, but he paused for a moment and decided to ask Yvaine to carry his loot inside his shadow.
He already obtained too many of them, and it might affect his movement.
After settling this, he soon stepped to the eighth floor.
***
In the meantime, as Vale stepped onto the eighth floor, a hushed anticipation filled the crowd gathered outside the Ascension Tower.
They had witnessed the lights on the seventh-floor dimming, leading many to believe that Vale''s journey hade to an end and he would be unceremoniously expelled from the tower.
However, to the astonishment of everyone present, Vale defied expectations and sessfully ascended to the eighth floor!
"There''s a light on the eighth floor!"
Chapter 467 The Past
Chapter 467 The Past
Someone from the crowd shouted, and everyone couldn''t help but look up.
This was an aplishment reserved only for the most revered and legendary geniuses. The collective gasp of amazement rippled through the onlookers, their disbelief mingling with awe and admiration.
"The Vermont Academy did it."
"They won the Ascension Tower this time."
"Is this their first time winning? They''re so lucky."
"Indeed. I heard the reward this time was incredible."
"Ahh¡ That''s right! I heard it was prepared for the Princess. Is that true?"
"What will happen now? Will they still give it up?"
"The organizers have miscalcted."
Whispers of admiration and astonishment spread like wildfire among the crowd. They marveled at Vale''s skill and undeniable talent. It was a feat that few had achieved, and even fewer had witnessed firsthand.
However, some of them had also started worrying since the first-ce reward was supposed to be given to the third princess.
As the murmurs of amazement echoed through the air outside the Tower, Vale arrived on the eighth floor, ready to confront the new challenge.
''This is the highest floor that has been reached¡ I wonder what''s the challenge this time.'' Vale muttered.
ording to his seniors, no one knew what to expect on this floor besides those who had reached this floor many years ago. For some reason, they had never shared what they had experienced on this floor.
No oneined about it since it wasn''t easy to get on this floor anyway. That information would not be helpful to many.
A magnificent sight soon greeted Vale.
The grand hall stretched before him, adorned with eight majestic pirs. The soft glow of candlelight danced in harmony with a bright chandelier suspended from above. The walls were adorned with old paintings depicting enchantingndscapes and captivating scenes from nature.
Yet amidst this grandeur, Vale''s attention was drawn to a peculiar sight at the center of the hall.
A small, unassuming pavilion stood out. It was as if it was inviting him to explore further.
Peering inside, Vale was surprised to find a person seated peacefully, enjoying a cup of tea.
Confusion and intrigue filled Vale''s mind as he felt that this situation was entirely unexpected. He was expecting a dragon or even a mythical creature to attack him, considering the previous floors.
Could it be an illusion? But the authenticity of the scene felt tangible, grounding his senses in reality.
"What''s going on here?" He couldn''t help but mutter to himself.
To his astonishment, the person in the pavilion responded to his bewilderment. A voice, weathered by time, carried through the air.
"Finally, a visitor after a long time. Come, join me¡" the old voice beckoned.
Vale hesitated for a moment, but his curiosity was piqued.
Vale cast various defensive spells and readied his Spell Dispersion. After that, he cautiously approached the pavilion, his eyes fixed on the enigmatic figure before him.
After getting closer, Vale asked¡ "Are you the guardian of this eighth floor?"
A hint of amusement flickered in the old man''s eyes as he considered Vale''s question.
"You can certainly say that. I am the guardian, but on this floor, we need not engage in battle. Instead, I am more intrigued by you. Your race should''ve been annihted by now. But here you are, still alive and... iplete" The old man responded, his voice carrying a sense of curiosity.
Vale''s eyes widened as soon as he heard this. The mention of his race, the Celestial Race, believed to be on the brink of extinction, sent a jolt of surprise.
''As expected, this old man is no ordinary guardian. He even recognized that I''m just a half celestial.'' Vale thought to himself.
Eager to learn more about his current race, Vale respectfully addressed the guardian. "Senior, may I inquire about what you know regarding my race?"
Although Vale was still wary of him, he couldn''t hide his anticipation as he prepared to unravel the mysteries of the Immortals or the Celestial Race.
Of course, he wanted to know about the old man as well. Why was he in the Tower? What should he do to clear this Tower and ascend to the ninth floor? Was he a Spirit living in the Tower? How could you even enjoy a tea if you''re a ghost?
These questions also came to Vale''s head, but they weren''t as important as the information regarding the Celestial Race.
"I only know some superficial things, but anyway, you can have a seat and listen to my story¡ We have plenty of time here..." The old man said.
Vale settled himself and listened attentively as the old man.
First, he learned that his name was Sterling Carlisle, a familiar name to Vale, but he couldn''t remember why.
Anyway, he began to share a tale from three hundred years ago. It was a time when the Arcane Arts had not yet reached their full potential, and the world was still shrouded in mystery.
In his youth, Sterling had stumbled upon a mystical artifact that bestowed upon him extraordinary powers, allowing him to break the limits of his potential.
He became a renowned Arcanist, revered as a Saint for his remarkable abilities.
However, he had no idea that his newfound strength came at a great cost. The artifact, known as the Arcana, slowly consumed his life force, ultimately leading to his demise.
Vale''s curiosity was piqued when Sterling mentioned the Arcana. The mystical items are categorized into different ranks, such as Regr, Mortal, Noble, Royal, Sovereign, and the legendary Arcana, which had remained unseen by anyone.
"Are you referring to the Arcana?" Vale inquired, his voice filled with intrigue.
Sterling nodded, his eyes seeming to gaze at the distant past. "Indeed. Do you possess any knowledge about them?" he asked, genuinely curious about Vale''s understanding.
Vale nodded in response since he already got some information from Prisci.
Philip was even kidnapped by the Secret Organization because of this. Furthermore, the Immortal Fragment was also called Arcana Relics by the Headmaster.
"Yes, I havee across some information about them." Vale replied.
The old man''s voice grew somber as he continued¡ "I see¡ Do you know that only the Immortals possess the ability to create these Arcana?"
Vale wryly smiled. "I already guessed that these Arcana can only be made by the deities or those with simr power. Ahem¡ What happened to the Immortals? Where did they go?"
A shroud of mncholy fell upon Sterling as he replied with a grim voice¡ "They ventured into the Abyss Realm and never returned."
Chapter 468 The Missing Path
Chapter 468 The Missing Path
Vale''s eyes widened as he didn''t expect the involvement of the Abyss Realm¡ However, now that he thinks about it, the Spirit Realm was also having a headache about this Abyss Realm trying to invade them.
Seeing Vale''s reaction, Sterling smiled and continued.
"You don''t have to be shocked. It is a realm of great peril and mystery¡ I''m not aware of the reason they invaded that Realm, but the Immortals sought answers and power beyond mortalprehension. s, their fate remains unknown."
Vale nodded at this and asked more questions about the Celestials.
One thing that the old man confirmed was that the Arcane Arts was already here before the appearance of the Celestials. At most, these Celestials assisted their ancestors in dividing the Arcane Arts into twelve different paths in order to lower the standards needed to be an Arcanist.
''This is not included in our history ss¡'' Vale silently thought. After all, the history they studied was basically after the division of the Arcane Arts and when the prominent families obtained the "blessing" in order to practice their chosen Path.
As for the story before that, it was probably not adequately recorded, so it would be difficult to teach in the ss.
"I didn''t expect that all we''ll talk about is rted to Celestials. The previous ones who had reached here asked me about the method to quickly increase their Spell Mastery or to give them advice regarding their Spells¡ Someone also asked me about the Tier 4 Spells that no one outside can cast anymore." Sterling muttered as he finished his cup of tea.
Vale gently nodded at this since he already had a method to increase his Spell Mastery effectively. He also believed that he had a bit too many Spells and that asking advice for them would be a bit too tough.
"Senior Sterling, I also want to ask about the Tier 4 Spells--No, I don''t even know anything about Tier 3 Spells since our Academy will only help us reach the Tier 2 Spells. Can you tell me where I can learn them?" Vale asked as he dared not assume that this old man could teach him.
"Oh? So you''re telling me that even Tier 3 Spells are rare now?" Sterling asked.
"Yes, Senior Sterling¡ Are they not rare in the past, Senior?" Vale answered.
Sterling nodded as he sighed... "Finding their Spell Models isn''t that rare, but Recording them in your Spell Light is a different matter. You still require some talent¡ Ahh, the reason I can think of is that it can result in the death of the Arcanists, so the government has restricted it."
"Mhmm? Recording Tier 3 Spells can result in death?" Vale was confused by this.
After all, recording Tier 1 Spells might be difficult and require months to be sessful, but they can be repeated any time as long as you have the energy to do so.
It was quite the same with the Tier 2 Spells but a bit moreplicated to record.
He didn''t expect that Tier 3 Spell Recording could actually kill.
"That''s right¡ As for your question about the ce where you can learn them, I can only suggest you go to the families that have received the blessings of the Arcane Path. This family must be someone you can trust since the Tier 3 Spell Models they might give you are modified and even turn you into a ve." The old man warned, which made Vale pause for a moment.
He didn''t think that he could be sabotaged with this method.
Thankfully, he learned this early, so he wouldn''t just learn a Spell Model he acquired and have them appropriately appraised first.
"I will keep that in mind, Senior Sterling..." Vale answered as he considered whether to just extract someone with Tier 3 Spells and hopefully get a suitable one for him or learn them on his own so he could have his own choice.
"Mhmm¡ As for the Tier 4 Spells, you are lucky since you have the essence of Immortals¡ªAh, the time''s up¡" The old man said as the Pavilion started shaking.
Vale wanted to ask more, but it seemed that he really had to move now.
"If you find the Path leading to the ninth floor, then you can consider yourself to have cleared this Tower. Good luck."
As the old man''s words echoed in the now empty Pavilion, Vale felt a surge of urgency.
The shaking of the hall intensified, and the cracks on the pirs grew wider. Time was running out, and he knew he had to act swiftly if he wanted to survive and continue his Ascension.
Vale focused and entered his Phantasm State and spread his Magic Zone. He immediately went into the state of heightened perception. He scoured the surroundings, desperately searching for any sign of the elusive stairs that would lead him to the next floor.
However, despite his efforts, the stairs remained hidden from his sight.
Realizing the need for a different approach, Vale summoned his loyalpanion, Yvaine, and called upon his Moonlight Fairy for assistance.
Theirbined efforts would surely yield better results. Vale also utilized his Spirit Vision, allowing him to perceive the ethereal energies that permeated the Tower.
"Tsk¡ I''m not skilled in this type of game¡ You have to check the Grimoire, so you''ll know my limitations¡" The Fairy suggested before retreating back into her page.
Vale had no time to waste onints or frustrations.
He pressed on, determined to find the stairs.
Crash¡ Crash¡
The Pavilion continued to crumble around him, and Vale felt that it could copse any minute now.
Desperate for any clue or hint, Vale resorted to using his Shadow Soldiers and Ghost Hands, employing their spectral forms to trigger any hidden mechanisms or reveal concealed pathways.
Yet, despite his efforts, the stairs eluded him, and Yvaine''s response confirmed the disheartening truth. "I can''t find the stairs¡" She spoke gently.
Feeling the weight of the crumbling Pavilion and the urgency of the situation, Vale knew he had to take matters into his own hands.
"Whatever¡ I hope this works."
Drawing upon his Divinity Points, he unleashed his Celestial Art, Aurora''s Embrace!
"Make way!"
The beautiful Aurora Energy enveloped him as he aimed at the ceiling!
Boom!
In just a few seconds, Vale created a hole leading to the upper floor!
Chapter 469 Impossible Challenge
Chapter 469 Impossible Challenge
The eighth floor was about to copse!
With the opening created, Vale no longer hesitated as he activated his Levitation Spell.
This Spell allowed him to defy gravity and ascend through the newly formed passageway. He soared above the crumbling Pavilion, driven by a firm will to see the next floor!
Whoosh~
As he emerged onto the higher floor, Vale felt a surge of triumph mixed with relief.
He had defied the odds and made his own path to the ninth floor. The stairs may have eluded him, but he had found a way to transcend the obstacles before him.
''That was an amazing¡ However, I didn''t get any treasure chest reward from the eighth floor since I didn''t pass it through a normal method.'' Vale wryly smiled as he felt that the Silver Treasure Chest on the eighth floor could have provided him with some expensive Mystical Items.
Anyway, he at least learned a lot from Sterling Carlisle.
Vale suddenly paused as he suddenly recalled why his name sounded familiar!
''Carlisle? Is he rted to Katharina Carlisle?'' Vale''s heart started beating faster as he felt that he just discovered something incredible.
Katharina''s soul was inside the Dark Soul Tower, and thanks to her memories, he learned about the Temporal Timepiece and its usage.
Now, he found Sterling Carlisle in the Ascension Tower and helped him understand the Celestials.
He couldn''t help but sigh in amazement as he felt it was a fateful encounter.
Vale then looked at the hole he created as he wanted to see the copse of the eighth floor.
However, to his surprise, the hole was already repaired!
"That was fast¡" Vale muttered as he finally had the time to observe the ce he had entered.
"W-what? Is this the ninth floor?" Vale eximed, taken aback by the unexpected sight before him.
He found himself standing on a circr stone tform, simr in size to the previous floors.
However, instead of being surrounded by walls, he was greeted by an expansive grassyndscape. There was a blue sky above him, hills adorned the horizon on his right, a sereneke shimmered in the distance, and a gentle breeze caressed his face.
It felt refreshing, so Vale didn''t voice out hisint for now.
Of course, he was still perplexed by this sudden change, as he couldn''t help but question the nature of this floor.
Doubts crept into his mind, wondering if it was an illusion designed to deceive him.
"What is the meaning of this? How am I supposed to conquer this floor and reach the 10th floor? Should I look for the path again?" Vale muttered to himself.
With caution in his movements, he began to explore the surroundings, albeit hesitantly.
He ventured only a short distance from the stone tform, wary of any hidden dangers that might lurk beyond. He could feel that the tform had some sort of protection since he saw how the hole was repaired so quickly.
His senses remained alert, searching for any clues or indications of whaty ahead.
As he carefully observed thendscape, Vale noticed a peculiar anomaly near the edge of theke. A faint shimmering light caught his attention, drawing him closer.
Curiosity oveing his initial reservations, he cautiously approached the source of the mysterious glow.
As Vale observed theke, a subtle movement in the waters caught his attention.
Ripples formed, growingrger and more pronounced until a magnificent creature emerged from the depths of theke.
Whoosh~
Waves of water reached Vale, so he had to use his Darkness Maniption to avoid being soaked.
What weed him was a mystical creature!
Vale guessed that it was a Water Dragon. This creature doesn''t have wings, but it has sleek, iridescent scales shimmering in shades of aquamarine and silver. Its eyes were filled with wisdom, and they seemingly held an ancient power.
''What now?'' Vale thought as he prepared himself to fight against a dragon. He wasn''t too confident since his Phantasm State could sense that it had severalyers of magical defense.
Nevertheless, he would certainly give it a try and unleash everything he got just to win.
As Vale was about to unleash his Call of the Divine Lightning, hoping that the sky above him would let him summon the lightning, the Water Dragon spoke.
"Wee, young Arcanist, to the realm of the ninth floor. To proceed further on your journey, you must prove your worthiness by passing my test." The dragon spoke without opening its mouth.
It seemed to be using telepathy, but Vale wasn''t sure.
"Test? So we''re not going to fight?" Vale asked cautiously.
"Gahaha¡ You can never win against me even if you have the blood of immortals flowing through your veins. I have the power to absorb the life energy of anyone I touch, and the power of your lineage won''tst long." The dragon spoke, ridiculing Vale''s statement.
''I also have a simr power¡ Let''s see who has a stronger absorption power.'' Vale wanted to tell this to the Water Dragon but decided to just go with the flow.
This dragon might hide the path leading to the 10th floor, and he doesn''t think that he could pierce the blue sky above him this time.
"Very well¡ Tell me the test I need to pass." Vale asked.
"It''s simple. You must demonstrate your mastery over the element of water¡" The dragon dered as Vale stood on his spot, confused by the weird test.
The dragon didn''t even stop and continued. "Control the currents of theke¡ Only by harnessing the essence of water and showcasing your understanding of its fluid nature will you be deemed worthy of progressing."
"Wait¡ I''m a Dark Arts Practitioner." Vale said as he summoned his spells to prove his point.
His Corrupted Chains appeared, enough to cover the whole body of the massive dragon. In addition to that, he also summoned his three huge Ghost Hands...
"So what? I''m a noble creature who controls the water. me your luck that I''m the one who''s awake. If you don''t pass the test before the sky turns dark, you''ll fail and I''ll expel you from this ce¡"
Chapter 470 New Challenge
Chapter 470 New Challenge
Vale was shocked to hear this.
''What an ipetent guardian!''
There was no way he could control the water! The test must be suitable for all types of Arcanists, and this mystical creature must be deliberately making it difficult for him.
''Should I just kill this dragon?'' Vale thought as he considered how to proceed with this test. There was no way he could control the water.
''Unless I extract your ability to control the water¡ Hmm... That sounds a great idea.'' Vale thought to himself as he looked at the water dragon, who seemed to be gloating at his misfortune.
However, he decided not to be rash as he felt that he had plenty of time. He would try itter.
"You mentioned that I''m unlucky since you''re the one who''s awake. Are you telling me that there are other guardians on this floor?" Vale asked as he recalled the dragon''s words.
The dragon didn''t immediately answer. This creature probably realized that he had spoken too much and revealed a secret.
"Hmph¡ You have to think of controlling theke''s water if you want to pass my test¡" The mystical dragon said before returning to theke¡ or at the very least, half of its body submerged, and only a part of him could be seen.
The dragon''s answer just confirmed Vale''s suspicions. There are indeed other guardians here. They might be sleeping or hiding in in sight like this dragon in theke.
"Will you stay here?" Vale asked as he looked at the submerged dragon.
However, it didn''t answer and remained on its spot.
''Just stay there¡ If I don''t find another way, I''ll take your ability.'' Vale muttered to himself as he turned around and looked at the surroundings.
He didn''t want to engage in battle yet unless he had no other choice. After all, it would be too risky as he might get expelled before he reaches the 10th floor. It would be a pity if he failed at this junction.
Vale sighed as he decided to explore the ninth floor for some time before deciding on what to do.
He summoned his Fairy once again and asked whether she could find another guardian on this floor that might help him other than the dragon.
"I checked the Grimoire and saw that you have Nature Maniption¡ It should also help you inspect the surroundings." Vale said before the Fairy couldin. He also exined what was going on in this floor.
"Yes~ I can do that much. The previous room where you summoned me was obviously not made by nature, so I can''t do something about it. But here¡" The Fairy spoke as shended on the grass to sense the surroundings.
She already started to seek out another potential guardian on the ninth floor.
Whom~
Suddenly, her ethereal form glowed with a soft radiance.
"Follow me¡"
With a flicker of her delicate wings, the Fairy guided Vale towards another location.
"Ah¡"
Vale soon noticed that the Fairy entered what seemed like a Formation Barrier. He noticed how the space rippled like water, and the Fairy in front of him just disappeared.
Vale followed suit and found himself walking through lush vegetation.
''Is this another room inside the ninth floor?'' Vale was confused.
"Hurry up!" The Fairy spoke as she noticed that Vale was lost in his thoughts.
"I''ming¡" Vale answered.
After some time, Vale discovered a majestic waterfall cascading down from a great height. Its pristine waters shimmered under the gentle sunlight, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.
Standing at the foot of the waterfall was a figure enveloped in an aura of tranquility.
Approaching cautiously, Vale realized that this figure was not a living being, but a beautifully sculpted stone statue.
Intrigued, Vale approached the human statue, his eyes filled with curiosity and a glimmer of hope.
''We really found something¡'' Vale silently thought.
"I''m not sure if it''s a guardian of this floor as well, but this statue feels unusual." The Fairy spoke.
"You did well, Moonlight Fairy. Is that his sleeping form?" Vale couldn''t help but ask after recalling that the other guardians were supposed to be asleep, ording to the Water Dragon.
The statue appeared to be made of polished obsidian. Its surface shimmered with hints of deep purples, blues, and cks, as if capturing the essence of the night sky.
"Ah¡ It''s awake¡" The Fairy spoke as she noticed the fluctuations of energying from the statue.
To Vale''s surprise, the statue came to life, its eyes flickering with a luminous energy.
"Mhm? Someone entered my garden without my notice?" The statue spoke with a voice that resonated like distant echoes.
"It wasn''t my intention to disturb your sleep, Guardian of the Ninth Floor. I came here to get your test to enter the 10th floor. The challenge of the Lake''s Guardian was impossible for me." Vale immediately replied to the statue
However, the statue didn''t seem to hear him and continued with his monologue.
"So there''s a Moonlight Fairy. No wonder you can enter my garden."
The moment he said this, the Moonlight Fairy immediately returned to the Grimoire, like she was scared.
After a moment of pause, the statue continued¡ "You seem to be a summoner, so you won''t be able to pass my test as well. You can try to look for someone else¡"
Vale immediately shook his head as he hid his Grimoire and answered. "I''m not a Summoner, Guardian. Please, try me."
The Sentinel regarded Vale with a solemn gaze, acknowledging the young Arcanist''s resolve.
"I''m the Sentinel of Shadows¡ Do you have what it takes?"
''Shadows? Perfect.''
Vale''s heart swelled with renewed hope.
"How can I prove my worthiness to continue my journey, Sentinel of Shadows?" He asked.
The statue''s spectral form suddenly appeared and extended a hand, offering Vale an ancient artifact¡ªa dark obsidian orb pulsating with a dark aura.
"To pass this test, you must unlock the secrets of this orb¡" The Sentinel exined.
epting the orb, Vale felt a surge of Dark Energy, but his Perfect Realm Incorruptible Body immediately activated...
Clink...
Just like that, the orb suddenly melted, and what remained was a shiny ck stone that triggered Vale''s system.
[ Shadow Orb has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
Chapter 471 Against the Dragon
Chapter 471 Against the Dragon
''I can extract this item?'' Vale thought, but he ignored the message for now, as the orb wasn''t his item yet.
On the other hand, the statue or the Sentinel of Shadows, seemed to be very surprised to see how Vale quickly passed the test.
"Mhmm¡ I underestimated your talent. You have demonstrated an incredible affinity to the Element of Shadow, young practitioner. You can have the orb as part of the reward."
"I passed the test?"
"Yes¡ You passed the test, and I can guide you to the path leading to the 10th floor¡ However, do you wish to be my disciple and inherit my legacy?" The Sentinel asked.
"Before you answer, I must tell you that being my disciple or inheriting my legacy is not included in the rewards set by the Tower Master. This is my own desire to find a suitable disciple to continue the legacy of shadows."
Vale was hesitant since he wasn''t sure if it was beneficial.
He then proceeded to ask some questions to aid him in his decision. The Sentinel didn''t mind it and answered his questions.
Unfortunately, Vale learned that bing a Sentinel of Shadow would have so many consequences. Although he would get to learn some awesome shadow spells, he would be in constant danger of bing corrupted. He would also weaken in sunlight but strong at nighttime.
Those two problems can be resolved by his Incorruptible Body and his Darkness Maniption Spell or Light Absorption Spell.
However, there is another problem.
If he inherited the legacy, he would have to fulfill the duty of the Sentinel.
It was to guard another realm for a period of time¡ It may take more than a decade!
He didn''t even care about that realm, so after he had considered the implications and responsibilities of bing a disciple of the Sentinel of Shadows, he made his decision.
He respectfully declined the offer to inherit the legacy and be a Sentinel himself.
"I appreciate the opportunity, but I have weighed the consequences and duties thate with it and I don''t think I can walk on this path¡" Vale replied with a solemn tone.
The Sentinel nodded understandingly. He didn''t even seem disappointed.
"I will respect your decision. You have shown your skills and you are free to continue your journey and enter the tenth floor."
At this time, the Sentinel waved its ethereal hand to split apart the waterfalls and show a path to the next floor.
Vale expressed his gratitude and took a moment to gather his thoughts.
"Before that, can I return and meet theke''s dragon first?" Vale suddenly asked as he looked at the Sentinel''s reaction.
This was the first time he had seen this Mystical Being react differently.
"Theke''s dragon? Aersus, the Soul Eater?" the Sentinel confirmed, a hint of caution in his voice.
"Is that his name?" Vale muttered before nodding his head. "Yes, that''s the one. I wish to have a final conversation with him before I continue."
The Sentinel considered Vale''s request and eventually granted him permission.
"Very well. You may go and meet Aersus, but be cautious. Remember, his nature is that of a Soul Eater. You have to return before the sky turns dark."
Vale smiled and thanked the Sentinel before tracing his path back to the territory of the dragon.
Soon, Vale found himself back in the grassyndscape.
He shifted his attention to theke and saw the dragon. Its body was still partially submerged in the water.
Sensing an opportunity, he decided to make his move.
He cast his ESP Spell to conceal his presence, ensuring that he remained undetected by the dragon for some time.
He then utilized his Levitation Spell to float silently towards the huge creature.
As soon as he had entered theke''s area, he activated his Lightspeed Spell, propelling himself towards the dragon with incredible speed.
Whoosh~
However, just as he was about to make contact, he encountered an unexpected barrier¡ª an invisible force preventing him from reaching the dragon''s scale!
"Tsk¡"
Realizing that he could not activate his Extraction System in this situation, Vale''s mind raced for a solution.
Aersus, the dragon, finally lifted its head and observed Vale''s attempt to breach his defenses, momentarily confused by the human''s audacity.
Aersus spoke in curiosity mixed with annoyance¡ "Iplete human, what are you trying to aplish?"
Vale ignored the dragon and tapped into the full potential of his Half-Celestial Body¡
Soon, a resounding crash was heard. Vale shattered the invisible barrier, finally making contact with the dragon''s body.
"You puny little human... How dare youy hands upon a noble dragon!" Aersus growled. He was certainly irritated as he prepared to unleash his draconic powers upon Vale.
However, to Aersus'' surprise, his energy began to weaken inexplicably. Confusion filled the dragon''s voice as he demanded an exnation. "You! What are you doing?!"
Vale, undeterred by Aersus'' question, continued with his Extraction.
That''s right! He had already activated his Extraction System, drawing upon the dragon''s energy, attributes, abilities, or whatever he could extract from him...
His intention was clear - to absorb everything he could from this dragon, and if possible, defeat it in the process.
But before Vale could fully exhaust Aersus with his Extraction, the dragon unleashed a powerful burst of energy, sending Vale flying through the air. The sheer force caught Vale off guard, surprising him with the dragon''s resilience and strength.
''You can still cast something like that? What a tough a one¡'' Valemented in his mind as he floated in the sky.
He saw several notifications from the system, so he knew that he had extracted a lot. He didn''t expect that this dragon was still filled with energy!
This had never happened before!
Nevertheless, rather than being discouraged, Vale''s smile widened.
"This is more exciting than I expected¡" Vale eximed as a dark aura suddenly started emitting out of his body without his notice.
He appeared to be eager to face such a powerful adversary!
"I''ve heard tales of your title as a Soul Eater, Aersus¡ " Vale taunted, his voice filled with confidence.
"Come at me! Let us see if you deserve that title!"
Chapter 472 Vale vs Aersus
Chapter 472 Vale vs Aersus
"Mhmm?"
Aersus, now intrigued by Vale''s audacity, contemted the human standing before him.
The Dragon''s irritation slowly transformed into a flicker of curiosity. He was aware of the young man being partially immortal, but that was it. Vale certainly had some abilities since he reached the ninth floor, but he was still wet behind his ears for a noble dragon like him.
"You probably used a strong sealing Mystical Artifact to seal a part of my power¡ However, even if I can only use half of my strength, you''re still no match for me."
Aersus decided to oblige Vale''s challenge since he wasn''t worried about being defeated.
"Stop spouting nonsense! Come at me!" Vale taunted as he moved back from theke. After he used his Spirit Vision right now, he sensed that the flow of energy was quite weird¡
It appears as if theke was replenishing the Dragon''s life force! Vale felt like it was cheating!
His first thought was to try and bring the Dragon out of theke so he could only taunt this creature into chasing him.
Luckily, it was quite effective¡
With a thunderous roar, the Dragon moved, its massive form unleashing a torrent of water that surged towards Vale.
The water intertwined with the Dragon''s ancient draconic magic, creating a formidable attack that threatened to overwhelm him.
''What''s this energy? It''s not something from the twelve Arcane Paths¡'' Valemented as he felt the power of the Dragon.
''But that''s not enough!''
Reacting swiftly, Vale summoned his Arcane Armor, a shimmering barrier of magical energy that enveloped him, providing a protective shield against the onught of water and draconic forces. The armor buzzed with power, absorbing the impact and deflecting the powerful assault.
''As expected¡ My Arcane Armor is on a different level since my Spirit Strands is so ridiculous.'' Vale smiled as he continued on his move.
He canceled his Levitation Spell and stood on the ground.
Utilizing his Lightspeed Spell, Vale moved with incredible swiftness, evading the crashing waves and maneuvering deftly amidst the chaos.
The Dragon was still controlling the water of theke as if it were his limbs. It appears that Vale was in a disadvantageous position, considering he was fighting in the territory of the Dragon.
However, he weaved through the onught, his movements almost too quick for the eye to follow. There was no hesitation in his movements.
As the Dragonunched another barrage of spells, Vale focused his energy and cast Spell Dispersion.
Whoosh~
The impact of Vale''s Spell Dispersion with Dragon Magic created a shockwave!
Boom!
Vale''s Spell Dispersion intercepted and dismantled some of the draconic spells, dispersing them into harmless sparks. However, Vale could only disperse half of the Dragon''s magical onught.
It was at least enough to find an opening¡
"You pierced through my barrage of spells?! Hahaha! This is fun!" Aersusughed.
However, Vale didn''t reply as he seized an opportunity.
He unleashed his Evil Eye, a spell he had acquired from the powerful Evil Entity that had caused trouble in the coliserum.
As soon as the Evil Eye was activated, Vale''s eyes turned ck, and the aura being emitted out of his body grew stronger.
"What? Are you also a Half-Demon?! How is that possible?!
The Dragon was taken aback, surprised by the intensity and strength of the Evil Eye''s power. He could tell that this time, Vale wasn''t using any Artifact or Mystical Item to activate this spell.
He was sure that Vale was using the Evil Eye like it was part of his body!
Dark energy emanated from Vale''s eyes as the spell took effect, causing disruption and confusion in the Dragon''s mind!
However, Vale knew that this wouldn''tst for long since Aersus should have a decent resistance against it.
"I have to be quick¡"
Vale soon spotted his chance to get closer!
Once again, Vale found himself touching the Dragon. However, this time, Vale was on top of the Dragon''s head!
He wasn''t exactly sure, but he felt that touching the Dragon''s head would give him a better result in his Extraction!
He didn''t even bother looking at the Combat Power of this Dragon and just triggered the System''s Extraction Ability.
As expected, the Dragon''s power surged through him, fueling his own strength and augmenting his abilities¡
''This is a different form of Extraction!'' Vale was ted to feel the changes in his body.
As the Dragon was still in a state of confusion, thanks to the Evil Eye, Vale had the time to check his first Extraction.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +7,500
Strength +1.50
Agility +1.10
Intelligence +2.15
Vitality +2
Draconic Essence +100
Water Dragon Scale
Complete Evolved Spell Light
Complete Tidal Wave Torrent Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
This was the first Extraction that Vale made. The Energy Extraction was undoubtedly good, and the Attributes were passable, considering that he was already a Half-Celestial and had a very high requirement.
Furthermore, he gained another Evolved or Golden Spell Light!
Now, he was quite excited to return to the Academy and get more Celestial Spell Models that were collecting dust in the library!
Vale could still recall the Celestial Art Spell Models he found in the library. Excluding the two that he already had, there were still four of them. They were the Ash Resurrection, Body Restoration, Avatar Creation, and Water Embodiment¡
He had always been thinking about which spells he would learn from these four, but now that he had two free slots, it wouldn''t be difficult to choose.
Furthermore, he thought of copying the four iplete and five not-too-desirable Celestial Spell Models in the library for his own research once he returned.
"Hmm¡ There''s no Dragon Egg, huh¡'' Vale silently thought as he checked his second sessful Extraction.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +4,500
Strength +0.75
Agility +0.50
Intelligence +1.15
Vitality +1
Draconic Essence +50
Water Dragon Scale
Complete Water Domain Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +2,500 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
The second Extraction provided lower energy points and attributes, but Vale was still ted as soon as he saw another Spell Model!
Unfortunately, he no longer has a normal Spell Light that can be used to he had to overwrite one of his current Spells.
Chapter 473 Almost
Chapter 473 Almost
As Vale was celebrating in his mind, Aersus finally stopped the Evil Eye from messing in his mind.
Rooaarr!
Angered by being caught with that Spell, the Dragon retaliated, attempting to unleash its own secret Spell!
"Give me your life!" Aersus spoke with an overwhelming pressure that Vale had no choice but to escape!
''He still has so much power after two Extractions?! Why is this creature so strong?!'' Vale grumbled as he felt that he had to give up for now.
This Dragon seemed to have an endless life!
"You''re not escaping!" Aersus said as he activated another Spell. It was a Dragon''s Breath, but it wasn''t meant to attack Vale.
Instead, it was to spread a blue mist everywhere! Furthermore, while doing this, the Dragon didn''t stop trying to suck Vale''s soul¡
"Haa!"
Vale would certainly not let his soul be taken by the Water Dragon.
He trusted in his Perfect Realm Incorruptible Body, Half-Celestial Body, and Spell Dispersion to resist the Dragon''s attempts. Furthermore, he pulled out his Stormbringer''s Sword and unleashed its power!
Vale had always limited this Soulbound Weapon since it was too overpowered and could harm almost everyone in the surroundings, including his allies or friends.
However, there was no point in doing that anymore as he partnered it with his Call of the Divine Lightning!
He wasn''t sure if this would be effective, but he hoped that the sky above them wasn''t just some sort of realistic painting but a real one that could summon storm clouds. After all, his Divine Lightning Spell wouldn''t just magically produce a bolt of lightning, it still requires the dark clouds as a catalyst.
Luckily, he was not disappointed.
Dark clouds gathered above, and streaks of lightning started to form¡ Vale then his Divine Sense to figure out the location of the Dragon.
Crackle~
Aersus was already frustrated that he was taking too much time taking the soul of the small half-demon half-immortal he was fighting. It seemed to be due to the sealing power of his opponent. He didn''t know how Vale did that, but it was too effective against a dragon like him.
He must find a way to break the Mystical Artifact that Vale was using to seal his powers!
''W-what?!''
However, before Aersus could find a way to find Vale''s artifact or his weakness, he sensed something ominous looming above him.
Boom!
He barely managed to shift his scales to defend against the lightning! And it was not enough!
"Gaarghh!" The Dragon cried in pain as the Divine Lightning hit him! It was his first time getting hit but such a Spell!
''You''re still alive?! How tough¡'' Vale was surprised as he felt the vitality of the Dragon was still powerful.
He then used his Shadow Muttion this time.
Since the Dragon was still paralyzed from the lightning, Vale was able to cast another Celestial Art. As soon as the Spell hit Aersus, Vale used his Stormbringer Sword to cut the Dragon''s shadows four times!
This caused another round of painful cries as Vale''s attack bypassed the sturdiness of the Dragon''s scales and directly cut the creature!
Nevertheless, the Dragon''s body wasn''t mutted.
It was due to the huge shadow that Vale failed to cut it cleanly.
"This Dragon is too healthy! Just how many lives do you have?!" Vale felt frustrated as he felt that his Force had been halved already. It seemed quite a lot, but it must be remembered that his Force or Arcane Energy had already reached the level of the Master Arcanists.
"Y-you insect! How dare you injure a noble dragon''s body!" The Dragon shouted in anger, and energy seemed to continuously flow throughout his body!
''Tsk¡ It seems that you can gather the power of theke even if you''re not submerged.'' Vale concluded after seeing Aersus'' unusual vitality.
At this time, Aersus already stopped trying to take Vale''s soul. For some reason, it was just not working.
Vale''s soul remained intact, untouchable by the Dragon''s secret Spell.
The battle raged on, both Vale and the Dragon pushing themselves to the limits of their power.
Spells shed, waves of energy were slowly destroying the surroundings, and the air was heavily infused with Arcane Energy of the two beings.
Once the cooldown of Vale''s Celestial Arts was done, he would immediately cast them to heavily injure Aersus.
However, Aersus would continuously use the healing powers of theke.
At this point, it seemed that Vale would inevitably fail in the end since his Force was slowly draining, and his recovery speed couldn''t keep up.
Aersus knew this as well.
However, Vale found another opportunity to use his Extraction System!
Once again, the Dragon''s energy surged into him¡ It seemed that he took a lot of Draconic Essence this time!
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +2,500
Strength +0.45
Agility +0.40
Intelligence +0.75
Vitality +1
Draconic Essence +500
Water Dragon Scale ]
It was as if Vale hit a critical hit in his extraction and took a huge amount of Essence from the Dragon that it failed to recover in time!
Vale then used this opportunity to use his Divine Lightning onest time!
Boom!
Finally, the once-mighty creature staggered, its energy depleted, and its will broken. Vale stood triumphant, a mixture of exhaustion and satisfaction filling his being.
However, he wasn''t done yet. The Dragon was still alive, and although weak, theke was still trying to revive the Dragon.
Vale sensed this and cast his Mystical Spell.
Soul Bind!
This Spell was only meant to be cast on living things, so Vale didn''t have plenty of chances to use it. After all, this Spell was too cruel. Even if he wants to get a pet, he also won''t use this method as he would pity himself.
As for the reason why Vale wanted to use this Spell on the Dragon, he simply didn''t want to waste such precious materials.
If possible, he wanted to sell this Dragon or keep it with him and make him a source of his Energy Points and attributes.
Anyway, the Soul Bind Spell hit the Dragon!
Vale knew that he had seeded in binding the Dragon!
Unfortunately, something unexpected happened.
The Dragon seemed to have realized that his soul was about to be enved by the half-demon and half-immortal that he despises so much.
So before the Soul Bind hadpletely restricted him, Aersus destroyed his own soul.
Chapter 474 Successful Ascension
Chapter 474 Sessful Ascension
Sensing the death of the "noble" dragon, Vale was stunned and was unable to immediately react.
''He''d rather die than be a ve, huh¡ I guess he''s indeed a proud dragon.'' Vale thought as he picked himself up to approach the corpse and do his final Extraction. He was already too tired, and his current Force was only about 5%.
That dragon was filled with vitality¡
''No, thatke was doing so much for his recovery. I wonder if I can take it with me¡'' Vale thought.
Then, as he was about to extract the dragon, the ground suddenly moved, and the dragon''s corpse started merging into the grassy in.
It only took a few seconds for that to happen.
Vale was stunned once again.
Furthermore, theke also started drying up, and another path leading somewhere appeared at the bottom of theke!
''What?''
Vale could only think that this path was the one being guarded by Aersus if his visitor passed his test. There was also a chance that this was the dragon''s treasure trove!
However, Vale could not be sure¡ It could also be a trap, and it might even lead him outside since he didn''t pass the test properly. After all, there is no silver treasure chest on the path! It probably means that it was not the entrance to the 10th floor.
Vale hesitated for a while as he wasn''t exactly sure what to do in this situation.
But suddenly, he realized that there were changes in the sky!
It was about to get dark! He recalled the reminder of the Sentinel of Shadow.
''Tsk¡''
This time, Vale turned around and immediately summoned the Moonlight Fairy.
"Lead me back to the statue!" Valemanded. He might be overthinking, but it was better to be safe. He passed the test of the Sentinel of Shadow, and the path he opened for him must be safer than the one that had just popped out after killing a guardian.
"Alright¡ Follow me!" The Moonlight Fairy nodded as she knew that without her guidance, it would be difficult for her master to find the path.
It didn''t take that long before Vale found his way back to the statue. The waterfalls were still split into two, and Vale could see the cave that should lead to the highest floor of the building¡
This time, the statue no longer greeted him, and it seemed that the Sentinel had already fallen asleep.
"Thank you, Sentinel of Shadows." Vale bowed at the statue for keeping his word and not closing the path.
Then, he entered the cave and, indeed, he found a silver treasure chest that should be a reward forpleting the challenge.
***
Outside the Ascension Tower, a hushed silence fell over the crowd.
All eyes turned towards the higher floors of the Tower, anticipation filling the air.
Suddenly, the light of the eighth floor dimmed, and then, to everyone''s astonishment, the ninth floor lit up, signaling that Vale had sessfully reached a height never before achieved.
Vale wasn''t expelled and was still continuing the Ascension!
Gasps and murmurs filled the surroundings as the realization sank in. The observers of thepetition had already be crowded.
Vale''s sessful ascent erupted into a mixture of awe, excitement, and disbelief.
"How is this possible?!"
"A fourth-year student is doing this?"
"Perhaps they sent a tenth-year student and introduced him as a fourth-year?"
"Fool! Only students below 20 can enter the Tower!"
"Then how is capable of surpassing the princess?! It doesn''t make sense."
"What else can be the reason? Of course, we''ve witnessed a genius?"
This was a historic moment, a feat that no one had ever aplished. The news spread like wildfire, and the significance of Vale''s achievement reverberated throughout the gathering.
Some people even started sending this information through telegrams.
Amidst the crowd, Odessa, the Royal Mage, stood in awe, her eyes widening with surprise.
Even she, with her vast knowledge and magical prowess, couldn''t help but be amazed by Vale''s aplishment.
She may not have had the chance to enter the Tower, but she met numerous people who had tried to clear this Tower, so she had a strong impression of it.
"So I''m witnessing an incredible event in the history of our kingdom¡ How awesome. I really want to get this kid in my Tower." Odessa muttered.
The Untainted Sentinels, re, and Teresa, exchanged knowing nces, their expressions filled with admiration.
They were already informed that Clovis or Vale would do something here that would do something in the Roaring Summit. However, they didn''t expect that it was through this method!
Teresa couldn''t help but mutter. "The Holy Seer was right... He really made a scene." She could only acknowledge the uracy of the prophecy.
re nodded at this as she recalled how she had only reached the 7th floor like the third princess before.
At the audience stand, Headmaster Jean couldn''t contain his excitement, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"The Dark Seer was right¡" he muttered under his breath¡ It seemed that he would really get the treasure.
''I must support Heinz even more. If he can make ten or twenty more Vale Chambers, then our Dark Arts Faction will be the strongest in the next few years.''
Meanwhile, Clyde of the Illustrious Liquidator, who had reached the eighth floor himself, shifted his attention to the Ascension Tower, his curiosity piqued.
He couldn''t believe that someone had surpassed the limits of what was thought possible for a human. Realizing the significance of the moment, he muttered to himself¡ "It seems that I have to meet this kid."
On the other hand, Vale''s friends and ssmates also erupted into jubnt celebration. Cheers and apuse filled the halls as they rejoiced in their fellow academy student''s incredible achievement. They knew that this would be a moment that would be remembered for years toe!
However, the surprise didn''t end there as the tenth floor lit up after some time.
Chapter 475 The 10th Floor
Chapter 475 The 10th Floor
As the tenth floor of the Ascension Tower lit up, another wave of surprise washed over the crowd.
It became clear that Vale was not only attempting to win thepetition but was on a daring quest to conquer the Ascension Tower that no one had ever done.
The mystery surrounding the final floor added to the anticipation. No one truly knew what challenges and treasures they could find inside.
The crowd could only imagine the trials and rewards that awaited Vale in this unexplored realm of the Tower.
As this realization sank in, excitement surged through the crowd.
Regardless of their chosen Arcane disciplines, Arcanists from all twelve paths eagerly awaited Vale''s emergence.
They knew that even if Vale failed to conquer the Tower, the experience that he had would be an important breakthrough for them.
Furthermore, if he shared the secrets of how to reach the 10th floor, it would greatly benefit their Faction.
They were all eager to learn from his experiences.
Suddenly, amotion urred, and more than 20 guards started surrounding the Tower.
Apparently, the organizers of thepetition quickly recognized the significance of Vale''s achievement and took measures to ensure his safety once he came out.
Guards from three Arcane Paths were called in to surround the Ascension Tower, standing ready to protect Vale once he emerged from the Tower.
The crowd watched with bated breath, their eyes fixed on the Tower''s highest floor, waiting for the historic moment when Vale would step out.
Among those observing the scene was Princess Ceres, who felt that this situation was getting uncontroble.
''I should''ve stopped him from participating from the start.'' Ceres thought as she felt that it was a pity that a Dark Arts Practitioner would get the first-ce reward for thispetition.
However, as she watched the crowd''s anticipation and the measures taken to safeguard Vale, she couldn''t help but feel a mixture of admiration and resignation.
She could only ept that Vale was not just an ordinarypetitor but a true genius of this generation.
"I guess the Chambers Family will rise once again." Odessa muttered as her eyes seemed to look at a distant past.
"Is that a powerful n before? Anyway, I think it would be great to bring him to your Mage Tower¡" Ceresmented.
Odessa smiled at her question.
"Indeed. Will you help me invite him? I think that if he enters my Tower, the discrimination amongst the Dark Magicians will lessen."
"Mhmm¡ Since we can''t beat him in thispetition, it''s a good idea to bring him in. I also want to know what rewards he''ll be taking out of the Tower." Ceres agreed as she nced at the location of the Vermont Academy''s Headmaster.
***
In the meantime, as this was all happening, a blurry figure materialized beside Headmaster Jean, causing him to shift his attention from the Tower.
Cloaked in a garment that concealed his presence, the figure belonged to the Dark Arts Faction''s Order of the Evanescent Vessel.
With a sense of urgency, the cloaked member delivered a report to Headmaster Jean.
"Sir, a Failed Vessel was rushing to this ce. He will be intercepted by the Untainted Sentinels if he doesn''t stop. We''re guessing that he''s targeting Vale Chambers, so we wish to hear your opinion."
There was no doubt that if Failed Vessel continued his approach, he would undoubtedly be intercepted by the formidable Untainted Sentinels. Especially now with the heightened security since a terrorist attack had just urred a few days ago.
Jean''s brows furrowed in concern upon hearing the news. "Which Failed Vessel is it?"
The cloaked figure hesitated for a moment before responding¡ "We assume that it is Wilfred from the Moontomb n, Sir."
As realization dawned upon Jean, he let out a sigh of exasperation.
Shaking his head, Jean made a decision.
"That kid didn''t know what''s good for him. Block his path." Hemanded with a stern voice.
"Inform him that we will give him a chance to face Vale once thepetition has concluded. Perhaps that will quell his misguided ambitions."
Understanding the gravity of the situation, the cloaked figure nodded in acknowledgment. "I understand, Headmaster. I will ry the message to the squad immediately."
With those words, the cloaked member of the Evanescent Vessel melted into the shadows, blending seamlessly into the surroundings and disappearing from sight.
***
Inside the Tower, Vale carefully examined the three items he had obtained from the Silver Treasure Chest,
He simply used Phantasm State''s ability to roughly guess the alignment of these items.
To his satisfaction, these rewards were far from disappointing and appeared to be intricately connected to the test he had sessfully ovee.
''As expected of the ninth floor, they were quite generous¡ It would''ve been better if I also got the eighth floor''s rewards.'' Vale thought as he recalled how he failed to get a physical reward from the eighth floor.
Anyway, all three items were imbued with the essence of darkness: a Necronomicon, a Mirror, and a Candle.
He wasn''t sure about their effects, so he didn''t dare experiment on them until he got them appraised outside.
He could sense the inherent danger they possessed, particrly the Mirror, which emitted an ominous aura.
"Yvaine¡"
Recognizing the potential risks involved, Vale swiftly summoned Dark Spirit Yvaine and entrusted her with safeguarding the items within his shadow. He felt a sense of unease keeping them in his pocket so he felt morefortable this way.
With the items secured, Vale pressed onward.
As he walked further, he finally reached the mysterious tenth floor, only to be greeted by a stark contrast to the expansive ninth floor.
''This felt quite simr to that room in the Dark Soul Tower.'' Valemented in his mind.
He found himself standing in a white room, and the ce was filled with otherworldly energy that he felt from the mystical beings he met in this Tower.
Then, to his surprise, as soon as he stepped into this peculiar space, his almost depleted arcane energy replenished instantaneously, revitalizing him for whatever challengesy ahead.
"That''s feels a lot better¡"
The recovery was so much betterpared to the lower floors.
Vale then looked around to find the floor boss, but he realized that he was all alone.
Nevertheless, the white room might seem boring, but Vale could tell that this ce wasn''t man-made.
''Is this some kind of an escape room?''
As Vale reached this thought, a melodic voice interrupted his contemtion.
"Are you disappointed?"
This female voice that echoed throughout the room captured Vale''s attention.
Chapter 476 Tower Master
Chapter 476 Tower Master
"Who are you?" Vale asked, his gaze scanning the room in search of the woman who had spoken. Yet, there was no one to be seen. The voice seemed to echo from all directions, as if it belonged to an ethereal presence.
Despite not seeing anyone, Vale knew he wasn''t hallucinating, so he kept searching using his Phantasm State''s Magic Zone, Spirit Vision, and Divine Sense.
"I am the owner of this Tower. Stop looking for me¡" The voice replied, its tone carrying a hint of mystery and authority.
''Fine¡''
epting the enigmatic nature of the situation, Vale ceased his search for the elusive figure. "Alright, Tower Master... What''s the next challenge then? Is it to find you or to escape this room?"
"No, you don''t have to find me or escape this room. This is the tenth floor, a ce meant to seal my soul." the voice responded.
''Mhmm? So the Tower Master is only a soul? Then I should be able to see her easily if I have the Third-Eye Spell.'' Vale mused as he recalled the Tier 2 Dark Spell.
"Then, what should I do?" Vale asked as he sat cross-legged as if he was trying to getfortable in the room.
"First, you need to understand a few things about this Tower." The voice continued.
"That''s true¡ This ce is quite mysterious. But isn''t this Ascension Tower meant to train the younger generation of Arcane Practitioners?" Vale asked.
"Demihuman, this is Mystic Soul Tower and not an Ascension Tower. It serves a greater purpose - to seek out an individual capable of halting the encroachment of the Abyss Realm¡ The Abyss Realm isn''t a problem over the past hundred years, but it''s different now." The invisible Tower Master exined, its words carrying a weight of significance.
"It is a daunting task, but when I saw you outside the Tower, I knew that you were well-suited for this crucial role." The voice added.
''Abyss Realm again. I guess it''s really the main problem, huh... And why am I getting so many titles? Half-Immortal, Half-Demon, and now I''m Demihuman¡''
Vale''s confusion deepened as he contemted the revtion that the Tower Master said. Anyway, the Abyss Realm was really a mysterious ce. It was a Realm that was expanding into other realms, including this human realm.
It was a ce where demonic beings lived, and it was probably the graveyard of the Immortals as well.
"Ahh¡ W-wait--Did you say that you saw me outside? So you''re the one gazing at me¡"
"Yes¡ There were four people outside, including you, that I believed were quite suited for the task. Unfortunately, all the other three have reached the age limit set up by the Tower. It was a pity they didn''t bother entering this Tower when they were in the right age." The Tower Master spoke softly.
Vale sighed as he didn''t want to dwell on this conversation as he asked once again. "Then, tell me what to do to stop the Abyss Realm''s invasion."
"You have to search for the Abyss Realm¡ª"
"No way¡ I don''t want to die yet. I''m still young. Find someone else, Tower Master¡ If that''s the mission to get the tenth floor''s reward, then I have to give up." Vale immediately said as soon as he heard the Tower Master''s words. Since the Abyss Realm was a ce where Immortals died and also a ce where the Spirit World was having a hard time stopping, there was no way he would be foolish enough to ept such a mission.
He didn''t even have to think for long toe up with this answer.
"Of course, there''s no way of stopping it if you work alone. Furthermore, you don''t even need to enter¡ If you''re able to obtain the blessings of the Paragons and the Lord of the Secrets, then it''s possible. Lastly, once you deal with the Abyss Realm, the powers you''ll receive from them will be permanent."
Vale squinted his eyes at the mention of these names.
The Church of the Three Paragons and the Church of the Lord of the Secrets were two of the five prominent churches on the continent.
"Tell me more about it¡" Vale said in a serious tone as he recalled his Temporal Timepiece and the Stormbringer in his possession.
Soon, the Tower Master exined the situation to Vale. Apparently, he could obtain the blessings of the other three churches as well, but he only had a chance to get the blessing of the two she mentioned.
The Fortune Goddess, the Divine Sorcerer, and the Eminence of the Sea would be less likely to cooperate for reasons Vale doesn''t know.
Anyway, the Tower Master has an item that will allow him to receive the Blessing of the Paragons. It was called the Creation Ring, and it would assist him in killing the Demonic Beings of the Abyss Realm¡ As for the Lord of the Secrets, she also had an item called the Sealing Thread that would help him seal any entrances or portals leading to the Abyss Realm.
"Creation Ring and Sealing Thread¡ Are they Sovereign Rank Items? Furthermore, why is the selection done through this Tower? Can''t you just search for the right people outside? There''s also the age limit here¡ I''m confused." Vale asked a series of questions after thinking for a while.
The mysterious Tower Tower seemed to contemte for a moment before replying to Vale''s question.
"I''m not familiar with the rankings of Mystical Items made by humans. If the Sovereign Rank is equal to the items of the deities worshipped by people, then that''s probably it. As for the limitations that I have, it''s due to the items'' side effects. You should already know that each Mystical Artifact has its own negative effects."
Vale''s eyes lit up after hearing this¡ "I see¡ So, you want a strong and young Arcane Arts Practitioner to take the mission. What about the dragon below and the other guardians?"
"Mhmm? They have their own reason for staying here¡"
"I thought this Tower would disappear once Ipleted the mission." Vale mumbled to himself, but the Tower Master had obviously heard it.
"No, the Tower will stay here¡ This ce is still filled with treasure. Only once it is depleted will we cease to exist."
''That''s probably difficult to happen since the people entering here will sometimes lose their Mystical Items. You''re probably recycling them.'' Vale mused as he sighed.
"Fine¡ I also don''t like the fact that the Abyss Realm is trying to mess with this realm. I can''t enjoy my life if Evil Entities like the previous ones will just appear out of nowhere." Vale sighed as he finally epted the mission.
This might be too much for a ''young man'' like him, but he felt that something must be done to the Abyss Realm.
Chapter 477 The Final Test
Chapter 477 The Final Test
"Great¡ You have 10 years toplete this mission, but I will now bestow you the two Artifacts I promised." The invisible Tower Master announced.
As she spoke, two orbs of light materialized in front of Vale.
"They are the Creation Ring and Sealing Thread I mentioned to you. You won''t immediately gain the blessings of the Paragons and the Lord of the Secrets, but once you wear one of these, you will feel their presence and be able tomunicate with them. However, you cannot activate them within the confines of the Tower. Find a safe ce outside to do so¡" The Tower Master exined...
"I understand, Tower Master."
The orbs of light transformed into the designated items and gently settled into Vale''s hands. As he held them, he sensed a surge of lightning energy coursing through his Stormbringer sword, as if it recognized the power emanating from the Creation Ring.
Expressing his gratitude, Vale inquired about the next thing he should do. "Thank you, Tower Master. Am I to leave now?"
The Tower Master seemed to be amused by his question and replied. "No, not yet. Although you have epted the mission I bestowed upon you, you have yet to receive the Tower''s ultimate reward¡ªthe Golden Treasure Chest."
"Right! "How can I obtain it?" Vale asked in excitement.
"It''s simple," responded the Tower Master. "You must withstand the Soul Pressure of the Mystic Soul Tower."
''Soul Pressure? What¡ª''
Before Vale could fullyprehend the challenge she mentioned, the suffocating Soul Pressure of the Tower descended upon him, leaving him breathless and disoriented.
the suffocating Soul Pressure of the Tower descended upon him, leaving him breathless and disoriented.
"Y-you¡"
He struggled to maintain hisposure, but he quickly circted the powers of his Perfect Realm Incorruptible Body to resist the overwhelming force.
However, it proved insufficient, as his Strength and Spirit Strands also failed to help under the immense pressure.
"Urgh! Not good... I''m dying here." Vale''s mind raced quickly as he realized that this Tower Master was so ruthless.
''What if I die here?! Who willplete the mission?! Are you so thoughtless?'' Vale wanted to reprimand the Tower Master, but he can''t even voice out hisint due to pressure!
Nevertheless, he confronted the harsh reality that the Tower Master was unforgiving. Thoughts of failure and the consequences of his demise gued him¡ªwould I fail to get the Golden Treasure Chest?
As he continued searching for a solution, an idea finally came up.
Since hecked proficiency in defending against Soul Attacks, perhaps bing someone else who could resist Soul Attacks would be a great solution!
That''s right! He needed to transform into a form that could withstand such assaults.
Without hesitation, he invoked his Beast Shapeshift Spell, harnessing his Dragon Essence to assume the formidable physique of a dragon.
Simr to his Imp Transformation, it wasn''t instantaneous.
As Vale activated the Spell, his transformationmenced. Draconic energy surged through his veins, causing his entire body to convulse with power. His body began to contort and shift, bones cracking and rearranging themselves in a very gnarly method.
First, sharp fangs sprouted from his elongated jaw, crowding his mouth with rows of razor-edged teeth. His eyes, once human, now glowed with an intense, vivid hue and blue light.
Then, his spine elongated and curved, protruding through his back, as a majestic tail emerged, covered in blue scales that shimmered like precious gemstones. It didn''t take long before the tail swayed gracefully behind him.
Then, Vale''s limbs underwent a remarkable metamorphosis, elongating and strengthening as they transformed into powerful dragon limbs. His fingers fused together, forming elongated ws tipped with deadly points¡
"Rooaar!"
As Vale let out a roar, he felt that the Soul Pressure was getting weaker. However, his transformation wasn''t over yet.
As it progressed, Vale''s body grew in size and stature. His once human frame expanded, muscles rippling beneath the emergingyer of scales that now covered his entire body.
Then, to Vale''s surprise, he felt a wing forming as well! It wasn''t something that the Water Dragon possessed!
Blue wings sprouted from Vale''s back, their span stretching over ten meters!
Finally, as the transformation reached its climax, Vale''s entire body settled into its new form. He stood before the Tower Master, a fully realized dragon, radiating raw power andmanding presence. Every inch of him exuded a sense of majesty, a testament to the dragon lineage he now embodied.
Rooaar!
A resounding dragon roar reverberated through the room, and Vale immediately sensed the Soul Pressure had be barely noticeable in response to his transformation.
The Tower Master, taken aback by the abrupt metamorphosis, fell into stunned silence.
Before her stood a magnificent creature, once a mere demihuman, now a dragon of unfathomable strength!
"You''re also a Half-Dragon? This doesn''t make any sense¡" The Tower Mastermented as she observed the huge creature inside her room.
With every movement, the dragon exuded an aura of a genuine dragon race. She could never mistake it. It wasn''t some sort of illusion either since she witnessed the terrible transformation that Vale made.
"You can guess, Tower Master..." Vale replied mysteriously with his draconic voice. Well, he used his Voice Maniption since he felt that it would be inappropriate to still use his human voice.
"It doesn''t matter. It was an impressive transformation. It seems you possess more than meets the eye. You have proven your resilience and adaptability¡ You shall receive the Tower''sst reward, the Golden Treasure Chest."
As the Tower Master concluded her words, a radiant chest materialized before the dragon, emanating a golden glow that illuminated the room.
Intricate carvings adorned its surface. They seem to be Rune Arts that he couldn''t recognize.
Vale, still in awe of his newfound form, extended a wed hand towards the Golden Treasure Chest.
With a gentle nudge, the chest opened, revealing a dazzling array of artifacts, each pulsating with their own unique essence.
"The contents of this chest will aid you on your difficult journey. Each artifact holds great power, but it is up to you to unlock their full potential and wield them against the dwellers of the Abyss.
Chapter 478 The Tower Master
Chapter 478 The Tower Master
Vale carefully examined the artifacts within the Golden Treasure Chest.
Since the Tower Master hinted that the Artifacts wouldn''t be easy to handle, Vale was expecting weapons with malicious energy or mystical artifacts that seemed low-rank but had hidden potential.
However, what weed him were two ordinary items that he could see every day. They were a monocle and a smoking pipe¡
Vale felt that he couldn''t use these items since they wouldn''t fit his style, but he still checked them with his senses.
As he inspected the artifacts, he couldn''t sense any trace of energy emanating from them. They appeared to be ordinary objects, devoid of any intricate enchantments or magical properties. In fact, they resembledmon items one might stumble upon while wandering the streets of the city.
At the very least, despite their simplicity, they possessed a certain cleanliness and neatness.
''Am I being scammed?''
Being unable to appraise them, Vale addressed the Tower Master, who remained unseen yet ever-present.
Anyway, since the Tower Master was present, he might as well use her as an Appraiser rather than hiring someone outside.
"Tower Master... Are these items sealed, perhaps concealing their true nature?" Vale asked while still in his dragon form.
A serene smile yed upon the Tower Master''s lips as she responded in her mellifluous voice. "You are perceptive, young Arcanist. Indeed, these items mayck the overt disy of power or intricate designs you might expect. However, do not dismiss them so quickly. They hold great potential and will prove immensely useful to you in your journey as a budding Arcanist."
Intrigued by her cryptic response, Vale''s curiosity grew. "How exactly will these seemingly ordinary artifacts benefit me, Tower Master? What purpose do they serve?"
The Tower Master thought for a moment before responding. "These artifacts may not possess visible energy or grandiose enchantments, but they possess hidden qualities that will aid you in your growth. Furthermore, they were like that since I used a technique to remove their negative effects on their user. Anyway, the monocle, for instance, grants you the ability to perceive hidden truths and secrets that lie beyond the surface. You just need to learn how to activate it, and it will enhance your insights and unravel mysteries that would otherwise remain concealed."
''So it''s simr to the Third-Eye Spell?'' Vale mused.
Seeing that Vale had no other questions, the Tower Master continued. "As for the smoking pipe, it holds the power to channel and focus your magical energies. It will aid in refining your spells, enabling you to harness your Arcane abilities with greater precision and control. Together, these artifacts will be invaluable tools on your path as an Arcanist¡
"Ahem, the pipe may not be very useful to you, but that''s because you''re too advanced¡ All your Spells are probably in the Advanced Realm or even in Perfect Realm."
''I see¡ I guess I can sell this if I can''t use it.'' Vale silently thought.
His initial skepticism began to wane as he heard the Tower Master''s voice. After knowing their value, he immediately informed Yvaine to take the items.
"Thank you, Tower Master¡" Vale expressed, his tone filled with gratitude. "So appearances can be deceiving. I will cherish these artifacts and utilize them to their fullest potential."
Vale said, expecting to be sent out of the Tower in any seconds now.
***
In a corner of the tenth floor, a young woman in her mid-twenties sighed as she saw Vale opening the Golden Treasure Chest that had been here for a very long time...
She had previously observed Vale''s mesmerizing transformation taking ce before her eyes.
She was on the verge of going against the rules she set up and wanted to meet Vale.
''What to do?'' She muttered to herself.
Her lustrous blue hair cascaded down her back, perfectlyplementing her captivating blue eyes. d in an elegant white dress that entuated her graceful figure, she exuded an aura befitting for the Tower Master...
Indeed, this enigmatic figure was none other than the Tower Master.
As she witnessed Vale collecting the two powerful Artifacts without being rejected, a wave of fascination washed over her. She knew that Vale was truly fated.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she made the decision to reveal herself to Vale.
"Hold on!" She called out, her voice tinged with a mix of eagerness and anxiousness. "Before you depart, I have a proposition to discuss."
Startled by the call, Vale turned his attention towards the source of the voice, his eyes widening in awe as they met the gaze of the beautiful Tower Master, adorned in her simple yet alluring white attire.
"Ahh¡ Are you the Tower Master?" Vale eximed, his voice tinged with astonishment.
A gentle smile yed upon the Tower Master''s lips as she confirmed his assumption. "Indeed, I am. You can see me now because I have chosen to reveal myself. But let us not waste any time. There is something I wish to propose¡ªa trade, if you will."
Captivated by the Tower Master''s presence, Vale leaned in, his curiosity piqued. "What kind of trade are you suggesting?"
He had so many questions in his mind, but the trade sounded interesting.
A flicker of hope danced in the Tower Master''s eyes as she began to exin her intentions.
"I have a reason for staying here on the highest floor of the Mystic Soul Tower. However, it doesn''t mean that I like to stay here forever. Given your unique status as a half-immortal, it is evident that you possess a connection to the Immortals or what the ancients called Celestials. Therefore, I would like to request a small portion of your divinity in exchange for something of great value to both of us."
"Divinity?"
Vale''s expression shifted, a mix of intrigue and caution crossing his draconic face. While the Tower Master''s proposition held undeniable allure, the idea of parting some of his divinity points gave him pause.
Well, he wasn''t even sure if he could trade his Divinity Points in the first ce.
Chapter 479 Unexpected Weakness
Chapter 479 Unexpected Weakness
Seeking to gain rity, Vale inquired further. "What do you n to do with the divinity? And how much of it do you require? I don''t even know if I have them or how to trade them¡"
A glimmer of excitement danced in the Tower Master''s eyes¡
"Great! So you don''t know if you have them! Then it''s more beneficial for you to make a trade with me since I can teach you how to use it." The Tower Master immediately said as he found an opportunity to get some divinity from Vale.
However, seeing that Vale didn''t look too interested, she immediately borated her intentions.
"Ahem¡ With even a fragment of your divinity, it will help me create a physique that I can use outside the Tower. Furthermore, I believe I can unlock profound insights into the nature of immortality and unravel the secrets of Celestials¡ Who knows, maybe I can be a Half-Immortal someday. As for the quantity, I do not require a substantial amount. Just a small portion is enough..."
She stopped for a moment before materializing a small orb in her fingers. It was the same size as the high-grade Spirit Pearls he had previously obtained.
"A small amount to fill this pearl is more than enough for me." The Tower Master said with sincerity in her voice.
Vale contemted for a while as he checked his current Attributes Panel.
[ Ascended Name: Kyle the Uncrowned Paragon ]
[ Race: Half-Celestial ]
[ Attributes:
Strength: 103.30
Agility: 102.40
Intelligence: 104.65
Vitality: 104 ]
[ Force: 1,250 ]
[ Combat Power: 1,059,000 ]
[ Human Arts List ]
[ Celestial Arts List ]
[ Spirit Arts List ]
[ Otherworldly Essence List ]
[ Avable Energy: 29,085 ]
[ Divinity Points: 643.30 ]
"Mhmm¡ May I know if you have items rted to the Immortals? Well, it can even be their corpses if you have them." Vale said he certainly would mind parting with some of his Divinity Points since he could replenish them.
"I have some belongings of the Immortals. However, they were all broken and could not be used¡ Here, have a look." The Tower Master promptly replied as soon as she heard Vale''s question.
The items she brought out were broken devices that had unknown purposes. They were items of research for some Arcanists, but for her, they were just a pile of junk.
There were eight pieces of them, and they were barely emitting some sort of energy.
Vale immediately checked them and confirmed that he could all Extract them using his Extraction System. Of course, he decided not to do it here since he didn''t want to reveal all his secrets to this Tower Master.
"I can give all of them to you¡ So, how about it?" The Tower Master said as the small white orb floated from her hands and flew to Vale.
As soon as he touched it with his w, Vale received a notification from his system.
[ Do you want to store your Divinity Points to the Divine Crystal? ]
The question made Vale surprised since this was the first time this happened. Nevertheless, he decided to continue.
[ Are you sure you want to transfer 20 Divinity Points? ]
''Only 20 points? I''ll probably get them back after extracting those broken items¡ Alright, let''s do it.''
With that said, Vale sensed some of his Divinity Points transferring to the small orb.
In the meantime, the Tower Master was just about to exin how to infuse the orb with his divinity, but she suddenly noticed the changes in the orb!
As soon as this happened, she knew that it was Vale''s divinity! After all, the orb wouldn''t react to other types of force except for the mysterious divinity.
"You just said that you don''t know how to do it, right?" The Tower Master asked as she looked at Vale''s doubtfully.
Vale could only clear his throat and smile at the gorgeous Tower Master. "Ahem, I think that the orb did it for me. In any case, is this enough?"
"Of course! That''s more than enough. Aside from these broken pieces of the relics, I can trade these scrolls with you. There are three of them¡ You should know about your weakness as a Half-Immortal, right? If you get into trouble, you can tear up one of them to escape the danger. You only have three of them, so use them sparingly."
Vale was momentarily stunned as soon as he heard her words.
"W-weakness of a Half-Immortal? Tower Master, I''m not aware of it¡" Vale immediately replied as he had never considered this thought.
As a Dark Magician, he knew that his weakness would be Holy Arts. However, since he has Spell Dispersion, Incorruptible Body, Celestial Arts, and other extracted Spells that could not be affected by Holy Arts, he didn''t really have to worry about this weakness.
Furthermore, he has many Mystical Artifacts with him to protect him against Holy Magic.
The Tower Master also seemed surprised that he wasn''t aware of his weakness.
With a satisfied smile, the Tower Master answered.
"I can name two weaknesses of the Immortals, not just for Half-Immortals. They are the Time Maniptors and the Demonic Light of the Demon Saints¡ Well, I''m saying they are the weakness of Immortals, but it''s probably for everyone."
Seeing Vale''s confusion, the Tower Master continued.
"The Demon Saints are dwellers of the Abyss Realm, while the Time Maniptors are from a different realm. I don''t know much about them, but I heard that these Time Maniptors wanted the divinity of the Immortals, so they''ve been hunting them¡"
"What? They''re hunting the Immortals?" Vale asked in surprise.
"It was something I heard over 200 years ago from a man who was about 500 years old, so don''t ask me." The Tower Master said as she took the divinity orb from Vale.
"I see¡ Thanks for informing me, Tower Master." As Vale said this, he asked Yvaine once again to take the scrolls with her.
"Alright¡ Are you going to stay like that until I send you back?" The Tower Master asked, as she looked at the blue dragon in front of her.
"Urgh¡ No, not really¡ I just felt that it was a waste since I used a lot of Draconic Essence to transform like this." Vale replied with a hint of helplessness in his voice.
Chapter 480 Reward
Chapter 480 Reward
His dragon form was towering over the room, but he couldn''t just transform back. He was still enjoying it for a bit.
Suddenly, a thought crossed Vale''s mind.
Instead of forcefully deactivating his transformation or waiting to naturally revert to his human form, he decided to try something first.
After taking a deep breath, he used his ws to reach for his body and carefully extracted one of his dragon scales.
"Urghh¡"
The process was not without pain, but Vale knew that this scale would serve a valuable purpose. He nned topare them to the Dragon Scale he had previously extracted from Aersus, and he knew that he could find a better use for it.
Seeing that his scale didn''t vanish after removing it, he immediately continued and removed a total of five scales before he was forcefully transformed back to his human form. He could still maintain his form if he spent his Essence, but he decided against it and allowed the deactivation of his Shapeshift Spell.
Once again, the transformation wasn''t immediate as his body started contorting.
The Tower Master observed Vale''s actions with astonishment. "So, you can actually do that¡" She murmured, her eyes filled with wonder.
"Does it mean you can get as many dragon scales as you want? That''s extremely valuable¡"
Vale simply smiled as hepleted the transformation back to his human form. "Unfortunately, I can''t¡ It will cost me some Draconic Essence, and I don''t have a lot of them."
The Tower Master nodded as she immediately realized the requirements for the transformation. Indeed, Vale was not a Half-Dragon as she initially thought.
In the meantime, Vale calcted the Draconic Essence he spent. The Essence he extracted a while ago allowed him to reach 650 points. Now that it turned 600 points, he realized he could only undergo such a transformation 12 more times unless he extracted another dragon, a feat that seemed unlikely outside.
"I guess twelve more times isn''t that bad..." Vale muttered as he made sure not to use this Shapeshift Ability unless it was necessary.
As far as he was aware, there were no more dragons outside. With this in consideration, he had to be wise when using the spell again.
Vale then picked up the five scales about twice the size of his palm and turned to the Tower Master. "Tower Master, thank you for your assistance¡" He said, extending his hand towards her.
The Tower Master hesitated for a moment, contemting the gesture before epting his hand.
As their hands met in a firm handshake, a sense of trust seemed to form between them.
"You can call me Constance¡" The Tower Master revealed, her voice softening. She acknowledged the connection that had been forged, considering how she even showed herself.
In the meantime, Vale activated one of the new features of his system... He wasn''t nning to extract the Tower Master but was simply triggering a different aspect of his Divine Extraction System.
It was the system''s function called the Combat Power Identification.
[ Combat Power: 565,000 ]
''Mhmm? It''s a lot lower than I expected.'' Vale silently thought as hepared it to his Combat Power. To be honest, Vale wasn''t really sure about the optimal usage of this ability.
It only allowed him to have a rough idea about the overall ability of the target he touched. The Combat Power was based on the Attributes, Spells, and perhaps, even including the Mystical Items they were currently equipped with.
''Ahh¡ Is it because she doesn''t have a physical state? But how did I touch her?''
As if she could hear his thoughts, Constance smiled and spoke.
"Are you curious why you can touch a soul? It''s simple¡ I''m still made of Soul Energy. You even felt the Soul Pressure a while ago. In short, I can touch or let you see me if I want to."
"T-thank you, Tower Master¡ I haven''t studied much about souls." Vale could only reply.
"Well, you''re not a Necromancer anyway¡ Alright, I''ll be sending you out now¡ Don''t forget about your mission. That''s ten years. The reward is the peace of this realm, and the penalty of failure is probably a destruct¡ªNo, I don''t think it''s enough to destroy this realm, but it would be different."
With that said, Constance waved her hand and a light enveloped Vale to send him out.
"Remember, don''t be arrogant¡ Aersus was barely able to use his strength when he fought against you. So don''t think of finding real dragons with your current strength."
"W-what?" Vale didn''t expect to hear this while he was being sent out. His body was already translucent and was about to disappear.
Constance smiled at this and added. "The challenges you faced were also a bit harder than the other Arcanists since you''re a bit special. At the very least, I sent you three reward items as a gift for working hard."
"Ahh¡ No wonder¡" Vale finally realized how the other two reached the seventh floor¡ It wasn''t just because of their talent but also because it was easier than what he had faced.
Whom~
As soon as Vale was outside, he was blinded by the bright sunlight while still clutching the five valuable dragon scales.
It was a deliberate choice on his part, as he intended for these scales to serve a specific purpose - to be seen by others.
Vale believed that it was much better to disy the dragon scales and let the people know that it was the reward he had received from the Tower.
This way, anyone who would covet his reward would only target this "artifact."
Additionally, if the need arose, he could even consider selling them to prominent people, especially since he still possessed three dragon scales obtained from Aersus.
The potential value of these scales was not lost on him.
After adjusting his eyes, Vale looked at the crowd. He immediately felt the vibrant energy of the crowd enveloped him.
The surrounding was filled with cheers and excitement from the onlookers who had gathered to witness the event.
He also noticed that surrounding the Tower were several First ss Arcanists, and they seemed to be looking out for him.
The crowd''s enthusiasm was contagious, and Vale couldn''t help but feel a surge of pride welling up within him.
"Mhmm¡ This doesn''t feel bad."
Chapter 481 Pressure
Chapter 481 Pressure
As Vale slowly awakened from his slumber, he felt the warmth of the morning sun gently caressing his face.
Blinking away the remnants of sleep, he rose from his bed and proceeded to freshen up, preparing for the day ahead. Donning his neatly pressed uniform, he reflected on the events that transpired the previous day, when he sessfully conquered the Ascension Tower.
As soon as he came out of the Tower, he found himself immersed in a flurry of responsibilities as he received the First-ce reward and fielded numerous inquiries about his experiences within the Tower.
However, amidst the chaos, Headmaster Jean and Royal Mage Odessa proved to be invaluable allies. They skillfully averted the onught of questions from Arcanists representing various factions and organizations, ensuring that Vale was not overwhelmed.
Following the intense ordeal, Vale was escorted to the infirmary for a thorough check-up to ensure his well-being.
Before that, he entrusted the five dragon scales to Headmaster Jean, a decision witnessed by all.
Vale expressed his desire for the scales to be either transformed into a valuable item for a Dark Magician or to be converted into currency. As soon as this was announced, the attention of the crowd swiftly shifted to Headmaster Jean, granting Vale the freedom to continue his own journey.
That was an idea that Vale came up with on the spot.
Even if the Arcanists needed the dragon scales or not, they would certainly try their best to obtain it because of its rarity.
In the midst of themotion, Vale received a message from Headmaster Jean through telepathy, informing him that his shadow''s return would take ce in the next two days.
Needless to say, excitement coursed through his veins as he eagerly awaited his freedom from the shackles of the Dark Arts Faction.
Clink¡
As Vale opened his room, he was greeted by Maya Featherstar.
"Vale! Congrattions! I heard that you have a meeting with Royal Mage Odessa and the Third Princess this morning. Is that true?" She inquired, her eyes filled with admiration.
At this point, she no longer cares how she underperformspared to Vale in thispetition. Even if her family would get mad at her for failing to have a better result than Vale, she wouldn''t mind it at all.
Currently, she could only admire Vale for his historic achievement. She was already happy to witness it in person.
Behind Maya, Vale spotted his other friends, Philip and the rest of their group, eagerly awaiting his response.
Vale smiled at their presence, grateful for their support. "Yes, it seems they want to know more about my experiences inside the Tower¡" He replied with a helpless smile on his face.
He already expected this to happen, but he couldn''t help but feelzy for this.
Seeing Vale''s indifference to being in the same room with the two poprdies or girls, Philip couldn''t resist teasing Vale, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Oh, I don''t think so. I believe Lady Odessa will try to recruit you to her Mage Tower¡ Perhaps even the Third Princess will request your service as her Personal Shadow Knight¡" he yfully suggested.
"Perhaps you can even have a romantic rtionship with the Princess¡"
"Ahh! Is he going to be a higher-ranked noble?!"
Luna and Crystal couldn''t help butment.
"There''s no way that will happen."
Vale chuckled, appreciating the lighthearted banter.
"Alright, I''ll go now. Let''s meet upter." Vale said.
"Of course! We''ll celebrate your achievement. We don''t have any morepetition for the day, so we''re free." Maya replied.
***
Vale now stood before Royal Mage Odessa and Princess Ceres, and he couldn''t help but take a moment to appreciate their presence.
Odessa exuded an air of authority and elegance. She seemed to be in herte twenties, marked by her striking beauty and regal grace. Her royal mage''s robe, adorned with intricate rune patterns, further emphasized her status as a Royal Mage.
Princess Ceres, on the other hand, possessed long blond hair and fair, delicate skin. d in attire befitting her position as the third princess of the kingdom, she exuded a charm, akin to that of a beautiful doll.
They seemed to be genuine noble figures of the kingdom.
Vale couldn''t help but admire their appearances before extending his greetings.
As Vale approached them, he confirmed that there were only two of them waiting for him, just as Philip had mentioned. Odessa wasted no time in congratting him once again.
"It waste, but congrattions, Vale. I don''t want to make this long, so I will make this quick for you."
Odessa paused for a moment to see Vale''s reaction before continuing. "Many individuals from various factions expressed their desire to be present in this briefing, including representatives from the Untainted Sentinels, Illustrious Liquidators, Lore Hunters, Prime Wisemen, and Faith Guardians. Would you befortable with their presence?" She inquired.
Vale pondered the question briefly before nodding in agreement. "Well, I suppose they wille seeking answers from me as well. As long as they don''t overwhelm me or resort to any spells that invade my privacy or manipte my thoughts, I see no issue with their presence¡" He replied.
A warm smile graced Odessa''s face as she reassured him. "Rest assured, Vale. As long as I am here, they will not be able to employ any spells thatpromise your well-being or vite your boundaries." She said with confidence.
Since the Royal Mage was the one who said this, Vale wouldn''t doubt that.
With Odessa''s assurance, Vale nodded appreciatively.
In a swift motion, Odessa snapped her fingers, causing the barrier in the room to dissipate, granting entry to the representatives of the organizations she had mentioned.
Vale then felt the presence of some powerful individuals outside the room even if he didn''t use his Phantasm State¡ They weren''t using their Spells against him but were certainly showing their might to appear more intimidating.
As the ten individuals stepped inside the room, Vale couldn''t help but sense the weight of their presence.
''So, it seems they want to remind me of my ce.''
Vale mused as it indeed felt as though they were subtly reminding him of his position, a mere student.
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Vale contemted how best to respond to their actions.
After careful consideration, he decided to maintain aposed demeanor and chose not to disy any visible reaction.
Instead, a mysterious smile graced his lips as he greeted them.
Chapter 482 Failed Vessel
Chapter 482 Failed Vessel
As the barrier dissipated, the representatives of the different organizations swiftly entered their Special State, activating their Magic Zones to sense Vale''s presence.
Within each organization, two individuals had been chosen to participate in this meeting. While they had been explicitly instructed not to take any direct action against Vale, they understood that exerting some pressure through their Magic Zones was within eptable bounds.
Clyde, a member of the Illustrious Liquidators, immediately detected something peculiar about Vale. His Mystic State''s Magic Zone seemed to rebound off Vale, preventing Clyde from gaining a clear insight into his true nature.
''Impressive... This young man must havee across something remarkable within the Tower other than the Dragon Scales he had shown to us¡ Not bad.'' Clyde mused silently.
Simr thoughts echoed within the minds of the other representatives as they struggled toprehend Vale''s enigmatic presence.
Though they did not feel any immediate danger emanating from Vale, it was as if they were gazing upon a being that transcended the boundaries of their understanding. Vale seemed to defy categorization, leaving them with the unsettling sensation of encountering an unfamiliar entity rather than a fellow Arcanist.
re and Teresa, representing the Untainted Sentinels, shared this sentiment.
''Is he really Clovis? He feels a lot different. As you know, the Dark Arts Practitioners aren''t great at illusion or disguise.'' re said to Teresa using Telepathy.
''That''s true¡ But did you forget how we considered him a Half-Spirit? If he was really a spawn of a powerful Arcanist and a Spirit from another realm, then it''s not impossible if he gets to practice two Arcane Paths at the same time.''
''But that''s¡ª''
''I think it''s possible¡'' Teresa interjected before re could finish her words.
Teresa then smiled mysteriously and added¡ ''Can''t you feel it? He''s not simply resisting our Magic Zone''s pressure. He''s bouncing them off. It''s simr to a trait of a Spiritual Being.''
The others also have their own spections, but they soon stop using their Magic Zone after hearing Odessa clearing her throat.
Then, Odessa''s voice cut through the silence,manding their attention.
She invited them to take a seat, signaling the beginning of the meeting.
***
In the meantime, while Vale was wondering why no one from the Dark Arts Faction had attended, Headmaster Jean was on his way to a secret location near the Roaring Summit.
At this time, he had already taken action regarding the five Dragon Scales that was passed unto him by Vale.
Four of them had been sold to factions and organizations that had been valuable allies to the Faction. These recipients included the Alchemist Arts Faction, the Beast Arts Faction, the Raycraft Mining Guild, and the White Fang Company.
The Raycraft Mining Guild, known for their expertise in rare ores, had been a consistent supplier of valuable materials to the Dark Arts Faction.
They may be an organization created by non-arcanists but because of their leader''s incredible business capabilities, they were able to get bigger in the mining industry and earned the protection of the Dark Arts Faction.
On the other hand, the White Fang Company, a renowned mercenary band, had provided crucial assistance in handling missions that were deemed too simple for the powerful Evanescent Vessels.
Such missions were best left to mercenaries to avoid unnecessary attention from the Vessels, who preferred to act only when absolutely necessary. The recent incidents involving Philip''s kidnapping and Maya''s encounter with the Masked Moguls served as examples of situations where the Vessels were mobilized.
"Sir, are you going to fulfill Vale''s request?" One of the Evanescent Vessels standing beside Headmaster Jean inquire.
Jean, apanied by three other Vessels, was preparing to visit Wilfred, a Failed Vessel that they had intercepted.
Jean nodded in response to the question, confirming his intention to fulfill Vale''s request.
"Well, that''s why I have kept one of the scales. I don''t need to hold onto it for myself, as I possess something even more valuable. However, I would appreciate your opinion on how we should utilize it¡" He replied while ying around with his ck cane.
The Vessel took a moment to ponder the question before offering a suggestion.
"Considering Vale''s desire for an item suitable for a Dark Magician, we could potentially fashion the scale into a Curse Medium or perhaps even a Dark Arts Formation Node. Should I consult Sir Isaac Vermont for his expertise on the matter?"
Jean''s interest was piqued by the suggestion.
"Ah, Isaac? That''s a splendid idea. He undoubtedly possesses the knowledge to help us in this matter. Please, send him a message¡" He agreed, recognizing the value of involving Isaac in the decision-making process.
The dragon scale was not amon item after all. Furthermore, Isaac was a high-rank Alchemist himself, so as long as he wasn''t busy, Jean believed that Isaac would cooperate.
"I will send a telegram¡ I''m sure he''ll be excited working on such a legendary item." The Vessel said as he looked ahead.
The group finally arrived at the secret location where Wilfred, the Failed Vessel, was being detained¡
"What is the meaning of this, Sir Jean?! Why did you prevent me from exacting my vengeance?" Wilfred''s voice reverberated through the secluded forest as soon as heid eyes on the familiar figure.
Unrestrained by any physical bindings, he stood concealed within a Formation Art, effectively masking his presence from the prying eyes of the people in the Roaring City.
Attempting to diffuse the vtile situation, Jean responded calmly.
"Wilfred, just calm yourself. Your bloodlust is overwhelming. Do you truly wish to be captured by the vignt Sentinels?" He questioned, his voiceced with genuine concern¡ or at the very least, that was what he was trying to show to a member of the Moontomb n.
After all, he wasn''t sure if a member of the Moontomb n was watching Wilfred.
Indignant, Wilfred retorted, "Of course not! I have found a way to conceal my presence. I have nothing to fear."
Jean sighed, realizing how foolish this Failed Vessel was.
Chapter 483 Under Attack
Chapter 483 Under Attack
"Merely hiding your presence is not enough. Odessa and the skilled experts from various Orders would not be so easily deceived. We must exercise caution. Wait until the end of the day, and once I have returned Vale''s shadow to him, you will have the opportunity to target him. Choose your moment wisely, perhaps in the midst of the bustling city streets." Jean said as he exined the situation.
''I can''t believe they spent a lot of money to get his soul back, but they''re just sending him to death once again.'' Jean silently thought as he recalled how he earned a lot of money after Vale ended Wilfred''s life.
After some time, Wilfred''s anger gradually subsided as he met Jean''s gaze¡ With a simple nod, he sat crosslegged at the Formation Circle and closed his eyes.
Seeing how Wilfred acted, Jean couldn''t help but smile as he decided to inspect this young man.
Dark Aura appeared around him, and they slowly went into Wilfred''s body.
''Oh~ So it was like that. No wonder he''s confident. He actually obtained a Demihuman''s body.'' Jean thought as he continued observing Wilfred''s body.
''But as expected of a failure, his soul was being rejected. He''s notpatible at all. If not for the Moontomb n''s special seal, he would barelyst a week inside this body. That''s also probably the reason why he was hurrying to see Vale.'' Jean concluded, observing the young man.
He then shifted his attention to Vessels, who had intercepted Wilfred.
"Good work¡ Your job will bepleted once I return Vale''s shadow. Wilfred can act on his own. If he gets captured, it''s no longer rted to us. Don''t bother saving him. Even if the Moontomb n asks, just tell them that it was my decision."
The Vessel nodded in understanding, as they also didn''t wish to get used of causing trouble in the city where a royal family member was staying.
After this matter was settled, Jean returned to the Roaring Summit, hoping that Vale''s meeting with Odessa and the others had ended.
***
Vermont Academy.
Afterpleting her duties in the Library, Lisa Grayback wasted no time and hurried to the Training Hall.
While on her duty, she started sensing that she was on the verge of a breakthrough.
As a student of the Essential Corruption Branch, she had recently begun taking a special drug designed to limate her body to the power of corruption. This was a normal practice for students in her Branch, as the power of corruption had the potential to affect the skin, flesh, and bones of those who were not suited for it.
Even for selected students like Lisa, taking medication was necessary.
The drug not only helped them master the power of corruption but also aided in strengthening their physique and enhancing their control over Darkness Possession. This was why the students of this Branch were known to be capable of resisting the madness brought by the Possession.
After spending several hours in the Training Hall, Lisa couldn''t contain her excitement any longer. "I did it!"
She eximed joyfully, confirming that she had gained another Spell Light!
With a total of 8 Spell Lights, 3 of which were currently nk without any spells recorded, Lisa''s progress was impressive for a fourth-year student.
Once she had calmed down, Lisa decided to celebrate her achievement with her friends from the Branch. Emily, a ssmate from previous years, and Ka, a student from ss 4 during thest year, joined her. They gathered at the cafeteria as usual.
As Lisa shared her aplishment, Emily softly asked "You now have three free Spell Lights. Are you considering recording a high-level Dark Spell?"
Ka, munching on the cold pudding served to them, chimed in¡ "Oh, are you thinking of a Spell that requires two Spell Lights? That''s quite daring. I''ve heard they can be quite expensive. Do you have enough contribution points?"
She asked while taking another spoon of pudding. She could probably eat eight servings of this, but she was trying to control herself as she still had to eat dinnerter. She heard that there would be a beef stew andmb steak, so she had to leave some space in her stomach forter.
Suppressing her excitement, Lisa smiled at her friends and nodded.
"I currently have 7 contribution points, and with the discount I received for working diligently in the library without any absences for two whole years, I can purchase a spell worth ten contribution points."
Her answer was met with admiration as they didn''t think that it was possible like that. Of course, the two of them had also received benefits from the clubs they entered, but it wasn''t rted to Contribution Points. They could be mystical items, knowledge, permission to leave the Academy, guidance from the Top Professors, or even special connections to the organizations working for the Dark Arts Faction.
As their celebration continued, an unexpected turn of events suddenly disrupted the joyous atmosphere. The once serene halls of the Academy began to tremble violently, sending shockwaves of fear through the students and staff.
Then, a dangerous aura permeated the air, causing their hearts to race and adrenaline to surge. Many of them didn''t know where this danger wasing from.
Amidst the chaos, a 10th-year student who happened to be in the cafeteria shouted in rm¡
"It''s a Holy Smite! No, something even more powerful than that! We''re under attack!"
The realization of the imminent danger sent a wave of panic to some new students.
"Calm down! We are inside the Academy! We''ll be safe!" An Assistant Professor suddenly said as he felt embarrassed that he had to be woken up by the 10th-year student.
The students, now on high alert, could feel the impact of the Holy Spell striking the Academy. Fortunately, the past events rted to the attack of the Secret Organization had led to the reinforcement of the Academy''s Formation Barrier, providing some level of protection against the assault.
However, the onught did not cease there.
A Mystic Spell followed suit, known as Reality Shift, which twisted and strained the Barrier, threatening to dismantle the painstaking work of the specialized Evanescent Vessel Division responsible for its creation.
Amidst the chaos, two Squad Leaders of the Vessel faction finally arrived at the gates of the Academy, bearing witness to the dire situation unfolding outside.
Chapter 484 Vessels Possession
Chapter 484 Vessel''s Possession
As the two squad leaders arrived at the gates of Vermont Academy, their eyes widened in astonishment and concern.
Before them, a group of floating Arcanists hovered ominously in the air, their numbers reaching a staggering three hundred or even more. The sight was deeply unsettling as the squad leaders realized the magnitude of the threat they faced.
But the danger extended far beyond the academy grounds. Casting their gaze toward the town and the dockyard, the squad leaders were met with a horrifying sight. The enemy forces hadunched a coordinated attack, with over a thousand adversaries converging upon the vulnerable areas.
The town nearby was already on fire. The dockyard was also under attack and was currently being defended by another squad of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels. The steel factories and other buildings outside the Academy were also being broken down by the enemies.
The sheer scale of the assault stunned them for a moment as theyprehended the severity of the situation.
Yet, despite the overwhelming odds and the looming chaos, the two squad leaders didn''t lose their hope.
Instead of sumbing to fear, they started to analyze the situation calmly and even wondered how it happened so fast.
They were a bit confused by the situation.
How had the enemy managed to infiltrate so stealthily? Their arrival had gonepletely undetected by the Academy''s rms, Order''s scouts, the scattered ghosts, and other guards stationed outside.
They couldn''t help but think that there was a traitor that allowed them to bypass through their defenses. However, that was very unlikely, considering how they implemented their security after the recent attacks of the Secret Organization, including the Thunder Emperor''s attempt to cause trouble.
Nevertheless, it wasn''t the time to think about how they got here. They immediately realized the Arcane Paths of the Arcanists who were trying to break their barrier.
They were Holy Arts Practitioners, Mystic Arts Practitioners, and Combat Arts Practitioners, who were all equipped with the new Rune Arts that were meant to deal with Dark Magic!
A sense of foreboding settled upon the squad leaders as they exchanged a knowing nce.
"So we are back to war..." One of them muttered, his voice heavy with the weight of the realization.
It became clear that this was not a mere skirmish or a random act of aggression. It was a deliberate and calcted deration of war, not only against Vermont Academy but against the entire Darkness Path.
At this moment, the squad leaders understood the weight of their role. They were not just defenders of the Academy but guardians of the Darkness Path itself.
The students here are all valuable assets of the Faction. The fate of the students or the future of the Dark Arts Faction was at stake.
"We still have five minutes before the barrier copses¡"
One of themmented.
Then, they turned their attention back to the Academy. At this time, all the Combat Professors, the members of their Squads, and various guards hired by the Academy could be seen.
They even noticed some higher-year students getting ready to fight.
However, the squad leaders knew that the safety of the students and professors was their utmost priority.
They couldn''t allow them to be caught in the crossfire of this brutal conflict. Well, the Professors might be able to survive, but there must be some people who would guide the students.
There were only about 40 Professors in the Academy and about a thousand students.
One of the squad leaders finally spoke, his voice could be heard by everyone.
"The professors will lead all the students out of the Academy. Use the emergency Formation Circle that the Headmaster prepared. We are at war now¡ Consider the Treaty of Keslore null and void. All members of the Evanescent Vessels will remain here and fulfill their calling." He announced with a firm tone.
Suddenly, his palm began to gather a massive amount of Dark Aura. The squad leader seemed to be showing off his formidable presence as he made his intentions clear.
This also seemed to be a signal for the others.
The members of the Vessels understood what they were about to do.
This was the moment they had prepared for since joining the Order. They were about to be true Vessels themselves.
They were ready to be possessed by a powerful being from the Shadow Realm! It waspletely different from the beings they had summoned to possess their bodies before.
It would be a one-time possession!
This time, there would be no hope of turning back to their humanity.
Addressing Professor Cyrus and Professor Mark, the older leader, who had arger frame, issued clear instructions.
"Professor Cyrus, please lead the students out of the Academy using the secret Mass Shadow Gate Circle. Professor Mark, in the absence of the Headmaster and Vice Headmaster, you will handle the Defense Formation Circles and activate all the traps once thest barrier is breached. Professor Zara, please take care of the Armory¡ Headmaster Jean mentioned that you can handle it. Lastly, please inform Professor Drake to release all the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Variants and for the Necromancers to summon all of their Undead at once. We will take charge of the defense."
After finishing his instructions, he also started preparing for the ritual.
The attackers had chosen their moment wisely, targeting the Academy when key figures such as the Headmaster were absent.
The professors nced at each other and could only nod in agreement. There was no time to argue about their tasks and that their involvement in the battle might hinder rather than aid the Vessels in their crucial jobs.
With the instructions given, the members of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels initiated the ritual.
Crack¡ Crack¡ Crack¡
The darkness barrier was already starting to crush, so they had to hurry. At this time, the people outside couldn''t see what was going on within the Academy grounds.
They could only see a vast ck dome covering the Academy. It means that it was a perfect time toplete their ritual.
Soon, a thick aura of darkness covered the entire Academy as the Vessels channeled their energy.
They were summoning the strongest beings they could connect within the Shadow Realm to possess their bodies.
"Captain Cleo¡ This might be thest time we''ll fight together." The older squad leader said.
"Then let''s make it something that will be remembered by all the Factions who dared to attack us. We''ll spill a river of blood, Captain Reed."
The two leaders said as they epted the possession¡
Chapter 485 Infiltration
Chapter 485 Infiltration
The entities that the Vessels could call would depend on their affinity with the Shadow Realm or any other Realms, so they would have different beings that would possess them.
"Hahaha!"
As Cleo felt the overwhelming powering into his body, he couldn''t help butugh.
Reed, who was beside Cleo, noticed this as well¡
"You''re a daredevil! Did you call the remnant spirit of the Shadow Emperor?!" He shouted in shock. Although they were ready to die, they should at least call an entity that would not just go on a rampage. If he really called for an entity he couldn''t handle, the students might be hurt in the process!
Anyway, it would still take a few seconds more before the two of them lose control over their bodies. So, at this time, they could still hold a conversation.
"Of course not! My body will explode if I dare do that¡ I just called for the strongest I can connect with. The Moonlight Reaper!" Cleo said, followed by a chuckle.
"Great! I called for the Ninth Shadow Guardian! I hope they''ll work together." Reed said as he looked at Cleo.
Cleo did the same, as this would be thest time they''d see each other. Once they were possessed, there was no turning back.
Reed was the first one to lose consciousness as the possession reached 50%.
Cleo then nced at the members of his squads. Some of them were still desperately fighting inside the dockyard. They were lucky that a couple of airships there hadbat abilities that were helping them resist the assault.
As soon as he felt that his mind was about to copse, he looked onest time at the enemies ahead and prayed to the Embodiment of the Darkness silently.
Crash!
A part of the ck dome had soon cracked open, and the aura of the squad leaders'' possession was felt by the enemies¡ Even the ones fighting in the dockyard felt the heavy atmosphere brought by the possession and realized that their leaders had made a decision to be a full Vessel.
Whom~
In a surge of ethereal energy, the summoning waspleted. Everyone, including the fleeing students, realized that a grand battle was about to start.
The other members of the Vessels also felt a powerful presence merge with their own consciousness, granting them heightened abilities and transforming their physical forms. They alsopleted the possession and became full Vessels. However, the ones they called to possess them weren''t as strong as the Moonlight Reaper and the Shadow Guardian.
Nevertheless, their eyes glowed with an otherworldly light as they became powerful vessels for these shadow entities¡
The once-human members of the Order now stood as otherwordly beings, their appearances altered by the essence of the entities they had summoned.
Most of them grewrger and became shrouded with darkness. Their strength and agility increased exponentially, and they radiated an aura that belonged to either death or darkness.
Some of the leaders of the assault group who were tasked to destroy the Academy couldn''t help but realize that their job here would still be deadly even without the presence of the Headmaster and the Vice Headmaster of the Academy.
The members of the Evanescent Vessel didn''t hold back at all as they all decided to use their lives to protect the students of the Academy.
***
At this time, the Contribution Points Exchange Hall was silent. There were no other people aside from Manager Faith.
After sensing the situation outside, she could tell that the Academy wouldn''tst for long... Perhaps the Vessel would take a lot of lives, but if the Dark Arts Faction''s reinforcements didn''t arrive in time, it would really be the end of the Academy.
"So this is still happening¡ I guess this is inevitable¡" She muttered.
She was blind but perceptive, so she immediately knew what was happening. Anyway, she was a staff member known for her role in the Contribution Points Exchange Hall.
She may not always be inside the Exchange Hall, but whenever she was present, students often sought her advice on how to best utilize their Contribution Points, making her a source of guidance and mystery.
Even Vale had a fair share of encounters with her and found her really mysterious, considering how she could scare Dark Spirits.
''Mhmm¡ I should have enough time.''
Manager Faith muttered and remained remarkablyposed even at the sudden attack on the Academy.
She quickly realized that this was apletely different situation than the previous attacks in the Academy.
Without wasting a moment, Manager Faith activated a Magic Circle, a powerful enchantment that would safeguard the valuable items stored within the Treasury Vault of the Exchange Hall. Her movements were swift, indicating that she had already prepared for this.
Whom~
It only took her less than a minute before she swiftly sealed away the precious herbs, rare ores, scrolls, mystical items, and any alchemical materials of significance into a minuscule ring.
She then carefully secured the ring, attaching it to her ne as a pendant. This was her own decision to keep these treasures close and protected.
As she intended to leave the Academy alongside the students in the secret chamber where the Mass Shadow Gate Circle was located, Manager Faith paused at the doorway leading to the hallway.
Her heightened senses detected a presence that eluded others. Though her sightless eyes saw nothing, her perception pierced the arcane spells of concealment.
"Incredible¡" She murmured, her voice carrying an air of both surprise and authority. She didn''t seem afraid as she addressed the people hiding in front of her.
"I didn''t expect to find the Third Guardian of the Transformation Arts Faction and the Second-in-Command of the Prime Wisemen lurking here, aiming to steal our treasures. Shouldn''t you be aiding your forces outside? The Vessels mean business. They would certainly kill those Shamans and Priests."
Her words echoed through the hall, revealing her skill that went beyond her apparent disability.
After a brief pause, a weathered voice echoed through the air, apanied by the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Just as I anticipated for a genuine Half-Spirit... It seems the tales circting about you were far from the truth..."
Chapter 486 Manager Faith
Chapter 486 Manager Faith
Manager Faith exuded an air of calmness as she sensed the approaching enemy.
Without a hint of fear, she materialized a walking cane and held it firmly with both hands, poised for action.
With a resounding thud, the cane struck the floor, and in an instant, ethereal spirits materialized around her.
These were not the typical spirits of the deceased that necromancers or ritualists could summon, but rather, they appeared to be Spirit Warriors. They were powerful entities emanating icy energy.
More than a dozen of these formidable warriors surrounded Manager Faith, their presence heightening the tension in the room. Their spectral forms exuded an aura of death itself!
Suddenly, the door of the hall transformed into a human figure. It was certainly the third guardian of the Transformation Arts Faction.
He stepped forward and addressed Manager Faith.
"Madam Faith, there is no need for you to resort to such measures. We are not here to harm you. In fact, if anything, it is the Dark Arts Faction that poses a greater danger to you. They are the ones who will probably put you on the experiment table and not us. Our purpose is simply to im the treasures you have hidden. Once we have done so, we will allow you to leave unharmed." He said with a calm voice while looking at the Spirit Warriors warily.
"Indeed¡ You should know the two of us and what we are capable of. This isn''t a bad deal." The old man from the Prime Wisemen said as his clothes started glowing with Runic Symbols.
Manager Faith''s expression remained unchanged as she listened to their words. With a cold smile, she responded.
"Yes. I heard about the two of you... But all I know is that you both hail from prominent families within your respective factions. Mr. Paterson and Mr. Wigram."
She heard about the Paterson Family since they are one of the three main families of the Transformation Arts Faction. Simrly, the Wigram Family was renowned as the strongest family in the Rune Arts Faction. As a matter of fact, the Sommerhalder Family, to which Neil belonged, operated under the guidance of the Wigram Family.
"If you believe that you''re both capable enough, then by all means, attempt to im the treasures." Manager Faith taunted the two, her wordsced with confidence.
With an understanding that diplomacy had reached its limits, the two men sighed in resignation and started releasing their spells.
Mr. Paterson underwent a remarkable transformation, morphing into a fearsome werewolf with razor-sharp ws and menacing fangs!
Awooo!
The werewolf then started lunging toward Manager Faith with ferocious intent! He was brimming with power and seemed like a real beast of the Moonlight Realm!
Simultaneously, Mr. Wigram unleashed his Rune Arts, tapping into their potent capabilities that were specifically crafted tobat entities of the Spirit Race. Arcane symbols glowed on his clothing as heunched his assault.
"Sir Paterson, be careful¡ Don''t destroy her mystical items, or we''ll lose all the treasures." Mr Wigram reminded.
On the other hand, Faith remained undeterred as she tapped the floor once, signaling her Spirit Warriors to engage in battle.
The spectral warriors surged forward, shing with their opponents in a flurry of icy breaths and strikes. Furthermore, Faith enveloped herself in a pulsating wave of Spirit Energy, enhancing her own defenses.
The room became a battleground as spells and ferocious attacks from the werewolf started¡ It was then followed by several shattering sounds of the Rune Arts being dismantled by Faith''s pulsating wave of energy¡
Graahh!
The werewolf reaped a part of a couple of Spirit Warriors, but his ws and hands started getting frostbite! It appeared as if the real attacks of the Spirit Warriors woulde after their death!
Manager Faith didn''t stop at this as she moved with a grace that belied her blindness, evading the flying Rune Symbols that were trying to seal her body.
She could certainly tell that the Rune Arts were more dangerous.
Her cane then became an extension of her being, deflecting attacks andunching counterblows with surprising agility. Furthermore, as she was moving too quickly, she started moving like a real ghosts as continued using her movement technique.
Then, at this time, the werewolf form of Mr. Paterson unleashed devastating blows, his ws tearing through the air with incredible speed, and it didn''t take that long before all the Spirit Warriors were killed.
Although Manager Faith''s Spirit Warriors fought back fiercely, their icy energy wasn''t enough to deal with an old Arcanist.
Nevertheless, they still served as a formidable defense against the savage werewolf.
Faith had bought enough time to release one of the seals in her body!
Just with a wave of her hand, another set of the Spirit Warriors appeared¡
"This is a lot more annoying than I thought." Mr. Wigram muttered as he couldn''t help butin at their current situation.
If Faith wasn''t holding the storage ring and wasn''t a Half-Spirit, this battle would''ve ended already. However, Half-Spirits were difficult to overwhelm in terms of Spirit Strands. They could also see the weakness of Spells a lot easier than normal Arcanists.
Then, they also don''t get affected by mind spells, so most of his Rune Arts weren''t suited against her. He could only think of four Rune Arts that could be effective against Faith.
However, when those Runic Attacks were about to hit her, Spirit Warriors would suddenly appear and take the hit instead.
"Fine¡ Let''s see how many Spirit Warriors you can summon!" Mr. Wigram said.
His Rune Arts proved to be a formidable challenge for the Spirit Warriors. Some intricate symbols were suddenly etched into the floor, ceiling, walls, and shelves of the hall.
These runes disrupted the Spirit Warriors'' spectral forms, causing momentary instability.
This allowed Paterson to easily kill them with a few bites and kicks¡
However, at this time, Manager Faith finally managed to remove all the seals that she temporarily put to herself in order not to cause trouble to the students in the Academy!
Chapter 487 Corruption
Chapter 487 Corruption
While Manager Faith was handling the two main forces of this raid against the Vermont Academy, the Vessels outside had started their battles against the enemies.
As Reed and Cleo stood side by side, their transformed beings radiated the power of the Shadow Realm. It was heavy and more prominent than the Dark Energy that the enemies were familiar with.
The Moonlight Reaper and the Ninth Shadow Guardian had merged with the two''s physical forms, granting them extraordinary abilities and an aura that struck fear into the hearts of their enemies.
They no longer looked like humans in their current state.
Before them stood a formidable assembly of Arcanists from the Mystic Arts Faction, the Holy Arts Faction, and the Combat Arts Faction. The surrounding air felt chaotic with the sh of energy¡
Boom!
With another Massive Holy Smite, the ck Dome protecting the Academy had finally copsed!
With a swift movement, Cleo, or the Moonlight Reaper, unleashed a torrent of lunar beams emanating from his scythe-like weapon.
These beams sliced through the air, striking down multiple Arcanists with precise uracy!
That''s right, it broke throughyers of barriers and killed several Arcanists in this surprise attack!
Probably because of the Dome''s explosion, the Arcanists from the Mystic Arts Faction found themselves disoriented as their spells were disrupted, almost unable to withstand the lunar beams.
Meanwhile, Reed, now infused with the power of the Ninth Shadow Guardian,manded dark tendrils thatshed out with blinding speed.
Pah! Pah!
Each strike found its mark, incapacitating opponents with a paralyzing touch. The Arcanists from the Holy Arts Faction, known for their radiant spells, found their light extinguished as Reed''s darkness engulfed them.
Although the Holy Arts worked well against any Spells rted to darkness, the difference in power must still be considered.
"Mass Rejuvenation!"
One of the leaders of the Holy Knights had finally finished casting a spell and cured hispanions of the confusion brought by the explosion of the Dome.
However, the other Vessels didn''t stop from attacking.
The members of the Order, who had also be Vessels for powerful entities, fought alongside Reed and Clea.
They unleashed very unusual attacks that contained the Dark Energy and an otherwordly energy that the enemies weren''t prepared for.
Some of them threw curses and some conjured dark items like chains and swords¡
However, what made it more difficult for the Holy Knights and Priests was the fact that the overwhelming energy of their opponents made their spells less effective!
"Attack!" One of the Holy Knights shouted as he signaled the Shamans and Runecasters to release their Spells.
Boom! Boom!
Various spells collided in mid-air, creating explosions that rocked the battlefield.
Arcane shields shimmered and shattered under the relentless assault, while the sh of weapons reverberated through the air.
Despite the overwhelming numbers of their opponents, Reed and Cleo fought with tenaciousness. They were both overwhelmingly powerful as they dominated their surrounding area.
It wasn''t nned, but the Moonlight Reaper and Shadow Guardian seemed to have great synergy. It was evident as they seamlessly coordinated their attacks, exploiting weaknesses and protecting each other in the heat of battle.
They may no longer have the minds of the two Squad Leaders, but they were still bound by the two to follow theirst order--to protect the Academy from the invaders.
The Arcanists from the three factions started having trouble.
They suddenly found themselves on the defensive.
Some of the Holy Knights, Mystic Magicians, and Runecaster in front started hesitating. Fear crept into their eyes as they witnessed the sheer power and ferocity of their opponents.
"Knight Morris, we received a signal from Sir Paterson to destroy the Academy! The treasures and others are no longer important! They will find a way not to get caught by the destruction!"
As the Holy Knight leading the assault to the Academy was contemting how to suppress the Vessels, he heard a report from one of their secret messengers hiding on the battlefield.
His eyes immediately lit up with excitement as he raised his arm and summoned his Light Spirit!
The Light Spirit could be considered simr to the Elemental Spirits.
However, they do not have a humanoid form, unlike the Elemental Spirits. They seem just like an Orb of Light that couldmunicate with their summoner.
Whom~
Suddenly, a brilliant light emanated from the battlefield, capturing the attention of everyone present. The Vessels, mistaking it for an attack, swiftly responded by conjuring their defenses andunching counterattacks towards the source of the luminosity.
However, this radiant disy was not an offensive move but rather a signal for the hidden Exorcist Division of the Untainted Sentinels!
Their real purpose was to confront the final line of defense within the Vermont Academy. They shouldn''t be appearing just yet.
After all, it wasmon knowledge that thend surrounding the Academy was once a domain of the dead. However, the Dark Arts Faction suppressed them and sealed them in various ces in the Magical Fortress, now the Vermont Academy.
Knight Morris, faced with the unexpected strength of the Vessels, made the decision to unveil the Exorcist Division.
The Vessels had to be exorcised, and the dark possession that was slowly affecting their Arcanists had to be halted.
''This ce had madness everywhere¡ As expected, only those with Darkness Possession canst longer in this pathetic Academy. We''ve only been here for a few minutes, and we''re already being corrupted¡'' Knight Morrisined as he didn''t expect that a Holy Knight like him would be troubled by the Academy''s corruption.
"Proceed at once!" Morrismanded, his voice resonating with urgency. He knew there was no need to exin the task to the Exorcists; they were well aware of their mission.
The fifty or so Exorcists, brimming with power, understood that their primary targets were the Possessed Dark Magicians. With a collective prayer that reverberated like a solemn hymn, a surge of immense Light Energy enveloped the entire Academy, specifically targeting the otherworldly beings that had taken possession of the Dark Magicians.
Chapter 488 Evacuation
Chapter 488 Evacuation
The Exorcists channeled their energy to a Magic Circle that amplified their prayers...
Their prayers also started getting louder, resonating with a distinct holy energy that sought to purge the dark influence of the possessed Dark Magicians.
One by one, the Possessed Dark Magicians or Vessels found themselves assailed by the Exorcists'' sacred power.
The beings within them writhed and contorted, their hold weakening as the exorcism took effect. However, they weren''t the elites of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels if a simple exorcism would render them incapacitated.
The beings from the Shadow Realm fought with everything they had since there was no way they would allow themselves to just return to their Realm without benefiting. They had to at least take the shadows of their enemies!
Whom~
As if they had nned their next move, the possessed Vessels started sucking in the shadows of all the Arcanists around!
Most of the Holy Knights in front lost their shadows, but those in the back managed to cast some Rune Arts to stop their shadows from being taken away¡
Holy Knight Morris didn''t expect that their shadows would be taken. Furthermore, even if they had no idea what the Vessels would do to it, they knew that it was not a good idea to give their shadows to these Dark Magicians, who are experts in curses.
"Strengthen the exorcism!" One of the leaders of the Exorcist Division shouted as he realized that their vanguard had their shadows taken.
There were no visible effects at the moment, but they had to get those shadows back!
The Exorcists, guided by their unwavering faith, pressed forward. They started spending all of their energy to separate the Vessels from their unholy entanglement with the beings of the Shadow Realm.
As the exorcism ritual continued, the Academy itself seemed to pulsate with light and dark energy. The spiritual barriers that had once confined the Exorcist Division shattered, allowing their collective power to flow freely and unhindered.
The entities from the Shadow Realm fought desperately to maintain their grip on their hosts, unleashing dark tendrils and gathering more shadows in an effort to resist the purification power of the exorcists.
However, their efforts proved futile against the overwhelming might of the Exorcist Division.
Gradually, the hold of darkness weakened, and the spirits within the Possessed Dark Magicians began to dissipate.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Professor Gale Evans suddenly appeared.
"Mhmm¡ So this is the Exorcist Division. They''ve reallye prepared this time."
Her figure materialized above the main building of the Academy, her silver hair flowing gracefully and her blue eyes piercing through the chaos. d in a white robe, she wore a gold ne with a purple gem pendant, a symbol of her authority as the strongest Corruption Weaver in the Academy as of this time.
"Since the evacuation isn''t done yet, you guys should continue fighting here..."
Gale muttered after observing the situation closely.
She noted that even the hiding Necromancers were unable to summon their Undead due to the overwhelming purification power of the Exorcists. It was clear that the enemies had prepared extensively for this battle.
With a wave of her hand, Gale unleashed an invisible spell upon the Exorcists.
Surprisingly, this spell remained unaffected by the sacred energy being released by the Exorcists. Instead, it directly targeted a dozen of them, leaving them in a dazed state, as if lost in a daydream. Their prayers faltered, causing the purification process to weaken.
In a matter of seconds, the effect spread throughout the entire Exorcist Division, rendering them incapacitated.
Whom~
The sudden halt of the exorcism disrupted the flow of energy in the surroundings, causing a small shockwave to happen.
It barely took a minute, and Gale''s intervention stopped the Exorcists'' progress of exorcising the entities of the Shadow Realm!
This allowed the possessed Vessels to regain control of their powers, renewing their assault against the Holy Knights.
The first ones to regain their control were the Moonlight Reaper and the Shadow Guardian.
Boom!
The change in the flow of the battlefield was immediate as one of the Holy Knights, who had raised his shield in defense, was sent flying by the force of a charging Shadow Guardian.
It seems that Reed, or the Ninth Shadow Guardian, was really angered by the Exorcists.
"How?!"
"Sir Hogan was thrown away?!"
"This is bad. If Sir Hogan failed to defend against that, how can we survive?!"
"We should work together!"
Many of the Holy Knights in front immediately panicked and expressed their concern.
Even the Shamans, Priests, and Runecasters behind were shocked as the Holy Knights were not expected to be easily overpowered like that...
Holy Knight Morris was also shocked at first, but he immediately noticed something.
"Not good! Those who lost their shadows, move to our rear!"
It didn''t take him that long to realize that the previous disappearance of their shadows was rted to their weakened state.
Luckily, not everyone had lost their shadows. The Holy Knights immediately understood what was happening and acted ording to themand of their leader.
Simultaneously, the Necromancers within the Academy seized the opportunity and finally summoned their undead minions.
From the ground, an army of zombies, skeleton warriors, skeleton knights, hell hounds, vengeful spirits, and other abominations emerged, ready to wreak havoc upon the battlefield.
"That''s how it should be¡" Gale remarked, smiling contentedly as she noticed that the other possessed Vessels started recovering from the purification. Thanks to her intervention and the Necromancer''s move, their once-twisted expressions morphed into relief as they regained control of their hosts.
However, she knew that this wasn''t enough to stop the imminent destruction of the Academy.
If the reinforcements of the Dark Arts Faction failed to arrive in time, she had no doubt that the Vessels would die here and Vermont Academy would be gone.
"Well, that''s not my concern. I''ve done my part." Professor Gale Evans muttered as she looked at the center of the Academy, where the students were gathered. Then, as soon as she noticed that the other professors started transporting them to another location, she shifted her gaze to where Manager Faith and the two other Master Arcanists were fighting.
"Just a little longer, Miss Faith. The evacuation is almost done." Gale telepathically said to the mysterious Half-Spirit fighting for the Vermont Academy.
Chapter 489 Shadows Return
Chapter 489 Shadow''s Return
In the meantime, while this was all happening at Vermont Academy, Vale had just finished his meeting with the representatives of the various factions or organizations.
He also received an invitation from Odessa to enter her Mage Tower¡ Of course, Vale didn''t immediately reject her. He simply informed her that he would think about it. After all, he was surrounded by many Arcanists, and he would feel a lot better rejecting her once he returned to the Academy.
Although he knew he was strong, there were still many Mystical Artifacts he wasn''t aware of.
"Whew~"
''Those gazes from re and Teresa were quite disturbing. Did they realize I''m Clovis?'' Vale thought to himself as he slowly went back to their hotel and met with the others.
If possible, he also wanted to visit the city and see if there are some good appraisers there. He had so many items needed to be appraised after all. Although he could probably do it in the Academy, he was already excited to get some of the items appraised or even convert them into money.
"Ahhh¡ I should probably sell those that I don''t need to Lisa and the others." Vale muttered as he recalled his friends in the Academy.
Since Maya and others also got some rewards from their cement rankings, Vale shouldn''t worry about them. Furthermore, they already have some incredible families supporting them, unlike some of his friends in the Academy.
The high-grade Spirit Pearls, the amulet of Swift Steps, the crystal of elemental shield, the ancient Rune Scroll, and even the Formation Nodes weren''t really something useful to him anymore. If he would make a guess, the mystical artifacts were only at the low-grade Noble Rank items.
At his current strength, he would need at least a low-grade Royal Rank item to satisfy himself.
As soon as he returned to his hotel, he could no longer find Maya and the others. He then went to the dining hall and confirmed that they were all there waiting for him to show up.
After they finished eating, Maya and Crystal decided to visit the duel tournament of the 8th-year students that was being held in another location since the Coliseum was still undergoing repairs. On the other hand, Philip and Luna nned to watch the Spectacles of Talent of the 10th-year students.
They invited Vale toe with them, but he felt that he would just disturb Philip''s n, so he just said that he had other things to do.
As for Maya and Crystal''s invitation, Vale decided to reject them as well since it might get awkward with those two.
In the end, Vale went out alone. At this time, he already asked Yvaine to take out some items he was nning to be appraised.
As he walked through the bustling streets of the Roaring City, he hadn''t even found the ce he was looking for when he felt something off.
He couldn''t shake the feeling that he was being watched. The constant gaze of unseen eyes was noticed by his ESP Spell''s passive effect.
Without a moment''s hesitation, he activated his Phantasm State, entering a heightened state of awareness, and expanded his Magic Zone to better sense the presence of others.
"Let''s see¡" Vale muttered as he walked to the hawkers selling various street foods. He didn''t want to alert the people who were observing him.
Within his expanded Magic Zone, Vale could feel the presence of numerous Arcanists, but it was the attention of eight particr individuals that caught his focus.
"Ahhh¡"
He recognized them. They were re, Teresa, Clyde, and others he had encountered in Odessa''s room. They seemed to be observing him from a distance of about 180 meters.
He wasn''t sure what they were nning, but it didn''t matter to him. They had gravely underestimated the power and range of his Magic Zone.
"But¡ What should I do to them? Don''t they have anything better to do?" Vale muttered to himself, slightly annoyed by their persistent surveince. He doesn''t even know if he should reveal the fact that his Magic Zone exceeds 180 meters.
After a few moments, he decided to ignore their presence for the time being. He continued his search for the Mystical Artifact Shop, a ce where he hoped to find an appraiser who could assist him.
After asking a few people around, Vale finally stumbled upon the shop he had been seeking.
He immediately approached the entrance, ready to enter and pay for the services of their Appraisers.
However, just as he was about to step inside, a distinct and unsettling aura caught his attention. His Magic Zone sensed another being that was observing him¡
It was a sinister presence, unlike anything he had previously encountered. This aura did not emanate from an Arcanist, making it all the more unsettling.
''Demonic Being? No, it doesn''t seem right. It feels like an Undead, but it''s different.''
Perplexed and on high alert, Vale suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity with this eerie presence. Although he didn''t recognize the source of this aura, there was something about the being that triggered a flicker of recognition deep within Vale''s mind.
Suddenly, he heard the Headmaster''s voice inside his head.
"Vale, something happened in the Academy. I have to go back early. I''ve already returned your shadow. However, I need one item in exchange."
"Ahh¡ Headmaster Jean? Where are you? What''s the item you needed?" Vale asked.
"I''m already far away. I can onlymunicate with you thanks to your shadow. However, once I return this shadow, we won''t be able to hold a conversation anymore. I will use another person if I have to send you a message." Headmaster Jean replied.
"As for the item I needed, it''s a ring. To be exact, I need the Creation Ring on the tenth floor. Did you get it from the Tower Master?"
Vale immediately nodded at this question. "I have it with me. However, I was told by the Tower Master that I needed it to stop the Abyss Realm''s invasion."
"It''s fine. The Abyss Realm''s invasion is not a bad thing for us. The other Arcane Paths will deal with it. You don''t have to help them."
Vale didn''t hesitate to agree on this since he just wanted to get his shadow back.
"Alright, how do I give you the Creation Ring?" Vale asked, but as he was focusing on his conversation with the Headmaster, several screams were heard as the mysterious undead entity he noticed a while ago started charging at him!
This undead creature with a strange aura caused panic in the crowded streets, killing anyone who got in its way!
Chapter 490 Complete Vale
Chapter 490 Complete Vale
"Headmaster, I think someone is targeting me! It seemed like an entity from another realm." Vale added, not even waiting for the Headmaster''s reply.
He wasn''t sure if this entity was sent by another Faction or if it was sent by the Cult or the Order of Fatality.
Just in case, he wanted to ask the Headmaster for some advice.
Headmaster Jean''s response was concise yet filled with certainty. "Just escape if you can''t deal with it. Anyway, I will return your shadow now. Someone from the Vessels will pick up the Creation Ring." Jean advised before their mental connection abruptly severed.
"Ahh~"
Momentster, Vale felt a peculiar sensation coursing through his body. It was as if something within him had shifted, and he could sense the return of his shadow.
The impact of its restoration was far more profound than he had anticipated. The world around him seemed clearer, his strength magnified, and an overwhelming surge of dark energy flowed through his veins.
"Whoa¡"
Perplexed by this unexpected transformation, Vale couldn''t help but marvel at the incredible sensation. He felt as though Headmaster Jean had not merely returned a small piece of his shadow, but rather rejuvenated him with a newfound vitality and energy that transcended his expectations.
Furthermore, the connection between himself and Yvaine, his Dark Spirit, had also deepened, further enhancing his ability to sense her presence...
However, amidst this euphoria, Vale''s heightened senses detected the presence of several Unknown Entities now fixated on him.
The mysterious undead charging at him wasn''tparable to the presence of these entities at all.
The sudden attention only added to the unusual phenomenon surrounding his circumstances.
"What just happened?" Vale mused, caught off guard by the satisfying sensation brought by his shadow.
"I guess that''s just how it feels to beplete once again..." Vale muttered as he couldn''t really think of another reason.
After all, he wasn''t just aplete human. Instead, he can be said to be apleted Half-Celestial.
Vale couldn''t help but smile after reaching this thought. Despite the overwhelming wave of emotions, he truly found sce in the fact that his shadow had finally been restored.
Nevertheless, this newfound sensation,bined with his altered perspective on the Vermont Academy, brought rity to his memories.
Now that his shadow was back, he realized that the students in the Academy were truly being conditioned to the unfair sses and distribution of contribution points. They were also being trained to ept what the Academy was and not aim to change or improve its system.
"Now that I think about it, I killed Wilfred when I was first-year, and aside from his close friends or rtives, no one was really bothered by it. It feels as if our emotions are being controlled to a certain degree." Vale muttered under his breath as he recalled the past.
"Furthermore, there were higher year students from Dark Alchemy and Essential Corruption who had be some living abomination through failed experiments, but many lower years weren''t bothered and still thinking of choosing this path."
Vale also recalled how he just epted Professor Gale''s advances and stopped pursuing that matter after some time. Now that he thinks about it, he has almost forgotten about this matter!
Vale couldn''t help but think that the Headmaster had probably used his piece of shadow to control his emotions and not go against the Professors of the Academy.
One by one, Vale recalled many things in the Academy that should have been uneptable but became a normal ormon matter to them.
Vale sighed as his memories became clearer.
Of course, he didn''t me the Academy as well, considering how this method helped the students easily ept the presence of ghosts, undead, and abominations in their surroundings.
After all, the Vermont Academy epts students at a very young age. Perhaps, this method of taking their shadow was also a way to protect them from madness brought by the study of darkness.
Graahh!
As Vale was thinking about whether he should still return to the Academy to meet his friends, he suddenly heard a roar aiming to incapacitate him!
"Hmph!" Vale didn''t summon his Arcane Armor, as he simply released his Dark Energy to protect himself.
The mysterious undead being had finally closed in on him.
''Weird¡ How did this thing reach me here? Are there no guards around here?" Vale muttered as he found it ridiculous how this creature managed to just enter the central part of the city and cause chaos.
It seemed quite impossible that it could enter so easily. Furthermore, why were re and the others not bothered and just watching him intently?
"This¡ Did they send this guy to test me?" Vale''s eyes widened as he felt that he realized what was going on.
Seeing that he was about to be attacked, Vale made his move.
"If you''re looking for death, fine,e at me!" He dered defiantly.
Among his many Spells, he decided to show his Ghost Hands¡
He wasn''t sure what re and others were nning, but he could guess that it was to measure his strength as an Arcanist, or perhaps they wanted to see his hidden Dark Spells.
"Die! Vale! Die!"
Vale was momentarily shocked as soon as he heard the voice that seemed to havee from the depths of hell!
Nevertheless, he swiftly activated his Lightspeed and maneuvered to create distance between himself and the relentless undead creature.
Then, Vale relied solely on his three floating Ghost Hands to confront the relentless onught of the mysterious undead creature.
"You¡ Who are you?!" Vale asked as his Ghost Hands stopped the enemy''s advance.
It seems that he was really targeted this time. He needs to know the mastermind behind this!
However, the creature didn''t have ns to answer, so Vale continued using his Ghost Hands. He decided to just rely on this Spell for now since he didn''t want to satisfy re and the others. He didn''t want them to see his Spells at all!
Vale''s Ghost Hands expanded and struck the creature with destructive force. However, it seemed that he did it too much as their spectral touch tore through buildings, shattering ss windows and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
Chapter 491 Spawn of Darkness
Chapter 491 Spawn of Darkness
Shops and stores crumbled as the mysterious creature and the Vale''s Ghost Hands tried to overpower each other.
The surrounding structures crumbled to rubble as the area transformed into a chaotic battlefield.
''Ahh¡ This is not good¡ However, where are the other Arcanists? Can''t they see that a student is being harassed here? Why is no one helping?'' Vale couldn''t help butin as he nced at the location of the other Arcanists who were just watching.
By using his Divine Sense, he could easily sense the Arcanists that were within his 30-meter radius.
Martial Arts Practitioner with 5 filled Spell Lights.
Martial Arts Practitioner with 5 filled Spell Lights.
Mystic Arts Practitioner with 7 filled Spell Lights.
Mystic Arts Practitioner with 8 filled Spell Lights.
Elemental Arts Practitioner with 8 filled Spell Lights.
Beast Arts Practitioner with 4 filled Spell Lights.
Beast Arts Practitioner with 3 filled Spell Lights.
Rune Arts Practitioner with 5 filled Spell Lights.
With just a simple and quick scan of his surroundings, Vale immediately found eight Arcanists! They seemed to be watching in awe, or perhaps they were waiting for something to happen. Nevertheless, they certainly don''t have any ns to interfere with the battle.
Perhaps, they heard how the creature called for his name, so they decided to stay out of it.
Vale also observed re and the others inside his Magic Zone and confirmed that they weren''t making their moves.
''Whatever¡ I''ll deal with this alone.'' Vale silently thought as he looked for a ce where he could bring the creature to interrogate.
The people on the streets and the other owners of the shops didn''t deserve to suffer. Some of them were already injured, and the damage in the surroundings was just getting bigger.
"I''ll torture you!" The mysterious humanoid creature spoke once again as Vale controlled his Ghost Hands to continue suppressing it.
However, it proved to be difficult since the creature had a high affinity to the Darkness Attribute.
It continued to struggle and even shattered one of the three Ghost Hands!
It actually bit one of the Ghost Hands and sucked it until it was gone!
"You can do that?" Vale was surprised. He didn''t expect such a method to exist. Nevertheless, Vale didn''t stop using his Ghost Hands.
Using his Spirit Vision, he realized that the being was already full from eating one of his Ghost Hands. The only problem was that it seemed to be using the power of his Ghost Hand to amplify its strength!
"What a glutton¡" Vale muttered as he realized that it only took a few seconds to digest the Ghost Hand it had eaten.
Seeing that it was about to eat another Ghost Hand, Vale controlled it to shrink and used the two Ghost Hands with extreme precision to turn the creature into a punching bag.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the battle intensified, the people unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire scattered in fear, seeking shelter from the chaos unleashed by Vale and his formidable boxing Ghost Hands. The streets became a scene of mayhem, with debris flying through the air and bystanders scrambling to safety.
"Ahhh¡"
Vale felt bad about the destruction happening on the streets.
As he looked around, he soon found a za with a huge pile of wood gathered at the center.
It seems that there will be a huge bonfireter this night. However, Vale had to use the za for now.
Whoosh~
With a wave of his hand, he used his remaining two Ghost Hands to drag the creature away from the busy streets.
Boom!
The mysterious humanoid creature was thrown into the pile. However, Vale realized that it was slowly getting stronger and stronger. Just now, Vale tried to use his Darkness Maniption to cut away its power to wield the Dark Energy. He was hoping that with the Darkness Maniption, the creature would weaken.
However, Vale failed to take control of the Darkness around his enemy!
His Darkness Maniption Spell was already Level 7 or at the early stage of the Advanced Realm! Vale couldn''t help but be surprised.
''Interesting¡ Is this creature a spawn of Darkness?'' Vale thought to himself as he considered leveling up the Spell.
However, he immediately stopped as he recalled that leveling up Spells above the Advanced Realm would strain his body since he would do it through a cheat system and not through hard work.
Instead, he decided to get an aid with his Mystical Item. As he thought of pulling up one of his Summoning Scrolls to test the creature, he heard it speak once again.
"Give me your body!" The creature growled as he shattered the wood pile scattered around him.
"You want to possess me? Dream on!" Vale found this exchange quiteughable as he suspected that this creature could feel his Incorruptible Body. After all, that was quite an alluring physique. It would exin why the creature wanted to possess him.
With a firm decision, Vale activated the three scrolls he had been carrying.
He poured his energy into them, unleashing a surge of power that left him astonished. The scrolls absorbed a significant portion of his energy, leaving him with less than half of his original reserves.
"Whoa~" Vale eximed. He didn''t expect such a huge amount of energy to be needed for those scrolls.
"Just for three summons, my energy was left with less than half of my original energy. These scrolls really pack a punch¡"
Despite the energy depletion, a smile crept across Vale''s face as he watched the ground where the scrolls hadnded. In a flurry of dark magic, three imposing figures emerged from the depths below. The ground cracked and split open, revealing three Skeleton Knights mounted on horseback.
The skeletal warriors exuded an aura of menace, their eye sockets glowing with red mes that danced with an eerie intensity.
They were armed with swords and shields, ready to engage in battle at Vale''smand. The sight of these fearsome creatures sent shivers down the spines of onlookers, but to Vale, their presence was exhrating.
Chapter 492 Dual Arts Practitioner
Chapter 492 Dual Arts Practitioner
The sudden appearance of the Skeleton Knights was surprisingly appreciated by many onlookers. Some of them started gathering around the za to look at the Skeleton Knights.
They became more interested in the battle instead of fleeing away from the scene!
"A moving skeleton! Father, look!"
"Don''t look at them in their eyes."
"Whoa~ I didn''t expect him to be a necromancer. He looks handsome..."
"I think Dark Arts isn''t that awful. I also want to be capable of summoning such creatures."
"You''d probably die if you tried entering their academy. Don''t waste your life."
"But still, those Skeleton Knights look really strong. I heard only Second ss Necromancers could summon them."
"I think we should step back. It''s getting colder here."
Vale heard all of their carefreements, but he had no time to mind them as he felt that his opponent was slowly getting stronger.
With a wave of his hand, he directed the Skeleton Knights to join the fray. Together with the Ghost Hands, they fought against the mysterious undead.
As the knights moved, the ground beneath their skeletal hooves trembled. They charged toward the mysterious humanoid creature, followed by an aura of death..
At this point, some of the police officers had finally arrived and arranged a few Formation Nodes to protect the normal people from the aura of death. After all, non-practitioners would be harmed by such an energy. They might not die, but they would be incapacitated if they get exposed for a prolonged period.
"Gahaha! Give me more of them!" The mysterious humanoid creature suddenly eximed as if he was waiting for Vale to do this. Then, he bravely charged towards the Skeleton Knights while also tracking the movements of the Ghost Hands!
ng! ng!
The sh of steel rang out through the za as the Skeleton Knights engaged with the steel-like body of their enemy. The Skeleton Knights'' movements were swift, but to everyone''s surprise, the creature wasn''t being harmed by the swords of the Skeleton Knights!
He even used his steel-like arms to block the swords!
"Something''s off¡" Vale frowned as he immediately used his Spirit Vision. He couldn''t understand why this creature was getting stronger at such an incredible speed.
After some time, he finally noticed something.
''What''s that?'' Vale was a bit confused as he found a few threads of Arcane Energy connected to the creature!
Vale then allowed the Skeleton Knights to hold back the enemy as he continued tracing the sources of Arcane Energy Threads.
The Skeleton Knights fought with incredible strength and speed, but they didn''t have a decent fighting style.
They mostly rely on their brute force and the aura of darkness that was fueling them. Their swords shed through the air, leaving trails of faint ck mes in their wake.
The creature''s defenses were put to the test as the Skeleton Knightsunched coordinated attacks, their skeletal steeds galloping with fierce strength.
Boom!
Once again, the mysterious creature managed to devour the Ghost Hand, assisting the Skeleton Knights. Vale then promptly canceled the remaining Ghost Hand and let the Skeleton Knights deal with the enemy.
He was too focused on following the threads connected to this creature.
As the battle raged on, each swing of Skeleton Knight''s sword was getting less and less effective against the enemy.
The za became a battleground, the sounds ofbat echoing through the surrounding buildings.
However, Vale''s focus finally paid off, and he found the source of the threads of Arcane Energy! He wasn''t sure about its purpose, but it was connected to a group of hooded figures that was about 340 meters away from them!
''So far?! Can their Magic Zone reach this distance as well?'' Vale was shocked as he could tell that his limit was only 400 meters.
It was very surprising that they were able to do this.
After calming down, Vale carefully observed the group and realized that they were capable of blocking his Divine Sense and Spirit Vision. He couldn''t identify them or their Arcane Path.
It was probably rted to their Mystical Item or Formation Art that was hiding their presence.
Nevertheless, he realized that the thread was actually providing power to the mysterious creature! He had to do something about them. However, if he defeated the creature now, those hooded figures might escape, and they would go unpunished. Vale didn''t like that.
As he was considering his next move, a voice resonated in his mind.
"Clovis, I can tell that your enemy right now is a Failed Vessel. Did you offend someone in the Dark Arts Faction?"
It was a beautiful voice, and Vale recognized her immediately. It definitely belonged to Teresa!
Vale was momentarily taken aback by the unexpectedmunication, but he swiftly gathered hisposure and responded using his own telepathic abilities.
"Failed Vessel? What''s that? And I''m not Clovis, Miss Teresa." Vale promptly replied while thinking about the Failed Vessel. He wasn''t sure, but he immediately connected it to the existence of Evanescent Vessel.
"Anyway, I may have unintentionally offended a couple of individuals from the Dark Arts Faction. But regardless, why aren''t you and your allies lending a hand?" He asked.
Teresa didn''t immediately answer¡ She took a few moments to observe the battle of the Skeleton Knights against the Failed Vessel before replying.
"That creature is cursed and a powerful one at that. If we intervene carelessly, we risk falling victim to the curse as well. Furthermore, its sole target is you. If you were to perish here, the Failed Vessel would move on and leave the city."
"What?!" Vale blurted out incredulously, "So, you''re just going to let me die here?"
He couldn''t understand why the Untainted Sentinels of the Holy Arts Faction couldn''t simply purify the curse! Are they too weak against a Failed Vessel''s curse?!
Sensing Vale''s anger and confusion, Teresa quickly reassured him. "Don''t worry, I won''t allow you to die. I''lle to your aid if you''re in grave danger. However, there are other factors preventing our direct involvement. I''m only revealing this to you because I know you''re Clovis, and you possess abilities in both Holy and Dark Arts."
Vale''s anger red further, and he snapped back. "What? Are you out of your mind? How could I possibly possess Holy Arts abilities?"
Deep down, though, he felt a sense of nervousness creeping in.
Chapter 493 Suppressed
Chapter 493 Suppressed
Teresa chuckled as she responded to Vale with confidence.
"Don''t y ignorant. We are aware that you are a Dual Arts Practitioner, likely a Half-Spirit or something simr. You have abilities in both Holy and Dark Arts, whether you fully embrace them or not. Anyway, your Skeleton Knights are about to be defeated. So you better make your move."
As she said this, the three Skeleton Knights had indeed crumbled into many pieces as the Failed Vessel sucked out their energy!
This Failed Vessel had indeede prepared!
"Alright, I''ll deal with this. However, this guy didn''te here alone. He''s being supported by hidden individuals located at an abandoned building on the eastern gate''s side. Just take care of them if you don''t want to help me directly." Vale said as he shifted his focus to the Failed Vessel.
In the meantime, Teresa was a bit surprised as she immediately shared the information with re.
Together, they swiftly used their movement Spells and arrived at a distance where they could use their Magic Zone to inspect the area.
"Ahh¡ It''s true." Teresa muttered after realizing that there was something off with the abandoned house.
Well, they couldn''t really see the individuals that Vale was referring to. However, they could easily tell that there was a Formation Art ced in the area, and it could be hiding the people that Vale mentioned.
"How did he notice them?" re asked as she put on her Magic Artifacts. She was ready to enter the ce and arrest the people hiding there.
"It doesn''t matter. We have to secure Clovister and bring him to our Faction. All questions will be answered if he''s with us¡ You have to help me convince himter. It would be a pity if he diester once he leaves the city." Teresa muttered as she also started preparing her Artifacts.
"Why don''t you just tell him that the Dark Arts Faction is about to be destroyed? That way, he''ll know that we don''t have a bad intention and were only trying to save him." re asked.
"If we were to disclose this information to him now, there''s a possibility that he would immediately return to the Academy, given his current loyalty. However, once the Headmaster has been eliminated, we can be certain that Vale''s shadow will have returned to him. At that point, he will be able to make a fair and unbiased decision." Teresa exined, which only made re gently nod.
re didn''t think too deeply about it, so Teresa''s exnation made her realize how crafty her partner was.
"Well, that''s good. I know he will embrace his identity as Clovis once again." re said with augh as she vanished from her spot and appeared in front of the abandoned house.
***
In the meantime, Vale finally took over the battle against the Failed Vessel.
"Hey, before I kill you, let me know your name¡" Vale said as he approached the Failed Vessel slowly. At this time, it already finished devouring the essence of the Skeleton Knights and had gotten a lot stronger.
However, this creature was still not as strong as the Dragon he killed before. He was just a bit tricky to deal with since Dark Arts doesn''t work effectively.
"Kehehe¡ So you don''t remember me, Vale! You already forgot about me after you killed me a few years ago?! I will get my revenge today! I''ll take your soul and make you live inside a frog''s body!" The Failed Vessel spoke with a chillingugh.
At the same time, Vale somehow saw a familiar face ovepping the Failed Vessel''s face.
"Wilfred? Is that you?"
Memories of a young student who had met an unfortunate end at his hands resurfaced in his mind.
Vale felt a bit of pity for this guy since he had most likely done it because of the influence of the Headmaster.
Vale could only think that Jean had probably used his shadow that time, so he didn''t think too much of killing a young student!
"That Headmaster is indeed quite devious."
However, despite any feelings of pity, Vale understood that he had no choice but to eliminate Wilfred, who had be a mere Failed Vessel.
After all, he had no desire to live trapped inside the body of a frog.
With this decision in mind, Vale summoned Yvaine, his Dark Spirit. As soon as she materialized, the surrounding area grew colder, and her mere presence sent a shiver down the spines of onlookers.
"Is that an Evil Spirit?!"
"How terrifying... We should leave this ce."
"Indeed, let''s not get caught up in their battle."
"Move away! It''s bing dangerous!"
The spectators quickly assessed the situation and started to retreat. While the prospect of witnessing a battle between Arcanists might have seemed entertaining under normal circumstances, the potential risks of getting caught in the crossfire or being affected by random curses or spells made them think twice.
Meanwhile, Vale remained focused on the task at hand.
He deliberately refrained from using his powerful Mystical Items such as the Stormbringer, Devil''s Face, or Devil''s Dagger, as well as his recognizable Celestial Arts.
After all, his other identities would be revealed, and his Celestial Arts would also be questioned by many. These were his trump cards, and he wouldn''t use them unless necessary.
The presence of onlookers limited his options, but anyway, he already thought of a n to deal with this without revealing too much to the public and individuals like Clyde and the others.
"Haha! Good timing! She''s mine!" Wilfred shouted in delight, undeterred by the appearance of the Dark Spirit.
However, Vale simply smirked as soon as he saw the Failed Vessel charging forward "Heh... Do you really think you can devour her? Dream on!"
Vale said as hemanded Yvaine to suppress the Failed Vessel.
Yvaine didn''t waste any time as she unleashed her formidable powers. It was as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Dark tendrils emerged from the ground, snaking their way toward the Failed Vessel, seeking to entangle and restrict its movements.
Then, the air around them grew colder as a chilling aura enveloped the battlefield, further suppressing the Failed Vessel''s mobility.
Chapter 494 Interference
Chapter 494 Interference
"Do you think this will stop me?!" Wilfred, the Failed Vessel, said in a deep voice. Perhaps because of how he managed to deal with the Ghost Hands and Skeleton Knights, he still felt confident even when facing a Dark Spirit.
Wilfred tried tearing apart the dark tendrils that were suppressing him, but even after doing this a few times, he realized it would simply rece the dark tendrils as they kept holding him into a kneeling position.
"Aahhh!"
As the Failed Vessel struggled against the dark tendrils, Vale advanced slowly, his gaze fixed upon his kneeling Failed Vessel.
As if Yvaine realized what Vale wanted to happen, she extracted some of Failed Vessel''s energy to replenish her strength.
Then, she strengthened her control over the dark tendrils!
"You! What did you do?!" Wilfred asked in horror after feeling the sudden loss of energy.
Thud!
In an instant, Wilfred lost his strength as the dark tendrils reached his head.
With its head bowed to the ground, Wilfred could not hide the fear and desperation in its eyes.
"Mhmm¡ Is that all you have, Wilfred?" Vale asked as he continued approaching him.
Although Vale was confident, he decided to take a caution and stopped a few feet away from Wilfred.
He felt that even in its weakened state, the Failed Vessel could still unleash dangerous attacks¡ probably.
Vale had to remain vignt since he could still see the two threads of Arcane Energy that were helping Wilfred get stronger.
''Yvaine¡ Did you take his energy? How was it?'' Vale asked, using his unique connection with the Dark Spirit.
''It''s not good. The soul and the body don''t match well. However, I can feel that he had a strong connection to darkness¡ He probably possessed a body with an incredible affinity to darkness.'' Yvaine replied after analyzing the energy she took from the Failed Vessel.
''So it was like that¡''
''Don''t touch him carelessly. He''s feigning his weakness. He definitely has a lot of strength left.'' Yvaine reminded.
''Yes. I noticed it too... The threads of Arcane Energy are still providing him with a lot of energy.'' Vale replied as he remained on his spot while looking down on Wilfred.
In his mind, he was also wondering why re and Teresa were taking a lot of time to deal with the source Arcane Energy Threads.
At this time, the onlookers also started calming down as they realized that they weren''t the Dark Spirit''s target.
"Is everything alright?"
"Why are the police and special guards taking so much time to arrive here?"
"There must be simr incidents in other parts of the city."
"The guards they sent here were not even arcanists and only wielding runic weapons. They''ll just die if they tried controlling the situation."
"That''s true. In any case, the situation was already settled by that Necromancer. He''s probably a student from the Dark Arts Academy."
Vale smiled after hearing this as he could tell that the Arcanists from various organizations had already arrived. However, for some reason, they weren''t thinking of interfering as if they had been instructed to do so.
Teresa already hinted at this, so he wasn''t too surprised.
Anyway, Vale summoned his Spectral Hands as his Ghost Hand Spell was still on cooldown¡
As soon as the Spectral Hands appeared, the surrounding area''s dark energy grew thicker. This was because this spell was truly an offensive Dark Spell, unlike the Ghost Hand Spell, which was considered a Support-Type Spell.
Vale decided to extract Wilfred since he could no longer wait for re and Teresa''s help.
In an instant, the Spectral Hands grabbed Wilfred''s head.
"If you''re thinking that you''ll get another opportunity, you''ve made a mistake. Your tactic of feigning weakness is stupid." Vale muttered as he looked at his system.
[ Combat Power: 505,000 ]
As soon as he saw Wilfred''sbat power, he realized that the man was indeed still quite strong. He probably had several Dark Spells he hadn''t used yet.
However, he would no longer have an opportunity to use them because of his arrogant behavior. He shouldn''t have allowed himself to get captured by Yvaine so easily.
Vale sighed as he triggered the Extraction System.
[ Spiritual Being has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
''Oh? He''s not a human¡ Interesting.'' Valemented as he gave permission for the extraction.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100, Strength +0.5, Agility +0.3, Intelligence +0.7, Fiend Essence +400 ]
"What? Four hundred points?" Vale''s eyes widened as he saw the Fiend Essence being extracted.
He didn''t have a lot of chances to extract Fiend Essence. Thest time he had a chance was from the mystical being, where he got his Echo Saber and the Memory Fragment containing the Barbaric Saber Technique.
"Aaargghhh! What did you do to me?!" Wilfred shouted as he felt his body suddenly weakening. Luckily, he still had a connection to the people secretly supporting him, so he was able to survive.
Vale simply smiled and didn''t answer his question. Instead, he continued extracting him using his Spectral Hands.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100, Strength +0.4, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.6, Fiend Essence +300 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100, Strength +0.3, Agility +0.1, Intelligence +0.5, Fiend Essence +200 ]
After his third extraction, Vale''s Spirit Vision finally noticed the disappearance of the Arcane Energy Threads.
***
While Vale maintained his hold on the Failed Vessel, Clyde, a member of the Order of the Illustrious Liquidators, observed the scene with keen interest.
His attention was particrly drawn to Yvaine, the formidable Dark Spirit that Vale had summoned. The strength and power emanating from her were awe-inspiring. He was evenparing this Dark Spirit to some Elders of their Faction.
"Mysterious indeed¡" Clyde muttered to himself as his gaze shifted from Yvaine to the weakened Failed Vessel.
Despite its feeble state, Clyde knew that the creature could still pose a threat¡ Though its demise seemed imminent.
However, Clyde''s curiosity about Vale was the highest...
He believed that by saving the Failed Vessel, he might gain valuable insights and information about the enigmatic young man. The prospect of unraveling Vale''s secrets fueled his excitement.
With a sly smile, Clyde activated his most potent spell.
"Reality Shift."
Chapter 495 Real Intention
Chapter 495 Real Intention
As soon as Clyde triggered the Reality Shift Spell, the air around him shimmered and distorted as the Spell took effect.
This Spell allowed Clyde to manipte the fabric of reality itself, bending it to his will.
As the Reality Shift unfolded, the boundaries of the za seemed to blur, and a mysterious Arcane Energy filled the air. Reality itself trembled under the influence of Clyde''s Spell, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and unpredictability.
Then, Clyde''s eyes gleamed with purple light as he prepared to intervene in the battle¡ As soon as he noticed that Vale was about to deal a final blow to the Failed Vessel, Clyde released the Spell.
Whom~
In an instant, the Failed Vessel vanished, reced by another unsuspecting child who had been observing the battle from the sidelines.
"W-what''s going on?"
Confusion and shock washed over Vale as he quickly ordered Yvaine to cease her assault, canceling his own Spectral Hands Spell.
"How did you get here?" Vale asked the child, who suddenly started to cry. He also searched the surrounding area for traces of the Failed Vessel but he couldn''t find them.
Then, Vale heard the father of the child desperately searching for his son amidst themotion.
As Vale processed the situation, he realized the sinister nature of the switch that had taken ce. The Failed Vessel had been reced by an innocent person, someone he had nearly killed!
Since no one knew who had switched the position of the child and the Failed Vessel, and the onlookers cast wary nces in his direction, their suspicions evident.
They even started whispering as they questioned whether it was deliberate or not.
Feeling the weight of their judgment, Vale knew he had no choice but to swiftly depart from the za. Though he also wanted to get some answers, he recognized the urgency of the situation and chose to dy his investigations for the time being.
"What a day¡ If not for my shadow being returned, I''ll probably consider this as the worst day ever." Vale muttered to himself.
Originally intending to visit a shop for item appraisal, Vale''s desire had waned, and he instead returned to his hotel room.
However, awaiting him was a member of the Order of the Evanescent Vessel. He had blond hair and quite a remarkably tall figure.
He was a familiar face as he recalled him being together on the airship he boarded to arrive at this city.
"Vale! You''re finally back! I''ve been waiting for you. Do you have the creation ring? Headmaster Jean should''ve returned your shadow by now. You can give the Ring to me, and I''ll send it to the Headmaster."
The man appeared amiable and carefree, but despite the seemingly innocuous nature of their encounter, Vale couldn''t shake the feeling that something was amiss.
His instincts told him to proceed with caution, urging him to delve deeper into the true intentions of this member of the Order. With his Advanced Realm ESP Spell, there was no way he would ignore this feeling.
Vale''s smile faltered as he heard the Vessel''s words. "I did feel a sense ofpleteness in my body. That should confirm that my shadow had returned, as the Headmaster informed me¡" He replied.
The man nodded in understanding. "That''s good to hear. I had suspected as much when my technique failed to detect a person with a missing shadow. Now, I must retrieve the Creation Ring. The Headmaster has just departed, I may still be able to catch up with him and deliver it."
Vale took a seat and began rummaging through his small bag. "Please give me a moment to find it. In the meantime, can you shed some light on what transpired at the Academy? Why did the Headmaster leave us behind?" He inquired.
"It appears that, once again, someone attempted to rob the Academy. Most likely, it was the Secret Organization that has shown great interest in our Armory as ofte¡ They probably brought a lot of people this time." The man replied.
Vale simply nodded at this, as he believed that the Academy could handle such a problem. He then handed over the Creation Ring to the Vessel.
The man''s eyes sparkled with excitement upon seeing the Ring, and he immediately utilized his inspection spells to confirm its authenticity and power.
After a brief moment of inspection, the man spoke. "Indeed, this is the very Creation Ring that the Headmaster has been searching for. Since you have been cooperative, allow me to give you a warning. Anyone who does not have their shadow marked or taken by the Headmaster or the Vice-Headmaster will no longer be able to return to the Academy. This means that you are no longer considered part of the Academy."
Vale narrowed his eyes as he absorbed this revtion. Hisposure didn''t falter as he confronted the man.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" He questioned.
In response, the man let out a sinisterugh, his true intentions bing evident. He seemed to have gained the confidence he needed as soon as he got the Ring.
"It means that you are no longer necessary. We are on the verge of acquiring more practitioners from the Malefic Branch, and your help here has proven their usefulness... We''ll probably see a lot of them enrolling in the next Academic Year."
Before Vale could react, four figures emerged from the shadows, revealing themselves to be allies of the man.
"Are you smiling?" The blond man suddenly questioned, surprised to see Vale wearing a smile despite the dire situation.
Although the others also found it peculiar, none of them hesitated in their intent to kill him.
Their primary objective was to eliminate Vale to ensure the demise of the Creation Ring''s owner. They suspected that the Ring may have be bound to Vale after being entrusted to him by the Tower Master.
Their previous n was to bail out Wilfred and kill Vale after. Once they do that, they will simply put all the me on Wilfred, who has gone missing.
However, their n hit a snag when Wilfred mysteriously vanished from their sight, seemingly saved by an unknown individual.
"Heart Grasp"
The four assants unleashed their collective power, invoking the Tier 2 Dark Spell.
Chapter 496 Extractions
Chapter 496 Extractions
The Heart Grasp Spell was a curse-type spell designed to strike directly at the heart of the target.
With all four casting the spell simultaneously, they were all confident that Vale didn''t have countermeasures as he had yet to consume his third Darkness Possession potion.
Furthermore, they already knew about the Malefic Branch Spells, the Spell Dispersion and the Incorruptible Body. ording to the information they received, Vale''s achievement with these spells shouldn''t have reached the Intermediate Realm yet.
With that in consideration, Vale would be incapable of resisting four curse spells simultaneously.
The blond man was also confident that Vale would die at this point since he should be vulnerable to this attack.
The curses hit Vale at the same time, and they heard two cracking sounds. It seemed that the spells shattered his defenses as well.
The ambushers were confident that Vale would have perished by now. However, upon inspecting Vale''s body using their Phantasm State, they were taken aback to discover that his life force still persisted. The spell meant to destroy his heart had failed to im his life.
Confusion filled the air as the ambushers tried toprehend what had just transpired.
"W-what?" One of them stammered as he considered whether Vale had five hearts.
"He must have received some kind of protective spell from the Tower. Let''s try again." Another suggested, refusing to believe that Vale could employ the same trick multiple times.
Unable to cast the Tier 2 Heart Grasp spell due to its cooldown, the ambushers opted for different deadly curse spells instead.
They unleashed "Heart de," "Brain Burst," "Soul Curse," and "Flesh Rot," targeting Vale''s physical body.
But just as theyunched their assault, Vale''s voice rang out, uttering the words of a spell.
"Spell Dispersion..." He calmly invoked.
The four curse spells were instantly dismantled. The blond man, who had been contemting his own escape after obtaining the Creation Ring, was also unable to activate his Shadow Steps.
A cold glint settled on Vale''s eyes as he dered, "No one will leave this room."
He then summoned Yvaine, his Dark Spirit, and simultaneously activated his Water Domain Spell, a spell he extracted from Aersus.
Thebined effects of Spell Dispersion and the pressure emanating from the Water Domain disrupted the ambushers'' movements despite not being near a body of water. Well, they may not be in a nearbyke or body of water, but they are still in a humid area.
Yvaine immediately made her move and summoned dark tendrils to suppress each enemy in turn.
"I''m running low on energy. Let me take some from them." Yvaine said, and she didn''t even wait for Vale''s reply before taking some of their strength.
Vale didn''t mind her actions as he understood that if he allowed these five individuals enough time, they would likely call upon another entity to possess their bodies¡ªan ability the Vessels excelled at.
He didn''t feel satisfied just yet, so Vale activated his Evil Eye, a spell capable of inflicting mental harm on its target.
"I''m not sure how effective this is, but I hope you guys won''t go insane..." Vale muttered.
As the spell struck the Vessels, their already vulnerable bodies weakened, causing them to kneel to the ground.
"Vale! You''re going to die here!"
But the battle was far from over, as Vale watched them use their remaining strength to activate their Mystical Artifacts.
Uncertain about the power of the nes they wore, Vale knew he had to act swiftly. He employed his Lightspeed Spell, striking each of them in the sternum with precision, rendering them unconscious.
"You shouldn''t give me that kind of warning¡" Vale muttered as he quickly took the nes they were wearing.
The battle seemed too easy, but it was because he managed to stop them from using their possession ability. Once they''ve gotten possessed by another Entity, Vale would not be sure if he could win against them so easily.
Furthermore, despite knowing that he has Spell Dispersion, they trusted that it wouldn''t be strong enough to dispel Tier 2 Dark Spells.
Vale wasn''t sure if they had problems in their heads, but they seemed to have underestimated him too much.
They don''t even have some decent backup ns in case they fail to kill him using their Heart Grasp Spell.
With a sigh, Vale scanned the surroundings and confirmed that there were no other Arcanists watching them. It was thanks to the Formation Art they arranged before attacking him.
"The Barrier Formation shouldst for a few more minutes. I can still interrogate them." Vale muttered¡ However, before that, he decided to extract all of them.
Since they are all Dark Arts Practitioners, they must have some decent Spells in their bodies.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Iplete Spell Light, Complete Create: Shadow Soldier Spell Model, Memory Fragment ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Iplete Spell Light, Complete Heart Grasp Spell Model, Memory Fragment ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Iplete Spell Light, Complete Create: Shadow Soldier Spell Model, Memory Fragment ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Iplete Spell Light, Complete Create: Shadow Soldier Spell Model, Memory Fragment ]
As soon as Vale got his third iplete Spell Model of the Create: Shadow Soldier Spell, he immediately felt that something had changed in his body¡ It was a bit painful, and dark energy had even started leaking out of his body. However, he was able to endure it and he returned to normal after.
Even without checking his attribute panel, he knew that he advanced his Level 7 Create: Shadow Soldier to Level 8!
As for the content of the Memory Fragments, it contained information regarding the Evanescent Vessels or the method of having their bodies possessed.
This also includes some information rted to the Creation Ring and their ns to do with it.
After consolidating these memories, he finally turned his attention to the blond man. Vale took the Creation Ring in his hands before he started his extraction.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Iplete Spell Light, Complete Light Absorption Spell Model, Complete Terror Grasp Spell Model, Memory Fragment ]
Chapter 497 Free Arcanist
Chapter 497 Free Arcanist
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Iplete Spell Light, Complete Light Absorption Spell Model, Complete Terror Grasp Spell Model, Memory Fragment ]
[ Error Found¡ ]
[ No Fear Stream Spell found. ]
[ Terror Grasp Spell: Fusion Spell of Spectral Hands and Fear Stream Spell was deleted. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Darkness Maniption Spell Model ]
"Ahh¡" Vale didn''t have the time to celebrate when he realized that the Terror Grasp Spell could not be stored in his Spell Light.
It was such a pity since he heard about the Terror Grasp Spell from his seniors. This Spell Fusion summons multiple spectral hands that could cover its target and infuse fear into their mind, making them experience their worst nightmares and panic.
Furthermore, this Spell could not avoided as long as you''re inside the Magic Zone of the caster.
Nevertheless, Vale felt still happy that he got another Darkness Maniption Spell Model. It may not be enough to level it up, but he believed that one more simr Spell Model would be enough to advance it.
Then, Vale received the memories of the blond man. The man was called Keith, and he was from the 9th Squad of Order of the Evanescent Vessels. His task was to give the Dragon Scale to Isaac Vermont and have it crafted as a Dark Magic Weapon. Vale would then be the receiver of this item as per the Headmaster''s request.
However, the sudden attack on the Academy made them unable to stick to their ns. They had to make some changes to their original ns.
Vale would no longer receive any special admission and had to be eliminated.
This special admission should allow Vale to enter the Academy even without his shadow partly taken. However, only the Headmaster could give this, and it would take arge amount of energy to aplish. Since Jean would have to fight against the invaders of their Academy, he could not be weakened at this moment.
"So it was like that¡" Vale muttered as he understood the ns they made. Furthermore, he also learned that the other Dark Arts Academy students had already been evacuated since the invaders of the Academy were most likely the Holy Arts Factions and their allies.
In short, he was now all alone in the Roaring City. Not only was he targeted by the Vessels, but he might also be targeted by other organizations.
"Now¡ What should I do?" Vale muttered as he didn''t expect that just like that, he was already free. He was no longer bound to attend the Academy.
Furthermore, he was already quite strong and could certainly live however he wanted.
Vale was momentarily lost as he initially thought that he would still have to visit the Academy onest time to say goodbye to his friends.
He would certainly miss Chad, Lisa, and the others, including his club friends.
Vale sighed and took the things that the unconscious Vessels had brought with them.
He grabbed their Magic Cloaks, Daggers, and the Dragon Scale that was supposed to be sent to Isaac¡
Then, he cast his Beast Shapeshift Spell. His body shrank and twisted, changing into a mischievous Imp!
Leathery wings sprouted from his back, and his skin transformed to a deep crimson hue. Yvaine, having grown ustomed to Vale''s transformations, observed silently as he underwent this change.
"You can hide now, Yvaine. Thanks for your help." Vale said, using their telepathy after he finished his transformation.
Once Yvaine vanished from sight, Vale utilized one of the Imp''s Spells known as Nightfall''s Embrace.
This Spell unleashed a surge of shadow energy and released a substantial amount of Imp Essence into the surrounding area. The vulnerable Vessels, unable to defend themselves, were swiftly obliterated upon contact with the Spell.
The room fell apart, and the formation nodes that were blocking the energy broke down.
Boom!
The burst of Arcane Aura caught the attention of many people, including the Arcanists from different Orders.
After a few moments, an Imp emerged from the hotel building where the chaos had unfolded.
"Aahh! Run!"
"There''s a demon!"
"He killed the people in the hotel!"
"Hurry! Call the police!"
"It''s escaping!"
"It''s flying away! Someone catch that thing!"
Panic ensued among the crowd on the streets, who had heard the explosion and witnessed the Imp''s flight.
Despite the panic andmotion caused by his transformation into an Imp, Vale paid no mind to the cries of the crowd and swiftly flew away, aiming to distance himself from the pursuing Arcanists.
The reason he did this was to ensure that the me for the death of the Vessels would be directed to the mysterious red Imp that had appeared in the Hotel and not to Vale Chambers.
After all, although he could just change his identity, he didn''t like the idea of tarnishing his name.
Anyway, he had no intention of leaving the city in his Imp form. He still had other things to do in this city, and he felt it would be safer to do it with another identity.
Once he found a secure location, he promptly concealed himself and transformed back into his human form.
In addition to changing his clothes, he employed his Human Shapeshift Spell to assume the appearance of Eustace, a Summoning Arts Practitioner, while carrying his Grimoire with him.
This was an identity he had used quite some time ago aside from his identity as Clovis, a Holy Arts Practitioner.
"Now I can finally visit a mystical artifact shop in this guise¡" Vale murmured to himself as he made his way towards a nearby establishment.
Assured that he was no longer being followed, he felt a sense of confidence. The only concern that lingered in his mind was whether someone could still sense Yvaine''s presence nearby.
***
Meanwhile, Royal Mage Odessa reached the location where the Crimson Imp had made its appearance and supposedly eliminated the Vessels.
As she surveyed the aftermath, a sense of bewilderment washed over her.
"What''s the meaning of this? How could a lowly Imp be responsible for the demise of five Evanescent Vessels?" Odessa murmured, her voice tinged with utter confusion.
Chapter 498 Lucky Sprite Shop
Chapter 498 Lucky Sprite Shop
Karl, the new store clerk of the Lucky Sprite Shop, stood behind the counter, slightly disheartened by theck of customers today.
The bustling business they had experienced during the early days of the Twelve Academies Competition seemed to have dwindled, leaving the shop quiet and empty.
As he nced at the shelves stocked with an assortment of magic scrolls, Karl couldn''t help but sigh.
"Today has been slow, even though we just received new stocks of magic scrolls¡" Karl muttered, his voice filled with a tinge of disappointment.
The Lucky Sprite Shop was renowned for its Beast Summoning Scrolls, which were in high demand among the Arcanists visiting Roaring City. The shop had managed to establish connections with skilled Beast Crafters, enabling them to procure high and low-quality scrolls.
They were able to serve those rich and poor Arcanists with their wide range of selections.
Furthermore, two entire shelves were dedicated to disying the array of Beast Arts-rted scrolls, while other shelves held scroll-making materials and alchemy dry ingredients. Of course, their shop also carried a limited selection of Arcane Weapons, which were stored away due to their negative effects.
He may have a talent in Beast Arts but he hadn''t had a chance to receive a Beast Totem. Because of that, he couldn''t enter the Titan''s Will and use his Magic Zone.
''This sucks¡ How will I earn my 5,000 zen like this.'' Karl muttered as this was his only way to receive a Beast Totem, he had to purchase it in the ck market. Since he was already a bit too old for the Academy, he could only try to be a rogue Arcanist.
Just as Karl was beginning to lose hope, the tinkling sound of the bell hanging on the door broke the silence.
Cling~ Cling~
A customer had finally arrived. Karl''s eyes lit up as he saw a teenager enter the shop, clutching a grimoire. The young man possessed a striking appearance, with short red hair and a wlessplexion.
''A Summoner and he also looks like a noble¡ I''ll finally earn something for today.'' Karl mused silently to himself.
Putting on a friendly smile, he greeted the customer, allowing him to explore the shelves without interruption.
Karl knew from experience that customers often preferred to browse before approaching the counter. He didn''t mind waiting since noble customers would normally spend huge sums of money.
After some time, the young man finally spoke up, his voice polite yet curious. "Do you also purchase Magic Items? I have a few things here that I wanted to sell."
Realizing that the customer hade to sell rather than buy, Karl wryly smiled but nodded nheless. "While we don''t purchase all Magic Items, we can appraise them and offer you a fair price. If we can''t buy them here, I''ll be happy to rmend another shop."
The young man seemed pleased with Karl''s response and promptly retrieved five Magic Items from his belongings. They were three Formation Nodes, an Amulet, and a Crystal.
Karl''s eyes widened as he evaluated the appearance of the items. "These are remarkable, sir! I may not be an Arcanist but I felt the atmosphere turning heavy... Please allow me to call for our shop''s appraiser. These items are beyond me."
The young man nodded as he already expected this to happen after noticing that Karl was not an Arcanist.
Karl then excused himself for a moment and hurriedly went to the back of the shop, where the elderly and wise Mystic Arts Practitioner, could be found.
"Sir Emory," Karl called out respectfully, "I have a customer with some valuable Magic Items for appraisal. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated."
The old man, with his long white beard and calm demeanor, nodded in response. He followed Karl to the front of the shop, his steps slow but purposeful.
Sir Emory was known for his mastery of Appraisal Spells, as well as possessing a collection of Mystical Items that aided him in assessing magical artifacts.
He probably has the best appraisal abilities in the city if the Orders of various Factions aren''t included.
As Sir Emory approached the counter, his eyes scanned the itemsid out before him. He didn''t even bother looking at the customer.
With a gentle touch, he began to invoke his Appraisal Spells, delving into the essence of each Magic Item to unlock their secrets. The shop fell silent as everyone awaited Sir Emory''s findings.
After a few moments of deep concentration, Sir Emory''s face lit up with understanding.
"Three Wind Vortex Defense Formation Nodes, Amulet of Swift Steps, and Crystal of Elemental Shield."
Emory muttered as he revealed the names of each item. After some consideration, he put a value on them.
The three Wind Vortex Defense Formation Nodes'' value was estimated to be around 7,500 zen each. The Amulet of Swift Steps and the Crystal of Elemental Shield were recognized as Noble Rank High-Grade items, each with minor side effects, and he estimated theirbined worth to be 18,000 zen.
Karl and the young man listened attentively. Karl was already breathing heavily since these prices were incredibly high for him. Overall, the items in front of him were worth 40,500!
He was only dealing with Scrolls in Mortal Ranks after all.
"These are decent Royal Rank Items¡ We can''t purchase them all. At most, we can pay you 20,000 zen but the rest would be items here that you may be interested." Emory said as he looked at Karl.
"I will let you handle the negotiation...
"Yes, Sir Emory¡" Karl said while holding his ne. This ne could save him from spells or pressureing from Arcanists. So he didn''t mind negotiating alone.
With that, Sir Emory returned to his quiet corner of the shop, leaving Karl and the young man to proceed with the transaction.
"Twenty thousand zen and items from this shop worth 20,500 zen don''t sound bad. But I''m not sure if you have items that I''m looking for." The young man muttered.
"Our humble shop may appear small, but we hold a respectable reputation in these parts, Sir." The store clerk remarked, a warm smile gracing his lips. "May I inquire as to how I should address you? My name is Karl..."
"I am Eustace Skye¡" The young man replied, his voice carrying an air of confidence.
Chapter 499 Complete Transaction
Chapter 499 Complete Transaction
''He probably can''t use the items effectively, so he''s selling it¡'' Karlmented in his mind before he proceeded to showcase the prized possessions of their store to Eustace.
They were the highest quality Beast Summoning Scrolls.
Although they were only ssified as High-Grade Mortal Rank Items, they were still incredibly useful.
These scrolls had the remarkable ability to summon 10 powerful Beasts.
Depending on the specific summoning scroll, these creatures could serve as 10 Beast Scouts for reconnaissance, 10 Ferocious Beasts capable of fearlessly attacking targets even at the cost of their own lives, or 10 Clone Beasts skilled in carrying the scent and aura of their summoner, effectively functioning as decoys.
"Oh... I had no idea such things existed." Eustace whispered, genuinely impressed by their capabilities.
Moreover, he discovered that these scrolls were reasonably priced, making them even more enticing. Eustace contemted that there mighte a time when he would require such scrolls. Given their efficiency and low energy requirements for activation, even a first-year student at the Academy could utilize them effectively. However, he decided to postpone his decision and instead turned to Karl with inquiries about other items avable.
In any case, it had been some time when he could freely do something like this so he might as well take his time.
Furthermore, his Human Shapeshift could alreadyst as long as his Phantasm State.
''Ahh¡''
After reaching this thought, Eustace had an idea and asked Karl.
"Do you have an item that I can use to conceal my identity?"
Recognizing Eustace''s interest, Karl smiled knowingly. "I see you have ns to venture into the ck Market. We do have an item that I can rmend, one that is highly sought after by the market''s inhabitants." With a swift motion, Karl retrieved a small box from a drawer behind the counter.
"This particr item has a fixed price of 5,000 zen." Karl stated, presenting it to Eustace.
Eustance found it amusing that Karl immediately assumed he would use it to visit the ck Market. Anyway, he didn''t mind this misunderstanding as his curiosity was piqued.
"What exactly is this item?" He asked.
"It is a ne designed to conceal one''s true voice and alter one''s facial appearance, allowing for a disguise. However, it does not affect the wearer''s physical attributes. What''s good about this is that its negative effects would only appear if you wear this for more than six hours¡ It''s itchiness in your eyes that couldst for six days. It''s not a big deal since it can be easily avoided. Lastly, it has a low maintenance cost as well. You only have to expose it to the sun for a few hours once a month. If it''s winter and there''s no sun, you have to return it inside this box and seal it." Karl exined.
Seeing that Eustace was listening attentively, he continued.
"If you have intentions of engaging in potentially dubious transactions within the ck Market, it is advisable to participate in their auctions. This way, your identity remains protected by a fewyers."
A glimmer of interest flickered in Eustace''s eyes as he absorbed this information. The ne wasn''t absurd, so he already liked it. As for the auction, he wasn''t too sure, but he might as well check it out.
"There''s an auction within the ck Market?" He asked, his curiosity growing.
"Yes, indeed. There is only one auction held in the heart of the ck Market. If you have yet to experience it... well, let''s just say it''s quite an experience¡ It''s a bit difficult to contact their middleman though." Karl hinted with a mischievous smile.
Eustace caught onto Karl''s implications immediately. It became obvious that Karl, not being an Arcanist, faced his own challenges and sought alternative means to earn a livelihood.
Eustace smiled and decided to extend a gesture of goodwill. "I don''t have much cash on me since you haven''t paid me yet, but perhaps this potion would be of value¡" Eustace said, revealing a vial of potion from his belongings.
The Energy Potion held little significance to Eustace, making it an easy exchange.
Karl''s eyes brightened with appreciation as he epted the potion without requiring an appraisal. Karl was happy since it would help him build his savings, bringing him closer to acquiring the coveted Beast Totem for his journey as a Rogue Arcanist.
"Thank you for your generosity¡" Karl expressed gratefully. "You may have heard that the ck Market is situated beneath the city''srgest tavern. However, the entrance fee there is overpriced. Sir Emory informed me that you can gain ess through the Gold Club."
"Gold Club?" Eustace asked.
"Ahem¡ It''s a fancy brothel for nobles. If you inform them that you are to sell valuable items in the ck Market, they will check them for you and if they are indeed items of high quality, you will have free ess to the ck Market and your identity will be a lot safer. All cities with Gold Clubs should have this same function."
"It''s impressive you have ess to such information..." Eustacemented.
"Of course¡ I''ve been serving a few Arcanists before. Ahem¡ Now that it''s settled, I can give you 12 scrolls with 4 of each type that we have, including this ne. I will also add three nk Scrolls." Karl said.
"I don''t need nk Scrolls¡ I can''t make scrolls." Eustace immediately said.
Karl smiled at this.
"It''s not quite as you think. These scrolls are actually designed to store and preserve your Arcane Energy." Karl rified, eager to dispel any misconceptions.
"Typically, we offer these asplimentary gifts to our customers when they make substantial purchases. However, we haven''t had many customers in the past few days, so you can simply have them. Consider it a gesture from the store... All I have to do is to refrain from giving away freebies to future customers." Karl exined with a lighthearted chuckle.
"Is that so?"
Eustace nodded in appreciation¡
They soonpleted the transaction as Eustace gained 20 thousand zen and the items he got from the store.
With a final exchange of gratitude, Eustace wore the Altering Ne he just bought and bid farewell to Karl.
Upon stepping out, he immediately became aware of the extensive mobilization of people scouring the city in search of the elusive Crimson Imp.
Chapter 500 Ancient Ritual
In the serene white room on the tenth floor of the Mystic Soul Tower, silence enveloped the space.
Constance, a woman in her twenties, captivated the room with her striking blue hair and piercing blue eyes. She stood there, silently gazing into a crystal ball that was projecting the Arcanists'' attempts to conquer the challenges of the third floor.
As the Tower Master of the Mystic Soul Tower, Constance held immense power and influence within its walls. However, her mind was preupied with her own agenda.
With a flicker of excitement in her eyes, she shifted her attention to an orb of light, or the Divine Crystal, that contained a trace of Divinity. Given to her by Vale, she eagerly anticipated the moment when she could assimte it.
She told Vale that she would use it to create a body for her and to advance her research rted to immortality. However, she had actually already learned the secret to immortality. She just decided not to tell it to Vale. After all, the secret would involve the Mystic Soul Tower.
If Vale learned about it, he might demand to use the power of the Tower as well.
"Mhmm¡ Is he not done yet?" Constance muttered as she turned her gaze back to the crystal ball.
Having spent considerable time in preparation, Constance was ready to set her n in motion. Once the current Arcanist within the Tower was expelled, she would seal the Tower, preventing anyone else from entering.
She knew this would cause a stir andmotion outside, but it was a necessary sacrifice to harness the Tower''s potent energy and create a physical form for herself.
In any case, she was confident that the powerful Arcanists outside wouldn''t dare to mess with the Tower for a short period of time.
"Ah, this one should be defeated on the fifth floor¡" Constance muttered, her gaze fixed on the crystal projection of the ongoing struggle on the third floor.
With the skills that the man was showing, the fifth floor would certainly be their limit.
As expected, Constance didn''t have to wait long before the current Arcanist was defeated and expelled from the Tower.
This was her moment to use the Tower for her own.
Immediately, she activated one of her abilities as the Tower Master, sealing the Mystic Soul Tower before the next Arcanist could step foot inside.
"Good¡" As soon as she noticed that no one was able to get in, Constance smiled in relief as she began the ritual.
In the meantime, the sudden closure of the Tower rmed those gathered outside.
"Senior, I can''t enter the Tower with this key." The perplexed seventh-year student from the Holy Arts Academy eximed while standing at the entrance.
He couldn''t help but wonder if the key he had been given had been sabotaged.
Confused by the sudden im of the student, an official outside the Tower approached and inquired about the situation.
As soon as he realized that the key didn''t work, it immediately rmed him.
It didn''t take long before the word spread to everyone in the surroundings. The audience became interested in the unfoldingmotion as their minds were abuzz with spection about the cause of the dy.
***
Constance took a brief moment to focus her mind before she embarked on a profound and intricate ritual within her chamber.
Her eyes gleamed with eagerness, for she was about to undertake a special ceremony that would grant her the coveted physical form she had long desired.
The first step of the ritual required the Divine Crystal, the source of Divinity that provides an extension to a mortal''s life. Holding it in her hands, she channeled her arcane energy into the crystal, allowing its divine essence to intertwine with her own.
Then, the crystal pulsed with a radiant glow, resonating with the energy of the Mystic Soul Tower.
Next, Constance retrieved an ancient tome, bound in worn leather and inscribed with cryptic symbols. This tome held the secrets of the Tower, passed down through generations of Tower Masters. It could also be considered the core of the Tower.
With careful movements, she opened the book to the designated pages, revealing a detailed diagram of a certain ritual.
To enhance the potency of the ritual, Constance had also gathered rare and exotic ingredients. She carefully arranged a circle of enchanted crystals, each imbued with a specific elemental essence.
''If I''m going to obtain a new body, I need to make sure that I can wield all the elements this time.'' Constance silently thought.
The crystals shimmered with vibrant hues, representing the fundamental forces of nature. cing them in a circr position around the ritual space, she created a harmonious bnce of elemental energies.
In the center of the circle, Constance positioned a silver chalice, intricately etched with ancient symbols. This chalice symbolized the vessel through which her spiritual essence would be transferred into the physical realm.
Within the chalice, she poured a mixture of rare herbs and potent elixirs, carefully measured and prepared for this pivotal moment.
With the preparationsplete, Constance closed her eyes, centering her focus and harnessing the power of the Mystic Soul Tower.
She began to chant ancient incantations, the words flowing from her lips like a melodic hymn.
"By the Mystic Soul Tower''s might and grace, I seek a form, a tangible embrace. From spirit bound, I now aspire, To manifest in flesh, my heart''s desire¡
¡ As I speak these words, let realms align, Flesh and spirit, forever entwined. From this chalice, my spirit shall flow, Physical form, now let it show..."
The vibrations of her voice resonated with the very essence of the Tower, amplifying the ritual''s potency.
As she chanted, the enchanted crystals surrounding her began to emit a soft, ethereal glow. The energy within the room intensified, swirling in intricate patterns, as if responding to Constance''s invocation. Arcane symbols etched into the walls of the chamber glowed with a vibrant luminosity, further enhancing the mystical atmosphere.
This time, she knew that she already seeded since this was the most difficult step.
''We will meet again soon, Vale¡ I''m sure you''ll be surprised.''
Chapter 501 Gold Club
Chapter 501 Gold Club
Now that Constance finished theplicated incantation and summoned the energy she needed, she poured her essence into the silver chalice, her spiritual energy mingling with the elixirs and herbs. The mixture within the chalice shimmered with an otherworldly radiance, indicating the culmination of her efforts.
Then, she extended her hands towards the chalice.
In a breathtaking pulse of divine power, the spiritual essence within the chalice transformed, taking on corporeal form. The glowing energy solidified, shaping itself into the physical body of a young female, mirroring the image that Constance had envisioned.
''Since I can create my own body, it must be my younger version¡'' Constance thought as she allowed her Spiritual Body to get caught in the flow of energy vortex.
Although her spiritual body only appears to be in her twenties, that was the form she was stuck with for hundreds of years. She would certainly like to start at a much younger age.
Soon, Constance opened her eyes, beholding her newly acquired physical form.
She marveled at the sensation of her skin, the weight of her body, and the rush of breath through her lungs.
The long-awaited transformation had been a sess.
No longer confined to the ethereal realm, she now possessed a captivating physical presence.
She couldn''t help but grin to herself after seeing her new body.
With this fresh start, Constance was already imagining the things she wanted to do.
However, before that, she inspected her physique.
"I have twenty-five Spell Lights? Is this because of the mixed divinity?" Constance muttered as she also realized that she had retained five of her important Spell Models.
She also felt that she was overflowing with power as it coursed through her veins.
She had to take a few moments to control the flow of energy so it wouldn''t be wasted. After doing this, she couldn''t help but look at the room she had stayed in for a long time.
The Mystic Soul Tower had yed a vital role in the ritual, and its energy had weakened quite a lot.
"You probably need to ept more Arcanist¡ Take as much energy as you can." Constance muttered as if she was talking to the Tower itself.
***
In the meantime, as Vale, now disguised as Eustace Skye, stepped out of the store, he activated his Magic Zone onest time, extending his senses throughout the city.
He didn''t mind the massive mobilization of people to hunt the Crimson Imp.
His primary concern was the safety of Maya and the others, ensuring that they had been sessfully evacuated from the potential dangers that lurked within the Roaring City. Although he already tried doing this, he wanted to try and inspect the surroundings once again just in case.
With the memories of Keith, the man from the Order of the Evanescent Vessels, fresh in his mind, Eustace knew that the Holy Arts Academy and their allies were responsible for the ambush at the Academy.
This knowledge led him to believe that the students in the Roaring City would also be in danger, whether through subtle schemes or overt aggression.
As he wandered through the city, meticulously scanning the surroundings, Eustace felt somehow d as he failed to sense any familiar aura¡
They were nowhere to be seen, and their absence meant that the Vessel''s evacuation n was effective.
Though he hadn''t been able to bid them a proper farewell, he epted that circumstances had forced them apart.
Eustace smiled and felt a sense of relief wash over him. His mind could now rest easy, knowing that they were not exposed to the imminent threats that loomed over the Roaring City.
It was time for him to just mind his own business and begin his journey in this unfamiliar world.
"I hope you guys can get your shadows back as well¡" Eustace muttered.
As he made his way towards the central part of the city, Vale contemted his next steps.
He recalled how his reincarnation or arrival in this world had left him with limited options, as he was initially ignorant of the intricacies of the Arcane World and burdened by the loss of his shadow, taken by Headmaster Jean.
"Now that I''m free and have substantial wealth, I can just do anything I enjoy¡" Vale muttered to himself, considering the possibilities thaty before him.
With financial security at his disposal, he could chart his own path and explore the vast wonders of this world.
"Well, let''s explore the kingdom after the auction¡" Vale smiled as he started looking for the red-light district, a ce known for its intrigue and indulgence. His intention was to find the Gold Club that Karl had mentioned.
As he walked around the streets, he already heard whispers about the luxurious services offered in this brothel.
Well, it would be a lie if he said he wasn''t enticed by the allure of this exclusive venue.
The area he entered was abyrinth of narrow streets and lively lights. As he navigated through the maze-like alleys, thepelling aura of the Gold Club beckoned him closer.
"So the owner of the club is indeed an Arcanist¡ Is it a Psychic Art?" Vale muttered as he realized that even without seeing the Gold Club yet, he was already feeling its presence.
Anyway, he continued on his way.
It didn''t take him that long to find the Gold Club, a high-end brothel that catered exclusively to those of noble descent.
"It looks better than I expected¡ I seemed just like a normal luxury hotel." Valemented as he arrived at its grand entrance, adorned with opulent decorations and guarded by imposing guards¡ not beautiful girls as he initially expected.
As he approached the building, he realized that there was a Spell that scanned through him as if they were looking if he had money.
Of course, this Spell had certainly failed to inspect him.
However, this was also a sign that he was indeed a customer they were looking for.
As expected, the guards didn''t stop him from entering the building.
The moment Eustace stepped inside, he was greeted by an intoxicating atmosphere ofvishness.
Chapter 502 Attraction
Chapter 502 Attraction
The air was filled with the soft melodies of music,ughter, and whispers of secrets.
The interior was adorned with plush furnishings and dim lighting, creating an ambiance of sensuality and allure.
''So this is the noble''s way of having fun¡'' Eustace silently thought as he realized that this ce was indeed too fancy formoners.
It was no wonder why only nobles, or perhaps Arcanists, were allowed to enter this ce.
As he made his way further into the club, Eustace couldn''t help but be captivated by the sight of the enchanting women, elegantly dressed and exuding a maic charm.
Their eyes met his, and their voices carried a seductive invitation that seemed to be meant only for him. Their alluring presence permeated the room, leaving him both intrigued and unsettled.
Caught in the moment, Eustace found himself drawn towards one particr woman who seemed to radiate a captivating aura. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she beckoned him closer with a seductive smile.
"Come here, young man¡"
Her words danced on the edge of his consciousness, tempting him to explore the pleasures that awaited him within the Gold Club''s walls.
"So they''re the ones selecting their customer?" Eustace muttered as he realized that no otherdy was trying to talk to him as soon as this blond woman spoke.
''This is indeed a mind spell¡ No wonder this business is going well.'' Eustace thought as he felt a wave of spells around him. They certainly weren''t enough to affect him since the Spell''s effect was too subtle. If he wasn''t mistaken, they were only weak illusions or charms that increase the attractiveness of the caster.
However, he also realized that even if they didn''t use such mind spells, he believed that this business would still go well. After all, the attractive women and the luxurious building would always invite rich people to spend their money in this establishment.
''Since no one else was willing to talk to me, I guess it''s fine¡''
Though Vale was initially hesitant, the allure of the Gold Club''s services and the captivating women who called out to him proved too enticing to resist. Of course, the other reason was to see if they indeed have a connection to the ck Market.
"Well, I''m not in a hurry. Let''s see how it goes." Eustace muttered as he approached the woman. In any case, he also needed tomunicate with someone.
Then, as he got closer to the attractivedy, he couldn''t help but recall that he looked like a teenager right now¡
''Ahhh¡'' Eustace immediately shook his head as the age restriction here should be quite different. If he would make a guess, the average life expectancy here should be around 43 for non-practitioners.
With this in mind, his confidence went up, and he greeted thedy.
With a charming smile, thedy gestured for him to sit beside her.
Then, she spoke with a voice dripping with honeyed seduction. "Well, hello there, handsome. What brings a strong and mysterious Summoner like yourself to our humble abode?" Her eyes sparkled with a cunning glimmer.
Eustace gently smiled as he maintained hisposure. He knew that he would be recognized as a Summoner with the Grimoire tied on his belt... If she doesn''t get the hint, he would be the one to be surprised.
"I find myself drawn to such beautiful ces¡ And I also heard of your establishment''s reputation."
''I also want to experience its forbidden pleasures.'' Vale added in his mind, though he wasn''t too serious. He was a sensible man and wouldn''t seek pleasure from just anyone.
Though there are a few exceptions that he could think of¡
Thedy''s smile widened, her gaze fixated on Eustace''s facial expression. "Oh, you must''ve heard about our service. Then I assume that this young Summoner is seeking forbidden pleasures? I must say, your presence here has caught the attention of many. We have a particr interest in those who possess the arcane arts. Care to share some of your secrets, Summoner?"
"Here?" Eustace asked.
The woman chuckled. "No, in a separate room. Only the two of us¡"
Eustace wryly smiled as he decided to y his part cautiously. "What can you offer in return for a glimpse into the depths of my Arcane wisdom?"
Thedy leaned in even closer, her voice a seductive whisper. "Oh, my dear Summoner, I can offer you a world of pleasures beyond your wildest dreams..."
"That''s an enticing offer... However, instead of that, I need your help with something more specific. I''m Eustace Skye, and I possess a few valuable items. I''ve heard rumors that you can assist me in gaining ess to a secret Auction House."
Eustace said as he extended a small sum of money, a mere 100 zen, to the woman. It was a modest gesture to make her talk.
Upon hearing Eustace''s request, the woman sighed in disappointment but still discreetly epted the money, concealing it within her garments.
"Head to the second floor." She replied, her tone tinged with resignation. "There''s a bartender there who can assist you. However, I must warn you that only decently strong Arcanists can ess that floor. Even if you fail, you won''t receive a refund."
Eustace offered a polite smile and expressed his gratitude. "Thank you¡" He said, rising from his seat as he prepared to leave.
The attractivedy sighed softly as she saw him leave.
"Ahem¡ I''m Hilma... If you require our services here, do not hesitate to call me. I''m confident that I can fulfill your desires." She whispered, her voiceced with temptation.
Eustace nodded in acknowledgment as he made his way towards the staircase leading to the second floor. As he ascended, he could sense a powerful Formation Arts being activated.
Suddenly, he felt a suffocating pressure getting stronger with each step¡ Based on his estimation, the Formation Art was actually designed to deter those who don''t have 20 Spirit Strands or so.
It was indeed quite a decent Formation Art. However, Eustace effortlessly persevered, his calm demeanor undisturbed.
On the first floor, the girls and waiters noticed Vale''sposed presence and couldn''t help but recognize that he was someone of importance.
"Impressive!"
"No wonder the guards didn''t stop him."
"I believe he gave a false name¡"
"I don''t know much about Summoners... But they''re normally miser who don''t give decent tips. He must be a noble."
Whispers spread throughout the room, heightening the anticipation and curiosity surrounding his true identity.
Chapter 503 Appraiser
Chapter 503 Appraiser
Eustace didn''t notice their reactions as he was too focused on what was ahead of him.
As he reached the second floor, the bar Hilma had mentioned came into view.
The floor''s atmosphere was distinct, with an air of exclusivity and sophistication that separated it from the bustling activity below. Eustace''s eyes scanned the room, searching for the bartender who could help him connect to the Auction House.
At this time, he noticed that the second floor of the Gold Club was indeed more exclusive and less crowded than the first floor. The room exuded an ambiance of luxury, akin to an upscale nightclub with high-priced drinks¡
Approaching the bartender, Eustace wasted no time in expressing his desire to sell his mystical items in the Auction House. The bartender, who was diligently wiping a ss, squinted his eyes as he observed Eustace for a moment before responding.
"Certainly... May I know how to address you?" the bartender inquired.
"I''m Eustace Skye... a Summoner¡" He introduced himself.
The bartender nodded approvingly. "Your timing is impable, Sir Eustace. The two individuals waiting at that table also intended to utilize our connection for selling items in the Auction House. I heard that the Auction House already has 30 items prepared to be sold¡ Unless your items hold substantial value, it might be worth considering alternative methods through the ck Market."
Eustace considered the bartender''s advice and nodded. "That makes sense. I would appreciate having my items appraised. If they are deemed worthy for the main auction, I would be pleased to proceed."
"Excellent¡" The bartender responded. "Please go ahead and wait with those gentlemen. The Appraiser and the Manager will be with you shortly."
Eustace nodded, but he decided to get a beverage first. Since he wasn''t sure what are the beverages here, he just let the bartender get him a decently-priced wine.
After paying two zen for the ss of wine, Eustace took it with him.
Following the bartender''s instructions, he joined the two men who were seated at the table. One of them wore a white cloak, and using his Divine Sense, he recognized him as a Rune Arts Practitioner.
On the other hand, the one who seemed to be a gloomy figure donning a ck cloak was a Holy Arts Practitioner.
Eustace kept silent as he sat with them, awaiting the arrival of the Appraiser and the Manager.
Fortunately, the boring wait did not persist for long, as the people they were waiting for soon made their entrance.
The Manager, a graceful woman in her thirties, exuded a mature charm. She was also an Arcanist and practiced the Combat Arts.
Eustace couldn''t help but admire her presence. She certainly deserved to be a manager of the Gold Club.
The Appraiser, on the other hand, was an old Arcanist specializing in Dark Arts, piquing Eustace''s curiosity.
''He only has 6 Dark Spells. He''s probably not a senior from the Academy.'' Eustace silently thought.
"I''m Maurine, the Manager of the Gold Club, and I will also assist you in connecting to the Auction House at a reduced feepared to standard rates. In return, we only ask that you utilize our establishment''s services more often¡ If possible, refer us to other Arcanists who would like to enjoy their time." Maurine stated with a captivating smile.
The two men who had been silently waiting immediately epted Maurine''s proposition.
"Of course, Miss Maurine! We will dly assist you. I will use your services every day¡ and if possible, I would like you to¡" The Rune Arts Practitioner answered almost immediately, but he hesitated when he was about to ask out the Manager.
Eustace couldn''t help but wonder if he came here to meet with the Manager instead for the business.
The other man cleared his throat and added. "I have been using your services every time Iplete my missions, Lady Maurine... As a matter of fact, I recently finished hunting a criminal, and I''ll be spending my time here. If you could apany me¡"
The Manager chuckled at theirplimenting words and immediately thanked them. However, she made it clear that she was only here for business.
Eustace observed the interaction with intrigue, realizing that this establishment held more than just connections to the Auction House.
''This business is actually impressive¡ If they have numerous connections with the Rogue Arcanists, then they might beparable to somerge guilds of Arcanists as well.'' Eustace mused as he looked at the Manager.
Soon, they got back to business...
Eustace learned that the two men only had one item they wanted to sell to the Auction House. They didn''t even bother going to a separate room to make a secret transaction.
Indeed, rather than being discreet, these two men seemed to revel in unting their items to each other.
They even cast taunting nces at Eustace, as if challenging him to produce a more impressive mystical item.
Eustace couldn''t help but shake his head at their behavior.
Nheless, he patiently awaited his turn while the Appraiser examined the items brought by the two men.
The Rune Arts Practitioner presented a blue cane that appeared to be crafted from a type of rock. The cane was heavy and emitted a cold sensation when touched, ording to the Appraiser.
The Appraiser carefully inspected the item for a few moments before making ament.
"This is a high-grade Noble Rank Item... known as the Blue Scream Staff. However, it has undergone a mutation, resulting in three mystical abilities instead of the usual two. I presume you acquired it from that cult. Impressive¡" the Appraisermented.
The Rune Arts Practitioner, wearing a confident smile, inquired about its potential value in the auction house. He was certainly aware of the uniqueness of his item.
"With its mutated state, it is estimated to fetch more than 11,000 zen¡" the Appraiser replied, acknowledging its exceptional qualities.
"Mhmm¡ That sounds about right. I''m sure it could go higher since it''s from the cult." The Runecastermented.
The attention then shifted to the item brought by the Holy Arts Practitioner. It was a dagger that seemed to carry an air of darkness and malevolence.
The Appraiser examined the dagger and deduced its origin.
"This dagger appears to be connected to the criminal you apprehended. This dagger already consumed the souls of twelve pure children. If purified, its value would only amount to around 3,000 zen. However, with the souls intact, it will garner significant interest among Dark Arts Practitioners. They would be willing to purchase it for 20,000 zen or possibly even more¡"
Upon hearing this assessment from the Appraiser, a grin spread across the face of the man cloaked in ck, clearly delighted by the potential value of his item.
Chapter 504 Eustaces Auction Items
Chapter 504 Eustace''s Auction Items
Eustace''s expression turned solemn upon learning that the dagger had imed the souls of twelve innocent children.
His sense of justice, unclouded by the influence of the Headmaster''s binding, caused him to feel a deep concern. As someone knowledgeable about the rituals of the Dark Arts, he had a clear understanding of how those twelve pure souls could be utilized.
"This Soul-Capturing Dagger is undoubtedly intended for a ritual that involves extending one''s life¡" Eustace thought silently, his mind racing with the potential implications.
His gaze shifted towards the Holy Arts Practitioner, and as expected, the man showed no intention of freeing the souls of the children, as it would significantly impact the value of the item. Eustace let out a sigh, disappointed by the disregard shown towards those innocent lives.
Maurine, the manager with a well-endowed figure, interrupted the silence with a question. "Sir, would you like to have your items appraised here, or would you prefer to go elsewhere?"
The other customers looked at Eustace with smirks on their faces, seemingly amused by his silence.
With a resigned sigh, Eustace responded¡ "Since these gentlemen have boldly presented their items, I will do the same."
With that, Eustace ced the Doombringer Ring, which he had extracted from the Evil Entity, along with the mysterious red feather emitting continuous heat that he acquired from the Ascension Tower, and the ck stone he obtained from the same floor.
The ring was something he had no clue about. He only knew that it had a very aggressive energy around it. The red feather, on the other hand, seemed to havee from a firebird or maybe a fire phoenix if he was lucky. As for the ck stone that aggressively absorbs the surrounding light, it seemed as if it was for crafting, but he was unsure.
The three items immediately captivated the attention of the group, as their value was evident even at a nce.
The old Appraiser was visibly surprised as he suddenly recognized the ck ring.
"That ring... Is that a Doombringer Ring? You must suppress it quickly!"
Eustace was taken aback by the Appraiser''s recognition of the ring without even touching it, indicating that the Appraiser was undoubtedly knowledgeable in the field.
"Do not worry. I am currently suppressing all three items. Could you provide more information about this ring?" Eustace inquired, curious about the significance of the Doombringer Ring.
The Appraiser, visibly relieved, responded¡ "If this is indeed the Doombringer Ring, it is an item sought after by all Dark Arts Practitioners, particrly Necromancers. With this ring, one can easily transform humans or non-practitioners into zombies. It is an item that approaches the Sovereign Rank in power!"
At this revtion, the two customers who had previously regarded Eustace with contempt fell silent, realizing the immense value and potential danger associated with the items he possessed.
Maurine''s eyes sparkled with excitement upon hearing the appraisal of the Doombringer Ring. She acknowledged the extraordinary nature of the item and expressed her concern about its potential impact if purchased by someone with ill intentions.
"Whoever acquires this ring must have a reputable background. If it falls into the hands of an unstable individual, it could lead to significant trouble¡" Maurine remarked.
She then turned to the old Appraiser for further insight. She sought his opinion on the value of the ring.
The old Appraiser pondered for a moment before responding.
"Determining the value of this ring is quite challenging. Its negative effects, which induce insanity in the user''s mind, are substantial. The wearer would need additional artifacts of simr power to protect their mind. However, if we were to assign a value to the Auction House, it could start at 30,000 zen, but it would potentially increase to 120,000 zen or even higher with proper advertising. An item that rivals Sovereign Rank artifacts is difficult to evaluate. Only the buyers can truly put a price on it¡ Do you really want to sell this item?"
The room buzzed with excitement as everyone absorbed this information.
As a matter of fact,the two customers, who were initially dismissive of Eustace, recognized that the Appraiser''s evaluation was rather modest.
In their minds, the ring could easily fetch double the amount if sold to the nobles. Despite its destructive potential, the nobles would undoubtedly be drawn to such a powerful item.
Eustace, however, hesitated to sell such a dangerous item...
He shook his head and stated. "I will consider selling it. Please proceed with the appraisal of the other two items."
The Manager felt a tinge of disappointment, but she respected Eustace''s decision and allowed the Appraiser to continue with the evaluation of the remaining two items.
"Mhmm¡ Let''s see these two things¡"
The Appraiser''s eyes widened in awe as he held and examined the radiant red feather.
"Ah, this is no ordinary feather¡" He eximed.
"It possesses an intense heat from within, but it doesn''t hurt its surroundings¡ I''ve never seen one before, but all the clues are pointing to the Emberstrike Feather."
Obviously, the others were clueless about this item, so they just listened silently.
As the Appraiser used a different inspection spell, he continued his evaluation. "The Emberstrike Feather holds immense elemental power, harnessing the essence of fire itself. It has the potential to enhance the abilities of a fire-based practitioner and could fetch a high price among elemental magic enthusiasts. I estimate its value to be around 15,000 zen, but with the right marketing and targeting the right audience, it could easily surpass 50,000 zen."
The group listened attentively, captivated by the significance of the Emberstrike Feather. Its potential for amplifying fire-based spells and its rarity made it a coveted item among elementalists.
The Appraiser then turned his attention to the enigmatic ck stone.
As he held the item and started using his Spells to peer through its mysteries, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "This stone... it exudes an aura of darkness and madness¡" He mused.
"I''ve seen one of these with the size of a fingernail sold for 8,000 zen¡ I''m sure that this is a ckheart Stone."
Chapter 505 The Realm of Summoners
Chapter 505 The Realm of Summoners
Eustace squinted his eyes as he tried recalling any information about the ckheart Stone¡ However, the closest alchemy materials he could remember were the Shadowheart Stone, ckbrain Gem, and Petrified Heart. He couldn''t recall any ckheart Stone at all.
Nevertheless, he remained silent as he allowed the old Appraiser to continue.
Analyzing the stone''s properties, the Appraiser continued.
"The ckheart Stone possesses an uncanny ability to amplify dark magic and tap into the dark desires of their target. If used by Alchemist, it holds the potential to strengthen spells of concealment and maniption, making it highly sought after by those involved in espionage or stealthy endeavors. This item is something the Vessels of the Dark Arts Faction would want. I would estimate its initial value to be 20,000 zen¡ However, if we get the faction involved, its price could easily reach 80,000 zen or more."
The room buzzed with excitement as the appraisal of the Emberstrike Feather and the ckheart Stone revealed their immense value and potential.
The customers and the Manager sighed in amazement, realizing the tremendous opportunities thaty before them.
The two who had their items appraised were even considering to start negotiating with Vale.
However, Eustace seemed to have questions about the appraisal.
"I didn''t expect this stone to be so valuable¡ When you said that it can tap into the dark desires of the target, may I ask what you mean by that?" He asked.
The old Appraiser thought for a moment before he answered.
"It means that you can draw out anyone''s deepest, darkest secrets and desires with the help of this stone¡ If those Mind Controllers used this, their powers would be amplified by three¡ªno, five times, I believe."
Eustace wryly smiled at this as he hesitated whether to really sell this item. He just thought it was rted to Dark Magic, which wasn''t that impressive initially.
Nevertheless, he maintained a calm demeanor and expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you for your evaluation¡ I''m willing to pay the fee."
The Manager couldn''t just give up after hearing this. As someone working in this business for a long time, she knew that she just had to continue negotiating.
"The Appraisal Fee is free if you consider selling any of your three items here. Well, we can tell you''re a Summoner. I doubt that you will need these items... It is also not safe to carry these items with you for a long time. They have negative effects, and if they do not receive the correct maintenance, their effects could weaken or even cause self-destruction and be trash¡" The Manager immediately said.
Seeing that Eustace wasn''t showing any reaction, she continued.
"You may have a way to maintain them, but for how long would you continue doing that? I think selling them now would be better. Of course, I have another option for you."
"Mhmm? What''s the other option?" Eustace asked.
Maurine finally smiled as she continued. "If you want, we can do a trade¡ If you still have some spare pages in your Grimoire, we can do a Summon Transfer. We have Summoners in our club, and they are looking for a way to dispose of their Summons in exchange for money¡ As you know, getting a Summon is quite challenging and has many requirements. The Transfer is the quickest way to obtain Summons. It''s hical, but if money is involved, it could be easily done."
Eustace was a bit stunned since he didn''t know it was possible to do that.
He thought of asking for the price of the Moonlight Fairy in his Grimoire, but he immediately shook his head. It doesn''t feel right to him if he sells the cute and grumpy Fairy.
Anyway, it would be weird if he wasn''t interested in this type of transaction since he was currently assuming the identity of a Summoner.
"This is indeed an interesting offer¡ Let''s do that instead¡" Eustace replied.
The Manager nodded in excitement as soon as she saw an opportunity. She had been wanting to get rid of those summons.
However, she exined that they would need to move to a separate room where the Grimoires were kept.
Then, Maurine swiftly concluded the deal with the two other customers who had brought the Blue Scream Staff and the Soul-Capturing Dagger to the Gold Club.
Once the formalities werepleted, Maurine led Eustace to her office on the third floor. She graciously served him chamomile tea, which Eustace surprisingly found refreshing after the wine he had consumed earlier.
As he sipped the tea, Eustace observed his surroundings, confirming that Maurine appeared to be a trustworthy individual. The Formation Arts he noticed were deactivated, and he detected no signs of anything amiss with the tea.
Maurine seemed genuinely interested in facilitating the trade, unlike a certain female professor at the Academy who had ulterior motives.
In due time, a waiter from the first floor arrived, carrying three Grimoires.
Maurine introduced the Grimoires to Eustace, exining their origins. "These three Grimoirese from three different Summoners. Each Grimoire contains over 50 summons, offering you a wide range of choices. They are priced differently based on the number of Abilities they possess, whether active or not."
Eustace found the concept intriguing andmented¡ "Interesting."
He initially thought the Summons would have a proper grading system.
Anyway, Maurine further borated on the pricing structure. "The value of a Summon is determined by the number of Abilities it possesses. A one-ability Summon is priced at 3,000 zen, a two-ability Summon at 5,000 zen, a three-ability Summon at 10,000 zen, and a four-ability Summon at 40,000 zen."
Eustace was a bit surprised by a steep increase in the price once it reached four abilities.
He couldn''t help but recall that his Moonlight Fairy has four abilities, though two of them are Inactive.
"So, the four-ability Summons are the highest we can find¡"
Maurine nodded. "At the very least, in these three Grimoires, the highest you can see are the four-ability ones... If you happen toe across a five-ability Summon, its value could exceed a hundred thousand zen. As for the six-ability Summons, they are usually life-bound to the Grimoire itself and could not be traded."
Chapter 506 The Grimoires and Summons
Chapter 506 The Grimoires and Summons
With Manager Maurine''s permission, Eustace began browsing the contents of the Grimoiresid out before him.
His gaze fell upon the three distinct Grimoires, each exuding its unique charm.
Unlike his own simple and unassuming ck Grimoire, these three were clearly of higher quality.
On the right was a red Grimoire with a cover made of crocodile leather, adorned with a mesmerizing brown crystal at its center. In the middley a white Grimoire, seemingly crafted from a tree trunk, its surface rough and uneven. Lastly, there was the Grimoire made of shimmering fish scales, reflecting light like a captivating mosaic.
''They all look impressive¡ I guess there are also ranking among Grimoires.'' Eustace thought as he used his Spirit Vision to inspect them carefully¡
Seeing that there were no problems, he picked up each of them to appreciate their craftsmanship¡
Then, after doing all of this, Eustace decided to start with red Grimoire. It was just too eye-catching, so he wanted to start with it.
As he opened it, he discovered that most of the summons within possessed only one ability, just as Maurine had mentioned.
As he perused the list, he realized that these one-ability summons were predominantly objects rather than creatures.
Among the intriguing summons he came across were a fire sword, a cozy chair that radiated warmth, a self-heating cauldron, a small kettle capable of producing 100 liters of boiling water, a cane that emitted the sound of a gunshot when struck, a bell that could awaken anyone from sleep, a ring that could shrink until it severed the finger, a ming sparrow, an exploding squirrel, and many more.
"Mhmm... It seems that this Grimoire primarily contains fire-rted summons," Eustacemented after seeing most of the one-ability summons.
Manager Maurine nodded in agreement, affirming his observation. "Indeed, the Grimoire you are holding provides a 5% increase in the chances of obtaining fire-attributed summons. While it may seem minimal, it can be quite helpful for summoners who are less proficient in rituals or when the spirits are not particrly cooperative."
"That''s true¡"
Eustace acknowledged Maurine''s exnation with a nod and continued his exploration of the Grimoire''s contents.
"Well, they''re all quite weak and maybe even unnecessary¡ No wonder the one-ability Summons are inexpensive¡" Eustace softly muttered to himself as he turned the pages, eagerly searching for the two-ability Summons.
His eyes scanned the entries, and he discovered that there were over a dozen of them. However, much like the previous Grimoire, most of them were objects¡ªa collection of bows, swords, cloaks, wands, and other weapons. Among the limited selection of creatures, Eustace found a Bloodhound, a ming Boar, and a zing Eagle.
"These summons are worth 5,000 zen each... Not bad¡" Eustacemented, recognizing their usefulness, especially when dealing with Arcanists at a student level.
Although he found these two-ability Summons to be quite practical, his search didn''t end there.
Eustace continued on his browse and soon stumbled upon five three-ability Summons, all of which were creatures.
His eyes lit with excitement as he was curious about what kind of summons he''d see.
Then he realized that the five summons were the same! All five are Scorching Golem Knights with three abilities.
Nevertheless, he checked their abilities and was impressed.
"Oh... These Golem Knights seem quite impressive¡ They''re certainly better than the Skeleton Knights¡" Eustace remarked, his interest piqued by their formidable nature.
Manager Maurine nodded with a smile after hearing this. "Indeed. Thest transaction I had about six months ago involved another Summoner who acquired ten Scorching Golem Knights. These five remaining ones are thest of their kind."
"Ten Golem Knights? If he could summon ten of them simultaneously, he must possess considerable strength¡" Eustace immediatelymented, his mind racing with the possibilities. Summoning just one of these Golem Knights would require four Spirit Strands, making the feat all the more impressive.
"Haha, well, perhaps he just wanted some spares. It''s possible that he can only summon three at a time¡" Maurine chuckled, offering a usible exnation for therge number acquired by the previous Summoner.
"Ahem... You''re right. My mistake¡" Eustace coughed, realizing the possibility of an overestimation. He swiftly refocused his attention on the Grimoire, eager to uncover more treasures within its pages.
As he was reaching the end of the filled pages, he discovered two four-ability Summons.
One of them was a young Three-Tailed Fox, possessing one active ability and three inactive abilities. While Eustace felt a tinge of disappointment at the imbnce, he understood the potential of this creature like his current Moonlight Fairy.
His eyes then fell upon thest summon.
It was magnificent steed with four abilities!
The Grimoire revealed its name to be "Sun Gelding," and Eustace eagerly delved into its description. He discovered that the Sun Gelding possessed two active abilities and two inactive abilities, all of which were intricately tied to various movement techniques. Instantly, he recognized the steed''s potential as a perfect ride.
"I''m impressed by the Sun Gelding. Its active abilities for movement techniques make it an idealpanion¡" Eustace remarked, his excitement evident. It seemed that he no longer needed to learn Necromancy to get a decent ride.
Anyway, he knew there was more to explore within the Grimoires.
Closing the red Grimoire, he reached for the white one. He was anticipating that it would contain something better since it felt heavier, and as soon as he opened it, he felt a cool aura shrouding him.
Eustace smiled at this as he swiftly navigated to the pages where the four-ability Summon entries were listed.
He didn''t bother checking the low-quality ones this time.
To his delight, he discovered not one but three captivating Summons, each possessing four remarkable abilities.
The intricate details and potential of these Summons filled Eustace''s mind with possibilities.
"Manager Maurine, if I will trade with these many four-ability summons, I hope that you''ll give me a decent discount..." Eustace muttered as his eyes were focused on the three Summons. He realized that being Summoner was actually a lot more interesting than he expected.
Chapter 507 Complete Transaction
Chapter 507 Complete Transaction
The three Summons he discovered on the second Grimoire were actually quite impressive. They were all pixies!
They were called Spell Pixies, to be exact.
As Eustace read through their descriptions, he realized that even though they have interesting abilities, they actually use a considerable amount of the Summoner''s energy to be summoned out. Aside from that, each of them requires at least 8 Spirit Strands to maintain their summon.
It was no wonder that they were being traded¡
However, the fact that these Spell Pixies were support-type summons and capable of staying outside forever once summoned, Eustace would certainly not give up on them. They were perfectpanions for a multi-arcane arts Practitioner like him.
"I can give you a discount¡ However, are you not going to take a look at the third Grimoire?" Manager Maurine asked.
"I''ll check it now."
Eustace smiled as he closed the white Grimoire and opened the fishscale Grimoire.
He skimmed through the lower-quality ones and saw that most of the Creatures here are mostly water-attribute creatures.
Well, he expected this a bit after checking the red Grimoire. Anyway, he soon realized that this Grimoire was quite incredible¡ The Summoner who was probably trading this was out of their mind.
"Manager Maurine¡ From the one-ability Summons to the four-ability Summons, I can tell that they are impressive. The two four-ability Summons were even two Savage Murlocs¡ There should be a lot of Summoners who''d want to have them. Is there a problem with them?" Eustace inquired.
Maurine expected that Eustace would know the value of the Murlocs, so she had already prepared an answer.
"As you said, the Savage Murlocs are impressive. They are killing machines once brought to a body of water like ake or even just a swamp¡ However, they only have one ability. The three inactive abilities they have could never be activated. After investigation, they''ll require some sort of blessing or perhaps baptism before they can use the three other spells. Unfortunately, because the transfer of four-ability Summons would cost the same, we can''t change their price." Maurine exined.
Eustace nodded at this exnation as he closed the Grimoire.
He went silently for a while as he started contemting what he should do.
Manager Maurine took this as an opportunity to help Eustace decide.
"How about this¡ If you sell us the Emberstrike Feather and ckheart Stone, we''ll give six four-ability Summons to you. The feather was appraised as 50,000 zen or higher, while the stone was given 80,000 zen of value, which could increase even more if we involved the Psychic Arts Faction."
Eustace''s eyes lit up after hearing this.
Two Mystical Artifacts in exchange for six strong Summons that don''t require monthly maintenance and don''t have negative effects when used¡ That seemed to be a good deal for him.
Furthermore, six four-ability Summons should be worth 240,000 zen!
However, he had to choose which Summons he should trade.
The Three-Tailed Fox, Sun Gelding, three Spell Pixies, and two Savage Murlocs. There is one that would not be selected.
As Eustace thought of not selecting the fox, he suddenly recalled that he still had other items in his possession that he could sell¡
"Wait, Manager Maurine. I want to get all the high-tier Summons. I''ll sell another item. Take a look at this." Eustace said as he took out an Ancient Book.
Yvaine sneakily gave it to him under the table.
This Ancient Book came from the Dark Soul Tower in the Academy. He wasn''t sure about its usage, but he could tell that it had some value.
"This book looks interesting¡" Maurine muttered as she saw the old book that was covered by anti-inspection spells.
"Where did you get this?" Maurine asked.
Eustace could tell that Maurine had an interest in books, seeing how her room had shelves with ancient tomes on disy.
"I got it from a certain Tower. I heard it was valuable, but I''m not sure about its usage. I''ve been keeping it with me all this time, but I never had a chance to use it." Eustace answered.
"Can I take a look at it?" Maurine asked.
"Go ahead, Manager Maurine¡ You can take your time." Eustace answered as he observed the Manager.
Maurine browsed the thick book filled with ancient text that Eustace could not read ever since he acquired it.
It wasn''t Oardic or anynguage taught in the Academy after all.
In a few moments, Maurine sighed as she realized that she could barely understand the tome.
"This book seemed to contain a lot of rituals¡ Most of it is rted to possession or soul transfer¡ This is quite dangerous." Maurine muttered.
Eustace nodded as he realized that this book was indeed quite useless to him. Furthermore, he already considered this to be harmful since the Dark Soul Tower''s Tower Master doesn''t seem to be a reliable person¡ or spirit.
"I see¡ Do you think it''s enough to get all the seven high-tier Summons?" Eustace asked.
Maurine hesitated for a moment as he considered a few things¡
In the end, after thinking that the ckheart Stone could fetch a very high price if they contacted the Psychic Arts Faction, she made a decision.
In any case, the reason the Gold Club was prospering was because of their connection to the Psychic Arts Faction.
If they were able to inform them that an item they might be interested in would be sold in the Auction House, they would undoubtedly be rewarded just for the information.
Manager Maurine agreed to Eustace''s offer, epting the Emberstrike Feather, ckheart Stone, and Ancient Ritual Tome as payment for the seven high-tier Summons.
Eustace couldn''t help but smile, relieved that his proposition had been epted.
"Excellent¡ Now, let''s proceed with the transfer. How should we go about it?" Eustace asked in excitement.
Maurine exined that there was no borate ceremony required for the transfer. It could bepleted swiftly and efficiently.
She called upon the Summoners, who were the owners of the Grimoires in question, all of whom appeared to be in their forties.
Eustace surmised that they were likely fellow customers of the prestigious Gold Club, given their prompt arrival.
Without delving too deeply into their personal circumstances, Eustace brushed aside any thoughts about why these Summoners may have found themselves in a position to part with their cherished Summons. It was of no concern to him; he focused solely on obtaining these remarkable summons.
The transfer processmenced, and to Eustace''s surprise, it was a rtively straightforward affair. Within just five minutes, the Summoners tore out the respective pages containing the high-tier Summons and ced them into Eustace''s Grimoire. A brief chant sealed the transfer, solidifying the connection between the powerful beings and their new master.
The torn pages turn normal before turning into ashes.
Once the transfer wasplete, the Summoners left the office without even talking to Eustace.
Maurine, pleased with the sessful transaction, extended an invitation to Eustace.
"Now that the transfer is done, I invite you to attend the Auction that will take ce tomorrow," Maurine announced, her voice brimming with anticipation.
Chapter 508 Aftershock
Chapter 508 Aftershock
Deep within a hidden dungeon, concealed from the prying eyes of the Arcanists from the Roaring Summit, a gathering of individuals wearing ck cloaks engaged in a fervent discussion.
Some were furious, while others tried to calm the heated discussion.
"Keith and his team were in so mercilessly! We cannot allow their deaths to go unanswered!" One member of the Order of Evanescent Vessels eximed, his voice filled with righteous indignation.
"I agree! We must track down that flying Crimson Imp, uncover their nest, and eradicate them all!" Another voiced, his fury echoing through the dimly lit chamber.
These are two men who held a close bond with Keith. They couldn''t help but express their anger as they grieve the loss of their friend.
They couldn''t believe that a creature they always underestimated would kill their friends. This just fueled their desire for vengeance.
However, a moreposed voice interjected, attempting to restore a semnce of reason to the heated discussion.
"We cannot act rashly." A member cautioned. "We must consider the state of the Academy. It may have already fallen, even with three Squad Leaders and the Headmaster present. Escaping this ce should be our priority. By now, the Sentinels and other Orders should be looking for us. We expected them to break the treaty, but this is just too soon. Something must''ve happened, so we can''t act too rashly anymore."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the group. Uncertainty hung in the air, as the whereabouts of the Crimson Imp remained elusive despite the efforts of other Factions to track them down. Spection arose that the Crimson Imp may have already been captured, but their existence was kept secret from them.
All eyes turned toward their leader, the 14th Squad Captain. She''s a young woman with fiery red hair, but despite her youth, Captain Lesleymanded the respect and trust of her squad members. Her beauty belied the strength and leadership ability thaty within her.
"Captain Lesley, what is your decision?" the vice-captain inquired, his gaze locked on their leader.
The weight of the decision bore heavily upon him, as the previous orders had been to await the return of the 9th Squad or Keith''s team.
However, now that Keith''s team was annihted, they obviously couldn''t fulfill the order of returning with them. At this point, he was considering whether they should just ignore the Academy for now and look for the Imp.
This was a difficult decision, so he might as well let their captain decide...
Lesley remained silent, her mind meticulously weighing the options before her. She could understand her members wanting revenge, but she was a bit hesitant to enter the Roaring Summit once again since they should be on high alert.
Nevertheless, the fate of their fallenrades, the honor of their faction, and a nagging suspicion regarding Vale Chambers intertwined within her thoughts.
''There''s something off about this student...''
After a contemtive pause, Lesley finally spoke, her voice carrying a resolute tone. "Our faction''s Academy has been disrespected, and the Headmaster and the Main Faction''s Elite Forces will address this affront. However, if we were to leave without avenging the deaths of the Ninth Squad, we would tarnish the reputation of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels. Moreover, I have a strong intuition that this tragedy is connected to Vale Chambers. I don''t think that an Imp would be that strong even if it was special."
Lesley said as she recalled the information about imps.
ording to their records, Red-skin Imps had no ability to fly. She couldn''t help but question the origin of this Imp.
Her words hung in the air, momentarily freezing the room.
The weight of her words resonated with herrades, who swiftly reached a consensus. Their desire to avenge theirrades reignited.
Now that Lesley had agreed, the hot-blooded members immediately chimed in.
"Captain Lesley, you speak true. We shall honor the fallen and seek justice for their deaths¡" A member dered.
With their course of action determined, the members of the 14th Squad of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels prepared to reenter the Roaring City.
"Our search will include both the Crimson Imp''s clues and Vale, who vanished. I suspect this person has a deep resentment towards us." Lesley said as she turned her gaze towards the Summit.
***
Meanwhile, in the grand church of the Fortune Goddess, the esteemed members of the Untainted Sentinels gathered for a brief discussion.
The Crimson Imp and the deaths of the Dark Arts Practitioners, whom they suspected were Vessels, were the focal points of their conversation.
After extensive investigation, they had determined that the Crimson Imp must have been under the control of another Arcanist, granting it the strength to eliminate the five Vessels before they could initiate the descent of a mysterious entity within them.
"I shall scour the remaining districts tonight in search of the Imp. If it was summoned, I should be able to trace its origins through the Summoner¡" re dered.
"Very well. I will explore the areas in the west district to uncover any traces of the Imp." Teresa added... The others also started dering the areas they wanted to be sure.
After doing all of this, the old man, who seemed to be a priest, nodded and thanked the Sentinels..
"Excellent. Please make sure that the Imp would no longer cause panic to the public." Fletcher, a bishop from the Church of the Fortune Goddess, said.
"Aside from that, it has been reported that all the students from Vermont Academy have likely evacuated by now. However, it wouldn''t hurt to remain vignt and check our surroundings for any lingering Dark Magicians¡ Eliminate them if you ever find them."
"Yes, Bishop¡"
The other members of the Untainted Sentinels received their respective orders and left the church, their footsteps echoing through the halls.
Soon, Teresa and re were left alone, engaged in a hushed conversation.
"Let us pay a visit to the Auction House tomorrow¡" Teresa whispered with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.
Chapter 509 Auction ( Part 1 )
Chapter 509 Auction ( Part 1 )
Confusion momentarily clouded re''s expression, but it didn''t take long as realization dawned upon her.
Her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Did you hire another Seer?" She inquired eagerly.
"Yes, indeed. It came at quite a cost¡ Luckily, we have managed to establish a favorable rtionship with Clovis. Through our connection to the threads of fate, he can still be located¡" Teresa confirmed, a sense of satisfaction evident in her voice.
A yful chuckle escaped re''s lips. "Ah, so he remains impervious to tracking spells but falls prey to divination. How amusing¡"
The two of them didn''t have to discuss it, and they knew that they had to keep this a secret.
The Holy Arts Faction and the Church of the Fortune Goddess had amon goal of eradicating the Dark Arts from the world, but the two of them did not share this ambition... They had a different perspective on the Dark Arts Faction, seeing it as just another branch of the Arcane Arts that was not inherently evil as long as it was practiced with moderation and restraint.
After all, it could be said to all other paths¡
They believe that the real viins were those Arcanists who became fanatical about their own paths and despised other paths as inferior or wrong.
Unfortunately, this type of opinion would be frowned upon, so the two of them were just silent about it.
In any case, they also like the conveniences brought by the Faction and the Church to them, so they would just take advantage of it.
***
In the following day, as their duties for the day werepleted, re and Teresa took measures to alter their appearances.
They transformed their looks, adorning themselves in attire reminiscent of nobility rather than magicians.
Though their inherent beauty remained, they opted for vibrant red hair, entuated by their fairplexion.
Toplete their ensemble, they adorned themselves withvish jewelry, enhancing their allure. Lastly, they donned masks that concealed half of their faces, adding an air of mystery to their presence.
Their garments, though designed to captivate attention, proved to be quitemon within the ck Market as they made their way through the bustling crowd.
The ck Market was apparently located below the Roaring City, like a huge cavern within the teau.
Ignoring the peddlers and other patrons, they directed their focus toward the central building, designated for grand events such as auctions.
The two of them hadn''t been here before, and they only knew about this ce thanks to their connections¡
"Wait¡" Teresa whispered, her gaze fixed upon a young man who seemed to be inspecting an item. This small item wasid out before a peddler, and nothing seemed to be wrong as there were many other people trying to do this within the ck Market.
However, it appeared that he had triggered Teresa''s sixth sense ability, albeit in a rather vague manner. This ability allowed her to sense various things, ranging from danger to personal interest and instinctual matters.
"Do you recognize that young man?" re inquired as she followed Teresa''s gaze.
"No, I do not. However, it is possible that someone might be observing us¡" Teresa responded, her voiceced with caution.
"Could it be Clovis?" re suggested. After all, Clovis was the reason they came here. They believed that as long as they talked to him sincerely, he would understand them and join their team.
re was then tempted to use her Divine Sense, but because her previous work made her use this ability to find the Crimson Imp, she could only use it two more times before she got fully drained. It was the same for Teresa.
Divine Sense was the slowest in terms of recovery among all of their Spell Lights.
Teresa shook her head. "I doubt it. We have taken great pains to disguise ourselves. If anyone can see through our ruse, it would likely be Clyde. That guy might just be thinking of robbing us¡"
Teresa then resumed her stride, leading them toward the entrance of the Auction House.
As they stepped inside, both women couldn''t help but marvel at the intricate design and opulence that greeted them. Their expectations of a crude and unremarkable setting for a ck market auction were shattered as the establishment exuded an air of sophistication.
''I guess it would be like this since it''s supported by the nobles and the factions in the city¡'' re thought as she knew how corrupt these organizations were.
They all supported this ck Market for one obvious reason: avoiding taxes.
It wasn''t that surprising now that she thinks about it.
"re, refrain from using your Divine Sense¡" Teresa cautioned, her tone growing serious.
Startled, re turned to herpanion inquisitively. "Why? What''s the matter?"
Teresa''s reply was swift. "An elite female dark magician is present. She would undoubtedly sense the use of your Divine Sense immediately. We must exercise caution. We''re inside her Magic Zone, so do not mention her name."
With Teresa''s warning, re proceeded with heightened vignce¡
There was no need for further exnation, and she knew that Teresa was referring to Lesley. An elite Dark Alchemist and Ritualist that had been causing headaches to the various Orders, including the Sentinels.
ording to the news gathered by the Sentinels, this woman had already reached the Three Spell Fusion and even created a new Dark Spell¡ She was improving incredibly fast after getting out of the Academy as if she was a reincarnated Paragon.
The new Spell Model she created requires 4 Spell Lights, ording to rumor. However, it was definitely worth it.
If you mentioned her name while also being aware of her face inside her Magic Zone, she would know almost everything about the person, including their attribute strands, spell models, and health conditions, and, in some cases, she could even take control of your mind for a brief moment if you''re too unguarded.
Those were the known effects, and if there were still hidden things about this spell, they weren''t aware of it.
Luckily for them, Lesley still had a limited amount of Dark Energy, so she wasn''t the greatest threat to them as of yet.
With a sigh, re stopped thinking about this dangerous woman.
As long as Lesley wasn''t nning to attack them and simply participate in the auction, they wouldn''t care about her.
re and Teresa continued on their way like nothing happened.
This time, they prepared a few items to lure Clovis out and looking forward to the auction. If they seeded, they would definitely not lose sight of him again.
Chapter 510 Auction ( Part 2 )
Chapter 510 Auction ( Part 2 )
The Auction House was buzzing with people from various organizations and nobilities, all wearing masks that covered half of their faces to conceal their identities, just like re and Teresa.
As the clock struck 6 in the evening, the event began.
A woman with white and fair skin, dressed in a stunning red gown, emerged on the stage. She exuded an undeniable allure, but the atmosphere in the Auction House turned grave as all eyes were fixed on her.
A few individuals immediately realized the identity of the woman, and some of them were rmed.
"Isn''t that Rose? The Fourth Guardian of the Psychic Arts Faction? What is she doing here?" someone whispered.
"That''s right... A Mind Controller managing the Auction? Isn''t that too dangerous?" another person voiced their concern which was heard by others who didn''t recognize her.
As soon as everyone learned about her identity, many more people started getting worried.
"Even with mind protection items, the Fourth Guardian is on a different level. This is quite unexpected¡" Another attendee muttered as he started entering his Magic Zone to ensure his own safety.
The concern started spreading as the crowd voiced theirints, unwilling to expose themselves to the influence of a powerful Psychic.
Who knows if she suddenly tried controlling them to bid a higher price or something even worse! They had to be wary of being controlled by her abilities.
Meanwhile, others observed the situation, weighing their options. These are the ones who are confident that they won''t get affected easily.
Rose, standing on the stage, understood the unease in the Auction Hall and addressed the crowd to alleviate their concerns. "I apologize for any inconvenience, but this Auction will be more special than the previous ones. To ensure the auctioneers are not under pressure or affected by any form of Arcane Arts, I will be taking charge. Additionally, the Assembly of Scourge has invited a few powerful individuals to ensure everyone''s safety within the building."
As she said this, more than 20 individuals appeared around the hall and near the doors leading outside.
"So they''re taking this seriously¡"
"Well, we deserve to be protected. We will be spending arge of money here."
The mention of the Assembly of Scourge, an organizationprising members from all Arcane Paths except Holy Arts and Dark Arts Practitioners, brought some reassurance to everyone.
They even saw a masked man wearing a red coat and red trousers¡ It was definitely Clyde of the Illustrious Liquidators, but because he was hiding his identity with the mask, none of them pointed this out.
Upon hearing Rose''s exnation, the crowd began to calm down. Since they were already present and prepared to acquire items, they decided to stay and allow the event to proceed. They could only trust the presence of the Assembly of Scourge to maintain order and safety.
Furthermore, there are plenty of strong Arcanists here. If there are really some problems, they would certainly act if it was necessary.
***
After some introductions, the Auction was finally about tomence.
The crowd grew restless with anticipation, eager to witness the unveiling of the first item that would set the tone for the event.
Of course, they had already received some tip-off that the items they were looking for would be sold here, but no one knew the sequence of the items, aside from the organizers.
Rose then showed amanding presence on the stage as she introduced the first item.
With a wave of her hand, two men carrying a box covered with a fabric arrived on the stage.
Then, Rose revealed the highly coveted item immediately.
It was a Soul-Capturing Dagger¡
"As you expected, this Soul-Capturing Dagger isn''t that impressive¡ However, bypleting a delicate ritual, you can capture souls inside this dagger. This may not be the best item to capture souls, but luckily, it already has twelve pure souls of children! Twelve of them!"
The crowd gasped in awe after hearing this. While the dagger itself was only a low-grade Noble Rank item, typically valued around 3,000 zen, the inclusion of the twelve pure souls significantly increased its worth. This was certainly a decent item to start the event.
It wasn''t too expensive but special enough to excite the crowd.
The potential for its power and the rarity of such an artifact left them wanting to have it even if they didn''t have an immediate use for it.
After all, if they found the right Arcanist to help them, this could certainly be a life-extending item!
As for freeing the souls, that wasn''t even an option for everyone in the hall.
Soon, the bidding began, and Arcanists and collectors alike vied for the chance to possess this extraordinary piece.
The auction room immediately became a battleground of escting bids.
The price climbed steadily until only six bidders were left, determined to secure the Soul-Capturing Dagger.
Finally, after several minutes of bidding war, the hammer fell, signifying the end of the bidding. The Soul-Capturing Dagger was won with a staggering bid of 33,500 zen. It was way above the estimation of the previous appraiser.
Perhaps, if this dagger doesn''t require you to hire an expert Arcanist to process it, it would be a lot more expensive.
Nevertheless, the crowd erupted with apuse and admiration for the sessful bidder.
The winner, their identity hidden behind a mask like everyone else, had emerged victorious and moved swiftly.
He immediately traded for it and left the Auction House while clutching the Soul-Capturing Dagger.
It seemed that he no longer wished to participate in the Auction and only came here for this item.
"Is that Clovis? Maybe he wanted to save those souls?" re whispered to Teresa.
However, thetter simply rolled her eyes as she didn''t think that Clovis would be kind enough to do that. Furthermore, he wouldn''t be able to do anything about those souls unless he had some divine powers with him. Even for her, the most she could do was to free their souls and not be used as a material for a ritual.
''Ahh¡ He might also use it for Necromancy and convert them as Spirit Warriors.'' Teresa thought, but she also didn''t think that Clovis would bother doing this.
With the first item sold, the atmosphere in the Auction House was filled with anticipation for what was yet toe.
Chapter 511 Auction ( Part 3 )
Chapter 511 Auction ( Part 3 )
Moving on to the next item in the auction, the spotlight shifted to the Crystallized Essence of the Fire Elementals.
It was a mesmerizing crystal emanating a vibrant red glow. It seemed like a jewel for a moment, but as they carefully observed it, they realized that it was even more special.
From the crowd''s perspective, it appeared to smolder, adding to its mystique. However, Rose effortlessly held it in her hands as if unbothered by its fiery nature.
The sight of the Crystallized Essence of the Fire Elementals captivated the audience, many of whom had neverid eyes on such a unique artifact before.
However, Rose''s exnation shed light on its potential.
"Our Appraisers have confirmed that this Crystallized Essence hase from a Fire Elemental. Any Arcanist aspiring to craft a weapon infused with the power of fire will love this¡ Of course, while it is primarily a material used to create a Magic Artifact, its rarity, and size will also make this a perfect collection that can be disyed in your house.
Bidding for the Crystallized Essencemenced, with eager participants vying for the chance to possess this crafting item.
"4,500..." called out one bidder.
"4,900!" countered another.
A middle-aged man then released a bit of his Aura, revealing that he was a Combat Arts Practitioner. Then, he ced a bid.
"6,500."
However, before he could savor his bid, another voice immediately raised the price.
"7,500." It was dered by a young man dressed in unassuming attire.
His origins remained a mystery to the crowd since he wasn''t emitting any sort of energy as if he was not an Arcanist. As for the Grimoire on his waist, it may just be a part of his disguise.
re leaned towards Teresa, whispering¡ "Isn''t that the guy we saw outside?"
Teresa nodded, replying softly. "Yes, but let''s not mind him. He''s not the man we''re looking for. That guy is a Summoner."
"So it''s not a disguise?" re asked.
"He may be able to hide his Arcane Energy, but the Grimoire''s fluctuation can still be detected¡" Teresa imed confidently.
re chuckled as she recalled how Teresa was sensitive to energy fluctuations.
"Haha, true. Unless Clovis is also a Summoner."
Teresa also chuckled at this.
The idea of a Dual Arts Practitioner was already impressive enough. If Clovis or Vale could practice three Arcane Arts, then he would likely transcend the realm of a Half-Spirit and ascend to the status of a Demigod, or perhaps, he was actually a vessel for a deity.
Teresa considered such a notion highly improbable.
"7,500. Going once, going twice..." Rose''s voice rang out, interrupting their conversation.
With a smile on her face, Rose confidently dered¡ "Sold!"
The Crystallized Essence of the Fire Elementals had found its new owner. Rose was also growing morefortable in her role as the auctioneer, and she couldn''t help but start to enjoy it.
The crowd then shifted their attention to the young man to see if he would also opt to trade it immediately and leave. However, the young man remained sitting.
It means that he had nned to stay until the end.
The middle-aged who lost the bid couldn''t help but look at him.
"Young man, this Crystallized Essence is a delicate material. It can shatter and be useless if you make a mistake handling it. The price limit for it should be 5,000 zen. You''re going to regret it." The middle-aged man said, using a Voice Transmission.
It wasn''t a Spell but a skill that many Combat Arts Practitioners were capable of pulling off with the help of their Aura.
He then waited for a reply, but to his disappointment, the young man just remained silent and didn''t bother answering him.
''You think you''re already great just because you''ve won a bid?'' The man frowned as he felt disrespected for being ignored.
He could certainly win the bid if he wanted, but there were still many items to be sold, and he didn''t want to overspend on less desirable items.
"Hmph!"
With a grunt, the middle-aged man stopped thinking about the young man who had wasted his money and looked at the beautiful auctioneer on the stage.
***
As the auction progressed, six more items were swiftly sold, each captivating the crowd with their rarity and potential.
These items primarily consisted of valuable materials for Alchemy, items that were difficult toe by in ordinary shops.
The versatility of these materials made them useful not only to Arcanists but also to those who dabbled in other disciplines, depending on how they chose to utilize them. This was why the organizers were confident that all their items would be sold.
Then, just as the next item was about to be unveiled, a sudden shift in the atmosphere enveloped the surroundings.
It was as though the aura of the item couldn''t be contained within its box or seal, causing everyone in the hall to get excited.
Rose, sensing the heightened anticipation, took a moment topose herself before addressing the eager audience.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to cut off the sale of the alchemy materials for now¡ Instead, let''s see an extraordinary that we received yesterday... It was graciously brought to us by our esteemed patrons, and we have confirmed that this item once belonged to a high priest. Behold, the Holy Messenger''s Summoning Scroll!"
As Rose''s words echoed through the room, she swiftly scanned the crowd, observing the subtle reactions from certain individuals.
The true significance of the Holy Messenger''s Summoning Scroll would not be fully grasped by many present unless they held an understanding of the identities and importance of the Holy Messengers.
''One¡ three¡ five¡'' Rose counted in her head. Five people had a strong reaction after hearing that the item was rted to the Holy Messengers.
In the meantime, whispers and murmurs filled the surroundings as many people exchanged curious nces.
Some seemed to have an inkling of the scroll''s significance, their eyes narrowing with intrigue. Others remained oblivious, their curiosity piqued by the mysterious nature of the item.
Rose paused, allowing the crowd''s expectation to build before continuing.
"This scroll possesses the power to summon forth the divine essence of the Holy Messengers, granting the summoner a brief audience with these revered beings. Unfortunately, the ritual to summon them was unknown even to us. Perhaps only the High Priests knew about this. To those who understand the magnitude of this opportunity, this scroll holds immeasurable value."
The crowd fell into a hushed silence¡ It indeed sounded awesome, but it''s quite useless if they don''t know the ritual.
Chapter 512 Auction ( Part 4 )
Chapter 512 Auction ( Part 4 )
"Messenger?" Eustace muttered.
Eustace''s eyes lit up after he heard Rose''s exnation. It has been a while since he met a Messenger. It was when he tried to summon back Lotus, who had died for him, and got Yvaine instead.
He knew very well that having a brief audience to the Messenger wasn''t that simple. After all, the ritual that hadn''t been mentioned was the key to it.
The ritual must have your request with the Messenger, or you must possess a connection with the Spirit World.
As expected, as soon as the bidding started, not many were interested. Furthermore, this item was seemingly meant for the rogue practitioners of the Holy Arts or those with ties to the Spirit World.
Nevertheless, there were still some people who could tell the value of this item.
"5,000." One of the bidders in front of the stage started.
It was a price that was a bit too low for Rose''s expectations, so she continued calling for other bidders.
"7,000¡" The middle-aged man who was a Combat Arts Practitioner joined the bid.
The bid gradually climbed to 7,300 zen, then 7,800 zen, as the desire to possess the Holy Messenger''s Summoning Scroll intensified.
The bidding didn''t stop, and in the end, it was the same middle-aged man who had previously cautioned Eustace, who emerged victorious.
He had a winning bid of 15,900 zen!
The price paid for an item with vague usage might have seemed high, but it was apparent that the man possessed knowledge of the scroll''s true purpose.
''A Combat Arts Practitioner who wanted to have an audience with the Holy Messenger?'' Eustace mused.
He actually briefly considered joining the bidding. However, knowing he could potentially call forth the Messenger through his unique connection to the Spirit World, he ultimately decided against it¡
Furthermore, even if he does try to summon one, he would just end up Extracting this Messenger.
As the auction continued, several more rounds of Alchemy Materials were sold, catering to the diverse needs of Arcanists and enthusiasts alike. These materials were highly sought after and quite rare outside.
This ultimately shows the power of the Assembly of Scourge, which is the owner of the Auction House.
After some time, there were finally some changes in the items...
The concept shifted, and the focus had now turned towards the sale of Potions and Pills.
Rose proceeded to showcase a batch of potions, capturing the attention of the attendees.
The first potion unveiled was called the Blessed Undine''s Body Fluid. Encased within a ss vial, the murky liquid inside seemed to glow slightly.
"This potion grants Arcanists, excluding Aura Masters and Knights, a physique that can rival that of Second-ss Evil Creatures. Its effects canst for over two hours, and there is even a high chance of a slight permanent increase in your Power Strand!" Rose exined enthusiastically. "Additionally, it has a very weak aftereffect that can easily be removed with Blessed Water from the Priests. This potion is one safest strengthening potion that we have."
The batch being sold contained six vials of this enticing potion. The promise of enhanced physical abilities and the potential forsting benefits proved to be an irresistible temptation for many in attendance.
Without dy, the biddingmenced.
As there were six potions avable in this batch, the price quickly soared to a staggering 30,000 zen.
"So expensive?"?Eustace couldn''t help but marvel at the astronomical sum, realizing how Alchemists could amass great wealth with rtive ease.
''It''s not even aplicated potion. It was just a body fluid that was blessed by another Arcanist¡'' Eustace couldn''t help but wonder if other blessed body fluids would also have such effects.
''Is this a sign for me to explore my abilities? Perhaps a Half-Celestial''s body fluid can also be a potion if blessed?'' He couldn''t help but entertain this thought.
It was too astonishing to think that just six potions capable of enhancing physical abilities couldmand such a high price.
However, Eustace''s thoughts also drifted to his past experiences with the Idle Mind Potion, Spirit Enhancement Potion, and the Anti-Corruption Force Potion, which he had consumed during his training under Heinz. The intense pain and the sensation of near-death that apanied those potions shed through his mind.
Considering the potential value and the seemingly manageable aftereffects of the Blessed Undine''s Body Fluid Potion, he could only try to convince himself that the price was indeed justified.
***
As the auction progressed, Rose presented a range of potions to the eager crowd.
Spirit Amplification Potions, Earth Eclipse Potions, Lust and Joy Potions, and various others were sold, each catering to different desires and needs.
While these potions garnered interest from some attendees, Eustace found himself rtively uninterested in their effects. They were already "low-quality" for him, considering his attributes.
However, he was suddenly stunned when Rose introduced the next potion in line.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next potion we have here is none other than the Third Phase of the Darkness Possession Potion!"
Her words resonated throughout the room, and Eustace''s eyes widened in astonishment.
He didn''t expect to find it here!
This was a potion that he needed! He initially thought that he would no longer have a chance of getting this after being "expelled" from the Academy.
''This¡ How can it appear here? I thought it''s only produced by the first-generation families of the Dark Arts Factions?'' Eustace was confused as he looked at Rose, waiting for more exnation.
Even in the Dark Arts Faction, the Third-Phase of the Darkness Possession Potion was a rare concoction. It was known for its ability to break the limit of your potential in the Dark Arts and also protect you from stronger Possession¡ In short, it was used to avoid being consumed by the Darkness itself.
The requirement of the Academy to receive this potion was also quite high.
As a matter of fact, even graduate students may not have a chance of getting this potion!
"This is too good to be true¡" Eustace muttered as he stared at the potion in Rose''s hands.
Chapter 513 Auction ( Part 5 )
Chapter 513 Auction ( Part 5 )
As Eustace relished the delight of the unexpected appearance of the Third-Phase of the Darkness Possession Potion, his euphoria was interrupted by the realization that a couple of gazes were fixed upon him.
He was suddenly rmed as he guessed the intent behind those stares.
They were the twodies who were previously observing him.
"Not good..." Eustace inwardlymented, understanding that thesedies had likely detected the shift in his emotions and were eagerly awaiting an opportunity for him to let his guard down.
He narrowed his eyes as he controlled his emotions and locked his gaze back onto the two individuals.
To be honest, he wasn''t exactly sure why he was being stared at. He could only guess that these two had nefarious thoughts, and he had to be wary of them¡
***
Rose proceeded to unveil the unique terms set by the owner of the Third Phase of the Darkness Possession Potion. Rather than seeking marypensation, the owner desired to exchange the potion for a Dragon Scale or an equivalent material capable of crafting a formidable defensive item. This announcement brought about a shift in the auction dynamics.
Whispers and murmurs could be heard as the people started frowning at this arrangement.
"Those who possess such an item and are willing to make a trade, please raise the number in your seats." Rose dered, prompting a flurry of responses from a few enthusiastic attendees.
The crowd quickly became abuzz with individuals offering their items, recognizing the versatility and value of the potion being auctioned.
Eustace had a quick look at them, and even without using his Divine Sense, he could tell that these people weren''t Dark Arts Practitioners.
This confused him a bit, but he heard a few people talking about this potion.
Apparently, it made sense that the Darkness Possession Potion held appeal not only for Dark Arts Practitioners. Those interested in performing rituals, attracting dark spirits, or utilizing potent poisons would actually want this item as well.
Indeed, the potion''s potency made it a coveted asset in various realms of arcane practices, especially in the art of poisons.
Amidst the mor, numerous participants presented their offerings.
One person offered a fragment of a Turtle Dragon Shell, another boasted three Wyvern Scales obtained from undead creatures, while another proposed a Tier 3 Earth Golem''s Core as a potential trade.
The bids continued to pour in, with a total of ten individuals ultimately making offers.
Eustace watched the proceedings unfold, contemting whether he had to join in the bidding war.
He knew that securing the Third Phase of the Darkness Possession Potion could be a pivotal step in his journey¡ However, he couldn''t help but feel that something was wrong with this offer.
***
Unbeknownst to Eustace, another individual within the Auction House shared his suspicions.
It was none other than Lesley, who had skillfully disguised herself among the attendees. As a Dark Arts Practitioner with a deep-seated animosity towards the Holy Arts Faction, Lesley couldn''t help but question the sudden appearance of the potion.
''Is this a trap?'' Lesley pondered. She considered that this auction was a way to identify the remaining members of the Vessels or to ensnare other Dark Magicians within the city.
Because the war against the Dark Arts was already in its early stages, she couldn''t help but link this matter.
She also felt a bit frustrated as she realized she hadn''t detected any signs of Divine Sense scanning her surroundings, a method she had sessfully cracked as part of her mission to eliminate the Holy Arts practitioners.
Lesley''s ultimate goal was to eradicate the vulnerability of Dark Magicians against the Holy Arts. While she hadn''t yet created a Tier 3 Variant capable of countering the practitioners of Holy Arts, she had made significant progress in deciphering the secrets of Divine Sense.
With time, she hoped to perfect this method and impart it to the entire Dark Arts Faction.
''Captain, should we bid for this item? It doesn''t feel right to hand over this potion to those people¡'' Her subordinates, through their telepathicmunication, voiced concerns about the situation.
After careful consideration, Lesley came to a decision.
''No... I don''t feel right about it either, but we can''t act now. Let''s wait for the winner and seize the potion from them. If we can kill them in the process, it would be even better.'' She firmly responded.
Her subordinates could only nod as they patiently awaited the conclusion of the bidding¡
***
In the meantime, as Rose was still looking for other offers, Eustace reached a decision.
He took a deep breath and confidently raised his number, catching the attention of both Rose and the surrounding crowd.
"I have a genuine Dragon Scale. Let''s make a trade¡" Eustace dered, his voice carrying a hint of confidence.
A few people started doubting what they just heard, but Eustace suddenly reached into his bag and produced the Dragon Scale, presenting it as evidence of his offer.
Everyone was shocked and marveled at the sight of a real Dragon Scale! The only exceptions were Teresa and re, who had been observing Eustace closely. They couldn''t help but feel confused by the situation.
As they examined the Dragon Scale Eustace had produced, they immediately noticed that it was distinctly different from the Dragon Scale they had previously seen Vale disy in front of numerous individuals.
''It''s really different¡''
This discrepancy caused Teresa and re to exchange perplexed nces, unsure of what to make of the situation.
Apparently, Teresa had prepared two items as a means to entice Vale or Clovis to reveal themselves.
These items included a scroll capable of summoning the Holy Messenger and the Darkness Possession Potion currently up for auction.
Having observed Eustace''s reactions to these particr items, Teresa and re began to entertain the notion that Eustace might be connected to Clovis or potentially even be Clovis himself, cleverly disguised through advanced means they couldn''t see. Additionally, they considered the possibility that the Grimoire Eustace possessed might be borrowed or obtained in some other manner, further fueling their uncertainty.
"No¡ This just confirmed our guess. That guy must be Vale, or Vale had given this item to him. There''s no way a Dragon Scale would just appear here. He must''ve gotten a different scale inside the Tower." Teresa imed as she shared her ns with re.
Whether they are right or wrong, they would capture this man!
Chapter 514 Auction ( Part 6 )\
Chapter 514 Auction ( Part 6 )
In the meantime, Rose''s eyes lit up after seeing the Dragon Scale offered by a young nobleman.
She couldn''t help but realize something.
''Did the owner know that there will be someone in the Auction House today with a Dragon Scale in their bag?'' She almost couldn''t believe it.
After all, the Dragon Scale was something out of the legends. In her mind, this trade wasn''t worth it at all!
If he has the Dragon Scale, they should be able to get something better than a mere potion! Although the Darkness Possession was incredibly rare, it''s not something impossible to get. There are cases in which you could bribe some Dark Magicians to get this item.
However, the Dragon Scale''s rarity is different.
''To think that there''s a man crazy enough to trade a legendary item to a mere potion¡ This guy must be rich¡'' Rosemented in her mind as she acknowledged the young man''s bid.
Soon, an attendant came to inspect the scale that the young nobleman had shown.
Then, after confirming that everything was fine. She dropped the gavel and closed the deal¡
As the man had also won the Crystallized Essence, he decided to settle the matterter once the auction was done. It seemed that he still had ns to acquire other items.
Realizing this, Rose smiled widely as she continued with the auction.
***
Meanwhile, as Eustace informed the attendant that he would wait for the end of the auction toplete the transactions, several people focused their attention on him.
This includes Lesley, re, Teresa, and even Clyde, who had been closely observing the auction. They all started paying attention to Eustace upon his revtion of the Dragon Scale.
Each of them harbored different thoughts and suspicions regarding Eustace. However, despite their individual motivations, they shared amon desire¡ªto uncover the truth about who he really was.
"These guys aren''t stopping¡ They should have some manners and not be this rude."
As the intensity of their gazes bore down on him, Eustace couldn''t help but feel overwhelmed and irritated. The weight of their scrutiny, coupled with hostility emanating from some of them, began to wear on him.
''Since I''m in an underground auction and I''m in disguise, there shouldn''t be any problem...''
Eustace thought as he decided to utilize his Neutral Spell or Spirit Art, specifically the Evil Eye.
With a swift activation, a wave of burning sensations coursed through the eyes of those who had been intently observing him. They instinctively recoiled, closing their eyes as tears streamed down their faces. Some of the more susceptible individuals even experienced bleeding from their eyes.
However, the stronger Arcanists, including Clyde and the other experienced practitioners, managed to defend against the effects of the Evil Eye.
Nevertheless, Eustace''s actions had undeniably rmed everyone present.
Clyde, exuding an aura befitting a Mystic Arts Practitioner, spoke first.
"Stop! What you''re doing!" He sternly shouted at Eustace to cease his actions while approaching him with his cane in hand.
His imposing presence provided a sense of security to the others in the room.
Unfazed by Clyde''s warning, Eustace retorted with a cold voice¡ "Hmph... I should be the one asking that." His response dripped with an air of defiance, further intensifying the tension in the room.
Rose wanted to stop the fight by continuing the auction, but a few voices immediately warned her not to interrupt.
She immediately realized that there was indeed more to this auction than what it seemed.
As the tension between Eustace and Clyde reached its peak, the attendees started using various items or spells to protect themselves from what was toe...
Whom~
Suddenly, Eustace and Clyde''s auras collide in a silent disy of power.
"They''re about the same in Spirit Strands?"
"Fool¡ Clyde must be holding back since he''s dealing with a teenager."
"No way¡ The Spiritual Pressure from those two is too strong! Can''t you see the people around them having trouble breathing?!"
"Ahhh¡ Wait! That''s true! I''m feeling it now! Their Spiritual Pressure is expanding!"
The people around them started backing down as they didn''t want to get caught in the mess.
They didn''t expect that the young Summoner was capable of standing off against a legendary figure of the Mystical Arts Faction!
Then, Eustace used his collected essence to strengthen the Spiritual Pressure he was using¡
A pulse of otherwordly energy was released. It started emanating an ominous and mysterious presence. The room seemed to grow colder as the pressure cast by his aura started affecting the whole Auction Hall.
"Heh~ Not bad!"
Of course, Clyde responded in kind.
His aura radiated a vibrantbination of arcane energy and spiritual force. It crackled and pulsed with an intensity that demanded attention, filling the space around him with an air of authority andmand.
His aura felt more solid as the ce between the two started shaking and cracking.
The onlookers in the Auction House had already evacuated to the sidelines, their attention now fully captivated by the unfolding battle of auras.
None of them was questioning why it wasn''t being stopped and just marveling at the sight of the two power Arcanists in front of their eyes.
This doesn''t happen often after all.
They held their breath in anticipation of the sh between these formidable individuals.
They were even waiting for the young man''s Summons and for Clyde to cast his Spells!
Soon, the Auction House itself seemed to tremble under the weight of their opposing energies.
Yet, both Eustace and Clyde maintained a stoicposure, their eyes locked in a fierce gaze, each refusing to yield an inch.
Within this battle of auras, no physical blows were exchanged, but the intensity of their confrontation spoke volumes.
re, Lesley, and Teresa were also waiting for something to happen as they suppressed their auras.
However, before the battle could escte further, amanding voice echoed through the room, cutting through the tense atmosphere.
"That should be enough¡ I still have something to buy here. The auction might be canceled at this rate."
The voice originated from a man of middle age. Standing tall and imposing, he possessed an intimidating presence that demanded attention.
His striking appearance included flowing locks of fiery red hair, elegantly tied back into a ponytail, lending an air of distinction to his overall demeanor.
As soon as Eustace saw him, his eyes widened in shock.
Chapter 515 Auction ( Part 7 )
Chapter 515 Auction ( Part 7 )
Eustace''s eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the man who had spoken.
As a matter of fact, this person revealed his true identity, casting aside his disguise for all to see.
It was none other than Isaac Vermont!
He couldn''t help but feel confused, leaving him momentarily speechless. He had never anticipated encountering Isaac in this distant corner of the kingdom, especially considering the ongoing attack on their Academy.
''What is this person doing here?''
He could remember that Isaac wasn''t part of the team who had arrived in the city from an airship. This means that this man hade here separately for a different purpose.
Clyde also recognized Isaac, and his expression turned grave.
Despite possessing greater strength and powerpared to Isaac, Clyde understood the formidable nature of Dark Alchemists and the intricacies of their craft. Dealing with practitioners of the Dark Arts, especially those who dabbled in alchemy, required utmost caution and strategy. After all, they were the biggest threat to the Holy Arts Faction''s goals.
"This is quite tricky¡" re muttered.
"Let''s not bother him." Teresa immediately said, which re readily agreed to.
Teresa and re were aware of Isaac''s status as a Dark Arts Practitioner hunted by the Sentinels. However, they wisely chose to remain silent and withhold any information regarding his presence.
They understood the potential consequences of attempting to capture Isaac in this setting, as it could endanger the lives of everyone in the auction house or even the whole city.
After all, this person could use various items that could summon the dark forces of another realm or unleash dangerous poisons upon the city.
If they wanted to capture or kill him, they needed to prepare a team of many Exorcists, Priests, and Holy Knights before fighting him.
It was clear that their current circumstances were not conducive to engaging in a battle against Isaac.
Thanks to his appearance, the people managing the auction behind the scenes decided that it was indeed enough and hinted it to Rose.
"Ahem¡ Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats so we can continue with the auction¡"
As Rose, the auctioneer, received the signal to begin, the focus shifted away from Clyde and Eustace''s momentary sh, allowing Eustace to finally find sce in the fact that no one dared to stare at him anymore.
"So I just have to use force from time to time..."
Eustace muttered with a smirk on his face. He couldn''t help but feel satisfied knowing that he could exert his power more freely while in disguise.
Since he was in disguise, he was feeling a bit more confident using his powers. After all, he doesn''t care about his reputation.
"Mhmm¡"
The thought of creating a proper persona for Eustace, separate from his true identity, brought a mischievous smile to his lips.
''I guess I have to start adapting now¡'' Eustace mused.
***
As the auctionmenced, the atmosphere in the hall shifted, the focus now on the items up for bidding.
Rose started showcasing a few more potions before transitioning to the highlight of the event: top-ss Mystical Artifacts.
Among the items up for auction were the Tiara of Relief, Hunter''s Vambrace, Scroll of Return, me Diffuser Robe, and several Runic Weapons such as runic guns and swords.
The rarity and exclusivity of these items drove their prices to staggering heights.
After all, only those affiliated with prominent organizations had ess to such treasures, as the long period of peace in the kingdom had caused these Mystical Artifacts to be hoarded rather than circted. This scarcity further fueled the demand and escted the bidding wars.
Of course, Eustace also found these Artifacts interesting, but he already had too many in his possession. At the moment, he was just happy to learn more items that he hadn''t studied in the Academy.
"Mhmm?" Eustace squinted his eyes as he realized that Isaac was finally making his move.
Indeed, the moment Isaac had been waiting for arrived.
Rose addressed the crowd, introducing a seemingly ordinary yet special item.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our next item is probably something many of you have never heard before. Also, although it was a bit broken, its value remains immense. Behold, the Spirit Warding Stone!"
A murmur of curiosity rippled through the crowd. Eustace leaned in, intrigued by this peculiar artifact.
Indeed, many of them are confused about this item.
Rose continued, her voice carrying a hint of excitement. "This stone, despite its current state, still maintains its magical properties within a five-meter radius. It possesses the remarkable ability to ward off evil spirits, ensuring that any nearby corpses remain free from possession."
People in the crowd exchanged puzzled nces, their curiosity piqued.
Warding off Spirits seemed great, but they could do this task as well. They could use Sealing Formations, Freezing Techniques, and others to prevent corpse possession from happening.
Nevertheless, Rose continued.
"Only eight Spirit Warding Stones were known to exist in the entire kingdom, making them incredibly rare and highly sought after. Many of you may not be aware, but this stone''s power remains forever... Indeed, it couldst for eternity!"
Finally, Rose witnessed the crowd''s surprise, the reaction she wanted to see. Many of them didn''t think that there was an item that couldst for eternity! It sounded preposterous!
However, Rose wasn''t finished yet.
"This item was unfortunately broken because the Alchemist tried experimenting on it and wanted to synthesize something simr to this stone. Unfortunately, it didn''t work out... But thanks to him, we were able to put this item in the auction. Lastly, before the bidding starts, I want to remind everyone that if this item wasn''t broken, it could also work as a Formation Core to create an Anti-Magic Zone¡"
The crowd fell into a momentary state of confusion, trying toprehend the implications of Rose''s statement.
"Anti-Magic Zone?"
Whispers and murmurs filled the room as attendees exchanged nces, their minds processing the newfound information.
However, it didn''t take long before realization dawned upon them like a bolt of lightning.
Gasps and murmurs of astonishment filled the auction house.
The significance of the Spirit Warding Stone became crystal clear. If it could truly be utilized as a Formation Core to create an Anti-Magic Zone, it would be a nightmare for spellcasters.
No wonder the kingdom had such tight control over this item!
Chapter 516 Auction ( Part 8 )
Chapter 516 Auction ( Part 8 )
The sight of the Spirit Warding Stone ignited a spark of excitement in everyone''s eyes.
However, it didn''t take long for them to realize that if the stone truly possessed its rumored effects or had the potential to be repaired, it would never be sold in a public auction.
The truth dawned upon them, dampening their enthusiasm as they understood that the stone was most likely irreparable.
With this understanding, the crowd gradually settled down, epting the fact that the broken Spirit Warding Stone was simply a relic with limited use. At most, they could probably use it as a recement for their Sealing Methods. As for research, they weren''t too inclined to do that since they don''t have a long lifespan.
They don''t think they could waste dozens of years conducting research for something that they do not have a use for aside from earning money.
Soon, the auction officiallymenced, and as Eustace had anticipated, Isaac''s interest in the item became evident. He wasted no time in making his bid, disying his determination to im the artifact for himself.
''Aren''t you being obvious? They''re going to raise the price if you look so interested in it.'' Eustace mused, and as expected, the 30,000 yen bid was immediately increased.
As the bidding intensified, the price soared to a staggering 120,000 zen!
Isaac was certainly not going to give up. This guy probably intends to take this item without caring for the price.
"Sold for 120,000 zen"
This was a considerable sum for a broken item that could only serve as a recement for Sealing Techniques. Many attendees could only sigh in resignation, realizing that they were not prepared to invest such a significant amount of money.
Rose, the auctioneer, couldn''t hide her satisfaction at the oue of the bidding.
She happily continued with the remaining items, all of which were Mystical Artifacts of incredible value. Most of these artifacts were of the Support-Type, a rarity in public auctions.
The event drew to a close, and Eustace confirmed that the two items he had sold for his Summons were never put up for auction. As expected, they were sold privately to undisclosed buyers.
It didn''t take long as the auction winners were escorted backstage to collect their items¡
After a few moments, Eustace couldn''t help but notice a few individuals casting furtive nces in his direction. They weren''t threatening or showing hostility like before, but they must be thinking and nning something.
"Are they thinking of stealing my items?" Eustace mused, his mind alert to the possibility of foul y.
Although he wasn''t afraid and was even looking forward to it, he remained vignt as he made his way through the backstage area.
He kept a watchful eye on those who seemed to take an interest in his possessions.
He then handed over the 7,500 zen he had spent to secure the Crystallized Essence of the Fire Elemental. The moment his fingers made contact with the artifact, a familiar notification from the System resounded in his mind.
It confirmed what he had suspected: he had the ability to extract the essence from the crystallized form.
However, he didn''t proceed with the extraction.
Instead, he continued with his next deal.
He retrieved the Dragon Scale he had brought with him.
As he revealed the scale, the surrounding individuals, including the other auction winners, turned their attention to it, their gaze fixed on the mystical artifact.
Feeling the genuine aura emanating from the Dragon Scale, those in proximity couldn''t help but instinctively enter their magic zones, seeking protection from the scale''s aura.
Of course, they also used this opportunity to scrutinize the item.
Eustace smiled as he understood their reaction. Even the mere presence of the Dragon Scale possessed an intimidating andmanding energy.
Nevertheless, the attendants maintained their professionalism as they swiftly handed Eustace the Third Phase of the Darkness Possession Potion,pleting the transaction.
Eustace knew that he had achieved his objective, and it was time for him to make his exit.
Aware of the lingering gazes and the potential for unwanted attention, Eustace made a calcted decision to leave promptly.
He had so many things to do right now. Aside from making use of this potion, he also wanted to explore a few things about his Extraction Space, especially the Fusion Function.
Currently, he had way too many spells, and fusing them up to get a better one was definitely the right thing to do.
He wasted no time and swiftly utilized his exceptional Agility to make a quick exit from the premises.
His movements were fluid and purposeful, leaving the onlookers who had spected about the presence of another Dragon Scale astonished by his decisive escape.
"Ahhh¡"
"He''s going to leave just like that¡"
"Tsk¡ We need to ask him where he got that scale."
"That''s obvious. Follow him¡"
Realizing that they had little time to ponder, the curious individuals made a collective decision to follow Eustace discreetly, eager to uncover more about him.
Their intentions were not malicious; rather, they harbored a genuine curiosity to learn more about the mysterious artifact trader.
However, among the group of followers, there was one middle-aged man with a vindictive agenda. This man happened to be the Combat Arts Practitioner who had unsessfully attempted to bid for the Crystallized Essence. Fueled by resentment, he relished the opportunity to witness Eustace''s downfall.
"Hmph... Now you''re running. Let''s see where you''ll go," the middle-aged man muttered with a touch of malice, harboring ill intentions towards Eustace.
re and Teresa also didn''t hesitate to follow Eustace¡ They even sent him a message through their telepathy.
They wanted to bring Eustace to their side at all costs!
''We need a Half-Spirit on our side before the invaderse¡'' Teresa silently thought as she used a spell to stop the other pursuers trying to tail Eustace.
***
Meanwhile, Isaac, having sessfully obtained his desired item, remained unaffected by the unfolding events.
Nonchntly, he observed the direction in which Eustace had fled, shaking his head in disapproval, perhaps disapproving of Eustace''s hasty departure or the potential troubles that may lie ahead for him.
Chapter 517 Cornered
Chapter 517 Cornered
Despite re and Teresa''s efforts to reduce the number of pursuers, a significant group of individuals managed to stay close and continue trailing Eustace''s movements.
As they observed Eustace''s incredible speed, doubts and spections arose among the pursuers.
"Is he really a Summoner? I''ll believe you if you say he''s a Knight!"
"Indeed¡ What kind of Summoner moves like this?!"
"Perhaps he summoned a support-type beast while concealing it from us."
"Thisplicates things."
These murmurs apanied their pursuit, as they followed the residual energy left by Eustace.
They couldn''t even see his figure!
Nevertheless, Eustace was still able to sense their presence.
"Alright¡ Just follow me." He muttered.
Eustace refused to tolerate their intrusion, determined to maintain hisposure and the persona of "Eustace" in his mind.
Approaching the path leading to the surface of the Roaring City, Eustace deliberately halted his steps and waited for the pursuers to catch up.
re and Teresa, recognizing his intentions, also ceased their advance, choosing not to engage in a confrontation with Eustace.
''Mhmm¡ Should I take out my Devil''s Face?'' Eustace mused, but as he realized how weak his pursuers were, he decided against it. Anyway, he also felt that using that mask was a bit too much.
''It''s probably better to use it when dealing with the church or the cult instead.'' He mused.
The Devil''s Face or Devil''s Mask also had another identity to it. It was the mysterious person capable of summoning a Heavenly Lightning.
As he thought of this, the other individuals failed to perceive the situation, unlike re and Teresa, as they continued to close in on his position until they encircled Eustace.
It was already toote when they realized Eustace''s n.
With a cold voice, Eustace confronted them directly.
"Are you following me?" He questioned, his toneced with a hint of hostility. He also opened his Grimoire as if to summon a creature.
Eustace was certainly eager to have a fight since he had just acquired his new Summons. He wouldn''t mind testing his two Savage Murlocs.
As he gathered his energy, the surrounding people realized that Eustace was indeed ready for a confrontation.
Some of them started hesitating, opting for a cautious response to his question.
"Of course not... We simply wish to go outside. Don''t read too much into it."
"Indeed... You''re not the only one who can utilize this path!" Another one retorted, attempting to downy their true intentions.
"I won''t ept your exnations¡" Eustace dered firmly. He knew that those words were lies.
With a swift motion, he used his Grimoire and summoned his two Savage Murlocs to the forefront of the impending battle.
The Savage Murlocs emerged, their appearance striking and formidable.
Ssshhh~
Standing at about four feet tall, their scaly, emerald-green skin glistened under the dim light. Their muscr bodies were adorned with sharp, jagged spines that ran along their backs, giving them a menacing presence.
Jagged teeth protruded from their snouts, while their glowing yellow eyes exuded a primal ferocity.
''Ho~ They really look intimidating¡''
This was also Eustace''s first time seeing them in person. They indeed appeared more ferocious than the image they have in the Grimoire.
"Murlocs?!"
"You''re summoning a Murloc at this environment?!"
"You''re disrespecting your seniors! You need to learn a lesson!"
"Hmph! Since we''re under attack, we have all the rights to capture this young man!"
"Let''s go!"
As the pursuers faced the summoned Murlocs, five Arcanists among them stepped forward, prepared to engage inbat.
Each Arcanist wielded their own unique set of spells, ready to unleash their magical prowess.
Of course, Eustace knew that Murlocs were agile but weren''t that great without the assistance of swamp or water.
With this in mind, Eustace took out a couple of talismans that could summon a Water Vortex Spell! These Talismans were still the same talismans he got from Brylle before.
Whooshh~
The sudden ssh of water that changed and affected the ground astounded the others, but they didn''t n to back down.
Three of them were Elementalists, so various elemental attacks were thrown immediately.
There was also one Shaman who prepared to cast a binding spell on Eustace¡
Finally, there''s one Combat Arts Practitioner aiming to take down Eustace.
This was amon strategy against a Summoner, after all.
The sh began with an eruption of spells and their Magic Zones.
Indeed! To Eustace''s surprise, his Magic Zone was being attacked by the three Magic Zones of the Elementalists! They were trying to break his Phantasm State!
''So this is another way to fight¡'' Eustass muttered as he felt his Magic Zone being squeezed¡ He hadn''t fully expanded his Magic Zone, so it seemed that he was really struggling against them.
''I wonder how they were doing it. Whenever I expand my Magic Zone, it doesn''t affect the others. Is this a special trait for Elementalists?'' Eustace mused as he realized once again that he still had a lot to learn.
He didn''t expect that Elementalists have such a way to fight against other Arcanists.
Unfortunately for them, he had already consumed his second Darkness Possession. At this time, he Magic Zone was already strong.
The enemies then conjured various Spells, hurling them towards the Savage Murlocs.
The Murlocs, agile and coordinated, evaded the iing Fire and Wind attacks with swift movements and nimble leaps. They were moving as if they could predict the trajectory of spells!
Then, the Savage Murlocs retaliated. With lightning-fast strikes, they shed at their opponents using their razor-sharp ws, leaving deep gashes on those unfortunate enough to be within reach.
''What?'' Eustace didn''t expect the Murlocs tond a hit just like that. He had overestimated these people! Perhaps, if not for the Shaman''s healing abilities, this battle would be quick!
The Murlocs'' primal instincts guided their movements, allowing them to dodge and counter the Arcanists'' spells with uncanny agility.
The battle raged on, a sh of brute strength and arcane mastery.
''They''re stronger than I thought! Yvaine, continue supporting them secretly!''
''I know¡'' Yvaine answered with a calm voice.
Eustace smiled at Yvaine''s answer.
He liked this answerpared to just Yes or No¡
Then, he shifted his attention to a figure sneaking up on him.
It was the familiar Aura Master¡
Chapter 518 The Twos Escape
Chapter 518 The Two''s Escape
Eustace keenly sensed the overwhelming hostility emanating from the Aura Master, the intensity far more noticeable than the others.
''If you''re going to sneak up on me, you should learn to hide that bloodlust better¡'' Eustace mused. He couldn''t help but remark on the man''sck of subtlety in concealing his bloodlust.
After contemting the appropriate course of action for dealing with this particr adversary, an idea crossed Eustace''s mind as he recalled the Holy Messenger''s Summoning Scroll. It was the item that the middle-aged man had acquired in a previous auction.
The scroll had fetched a hefty price of 15,900 zen¡
His eyes gleamed with a spark of interest.
"So, you''re asking for it to be stolen, huh?" Eustace sneered, directing his scornful gaze towards the middle-aged man.
This gaze also broke the concealing spell of his enemy.
The man was obviously surprised by Eustace''s discovery of his stealth.
"How did you--!"
He couldn''t believe how his target detected him so effortlessly. He hadn''t evene close to reaching Eustace yet.
Eustace''s cold smile widened as he reached out his hand towards the man, his fingers poised to activate his spell.
"Traceless Shift!" Eustace whispered, his voiceced with expectation¡ He was excited to see the bag that the man was holding.
In an instant, the middle-aged man''s bag vanished, materializing securely into Eustace''s waiting hands. The man was dumbfounded, unable toprehend how Eustace had managed to pilfer his possession without any visible signs of intrusion or arcane maniption.
"W-what?! How?" The man eximed, his disbelief evident. His surprised voice had even caught the attention of the other Arcanists around. This includes Clyde and others observing the situation over 150 meters away.
"I don''t have to answer that, do I?" Eustace replied.
"Give it back to me!"
The middle-aged man''s mind raced, searching for a logical exnation as to how Eustace had effortlessly taken the item from him. Yet, he could find no usible reason to ount for the ease with which Eustace had seeded.
"Thief!" The man shouted, his voice filled with indignation.
Eustace met the man''s usation with a scornful gaze.
In his mind, they were the ones ganging up on him, and he felt no remorse for his actions.
With the stolen item now in his possession, Eustace''s considered to just escape¡
''Right¡ I should do the same with the others.'' He smiled at this as he stole another person''s bag.
The cooldown of his Traceless Shift was only 10 seconds. However, he could only use it eight times a day before his Spell Light was drained.
Eustace then swiftly stole the bags of the other Arcanists who were on the verge of killing the weakened Savage Murlocs.
"Thief!"
"This man had summoned a Phantom Thief! That''s the only exnation!"
"What? No wonder we didn''t notice anything¡"
"This is bad¡ My life savings is in my bag! Return it! Please!"
The Arcanists who had their bags stolen had various reactions. However, Vale didn''t listen to them.
Since the Murlocs fought valiantly against the four Arcanists, they were already battered and on the verge of death. Even with Yvaine''s covert support, it wasn''t enough topensate for their disadvantage.
"Well, at least I really looked like a Summoner with these Murclocs... except for that Traceless Shift. I hope they believe it''s just another mysterious summoner''s spell." He pondered, considering the impressions he was leaving behind.
''Ahh¡ Wait¡ Did they mention a Phantom Thief summon?'' Eustace mused as he processed the words of the Elementalist just now. If there was a Summon that could steal items, then his Traceless Shift should be just fine.
As he was considering whether to extract these people, Eustace''s intuition warned him of several powerful Arcanists in the vicinity, preparing to unleash a formidable Formation Art that could potentially trap him.
''Tsk¡ So that''s it, huh¡'' Eustace sighed as he decided to leave.
With this looming threat, he knew it was more prudent to leave these Arcanists. He couldn''t let numerous people know about his ability, which could drain the powers of people he touches.
He nned to do that with his identity as the Masked Devil Incarnate.
"You guys are lucky for not being extracted¡" Eustace muttered under his breath, his gaze briefly flickering towards re and Teresa, acknowledging their presence.
With a final nce, he turned away, determined to make his escape before the situation escted any further.
***
re and Teresa were taken aback by the intensity of Eustace''s gaze.
However, they couldn''t help but be exhrated by the realization that Eustace''s magical aura surpassed the typical level for someone his age.
''That''s more than 150 meters!''
It was a clear indication that he possessed extraordinary capabilities, either due to exceptional innate talent or a unique physical constitution that could amodate a vast amount of Spirit Strands.
"A Half-Spirit!" Teresa eximed, a smile spreading across her face as she connected the dots. She concluded that Eustace was likely Clovis and Vale as well!
re, too, arrived at the same conclusion and couldn''t contain her excitement. "Incredible... I wonder what his true identity is?" She muttered, her mind brimming with curiosity.
Teresa''s imagination also ran wild as she contemted the possible situation behind Eustace''s existence.
"This guy must have been a legendary figure in the past. Perhaps he was on a special mission¡" She pondered, envisioning a grand narrative.
If Vale, Clovis, and Eustace were indeed the same person, re and Teresa reasoned that this enigmatic individual had likely lived for an extensive period of time. The notion that Eustace, as a Half-Spirit, could potentially live for a thousand years crossed re''s mind.
Perhaps, he had several more identities, young or old, that they weren''t aware of.
"Well, if he''s a Half-Spirit, he could certainly have a lifespan spanning a millennium as long as he don''t seek death¡ So it wouldn''t be surprising." remented, her gaze fixed on the spot where Eustace had disappeared. She no longer had any ns of pursuing him.
There was a lingering feeling that Eustace''s parting nce held a warning¡ As if telling them not to push their luck.
"You''re right¡" Teresa agreed with a sigh.
"Let''s leave it at that for now. If fate allows, I''m confident we''ll meet again." Teresa added, acknowledging the uncertain nature of their paths.
The two could only turn their backs as they dared not to aggravate the situation even more.
***
As night fell over the bustling Roaring City, the atmosphere remained vibrant and lively.
However, while this was all happening, the Ascension Tower, which had been sealed for a while now, began to tremble.
A mysterious energy suddenly started leaking out and pervaded the surroundings. Then, an enigmatic aura enveloped the area before dissipating into nothingness.
It happened so quickly, but it didn''t escape from the guards and numerous Arcanists assigned to monitor the Tower.
They were all taken aback since this was an unprecedented event.
They were at a loss, unable to respond in this type of situation.
"This Tower truly is a riddle... If only I had my research team here, we could unravel its secrets within a matter of weeks¡" Odessa murmured. The esteemed Royal Mage sighed,menting the absence of the talented magicians she had assembled for her Tower. She envisioned the wealth of knowledge they could bring to bear on such enigmatic phenomena.
''I''m sure they''ll be excited if I bring them here.'' She mused.
***
In the meantime, unbeknownst to the city''s inhabitants, including Odessa herself, a figure had managed to escape the confines of the Tower.
It was an adorable girl, adorned with striking blue eyes and flowing blue hair. She relished the sensation of freedom as she inhaled the surrounding air, finding it refreshingly different from the atmosphere within the Tower, where she had been confined for an extended period.
"This is it¡ So refreshing¡" She muttered.
Surveying her surroundings, the young girl confirmed that her choice of attire was fitting for her situation.
The garments she wore were unassuming, mostly acquired from previous Arcanists who had ventured into the Tower.
Satisfied with her appearance, she directed her gaze towards the sky, longing to marvel at the stars and moon above. However, fate had a different n in store.
"Ugh... What terrible timing... Why must it be cloudy tonight? Is rain on the horizon? Well, perhaps that wouldn''t be so bad either." She sighed, resigned to the whims of the weather.
Suddenly, a familiar surge of divinity coursed through the youngdy, reminding her of the source that granted her a physical form.
Indeed, she was Constance, thedy who resided in the Mystic Soul Tower, also known as the Ascension Tower.
A moment of realization dawned upon her.
"So he''s still here... Is Vale Chambers waiting for me?" She pondered after sensing his distinctive aura.
Constance made a spontaneous decision to approach Vale. After all, he was the only person she knew in this unfamiliar ce. If there were other renowned Arcanists she once knew, time must have imed them long ago.
With a smile on her face, Constance followed the trail left behind by Vale, who seemed to be moving with astonishing speed, leading away from the city.
Chapter 519 The Students Escape
Chapter 519 The Student''s Escape
Constance quickened her pace as she wanted to catch up on Vale. She had no idea why Vale was leaving the city, but it didn''t really matter to her.
At this time, she just wanted to meet someone she knew¡
"Ahh¡ A few people are watching him, but they''re not following him¡ Did he do something bad?"
As she moved swiftly through the streets, she couldn''t help but wonder what could have prompted Vale''s suspicious ''escape'' from the city.
Well, it was dark, and he was moving silently at night, so she couldn''t help but think that Vale was escaping from something.
As she ventured outside the city, Constance noticed that the surroundings grew increasingly deste. The once bustling streets gave way to open fields and dense forests.
It was also a refreshing sight, and it would be more beautiful if she visited this ce during the day.
As her thoughts wandered around, she followed Vale''s aura, which seemed to be leading her deeper into the wilderness.
After what felt like hours of relentless pursuit, Constance finally caught a glimpse of Vale in the distance.
''This guy isn''t stopping¡ This era''s Arcanists are really tough.'' Constancemented as she stood locked on Vale''s figure about 500 meters away from her.
At this time, Vale stood atop a hill, overlooking a vast expanse of untouchednd. His presence emanated a sense of serenity and mystery.
''This young Half-Immortal is really good¡'' Constancemented as she realized that Vale''s fluctuation of energy remained calm. It doesn''t seem like he was tired at all.
''Is he waiting for me? I''m sure he noticed me already. I''m not even hiding my aura.'' Constance mused as she approached him cautiously
Soon, Constance called out¡ "Vale, it''s me, Constance! Ahh¡ Wait, who are you? No, are you in a disguise? Maybe that''s your real appearance?"
Constance was a bit confused as soon as she saw the face of the man having the same aura as Vale. It was certainly different when he was in the Tower.
Vale turned to face her, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. Although thedy looked slightly different, Vale could only recall one person with blue hair and eyes.
"Constance? I didn''t expect to see you here¡ So you can now go out of the Tower... Congrattions!"
Vale said as he removed his Altering Ne to show his real appearance.
Constance''s eyes sparkled, seeing how Vale was using a disguise.
"Thank you¡ I sensed your aura and thought that I might as well inform you that I already have my body. It''s thanks to the divinity essence you gave me. I''m really grateful to you¡" Constance exined as she couldn''t help but feel happy.
"You really seeded, huh¡ What are your ns now?" Vale asked as he also started to rx. He actually thought that Constance was an enemy and was prepared to fight.
Luckily, Constance released her aura to notify him of her identity, so he didn''t activate any of his spells when she got near.
''I didn''t think I could use my Divinity like that¡'' Vale mused as he certainlycked proper education regarding Divinity. Well, not even the Academy could teach him about this, so he wasn''t too disappointed.
"ns? I''m not really sure¡ I think I probably need to get stronger. I need to recover my powers. You see, I only have five Spell Models with me. All of these Spells are rted to Spirit Arts so they were luckily retained¡" Constance exined as she even revealed the number of her Spells, which should be a secret.
Vale couldn''t help but smile after hearing this and nodded.
"That''s probably difficult to do. What Arcane Path are you practicing now?" Vale asked.
"Me? I can practice four Arcane Paths thanks to the Divinity you shared. But using them will probably be pushing the limit of my body. I just obtained this body, so I can''t make a mess of it immediately. I should probably be content with two¡ or maybe three Arcane Paths. Do you have a suggestion? Also, are you going somewhere?"
''So one can practice multiple Arcane Arts with the help of Divinity¡'' Vale silently thought.
He then gently nodded at Constance and replied. "You probably know more about me. I''m sure you have a better idea of Arcane Paths that should be practiced in your condition. I should be the one asking you for an idea..."
He then chuckled for a moment before he continued. "As for the ce I''m heading to¡ I''m not really sure. I''m just trying to find a ce where no one can recognize me. I''ll need to do a lot of¡ Arcane Research, so I needed a peaceful environment¡" Vale exined as he looked at the Roaring City far away from them.
Although it was alreadyte in the night, it was still filled with lights. Furthermore, a few Airships wereing and going as well.
"Oh? I didn''t know you''re also a Researcher! Ahh¡ I guess it''s not surprising since you''re a Half-Immortal.
"What kind of research are you doing?" Constance innocently asked.
Vale could tell that Constance was knowledgeable and probably wanted to give some advice. With this in mind, Vale told her the truth.
"I''ll be researching a bit about Spell Fusion¡ The Spell I''ll be fusing would be a bit tricky. I might even try triple Spell Fusion¡" Vale replied.
Well, he would be exploring his System''s Spell Fusion Function, so it shouldn''t be wrong to call it Arcane Research.
Curiosity burned within Constance as she heard Vale''s words.
"Spell Fusion?! I want to join you, Vale! Let me apany you! I''m really interested with that!" She dered, her voice filled with conviction.
"I may look young, but I have knowledge far beyond your First-ss Arcanist Teachers. The system of how the Spell Fusion works wasn''t that organized before I was stuck in that Tower¡ However, I have plenty of experience doing it!"
Vale didn''t expect that the Tower Master would actually want to join his journey.
He wasn''t really nning to have apanion, but he couldn''t really refuse her since he was also interested in her body that was made by his Divinity.
''Is she my child now?'' Vale chucked at this thought, but he immediately shook his head.
Vale then smiled warmly at her.
"I would be honored to have you by my side, Tower Master Constance."
***
''It''s crowded¡'' Lisa silently thought as she looked at the gathering ce of the students.
She was in the underground hall of Vermont Academy, where the professors directed them to take refuge.
The ce was tense, but no one was panicking. The professors probably used a Spell to calm them down, or perhaps, their missing shadow had something to do with it.
"Stay here¡ I will get the remaining ones¡ Do not get out of this hall."
Lisa suddenly heard the voice of Professor Chalton from the Necromancy Branch. He was reminding the students he escorted to this hall.
After the students acknowledged his words, Professor Chalton turned back to take the remaining students.
All of the students had been swiftly ushered to the safety of this ce after the attack on the Academy. Everyone could tell that a powerful Formation Art had been set up on the floor that could probably be used to protect them from harm or, even better, to escape this ce.
As Lisa nced around the crowded space, she noticed familiar faces from various batches within the Academy.
Lisa couldn''t help but sigh as she knew that this attack was different from previous attempts of the enemies. The urgency of their evacuation spoke volumes about its severity.
Whom~ Whom~
Above them, the sounds of rumbling and shes echoed through the building as the Vessels and Combat Professors valiantly defended against the invaders.
The students felt a surge of admiration for their bravery, knowing that they were risking their lives to protect them¡
"Lisa! You''re here!" Chad''s voice broke through her thoughts, and she turned to see her friend approaching with visible relief on his face.
"Chad... Are you alright? Did you see the others?" Lisa asked, concern evident in her voice.
A smile spread across Chad''s face. "Yes, they''re on the other side. They were looking for you, too. We''re all safe here."
Lisa''s worries eased slightly upon hearing Chad''s reassuring words.
She felt a sense of relief knowing that her friends were ounted for.
Just as their conversation continued, amotion arose at the entrance of the basement. A few invaders managed to break through the Academy''s defenses and arrived at the gathering.
Cluck¡ Cluck¡ Cluck¡
The head of Professor Chalton and other higher-year students tumbled on the ground.
Panic briefly flickered among the students, but three Professors swiftly intervened, assuring everyone that they were safe within the confines of the Formation Art.
"Remain calm, students! The Formation Art will shield us from any harm¡" One of the professors called out, her voice firm andmanding. She was Professor Ste Harwin, and everyone knew that even if she only taught Magic Fundamentals, she was still reliable.
"Yes, Professor!"
The students, though apprehensive, took sce in the professor''s words. At this time, they could only trust in the power of the Formation Art and the expertise of their professors.
Chapter 520 Lost
Chapter 520 Lost
The enemies observed the barrier protecting the students for a moment.
They seem to be analyzing the type of barrier that they are about to hit. After some time, they all smiled as if they knew that this wouldn''t stop them from attacking the students.
"Hmph¡ You think you can escape from us?" One of the hooded figures said as he looked at the young students.
Although the students lookedposed and ready for battle, the intruders knew that many of them were terrified of their Aura.
After all, the Dark Magicians could probably feel the Holy Aura around them and knew their Dark Spells would not do anything against them.
"Attack!"
The Shamans, Runecasters, Priests, and Holy Knights unleashed a barrage of spells aiming to incapacitate or capture the students.
Holy Arts Spells illuminated the space with radiant energy, seeking to burn the students of Vermont Academy. They seemed to be trying to breach the barrier with their Holy Arts!
Mystic Arts Spells also weaved through the air, conjuring powerful mystical forces to break the barrier created by the Formation Arts...
Then, Runic Weapons materialized in the hands of the Rune Casters, their intricate markings pulsating with raw magical energy as they struck the barrier.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The spells collided with Barrier Formation, but because of thebined attack, it still trembled slightly.
Luckily, there was no visible damage, and the barrier remained firm.
The attacks were effectively blocked!
A wave of relief washed over the gathered students, and cheers erupted amidst the chaos.
"Amazing!"
"This Formation Arts is too good!"
"Bring it on! Once the Vessels arrive, you guys will be undead!"
They eximed, their spirits lifted by the sessful defense.
Then, as hope began to swell within their hearts, the Formation Art finally activated, signaling themencement of their transport away from the besieged Academy.
"Yes! It''s time!" Ste was also happy to see the activation of the Formation Arts.
Well, since plenty of students will be transported, the Formation Art took quite some time to be activated.
However, in the midst of their departure, a powerful Mystic Arts Spell was unleashed by the enemy.
"Ethereal Star Pir?!" Ste was shocked as she knew that this Tier 3 Spell could only be used by a Master Arcanist or those above the First ss!
She didn''t expect that the intruders would be so shameless to send such a powerful Arcanist to attack the young students of the Academy.
She was worried that Formation Art would cause trouble to their teleportation!
The ground trembled as a pir of ethereal energy surged upward, colliding with the Formation Art. The impact shook the very core of the transport mechanism, causing significant damage.
"Not good¡" Ste held her breath as she monitored the activation of the Formation Arts.
Luckily, she only sensed a slight damage, and it shouldn''t stop them from leaving.
Indeed, despite the chaos and the threat of the Ethereal Star Pir, the transport process continued.
Whom~
Miraculously, the students were sessfully transported to their intended destination, disappearing from the basement just in time.
The Arcanists from other Factions were obviously disappointed after seeing them disappear.
"Tsk! We lost them!"
"What a pity¡ I almost caught those Dark Magicians. You guys should''ve held them back for a few more seconds." A man wearing a white robeced with golden patterns said in a deep voice.
He looked a bit weary after casting the Ethereal Star Pir.
Perhaps, if he had five more seconds, he would have stopped the Formation Art from activating.
Unfortunately, they didn''t arrive in time and failed to stop the students from leaving.
"Sir Forbes¡ There are still a few Dark Magicians struggling outside. Should we leave them to the Guardians and Sentinels?" One of the Runecasters assigned formunication reported.
The Vermont Academy had strange Formation Arts hidden everywhere. One of them was able to disrupt theirmunication, so only Runecasters with their unique Runic Device could help themmunicate with other squads.
"Leave it to them¡ We failed to capture the students, so let''s proceed to destroy the Academy¡ The symbol of their education and future must be destroyed! Take all the valuables after appraising them and burn this ce! Do not touch any cursed items!"
As soon as the man who was called Sir Forbes gave this instruction, everyone''s mood immediately lit up.
Although they had to be wary of the Cursed Items and various Formation Arts, it was still a lot easier now that those Dark Magicians had escaped.
As for the remaining ones, they don''t have to worry about them either.
"Yes, Sir Forbes!"
***
In the meantime, as the students of the Dark Arts Academy realized that they were outside the castle of the Featherstar n, they couldn''t help but start celebrating.
They had left the Academy and arrived at the most vital stronghold of their Faction!
They knew that they should be safe in this ce, and they no longer had to worry.
However, as they were celebrating, a few fourth-year students realized that a couple of their ssmates could not be seen!
"Chad and Lisa are missing!" Warren from the Necromancy Branch eximed.
As soon as he said this, the others also started looking for their friends and ssmates.
However, aside from the two, no one else was missing!
"What? How could this happen?" Ste also activated her Magic Zone. However, she indeed couldn''t find those two students.
She could remember how those two should be inside the Formation Art.
''Wait¡ Was it because of the damage done by the Tier 3 Spell? Did they get transported elsewhere? Not good.''
Ste realized that it could be connected to the Ethereal Star Pir that was released by the old Mystic Arts Practitioner before.
The other Professors also came to this conclusion as they couldn''t help but exchange nces.
Right now, they couldn''t tell where the two students were unless the Headmaster or the Vice Headmaster, who had their shadows, locate them.
"Do not worry¡ Those two shouldn''t be in immediate danger. They were probably transported elsewhere. I believe that the Formation Arts malfunctioned after thest attack of the enemies. Once the Headmaster was back, it would be easy to find them." Ste announced as she had to control the situation.
Soon, various people arrived.
They were the guards and medical practitioners of the Featherstar n. They seem to be expecting their arrival as they immediately tend to those who are wounded.
***
In and outside the Millton Kingdom, a strange event urred.
Ssh!
Out of nowhere, two figuresnded in a fountain!
Their drop was apanied by the sound of lightning that illuminated the dark sky.
Gasping for air, the two figures quickly climbed out of the fountain. It was dark and cold due to the pouring rain, so they quickly used their Spells.
Despite the darkness, their mastery of Dark Arts allowed them to see clearly in their surroundings.
They looked around, realizing that a problem seemed to have urred, and they were now separated from the rest of the students. Uncertainty filled their hearts as they grappled with the reality of their new surroundings.
Confusion and concern filled the air as Chad and Lisa exchanged worried nces.
"W-what''s going on? Where are we?" Chad stammered, his voice trembling with uncertainty.
"Where are the others?"
Lisa had a simr question as her mind quickly raced to make sense of their situation.
Then, she took a deep breath as she realized what seemed to have happened¡
"It seems we really got separated... We have to return." She muttered as she kept looking around. "Perhaps the Formation Art malfunctioned because of thest attack."
As Chad activated his Darkness Maniption to shield himself from the rain, he contemted their predicament.
"So we end up here by ident¡ What do we do now?" He mused as he looked around.
Lisa''s gaze shifted toward the looming castle in front of them. Its silhouette was shrouded in darkness and devoid of any signs of life.
"It appears to be abandoned¡" She observed, her voice tinged with caution.
"Seeking shelter within the castle might be our best course of action for now. We need to assess our surroundings and gather information to understand where we are. We can''t do that while it''s raining¡"
With a shared nod, Chad and Lisa made their way towards the castle, their footsteps sshing in the rain-soaked ground.
The heavy wooden doors creaked open, revealing a dimly lit interior. A few glowing flowers were inside the castle, allowing them to confirm that this castle was not being taken care of.
Nevertheless, they had to be wary as they activated their Dark Spells to scout the surroundings.
At this moment, apprehension filled Lisa and Chad''s hearts as they desperately hoped that they had not stumbled upon a dangerous territory.
Sensing Lisa''s unease, Chad tried to reassure her, his voice filled with conviction.
"Don''t worry, Lisa. Headmaster Jean should be aware of our whereabouts through our shadows. I''m confident that he will dispatch someone to retrieve us¡" Chad reassured, his hand gently closing the door of the castle behind them, creating a sense of temporary security.
Chapter 521 Surrounded
Chapter 521 Surrounded
Lisa nodded at Chad''s words. She was still worried, but she could do nothing right now since they had no idea where they were transported.
"You''re right. Our priority is to stay safe and await assistance. Hopefully, we haven''t been transported too far from our intended destination¡" She murmured softly, her eyes scanning the dimly lit castle interior.
Thud¡ Thud¡
As they contemted their next steps, the silence was interrupted by the faint sound of footsteps approaching.
Instantly, Chad''s instincts kicked in, and he activated his unique physique, drawing upon his innate abilities.
"Ghost King Body!" Chad invoked, his form enveloped in an ethereal aura as his supernatural powers surged within him.
This physique was something that he had achieved after years of training. Thankfully, the Academy had a huge amount of Dark Energy, so he was able to possess the Ghost King Body earlier than those who didn''t enter the Dark Arts Academy.
Prepared for any potential threat, he positioned himself protectively in front of Lisa, ready to confront whoever approached them.
"Prepare your Corruption Spells, Lisa¡ I''m not going to be affected by it, so you can just go all out!" Chad reminded as he materialized a dark sword in his hand.
"Mhmm¡" Lisa gently nodded as she maintained her Phantasm State.
The footsteps grew louder, echoing through the castle halls.
The atmosphere grew heaving as cold aura enveloped the castle''s walls.
As the figure''s silhouette drew nearer, Chad and Lisa stood their ground, their anticipation mounting as they prepared for the encounter.
Their heightened senses, honed through their Phantasm State, signaled that the approaching individual possessed immense strength.
''It would be a big problem if he''s an enemy¡'' Lisa thought worriedly.
After a few moments, the figure finally spoke, his voice resonating with amusement.
"Those uniforms... I remember them. You two are students from that Dark Arts Academy, aren''t you?" His words carried a hint of curiosity rather than hostility.
The two students didn''t know why, but they felt relieved that they got recognized.
"Yes, Sir!" Chad responded, his voice filled with relief at theck of hostility.
"We were transported here unexpectedly and have be separated from our group. We''re in need of assistance to contact someone from the Dark Arts Faction and find our way back."
The man''s expression softened, and a smile yed at the corners of his lips. "Ah, the mysteries of transportation magic can be quite unpredictable, can''t they?" He mused.
"Fear not, young ones. You have found yourself in the presence of Magnus, a practitioner of all Arcane Arts and a keeper of ancient knowledge."
Towering above them, Magnus stood at an impressive height, his figure cloaked in dark, billowing robes that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. His broad shoulders hinted at untold strength, and his form exuded an air of otherworldly power. His physique was like a warrior of ancient times.
''Practitioner of all Arcane Arts? Is he crazy?'' Lisamented in her mind as she heard the man''s words. However, it was better not to provoke or question him this time, so she observed him cautiously for now.
Magnus'' face was partially obscured by the shadow cast by his wide-brimmed hat and revealed only fragments of his features. His eyes, however, gleamed with an intense scarlet hue, their captivating gaze seemingly able to pierce through the veils of reality itself.
It was simr to the eyes of the Evil Creatures that Lisa had seen before!
At his side, a staff of ebony wood stood tall, adorned with intricate carvings and glowing symbols that seemed to pulse with an ethereal energy.
As he drew nearer, the air around him seemed to grow heavy with an unsettling aura, as if the very fabric of reality bent in deference to his presence.
''This guy is dangerous¡ He''s definitely not human!'' Lisa and Chad couldn''t help but exchange nces as they reached the same conclusion.
They had to be careful!
"Magnus, sir? Can you help us get back to our Academy? No¡ªI mean, can you tell us where we are?" Lisa asked. She certainly couldn''t return to the Academy as it was being invaded by the Holy Arts Faction and its allies.
As for the destination of their teleportation, they weren''t aware of it, so they weren''t sure where to go at this time.
Magnus smiled at this question.
"Right... returning you to your Academy might prove challenging. It seems the ce is engulfed in chaos and danger at the moment. However, fear not. You are simply in a neighboring kingdom. It''s not too far. I can grant you the means tomunicate with your Dark Arts Faction. All I ask in return is your service as my assistants for the next five years¡" Magnus said, revealing his unsettling proposition.
A sinister gleam danced in his eyes, apanied by a deep chuckle that resonated through the castle halls.
Lisa and Chad were shocked, realizing that Magnus was indeed insane!
Their instincts screamed at them to escape this unsettling situation immediately.
Without a moment''s hesitation, they swiftly devised a n to leave this ce.
Spotting an open window, they seized the opportunity to make their escape. Lisa channeled her magical prowess and unleashed the spell "Light Absorption."
This Spell should temporarily disorient Magnus by theck of light. Capitalizing on the distraction, Chad, with his Ghost King Body activated, used two formidable Spirit Attacks.
Thanks to his physique, these Spells were threefold stronger!
Boom! Boom!
The impact of theirbined assault reverberated through the room as Magnus recoiled from the force.
Seizing the opportunity, Lisa and Chad swiftly leaped through the shattered window, crashing onto the ground outside. They wasted no time, activating their enhanced movement speed spells to propel themselves away from the castle, desperate to put distance between themselves and the deranged Magnus.
However, as they surveyed their surroundings, their hearts sank.
"This¡"
They found themselves encircled by a multitude of mystical beings, ranging from small creatures to towering beasts of various kinds. The creatures had formed a formidable barrier around the castle, effectively trapping Lisa and Chad in their midst.
"Not bad, young Arcanists¡ If you''re talented enough, it may not even take five years, so you don''t have to be too afraid of me. Come and get inside. Your arrival is perfect timing¡ I''m doing a very delicate experiment and needed a few more hands." Magnus said as he peeked through the window, visibly unhurt by the two''s surprise attacks.
***
In the midst of the unfolding events, under the moonlit sky above a vast prairie, a massive fleet of airships encircled a lone airship. It was none other than the vessel that Headmaster Jean used for his return to the Academy.
Surrounding the Vermont Academy''s airship were a total of 30bat airships, forming an intimidating blockade. While the Academy''s airship was equipped to fend off bandits and monsters, it was ill-prepared to engage in a battle against such a formidable fleet.
Standing on the deck of the airship, Headmaster Jean gazed upon the encircling airships with a mix of contemtion and resignation.
''They''re really not taking chances¡'' Jean silently thought as he sensed the presence of several powerful Arcanists of different Factions.
He couldn''t help but chuckle softly at the audacity of the four Factions, who had evidently dispatched a force of 12 Guardians solely to deal with him.
Although he knew that death loomed ever closer, the headmaster remained remarkablyposed, as if he had anticipated this turn of events.
The thought urred to him that perhaps the attack on the Academy had been a diversion, with his own capture as the true objective.
However, he quickly dismissed this notion, realizing that the Academy itself was vulnerable with the absence of the First and Second Squads of Vessels, who had not yet returned from their missions. Without their formidable presence, the Academy would struggle to withstand thebined forces of the four Factions even if they just send 4 or 5 Guardians.
''I hope that Miss Faith can help them¡'' Headmaster Jean thought as he could only hope that the most powerful individual that was left in the Academy would be enough to hold off the other Guardians of the four Factions.
Anyway, he had no time to worry about the Academy for now.
ncing back at the Vessels lined up behind him, Headmaster Jean understood that their summoned entities were not from the high-level Realms like the Giants Realm, Shadow Realms, or Dragon Realm.
Instead, they could only call upon beings from the Barbarian Realm, Undead Realm, and Specter Realm. Considering the overwhelming firepower amassed against them, Headmaster Jean knew that survival would be near impossible once the enemy decided to unleash their bombardment.
With a sigh of eptance, the headmaster resigned himself to his fate, pushing aside any lingering doubts or random thoughts.
Turning his attention to the enemy, he couldn''t help but address them directly, his voiceced with firm defiance.
"Hey... Are you seriously nning to break the treaty in this manner? Do you truly believe you can achieve your goals without incurring significant losses on your side?" Jean bravely said as shadows manifested on his side before forming into a ck staff.
Chapter 522 Released
Chapter 522 Released
An eerie silence fell upon the prairie as Jean manifested a mysterious ck staff that was surrounded by dark essence.
The moonlight seemed to dim, as if nature itself held its breath, anticipating the impending chaos.
Suddenly, the stillness was shattered by the deafening roar of engines as the thirty Combat Airships sprang into action.
''So they don''t even n tomunicate with us, huh¡'' Jean took a heavy breath as he used his telepathy to give some instructions to his men.
With calcted precision, the fleet closed in on the lone airship, their cannons primed and ready.
nk¡ nk¡ nk¡
Soon, a symphony of war echoed through the night as the sky was filled with the blinding shes of gunfire and the thunderous booms of explosions.
Boom!
The Vermont Academy''s Airship, once a symbol of safe passage, was now thrust into a maelstrom of destruction.
Headmaster Jean stood resolute on the deck, his eyes fixed on the onught before him. The airship trembled under the relentless barrage, its sturdy hull straining against the force of the enemy''s assault.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Threeyers of defenses were immediately destroyed after a few seconds of bombardment.
The sky erupted in a dazzling disy of fiery trails as the airship''s defensive mechanisms fought valiantly to repel the iing projectiles.
However, the overwhelming numbers and firepower of the enemy proved to be a daunting challenge. The airship''s shields flickered and faltered, unable to withstand the relentless barrage.
Then, 10 Dark Magicians on the deck formed a circle and created a stronger defense¡ They summoned hundreds of Moon Specters and Fiery Ghosts to form a barrier!
Meanwhile, while doing so, Headmaster Jean wasn''t doing anything¡ There was no way he would allow them to get killed without a fight!
Explosions rocked the Vessel, sending shockwaves through its core. The once majestic airship now resembled a wounded beast, its structure weakened and vulnerable.
"Cowards!"
"Come forward if you have the guts!"
"Face us in a duel! You vermins!"
"You guys will regret this!"
"A Dark Magician''s retaliation will be ten times more cruel! Remember that!"
The Dark Magicians couldn''t help but curse as they knew that this battle was too unfair. Although their summoned spirits could protect them for now, they were aware that it wouldn''tst for a long time.
Nevertheless, amidst the chaos, Headmaster Jean remained steadfast. His eyes kept monitoring the surroundings as he assessed the dire situation.
He knew that survival seemed like an impossible feat, but he refused to sumb to despair. With a n in his mind, he rallied the rest of the crew, urging them to fight on despite the overwhelming odds.
"Yes, Sir Jean! We will at least bring down half of them!"
"That''s right! We will target those above us!"
The Vessels immediately did as they said as they activated their Spells!
However, this didn''t stop the iing attacks! The bombardment intensified¡
Then, a hole was opened in the defense of the Specters and Ghosts! Soon, their airship''s systems began to falter.
The engines sputtered, sending plumes of smoke into the air. The once steady ascent of the Vessel was now reced with a perilous descent towards the unforgiving earth below.
mes licked at the airship''s hull, threatening to consume it in a fiery inferno.
In the face of impending doom, Headmaster Jeanunched his strongest Spell! It was the Fusion Spell of two Tier 2 Dark Spells! Furthermore, this was cast using a Sovereign Rank Staff!
The power of this Spell could easily kill those who weren''t prepared enough!
Blood Nova!
As Jean said these words, the people in the surrounding airships started feeling hot¡ Then, without them realizing what was going on, they heard an explosion!
It was not from a firearm but from theirpanions who had suddenly exploded!
"W-what?! Corpse Explosion reached us here?!"
"Impossible¡ It doesn''t work on the living!"
"This must be one of the Forbidden Spells!"
"I knew it¡ This is---"
Boom!
The man who was about to speak suddenly exploded without any visible signs!
Some of them got dyed as they still exploded after failing to protect themselves while the Blood Nova Spell was still active.
The leaders of each Combat Airships knew that Jean had activated a strong killing Spell that could not be defended with Spirit Strands lower than his.
Boom! Boom!
Three Airships of the enemy collided with each other, and two Airships were suddenly headed to the ground!
Just like that, five Airships were destroyed!
Headmaster Jean smiled at the result of his attack as he felt the lives of many people disappearing from his Magic Zone.
But he knew that this wouldn''t be enough to save them¡
He could tell that another bombardment would surely kill them all if they stayed here.
"Everyone! Abandon the airship in my signal!"
With a voice that resonated with authority, Jean cast another spell that created a Dark Sphere that suddenly expanded and covered the entire airship¡
Then, hemanded the crew to abandon the ship and seek refuge in the nearby prairie.
The members of the Vessel and the crew of the airship listened without hesitation. One by one, they leaped into the darkness, their survival hanging in the bnce.
Headmaster Jean, thest to leave the airship, cast one final nce at the Vermont Academy''s Airship that had been with them for the past 10 years.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The next bombardment of the enemies had arrived just in time.
The airship, battered and broken, continued its descent, hurtling towards the ground.
Soon, it crashed with a thunderous impact, sending shockwaves rippling through the prairie.
As the dust settled and the echoes of the bombardment faded, Headmaster Jean emerged from the wreckage, battered but alive.
He surveyed the scene, his heart heavy with the loss of the airship and some Dark Magicians who had failed to escape in time.
Yet, amidst the wreckage, a spark of desire flickered in his eyes. It was the desire for revenge.
The attack had not broken his spirit; it had only fueled his resolve to protect the Academy and seek justice for the assault unleashed upon them.
''Ahh¡ They''re really set out to kill me¡'' Jean silently thought.
Using his ck staff as support, Jean rose to his feet, his gaze fixed upon the unexpected arrival of a group of individuals who had encircled him.
There were only six of them, but their aura exuded immense power. Each one was a formidable Arcanist, determined to end his life.
However, Jean couldn''t help but be bemused by the sight of their masked faces.
"Are you that afraid to face me? You are even wearing a mask to protect your identity from a dying man?" Jean couldn''t help but ridicule them.
However, the masked figures remained unfazed.
They were just looking at Jean warily as if making sure that they wouldn''t get suddenly cursed by the Dark Magician.
Then, one of them spoke with sigh.
"Jean... You have to me yourself for your untimely death. You have the talent to practice the Holy Arts, but you chose to practice the Dark Arts. We warned you before¡" It was a voiceing from an olddy.
Recognition flickered in Jean''s eyes as he pieced together the identity of the old woman who addressed him.
Realizing the deep-rooted animosity thaty between them, Jean''s voice dripped with disdain.
"So it was like that... You old people still can''t ept how the Dark Arts were developing too fast. You can''t ept that it''s just another Arcane Path... Just for your selfish gains." Jean replied. Squinting his eyes, he locked his gaze on the old woman, his words dripping with scorn.
Yet, before the tension could escte further, another masked figure interjected
"That''s enough... Let''s eliminate him. He''s just gathering his remaining strength for hisst attack."
"Of course... Kill him now... Destroy his body and make sure even his soul won''t be able to escape¡" The olddy spoke as the rest of the masked figures released their spells.
In a desperate bid to survive, Jean unleashed his own arsenal of Dark Spells with the help of his ck Staff, engaging in a fierce battle against the enemies.
However, he was already weakened.
In a final act of defiance, Jean managed to take down one of his masked foes with his Dark Soul''s Chain of Death! It''s a Spell that uses his own Soul to kill a target with a simr or lower number of Spirit Strands!
"Haha! You fool!" Jean said with augh as he felt satisfied killing a Guardian before his death.
Unfortunately, the toll on his own body proved insurmountable. The weight of his wounds and the sheer exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he soon sumbed to the inevitable embrace of death.
As Jean''s life force faded, the masked figures stood in silence. Their victory was tinged with a somber realization. They had seeded in their mission, but the cost had been great.
As they were about to burn Jean''s corpse and destroy everything around him, including his weapon, a profound and unexpected phenomenon unfolded before the masked figures.
In a mesmerizing disy, an immense number of ethereal shadows erupted from Jean''s lifeless body, their presence casting an eerie atmosphere over the scene.
Chapter 523 Fusion
Chapter 523 Fusion
For a fleeting moment, the shadows that had escaped from Jean''s body danced and swirled in a mesmerizing disy, as if bidding farewell to their fallen master.
Yet, just as quickly as they had emerged, the shadows merged into the darkness, leaving no trace behind.
The masked figures were left bewildered, their minds struggling toprehend the inexplicable spectacle that had unfolded before them.
A hushed silence enveloped the group as they exchanged uncertain nces.
"W-what was that?" One of them stammered, his voice barely audible amidst the lingering sense of astonishment.
To be honest, he was thinking that it was a curse that was released to attack them. He imagined that Jean had cast a spell that if he died, the people who killed him would be cursed or something.
It wasn''t that surprising from Dark Magicians.
Of course, everyone else had the same thought, but none of them dared to suggest it as it would just cause unnecessary panic.
Furthermore, their Power Strands and Spirit Strands were incredibly high, so they had strong resistance against such attacks. If they were really hit by a curse, they should be aware of it.
"I''m not sure what it was, but since my Mystical Artifacts didn''t respond, it doesn''t seem to be a curse meant to attack us. Perhaps it was a message or signal sent to someone." The olddy said.
The question still hung in the air, unanswered and shrouded in mystery. However, they felt relieved that it wasn''t a threatening attack.
They could only ponder the significance of the spectral shadows as they continued to eliminate everything in sight.
None of them dared to touch the ck Staff as they were sure that there was a high requirement to use such a Sovereign Rank Artifact.
If they touched it carelessly, they might regret it for life. Now that they survived a fight against a strong Dark Magician, there was no way they would get themselves killed for a
Soon, they destroyed everything in sight, including the remains of the Vermont Academy''s Airship.
***
After two days, Eustace and Constance arrived at Kirkham City. It was the city at the kingdom''s border leading to the Ruri Kingdom.
As soon as they arrived, the two separated as they had different purposes foring here.
Eustace wanted to explore with his Spell Fusion, while Constance wanted to find Spell Models she could record in her Spell Lights. Both of these require plenty of time.
After all, Constance knew how the research of Spell Models had advanced so much over the past years. She couldn''t just rely on her knowledge that could be considered as "Ancient Knowledge" already. As for money, she didn''t have to worry about it at all, considering the wealth she had obtained inside the Mystic Soul Tower.
In the meantime, Eustace would also require some time to explore his Spell Fusion since he doesn''t have unlimited energy. If his guess was right, he could only do this once a day.
nk!
Eustace then closed the door of his hotel room.
He indulged himself by renting an extravagant hotel room, embracing the opportunity to splurge some of his hard-earned money.
The room he acquired boasted a spaciousyout, though itcked the protective enchantments of Formation Arts or Arcane Artsmonly found in ces owned by renowned Arcanist organizations.
As Eustace settled into his luxurious surroundings, preparing to delve into a deep meditative state on his bed, Yvaine, his Dark Spirit, spoke up unexpectedly.
"Do you need me to protect you?" She inquired, her concern evident in her voice. It seemed that she already expected that he would do something dangerous whenever he meditated.
Eustace paused for a moment, appreciating Yvaine''s offer, before responding.
"There''s no need... But thank you for your concern, Yvaine. For now, remain inside the shadow unless there is an emergency."
The other reason he suggested this was because of Yvaine''s natural aura. It was something that normal people wouldn''t like after all.
"Understood¡" Yvaine replied, her demeanor disying unwavering loyalty. Eustace couldn''t help but smile as he felt that Yvaine really trusted him.
With their understanding established, Eustace immersed himself in his "meditation," entering his Extraction Space and focusing on its Fuse Function.
As he activated this system''s function, he delved deeper into a state of concentration, he also felt as if his spirit traversed into another dimension, where he could perceive the ethereal Spell Lights and the Essence contained within his Extraction Space.
[ Select the targets for Fusion.]
A message materialized in his consciousness, presenting the opportunity to start the Fusion.
Eustace''s lips curved into a knowing smile as he pondered his options.
"Mhmm... I suppose I shall start with a fusion involving the spells I am most familiar with¡" He murmured, his gaze fixed on the selection before him.
Without hesitation, he chose the Ghost Hands, Spectral Hands, and Moonlight Curse, eager to witness the oue of this Spell Fusion.
ording to Thelma Cameron, the senior student who had informed him about the Spell Fusions, these three Spells could actually create a spell called Moonlight Specter.
ording to her, the Moonlight Specter spell had the ability to summon a maximum of nine Specters, their numbers influenced by the mastery of the Fusion Spell. These ethereal beings possessed a curse-inflicting ability that reached its zenith under the enchanting glow of moonlight.
Furthermore, a mere touch from these Specters would plunge individuals into nightmarish visions, awakening their deepest fears and inducing overwhelming panic.
Whom~
As the fusion processmenced, Eustace''s heart raced with anticipation.
"Please be sessful..." He silently prayed.
Though he recognized the favorable odds of sess, given that all three spells he fused were Advanced Realm, the magnitude of energy drained during the fusion process left him with a lingering sense of unease.
To Eustace''s relief, the wait for the fusion''s oue proved short-lived.
Ding!
[ Spell Fusion Sessful ]
[ Ghost Hands, Spectral Hands, and Moonlight Curse Spell Models have merged into Moonlight Specter Spell Model ]
[ You have 5 seconds to undo the Fusion, which will cost 50 Divinity Points. ]
[ Do you wish to ept this Spell Model? ]
5... 4... 3...
Chapter 524 Help
Chapter 524 Help
"Whew~"
A surge of exhration washed over Eustace as he absorbed the news.
The birth of the Moonlight Specter spell held promise and potential. An extraordinarybination of powers was now at his disposal.
With a new Spell in his arsenal, he eagerly awaited the opportunity to test the spell''s capabilities and witness the manifestation of the specters he could summon.
''That has to wait¡'' Eustace sighed as he checked the Spell Models in his body.
Apparently, he had realized that all of them only had about 10% of their energy. All his Spell Lights are almost gray!
It means that he had actually spent a lot of his energy just for a single Spell Fusion! It was better to just rest for now or drink some potions to recover his energy.
However, drinking such potions could build some natural resistance in his body, so he would only drink them when necessary.
Needless to say, he decided to take a rest instead.
"I''ll probably miss my Ghost Hand Spell¡" Eustace mused as hey on his bed. He also felt quite tired after traveling for quite some time, and he certainly deserved a long rest.
***
The next day, Eustace found himself waking upter than usual, with the clock already striking noon.
A pang of hunger gnawed at his stomach, prompting him to swiftly cleanse himself before descending to the hotel''s dining area in search of sustenance.
''Anything is good¡'' Eustace thought as he entered the bustling dining area.
He didn''t expect that the room would be filled with numerous guests. Fortunately, luck was on his side. Another customer had just left, and he managed to secure a vacant seat.
He promptly ced an order for his meal, opting for a cold chicken sandwich, aforting cup of warm broth, and a chilled pudding.
With his food served, Eustace savored each bite, relishing the vors that were included as part of his room payment.
The satisfying meal replenished his energy, preparing him for the day ahead.
As he finished his meal, Eustace went outside to find a ce to practice his Spells.
However, his attention was caught by a newspaper disyed on the walkway of the flower shop.
Curiosity piqued, he picked it up and skimmed through the pages. His eyes widened as he stumbled upon a headline that made him sigh.
He had already expected this since he extracted Keith''s memories, but seeing it in the newspaper still felt different. He could only hope that nothing happened to his friends.
The headline read: "Vermont Academy Attacked: Inhumane Experiments Unveiled."
Unable to resist delving deeper into the story, Eustace decided to put off his ns to find a ce to practice his Spells. He decided to purchase the newspaper for a small fee of 8 noll.
The ink on the pages revealed a grim reality¡ªa conflict had erupted between the Holy Arts Faction and the Dark Arts Faction at the Vermont Academy.
ording to the news, the Holy Arts Faction had discovered that the Dark Arts Faction was conducting inhumane experiments, leading to a sh of ideologies that ultimately culminated in the destruction of the esteemed Vermont Academy.
The details were scarce, but the repercussions of this revtion were undoubtedly far-reaching.
Of course, he doesn''t trust the news too much as it could just be easily controlled by other Factions to favor their side.
Nevertheless, Eustace''s mind buzzed with concern as he continued reading the article...
Luckily, the article mentioned how they are now hunting the Dark Magicians and capturing the students who had escaped through a mysterious portal leading to an unknown ce. This news basically confirmed that they had failed to kill the students of the Academy.
''Portal? That''s probably just the Teleportation Circle that Heinz told me before.'' Eustace muttered as he recalled how Heinz had introduced the Academy to him before.
Eustace heaved a sigh of relief as there was a high chance that they could meet again.
In the end, he decided to go ahead and continue on his n for the day.
***
Meanwhile, in another street not too far from Eustace, a middle-aged man was weakly sitting in front of his small stall.
His name was Theodore. He was a middle-aged cobbler, and at this time, he could feel the ominous presence of a paranormal event that had infiltrated his life.
Night after night, he experienced a draining sensation, as if an unseen force was siphoning away his life force, leaving him weakened and unable to focus on his work.
It was already in the middle of the day, and he only repaired a single pair of shoes!
Ever since he purchased his small house, this mysterious phenomenon had cast a dark shadow over his daily existence.
''This can''t continue like this¡ Am I really being abandoned by the Paragons?'' Theodore thought to himself.
As a devout believer in the Three Paragons, Theodore couldn''t seek assistance from the church priests of the Fortune Goddess, Divine Sorcerer, and Lord of Secrets.
Apparently, the Church of the Three Paragons in the city had been closed for a disheartening period of five months, leaving him without the divine intervention he desperately sought.
Left with limited options, Theodore reluctantly turned to the Kirkham Arcanist Guild, a renowned organization known for their mastery of the arcane arts.
With a glimmer of hope, he posted a mission, reaching out for their expertise and aid in resolving the inexplicable affliction that tormented him.
Days turned into an agonizing wait, filled with mounting frustration and despair as Theodore''s plea for help went unanswered.
Unfortunately, the small reward he could offer seemed to deter potential assistance, and after three long days, no one hade forward to ept his mission and provide a resolution to his pressing problem.
''Do I really have to convert to get assistance?''
As Theodore sat there, observing the bustling city streets, a sense of helplessness settled upon him.
He felt like a small, insignificant figure in a vast and indifferent world.
Chapter 525 The Guild
Chapter 525 The Guild
As Eustace strolled through the bustling streets, his eyes caught sight of a group of individuals exiting a grand building.
At first nce, they appeared to be ordinary pedestrians, blending seamlessly with the crowd. However, Eustace''s heightened perception, granted by his ESP Spell, allowed him to sense a subtle fluctuation of Arcane Energy emanating from them.
Intrigued, he blinked his eyes and entered his Phantasm State, a state where he could summon his Magic Zone and heighten his senses.
Within this ethereal realm of perception, Eustace unveiled the true nature of therge building.
It was not just any ordinary structure but a gathering ce for Arcanists! He could sense practitioners of various Arcane Paths.
His Divine Sense allowed him to see the diverse range of Arcane Paths practiced by the Arcanists within. Yet, he couldn''t help but notice the absence of three prominent paths - the Holy Arts Practitioners, the Dark Arts Practitioners, and the Psychic Arts Practitioners.
''Are they banned here or something?'' Eustace thought.
Perplexed by the sight before him, Eustace couldn''t resist his curiosity.
"What is this ce?" He muttered to himself, his intrigue growing with each passing moment.
As soon as he confirmed that his Divine Sense was undetected, he made a decision.
Approaching the signboard, he discovered that the establishment was a rather peculiar tavern named The Shaggy Donkey Bar.
''What a weird name¡''
With a momentary hesitation, Eustace retrieved his Grimoire, unsure of what to expect inside. However, he was driven by the desire to uncover the reason behind the gathering of Arcanists from various paths.
As he stepped inside, the bells tied to the door chimed, announcing his arrival.
With the exception of the waitresses, who briefly nced in his direction, no one else seemed to pay him much attention.
Eustace could sense that they recognized him as an Arcanist, seemingly unperturbed by his age or appearance. He couldn''t help but note the intriguing fact that even the waitresses were skilled Combat Arts Practitioners.
''Interesting¡''
Finding himself guided to a vacant seat by one of the waitresses, Eustace took a moment to observe his surroundings.
He couldn''t help but notice a corner where a lot of people gathered. It seemed that this tavern had other purposes.
Eustace then ordered ording to the waitress''s rmendation. They were local foods and drinks, so he wanted to try them out.
Since he was new here, he didn''t mind indulging himself in the vors of the local cuisine.
As he was silently waiting for his meal, he soon realized what this ce was after hearing the conversations of other Arcanists.
This ce was none other than the city''s Arcanist Guild, a hub where practitioners from various paths converged, shared knowledge, and enjoyed the camaraderie of their kind.
However, the most important thing was that in this ce, they couldplete the tasks that were requested by other Arcanists or ordinary people with problems rted to the Arcane World.
As Eustace sat there, absorbing the ambiance of the Guild, he couldn''t help but feel a surge of excitement¡
''Arcanist Guild¡ I wonder how this works.'' Eustace thought to himself.
Since he had to gather information, he decided to just ask the waitress who served his food after giving her a tip.
After a few minutes of questioning, he learned a lot about this branch of the Arcanist Guild in the city.
Apparently, it was under the protection of the city mayor himself, who wanted a peaceful rtionship with the Arcanists who were entering his city.
Furthermore, as the paranormal activities that were happening in the city got bigger and bigger, the mayor was hoping that the Arcanists would be able to help them resolve such a problem.
In short, it was a gathering ce for Rogue Arcanists, including those who had decided to leave their own Factions to earn money and gather materials for their own research.
The only thing he had to do was to register and pay a small fee.
***
After his satisfying meal, Eustace wasted no time in seeking the assistance of the waitress to facilitate his registration as a member of the Arcanist Guild.
The process proved to be rtively straightforward. After he was brought to the Guild''s attendant, he was required to provide his name and specify his chosen Arcane Path on piece of paper.
This registration would enable the Guild to approach him whenever missions aligned with his expertise surfaced.
''This might not be a good idea¡'' Eustace mused as he wrote Summoner on his paper.
A hint of frustration flickered across his face as he contemted the limitations posed by this answer.
Obviously, he possessed knowledge and abilities that extended beyond a single Arcane Path, and this restriction posed a dilemma for him.
Yet, after a moment of reflection, a mischievous smile yed upon his lips.
"Mhmm¡ This is actually a good idea." Eustace eximed inwardly.
He realized that this seemingly confining arrangement could actually work to his advantage. By registering as a practitioner of Summoning Arts, he could conveniently attribute any tasks rted to other paths to his "summons," utilizing the flexibility of his abilities to tackle a variety of situations.
This way, he could cleverly navigate the Guild''s mission assignments, relying on the excuse of his diverse summons to address different Arcane Paths as needed.
''I''m a genius¡'' Eustace excitedly thought.
He thenpleted his registration and paid the 200 zen fee.
Then, Eustace was handed a small token crafted from redwood, bearing the emblem of Kirkham City''s Arcanist Guild. He carefully inspected the token, ensuring its authenticity and confirming that it served no additional purpose beyond providing durability and protection against damage.
Satisfied with its simple yet important function, he ced the token securely in his pocket.
"Sir Eustace Skye¡" The guild attendant addressed him respectfully. "You may find the bulletin board located in the corner. There, you will discover a selection of tasks suitable for your consideration. Should you find a mission that aligns with your abilities and interests, kindly retrieve the corresponding paper and present it at the counter to officially ept the assignment. It is crucial to remember that failing toplete a mission within the specified deadline will result in penalties. Therefore, I advise you to choose a task that you are confident inpleting, Sir."
Chapter 526 Guild Missions
Chapter 526 Guild Missions
The attendant spoke calmly. He had probably done this numerous times already, so Eustace just nodded appreciatively, acknowledging the attendant''s guidance.
Then, he made his way towards the corner of the Guild''s premises, where the bulletin board awaited him.
As Eustace perused the bulletin board, he couldn''t help but notice the multitude of missions posted by fellow arcanists.
These tasks dominated the board, upying over two-thirds of the avable space. Each mission carried a unique vor, reflecting the diverse paths and specialties of his fellow guild members.
He then read some of these missions out of curiosity.
Seeking an Elemental Expert:
Alchemist Sumiya is in search of an arcanist skilled in manipting the elemental forces. The task involves aiding in the extraction and purification of rare elemental essences for the creation of potent potions. Generouspensation and ess to exclusive alchemical knowledge will be provided.
Investigation of Enchanted Artifact:
Runcaster Johan seeks an arcanist capable of unraveling the mysteries surrounding a recently acquired enchanted artifact that has Mystic Law''s attributes. The task involves decipheringplex enchantments and understanding the artifact''s origin and potential dangers. Substantial rewards await those who can sessfully navigate the arcane intricacies.
Guardian of the Mystical Cave:
The Order of the Faith Guardians requests the assistance of arcanists proficient in warding and protective spells. The mission entails safeguarding the mystical cave outside the city from malevolent entities attempting to breach the barriers. Courage, knowledge of defensive magic, and swift reflexes are essential for this critical task.
This mission stunned Eustace for a moment. He didn''t expect that a mission from a Faction''s Order was actually here as well.
''Are theycking in personnel?'' Eustace couldn''t help butment in his mind as he thought that these Factions would have plenty of members. The Order of the Faith Guardians was under the Knights Faction, after all.
They should have plenty of personnel, considering the Knights Path was second to the most selected Arcane Path.
However, after thinking about it, it also made sense that they would use other Arcanists, especially if the mission wasn''t that challenging.
After all, it might be better to use their experts in another important task.
Eustace wryly smiled at this as he continued checking out other missions, hoping he could find something that would interest him.
Arcane Research Assistant:
Schr Luther is seeking a capable arcanist to assist in a groundbreaking research project. The mission involves delving into ancient texts, deciphering cryptic symbols, and conducting experiments to unlock the secrets of a long-lost magical phenomenon. The opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge arcane knowledge awaits the chosen arcanist. A five-year disclosure agreement must be signed upon epting this mission.
Eradication of Dark Necromancy:
The Church of Fortune Goddess is calling upon arcanists dedicated to the eradication of dark necromantic practices. The mission involves confronting a notorious necromancer and their followers, putting an end to their heinous rituals, and freeing the souls trapped in their grasp. The reward includes the gratitude of the Church and ess to divine blessings. In case of death, the Church will take care of the families you''ve left behind.
"This¡"
Eustace was a bit stunned after seeing thisst part. He already expected the war against the Dark Arts Faction, but he didn''t expect the Church to be so heavily involved that they would even recruit here. Furthermore, he couldn''t help but frown at the possibility of death in this mission.
''Who would take such a dangerous mission?'' Eustace shook his head as he believed that anyone who would just be cannon fodders for the Orders.
Anyway, among the remaining section of the bulletin board, Eustace noticed a collection of missions submitted by ordinary individuals seeking assistance with paranormal activities or unexined phenomena. These tasks reflected the concerns and needs of regr people caught in the web of the mystical world.
He found these things more interesting as he was curious about how ordinary people are dealing with these problems.
He then checked a few missions that were newly ced on the bulletin board.
Haunted House Investigation:
A family living in a century-old mansion seeks an arcanist to investigate and cleanse the property of malevolent spirits. The mission entails deciphering the house''s troubled history,municating with restless spirits, and restoring peace to the upants. A modest reward and eternal gratitude are offered.
Lost Relic Recovery:
A historian from the local museum requires an arcanist''s aid in recovering a stolen ancient artifact of great cultural significance. The mission involves tracing the relic''s whereabouts. The sessful retrieval of the relic will be rewarded with recognition and a generous mary prize.
Creature Troubles:
A farmer is grappling with crop devastation caused by mysterious creatures. They seek an arcanist capable of identifying and repelling these pests, ensuring the livelihood of their farm. The mission requires knowledge of nature-based magic and the ability to protect crops from supernatural threats. The farmer offers a bountiful harvest aspensation.
Cursed Talisman:
A desperate individual beseeches an arcanist to break a curse that gues them due to an ill-fated talisman. The mission involves deciphering the curse''s origins, gathering the necessaryponents for a counter-spell, and performing the ritual to free the afflicted person from their torment. The reward includes a free breakfast in her tiny store daily and a heartfelt expression of gratitude.
Spiritual Guidance:
An individual seeks the counsel of an arcanist to gain insight into their recurring prophetic dreams. The mission involves delving into the dream realm, interpreting symbolic visions, and providing guidance based on arcane knowledge. The seeker promises a token of appreciation and the opportunity for a profound spiritual awakening.
''Oh~''
Eustace couldn''t help butpare the missions given by the ordinary people and those fellow Arcanists. The missions given by Arcanists were quite dangerous and required expertise in specific Arcane Paths. On the other hand, the ones given by the ordinary could easily be epted by most Arcanists in the 2nd or even just the 3rd ss.
As he continued checking the posted missions, he realized that many of them were rted to haunted houses. Then, one particr mission caught his eye.
Chapter 527 The Mission
Chapter 527 The Mission
The mission that captured Eustace''s attention happened to be another Haunted House Investigation but with an interesting twist.
The mission description highlighted that the victim had seemingly fallen victim to a malevolent spirit that had drained or extracted their life force.
The presence of this spirit suggested the possibility of a Whispering Wraith, a particrly formidable entity known for its ability to absorb human life force.
"A Whispering Wraith..." Eustace mused, his thoughts drifting back to his ss.
He was recalling his studies on the subject. The Whispering Wraith indeed possessed the ability to consume life energy, making it a formidable opponent.
''This might be a good start¡''
The allure of extracting the life force that the Wraith had stolen from its victim piqued his curiosity. He couldn''t help but wonder if he could confront this entity and reim the life energy it had taken.
With no explicit restrictions on epting the task, Eustace made up his mind and decided to take the mission paper.
However, as Eustace reached out to im the paper, a voice from behind him interrupted his actions. Startled, he turned to find a gentleman d in a trench coat and emanating the aroma of roasted chicken.
''Ugh¡ Why did I notice that? I''m probably getting hungry again.''
"Young man... That particr mission might prove to be quite challenging for a Summoner like yourself. Are you absolutely certain about epting it?" The gentleman cautioned, his toneced with concern.
Eustace offered a wry smile, surprised that his decision had garnered such attention. "Is there something I should be wary of with this mission?" He inquired, genuinely intrigued by the gentleman''s remarks.
The well-dressed man leaned closer, his voice lowered. "It''s not necessarily a problem, but considering you''re newly registered, it may be wise to wait. Perhaps the reward will increase, or more information about the mission wille to light, especially once the man who made a request dies... Patience can be a valuable asset in these situations." He advised with a hint of ''wisdom'' in his words.
Eustace pondered the gentleman''s advice, considering the possibilities.
"Why the caution for a mere Whispering Wraith? Even a dozen of them shouldn''t pose a significant challenge to a prepared Arcanist. Though, if there were truly a dozen, the person who posted the mission wouldn''t have stood a chance¡ So this might be just a lone wraith." Eustace murmured, his confidence remaining steadfast.
The gentleman nodded, acknowledging the truth in Eustace''s words. "You make a valid point. However, what if this mission is a trap set by a Necromancer on the run from the Holy Arts Faction? Surely, you''ve heard of the ongoing conflict between the two factions. It''s crucial to exercise caution when epting missions associated with Dark Arts in these times." The man said as if he knew more about the conflict between the two Factions.
Eustace''s frown deepened as he considered the gentleman''s words. The conflict between the Holy Arts Faction and the practitioners of Dark Arts was indeed a matter of great significance, and he could not afford to overlook the potential dangers lurking within the mission.
Though he was also a Dark Arts Practitioner, it doesn''t mean that he wouldn''t get attacked by other Dark Magicians.
"Thank you for your reminder, Sir¡ However, I will still ept this mission." Eustace replied as he took the piece of paper and proceeded to get theplete details of the mission from the Guild Attendant.
There, he learned the name of the person who had made a request. His name was Theodore, and the location of his house was at Locust Lane. It wasn''t that far from the hotel where he was staying at.
***
After epting the mission and receiving all the necessary details from the Guild Attendant, Eustace wasted no time in setting out to investigate the task at hand.
This would be his first encounter with a Whispering Wraith, so he was looking forward to this mission. He swiftly arrived at Locust Lane, easily identifying the house he needed to inspect after spreading his Magic Zone.
Thene itself bustled with various stalls. There are many shops like tailor shops, hatters, watchmakers and barbers.
Anyway, positioned in front of the targeted house was a cobbler''s stall. A middle-aged man, whom Eustace suspected to be Theodore, stood there, his gaze lost and filled with worry. It was evident that he felt helpless, as no one had yet epted his plea for assistance.
"Well, let''s see¡"
Eustace muttered to himself, before utilizing his Divine Sense to confirm the presence of any Dark Arts Practitioners or other Arcanists who might be involved with the Whispering Wraith.
"There''s none¡ That gentleman was really overreacting on this.
Satisfied with his findings, he approached Theodore.
"Are you Sir Theodore? I am from the Arcanist Guild and have epted your mission," Eustace dered, his voice carrying reassurance.
Theodore''s eyes lit up with hope upon hearing Eustace''s words.
His face brightened with relief as he immediately replied.
"Finally! My prayers have been answered! Sir, please purify my house!" He pleaded, his desperation was evident. He must have suffered a lot because of that wraith.
Eustace nodded, understanding the urgency of the situation.
"Of course, that is precisely why I am here. Please remain here while I inspect your house." He instructed, his gaze fixed on the haunted dwelling.
"Thank you! I will eagerly await good news!" Theodore expressed gratefully.
With those words, Eustace confidently stepped into the house.
However, Theodore couldn''t help but worry after seeing that Eustace didn''t seem to bring the ritual materials that could be used as a sacrifice to either speak with the spirit or send it away.
Nevertheless, he couldn''t help but feel impressed at Eustace''s calm demeanor despite the potential dangers thaty within.
***
Before entering, Eustace skillfully utilized his ESP Spell to conceal his aura as an Arcanist, ensuring that his presence would remain undetected.
His enchanted ne further aided in masking his magical energies.
As he stepped into the house, a wave of eerie sensation wrapped over him, confirming the immediate presence of the spirit suspected to be the Whispering Wraith.
Chapter 528 Wraith’s Mystery
Chapter 528 Wraith''s Mystery
The spirit''s appearance was unsettling, with a contorted visage resembling that of an elderly man, marked by deeply etched wrinkles.
It perched upon the ceiling, fixated on Eustace, and was emitting a ghastly gurgling sound.
Although it hadn''t yet employed its life-draining ability, its mere presence was undoubtedly enough to terrify the inhabitants of the house.
''How did hest here for several weeks?'' Eustace couldn''t help but be impressed by Theodore''s resilience, having endured the presence of this malevolent spirit for such an extended period.
It was fortunate that Theodore''s third eye remained closed, preventing him from witnessing the abomination that this wraith truly was.
After some thought, Eustace refrained from immediately attacking the lingering wraith, choosing instead to explore the house and understand why the creature had chosen to remain within these walls rather than seek out more victims.
''If you have the power to suck someone''s life, why would you stay here and not find other targets?'' Eustace mused as he felt curious about the creature''s decision to stay here instead of moving around.
After a thorough search, he silently identified an object that seemed to be tethered to the wraith''s presence.
It took him a few moments to locate the object due to the lingering traces of the wraith throughout the house.
Making his way to a nearby shelf adorned with an assortment of shoes, he spotted a pair of boots emitting a potent dark energy. If his intuition served him right, this wraith haunting the house was once the owner of these very boots¡ or connected to it when it was still alive.
After contemting his options, Eustace considered simply vanquishing the wraith and disposing of the boots. That would end his mission and he could return to the Arcanist Guild to get his reward.
However, after careful consideration, he decided to consult Theodore before taking any further action. Exiting the house, Eustace was greeted by Theodore''s wide-eyed gaze.
"You''re back? Is it finished?" Theodore asked with anticipation.
"Not yet¡" Eustace replied swiftly to Theodore''s inquiry. "However, I believe I have identified the source of the problem. It seems to be the pair of ck boots on the second row of your shelf. Can you tell me where you acquired them?" Eustace inquired. He simply wants to satisfy his curiosity. After all, the things he learned in the Academy weren''t as detailed as he expected.
He truly needs some real experiences to really understand the intricacies of the Arcane World.
Eustace was also in no rush, as he decided to take his time toplete the mission.
"Those boots?!"
Theodore was surprised upon hearing Eustace''s words, indicating that he had reached a realization. Silence enveloped them for a moment before Theodore spoke again.
"That was my son''s favorite..." Theodore''s voice trailed off as his gaze shifted towards the house, now filled with a different emotion. The worry had dissipated, reced by a nostalgic expression.
Eustace turned around, ready to take care of the wraith within the house.
"Alright, I will handle the wraith inside. As for the boots, I suggest burning them to prevent the attraction of any other spirits." He advised as he made his way back inside.
"W-Wait! Is there a chance that the wraith you mentioned is my son?" Theodore''s voice quivered as he reached out and grasped Eustace''s hands.
Eustace furrowed his brow, taken aback by the sudden question.
Although there''s a chance for that, it was already a wraith.
"I don''t think so..." Eustace responded after shaking his head.
"But... wait!" Theodore interjected. "Let me deal with it. Perhaps I can speak to his spirit!" He added.
Eustace paused, considering Theodore''s request.
This was a dangerous request since Theodore was already weak.
However, before he could refuse, Theodore continued.
"Let me sign it. I will sign the mission I posted aspleted. This way, whatever happens to me is no longer your fault."
Theodore said as he reached out his hand.
''I didn''t reallye here toplete the mission though¡ I came here for the wraith.'' Eustace thought since he was simply nning to extract that spirit.
Anyway, he still gave the paper to Theodore to have it signed, confirming that the mission waspleted.
With Eustace''s agreement, he allowed Theodore to enter the house, giving him a chance tomunicate with his "departed son."
"My son! Can you hear me?! I was wrong... I should''ve stayed with you at that time..."
Softly, Theodore spoke to the presence of his son, expressing regret and longing for the moments they had missed together.
Eustace felt a bit awkward listening to this since the wraith looked nothing like an adorable son to him. It seemed more like a deformed ancestor.
For more than 20 minutes, Theodore''s words filled the air, but Eustace keenly observed the situation.
Despite Theodore''s heartfelt pleas, the wraith remained indifferent, fixated on its eerie gurgling sounds.
Eustace realized that the spirit was not responding to Theodore''s presence, confirming his earlier suspicion.
Deciding that it was time to intervene, Eustace employed his Darkness Maniption Spell, skillfully binding the wraith and bringing it under his control. Without hesitation, he activated his System''s Extraction Ability.
[ Spiritual Being has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
Of course, Eustace extracted the Whispering Wraith, a malevolent entity that derived pleasure from slowly draining the life force of its victims.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +30, Vitality +1 Malevolent Essence +40?]
''Oh? Did I get a whole vitality from a single wraith? Isn''t this a bit too generous?'' Eustace mused.
After appreciating the result of his extraction, he turned his gaze back to the cobbler.
"That is enough, Mr. Theodore. The wraith has departed¡" Eustace informed Theodore, his tone firm yet reassuring.
"I rmend burning the boots, as they hold a dense dark energy."
Eustace didn''t wait for Theodore''s response, knowing that the task waspleted.
With a swift departure, he vanished from the house, leaving Theodore to process the events and find closure in his own time.
Chapter 529 Destruction
Chapter 529 Destruction
After returning to the Arcanist Guild, Eustace promptly presented the signed papers, effectivelypleting the mission.
The process was straightforward, and the Guild Attendant swiftly confirmed thepletion of the request and prepared the reward.
Although the modestpensation originated from a small-time cobbler, it still brought a sense of fulfillment to Eustace, providing insight into an alternative path as an Arcanist, distinct from the academic route he might have pursued at the Academy.
There are indeed many other jobs for Arcanists like him aside from the options that were mentioned to him in the Academy.
Eustace couldn''t help but smile after recalling those possible jobs: ult Consultant, Paranormal Investigator, Museum Curator or Artifact Expert, Ritual Designer or Event nner, Arcane Historian or Researcher, or even an Author or Teacher.
''Well, I guess I''m sort of a Paranormal Investigator when I ept these missions.'' Eustace mused as he waited for the Guild Attendant to process the reward.
Upon receiving the 2,000 zen reward, the Guild Attendant inquired.
"Are you nning to ept more missions like this one?"
"I will take a few more missions while I remain in the city. However, I''ll be doing some errands for now." Eustace responded with a smile.
Departing from the Guild House, Eustace noticed several Arcanists casting curious nces in his direction as he distanced himself from the area. He simply ignored their scrutiny since none of them were showing hostility. He could only think that they were interested in how a Summoner had aplished the cobbler''s mission.
Subsequently, Eustace proceeded to a secluded area in the eastern part of the city, where he found an abandoned house at its edge.
After carefully surveying the surroundings and ensuring its safety, he made the decision to summon his Moonlight Specter, directing its attention towards a nearby pir without hesitation.
Upon activating the spell, the ethereal entity materialized¡
Whoosh~
Then, without waiting for it toplete its form, Eustace swiftly checked his Spell Light, verifying that he could summon five of them before his Spell Light became depleted.
''That''s quite a lot of energy¡'' Eustace mused.
It waspletely unlike his Ghost Hands or Spectral Hands, which had low cooldown and low energy consumption. He could basically use those Spells every 5 to 8 minutes.
Soon, an icy aura enveloped the abandoned house, heralding the Moonlight Specter''s advance towards the targeted pir.
The Moonlight Specter''s appearance was both captivating and unsettling. It manifested as a translucent, humanoid figure with a shimmering, silvery glow.
Its form seemed to waver and shift as if it wereprised of liquid moonlight, and its piercing blue eyes exuded an otherworldly radiance. The creature moved with an eerie grace, leaving a faint trail of sparkling mist in its wake as it carried out Eustace''s bidding.
As the Moonlight Specter touched the pir, it didn''t seem to have any significant effect aside from the ckening of the pir as if it was burnt.
''So it''s no longer suitable to carry out simple tasks, unlike my Ghost Hands.'' Eustace mused as he realized that the Moonlight Specter was really an attack-type specter. Nevertheless, he didn''t think too much of it since the Mastery of his Darkness Maniption was already Level 8 and on the verge of breaking into Level 9.
It means that he could already control it, simr to his Ghost Hands. It could act like an extension of his hands, which could even be better than his Ghost Hands.
''I''ll just know how strong it is if I really fought against a strong opponent¡ª''
As Eustace reached this thought, he suddenly felt something off.
His heightened senses, sharpened by his ESP Spell, alerted him to an imminent threat.
In response, the very fabric of space around him contorted, suffusing the area with a distinct, holy aura!
It was unmistakable - someone had detected the dangerous, dark aura emanating from the Moonlight Specter and had set out to investigate the disturbance.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Eustace swiftly concealed his Grimoire, while instructing Yvaine to retrieve his Devil''s Mask and Devil''s Dagger, preparing for the inevitable confrontation.
With a sudden and unexpected emergence from the spatial distortion, the figure who tried to step out of the cracked space was met with a swift and forceful counterattack from Eustace.
Eustace unleashed his Celestial Art, the Call of the Divine Lightning!
It caused the once serene sky above the city to darken ominously. Subsequently, twin bolts of searing lightning descended, hurtling towards the abandoned house with unrelenting force!
Boom! Boom!
The resultant detonations echoed through the city, their thunderous reverberationsmanding the attention of the people in the city.
Startled onlookers emerged from their dwellings, their faces a mixture of awe, dread, and astonishment as they bore witness to the unparalleled spectacle unfolding before them.
"Is that the Heavenly Lightning I''ve heard so much about?"
"The city is being punished?"
"W-what''s going on? This is definitely not a natural phenomenon. It happened almost without any signs!"
"A failed ritual?"
"It must be¡ But something must''ve attracted the lightning, and it could be a¡ª"
"The Guild Leader has made an order to investigate the situation!"
"Hurry! A treasure must''ve been born in the ce!"
As soon as someone said the word "treasure," they suddenly recalled the legends about various things like rocks, nts, flowers, or even animals that would mutate and give legendary powers to the people who had imed it.
Though none of them could confirm whether these legends were true, they dared not miss this chance!
The Guild House was immediately emptied as everyone wanted to benefit from whatever they could see at the ce where the "Heavenly Lightning" hit.
However, amidst the chaos and destruction, Eustace waspelled to retreat from the cataclysmic aftermath. He was well aware of the consequences brought by such a disy of power.
"Mhmm?"
Eustace was taken aback as the holy aura, which had dissipated following the celestial lightning''s strike, resurged with even greater intensity, permeating the entire vicinity with an unmistakable power that far surpassed its prior manifestation.
Eustace''s face turned grave as he realized that he had met a really powerful Arcanist this time.
Before long, amidst the lingering smoke and debris, an aged voice resonated through the air¡
"Hoh~ It''s been a while since I got hit with such a strong Spell¡" The voice intoned, carrying with it an air of authority as his figure slowly approached Eustace.
Chapter 530 The Mysterious Priest
Chapter 530 The Mysterious Priest
The elderly gentleman was apparently undaunted by the formidable assault of the Divine Lightning.
He remainedposed while patting his robe, disying an unwavering calm that belied the sheer force he had just withstood.
Eustace, in turn, couldn''t help but take a deep breath. He knew that he himself would have struggled to emerge unscathed from such a powerful attack.
As the dissipating haze revealed the old man''s countenance, Eustace discerned that thetter either bore the impairment of blindness or deliberately concealed his eyes behind a dark blindfold.
''Where did this blind old mane from?'' Eustace mused as he remained vignt.
d in a ck robe adorned with intricate rune circles, and wielding a staff suggestive of a potent Runic Weapon, the old man exuded an unmistakable aura imbued with sanctity and power.
''A Runecaster with a Holy Aura?'' Eustace pondered, perplexed by the enigma presented before him.
Although he could perceive the radiance of the Holy Aura emanating from the old man, he remained uncertain whether it derived from yet another Rune Art or from the old man''s own power.
Eustace exercised caution and refrained from activating his Divine Sense. He was worried that the old man possessed a higher level of mastery of the Divine Sense.
If that was the case, the old man could easily detect his spell.
Nheless, he remained secure in the knowledge that his own Half-Celestial Physique would effectively thwart any attempt by the old man to probe his Divine Sense.
"Tell me, what do you want?" Eustace inquired, deliberately modting his voice with a touch of mystery through Voice Maniption Spell. Well, he was seeking to maintain an air of intrigue as he was portraying a different identity.
"Mhmm... You''re wearing the Devil''s Face, crafted by the Church of the Three Paragons¡ So, you are the Masked Devil Incarnate I''ve heard about? Intriguing..." The old man responded, evading Eustace''s question as he scrutinized the disguised young man even if he was blindfolded.
Frustrated by the old man''s evasiveness, Eustace resolved to take action.
With a deft gesture, he summoned two additional Moonlight Specters, bolstering his forces.
"Let''s see how strong you are."
Eustace thenmanded the spectral entities to attack the enigmatic figure before him.
Whoosh~
As his?Moonlight Specters surged forward, the old man swiftly raised his staff, unleashing a torrent of holy energy, forming a protective barrier around him.
''A Priest using a Runic Weapon?'' Eustace mused as he realized the true path of the old man from the sh.
The Specters'' ethereal forms collided with the barrier, but the barrier held firm, repelling the spectral assants effortlessly.
Crash~ Crash~
The Moonlight Specters didn''t give up as they continued expanding their energy of corruption.
"I finally recalled these entities. They''re Moonlight Specters. It''s a a Fusion of Three Advanced Realm Dark Spells. So you''re really Dark Magician imitating a different Arcane Path with that Lightning?" The old man muttered.
Eustace ignored the enemy''s words as hemanded the Specters to regroup, their haunting wails reverberating through the air as they prepared for another assault.
Meanwhile, the old man, his blindfold now undting with a faint, otherworldly glow, seemed to be invoking aplex incantation, the runes on his staff pulsating with an ominous radiance.
As the Specters lunged once more, the old man''s staff erupted with a blinding burst of light, propelling a wave of energy that rent the spectral entities asunder, dissipating them into nothingness.
''So strong?!''
Eustace gritted his teeth, as he didn''t expect that those Specters would be killed so easily.
Nevertheless, he still found an opportunity from this sh.
He focused on his target as he triggered his Darkness Maniption.
Dark tendrils snaked forth from his outstretched hand, ensnaring the old man in an inky embrace. The old man, momentarily caught off guard, struggled against the binding darkness, but Eustace immediately triggered his Extraction System.
Eustace, his heart pounding, sought to capitalize on the fleeting advantage he had gained. However, something unexpected happened.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Failed ]
"W-what?!" Eustace was confused as his Extraction System would never fail him unless his target had already been extracted.
However, he had certainly never extracted this elder!
As Eustace grappled with his bewilderment over the unexpected turn of events, the old man reemerged behind him, catching him off guard.
"My clone was obliterated by those dark tendrils just from being touched... That''s quite a dangerous move, young man." The old man remarked, leaving Eustace momentarily startled.
Then, just as the old man reached out toy a hand on Eustace''s shoulder, a female Dark Spirit materialized from Eustace''s shadow, swiftly swatting the old man''s hand away with a resounding p.
Pah!
The force of the blow sent the old man stumbling backward, allowing Eustace the opportunity to create some distance between them.
Despite his formidable physique and current strength, Eustace was rmed at the old man''s palm strike. It was evident that the old man possessed a technique or spell that posed a genuine threat to his life.
In the meantime, the enemy was simrly startled.
"A spirit unaffected by Holy Aura? A Dark Spirit?" The old man mused, visibly taken aback. He had been convinced of his imminent victory and had intended to interrogate the Masked Devil Incarnate.
He was already nning to remove the mask and see the man''s face.
However, the sudden appearance of the Dark Spirit had thrown him off bnce. ording to his knowledge, Dark Spirits were bound solely to the Vermont Family, renowned for their unparalleled mastery of spirit maniption, far surpassing the Featherstar Family in this regard.
Fascinated by the unexpected revtion, the old man couldn''t help but ponder.
"Interesting... So, the Masked Devil Incarnate is most likely from the Vermont Family¡ This is a huge discovery. You appear so youthful... not even 30 years old, yet youmand a potent Dark Spirit without losing your sanity. I can''t think of another reason aside from being a descendant of the Vermont Family."
Chapter 531 Safer Place
Chapter 531 Safer ce
Eustace heard the old man''s words, but he casually brushed it off.
Instead, he focused on strategizing the most effective spell to use in the impending confrontation. He was contemting using his potent Aurora''s Beam and assorted spellbinations.
However, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Yvaine''s urgent reminder of the encroaching Arcanists from the city''s central district.
''Right¡ I don''t have much time¡''
With a resigned sigh, Eustace acknowledged the need to depart.
"We shall settle this another day. By the way, what should I call you, old man?" Eustace inquired, extending an offer of a future encounter.
The old gentleman, momentarily amused, sneered dismissively in response.
"My name is of no consequence. Know only that you stand before an Archbishop of the Church of the Fortune Goddess." He dered, his toneden with the aura of holiness.
As he spoke, the Archbishop''s staff disintegrated into a cascade of luminous particles, coalescing to form an expansive dome that dwarfed the ck spheres or domes employed by the Vessels in previous encounters.
"Now, you have nowhere to run." The Archbishop proimed with full confidence.
Eustace surveyed the imposing barrier with a nod of acknowledgment. He could tell that this was indeed stronger than the ck Dome he had seen before. It was probably due to the Artifact that the old man used as a sacrifice.
"Alright¡ Let me attempt to breach it¡" He murmured, shifting his gaze to Yvaine. "Keep the old man upied."
With a nod of understanding, Yvaine unleashed a relentless assault, conjuring a myriad of darkness-forged des aimed at the Archbishop.
Meanwhile, Eustace harnessed his divinity points once more, invoking the formidable power of his Aurora''s Embrace.
As the Celestial Art unfurled, an ethereal spectacle unfolded, as countless luminous strands merged into a singr focal point before being unleashed upon the barrier.
Although the Archbishop was dealing with the Dark des conjured by Yvaine, he didn''t fail to notice the strange phenomenon that the Masked Devil Incarnate triggered.
''Strange¡ I''m starting to doubt whether this person is really from the Vermont Family. Did I make a mistake? How could he use such a powerful spell without incantation or sacrifice?'' The Archbishop frowned as he knew that gathering such a powerful Arcane Energy shouldn''t be so quick!
The Masked Devil Incarnate had easily summoned such a power in less than 5 seconds!
Boom!
As the Archbishop struck his palm to dissipate the Dark des aimed at him, a resounding explosion reverberated as the Celestial Art collided with the barrier, sending shockwaves rippling through the dome.
''It resisted¡''
The Archbishop silently thought after seeing the dome''s resilience against the enemy''s assault.
However, it was just a momentary relief, as the Masked Devil Incarnate swiftly soared toward the dome''s edge, catching the old man off guard with his astonishing speed and agility.
"What''s with that Spell?!"
The incredible eleration rate of the Masked Devil''s movement technique left the old man scarcely able to react in time.
"Such remarkable agility¡ªis it really a movement spell? No, it must be a Sovereign Artifact!" He pondered aloud while backing away as he sought to gain some distance from the Dark Spirit''s attacks.
His vexation mounted as he grappled not only with the enigmatic Masked Devil, but also with the annoying Dark Spirit, who was impervious to his Holy Aura.
Furthermore, this female spirit was using disconcerting, ghost-like movements that could never be copied by humans.
The Dark Spirit was unpredictable as it used a shifting movement that could even pass through obstacles. He had wasted four Spells already!
Frustrated by the entity''s elusiveness, the old man considered the prospect of unleashing a formidable burst of his Holy Energy to subdue it. It was the Sacred Burst Spell that could target arge area.
However, he hesitated, deeming it an excessive expenditure of his Holy Aura for a solitary Dark Spirit.
There would be too much Holy Energy that would hit nothing but air with that spell.
Amidst the internal deliberation on which one of the 16 Spells he could use, an explosion resounded through the air, followed by the shattering sound of the dome!
Boom!
Upon witnessing the dome''s shattering, the Archbishop swiftly realized that apprehending the Masked Devil Incarnate would prove to be an arduous task.
The astonishing flying speed he had just witnessed a while ago far surpassed his own ability. Unlike Eustace''s remarkable flying spell, it was only allowed for limited mobility within a confined area.
''I should have brought those two¡''
Regret tinged the Archbishop''s ruminations as hemented not having brought his acolytes along. However, he recalled how he had hastened to the scene upon sensing the potent aura unleashed by the Moonlight Specters¡ He really didn''t have the time to take them.
Well, his initial belief was that the aura released by the Specters came from the Demonic Beings that the Cult, or the disruptive Order of Fatality, had summoned.
Whoosh~
True to his expectations, the Masked Devil Incarnate swiftly vanished into the sky, leaving no discernible traces of his aura in his wake.
Even the enigmatic Dark Spirit had vanished without a trace. Despite the Archbishop''s efforts to extend his Divine Sense in search of residual arcane energies, his endeavors proved futile, yielding no tangible leads.
"Such a cautious individual¡" He muttered as his gaze shifted to the Arcanists who had just arrived.
These people have seen a small figure vanishing into the sky. It was so quick that they thought it was a cannonball for a moment.
"Sir, was that man yourpanion? Can you tell us what treasure you''ve taken from here?" An Elementalist among the group asked the old man bravely.
However, another person behind him held his shoulder.
This person was an emunicated priest and immediately recognized the Archbishop.
"That''s enough. That man is an Archbishop of the Church of the Fortune Goddess¡ Let''s not get involved in this. He must be exorcising some evil entity and caused the descent of the Heavenly Lightning."
The Archbishop simply smiled as soon as he heard this and silently walked to the city.
***
While Eustace soared away, a figure swiftly closed the distance and caught up to him¡ªa blue-haireddy, none other than Constance.
"Hey! Why are you leaving without me?" Constance queried, her toneced with curiosity and concern.
"Did you not sense me fighting against a monster? That city is dangerous. I have to find a safer ce," Eustace responded, casting a gaze upon Constance.
This mysterious person was also difficult to sense. It was only thanks to the divinity that he shared that he was barely able to sense her.
"Then let''s go back to the city! It''s a better hiding ce! They shouldn''t think that you''ve returned to that ce!"
Chapter 532 The City’s Problem
Chapter 532 The City''s Problem
Marcus Bramer, a middle-aged man with a lean physique and long brown hair, had been on the trail of the Crimson Imp, which had been spotted in a neighboring city. The 10th squad of the Order of the Prime Wiseman, to which he belonged, suspected that the creature had fled to a nearby city or town.
Being a new member of the squad, Marcus felt the task was challenging as his expertisey in creating defensive Rune Arts rather than in tracking elusive beings like the Crimson Imp.
Upon entering the next city on his search, Marcus witnessed an unexpected event: two heavenly lightning bolts struck the other side of the city, clearly not a natural urrence. Intrigued, he followed a group of Arcanists who were converging on the scene.
He realized that these people were actually hoping to seize whatever opportunity the cause of the lightning might present.
''There''s no way they''d gain something from this aside from trouble¡ They weren''t even moving in stealth'' Marcus mused.
Upon arriving, he was once again shocked to discover that the Archbishop of the Church had failed to capture a criminal. He didn''t expect to see something like that at all.
While the others present were unaware of what had transpired, Marcus, as a genius member of the Prime Wisemen, possessed techniques that allowed him to interpret the battle that had taken ce based on the destruction in the environment.
As Marcus observed the Archbishop entering the city, he concluded that the Crimson Imp would not likely appear with the Archbishop in the vicinity.
nning to discreetly leave the city, Marcus was interrupted when someone grabbed his shoulder. Startled, Marcus frowned as his Runic Robe was triggered.
"What do you want?" Marcus immediately asked.
"I apologized for stopping you, Sir... I''m Theodore, I felt something powerful in your body, so I think that you''re good enough."
The individual introduced himself so calmly that Marcus thought he was a friend.
However, before Marcus could react, he felt the life force draining from his body, his surroundings fading as darkness enveloped him. There were also a few more invisible attacks that made him incapable of resisting.
"Y-you! What are you doing?!"
As Marcus struggled to maintain consciousness, he desperately sought a way to counter Theodore''s draining effect. With his remaining strength, he attempted to ess the defensive Rune Arts he had developed, hoping they would shield him from Theodore''s sinister power.
However, the draining sensation persisted, overwhelming his attempts to resist.
The Rune Arts was only halfpleted! It was toote!
Marcus gritted his teeth as he triggered his healing-type Runic Item to survive longer. It was a ne that he had been wearing in case of these kinds of situations.
However, Marcus already found himself being dragged to a secluded area!
''Not good¡ I have to survive here!" Marcus shouted in his mind as he felt that he was about to die.
Just when Marcus thought he could hold on no longer, a surge of energy coursed through him, pushing back against Theodore''s draining force.
Gasping for breath, Marcus opened his eyes to find a faint, silvery light emanating from his body, repelling Theodore''s grip.
''It was the Prime Wisemen''s Protection Rune! I survived!" Marcus, although physically weak at the moment, celebrated as he realized what had happened. He wasn''t abandoned by the Order of the Prime Wisemen!
Yet, Marcus'' sense of relief was short-lived.
He believed in the protection offered by the mark on his body, he believed it would shield him for an extended period, only to have it swiftly drained.
"You! Why are you doing this to me?!" Marcus eximed in horror, unable to discern the intentions of his assant. The moment he was grabbed on his shoulder, his Energy Flow actually became miserable.
The next events had unfolded rapidly, leaving Marcus disoriented and vulnerable. Sensing his energy dwindling rapidly, Marcus copsed to the ground, his consciousness slipping away. In his fading awareness, the only recollection he retained of his assant was the sinister footwear the individual wore.
The shoes exuded a dark aura, appearing almost animate in their malevolence.
"I require a substantial amount more of that energy... I must exert myself further to revive my son¡" Theodore muttered as he drained the life force from histest victim.
His method was precise, leaving his targets weakened and powerless, yet not quite enough to end their lives.
With each extraction, Theodore''s ominous objective became increasingly apparent.
"I must thank that young Arcanist before¡ Perhaps draining his life will be the best way to express my gratitude..." Theodore said with a chuckle.
Determined to achieve his malevolent purpose, he ventured deeper into the city, seeking out individuals from whom he could extract the vital energy needed to fulfill his dark ambitions.
As Theodore prowled the streets, his eyes gleamed with unsettling intensity, his gaze fixated on those unsuspecting souls who crossed his path.
He didn''t care about the possibility of being found out by the Archbishop at all.
With calcted precision, he approached each target, his sinister shoes pulsating with an eerie aura as he initiated the draining process by grabbing their throats.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three bodies were soon thrown to the ground, and their fate was unknown.
The city, once teeming with vitality, now bore witness to a silent epidemic as Theodore''s relentless pursuit of life force unfolded.
Unbeknownst to its inhabitants, a malevolent force roamed among them, preying upon their essence to fuel a sinister agenda.
"Kekeke¡"
Theodores'' actions continue for two more days. The effects of his actions soon became noticeable, casting a shadow of destion over the once vibrant city.
With each use of his life-drain spell, Theodore could feel how much he was getting closer to the energy he needed to "revive" his son.
Although a tiny part of him was still feeling guilty and sorry for the targets he extracted, he didn''t have ns of giving up.
As the encroaching darkness enveloped the city, Theodore''s relentless quest for life force plunged its once bustling streets into chaos¡
Chapter 533 Familiar Face
Chapter 533 Familiar Face
The following morning, news of additional individuals falling victim to the life-draining entity continued, prompting a surge of rm throughout the city.
Reports of new victims, both Arcanists and ordinary people, had surfaced. It was apanied by a substantial increase in the reward for capturing the elusive perpetrator.
The once-exclusive concern of the Arcanist Guild expanded to epass all the city''s forces, involving the churches and various factions, galvanizing a unified effort to apprehend the enigmatic entity.
"How has this unknown being eluded capture for so long? We boast a considerable number of Arcanists, with significant branches established here." Remarked by one concerned individual in the tavern, voicing the growing frustration.
"It''s truly vexing. It seems our resources were insufficient. Perhaps this entity aligns with the malevolent entities chronicled by the church¡" Spected by another, attributing the challenge to the sinister nature of the threat.
"Demons? I don''t think so."
"Hmph! Regardless of its nature, these organizations have proven unreliable. They''re taking too much time to capture the culprit! It is the ordinary people who suffer most." Lamented by a disillusioned onlooker, highlighting the pervasive impact on the popce.
"No... I believe that several Arcanists have also been targeted. This one might be strong, and maybe even the Torrent Squad will fail to capture this demon. The city has be perilous, perhaps we should consider leaving the city for a while." Another guy chimed in, underscoring the escting danger.
They were a group of individuals gathered in a nearby tavern, exchanging ounts of the recent events unfolding within the city.
Not far from their midst, a man and a woman eavesdropped on their conversation, contemting the unfolding chaos.
"Eustace... Are you not considering epting this mission?" Constance inquired, acknowledging Eustace''s exceptional capabilities and the urgent need for decisive action.
"There''s no need to hurry. The Archbishop is still in the city. There must be something wrong with this incident, so he''s not making a move. It might even be a trap or something. Let''s wait for a few more days. I''ll observe the situation a bit more¡ But if we encounter it, we should apprehend it and deliver it to the authorities," Eustace responded as he also liked to get the reward on this mission, he certainly wouldn''t give up free money.
After a while, the two of them decided to stroll around the town to ascertain the impact that this life-draining entity had made on the city.
As they walked among the crowds, Constance suddenly spoke up.
"Hey¡ Eustace, don''t you think you''re too dumb¨CSorry, I mean, you''re not fully utilizing the potential of your celestial physique and divinity. You may be only a half-celestial, but that should still give you an edge over any peak-grade Physique you can encounter here." She said in a frank manner.
Eustace was slightly taken aback by her blunt words, but he also admired her honesty. He quickly asked her.
"Right¡ It''s a good thing you reminded me. You should help me now. Do you have any idea how to use my physique properly?" Eustace asked.
"Well, I''m not an expert, but I do know some tricks since peak-grade Physiques were also hard to master." Constance revealed.
Eustace smiled warmly at her, as this was one of the reasons he liked this woman. She had a lot of useful knowledge. She may not be well-versed in modern knowledge, spells, or techniques, but her Ancient Knowledge could be very valuable.
"Ahem¡" Constance coughed lightly as she showed him a familiar crystal in her hands. It was the same crystal that could store divinity points.
"Fine¡ I''ll pay you with divinity points, but we have to find some Immortal Items someday." Eustace said as he took the crystal.
"Immortal Items? Sure¡ We can search for them more efficiently once you learn how to harness your Divinity. It''s also better to learn how to use your physique before you consume that dangerous potion of yours." Constance replied.
Eustace nodded at this as he looked at the system''s notification.
[ Do you want to store your Divinity Points to the Divine Crystal? ]
''Yes¡''
[ Are you sure you want to transfer 20 Divinity Points? ]
''Yes.''
As soon as he confirmed thest message, he soon felt the 20 Divinity Point disappearing from his body.
It wasn''t much since he still had about 600 points.
The transfer went smoothly, and no one in the crowd had even noticed what they were doing. It was probably because of how Constance suppressed the fluctuation of energy as well.
''I really have to learn how she''s doing it.'' Eustace mused. He could only hope that it would not take that long to learn her technique.
After he gave the crystal to her, the pair contemted finding amodation so Constance could start teaching him.
Eustace intended to seek a rmendation from the guild attendant, as they would likely know a suitable ce for Arcanists like them.
However, their ns were interrupted by the sound of a woman''s scream not far from their location. The people on the streets became highly alert, their attention drawn to the source of themotion¡ªa small inn. Spections arose among the bystanders.
"Did the demon strike again?" One person pondered.
"Probably... But isn''t it a bit too early? I heard it should only be active during the night."
"Maybe it''s getting restless..."
As the crowd murmured, a man eximed, "Look! That''s the Torrent Squad! They''re the five strongest Arcanists in the city! This nightmare is finally about to end!"
Upon catching sight of the Torrent Squad, Eustace''s attention was quickly drawn to a small figure among them.
"What is she doing here?" Eustace was taken aback as he recognized a familiar face. The woman had striking ck and partially white hair, and her pallidplexion was unmistakable.
It was none other than Denise, who should have been on her way back to Heinz at that very moment!
''You''ve only been away for a few weeks, and you''re already part of the strongest Arcanists Squad in the city?''
Chapter 534 The Torrent Squad
Chapter 534 The Torrent Squad
Denise was oblivious to Eustace''s reaction. Her attention was fully absorbed by her team''s mission: capturing the culprit responsible for sowing fear throughout the city.
While the victims were not being killed, they were left in a debilitated state, requiring costly Arcanist''s Potions for recovery. These potent remedies were beyond the means of most ordinary citizens, and without prompt treatment, the victims faced the grim prospect of enduring permanent disabilities or even dying in the end.
Whoosh~
As the Torrent Squad burst into the inn, they quickly realized they were toote; another victim had fallen prey to the malevolent entity.
To their astonishment, ording to the maid, the victim turned out to be an Arcanist from the Rune Arts Faction, a fact they easily confirmed after checking his belongings.
They noticed that the room had several protections made by the Rune Arts but it was easily broken by the culprit, not even giving a chance for the victim to escape.
''How did the culprit do it?''
Leonel, the stalwart leader of the squad, wasted no time and swiftly deployed several talismans inscribed with Oardic words that emphasized inspection and search.
Before long, these mystical symbols led him to crucial clues within the room, prompting him to deftly coordinate his findings with his team.
''Dark Elements? So we''re dealing with Dark Magician? Wait¡ The Dark Energy feels too sinister. Perhaps it''s a Demonic Being¡'' Leonel mused as he looked around.
Meanwhile, Denise, ever vignt, confirmed the lingering presence of a strange entity within the room¡ªthe enemy had not departed yet!
She immediately informed the leader about it.
"Thorne! Release the barrier!" Leonel''s authoritativemand spurred hisrade into action as they prepared to confront the entity within the confined space.
"ra! Send out the maid!" He continued, swiftly issuing orders to his team.
The surroundings fluctuated with energy as a protective wind barrier materialized, and the maid was promptly evacuated from the scene.
"You have 3 minutes!" Thorne, a defensive-type Elementalist, dered to the team, setting the countdown in motion.
Soon, a shrouded figure, seemingly cloaked in fabric woven from dark energy, materialized before them, exuding an overwhelming dark pulse that piqued the Torrent Squad''s curiosity.
They have seen many scary entities that came from other realms or were summoned by other Arcanists. What they were curious about was how the entity had managed to suppress its aura moments earlier.
Nevertheless, their surprise didn''tst long as they promptly sprung into action.
They needed to capture or eliminate the culprit!
There was no need for conversation at this point! Anyway, whatever this creature would tell them, it must still answer for its crimes, and their squad was determined to im the reward that was arranged by the Guild.
Flick¡
A barrage of high-level talismans hurtled through the air, each aimed at neutralizing the threat.
"Purification!" Leonel bellowed, pping his hands to activate the six talismans he had thrown, while hisrades swiftly executed their own techniques.
These six talismans were all the Purification Talismans that he had. In the first ce, he was not a Holy Arts Practitioner. Furthermore, this type of talisman was actually more expensive than the elemental and summoning talismans.
To get these talismans, you needed to donate a certain amount to the church before even getting a chance to purchase these talismans for a steep price.
Nevertheless, Leonel didn''t bat an eye as he used all the talismans without hesitation.
"Sun Eyes!"
As soon as the Purification was triggered, one of the offensive-type Elementalists joined in. His eyes ignited with a fiery red glow apanied by a searing noise as if he sought to sear the target with his gaze.
Thisbination was typically devastating against foes with an affinity for darkness, yet the squad remained vignt, knowing that their opponent likely had more tricks up its sleeve.
"Careful!"
As anticipated, the enigmatic figure absorbed the onught of attacks without so much as a flinch, effortlessly neutralizing the talismans and redirecting the elemental assault with a mere gesture of its hands.
It was an incredible show of might!
"Why are you attacking me?!" The being that they thought was a mad creature suddenly spoke as if he was the one being wronged!
"Don''t bother listening to him! An evil spirit has probably possessed its body! The man should be dead by now. Don''t hesitate!" Leonel shouted.
Several Spells from Elemental Arts and Mystic Arts were thrown.
As for Denise, she was waiting for an opportunity to strike¡ This was the reason why Leonel didn''t lose hope after seeing his Talismans became useless.
Their Torrent Squad still had Denise on their side!
Whom~
Arge wave of dark energy countered all their spells! They couldn''t understand how their Spells were seemingly being thrown into a void, and the creature''s aura kept getting stronger!
However, Leonel and his members tirelessly deployed a myriad of spells in an attempt to create an opening for Denise to deliver a decisive blow. They didn''t care how the creature was dealing with their attacks!
To their dismay, the enigmatic adversary remained unyielding, encased in a shroud of dark energy that rendered him impervious to their lower-level spells.
They couldn''t give the opening that Denise needed.
Frustration etched across Leonel''s face as he came to terms with the reality that their mid-grade Intermediate Realm spells were ineffective against the imprable barrier that cloaked their foe.
"It seems that only high-grade Intermediate Realm Spells and above could possibly prate this creature''s defenses." He begrudgingly conceded, recognizing the daunting challenge thaty before them.
He could only look at Denise as they continued to back away from the approaching creature.
He ced his unwavering trust in their newest recruit, Denise.
Despite being an Alchemist, often underestimated inbat scenarios, he harbored no doubts about her capabilities.
With their n set in motion, he remained steadfast in his belief that she held the key to turning the tide in their favor.
Denise lived up to the squad''s expectations as she meticulouslypleted her preparations and discerned the opportune moment tounch her assault.
Signaling her teammates to cease their attacks, she heeded the counsel of Lotus, her enigmatic Dark Spirit, who unveiled the truth behind the entity''s resilience¡ªit was bolstering its strength by absorbing their onught!
Though the specifics eluded Denise amid the chaos, Lotus mentioned that the entity was linked to a malevolent being known as Gluttony. It was currently inhabiting the middle-aged man.
Undeterred by this revtion, Denise focused on the solution presented by Lotus¡ªtargeting the shoes worn by the possessed host, the entity''s sole vulnerability.
Following Lotus''s guidance, Denise deftly wielded the artifact bestowed upon her by Heinz.
Chapter 535 Arrival
Chapter 535 Arrival
The mystical artifact bestowed upon Denise by Heinz was an exquisite bell, a wondrous creation that transcended the boundaries of normal Arcane Craftsmanship.
Adorned with intricate patterns and sigils, the bell emitted a soft, resonant chime that seemed to echo with the whispers of ghosts.
Its surface was embellished with shimmering runes, each imbued with an arcane essence that pulsed with a gentle, ethereal light.
It was definitely an item that wasn''t simply made by a Dark Alchemist. It was made in coboration with a Runecaster!
It seemed to be forged using a unique metal, as the bell possessed a captivating luster.
As Denise held the bell in her hands, she sensed a profound connection to its mystical power.
''I can do this¡'' Denise thought to herself.
The bell''s enchantments were crafted to resonate with the essence of malign entities. Its melodic tones are capable of piercing through the dark shroud that veiled their presence.
Its purpose was clear: to disrupt and dispel the influence of malevolence, making it vulnerable to Yvaine''s attack.
Cling~ Cling~ Cling~
As the melodic tones of the bell reverberated through the air, the entity Lotus suspected as Gluttony faltered, its form quivering as if assailed by an unseen force.
The oppressive shroud of darkness that enshrouded the creature began to dissipate, unraveling like tattered fabric caught in a gale.
"Oh~ This bell¡" The creature spoke as he looked at the bell that Denise was holding¡
Crack!
Just one look and the bell was already about to break!
"Hurry!" Denise shouted as she was worried that the bell would immediately shatter!
Seizing the opportune moment, Lotus surged forward, its incorporeal form coalescing into a radiant cascade of spectral energy.
Whoom~
Lotus unleashed a torrent of ethereal tendrils that ensnared the entity, binding it in a luminous embrace that seared through its malevolent essence.
If Vale had seen this, he would certainly have realized how Lotus had gotten a lot strongerpared to thest time they were together.
"Kekeke! Binding me? Are Dark Spirits already this weak? Where''s your Soul Crush and Death''s Eyes?" The man spoke once again as he allowed himself to be bound.
Although Lotus''s spell was incredibly strong, the type of Spell she could release was still limited in the mortal world.
Nevertheless, the entity, which was too confident, was soon covered entirely. It then writhed and contorted inside the dark bindings in an attempt to escape.
Denise didn''t have to guide Lotus at all as the Dark Spirit increased the intensity of its attacks!
''This Gluttony could also absorb energy¡ He also knows about the Dark Spirits as it seems. But did he forget that the Dark Spirit can also absorb energy?'' Denise mused as she watched Lotus start with her "extraction" of energy.
As the absorption of energy started, the possessed man didn''t just stay and wait for his death.
A luminous energy started to spread, enveloping the entity''s body from within the bindings.
A pulsed with an iridescent brilliance surged, casting a radiant glow that banished the lingering shadows that were summoned by Lotus!
Then, Denise and her team witness the true form of Gluttony!
Gluttony''s figure began to emerge as the bindings that Lotus made started stretching until it could no longer hold the creature!
From Denise''s observation, the transformationmenced at the entity''s feet, where its once ordinary shoes underwent a grotesque metamorphosis. The leather warped and contorted, twisting into gnarled appendages that seemed to writhe and pulse with an unsettling vitality.
Sinister tendrils extended from the malformed footwear, coiling and undting like serpents of shadow.
"W-what going on?" Leonel, the squad leader, couldn''t help but step back as he realized how Denise had even failed to capture the enemy.
"We have to wait for the Church''s Order¡ They should being here."
"Back away! Fire all the spells you can to interrupt him!" Thorne added as he considered removing the wind barrier to help his teammates in their assault.
However, the malevolent energy being released was too strong!
If he released the barrier, the innocent bystanders outside would be affected. They had to at least wait for the police''s Formation Circle to ensure the safety of the others.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several Elemental Spells were thrown as the Gluttony waspleting its transformation. However, they were all destroyed by the wave of malevolent energy before even hitting their target.
The Gluttony''s transformation continued, causing its clothing to disintegrate into smoky wisps that dissipated into the air.
From beneath the tattered remnants, the entity''s true visage emerged. Gluttony''s form contorted and shifted, its features distorting into a nightmarish semnce that defied mortalprehension.
Perhaps their Squad was too weak, so they weren''t able to properly see the face of their enemy.
The entity''s once humanoid silhouette elongated and contorted, its limbs twisting into grotesque shapes as if shaped by the very essence of darkness itself.
From its formless core, tendrils of shadow extended outward, entwining with the dark spirit''s energy that bound it.
As the transformation reached its end, Gluttony''s entire being became a maelstrom of writhing shadows and ethereal luminescence.
Its once imposing figure now bore the manifestations of its malevolence, a testament to the depths of its unfathomable nature.
If Vale was here, he would easily realize that it had some semnce with the entity that was summoned by the Order of Fatality in Roaring City!
"Not good¡"
"This creature is out of our league, Leader!"
"We must leave now! Denise, do not let your Dark Spirit get killed. We''ll be using our Artifacts to escape!"
The Torrent Squad, witnessing the remarkable turn of events, rallied behind Denise and Lotus.
As they were nning their escape, two figures suddenly appeared before them.
Crash¡
Their arrival shattered the protective wind barrier that Thorne had erected. Concern gripped them as they feared for the safety of the unsuspecting civilians beyond the barrier''s confines.
However, to their astonishment, the malevolent energies emanating from the entity remained contained despite the barrier''s breach at the hands of the enigmatic neers.
"We''ll take it from here." Eustace dered as he fixed his gaze upon the malevolent entity that loomed before him.
Chapter 536 Lesson
Chapter 536 Lesson
The Torrent Squad, under the leadership of Leonel, was initially confused by the sudden event, but soon discerned what was happening.
"Which Faction''s Order do you represent?" Leonel inquired, his tone was concerned for the two.
"This creature possesses the ability to absorb energy, so exercise caution. Anything less than a Tier 2 peak-grade Intermediate Realm Spell won''t have any effect on it." He added, issuing a solemn reminder to the couple while gesturing for his team to withdraw.
Despite their formidable reputation as the city''s preeminent squad, they harbored a keen awareness of the existence of official Arcanists whose prowess surpassed their own. With the arrival of these mysterious individuals, Leonel recognized the need to yield the field.
In response, Eustace wordlessly disyed the Summoning Book sped in his hands, conveying a contrived message to Leonel, who astutely interpreted the gesture and promptly led his team away from the scene.
Meanwhile, Denise narrowed her eyes as she observed Eustace''s figure.
A sense of familiarity washed over her as she caught Lotus scrutinizing the enigmatic man intently.
Nevertheless, despite the inexplicable connection she felt with him, Denise chose to depart with her team, allowing the two neers the opportunity to confront Gluttony.
***
As the Torrent Squad made their exit, the confrontation between Eustace and Gluttony erupted in immediately.
Eustace unfurled his Grimoire, indicating an imminent summoning, only to invoke instead the Spell he had extracted from Aersus - the Dragon''s Water Domain Spell.
This formidable spell was more than a mere means of manipting water, serving also to establish his dominion over the battlefield, granting him enhanced efficacy in wielding a diverse array of Spells and Arcane Arts within his newly imed territory.
Empowered by this advantage, Eustace anticipated a more favorable engagement with his adversary.
Subsequently, he unleashed the Fusion Spell, Moonlight Specter, further showcasing his formidable prowess.
The Moonlight Specter was meant to gauge the strength of the Gluttony, so when it was immediately absorbed by the Gluttony''s embrace before it could even show its full might, Eustace didn''t mind it.
''I expected it to die, but that wa s still quite quick¡ This creature is amazing.'' Eustacemented.
"Keke! You''re using Spells from different paths... and that draconic essence you''re oozing out. Interesting! So I''m dealing with a descendant of the Dragon!" The entity, identified by Yvaine as Gluttony, spoke with augh.
Eustace responded with a wry smile as he contemted the creature''s words.
"Descendant of the Dragon?" Eustace smirked.
''This entity seemed like an idiot. I should''ve used my Stormbringer instead.'' Eustace mused as he realized how the entity was still incapable of sensing his Half-Celestial Physique. Well, it can be considered a legendary physique even though it was only partial, so it shouldn''t be that surprising.
Nevertheless,pared to the previous powerful Arcanists and Creatures he encountered, this entity shouldn''t be at the top in terms of strength.
''The only challenge with this Gluttony is its formidable power of absorption. I wonder whose power will prevail, my Extraction System or its overwhelming absorption abilities?'' Eustace pondered as he looked at Gluttony.
Both of them wielded abilities of equivalent potency - Eustace possessed the Extraction System, while Gluttony harnessed the formidable power of Consumption or Absorption.
"Hahaha! If you''re not, then prove me wrong¡ Or you''ll just disappear like your Specter!"
Gluttony said as he made a brazen attempt to absorb Eustace''s energy.
"Give me everything you have!" Gluttony dered as he eyed Eustace''s power as a Descendant of the Dragon and Practitioner of Dark Arts.
"Fine¡ Let''s see who will sumb." Simultaneously, Eustace deftly activated his Darkness Maniption and triggered his Extraction System, striving to counteract Gluttony''s power.
Gluttony was momentarily surprised as he realized that he hadn''t immediately absorbed the energy that wasing out of Eustace.
After all, he had never failed to extract arcane energy and life force ever since he possessed Theodore.
"Interesting¡ If this is all you''ve got, then you two will be my food for today!" Gluttony shouted as the intensity of his absorption heightened.
In the meantime, Constance just smiled after hearing his words as she continued holding the Divine Crystal in her hands and using it to empower that untraceable barrier she had made to suppress the Gluttony''s aura.
As for Eustace, he was amazed by how his Divine Extraction System was acting!
The extraction was so slow and weak!
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +2 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +2 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +2 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Strength +0.01 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.01 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +2 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +2 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Strength +0.01 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +2 ]
It wasn''t doing well at all, considering he was also feeling that Gluttony was absorbing what he was taking from him.
Whom~
As their special abilities shed, a struggle of simr force unfolded, each of them fiercely vying for supremacy.
At this time, Eustace''s Extraction System seemed just barely to overpower the Gluttony''s absorption. However, he could also tell that the enemy wasn''t using its full strength yet.
''It can''t continue like this¡ This Gluttony seemed better than I expected.'' Eustace thought, but he wasn''t worried at all.
He was even excited since it meant that his Extraction Power might actually get stronger once he had taken the power of Gluttony.
For now, he sought to nullify Gluttony''s insidious advances.
However, Eustace was not alone in this struggle.
He had the support of his Dark Spirit, and aided by Constance. He also possessed the means to invoke his Grimoire and call forth his formidable Four-Abilities Summon.
As Eustace contemted summoning his Three-Tailed Fox to shift the tide of battle in his favor, he was unexpectedly greeted by Constance''s voice echoing in his mind.
"Use your divinity... Employ the special ability of your celestial body! It seems you''re attempting to absorb the strength of Gluttony. I can sense it. But you must infuse it with divinity to amplify its potency! You have the capability. You can achieve this."
Chapter 537 Extracted to Nothingness
Chapter 537 Extracted to Nothingness
''Can I increase the potency of extraction with divinity points?'' Eustace didn''t disregard Constance''s reminder even though she didn''t know about his Divine Extraction System.
After all, what she said was also something he had been considering before, but he simply had no idea how to do it.
Well, in his extractions, he would simply wait for his system toplete the process. However, there was a time when he trained to extract only the attribute he wanted to take, so right now, he was considering whether the principle would be the same.
Empowered by Constance''s guidance, Eustace contemted the pivotal role of his celestial physique and thetent divinity within him.
''There''s no harm giving a try¡''
With a n in his mind, he sought to harness this special ability. Seeking to imbue his extraction abilities with the empowering force of divinity, might be the thing that he really needed in a daring bid to ovee the relentless prowess of Gluttony.
Eustace then looked at his opponent''s movements and nodded.
''Since the Gluttony isn''t nning to get closer¡ Then let''s just experiment on this.'' Eustace mused as he started triggering his Divinity Points.
He had no system to help him with this, so instead, he focused on his introspection to find the Divinity that was stored in his body.
After all, he knew that his attributes, spell lights, extracted essences, and energy points, were all in his body. They weren''t in another dimension¡
Eustace then conducted a thorough internal search, scouring his half-celestial physique to pinpoint the precise location where he had stored his divine essence.
To his relief, fortune favored him, as he swiftly discerned the presence of his Divinity Points nestled within the depths of his heart.
This discovery left him marveling at the remarkable nature of his physique, a testament to the inherent uniqueness of his half-celestial lineage.
''Now¡ How to do this¡'' Eustace mused as he narrowed his eyes.
After he took a deep breath, he used his profound understanding of manipting Dark Energy.
He didn''t hesitate as he deftly channeled a tiny fraction of his abundant Divinity, carefully maneuvering this ''essence'' to intermingle with the enigmatic force permeating his Extraction System.
With a careful movement, he orchestrated the fusion of his Divinity with the energy that he was releasing, a bold maneuver intended to augment the efficacy of his extraction capabilities.
"Oh~ It''s working!"
In the wake of this daring gambit, Eustace noticed the oue of his experiment!
The fusion of his Divinity with the potent force of the Extraction System yielded a discernible transformation, imbuing his extraction ability with an unprecedented potency.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Strength +0.75 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.75 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.75 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.75 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Intelligence +0.75 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Energy Absorption Spell Model ]
This pivotal development signaled a newfound phase in the struggle against Gluttony!
''Alright¡ I''ll take everything from you.'' Eustace silently thought as he didn''t n to be merciful on this entity.
***
In the meantime, Gluttony also realized that there was something wrong with his body.
While Eustace''s amplified extraction technique grew in strength, a profound sense of astonishment gripped Gluttony as he felt the changes unfolding within his own being.
"You''re copying my ability?" Gluttony eximed, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.
He had not anticipated encountering someone capable of using the same ability as his. He could only specte that Eustace might be wielding a simr Devil''s Ability that could replicate almost any Spells or Special Abilities. After all, it was something he had witnessed in the Abyss Realm.
Feeling his strength wane with each passing moment, Gluttony observed the disconcerting transformation overtaking his form, as it darkened and began to fade like ashes.
"I lost?" He muttered, gazing at his possessed body. He still wanted to fight and drew more power from his original body, but he knew that his current body was already copsing.
Despite Theodore''s unsuitability as a vessel, having been a feeble middle-aged man devoid of talent in any Arcane Paths, Gluttony had consumed over 90 human lives, 22 of which were Arcanists.
He had deemed this more than sufficient to contend with a handful of Arcanists, which had emboldened him to confront the Torrent Squad and shun any notions of escape.
Realizing that he had failed this time as well, Gluttony had a deep sigh before his figure began to distort.
"To think I made such a miscalction... You weren''t a descendant of the Dragon¡" Hemented as his form started to dissipate.
Soon, Gluttony vanished, leaving behind Theodore''s body, which was also on the brink of disintegration.
***
The emergence of Theodore''s naked form prompted a startled reaction from Eustace, who immediately recognized the man.
This was the same middle-aged individual who had been tormented by the malevolent wraith inhabiting his house.
"Theodore? What did you do?" Eustace initially voiced his confusion, but suddenly, a realization dawned upon him as his gaze fell upon Theodore''s footwear.
"Y-you..." Eustace stammered,prehending that this man had been the wearer of the ursed boots that had served as the wraith''s conduit.
''What a stubborn man¡ Wasting his life like that.'' Eustace silently thought as he shook his head.
As Theodore''s form continued to disintegrate, the cursed shoes followed suit, their disappearance signifying the eradication of the malevolent threat they had once posed.
However, Eustace recalled another problem¡
''Ahh¡ There''s no corpse.'' Eustace muttered as he wasn''t sure whether he could im the reward without any form of evidence he could give.
If the shoes remained intact, he could probably use it as well but it disintegrated so quickly.
''I should''ve bought some recording crystals. Wait, where can I even buy them?'' Eustace wryly smiled as he knew that just words alone would not be enough to convince the Arcanist Guild.
"Haha! Why are you looking like that? You learned how to channel your Divinity! You should be happy!" Constance suddenly said as Eustace was thinking of the mary reward.
Chapter 538 The Aftermath
Chapter 538 The Aftermath
Outside the building, a crowd of onlookers converged, their murmurs and expressions of concern echoing through the air.
As the sky darkened, casting an ominous sign over the scene, a sense of foreboding enveloped the surroundings¡
Amidst the gathering crowd, police officers stood guard. However, none of them dared to enter the building. After all, they saw the Torrent Squad fleeing the scene, making them realize the danger.
***
''Why are those people taking so long?''
Denise stood alongside her squad, anticipating the arrival of the Official Arcanists from other Factions. She was keenly aware of the formidable entity within the building and knew that the two individuals who had ventured inside must be facing a daunting predicament.
As she felt irritated that the Official Arcanists hadn''t arrived yet, several figures arrived at the scene, adorned with blue and white patches on their right arms, each bearing a Grimoire attached to their belts.
Denise furrowed her brows in surprise upon sighting them.
She recognized these individuals. They were Summoners from the Order of the Enlightened Threads, and it made her confused for a moment. She had anticipated the appearance of the Lore Hunters or the Illustrious Liquidators since they had arger presence in this area. As for the Summoners, there shouldn''t be many of them in this city, ording to the information given by the Guild.
Nevertheless, these people had also stopped outside the building.
It was contrary to her expectations of immediate intervention upon their arrival.
''Are they scared to enter the ce?'' Denise frowned seeing how the Summoners halted, appearing perturbed by the situation unfolding before them.
"The two who had helped us had set up a barrier... I don''t know what barrier this is, but it''s more than ten times stronger than my Wind Barrier." Thorne, the Defensive-Elementalist of their Squad, said in a subdued voice, reflecting the perplexity shared among their team.
"Ten times?" Leonel repeated as he knew how strong Thorne''s barrier was. Thorne had specifically mastered this technique for their squad''s operations and reached the peak of the Intermediate Realm. With the addition of his two Mystical Artifacts, it wouldn''t lose against Advanced Realm barriers.
"That''s right¡ Those two who helped us were on a different level." Thorne replied.
Uponprehending the staggering potency of the barrier erected by the two unknown individuals, Leonel, Denise, and theirrades could only nod in acknowledgment.
The sheer strength of the barrier left them in awe.
Denise mused inwardly, pondering whether the barrier had already transcended into the Perfect Realm, a notion that lingered in her mind as time psed.
As additional Arcanists from various Factions arrived, an even more astonishing development unfolded¡ªthe unexpected appearance of the Archbishop of the Church of the Fortune Goddess.
***
The arrival of the Archbishop left Denise and herpanions feeling surprised and a little anxious. They knew that someone as important as the Archbishop usually stayed in the capital city and didn''t often venture to the kingdom''s border unless something very serious was happening.
"Why would the Archbishop be here?" Denise wondered aloud.
Leonel leaned in and whispered, "Maybe he''s here to deal with the evil entity. It could havee from the central part of the kingdom, and the church sent him to exorcise it."
The others nodded in agreement, their expressions reflecting concern and anticipation.
As they waited for further developments, they sensed the lingering presence of dark and evil energy around the building.
Suddenly, the barrier that had been blocking their Magic Zones disappeared, prompting the others to question what they were sensing.
"Where are they? My Magic Zone can''t detect the Evil Entity or the two mysterious Arcanists."
Leonel''s concern was mirrored by hispanions as they approached the building to investigate. However, before they could take action, they were intercepted by two Summoners from the Enlightened Threads.
A female Summoner with a long braid addressed them.
"Torrent Squad... I have a few questions about your encounter with the entity and the people who intervened."
She spoke with a hint of authority, as if she had the right to stop them.
Leonel and the others didn''t like how she just stopped them, but seeing so many people around them and that the other Summoners from the Enlightened Threads were looking, Leonel decided to cooperate and let them know what had transpired inside.
***
In the meantime, while all the others were investigating the devastated scene, Eustace and Constance were already heading to a nearby hotel.
At this time, Eustace was using his Lightspeed Spell while Constance was using her incredible control of Divinity to hide their presence.
It was a really useful ability, and Eustace couldn''t wait to learn how to use it properly.
"You''d probably need five years to learn it seamlessly or three years if you''re a genius. You do not need to rush learning the control of Divinity since you have the Celestial Physique. Actually, you will probably learn how to use it naturally in ten or so years, even if you don''t train." Constance said as if she could read what was in his mind.
"Five years is already too much. If possible, I want to learn the method to control in just a few months or weeks." Eustace said what really was in his mind.
However, Constance just shook her head after hearing this, thinking that Eustace had gone crazy.
"Dream on¡ The way you used your Divinity against Gluttony just now wasn''t even that impressive. You simply channeled it to the Forceing out of your body. That was extremely wasteful. I felt a continuous flow of Divinitying out of your body during that time. You shouldn''t have done that¡ You probably thought that you only collected a tiny amount of Divinity, but in reality, you took a huge amount and even failed to close the source of Divinity, so some of it started leaking out¡ Then---"
"Ahem¡ You''re right, Constance. I''m wrong. I''ll probably take 20 years to learn it." Eustace immediately said as he felt that she would continue talking for a long time before she would be satisfied.
Constance couldn''t resist smirking upon hearing his words of resignation.
Chapter 539 Invitation
Chapter 539 Invitation
Two weeks had swiftly gone by. Eustace and Constance had stayed put in Kirkham City, rarely venturing out except to grab a meal or to test their spells beyond the city limits.
After all, even with Constance''s barrier, they had to find arger field to fully exercise their Spell''s effects.
Meanwhile, in the city, Hamlet, a member of the Enlightened Threads, roamed the streets in search of a young male summoner with a ck grimoire. ording to what they''ve learned, this young summoner might be apanied by a young woman with blue hair. She was possibly a descendant of Storm Knights or an Elementalist with a profound affinity for the Water Element.
"Nerissa, what took you so long?" Hamlet eximed upon seeing his partner returning with a bag of groceries.
Nerissa, the girl with the long braids who had previously questioned the Torrent Squad, exined her side.
"It''s been two weeks, and headquarters hasn''t assigned us any other missions. They just don''t want us to ck off. Don''t take this mission seriously anymore. The threat is gone, and we''re just waiting for new orders at this point."
Hamlet sighed as he clearly understood her point.
"That''s probably true. But we should still be prepared, just in case."
He also sensed that the headquarters might be aware that their mission was unlikely to yield results and was possibly waiting for movements from other factions.
As they were contemting their next move, Hamlet''s eyes widened as he spotted a handsome young man with a grimoire on his waist purchasing some skewers on the street.
"A young summoner?"
Although the young man may not be the person they were searching for, it wouldn''t be too bad to meet a fellow Summoner in this area.
After all, there weren''t many of them in this part of the kingdom.
He already felt a sense of connection even though they hadn''t officially greeted each other. Being a fellow Summoner, he felt a special bond with them.
"Hey, Summoner! Are you a student on a mission? I''m looking for a Summoner around here, I hope you can help¡" Hamlet asked as he approached the young man.
The young man looked at him in surprise as he finished eating themb meat skewer in his hand.
"I''m not a student, Sir. I learned Summoning Arts through luck. How may I help you?"
"Oh? A Rogue Summoner? That''s amazing. It''s difficult to get a summon without the environment provided by the Academy; you must be really lucky if you have three or more Summons in your Grimoire¡" Hamlet remarked as he paused to observe the young man before continuing.
"Are you the Summoner who dealt with the Evil Entity that could absorb life force and Arcane Energy two weeks ago?"
He directly asked, surprising Nerissa who was following behind. She thought that Hamlet would get to know the young man first before going to this topic.
In the meantime, the young man''s eyes widened at the mention of the Evil Entity.
"Yes, that was me and my partner. How do you know about that?" Eustace replied, stunning Hamlet and Nerissa in surprise.
They hadn''t expected Eustace to admit to it.
Weren''t they hiding for some reason? The two exchanged nces, taken aback by his direct response.
"Uhmm... You fought with the Evil Entity that the Torrent Squad failed to capture?" Hamlet asked.
"Yes¡ It was a battle with my partner."
"Does your partner have blond hair?" Nerissa inquired.
"No, I''m sure she has blue hair¡" Eustace replied. Nerissa knew thedy had blue hair but wanted to confirm it with Eustace.
"I think we should talk elsewhere..." Hamlet interjected as a few people started looking in their direction.
Eustace didn''t mind this as he followed the two.
Initially, Eustace and Constance had left the scene without a trace two weeks ago due to the many questions they would have to answer and their inability to find the traces of the enemy.
This meant they wouldn''t be earning any reward from the guild so it wasn''t worth it to stay in the ce.
However, after over two weeks had passed, Eustace had a lot of free time to waste and no longer cared whether he received the reward or not.
"We can continue here¡" Hamlet said as he pointed at the shop.
They seem to have brought Eustace to a Tea Shop to make him feel safer. Well, Hamlet was worried that Eustace might think he would get captured, so it was better to talk to him in a ce that wasn''t too secluded.
After introductions, Hamlet immediately broached the topic.
"So, Eustace... You defeated the Evil Entity but after it died, its traces disappeared, including the person that it possessed." Hamlet repeated the story he heard from the young Summoner.
"That''s what happened." Eustace replied.
"Then, this possessed man you mentioned, was Theodore a cobbler who made a request to the Arcanist Guild before about the spirit that was bothering him every night." Nerissa added.
"That''s correct. You can confirm this in the city''s Arcanist Guild."
"Then, why did you disappear after defeating the entity?" Hamlet asked.
"It was too troublesome to deal with the aftermath, and we also had something else to do at that time. You see, I gained some inspiration in the battle and thought that my Spells were about to advance to the next stage, so I had to quickly leave." Eustace exined.
This reasoning was wless since they wouldn''t want to be interrupted when they were in the state of enlightenment. It was such a crucial moment for an Arcanist as enlightenment wouldn''te so easily. Normally, it would only happen in special situations that were hard to replicate.
Eustace''s life-and-death battle against the Evil Entity might be the trigger for it so it wasn''t too surprising.
Nerissa listened silently as she looked at Eustace carefully. He seemed quite young but he had plenty of battle experience. Even if he wasn''t showing his Summons, she could guess that he had contracted with strong Summons that worked perfectly well against the entities with Malevolent Force.
"Then, would you mind if you join us? The Order of the Enlightened Threads?" Nerissa suddenly asked, surprising Hamlet on the side.
Chapter 540 Summoner’s Benefits
Chapter 540 Summoner''s Benefits
"What?"
Eustace was taken aback by the unexpected invitation.
Joining the Order of the Enlightened Threads was supposed to be an opportunity reserved for special Summoners who had mastered specific summoning arts or possessed unique summons. The invitation to him came out of nowhere!
"Aren''t you being too hasty with the invitation? You barely know anything about me¡" Eustace responded, his gaze directed at Nerissa with a hint of skepticism.
He wasn''t sure what she was nning so he had to be careful.
"Haha... I understand your concern. However, the Order consists of several squads. You would be ced in the Special 19th Squad. Apart from the Captain, its members are Summoners who didn''t graduate from the Academy but possess remarkable Summoning Talents that can rival or even surpass those who did¡" Nerissa borated as she sipped from her tea.
Hamlet, recognizing the merit in Nerissa''s proposition, chimed in. Now that Nerissa had made the invitation to Eustace, he could only try to help his senior.
"What she said is true. You can''t underestimate this squad at all. While they may not have learned the two Spells called Familiar''s Blessing and Summoner''s Boon since they are exclusive to the Academy, they boast an incredible array of Spells and Summons that will not lose out against the graduates."
Eustace nodded thoughtfully, feeling intrigued by the prospect of meeting other Arcanists. However, he hesitated to take on anothermitment after gaining newfound freedom.
It was too early for him to be tied down once again.
"I''m sorry... I don''t think I want to be tied to any organization just yet. The Arcanist Guild offers a great deal of freedom, so I n to remain there for the time being." Eustace replied.
"Furthermore, I have apanion. I can''t simply leave her behind to join your Order." He added, emphasizing his attachment to his partner.
Nerissa recognized that convincing the young man would be a challenging task.
She suspected that Eustace might believe he was special and strong due to his sess in defeating the entity that the Torrent Squad had failed to capture. She felt that Eustace simplycked experience or perspective and did not fullyprehend what would be best for his future.
''So, you want to negotiate... That''s not a bad approach.'' Nerissa thought, surmising that Eustace might be seeking additional benefits or simplycked insight.
"Ahem... I haven''t mentioned the benefits of joining the Order yet. Aren''t you curious why Summoners who have graduated from the Academy and rogue Summoners wish to be part of the Order? Do you think they just want to be tied down and earn some weekly sry from the Faction?" Nerissa posed the question, aiming to shed light on the advantages.
"Ah... That''s true. Please tell me the benefits." Eustace responded with a smile as he indulged in the pastries served to them. He didn''t mind staying with these two for a while since he had basically finished his today''s task and just thought of looking around the city.
This time, it was Hamlet who answered Nerissa''s signal.
"Apart from the sry, which exceeds the minimum, you''ll receive a mid-grade Spirit Pearl monthly. Additionally, you''ll have the opportunity to bathe at the Sacred Arcane Spring owned by the Faction once a year. You''ll also gain ess to special areas where you can conduct a Summoner''s Contract Ritual. There are many more benefits, but what may interest you most is the Trading Market for Summoners. You are aware that we can transfer familiars or summons, right? If you have a familiar you no longer use, you can trade it for something else¡" Hamlet exined.
"That''s right... With so many members, there''s no way you can''t find a summon you desire." Nerissa said as she looked at Eustace with a smile.
"Take me, for instance. I previously had a random set of Summons. They were all average and quite difficult to maximize their potential. However, after joining the Order, all my Summons are now Flying Type familiars. My affinity with this type of familiars is the highest, so I chose them. It''s better to excel in one field than to be a master of none." She added, highlighting the personal benefits she had experienced.
Calling upon Flying Creatures to be your Summon was quite difficult. You had to prepare some expensive Rituals which she wouldn''t be able to afford in a short amount of time with her sry.
However, with the option of Trades, she could lower the price of the Flying Creatures with the Summons she no longer needs.
"Oh... So all the Summoners in the Order have their specialties considered and build their set of summons or familiars from that?" Eustace asked.
"That''s right... If you haven''t checked the Summon Affinity yet, we can help you with that. Ahh... Do you mind if I ask if your summons are creatures or not?" Hamlet inquired.
"I don''t mind. My summons are all living creatures." Eustace replied.
"I see... Then that''s even better. More than 70 percent of Summoners are actually those who can only summon objects. They could be normal objects or even types of furniture to some extent. But those who are quite talented could at least summon weapons like swords, staff, or even a bow and arrow. Oh... These people weren''t at the end of their path yet. If they managed to get stronger Grimoires, they could also trade with other Summoners." Hamlet exined.
''So those with weak Grimoires can fail with the Transfer, huh¡'' Eustace mused as his knowledge about the Summoners had expanded once again.
Nevertheless, Eustace still decided not to join the Order of the Enlightened Threads.
"Thank you for the offer, Seniors. I will think about it. I need to ask my partner''s opinion as well. Do I have a method to contact the two of you?" He asked innocently.
Eustace had already noticed that Nerissa and Hamlet had informed their superiors about him. He could see a couple of crows and a dozen bees following him around. They were definitely from Summoners.
With his Spirit Vision, he knew that he was already marked and would be followed. After all, they couldn''t just let a strong Arcanist do as he pleased in a city filled with ordinary people.
Nerissa nodded at Eustace''s response.
"Ahem¡ This Tea Shop is one of our bases of operations. Just ask the one at the counter for a hot tea of Thread if you need our help." Nerissa revealed with a hint of embarassment.
Chapter 541 Broken
Chapter 541 Broken
It didn''t take long before Eustace and Constance''s identity spread to other factions and even the churches in the city.
Well, they had be quite popr over the past two weeks. After all, this mysterious couple who had saved the city were expected to receive some form of reward and honor, but they had chosen to disappear without seeking any recognition.
Many people viewed them as selfless heroes who simply wanted to help others.
"Your Excellency, we have located the two individuals who subdued the Evil Entity we suspected to be the Gluttonly. Their names are Eustace and Constance. They are both in the city, and we have confirmed that one of them is registered in the Arcanist Guild while the other remains aloof and seldom ventures outside." An acolyte, d in a long gray robe, reported.
The acolyte was addressing the blind Archbishop who had arrived from the capital.
"So they were indeed staying here. Since Eustace is a Summoner, I must meet with him. There''s still a small chance that he''s the Masked Devil Incarnate as well." The Archbishop remarked as he conjured his staff seemingly out of thin air. He then gazed at the statue of the Fortune Goddess as if he could see it and silently offered a prayer.
After a short and silent prayer, he spoke.
"Inform me of their current location immediately¡" He abruptly instructed the acolyte.
***
Meanwhile, Eustace had just returned to the hotel room and found Constance engrossed in several books.
The books primarily focused on Arcane Spells, Formation Arts, and the Medicine Field. Despite her ability to absorb information at an elerated pace, there was still an abundance of knowledge to acquire, especially for someone like her who had been confined in the Mystic Tower for centuries. At that moment, Constance was immersed in a book entitled "The Lich Manual."
Eustace wasn''t certain whether the book pertained to controlling a Lich or if it was intended for the education of a Lich. Nevertheless, he interrupted her reading.
"Constance, something has urred outside." Eustace began, proceeding to exin the events that transpired and the invitation he had received from the Order of the Enlightened Threads.
"What? You declined? That''s a free bath in the Arcane Spring, you know? I thought it no longer existed. So, they were actually monopolized by the 12 Paths¡" Constance muttered in astonishment upon hearing Eustace''s exnation.
"Is it that significant?" Eustace inquired. He also heard about the Arcane Spring during the Academy Competition.
It was one of the rewards given to first-ce winners of some contests. He knew that it was quite precious for young Arcanists, but he didn''t expect that even Constance would be interested in it.
Constance looked at Eustace in surprise, and seeing that Eustace seemed truly clueless about it, she listed the important benefits that the Arcane Spring could provide.
The first was the rejuvenation and revitalization of spiritual energy. For Summoners, it could help with the cleansing and purification of the Summoner''s Aura, so it would be a lot easier for a Summoner to attract stronger Familiars.
Then, it could also help with the enhancement of their affinity. Whether it was an affinity with Flying Creatures, Elemental Creatures, or Mystical Beings, this affinity would increase with the help of the Arcane Spring.
Of course, there was also a chance to increase the capacity of Spell Lights. Many people had said that if you bathed on the Arcane Spring multiple times, the number of times you could use your spells would slightly increase.
Lastly, bathing in the Arcane Spring could potentially lead to enlightenment or even revtion through spiritualmunion with the spring''s energies.
"That sounds impressive. How do you know all of this?" Eustace muttered.
"Hmph¡ That''s thebined knowledge of past and present. It would be best if you read more books. Your academy had focused too much on the Darkness Path. They should''ve taught you about the other paths as well."
Eustace could only nod and thank the Tower Master for informing him about the Arcane Spring.
"Are you sure you''re not going to ept it? I don''t really mind if you join their group." Constance said as she looked at Eustace carefully.
"I''m fine. You still have to continue teaching me how to master my Divinity."
"That''s true. It probably won''t be toote if you join them in a few more years."
The two continued chatting for a while about their ns in the city. Eustace was nning to ept a few more missions in the Arcanist Guild, while Constance was nning to acquire a few items for herself, so she needed to go out and look around the market.
"Mhmm? You have some guests, Eustace." Constance said as she smiled mysteriously.
Eustace also felt the presence of the people outside the hotel without even activating his Magic Zone. His ESP Spell had already informed him about a few Magic Zones passing through their room.
"Is it the Archbishop¡ Ahh¡"
Suddenly, the space around Eustace and Constance twisted. It was a familiar scene when the Archbishop met the Masked Devil Incarnate.
However, this time, Eustace wasn''t nning to wear the Devil''s Face and waited for the Archbishop to arrive.
Thud.
As soon the old man stepped out of the space crack he created, he looked at the two people in the room and seemed to be a bit surprised about Eustace and Constance''s reaction.
"Interesting¡ I normally get attacked whenever I do this with strangers. If not, they''ll be looking at me with fear and have their guards up. However, you two seemed calm, as if my presence doesn''t threaten you at all."
The Archbishop suddenlymented as he observed the two''s aura. He had created a strong defense to ensure that his "movement" would not be interrupted. However, it seemed that it was unnecessary.
It felt as if they were looking at a show and weren''t threatened by his method of arrival.
"Mhmm¡ Was that Rift Walk? Space Fold? No¡ Perhaps that''s a Spatial Warp? I didn''t expect an Archbishop to carelessly use a Broken Arcana." Constance suddenly remarked while looking at the Archbishop blindfold!
Eustace was immediately stunned after hearing this.
Chapter 542 A Mistake
Chapter 542 A Mistake
"What?"
Eustace was taken aback by the revtion that the Archbishop possessed an Arcana!
Despite Constance''s assertion that it was damaged, Eustace couldn''t help but be intrigued by it. He harbored a desire to examine whether his System could extract it.
''I''d probably get something awesome, right? Perhaps something other than Divinity?'' Eustace mused.
Simrly, upon Constance''s identification of the Arcana, the Archbishop was visibly rmed.
Apart from the Pontiff and a select few high-ranking officials of the Church, no one should have been aware of his possession of an Arcana, particrly a Damaged Arcana.
"You!" The Archbishop eximed, swiftly regaining hisposure.
He promptly erected a barrier within the room, fearing that the conversation and themotion might attract unwanted attention. The revtion of his possession of such a valuable object could lead to chaos among various organizations. His status would be of little use against individuals driven to frenzy.
They would certainly do their best to obtain this item from him! It means that moving outside alone would no longer be possible.
Whom~
After casting the barrier, he resolved tounch an attack on the two, as no one should be privy to this secret.
Leveraging his status as an Archbishop, he intended to im that these individuals had been possessed by devils. It should be quite easy for him to do that, especially with what had happened recently. He could just say that the Evil Spirit had transferred to them!
With this in mind, he wasted no time initiating his Spell Fusion. He was ready to eliminate them.
However, he was still too slow! He made a mistake in using a Spell Fusion that takes some time to activate!
"Hey! That''s dangerous! Stop that." Eustace''s voice suddenly interjected as the Archbishop prepared to channel his energy through his Staff to empower his Spell.
Casting Spell Fusion without the Staff would make it longer and weaker after all.
''What?'' The Archbishop frowned as he felt something wrong.
It was then that he realized he was no longer holding his Staff!
Furthermore, his blindfold had been removed and was now in the possession of the young man.
"When did you---"
He was momentarily unable to move as he tried recalling what had happened. His Magic Zone was obviously working, and his belt''s Holy Force Field should be active!
It means that he should know whether a spell had hit him or not! Lastly, his heightened sense of surroundings as a blind person should be unmatched! He shouldn''t have missed Eustace''s ability to steal!
"How did you do that?" The Archbishop asked coldly. He wasn''t panicking, but he was certainly not in a good mood as his Holy Aura started thickening and slowly suppressing the two.
"Oh? I''m not expecting that as well. I didn''t know taking items from an Archbishop was easy. You didn''t guard against that? They''re not even Soulbound..." Eustace remarked while inspecting the items. He was indeed astonished at the effectiveness of his Traceless Shift against the elderly man.
This time, it was Constance''s turn to be surprised. She was always on her guard the moment the Archbishop had torn a space within their room that was supposedly protected by her Formation Art.
Although the Formation Art was hastily made by her, she was surprised by how it was not broken when the Archbishop used his Arcana to arrive here.
It only shows how this old man had incredible control over the Arcana despite being broken. There was no way she would underestimate him with her current weakened state.
She then shifted her gaze to the items Eustace was holding.
''This guy is really too mysterious. I don''t think that by just having a Celestial Physique, you can already obtain such a cheat-like spell. What was even that Spell? It''s definitely not a normal one.''
Constance mused as she recalled some unique Spells with simr abilities, like Swipe of the Wind, Borrow''s Grace, Plunder''s Touch, and Uncalled Snatch. However, none of them seemed to be capable of going unnoticed by the old man''s defenses.
"Then it must be a Spirit Art I''m unaware of." She muttered while looking at Eustace curiously.
Then, at this time, the Archbishop made his move! He was no longer holding back!
"Holy Smite!"
The Archbishop shouted in fury as he began to invoke two more Holy Arts! They were Sacred Spear and Sacred Fire.
Three Holy Spells at once!
Boom!
A brilliant beam of sacred light erupted from his fingertips, forming intricate patterns in the air before converging on Eustace.
The Sacred Spear also manifested above Eustace and was waiting for its descent. As for the Sacred Fire, it headed towards Constance to ensure she would not be able to save her partner!
Eustace, realizing the force behind these spells, swiftly opened his Grimoire, calling upon the power within to summon his Savage Murlocs.
The two Murlocks would probably die, but they were certainly a decent meat shield.
Then, the room was suddenly filled with frenzied screeches and sshes as the Savage Murlocs surged forth, their primal ferocity unleashed.
Eeek!
Their life was short, but these creatures were merely a ploy to buy time.
As the Archbishop''s Spells hit the tough meat shields he summoned, Constance also blocked the Sacred Fire aimed at her.
Then, she simply continued observing from the sidelines, patiently awaiting an opportune moment.
Eustace seized the opening as he activated his Shadow Muttion Spell, casting an invisible mark on the Archbishop.
Thetter knew he was hit by something, but he couldn''t guess what it was as he didn''t feel any threat or pain from the Spell.
However, he knew that unknown spells were dangerous.
Crash~
Without any hesitation, he flew outside the room by crashing through the window¡ He needed more space as there might be a need to escape or recuperate.
Because the Archbishop came out of the barrier he arranged, their battle was soon discovered by the people on the streets.
Several screams from the crowd were heard as they thought that an old man was thrown from the third floor of the building.
However, the three had ignored the people below them. Then, Eustace looked at the Archbishop from his room.
"You made it easier for me..." He muttered with a mysterious smile.
Chapter 543 Grasp
Chapter 543 Grasp
As the Archbishop escaped from the building, Eustace secretly unleashed his Shadow Soldier.
During this time, the Archbishop was hovering in the air, oblivious to the shadow he cast on the ground. Eustace saw this as a chance to get rid of the intruder and possibly extract some valuable information from him. He blended his Shadow Soldier with the crowd below, and the Archbishop mistook it for another Arcanist within his Magic Zone.
"Come... Heretics of the Order of Fatality. Show me what you''ve got!" The Archbishop bellowed, making sure everyone on the street could hear him.
"What? Did he say the Order of Fatality?!"
"Yes! They''re Cultists!"
"Look... Those two must be the heroes who killed the Evil Entity. Why did the Archbishop call them Heretics?"
"There must be a misunderstanding."
"No, I think that those two got possessed and are now serving the Cult."
"Impossible... The Archbishop can purify them if that''s the case. They must be genuine cult members."
The people on the street began to gossip and spread rumors based on what they heard.
"Hmph! You think that ndering us will make us back off? Keep dreaming!" Eustace retorted as hemanded his Shadow Soldier to strike the Archbishop''s shadow!
"Ahhh!"
The moment the Shadow Soldier plunged its dark de into the Archbishop''s shadow, the Archbishop coughed up blood as he felt his vital organ being punctured!
Eustace smirked as he saw the Archbishop''s expression of pain and shock.
''Shadow Muttion is really the best assassination Spell.'' Eustace mused as he continued observing the surroundings. After all, he knew that the Archbishop should not be alone this time.
Unfortunately, as he thought of ending the battle, something unexpected happened.
The Archbishop swiftly recovered and red at Eustace with a furious look.
"You dare to use such a vile and dark magic on me? You are truly a heretic and a sphemer! I will show you the wrath of the Holy Light!" The Archbishop then chanted a spell and summoned a floating radiant sword in his hand. At the same time he did this, his Holy Energy also suppressed the Shadow Soldier and dissipated into nothingness.
He then waved his hand,manding the radiant sword to pierce Eustace.
Whooosh~
A wave of holy energy sliced through the air, rming even the crowd below them.
Eustace wanted to dodge, but he suddenly felt a strong binding spell on his feet!
It seemed that the remnant Holy Energy in the room had been controlled and became a binding spell under the Archbishop''smand!
Luckily, it wasn''t too strong, so he only needed to channel his brute force to escape.
Bam!
The Radiant Sword hit the room and destroyed the ce. The wall and part of the ceiling copsed while the floor had also started crumbling!
The Spell was so potent that even Constance had to escape from the attack.
"Ugh¡" Eustace grunted as he barely dodged the attack. Then, he felt a burning sensation on his arm.
He looked and saw a deep wound that was bleeding profusely. He realized that the Archbishop''s sword was too strong!
He quickly poured a few bottles of healing potion on it to quickly recover.
"Don''t look surprised. That Archbishop is using his own life force. Look at him." Constance suddenlymented as she gestured for Eustace to look at the old man.
Indeed, as soon as he saw that the old man had aged a lot and had grown more white hair, Eustace realized that Constance was telling the truth. The Archbishop was using his own life to attack him!
''This old man had gone insane¡'' Eustace thought as he knew he had to be careful. A crazed man who had nothing to lose was definitely the most dangerous opponent.
Eustace then activated his Shadow Soldier Spell once again and targeted the shadow near the Archbishop''s shadow.
He wanted to be secretive about it. However, this time, the Archbishop had already noticed his action and was about to destroy this soldier with his Holy Aura.
''Not this time¡'' Eustace was quick and decided to use his other ability, the Shadow Shift.
This was still part of the Shadow Soldier Spell, but it could only be used once the Spell Model had transformed to its Advanced Realm state.
Anyway, with this Shadow Shift Spell, he could swap ces with his Shadow Soldier at any time, creating confusion and deception.
As soon as he activated his Shadow Shift, he switched positions with his Shadow Soldier.
It happened so quickly that the Archbishop was caught off guard and felt another stab in his chest. He groaned and tried to suppress the pain by using a Healing Spell.
''So he can really attack my shadow¡ I didn''t see it wrong just now. What kind of ability is this? No, this guy is not a Summoner!'' The Archbishop finally realized Eustace''s secret as he nned to run away.
At this time, he had no way of protecting his shadow from Eustace''s attacks. He could heal his injuries and survive some fatal attacks, but he couldn''t do it for a long time.
He wasn''t prepared for it at all!
He didn''t have unlimited Holy Energy, and once he got exhausted, Eustace''s next strike on his shadow would be fatal.
"I''lle back and---" The Archbishop didn''t finish his words as Eustace had already appeared behind him and grabbed his neck.
"Y-you can fly at such speed?!"
The Archbishop was surprised, and the crowd below also gasped in shock. They didn''t expect that the Archbishop would be in such a position!
As the Archbishop circted his internal energy to resist Eustace''s hold, he suddenly felt his strength weakened!
Then, he heard Eustace whisper in his ear. "Now, let''s see what secrets you are hiding."
At this time, Eustace didn''t hesitate to use his Extraction System. Furthermore, he focused on extracting the fragments of the old man''s memory!
The Archbishop struggled and screamed, but it was futile.
Eustace had him in his grasp.
Chapter 544 Interrupted
Chapter 544 Interrupted
The Extraction wasn''t without pain, as Eustace didn''t slow it down. He wanted the Extraction to be quick, and he even used a bit of his Divinity to ensure that he would have a bountiful harvest.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Intelligence +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Memory Fragment. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Intelligence +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Agility +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Agility +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Vitality +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spell Light +1?]
[ Extraction Sessful...]
The System''s Extraction hadn''t ended yet, but Eustace had already begun to see the Archbishop''s past, motives and ns, allies and enemies.
"This guy¡"
He was shocked by what he learned. He couldn''t believe it. The Archbishop was not aplete human at all!
Aside from learning that this Archbishop was also looking for Dark Magicians to be eliminated because of the ongoing Faction War, he also learned a huge secret of the Church of the Fortune Goddess.
"Humonculus Project? Artificial Human?"
Eustace almost loosened his grasp as this revtion waspletely out of his expectations. However, he recalled how he had to end this Archbishop''s life.
He couldn''t let this old man return to his organization.
He doesn''t care if his reputation goes awry. He didn''t mind bing a criminal with this identity since he was simply in disguise.
He might have to make some changes to his current ns, but he didn''t mind doing it. In any case, he also wanted to take everything from this powerful Arcanist.
After all, even though the Archbishop was an artificial human, his Spell Lights and power were genuine.
"Whew~ That''s a lot of information¡"
As Eustace finished his Extraction on the Archbishop, he sensed that the old man was on the verge of death.
He was about to deliver the final strike and extract his corpse, when he felt a surge of Arcane energy behind him.
He turned and saw several angry Arcanists rushing towards him. They had witnessed his attack on the Archbishop and were enraged.
Theyunched twelve different Spells at him, each one more powerful than thest.
He didn''t n on taking all of them, so he had no choice but to run! He immediately threw the Archbishop in hopes of dividing their forces before he descended to the crowded streets and activated his Lightspeed Spell.
"Constance, we have to go! Now!" Eustace shouted to his partner, who was still fighting with another Arcanist.
She had been protecting him over thest minute while he was extracting the Archbishop. Thanks to her, he peacefully received the memories of the old man.
"I''ll follow¡"
She nodded and quickly dispatched her opponent with a swift kick. She then ran towards Eustace, dodging the Spells that were flying at them.
"Ahhh!"
"Help! Please! Stop attacking!"
"Run! Keep running!"
To their surprise, the Arcanists didn''t stop attacking even after they blended into the crowd! This resulted in the injuries of the ordinary citizens!
Apparently, only two Priests went to the injured Archbishop.
Furthermore, he felt the presence of a dozen more Arcanists on the ground, aiming their spells at them!
"Damn it, they''re too vicious¡" Eustace grunted as he knew that these Arcanists didn''t care about the innocent people''s lives!
With this in mind, he jumped to the edge of the rooftop as Constance followed behind.
This way, the crowd would not get affected by the spells thrown at them.
Eustace looked down and saw a crowd of people on the street, watching the spectacle in the sky.
He also saw his Shadow Soldier, who had been left behind when he used his Shadow Shift. He had an idea.
"Follow me!" He said as he jumped off the roof, grabbing Constance''s hand.
After some time, he activated his Shadow Shift again and swapped ces with his Shadow Soldier¡
Eustace used it as a portal to escape!
The Arcanists who were chasing them were stunned. They saw Eustace and Constance disappear and turn into a Shadow Soldier, who was momentarily motionless in the air.
They didn''t know what to do.
They had lost their target, and their leader was on the verge of death!
The two Holy Knights in the group could only cast a purification spell to kill the Shadow Soldier, which was already descending to the ground.
***
After some time, Eustace and Constance emerged from the shadow in a dark alley, far away from the scene.
They were safe, for now. They breathed a sigh of relief and checked their wounds. They were both injured, but not seriously.
They had survived an encounter with the Archbishop and escaped from the horde of Holy Arts Practitioners.
"Are you okay?" Eustace asked Constance, who was bandaging her arm. She nodded and smiled.
"Yeah, I''m fine. My recorded Spells are just too potent... I really have to find a weaker one to use in this type of situation." Constance replied as each of her current recorded spells consumed more than 15 to 20 percent of her energy.
They were too overkill when dealing with some third-rate Arcanists.
"Right¡ I didn''t expect you''d make that Archbishop helpless after being grabbed. That was amazing." She added while patting Eustace''s shoulder.
"It was nothing. It was thanks to my control of Divinity. You did great, too¡ I had the time to read his memories because you blocked those Arcanists." He said, feeling a warm sensation in his chest. He didn''t expect that he would actually need such a partner.
They looked into each other''s eyes and felt a connection.
They leaned closer and were about to kiss when they heard a loud noise.
They turned and saw a group of armed men in blue and ck uniforms. They had guns and badges.
Eustace and Constance don''t know, but these people are agents of the Arcane Bureau, the secret organization that monitors and controls all Arcane activities in the world¡ Not just the kingdom!
"Freeze! You''re under arrest for the murder of the Archbishop and the use of illegal magic!"
Chapter 545 Continuation
Chapter 545 Continuation
"Halt!"
One of the armed men yelled, aiming his gun at them.
Eustace and Constance looked at each other. They knew they were in a tight spot.
They used their Magic Zone to scan these people, and they realized that they were not from the Police force, the Arcanist Guild, or the Faction''s Order...
These people had normal guns, but not runic ones. However, they could not be underestimated. Eustace could sense that their bullets were dangerous, as these people had excellent control over their Arcane Energy. He could feel that they were transferring most of their energy to their guns!
He knew that his Spell Dispersion would be useless against their enhanced bullets. He had to either avoid or block their bullets.
With a n in his mind, Eustace activated his Dark Spell.
Moonlight Specter!
As soon as this Fusion Spell was cast, the outline of two Specters appeared in front of Eustace and Constance.
Seeing that they were not willing to surrender, the leader of the armed men gave the order to shoot.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
By then, the Specters had fully formed and caught all the bullets.
"I knew it... He''s not a Summoner! He''s a Dark Magician! That''s a Moonlight Specter!"
"Switch your bullets! There''s no moonlight yet! That Specter is not at its peak!"
"Yes, Sir!"
The armed men quickly changed their magazines as they knew how to deal with spirits or specters.
Eustace and Constance didn''t waste any time. They had no grudge against these people, and they seemed to be good people as they were simply trying to arrest the culprit who had killed the "kind and benevolent" Archbishop.
Killing them here wouldn''t feel good for their conscience.
"Let''s go... We''ll leave these Specters to deal with them." Eustace whispered as he held Constance''s hands and activated his Lightspeed Spell, followed by his Levitation Spell.
"You''re not getting away!" The armed men shouted as they tried to catch up with them. But they were stopped by the Moonlight Specters.
Numerous dark tendrils followed by a chilling aura halted their movements. These Specters were incredibly menacing as they started their assault against the armed men.
In the meantime, as Eustace and Constance began to float, Eustace scowled and activated his fourth spell! It was hard to maintain four spells at once, but he could do it for a short while.
Spell Dispersion!
As soon as he cast this, six tracking spells that were secretly targeting them were destroyed!
"Did you think I wouldn''t see them?" Eustace sneered at the figures hiding in the darkness as he escaped with Constance.
They flew over the rooftops, heading towards a safe ce.
It took quite some time as they hoped they had shaken off their pursuers. They didn''t know who these people were, but they were certainly from arge organization that was most likely connected to the government since they were allowed to wield guns.
Well, Arcanists may hold Mystical Artifacts, but guns or other firearms are prohibited unless they obtain permission to do so.
It didn''t take long before they reached a secluded and safe ce. It was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
After making sure that no one had followed them, theynded and entered through a broken window. They closed it behind them, and Constance created a Formation Art around through her Divinity...
They finally felt a bit safer inside.
"I think we should leave this city..." Constance suggested. Kirkham City should be a ce with few Arcanists around. However, for some reason, a lot of them had gathered here as if they were all waiting for them.
"That''s what I''m thinking. Let me just check if we have all the supplies we need." Eustace said, considering that the next city near them would take four days to travel to. After all, the steam-powered train hadn''t reached this part of the kingdom. They could only use carriages to travel in such a long distance.
Constance then watched Eustace check their equipment and supplies with Yvaine''s help.
Thanks to the Dark Spirit carrying a treasure chest in Eustace''s shadow, they were able to store some things inside, which was very convenient.
Furthermore, they will be carrying some supplies as well, so they should have plenty.
They had enough food, water, and medicine for a few days. They also had some books, maps, and documents that they had collected from their missions.
"Stay here¡ I''ll be buying some potions in the market." Eustace suddenly said as his face and voice changed. After that, he stored his Grimoire inside his Shadow and wore a different garb toplete his disguise.
"That''s a seamless transition. Can you teach that to me?" Constancemented as she curiously looked at Eustace''s face.
"Not yet¡ In any case, I think you have to get some disguise..." Eustace replied.
"I''m fine. I just need to change the color of my hair. Find something in the market for me."
"Got it." Eustace gently nodded as he left the warehouse.
Since he was wary of those armed men and worried about Constance being left alone, Eustace made sure to finish his errand quickly.
It only took him less than half an hour before he was able to return. He failed to find a dye to color Constance''s hair, but surprisingly, there were plenty of wigs being sold, so he decided to find a long ck hair for Constance.
Eustace then wanted to leave the city immediately, but Constance held his hand and gestured for him to rest.
"You may not feel tired because of your physique, but you must sit down first..." Constance said.
Eustace could only nod as he sat down on a chair and rxed.
They had been through a lot today. He indeed needed some rest, even for a short period.
They looked at each other and smiled.
Eustace felt d that he had someone to talk to and was not alone in this journey.
Once again, Eustace felt something in his heart as they leaned closer and kissed, feeling a surge of emotion. They forgot about their troubles for a moment.
Chapter 546 The Mission
Chapter 546 The Mission
In a small house in the city, the Torrent Squad was gathered. Some of them were ying cards, one was polishing his weapon, some others were lounging around, while a youngdy in their group was sipping her tea in a corner.
"Denise? Are you still troubled by what happened?" Leonel, the Torrent Squad''s leader, asked their squad''s youngest member.
"N-no. I''m just thinking about our next mission. We''re going to the Ruri Kingdom, right?" Denise quickly replied as she tried to avoid the topic.
She was indeed disturbed by the previous incident in the city since she knew that Eustace and Constance were not heretics as the Archbishop had imed.
Lotus didn''t say anything to her, but Denise could tell that she was hiding something.
''Is that guy really Vale? Ugh... I should have followed them.'' Denise thought as she felt the need to learn a Sound Transmission Spell to be able tomunicate secretly with someone.
"Don''t worry about the Ruri Kingdom. We won''t be going to their cities. We just have to visit the Vampire''s Castle." Leonel said as he remembered the mission they had taken.
Apparently, Kirkham City was the nearest city to the Vampire''s Castle, which was at the border of the Ruri Kingdom. It was only three days away from them if they traveled by carriage.
Of course, this mission was not a request from the Millton Kingdom but from the Ruri Kingdom''s Arcanist Guild. They were the only ones who could issue a permit to pass through the border gate after all.
It seemed that they had a lot of problems in their kingdom, so they hired the Arcanist Guild of the Millton Kingdom to explore the Vampire Castle and possibly kill the creatures living inside.
"We only know that several squads of Third-ss Arcanists have been wiped out there. Even though we''ll be joining other Squads, we have to be cautious¡" Denise warned.
***
The next morning, the Torrent Squad gathered with eight other Arcanist Squads at the city gate.
They were all ready to depart for the Ruri Kingdom to explore Vampire''s Castle. Four of the Squads were from Kirkham City, while the other four were from Marsden City, one of the closest cities in the kingdom. They had arrived the night before and stayed at a nearby inn.
The leader of the Kirkham City''s Squads was a middle-aged man named Rnd. He was a Second-ss Arcanist of the Mystic Path and a veteran of many missions.
He greeted Leonel and the other leaders warmly and introduced the other squads who had joined the mission.
They were the ze Fan Squad, the Justice Hammer Squad, and the Revenant Squad.
Including the Torrent Squad, four squads would represent their city.
Furthermore, only the ze Fan Squad was actuallyposed of one type of Arcanist. They were all Fire Elementalists, unlike the other squads that wereposed of different kinds of Arcanists.
"Do you know that person?" Leonel asked Rnd and gestured to a gentleman who seemed to be of a noble descent.
"Of course. You have to watch your words when talking to that man." Rnd said as he started to share what he knew about the man.
Apparently, it was the leader of the Marsden City''s Squad. He was a young man named Drake. He was a First-ss Arcanist, but he was arrogant and ambitious.
He looked down on the other Squads and barely acknowledged them.
As Rnd said this, they heard Drake introduce his city''s squads with a smug tone.
They were the Ash Squad, the Tormentor Squad, the Pulsating Heart Squad, and the Shadow Knight Squad.
They were all wearing some sort of uniform to identify themselves, unlike the Arcanists from Kirkham City, who had their own sets of equipment.
"They''re nobles?" Denise asked in a soft voice.
"Most likely¡ I wonder if these people have enough experience." Leonelmented as he felt that these Arcanists seemed to care more about their appearance.
Anyway, the squads working for Drake seemed eager to prove themselves as their gazes seemed to taunt them.
Nevertheless, Denise and the others did not feel a sense of rivalry with these people.
Well, at the very least, they just didn''t like their attitude and their arrogance. They decided to ignore them and focus on their mission.
After a few encouraging words from the Guildmaster, they soon boarded their carriages and set off to cross the border.
The journey was long and tedious. They had to pass through several checkpoints and small viges along the way.
They also had to deal with the asional Evil Creatures that attacked them.
Well, there are plenty of cases where the corpses weren''t being cremated or sealed, especially if the corpse came from a small vige. So it wasn''t that surprising.
What these vige people would usually do was throw away these corpses to be deliberately possessed and also be some sort of a guard against bandits. After all, Evil Creatures or those possessed corpses wouldn''t normally leave the area where they were "revived" unless they were triggered.
During this time, the squads would fight together and defend each other, but they alsopeted and showed off their abilities.
The Marsden City''s Squads always tried to outdo the Kirkham City''s Squads.
Leonel didn''tin as this was also a method to gauge each other strength to prepare for the subjugation of the Vampire''s Castle.
Finally, they reached their first resting area, a small vige on a nearbyke.
Only a few people had entered the vige to greet the vige chief before they decided to take a break and have some food and drinks outside.
They also wanted to get to know each other better and exchange some information and tips, so they immediately set up their tents in a circr formation.
The Torrent Squad stayed together with the squads from Kirkham City.
They already saw each other''s faces in the city, so it wasn''t difficult befriending them.
It was only Denise who had to be introduced as she was very new in the city.
Denise frowned as she chatted with the other Arcanists of the city.
''It''s quite peaceful¡ I don''t like this...''
Suddenly, she felt foreboding and immediately ordered Lotus to look around.
After that, she continued chatting with the others. She didn''t want to worry the others since she wasn''t sure of the danger yet.
As Lotus searched for the possible danger, she learned that the ze Fan Squad was led by a hot-headed man named Roy, who loved fire and explosions but still didn''t possess a Fire Spirit. Furthermore, Leonel revealed that Roy had a crush on the Revenant Squad''s leader, a calm and elegant woman named Elsa, who was an Aura Master.
It was quite a joyful atmosphere as they gathered together...
But as they continued chatting, Denise discovered something suspicious. Apparently, two members of the Justice Hammer Squad were just recruited yesterday!
Chapter 547 Early Encounter
Chapter 547 Early Encounter
''Did they hastily recruit someone just to fill the numbers? Isn''t that a bit too dangerous?'' Denise mused as she knew that this mission waspletely different from other tasks that could be found in the city.
The battle they might face requires high-level coordination tobine their attacks against a single entity or what they suspected as a vampire. Making such coordinated attacks with new people was not easy.
''Well, it''s their squad that will suffer. I just hope we won''t get implicated.'' She mused as she listened to the others'' discussion.
As they continued chatting, Denise realized that the Justice Hammer squad had a member who was a former member of the Order of Fatality.
His name was Kai, and he was a young man with brown hair and green eyes. He had a mysterious and aloof personality, and he rarely spoke. He had left the cult a few years ago and joined the Justice Hammer Squad. He had a unique physique that made him a decent practitioner of Combat Arts. He became an Aura Master who could wield almost any type of weapon, and the Spell Models he got from the Order were all destroyed by the Arcanist Guild to ensure that he would not fall into madness.
Leonel and the others were certainly surprised and curious about Kai. They wondered what kind of life he lived while he was still part of the Order of Fatality. It seemed to be an interesting topic.
They wanted to ask him, but they didn''t want to offend him or cause trouble. After all, they had all just met today, and it was not appropriate to just talk about his past.
Meanwhile, the Marsden City''s Squads sat not too far from the Revenant Squad.
It appears that Elsa, the leader of the Revenant Squad, had a connection with the leader of the Pulsating Heart Squad named Zoe¡
Suddenly, Denise heard Lotus'' voice echoing inside her head.
After a gentle nod, she immediately informed Leonel of the situation.
"There were twelve creatures emitting bloodlust approaching from that direction¡" Denise warned.
"Evil Creatures?" Leonel asked.
"I don''t think so¡ My Dark Spirit did not mention." Denise replied.
"Got it. Let me handle this." Leonel said as he immediately warned the rest of the squad members, including the others.
"What? Are you sure about that?" Drake felt offended as it appeared that Leonel was telling them that they didn''t have proper detection abilities and failed to detect the approaching enemies.
"Yes¡ They''re still not inside our Magic Zone, so we won''t be able to sense their presence yet. However, it shouldn''t take long before you notice them as well. I don''t have the time to argue. Our squad will take care of them." Leonel said, and before Drake could even reply, the Torrent Squad already left, which was followed by the Fire Elementalists of the ze Fan Squad.
As Denise and the squad reached the enemies, they discovered that they were not Evil Creatures!
"Variants?!" Denise was stunned as she hadn''t anticipated these beings would show up here!
They were products of Dark Alchemy and knew that they required some sort of maintenance. They couldn''t just stumble here.
As a Dark Alchemist herself, she was sure that she was not wrong.
"Leonel! They are Tier 2 Variants and they have a Dark Stone in their bodies that enables them to use Dark Spells. They are immune to weak Spells and physical attacks, so we need to usebination spells." Denise quickly informed.
Leonel appreciated her for the information. With this in consideration, everyone quickly devised a n.
They decided to split into two teams. One team would distract the Variants and lure them into a trap, while the other team would ambush them andunch a powerful attack.
Leonel''s Torrent Squad would lure the Variants, while Roy''s ze Fan Squad would lead the second team.
Leonel used his Mystica Arts to create illusions, while Thorne used noises that attracted the Variants'' attention.
Denise and the others also showed themselves as they pretended to be scared and ran away from them, leading them to the ce where Roy''s Squad was preparing their Tier 2 Spells.
''Since they''re all Fire Elementalists, they should have enough firepower.'' Denise mused.
The Variants, who had their mouths stitched, followed them, thinking they were easy prey.
They didn''t notice the hidden Formation Art that was hastily set up by the ze Fan Squad.
As soon as all the twelve Variants entered the circle, they immediately activated the Formation. The Formation was only a type of buff, but it was very useful for Fire Elementalists. After all, this circle weakens the resistance of the target against fire!
Soon, several Fire Spells were thrown at them¡
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Leonel''s squad turned around, they saw the Variants get caught on fire.
The area was filled with fire and smoke, and some Variants were blown away by the force of the explosion from the Fire Spells.
Some of them were killed instantly, while others were wounded and burned. They tried to escape, but they were blocked by the debris and rubble and the Spells from the Torrent Squad.
''It seems easy¡'' Denise mused as she saw how they trapped the Variants so easily¡
Nevertheless, she continued helping them clean up the Variants.
The Variants were hit with numerous Spells from several Arcane Paths. They were torn apart by the rocks, wind des, mystic hands, and ghost hands...
"It''s done¡ I can''t feel their presence anymore. However, is it normal for them to appear here?" Leonel muttered.
"Not really. They had decent fighting capabilities because of their durability, but they were justborers of Dark Alchemists. I can only guess that there''s a Dark Alchemist nearby." Denise replied.
The smoke dissipated at the small crater they had made.
They were hoping to find the remains of the Variants, but to their shock, a ck entity that looked nothing like a human was lying at the bottom of the crater and wasn''t giving off any energy.
As they used their Magic Zones to scan the area again, the entity abruptly opened its red eyes!
"W-what is¡ª"
"Argh¡ I''m paralyzed!"
"Is it a Restriction Spell?"
All the fourteen Arcanists were immobilized! And that wasn''t all, a sinister force began to spread as they all trembled in terror. What they had encountered was a creature that was beyond their level!
''This is bad¡ We''re doomed.'' Leonel thought in his mind, but as he felt his life slipping away, a heavenly lightning bolt suddenly descended on the creature.
Chapter 548 Bet
Chapter 548 Bet
Boom!
A loud st shook the whole forest. Even the people in the nearbyke felt the ground quake as they looked at the origin of the strike.
"Is that from the Torrent Squad?" Drake rose up in shock as he realized that the force behind that lightning strike was not ordinary. It was surely from a potent spell, a ritual, or a Mystical Artifact.
The other leaders of the squads felt the same. They wanted to follow the two squads as they were curious about what was happening.
But the leader of the Justice Hammer Squad stopped them.
His name was Troy, and behind him was Rnd, the official from Kirkham City''s Arcanist Guild.
"Sir Drake, please calm down. They can deal with the situation. It''s better to stay here and rest. If we get attacked again, we will need your help, so you have to save your strength." Rnd said as he tried to ease the tension.
Fortunately, Drake heeded the veteran Arcanist as he decided to sit down.
''That lightning is familiar... Could it be from the Masked Devil Incarnate?'' Drake silently thought as he felt a thrill in his veins. It seemed that the Masked Devil had escaped from the Millton Kingdom and was causing trouble in the Ruri Kingdom!
Meanwhile, the Torrent Squad and the ze Fan Squad had been flung away by the sheer force that came from the heavenly lightning.
Thankfully, the force was concentrated on the mysterious ck entity that had appeared out of nowhere¡ and whatever it was, it seemed that it had perished from that powerful lightning strike as if the heavens had rejected that creature itself.
"Wow~ I thought we were done for. Is everyone alright?!" Leonel yelled as his Mystic State had already worn off.
He wouldn''t be able to enter his Magic Zone for the next 9 minutes. It was the same for the others but with different durations.
They could only rely on their Mystical Artifacts at this point.
"We''re fine..."
"I''m okay."
"I''m good too."
"I managed to hold on to this trunk so I wasn''t tossed away."
The members started regrouping, giving relief to Leonel and Roy.
"Where did that lightninge from? Was it you, Leonel?" Roy asked after confirming that all their members were safe.
"No way... If I had the power to unleash that, I would take the mission to capture the Masked Devil Incarnate." Leonel remarked as he shook his head.
But the crowd went quiet as soon as they heard that.
"Masked Devil Incarnate..." Roy mumbled. Everyone had the same thought as they remembered the news of how this person could summon lightning, a feat that only the Grand Storm Knights of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea could pull off with the help of their special Artifacts.
All of them started wondering if the Masked Devil Incarnate was behind the lightning strike.
Almost at the same time, they started to look around them.
They wondered if that person was nearby or if he was watching them.
They couldn''t help but think if he was their ally or their enemy.
"There''s no point thinking about it. We were saved from that mysterious entity. We have to rethink if we''re going to continue our journey." Leonel suddenly said.
"We should continue¡ Let''s just be more careful and not offend anyone until we reach the Vampire''s Castle." Roy said, considering that the payment for this mission was incredible. They won''t have to find another job for the next year if they seed.
Leonel then looked at his members, and seeing that they were eager to continue, he could only shrug as he led the way back to their campsite.
***
As soon as the two squads came back to the campsite, they were instantly interrogated by Drake and the others.
Roy then exined what had happened, and simr to what they had thought, the others also suspected that it could be the Masked Devil Incarnate.
Although there could be others as well, the lightning they could unleash wasn''t as powerful as the ones unleashed by the Masked Devil.
Meanwhile, while they were discussing what had urred, a man wearing a trench coat returned to his seat around the Justice Hammer''s Squad.
He hade from the forest where the Torrent Squad and the ze Fan Squad had gone.
After a couple of hours of rest, Drake, who seemed to have drunk a bit, suddenly shouted to get everyone''s attention.
He stood up at the center of the campsite and looked at everyone.
He had a smug and confident expression on his face before he spoke to everyone, but he mainly addressed the Kirkham City''s Squads.
"Listen up, everyone. I have an announcement to make. As you all know, we are here for the same mission. We are here to explore the Vampire''s Castle and kill the creature inside. But I have a proposal for you. A bet, if you will¡"
As he said this, he looked at Leonel as he knew his squad should be the strongest.
Seeing his frowning expression, Dark continued.
"How about we make this mission more interesting and fun? Let''s add some stakes and rewards¡ This way, we can see who is the best and who is the worst¡"
The veteran Arcanist Rnd didn''t seem to hate the idea, and he even chuckled after hearing this. It seemed as if he was amused by the young Arcanists of this generation.
"What kind of bet is this?" He asked.
"Well, how about wepete and see who can reach the castle first, who can kill the most enemies, and who can y the vampire? We can also put some money on the line and see who can win it all¡ This way, we''ll know the inferior squads. How about it? Are you ready, or are you scared?" Drake taunted with a loud and arrogant voice.
He looked around and saw the reactions of the other Squads. He saw some of them were interested and excited, some of them were annoyed and offended, and some of them were indifferent and bored. He smiled and continued.
"Of course, I know that some of you may not want to participate in this challenge. You may think that it''s too risky, too childish, or too pointless. You may think it''s better to cooperate and coborate rather thanpete with my squad.. or say thatpleting the mission is more important than winning the bet. And that''s fine. You have the right to think that way."
He then paused for a moment before he added hisst words to taunt them.
"However, that''s not what''s in your mind. I know you are afraid that you''ll embarrass yourselves and your Squads... Because you''ll prove that you''re nothing but weaklings and losers? Well, if you''re not afraid, then ept my challenge!"
Chapter 549 Challenged
Chapter 549 Challenged
Most of the Arcanists from Kirkham City were fairly young, especially the members of the ze Fan Squad. These Fire Elementalists were also impulsive, so they readily epted the challenge.
However, Roy still had a condition as he also had to think about the whole mission.
"Alright! My squad will take the challenge. If your squad managed to contribute the most to the Vampire Castle''s subjugation, we can give you the money that you want or an item that we can offer. However, if your squad fails to dominate the subjugation mission, then you have to give us the Eagle Eyes Spell Model!" Roy said with a grin on his face.
"What? You guys are Elementalists... Why would you need a Beast Art''s Tier 2 Spell?" Drake scowled as he couldn''tprehend why they would want the Spell Model of his family.
"It''s not important¡ We would do whatever we want on that Spell Model. You can also request something from us." Roy said.
"I think they wanted to trade it, Drake... Don''t agree to the bet. The Eagle Eyes Spell Model is only exclusive to your family. You can''t just use it as a bet without the consent of your family." One of Drake''s squad members quickly said to remind the hot-headed young man.
After remembering that it was the property of his family, Drake softly nodded as he looked at Roy.
"I won''t be betting my family''s exclusive spell. It was only for our family and those who pledged loyalty to us. If you wanted to have that, you have to give us something of equal value." Drake said.
Of course, Roy doesn''t have a valuable item since he wouldn''t be doing missions here if he did. He couldn''t just give his life for that, after all.
As he thought of just backing out of the bet, he suddenly noticed the young man from the Justice Hammer Squad. This young man was the new recruit of the squad, and he seldom talked to them.
He stood up all of a sudden and looked at Drake.
"Are you sure that if we can give an item with equal value, you''d bet on that Eagle Eye Spell Model?"
The young man''s voice was calm and clear. He looked at Drake with a piercing gaze.
He had a mysterious and confident aura, and everyone couldn''t help but nce in his direction as soon as he spoke.
This young man had a trench coat that covered his body and a hat that covered his face. He had a ring that sparkled with darkness and a cane that adults would normally use.
Of course, he was Kyle, or at this time, Clovis Skye, the new recruit of the Justice Hammer Squad.
He was recruited to the squad with Constance, who had changed her name to Pearl for the time being.
After a few maniptions, they joined the Justice Hammer Squad to leave Kirkham City and evade the people who had been searching for them.
They had also joined the mission to the Vampire''s Castle to find out more about the creature that lived there since Kyle couldn''t restrain his curiosity after all.
Anyway, he had justpleted his extraction from the dark entity he had killed using the Divine Lightning''s Call.
Aside from expecting some energy and attributes, he had obtained an item from it. Of course, he won''t be using this item to make a trade, but he was nning to use the ring he was wearing.
Drake squinted his eyes as he noticed that Clovis'' outfit wasn''t even that expensive. He could tell from his appearance that he wasn''t that rich, so he couldn''t help but doubt what he said.
"Can you really bring out an item of equal value? If not, you should not waste our time."
Clovis smiled as he took off his hat and revealed his face. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He had a handsome and charming appearance.
He showed his ring and revealed his item. It was the Doombringer Ring, a rare and powerful Mystical Artifact. It was assessed to beparable to a Sovereign Rank item.
It had the ability to amplify the user''s Dark Spells and literally bring doom to the targeted people or area.
He couldn''t use this item before, but after weeks of training, he was already able to control a bit of his Divinity and was able to wear this dangerous item without suffering from the madness it would normally give to its wearer.
Clovis then smiled and spoke to Drake with a confident and yful tone.
"Of course, I''m sure. I have an item that is worth more than your Eagle Eyes Spell Model. It''s the Doombringer Ring, a Sovereign Rank Mystical Artifact. It''s a ring that can bring chaos and destruction to a person or even a targeted area. I can show its mightter or you can hire an Appraiser to look at it."
As soon as he said this, everyone was shocked as Sovereign Rank Artifacts were items that are considered heirlooms and wouldn''t normally be carried along in your journey but kept hidden until they had to face a crisis.
After all, items like these don''t have huge durability. Every time they were used, they would start to deteriorate, and fixing them was considered impossible.
"Sovereign Rank?" Drake muttered as even with his family''s wealth, he wouldn''t be allowed to carry such a precious item.
"Yes¡ It''s a ring that can make you a famous Arcanist or a killer. It''s a ring that can change your fate depending on how you use it... I''m willing to bet on this challenge. Do you dare to ept it?" Clovis replied confidently.
Clovis then looked around and saw the reactions of the other Squads. He saw some of them were shocked and amazed, and some of them were intrigued and tempted. However, he noticed that Denise seemed wary and cautious.
Anyway, Clovis just smiled and waited for their answers.
This time, it was Drake who was unable to speak.
Chapter 550 The Castle
Chapter 550 The Castle
Drake''s friend quickly tried to dissuade him from taking the bet. However, Drake was the one who had initiated the betting. Moreover, he also fancied the idea of owning the Doombringer Ring.
Finally, he looked at Clovis and agreed to the challenge.
"Fine... Since you can use that ring, I suppose I can use it too. I ept the bet. Don''t damage that ring. I will also have an appraiser to verify itter. If you''re cheating, you''ll pay a heavy price." Drake said as his first worry was whether he could use the ring or not.
However, seeing that Clovis could wear it without any problems, he believed he also had the capability to wield it.
"Good¡ Everyone heard it, and I hope you won''t back out¡" Clovis replied with a smile. He didn''t mind not having a contract since if Drake dared to act ignorantter, he would forcefully take his Spell Model instead.
Apparently, Clovis was really curious about the Eagle Eye Spell. After all, he had heard that this Spell could bypass the Magic Zone''s limit. You could see something even if it was beyond your Magic Zone''s range. He found this ability very fascinating, and he also hoped to find a way to ovee his Magic Zone. This Spell might give him some inspiration in this matter.
***
After this long event, their journey went on for a few more days until they reached the area near the Vampire''s Castle.
"Is that the rumored Vampire''s Castle?" Denise muttered as she looked at the castle ahead of them. She couldn''t help but feel chill just from seeing it.
It was the same for the others as they immediately halted on their steps.
The castle was a dark and gloomy sight.
It was perched on top of a mountain, surrounded by thick and stormy clouds. It was made of ck stone, with tall towers and sharp spires. It had no open windows, no doors, no signs of life.
It seemed as if it came out of a book where it had only shadows, secrets, and horrors. It was a ce of death, fear, and evil.
The Arcanists felt a chill in their bones as they gazed at the castle.
Furthermore, as if the beings in the castle had noticed their arrival, they felt an invisible pressure in their minds as they sensed the threat of the castle.
Rnd, the veteran Arcanist, knew that he had to do something about it.
He gathered his energy and used a spell to wake everyone.
"Do not stare at the castle for too long. Enter your Special State if necessary and block the invisible pressure that attacks your mind. If we''re really dealing with Vampires, then they would sense your fears, and you wouldn''t want that to happen."
Rnd spoke aloud as he tried to help the people behind him.
However, it only alleviated their feelings for a brief moment.
They still felt a dread in their hearts as they approached the castle. They saw shes of lightning and heard rumbles of thunder from time to time.
It was as if nature itself was warning them from getting closer to the Vampire Castle.
"I wonder what kind of creatures are living inside the haunted castle¡" Roy couldn''t help but mumble as he tried to calm his heart.
"Indeed¡ Who would live in such a gloomy ce?"
"Well, they could be Dark Magicians¡ or even Dark Alchemists doing some hideous experiments."
"As long as we could survive the mission¡"
The Arcanists started talking among themselves to calm their nerves while they also stayed vignt now that they were in the enemy''s territory.
"Let''s stop here to prepare." Drake suddenly said, which everyone unanimously agreed on.
They prepared their set of equipment and tools that they might need in the battle inside.
They checked potions, pills, or any consumables that might help them¡
Soon, they discussed their strategies.
Even if they werepeting for the position of having the most contribution to this mission, they still had to form some ns.
The first thing they had to do was to recon the castle using their familiars, summons, or anything they could use as long as they didn''t physically enter the castle.
After all, they didn''t know what they would encounter¡ Even Rnd warned them that it could be a trap to weaken the forces of the Arcanist Guild in the Kingdom.
With this in mind, they have to be extra careful.
Soon, several summoned creatures, spirits, and mystical Artifacts were used to explore the castle.
"Ha! We have the most scouts..." Drake said with a smirk as he saw the creatures getting in from the cracks of the blocked window and the slightly open door of the castle.
With more scouts, they would find more information within the castle.
Apparently, the Ash Squad and Tormentor Squad had Summoners in their ranks, so they were able to send their rats inside. There were dozens of them inside by now.
The Pulsating Heart Squad and Shadow Knight Squad were able to summon some Ghosts to scout for them. Their number also exceeded a dozen.
Meanwhile, the Squads from Kirkham City, had simple methods.
The ze Fan Squad had simply used their Mystical Artifacts to scan the castle. They were all Fire Elementalists and quite limited in their Spells after all.
The Revenant Squad and the Torrent Squad, on the other hand, had Shamans on their side, so they were able to do a ritual to summon a scout for them. At the very least, the survivability of these summons would be higher than those of rats or ghosts.
Lastly, the Justice Hammer Squad relied on Pearl, a mysterious female Psychic who had simply controlled a nearby lizard to scout the ce.
Then, they waited for their scouts to return and report their findings.
At this time, they hoped to find some clues and information about the castle and the creatures that could be living inside.
"If there''s really a vampire, I hope that it can''t go outside¡" Rnd muttered as he recalled the information he got about these mystical beings.
Chapter 551 Inside the Castle
Chapter 551 Inside the Castle
As Clovis waited for the scouts to finish their tasks, he remembered the information about the Vampires.
Apparently, the existence of the Vampires wasn''t as umon as he thought. Vampires could actually be summoned from a different realm, and as long as they met certain conditions, they could live in this human realm as long as they could.
As for the specific conditions, he had no clue about them since he had limited information...
In fact, the existence of Vampires wasn''t taught in the four years of his study. He only learned about them because of how he absorbed a lot of information on the second floor of their Academy''s library.
That second floor of the library allowed him to absorb information just by opening the book and epting its mysterious knowledge transfer. He''d really like to return to that ce if possible.
Clovis sighed as he looked at the gloomy castle.
"I don''t think it''s a good idea to bother the Vampire living there..." Clovis muttered as he didn''t like the fact that they would just invade the Vampire''s territory because of a request from the Ruri Kingdom''s Arcanist Guild.
The Vampire wasn''t even in a nearby city and was causing trouble. It was just in the middle of a forest, far away from human civilization.
"I heard from the vigers that we passed by that the Vampire or the person living there was even regting the beasts and creatures roaming in the forest... They don''t have a bad rtionship with the owner of the castle. However, I also heard that the governor of this region sent some emissaries to the castle and came back with injuries. It seems they were trying to recruit the Vampire to join their army." Pearl suddenly said after hearing Clovis while she was waiting for her scouts to return.
"Is that so? Then this must be a trap... They probably wanted our squads to measure the strength of the Vampire." Clovis muttered as his eyes started scanning around.
"This means that the Arcanists from their guild must be observing us from afar. Did you detect their presence?" He softly muttered.
"I don''t feel their presence. But if that''s their n, they must be the ones who summoned that Evil Entity you destroyed with the Divine Lightning." Pearl suggested as she leaned on a nearby tree.
Clovis eyes brightened after hearing this. That would indeed make sense! They had probably summoned that mysterious entity to test their strength to verify whether they had the skills to fight against the Vampire!
As he thought of this, some of the scouts that were sent finally came back after some time...
To their surprise, all the scouts managed to return. They had expected that many of them would die, but it seemed that something was wrong in the castle.
"What happened?" Clovis asked the people who were controlling their scouts. If not for the mysterious formation art that was blocking his Divine Sense and other detection Spells, he would just enter this castle on his own.
For now, however, he had to rely on the scouts'' report.
"It''s weird¡ My lizard didn''t find anything after searching the ces it could enter." Pearl said.
"It''s the same with my Spirits¡"
"My rats didn''t find anything suspicious aside from the ces with metal doors."
"Howe none of our scouts found anything when we can feel how threatening this castle is?" Drake muttered as he gravely looked at the castle. There was no way this castle was empty.
However, all the scouts reported what they had seen inside the castle. They all confirmed that the castle was empty and quiet. There were no signs of life or movement.
There weren''t even any traps or threats that were triggered while they were searching... Furthermore, a couple of treasure-seeking rats couldn''t sense any treasures in the castle either.
There was only dust and darkness.
"What''s going on here?"
"Did we make a mistake? Is this not the castle we''re looking for." Roy muttered.
"This is definitely the castle. However, the owner must''ve escaped as soon as he noticed my presence¡" Drake suddenly said as he felt that his reputation had probably spread far and wide.
Of course, the people from Kirkham City just ignored these words.
They were still puzzled and disappointed by what they had seen.
All of them started wondering why the castle was so barren and silent.
In the end, Rnd, the veteran Arcanist, made a suggestion.
"This must be a trick¡ The owner of the castle might have arranged something to show nothing to the scouts entering his castle. Perhaps we''ll find something if we enter the castle instead."
No one objected to this idea since they were already here. Even if there was no enemy inside the castle, it was still better to check it personally.
Soon, they decided to enter the castle and investigate further.
Since they didn''t know whether this could be a trap, they maintained a formation while entering to ensure everyone''s safety.
The entrance hall wasrge and empty, with a high ceiling and a grand staircase.
The walls were decorated with paintings and tapestries, but they were faded and torn. The floor was covered with carpets and rugs, but they were dusty and stained.
As for the pieces of furniture, they were elegant and antique, but they were broken and rotten.
Then, as soon as everyone entered the castle, Rnd''s intuition was confirmed!
Bang!
The thick and heavy iron door of the castle had abruptly shut as soon as they entered.
Formation Art was activated to prevent it from being opened by any Mystic Art like Unlock Spell or Gate Crash Spells.
Then, the several orbs in the pirs and walls started lighting up the surroundings. Even the dusty chandelier suddenly lit up the whole area.
They hadn''t seen their enemy yet, but they knew that they were about to face them.
"I knew it! This is a trap!" One of them remarked.
"Everyone, get ready!"
"We will dominate this!" Drake said as he activated his Mystical Artifacts.
Chapter 552 Eradication
Chapter 552 Eradication
"They''reing¡" Rnd announced as he shifted his gaze to the stairs.
As soon as he said that, everyone heard a loud and eerie screech.
They looked up and saw a swarm of bats flying out of the shadows. There were thousands of them, filling the air with their ck and pping wings.
They had red eyes and sharp teeth, which seemed intimidating. They also had a bloodthirsty and malicious intent!
The squads had to keep their Magic Zone active to fight against the pressure they were emitting.
"They were the minions of the Vampire! They must be tougher than normal bats¡ Don''t hold back!" Drake announced as he activated his Eagle Eye Spell.
Aside from seeing from afar, this eye spell was also considered to be an investigative spell that was as good as the Inspection Spell of the Mystic Arts.
Soon, the bats swooped down on the Arcanists, attacking them with their ws and fangs.
They tried to bite them, scratch them, and infect them. They tried to overwhelm them with numbers in order to kill them.
However, although they might be numerous, their opponents were still elite Arcanists who had aplished severalbat missions in their lives. They wouldn''t panic so easily.
The Arcanists fought back, defending themselves with their spells and Mystical Artifacts. They used their elements, their skills, and their abilities.
Specifically, they deployed Wind Barrier, Evil Warding Totem, Fire Wall, and Pulsating Wave Spells to block the bats.
Some of them even use a few Talismans and other Mystical Artifacts to repel the bats.
In the meantime, Clovis didn''t even cast any spell to stop the bats¡ However, as soon as they had gotten near him, they would immediately back away as if they had sensed their death.
As for Pearl, she simply stuck close to Clovis to avoid being targeted by the bats.
"Whoa~ There are so many of them¡ I can''t even see the other squads¡" Pearlmented as her vision was now blocked by the sheer number of batsing at them. It seemed that they were endless!
Even the numerous Fire Spells from the ze Fan Squad and Ember Spirits of the Ash Squads weren''t stopping the bats froming at them.
Luckily, the numerous bats being killed weren''t piling up on the ground. They were actually dissipating or merging into the shadows.
"It''s interesting how you were able to use your Draconic Aura to scare the bats away." Pearl softly muttered as she was able to guess how Clovis was avoiding the bats'' ire.
"Oh¡ You can tell? Not even Rnd can feel the Dragon''s Essence." Clovismented in surprise.
"Of course. I''m the Tower Master. How would I fail to notice that?" Pearl replied with a grin on her face. She was certainly proud of herself.
Nevertheless, this ineffective defense didn''tst long, as the leaders of the squads started cooperating to create arger space so they could work together.
They formed a circle, facing outward and covering each other. Once again, they cast their spells, creating arger barrier to help their offensive Arcanists to counterattack.
"Haha! Kill them all!" Drake shouted as the Shadow Knights Squad in his team were actually full offensive Arcanists. They had already withdrawn their ck rapiers as they started cutting off several Bats at once.
With the help of the other squad, they managed to hold off the bats, but they couldn''t get rid of them. They were too many and too persistent.
They kepting anding, like a never-ending wave.
However, Drake was still happy seeing how the Shadow Knights were able to kill more bats. Apparently, he had also used his Beast Arts to support these Knights and strengthened them in the process.
If they continued like this, he believed that Clovis wouldn''t be able to assert his dominance.
Nevertheless, after eight minutes had passed, most of them were reaching their limits. It means that their Special State was about to end!
"Not good!"
"I''m about to reach my limit!"
"Me too!"
"This is bad! We should''ve arranged for a rotation!"
"If we''ve known that we would be facing an unending swarm of bats, we would''ve done that."
"We''re going to die at this rate!"
Aside from the First-ss Arcanists, the others had already started worrying about their Special State, whether it was Phantasm State of the Dark Arts, Titan Will of the Beast Arts, Mystic State of the Mystic Arts, Blessed Sense of the Holy Arts, Martial State of the Combat Arts, or Element Buff of the Elemental Arts, they all wouldn''tst forever.
Even Drake, who was previously celebrating how his Shadow Knights were dominating the elimination of the Bats, started worrying.
Soon, one of the Arcanists from Ash Squad ended his Magic Zone¡ He had already extended it for a full minute and was about to consume by madness, however, it was still not enough.
It was followed by another Arcanist from the Revenant Squad, then from the Shadow Knights, and it just continued¡
Everyone was anxious since more than six people had already left their special state. Their magic zone had copsed, and they wouldn''t be able to cast their spells for a brief time.
Drake and Rnd, the leaders of the squads from the two cities, started devising a way to escape as they instructed a few people to look for an exit.
However, at this moment, Clovis finally took action.
Since he was masquerading as a Holy Arts Practitioner right now, he had to conceal his Spells.
He activated his Divine Sense and released his Divinity for a moment.
"What''s that?!"
"Clovis?!"
Everyone felt Clovis''s aura, which he intended to happen. After all, he wanted everyone to know he was about to do something. This was also to remind Drake about their bet.
Then, he activated his Celestial Art! Aurora''s Embrace! This wasn''t a Holy Art, but none of them should be aware of it anyway.
Anyway, this was the Spell he thought would be the best to eradicate all the bats at once!
He raised his hand and pointed at the swarm of bats.
Then, he felt a surge of energy and light in his palm, and soon, he saw a sh of color and brilliance in the air as he unleashed the Spell.
Aurora''s Embrace!
Chapter 553 The Next Challenge
Chapter 553 The Next Challenge
A myriad of lights burst out of his palm and spread across the ceiling of the castle. It formed a dome of radiant colors that covered the entire hall.
It looked like a beautiful and majestic aurora!
"This is¡"
"A Holy Arts Spell?"
"I''ve never seen anything like this before."
"It''s beautiful¡"
It was a sight to behold, and everyone in the castle couldn''t help but appreciate the beauty of the Spell.
Nevertheless, they knew really well that it was also a deadly weapon.
As the light of the aurora descended on the bats, enveloping them in its glow, they started screeching in pain¡
It burned them, blinded them, and those at the furthest back were stunned and fell on the floor. Then, the next batch of the bats came.
However, the Aurora''s Embrace wasn''t just a single wave of Spell! As long as Clovis was supplying enough Divinity Points, the Celestial Art would not stop!
Screech!
The Celestial Art continued and destroyed the bats! It vaporized them and annihted them. It left no trace of them, no corpse, no blood, no ash. It cleared the air of them, leaving only the light and the silence.
The Arcanists were stunned and amazed by what they saw. They looked at the remnants of aurora and the empty hall.
They looked at Clovis with mixed expressions as they wondered what kind of Spell he had used. They wondered what kind of power he was hiding.
After all, a person with this level of ability shouldn''t be working as a hired Arcanist of the City! This man should be having a good life in the capital, where it was said to be the haven for Arcanists.
As soon as they confirmed that the threat was eliminated, Drake stepped forward and looked at Clovis angrily¡
"Hey! Just who are you?! Why did you only use that Spell after some of us got injured? Aren''t you looking down on us?" Drake shouted as he felt angry about what had happened.
The squad members that had their Special State ended were hurt by the bats that swarmed at them.
Of course, Clovis had an answer to this, but before he could say anything, the Arcanists on his side spoke for him.
"Aren''t you having a bet with him and his squad? Why are you surprised?" Roy immediately said as he stepped in between the two.
"That''s right¡ You should be thankful instead since he even helped your team." Leonel added as he did the same.
"Do you admit that you''ve lost? Then give the Spell Model to him¡"
"Indeed. Besides, Clovis needs to prepare a ritual for that Spell¡ He can''t just cast it instantaneously."
The other squad members also stepped in.
As soon as these words were said, Drake was unable to reply.
At this time, Clovis found an opportunity to speak.
"Sorry for the dy, everyone¡ That Spell consumes a lot of energy, so I must wait until all the batse out before casting it." Clovis said as he looked at Drake with a mysterious smile on his face.
"Is that a Holy Art? Is it alright if I ask for the name of that Spell? If you''re ufortable about it, you can ignore my question." Denise suddenly asked as she looked at Clovis.
Clovis thought for a moment since he couldn''t reveal the name of the Celestial Art.
Finally, he decided to invent a name for it to pass as Holy Arts Spell.
"It''s a Holy Art that I learned from a master of an unorthodox church. It''s called Rainbow Blessing. It''s a Spell that can create a beautiful and powerful light¡ It''s a Spell that can bless you or curse you. However, please don''t think I can cast it without paying the price¡ It can''t always use the Spell to save you." He said, with a confident and yful tone.
Everyone nced at each other, asking whether they heard such a Spell before. However, they all just shook their heads, confirming that it was the first time they had heard the Rainbow Blessing Spell.
Nevertheless, none of them questioned it. They all decided to ept his answer.
As for Drake, he only uttered a few words. "The subjugation isn''t over yet... Once the owner of this ce shows up, I''ll handle it. The bet isn''t over!"
"Ahem¡ Treat the injured right away!" Rnd suddenly interjected to end this matter.
Everyone then quickly started to heal the injured. They took potions and pills to speed up their healing process while some of them stood guard to ensure they wouldn''t be ambushed. After all, the subjugation of the castle hadn''t ended yet.
After about 10 minutes had passed, everyone could reenter their Magic Zone again.
Clovis maintained hisposure as he also examined the surroundings.
It was quite astonishing that the Vampire, or whoever owned the castle, let them recover instead of attacking them right away.
''Is he afraid of my Aurora''s Embrace?'' Clovis thought as he still couldn''t sense the presence of the enemy.
''I should''ve created a Fusion Spell for detection.'' He mused as he remembered how most of his Fusion Spells were offensive types.
''Should I fuse Spirit Vision, Divine Sense, and ESP Spells?''
To be honest, he was reluctant to fuse his Divine Sense to other spells since he really liked its Tracking Mark function. It would surely vanish once he fused it to other Spells.
In the end, he decided to stick to his n and wait for another detection or investigative spell to use for a fusion.
"I''ll just wait for the Eagle Eye Spell I suppose..." He murmured.
Soon, he heard Rnd organizing the squads to go upstairs, where their scouts found some dubious rooms.
"Do not take anything inside the castle... They might be cursed or trapped! We can do the looting once we''ve in the Vampire..." Rnd cautioned, but as he said this, one of the members of the Ash Squad activated a trap after trying to take the illuminating orb!
ck gas started spewing out of the floor!
Chapter 554 Vampire
Chapter 554 Vampire
The ck gas was thick and toxic.
It filled the air with a foul and suffocating smell.
"Wind Elementalists! Runecasters! Hurry and push the gas away!" Rnd suddenly shouted.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
The ck gas burned their eyes and lungs. It made them cough and choke. It was a deadly weapon, and they had to do something about it. Their Arcane Energy and Magic Zone wouldn''t be able to help them with this type of danger.
The panicking Arcanists reacted quickly as soon as they realized the danger. Some of them cast some spells to escape from the gas.
"Follow me!" Rnd shouted as he realized that the Spells of the Elementalists weren''t doing anything. The toxic gas wasn''t stopping at all.
They ran towards the stairs, hoping to find a way out. They used their barrier-type spells to push out the air and Mystical Artifacts that produced a strong wind, trying to clear the gas.
They used anything they could to disperse the gas.
Under Rnd and Drake''s lead, they formed a line to ensure that they wouldn''t get flustered, even if there was an enemy on the second floor.
They cast their spells, creating a path and protection. They activated their Mystical Artifacts, enhancing their speed and their resistance against the toxic gas.
Fortunately, the gas seemed dense as it didn''t reach the second floor yet.
At this moment, Elsa, the leader of the Revenant Squad, finally finished her preparation¡
The Talisman in her hand suddenly shone. There was a Rune Circle drawn on it, and as soon as it was activated, it became like a vacuum that absorbed the toxic gas that wereing at them!
"Tsk... It''s too much. My Talisman can''t absorb them all." Elsa alerted everyone as she could tell the capacity of her Talisman.
"I''m on it!" Drake yelled as he used his Beast Art.
Then, an image of a menacing cougar materialized behind him!
As soon as Elsa''s Talisman was full, he swiftly released his Spell!
With a thunderous roar, a shockwave ensued, and the toxic gas was pushed out. Moreover, it seemed to have the ability to cleanse the toxic gas!
"Incredible!"
"The toxic gas is clearing!"
"So Beast Arts can have such an awesome Spell."
"Indeed¡ I thought they were all meant to improve the Arcanists''s physical abilities."
To be honest, even Clovis didn''t have a better solution for this problem. At best, he could use his Darkness Maniption to protect himself, but saving everyone else would be exhausting for him.
"Hahaha! I did it!" Drakeughed as he thought that he had contributed a lot to this situation. He looked proud as he scanned everyone''s reaction.
However, Roy immediately retorted.
"Hmph... If your subordinate didn''t trigger the trap, we wouldn''t be in such a predicament in the first ce."
Roy''s words made Drake angry and defensive. He red at Roy and snapped back.
"What? Are you ming me and my Squads for this? How am I supposed to know that there''s a trap there? It''s not like you or your Squads didn''t inspect an item that''s lying around. You''re just a bunch of losers who can''t be the best. If I didn''t use my Roar Technique, the toxic gas would slowly kill us. Tsk¡ We should''ve just explored this ce on our own." Drake said with a sneer and a taunt.
Of course, the Ash Squad''s members sided with Drake as they didn''t want to take the me. They also looked annoyed and offended. They immediately addressed Roy and spoke up.
"Yeah, what he said was right. You and your Squads didn''t even do anything to deal with that toxic gas.. You should just give up and quit. We''ll take care of the rest¡" They said with a chorus and a mockery.
"That''s enough¡ We should be helping each other and not fighting each other. Elsa also took care of almost half of the toxic gas." Rnd said as he stepped forward. He signaled Roy to just keep silent as he doesn''t feelfortable arguing inside this castle.
However, even if Roy decided not to reply, Clovis had different thoughts.
"Really? Do you think that you and your Squads can subjugate this Vampire''s Castle? Why don''t you show us what you and your Squads can do? There''s another enemy in that room¡ He''s alone, so he might be the boss or just a minion. Why don''t you handle him?" Clovis said as his gaze shifted to the huge door on the east side of the second floor.
"Alright! My four Squads will deal with the enemy inside! Any treasures inside will be ours!" Drake said as he led his team to the door.
To be honest, his Magic Zone and Detection Spells couldn''t prate that door. He had no idea what to expect inside. However, since Clovis detected that there was one enemy inside, he couldn''t just confess that he couldn''t sense him.
Fortunately, as soon as they got close, the leader of the Shadow Knights was able to feel the presence of someone inside and informed him about it.
"Alright... Rnd, I hope you guard this door for us. We don''t want to be interrupted." As Drake said this.
Then, he ordered the Shadow Knights to take the lead.
They soon heard a creaking sound as the door was opened.
They immediately inspected the room and saw a vampire resting near a window.
The vampire was a handsome and elegant sight.
He had pale and smooth skin with a faint blush on his cheeks. He had long and silky hair, with a dark and glossy color. He had sharp and refined features, with a high and noble nose.
He had piercing and captivating eyes with a deep and crimson color.
However, the scariest part of him was that he had a charming and seductive smile, with a pair of white and pointed fangs that attracted even the male Arcanists!
"Not good!" Rnd muttered as he immediately closed the door as soon as the four squads led by Drake had entered.
This shocked Clovis for a moment as he didn''t expect that this veteran Arcanist would really abandon those people!
Chapter 555 The Subjugation
Chapter 555 The Subjugation
Denise had seen a glimpse of the Vampire before Rnd closed the door.
The Vampire wore a fine and stylish suit, with a ck and red color. He had a crisp white shirt with a few buttons undone. He wore a sleek ck tie with a silver and ornate pin and a tailored red jacket with a ck and velvet cor.
Lastly, she noticed that he had a pair of ck leather shoes with a shiny and polished look.
He certainly looked like a noble and wealthy gentleman with a refined and cultured taste. He looked charming in her eyes as he exuded a passionate and adventurous spirit.
Thankfully, the door was immediately closed, so she wasn''tpletely "attracted" by the Vampire. She was saved by that action!
"That''s dangerous¡" She muttered while still feeling scared of what had just happened. The Vampire looked like a powerful and dangerous enemy with a cunning technique.
She was almost drawn to the Vampire''s beauty!
***
At this time, Rnd also heaved a sigh of relief after confirming that the door was closed tightly and the people on the other side didn''t dare to open it.
He was a bit worried that the door would open once again and Drake would startining.
"Senior Rnd, if they killed the Vampire, Clovis will lose the bet..." Leonel said as he wanted to know why Rnd made such a bold decision. Although he wasn''t against abandoning those people, he was worried that Clovis would have to give up his Sovereign Rank Ring because of it.
The other Arcanists had the same question as they looked at Rnd curiously.
After some hesitations, Rnd could only share what he had known.
"Forget about the bet. That Vampire is beyond our level. Right now, if we can''t find a way of dealing with that enemy, we have to think about escaping while Drake''s squads are fighting it." Rnd revealed.
"What? How strong is that Vampire?" Elsa suddenly asked.
"That''s right¡ Are you sure you''re not overestimating it? Maybe if we all cooperate, we could defeat it." Roy added.
However, Rnd simply shook his head. "I''ve seen a portrait of that Vampire before. That creature maniptes blood, and he had caused chaos a hundred years ago. He killed three Grandmaster Arcanists before vanishing."
"What?!" Leonel and the others couldn''t contain their shock after hearing that the Vampire had killed three Grandmaster-ss Arcanists!
"That''s right¡ I don''t think we could even beat an Expert-ss Arcanist¡ Maybe if all eight squads worked together, we could handle a Master-ss Arcanist. But a Grandmaster will annihte us." Rnd exined, shocking the whole group once again.
Now, everyone realized that they really should be thinking of escaping this castle.
***
Meanwhile, inside the room, the four squads led by Drake were facing the Vampire.
They had entered the room with confidence, thinking that they could easily subjugate the Vampire and im the glory...
"Those losers even closed the door¡ So pathetic." Drake softlymented as believed that this was a great chance for them.
"Well, it means that they won''t be able to make any contribution. We just have to kill this Vampire, and we''ll be the winner of this bet."
"Hahaha! They probably think that we''ll lose to this Vampire."
"Hmph¡ They didn''t do their research¡ Vampires have so many weaknesses. They wouldn''t hide in this abandoned castle if they were really powerful."
"Indeed¡ Everyone, prepare your pistols! We''ll make this quick!" Drake shouted as they all carried their pistols with silver bullets to deal with the Vampire.
Of course, they also readied their sk of holy water in case they needed it.
However, the battle didn''t go as they nned.
They had underestimated the Vampire and overestimated themselves. They had made a fatal mistake.
The Vampire was fast and agile. He was silent and stealthy, and none of them were able to get a clean hit!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The expensive silver bullets were wasted as they didn''t hit their target. They even used their spells to immobilize the Vampire, but he moved like a shadow and a blur, and even with their Magic Zone working at full capacity, they all failed to lock on their target!
The Vampire attacked them from behind, catching them off guard. The Vampire touched them slightly, and it didn''t seem to have any effect.
However, after a moments, something unexpected happened.
"What?!"
The Vampire was able to manipte blood, controlling the movement of their bodies against their will! He made them drop their weapons and items, rendering them useless and defenseless.
However, there were four people with stronger defenses that couldn''t be manipted¡
The Vampire merely smirked after seeing this as he made the controlled Arcanists turn against them, making them fight and kill.
"Stop! You guys! Don''t get controlled by that filthy Vampire!" Drake shouted to his team.
The leaders of the squads who had decent defenses also shouted in hopes of waking theirrades. However, it was all futile.
The battle didn''t evenst 15 minutes, and the Vampire remained unhurt throughout the struggle.
The Vampire, without any change in his expression, killed Drake and the others one by one after they got exhausted.
However, it could be seen that all their blood was being drained at an incredible rate and absorbed into the Vampire''s clothes.
"Boring¡" The Vampire muttered as he didn''t find the battle entertaining at all.
They were too weak and too slow. He only used his Charm and Blood Maniption, and the Arcanists had already died.
"If this is the average strength of the Arcanists, then this realm will be doomed in a few years." He muttered as if he knew something about the future of the Human Realm.
The Vampire then looked at the drained corpses of the intruders. He couldn''t help but wonder why they hade to his castle and disturbed his peace. He had forgotten to ask them.
Anyway, he decided to find out, so he started to search their bodies and their belongings.
Soon, he found the mission request in Drake''s inner coat''s pocket.
He read it carefully and couldn''t help but chuckle¡
"They offered such a huge sum of money. No wonder they dared to enter the castle."
Chapter 556 Fledgling
Chapter 556 Fledgling
Outside the Vampire''s room, the Arcanists of Kirkham City started sharing their opinions.
"Let''s escape! If we all used our power, there''s no way the castle walls would stop us! We can just forcibly make a way out¡" Leonel voiced out as he knew that Denise had a way to open a path if it was really necessary.
"Since the Vampire is still busy with Drake''s squads, this is the ideal time. I agree with Leonel." Roy chimed in.
"Let the official Arcanists deal with that beast. Scouting the Vampire should be a good enough job. Even if we don''t get the whole reward, we will still get paid for it."
"That''s right! We can''t risk our lives here. This is even a foreignnd! I don''t want to die in such a ce."
The other leaders said. As for the rest, they stayed silent but still agreed.
There were only three people who seemed to have different ns.
They were Clovis, Pearl, and Kai, the former member of the Order of Fatality. They didn''t show signs of approval and remained silent.
Kai suddenly stepped forward and looked at the leaders.
"You guys can go ahead. I will try to fight the Vampire. Even if I can''t win, I have a secret technique that will let me escape." Kai said mysteriously.
Rnd nodded at this since he knew that Kai wouldn''t be able to leave the Cult if he didn''t have an amazing way of escape.
However, he was still concerned.
"There''s no need to take a chance, Kai. There is no way to beat that Vampire, even if it''s you. The situation isn''t right. You will be facing the Vampire in his home. The right way is to destroy the castle and let the sunlight in. However, none of us here have destructive spells that could obliterate the Formation Arts and demolish the sturdy castle. Silver Bullets and mid-grade Holy Water will not work either. Well, unless you want to ask for the Masked Devil Incarnate''s help." Rnd said with a helpless smile, as he knew the limits of the Arcanists here.
However, Kai was still determined to stay and fight.
This time, Clovis finally spoke up.
"I''ll also stay..." Clovis said with a mysterious smile on his face.
"Me too..." Pearl added.
This time, Rnd and the others felt uncertain about what to do. They didn''t expect that these people would still want to stay even after learning about the Vampire''s capability.
They considered it for a moment, but after some time, they remembered the people who would be waiting for them back in the city. They couldn''t let them down.
In the end, they knew they couldn''t stay.
After taking a deep breath, Rnd spoke up.
"Then we''ll wait for you outside. We''ll hide in the forest nearby. If you guys don''te out after two hours. We will have to leave."
"Very well¡" Clovis agreed to it. He also felt better since he would be able to use his Spells freely without those people.
As for Kai, he wasn''t too worried about him. After all, he already knew about Kai''s secret.
***
Meanwhile, inside the room, the Vampire continued looting the corpses of his enemies. He found some weapons and items, money and jewels, besides the documents and letters in their pockets...
He was not interested in most of them, but he kept some of them for his collection. He liked collecting things from Arcanists since he might also require some money once he decided to roam the cities again.
Anyway, after reading the letter from the Arcanist Guild, he burned it.
That letter contained the details of their mission here.
His Vampire Castle seemed to have be a test for the Arcanists. As for the reward, they were the treasures that could be found in the castle and a mary reward to be given by the Guild worth 250,000 zen.
The Vampire chuckled as he recalled the letter. Heughed at the foolishness and arrogance of the Arcanists of this current era.
***
After eliminating the first batch of Arcanists, the Vampire then looked at the door and scanned the remaining people outside.
"Interesting... I expected all of them to flee. Two of them actually chose to stay." The Vampire said after sensing the presence of the two Arcanists.
Moreover, the two of them seemed to have an Artifact that blocked his detection.
"I suppose I should let them in now." The Vampire said as he activated the seal on the door to open it up.
After some creaking noise, the door opened slightly, and the people outside seized this chance toe in.
As soon as Clovis stepped inside, he saw everyone''s corpses. They all shriveled up as if all the blood from their bodies was drained.
It was such a brutal and most likely an agonizing experience for these young Arcanists.
However, Clovis didn''t feel anything about their deaths except for a bit of pity for not extracting them when they were still alive. After all, corpses would have lower attributes in the Extraction process.
Nevertheless, his reaction was probably due to his Perfect Incorruptible Body as well. He already knew how it was affecting his mood in some cases after all.
"Good jobing back here." The Vampire suddenly said to the person behind Clovis and Pearl.
It was none other than Kai.
Clovis didn''t seem surprised as he smiled. It was the same for Pearl, who seemed to be quite indifferent to what was happening.
Kai, on the other hand, bowed at the Vampire and quickly went to his side.
Kai handed over a scroll and a bottle containing a potent essence of a creature.
Clovis didn''t stop Kai and let everything happen.
He was simply observing as if everything was under his control.
"Hmm... The two of you weren''t shocked... Do you know his identity from the start." The Vampire asked after keeping the scroll and the bottle inside his pocket.
To be honest, the Vampire was already using his charm ability but it didn''t seem to work.
He also tried the blood maniption spell just now, but for some reason, it wasn''t affecting the two as if they were immune to spells!
Clovis smiled and nodded.
"Yes... Your fledgling isn''t even using a high-level Artifact to conceal his scent. It''s not hard to figure out his identity."
Chapter 557 Against the Vampire
Chapter 557 Against the Vampire
The Vampire burst intoughter when he realized that Kai''s cover as a human Arcanist was easily blown by these two people. He didn''t show any anger but rather amusement.
"Interesting¡ You must have something up your sleeves. How did you realize his identity? I''m sure not even the Priests were capable of doing that¡ No. Instead of answering that, tell me why you''vee here." The Vampire said, thinking that these two Arcanists had more than just fighting in mind.
After all, they would have attacked him and stopped Kai if they really wanted to deal with him.
But Clovis'' reply stunned him.
"What else do you think we are here for? We are here to y the Vampires living in this castle. Are you the only Vampire living here?"
"Hmm? You want to kill me? That''s impossible¡ Since you made meugh, I will allow you and your partner to escape." The Vampire replied.
However, Clovis shook his head as he had no ns to waste this opportunity.
"I don''t believe that a blood-thirsty monster like you that preys on people deserves to live¡" Clovis said, unleashing his Water Domain. This way, he didn''t need to use his Spell Dispersion to counter the Blood Maniption Spell that had been trying to attack him all this time.
Pearl, on the other hand, moved back, knowing that Clovis wanted to fight solo. She would only intervene if the Vampire summoned his familiars or ordered Kai to join the fight.
"A Domain Spell?!" The Vampire felt a surge of fear and anger as he realized that the Spell that Clovis used made him incapable of utilizing any form of liquid at all. This obviously includes the Blood Maniption Spell!
''Did they advance so quickly?!''
The Vampire couldn''t help but reassess his view on humans. He realized that these two Arcanists were not ordinary and would be a great source of information...
''This Arcanist must''ve mastered his Domain Magic to the Advanced Realm. However, how could a young man possess a Tier 3 Spell and master it so quickly?'' The Vampire mused as he felt the powerful domain that could resist his magic.
"Do you think this Domain Spell would stop me from using my Spell?" The Vampire sneered as he waved his hands.
The Vampire''s intent was to dismantle the Domain Spell byunching a destructive spell on Clovis. It was none other than his Blood st Spell. He drew upon the blood of the numerous victims he had recently imed.
However, Clovis remained unperturbed by the impending attack, as his Water Domain exerted a profound influence, impeding the trajectory of the Blood st. The Spell''s velocity was significantly reduced, rendering it incapable of quickly striking him¡
"You''re still inside my Water Domain¡ Don''t be surprised." Clovis muttered.
Notably, he found no need to invoke his Spell Dispersion, as the potency of the Blood st waned before it could reach him.
The Vampire, taken aback by the unexpected failure of his Spell, could only think of another way to fight.
However, Clovis also made his move.
He swiftly retaliated by unleashing the power of the Chain of Souls, a Spell Fusion born from the union of Corrupted Chains and Dusk Imprisonment!
The ethereal chains, infused with an ominous aura, extended toward the Vampire, seeking to entangle and confine him within their sinister grasp.
"A Light Chain Spell?! Don''t underestimate me!" The Vampire bellowed, invoking his Dark Embrace Spell, from which tendrils of shadow snaked forth, reaching out to ensnare Clovis in their malevolent embrace.
To Clovis''s astonishment, the shadows appeared animate, as if imbued with a dreadful vitality.
After observing it carefully, he realized that they greatly differ from the Dark Spirit''s Spell. From his observation, the Vampire''s Dark Embrace was a spectral manifestation of the Vampire''s victims, twisted into a dark semnce of life.
Boom!
The sh between the Chain of Souls and the Dark Embrace ensued¡
As the malevolent chains from the Chain of Souls surged forward, they intertwined with the shadowy tendrils of the Dark Embrace, creating a mesmerizing dance of light and darkness.
The chains, pulsating with an eerie, ethereal glow, coiled and twisted with an almost sentient movement, seeking to ensnare and bind the Vampire within their spectral embrace.
"Whoa~" Even Clovis was a bit surprised after seeing how his Chain of Souls moves even without his constant input of instruction.
In stark contrast, the shadowy tendrils created by the Vampire undted and writhed with a sinister grace, striving to entangle Clovis in their malevolent grip.
However, aside from that, Clovis realized that the Vampire seemed to have an endless amount of shadows!
It took him a few seconds before he realized the impending danger of being overwhelmed by the multitude of shadows converging upon him. It seemed that the Vampire had so many victims over the past years that the shadow he was controlling would probably not end any time soon.
Clovis frowned as he made up his mind. He decided to employ his other?Fusion Spell¡ªthe Oblivion Trance. It was from the fusion of Evil Eye Spell and Feign Death Spell.
As Clovis unleashed the power of the Oblivion Trance, the Vampire became a bit wary as he felt a strong fluctuation of energy from Clovis.
Then, he felt his consciousness being taken away by the mysterious Spell that was cast on him! He knew that if he didn''t do anything, he would copse, and his consciousness would be taken away.
''What''s wrong with this kid? Is he using a Psychic Art this time?'' The Vampire frowned.
However, he immediately fortified his defenses by invoking the Nightmare Veil. Then, another Nightmare Veil was summoned, and this time, its aim was to shroud Clovis!
Seeing the huge veil trying to cover the entire room, Clovis summoned the Stormbringer Sword, a powerful weapon revered as the divine sword of the Church of the Three Paragons.
The de crackled with lightning energy, illuminating the room with its radiant power¡
The sudden appearance of the divine sword surprised the Vampire as he didn''t like the lightning energy!
"Catch this!"
Clovus shouted as he unleashed the sword''s formidable might in a bid to vanquish the Vampire!
Chapter 558 Threat Elimination
Chapter 558 Threat Elimination
"Take this!" Clovis bellowed, unleashing the formidable power of his sword in a desperate attempt to vanquish the Vampire.
Descending with a swift sh, Clovis effortlessly shattered the Nightmare Veil¡ Then, the mere force of his de obliterated the second Veil¡
Whoosh~
Confronted by the imminent threat, the Vampire wisely chose evasion over confrontation, utilizing his extraordinary speed to dodge the impending strike.
''What kind of sword is this?'' The Vampire pondered, realizing that while he could hold his own against Clovis, the mysterious and overpowering nature of the de posed a serious challenge.
It emanated a formidable lightning energy that would be catastrophic upon direct impact, capable of reducing him to ashes.
Fortuitously, he was within the confines of his castle!
With limited options, the Vampire activated the castle''s Formation Circle¡
However, it seemed that Clovis remained oblivious to its effects as thetter continued attacking!
''Are you serious?'' The Vampire grunted.
Observing Clovis''s apparent indifference to the Formation Circle, he attempted to negotiate, offering a chance for survival.
"Stop! Swear loyalty to me, and I shall spare your life. You and yourpanion can be vampires, enjoying eternal existence! The Formation Circle I activated would be the cause of your death. I''m giving you an option since I can see your potential."
Contrary to the Vampire''s expectations, Clovis responded with a confident smirk, initiating a spell of his own.
"Call of the Divine Lightning..."
Dark clouds gathered ominously above the castle, and three bolts of lightning descended, heralding a divine and formidable force.
***
The initial surge of lightning shattered the protective Formation Art encircling the castle, its destructive energy rending the mystical barriers asunder.
Following in its wake, a second bolt of lightning destroyed the castle''s ceiling, rupturing the remaining Formation Circles within the castle''s interior, and unleashing a cascade of chaotic arcane energy that reverberated throughout the halls.
With a deafening roar, the third lightning bolt found its mark, searing through the billowing smoke and striking the Vampire with a resounding impact.
Boom!
Clovis'' Celestial Art was sessful!
"Hey¡ I think he''s still alive." Pearl suddenlymented as she looked at the spot where the Vampire was hit.
"What?" Clovis frowned as the Divine Lightning should be more than enough to deal with the Vampire, based on his calctions.
''Did he use a Mystical Artifact?''
As the lingering smokescreen began to dissipate, revealing the aftermath of the cataclysmic sh, Clovis discerned a lone figure standing amidst the dissipating tendrils of smoke, an ominous silhouette that defied the forces arrayed against it.
"Kukuku..." The Vampire''sughter echoed through the aftermath, a chilling sound that seemed to reverberate with an unsettling madness.
As the lingering smoke dissipated, Clovis beheld the seemingly unscathed Vampire, yet a pile of ashesy beneath him.
It appeared that the Vampire had summoned his familiars, shielding him from the onught made by his Celestial Art. Furthermore, the Vampire''s skin had turned red, as if he had forcibly used a Forbidden Art.
''You''re quite lucky, but if I just cast another lightning strike, this would be the end.''
Clovis contemted expending additional Divinity Points to kill the Vampire once and for all.
However, before he could enact his decisive strike, the Vampire surged into action, seizing the opportunity presented by his inaction.
"Huh?"
To Clovis''s astonishment, the Vampire swiftly darted toward Pearl with an ominous intent, his voice ringing out with a menacing deration.
"Let me have your soul!"
***
Pearl''s expression darkened in response to the abrupt assault, a flicker of annoyance crossing her features as she realized she might not merely be a bystander in this conflict.
''I just want to watch the battle. Tsk¡''
"You''re courting death..." Pearl remarked, her toneced with a strong warning.
With practiced finesse, she activated a spell befitting her guise as a practitioner of Psychic Arts¡
"Kneel..." Pearl intoned in a hushed murmur, her words carrying an uncanny resonance that seemed to reverberate through the very air, casting an imposing weight upon those who heard them.
Even Clovis found himself momentarily ensnared by thepellingmand, an instinctive urge to yield to the potent invocation that permeated the atmosphere.
''This¡'' Clovis was surprised as he almost failed to resist. However, he didn''t me her since the Spell she used targeted a whole area instead of a person.
***
While Clovis and Pearl grappled with the Vampire within the confines of the castle, the assembled squads from Kirkham City stood vignt outside. Their Magic Zones monitored the whole surroundings...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the resounding thunderbolts rent the sky and fractured the air, a sense of foreboding settled upon the onlookers, a stark realization that the confrontation within the castle had transcended their capacity to intervene.
"That lightning strike again.." Leonel remarked solemnly, his gaze fixed upon the heavens with a gravity that mirrored the weight of the situation.
"That''s the same one that saved us from that Mysterious Entity¡" Roy murmured, his voice tinged with apprehension and reverence.
"Is that true?" Elsa inquired, her tone betraying a blend of curiosity and concern as she sought rification.
"Yes¡" Roy affirmed with a nod. There was no way he would make a mistake since he had seen that lightning strike up close.
"Then, does it mean that the Masked Devil Incarnate is inside the Castle?" Rnd queried.
Leonel''s eyes widened as he knew that the battle would be chaotic with the presence of such a criminal.
"Not good... Clovis and the others might really die at this point." He voiced his apprehension, grappling with the sobering implications of the unfolding events.
However, Roy shook his head.
Although he heard that the Masked Devil Incarnate had killed a lot of people, he couldn''t help but admire the power he possessed. He believed that this person wouldn''t harm people randomly.
He wanted to defend the Devil Incarnate, but it seemed that there was another person who had the same thought.
"It''s alright... The Masked Devil Incarnate was probably aiming for the Vampire. If he''s really inside, he might be cooperating with Clovis and others instead¡" Denise said while looking at Lotus, who had been gazing at the castle for a while now.
Chapter 559 Extraction Spree
Chapter 559 Extraction Spree
Upon receiving Pearl''s authoritativemand, the Vampire, who had been consumed by a frenzy, abruptly halted in his tracks,pelled to kneel before Pearl.
Thud!
Despite his best efforts to resist thepulsion, the Vampire found himself powerless to defy the potent influence of Pearl''s Spell.
"Dragon''s Words? No¡ This is an Immortal''s Command! Who are you?!" The Vampire was shocked as he felt he recognized the Spell used by the youngdy before him.
"It''s not an Immortal''s Spell¡ It is just a high-level Spirit Art." Pearl replied as she started backing away.
The Vampire frowned since, after living for over a hundred years, he had never heard of a Spell that could make a Special Being like himply just from a single word.
He tried to resist again, but physical strength and a burst of Arcane Energy weren''t enough.
Faced with no alternative, he underwent a swift metamorphosis. It was something that he didn''t really like to do, but he had no other choice for now.
In just a few seconds, the Vampire suddenly assumed the form of a bat in a desperate bid to elude the ensnaring authority.
Then, as the Vampire poised to return to his humanoid form, a hand extended towards him and grabbed his body!
Clovis had already invoked his Levitation and Lightspeed Spell and seized the bat in a swift and decisive maneuver.
"You can fly?!" The Vampire grumbled as he started unleashing his formidable power.
However, before he could do so, he suddenly found himself weakened by the force of Clovis'' spell.
It was as if he was being drained of his energy!
"W-what are you doing?! Let go of me!" The bat yelled in fury as it tried to break away from Clovis'' grasp.
Clovis smiled after hearing this as he continued with his Extraction.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +80, Intelligence +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +80, Intelligence +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +80, Agility +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +80, Strength +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +80, Vitality +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +80, Vitality +0.35 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Vampire Essence +800 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spell Light +1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spell Light +1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Blood Maniption Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Blood Curse Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Shadow Extraction Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Vampire''s Fang ]
"Oh¡ That''s a lot! As expected of a Mystical Being." Clovis couldn''t help but celebrate as soon as the Extraction waspleted.
At this time, the Vampire had already turned into ashes. This includes the clothes he was wearing. It seemed that those were made of his own blood.
Furthermore, Kai, who was being detained by Pearl for attempting to join in the fight, had also turned into ashes after the unknown Vampire was killed.
Clovis couldn''t help but check his current Attribute Panel once again.
[ Ascended Name: Kyle the Uncrowned Paragon ]
[ Race: Half-Celestial ]
[ Attributes:
Strength: 138.30
Agility: 130.25
Intelligence: 130.65
Vitality: 128 ]
[ Force: 1,550 ]
[ Combat Power: 1,859,000 ]
[ Human Arts List ]
[ Celestial Arts List ]
[ Spirit Arts List ]
[ Otherworldly Essence List ]
[ Avable Energy: 17,485 ]
[ Divinity Points: 612.30 ]
After feeling satisfied with his current Attributes, he continued to check his Spells.
[ Human Arts List ]
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv8, Incorruptible Body Lv10, Darkness Maniption Lv8, Spirit Vision Lv7, Light Absorption Lv7, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Active Curse Break Lv7, Corpse Explosion Lv7, Locate Corpse Lv7, Shadow Gate Lv7, Moonlight Specter Lv7, Chain of Souls Lv7, Oblivion Trance Lv7 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv8, Blessed Healing Lv7, Exorcism Lv7 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv7 ]
[ Transformation Art: Morph Lv7, Voice Maniption Lv7 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv9 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv7, Soul Bind Lv7 ]
[ Beast Art: Wild Whisper Spell Lv7 ]
[ Elemental Arts: Tidal Wave Torrent Lv7, Water Domain Lv7 ]
***
[ Celestial Arts List: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv8, Shadow Muttion Lv7, Aurora''s Embrace Lv7 ]
***
[ Spirit Arts List: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv9, Traceless Shift Lv8, Lightspeed Lv7, Levitation Lv7, Blood Maniption Lv0, Blood Curse Lv0, Shadow Extraction Lv0 ]
"So those three spells are all considered as Spirit Arts." Clovis muttered after checking his current attributes.
Then, he started looking around to start his extractions with the corpses around.
"Ahh¡" Clovis suddenly recalled something as he summoned Yvaine.
"Yvaine, look around. Find and collect any treasures inside the castle..." Clovis instructed to save some time.
Yvaine, as usual, just gently nodded before phasing through the wall to start her search for treasures.
"What? You can do that to her?" Pearl couldn''t help but chuckle as she saw how Clovismanded his Dark Spirit to loot some treasures.
"Why? We''re partners anyway¡ She also has this treasure box she could use to store items." Clovis replied as he walked to the nearest dried-up corpse.
"Is that so? I just can''t believe that a highly sought-after Dark Spirit will be used like that." Pearl sighed while shaking her head.
"Ahh¡ If you''re going to enjoy your corpses here, I''ll just look around then." Pearl immediately said as she saw Clovis touching the corpse with a big smile on his face.
As soon as she said this, her figure dissipated as she went ahead to check the castle''s library.
In the meantime, Clovis remained focused on extracting the first corpse.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Complete me Arrow Spell Model. ]
"Oh? I got lucky?" Clovis muttered as he just used his auto-extraction and didn''t focus on extracting a Spell Model after all. He knew very well that extracting Spell Models from corpses was difficult, so he was surprised.
''It must be something to do with how they died...'' He mused.
Of course, he didn''t hesitate to focus on extracting a Spell Model on the next corpses.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Complete Arcane Armor Spell Model. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Complete Eagle Eye Spell Model. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.5, Complete Ember Spirit Spell Model. ]
Chapter 560 Black Cloth
Chapter 560 ck Cloth
Clovis grinned from ear to ear as he had already felt extremely blessed from his first few extractions.
However, he still had plenty of dried-up corpses to extract, so he had to move quickly. After all, he knew that the longer the corpses remained unattended, the lower attributes he''d get from them.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50, Strength +0.15, Agility +0.15, Intelligence +0.30, Complete Reveal Spell Model. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50, Strength +0.15, Agility +0.15, Intelligence +0.30, Complete Telepathy Spell Model. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +55, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.30, Complete Spell Light +1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +45, Strength +0.15, Agility +0.15, Intelligence +0.30, Complete Rune Simplification Spell Model. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +55, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.30, Complete Rune Analysis Spell Model. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +55, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.30, Complete Spell Light +1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +55, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.30, Complete Item Appraisal Spell Model. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +55, Strength +0.2, Agility +0.2, Intelligence +0.30, Complete Spell Light +1 ]
¡
The Extractions continued for a while, and after some time, Clovis extracted a total of 13 Spell Models from the corpses, and 10 of them were new.
Anyway, It seems that the other corpses were too drained and only gave Spell Lights or Attribute Points. Nevertheless, Clovis was ted by the result of his Extraction Spree.
He then checked his Spell List once again to confirm which Arcane Paths they were ced.
[ Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv8, Incorruptible Body Lv10, Darkness Maniption Lv8, Spirit Vision Lv7, Light Absorption Lv7, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Active Curse Break Lv7, Corpse Explosion Lv7, Locate Corpse Lv7, Shadow Gate Lv7, Moonlight Specter Lv7, Chain of Souls Lv7, Oblivion Trance Lv7 ]
[ Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv8, Blessed Healing Lv7, Exorcism Lv7 ]
[ Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv7 ]
[ Transformation Art: Morph Lv7, Voice Maniption Lv7 ]
[ Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv9, ming Palm Lv0 ]
[ Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv8, Soul Bind Lv7, Reveal Lv0, Telepathy Lv0, Item Appraisal Lv0 ]
[ Beast Art: Wild Whisper Spell Lv7, Eagle Eye Lv0, Gori Punch Lv0 ]
[ Elemental Arts: Tidal Wave Torrent Lv7, Water Domain Lv7, me Arrow Lv0, Ember Spirit Lv0 ]
[ Rune Arts: Rune Simplification Lv0, Rune Analysis Lv0 ]
In the end, Clovis obtained 1 Combat Spell, 3 Mystic Spells, 2 Beast Spells, 2 Elemental Spells, and 2 Rune Spells.
As for the three other spells, they were Meridian ess Spell, Arcane Armor Spell, and Active Curse Break Spell.
"Not bad¡ I have more Spells to Fuse in my free time." Clovis smiled as he saw the Spells in his collection growrger.
It was a pity that the Archbishop had only given him the Exorcism Spell thest time. At this time, he really wanted to have more Holy Arts Spells since they could be a lot more useful, especially during this time when the Holy Arts Faction and the Church of the Fortune Goddess were hunting the Dark Arts Practitioners.
''Should I visit their church sometime?'' Clovis mused as he thought of extracting their Priests or even their Crusaders. In any case, just taking one of two of their Spell Models wouldn''t kill them.
They could just learn them again if they lost it.
After a few moments, he started salvaging any remaining usable items from the area and securing them for his own use. He was quite lucky that the Vampire didn''t destroy most of the items brought by the Arcanists.
Of course, he confirmed that none of the items exuded a dangerous aura, so he handled them without concern. He simply employed his Aura to mitigate any potential side effects.
''Not bad¡'' Clovis muttered after picking up a cane that the leader of the Ash Squad probably used.
''Hmm?''
As he went about this task, a sudden surge of mystical energy reverberated throughout the castle. This prompted Clovis to swiftly expand his Magic Zone to pinpoint the source of the phenomenon.
"Oh? Did she find something?" Clovis mused as he realized that Yvaine had triggered something in one of the rooms.
Without hesitation, he went to the room and confirmed that Yvaine was trying to take a crimson orb.
The room in question was a chamber steeped in ancient grandeur, its walls adorned with tattered tapestries that depicted scenes of legendary battles and mythic creatures.
''That Vampire had a nice collection of paintings¡'' Clovismented in his mind as he observed the room and its paintings.
The faded images seemed toe to life as the flickering torchlight cast dancing shadows upon the engraved markings.
"Yvaine¡ Move back for now¡ I think that Orb is dangerous." Clovis said as he didn''t like the Aura emanating within the room. His Detection Spells failed him to identify the Orb after all.
Yvaine followed his instructions, but she also informed Clovis that she had collected a few interesting items that were stored in his shadow.
After Clovis thanked the Dark Spirit, he then continued looking around to get some clue about what kind of room this was.
On the chamber''s aged stone floor, intricate patterns of several Vampires were etched, hinting at the room''s storied past.
The ceiling, adorned with ornate carvings that seemed to show the orthodox churches, loomed overhead, casting an ethereal glow upon the chamber.
Amidst the splendor shown in the room, the crimson orb stood at the center of it, emanating a mesmerizing, iridescent aura that seemed to pulse with otherworldly energy.
"Fiend Essence?" Clovis guessed as he felt the simrity it had. He wasn''t exactly sure, but he was thinking of triggering the Orb with his Moonlight Specter to see what would happen.
However, as he was thinking of this, he immediately recalled one of his precious items.
"Ah! Right¡ Maybe it''s time to use this¡" Clovis muttered, reaching for a ck cloth secured tightly on his arm.
Unmistakably, it was the blindfold of the Archbishop, obtained through his adept use of Traceless Shift.
With a tinge of anticipation adorning his countenance, he donned the mysterious Arcana of the Archbishop.
Chapter 561 The Broken Arcana
Chapter 561 The Broken Arcana
After Clovis donned the blindfold of the Archbishop, a profound phenomenon began to unfold.
The fabric seemed to pulsate with an otherworldly energy as it enveloped him, imbuing him with heightened perception and an acute awareness of the Arcane Energies around him.
As the blindfold settled over his eyes, a surge of ancient knowledge surged through his being, unlocking the secrets of the damaged Arcana.
''I feel like I''m bing a real Celestial when wearing this item. This power is too absurd.'' Clovis mused as he felt that
At the same time, Clovis'' presence had also weakened, and even Yvaine had to look at him a couple of times before confirming that he was still standing outside the room.
"What an incredible Artifact¡ Not even the Messengers were capable of doing this." Yvaine muttered to herself as she confirmed the effectiveness of the ck cloth.
"That feels great¡ Let''s see what it can do." Clovis said as his gaze turned to the center of the room.
Empowered by the mystical ability, Clovis perceived the true nature of the crimson orb and the energies it contained.
Contrary to his initial expectations, the orb did not house a Blood Essence as anticipated, given its association with a Vampire.
Rather, to his astonishment, it contained the Vampire''s Bloodline instead, ording to his Arcana.
''It''s not too detailed¡ But I guess it''s still good enough¡'' Clovis muttered as he still appreciated the Arcana''s ability. After all,pared to normal Mystical Items with one or even two Mystical Abilities, the Arcana possesses at least 5 special skills and could also harness the power of Divinity.
Unlike other Mystical Items that would get destroyed or durability lowered once he tried imbuing them with Divinity, the Arcana would take it without any problems.
''I have to appraise it¡'' Clovis muttered as his attention turned to the traps ced around the room.
Most of them weren''t triggered by Yvaine, but if he was the one to enter the room, he would surely trigger them because of his current state.
Harnessing his Spell Dispersion, Clovis expertly stopped the traps from activating.
As soon as he held the Crimson Orb, he got a notification from his system.
[ Do you want to change your race into a Vampire? ]
"No!"
Clovis eximed as soon as he read the notification. He was already a Half-Celestial, and he certainly had no ns to change his race!
If he would ever change his race, it must be something equal or better than being a Half-Celestial.
''But this might be useful¡ I should ask Pearl if she wants to be a Vampire.'' Clovis mused. Although unlikely, he wanted to make sure that Pearl would didn''t want it.
If that was the case, he could either sell it or, perhaps, give it to his friends who don''t have much potential as an Arcanist.
The first person that came to his mind was Chad, followed by Lisa¡ In his opinion, Chad seemed a bit too average, and Lisa may have potential but was quite limited because of her own weak physique.
''Whatever¡ Let''s keep this item for now.''
"Ahhh¡ Yvaine! Do you want to try this orb? It seems that it could change someone''s race into a Vampire. Though I''m not sure if it''s effective on Dark Spirits, do you want to try it?" Clovis suddenly asked.
"No¡ I''m not interested." Yvaine replied as she entered Clovis''shadow without waiting for his reply.
***
While Clovis was admiring the new item that he had acquired, Pearl had already begun exploring the library of the castle.
The library had about 20 bookshelves, each with Reader''s Runes on them. These Runes allowed the reader to easily absorb the information on each page by simply flipping through the book.
It was quite simr to the books found on the second floor of the Vermont Academy''s Library but with a weaker effect.
Pearl was fascinated by this type of rune and wondered if she should learn Rune Arts as well. With her current Divinity, she had the potential to master three or even four Arcane Paths if she worked hard enough. Of course, it could also be more than that if she obtained more Divinity from Clovis.
However, she couldn''t just rely on him as she had to start producing her own Divinity.
Anyway, besides the Neutral or Spirit Arts that she already had, she had also learned Mystic Arts, Psychic Arts, and Elemental Arts. She thought that adding Rune Arts to her repertoire would make her even more versatile and powerful.
As she was thinking about this, she came across a book that caught her attention.
It was about the Temporal Realm that she had been looking for.
The Temporal Realm was one of the many Realms that existed parallel to the Human Realm. The Human Realm had the most stable and bnced energy, which made it possible to connect to other Realms with the right ritual.
Pearl had been searching for a way to ess the Temporal Realm because she needed a Spell Model that only the residents of the Realm could have.
"This is it¡" Pearl muttered as she immediately kept the book in her possession. She may not be sure whether she could obtain what she wanted once she connected to that Realm, but this would certainly give her hope.
After all, she also wanted to provide some assistance to Clovis. Aside from teaching him the Divinity Control Method, which would take quite some time, she also wanted to surprise Clovis with a Spell that might help him control his other Mystical Artifacts.
Pearl then continued searching for other books that may lead her to other realms and finding unique spell models from them.
Whom~
As Pearl was deeply immersed in her task, the very fabric of space itself began to convulse and contort, giving birth to a swirling vortex of unimaginable power.
"What''s going on?" Pearl uttered in a bewildered tone.
In a breathtaking disy, the space itself fractured, birthing forth a figure from the depths of the unknown.
To her astonishment, the familiar form that materialized before her eyes was none other than Clovis himself, stepping out from the enigmatic breach in the fabric of reality.
Chapter 562 Hidden
Chapter 562 Hidden
"Ahh... Clovis? You can use it now?" Pearl inquired, recognizing Clovis despite her inability to sense his Aura.
"Yes... It''s a bit tricky at first since it uses Vitality for each activation. However, once you''ve mastered it, it bes second nature¡" Clovis replied while touching the blindfold that was still blocking his vision.
At this time, the strange phenomenon of the twisting space had also disappeared the moment he emerged from it.
"What?! It uses your life force? Isn''t that a Cursed Item instead?" Pearl eximed in shock, her mind racing to the forbidden arts and cursed items known to siphon the life force of Arcanists.
She didn''t expect that the Arcana was also something simr.
"It''s not quite like that... Maybe it''s because it''s a Broken Arcana, so it demands a stronger force¡" Clovis exined.
"T-that''s true. But that''s dangerous. You can''t just use it unless it''s really necessary. You might die young if you use it too much." Pearl cautioned as she knew that Clovis wasn''t really that old ording to his stories.
She initially thought that he was like her, someone who had lived for a long time. After all, Clovis has the physique of the Celestial, and it wouldn''t be surprising if he said that he had lived for hundreds of years already.
However, during their stay in Kirkham City, both of them shared some stories about their life. Pearl learned quite a few things about Clovis, including how he was just a young practitioner with immense luck.
"Of course. I''ll keep that in mind. I don''t want to die young either¡" Clovis reassured with a smile.
Intrigued by the wealth of knowledge within the library, he joined Pearl in exploration.
Together, they spent over an hour perusing the library''s extensive collection. He was lucky that the books had Reader''s Runes on them, so it didn''t take long before he finished browsing those he believed were important.
Well, most of them are rted to other Arcane Paths since hecked knowledge about them.
Now, he felt that he had gained enough knowledge to disguise whatever path he chose.
''I really have to get a few more Holy Arts Spells if I want to continue disguising as a Priest.'' Clovis mused as he knew that the status of a healer would be a lot more useful in his journey.
"Ahhh... The squads from Kirkham City are still waiting for us. I think we should head out now¡" Clovis remarked, recalling Rnd and the others who were anxiously awaiting their return.
Pearl nodded gently in agreement, and they departed the Vampire Castle together, ready to reunite with their acquaintance from Kirkham City.
***
Outside the Castle, Denise and the others had already begun consuming their rations. They were beef jerky and hot tea, thanks to the Water Elementalist on their side.
Well, their appetites were heightened by the impending sunset. This also signaled the need to depart for the nearest town to recuperate. Traveling back would take a while, so they had to fill their stomachs.
"Just 20 more minutes, and we will have to leave this ce. Make sure not to leave any of your belongings¡" Rnd reminded the group as he consulted his pocketwatch.
He didn''t want to stay here for long, especially once the surroundings had be really dark. Not only would it be dangerous since the Evil Creatures would start lurking around, there would also be a chance that the Vampire in the Castle woulde and chase after them.
Denise sighed at this as she contemted suggesting an extension to their waiting time.
However, she knew it would likely be met with disagreement. Instead, she chose to remain silent, hoping fervently for Clovis and the others to return promptly. As she pondered this, Leonel abruptly stood up and gazed toward the Castle''s entrance.
To their relief, Clovis and Pearl emerged, though the absence of Kai cast a shadow of concern. Meanwhile, Rnd''s dismay was palpable as he confirmed the death of Drake and the others.
"What happened inside¡ No, it''s great that you managed to escape. Are you guys injured?" Elsa, the leader of the Revenant Squad, inquired.
"We''re fine... And we didn''t escape, we killed the Vampire¡" Clovis dered, revealing the Crimson Orb containing the Vampire''s Bloodline.
The appearance of the Crimson Orb surprised them a bit as they all unconsciously stepped back. After all, it emitted a strong aura of Vampire that was making them feel ufortable.
"Incredible! You defeated that creature?!" Rnd eximed in astonishment as he confirmed that the orb belonged to the Vampire.
However, Leonel chuckled and remarked, "Hey, Drake and the others must''ve weakened it significantly, so don''t be too surprised. Moreover, don''t forget that Clovis is a priest. He undoubtedly held an advantage against a Vampire."
The group nodded in agreement, finding the exnation usible.
Before Clovis could reply, Elsa already spoke up.
"Right, did you confirm Drake and the other''s death?"
Clovis nodded at this question.
Elsa had friends among them, so she couldn''t help but feel regretful about it. She should''ve stopped them from fighting the Vampire alone, or they should''ve gone together.
"What about their corpses? Did you seal them? Or perhaps you burned them already?" She asked.
At this time, Clovis was a bit stunned as he recalled that those corpses might be possessed by the Evil Spirits and turn into monsters.
"About that¡ I think we should return to take care of them." Clovis said while scratching his head.
"Of course, let''s return and find any valuables inside! Let''s go!" Leonel said with excitement as he started walking towards the Castle.
However, at this time, Clovis activated his Magic Zone and realized that an ambush was awaiting them.
"Leonel, it''s not the time to celebrate. We''re surrounded by enemies¡" Clovis announced, stunning everyone with the gravity of his words.
They have arranged a Formation Circle and several traps around the ce. Furthermore, they have scouts stationed in various spots, and their Magic Zone didn''t pick up any signs of enemies!
Tension hung heavy in the air as Clovis''s revtion sank in, casting a foreboding shadow over their next move.
Rnd didn''t think for too long as he immediately gave a series ofmands even though he hadn''t seen or felt the enemies.
He had to trust the man who defeated that old Vampire!
Chapter 563 Surrounded
Chapter 563 Surrounded
When everyonepleted their defensive formation, they didn''t wait that long before the enemies showed themselves.
The tranquility of the surroundings was shattered by the sudden appearance of a group of cloaked figures. Their menacing auras were even trying to pressure them into submission.
However, Rnd had already prepared a Talisman for such an asion, so none of them were affected by the pressure.
"When did these people get near us?" Rnd muttered as he realized how wed their scouts and defensive circles were.
Elsa swiftly assessed the situation, her eyes narrowing as she recognized the distinct emblems on the attackers'' robes. "Arcanists from the Ruri Kingdom¡ They''re not even hiding their identity now." She muttered grimly.
Rnd''s expression turned steely, and he barked out orders to his squad. "They must be enemies. Take defensive positions! Denise, Lauren, and Fey find an escape route... Squad Leaders and the rest prepare for a coordinated counterattack. We can''t let them advance any further!"
The tension increased as Rnd realized that no one was sent to them to negotiate. It means that these Arcanists were here to fight them.
"I fear it''s toote for that... We''re ill-equipped to handle these enemies." Denise interjected, her gaze fixed skyward.
Everyone followed her gaze as they found three imposing Combat Airships looming above them, one exuding an unmistakable air of royalty with its gilded facade and majestic aura.
"What on earth have we stumbled into? Weren''t we here to eradicate the Vampire? How did we provoke the Ruri Kingdom''s royalty?" Rndmented, feeling the weight of their predicament.
Surrounded by approximately 20 Arcanists and monitored by three Airships, the group faced an inescapable situation.
Perhaps they could only escape this situation if they had a teleportation circle that was set up, but they don''t have the means to do that.
"Let''s maintain ourposure. If they intended to eliminate us, they would have bombarded us with those cannons already. Their motives must be different¡" Leonel remarked, acknowledging their predicament.
At this time, they could only ept their situation, and they should prepare for a potential negotiation.
In the meantime, Clovis and Pearl observed, recognizing the need to discern the situation before taking action. Clovis certainly had the means of escape, but he would let Denise get captured here.
As they were silently discussing what to do, a figure descended from the Airship.
It was an Elementalist assisted by a Wind Spirit. d in a brown trench coat and wielding a steel cane, the gentleman, in his 30s, addressed them.
"Wee, visitors from the Millton Kingdom. We extend our congrattions on vanquishing the Vampire in the Castle. However, we must ensure that you haven''t brought any cursed items or forbidden artifacts from that ce. The safety of our citizens is paramount. We need you to cooperate with us for a brief moment. We will conduct a thorough inspection of your belongings." The middle-aged man announced as if they should be thankful for that.
Rnd frowned at this as he bristled with indignation.
"That''s an outrageous demand! The citizens of your kingdom had never been subjected to such inspection whenever they visited the Millton Kingdom. We havee here at the request of your Arcanist Guild. I want to speak to the Guildmaster of this Region."
He stood his ground as he looked at the man while emitting his Mystical Energy.
He knew very well that once their items were confiscated, there would be little chance of getting them back.
The unanimous sentiment among the group echoed Rnd''s indignation, unified in their reluctance to relinquish their belongings.
They all started emitting a dangerous aura as they prepared for a fight.
While none of them possessed any forbidden artifacts or cursed items, acquiescing to the demands of this person seemed unnecessary.
The gentleman, anticipating their resistance, maintained a wry smile.
"I understand that it''s a preposterous demand. Nevertheless, you have no alternative."
His words were swiftly followed by the Ruri Kingdom''s Arcanists preparing their spells, signaling their readiness for conflict.
"You have a final opportunity! You have 10 seconds to decide¡" The man dered, issuing his ultimatum.
Refusal toply would lead to inevitable confrontation.
He remained floating above and looking down on them as if he had everything in his control.
The Kirkham City squads pondered their options,pelled to devise a n. There was no way they would agree to their demands.
"Let''s make our escape... The darkness conceals us, and with their allies nearby, they won''t risk bombardment. I''ll deploy a smokescreen¡" Elsa proposed. Her talisman was capable of generating an extensive cover for them, so she felt a bit confident...
She had been carrying this talisman for the past two years in case of such situations. She didn''t expect that it would really be useful today¡
Furthermore, her Revenant Squad members also possessed simr Talismans, ensuring the smokescreen''s substantial reach.
"That could work¡" Rnd murmured, surveying the group. The cover provided an opportunity for escape, a chance they couldn''t afford to ignore.
They also had ways to make a quick escape, so as long as they got the opportunity, they''d be able to escape with the help of the darkness.
"Let''s do it!" Rnd signaled as the countdown was nearing its end.
Meanwhile, Clovis harbored a different strategy.
He remained on his spot and watched the situation unfold.
Upon the activation of the smokescreen talisman by Elsa, the Wind Elementalistmanded his Arcanists to attack.
Then, in the midst of the chaos, Clovis took action.
Concealed by the shroud of smoke, he donned his Devil''s Face Mask and armed himself with the Devil''s Dagger.
Employing his Darkness Maniption Spell, he cloaked himself in darkness akin to the veils worn by Dark Spirits.
With the malicious aura brought by the Doombringer''s Ring, he harnessed his Lightspeed and Levitation, swiftly closing the distance and seizing the Wind Elementalist by the head.
"I have you now..." Clovis murmured beneath his mask, the words resonating in the middle-aged man''s ears like an ominous warning of his impending death.
Chapter 564 Against a Flying Airship
Chapter 564 Against a Flying Airship
As soon as the Wind Elementalist realized that he had been caught by the enemy, his first reaction was to try and move away.
Since he didn''t excel in closebat, he knew he would get killed at this rate. Even a Fourth-ss Aura Master could easily subdue him if he allowed himself to get pounced on.
"Get off me!" He roared. He had to get his distance if he wanted to even have a chance to win.
However, as he tried to forcefully remove the hands grabbing him by using his cane''s Slime Ability, he realized that his Artifact could not be activated!
"Anti-Magic?!" He said in shock as he realized that his Float Spell had also been canceled.
He also found out that he could only remain floating, thanks to the man holding him up.
However, he knew that Anti-Magic items couldn''t just affect a single target.
In this case, the man grabbing him should also be affected! It doesn''t add up at all.
"What are you--" He wanted to threaten the masked man who had grabbed his head, but he immediately felt something off.
His energy, his life, and his strength started leaving him!
What was even more insane was how he felt some of his Spell Models disappearing!
"You! Stop it!" He was furious and wanted to curse, but he didn''t have enough energy.
Soon, he heard his men calling for him.
"Let go of Sir Ss!"
"Sir Ss! We''reing!"
"Capture the masked man!"
They all shouted and cast a few targeted spells. However, they didn''t dare cast a strong spell as it might affect their Superior, who was being held hostage.
"Let go of him, and we won''t be chasing your subordinates!" They shouted.
***
On the other hand, the Masked Man didn''t seem to have heard their words as he continued with what he was doing.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50, Intelligence +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light +1. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +50, Intelligence +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Agility +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Strength +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Vitality +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Vitality +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spell Light +1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Wind Spirit Summon Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Toxic Wind Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light +1. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Wind Bullet Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
"Oh¡ It''s not that bad¡" Clovis muttered as he confirmed once again that Extracting with the help of his Divinity could produce a better result.
He had actually obtained three new Spell Models from this middle-aged man. It was a feat he could rarely aplish.
Then, after confirming that the man was wasted and could no longer give any decent extraction results, he threw him to the ground, which made the enemies fumble as they hurriedly tried to catch their barely breathing superior.
As soon as they caught him, they immediately realized how gravely "injured" he was and shouted in horror.
"The masked man was a Vampire?! No, he''s definitely using a Forbidden Art that consumes the life force of his target!"
"We need to kill him!"
"He must be one of those Dark Magicians! Capture him!"
Clovis heard their shouts but remainedposed and looked up in the sky.
The threebat airships weren''t making their moves yet. They weren''t sending people as well, so he knew that he had plenty of time.
"Since they''re noting down to save you¡ Then they must''ve given up and allowed all of you to perish." Clovis muttered as he observed the 12 Arcanists who had stayed in the area.
As for the others, they were chasing the Arcanists Squads from Kirkham City, believing that they had the strength to subdue them.
"Hmph! Come down here if you''re scared!" One of the Arcanists taunted as he drew a weapon. It was a whip that was emitting a fiery energy.
"Alright, I''ming down¡" Clovis said as he started to activate the power of the Devil''s Face Mask.
***
In the meantime, while Clovis had disguised himself as the Masked Devil Incarnate and started fighting the enemies, Pearl also decided to make her move.
Just a few moments before the battle started, she heard Clovis'' telepathy, asking her to help Denise escape safely.
She certainly didn''t mind doing that since she believed that it was an easy thing to do.
"She already has a Dark Spirit on her side. I''m sure she''ll be fine..." Pearl muttered as she hurriedly followed Denise''s footsteps.
"Found her¡" She muttered after confirming Denise''s movement.
As a Dark Alchemist, Denise doesn''t have good mobility. This was why she was at the center of the Torrent Squad, the safest position in their formation.
She was protected by her squad and was moving steadily to the depths of the forest. They weren''t heading to the nearest town since another squad had decided to take that path.
Apparently, the four squads had moved in separate ways to ensure that the enemy forces would also be divided. Furthermore, they would be able to counterattack if they confirmed that the number of people chasing them had dwindled.
It was a decent strategy they had devised in such a short period of time.
In any case, they were also itching for a battle after escaping from the Vampire''s Castle, so they also wanted to release their energy.
"Ahhh... This is not good." Pearl suddenly muttered as she realized that one of the Airships was actually aiming at the Torrent Squad!
The Airships seemed to be capable of navigating through the darkness and could sense the movement of the Arcanists!
''Not good¡''
Pearl realized that the Airship''s cannon had started aiming at the Torrent Squad''s path, and Leonel and the others weren''t aware of it!
It must be because their Magic Zone couldn''t reach the Airship above them!
Without any more hesitation, Pearl activated one of her high-level Elemental Spells.
"Storm Surge!"
Chapter 565 More Extractions
Chapter 565 More Extractions
The air was filled with ominous energy as Pearl unleashed the formidable "Storm Surge" spell.
This was the first time she had released this Spell to its maximum capacity, so she was also unsure how this would unfold.
With amanding gesture, she called upon the tempestuous forces of nature, causing the sky to darken and roil with burgeoning storm clouds.
Then, the Spell Model in her body continued draining her energy!
As she noticed that it had already taken more than 30% of her energy reserves, the atmosphere seemed to shudder with pent-up power.
Suddenly, a blinding bolt of lightning surged from the heavens, followed by a deafening p of thunder that reverberated through the air.
The tumultuous winds, stirred by Pearl''s magic, surged forth with unrelenting force, swirling and converging into a colossal tempest.
This Spell seemed even more powerful than Clovis''s Call of the Divine Lightning! After all, it was a huge storm that was summoned from that Spell!
Boom!
The tempest, born from her Spell Mastery and Divinity, coalesced into a raging maelstrom that engulfed the airship, its howling winds and torrential rain battering the vessel with unyielding fury.
The once serene skies transformed into a tempestuous battleground as the airship struggled against the relentless onught. Its progress was hindered by the ferocious elemental assault!
Furthermore, the two other Airships around were also affected by the storm she summoned.
Pearl didn''t n it, but her Spell certainly helped all the Arcanists from Kirkham City!
''It''s a lot more dangerous than I expected. It''s a good thing I didn''t use it in the city.'' Pearl mused as she started moving away.
Apparently, the storm she created wouldn''t be able to target who was the enemy or not, so she had to move away. It would just destroy everything in its path until it lost its energy.
Pearl then looked up to see how the airship was defending against the Storm Surge.
She saw how the airship continued producing several types of barriers. She could even feel that the high-level Arcanists inside the airship had started casting several spells to destroy the storm ahead.
''Interesting¡ That Golden Airship is tougher than I expected.'' Pearl mused as she realized that even with the Storm Surge she cast with some of Divinity, they decided to stay and confront it instead of fleeing!
However, despite the airship''s formidable defenses, the unbridled power of the Spell proved to be an indomitable force¡
After a few bolts of lightning, sts of torrential rain, and tumultuous wind, when it was about to copse, it sessfully thwarted the airship''s relentless bombardment.
At the storm''s final moments, the airship, pounded and besieged, was finallypelled to veer away¡
Just by using a single spell, the three airships were halted by the overwhelming might of nature''s fury.
"The only problem is that I can''t use that Spell again for the next six hours. The cooldown duration is a bit too long." Pearl muttered helplessly as her mastery in this Spell hadn''t reached the Advanced Realm yet.
Almost all her Spells are incredibly strong or destructive, but they all have long durations and cost too much energy, so she couldn''t use them consecutively.
Nevertheless, with the immediate threat neutralized, a sense of triumph suffused the Torrent Squad. They weren''t sure how the storm appeared, but they didn''t have to think of that now.
They were ready to kill those who tried to chase after them!
Now that the airships were damaged and couldn''t follow their movements, they were ready to eliminate the threat!
***
In the meantime, as Clovis finished extracting one of the Arcanists from the Ruri Kingdom, he couldn''t help but look in Pearl''s direction and give an approving nod.
Though the airship remained intact, its menacing advance had been effectively halted by Pearl''s awe-inspiring disy of Elemental Spell¡ or probably Mystical Spell, he wasn''t sure.
The three Airships were still unmoving, and they seemed to have received some internal damage from those lightning bolts since they could no longer chase after the escaping Arcanists from the Millton Kingdom.
It was a good news for Clovis.
"Wait for me¡ I''ll be visiting your Airships soon¡" Clovis muttered as he summoned three Shadow Soldiers to pin down the three escaping Arcanists.
Using his Divine Sense and Spirit Vision, he realized that they were only Aura Masters that had Runic Weapons that boosted their Aura so he didn''t feel threatened facing them.
As soon as he finished the Shamans and Elementalists on their side, he went after these Aura Masters.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +20, Intelligence +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light +1. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +20, Intelligence +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +20, Agility +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Iplete Spell Light +1. ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Sonic Fist Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
"I guess it''s better than nothing¡" Clovis muttered as he saw the extracted Spell. ording to the books, the Sonic Fist was one of the most basic abilities of Aura Masters.
It wasn''t a technique but a Spell that boosted any type of Fist or Punch Techniques
He then continued with the next victim.
[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +20, Intelligence +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +20, Vitality +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +20, Agility +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +20, Vitality +0.15 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Weapon Enhancement Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
"Oh¡ This one looks more promising." Clovismented as soon as he saw the new Spell Model. He was also quite lucky to have obtained another Spell Light, as he was able to record it sessfully.
He then continued with the third one, and aside from the attributes and an iplete Spell Light, he was able to obtain anotherplete Meridian ess Spell Model. He knew he was getting closer to level it up. Perhaps he just needed one more simr Spell Model, and it would advance.
After doing all this, Clovis''s attention was finally drawn to the three unmoving airships above him.
Chapter 566 The Golden Airship
Chapter 566 The Golden Airship
Captain Calvin, a seasoned 32-year-oldmander of the esteemed Golden Alpaca Airship, found himself grappling with the stark realization that the day''s mission was far from the straightforward endeavor he had anticipated.
"This is supposed to be an easy money..."
Calvin muttered under his breath as he cast a sidelong nce at the brown-haired nobleman adorned in opulent attire who stood beside the ship''s helm.
Onboard their vessel was none other than Prince Gregory Byron Ruri, the 14th Prince of the Kingdom, an individual whose prestige stemmed primarily from the substantial wealth bequeathed to him by histe mother.
Today, the 14th Prince had brazenly taken a task originally designated for his elder brother, the 9th Prince. Eager to demonstrate hispetence, he had assembled three airships and a cadre of elite arcanists to apprehend those pursuing the enigmatic Vampire of the Drifting Forest.
However, because the 14th Prince didn''t have his ownpetent group of knights under hismand, everyone went wrong when he simply trusted the mercenaries he hired to take the lead.
"Captain, the third and fourth engines are operational again." One of the officers on the bridge reported.
"Additionally, the alchemists havepleted temporary repairs on all external damages." another officer added.
Captain Calvin heaved a sigh of relief as he felt d that the Alchemists in his ship were still reliable.
''Those lightning bolts scared¡ It''s good that it wasn''t aimed at us and targeted the whole area.'' Calvin silently thought as he nodded at the officers.
However, upon hearing their reports, Prince Gregory swiftly issued an imperativemand.
"What are you waiting for? Pursue those Arcanists from Millton Kingdom!"
As he said this, the officers of the ship took a quick nce at their real Captain to get his consent.
Captain Calvin considered for a moment before shaking his head. Apparently, he held a divergent perspective.
"Prince Gregory, I believe our priority should be addressing the threat posed by the Masked Man. It is highly likely that he is the individual sought by the Church of the Three Paragons, the Masked Devil Incarnate. Moreover, he has already killed a dozen of our elite arcanists. We can''t let him escape now."
As Calvin said this, he controlled the crystal in the middle of an airship and showed the images of the masked man who had just thrown the body of their hired mercenary.
He didn''t kill them, but anyone he defeated seemed drained of their energy and life force. It was quite simr to the Vampire they knew.
Prince Gregory was initially unsettled by this n. After all, he harbored a fervent desire to capture the Female Arcanists he had seen in the images projected by the crystal a few minutes ago.
However, he recollected the bounty ced on the Masked Devil Incarnate by the Church of the Three Paragons.
That amount was also quite considerable; furthermore, he would get on the good side of the Church if he did this.
Although the Church of the Three Paragons wasn''t as strong as before, they still had a lot of influence to a huge part of the citizens in Ruri Kingdom.
"Mhmm¡ This could be a means to earn recognition." He pondered for a brief moment.
"Very well! Capture that man!" He dered, conceding to Captain Calvin''s counsel.
***
As Clovispleted the extraction of thest individual, his attention shifted to the three imposing airships looming in the sky.
His brow furrowed as he couldn''t help why this was all happening in the first ce.
The deployment of these mechanical behemoths seemed excessive. Moreover, he couldn''t fathom why they would wait for the Vampire''s demise to im their spoils, especially when they possessed the means to mobilize a formidable force of arcanists and airships.
''They should''ve attacked the castle themselves.'' He mused.
Then, after confirming that his Levitation''s cooldown was over. He made his move.
"Let''s uncover the truth¡" Clovis murmured as he pushed his Levitation Spell to its limits, propelling himself towards the Golden Airship.
Despite his advanced mastery of the Levitation Spell, he couldn''t shake the realization that its capabilities were confined to low-altitude flight.
This prompted him to desire a better Flying Spell.
''Is there even a better Flying Spell? Ahh¡ Should I try the Wind Spiritter?'' Clovis'' eyes lit up as he recalled the level 0 spell that he had recently obtained.
Nevertheless, he didn''t fail to reach the airship since he bolstered himself with his Lightspeed Spell and Divinity. He effortlessly exceeded the limitations of his Levitation Spell, boarding the Golden Airship in a matter of seconds.
***
A few moments ago, as Captain Calvin issued orders for his men to engage the masked man below, he was taken aback as the individual suddenly took to the skies, intent on boarding their airship.
"We can''t let him board!"
Desperate to evade the looming threat, he controlled the airship to ascend to higher altitudes, yet his efforts were swiftly thwarted by the 14th Prince''smand to hold the position.
"W-what?" Captain Calvin was shocked.
"I''ve enlisted three First-ss Druids! They are more than capable of handling this clown!" Gregory dered.
He was filled with confidence in the imminent encounter with the Masked Devil Incarnate.
''I''m paying those Druids thousands of zen per week. They should do some work!'' Gregory thought as he felt that this was a good n.
Captain Calvin clenched his teeth in silent frustration as he could onlyply with the Prince''s directive. cing his hopes in the abilities of the Druids, he braced himself for the impending confrontation.
Whom~
Before long, the much-anticipated arrival of the Masked Devil Incarnate came to pass, casting an eerie shadow over the deck of the airship.
As the enigmatic figure materialized before them, the guards outside finally realized what those Arcanists below had felt when facing this Devil¡
The pressure he was emitting was already making them want to flee!
On the other hand, Captain Calvin, the Prince, and the others looked at the masked man closely through the projection brought by the crystal.
Chapter 567 Druids
Chapter 567 Druids
Through the projection, they saw the Masked Devil Incarnate''s striking figure. He was shrouded in an ominous dark cloak that billowed around him like a turbulent maelstrom.
His visage was concealed behind an intricately wrought mask, an enigmatic emblem of his mysterious persona¡
What shocked Calvin the most was that even though they were only watching him through the projected images, he could almost feel the aura of unfathomable menace of this person.
Every movement seemed imbued with wraithlike grace, and his form seemed closer to that of Dark Spirits than a human.
''No wonder this man was called a Devil. The Church of the Three Paragons didn''t make a mistake.'' Calvin thought.
Silent and enigmatic, the Masked Devil Incarnate floated above the airship''s deck.
His very presence seemed tomand the attention of all who beheld him, casting a pall of uncertainty over the unfolding confrontation.
Thud¡
Uponnding, he was confronted by a phnx of arcanists standing guard on the deck.
"Masked Demon! Put down your weapon!" The valiant leader of the guards barked upon noticing the gleaming dagger in Clovis''s grip.
Arrayed in the blue cloak uniform and wielding simr wands, the guards bore the distinct hallmark of Elementalists. Their formation was also arranged perfectly to overwhelm their solitary adversary.
However, despite the overwhelming pressure they''re emitting, Clovis remained unperturbed, his firm gaze meeting the stern countenance of the guard leader.
"Do you think I''ll follow your order?" He calmly spoke beneath his mask.
Rather than acquiescing to the demand, the Masked Devil defiantly aimed his dagger at the leader, a silent challenge that reverberated through the tense atmosphere.
"Kill him!"
Without any more hesitation, the leader gave hismand, prompting an immediate unleashing of spells by the assembled Arcanists.
An onught of Wind Spells surged forth, directed at the masked devil. However, it could be seen that they were holding back with their Spells to avoid causing damage to the airship.
"You''re making it easy for me¡" The Masked Devil muttered as he noticed the w in their Spells.
In a stunning turn of events, the Masked Devil unleashed his Spell Dispersion, the wave of energy neutralizing the iing spells and transforming them into arcane energy that dissipated into the air.
"What?!"
"Impossible!"
The guards were shocked as they realized that none of their spells hadnded on their lone target! This was very humiliating for them.
The guard leader, on the other hand, was quick on his decision as he realized what had just happened.
"Anti-Magic! Squad 2 and 4, switch to your guns! The rest, continue with the Spells!" The guard leader swiftly adapted to the situation. His tactical judgment was on full disy as he recalibrated their approach.
Nevertheless, he couldn''t help but feel pressured by how powerful that Anti-Magic was.
Though he was no stranger to adversaries wielding Anti-Magic artifacts, he discerned that the Masked Devil''s Anti-Magic operated on an entirely different level from what he knew.
"Runic Guns with enhanced bullets¡ Interesting." Clovis muttered as he started his retaliation.
He summoned a cadre of Shadow Soldiers underneath his enemies!
Their eerie forms materialized on the deck with an ominous presence.
"Ahh!"
"Get away from me!"
"These Ghosts!"
"Someone use your Holy Light!"
"Priests! Shamans! Hurry! kk!"
Armed with shadowy des, the spectral soldiersunched into a relentless assault!
***
In the meantime, the Captain and the Prince had witnessed everything from the bridge.
They couldn''t help but nce at the Masked Devil, who had created such chaos just a few seconds before boarding the airship!
At that moment, the realization dawned upon the guards that their adversary was not merely a practitioner of Mystic Arts, but rather a formidable Dark Magician, a revtion that sent a ripple of unease through their ranks.
"What are you guys waiting for?! Attack him while he''s busy dealing with the cannon fodders!" Prince Gregory''s urgent directive reverberated across the deck as hemanded the three Druids under his sway through amunication crystal, a marvel of Rune Arts craftsmanship.
Captain Calvin also wanted to scold the Druids for dying their arrival, but he just clenched his fist and silently watched the airship''s guards get killed one by one.
He had no control of this situation anymore and could only hope for the best.
ck¡ ck¡ ck¡
The three Druids had soon emerged from their concealed vantage points.
They were previously waiting for the opportune moment, prepared to enact their carefullyid ns. However, themunication from the Prince disrupted their ns.
"Hmph... I want him to exhaust his energy a bit more." One of the Druids with long ck hair remarked, his tone steeped in calcted patience.
"Indeed... Those dark soldiers that the Masked Devil summoned must''ve consumed a lot of energy¡ We should''ve waited until he summoned another batch or two." One one concurred.
"Well, our employer is in a hurry, so let''s make our move¡" The third Druid added as he also felt that they could''ve waited for a few more minutes.
After all, the Arcanists who were dying were quite worthless, in his opinion.
"Even if they''re fakes, the Prince must value them a lot. He should''ve spent quite a huge sum to hire them after all." The long-haired Druids said.
As their presence was revealed, the Masked Devil then nced in their direction.
He saw three imposing figures draped in verdant cloaks, wielding wooden scepters, and they seemed to have materialized on the airship''s deck out of nowhere.
Towering at a stature of about 7 feet and adorned with intricate dark red tattoos of an ancient lineage, the Druids exuded an aura suffused with primordial power.
''Interesting¡'' Clovis silently thought as he realized how these Druids had feltpletely different from other Arcanists that he had seen before.
If he would make aparison, the aura they were emitting was closer to the Moonlight Fairy than a Human Arcanist.
''Let''s what they''re capable of.'' Clovis thought as he remained vignt.
Seeing that the Masked Devil didn''t attack them first, the Druids made their moves.
With deft taps of their scepters upon the airship''s deck, a spectral symphony unfolded as twisting vines, as thick as an adult''s arm, materialized in response to the Druids'' invocation.
Twelve of these serpentine tendrils came to life! Three of them attacked the dark soldiers summoned by the Masked Devil, while the remaining nine surged forth with a singr purpose¡ªto ensnare and subdue the Masked Devil!
Chapter 568 Death
Chapter 568 Death
''They''re controlling these vines? How mystical¡''
Clovis immediately felt excited as soon as he saw the strange spell that was aimed at him.
In a brief moment, he released the limit he had ced on himself and was about to test the strength of the vines. After all, he wanted his Incorruptible Body and Half-Celestial Physique.
However, as soon as he did this, he immediately heard Pearl''s voice in his head!
"Hey! I felt your Divinity! Don''t release your charm here! You know what happened to us when we didn''t limit our Divinity, right?!" Pearl shouted in his mind as Clovis immediately suppressed his Half-Celestial Physique.
He recalled how he got strangely attracted to Pearl and vice versa when this thing happened. Even Pearl didn''t expect such a thing to happen since it was also her first time dealing with such a strange phenomenon.
During that time, Clovis was barely able to control himself. The moment he woke up from his trance, he immediately realized the cause of the problem.
It was his physique''s fault.
Well, he knew since the beginning that his Half-Celestial Physique had a "Charm Effect" on others. He confirmed this matter during the Academy Competitions and had to restrict it with his ESP Spell before.
However, as his control of the Divinity got better, and his Incorruptible Body reached the Perfect Realm, he believed that it would no longer be a problem for him.
Unfortunately, he didn''t expect it to be more effective on someone who had a Divinity in their bodies!
It was a strange effect that he didn''t even seeing!
''It''s probably a curse of the Celestial Bloodline¡ or perhaps a problem brought by just being Half-Celestial.'' Clovis sighed as he decided to suppress his physique once again.
Although Pearl was quite far from him, the people in the airship might suddenly show attraction to him.
***
''Fine¡ I''ll fight without using my physique''s full capability. I''ll fight as a Dark Magician and an Aura Master¡'' Clovis thought as his Meridian ess had now reached Level 9 or the Peak of Advanced Realm.
It means that his control over his Aura was already on a different level.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
As the vines were about to entrap him, Clovis waved his hand.
Concealed beneath the guise of the Masked Devil, he confronted the three imposing Druids and reminded himself to only use Dark Arts and Spirit Arts to ensure that his disguise would be perfect.
With a swift gesture, he summoned another batch of Shadow Soldiers to suppress the other gun-wielding Arcanists who were secretly waiting for an opportune moment.
Then, he summoned three Moonlight Specters to hunt the three unusual Arcanists that could control these vines.
The airship''s deck became a battleground of the sentient vine and specters.
Of course, the Masked Devil had to join the fight!
With a flourish of his dagger, Clovis unleashed the Phantom Sword Technique, a dazzling disy ofbat finesse that sent shimmering arcs of phantom strikes slicing through the air!
He wanted to cut down all the vines that were taking over the airship''s deck.
On the other hand, the Druids saw the Moonlight Specters but didn''t take then seriously.
After all, Specters are still Spirits, and with their Spirit Vines, they should be able to deal with them without any issues.
"These Specters shouldn''tst long¡" One of the Druids muttered, undeterred by the iing foes.
Soon, the three of them channeled nature''s energy within them, conjuring a cyclone of verdant force that surged forth in a mesmerizing disy.
Furthermore, the vines they summoned suddenly sprouted some thorns all over!
Then, it seemed that the vines had received a signal as they writhed and surged with a life of their own from the energy they channeled!
The thorny vines started coiling andshing out at the encroaching Specter relentlessly!
However, as they thought that the Specters would just take the hit or try to defend, they realized that these Specters seemed to have minds of their own as they reacted like experts!
The Moonlight Specters weaved through themotion, their ethereal forms pulsating with an otherworldly luminescence as they dodged the thorny vines effortlessly!
Then, they rushed through the Druids in a mesmerizing ghostly movement!
"Retreat!"
The Druids had to back away and control their vines to return close to them.
The Specters continued on their chase and sliced everything that was blocking them!
"These aren''t normal Specters!"
"It must be a Forbidden Art! He used a Sword Expert''s Soul to create them!"
"What?! The Masked Devil is Necromancer?!"
"Yes! There was no way these Specters would be this strong!"
"What?! Then let''s just use our holy talismans!"
The Druids argued as they changed their ns.
In the meantime, Clovis moved with uncanny agility as he started cutting off all the thorny vines that were targeting him. With a deft maneuver, he evaded the serpentine onught of the vines.
To be honest, he had been itching to use his me Arrow and Ember Spirit Spell to burn the vines.
However, his Masked Devil persona shouldn''t be a Fire Elementalist.
He doesn''t want to break the identity that he made.
In the end, he continued using his Phantom Sword Technique to cut down the vines until they stopped sprouting all over the ce.
"Stop! That''s enough!"
As Clovis grew weary of the protracted skirmish and thought of bringing down the Golden Airship, his attention was drawn to the arrival of the mastermind behind the vessel''s operations.
His countenance bore the unmistakable markers of nobility. He was d in resplendent attire, befitting his position. Intricate tattoos adorned his body, and Clovis was sure that they weren''t for artistic purposes but something else.
''So he''s not the captain¡'' Clovismented in his mind as he stood still and observed the man.
The nobleman seemed furious as he started shouting at him and ming him for the death of the three Druids.
"Druids? Ah... They''re dead?"
Clovis was surprised as he immediately nced toward the Moonlight Specters.
Chapter 569 Against the Prince
Chapter 569 Against the Prince
Clovis then saw the waning form of thest remaining Moonlight Specter, its spiritual essence was slowly dissipating into the air.
The toll of battling Arcanists wielding mastery over nt life, or Druids, was evident in the spectral entity''s diminishing presence. The Specter was filled with holes and had its body ripped apart, but it was able to stand as a victor in its battle.
Then, looking behind the dissipating Specter, Clovis beheld the lifeless bodies of three Druids. They may not have external injuries on their bodies, but he could see that they fell from the Moonlight Specter''s potent curse.
''It''s still a fusion of three Advanced Realm Spells¡ Moonlight Specters are really strong.'' Clovis mused as he recalled how his other enemies had been able to deal with his Fusion Spell before.
The Archbishop of the Church, the Gluttony, and the Vampire could easily deal with the Specters. This made him feel slightly disappointed, but seeing such a result now made him satisfied with the Fusion Spell again.
A wry smile graced Clovis''s lips as he turned to confront the nobleman, the subtle curl of his expression concealed beneath the enigmatic veil of his mask.
"If you want me to spare your airship, you must be prepared topensate me¡" Clovis, the Masked Devil Incarnate, demanded, his words carrying an implicit weight of consequence.
"What?! Are you threatening me?! I''m Gregory Byron Ruri! The 14th Prince of the Kingdom! You havemitted a grievous crime by boarding this Airship and killing my people! This is punishable by death!" The nobleman, incensed by the audacity of the threat, bristled with anger.
Then, he finally stepped forward to fight the Masked Devil himself!
Soon, everyone saw a luminescence from the tattoo marks beneath his clothes!
''These marks¡ Arcane Sigils?''
At that moment, a realization dawned upon Clovis, a recollection sparked by the resonating familiarity of the arcane sigils.
It was the gift from Heinz that Denise had sent to him!
''That''s right¡ I remember now.''
At that time, he had extracted a few female Arcanists who had the same tattoo marks on their bodies! It happened in Roaring City before the start of the Twelve Academies Competition.
ording to Denise, they were low-ranking nobles of the Ruri Kingdom!
Clovis''s excitement surged the moment heid eyes on this mystical ability. It was unlike anything he had encountered before.
The intricate tattoo marks distinguished themselves from both Rune Arts and Beast Arts, presenting a wholly unique manifestation of Arcane Magic.
''Then let''s try it out¡'' Clovis thought as he secretly cast his Spell.
"What?"
Astonishingly, his Spell Dispersion had proven ineffective against Gregory, who seemed to emanate an unstoppable force as he steadily closed in on Clovis.
Cling~
At this time, Gregory drew his weapon.
What had initially appeared to be a ceremonial sword revealed itself as a mystical artifact, further intensifying the power he was releasing.
''Aren''t you going to be exhausted at this rate? You''re just releasing your energy to pressure me. Too wasteful¡'' Clovismented in his mind.
Nevertheless, Clovis took this opportunity to release his Traceless Shift to steal the sword¡
"Oh?"
To his surprise, the Traceless Shift that would rarely fail him was met with unexpected resistance.
Furthermore, Gregory showed no sign of reaction to the Spell he used! It feels as if the man didn''t even notice that he just tried to steal the sword!
Piqued by this intriguing development, Clovis pondered his next move and decided to unleash his Fusion Spell ¨C the Chain of Souls.
Darkness had suddenly surrounded Gregory, and several ethereal chains swiftly trapped him. Clovis''s n was to stab Gregory a few times using his Devil''s Dagger, but the chain''s hold didn''tst that long.
In a matter of seconds, the chains sumbed to an unseen force, shattering with resounding cracks under the noble''s protective aura.
"Hahaha! Was that Corrupted Chains? Pathetic¡"
Gregoryughed after seeing how ineffective the Arcane Spell was against him.
Then, he taunted. "If that''s all you can do, then you''re mine!"
With those words, he charged at Clovis!
Clovis felt a chill after hearing how Gregory wanted him. He felt as if the Prince was affected by his charm!
However, Clovis didn''t delve too much into it as he had to fight! He used his Lightspeed Spell and put some distance from the Prince.
In this critical moment, he already discerned the formidable nature of Gregory''s tattoo marks.
It was capable of nullifying or obliterating any form of Arcane Spells that was targeted at his body. As a matter of fact, even his Divine Sense and Spirit Vision, a typically reliable method of perception, proved futile in deciphering the mystery that enveloped Gregory''s body.
At this time, Clovis had no idea which Arcane Path the Prince was practicing.
''Interesting¡''
Clovis understood that a shift in strategy was imperative. Closebat became the only viable option since he didn''t want to use too many Arcane Paths in this battle.
He could not reveal the fact that the Masked Devil Incarnate could practice numerous Arcan Paths.
Gripping the dagger tightly in his hand, he steeled himself for the impending sh with Gregory.
Without any more hesitation, he wielded Shadowde Dance, weaving a dance of swift and intricate movements to fight against the Prince.
With the Darkness Maniption that was still active, each of his steps carried a shadowy grace, and the dagger moved with lethal precision.
ng! ng! ng!
Gregory responded in kind, unleashing Ruri Sword Style, a technique known for its grace and deadly effectiveness.
"Haha! An Arcanist that''s capable of closebat! The Church of the Three Paragons wasn''t overestimating you! No wonder your bounty is higher than that of the leader of the Fire Serpent n!"
Gregoryughed as he exchanged a few moves with the Masked Devil.
The Airship''s deck was suddenly filled with the symphony of shing des and mesmerizing footwork.
Clovis, relying on his agility and mastery of the darkness, sought to exploit openings in Gregory''s defense.
Meanwhile, Gregory''s Ruri Sword Style demonstrated a harmonious blend of offense and defense, parrying and countering with the fluidity of a seasoned warrior!
He was able to match the Masked Devil''s speed and strength!
Chapter 570 Unexpected Extractions
Chapter 570 Unexpected Extractions
The remaining guards and Arcanists within the airship couldn''t help but feel ecstatic as soon as they saw that the Prince wasn''t losing in the fight!
They were helpless and even incapable of injuring the Masked Devil with their guns and spells. They thought that there was no hope and had to agree with the person''s demand.
However, the incredible disy of the Prince''s prowess made them feel excited!
"Incredible! The Prince is using the number one sword style of the Kingdom, and he''s not losing!"
"Those sigils on his body are also on a different level¡ Without those, he''ll fail to keep up with that Masked Devil. We must help him!"
"That right¡ This Devil will soon fall down!"
"You can do it, Prince! Kill that Devil!"
Boom!
The sh intensified, and a dance of des that transcended the physical realm unfolded in the airship''s deck...
Shadows and glimmers of Arcane Sigils intertwined, creating a spectacle disy of Arcane Arts.
Clovis wanted to get a chance to Extract the Prince, so he pressed on with his Shadowde Dance.
However, it wasn''t easy. He could also Extract his target by using his Darkness Maniption, but the Prince''s Arcane Sigils weren''t allowing him to do so. He had to physically touch the Prince if he wanted to trigger his Extraction System.
His mind raced to find a solution as he checked his Spell Lights to find a useful Dark Spell. Luckily, he found a decent Spell that might be effective. He rarely uses this Spell, so he had to be precise.
In the meantime, the guards or the remaining Arcanists had also started preparing to help the Prince.
"Captain Calvin had given his order! He said that we need to ensure the Prince''s safety and help him in his battle!" One of the officers in the ranks said as he kept themunication crystal in his pocket.
Then, as soon as the others heard this, they noticed that the Masked Devil had arrived in front of the corpses of the three Druids.
They thought it was just a coincidence because of their fast-paced battle, but as soon as they saw the Masked Devil touching the three corpses, they realized that he must''ve done something!
A sense of unease gripped them; it seemed like a ritual. But since theycked concrete evidence, they opted to set aside their suspicions and just observe the corpses for now.
"He must be a necromancer, so he might revive them. Watch those corpses carefully!" One of the officersmanded.
The rest of them shifted their focus to aiding the Prince.
***
"Haha! Dodging now, Masked Devil? Is fear creeping in, or does your Phantasm State teeter on its end?" Gregory taunted, reveling in the realization that the Masked Devil''sbat demeanor had shifted to a more defensive stance.
Furthermore, he had checked the time, and the Masked Devil''s Phantasm State should''ve exceeded 15 minutes by now.
"Is that what you think?"
The Masked Devil replied as he proceeded toplete the Extraction of the three Druids.
[ Artificial-Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''What in the world?'' Clovis was shocked as soon as he saw this notification.
Luckily, he was wearing a mask, and no one saw his surprise.
After a moment of hesitation, Clovis proceeded with the Extraction.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +10
Dark Elf Essence +100
Complete Tree Shapeshift Spell Model
Druid Blessing Ring ]
''Ah? Artificial Human with Dark Elf Essence? Wait¡ Why is it the first time I''ve heard about elves? I''m sure they''re not in the Human Realm and were considered a Summon.'' Clovis was confused, but he continued with the other extractions while in battle against the Prince.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +10
Dark Elf Essence +100
Complete Life Detection Spell Model
Druid Blessing Ring ]
After a brief nod of satisfaction, he continued with thest Druid.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +10
Dark Elf Essence +100
Complete Nature''s Guise Spell Model
Druid Blessing Ring
Memory Fragment ]
Once again, he obtained a terrible number of Energy Points and no Attributes at all. Nevertheless, aside from another Spell Model and Ring, he obtained a Memory Fragment.
As soon as the memory sank in, he immediately understood the importance of these Artificial Humans of the Ruri Kingdom.
However, before he could finish browsing the memories, he was interrupted by the charging Prince and had to avoid him agilely.
It didn''t end there, several guns were aimed at him as soon as he jumped¡
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of gunshots echoed as the guards tried to kill him while he was in the air.
He immediately descended to avoid these shots, and as expected, none of them dared to shoot as he stood closer to the Prince.
''Tsk¡''
"Don''t bother me." Clovis muttered as he activated his Light Absorption and Lightspeed.
As soon as he did this, however, Gregory had already finished his preparation and struck him on his back!
Bam!
Yvaine''s Dark Sphere blocked the attack in the nick of time¡
"Oh? You blocked that? Do you have eyes at the back of your head?" Gregory muttered as he stepped back.
In the meantime, Clovis was simrly surprised.
''I didn''t feel this presence¡'' Clovis''s eyes squinted as he noticed that the Prince''s strength was getting stronger as they continued fighting.
''Fine¡ Let''s end it here. The others have already escaped anyway.'' Clovis thought as his gaze shifted to the fallen guards. He had no intention of extracting them, but he had an alternative n.
Calmly locking eyes with Gregory, he raised his dagger, signaling the activation of his next spell¡ªCall of the Divine Lightning.
A shadow of foreboding loomed over the airship as dark clouds gathered. In the blink of an eye, it unleashed a bolt of lightning apanied by a deafening thunderp upon the 14th Prince.
However, Gregory seemed to be awaiting this moment as he deployed a Mystical Artifact¡ªa blue orb¡ªto encapste and nullify the celestial onught.
Boom!
The lightning hit the blue orb in his hands instead!
"Haha! Remarkable! Now, this heavenly lightning orb is mine! Fool!" Taunted Gregory, revealing that he had indeed anticipated the Masked Devil''s invocation of heavenly lightning.
Clovis, the Masked Devil, furrowed his brows as he was stunned by this unforeseen turn of events.
Yet, fate had another twist in store.
The once secure orb began to exhibit cracks, and realization dawned on Gregory''s widened eyes.
Crack¡ Crack¡ Crack¡
Hastily, he flung the orb away from the airship, and momentster, it detonated in a thunderous explosion.
Boom!
The orb had failed to contain the unleashed lightning.
Clovis chuckled at the turn of events, hisughter reaching Gregory''s ears.
Chapter 571 Escape
Chapter 571 Escape
Enraged by the Masked Devil''s ridiculingugh, Gregory charged with his full might.
He had no idea why the Masked Man''s Phantasm State hadn''t ended yet, and he didn''t know when it would end. He couldn''t continue this type of enduring battle.
''I''m the one who''s about to reach the limit¡ I need to end this quickly!'' Gregory gritted his teeth as he realized how ipetent he was.
If it was his older siblings, he knew that they wouldn''t struggle against this Masked Devil.
"I know you''re tired, Masked Devil! I''ll end this now!" Gregory shouted to boost his confidence. He was sure that the heavenly lightning that the devil summoned took a toll on his body.
There was no way he wouldn''t receive a bacsh from summoning such mighty lightning.
However, the Masked Devil''s preparation had already beenpleted.
The moment Clovis used his Light Absorption a while ago, he had also moved the corpses on the Airship''s Deck!
He had already readied himself for the impending confrontation.
As soon as Clovis saw the opportunity, he released his Spell!
"Behold, Corpse Explosion!"
Clovis chanted, unleashing a series of explosions on the airship''s deck.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The surrounding was suddenly filled with deathly energy as the dread invocation of a Necromancer''s Spell unfurled.
The corpses weren''t triggered at the same time as they heralded a sequence of ominous detonations that reverberated through the airship with resounding force.
"W-what?!"
"Ahh! Help!"
"Save me!"
"My eyes!"
"Get away from the corpses!"
"Use your Spells to defend!"
The unexpected detonations seized the guards and the Prince in a maelstrom of disarray.
They werepletely caught off guard in the wake of the ghastly spectacle that unfolded before them. Some of them were thrown away from the st, and those that were unlucky immediately died.
The grim disy of power made them want to surrender and give up any resistance.
''That''s too strong¡'' Clovis mused for a moment, but he recalled that the strength of the Corpse Explosion alsorgely depended on the Corpse itself.
It means that he didn''t have control over it.
Clovis''s mastery over this Spell had already ascended to the Advanced Realm. It was about to reach the Perfect Realm, so its strength was further amplified.
"Just hold on! He''ll be exhausted after using this strong Spell!"
"Yes! Kill him when you get the chance!"
The airship''s crew started shouting as they tried to intimidate the Masked Devil. In reality, they just wanted him to go away and note back.
Then, the airship quaked beneath the onught of the concussive force. It was a testament to the explosive might unleashed by Clovis''s Necromancer Spell.
Amidst the chaos, the airship''s descent was hastened by the urgentmands of its Captain, a sense of urgency permeating the vessel as it hurtled earthward with escting velocity.
''Perfect¡'' Clovis muttered as his task here wasn''t over yet.
Seizing the opportune moment presented by the chaos, Clovis swiftly invoked another spell. It was?Lightspeed Spell that allowed him to move quickly.
Then, in less than a second, he was able to grab the disoriented Prince!
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
''He''s at least a real human¡'' Clovismented in his mind as soon as he heard.
Then, he continued with his extraction.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Vitality +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Vitality +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +40, Agility +0.25 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Spell Light +1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete ve Mark Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Spirit Stone +5 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Unopened Arcane Sigil Scroll ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Artificial Human Blueprint ]
''Mhmm?'' Clovis didn''t quite expect the result of his extractions.
The Prince didn''t give many attributes, but he had actually given several items! This had never happened before!
''So generous!''
Clovus knew about the Spirit Pearls, but the Spirit Stone was new to him¡ However, he felt that they were rted to Spirit Strands.
As for the other two items, he could only guess. He wanted to inspect them immediately.
However, he didn''t have much time to spare.
Several Arcanists were already rushing at him, and his Phantasm State was about to end.
He had to leave quickly!
"You won''t get away!"
"Catch him!"
Clovis heard his pursuers as he executed a daring escape from the plummeting airship.
He was spurred by their ominous approach as they seemed to have gone mad the moment he threw the Prince away.
Furthermore, the Arcanists from the two other airships had also started aiming at him...
Initially, he wanted to extract all these people who dared to ambush their squad and try to take the treasures they got in the Vampire Castle.
However, the duration of his Phantasm State had already exceeded forty minutes!
It was such an incredible achievement, and no one would probably believe him if he said this. Of course, this would not be possible without the Obsidian Amulet bestowed upon him by Heinz.
If not for that, he''d probably be on the verge of madness, or ording to their professors, he would be taken by the Darkness.
''Levitation¡'' Clovis muttered.
With a deftmand of Levitation, Clovis swiftly navigated his course toward the verdant embrace of the dark forest below.
Then, several targeted spells came at him, but his evasive maneuver made it impossible to get hit!
"What''s with this movement technique?"
"How can he move like that while flying?"
"I thought he''s a Dark Magician?! That flying skill is not normal!"
"Don''t stop! Continue chanting your spells!" The leader of the Arcanists shouted, though he also felt frustrated.
On the other hand, amidst all the strange spellsing at him, Clovis realized that he would get hit soon.
With this in mind, he immediately canceled his Levitation, Lightspeed, and Meridian ess¡
Then, he used his powerful Divine Lightning again to stop the other airships from following him!
Boom! Boom!
The bright, powerful lightning bolts caused another chaos and made it easier for Clovis to escape.
As the lightning faded, Clovis disappeared into the darkness¡
Chapter 572 Faith
Chapter 572 Faith
Ady in her thirties woke up because of the strange fluctuation of Arcane Energy near the vige where she was staying.
She had a fairplexion and delicate features. Her long blond hair was braided and hung over her shoulder. She wore a simple white dress while lying on her bed.
Because of the threat she felt from those waves of Arcane Energy, she instinctively held the cane that helped her sense her surroundings. Of course, it was also a weapon in case she needed to fight.
The room she lived in was small and cozy. It had a wooden bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe. There was a window that let in some light and fresh air. The room was decorated with some flowers and candles that she could smell.
Although she was blind, she still nced at the window as if she could see what was going on outside¡
''What''s going on?'' She muttered.
Her name was Faith.
Previously, Faith had served as the Manager of the Contribution Points Exchange Hall at Vermont Academy. However, following a devastating attack on the Academy, she discovered that two students had been disced to an unknown location.
She couldn''t just escape with the others, so she took the mission of taking them back even without the instruction of the Headmaster.
She was determined to locate them, and she knew that she had to avoid any conflicts that may stop her from finding those two students.
Soon, her incredible senses found several airships in the sky and one of them was being assailed in the vicinity.
She was bewildered by the sudden outbreak of conflict in this border region.
"Why are they here? Is there another war I''m unaware of?" She pondered.
Luckily, she didn''t have to flee from the vige since it didn''t take long before the disturbance eventually abated, allowing her to return to rest.
The next morning, she got up and prepared to leave the vige.
Now that she thinks about it, she feels that themotion was rted to the students she was trying to find.
She didn''t bother having breakfast as she put on her cloak and grabbed her cane.
She then walked out of the room and thanked the innkeeper for his hospitality. Before anything else, she headed to the market, where she hoped to find some food, water, and medicine.
After all, she wasn''t sure if she could find another vige to resupply.
Faith approached a stall that sold fruits and vegetables. She smelled the fresh produce and picked some apples and carrots.
She checked their prices and confirmed that everything in the vige was cheap.
"2 zen and 50 nolls for a dozen, Miss¡" The vendor said.
"Alright¡"
Faith then handed him the coins and put the fruits and vegetables in her bag.
"Excuse me, sir, but do you know what happenedst night?" She asked casually. "I heard some loud noises and saw some lights in the sky."
Faith said. Although she was blind, she could easily pose as a normal person thanks to her being an Arcanist.
The vendor then looked around nervously and lowered his voice.
"It was an airship attack, miss. I heard that some rebels tried escaping the country. They failed, of course. The Kingdom''s airships are too strong. They have powerful cannons and a crew made up of Arcanists! They can fly faster than the wind. They are the pride of the Kingdom!"
She nodded and pretended to be impressed.
"Wow, that sounds amazing. But why did I notice that an airship was plummeting? I mean, do you know about those rebels? Why are they doing this? As you see, I''m a traveler from a different country." She said.
The vendor shrugged.
"Who knows, miss? They are crazy. They hate the king and hisws. They want to overthrow him and start a new order. They are dangerous. I heard that even the 14th Prince is chasing after them. I hope the Prince is fine¡"
Faith forced a smile as she realized that she couldn''t really get any decent information from a vendor.
Well, it was not like she was expecting a lot from them.
"Ahh. They sound terrible. Thank you for your information, sir. Have a nice day."
She quickly moved away from the stall and looked for another one. She hoped to find someone who knew more about the Kingdom''s rebels as she might encounter them while staying here in this country.
***
After some time, Faith started walking through the forest, following the traces of Arcane Energy around the ce.
It didn''t take that long before she arrived at what seemed like a battle field and shecould sense the different types of Arcane Energy that had been used in the battle.
There were traces of Elemental Energy, Mystical Energy, Aura, and Beast Energy.
However, what attracted her attention was the existence of Dark Energy.
This confirmed the existence of Dark Magicians around the ce!
''Finally¡ I''m getting closer.'' She silently thought.
Of course, she wasn''t sure whether she had found the students or whether these were the traces of other Dark Magicians.
Nevertheless, she finally had a clue and wanted to celebrate it a little.
''But where did they go this time? Were they captured by the airships?''
She mused for a moment.
Then, as she continued her search, she saw a castle on the hill.
It was arge and imposing structure made of ck stone and iron. It had tall towers, pointed roofs, and blocked windows. It looked like an abandoned castle since she wasn''t feeling anything.
However, she had heard the rumors about the castle from the vigers.
They said it belonged to a vampire, a creature of the night that fed on blood. They said no one who entered the castle ever came back.
It was supposedly cursed and haunted ording to them¡
''So I really can''t trust those people¡'' Faith mused as she headed to the castle.
Chapter 573 Fused
Chapter 573 Fused
Faith did not feel any threat after looking at the castle. At most, it seemed quite intimidating if viewed from afar. Furthermore, once at night, this castle would really look like a haunted one.
However, despite spreading her Magic Zone to the limit and using her Spirit Sense, she failed to find the said Vampire or even its familiars.
''Did it flee after themotionst night?'' Faith mused as several scenarios aboutst night''s events urred in her mind.
The Vampire might''ve been caught in the crossfire between the kingdom''s soldiers and the rebels, or perhaps the Vampire was the target all along.
Anyway, Faith had no interest in exploring the castle, but she had to find any traces or clues in that castle...
She had a feeling that this castle would help her find what she was looking for.
Soon, she reached the main door, which was open and broken.
After several more inspections of her Spirit Sense, she cast a Spell to hide her presence and entered the castle. Then, she started using a stronger inspection spell, Spirit Vision.
Then, she saw signs of a fight all over the ce.
There were scorch marks, blood stains, broken furniture, and shattered ss. There were also skeletons around, some of them wearing the uniforms of the kingdom''s soldiers and some of them wearing the robes of Arcanists. They were all killed by various means.
''The traces of battle look recent, but they''re already skeletons? What''s going on here?'' Faith felt confused.
It seems that after the battle of the airships in the sky, the kingdom''s soldiers rested in this castle only to be met with a gruesome death.
"It''s weird¡" Faith muttered as the traces she found looked quite unusual.
She searched the bodies, hoping to find more clues or information.
However, she found nothing but broken weapons, coins, and some personal items.
She had no other choice but to move on, deeper into the castle.
She explored the castle, room by room. She saw more signs of destruction and death. She also saw some strange and creepy things, such as paintings of pale and sinister faces, statues of bats and wolves, and books of dark and forbidden lore.
''These things are valuable¡ There was no way the Vampire would just leave these things behind.'' Faith mused as she felt more curious about what had happened to this ce.
Soon, she reached the end of a corridor and saw arge door. It was locked and sealed with a powerful spell.
''This Formation Circle is incredible¡'' She muttered as she realized that without her Sovereign Artifact, she would undoubtedly fail to open this seal.
After a moment of hesitation, she decided to open the door and see what was inside. She tapped the door a couple of times and activated the cane''s special ability.
Thud!
She used her cane to absorb the seal and dispel the traps ced on the door!
It happened so swiftly, and she didn''t even feel any resistance from the seals. She pushed the door open and entered the room.
"Mhmm?"
***
Meanwhile, as Clovis was immersed in his Spell Fusion research, Pearl had a stack of books next to her as she was also looking for a better Spell Fusion.
After all, unlike Clovis, who had an Extraction Space where he could experiment with his Spell Fusion, Pearl could only try it once or risk ruining her Spell Models and losing her proficiency over them.
Clovis, in his Extraction Space, was in the midst of his Spell Fusion.
[ Spell Fusion Sessful ]
[ Toxic Wind, Wind Bullet, and me Arrow Spell Models have merged into Toxic Tempest Spell Model ]
[ You have 5 seconds to undo the Fusion, which will cost 50 Divinity Points. ]
[ Do you wish to ept this Spell Model? ]
5... 4... 3... 2¡
[ You have acquired Toxic Tempest Spell Model ]
"Toxic Tempest¡ It seemed a lot stronger. However, it feels too evil." Clovis mused as he realized how dangerous this Spell was.
He could literally wipe out the poption of a whole city with this Spell if he decided to increase its mastery.
Normal people would be so helpless on this Spell and would die if they didn''t have the antidote they needed.
Nevertheless, Clovis didn''t stop, as he knew that he had to get stronger Spells.
He already had enough movement spells and support spells. He was currentlycking offensive spells that could turn the tides of battle. After all, he couldn''t just rely on his Celestial Art, as it consumes a lot of Divinity Points.
After some time, he selected other spells he''d Fuseter on. There was a cooldown for the Fuse Function of the System, so he had to wait for a while.
After looking at his Spell Models, he thought of Fusing the Life Detection Spell he recently obtained and Divine Sense¡ It was a Fusion of Elemental and Holy Spell.
If the Fusion Spell result were good, he would go with it.
However, if the Spell Fusion result were bad, he''d cancel it and add the Spirit Vision instead.
Apparently, fusing from different Arcane Paths was difficult. The results could be terrible, especially if they don''t have the same essence or effects.
Because of that, he had to experiment a lot, or at least, he had to do more research in various Spell Fusion Books he could find.
One of the solutions he discovered was to add more Spell!
As he was thinking of another set of Spells to be fused, amotion urred in the room.
"Ah! Someone''s breaking the seal!" Pearl eximed as she only sensed the intruder of the castle when the seal that she created was attacked!
Clovis was instantly awakened by Yvaine and snapped out of his trance.
Then, he quickly nced at the door and saw that it was already open!
Without dy, he used his Divine Sense to identify the intruder while also using his Morph to alter his appearance.
However, his Divine Sense failed him again, so he had to rely on his Eagle Eye and Spirit Vision.
Soon, he spotted a familiar woman.
It was the enigmaticdy of the Exchange Hall.
"Manager Faith?" Clovis said in surprise as he changed back to his Vale Chambers'' appearance.
Chapter 574 Revenge
Chapter 574 Revenge
"This aura¡ and that Dark Spirit¡ Vale?" Faith asked in astonishment as she recognized Vale''s presence.
As a Half-Spirit, she had a keen sense of the existence of Dark Spirits.
Since Vale had Yvaine, a Dark Spirit living in his Shadow, Faith could easily remember him.
"Yes, Manager Faith. It''s me, Vale. I''m surprised to see you here." Vale answered as he got up to greet the Manager of the Contribution Points Exchange Hall, Faith.
Faith wryly smiled when she heard him and replied. "The Academy was already in ruins. It was destroyed by the Holy Arts Faction''s Alliance. I''m no longer the Manager of the Exchange Hall."
Vale couldn''t help but feel gloomy after hearing this. Even though he already knew that the Academy was attacked and the war between the Dark Arts Faction and Holy Arts Faction was ongoing, he still hoped that the Academy had survived.
After all, he had studied at the Vermont Academy for thest four years.
"So the Dark Arts Faction really lost to them..." Vale murmured.
"Don''t worry¡ The Faction had endured for so long. This loss isn''t much. Furthermore, the top Arcanists of the Faction didn''t join the battle this time. It would be different if they were protecting the Academy at that time. Besides, the Dark Arts Faction isn''t alone this time. They''ll make aeback soon¡" Faith mysteriously said.
Vale wanted to ask more questions, but Faith shifted her attention to the young girl close to him. She was a striking beauty with sapphire eyes and azure hair that cascaded down her back.
She had a slender figure and a graceful posture. She wore a simple white dress that contrasted with her dark leather boots.
At this time, she was holding a book in her hand, indicating her interest in learning. She looked at Faith with curiosity and respect as she waited to be introduced.
"What''s the name of yourpanion?" Faith asked.
"Right¡ This is Pearl. She''s a friend of mine. After I was attacked by the members of the Vessels, I escaped the city, and she joined me afterward." Vale said.
"Pearl¡ Are you a¡ªWait! Vale, are you referring to the Evanescent Vessels? Why were you attacked?"
Faith wanted to know about Pearl''s real identity, but after processing Vale''s words, she quickly asked what happened.
There, Vale told her what had happened after he obtained hisplete Shadow from the Headmaster.
The Vessels tried to kill him and take the reward he got from the Ascension Tower. However, he managed to fight back and flee the scene.
The reward, or the Creation Ring, wasn''t even usable yet as it was still sealed.
Vale didn''t mind telling this story since he knew Faith wasn''t a Dark Arts Practitioner, or at the very least, she wasn''t just practicing the Dark Arts. Like him and Pearl, he knew Faith was also practicing multiple Arcane Arts.
After some time, Vale inquired about Faith''s presence in the Vampire''s Castle, prompting her to exin that she was searching for Lisa and Chad, who had been disced to a different location following a malfunction in the teleportation circle while they were attempting to escape.
"Lisa Grayback and Chad Bulmung?" Vale asked in shock.
"Yes¡"
Faith had taken it upon herself to locate the two. After all, she knew that aside from her, no one else had noticed the location where they went.
Furthermore, she could''ve urately traced them if she hadn''t been hindered by the Third Guardian of the Transformation Arts Faction and the Vice Commander of the Prime Wisemen at the time of the incident.
Shocked by the revtion that Lisa and Chad were missing, Vale asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Faith?"
"During the time they were disced, I sensed that they were transported to this region. My little knowledge about spatial disruption allowed me to sense it at that time¡" Faith exined as she epted Vale''s offer of assistance.
Vale then forgot about his n for the Spell Fusion as the group engaged in a discussion.
Vale started sharing the events that transpired in the Vampire Castle while Faith provided insights into the current situation of the Dark Arts Faction against the Allied Factions.
Finally, Vale recounted the previous night''s events involving the Airships led by a Prince. Of course, he hid the fact that he was the Masked Devil and just mentioned how those people tried taking their items.
"You and your squads confronted the 14th Prince?!" Faith asked in astonishment.
"Y-yes¡ Is it really that bad?" Vale asked.
"No¡ You guys should''ve killed all of them instead. It would be less troublesome that way." Faith replied while shaking her head.
"Ah." Vale''s mouth opened, but he was unable to give a proper response. He couldn''t help but recall Heinz''s words before when he confronted the seniors of the Academy.
"Miss Faith, I don''t think we are strong enough to fight against their fleet." Vale could only reply after some time.
"Ha! You think you can fool me? Yourpanion here isn''t ordinary¡ You as well. I''m sure that you could''ve dealt with the problem. You shouldn''t hesitate next time. Anyway, I won''t be asking about your secrets. My mission here is to find those kids." Faith replied as she waved her hand.
Vale could not reply to that and just nodded obediently.
***
In the meantime, while Vale was immersed in his reunion with Faith, his enemy was already nning to take his revenge.
In the grand halls of arge manor, the 14th Prince had just finished his report to his father''s subordinate, the Royal Knights Commander, Gram Cromwell.
Adorned with red tattoo marks or Arcane Sigils all over his body, including his face, Grant stood tall while looking at the ipetent Prince.
He was in the middle of a celebration for acquiring another Arcane Sigil when this person chose to interrupt him in his chamber.
After learning what had happened, he couldn''t help but feel disappointed again in this Prince.
"So everything has turned into chaos because of one Arcanist, the Masked Devil Incarnate?" He inquired, his deep voice echoing through the opulent chamber.
Chapter 575 The Ritual
Chapter 575 The Ritual
As Vale and hispanions left the Vampire''s castle, a ritual in a distantnd had started.
In the northern part of the Millton Kingdom, arge gathering of hundreds of people dressed in ck robes could be spotted chanting in an ancientnguage.
They stood in orderly rows in front of a towering stone statue that bore a striking resemnce to a demonic figure.
For nearly an hour, they chanted prayers and offered up valuable materials, the worth of which could easily exceed a million zen.
Soon, they reached the end of their prayer.
"Oh, mighty one, from the depths of the unknown, we implore you to grace us with your presence. Bring forth your wisdom and power, and bestow upon us the gifts of chaos. We offer our sacrifices as a testament to our allegiance. Hear our call and manifest before us!"
Following the conclusion of their intense prayer, the members of the cult dressed in ck robes simultaneously copsed to the ground, creating an eerie and foreboding atmosphere.
Sometime after this, otherworldly energy began to permeate the surroundings, signaling the imminent arrival of the mysterious entity they had been invoking.
Not far from this unsettling scene, another group of individuals, also garbed in ck robes adorned with a goat''s head symbol, gazed at the stone statue with intense anticipation.
After a few moments, a monumental crack in the fabric of space materialized beneath the statue, and a multitude of entities emerged.
These otherworldly beings seemed human, except for the prominent presence of horns upon their heads.
"They''re here¡" One of them muttered as they observed the individuals.
They soon nced at each other as they silently agreed to wee them.
***
At the forefront of the group of entities that had just arrived, one figure stood out with two ck horns adorning his head and fiery red hair.
He had striking white skin, handsome visage, and discernible fangs that added to his enigmatic presence. d in a robe that exuded an aura of demonic power, he surveyed the copsed individuals in ck robes with a bemused expression.
"What do we have here?" He murmured upon seeing the fallen cult members.
At this time, the spatial crack behind them had also closed, confirming that only 16 of them had been summoned into this realm. Then, his piercing gaze shifted to the approaching figures.
These figures were the ten ck-robed men who had been observing from a distance, and they hastened to greet the newly arrived entities.
As they drew near, they swiftly fell to their knees and addressed the entities with reverence.
"Wee, Demon Saints! We have eagerly awaited your arrival¡" They proimed, their voices resonating with deference and anticipation.
"Oh? Interesting... So you know about us? Who are you, and why did you summon us?" The Demon Saint asked with an arrogant tone. He seemed to be testing the humans in front of him.
The ten ck-robed people were shocked by his question. They thought he would be pleased by their worship. They did not expect him to sound hostile.
They quickly tried to exin.
"We are your loyal followers, Demon Saints. We are the members of the Order of Fatality. We have been praying to you and waiting for you for a long time. We want to serve you and help you... To be exact, we want to join you in your glorious mission."
The Demon Saint didn''t know whether tough at their words as none of them had such a glorious mission.
However, if they were summoned for a specific reason, they could guess what was going on.
"Glorious mission? Hmm¡ Are you telling me that there''s a living Immortal in this realm?" The Demon Saint asked curiously.
At this question, the others behind him finally reacted.
***
In the Arcane Cloud Tower situated near the capital city of the Millton Kingdom, Odessa, the esteemed Royal Mage, sat in a cross-legged position, attentively overseeing the Core of the Tower.
Her fairplexion seemed to radiate a soft luminescence in the muted light of the chamber.
Adorned with intricate magical essories, including ornate amulets and rings adorned with ancient runes, she exuded an aura of wisdom and nobility, befitting her esteemed position.
Her Arcanist Robe draped gracefully around her, bearing the symbols of her station as a custodian of Ancient Knowledge and Guardian of Lost Arcane Arts.
''Mhmm?''
Odessa furrowed her brows as she felt something off about the Core''s pulsation of energy.
Her Arcane Tower served not only as a center for learning and honing magical skills but also as a vital shield safeguarding the surroundings of the capital.
Any reaction from the Core could be rted to their safety.
Suddenly, the aura it was emitting started getting stronger.
The Tower''s Core underwent a brief and unsettling upheaval.
"What''s going on? Why are you reacting like that if we''re not under attack¡" Odessa was confused, as such anomalous behavior from the Core typically signified the detection of a looming ominous threat.
However, the disturbance didn''tst long, as if it was nothing more than a momentary malfunction.
Of course, Odessa wouldn''t leave it at that.
She was perturbed by this unusual urrence, so she swiftly sought the counsel of the Tower''s Seers to unravel the mystery.
After a consultation with the Seer, a chilling prophecy was revealed to her¡
"The realm that was long sealed, shall soon yawn open, unleashing a tide of unrelenting chaos that shall engulf the entire continent. From the depths of darkness, ancient powers shall rise, casting the realm into an era of turmoil and strife. The bnce of magic and the fates of all shall be put to the ultimate test in a cataclysmic struggle for dominion."
***
As Odessa unearthed this foreboding menace, a multitude of eminent Arcanists across the continent had alsoe to the same rming realization.
The venerable heads of the Twelve Arcane Paths, the esteemed leaders of the Orthodox Churches, the influential figures governing the Arcanist Guilds, and the sensible guardians of the Arcane Bureau all became acutely aware that the facade of tranquility was on the brink of shattering.
Chapter 576 Seized
Chapter 576 Seized
"Are we there yet?" Vale asked Faith while looking at her graceful figure figure from behind.
At this time, he was still unable to understand how Faith could see the surroundings and how it felt like she had unlimited duration in Magic Zone.
Apparently, it had already been two weeks following their departure from the Vampire Castle, and Faith finally stumbled upon a new lead that could lead them to Lisa and Chad.
"We''re getting closer¡ However, it might take the whole day if we continue like this. What''s your movement spell''s mastery?" Faith asked as she turned her head as if she was eyeing Vale.
"It''s in the Advanced Realm... I''m not using it yet." Vale replied as he shifted his attention to Pearl.
"It''s the same for me." Pearl added.
Faith nodded in acknowledgment. She didn''t seem surprised as she had just epted that young practitioners like them could have several advanced realm spells.
"Alright... Try to keep up with me. Use your Movement Spells now," Faith urged as she activated her own enchantment.
The moment she did so, her form seemed to transform into that of a ghost!
Her speed became nothing short of incredible, and most remarkably, she effortlessly phased through trees and rocks! Nothing could impede her while she remained in this otherworldly state.
Vale couldn''t conceal his astonishment at the astonishing speed disyed before him.
"Is that the Ghost Walk in the Perfect Realm? That looks so incredible..." He pondered aloud.
Recollecting that the Ghost Walk was primarily purposed forbat, designed for short bursts of movement, he had never deemed it necessary. Instead, he''d rely on his exceptional Agility to cover close distances in battle.
He felt that it would be better than wasting a Spell Light for a short burst movement spell.
Observing Faith grow more distant, Vale and Pearl swiftly followed suit.
Vale invoked his Lightspeed Spell, augmented by his unmatched Agility, propelling himself to catch up with Faith. Meanwhile, Pearl''s eyes radiated with an azure glow, enveloping her in crackling static electricity before she surged forward.
Whoossh~
In the blink of an eye, she drew level with the pair and maintained her velocity to keep pace with them.
''These two areparable to graduates in terms of movement speed. Amazing¡'' Faith silently thought as she was also monitoring the two''s movements while tracing Chad''s Ghost King Body¡
Indeed¡ The reason why Faith could sense Chad''s whereabouts was thanks to Chad''s mastery of Ghost King Body. A physique that only Spiritual Beings or Undead Creatures could typically learn.
***
As they continued to travel for more than half an hour, Faith decided to take a rest as she found a spot to wait for the cooldown of their Spells.
"Let''s rest for 15 minutes¡" Faith said as she stopped on a nearby rock formation.
"Hmm¡ Did you select this spot to deal with those Evil Creatures?" Vale suddenly asked as he looked ahead.
"Oh¡"
Faith felt a bit surprised since the location of those Evil Creatures was about 270 meters! That was incredibly far already!
There was no way a fourth-year student was capable of doing that.
Faith suppressed her astonishment as she nodded at Vale.
"Yes, I''m nning to take care of them¡ No matter what, they''re someone else''s corpse possessed by an Evil Spirit. We should free them or put them to rest." Faith said.
"Alright... I''ll take care of them. It won''t take long," Vale replied confidently.
He then gestured to Pearl to stay and take a rest before he dashed forward to confront the trio of Malevolent Entities positioned about 270 meters away.
Despite not being able to see them directly, his Magic Zone keenly detected their presence, and they seemed to be quite injured.
They must''ve fought against someone and had fled in this direction.
''This should be quick.''
As he approached, the three Evil Creatures pivoted towards him, revealing their eerie appearance.
Each entity bore a peculiar visage, with gnarled, obsidian-hued features twisted into grotesque, malevolent expressions.
Their eyes glowed with an eerie, crimson light, exuding an intense aura of malice.
They looked sinister as shadowy tendrils extended from their forms, surrounding them in an aura of darkness that seemed to warp the very air around them.
''These guys looked strong¡'' Valemented in his mind as he noticed that these creatures had horns on their heads.
Without hesitation, these Evil Creatures rushed towards Vale with an intimidating roar!
Graaa!
They seemed so delighted and couldn''t wait to tear him apart!
"Come!" Vale taunted as he wanted them to get nearer. Although his Spells could reach them already, it would always be stronger if they were nearer.
With a swift and practiced motion, he soon unleashed his Chain of Souls.
The dark chains appeared from the darkness around them, and before they could react, the chains had already started coiling them, binding them in an otherworldly embrace, restraining their movements, and sapping their malevolent strength.
''That''s easy¡''
They tried removing the chains by brute force, and they could certainly seed if Vale had just watched them destroy the chains.
Seizing the moment, Vale conjured his Shadow Soldiers. In a few moments, shadowy apparitions materialized around the Creatures.
These otherworldly warriors encircled the entities, but this time, they didn''t manifest their dark des.
"Hold them down¡" Vale ordered.
With seamless coordination, the Shadow Soldiers pressed upon the entities, further subduing their resistance and enveloping them in a shroud of spectral suppression.
"Don''t resist¡ I want to extract you all with your full strength intact." Vale said as he knew that these Evil Creatures have Spirit Arts or Neutral Spells.
It must be remembered that his Traceless Shift was taken from an Evil Creature. There was no way he would allow such a creature to be unextracted!
As their movements gradually waned, Vale advanced purposefully.
Vale then approached each entity, his touch invoking the Extraction process.
One by one, Vale extracted their attributes, malevolent energies, Spell Models, and drew out the essence...
Chapter 577 Extraction Space
Chapter 577 Extraction Space
[ Living Monster has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
''Yes¡''
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +120
Vitality +1
Agility +1.5
Fiend Essence +100
Complete Spell Light +1
Complete Toxic Breath Spell Model
Immortal Shard ]
''Immortal Shard? Why would this creature drop a shard on me?'' Vale was surprised as he had never extracted this item before.
Nevertheless, he continued with his extractions as he surely wanted to get more of them.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +120
Vitality +1
Strength +1.5
Fiend Essence +100
Complete Spell Light +1
Complete Heat Detection Spell Model
Immortal Shard ]
''Another Immortal Shard¡ Not bad.'' Vale couldn''t help but smile, seeing the good result of his extractions.
As for thest creature, he finally got a decent Spell Model.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +120
Vitality +1
Agility +1.5
Fiend Essence +100
Complete Spell Light +1
Complete Evil Hand Spell Model
Immortal Shard ]
Vale wasn''t sure what kind of Spell it was, but he felt that this Spell might be a goodbination with his Gori Punch and ming Palm Spells.
These two low-tier Spells were taking up precious slots in his Spell Lights, after all. Instead of removing them, he''d just fuse them with other spells and hope for the best.
''Maybe I should do the Fusion now before returning¡''
Vale suddenly had an idea, so swiftly killed the barely struggling Evil Creatures before extracting them once again for more Attributes and Energy. He no longer received any Spell Models or items from them, but he was already satisfied with it.
Extraction Space¡
Vale didn''t bother to find a different ce. He simply ordered Yvaine to guard him as he entered the special state.
Inside the Extraction Space, his spiritual body stood in front of the Spell Models he had recorded.
There were quite a lot of them.
[ Human Arts List:
Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv8, Incorruptible Body Lv10, Darkness Maniption Lv8, Spirit Vision Lv7, Light Absorption Lv7, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Active Curse Break Lv7, Corpse Explosion Lv7, Locate Corpse Lv7, Shadow Gate Lv7, Moonlight Specter Lv7, Chain of Souls Lv7, Oblivion Trance Lv7 ]
Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv8, Blessed Healing Lv7, Exorcism Lv7
Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv7
Transformation Art: Morph Lv7, Voice Maniption Lv7
Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv9, ming Palm Lv0
Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv8, Soul Bind Lv7, Reveal Lv0, Telepathy Lv0, Item Appraisal Lv0, Tree Shapeshift Lv0, Nature''s Guise Lv0
Beast Art: Wild Whisper Spell Lv7, Eagle Eye Lv0, Gori Punch Lv0
Elemental Arts: Tidal Wave Torrent Lv7, Water Domain Lv7, Ember Spirit Lv0, Wind Spirit Summon Lv0 , Toxic Tempest Lv5 ]
Rune Arts: Rune Simplification Lv0, Rune Analysis Lv0 ]
Celestial Arts List: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv8, Shadow Muttion Lv7, Aurora''s Embrace Lv7 ]
Spirit Arts List: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv9, Traceless Shift Lv8, Lightspeed Lv7, Levitation Lv7, Blood Maniption Lv0, Blood Curse Lv0, Shadow Extraction Lv0, Sonic Fist Lv0, Life Detection Lv0, ve Mark Lv0, Toxic Breath Lv0, Heat Detection Lv0, Evil Hand Lv0 ]
Vale certainly had plenty of Spellspared to normal Arcanists. However, he believed he was stillcking¡ Especially if he wanted to fight against the beings he should be careful of.
ording to Pearl, the Time Maniptors and Demon Saints were the natural enemies of Celestials. The Time Maniptors were certainly a big problem, and he felt that his current set of Spells was stillcking.
At this moment, he had no idea how to deal with anyone who could control Time.
At most, he''d probably heavily rely on his recently acquired Artifacts to fight them to save himself.
As for the Demonic Light of the Demon Saints, he doesn''t know how this light works, so he has to continue acquiring better spells.
[ You have selected Eagle Eye, Life Detection, and Heat Detection Spells. ]
[ You can no longer select another Spell Model. ]
[ Do you want to start the Fusion? ]
Vale saw the message, and just like his previous Fusion, he got the same message after selecting three Spells. He was nning to just agree with it, but he suddenly had a thought¡
"I can no longer select another Spell Model¡ but does it mean I can add anything that''s not a Spell Model?" Vale thought as he recalled something that he had been curious about: the addition of Essence stored in the Extraction Space for his Fusion Process.
[ 100 Draconic Essence has been added. ]
[ You have selected Eagle Eye, Life Detection, and Heat Detection Spells with 100 Draconic Essence. ]
[You no longer have a Fusion Slot. ]
[ Do you want to start the Fusion? ]
"Yes!"
Vale said as he proceeded with the Fusion.
[ Spell Fusion Sessful ]
[ Eagle Eye, Life Detection, and Heat Detection Spell Models have merged into Dragon''s True Sight Spell Model ]
[ You have 5 seconds to undo the Fusion, which will cost 50 Divinity Points. ]
[ Do you wish to ept this Spell Model? ]
5... 4... 3... 2¡
[ You have acquired Dragon''s True Sight Spell Model ]
"Dragon''s True Sight? Isn''t this too amazing?" Vale was shocked as he hadn''t expected that he''d obtain such a great result just by adding 100 Draconic Essence.
Although it decreased the number of times he could morph into a dragon, it was certainly worth the price, considering this Dragon''s True Sight Spell was something he could always use.
Without any hesitation, Vale increased the Mastery of the Spell by spending some Energy Points.
[ Consume 25 energy points to improve Dragon''s True Sight? ]
''Yes¡'' Vale proceeded as he didn''t mind the number of points he had to spend. After all, it was still cheaper than his Incorruptible Body.
[ Advancement Sessful. Dragon''s True Sight Lv1 ]
[ Consume 50 energy points to improve Dragon''s True Sight? ]
[ Consume 100 energy points to improve Dragon''s True Sight? ]
¡
[ Consume 1600 energy points to improve Dragon''s True Sight? ]
[ Advancement Sessful. Dragon''s True Sight Lv7 ]
Vale spent a total of 3,175 Energy Points, but he didn''t mind this at all.
As soon as he came out of his Extraction Space, he immediately tried to use the newly acquired Spell.
Chapter 578 True Sight
Chapter 578 True Sight
Vale swiftly entered his Phantasm State and spread out his Magic Zone...
After doing this, he activated one of his Spell Models, the Dragon''s True Sight!
His eyes turned blue, and his pupils constricted, simr to that of a Dragon.
Then, he observed the surroundings and looked around the trees, rocks, the waning corpses of the Evil Creatures, and the insects and animals hiding around, and soon, he found what he was looking for: his party members.
He first sensed Faith, followed by Pearl, who seemed to be observing him as well.
''Ahh¡ Is she worried about me?'' Vale momentarily thought before inspecting her with his True Sight.
''I can feel her Divinity and even the Magic Artifacts she had. Furthermore, I can sense her... soul? What''s this?'' Vale felt a bit confused as he tried to find the difference between his normal detection spells and the True Sight Spell.
After a moment of thought, he finally understood.
''So it''s like that...'' Vale finally realized that it was Pearl''s true soul, the Master of the Mystic Tower. It was certainly prominent and befitting of her status as a Tower Master.
Vale also noticed some ethereal glow in the space around her.
It was the same for Faith. It was something he couldn''t see from animals and insects, so he could only guess that it was simr to Arcane Energy.
As he focused his True Sight on Faith, he finally understood her true identity.
"So she''s really a Half-Spirit... Furthermore, she''s carrying a Mystical Artifact that''s glowing too brightly." Vale muttered while feeling a bit shocked.
After all, he thought that the ring she had was just a normal Artifact. He didn''t expect the Dragon''s True Sight to see something in it.
''So this true sight can see the true nature of magic items¡ And if I''m not wrong, it can also see through disguises, invisibility, and shapeshifting¡'' Vale mused as he appreciated the new Spell Fusion.
He believed that with this Spell, he''d no longer get tricked or get caught in traps.
Of course, Vale''s trial didn''t end at that. Once the Dragon''s True Sight was activated, it wouldst for 3 minutes, so he had to make full use of it.
He then started inspecting his body or, specifically, the Spell Models he had recorded. This allowed him to fully understand the mysteries of the Spell Models recorded in his Spell Lights.
Then, as he inspected the Spell Model of the Dragon''s True Sight, he realized that it could also find the weakness of his target!
However, he had to observe his target for about 30 seconds before he could see it!
It was actually a new power he acquired after upgrading it to the Advanced Realm.
''Awesome¡'' Vale couldn''t help but feel d about this as he immediately tried it on Pearl.
"Let''s see¡" He muttered as he confirmed that Pearl was no longer paying attention to him.
He observed her for 30 seconds, and soon, he found her three weaknesses¡
Three red lights started emitting from Pearl''s body, indicating her weakness.
It was the Divine Crystals that were in her pocket, her left eye, and her heart.
Vale could understand that heart was her weakness since anyone could die from it. However, he couldn''t understand why her left eye was a weakness but not her right eye.
As for the Divine Crystal, it must be connected to her Divinity, so it could certainly be fatal to her as well.
''Interesting¡'' Vale mused as he shifted his attention to Faith¡
Just like what he did a few moments ago, he also observed Faith for 30 seconds.
''There''s no resistance, huh¡ Great.'' Vale thought, satisfied that his True Sight wasn''t deflected like his Divine Sense.
However, he only found one weakness in Faith. It was actually her belly¡ To be exact, it seemed as if there was a core in her belly.
Vale felt a bit confused by what he saw, but since she wasn''t an enemy he had to fight, he decided that it was enough.
After removing any traces of the Evil Creatures, he returned to their resting spot.
***
After a grueling day of journeying through treacherous terrain near the border of the Ruri Kingdom, Vale''s party finally arrived at the ce where Faith believed Chad and Lisa were being held.
"So it''s this ce¡ How did they build this deep into the forest?" Faith muttered.
She meticulously followed the ethereal traces of Chad''s Ghost King Body and had no idea about the ce they were heading to.
As the sun began its descent, casting long shadows across the dense forest, they stumbled upon a haunting sight.
Nestled amidst the heart of the woods stood a castle, its eerie silhouette shrouded in the fading light.
The imposing structure exuded an aura of ancient malevolence, and Faith suddenly felt worried that Lisa and Chad were being held by a Dark Magician or any Arcanists who didn''t care about human lives.
These Arcanists are those Researchers who would do anything for the advancement of their research, whether it was experimenting on humans or something even more horrible.
"We must find them quickly¡"
The very thought of what horrors might await them within those dark walls filled her with a deep sense of urgency.
Vale also observed the castle and couldn''t shake the nagging suspicion that this castle, althoughcking the awe-inspiring grandeur of the previous Vampire Castle they had infiltrated, might be another stronghold of the vampiric kind.
''It looks like an abandoned castle from the outside, but with the Dragon''s True Sight, it''spletely different. The one living is stronger than the Vampire before.'' He mused.
As they stood before the foreboding structure, an intense tension enveloped the group¡
"We''ve been found¡" Vale muttered. He didn''t know where it came from, but he was sure that a detection spell was just used on them.
Faith and Pearl didn''t notice this so they looked at him for a moment.
"Are we being invited?" Pearl asked.
"If we''re not harmed, perhaps we can just negotiate¡" Faith added.
They didn''t express their doubt but trusted Vale with his sense.
Chapter 579 Magnus
Chapter 579 Magnus
"We don''t know what we''ll be encountering inside, soplete your preparations before you enter¡" Vale cautioned, his voice remained calm despite the underlying tension.
"I''m fine¡" Pearl asserted. In any case, she felt that she didn''t have much to prepare in the first ce. She only had to cast a Spell to protect her body and make sure that her Psychic Art was ready to be cast.
"I''m also ready. I can feel their traces here. I''m sure Lisa and Chad were here at some point." Faith affirmed, her voice tinged with concern.
"Great... Let''s go¡" Vale dered, summoning his Shadow Soldiers to lead the way. The effortless summoning of two Shadow Soldiers by Vale elicited a smile from Faith, who marveled at his remarkable mastery over the Spell.
She knew this Spell very well, so seeing how Vale could casually cast the spell made her realize that this young man was indeed a reliable one.
After all, it was a feat that even seventh-year students would struggle to achieve, let alone summoning two, or recording the Spell itself. It was evident that Vale''smand over this Spell had already reached the Intermediate or even the early stage of Advanced Realm, considering how he summoned the Shadow Soldiers from another object''s shadow and not his own shadow.
''Such a young age with several high-level Spells¡ It''s very impressive. I wonder why the Vessels decided to choose the extreme choice.'' Faith pondered as she looked ahead.
As the heavy doors of the castle opened, a loud creaking noise echoed. Then, as they thought they''d smell the scent of death, blood, or vampires inside the ce, they actually smelled the scent of medicine!
It feels as if this castle was an alchemy shop instead.
Nevertheless, they also noticed something unusual within the castle. Their Magic Zones were immediately suppressed upon entering, cloaking an area of only about 20 meters around them. It was such a huge suppression, but considering they were only inside the castle, they didn''t mind it that much.
"There''s no enemy?" Pearl muttered. She was expecting someone to wee them since they had already been discovered when they were still outside.
It was quite disappointing.
On the other hand, Faith found this natural as the enemy had probably realized how strong they were.
"We''re here to talk... If you''re the owner of the Tower, pleasee out!" Faith called out, her grip tightening on her cane.
She doesn''t want to start a fight if it could be avoided. After all, it might harm the students that were staying here. However, if it was not possible to resolve it peacefully, she would have no other choice but to destroy this castle.
***
Meanwhile, as Vale''s party made their way into the castle, Magnus was in his study room, observing the projection of the three intruders with a mix of intrigue and fascination.
Unlike his usual attire, Magnus had foregone his Dark Cloak and Ebony Staff, instead opting for his Sacred Alchemy Robe, a garment renowned for enhancing dexterity.
Despite the change in attire, he was still disying his imposing physique and long ck hair, coupled with eyes glowing with a scarlet hue. If not for his Alchemist Robe, he would surely be recognized as an ancient warrior.
After surveying the formidable neers, Magnus pondered their origins with a hint of disbelief.
"These people possess an unprecedented level of power. Where have they been concealed? How is it that I do not recognize any of them, yet they have such formidable strength?" He muttered, astounded by the enigma of their existence.
He had lived for a long time and knew almost all the Grandmaster Arcanists from various organizations and factions. It was quite baffling how he could feel that these three felt equal to him.
Lastly, what bothered him was their youthfulness, especially of the two youngest behind the Half-Spirit.
It stirred a subtle unease within him, for despite his mastery of Alchemy Arts, he remained unable to reverse the effects of aging. With his years of research, he could only temporarily stall his aging.
''Perhaps they''re aware of how to regain youthfulness?'' He mused.
After a moment of contemtion, Magnus was set to confront the trio.
Simultaneously, he issued amand for all the creatures under his control in the surrounding forest to converge upon the castle, preparing for the imminent encounter.
Magnus then made a swift change in attire, discarding his Alchemist Robe in favor of his Dark Cloak and Ebony Staff.
The cloak, woven with ancient enchantments, could provide him with an active Defense Barrier, offering formidable protection against curses and insidious spells.
As for his Ebony Staff, it bore a mystical link empowering him tomand the Formation Circle, enveloping the castle, a potent tool of defense and subjugation.
With his preparationsplete, Magnus invoked his Ghost Walk, seamlessly materializing before the intruders, intercepting their ascent to the upper floors.
"What delusion led you to believe that trespassing in my castle was permissible?" Magnus interrogated, his form now fully corporeal.
None of the three seemed surprised at his arrival as they maintained their cautious stance.
The young man of the group, exuding an air of mysterious confidence, promptly retorted, "We are aware that you sensed our presence long before our arrival. Enlighten us as to why you permitted our entry."
Magnus, taken aback by the audacity of the inquiry, found himselfpelled to chuckle at the impertinence.
"Very well... I do indeed perceive your presence," Magnus conceded.
"Since your party didn''t seem lost within the forest, I am intrigued by your purpose here. However, if you seek to be my disciples, you are sorely mistaken. I have no intention of taking on any apprentices in the foreseeable future." He dered as if this had already happened multiple times before.
Of course, Vale''s group had no such intentions, so Faith interjected, "We havee in search of students of Dark Arts Academy. Those young kids have bright future... I trust you have not made a mistake messing with them."
Her words were delivered with sereneposure. However, her gaze showed her readiness to fight.
Chapter 580 Trap Formation
Chapter 580 Trap Formation
Magnus''s smile waned as Faith''s words reached his ears, prompting a shift in his expression from surprise to indifference.
He had foreseen that individuals would eventually seek out the two practitioners of Dark Arts he had hidden, yet the swift arrival of these intruders caught him off guard.
''I did not expect their scouts, or perhaps Dark Seers, to have progressed to this extent¡'' Magnus ruminated, realizing the rming speed at which they had located the Arcanists he had captured.
Despite his internal musings, he was firm in his resolve not to divulge any such information.
"I''m not sure what you''re talking about... Should you wish to search this castle, you shall have to contend with me¡" Magnus dered, driving his staff forcefully into the ground.
Boom!
This move didn''t destroy the floor, but it actually activated the ancient Formation Circle embedded within the castle.
Vale and the others didn''t have the time to stop the activation as they could only watch the light emerging from every crack in the walls and ceiling.
The Formation Circle stirred to life as arcane symbols started appearing in a mesmerizing disy of luminescence.
The Trap Formation was set into motion!
Sinister energies coalesced, creating an intricate web of malevolence designed to ensnare and subdue anyone.
As the Formation was fully activated, the castle itself seemed to awaken, ready to either kill or repel intruders.
***
Vale looked at the Trap Formation, and he couldn''t help but feel wary of it. For the first time, he felt that this Trap Formation could not be sabotaged just by cutting off the supply of Arcane Energy.
It was all because of theplex link of Formation Circles all around the castle.
If he wanted to stop the energy linked to the Trap Formation to deactivate it, he had to destroy everything instead.
''Is this a Formation Circle arranged by a Grandmaster?'' Vale mused as he looked above them.
As the Trap Formationpleted its activation, a number of otherworldly entities materialized, encircling Vale''s group with an ominous presence.
"Blood Specters?" Faith murmured after identifying the entities.
"Holy Arts and Mystic Arts are effective against them... I''ll deal with it." She dered, producing a talisman with practiced swiftness.
Without dy, she exhaled sharply. Her breath sets the arcane symbols adorning the Talisman aze with otherworldly energy.
Whom~
Faith''s invocation of a high-level talisman resonated through the chamber. Soon, the mystical forces imbued within the T0alisman surged forth to repel the encroaching specters.
Screech!
With a harrowing noise, the specters unleashed a disturbing cacophony that sought to paralyze the trio.
Yet, the radiant mystic light emanating from Faith''s Talisman mitigated its paralyzing effect, much to her satisfaction.
Apparently, this was no ordinary talisman¡ªit was a formidable artifact worth 4,000 zen, and its potency far exceeded that of amon charm.
Whom~
The luminous radiance persisted, intensifying in brilliance as it continued to engulf the blood specters¡
It didn''tst long, but it gradually eroded their essence until they were naught but dissipating wisps of malevolent energy.
"Impressive," Vale remarked in awe while Pearl nodded in solemn acknowledgment.
However, their respite was short-lived. The trap formation was still active, and soon, a fresh contingent of blood specters materialized with an eerie wail.
The renewed onught of specters, now numbering more than twenty, assailed Vale''s party with renewed ferocity.
"Screech!"
They attacked once again with the same sound spell¡ Furthermore, as soon as the Blood Specters felt that they had constrained them, they started moving closer as if they wanted to take a bite off of them!
In the face of this overwhelming assault, Faith prepared to unleash her formidable Spirit Art, only to be halted by Vale''s decisive intervention.
"Not yet... ying the blood specters will only increase their number... Pearl, shield us while I dismantle the formation circle." Valemanded, his gaze fixed upon the arcane symbols etched into the ground.
It was as if he had seen through the Trap Formation already.
Though initially taken aback, Faith agreed to Vale''s strategy, recognizing that his words sounded reliable.
However, amidst the chaos, she discerned a peculiar transformation in Vale.
"Those eyes... and the aura you exude... Are you a dragon?" she inquired in astonishment, her gaze lingering upon him with incredulity.
Vale didn''t answer and simply smiled at this.
Anyway, it wasn''t important right now.
As soon as he activated his Dragon''s True Sight, he realized that the Trap Formation doesn''t just weaken the Spells of all Arcane Paths, but it was slowly absorbing their Arcane Energy as well.
The longer they use their Spells, the faster they get exhausted¡
''What a sinister Trap Formation¡ That Vampire is also good. He knows that he''ll get killed if he fights us directly. He must''ve realized that we''re not ordinary Arcanists.'' Vale mused as he focused on the matter at hand.
***
"Not killing the Blood Specters is a lot more difficult than you think. Please do it quickly¡" Pearl said.
As she maintained her Spiritual Domain to fend off the encroaching Blood Specters, Vale knelt upon the floor. He seemed so focused as if he was truly trying to understand the mysteries of this Formation Circle.
However, his thoughts say otherwise.
''Divine Extraction System, activate¡'' Vale silently prayed as he was trying to make the system recognize the Trap Formation as an ''extractable'' target.
The system was designed to swiftly identify extractable entities such as corpses, living beings, and immortal items, promptly triggering a notification upon their detection.
However, Vale was keenly aware of the system''s potential to extract other entities, provided they met the requisite criteria.
Having used the system in unconventional ways previously, he understood the inherent challenges that apanied such endeavors.
It was difficult but not impossible.
In the meantime, Magnus was watching everything from a distance and was unsure what they were trying to do¡
''They immediately realize that the Blood Specters will just multiply if killed¡ That was impressive, but are they thinking of destroying my Formation Circle?'' Magnus smirked as he observed the young man in the group.
''Arrogant¡ Not even the finest Formation Experts of this era can destroy that. I guess I''ll have a few more ves.''
Chapter 581 Spirit
Chapter 581 Spirit
After three minutes of concentration, Vale finally got the result he wanted.
[ Energy Source has been discovered. Would you like to start the Extraction? ]
''Energy Source? Interesting¡ It didn''t recognize the Formation Circle as an Arcane Art but as a source of energy?'' Vale mused as he didn''t expect this notification to appear.
Nevertheless, it made a lot of sense since his Divine Extraction Energy was not an Appraisal Tool. It only recognizes ''extractable'' targets. From the system''s perspective, perhaps thisplex Trap Formation was nothing more than a huge gathering of Arcane Energy.
Without any more hesitation,?Vale started with his Extraction.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +1120
Fiend Essence +1000
Vampire Essence +1000
Elf Essence +1000 ]
[ Extraction Failed ]
[ Extraction Failed ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +1200
Fiend Essence +1100
Vampire Essence +1100
Elf Essence +1100 ]
[ Extraction Failed ]
"Incredible¡ Isn''t this a bit too much?" Vale muttered as he saw the results of his Extraction. He was getting thousands of them at once!
This was such an incredible experience.
''I guess this Trap Formation had other creatures it could materialize aside from the Blood Specters.''
Vale concluded after seeing some essence of the Vampire and Elf. Perhaps, once they eliminated the Blood Specters, the Trap Formation would summon other creatures like Vampire and Elf to deal with them.
***
On the other hand, as Vale continued with the Extraction of the Trap Formation, Magnus focused on preparing his ve Contract Talisman.
"Go on¡ Waste your energy." He muttered.
He was fully aware of the difficulty of escaping from the Trap Formation. If they couldn''t find its weakness or they failed to understand the Formation''s rule, it would be impossible to survive in it.
Furthermore, he understood the futility of attempting to overpower the Trap Formation, given the castle''s abundance of Energy Cores and Spirit Stones that fueled its potency.
Even if it were him, he would fail to destroy this Formation Art with just brute force.
Any attempt by Vale and hispanions to dismantle the Formation or eliminate the Blood Specters would only result in a wasteful expenditure of their energy. It would hasten their demise since the Formation Arts also had another effect, which could stop their Arcane Energy''s regeneration.
Crack¡
Amidst the preparation of the ve Contract Talismans, an unforeseen development transpired¡ªthe Trap Formation began to dim, apanied by the emergence of numerous cracks, leaving Magnus bewildered by the unexpected turn of events.
''An invisible spell? What''s going on?'' Magnus was rmed as he didn''t see where the attack came from.
Perplexed by the unanticipated damage to the Formation, his focus shifted to Vale, who remained at the heart of the Formation.
"It''s you!"
Sensing a connection between Vale''s actions and the Formation''s deterioration, Magnus swiftly directed his Staff toward the young man, invoking a spell in a desperate attempt to thwart his efforts.
Petrification!
This Spell would normally require an incantation, but thanks to his Staff, such action was no longer needed.
Faith, foreseeing the impending threat, swiftly countered Magnus''s Spell with defensive magic.
Arcane Force Field!
It was a potent barrier that remained invisible to the naked eye but resonated profoundly within their Phantasm State.
Even Pearl felt impressed by this unusual Spell¡
Within moments, a protective dome materialized, enveloping the group.
Boom!
As the Petrification Spell didn''t reach its target, it suddenly created an explosive reaction, which reverberated through the air, unsettling even the Blood Specters that were suppressed by Pearl''s domain.
"So you''re hiding there..."
Seizing the opportune distraction, Pearl directed her Energy Spear towards Magnus!
Whoosh~
The Spear made of her Spiritual Energy rushed through air... However, it encountered an unexpected obstruction!
Boom!
It was impeded by the Trap Formation Art itself!
"What? Isn''t that cheating? He can attack us from the outside, but we can''t do the same?" Pearl muttered as she realized the other effect of the Formation Art.
This continued several times as Magnus started casting a few more Petrification Spells while Pearl and Faith would defend against it.
''Is he nning to waste our energy through this action?''
"Vale... Are you not finished yet?" Pearl suddenly asked as Magnus persistentlyunched sessive attempts to trap them in petrification.
"I''m almost done... The Formation Art will copse soon. Please deal with that old Arcanist once it''s broken." Vale replied.
"Very well... I''ll take care of that old man!" Pearl said as she was already annoyed by the fact that she couldn''t kill the Blood Specters. Although she didn''t mind holding them in her Spiritual Domain, she
She was itching for a real battle!
***
In the alchemyboratory nestled within thebyrinthine corridors of the Magnus'' Castle, an atmosphere of mystery and innovation permeated the air.
The room was adorned with an array of shelves, each meticulouslyden with ss jars containing a menagerie of preserved specimens¡ªethereal creatures suspended in amber liquids, arcane botanical specimens, and anatomical curiosities, all bathed in a soft, eerie glow that lent an otherworldly aura to theboratory.
Within this captivating environment, Lisa and Chad engaged in their alchemical pursuits, immersed in the art of potioncraft and the enigmatic machinations of their experiments.
Well, if they weren''t afraid of dying, they wouldn''t be this focused on their tasks.
Boom!
The ground suddenly started shaking, and the ceiling started making some noise. They couldn''t help but feel worried that the walls would copse on them.
"Lisa... Is the castle being attacked?" Chad asked as he stopped what he was doing. He was ready to escape from theboratory.
"It could be... But I think Sir Magnus might be doing an experiment in the thirdboratory¡ You know that he''s handing explosive items there." Lisa said with a helpless smile.
She was making a potion using moonflower extract and starlight essence. It''s known to enhance perception and mystical energy attunement. It''s a delicate process, but the results can be quite extraordinary.
It had a veryplicated brewing process, and now that she missed the timing, she had to restart once again.
However, as she was thinking of continuing with her experiment, a beautiful Dark Spirit appeared before them.
The female Dark Spirit had a mesmerizing presence, with flowing ebony hair that seemed to dance around her like wisps of smoke. Her eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, and her elegant, ethereal form exuded an aura of mystery and power.
Lisa''s eyes lit up after seeing her¡
"Are you Vale''s Dark Spirit?!"
Chapter 582 Mirror
Chapter 582 Mirror
Yvaine didn''t answer Lisa''s question, but her calm demeanor was already an answer for her.
''How did Valee here faster than the professors or the Faction''s Vessels?'' Lisa mused as she knew that her guess was most likely correct.
Anyway, she couldn''t help but smile as she put down theboratory tools she was holding.
"What? Vale''s Dark Spirit? Then¡ Is he the one attacking the castle?" Chad said as he couldn''t help but feel worried. If Vale was killed, they wouldn''t be able to forgive themselves.
"It must be him¡ Dark Spirit, are you going to take us away with you?" Lisa asked. She wanted to know if the attack was a diversion and if the Dark Spirit was here to take them away.
They didn''t want their friend to die fighting against the old monster who imed to have practiced all Arcane Paths.
If they could lessen his burden, they would do so.
''Even if Vale is a genius Dark Magician, there''s no way he can win against that old monster.'' Lisa thought as she turned to Chad, who seemed to have something in mind.
"Ahh¡ That Dark Spirit left." Lisa muttered as the Spirit suddenly disappeared from her Magic Zone.
"She probably returned to inform Vale." Chadmented as he shifted his attention to the mirror beside him.
Soon, he uttered a silent prayer.
"Esteemed ArchFey of the Third Era, the 13th Warden of the Spirit World, the current Spirit of the Pristine Mirror, grant me your audience¡ In ordance with the vow, a practitioner of the Darkness Path will find the light within the darkness, and it''ll outshine even the darkest of shades."
This prayer won''t normally work since Chad doesn''t possess the Pristine Mirror. He was simply using a normal mirror within the Alchemy Laboratory.
However, they learned in their third-year ss that Mennena could still be called as long they sacrifice their blood and an object that has decent value. Well, Cursed Artifacts are preferred, but they could be changed depending on the quality of the item.
After Chad''s prayer, he cut his finger with a sterilized knife and dropped a few of them on the mirror.
Then, he threw the knife as well. It was a mid-grade Mortal Rank item and was quite pathetic. However, Chad had another secret.
He now possesses the Ghost King''s Body! The blood he just offered and the knife that his blood had stained had be precious at this point!
It didn''t take long before a ripple appeared in the mirror, indicating that Menna had created a link on it.
Lisa was previously confused about Chad''s ritual, but after confirming that Mennena was the being called, she realized Chad was nning immediately.
Chad immediately spoke as soon as he felt Mennena''s presence.
"Mennena! Can you tell us if the Dark Spirit lurking around was connected to Vale?"
Mennena didn''t seem to be surprised by the question and answered immediately without showing her appearance in the mirror.
"Vale Chambers? Your previous ssmate?" Her voice still sounded ethereal, and Chad couldn''t help but gulp.
After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. "Yes¡"
"Mhmm¡ I can''t feel his presence. Is he using an anti-detection artifact? Let me use the mirrors around here. I''ll search for him real quick, Ghost King Chad¡"
"Pfftt~"
Lisa failed to stop her chuckle as soon as she heard Mennena''s way of addressing Chad.
"Ghost King Chad¡ I didn''t expect that. Should I call you that as well?" Lisa teased.
"Ugh¡ Don''t even think about it. I''m just letting her call me that since I can''t do anything about it." Chad replied with a helpless smile.
Soon, Mennena grasped what was going on in the castle.
"I found him. A Spell or Artifact protects him, so you won''t sense his presence. However, I saw his face in a broken mirror. That Dark Spirit had also found its way back to him."
"That''s great! Is he alone? Are we being saved?" Chad immediately asked. He knew that Mennena wouldn''t be able to stay here for long.
"He''s with two other mysterious Arcanists. I can''t see through them, but I know they''re incredibly strong, so I''m sure you''ll be able to escape this time... If I''m not mistaken, even 5 Magnus will fail to stop them. Summon me next time with more of your blood¡"
As soon as Mennena said this, the power that was lent to her by Chad had reached its limit.
Mennena immediately disappeared, and the mirror returned to normal.
"I knew it¡ We''re saved! Thank you, Mennena!" Chad replied with eagerness as he looked at the excited Lisa.
"This is great! I wonder if Vale was together with the Headmaster or perhaps some members of the Vessels¡" Lisa muttered.
Theboratory room''s seal was still active, so they still had to wait until Magnus was defeated. At this time, they could only specte about the identities of the people that was helping Vale.
"I think Mennena would recognize the Headmaster if he was with Vale. Since they''re called Mysterious, they are probably from the Order of the Evanescent Vessels or Arcanists directly from the Vermont n." Chad replied after some time.
He believed that the Vessels protecting their Academy would be tasked to search for them. However, he also knew that the Vermont n behind the Vermont Academy would also make their move to save students like them.
***
In the meantime, while Lisa and Chad waited to be rescued, Vale had finallypleted half of his extraction.
"Now!" Vale shouted the moment he felt the Formation was about to break.
At his signal, Pearl acted without hesitation, hurling an Energy Spear that tore through the Trap Formation.
The Trap Formation had always blocked her attacks, so she had been quite frustrated for a while now.
"Take this!" Pearl eximed as she unleashed the powerful energy, her eyes zing with annoyance.
Boom!
Soon,the Energy Spear hurtled directly toward Magnus, catching him off guard.
The impact sent shockwaves through the ce, causing the castle''s main hall to tremble and the torches to flicker.
Chapter 583 Ember
Chapter 583 Ember
"You dare?!" Magnus shouted in fury, caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events.
What infuriated him was the fact that he was slightly injured, something he had never experienced for many years.
He had been confident that his Trap Formation would be sufficient to deal with the three intruders. He had crafted it himself and knew its formidable power. Even if someone could dismantle his Formation Art, it would take several Formation Experts working together, and it would still require several days for them to destroy it.
Nevertheless, Vale and the others ignored him for a moment.
"Pearl and Miss Faith... I''ll deal with this old Arcanist. Can you follow my Dark Spirit and save Chad and Lisa? They''re in an underground facility¡" Vale said, gesturing to Yvaine, who had suddenly appeared behind them.
They didn''t even know that Vale already sent his Dark Spirit to look for the captives!
''So they''re really here!''
Faith''s eyes lit up as soon as she heard this. Those two students were the reason she hade here in the first ce.
She immediately agreed, and Pearl hesitated only for a moment before agreeing as well.
"Fine... Make sure to torture that arrogant man¡" Pearl said, sensing that Vale had something in mind. She wasn''t sure what it was, but it felt as if Vale was truly looking forward to facing Magnus.
Although she also wanted to punch Magnus'' face, she felt that Vale would do a better job.
Vale''s torture of sucking all the enemy''s energy and life was something that was instilled in her mind. She felt that she had no way of topping that terrifying ability.
"Alright¡ Do you think Lisa and Chad require quick medical assistance? I''ll have to summon Healing Spirit if that''s the case." Faith asked after she recalled that Chad and Lisa may not be in very good condition.
Summoning a Healing Spirit requires some time, so she was nning to do it ahead of time if it was needed.
"They''re fine. But they''re confined in a room ording to my Dark Spirit¡" Vale replied as he signaled Yvaine to lead the two.
Meanwhile, Magnus, who was about to release a Mystic Spell to trap the three once again, noticed the sudden appearance of the Dark Spirit. As he overheard their conversation, he realized that they had already found his two captives.
He didn''t have the time to question how the Dark Spirit bypassed his traps and formation arts, so
"All of you will stay here!" he yelled in fury as he cast one of his finest Alchemy Arts.
"Cursed me!"
As soon as he triggered this Spell, ck fire erupted and surrounded Vale and the others. The darkness of the me seemed to swallow the very light in the room, casting eerie shadows on the walls and sending ominous tendrils of smoke curling through the air.
The heat it emitted was intense, and the crackling of the mes filled the hall with a menacing sound.
It was such a terrifying sight.
Nevertheless, Vale gazed at the ominous ck me calmy.
He could sense that this Spell had likely reached the Advanced Realm, or perhaps even the Perfect Realm, making it extremely dangerous.
After all, the very fabric of space seemed to contort in response to its lethal power.
''I like this Spell¡ Cursed me? I should target this one.''
Vale smirked as he nned to end this quickly.
He had no intention of prolonging this battle. He was acutely aware that Lisa and Chad''s lives could be at stake if he didn''t swiftly confront this formidable Arcanist.
They could be used as a hostage or even as a sacrifice if this Magnus decided to be shameless.
With this urgency in mind, he focused on casting one of his Elemental Spells, disregarding any potential surprise from Faith at his ability to do so.
''Well¡ I don''t think she''ll be spreading this around, but I''ll tell herter.''
"Ember Spirit!" Vale invoked, channeling his force into his Spell Model¡
As soon as he did this, the Spell Model dimmedpletely.
It means he could no longer cast this Spell until the Model was again filled with energy.
Whom~
Suddenly, a small, ethereal spirit surrounded by dancing mes materialized before him, its fiery aura casting a warm, orange glow in the midst of the darkness.
Pearl and Faith, who were thinking about how to pass through the mes, noticed its appearance and halted for a moment.
They didn''t need to ask Vale, as they knew that he was about to do something with the Cursed me that was slowly closing on them.
''So Vale has this beautiful Spell¡ When did he even learn this?'' Faithmented in her mind as she felt that Vale was indeed hiding too many things.
At this time, she had already recognized Vale as a Half-Human. She wasn''t exactly sure if Vale was Half-Dragon, Half-Elf, or even Half-Evil Creature¡ After all, there was no wave Vale could practice multiple Arcane Arts unless he was half-blood.
As for being a Half-Spirit like her, she highly doubts it since she would immediately notice if he were.
In the meantime, Pearl could only sigh as she realized that Vale still had plenty of Spells in his body.
''Just how many Spells does this guy have? I''ve already seen him cast more than 12 Spells. Isn''t this cheating?'' She mused.
Whoosh~
The Ember Spirit that had appeared exuded an otherworldly presence. Its form evokes the mesmerizing dance of flickering mes, with hints of gold and crimson swirling within its core.
Furthermore, it seemed to be delighted as soon as it saw the Cursed me that Magnus created.
"Great! Create a path for them. I know you can do it." Vale didn''t hesitate as he immediatelymanded the Ember Spirit to confront the Cursed me and create a path for hispanions to escape and rescue Lisa and Chad.
The Ember Spirit doesn''t seem to be capable of speech, but it was able to create a sound as it followed Vale''smand.
"Gruu~"
Chapter 584 Cursed Flame
Chapter 584 Cursed me
Vale didn''t bother leveling up the Ember Spirit as he was thinking that he''d just Fuse it to other Spells and waste its mastery.
Even if he had to increase its mastery for its Fusion, he wanted to ensure it wouldn''t be too much. After all, not every Spell Fusion was like Moonlight Specter, which requires Advanced Realm Mastery.
Most of them don''t even require any level of mastery at all!
Nevertheless, Vale didn''t bother to increase the Ember Spirit''s level since it only has to deal with Cursed me.
Whoosh~
The Ember Spirit observed the Cursed me for a fleeting moment before it sprang into action.
With a graceful wave of its hand, it began to dance in mid-air, its movements resembling an intricate ritual. As it swayed and twirled, radiant embers emerged from its form, weaving a mesmerizing pattern that seemed to draw the Cursed me into a meticulously crafted path.
Just like Vale''s orders, it was trying to create a path!
Each fluid motion of the Ember Spirit brought forth a trail of shimmering embers, which wove and swirled in a hypnotic disy. It then started guiding the malevolent ck mes to part and create a passage for Pearl and Faith.
''As expected of the embodiment of Fire¡ Even the Cursed me can only obey itsmand¡ This is really intriguing.'' Faith mused as she shifted her gaze to Vale.
''Even if Vale can practice several Arcane Arts, he still has toplete the Elemental Baptism to record the Elemental Spell Models. When did he have the time to conduct the Baptism?''
Faith couldn''t help but wonder as she was also practicing different Arcane Arts.
She knew very well about the challenges of having multiple Spells from different paths since they would have plenty of requirements like the Baptism or the energy conversion to Elemental Energy to use Elemental Spells. After all, Dark Energy could not be used for Elemental Arts.
"Let''s go!" Pearl suddenly spoke, interrupting her random thoughts.
"I''ming!" Faith muttered as she also started moving. To be honest, she was thinking of just using a defensive spell to bypass the Cursed me a few moments ago.
However, as she passed through, she realized that the Cursed me could potentially heavily injure her if not for the Ember Spirit''s assistance.
The ck Cursed me had actually damaged her clothes and mystical artifacts even without making contact with it!
***
"An Ember Spirit?!" Magnus was shocked after seeing the small fire spirit that Vale had summoned.
Even if Magnus was extremely talented, as he could practice any Arcane Path, he was unable toplete the Spell Model of the Ember Spirit. It was because he didn''t have the elemental affinity he needed toplete it.
''I have to kill it!''
Magnus knew the threat it could pose against his Cursed me. He had to kill it while it was still busy trying to control the Cursed me.
Magnus opened his Grimoire and was about to summon a creature that could help him fight against the Ember Spirit.
Yet Vale was swift to counter this interference.
Before Magnus could even summon a creature, Vale summoned two Shadow Soldiers from Magnus'' own shadow, revealing a surprising mastery over both Elemental and Dark Arts.
"Dual Path Practitioner? You have an interesting ability, young man. So you can use both Elemental Arts and Dark Arts. Then, allow me to experience your Elemental and Dark Arts¡" Magnus remarked as he kept his Grimoire and suppressed the Shadow Soldiers with his Dark Arts, the Spectral Hands.
Magnus''spetitive spirit surged as he also decided to confront Vale using one of his Dark Spells¡
The Spectral Hands then held the Shadow Soldiers tightly, and he looked at Vale with a satisfied smile.
"These Shadow Soldiers are a waste of Spell Light..." Magnus muttered before he triggered his Alchemy Spell.
Cursed me!
With a swift and purposeful disy of power, he effortlessly destroyed the Shadow Soldiers that Vale had conjured, relying on the might of his Spectral Hands and the engulfing Cursed me.
"Those Shadow Soldiers are only a bit resilient... They must be at the Advanced Realm to endure 10 seconds in my me¡" Magnusmented, although he wasn''t worried.
He was only a little surprised by their tenacity, having initially anticipated their swift demise within 3 or 4 seconds of exposure to the Cursed me.
Nevertheless, he knew that he still had better mastery and a set of Spells.
"You look like you''re already celebrating¡"
Vale couldn''t help but chuckle at Magnus''s assessment as he directed the Ember Spirit to takemand of the Cursed me, enveloping him and redirecting it towards Magnus. With Faith and Pearl already departed, Vale was prepared to unleash his full capabilities.
"Hmph! That''s my Alchemy Spell! Do you think you can wield it against me?!" Magnus retorted, summoning another surge of Cursed me and absorbing the me under the Spirit''s control.
Puff~
He had dealt with it quite effortlessly.
However, unbeknownst to Magnus, Vale''s keen perception, thanks to his Dragon''s True Sight, had already pinpointed the old Arcanist''s vulnerabilities.
Vale found three luminous points akin to cores or energy points. They glowed upon Magnus''s forehead, chest, and abdomen, revealing potential weaknesses awaiting exploitation.
''The only problem is that he''s wearing an armor that''s probably a Royal Rank.'' Vale mused as he realized what to do.
"Well, since you''re adorned with numerous protective items... I have no choice but to make it easy with this Spell."
Shadow Muttion!
The Spell swiftly homed in on its target¡ªMagnus.
"Mhmm? What have you done? Is this a curse?" Magnus inquired, sensing the impact of the Spell, which managed to bypass his passive defensive artifacts due to its non-threatening nature and unprecedented speed.
He couldn''t identify what it was, but it didn''t seem to hurt him at all. He also couldn''t feel the curse if it was.
Vale, however, had no inclination to provide an exnation to Magnus.
Instead, he summoned additional Shadow Soldiers to divert Magnus''s attention as he focused on targeting Magnus''s shadow.
With a deft activation of his Meridian ess, he enveloped his form in an epassing Aura, fortifying his body¡
"You haven''t learned! These Shadow Soldiers are nothing against my Cursed me!" Magnus shouted as he summoned ck mes from both of his hands.
Chapter 585 Failures
Chapter 585 Failures
As the dozen Shadow Soldiers engaged Magnus, Vale seized the opportunity to get closer to the old man''s shadow, setting his n into motion.
"Cursed me!" Magnus eximed.
He then pressed his hands together, and soon, the ck mes coalesced and began swirling, eventually expanding to engulf all of the Shadow Soldiers at once.
Boom!
The sheer force behind the strike shattered the castle''s windows, leaving a visible crack on the pirs and walls.
Magnus was going all out!
However, to Magnus''s surprise, the Shadow Soldiers endured for more than 10 seconds, demonstrating remarkable resilience.
They seemed protected by an unknown force he couldn''t identify.
Nevertheless, it only dyed the inevitable. The Shadow Soldiers perished after some time.
Then, at the same time, Magnus''s Cursed me Spell duration had also ended, rendering him unable to utilize the Spell for a period of time.
Adapting swiftly, Magnus decided to employ a different Alchemy Art. His strongest Fire-Rted Spell was actually the Cursed me Spell. Now that he couldn''t use it, he had to use another Spell that would work well against Vale.
"Incinerator''s me!" Magnus muttered as blue me started umting in his right fist.
Although not as potent as the Cursed me, this fiery manifestation possessed the unique ability to dispel Dark Arts'' hexes, curses, and even necromantic spells.
This should be a good counter against a Dark Practitioner like Vale.
However, as Magnus invoked the Incinerator''s me, he was suddenly wracked by a sharp pain in his abdomen.
"Ugh¡" Magnus grunted as he felt a person close to him.
To his astonishment, Vale was already standing right beside him.
"You!" Magnus eximed, perturbed by his failure to detect Vale''s presence.
''He''s too close to me, but my Magic Zone didn''t notice him! What was that Spell?!''
Unaware of what had transpired, Magnus felt his Energy Flow disrupted, causing the premature cessation of the Incinerator''s me.
Bam!
The Incinerator''s me was forcefully canceled, so it created a bacsh, and his hand was burned. Luckily, he had gloves on his hand, which lessened the injury he sustained.
Then, Magnus swiftly reacted. He distanced himself by leaping back, and as soon as he did this, he checked his abdomen only to find no discernible evidence of a weapon or dagger piercing his armor. His defensive artifacts remained intact and operational.
"How?!" Magnus eximed in disbelief, unsure how he got an internal injury when his opponent didn''t even pierce through his defenses!
Vale grinned as he observed Magnus''s perplexity in the strangeness of his attack.
As expected, the Shadow Muttion would surprise anyone¡ This Celestial Art was simply too unusual and could not be defended easily.
''We''re just starting.'' Vale silently thought. Well, he still felt a bit unhappy even with such a good result.
After all, his intention was to incapacitate Magnus with that precise maneuver, but regrettably, the Shadow Muttion Spell didn''tst as long as he expected.
He had only managed to inflict a single strike upon Magnus''s shadow before the Spell abruptly dissipated. Evidently, Magnus''s formidable Artifacts significantly shortened the Spell''s duration. It seemed that if his mastery of the Shadow Muttion had been lower, it might not have connected with Magnus at all.
Determined not to allow Magnus the opportunity to recover, Vale pursued him immediately.
''This is an opportunity¡ I can''t waste it.''
The repercussions of Magnus''s forceful dispelling of the Incinerator''s me were likely to linger. Utilizing his Lightspeed Spell and Nature''s Guise, Vale swiftly caught up to Magnus once more, evading detection.
The Nature''s Guise Spell that he got from the Druids or Artificial Humans was actually incredibly good. This Spell was like an invisibility cloak, but it wouldn''tst long if he wasn''t close to nature, specifically trees.
Nevertheless, Vale could still use it for five seconds if no trees were around.
As soon as Vale got closer, he immediately reached out his hand and grabbed Magnus'' shoulder.
[ Living Half-Spirit has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
''Yes!''
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
"What?" Vale was shocked at the unexpected result.
He didn''t have the time to be surprised by the fact that Magnus was actually a Half-Spirit.
He couldn''t help but feel at a loss after seeing three failures consecutively.
This had never happened before. This message would only normally appear if the target had been extracted a lot already. However, that was obviously not the case with Magnus.
"Get off me!"
Magnus shouted as he burst out with a fiery aura¡
It appears that his main Arcane Arts was still the Alchemy Art. This would certainly provide a higher control over mes, but in the end, it wasn''t as terrifying as Vale thought.
He easily moved away, but he didn''t n to end his assault here.
Vale decided to surprise Magnus!
As he fully activated his Meridian ess, he burst with Aura, exceeding the pressure that Magnus was emitting.
This time, there was no way for Magnus to dismiss the Aura he had felt.
"You''re a Combat Arts practitioner¡ So I didn''t make a mistake when I felt it a while ago." Magnus muttered as he pulled out his Grimoire.
It wasn''t to summon a familiar to block Vale''s iing fist!
Bam!
The Grimoire and Vale''s Gorr Punch collided and created a small shockwave in the area.
Magnus stepped back a couple of times because of the impact, but it wasn''t enough to defeat him.
"Haha! Good punch! However, you stillck experience!" Magnus shouted as his eyes turned red.
He sessfully activated a Spell during this time!
Vale didn''t seem to notice this as he pounced on Magnus without any care¡
"Die!" Magnus shouted, expecting his eyes to release a Deathly Light.
It was one of his strongest Dark Spells, and he felt it would be a good way to end his opponent''s life.
However, to his surprise, nothing happened.
Vale continued on his pounce and held him by his throat!
"Uck! H-how?!" Magnus was shocked as he struggled to remove Vale''s hand.
''It''s Spell Dispersion¡'' Vale smirked and answered in his mind.
Then, he continued with his Extraction, but this time, he didn''t use the Auto Extraction and aimed at Magnus''s Spell, the Cursed me.
Chapter 586 Marked
Chapter 586 Marked
[ Living Half-Spirit has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
''Yes!''
[ Extraction Sessful. Complete Cursed me Spell Model
Complete Spell Light +1
Energy +10 ]
"As expected, I need a concentrated Extraction to make it work. But it''s not enough¡ I need more." Vale muttered as he pulled away to dodge Magnus'' attack.
It was Earth Spear that tried piercing him from his feet.
Although he was concentrating on his Extraction, his Dragon''s True Sight was still active, and he was able to sense the flowing Arcane Energy throughout the surroundings.
Vale''s response to his attack surprised Magnus himself. He looked at Vale with a hint of confusion while bolstering his defense with a couple of Defensive Spells. They were Iron Body Spell and Toxic Fume Spell¡
They were a Knight Spell and an Alchemy Spell. This time, Magnus nned to use all the spells he knew to kill Vale.
"Hey, you could''ve ended my life just now¡" Magnus said as he held his throat, which Vale had previously grabbed.
''Did he attack my Spell Lights? He only destroyed my Spell Model¡ Is he nning to destroy all my Spells?'' He mused.
Vale smirked at this and taunted him even more.
"I''m not done with you yet. My friend asked me to torture you, so I won''t be ending your life that easily.
"What did you say?!" Magnus roared as he felt insulted by that. Although he knew that he was being taunted, he couldn''t help but feel angry since no one had dared to disrespect him like that for a very long time.
"That was your only chance to kill me!" Magnus said as he prepared to cast another spell.
However, the moment he tried to cast his Beast Arts to borrow the power of a Fierce Tiger, he felt his connection to his Spell vanished.
"Anti-Magic?!" Magnus'' eyes widened as he finally realized what was going on.
Although it felt different from the Anti-Magic he had seen before, the principle seemed the same: it could destroy the gathered Arcane Energy forming the Spell.
This time, it was Vale who was surprised after seeing how Magnus recognized the Spell so quickly.
"You seemed knowledgeable¡ Who are you? Why did you capture our friend?" Vale asked as he looked at the old man curiously.
This man was living in a castle far away from the civilization. He seemed to be doing some important research here where he needed Chad and Lisa''s help in the Alchemy Laboratory.
Furthermore, this person knew several Arcane Spells, which was still quite impressive even though he was Half-Spirit.
"I don''t think I need to exin that to you. You will be dying here alongside your friends!" Magnus said as he pulled out his Grimoire.
In the meantime, Vale decided to check his Attribute Panel¡ He suddenly had an idea of what to do with this person.
With a sigh, he leveled up his ve Mark Spell. It was one of the Spells he got from the Vampire in the previous castle he had visited.
It was currently Level 0 since he wasn''t nning to use it in the first ce. At most, he was thinking of fusing it with other Spells.
However, this stubborn old man was getting on his nerves. He was also quite talented and seemed to know a lot about the Arcane Arts.
[ Consume 8 energy points to improve ve Mark? ]
''Yes..''
[ Consume 16 energy points to improve ve Mark? ]
[ Consume 32 energy points to improve ve Mark? ]
¡
[ Consume 512 energy points to improve ve Mark? ]
''Yes¡''
Vale made a quick upgrade on his ve Mark Spell and spent a total of 1,016 Energy Points to reach Level 7 or its Advanced Realm.
He felt that he had to do this much if he wanted to control this Half-Spirit. Of course, he still had to weaken the man''s mental defense to ensure that his ve Mark Spell would work seamlessly.
Then, without any more hesitation, he confronted Magnus¡
He didn''t want to use any Spells that could result in too much destruction since he felt this castle had many secrets.
With this in mind, he found himself in a limited option.
''Let''s try it one more time¡'' Vale thought as he activated three Spells.
Nature''s Guise¡
It allowed him to be invisible for only 5 seconds since no trees were around. Then he followed up with Lightspeed Spell to boost his speed, andstly, it was his Fusion Spell, Chain of Souls!
nk¡ nk. nk¡
Several chains suddenly appeared beside the Magnus. It seemed threatening, but it wasn''t enough to stop him.
"A Fusion Spell! Not bad!" Magnus remarked as he triggered his Beast Art!
"zing Falcon¡"
The moment he said this, his whole body started burning and kept the chains at bay! Furthermore, his eyes turned red, and he seemed to see through everything in his surroundings!
"So you''re aiming at my back! What a coward!"
This time, he was able to see Vale''s movement even though he should still be invisible!
"Not that it matters!" Vale replied as he canceled his Nature''s Guise and Chain of Souls¡
He didn''t suffer any bacsh on this move since he already had an Incorruptible Body. His Physique could nullify any weak bacsh on his Spell Casting.
As soon as he did this, he cast his Spell Dispersion once again!
"That won''t work on me anymore!" Magnus shouted as a potion appeared in his hand.
Crash!
He crashed it in his hand, and a fog appeared around him. It seemed to nullify the effect of his Spell Dispersion!
''So you''re relying on that potion¡'' Vale smirked as he decided to fight in closebat!
Magnus didn''t expect this as Vale used his Shadowde Footwork and aimed at Magnus'' abdomen!
Boom!
Vale made sure not to suppress his Half-Celestial Physique and his Power Strands on that punch!
The punch''s brute force destroys the zing Falcon and Magnus'' defensive magic!
Darkness Maniption!
With this Spell clutching on Magnus, Vale continued his Extraction. This time, he made sure to target Magnus'' Energy to weaken him quickly!
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +800 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500 ]
After this, Vale used the Spell he had just upgraded¡
ve Mark!
Chapter 587 New Magnus
Chapter 587 New Magnus
Instead of killing this Half-Spirit, Vale wanted to use his knowledge to help him in his journey. After all, this person might know how to deal with the Time Maniptors or Demonic Saints of the Abyss Realm.
"You!" Magnus'' eyes widened as he realized what kind of Spell was being used on him.
He had also learned a few Psychic Arts and could say that this Arcane Art was the most evil among the 12 Arcane Paths.
This was an Arcane Path that grantly disregarded moral virtue, capable of subjugating the will of its targets! It exuded an unmistakable malevolence.
Of course, Magnus also had a way to protect his mind on this asion. However, his opponent seemed to have sucked his energy making him unable to cast the Mind Protection spell that he needed!
He wasn''t sure how his opponent did it, but the energy he had from all of the cores was drained in an instant!
''If I know he can drain someone''s energy without an Artifact, I can--''
Magnus'' ruminations were abruptly cut short as Vale''s ve Mark Spell took hold of his consciousness.
"Is it done?"
As soon as Magnus calmed down and his eyes seemed to turn nk, Vale felt that the ve Mark Spell had done its job.
However, he also realized that the ve Mark didn''t actuallyst for long. It could onlyst a month, even with his Advanced Realm Mastery. He could only learn this after the Spell sent feedback to him through the Spell Model.
''I guess that''s already enough¡'' Vale mused, feeling that 30 days was more than enough to get everything he needed from this person.
The duration didn''t seem that bad since, if he needed more Time; he only had to cast this Spell once a month to make up for it.
Furthermore, he could do this repeatedly to up to 30 targets!
In short, he doesn''t have to spend 7,168 Energy Points to advance his ve Mark Spell into the Perfect Realm to make this old Half-Spirit loyal to him Forever.
"Tell me your name¡ I mean, tell me something about you." Vale said as he faced the old Half-Spirit.
"I''ve used many names for hundreds of years, Master. I''ve been using the name Magnus for the past 30 years. You might have noticed already, but I''m a Half-Human and Half-Spirit. I have no recollection of my origin, so I can''t tell you how I came here. I can practice all Arcane Arts, but I focus mainly on Alchemy Arts and Beast Arts¡"
Magnus answered, which made Vale happy. Magnus'' answer was quite informative and made it a lot faster for him since he no longer had to ask continuously.
"Alchemy and Beast Arts, huh¡ This is getting interesting." Vale muttered as an idea came to his mind.
"Tell me all the Spells you have!"
"Yes, Master. I will start with Dark Arts¡ I have recorded Spectral Hands, Blind Eye''s Curse¡"
Magnus continued listing all the Spells he had recorded, and Vale found 8 of them very enticing.
Two of them were Holy Arts Spells. They were Holy Smite and the Sacred Blessing Spells.
These two Spells would perfect his disguise as Clovis if he had decided to do so. It was a pity that Magnus hadn''t learned any Healing Spell since the Churches were extremely strict about it, and he couldn''t even nce at its Spell Model.
Nevertheless, these two Spells were extremely useful to him.
Then, the other six spells that caught Vale''s interest were Alchemy Art''s Cursed me, Rune Art''s Rune Creation, and Protection Rune.
The other three were Mystic Art''s Reaper Scythe, and Beast Arts'' Feral Fury and Bear''s Strength.
The Cursed me''s power was unquestionable. Magnus was simply too unlucky that he had to face Vale in a battle where he also couldn''t use his beloved Beasts outside the castle.
As for the Rune Arts, Vale wanted to learn how to create runes since creating Runic Weapons seemed more reliable than making Talisman.
"This Reaper Scythe is also amazing¡ Its only downside is that it can''t be used unless the target has a very low vitality than the caster." Vale smiled after learning this from Magnus.
After all, if there was one thing he was confident in, it was certainly his attributes that were higher than even the First-ss and Master-ss Arcanists!
As for the reason he was interested in the two Beast Arts, it was obviously because he was nning to fuse them with his Gorr Punch or other Spells that require some physical prowess.
He believed that these two Spells would bring him a decent Fusion Spell that would showcase his incredibly high Power Strands at the moment.
Soon, Vale took action and Extracted all these spells from Magnus.
Vale also ensured that Magnus still possessed the Spells he needed to work as an Alchemist or a Magic Craftsman.
He made sure not to take too much of his attributes and energy.
After all, he was nning to make this person work for him.
No matter what, Magnus had lived for centuries, and his creations should be incredible.
"Right¡ Do you know anything about the Time Maniptors and Demonic Saints?" Vale asked while waiting for Pearl and the others.
Since Magnus was no longer controlling the Formation Circles, Vale could now use his Magic Zone to its limit and tell that Lisa and Chad were already being rescued.
"Time Maniptors are from a different realm. However, they have passed down their techniques to Mystic Arts Practitioners who had obtained a certain Arcana''s blessing. I''m unaware of which Arcana it is, but I heard that they needed the Divinity of Immortals to use it... s, I have never crossed paths with them and have only gleaned these rumors from an entity in another realm..."
Vale''s eyes lit up as his words aligned with the information he heard from Constance.
However, the revtion that Mystic Arts Practitioners could potentially transition into Time Maniptors through the influence of a specific Arcana caught him off guard.
Chapter 588 Return or Not
Chapter 588 Return or Not
''An Arcana that converts Mystic Arts Practitioners into Time Maniptors through its blessing¡ That sounds like a powerful Arcana.'' Vale mused as he turned his attention back to Magnus, anticipating that there was more to be divulged.
"I''m aware of the existence of Demon Saints from the Abyss Realm¡ I''ve never seen them alive, but through my research, I have some grasp of their capabilities." Magnus calmly spoke.
"What do you mean? Were you able to research them? How?" Vale asked in astonishment.
"I have their remains concealed within the castle... The remote location of my castle was chosen purposefully, as I stumbled upon a burial ground housing these entities alongside the bodies of Immortals."Magnus answered, which surprised Vale even more.
To be precise, Vale was not merely surprised; he was exhrated. The unanticipated revtion that the castle harbored the remains of both Immortals and Demon Saints stirred a profound sense of excitement within him.
"That''s amazing¡ I''ll be visiting that burial groundter. I assumed you chose this ce because of the creatures you control outside. So it''s all because of the corpses." Vale muttered in realization.
Magnus then looked at Vale and gently nodded.
"That''s also one of the reasons, Master. The creatures that I''m controlling outside were trained to deal with Demons. Once the Abyss Realm fully opens up, demon creatures will start invading this Realm, and I''m nning to use this castle to avoid their detection¡"
"What?"
Vale''s eyes widened after hearing this.
It was the same for the others who had just arrived.
"What? The Abyss Realm will invade us?" Chad asked as he approached Vale. He was initially nning to run and hug his friend, but Magnus'' words stunned him. He didn''t even bother to question why Vale wasfortably chatting with the enemy.
Behind him were Lisa, Pearl, and Faith, who also seemed interested in the topic they were discussing.
Of course, Vale knew that Pearl was also somewhat aware of this matter, but because she had been trapped in the Mystic Soul Tower for a very long time, her information wasn''t as informative as Magnus.
"It seems that''s the case, Chad. It''s great to see you again." Vale said as he also looked at Lisa and gave a gentle nod.
"We were already lucky that we didn''t die from that teleportation circle''s malfunction. I heard from this Sir that we could''ve died instead during that time." Chad replied, referring to Magnus'' words before.
"Ahem¡ Can we listen to that matter about the Abyss Realm''s invasion, Vale? Right, thank you foring to rescue us¡" Lisa said that she really thought that she''d have to serve Magnus for years before being able to leave this ce.
"Of course. I also want to hear more about it." Vale said as he allowed Magnus to discuss what he knew about the iing invasion.
After almost an hour of discussion, Vale''s group realized that they were approaching a bigger war. A war that will involve all nations and not just Arcane Arts Factions.
Apparently, two or three years from now, the Abyss Realm was prophesied to sh with their Human Realm.
This was unavoidable and had been predicted to happen hundreds of years ago already. However, recent divinations by Seers led them to believe that this catastrophe was about to happen in a few years'' time.
With this in mind, Magnus decided to build his own fortress to avoid trouble. This may sound cowardly, but even with his strength and knowledge, he had no way of fighting against the Forces of the Abyss. He believed that even if the 12 Factions and all nations would work together, there would still be plenty of casualties.
In the end, he decided not to side with any organizations and kept himself hidden in this ce.
Furthermore, he believed that the demons would target crowded areas or ces to hunt humans. Living in istion would guarantee him that he wouldn''t be attacked unless they somehow found this hidden ce.
"I don''t think that it''s cowardly¡ I''d probably do the same if I were you." Vale muttered softly, but everyone heard him.
Of course, they have varying opinions on this matter since Chad had a Bulmung Family waiting for him.
As for Lisa, she somehow wanted to be with the Dark Arts Faction if the invasion happened since she believed that Lesley would be there as well.
As for Faith and Pearl, they don''t really have a ce to return to, so they can agree to Vale a little.
''If there''s really a war¡ I can probably stay with Vale or return to the safety of my Mystic Soul Tower¡'' Pearl thought as she imagined what she''d do once the demons started crawling out of the cracks that lead to the Abyss.
After a brief pause, Vale fell silent. Eventually, heposed himself and divulged his next ns to the group.
"Ahem¡ I hypnotized Magnus, so he''s currently following my orders. For now, I''m nning to bolster the defenses of this castle and use it for myself. I''m thinking of using the arrangements that Magnus had prepared for many years." Vale said as he looked at their reaction for a moment.
Then, he continued. "Furthermore, there are plenty of treasures in this ce, and I''m nning to use them to my advantage. Magnus is an Alchemist and a Magic Craftsman, so you can look forward to his collection. Chad, Lisa, and Miss Faith, are you nning to return to the Dark Arts Faction?"
Vale asked, stunning the three for a moment. They didn''t expect such a question the moment they thought that they were about to return.
Indeed, ever since they arrived here, Chad and Lisa just wanted to return to the Dark Arts Faction. This was what they wanted the whole time during their captivity.
As for Faith, she just wanted to fulfill her mission, and that was to bring the lost students back to the Faction.
After a few moments, Faith looked at Chad and Lisa.
"If you wish to rejoin the Faction and resume your studies or adhere to any other arrangements in that ce, I will facilitate your return," she assured them.
Chapter 589 Vent
Chapter 589 Vent
Chad and Lisa exchanged nces, unable to provide an immediate response. The looming threat of invasion weighed heavily on their minds, causing them to consider a potential return to the Faction in order to bolster their strength.
They were still in their fourth year and had to study a lot before they could be useful in war. They haven''t even learned the Spell Fusion or even the Dark Arcane Talisman Crafting.
''Should I just return and hope that I get to continue my studies?'' Lisa pondered as she considered her options.
''If Vale had really hypnotized Magnus, then perhaps we can learn from him instead?'' Chad mused as he shifted his gaze to Magnus.
In the end, their apprehension stemmed from the ongoing conflict between the Dark Arts Faction and the Allied forces of the Holy Arts Faction, Mystic Arts Faction, Transformation Arts Faction, and others.
They questioned whether a return to the Faction would truly entail a focus on their studies or if they would be conscripted as mere pawns in the war¡ªa concern that gued their thoughts.
''I don''t want to be cannon fodder.''
This was what was in Lisa''s and Chad''s minds.
Ultimately, the two of them resolved to seek further rity by posing a series of questions.
"Could you enlighten us on the current state of the war involving our Faction?" inquired Chad.
In response, Faith nodded and provided an update.
"The Holy Arts Faction and its allies have been targeting the smaller bases of the Dark Arts Faction, as well as rogue Dark Mages. Their aim is to showcase the consequences of practicing Dark Arts to the public. However, I anticipate that within the next few months, they willunch arge-scale offensive against the Dark Arts Faction. If my guess is right, their initial target is likely to be the Necromancer Branch, specifically the Undead Tower, given its proximity to the Mystic Arts Faction."
"The Undead Tower? I heard there are three Gold-Rank Necromancers there. The three of them can work together and summon Doom Knights if I''m not mistaken. Are they that confident?" Chad asked as he felt that the Undead Tower was the most protected territory of the Dark Arts Faction.
"They must be confident. After all, they have a decade to prepare." Faith answered.
Upon hearing this, Chad and Lisa were immediately filled with concern, realizing that they were ill-prepared to partake in such a significant conflict.
"Manager Faith, do you believe it would be advisable for us to remain here?" inquired Lisa.
Faith paused for a moment, carefully considering Lisa''s inquiry.
Following a brief period of contemtion, she responded. "I will seek the Vice Headmaster''s guidance on this matter. Given that Headmaster Jean has passed away... If the Vice Headmaster assures you that your focus will be solely on your studies without involvement in the war, then I can rmend that you continue your education there and deepen your understanding of your chosen path. However, if you are expected to engage inbat, I advise that you remain here if you value your lives. We should receive a response within a day, so the wait won''t be lengthy."
Lisa''s eyes brightened upon hearing this, but she immediately paused as she processed what Faith just said.
"Headmaster Jean died?!" Lisa and Chad eximed in unison.
Vale, on the other hand, remained calm as he already heard this from Faith while they were on the way to this castle.
"Yes¡ The biggest indication was the fact that your shadow has returned. You must''ve felt it before." Faith exined.
Chad took a deep breath as he knew what Faith was talking about. A few weeks ago, while he was working in the Alchemy Laboratory on a potion he didn''t even know about, he suddenly felt a refreshing sensation like he was finallyplete. Furthermore, he started to feel that some of his confidence in the Dark Arts had somehow changed.
He didn''t mind it then, as he believed that he had felt different since Magnus captured him.
"So it was like that. May I ask if his body was already cremated?" Chad asked.
Faith shook her head and answered.
"We don''t know¡ Thest news I heard was that they were still looking for the Headmaster''s body. Well, there''s probably no point in searching for him since the Holy Arts Faction probably destroyed his body or, if not, it was already possessed by an Evil Spirit."
"What? Is it possible that Headmaster Jean was still alive and just released the shadow to fake his death?" Lisa asked.
"You''re thinking too much, Lisa¡ In any case, I''m going to send a message to the Vice Headmaster now. Is that alright?"
"Ah! Yes, we''ll proceed with that n!" Lisa and Chad dered in unison.
This time, Vale joined in the conversation.
"Excellent. While you await the response, I intend to explore this castle further, but my stomach is signaling its hunger. Magnus, do we have provisions for a meal here?" Vale inquired.
"Yes... My controlled beasts can always procure fresh meat, vegetables, and fruits from the forest. Some of them are cultivated by my summons, but I still primarily rely on foraging in the forest," Magnus replied.
With the matter settled, the group made their way to the kitchen, where Magnus "volunteered" to prepare a meal for them.
Chad couldn''t help but grin from ear to ear during this meal as he was able to order Magnus around. It felt quite refreshing for him and lessened the grudge he was keeping in his heart.
It was the same for Lisa, who repeatedly ordered Magnus to bring her food.
Vale smiled as he observed the situation, recognizing that they were simply venting their frustration. Well, Magnus was already fortunate to only be following theirmands.
"Ahh¡ Vale, you''re not going to free himter, right? If you have such ns, can you erase his memories?" Chad suddenly asked as he recalled that most hypnotism doesn''tst long.
There are also cases where they could remember what they''ve done during the hypnotism.
Lisa also ceased giving orders to Magnus, awaiting Vale''s response.
"Don''t worry... The hypnosis I''ve employed on him is quite potent," reassured Vale with a smile, putting the two at ease.
Chapter 590 Mausoleum
Chapter 590 Mausoleum
After their satisfying meal, they unanimously agreed to explore the enigmatic depths of the castle.
Magnus had graciously lifted all the restrictions he had previously made, allowing everyone to roam freely within the confines of the ancient castle.
Pearl, drawn by the allure of knowledge, set her sights on the library. ording to Magnus, it houses a wealth of tomes on alchemy and artifact crafting.
Even Faith, captivated by the prospect, expressed her keen interest in delving into the secrets concealed within the pages.
However, in the end, she decided to visit it at ater time.
"I''m curious about the beasts trained to sense and hunt the Demons. I feelpelled to meet them¡ Can you help me with that, Magnus?" Faith dered, her eyes alight with a hint of expectation.
Needless to say, Magnus could only agree to their request as hemanded his Beasts to treat Faith well.
Meanwhile, Lisa was eager to continue her pursuit of alchemical mastery.
She made her way back to the Alchemy Room.
Although Magnus had been ordering them around and limiting their freedom, it didn''t change the fact that they''d learned a lot in the Alchemy Field. Thanks to the hands-on experience he provided, their understanding of alchemy was enriched.
Lisa was particrly intrigued by potions such as Focused Vision, Paralyzing, Arcane Lock, Ironskin, and Nightmare¡ If possible, she wanted to master these potions up until she could make a Tier 2 or even Tier 3 of them.
"The Arcane Lock potion that blocks the Arcanist''s Arcane Energy seemed very malevolent, yet undeniably practical¡ I want to at least master this potion." Lisa mused, her thoughts drifting to the intricate art of potion-making.
Chad, with a single-minded purpose, ventured to the Training Ground of the castle, where the spiritual energy was said to be conducive to further strengthening his Ghost King Body.
The prospect of honing his abilities within the castle''s nurturing aura spurred him forward.
''This castle is leaking some incredible ghostly energy¡ It''s even better than the ones in the Academy. I need to cherish this moment.'' Chad mused as he knew that he couldn''t waste this opportunity.
He will nurture his Dark Spells here!
Lastly, Vale was led by Magnus to visit the burial grounds of the Demon Saints and Immortals concealed beneath the castle.
As Vale crossed the threshold into the concealed mausoleum, a profound sense of reverence washed over him.
''What''s this feeling? Overflowing Divinity and Malevolence? What kind ofbination is this?!'' Vale thought in a bated breath. He didn''t expect to be weed by such a profound sensation.
Thud¡
As he entered the mausoleum, he also felt the air grow heavy. A hushed stillness enveloped the chamber as if time itself had halted within the confines of the sacred space.
''It looks like Magnus is taking care of this ce seriously.'' Valemented in his mind.
The mausoleum stretched out before him, bathed in a soft, ethereal glow that emanated from the ancient stone walls.
The dozen flickering torchlights cast dancing shadows across the chamber and illuminated the intricate carvings adorning the pirs that stood throughout the hall.
The hallowed ground was adorned with rows of imposing tombs.
The stone coffins, weathered by the passage of time, bore cryptic runes and intricate sigils, hinting at the otherworldly power thaty dormant within.
''Twelve opened coffins¡ Eight unopened¡ Did Magnus fail to open those eight?'' Vale mused as he felt confused as to why Magnus would leave these coffins unopened for so many years.
Anyway, he decided not to ask for now and continued with his investigation.
At this time, his Magic Zone was working to its limits, and his Dragon''s True Sight was activated as well.
Step. Step¡
Vale''s footsteps echoed softly against the cool, polished marble floor as he ventured deeper into the heart of the mausoleum.
As Vale continued his reverent exploration, he felt an overwhelming sense of connection to the Divinity that was leaking throughout the chamber.
He couldn''t help but think that if he decided to conduct a summoning ritual for his Grimoire here, he would probably summon an angel with this level of energy!
''Should I try?'' Vale mused for a moment, but he immediately shook his head. If he really tried doing that, there might be an imbnce in the energy since the ritual would be taking the surrounding aura.
Nevertheless, the atmosphere stirred within him a profound respect for the Demonic Saints and Immortals.
No matter what, he would benefit from themter on, so he had to take care of the surroundings.
"Magnus, tell me about this ce... Tell me what you''ve done and nned to do with the corpses of these beings." Vale asked as he finished looking around.
Magnus respectfully responded, "Master, I have assumed responsibility for this ce to pursue a pursuit that befits any Arcanist of my stature¡ª the pursuit of immortality. The Immortals are impervious to the ravages of time, and the Demon Saints share a simr nature. With their impably preserved bodies within this sanctuary, shielded from evil spirits, I am able to conduct unconstrained studies of their essence."
''Immortality?''
Acknowledging Magnus''s exnation, Vale prompted further, "Fine... Tell me about your progress."
Perhaps he was still too young, so he hadn''t considered aiming for "immortality" yet.
It wasn''t in his mind at all. As a matter of fact, just a few months ago, he was simply thinking of his future job as a Dark Arcanist.
Anyway, Magnus didn''t hesitate to answer as soon as he was asked.
"Through my research, I have discerned glimpses of the intricate rituals and esoteric arts that sustained their immortal essence¡" Magnus then started exining about the ''essence'' that he had discovered.
"In my research, I have delved into the anatomical and metaphysical characteristics of the Immortals and Demon Saints. I have sought toprehend the intricate mechanisms that sustain their longevity and resilience. Additionally, I have explored the potential utilization of their essence in the pursuit of immortality, examining the intery between their spiritual energy and physical form."
It was different from Divinity, but it seemed more like the true core that both the Immortals and Demon Saints had.
It was quite an interesting topic, but it was also tooplicated for Vale. In the end, he decided to live it at that.
This time, he wanted to know if it was fine to extract them¡
Chapter 591 Corpses
Chapter 591 Corpses
"Magnus, tell me which Immortal can be discarded. I want to test something." Vale said as he looked at the tombs.
Magnus hesitated momentarily, recognizing the significance of each Immortal corpse.
He considered all of them as equally important. None of them could be discarded.
However, he acknowledged his Master''s need for a specific corpse, so he had no other choice but to follow.
Eventually, Magnus gestured towards the first coffin he opened.
Currently, there are 12 open coffins containing six Demon Saints and six Immortals, leading Magnus to believe that his research could still progress even if the initial Immortal Corpse was lost.
"I have already extracted a substantial amount of essence from this corpse. You may utilize this one, Master." Magnus stated.
"Very well... And what about the Demon Saint?" Vale inquired.
"You may select the one adjacent to it, Master¡" Magnus replied, evidently anticipating the request. Vale smiled at this as he proceeded to approach the corpse.
The Immortal Corpse, lying in the coffin, appeared remarkably human, yet its features exuded an almost ethereal perfection. The skin had an otherworldly luminescence, and the body seemed to emanate an aura of timelessness and serenity.
This corpse seemed a lot better than the ones he extracted from Headmaster Jean''s collection. Well, the difference was probably rted to the way they are being kept.
Although the modern underground basement seemed incredibly safe to keep the corpses, they didn''t have this mausoleum''s special coffins. The ones in Headmaster Jean''s basement were simply special stones engraved with Formation Circles and Runic Symbols.
As for the coffins, he couldn''t even properly investigate them with the help of his Dragon''s True Sight.
He could only imagine that this was an otherworldly item.
Vale then took a deep breath as he extended his hands to touch the forehead of the Immortal.
"Master, be careful. They''re protected by an unknown force. Anyone will be repelled once you¡ª" Magnus acted like a real and loyal ve as he tried to warn Vale about the dangers of casually handling. It was actually Headmaster Jean''s concern as well during that time in the basement.
However, Magnus didn''t finish his sentence when he saw Vale casually touching the corpse''s forehead without any form of resistance!
Magnus could only shut his mouth and allow his master to take care of his matter.
In the meantime, Vale was already grinning after seeing the result of his Extraction.
[ Celestial corpse has been discovered. Do you wish to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +7, Vitality +0.8 ]
The amount of Divinity was definitely extraordinary. After all, he only obtained 1.5 Divinity Points before.
Since there are six more Celestial Corpse, then it means that he''ll get about 42 Divinity Points! That was already quite a lot!
Furthermore, these corpses replenish their Divinity, unlike him, who could only rely on Extraction!
''Ahh¡''
As Vale reached this thought, he suddenly paused as he recalled Magnus'' words about the Immortal''s Essence, which differed from the Divinity.
He couldn''t help but think that it was the one he was missing to be able to produce his own Divinity!
''I should let him continue with his research about this immortality.'' Vale mused as he shifted his attention to the Demon Saint.
He was quite curious about what kind of energy or attribute he''d get from them.
The Demon Saint''s Corpse, lying in the adjacent coffin, presented a haunting sight. Its face was contorted into a perpetual snarl, with twisted horns protruding from its forehead, reminiscent of a malevolent crown. The skin appeared ashen and coarse, exuding an eerie, dark luminescence.
The body emanated an aura of otherworldly power and sinister charisma, a testament to the formidable being it once embodied.
"This the real form of the Demon Saints, Master Vale. However, do not be surprised if you encounter one someday in a human skin." Magnus reminded.
"So you''ve seen them in another form?"
"No, Master. However, my informant, who hade from another realm, would always warn me about them."
"I''ll keep it in mind..." Vale said as he proceeded to touch the Demon Saint.
This time, Magnus was no longer surprised when Vale wasn''t rejected by the corpse''s malevolent energy.
[ Demon corpse has been discovered. Do you wish to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Corrupted Divinity +7, Vitality +0.8, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
"Whoa¡"
Vale was stunned as soon as he saw the result of the Extraction.
He wasn''t too bothered that he got a Corrupted Divinity.
After all, he was already happy to see that he got an Evolved Spell Light!
Currently, he has four extra Spell Lights with him. If he got four more extract Spell Lights, he nned to fuse them again to get another golden or Evolved Spell Light, even if he had to spend Divinity Points toplete that fusion.
However, this Extraction was a blessing to him!
He wanted to just extract all of them right now! But before that, he had to ask Magnus.
"Hey, what do you think about these two corpses? I did something on them, and I want to make sure that they''re still usable for your research." Vale asked.
Magnus immediately understood his Master''s concern, so he quickly went to check the corpses.
"I can''t feel their Divinity, Master¡ However, the mystical essence they have still remains. It means that I can still continue with my research. As for the Demon Saint, I believe that there won''t be any problems. As long as they remain in their coffin, they will slowly recover their evil power." Magnus replied.
Vale grinned after hearing this answer.
Although he already knew that his Extraction wouldn''t ''damage'' the corpse and they would still produce Divinity, it was still better to hear it from the expert.
"Then, I''ll be repeating the process to all the remaining corpses here¡" Vale said.
"I understand, Master."
With that said, Vale decided to start with the Demon Saints.
He wanted to see whether he could extract more Evolved Spell Lights!
[ Demon corpse has been discovered. Do you wish to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Corrupted Divinity +7, Vitality +0.8, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
Luckily, he was not disappointed!
Chapter 592 Fusion
Chapter 592 Fusion
[ Demon corpse has been discovered. Do you wish to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Corrupted Divinity +7, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100 ]
"Corrupted Immortal Essence?" Vale muttered as he saw the new Essence he could extract from the corpses.
He thought he''d continuously get Evolved Spell Light, but this one doesn''t seem bad either. He could experiment with it to add to his Spell Fusion or perhaps, use it on his Morph Spell.
After all, he needed these Essences in order to transform into a non-human form.
Vale then continued with his Extractions.
[ Extraction Sessful. Corrupted Divinity +8, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100]
[ Extraction Sessful. Corrupted Divinity +7, Vitality +0.8, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Corrupted Divinity +7, Vitality +0.9, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100]
In the end, the six Demon Saints gave him a total of 4.9 Vitality Points and 43 Corrupted Divinity Points, aside from the 300 Corrupted Immortal Essence and 3Evolved Spell Light.
"I really hit the jackpot this time. I hope after one month¡ªNo, after one week, they''ll have enough attributes that I can extract again." Vale mused as he shifted his attention to the Immortal Corpse.
During this time, Magnus just remained silent. He had confirmed that the corpses were still usable in his research, so he didn''t have to call out his Master''s actions.
"Magnus, are you not going to open the eight other coffins?" Vale suddenly asked before he could extract his second Immortal Corpse.
"The eight coffins have stronger Formation Circles. If I made a mistake, their bodies might be destroyed by the Trap Formation arranged inside it. I''m guessing that these eight corpses have higher status, so their bodies are heavily protected, or maybe they also have extremely valuable artifacts inside, unlike these twelve." Magnus replied.
Vale gazed at the twelve corpses, observing their scant clothing as theyy in rest, adorned only with minimal white fabric to conceal certain parts of their bodies.
They were indeed not wearing any valuable items.
''If they''re going to wear something, then it''s definitely priceless¡ Perhaps I''ll be able to see Arcana and Immortal Items?'' Vale mused as he couldn''t help but feel excited.
There was no chance he wouldn''t be intrigued by the prospect of opening those eight coffins.
Nheless,cking expertise in Formation Circles, he would have to depend on his Extraction System or enlist the help of Pearl and Faith.
With that said, Vale decided to proceed with his extractions.
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +7, Vitality +0.8 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.6 Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +7, Vitality +0.8 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.6, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +7, Vitality +0.8 ]
"I got Immortal Essence too... I wonder what the requirement for this." Vale muttered afterpleting his extractions.
He actually obtained 38 Divinity Points, 4.4 Vitality Points, and 200 Immortal Essence!
This was quite an impressive result since these corpses were basically his farm that would continuously produce attribute points for him.
"Master, I''ll be checking my controlled beasts outside. It seems that Miss Faith ordered them to use their berserk ability to see how they would fare against Demonic Beings. They''re causing quite amotion outside." Magnus suddenly said as he could still monitor the situation outside even if he was inside the mausoleum, unlike Vale, who had his Magic Zone restricted.
"Is that so? Then, go and take care of it." Vale replied as he waved his hand.
Magnus then gently nodded before disappearing from his sight.
''Alright¡ The cooldown for the Spell Fusion has also passed, so I might as well use this time to Fuse another set of spells.'' Vale mused as he entered his Extraction Space.
Once again, his spiritual body entered the special space where he could use several hidden functions of the Divine Extraction System.
''I guess it''s time to fuse them¡'' Vale mused as he started selecting the spells he wanted to use.
[ You have selected ming Palm, Gori Punch, and Sonic Fist Spells. ]
[ You can no longer select another Spell Model. ]
[ Do you want to start the Fusion? ]
"No¡"
Vale answered he looked at the list of Essences he had obtained so far.
[ Essence List:
Imp Essence: 27
Fiend Essence: 4875
Malevolent Essence: 1950
Draconic Essence: 350
Vampire Essence: 3900
Dark Elf Essence: 300
Elf Essence: 3100
Corrupted Immortal Essence: 300
Immortal Essence: 200 ]
"So I already collected so much of them¡"
The Fiend Essence seemed to be a lot easier to find since they could be found in Evil Creatures or other demonic creatures like those Evil Entities that were summoned by the Order of Fatality¡
The Malevolent Essence, on the other hand, had mostlye from Special Beings. Most of Vale''s extraction had actuallye from the Tower.
As for the Vampire Essence and Elf Essence, most of them had actuallye from this castle when he was trying to extract the Formation Circle.
"Let''s put 1,000 Vampire Essence." Vale muttered as he decided to do just that.
[ 1,000 Vampire Essence has been added. ]
[ You have selected ming Palm, Gori Punch, and Sonic Fist Spells with 1,000 Vampire Essence. ]
[ You no longer have a Fusion Slot. ]
[ Do you want to start the Fusion? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Spell Fusion Sessful ]
[ ming Palm, Gori Punch, and Sonic Fist Spell Models have merged into the Ethereal Vampiric Fist Spell Model ]
[ You have 5 seconds to undo the Fusion, which will cost 50 Divinity Points. ]
[ Do you wish to ept this Spell Model? ]
5... 4... 3... 2¡
[ You have acquired the Ethereal Vampiric Fist Spell Model ]
"Oh~"
Vale didn''t have to try and knew that this ability was powerful.
''There''s no way a Spell Model with Vampire Essence would fail me¡'' Vale mused as he didn''t mind spending 1,000 Vampiric Essence at all, especially after finding out that the Spirit Art was already Level 6, ording to his Attribute Panel!
The Spell was already in the peak stage of Intermediate Realm!
It must be remembered that those three spells he fused were all Level0!
Vale couldn''t help but smile as he believed it was all thanks to the 1,000 Vampire Essences he had spent.
Chapter 593 Attributes
Chapter 593 Attributes
After a moment of celebration, Vale calmed down and decided to check his current attributes panel.
[ Ascended Name: Kyle the Uncrowned Paragon ]
[ Race: Half-Celestial ]
[ Attributes:
Strength: 150
Agility: 150
Intelligence: 150
Vitality: 150 ]
[ Force: 2,500 ]
[ Combat Power: 2,880,000 ]
[ Human Arts List ]
[ Celestial Arts List ]
[ Spirit Arts List ]
[ Otherworldly Essence List ]
[ Avable Energy: 18,750 ]
[ Divinity Points: 647.30 ]
[ Corrupted Divinity Points: 43 ]
"No wonder I''m not getting exhausted even if I cast tens of spells a day¡" Vale muttered as he looked at his current Force.
The 2 thousand Force was basically the energy that allowed him to use various Arcane Spells from different paths.
He didn''t have to use Elemental Energy to cast Elemental Spells, Mystical Energy to cast Mystical Spells, Holy Energy to cast Holy Spells, and so on.
Nevertheless, Vale couldn''t help but notice how his Attributes reached the same ceiling.
"A hundred and fifty points is the maximum, this time? Do I have to do something to exceed this maximum? Wait¡ Do Ick Divinity Points to transcend or something?" Vale softly muttered as he realized that further attribute extractions would not increase his attributes anymore.
At this time, he couldn''t think of any other reason aside from not having Divinity Points.
After all, he spent a total of 1,000 Divinity Points toplete his ascendance and obtain the Half-Celestial Body.
''I''ll think about itter¡'' Vale thought as he proceeded to check his Spell List¡
After a moment of thought, Vale decided to increase the mastery of those level 0 Spells. He had plenty of energy points, and fusions might give better results if they were at least intermediate realm mastery.
[ Human Arts List:
Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv8, Incorruptible Body Lv10, Darkness Maniption Lv8, Spirit Vision Lv7, Light Absorption Lv7, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Active Curse Break Lv7, Corpse Explosion Lv7, Locate Corpse Lv7, Shadow Gate Lv7, Moonlight Specter Lv7, Chain of Souls Lv7, Oblivion Trance Lv7 ]
Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv8, Blessed Healing Lv7, Exorcism Lv7, Holy Smite Lv4, Sacred Blessing Lv4
Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv7
Transformation Art: Morph Lv7, Voice Maniption Lv7
Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv9,
Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv8, Soul Bind Lv7, Reveal Lv4, Telepathy Lv4, Item Appraisal Lv4, Tree Shapeshift Lv4, Nature''s Guise Lv4, Reaper Scythe Lv4
Beast Art: Wild Whisper Spell Lv7, Feral Fury Lv4, Bear''s Strength Lv4
Elemental Arts: Tidal Wave Torrent Lv7, Water Domain Lv7, Ember Spirit Lv4, Wind Spirit Summon Lv4 , Toxic Tempest Lv5 ]
Rune Arts: Rune Simplification Lv4, Rune Analysis Lv4, Rune Creation Lv4, Protection Rune Lv4
Alchemy Arts: Cursed me Lv4 ]
Celestial Arts List: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv8, Shadow Muttion Lv7, Aurora''s Embrace Lv7 ]
Spirit Arts List: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv9, Traceless Shift Lv8, Lightspeed Lv7, Levitation Lv7, Blood Maniption Lv4, Blood Curse Lv4, Shadow Extraction Lv4, ve Mark Lv7, Toxic Breath Lv4, Evil Hand Lv4, Dragon''s True Sight Lv7, Ethereal Vampiric Fist Lv6 ]
Vale only spent a total of 920 Energy Points to ensure that all his Spells had at least reached the Intermediate Realm. It wasn''t much since their base points were only 4, 5, or 6 Energy Points.
He was still left with 17,830, so he didn''t really overthink it.
As for upgrading them to Advanced Realm, Vale did not consider it at all since the exponential growth of the price would leave him with nothing. He didn''t like the idea of having no Energy Points since he might get to the point where he had to upgrade a Spell into its Perfect Realm. Just doing that on one of the spells would already take a huge chunk of his current Energy Points.
Nevertheless, he might have plenty of Spells in his arsenal at this time, but for the next few weeks. He would only focus on his Spell Fusion with Essences to make himself stronger.
***
In the meantime, while Vale and the others wrapped up their exploration in the castle, a massive Combat Airship, trailed by five smaller Airships, emerged in the eastern region of the Ruri Kingdom.
The sight of these imposing vessels stirred a mix of panic, awe, and concern among the citizens who witnessed their presence in the sky.
"Did they find the secret base of the rebels? Isn''t that Airship in the middle from the Royal Army?" one person spected.
The Airship he had pointed was a magnificent sight to behold as it soared through the skies. Adorned with the resplendent g of the Ruri Kingdom billowing proudly in the wind, itmanded attention and respect. The exterior was embellished with intricate gilding and ornate carvings, showcasing the kingdom''s regal heritage and grandeur.
With such a striking appearance, there was no way for the citizens to mistake it.
"That''s right! That''s the king''s army! Why did they leave the capital?" another voice pondered.
"Maybe one of the Princes was inside the airship," someone suggested.
"Are they on vacation?" another citizen wondered.
"Impossible... They wouldn''t be moving in such a grand manner if it were just for a vacation," another responded.
"Since they''re headed to the border, maybe it''s about the rumored treasure," another voice chimed in.
As the citizens and arcanists of the kingdom spected about the movements of the substantial army toward the border, none of them were privy to the true purpose behind it.
Meanwhile, inside the Airship, Royal Knights Commander Gram Cromwell was seated at the Captain''s chair on the bridge.
"Contact the ground troops... Why are they taking so much time searching for that Masked Devil''s traces? We already have divination and trackers around?!" He eximed.
They didn''t expect that finding the Masked Devil would be so difficult!
"Commander¡ I think that searching for the Masked Devil will take longer. I suggest we eliminate the remaining rebel forces before continuing our search. I believe the Masked Devil is hiding since the Church of the Three Paragons is also searching for him." The female vicemander said softly, trying to calm the Commander.
Chapter 594 Bombardment
Chapter 594 Bombardment
Commander Gram''s anger subsided considerably upon hearing the vicemander''s voice.
After taking a deep breath to calm down, he nodded gently. I''ll let you handle this, Laura."
Gram said before leaving the bridge to take some time to rx. In truth, dealing with the rebels was a simple matter, and he didn''t necessarily need to be present.
With the firepower of their airships, the rebels would easily meet their end if they decided to confront their army. In the first ce, they had already captured two of the three masterminds of the rebels, weakening them to a great degree.
The missing one wasn''t even in good condition. Because of that, the remaining rebels were no longer organized and just waiting for their end.
However, the situation was different when it came to the Masked Devil and his ability to summon heavenly lightning.
Despite the airships'' formidable defenses, most were focused on the bottom, leading to significant damage to Prince Gregory''s Airship after getting hit by the lightning from above. The formation circle was then immobilized, and the Airship''s mechanical abilities were damaged, leaving them no other choice but to fight the Masked Devil on the Airship''s deck.
Gram would not make a mistake, so he decided to join the expedition quest.
"I have to capture that Masked Devil. If I learn what kind of artifact or Spell Model he was using to create that, I''ll be the strongest in the Kingdom!" Gram muttered, envisioning himself summoning those lightning strikes.
The prospect of finding the Masked Devil filled him with eager anticipation.
***
Two weeks had swiftly passed, and during this period, they managed to eradicate a total of 12 hidden rebel bases.
The extent of their numbers came as a surprise. They had only discovered that they had these many bases because their ground troops interrogated captured rebels and revealed these locations.
Needless to say, all these bases were destroyed.
However, they were uncertain whether they had eliminated thest mastermind, as they had resorted to bombarding the enemies and couldn''t identify the corpses.
The corpses were burned, heavily mutted, or evenpletely disintegrated by the mere force of their cannons.
Nheless, they simply moved forward with their operation. They intended to consider the mastermind killed once all their hideouts were eradicated.
"I believe that we''ve already defeated the rebel army, and they could no longere back from this defeat. We also eliminated all their supporters, so this matter can be considered done,mander." Laura said proudly, reflecting on her dedicated efforts to eliminate the rebels.
It hadn''t been easy for her, but seeing the mutted corpses of the rebels would always make her smile and make her feel better.
"Now then, I heard you obtained clues about the Masked Devil''s whereabouts¡ Tell me about it." Gram remarked.
"Yes... About two days ago, a group of Elementalists attempting to summon a Wood Spirit in the depths of the forest witnessed a powerful lightning strike. The lightning strike frightened them and the Wood Spirit they were trying to summon. I believe it''s the Masked Devil''s doing. He must have encountered some malevolent entities hidden in the forest and was forced to summon that lightning¡" Laura exined.
"Very good! What are we waiting for?! Let''s visit the ce! Contact the Seers on the ground and find the Masked Devil''s traces!" Gram eximed.
Eager to carry out themander''s orders, Laura wasted no time, and they quickly proceeded to the marked area where the lightning strike had been observed.
To their astonishment, they stumbled upon a castle, or perhaps fortress, perfectly concealed in the forest, utilizing the natural surroundings and illusion arts to remain hidden. Had the illusion not been momentarily lifted, they might never have noticed the castle at all.
"There was no castle in this forest ording to the map. Is this the Masked Devil''s hideout? But they lifted the illusion for a moment. Is this a trap?" Laura pondered aloud.
"It doesn''t matter! Destroy the illusion! Bombard them!" Gram dered enthusiastically, more interested in uncovering potential treasures of the ancient castle than confirming the Masked Devil''s presence.
However, Laura held a different view. "Commander, we still have to refill our supplies and ammunition. We have less than 30 percent shells for our cannons¡" She reported, worried that it would not be enough to destroy the defenses of the castle.
They hadn''t tried attacking yet, but her intuition told her that they needed more firepower to win against that fortress.
"It''s fine! We''re only dealing with the Masked Devil... We don''t need that many!" Gram dismissed her concerns.
With Vice Commander Laura unable to dissuade him, they proceeded with the bombardment.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One of the Airshipsmenced bombarding the castle, aiming to test its defenses without causing damage to the structure and its potential treasures.
Once the smoke cleared, they confirmed that the castle remained unscathed, exhibiting no signs of damage.
"Interesting... It actually defended well. When will the ground troops arrive?" Commander Gram inquired while touching his chin.
"About 30 minutes, Commander. Most of them are moving on foot, but if you require them, we can ask the 300 elite Knights to rush to the location." Laura reported.
They have a total of 2,000 soldiers moving on ground.
Their soldiers are equipped with low to mid-grade Mortal Rank artifacts. However, three hundred of them are Elite Knights and equal to 2nd-ss Arcanists.
They weren''t just Gram''s soldiers but part of the Kingdom''s elite force!
"No need. They need to preserve their strength. Continue with the bombardment and destroy their barrier. Once they arrive, tell them to surround the castle. Don''t let anyone from that castle escape!" Commander Gram instructed.
"Yes, Commander!"
The bombardment persisted, yet even after expending more than half of their ammunition, not a single crack appeared in the castle''s defenses.
"Hmph! Let''s see how long they canst! Continue!" Gram Cromwell announced.
However, at that moment, the inhabitants of the castle took action!
Hundreds of Vengeful Spirits emerged, poised to attack the Airships!
Chapter 595 Spirits
Chapter 595 Spirits
"Spirits? Stop the bombardment... Send the Shamans out and disperse those Vengeful Spirits!" Commander Gram issued hismand, recognizing the futility of their cannons against these ethereal beings.
The most effective method tobat such Spirits was through the use of Shamans, Priests, or specific Arcane Spells. They''d just be wasting their cannon shells if they tried using them to fight such beings.
Laura swiftly ryed themand and contacted all the other Airships through theirmunication crystals.
Soon, tens of shamans emerged on each airship''s deck, adorned in the white and blue Arcanist Robe of the Ruri Kingdom, denoting their status.
They brandished light iron staffs inscribed with runic symbols.
In unison, they chanted the same Spell - "Spiritual Cleansing!"
Bright light erupted from their staffs, engulfing the Vengeful Spirits in mes.
However, only half of them were killed in an instant, and the others resisted!
"Oh? They''re tougher than I thought. These Vengeful Spirits are strong." Commander Grammented as he knew that the Spiritual Cleansing Spell from that many Shamans could already heavily injure a Ghost King¡
If it was against mere Vengeful Spirits, they should have turned into nothingness already, but it didn''t happen at all.
''I wonder what''s protecting them¡''
The spirits then screeched in agony and retaliated,unching an assault on the Shamans.
Skree!
Some of the Shamans began coughing up blood as they were struck by the sound attack!
"Ak! My head! I feel like it''s exploding!"
"How are they still alive?!"
"These Spirits are too strong..."
"They must have been summoned from a higher undead realm."
"Not good! Another batch of Vengeful Spirits ising!"
"We need to hurry and cast another spell!"
The Shamans realized that the battle was more challenging than anticipated, as they struggled to eliminate the hundreds of Vengeful Spirits while another wave approached.
"Everyone! We''ll use our Tier 1 Spells for now! Hurry!" The leader of the Shamansmanded, and they promptly unleashed their targeted Spells.
Although these spells could only target one Spirit at a time, they proved more effective than the Spiritual Cleansing that covered a huge area.
Skree!
The Spirits that failed to reach the Airships resorted to using their sound attacks, while those that did reach the Airships began to possess the nearest Shamans.
"Do not let them possess you! Stay focused and block them with your Mystic State!" The leader shouted.
However, it was a bit toote.
About five Shamans in each airship were possessed!
The once-loyal Shamans, now under the malevolent influence of the Vengeful Spirits, turned against their former allies, their eyes aglow with an eerie light as they channeled corrupted force against the Airships.
The retaliation of the castle didn''t end there!
As the Airships braced for this treacherous turn, the castle''s defenses unleashed a new wave of assants.
From the castle''s concealed openings and battlements, a legion of Shadow Wraiths emerged, their shadowy forms billowing with darkness as they advanced with uncanny speed toward the Airships.
They seemed more powerful as they exuded an aura of malevolence and foreboding.
This time, however, the captains knew that the Shamans would not be enough to defend their Airships.
"You have the permission to fire at the castle! Use all the cannon shells! Royal Knights! Prepare for a multi-front assault! Protect the crew and repel the shadowy invaders!" Vice Commander Laura''s voice cut through the turmoil as she swiftly organized the crew to fortify the Airships'' defenses and mount a unified defense against the converging threats.
The Royal Knights in each airship soon emerged and stood beside the Shamans who weren''t possessed.
The Shadow Wraiths descended upon them, shrouding them in an oppressive darkness.
Their haunting whispers echoed through the air, sowing fear and disarray among the normal crew members. However, all Arcanists remained steadfast as they shrouded themselves with Arcane Energy.
The Royal Knights soon started using their Sword and ShieldMagic to deal with Shadow Wraiths and Possessed Shamans. Together with the counter-spells of the Shamans, they were able to repel the Wraiths.
***
Meanwhile, Commander Gram Cromwell maintained aposed demeanor as he observed the unfolding chaos.
The sudden manifestation of hundreds of Vengeful Spirits and Shadow Wraiths bore testament to the immense expenditure of Dark Energy required for their summoning.
Furthermore, the castle''s strong barrier had stopped a continuous attack of cannonballs, emphasizing the impressive amount of Arcane Energy being used.
"Such a staggering disy of Dark Magic... I can''t help but wonder which Necromancer or Ritualist liveswithin those walls." Gram mused, recognizing that only practitioners of such Dark Arts couldmand such formidable forces.
After observing the battle through the crystal projection for a few more minutes, Gram delivered anothermand.
"Vice Commander Laura, issue the order for all airships to descend. The castle''s barrier has been lifted after that series of bombardments. They''re ready to wee us. You may also join the fight at the deck and utilize your Sovereign Artifact to dispel those spirits¡" Gram instructed, acknowledging the potent artifact in Laura''s possession.
Since the battle against the Spirits was taking longer than he had expected, he couldn''t help but remind Laura.
"I will ry themand. However, I must advise against deploying the Sovereign Artifact at this juncture, Commander. Its use is limited to twice a day, and we may require it in our confrontation with the Dark Arcanist inside the castle." Laura cautioned, emphasizing the strategic importance of preserving the artifact''s capabilities.
Even without entering the castle, she knew that their opponent inside would not be easy.
"I believe that this is the Masked Devil''s base, and he''s definitely not working alone."
"Very well. Exercise your judgment. We''ll also wait for our ground troops to surround the castle." Gram conceded, rising to prepare for the impending incursion.
He harbored no intention of remaining within the confines of his vessel. He nned to personally lead the charge in infiltrating the enigmatic stronghold!
"Masked Devil or whatever, I''ll be conquering that castle and taking all their treasures!" Gram Cromwellughed as he left the bridge in an imposing manner.
Chapter 596 Magic Knights
Chapter 596 Magic Knights
Ondo Bat possessed a formidable stature, d in the distinctive blue and white uniform of his rank.
His long, lustrous blond hair was bound in a ponytail, and at his side hung a ceremonial sword, a testament to his esteemed position within the kingdom.
He was recently appointed as the 4thmander, and now, he was assigned to lead a contingentprising 300 elite magic knights and 1,700 knights. They were entrusted with his inaugural mission to quell the rebellion in the eastern reaches of the kingdom''s domain.
Commander of the ck Wolf Brigade.
He obtained this title after dedicating his life to service to the Ruri Kingdom.
His exceptional prowess had not gone unnoticed. As a matter of fact, he had received numerous invitations, including that one asking him to join the enigmatic Arcane Bureau, a testament to his standing within the kingdom''s military hierarchy.
Guiding his troops with an imposing demeanor, Ondo pressed onward in search of the castle that they were tasked with encircling.
However, their advance was abruptly interrupted by the harrowing spectacle unfolding in the skies above, as a horde of Vengeful Spirits and Shadow Wraiths emerged to assail the Airships.
''Are we going to face a Necromancer this time? How did the rebels hire such a powerful Dark Arcanist? Tsk¡ We should''ve asked the church to join us.'' Ond silently thought as he issued hismand.
"Swiftly, advance! This is our opportunity to strike at the castle. They summoned hundreds of spirits and defended against the bombardment! There''s a potential vulnerability in their defenses! Hurry!" Ondo bellowed, recognizing the pivotal moment to leverage the chaos and mount an assault on the stronghold.
Ondo employed his swift movement technique, and the 300 magic knights swiftly mirrored his actions, hastening their approach.
After analyzing the situation, he knew that they should capitalize on the distraction caused by the Necromancer''s engagement with the Airships. They had tounch a covert assault on the castle.
Whoosh~
As they were moving, several figures came into their view. Ond then realized that there were enemies waiting for them!
"Halt!"
Ond dered as he used his detection spells.
"Specters?"
Apparently, ten Moonlight Specters materialized before them, ready to intercept his brigade!
"Huh¡ You''re looking down on us? Kill them quickly!"
In the next moment, the ten specters shed against the 300 elite knights with their ethereal forms and formidable powers. They engaged the valiant knights in a tumultuous battle that barelysted for a minute.
A sudden calm fell over the battlefield as thest of the Moonlight Specters were vanquished, their spectral forms dissipating into the ether.
"Good work!" Ondo said as he retracted his sword.
The knights disyed remarkable coordination and skill as they used their Magic Swords and movement techniques to win.
The Moonlight Specters may be a Fusion Spell, but in front of the numerous Magic Knights, they could only die helplessly after injuring 5 Magic Knights who were at the front of the brigade.
"So you killed them already? That''s fast¡ But at least they bought enough time for me."
As Ondo was about tomand his team to move forward, a figure emerged from the shadows, exuding an aura of eerie elegance and vampiric allure.
It was a daunting female Vampire.
She had just materialized before Ondo and his knights, and none of them noticed her arrival until she had spoken.
"A Vampire, huh¡"
Ondo frowned at the Vampire''s arrival as he didn''t expect that such a powerful being would leave its castle.
Her crimson gaze fixed upon them with an unsettling intensity, and Ondo could not help but feel a chill from that stare alone.
There was no avoiding this battle, so he immediately issued amand!
Encircle the Vampire! Keep your Arcane Hearts active! Do not sumb to her charm!" Ondomanded urgently. His voice was even enhanced by a Spell as he rallied his knights to form a defensive perimeter around the alluring yet perilous Vampire.
He knew very well the multifaceted danger posed by Vampires since this was not his first time facing them.
Beyond their bloodthirsty nature, Ondo was keenly aware of the array of potent spells at their disposal that could pose a grave threat to his Magic Knights.
''We don''t have the priests or shamans here. However, we can overwhelm the Vampire with our number. We can win this.'' Ondo thought as he continued resisting the charm of the Vampire.
Despite the formidable wards of his Arcane Heart, Ondo found himself struggling against the beguiling allure of the Vampire, a testament to the overwhelming charm and mesmerizing power she wielded.
He was lucky that there were plenty of them, so they were sharing the effects of the Vampire''s charm. If he faced her alone, he knew he would be defeated!
''Arcane Hearts onlysts 10 minutes. We have to kill her before the duration ends¡''
As Ondo thought of this, he heard the Vampire speak.
"Since you dare to assail the castle, then you leave me no choice but to eradicate the threat¡" The female Vampire dered, her voice carrying an ominous weight as she invoked her formidable Darkness Veil, shrouding the battlefield in an eerie, enveloping shadow.
Whoosh~
As the Darkness Veil unfurled, the Vampire seamlessly moved like a ghost within the cover of the darkness.
With a flicker of movement, she vanished into the darkness, reappearing with disorienting speed through her Shadow Step, mystifying the knights and sowing confusion among their ranks.
As she did this, hundreds of bats suddenly appeared and started assaulting the Knights!
"Defend yourself!" Ond shouted as the chaos erupted.
In the next instant, the Vampire assumed a haunting Mist Form, her figure bing an elusive wisp that defied conventional attacks, her movements fluid and enigmatic.
None of the Knights'' swords or magic could hit her!
Then, a vampiric eye formed in the darkness as the Vampire unleashed her entrancing Spell.
Hypnotic Gaze!
The Spell was incredibly strong, and only a few Knights with a higher-tier Arcane Heart could resist it!
This Spell ensnared the minds of several knights, rendering them momentarily incapacitated by her bewitching influence.
The Knights who couldn''t find the Vampire couldn''t do anything!
Chapter 597 Castle Defense
Chapter 597 Castle Defense
Meanwhile, within Magnus'' Castle, Vale and the others observed the unfolding battle with mixed emotions.
Chad, in particr, had been fraught with worry since the onset of the bombardment.
He was anxiously bracing himself for the imminent copse of the protective barrier, ready to invoke his Ghost King Spell to safeguard himself from the impending onught of cannon fire.
He really wanted to flee as soon as he saw the six imposing Airships, but he saw numerous knights surrounding the castle!
As the knight brigade approached their stronghold, Vale unexpectedly issued an absurdmand!
He insisted that Lisa confront the knights single-handedly¡ªan audacious and seemingly preposterousmand that left Chad incredulous.
"Vale, are you serious?! And Lisa, where do you think you''re going? This is absurd¡ª" Chad''s protestations trailed off as Lisa swiftly soared into the skies to intercept the approaching knights, leaving him bewildered and disconcerted.
''Why is she so confident?! We haven''t even learned Spell Fusion!'' Chadined in his mind.
He''d understand Vale if he ordered Magnus to fight since the old man was indeed incredible and could control hundreds of beasts in the forest. However, Lisa was a youngmoner who had only learned Arcane Arts in a few years!
"And when did she learn a flight spell? How is she surpassing me in learning speed?!" Chad eximed in shock.
Nevertheless, his astonishment didn''t end there as Chad''s bewilderment deepened when Lisa underwent a startling metamorphosis, assuming the form of a Vampire with an unmistakable aura of ominous allure and an uncanny resemnce to the legendary Vampires of folklore while flying mid-air!
"Ahh!"
Overwhelmed by this astonishing transformation, Chad voiced his disbelief while looking at Lisa''s mesmerizing figure¡
"How is that possible?! Howe I don''t know she''s a Vampire all along?! Wait, how can she be fine during daylight?!"
He waspletely clueless at what was happening, but it seemed that Vale and the others weren''t surprised at all!
Pearl and Faith just looked at Lisa with interest, while Vale could only offer a resigned smile in response.
"It was an ident¡" Vale admitted wearily.
Lisa''s transformation from a human to a vampire stemmed from a casual remark made by Vale.
Just a week prior, Lisa had been expressing her dissatisfaction with her apparentck of strength and her desire to be a formidable individual, enabling her to once again encounter Lesley.
Despite possessing reasonable talent, she believed it would take years, or even a decade, of dedicated training and study to fully develop her abilities.
Given the pressing nature of the ongoing conflict with the Dark Arts Faction and the imminent threat posed by the Abyss Realm invasion, she felt that a decade was far too long to wait to be of use.
Well, this was all because of herck of a substantial background and financial means, which restricted her ess to expensive potions, artifacts, and unique spell models as an ordinary citizen.
Even with her considerable talent, the costly nature of studying the Arcane Arts made it challenging for her to catch up and reach her full potential.
In a moment of despair, when Vale noticed her mncholy one evening, he jokingly suggested that she could hasten her quest for strength by bing a vampire.
It was intended as a jest, as he never anticipated that Lisa would seriously consider undergoing such a significant transformation.
However, he had underestimated her determination.
In the end, Vale gave her the Crimson Orb that could help her change her race into a Vampire.
She even gained 9 Vampire Spells aside from her 6 Dark Arts!
It was quite amazing that her Dark Arts remainedpatible in her body, allowing her to maintain her status as a Dark Magician.
Furthermore, Vale also gave the Vampire Fang, which he had extracted from the Vampire before. When he used his Appraisal to check this item, he realized that the fang could only be used to craft a weapon or make it into a ne.
Once it was made into a ne, the Vampires wearing it could actually hide their identities and live like normal humans.
"Well... I don''t intend to leave her to handle all the knights on her own. It''s impossible for her to kill them single-handedly. I just wanted her to release all her pent-up frustration... and bloodlust¡" Vale reassured Chad.
With his ability to monitor the situation and summon his Shadow Soldiers from Lisa''s shadow at any time, he remained unconcerned about her well-being.
''She also has that Mist Form¡ Even if she gets injured, she can just escape with that cheat-like spell since there are no Shamans or Priests on their side.'' Vale mused as he had already used his Divine Sense a while ago and confirmed the absence of such Practitioners.
He then shifted his focus to the descending Airships.
Then, he employed his Dragon''s True Sight to observe three individuals inside, each emanating an extraordinary amount of energy simr to the aura exhibited by the Archbishop he had previously confronted.
They were all Arcanists on a different levelpared to the Knight below.
"If I''m not mistaken, those three are the Artificial Humans that the Kingdom had made." Vale muttered as he observed them carefully.
Apparently, Magnus also informed him that the rebels in the Kingdom seemed to be a Faction that opposed the creation of Artificial Humans.
Of course, there could be other reasons for this rebellion, but the Kingdom did its best to cover up the story of the rebellion and imed that it was simply the greediness of the Marquis. That move hinted to Magnus that the Artificial Humans are real.
''Of course, they''re real since I already extracted some of them.'' Vale thought to himself.
Anyway, despite the three mysterious individuals, he remained unperturbed.
"I''m considering engaging the main airship by myself. Can you handle the others?" Vale abruptly inquired, addressing Pearl and Faith.
"Can''t we simply continue using the Summoning Circle that Magnus prepared?" Pearl proposed.
"Let''s refrain from depleting the castle''s energy. We might use them for an important matter. I believe the spirits and wraiths have already made significant contributions in clearing out the weaker enemies." Vale responded.
"Very well... I''ll also experiment with my Psychic Arts¡" Pearl agreed.
"I''ll just employ my Summoning Techniques from here." Faith dered as she started drawing a magic circle.
Vale smiled upon witnessing their preparations.
Then, he proceeded to retrieve his blindfold and don it in front of them.
As he did so, his aura underwent a transformation.
Chapter 598 The Smite
Chapter 598 The Smite
Vice Commander Laura stood on the deck of the Airship, observing the ongoing battle.
At this time, the possessed Shamans had already been immobilized, but the Shadow Wraiths continued to pose a threat to the knights due to their immunity to physical attacks.
Only through the use of their Magic-Empowered Sword Technique were they able to inflict any damage upon the wraiths. Unfortunately, even hitting their target was difficult. The wraiths'' movement was difficult to predict, and they were using the shadows or darkness to their advantage.
''I didn''t expect that these high-level Shadow Wraiths would cause us so much trouble.'' Laura said in her mind as she initially thought that these wraiths wouldn''t pose much trouble.
Nevertheless, despite the circumstances, Commander Laura chose not to deploy her Sovereign Artifact; it was her left red glove adorned withyers of magic circles. She intended to use itter when facing a formidable adversary from the castle.
"This should be enough for the wraiths¡" Laura muttered as she opened her Grimoire and summoned her allies.
"Come forth... Harpy Queen!"
At hermand, the imposing figure of the Harpy Queen materialized before her.
With her wingspan stretching wide and her talons gleaming in the sunlight, the Harpy Queen exuded an aura of raw power and regal authority.
Her feathers shimmered with a blend of iridescent blues and purples, and her eyes glowed with an intense, piercing gaze that struck fear into the hearts of the knights and even the Shadow Wraiths!
Eeeeekk~
With a deafening screech, the Harpy Queenunched herself into the fray, swooping down upon the remaining Shadow Wraiths.
With each powerful p of her wings, she unleashed gusts of wind that disrupted the wraiths'' ethereal forms, causing them to dissipate into nothingness.
The knights were shocked as they didn''t expect their Vice Commander to have such a powerful summon!
"Haha! Take that!"
"Go kill them all, Harpy!"
"Just a gust of wind, and they''re dead?! Awesome!"
"It must be a Harpy Queen! Look at that size!"
The knights remarked after seeing the Harpy Queen eliminate the wraiths.
It didn''t end there as the Harpy soared through the battlefield, her razor-sharp talons shed through the remaining wraiths with incredible precision, leaving no trace of their existence behind.
The once troublesome Spirits were swiftly eliminated by the Harpy Queen''s relentless onught, clearing the way for the knights and shaman to disembark swiftly and charge to the castle!
However, as Vice Commander Laura issued themand for the troops to disembark and join the siege of the castle, a sudden and inexplicable phenomenon unfolded.
The surrounding Arcane Energy surged into chaos, and in the blink of an eye, a hair-raising crack tore through the fabric of space above the Airship''s deck.
"Space distortion?!" Laura was shocked as she knew what was going on. An Arcanist capable of controlling space had arrived! This was out of her expectation!
She couldn''t help but hold her left red glove tightly since once she felt that everyone''s life was in danger, she had to activate it in time!
Then, the crack expanded with rming speed, creating an openingrge enough for a person to step through.
Commander Gram and the others on the bridge were also caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events. They could only watch in silence as a blindfolded figure emerged from the breach.
With a resounding thud, the man descended onto the Airship''s deck, and just as suddenly as it had appeared, the spatial rupture vanished, leaving the crew bewildered and on edge in the wake of the enigmatic arrival.
"Vice Commander¡ Who is that person?" One of the knights asked in worry. Anyone capable of rupturing the space should not be underestimated.
The air grew heavy with an uneasy tension as all eyes turned to Vice Commander Laura, seeking exnation in the face of this unanticipated intrusion.
Laura narrowed her eyes, unable to discern the identity of the mysterious blindfolded figure who had materialized before them.
She ignored that gaze on her and spoke calmly.
"Who are you? Are you the owner of this castle?" Laura inquired, sensing that the man didn''te here with good intentions.
The figure''s response was stern.
"Yes... You suddenly attacked us without any warnings..."
"But that''s---"Before Laura could offer an exnation and attempt to secretly establishmunication with the ship''s captain, she was abruptly cut off by the imposing figure.
"I don''t care about the reason you attacked us. Since you''ve done so without my permission, then expect our retaliation."
The deration woke everyone from their stupor as they held their weapons tightly.
Then, without wasting any more time, the enigmatic figure flicked his finger, unleashing a potent and radiant Holy Spell that descended upon their Airship with incredible force.
The very air was filled with sacred energy as the spell took shape, culminating in a blinding cascade of light and power that enveloped the entire vessel!
The Holy Smite manifested as a brilliant torrent of golden radiance, cascading from the heavens with an awe-inspiring intensity.
Indeed, Vale didn''t just use his Force to cast the spell but imbued it with 5 points of Divinity! The Holy Smite that should only target a small area had now expanded to cover a whole vessel!
As it descended upon the Airship, its resplendent glow suffused every inch of the deck, bathing the entire vessel in a luminous, ethereal brilliance.
Boom!
The Holy Smite''s impact reverberated throughout the Airship, imbuing the atmosphere with a sense of sacred awe and reverence.
The crew, caught off guard by the sudden onught of sacred energy, could only watch in astonishment as the radiant brilliance of the spell covered their bodies!
They tried circting their Arcane Heart to defend against this attack, but in the end, the Holy Smite bore through their armors, passed through their Arcane Defense, and hit their internal organs!
It became undeniably clear that they were facing a formidable practitioner of Holy Arts, one whose mastery of holy arts rivaled that of an Archbishop, if not surpassed it.
Luckily, the Holy Smite''s effect was greatly lessened since none of them used Dark or Evil Energy!
However, it didn''t change the fact their Spell Models were in a mess! Holy Energy entered their bodies, and casting spells would make the matter worse!
Chapter 599 Multiple Path
Chapter 599 Multiple Path
Commander Gram Cromwell was on the verge of disembarking when he sensed the unmistakable presence of an Arcanist who had materialized aboard his airship.
Their arrival was rming, but as he felt through his Magic Zone that they didn''t have a terrifying aura, he didn''t panic.
He believed that the matter could be taken care of by Vice Commander Laura. He was confident in her since she was currently in possession of a Sovereign Rank Artifact.
However, to his dismay, he soon realized his miscalction.
The Sovereign Rank Artifact wielded by Laura proved ineffective against practitioners of Holy Arts or those imbued with Holy Energy.
"This a Holy Energy¡ Are we under attack by the Holy Arts Factions?! What''s going on?!" Gram was confused.
As the Holy Smite descended, he had to stop overthinking and focus on defending himself.
"Amethyst Prism Shield."
It was a Mystic Spell that allowed him to shield himself from the brunt of the attack.
While the Arcane Sigils marked on their bodies provided some measure of protection, the intrusion of Holy Energy threatened to disrupt their casting abilities.
Having mixed Arcane Energy in the Arcanist''s body was obviously not a good thing to happen.
Having mixed Arcane Energy in the Arcanist''s body was obviously not a good thing to happen.
Removing the Holy Energy from their bodies presented a formidable challenge, with the process potentiallysting 3 to 5 days if they left it to dissipate naturally, or alternatively requiring the use of a potion that would resolve the issue in less than an hour.
"Fine¡ I will be facing you instead." Gram muttered to himself as he made his way to the deck.
He wanted to confront the Holy Priest who dared to board his ship..
However, Gram Cromwell''s attention was abruptly diverted as five lightning bolts assailed the other airships.
Boom! Boom!
"Masked Devil?!" Gram''s eyes widened as he recalled the reason why they hade here.
''Are we dealing with the Masked Devil''s organization?''
He couldn''t help but make this guess. After all, everything would make sense if the Masked Devil was supported by an organization that was able to steal the Divine Sword of the Church of the Three Paragons.
He guessed that the Holy Priest who had dared toe here was perhaps the Masked Devil''s patron.
''I need to hurry.''
rmed by the unexpected turn of events, he made his way to the deck.
The urgency of the situation left no room for concern over the fate of the other airships. He trusted them that those lightning strikes would not be enough to eliminate them.
Upon reaching the deck, Gram bore witness to a sight that left him doubtful. The source of the aura was actually from a blindfolded young man brandishing a cane.
In front of him were the weakened knights and a few Shamans who stood resilient against the Holy Smite. It seemed that they had a better way of countering a Holy Smite.
Then, he shifted his attention to the other side.
It became apparent that Vice Commander Laura had sacrificed her Harpy Queen to shield herself and those in her vicinity from the Holy Spell just now.
Before he could fully process the chaotic scene before him, Vice Commander Laura''s urgent telepathic message reached him.
"Commander Gram! This person hade from the castle! I think we should confirm his stance. We can''t fight against the Churches this time."
Commander Gram knew this as well.
However, he was keenly aware of the potential rewards thaty within his grasp. As long as he could do this thing, young man, then even if he was from the church, he could easily make an excuse about it.
The lure of iming the castle''s treasures, including the enigmatic young man''s mystical artifacts, ignited an unquenchable fervor within him. This was an opportunity that he could not afford to let slip away!
''Your treasures will be mine!'' Gram shouted in his mind as he slowly calmed down to hide his real intention.
With a gesture of his hand, he stealthily readied his spell, imbued with his potent Mystic Energy, and took purposeful strides forward to face the mysterious figure.
"I''m Gram Cromwell, the Royal Knights Commander of the Kingdom. State your name!" He proimed, his voice echoing with an authoritative power. It was as if he used a Spell to disy his power to everyone...
While he may not have been a practitioner of the Knight Arts, his blessed physique, mastery of swordsmanship, and proficiency in the Mystic Arts had propelled him to be one of the kingdom''s most formidable knights, ultimately earning him the esteemed title of Royal Knight Commander.
''How''s that?'' Gram thought to himself as he knew that his voice should intimidate the young man.
As he awaited the young man''s response, Gram remained patient. He had to find the perfect timing to unleash his spell.
He doesn''t really care about thestranger''s name!
However, to his surprise, the blindfolded young man remained silent, opting not to grace Gram''s demand with a proper response.
Instead, a familiar spell surged toward him¡ªthe unmistakable Reaper Scythe Spell.
''A Mystic Spell? He can use both Holy and Mystic Spell?!''
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, Gram swiftly released the spell he had arranged for his ambush¡ªthe Prism Chain Spell¡ªusing it to intercept the oing Scythe.
Boom!
The sh reverberated with a resounding impact as the two spells collided, prompting Gram to deftly employ his Mist Walk, swiftly shifting his position to evade the impending danger.`
"All those who can cast their spells! Aim it on this rebel!" Hemanded, swiftly rallying his soldiers to action.
In tandem with his directive, he triggered another of his Mystic Spells¡ªthe Paralysis Eye!
It was meant to incapacitate the target and leave him vulnerable to the onught of spells from his assembled forces!
However, it didn''t go as he nned!
As soon as his Paralysis Eye was triggered, a huge eyeball would appear above him to stare at his target.
But it didn''t happen! The eye failed to materialize as expected, disintegrating into naught but fragments before his eyes.
It was the same for the others. Laura couldn''t even call out her summons!
Everyone immediately realized what was going on!
Anti-Magic!
Chapter 600 Compensation
Chapter 600 Compensation
"Anti-Magic?! How can you use it?! How can you use all those different spells?!" Gram eximed in disbelief, realizing the unexpected threat they were facing.
He couldn''t understand why such a formidable figure had been concealed within this forest.
Indeed, he knew that the blind young man before them must be a renowned figure to wield such powers.
Commander Gram knew they needed to regroup quickly, as they were unprepared to confront someone with the ability to use Anti-Magic.
They were ill-prepared to contend with an adversary who wielded Anti-Magic, a force that nullified their mystical abilities.
While their Arcane Sigils offered some defense, their efficacy was limited against Tier 1 Spells¡ªa stark contrast to the higher-tier Spells that the mysterious figure was undoubtedly capable of unleashing.
"I will handle this enemy! Retreat!" Gram shouted as he knew that his soldiers were just easy targets.
However, before Gram could activate his Arcane Sigils, the young man enacted yet another spell, one that absorbed the ambient light, plunging their surroundings into an inky shroud of darkness!
"What?!"
"Are we inside a formation art?"
"No, this must be Light Absorption or a stronger Darkness Veil."
The Knights, who were unable to use their Arcane Heart due to the Holy Smite''s debuff, spoke with worry.
"Shamans, use your light spells! Knights, do not be forceful with your spells, or your internal injuries will worsen! Just slowly retreat!" Laura immediately voiced out hermands before the knights could panic.
Then, at this moment, Shadow Soldiers materialized, emerging from the void with a chilling purpose! They wielded their shadow des and aimed at the retreating Knights!
The Shadow Soldiers moved swiftly, their ethereal forms proving elusive and disorienting to the Knights.
Like phantoms, they surged forward, and their movements were like a dance that leaves dark tendrils in the surroundings.
Whoosh~
They assailed the knights with a relentless onught.
nk! nk! ng!
Their attacks, imbued with an eerie chill, caused chaos among the ranks of the Royal Knights.
Luckily, the Royal Knights could still wield their magic weapons and were able to defend against the Shadow Soldiers.
The enemy''s actions caused mayhem, and Gram was furious as he lunged at him!
Several Arcane Sigils lit up around his body, as an Ancient Force strengthened him.
He was 5 meters away from the young man, when he felt a sudden threat from above and rapidly moved all his defensive spells and artifacts to cover his head!
Boom!
A lightning bolt struck from above!
He was fortunate to fend off that strike... But he had no chance to celebrate as he saw a fist with a red auraing at his face!
Bang!
He couldn''t evade the punch and was flung away! He thought that it would just push him away, but that strike felt different.
He felt as if his vitality was taken from a single punch!
"Commander!"
Laura reacted quickly as she caught the Commander. Without her, Gram would have been thrown out of the vessel!
But the trouble didn''t end there... Another lightning bolt came down and this time, the Airship''s defensive formation and Gram''s mystical artifact couldn''t protect them.
''Not good!''
With no other option, Laura tossed her Grimoire in the path of the Lightning Bolt!
Bang!
The lightning strike was blocked but the Grimoire was nearly destroyed! There was a huge tear in its middle, and no one knew if it was still usable!
"We surrender!" Laura said right away as she felt that the young man was about to cast another spell.
Their advantage was in their numbers and the presence of Gram Cromwell in their ranks.
But now that Gram was beaten and their knights and shamans were powerless against the enemy, Laura realized that they had no chance of winning this fight.
Moreover, she had no clue how many more times he could unleash that heavenly lightning!
If the caster could use it 3 or 5 more times, she was certain that they would all be defeated here!
***
In the meantime, Vale''s smile widened upon hearing their surrender.
He had deliberatelypelled them to submit, seeking to assert his dominance and expose their vulnerability.
With the imminent invasion of the Abyss Realm approaching, he couldn''t afford to waste time subduing the people of the Ruri Kingdom, despite the potential boost it would provide to his own strength.
His desire was for the Ruri Kingdom to retain its strength so that when the demonic beings arrived, they would offer a robust line of defense, serving his ultimate purpose.
''I''ve expended a few Divinity Points, but I suppose it''s insignificant¡'' Vale thought to himself.
Having ascertained the Celestial Corpses'' ability to regenerate their Divinity, he had be more liberal in utilizing his Divinity Points.
Although he could only extract Divinity from six Celestial Corpses at present, he intended to unseal the other coffins to have more sources of Divinity Points.
He wasn''t in a hurry to unseal them since he had to be mindful not to make any errors that could result in the destruction of the Celestial bodies or their possessions.
Anyway¡ Vale stopped casting and dismissed his Shadow Soldiers. Instead, he activated his Darkness Maniption Spell to cover all the Airships, ensuring thepletion of the Extraction from those who had perished.
Following this covert action, he turned to the Vice Commander and delivered a firm statement.
"Compensation... You have assaulted my castle without initiating a dialogue. There is a price to be paid."
Laura wasn''t surprised by Vale''s demand. Despite the casualties they had suffered, she feltpelled toply without attempting to negotiate.
Casting a brief nce at the unconscious Captain, she began to respond.
"We are willing topensate you. Once we return to the capital¡ª"
"No... I want to be paid now." Vale interjected, cutting off Laura''s words.
"What? What kind ofpensation do you want? We don''t have the funds here, as we came to quell the rebellion¡" Laura countered.
"And I have no affiliation with the rebels. Regardless, hand over that red glove you possess, along with your Commander''s cape. I also require one of the Airships¡" Vale demanded.
Chapter 601 Transaction
Chapter 601 Transaction
"I can''t believe what I''m hearing¡" Laura eximed, her eyes widening in disbelief at his demand.
"I cannot simplyply with such requests without authorization from the kingdom. These items are of great significance to us, and surrendering them would severelypromise our operations."
Vale nodded as if he could sympathize with her words. Then, he replied coldly.
"I do not care... If you don''t give them up, then no one leaves. You will all be corpses in your return to the kingdom.
As soon as Vale made this threat, he promptly cast another Holy Smite!
Boom!
This Spell seemed beautiful and filled with energy, but it''s definitely a dangerous Spell!
The attack didn''t kill anyone, but it caused severe internal injury to everyone present. If not removed immediately, the amount of Holy Energy in their bodies could result in further harm!
"Enough! Enough! We will give you what you asked for!" Laura cried out in surrender. She was willing to do anything to save the Commander''s life.
"Very well¡ And don''t forget to tell your soldiers below to pull back before I wipe them out¡" Vale said, holding back his bloodlust.
"I will¡" Laura weakly said as she started removing her left glove. She also considered using the artifact to counter, but in the end, she was afraid that another lightning strike would fall on her head.
She could probably survive one or two strikes with her Spells, but definitely not more than that.
The transaction was done quickly, and the battle ended just like that.
Furthermore,Vale extracted a total of 195 corpses aside from the mystical artifacts and the Airship... A quarter of these corpses came from the knights and shamans who died in the Airships, and the rest were the victims of the female Vampire, Lisa.
It appears that Lisa''s control over the bloodline wasn''t perfect yet. She still sumbed to her instincts and killed more than she had to.
Anyway, this was her first time using it inbat, and it was still considered a great experience for her. Furthermore, Vale certainly liked that aggressiveness, especially once the invasion started.
If possible, she wanted Lisa to create an army of Thralls under hermand and be a formidable force in the future.
As for Faith and Pearl''s contribution to the battle, they have surprisingly held back with their power after realizing how weak their enemies are.
Instead of killing them, they decided to just incapacitate them if possible. Of course, there were some unlucky ones who still perished after underestimating the two and they could only me themselves for that.
"I believe in karma¡ I don''t want to kill people, especially those below me, unless necessary." Faith said.
"That''s true¡ Especially for me with Divinity. I heard that you can produce more Divinity if you act in ordance with righteousness. Of course, I''m not sure if that''s true. This might just be a superstition as well, so I don''t really advise it. It''s all up to you." Pearl exined, which made Vale fall into silence.
***
Meanwhile, Laura and the remaining troops had departed the forest.
She couldn''t help but wish they had never pursued the Masked Devil, as they wouldn''t have encountered the mysterious blindfolded youth, who had taken a lot from them.
"Tsk¡" She couldn''t help but grit her teeth as she recalled what happened.
If their Commander hadn''t been blinded by treasure and fame, she was certain they wouldn''t have suffered such a defeat.
They also wouldn''t lose the two Sovereign Rank Artifacts in their possession.
"How will I exin this to the King?" Laura sighed, feeling her energy leaving her body. She was too exhausted.
Despite her fatigue and desire to rest, she had to stay awake until they left this eastern wilderness.
Their Commander remained unconscious, even after an hour had passed.
She believed that he had suffered severe internal injuries, so she had no other choice but tomand the Airship instead.
"Did that blindfolded man curse him? Why did the others wake up after fifteen minutes?" Laura mused, recalling the blindfolded youth''s practice of multiple Arcane Paths.
''Dark Arts, Elemental Arts, Holy Arts¡''
As she was deep in her thoughts, she was abruptly interrupted by one of the officers on the bridge.
"There''s a huge airshiping straight at us!" the officer reported.
"What? Is it an ally? Did we request reinforcements?" Laura asked, taken aback.
"No, we''re still analyzing¡ªAhh! Not good! It''s an Airship Model of the Morgan Family! It''s the Destroyer of Marquis Morgan!" the officer reported in shock.
Marquis Morgan was thest leader of the Rebel Army they had failed to eliminate. He was the primary target of their mission, and while they had believed they had already eliminated him after destroying all his known bases, they hadn''t expected to see him here, especially with an Airship.
Laura knew they had the numerical advantage, but the unexpected appearance of the Marquis and his formidable Airship made her slightly nervous.
After taking a deep breath, Laura calmed her nerves and spoke with authority.
"Do not be scared! We still have five airships on our side! The shamans have already healed, and the Magic Knights have boarded the ship! Ready the cannons!"
Shemanded, trying to bolster the morale of her troops.
However, she knew that their cannons could only fire once!
They had already fired their limited shells at the castle a while ago, and they weren''t able to resupply in the nearby city! An aerial battle may not end well for them.
Soon, the officer was able to disy the image of the rebel''s Airship.
Laura then gazed at the projection of the imposing Destroyer Airship, its sleek ck hull gleaming ominously in the moonlight.
The vessel exuded an aura of power and menace, with its sharp, angr design and foreboding crimson insignia emzoned across its side.
Moreover, it dwarfed their Airship, being three timesrger in size, making it a dreadfully mismatched encounter for them!
''What a bad luck¡ If it''s like this¡ We''ll have to rely on our numbers¡''
"Surround the enemy!"
Soon, the confrontation between the solitary Destroyer Airship and the five Royal Combat Airshipsmenced.
Chapter 602 More Upgrades
Chapter 602 More Upgrades
"I believe they''ve encountered an enemy¡" Lisa suddenly remarked, her gaze fixed in the direction from which the kingdom''s airship had departed.
Vale and the others, puzzled by her statement, turned to her with curiosity.
"The Kingdom''s Airships have fallen victim to a disaster... They must have crossed paths with some bandits¡ªNo, maybe it''s the Rebel Army¡" Lisa continued as she guessed the identity of the assants.
"Wow, I''m not surprised that they encountered the rebel army. I''m more surprised that you were able to know that. Can you now reach a distance of more than 10 kilometers in your Magic Zone?" Chad inquired, clearly astonished.
He could barely reach the 100-meter mark in his Magic Zone, and that was already during his Ghost King Body''s stimtion. Without that state, he could only reach about 40 meters, and that was already very impressive for his age.
"Absolutely not. I left three Familiars aboard their airship. Each can send me a message once, but it will cost them their lives. Two of them managed to ry a message, but the third perished without being able to send a message at all¡" Lisa exined.
Vale nodded gently upon hearing this.
Regardless, he didn''t attach much importance to their predicament. They were still considered his enemies, and it would be advantageous if the me for their potential annihtion fell upon the rebels.
''It''s clearly their fault for creating Artificial Humans¡'' Vale mused as he continued on his way to his room.
It was previously Magnus''s room, but over the past week, there had been many arrangements within the castle.
Some rooms where Magnus conducts inhumane experiments were immediately cleared out. They were destroyed, and Vale didn''t care about that research either.
It was the same for Faith and the others who weren''t interested in cruel alchemy that involved the body parts of humans and other beasts.
***
As soon as Vale returned to his room, he immediately opened his Attribute Panel to see the progress he had made.
He had extracted 195 corpses just now and made a thorough extraction of the Commander of the Kingdom''s Airship.
He certainly had a great harvest today!
[ Ascended Name: Kyle the Uncrowned Paragon ]
[ Race: Half-Celestial ]
[ Attributes:
Strength: 150
Agility: 150
Intelligence: 150
Vitality: 150 ]
[ Force: 2,500 ]
[ Combat Power: 2,880,000 ]
[ Human Arts List ]
[ Celestial Arts List ]
[ Spirit Arts List ]
[ Otherworldly Essence List ]
[ Avable Energy: 34,050 ]
[ Divinity Points: 643]
[ Corrupted Divinity Points: 46 ]
"It increased that much?" Vale couldn''t help but smile as soon as he saw the incredible increase in his Energy Points.
At this point, he decided not to hold back any longer! He decided to get some Perfect Realm Spells!
[ Consume 768 energy points to improve Traceless Shift? ]
"Yes!"
[ Consume 1,536 energy points to improve Traceless Shift? ]
"Yes!"
[ Traceless Shift has now reached the maximum level. ] Just like that, Vale felt the changes in his spell lights. Then, he checked the Traceless Shift''s Spell Model and confirmed that it hadpletely changed!
He only spent 2,304 Energy Points to obtain his second Perfect Realm Spell!
Of course, he didn''t stop at that and decided to increase the level of his new Fusion Spell.
It was the Fiend''s Wrath, and it was the fusion of the Feral Fury, Bear''s Strength, and Evil Hand.
They were spells from Beast Arts and Spirit Arts. However, it appears that those two Beast Arts contributed more to the fusion, so the fusion''s result remained in his Beast Arts List.
[ Consume 512 energy points to improve Fiend''s Wrath? ]
"Yes!"
[ Consume 1,024 energy points to improve Fiend''s Wrath? ]
[ Consume 2,048 energy points to improve Fiend''s Wrath? ]
After thest upgrade, he finally got thisst message.
[ Fiend''s Wrath has now reached the maximum level. ] This time, he spent a total of 3,584 energy points to reach the level 10!
Vale then made a quick check on his Energy Points.
[ Avable Energy: 28,162 ]
Seeing that he still had plenty of points, he paused momentarily to consider his ns. ''I guess leaving 10,000 points isn''t bad. After all, I''m still not done with my Spell Fusions and need some extra points to level them up if they''re good.''
With this in mind, Vale decided to max out the Cursed me, Extrasensory Perception, Meridian ess, and Holy Smite.
Vale spent 3,024 Energy Points for the Cursed me Level 4 to reach Level 10. Then, the ESP Level 9 Spell took 2,560 Energy Points to reach the level 10. The amount was quite lowpared to the Meridian ess Level 9, in which he spent 4,096 Energy Points to level it up from Level 9 to 10. After all, the base price of Meridian ess was 8 pointspared to the ESP Spell, with only 5 points. Lastly, he spent 4,032 Energy Points to upgrade the Holy Smite Level 4 to Level 10!
From this batch, he spent a total of 13,712 Energy Points!
Then, Vale checked his remaining points.
[ Avable Energy: 14,450 ]
"This should be good enough¡" Vale muttered as he could no longer decide which spell he should upgrade to its limit.
Afterpleting all the upgrades to his Spell Models, Vale began to feel uneasy. The sudden alterations to his Spell Models seemed to have an effect that caused dizziness... It was difficult to articte, but it felt as though the Spell Models were slightly inmed within his body.
"I suppose pushing them to their maximum level was a bit excessive. I should have paced the upgrades out over several days¡" Valemented wearily as he reclined on his bed. All he wanted to do now was to rx.
Fortunately, by the following day, he feltpletely revitalized! The previous difort had dissipated, and it appeared that his upgraded Spell Models had settled perfectly.
Now, he was looking forward to enjoying a breakfast prepared by Magnus, but at that moment, Lisa arrived with an rming report.
"The rebel army''s airship is outside... We''ve been waiting for you to wake up."
Chapter 603 Undetected
Chapter 603 Undetected
Vale was momentarily taken aback upon hearing Lisa''s report.
"The rebel army''s Airship? What are they doing here?" He inquired while quickly rising from his bed. He didn''t expect such a report early in the morning. He even wanted to have a sumptuous meal before going out of the castle to find ces where he could arrange some Formation Arts that he had learned from Commander Gram.
Indeed, his extractions to this Commander earned him not just Energy Points and 2 Spell Models but also Memory Fragments containing advanced Formation Arts!
As for the 2 Spell Models, they were Savage Curse and Lion''s Roar. Both of them are still Level 0, and because they don''t seem useful to him, they remain at that level.
"Ah... You can freshen up first. Magnus will be waiting for you outside¡" Lisa responded as she exited the room.
"What about breakfast? I''m hungry¡" Vale interjected before Lisa could shut the door.
"Ahh¡ We''re done with our meal. Magnus made some sandwiches. Don''t expect too much, since we haven''t visited a town to resupply for the past week. You can have them before going outside. Those rebels weren''t important anyway¡" Lisa replied, eliciting a chuckle from Vale.
He proceeded to do just that, taking about 30 minutes before stepping outside.
At that moment, he noticed that only Magnus was waiting for him, just like what Lisa mentioned. It seemed as though Faith and the others couldn''t be bothered to meet with these individuals at all!
"Magnus, please fill me in on the situation." Vale requested upon seeing the impably dressed gentleman, who at that moment appeared more like a professional butler of the castle than its owner.
The old man may still look imposing with hisrge physique, but right now, he was merely a ve working for Vale.
"Master Vale, their airships arrived about two hours ago, requesting to meet with the owner of the castle. Since they didn''te with hostile intentions and asked politely, Miss Faith decided not to attack them and informed them that we would wait for you." Magnus exined.
Vale couldn''t help but smile wryly upon hearing this. He hadn''t anticipated that Faith would simply delegate the authority to him.
"Very well... Let''s summon their leader."
***
Marquis Larry Morgan sat calmly in themander''s seat while awaiting permission from the castle to descend.
His long, tousled brown hair and unshaven beard and mustache gave him a weathered appearance, but he paid it no mind, knowing that his meeting with the castle''s owner was of utmost importance.
He had heard about how this enigmatic castle had repelled the Royal Knights of the Kingdom and withstood the bombardment from their airships.
It was an incredible feat, and he was eager to meet the owner of the castle.
''It''s a pity that three airships still escaped from us even after this castle''s forces weakened them.'' Marquis Morgan mused as he leaned on his chair. He couldn''t help but recall how he still failed to annihte the kingdom''s airships even though they could barely use their cannons and Arcanists to defend against them.
In the end, he could only me it on the fact that their solitary Airship couldn''t cover multiple enemy Airships simultaneously.
ncing at the time, he realized it was already past 10 in the morning.
With a sigh, Marquis Morgan stood up as he nned to get another coffee to keep himself awake.
"They''re still making us wait, huh... I''m certain this is a test. Since they are also enemies of the kingdom, they must understand that I could be their ally. However, they definitely wish to demonstrate their superiority in the negotiation..." Larry Morgan muttered, unperturbed by their attitude.
In fact, he approved of this treatment, as he would have done the same if their roles were reversed.
Luckily, his patience bore fruit!
After another 30 minutes, a messenger in the form of a pigeon arrived on their deck! The message granted them permission to descend to a nearby mountain and invited him and no more than five trusted associates to enter the castle.
"It''s here!" Larry''s eyes lit up as he read the message.
Soon, he ordered the descent as instructed and called upon his finest men to apany him into the castle. He chose to bring only two individuals with him¡ª the ck and White Knights, who had served him for over two decades. Even though they were in their forties, theirbined strength could easily overpower a Master Arcanist!
Of course, he could still bring a few more experts, but he decided to leave them here to protect the Airship while he was gone.
"Marquis, are you sure that it''s enough for the three of us?" The ck Knight spoke, concerned by the Marquis'' n.
"It''s alright¡ I''m bringing this Talisman so we can escape if necessary. Even the Kingdom''s number 1 Royal Warlock will not be able to stop us with this item." Marquis Morgan proudly said while showing the Talisman that seemed to be made out of gold.
The White Knight simply nodded at this as he followed the Marquis from behind.
Upon arriving in front of the castle, they were greeted by the imposing Formation Arts that protected the ce.
"Incredible... No wonder it was able to withstand the bombardment. Now that we''re near, I feel an endless amount of energy protecting this castle." Marquis Morgan remarked.
"I can sense that they''re using an Ancient Formation, Marquis. The owner of this castle must have delved into Lost or even Forbidden Arcane Arts." the ck Knightmented.
"I suppose that''s the only way to achieve this. It doesn''t matter. As long as the Forbidden Arts are not as cruel as the creation of Artificial Humans, then allying with them shouldn''t be a bad idea." Marquis Morgan stated as he gazed at the castle gate.
There, he spotted an elderly gentleman dressed entirely in ck, who appeared to be a butler. Beside him stood a young man who seemed to be in his teens. If he were to make a guess, the young man was undoubtedly the young master of the castle''s owner.
After all, the young man was not detected in his Magic Zone, yet he could see him!
Marquis Morgan felt a chill upon realizing this¡
Chapter 604 Condition
Chapter 604 Condition
"Can you sense that young man through your Magic Zones?" Marquis Morgan inquired, finding it hard to believe what he was experiencing.
"No¡" The ck and White Knights answered simultaneously, their unease was evident.
This was an unprecedented urrence. While there were instances where they couldn''t sense someone''s presence, especially if they had powerful stealth abilities, swift movement, or artifacts, once seen, the individuals would naturally be detectable through their special state or their Magic Zone.
Even ghosts had some presence in their Magic Zone, but the figure before them had none at all.
''He''s not human¡'' The three of them immediately had the same thought.
They spected that this man was likely a high-ranking vampire, a noble elf, or even a spiritual entity from another realm!
Marquis Morgan took a deep breath topose himself. Then, he stepped forward and addressed the people in front of him in a manner befitting a noble, "Greetings, Sir. I am Marquis Larry Morgan. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I must say, your castle and its defenses have left me utterly impressed."
"I''m Vale. Are you really impressed with our defense?" Vale inquired upon hearing Marquis Morgan''s introduction.
He opted to disclose only his first name, deeming it to be of little importance. He mentioned his name solely because Marquis Larry Morgan had introduced himself.
"Yes... I received a few reports about how your castle defended against those dogs of the Royal Family. I''vee here not to cause a fight. Our enemy is the Royalty of the Ruri Kingdom, who have be greedy, disregarding their citizens'' lives in their pursuit of immortality. If this continues, the kingdom and its innocent people will be doomed. Are you willing to help us?" Marquis stated bluntly.
Even the ck and White Knights were a bit surprised as they thought he would at least wait to be invited inside the castle before bringing this matter up.
They looked at the Marquis for a brief moment but they swiftly recovered and faced the people in front of them.
On the other hand, Vale somehow liked the man''s frankness since he was also not too sure about the noble''s pleasantries.
So in response, Vale mirrored this directness, "What does that have to do with us?"
Marquis Morgan appeared unsurprised by the young man''s casual reply.
"Are you not angry after being attacked by their army? If they sessfully returned, it''s only a matter of time before theye back again. There''s no way they would let this matter pass!"
Morgan paused after saying this as he looked at Vale''s reaction¡
"You might be able to defend against them, but in the end, this castle would remain in this ce and will soon be a target of arge-scale subjugation. The kingdom might even use the Arcanist Guild to put a bounty or reward for the Arcanist Squads who could conquer this castle."
Vale gently nodded after hearing this exnation.
If the kingdom didn''t want to use its own army, it was indeed possible to hire the rogue Arcanists to attack their castle.
It would buy them time to assemble arge army before they''d try to attack again!
The castle they have may be capable of defending against such attacks, but it would definitely be annoying if there were Arcanists that woulde knocking on their doors every day!
Of course, Vale decided not to trust his words immediately.
"Hmmm¡ Let''s talk more about this inside. Discussing it here outside seems too ufortable."
Vale extended an invitation to the three to enter the castle. At the very least, there was a reception hall where they could receive guests and enjoy tea and snacks.
"Do you think you can resolve the problem then, Marquis Morgan?" Vale inquired after they were seated and had some snacks.
It seems that Marquis Morgan was waiting for this question, and as soon as he heard it, he smiled and voiced his answer.
"Yes... I''ll be recing the king!" Marquis Morgan dered with determination, his eyes filled with fiery ambition.
"Oh~"
Vale found himself not opposed to the idea.
''Recing the king, huh¡ I might get more benefits if this happens.'' Vale thought as he continued asking the Marquis about his n.
Fortunately, Marquis Morgan wasn''t acting alone with just a single airship in his name. He stillmanded a sizable army and had several nobles secretly supporting him. He even disclosed that the neutral faction of the kingdom was already backing him, biding their time until he disyed undeniable strength to challenge the king as the signal for them to revolt.
"Mhmm... I''m not well-versed in politics, but it seems more convenient if you''re the ruler of thisnd. Tell us how you want us to help..." Vale offered.
After an hour of discussion, Vale agreed to align with the Marquis with certain conditions...
"I think that it''s not a difficult matter. The only variable is the fact that we don''t know what kind of Forbidden Arts they will use once they''re cornered. With that said, I want to ensure that you guys are strong enough to have our backs... Let''s have a duel!" Vale proposed.
"A duel?" Marquis repeated, he didn''t expect such a sudden request.
But after thinking about it, this request does seem necessary.
"Alright¡ Anyway, I brought my Knights here in case these types of situations ur."
Of course, he was undeniably confident, especially with the White and ck Knights by his side. These two were his most formidable knights and were considered to be the strongest Knights once they worked together.
"Sir Vale, I must remind you that these two have Anti-Magic Stones that they could freely use. It only covers about 1 meter, but that''s more than enough for Grand Knights like them¡" Marquis revealed.
It was such a valuable secret, but he didn''t mind revealing it at all!
"Oh? They have Anti-Magic Stones¡ That''s impressive! I became even more interested! I''ll fight one of you¡" Vale responded with excitement.
At this point, Marquis Morgan no longer hesitated as he turned to the ck Knights and whispered, "Do not kill the young master. Breaking his weapon or injuring him a bit should be enough."
"Yes!" the ck Knights affirmed.
Chapter 605 Duels
Chapter 605 Duels
Vale grinned mischievously, having overheard the Marquis''s whispered words.
''We''ll see your reactionter¡''
He chose not toment since he was confident that they would soon realize the caliber of their opponent.
Vale had no intention of harming them since they needed to be in their peak condition once they rebelled, but he was determined to showcase his prowess in this battle.
They needed to understand their ce in the hierarchy of strength. After all, if the hierarchy was properly established, then the respect and benefits he''d receive would surely satisfy him.
"Oh! I heard that there will be a duel! You''re not thinking of fighting before us, right?" Lisa''s voice interrupted as Vale was about to invite the Marquis and his subordinates to the training grounds of the castle.
During his conversation with the Marquis, Vale was aware that Faith and the others were eavesdropping.
This was also why he agreed to assist the Marquis. Since they all sought to eliminate the individuals behind the artificial human experiment, Vale readily agreed.
Anyway, he didn''t think that Lisa woulde out now.
''Did she be this rash because of her bloodline?''
"Yes... Do you want to join us?" Vale offered after a moment of thought.
"Mhmm... You can fight the ck guy, and I will fight the white guy... Is that alright?" Lisa proposed.
Before Vale could respond, Pearl interjected, "I want to try my newly recorded spells, Vale. I will fight the ck one instead."
''Then, I won''t be fighting anyone?'' Vale sighed after hearing this since he really wanted to see how his Cursed me would fare against the Knights.
Anyway, he could probably ask Faith to summon a creature for him to practice on so he agreed to their requests.
"Alright¡ Lisa will have a duel against the White Knight and Pearl against the ck Knight. Marquis Morgan, is this eptable?" Vale asked.
"Normally, not anyone could challenge these Knights because of their rank. However, if you believe that yourpanions deserve to experience a duel against the best Knights of the Kingdom, then I have no objection." Marquis said with a smile.
***
Soon, everyone in the castle made their way to the training grounds, a vast expanse enclosed by towering stone walls and adorned with intricately designed banners depicting the castle''s emblem.
ording to Magnus, these banners were gifted to him by a nobleman more than two decades ago, and since they have various mystical effects in their surroundings, like refreshing air, cool breeze, dust absorption, and others, he decided to keep them here.
The grounds were also meticulously maintained, with ornate stone pathways crisscrossing the area.
Sparring dummies and training equipment were neatly arranged along the periphery, and a grandstand provided an elevated viewing area for spectators.
It seemed a bit too big for them.
''This is weird¡''
Marquis Morgan started to notice that there weren''t a lot of people in the castle. He couldn''t help but feel curious about how they were able to defend this castle.
To be honest, he expected this castle to have hundreds of knights training here and guards all over the ce.
However, he didn''t even notice a single knight patrolling the surroundings or guarding a post!
''Did Vale order them to hide?'' He couldn''t help but think of this.
In the meantime, Vale also noticed the Marquis'' confusion, but he decided not to tell him that there was no one else in the castle besides them!
Well, excluding the two Mystical Entities that Magnus imprisoned in the castle''s basement.
After some quick discussion, they established a set of rules for the duel. The victor would be determined when the opponent lost consciousness, could no longer move, was unable to cast Arcane Arts, or surrendered.
Then, Faith was chosen to act as the referee.
''Whoa~''
Marquis Morgan found himself greatly impressed by Vale at this moment. Lisa, Pearl, and Faith were all remarkably beautiful women, and he couldn''t shake the suspicion that they might be otherworldly beings, particrly Faith, with her ethereal pallor.
''They''re also incredibly strong women¡ Especially that girl with blue hair. It feels as if I''m looking at an Immortal.'' Morgan couldn''t help but sigh as he realized how lucky Vale was...
nk. nk. nk.
As the white knight stepped forward and positioned himself in the center of the training grounds, he towered over Lisa, making the impending battle seem unfairly matched.
However, as he drew closer, he was enveloped by a daunting aura emanating from Lisa.
"Mhmm¡ What''s with this malevolent aura?"
He whispered to himself, taken aback by the unexpected disy of power.
Nevertheless, he didn''t show his reaction as he maintained his stance and held his sword, ready to withdraw at a moment''s notice.
Faith surveyed each participant.
After ensuring their readiness, she promptly announced the start of the duel!
At the same time, Magnus also activated the stage''s formation art to ensure that no spectators would get hurt by stray spells.
Cling~
The White Knight unsheathed his double-edged sword, its de pulsating with a vibrant purple light. He swiftly used the Morgan Family''s sword technique to ovee Lisa''s Arcane Defense since he anticipated her casting a defensive spell and creating a gap between them.
Although he didn''t know which Arcane Path she was practicing, he was able to guess that with Lisa''s slim figure, she was a pure Spellcaster who would rely on incantations or artifacts to attack her opponent.
He wasn''t looking down on her, but based on his experience, he knew that his guess was most likely correct.
''I''ll end this quickly¡ This is the best way to help the Marquis.'' He thought to himself, preparing to enact his strategy.
However, to his surprise, Lisa took an unexpected approach.
Instead of casting a defensive spell and evading to create distance, she advanced toward him unarmed, with only a red glove adorning her right hand.
Then, she made a move as if she intended to catch his sword.
"This crazy¡ª" The White Knight was surprised by the move and felt that his opponent had gone insane!
Chapter 606 Duel?
Chapter 606 Duel?
Vale had previously acquired two Sovereign Artifacts from Royal Knights Commander Gram and Vice Commander Laura.
Thanks to his Appraisal Spell, he could discern the nature of the items and glean some information. Although the appraisal result wasn''t wless, it provided sufficient insight into their capabilities and potential risks if mishandled.
The red glove worn by Lisa was the same Sovereign Artifact that Laura had possessed, known as the Red Bruiser, which boasted three distinct abilities. One of its abilities, the Space Breaker, surprised even Vale, as its power allowed it to annihte anything it came into contact with during its brief activation.
Lisa only had a short 5 seconds to do it, but it was certainly a terrifying ability.
However, this ability could only be employed thrice a day, and was limited to physical objects, rendering it ineffective against spells, spiritual beings, or summoned entities.
Boom!
At this point, Lisa caught the sword of the White Knight!
She already activated the Space Breaker and nearly shattered the sword!
"Nice move¡ No wonder the Marquis looked so confident." Vale muttered.
He clearly saw how the White Knight disyed his remarkable reflexes.
The White Knight swiftly recognized the risk his sword faced from being destroyed. Without any hesitation, the Knight promptly aborted his Sword Technique despite the potential for injury.
Thanks to that, he was able to avoid the worst-case scenario for his sword.
However, as he pulled back, he heard something¡
A resounding crack echoed through the training grounds as the precious sword sustained a few minuscule fractures from Lisa''s brief hold.
"That equipment is above Royal Rank?" The White Knight muttered in astonishment, realizing that only an Artifact surpassing the sword''s ssification could inflict such damage.
There was no doubt Lisa''s equipment must be at least a low-rank Sovereign Artifact!
The Knight, undeterred by the jeopardy his weapon faced, remained unfazed.
As a Knight working for the Marquis, he had confronted numerous formidable opponents, so he viewed each encounter as an opportunity for growth.
Swiftly discarding his now fractured sword, he drew a dagger from his waist.
"Since you have to touch the weapon to break it, as long as I''m faster, I''ll have no trouble defeating you," He dered, leveraging his remarkable speed to close the distance to Lisa.
In response, Lisa chuckled upon hearing his words.
"You''re correct... However, I merely tested this equipment. I just received it a few days ago. Now, I''ll engage you in earnest¡" Lisa remarked, deftly evading the White Knight''s aggressive assault with graceful movements.
"You¡ª"
The White Knight was astonished as he found himself outmatched by Lisa''s swiftness.
Yet, his astonishment was far from over. As Lisa leaped backward, an ominous aura enshrouded the entire training ground, her eyes turning a striking shade of red. Herplexion paled dramatically, and her hair darkened, signaling a startling transformation.
There was no doubt! It was a transformation into a Vampire!
This time, Lisa had already nullified the effects of the Vampire Fang ne she wore, which had been instrumental in maintaining her human guise.
Upon her transformation, Marquis Morgan and the ck Knights instinctively reached for their weapons, a reflexive response when confronted by a formidable creature.
"That woman is a Vampire?!" Marquis Morgan eximed, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.
The revtion that someone he had regarded as a feeble Arcanist was, in fact, a Vampire, caught him off guard.
"Hahaha! So it''s like that! No wonder my Sixth Sense Spell is telling me that you''re dangerous. Come! Face me!" The White Knight challenged, undeterred by the startling revtion.
He even seemed more excited after seeing her transformation.
After Vale saw Lisa''s transformation, he knew that this battle was over.
Although the White Knight was strong, his techniques would only work against normal Arcanists. After all, Lisa could already fly and even transform herself into a mist!
As the battle unfolded, the White Knight unleashed a flurry of dagger techniques and swift movement spells, attempting to tie up Lisa so she wouldn''t get away...
His expertise in closebat and agility were on full disy as he sought to outmaneuver the Vampire.
However, Lisa''s vampiric abilities, including the formidable Darkness Veil, and a host of other potent vampire spells, proved to be overwhelming.
In a disy of otherworldly power, she used abination of Darkness Maniption, Hypnotic Illusions, and a chilling Malevolent Aura to steadily gain the upper hand.
Ultimately, despite the White Knight''s valiant efforts, he sumbed to the relentless spells of the Vampire.
Vale saw how the White Knight was so frustrated as he didn''t even manage to hit Lisa! Not even once!
***
Marquis Morgan empathized with the White Knight''s plight.
He was fully aware of the unnerving challenge he faced.
Observing Lisa''s adept maniption of darkness, her ability to transform into mist, and her elusive evasion as a swarm of bats, he immediately realized that it was a bad match for his Knight.
She was undoubtedly the most formidable adversary for a Knight who wascking a suitable weapon tobat a vampire.
Witnessing his Knight sumb to the relentless onught of vampire spells, including hypnosis and blood magic, Marquis Morgan even thought of intervening to halt the unequal contest.
Ultimately, Lisa''s resounding p on the White Knight''s helmet served as a stark wake-up call, driving home the futility of his continued resistance against her overwhelming power.
"I''ll be fighting next¡" Dered by the ck Knight as he swiftly took the stage. He was aiming to win his duel to make it a draw.
He then looked at his opponent, Pearl, who didn''t even wear decent protective gear, and was only carrying a cane!
"Same rules¡ If you''re ready, you can now start the fight!"
As Faith announced the start of the battle, she sensed the impending confrontation. Faith swiftly positioned herself at a safe distance, anticipating Pearl''s next move.
Meanwhile, the ck Knight gripped his sword tightly, enveloping himself in a formidable shroud of dark aura for protection.
However, Pearl calmly issued a directive.
"Drop your weapon."
Chapter 607 Finalized
Chapter 607 Finalized
"Drop your weapon¡"
Pearl''s ethereal voice resonated,pelling the ck Knight to heed hermand.
But it was only the ck Knight. The pervasive influence of Pearl''s psychic spell extended beyond him, affecting those with weaker mental defenses throughout the training ground.
"What a terrifying spell. It''s more powerful than my hypnosis¡" Lisa, who was still in her Vampire form, softly spoke as she felt her racial ability defend against the Psychic Spell.
"No wonder that referee moved back so quickly¡" Marquis Morganmented as he held the ne that was protecting him.
It wasn''t just that. Pearl did it without any signs of Spell Activation, so they were all momentarily affected!
Marquis Morgan couldn''t help but doubt the integrity of the Formation Circle that the butler activated to protect the spectators.
Unfortunately, he had no time toin as he watched his Knight struggle.
***
"Another troublesome Arcane Path¡ But I can win this!"
Amidst the rming realization of facing a formidable opponent proficient in a dangerous Arcane Path, the ck Knight remained resolute.
He was well aware of the insidious nature of Pearl''s Psychic Spell. Dropping his weapon wasn''t just amand. Once he let himself follow hermand, there was no way of going back!
Luckily, he wasn''t ill-equipped.
He relied on his protective ck helmet, which not only shielded him from physical assaults but also fortified his defenses against spells that could typically bypass traditional knight''s magic.
The brief protection it gave him allowed him to muster enough Arcane Energy to fight against the spell.
However, despite the opportunity he obtained, he still found himself grappling with thepelling urge to release his sword. His willpower was being tested to its limits.
"Ho~ You''re defending against it? Not bad!" Pearlmented after seeing how the ck Knight was struggling to control himself.
"You!" The ck Knight heard her words and gritted his teeth.
As he strained to maintain control, Pearl observed his struggle with a sense of detached amusement.
She didn''t even bother using another spell or striking him with his cane, treating him as entertainment!
The ck Knight then burst with power as he held his sword firmly. He was about to celebrate by cutting this woman in half, but something unexpected happened.
Pearl ominously dered her intent to intensify her psychic art!
"I''ll make it stronger¡ Be ready¡"
Pearl said before activating her Psychic Art once again.
"Drop. Your. Weapon."
Upon uttering these words, Pearl''s piercing blue eyes radiated an intense gleam, while her azure hair danced as if stirred by an invisible breeze.
Witnessing this disy, Vale couldn''t shake the memory of Pearl''smanding presence when she unleashed the formidable Storm Surge Spell to halt the 14th Prince''s airship fleet.
The familiar, potent aura she exuded filled him with concern for the fate of the beleaguered ck Knight.
Fortunately, Pearl exercised restraint, refraining from pushing the ck Knight beyond his mental limits.
She simply broke his Arcane Defenses andpelled him to heed her directive¡ or that was what Vale was hoping she did.
ng. ng... ng¡ N?v(el)B\\jnn
As the knight''s sword ttered to the ground, the ck Knight''s vacant stare prompted Vale''s uneasiness, fearing the potential damage inflicted upon his mind.
After all, hecked the means to remedy such an injury.
Utilizing his Dragon''s True Sight, Vale scrutinized the ck Knight before discreetly signaling Faith.
Faith acknowledged his message with a nod as she announced the conclusion of the battle.
"Pearl wins this duel since the ck Knight has lost his consciousness," Faith deres.
"What?"
Startled by the unforeseen turn of events, Marquis Morgan and the White Knight sprang into action, unaware of the ck Knight''s incapacitation.
"He really passed out. What a terrifying ability... Is she one of the top-ranking members of the Oracle Hivemind?" Marquis Morgan whispers in shock.
"I don''t think so¡ She doesn''t have their usual mark on their bodies, and she''s not emiting that twisted and wicked aura like those other Mind Controllers do."
"I guess you''re right¡ She also doesn''t have a row of ves following her every footstep." Morgan muttered as he really had a bad impression of Psychic Arts.
He''d rather befriend a Dark Magician than those Mind Controllers of the Oracle Hivemind!
"I think everyone here is terrifyingly strong¡"
Reflecting on the harrowing disy of Pearl''s abilities, Morgan whispered his acknowledgment of their formidable strength, recognizing the invaluable role they could y even if he ascended to kingship.
''I guess even if I became a king, I''d have to rely on them for a little.'' Marquis Morgan said, but in the end, he felt that it wasn''t a bad idea at all.
***
After ending the duel, Marquis Morgan and Vale''s group finalized their alliance to overthrow the king.
This also ensured their castle''s ess to vital resources. They would no longer have to travel to faraway towns just to get some decent resources.
The Marquis even offers to provide workers to repair the Airship that Vale had taken from the Royal Knights. Well, they were still broken because of Pearl''s Storm Surge Spell at that time. They could probably make it work, but it requires several Shamans to patch up the damage it has incurred.
"You can repair it for us? That would be helpful!" Vale eximed. He couldn''t help but anticipate positive developments once the Kingdom was stabilized under the Marquis''s leadership.
"Of course¡ This is not a problem."
The Marquis expected to benefit most from Vale''s group''s assistance, having witnessed their strength.
He had believed that with the Vampire and the enigmatic Psychic, they could deal a heavy blow to the Kingdom''s main force discreetly, increasing their chances of sess.
"Sir Vale, this token is a symbol of our alliance. It doesn''t have any magical properties; it is made of meteorite, so it cannot be easily broken¡" The Marquis exined as he handed over the token.
"Interesting..." Vale mused as he epted the token.
The token didn''t have the Marquisate''s emblem but had instead featured what appeared to be the Rebel Army''s emblem¡ or not.
Vale was confused. "Wait¡ Isn''t this simr to the emblem of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer?"
Chapter 608 The Witch
Chapter 608 The Witch
''There''s no doubt about it. It''s definitely the same emblem!''
Vale expressed his confusion as he observed the emblem of the Church embedded in the token given to him by Marquis Morgan.
The Marquis appeared unconcerned by Vale''s recognition of the emblem. In fact, he seemed to expect Vale to notice it.
"Yes... I mentioned how I secured the support of the Kingdom''s Neutral Faction. It''s all thanks to the assistance of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer... They will be sending us their finest Sorcerers to aid us. Once they learn about our cooperation, you can expect them to visit you to introduce themselves and provide you with various resources¡" Marquis Morgan exined.
At this point, Marquis Morgan paused to clear his throat.
"Ahem... That also means they might ask you to convert to their religion and serve the Divine Sorcerer. However, you are not obligated to follow them. Once we remove the King, they will be able to establish their own Holy Kingdom and im a southern part of the Kingdom for themselves. That was the agreement we made."
Upon hearing this, Vale wryly smiled. "Sorcerers, huh... Can you tell me more about them?" Vale inquired.
"Of course! I''m more than willing to share what I know about them and my experience dealing with their ministers¡" Marquis Morgan replied.
With that, Vale extended another invitation to Marquis Morgan to the castle''s reception to discuss details about the Church.
After all, Vale had encountered the Church of the Three Paragons and the Church of the Fortune Goddess, but he had no knowledge of the other churches, as they were not taught in the Academy.
***
Then, as Vale listened to the Marquis'' words, he discovered that the Church of the Divine Sorcerer was home to practitioners of Mystic Arts, particrly those who had chosen the path of Sorcery.
Simr to the Dark Arts, which epassed Necromancers, Dark Magicians, Ritualists, and others, the Mystic Arts also included Shamans, Witch Doctors, Sorcerers, and various other disciplines.
It seemed that the practice of Sorcery represented an extreme path within the Mystic Arts, distinctly different from the other branches.
ording to Marquis Morgan, the members of the Church sought to acquire a substantial territory and establish their independence, aspiring to create thergest Holy Land.
"They have great ambition¡" Vale remarked as he didn''t expect a Church to have such a grand ambition.
However, after thinking about it, it certainly made sense, considering they alsomand a powerful force.
With thousands of Arcanists in theirmand, it was even surprising that they were able to contain their greed for a long time.
"Yes, that''s great ambition. I even conducted an investigation, and it feels as if the Divine Sorcerer himself is on the verge of descending, and they are preparing to wee him in their holynd" The Marquis revealed.
"Mhmm? It sounds simr to the Order of Fatality''s mission¡" Vale remarked as he shook his head.
Nevertheless, he was open to meeting with the members of the churches, feeling curious about them since they would essentially be his neighbors once they acquirednd in the southern region.
After more than an hour of discussion, Marquis Morgan expressed his intention to depart in order to prepare for their n and organize the workers he would dispatch to repair the Vale''s Airship.
"Ah... Before you leave, I wanted to ask why your Knights failed to use the Anti-Magic Stones that they have during the duel¡" Vale inquired.
"Hmm? Isn''t that because yourpanions fought from a distance? Anti-Magic Stones don''t target the formed spells after all... They target the source or the Arcanists instead. However, they only cover about a meter, so the Knights have to get closer to make it work." Marquis Morgan exined.
''So it''s different from my Spell Dispersion...'' Vale pondered to himself as he thanked the Marquis.
Once the Marquis had left, Vale finally had some time to himself and decided to work on fusing Spells.
He felt the need tobine them!
***
Meanwhile, in Kirkham City, situated at the border of the Millton Kingdom, a group of people wearing what seemed like merchants or businessmen arrived.
There were a total of eight of them, and their leader was the first to disembark the carriage.
Their presence did not initially raise suspicion, as they blended in with the numerous other businessmen and traders entering the city.
Since the railway had not yet reached the city, everyone still relied on horse-driven carriages.
Nevertheless, despite their unassuming appearance, they suddenly drew the attention of many passersby when their leader, a woman in her early thirties with long silver hair and captivating blue eyes, removed the thick coat that was covering her body.
She was none other than Gale Evans.
"It isn''t as cold here. Anyway, I can sense another practitioner of the Dark Arts. They have concealed it well and probably enough to deceive those Priests." She remarked.
"Professor¡ª I mean, Miss Gale, I noticed that there aren''t any Holy Knights or Priests at the city gate, unlike the ones in the central part of the Kingdom. I think they have a weak influence in this region... The Dark Magicians could probably stay here for a long time before being exposed," one of herpanions behind hermented.
"I think so too... It seems as if the Holy Arts Faction''s alliance and the Church of the Fortune Goddess are only focusing on their area of influence," another added. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Yes, that''s also what I''m thinking." Miss Gale concurred after a moment of thought.
"Continue with our n. I will meet you all in an hour."
With this, she immediately walked in a different direction.
The others didn''t seem bothered by her sudden change of n, as if this had already happened before.
"We''ll do so, Miss Gale. Please take care," herpanions responded.
Miss Gale simply waved her hand in acknowledgment as she followed the trail of the Dark Arts Practitioner she had detected.
After a while, she arrived at the part of the city where the Arcanist Guild was located.
"So it''s here¡"
Chapter 609 Arcanist Guild
Chapter 609 Arcanist Guild
The Arcanist Guild in Kirkham City had a farrger number of members than Gale had anticipated.
She had visited Arcanist Guilds in other cities before, but they all seemed tock both members and powerful Arcanists.
However, as she stood outside the Guild house in Kirkham City, she could already sense the significant presence of Arcanists inside, some of whom appeared quite formidable.
''There are so many First ss Arcanists... What''s going on?'' Gale silently pondered, realizing that this was not a typical situation.
After taking a deep breath, she entered the Guild house, which outwardly resembled a regr tavern.
Despite its unassuming appearance, Gale knew from the signs outside that it was indeed an Arcanist Guild.
As she settled at the counter to order a drink, another female Arcanist took a seat beside her and initiated a conversation.
"You''re not from around here. Did you alsoe here to hunt the people of the Ruri Kingdom?" she inquired.
"What?" Gale responded in surprise, as she had never heard anything about it.
"Oh... I guess you haven''t heard about it. By the way, I''m Corene... I''m a Summoner. To be exact, the mission was to hunt the Arcanists of the Ruri Kingdom. We''re actuallycking a member in our squad... Can you join us?" Corene asked. She had long red hair and an equestrian-inspired attire. She seemed quite different from many other female Arcanists as she projected an air of confidence.
Of course, she was one of the First-ss Arcanists that Gale had detected a while ago.
"Tell me more about this mission¡" Gale inquired, unwilling to immediately dismiss Corene''s request and risk offending her.
Then, Corene went on to exin how the mission originated from a disaster the previous month, which imed the lives of numerous Arcanists from a neighboring city.
She detailed a Vampire Subjugation that resulted in the deaths of several promising talents, Arcanists with the potential to be First-ss or above.
Although the subjugation was sessful, the Soldiers or Arcanists of the Ruri Kingdomy in wait outside the castle to seize their possessions. Corene also mentioned the use of multiple Airships in the attack.
"Interesting... If they possess such a formidable force, including airships, why didn''t they directly attack the Vampire Castle instead of ambushing the subjugation team?" Gale inquired.
"I heard it was due to their treaty with the Vampires, which prohibited them from causing harm. However, our kingdom''s people were not part of that treaty¡" Corene exined.
"I see... Are we going to the Ruri Kingdom to hunt them?" Gale asked.
"Yes... However, the Guild didn''t want this to be a war between the two nations, so we will move discreetly. Anyway, even the Church of the Divine Sorcerer has begun offering a reward for hunting the Knights and Druids of the Ruri Kingdom¡ We just need to store their souls in their Sorcerer Stone to prove that we killed them and they''re really Knights or Druids of the Kingdom." Corene revealed, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
At this time, Gale couldn''t help but be surprised.
She didn''t expect that the Church would go so far to collect the souls of those people!
''I don''t think this is a simple act of revenge. There must be more to it. We can''t be too involved in this mission and find the missing Dark Magicians.''
Gale sighed as she made a decision.
Despite the significance of the mission, Gale politely declined Corene''s offer.
Luckily, Corene understood her concern and didn''t think too much of it.
As Gale turned away, she spotted the Dark Magicians that left some traces around the city. The Arcanist was a young woman with ck and white hair, exuding a beauty that belied her timid posture.
''She looks so young... Furthermore, she''s not even a student of the Academy, yet she appears so promising. I wonder what path she is practicing... If she''s not delving into multiple Dark Paths, she can still be molded into a great Dark Arcanist¡'' Gale thought as she observed the youngdy.
The youngdy seemed to have noticed Gale''s gaze, and as their eyes met, they both immediately recognized each other as Dark Arcanists. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Without hesitation, Gale departed from the guild house.
Simultaneously, the youngdy, apanied by her squad, made an excuse to leave and followed Gale outside.
Although she was unaware of Gale''s identity, she at least recognized her as a fellow Dark Arcanist.
Upon reaching the alley, the youngdy approached the enigmatic woman.
"Why did you call me?" she asked.
"I''m Gale Evans, a Dark Magician from the Dark Arts Faction. I''m curious about you, as you weren''t being hunted by the Holy Knights here. Did you deceive them with an Artifact?" Gale inquired.
"It''s something like that... Is that the only reason you called me?" The youngdy responded.
"You seem in such a hurry¡ I''m simply curious if you want to join the Dark Arts Faction. The Holy Arts Faction may not have sent their people here, but it won''t be long before they dispatch someone to search for Dark Magicians. Even if you''re not part of our faction, you''d still be hunted," Gale exined.
"If you join us¡ I can personally teach you." Gale said with a mysterious voice.
"Hypnosis? A Charm Spell in the Dark Arts? Are you practicing the Subus Path? Urghh¡ I''m good. It hasn''t been long since I''ve gained freedom. I don''t want to be tied down again¡" The youngdy replied.
"I see... May I know what to call you?" Gale asked.
"Denise¡"
"Alright, Denise... I won''t bother you again. However, I want to know if you''ve seen other Dark Magicians¡"
Denise shook her head upon hearing Gale''s question.
"I haven''t seen them since they will not stay in arge city most of the time. They can''t freely conduct their dark research in such a ce¡" Denise responded.
Gale nodded in agreement since that certainly made sense.
"How about the Masked Devil? I heard the news about his appearance around here¡" Gale suddenly asked.
"The Masked Devil?"
"Yes... I''m curious about his identity. As a matter of fact, I have a guess about his identity, so I wanted to confirm it by meeting him," Gale exined casually. She wasn''t expecting much when she asked the question.
However, as she spoke, Denise''s eyes lit up.
To be honest, she also wanted to meet the Masked Devil. After all, she had a strange feeling that she knew that person!
Chapter 610 Legendary Creature
Chapter 610 Legendary Creature
A month quickly passed¡ N?v(el)B\\jnn
During this time, Valepleted several Spell Fusions, reducing the number of his Spell Models significantly. He even spent quite a lot of his Essence Collection during this process.
Despite this, the quality of his Spells had greatly improved, making him considerably stronger. He had not tested most of his Spell yet, but he knew that they would surely surprise even Pearl,who had already seen a lot of Spells in her entire life.
As he finished practicing his Formation Art skills, he began contemting a visit to the creatures imprisoned beneath the castle.
These creatures were the ones providing an endless source of energy within the castle.
"Considering that those creatures are the ones providing an endless source of energy in the castle, they must be really terrifying¡" Vale muttered.
Magnus had mentioned that he was able to seal these beings thanks to the Forbidden Arts he used at that time. It sounded as if it was not a big matter, but Vale knew that Dragons could not be underestimated.
Additionally, Magnus was only fortunate that they weren''t able to react in time when they were summoned and entered his Trap Formation.
"Dragons, huh¡ I didn''t really expect that there are two of them sealed here¡" Vale whispered as he still couldn''t believe that were two of these legendary creatures beneath him.
"Should I transform into a dragon when meeting them?" Vale pondered as he considered surprising them during his visit to their prison.
It should be interesting to see their reactions if that happened.
Whom~
Just then, an engine noise could be heard outside the castle.
Even the surrounding things, like vases, utensils, and others, started vibrating due to the mechanical engine of the Airship that was getting too close to the castle.
Indeed, the disturbance was caused by the Airship they had obtained before.
It had been repaired by the workers sent by the Marquis and was extensively modified to no longer resemble the Royal Army''s Airship.
"Is it Lisa and the others? I thought it would take them two or three days" Vale muttered as he easily guessed who had arrived.
Yesterday, Lisa, Chad, and Magnus departed to visit Marquis Morgan''s hidden territory to gather various resources needed by Vale and the others.
The things they were looking for weren''t something that a small town could have. Some cities may not even possess them unless they have a massive gathering of Arcanists or when various Arcanist items are circting in the city.
Apparently, Magnus required plenty of rare Alchemy Materials, Lisa needed high-quality blood samples for research purposes, and Faith needed expensive materials for the Formation Art she was nning to create in another hidden basement of the castle.
Vale had heard that Faith was actually suppressing her space ring, which contained various items inside.
Every single day she kept an item inside, it would gradually consume her vitality.
While it wasn''t a big deal for a week or two, if it persisted for six months to a year or even longer, it would be a significant problem for her at some point.
"I wonder what she was keeping inside the space ring¡" Vale pondered as he couldn''t help but guess that it was rted to a Half-Spirit.
Nevertheless, he was also quite excited about the Airship''s arrival, as one of the items he had been looking for should also arrive.
Uponing out of the castle, Vale immediately used his Presence Shift Spell, a fusion of Lightspeed Spell, Levitation Spell, and Nature''s Guise Spell together with 1,000 Elf Essence. It was already a Level 7 Spell when he had acquired it and perhaps, he would consider this as his favorite Spell at the moment.
Whoosh~
As soon as he appeared on the deck of the Airship, he immediately asked Lisa¡
"The Immortal Shards¡ªNo, I mean the Rare Formation Nodes, do you have them?"
Vale inquired as he observed the satisfied expressions of the group, realizing that they had sessfully gathered all the necessary items in the Marquis'' territory.
Even Chad seemed to be in an excellent mood, so he probably obtained the material he needed to advance his Ghost King Body.
''That Marquis is really good. He still has a vastwork of suppliers even in his current situation as a part of the rebel army.''
Vale thought as he noted the Marquis'' impressive influence even if he was considered a criminal by the Kingdom for the treason he hadmitted.
"The Rare Formation Nodes are here. The Marquis mentioned how he spent a huge sum of money to acquire them. Ahem¡ So he''s expecting that we will have no problem destroying the capital''s barrier." Lisa reported.
"Hahaha¡ Is he still worried about that¡ You should''ve told them that we will be using a Dragon to destroy the capital and the royal castle''s barrier¡" Vale chuckled.
He had only thought of this idea a few minutes ago.
Initially, he had nned to use his Extraction System to destroy the castle''s barrier. However, he realized that if they used a Dragon and made it appear as if the Dragon was being controlled by the people of the castle, they would gain the reputation they needed, and he might gain more ess to the Immortal Items that could provide him with more Divinity Points.
However, there could also be a problem with this since they would attract the attention of many powerful individuals who were hiding in the continent.
Nevertheless, now that the Abyss Realm''s invasion is near, he doesn''t think it would be a huge deal.
After all, everyone would be too busy at that time, and they might also get into contact with such powerful individuals, which could be considered a good thing.
"What? Can you really summon one from the Dragon Realm?" Lisa asked curiously. The others, including Magnus, also listened to their conversation with curiosity.
"What do you think?" Vale responded with a mysterious smile.
However, Chad could already tell the answer from that hint!
He was already in disbelief as he realized that Vale was indeed capable of calling out a Dragon to assist them!
Chapter 611 Changes
Chapter 611 Changes
??611 Changes
After the supplies were transferred to the castle, everyone became upied as they began organizing the items they needed.
Soon, they would be returning to their respective workshops orboratories to conduct their own projects.
Faith couldn''t help but notice something about the items that Vale had ordered.
"So these are the Rare Formation Nodes you''ve been looking for. They''re quite mysterious," Faith muttered as she inspected one of them closely.
The nodes weren''t heavy and were emitting a faint blue glow once touched. It was as if it was reacting to the Arcanist that had touched them.
Nevertheless, her Magic Zone couldn''t pass through the inside of the stone. Yet, it seemed so fragile that it might get broken if she tightened her hold.
Vale''s eyes lit up after seeing this.
"Can you tell its secret?" He asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.
He stopped himself from extracting all the crates containing Immortal Shards for now since he had plenty of time to do thister.
Right now, he was more interested in seeing if the others could perceive the Divinity they contained. He even nned to ask Pearl about this since she also has Divinity.
''Lady Faith is a Half-Spirit so her senses on these things must be great¡ However, she probably hand''t seen or experienced the Divinity yet.'' Vale mused.
"Mhmm¡ These stones feel as if they had better use than being Formation Nodes¡ I''d probably need plenty of research toe up with an idea since I can''t properly distinguish the energy inside. It feels otherworldly to me. If my guess is right, these stones were probably from another realm, or at the very least, they''re influenced by an energy from a different realm and turned into this." Faith replied after thinking for a moment.
Vale was surprised that Faith had already realized that the energy it contained was otherworldly.
Indeed, Divinity was something that was not normal in the Arcanist World, so he couldn''t me Faith for not recognizing it at all.
Anyway, he already expected that she hadn''t experienced the power of Divinity yet, so she was quite clueless.
Nevertheless, it was a good analysis from her.
"You can take a few of them if you want to do research¡" Vale replied as he took a create with him.
Apparently, Marquis Morgan had given him a total of 12 crates of them!
"Then, I will not reject that offer," Faith said as she took five Immortal Shards with her.
***
Meanwhile, as Vale and the others were rejoicing over the obtained supplies, a massive town in the eastern part of the Ruri Kingdom was being consumed by a raging inferno.
"Hurry! Call the Water Magicians!"
"We don''t have those people!"
"All the magicians have gathered in the capital city!"
"No one will save us! We have to evacuate now!"
The townspeople were in a state of panic, not knowing how to deal with the sudden, enormous ze that engulfed the market and the surrounding buildings.
Due to the recent rumors of Arcanists being hunted for their blood and flesh for a forbidden ritual, most of them had already left forrger cities or the capital of the kingdom, where they deemed it to bepletely safe.
At this time, aside from Combat Arts Practitioners, who were basically the mostmon Arcanists in the world, no one else practiced the Arcane Arts.
"Do not panic!"
The police officers and firefighters were powerless since the fire wasn''t normal either.
It was fire made of magic, and their only option was to assist the people trying to escape and ensure that no one else would get injured.
"Am I really just going to watch my town burn to ashes?" Tyler, one of the police officers in the town, muttered helplessly as he watched the mes growrger. He could only silently pray that a miracle could happen and the energy powering the fire would run out.
He knew that the fire would soon spread throughout the whole town because the buildings were built too close to each other. If that happened, then it wouldn''t be long before this town would bepletely erased.
Furthermore, they had been too reliant on the Elementalists to resolve this type of problem. They do not have any Artifacts or even Talismans that could help them in such situations.
Luckily, his silent prayer was answered.
"Just control the crowd, and we''ll do the rest." Suddenly, an angelic female voice echoed behind him.
He immediately turned around to see a group of mysterious individuals.
He didn''t need to ask; he immediately knew that they were Arcanists!
Furthermore, their leader seemed to be an angel sent from heaven. She was so incredibly beautiful that rejecting any of her requests would feel like a crime.
Tyler immediately spoke¡
"Yes! We will control the crowd. Please take care of the fire!"
After the police officer left, a female Arcanist behind her spoke up.
"Miss Gale, isn''t that charm spell unnecessary?" Denise inquired, noting the reaction of the police officer upon seeing Gale.
"Huh¡ Do you think I used a charm spell just now? There was no need for that. I just simply showed my face. Once you grow up a bit more, you can also do that naturally. Do you want to learn from me? I can consider epting you as my disciple¡" Gale Evans remarked.
Then, she shifted her gaze to one of the Dark Arcanists in her group, hinting to address the fire.
In truth, all the Arcanists who had joined her were tenth-year students of the Vermont Academy. They were already formidable enough to assist her in her mission, so she wasn''t overly concerned about them.
"I''ll take care of the fire." One of the students spoke with confidence.
"Keep in mind that we can''t appear as Dark Magicians¡" Gale reminded.
"Yes, Miss Gale!"
The student, well aware of this stiption, swiftly took action.
"Dark Void".
Suddenly, a strange phenomenon urred in the atmosphere as a dark, swirling vortex materialized in the sky above the town.
This ominous phenomenon resembled a small ck hole, its edges tinged with an eerie, iridescent glow that seemed to defy thews of nature.
As soon as Gale saw this, she shook her head in disappointment.
Chapter 612 The Mysterious Castle
Chapter 612 The Mysterious Castle
??612 The Mysterious Castle
The tiny ck void that had appeared in the sky wasn''t noticed by many since most of the people were already busy taking anything they could to flee from the fire.
They had no time to watch the fire as they could tell that it would spread everywhere.
Nevertheless, the spell continued to act¡ The void seemed to have created gravitational pull, drawing the searing mes toward it with an irresistible force!
As the mes were inexorably drawn upward, they twisted and writhed as their once-fierce intensity gradually waned in the presence of the enigmatic void.
As soon as this happened, the people couldn''t help but stop as they wanted to see why the heat brought by the fire disappeared so suddenly.
"W-what is that?"
"The fire is being taken by that dark thing!"
"Magic! Only Magicians are capable of that!"
"Oh my! Thank you, Fortune Goddess! It''s the blessing of the goddess!"
"No, it must be the Divine Sorcerer! It must be the ck Seal!"
"Right, that''s the ck Seal of the Divine Sorcerer that stopped the demons from invading!"
Spectators watched in awe as the fiery ze was silently and methodically consumed by the unfathomable darkness, leaving behind only a faint, spectral residue of dissipating smoke.
Soon, a profound stillness settled over the town as thest vestiges of the mes were inexorably drawn into the enigmatic void, leaving behind a haunting tranquility in their wake.
The spectacle soon ended as the small ck hole suspended in the sky slowly disappeared after it effortlessly quelled the raging inferno.
The people couldn''t help but feel grateful as they thanked whoever they believed made it happen.
Tyler, the leading police officer in the town, immediately started looking for the magicians who had saved them from the catastrophe.
"Esteemed Arcanists! Thank you for saving us!" Tyler expressed, as the two other police officers followed suit, conveying their gratitude.
Despite being only fourth-ss Combat Arts practitioners, possessing merely 2 or 3 Spell Lights in their bodies, they were still able to discern the fluctuation of Arcane Energy emanating from the Arcanists before the appearance of the ck hole.
There was no doubt that one of the individuals in their group was responsible for unleashing that enigmatic spell.
They had no idea what Arcane Path was used at that time or if that was simply a Talisman or a Magic Artifact. However, the method they used was not important right now.
They were really grateful for the help they received at such a perfect time.
"Mhmm¡ You''re wee. Now that the problem is settled, can we ask you something about the recent incidents around here? We''ve been looking for someone." Gale inquired as she approached the police officers.
Tyler''s eyes brightened upon hearing this. He was certain that their town chief would be unable to adequately reward these individuals for their assistance, so he hoped that they would be content with simply answering their questions.
"Recent incidents? Are you talking about the disappearance of many Arcanists? We have no idea about this as well, but if we have a guess about it¡" Tyler paused, lowering his voice before continuing.
"It''s probably the Kingdom''s forces trying to¡ª"
"Ahem, we already know about that¡" Gale interjected, halting Tyler''s exnation.
"What I want to hear is the truth¡ I know that all the ces in the eastern and southern region are now controlled by the leader of the Rebel Army or the Marquis¡ I want to know about the mysterious helpers he obtained that live in a disappearing castle in the depths of the Mystic Forest. We heard that the people in that ce have an airship that visits towns and cities from time to time." Gale asked.
Evidently, Gale and herpanions had conducted extensive investigations in the eastern region, yielding a wealth of information.
One significant discovery was the presence of the Masked Devil Incarnate in the heart of the Mystic Forest, where they observed numerous lightning strikes being unleashed.
However, despite their efforts to trace the origin of these lightning strikes, their attempts proved futile. They wasted a lot of time just for this task!
Subsequently, they fortuitously interrogated a group of rebels who disclosed the existence of the castle. It was during this time that they grasped the current state of affairs in the eastern region of the kingdom.
Nevertheless, even with their persistent search within the forest for the castle, they still failed to catch even a glimpse of it after weeks of relentless effort.
They were even going back and forth in the castle and forest multiple times to replenish their supplies, yet their actions ended in disappointment.
Upon finding a few high-ranking rebels, they gleaned information about the airship utilized by the enigmatic castle for transporting goods and materials, as well as selling their potions in the market.
"That airship? Ugh¡ I apologize, but we only know a few things about it. We don''t even know their names. We only know that they can be trusted since the Marquis approved them. However, if you wish to procure their products, you may do so in the next city¡ All their products were already sold out in our town." Tyler responded.
"What if we wish to converse with them?" Gale inquired, her eyes faintly glowing.
"Ahem¡ Then you can await their arrival in three days, as they are scheduled to deliver several potions here¡ Despite the lessened number of Arcanists, the low-level potions they offer can be utilized by ordinary individuals to alleviate ailments, treat injuries, aid in sleep, and more¡ So they are still earning a lot of money in this town¡" Tyler replied.
"Interesting¡ I wonder how much money they needed that they were even actively selling to a small town¡" Gale muttered with a smile.
She finally found an opportunity to meet the Masked Devil.
"I''m hoping that the missing people were really in that ce¡" One of the tenth-year students whispered.
After all, the main reason foring here was to find the missing Dark Arcanists, including Miss Faith, who was rumored to have taken all the treasures in the Academy before going missing!
Chapter 613 Mythical Creature
Chapter 613 Mythical Creature
?613 Mythical Creature
"Dragons, huh¡" Chad pondered aloud as he was unable to shake off Vale''s words.
He harbored no doubt about Vale''s ability to summon a Dragon through a ritual, having witnessed numerous miracles performed by Vale.
Vale possessed Spirit Strands, Power Strands, and Life Strands that surpassed his own by a significant margin.
In fact, even licensed Arcanists or graduates would not possess such an extraordinary set of Strands. Moreover, aside from defeating some senior students, he had heard of Vale''s record-
breaking feats in the Twelve Academy Competition, an event previously reserved for sixth-year students and above.
"But here I am¡ still averagepared to him¡ Even Lisa became stronger already." Chad sighed, recalling this.
Initially, he had believed that after attaining the Ghost King Body, he would at least be on par with Vale. However, even after reaching the second level of the Ghost King Body, he realized that he still fell short.
He arrived at this conclusion after challenging Vale to a test of strength in the training ground, bolstered by the effects of his Ghost King Body. This happened just a few days ago.
After activating his physique''s effect, his strength should have approached 40 Strands or even more. Even if Vale had 50 Strands, Chad expected the battle to be challenging. However, after being effortlessly defeated, he knew that Vale''s Power Strand was already way above 50 Strands!
''Was it 60? Or maybe 70 Strands?''
It may seem absurd since the human body shouldn''t be capable of that, but if Vale had a blessed physique or he was truly a halfling, then that would exin everything.
''Can I also get a boost in my bloodline?'' Chad wryly smiled as he knew that his family was already above normal.
As a matter of fact, they were considered to be a powerful n because of their Ghost King Body. However, the people around him were just too strong!
Lost in these ruminations, he suddenly heard Vale''s voice outside his room.
"Chad, do you want to join me? I''m nning to visit the sealed creatures underground."
"Huh?" Chad expressed his confusion upon hearing Vale''s proposal.
While he had heard about the sealed creatures that empowered the castle''s impregnable barriers and formation arts, he had never considered meeting them, deeming it potentially dangerous and unfruitful.
He believed that the encounter would likely involve observing a chained or restrained creature on a formation circle while its energy was continuously drained.
Unless one had a fascination for creatures from another realm or an interest in studying Formation Arts, there would be little to gain.
Nevertheless, since it was Vale who extended the invitation and he had no other pressing matters, Chad promptly assented.
"Alright! Let me change my clothes first," he replied, swiftly adjusting his attire before joining Vale.
"Do you want me to do something?" Chad inquired as they strolled along the hallway.
"Well, I just thought that you might be interested to see the creatures. They''re quite rare and powerful. They can also talk to humans, so I thought you could try talking to them," Vale responded with a faint smile on his face.
"What?" Chad questioned, unable to fathom what creatures they might encounter.
He fell silent for a moment while contemting Vale''s words.
''They are powerful and can talk to humans¡ They were also creatures I can be interested with?''
If these beings possessed the strength to bolster the castle''s defenses, Chad spected that they might be mythical entities.
Moreover, considering that Magnus had summoned and imprisoned them, they were likely affiliated with his Arcane Arts.
Since Magnus was leaning towards Alchemy, then¡
''Is it chimera? A giant? Maybe a powerful Evil Entity? If not, then perhaps an apostle of the demon king? No, that''s already for the Dark Magicians. I think it should be something rted Alchemy¡ So it''s probably a living cauldron or something¡'' Chad pondered to himself.
He couldn''t help but smile at this thought.
He no longer asked Vale since he was already meeting them, so it wouldn''t take long before he got the answer.
Soon, Chad entered into the depths of the castle while following Vale.
Even without entering his Magic Zone, he could discern the vast array of Formation Arts fortifying this stronghold.
He couldn''t help but marvel at the years Magnus must have dedicated to constructing this ce.
Moreover, he could only specte about the staggering amount of resources channeled into inscribing the Magic Circles and implementing the Formation Arts. He must have used a mountain of wealth to get these resources!
Thud¡ Thud¡
As they descended the spiral staircase, the ambient temperature plummeted.
While still tolerable, Chad harbored doubts about whether the cold would persist.
Since his Magic Zone couldn''tst for a long time, he was only nning to use it once the cold became unbearable.
Before long, Chad found himself in a colossal hall.
The hall was dimly lit by flickering torches, casting eerie shadows across the expansive chamber.
The walls were adorned with intricate runes and symbols, pulsating with a faint, otherworldly glow.
''I don''t want to admit but that Magnus is indeed an old monster¡ Just how did he make these? No wonder Vale didn''t kill him. He''s really useful.'' Chad mused as he appreciated the remarkable effort put into building this ce.
Then, he noticed Vale waving his hand as if to remove the dark veil that was inside the hall¡
Indeed, as soon as he waved his hand, the Darkness Veil that was covering the two imprisoned creatures slowly dispersed!
Massive chains crisscrossed the chamber, converging at the center where two colossal creatures were restrained!
Chad''s eyes widened as he beheld the sight before him.
Two majestic Dragons, their scales shimmering in the dim light, were bound by chains that seemed barely capable of restraining their immense power.
The Dragons exuded an aura of an ancient force and raw, untamed might.
Despite their captivity, they emanated an undeniable presence as their eyes were still gleaming with defiance.
The Dragons then grunted after seeing their appearance, and it reverberated through the hall, rattling the chains binding them.
Chapter 614 Trade
Chapter 614 Trade
?614 Trade
''This..''
Chad stood frozen, unable to move or speak as he beheld the two Dragons fix their gaze upon him.
The thought of entering his Phantasm State didn''t even cross his mind, fearing that it might be interpreted as rude, potentially offending the majestic creatures before him.
''Vale! Why in the world did you bring me here?!'' Chad inwardlymented, nearly peeing at the sight of these colossal beings.
On the other hand, though Vale was also taken aback, his surprise was fleeting. He soon adopted an enthusiastic expression as he addressed the Dragons.
"Do you know Aersus the Soul Eater?" Vale inquired, referencing the Water Dragon he had encountered in the Mystic Soul Tower.
He didn''t even ask about the Dragons themselves but immediately asked about someone.
Chad couldn''t help but take a deep breath.
Nevertheless, the Dragons remained unresponsive to his query. They simply shifted their attention to Vale.
With this, Vale was prompted to continue.
"I know that you can speak since Magnus mentioned it to me. I''m Vale Chambers, and I''m now the new owner of this castle, with Magnus as my ve. In short, I can arrange your freedom or return to your Dragon Realm if you satisfy me¡" Vale dered before he decided to show his Dragon''s True Sight.
His eyes suddenly glowed with a faint jade light as he tried to see through the dragon''s body.
Upon hearing Vale''s words and seeing his Dragon-like Spell, the dragons exchanged a meaningful look, seeminglymunicating telepathically.
On the other hand, Vale expected their reaction as he smiled, patiently awaiting their response. He was mindful not to rush in such a delicate situation.
"Vale Chambers¡ Do you have ns of removing these chains?" inquired the dragon with purple scales. It seemed quite simr to Aersus but its wings were slightly shorter than those of the red dragon beside it.
"Of course¡ It''s not like I''ll be living in this castle forever. Once this ce has served its purpose, you will be able to leave. In any case, you have a very long lifespan, so three or four years shouldn''t be a big problem. However, that will only happen if you''re cooperative¡" Vale assured, his tone was calm and there wasn''t a hint of nervousness at all.
"You must keep your word¡" asserted the red dragon.
"Of course¡ Now, can you introduce yourself to us? If you don''t, I''ll just call you red dragon and purple dragon." Vale proposed, bringing a sense of ease to Chad.
Observing Vale''s ability to shift the atmosphere, Chad couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief. As long as he remained at his ssmate''s side, there seemed to be nothing to fret about.
After a moment of hesitation, the purple dragon spoke, followed by the red dragon.
"Orden¡"
"Ryzoir¡"
"Your names do sound majestic, Sir Orden and Sir Ryzior¡" Vale responded while withdrawing his ineffective Dragon''s True Sight.
It appeared that using a dragon spell on genuine dragons was futile. Nevertheless, it certainly caught the attention of the two dragons.
"I have a request, Sir dragons¡ I need some of your Draconic Essence to help my friend here. As you can see, he has the Ghost King''s Body, and if we use your essence, it will greatly benefit him and awaken his true potential¡" Vale implored.
This stunned Chad for a moment as he didn''t expect that his friend was nning to help him! Chad''s eyes lit up in excitement.
However, the dragon immediately rejected Vale''s request.
"Hmph! You can see that we''re imprisoned here. Once our Draconic Essence diminishes, our energy will wane, and these chains will sap us dry¡" Orden, the purple dragon, retorted.
"If you want us to help you, make it reasonable or just leave¡ Even if you have the dragon''s blood in you, it doesn''t mean that we''ll cooperate." Ryzoir added.
Vale sighed upon hearing this, but he remained undeterred.
While he could resort to his Extraction System, these two intelligent Dragons hadn''t wronged him in any way that warranted forceful extraction while they were already being drained by the formation.
It felt unjust to extract their essence without consent while they were in such dire straits.
"If that''s the case, then can you teach us your Spell Models?" Vale requested.
"Spell Models?" the two Dragons appeared puzzled. Teaching humans their Spell Models was them asking for death! Their Spell Models weren''t something humans could control in their bodies.
"Yes, we would like to study them. We will not use them directly. However, even if they''re not suitable for humans like us, they will still serve as valuable research material. In exchange for that, you can make a request like food or anything else you desire, except for the release of those chains. We will free the two of you once we decide to leave this castle..." Vale proposed with a hint of confident in his tone.
Upon hearing these words, the Dragons couldn''t help butugh.
It seemed absurd to them that humans would take an interest in their Dragon Spells. Nheless, they immediately recollected how Vale had used a spell faintly simr to their Draconic Eyes. The resemnce was slight, but it was undeniably present.
"Fine¡ I will show you two Draconic Spell Models¡ But I want you to bring me a few Arcane Ores," Orden dered.
"Mhmm¡ Orden, you want to transform into your human form?" Ryzoir inquired.
"Yes¡ I''m bored crouching here. I want to start moving around since we will be able to leave here in three years. I thought it would still take 50 more years until that Magnus dies¡" Orden responded.
"Well¡ Then, I want the same thing. I''ll show you two Draconic Spell Models.." Ryzoir stated.
Meanwhile, Vale was already grinning.
"Great! Let''s do it. Please show them now. I will arrange for the collection of Arcane Ores. It will take a few weeks. Don''t worry, I will keep my word so we can continue more transactions at ater date¡" Vale assured.
Chapter 615 Aersus
Chapter 615 Aersus
?615 Aersus
Soon, the two Dragon''s shared their Spell Models with the two. They used some kind of magic simr to the books in the library of the Academy.
Nevertheless, it felt as if they used a memory transfer spell to show them what the Spell Models looked like. It was certainly more effective as the image of the Spell Models was very clear.
They were Draconic Scale Armor, Dragon''s Roar, Draconic Breath, Dragon''s Wrath.
The Draconic Scale Armor could be used by humans and it grants the caster ayer of scales that covers their skin, simr to a dragon... It can be used to protect against physical or magical damage, or to enhance strength and durability.
However, even if humans could record this Spell through some luck, they would not be able to utilize it with its full might because they are missing the Dragon''s blood and physique.
On the other hand, the Dragon''s Roar allows the caster to unleash a powerful roar that can stun, frighten, or damage enemies, simr to a dragon. It could be used to intimidate, distract, or weaken targets.
Unfortunately, this powerful Spell could not differentiate between friend and foe. Even if this could incapacitate your enemies, it would be the same for yourpanions.
Nevertheless, Vale epted this Spell since it could also be fused to other spells once he had sessfully recorded it.
The third Spell, which was Draconic Breath, was a bit trickier to record.
During the recording process, you have to be in an environment with rich elemental essence.
If you are on a volcano, the Draconic Breath Spell would be Fire Dragon''s Breath, and a stream of fire from your mouth could be released... This Spell Model was very magical and Vale wanted to experiment on it.
''If I record this Spell amidst the lightning strikes¡ Then, will I get the Lightning Breath?'' Vale mused as he heard Ryzoir''s exnation.
It seems that after many years of staying here in the basement, they were still d that some people had decided to visit and talk to them.
Vale may be imagining it, but he could feel that these two weren''t terrible Dragons at all. They were just unlucky that Magnus had bad intentions when summoning them.
Lastly, the Dragon''s Wrath Spell was probably the finest support spell Vale could ever ask for.
This Spell increases the caster''s power, speed, and helps all Spell Lights in his body to have a lower cooldown!
Like a dragon, the caster would be more fierce and formidable inbat!
It could be used to dominate or destroy enemies in short durations!
"I hope there is nothing wrong in these Spell Models¡" Vale muttered as he inspected the Spell Models that the Dragons had shown to them.
"You can easily tell if there are problems in those Spell Models. You don''t have to agitate us." Orden said.
"Send us the Arcane Ores immediately¡ As for that kid beside you, you can leave him to us. We will reward him if he entertains us with his Ghost King''s Spells¡ I''m sure he can use the Nether Ice Spell and others, right?" Ryzoir suddenly said which stunned Vale for a moment.
It wasn''t his n to leave Chad here at all. He was simply nning to create a reason to give him the Dragon Essence in his collection.
After all, he knew that he couldn''t just summon some Dragon Essence and give it to Chad. He had to at least show that he had a connection to Dragon.
Furthermore, even if he decided to transform into a Dragon and attack the capitalter, he could just me these two Dragons and say that they taught the Spell to him during their free time.
"If you''re not nning to harm him, then¡ Chad, what do you think?" Vale inquired, shifting his attention to Chad.
He could sense that Chad was eager to leave, but upon hearing the Dragon express interest in him, Chad couldn''t help but pause for a moment to consider his words.
"I¡ I don''t know¡ Vale, I''m scared to be alone with these Dragons." Chad honestly replied.
It would have been stranger if he didn''t feel scared at all.
Vale then contemted for a moment before asking Yvaine to retrieve one of Aersus'' Dragon Scales and handing it to Chad.
"Although I don''t think they''ll harm you. This scale can protect you from them and for your peace of mind. It''s enough to give you some time to escape and for their chains to activate, limiting their strength by a significant degree as a penalty."
As soon as the Dragon Scale appeared, the two dragons immediately recognized it as a genuine scale of a Dragon.
"Incredible! So you have one of these!" Chad eximed, feeling the power emanating from the scales.
There was no doubt about its strength at all.
Chad swiftly inspected it, and soon, he discovered that a Rune Art was engraved on it. Once his Dark Energy entered the scale, he could trigger the Rune Art that would activate the barrier for him.
Unsurprisingly, this was Vale''s creation.
It was all thanks to his Rune Arts, specifically the Rune Creation Spell, Rune Simplification Spell, and the Protection Rune Spell that he had extracted before.
Typically, Runes must be engraved using a tool and specific techniques. However, with the existence of the Protection Rune Spell, he could cast this spell without relying on tools and imprinting them on items.
Naturally, this meant that he couldn''t create any Runes aside from those he already possessed, as manually creating them was impossible without the required knowledge passed on him.
"Interesting¡ You asked about Aersus, the Soul Eater, right?" Orden asked.
"Yes¡ Can you answer me now?" Vale asked as he looked at the Dragon''s eyes without flinching.
Although the aura of the two Dragons was quite overwhelming inside this prison hall, Vale had a Half-Celestial Physique, and he was even at the limit of his body in terms of his attributes.
"Mhmm¡ I''ve heard about Aersus, the dragon that had betrayed the Dragon Realm. Aersus managed to escape by sending dozens of clones to different realms¡ It seems that the one you have is one of his clone''s scales..."
Orden then paused for a moment before he continued...
"It means that once his real body enters this Human Realm, you will be his first target for ying his clone."
Chapter 616 Payment
Chapter 616 Payment
?616 Payment
"That Aersus is a clone?" Vale was taken aback, as he had believed the dragon he encountered to be genuine.
He had even extracted Aersus, yielding him hundreds of Draconic Essence, two Spell Models, and several Water Dragon Scales, in addition to the attributes he obtained.
"Yes... Even if they''re clones, they were still made of true Dragon''s Essence, so it is not wrong to call them Dragons as well. Aersus'' technique is so incredible that his clones can be stronger than other true Dragons." Orden exined.
''So it''s like that¡''
Vale nodded gently upon hearing this. He hadn''t anticipated Aersus to be so remarkable. He was certainly looking forward to meeting Aersus'' real body someday.
''I wonder if he''ll remember our encounter¡'' Vale mused.
If Aersus had memories of Vale, he would certainly be enraged once they''ve met again.
Vale then thanked the two dragons for the valuable information as he left Chad in their care.
In any case, he believed that Chad would benefit from this encounter since the two dragons would soon receive the items they desired, the Arcane Ores. They shouldn''t think of doing something stupid that would increase their number of years of being imprisoned.
Furthermore, Vale already hinted that he could kill a dragon. They should know how to conduct themself by now.
"I wonder where we could get them¡" Vale mused as he walked outside the castle. He was referring to the Arcane Ore.
Although he knew of their existence, he had no idea where to get them since there was not a time when he needed to use them.
"Is there a problem?" Faith suddenly asked after hearing Vale''s words.
She had appeared behind Vale, seeming to have juste from her room. Vale also couldn''t help but notice how she smelled great, as if she had just taken a bath.
Vale immediately shook his head to dispel his random thoughts and replied.
"Miss Faith, I didn''t notice youing. Do you know where to get the Arcane Ores? Are they expensive? I need plenty of them."
"Arcane Ores? I know where to get them, and you''re right, they''re quite expensive since they are not just materials to craft certain Magic Artifacts, but they''re also used to summon Elemental Spirits. You can expect the monopoly from the Elemental Arts Faction¡ but there are still other sources¡" Faith replied.
As expected of the Manager of the Contribution Points Exchange Hall, she knew about plenty of items.
"That''s excellent news! I heard that we made over 300 thousand zen from selling all the potions and talismans that Magnus crafted... After deducting our purchases, we should still have around a hundred thousand zen, correct?" Vale said as he recalled their recent earnings.
"Yes... But still, a small ore can be sold for 5 thousand zen, so you won''t get many of them."
"What? They''re so expensive?" Vale eximed as hepared the price of the Immortal Shards.
"It''s mainly because they''re being hoarded by several factions. They aren''t scarce, but they''re difficult to buy. I have a few of them with me. How many do you need?" Faith suddenly said, giving hope to Vale.
"What? Is that true? I need as many as I can..." Vale said and continued to exin that it was for the Dragons imprisoned in the underground hall of the castle.
He also mentioned that Chad was currently there, apanying the two dragons.
"That''s interesting... Alright, I can provide you with about 300 of them..." Faith said after recalling the number of ores that she had brought with her.
"That''s great! How much will that be?" Vale inquired.
"Mhmmm¡ I don''t need money, but I need something from you..." Faith said with a faint smile.
Vale couldn''t help but feel a little nervous, but he still returned a smile and replied, "Let me know, I''ll do my best to fulfill your request."
"That''s good to hear... I''ve been interested in the pocketwatch you''ve been keeping in your pocket all this time... My senses tell me that it''s an ordinary item, but when I open my eyes, I notice that it''s quite extraordinary. Although it''s sealed, it seems as if it has the power to change the world," Faith asked.
"I''m not nning to take it from you. I''m only interested in seeing the seal it has and finding out what it can do." She added.
Vale was stunned after hearing this.
Faith seemed blind, as she always had her eyes closed. However, it was clearly not the case from her words just now. Vale had been pondering about this for some time, as Faith had never acted blind, even though she always had her eyes closed.
"This timepiece is quite important to me, Miss Faith..." Vale said after some thought.
"I know¡ I will not damage it. I''ve been handling magic artifacts for many years, and I can say that even the Headmaster doesn''t have the skill that I have when ites to handling artifacts." Faith said.
Valepsed into silence for a moment.
Upon reflection, it didn''t sound too bad after all.
If Faith studied the timepiece, he could also gain insights into how it functions. He didn''t even mind if the item was fully unsealed.
In fact, he might even ask her to unseal the Creation Ring as well!
But then, a thought struck him, ''No... Not the Creation Ring... Pearl said that I can use it to deal with the Abyss Realm and even stop the invasion. It''s better to ask Pearl. I''ll keep it for now¡''
Vale mused as he retrieved the Temporal Timepiece.
"Here it is... I only know a few things about this pocket watch. I know that it looked simr to the Temporal Timepiece. It is one of the items owned by the Three Paragons that was left here before they ascended... ording to what I''ve read. I''ve concealed this item using a basic sealing technique a few times and hidden it inside the academy. However, after being outside for a long time, I stopped sealing it, so you managed to sense its presence¡" Vale exined.
Chapter 617 Earning Money
Chapter 617 Earning Money
?617 Earning Money
"No wonder I only sensed it now... If it''s really an item from the Paragons... Then maybe I can really assist you in making this fully yours¡" Faith said with a confident smile.
It felt as if this wasn''t her first time doing this!
Vale''s eyes sparkled upon hearing her words.
"If that''s the case, then you can take it. I will wait for good news," Vale said, deciding to trust Faith.
It wasmendable that she chose to stay in the castle to help the young "students" of the Academy instead of returning to the Dark Arts Faction.
This decision demonstrated her genuine care for their well-
being.
There was no doubt that he could trust this Half-Spirit.
"Then, you can take the Arcane Ores in my room tomorrow since I still have to arrange them¡" Faith said as she took the Temporal Timepiece from Vale.
As soon as she did, she felt the item grow hot, and she immediately shrouded herself with a mysterious aura.
Vale noticed this but he waited for her to speak.
"This item doesn''t like me... I guess it will be tougher than I expected¡" Faith said in a soft voice as she held the pocket watch tightly. Although it no longer hurt her after she cast a spell, it didn''t mean that she had already tamed the artifact.
She needed plenty of time to get used to it and find the safest way to research it.
"I probably need several months to study this item." Faith said with a helpless smile.
"That''s fine, Miss Faith. As long as it doesn''t get destroyed, you can even study it for a year," Vale reassured her.
"Mhmm... That''s probably what''s going to happen. Of course, if we obtain the other two items of the Paragons, then this will be a lot easier. In any case, I''ll be leaving now. Thank you for epting my request; I finally obtained a decent research project¡" Faith said as she turned around and left to return to her room.
Vale, on the other hand, was equally pleased with this oue.
He then visited Magnus in hisboratory to see how many talismans and potions he had made so far. Their livelihood mostly depended on Magnus, so Vale considered assisting him to help them earn more money.
Upon entering Magnus''boratory, Vale immediately sensed a powerful energy fluctuation.
He wasn''t sure where it wasing from, but he quickly closed the door to prevent the disturbance from affecting others who are also busy on their tasks.
He then observed Magnus, who was deeply engrossed in writing on a talisman. From his vantage point, Vale could barely discern a word written in Heumish, anguagemonly used by practitioners of the Knight Arts.
''Oh... I thought he was making Elemental Talismans. Is it not the profitable talisman?'' Vale silently pondered. He refrained from interrupting Magnus, knowing that the materials for the talisman were not inexpensive, and any mistakes would incur significant costs.
Since they were nning to make this castle an impregnable fortress, they needed plenty of money since Marquis Morgan would not give everything to them for free.
After about five more minutes, Magnuspleted the talisman. He put down his brush before addressing Vale, who had just arrived.
"Master Vale¡"
"Not bad... What is this talisman for?" Vale inquired upon seeing the finished product.
"This is a high-grade Evil-Warding Talisman. You previously mentioned encountering the Gluttony in a certain city. I also heard that the number of Evil Creatures had been increasing over the past few weeks. It feels as if someone is releasing a huge number of evil spirits. This problem may be in this region and other kingdoms in every part of the world. I believe that this is a sign that the Abyss Realm''s invasion is getting near." Magnus exined.
He then paused for a moment to give the Talisman to Vale before continuing.
"This time, I''m nning to earn money from the nobles and rich businessmen... This would surely help usplete our preparations faster."
"Ohh... So you''re already preparing for that! Nice..." Vale remarked, realizing that Magnus had proactively altered his target customers, a step beyond what he had suggested.
"But how about the potions and talismans we''re sending every week to the towns and viges? They''re our line of defense if the invasion starts, so it''s better to make them a bit stronger with our supplies," Vale inquired. He didn''t want to stop supplying potions and talismans to these ces since it would attract Arcanists to gather in these ces which would benefit them in the long run.
Magnus smiled after hearing his Master''s concern.
"Don''t worry, Master... Lisa has decided to take care of a part of it. It will only take her at least 4 hours a day to make hundreds of low-level talismans. As for the potions, I can still handle that¡"
Vale was unaware of Lisa''s growing talent.
But it certainly made sense since she learned from Magnus for a few months already.
Furthermore, it seemed that her transformation into a vampire had significantly altered her sleeping patterns. Perhaps she had grown bored and thus volunteered for the task¡
''Right... We can''t always stay in the castle with few people. There should be some sort of socializing as well¡'' Vale mused silently, recognizing the scarcity of social interaction.
With this in mind, he resolved to apany their next trip to the towns and cities to sell their products. He intended to take advantage of the opportunity to explore and spend time with his friends.
''I think it''s not that bad to have some fun from time to time... Once the invasion starts for real, we will no longer have a peaceful time like this¡'' Vale reflected, immediately contemting which ces they should visit.
"Alright... Do you have amulets here?" Vale inquired.
"Yes, Master Vale... We have 2,000 amulets, as you''ve requested. I was nning to make Healing Amulets from them... However, they will be too expensive, and selling them in small towns will be difficult. The doctors or alchemists will also hate us for that. May I ask what you n on using them, Master?" Magnus asked.
"Mhmm... I don''t really have any other options. I can only make Protection Runes..." Vale responded.
He wasn''t sure if this item could sell, but he would try it in the small towns they''d be visiting next week.
He could only hope that nothing goes wrong at that time...
Chapter 618 Possessed
Chapter 618 Possessed
?618 Possessed
Lilia was experiencing a headache after numerous people were possessed in their small town. Specifically, there have been 30 incidents of living people being possessed by evil spirits.
Dealing with these possessions wasn''t as challenging as handling Evil Creatures, or corpses possessed by Evil Spirits, but it was still a significant issue for a small town like theirs.
Dealing with the possessed living people was not easy, as their rtives would typically attempt to rouse their family members, resulting in casualties in the process. It could be argued that dealing with a possessed corpse was a lot easier, as there was no risk of harming the person.
They could just use the firearms or runic weapons of the special police officers, and they would have a higher chance of solving it without casualties.
"I hope everything will be fine today¡" Lilia sighed as she looked at the mirror to brush her hair.
She was the mayor of the town and was only 31 years old.
She had long, flowing chestnut hair that framed her delicate features. Her piercing blue eyes exuded both warmth and weariness. Despite the weight of her responsibilities, she maintained aposed and dignified demeanor, often wearing a simple yet elegant attire that reflected her practical approach to governance.
Lilia had be the mayor at a young agepared to other mayors because her father, the previous mayor, had passed away a few months ago. It was after he was suspected of sympathizing with the rebels.
Unfortunately, the current ruler of the kingdom was quite cruel. They didn''t even feel satisfied with the death of their mayor and increased the tax by more than 50%.
Luckily, Marquis Morgan had recently taken full control of the eastern and southern parts of the kingdom, preparing to usurp the throne. He had reduced their taxes and provided support to small towns like theirs. However, due to the impending civil war, the number of Arcanists in their town had significantly decreased, and supernatural events were bing increasingly difficult to manage.
At this time, she could only pray that the Marquis could ascend to the throne immediately and restore peace to theirnd.
Thud¡ Thud¡ Thud¡
Suddenly, she heard hurried footsteps approaching her room.
"Mayor! Mayor! Miss Parkinson has been possessed!"
A female servant reported as soon as she knocked on her door.
"How? Ugh¡ This is concerning¡" Lilia abandoned her attempt to fix her hair, hastily leaving with the household servant. Upon stepping outside, she was met by a group of guards who escorted her to the location where Miss Parkinson was causing some disturbance.
Themotion was taking ce at Miss Parkinson''s residence, which also served as a flower shop. Upon arrival, Lilia noticed Miss Parkinson''s skin had turned purple, with prominent blue veins seemingly on the verge of bursting.
This was quitemon to the possessed people, so she was no longer surprised.
Strangely, she had started consuming the flowers being sold in her shop. This was something she had never seen before.
Lilia, perplexed by the situation, had no time to dwell on it.
She immediately inquired of the police officer.
"What''s happening? We need to restrain her¡ Where are the special police officers?"
"Mayor! They already attempted and were injured. They should be in the clinic right now. It seems Miss Parkinson only wants to eat the flowers. She bes agitated if we try to stop her¡" The police officer responded.
He had an idea why Miss Parkinson was eating flowers¡ However, it was not important at this moment since there were other pressing matters. It was already good enough that she wasn''t targeting other people.
"This is not good. If her possessionsts for three hours, there''s noing back¡ Don''t we have any evil-warding talismans left?" Mayor Lilia inquired.
"Unfortunately, they''ve all been used up over the past few days¡ At this point, we can only try to restrain her and have her drink the holy water. We only have two of them, so we can''t use it to douse her since it will be ineffective¡" The police officer exined.
Holy Water was also a solution but the quality of their Holy Water wasn''t great, and there are only two of them. To maximize their usage, they have to make the possessed person drink it!
"How are we going to restrain her?" Mayor Lilia asked, even though she already knew the answer¡ªthey couldn''t. It was impossible for them to do it!
The special police officers were the Combat Arts Practitioners of their small town. They were the only Arcanists in their town.
If they had been easily defeated by the possessed Miss Parkinson, there was no way ordinary people could subdue her without causing harm.
While they did possess firearms that could potentially injure Miss Parkinson, doing so would be a death sentence.
Lilia observed Miss Parkinson''s young children, only around 5 and 6 years old, beingforted by a few kind neighbors.
She could not let those two be orphans. She was unwilling to resort to shooting unless Miss Parkinson began to rampage and started targeting people.
"We have to act before that urs¡" Lilia dered solemnly.
After a while, other police officers arrived with several ropes in an attempt to restrain Miss Parkinson. They werepelled to act swiftly as the supply of flowers she was consuming was running low.
Apparently, the flowers had recently been bestowed with an Arcane Blessing by a wandering Arcanist just two days prior. The officers spected that this blessing was the sole reason for Miss Parkinson''s malevolent interest in the blooms, perceiving them as a source of sustenance.
Graahh!
Suddenly, a guttural, unearthly sound emanated from Miss Parkinson. It waspletely different from her original gentle voice, sending shivers down the spines of all present.
Her voice echoed as if she had juste from the depths of hell.
Then, the town was enveloped in an aura of death, instilling fear in everyone around.
"Not good! It''s bing more powerful!" Lilia eximed, clutching the ne her father had given her.
She was told that she could only use this if she was in danger.
''Father¡ Please help me¡'' Lilia silently prayed as she thought of activating the ne.
However, before she could act, the distinct sound of an airship resonated above the town, interrupting the tense atmosphere.
Chapter 619 Assistance
Chapter 619 Assistance
?619 Assistance
"What''s that?"
"An Airship! Is it from the capital?"
"Oh no¡ Are they going to increase the taxes again?"
"They might even kill us at this rate!"
The news immediately sparked concern among the people. The arrival of an Airship from the capital typically signified trouble. If the Royal Knights descended upon their town, it would likely not be for assistance, but rather to penalize them for supporting the Marquis!
"No... Look at that g! It''s the enigmatic Airship from the cursed forest!"
As soon as someone said this, they immediately looked closely. They didn''t even care even if their eyes were hurting from the sun.
"You''re right! We''re saved!"
"Hurry! Wave something! Do your best to catch their attention!"
Upon the officers'' directive, the townspeople hastily utilized clothes and other items to attract the airship''s notice. They feared that the mysterious vessel might bypass them and head forrger towns or cities instead.
Although theymunicated with the people of this airship, they knew that they were a better choice than the royal knights.
Luckily, their efforts proved fruitful as the airship decelerated and began its descent.
To their surprise, a figure leaped from the deck and descended even faster than the airship itself. It was unmistakably an Arcanist!
"We''re saved!" Lilia realized that the arrival of a flying Arcanist offered hope for resolving the situation without resorting to lethal measures against Miss Parkinson.
However, as the figure drew closer, an overwhelming presence emanated from her. The descending individual was a pallid woman exuding an aura of darkness.
''A Vampire?'' Lilia spected inwardly, refraining from voicing her thoughts. She didn''t want the crowd to panic if they heard her words.
It was not umon to encounter Arcanists with various alterations or peculiarities in their physiques. These alterations were often observed in rogue Arcanists whocked proper training tobat the madness induced by the Special State that enables their entry into their Magic Zone.
''I hope we can ask her to deal with this without killing Miss Parkinson¡'' Lilia pondered as she stepped forward to address the airborne Arcanist.
Before Lilia could address the female Arcanist, who she suspected might be a Vampire, the Arcanist swiftly moved to subdue the possessed flower shop owner.
"Esteemed Arcanist! Please don''t kill her!" Lilia urgently pleaded, unwilling to let the two children be left orphaned.
Thankfully, the female Arcanist appeared conscious of her actions. Unperturbed by Lilia''s plea, she caused several dark tendrils to emerge from the ground, swiftly immobilizing Miss Parkinson.
''A Dark Magician?'' Lilia mused.
''No wonder they''re in the cursed forest, they''re probably hiding from the Holy Arts Faction.''
"Grrraaahhh!"
Miss Parkinson bellowed desperately, unleashing a wave of mysterious energy that was exuding an aura of death.
However, the female Arcanist promptly quelled this deathly aura, exhibitingplete mastery over it.
Obviously, the female Arcanist was a master of Dark Arts!
Since the possessed woman was alreadycking substantial energy because she used everything in that roar, the battle didn''tst that long.
Soon, the dark tendrils enshrouded her entire form.
Subsequently, agonizing cries reverberated, this time originating from Miss Parkinson''s true voice!
"Ma!" The children shouted as soon as they heard their mother''s voice. There was also a hint of relief in their voice as they thought that they could never hear her true voice again.
Just as Lilia was about to intercede once more, the dark tendrils enveloping Miss Parkinson suddenly dissipated, leaving the nearly unclothed woman to vomit the contents of her stomach.
Blegh~
Miss Parkinson reverted to her normal state as she expelled the things she had eaten a while ago.
Her purpleplexion had vanished, and although she may have sustained injuries, she remained alive!
Lisa furrowed her brow as she descended beside the woman who had fallen victim to an ''Evil Spirit''.
''I don''t feel good about this¡'' Lisa mused.
The entity that had possessed the woman was no ordinary evil spirit. Lisa suspected it was a powerful entity, possibly a Phantom Spirit capable of harnessing the Arcane Spells of the Arcanist it had possessed.
Unlike ordinary evil spirits, Phantom Spirits could ess an Arcanist''s Spell Lights and employ them to their advantage. If there are many of these Spirits roaming around this region, normal evil-warding talismans, low-grade holy water, and weak fate protection amulet may not work on them.
''This could be quite a predicament if they''ve spread to many towns and viges... Good thing we have the perfect item for this situation¡'' Lisa reflected.
In hindsight, she should have utilized the Evil-Warding Talisman to demonstrate its effectiveness in expelling spirits from the possessed individual.
"Esteemed Arcanist! Thank you for aiding us! I''m Lilia, the Mayor of this town... You''ve been providing us with various potions and talismans, and now, you''ve even assisted us in dealing with the Evil Spirit," Lilia said gratefully.
"Oh? I believe this is our first visit here¡" Lisa remarked. She was always with Chad when going out to sell their products so she knew that they''ve never sold a product here.
"True, but you''ve visited the neighboring town, and they have shared your blessings with us and spread word about your enigmatic merchant airship¡" Lilia exined as she recalled how the Mayor of another town had given them a few supplies of potions that they''ve needed.
They were lucky that their rtionship with other towns was great, so they were able to survive for a long time. It was all thanks to thete Mayor.
"I see. We have a limited supply of potions and talismans, so we haven''t been able to reach all the small towns. However, we have scaled up our production this time and n to visit all the towns and viges surrounding the forest¡" Lisa responded with a smile, confident in the sess of their enterprise.
Just now, the localsuded her actions, seemingly unconcerned about her practice of Dark Arts. It was evident that the influence of the Church of the Fortune Goddess did not hold sway here.
"It seems true that only the believers of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer reside here." Lisa pondered as she was soon invited to the Mayor''s house.
It was time to turn a profit!
Chapter 620 Visitor
Chapter 620 Visitor
Upon the airship''s arrival and subsequent docking in a field near the small town, Vale, Chad, and Magnus disembarked to attend to their respective tasks.
Specifically, Chad and Magnus set out to finalize a transaction within the small town, while Vale took the opportunity to explore the area. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Apparently, it was Vale who had detected a disturbance in the small town, prompting him to dispatch Lisa to address the situation.
Although he was capable of handling it himself, Vale opted to have Lisa take charge, in order to leave a favorable impression.
After all, it was her responsibility to sell their products to the public. It means that she would have more interactions with them than Vale.
"Vale, we''re heading ahead... We should be done in about an hour¡" Chad informed Vale as he observed him gazing at the town square.
After being together with the dragons for a week, Chad felt that he no longer had anything to fear, so he feltfortable going to unfamiliar ces, like this small town.
"Alright... I''ll take a look around the town. Just wait for me in the airship¡" Vale replied as he waved his hand to Chad.
With his Presence Shift Spell, he possessed the ability to move effortlessly within his Magic Zone, ensuring that he wouldn''t be lost or left behind by hispanions.
As Vale roamed the small town, he made a startling discovery ¨C an abundance of cursed items were being circted in the area!
''What''s going on here?'' Vale mused.
He also keenly observed the conspicuous absence of Arcanists in the vicinity, a fact that struck him as highly unusual considering the magical nature of their surroundings.
''I felt a huge amount of Arcane Energy a while ago¡ But there are only a few Combat Arcanists around when I arrived¡ Did it alle from the evil spirits?''
This absence of magical practitioners raised further concerns about the town''s predicament and the potential impact of the cursed items.
He also couldn''t help but feel puzzled by the origin of these items and their sinister nature. There was no way these items were gathered here by coincidence.
Vale could tell that they were not ordinary cursed artifacts, considering how difficult it was to notice the curses inside.
It was only thanks to his advanced detection spells that he was able to discern the hidden curses within the numerous items being peddled in the market.
While he couldn''t definitively identify the nature of the curses imbued in each of them, they all bore signs associated with malevolent spirits. There was no way he would make a mistake on this.
Vale sighed as he realized that the issue at hand was more significant than he had initially perceived.
''There must be someone deliberately orchestrating this¡'' Vale mused as he started asking around the two to find the source of these artifacts.
He couldn''t let these artifacts remain here.
He already envisioned a scenario where once these cursed items umted sufficient dark energy, they would promptly possess anyone in close proximity, ultimately transforming thend into a realm of malevolence.
''I can''t let that happen¡'' Vale mused as he believed that he should destroy these items!
Soon, Vale made the decision to gather the townspeople who possessed the mysterious artifacts.
During this time, he discovered that these items were being sold as protection artifacts, a fact that had been confirmed by several previous Arcanists who had visited the town.
ording to these Arcanists, the artifacts had the ability to absorb malevolent energy, effectively safeguarding their owners from harm.
However, this seemingly positive attribute was also the source of the problem. While the artifacts indeed provided protection by absorbing evil energy, they were inadvertently nurturing the curses embedded within them.
''What a sinister move¡ I didn''t expect that someone would use such a method to bring harm to people¡'' Vale thought.
"Alright! If you hand over these Artifacts to me... We will be able to sell you our Protection Amulets for half the price!" Vale proposed while also rying the n to Lisa and the others through telepathy.
Fortunately, the townspeople embraced the idea and cooperated with Vale''s proposal.
Everything proceeded smoothly, thanks to the reputation of their merchant airship among the public. Subsequently, Vale enlisted Yvaine''s assistance to store all the artifacts in his shadow.
Everything seemed peaceful as Lisa finalized their transaction with the small town.
Regrettably, this tranquil interlude didn''tst for long as an unexpected visitor arrived in the city.
''Mhmm? When did he get here?'' Vale thought as he activated his Arcane Armor. It was a practiced reaction since Arcane Armor could defend almost against any form of attack.
Vale then squinted his eyes as he triggered his detection spells on the figure that has arrived.
The neer was a man adorned with two ck horns protruding from his head and fiery red hair.
He wasn''t emitting any form of energy as he arrived at the town square without being noticed by Vale''s Magic Zone until he had appeared near him!
He had a strikingly paleplexion, a handsome countenance, and discernible fangs. d in a robe exuding an otherworldly aura, he had undoubtedly made a mysterious entrance¡
"Mhmmm... No wonder my items disappeared here... Did you destroy them, iplete immortal?" The visitor spoke in a deep voice as he looked at Vale with an emotionless eye.
Vale found himself at a loss regarding the identity of the enigmatic man, but a realization dawned upon him as he took note of the distinctive horns and the manner in which he was addressed.
''Demon Saint?!'' Vale couldn''t help but draw a deep breath as the pieces of the puzzle fell into ce.
While he had anticipated an encounter with them, he had not expected it to unfold at this particr moment, especially when he had only intended to explore the nearby towns and cities around their castle.
His ns to treat Lisa and the others to an extravagant meal afterpleting their tasks now seemed like a distant luxury.
Chapter 621 Opening
Chapter 621 Opening
??621 Opening
Acting swiftly, he promptly alerted Magnus, Chad, and Lisa that a confrontation might be imminent and he might require their assistance to safeguard the townspeople from any potential harm.
With this precautionary measure in ce, Vale addressed the suspected Demon Saint while fully on guard.
"Are they yours? Those items looked sinister... I wonder, why would you bother circting those cursed items if you have the power to create chaos without them..." Vale queried, adopting aposed yet inquisitive tone as he sought to engage the enigmatic visitor in dialogue.
He wanted to know more about their ns and also about the Demon Saints themselves.
They were basically showing themselves in broad daylight as if they weren''t afraid of any Arcanists that could hunt them down!
''Are they that confident that no one could hurt them?'' Vale thought as he prepared for a fight.
"Haha... You could say so. I ced all those curses in them so I noticed when they disappeared. I didn''t expect someone to easily see through that. However, since you''re an iplete Immortal, I guess it''s not that surprising," the enigmatic individual responded with a sardonic chuckle while gradually materializing a ck sword from the void.
To be precise, the weapon was entirelyposed of ck energy, fashioned into the form of a sword.
It became evident that a confrontation with this person was inevitable.
"Although your physique isn''t that great... You should still have some Divinity in your body... It should still give some nutrients I need." The mysterious figure remarked, alluding to Vale''s inherent Divinity.
"Divinity? So you''re really a Demon Saint..." Vale acknowledged, simultaneously instructing Yvaine to retrieve his Doombringer Sword.
Upon drawing his sword, electric sparks began to emanate from the de, as if it were being charged for the impending sh.
"Good sword!" the Demon Saintmented as he swiftly lunged toward Vale with his dark sword in hand.
Concerned about the potential danger posed to the townspeople, Vale promptly activated the Fiend''s Wrath Spell, which had already reached the Perfect Realm.
Whom~
The activation of the spell covered Vale by a distinct beastly aura that boosted his strength.
Boom!
The ensuing sh resulted in a resounding impact, propelling the Demon Saint into the cursed forest!
Vale''s unexpected surge in strength, courtesy of the amplified spell, caught the Demon Saint off guard, tipping the scales decisively in Vale''s favor.
"What an incredible physique¡ I didn''t expect that you''re a Knight¡ª"
Before the Demon Saint could finish his words, he realized that his opponent was preparing to unleash an unexpected spell, contrary to his initial expectations.
He had anticipated a closebat confrontation with the strength that Vale had shown. He knew that the strength that threw him away was something that no human could possibly do!
It was no wonder why the Demon Saint was taken aback when a potent surge of Holy Energy enveloped the surroundings.
"Holy Smite!"
A resplendent burst of sacred energy descended from above, engulfing the Demon Saint and searing his corporeal form.
Astonished by the overwhelming power of the attack, the Demon Saint found himself questioning the true identity of his opponent.
"So powerful?! Am I contending with a high-level priest?"
The realization dawned upon the Demon Saint as he fought with the powerful holy spell.
The unexpected descent of a level 10 or Perfect Realm Holy Smite caught him off guard, inflicting considerable damage.
He used a Physical Defense Spell just now because of Vale''s Fiend''s Wrath Spell¡ He didn''t expect a sudden switch of Arcane Path from him!
"Aaagghhh!" A thunderous bellow echoed through the vicinity as the Demon Saint''s horns surged with ck energy, repelling the holy smite and averting further injury.
As the residual smoke dissipated, the Demon Saint observed the lingering effects of the attack on his body, only to witness his injuries gradually dissipate as a radiant purple light emanated from his horns.
"Not bad! However, you should''ve seized that opportunity I presented to you..." The Demon Saint remarked as he propelled himself toward Vale with a menacing aura.
That Holy Smite was a powerful spell and there was no way that his opponent could immediately recover from that¡ Furthermore, it must''ve exhausted his energy!
Empowered by an ominous force, the Demon Saint exuded a formidable strength that Vale had never before encountered in his adversaries.
ng!
In an instant, their swords shed as the energy of lightning and the force of malevolence created a shockwave that destroyed the surrounding trees and killed the innocent wild animals around.
Nevertheless, while Vale and the Demon Saint engaged in a relentless exchange of swordy, Yvaine found an opportunity to leave Vale''s side to set up an ambush at ater time.
''Tsk¡ Did I not fully recover yet? Why am I struggling against an iplete Immortal?'' The Demon Saint thought as he realized that his energy was being consumed too quickly in each sh against his opponent.
It was something very unusual, so he could only me the environment.
He couldn''t help but condemn the human realm that was still filled with Arcane Energy and not Evil Energy.
It was a shame, but if cursed artifacts had fully activated and created chaos, he would surely have had enough energy to kill the pest in front of him!
''You''re lucky, iplete Immortal!''
The Demon Saint then burst with power, aiming to cut his opponent into two!
On the other hand, Vale didn''t care about Demon Saint''s sentiments as he executed the Shadowde Dance technique, deftly maneuvering through the chaotic flurry of strikes and counterattacks.
ng! ng! ng!
The sh of their des reverberated through the air, apanied by the crackling discharge of arcane energy that continuously destroyed the surroundings!
Nevertheless, despite the ferocity of their duel, neither emerged as the clear victor.
''So, annoying!''
The Demon Saint felt incredibly frustrated as he couldn''t get a clean hit on his opponent.
Although he was immune to many Spells, he couldn''t maintain this for long.
"You''re lucky, young man¡ Once the Abyss Realm starts merging into this Realm, I will not be this weak! Let''s face again once I''m ready!"
As he said this, he immediately turned his back and was about to use a mysterious spell to disappear¡
However, Vale has been waiting for this opportunity!
Chapter 622 Extracted
622 Extracted
"Yvaine! Now!" Vale''s urgent cry prompted Yvaine to materialize near the Demon Saint.
Her previously concealed presence, shrouded in darkness, was now fully exposed, and she brandished a dagger in her hands, a familiar weapon often wielded by the Masked Devil Incarnate.
Yvaine''s sudden appearance caught the Demon Saint off guard, as he was preupied with exiting the battlefield and had wagered that Vale''s spell would not reach him in time.
He had not anticipated the intervention of the Dark Spirit at all!
"Aahh!"
Yvaine plunged the dagger into the Demon Saint and left it lodged in his stomach.
"You! Come here!"
The Demon Saint attempted to seize Yvaine, but several dark tendrils interrupted, repelling him from Yvaine.
While the dark tendrils could notpletely halt the Demon Saint''s actions, they provided enough dy for Yvaine to escape.
"I will kill you! Dark Spirit!" The Demon Saint shouted as he was mortified by the fact that he was injured by a mere spirit!
Hispanions would surelyugh at him if they learned about this!
Nevertheless, Yvaine didn''t speak as she vanished from his sight, ignoring himpletely.
Yvaine knew that she wasn''t a match against the Demon Saints. She was aware of their superiormand over darkness, so she knew that fighting against the Demon Saint in closebat could be perilous. However, the dagger that she used to stab the Demon Saint should be enough to win this fight¡
"How dare you!¡ª"
Realizing the enigmatic dagger was impeding his ability to employ a movement spell, the Demon Saint understood the urgency of removing it.
Vale, however, had more in store.
Just a few moments ago, he attempted to utilize the Shadow Muttion Spell on the Demon Saint, but it proved futile, leading him to the realization that even his Divine Lightning might not effectivelybat the Demon Saint, who preyed on Immortals for their Divinity.
It was apparent that lightning imbued with Divinity could potentially bolster the Demon Saint rather than harm him.
With this in mind, Vale had Yvaine weaken the Demon Saint with that dagger.
As soon as the Demon Saint was stabbed, his defense was shattered and Vale''s Shadow Muttion Spell finally hit its target¡
The Demon Saint was hit by the Celestial Art, and all Vale needed to do was to cut the Demon Saint''s shadow!
Vale vanished from his spot as he used his Presence Shift. The Demon Saint had no time to react as Vale reappeared behind him.
"You think I''m that easy!" The Demon Saint roared and it was filled with malevolent energy¡
The energy almost made Vale falter. However, his Arcane Armor was still active, and it sessfully defended him from the sound attack!
Then, Vale seized the chance to cut the Demon Saint''s shadow in half. The Demon Saint thought he dodged Vale''s sword, but he felt a terrible pain as if his body was split in two.
"Aaaahh!"
The Demon Saint screamed in agony and wanted to flee by activating his emergency artifact. It would forcibly return his body to his original realm, the Abyss Realm!
However, as he channeled his energy to the artifact, he felt his energy leaving him!
Needless to say, Vale had already started his Extraction!
It was quite tough extracting the Demon Saint. During their sh a while ago, he already tried doing the extractions and was only able to extract his Corrupted Divinity¡
It was as if this Corrupted Divinity was temporarily protecting the Demon Saint''s body from being fully extracted by his system.
Luckily, it was no longer interfering with his extractions.
[ Living Demon has been discovered. Do you wish to extract it? ]
''Yes!''
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500,Corrupted Divinity +5, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Spell Light + 2 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +300,Corrupted Divinity +5, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Abyssal Fire Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100,Corrupted Divinity +5, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Demon''s Wrath Spell Model ]
As soon as hepleted several sessful extractions, he knew that this Demon Saint could no longer escape¡
Nevertheless, he still continued with his Extraction as he was worried that he still had a trick up his sleeve.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100,Corrupted Divinity +5, Abyss Key, Demon Saint''s Horn x2 ]
As soon as he saw this extraction message, Vale saw the Demon Saint''s eyes filled with indignation. He was probably extremely frustrated, considering he was unable to use most of his spells and techniques before his death¡ He must''ve felt how unfair it was, considering how he failed to show everything he had.
Nevertheless, the Demon Saint could only regret it in his afterlife as his body turned into ashes and dissipated in the air¡
Vale sighed after seeing this as he checked his current attribute panel.
After confirming that his Vitality remained the same, he continued to check on his Spell Models.
[ Human Arts List:
Dark Arts: Spell Dispersion Lv8, Incorruptible Body Lv10, Darkness Maniption Lv8, Spirit Vision Lv7, Light Absorption Lv7, Create Shadow Soldier Lv7, Active Curse Break Lv7, Corpse Explosion Lv7, Locate Corpse Lv7, Shadow Gate Lv7, Moonlight Specter Lv7, Chain of Souls Lv7, Oblivion Trance Lv7 ]
Holy Arts: Divine Sense Lv8, Blessed Healing Lv7, Exorcism Lv7, Holy Smite Lv10, Sacred Blessing Lv4
Summoning Art: Grimoire Attraction Lv7
Transformation Art: Morph Lv7, Voice Maniption Lv7
Martial Art: Meridian ess Lv10,
Mystic Arts: Arcane Armor Lv8, Reveal Lv4, Telepathy Lv7, Item Appraisal Lv7, Tree Shapeshift Lv7, Soul Reaper Lv7
Beast Art: Wild Whisper Spell Lv7, Fiend''s Wrath Lv10
Elemental Arts: Ember Spirit Lv7, Wind Spirit Summon Lv7 , Toxic Tempest Lv5, Water Vortex Lv7]
Rune Arts: Rune Simplification Lv7, Rune Analysis Lv7, Rune Creation Lv7, Protection Rune Lv7
Alchemy Arts: Cursed me Lv10 ]
Celestial Arts List: Call of the Divine Lightning Lv8, Shadow Muttion Lv7, Aurora''s Embrace Lv7 ]
Spirit Arts List: Extrasensory Perception Spell Lv10, Traceless Shift Lv8, Blood Maniption Lv4, Shadow Extraction Lv7, ve Mark Lv7, Dragon''s True Sight Lv7, Ethereal Vampiric Fist Lv7, Presence Shift Lv7, Crimson gue Lv7, Abyssal Fire Lv0, Demon''s Wrath Lv0 ]
Chapter 623 Last Town
Chapter 623 Last Town
?623 Last Town
During the past week, Vale was able toplete a few more Spell Fusions.
Aside from the Presence Shift Spell, which was a fusion of Lightspeed Spell, Levitation Spell, and Nature''s Guise, including some Elf Essence, Vale also had Crimson gue, Water Vortex, and Soul Reaper Spells.
The Crimson gue was a fusion of Blood Curse, Toxic Breath, and Savage Curse. Of course, Vale also included 500 points of Malevolent Essence that probably helped to make it a Level 7 Spell on the spot.
The Water Vortex Spell, on the other hand, was only a fusion of the Tidal Wave Torrent and Water Domain Spells. He didn''t add any essence to it, so the Fusion didn''t seem that great.
However, Vale actually liked this Spell a lot since it had more power and its usage was more direct. Furthermore, he realized that Spell Fusions, which was done with only two Spells, could still be used for another Fusion, unlike those three Spell Fusions!
Perhaps it was because the Spell Models weren''t thatplicated yet, so fusing them with other Spells could still be done.
Finally, the Soul Reaper Spell was from the Fusion of Soul Bind, Reaper Scythe, and Lion''s Roar, including 1,000 Elf Essence.
Vale actually wanted to use this Soul Reaper Spell against the Demon Saint, since he believed that it could easily kill the Demon Saint.
However, it means that he wouldn''t be able to extract the Demon Saint alive, which may cause a poor result with his Extraction.
''I should find other targets¡''
Unfortunately, his Soul Reaper Spell wasn''t effective against Evil Creatures so he wasn''t able to try the Spell on them.
They have no Souls, and they only have Spirits controlling their bodies¡ It means that Soul Reaper has nothing to target at all.
"I wonder if there are other Demon Saints¡" Vale muttered as he looked at the mess they''d made during the battle.
The battle this time was too fast-paced. If not for his current agility and strength, he believed that he wouldn''t even be able to keep up with the Demon Saints'' movements.
''He probably has more than 50 Strands in both Strength and Agility.'' Vale mused as he informed Lisa and the others that everything was alright.
He also didn''t bother checking the Abyss Key and the Demon Saint''s horns for now. He believed that they weren''t too important aside from using them in Alchemy or crafting Magic Artifacts.
As he returned to the small town, he realized that Lisa had her red gloves ready, and Chad had also worn the cape he had given.
These two items were indeed the Magic Artifacts that Vale had gotten from Commander Gram and Vice Commander Laura of the Kingdom''s Royal Knights.
They appeared ready to fight¡
''It really doesn''t suit him¡'' Vale mused, referring to Chad''s cape.
Of course, Chad didn''t like the cape at all because he also thought that it didn''t look good on him. However, if there was an emergency, Chad didn''t seem to care about it at all.
''Well¡ I also don''t like wearing capes¡'' Vale wryly smiled as he greeted the two.
"I heard that guy has horns! Is that a Halfling? Half-human and half-goat?!" Chad immediately asked as soon as Vale arrived.
"Haha¡ Is there even something like that?" Lisaughed after she heard Chad''s question.
"What? They do exist! I heard that there''s a Fairy Realm where those kinds of beings live!" Chad exined.
"Oh¡ That must be interesting." Lisa finally said as she turned her attention to Vale.
"You don''t look injured. Is that demon weak?"
Vale shook his head at this and answered. "That Demon Saint is strong¡ However, it feels as if he''s weakened. I''m guessing that it hadn''t been long since he arrived here."
Chad and Lisa gently nodded as they immediately understood what he was trying to say.
In their third year in the Academy, they learned that summoning a mystical being through proper ritual and sacrifice would barely weaken their power. In exchange, the summoned being couldn''tst for long.
However, mystical beings that had forcefully stayed in the Human Realm, either because of their own will or because of their summoner''s will, would have their bodies weakened by the mysteriousw of the Realm itself.
Nevertheless, once these mystical beings survived and adapted in a few months, years, or even a decade, they would have their full power returned, and the Realm could no longer restrict them.
"That doesn''t sound good¡ If that demon is strong, then he probably needs a year or two before being in his peak state¡ And I have a feeling that he''s not alone." Lisa muttered as he recalled the aura of the Demon Saint a while ago.
"It''s possible he hadpanions. Now that he''s gone. Hispanions will surely be more careful."Vale said.
"Right, where''s Magnus?" Vale suddenly asked, noticing that Magnus wasn''t present.
He had already deactivated his Magic Zone, so he couldn''t use it to search for him.
"He''s in the Airship, waiting for us. We''re already done unloading our products. We also received the payments. We can continue on our mission now." Lisa replied
"Very well... Let''s move on. There are still numerous towns and cities awaiting our visit." Vale dered as they departed from Mayor Lilia''s small town.
Vale could only hope that their provision of Talismans, Potions, and Amulets would alleviate the nuisance of the Evil Spirits.
Before long, Vale and hispanions journeyed through six towns and three cities, sessfully vending thousands of their wares. While it was feasible to sell their entire stock in a singlerge city, doing so would diminish the products'' value and fail to aid other cities in preparing for the impending Abyss Realm Invasion.
As they approached the final town, situated not far from the ursed forest, Vale''s ESP Spell appeared to have been triggered.
"Another enemy?" Vale pondered, alerting Lisa and the rest to prepare for potential danger.
Nevertheless, since the danger could be detected, he believed that it wasn''t that Demon Saint who had the ability topletely hide their presence from him.
Chapter 624 Confusion
Chapter 624 Confusion
??624 Confusion
"They''re finally here..." Gale murmured as she caught sight of the imposing merchant airship making its approach toward the town they were staying at.
Although it was already 5 in the afternoon, it was still not toote to enact their ns.
Without dy, she rallied her team, preparing to rendezvous with the iing Airship.
"Wait¡ Do not reveal yourselves just yet, or you might startle them. We need them to disembark first. We can''t let them escape as we need their assistance to escort us to that enigmatic castle." Gale cautioned before vanishing from view.
Meanwhile, Denise opted to remain inconspicuous in the town square, confident in her unassuming guise.
Aside from wearing an attire befitting the townsfolk, she also concealed Lotus to ensure that not any Arcanist could sense her presence.
As the merchant airship descended in proximity to their town, Denise followed the crowd.
She had Lotus suppress her aura as a Dark Arcanist, rendering her virtually undetectable to conventional means, albeit at the cost of her ability to enter her Phantasm State.
Nevertheless, she didn''t mind being unable to use her Magic Zone temporarily to ensure her safety.
Amidst the bustling crowd gathered to witness the arrival of the envoys from the mysterious castle, Denise''s attention was captivated as she caught sight of none other than Vale Chambers.
The young man exuded a noble air, adorned in elegant attire befitting his distinguished demeanor. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was her friend¡
''He''s really here¡ Did he be a servant working for that castle?''
"Is he connected to the Masked Devil Incarnate?" Denise pondered momentarily before resolving to tell Vale of Gale Evans'' ns.
She immediately asked Lotus to stop the suppression and entered her Magic Zone. Then, she swiftly activated her telepathy to convey a crucial message to Vale.
"Vale, it''s good to see you alive... Have you risen to nobility? No, what I meant to say is that Gale Evans, a Professor from your Academy, is seeking you and yourpanions. She''s concealed nearby and likely recognizes your group, especially if your friends are students from the Vermont Academy."
***
In the meantime, as soon as Vale and his group disembarked from the Airship, he had his Magic Zone immediately cover the entire town.
After all, his ESP Spell noticed something unusual.
As soon as his Magic Zone picked up a few Arcanists, he immediately put up his guard and informed his team.
Thest city they visited only had a handful of Arcanists who weren''t in the Combat Arts Path.
However, this city had 20 of them in total!
It was definitely unusual!
Nevertheless, they still remained calm and didn''t show that they noticed.
As they were about to meet the town mayor, Vale heard Denise''s message.
"Whoa! I didn''t sense you until you sent the message¡ Ah, thank you for letting me know. I don''t think they mean harm to us for now. But if they do, we''ll take care of it. Let''s talkter, Denise." Vale replied through telepathy.
To be fair, Vale killed the Order of the Evanescent Vessels members, so he didn''t feelfortable being with other official Dark Arcanists.
''Did shee here to find Chad and Lisa like Miss Faith? Or did she discover that I killed those Vessels?'' Vale thought as he believed that even though he made it seem like it was done by a flying red goblin, he couldn''t guarantee that no one would be able to see through it.
''Whatever¡ Let''s see what they''ll do¡'' Vale silently thought as as he allowed Lisa and Chad toplete the transaction with the mayor.
This will be theirst destination, so he was thinking of checking out the town to find a ce where the four of them could eat¡
''Well, if Gale causes trouble, we may not even have the time to eat.'' Vale thought as he observed the surroundings.
It was only at this time that he realized that the town was undergoing somerge construction or repair of the buildings.
After a few more observations, he realized that a fire must''ve urred in the ce.
As Vale started walking around, several vendors started selling their products or food.
To his surprise, he didn''t find any of the Artifacts with a sinister curse in this ce!
''Did Gale and the others notice them?'' Vale mused as he continued walking around.
Finally, as he thought of returning to the Airship, Gale finally showed herself.
"You''re not brainwashed or being controlled by a Spell at all¡ I''m curious: why are you working for the Alchemist on that castle?" Gale suddenly asked behind Vale.
Vale didn''t even have the chance to turn his head when he felt something hitting him¡ He wasn''t sure if it was a Spell, a form of energy, or a Magic Artifact''s power, but Vale believed that it was Gale''s unusual power that couldpel anyone to follow hermands.
This time, however, Vale had been prepared, and he was protected not just by his Half-Celestial Physique but also by the Divinity that he controlled.
Although Pearl was no longer personally teaching him how to control or apply his Divinity, he was still continuously practicing it, especially now that he had a source of Divinity Points.
"So this is the trick that had previously rendered me powerless..." Vale contemted, as he turned to address Professor Gale Evans.
"I thought you weren''t nning to show up. Professor Evans."
"Mhmm? You''re not affected. I guess you''ve really grown up. However, that''s not important for now. Aren''t you the Masked Devil Incarnate? The problem with the Church had escted earlier than we anticipated. We will be taking the Divine Sword for now, and it will be protected by the Featherstar n."
As soon as she said this, her voice echoed inside Vale''s head as the surroundings seemed to twist and contort¡
However, this sensation onlysted for a brief second before Vale''s dizzying vision returned to normal.
His Perfect Incorruptible Body was triggered, and his abnormal status was removed!
After heprehended the situation, Vale fixed his gaze on the Professor and uttered in a somber tone.
"That''s dangerous, Professor Evans..."
Chapter 625 Holy!
Chapter 625 Holy!
??625 Holy!
"This is unbelievable¡ He is not being affected by the Professor''s spells?!"
"That''s true¡ He''s definitely hit by the Spell and got confused for a moment."
"It must be an Artifact¡"
"No¡ Did you forget that he''s with a Dark Spirit? It must''ve helped him¡"
The tenth-year students who were together with the Professor, couldn''t help but remark as they realized that Vale had the ability to fight against mental attacks. They could not be seen because of their Darkness Maniption, but they saw everything.
From their perspective, Vale doesn''t seem like a Dark Magician at all! They shouldn''t have a strong mental defense!
"He must have perfect control over the Dark Possession, and it''s not eating away his mental fortitude."
"That''s possible¡ Maybe he has a physique simr to Senior Lesley''s."
"Hmph¡ Professor Gale is just taking it easy since Vale is still a Dark Magician."
Another student added.
Of course, Vale heard their words, but he remained silent and kept staring at Gale Evans¡
The fact that they wanted to take his Stormbringer, or the Divine Sword of the Church of the Three Paragons, surprised him a bit.
He thought that the Dark Arts Faction wasn''t interested in that weapon at all.
Furthermore, Gale seemed to be so sure that he had it with him and that he was the Masked Devil Incarnate.
''Is this all the reason?'' Vale mused.
Nevertheless, ever since the Vessels attempted to kill him, he had already cut off his connection with the Dark Arts Faction.
"You can leave now, Professor Gale¡ Since we''re in a peaceful town, I will forget your attempt to control me with that Spell, but that''s the final warning. If you tried¡ª"
Before Vale could even finish his words, he felt that the dozen or so people who were hiding had activated a Magic Circle under Professor Gale''s orders!
The students finally acted!
"If you''re worried about the people being harmed¡ Don''t worry, Vale. Show us your true colors!" Professor Gale said as she finally decided to go all out!
At this point, Vale was more worried that the town would be in shambles because of their battle!
"Tsk¡ You asked for it¡ I guess the Dark Arts Faction will be weakened once again."
Vale no longer hesitated as he decided to eliminate the Professor. Although he wanted all the Arcane Arts Faction to have a strong force to deal with the Abyss Realm Invasion in a year or two, he certainly wouldn''t let himself be terrorized by these people!
Spell Dispersion!
As soon as he activated this Spell, the forming Arcane Spells of the tenth-year students and the restricting force of the Magic Circle disappeared in an instant!
"Aahh!"
The students screamed in pain as they didn''t expect that they would get attacked from a distance! They were hiding about 30 meters away.
They believed that even if Vale tried attacking them, there would be a dy that would allow them to dodge or defend from his attack!
They had made a miscalction, and the sudden cancetion of their spells created a bacsh as their Dark Energy almost ruptured their veins.
However, Professor Gale didn''t seem surprised by the Spell Dispersion and was not affected at all.
"Your Master sent us students with the same ability. That''s called Spell Dispersion of the Malefic Branch, right? That''s no longer effective¡ª" Professor Gale''s words were interrupted as Vale cast another Spell¡
Moonlight Specter!
A total of five Moonlight Specters appeared, and they all targeted the tenth-year students!
Professor Gale Evans recognized this Spell as she was quite familiar with hundreds of Dark Arts Spell Fusion.
However, since she wasn''t the one targeted, she didn''t bother stopping the specters.
She even found this to be an opportunity since Vale shouldn''t be well-versed in multicasting!
''Interesting¡ A fourth-year student using a Spell Fusion. This young man is indeed a genius. It''s a pity that he has to be eliminated¡'' Professor Gale''s eyes turned cold as she confirmed that Vale didn''t n to cooperate with them.
She actually liked this young man with an incredible physique. She even wanted to suck all his strength, but she didn''t have the time for that.
Once she dealt with Vale, she would have to find Chad and Lisa to bring her to the castle where he could''ve possibly hidden the Divine Sword.
"It''s your fault for not handing over that sword¡" Professor Gale muttered as she exhaled with ck air¡
Without needing an Appraisal Spell, Vale knew that it was the Cursed Breath Spell!
Vale didn''t care about this Spell since aside from having an Active Curse Break Spell, he also had an Incorruptible Body!
Fiend''s Wrath!
As soon as Vale activated this Spell, Vale reached out to grab the Professor. However, Professor Gale noticed how Vale was unafraid of her Cursed Breath, so she immediately jumped away.
She also pulled out her folding fan, a Magic Artifact that amplifies Cursed Spells, and waved it on Vale.
"I''ll take it¡" Vale said while he was enveloped by the Cursed Breath.
Then, he activated his Traceless Shift!
Needless to say, Vale targeted the Professor''s fan.
"What?!"
As the folding fan disappeared, for the very first time, Professor Gale Evans panicked!
It wasn''t something she had expected from Vale!
"You''ve mastered a Spirit Art to this extent?!" As expected of the Professor, she immediately recognized that the Spell he used was a Spirit Art.
"You can''t be surprised by that¡ It''s just a simple trick. Since this will be your end, I will show you something cooler." Vale said as he pointed his finger at the Professor.
"Hahaha! Show it to me!" Professor Gale said with augh as she waited for Vale''s attack... However, she wasn''t just idling.
She was aware that Vale''s mental defenses couldn''t have strengthened in a short period; it would take years. She was confident that once her "Charm" pierced through his defenses, the battle would be over, and Vale would kneel before her.
However, to her surprise, Vale unleashed a spell she had never anticipated.
"Holy Smite!"
Chapter 626 Dark Spell Models
Chapter 626 Dark Spell Models
?626 Dark Spell Models
"This is a Holy Smite?!" eximed Professor Gale as she sensed the sacred energy engulfing her body.
For others, this sensation might beforting, but for a Dark Magician like her, it was the opposite.
Moreover, the scale of the spell could likely epass the entire town, leaving no escape.
While she had prepared talismans and amulets to counter Holy Spells used by Holy Knights or Untainted Sentinels, they were only effective against spells like Sacred Fire, Sanctify, Holy Sword, or Radiance Spells¡ªtypical spells of Holy Arts Practitioners targeting Dark Magicians.
As for Holy Smite, she had a Magic Artifact prepared, but it proved insufficient against a spell of this magnitude. This level of power rivaled that of an Archbishop!
As the Holy Smite struck her, numerous thoughts raced through Gale''s mind.
She knew that although there was a possibility that Vale was a Half-Spirit because of the talent he had shown in the Academy, he shouldn''t have learned the Holy Arts together with the Dark Arts.
The two were fundamentally ipatible!
Given this, she could only conclude one thing about how Vale had acquired Holy Spells so rapidly.
"You betrayed the Dark Faction?!" she used, feeling she had pieced together the puzzle.
Nevertheless, Vale remained concentrated, for controlling the Holy Smite was no easy feat. ording to Magnus, the Holy Smite Spell was effective against Abyssal Demons, and using it against the Professor was part of his practice.
He didn''t bother listening to the Professor''s words at all!
"You! This will not be the end!"
Sensing her life force waning, Professor Gale''s soul separated from her body before promptly leaving the battlefield.
"What? That''s possible?!" Vale had no idea that Arcanists could actually control their souls and leave their bodies!
It might have been possible through a long ritual and guidance of the Spirit Realm, but Professor Gale was obviously unable to conduct a ritual to separate her soul!
She was even in the Holy Smite during the process!
Without any hesitation, Vale focused on his Magic Zone to sense the presence of Professor Gale''s soul.
''Where is it?''
Vale used his Divine Sense, and other detection Spells, but he failed to find the soul!
However, he was sure that it was still inside his Magic Zone!
There was no way it could fly away so quickly!
Then, as he was busy doing this, three tenth-year students managed to escape from the Moonlight Specters!
''Tsk¡'' Vale couldn''t be bothered by those small fries as he used his Presence Shift to appear in the sky to have a better look at the town¡
He also wanted to use his Sacred Blessing Spell, hoping to get a reaction from the Professor''s Soul, but before he could do so, Magnus sent a message through telepathy.
"Master Vale, I caught a soul that escaped from the town. It was trying to board our airship. I didn''t destroy it since it might still be useful in one of the Puppet Research that I''m doing."
Vale fell silent as soon as he heard Magnus'' report.
He really thought that Gale Evans'' soul managed to escape from him!
"Ah? Is that true? I''ming now!" Vale said as he looked at his destination before activating his Presence Shift.
As soon as he appeared on the airship''s deck, Magnus weed him and showed him a bottle containing what seemed like a gentle blue me in it.
"Is this a soul?" Vale asked, as this was the first time he had seen a soul in a ss bottle.
"You are right, Master. Souls differ from Spirits, so they have a different form. Souls get extinguished when they separate from their bodies for a long time, while Spirit can be a wandering one or be consumed by Evil Spirit." Magnus exined.
"Oh? Does it mean that this soul will die soon?" Vale asked.
"If we don''t put it in a different vessel, it will perish in a few hours¡"
"I see¡" Vale contemted for a while as he considered whether he should extract this soul.
However, considering how feeble it was, it might just disappear with a single extraction.
"I''m not well-versed in this matter. Can you use it in your Puppet Research?" Vale asked.
"I''m not familiar with the identity of this soul. However, if the person who had this soul had a strong mental will, then it would be very useful."
"Fine¡ You can have it."
"Thank you, Master¡ If you obtain Souls of Mind Controller, I might get better results. Please consider taking their souls if you encounter them."
"Ugh¡ It feels like you''re talking about running an errand. That probably won''t happen unless they cause trouble in our territory." Vale replied as he waved his hand¡
After doing this, he returned to the tenth-year students who were caught by the Moonlight Specters.
''They didn''t even kill a single Specter. Are they so weak, or were my Specters too strong?'' Vale mused as he felt disappointed in these graduating students.
Although they received a bacsh from his Spell Dispersion and had to fight against the Moonlight Specters¡ They should''ve at least defeated one of them!
The moonlight wasn''t even up yet, so the Specters weren''t at the peak of their strength!
Furthermore, these students should''ve learned Shadow Soldier and other spells.
Vale couldn''t help but look down on them, but he had forgotten that their Phantasm State was cut off after receiving a bacsh from his Spell Dispersion!
It means that when the Moonlight Specters manifested in front of them, they weren''t able to use their Magic Zone to fight and could only rely on their Magic Artifacts in that short duration!
In the end, they weren''t able to defend themselves until they could enter their Phantasm State again.
Nheless, Vale extracted all of them and received an unexpected result in his harvest!
He extracted their Darkness Maniption, Light Absorption, and Create Shadow Soldier, pushing them to the Perfect Realm!
''Right¡ I can actually do this.'' Vale''s eyes lit up as he realized that the Dark Arts Practitioners could also be his target!
Chapter 627 Spirit World?
Chapter 627 Spirit World?
??627 Spirit World?
Over the past few weeks, the only Arcanists he had considered extracting were those from the Churches who hated him, the Holy Arts Practitioners who were hunting the Dark Magicians, those who dared to cause trouble in his territory, the demons from the Abyss, and the Arcanists belonging to the Royal Family of this Kingdom.
However, now that he thinks about it, he could also hunt the rogue Dark Arts Practitioners for his own development.
Of course, if they weren''t terrible people, he would simply take their Spell Models or Energy Points and not eliminate them.
"Since there are still a few months before we attack the capital, I can still roam around¡" Vale muttered softly as he left the unconscious students. He even targeted their memories in the extraction process to confirm their purpose foring here.
''So Professor Gale was just too greedy, huh¡'' Vale mused as he realized that their true mission here was only to look for the students who went missing and to confirm that Faith did not betray them.
At the very least, the students had no idea that there was a mission rted to the Masked Devil Incarnate until they got here.
''I guess it''s no longer important¡'' Vale mused as he decided on what to do next.
With the blindfold or the broken Arcana from the Archbishop, he could easily travel around the kingdom and actively search for extractable people¡ There was no need to wait until the Marquis'' rebellion started!
He only had to be careful not to be ganged up by Demon Saints in case they dared to look for him.
''Well, I just have to be careful not to extract those innocent or those who were on the Marquis'' side.
With this in mind, Vale decided to start on this task tomorrow!
For now, he wanted to have a nice dinner with Lisa, Chad, and Denise¡
***
In the meantime, themotion brought by the battle just now was finally suppressed.
Lisa and Chad worked together and assured everyone that the enemies had been dealt with and that they should not worry about them again.
Of course, there was one more Dark Arts Practitioner who had assisted them and protected the townspeople.
It was Denise White, d in a ck magic robe that hid her aura, she informed the police officers of what was going on and protected the people from being harmed by stray spells or the Arcane Energy leaking from Vale and Professor Gale.
After all, ordinary people had no power to defend themselves against such mysterious force.
If they were hit by a strong Dark Energy, it would seep into their bodies, and their health could deteriorate rapidly. It wasn''t something that could be healed by drinking tonics.
"Whew~ It''s finally over¡ Lotus, thank you for your hard work." Denise said as she confirmed that there were no more lingering Arcane Energy around the area.
She wasn''t new to this task since she hadpleted simr tasks in the Arcanist Guild before. However, since there were also remnants of Holy Energy around, it was quite challenging for Lotus to move around.
"Mhmm¡ It''s not too difficult. I want to take the energy of those unconscious Dark Magicians." Lotus suddenly said.
"Ahh¡ Is that so? Can you not kill them in the process?"
"Of course¡"
With that said, Lotus, who was covered in a robe of darkness, went to the unconscious Arcanists.
However, Vale was still there¡
"It''s been a while, Lotus¡" Vale muttered as he sensed Lotus'' arrival. Lotus was still hiding in the shadows of the surroundings, but there was no way he would not notice her presence.
"Mhmm¡ Why did you not visit the Spirit World to find me?" Lotus spoke with a gentle but serious tone in her voice.
''Ahh?'' Vale didn''t expect such a question and was unable to properly reply.
''Why did not I not visit the Spirit World? What am I going to do there? How am I supposed to go there in the first ce?'' Vale had no idea what to say, so he took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before giving a reply.
"I wasn''t aware that it''s possible..." Vale murmured in disbelief.
As he uttered those words, Lotus, the enigmatic Dark Spirit, materialized before him, her piercing gaze locking onto his.
Vale studied her familiar visage, realizing her unchanged appearance elicited a mix of emotions within him.
''She still looks the same¡ Beautiful¡''
Then, while meeting her eyes, a sudden realization dawned on him. She was actually questioning why he hadn''t ventured into the Spirit World to seek her out!
"Ahem... Lotus, I attempted summoning you, as it''s the only method I know. However, instead of summoning you back, I was reprimanded by a Messenger. He looked so intimidating at that time so I didn''t consider that method at all. After that, he arranged for Yvaine to apany m¡" Vale exined, hoping to convey the circumstances that had led to their situation.
Lotus maintained her silence, her inscrutable presence filling the air.
After a brief pause, she diverted her attention to the unconscious Dark Arcanists.
"I''ll be taking their energy¡" Lotus dered, her tone resolute.
"Yes, of course. You may take them. Their fates need not concern you¡ Even if they die here, I will take care of it!" Vale responded, eager to demonstrate his willingness to amodate her desires.
Whether it stemmed from remorse or a desire to please his first Dark Spirit, he couldn''t be certain.
However, Lotus swiftly dismissed his acquiescence.
"Denise doesn''t want them to die," she stated before proceeding to touch each of the Dark Arcanists.
Vale waited for her to finish her task while thinking of what to say.
However, as soon as Lotus finished her "extraction", Vale was still unable to think of something to say, and she just disappeared¡
In the end, Vale could only proceed with his original n and invited Lisa, Chad, and Denise to a dinner¡
Chapter 628 Maya
Chapter 628 Maya
??628 Maya
In the western region of the Millton Kingdom, a few figures could be seen moving through the forest. It was as if they were being chased by a monster as one of them kept looking back to survey the surroundings.
"Are they keeping up?"
A female voice echoed as she asked the person beside her. She was Maya Featherstar, a student of the Vermont Academy, and the second daughter of the Featherstar''s n Head.
The Arcanist beside her was one of her Shadow Knights.
After he heard Maya''s question, he took a moment tomunicate with the Shadow Knight trailing behind them before giving a reply.
"Six Shadow Knights have blocked their path¡ It will take time before they can chase us. Even if they arrive, we will sacrifice our lives for your safety. Just focus on running, Lady Maya."
Maya could only grit her teeth as she focused on using her movement spell, Ghost Walk.
After about an hour of moving, as Maya and her five remaining Shadow Knights dashed through the dense forest, the sound of snapping twigs and heavy footsteps echoed behind them.
They were quite lucky that the moon cast an eerie glow through the thick canopy, illuminating their path as they desperately sought refuge from their relentless pursuers.
Maya''s Phantasm State had ended once again, so she could not use her Ghost Walk to move. She could only move faster by using the magical effect brought by her shoes.
''I''m about to exhaust my Dark Energy¡ We have to do something¡'' Maya worriedly looked around, finding a ce where they could rest.
However, it wouldn''t be easy.
The chilling howls of the pursuing Arcanists reverberated through the trees, sending shivers down Maya''s spine.
She stole a nce behind her, her heart pounding in her chest, and saw the glint of moonlight reflecting off their fiery eyes.
''Are they not getting tired? Are they not humans? Just what kind of drugs did my father give to them?!''
Mayained in her mind as their pursuers continued gaining ground, inch by inch, and their offensive spells kept getting closer and closer.
As Maya thought that they would have to stop and face the enemy, she heard her personal Shadow Knight give instructions.
"Shadow Thirteen, Twenty-Four, and Twenty-Nine¡ It''s time to show your loyalty! Let crows feast tonight!" As he said this, the three Shadow Knights who were called didn''t hesitate at all!
"Let the crows feast tonight!"
As the three Shadow Knights chanted, they stopped running to meet their pursuers¡ At this time, Maya was only left with two Shadow Knights protecting her!
It didn''t take long before a deafening roar tore through the night, signaling the sacrifice of three of her Shadow Knights who valiantly held off the Arcanists, buying precious time for their escape.
Maya''s eyes welled with tears, but she knew there was no time to mourn their loss. She had to ensure their sacrifice wasn''t in vain.
Maya bit her lips to the point that it started bleeding¡ However, she didn''t stop running as she knew that there was still hope.
''She couldn''t give up now!''
With a n in her mind, Maya urged her remaining two Shadow Knights to push forward, deeper into the heart of the forest.
The dense foliage whipped at their faces, and the uneven terrain threatened to trip them at every step. Nevertheless, the pulsating energy of the pursuing Arcanists grew further, pushing Maya and her loyalpanions to their limits.
''We''re about to lose them¡ Just a little bit more.''
Just when it seemed that the chasing Arcanists were about to find them again, Maya spotted a narrow ravine cutting through the woond.
"Follow me!"
Without hesitation, she led herpanions to the edge and, with a leap of faith, they descended into the darkness below.
The treacherous terrain tested their agility, but they pressed on, their breathsing in ragged gasps.
As they emerged from the depths of the ravine, they found themselves in a hidden de, bathed in the soft glow of a mystical moonlit pool.
The tranquility of the space offered a momentary reprieve from the chaos of their pursuit.
Maya and her Shadow Knights caught their breath while their senses remained on high alert. They knew that they couldn''t stay hidden for long.
"Wait¡ My Magic Zone can only reach 5 meters¡ Lady Maya, where is this ce?"
The Shadow Knight close to Maya eximed after realizing what had happened.
"Do not worry. Although this is also my first timeing here, I know about this ce. Let''s continue moving." Maya dered as she led her group.
She also didn''t expect that her father would want to sacrifice her to appease the Untainted Sentinels or to buy more time for the Dark Arts Faction.
Although her Physique was special, she didn''t know that it was to the extent that the Sentinels were willing to cease the war.
With the moon as their guide, Maya and her loyalpanions ventured deeper into the heart of the forest. She was determined to evade being captured and live in freedom.
As they pressed on, they didn''t know how long had passed as the moon''s ethereal glow cast a serene light upon their surroundings, revealing the silhouette of a grand church emerging from the darkness.
The ancient structure stood tall and imposing, its weathered stone facade adorned with intricate carvings that seemed to depict some ancient secrets.
"A church?" One of the Shadow Knights muttered as he observed the mysterious building.
"Indeed¡ Is it an unorthodox church? However, with this grand design in this unknown ce, it must be a fallen church." The other Shadow Knightmented. It felt as if the church was emanating an aura of enigma as its presence appeared both haunting and awe-inspiring in the dead of night.
However, Maya had a different thought.
As soon as she saw the building, she couldn''t help but smile in relief.
"It''s the Church of the Lord of the Secrets¡"
Chapter 629 Blocked!
Chapter 629 Blocked!
??629 Blocked!
Two months swiftly psed following Vale''s encounter with Professor Gale''s squad in a small town situated in the eastern region of the Millton Kingdom.
Throughout this period, Denise had fully dedicated herself to their fortress, and she even left her Arcanist Squad to show her sincerity.
She had also easily familiarized herself with the fortress because of her abilities and befriended everyone with her natural charm.
Despite not having attended the Vermont Academy, she had diligently honed her skills in Dark Alchemy under the tutge of Heinz, a revered Alchemist affiliated with the Dark Arts Faction.
With her expertise in Alchemy surpassing that of Chad and Lisa, Vale rmended her to assist Magnus in various alchemical matters.
Although Denise''s expertise predominantly centered on Dark Alchemy, herprehensive understanding of the craft was notable, having apprenticed as an alchemist for several years.
"Ugh¡ Lotus, why did you not wake me up?" Denise muttered as the first rays of daylight gently filtered through her window.
She awoke to the soft glow and asked Lotus who was hiding somewhere in her room. She recalled that she asked her Dark Spirit to wake her up before the sun rises up.
"You needed rest. You''ve been working nonstop over the past few days. You can''t die from overworking, or I''ll return to the Spirit World." Lotus answered casually.
Denise could only nod at this as ready to embrace the day''s alchemical endeavors. With her striking long ck and white hair, she embarked on her daily routine within the fortress as an esteemed Alchemist.
After washing her face, she dressed in her intricate alchemist''s attire, each piece meticulously adorned with runic symbols that would help her move in precision, which was extremely required in her line of work.
Of course, this attire was specifically made by Magnus, so she could work better in theboratory.
Descending to the castle''s kitchen, the tantalizing aroma of freshly brewed coffee and hearty sustenance greeted her.
''Did Vale prepare our breakfast this time?'' Denise mused since Vale would always drink coffee in the morning.
Well, they also got used to it over the past few weeks, so all of them are now drinking coffee from time to time whenever Vale prepares them to warm themselves in the morning.
After getting into the kitchen, she realized that the whitedy was also having a meal.
Needless to say, it was Miss Faith who seemed to have gotten paler.
"Good morning¡" Denise greeted. She felt ufortable whenever she saw Faith staring at the spot where Lotus had hidden herself. Nevertheless, she decided to ignore it since Lotus wasn''tining.
"Good morning, Denise¡" Faith said as she finished her meal before leaving the kitchen.
Denise also savored a nourishing meal as she invigorated herself for the day ahead.
She was already excited about working since she had recently obtained tremendous sess in her work.
Soon, Denise started walking into theplicated hallways of the castle.
As she made her way to the left-wing tower, she found herboratory and entered it excitedly.
''I forgot to ask Vale and Magnus why we''re making so many golems¡ It''s as if we are about to go to war.'' Denise mused as she saw the 5-meter-tall humanoid golems in herboratory.
She kept forgetting about this question since she would always be busy or too tired to even question what she was doing.
She was also being paid for this work and obtaining various treasures for free, so she felt that it wasn''t too important.
Clink¡ Clink¡ Clink¡
One of the golems that was inscribed as her own started moving. This golem was made of wood, steel, runic items, various crystals, and a mysterious core that only Magnus could make.
"Alright! Let''s start making you capable of using Spells!" Denise said as the intricate mechanisms and arcane symbols etched into the golems'' frames beckoned to her, igniting a fervent desire to unlock their enigmatic potential.
***
In the meantime, while Denise was busy working on the golems, Vale and Marquis Morgan justpleted their ns.
"To be honest, I''ve been feeling nervous about the n you suggested. However, I will believe in you and I hope that I will really see such a magnificent sight in the capital tomorrow." Marquis Morgan said as he looked at Vale seriously.
The fact that Vale would "hire" a dragon to destroy the capitals'' barrier and take the offensive attacks of the Mage Tower situated in the castle, still bothered and worried him.
After all, if the dragon did not appear to act as their vanguard, Marquis Morgan knew that it would be over him. He would no longer be supported by the Neutral Faction, and the Church of the Divine Sorcerer would leave him.
"Please be confident, Marquis Morgan¡ You will witness a dragon destroying the capital''s barrier, and it will be etched in the history of the kingdom. It would also be the kingdom''s guardian that will bring peace to ournd." Vale said with a bit of exaggeration.
After hearing this much, Marquis Morgan could only nod and wait for tomorrow.
As the Marquis was nning to leave, he suddenly recalled something.
"Right... I forgot to inquire, have you crossed paths with the envoys of the Divine Sorcerer?" inquired Marquis Morgan, under the belief that the Church of the Divine Sorcerer should have already made an appearance. They should''ve tried to recruit Vale and the others into their fold.
"Ahhh..."
It was only now that Vale recalled about them.
"No, they have not approached me yet. Perhaps they are preupied with preparations for tomorrow''s war." He mused, casting a nce toward the Marquis.
"I believe it would be prudent for you to depart as well... If by any chance our strategy has been divulged to the enemies, they might attempt to catch us off guard tomorrow. You should have contingency ns in ce just in case." Vale urged.
"Fear not... I have everything well in hand... I have awaited this moment for many years." Marquis Morgan dered as his gaze fixated on the window.
''Hmm?''
Sensing a mystifying and unearthly presence approaching the castle, Vale too discerned their arrival and swiftly guessed their identities...
"They are indeed tardy¡" Vale muttered, recognizing the group of individuals as members of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer.
However, because of their imposing manner of arrival, Lisa transformed into a Vampire and blocked their path!
Chapter 630 Vampire vs Sorcerer ( Part 1 )
Chapter 630 Vampire vs Sorcerer ( Part 1 )
?630 Vampire vs Sorcerer ( Part 1 )
"Should I intervene?" Vale pondered aloud while observing Lisa summon her Thralls to obstruct the path of the six cloaked individuals charging toward the castle.
A total of six Thralls also stood in the way of the assants, acting as a formidable barrier.
However, as Vale contemted taking action, he realized that the six figures were already casting spells with the intent to attack Lisa directly.
It was obvious that they harbored no intention of engaging in discourse or halting their advance!
Although Lisa had gotten really strong after bing a Vampire, facing six first-ss Arcanists would still be difficult, especially now that she was in an open ce.
Furthermore, he felt that the Magic Zones of these Arcanists were higher than Lisa''s. If that were the case, abat against six of them would be challenging for her.
As Vale was thinking of assisting her by sending a few Moonlight Specters, he was suddenly met with Lisa''s telepathic voice.
"I will handle them alone... I want to try something¡" she conveyed, seemingly aware of Vale''s inclination to offer assistance.
"Has she mastered a new Vampire spell?" Vale wondered, taken aback by Lisa''s audacity.
Nevertheless, he acquiesced and permitted Lisa to confront the adversaries without his help.
"Exercise caution... If you find yourself unable to endure, seek refuge within the castle''s protective barrier." Vale advised.
"I understand... I will do so." Lisa affirmed as she activated a spell akin to her Veil of Darkness. As the Spell took effect, an ominous darkness, resembling a shroud of ck fog, began to unfurl.
It spread so quickly and covered the six cloaked individuals together with the six Thralls. Because of this, the enemies'' spells that targeted the Thralls missedpletely!
"Oh~ Can she now conjure a Dark Miasma?"
Faith''s exmation was heard from Vale''s window. It seemed that she had alsoe out to see the uninvited visitors.
"Dark Miasma? May I ask what kind of Spell that is, Miss Faith?" Vale inquired while leaning against the window to address the mysterious Half-Spirit.
Without so much as a nce in his direction, Faith responded, "It is not a spell exclusive to Vampires... It is a specialized Arcane spell essible to practitioners of Dark Magic and Mystic Arts. This miasma easily devours Arcane Energies not aligned with those two Arcane paths¡" She exined while crossing her arms as she observed the unfolding confrontation.
''It devours Arcane Energies? And I could even cover arge area?! Isn''t that scarier than my Extraction System?!'' Vale thought as he realized why Lisa felt so confident just now!
***
In the meantime, when the messengers of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer noticed the presence of the Vampire lurking in the castle of the Marquis'' benefactor, they didn''t hesitate to engage inbat.
"Hmph! Mosley and I will take care of the Thralls! The others will target the Vampire!" Lynn, the leader of the group,manded.
He may not be the strongest in the six, but he had better support spells that could make this battle easier.
However, before they could even separate, a dark mist enveloped the forest, obscuring the vision of the six sorcerers.
They all stopped running as they felt a chill in their bones. Their Magic Zones were a mess as they sensed the presence of the Vampire and her thralls everywhere!
That''s right, they could no longer rely on their Magic Zones to find their enemies!
They knew they had to act fast, or they would be overwhelmed by the Vampire''s power.
"We need toplete the protection ritual!" Lynn shouted as he couldn''t find a quick solution to the problem.
All of them moved with haste as they quickly formed a circle. They held each other''s hands and chanted in a strangenguage.
It wasn''t Oardic, Heumish, or Soi¡
However, if Vale could hear them, he would certainly recognize that they were using Ieveda, an ancientnguage.
Whom~
Soon, a faint glow emerged from their bodies, forming a protective barrier around them. They hoped to repel the Dark Miasma and buy some time to counterattack.
Unfortunately, this Corruption Protection Barrier only blocked about 5 meters around them! It wasn''t enough to find their target!
Nevertheless, it provided them a sense of security since they would at least see the spellsing at them!
"This strange fog wouldn''tst long¡ There''s no way that Vampire could spend so much energy to make thisst for more than 5 minutes." Lynn said as he could sense the immense energy that was used to summon the miasma.
"I think that fog had eaten away some of our energy or maybe even our life force¡ Luckily, we acted quickly¡"
"That Vampire is weird¡ This isn''t the end. Stay focused!"
The other sorcerer said as they looked around to find any subtle movement from the fog.
Lisa smirked as she saw their futile attempt.
She even heard their conversation.
Nevertheless, she knew their barrier was no match for her Dark Miasma, which could easily devour any Arcane Energy that was not from the Dark or Mystic paths. Well, even if they were in those paths, her miasma could still devour them, but it would be slower.
She then decided to test their limits and see how long they couldst.
''Since this is a new spell¡ I want to see how good or bad this is... Please try to struggle¡'' Lisa thought as her red eyes started to glow.
It was a signal for her Thralls to attack from different directions! She wanted to use their speed and strength to break through the barrier while she herself stayed behind, preparing to unleash one of her powerful spells.
Eeekk!
The thralls obeyed hermand, charging at the sorcerers with their fangs and ws.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They met with resistance, as the barrier was not easily broken.
Of course, the sorcerers fought back, using their spells to fend off the Thralls.
One of them conjured a ball of fire and threw it at a thrall, setting him aze. Another one created a de of wind and sliced a thrall''s arm off. A third one summoned a bolt of lightning and electrocuted a thrall. The other three used simr spells, injuring the remaining thralls.
They were actually Elementalists who were working for the Church!
Chapter 631 Vampire vs. Sorcerer ( Part 2 )
Chapter 631 Vampire vs. Sorcerer ( Part 2 )
??631 Vampire vs. Sorcerer ( Part 2 )
Eeeek!
The Thralls screamed after receiving those spells¡
Nevertheless, these servants of the Vampire were not deterred.
They barely felt the pain that was induced on them because of their natural physique. Their minds were upied with one thought: it was their thirst for blood!
The Sorcerers seemed to be one of the most delicious beings they have seen! They couldn''t wait to tear them apart and drink their blood!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They continued to attack, ignoring their wounds.
"They''re about to die! Continue!" Lynn shouted as he threw another wind razor spell to the closest Thrall. However, to everyone''s surprise, they all started healing!
The Thralls'' wounds started covering up¡ Even the severed arm floated and reconnected to its owner!
"What?!"
"They recovered so quickly!"
"I''ve never seen a Thrall do that!"
This unusual healing prowess surprised the six Sorcerers. However, Lynn immediately connected this strange phenomenon to the ck fog surrounding them. Furthermore, the Vampire that was hiding could have cast an unusual recovery Spell as well.
Whatever it was, they must do something about it!
Bang! Bang!
Soon, they realized that the Thralls'' strength had also gotten stronger!
Then, the barrier began to crack as the Dark Miasma also constantly eroded its energy.
"Kill them! Hurry!" Lynn shouted as he had a bad feeling about this. Although they had other methods that could force them to escape this miasma, these methods would expend their life force, and they felt that it was too early to resort to extreme measures.
Boom!
When only three Thralls remained, the barrier was finally destroyed, and it created a shockwave that dizzied the Sorcerers for a brief moment.
The Thralls seized this opportunity as they pounced at the nearest Sorcerer! Then, they started biting and scratching them!
"Stop!" Lynn shouted as he triggered his Magic Artifact to create another Wind Barrier that pushed away the Thralls and the Block Fog¡ It also recovered their Elemental Energy!
As they sighed in relief after seeing all the Thralls thrown away,Lisa realized that the time was ripe.
She raised her hand and pointed it at the Sorcerers.
She uttered a single word:
"Die."
A wave of dark energy surged from her hand, hitting the new barrier with a loud explosion.
The barrier shattered, and the sorcerers were exposed to the full force of Lisa''s Spell. They felt a sharp pain in their chests, as if their hearts were being squeezed.
They gasped for air, clutching their throats. They felt their blood boiling, their veins bursting, their organs failing.
They fell to the ground, writhing in agony.
Lisa smiled, satisfied with the result. She had used her Blood Curse, a spell that could kill anyone with a single word.
"Wait! Lisa, don''t kill them!" Vale immediately said through his telepathy. Initially, he thought that Lisa would be defeated and needed some help.
He didn''t expect that the people from the Church of the Divine Sorcerer couldn''t even win against a young Vampire!
''Are they so weak? Or that Dark Miasma was just too strong?'' Vale thought as he looked at Lisa in a new light. It seemed that over the past couple of months, Lisa had already be a true Vampire.
"Don''t worry¡ I won''t kill them. They need to produce blood for me. They can''t do that if they''re dead." Lisa casually replied.
"Urgh¡ Wait, that''s not a good idea¡ I think they''re here about the war that we will initiate tomorrow."
"Eh? Why did you not tell me? Anyway, they came at us aggressively, so this should be a good reminder to them. Just let me teach them a lesson." Lisa said.
Vale wryly smiled at this but he still nodded.
"Alright¡ You can take care of it. They were indeed trying to show off a while ago."
After hearing this, Lisa was no longer worried.
She then walked towards the sorcerers and summoned three more Thralls, ready to "finish" them off.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The sorcerers'' bodies began to glow, emitting a bright light that pierced the darkness.
"Oh? They''re not giving up yet¡" Lisa felt a little shock as she had been hit by a powerful force.
She then stumbled back while covering her eyes.
Soon, she heard the sorcerers'' voices, chanting in unison.
It seemed as if they were using theirst resort. This was probably their life-saving Spell!
''This energy¡ Are they using their life force?'' Lisa frowned after noticing the energy being used.
As a Vampire, she was quite sensitive to this kind of energy, so she immediately realized what was going on¡
Then, they shouted a word:
"Explode."
Then, a massive explosion rocked the battlefield, sending a shockwave in all directions.
Lisa and her thralls were blown away, along with the Dark Miasma that she had created.
The sorcerers'' bodies also dropped to the ground as their energies seemed to have been depleted.s
The st was so loud that it could be heard from miles away.
Vale and Faith, who were watching from the castle, felt the tremor. If not for the castle''s barrier, they would probably be affected as well.
The two of them couldn''t help but exchange a look of disbelief.
As the explosion subsided, they rushed out of the castle, heading towards the st site.
They hoped to find Lisa¡
Apparently, because of the explosion, the surrounding Arcane Energy was too chaotic, and finding Lisa with their Magic Zones was too tricky.
They arrived at the scene, where arge crater marked the spot of the explosion. They could see the six weakened Sorcerers, who were shocked and worried about Vale''s arrival.
Nevertheless, Vale and Faith ignored them as they searched for any sign of Lisa¡
"Lisa!" Vale shouted after they found nothing. No body, no blood, no clothes. Nothing.
He tried using his Divine Sense once again, but he didn''t find any familiar energy at all.
Vale''s hands suddenly turned cold as he felt a pang of despair, thinking that Lisa had perished in the st.
However, as he was about to ask Faith about her findings, he heard a weak voice¡
"Vale... I''m here..."
Vale then turned around and saw Lisa crawling out of a pile of rubble.
She was also being embraced by Lotus!
Chapter 632 Sorcerer
Chapter 632 Sorcerer
??"What?!" Vale was shocked as he saw Lisa. Although she managed to survive, she was badly injured, covered in burns and bruises.
She had lost most of her hair, and one of her eyes was missing. She looked like a mess, but she was alive.
They ran towards her while Lotus silently left.
Vale then embraced Lisa with relief.
They were overjoyed to see her, even in such a state.
Without hesitation, Vale offered his neck to Lisa.
"Heal yourself quickly¡" Vale whispered. He knew very well about the Vampire''s healing capabilities.
Although Lisa''s injury looked severe, as long as she drank blood, especially his blood, this injury was nothing.
On the other hand, Lisa didn''t hear his words and simply acted on instinct.
She bit Vale''s neck and drank his body!
Needless to say, with Vale''s Half-Celestial Physique, Incorruptible Body, and incredible Vitality, his blood might even be better than a dragon''s blood.
In just a few seconds, Lisa''s body started recovering. Her skin and muscles started healing, her hair started growing, her missing eyes started forming, and her vitality kept increasing!
After about 30 seconds, Lisa was already fully recovered!
However, she didn''t stop drinking Vale''s blood!
"Hey! Wait¡ Wait¡ I think that''s enough¡ Aughh~"
As soon as Vale seemed to moan, Faith immediately stepped in to stop Lisa.
She separated the two quickly, and Vale noticed that Lisa was looking at him while grinning¡
"Haha¡ Sorry about that¡ I got carried away." Lisa replied as she scratched her head.
To be honest, she also has a few bottles of blood in her pocket, and she could use it to recover. However, she decided to just drink Vale''s blood since she wouldn''t just recover, she would also be stronger!
She had already noticed this a few months ago when she had a chance to taste Vale''s blood to see if he was sick or if he had an unknown disease.
She tasted everyone''s blood at that time, and she could say that Vale was the best, followed by Pearl¡
"It''s fine¡ Anyway, I didn''t expect that you''d fail to escape from theirst attack. What happened?" Vale asked.
"I think they used a strange talisman to make my reaction slow¡ Before they triggered that explosion, something hit me that stopped me for a brief second¡ Luckily, Denise left her Dark Spirit with me a while ago."
Lisa exined as she looked at the six weakened Sorcerers. Those who were unconscious were already woken up, and they were staring at Vale''s group with mixed emotions.
Nevertheless, they seemed unconvinced by the result of their attack.
"I''m still not convinced! If that Vampire is your strongest warrior, then you will not win against the Royal Family! They have Druids, Artificial Humans, and First ss Arcanists! Our rebellion will not seed!" Lynn, the leader of their group, shouted.
Vale, on the other hand, didn''t expect such a reaction.
"So you were just testing us?" Vale frowned as he couldn''t believe that their test would be so extreme! He didn''t expect that the Church of the Divine Sorcerer would be so bold to do this!
"Hmph! If you can''t even defeat the six of us, there''s no way you could destroy the capital''s barrier. You may not even get close to it!" Lynn added.
"Fine... Do you want to have another fight?" Vale asked as he considered whether to Extract these people using his System.
With these words, Lynn and the other Elementalists who were acting as Sorcerers of the Church, exchanged nces and prayed in unison.
"Sun Sorcerer Hogan! We need your aid!"
Their plea resonated through the air, and in response, the surrounding space began to warp and distort, signaling the imminent arrival of an external entity.
"Oh¡ Can they summon someone with just those words?" Vale muttered as he felt curious about the method they used to call for the Sun Sorcerer.
Vale also perceived the unfolding spatial maniption and of course, he possessed the capability to impede their arrival with his own spells.
However, he chose to withhold his intervention, opting to observe the mysterious arrival unfold before him.
"This feels too different from my Arcana¡ "Vale contemted as the spatial disturbance intensified.
Before long, Sun Sorcerer Hogan materialized, his presence heralded by a ze of radiant light.
Sun Sorcerer Hogan was a tall and muscr man, with golden hair and eyes. He wore a bright yellow robe, adorned with sun symbols. He had a staff in his hand, which was also shaped like a sun. He radiated a warm and powerful aura, as if he was the embodiment of the sun itself.
''He really deserved to be called the Sun Sorcerer¡'' Vale mused.
Nheless, while Vale and the others were observing him, the Sun Sorcerer was also doing the same.
He looked at the scene before him, and frowned.
He saw the six proxy Sorcerers of the Church, lying on the ground, wounded and exhausted. He saw a young woman who seemed to be a Vampire, standing next to a mysterious youth that couldn''t be sensed by his Magic Zone.
Then, he saw Faith, a Half-Spirit who was slightly below his level, and the other people in the castle.
"Failures¡." Sun Sorcerer Hogan muttered in frustration.
He felt a surge of anger, mixed with disappointment.
They had sent the six Elementalists to test the strength of the mysterious castle and to see if they were worthy of joining the Church''s cause.
Furthermore, he had hoped that they would be able to persuade them to be members of the Church once they proved their strength.
However, it seemed that there was a misunderstanding with these hired Arcanists! If he would make a guess, these six Arcanists thought that they should overpower the mysterious Castle!
No, he wasn''t even angry because of that. It was because they failed so miserably, and even called for his help.
He felt that they had disgraced the name of the Church and the name of the Divine Sorcerer.
He red at the six Elementalists, and said in a cold voice.
"You fools!"
Chapter 633 Final Test
Chapter 633 Final Test
?Sun Sorcerer Hogan then raised his staff, and pointed it at the group of Elementalists.
He chanted a word in Oardic, and a beam of light shot out from his staff, hitting the six Elementalists.
"Aahh!"
"Why are you doing this?!"
"Sir Hogan?! This isn''t what we---"
They screamed, as they felt their bodies burning.
It didn''t take that long before they turned into ashes, leaving no trace behind.
This stunned Vale and the others who were watching everything unfold.
''What a waste. You should''ve let me extract them instead of killing them just like that¡'' Vale sighed at this thought.
The Sun Sorcerer Hogan then turned his attention to Vale and his group.
He smiled, and said in a mocking tone.
"And you... You are part of the rebels who dare to im to have the power to break the capital''s Barrier, and overthrow the tyrant king? You are the ones who seek to change the kingdom and bring a new era?"
Vale felt annoyed at his words and was already thinking of attacking him.
"Yes¡ You will see the Barrier''s destruction tomorrow if you are there." Vale replied.
"I will be leading the Elite Sorcerers of the Church to deal with the Druids of the Royal Family. However, we may not even have the chance if you fail to break it. You can''t underestimate that Barrier. It was not a simple Formation Art that relied on Magic Circles and expensive objects." Sun Sorcerer replied as he still felt unconvinced.
Their Church will risk everything tomorrow, and nothing could go wrong. They would rather dy the final war than fail at their mission.
If their Church gathered enough believers in the next year or two, they use the Divine Sorcerer''s Descent to destroy that Barrier for sure!
"Do you want to test me onest time?" Vale asked.
"Yes! Come at me..." Sun Sorcerer Hogan said.
Vale narrowed his eyes after hearing these words.
"I want you to unleash your strongest Spell on me... If you can''t even shatter my Sixteen Light Wave Barrier Spell, then you have no hope of breaking the capital''s Barrier. If you fail, tell the Marquis that you''re ipetent. Tell him to postpone the war instead." Sun Sorcerer Hogan said.
Even though he knew that Marquis Morgan was listening, he still chose to use Vale as the messenger.
"That''s intriguing. What would happen if you die?" Vale asked as he stepped forward.
"Hmph! I have an Artifact that will whisk me away to safety if I''m about to die. You don''t need to concern yourself with me. If you''re confident enough to break the capital''s barrier... Show me what you''ve got!" Sun Sorcerer Hogan said as he began his chant to create the Sixteen Light Wave Barrier.
Soon, severalyers of light wave barrier formed that dazzled everyone watching. It looked like a mini sun was forming around him!
On the other hand, Vale was a bit uncertain about what Spell he would use to destroy this barrier.
Of course, he intended to transform into a dragon to destroy the capital''s barrier. But with his limited Dragon Essence, he couldn''t afford to waste it right now.
He then scanned his current spells to see what Spell would be the most effective...
"Hmmm..."
After some deliberation, Vale decided to use various spells.
First, he used his Dragon''s True Sight to see the w of the barrier. As he used this Spell, his eyes suddenly changed to that of a dragon...
It didn''t take long before he understood how the Sixteen Light Wave Barrier worked.
It was a spherical barrier that shielded the caster even from Spellsing from the ground.
The weakness was essentially the amount of energy that the Sun Sorcerer could supply to the barrier.
There was no specific element that could easily destroy it. Whether it was Dark Energy, Elemental Energy, or Aura, it made no difference.
With this in mind, Vale decided to use his Celestial Art, the Call of the Divine Lightning!
"I will summon a lightning, Sorcerer¡ Don''t die!"
Vale said as he raised his hand and pointed it at the sky.
He even imbued about 10 Divinity Points to empower his Celestial Art! He also didn''t wait for the Sorcerer''s reply as thunderous sound echoed in the air.
He summoned the Divine Lightning, a spell that could harness the power of the heavens!
Boom!
A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, aiming at the Sun Sorcerer Hogan. It was a dazzling and terrifying sight, as if the wrath of the gods was unleashed. It looked like a giant spear, ready to pierce through the barrier.
''This lightning¡ I knew it, he''s the Masked Devil Incarnate!'' The Sun Sorcerer, including Denise and the others immediately had the same thought!
There was no more hiding!
As the Sun Sorcerer Hogan saw the attack, he smirked with confidence.
At the point of impact, eight out of sixteenyers of barriers were immediately destroyed!
"Is that all you have? A mere lightning bolt? Do you think that can break my Sixteen Light Wave Barrier? You are too naive, young man! You have no idea what my barrier can do!"
He raised his staff, and theyers of barriers started recovering! It became 9yers¡ 10yers¡ and the 11th one was already forming rapidly!
Vale was certainly impressed by that defense, but he realized from that attack that this barrier was most likely made by an Arcana!
It was not a Spell that the man created!
Nevertheless, Vale didn''tin as he continued¡
A couple of Divine Lightning descended at once!
Boom! Boom!
The shockwave spread and the dust rose.
The sound was deafening, and the light was blinding. At the same time, the ground shook, and the air was filled with the remnant of lightning energy.
However, Vale remained standing on his spot, looking at the dust-filled area where the Sun Sorcerer had previously stood.
Without waiting for the settling dust to reveal it''s the Sorcerer''s condition, Vale spoke with a chilling calmness.
"Rest well, Sorcerer. Tomorrow, we will be marching towards the capital."
With these words, Vale turned away, retracing his steps towards the castle.
Chapter 634 March!
Chapter 634 March!
??"Your Majesty! Marquis Morgan and his allies haveunched their attack. They are marching towards the capital!"
A knight in full armor reported to King Dominick III of the Ruri Kingdom. The king was in his seventies, but as an Aura Master who had ess to all the nutrients and potions he needed, he looked like he was still in his forties.
He wore a majestic robe befitting a king and a jeweled crown on his head. He smiled at the knight who had brought the news.
"Let theme... I will wipe them out in one fell swoop." King Dominick III said as he was prepared for this to happen.
He was not surprised by this final act of rebellion, since he had slowly lost the southern and eastern regions of the Kingdom to them.
He could''ve probably waged war in to the various territories that were supporting the Marquis, but that would weaken the capital''s defense.
Because of their scarce forces, he had decided to gather all his elite Knights and Arcanists in the capital instead of dispersing them.
He also allowed the nobles of his faction to protect theirnds with all their strength. He allowed them to hire as many Arcanists as they wanted without the limit that had previously been imposed on them.
Lastly, with a mysterious barrier made by Great Arcanist Ves, the founder of the Ruri Kingdom, he believed that this was a perfect trap to purge the Kingdom.
Soon, the king went out of the castle to admire the splendid city.
He saw the busy streets, filled with people of all kinds. He saw the shops, selling various goods and services.
On the other side,he saw the temples, where the faithful worshipped the gods.
As he looked closer to his castle, he saw the gardens, where the flowers bloomed and the birds sang. He saw the monuments where the heroes of their Kingdom were honored.
Then, as his gaze shifted to the walls of the capital, he saw the Knights, Druids, and Magicians, that were led by his sons and daughters.
Then, he saw the barrier that surrounded and protected the capital from invaders.
It was a massive dome of light that emitted a gentle glow. It was aplex Formation Art that relied on multiple Magic Circles and precious items.
It was a powerful defense that could withstand any attack, no matter how strong they were. Furthermore, as a King, he could use this dome of light to gather the energy it sustained and return it to the invaders!
He felt proud of his city and this barrier that had been built by the first king.
"I''m ready, Marquis Morgan... This is my Kingdom, and my legacy. I will show you why our family is the sole rulers of thisnd!" King Dominick III said with a smirk on his face as he saw the airships and ground forces of the rebel army.
He was surprised that they still had so many after the purge that he had ordered, but he still felt confident of his triumph!
At this time, there were 30 Combat Airships on standby within the city''s barrier. Once he controlled the barrier to return the attack, he would have them finish the remaining rebel forces.
On the other hand, the Marquis only managed to gather a dozen of airships... Two of them even looked like they were from the Church of the Divine Sorcerer.
''So those foolish sorcerers had made their choice... What a shame... I wanted to use their knowledge to improve our Artificial Human Project. I suppose we''ll have to take everything from them once we finish this...'' The king thought as he saw familiar airships of the Church along with the Marquis.
He knew that the treasures of the Church were immense. Once he destroyed their main force here, it would be easy for him to take everything they had.
Nheless, he also noticed the various gs and banners from different noble families. Some of them were from the Marquis'' Faction but most of them were unexpectedly from the Neutral Faction...
''So they have turned against us in the end...'' King Dominick III grieved, but after a while, he still showed a wicked grin.
In the end, they would gather all of their bodies and advance his Artificial Human Project!
This war will be a blessing in disguise! There might be many sacrifices to make this happen, but in the end, as long as their bloodline continues, this kingdom will continue to exist.
"Come! Try and destroy our barrier!" The King shouted as he saw the Airships draw closer.
But as he was waiting for the Airships to begin their bombardment or for arge Fusion Spell to try and pierce the Barrier, he noticed the Airships parted as if they were awaiting someone''s arrival at the center.instead saw the arrival of a mythical creature!
It was a huge blue dragon!
It was a majestic and awe-inspiring sight, as the blue dragon soared in the sky.
"W-what was that? Am I seeing things?"
"An illusion?! This is too good!"
"This must be an illusion! Do not falter!"
"No! Can''t you feel the Dragon''s Might!"
"That''s definitely real!"
"This Barrier will protect us!"
The soldiers guarding the city wall panicked at the sight of the mythical creature! However, the Commander''s shout, filled with his Aura, immediately took them back.
The Dragon was, no doubt, a real one. It was huge and powerful, with scales that shone like sapphires.
It had wings that spanned over ahundred meters and a tail that whipped the wind.
It had horns that curved like des and eyes that glowed like stars.
Rooaaarrr!
As the dragon roared, the barrier and the castle wall trembled!
They saw its teeth that sparkled like ice, and ws that ripped like steel. It had a breath that spewed like lightning, and a roar that thundered like a storm!
"This is impossible!" King Dominick III said as he finally realized why the Marquis dared to attack the capital.
Chapter 635 Dragons Might
Chapter 635 Dragon''s Might
??What they witnessed was a creature of legend, a creature of magic and might¡
It was a mythical dragon that shouldn''t exist in this era!
The people who were guarding the wall, including the citizens who were watching from the ground, were stunned and terrified as they saw the blue dragon.
It was even emitting a mighty aura that could pass through the barrier with ease!
All of them believed that their barrier would always protect them from external threats, but it seemed that they were wrong!
They had never seen such a creature before, and they felt a primal fear in their hearts.
They couldn''t help but wonder who was capable of summoning such a dragon, and whether they n to kill everyone in the city.
"Fear not! My father! The King has totalmand of the City''s Barrier! It was created by the first King who founded the Kingdom and it endured for many generations! This dragon will be in soon!"
The Crown Prince, a middle-aged man who was wearing dazzling red armor, yelled for everyone to hear.
Thanks to his words, those who were frozen by the sight of the blue dragon and neglected their duty came to their senses as they gripped their weapons firmly.
The blue dragon, however, was not intimidated by the Crown Prince''s words.
It was as if it knew that the barrier was not invincible and that it had a weakness.
Since no one dared to attack the dragon, it flew towards the barrier, and opened its mouth.
The dragon was taking its time to charge it since it was aware that no one would stop it since they were all relying on the mysterious power of the barrier!
Soon, it unleashed a st of water empowered by lightning, that crackled and shed. It aimed at the barrier, hoping to break it with one strike.
The barrier, however, was not easily broken. It absorbed the energying from the Dragon''s Breath and stored it.
After the dragon''s attack subsided, it then released it back in the form of a beam of light!
It counterattacked the Dragon, hoping to repel it with its own power.
However, the Dragon seemed to have expected this as it released another mighty roar that surpassed its previous attack!
The two attacks collided, creating a huge explosion of chaotic Arcane Energy!
***
A few minutes earlier, before the dragon showed up, Marquis Morgan of the Nobles Faction, Sun Sorcerer Hogan of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer, and Viscount Truman of the Neutral Faction, were gazing at the capital with a touch of anxiety. They were in a concealed airship where they could oversee the situation and take control of their soldiers at the same time.
"Where is Vale? He said that he''s on his way..." Sun Sorcerer Hogan asked.
"We haven''t spotted their Airships yet." Viscount Truman answered. He had heard a lot about Vale but he had never met him in person. He was also interested in this young man as he wasn''t sure how the two in front of him trusted such a person to break the capital''s mighty barrier.
"He should arrive any second now. My people informed me that their Airship departed a few hours ago and headed to the capital. He must be using a concealment art." Marquis Morgan said. He knew that the people working for Vale were all experts. It wouldn''t be surprising if one of them was an expert in Concealment Techniques.
Nevertheless, even though they had assembled a formidable force of hundreds of powerful Arcanists and many Knights that could encircle the capital, they were still concerned since their forces would be useless if they couldn''t enter the capital.
But if they could break the barrier, everything would be different... It wouldn''t matter if they had fewer Airships or Arcanists. They would be able to win since they had nned a lot for this.
They had a way to deal with the Airships, the Druids, and the Arcanists of the Kingdom.
As they were getting nervous, they soon received a message from Vale to clear a path for his summon! He said that it was mythical creature that would destroy the barrier for them!
"Mythical Creature?" The three exchanged nces, but they still ordered their Airships to clear a path.
Soon, they looked at the sky, and saw a blue dragon flying towards the capital.
It was a magnificent and terrifying sight, as the blue dragon soared in the sky.
The three leaders'' eyes lit up as soon as they saw the dragon!
"I knew! I did well recruiting them! Hahah!" Marquis Morgan eximed.
"Incredible¡ That young man can summon a Dragon? What kind of Summoner is he?" Viscount Truman added.
On the other hand, Sun Sorcerer Hogan realized that Vale had truly held back on him in his challenge yesterday!
''He was going easy on me! I didn''t know he was a summoner!''
They were amazed and excited, as they saw the blue dragon.
Without a doubt, they knew that this was Vale''s Summon, and that it was certainly his secret weapon.
"Order the troops to get ready!"
"Contact the vanguards inside the capital and tell them to make haste!"
"Don''t waste the opportunity! If a crack appeared! Start casting your Fusion Spells!"
All three of them gave themand as they knew that this was the creature that could break the barrier, and open the way for them.
They knew that this creature would not fail!
As the nervous ground troops of the rebel army witnessed the dragon, they also cheered and shouted!
They encouraged the blue dragon to attack the barrier and destroy it as they prepared to follow the Dragon and enter the capital!
Soon, they witnessed the dragon charge at the barrier with a speed and force that was unmatched. It ignored the beam of light, and the pain it caused.
It focused on the barrier, and the crack it had made from its previous attack!
Boom!
As the dragon dived into the barrier, it suddenly exploded. It released all its energy, and maybe even its life, as it created a massive st that shook the earth and the sky.
It looked like a supernova, that engulfed everything in mes!
It was the Dragon''s Wrath, the spell that could destroy anything, even a barrier that hadsted for generations. It seemed as if it was the dragon''s final act, and its greatest gift to its summoner!
It was the end of the barrier, and the beginning of the war.
Chapter 636 Secret Mission
Chapter 636 Secret Mission
??As the barrier vanished, King Dominick III felt the Arcane Sigil in his arm burn!
"Aaahhh!"
He screamed in agony as his link with the barrier broke! Moreover, it drained most of his Arcane Energy as his former healthy body began to age!
At this time, he was finally showing what his age really looked like!
"Impossible! The barrier was indestructible!" The king cried out in despair. Since he was aware of the secrets of the barrier, he knew that it should not be possible to destroy it as it would keep regenerating and even use the life force of allmon citizens of the Capital if needed.
Indeed! The barrier would take everyone''s life as long as they weren''t practicing any Arcane Arts!
The Capital had millions of ordinary, and they shouldn''t have a problem empowering it! He believed that just taking the life force of about 100 thousand people would be enough to defend against Dragon''s self-destruction!
However, for some unknown reason, the barrier did not even get a chance to use the lives of everymoner and was obliterated so fast!
He could only fault his ignorance about Dragons. He could only assume that such creatures had a special way of destroying a regenerating barrier.
As he suffered the pain from the recoil of disconnecting from the barrier, he soon witnessed the progress of the rebels to his city!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He saw the rebel airships, arcanists, and knights, storming the capital. However, with 30 airships and thousands of knights, druids, and arcanists on their side, they should still have a chance of winning.
Their force was still a formidable and terrifying opponent.
However, as the rebel forces poured into the city, he couldn''t help but worry...
''They didn''t think that destroying the barrier would be enough to defeat us, right?'' King Dominick III thought as he saw the doctors and knightsing to his aid.
"My King! Please receive treatment from the Royal Doctor¡" The Royal Knight said as he approached the king.
"I''m fine¡ I want to see how they''re nning to win this war¡"
***
Indeed, just like what the King thought, Marquis Morgan''s n didn''t just end there. He had waited for this moment, and he was nning to end the rule of the Ruri n!
As the battle started, they saw the Royal Airships, Arcanists, Druids, and Knights, defending the Capital with 30 airships that were controlling the sky...
From the perspective of the nervous citizens, it was a desperate and heroic sight as the royal forces resisted the invaders¡
The two sides shed, creating a chaotic battle.
The sound of sts, spells, and magic artifacts being destroyed was deafening, and the smoke was blinding.
The airships exchanged fire, and the arcanists cast spells. The knights charged, and the druids summoned trees and even beasts as the blood spilled and the bodies fell.
The rebel airships don''t have the advantage of numbers and surprise.
However, Marquis Morgan''s and the Church of the Divine Sorcerers'' n wasn''t over yet¡
As soon as they gave the signal, the nted spies or agents working for the capital finally made their move!
They immediately showed their true colors as they betrayed the King!
Those who were working at the airship as crews started attacking from the inside and doing everything they could to create trouble.
Those who were working in the city summoned fire to create panic.
Those who were in the ranks of soldiers and guards started sting their smoke bombs filled with sleeping dust.
There were also maids, knights, and other workers who had started making their moves.
Only the Druids or Artificial Humans could be recognized as genuinely faithful as not a single one of them betrayed! They killed many of these spies as they were quite weak, but because there were too many, they still dealt a lot of damage!
"Hahaha! This is it! Continue!" Marquis Morganughed as he saw what was happening below.
"Finally¡ The Ruri n will be disappearing today!" Sun Sorcerer said as he stood up. He also had to join the fray since the royal princes and princesses were still quite challenging to deal with.
Marquis Morgan''s ck and White Knights also followed as they apanied the Sorcerer to the battlefield.
Marquis Morgan smiled after seeing this as he stayed in the concealed Airship with Viscount Truman.
Soon, they saw how their forces quickly overwhelmed the royal airships, and shot them down.
It was all thanks to the spies they''ve nted.
It didn''t take long before they watched how their forces targeted the royal family and the royal pce. They wanted to end the war as soon as possible, and to capture or kill the king.
They watched their Knights and Arcanists start moving forward with the support of the Arcanists of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer and the Sun Sorcerer himself.
Royal Knight Laura, on the other hand, stood strong as she faced the overwhelming force of the Rebel Army.
Behind her was a brigade of elite royal arcanists who had graduated from their Arcane Academy.
They used refined types of magic with the guidance of several First ss Arcanists, and the wisdom of the Kingdom''s Arcane Council.
They worked together to reinforce the defenses of the city, and to counter the rebels'' forces.
"Do not give up! More Druids wille to support us! Just hold on!" Laura shouted to boost the morale of her troops.
The Artificial Humans or Druids had the advantage in terms of Arcane Energy and Arcane Spells that could cover a huge area. Furthermore, they could use artificial beasts to do their bidding.
The war was fierce, and the oue was uncertain. The rebels had the momentum, and the royals had the resistance¡
Yet amidst the chaos and fervor of battle, none of this held significance for Vale.
In this pivotal moment, he was focused on another matter.
Amidst the cacophony of shing spells and the thunderous roar of war, Vale finally found the Kingdom''s Treasury!
Chapter 637 Treasury
Chapter 637 Treasury
?After Vale shattered the capital''s barrier with his dragon form, he used his Transformation Art again; this time, he morphed into an ordinary citizen who had sneaked into the city with his Presence Shift Spell.
He dashed towards the pce, and with his Rune Analysis Spell and Presence Shift Spell, he dodged any kind of Rune Traps.
Well, he could easily decipher how these Runes worked with such a spell in his arsenal.
Furthermore, he didn''t want to use his brute force since his presence would be exposed, which was something he avoided.
As he kept doing this for a few more minutes, he finally reached the Treasury''s gate. It was guarded by two guards, but he chose to knock them out by choking them with his Darkness Maniption Spell.
His Rune Analysis Spell noticed that once their hearts stopped beating, a strange Magic Circle would activate.
He had no idea what Magic Circle it was, so it was better to avoid it.
''This gate¡''
Vale frowned as he stepped closer to Treasury''s iron gate. It was a massive and imposing gate, that was engraved with intricate symbols and patterns.
Since it contained treasures, he certainly knew that it would not be easy to open.
The gate had powerful Formation Art that relied on multiple Magic Circles and precious items that wouldn''t just defend from intruders but also attack them!
''It''s quite simr with the barrier, huh¡'' Vale mused as he also liked this kind of defense mechanism. If possible, he wanted to apply it in his castle.
Although he managed to destroy the city''s barrier, it obviously earned his respect, as it wasn''t easy to aplish that.
This gate also had a formidable defense that could resist any forceful method of intrusion.
Of course, Vale was not deterred by the gate.
He activated his Divine Extraction System as soon as he touched the gate.
[ Energy Source has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +800 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +800 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +400 ]
¡
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
As he extracted the energy from the iron gate, he saw the symbols and patterns start to fade, and even the embedded crystals and stones lose their power.
Soon, he saw the gate be a normal iron gate, and its previous defense became useless.
''So there''s really no chance of getting the Magic Circles¡'' Vale wryly smiled after seeing the result.
Nevertheless, this wasn''t the time to think about it as he opened his Grimoire to summon his Moonlight Fairy to open the gate!
"What? You''re calling to do such a simple task?! Ugh¡ I guess it''s better than hiding from those demons¡" The Moonlight Fairy couldn''t help butin as she heard Vale''s instruction.
But as she recalled living in hiding because the Abyss Realm invaded the Fairy Realm, she immediately shook her head, believing this was undoubtedly better.
"The iron gate is too heavy¡ I can''t open it. I need¡ª" Before she could even finish her words, Vale had already taken out a flowerpot with a beautiful red rose.
The Moonlight Fairy no longer spoke as her eyes turned ck and controlled the rose¡ Like a druid that Vale had seen before, the fairy manipted the rose as it grewrger and twisted around¡
Soon, it pushed open the iron gate with ease!
Creaaak~
"I''m done here¡ There are no traps at the entrance. As for the treasures inside, some of them are probably cursed. Be careful, don''t touch them carelessly." The Moonlight Fairy reminded.
After Vale expressed his gratitude, he unsummoned the fairy and stored away his Grimoire.
As he entered the Treasury, he was greeted by a sight that made his eyes widen, and his heart race.
He saw the treasures of the kingdom, and the wealth of the king.
''As expected, they didn''t bother evacuating their treasures¡ They must''ve been sure of their victory.'' Valemented in his mind.
He saw piles of gold coins, and stacks of jewels. On its side were shelves filled with chests of silver bars, and bags of pearls. He even saw several crowns decorated with precious stones.
There were also rings of rubies, nes of emeralds, and bracelets of sapphires. It seemed as if there was some sort of tradition behind these pieces of jewelry, but Vale didn''t care about it for now.
Although he also wanted them, he was more interested in the Magic Artifacts or anything rted to the Arcanist World.
He immediately tried searching for them, but because of the unusual energy within the Treasury, searching items through a single scan of Magic Zone or Spells was a bit too difficult.
''Let''s check these items first¡'' Vale thought as his eyes shifted to the items.
He saw weapons of all kinds and armor of all shapes. Behind them were swords and shields with Runic Symbols.
Finally, he found traces of Magic Artifacts!
As he continued searching, he saw artifacts of all sorts... There were staffs, wands, potions, and scrolls!
Vale was hoping that these scrolls contained Spell Models! It would even be better if they were Celestial Arts!
As he continued searching, he found crates of Immortal Shards, and at their center, there seemed to be a simple mask that could only cover the eyes¡
Aside from that, he saw a mysterious ownerless Grimoire.
He was amazed and excited as he saw the mask and the Grimoire.
He could feel that these were the most valuable items in the Treasury, and that they were his main targets.
Well, he didn''t n to betray Marquis Morgan... He only wanted to take at least a third or maybe half of the treasure here.
After all, the Marquis still has to rebuild the kingdom. This nation might be in a greater mess if he doesn''t have the money to reorganize the kingdom.
As soon as Vale made up his mind, he activated the Space Ring that he borrowed from Faith¡
Chapter 638 Escape
Chapter 638 Escape
?Since Faith was busy studying his Temporal Timepiece, she didn''t mind renting her Space Ring to Vale.
Well, this item actually surprised Vale a lot, considering how big the space it had as well. ording to Faith, it could even fit a Civilian Airship!
That was certainly impressive so Vale knew that he would have no issue taking half of the treasures here.
After some thought, he decided to use his Darkness Maniption Spell to grab half of gold coins, jewels, and crystals, but he took all the Magic Scrolls. He also didn''t forget the Immortal Shards and various Spirit Pearls.
As for the numerous Runic and Magic Weapons, he decided not to take them since he doesn''t have an army anyway. He didn''t need a bunch of weapons since they would just gather dust in his collection.
He then turned his attention to the two mysterious Magic Artifacts, the Grimoire and the Mask. He wanted to take them, as they seemed to be the most important items here.
But as he reached for them, he encountered a problem.
''Formation Art? No¡ It feels different.'' Vale mused as he squinted his eyes.
After a moment of thought, he tried taking them again, and this time, he decided to use his Moonlight Specter¡
Whom~
As they tried to get closer, the Moonlight Specter started disappearing without them being able to do so even after they tried moving away.
''So it was like that¡'' Vale gently nodded as he closed his eyes.
Just now, he used his Dragon''s True Sight to see what was going on.
Apparently, the Grimoire and the Mask weren''t just protected by a powerful Formation Art and mysterious Runes, which were somehow hidden from his Rune Analysis Spell.
The items possessed a self-protective mechanism, actively shielding themselves from intrusion!
If the Moonlight Specters didn''t back off and tried to touch the items, there would even be a strong Formation Art that would activate!
However, if Vale couldn''t touch these items, he couldn''t send them to his Space Ring!
''Let''s just do this quickly¡ I got everything I wanted anyway¡'' Vale thought as he took a deep breath before enacting his n.
He couldn''t extract the mysterious energy surrounding the items; he would have to take them by brute force!
Vale covered himself with his Arcane Armor before he released his Spell Dispersion!
As he moved forward, he realized that the Spell Dispersion didn''t do anything!
As he got closer, the two items released a st of Arcane Energy, that pushed him back.
It also triggered an rm that alerted the remaining royal guards.
If the king hadn''t escaped yet, he must be rushing to this ce right now!
He quickly recovered from the st, and looked at the Grimoire and the Mask. He saw that they were still intact, and that they were still within his reach.
Nevertheless, he also saw that the Formation Art had been exposed and that he could see its weakness. The gold coin that he thought was just a random coin that was thrown in this direction was actually the core of the formation!
He forcefully touched the coin and activated his Divine Extraction System!
[ Energy Source has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +300 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
¡
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100 ]
Just like that, he extracted the energy from Formation Art and the mysterious runes that were linked together.
Soon, he saw the Formation Art fade, and the Grimoire and the Mask lose their strongest protection.
This time, when Vale tried grabbing the Grimoire¡
Bam!
He still received a strong resistance but it was no longer enough to push him back! It was the same with the Mask, and they were obviously protesting against him for being their new owner!
It was as if these items were sentient!
''Interesting¡'' Vale thought as he noticed that these items seemed to possess some behavior that other artifacts do not.
Nevertheless, Vale had to hurry, so he quickly put them inside his Space Ring!
Then, he prepared to escape from the treasury since knew that the rm had alerted the royal guards, and that they would soon arrive.
He had to get out of there fast and avoid being seen. Although he could probably deal with them, he would feel awful if there were witnesses in his robbery!
He then used his Transformation Art: Morph, to change his appearance to be a different person¡
Vale then used his Presence Shift Spell to warp to a different location. He wanted to teleport to the nearest exit, and to flee from the pce.
Since his Magic Zone was still working perfectly, he clearly knew where to go.
But as he activated his spell, he felt a strong resistance.
"Mhmm? Anti-Magic?" Vale muttered, but he immediately shook his head.
He could still use his other Spells, and he even used the Moonlight Specters a while ago.
Vale then looked around for a moment, and through his Dragon''s True Sight, he sensed a mysterious Magic Circle that was ced underground the pce.
It seemed to be Formation Art, that blocked space warping It was a nice trap, that prevented any robbers from silently disappearing within the castle.
''As expected¡ This castle is decent¡'' Vale mused as he looked for another way out.
Then, he saw a window that led to the outside. Without hesitation, he decided to break the window, and to jump out.
As he ran towards the window, he noticed the runic markings on them, so he decided to smash it with his Ethereal Vampiric Fist!
Bang!
The window was destroyed effortlessly, and as Vale jumped, he used his Darkness Maniption Spell to create a cushion of darkness, and to soften his fall.
As hended on the ground, he imagined that he would have to roll to reduce the impact, but it seemed that his strength made it easy for him to absorb the impact.
Then, Vale looked around and saw the pce walls, and the city streets. He also saw the rebel forces and the royal forces.
There was still chaos going on, so he took his chance to escape.
He ran towards a ce where the anti-space warping magic circle and used his Presence Shift Spell.
Before disappearing, he looked at the Marquis'' hidden airship and thought. ''I hope you don''t mind me taking those treasures¡''
Chapter 639 Request
Chapter 639 Request
?The war was still going on, but Vale''s mission had already been aplished.
He didn''t have to help the rebel forces anymore, and he only had to wait for the Marquis to give him his extra rewards.
However, he still wanted to watch how the war would unfold.
First, he was interested in seeing the full power of the sorcerers of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer. Then, he was also curious about the druids or Artificial Human Project of the Ruri Kingdom.
He had already fought against these Druids, but he hadn''t witnessed their full potential.
Anyway, he learned from the Marquis and the Sun Sorcerer that they wanted this project to bepletely halted because it was likely inhumane or there were problems with moral standards.
This made him more intrigued about the Artificial Humans.
Lastly, he also wanted to extract everything he could!
After the war, there would surely be tons of corpses to be burned to prevent them from being possessed by Evil Spirits.
He wasn''t sure of the number of corpses before, but as he saw the scale of the war, he knew that there would be thousands of them waiting to be extracted! He could only hope that his system wouldn''t get tired of it.
It would be a waste if he didn''t extract those corpses with his system! He couldn''t miss this chance since it wouldn''t be every day where he would encounter such an opportunity.
With this in mind, he decided to inform the Marquis of his n.
He used his Presence Shift and appeared in front of the Marquis and Viscount within their concealed airship!
Whom~
As Vale appeared, the two were shocked, and their guards reacted instantly.
But as Vale removed his disguise, the Marquis recognized him right away. He didn''t care how Vale managed to pass through their defenses as he greeted him with excitement.
"So it is Sir Vale! Your summoned Dragon was amazing! Please have a seat!" The Marquis said enthusiastically as he gestured to the chair where the Sun Sorcerer was previously seated.
"Yes... Unfortunately, the Dragon has to rest after the explosion." Vale said as he took his seat.
"What? It did not die?" Viscount Truman asked in astonishment, he thought that the Dragon disappeared along with the barrier. After all, they saw it vanish after the explosion of light.
The Marquis and the other guards who were listening also felt surprised at his words.
Vale grinned at this and nodded his head.
"Of course not. It''s still a mythical creature, and it cane back once it''s recovered. Are you unhappy?" Vale asked with a mysterious smile on his face.
"Ahem... I am certainly not, Sir Vale. I''m just thrilled to hear such a good news." Viscount Truman quickly corrected himself.
Vale then joined the two in watching the war progress. Although it had been a while since the warmenced, they were still expecting this to continue for two or three hours more.
As they silently observed the battlefield, Vale saw the rebels and the royal forces fighting fiercely, and he saw the casualties on both sides.
He didn''t feel much to these deaths as his mental state had already adjusted, and his study of Dark Arts had probably affected his mind already.
Anyway, Vale shifted his focus and saw the sorcerers of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer unleashing their unusual spells, against the druids or Artificial Humans of the Ruri Kingdom who were using nt-rted abilities.
''I guess they can only create Artificial Humans with nt-
rted abilities.'' Vale mused as he realized one problem or limitation with the Artificial Humans. It seemed that they weren''t perfect yet.
Of course, he was still impressed by their power as he could tell that most of them had 30 to 35 Spirit Strands. If these Druids attack the Vermont Academy, their Vessels and Professors would surely have trouble fighting them.
After all, these Druids seemed to be immune to Dark Curses.
Unfortunately for these Druids, their rivals were the Sorceres, who had strange spells that dried out the power of their nts and trees. The Sorcerers might not be capable of doing this in the blink of an eye, but as the war continues, the Sorcerers will likely prevail.
After some time, Vale finally mentioned his real purpose foring here.
He made a request to the Marquis and the Viscount.
"I have a favor to ask you, gentlemen. After the war is over, I would like to take care of the corpses¡"
As he said this, the two noblemen immediately looked at him with doubt.
It seemed that they didn''t like the idea of handing the corpses of their soldiers to others. Well, they had probably promised their families to bring them back, whether they were dead or alive.
Nevertheless, Vale continued without waiting for their response.
"I am not going to disrespect them or use them for various purposes. I''m simply going to observe their bodies to find something and also have my Dark Spirit check them in case there are problems with the corpses, like curses and such¡ What do you say?" Vale said in a serious tone.
After some hesitation, the two nobles finally agreed.
They also wanted to please this mysterious Arcanist who could summon a Dragon. It was better to get on his good side.
"I have no problem with that... I will let you take care of them." Marquis Morgan said.
"As long as they were treated with respect... I can allow you to examine these corpses. Ahem, you are not a necromancer, are you?" Viscount Truman asked.
Vale smiled wryly at this and chuckled.
"I am not a Necromancer, Viscount. Don''t worry, I won''t be using them for any dark ritual." Vale replied with reassuring smile.
"Alright then..." Viscount Truman said as he turned his attention to the projected images that were shown to them.
As he saw the Crown Prince fall with his loyal knights, Viscount Truman and Marquis Morgan knew that this war was almost over.
Chapter 640 New Ruler
Chapter 640 New Ruler
?Thud!
The Crown Prince fell and Vale knew that the war was indeed almost over, as the rebel forces had already gained the upper hand.
At that time, it wasn''t just the lifeless body of the Prince that fell to the ground. It was also the moral of the kingdom''s soldiers.
The rebels had broken the formation of the soldiers, and entered the city. The Artificial Humans also seemed to have gained senses as they hesitated for a moment before fleeing the battlefield.
Of course, that was easier said than done as the Sorceres of the Church were aiming for this moment.
Furthermore, because of the sabotage made by the spies, they were able to destroy the royal airships, and killed numerous Arcanists in the process¡
It didn''t take long before the pce was surrounded and some elite Arcanists stormed inside. They ughtered the knights, servants, and everyone in the castle who hadn''t pledged allegiance to them before.
This was to ensure that no members of the Royal Family would survive by disguising into some unknown servant of the pce.
Soon, the rebels led by the ck and White Knights of the Marquis had reached the throne room, and confronted the King.
"Just give up¡ Your execution will be made public for the sins you havemitted." The ck Knight said as he approached the King.
All the knights that had previously protected the King were already dead, and he was now alone, sitting on his throne as if he were enjoying hisst moments as the ruler of this kingdom.
"Hmph!"
The King was now old and weak, but he was still proud and defiant.
He refused to surrender!
He stood up, and said in a loud voice.
"I am King Dominick III, the ruler of the Ruri Kingdom. I am the descendant of the Great Arcanist Ves, who founded this kingdom. The Creator of the Artificial Humans! I am the King, and I will not yield!"
The rebels were not impressed by the King''s words. They were disgusted by his arrogance, and they were enraged by his crimes.
The King was even proud that he was the creator of the Artificial Humans!
There was no doubt that they needed to end his reign and his life.
The King, however, had ast resort. He had a hidden Formation Core in his hands, that would activate a self-destruct mechanism.
He had installed it in the pce, and its explosion would cover the entire city!
Although he had never hoped for this to happen, he was certainly prepared to die to protect his honor.
"A public execution? I will not ept it!"
King Dominick III had decided to take everyone with him!
He activated the Formation Core with his remaining energy, and hoped to end his life and everyone else''s.
As he did this, he spoke in a bitter voice.
"If I can''t rule this kingdom, no one can. I will die, and you will die with me."
The King then closed his eyes as he waited to be vaporized by the explosion.
However, even after a few seconds, nothing happened.
"What?" The King was in disbelief.
The rebels who thought that something was about to happen were also confused.
The King''s n was foiled.
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly augh was heard and a figure entered the throne hall.
It was Sun Sorcerer Hogan who had entered the pce with his brigade of Sorcerers.
It seemed that he sensed the King''s action and did something to stop the self-destructive mechanism of Formation Art!
While looking at the King, the Sun Sorcerer spoke in a calm voice.
"Nice try, Former King. But you won''t escape your fate. At the very least, I will allow you to die right now instead of being executed in public."
Without waiting for the King''s response, the Sun Sorcerer activated a Spell that would kill the King instantly.
He aimed at the King''s heart and released a ray of light. Then, he whispered in a cold voice.
"You have made a mistake dabbling into the creations of Artificial Humans."
Whoosh~
The ray of light hit the King''s heart, and pierced it.
It was momentary, but the King felt a sharp pain, and copsed.
Just like that, the King was dead, and his reign was over.
The rebels cheered and celebrated as they saw the King''s death.
They had won the war, and they had taken the capital. They soon freed the people that were being imprisoned to advance the Artificial Human Project¡
They then gathered all the corpses, and brought them to one ce. They wanted to honor the dead and bury them properly, but they also wanted to let Vale see them and let him do his work.
Meanwhile, the Sun Sorcerer visited Vale in the hidden Airship after some time.
"Sir Vale, thank you for your help. If not for your Anti-Magic Spell, the King might have activated that dreadful self-
destruction spell." The Sun Sorcerer said, which surprised the two noblemen. They had no idea that something like that happened.
"It''s fine... Do you know how to disable the self-destruction? I only temporarily blocked it. That Formation Art is pretty awesome if not for that feature. Don''t just dismantle it." Vale replied.
"Ahh... We have Formation Experts on our side, so it can be disabled in a month or two after it is analyzed. We''ll work on it quickly since the Marquis will probably not enjoy his seat with that bomb below him." The Sun Sorcerer replied with a chuckle.
"So it was like that! I will count on you then, Sun Sorcerer." Marquis Morgan said with a smile. He didn''t have any renowned Formation Expert on his side and could only depend on the Sun Sorcerer in this case.
"Hmm? Sun Sorcerer Hogan... Is there a problem? It looks like you still have something to say." Viscount Truman asked after noticing the Sun Sorcerer''s expression.
After some hesitation, the Sun Sorcerer replied.
"This... Sadly, when I inspected the treasury, it had already been opened, and someone must have been there before. More than half of the Treasures were missing."
Chapter 641 The Corpses
Chapter 641 The Corpses
??"What?! Is that true, Sir Hogan?"
"How is that possible?!"
Viscount Truman and Marquis Morgan expressed their shock and indignation upon hearing the Sun Sorcerer''s revtions.
The nobles had anticipated a wealth of treasures within the Treasury, envisioning the potential gain for their Faction.
They had hoped toy im to rare and potent items for their own agendas. Specifically, Viscount Truman coveted the mysterious ownerless Grimoire and the Crown Prince''s equipment, while Marquis Morgan sought the King''s Crown and Scepter including the enigmatic Sealed Mask of the Divine, the sole Arcana of the Kingdom that defied control.
"Do you mean to tell me that the Sealed Mask has been taken? I''ve already uncovered clues on how to harness its power. Could it have been seized by a fleeing member of the Royal Family?" Marquis Morgan inquired, frustration evident in his voice.
"All the members of the Royal Family were reported dead. Who else could take it away? We must dispatch an investigation team to scour the capital!" Viscount Truman interjected with a sense of urgency.
"I think there are still plenty of treasures left. Can you tell me more about that grimoire and mask?" Sun Sorcerer Hogan asked.
After the two nobles informed their men using theirmunication crystals, they looked at the Sorcerer and exined.
"That mask is a Complete Arcana. When unsealed, the Mask of the Divine elevates all your Spell Models to the Perfect Realm once worn. Not even the Great Arcanist Ves could unravel its secrets, leaving it to collect dust in the Treasury. As for the Grimoire... Each page is said to teem with mystical beings. Once the Grimoire acknowledges you as its master, you gain ess to the most formidable Summon Beings imaginable!" Marquis Morgan elucidated, emphasizing the extraordinary power of the coveted artifacts.
In the meantime, while this was all happening, Vale remained silent and just kept nodding at their conversation.
However, deep in his mind, he knew that he had made the right decision to go ahead and take treasures before the rebels could take them away!
"Mhmm¡ Those are interesting Artifacts." Vale said as he stood up.
"I''m nning to go down to check the corpses. I''ll be a bit busy, but you can find me when there''s an important matter."
"Ahem¡ Very well, Sir Vale. Once again, we appreciate the help that you''ve given to us." Marquis Morgan said as slightly bowed to the young man.
"Indeed¡ I hope we can do something to have your Dragon recover faster." Viscount Truman said.
The Sun Sorcerer''s eyes lit up after hearing this. He didn''t expect that the Dragon was still alive.
To be honest, he was secretly searching for the Dragon parts after the explosion.
He wanted to find its scales, meat, or anything valuable that came from the Dragon. However, no matter how much he extended his Magic Zone, he couldn''t find those precious Dragon Scales!
As he saw that Vale was about to leave, he immediately spoke.
"Ahhh¡ Sir Vale, may I ask if it''s possible to purchase a Dragon Scale from you? If you have Dragon Blood, you can also sell it to me¡ I''m not asking for a lot." Sun Sorcerer Hogan immediately said.
For Sorcerers like them, their Magic Artifacts held immense importance. The catalyst used to unleash their Spells was the cornerstone of their existence as Arcanists. Unlike practitioners of other Arcane Paths, a Sorcerer''s Spells relied heavily on their scepter, wands, or magic staff. Without these catalysts, their Spells would be considerably weaker against those of simr potency from other Arcane Paths.
With this in mind, Sun Sorcerer Hogan sought to obtain Dragon Scales and Blood if possible.
"Mhmm... I suppose I could amodate that request. We can discuss the termster," Vale responded after a brief pause.
In any case, he wanted something from the Church of the Divine Sorcerer as well.
Helping them a bit and forming a connection with them should be
"Awesome! May I ask how many can you possibly provide?" The Sun Sorcerer asked as he wanted to know where the supply would only be for him, or if he could share them with the two other high-ranking Sorcerers like him.
This time, Viscount Truman and Marquis Morgan also joined in. There was no way they would miss this opportunity!
"Please consider allocating some for us as well! We are prepared to offer a fair price. Our Faction has made substantial investments in gold and Arcane Ores," Viscount Truman implored.
"I am prepared to supply you with fragments or remnants of Immortal Items you have sought once I assume control of the kingdom. If you have specific requirements, do not hesitate to inform me, Sir Vale." Marquis Morgan added, eager to secure their share of the sought-after resources.
Vale nodded and agreed to their requests. He knew they were eager to get their hands on the Dragon Scales and Blood, and he didn''t mind giving them some. He had plenty of them in his storage ring, and he could always get more from the Dragon.
"Very well, I will prepare as many Dragon Scales and vials of Dragon Blood as I can. But you have to keep this a secret to your close aides. And although people may have an idea where you got them, do not point it on me." Vale said, his voice cold and stern.
He didn''t want someone to just visit his castle asking for Dragon Scales.
The three nobles shivered, feeling a chill in their hearts.
Vale had actually released a bit of his physique''s Aura just now.
They also sensed a hidden threat in Vale''s words, and they didn''t dare to offend him. They quickly assured him of their loyalty and gratitude.
"Of course, of course. We are very grateful for your generosity, Sir Vale. You can count on us. I will only let my right-hand man ." Viscount Truman said.
"Yes, yes. We are your loyal allies, Sir Vale. We will do whatever you ask us to do. You are our benefactor, and we will never forget that. I''m nning to just share it with the ck and White Knight. You''ve already met them, Sir." Marquis Morgan said.
"Ahem¡ I''m only nning to share the resources with the two other High Sorcerers." Sun Sorcerer Hogan added.
"Good. I''m d we have an understanding. Now, let''s talk about the detailster. I have something to do right now. I''ll contact you when I''m done." Vale said.
Vale then used his Presence Shift Spell to leave the Airship.
He appeared in front of the arranged corpses of both rebels and the kingdom''s forces.
Then, he looked at the dead bodies with a solemn expression.
Chapter 642 Transform
Chapter 642 Transform
??Upon reaching the site of the fallen soldiers of the two forces, Vale remained remarkablyposed.
The first row of corpses belonged to the knights and soldiers of the Rebel Army. Some of them were Arcanists, but most of them were ordinary humans who relied on various runic items or magic-crafted products.
Taking a deep breath, Vale quietly enacted his Darkness Maniption Spell, skillfully utilizing the surrounding shadows to discreetly establish a connection with the deceased. With this link established, hemenced the first extraction.
Despite his best efforts, Vale was unable to extract everything simultaneously using his Extraction System,pelling him to rely on his Darkness Maniption as an extension of himself to extract the multitude of individuals present one by one.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Intelligence +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Intelligence +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Strength +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Intelligence +0.10 ]
¡
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Agility +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Vitality +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Vitality +0.10 ]
After the 30th extraction, Vale suddenly halted as he realized that all the attributes were being wasted.
Although this concern has been going on for a while now, he couldn''t help but feel regretful about this problem.
''Am I doing something wrong?'' Vale mused. He had been thinking of a method to surpass his Attribute Limits.
He thought it was a problem with the amount of his Divinity, but after extracting thousands of Immortal Shard and exceeding over three thousand Divinity Points in the process, the problem remained the same.
''Do you I really have toplete my Celestial Body?'' Vale wondered, but promptly dismissed the notion. The Celestials he had encountered differed fundamentally from humans,cking even a discernible gender.
While he aspired for his body to ascend to a higher state, he was unwilling to relinquish his humanity.
With this in mind, he resolved to attempt a different approach. After canceling his Darkness Maniption Spell, he initiated the activation of his Shadow Extraction Spell.
It was a Spell that he had gotten from the Vampire, together with the Blood Curse and Blood Maniption Spells.
As the Shadow Extraction Spell took effect, tendrils of shadow began to emanate from the fallen, coalescing around Vale and infusing him with their essence.
He had done this before but not to hundreds of people at the same time.
Soon, the shadows surged through him, fortifying his being and augmenting his capabilities in unprecedented ways.
He could feel that his body was subtly changing! However, perhaps because he was not a Vampire, the Shadow Extraction took a toll on his body.
He felt immediately full and had to stop the Shadow Extraction¡
However, as he was about to do so, he recalled an item that he had obtained from the Mystic Tower. Specifically, he obtained it from the Sentinel of Shadow.
"Yvaine¡ Bring me that Shadow Orb¡" Vale instructed as he felt that his body was about to burst because of the amount of Shadow he tried to absorb in his body.
On the other hand, Yvaine didn''t ask too much and swiftly gave the Shadow Orb to Vale.
Vale didn''t waste any time as he swiftly used the Shadow Orb, channeling and transferring the amassed shadows into its ethereal core, where they swirled and condensed continuously.
However, as the Shadow Orb assimted the shadows from the fallen, it began to pulsate with unsettling energy, almost as if it sought to release everything it had absorbed.
Sensing the impending surge, Vale swiftly intervened, refusing to allow the unbridled discharge.
With resolute focus, Vale channeled his Dark Energy into the Orb,pelling it to yield to hismand.
It was sessful!
The Shadow Orb began to calm down¡ With this, Vale started his Shadow Extraction once again, and this time, he allowed the Shadow Orb to take all of them¡
After about twenty more minutes, all the corpses outside the castle had their shadows extracted.
However, Vale wasn''t over yet. Although he was somehow strengthened thanks to the Shadow Extraction Spell, he felt that he could do something more.
''Since I don''t know how to advance this Half-Celestial Physique¡ Might as well ept the Shadow Sentinel''s goodwill.'' Vale thought as he made up his mind.
As he grasped the Orb, tendrils of darkness crept along his arm, intertwining with his very essence.
"As expected, the Shadow Orb justcks the energy it needs." Vale remarked after seeing the notification in front of him.
[ Do you want to change your race into a Shadow Sentinel? ]
"No¡"
Vale answered decisively. However, the notification wasn''t over yet.
[ Do you want to absorb the Shadow Sentinel''s Legacy? ]
"Yes¡" Vale agreed.
Ever since he obtained the Vampire''s Bloodline Orb, where he was asked to change his race, he had already known that this Shadow Orb was just missing something, that was the shadow itself.
As soon as he made this decision, the orb in his hand shattered and its dust seeped into his body, allowing its potent energies to suffuse his being.
As the shadows coalesced within him, a profound transformation began to unfold.
His physique pulsated with an otherworldly radiance, and an ethereal aura enveloped him, casting a luminous silhouette against the somber backdrop.
"What is going on there?"
"That guy¡ Is he a Dark Magician?"
"He''s indeed doing something¡ Is he trying to revive them as Undead?"
"It''s not impossible¡ However, the Marquis will definitely not allow that!"
"Right¡ The Sun Sorcerer is watching him¡ There''s no way he would allow a Dark Magician to disrespect our fallen brothers."
The citizens, soldiers, and arcanists who were still around the area immediately noticed Vale''s transformation.
However, Vale didn''t care about this at all.
In this pivotal moment, his Half-Celestial physique underwent a radical metamorphosis.
He felt the shackles that were binding him shattered, and he was imbued with newfound strength and resilience!
Soon, the amalgamation of Shadow and Celestial essence within him bestowed an unparalleled vigor, elevating him to a realm beyond his previous understanding!
Chapter 643 Shadow
Chapter 643 Shadow
??Vale immediately knew that something had changed in his body. He could feel the power emanating throughout his whole being, so he swiftly checked his attribute panel to see the changes.
[ Ascended Name: Kyle the Uncrowned Paragon ]
[ Race: Shadow Celestial ]
[ Attributes:
Strength: 200
Agility: 200
Intelligence: 200
Vitality: 200 ]
[ Force: 6,500 ]
[ Combat Power: 5,450,000 ]
[ Human Arts List ]
[ Celestial Arts List ]
[ Spirit Arts List ]
[ Otherworldly Essence List ]
[ Avable Energy: 18,550 ]
[ Divinity Points: 3252 ]
[ Corrupted Divinity Points: 125 ]
''What? Shadow Celestial?'' Vale''s eyes widened as he saw his current race! He was no longer a Half-Celestial but a Shadow Celestial!
He only thought that his attributes would surpass their limits, but he had never thought that his race would change as well.
However, after thinking about it, it certainly made sense since the limit of the Half-Celestial was probably the 150 Attribute Points. So, he had to change his race if he really wanted to go beyond.
''It even improved by 50 more points. How incredible¡'' Vale thought as he couldn''t help but celebrate with this milestone.
At this time, the onlookers were still observing him, and it was at this time that he realized themotion he had created during the transformation. He would have to continue exploring his new power as a Shadow Celestialter.
Anyway, although his appearance didn''t change much, aside from getting a bit more toned because of the Shadow Essence, his senses had actually improved a lot, and his Magic Zone expanded by more than twice its size.
1.2 kilometers!
''This is incredible. However, expanding it by that much causes a headache.'' Vale thought as he suppressed his Magic Zone to only 250 meters.
This way, he wouldn''t suffer from information overload, and he would also have a decent understanding of the surroundings.
Vale then ignored the onlookers as he continued adjusting his senses. After he adapted to his newfound strength, Vale turned his attention back to the solemn task at hand.
After taking a deep breath, he resumed the Extraction of the corpses. Although he already used his Shadow Extraction to them, they could still be extracted with his Divine Extraction System!
He immediately activated his Darkness Maniption after its cooldown was over and soon, his Extractions started.
[ Human corpse has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Intelligence +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Intelligence +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Strength +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Intelligence +0.10 ]
¡
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Agility +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Vitality +0.10 ]
[ Extraction sessful. Energy +10 Vitality +0.10 ]
After doing this, he confirmed that his Vitality had increased!
''I''m not stuck to the 200 Attribute Points at all!'' Vale couldn''t help but smile as he continued with his extractions. This time, he focused on the corpses of the Arcanists from the two forces.
Thanks to this, he obtained numerous Iplete Spell Lights, Spell Models, Energy Points, and Attributes. Furthermore, some of them even provided something he had never extracted before.
Arcane Sigils!
He had learned more about these strange sigils from Magnus, who had told him that they were engraved on the bodies of the Royal Knights, Druids, or Artificial Humans.
They could also be considered as tattoo marks that enhanced the power of the Arcanists, by giving them ess to special Spells, Skills, or Abilities.
They were rare and valuable, and there were a few methods to obtain them, one of them being through killing, followed by a ritual to transfer the Aracane Sigil to their bodies.
After some hesitations, Vale decided to ept these sigils.
Of course, he had expected to see some tattoo marks on his body, but he was surprised by what hadhappened.
All the Arcane Sigils that he extracted gathered at the back of his right palm, forming a ck dot. He didn''t have any tattoo marks on his body, but he had a ck dot instead.
''Is this rted to me being a Shadow Celestial?'' Vale mused.
He was amazed by this discovery, and he felt that he had gained a new advantage. He had no idea how to use these Arcane Sigils yet but it wouldn''t take long before he could master it.
After all, he also started epting the Memory Fragments he had extracted!
Time quickly passed, and Valepleted his Extractions.
At this time, Vale turned to the Marquis, who had been observing him from the beginning, and gave a solemn nod, confirming that he was done looking at the corpses.
"Are you going to leave now, Sir Vale?" Marquis Morgan asked, using telepathy.
"Thank you, Marquis Morgan. You have been a great ally, and I appreciate your cooperation. I hope we can work together again in the future." Vale said.
With a sense of closure settling upon the grim battleground, he bid farewell to the Marquis and departed silently.
Soon, Vale arrived at his Airship, and saw Lisa and the others waiting for him.
They greeted him with joy and excitement, and they were curious about his new aura. After all, aside from witnessing Vale''s strange actions in front of the corpses just now, they could also feel that Vale had be a lot stronger.
"Wee back, Master Vale. You look¡ different." Magnus asked. As an Alchemist, he had much better inspection skills. He could immediately tell that Vale hadn''t just changed his aura. There was also a subtle change in his physique.
"Yes¡ Something happened. I''ll exin itter. For now, I feel quite tired, so I want to rest." Vale replied.
"Ahem¡ Are we not going to trade the Dragon Scales and Blood now?" Lisa suddenly asked.
Apparently, before Vale moved ahead and destroyed the city''s barrier, he had already taken out a few of his Dragon Scales and Blood!
He knew very well that he wouldn''t have the time to do it after his mission, so he had prepared for it beforehand¡
"Mhmm¡ Let''s do it in a week or so¡ I don''t want them to think that I can acquire Dragon Scales so easily." Vale replied after some thought.
Chapter 644 Targeted
Chapter 644 Targeted
??On the northernmost ind of the continent, an elderly man of serene countenance sat in meditation. His aged appearance was a symbol of the knowledge he gained through many years of his life.
Wearing only the bare essentials, he endured the cold embrace of his surroundings with steadfast stoicism.
In a moment of introspection, he cast his eyes in a particr direction. Then, a contemtive sigh escaped his lips.
"An Immortal''s return?" He murmured while a furrow was forming upon his brow. Just the thought of their existence was already giving him a headache.
The annals of time had long borne witness to the extinction of the Immortals. There was no doubt that their lineage was long gone after hundreds of years.
Yet, the phenomenon that he felt just now felt real.
The sudden emergence of an Immortal would greatly impact this world, so he couldn''t help but feel uneasy.
''Did I make a mistake?'' The old man thought. He couldn''t understand how an Immortal could reappear after all these years.
Moreover, the Immortals were unable to reproduce, and they could only pass down their legacy...
Indeed, if what he felt just now wasn''t an Immortal who came back from the Abyss Realm, then it must be someone who inherited the legacy of an Immortal. But for such a legacy to exist, there had to be a living Immortal Spirit who could pass it down!
''Haaa~ I thought it''s going to be peaceful until the day I die¡''
The old man pondered for a while and then made up his mind.
He had to investigate this matter himself.
"If an Immortal showed up, those Time Magicians and Demon Saints would swarm this realm again... Tsk..." The old man grumbled as he quickly put on his clothes and prepared to leave the icy ind.
Before he left, he summoned his disciples to follow him.
"Master Merlin, where are we going?" One of the three disciples asked.
"We are going to the maind, where a strange phenomenon has urred. There is a possibility that an Immortal has returned, and we need to find out the truth." Merlin said.
"An Immortal? But I thought they were all extinct. How can that be? You said only Half-Immortals like you remained in this world?" Another disciple asked.
"That''s what we are going to find out. Come on, let''s go. We don''t have much time. The traces of the Immortal might disappear," Merlin said.
He then activated his staff and opened a portal. He stepped into it, followed by his disciples. They disappeared from the ind, and headed towards thend, where Vale was.
***
Simr events urred in various ces around the world, and all of these people were the hidden Half-Immortals!
In another kingdom, there was a majestic church that stood on a cliff overlooking the sea.
It was the main temple of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea, one of thergest and most influential religious organizations in the world.
It worshipped the Eminence of the Sea, the supreme deity that ruled over the oceans and the storms.
The church was a magnificent structure, built with white marble and blue ss. It had a dome-shaped roof, adorned with golden statues of sea creatures and angels.
It had a tall spire, that reached the sky and emitted a bright light. After looking inside, you could see arge hall, that could amodate thousands of worshippers and pilgrims.
At the center, there was a sacred altar that housed the holy relic of the Eminence of the Sea, a crystal sphere that contained a drop of his divine blood.
Nheless, the church was also the headquarters of the Storm Knights, the elite warriors and priests of the Eminence of the Sea.
They were the guardians of the church, and the enforcers of the faith.
These Storm Knights wore silver armor and blue cloaks, and wielded swords and spears that could summon lightning and thunder.
They were feared and respected by all, and they had the authority to judge and punish anyone who defied the will of the Eminence of the Sea.
In the highest tower of the church, there was a private chamber, where the Pontiff of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea resided.
He was the leader of the church and was known as the representative of the Eminence of the Sea on earth.
"Mhmmm¡ Is that an Immortal descending into our realm? Was it the Ruri Kingdom?"
The Pontiff was an old man, with a long white beard and a bald head. He had piercing blue eyes, and a stern expression.
He wore a white robe and a blue cape, and a golden crown that signified his authority. He also wore a ne, that had a pendant with the symbol of the Eminence of the Sea, a trident surrounded by waves.
The Pontiff was sitting on a throne, reading a book of scriptures, when he suddenly felt a disturbance in the air. He sensed a powerful and unfamiliar presence, that emanated from the western part of the continent.
"If that''s the case, all those Half-Immortals hiding in seclusion will surelye out. This can be turned into an opportunity¡"
The Pontiff knew that the Immortals were the enemies of the Eminence of the Sea, and that they had fought a war with him in the ancient times. He also knew that with the help of the Eminence of the Sea, the Immortals had been banished from the world and sent to the Abyss Realm.
There may be many versions of the story, but the fact that the Eminence of the Sea sided with the Demon Saints was real.
He felt a sense of dread and curiosity, and he decided to investigate.
He closed the book, and stood up from the throne.
Then, he walked to the window, and looked at the raging sea.
He then raised his hand, and with a simple gesture, he summoned a storm cloud that formed above the church!
After doing all of this, he spoke in a loud andmanding voice.
"Storm Knights, heed my call. I have an urgent mission for you. An Immortal has appeared in the Ruri Kingdom! A newly descended Immortal will be suppressed by the Realm''s Will! We must find out who he is and what he wants. Gather your weapons and your mounts, and follow me. May the Eminence of the Sea bless us, and guide us." The Pontiff shouted as he revealed the power of another Half-Immortal.
Chapter 645 Mastered
Chapter 645 Mastered
??As the Pontiff spoke, the storm cloud shed with lightning and thundered with sound.
The Storm Knights, who were busy practicing their skills or doing various tasks, heard the Pontiff''s voice and felt his will.
They quickly prepared themselves, and a few of them opened their grimoires and summoned their mounts!
They were flying beasts, such as griffins and pegasi. They gathered below the storm cloud, and waited for the Pontiff to lead them.
As for the others, they called for their war horses and waited for instructions.
In the meantime, the Pontiff mounted his own summoned flying beast, a giant eagle, and flew into the storm cloud. Needless to say, the Pontiff practices two or maybe even more Arcane Paths!
***
Meanwhile, Vale was oblivious to the fact that his brief burst of energy as a Shadow Celestial had caused a huge uproar among the experts around the world.
He had no clue that the Half-Immortals were on their way to the ce where they had sensed his aura that surpassed the limit of the Human Realm.
At this moment, he was only focused on adapting to his new physique. Before he could do this, he needed a suitable environment to test his skills.
Vale arranged the Animus Haven Hall''s Magic Circle at the castle''s underground hall. This enabled him to obtain a perfect ce that could prevent his energy from leaking and damaging the castle''s structure.
Even though the castle was safeguarded by a Formation Art powered by a pair of Dragons, he knew that he had to be cautious.
He then began to explore his innate power as a Shadow Celestial in the underground hall.
''I don''t even feel like a human anymore¡''
Vale was amazed by his new abilities and potential.
Right now, even without the existence of Spell Models, he could manipte the shadows at his will and use them as a barrier or weapon!
This was incredibly powerful and it could even pass as Darkness Maniption Spell.
''I don''t need this spell anymore¡ I''ll probably experiment on itter and fuse it with the Druid''s spells.'' Vale mused as he realized that the Darkness Maniption Spell was just taking up his limited Spell Lights.
Anyway, Vale continued with his exploration, and he realized that the Shadows he manipted could also empower his Magic Artifacts with the shadow energy, making them more powerful and versatile.
However, it eats up a lot of force in his body, so he can only dual-cast while empowering his artifacts.
''I should probably find an Artifact suited for Shadow Energy¡'' Vale mused after realizing that most of his weapons weren''tpatible with Shadow Energy.
Well, his Doombringer Ring could at least be more useful from now on since he no longer has to worry about its side effects when being used.
Vale experimented with his Doombringer Ring, the Magic Artifact that he obtained from the Evil Entity that he extracted before.
Previously, it was simply appraised as an item that the Necromancers sought after. The ring was supposedly capable of forcing living humans to be undead! It wasparable to the Sovereign Artifacts if itnded with the right owner.
The appraiser at that time valued this item at about 120,000 zen.
However, as he used his Shadow Energy to test its ability, he realized that the Doombringer Ring had something more to it.
It was also a ring that could store and release shadow energy, and it could also be used as a weapon or a tool, depending on how he manipted the stored energy!
He infused his Doombringer Ring with more shadow energy, and he saw that twisting as if it wasing alive!
Vale hesitated for a moment before he tried utilizing the Shadow Energy inside.
To his surprise, the ring changed its shape and size! After a few minutes of maniption, he realized that he could make it into a sword, a shield, or a whip. He could also make it into another essory like a circlet, a bracelet, or a ne.
"Isn''t this a bit too good? If this is not an Arcana, it should be a Sovereign Artifact at this point!" Vale eximed as he had never heard of changing weapon.
It was never taught in the Academy, and he had never heard of it either!
Furthermore, he could control it with his mind and make it do whatever he wanted. He didn''t need to do a tiring ritual to transform it!
"I''m d I didn''t sell it at that time." Vale muttered.
As he continued exploring this item, he was impressed by his Doombringer Ring, and he felt that it was a perfect match for him.
After he was satisfied with this, he then tried to use his shadow energy to empower his other Magic Artifacts, such as his Altering Ne, his Devil''s Face, his Enigma Amte, and others.
He found that he could improve their functions and capacities, but as he initially discovered, they were only temporary until the Shadow Energy dispersed. Nevertheless, this was an amazing discovery.
Vale spent several more hours familiarizing himself with his Shadow Celestial physique, experimenting with his newfound abilities, and testing his spells to discern the extent of his enhancements.
As dawn broke on the following day, he emerged from the underground hall, content with his progress.
As he walked out of the castle to get some sunlight, he saw Pearl outside who was doing the same.
Pearl smiled as she saw Vale approaching. She looked at him curiously as she noticed his changes.
"I believe you''re nearly prepared to confront the Abyss Realm¡" She softly said.
"I''m not sure about that¡" Vale replied with a gentle smile on his face.
Pearl then hugged him and kissed him gently¡ or that was what was supposed to happen.
However, before she could even get closer, Vale immediately felt the Shadow Essence in his body suppressing his Divinity that was leaking out.
Pearl also came to her mind as she looked at Vale with a helpless smile on her face.
"Our Divinity is too simr. It''s still trying to be one¡"
Chapter 646 Sage
Chapter 646 Sage
??Although Pearl already obtained a way to create her own Divinity, they still possess some traces of Vale''s Divinity.
Because of this problem, whenever Vale failed to suppress his Celestial Physique, they would have some strange attraction to each other.
This was especially true after Vale transcended from a Half-Celestial to a Shadow Celestial.
"I just finished training with my new physique¡ I forgot to suppress it before going out." Vale said, followed by a soft chuckle.
"Don''t worry about it. Soon, I won''t be affected by that¡ Once I have transformed half of my energy into Divinity, I''ll also be an Immortal. You no longer have to suppress it for me again." Pearl said with a mysterious smile on her face.
"Is that true? How are you able to do that?" Vale asked with curiosity. He really had no idea how Pearl was capable of mastering Divinity faster than him!
To be honest, he onlypletely mastered his Divinity after his transcendence and became a Shadow Celestial, and he no longer had to do the daily training Pearl arranged for him.
"That''s something to do with my Spirit. You can''t copy my method. In any case, I can see that you''ve already mastered your Divinity as well. I think you can also produce your Divinity at this point."
"Ah? I didn''t notice that¡ Can I do it now?" Vale muttered as he tried inspecting his body.
Because of his sources of Divinity, like the Immortal Corpses and the Immortal Shards, he had forgotten about the matter of having his own Divinity.
However, as he was reminded by Pearl, he couldn''t help but feel excited¡
"It''s not something you have to do. It''s something that will happen naturally. However, the Divinity you can produce depends on your physique¡" Pearl added.
"That makes sense¡ Just like what you said, the Divinity within me is no longer staying still in my body¡ It''s actually flowing in a circle within my body." Vale muttered after finishing his introspection.
With this, he could upgrade his Celestial Arts without much burden!
***
Then, four days quickly passed after the incident in the capital of the Ruri Kingdom.
Chad Bulmung woke up in the morning, feeling refreshed and energetic. He had a good night''s sleep, and he was looking forward to his day.
He had a mission to aplish, and he was confident that he could do it well. Well, he was quite excited to do this.
He went to the dining hall, and joined Vale and the others for breakfast.
"Good morning, Vale¡ I will visit the Marquis now, as Faith suggested. Do you have a message for him?"
Apparently, Faith needed a rare material that she needed to use to study the Temporal Timepiece. It appears that only the Marquis or the uncrowned king could provide this to them.
Vale nodded after hearing this.
"Good morning, Chad. Just send my regards to him¡ You can go ahead and bring the Dragon Scales and Blood to the Marquis and the others. I''m sure they are waiting for you¡ Just be careful, and don''t let anyone else know what you have.. They are very valuable and rare, and they might attract unwanted attention. Also, remember Faith''s requests." Vale said.
"You''re right. I appreciate your advice, and I will be cautious." Chad replied as he finished his meal.
Chad then left the castle, and headed to the gate.
He saw a horse carriage waiting for him, and two knights standing beside it. They were from the Marquis, and they were there to escort him and to protect him.
As soon as they saw Chad''s belongings, they couldn''t help but look at them intently as they knew that it contained the Dragon Scales and Blood.
Chad greeted them politely, and got on the carriage.
Before they could request to see the items, Chad had already mentioned that they were allowed to see them or touch them. He knew that they were loyal to the Marquis, but he also knew that they might be tempted or bribed by others.
He then told the driver to go to the Royal Pce, where the Marquis was. He sat back, and rxed. He enjoyed the scenery and the breeze.
Of course, Vale didn''t just send Chad to another''s territory alone.
As the carriage moved, a bat could be seen following behind without creating any noise.
***
It didn''t take long before Chad arrived at the Royal Pce, and was greeted by the guards. They recognized him immediately as these guards were the previous rebels.
After all, Chad was one of the "merchants" in the Merchant Airship from the mysterious castle
Then, Chad was guided by one of the guards to Marquis''s chamber.
After the Knight knocked on the door and introduced Chad, a voice answered from behind the door.
"Come in, Chad. I''ve been expecting you." The Marquis said.
As Chad entered the chamber, he saw the Marquis sitting on a couch, surrounded by books and papers. He was a middle-aged man, with brown hair and a beard. He had a sharp and intelligent face, and he wore a purple robe and a gold ring.
After taking over the kingdom, he certainly had a lot of work to do, and crowning himself would still take a few more days.
Chad smiled, and bowed.
"Good day, Marquis Morgan. It''s a pleasure to see you again. I have brought you the Dragon Scales and Blood that you requested from Sir Vale before¡" He said.
He then took out a bag and opened it. He showed the Marquis the Dragon Scales and Blood, and saw his eyes widen.
The Marquis was amazed, and he stood up. He walked towards Chad, and took the bag from him. For a moment, he examined the Dragon Scales and Blood, and felt their power and quality.
"Amazing, Chad. These are the real deal. I''ve never seen Dragon Scales and their Blood before, but I can tell that this has an incredible quality." He asked.
Chad shrugged and said. "Vale''s Dragon must be incredible then¡ Can we proceed with the trade now?"
"Of course¡ However, before that, may I ask if you know someone called Sage Merlin?"
Chapter 647 Dragons Aura
Chapter 647 Dragon''s Aura
??"Sage Merlin? I''ve never heard this name, Marquis Morgan¡ Right, is it fine to still call you Marquis?" Chad suddenly asked after recalling the identity of this person.
"It''s fine, Chad. I am not crowned yet. I''ll invite you all once that happens." Marquis Morgan replied.
"I don''t think Vale will appreciate that¡ He''d rather stay in the castle." Chad wryly smiled, then paused for a moment before asking another question.
"Can you tell me about the Sage you mentioned? Why did you ask me about him?"
Marquis Morgan seemed to have expected this question and replied casually.
"Well, you see¡ He''s staying here in one of our rooms. He arrived here yesterday and asked about the helpers we''ve had in the siege. He mentioned that he may know them. Of course, I didn''t mention anything about Sir Vale at all. The Dragon''s origin is our secret." Marquis Morgan immediately exined.
"That''s great¡ Vale trusted you with his secret after all. Alright¡ Then, let''s proceed with the deal."
Although Chad was curious, he decided to continue with their transaction.
For the Marquis, Vale assigned a total of 5 Dragon Scales and 5 vials of Dragon Blood.
"Right¡ I didn''t expect that Vale would be so generous to bring this all to me. How much do you want for these Dragon Scales and Blood? I previously offered to provide him with the Broken Immortal Items, but is that alright? Name your price, and I will consider it." He said.
"Well, that may be possible if we''re trading with only one or two Dragon Scales. But we have five of them and five more vials of precious Dragon Blood. Furthermore, we all know that these Dragon Scales and Blood are very valuable and rare, and that they can enhance your Spells and your Magic Artifacts. The scales can even be used as an Artifact. Ahem¡ I also know that you are a generous and fair man, so I will be honest and reasonable with you, and I will ask for a fair price." He said.
He then paused and said.
"I want 250,000 gold coins, 100,000 Arcane Ores, 20 Broken or Fragmented Immortal Items, and 10 crates of the Mystic Formation Nodes for these Dragon Scales and Blood. That''s the price Vale mentioned, and I think it''s a fair one." Chad said.
"What? Are you kidding me, Chad? That''s a ridiculous price, and you know it. That''s more than the entire wealth of a small kingdom? That''s outrageous¡ We can probably provide the gold coins, 10 broken Immortal Items, and crates of the Formation Nodes but not the 100,000 Arcane Ores. It''s just impossible. It may be possible if you''re only asking for 100 Arcane Ores." Marquis Morgan replied.
Chad shook his head, and said.
"No, Marquis. I''m not kidding, and I don''t think it''s a ridiculous price. I think it''s a reasonable price, and you know it. These are not just a few Dragon Scales and Blood, they are the best Dragon Scales and Blood that you will ever find. The items you can make from these could reach the level of a Sovereign Artifact, and the Dragon Blood could be used for miraculous elixirs. They are worth more than the entire wealth of a small kingdom, and you know it." Chad replied.
He then continued and said.
"But we also know that you have a lot of problems in the kingdom right now. You even have to give the southern region to the Church of the Divine Sorcerer¡ So if you want, instead of giving us Arcane Ores, exchange it with Alchemists¡ We need more than a hundred of them that are at least at the Second Tier. If there are Third-Tiers, they should be quite young and have a lot of potential¡ This is what Vale wanted."
After saying this, he smiled, looked at the Marquis, and waited for his answer.
"Alchemist?" The Marquis repeated as he felt that this was certainly doable.
With the five vials of Dragon Blood, his ck and White Knight would reach the peak of their strength. Furthermore, if he had the finest Magic Craftsman work on the five Dragon Scales, they could create five national treasures!
"Mhmm¡ I think that''s fine, Chad¡ I like that alternative. However, I want to ask if you''re going to give the same offer to the Sun Sorcerer and Viscount Truman. I don''t think they could handle that price."
"It will be quite different, but the value would be the same. Don''t worry¡ We aren''t increasing the price because you''re about to be a king." Chad replied.
At this point, the king could only sigh and ept the deal.
"Fine¡ We have a deal¡ I will have someone deliver the payment within the day. As for the Alchemists, give me one week to send 30 of them and another week for the rest of them." Marquis Morgan replied.
"That''s eptable. You can have these Dragon Scales and Blood now, Marquis. We know you won''t go back on your word."
***
Chad finished the negotiation and was ready to leave the castle.
He had made a good deal with the Marquis, so he was satisfied with his trip. As he was looking forward to visiting the Viscount, he felt an intimidating aura ahead of him.
As he was walking towards the gate, his path was blocked by an old man who wore a thick blue robe that looked like it was made for a snowy country. He had a long white beard, and a bald head.
''Is this the Sage Merlin he was talking about?'' Chad mused.
The old man in front of him had piercing blue eyes and a stern expression. He carried a ck wooden staff, that had a crystal on top.
He was apanied by three others who looked like his disciples or servants. They wore simr blue robes, and they all had bored expressions on their faces.
"Is there anything I can help you?" Chad calmly asked.
"Yes... I want you to bring me to the owner of that Dragon... I can sense the Dragon''s Aura from the item that you have in your bag¡ So you must know him." Sage Merlin said, pointing at Chad''s bag.
Chad squinted his eyes after hearing this. However, he wasn''t scared or panicking at all.
He looked at the old man with a serene gaze and spoke calmly.
"Are you sure you can only feel the Dragon''s Aura in my bag?"
Chapter 648 Against the Sage
Chapter 648 Against the Sage
??The Sage was confused after hearing Chad''s words, but he remained silent.
He could tell that Chad didn''t have ns to cooperate with him after seeing that gaze.
Nevertheless, he expected this to happen. There was no way everything would go smoothly, especially if he was trying to meet the Dragon''s Summoner.
"Sage Merlin, tell me the reason why you want to meet the owner of the Dragon... You have to be honest with me." Chad asked as his eyes suddenly turned strange. It transformed in a manner simr to that of a dragon!
Furthermore, Sage Merlin could finally feel some traces of Dragon''s Aura from the young man before him.
''Is he using the power of the Dragon Scales? No¡ªHe must''ve mutated through the Dragon''s Blood!'' Sage Merlin immediately guessed. However, he wasn''t too sure since this could just be a temporary effect of a Mystic Arts Spell or an Artifact.
"Then I will be honest with you¡ I want to meet the Summoner, as he might be someone I know¡ And if I''m right, I must send him to a different Realm." Sage Merlin replied.
"I don''t think that you know of him¡ I just received a reply from my Communication Crystal." Chad said as he kept the Crystal in his pocket. It seemed that he had informed Vale about the situation even before getting out of the castle!
Sage Merlin sighed after hearing this.
"It''s not that I know his name¡ In any case, you will bring me to him no matter what¡" Sage Merlin said as his voice seemed to echo in Chad''s head.
However, it only happened in a fleeting moment, and Chad immediately woke up from his stupor... He swiftly jumped back and raised his defense.
"Mind Controller?" Chad asked.
"Mhmm¡ You''re not affected¡ Is that because of the Dragon''s Blood? How interesting¡ If you have more of them, you should give them as a gift to my disciples. The world will benefit more if we have those resources." Sage Merline muttered.
Of course, this time, Chad was convinced that this old man was crazy and greedy.
There was no point talking to him anymore!
Chad decided to end the conversation and to start the fight.
Even without using his Dragon Blessed Eyes, he knew that Sage Merlin was a powerful and dangerous enemy. He had to be careful but decisive in his actions!
He also knew that he had an advantage and a few surprising Spells, so he had to use them well to win this battle.
Although it hadn''t been long since he received the blessing of the Dragons, he was still epted as a Dragon Disciple by Orden and Ryzoir!
''I can do this!'' Chad encouraged himself, as this was the first time he''d be fighting someone for real after he was saved by Vale and the others from Magnus.
He was confident that as long as the Sage didn''t go all out immediately, he could win this one!
He then activated one of his Spells and released his own Dragon''s Aura.
As he did this, he felt a surge of power and vitality, and there was a slight change in his appearance. His eyes turned red, and his hair turned silver.
He didn''t grow scales and ws or sprouted wings¡ However, his Aura certainly showed signs of simrity with Dragons!
He looked like a human with a dragon''s spirit, and he radiated a majestic and fearsome aura!
Sage Merlin was shocked. Although he was already hundreds of years old, it was still rare to see a human blessed by a Dragon!
"A Dragon''s Disciple?" Sage Merlin asked as he looked at Chad''s transformation
Chad didn''t answer and simply waved his hand to attack with a spell simr to the Wind de¡ However, it was in the form of a Dragon''s w!
Boom!
The attack was so sudden but the Sage didn''t even flinch.
"That''s weaker than I expected¡ I knew it, you don''t deserve the Dragon at all¡"
Sage Merline muttered as he continued to feel greedy about this opportunity.
"It doesn''t matter. I will be taking that Dragon... If that Summoner is really an Immortal, I''ll just throw him to another Realm." Sage Merlin said as he didn''t feel afraid even if he had to face a True Immortal while being only a Half-Immortal.
The reason was obvious, he had aplete Immortal Item that would help him fight an Immortal!
With this in mind, he raised his staff, and pointed it at Chad, who seemed to be collecting some energy in the surroundings.
"I will give you one more chance¡ Choose wisely, young man. Will you cooperate with me, and bring me to the owner of the Dragon? Or will you resist me, and face my wrath? The choice is yours, and you have to make it now." Sage Merlin said as ominous energy started gathering at the tip of his staff.
He then calmly looked at Chad, and waited for his answer.
However, after a few moments, Chad shook his head and replied.
"I can''t do that"
Then, he rushed towards Sage Merlin, and attacked him!
Sage Merlin was only briefly surprised since he thought that Chad would continue fighting from a distance.
"Don''t interfere..." He said to his disciples after noticing that they were about to help.
He then activated his staff and summoned a huge ck icicle to pierce Chad''s body!
However, Chad simply used a technique simr to a Dragon''s Breath, and spewed fire at Sage Merlin!
Boom!
The icicle and the fire spell shed! However, Chad didn''t stop!
He followed it up with a Dragon''s Roar and stunned Sage Merlin with sound.
He used the Ghost w Spell imbued with Dragon''s Aura and shed Sage Merlin!
On the other hand, Sage Merlin used several Ice Spells to stop Chad''s onught after being briefly stunned by the Dragon''s roar.
As soon as the Ghost w was about to reach him, he used his Lightning Bolt Spell, and shot electricity at Chad.
Bzzt!
Chad''s Dragon Aura protected him from the electricity, but as the Sage used his Thunder p, Chad was momentarily dizzied...
Thankfully, Chad still has the Cape with him. It was the Sovereign Artifact gifted to him by Vale!
Chapter 649 Saved
Chapter 649 Saved
??The Glimmer Cape was a Sovereign Artifact that had many functions and abilities. Unfortunately, Commander Graham from before failed to properly utilize this Artifact because of Vale''s overwhelming strength and, of course, Extraction Ability.
Aside from its ability to change its shape and size, it could also enhance the user''s spells and protect him from harm.
It was a versatile and powerful Artifact, and it was a perfect match for Chad.
The Glimmer''s immediately activated its ability as soon as Chad was in danger.
It wrapped around Chad''s body, and it shielded him from further damage caused by the Thunder p.
Furthermore, it also healed his wounds and it restored some of his energy. This was probably the finest Defensive Artifact out there!
However, it didn''t end there¡ After the two Dragons blessed him, they also imbued power to the Sovereign Artifact!
It restored Chad''s Draconic Energy in an instant!
Then, the battle continued¡ It was a sh of Draconic Power and Mind Energy!
The Sage was actually using his Psychic Arts to suppress the Draconic Essenceing from Chad!
Chad and Sage Merlin continued to exchange blows, and they inflicted damage on each other.
Of course, because of their actions, their battle had already caught the attention of the guards including the Marquis himself.
However, a soft voice of a familiar woman reached their ears. She was telling them not to interfere in the battle!
''If I''m not mistaken, that was Sir Vale''spanion who''s always leading their Merchant Airship¡'' Marquis Morgan thought as he ignored the battle outside and continued working on his papers.
He had plenty of things to do before he couldmence with his coronation!
He simply informed the ck and White Knight to take care of the matter for him.
Soon, the battle reached its climax¡
Chad and Sage Merlin gathered their remaining energy and prepared for their final attack. They looked at each other, and there were no words that needed to be said.
During their battle, they had already reached quite a distance from the castle¡ They were no longer suppressing their Spells!
Chad used his Dragon''s Fury, and unleashed a st of fire and sound.
On the other hand, Sage Merlin used his Ice Storm, and unleashed a st of ice and wind¡
During this battle, he had shown three Arcane Paths. They were Psychic Arts, Mystic Arts, and Elemental Arts!
Boom!
The two attacks collided, and they created a huge explosion.
It was loud, and it echoed in the air. The explosion shook the ground, and it lit up the sky. It destroyed everything in its path.
Soon, as the explosion subsided and the smoke and dust settled, it revealed the result.
Chad was standing, and he was breathing heavily. He had some burns and cuts, and he had some blood and dirt. However, he had a smile and relief after seeing his opponent.
Sage Merlin was lying, and he seemed to be barely conscious.
He had some wounds and bruises all over his body, and Chad could tell that the Sage was in a worse condition¡
Eager to celebrate his apparent triumph, Chad contemted approaching Sage Merlin. Despite recognizing the Sage as his adversary, he chose not to deliver the final blow, sensing that the Sage had simrly refrained from delivering a fatal strike during their battle.
However, intending to im the enigmatic staff as a token of victory, Chad was taken aback when he realized that the battle was far from over.
Unbeknownst to Chad, Sage Merlin''s three disciples observed the confrontation from a distance with an air ofposure and confidence, showing no signs of panic or intervention.
Had Chad noticed their unwavering demeanor, he might have sensed that something was amiss. However, feeling disoriented, he failed to discern their significance.
Soon, they all heard the Sage''sugh.
"Hahaha... So fighting against a Dragon''s Disciple would be this hard without using Divinity and other Spells..." Sage Merlin said as he continuedughing.
It was as if the battle he just had wasn''t life-threatening!
As the echoingughter subsided, an aura of energy enveloped Sage Merlin, emanating a divine glow that seemed to mend his wounds and rejuvenate his body!
''What is this? Holy Spell?!'' Chad gritted his teeth.
Witnessing this disy of power, Chad felt a sense of dread as the Sage''s might surpass even that of Magnus or even Manager Faith''s power, leaving him awestruck and apprehensive.
As forparing it with Vale, he couldn''t really say since he had never seen Vale go all out.
The Sage then clenched his fist as he felt the power emanating throughout his whole body.
Turning his gaze toward Chad, Sage Merlin''s eyes gleamed with an unsettling intensity.
"Young man, I will give you onest chance to bring me to the Dragon''s Summoner." He dered, his voice resonating with an ominous undertone.
Feeling the weight of the Sage''s words, Chad realized the gravity of the situation.
However, he remained steadfast in his decision and refused the Sage''s demand. Now that he knew how strong the Sage was, there was no way he would allow Vale to meet him!
"I can''t help you with that, Sage Merlin¡ Why don''t you find him yourself?"
A tense atmosphere filled the air as the three disciples shook their heads. It seemed that they knew that this was truly their master''sst offer.
"Then, you will be my ve¡"
The Sage then triggered his formidable Mind Control empowered by Divinity. He directed his gaze towards Chad, preparing to exert his influence over him.
Yet, as the Sage was about to enact hispelling maniption, a startling turn of events unfolded.
Countless bats materialized, encircling Chad and forming a protective barrier around him.
Unfortunately, his Mind Control could only work on a targeted individual and not in arge area.
His spell was thwarted as a random bat was hit instead¡
As their numbers grewrger, it also disrupted his concentration.
"Pests!"
He wanted to burn them all into ashes!
However, as he was about to throw his spell, the bats quickly scattered, catching the Sage off guard!
Then, as he looked at Chad''s previous spot, he realized the young man was missing!
Chad had vanished along with the bats!
Chapter 650 Search
Chapter 650 Search
?"What? Where did he go?!"
Sage Merlin was furious. He had lost his prey, and he had no clue where he went.
He tried to expand his search by using his Magic Zone, which was empowered by his Divinity. This Spell allowed him to sense everything within 450 meters! However, he still couldn''t sense the young man!
He also used his Magic Trace Spell, which enhanced his magic perception. At the very least, he wanted to know in which direction they disappeared.
"Tsk¡ How did he do that?"
It was all in vain. He should''ve ced a barrier or used his Domain Spell during their battle. If he did that, he wouldn''t have this problem.
He could not find any trace of the young man, nor the person who helped him escape.
Well, he was certain that the bats were summoned by another Arcanist, someone who had a connection to the young man.
Since the young man was Dragon''s Disciple, he knew that those bats were from a different Arcanist.
''Is it from a Vampire?'' He mused.
''This is frustrating¡ If that''s really Vampire, how did it manage to evade my detection? I even activated my Divinity at that time¡ I should''ve sensed a Vampire if they''re close¡'' Sage Merlin was baffled and intrigued by this mystery.
He asked his disciples if they had any idea, but they all shook their heads, and they could only voice out some things that the Sage already knew.
"I''m also unsure about that Master Merlin¡ I didn''t even sense where those bats came from."
"They came out of nowhere, so it must be from a Vampire."
"It''s not just an Ordinary Vampire but probably a Noble Blood. Anyway, we are still unsure how they did it¡"
In short, they were as clueless as he was.
Sage Merlin could only sigh as he retracted his energy.
He decided to give up on the chase and focus on his main objective.
He wanted to find the mysterious castle that housed the Dragon''s Summoner, the one who had the power to control dragons.
He easily learned about this castle from the people in the towns they''d visited before.
If he was right, the Marquis knew about the location of that castle, but unfortunately, he was only an Overseer of this continent, and there were limitations to how much he could interfere in the situation of the continent.
He regretted making the Overseer''s Oath.
If not for that oath, he could just force the Marquis to lead him to the castle, or torture him for more details. But he was bound by his word, and he could not break it. He could not even let his disciples do it for him¡
The Sage then sighed and led his group away from the city.
He headed towards the eastern part of the Ruri Kingdom, the ce where the castle was supposed to be.
"Master Merlin, are we going to the Cursed Forest?" One of the disciples asked.
ording to what they''ve heard, that ce was filled with dangers and horrors. A ce where few dared to enter, and even fewer returned.
"Yes¡ It may be dangerous, but that''s for fourth-ss Arcanists¡ We won''t be in danger exploring that ce. We will only have trouble finding that castle." Sage Merlin said.
"Right, you mentioned that you''ve tried searching for it but you failed, Master Merlin."
"That''s right¡ I''m not a Formation Arts Expert after all. However, we don''t have to worry about it anymore¡ Another Half-Immortal ising to find the castle."
The three disciples looked at each other, confused upon hearing these words.
They had no idea how their master knew that another Half-
Immortal would find the castle. They had never left his side, so they knew that he had no contact with other people aside from them.
Nevertheless, they didn''t question him at all. They followed their master, feeling a bit excited as they might be able to meet another Half-Immortal!
***
Marcus III, the Pontiff of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea, listened to the reports of the Storm Knights.
They had spent two days investigating the kingdom, but they had only found one anomaly: a mysterious castle hidden in the cursed forest at the east of the kingdom.
They had gone to the ce where the Pontiff had sensed the presence of an Immortal, but they had found nothing there. They had also detected another Half-Immortal who was searching the same area.
Of course, they did not want to offend another Half-Immortal, so they quickly left the ce after doing some investigations and returned here.
They had changed their strategy and used their resources to look for clues about the Immortal who had descended into their realm.
"So you think that the Immortal is rted to the Dragon''s Summoner?" Marcus III asked the Storm Knight after hearing their reports.
"Yes, Your Holiness..." The Storm Knight answered.
"Then we must find that elusive castle... You said that it can''t be detected by normal means... I suppose they''re using a powerful Formation Arts to fool the people... Well, let''s see if they can fool me. Let''s go!"
With that, the Pontiff led the search for the castle.
The search was not easy. The cursed forest was a dangerous ce, full of threats and traps. The Storm Knights had to fight their way through.
They faced many beasts and monsters, some of which were corrupted by the dark energy of the forest. They also encountered some hostile Arcanists, who were either hiding or hunting in the forest.
Of course, if not for the Pontiff, this matter would take longer.
After their search had taken more than three days, the Pontiff decided to be at the front, using his Divinity and his Magic Zone to scan the area.
He was looking for any signs of the castle, or the Immortal, or the Dragon''s Summoner.
However, even with his abilities, he failed to find them in a short period...
This was most likely before the Cursed Forest seemed to be covered by a thickyer of fog that was causing an illusion that hid and distorted everything.
Fortunately, after eight days of searching, they finally found something!
Chapter 651 The Mysterious Castle
Chapter 651 The Mysterious Castle
??"What a strange Formation Art¡ Did they collect all the Mystic Formation Nodes to produce this?" Marcus III remarked after he realized that his senses could pass through the illusion, but his physical body could not.
It means that if they didn''t deliberately go through this path, they would''ve missed this ce entirely¡ It was such an amazing Formation Art!
As Marcus III touched the strange barrier, he started analyzing its structure, hoping to find its weakness.
Although he was already touching it, he could only feel a faint trace of a formation that was camouged among the trees, rocks, and the mountain itself. It was aplex and intricate formation that used several Mystic Arts to create an illusion.
It was a formation that could only be made by a master of Formation Arts.
If he wasn''t mistaken, this Formation Arts was simply an outer barrier. Once they''d broken through this, they would still have to pass through another barrier where they could really enter the castle.
''What an amazing Formation Art¡ They must have an incredible source of energy to make this.'' Marcus III remarked as he continued to analyze the barrier and illusion...
After a few more inspections of it, the Pontiff became even more surprised and impressed by the formation.
He couldn''t help but wonder who had made this¡ Perhaps, if not for his Divinity, he would be clueless on how to destroy this barrier.
However, now that he hadpleted his examinations, he decided to break it, and to reveal the secret.
"Move back¡"
Marcus said softly, and the Storm Knights immediately acted. They moved away from the Pontiff, but they were still on guard in case the Pontiff needed help.
After all, anything could happen when dismantling a Formation Art.
As the Pontiff gathered his power, a huge fluctuation of energy spread out, rming all the animals and even Evil Creatures around the area.
Soon, he unleashed a bolt of lightning followed by a pulse of mysterious energy that tried to burst the illusions and the barrier.
Bang!
The Pontiff didn''t just randomly hit the Formation, but he aimed at the nodes that were powering the barriers! He also hit several spots where he sensed a weak point.
He hoped to destroy the Formation in this attack!
But he was wrong!
The Formation was stronger than he expected. It absorbed his attack, and then retaliated. It sent out a wave of Dark Energy, that countered his Lightning Bolt!
Boom!
It was a formation that could also attack!
The Pontiff and the Storm Knights were caught off guard, and they were hit by the wave. They felt a sharp pain, and a dizzying sensation.
Luckily, the Pontiff''s attack didn''t end there. His Staff activated and released another piercing force of Lightning Energy that tore through the barrier! This time, the barrier was unable to defend!
The attack created a hole big enough for them to pass through!
"We''re going to enter first, Your Holiness!" The leader of the Storm Knights immediately said as he stood in front of Marcus III.
Although he was also affected by the barrier''s counterattack, he was able to quickly recover thanks to his high-level armor.
"Very well¡ I will follow behind." Marcus III said as he looked at the torn barrier. It was slowly recovering, but it might take three to four hours before it could repair itself, so he wasn''t in a hurry.
It didn''t take long before their group passed through the outer barrier of the castle.
Indeed, the Pontiff was right!
As the Storm Knights looked around, they saw that the forest had changed.
The trees from afar had turned into walls, and the muddy ground and rocks had disappeared.
As they looked behind the walls, they saw the grand silhouette of the castle, its towering spires reaching toward the sky, exuding an aura of formidable strength and ancient majesty.
The walls, adorned with intricate carvings and imposing battlements, stood as a testament to the castle''s rich history.
Amidst this awe-inspiring sight, the Merchant Airship, the subject of many stories they heard in towns and cities,y docked to the left of the castle, its sleek frame and ethereal design casting a mesmerizing allure.
This Merchant Airship was certainly better-looking than their Church''s Airship!
Nevertheless, their attention was abruptly drawn to a figure standing at the gate of the castle.
"Wee, Intruders... I am Magnus. I would normally entertain a visitor, but not for today. If you don''t want to die, fix the barrier and leave this ce." His voice resonated through the air, carrying an enigmatic and foreboding weight that left an unsettling impression on the group.
As they gazed upon Magnus, they beheld a figure of imposing stature, d in regal attire that seemed simr to the nobles of this country.
What made the Pontiff dislike this man was his piercing gaze that was trying to prate the very core of their beings¡
Suddenly, a surge of potent energy radiated from Magnus, enveloping the Pontiff and the Storm Knights in a suffocating aura that sought to force them into submission!
But the Pontiff was not an easy target.
He was Marcus III, the Pontiff of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea, a Half-Immortal! He had faced many enemies and dangers, and he had never bowed to anyone.
Thud!
He struck his Staff on the ground, gathered his own force, and unleashed his Divinity!
He aimed at Magnus, hoping to break his aura and challenge him.
With a solemn yet unwavering voice, he dered.
"You''re not the Dragon Summoner or the Immortal I''m looking for¡ We shall not yield to your malevolent influence, Magnus. Our purpose here transcends any obstacle you may ce in our path."
The Pontiff''s attack shed with Magnus'' aura, creating a bright sh and a loud noise.
It was a sh of mixed Arcane Energy against the Pontiff''s Divinity!
Nevertheless, the two forces were evenly matched, and neither of them could gain the upper hand.
Magnus was surprised by the Pontiff''s resistance. He had expected him to be overwhelmed by his power, and to surrender without a fight.
After all, he was also using the castle''s barrier when defending against the Pontiff''s attack!
Needless to say, without the protection of the Formation Barrier powered by the two Dragons, he would be utterly defeated by the Pontiff!
Chapter 652 Magnus
Chapter 652 Magnus
??Magnus knew that he was at a disadvantage against the Pontiff, but he refused to admit defeat.
"You''re incredibly strong¡ However, it''s not every day that I get to meet a strong opponent like you. I will not fall so easily! Entertain me!" Magnus roared as he used one of the Arcane Paths that he hadn''t fully mastered. It was the Dark Arts.
Well, if Vale hadn''t extracted his Cursed me, he would''ve certainly used that Alchemy Art and had a good fight against the Pontiff.
Nevertheless, this allowed him to focus on other Arcane Paths!
This time, he decided to use his Dark Spells, hoping to gain an edge over his opponent. After all, his Dark Spells were the best when dealing with multiple targets.
Magnus chanted a series of words, and summoned a swarm of ck crows.
"Kill them all!"
Hemanded them to fly towards the Pontiff and the Storm Knight. They weren''t too powerful but could peck and scratch with their sharp beaks and ws. Furthermore, they weren''t easy to kill with lightning attributes.
They were perfect to use against these Arcanists.
"Night Crows? That''s futile!"
The Pontiff saw the crowsing, and he waved his scepter.
He created a barrier of water that blocked the crows from reaching him. It didn''t protect the Storm Knights, but he wasn''t worried about them since they were all equipped with helmets and armor that had Runes imbued to them.
They should be able to defend themselves for some time.
He then gathered his Divinity sent out a shockwave of Divine Wind Energy that dispersed the crows and turned them into feathers!
Whoooshh~
They were killed so easily! However, Magnus was not deterred by this. He knew very well that his opponent was a Half-Immortal.
He chanted another series of words, and conjured a cloud of Dark Mist. He spread it over the area, and tried to blind and suffocate the Pontiff and the Storm Knights!
Magnus wanted tomand his controlled beasts around the castle to attack the group of intruders but he stopped himself from doing so.
These beasts only had one life¡ Furthermore, most of them are trained to search or detect the Demons. It would be a pity if they get killed by the Pontiff and the Storm Knights this early.
Instead, Magnus applied a Severe Ailment Spell to the dark mist to weaken the immunity of the enemies. He also continued to cast several more curses that was absorbed by the Dark Mist that he made!
"A Dark Mist this time, huh¡ You''re just prolonging your inevitable death." The Pontiff thought as he realized that the Dark Mist wasn''t that threatening to them.
Well, at the very least, it was quite difficult to disperse since Dark Mist had a strange resistance against Wind Spells.
However, as the Pontiff felt the mist enveloping him, he immediately knew that something was off, and he held his breath.
He then used his Divinity to focus them in his eyes to enhance his vision.
This was quite a difficult technique when using Divinity but he pulled it off almost without dy.
After using this, he saw through the cursed surrounding the Dark Mist, and he also saw through the darkness, and he spotted Magnus!
Dealing with the Dark Mist might be difficult, but if he killed or heavily injure its caster, then it would just naturally disappear.
He then pointed his scepter at him, and fired a bolt of lightning, that pierced through the mist and aimed at Magnus.
Although this lightning was weakened a lot because of the Dark Mist''s energy, it was still enough to threaten Magnus.
Magnus sensed the bolt of lightning approaching, and he dodged it!
It was close, and he was only grazed on his shoulder!
Because he imbued several Curses in that Dark Mist, Magnus failed to erect a defensive barrier at that time!
Magnus then triggered another Spell and created a circle of Dark mes. It wasn''t as strong as the Cursed me, but this Dark me couldst longer than the Cursed me from the Alchemy Path¡
"If I can''t defeat you, I''ll at least defeat all your subordinates!" Magnus roared as he pointed at the Pontiff''s direction.
He expanded the mes and tried to burn the Pontiff and the Storm Knights behind him, who were still resisting the Curses he had thrown together with the Dark Mist!
"Dark me?"
The Pontiff saw the mes rising, and he frowned. Although this was indeed not a scorching me that could melt through everything, Dark me greatly disturbed the energy of the Arcanists. It would mess up their energy flow, and they would have difficulty casting spells in a short period.
''Tsk¡ I can only use my scepter 5 more times¡ This is getting more and more annoying.'' The Pontiff remarked as he swung his scepter and created a whirlwind!
He blew away the Dark mes and removed the Dark Mist! However, he spent a huge amount of Divinity to make this work!
Nevertheless, this action finally exposed Magnus!
Marcus III could see that Magnus was also reaching his limit! Without hesitation, he charged at him and used his robe''s brilliance spell to blind Magnus for a brief moment!
Then, he opened his palm and activated his glove''s Drain Touch!
He only needs to grab Magnus to end this farce!
However, Magnus wasn''t affected by the Robe''s Brilliance Spell. With his Light Absorption Spell, he easily avoided getting caught off guard.
Then, he saw the Pontiff rushing at him, and he clenched his teeth.
Hell Chain!
He summoned a searing chain of dark metal!
He aimed the chain at the Pontiff and tried to bind him!
The Pontiff saw the chain flying at him, and he smirked.
"That''s futile!"
He caught the chain with his hand and pulled it! He was actually unaffected by the Hell Chain! He dragged Magnus towards him and then smashed him with his scepter!
Boom!
Magnus felt the impact of the scepter, and he coughed up blood.
The man fell to the ground, and he groaned in pain.
He had used a lot of Arcane Energy in that bout, but he had failed to defeat the Pontiff and lost the battle.
Chapter 653 Dragon Summoner
Chapter 653 Dragon Summoner
?"You will be a good vessel for a Fallen Messenger." Marcus III muttered after defeating Magnus.
He was certainly not nning to let Magnus go after what he had done to his group.
However, Marcus III suddenly felt something off.
A threatening aura that wasing from the castle was cast on him.
Then, his gaze shifted upward to the castle wall, where a mysterious figure stood. He only noticed this figure now, and he seemed to be silently observing their battle from the very beginning.
''What can you do when you''re far away? I will take this rude bastard''s life, and no one can stop me!''
Fueled by his annoyance about being forced to use his scepter several times, the Pontiff sought to bring an end to Magnus'' life, intending to destroy his soul and preserve its body.
However, before he could act, the figure above the wall made a subtle gesture, and with a wave of their hand, Magnus vanished from view, leaving the Pontiff astonished by the mysterious disy of power.
Marcus III had been a Pontiff for more than five decades already, and although he had strong Arcanists, he would be able to easily see through their Spells because of his Divinity.
However, the technique that made Magnus disappear waspletely new to him. He only felt a slight fluctuation of energy, and the man who was about to die disappeared in the blink of an eye.
''Space Folding? No, it was too quick and simple¡ Is it that Concealment Spell from the Lord of the Secrets?'' Marcus III was deep in his thoughts as he looked at the figure standing at the castle wall.
Puzzled by the enigmatic magic that had whisked Magnus away, the Pontiff found himself unable toprehend the nature of the strange sorcery that had been wielded against him.
Then, he used his spell to inspect the man looking at him.
"I can''t feel your Divinity... However, I can sense your incredible strength... Are you the Dragon Summoner?" The Pontiff inquired, seeking to unravel the mystery of the figure''s identity and intentions.
In response, the figure offered a cryptic smile, choosing not to verbally confirm their identity as the Dragon Summoner.
Instead, the man revealed a ck Grimoire, a tangible affirmation of their status as a Summoner¡
"So, I am correct... The Dragon Summoner is hiding here... However, I''m filled with curiosity. Where is the Immortal? Why has he not deigned to greet me? As a Half-Immortal, I am deserving of an audience with the Immortal!" The Pontiff dered, filled with conviction.
On the other hand, the Summoner remained silent and mysterious.
He did not reveal his name or speak any words. He only opened his ck Grimoire and summoned a five-meter tall giant that had some of its parts covered by white cloth.
Rooaaarr!
It was a Mummy King, a powerful undead creature that had once ruled over an ancient civilization in another realm.
It had a bandaged body, a golden crown, and a scepter. It also had glowing red eyes and a sinister aura emanating from its rotten body¡
The Pontiff''s eyes lit up as he recognized the creature.
"A Mummy King... Very well, there''s no doubt about it, you are the Dragon Summoner¡ I wanted to negotiate with you about your Dragon since I wanted to have them¡ However, your Grimoire seemed to contain a lot more mystical beings than I thought. If you hand it over to me, I will pay the price for removing your link to that Grimoire, and I will let you off¡"
Marcus said as he looked at the mysterious figure.
However, he didn''t receive any response and only saw the man ordering the Mummy King to attack.
"So I''m dealing with a mute this time¡" Marcus III said as he ordered his recovering Storm Knights to join the battle.
"Your Holiness! Please let us handle this creature!"
"Go ahead!" The Pontiff replied.
Soon, the battle between the Mummy King and the Storm Knights started.
The Mummy King used its scepter to cast various spells, such as curses, gues, and sandstorms!
It also used its physical strength to swing its scepter and punch its Storm Knights and make them scatter¡
It was a formidable opponent, and if this continued, their Arcane Energy might get exhausted!
Luckily, although the Mummy King was formidable, it was still considered as an Undead.
The Pontiff used his own Scepter to counter some of Mummy King''s spells. This, he finally decided to cast his Holy Arts and used Sanctify and Holy Smite against the Mummy King!
As a Half-Immortal, he had actually learned four Arcane Paths. They were the Mystic Arts, Elemental Arts, Psychic Arts, and Holy Arts!
His Holy Spells, however, didn''t stop the Mummy King''s attack, but it certainly slowed it down.
The Storm Knights used their weapons and mounts to assist the Pontiff and attack the Mummy King. They used swords and spears while some of the Summoners sent their contracted beasts.
Without a doubt, they posed a threat to the Summoner and the Mummy King¡
However, the mysterious and silent Summoner seemed to be enjoying this battle.
He used his Grimoire to control the Mummy King, and summoned more creatures! He actually summoned a Dark Knight and Ghoul Sovereign!
"Impossible! Three Mystical beings at the same time?!"
"How can he summon them and not pass out!"
"This guy¡ Does he have the same amount of Spirit Strands with His Holiness?!"
"Impossible¡ Are you telling me that he also has 70 or more Spirit Strands?!"
"Not good! We''re definitely fighting against a Half-Immortal!"
"Just support the Holiness! This is out of our league! Even if we have to sacrifice our lives, we must do it! We have to protect His Holiness!"
The Storm Knights had almost given up, but their captain immediately brought them together.
Of course, the Pontiff had a n and wasn''t deterred after seeing two more powerful summons.
He still hasn''t spent all his Divinity. He still had over half of it and was saving most of it once he faced the True Immortal.
Nheless, he knew that the Summoner was the key to the battle and that he had to defeat him first. The Summoner was hiding behind the Mummy King, and once his n worked, that ck Grimoire would be his!
Chapter 654 Failed
Chapter 654 Failed
??Marcus III took a deep breath as he faced the Mummy King, the Dark Knight, and the Ghoul Sovereign.
He was confident that he could win against them as an Immortal. However, that would exhaust a lot of his Divinity.
He also knew that his Storm Knights could win against these creatures, but that would use most of their life''s essence. He didn''t want that to happen this early.
At the very least, he was nning to use the trump card of the Storm Knights as a backup once something went wrong with his confrontation with the new Immortal.
With all of this in consideration, he decided to use a risky but effective strategy.
"Knight Joseph and Knight Val! Form two squads under your leadership and stop the Dark Knight and the Ghoul Sovereign! They''re weak against lightning! I will deal with the Mummy King!" Marcus III said and the two Storm Knights immediately divided the remaining knights into two.
On the other hand, Marcus III didn''t wait and fought against the Mummy King using some of his Elemental Arts.
After some time, he started the next phase of his n.
Boom!
He was hit by the Mummy King''s scepter and was thrown to the ground!
''That''s a good one¡'' Marcus III thought as he pretended to be exhausted and wounded. Then, he lowered his guard to appear even weaker.
This worried the Storm Knights, but they knew that the Pontiff had a n.
Furthermore, they knew that they would be called if the Pontiff really needed some assistance.
Boom!
Once again, Marcus III let the Mummy King hit him with his scepter while he was flying...
This time, however, hended near the Summoner, below the castle wall, and he acted as if he was unconscious. No, it wasn''t just acting, he cast a spell that would make him seem like he was unconscious and slowly dying.
Thud!
Marcus III could tell that the Summoner was already smiling after seeing his defeat.
As expected, the Mummy King stopped attacking after he fell unconscious.
''I did it! I won!'' Marcus III thought as he heard the Summoner''s footsteps.
The Summoner had indeed gone down to check on his condition or capture him!
Just like what he thought, this person would certainly not kill a Pontiff of a powerful church so easily! This opportunity wasn''t something they would waste. They would undoubtedly try to keep him alive to obtain his wealth, his Sovereign Artifacts, or even to get the secrets of the Eminence of the Sea.
Soon, the Summoner approached the Pontiff and checked his condition.
After confirming that he was unconscious, the Summoner reached for Pontiff''s Scepter. It was the most valuable item that he had.
But before the Summoner could touch it, the Pontiff opened his eyes, and he grabbed the Summoner''s hand!
"You''re dead!"
As he said this, he activated his glove''s Drain Touch, and he drained the Summoner''s energy!
After utilizing the drain touch, Marcus III, the Pontiff, felt a surge of energy entering his body.
''This is it! Your life is mine!''
He celebrated in his mind.
However, the potency of the energy was not as substantial as he had expected. It left him puzzled, pondering the true nature of the being he had just confronted.
''Why is it so weak?'' He thought.
Then, something unexpected happened.
The "Summoner" vanished, leaving behind only its garments, and with the Grimoire nowhere to be found.
Before itpletely disappeared, however, the Pontiff nced at the figure that he had just Drained with his gloves.
Marcus III immediately realized the unsettling truth!
"A Shadow Soldier!" He eximed, his mind racing toprehend the gravity of the situation. He didn''t expect that the "Summoner" was merely a decoy!
''Impossible¡ It doesn''t make sense! My Divine Sense and Divinity failed?!''
He couldn''tprehend how he hadn''t noticed this from the very start!
"Hahaha! That was a good one, Pontiff!"
Suddenly, a chillingugh echoed from above the castle walls, sending shivers down the Pontiff''s spine.
Theughter signaled a new twist in the unfolding events¡
''Not good...''
Marcus III braced himself, knowing that the true challenge was far from over.
As expected, he didn''t even have the chance to recover his strength, and he was attacked by the Summoner.
He found himself in a dire situation as the man above the castle walls used Chain of Souls to bind him. Despite deflecting it with his Robe''s Radiance, he faced a barrage of subsequent spells!
An Abyssal Fire emerged beneath his feet, and just as he prepared to escape using his flight spell, the mysterious man cast a Spell Dispersion!
His flight spell didn''t even activate!
''He''s not just a Summoner! This person practices other Arcane Paths!'' Marcus III thought but he didn''t think that this Summoner was an Immortal.
After all, no Immortal uses Grimoire to summon creatures. If they have a summons, they could do it without relying on a medium like a Grimoire.
Nevertheless, he had no other choice in this situation. Marcus III had to shield himself with his Divinity. It protected him from the Abyssal Fire, but he was still in danger.
He was nning to use his Scepter''s Elemental Protection, but a Spell that was aimed at his soul was released by his enemy!
It was Soul Reaper!
If he didn''t invoke his Divinity, he would surely die from that attack!
Then, he was bombarded by other spells. They were Cursed me, Holy Smite, Water Vortex, and Toxic Tempest!
After the Toxic Tempest hit him, his Divinity was critically low!
Marcus gritted his teeth as he knew that he couldn''t win with his current strength!
He still had two more trump cards, but once he used them, the other powerful beings within the castle that he felt a moment ago would crush him!
There was no point revealing everything he had at this point!
''I need to escape for now, but I shall return!''
With that thought, his eyes, seemingly adorned with ancient Runes, glowed brightly as he attempted to flee!
However, an unexpected attack targeted his mind - the dreaded ve Mark!
Chapter 655 Interference
Chapter 655 Interference
??"A mind-controlling Spell?! Not good!" Marcus III immediately canceled his Runic Eyes'' teleportation ability.
If he continued to release this ability, he wouldn''t have the confidence to defend against the Psychic Art.
He knew very well that a mind-controlling Spell released by such a powerful Arcanist would be very strong. It was definitely not a simple Charm or Allure Spell but a spell that could enve the mind of the target, and make them obey the caster''s will.
As he suppressed the Psychic Art, he confirmed that it was indeed a spell that was forbidden by most of the Churches and even the Arcanist Bureau!
It was a spell that made the Order of the Oracle Hivemind feared by many.
It was a ve Marking Technique!
"You wicked human! You don''t even have Divinity, and you think you can control me?" Marcus III gritted his teeth as he resisted the Spell that was causing havoc in his mind.
Luckily, he had also practiced Psychic Arts, and he had a certain level of control with his Mind Energy¡ He tried to iste the Spell that was invading his mind!
On the other hand, the man above the castle walls intensified his ve Mark on Marcus III, hoping to capture him and make him his puppet.
He probably realized that Marcus III was a Half Immortal, and he wanted to use his power for his own purposes.
"You will not seed!" Marcus III said as he looked at the man above him.
This was now a battle of their will!
Unfortunately, this battle didn''tst long, as the Pontiff was suddenly attacked by the Mummy King!
Boom!
The earth trembled as the Mummy King struck the ground, causing the surrounding terrain to copse in an attempt to entomb him alive.
Forced to muster all his remaining Divinity to fend off the ve Mark and withstand the Mummy King''s onught, Marcus found himselfpelled to utilize one of his trump cards.
With a sorrowful heart, he made the decision to activate the scepter''s ultimate ability!
Thud!
With a thump on the copsing ground, the scepter started disintegrating and was turned into specks of light!
Marcusmented the loss of his Sovereign Artifact. This scepter is a Sovereign Artifact that he had imbued with Divinity for over three decades.
Thanks to his dedication, this artifact obtained an ability that only Arcana could possibly have. However, it could only be used once.
"Miracle Catalyst¡"
The specks of light flew out, and they passed through the Mummy King, then to the Dark Knight, then to the Ghoul Sovereign. They all ended up dying!
The Storm Knights who were battling them were certainly surpised by their sudden copse but they knew that the Pontiff did something!
The specks of light were the essence of the Miracle Catalyst, and they could destroy anything that was, including those evil or corrupted.
They were the ultimate weapon against the dark forces.
After defeating the three summons, there were still a few specks of light that were left, and they turned to the Dragon Summoner!
Boom!
The specks of light were blocked by the castle''sst Barrier!
The sh between the Miracle and the Barrier resulted in the Barrier''s trembling and subsequent copse, apanied by the dispersion of the remaining specks of light.
Although the Dragon Summoner remained unscathed, the Barrier was finally gone!
"Oh¡ That''s an impressive attack." Vale spoke as he also felt threatened by that light. However, he trusted the castle''s barrier that was powered by the two dragons, so he didn''t flinch.
Vale felt a bit pity since he wanted that scepter. Nevertheless, he stopped worrying about it and continued with what he was doing
"ve Mark¡"
This time, the Pontiff could no longer defend himself.
***
A few minutes ago, while the forces of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea battled against the Dragon Summoner, several figures were silently watching their battle from a far.
They were Sage Merlin and his three disciples!
"Master, I think we have to leave this ce¡" One of the disciples said.
"That''s right, Master. We can''t offend that being! That''s definitely the Immortal!" Another disciple said.
"I''m also guessing that that was the Immortal and was simply hiding his Divinity. There''s no human who could summon those three Undead Beings at the same time!" The third disciple said.
They were all nervous and scared, and they wanted to escape from the castle. They thought that the Immortal was suppressed by the Will of the Human Realm.
However, they were definitely wrong!
That Summoner was definitely a disguised Immortal! Although he wasn''t showing any Divinity, it must be a trick!
However, even with the three''s persuasion, Sage Merlin shook his head and spoke in a calm and firm voice.
"No, we will not leave. We will stay and observe. This is a rare opportunity to witness their true strength¡ We may learn something valuable from this. We may also find a chance to obtain their Arcana. But we will not act rashly, or recklessly. We will wait for the right moment, and we will act wisely. Do you understand?"
It seemed that their Master already had a n in mind, so the three disciples could only nod and obey their Master.
Well, they still trusted his wisdom and judgment.
As they stayed behind their master, they witnessed an incredible scene.
They saw the Pontiff use his Scepter''s ultimate ability, the Miracle Catalyst, and they saw the Mummy King, the Dark Knight, and the Ghoul Sovereign die.
They saw how the castle''s barrier was destroyed, and they saw the Pontiff was about to sumb to the Mind Controlling Spell!
Even if the Storm Knights had freed themselves from the undead creatures, the three disciples knew that they would surely fail to help the Pontiff!
On the other hand, as Sage Merlin saw the Pontiff in a critical condition, he decided to act and save him!
He had a reason for doing so, and it was not out ofpassion or kindness!
Chapter 656 Closed
Chapter 656 Closed
??As soon as Sage Merlin decided to save the Pontiff, he did not hesitate to release his Divinity...
The pressure that wasing from him stunned the Storm Knights and even Vale for a brief moment. However, after Lisa and Chad warned him about the other Half-Immortal in this Kingdom, he immediately realized what was going on and watched the man go after the Pontiff.
"I will save your Pontiff. Prepare to escape!" Merlin shouted to the leaders of the Storm Knights, Joseph and Val.
The two immediately recognized the Overseer and quickly acted¡
Sage Merlin knew very well that his opponent was a True Immortal who was masquerading as a Dragon Summoner.
They had to act swiftly to seed. Although he didn''t want to admit it, Sage Merlin miscalcted the strength of the new Immortal. It felt as if he wasn''t being suppressed by the Will of the Human Realm!
Because of that, he knew that sending this Immortal to another realm, to keep the bnce of the Human Realm, would be challenging to do alone.
He needed the assistance of the Pontiff to do that!
He immediately attacked the Summoner, or perhaps Immortal Summoner, with his Ice Spells, unleashing a barrage of ice shards, snowkes, and frostbites.
He also released two Ice Spirits, who were as powerful as a First ss Arcanist.
"Help me kill that person! He''s probably an Immortal, so don''t hold back!" Merlin ordered the two Ice Spirits.
Without hesitation, they swiftly flew towards Vale in an attempt to freeze him to death while Merline tried to save the Pontiff!
The Ice Spirits were the creations of Sage Merlin, and they were different from other Ice Spirits summoned from another realm.
He had used his Divinity, sacrificed souls, and used mystical ice treasures to infuse life and intelligence into two ice sculptures he made.
Now, they had be Ice Spirits who were loyal and obedient to him, and they followed hismands.
However, Vale didn''t panic after seeing this and swiftly acted. He decided to send out his Ember Spirit and Wind Spirit to fight against the two Ice Spirits!
The Ice Spirits used their ice shards, snowkes, and frostbites to pierce, cut, and freeze their enemies. They also used their ice walls, snowstorms, and icebergs to block, blind, and crush their enemies.
The Ember Spirit, on the other hand, used its fireballs, mes, and explosions to burn, scorch, and st their enemies. The Wind Spirit also used its wind des, gusts, and tornadoes to slice, push, and spin their enemies.
Then, As the four Elemental Spirits engaged in battle, Sage Merlin used a short-distance movement technique that allowed him to reach the Pontiff''s side!
Then, Merlin grabbed the Pontiff''s body, intending to bring him away quickly.
At this time, he also felt the Pontiff''s weak pulse, and he felt a surge of pity and relief¡ He pitied him because, as a fellow Half-Immortal, he probably never considered to be in such a predicament¡
However, he was also relived since his n wouldn''t work if the Pontiff died.
He wanted to save the Pontiff and to use himter. He also wanted to get something out of this situation, and he thought that the Pontiff would give a decent reward for this¡ This reward would certainly benefit his three disciples once he decided to send them out and experience the world.
''Alright¡ Let''s do this¡''
With this thought, Sage Merlin teleported again and moved to a safe distance from the Immortal Summoner.
Unfortunately, the outer barrier had already been repaired, and he couldn''t get out so easily.
At the same time, he also transferred some of his Divinity to the Pontiff¡
"Immortal Summoner, I think that this is already more than enough. You already taught this person a lesson, and he will no longer return to this ce¡ You can''t kill this person since it will create chaos, and you will only face endless trouble. I''m telling you this now, not because I can''t leave this ce with the Pontiff. I just don''t want to waste my Divinity to destroy that barrier¡ Just give us a path to escape and we will leave¡ This person will also send his tribute to you every year¡ªNo, every month if you wanted."
Sage Merlin said as he tried to buy some time.
He then looked at the Immortal Summoner, ignoring the battle between the Elemental Spirits.
However, before he could hear the Dragon Summoner''s answer, he felt a sudden pain in his chest.
"W-what?"
He was confused¡
He slowly looked down, and he saw the Pontiff''s hand gripping his heart.
At the same time, he saw the Pontiff''s eyes, and he saw a cold and sinister gleam in them¡
"Y-you!"
He realized that he had made a terrible mistake!
The Pontiff was already controlled by the Dragon Summoner!
''How could a Half-Immortal be controlled so easily! This is impossible! Not even True Immortals could do such a thing this easily!''
He had fallen into a trap, and he had been fooled...
He had grabbed the Pontiff, thinking that he was unconscious, but he had actually grabbed a puppet, a new weapon of the Immortal Summoner!
The Pontiff smiled wickedly, and he spoke in a mocking and cruel voice.
"Sage Merlin, you are a fool¡"
Merlin wasn''t sure if these words were from the Pontiff or from the mysterious Immortal. However, he knew that he was indeed like a fool for trying to save the Pontiff.
He trusted the physique of Half-Immortals too much! They were supposed to be immune against any mind-controlling spells of the Psychics!
Then, he could only re at the Pontiff as thetter squeezed his heart.
He felt a sharp pain, and he felt his life force draining¡
He also felt his will slowly fading.
He wanted to resist and fight back since he hadn''t even fully shown all his Spells!
He had a total of 25 recorded Spell Models and several Artifacts he hadn''t even used yet! However, it was toote. He had lost the battle and was about to perish!
Sage Merlin then looked at the Immortal Summoner, and he saw him chuckling before he closed his eyes.
Chapter 657 The Protectors
Chapter 657 The Protectors
??Outside the castle, the Storm Knights and the three Disciples of the Sage were puzzled by what was happening.
As soon as their Master rushed to save the Pontiff and instructed the Storm Knights to make preparations, he suddenly stopped moving the moment he used his movement technique to grab the Pontiff.
Indeed, Sage Merlin was standing dazed in front of the Pontiff!
The Pontiff had already stood up and was simply staring at the Sage as he was observing a specimen!
"Why is Master not doing anything?"
"This is confusing... I think they''re fighting through their minds. It''s probably some kind of Divinity at work¡ It''s out of our league."
"That''s possible... The Ice Spirits are still fighting. So, it means that Master is still fighting through other means. There''s still hope!"
The three disciplesmented as they tried to understand the situation.
But they did not know that Sage Merlin was under hypnosis all along!
On the other hand, Vale was smiling widely after confirming that he had marked the two Half-Immortals with his ve Mark spell.
There was no way he would just kill the Half-Immortal who tried to harm his friends. Just like Magnus, he wanted him to be a weapon he could use against the demons of the Abyss Realm.
As a Half-Immortal, Sage Merlin would surely bolster his castle''s defense.
''However, this move consumed so much Divinity¡ Although I can already produce them, spending 500 of them at once just to mark these two is still too much.'' Vale thought as he looked at the Sage and Pontiff. Luckily, the Pontiff knew some dangerous illusion spell.
Just now, he applied Divinity to his ve Mark Spell to make it stronger.
Of course, it wasn''t just that. He also suppressed them with his Doombringer Ring!
That''s right! This item that was approaching the level of Sovereign Artifacts was used against the two Half-Immortals.
The Doombringer Ring could turn their targets into an undead! It was no doubt effective against ordinary people but against Half-Immortals, this effect was certainly weakened by several times.
However, Vale had obtained Corrupted Divinity from the Demon Saints!
With the help of this Corrupted Divinity, he was able to strengthen the effect of the Doombringer Ring! Because of that, the two Half-Immortals were attacked by two Spells that consumed the minds of their target!
Vale then used his Telepathy andmanded the Sage to retrieve his Ice Spirits.
At this time, Vale was also considering taking the Storm Knights or killing them to ensure that the Pontiff being controlled would remain a secret to the whole Church.
However, at this time, something unexpected happened.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions urred! The castle''s external barrier was being destroyed!
Vale didn''t expect something like this to happen.
He immediately thought that the Demon Saints had arrived to avenge their fallenrade.
However, as he looked above and saw a massive hole in the castle''s barrier, he noticed a group of people flying in¡
They were wearing the uniforms of the Arcane Bureau!
Magnus had mentioned them to him before!
''What are they doing here?'' Vale frowned as he saw dozens of them flying above his castle¡
It seemed that they were using Artifacts that granted them the ability to fly. It was quite a magnificent sight to behold.
The Storm Knights and the three disciples were simrly surprised.
The people who had just arrived were the agents of the Arcane Bureau, the mysterious organization that regted and monitored the use of Arcane Arts in the world.
They wouldn''t normally interfere unless it was extremely important that it could affect the stability of the Arcane World.
"The Arcanist Bureau hade!" Knight Joseph eximed as he immediately recognized them.
"I hope they''re not here to serve the new Immortal¡" Knight Val muttered as he clenched his sword tightly.
The Pontiff and the Sage were acting strange. They knew that there was something wrong, but they couldn''t do anything about it. They could only hope that these agents weren''t here to add problems to them.
***
Agent Fox was a tall and slender woman with blue hair and green eyes under her monocle¡She was a senior agent of the Arcane Bureau, who had been assigned to lead a special unit to investigate the castle, or specifically, Magnus, the owner of the castle.
However, after some investigations, she was able to meet other Agents and realized that the castle had four observation targets.
They were Vale Chambers, Constance of the Mystic Tower, the Unholy Faith, and the Genius Magnus.
There were various reasons why these people were being observed, but they all had one thing inmon: they had a chance of breaking the bnce of the Arcane World and making it unstable.
After getting a tip that something was happening in the castle, she gathered her unit, and they prepared for the operation.
Soon, Agent Foxmanded his unit to proceed with their operation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, they destroyed the barrier and barged inside after activating their Float Ne...
As soon as they did this, they felt their bodies being scanned by a powerful Magic Zone. It was something that they could only feel from the Councils of the Arcane Bureau, who were the highest authorities and the strongest Arcanists in the world.
This sensation did notst long, as the wave of aura just passed over them. But it made them uneasy and alert. Then, she looked at the situation below her.
Agent Fox and her team then witness the situation below them¡
"This is a mess¡" Agent Fox muttered as she looked at the two Half-Immortals, who were defeated by the mysterious subjects they had been observing for a long time now.
They were the Pontiff and Sage Merlin, two famous and influential figures in the world of magic! They were motionless, and her monocle could tell that they were both being controlled!
She also saw the mysterious subject, Vale Chambers, who was holding a ck Grimoire in his left hand while looking at them with a calm yet intimidating gaze.
Chapter 658 Too Late
Chapter 658 Too Late
?"We''re toote..." Agent Fox said as she saw that the Pontiff and the Sage were already under control. To be exact, she didn''t even expect them to be controlled by their observation target.
''Vale Chambers¡ So the suggestion that he killed the Vessels and disguised as a Red Imp was probably close to the truth.'' Agent Fox thought as she recalled the incident in the Roaring Summit.
Anyway, she was expecting to see the three groups fighting against each other since they are at the same level of strength!
In the end, their Arcane Bureau still underestimated the young man who had shown mysterious abilities in the Twelve Academies Competition.
After all, her mission was to stop the fight and prevent both sides from being wiped out, not to fight against Vale!
She then checked hermunication crystal as she wanted to report the situation to their headquarters.
However, something seemed to be interfering with their connection, so she had no other choice but to take the lead and decide their course of action.
She fell silent for a while as she considered what to do.
The Arcane Bureau wanted to keep these Half-Immortals alive. They didn''t want them to destroy each other as it would disturb the bnce of this realm...
After some hesitation, Agent Fox gave a secretmand to the other agents before she slowly approached Vale.
"I''m Agent Fox of the Arcane Bureau. Vale Chambers, I ask you to release these two gentlemen... Sage Merlin is the Overseer of this Continent and he only wanted to ensure that this continent wouldn''t have another Berserk Immortal that would rampage and kill innocent lives. His Holiness Marcus III also needed to be released since the Eminence of the Sea might target you¡ I''m not talking about a deity in legends but a real one¡" Agent Fox solemnly said.
However, Vale was not interested in her request. Sage Merlin had malicious intentions, and he also felt the Pontiff''s greed on his possession, the ck Grimoire.
He looked at her with a cold smile and said¡
"Why should I? They tried to kill me and my friends. They deserve to be my ves. And you... Your Arcane Bureau is just a bunch of meddlers who think you can control everything. You have no authority over me." Vale replied as he confirmed the number of Arcane Bureau agents that had surrounded his castle.
He was still a bit unsure how to deal with them, so he considered listening to them for now before he could decide on his next actions.
Agent Fox frowned and said¡
"Don''t be foolish. You don''t know what you''re doing. These two are Half-Immortals. They have a vital role in maintaining the stability of the Arcane World. If you harm them, you''ll cause a disaster that will affect everyone. Many innocent lives will be at stake. You''ll also make more enemies than you have now... Do you really want to do that?" Agent Fox said that she really wanted to resolve this through a simple negotiation as much as possible.
However, it seemed that the man in front of her was too greedy with the power he had obtained.
''We should''ve arrested this man that moment he showed strange actions during the Evil Entity Case.'' Agent Fox silently thought.
On the other hand, Vale just shrugged and replied with a calm tone.
"I don''t care. I have my own goals and ns. I don''t need to listen to anyone. And I''m not afraid of having enemies. We both know that the Abyss Realm''s Invasion ising. I will be needing their assistance to protect this ce."
Agent Fox''s eyes widened as she realized that Vale had a vague idea about the Abyss Realm Invasion, just like their Bureau. However, considering the mysterious people gathered in this castle, it doesn''t seem to be surprising as she thinks about it.
Agen Fox sighed and said.
"I see. You''re stubborn and arrogant. You leave me no choice. I''ll have to use force to make youply. Agents, attack!"
As she said that, she and the other agentsunched their spells at Vale. They used various types of Elemental Arts, such as fire, lightning, wind, earth, water, and more. They hoped to overwhelm him with their numbers and power!
However, their main mission was to remove the bindings of the two Half-Immortals!
Once they''re freed from their Spell controlling their minds, their escape would be easy, and her mission woulde to an end.
But Vale was not impressed.
He raised his hand to shield himself from the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Elemental Spells and used his Darkness Maniption, or perhaps Shadow Maniption to stop their attacks.
Those who managed to pass through these attacks were removed by the Spell Dispersion Spell!
"You think you can defeat me with your weak spells? You have to do better than that, Agent Fox. I still have two Half-
Immortals under mymand. The two of you, show them your might!"
As he said that, he used his Telepathy to order the Pontiff and the Sage to fight for him.
The two Half-Immortals obeyed his will and unleashed their own spells at the Agents. Of course, Vale had still had some use with these people, so he didn''t order them to kill these agents.
With that in consideration, the Sage used his Ice Spirits and his Divinity, against the Arcane Arts of the Agents.
As for the Pontiff, he waved his hand to create a storm that made the floating Agents immediately descend to the ground to avoid being flung away by the gust of strong wind!
Needless to say, this attack was also powered by Divinity!
Except for Agent Fox and a few elite agents, most of them were shocked and terrified by the power shown by the two Half-Immortals.
They knew that they weren''t even showing their full might!
They immediately looked at Agent Fox as they waited for hermand to release their secret weapons.
These weapons were meant to be used against entities from another realm, but in their current situation, they must use them now!
They realized that they had underestimated Vale''s mind-
controlling power! He actually had no issuemanding two Half Immortals at the same time!
He wasn''t like other Mind Controllers they had met before!
Chapter 659 Offer
Chapter 659 Offer
?The agents tried to defend themselves, but they were no match for the Half-Immortals. They were quickly overwhelmed and defeated by the powerful spells¡
However, because they couldn''t feel the killing intent from the spellsing from the two Half-Immortals, Agent Fox and the others were hesitant to reveal their secret weapons.
In the end, Agent Fox ordered a retreat¡
As soon as she did this, four Runecasters stepped forward and threw an orb to the ground.
Boom!
The orb created a mist that allowed them to retreat away from the castle walls. Furthermore, the ce they retreat in already has a huge Magic Circle drawn on the ground that they can activate anytime!
Apparently, one of the Agents was setting up this Magic Circle while they were battling against the two Half-Immortals.
Vale had no idea what that Magic Circle could do, but if he were to make a guess, he felt that it was most likely used to escape¡
Nevertheless, Agent Fox remained in her position, standing closest to Vale and the two Half-Immortals.
She was slightly injured and exhausted since, even with the smokescreen made by Runecasters, the two Half-Immortals were still able to send several Spells targeted to the weaker Agents.
She had no choice but to make her move and protect them as their leader. As a matter of fact, their attacks were also aimed at the Storm Knights, who were thinking of saving the Pontiff.
''Dealing with those two Half-Immortals is too much¡ Our squad can''t handle this! Tsk¡ Those analysts from the Headquarters must be fired! They can''t even assess the difficulty of this mission.'' Agent Fox thought she looked at Vale with a mix of fear and anger.
"You... You monster... How could you do this? How could you enve two Half-Immortals and use them against us?"
Vale squinted his eyes after hearing this. These rhetorical questions were useless at this point.
He wanted to just end this farce as he wanted to ask many questions to the two Half-Immortal. He couldn''t even be bothered if these agents managed to escape.
However, as he was about to reply, he felt the space warp and fold!
A Space-Attributed spell was being activated!
It didn''t take long before a rip in the space near the Pontiff and the Sage appeared!
Vale squinted his eyes as he readied his Spells. He wasn''t sure if the Arcanists who could manipte space were a friend or foe, so he had to be careful.
Soon, a figure stepped out of the ripped space!
Agent Fox instantly recognized the figure!
"Director Virgo!"
He was a tall and muscr man with silver hair and blue eyes. He wore a white suit and a blue tie, and he had a badge with the symbol of the Arcane Bureau on his chest.
He was the Director of the Arcane Bureau and he had arrived here as soon as he lost contact with Agent Fox''s side! He was worried that one of his best agents was killed in action!
As soon as he stepped out, he confirmed that his agents were still alive and heaved a sigh of relief.
Then, he looked at the two Half-Immortals before shifting his gaze to Vale and the castle behind him.
"So we''re dealing with a True Immortal... All of you can retreat. I will have a talk with him as a fellow Immortal." Director Virgo said.
"I don''t think I''ve given them the permission to do so..." Vale interjected as he summoned a Divine Lightning empowered by Divinity to attack the Director.
He couldn''t gauge the man''s strength with his Divine Sense, so he greeted him with this Celestial Art to get a clue.
Boom!
The Divine Lightning struck down and forced the two Half-
Immortals to retreat. It was so powerful that it made the Storm Knights stunned.
They could also summon a bolt of lightning¡ It was a Fusion Spell of three Tier 2 Spells of Elemental Arts.
However, none of them could summon a lightning that could reach this level! Not even their Pontiff!
Whoosh~
Nevertheless, as the dust cleared, Director Virgo was still standing, unscathed by the attack!
The Director didn''t look angry at the surprise attackunched by Vale and muttered.
"That''s a nice move... It''s probably one of those Celestial Arts that can only be recorded with a special method. Is that your way of greeting me?"
Vale smiled after hearing this and tried to test the Director with another Celestial Art, Shadow Muttion...
However, just like his Divine Lightning, it didn''t work on the Director either!
"Oh¡" Vale grinned after seeing the Director''s reaction. Although it wasn''t sessful, this time, the Director looked annoyed as he sensed the invisible spell that was thrown at him.
Director Virgo then looked at the Vale one more time before he gently nodded as if he just realized something.
"Mhmm... I get it now... You''re an Immortal who ascended through a different way and not with the help of an Immortal Spirit." His voice sounded surprised, and he was also relieved.
''You can tell that much?'' Vale eyes twitched after hearing this.
This made Vale realize that this person was on a different level.
Finally, Vale had met a True Immortal!
''I guess I need this person as well¡ No, I think that the whole Arcane Bureau would be a great help¡'' Vale thought as he ordered his two Half-Immortals to guard the Agents of the Bureau and not let them escape if they ever attempted to do so.
"So you''re not nning to let them escape?" Director Virgo frowned after seeing the Pontiff and the Sage move.
"Yes¡ They entered my territory without my permission. They can''t expect to leave this ce without paying the price." Vale replied.
This answer made Director Virgo a bit helpless.
"What do you want in exchange? If you want to ascend to the Immortal Realm¡ I can help you with it. Although Sage Merlin could also do so, it is dangerous for you, and you might lose all your Spell Models in the process."
He then paused for a moment to see Vale''s reaction before he continued¡
"Our Bureau has a different method. As a matter of fact, I want to invite you to be part of the Council. We will turn a blind eye to the situation of those two Half-Immortals if you agree to be part of the Bureau. How about it?"
Chapter 660 Decision
Chapter 660 Decision
??Vale was intrigued by the Director''s sudden offer. It never urred to him that this secretive organization would even bother to give such an offer.
''I barely know anything about this Arcane Bureau¡ Might as well learn about them now. It''s not like I can make an enemy to everyone.'' Vale thought as he wondered what the Arcane Bureau was and how it worked.
After some contemtion, he asked, "That sounds interesting... But I need more information before I make a decision. What is the Arcane Bureau? What is the Council you mentioned? What are the benefits and responsibilities of being part of them?"
He wanted to be direct in his questions as he also didn''t want to waste his time with them.
The Director didn''t even mind not being invited inside the castle to discuss this matter.
He just smiled and replied with a confident tone, "I''m d you''re curious. I''m sure you are at least aware that the Arcane Bureau is an organization that oversees and regtes the use of Arcane Arts in the world. You can think of us as the modern Overseer while Sage Merlin is an ancient Overseer¡"
He then paused for a moment to see Vale''s reaction before he continued.
"Sage Merlin''s position was handed over by the previous Overseer, who had already be an Immortal and left this realm. On the other hand, the Arcane Bureau was made by Half-Immortals and a True Immortal¡"
"Anyway, our organization has agents who monitor and intervene in severe situations that involve Arcane Arts, such as conflicts, crimes, disasters, and anomalies. We also have researchers who study and develop new Arcane Arts, such as spells, artifacts, and techniques. If you''re not interested in that, we also have educators who teach and train new Arcanists, such as students, apprentices, and teachers. It''spletely different from the normal Arcane Academies¡"
"It seems you have a huge organization¡" Vale muttered as he listened to the man''s words.
"Yes¡ We also have diplomats whomunicate and cooperate with other organizations, such as the Church, the Secret Orders, the Kingdoms, and even to some Cults if necessary... Finally, there are leaders who make decisions and policies for the World of Arcanists, such as the Council which belongs to the Bureau."
Vale pondered for a moment as he looked at the Director and the Agents behind him.
Then, he used his Telepathy tomunicate with Pearl and Faith¡ Well, he wanted to know their opinion of the Arcane Bureau before making decisions.
To be honest, he could see the benefits that the Bureau could bring. Just the fact that they would ignore his two Half-Immortal ves was already a great thing for him. Although there might still be some retaliation, it wouldn''te from an organization with an Immortal like the Director.
Seeing that Vale wasn''t replying, the Director felt that he had to convince him more.
Director Virgo continued, "The secret Council is the highest authority and the most powerful group in the Arcane Bureau. It consists of twelve members, each representing a different aspect of the Arcane World. However, we only have nine members at this time, and I''m part of it. The Councils are the ones who set the rules and goals for the Arcane Bureau, and they are the ones who handle the most important and difficult matters. Of course, as a member of the Council, you will have ess to most resources and privileges, such as ess to the best Arcane Arts, the best Artifacts, and of course, the Immortal Spirits that will help you ascend to another realm¡"
The Director took a deep breath for a moment before he continued with a few more words.
"I will not lie to you¡ Being part of the Council is a great honor and a great challenge. You will have a lot of benefits, but you will also have responsibilities. It''s not an easy path, but it''s a rewarding one. However, I can tell that it''s not a path for everyone, but it''s a path for you."
"So, what do you say?"
Vale sighed as hepleted his chat with the people inside the castle.
In the end, he nodded to the Director and epted the offer.
"I think being part of the Arcane Bureau will benefit me. However, what will happen to the Church without the Pontiff and those three Disciples of Sage Merlin?" He asked.
"There will be another Pontiff in a few weeks¡ But we won''t interfere if the Eminence of the Sea decides to punish you. Even though the Eminence is not here, he may have other ways."
"So it was like that¡. That''s fine. I''ll face the consequences of my actions." Vale answered. Although he wasn''t sure how strong the Eminence of the Sea was, as long as he wasn''t going to personallye and visit him, he felt that he would have a high chance of winning now that he had be a Shadow Celestial who wielded and produce Divinity with his own ability.
The Director nodded at this and continued, "As for the three Disciples, they were groomed to be Overseers. Maybe in a decade or two, they''ll be Half-Immortals and rece the Sage. Just let them go. They''re not a threat to you."
Vale thought that was fair, so he epted it. The disciples were still too young and may bore some grudge to him, but it would take a lot of time before they could be a threat. When they possessed the strength to be a Half-Immortal, he probably extracted thousands of Demonic Beings from the Abyss Realm.
"Alright¡ I am fine with that. However, I will not join the Council, Director Virgo." Vale replied.
Even though being part of the Council sounded prestigious, he didn''t want to deal with such a big responsibility. The Abyss Realm Invasion was approaching. Once it started, the Bureau and the Council would have a lot of work to do. And he didn''t want to be part of that.
He wanted to focus on his own survival¡
After all, once the Abyss Realm opened, the Demon Saints would alsoe for him.
Chapter 661 Practice
Chapter 661 Practice
?A few days had gone by after the incident.
Constance, who was formerly the master of the Mystic Soul Tower, had now be known as Pearl of the Cursed Forest''s Castle...
Pearl was also regarded as a Half-Immortal at this point. During the past few months, she had recorded several Spell Models and some of them were even Celestial Arts.
That part was thanks to Vale''s advice... Vale told her that if she tried merging eight normal Spell Lights with her Divinity, she might be able to get the mysterious Spell Light that could record the Celestial Arts.
She had no idea where Vale learned something like this, but she tried it anyway.
She was actually excited about it even if she hadn''t proven it yet since these Celestial Arts were considered useless Arcane Arts since they couldn''t be recorded by any means.
That was something that she also thought since even with her Divinity, she still depended on the twelve pioneered Arcane Paths.
But everything changed after she followed Vale''s idea.
She obtained an Evolved Spell Light and recorded her first Celestial Art she found in Magnus'' collection. Although she knew other Spell Models of Celestial Arts, they weren''t as incredible as the one she found in one of Magnus'' books.
It was called Starfall.
The name may sound an exaggeration, but it was a spell that could summon dozens of falling scorching rocks from the sky and bombard the enemies with explosive force.
It was a powerful and beautiful spell that could awe and terrify anyone who saw it. The only downside of this Spell was the fact that it uses a lot of Divinitypared to others.
Nevertheless, this was Pearl''s strongest and most destructive Spell.
"This will be thest¡" Pearl muttered as she nned to use this Star Fall Spell once again, and this time, she wanted to control its intensity as a preparation for the uing Invasion.
She was practicing it in a clearing far from the castle as she didn''t want to destroy the natural defenses brought by the cursed forest.
At this time, Pearl raised her hand and chanted the Spell.
"Starfall! Destroy everything in path!"
Since this Spell was a high-level one, she had no choice but to use a few words to lessen the burden of casting it.
It would reduce the required concentration, and it would also be a lot faster!
Soon, she felt her Divinity and her Spell Model resonate and activate the Spell.
Then, she saw a bright light in the sky and then a shower of "stars" falling down. She aimed them at some targets she had set up and watched them explode with a deafening noise¡
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The barragested for about 20 seconds, and as soon as Pearl saw the result, she couldn''t help but smile and felt a surge of satisfaction and pride.
Although she had just recently learned this Spell, her mastery was already reaching the Intermediate Realm. This speed was more than enough for her.
Pearl then checked her remaining Divinity and confirmed that although she couldn''t cast another Starfall, she could still cast the one other Celestial Art she recorded.
Actually, she also learned four more Celestial Arts from Sage Merlin and the Pontiff after Vale brought them to the castle.
However, she could only record one of them. It was called the Ethereal Prism Shield. It was a spell that could create a barrier of light with the essence of water around the caster and protect them from any harm. To be exact, this barrier could cover the whole castle as well!
Unlike the Star Fall, it doesn''t use a lot of Divinity, but it requires a medium to activate. This time, she nned to practice this Spell as well since she needed to have decent control over it if she needed to cast it.
It was a useful and reliable spell that could save her from danger!
After adjusting her mind, Pearl decided to continue with her practice in the same clearing.
She lowered her hand and chanted the Spell.
"Ethereal Prism Shield¡"
She then felt some of her Divinity leaving her body, and the medium she prepared lost its power to activate the Spell.
Well, the medium was the Formation Node or the Immortal Shard ording to Vale. She previous used a Noble Rank Artifact and the shield that was formed was certainly great.
However, the Formation Node was even better!
Soon, she saw a golden light around her and then a shield of light that seemd like flowing water started forming.
She felt a sense of security after seeing this¡ Of course, this wasn''t over yet as she expanded the shield she had created¡
Thissted for a while before she felt satisfied and left the clearing to return to the castle.
***
After some time, Pearl arrived at the vicinity of the castle in the Cursed Forest.
She looked at the changes that had taken ce in the castle over thest few weeks.
There were now threeyers of barrier around the castle.
A newyer was added after the Pontiff and the Storm Knights easily broke through the outer or second barrier.
Anyway, Pearl was not affected by the barrier since she could pass through it smoothly because of the emblem she got from Magnus, the Formation Expert who designed the barriers.
"Is there a guest?" Pearl wondered as she sensed two unfamiliar people in the castle.
When she entered the castle and reached the reception hall, Vale greeted her right away.
"Pearl! I just received a report from these two agents of the Arcane Bureau... They told me the location of the Demon Saints... What do you think?" Vale asked.
Pearl hesitated for a moment as she tried to figure out what Vale wanted to do¡
"Do you want to attack them? How many Demon Saints are there?" Pearl asked.
"They confirmed two of them, but there might be more in hiding..." Vale replied.
"Mhmmm¡ Since they''re still recovering after entering this realm, it might be a good chance to attack them now. However, I think that with your strength alone, you can handle this one problem and eliminate all of them." Pearl said truthfully as she recalled Vale''s true might.
Chapter 662 Blind
Chapter 662 Blind
?Vale was surprised but also felt a bit pleased by what she said. It meant that Pearl really acknowledged how strong he was.
"If you think so... Then, I''ll check it out." Vale said as he thanked the two Agents from the Bureau.
They could have just sent him a message through theirmunication crystal or summoned a messenger to deliver the information. But the fact that they came in person showed that they were really taking his position in the Bureau seriously.
After the two agents said goodbye, Vale started to get ready.
He wore a new Arcanist Robe made by Magnus and used the scabbard that Faith had given him to suppress the power of his Stormbringer Sword. This way, he wouldn''t have any trouble carrying it around.
Then, Vale wore his broken Arcana, the ck cloth, and blindfolded himself. Of course, his Doombringer Ring was also worn on his middle finger just in case he needed to use its power.
It didn''t take him that long toplete his preparation. Then, he informed everyone in the castle about his ns.
"Are you sure you want to go alone? I can probably help you escape if you''re in a life-and-death situation." Lisa, the Vampire, asked after hearing Vale''s ns. She was confident that with her current ability with her Blood Maniption, she would be able to escape any danger.
"I''m fine... I have a Dark Spirit with me. I''ll also feel reassured if you''re staying here in the castle." Vale replied.
"What? Marcus and Merlin are here. What kind of problem will we even have here?" Lisa replied as she knew the strength of the two Half-Immortals. Nevertheless, she could see that Vale had already made his decision, so she decided not to pursue it.
"Do you want me to send Lotus with you?" Denise suddenly asked, referring to her Dark Spirit... Denise had been busy with the golems all this time and rarely left her workce.
After hearing her voice, Vale couldn''t help but smile. Since Denise was one of his first few friends, she always had a special ce in his heart, so he nodded after a moment of thought.
"Lotus? Sure... If she''s okay with it, then I guess it will be nice to have two Dark Spirits."
With that said, Lotus attached herself to Vale, who was already blindfolded. She didn''t say any words and simply entered his shadow.
After a few more words, he activated the broken Arcana''s mystical ability that allowed him to use space magic!
With this ability, Vale could easily reach the ce that the two Agents mentioned as long as he knew the coordinates!
He only felt a slight dizziness as he used the space magic¡ It was nothingpared to when he first used this ability.
However, he was still not used to this kind of travel since he wasn''t using it every day, but he knew it was faster and safer than flying.
After a few moments, Vale realized that the Broken Arcana failed him. He didn''t arrive at the ce he wanted, perhaps due to the Arcana''s limitation.
"At the very least¡ I''m close to it¡ It should be two or three more times." Vale whispered as he realized that he had arrived at the Millton Kingdom once again.
He easily recognized it because he sensed the numerous Holy Knights in the city not too far from him. They seem to be hunting the Dark Magicians still.
He decided to ignore them as he continued with the use of his Arcana.
He hoped that the coordinates given to him were urate and that he would not end up in a trap or a dead end.
''If it''s a trap¡ I guess I''ll have to personally visit the Bureau.'' Vale thought as he activated the Broken Arcana for the fourth time¡
This time, he finally arrived at his destination.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in a dark and deste ce.
The thick cloud that was threatening to be a heavy storm and the thick aura of corruption in the air was already telling him a lot...
He knew that he was in the right ce.
Then, he also sensed the presence of the Demon Saints nearby.
***
"A visitor?" The only Demon Saint in the Northern Ice Valley said after feeling the disturbance in space. It wasn''t a ritual, so someone must have used their skill to get here through space magic.
As soon as a person with a blindfold appeared, the Demon Saint got up and narrowed his eyes.
The person who came excited him!
"Immortal!" The Demon Saint''s eyes sparkled as he knew the benefits he would get if he got their Core that produced Divinity!
But he also knew that Immortals were powerful. They were notparable to Half-Immortals at all.
In short, fighting him alone would be a certain death for him!
He needed to stall for time until his brother came!
After some hesitations, the Demon Saint slowly approached the man who was standing still on a rock where hended.
"Wee, Blind Immortal. I''m Gn and I''m honored by your visit. What brings you to this humble ce?"
He tried to sound polite and friendly, although they both knew that they would have to fightter. Nevertheless, he knew that this Immortal was curious about them as well, so he decided not to appear too aggressive to buy more time.
Of course, while doing this, the Demon Saint Gn was already wondering what the Immortal would do and how he could escape or fight him.
"You know very well that I''m looking for you guys¡ Where are the others?" The man asked rudely.
Gn gritted his teeth as he hoped that his brothers, who were in another valley, would sense his distress ande to his aid.
He knew that his brothers were stronger than him and had a better chance of dealing with the Immortal.
Anyway, he tried to remain calm as he knew that Immortals were good at reading emotions and intentions.
He tried to act confident, but he was not sure if he could fool the Immortal.
"There are no other Demon Saints in this valley, Blind Immortal."
Chapter 663 Hideout
Chapter 663 Hideout
??Vale looked at the Demon Saint who had greeted him.
The Demon Saint was a tall and muscr man with dark skin and red eyes. He had a single horn on his forehead that curved slightly backwards.
His appearance waspletely different from the previous Demon Saint who had visited him when he confiscated the cursed items they were spreading to the small viges and towns.
This Demon Saint also wore a ck robe that covered most of his body, except for his arms and legs. He had several tattoos and scars on his skin, as well as some jewelry and essories that he believed were Magic Artifacts...
This creature from another realm looked fierce and menacing,pletely in contrast to how polite he was when speaking.
"Are you here to fight against us? Even if you''re an Immortal, you can still be corrupted. How about we--"
"Cut the crap. I know why you''re here. You want to obtain Divinity. You want an Immortal''s power¡ But you won''t get it. You''ll only get death¡" Vale said as he scanned the surroundings to find the other Demon Saints.
However, aside from a few Arcanists who seemed to be doing some ritual, he couldn''t find any other Demon Saints.
Well, although he had be Immortal, the range of his Zone was only more than a kilometer. It wouldn''t be surprising that the other Demon Saints were actually spreading the cursed artifacts they''d made.
''I guess this is also a good thing for me.'' Vale thought, as he also knew that fighting against a dozen Demon Saints would be difficult.
"Don''t be so rude. I''m just curious about you. You''re an Immortal living in the Human Realm. You should be thinking of Ascending now instead of finding trouble with the Demon Saints. I am curious what you''re thinking¡" The Demon Saint, who called himself Gn, spoke in a sincere voice.
However, Vale didn''t buy this and replied with a mocking tone.
"Don''t y dumb. I know what you''re after. I''m not sure how you got summoned here with your brothers but I''ll make sure that you won''t be returning to your realm." Vale said as he finished investigating the area.
He guessed that the people who were doing some rituals were actually the members of the Order of Fatality. He also found many hidden buildings underground and various treasures that seemed to be important for the Demon Saints.
''Is it the manufacturing site of the Cursed Items?'' Vale mused.
The Demon Saint, on the other hand, continued on his job of dying the battle.
"Don''t be so arrogant. I know what you''re capable of. You have a meager amount of Divinity, so you weren''t that strong to begin with¡ Even if you have Divinity, if you only use it to empower your Arcane Spells, and not use the Spells meant for Immortals, then you will not have a chance to win against us.
Vale chuckled after hearing this.
"I know you''re just dying the time, but I will still answer you. Don''t be so confident... I''m also waiting for your brothers and I''m also aware you''re a Demon Saint who is still weak after entering this realm¡"
The Demon Saint narrowed his eyes as he released his Corrupted Divinity.
"Enough! I''m tired of talking. Let''s fight. Let''s see who is stronger..." As Gn said that, he attacked Vale with his Corrupted Divinity.
Against True Immortals, using Spells would rarely affect them unless they were incredibly powerful or had reached the Perfect Realm.
Because of that, the Demon Saints would only use their Corrupted Divinity to fight against them. Well, it would be different if they were indeed weakened and couldn''t fully use their Corrupted Divinity, just like the first Demon Saint that Vale encountered.
Gn then tried to suppress Vale with his dark and twisted Divinity.
He unleashed what seemed like hands made of darkness that were corrupted and destructive.
This attack may trouble some Immortals as the Demon Saints directly attack the Divinity inside their bodies.
However, Vale was not an ordinary Immortal. He was a Shadow Celestial!
He had a power that was different from the others!
Vale resisted the Demon Saint''s attack with his Divinity, or what he would like to call Shadow Divinity. He countered the Demon Saint''s power with his own Divinity!
"Hahaha! I knew it! You don''t know a single Immortal Spell!" Gnughed as soon as he noticed that his opponent tried to sh his Corrupted Divinity with his own Divinity!
It was as if Vale was telling him to convert it to a Corrupted one! He certainly wouldn''t pass this up!
However, as the two of their powers shed in an intense battle, Gn realized that he wasn''t getting any advantage!
He was failing to convert Vale''s Divinity into a Corrupted one!
They were feared by the Immortals because of that ability! However, it wasn''t working at all against a new Immortal!
This realization scared him a lot!
However, his eyes lit up after realizing something! He immediately poured all of his power to attack Vale!
Just then, one of his brothers arrived at the scene!
It was secretive, and Gn knew that the Immortal hadn''t noticed him yet¡
This newly arrived Demon Saint had sensed themotion and came to check it out. He thought that the Cultists had already seeded in their ritual.
However, he was shocked to see that Gn was engaged in a fierce battle with an Immortal!
''He dared toe alone?! We must be the ones hunting your race!''
He knew that Gn was in danger and needed his help.
He wasted no time and dashed to his side to join the fight against the Immortal!
But before he could get close to the intruder, two lightning bolts descended from the sky and hit him!
It wasVale''s Divine Lightning!
''An Immortal Spell?!''
"Aahh!"
The brother screamed and fell to the ground, charred and smoking. He was still alive, but he was paralyzed and in pain!
Chapter 664 Curse
Chapter 664 Curse
?The Divine Lightning was incredibly powerful¡ Moreover, it came at him so fast that he barely managed to put up some defense. His defense was easily shattered and he was lucky that he escaped being fatally injured!
However, because of this lightning, the Demon Saint couldn''t move or speak for now... He needed some time to heal. He could only watch as Gn continued to fight the Immortal by himself.
But this Immortal was incredibly strong!
It was as if he could manipte the Darkness itself!
''An Immortal specializing in Darkness?!'' He couldn''t help but feel surprised.
Immortals may be capable of wielding any Arcane Path or even wielding something beyond that Path, but Immortals that specialize in Darkness were rare since it could be considered as a Cursed Path¡
The Immortals practicing these were the ones who could be easily corrupted by the Demon Saints!
However, Gn was struggling to corrupt the Immortal!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The battle between Vale and Gn may not seem to be intense but it was quite chaotic¡
They weren''t using fancy spells when they shed but they used their raw Divinity to try to overpower each other and only used physical techniques when they were closed to each other.
''Why is he not using the Divine Lightning against Gn? Can he no longer use it?!'' The Demon Saint felt a bit excited as he wanted to quickly recover and help Gn in battle.
If the Immortal could no longer summon that lightning, they would surely win this battle!
***
In the meantime, Vale was actually gauging the strength of the Demon Saint in front of him¡ He could''ve easily won this battle if he decided to just utilize his system''s Extraction.
However, he wanted to have a better understanding of their abilities since Faith, Pearl, and the others might actually face these Demon Saints as well.
If he had learned about their fighting techniques and weaknesses beforehand, then once hispanions faced them, he wouldn''t be too worried about their safety.
''They''re mostly relying on their Corrupted Divinity to convert their targets'' energy.'' Vale analyzed as he resisted the Corrupted Divinity¡
Well, his opponent was probably confused by now. Even if he was getting hit by the Corrupted Divinity from time to time, he wasn''t being corrupted or converted at all.
Needless to say, this was all because of his Shadow Celestial physique and his Perfect Incorruptible Body.
Futhermore, Vale also had the advantage of using Shadow Divinity, a power that was different from other Immortals.
He could manipte the Shadow or Darkness itself¡
As they fought, he was able to create and control shadows that could attack or defend him¡
He could also use the Light, creating and controlling shes that could blind, burn, or reveal. He could also switch between the two, creating and controlling contrasts that could confuse, surprise, or overwhelm.
On the other hand, Gn''s Corrupted Divinity, a power that wasmon among the Demon Saints, seemed to be a lot weaker than he thought.
''It can''t corrupt the surroundings¡ It can only target the energy¡ This is good to know.'' Vale remarked in his mind as he initially thought that the Demon Saints were capable of spreading gue-like miasma that would slowly destroy the earth.s
However, it appears that he was overestimating their capability...
''But it can also be due to their weakened state¡'' He added.
Gn could corrupt and twist the power of others, turning it against them or weakening it. He could also use his own power like a curse, which was quite expected considering that they''d made those cursed objects.
Lastly, Vale also noticed that they weren''t too reliant on Magic Artifact. Gn''s robe and essories could provide him with added defense and boost his energy, but it was all just that.
Boom!
As the Vale''s controlled shadow shed with Corrupted Divinity, he realized that he already had enough and had to end this battle.
He decided to extract the Demon Saint!
Harnessing the power of his Presence Shift, Vale seamlessly transitioned through the fabric of space, materializing nimbly and noiselessly behind his unsuspecting adversary.
In that fleeting moment, the movement of the air was the only clue that Vale used a technique to arrive behind the Demon Saint!
At this time, Vale , with a calcted and decisive motion, used his Shadow Divinity to create a shadow hand that grabbed the Demon Saint''s head!
"What?! You¡ª" Gn was surprised as he didn''t expect such a swift movement!
Then, Vale invoked the Divine Extraction.
It didn''t end there, because he felt the resistance of the Demon Saint from his Extraction, he used his Stormbringer to peirce the Demon Saint''s heart!
Since the Demon Saint had plenty of vitality, it wouldn''t actually kill him.
Nevertheless, this stopped his resistance as Vale extracted the Demon Saint freely!
[ Living Demon has been discovered. Do you wish to extract it? ]
''Yes!''
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500,Corrupted Divinity +30, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Spell Light + 2 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +300,Corrupted Divinity +30, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Abyssal Fire Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100,Corrupted Divinity +30, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Demon''s Wrath Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100,Corrupted Divinity +30, Abyss Key, Demon Saint''s Horn x1 ]
"Aaahhh! What are you doing?!" Gn shouted in fear as he felt his power leaving him!s
On the other hand, Vale felt the Demon Saint''s energy flow into him.
He no longer bothered talking as he watched as the Demon Saint''s body and soul crumbled and vanished. He watched as the Demon Saint''s life and existence ended and disappeared.
Then, his gaze shifted to the injured Demon Saint and made a quick work on him. He waspletely powerless as Vale lifted his hand and manipted the shadows.
[ Living Demon has been discovered. Do you wish to extract it? ]
''Yes!''
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500,Corrupted Divinity +30, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Spell Light + 2 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +300,Corrupted Divinity +30, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Demon Eyes Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100,Corrupted Divinity +30, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Corruption Curse Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100,Corrupted Divinity +30, Abyss Key, Demon Saint''s Horn x1 ]
"I¡ I curse you! You wicked Immortal!"
Chapter 665 Crimson
Chapter 665 Crimson
??"They''re still continuing their ritual?" Vale narrowed his eyes as he saw the cultists weren''t bothered by the intense battle just now.
He couldn''t help but respect them a little for being too focused on their jobs. However, their actions have to end. Although he had no idea about the ritual they were doing, it could not be good¡
As he was ready to approach it, he suddenly heard the voice of his Dark Spirits!
"Stop! It''s dangerous¡"
"Do not approach them!"
Yvaine and Lotus warned at the same time!
Of course, Vale was worried after hearing this, so he immediately halted his steps.
He had no idea why they reacted like that, but he knew that he had to listen to these Dark Spirits. Although he had be an Immortal, the beings of the Spirit World were still mysterious for him.
"What''s going on? Can I only attack them from a distance?" Vale asked.
This time, Lotus appeared beside him andmunicated with him through telepathy.
"They''re inside a huge defensive magic circle. Their ritual seemed to be rted to the Abyss Realm¡" Lotus said.
"What? Then that''s the more reason I have to stop them!" Vale replied.
"You''re space magic heavily relies on that broken Arcana¡ You basically have no knowledge about it. If you enter their space, they might force you to enter the Abyss Realm instead. Once you enter that Realm, you will be facing Demon Saints that have their full strength while you were suppressed. Do you like that to happen?"
Vale was stunned as he heard this.
"There''s no way I''d want that to happen¡" He immediately responded.
"What do you I do then? Can I just use my Divine Lightning?"
"That''s possible¡ However, I can tell that they have already opened the Abyss Realm and were simply waiting for an opportunity. If you''re too close, they might try and bring you inside the Abyss Realm instead." Yvaine responded.
These words made Vale step back a little.
If the Abyss Realm was opened, then he would expect thousands of Demonic Beings to pour out of it! Furthermore, he didn''t want to enter the Abyss Realm as well!
"I don''t think this is the only entrance they created. Simr to the Spirit World, they must''ve opened numerous paths for their invasion ." Lotus said as she seemed to have realized what Vale was thinking.
"I suggest that you stay as far as possible when attacking them¡ You can use the Curse or the Divine Lightning¡" Yvaine suggested.
Apparently, the two Dark Spirits had indeed saved Vale''s life just now.
The Cultists weren''t just minding their own business all this while and they were actually monitoring the battle.
As soon as they confirmed that the two Demon Saints were defeated, they were getting ready to send the Immortal to the Abyss Realm!
Unfortunately for them, Vale suddenly disappeared and they had no idea where he had gone to!
However, as they felt relieved that their lives were spared, they saw dark clouds gather above them¡ Then, without being able to guess what was going on, a bolt of lightning descended!
Boom!
The lightning almost killed the cultists!
However, because of their advanced preparation, the lightning didn''t hit them; it only hit the space above them!
Whom~
Because of this attack, the hidden crack was finally revealed!
It was a crack in space that led to the Abyss Realm!
***
"So it was that thing¡" Vale muttered softly after seeing the tear in space¡ It seemed that it was previously hidden by an illusion a while.
Since his True Sight wasn''t active before, he didn''t notice it hidden a while ago.
Anyway, Vale didn''t stop after revealing the crack.
He continued to attack the Cultists with his Divine Lightning.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He wanted to stop their ritual and prevent more Demonic Saints from entering this realm. The Invasion might still happen but he at least wanted to lessen its intensity.
However, all his attacks were being led to the void!
It seemed to be a bottomless hole, and whatever attack he sent might just be sent to the void!
After some hesitation, he used his Presence Shift to get closer since his other spells doesn''t have a long-range at all.
This time, Vale decided to use his Crimson gue!
The Cultists were caught off guard by Vale''s attack!
It was a spell that could infect and weaken the enemies with a deadly disease!
Vale hadn''t used this Spell because of how dangerous it could be if it spread.
However, since his target was isted, he doesn''t have to worry about the possible spread of disease to ordinary people.
After all, it was a spell that could spread and multiply with every contact. It was a spell that could cause pain and suffering to anyone who caught it!
Vale then used his control over the Shadows to create a hole in the defensive barrier of the Cultists¡
As soon as he created a small entrance, he used the Crimson gue to affect one of the Cultist''s bodies. He used his Shadow Soldiers to create chaos for the Crimson gue to spread.
"Aackk!"
Soon, one of the Cultists felt a sharp pain in his chest and then a burning sensation in his veins.
He looked at his body to see if he was wounded, but he was not! Instead, he saw a crimson mark that was spreading across his skin.
Slowly, he felt his strength and vitality draining away!
As he tried to suppress it with his Arcane Energy, something worse happened!
He felt his organs and tissues rotting away and his mind and soul fading away!
"A Curse!"
He screamed and writhed in agony, attracting the attention of the other Cultists. They saw his condition and felt fear and horror.
They tried to help him or avoid him, but it was toote.
The Crimson gue had already spread to them through the air...
They all felt the same symptoms and the suffered the same fate.
Chapter 666 The Void
Chapter 666 The Void
?Vale took a deep breath as he watched everything unfold in front of him. He wanted to properly see the effect of his Crimson gue Spell.
"Aahhh! Save me! I''m dying!"
"You demon! You will go to hell!"
"Evil Immortal! Your fate will be worse than us!"
"You will regret this!"
"Stop this now! Aahh!"
"I curse you! We don''t deserve this!"
They all screamed and writhed in agony, creating a scene of chaos and despair. However, there were also those who were filled with fury.
They all looked at Vale and felt hate and dread. They all cursed and begged for mercy, but it was useless. The Crimson gue had no cure and no mercy.
That''s right, even Vale was unsure whether he could Extract the Crimson gue from these people. He never had the chance to try it...
Furthermore, once he released the gue, there was no way to control it anymore, unlike most of his Spells. With that in consideration, he would surely have some trouble if he used it in the open field where his allies could be there as well.
They all died and withered away, leaving behind only crimson corpses and blood.
"That''s quite scary¡"
None of them survived, leaving only a failed ritual and a broken Magic Circle¡
Soon, even their corpses started dposing so quickly, and they all turned into a red goo!
"What?" Vale didn''t expect such an end!
That Crimson gue was too dangerous! There was no hope of saving them at all!
Vale could only shake his head as he noted to himself not to use this Spell unless he was sure that no one on his side would be affected.
***
As he was thinking of leaving the ce, he noticed that the void or crack leading to the Abyss was still there!
''It''s not going away even after the Cultists disappeared? Is this a permanent thing?'' Vale mused as he observed it for a while.
He tried using his Divine Sense and even the Dragon''s True Sight, but in the end, he was unable to see through the void.
After some hesitation, he asked Yvaine to bring out his Creation Ring¡ This Ring was the reward he obtained from Constance in the Mystic Soul Tower.
She only knew that it could help him close the Abyss, but he had no idea how to even trigger this item!
As he wore the Creation Ring, he didn''t feel anything change in his body like before. It seemed that it was still Sealed, and even Constance had no idea why it was like that.
''Is it because this void is different?'' Vale mused as he thought of another method.
He was thinking of closing it just now, but after some time, he decided to just attack and try to destroy it!
"Let''s try this one¡" Vale muttered as he used his Divine Lightning to create a bolt of lightning that struck the void!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three consecutive Divine Lightning descended!
He hoped that the powerful spell would break the void or crack and stop it from any possibility of sending out other Demon Saints.
Unfortunately, it didn''t happen.
The void simply absorbed the lightning, and it even became more unstable and violent. It started to emit more dark and twisted energy as if it was ready suck in more things around it.
''W-what? Did I make a mistake? Lotus, Yvaine¡ Do you have any thoughts?" Vale asked.
"Even the Guardians of the Spirit World couldn''t close the gates that the Demons had made in our world¡" Yvaine replied.
"There''s a reason they''ve been unstoppable¡ We could only dy it but can''t stop it. The Guardians could at least use a barrier to temporarily suppress these Gates. You can try assembling a Trap Formation if you want." Lotus suggested.
"Ugh¡ Let''s just try it again."
Vale muttered.
This time, he used his Aurora''s Embrace to create a myriad of light that surrounded the void!
Whoosh~
He hoped that the beautiful spell would seal the void or at least, make it smaller!
However, it didn''t work once again... The crack resisted the myriad of light and it just became more chaotic and aggressive. It even started showing signs of sending out creatures!
"Not good¡" Vale muttered as he saw that it was about to spit out some unknown creatures!
Vale then switched to another Spell¡
This time, he used his Cursed me to create a me of darkness that burned the crack! He believed that the destructive power of this spell would incinerate any creature trying to use this void as a gateway!
Luckily, this time, he didn''t fail miserably.
The Cursed me remained at the edge of the void, and it even started burning the dark and twisted energy that it was previous producing!
''Mhmm¡ Is it that easy?'' Vale mused.
Although it looked like it started to calm down, Vale didn''t put off his guard as he continued to observation the situation.
As expected, his bad feeling turned out to be correct.
After more than half an hour, the Cursed me dissipated as it lost its energy and the void fed on the darkness and became more powerful and dangerous. I
It started to emit more dark and twisted energy and he had no idea how to stop it!
His spells were not working and that he was making things worse!
''Ugh¡ I have no other choice¡''
Vale gritted his teeth as he decided to try to get closer to the void.
He wanted to try to Extract it with his Divine Extraction System!
He believed that his System would have a higher chance of helping him close or destroy the crack in space!
He then used his Presence Shift to move closer to the crack. He was careful about it, as he wasn''t sure if it would try and suck him in.
Whom~
However, before he could reach the crack and try to extract it, two Demon Saints emerged from the Void!
Chapter 667 New Demon Saints
Chapter 667 New Demon Saints
?"I already attracted them?" Vale helplessly smiled as he saw the two Demon Saints emerge from the void.
They were different from the previous Demon Saints that he had fought and killed.
They looked a lot stronger and more menacing based on their appearance at the very least...
The biggest difference was the fact that they had three horns on their heads, each onerger and sharper than the other.
They wore dark and heavy armor instead of dark robes. Because of that, they looked more like a warrior than a magician. The two of them also had weapons made of bone, and they were both ready to fight!
"An Immortal? Did you ughter all the vanguards?" One of the Demon Saints, with a long spear as a weapon, asked after examining the situation for a moment. But Vale kept his silence and continued watching them...
He seemed to be inspecting them with his various analytical Spells.
"There''s no use asking him a question. He had waited here for us, so he''s probably nning to take over this gate." The other one, equipped with two daggers, said.
They had participated in various Invasions, and they had already experienced being camped by the strongest beings in that Realm to stop their invasion.
It wouldn''t be surprising that a strong individual in this Human Realm had decided to try and stop them¡
"Hmm... The preparation is not even done yet. Well, the other gates are likely being guarded like this... Should we just finish this Immortal? He barely has Divinity in him. He''s probably a new one. My horns would hardly get improved if I take his Divinity." The Demon Saint with Spear replied as he knew that this Human Realm already had many gates leading to the Abyss Realm¡
However, the only problem was the fact that the Will of the Human Realm was suppressing them. If they charged in right now¡ All the Demonic Creatures and the Demon Saints would be suppressed by more than half!
In short, they will be battling the natives of this Realm with only about fifty percent of their true strength!
Since they don''t want to be annihted, they should just wait until the Will of the Human Realm dissipates. That shouldn''t be long! It will likely happen in just two or three more years!
"Hey, he''s still a source of Divinity. This gate was also weird¡ It seems that it''s only suppressing us by about 20%... Let''s kill him fast before the suppression returns to normal¡"
After some hesitations, the two Demon Saints finally agreed to fight the Immortal in front of them!
However, Vale would certainly not allow them to kill him.
Since he was initially nning to extract the Core, he decided to use his Extraction to take the power of the two Demon Saints instead!
However, he was a bit worried since he was getting too close to the void¡ If they somehow drag him to the Abyss, he might be the one in danger instead.
''I have to weaken them first¡''
With a n in his mind, Vale quickly acted.
Once again, he used his Presence Shift to move behind the Demon Saints.
It was a Spell that didn''t have any weird effect that would notify his opponents. It was quick and stealthy, so he was confident about using it to catch them off guard and surprise them with another Spell.
Without waiting for the two to wield their Corrupted Divinity, Vale used his Shadow Divinity to create Shadow Hands that grabbed the Demon Saints!
"Hmph!"
The Demon Saint, who uses Spear, wasn''t impressed by the Shadow Hand and destroyed it with a swing of his Spear emanating with Corrupted Divinity!
The other Demon Saint also used his Dagger to destroy Vale''s attack.
There wasn''t much effort from their movement as well, so they couldn''t help but look down at the Immortal who had attacked them.
"We''re already suppressed, but your Spell couldn''t even hurt us¡ Pathetic¡" The Dagger user said as he felt that he had overestimated the Immortal standing guard at their gate.
Vale simply smiled as he used his Holy Smite to attack them!
It was a spell that had already reached Level 10 or the Perfect Realm! Not even the Pontiff could such a Realm!
There was no doubt that it would hurt these Demon Saints no matter how strong they are!
Boom!
A ray of holy light struck the enemies!
It happened so abruptly that the two didn''t even have the chance to avoid it!
"So he''s this type of Immortal¡" The spear-user gravely muttered as he felt the Holy Smite.
It was a spell that could damage and weaken the enemies with the holy power.
The Demon Saints were obviously surprised by Vale''s attack.
They didn''t expect him to use a holy spell after using a dark spell.
"Hmph! You think that we''re the same as the Abyssal Creatures?! Dream on!"
Although they didn''t expect the Holy Smite, they weren''t panicking!
They used their Corrupted Divinity to defend against the attack.
Just like what the name implies, they tried to corrupt and twist the holy light and turn it against Vale!
They worked together and used their artifact to block and deflect the holy light!
Unfortunately, they were not sessful.
The Holy Smite was too powerful and unpredictable for them! They had no idea that they were facing a Perfect Holy Smite!
The attack broke through their defense and resistance. It damaged their bodies and weakened their souls. Furthermore, it also damaged their artifacts¡
The two Demon Saints screamed and staggered in pain! Although they could easily recover from this just by spending some of their divinity, they still couldn''t help but curse at the Immortal who had dared to attack them with Holy Arts!
But Vale was not done yet. He had another trick up his sleeve before extracting them¡
He used his Shadow Muttion and hit the two perfectly!!
It was a spell that could link and affect the shadows and their owners! As soon as they were hit, he ordered Yvaine and Lotus to attack the shadows!
Chapter 668 Last
Chapter 668 Last
??Vale ordered Yvaine and Lotus, his Dark Spirits, to impale or cut the shadows of the Demon Saints¡
The two Dark Spirits didn''t question Vale''smand as they executed his orders and followed his n.
"Don''t worry about their counterattacks¡ I''ll protect the both of you¡" Vale said as he decided not to get too close to the void.
Although he was confident that he was stronger than those two Demon Saints, he didn''t feelfortable getting too close to the crack leading to the Abyss Realm. After all, it was a ce where many Celestials had perished.
Soon, the two Dark Spirits controlled their energy to form a de and spear that they used to impale or cut the shadows of the Demon Saints.
"W-what?"
"A curse?! When did he?"
The two Demon Saints felt a sharp pain in their bodies and souls!
They were both confused as they couldn''t recall when they were attacked by their enemy.
Nevertheless, because of their ability to sense their surroundings, they immediately sensed the source of their problem.
They swiftly looked at their shadows and noticed the Dark Spirits.
"When did you¡ª"
After being noticed, the two Dark Spirits didn''t even stop as they continued to attack the shadows of the Demon Saints!
"Stop! You vile creatures!"
"Die!"
The malevolent Demon Saints, driven by sinister resolve, unleashed their Corrupted Divinity to forcefully expel the Dark Spirits entwined within their shadows.
Unyielding in defense of his spectral allies, Vale swiftly intervened as he released his Moonlight Specters and the formidable Chain of Souls with a wave of his hand!
nk¡ nk¡ nk¡
Amidst a symphony of resonant metal noise, the ethereal chains materialized, weaving a mesmerizing web of radiant light that ensnared the Demon Saints in an enchanting embrace.
As the Demon Saints found themselves ensnared, six resplendent Moonlight Specters materialized. These Specters'' spiritual forms looked more menacing than the Abyssal Creatures!
Each of them wielded a shimmering Moonlight de, poised to kill the Demon Saints!
The Demon Saints released their Corrupted Divinity once again, and this time, they were no longer holding back!
They tried to escape or fight back, but it was toote!
The Shadow Muttion still had ten more seconds... Yvaine and Lotus continued with their attacks to hurt their bodies and souls!
The two Demon Saints couldn''t defend against all the attacks on them! They might have killed five Moonlight Specters and destroyed the Chain of Souls in the end, but they weren''t capable of defending their shadows!
Soon, they screamed and copsed in pain¡
They looked at Vale and felt hate and dread. They wanted to curse and retaliate, but it was useless.
Vale didn''t waste any time and tried to finish them off once and for all.
He aimed his Stormbringer Sword at their hearts, hoping to end their lives and take their Corrupted Divinityter!
However, as Vale believed that this was already the end, one of the Demon Saints had ast resort.
Boom!
Without any signs, the spear-wielding Demon Saint detonated himself, creating a massive explosion of Corrupted Divinity that engulfed the area!
Furthermore, the other one seized this opportunity to escape to the void, leaving behind a trail of blood and curses!
It all happened so fast!
"This¡"
Vale barely had time to react. He shielded himself with his Shadow Divinity, but he still felt the impact of the st!
It was so strong that he coughed up blood and felt his body ache!
''What a ruthless Demon Saint¡'' Vale stabilized himself as his Divinity immediately worked on healing his body.
He then looked around and saw the devastation. The gate or the void was already destroyed, the Moonlight Specters were gone, and the other Demon Saint was nowhere to be seen.
''He really sacrificed his life to let his friend escape¡'' Vale remarked as he didn''t expect that the Demon Saints were capable of making such decisions.
Nevertheless, he immediately looked for Yvaine and Lotus, who had attached themselves to the shadow of a stone that was thrown away by the st.
"Are you guys hurt?" Vale asked the two Dark Spirits, who seemed weak and wounded based on his Dragon''s True Sight
"Yes..." Yvaine and Lotus replied in unison.
"Then feel free to draw some energy from me to heal yourself." Vale said as he was confident with his current Arcane Energy, Divinity, and Vitality.
He was sure that even with their absorption, he wouldn''t be in a risky situation.
The two Dark Spirits paused for a moment and looked at each other before epting Vale''s offer...
They then fully came out of the shadows and revealed their gorgeous figures.
Vale couldn''t help but admire their beauty and splendor before he gestured for them to begin to gradually take some of his energy to recover themselves.
As the two Dark Spirits touched Vale''s skin, he felt a slight pain and a warm sensation.
''So this is what it feels like¡'' Vale mused as he felt that a fraction of his energy was being drawn to the two Dark Spirits.
It didn''t take that long before he could feel their energy rising and their expressions brightening up.
He smiled and said, "Don''t worry, I can handle it. You two have helped me a lot. You deserve this."
"Thank you..." Yvaine and Lotus said softly, feeling grateful and attached to Vale.
They continued to take his energy until they felt fully restored. Then, they let go of him and bowed respectfully.
"Vale, we are ready to assist you again." They said in sync¡ This time, they seemed to be even more powerful as Vale couldn''t help but guess that they also took some of his Divinity!
Well, even if they did not, they still took the energy from a Shadow Immortal!
''I guess it''s not bad if they get even stronger¡'' Vale mused.
He then nodded at the two and replied with a smile.
"Good. Let''s go then. I''m thinking of visiting the Arcane Bureau to see if they know other ces where a void has appeared."
Chapter 669 The Bureau
Chapter 669 The Bureau
??Agent Axe woke up to the sound of his rm clock.
"Ugh~"
He groaned and reached for the snooze button, but then he remembered that he had an important day ahead of him. He forced himself to get up and get ready for work.
He put on his ck suit and tie, his badge and his gun. He then checked his appearance in the mirror and nodded.
"Not bad¡" He said to himself.
Agent Axe was a man in his thirties with brown hair and green eyes. He had a sharp and handsome face, a muscr and fit body, and a confident and charismatic demeanor. He was one of the best agents in the Arcane Bureau, having solved many cases involving cursed Artifacts, strange Magic Items, or any problems rted to the items in the world of Arcanists.
After wearing his jacket, he finally felt satisfied as he looked like a professional agent of the Arcane Bureau, the organization that oversaw the world''s Arcane Magic, Arcanists, Magic Artifacts, and other things that cause strange phenomena.
He grabbed his briefcase and went out to walk to one of the Bureau''s bases, located in a secret underground facility.
He was quite lucky since his apartment was close to the secret entrance. It was located in a tailor shop that led him underground.
After passing through several security checkpoints, he was greeted by his colleagues and made his way to his office.
He checked the newspapers on his table and searched for any news regarding any possible problems that Magic Artifacts may have caused to ordinary people.
If these problems weren''t too difficult, he could pass them to the Faction''s Orders. Of course, there are also chances that he had to inform the Churches as well, or perhaps he could act on his own if it was an emergency.
"Agent Axe, for you¡" One of the staff in the office suddenly approached him and handed him a piece of paper.
It was a letter telling him that he had received a new assignment.
After expressing his gratitude, he read the details of the new assignment.
''What?''
His eyes widened as he learned what he had to do.
He had to escort Vale, the Shadow Immortal, to the headquarters!
Vale was an Immortal who had ascended without the help of any Immortal Spirits.
It means that his path as an Immortal was unpredictable unless they learned which Immortal Law he had chosen.
Anyway, what was even more surprising was that Vale had already helped the Bureau stop a Demon Saint invasion by closing one of the gates at the northern region of the Milton Kingdom!
''How did he do it?'' Agent Axe couldn''t help but feel curious.
Vale''s action was such an incredible feat since closing the gate was almost impossible unless the Demon Saints on the other side decided to do so.
Agent Axe could only shake his head as he decided not to overthink. He wasn''t an Immortal and was simply a Second ss Arcanist who had graduated from Mortimer, the Academy of Transformation Arts.
Nheless, the Bureau wanted to debrief Vale and perhaps, learn more about him and his abilities.
Agent Axe felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. He had never met an Immortal before.
Even after working for the Bureau for several, he never had a chance to meet the members of the Council!
Thankfully, his recent achievements and his acknowledged mastery of Transformation Arts allowed him to be selected for this mission.
He wondered what Vale was like and how he would react to the Bureau''s interrogation. He hoped that Vale would cooperate and not cause any trouble.
He looked at the time and saw that he had to leave soon. He had to meet Vale in the city, where he had been staying in a hotel.
He quickly packed his briefcase and left his office.
***
"My only request is that the Bureau gives me information about the locations of the gates that lead to the Abyss¡ I have no interest in going to the Bureau." Vale said as Agent Axeid out their ns.
They were currently at a hotel in a city called Coulston. It was a city in the eastern region of the Ruri Kingdom. From what Vale heard from Agent Fox, this was where the main headquarters for the Ruri Kingdom Branch of the Bureau was located.
During this time, Vale had apanion on this trip.
Apparently, when he got back to the castle after taking care of the Demon Saints, he told hispanions about his ns.
Chad, Faith, Lisa, and Pearl expressed their desire to follow along...
But he clearly couldn''t do that, and he preferred to work solo. Unfortunately, they firmly objected because of how risky it was.
Finally, he gave in and agreed to take one to appease them.
"Ahem¡"
Agent Axe cleared his throat and smiled professionally. He then nodded to Vale''s words.
"You''re right¡ I read the letter that was sent to him¡ If I can, I also don''t want to take up your time by going to the Bureau. But the information you requested takes a lot of time to gather, and not just anyone can ess it. The higher-ups then thought that you might want to see the ce in case you discover something intriguing¡ As you''re aware, we also seize Magic Artifacts as part of our job¡ Some of them were seized because of their curses, mysterious origins, and unknown powers." Agent Axe said while keeping his smile.
Vale frowned as he heard Agent Axe''s words. He didn''t fully trust the Bureau or their intentions.
After all, Sage Merlin, who seemed to be a terrible person, was treated in high regards in the Bureau.
Because of that, he had a feeling that they wanted to use him or his Shadow Divinity for their own purposes.
He then looked at the person who apanied him on this trip.
Lisa stayed by his side, smiling and waiting for his decision¡
Vale sighed and replied to the Agent.
"Fine. I''ll go to the Bureau with you. But only for a short time. And only if you promise to give me the information I need¡ I also don''t like how you''re disguised while meeting me¡ So, can you remove that now?"
Chapter 670 Unusual
Chapter 670 Unusual
??Agent Axe was shocked after finding out that Vale had noticed his disguise.
Of course, he didn''t intend to insult the Immortal in front of him. That would be foolish for a Second-ss Arcanist like him. But the reason he had to use his Transformation Art was also for his own protection...
After all, the missions he aplished in the Bureau weren''t allwful. Most of them were tasks that disregarded the governmentws and there were times when they''d anger the Arcanist Faction''s Secret Orders in order to seize or confiscate some Magic Artifacts.
"I''m sorry if I have to look like this, Sir Immortal. I just wanted to make sure that our trip will go smoothly. I have to ensure no one identifies me." Agent Axe exined.
"What? Are you a criminal?" Vale asked as he knitted his brows. He hadn''t doubted that this man was a member of the Bureau since he saw his badge a while ago.
However, he couldn''t help but take a closer look as he didn''t expect that the members of the Arcane Bureau had problems with the local governments or perhaps wanted by the police.
"It isn''t like that¡ Our organization just wants to maintain peace in our world, but there are many people who don''t like this idea." Agent Axe immediately exined.
Vale no longer bothered to respond and simply let the man escort him to their headquarters.
At this time, Agent Axe already prepared a carriage since he couldn''t escort Vale using the secret path that members like him use on a daily basis.
Soon, they started passing through various streets and roads in the city.
Vale didn''t pay much attention to the scenery, as he was lost in his thoughts. On the other hand, Lisa was had her eyes closed, but she wasn''t sleeping... She was sharing her senses with one of her bats that was tailing their carriage.
As for Vale, he was simply wondering what the Bureau wanted from him.
After all, he didn''t fully believe that they couldn''t just pass the information to him. They must have other ulterior motives¡
Nevertheless, he hoped that they would give him the information he needed and let him go. He didn''t want to stay there any longer than necessary.
During this time, Agent Axe tried to make some small talk with Vale, but he soon realized that Vale was not interested in conversing.
At this rate, he wouldn''t really get much information about Vale... Currently, he only knew that Vale had the ability to see through an Advanced Realm disguise.
He then nced at Lisa, who was sitting beside Vale. She looked bored and sleepy.
Agent Axe wanted to speak with her, but Vale suddenly gave a stern gaze that made him immediately retract his ns. In the end, he had to stay quite for a long time.
After a long drive, they finally reached their destination.
Agent Axe stopped the carriage in front of arge and imposing building. He then got out of the carriage and helped Vale and Lisa to get down.
The building in front of them looked like a normal factory building, but it had a lot of security measures and hidden entrances.
Inside the building, there were a lot of shops. There are upholsterers, cobblers, haberdashers, tailors, and even confectioners.
However, Vale had a feeling that they were all working for the Bureau since they are all Combat Artists, at the very least.
After reaching a quiet room, they finally saw the third door guarded by a few security guards. This time, Agent Axe finally took out his badge and scanned it on a device embedded in an iron door.
The device beeped, and a voice said, "Wee, Agent Axe. Please proceed to the elevator and enter the code 7-4-2-9."
''So it''s an elevator? This ce feels a bit more modern than I expected.'' Vale thought as he continued to monitor the surroundings with his Magic Zone and Divine Sense.
He actually realized that most of the people in the building practice Transformation Arts, Summoning Arts, Combat Arts, or Elemental Arts.
Anyway, Agent Axe nodded after hearing the voice and turned to Vale and Lisa.
"We''re here. We will be entering the Bureau''s headquarters. Follow me and don''t wander off. There are a lot of restricted areas and ssified information here. It''s also for your own safety since there are many Formation Traps installed in this ce."
After saying this, he led them to the elevator and entered the code.
Thud¡
The elevator doors closed, and it descended to the underground level.
Agent Axe then spoke with a hint of pride in his tone.
"The Bureau''s headquarters is located underground for security and secrecy reasons. There are many departments and facilities here, such as the Research and Development, the Intelligence and Analysis, the Operations and Enforcement, and the Artifact Storage and Management. We''re going to the Artifact Storage and Management department, where the Director is waiting for us. He''s the one who wants to talk to you, Vale. Ahh¡ He''s not Director Virgo¡ You can think of him as the Branch Director instead¡ He may not be a Half-Immortal, but he''s a Half-Spirit."
At this time, the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
"We''re here. Follow me¡"
He walked out of the elevator and into a long and dimly lit corridor.
He walked past several doors and windows, showing various rooms andbs. Vale and Lisa followed him, looking around with curiosity and awe.
They saw many Magic Artifacts, some of them familiar and some of them strange.
Other than that, they also saw many Arcanists and some of them seemed to be working on experiments rted to Magic Artifacts.
''Interesting¡'' Valemented in his mind as he saw many machines andplicated devices that were being used to appraise or even test the Magic Artifacts.
This ce truly looked professional to Vale.
Lisa''s eyes also widened as she saw a lot of things that she had never seen before.
She felt that they had entered a different world, a world that was full of secrets and mysteries!
However, Vale didn''t seem impressed as hemented in a soft voice¡ "You guys obtained the technology, or maybe Arcana of the Immortals?"
Chapter 671 Disguise
Chapter 671 Disguise
??Agent Axe was startled by Vale''s question. But he quickly smiled and shook his head.
"That would be incredible if it''s true... But only the Directors and the Councils would have that knowledge."
Vale just smiled knowingly after hearing this. Nevertheless, he decided not toment about it anymore.
Soon, they reached another room and Vale could already sense that the Branch Director was inside. With his Divine Sense, he verified that he was indeed a Half-Spirit just like what Agent Axe said.
''So they''re not using any anti-inspection artifacts or spells, huh...'' Vale thought as he realized that his Divine Sense could scan anyone in the building.
Agent Axe then dered their arrival. After some confirmation from the other side, Agent Axe opened the door and signaled to the Branch Director.
"Sir... Immortal Vale and Miss Lisa, this is our leader, Director Aries..." Agent Axe said as he gestured to the Director, who was already standing up to greet Vale.
Since he was facing an Immortal, the Branch Director didn''t dare to ignore him and quickly approached Vale to shake his hands.
At this time, Agent Axe already left the room as he allowed them to have privacy.
"I am honored to meet the great Immortal who had recently closed the gate of the Abyss Realm¡"
As the Director said this, a device was triggered in his finger. He then secretly injected the needle into Vale''s palm, hoping to drug him and make him unconscious!
But he made a mistake!
Vale had sensed his attack and dodged it at thest moment. He also pushed Lisa away from the needle, as the Director tried to throw it at her! Although Lisa could probably defend from that, it was better to be safe.
Indeed, Vale had actually felt a surge of killing intent from the Director in thest second!
He sensed that the Director was hiding something and that he was not a friend.
He instinctively activated his Shadow Divinity and prepared himself to attack¡
"What are you up to? I feel a hostile aura from you just now but it quickly disappeared¡" Vale curiously asked as he also confirmed that this room was isted by a Formation Art.
On the other hand, the Branch Director was shocked by Vale''s reaction. He knew that that was his best chance to eliminate him¡ Unfortunately, he underestimated the Immortal''s reaction speed.
Haa~
The Director could only sigh as he realized that his disguise had been exposed and that his n had failed.
"I don''t really feelfortable with this skin¡" Director Aries muttered as he pulled off his skin, and just like that, his body started transforming!
It was such a morbid sight, and Lisa couldn''t help but step back.
"So you''re not the Branch Director?"
Vale was shocked to see this as he realized that he was dealing with someone capable of eluding even his Divine Sense!
The Director had no choice but to reveal his true identity and fight back¡
"You''re too smart for your own good, Immortal. I want this to end quickly but I guess I''ll have to kill you personally¡"
As he said this, hepleted his body transformation and revealed his Demonic Form!
"You''re right, I''m not Director Aries. I''m a Demon Saint, and I''m here to feast on your Divinity. No--You''re a rare and valuable specimen, and I won''t let you die so easily!"
The Demon Saint had three horns on his head, dark and heavy armor on his body, and a bone spear in his hand.
Vale immediately realized what was going on.
His opponent was one of the Demon Saints who had invaded this world through the gates, and he had infiltrated the Bureau and risen to the position of Branch Director.
Perhaps, he had been waiting for a chance to strike the remaining Immortals of this world, and he thought that Vale was the perfect target.
Without waiting for Vale''s reply, he then lunged at him, aiming to pierce his heart with his spear.
"Die, Immortal. Your Divinity will be mine."
Vale dodged his attack and counterattacked with his Stormbringer Sword... The attack was so quick that he didn''t have the time to ess his Spell Models..
Nevertheless, with his Phantom Sword Technique, he was able to draw his sword and attack his opponent.
"You''re dreaming. I''ll kill you and make sure you do not escape to the Abyss."
Vale then engaged in a fierce battle with the Demon Saint, who seemed to have greaterbat skills and faster than any previous ones he had faced.
The Demon Saint used his Corrupted Divinity and his spear skills to try to overpower Vale, while Vale used his Shadow Divinity and his sword skills to defend himself.
Boom! Boom!
They exchanged blows several times¡
They fought with all their might, not caring about the damage they caused to the room or perhaps even the building.
''This Demon Saint had a massive Corrupted Divinity¡ Not good¡'' Vale realized a problem after a few exchanges.
Unlike the previous Demon Saints he fought, the one in front of him had a fully Corrupted Divinity in his arsenal! This was probably staying here in this realm for a very long time!
In the meantime, Lisa watched the battle with horror and awe.
Although she''s a Vampire, she could tell that this battle wasn''t something she could meddle with.
With that in mind, she swiftly broke the Formation Art that was sealing their actions within the building!
It''s not that she wanted to spread the chaos, but she couldn''t let Vale be a victim here once he killed the Demon Saint disguised as a Director.
Furthermore, she believed that this matter should be handled by the Bureau as well!
Bang!
As she broke a part of the Formation, she was able to open the door and realized that Agent Axe was still outside¡
"Are you also a Demon Saint? No, I''ll interrogate youter." Lisa said as she nned to suppress the Agent.
"What? No!" Agent Axe said as he looked at the situation. He realized that the Branch Director was missing and Vale was fighting against a Demon Saint!
Chapter 672 Not This Time
Chapter 672 Not This Time
??"Impossible!"
Agent Axe couldn''t believe what he was seeing. It didn''t take him that long to realize what was going on!
No wonder he was about to get killed by Vale''spanion!
"I''m not part of this! Believe me!" He immediately shouted and made sure not to show any signs of resistance.
After all, it might just be seen as fighting back.
Furthermore, he also felt guilty that he brought his guests to the enemy! It wasn''t just an enemy of their organization but an enemy of the whole Human Realm!
He couldn''t believe that the Branch Director was a Demon Saint and that he had attacked Vale.
To be honest, Agent Axe didn''t know what to do or what to say at this moment. He could only hope that Vale would win and that they would all survive in this predicament.
However, Lisa was still doubtful of his words. There was just no way she would easily trust anyone in this building now that they learned that the highest officer here was a Demon Saint!
It wouldn''t be surprising if some other employees here were actually in cahoots with the Director and were actually Demons in disguise!
Lastly, Vale and her couldn''t tell that the Director was a Demon until thest moment!
It means that they wouldn''t know who could be trusts just by simply using their inspection spells; that wasn''t just enough!
In the end, Lisa wanted to at least turn the Agent into her Thrall to ensure that he could be trusted.
Agent Axe could tell that Lisa was about to do something on him, so he swiftly pleaded.
"No... No, I''m not a Demon Saint or even a low-ranking Demon Saint! I''m a loyal agent of the Bureau. I didn''t know he was a Demon Saint. I swear. I was just following orders. Please, don''t kill me. I can help you. I can give you any information you need! Please, spare me."
Lisa looked at him with suspicion and disdain. She didn''t know if he was telling the truth or lying.
At this time, Lisa suddenly heard Vale''s voice in her head.
"Don''t kill him¡ I''ll interrogate himter. Just capture him and don''t let him escape¡ We''ll need him to as a witnesster." Vale said while still fighting against the Demon Saint.
"Alright¡ I''ll take care of it. Don''t lose." Lisa replied.
Vale wryly smiled as he realized that Lisa was worried about him.
Although the Demon Saint in front of him had an abundant Corrupted Divinity that could surpass him, he still had plenty of tricks that he hadn''t used yet.
He hadn''t yet used the Mask that he had obtained with the ck Grimoire. He also hadn''t used some of his stronger Fusion Spells¡
As a matter of fact, he believed that he didn''t have to use them!
As soon as he found an opportunity, Vale used his Presence Shift to silently appear behind the Demon Saint.
This time, he was no longer worried about being dragged to the Abyss! There were no voids or cracks nearby and he didn''t have to worry about the appearance of other Demon Saints!
"Hahaha! Fool!" The Demon Saintughed as he saw Vale get too close to him. This is what he wanted since he could corrupt Vale''s Divinity a lot faster!
Once Vale''s small amount of Divinity was converted, it would be his victory!
However, as the Demon Saint manipted his Corrupted Divinity, he felt a huge chunk of his energy disappearing!
At this time, Vale had already started his extraction!
[ Living Demon has been discovered. Do you wish to extract it? ]
''Yes!''
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500, Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Spell Light + 2 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +300, Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.8, Strength +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Abyssal Fire Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +300, Corrupted Divinity +30, Vitality +0.8, Strength +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Demon Eyes Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200, Corrupted Divinity +30, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Corruption Curse Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200, Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Demon''s Wrath Spell Model ]
"These four Spell Models again¡" Vale muttered as he saw the Spell Models he extracted from the Demon Saint. They were the same spell he gathered from the previous Demon Saints.
Well, at the very least, he doesn''t have to spend his energy to advance their mastery level.
"You?! What are you doing?! Life Drain?!" The Demon Saint was shocked as he realized what was going on¡
He does have a spell that could make him extract energy and transfer it into his body, but that doesn''t work on living beings. He could only use it for some Energy Orbs in the Abyss Realm.
However, as he nned to use this Spell to repleshing his strength something unexpected happened.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200, Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Demonic Energy Suction Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200, Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100 ]
It was at this time that he finally realized that his Spell Models were also being taken by the Immortal!
"What kind of Immortal are you? You''re shameless!" The Demon Saint wanted to flee as he needed to recover his strength!
He swiftly found the exit to the Trap Formation, but as he was about to move, his Movement Spell was also extracted!
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200, Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Completed Ethereal Step Spell Model ]
At this time, Vale also decided to end the Demon Saint''s life.
To be honest, he tried using his ve Mark on him, but it just didn''t work. It seemed that this ve Mark Spell could only be used on people who were originally from the Human Realm.
"Hmm?"
Vale suddenly squinted as he realized that the Demon Saint was about to do something.
"Not this time¡" Vale muttered as he confirmed that the Demon Saint was trying to self-destruct!
He immediately intensified his Extraction and used his Cursed me to hasten his death!
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200, Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.8, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100, Corrupted Divinity +50, Abyss Key, Demon Saint''s Horn x3 ]
Chapter 673 Surrounded
Chapter 673 Surrounded
?"Hmmm¡ Not bad¡" Vale muttered as he confirmed that the Demon Saint had already turned into ashes, leaving his weapons and clothes on the floor.
"Are you alright?" Vale asked Lisa.
"Yes¡ He wasn''t focusing on me, so I managed to break a part of the Formation." Lisa replied.
"Mhmm¡ You did the right thing. If I can''t defeat the Demon Saint, we can only escape."
Vale then looked at Agent Axe who was suppressed by Lisa''s Blood Maniption Spell.
He wanted to test the Ethereal Steps he had just obtained from the Demon Saint.
With that in mind, he activated the Ethereal Steps and appeared in front of Agent Axe which they had subdued earlier.
Whoosh~
As soon as he did this, Lisa was shocked¡
It wasn''t just a quick movement speed. It was instantaneous!
"Impressive¡ This is not even a Celestial Art¡" Vale muttered as he realized how great the Spell was even without Divinity being used.
Apparently, the Ethereal Steps was a Spell that allowed the caster to move through space!
However, it doesn''t seem to be a Space Technique, but it felt more simr to Ghost Steps as it bypassed any obstacles or barriers.
It was a rare movement Spell, and Vale couldn''t help but thank the Demon Saint who had given him this technique... After all, his Presence Shift Spell was consuming a lot of energy in each usage.
The Ethereal Steps was perfect for his everyday use.
Vale then shifted his attention to Agent Axe, who was tied up and gagged by Lisa''s spells.
He removed these spells with his Spell Dispersion and spoke soft, "Now, let''s talk. You have some exining to do. Why did you bring me here? What is your role in this? Are you also a Demon Saint?"
Since Vale couldn''t tell that the Branch Director was Demon Saint, he had to be careful from now on.
Agent Axe was terrified as he heard the Immortal''s question.
He didn''t know what had happened to the Branch Director¡ He had no idea if that person had already been a Demon Saint from the day he entered the Bureau or if he had been reced by the Demon Saint at some point in time.
"I really don''t know, Sir Immortal!"
Agent Axe pleaded.
He had seen Vale kill the dreaded Demon Saint in a swift manner. It was both amazing and frightening, and he had no doubt that if Vale wanted, this Branch of the Arcane Bureau might be destroyed if he was angered!
He could only repeat the words he said to Lisa.
"No... No, I''m not a Demon Saint. I''m a loyal agent of the Bureau. I didn''t know he was a Demon Saint. I swear. I was just following orders. Please, spare me."
Vale looked at him with suspicion and contempt.
Since he couldn''t tell if he was telling the truth or not, he decided to interrogate the Agent instead.
"Alright¡ Just be honest¡ I need you to tell me everything. Who gave you the orders to bring me the Director Aries? Where are the gates to the Abyss? How many Demon Saints have been reported to the Bureau? Do you monitor them?"
Agent Axe trembled and started to talk.
He told Vale everything he knew, hoping to appease him and save his life.
He told him that the orders came from the Branch Director himself, who had imed to be interested in Vale''s status as Immortal and wanted to see him in person instead of just passing the information.
He told him how he believed that this was an isted case and he can still trust the Arcane Bureau.
After that, Agent Axe told him that he didn''t know the exact number of Demon Saints in the human realm, but he suspected that there were more than three of them.
He then exined that the gates to the Abyss were scattered around the world, and that the Bureau had a map of their locations. Unfortunately, he doesn''t have ess to that map and they should try searching this room instead.
"Can I leave now?" Agent Axe said.
He told Vale everything he could think of, hoping that it would be enough.
Vale listened to him, and all his words seemed believable.
Or, at the very least, he could tell that Agent Axe was mostly telling the truth, but he also sensed some fear and hesitation in him.
Well, it wouldn''t be surprising if he was hiding something¡
He decided to keep him alive for now and use him to get out of this situation properly... As much as possible, he didn''t want innocent lives to be taken here.
He said, "Very well. You''ve been somewhat helpful. I''ll spare you for now. But don''t think you''re off the hook. You''ll be exining everything to the investigators since I didn''t want to talk to them. Understand?"
Agent Axe nodded and epted his condition.
"Yes... Yes, I understand. Thank you for sparing me. I''ll do whatever you want¡"
Vale nodded and gestured for Lisa to take care of him.
He then looked around and saw that the room was a mess.
There was blood and debris everywhere, and the door was broken. At this time, Vale already sensed that people areing¡
''They''re taking quite a lot of time¡ I thought this ce was full of Agent?'' Vale couldn''t help but look down on these people.
Their reaction was just too slow.
After some thought, Vale decided not to leave this ce and wait for the other Agents inside this room.
" I want to see who else is in this Bureau¡ Maybe we''ll meet some more Demon Saints." He mused.
He then sat down on a chair and held his Stormbringer de.
He looked calm and confident, but he was also alert and cautious.
He didn''t know what awaited him at the Bureau. He could only tell that there were two figures at the level of Half Immortalsing to check the situation.
Nevertheless, he was prepared for anything.
Chapter 674 Doubts
Chapter 674 Doubts
??The two Half-Immortals who arrived at the Branch Director''s Chambers were Felix and Raizen. They were not regrs in this ce, but they were summoned here as soon as Vale showed up.
When they reached the branch, they already felt the shockwaves of the fight and became curious. They didn''t hurry to see the situation but waited until the fight was over.
After all, they don''t want to get in the way of a True Immortal. They might even be hostages of the enemy, so they knew it was better to keep their distance. Needless to say, whoever was fighting equally to a True Immortal must have incredible power.
After some time, they entered the building and met the culprit.
"Ahem¡ It seems that an enemy managed to enter our territory¡ Thank you for saving us, Sir Immortal. I''m Felix, I''m one of the Bureau''s Council."
Felix was a tall and muscr man with short blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a ck leather jacket and jeans and carried a pair of daggers.
He doesn''t even look like an Arcanist but just some sort of thug carrying what seems like an illegal weapon in broad daylight.
Nevertheless, Agent Axe was a bit surprised about his actions since he heard that this man had a fierce and arrogant personality.
"I''m Raizen¡ I''m also a member of the Council. It seems that we have to make some major changes in our Organization. We didn''t expect a Branch Director to be an enemy all along¡ªNo, I think this Arcanist killed the true Director and disguised himself to meet with you. On behalf of the entire Organization, I apologize for this blunder¡"
Raizen was a slender and handsome man with long ck hair and green eyes. He wore a white shirt and pants, and carried a staff.
It seemed that these two had hurried to this ce and didn''t even have the time to wear their Arcanist Robe.
Nevertheless, even if they were speaking like that to him, Vale and the others could feel that they have different thoughts.
They were both looking at Vale with hostility and disdain.
It appears that they didn''t like the fact that he was an Immortal and that he caused a lot of damage to the Building''s integrity, or perhaps because he killed the Branch Director without their approval.
Agent Axe realized that these two didn''t know that Vale was fighting a Demon Saint just now!
"Sir Felix and Sir Raizen¡ Sir Vale just fought against a Demon Saint. I saw him having three horns on his head! The Branch Director transforms into a Demon Saint!" Agent Axe swiftly exined.
However, the two Immortals only looked at him curiously.
"Mhmm? Agent Axe¡ Are you sure?"
"Call Agent Fox here¡ I need to know if he''s being manipted."
Felix and Raize said after hearing Agent Axe''s words. The other staff members immediately used theirmunication crystals to inform Agent Fox.
They didn''t believe that the Director was a Demon Saint in disguise.
They couldn''t help but think that Agent Axe was lying or perhaps being controlled by Vale''s Psychic Arts.
"Immortal Vale¡ Is that true?" Felix asked. It was a lot easier to believe that the Branch Director was from the Order of Fatality than a Demon Saint.
"Mhmm¡ Can you not tell based on the remnant energy?" Vale curiously asked.
The two didn''t answer and observed the ce.
They entered the room and saw the blood and rubble everywhere.
After some time, they shook their heads.
"All we can tell is that you fought against the Branch Director¡" Felix said as he looked at Vale, filled with worry.
They couldn''t help but think that Vale would suddenly attack them as well.
Vale looked at them with indifference and contempt.
He didn''t bother to exin anything to them. He knew that they wouldn''t listen to him anyway.
As a matter of fact, he must be the one doubting them! After all, they could be Demon Saints in disguise as well!
He then decided to test them and see if they were also Demon Saints in disguise.
He stood up from his chair and held his Stormbringer de.
"I don''t have time to waste on you. If you want to know the truth, you''ll have to fight me. I also want to see if you will transform into a Demon Saint just like the Director."
Felix and Raizen were enraged by Vale''s words.
At this moment, they didn''t care about his status as an Immortal.
Although they knew the difference in strength, there were still two of them here!
Furthermore, they could use the Building''s Formation Art to their advantage.
They were confident that with all of thesebined, they would have a high chance of suppressing the Immortal... After all, he just fought against the Branch Director and should''ve drained some of his Divinity at this point.
With this in consideration, they epted his challenge and prepared to attack him.
"Maybe you''re the one who''s disguised as the Demon Saint¡"
"Hmmp! Maybe you didn''t close the gate and were reced by a Demon Saint already."
The two Half-Immortals said as they both activated their Spells and unleashed their attacks.
Felix sent a barrage of wind des at Vale, while Raizenunched a volley of fireballs at him.
The attacks seemed simple and most Elemental Arts Practitioner could use them as well.
However, each of their attacks contains Divinity, and all of them moved so fast that even Lisa failed to follow them!
The two Half-Immortals hoped to overwhelm him with theirbined assault!
However, Vale was not impressed by their attacks¡
He easily dodged them with his new Ethereal Steps and counterattacked with his Stormbringer Sword He didn''t even bother using his Spells as he shed at them with lightning speed and power, cutting through their defenses and injuring them.
Bzzztt~
The lightning energy of the Stormbringer Sword was too much for them!
"You¡ Isn''t that the sword that the Masked Devil Incarnate was using?!"
"That''s the Divine Sword of the Church of the Three Paragons¡"
Felix and Raizen were shocked by Vale''s strength and speed but were even more surprised at the realization of Vale''s identity.
"Hey¡ I''m sure I''m no longer hiding my identity. Did you just learn about it now?" Vale asked curiously as he looked at the two half-immortals.
The difference in their strength was just too big¡
They didn''t even bother continuing the fight and decided to just concede!
Chapter 675 Gates
Chapter 675 Gates
??After seeing the two Half-Immortal''s condition, Vale no longer hesitated as he used his ve Mark Spell on them, a spell that would not work on Demon Saints.
He ced a mark on their foreheads, making them his ves. It worked without any resistance.
Felix and Raizen didn''t have the chance to even raise their mental defense!
"Mhmm¡ So you''re really members of the Council and not Demon Saints. You guys just have a terrible attitude¡ What a pity." Vale muttered as confirmed that they were not Demon Saints, but genuine Half-Immortals of the Human Realm.
Vale then ordered the two to give him the ces where the gates leading to the Abyss had been detected.
With that, Felix gave a map where the gates to the Abyss were marked.
Then, Raize also gave some information about the Demon Saints and their possible locations. These possible locations were ces where cultists gather around the world.
Although unsure, there was a high chance that they were also hiding the gates in those ces.
Vale then took everything with him and prepared to leave the Arcane Bureau.
He looked at his new ves and said¡
"You two will follow me from now on. You will obey my everymand including thisdy beside me. She''s Lisa¡"
Vale paused for a moment as he recalled something before he continued.
"For now¡ You will stay here in the Arcane Bureau to make sure that there are no other Demon Saints... Do you understand? I need to make sure that the Bureau will not be sabotaged."
After some thought, Vale realized that the Bureau''s influence could still be used. They just had to make sure that there was no ce for Demon Saints in their Organization.
With that said, Felix and Raizen nodded in submission.
Well, they had no choice but to obey him. They had be his ves, and they could not resist him.
Vale then left the room with Agent Axe and Lisa.
He ignored the other Agents who had just arrived and thought of stopping him...
"What will happen to me?" Agent Axe asked worriedly.
"I confirmed that you''re not a Demon Saint¡ So I need you to work as an informant. I may not be in the castle for most of the time, but if there''s something important, I want you to deliver that information to the castle. We don''t have a widework like your organization, so I will need your help." Vale said.
"This¡ But those two Council members can do that better than me¡" Agent Axe replied.
"They have to do something else. Are youining?" Vale said.
However, the real reason was that his ve Mark was not permanent yet.
It would slowly weaken in due time, and if he continuously let the ve do something that he had never done before or something he hated to do, the Mark would weaken, and it would lessen the days he could control them.
That was why he thought that sending the two Half Immortals to their normal duties would make his ver Markst longer.
"No, I didn''t mean that. Thank you, Sir Immortal¡ I will work hard!"
With that said, Vale used his Ethereal Steps to escape from the Arcane Bureau. As for Lisa, she also used her Ghost-like movement technique to follow him.
They hadpleted the mission and obtained the valuable information they needed.
Vale didn''t want to stay in his ce any longer. He didn''t even bother extracting the two Half-Immortals since they only have 13 Spell Models, and they weren''t that impressive in Vale''s eyes.
It was better to let them have it since they would be on his front lines once the invasion reached his castle.
For now, he would try to limit the number of gates as much as possible.
***
On the next day, Vale and Lisa went to the next potential location of the gate, ording to the map.
They went to the closest possible location and it was in the southern region of the Ruri Kingdom!
To his astonishment, it was already deserted and the crack or gate was concealed in the mountain rocks!
"Did they know I''ming?" Vale mused as he could still see the things left behind by the cultists.
Anyway, he sensed a faint trace of demonic energying from the crack, and he knew that it was truly a gate to the Abyss.
''I wonder how long this thing has been here¡ Did they already send out many Demon Saints to act as the vanguard?'' Vale couldn''t help but think as he considered his next steps.
In the end, he decided to try and forcefully close it to prevent any more Demonic Saints from entering the human realm.
He summoned his Divine Lightning, a powerful Celestial Art that he could always rely on.
It didn''t end there; he channeled his Divinity into his Stormbringer Sword, and unleashed a massive bolt of lightning at the crack.
The lightning struck the void with a loud thunder and caused a huge explosion.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
This continued for a while as the mountain rocks shattered and copsed, but the crack wasn''t sealed by the Divine Lightning.
However, simr to the ones before, it attracted the attention of the Demon Saints on the other side!
Vale smiled at this as he thought he would get to fight another pair of Demon Saints¡ However, something unexpected happened.
The two Demon Saints only assessed Vale for a while before returning back to the Abyss and closing the gate in the process!
"W-what just happened?" Vale was shocked as he realized they fled so quickly!
''Aren''t you being a bit too cautious for a Demon Saint?!'' Vale couldn''t help butin.
However, Vale still felt a surge of satisfaction as he closed the gate in the process.
"That Demon Saint who escaped before had probably spread the information." Lisa remarked after seeing Vale''s confusion.
Vale could only nod at this exnation.
He then looked at Lisa and smiled. "That''s still one less gate to worry about. Let''s go to the next one."
Chapter 676 Imminent Death
Chapter 676 Imminent Death
?Meanwhile, as Vale and Lisa were traveling to the locations where the gates of the Abyss Realm might be, their castle was calm and undisturbed ever since they finished the thirdyer of their barrier.
Faith had already learned several things about the Temporal Timepiece. She had started to trigger its powers and she was also trying to apply what she learned to other items. After all, she might be the best magic craftsman if she learned how to use the power of time.
Nheless, Magnus had justpleted a batch of Top-Grade Potions to be sold in the Auction. Although Vale had recently earned a lot of money thanks to the treasures he obtained in the castle''s treasury, Magnus didn''t stop making pills, potions, and even talismans to ensure that they would have a steady flow of ie.
Pearl, on the other hand, had just performed a ritual and summoned her own Earth Spirit! She had recently learned the Star Fall spell, but it was just too strong.
Now, with her Earth Spirit, she would have a Spellcaster who wasn''t too strong for average Arcanists.
Of course, Chad was also doing his best at this time and was continuously being taught by Orden and Ryzoir. As a Dragon Disciple, he couldn''t let his masters down and had to get stronger.
Finally, Alchemist Denise had just made her finest golem or Automaton!
She had already produced several Guardian Golems, which were deemed average as they could only fight against Fourth-ss or Third-ss Arcanists.
However, Denise''s finest Automaton was human-like and was crafted from metal and precious stones!
It had a height of about six feet and a weight of about three hundred pounds.
It had a sleek and sturdy body made of silver metal, with gold and ruby ents. At first, it seemed like a walking treasure.
However, it had a pair of glowing blue eyes and a mouth that could smile and probably even speak, making it really creepy at some point.
Clink¡ Clink¡
As it moved, the Automaton made some creaking noise as its joints twisted.
It had a long ck cloak that covered its back and arms, and a pair of boots that enhanced its speed and agility.
Indeed, the Automaton was equipped with Runic Items that Magnus had made!
It had a sword attached to its waist, and a shield on its back.
"Kekekeke¡ I really did it this time¡ Guardian Golems, Tyrant Golems, and now, Magic Automatons!" Denise said in satisfaction after seeing the humanoid golem or Automaton move.
It was a masterpiece of golem engineering, and Denise was very proud of it!
"Now¡ What should I call you?" Denise muttered as she considered a few names. Although it was genderless, she felt that this Automaton was fitted to have a masculine name.
"Mhmmm¡ How about Arthur?"
After some hesitation, Denise named her first humanoid golem or Automaton as Arthur¡
Of course, she couldn''t just end this like that.
She wanted to test its power and performance outside the castle. Although there was a training ground inside the castle, she felt more at ease if she let Arthur release its capabilities outside.
Soon, she took the Automaton to a nearby forest, where Magnus had set up some targets and obstacles. She wanted to see how well it could handlebat and exploration.
"Alright¡ Arthur, listen to mymands."
As Denise activated Arthur, she gave it a series ofmands.
She ordered it to attack the targets, to dodge the traps, and to protect her from any danger.
After hearing her instructions, Arthur nodded and obeyed her.
This made Denise smile since the act of acknowledgment was something she liked about the Automaton.
Clink¡ Clink¡
Arthure then followed Denise, where it disyed its skills and abilities.
It attacked the targets with its runic sword, hitting them with precision and force.
"Arthur is definitely stronger than some Knights." Denisemented as she had already seen what the Magic Knights are capable of.
Arthur dodged the traps with its speed and agility, avoiding any harm. It also protected Denise from any threat, like arrows and various traps¡
Denise continued moving around the obstacles with Arthur and throughout the whole ordeal, Arthur protected her no matter what happened.
''A perfect bodyguard! I did it!''
Denise was amazed and delighted by Arthur''s performance. It was more than just a golem or an automaton. It was like a loyalpanion and bodyguard!
"You did very well, Arthur. You are a remarkable Automaton..." Denise praised Arthur and thanked it for its service¡
Arthur then smiled and bowed to her¡ It didn''t speak, but Denise was already satisfied with this gesture.
As Denise and Arthur prepared to make their way back to the castle, she was jolted by the sudden intrusion of Pearl''s urgent voice within her mind.
"Denise, enemies are outside. Hurry back!" Pearl''s message resounded through telepathy, sending a shiver down Denise''s spine.
Before she could react, the outer barrier of the castle quaked violently, apanied by a deafening crash that reverberated through the air.
Boom!
Just as the uproar subsided, another voice, this time Magnus'', pierced her thoughts.
"Demon Saints! Return at once!" His words echoed with a sense of impending danger.
As Denise hastened her steps, a intense sense of dread enveloped her as she sensed the ominous presence of two Demonic Auras closing in on her.
"It''s toote¡" Denise muttered grimly, the realization dawning upon her that she was now confronted by the malevolent force of two formidable Demon Saints.
Denise was shocked and scared as she sensed the two Demonic Auras. She looked around and saw two figures emerging from the shadows. They were both wearing ck cloaks and masks, hiding their faces and identities.
However, she could vaguely see their horns, indicating their identity as Demon Saints.
They had a sinister and oppressive aura, and they radiated a strong demonic energy. There was no doubt that they were Demon Saints¡
"Who are you? What do you want?" Denise asked, trying to sound brave and calm. She was waiting for the others to arrive.
However, the two Demon Saints didn''t answer her.
Chapter 677 Watch
Chapter 677 Watch
??The Demon Saint then nced at the castle and confirmed that reinforcements wereing to save the woman in front of them.
They justughed at this and spoke in a mocking tone.
"You don''t need to know anything¡ You''re about to die anyway¡"
One of the Demon Saints said as they attacked Denise with their Spells. They seemed to be fighting cautiously as if they did not want to get closer to Denise.
One of them used a Dark Technique, sending a wave of ck energy at her. It was apanied by Corrupted Divinity, making it more potent than normal Dark Spells.
The other one wanted to ensure the woman''s death and used a Poison Technique, spraying a cloud of toxic gas at her!
They were truly ruthless as they hoped to kill her quickly and easily.
However, Denise was not defenseless.
She also had Arthur with her, and he was ready to protect her.
Arthur immediately acted and activated his sword and shield, and blocked the attacks.
They were Runic Weapons and they had a few Defensive Runes engraved on them, allowing him to defend against the Demon Saint''s spells.
He then counterattacked with his own Arcane Energy that wasing from his Core and shot them at the Demon Saints!
As his attack reached the Demon Saints, Arthur nced at Denise as if he was telling her to escape at this time!
However, instead of fleeing, Denise felt a surge of courage and confidence.
"The others areing¡ I just need to hold on!"
She decided to fight back and use her own techniques!
She activated her Golem Control Technique, and called her Guardian Golems. Some of them were standing nearby, and she could control at least 10 of them.
Furthermore, they were all armed and armored!
After that, she used a few of her Dark Spells like Dusk Imprisonment, Spirit Hands, and Dark me Spells!
However, they were useless against the Demon Saints!
Luckily, Arthur''s Core had plenty of Arcane Energy that was enhanced by Magnus¡
"Hold on!"
At this time, the Guardian Golems at the periphery of their territory had finally arrived!
She thenmanded her Guardian Golems to attack the Demon Saints.
They obeyed her, and charged at the enemies.
They used their weapons and spells, trying to injure and distract them!
"So you can resist this long?"
The two Demon Saints were surprised and annoyed by Denise and her Automaton''s resistance. They didn''t expect them to be filled with precious Artifacts that could protect them from Corruption!
After all, not any Arcanist could just casually carry an Anti-Corruption Artifact!
"I guess you''re an important figure in that castle¡."
One of them muttered as they realized that they had underestimated the woman they thought they could easily kill.
"Change of ns¡ Let''s not break the other two barriers today. Just focus on eliminating this woman."
"We''re not going to save our Divinity? Fine¡" The other Demon Saint replied as he also knew that attacking the castle with their current strength was suicide.
It hadn''t been that long since they entered the Human Realm, after all. They simply wanted to see what this mysterious castle could offer them.
Anyway, the two finally decided to increase the intensity of their Corrupted Divinity.
They activated their Demonic Arts, and unleashed some of their strongest attacks.
One of them created a small ck hole that sucked everything in. The other one used a Poison Art, creating a poisonous serpent that breathed venom!
They aimed their attacks at Denise and Arthur, hoping to destroy them before the two powerful Arcanists from the castle could arrive!
"This¡"
Denise was shocked and terrified by the Demon Saints'' attacks. She knew that she was in great danger. She tried to evade and defend, but she was too slow and too weak.
The Demonic Aura suppressed her and she couldn''t fight back!
Soon, she felt the ck hole and the poisonous serpent approaching her and Arthur.
She knew that they had no chance of survival.
Denise could only look at her finest creation before she closed her eyes, and waited for the end.
***
Moments ago, Chad''s senses were jarred by the ring rm that signaled the arrival of their enemies.
The Demon Saints, having meticulously orchestrated their assault, shattered the outermostyer of the protective barrier in a mere instant!
Yet, the exertion had visibly drained their reserves of Corrupted Divinity, though they remained formidable opponents for a 2nd ss or 1st ss Arcanist.
''Not good¡ Denise is in danger¡''
Rushing outside the castle, Chad''s heart pounded with trepidation as he was aware that Denise was in grave peril.
He heard a few things about Denise from Vale and he knew that she was important to his friend¡ With that in mind, he spurred into immediate action.
Despite the looming threat posed by the Demon Saints, Chad rushed ahead, determined to reach Denise ande to her aid.
However, as he drew closer, the harrowing scene unfolded before him¡ªDenise and her Automaton were on the brink of sumbing to the insidious influence of the Demonic Arts.
"No!" Chad''s anguished cry pierced the air, reverberating with urgency and resolve.
At that critical juncture, Chad also noticed Faith and Pearl''s valiant efforts to reach Denise, racing against time in a desperate bid to rescue her.
However, their distant positions made it painfully clear that they would not arrive in time to avert the impending danger.
Helplessness gripped Chad as he grappled with the realization that their Spells would not bridge the distance swiftly enough to reach Denise.
"Hmmm?"
Suddenly, a surge of rm coursed through him as he sensed Faith''s life force waning!
''Did she also get attacked?!''
As a Dragon''s Disciple, Chad''s heightened sensitivity to life force left no room for doubt about Faith''s weakening condition.
Before he could think further, in a breathtaking turn of events, Denise vanished in the blink of an eye, narrowly evading the clutches of the Demon Saints!
To Chad''s astonishment, Faith swiftly emerged on the other side, bearing Denise in her arms, effectively snatching her from her certain death!
At that moment, Chad also noticed the radiant golden pocket watch in Faith''s possession, emanating an aura of formidable power¡
It was definitely the power of Divinity!
Chapter 678 Report
Chapter 678 Report
?Pearl was astonished by what Faith had disyed just then¡
Faith had surely used a Space Technique or even a Temporal Technique! It was something she believed that she couldn''t achieve even after living for more than a century.
However, they had no time to spare. They had to y the two Demon Saints who had intruded their territory!
"You''re not getting away!" Faith shouted as she ced Denise down.
Pearl and Faith chased after the two Demon Saints, who had fled from the castle after being discovered.
They used their Light and Earth Techniques, respectively, to attack them from a distance. They hoped to catch them and kill them before they could escape.
"Hahaha! Don''t worry, Demihumans! We will return to this ce! Remember us! I''m Zane the 13th Saint of Behemoth''s Pir"
"I''m Zara, the 14th Saint of Behemoth''s Pir!"
The two Demon Saints introduced themselves as they fled from the scene.
These two Demons were actually siblings who had been sent by the Demon Lord to scout the castle''s defenses and find any weaknesses.
Thanks to the recent reports they''ve received, they found traces of the mysterious Immortal and learned that he was living in this ce.
They were simply testing the strength of the castle''s barrier, and they shouldn''t have been fighting in the first ce.
Now that they had an initial evaluation of the people living in this castle, they had no intention of staying here any longer.
They only wanted to get away and report their findings.
Zane and Zara used their Demonic Arts, respectively, to evade and defend from Pearl and Faith''s attacks.
They ran as fast as they could, trying to lose their pursuers.
They didn''t want to lead their pursuers to one of their gates after all.
The gate to the Abyss was just new. It was only created about fifteen days ago, and they used it to enter the human world.
"Mhmm¡ Those two people are incredibly strong even if they''re not True Immortal." Zane muttered gravely as she realized that they were being affected by their Corrupted Divinity and that they were exuding strength that surpassed Demon Saints of a lower level.
"I can feel traces of Divinity from both of them¡ The blue-haired one is probably a Half-Immortal, while the blonde one is wielding an artifact with strong Divinity." Zara added as she also confirmed their strength.
Since they were still restricted by the Will of the Human Realm, they could only use half of their strength. There was no way they''d be confident facing these two.
They knew that they were no match for Pearl and Faith at this time.
"You won''t escape!"
Pearl and Faith were relentless and furious.
They didn''t n to let the Demon Saints get away easily.
They increased their burst of power, aiming to catch them off guard.
Pearl summoned her Earth Spirit and gave it amand, creating a massive earthquake that shook the ground and cracked the rocks.
Faith, on the other hand, used an extremely powerful Water Spell, creating a huge tsunami that flooded thend and swept away everything!
They aimed their attacks at Zane and Zara, hoping to crush them.
Zane and Zara were terrified and desperate.
"This¡"
They felt the earthquake and the tsunami approaching them, and they knew that they had little chance of survival.
They tried to resist and escape, but suddenly, Faith''s golden pocketwatch glowed once again, eating her life force.
A huge chunk of her life force was gone!
However, it made the two Demon Saints move too slow!
They felt heavy in their bodies as they couldn''t understand why the tsunami was closing at them while they could barely release their energy!
Soon, the earth and the water started engulfing them, and they knew that it would end their lives if they didn''t put up a proper defense!
They looked at each other and felt helpless¡
They finally realized that they were dealing with someone who was capable of manipting time!
There was simply no hope!
''We need someone to send this message to the Demon Lord!'' Zane thought as she was ready to sacrifice her life to save her sister.
She wanted to use a Forbidden Spell that would not allow her soul to reincarnate to the Abyss Realm.
"Zane¡ You--- "Zara realized what Zane was about to do.
Although they are Demon Saints and had a chance of reincarnation to the Abyss Realm, it would only happen in the tens or even hundreds of years.
However, if she used a Forbidden Spell, she wouldn''t have a chance of returning at all!
She wanted to stop her immediatey but at thest moment, they felt a sudden pull and a sh of light!
They opened their eyes, and saw that they were in a different ce. They were already in the Abyss Realm, near the gate that they had used.
"What?!"
They had been saved by a mysterious force, and they had escaped from the human world.
They looked at each other, and felt a surge of relief and joy.
They had survived the attack, and they had escaped from the two nasty Arcanists of that dreadful castle.
"We made it¡ We''re alive. We''re safe."
"It must have been the Demon Lord who intervened and saved us!"
It was the only exnation they could think of.
In a moment of overwhelming relief, they embraced each other, offering fervent gratitude to the Demon Lord for his unexpected mercy.
Upon inspecting their bodies, they discovered minor injuries that could be swiftly mended with the aid of their Corrupted Divinity.
Despite their physical difort, their primary focus was on rying the crucial information they had gathered regarding the castle''s defenses and the Immortal''s allies.
"We must urgently ry this to the Demon Lord. He needs to know what we''ve witnessed and discovered..." Zane dered firmly.
With no time to spare, they swiftly activated theirmunication devices and reached out to the Demon Lord, eager to convey the valuable intelligence they had acquired.
Chapter 679 Not For Long
Chapter 679 Not For Long
??The Demon Lord was a fearsome and powerful being who had established the Behemoth''s Pir, the united organization within the Abyss Realm that aims to conquer other realms for a specific purpose.
He had a height of about seven feet and a weight of about three hundred pounds. He had a muscr and imposing body covered with ck scales and spikes.
He only had a pair of horns on his head, but it was the darkest it could ever be.
On his back was a pair of wings and a tail behind him. He also had a pair of red eyes that glowed with malice and intelligence.
As a Demon Lord, he wore a dark cloak and armor and carried a sword and a scepter that was fitting to his title. He was the ruler of the Abyss Realm and the leader of the Demon Saints.
He was the enemy of the Immortals, and the nemesis of the human world.
Although Zane and Zara had met him many times, they still couldn''t help but feel nervous whenever they met him.
They had always been awed and terrified by his presence and his power. Nheless, they had sworn their allegiance and their obedience to him, and they had received his mark and his blessing.
They then activated theirmunication devices and contacted the Demon Lord.
They told him everything that had happened and showed him the information and images that they had collected. They hoped that he would be pleased and reward them.
Then, they also expressed their gratitude.
"Demon Lord, thank you for saving us from those creatures¡"
The Demon Lord listened to them and looked at the information and images.
He had a better look at the barriers used in the castle, the automaton, the golems, the Demihumans, the strange Artifact, and the castle itself that had a faint trace of Dragon. It wouldn''t be surprising if the castle had several Dragon Cores, powering its defense.
He was obviously surprised and intrigued by what they had found.
"Well done, Zane and Zara. You have done a good job. You have brought me valuable information. You needed to be rewarded."
"We don''t deserve it, my Lord. You even have to save us." Zara immediately said and Zane nodded in agreement.
"It''s alright¡ Sending you there while being suppressed by the Will of the Realm was too risky in the first ce. Right, we also learned that the suppression had weakened a lot. Within two years, this suppression would no longer harm us."
The Demon Lord said before he gave them some dark red potions and some rewards. These rewards seemed to havee from a different realm. They were precious stones that contained pure Divinity, and the two couldn''t help but feel excited about it.
There was nothing better than corrupting a pure divinity!
"You have proven your loyalty and your usefulness. You have also shown your courage and your resilience¡ Most importantly, you have returned to me alive. You are worthy of these rewards."
The Demon Lord said as he didn''t ept any more rejection.
"You have done enough for today. You have to heal your wounds and restore your energy. You have to prepare for the next mission."
"Next mission?" Zara asked in excitement. To be honest, they were quite bored staying in the Abyss Realm as well.
They would have more fun outside although a bit dangerous.
"Since you two have a decent grasp of the situation outside, I will have a new task for you¡. You have to infiltrate the Arcane Bureau, and find out some of their secrets. You have to be careful and discreet. This mission can take more than a year. Assimte with the humans well and slowly take control a part of the Bureau¡ Do you understand?"
"Arcane Bureau? Isn''t that where Number 24 got sent?"
"He''s already dead¡ Not even his soul managed to return¡ That''s why I''m telling you to be careful. You don''t need to have a high position and just start from the bottom."
Zane and Zara nodded and epted hismand. They weren''t too concerned about the death of another Demon Saint. Anyway, only Demon Saints with a specific set of skills like them could evade the detection of Immortals. They couldn''t pass this mission to low rankings demons as they could be easily detected.
"Yes, my Lord. We will do as you say. We will infiltrate the Arcane Bureau and find out their secrets¡" Zane and Zara said in unison.
The Demon Lord nodded and ended themunication.
He then reviewed the information he got from Zane and Zara
"So, this is the that Shadow Immortal''s castle... You''ve been busy closing the gates we''ve made but this would be your downfall."
After confirming that the Castle truly had traces of Dragons, the Demon Lord smiled andughed. He said¡
"The game is on, Immortal."
***
After some time, Vale came back to the castle and found out what had happened.
First of all, he was grateful that no one was killed, and they drove away the Demon Saints. It was quite remarkable of them to do that without an Immortal''s help.
But, what amazed Vale the most was that Faith could actually use the Temporal Timepiece!
Even though it consumed vitality to operate, it still worked!
Moreover, since she was not the owner of the Timepiece, she was only tapping into its potential, and she hadn''t fully revealed its true power!
Vale wanted to see Faith and talk to her about the Temporal Timepiece. He was curious and excited about its abilities and secrets.
He wondered if he could use it too, and if he could learn more about this Temporal Timepiece.
Since it was one of the three items of the Paragons, he thought that it might be a crucial item against the Abyss Realm''s invasion.
He then went to Faith''s room, where he found her resting on her bed.
She looked pale and tired, but she also looked happy and proud¡ She had a smile on her face while holding the Temporal Timepiece on her wrist.
As she saw Vale entering her room, she greeted him warmly.
"Hello, Vale. I''m d you''re back. How was your mission?" Faith asked.
On the other hand, Vale clenched his fist as he saw her body turning ethereal.
Chapter 680 Healed
Chapter 680 Healed
?"What happened to you?" Vale asked.
He was shocked and worried by her condition.
Vale saw that her body was fading and bing transparent. It was definitely a serious problem!
He immediately checked her condition with his Spells and felt that her vitality was low and unstable.
It didn''t take him that long before he realized what had happened. He had already heard from Pearl about how Faith saved Denise from certain death.
There was no doubt that she had overused the Temporal Timepiece and that it had taken a toll on her life force.
"Faith, you''re turning ethereal right now. You''re losing your vitality... How do you feel? Is there anything I can help you?" Vale worriedly asked as he held her hands.
He wanted to feel the flow of her energy while using his Dragon''s True Sight.
Faith then looked at him and tried to reassure him.
"Don''t worry, Vale. I''m fine. I won''t die just because of this. I can still recover from this... Using the Temporal Timepiece is worth it. It''s amazing. You should check it¡"
Vale shook his head and scolded her.
"Faith, you''re not fine. You''re in danger. I can check the Temporal Timepieceter. I feel like you''ll disappear soon. I can tell you''re in a dangerous situation¡ Instead, tell me how it works. Is it some kind of a curse? Does it drain your Spirit? Your vitality?"
"Mhmm¡ No¡ The Temporal Timepiece took a part of my soul¡ My soul is currently weak, but I won''t die because of it.
"What? Can you even recover an injury in your soul? Are you just going to live with it? Ugh¡ Can you tell me if transferring Divinity would work?" Vale asked.
"Divinity? I''m not so sure¡ However, my body can contain them for a little¡ You can try." Faith said as he didn''t dislike this idea.
She knew very well that Vale was no longer just a Half-Immortal but a true one and that he was already capable of producing his own Divinity.
"Mhmmm¡" Vale nodded as he took a deep breath to prepare himself.
He decided to cure her by transferring his Divinity to her and this won''t be easy¡
He informed the others of what he was about to do to ensure that no one would bother them in this room.
This process was a risky one since Faith was too weak to protect herself from the power of Divinity, but he had no choice. He had to save her, and he had to stabilize her vitality.
"Faith, I''m going to start¡ Don''t fight back and just let the Divinity flow¡ I will adjust it ording to your condition¡ Are you ready?"
Faith nodded and agreed to his words.
"Vale, I trust you. Don''t get too nervous. Even if something happens, it will not be your fault..."
Vale nodded and helped her hands tightly.
"Very well¡"
Vale muttered as his body started to emit the Shadow Divinity and gathered it in his hands.
This was a very different method than just attacking someone with his Divinity, he had to channel his Divinity into his hands and ced it into Faith''s chest.
This was the quickest way of transferring his Divinity.
He then connected his energy or perhaps Spirit Strands with hers so he could have a better understanding of Energy Flow before he began to transfer his Divinity.
Transferring Divinity wasn''t as quick and easy as the Divine Crystal.
It was aplex and delicate process¡ Normally, it requires perfect synchronization and harmony between the giver and the receiver. ording to his studies with Pearl, they might also need a strong will and a strong bond.
It was a technique that could heal and empower, but it could also harm and weaken the party involved...
As Vale started to fill her with his Divinity, Faith felt a surge of pain and pleasure.
Her body was weak, so strong energy would certainly harm her body if Vale wasn''t careful enough.
Nevertheless, Vale wasn''t ipetent in this.
They soon felt their Divinity and vitality flowing and merging.
It was quite strange, but they felt their bodies and souls bing one, even if it was just a feeling¡
Faith felt her power and potential increasing and expanding.
She also felt her etherealness and weakness disappearing and stabilizing.
"Uhmmm¡" Faith started to groan in pleasure as Vale''s control and stability over his Divinity were impable.
Of course, Vale also felt a surge of joy seeing that it was effective...
However, he couldn''t celebrate yet. As they slowly felt their bodies or energy bing one, Vale soon realized that he had already spent 200 Divinity Points to save Faith!
Then, he confirmed Faith''s condition onest time before he decided to stop¡
They then opened their eyes and saw each other.
Vale smiled as he saw Faith''s body was no longer ethereal like a ghost. Although she still looked a bit like a ghost because of her paleness, it wasn''t dangerous anymore.
"Thank you¡"
Faith smiled and hugged Vale¡
However, Vale didn''t quite expect Faith to suddenly kiss him!
"Oopp--" This had surprised him a lot, but he also realized what had happened.
''This Divinity again!'' Vale thought as he swiftly suppressed his Divinity. It truly does strange things to its receiver, and he had forgotten about it since Pearl was no longer affected by it.
As soon as Vale''s Divinity was suppresed, Faith immediately realized what was going on, but she simply smiled and didn''t mind it too much.
"I think I got stronger than before¡ You didn''t just heal me. Am I considered a Half-Immortal now?" She asked.
"I don''t think so¡ Although you have Divinity, you have no way of epting Divinity on your own or even producing them¡"
"I guess so¡"
Faith said as she looked at the Temporal Timepiece and saw that it was glowing and pulsing.
It seemed that their ritual just now was felt by the Pocketwatch and reacted to it.
They felt a connection and a resonance with it.
It was time to explore the Temporal Timepiece, one of the Artifacts left by the Three Paragons.
Chapter 681 The Temporal Timepiece and The Strange Request
Chapter 681 The Temporal Timepiece and The Strange Request
?Vale and Faith decided to explore the Temporal Timepiece, one of the Artifacts, Arcana, or maybe Divine Tool, left by the Three Paragons.
Since it was already unsealed, they could do a thorough research on it. Although Faith already had findings on what it could do, it was limited by her capabilities, and it almost killed her in the process.
Vale had to ensure that his Soul wouldn''t be eaten by this Artifact.
First, he wanted to find out its limitations and powers and how they could use them to their advantage.
They went to Magnus''sboratory, where he had various tools and instruments for studying magic and artifacts.
"Magnus, assist me here¡" Vale said as he saw Magnus in theboratory.
The ve answered without hesitation. "Yes, Master¡"
"Then, let''s begin."
They ced the Temporal Timepiece on a metal stand and connected it to a device that could measure its energy output and frequency.
Of course, they also prepared some safety measures, such as a shield and a timer, in case something went wrong.
Vale activated the Temporal Timepiece ording to Faith''s instructions and observed the readings.
He saw that the Temporal Timepiece was emitting a steady and strong pulse of energy that he suspected as a Temporal or Time Energy.
This was obviously a rare and powerful form of magic that could affect time and probably even space.
He also saw that the Temporal Timepiece started working with itsplex and intricate mechanism, which wasposed of gears, springs, and crystals.
"It''s really working¡ This is amazing, Faith." Vale muttered.
"Yes¡ At this time, it''s only gathering energy¡ I need to spend my Soul Energy to make it work. You probably need to use your Divinity instead."
Faith paused for a moment before she sighed.
"This pocketwatch is really a masterpiece of engineering and magic. It has a perfect bnce and harmony between its parts¡ You mentioned that it was repaired before but it feels as if it really integrated itself with this Artifact. It doesn''t feel like it was repaired."
Vale nodded and looked at the Temporal Timepiece with admiration.
"Alright¡ Let me see what I can do."
He then decided to test some of its functions and features. He used his Divinity to trigger the Temporal Timepieces, and observed the effects.
After about an hour of exploration, they discovered that the Temporal Timepiece could do many things.
First, it had the power of slowing down or speeding up the flow of time in a small area or for a certain object, making it appear faster or slower than normal.
With that, it was also capable of reversing or looping the flow of time in a certain area or for a certain object, making it go back or repeat its previous actions. This was quite intriguing, but it uses too much Divinity¡
Aside from that, it was also capable of creating of what Vale would like to call a temporal bubble or a temporal portal, which could iste area and probably used for defensive or steathy maneuvers.s
Lastly, it was able to help them create a temporal distortion or a temporal anomaly, which could alter or disrupt the naturalws of time and space¡
Thisst ability was what Faith had used to save Denise.
Nheless, Vale and the others were amazed and thrilled by the Temporal Timepiece''s abilities and secrets.
"This is incredible, Faith. The Temporal Timepiece can do so many things. This will help us a lot against the Abyss Realm¡" Vale muttered as he was already starting to imagine what he could do with this item.
However, their research wasn''t over yet.
ording to Faith''s research and also based on the capabilities of the Artifact itself,
She theorized a few things it could also do once they obtained specific requirements.
ording to her, this pocketwatch was supposedly capable of creating a time lock, which could seal or unlock a certain area or a certain object from the effects of time and space, making it immune or vulnerable to them.
She discovered this since the Timepiece seemed to have simrities with her Space Ring that could store or freeze objects in a certain space.
"So it was like that¡" Vale muttered as he didn''t expect that Faith wouldpare it to her Space Ring.
"Yes¡ I''m also thinking that it''s capable of using a Temporal Vision or a Temporal Memory, in some Sovereign Artifacts I''ve seen before."
"Temporal Vision? Memory?" Vale repeated¡
"Yes, I suppose it can help you show or recall a certain event on a specific ce¡ It can be used for investigations by the detectives."
Vale''s eyes lit up after hearing this. There was no way he wouldn''t be excited by the Temporal Timepiece''s possibilities and mysteries.
"Impressive work, Faith. You have truly outdone yourself in researching this Timepiece. I intend to experiment with it in a secure location. But first, as a token of my appreciation, I want to reward you. Tell me your heart''s desire, and I will do my utmost to fulfull any of your request," Vale offered, acknowledging Faith''s assistance to fully utilize the Timepiece.
Faith, intrigued by the prospect of a reward, contemted for a moment before voicing her request.
"In that case, can you promise to rebuild the Dark Arts Academy in the future?" she inquired.
Vale was taken aback by the unexpected request.
"Rebuild the Academy?" he echoed, visibly puzzled by the proposition.
"Yes, I''ve managed to gather all the essential items from Vermont Academy ¨C textbooks, scrolls, talismans, alchemical materials, and everything necessary to establish an Academy. It was originally my mission, so I had ess to the Space Ring and kept it with me. However, I don''t feel worthy of this responsibility. I want you to help me, or rather, take on this significant task in my stead," Faith exined earnestly.
Vale paused, considering Faith''s unexpected proposition.
"This is quite a significant request, Faith. Rebuilding the Dark Arts Academy is no small feat. Why do you feel that you don''t deserve this responsibility? And why do you want me to take on this role?" he inquired, wanting to understand her motivations and intentions.
Chapter 682 After Six Months
Chapter 682 After Six Months
?Vale was momentarily confused by Faith''s unexpected request.
The idea of establishing his own Academy had never crossed his mind, especially considering he had not even graduated from the Academy himself.
However, as Faith indicated having the necessary materials, he contemted the possibility of bringing the n to fruition by enlisting the right individuals to oversee its operations.
Anyway, he wouldn''t be the one instructing the students, making the idea more feasible.
"I believe that you''ll do better than me in this mission... You possess immortality and a significantly longer lifespan. I, on the other hand, am uncertain of my survival in the impending Abyss Realm''s Invasion. I genuinely believe this is the best course of action. Additionally, if possible, I hope you can work to alter the image of Dark Arts Practitioners... It may be challenging at present, but I have faith in your ability to effect positive change¡" Faith articted.
"You mean want me to change the perception of other people on Dark Arts Practitioners?" Vale repeated, acknowledging the magnitude of the task ahead.
Although many people recognized that the Dark Magicians were just another version of Arcanists, many of them still had prejudice over their existence. This was certainly a lot more difficult than building an Academy!
''How am I supposed to change our reputation?'' Vale sighed as he shook his head.
After careful consideration, Vale still nodded in agreement. After all, he was the one who asked Faith to request her reward.
"I understand the importance of this responsibility, Faith. However, we must address the imminent Invasion from the Abyss Realm first. Once we have safeguarded the Human Realm, we can then turn our attention to fulfilling your request." Vale proposed, emphasizing the urgency of preparing for the impending demonic threat.
After all, the request she made needed several years to bepleted.
Faith finally smiled after hearing Vale''s answer.
As they diligently readied themselves against the impending Invasion, six months swiftly slipped by.
***
"How am I supposed to find that Mysterious Castle?"
Maya grumbled to herself as shended in the town near the Cursed Forest.
The airship could onlynd here due to the extreme peril posed by the forest, a testament to its sinister reputation. There have been many rumors surrounding this forest ever since the Ruri Kingdom''s new king was throned.
He had prohibited Rogue Arcanists or any Explorers from disturbing the people living deep inside the forest. They could only visit the periphery of the area, and that had certainly caught many people''s attention.
Anyway, Maya''s mission would have to break that rule.
Apanying her were two individuals cloaked in garments befitting a gentleman. Their appearance exudes an air of mystery and sophistication that suggests that they were possibly Arcanists as well.
The first person had an imposing stature, with a tailored coat and a top hat that shaded his rugged features. The second figure was a woman, her attireprised of a high-cored gown and a veil that concealed her countenance.
Their enigmatic presence added an aura of intrigue to the already eerie surroundings.
That''s right, the town theynded in feels eerie¡ There were just too many Magic Artifacts being circted!
"This is weird¡" Maya muttered.
Her own appearance had already undergone aplete transformation, a deliberate measure to ensure that she remained untraceable to her family. Her once recognizable features were now concealed behind a shroud of anonymity.
She was once known for her warm and amiable personality and sporting luscious blonde locks, but she now bore a strikingly different appearance.
Her hair was now dyed a ck hue, cascading in loose waves around her shoulders in stark contrast to its previous golden hue.
Her once bright eyes were now concealed beneath a dark veil, lending an air of enigma to her countenance. The gown she wore, a sleek and tailored ensemble in shades of somber navy, was adorned with intricatece details and elegant ruffles, a departure from her previous vibrant and cheerful attire.
Nevertheless, her veil also suggests that she was indeed part of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets.
Indeed. At present, Maya was on a mission assigned by the Church of the Lord of the Secrets to seek out the Immortal residing within the Cursed Forest.
Their primary objective was to establish contact with the elusive being, with the ultimate goal of obtaining the knowledge necessary to transcend into an Immortal herself.
Soon, Maya and herpanions made their way through the town, their somber attire standing out amidst the more colorful and lively garments of the locals.
However, because the locals could tell that they were from a specific church, they didn''t think too much of it.
They sought to gather information about the Cursed Forest, hoping to confirm the current situation and devise a n to reach the enigmatic Immortal dwelling within its depths.
"Excuse me, Sir¡" Maya addressed a weathered merchant waiting for customers to buy his products. "We''re seeking information about the Mysterious Castle in the Cursed Forest. Do you have any news of recent activity or any advice for travelers?"
The merchant regarded them with a cautious gaze before responding, "Don''t think about entering it without preparation. Only a few who enter that ce can return. But if you just want to contact those mysterious people, you''ll want to wait for their Merchant Airship¡"
Maya smiled at this since she already knew about the Merchant Airship. What she needed to know was the specific date the ship would arrive.
After talking to several townsfolk, they also confirmed that there really was no other way to meet those people. Furthermore, they were warned not to take merchants on that ship lightly as they were also incredibly strong.
Soon, Maya and herpanions decided to settle in the small town to wait for the Merchant Airship. They also decided to check the Magic Artifacts and Tools being sold in the town.
However, as they were exploring the town, little did they know that a cloaked figure was silently trailing them, observing their every move¡
Unseen and unnoticed, the mysterious watcher trailed them through the town''s winding streets, their gaze never leaving Maya and herpanions.
Chapter 683 Descent
Chapter 683 Descent
??"Seems like the Church of the Lord of the Secrets is making its move as well¡" Ceres murmured under her breath as she recognized the three figures weaving through the town.
Ceres, the third princess of the Milton Kingdom''s Royal Family, had been dispatched by her father on a mission to establish ties with the burgeoning force within the Cursed Forest of the Ruri Kingdom.
Over the past six months, rumors of a mysterious castle and an immortal being dwelling within its walls had permeated the region, drawing the attention of numerous factions and organizations.
However, amidst the growing allure of this enigmatic power, the machinations of the Arcane Bureau had shrouded the path to contacting the Immortal in secrecy. They had thwarted the efforts of these organizations, and even their Councils had been involved in ensuring that the Immortal in the castle would live in peace...
As a result, they were forced to deploy only a handful of emissaries, hoping to evade the Bureau''s scrutiny and make covert overtures toward the Immortal''s domain.
Ceres'' personal knight nodded after hearing her words.
After all, they also noticed other groups of Elite Arcanists in this town over the past few days.
"We have to be careful¡ I think that the Immortal had probably noticed that we''ve gathered here."
As word of the mysterious castle and the enigmatic Immortal within its walls spread, it wasn''t really surprising that representatives from various organizations began to converge on this small town, each with their own agenda.
Ceres sighed at this as she recalled the people from various organizations.
"We already confirmed four other organizations in this town¡ This is quite vexing¡"
The Knights Faction, or the Order of the Faith Guardians, had sent Sir Rnd, a stalwart knight, on a mission to purchase items from the mysterious Merchant Airship.
However, Ceres knew that it wasn''t just that¡ They were certainly here to make contact with the Immortal.
Sir Rnd was apanied by Lady ra, a wise andpassionate cleric known for her healing abilities. She may not have had a high position in the Knight Faction at this time, but she was an important figure nheless.
Their presence signaled the Order was serious about meeting the Immortal.
There was also Sir Geoffrey, a Dragon Warrior of the Combat Arts Faction. He was joined by the cunning and skilled Lady Isolde, known for her strategic prowess¡ Together, they sought to unravel the mysteries surrounding the castle and its Immortal resident.
"They dared to send their people here, but they won''t send people to hunt the Dark Arts Practitioners." Ceres couldn''t help but remark after recalling how these two factions no longer cared about the existence of the Dark Arts Practitioners.
"I''m afraid these two factions will offend the Immortal¡" Ceres'' knightmented as he knew the behaviors of the Knights and Combat Arts Faction.
Nevertheless, there are still other organizations that they believe could really catch Immortal''s interest.
One of them was the Order of the Prime Wisemen of the Rune Arts Faction.
Master Thorne, a sage with extensive knowledge of ancient runes and arcane lore, and his apprentice, the young and talented Arcanist Melisa, were somehow in this town, waiting for the Merchant Airship.
As the small town buzzed with the arrival of these esteemed representatives, a few days quickly passed, and two other organizations, the Shadow Consortium and the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent, quietly made their presence known within the small town!
Ceres doesn''t know much about these two Organizations. She was only aware that they were organizations based in the Milton Kingdom that mainly deal with Arcanist-Rted Items.
This was especially the Shadow Consortium, whichrgely controlled the production of the high-tier Talisman Paper.
On the other hand, the Brotherhood was known for its security services and its control over a specific herb used by many alchemists to create potions that expelled foreign arcane energy from the body.
Their motives remained shrouded in mystery, and Ceres had no idea what would happen once they met the people from the Immortal''s Castle.
***
A week hade and gone just like that, and anticipation hung heavy in the air as the fabled Merchant Airship made its long-
awaited appearance in the sky.
"It''s finally here¡" Maya murmured as she looked at the sky. She was in her room, just looking out the window.
"It''ste, but I guess they have to make preparations when meeting so many representatives from other organizations." Princess Ceres remarked as she finished her cup of tea.
The vessel, an awe-inspiring sight to behold, was adorned with intricate gilded engravings and billowing sails that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.
Whom~
Its arrival was heralded by the low hum of its powerful engines and the grandeur of its majestic silhouette against the horizon.
As the airship gracefully descended, it navigated its way to the designated dockyard on the outskirts of the town, where a crowd had already gathered to witness the extraordinary arrival.
Onlookers craned their necks, their eyes fixed on the impressive vessel as it gently settled into ce, its arrival apanied by a sense of anticipation and wonder.
Many of them were children who could rarely see such a magnificent sight.
"It''s really cool¡ I want to ride that someday."
"I hope they can let us experience boarding that airship¡"
"I feel like we''re witnessing high-ranking nobles visiting our town and not some merchants."
"You''re right¡ Their presence is just too amazing."
"Wait---What''s that?!"
"Ahh¡"
As the townspeople eagerly awaited the emergence of the merchants from the airship, a hushed murmur rippled through the crowd as a remarkable sight unfolded before their eyes.
Instead of the expected merchants, a retinue of twenty humanoid figures, each crafted from gleaming metal and d in resplendent knight''s regalia, descended from the airship''s gangnk.
Their movements were precise and disciplined. Their presence exudes an aura of unwavering loyalty and formidable strength!
"Metal Soldiers?"
"What''s going on?"
"No, it''s Iron Golem?!"
They could only guess what they were seeing at this point!
Then, amidst the guardians stood a singledy with ck and white hair radiating an air of grace and authority thatmanded attention.
Her noble bearing and enigmatic gaze hinted at a formidable presence, and the townspeople watched in awe as she descended from the airship.
Chapter 684 Fees
Chapter 684 Fees
??Needless to say, it was Denise who had alighted from the Airship, and soon she met with the merchants of the town toplete the trade of potions, talismans, and artifacts like amulets, rings, and nes, which mostly provided protection and healing to the people.
As Denise stood in front of the merchants of the town, an air of anticipation and curiosity surrounded the bustling market square. The merchants, d in richly embroidered robes and adorned with trinkets and charms, greeted Denise with a mixture of reverence and intrigue.
"It''s nice to see you, Miss. I wonder what happened to Miss Lisa?" One of the merchants asked.
"I''ll be the one doing the trade this time. I''m Denise¡ and Lisa already informed me of what to do, so you don''t have to worry." Denise answered as she had actually already watched a few trades that Lisa had made before.
However, she wasn''t seen by anyone as she just stayed in the Airship most of the time.
Soon, Denise presented the items that they were nning to sell, showcasing an array of potions, talismans, and artifacts, each imbued with mystical properties designed to offer protection and healing to those in need.
"As expected¡ The quality of each item is impable¡"
"There is no need to check them, Miss Denise. We will purchase them at the usual price."
"Yes¡ Please check the items we have instead. All the herbs, from themon to the rare ones, have been prepared."
"Right! Not even the big cities wouldpare to our abilities to gather these herbs."
"We also gathered as many Spirit Pearls as we can. Please take a look at them."
Aside from that, there were also other materials mostly used for creating talismans, like Ink and Paper, that were being sold.
Denise, with an air of dignified poise, carefully examined each item, her keen eyes discerning each item... As an Alchemist, she probably had one of the best Appraisal Abilities in the castle.
As the negotiations unfolded, a sense of mutual respect and understanding permeated the atmosphere, and soon the exchange of goodsmenced.
After that, the retinue of twenty metallic guardians, towering over the crowd, began to unload crates of items from the Airship.
The locals had never seen them before, so they were all curiously watching them as staying not too close or too far from them.
They simply loved watching these humanoid machines dressed as knights move!
The automatons moved with remarkable precision and efficiency, carrying the crates down to the town without wasting their time.
"Can we also buy them?"
"That will be great if it''s possible¡ However, they probably need a lot of Arcane Energy to make them move."
"With their presence, I don''t think there will be any crime beingmitted in our town."
The townspeople watched in awe as the crates were carefully ced in the market square.
Some of these crates had their contents shimmering with an ethereal glow in the eyes of the Arcanists, hinting at the potent magic contained within.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the market square transformed into a mesmerizing spectacle, illuminated by the soft radiance of enchanted artifacts.
The townspeople marveled at the otherworldly disy, and whispers of wonder and excitement spread through the crowd.
As the enchanting glow of the artifacts continued to captivate the town, Denise made her way back toward the Airship, her thoughts lingering on her next mission.
However, before she could reach the gangnk, a group of formidable-looking individuals emerged from the crowd.
Their attire bore the distinct emblems of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets, the Order of the Faith Guardians of the Knights Faction, the Order of the Prime Wisemen of Rune Arts Factions, and some other organizations she had no idea about since they weren''t showing signs or emblems.
Nheless, it signals their diverse allegiances.
Their presence exuded an air of urgency, and some of them had a gaze of desperation.
As they surrounded Denise, their collective aura seemed to demand attention and respect.
However, Denise didn''t falter and looked at them with a calm gaze.
She was no longer the same Denise, who was only a weak Alchemist and was mostly relying on Lotus to protect her.
Two Automatons, one of them was Arthur, stood beside Denise without making any sound.
"I''m Miya, a representative of the Lord of the Secrets¡"
A figure from the Church of the Lord of the Secrets spoke, her voice seemed to have been altered but Denise wasn''t too sure about it or she wasn''t too bothered to investigate it further.
"How may I help you?"
"We seek the Immortal residing in the mysterious castle of the Cursed Forest. We believe you have the means to lead us to this enigmatic being." Miya answered.
"Oh? Is that the same for all of you guys?" Denise asked as she looked at the other people around.
The representatives from the other organizations nodded and echoed their sentiments, each offering their own motivations and pleas, driven by the desire to unravel the mysteries of the Immortal.
Denise regarded them with a thoughtful gaze, acknowledging their sentiments.
To be honest, Vale didn''t give her instructions on how to deal with this situation. She also heard about their organizations and they were all certainly rich.
With that in consideration¡ She decided to benefit from this.
"Mhmm¡ The Immortal and the secrets that dwell within the forest are not to be trifled with¡" She replied, her voice carrying a note of caution.
"But if you seek an audience with this ancient being, it will require more than mere ambition and fervor."
As her words hung in the air, a shrewd glint sparkled in Denise''s eyes, a silent understanding passing between her and the representatives.
"Ahem¡Of course! You''re right."
"Indeed.We want to show you how serious we are¡"
Sensing the undercurrent of opportunity, each faction began to offer gifts in a bid to secure Denise''s cooperation.
Although Denise wasn''t materialistic, she didn''t mind charging fees for her work!
Chapter 685 Grumble
Chapter 685 Grumble
?Miya, the representative of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets, presented rare tomes.
"Mhmm?" Denise epted the three Tomes she had given and couldn''t help but have a few looks at them.
To Denise''s surprise, these tomes contain Forbidden Spells, Rituals, and other Arts! Most of them are rted to the two Arcane Paths that were a huge part of the Church, the Summoning Path and the Alchemy Path.
However, she had to close the Tomes immediately as the mysterious energy contained within Tome was actually slowly harming her eyes.
''It seems that learning the Forbidden Arts has a price to pay even if I already have the book.'' Denisemented in her mind but still epted them.
In this era, randomly finding Forbidden Arts could be said to be impossible. It was always being confiscated by the Bureau and taken away by therge organizations or factions.
These organizations were also not willing to share these things as they were incredibly powerful, and they did not want these Forbidden Arts to be used against them in the future.
Sir Rnd, from the Knights Faction offered finely crafted armaments and enchanted weaponry¡
"You can have more of them and I can send them to youter so your Metal Golems could have better weapons. Ahem¡ Although the runic armor and weapons that they have will allow them to fight a Knight, that would only be the case for Beginner Knights and not the ones who had be Knights for at least 4 or 5 years."
Denise only nodded as she knew that nothing he possessed could interest her, not even the Royal Rank artifacts he was wearing.
Master Thorne, from the Order of the Prime Wisemen, decided to give Denise three Rune Talismans. These three have the same Rune that was marked on them, and Denise had no idea what Rune it was.
"It''s my Original Rune, Miss Denise¡ So you''ve probably never heard of it. It''s a Rune of Love¡ By using this Rune, you can make anyone fall in love¡ Ahem, with your gracefulness and intelligence, you may not need such an item for yourself, but you might have friends who might need such a Rune."
Thorne immediately said thattter part as he didn''t want to be misunderstood.
The Combat Arts Faction, the Shadow Consortium, and the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent had also given their gifts. However, they were in the form of money as they didn''t prepare beforehand. Although they have precious items, they are too important for them.
Finally, it was Ceres'' turn¡
"Denise," Ceres began, her voice was filled with earnestness¡ "I bring forth this token, a relic of great significance from my kingdom''s archives. It is said to possess mystical properties that may aid in creating Sovereign Artifacts. I can tell that you''re an Alchemist that''s dealing with golems and such, so I think that this item will help you a lot."
She extended the amulet towards Denise, its intricate design shimmering in the light, hinting at its potent arcane properties.
"You''re willing to give this to me?" Denise asked as she squinted her eyes.
Even the others were surprised as they knew the value of this item!
No, it could even be said to be a priceless item!
"Yes¡ I think you deserve it. I think these metal golems of yours would be much stronger with this amulet''s help." Ceres said with a genuine smile on her face.
It seemed that she really wanted impress to Denise.
Denise regarded the offering with a measure of intrigue, her expression thoughtful as she weighed the potential value of the artifact.
As she epted the amulet, a subtle nod of acknowledgment passed between the two women, silently acknowledging the weight of the gesture and the significance of the alliance that was being forged.
***
After graciously epting their offerings, Denise extended an invitation for all the representatives to board the Airship. There was no need to waste their time.
As the Airship ascended into the skies, Denise made the decision to deviate from her original itinerary and return to the castle.
She decided to drop these people in the capable hands of Vale¡
''Hmph... You''re always with Lisa anyway.'' Denise grumbled, her frustration evident as she reflected on her limited time with Vale in recent months.
A sense of frustration gnawed at Denise as she pondered the perceived distance that had grown between her and Vale despite the fact that they were living within the same castle!
Vale had rarely visited her at her workce!
Haa~
With a resigned sigh, Denise couldn''t even be bothered to inform Vale about the visitors through theirmunication crystal.
She decided to just inform him once they got close to the castle...
In any case, In any case, even if these guys have bad intentions or even if all of them are Demon Saints in disguise... Vale would immediately know, and they would not survive that ce.
In the meantime, as Ceres, Miya, and the others settled within the Airship while surrounded by the imposing metal golems, a mix of awe and trepidation filled their thoughts.
Miya, while maintaining herposed demeanor, couldn''t help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the sight of the golems dutifully standing guard. She found them very interesting.
However, what wasrgely in her mind was the small hint of the Dark Spirit''s existence!
"There''s definitely traces of Dark Spirit around here. Is she a Dark Arts Practitioner?" Miya thought to herself as she nced in Denise''s direction. Ever since she became a believer in the Lord of the Secrets, she received a blessing that actually allowed her to sense such entities.
Herpanions seemed to be aware of her thoughts, so they immediately signaled her to stay out of it.
''I guess it''s reallying from Denise, huh¡ Ugh¡ But why do I find her familiar?'' Miya could only shake her head as she decided to just suppress her curiosity for now.
Ceres, on the other hand, felt a surge of apprehension as she nced at the towering metal figures. She couldn''t shake off the feeling of unease, wondering about their true purpose and the extent of their capabilities¡
"She wouldn''t lead us into a trap, would she?"
Chapter 686 Training
Chapter 686 Training
?In the meantime, as Denise was heading back to the castle, Vale was actually fighting in the underground training hall with Chad, the Dragon Disciple.
They were fighting without any Arcane Spells and only through their strength and some of their physical techniques!
They may not be experts in martial arts and physicalbat, but with their incredible set of strands and battle sense, they could easily be mistaken as Martial Artists.
"You''re keeping up¡ That''s impressive." Vale remarked as he jumped back away from Chad.
"Hehehe¡ I''m not giving my all yet. I still want to show you something more." Chad replied with a grin on his face.
Over the past hour of their training, they exchanged blows and kicks, dodges, blocks, grapples, and throws with speed and strength that surpassed ordinary humans.
They mostly used their instincts and experience to gain the upper hand and defeat the opponent.
"Let''s use weapons¡ But we''re still not going to use our Arcane Energy." Chad said.
"Weapons? Alright¡ However, you can use your Dragon''s Blessing all you want. My physique is a bit special, so you need to keep using that to keep up with me."
As he said this, Vale pulled out his weapon.
Vale was using his Stormbringer de, a sword that could channel his Divinity and unleash powerful attacks. Of course, he wasn''t nning to use it for that.
He already has an Immortal Body, a body that had been enhanced and refined by his Divinity, he already had an advantage in this battle.
Furthermore, with the Stormbringer on his hands, he could easily use his Shadowde Dance. It wasn''t a spell but abat technique, so there wouldn''t be an issue using that.
"Yes¡ I will use the Dragon''s Blessing¡"
In the meantime, Chad was using his Dragon ws. It was a pair of gauntlets that enabled his strength as a Dragon''s Disciple.
Furthermore, he now possesses the Dragon Blood, a bloodline he inherited from the two Dragons.
Vale may have Shadowde Drance, but Chad was now a master of the Dragon Style, a style thatbined martial arts and dragon''s strength.
They then resumed their battle, this time with weapons in their hands.
Boom!
They shed with their weapons and created a powerful shockwave.
Vale smiled as he adjusted his strength to match well against Chad. No matter what, he was still a Shadow Immortal.
They then continued their sh as they parried, shed and stabbed, with skill and force surpassing ordinary weapons.
"Careful!"
Vale swung his Stormbringer de, and executed his Shadowde Dance. It was a technique that allowed him to move and attack with the speed and stealth of a shadow.
With this movement technique, it seemed as if he could appear and disappear, strike and evade, with ease and grace. It was a style thatbined swordsmanship and agility.
Although it had been quite some time ever since he learned this technique, Vale could still use it in almost every case that he used his sword.
On the other hand, Chad fought fiercely with his Dragon w Gauntlet and activated his Dragon''s Blessing. It was a technique that allowed him to enhance and transform his body with the power and attributes of a dragon.
Even without Transformation Arts, he could grow scales and wings and increase his strength and endurance¡
Of course, Chad doesn''t need to use such extreme techniques for now.
Boom! Boom!
They continued fighting with only their physical strength, and it had alreadysted for more than an hour.
Both of them were impressed and challenged by each other.
''This guy is getting strong too quickly¡'' Valemented in his mind as he felt that the opportunity that he gave to Chad had truly changed his life.
They had fought many times before, and each time, they had learned something new and gained something valuable in their experience.
"So tough!" Chadined as he realized what Vale was doing.
They were evenly matched but he knew very well that Vale was matching his strength.
After an hour, they had inflicted many wounds and injuries on each other, but they had also healed and recovered from them.
They had exhausted much of their energy and stamina, but because of their unusual physiques, they had also replenished and restored them at the same time!
"Hey¡ I''m getting tired. Let''s end this in onest exchange." Chad said.
"Alright¡ I''m also getting hungry." Vale replied.
Without any more words, they then decided to use their ultimate moves, and end the training once and for all.
Chad gathered his remaining strength and unleashed his final attack¡
"Take this!"
Chad thrust his Dragon ws, and unleashed a huge st that burned through the air and the ground. It wasn''t a Spell but a technique that incorporated his strength as a Half-Dragon.
On the other hand, Vale swung his Stormbringer de, and released a massive sh that tore through the air and the ground.
Just like Chad, it wasn''t apanied by Divinity or Arcane Energy but a mere force that was created by pure strength!
Boom!
The two attacks collided and created a huge explosion that shook the whole training hall.
A shockwave of energy and debris swept through the area, and a cloud of dust and smoke covered the scene.
A loud noise and a bright light filled the senses, and a silence and a darkness followed.
The battle was over, and the result was clear.
Chad was on the other floor, unconscious.
Vale, on the other hand, was touching his shoulder that was hit by Chad''s strike.
"Impressive¡" Vale muttered as he walked to Chad to check his condition.
However, he was interrupted by Denise''s message through hismunication crystal.
"Vale, I''m back. I have some visitors with me. They are representatives from various organizations. They want to meet you and talk to you. I made them pay some fees to bring them here, so please ept them or something before throwing them out if you want... I''m bringing them to the castle now. Please prepare to receive them."
Chapter 687 Noticed
Chapter 687 Noticed
??After waking up Chad, Vale confirmed that the man only needed some rest and wasn''t seriously injured by their training session.
Then, he informed him of Denise''s message.
"I don''t want to meet those people. I want to visit Master Orden and get Ryzoir underground. I''m thinking of asking them for more Dragon Blood." Chad said. He disliked the idea of meeting other representatives of Organizations that could possibly be against Dark Arts Practitioners.
In any case, he wasn''t the one they wanted.
"I doubt that they''ll agree to that. You have to gradually improve your physique before you can handle more Dragon Blood. But, you can try and ask them... Right, if they could help you train your Dragon''s True Sight, that would be better." Vale advised.
"Alright!" Chad said as he left the training room.
Meanwhile, Vale decided to change his clothes before meeting the visitors.
The air was filled with tension as Vale made his way to the reception hall.
After some consideration, he decided to wear the White Mask that he had obtained from the treasury of the Ruri Kingdom.
It was an item on the same level as the ck Grimoire that he used to fight against Sage Merlin and the Pontiff, who were currently away due to a mission he had given to them.
The atmosphere was heavy as Miya and herpanions from the Church of the Lord of the Secrets, Ceres and her Personal Knights from the Milton Kingdom, Sir Rnd and Lady ra from the Knights Faction, Sir Geoffrey and Lady Isolde from the Combat Arts Faction, and Master Thorne and his apprentice Melisa from the Rune Arts Faction, as well as representatives from the Shadow Consortium and the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent, stood in the hall.
They were actually quite surprised that they barely saw anyone around the castle.
They expected this ce to have several strong knights guarding each door and First-ss Arcanists patrolling the surroundings.
However, as they entered the Immortals Territory, they weren''t stopped by anyone, and they literally didn''t see anyone aside from Denise!
Of course, that was because they didn''t count the animals around the castle and the golems who were currently in the mode of being a statues.
Creak~
As the grand doors slowly swung open, all eyes turned towards the figure of the Masked Vale, the Shadow Immortal, as he entered the room.
His presencemanded the attention of the entire assembly, and a sense of awe and reverence filled the air.
The visitors, representing diverse and influential factions, were captivated by Vale''s appearance, and the hall fell silent in deference to the enigmatic figure before them.
"So this is what Divinity feels like¡"
They all had the same thoughts after the Immortal released his strength in front of them.
Of course, they weren''t offended by the Immortal''s decision to hide his face. They were already satisfied to meet him in person.
Nevertheless, Vale himself was actually surprised.
As his Divine Sense swept over the gathered guests, he immediately recognized two familiar figures among them - Ceres and Maya.
Ceres, the third princess, had left asting impression on Vale during their encounter in thepetition. On the other hand, Maya had been a fellow student in the Academy, and both of them delved into the same course, the Ritual Branch of Dark Arts.
''Maya looks different, but I can''t be mistaken¡ Is she concealing her identity? And why is she aligned with that suspcious church?''
Vale mused inwardly, choosing to withhold his inquiries and maintain his shrouded guise.
Addressing the assembly with a low,manding voice, Vale spoke.
"I understand you wish to meet with me."
"Ahem¡ Yes, they all have different reasons foring here... Since I already brought them here, I''m going to continue on my task." Denise, having yed her part in bringing the visitors to the castle, quickly excused herself, leaving Vale to engage with the diverse group of representatives.
As soon as Denise left, the tension in the room mounted.
This time, Ceres sought to address the Immortal, but her words were interrupted by a suddenugh from an unexpected source.
Master Thorne, the representative of the Rune Arts Faction or the Order of the Prime Wisemen, spoke in an amused tone.
"It seems the rumors were true - the Masked Devil Incarnate is indeed the Immortal."
His revtion sent ripples of surprise through the assembly, sparking murmurs and questions about the notorious figure.
"Masked Devil Incarnate? Isn''t he a criminal?"
"The adversary of the Church of the Three Paragons?"
"Master Thorne, I think you shouldn''t offend the Immortal."
The whispers and inquiries swirled through the room, echoing the notoriety of the elusive figure that had drawn the ire of the Church of the Three Paragons.
Beneath his mask, Vale smiled at the reactions, opting not to refute the ims.
Well, he''s already an Immortal, and he doesn''t really care if he reveals his other identities at this point. He was simply wearing his mask right now as he felt that he should shroud himself with a bit of mystery and to gain more respect.
Furthermore, his young, handsome face might also be too much for them and they might start worshipping him.
Vale shook his head a little with this random thought¡
After collecting his thoughts, he spoke. "Ho~ You recognized my other identity? How did you do it?"
Master Thorne stepped forward, his presencemanding attention as he introduced himself.
"Ahem¡ I''m Thorne, an old Runecaster of the Order of the Prime Wisemen."
After saying this, he exined that his Runic Fate Eyes had granted him the ability to perceive the fate of individuals, even after they underwent significant changes.
Despite Vale''s transformation and ascension to immortality, his fundamental fate remained unchanged. Thorne recounted an encounter from the past, when he had observed the Masked Devil Incarnate in action from a distance.
This event had urred during the failure of the Bluedes Mercenaries to deliver the Formation Nodes to their Faction.
At that time, Thorne had been present at Coulston Castle and had witnessed the Masked Devil''s actions. However, he rified that he had not been assigned to apprehend the culprit at that particr moment, so he didn''t show himself.
"So it was like that¡" Vale wryly smiled beneath his mask upon hearing Thorne''s ount, acknowledging the resilience of fate.
Nevertheless, he maintained his posture while observing the Demon Saint, who had disguised himself to enter his castle.
Chapter 688 Trade
Chapter 688 Trade
??Unbeknownst to the others, Vale had already discerned the true identity of one of the representatives as the elusive Demon Saint.
Nheless, Instead of confronting the situation directly, Vale chose to bide his time, waiting for the Demon Saint to reveal his hand before making his move.
He then turned his attention to the old Runecaster.
He observed Master Thorne carefully and recognized that he would have stood little chance against such a formidable opponent if he had chosen to pursue him during their earlier encounter in the Coulston Castle.
''Those are Runic Fate Eyes? Interesting¡ I wonder what my fate is right now.'' Vale mused.
He had little to no Divinity during that time when he had stolen the Stormbringer Sword, while this Runecaster seemed to know a lot of Runes that could quickly suppress him.
However, Vale reflected that those events were now in the past, and he had since grown in strength, prepared to confront challenges of any magnitude.
After taking a deep breath, he spoke.
"Now that my identity as the Masked Devil Incarnate, pursued by the Church of the Three Paragons, has been revealed to all of you, do your intentions for today remain unchanged?" Vale inquired, his voice carrying a weight of anticipation.
In response, Maya, disguised as Miya, spoke up with a resolute tone.
"Yes, Sir Immortal. I am Miya, a representative of the Lord of the Secrets. We have been dispatched here to request your assistance."
As Miya uttered these words, she produced a crystal, its sizeparable to that of an adult''s fist.
The other representatives, aside from Master Thorne, appeared puzzled by this gesture, while Thorne''s eyes remained fixed on the crystal, his understanding of the item''s value was evident.
"Are you presenting this to me as gift?" Vale queried from behind his mask. Of course, he was already aware that this was not the case, but he still chose to pose the question to make it difficult for her.
"Ahh¡"
Miya hesitated momentarily before responding¡ "No, Sir Immortal. We are imploring you to infuse this Divine Crystal with your pure Divinity. If you assist us in this, we pledge to support your mission of sealing all the Abyss Gates or any of your requests to us."
Vale arched a skeptical brow, intrigued by the proposal. "So, someone within your Church requires Divinity?" he inquired directly.
Miya didn''t want to discuss this in front of other people but he had no choice at this point.
"Yes, it will aid one of our Elders. Please inform us of your desires in exchange, and we will do our best to fulfill them." Miya responded with a sincere tone.
''I don''t think that her Church will be problem¡'' Vale thought to himself as he recalled the reports he received from the Bureau.
Since he had enved Raizen and Felix, the two Council Members of the Arcane Bureau, he already obtained ess to plenty of information around the world.
One of the files that was sent to him was rted to the Lord of the Secrets. This Lord was actually called the Goddess of Concealment before.
ording to the files that were sent to him, among all the Churches in the continent, the Church of the Lord of the Secrets was the one that was giving less trouble to the Bureau.
They do notmit human trafficking, they always follow government policies, they help a lot in dealing with bad spirits and evil creatures, and they always help the poor who worship their Lord.
However, the most important thing about this was the power of their Lord.
The Concealment Art.
"Very well¡" Vale finally agreed.
"I will infuse the Divine Crystal with my pure Divinity. However, in exchange, I request the assistance of the Church in a matter that is of great significance to me."
He didn''t specify what it was but Miya seemed to have some idea of what he wanted to request to the Church.
After all, there weren''t a lot of things that their Church could do.
Miya nodded in agreement, acknowledging Vale''s request with a gratified expression. Then Vale used his Traceless Shift to take the Divine Crystal.
Without wasting any more time, he proceeded to channel his potent Divinity into the crystal, infusing it with radiant energy with strands of darkness that seemed to shimmer and pulsate within its crystalline form.
Miya and the others watched as the dull crystal turned vibrant¡
''So this is what it looks like¡ It''s beautiful¡'' Miya thought as she realized that her task was actually incredibly difficult!
She had to protect this crystal until she returned to the Church! If possible, once she got the crystal back, she would immediately leave without waiting for other representatives to finish their transactions!
"It''s done¡" Vale said. This time, he didn''t use his Traceless Shift and nned to give it to Miya by hand.
However, as he was about to return the filled Divine Crystal, a sudden disturbance shattered the tension in the air.
The Demon Saint, hidden among the representatives, made a swift and cunning move, attempting to seize the crystal.
''So you finally made your move¡ Are you targeting the Divine Crystal instead of me?'' Vale mused.
Vale''s senses tingled with rm as he swiftly intercepted the Demon Saint''s stealthy maneuver, his voice cutting through the tension.
"Stop! What do you think you are doing?"
His voice contained the power of the Soul Reaper Spell! However, this Spell didn''t work against the Demon Saint¡
Nheless, it was enough to injure the Demon Saint and make him show his true appearance!
The atmosphere crackled with tension as the other representatives reacted with shock and apprehension, realizing that one of the representatives who had visited with them was being of another realm!
They immediately reacted as they swiftly backed away and held their weapons.
In the midst of the chaos, Vale''s gaze locked onto the true form of the Demon Saint, who had masqueraded among them.
It was none other than one of Ceres'' Shadow Knights!
Chapter 689 Duel
Chapter 689 Duel
??Just like the others, the Demon Saint''s true form was that of a humanoid figure, albeit with a chilling and otherworldly presence.
His countenance was marked by a pair of ominous horns that protruded from his forehead, twisting upward in a menacing arc. His eyes, a sinister fusion of ck and crimson, glowed with an unsettling intensity, radiating a malevolent aura.
"That was dangerous¡ Immortal." The Demon Saint said.
Although he was forced to reveal his true appearance, he didn''t seem to be panicking and was calmly assessing the situation he was in.
d in dark, ethereal armor that seemed to shift and writhe like liquid shadow, he exuded an air of profound danger.
Sinister patterns adorned the surface of his robe, pulsing with an eerie, crimson luminescence.
As he stood amidst the room, a sense of foreboding spread over the onlookers, and the very air seemed to grow heavy with his presence.
"Y-you! You''re a Demon?!"
The one who was most shocked in the room was Ceres.
The Shadow Knight she had selected years ago had turned out to be a Demon! She couldn''t help but shudder in terror after recalling who she had been with most of the time.
"How is it possible?"
This realization sent a shiver down her spine as she grappled with the notion that the individual she had trusted implicitly was, in fact, a being of malevolent origin.
"I am not an ordinary demon, Princess Ceres. I am one of the Demon Saints, bearing a single-digit rank." He stated with a touch of pride, although Vale discerned a hint of uncertainty beneath the facade.
After all, the Demon Saint had yet to divulge his true name, a detail not lost on Vale.
"Then what are you going to do now, Single-Digit Demon Saint?" Vale asked with a mocking tone in his voice.
As the tension in the room reached its peak, the Demon Saint, realizing that his ruse had been exposed, made a furtive attempt to vanish from sight, casting a mirage spell in a desperate bid to escape.
The air shimmered and distorted, offering glimpses of his elusive form as he sought to elude capture.
The other people in the room didn''t dare to do anything aside from protecting themselves.
"You''re escaping? Hahaha¡ I guess that''s a good decision." Valeughed as he realized what was happening.
Nheless, Vale, with an air of confidence, made no move to impede the fleeing Demon Saint, choosing to watch in silence as the demonic being dissipated into the shadows.
''He let the Demon Saint escape?'' Miya and the rest of them had the same thought.
They didn''t expect that the mysterious Immortal would allow such a dangerous being to escape just like that.
However, they didn''t dare to question his decision.
"I apologize, Sir Immortal. I didn''t know that my personal knight was a Demon Saint. I¡ªOur family is not involved in this. We''re also victims of the Demon Saint''s transformation ability." Ceres immediately exined. She didn''t want the Immortal to think negatively of the Royal Family.
Lucky, Vale didn''t make it too hard on her.
"It''s fine¡ That Demon Saint isn''t the strong. Aside from that, it was my friend who had invited you all inside the castle¡" Vale replied.
At the very least, they still owed him for the fact that he managed to reveal its true identity and didn''t cause too much damage on their side.
Finally, one of them had the courage to ask Vale.
"Sir Immortal, is it alright to let the Demon Saint flee?'' Sir Rnd of the Knights Faction couldn''t help but ask.
As a Magic Knight who had been imparted with discipline and chivalrous acts, he had the urge to eliminate such a threat to humanity.
He knew very well that the Demon Saints were almost at the top of thedder. Their powers were incredible, and there weren''t many who could win against them in a one-on-one fight.
Vale smiled at this and only gave a mysterious answer.
"I''ve prepared something for him outside. You don''t have to worry about him." Vale said.
***
In the meantime, outside the castle, the Demon Saint found himself in a predicament.
Unbeknownst to the Demon Saint, a contingent of formidable individualsy in wait just beyond the threshold of the castle, waiting to intercept his escape!
As the illusory effects of the mirage spell began to wane, the Demon Saint materialized at the edge of a barrier he couldn''t pass through!
"What a strong Formation Art¡" The Demon Saint muttered.
Then, he looked at the side not too far from him.
Soon, a figure emerged from the darkness, her presence exuding an aura of formidable strength.
It was none other than Lisa the Vampire¡ She had already seen Vale fight against a Demon Saint, but she hadn''t tried it yet.
She looked a bit excited when she received a message from Vale that she could practice everything she had learned against this Demon Saint!
"Stand down, Demon¡ If you want to leave this ce, you have to break that barrier, but I won''t allow that to happen. This will be your grave."
Lisa spoke with a disdainful tone as she confronted the fleeing figure.
"Breaking this barrier isn''t that difficult if I have enough time¡ Mhmm¡ Is that Immortal injured or something? Why did he not chase me? Is he afraid?" The Demon Saint asked, confused that a delicate woman was the one who had stopped him from fleeing.
He couldn''t help but consider that the Immortal was weakened!
"Hahaha! That''s a good joke, Demon¡ You can try to kill me and find out." Lisa replied.
As Lisa said this, her Vampiric Aura started to spread¡ It would not lose out to the menacing aura of the Demon Saint at all!
The Demon, now cornered, cast a wary nce at the formidable woman and the group of Automatons gathering to apprehend him.
"You want to capture me? I will not be taken so easily¡" He retorted, his voice tinged with a trace of desperation.
"You will regret crossing paths with me." He added.
Lisa''s gaze remained calm, unshaken in the face of the Demon Saint''s ominous warning.
"Your threats hold no sway here."
With that said, the Vampire and the Demon started their duel!
Chapter 690 The Clash
Chapter 690 The sh
??Boom!
The Vampire and the Demon shed, unleashing their full power.
While Lisa could release her Vampiric Aura, the Demon exudes with Demonic Energy empowered by his Corrupted Divinity.
This would not be easy for the Vampire.
At the first exchange, Lisa tried to test the Demon with only her speed and physical strength¡
The two of them exchanged a couple of blows before Lisa used her first Vampire Spell.
Lisa summoned her thralls, undead servants who obeyed her everymand!
They were creatures she could summon as long as she had enough souls in her collection.
Graahh~
She sent them to attack the Demon Saint, hoping to distract and weaken him¡ There was no way she could win with these Thralls but they would at least spend some of the Demon Saint''s energy.
"Kill him!" Lisamanded.
The thralls were armed with knives, axes, and chains, and they moved with speed and ferocity.
"Useless! Don''t you dare look down on me!"
The Demon Saint used his Demonic Energy, a dark and corrupting force that twisted and tainted everything it touched.
He sted the Thralls with a few waves of Demonic Energy, hoping to destroy and consume them in the process!
With his precise control, the Demonic Energy burned, exploded, and devoured the Thralls, and they fell one by one!
Their screams of pain and terror reverberated throughout the whole battlefield.
"That Immortal sent you to capture me when you''re this pathetic? Did I overestimate him?" The Demon Saint couldn''t help but wonder. He was truly afraid of facing the Immortal alone. After all, he heard a lot of things about this Immortal.
The only weakness they knew was that he could not detect the Demon Saints once they used their Physique''s Special Trait to transform.
"I''m not done yet¡ Don''t celebrate too early."
Lisa said as she summoned her bats, nocturnal creatures who served her as scouts and spies.
Of course, they were also capable of releasing poison to kill their target.
Whoossh~
She sent them to swarm the Demon Saint, hoping to poison, blind, and confuse him with the energy they were releasing at the same time.
Furthermore, Lisa could summon hundreds of these bats as she only needed to use a drop of her blood to summon a hundred of them at the same time.
The bats were small, agile, and numerous, and they flew with stealth and precision.
The Demon Saint used his Corrupted Divinity, a fallen and perverted power that defied and mocked the natural order.
With a wave of his hand, the surrounding rocks floated and were coated with his Corrupted Divinity.
Then, he unleashed them in the form of des, aiming to repel and annihte the bats that Lisa had summoned!
The Corrupted Divinity burst with power as they sliced and shredded the first wave of bats!
Soon, they scattered and vanished as they couldn''t handle the power released by the Demon Saint.
"No matter how many creatures you summon, a Vampire like you can never win against us!" The Demon Saint shouted.
"You''re noisy for a high-ranking Demon Saint¡"
Lisa said as she maintained herposure.
Then, with another burst of Vampiric Aura, Lisa used her Blood Maniption, a rare and potent skill that allowed her to control and manipte blood.
She drew blood from her own body, and from the corpses of the thralls and the bats, and formed it into weapons and shields.
Well, it wasn''t just that, it appears that there were also pools of blood prepared for her hidden in the area.
Lisa then threw the blood spears, daggers, and whips at the Demon Saint, hoping to pierce and bleed him.
"Now this is more interesting¡" The Demon Saintmented as he felt the power of the Vampire increase drastically¡
To his Surprise, there was a hint of Divinity that he felt from her! This confused him for a moment but he didn''t have the time to investigate it.
He saw Lisa create blood hands to attack him from a different direction and also a blood dome to protect herself from his attacks!
"Hmph!"
The Demon Saint used his Demonic Strength, a brute and savage force that enhanced his physical abilities.
He tried using his Demonic Energy but it wasn''t working well against the Vampiric Blood for some reason.
With that in consideration, he dodged, blocked, and parried the blood weapons with his agility and reflexes.
"No more hiding!" The Demon Saint shouted as he also smashed, broke, and tore the blood hands with his strength and ferocity.
He closed the distance between him and Lisa, and he tried to grab her with his hands that had turned into demonic ws!
However, for some reason, Lisa wasn''t panicking at all. She moved swiftly to dodge him¡
She just continued casting Vampiric Spells!
She cast spells that affected the mind, the body, and the soul of the Demon Saint, hoping to weaken and subdue him.
She cast spells that caused fear, pain, and confusion, making him doubt and suffer for a brief moment. She also cast spells that drained, cursed, and bound him, making him almost lose his mind¡
She continued doing this while maintaining her distance from the Demon Saint!
"You! Are you ying with me?!"
The Demon Saint used his Demonic Will, a stubborn and resilient force that kept him alive and fighting.
"How are you doing this?!"
To his surprise, a small de made of blood pierce through his chest while he was defending himself from the Vampiric Curses.
He endured it and tried removing it but he could not!
"What blood is this?!"
Unfortunately, Lisa''s answer was another barrage of Spells!
The Demon Saint resisted, endured, and overcame the Vampire Spells with his pure determination and rage.
Once again, he used all his power and reached Lisa, and he tried to bite her with his fangs.
"Aahh!"
Lisa was finally hurt!
However, the battle continued!
The Demon Saint fought for a long time, neither of them willing to give up or back down. They matched each other in power and skill, and they inflicted wounds and injuries on each other.
As time went by, they both bled and suffered injuries!
They fought until they reached their limits, and they had to use theirst resort.
Chapter 691 The Result
Chapter 691 The Result
??The Vampire and the Demon Saint unleashed their ultimate attacks, hoping to finish and kill each other.
Lisa used her Vampiric Awakening, a state of being that awakened her true and primal nature. This was something she could never do without Vale''s assistance!
Not only did she possess some of Vale''s Blood to use as a secret weapon, but she also received some of his Divinity.
Apparently, she had been receiving Vale''s Divinity every other night, which allowed her to keep getting stronger.
As she did this, Lisa transformed into an Ancient Vampire form!
She became a bat-like creature with wings, ws, and fangs.
She also gained a boost in her speed, strength, and senses.
''I don''t like this form, but with this, draining his energy will be a lot faster.'' Lisa thought as she didn''t really like this appearance.
She then flew towards the Demon Saint, and she tried to rip his heart out with her ws! Of course, at the same time, she could slowly suck out his energy just by staying close to him!
This was something that surprised even Vale!
The Demon Saint, on the other hand, didn''t falter as he used his Demonic Ascension! It was something that only those at the single digit of the Demon Saint Rankings were capable of pulling off!
It was a state of being that ascended him to a higher and darker level. This technique basically ignores the Will of the Human Realm, as he would be able to ess the power of the Abyss Realm to aid him and get stronger! However, it would be in exchange of life force!
Nheless, his Corrupted Divinity would surely be fatal to his enemy!
"Fine! I''ve only used this once in the Elven Realm¡ Feel honored!"
As he said this, he transformed into a horned beast with scales, spikes, and tails behind him¡ The gory transformation would normally scare other people, but when Lisa saw this, she didn''t even flinch as she assessed the weakness of her opponent!
Through the transformation, the Demon Saint also gained a boost in his defense, attack, and regeneration.
He stood his ground, and he tried to crush her skull with his tail.
Boom!
The tail and the w shed!
They both hit each other, and they both felt a surge of pain!
Nheless, none of them stopped fighting¡
Lisa realized that the Demon Saint''s technique nullified her energy-draining ability.
After realizing this, she used her Blood Maniption, and she formed a floating blood sword that she couldmand with a wave of her hands.
She swung it at the Demon Saint, aiming to cut him in half!
Then, she also used her Vampire Spells that aimed to control her target¡ Of course, since the target had strong mental will, he would probably just feel dizzy and nauseous, but she was hoping that it would be enough to make him lose his bnce.
However, the Demon Saint used just his raw Demonic Energy and blocked the blood sword with ease...
"These pathetic spells again?! They''re useless!" He shouted to Lisa, but he still did his best to recover from those spells.
He then counterattacked with his tails, hoping to impale her in the chest.
Bam!
They both got hit by their attacks, but it was still not over!
They pulled each other closer, and they continued their fight!
Lisa finally found an opportunity and bit the Demonic Saint''s neck with her fangs.
She tried to drain his Blood and energy, hoping to weaken him and strengthen herself!
"You fool! You just hasten your death!" The Demon Saint was actually ted that she tried consuming his Blood!
However, he miscalcted Lisa''s Vampiric Trait!
She ignored the pain of consuming the Demon Saint''s Demonic Energy and Corrupted Divinity as she used her Vampiric Aura, and she spread it around him, hoping to suppress him and make him feel fear and despair!
Bam!
The blood de that was previously left on his body moved once again!
''What? I thought I already suppressed it?!'' The Demon Saint was filled with horror!
He then used all his remaining strength as he wed Lisa''s face with his nails!
He tried to rip her flesh and soul, aiming to heavily injure her and make her stop what she was doing! However, she just keeps regenerating from the energy she was getting from the Demon Saint!
Although bloodied, Lisa didn''t stop attacking!
She used her trusted Blood Maniption, and she gathered all the Blood around her into a giant blood bomb.
"Die!"
She threw it at the Demon Saint, hoping to st him into pieces.
She threw it at the Demon Saint, hoping to st him into pieces.
"You want to die with me?! Dream on!"
The Demon Saint shouted as he gathered all his remaining Corrupted Divinity around him and tried to hasten Lisa''s corruption!
He had already imnted the Corruption Divinity in Lisa''s body, and he only needed to trigger it!
He shot all his Corrupted Divinity at Lisa, hoping to vaporize her with the corruption. At the same time, he also used his Demonic Energy and cast a spell to weaken Lisa''s control over the blood bomb¡
However, he miscalcted the small blood de that couldn''t be removed from his body!
It actually moved once again, and it was trying to rip him apart! This made him lose his focus for a brief moment!
Boom!
The Blood Bomb exploded, and the two powerful beings were caught in the explosion!
Thud!
The Demon Saint was thrown to the barrier, and his life or death was uncertain. On the other hand, Lisa was thrown to a tree and was heavily injured!
Both of them were unconscious!
Nheless, Lisa was notpletely dead. She had a sliver of life left, thanks to her Vampiric Regeneration.
She had actually survived, although she seemed gravely injured.
Shey on the ground and, barely breathing¡
At this time, Pearl appeared beside Lisa and heaved a sigh of relief¡
"That was dangerous¡" Pearl shook her head as she hadn''t expected Lisa to go this far.
Pearl then looked at the Demon Saint and confirmed that Lisa had won...
She had killed the Demon Saint!
Chapter 692 Courting Death
Chapter 692 Courting Death
??While Pearl was checking Lisa''s body, she felt the presence of Vale''s Shadow Soldier appearing beside the fallen Demon Saint¡
This Demon Saint was then covered by Shadows before disappearing from sight¡
Pearl just ignored this scene since there was something more important at hand.
If not for the Immortal''s Blood that Lisa was controlling, she would''ve surely lost this battle.
Just a while ago, the Demon Saint''s Demonic Ascension had nearly shattered the castle''s barrier with its energy surge. If not for the dagger made of Immortal''s Blood, that could''ve been the case¡
''Well¡ It''s still amazing how Lisa managed to win that way¡ She''s only in her teens, but she can already win against Demons that could be hundreds or thousands of years old. Very impressive¡'' Pearl remarked in her mind before she quickly checked Lisa''s condition.
Using her own Divinity and inspection spells, she could tell that there was still Corrupted Divinity messing up her regeneration ability.
As expected, her Vampiric Trait wasn''t that almighty when attacked by Divinity.
She was alive but barely breathing. She had multiple wounds and burns on her body, and she would slowly weaken and fail to regeneratepletely if she didn''t receive help soon...
Nheless, Pearl remained calm as if she could easily heal Lisa.
After taking a deep breath, Pearl touched Lisa''s body.
Lisa''s clothes were torn and stained with blood. Her breathing was weak and irregr.
Pearl squinted her eyes as she confirmed that the Corrupted Divinity wasn''t messing with Lisa''s heart.
As long as the Vampire''s heart wasn''t corrupted, there would still be hope for full recovery.
''That Vale really spent a lot of Immortal Blood on this girl¡ Is this what they call love?'' Pearl wryly smiled as she could tell that Vale was indeed taking care of this young girl.
Pearl then took out a healing potion from her pocket and poured it into Lisa''s mouth. It wasn''t really a brewed potion but a wine that was enhanced by her Divinity.
It wasn''t just meant to heal wounds but could also help strengthen anyone who drinks it.
She hoped it would help Lisa recover quickly.
Of course, since Lisa was unconscious and couldn''t control the distribution of the energy being poured into her body, Pearl also infused her energy to help her properly allocate the excess energy.
She knew it was not enough, but it was all she could do for now. She had just to let Lisa''s natural regenerative ability start.
In the end, she had to get Lisa out of her and send her to the infirmary where she could be treated better by Magnus.
With a sigh, Pearl looked around. A huge part of the forest was in ruins. The trees were burned and broken.
The ground was also scorched and cracked. It didn''t seem like this was a battle of two individuals, as the air was still filled with smoke and dust.
''This would be difficult to fix without a few Elementalist''s help¡ Magnus probably can''t do this alone.'' Lisa thought.
The battle had left a trail of destruction¡
She couldn''t help but wonder if anyone had noticed themotion from the outside¡
''Perhaps there''s another Demon Saint outside?'' Pearl mused as she tried to sense the surroundings but couldn''t find traces of another Demon Saint or any individuals within her Magic Zone.
Pearl then lifted Lisa''s body and carried her on her back.
She was heavier than she looked, but Pearl did not mind.
Pearl then ran through the forest, looking calmly as she headed back to the castle.
***
In the meantime, the battle outside the castle no longer has anything to do with the representatives of the various organizations that had visited Vale.
After the situation calmed down, Miya epted the Divine Crystal that was filled with Vale''s Divinity. She was extremely grateful for this and promised that the Church of the Lord of the Secrets would be their ally.
On the other hand, Ceres was no longer in the mood to make a request to the Immortal. The fact that her Personal Knight turned out to be a Demon Saint in disguise had ruined the opportunity she had. Instead of making a request, she should try to help the Immortal as best as she could!
Sir Rnd, on the other hand, was still a bit uneasy about the Demon Saint who had escaped from the castle. Because of the Formation Arts, aside from Vale, none of them could sense the battle of the Vampire and the Demon! He couldn''t help but feel worried about this.
"Sir Immortal, not only the Order of the Prime Wisemen but also the whole Rune Arts Faction would like to be a friend of you¡ We have been informed of your great deeds of dealing with the Abyss Gates¡ The other organizations may not be taking this seriously but our Faction is different. We know how important it is that''s why we don''t really care about your past or your rtionship with the churches¡" Master Thorne said as he spoke sincerely.
Vale looked at him curiously and didn''t speak. He knew that this old man had something in his mind.
"To show our sincerity, we are nning to send some Runecasters inside the Abyss Realm¡" Master Thorne said.
This surprised not only Vale but also everyone in the room!
That was insane! Entering the Abyss was a suicide mission!
"Why would you do that?" Vale asked, curious and puzzled.
He couldn''t help but doubt their intention for this such a dangerous task. They were basically trying to get their Runecasters killed with such a mission!
Master Thorne smiled and replied calmly.
"We want to explore the secrets of the Abyss Realm. We want to learn more about the runes and the magic that exists there. Of course, this reason may not be enough for you to believe us. However, we want to make a breakthrough in our research which will benefit the whole world. I can''t tell you the exact details yet, but if we seed, you will benefit as well..."
Master Thorne then paused for a moment before he continued...
"Of course, we''re not doing this because we don''t know of the dangers ahead. We have a n to avoid getting killed as soon as we enter."
Chapter 693 Shocking Request
Chapter 693 Shocking Request
Master Thorne looked at the Masked Immortal, trying to find some reaction from him.
Seeing that the Immortal doesn''t n to speak, Master Thorne continued.
"And we want you to join us, Sir Immortal¡ Not by entering the Abyss Realm but by helping us open a safe passage to the Abyss Realm¡"
Finally, these words surprised Vale a lot, and his body showed some reaction.
''As expected, this Immortal is new and doesn''t know he can also open a gate to the Abyss Realm.'' Master Thorne remarked in his mind before he tried to convince the Immortal once again.
"We believe that with your help, we can achieve our goals. You are the key to unlocking the mysteries of the Abyss Realm. We believe that you are the one who can lead us to glory¡ I hope you can grant our request."
Master Thorne and his female disciple then bowed in unison
"Please, Sir Immortal, consider our offer. We are willing to share our knowledge and resources with you. We are also willing to follow yourmands and respect your wishes in this task."
With that said, Thorne shut his mouth and waited for the Immortal''s reply.
To be honest, Vale was genuinely shocked about this offer. He didn''t even consider such a thing, even with his current strength.
''Is it really possible?'' Vale mused.
"Tell me what you know¡" Vale finally said after some thought.
Thorne nodded excitedly and spoke with total confidence.
"The Order of the Prime Wisemen has the knowledge and the means to open a gate to the Abyss Realm. We have studied the runes and the magic that govern the connection between the realms. Of course, this with the help of our Coboration with the Church of the Divine Sorcerer¡ We have prepared the materials and the rituals that are necessary for the gate. We only need an Immortal''s help to stabilize the gate and perhaps protect us from the dangers of the Abyss Realm in case the coordinates we''ve opened had some problems¡ Ahem¡ We believe that you are the only one who can do that, Sir Immortal."
Miya and Ceres looked at the old man after saying this. None of them expected such a thing to be possible.
This information was definitely a ssified one. However, because the Immortal didn''t want to have a conversation in a private room, they had no choice but to reveal such an important secret.
"So I will be staying outside the gate of the Abyss Realm?" Vale asked once more.
"You''re right, Immortal. We only need your assistance outside and in the process of opening the gate."
Vale thought about Thorne''s proposal, but he did not give a definite answer.
He was intrigued by the idea of opening a gate to the Abyss Realm, but he was also wary of the risks and the consequences. He had to think about it carefully.
As much as he wanted to stop the invasion, he wasn''t willing to take all the pressure of the Abyss to him.
He decided to postpone his decision until he heard from the other representatives.
"We''ll talk more about itter. For now, I want to hear from the representatives of the Shadow Consortium and the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent. I am not expecting your presence here¡" Vale said, turning his attention to the other two organizations.
A while ago, he asked Magnus about these organizations through his telepathy.
Apparently, the Shadow Consortium and the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent were not as well-known or as influential as the other organizations, but they had their own specialties and niches.
They hade to the castle to meet him with their own agendas and requests.
''I wonder what they gave to Denise to make her agree¡'' Vale curiously thought.
The representative of the Shadow Consortium was a middle-
aged man with a thin face and a sharp gaze. He wore a ck cloak that concealed his body and a silver mask that covered his mouth. He introduced himself as Zane, the leader of the Shadow Consortium.
Indeed, he was the leader of the whole Organization! He wasn''t just a random representative!
ording to Magnus, the Shadow Consortium was known for its production of High-Grade Talisman Paper, which was used for making Elemental and Curse Talismans. The Shadow Consortium had a monopoly on the production and distribution of the High-Grade Talisman Paper, which made them rich and influential in the underground market¡
Of course, because of such a monopoly, this consortium was also involved in many underground businesses.
Master Cane''s request to the Immortal was simple and straightforward.
He wanted to buy some of the Immortal''s Blood and use it to make a new type of talisman paper, which he called the Divine Talisman Paper.
"Propesterous¡" Master Thorne couldn''t help butment after hearing what the Shadow Consortium wanted.
Even the others were taken aback by such a bold request!
''Just how desperate are you to earn money?!''
This was what everyone thought!
Nheless, Cane continued.
"I do not wish to offend you, Immortal¡" Cane spoke carefully as he couldn''t see the reaction of the Immortal with the mask he was wearing. Whether Vale was angry or interested in his idea, he couldn''t tell at all!s
Nheless, Cane was already here and was given a chance to speak with the Immortal. If he really gained a chance to cooperate with such a mighty being, it would be a great boon to their business.
Then, he continued to im that the Divine Talisman Paper would be able to create talismans that could rival the power of the gods and that he was willing to pay a high price for the Immortal''s Blood. He believed that the Immortal Spells that were deemed useless might be possible to use once again with this experiment!
Vale''s eyes widened as he knew that Cane was referring to the Celestial Arts or their Spell Models that could not be used by anyone but him!
''This is a bit dangerous¡'' Vale thought.
Although he liked this innovative idea, It would cause a lot of trouble if the Divine Talisman wasn''t in the right hands.
Furthermore, it also felt like this organization doesn''t have anything he needs to grant them such a request.
Chapter 694 The Brotherhoods Request
Chapter 694 The Brotherhood''s Request
??For now, Vale decided to reject Cane''s request¡
"I appreciate your interest, Cane, but I''m afraid I can''t agree to your offer. The Divine Talisman Paper is too dangerous and unpredictable. I don''t want to risk creating more problems than solutions. And I don''t think I need anything from your organization. I have enough resources and knowledge on my own. Thank you for your proposal, but I have to decline." Vale said.
Although Cane knew that his request would likely be denied by the Immortal, it still pained him to hear such a rejection
"You''re right, Immortal. The Shadow Consortium does not have the wealth or ancient knowledge that those old aristocrats or families have¡ However, we have the best Talisman Crafters on the continent. I believe that the Divine Talisman, that we will make from your blood will not be in the hands of enemies. A single drop of your blood can only make 10 Divine Talismans¡ You could greatly limit the number of Talismans with the number of drops you give to us."
Cane then paused for a moment to take a breath before he continued." Furthermore, we can arrange the creation of the Divine Talisman in this ce to ensure that they will not fall into the evil''s hands. In the end, we only want to obtain half of the creation¡ The other half of the created Divine Talisman would be yours, Immortal."
The other representatives were certainly impressed by this deal... Vale was also tempted as he kept his silence for a moment.
Although he was already an Immortal, it doesn''t mean that he could use all Immortal Spells. He still needed the Celestial Spell Models to cast them.
Having Divine Talismans may be helpful in some cases where his Shadow Divinity couldn''t provide him with help.
"I''ll consider it¡" Vale said after some thought.
Then, he turned his attention to thest representative¡
It was the representative of the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent. She was a young woman with a curvy figure and a seductive smile. Just like the Cane, she doesn''t have any otherpanions with her.
She wore a red dress that hugged her body and a snake pendant that hung from her neck.
"I''m known as Lady Eve, the leader of the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent. However, for the Immortal, you can simply call me Eve." Eve introduced herself.
Vale didn''t show a reaction as he simply recalled the information he got from Magnus about this organization.
The Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent was known for its security services and its control over a specific type of herb, which they called the Utara''s Serpent Herb.
This herb was used by alchemists to expel foreign Arcane Energy from someone''s body, which was useful for treating curses, infections, and other ailments caused by Arcane Spells or Rituals. The Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent had a monopoly on the cultivation and distribution of the Scarlet Serpent Herb, which made them popr and respected among the alchemists and the nobles.
''Are they thinking of growing some type of rare herb using my blood? Do they see me as some type of precious resource?'' Vale thought for a moment as he waited for thedy''s request.
"Sir Immortal¡ We wish to work with your organization. I believe that even if you have great strength, you still need an influence in the outside world." Lady Eve started before he continued to exin his proposal.
Lady Eve''s request to the Immortal was moreplex and ambiguous.
She wanted to form an alliance with the Immortal and offer him her security services and her Utara''s Serpent Herb.
After not getting a response, Lady Even continued and imed that the Immortal would need her protection and her herb, as he would face many enemies and dangers in the future.
Finally, she also hinted that she had other benefits and favors to offer him, if he agreed to her alliance.
"Hmm?"
Vale was curious about this offer, but as he waited to hear what it was, Lady Eve looked at him instead with a flirtatious and inviting expression as if she was trying to charm him.
Vale ignored Lady Eve''s suggestive gestures and decided to ask for a sample of the Utara''s Serpent Herb.
"Show me the herb you are talking about. I want to know what''s so special about it."
ording to the information he had, it seemed to be very magical, and he wanted to see what it was and what it could do.
Lady Eve smiled as he expected this much from the Immortal.
She swiftly took out a small pouch from her dress.
She opened it and revealed a bunch of green leaves that had a faint red pattern on them.
"This is the Utara''s Serpent Herb. It is a rare and precious herb that can expel even the toughest curses or energy out of someone''s body. It is also a potent stimnt that can enhance the senses and the vitality. It is only cultivated and distributed by the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent. Yes, we''re the only ones who have the knowledge on how to properly cultivate this herb. For the past twenty years, we have had a monopoly on this herb, and we can provide it to you exclusively, Sir Immortal." Lady Eve said unaffected by how Vale ignored her seduction.
Vale then took the pouch and examined the herb.
He used his Appraisal Spell to analyze its properties and effects¡
It didn''t take long before he felt surprised by what he found. The herb not only had the ability to expel foreign Arcane Energy, but also to increase the Life Strand of the consumer! The Life Strand was the measure of the life force and the potential of a living being¡ It is the Vitality in his Attributes Panel.
The higher the Life Strand, the longer the lifespan¡
Although Vale did not need this herb, since he had the ability to Extract vitality from others, he knew that this herb would be valuable and beneficial for others, especially his allies and friends!
Chapter 695 Recognized
Chapter 695 Recognized
After some consideration, Vale decided to agree to Lady Eve''s offer.
However, he had toy some conditions.
"I will ept your offer, Lady Eve. My Merchant Organization will ally with you and your organization. I will not take your security services, but I will ept your Utara''s Serpent Herb¡ I also have some terms. It is mostly rted to the distribution of the Herbs¡ I will have someone discuss this matter with you privately."
Lady Eve nodded eagerly and spoke with excitement.
"Of course, Sir Immortal. I am looking forward to our cooperation. I will do my best to meet your expectations. You can trust me, Sir Immortal."
Vale gently nodded at this and replied with his deep voice. "Very well¡ I hope you will prove yourself worthy of my trust and my alliance."
Lady Eve smiled and said, "Thank you, Sir Immortal. I am honored and grateful to be part of your organization¡"
Vale then turned his attention to the next representative, who had not made a request yet.
He introduced himself as Sir Geoffrey, the representative of the Combat Arts Faction or the Order of the Dragon Warriors.
The Order of the Dragon Warriors was a group of elite warriors who specialized in various forms ofbat arts, such as martial arts, swordsmanship, archery, and more.
As a matter of fact, among all the Orders run by each Arcanist Faction, the Order of the Dragon Warriors was the most popr organization, as its presence always showed its wealth and power. They were always seen in public on many special asions.
They were known for their skill, courage, and honor, and they would always deal with evil Arcanists who couldn''t be handled by the special police force.
In short, while the Vessels of the Dark Faction doesn''t have a good image to the public, the Dragon Warriors have an impressive reputation with the public and they''re known to have brave fighters who would never back down from a challenge.
Sir Geoffrey was a tall and muscr man with a stern face and a scar on his cheek. He wore a simple leather armor and a sword on his belt.
Although he wasn''t the leader of the Order of the Dragon Warriors, he was one of the strongest in the organization.
Sir Geoffrey''s request to the Immortal was simple and direct.
He wanted to challenge the Immortal to a duel!
"Sir Immortal, I respect your strength and your deeds... I have no other request but to test my skills against yours. I want to fight you in a fair and honorable duel. I want to see how far I can go against you. I want to learn from you and improve myself. I hope you will ept my challenge, Sir Immortal."
Before Vale could even utter a reply, another representative spoke up.
He was Sir Rnd, the representative of the Knights Faction or the Order of the Faith Guardians.
"Hmm?" Vale looked at the man with a mixed feeling.
''If I''m not mistaken, this guy is allied with the Holy Arts Faction that waged war against the Dark Arts Faction.'' Vale thought as he couldn''t help but think that this person was a problem.
The Order of the Faith Guardians was a group of devout warriors of the Knights Faction.
Sir Rnd was a handsome and noble man with a blond hair and a blue eyes. He wore white armor, but his whole body was covered by a robe that hid it.
Sir Rnd''s request to the Immortal was the same as Sir Geoffrey''s. He wanted to challenge the Immortal to a duel.
"I hope you can also ept my challenge, Sir Immortal."
Vale listened to both requests, and he was amused. He did not expect that two of the representatives would want to fight him. They were indeed different from the Organizations that wanted some tangible benefits.
''Mhmm¡ They must be looking for something¡'' Vale mused as he felt that they have other motives.
Did they want to prove themselves? Did they want to impress him? Perhaps they want to learn from him? Or did they have some other hidden agenda?
He doesn''t know.
Nheless, having a duel doesn''t seem that bad considering their strength.
Vale decided to agree to their requests but with a condition.
"I can tell that both of you are strong. I will ept your challenges, Geoffrey and Rnd. I will fight you in a fair and honorable duel. I will teach you and improve you. But I have a condition: you will have to win against a friend of mine living in this castle¡ You can even try to kill him in this duel. Once you''ve beaten him, we can arrange another date for our duel so you can have some rest... Lastly, you must give him something in return. After all, he can''t work without being paid."
Sir Rnd and Sir Geoffrey happily agreed to Vale''s condition.
They were eager to fight the Immortal and see his skills.
"We ept your condition, Sir Immortal. It''s only natural that you test our skills first to see if we deserve to duel against you."
The others in the room were curious and excited to see the duels against the Immortal''s friend.
"Can we have the honor of watching this duel?" Miya suddenly asked.
"I do not mind." Vale answered with a smile. He then sent Chad a message through telepathy exining what was about to happen.
He decided to send Chad to fight the representatives, instead of himself. He wanted to test Chad''s abilities and see how he would win against these two.
Finally, he also wanted to give Chad a chance to improve himself and gain some battle experience.
It didn''t take long before he arrived. As soon as Chad appeared in the reception hall, Maya, who was disguised as Miya from the Church of the Lord of the Secrets, was shocked.
''Chad Bulmung?! What is he doing here?!'' Maya Featherstar''s eyes widened, but she didn''t dare to make a sound.
She was still in disguise, and she had two other elders watching her actions¡
She could only stare at the Dragon Disciple as she wanted to ensure that she wasn''t making a mistake!
Chapter 696 Chads Duel ( Part 1 )
Chapter 696 Chad''s Duel ( Part 1 )
??In the meantime, while everyone was observing Chad''s appearance, Vale couldn''t help but look at Maya''s reaction.
As expected, although she had hidden it well with her veil, he could still notice a change in her expression. She was certainly shocked by Chad''s sudden appearance.
Nheless, because she was on a mission and, for some reason, she was hiding her identity, she didn''t break her character and acted as if she didn''t recognize Chad.
After a few moments, Vale introduced Chad.
"This is Chad, my friend and a disciple of a True Dragon. He is also a part of the Merchant Organization¡" Vale said as he looked at Lady Eve of the Scarlet Serpent Brotherhood.
He implied that Lady Eve would have to meet Chadter to discuss the details of their cooperation for the acquisition of Utara''s Serpent Herb.
Lady Eve gently nodded at this as she understood his gesture.
"He will be the one who will fight the representatives of the Combat Arts Faction and the Knights Faction. I don''t think I have to exin that he''s a great fighter. Although he''s young, you shouldn''t underestimate him. I don''t want him to win because of your carelessness. He is eager to test his skills against the two of you, Sir Geoffrey and Sir Rnd¡" Vale said.
Vale even called the two as ''Sirs'', which made them appreciate the Immortal.
''He''s so young¡ Just how many years did he train to even attempt to duel against those two veterans? Isn''t he overestimating his friend?'' Ceres thought as she realized that even if Chad was a Dragon Disciple, he was still too young. He couldn''t help but look at the Immortal a few more times.
Even Maya was a bit confused since she knew that it hadn''t been that long for Chad to obtain such a huge advancement in terms of skills.
''A Dragon Disciple, huh¡ I guess it''s the Dragon who destroyed the Royal Castle''s barrier.'' Sir Geoffrey mused. The others also had the same thoughts. After all, they could easily believe that the Immortal could summon a Dragon and force it to teach a human Arcanist.
''I guess this young man is a good warm-up fight before the Immortal. Not bad¡'' Sir Rnd thought as his Magic Zone could tell that Chad''s Aura didn''t give him a sense of danger.
Of course, some of them also wondered how he became a friend of an Immortal and a disciple of a True Dragon.
After all, this kind of opportunity would be something anyone would want to have!
Nheless, aside from Miya, none of them knew who Chad was. This was their first time hearing about a Dragon Disciple.
After Chad stood in front, Vale dered.
"I changed my mind¡ To make the duels more interesting and exciting, I propose some wagers. The winner of each duel will get something from the loser, something that is valuable and useful to them. It doesn''t matter if it won''t be useful to the winner¡ Even if it''s something that is rted to their factions and their specialties, that would be fine. Do you agree to these wagers?"
Chad nodded slightly at this since he had plenty of Magic Artifacts after staying here in the castle for a long time. He didn''t mind losing even three of five of them in this duel.
Of course, Sir Geoffrey and Sir Rnd nodded and agreed to the wagers. They were aiming for a duel with the Immortal, so they should be confident facing a young warrior.
Furthermore, they were also curious about what Chad could offer them.
"We agree to the wagers, Sir Immortal." The two of them said.
"Very well. Then we have a deal. Let the duels begin. Sir Geoffrey, you will fight Chad first. Sir Rnd, you will fight Chad next. The duels will be fair and honorable. The duels will end when one of the fighters admits defeat or is unable to continue. The duels will be watched by everyone in the room and it will be held outside the castle, in an open field."
With that said, Vale gestured for them to follow him.
He then led the way, followed by Chad, Sir Geoffrey, Sir Rnd, and the others.
They left the reception hall and headed outside the castle.
Once again, the visitors didn''t see any guards patrolling the area.
Soon, they reached an open field, where the duels would take ce. Vale said, "It''s here¡"
Chad, Sir Geoffrey, and Sir Rnd prepared themselves for the duels.
They took out their weapons and checked their equipment. Vale even gave them some time to warm up their bodies and focus their minds.
After a while, they looked at each other and nodded.
They were all ready.
The first duel began.
Chad and Sir Geoffrey faced each other and saluted.
Vale himself would be the referee of this battle to ensure the fairness of the duel.
"You may begin!"
As soon as the signal came, they then charged at each other and shed.
Chad wielded a gauntlet, a metal glove that covered his right hand and arm. It had several runes engraved on it, which allowed him to channel his magic and enhance his physical abilities.
It also had a newly added double dragon-shaped emblem on the back of his hand, which represented his connection to a True Dragon or even two!
Whooom~
Chad''s Dragon Aura suddenly spread throughout the field. It was a manifestation of his will and power, which took the form of a fiery dragon that surrounded him.
It wasn''t some sort of technique but a natural phenomenon that could appear whenever he used his Aura.
Sir Geoffrey, on the other hand, uses a sword.
It was a long and sharp de that he wielded with skill and grace. It had a cross-shaped guard and a leather-wrapped hilt¡ It wasn''t as fancy as what the Magic Knights use, but it seemedfortable in his hands.
''Let''s see how my Aura fares against a Dragon Disciple''s Aura¡'' Sir Geoffrey smiled as he realized that Chad had hidden his aura so well.
As an Aura Master, he certainly didn''t want to lose in terms of an Aura Battle!
Sir Geoffrey''s Aura manifested, which took the form of a golden shield that protected him!
Chapter 697 Chads Duel ( Part 2 )
Chapter 697 Chad''s Duel ( Part 2 )
??The Dragon''s image and the Golden Shield''s image that had appeared behind the two Arcanists mesmerized the crowd who were watching the duel.
"Beautiful¡" Ceres couldn''t help but appreciate the Aura of both fighters. Not all Aura Masters were capable of manifesting an image of their Aura.
At most, they could make their Aura tangible like Arcane Energy, but for an image to form, it requires a higher level of mastery and even some sort of mutation to the physique of the Combat Arts Practitioner.
"So this is the peak of Combat Artists¡" Miya mused as she had seen plenty of Practitioners of this Arcane Path but saw them as just enhanced humans.
Because of their weak Aura, she couldn''t even properly consider them as Arcanists because of how limited they could be.
However, the sight before her had truly opened her eyes¡ As long as one mastered the Aura simr to how other Arcanists could master their Arcane Energy, they would possess an incredible strength that could match the Expert Arcanists or even the Master Arcanists.
Boom!
The two warriors exchanged blows using their weapons. A sh between a sword and a gauntlet. Unlike normal Arcanists who would throw Spells at each other, the two fought like ancient warriors with full body enhancements.
They were dodging and blocking their opponents'' attacks.
However, everyone could tell that their first few exchanges were only trying to gauge each other''s strength.
Nheless, it didn''t stop the viewers from being impressed by Chad and Sir Geoffrey''s performance and start wondering who would win and who would lose.
The duel continued, and the intensity increased as they finished adjusting their strength.
In terms of physical strength, it was quite surprising that Chad and Sir Geoffrey were evenly matched, and neither could gain the upper hand!
Soon, Chad gathered all his Dark Energy into his gauntlet, and infused it with some of his Dragon''s Aura.
This action revealed that Chad wasn''t just a Dragon Disciple but also a Dark Arts Practitioner!
Of course, Ceres didn''t miss this and she almost spoke out loud!
Luckily, she was stopped by her knight who held her hand while shaking his head.
''Right¡ We''re not in Milton Kingdom¡ The rules in the Kingdom don''t apply here. I can''t offend the Immortal even more.'' Ceres thought as she started calming down.
"Careful!" Chad shouted as he warned his opponent about his next attack.
Chad aimed to deliver a devastating punch that would shatter Sir Geoffrey''s defense and knock him out if he couldn''t kill him.
On the other hand, Sir Geoffrey gathered his Aura into his sword and activated an Aura Technique that enhances his speed.
He aimed to deliver a quick and precise sh that would break through Chad''s offense and cut him down.
"You''re the one who should be careful!" Sir Geoffrey shouted back.
They soon charged at each other andunched their attacks!
Bang!
They collided with a loud explosion, which was followed by a st of light and destruction of the open field.
As the gauntlet and the sword released their energy, they both felt a surge of pain and a loss of bnce.
Whoosh~
They both flew back and hit the ground.
Thud¡ Thud¡
They bothy still and did not move for a moment.
It appears as if they were both knocked out or worse. Nheless, they could still feel the energy flowing in their bodies. They shouldn''t be dead yet.
The others watched in silence, wondering who had won and who had lost.
As Sir Rnd was about to suggest checking their condition or announcing a draw, Chad and Sir Geoffrey jolted and stood up at the same time!
Indeed, they both got up and faced each other.
"So a Dragon Aura can also mess up the body of their target." Sir Geoffrey said.
"It''s the same as you¡ I thought that Golden Shield meant that you''re a defensive fighter¡ You can actually infuse your Aura on my body with each of your attacks." Chad replied as he shook off the Aura Master''s remnant energy in his body.
With that said, the duel resumed, and as expected, the intensity increased once more!
This time, however, Chad decided to use an advanced technique as he controlled his Dragon Aura!
The fiery dragon surrounded him and roared!
"Hahaha! I knew it!" Sir Geoffreyughed as he summoned his Aura''s image again. It was a golden shield that covered him and shone.
Chad''s Dragon Aura also boosted his power and pressure, which helped him weaken his opponent''s control over the surrounding energy.
Sir Geoffrey''s Aura, on the other hand, boosted his defense, making him tougher and calmer.
They charged at each other once again.
Chad''s Dragon Aura seemed to have breathed fire, spitting mes at Sir Geoffrey!
"Not a chance!" Sir Geoffrey''s Golden Shield reflected light, blinding Chad with a sh. It should have been a good opportunity to counter, but it wasn''t enough!
"Hmph!"
Chad''s Dragon Aura bit, snapping its jaws at Sir Geoffrey!
"Too slow!"
Thetter didn''t panic and used the Golden Shield as he bashed, mming its edge at Chad.
The two fighters continued to sh, using their weapons and their auras.
Chad''s Dragon Aura was fierce and aggressive, while Sir Geoffrey''s Golden Shield was solid and defensive.
They matched each other''s moves!
"Let''s get this over with¡" Chad finally decided to change his strategy and used one of his secret weapons.
He decided to transform into his Dragonoid Form, a half-
human, half-dragon hybrid that enhanced his physical and magical abilities.
''I don''t want to win with my Magic Artifact¡ It''s better to win as a Dragon Disciple!'' Chad said in his mind as he decided to surprise Geoffrey and overwhelm him with his dragon power!
Bang!
After the two shed again, Chad jumped back and moved about 30 meters away from his opponent.
He then focused for a moment before he activated his transformation!
Soon, Chad felt his body changing, growing scales, ws, wings, and horns. He felt his gauntlet changing, morphing into a dragon''s w.
Then, everyone felt his Dragon Aura changing, bing more intense and powerful.
In just a few seconds, Chadpleted his transformation and revealed his Dragonoid Form!
Chapter 698 Chads Duel ( Part 3 )
Chapter 698 Chad''s Duel ( Part 3 )
??Vale couldn''t help but sigh in amazement after seeing the transformation. The one that Chad did wasn''t an Arcane Spell or just a Transformation Art assisted by a Spell Model. It was a genuine transformation through the Dragon Blood that he received from the two dragons imprisoned beneath the castle.
It waspletely different from his Shapeshifting Spell!
The rest of them were also amazed by the sight of it. They could easily tell that the Auraing from Chad was from a genuine Draconic Blood, something that shouldn''t exist in the Human Realm!
Nheless, because there was an Immortal living in this castle, it wasn''t too unbelievable that such a being existed here. As a matter of fact, they probably wouldn''t be surprised if they learned that this castle also had Vampires, Elves, Spiritual Beings, or other Demihumans.
"So that''s what you''re relying on, Half-Dragon!"
Sir Geoffrey was shocked and amazed to see Chad''s Dragonoid Form.
He had read about them in the books, but he had never seen anything like it before. This creature should be a thing of the past when the Arcane Paths weren''t separated into twelve yet.
Then Geoffrey decided to use his secret technique as well¡ It was something he had prepared once he got a chance to fight the Immortal.
However, with Chad''s current show of power, he knew that he could get defeated if he didn''t go all out in this battle.
Bang!
The sh of his sword and the dragon w was heavier than he expected.
He realized that Chad had be stronger and faster with that transformation.
Luckily, he managed to buy enough time for his ultimate technique!
Soon, Geoffrey''s sword started glowing, emitting a bright and pure light.
In a moment, his Golden Shield Aura started glowing, emitting a strong and holy force! It surprised many of them since they started feeling Holy Energy! It shouldn''t be something he could use with his Arcane Path!
Geoffrey''s Aura reached its peak, but he was emitting a sacred presence!
Nheless, there was no time to be surprised as he finallypleted his technique and revealed a Holy Sword formed by his Aura and Holy Energy!
The sword floated above him, and it was several times bigger than his physical sword.
Chad wasn''t intimidated by this attack as they bothunched their attacks.
Chad, who was in his Dragonoid Form, unleashed a st of fire and lightning, aiming to incinerate Sir Geoffrey!
Sir Geoffrey''s Holy Sword, on the other hand,unleashed a wave of light and searing Aura, aiming to annihte Chad.
Boom!
They collided with a loud explosion, a st of light, and soon, chaotic energy spread everywhere.
The mix of draconic force, elements, holy energy, and Aura created a field where Arcane Energy couldn''t be properly controlled!
However, the Holy Sword that shed against Chad''s Dragonoid Form shattered into a million pieces of light as Geoffrey coughed out some blood because of the bacsh!
Although they both felt a surge of pain, Geoffrey was the one kneeling on the ground while Chad was still in his Dragonoid Form, and he even appeared beside Geoffrey and patted the man''s shoulder.
Even without Vale''s announcement, everyone could tell that the winner was Chad.
He had survived the final attack and had defeated Sir Geoffrey.
"So he''s a Holy Arts practitioner and an Aura Master." Sir Rnd muttered as he didn''t expect this as well.
"He hid it so well¡" Ceres muttered. She was also a Holy Arts Practitioner, so she was sensitive to Holy Energy. However, she had never felt this from Sir Geoffrey until thest moments in battle.
"Is he a Dual Practitioner then? It''s weird¡ I think it''s only through the help of an Artifact. What do you think?" Miya asked the two veiled individuals behind her.
These two were actually elders of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets and weren''t just random guards sent to protect her.
After some hesitations, they also expressed their thoughts.
And their answers surprised everyone present.
"He used three Arcane Paths just now, Miya¡ You really need to redo your training after we return."
"That''s right. He used the Combat Arts to release his Aura¡ The Holy Arts to summon the Holy Energy, and the Alchemy Arts to summon that sword¡ That sword was simply disguised as a manifestation of aura. However, Alchemy formed it using the dust, moisture, and air in the surroundings."
As they said this, Miya and the other representatives couldn''t help but look at them in surprise.
None of them had noticed it at all!
Of course, no one wanted to admit that they missed that, so they only shut their mouths and waited for Vale to announce the end of the duel.
Indeed. After Sir Geoffrey recovered some of his strength, he looked at the Immortal as he epted his defeat.
Vale then dered Chad as the winner.
Of course, Vale didn''t forget to praise both the fighters.
Chad and Sir Geoffrey then looked at each other, and it could be seen that they both respected each other.
"Are you going to remain in that form?" Geoffrey.
"Yes¡ I already transformed, and that consumes energy¡ I might as well use it to its limit." Chad replied.
Sir Geoffrey then took off his ne and handed it over to Chad.
"This is my wager, Chad. This is a magic artifact that I purchased long ago in an Auction. It has an ability called Aura Amplifier. It can increase the power and range of your aura, and allow you to use different aura techniques. Lastly, it can also store and release your aura, and act as a backup source of energy. It is a rare and valuable artifact, and I hope you will find it useful."
''I''m not an Aura Master though¡'' Chad thought but he still epted the ne and examined it.
He saw that it was a silver chain with a pendant. The pendant was a round metal disc, with a spiral pattern and a gem in the center. The gem was clear and colorless, but it glowed faintly with a golden light.
Chapter 699 Chads Duel ( Part 4 )
Chapter 699 Chad''s Duel ( Part 4 )
??''It looks great, but I can''t use it¡ I guess I can give this as a gift to someone else. Or probably exchange it for something useful in Manager Faith''s Treasury.'' Chad thought for a moment as he recalled the vast number of treasures in Manager Faith''s collection.
It was a treasure trove.
ording to Manager Faith, it was all taken from the Treasury of the Vermont Academy. Apparently, when the Academy was on the verge of destruction, she had been tasked to take away all valuable items in the Treasury and make sure that they would not fall into the wrong hands. After that, she must return them once they have rebuilt the Academy.
''Vale isn''t going to rebuild the Academy any time soon. It shouldn''t be a big deal if I exchange some of the treasures there.'' Chad thought as he felt a warm and gentle aura from the ne.
He realized that it was also subtly revitalizing his current physical condition.
"I''ll take it¡ Thank you¡" Chad said as he returned to the center of the field to wait for his next duel. Of course, he maintained his current Dragonoid Form.
After a few seconds, Vale decided to call Sir Rnd of the Order of the Faith Guardians.
Sir Rnd was the representative of the Order of the Faith Guardians, a group of devout warriors under the Knights Faction.
Of course, all members of this Order were at least First-ss Magic Knights; no member of this organization could be underestimated.
Sir Rnd was a handsome and noble man with blond hair and blue eyes. He waspletely different from the veteran look of Sir Geoffrey, who even had a scar on his face.
Nheless, Sir Rnd still looked experienced and powerful. He wore white armor and a small shield with the emblem of the Faith Guardians on his back,
He introduced himself as the captain of the First Squad of the Order of the Faith Guardians. This was quite impressive since they all knew that the First Squad consisted of the best Magic Knights of the Order.
Shiiinng~
Rn then held his sword to his right and shield to his left.
As soon as he did this, a calm flow of energy started emitting out of his body. It wasn''t violent or threatening, but the calmness and steadiness of his energy were justly intimidating in a certain way.
He was a true Magic Knight and everyone could sense it.
Chad, in his Dragonoid Form, could tell that this person was stronger than Sir Geoffrey.
Nheless, he still decided to use his gauntlet, which had morphed into a dragon''s w, to fight against him...
"Don''t hold back, Half-Dragon! Show me everything you got!" Rnd shouted.
"Fine!"
The battle began with Chad charging at the Magic Knight. Simr to how Chad started his battle against Sir Geoffrey, he also aimed to gauge the strength of his opponent.
Bang!
Chad swung his draconic w gauntlet, aiming to sh Sir Rnd''s chest. It was incredibly fast but it wasn''t too powerful.
Sir Rnd blocked with his sword, parrying Chad''s attack¡ However, Chad didn''t stop as he suddenly used his fire breath, spitting mes at Sir Rnd.
Whoosshh~
The fire breath could melt a metal but the Magic Knight wasn''t afraid.
Sir Rnd used his Arcane Shield, creating a barrier of energy and resisting Chad''s fire breath. He did this in the nick of time!
''That''s dangerous! Breathing fire so suddenly¡ Are you serious?!'' Rnd was a bit flustered by that Fire Breath. It was so sudden, and it was too close!
He was lucky that he was used to dealing with Elementalists and managed to react in time.
"Good!" Chad smiled as he thought that he would surprise the Magic Knight.
The two fighters continued to sh, using their weapons and their spells.
After a few exchanges, the intensity of Sir Rnd''s attacks increased.
Chad used his scales, covering his body with ayer of armor and reducing the damage from Sir Rnd''s sword.
This time, Sir Rnd finally showed the difference between an Aura Master and a Magic Knight.
As soon as Rnd got an opportunity, he released his own version of an elemental spell,unching a ball of fire at Chad and trying to burn him.
However, Chad spread his draconic wings, pping them and creating a gust of wind and blowing away Sir Rnd''s fireball!
This use of wings mesmerized the audience¡ It made them fully realize that Rnd''s opponent was not a human but a mystical creature.
This kind of exchange continued for some time as they tested each other''s strengths and weaknesses, looking for an opening and an advantage.
However, both of them were being too careful, and they weren''t showing any form of defense.
Chad used his speed, dashing around the field and trying to catch Sir Rnd off guard.
On the other hand, Sir Rnd used his me Dash Spell, which seemed like a short teleportation spell.
Sir Rnd was able to keep up with Chad, disappearing and reappearing in different locations and trying to confuse Chad!
Nheless, they couldn''t continue like this. They do not have unlimited energy, so they have to end this before that could happen!
Chad pushed the limit of his agility, leaping over Sir Rnd''s attacks and trying tond a hit with his gauntlet.
However, although this move confused Sir Rnd for a moment, it wasn''t enough for him to be unable to dodge. He immediately rolled under Chad''s attacks and tried to counter.
Bang!
The two fighters shed their weapons once again, backed with speed and their energy, creating sparks and shockwaves.
"Again!" Rnd shouted¡
"Come!" Chad replied as his gauntlet, and Sir Rnd''s sword collided, producing a loud sound and a bright light.
Chad followed with his fire breath, and Sir Rnd didn''t even bother to defend himselfand decided to use his Echo Burst, producing ayered shockwave.
The sh created an explosion and a cloud of smoke.
Crack!
At this time, both the gauntlet and the sword started having cracks before shatteringpletely!
The force behind their strikes was no joke!
Since Rnd''s sword was broken, and Chad''s gauntlet was also in a terrible condition. They decided to put away their other weapons.
Rnd threw away his small shield while Chad removed his gauntlet.
As soon as they did this, they immediately pounced at each other!
Chad''s scales and Sir Rnd''s force field collided, producing a strong impact and another wave of force.
"Great! This is it! As expected of a Half Dragon!"
"Haha! I''m not even half of your age and you''re already struggling! Don''t be so happy!"
The two fighters fought with honor and respect, admiring each other''s abilities and spirit. They pushed themselves to the limit, and soon they unleashed their final attacks.
Chad''s unleashed a st of fire, lightning, and wind, aiming to incinerate Sir Rnd!
Sir Rnd, on the other hand, had to keep up with Chad''s sudden burst of elemental spells!
It appears that as a Half-Dragon, he inherited their ability to control the elements.
Rnd had to use his Echo Burst a couple more times while using his me Dash Spell to ensure that it would be difficult to hit him. Lastly, he used his hand like a sword and tried to cut Chad''s arm!
Bang!
***
In the meantime, as the battle reached its peak, the others couldn''t help but feel amazed.
"Is he a Dragonoid who transformed into a human, or is it the opposite? I''m wondering how he couldst so much in his Dragonoid Transformation." Lady ra, Sir Rnd''spanion, couldn''t help but feel worried.
"It must be the first one. It''s unfortunate, but Sir Rnd will lose here. I''m sure he was nning to wait for Chad to revert back to his original form, but that''s a mistake." Lady Isolde, Sir Geoffrey''spanion, added.
"He''s a Magic Knight¡ He''s the best when fighting with his squad or legion. However, he''s fighting alone right now, so it is not surprising if he loses." Cane from the Shadow Consortium added.
Nheless, the others watched the duel with interest and excitement.
At this time, some of them even became Chad''s supporters. They cheered for their favorite while they appreciated the unfolding battle.
They were all impressed by Chad and Sir Rnd''s performance and wondered who would win and who would lose.
***
Bang!
Chad and Rnd collided once again, but this time, it had truly exhausted most of their energy.
In terms of battle techniques, Rnd was slightly better, but Chad had more energy and tough defense. Even if he was directly hit by most attacks, he would easily endure them!
Well, he was used to the attacks of an Immortal, so this pain wasn''t enough to bring him down!
At their final sh, they both felt a surge of pain as their energy was passed into each other''s bodies.
They were both thrown away, but they managed to get back on their feet.
Unfortunately, the surge of Draconic Aura entering Sir Rnd''s body made him fall to the ground!
''Whew~ Breaking that Arcane Aura and steady Arcane Energy is just too tough¡'' Chadmented in his mind as he knew that this battle wasn''t easy at all.
He was simply lucky that he managed to break Rnd''s sword. After all, he could tell that if Rnd were wielding a sword throughout the battle, he would slowly umte injuries until he was defeated.
Nheless, the duel ended, and the crowd was silent¡ The winner was decided!
''How did he turn into this?''
At this time, Maya was starting to think of removing her disguise just to ask Chad some questions!
Chapter 700 News
Chapter 700 News
??''How did he turn into this?''
Maya wondered as she observed Chad in his Dragonoid Form.
She had heard of Dragon Knights, who could use the power of dragons to enhance their abilities, but that was only in name, and they didn''t even have Dragon Blood with them.
At most, they were simply copying what the Dragon Knights should be based on how they understand the mythical creature.
She had also heard of Dragon Mages, who could use the so-called Dragon Spells to cast powerful spells, but once again, they were just imitations of the Dragon Spell and were a lot weaker than the original...
Nheless, Maya had never thought that Half-Dragons truly existed until now! A half-human and half-dragon felt surreal!
It was even more dreamlike when the one in question was actually Chad Bulmung!
Bulmung n was a third-generation family and merely a supporter of the five main families who had established the Dark Arcane Path!
They shouldn''t be rted to any Dragons or aware of any Dark Alchemist that was capable enough to change a person''s gene!
''There''s no way the Bulmung Family has a Dragon''s Blood¡ Then it must be the Immortal. Just what kind of deal did he make to get the Immortal''s assistance.'' Maya sighed as she couldn''t really think of a good answer.
Nheless, there was no point in overthinking this matter. She would know the answerter once she requested a private meeting with Chad. It shouldn''t be that difficult since she wouldn''t be meeting the Immortal in private, it was simply his subordinate.
***
In the meantime, as Rnd heard the Immortal''s announcement about his loss, he didn''t feel bad about it.
He also decided not to use his Life Force to fight against Chad since this was only a Duel. However, he knew to himself that if he really had to win, he wouldn''t mind burning his Soul to kill the Half-Dragon. Well, at the very least, he knew that with such a Forbidden Technique, he would have a higher chance of winning.
Sir Rnd then got up and gave a salute to Chad.
"You have fought well, Sir Chad. My visit here isn''t wasted at all. Thank you for the learning experience."
Chad returned the salute and also expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you, Sir Rnd¡ I was lucky that you weren''t prepared to fight against a Half-Dragon. I believe that if a Magic Knight like you had the time to prepare, it would be a lot more difficult for me to win."
Sir Rnd smiled at this and took off his ring, and handed it over to Chad.
"Since I lost, I will hand this over to you, Chad. This is a magic artifact that only a certain family in the Knights Faction can make. It is called the Magic Knight''s Ring. It can store and cast any Three Arcane Spells that are at least Tier 2¡" Sir Rnd exined.
"What? Any three Arcane Spells? The Arcane Path doesn''t matter?" Chad repeated. This was certainly a lot more useful for him.
"Yes, it will allow you to use different spells without using your own magic. It also has a natural ability that can enhance the power and range of your spells. It may not be that rare among the high-ranking Magic Knights, but they are still quite expensive since only 150 of them can be produced every year." Sir Rnd answered.
"Amazing¡ I didn''t expect that there''s an item like this at all."
Chad said as he graciously took the ring, and examined it. Of course, at this time, his body was also starting to return to normal.
Anyway, Chad saw that it was a gold ring with a ruby on it. The ruby had a star-shaped pattern and a rune in the center. The rune doesn''t seem quite simr to the ones the Runecaster''s uses. It means that it was quite special just like what Rnd had said.
As he injected some energy into it, it had glowed faintly with a red light. Chad felt a cool and gentle magic from the ring, and he soon realized that three Arcane Spells that were stored inside the ring.
He then thanked Sir Rnd, and put on the ring.
"Thank you. You are so generous, Sir Rnd. I will use this ring to its fullest."
Sir Rnd nodded, and smiled. "You are wee, Chad. I am d you like it. I hope you will use it well, and learn more about the other Arcane Spells because of this. Ahem¡ I also hope we will be friends or even allies." Rnd said with a meaningful smile.
"We can certainly be friends. However, being allies means that the Immortal should also agree to that." Chad replied.
After shaking their hands, Vale walked over to them, and checked their condition.
He saw that they were both fine and congratted them for their great performance just now.
Vale then turned to the others.
This time, he released a bit of his Divinity to get their attention once again.
"Now that you have seen the duels. I want to ask you if there are still others who want to challenge me. I am willing to ept any challenge as long as you defeat the Half-Dragon beside me. Well, I am also willing to give you something that you want, as long as you defeat him¡ But you also have to put something on the line. Do you want to challenge me?"
As he asked this, everyone in the field obviously had the same thought¡
''Impossible! We will just expose our set of spells. The risk was too high. Aside from learning experience, they would have nothing to gain! They will even lose an important Magic Artifact in their possession!
On the other hand, Maya immediately acted on her n!
As she stepped forward, the two elders behind her felt nervous. They thought that she was about to challenge the masked Immortal!
However, Miya''s words immediately calmed them down.
"Sir Immortal, I do not wish to challenge you, but I have another request. I want to have a private meeting with Sir Chad. I have some questions for him, and I hope he can help me. I want to talk to him in a quiet and secluded ce. I want to learn more about him and his transformation. I hope you will allow this, Sir Immortal."
This request garnered surprise from the other representatives, who also wanted a private meeting with Chad.
They immediately stepped forward and spoke about their concerns.
"Sir Immortal, we also have no other request but to have a private meeting with Chad. We also have some requests for him, and we hope he will ept them. We hope you will allow this, Sir Immortal."
Vale looked at Maya, and then at the other representatives.
It seemed that Chad''s strength had truly attracted them. Anyway, he didn''t think that it was a bad idea at all.
After sending a message to Chad through telepathy, Vale smiled, and nodded.
"I understand your curiosity and your interest. I will allow this¡ However, you will have to wait for your turn, and respect each other''s privacy. I don''t want any heated arguments to happen. You will have to be brief and concise, and not waste Chad''s time. Do you understand?"
Maya and the other representatives agreed to the condition without any hesitation
"I agree to your condition, Sir Immortal. I will wait for my turn¡" Maya said as if she didn''t want to be the first to speak to Chad.
"Very well. Then we have a deal¡"
***
In the meantime, not too far from the castle, Agent Axe was on a trip to Vale''s Castle on his Airship, a flying vessel powered by arcane magic¡
He was an agent of the Arcane Bureau, and currently assigned to help on Vale''s matter no matter how important it was.
He was tasked to visit the castle since he had a very important news and item to deliver to the Immortal. He had to visit him in person.
"I hope he will help us¡ This isn''t a matter that a Half-Immortal could deal with."
Apparently, the news was about a recent discovery of a hidden dungeon, where a powerful artifact was found. The item was a golden orb that emitted a strange and ancient aura.
Agent Axe had been assigned to retrieve the artifact and bring it to the Immortal, who might know more about its origin and purpose. Of course, he couldn''t retrieve the artifact but he has the item that would help the Immortal retrieve it.
Agent Axe arrived at the castle, andnded his Airship on the courtyard.
He was greeted by a beautiful woman, who introduced herself as Faith, the Immortal''s assistant.
She weed him and asked him the reason for his visit.
Agent Axe showed her his badge, and told her that he had a very important news and item to deliver to the Immortal.
"Alright¡"
Manager Faith nodded, and asked him to follow her. "The Immortal is busy right now. He is in the reception hall, where he is hosting some guests.
Chapter 701 Private Meeting
Chapter 701 Private Meeting
??Chad smiled brightly after he received the ring from Sir Rnd. To be honest, he really liked to use other spells to create a betterbination of techniques with his current set of spells.
At this time, he could only wield a few elemental spells thanks to his Dragon Blood, dark spells as a Dark Magician, and some Spirit Arts.
Unlike what everyone thought, he wasn''t actually a Half-Human and a Half-Dragon anymore.
Because of his Ghost King Body, he could be considered a part of the Spirit race! He was considered a Half-Spirit before he even obtained the Dragon''s Blood and Blessing.
However, after he managed to receive the blessings of the Dragons, his physique was no longer that of a human. There was no more human blood on him!
At present, he should be a Half-Spirit and a Half-Dragon!
''Should I ask Pearl for her Psychic Art? I really like that spell that can forcefullymand other people.'' Chad thought but he immediately thought of another idea.
''No, maybe Vale''s lightning strike will do¡ Ahhh¡ªBut that''s too powerful. The ring may not be strong enough to store it¡ Maybe I can ask him to save a Movement Technique instead? It would be great if I had something to help me escape any life-and-death situation.'' Chad mused as he couldn''t help but feel excited at the prospect of using three Arcane Spells from any Paths.
However, he was soon brought into the present as he realized that the representatives wanted to have a private meeting with him.
''Did I look so handsome after defeating those two¡ Hehe¡ Miya''s voice sound angelic. I''m sure she''s beautiful beneath that veil. She even wants to meet me in private¡ Is she going to confess?'' Chad thought as he couldn''t help but blush a little. He never had a girl express their feelings to him.
Unfortunately, Vale''s voice from telepathy doused him from his excitement.
"Be careful¡ They''ll want you for your bloodline." Vale said
"Ahh¡ Yes?" Chad replied, feeling a bit confused. It took him some time to realize what Vale was trying to tell him.
"Are they going to seduce me or something to take my seed?" Chad asked in surprise.
Vale couldn''t help butugh at his reaction.
Instead of answering, he simply assured him that they wouldn''t be able to use force against him.
Soon, Chad and Miya met together in another room.
As soon as they were inside, Chad remainedposed and waited for Miya to speak. He didn''t trigger his Magic Zone as well since he was confident that Miya wouldn''t hurt him.
"Wait a moment¡" Miya said before she looked around the room.
Suddenly, Miya cast a spell that created a concealment barrier inside the room.
This prevented anyone from listening in on their conversation. However, Chad couldn''t tell that.
"What is this spell? How does it work?" He asked curiously. Although he couldn''t tell what barrier it was, he could tell that it wasn''t meant to harm him.
Miya smiled at his calm reaction and replied.
"This is a concealment spell. After casting it in a small room, it blocks sound and sight from entering or leaving the room. It also prevents any magical detection or interference from outside. It is a useful spell for privacy and security. It is one of the exclusive of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets. It can be learned by any path."
Chad nodded in understanding.
"I see. It is a clever spell. I have never seen anything like it before¡" Chad replied with a gentle nod.
If he used his Dragon''s True Sight, he would certainly understand how it works but he didn''t bother doing it.
"Yes, it is a great spell. But it is not the only secret I have¡ I have another secret that I want to share with you. And it might surprise you¡"
Chad raised his eyebrows as he somehow felt excited. However, he decided to remain calm.
"I will be surprised? Tell me." With that said, Miya reached for her ring and removed the artifact that disguised her appearance. She also removed the veil blocking her face.
"This is my secret. This is an artifact that can change my appearance. It''s one of the Church''s Artifacts. They''re really great in terms of creating Seals, Concealment, Stealth, and others¡"
As Miya was speaking, Chad watched her appearance changed!
Her hair turned from ck to blond, her eyes turned from green to blue, and her skin turned from tan to pale. Her features changed from exotic to familiar, from foreign to local, from Miya to Maya.
"Ahhh¡" Chad was stunned.
She was Maya Featherstar!
She was his fellow student from Vermont Academy!
He didn''t expect that his fellow student from Vermont Academy would stand in front of him.
He had many questions in mind. Why is she connected to the Lord of the Secrets now? Is the Featherstar Family aware of this? Does she know he was here and deliberately visited the castle for him?
Chad gasped and asked.
"Maya? Is that you? What are you doing here? What is going on?"
Maya wryly smiled after being asked.
"I escaped from my family. The Church of the Lord of the Secrets is the only ce I could think of¡ Haaa~ It''s a long story¡ Anyway, this isn''t what I want to tell you. To be honest, our Church may need plenty of help since we are only great at concealment. Fighting isn''t our strength¡ Once the Demon Saints arrived. We would be the first ones to be targeted, so all the concealments that the Church created would be undone¡ It would be great if we could be allies with Immortal¡ and of course, with the Half-Dragon."
Maya then paused for a moment to look at Chad''s reaction before she continued.
"Ahem¡ you don''t have to decide quickly. Can you tell me first how did you be a Half-Dragon?" She asked.
In the meantime, while Chad and Maya were chatting in the private room, Agent Axe finally arrived at the castle.
The presence of the Arcane Bureau officer shocked everyone in the reception hall!
Chapter 702 Secret Dungeon
Chapter 702 Secret Dungeon
??Vale was surprised to hear that Agent Axe had visited the castle once again. After all, they wouldn''t normally use people as messengers.
After enving the two Council members, he was already receiving reports through summoned creatures or other mystical means.
However, there were only a few times when an agent was used to send a message.
''It must be important then¡'' With that said, he informed Faith to send the Agent in.
As soon as Agent Axe entered, he immediately felt the presence of the Arcanists, who all had an intimidating aura.
''Ah? What are they doing here?'' Agent Axe was shocked as he realized the identity of some of them.
As part of the Bureau, he certainly knew some high-profile individuals in the world of Arcanists. Without a doubt, all these people here had special agents assigned to monitor their movements! They were that high-profile!
Unfortunately, since he wasn''t a superior or in a position to get reports about them, he had no idea that they were here.
"Interesting¡ So it''s true that the Arcane Bureau is connected to the Immortal¡" Sir Rnd muttered while looking at Agent Axe.
"No wonder they''re working hard to stop us from visiting this castle." Lady Eve couldn''t help butment as she recalled the problems she had encountered just to cross the country and visit this territory.
"They''ve probably benefited a lot and don''t want to share the blessings. It''s not that surprising." Ceres added as she only nced at him before shifting her attention to the private room where Miya and Chad were meeting.
"It''s not unexpected for the Bureau to be selfish people. However, I''m curious about his visit here. Did they learn that we''ve visited the Immortal and wanted to send us away?" Sir Geoffrey softly said, and it immediately took everyone''s attention.
They expressed their opinions, but after a few moments, they also looked at the beautiful woman who had barely entered their senses!
It took them quite a while before they realized that the Agent was being escorted by another person!
''This...''
There was no doubt that she was one of the Immortal''s subordinates!
''Who is this woman?!'' Sir Rnd was shocked as he realized that the Half-Dragon wasn''t the Immortal''s strongestpanion!
This was what the others had realized as well!
Chad wasn''t the best among the Immortal''s subordinates! It truly opened everyone''s eyes.s
Nheless, Agent Axe heard theirments about him, so he quickly waved his hand.
"No¡ No¡ It''s not like that. I didn''t know the Immortal had a visitor here. I''m only here to give an important report. Please continue with your business with him." Agent Axe immediately exined.
At this time, Sir Rnd still wanted to say something, but the Immortal decided to step in.
"I hope that it is indeed an important report. Follow me¡" Vale said under his mask.
On the other hand, Agent Axe was curious why the Immortal decided to use a mask¡
''I guess he wanted to be mysterious in front of these people.'' Agent Axe thought, but his eyesnded on Ceres. The Princess of the Milton Kingdom¡
''Ahhh¡ He didn''t want to be recognized¡ I guess even an Immortal has his own concerns.'' Agent Axe mused.
Soon, Vale and Agent Axe entered another private room. After they sat down, Faith closed the door behind them, leaving them alone.
"Agent Axe, you know about the rules¡ What brings you here?" Vale asked.
Agent Axe gulped for a moment before he replied.
"Sir, I have some urgent news and an item for you. It''s about a hidden dungeon that has been discovered recently. There is an otherwordly artifact inside, and we need to destroy or take it away. Unfortunately, even the Half-Immortals failed to take it¡ We are hoping to receive your assistance. You can either have the otherwordly Artifact or destroy it. In case you decide to take it, I have an item that can help you contain the Artifact¡" Agent Axe exined without pause.
He took out a small metal box from his pocket and handed it to Vale.
"This is the item. The otherwordly Artifact is a golden key that can fit in his small box. As you can tell, this box is an Immortal Item." He said.
"It''s indeed feels like an Immortal Item¡" Vale muttered as he epted the box and checked it with his senses.
Vale opened the box, and although it seemed just a normal box, it emitted a mysterious and ancient aura as soon as it was opened.
''Interesting... This aura... I can''t be mistaken.'' Vale mused.
Furthermore, he got a notification from his Extraction System!
[ Immortal Artifact has been discovered. Would you like to extract it? ]
It wasn''t a Fragment or a Shard! It was a genuine Immortal Artifact!
Of course, he didn''t extract it since it would help him store a mysterious object.
"Where did you get this? What does it do?" Vale asked.
Agent Axe shook his head.
"I don''t know, sir. It probably came from the founders of the Bureau. It may actually possess an unknown ability that we are not aware of. However, we call this Artifact a Prison Box, as it can easily seal any violent Artifacts that we normally encounter... Unfortunately, we can''t even get close to the otherwordly Artifact, so we can''t take it away."
Vale gently nodded as he looked at the Agent.
"Then it must be very dangerous. Where is the dungeon? How do we get there? Why do you have to take or destroy that Artifact anyway?"
Agent Axe helplessly smiled after hearing thest question
"The dungeon is located in a remote and hidden area. It is not on any map or record. Normally, it is only essible through the help of Sage Merlin or the Overseer. However, the Bureau also has a secret ess to it¡"
Agent Axe then paused for a moment to take a deep breath before he continued.
"This Dungeon had another name, and it''s called the Remnant of the Celestial Realm..."
Chapter 703 The Castles Secret
Chapter 703 The Castle''s Secret
??Vale jolted as he heard the name of the Dungeon.
"Remnant of the Celestial Realm?" He asked once again.
Agent Axe could tell that the Immortal was indeed surprised. Vale ascended as an Immortal without the help of an Immortal Spirit. Because of that, he didn''t inherit themon knowledge of other Immortals that had walked in this realm.
With a gentle nod, Agent Axe replied.
"That''s right, Sir Immortal. It''s only discovered about six months ago... The problem is that thisnd or Dungeon is not stable anymore... Because of that, the Half-Immortal are having difficulty taking the treasure."
"What about it being unstable?" Vale asked, although he already had an idea.
"ording to the reports, ruptures can form, and controlling your Immortal powers may be difficult in that realm. Lastly, there are Void Creatures that were stopping our Half-Immortals from taking the Artifact. As for the reason it must be taken or destroyed, I''m simply told that the golden key or the Otherworldly Artifact may be the key that was sealing a nightmare that must be forgotten¡"
Agent Axe replied.
"A nightmare?" Vale repeated, intrigued by such a description.
"Yes¡ I''m not too sure, but the Bureau has some clues that it can be one of the keys that can be used in the Prison Realm. Anyone in that Realm is a dangerous being sealed by the Immortals or other powerful beings. As for the nightmare, we''re not too sure, but it''s probably a being that we can''t win against. So it was better to destroy the key or seal it forever."
Agent Axe said¡
Vale finally realized what was going on.
"This Bureau seemed quite amazing¡ They actually know so much."
"Ahem¡ We are still a huge organization, and our archeology team is the best in the whole continent. Our organization studies every clue about our past to ensure that the previous disasters we encountered will no longer be repeated."
Agent Axe said proudly.
However, after not hearing a reply for a few moments, he cleared his throat and continued.
"Ahem¡ I can show you the way to the Dungeon. There are already people there protecting the ce, and they can also help maintain the entrance¡ ording to the Half-Immortals, the Dungeon is protected by many traps and is guarded by many void creatures or those who havee from unknown realms and somehow end up in the Dungeon. I hope you can agree to our request, Sir Immortal."
"Do I have to do this now?" Vale asked.
Agent Axe shook his head and answered.
"Although the Dungeon is also time-sensitive, you still have some time to prepare. It will remain open for the next four days, and it will close after that. Opening it again may only take a year or two, but we''re worried that the Golden Key will be possessed by other people who could also ess the Dungeon in a different ce. We hope you can visit the ce within two days so you''ll have enough time to take the Artifact."
Vale then considered a few things before giving a reply.
Well, he doesn''t want to leave this castle undefended. He knew very well that the Demon Saints may still be watching the castle from afar.
If they somehow learned that he was absent, he was worried that they would attack the castle and kill all the people he treasures.
''So I have to call back Sage Merlin and the Pontiff¡'' Vale mused as he also considered whether to call those two Council Members to guard the castle.
However, he suddenly thought of an idea! It should be the best method to ensure the safety of the castle!
Vale then nodded and replied to the Agent.
"I understand. I will go there and take the Artifact. I will go there tomorrow, first thing in the morning. You should stay here and lead me the way tomorrow."
Agent Axe smiled as he heard this reply. "That''s great, Sir Immortal! I''m d you agree. I will apany you and serve you to the best of my ability.
"Alright¡ You''ve already visited this ce, so I won''t ask the others to show you around. You already know about the guest room, so you can help yourself. Just don''t visit the restricted ces, and you won''t be in trouble." Vale said.
He then closed the small box and put it in his pocket.
After that, he called for Magnus to handle the representatives, who wanted to speak with Chad.
Vale didn''t want to waste any more time. He made his way to a secret chamber concealed beneath the castle.
Descending into the Mausoleum, Vale was met with rows of neatly arranged coffins.
The chamber exuded an aura of solemnity, and the air was heavy with the amount of mysterious energy being released by the coffins and theid bodies.
The coffins were arranged in two parallel rows, ten on each side, with intricate engravings adorning their surfaces. Twelve of the coffins contained the remains of the deceased, their presence a silent testament to the passage of time.
Six of them are Demon Saints, and the other six are Immortal. These corpses have been providing Vale with some Divinity and Corrupted Divinity Points with the help of Divine Extraction System.
However, Vale''s attention was focused on the remaining eight coffins, each housing beings that appeared to be in a state of slumber rather than death.
Indeed, these enigmatic figures seemed to exist in a state between life and death, their forms exuding an otherworldly presence.
Four of these beings held the essence of Demon Saints, distinguished by their imposing, horned visages.
Their skin was red but with a hint of purple. They had sharp teeth, ws, and tails, which were quite different from the other Demon Saints, and seemed less like monsters. Nheless, they all radiated a sinister and evil aura.
Furthermore, they were the enemies of the Immortals and the scourge of the world.
On the other hand, the other four exuded the aura of Immortals, their genderless forms shrouded in an ethereal glow. They had smooth hair, elegant features, and graceful bodies. They emitted a noble and divine aura.
They were also in a state of what Vale liked to call hibernation.
''I should be fine¡ All the Formation Arts and Seals had been ced. Pearl and Magnus arranged them together¡ If I still postpone this, it would be a shame for my title as an Immortal.'' Vale thought as he approached the coffins and decided to extract the seals of the Immortals.
He had been doing this extraction for a while, using his Divine Extraction System.
He had done it slowly and carefully, fearing that if he rushed the process, he would harm the sleeping beings.
Right now, he felt that it was the perfect time to wake them.
He wanted to know their names, their stories, their powers. Lastly, he wanted to know if they were allies or enemies.
After all, he wasn''t a normal Immortal but a Shadow Immortal.
He wanted to know if they would cooperate with him or if he could trust them¡ If not, he would have no other option but to either eliminate or enve them with his ve Mark Spell.
Vale then chose one of the coffins, and touched it with his hand.
''It''s now or never¡'' He thought.
He then activated his Divine Extraction System.
[ Energy Source has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes¡" Vale replied.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
¡
Soon, Vale felt the seal''s energy flow into him. As he was doing this, he saw the seal''s pattern beingpletely exposed and as he continued with his extraction, he heard the seal''s breaking sound!
The Divinity of the Immortal in the coffin had also started leaking!
The coffin was nowpletely open and revealed the Immortal inside!
It was an Immortal with human-like appearance but genderless¡ He had long silver hair, and fair skin¡
He had a slender figure and seemed very calm as he slowly spread his Divinity to observe his surroundings.
After some time, he opened his eyes and looked at Vale with curiosity... His eyes were blue and clear. However, they had no pupils and no irises.
Vale was a bit started as he felt no emotion and no life.
It waspletely different from him!
''So this is a True Immortal¡ It''s quite different from what I thought, but it certainly does make sense.
The Immortal then spoke, and his voice was soft and cold.
"Who are you? Where am I? What is this ce?" He asked calmly. However, there was something in his voice and aura!
Vale felt a chill run down his spine!
He sensed a powerful and ancient presence from him...
''This guy¡ Is he testing me?''
Vale sensed a hidden and dangerous potential in him. Nheless, both of them had also sensed a familiar and mysterious connection between them.
Chapter 704 The Battle of the Will
Chapter 704 The Battle of the Will
Vale considered for a few seconds as he wasn''t sure how to respond.
After a few moments, Vale answered, and his voice was confident and warm.
"I am Vale. You are in my castle. This is the Mausoleum, where you have been sleeping for a long time. I have awakened you, and freed you from your seal. I am your savior¡ and your master." Vale said as he decided to be bold and cast the ve Mark on the Immortal!
As Vale said this, he decided to be bold and cast the ve Mark on the Immortal!
It was a spell that could bind the will of another being to his own. It was a spell that could make the Immortal his ve.
Just from how the Immortal behaved and how he had spoken to him, Vale could tell that there would be many problems if he let him be.
Furthermore, the current state of the Immortal was incredibly weakened.
The Divinity and the mutated Spell Models in their bodies weren''t in their perfect shape as of yet. It was the perfect time to do this¡ If he decided to postpone this, the Immortal may recover his strength!
''I can do this¡ Although the Immortal is emitting a very powerful presence and ancient aura, it''s only for intimidation. Itcks substance.'' Vale thought after using his Dragon''s True Sight to observe the flow of the Immortal''s Energy.
Considering all this, Vale was eager to enve the Immortal.
He wanted to have his power and his secrets. He wanted to have the loyalty and obedience of a True Immortal or a Celestial that was worshipped by many.
He knew that it would be an outstanding achievement and wanted to have him.
''If you didn''t sound scary, I will not do this¡ You have to me yourself.'' Vale thought.
Nheless, he knew that this wouldn''t be easy.
The Immortal was not a weak or foolish being. He was a powerful and ancient being. Furthermore, he had a strong and independent will. He would not submit easily.
"Mhmm? You want to control me?" The Immortal spoke to Vale through Telepathy.
"I think you''re dangerous, so you must be controlled to a certain degree¡ And this era doesn''t need a True Immortal like yourself." Vale said, but he didn''t even fully agree with what he said.
However, it was enough to make the Immortal rethink his actions¡
"If you think that I''m a dangerous being for this era. Then you must do your best to seed, or I am the one who''s going to enve you." The Immortal also spoke before he suddenly tried casting an envement spell on Vale!
Vale frowned as he realized that the Immortal decided to counterattack instead of focusing on his defense!
''Are you underestimating my mental energy?'' Vale thought as the two of them battled with their wills!
They didn''t fight physically, but mentally!
While they were standing there, staring at each other, the two Immortals shed with their minds, their souls, and their essences!
There wasn''t any chaotic energy or pulse of energy that could destroy the surroundings, but within their minds, they fought for control, freedom, and dominance.
"Mhmm¡ You have a very strong mental energy for a new Immortal. I can tell that it hasn''t been a hundred years since you ascended to this.
It was a fierce and intense battle, but it was also a silent and invisible battle.
However, of all the battles that Vale has fought, this was the most dangerous and risky battle.
''Tsk¡ This is getting too tough. I guess this is only expected for Celestials.''
Vale felt the Immortal''s will resisting his Spell.
The two of them possessed a different type of mental energy. The Immortal''s mental energy was closely rted to their Divinity, while normal Arcanist''s mental energy was cultivated by simply their minds.
Because of that, Vale could easily tell that the difficulty of this match was on the highest scale.
"Don''t get too distracted¡" The Immortal spoke to his mind.
"You¡ª"
Vale then felt the Immortal''s will trying to break his mental defense. He also felt the Immortal''s Will challenge his ve Mark Spell.
"I''m going to reflect your envement spell. Try to fight against two envement spells." The Immortal dered as if he was truly capable of returning his Spell to him!
Vale frowned at this as he realized that the Immortal was ying mind games on him. He felt the Immortal''s will probing his mind.
Then, to Vale''s surprise, he felt the Immortal''s Will attempting to search his memories.
Vale didn''t know how it was happening or how he could tell what the Immortal was doing, but he had to stop this from happening.
As he felt the Immortal''s will seizing to learn his secrets, Vale felt a surge of fear and anger.
There was simply no way he wanted the Immortal to know his secrets.
His Divine Extraction System wasn''t something that an Immortal should find out. He also didn''t want the Immortal to see any of his weaknesses or let him exploit his ws.
"You''re going too far!"
''You think you can cast so many spells while dealing with my ve Mark Spell? I feel underestimated¡ And that''s perfect!''
Vale''s n was perfect, as soon as the Immortal multitasked and didn''t focus on breaking his ve Mark Spell, he strengthened his will and pushed back.
He blocked the Immortal''s Will from his mind.
It happened so quickly and felt a wave of pain as well since the Immortal''s Will was still filled with power.
However, Vale didn''t stop there, he finally decided to use his Divine Extraction System! There was no way he wouldn''t use this!
This was the reason why he was confident in winning this mind battle!
While his ve Mark Spell was trying to take over his mind, Vale started with his Extraction.
[ Living Immortal has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Complete True Invisibility Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Meteor Summon Spell Model ]
''Meteor Smmon? Not bad¡ This is a good Spell and will work perfectly with Pearl''s Starfall.'' Vale mused as he recalled Pearl''s impressive Starfall Spell. To be honest, he actually envied Pearl a little when he saw her summoning those meteors in the sky!
However, now that he had this Spell, he could finally forget about his slight bitterness.
"What?! What are you doing?! Draining Magic? You''re a Demon?!" The Immortal was obviously shocked as he realized that he was being drained by the mysterious Immortal in front of him.
This wasn''t something that he had expected. Perhaps, if he was in his peak condition, he would''ve noticed his actions before it was toote!
"A Demon? Don''t panic¡ My ve Mark Spell Model is still active." Vale replied with a grin on his face. He actually wanted to use some of the Demon Saint''s spell to surprise this Immortal. After all he extracted quite a few Demon Saint''s Spells from previous battles like the Demon Eyes, Abyssal Fire, Demon''s Wrath, Corruption Curse, and some others.
However, he decided against it since Immortal doesn''t seem to be giving up yet¡
Then, the Immortal''s eyes widened and at the same time, Vale felt the Immortal''s will struggling in his ve Mark Spell.
Slowly, he felt the Immortal''s will suffering in his Spell¡
As he continued with his Extraction, he felt the Immortal''s Will yielding in his ve Mark Spell.
"I will take care of you. You can have a rest now¡" As he said this, the Immortal was still not giving up and trying to muster some of his remaining Divinity.
However, Vale simply smiled and spoke softly.
"You are mine, Immortal. From now on, you will obey my words." As Vale said this, he cast another ve Mark Spell!
''It''s over...''
He saw the Immortal''s eyes widen in horror and despair.
Slowly, he saw the Immortal''s eyes turned nk, even more lifeless than before... The Immortal''s eyes had just be dull and empty.
Vale had won.
He had enved the Immortal sessfully!
Vale felt a burst of joy and pride as he knew that no one else had a ve Immortal aside from him!
He felt a sense of aplishment and satisfaction. Furthermore, he would learn plenty of things from this Immortal, so he felt a thrill of excitement and curiosity.
''Now... I should continue with the others.''
Chapter 705 New Slaves
Chapter 705 New ves
??''Let''s see the others¡'' Vale thought as he moved to the next coffin and touched it.
Simr to what he did before, he activated his Divine Extraction System, and felt the seal''s energy flow into him.
[ Energy Source has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes¡" Vale replied.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +200 ]
¡
This time, Vale decided to hasten his pace¡
Thud!
Suddenly, he saw the seal''s pattern being revealed and broke it. This time, as he was already familiar with the intricate Formation Art or sealing technique engraved on the coffin, he felt a lot more confident to quicken his actions.
Creeaak~
The coffin soon opened and revealed the Immortal inside.
Once again, it had the appearance of a genderless man.
However, this Immortal had short gold hair and tan skin. Vale also confirmed that he had no horns whatsoever that could make his identity as a Demon Saint instead.
''Mhmm¡ This Immortal looks really good.'' Vale couldn''t help butment. Although he certainly doesn''t swing that way, he couldn''t help but appreciate this Immortal who seemed like a Greek God or something simr in the Greek Mythology of his past life.
Although Vale also had a great body, he was still too young and smallpared to this Immortal.
Well, the Immortal had a muscr figure and a fierce posture. He also had a natural intimidating expression and a violent aura.
''Anyway, you''re still going to be my ve for now. You guys are just too dangerous.''
As soon as the Immortal opened his eyes, he immediately scanned the surroundings and red at Vale. His eyes were red and even seemed fiery!
Although they''d just woken up, they were also not showing any traces of fear at all.
''Right¡ You''re not going to be spared.'' Vale thought after seeing his expression.
Of course, he also confirmed that they had no pupils, and no irises simr to the previous Immortal that he hadn''t named yet.
''Right¡ I should ask for his nameter.'' Vale thought as he turned his full attention to the new Immortal.
"A new Immortal? You don''t have an Immortal Spirit that helped you? Interesting¡" The Immortal mumbled to himself as he helped himself up from the coffin.
"Anyway, give me something to wear¡ Aren''t you being too rude to wake me up and not prepare any clothing? Just how long had passed?" The Immortal continued as he frowned at Vale who failed to properly serve him.
Vale was silent for now as he realized that this Immortal was indeed different from the other Immortal. He was more aggressive or perhaps, he was more proud and stubborn.
"Wow¡" Vale could only say after realizing the Immortal''s attitude.
''So this is another True Immortal. He is not like the other one, but this is certainly better¡ I''ll probably learn more things about Immortals from this guy¡'' Vale thought.
The Immortal spoke once again after not hearing a proper reply from Vale, his voice was loud and harsh.
"Hey! Are you not listening? Who are you? Where am I? What is this ce?" He demanded.
"If you''re annoyed by your situation, you shouldn''t me it on me." Vale replied.
Vale replied as he felt a wave of hostility and challenge from him.
With that said Vale decided to use his ve Mark Spell once again! This time, he used it with his full force! He immediately surrounded the Immortal with his Mental Energy, aiming to overwhelm him into submission.
"As expected¡ You''re a Demon! Hey! Help me here!" The Immortal spoke. Thest part was him referring to the enved Immortal. He actually failed to notice that the Immortal was already controlled by Vale!
''So you''re really weakened, huh¡ You can''t even tell that he''s already marked.'' Vale thought as he confirmed that this weakened Immortal would certainly be his second Immortal ve.
"Tsk! You''re going too far!" The Immortal shouted.
Soon, Vale felt the Immortal''s Will resist his Spell.
However, instead of just countering him with another Mind Controlling Spell, he felt the Immortal''s will trying to attack his ve Mark Spell.
He felt the Immortal''s Will rejecting his Spell with a burst of Divinity and Mental Energy!
Nheless, the Immortals seemed to be very proud of themselves as they didn''t just focus on their defense! After setting up a defensive measure against this ve Mark Spell, they seemed to be thinking that the Spell would just naturally stop and lose its energy!
Just like the first one, Vale also felt the Immortal''s will invading his mind. He was trying to assault his memories!
''I want this Spell! I''ll take it!'' Vale thought! Unlike before, he no longer felt fear after the Immortal tried to attack his mind.
Instead, he weed it!
Vales strengthened his mental defense with his Divinity and by activating his Oblivion Trance!
With this Spell, Vale pushed back.
He triggered his Divine Extraction System!
[ Living Immortal has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Mind Break Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Ash Resurrection Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +0.5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Avatar Creation Spell Model ]
Vale didn''t have the time to celebrate as he also blocked the Immortal''s Will from leaving his mind.
He wanted the Immortal to have divided attention so his ve Mark could push through!
"You''re taking everything away from me! You''re not being fair! You''re a chatan! You should fight me fair and square! This is foolishness!"
The Immortal realized what was happening and started cursing Vale for being unfair!
Well, although Vale has some confidence in his strength because of his Divine Extraction and a very good set of spells, he was still not going to fight another Immortal in a fair duel.
They were just too unpredictable!
Now that he saw his Extracted Spells, Ash Resurrection might''ve saved this Immortal if he didn''t extract it! There are simply too many Spells in the world, and Vale couldn''t be sure what kind of Spell his opponent had.
"me yourself for being strong¡ I had no other choice but to do this to win against you, Immortal." Vale said as he felt the ve Mark Spell entering the Immortal''s mind!
He felt the Immortal''s Will final struggle against his Spell. However, Vale''s ve Mark Spell didn''t weaken at all throughout the whole duration. It remained consistent in terms of strength until Vale felt the Immortal''s Will yielding in his Spell.
"You fought well¡ Don''t worry, I won''t mistreat those who are loyal to me. You might even benefit since I can extract all you unneeded Spell Models." Vale muttered as he confirmed his control over the Immortal.
As soon as he saw the Immortal''s eyes be dull and empty and his ve Mark Spell dissolving in the Immortal''s mind, Vale heaved a sigh of relief.
Once again, he had enved an Immortal.
He moved on to the next two coffins and did the same thing. He extracted their seals and cast his ve Mark Spell on the Immortals. He battled with their Wills and overcame them.
It took quite some time but in the end, he had Marked them, and made them his ves.
He had enved four Immortals!
He looked at them and felt a mix of emotions. He felt proud of his achievements and curious about their identities.
Of course, Vale felt excited about the secrets he would learn from them.
Right now, he truly felt powerful and confident, but he knew that he couldn''t be arrogant at this moment.
He decided to take a break and rest for a while. He had used a lot of energy and concentration. Although he extracted a lot of Immortal Essence and Divinity, he had exerted a lot of effort and skill. Right now, his mind was already buzzing. It was already telling him to rest to recover his strength and focus.
After all, he needed to prepare for the next challenge.
He nned to continue with thest four coffins, where four Demon Saints were sleeping. He wanted to do the same thing to them. He wanted to mark them and make them his ves.
However, after some thought, he decided to leave the Mausoleum.
He took the four Immortals with him, and he decided to discuss a few things with themter on. He allowed them to look around, but they could not show themselves to the visitors.
Then, Vale went to his own room andy down on his bed.
Finally, he closed his eyes and rxed his body.
Chapter 706 Return
Chapter 706 Return
The morning sun had barely crept over the horizon when the noise of construction jolted Denise awake.
"Ughh¡ Why are they so noisy early in the morning? I should''ve brought Magnus'' Formation Core¡" Denise muttered, referring to the Formation Art that could stop any noise of a certain level from entering the protected area.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she peered through the window of her rented hotel room, observing the industrious scene unfolding below.
The Ruri Kingdom was undergoing a transformation, with the railway expansion project spearheaded by the new king bringing a profound sense of progress and prosperity.
Of course, this wasn''t just happening here, but throughout the whole kingdom.
The once quiet viges and small towns were now bustling with activity, the railway lines weaving through them like veins of life, providing jobs, improving trade, and solving the age-old problems of food and shelter.
It was certainly a lot better when Vale and the others had just entered this kingdom.
''The air quality is still bad, though¡ I think we should do something about it.'' Denisemented in her mind as she could see the thick ck smoke belching out of various factories within the town.
Unfortunately, she couldn''t think of a solution to that she only thought of solving it but she never really did anything about it.
Denise then turned away from the window, her gaze falling upon Arthur and Lancelot.
They weren''t his male servants serving her during the night.
Instead, they were two metal golems¡ªor androids, as Vale preferred to call them¡ªstood sentinel beside her bed.
No matter how awesome she was and how reliable Lotus was, she was still a weak Alchemist. Her average physique was still a problem for her.
''Mhmm¡ I should try making them look more handsome¡'' Denise thought as she looked at the two.
Their gleaming metallic forms were still, yet there was an alertness about them that belied their inanimate nature.
Although they were not moving, Denise was confident that not even a mosquito would touch her skin with the two guarding her.
Nheless, what she liked about them was that they required no sleep, no rest, and no sry needed to pay them.
They will remain as her untiring guardians, ready to protect her at a moment''s notice.
"Good morning, Arthur, Lancelot," Denise greeted them with a warm smile as she prepared for the day. The androids responded with a series of soft whirs and clicks, the only indication of their acknowledgment.
It was something that Denise had taught to them.
Denise couldn''t help but smile after seeing them react this way.
Anyway, today, Denise had a mission.
The town was ripe with opportunities, and she intended to explore every nook and cranny for any interesting or beautiful magical artifacts that she might like.
Well, magic artifacts don''t always have to be powerful, in her opinion. If they looked good on her, she didn''t mind purchasing them as well.
The airship she had arrived in wasden with goods from Vale''s castle. They were items that would fetch a handsome price in the markets of various towns and cities¡ There were only a few of them remaining, which were extras just in case they needed to sell more products. Of course, Denise didn''t mind if they weren''t sold.
But trade was a two-way street, and Denise was always on the lookout for unique products to take back with her. It was a mission that Vale had given to her to ensure that they weren''t missing out on profitable business.
''Mhmm¡ Looks good.'' Denise thought.
With a final nce at the mirror, she adjusted her cloak and strapped her satchel securely across her shoulder.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Arthur and Lancelot fell into step behind her as she exited the room, their heavy footsteps a stark contrast to her light tread.
The town was already alive with the sounds of merchants setting up their stalls and the chatter of early shoppers.
Denise''s eyes were sharp, scanning the disys for anything that glinted with the tell-tale shimmer of enchantment.
It didn''t take long before she found something that caught her eye.
She paused at a stall where a collection of amuletsy spread out on a velvet cloth, each one pulsing with a faint magical aura.
"Good day, miss¡" The merchant greeted, following her gaze.
"Interested in protection charms, are we?"
Denise picked up an amulet, feeling the fluctuation of energy within.
"Perhaps. Tell me, where do thesee from?" Denise asked curiously. The reaction she got from the item was quite unusual. It doesn''t feel like themon Artifacts made by the Magic Craftsman of this generation.
She could tell this much since she was an Alchemist herself. She had been exposed to many kinds of magic items from Heinz''sboratory and collections.
The merchant leaned in, and an excited gleam showed in his eye.
"Ah, these are from the ancient ruins in the cold mountains in the northern region. They said that a corrupted Elementalist who was once a powerful being dwelled there, and his magic still lingers in these trinkets."
Intrigued, Denise considered the amulet in her hand.
It seemed that there was something in this item, as she could tell that it was sealed. This was precisely the type of item that would intrigue Vale¡ªsteeped in history and brimming withtent power.
She could still remember how Vale told her about the story of the corrupted shoes that were connected to a demon. Because of that, she couldn''t help but feel quite interested in any items like this.
Anyway, she made a mental note to research the ruins before her departure. She also purchased the item trinket since it wasn''t too expensive.
She would let Vale appraise this item once she was back.
As the day wore on, Denise''s collection of intriguing items grew.
She found a scroll of Rain Summoning Spell from a wandering Summoner, a Potion of irvoyance from an old Sorcerer, who had a weirdugh that sent shivers down her spine, and a set of Enchanted Daggers from a cksmith¡ What weird about this Daggers was the fact that Lotus could wield them!
Apparently this Dagger was made from a ck stone that dropped from the sky! Indeed, it was from a meteorite, and Lotus had no issues wielding it!
By the time the sun reached its peak, Denise had already gathered a trove of treasures that promised to make this trip a lucrative one.
Her task in the town wasplete, and it was time to return to the castle.
''Well¡ I amte by a few days, but it shouldn''t matter since I sent the visitors to the castle. That took quite some time.'' Denise thought, but the real reason was that she was enjoying her visits to the various towns and cities.
Soon, she stepped out into the bustling streets, her mind already on the journey ahead.
The airship, a marvel of engineering and magic, awaited her outside the town, its sleek hull gleaming in the sunlight.
The airship was a sight to behold, drawing curious onlookers from all around.
It was not just the size of the vessel that captivated them, but the intricate runes etched along its sides¡ As soon as she got near, she informed the Androids to start the engine and soon, the runes started pulsing with a soft blue glow.
The androids, her loyal protectors, stood guard around it, their exposed polished metal bodies reflecting the sun''s rays.
As Denise approached, the crowd parted like the sea, a mixture of reverence and awe on their faces.
''Ohhh¡ What a nice feeling. I can''t get used to this.'' Denise giggled as she felt like a princess being weed by the people.
The androids then moved, forming a perfect line.
With mechanical precision, they extended the stairs, allowing Denise to ascend with dignity.
Of course, Denise taught these actions to them before they left the castle. She felt quite proud of this since Vale and the others were also surprised that she couldmand these androids like this.
Well, they really thought that they were just good forbat. However, she had a different thought about it.
With a nod of acknowledgment to the onlookers, Denise boarded the airship.
The engines, quiet until now, began to rumble, a deep, thrumming sound that grew louder,manding the attention of everyone present.
The ground vibrated with the power of the airship as it prepared to take flight.
"Awesome¡ I wish that princess will visit us again."
"I wonder how much is that?"
"That will probably cost a castle or two¡''''
"The owner was also beautiful!"
The crowd watched, transfixed, as the airship lifted gracefully into the sky, its engines roaring exultantly.
Denise stood at the helm, her gaze fixed on the horizon, the wind tugging at her cloak.
''Yes¡ I really look like a princess¡ Hehehe¡'' Denise smiled widely as she heard the crowd''spliments.
***
The journey back to the castle was smooth. The Airship was able to travel fast since they weren''t worried about any regtions that would stop them from doing so.
Upon her arrival, the castle''s familiar towers weed her home.
After docking the Airship, she immediately thought of reporting to Vale about what happened to the products and the items she purchased.
But there was an unexpected presence¡ªsome visitors who had stayed in the castle.
Chapter 707 Puppets?
Chapter 707 Puppets?
Denise recalled that this person was also one of the representatives that she had brought to the Castle a few days ago.
If she wasn''t mistaken, her name was Lady Eve of the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent. Previously, this woman wore a red dress that hugged her body and a snake pendant hanging from her neck.
Denise regarded Lady Eve with curiosity since she couldn''t believe that Vale allowed her to stay for this long.
''I think two days had already passed. But why is she still here? Is this woman Vale''s type?'' Denise mused as she observed Lady Eve.
She was still quite seductive, although she had already changed her dress into a morefortable one covered by a long trench coat.
"Eve, correct?" Denise greeted with a calm voice.
After seeing Eve nod, she continued.
"I didn''t think that you''d still be here."
"The Immortal found our proposal favorable," Eve replied, her toneced with a hint of triumph.
"He had urgent matters to attend to and left in haste. He suggested I discuss the particrs of the Utara''s Serpent Herb trade with you. Ah¡ He also mentioned that?you can confirm the details with the Dragon Disciple if you doubt my words."
Without hesitation, Denise reached out with her mind, connecting with Chad, through a silent channel of telepathy.
"Chad, can you confirm the details of the trade agreement with Lady Eve?" she inquired mentally.
Chad, who was still reminiscing his conversation with the multiple representatives, jolted awake from Denise''s voice as he immediately replied.
Lady Eve didn''t wait that long as the confirmation came swiftly, a testament to the efficiency of theirmunication.
''Is that Telepathy? I didn''t sense any fluctuation of Arcane Energy at all. It was as if she didn''t cast any spell tomunicate with Chad. Very impressive.''
With the details affirmed, Denise turned her attention back to Lady Eve.
As the manager of the Castle''s Trade Industry, it was her responsibility to ensure the smooth execution of this deal.
Luckily, as an unofficial Alchemist, Denise was well-versed in the properties of the Utara''s Serpent Herb. Its rarity and potency made it a valuablemodity, capable of purging the most resilient curses and enhancing one''s vitality. She also learned from Heinz that the Brotherhood''s monopoly over its cultivation made them the sole purveyors of this coveted resource.
"Hmm¡ So the terms of the trade are quite clear¡" Denise began, her voice carrying the weight of authority.
"In exchange for a steady supply of the herb, the Brotherhood seeks the protection of the Immortal¡ªor, at the very least, the right to operate under his banner to ward off any covetous factions."
Lady Eve nodded, her eyes reflecting a calcted satisfaction. "That is correct. We believe this alliance will be mutually beneficial."
"I guess you already have some organizations in your mind that''s aiming your production facilities or something?" Denise asked.
Lady Eve didn''t hide it and nodded.
"Yes¡ There were some Organizations previously allied to us that were protecting our trade routes before, but because of the backing of the group that was trying to take our Herbs, these security organizations all backed out, and we''re having trouble operating. I believe that an Immortal would not be swayed by this organization, so I took a risk and visited this ce." Lady Eve exined
She actually received offers from other organizations to help their Brotherhood. However, their demands would basically remove her from the position, and it would also destroy the Brotherhood that she had inherited. She didn''t want that to happen.
"Mhmmm¡ Are you telling me that the backer is part of a noble family? Or maybe Arcanist family?" Denise asked.
"It''s both¡ It''s the Duffey Family. The current head is a Viscount, and they''re also Arcanists. They''re connected to the Knights Faction."
"Duffey Family¡ Got it. We''ll do our own investigations first."
Denise knew the importance of safeguarding their new allies.
After some thought, she decided to enlist Lisa, the Vampire whose prowess inbat was unmatched. With her summoning techniques, she also believed that she would be able to tell the truth about the Brotherhood.
Furthermore, she would also get more information about the Duffey Family and if they were really trying to take the Herbs that the Vale was eyeing.
Lastly, though Denise was protected by her androids, her ownbat abilities were limited. It was better to have Lisa be the enforcer or the shield against any who dared to threaten their acquisition of the said Herbs.
With the agreement sealed, Denise set the wheels in motion, ensuring that the trade would flourish under her watchful eye and the protective shadow of the Immortal''s banner.
''Well, I can''t let this fail since it would put Vale''s reputation at risk.'' Denise thought as she nced at the other visitor who had stayed in the Castle.
She decided to ask Chad about the situation of that man as well and confirmed that he was from the Shadow Consortium. His name was Cane, and apparently, he wanted Vale''s Blood to make a Divine Talisman!
''That''s quite ambitious, but I can''t me him¡ It''s not like we''ll just suddenly find another living Immortal.'' Denise shook her head at this as she suddenly froze for a moment¡
''What did you just say?'' Denise asked Lotus, who was hiding in her shadow.
She just heard Lotus say something ridiculous.
''It''s not a mistake¡ There are four Immortals on the second floor... However, I can also feel Vale''s energy inside their bodies.'' Lotus said.
''Inside their bodies?''
Denise somehow froze up after hearing that.
''Oh... You mean his Divinity?'' She asked.
''Did you think those four are his girlfriends?'' Lotus asked.
''Ahemm...Who knows? Since Vale is an Immortal, he can hook up with other Immortals. Anyway, are you sure they''re not enemies?'' Denise asked.
''I can guarantee that... I believe they were Vale''s ves or even summons.'' Lotus replied.
''Summoning an Immortal? That''s probably possible... However, I just recalled that the Castle is hiding a few Immortal Corpses. I think these are animated Immortal Corpses instead. I remember that Vale liked corpses, so maybe this is the reason he wanted to look for corpses¡ He probably possess a Forbidden Technique to make some puppets from those¡'' Denise guessed.
With that said, Denise decided to look for the Immortals on the higher floor, she wanted to appreciate their beauty and strength.
As for Lady Eve, she had already made a n, and they could meet tomorrow for the final discussion of the deal.
***
Denise''s ascent to the upper floor of the castle feltpletely different from how she recalled it a few days ago...
The corridors felt like they were exuding an aura of ancient times, and the air itself seemed charged with a power she couldn''t exin...
''Was it Divinity?'' She mused.
As she reached the floor where Lotus pointed at, the sight that greeted her was one that would have left even the Heinz in awe.
The four Immortals stood like statues from a forgotten era, their attire speaks of history woven with threads of magic.
''What in the world? Why did Vale choose this attire? This is simr to the paintings in the church! Ugh¡ I didn''t know he had this fetish¡'' Denise thought.
Well, since she believed that they were Vale''s puppets, their embarrassing attire should fall into him.
After observing them for quite some time, Denise sighed.
''At least they all looked good. Did Vale use Transformation Arts on them?'' Denise mused as she couldn''t help but appreciate their beauty.
Each garment was a masterpiece, rich fabrics in deep hues of sapphire, emerald, and gold, adorned with intricate embroidery...
Their clothes were not merely dresses and robes, but they showed their nobility¡
''But we''re already at the start of the Industrial Magic Era¡ This forest may even have railways passing through in a couple of years. The way they dress is no longer appropriate, Vale¡ You should''ve chosen something that wouldn''t stand out too much.'' Denisemented in her mind as she recalled her androids. She believed that as long as they didn''t have metallic physiques, they would surely pass as ordinary humans when seen in public.
However, these four are on a different level. It seemed that they were dressed this way to ensure that they would catch people''s attention.
Haaa~
Denise sighed.
"Vale''s handiwork is indeed a marvel to behold¡" Denise whispered, her voice barely above a breath, lest she disturb the solemn grandeur of the scene.
"To animate such beings, to clothe them in such splendor¡ I can give him 10 out of 10 for this¡" Denise muttered.
On the other hand, the Immortals'' eyes remained calm as they simply observed Denise.
It seemed that they were able to recognize her from Vale''s instructions.
''But somehow¡ I can feel that there''s more to it¡'' Denise mused.
It felt like they were more than just animated figures¡
Denise felt more curious about this as she decided to try if she could make a conversation with these puppets.
"Wee to our midst¡" She addressed them, her voice steady and clear.
"I am Denise, you can think of me as the Golem Expert of the castle. I also manage the External Trade. I look forward to working alongside you."
Denise said with a chuckle, but to her shock, the Immortals nodded and replied!
Chapter 708 Not Ignorant
Chapter 708 Not Ignorant
??Denise was just joking around when she talked to the Immortal Puppets. She believed that they would just ignore her or react simrly to how golems acknowledge the presence of others.
They would only look at her and perhaps give a gentle nod.
However, after she spoke, the Immortals looked at her at the same time, which surprised her for a moment. Then, one of them responded.
"Denise White¡ The Dark Alchemist who created those Androids. You have an amazing talent. It was no wonder Immortal Vale trusted you with such heavy responsibilities." One of the Immortals said, which stunned Denise for a while.
She didn''t react and simply looked at the Immortals with her eyes widened.
The three other Immortals behind simply nodded, their acknowledgment was silent but profound.
"T-thank you, Immortals."
With a respectful bow, she left them to their silent vigil. Her mind was a bit of a mess as she realized that they were not puppets! They were probably Vale''s Immortal Friends!
She immediately confirmed this from Chad, who had told her that the Immortals were indeed Vale''spanions who were tasked to protect the castle while he was away.
Apparently, Vale was considering whether to ask the Pontiff and Sage Merlin to halt their mission and return to the castle while he was away. However, instead of doing that, Vale somehow managed to wake up the sleeping Immortals beneath the castle and became his friend.
Well, Chad was also unsure of the details of how Vale befriended those, but nheless, they were here to ensure their safety while Vale was away.
''I guess that previous surprise attack from the Demon Saints weighed heavily in his mind.'' Denise mused as she recalled what happened several months ago.
Anyway, their presence was certainly reassuring.
This castle was probably the safest ce on the continent right now. So she still liked them having her here.
"Now¡ Where did Vale go?" Denise asked.
***
Meanwhile, faraway from the Eastern Region of the Ruri Kingdom, a huge Airship disguised as a Merchant Ship passed through the skies with a humming sounding from its engine.
Of course, this Airship was secretly owned by the Arcane Bureau.
''Whom~''
The sound of the Airship''s engine didn''t bother Vale as he stood on the deck.
Vale was currently on a mission.
He even had to postpone marking the Demon Saints since he would need the help of the four immortals to do that. After all, the Demon Saints had strange physique that had resistance against mind-controlling Spells.
However, that wasn''t perfect immunity, and as long as he got the assistance of the four Immortals, he would surely have captured the Demon Saints.
Unfortunately, the Immortals weren''t in their best condition after Vale marked them. They required some time to recover, and Vale couldn''t wait for that to happen. The Dungeon he had to enter had some time limit, so he had to leave after he had some rest back in the castle.
As he had boarded the Airship of the Arcane Bureau and travelled for about six hours, a Branch Director of the Bureau boarded the Airship from the Capital of the Ruri Kingdom.
It was Director Lark and of course, Vale had already confirmed that the Director was not a Demon Saint.
Anyway, the Director gave him more details about the expedition to the Remnant of the Celestial Realm, a hidden dungeon that was rumored to contain the secrets of the ancient Immortals but was only treated now as a dangerous ce.
"Mhmm¡ I feel like this Airship is quite different." Valemented after learning everything about the work dungeon.
The Airship that they were using doesn''t have the bnce of Magic and Technology that he had seen to many other Airships.
To his surprise, he could barely feel the presence of Magic in this Airship!
Nheless, this sleek vessel soared through the skies with ease and speed, better than the ones that were mostly relying on the Magic.
"Kehehe¡ Isn''t it amazing? Sir Immortal? This is only one of the technologies that the Arcane Bureau is proud of. As you know, the Bureau isn''t just for protecting the world of arcanists, it''s also meant to protect the world of men."
Director Lark then paused for a moment before he continued.
"Ahem¡ This Airship is also equipped with various devices and instruments that monitor the weather, the terrain, and the magical fluctuations. It is also armed with powerful weapons and shields that could fend off any threats. This is really different from normal Airship."
Vale could only nod as he already noticed this.
Then, the Director continued with his speech by talking about the greatness of the Bureau.
He mentioned that the Airship was also filled with agents of the Bureau, men and women who had dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge and adventure.
He exined that they were experts in various fields, such asbat, research, exploration, and diplomacy.
''What is he trying to do? Does he want me to be part of Bureau? Aren''t we done with this?'' Vale mused but he decided to just let the Director speak.
"Sir Immortal, I would like to arrange a few things for our dinnerter. I really wish I can see your face¡ Ahem, if you need anything, just let me know." Director Lark said before leaving.
Well, Vale was actually wearing his white mask, a simple yet elegant Magic Artifact that concealed his identity.
Though it was a bit ufortable, he wanted to keep some mystery about himself and also avoid any unwanted attention once he removed the mask and decided to just roam around.
"The journey will still take more than twelve hours¡ I should just enjoy myself here." Vale mused.
Luckily, as an Immortal, he was treated with utmost courtesy and hospitality by the agents, who offered him anything he might need or want.
They provided him with the best or mostfortable cabin, a variety of food and drinks, and ess to their library and archives.
They also engaged him in polite and stimting conversations, asking him about his experiences, his opinions, and his insights.
Currently, Vale has decided to visit the library on the Airship. He found it quite an interesting ce since he didn''t expect a library in such a ce.
"Sir, may I ask you a question?" one of the agents approached him, holding a book in his hand. He was a young man, with blond hair and sses. He had introduced himself as Agent Reed, a researcher of the Bureau.
"Of course, Agent Reed. What is it?" Vale replied, his voice calm and friendly.
"I was reading this book about the history of the Immortals, and I was wondering if you could confirm some of the facts. For example, is it true that the Immortals were once human, but they transcended their mortality through a ritual of ascension?" Agent Reed asked, his eyes shining with curiosity.
Vale smiled, amused by the agent''s enthusiasm.
Luckily, he already chatted with four other Immortals before he left, so he was no longer an ignorant Immortal!
He decided to answer his question, without revealing too much.
"That is partially true, Agent Reed. The Immortals were once human, but they did not all ascend through the same ritual. There were different paths to immortality, and each one had its own benefits and drawbacks."
"Really? What were the different paths?" Agent Reed pressed, eager to learn more.
"I can answer you if you give me something¡" Vale replied.
"Hmm? What can I give you, Sir Immortal?"
"How about 10 years of your life?" Vale joked.
However, the answer he received was unexpected.
"Alright, 10 years it is!" Agent Reed said without hesitation.
This answer stunned Vale as he didn''t expect him to be an idiot.
"Are you sure? I can tell you, but you have to ensure that no one will know or you will die." Vale said as he couldn''t help but frown while looking at the Agent.
''How did this guy be part of the Bureau?''
Vale could only shake his head at this thought.
"Understood!" Agent Reed replied, filled with excitement.
Vale considered his answer, weighing the pros and cons of sharing his knowledge. He decided to give a brief overview without going into details.
Of course, he first cast a spell to block anyone who was trying to secretly listen to their conversation.
"There were four main paths: the path of the elements, the path of the soul, the path of the mind, and the path of the body. Each path focused on a different aspect of the human being, and enhanced it to the point of transcendence¡"
Vale said as he looked at the young man to confirm that he was listening before he continued.
"The path of the elements granted mastery over the forces of nature, the path of the soul granted insight into the mysteries of the spirit, the path of the mind granted wisdom and intelligence beyond measure, and the path of the body granted strength and vitality that defied aging and disease."
Chapter 709 Arrival
Chapter 709 Arrival
Vale''s answer was like the words of deities that came to bless the young researcher. This answer wasn''t something that he could read in any textbooks! It was something that not even the most prestigious academies would willingly share with their precious students!
Of course, Vale didn''t tell him a very important detail.
His exnation only works for the Immortals that had originallye from this Human Realm. There were still other Immortals that were already born as Immortals in the Celestial Realm were all kinds of transcendent beings lives. For those beings, there was no need for any sort of Ascension at all.
Nheless, Vale didn''t think that telling this information would be helpful at all. In any case, he was just casually chatting with this person and trying to act like a truly knowledgeable immortal.
It certainly felt quite good to act knowledgeable from time to time.
On the other hand, Agent Reed had already finished processing the words he just said.
"Wow, that''s amazing. Which path did you follow, sir?" Agent Reed asked, his eyes wide with awe.
Vale paused, wondering if he should reveal his choice.
However, he immediately felt against telling the truth. He decided to give a vague answer instead. "I followed the path of the mind, Agent Reed. But I also learned from the other paths and integrated them into my own. That is why I have a variety of abilities and a bnced perspective."
Well, he certainly didn''t follow the normal path because of his Divine Extraction System.
"I see. That''s very impressive, sir. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me. I hope you don''t mind if I ask you more questionster¡" Agent Reed said, his voice full of gratitude and admiration.
"Not at all, Agent Reed. I can take more of your life when you ask more questions. Right, since you made a follow-up question. I will take a total 15 years of your life then." Vale said, his voice warm and polite.
"Come here¡"
Vale said as he raised his hand, wanting to touch Reed''s shoulder.
Although he could also extract without needing to touch him and only use his spell, he decided to show the need to make contact instead.
Reed suddenly froze up as he seemed to have just realized what kind of deal he had made to the Immortal.
"Ahem¡ So you''re not joking about that Sir Immortal." Reed weakly said as he stepped forward. Although he obviously didn''t like what was about to happen, he still epted his fate and allowed the Immortal to touch him and take his life. In any case, he brought this to himself, and he had no one to me
On the other hand, Vale simply looked at the Spell Models of this Researcher. He was actually practicing the Alchemy Path, which seemed to be very useful in most research.
However, most of this person''s spells were meant for Weapon Crafting, Potion Brewing, Talisman Making, and Pill Creation.
In short, they were spells that he didn''t need since he had Magnus and Denise for that. He didn''t want to take their jobs, so he might as well stay away from these Spells.
Well, Vale didn''t really expect to get an incredible Spell Model from an unknown researcher. Things like that won''t just happen randomly.
Anyway, Vale decided to just extract some Energy Point from the man. It was something that would weaken him for a while but would certainly not take his life.
As soon as Agent Reed felt weakened, he kneeled to the ground to support himself.
''So that was 15 years gone in my life¡'' Agent Reed thought, but surprisingly, he didn''t feel very against it since he knew that the knowledge he got would probably be a heirloom for his family.
Of course, he had no idea that his Vitality Points or any of his Attribute Points weren''t taken away at all. He simply felt tired after his energy was taken away. He would still recover after some rest, but Vale had no ns to tell him about that.
After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Agent Reed slowly stood up.
"Thank you, sir. You are very kind and generous," He said, bowing slightly. He also showed his genuine feelings with those words.
Vale didn''t feel any hatred or discontent from him.
Agent Reed then returned to his seat on the other side of the library while clutching the book to his chest. At this moment, his mind was filled with new information, and he had some more questions about the immortals. However, he could no longer waste his life.
''Should I go and tell the others to ask their questions in exchange for their life?'' He mused for a moment. There would probably be fanatics who would willingly give up their lives, but he also felt guilty to ruin their lives for that.
In the end, he decided not to tell the others about this.
Vale watched Agent Reed go, feeling a sense of satisfaction and amusement.
He somehow enjoyed talking to the curious Agents and sharing bits of knowledge with them.
Of course, while he was here, he also enjoyed learning from them and finding out more about the Bureau, its history, its structure, and its projects.
Although he had Agent Axe and others who could provide this information, he also wanted to hear these from the perspective of the normal Agents in the Bureau.
After asking around, he also learned more about the Remnant of the Celestial Realm, the destination of their journey.
It was a dungeon that had been discovered by the Bureau many years ago, in a remote and snowy region.
However, as it was guarded by Sage Merlin, they weren''t able to explore it and only knew a few details about it.
Thankfully, Sage Merlin was now under his control, so the Bureau was able tounch better explorations.
Anyway, the Dungeon''s entrance appears like a massive crack of space. It was deep underground and they had to pass through multiple chambers and levels before being able to see it...
At this time, to ensure that not just anyone could enter it, and that no dangerous beings coulde out of it, the Half-
Immortals of the Bureau had arranged various traps, formation arts, and guardians around it.
"How did you guys know that it''s a Remnant of the Celestial Realm?" Vale asked the Agent Axe after he visited the lounge of the Airship and found the Agent having some snacks.
Vale then joined him and chatted for a bit.
"Ahem¡ Sir Immortal, aside from the information we found out from the Overseer, we believe that it''s the Celestial Realm since we confirmed that there''s a Celestial Pce there¡ Although it was already abandoned, it matched the description by the Three Paragons in their church''s codex. And simr descriptions were also found in the codex used by the Church of the Eminence of the Sea."
"So it was like that¡" Vale gently nodded.
He further learned that the Celestial Pce was where the ancient Transcendent Beings had once lived and ruled.
It was said to contain their relics, their records, and their secrets. There were other amazing rumors about it, but in the end, it was already in an unknown state after most of the realm had been destroyed.
Vale also learned that the Bureau had been exploring the periphery of the ''dungeon'' for a while now... Aside from the Golden Key that he needed to take, they had discovered plenty of things in the Dungeon.
They had encountered many difficulties and dangers, and they had lost many Agents in the process...
Nheless, because of these sacrifices, they also found many wonders and treasures in that Dungeon.
"Sir, we are about to arrive at the location of the Dungeon''s entrance. Please prepare fornding," a voice announced over the inte, interrupting Vale''s thoughts.
Vale nodded and got up from his seat.
Agent Axe also did the same, as they followed Director Lark and a few other agents to the exit of the aircraft.
As soon as Vale was seen, they all greeted him warmly and thanked him for his cooperation in this mission.
Directly Lark also briefed him on the situation below.
"Sir, we are d to have you with us I hope that you''ll seed in sealing that Golden Key. As for the Dimensional Creatures that could possibly lurk around, we can''t really give you a piece of advice on it since we have no idea how to kill it." Director Lark said, his voice confident and respectful.
"I''ll work on it." Vale said, his voice calm and sincere.
"Thank you, sir. We appreciate your help, and your trust¡" Director Lark said, his voice grateful and sincere.
Vale nodded and smiled.
He was now prepared to enter the Dungeon, and to see what it had in store.
He was ready to explore the Remnant of the Celestial Realm and to find out about the Golden Key!
Chapter 710 Entering the Dungeon
Chapter 710 Entering the Dungeon
After twelve hours of flying, the Airship finally arrived at the location of the Dungeon''s entrance.
It was a snowy field surrounded by mountains and forests.
A camp had been set up by the Bureau, with tents, vehicles, and equipment.
Then, Vale saw arge metal door that marked the entrance leading to the Dungeon. Aside from the guards around the perimeter of the camp, there were also a few First-ss Arcanists guarding the entrance.
Furthermore, Vale could see more than a dozen Ice Spirits!
These Elemental Spirits were thoroughly guarding the entrance, although they only seemed to be sleeping around.
As Vale scanned the area with his Divine Sense, he didn''t find any Psychic Arts, Transformation Arts, and Dark Arts Practitioners.
It seemed that these Arcane Paths weren''t prevalent in this region.
''Alright¡ Let''s see what we got here.''
Vale stepped off the Airship, apanied by Director Lark and a handful of agents. He was greeted by a group of Arcanists who had been waiting for his arrival. They were part of the team that would assist Vale in the outskirts of the Dungeon, while he ventured deeper into its secrets.
These Arcanists were all Mystic Arts Practitioners, and they had a map of the Dungeon and a device that could detect the Dimensional Creatures, beings that lurked in the cracks between worlds.
Vale was intrigued by the device, but he refrained from asking about it, knowing that he would find out more about it soon enough.
Anyway, aside from this device, they also had weapons, tools, and various supplies. They were prepared for anything that could happen in the Dungeon.
The leader of the Arcanists was a middle-aged man with silver hair and a stern expression. He introduced himself as Master Steins, the head of the Mystic Arts Division of the Bureau.
He bowed respectfully to Vale and thanked him for his cooperation, something that Vale had already heard for several times.
"Lord Immortal, it is an honor to have you with us. We are here to support you in your exploration of the Dungeon, and to provide you with any information or assistance you may need. We have been studying the Dungeon for a long time, and we have some clues about its nature and origin. However, we barely managed to reach the broken Celestial Pce before we encountered many obstacles and dangers. Including Dimensional Creatures. We hope that with your help, we can finally unlock the secrets of the Realm and ensure that the Golden Key will not be taken by anyone else." Master Steins said.
Vale nodded as he used his Spells to ensure that they weren''t Demon Saints.
After confirming that everything was fine, he allowed them to lead him...
Anyway, he was already excited to learn more about the Immortals of the past. At this time, he simply agreed to their words and followed their guidance.
"Steins¡ If you have anything in your mind. Just let me know." Vale said.
"Thank you, Lord Immortal. We just hope that if you ever sensed the Dimensional Creatures. Try not to fight against it if you''re unsure whether you can defeat. Those creatures could mess up the already dying Realm, so it''s better not to agitate them if possible."
Master Steins said, his voice sincere and respectful.
"Mhmm¡ I''ll take note of that." Vale spoke behind his mask.
Vale then followed Steins and the other Arcanists to the entrance leading to the Dungeon.
It was arge metal door, guarded by Ice Spirits, creatures of frost and magic that served as the Dungeon''s first line of defense. Steins used his authority to deactivate the security system, and the door opened with a loud creak.
They entered the Dungeon, and were met with abyrinth of corridors and chambers, filled with various traps and guardians. Steins then led the way, using his device to navigate the Dungeon and avoid or disable the dangers.
Soon, they passed through several high-level Formation Arts and traps, that were designed to prevent any intruders from entering or escaping the Dungeon.
After some time, they finally reached the lowest level, and Vale saw a huge crack in space.
It was dark and ominous, but he could feel a familiar sensation emanating from it. It was undoubtedly the remnant of the Celestial Realm, the Realm where the ancient Immortals had once dwelled.
"Interesting¡" Vale muttered as he felt the leaking energy from it.
Then, his attention was brought to the gatekeeper sitting close to the entrance.
It was a person guarding the crack, an old man with a paleplexion and a cold demeanor. He was a Half-Immortal, a hybrid of human and Immortal blood, and Vale recognized him from the files that he received before. This man was also part of the Council and worked for the Bureau as the Guardian of the Dungeon.
This Half-Immortal recognized Vale and immediately introduced himself.
"Lord Immortal, wee to the Dungeon. I am Kai, and I am here to ensure the entrance''s safety and prevent any unauthorized ess. Ahem¡ I have been expecting you, and I have prepared everything for your journey. Please, have a safe trip, Lord Immortal."
Vale nodded and thanked him. He doesn''t really know what more to say to this hardworking man.
''He doesn''t look like a Demon Saint anyway¡''
Vale was now ready to explore the Remnant of the Celestial Realm, and to find out the truth about the Golden Key.
It didn''t take long before Steins entered the crack, followed by the Arcanists, and Vale enteredst.
***
As Vale and the others stepped through the crack, they felt a sudden jolt of dizziness, as if they had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
The surrounding energy became suffocating, and the usualws of nature seemed to change in this ce.
They were able to quickly tell that using normal Arcane Spells in this ce may either be impossible orpletely difficult.
"So this is it, huh¡" Vale muttered as his senses spread throughout the surroundings.
To his surprise, however, his Magic Zone could only cover a kilometer after entering this ce.
''Interesting¡'' He thought as he started to look around.
In a concise description, they seemed to have found themselves in a dark and deste world, a world that was crumbling and fading away.
The sky above them was a vast expanse of ckness, pierced by countless stars that twinkled like dying embers. The ground below them was cracked and barren, littered with debris and ruins. The air around them was thin and cold, filled with a sense of dread and decay.
Vale simply couldn''t describe what he was feeling just by looking at this ce. Just mere words may not be enough.
''Well, this situation perfectly fits being called the Remnant of the Celestial Realm¡ It would have been great to see this in its glory.'' Vale thought to himself.
Unfortunately, this was not the Realm of glory and splendor that it was before. This was now a realm of ruin and despair, a realm that was on the verge of copse.
"Sir Immortal¡ I''m curious, can you tell that this is indeed the Celestial Realm where all the Transcendent Beings had lived before?" Master Steins asked as he looked at the Masked Immortal.
Vale didn''t immediately answer as he slowly used his Divinity and even his Divine Extraction System to get a better understanding of the ce.
After some time, he answered.
"Yes, this is it. I can tell from its traces of energy. But this is not how it used to be. This is how it is now, after the Cataclysm¡" Vale said, his voice calm and solemn.
From the four Immortals in the castle, he also learned quite a few things about the past of this Realm.
"The Cataclysm? What''s that?" one of the Arcanists asked, his eyes wide with curiosity and fear. Although they already have some idea, they still couldn''t help but ask.
Anyway, their devices were still adjusting to the changes within the ''dungeon'', so they had to wait until now.
"It''s the event that destroyed the Celestial Realm, and the Immortals who lived in it. Just think of it as a war that involved multiple Transcendent Beings. These includes Celestials, Demon Lords, Dimensional Creatures and there might even be Time Maniptors." Vale exined, his voice grave and serious.
"Dimensional creatures¡" The group of Arcanists repeated as they knew about the Dimensional Creatures. As a matter of fact, these creatures were the ones they wanted to avoid while inside this Realm!
Unfortunately, as if on cue, a loud roar echoed through the air, followed by a series of thuds and crashes.
The group turned and saw a massive creature emerging from the shadows, its eyes glowing with a sinister light.
It was a creature of the void, a creature of the Dimensional Realm.
Vale looked at this creature and realized why the Arcanists and even the Half-Immortals were afraid of it!
It was a monstrous beast, a twisted abomination of the void.
It was a creature of terror and was befitting its name as a Dimensional Creature, a creature of the Cataclysm!
Chapter 711 Dimensional Creature
Chapter 711 Dimensional Creature
The Dimensional Creature''s body was covered with scales and spikes that seemed as hard as the toughest steel and as sharp as des.
Its tail was long and lethal, tipped with a spike that could pierce throughyers of armor and flesh. Its head was horned and fearsome, with a mouth full of jagged fangs that could tear apart anything in its path.
"What in the world?! How is that Creature here already?!"
"This is bad! This Creature had never lurked around the entrance before!"
"We must return immediately! The entrance may close, but we can still open it someday!"
"Master Steins! We have to go!"
"Sir Immortal! It probably sensed your presence and had gone mad! We need to be careful!" Steins said as he could only guess that Vale''s presence itself had attracted the Dimensional Creature!
It wasn''t that difficult to connect the clues after all!
"Mhmmm¡ This Creature does indeed look strong. No wonder many of you died from it." Valemented as he thoroughly inspected the Creature while it was destroying everything in its path to arrive at their area.
"Sir, wanted to help you, but we just arrived! Our Spell Models haven''t adjusted in this realm yet! We have no way of supporting you." Steins immediately said after realizing that Vale didn''t look worried at the Dimensional Creature''s appearance.
"I understand¡ Just do your best to protect yourselves." Vale said as he took a deep breath. He was getting ready to fight against the mysterious Creature.
Screech~
The Dimensional Creature didn''t roar loudly, but it created a screeching noise that seemed to attack their very soul!
Luckily, Steins and the others had prepared for such an attack as their amulets took effect. As for Vale, his soul was already strong enough to ignore this preemptive attack from the Creature.
As the Dimensional Creature charged at them and started getting too close, the Arcanists prepared to fight back¡ Not with their Arcane Spells, but with their Magic Artifacts¡
They had Talismans, Amulets, and other trinkets that would support them, and they also raised their weapons, ready to unleash their closebat skills.
Although their Spell Models hadn''t adjusted yet, their Arcane Energy could still be used to trigger their Artifacts.
However, they soon realized that even triggering their Artifacts'' abilities was difficult!
''Is it because of the noise this Creature made just now? That''s an interesting ability¡ I thought it only messed up the energy flow to stop the Arcanists from using spells. It actually disrupted Magic Artifacts'' energy as well¡'' Vale mused as he analyzed what had just happened.
Nheless, before Vale could act, a few of the Arcanists were still somehow able tounch some of their spells.
They all came from the Talismans they were carrying!
It was quite an interesting bit of information as it showed that Talismans were actually built quite different.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
As Vale watched the spells hit the Dimensional Creature, he realized why it was a menace against Arcanists.
The Dimensional Creature appeared to be immune to any type of spell. As soon as the Spellsnded, it was as if they were nothing but sparks and smoke.
''No¡ It''s not like that¡ This Dimensional Creature isn''t immune at all. The Creature itself is resisting the presence of Spells. The Arcane Spells were distorted and dissipated and unable to affect the Creature¡'' Vale mused as he witnessed how the Dimensional Creature appear immune to spells, but it was simply using a method that was quite simr to his Spell Dispersion!
However, the only difference was that his Spell Dispersion needed to be cast, but the Dimensional Creature needed not.
"Tsk¡ This is just impossible." Steins muttered as he confirmed that there was really nothing they could do for now. He was already thinking of retreating, but because the Immortal was still nning to stay, he could only pray that it wouldn''t be toote if Vale failed to win against the Creature.
"Master Steins¡"
"We should move now¡"
The Arcanists behind him were obviously shocked and terrified, realizing that they had no way to defend themselves.
"Just shut up and wait for the Immortal''s instructions." Steins said as he waited for the sh to happen.
The others also looked at Vale, hoping that he could save them.
They knew that he was different from them, that he had powers that they could notprehend. They knew that he was an Immortal and that he could use Divinity and Celestial Arts.
''Fine¡ My observation is done¡''
Vale saw the fear and desperation in their eyes, and he knew that he should give them some assurance or they might really flee or do something stupid..
Since Arcane Spells doesn''t work, he had to use something.
That would be his Divinity and Celestial Arts.
He already confirmed that these two could work really well in this realm.
As Vale stepped forward and faced the Creature, he removed his mask and revealed his face.
"Come¡" Vale said as he confidently smiled.
The mask may give him amazing effects in the Human Realm but it was only restraining a bit of his Divinity in the Celestial Realm.
Right now, he wanted to ensure that he would be at his full strength.
"Let''s see how you deal with this¡"
Vale muttered as he activated his Divinity, and unleashed his Celestial Arts.
First, he summoned a bolt of Divine Lightning and hurled it at the Creature.
Boom!
The lightning struck the Creature and caused it to roar in pain. However, the lightning''s strength was already halved when it hit the Dimensional Creature!
Obviously, it wasn''t enough to make the Creature bleed!
He did it once again¡
Boom!
The lightning lit up the sky and revealed the cracks and fissures that were spreading across the realm. This time, the Dimensional Creature was prepared and was able to cast a strange technique that the destroyed the path of the lightning!
It wasn''t hit at all!
''So it can learn so quickly¡ It saw one of my spells and already learned how to deal with it. This Creature is scary!'' Valemented in his mind.
He couldn''t help but feel impressed!
''I need to extract this Dimensional Creature¡ No, maybe I should try enving it first¡'' Vale mused.
He then used his natural ability to control Shadows to continue his fight.
He knew that he had to weaken the Dimensional Creature if he wanted to enve it. He had to weaken its mind or make it vulnerable!
Whoosh~ Whoosh~
Vale then created a swarm of shadow des through his Shadow Maniption and sent them flying at the Creature!
Of course, it was filled with Divinity, and every shadow de could equal a Tier 3 Piercing Spell!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As expected, the des sliced through its scales and spikes.
Screeechhh~~
As the Creature bled from its wounds and staggered in its movements, it released another screeching noise, hoping that it would stop Vale from his attacks!
However, this time, the screeching included a clear destructive energy that the Dimensional Creature used to stop his Divine Lightning for a while.
It waspletely different from the Corruption Energy of the Demon Saints!
Then, the Dimensional Creature started charging and in a blink of an eye, it was already in front of Vale!
''Interesting¡'' Vale mused as he realized that the energy was indeed quite new.
"That''s not going to work!" Vale shouted as he cast the Aurora''s Embrace, and wrapped himself in a cloak of rainbow light.
Before, he would just release this Celestial Art and hope to hit his target and kill it.
But after bing an Immortal, his understanding with his Celestial Spell Models increased as well.
As soon as he gathered the Aurora''s Energy, he epted it in his body, and it increased his speed and agility, and dodged the Creature''s attacks.
Boom!
Vale''s previous spots was destroyed and the Arcanists were thrown away by the sheer force it had released.
Nheless, Vale''s True Sight was already activated.
True Sight could be considered a Dragon Spell and it was different from other Spell Models.
After it was activated, his senses and perception were enhanced, and he analyzed the Creature''s weaknesses.
"It doesn''t have one¡" Vale wryly smiled after realizing this.
Nheless, Vale finally decided to use the Celestial Arts he had obtained from the Immortals and even the Demon Saints!
"Try this!"
Vale said as he invoked Meteor Summon, a spell he extracted from an Immortal!
Indeed, he called forth a massive meteor from the sky and it was directed towards the terrifying DimensionalCreature.
Vale didn''t stop from that as he used his Shadow Maniption to bind the Creature for a second!
It was enough to smash it with a devastating forceing from his Meteor!
Boom!
The Creature was crushed by the impact, and buried under the rubble.
Whoosh~
Of course, the Meteor also caused a shockwave and shook the ground!
"Ahhh¡"
Even Vale paused for a moment as he realized that he might be the cause of the destruction of this Remnant Realm!
Chapter 712 Reward?
Chapter 712 Reward?
??"Take cover!"
"Move back! Don''t get close to the battle!"
"Master Steins! Wace''s team was injured!"
"Fine! Retreat to that hill!"
The group of Mystic Arts Practitioners who should be guiding Vale to take the Golden Key while avoiding any disasters could only adapt to the situation.
Steins had to lead his team and ensure that there would be no casualties!
In the meantime, Vale remained focused as he realized that he could still feel the presence of the Dimensional Creature¡
''What a tough creature¡ This abomination should never enter the Human Realm or it will be a disaster.'' Vale thought as he was now determined to ensure that this ''Dungeon'' would be forever closed, erasing all possible link to the Human Realm.
Vale then used Ethereal Step, and appeared behind the Dimensional Creature. It was already injured.
This time, he pulled out his Stormbringer Sword, and without any hesitation, he stabbed it into the Creature''s heart.
Screechhh~
The Creature was hurt and wanted to move away! It tried to destroy the Sword that Vale was holding but it wasn''t just any normal sword, it was considered as a Divine Sword since it was used and made by the previous Paragons!
Vale then imbued his Sword with lightning and burned the Creature from the inside!
Of course, Vale didn''t forget to activate his Divine Extraction System!
He had to do this if he wanted to capture or kill this Creature!
[ The target has resisted the Extraction. ]
[ Unable to Extract. ]
[ The target has resisted the Extraction. ]
[ Unable to Extract. ]
[ The target has resisted the Extraction. ]
[ Unable to Extract. ]
[ The target has resisted the Extraction. ]
[ Unable to Extract. ]
"What the heck?" Vale was confused as he could tell that the Creature''s life was already weakened! He was confused why he was still failing!
''Does it have to be on its dying breath to extract it? Or can I only kill it? No other options?''
Vale sighed as he realized that the Dimensional Creature was truly quite special. Anyway, since that was the case, he decided to just kill it for now. In any case, he could probably look for another Dimensional Creatureter.
''Die¡''
Finally, Vale twisted the de and ended the Creature''s life¡ or, at the very least, that was what he thought!
Vale''s eyes widened in disbelief as the Creature, which should have been killed, began to stir once more. Its heart, pierced by the divine Stormbringer Sword, seemed to regenerate, stitching the fatal wound closed as if by some dark sorcery.
The beast''s screech turned into a growl, and its red eyes zed with renewed fury.
It burst with overwhelming power and pushed Vale away!
Furthermore, his Sword started showing some cracks!
Even with his Divinity coating the Sword, it still took severe damage from the Dimensional Creature''s mysterious attack!
"Impossible¡" Vale muttered under his breath.
He had underestimated the Creature''s resilience, a mistake he wouldn''t normally make. Nheless, he realized one of the Dimensional Creature''s secrets. It was no wonder they could travel through other dimensions!
Steins and the other Arcanists watched from a safe distance, their hearts pounding as they witnessed the Immortal''s battle.
"It''s still alive¡" Steins muttered. He was also in disbelief after seeing the weakened Creature suddenly burst with power. As a matter of fact, it seemed to have even gone stronger!
"But it''s the first time we''ve seen the Dimensional Creature gets injured. We might have a chance to win."
"That whole Creature is a fortune¡ If Vale gets its corpse intact, it will shake the whole continent¡"
"Right¡ Even just a few grams of its blood will probably make us rich."
The other Arcanists mumbled as they saw some hope in this battle althought the Dimensional Creature was still alive.
***
In the meantime, Vale, realizing that the Creature could not be killed by that attack, tapped deeper into his Celestial Arts!
He gathered his Shadow Divinity and triggered one of his strongest Celestial Art after being an Immortal, it was his Shadow Muttion!
Vale cast the Spell and targeted the Creature¡ It didn''t fail as expected but Vale realized that the mark didn''tst long!
Before he could try and cut the Creature''s shadow, the effect was already gone!
"Three seconds¡ I need to attack within that time frame if I want to kill with this Spell." Vale mused as he decided to try using his other Spells.
Vale took a deep breath as he enveloped his body in a shroud of darkness that seemed to move with a life of its own.
It was Vale''s Darkness Maniption Spell. Although the other Arcanists weren''t able to use their Spell Models yet, Vale had no issue using it now.
The only concern was that the Dimensional Creature had a strange ability that protected its body from Arcane Spells.
Screhhh~
Once again, the Creature lunged, its massive form was a blur of motion. The Arcanists failed to see its movement but Vale faster! He was no longer in his previous position when the Creature arrived!
Vale reappeared above it, his body crackling with the raw power of Divine Lightning. He actually used his body as the catalyst instead of the sky!
It was something that was only possible after bing an Immortal!
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, he unleashed a torrent of lightning and divine energy, striking the beast with a force that tore through the air.
Vale trusted this Spell a lot since he had already upgraded this Celestial Arts to the limit!
It was already in the Perfect Realm!
The Creature howled, its body convulsing as the divine energy coursed through it.
But it was not yet defeated!
It swept its tail, the venomous spike at its end aiming for Vale with lethal precision.
Screech!
The attack didn''t end there, the Creature continued with its sound attack, hoping to disorient Vale in the process.
Vale, however, was already moving, his form flickering with the speed of Presence Shift.
Then, he also activated his Aurora''s Embrace.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Vale danced around the Creature''s attacks, his movements were like a haze of color and light!
Vale knew he needed to end this quickly.
A prolonged battle between two powerful beings in this realm wasn''t good!
After all, the realm was already copsing around them. The very fabric of the dimension had started tearing apart!
He still had a mission to find the Golden Key!
He raised his hands to the sky, invoking the Meteor Summon once again!
Although it would damage the Realm, he had to do this if he wanted to capture the Dimensional Creature.
The air grew heavy, and a shadow loomed above as a massive meteor hurtled down from the cosmos, aimed directly at the Creature.
This time, Vale spend over 300 Divinity Points to cast this. It was several timesrger than the normal amount!
However, he had to do this if he wanted to kill it!
With a ground-shaking impact, the meteor struck, engulfing the Creature in a cloud of dust and debris. The Arcanists shielded their eyes, but Vale stood firm, his gaze locked on the settling dust.
"Stay together! Use your Amulets to protect the front!" Steinsmanded as he couldn''t help but feel impressed at the power of the two beings.
Their battle was truly on a different level.
''I''m lucky to have brought this Recording Crystal¡ This would be huge¡'' Steins couldn''t help but think at the riches he will earn once he sold this Crystal that contained the full might of an Immortal and Dimensional Creature!
As the dust cleared, the Creature emerged, wounded but still alive.
Vale couldn''t help but sigh after seeing this.
The Dimensional Creature was truly a being born of the Cataclysm, a survivor of apocalyptic destruction.
Vale understood then that this battle was more than a fight¡ªit was a testament to his resolve as an Immortal.
"Since your beings killed plenty of Celestials before¡ I guess it wasn''t surprising that you''re incredible strong." Vale muttered as could tell that Dimensional Creature was preparing to attack once again.
However, before it couldunch another attack, Vale used his Ethereal Step.
In a blink, he was upon the Creature, his Stormbringer Sword that was glowing with an ethereal lightning was about tond!
With a roar of his own, Vale struck, the de cutting through the Creature''s hide as if it were made of shadow.
The Creature''s roar turned into a whimper, its form beginning to fade. Vale did not relent. He channeled the Corruption Curse, a Demon Saint''s Spell he had Extracted that would ensure the Creature''s demise.
ck tendrils of energy wrapped around the beast, seeping into its wounds and corrupting its very essence!
With a final, desperate attempt, the Creature tried to retaliate, but its movements were sluggish, its strength had already started waning.
Then, Vale tried to use his ve Mark, but as expected... It somehow didn''t work.
With a sigh, he delivered the final blow, his sword cleaving through the Creature''s neck!
The head fell, and the body copsed, the dark energy of the curse consuming it until nothing remained but ash¡
Chapter 713 Captured
Chapter 713 Captured
Vale exhaled deeply, his shoulders slumping slightly as he looked at the ash where the mighty Dimensional Creature once stood.
Not a scale nor a drop of blood remained that might be good for alchemy. It was definitely a significant loss since he knew that it would be a great gift to Denise.
Steins approached, his expression mirroring Vale''s disappointment.
"A shame we couldn''t harvest anything from it." He said, his voice tinged with regret.
"Indeed¡" Vale replied, his gaze still fixed on the ground.
"But at least we''re all safe. That''s what truly matters."
The others nodded in agreement, their faces a mix of relief and wistfulness. They had all dreamed of the wealth and fame that woulde with such a trophy. Yet, they were grateful for Vale''s victory, which had spared them all from harm.
As they set out towards the location of the Golden Key, the realm around them seemed to protest, its end near.
Thunder cracked like the world''s spine, and the earth trembled with the realm''s death throes.
"Keep your eyes open and your feet steady¡" Steins called out over the din.
"This ce won''t hold much longer¡" Vale muttered as he looked around¡
"It does look like that, Sir Immortal. However, we confirmed that it would stillst for centuries¡" Steins said.
Vale decided not toment on that, but he still nodded at him.
The group then moved with purpose, but the unpredictable quakes made their journey perilous. There was also chaotic energy, whirlwinds, and shes of lightning strikes that they had to worry about.
Nheless, Vale''s Magic Zone remained active.
Suddenly, Vale halted, his hand raised for silence.
Everyone quickly noticed it and of course, they didn''t ignore the Immortal''s warning.
"What is it?" whispered an Arcanist, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
"There¡" Vale pointed to a small, darting shape.
"A Dimensional Creature¡ªperhaps the offspring of the one we just faced."
Vale didn''t just made a random guess. Vale had been observing it for several minutes now.
He already noticed the simrity between the Dimensional Creature''s Aura and appearance. He also knew how it had been watching them ever since he killed the other Dimensional Creature.
It was as if it was waiting for him to return its parent.
Nheless, as soon as they realized that it was a baby Dimensional Creature, excitement flickered in the Arcanists group''s eyes.
This was definitely a second chance, a new opportunity for glory.
Vale crept forward, his movements silent as the falling dusk. The Creature, sensing danger, tried to flee, but Vale was quicker.
He used his Presence Shift to get a better position before he triggered his Shadow Divinity and controlled the shadows everywhere. Soon, bands of darkness sprang from his fingertips, ensnaring the Creature!
"Sir Immortal! We have a Containment Crystal from the Rune Arts Department of the Burea. You can try capturing it alive with its help!" Steins suggested.
Vale was already thinking of using his Extraction System since he actually didn''t get an error when he tried. It means that his ve Mark would most likely work as well.
However, he was quite curious if the Containment Crystal would actually work.
After a moment of hesitation, Vale nodded.
"Alright, let me see if it works."
"Yes! We''ll also help bind it!" Steins urged his team while stepping forward with a Containment Crystal in hand.
Vale then took the Containment Crystal, and after an appraisal, he immediately knew how to use it. Without hesitation, he triggered the crystal and lights started appearing from it.
Soon, the Creature fought against the magical restraints. Its tiny form was actually surprisingly powerful even with a small body¡
However, Vale''s Shadow Maniption was stronger.
The light from the crystal constricted, and the Creature''s struggles slowed.
With a deft movement, Steins secured the Creature within the crystal. It glowed faintly, the Creature''s eyes meeting Vale''s through the translucent barrier.
For some odd reason, the Containment Crystal, with the size of his fist, was able to fit a Dimensional Creature that was about 1 meter in height!
It was such a strange sight!
"We have it¡" Vale announced, a hint of triumph in his voice. This was the first time he captured a creature with such a method. He didn''t dislike it at all!
The group then gathered around, peering at the captured Creature with a mix of curiosity and awe.
"Haha! We did it!" Steins couldn''t help butugh. He was already happy that they were able to help the Immortal achieve this.
"Incredible¡ I thought that the Rune Arts Department wasn''t doing anything incredible. I guess the budget for their department was justified."
"Hmph¡ It doesn''t change the fact that they''re eating a huge part in the budget! We should still be the ones getting the most with how dangerous our job it!"
"This could change everything," murmured an Arcanist, her eyes reflecting the crystal''s glow.
Steins nodded, his mind already racing with possibilities.
"Let''s move on. The Golden Key is still waiting for us¡"
***
The journey resumed, the group weaving through the treacherous remnants of the Celestial Realm.
Thankfully, although the surroundings were still unweing, there weren''t any other Arcanists exploring the area.
After all, they believed that these Arcanists who had ess from other entrances were much more dangerous.
After an arduous hour, Steins halted, his hand raised for attention.
"We''re close now, just half an hour from the altar¡" He announced, his voice carrying a note of urgency.
However, as Steins and the group edged closer to the altar, the ground beneath them convulsed violently, heralding the arrival of another formidable foe.
It was another Dimensional Creature!
"Not again¡" Steins couldn''t help butin after seeing it. These Dimensional Creatures should be near those areas rich with otherworldly energy!
The Golden Key, which doesn''t have any energy flowing out of it, shouldn''t attract these creatures!
Nheless, as they observed the Creature, it was akin to the one Vale had vanquished.
It emerged from the rupturing earth, its scales shimmering like dark steel and its spikes promising agony once you''ve gotten hit.
Bam!
The Creature''s tail hit the ground. It was a lethal appendage tipped with a spike sharp enough to pierce the heavens.
Its horned visage, a grotesque mask of primal rage, housed a maw lined with fangs eager to rend flesh from bone.
Well, it seemed a lot scarier than the previous one.
It actually looked really angry!
Steins'' voice was a calm in the storm¡
"Stand back! This one is beyond our measure."
Whether it was the old or the young Dimensional Creature, their group would be helpless against it. There was no point in staying in this battle, and they should have just trusted the immortal.
Soon, Vale stepped forward as he observed the subtle energy fluctuation of the Dimensational Creature...
It was a bit different from the one he encountered first¡
"This Creature¡ it''s not just strong. It''s ancient, powerful, and untamed¡" He said, his eyes locked with the beast''s baleful re.
Screeechhh~
The Creature screamed, a sound that seemed to tear at the fabric of the realm itself, and charged with the fury of a cataclysm.
"Are you that angry? Come!"
Vale met its onught with his own Spells.
He summoned a Meteor from the void, its fiery tail illuminating the chaos of the copsing realm.
Boom!
The meteor crashed into the Creature, but it was undeterred, its scales deflecting the celestial me. It wasn''t even knocked back!
It then started releasing destructive energy that would crush anything it touched!
It was dangerous!
However, Vale''s form flickered with Divine Lightning, his silhouette a blur as he employed Presence Shift to evade the Creature''s relentless attacks.
Then, he released his Divine Lightning to disrupt its flow of energy! That''s right, the Divine Lightning was now reduced to a Celestial Art that could only disrupt the Dimensation Creature.
Nheless, wrapped himself in Aurora''s Embrace, a haze of colors and light that obscured his movements¡ He wanted to release this Spell after finding an opportunity.
But the Creature was relentless.
It matched Vale''s speed with its own ferocity, its tail a blur as it countered every move.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Vale struggled as his Spells were being blocked or destroyed by the Creature''s tail.
Furthermore, even if he got a direct hit, the Creature would justpletely ignore the pain and continue!
The Creature''s resilience was unlike anything he had faced; it was as if the very essence of the realm bolstered its strength!
Steins and the others could only watch in awe, their hearts racing with the knowledge that they were witnessing a battle between titans.
Vale, drawing upon the depths of his Immortal power, knew this was a fight that he really had to take seriously or he might be the one to fall!
After taking a deep breath, he channeled all his might into one decisive blow.
He pulled out his sword and poured his Divinity into the weapon. Vale then used his Presence Shift to ensure that he wouldn''t miss this blow!
Boom!
Vale caught the Creature off guard!
The Creature then faltered, its roar fading into a pained gasp as Vale''s sword pierced through its head!
This time, however, Vale couldn''t help but feel curious as he was now allowed to Extract this Creature!
Chapter 714 Pawn
Chapter 714 Pawn
Vale decided not to kill this Dimensional Creature immediately. Instead, he chose to take his chance and extract this being!
[ Living Monster has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Monster?" Vale muttered in surprise before finally agreeing to the extraction.
"Yes¡"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500, Vitality +0.5, Divinity +5, Aetherial Essence +100, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500, Vitality +0.5, Divinity +5, Aetherial Essence +100, Complete Cosmic Sight Spell Model, Rift de ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500, Vitality +0.5, Divinity +5, Aetherial Essence +100, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500, Vitality +0.5, Divinity +5, Aetherial Essence +100, Complete Astral Chains Spell Model, Complete Void w Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500, Vitality +0.5, Divinity +5, Aetherial Essence +100, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
As soon as Vale saw several failed extractions, he knew that he already reached the limit and had to stop.
''Spell Models, new Essence, and even an item¡ Interesting¡'' Vale mused as he realized that he had obtained such valuable things in this extraction.
Of course, he still couldn''t help but feel curious how he managed to extract this Dimensional Creature but failed to do it with the first one.
He could only guess that it was rted to his arrival in the Realm. Perhaps, his Divine Extraction System wasn''t adjusted yet, or the Dimensional Creature was just unique.
Nheless, as Vale finished his extraction, the Creature finally copsed, its body dissolving into the aether, leaving behind only the echo of its final cry.
Vale stood victorious, yet the toll of the battle was evident. Just now, he already used a quarter of his energy. If he encountered several Dimensional Creatures at the same time, he might really be in trouble.
He then turned to Steins, nodding solemnly.
"We must hurry to the altar..."
With renewed urgency, the group pressed on. After encountering these Dimensional Creatures, they knew very well that they had to finish their mission as quickly as possible. They must find the Golden Key.
Vale, ever vignt, sensed thetent perils that might lurk on their path.
"Wait¡ Let''s not rush. I need to prepare something." Vale said as he decided to employ his ve Mark Spell on the young Dimensional Creature they had captured earlier, hoping to turn a potential threat into an ally.
After all, if there are many Dimensional Creaturester, he might fail to protect Steins and the others.
The others could only ept Vale''s proposal as they waited to see what he was about to do.
Vale then looked at the Containment Crystal made by the Bureau''s Research Team.
The Creature, smallpared to its fallen kin, was like a living ck fire contained within the crystal. Its scales were shimmering dark hues even through the containment.
Tiny spikes adorned its back, and its eyes, wide and curious, glowed with a faint otherworldly light.
''It looks quite cute right now, but it''ll definitely be scary once it grows up.'' Shanemented in his mind.
After appreciating the Creature for a while, Vale carefully unsealed the Containment Crystal, the air around them humming with released energy.
Whoosh~
The Creature blinked up at him, its instincts urging it to flee, yet it remained still, transfixed by the power Vale exuded.
It definitely sensed their difference in terms of Divinity.
''Good¡''
With a silent activation of his Spell Model, Vale cast the ve Mark Spell. A sigil of light emerged from his hand, floating down to rest upon the Creature''s forehead. The mark pulsed once, twice, then settled, before disappearingpletely. It was a sign of the bond now forged.
''That''s a lot easier than I thought¡'' Vale mused as he initially thought that he would have to pummel the Creature to the ground.
The Creature let out a soft, resonant sound, not of submission, but of recognition. It seemed to understand its new role in the grand scheme of Vale''s quest.
"Sir Immortal¡ What happened?" Steins asked.
"It''s not fleeing¡ Did you somehow tame it?!"
"Ahhh¡ That''s possible?!"
The Mystic Arts Practitioners couldn''t help but exim. After all, their Bureau tried everything they could to deal with the Dimensional Creatures. It means that they used the 12 Arcane Paths to find its weakness already.
However, none of it worked against the Creature, so they concluded that only the Immortals with Divinity could deal with them!
"Yes¡ I''ve tamed the creature. It will no longer harm us." Vale replied as he looked at their reaction.
"Alright! Let''s go and continue." He said as he gestured to Steins to continue escorting him.
Half an hour passed as they navigated the crumbling realm, and finally, the altar came into view.
But it was not as they expected. Two cloaked figures stood before it, their hands raised in aplex weave of spells, their fingers tracing intricate patterns in the air.
The Golden Key, resplendent and ancient, hovered above the altar, encased in a matrix of glowing runes.
The cloaked figures chanted in unison, their voices a discordant melody that shed with the realm''s own song.
The runes around the key flickered and twisted, contorting as if in pain, struggling against the intruders'' magic. The key itself seemed to pulse with a desperate energy, as if crying out for rescue.
"W-what''s going on?! Who are those people?!" Steins cried out as he saw what was happening.
Those cloaked individuals were definitely not people from the Bureau!
"Master Steins! We should stop them!"
"They''re trying to take the Golden Key!"
"Wait¡ It should be guarded by the Remnant Spirits of the Celestials!"
"R-right¡ There were two Dimensional Creatures and over a dozen of Celestial Spirits were lurking around this area before. If they managed to defeat all of those beings, then they''re definitely powerful. We might have to retreat, Sir Immortal¡" Steins immediately said as he realized that there were no ordinary people who would enter this ce.
"Since they''re not part of the Bureau. Then we can kill them, right?" Vale muttered as he used his Divine Sense and failed.
He then used his Dragon''s True Sight and other Spells that would help him identify these people but he actually failed from doing so.
''I guess they deserve to be here¡'' Vale mused.
Nheless, he still didn''t feel intimidated as he made his move.
Vale stepped forward and released his Aura. He made sure to announce his presence.
"Halt! Your actions desecrate the sanctity of this ce¡" He dered, his voice echoing with authority. It was as if he wasn''t nning to do the same.
Then, without waiting for their reply, he also showed his Shadow Divinity and covered the entire ce with darkness.
The cloaked figures paused, turning to face the neers, their eyes hidden but their intent clear. They had not expected interference, and now, a new confrontation loomed on the horizon.
However, despite Vale''s Aura and Darkness covering the entire field, the two individuals weren''t scared.
"Who are you?" Vale demanded, his hand resting on the hilt of his Stormbringer Sword, ready for any attacks.
The two people didn''t answer immediately as if they were trying to assess Vale''s power. After a few moments, they seemed to have gained more confidence and answered with a hint of ridicule.
"We are beyond your understanding, young Immortal." One of the figures spoke, their voice echoing as if from a distant chasm.
The other smiled and decided to reveal their identity. He was hoping that the group who had disturbed them would be scared enough and just leave this ce.
"Alright¡ You probably heard of us. If we''re not busy we will be taking your Divinity, but you''re allowed to leave this time¡ If you still don''t get it, I''m telling you now that we are Time Maniptors, masters of the temporal weave."
As soon as Vale heard this, he was shocked¡ This was the first time he had seen Time Maniptors, one of the beings that could deal with Celestials!
''Not good.'' Vale thought.
"Are you sure we''re letting him leave?" One of the figures asked hispanion.
"Yes¡ We''re busy with this Golden Key. Should we deal with them first?"
"Mhmm¡ I think we should kill them now. The Golden Key might weaken us or something. It''s better to remove any potential threat."
"That''s true¡" As soon as the two Time Maniptors made up their mind, Steins, Vale, and the rest of the group realized that they were in danger.
Without warning, the air turned heavy as if it was filled with chaotic energy, and soon, Vale felt a crushing force envelop him.
Time itself seemed to slow, his movements bing sluggish, his thoughts clouded.
"W-what?" Vale was shocked as this was the first time he had felt something like this.
"You can be proud of yourself. You will die from a Time Maniptor''s hand¡" The other figure taunted, a cruel smile in their voice. "We control the very fabric of time. You are but a pawn in our eyes, young Immortal."
Chapter 715 Against the Time
Chapter 715 Against the Time
Vale wasn''t even bothered how they recognized him as a young Immortal instead of an ancient one and just simply maintained a young appearance.
Instead, he was really worried that he''d get killed at this point!
He struggled against the temporal distortion, each second stretching into an eternity.
His allies were frozen in ce, helpless to assist.
There was simply no way these normal Mystic Arts Practitioners were capable of fending off the two Time Maniptors!
''Not good¡'' Vale''s mind raced as he tried thinking what Spells he could use against the Time Maniptors.
It was unfortunate that the Charms, Talismans, Amulets, and various Magic Artifacts that he had prepared weren''t activating in front of these Time Maniptors.
He has the ck Grimoire that he could use to summon powerful Undead Creatures, but he doesn''t have the time to call them.
His Doombringer Ring was also incapable of turning these figures into undead. His Devil Mask, Stormbringer, his Arcane Energy Scrolls, and other trinkets weren''t useful in this situation as well.
Then, he also considered using the Rift de he had just looted from the Dimensional Creature. After all, it might be the variable he needed in order to win.
''No¡ There''s still another item.'' Vale thought.
Aside from these items, there was one of them that he could use to fight against the Time Maniptors!
It was none other than his Temporal Timepiece!
However, although he kept it in his body, it wasn''t being triggered even after being attacked by the Time Maniptors.
It doesn''t have any passive ability that could protect him!
In the end, Vale had to do his best to trigger its activation and help him in his current predicament!
''No¡ It''s toote!'' Vale thought as he realized that the two Time Maniptors had increased the intensity of their abilities!
If this continued he will certainly die!
He had to try to activate his Divine Extraction System and hope that it would extract the mysterious temporal force that was pressing on him!
But that would require some concentration to make it work!
However, just as despair began to take hold, the young Dimensional Creature, branded by Vale''s ve Mark Spell, let out a resonant cry.
Aoooo~
It was a sound that transcended the bounds of time, a pure note that pierced the veil of the Time Maniptors'' magic!
The temporal field they had created fractured, shards of frozen moments shattering around them.
Suddenly, Vale found his strength returning, his speed restored. Vale was also shocked at this as he failed to react in time!
"Impossible!" one of the Time Maniptors eximed. They already noticed the existence of the Dimensional Creature a while ago. They weren''t too bothered by that creature since they''d already killed plenty of them before.
They knew that it wouldn''t be that difficult to kill another one.
"How can this small creature break our control?!" The other Time Maniptor was also confused as he squinted his eyes and stared at the young Dimensional Creature.
"It seems we have underestimated this one¡ I think we should capture it first¡" The other conceded, theirposure slipping.
"No¡ Let''s just kill it. I have no interest in learning its secrets. Once it dies, the problem will be solved."
The two Time Maniptors agreed as they looked at the young Dimensional Creature.
However, as Vale''s power returned, and realized what had happened, he wasted no time.
He triggered one of the Temporal Timepiece''s it was the Temporal Bubble that covered himself. With this defensive ability, he hoped that it would be enough to stop the Time Maniptors from making him helpless.
As for its other ability, he was unfortunately not skilled enough to operate two abilities of the Timepiece at the same time. With that in consideration, he decided to use its defensive ability instead.
With a roar, Vale charged, his Stormbringer Sword alight with divine energy.
The Time Maniptors raised their hands, weaving spells of reversal, but the Dimensional Creature was faster.
It darted between Vale and the maniptors, its body glowing with an inner light. As it moved, the spells unraveled, their magic dissipating into the air.
''Nice job!'' Vale thought as he used his Presence Shift!
Vale seized the moment, his de singing through the air as he struck at the figures.
They dodged, their cloaks billowing, but they were clearly shaken.
Just now, they also failed to use their Time Magic against Vale! They stealthily used a total of four other Temporal Magic, and for some reason, Vale was being protected by something they couldn''t see!
It definitely did note from the young Dimensional Creature!
''How did he suddenly get immune to our Spells?''
''Not good¡ This guy is only baiting us! He had the power to stop Time Magic in the first ce!''
"Retreat!" One of them hissed. "We must regroup!"
In a sh of light, the Time Maniptors vanished, leaving behind only the echo of their departure.
Vale could probably have stopped them in time if he used Temporal Distortion instead of the Temporal Bubble. However, as he thought of this, he also knew that he would die if he didn''t use the Temporal Bubble just now.
"Whew~ It''s finally done." Vale sighed as he still felt d that he survived this unexpected battle.
He really didn''t expect to have a battle against Time Maniptors in this dimension.
Anyway, Vale turned his attention to the Dimensional Creature, a newfound respect in his eyes.
"Thank you, little one¡" He said softly.
"You have saved us all."
The creature chirped, its eyes gleaming with intelligence. It couldn''t speak, but Vale knew that the creature could understand what he was saying.
With the immediate threat gone, the group approached the altar.
The Golden Keyy before them, and its seals were intact since the attempts of the Time Maniptors were thwarted. These seals were even regenerating at an incredible speed.
"Sir Immortal, alright?" Steins said as his group finally gained the courage to move. They also thought that they were about to die just now.
Although they weren''t assaulted by the Time Maniptors spells, they were still caught within the Temporal Field they had created, albeit at the edge of it.
The pressure they felt wasn''t as terrifying as what Vale experienced, but it was still very dangerous for them.
"Yes¡ I''m fine¡ You have to thank that Dimensional Creature as well. We should name him¡" Vale replied.
"Y-you''re right¡ We''re not going to¡ Uhm¡ Kill it to get its parts and sell them?" Steins asked to confirm.
"Of course, not. I will keep it as my pet." Vale answered.
"Right.. Right¡ Of course, that''s the best decision we should make." Steins replied as he agreed to Vale''s decision to keep the Dimensional Creature''s life. In any case, the ownership of that creature belongs to the Immortal.
"I''ll think of the nameter. In any case, do you think there''s still any danger when we approach the Golden Key?" Vale asked while also using all his scanning abilities to see any dangers ahead.
"I don''t think so, Sir Immortal. I believe that the dangers were already destroyed by the two Time Maniptors." Steins replied.
"That makes sense¡" Vale said.
However, he was also worried that the two Time Maniptors would suddenly decide to appear.
After all, Vale felt that they had left too quickly.
They had barely shown their powers, and Vale knew that they were certainly stronger than they had shown.
''They''re probably exhausted after trying to destroy the seal of the Golden Key. If they''re just recuperating somewhere while observing the situation here, they might attack again once they notice that the Golden Key is about to be taken.'' Vale mused as he certainly had to think of various situations.
He wouldn''t allow himself to get backstabbed now that they had gotten closer to obtaining them.
Determined not to be caught off guard, Vale reached for his ck Grimoire. The ancient tome fell open with a whisper, its pages fluttering as if alive.
Steins and the others watched, eyes wide with a mix of awe and trepidation.
''So that was the rumored grimoire¡'' Steins thought as he saw it with his own eyes.
Soon, with a voice that resonated with the power of the ancients, Vale summoned the Undead Beings¡
From the swirling mists of necromancy, three formidable figures emerged, taking their positions around the still-sealed Golden Key.
The Mummy Lord stood tall, its form wrapped in enchanted bandages inscribed with eldritch runes. Its eyes, two glowing embers, pierced the gloom, and its presence exuded an aura of timeless authority.
The Doom Knight was an imposing sight, d in ckened armor that absorbed the light. Its helm, adorned with horns, obscured any trace of humanity that might have once existed. In its gauntleted hand, it gripped a sword that hummed with dark energy.
The Ghoul King, on the other hand, was a terrifying masterpiece, its flesh a patchwork of decay and malice. Crowned with a jagged crown, it leered at the living with a hunger that had transcended death itself.
Hissss~
Steins and the rest could only take a deep breath at their sight.
Chapter 716 Survival
Chapter 716 Survival
??"Those undead are no joke¡ Don''t make any unnecessary movements. Even if they''re under control by their Summoner, powerful beings like that have a little freedom with their actions." Steins warned his team.
The others could only gasp and nod silently.
To be honest, even Steins stared in disbelief as these guardians of theherworld took their silent vigil. Although he was a strong Mystic Arts Practitioner and could probably flee from these beings, he wouldn''t even want to try and act mighty.
The air grew colder, the very essence of the ancient ruins seeping into the surroundings...
At this time, Vale simply ignored Steins and the others.
After spreading his Magic Zone again and confirming that there are no signs of Time Maniptors around, he approached the Golden Key¡
Vale also nced at the trio of undead looming like sentinels. He was satisfied with the threat they posed to whoever would try to disturb him at this moment.
Vale then stepped forward, his hands trembling with excitement.
Since the Time Maniptors wanted the Golden Key, this item was undoubtedly valuable.
Then, as Vale touched the sealing formation that was stopping him from getting the Golden Key, he received a notification from the system.
Unlike the Time Maniptors, who had to do some tricky orplicated reversal of the seal made by ancient Immortals, Vale simply had to extract it!
[ Energy Source has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +800, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +800, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +500, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +400, Immortal Essence +100 ]
¡
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +100, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
As soon as he was notified about the failure of the extraction, he knew that it was over. Soon, the sealing formation crashed and disappeared into nothingness.
Just like that, the seal that had stood strong for a very long time was destroyed by Vale''s Divine Extraction System.
At this time, the glow of the key grew stronger as if it was excited that it had finally escaped from its prison!
"Let me take care of you¡" Vale whispered, reaching out to im the key.
As his fingers brushed the artifact, a golden light enveloped the surroundings. It was surprisingly a warm glow, and for some reason, he didn''t want to ce it in the Prison Box that he had received from the Bureau¡ He wanted to continue holding it¡
He doesn''t want anyone to touch it. No, letting others see it also felt incredulous! He must be the sole person able to see this item! He must eliminate the others!
As he reached these thoughts, his Spell Dispersion was automatically triggered and soon cleared his mind!
Vale''s eyes widened as he swiftly ced the Golden Key in the Prison Box that the Bureau had prepared! He was hoping that it would be fine!
Luckily, as soon as he did this, the Golden Key''s influence in his mind alsopletely disappeared, and his Spell Dispersion stopped working to its limits!
''That''s dangerous!'' Vale thought as he heaved a sigh of relief. The Golden Key was definitely sealed because it could affect the mind of the one holding it!
Nheless, as Vale kept the Prison Box in his inner pocket, a thunderous roar echoed through the Celestial Realm.
The ground trembled violently beneath their feet, and the air crackled with chaotic energy. Lightning streaked across the darkening sky, striking the ancient ruins with a fury that spoke of the end of times.
"This doesn''t look good¡" Vale muttered as he realized that the intensity of the lightning and the shaking of the earth seemed to slowly get stronger.
He immediately recalled the three Undead Creatures who were curious at the sudden copse of the realm!
Indeed, the realm itself seemed to scream in agony as it began to destroy thends and mountains from afar. The unstable fabric of this dimension became even more unhinged and it was tearing apart, the very essence of its existence fading into oblivion!
"Move quickly! We have to leave now! This realm is on the verge of copse!" Steins shouted over the chaotic atmosphere, his voice barely audible above the realm''s death throes.
Vale nodded as he could easily tell what was going on...
He wasn''t sure if it was because he had taken the Golden Key or the Time Maniptors did something as an act of revenge.
He wouldn''t be surprised if those two did this since he might''ve done it as well if he were in their shoes.
Anyway, he could probably use his Presence Shift in this situation, but he won''t be able to bring these pitiful Arcanists.
He then turned to the others, his eyes meeting Steins''¡ªthere was no time for hesitation.
The group of Mystic Arts Practitioners, along with the young Dimensional Creature, sprinted towards the portal that would take them back to the human realm.
The path was treacherous; the once-solid ground now shifted like sand beneath their feet, and fissures opened up, threatening to swallow them whole.
Steins led the way, his staff glowing with a protective aura. Thankfully, although the energy was chaotic, their Spell Models had already adjusted, and they could somehow use their Mystic Arts now.
Steins chanted incantations that stabilized the ground long enough for them to pass.
Behind him, the other practitioners followed suit, using their powers to shield the group from falling debris and the relentless assault of the elements.
Vale also helped them as he took all the lightning bolts that were in their path. He was also able to feel the space that was tearing apart, but with his Temporal Timepiece, he was somehow able to fix it and save the lives of the Arcanists plenty of times!
After some time, they soon got closer to their destination.
Since they were hurrying without care for the path where the Dimensional Creatures would normally stay, they were able to see their destination a lot faster.
Vale also focused on the path ahead, where the portal shimmered in the distance¡ªa wavering promise of safety.
As they neared the entrance, a massive quake shook the realm.
A deafening crack split the air as a chasm opened directly in front of the portal.
Vale''s heart raced; they were so close, yet the copsing realm seemed intent on iming them as its final victims.
As Vale was thinking of what to do, his attention was suddenly shifted to his current ve.
"Aaarrou!"
With a determined cry, the young Dimensional Creature unleashed its power, warping the space around them to create a bridge across the chasm.
Vale could hardly exin what he was seeing. This wasn''t a simple Elemental Spell. It was definitely on a different level!
However, they had no time to think about it!
The group dashed across, the bridge disintegrating behind them as they leaped through the portal just as the realm imploded in a blinding explosion of light and energy.
It was truly destroyed!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Theynded roughly on the other side, the familiar yet jarring sensation of the human realm grounding them once more.
Vale looked around; they were safe, but the echoes of the Celestial Realm''s destruction rang in their ears. It was a somber reminder of the narrow escape they had just made.
"I don''t think I''ll be doing missions like this again. It''s better to stay in this realm." Vale muttered.
In any case, he learned from his four Immortal ves that the reason why the Immortal or other Celestials would leave the lower realm was because they could barely produce Divinity here.
It would take eons to reach the limit of their power, and although they were immortal, they wouldn''t typically want to take that long to get stronger.
That was why they had to ascend to other higher Realms and develop their power or Divinity faster.
As for those Immortals who would rather stay in the lower realms, they were the ones who didn''t have much talent and knew that they wouldn''t achieve great things if they ascended.
''Well, I have a different reason for staying in the human realm and not thinking of ascending¡'' Vale thought¡
Of course, if there were a time that he really had to ascend, he would consider the Shadow Realm that the Sentinel had informed him of before.
"Whew¡ We survived!" Steins shouted, he even had the urge to kiss the ground of the human realm!
Breathing heavily, Vale nodded at Steins as he knew what he was feeling right now¡ To be honest, he actually felt the presence of two Dimensional Creatures chasing them while they were escaping in the realm!
He kept silent about this since if their nervousness stacked up, they might make a mistake, which would certainly cost them their lives!
The mystery of the Golden Key may be far from over, but for now, they have achieved their goal and survived the copse of a realm! It was worth a celebration!
Chapter 717 The Rift
Chapter 717 The Rift
The first light of dawn had just begun to grace the horizon, casting a soft glow over the Arcane Cloud Tower.
At its peak, in the grandest chamber adorned with ancient runes and maps, Odessa, the Royal Mage, stirred from her slumber.
Her hair, a cascade of midnight blue, spilled over the pillows like a starlit sky. Her skin, fair as the moon, contrasted with the dark, intricate tattoos that marked her as the custodian of Ancient Knowledge. Her eyes, a piercing shade of violet, flickered open, reflecting the nascent light.
But this morning was unlike any other.
Odessa rose, wearing her elegant office robe woven with threads of the finest silk that shimmered around her. She looked at the mirror and admired her current appearance. This was all thanks to the blessing she received after she had epted the Fortune Goddess'' Divine Blessing.
Anyway, she was nning to do her morning routine for today, but something unexpected happened.
The Tower, a magnificent construct of magic and stone, had sounded an rm that pierced the silence of the breaking day.
"Mhmm? This rm¡" Odessa felt worried since the sound she heard was definitely a warning that endangered not just the capital or the whole Kingdom. It was an rm alerting her of the danger that the entire continent was facing!
She immediately connected her mind to the Tower''s Core to confirm the situation.
With her mind connected, information immediately flowed through her mind.
A tear in the fabric of the human realm had appeared!
This means one thing: the harbinger of the Abyss Realm''s invasion had been detected!
Odessa''s heart raced as she swiftly moved to the Tower''s observatory.
''Not good¡ We''re still not prepared¡ The Immortal''s help wasn''t guaranteed as of now¡ I hope this invasion isn''t in full force yet¡ We still need to gather help from those ancient organizations¡'' Odessained in her mind.
As she entered the observatory, she immediately felt the heavy atmosphere.
Her team, a cadre of the realm''s most skilled mages, were already at their stations, their faces etched with concern.
The Arcane Cloud Tower, a bastion of magical defense, hummed with energy as its sensors scanned the horizons.
"A total of ten gates have opened," one of the mages announced, his voice tense.
"We''ve located two rifts across the Kingdom. One of them is close to us¡"
Odessa approached the central tform, where a holographic map of the Kingdom floated. Points of red light blinked ominously, each marking a breach where the Abyss had begun its incursion.
There was no doubt about this information since they trusted the tower''s ability to sense the byproduct of the spatial tears.
"They really chose to open a rift near us¡ They''re brave. We must act swiftly¡" Odessamanded, her voice steady despite the turmoil.
"Deploy the barrier runes, and send word to Princess Ceres. The Millton Kingdom shall not fall on our watch."
As her team sprang into action, Odessa raised her hands, and the tattoos on her arms glowed with a fierce light. She channeled her power into the Tower''s core, reinforcing the protective spells that shielded the Kingdom.
The Tower responded, its spires emitting beams of light that converged on the closes rift, seeking to mend the tears before the Abyss''s denizens could pour through.
None of them were capable of using Space Magic, but they had the Arcane Tower that could harness the power of Arcana that they have!
With this Arcana, they have a method of reversing the rifts as long as they are close to them!
But as the light met the Rift, a sinister force countered their efforts.
Whoosshh~
From the depths of the tear, three figures emerged their presence alone enough to halt the Tower''s mending spell.
"Demon Saints!" Odessa eximed as she saw their appearance.
The Demon Saints, distinguishable from the lesser denizens of the Abyss by their humanoid forms and attire, stood just outside the Rift¡
Their eyes, devoid of pupils, glowed with a malevolent crimson light. Horns adorned their heads, and an aura of Corruption Energy pulsed around them, a stark contrast to the pure arcaje energy being released by?the Tower.
With a mere gesture, the Demon Saints unleashed their Corruption Energy, a dark miasma that shed with the Tower''s beams.
The light faltered, and the Rift remained open, a gaping wound in the world.
Odessa gritted her teeth as she had no way of increasing the intensity of the Arcana that they had. Her choice was to only kill the Demon Saints to continue with the closure of the Rift.
However, before she could even make anothermand, the Demon Saints already acted.
With a coordinated signal, the Demon Saintsmanded the Rift to unleash its horde.
Thousands of demons, each more grotesque and terrifying than thest, poured forth from the Abyss. They swarmed into Milton Kingdom''s capital!
Chaos ensued as soon as the demonic creatures arrived. The deep roars of the beasts, the hissing of the serpentine creatures, and the beating of leathery wings created a noise as if they were in hell!
The sky darkened under the shadow of the Abyssal legion, and the ground shook with their every step.
Odessa, undeterred by the overwhelming odds, raised her staff high. Her Arcane Cloud Tower was the first line of defense against these Demons!
She just had to hold on until the forces that the Royalty had prepared arrived!
"To arms, protectors of Millton!" she cried out. "We stand as the bulwark against the night!"
The mages rallied to her call, their Holy Arts or Anti-Demon Spells weaving a powerful resistance!
As for those without Anti-Demon Spells, they were still able to cast Spells that could hurt them!
Elemental Forces, Mystic Arts, and other Arcane Arts collided with demonic flesh as the battle to protect the Kingdom had started!
The Arcane Cloud Tower, once a ce of study and contemtion, had be the epicenter of a war that would decide the fate of their Kingdom!
***
In the midst of the tumultuous battlefield, a sudden stillness befell the Demon Saints.
They were ready to unleash their Corruption Spells upon the Arcane Cloud Tower to aid the demons they released.
However, they suddenly froze, their heads turning in unison towards the west.
A presence, ancient and powerful, something that defied the veryws of their existence, had made itself known.
A flicker of fear, uncharacteristic of these formidable beings, shed across their faces.
The air around them, once thick with the threat of destruction, dissipated as they canceled their Spells, the intricate weaves of Demonic Magicing undone!
The Demon Saints, who should never known retreat, found themselvespelled to abandon their conquest.
With a sense of urgency that bordered on panic, they retreated, their forms bing shadows that slipped back into the Rift!
Of course, the Demons remained as they didn''t care about the actions made by the Demon Saints! They were here to feast and eat the human flesh!
However, these actions from the Demon Saints didn''t go unnoticed by Odessa and the others!
Some warriors of the Arcane Cloud Tower who were keeping an eye on the three Demon Saints had also watched in disbelief as the Rift sealed behind the fleeing Demon Saints!
That''s right, they didn''t even give a chance for whoever they were scared of from being followed!
Odessa had no idea what had just happened!
"This¡ Why did they suddenly flee?"
***
Elsewhere in the Kingdom, echoes of turmoil resonated.
At the Order of the Lore Hunters'' stronghold, Forbes, a venerable officer of the Elemental Faction, was met with a throng of concerned faces upon his return.
Histest endeavor to crush a gathering of Dark Magicians in a neighboring city, had been thwarted by the formidable Dark Arts Expert, Lesley Hoffman. Her might was such that even the Archbishop of the Church of the Fortune Goddess found her overwhelming.
As Forbes, whose silver hair spoke of his many years in service, stepped through the halls of the Order, he was swiftly briefed on dire news.
A rift to the Abyss Realm had torn open in the south of the Milton Kingdom, one of two ominous breaches within the realm''s borders.
The othery perilously close to the capital¡ªand to them.
"It''s near us? How unlucky¡" Forbesmented. He had also felt the change in the atmosphere as soon as the Rift was opened. However, he didn''t expect that it was so near.
With a weary exhale, Forbes absorbed the gravity of the situation.
His age had not dulled his resolve, nor had it weakened the fire of duty that burned within him.
"Prepare the Order¡" Forbesmanded, his voice carrying the weight of an experiencedmander.
"We must seal these rifts and protect our Kingdom from the abyssal tide. Gather the Elemental Envoys and ready the Arcane Artillery¡"
The Order, spurred by Forbes'' spirit, mobilized with haste.
The old elemental mage watched them, his eyes reflecting the first light of dawn that promised a battle between the two realms¡ªa battle they could not afford to lose.
Chapter 718 The Demon Saints
Chapter 718 The Demon Saints
??On the other side of the continent, in the bustling port city at the heart of the Braham Republic, the newly erected temple of the Church of the Three Paragons stood as a beacon of faith.
The city, nestled on the westernmost edge of the Braham Republic, and at the eastern side of the continent, had be a sanctuary for the Cardinals who fled the Milton Kingdom.
The revtion that the Immortal of the enigmatic forest was the same as the Masked Devil Incarnate who had imed their Divine Sword had scared them away. The fear of retribution, had driven them from their homnd!
Nheless, despite their departure, the Church''s work persisted, for they believed the Immortal would not harm innocents over a personal vendetta.
They believed that the Archbishops and the Priests would be safe from Immortal''s wrath.
At this time, however, they had a different worry.
"The Abyss Realm''s invasion hasmenced. May the Paragons absolve us and deliver us from this plight¡" Cardinal Lucius, the sage elder of the trio, prayed with a heavy heart. His life''s work had been the study and dissemination of the Paragons'' teachings¡ªthe divine trio that they believed had shaped the world.
"We must rouse the Messenger of the Paragons. Time is of the essence!" implored Cardinal Sophia, whose youth and beauty were matched by her cunning and ambition. She envisioned a Church that wielded unparalleled power and influence.
"I concur¡ We must no longer hold back. The sacrifice of the five designated viges will awaken the Messenger. We await only your consent, Cardinal Lucius¡" Cardinal Marcus, a man of valor and strategy, urged. His role had always been to safeguard the Church''s interests and allies.
Cardinal Lucius'' resolve wavered as he was faced with the weight of their proposal.
''Sacrificing those five viges might bring us more trouble¡ Even the current leaders of the Braham Republic weren''t looking at us kindly. If we were found out, then our Church would have no ce in this country¡'' Lucius gritted his teeth.
Yet, as he pondered, a new Rift tore through the fabric of reality, its ominous presence felt even from afar. The Republic was now under threat!
The three Cardinals looked at each other as they all felt that opening of the Rift. They could not be mistaken since the three of them were already starting to grasp the secrets of Spatial Arts. It was just one of the benefits they had after bing the Cardinals of one of the dominant churches of the continent.
With a clenched fist and a heartden with sorrow, Lucius knew there was no alternative.
The awakening of the Messenger of the Paragons required a sacrifice he wished he didn''t have to make.
As the Cardinals convened, a n was set into motion¡ªa n that would alter the fate of many in hopes of saving the world, or perhaps the Church, from the encroaching darkness of the Abyss.
***
In the vige of Elmswood, where the railways hadn''t reached yet, a cksmith''s hammer sang against the anvil, shaping the day''s first task.
Children''sughter echoed through the streets of Brookstone as they chased one another, their games were innocent and carefree.
In the orchards of Greenvale, farmers tended to the bountiful trees, their hands deftly picking the ripe fruits of theirbor.
The vigers, each absorbed in their dailybors, remained unaware of the fate that loomed over them. They greeted their neighbors with warm smiles, shared stories of yesteryears, and looked forward to the evening''smunal feast.
Life, with its simple joys and sorrows, continued unabated.
But as the sun climbed higher, an unnatural heat began to suffuse the air. It was a warmth that did note from the gentle rays of the sun but from an unseen, malevolent force.
"Mother¡ It''s getting hot!" One of the children ying in the streets of the town immediatelyined as he felt his skin getting burned.
"Get inside the house! Hurry! This is not normal!" A concerned parent immediately eximed. He had learned the basics of Arcane Arts, and he immediately realized that this phenomenon wasn''t normal.
"Ugh¡ I''m really thirsty¡"
"Not good¡ I think there''s a Dark Magician attacking us!"
"We''re going to die at this rate!"
"I think that we''re being cursed! Did the Fire Elementalists attack us?"
"Where are the Arcane Inspectors?!"
"Call the Priests!"
Some vigers paused as they tried to understand what was happening, and some began to panic as the heat was unbearable. Nheless, a sense of unease crept into their hearts.
Theughter stopped, the hammering ceased, and the picking hands froze as they all hurried to find water or shelter, hoping to cool themselves down.
In the distance, the grand temple of the Church of the Three Paragons stood silent...
Within its hallowed halls, guarded by their Knights and Priests, the three Cardinals¡ªLucius, Sophia, and Marcus¡ªgathered in solemn assembly.
Their faces were etched with the severity of their decision, the weight of the impending sacrifice pressing upon their souls.
With heavy hearts, they began the ancient rite, their voices rising in a chant that had not been uttered for generations.
The air within the temple shimmered¡ Soon, the ritual started shaping as the fabric of reality thinning¡ Their actions continued for more than an hour as they called upon the divine Messenger of the Paragons.
Crack¡ Crack¡ Crack¡
Outside, the vigers felt the ground tremble beneath their feet.
Then, a searing pain enveloped them, as if their very essence was being drawn outwards, towards the temple.
They clutched at their chests, their eyes wide with terror, as the heat intensified, bing an all-consuming inferno that threatened to engulf their souls.
And then, amidst the chaos and despair, a figure descended from the skies¡ªan eight-winged angel, glorious and terrifying at the same time.
Its wings bore celestial light while also emitting a suffocating aura.
The vigers, in their final moments, gazed upon the divine being, their fear giving way to awe.
Through the Secret Eye Spell of the Cardinals, they watched as the Messenger took form, confirming that their ritual wasplete.
The sacrifice of the five viges had been made, the price of their salvation was paid in full!
The Messenger of the Paragons turned its gaze upon the Church and was able to see Cardinals behind its walls¡
The Messenger then nced at the people who had been sacrificed just to summon him, but after that, it disappeared and showed itself to the three Cardinals.
"The Paragons had instructed that you can only call me if the Church is in immediate threat¡ Did you call for me to ask the Paragons to bless you again, or do you want me to help you eliminate the threat?"
The Messenger asked as he nced at the Rift that was opened by the Abyss Realm. It was quite far from the Church, but he knew very well that the chaos would soon reach this ce.
Cardinal Lucius took a deep breath before he answered. "We want your help to fight back the Abyss. We need to ensure that they know not to send any Demon Saints in this area¡ We need to intimidate them enough and let them focus on other areas."
He knew very well that the Messenger couldn''t win against the whole Abyss Realm, however, dealing with a few Demons and Demon Saints, wouldn''t be that difficult, especially if the three of them and other Knights and Priests joined as well.
The Messenger nodded, its wings unfurling as it prepared to lead the charge against the encroaching darkness¡
***
As the Rift tore through the skies of the Braham Republic, two Demon Saints emerged, their formidable presence would guarantee that the Rift would remain unchallenged.
After confirming that there was no force that could stop them here, they unleashed the Abyss''s minions upon the unsuspecting city, creating a chaos for the unprepared citizens!
Graaaghh~
The demons immediately sensed the abundant presence of life and were excited to devour the people!
Yet, amidst the destruction, the Demon Saints paused, sensing a potent Aura that does not belong to their side¡
After a moment of observation, the two Demon Saints felt thankful.
"Hmm¡ It is not the Shadow Immortal¡" One of them murmured with a hint of relief in his tone.
"True. This entity is something we can handle¡" The other agreed, confidencecing his words.
They had faced the Life Devourer Shadow Immortal, a title they gave to the Celestial guarding this Human Realm. The two of them knew well the terror it wrought upon their ranks.
The Demon Saints prepared themselves, not for retreat, but for confrontation against the Messenger...
As entity arrived in front of the two Demon Saints, the surrounding space even started to twist.
The Angel, the Messenger of the Paragons, alighted upon the battlefield with eight wings unfurled, each feather shimmering with divine light.
"Ha! You''vee alone?!"
"Just because we''re fleeing from that Immortal doesn''t mean that we''re weak. Do not underestimate us!"
The Demon Saints shouted in fury!
The Demon Saints, armed with their Corruption Energy, met the Angel''s radiant strikes head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle was a spectacle of light and shadow, each blow from the Angel parried with the Corrupted Force brought by the Demon Saints.
Chapter 719 The Silent Rift
Chapter 719 The Silent Rift
Whom~
The Angel was unfazed by the Corruption Energy from the two Demon Saints. Its eight wings unfurled, and each feather was like a de of divine light, ready to carve through the darkness. It didn''t stop attacking the Demon Saints!
"Not enough!"
The Demon Saints, cloaked in the malevolent energies of the Abyss, met the Angel''s advance with a sinister grace.
Their forms expanded, and their aura radiated¡ The surrounding trees and grass started dying because of their energy! The day had even turned night as they cast a malevolent Demonic Spell that covered the skies with dark clouds!
Soon, the two Demon Saints moved with a speed that belied their size, as theyunched a barrage of demonic spells and physical strikes to the Angel.
Boom! Boom!
Burst of energy started exploding in the air with the collision of holy light and corrupting force¡ Some of the demons who wereing out of the Rift were even injured or killed in the process!
However, the three powerful beings didn''t care about these demons.
The Angel''s sword, aglow with the essence of the Paragons, hummed through the air, shing against the twisted des of the Demon Saints.
Crack! Crack! Snap!
Sparks of divine fire erupted with each contact, illuminating the ruined cityscape with shes of day amidst the encroaching night brought by the Demon Saints!
"Hmph! This Angel isn''t a normal Messenger. Is he serving one of the higher Celestials?" One of the Demon Saints guessed.
He couldn''t help but realize that the Angel wasn''t just a normal summoned being. This Angel must have a high position and serve a powerful Celestial in the upper realm!
"That''s probably the case¡ Whoever summoned this one must''ve sacrificed a whole city¡ Ruthless. They don''t deserve to be humans."
Despite their might, the Demon Saints found themselves matched by the Angel''s relentless assault.
"Hmph! It''s still better than fighting the Shadow Immortal. Let''s end this quickly before we attract that merciless Immortal."
The other Demon Saints agreed as they fought in desperation, born of knowing the consequences of failure.
However, it was a difficult battle as they bled in battle, mingling with the ashes of the city that was already overrun by the demons¡
Each strike they delivered was met with a counter from the Angel, whose own wounds began to glow with a holy light, healing as quickly as they were inflicted.
''Tsk¡ It''s recovering too quickly¡'' The Demon Saintined as they couldn''t copy that regenerative ability yet. Although they could already use 80% of their strength even if they just exited the Rift, the 20% missing has to do with their ability to regenerate, so it was still a big deal for them.
As the battle raged, the Demon Saints realized the tide was turning against them.
With a final, concerted effort, they unleashed their most potent Corruption Spells, they had to use their Life Force to attack!
A maelstrom of dark and corrupt energy that threatened to consume all in its path was released!
The Angel, undaunted by the threat they posed, soared higher, its wings beating a gale that dispersed the Demonic Arts!
With a piercing cry, the Angel dove, its sword aimed at the heart of the storm!
The Demon Saints, recognizing the impending strike, evaded at thest moment, but not without cost. The sword grazed them, leaving searing wounds that would not easily heal!
"Aahhhh!"
"You''re dead! We''ll return to devour you!"
Acknowledging the stalemate and their own injuries, the Demon Saints made a tactical retreat!
In just a few moments, they vanished into the Rift, their forms dissolving into the shadows from whence they came.
The Angel, victorious but vignt, looked at the Rift with a calm gaze before he slowly turned to ashes, and his ashes were brought to the ruined city¡
When the three Cardinals arrived, it was already toote.
The battle between the two forces had ended, but the war was far from over.
Simr scenes urred around the continent as a total of 10 Rifts had appeared!
***
Meanwhile, in the shadowed area of the mountains close to the peaceful Cainhorn Town, a rift slithered open almost without making any noise.
This was no grand spectacle like the other ten Rifts that had torn the world asunder and had sent out endless legions of demonic spawn.
No, this Rift was different¡ªcalcted, precise, and rmingly silent.
From this careful tear in the space, there emerged not the rabble of low-tier demons but a force far more formidable.
Three hundred Demon Captains, each a veteran of countless infernal campaigns, stepped through the Rift with a disciplined march.
Their armor was ck as the Abyss from which they hailed, adorned with sigils that pulsed with malevolent energy. Their eyes glowed with a baleful light, and their hands gripped weapons forged in the fires of perdition.
Just by looking at them, anyone would be able to tell that they were all high-ranking Demons!
Commanding these legions were three Demon Saints, beings of such power that their mere presence caused the air to shimmer with dread. They stood taller than their infernal brethren, their staturemanding and their visage terrifying. Horns curled from their foreheads, and their cloaks, woven from the darkness of the Abyss itself, trailed behind them like the shadows of death.
"Mhmmm¡ Perfect." One of the Demon Saints muttered as he confirmed that their arrival had barely created fluctuations of energy. It means that they were most likely not detected by various Artifacts that detect the ripples in space.
"We''ve run countless trials to make this work. It should be perfect." Another Demon Saint said.
"Chubles, Prorda, Ipha, and other Demon Saints sacrificed their lives to make this work. They were all killed by the merciless Shadow Immortal because of those failures. This will certainly work! We will avenge them!" The third Demon Saint said, recalling the deaths of their fellow Demon Saints after the Rift they had previously tried to create was detected by the Shadow Immortal.
Unfortunately, only after several Demon Saints died did they learn how to open the ripple-less Rift and get past the Shadow Immortal''s detection!
"That''s true! Once we conquer the othernds, all our forces will focus on that Immortal''s haven!!"
Chapter 720 The Arrival
Chapter 720 The Arrival
??Together, the Demons formed three legions, each with a singr, malevolent purpose: to weave a silent rain of dark curses and disease, to sow death and despair across the Ruri Kingdom without drawing the gaze of the one they feared.
Indeed! They would spread their corruption across the continent, and only when their influence was absolute would they dare to confront the formidable entity that haunted their every move.
***
As the first light of dawn crept over Cainhorn Town, Arriane, an Elementalist known for her attunement to both Fire and Wind Elements, awoke with a sense of foreboding.
The morning air, usually crisp and invigorating, felt heavy, tainted with an invisible miasma.
She immediately summoned her Wind Spirit, a mysterious being born from the Elements¡
Arriane wasn''t just any Elementalist; she had already finished eight years of study in Academy of Elemental Arts.
She had only returned to the small town for her vacation since the Mayor was her father.
She had long auburn hair framing a face that seemed to contain wisdom beyond her years. Her eyes, a striking emerald green, then looked at the Wind Spirit with a serious gaze.
Arriane was only dressed in the simple garb of her station, a robe of deep blue adorned with symbols of the elements shemanded.
"Do you feel something off about the air? Is it just the smoke?" She asked the wind spirit.
It wasn''t able to answer her as it couldn''t speak, but Arriane could understand what the Spirit feels since they shared a connection.
Arriane narrowed her eyes as she realized that the Wind Spirit was also feeling worried and wanted to run away. She didn''t immediately panic and decided to further investigate.
If she was going to report something, she had to be sure what was going on.
She immediately went outside to investigate.
Cainhorn was a modest town, its cobblestone streets winding between cozy thatched cottages and blooming gardens.
The townsfolk were simple, and their lives were intertwined with the bountifulnd and the changed seasons.
But this morning, as Arriane continued her observation, she felt something was amiss. Although she wasn''t an Earth Elementalist, she could tell that the earth beneath her feetcked its usual vitality¡
With a growing sense of urgency, Arriane expanded her investigation, her elemental senses extending up to the limits of her Magic Zone.
Since it was still early, the town was still waking up, oblivious to the creeping darkness that had begun to seep into their homes.
"Not good! This is a curse!" After some time, she finally realized what was going on!"
She felt some type of curse spreading, a vile presence that sought to corrupt the people living in it!
"Dark Magicians! We''re under attack by Dark Magicians! They''re casting Spell Curses! Take your talismans and amulets with you!"
Without hesitation, Arriane made her way to the town square and warned everyone!
This surprised the townsfolk, especially those who had just woken up!
"Dark Magicians?!"
"Curses?!"
"Ah! That''s Miss Arriane! Listen to her!"
"Oh no! It must be true! Hurry! Get those amulets!"
The townsfolk immediately found the items they''ve prepared for this situation.
Nheless, Arriane knew that it wasn''t enough!
She immediately reached the Mayor''s office, a sturdy building that stood as a testament to the town''s resilience.
The Mayor, also Arriane''s father, was a robust man with a penchant for leadership. He listened intently as Arriane described the malignant force that threatened their peace.
"We must act¡ We need to call the Priests and ask for help from the King! I''ve never felt this kind of curse before. This must be Forbidden Spell!" Arriane implored, her voice carrying the weight of impending doom.
She then noticed the Mayor understood her, but for some reason, he was hesitant to call for the Kingdom''s help.
"The curse is strong, and there''s no way for us topletely eradicate it with small anti-curse talismans and amulets! We have to ask for help!
"Fine! We''ll be calling for the Royal Knights'' assistance. There should be a few of them patrolling the area. They should have a way to deal with this curse."
The Mayor then called the attention of the Royal Knights through amunication crystal. Then, the bells of the town tolled, not in celebration, but in summons to battle an enemy they could not see. Arriane stood beside the Mayor, ready to guide her people through the shadow that encroached upon their lives.
However, as the malignant curses and virulent diseases began to cover the Cainhorn Town, Arriane''s connection to the elemental spirits faltered.
The spirits, usually vibrant and resilient, waned under the oppressive might of the dark magic. Their ethereal forms flickered and dimmed, struggling to maintain their presence in the face of such overwhelming corruption¡
Whooshh~
Her Elemental Spirits soon disappeared.
Yet, amidst the encroaching darkness, a glimmer of hope shone through.
"What?" Arriane was surprised.
The townsfolk somehow bore a shield against the darkness! The Talismans and Amulets they adorned, simple trinkets purchased from a wandering Merchant Organization, red with a protective aura.
These artifacts, infused with the essence of the Shadow Immortal, repelled the curses and diseases as if they were mere nuisances.
''Where did they get that?!'' Arriane was shocked. She simply had no idea about the mysterious merchant airship that was visiting this town since she had just arrived!
***
High above, concealed within the mountain''s shadow, the Demon Saints and their Captains had also observed the unfolding scene with incredulity.
"What''s going on?" one Saint growled, his voice a rumble of thunder.
"It''s not a problem with our curse. It''s their Magic Artifacts!" another eximed, his eyes narrowing.
"How can they all possess high-grade Artifacts! This is ridiculous!" the third barked, frustrationcing his words.
The Demon Saints,manders of legions, found themselves at an impasse. Their meticulouslyid ns were unraveling before their very eyes.
"There''s no point arguing! Let''s just attack them! It won''t take three minutes to destroy the whole town. The Shadow Immortal won''t be able to react in time!" one suggested, the bloodlust evident in his tone.
But as they reached a consensus, the air itself seemed to thicken, and a chill descended upon the mountain ridge.
A shadowy figure materialized before them, silent as the grave and as imposing as the night itself. The Demon Captains recoiled, their battle-hardened forms trembling as an unknown fear took hold.
It was the Shadow Immortal!
Chapter 721 Against the Shadow Immortal
Chapter 721 Against the Shadow Immortal
??"How did he get here so quickly?!"
"There should be a few Demon Eyes monitoring that ce! Why are we not warned about this?!"
"Not good¡ We need at least six Demon Saints to deal with this irregrity¡"
The Demon Saints reacted as they saw the familiar figure and felt Shadow Essence in the surroundings getting thicker.
There was no doubt that they are facing the Shadow Immortal. It was the very being they had sought to avoid!
However, he was now standing before them in all his ominous glory.
All the Demons looked at him as if his presence was like a void that swallowed light, a silence that screamed in their minds!
The air around him warped, the shadows were bending to his will, and his eyes¡ªwere like two abysses that promised oblivion¡ªfixed upon them!
This being didn''t speak, but his aura was already starting to spread as if he wanted to ensure that they would not be able to escape!
"Shadow Immortal! You think that we''re afraid!"
"We just have to dy you here, and your haven will be destroyed by other Demon Saints!"
"Hahaha! That''s right! Even if you can corner us here and perhaps defeat us after spending a lof of time, you will not have any home to return to!"
The Demon Saints threatened hoping that it was enough to send the Shadow Immortal away.
However, this mysterious being was unmoved by their words.
There was a silent assertion of power, a profound dread that permeated the atmosphere.
"Tsk¡" One of the Demon Saints couldn''t help but click his tongue. It seemed that they couldn''t avoid a battle this time.
The Demon Saints, once confident in their might, now faced the embodiment of their deepest fears.
"Don''t falter¡ The reports might be exaggerated. If we''re careful enough, there''s no way we''ll be defeated. We are the Demon Saints¡ We hunt Immortals for their Divinity! This irregrity is not that different!"
"Mhmm¡ The only difference is that he mastered thews of the Shadow¡ He might even be better than the Shadow Sentinels¡ Once we get used to his tricks, we will still win against him."
The Demon Saints drew their confidence with the reasonings they believed to be urate.
On the other hand, seeing the Demons unable to react after appearing above them, the Shadow Immortal showed a smile on his face.
He knew that he had sessfully instilled fear in them!
He was satisfied that the spread of his influence was like a shroud over the mountainside! The fear he invoked was more potent than any curse or disease!
***
In the meantime, Vale also concluded his assessment of their strength. The Demon Saints certainly grew stronger as the Will of the Human Realm seemed to have weakened a lot, and it could no longer suppress foreigners or invaders from the other Realm.
Obviously, this was not a good thing since other Realm aside from the Abyss Realm might also think of causing chaos in this world.
Unfortunately, he had no way of helping this Will of the Human Realm as it seemed to be an intangible thing that guides the Human Realm itself.
With a sigh, Vale started his offense.
His cloak billowed around him, a vortex of darkness that seemed to devour the light. With a deliberate motion, he reached into the void and produced his ck Grimoire¡
This made the Demon Captains and the Demon Saints cautious for a moment¡ Although the Demons were gathering their Corruption Energy, Vale simply allowed them to do so as he also prepared for his attack.
As he opened the ancient tome, the deathly aura grew thick in the surroundings...
The Demon Captains watched in a mix of awe and horror as Vale began to start his summoning technique!
The way the deathly aura surrounded him reminded them of the Demon Lord! Their opponent right now seemed more like a Demon than them!
Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled, and from the Grimoire''s pages, three figures emerged, each a testament to Vale''s dominion over the dark.
The Mummy Lord, wrapped in ethereal bandages that seemed to be part of ancient curses, rose with an air of nobility. It seemed to be even stronger when it first appeared!
If one looked at it closely, it seemed to possess Corrupted Divinity! Something that only Demon Saints should possess!
Of course, the true Demon Saints didn''t fail to notice this!
The Mummy Lord''s eyes, two glowing embers in the darkness, surveyed the battlefield with a wisdom that belied its appearance as an undead!
The Mummy Lord''s presence alone was enough to make the lesser demons quiver, its aura one of death and decay.
"Corrupted Divinity!"
"It''s simr to the Demon Saints!"
"How could a Mummy Lord possess that!"
The Demon Captains uttered in disbelief.
Then, they shifted their attention to the Knight.
It was the Abyss Knight, d in armor, that seemed forged from the ethereal darkness itself. It materialized with a sword that radiated Corrupted Divinity!
It has a weapon blessed by Corrupted Divinity!
It looked at them as if it was excited to spill blood!
This was the Abyss Knight with its helm adorned with horns and a visage of terror, concealing any trace of humanity that might have once existed! The Abyss Knight stood tall, ready to unleash havoc upon the Demon Captains.
The Ghoul King, on the other hand, had a unique figure of rot and ruin as it wed its way into existence.
Its flesh was a disy of pestilence hanging loosely from its bones. Its jaws dripped with insatiable hunger...
Graahh!
The Ghoul King seemed skinnier from its previous appearance, but if one looked at its protruding bones, one could see that it was glowing with ethereal energy! It was none other than Corrupted Divinity that was instilled in its bones!
"Are these beings previous Demon Saints summoned as Undead Creatures?" One of the Demon Captains couldn''t help but surmise.
They were all seasoned warriors of the Abyss, but they found themselves facing adversaries of legend.
This wasn''t what they expected to face when they silently came out of the small Rift they had made. Their confidence wavered for a bit, but themand of the Demon Saints spurred them forward.
"We will handle the Shadow Immortal! All the Demon Captains will work together to bring down those Undead Creatures!"
"They possessed Corrupted Divinity, but with your affinity to corruption, you won''t be defeated so easily! Overwhelm them with your numbers!"
The Demon Saints advised.
Soon, the Mummy Lord advanced, its bandages unfurled to reveal cryptic glyphs that sapped the strength of any demon that dared approach!
The Abyss Knight charged, its de was like the darkness itself that could rip through demonic armor as if it were cloth!
The Ghoul King, on the other hand, summoned its ghoulish horde, a horde of lesser Ghouls appeared that swept over the Captains, their forms dissolving upon contact.
Nheless, the Demon Captains weren''t pushovers either! They were willing to sacrifice their lives as they fought in desperation!
***
Meanwhile, Vale confronted the Demon Saints with a cold resolve.
"Come at me¡ You have nowhere to escape Demon Saints¡" Vale spoke in a deep voice.
His Shadow Divinity surged, and soon, he became one with the darkness.
Shadowsbined into tendrils,shing out like whips with a will of their own.
"Who is going to escape?!"
"You''re the one trapped with us, Shadow Immortal!"
The Demon Saints, masters of Corruption, may have found themselves outmatched by the sheer force of Vale''s control over the darkness, but they were proud beings!
The battle continued as the battle between darkness and Corruption spread in a huge area threatening to involve the nearby viges and towns...
If not for Vale''s control, the Corruption would''ve killed many innocent people already!
As the Demon Saints unleashed their Corruption Energy, a maelstrom of chaos that sought to engulf Vale had appeared!
"This Corruption is getting weaker and weaker¡ I guess you Demon Saints weren''t that great to begin with." Vale muttered as he felt his body being slightly affected by the Corruption.
Well, it was actually quite impressive that his Incorruptible Body was being affected to a certain degree. However, that was it¡ Vale believed that their attacks that tried to corrupt his body were pretty much useless.
Apparently, with every assault they made, Vale''s shadows absorbed the impact, dissipating most of the energy into the darkness¡
"You not being affected?" One of the Demon Saints finally realized.
The other two Demon Saints, realizing the futility of their efforts, fought with daggers made of the Dimensional Creature''s bones that were gifted to them by the Demon Lord!
"Kill him!"
They had no other choice as they engaged in closebat! With these weapons that could even slice through the fabric of space, their confidence grew!
They shed with Vale as they also imbued their daggers with the power of the Abyss Realm!
They were desperate to bring down the Shadow Immortal!
Chapter 722 Not Him
Chapter 722 Not Him
??The atmosphere in the mountain was filled with the contrasting essence of Corruption and Darkness.
Vale, the Shadow Immortal, stood encircled by the three Demon Saints.
Each Demon Saint brandished a dagger, the bone of Dimensional Creatures carved into deadly weapons, gleaming with an otherworldly sheen.
"You won''t even know how you''ll die Immortal!" One of the Demon Saints muttered as he was sure that Vale had no experience dealing with the Dimensional Creatures. He shouldn''t know the power of these creatures when ites to manipting the fabric of space.
Furthermore, these were not mere tools of war; these daggers were bound to their souls and were extensions of the Saints'' very beings that channeled their Corruption to a greater degree.
"Ho~ You''re that confident with that dagger?" Vale muttered as he looked at the daggers of the Demon Saints.
He could tell that they were made of bones and that it was emitting a force that could contort the surrounding space.
It was definitely a dangerous weapon but he wasn''t too worried about it.
Vale''s form was now shrouded with Darkness, his Shadow Divinity enveloped him like a second skin.
He slowly moved forward to approach the Demon Saints. His actions belied the gravity of his situation! Nheless, each of his steps seemed to dispel any iing corruption and threats that wereing from the Demon Saints!
"Hmph! Arrogant!"
The first Demon Saint lunged, his dagger slicing through the air, aiming to pierce the heart of Shadow Immortal.
Vale''s response was swift. It was a twist of his form that turned corporeal to incorporeal, allowing the de to pass harmlessly through!
This wasn''t included in the reports that they heard about the Shadow Immortal! He shouldn''t be capable of such an ability that only the Demon Lord possesses!
"This is too much! No wonder the other Saints failed to kill this Immortal!"
"There''s no point getting surprised! Just work together!"
The Demon Saints faltered a little after Vale showed a trick using his Presence Shift.
At this time, the Demon Saints could only think that only those at the single-digit ranking of the Demon Saints could fight against the Shadow Immortal!
"Hmph! You''re already dead if we fight in the Abyss Realm!"
The second Saint attacked from the side, his weapon tracing a deadly arc! The space around it even contorted by the power brought by the dagger!
It was as if he was trying to make a small rift with this attack filled with its power!
However, Vale''s hand rose!
It was as if he wasn''t afraid that his arm might get mangled by the spatial rift brought by the dagger!
"Ha!" The Demon Saint''s eyes lit up as Vale tried to defend against his strike instead of dodging!
But Vale wasn''t finished yet! From his palm, a burst of shadow erupted, forming a barrier that absorbed the strike, the impact resonating like a drumbeat of the void.
Whooom~
The force was so strong that even the Demonic Captains were affected by the sh of two powers!
The third Demon Saint then found an opportunity to strike in that few seconds!
For sure, he didn''t want to be outdone! He thrust forward with a two-handed grip, his dagger aimed at the Immortal''s back!
However, Vale''s draconic eyes, locked onto his foe.
With a flick of his wrist, tendrils of shadow sprang forth, wrapping around the Saint''s arms, pulling him off bnce and rendering the attack futile. It was such a simple trick that even the Demon Saint was unable to react in time!
The problem was that the shadow hade from the Demon Saint itself! Thetter had no way of defending against it.
Then, Vale continued as he used their own shadows to summon Shadow Soldiers! This surprised the Demon Saints even more since Vale ordered these shadows to take the daggers from them! However, the Saints reacted in time and were able to disperse these Shadow Soldiers before they could take the daggers away!
Nheless, that move from Vale scared the Demon Saints! They were just reminded that their opponent was truly capable of controlling the shadows! It doesn''t matter whether it was the Immortal''s shadow or not!
''So taking those daggers wasn''t easy¡'' Vale mused as he initially tried to use his Traceless Shift to take those Daggers away. However, it actually failed, so he was forced to use the Shadow Soldiers to attempt it.
Anyway, he wasn''t too disappointed as he was able to confirm that without those daggers, these Demon Saints wouldn''tst long against him.
''I guess their low-ranking Demon Saints.'' Vale thought as he recalled about the Demon Ranking.
"Tsk! Your tricks won''t work on us!"
The Demon Saints then regrouped for a moment before they became a blur of motion as they circled Vale¡ They couldn''t just stay still, or their shadows would be targeted!
Then, after seeing that Vale seemed confused with their movement techniques, their daggers started weaving a web of Corruption!
The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the very ground beneath them was corrupted by each drop of abyssal energy that fell.
Vale, however, was the eye of the storm, calm and unyielding.
His Shadow Divinity was a force of nature. Hismand over the Darkness made the Demon Saints helpless and could not breach his defense!
He raised his arms, and the shadows answered, rising like a tide against the shores of Corruption!
Vale''s controlled shadow tendrils struck with precision like a master swordsman, each blow parrying the Saints'' attacks!
As the fight wore on, the Demon Saints'' frustration grew. Their daggers, so potent against any other foe, were rendered almost mundane against Vale''s mastery.
It was useless if they could not hit Vale''s body!
They fought with a ferocity born of the Abyss, but Vale was an enigma, a being of shadow and mystery! For some reason, they couldn''t follow his movements!
In a final act of desperation, the Saintsbined their power, the power of their daggers merging into a singr point of Corruption and Spatial Destruction!
"Die! Evil Immortal!"
They thrust forward as one, as if it were a spear of Darkness aimed at shattering the Shadow Immortal!
However, Vale''s response made them helpless.
It was a spectacle of shadowy magnificence.
His form split into a dozen shades, each a mirror of the other, and the Saints'' attack passed through, striking nothing but air!
"You!"
In the next moment, Vale coalesced, his hand reaching out to touch the forehead of the nearest Saint.
The touch was light, but the effect was immediate. The Saint''s eyes widened as the shadow spread across his form, consuming him in Darkness.
At the same time, Vale released a force that threw them away and made their daggers fall to the ground!
The Saints recovered almost immediately, but after seeing theirrade fall, they knew that retreat was their only option. They immediately looked at the Rift nearby that Vale had actually covered with shadow tendrils!
"Use everything you have! We have bought enough time! We need to leave!" One of the Demon Saints shouted as they didn''t even bother getting the daggers that were thrown away.
To Vale''s astonishment, the Demon Saints ignited their very essence, their life force ring like a dying star to break free from his shadowy grasp. With a desperate surge, they shattered the tendrils of shadows and retreated into the Rift, their forms fading into the void they had spawned from!
"Whoa~ They were that desperate¡" Vale muttered after seeing that move. He simply had no way of stopping a Demon Saint who was willing to burn their life.
Then, another surprise urred. The Rift itself then began to close, not by his hand but by the will of the Demon Saints!
It seemed their fear of Vale''s pursuit outweighed their desire to continue the invasion.
''I know it''s difficult to open a rift¡ But they''re really willing to do that just to ensure that I won''t follow¡'' A smirk yed upon his lips as he watched the portal seal shut. It was silent admission of the Demon Saints'' trepidation.
With the Rift now closed, Vale helped the Mummy Lord, the Abyss Knight, and the Ghoul King kill the remaining Demonic Captains. The battle was swift and brutal.
The Mummy Lord''s curses drained the very vitality of the Demon Captains, the Abyss Knight''s de cleaved through demonic armor as if it were mere flesh, and the Ghoul King''s horde overwhelmed the Captains with sheer numbers.
Vale, alongside his summoned Undead, made quick work of the abyssal invaders.
Once the battle was won, Vale gathered the fallen bodies of the creatures and nned to carry them back to his castle.
The reason was simple, he wanted to use his Divine Extraction System!
Apparently, the figure who had fought so fiercely was not Vale himself.
It was an Avatar, a Celestial Art he had taken from True Immortals within his castle!
Chapter 723 Evil Entities
Chapter 723 Evil Entities
The Avatar Creation Spell might be powerful but it limited him in certain ways¡ªhe could not ess his Divine Extraction System.
Well, it was a sacrifice made for the ability to be in two ces at once, so he didn''t really mind using it.
Furthermore, he was still unsure about the true capabilities of the Demon Saints, especially those in the higher ranks or single-digit ranks. There was also the Abyss Demon Lord, whom he had never seen yet.
This was the reason why he didn''t give all his Mystical Artifacts to this Avatar as well. This Avatar was only limited to the ck Grimoire as its weapon aside from the Spell Models it had.
"I guess I don''t have to use the Creation Ring to close the Rifts if this continues¡" Vale muttered as he looked at the rift that was closed onest time.
***
"Interesting¡ Those Demon Saints are too slippery, huh¡" Vale muttered inside the Dragon Chamber beneath his castle.
Right now, he was with the two Dragons, Orden and Ryzoir¡ Just in case he needed their strength, he was willing to set them free at a moment''s notice. After all, they were fighting against a whole Realm, and he didn''t know when he would need additional forces.
"How about the others¡" He muttered.
Vale, apparently, had not one, but three extensions of his will or Avatars!
He made this possible after his Avatar Creation reached the Advanced Realm! However, after reaching the Perfected Realm, an ability that allowed him to swap with any of his three Avatars appeared!
With this Celestial Art, Vale was confident that he''d be able to maximize his power as a lone Immortal of the Human Realm!
Nheless, the three Avatars stood as sentinels in locations marked by prophecy and foresight.
King Larry Morgan, previously Marquis Morgan, the current ruler of the Ruri Kingdom, had sought the wisdom of the Moonlight Seers, gifted oracles from the Church of the Lord of the Secret.
Well, this was also thanks to Vale''s cooperation with Maya Featherstar, who was now part of the Church.
Anyway, the visions of these Seers, cryptic yet precise, had foretold the covert strikes of the Abyss Realm!
One Avatar, stationed in the vicinity of a predicted attack, had already proven the Seers'' worth, intercepting the Demon Saints'' assault in the small Cainhorn Town!
Now, another Avatar faced a different but equally dire threat. The Zyrans, colossal monstrosities of the Abyss, had descended upon a city, their towering forms casting long shadows of destruction.
These were the same fiends that had once wreaked havoc during the Twelve Academies Competition at the Roaring Summit!
They were now unleashing their fury anew!
The cityy in ruins, its buildings crumbled like sandcastles before the tide¡ The ten Zyrans, each a behemoth of malice, roared their challenge to the skies! They were not satisfied with the destruction of a city and killing tens of thousands of people!
Whom~
As Vale''s Avatar arrived, the air shifted, the very shadows bending to his presence. Vale controlled the Darkness, and the Zyrans had an Evil or Malicious Aura around them.
There were tiny simrities in the elements, but they werepletely different.
Vale''s sudden appearance made the Zyrans realize that the surrounding energy was no longer under their control!
With a calm that belied the carnage around him, Vale''s Avatar assessed the ten towering entities. They were as vast as ten-story edifices, their forms a grotesque parody of life. Each Zyran was a maelstrom of dark energy, their limbs capable of crushing stone and steel with ease.
But they were not invincible.
***
"Mhmm? Is that the Shadow Immortal?"?A hidden Demon Saint, the one who had summoned the Evil Entities looked at the figure who had arrived and disturbed the malevolent aura from spreading.
Just with the Immortal''s presence, the curses and disease they were spreading within the 10 kilometers disappeared! It was as if it was dispersed just by the mere Magic Zone of the Immortal!
However, the Demon Saint didn''t panic as he observed the situation.
"Let''s see how you''ll deal with these Entities¡" The Demon Saint muttered.
He noticed that as the Shadow Immortal materialized amidst the chaos, the surrounding shadow or Darkness seemed to acknowledge his dominion as they swayed at his presence.
The Zyrans, on the other hand, maybe behemoths of the Abyss, but they could only pulsate with a malevolent aura to show their dominance. Their existence seemed to be trying to distort the natural order.
***
"You guys looked stronger now¡" Vale muttered.
As Vale observed them, he could easily tell that they were certainly several times stronger than the ones that the Cult of Fataliy had summoned before!
Yet, in the face of his arrival, their control over the dark energies faltered, the air thick with the tension of conflicting powers.
Vale couldn''t help but smile after noticing this. He confirmed that his Shadow Divinity was still better and stronger than the Evil Aura of these Entities.
"Let''s end this quickly¡" Vale muttered as he unsheathed the Stormbringer Sword, a de that hummed with the fury of a storm trapped within steel.
This Divine Sword had already fully acknowledged Vale as its owner and had somehow be an extension of Vale''s will!
Bzzt~
The sword released several sparks of lightning as if it waseager to sh with the corrupt flesh of the Zyrans!
Roaaarrr~
The Zyrans, sensing the threat, roared in defiance, their forms shifting, growing more outrageous as they prepared to meet the Shadow Immortal!
Unlike the Demon Saints, who could feel fear and assess the strength of their opponents, these Zyrans only knew how to destroy!
Each Zyran was like a titan, their limbs wreathed in the energies of the Abyss, capable of rending the earth asunder!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their dark and numerous limbs started stretching out towards Vale!
But Vale''s Avatar was undeterred.
Instead of retreating, Vale''s Avatar advanced.
The Stormbringer Sword hummed through the air, its edge suddenly lit up with lightning!
Call of the Divine Lightning!
Boom!
The first Zyran met its end swiftly, the de slicing through its dark energy as if it were mere mist, cleaving into the core of its being.
The attack was abination of the Divine Lightning and Holy Smite!
Just from this attack, Vale burned almost a hundred Divinity Points all at once!
These two Perfect Realm Spells were too much against the Zyran!
Luckily for them Vale''s Spell had cooldowns and couldn''t use it repeatedly in a few seconds.
The second and third Zyrans weren''t discouraged as they converged on Vale''s Avatar, and their attacks synchronized in a storm of malice.
Yet, with a poise that befitted a great swordsman, Vale spun, the Stormbringer Sword weaving a protective cocoon of light and shadow around him!
The Zyrans'' blows met only the afterimage of where he had been, and from their roars, one could tell the frustration with their guttural cries.
One by one, the Zyrans fell before the might of the Stormbringer Sword, Divine Lightning, Holy Smite, Sacred Blessing,Aurora''s Embrace, and Blessed Healing!
With his Presence Shift that could help him move in the blink of an eye, Vale was never caught by these towering entities from the Abyss!
Each strike from him was a thunderp that injured or killed the Zyrans!
The ruined city started bing the graveyard of the Evil Entities that had destroyed it!
As the final Zyran loomed, it continued to gather the Evil Aura in the surroundings. It seemed to have gotten stronger and absorbed the remnant energy of the dead Zyrans!
"So you can do that to yourpanions?" Vale wryly smiled as he realized that these Evil Entities had the power of "extraction" as well and could recover with the help of their fallenrades.
On the other hand, he was already a bit exhausted since only a few spells could work against these entities. Only the Divine Lightning and the Holy Arts worked well against them.
Using Spells like Abyssal Fire, Cursed me, Toxic Tempest, and others was simply useless and waste of energy. Because of that, Vale would have to be on the defensive every time he uses those effective Spells.
Nheless, as he saw thest Evil Entity, he started gathering his energy, the Stormbringer Sword glowing with an intensity that seemed to rival the sun!
"You''re thest one! Just join your brothers!"
With a roar that boosted Vale''s Aura, he appeared on top of the creature with his Presence Shift!
However, the Zyran was able to react in time and defend itself!
Boom!
The collision was cataclysmic. The Stormbringer Sword met the Zyran''s dark energy head-on, a vortex of lightning and shing against a tide of evil aura¡
Whom~
The resulting explosion was another huge destruction that created a crater in the ruined city! Nheless, it also marked the end of the battle.
When the dust settled, Vale''s Avatar stood alone amidst the remnants of the Zyrans.
Chapter 724 Seventh Rank
Chapter 724 Seventh Rank
"That was a lot harder than I thought¡" Vale muttered as he looked at the corpses of the Evil Entities. They were simply too big, and bringing them back to the castle for extraction would not be easy¡
Even if he borrows Faith''s Space Ring, it just wouldn''t be enough. Nheless, even without the extraction, Vale could still physically collect the cores of these creatures.
Although they no longer have any life force, the Cores still have some remnant Evil Energy that could be used in Alchemy and such.
And so, the Avatar gathered all these cores before he used his Darkness Maniption to fly and look at the ruined city.
Surprisingly, he felt the presence of some strugglers who were holding on to their dear life.
They seem to be Arcanists who had been lucky enough to hide in a good spot while clinging to their defensive artifacts.
These Arcanists sensed Vale''s presence and knew that they were alive, thanks to him. Vale''s appearance was definitely a beacon of hope in their point of view.
Nheless, Vale''s focus on them didn''tst long as he shifted his attention elsewhere.
***
In the aftermath of the battle, not too far from the city ruins that once thrummed with life, a figure stood apart from the destion.
He was hidden by severalyers of unusual Arcane Art and was also observing Vale''s Avatar.
Var''gakan, the Demon Saint of the Seventh Rank, squinted his eyes as he felt something off from the Shadow Immortal.
Nheless, he wasn''t worried that he would be caught since he wasn''t emitting any killing intent or desire to kill the Shadow Immortal.
He believed that his observation shouldn''t trigger the danger sense of the Immortal.
At this time, his form was barely distinguishable from the humans he mimicked.
His appearance was deceptively mundane, with two short horns or bumps on his forehead as the only hint of his true identity. Furthermore, it was also cleverly concealed beneath the hood of his garb.
Since he was d in attire befitting a member of the clergy, he could easily pass through as an average Arcanist. It shouldn''t be hard to hide his true nature with all of thesebined.
"That Shadow Immortal¡ Is he an imposter? Why is he so weak?" The Demon Saint muttered as he was confused at Vale''s show of power. Although he expected that Vale could win the battle, he didn''t expect that it would take that long!
Based on the reports, the Shadow Immortal should be capable of killing these Zyrans just by the touch of his hands if they were not exaggerating the reports they received from other Demon Saints.
"This is weird¡ Does it only work for us, Demon Saints?" Var''gakan muttered as he tried toprehend the Immortal''s limitation.
Var''gakan''s eyes, a deep crimson that flickered with a dark intellect, surveyed the fallen Zyrans with a calcting gaze.
He had not anticipated that these creatures of the Abyss were able to cause so much trouble to the Immortal.
Anyway, Var''gakan still sighed at the fact that these Zyrans died. After all, he was expecting that he could destroy three or more cities before they get killed by the Arcanists of the human realm.
The implications of this development were troubling.
''I''ll just bring a few more of them¡'' Var''gakan thought as he nned to return to the Abyss Realm to call for reinforcement.
It was time to withdraw¡
However, as he turned to depart, a presence manifested before him.
It was silent, and he had barely felt the ripple in the air and surrounding energy when the Immortal appeared! Nheless, as soon as he felt the presence, he was able to confirm that it was as imposing as the night!
It was the Shadow Immortal who shouldn''t have detected his presence!
The Shadow Immortal, cloaked with darkness, was standing in the Demon Saint''s path as the surrounding shadows tried to converge around him!
"Where do you think you''re going?" Vale''s voice was a low rumble, a sound that seemed to resonate with the darkness itself.
Var''gakan, taken aback by the sudden appearance,posed himself quickly.
Although he didn''t want to fight the Immortal at this time, he wasn''t too scared of him especially after seeing how the Immortal failed to kill the Zyrans in a swift manner.
''The Demon Lord is definitely stronger that this Immortal¡ I received training from the Demon Lord himself, and I should be fine.''
His mind raced, strategies and contingencies weaving through his thoughts.
"Right¡ This should work¡" He softly muttered.
He was a Demon Saint, after all, and he would not cower in front of an Immortal! Since he needed the Divinity of the Immortals, he might as well try and take it!
"I am merely a traveler, passing through these troublednds¡" Var''gakan replied, his voice smooth and even, betraying none of the surprises he felt.
''What? Are you serious? Did he think I can''t tell that he''s a Demon Saint?'' Vale was momentarily confused as he realized that the Demon Saint was nning to y innocent.
This was quite unexpected. He thought that Demon Saint would just suddenly attack him.
Vale then stepped closer, the shadows coalescing around him like loyal vassals.
"A traveler who observes destruction and emits the smell of the Abyss? You are not a wanderer. Speak truthfully, Demon Saint¡"
Var''gakan wryly smiled as he confirmed that all his disguise and even the Artifact given to him by the Demon Lord were useless to the Shadow Immortal!
His identity was still very clear in front of the Immortal!
Nheless, he suddenly received a report through telepathy about the deaths of the special squad that was dispatched to spread curses and diseases to thend!
It was confirmed that it was done by the Shadow Immortal!
''Then why is he here?!'' Var''gakan couldn''t understand how the Shadow Immortal could appear so easily in two different ces with a distance that covered more than two thousand kilometers!
Even for an Immortal who could fly, it should still take them a few hours to arrive unless he was also a master of Space Magic!
''Not good¡ Something is really wrong in this situation¡'' The Demon Saint thought.
To engage inbat with this Shadow Immortal, whether it was an imposter or not, could prove costly. He then took a deep breath and chose his words carefully.
"I seek only knowledge, aprehension of the events that unfold in this realm. I shall take my leave with no further interference."
Vale shook his head as he had enough. He just couldn''t understand what was going on in this Demon Saint''s head!
There was no way he would let him go!
"You''re staying here¡" Vale said as he controlled his shadows to bind the Demon Saint.
However, the Demon Saint didn''t like that.
Var''gakan''s voice was a low growl, resonating with the power of the Abyss. "I had given you a chance to escape Immortal! I am the seventh-ranked Demon Saint, Var''gakan, and you will regret this foolishness."
As he said this, he burst with the power of Corruption!
However, something else was mixed in there! However, before Vale could tell what it was, the Demon Saint was already in front of him!
Before he could react, Var''gakan struck with a speed that defied sight!
Vale could only raise his hands and burst with Divinity and Spell Dispersion to protect himself!
However, Vale''s hands, once instruments of his will, were mutted in an instant, leaving him shocked and disarmed¡ª
literally!
It tried to affect his body and even his soul, but his natural Divinity and physique prevented the attack from causing further damage!
The Demon Saint''s strength was overwhelming, his power dwarfing those Vale had faced before.
''This aura¡ Time Maniption?'' Vale was shocked! Without his Temporal Timepiece, he would be useless against this power!
However, he realized that the Demon Saint''s disguise had been removed, and he looked like he had aged a lot, and his life force had also weakened!
''A Time-Wielding Artifact!'' Vale realized as he also noticed that the Demon Saint''s ring shattered!
It means that he had already used the Time Maniption Artifact and perhaps, he could no longer use it again!
With a desperate tenacity, Vale fought on, his Shadow Divinity conjuring darkness that sought to envelop Var''gakan.
''That was your only chance to kill me!''
Vale then summoned meteors from the void, each a fiery harbinger of destruction!
It started raining down upon the Demon Saint.
It didn''t end there, his Mind Break Spellshed out, a psychic assault aimed at shattering Var''gakan''s mental defenses.
Vale then winced in pain as he realized that the attack that mangled his arm hadn''t ended yet!
Nheless, he endured the pain and continued!
He followed up with Cursed me! This fire roared to life, seeking to consume the Demon Saint''s flesh!
As the Demon Saint countered and tried to attack with his Corruption, Vale''s Presence Shift allowed him to dance around the battlefield and avoid any more attacks from him!
But Var''gakan was a force unto himself! Although his life force was weakened, his power seemed to be connected to the Abyss.
He countered each of Vale''s attacks desperately, as he seemed to possess an unlimited source of Corruption!
Chapter 725 The Third Avatar
Chapter 725 The Third Avatar
725 The Third Avatar
''This is not good¡ Thatst attack left something in me¡ I can''t recover even with Sacred Blessing¡'' Vale thought as he regretted that he didn''t have enough healing Arcane Arts!
He was too focused on developing his defensive skills, but once it was breached, he had no way of recovering quickly!
''You''ll join me in hell!'' The Demon Saint shouted as he knew that he had truly surprised the Shadow Immortal and dealt a powerful blow against him.
The battle continued as Vale desperately fought against the Demon Saint, who seemed to be filled with Corruption! He couldn''t catch a break at all!
With each passing moment, Vale''s Avatar found himself outmatched, his spells dissipating against the Demon Saint''s might.
However, he could truly tell that the Demon Saint''s life force was slowly fading away!
He knew that this Demon Saint had probably used a Forbidden Technique to be this strong in exchange for his life! This doesn''t just require skills but also the resolve to die with someone you''ve just met!
The battle raged as a maelstrom of shadow and corruption continued destroying the surroundings!
Vale''s Avatar, even in his desperation, was a sight to behold¡ªa testament to the Shadow Immortal''s power. But as the fight drew on, it became clear that Var''gakan was stronger than him, his every move calcted to draw out the pain and fear!
"Hahaha! I can sense it! You''re weakening Immortal! The corruption you have in your body would even weaken the Demon Lord! It would take him years to remove it from his body! Hahaha! How do you like it?!" The Demon Saintughed while Vale just looked at him.
The battle then continued for more than thirty more minutes before Vale truly felt helpless in his situation.
''This will not happen if I have the Creation Ring, the White Mask, or the Temporal Timepiece with me.'' Vale thought as he realized that the Divinity that he had with this body was almost gone.
In the end, it was a silent acknowledgment between them¡ªa grin from Var''gakan, a resigned sigh from Vale''s Avatar.
They both knew that this battle would end in mutual destruction.
With a final surge of power, Vale''s Avatar unleashed all his remaining energy in a cataclysmic explosion of shadow and me!
He wanted to ensure that this Demon Saint would no longer spread his Corruption or Curse to the other Survivors!
Var''gakan, caught in the st,ughed¡ªa sound that echoed through the ruins as his form began to disintegrate. "Well yed, shadow¡ well yed¡"
As the dust settled, the battlefield was silent. Vale''s Avatar was already in pieces. However, these pieces didn''t seem to be made of flesh and blood; they were more like pure energy!
Soon, Vale''s essence started dissipating in the air.
On the other hand, Var''gakan didn''t witness this as he, too, was no more. Hisughter was only a lingering echo in the wind¡
The battle was over, and though Vale''s Avatar had fallen, he had taken the seventh-ranked Demon Saint with him¡ªa final act of defiance against the encroaching darkness.
***
In the secluded chamber, veiled by the enigmatic Formation Arts that protected the Dragon''s sanctuary, the atmosphere was heavy with the presence of ancient and dragon magic¡
The two dragons, Orden and Ryzoir,y in their chains, their scales shimmering with a subdued luster¡ªa stark contrast to the dimly lit stone that surrounded them.
The chamber, or perhaps their prison, was vast and echoing¡
Vale, seated at the center, clutched his chest as a spasm of pain wracked through him.
Ooofff¡ª
A cough escaped his lips, a stark sound in the silence of the chamber. The dragons, despite their own bindings, turned their great heads towards him, eyes filled with a concern that transcended their captivity.
"It seems the Seventh Rank Demon Saint possessed a resolve far greater than I anticipated¡" Vale rasped, his voice a mere whisper yet carrying the weight of his understanding.
"His power¡ it was formidable." He muttered as he exined what had happened in the battle.
Orden, the purple Dragon, shifted, the chains clinking softly. "To kill one of your Avatars¡ indeed, he was no ordinary foe. I confess, even in my might, I am unsure of my standing against such an extension of your soul¡"
Ryzoir, his scales a deep emerald that seemed to absorb the light, nodded in agreement.
"Hmm¡ The artifact he wielded, one that maniptes time itself, poses a grave threat. Against a Demon Saint that''s also Time Maniptor of his caliber, even you, Vale, could meet your end¡"
"That''s true¡ Well, two, perhaps three weeks of rest and gathering divinity should suffice to heal these wounds¡" He mused, his voice now steady with resolve. "And then, we shall see how the Abyss responds to the loss of their seventh-
ranked Demonic Saint."
Vale smiled as he recalled that he still killed one of the single digits of the Demon Saints!
Since there weren''t too many of them in the first ce, he knew that he still had a huge victory by killing ten Zyrans with the Seventh Rank Demon Saint and one Avatar!
Anyway, after he felt better, his attention was then turned to the other Avatar.
***
Vale closed his eyes as he connected his mind to the Avatar.
In a distantnd, amidst the ruins of a once-proud city, the Avatar stood surrounded by a group of Elementalists. They were locked inbat with a horde of Demon Creatures, their magic casting a kaleidoscope of light against the encroaching darkness.
It would have been such a beautiful sight if not for the Demon Creatures that were being targeted by the beautiful elemental spells.
This Avatar, unlike the others, bore the stance and aura of a Combat Arts Practitioner.
He was a part of a group that protected the Elementalist against the Demon Creatures that had gotten closer to them!
The Sword Aura he wielded was a visible force, a manifestation of his will that cut through the demons like a scythe through wheat.
Nheless, no one knew that this Combat Art Specialist was an Avatar of the Shadow Immortal!
***
In the heart of Thatcher City of Quijor Kingdom, where the walls stood as thest bastion against the encroaching darkness, M, a Fire Elementalist of notable prowess, led her squad with a small hope of surviving this tragedy¡
"We will live today¡ Do not give up!" She shouted.
Her auburn hair, like the mes shemands, cascades down her back in a torrent of curls. Her eyes, a piercing green, reflect the intensity of her magic and the resolve of her will. d in the traditional robes of her order, they are marked with the sigils of fire¡ªshowing her disposition in this war.
Their small kingdom in the south of the Continent was still too young. It had only been 30 years since it was established, and it certainly had a bright future. However, the arrival of the Demon Creaturespletely destroyed the ruler''s ns, making this ce a wastnd instead!
Her team wasposed of four Second-ss Elementalists and two First-ss Elementalists, including herself, and a Combat Art Specialist assigned to protect them in case closebat against the Demon happened. It was a small but formidable force.
The Elementalists were the unsung heroes as they fought alongside the Holy Arts Experts in a war that spared no one.
The city, once a beacon of prosperity, now echoed with the sounds of battle.
The Demon Creatures, the vile spawn of the Abyss, had already breached the walls!
Many teams of Elementalists had already been destroyed, and perhaps, not even a thousand of them remained in the outer wall of the Thatcher City¡
Nheless, none of them decided to just give up¡ They were still hoping that the reinforcements that the king had promised would arrive!
All the Elementalists on M''s side weren''t giving up just yet! Their mes were like a dance of defiance as they stood ready to meet the onught.
M''s squad unleashed their elemental fury.
Fireballs arced through the air, explosions of heat and light that seared the flesh of the Demon Creatures.
But the enemy was relentless, and the Elementalists found themselves being pushed back, their magic waning under the sheer number of foes.
"This is too much! We''re going to die here!"
"M! Please survive for us! You have to at least let our family know!"
"Leader! Get away now! They''reing! We''ll cover you!"
M''s teammates said, hoping she would at least survive!
However, M couldn''t just abandon her team! Even if she also wanted to leave! She knew that she had nowhere to run! It was better to die with her friends than alone in a ce where the Demon Creatures would also reach soon enough!
"I will stay here with you! Stop spouting some nonsense!" She cried out as the Demon Creatures closed in!
As they were expecting to be trampled by numerous Demon Creatures, however, something unexpected happened.
It was at this time that Vale, the Combat Arts Specialist assigned to protect them, stepped forward.
Chapter 726 The Aura Master
Chapter 726 The Aura Master
Vale''s current guise as a Combat Arts Specialist was that of a seasoned warrior, his build was lean, and his movements were precise. There were no excessive movements in his sword style. He seemed only to know how to cut and stab his opponents.
He had no strange techniques or powerful moves. Nheless, since M and the others didn''t believe that they would really need a reliable Combat Artist to protect them, they didn''t care about his presence during their battle against the Demons a few hours ago.
After all, they believed that if they couldn''t win against a Demon Creature, there was no way a Combat Artist could win either!
This was the reason why all the teams of Elementalists weren''t too concerned about the presence of the Combat Artists. They believed that they were simply there to make up for the numbers or, perhaps, be used as a shield in case necessary.
M looked at Vale, confused at his sudden action.
"You''re going to kill yourself, old man!" M shouted.
Of course, Vale doesn''t look that old in his guise. He looked at least in the mid-thirties. He was still considered a young Combat Artist.
His hair was a dark shade, cut short to avoid hindrance in battle, and his eyes, a deep brown, held a wisdom that belies his assumed role.
Vale''s appearance actually reminds M of herte father.
He wears the simple, functional attire of a swordsman, with reinforced leather and cloth that allows for agility and protection.
There was an extra short sword hanging at his side, its hilt unadorned, yet the Aura it exudes speaks of a power hidden within its in exterior. She could tell that the short sword seemed to be cursed or perhaps blessed by a Mystic Arts Practitioner.
Nheless, Vale''s main weapon was a Runic Sword that seemed to be made by an expert Runecrafter.
She wasn''t an expert in terms of Runes, but she knew that they were impressive from the energy fluctuation it was releasing.
"Just stay back¡" Vale said. These words were meant not only for M but for the surrounding Elementalists as well.
As he said this, Vale suddenly exuded a burst of strength. It wasn''t too exaggerated, but the Aura he was releasing was definitely something that could fight against a hundred Demons!
It would be enough for the Elementalists to escape! Vale seemed to n to buy them some time to escape by burning his life force!
"You¡ª"
"Are you burning your life just now!"
"A forbidden technique! A true Aura Master! I will not forget you, Sir!"
"Sir Aura Master! We will not forget your sacrifice!"
"Retreat now to the inner walls! The Aura Master will hold the horde for us!"
"Hurry!"
Other teams of Elementalists saw this, and some other Combat Artists were also inspired as they started releasing their Aura to the limit!
"For the Quijor Kingdom!"
To the Elementalists, he was a reliable protector and a silent guardian!
He was a silent figure, his presence reassuring yet unassuming. Little did they know, he was an Avatar of the Shadow Immortal, a being of immense power disguised in the form of a mere mortal!
As the Demon Creatures swarmed, Vale''s incredible strength emerged.
No one could follow his movement! Each strike from his sword would kill three or more Demons...
The Sword Aura he wielded wasn''t just a manifestation of his power but it could slice through the Demons as well together with ck sword he was wielding!
Vale cleaved through the demonic horde, a barrier that none could pass!
"W-what? How can he stay so strong?"
"Did you not say that he was using a forbidden technique and using his life force?"
"T-that''s weird¡ His life should''ve been expended by now¡"
"Then, maybe he''s using an Artifact that helps him gain more Aura in a short period."
"Just continue escaping!"
The Elementalists argued as they couldn''tprehend Vale''s show of strength.
M and her squad watched in awe as the man they had deemed a simple Combat Arts became their savior. No, it wasn''t only them who were being saved; it was the whole brigade of Elementalists trying to retreat to the inner wall of the city!
The Demon Creatures, so fearsome and relentless, could not touch him.
Vale''s figure moved through them like a storm, untouchable and unstoppable!
***
"This is weird¡ These Demons weren''t apanied by Demon Saints? Are they also hiding and waiting for the Immortal to show up?" Vale mused.
In the midst of chaos, Vale''s Avatar stood as an unyielding force against the tide of Demon Creatures. His ck sword moved with a meticulousness that was almost rhythmical in its efficiency.
There was no flourish in his actions, no unnecessary movements¡ªeach step, each swing, each thrust was delivered with the intent of a master swordsman.
This wasn''t because Vale was a master swordsman. It was simple because there was no need for him to use Sword Arts since these Demons were quite fragile in his perspective¡
A simple cut with a hint of his Aura would stop their regeneration ability and kill them in the process.
"If I can extract them¡ I''d probably gain enough Demon Essence and transform into a Demon Saint someday." Vale mused as he continued massacring the Demons.
He wasn''t even bothered if they got too close as his physique wasn''t something that lowly demons could prate.
Haa~
The demons surged forward, a mass of ws and fangs aimed at him. Their eyes were alight, and the fury of the Abyss seemed as if they wanted to tear Vale apart!
But they found no chance against Vale.
He wasn''t moving too fast, but they could not do anything about him! Some of them could tell that he had a physique they could prate, but since Vale was dodging sometimes, they believed that they had some hope and continued trying.
With a simple sidestep, Vale evaded a wed swipe meant to rend flesh from bone. A twist of his wrist and his ck sword sang through the air, its edge glinted and severed the limb that dared to strike him¡
It didn''t end there, the Sword Aura that surrounded him was also a shield and a weapon.
Even after seeing his target, the Sword Aura red with each cut! It was a visible and tangible manifestation of his power that repelled the dark magic of the demons!
Awwoooo~
They howled in frustration, their numbers meaningless against the solitary figure that was standing and walking slowly through their ranks!
A demon lunged, its maw wide, in an attempt to crush Vale''s head only to be met with a swift stab that silenced it forever.
Thud!
Another leaped from the ruined walls of the city, it was incredibly fast and the Elementalists watching Vale simply saw a blur!
However, Vale''s sword cut through it with a sh that was both swift and deadly. It''s body was cut in half andnded on the ground with a thud¡
The battlefield was his stage, and his performance was one of deadly grace! This action also triggered the Demons! It was as if the Demon that Vale just killed was a high-ranking one and they wanted to avenge its death!
The Elementalists watched in awe, their own battles momentarily forgotten. They watched as the Demons gathered to where Vale was!
The scattered Demons converged, and they had only one purpose: to kill the mysterious swordsman!
"This¡"
"What''s going on here?"
"Who is that Aura Master!"
"When did the Order of the Dragon Warriors send one of their Elite Masters?"
Every Arcanist who had survived till now couldn''t believe it.
They had never seen a Combat Arts Specialist fight with such rity and strength!
Each of Vale''s movements was a lesson in the art of the sword
¡ªstabbing, cutting, shing, each action deliberate and final.
Not one survived once hit by his sword!
This continued for long, and as thest of the demons fell, the battlefield suddenly became silent¡
Vale stood amidst the carnage, his breathing even and his stance rxed.
His ck sword, still humming with the remnants of his Sword Aura, was the only sign of the battle that had raged moments before.
The Elementalists approached, their expressions a mix of reverence and gratitude.
"We owe you our lives¡" M said, her voice steady despite the adrenaline that still coursed through her veins.
Vale sheathed his sword, the metal whispering as it slid home.
"You owe me nothing. This is but a part of the greater battle we all fight¡" He replied, his tone even, betraying none of the immense power he had just disyed.
As they turned to tend to the wounded and assess the damage, Vale''s figure began to fade, his missionplete¡ and he also found his real target¡
The Demon Saints and the Rift that was opened in this kingdom.
''In the end, I failed to bait them out¡ Why are the Demon Saints being so cautious now?'' Vale sighed as he silently followed the fleeing Demon Saint.
Chapter 727 Options
Chapter 727 Options
The city of Thatchery behind Vale, its walls scarred by battle, its air still heavy with the scent of death, magic, and ash.
Vale''s Avatar seemed like a silent specter as he moved through the night with a singr purpose.
It was a Demon Saint that seemed to have a simr level of aura to the previous Demon Saint Vale had encountered.
There was a huge chance that it was Var''gakan''spatriot or Demon Saint with a single digit in his rank!
''Mhmm¡ Is he meeting up with someone? He can''t be that frightened to return to the Rift and stay in thefort of the Abyss Realm, right?'' Vake silently thought as he only knew that the direction the Demon Saint was heading was the nearby Rift.
This Saint could really be nning to go home, or perhaps, he was simply going to rendevous with his fellow Demons.
Nheless, this Demon Saint was unaware of the shadow that trailed him, a disguised Combat Art Specialist who was silent in its pursuit.
***
The Demon Saint, cloaked in the guise of a traveler, made his way toward the mountains where the Rift was located.
The Rift was none other than the portal that bridged the realms of humans and demons.
As soon as he reached the mountains, the Demon Saint''s steps became measured, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of pursuit, but he saw none.
Vale''s Avatar was a master of stealth, his presence as imperceptible as the whisper of the wind.
''Mhmm¡ Formation Arts? Did they arrange this to stop others from closing the Rift?'' Vale mused as he recalled that the other Rifts weren''t well protected.
However, it seemed that they had learned their lessons and decided to make it difficult for others to find the Rifts.
After all, once it was camped by numerous Arcanists, the Demons who wereing out of it would also be in grave danger since their numbers wouldn''t do much if they were in a tight space.
Anyway, Vale used his Presence Shift and control of the True Invisibility. Thebination of this Spirit Art and Celestial Art was perfect for such a mission.
As the Demon Saint continued on his way, Vale followed silently without being detected. Soon, Vale saw the Rift, which was just above a huge mountain rock.
Then, Vale saw the Demon Saint reach the edge of the Rift and heaved a sigh of relief.
The air around him began to shimmer, the fabric of reality thinning as he prepared to cross over to the Abyss Realm!
''So you''re really escaping now? Did you seriously get scared of the Aura Master? Shouldn''t you call for other Demon Saints, at least? Why are you escaping?'' Vale frowned as he considered whether to wait for the Demon Saint''s return since he might bring some backup, and he''d get to kill more of them in the process.
However, he was also worried that the Demon Saint really nned to escape and close this Rift once and for all!
''Ugh¡ Let me just kill you now for my peace of mind.'' Vale thought as he made his move.
"Mhmm?" The Demon Saint felt a strange energy fluctuation and it wasing from behind!
Vale, an Aura Master, moved in a silent dash from the shadows, his ck sword drawn and ready to strike!
The Demon Saint turned, sensing the disturbance toote!
The Aura Master was upon him, his sword a sh of silver in the moonlight.
"Assassin?! You coward!" The Demon Saint shouted as he lifted his own weapon.
Bang!
The Demon Saint parried, his de drawn from the ether, its edge glowing with the power of the Abyss. Since he was near the Rift, his energy was a lot stronger, and he wasn''t too afraid.
ng! ng! ng!
Their exchange of blows didn''t end in a single strike. They continued to attack each other in a move that was difficult to see with the naked eye.
The sh of their swords was like a symphony of steel and sparks; each strike was like a rhythm in the battle.
Vale continued to fight like a true Aura Master and an expert swordsman. He moved withprecision that was almost mechanical, his every move calcted to exploit the smallest opening.
"You''re that Aura Master!"
The Demon Saint, for all his power, found himself on the defensive, his attacks turned aside with an ease that belied the Avatar''s human appearance.
They have sent many spies to the Human Realm before they decided to open the Rift. They didn''t just wait for the Will of the Human Realm to weaken.
They avoided putting the Rifts near the bases of powerful organizations that could gather thousands of Arcanists at a moment''s notice.
Because of that, the Demon Saint wasn''t expecting any Aura Master capable of killing all the Demons Creatures! He summoned!
Nheless, the Demon Saint''s didn''t lose hope. No matter what, he was still a Demon Saint of the eighth rank!
"If you think you are strong enough to kill me, then you''re wrong, coward!" The Demon Saint said as he called the Aura Master a coward. He hated how this swordsman decided to attack him in surprise from his back!
"I am Togthamen! The Eight Rank Demon Saint! Remember the one who will kill you!"
As he said this, Togthamen gathered the leaking energy from the Abyss and burst with power! For some reason, he dislikes using the power of corruption against this sword-wielding fellow.
He wanted this cowardly Aura Master to be defeated in his own game!
With that in mind, Togthamen decided to simply use his de and show him their difference!
They moved and exchanged blows, and each strike was meant to kill!
ng! ng!
Their figures started blurring as they exchanged blow after blow.
Whom~
As the Aura and Corrupted Divinity of the Demon Saint shed, the Rift pulsed behind them, as if responding to the chaotic force of the two individuals.
Vale''s Avatar was relentless; his Sword Aura was like a shield that turned away the Demon Saint''s Corrupted Divinity that would normally prevent other Arcanists from using their Arcane Energy.
Vale''s movement remained steady and fast as his sword was like a sliver of destruction that sought the Demon Saint''s heart!
''This swordsman is too strong?! How did we fail to get any report about this person? This body must be a perfect vessel for the Gluttony!'' Togthamen thought.
Apparently, Gluttony, one of the Seven Sins of the Abyss, had a part of its soul destroyed in this Human Realm, and it was searching for a perfect body to use and return to this ce to find the Dark Magician who had killed its first vessel.
Gluttony had initially nned to just y around this realm with the weak body he had decided to use.
After ying around to gratify his boredom, he was nning to just leave the body on its own to do whatever it wanted with its remnant energy.
However, a Dark Magician ended its life so quickly and was now finding a strong human body to possess.
''If I get this swordsman and give it to Sir Gluttony, then I will definitely be rewarded!'' Togthamen thought as he saw an opportunity!
The Demon Saint roared, a sound that echoed across the ins and unleashed a torrent of power.
"ytime is over, cowardly swordsman¡" Togthamen spoke in his deep voice. His two horns started getting extremely dark, like that of an abyss.
The ground shook, the temperature turned cold, but Vale''s Avatar stood firm.
With a shout that was more felt than heard, he pounced, his sword piercing the Demon Saint''s defenses.
For a brief moment, the Demon Saint felt Divinity from the sword!
"You---"
The Demon Saint wanted to call him a coward once again. He didn''t expect that swordsman had the power to wield Divinity¡ or at the very least, he didn''t expect that the sword could emit Divine Power that only Celestials could do!
The Demon Saint stumbled, his form beginning to crack as the Avatar''s de found its mark!
Yes, upon getting hit by the sword, the Demon Saint felt something spreading throughout his body! He could release his Demonic Arts! He couldn''t ess his Spell Models, and this had never happened before!
Even the Dimensional Creatures couldn''t stop him from using Demon Arts! At most, it could only dy his casting speed!
Togthamen didn''t want to end like this, he also didn''t want his body to be desecrated by the swordsman.
He used all his strength to get away from Vale!
With a burst of his remained Corrupted Divinity, he was able to escape from Vale''s de, but he was already dying¡
With a final gasp, he fell to the Rift and Vale saw his body dissolving into the Rift with an explosion.
Vale confirmed that it had certainly died¡ After all, thest spell he used was Corpse Explosion¡ It wouldn''t work if the Demon Saint was still alive when he fell to the Rift.
"Now¡ How do I close this? Or should I enter?" Vale muttered as he considered his options.
As an Avatar, he didn''t really mind dying. At most, the original body just had to recover for a month, and then another Avatar could be created without an issue.
Chapter 728 The Abyss
Chapter 728 The Abyss
??The reason why Vale was hesitating to enter the Rift was due to the ongoing invasion of the Demonic Creatures around the continent.
He had barely assisted the Human Realm in the defense. With this Avatar, he believed that he could still kill a lot more Demons or even their Saints.
However, he also felt that he couldn''t just pass up this opportunity.
In any case, he also doesn''t have important items with him.
Currently, he only has runic clothes and weapons. They were made by Magnus and enhanced by his learned skills. Even if these items were lost and destroyed in this Abyss, he could just make more of them. As for the expendable talismans he was carrying, he wasn''t worried about them being all spent. They had to serve their purpose anyway.
''Ugh¡ Whatever¡''
As the Rift began to close, a slit in the fabric of reality, Vale''s Avatar made a split-second decision.
With a determined leap, he plunged into the narrowing gap while the edges of the portal buzzed with dark energy.
Vale frowned as he felt something off as soon as he entered the Rift.
The transition was jarring, and he immediately recalled what was possibly happening to him.
It appears that the Will of the Abyss Realm was pressing down on him like a physical weight, a suffocating force that sought to crush his very essence! It was suppressing him!
''This must be the same sensation the Demon Saints felt when they entered the Human Realm¡'' Vale thought as he believed that the Will of the Human Realm was truly strong before. Because of that, he also couldn''t help but feel curious about how the Will was weakened by the Abyss Realm.
Whom~
As he passed through the Rift, he felt his Divinity and Force to be extremely limited.
The world he emerged into was a hellscape that was almost beyond his imagination. The sky was covered by swirling crimson and ck, lightning streaking across it in violent arcs.
The ground was a mire of corruption, and the earth itself seemed to have been twisted by the malevolent will that governed this Realm.
The air was thick with the stench of decay, and from afar, Vale could see a foul and thick miasma that could probably w at the throat and stung the eyes of those enters.
"No wonder they wanted to invade other realms¡ Their ce looked so disgusting¡" Vale muttered as he continued scanning the surroundings.
Rivers of what could only be described as green liquid coiled through thendscape, their banks lined with the skeletal remains of creatures that had fallen victim to the Abyss.
For some reason, those skeletal remains didn''t seem to belong to the creatures living in the Abyss Realm. If he''d make a guess, these remains would have probablye from the beings from other realms that were brought here by the Demons.
After all, he knew that the Demons had already invaded other realms aside from the Human Realms.
Huuu~
Vale exhaled as he steadied himself¡ Apparently, his senses were being assaulted by the pervasive aura of death!
Because he was being suppressed right now, he had to ensure that he should at least be in a stable condition.
''It is this tough here, huh¡ Just how am I supposed to recover my strength?'' Vale frowned as he discovered something.
The very atmosphere was already a problem; each breath was like a battle against the vile energies that sought to invade his body.
Just breathing could already consume some of his energy!
Nheless, Vale was not deterred¡ This was just a simple matter since he still had something to aplish in this Realm!
After all, he didn''t juste here to satisfy his curiosity. He was here to eliminate Demons and if possible, he wanted to have a better grasp of the Demon Lord!
Lastly, if he did a great job causing trouble in the Abyss Realm, perhaps the attack in the Human Realm would get weakened! After all, the Demon Lord might send an order to retreat if he showed his might in this ce.
''Let''s see¡''
After Vale finished observing his surroundings, the Zyrans around the area started gathering in his spot!
The ten behemoths, each a monstrosity of the Abyss, loomed over him like mountains of malice.
These Zyrans wererger than the ones in the Human Realm! There was no doubt that these Zyrans were their strongest form!
Their figures were like a mockery of life as they pulsated with deathly aura and corruption.
Their huge eyes, devoid of soul or mercy, fixed upon Vale with a hunger born of the deepest darkness.
They could definitely feel his Divinity and wanted to absorb it for themselves!
"Show me how strong you are in your territory¡" Vale muttered as he was surely curious.
The battle that ensued was a sh of titans. Vale, though dwarfed by the sheer size of the Zyrans, was a force of nature¡
He didn''t wait for the Zyrans to corner him as he jumped to the nearest behemoth and shed!
His ck sword, now alight with an ethereal aura, cut through the air that seemed to twist even the space itself!
Although weakened by the Will of the Abyss Realm, Vale''s technique could still trigger the mysterious Runes of his Sword!
He even started targeting a couple more Zyrans as they all got closer to him!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each swing was a challenge to the dominion of the Abyss! To their surprise, Vale was still unaffected by the Corruption of the Abyss Realm!
It wasn''t just because of his Divinity but also because of his Incorruptible Body that had already adapted to the Demon Saint''s Corruption!
The Zyrans roared and charged, their massive forms surprisingly agile as they sought to overwhelm Vale''s Avatar.
But Vale wasn''t standing still. He was in constant motion, his sword was like a beacon of light in the oppressive gloom of the Abyss!
Vale had no wasted movements and all his actions were precise¡ He was ensuring that all his energy was properly spent!
After all, with his suppressed energy, he certainly had to redouble his efforts and conceive as much energy as he could.
His every action was an embodiment of the Shadow Divinity that coursed through him! Nheless, whenever he strikes his opponent a surge of light would blind and burn his targets!
One by one, the Zyrans fell before him, their bodies dissolving into the corruption from which they were born.
Their death seemed to happen to quickly but aside from the sword he was using, Vale was also casting his Holy Smite!
Furthermore, these Holy Smites were no longer targeted to some random parts of the Zyrans, with the experience that Vale had gathered through the other Avatar, he already knew that he only had to target the Zyran''s core with his Holy Smite!
"Mhmph! You''re only tricky if I don''t know your weakness and if I can''t find your core." Vale muttered.
After all, his Perception Spell and his Dragon''s True Sight, allowed him to locate those cores that could change their locations easily.
Boom!
Vale dodged the dark tendrils summoned by one of the Zyran''s.
''Tsk¡ I''m losing energy too quickly¡'' Vale frowned as he realized how suppressed his body was!
Vale fought with a desperation fueled by the knowledge that failure here meant not just his Avatar''s end, but a victory for the Abyss over the Realm he sought to protect.
''I should cause a huge trouble here! I''m not going down here!''
As thest Zyran copsed, its form disintegrating into the dirt, Vale''s Avatar kneeled on the ground. He was victorious, but he was exhausted.
After a few moments, he started calming down, his breathing became steady despite the exertion.
He then looked at the ghastly surroundings of the Abyss and was a bit confused as to why there was no one else here.
''Did they really send all the Demons in this area to the Human Realm?'' Vale frowned at this idea. It sounded too reckless that the Rift had no officers guarding it.
"Did they think that those Zyrans were enough?"
Vale shook his head at this idea as he decided to continue with his n. He wanted to create trouble and make his presence known, hoping that the Demon Lord would send Demon Saints after him.
Vale knew that this ce was just a small area in the Abyss. The Abyss stretched far beyond this forsakenndscape, harboring countless dangers within its shadowy depths.
Vale considered his options for a while, and soon, his eyes lit up.
Vale decided to look for other areas where the Rift could be connected to the Human Realm. If possible, he also wanted to go to other ces that might lead him to the stronghold of the Demon Lord himself!
"Hmmm¡ Securing a captive for interrogation should be fine¡" Vale contemted, a sly grin spreading across his face at the thought of outwitting the denizens of the Abyss.
Chapter 729 The Dark Magicians
Chapter 729 The Dark Magicians
It didn''t take long before Vale''s Avatar was deep within the Abyss.
The oppressive Will of this Abyss Realm was still suppressing, but he wasn''t discouraged.
His Magic Zone had already ustomed to the Realm as he scanned the horizon for any sign of a Rift or the Demon Lord''s stronghold.
As he ventured further, the terrain grew more treacherous, the ground beneath seemed to be pulsating with a malevolent life of its own.
''This realm really looked different¡ No wonder they all wanted to leave this ce¡'' Vale mused.
As he continued moving, he realized that the air was thick with the cries of unseen creatures, their wails a haunting melody that apanied his solitary journey¡
''Spirits?'' Vale thought as he scanned the surroundings. They don''t seem to be problems, as they could probably tell that he wasn''t the target they were looking for.
After some time, as he continued on his path, his eyes finally lit up.
In the distance, a faint glow caught his attention¡ªa beacon of sorts, or perhaps a trap. Nheless, it was something new, so Vale was excited.
He then approached cautiously, his senses alert for any sign of danger.
It wasn''t long before the source of the light revealed itself to be another Rift, its edges shimmering with the same dark energy as the one he had entered through. Furthermore, there were several toons of Demonic Creatures waiting for their turn to enter the Rift!
"This is it¡" Vale muttered as he finally found one of his targets.
***
In the meantime, as Vale waged his solitary war within the Abyss Realm, the Human Realm was not spared from peril.
One of the Featherstar n''s strongholds at the northern part of the Milton Kingdom, was a nexus for the realm''s most formidable Dark Magicians.
The Dark Magicians that were gathered here weren''t just from the Milton Kingdom but also all over the ce. They had supposedly gathered many Dark Arts Practitioners in this ce to have a serious counterattack against the Holy Arts Faction and the Church of the Fortune Goddess.
However, something unexpected happened.
It now faced an unprecedented threat.
Apparently, five Demon Fiends, beings of immense power capable of rivaling the power of Arcanists of the Darkness Path materialized above the n''s bastion.
Lennart Featherstar, a middle-aged man in his thirties with a long blond hair, was calmly seated in his room looking at his recording crystal that was given to him.
It was showing the powers of the Demon Fiends that had already caused trouble in a neighboring kingdom about a year ago.
''So it''s true that the Demons had been nning this for a long time. The previous appearances of the Demons, Zyrans, Fiends, Evil Spirits, and Saints were all trials for them¡'' Lennart thought as he confirmed that the reports he had read years ago were true.
This was indeed a carefully nned invasion and wasn''t just any random invasion after the Abyss Realm found out their coordinates.
Lennart sighed as they weren''t prepared for this at all. At most, only the Order of the Evanescent Vessels were prepared enough to deal with demons!
At this time, their Dark Magicians, Dark Ritualists, Corruption Weavers, Dark Alchemists, and Necromancers were prepared to deal with the Holy Arts and Mystic Arts Practitioners. Their weapons, equipment, talismans, and other items weren''t meant to deal with the Demons, who also used a familiar form of Dark Energy.
"Let''s hope that our current defenses could hold until the Vessels arrive..." Lennart muttered as he gazed outside the stronghold.
Whom~
Outside, the air was filled with malevolent energy as the Demon Fiends descended, their presence was like a blight upon thend.
The Dark Magicians, sensing the encroaching evil energy, rallied to the defense of their stronghold.
Led by the venerable Master ss Arcanist Eldrin, they formed a circle of power, their hands weaving intricate patterns in the air, summoning the forbidden dark magics that had long protected their lineage.
One could see several souls being used to create a mysterious defensive art.
Indeed, this area wasn''t under the regtion of the Arcane Bureau of the Kingdom''s Arcanist Guild. Using Forbidden Arts in this ce wasn''t a big deal at all!
"Those are Demonic Fiends! They were known for their habit of eating Dark Arcanists because of our Darkness Possession¡ Anyone who had consumed the potion was considered as food for them to get stronger! However, we will let them know that we aren''t their food! We will be the ones draining their life!" Eldrin shouted as he signaled his fellow Dark Magicians to attack!
The battlemenced with a thunderous roar as spells and demonic growls intertwined.
Eldrin, staff in hand, channeled a spell of binding, attempting to shackle the Fiends with Corrupted Searing Chains.
Two of the creatures writhed, ensnared by the magic, but the others broke free, their strength were too great for the spell to hold.
Nheless, this bought the others some time to continue casting Spells!
Dark Nova, Darkness Coil, Spirit Hands, Spectral Hands, Nightmare, Night Pulse, and Spirit Shatter were only a few of the Dark Spells being thrown to the Demonic Fiends¡
***
"Not good¡ Our spells are only dying the inevitable¡ It''s not killing the Demonic Fiends¡"
From the ranks of the Dark Magicians, a Dark Magician named Shirley Harrison was worried about the situation. She was previously a professor at Vermont Academy, but as the war happened, she had to pass the duty of educating young practitioners to others.
After all, her skill would be better used in the battlefield than in the Academy.
As she observed the Demonic Fiends, she couldn''t help but feel that something was off.
''They may not be as strong as the Demon Saints but they''re definitely not going to die with our current tactics¡''
The Demonic Fiends had a grotesque perversion of the human form. They were standing taller than the average man, their stature was also imposing, and they had elongated limbs that ended in razor-sharp talons. Their skin was filled with dark veins with a seamless blend of obsidian and midnight blue that seemed to absorb the light around them.
She felt that not even the swords of normal Aura Master could pass through that skin!
Their heads are crowned with a chaotic array of horns, each one twisted and unique, jutting out at odd angle... They were different from the elegant horns of the Demon Saints.
Then, these Fiends'' eyes are deep-set, glowing with a malevolent crimson¡ There were no whites or pupils that could be discerned, only the endless, burning red that speaks of their infernal origin.
What made them a lot scarier was their mouths, which always seemed to be smiling. It was wide and filled with rows of serrated teeth, reminiscent of a shark''s maw, ready to rend flesh from bone!
"We should be changing tactics now¡" Shirley muttered as she looked at theirmander.
''Do you really think this monster would die from Tier 1 and Tier 2 Dark Spells?! Even Fusion Spells may not work since it''s still Dark Spell! They''re not afraid of it!'' Shirley wanted to shout this out, but she was afraid that Eldrin might have some other ns in his mind¡
Normally, she could lead a small group of Arcanists not exceeding fifty people with her current rank.
However, because of the emergency situation, everyone had to follow the currentmander until the situation was controlled.
Certainly, their Dark Spells could stop the Fiends from attacking them as they slowly caused some damage.
However, the Fiends were also recovering as they were getting hit by the Dark Magic Spells!
At this rate, their Dark Energy would be consumed before they could seriously injure one of them!
''Why are we not being ordered to use our Forbidden Spells until now?'' Shirley thought worriedly.
She couldn''t understand why Eldrin was underestimating these Demonic Fiends!
Soon, she realized what was going on!
After Eldrin gave an initial order, it remained standing on his spot, and his eyes were opened wide, and his eyes were not moving!
Something must''ve happened to him, and he couldn''t move!
It was only Shirley who had noticed that something was wrong.
"Not good¡"
Without any more hesitation, Shirley stepped forward.
Many Dark Magicians noticed her breaking the ranks. This included the others who had been professors in the Academy. Of course, many of them were still those who had entered or graduated from the Academy.
They knew Shirley well. They immediately realized that something was off!
Soon, they saw her eyes glow¡
Then, a part of her hair turned silver as she invoked the forbidden Shadowme¡ªa vtile magic feared even among the Dark Practitioners!
The mes, ck as the abyss itself, surged towards the Fiends, engulfing one in its consuming embrace!
The Dark Magicians, witnessing Shirley''s bold use of a Forbidden Spell without Eldrin''smand, turned their gaze upon their leader.
A sense of dread filled the air as they noticed Eldrin''s form, now eerily still and silent. Instinctively, they knew¡ªthe Fiends had ensnared him in some vile enchantment!
Chapter 730 Forbidden Spells
Chapter 730 Forbidden Spells
"What?! This is bad! The Commander is not in his right mind!"
"Someone use Curse Break to the Commander!"
"Hey! We need to end this quickly!"
"I can''t! Curse Break doesn''t work!"
"Kill the Fiends quickly, and the charm will be removed!"
With urgency, the Dark Magicians delved into the forbidden depths of their Arcane Path, invoking spells that should never be used unless extremely necessary.
Morgath''s Veil, a spell that cloaked the caster in darkness, rendering them invisible to the naked eye, and existing in a different fabric of reality, was summoned by the stealthiest among them.
He continued to move unhindered as he rushed to one of the Demonic Fiends. In exchange for this spell, he could tell that his eyes were slowly losing their vision! He had to act quickly! He needed to eliminate at least one of the Fiends!
Erebus'' Chains, ethereal bindings that could hold even the mightiest of demons, were conjured by those with the strength to wield such power. It was also rumored that these chains could supposedly bind even the Angels that the Archbishops could summon!
They were certainly going all out after Shirley started with her Forbidden Spell.
This series of Forbidden Spells didn''t ended yet!
Argonyx''s Echo, a spell that amplified the caster''s voice into a sonic st, was unleashed, its reverberations shattering the Fiends'' concentration. It also directly attacks and shatters the soul of its target! Covering your ears won''t stop this attack from hurting you at all!
And from the backlines, a group of the youngest of the magicians from Vermont Academy were also trying to work together and cast a Forbidden Spell!
Dalton, Leonore, Warren, Aubrey, Roswell, and Jody¡ªeach with their unique talents and aspirations¡ªstood in a tight circle, their palms pressed together, fingers interwoven.
"Just bnce your energy¡ We can''t make too many mistakes." Aubrey, with her stern eyes, nced at herpanions.
"Yes¡ Just give the signal once everyone''s ready." Dalton added.
"We''ll just do what we''ve practiced many times together." Roswell said as he took a deep breath.
The others were silent as they were trying to gather enough Dark Energy to match with the other members.
They were Vale''s acquaintances or friends, bound by shared memories ofte-night study sessions and various activities in the halls of the academy.
Anyway, the six of them were here as mere supports since their youth was deemed unfit for the frontlines. But fate had other ns.
The past year had transformed them as their talents were seen by those high-ranking Dark Mages.
Under the stern tutge of the Vermont n, they had delved into the forbidden grimoires, deciphering cryptic incantations that echoed with the weight of centuries.
"This is still an Ancient Dark Spell¡ We might summon a wrong being if we make a mistake¡ Don''t get pressured and stay calm." Aubrey finally said as she confirmed that everyone was ready.
Apparently, she had be the leader of this small group because she had an affinity for the Forbidden Dark Art for some reason.
Her nimble fingers traced the sigils etched into her skin¡ªthe price she willingly paid for power.
Soon, they began their ritual to cast a Forbidden Spell.
It was called the Dark Spirit Lord''s Grasp.
The spell required a group of three more Dark Practitioners to work in unity, melding their essences, and Aubrey had the most difficult task: she had to feel the pulse of herpanions'' magic intertwining with hers.
Dalton soon recited the opening verse, his voice trembling a bit, but it wasn''t a big deal.
Leonore, with her wild mane of hair, added the second stanza, channeling the tempests that raged within her.
Warren, the one with the highest Spirit Strands among them, infused the Forbidden Spell with several Life Strands he had collected¡
Roswell whispered the binding Ancient Words, drawing upon the Spiritual Force that flowed through their veins.
Finally, Jody,bined her Dreamscape Magic with ritual. It was a fragile bridge between realms¡ªto anchor the spectral hand they sought to summon.
As the incantation reached its end, the ground trembled.
Aubrey''s veins burned with the borrowed energy, her vision blurring as the veil between worlds thinned.
The circle they formed glowed, it was the radiance of forbidden light!
And then, it happened¡ªthe Dark Spirit Lord''s Grasp materialized.
There were three more Dark Fiends who were actively fighting the Dark Magicians, and they didn''t notice something that tore through the ground!
A spectral hand, elongated fingers tipped with ws, emerged from the very earth.
Its aura was icy as the temperature dropped, as if it drew sustenance from the souls of the dead¡
Aubrey''s breath fastened as she felt the weight of Forbidden Spell pressing down upon her. Luckily, the pressure was something she could spread with the others, so she was able to have a stable breath.
The Fiends, momentarily distracted by the unexpected assault, turned their attention to the spectral hand.
It reached for them¡ The fingers they saw were curling like talons, seeking to clutch their essence!
Graaahh~
The Fiends felt the threat from this Forbidden Spell as they poured most of their malevolent energy into destroying it!
But the young magicians held firm, their collective will binding the Dark Spirit Lord''s Grasp toplete its purpose.
Aubrey''s heart raced.
She glimpsed Eldrin, still ensnared by the Fiends, and knew they had but one chance. They may not seed right now, but they''re definitely buying the time needed for the others to attack the Fiends with stronger Spells!
"Now!" She cried, and the spectral hand burst with power.
It seized a Fiend, its grip unyielding, and began to drain its malevolence!
The young Dark Magicians wavered, their strength waning, but they held on.
"Ugh¡ Just hold on¡"
Aubrey''s vision blurred, and she wondered if they had unleashed a force beyond their control. Yet, in that moment, she felt a connection to the Dark Spirit Lord¡ªa thread of understanding that transcended words.
The Forbidden Spell, or the Dark Spirit Lord''s Grasp, was not merely a weapon they summoned; it was as if it wanted to reim what the Fiends had stolen from it!
"This¡"
As the Fiend withered, its essence absorbed by the spectral hand, the other Fiends faltered.
Thud!
At this time, the young magicians copsed, their breaths ragged. They were all weakened, but they weren''t in a critical state... With some rest and potions, they would surely recover their strength.
Aubrey''sst thought before darkness imed her was of Vale
¡ªher friend¡ªtogether with Chad and Maya¡ She missed her friends and couldn''t help but worry about their current situation now that the Abyss Realm had invaded.
***
With the opportunity shown to them by the young Arcanists, the rest of the Dark Mages didn''t waste it. They cast their Spells and continued with the battle!ss
Together, they fought the remaining Demonic Fiends!
The whole stronghold was filled with the thick scent of death and dark energy.
Whom~
The Fiends, caught off guard by the sudden onught of ancient magic, wavered under the relentless assault!s
As the battle raged, the Dark Arcanists'' resolve hardened. They would not let their territory fall to these abominations!
Soon, the Fiends were devoured by the Forbidden Spells until none of them remained!
Eldrin also recovered his senses because of this and as soon as he woke up, he realized that many of the Dark Magicians were weakened or in a terrible state. He was even able to see that some of them were showing signs of being possessed by the madness brought by the Darkness!
"Not good¡"
He immediately realized that something had gone wrong with him, and his people were forced to use their forbidden spells! Because of that, they were now suffering from the bacsh!
"Hurry! Bring all the Dark Alchemists! They''re all suffering from the repercussions caused by using Forbidden Spells!" Eldrin shouted as he immediately went to the young Dark Arcanists, who also had signs of using Forbidden Spells.
They were still too young and had weaker resistance from such a spell, so he couldn''t help but feel worried about them.
***
In the meantime, not too far from the stronghold, a figure was watching the battle from the start to its end.
As thest of the Demon Fiends crumbled under the relentless assault of the Dark Arcanists, a shadow stirred at the periphery of the battlefield¡
The Demon Saint had observed the entire conflict¡
His eyes, crimson as freshly spilled blood, narrowed as he surveyed the aftermath.
"Those are incredible Dark Spells¡ They''re more interesting than those Priests and Holy Knights¡" The Demon Saint muttered as he recalled the exciting battle.
Nheless, he still couldn''t help but feel disappointed.
The Fiends, his own creations,y defeated¡ªthere was surely a bitter taste of failure on his forked tongue.
"Hmmm¡ What to do¡"
The Demon Saint''s wings, leathery and tattered, rustled as he contemted his next move. He had been tempted to descend upon the stronghold, to crush the weakened Dark Arcanists beneath his wrath.
But then, a ripple of awareness brushed against his senses¡ªthe unmistakable presence of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels.
Chapter 731 Against the Vessels
Chapter 731 Against the Vessels
As the Demon Saint pondered his next move, contemting a return to the Rift to regroup and strategize, a sudden disturbance in the air signaled the arrival of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels.
"They followed me? How foolish¡"
The Demon Saint''s crimson eyes widened in surprise as he sensed their presence converging upon him. He deliberately made known his intention to leave the Human Realm as he headed to the Rift.
He was telling them that he wasn''t nning to continue fighting.
He wasn''t afraid of them at all, and he was simply not in the mood to fight¡ After all, he had already received a message about the unusual events in the other Rifts.
It appears that the Shadow Immortal had made its move.
He was worried that this ce would be targeted by the Shadow Immortal. He wasn''t prepared to face that Immortal since he believed that he would need at least 10 or 20 Demon Fiends to fight against such a monster.
"Since you want to die¡ I''ll give you that¡" The Demon Saint muttered.
He knew about the Order of the Evanescent Vessels.
The members of this enigmatic organization possessed a unique ability as Arcanists¡ªthey could channel beings from various realms to inhabit their bodies, transforming into formidable Vessels.
Whether from the Fairy Realm, Spirit Realm, Giant''s Realm, Shadow Realm, or other mysterious dimensions, they could draw upon otherworldly entities to aid them in battle, enhancing their strength and abilities.
They were quite troublesome opponents since even the Demon Saints had no idea what beings they would call upon.
Luckily for him, these Vessels couldn''t sustain the possession for a long time. If they exceeded the limit of their bodies, they would be truly possessed by the summoned beings, and their life would cease.
There was no way they would want to end their life that way.
"Come, Vessels¡ Show me what you got¡" The Demon Saint muttered.
***
There were a total of 12 members of the Vessels that had chased the Demon Saint.
Their leader, Tyler, took a deep breath as he saw the Demon Saint, who was capable of releasing the Demon Fiends. From the perspective of the Dark Arts Council, this Demon Saint was the most dangerous one.
They only knew that his name was Azzak, a high-ranking Demon Saint, who could summon Demon Fiends.
"Demon Azzak, don''t think of escaping from us¡" Tyler spoke with a grave tone while observing the appearance of what supposed to be a Demon.
The Demon Saint stood tall and imposing, his human-like form exuding an aura of malevolence and Corrupted Divinity.
His features were chiseled and sharp, with eyes the color of freshly spilled blood that glowed with an unholy light.
Two twisted horns protruded from his forehead, spiraling upwards like darkened obsidian.
d in regal attire befitting a nobleman, the Demon Saint wore a cloak of midnight ck, trimmed with crimson ents that seemed to flicker like mes in the darkness.
His garments were reminiscent of an ancient era, with intricate embroidery and ornate details adorning his attire. There was also a silver amulet hung from his neck, pulsating with dark energy and casting eerie shadows across his pale, angr face.
Each step he took resonated with the power of corruption¡
What was troubling the Vessels from approaching was the dark energy or swirling tendrils of shadow dancing around his form like serpents ready to strike¡
Sensing that the Demon Saint was about to attack, Tyler made his move.
With a quick decision, the Vessels encircled the Demon Saint, their eyes aze with an otherworldly glow as they prepared to confront the malevolent entity.
The surrounding air was filled with Dark Arcane energy, a heavy tension building as both sides braced for the impending sh.
"Hahaha! Go and call whoever you can¡ I''ll take them all! I will show you the difference in our strength!" Azzak said as heughed.
"You know my name, but you''re not aware of my powers?! You''re courting death!"
The Demon Saint, sensing the imminent threat posed by the Vessels, unfurled his tattered wings and unleashed a deafening roar that echoed through the battleground.
Roar~
The surprise attack wasn''t enough to deter the Vessels.
Nheless, this action allowed him to create a strong defense. Evil energy and Corrupted Divinity coalesced around him, forming a shield of malevolence as he readied himself for the confrontation¡
Without hesitation, the Vessels summoned forth beings from distant realms, their bodies shimmering with ethereal light as they became true vessels for otherworldly powers.
Wisps of magic swirled around them, a kaleidoscope of colors and energies converging to augment their strength for the battle ahead.
The battlefield erupted into chaos as the Vesselsunched their first salvo, unleashing a torrent of elemental magic and spiritual energy at the Demon Saint.
The 12 members of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels had channeled their unique abilities, drawing upon beings from diverse realms to enhance their powers in the confrontation with the Demon Saint.
Six of the Vessels summoned simr entities to possess their bodies, while the other six called upon different beings, creating a diverse and formidable array of allies in the battle against the malevolent entity.
The first group of six Vessels summoned beings known as "Luminous Sylphs."
They were ethereal creatures from the Spirit Realm infused with the essence of light and air.
These graceful entities imbued the Vessels with agility and speed, allowing them to dart across the battlefield with unparalleled swiftness and grace. These beings were their Vessel''s favorite when dealing against quick opponents.
"Block all the enemy''s escape route!"
"We''ll end this in 15 minutes!"
"Kill the Demon when an opportunity rises!"
Their forms glistened with lustrous hues, casting a radiant glow that illuminated the battlefield.
In contrast, the second group of six Vessels called forth were different types of "Shadow Sentinels" from the Shadow Realm, enigmatic beings cloaked in darkness and mystery. These shadowy entities granted the Vessels the power of stealth and deception, shrouding them in a veil of shadows that rendered them nearly invisible to the naked eye.
They were the Umbral Stalker, Duskde Wraith, Nightshade Phantom, Twilight Specter, Shadowweaver Shade, and finally, Tyler, the leader, called for the Eclipse Assassin. The strongest Shadow Sentinel he could call forth in the Shadow Realm.
''We''ll win this!'' Tyler thought. The Eclipse Assassin of the Shadow Realm was a silent and deadly foe, able to move with supernatural speed and uracy to eliminate high-priority targets with ruthless efficiency¡ This was his favorite Being to have when tasked to eliminate certain individuals.
As the sh between the two forces intensified, the Vessels infused with the essence of the Luminous Sylphs soared through the air!
"Kill!"
With a chant, an electrifying shockwave was released as sharp wind des danced around them¡
Whom~
Their attacks formed a dazzling disy of power that destroyed the surrounding field! The sheer power of their spells destroyed the earth and trees!
Meanwhile, the Vessels possessed by the Shadow Sentinels moved with silent purpose, their movements masked by the darkness that enveloped them.
As soon as the Sylphs created an opening, they struck from the shadows in a blink of an eye! They did not waste any chance at all!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Unfortunately, their attacks were blocked by a thickyer of Corrupted Divinity!
Crash~
Nheless, this defense was still destroyed after the final attacknded!
Bang!
The Demon Saint was thrown to the ground and sted several trees after getting hit!
However, Azzak didn''t seem to be that hurt as he quickly stood up with a smirk on his face.
The surrounding air grew thick with tension as the forces of Darkness, Corruption, Shadow, and Malevolent aura shed. Each side vying for supremacy in the heart of the chaotic battlefield!
"Hahaha! Not bad, Vessels! Not bad! If we could teach this technique of being vessels to the Captains, we would surely be a lot stronger." Azzakughed as he seemed to be enjoying seeing the power of the Vessels.
It was as if he was analyzing them!
"Shut up, Demon!" Tyler shouted as he signaled the others to continue with the attack.
Arcane sts collided with the shield of Corrupted Divinity that was surrounding the Demon Saint.
"Hmph! Is this everything you got, Vessels?!"
The Demon Saintughed and retaliated with equal ferocity, his crimson eyes zing with unholy fire as he summoned forth dark tendrils of energy to ensnare his foes.
Shadows danced and twisted around him,shing out at the Vessels with evil intent as he sought to overwhelm them with his dark powers.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The Vessels fought valiantly, their bodies infused with the essence of beings from distant realms, each wielding unique abilities and strengths.
They countered the Demon Saint''s attacks with their own spells, weaving intricate spells and incantations to disrupt his defenses and weaken his grip on the battlefield.
However, the Demon Saint''s Corrupted Divinity was causing them too many problems... They had no choice but to have the others sacrifice themselves to activate the Arcana they had borrowed from the Dark Council!
Chapter 732 The Bureau’s Strongest
Chapter 732 The Bureau''s Strongest
As the situation grew dire, the Vessels made a fateful decision.
They knew they had to unleash the power of the Arcana they had borrowed from the Dark Council, even if it meant sacrificing themselves in the process. This particr Arcana was revered as the pinnacle of magical artifacts among Arcanists, surpassing even the Sovereign Rank Artifacts in potency and mystique.
The Arcana they currently have, known as the Eternal Eclipse Prism, shimmered with an otherworldly radiance as it emerged from within the ranks of the Vessels.
This artifact, said to hold the essence of a cosmic event that transcended time and space, possessed the ability to bend reality itself to the wielder''s will.
It was a power that none of them could imagine. However, they knew, as experienced Vessels for beings of other realms, that there were plenty of things they had no idea about. Their knowledge as Arcanists with short lifespans was simply not enough to learn all the mysteries of this world.
"Do not hesitate! Killing Azzak is our priority¡ If we let him escape, more Arcanists of our Path will die!" Tyler said as he encouraged his team.
As the Vessels unleashed the power of the Eternal Eclipse Prism, the very fabric of the battlefield began to warp and shift.
"Mhmm? A Sovereign Arifact? No¡ Is it an Immortal''s Relic?" Azzak muttered.
But suddenly, his eyes narrowed¡ He felt an unprecedented powering from it!
"So it was like that¡ Foolish¡" Azzak muttered.
His disdain wasn''t directed at the Vessels or the Arcanists. Instead, he referred to the Will of the Human Realm.
Apparently, the Demon Saints knew this item very well.
"It must be an Arcana then¡"
It was apletely different tier of item that could only exist in this world of Arcanist!
It was something that was born from the Will of the Human Realm!
As a high-ranking Demon, he knew the process of invading another realm.
Once they had a clear location of the realm they would invade, they would have to slowly corrupt the mysterious Will or Protector of the Realm itself.
It was something that only the Demon Lord could do and had to do for centuries! Furthermore, it was something that could not be defended no matter how they tried.
However, the reaction of the Will of this Human Realm was quite different from that of other realms. Instead of fortifying itself to slow down its corruption and bring more time to its people, it decided to grant the people the Arcana!
It was a desperate gambit to tip the scales in their favor.
It was an item that exceeded the Sovereign Artifacts and matched the Immortal''s Artifacts! There were even Arcana''s mistaken as Immortal Items because of it!
Nheless, the Demon Saints knew that Immortal or Celestial Items required the Divinity to use its power to its full potential, while the Arcana, which could also work with Divinity, still required talent and eptance of this realm to be fully utilized.
Even with that qualification, using it would still bring you closer to the Will of the Human Realm or death itself.
As Azzak realized that they were using the Arcana, he knew he had to be careful. After all, the Will of the Human Realm hated their kind to begin with!
As the Arcana activated, it felt as if reality twisted and contorted, creating a dazzling disy of light and darkness that engulfed the Demon Saint in a maelstrom of chaotic energy.
"You dare attempt to obliterate me by crushing me into the void?" Azzak''s mind seethed with defiance as he struggled against the powerful onught of the Arcana, his Corrupted Divinity ring in a desperate bid for survival.
In ast-ditch effort to ward off the encroaching oblivion, he grasped for a bone unlike any other¡ªa relic from a Dimensional Creature that exuded an aura of primal power.
With a primal roar, Azzak unleashed thetent energy within the mystical bone, creating a barrier of raw, chaotic energy that shielded him from the destructive forces of the Arcana.
The battlefield trembled as the sh between Arcana''s Void and the power of the Dimensional Creature intensified, each blow resonating with massive force as Azzak fought tooth and nail to maintain his tenuous grasp on his existence.
"This¡ How are they so strong?" Azzak was confused.
He had no idea that, at this time, the Vessels were fully utilizing the beings they''ve called! Because of that, their control over the Arcana was stronger than ever!
The only problem with this was the fact that they could lose their sanity and belong to the existence they''ve summoned forever!
However, the Vessels didn''t care about this at all!
Their only aim was to kill the Demon Saint!
"You''re willing to sacrifice your lives for me? Hahaha! I''m honored!" Azzakughed, but he was truly struggling this time.
His Corrupted Divinity doesn''t work well against this attack.
Summoning Demon Fiends or other Demons wouldn''t work as well.
Despite his valiant struggle, the Demon Saint found himself pushed to the brink of annihtion, his form flickering and fading amidst the unbridled energies that threatened to consume him.
With a final surge of willpower, Azzak unleashed a burst of malevolent energy. The Prism''s hold wavered, granting him a fleeting escape. But the cost was steep¡ªthe mystical Dimensional Creature''s bone shattered into countless pieces, its primal energy dissipating. Furthermore, Azzak''s body bore the brunt of the bacsh¡ªinternal injuries that gnawed at his very essence.
With a defiant roar, Azzak mustered thest reserves of his strength and plunged into the gaping maw of the Rift, a gateway to the Abyss Realm.
The fabric of reality quivered as he vanished into the shadows¡
"He escaped¡" Tyler sighed as he saw the Azzak escaping with heavy injuries.
***
The aftermath of Azzak''s escape was a somber scene.
The battlefieldy littered with the fallen¡ªVessels who had paid the ultimate price for their desperate fight.
"Jh, Wilson, and Ves¡" Tyler muttered the names of the dead.
Their sacrifice weighed heavily on the survivors, their breaths ragged, eyes hollow.
Tyler, their firm leader, stood amidst the fallen, his gaze fixed on the Rift¡ªthe gateway through which the Demon Saint had vanished.
Three lives extinguished.
Three souls were imed by the Arcana''s insatiable hunger.
Haa~
Tyler sighed. He had anticipated this grim oue¡ªthe cost of wielding such cosmic power.
The Prism, revered as the pinnacle of magical artifacts, had exacted its toll. But it had also granted them a chance¡ªa slender thread of hope against a foe who wielded Corrupted Divinity.
As the Vessels mourned, a distant hum echoed across the battlefield. The air shimmered, and several Airships arrived.
None of them were worried as they simply nced at the colossal airships approaching them.
Whoever they were, none of these Arcanists, who survived against the Demon Saints, would be scared.
As they got closer, however, Tyler recognized the group.
The Arcane Bureau had arrived.
Soon, a group of agents appeared to approach them.
They were a formidable force d in obsidian robes, their insignia etched with ancient runes. They moved with purpose, their steps measured, eyes sharp.
They certainly looked at how the agents of the Bureau should look like. Furthermore, they seemed to have gained more authority during this Abyss Realm Invasion.
Director Selene, a Half-Immortal with silver hair and eyes like fractured moonlight, led the Bureau.
Tyler knew this woman as one of the Councils.
Her presencemanded respect since her knowledge spanned centuries. Beside her walked Captain Stone, another Half-Immortal¡ªa warrior with a de forged from metal that came from the sky. His gaze held the weight of countless battles.
"Secure the perimeter¡" Selene ordered the agents, her voice unwavering.
"No one enters or exits this Rift without our clearance from now on."
The Bureau fanned out, their Arcanists scanning the Rift.
Soon, several agents brought some devices that seemed to allow them to reveal glimpses of the Abyss Realm through a mirror!
It was definitely a Mirror Spirit that was stronger than Mennena! The Spirit was surely above an Arch Fey!
The Vessels watched, their grief momentarily forgotten as they saw legions of Demons on the other side!
"Ahem¡ What happened here?" Selene''s eyes bore into Tyler.
"The Arcana¡"
Tyler recounted their desperate struggle¡ªthe Demon Saint, the Prism, the sacrifice. Selene listened, her expression unreadable.
Captain Thorne inspected the shattered Dimensional Creature''s bone¡ªa relic that pulsed with primal energy.
"This is interesting¡ It must be a Dimensional Creature¡" He muttered.
"Azzak, huh¡" Selene murmured.
"A Demon Saint of the Sixth Rank¡"
As she said this, two people emerged close to the Rift using a mysterious movement technique.
It was the Arcane Bureau''s Half-Immortals once again.
Seraphina and Lucian.
They were Half-Immortal but that doesn''t mean they were Half-Humans!
Seraphina defied mortal conventions. She had wings that were ethereal as they shimmered with hues of moonlight and stardust.
Lucian, on the other hand, waspletely opposite. d in shadow, he seemed to merge with the very darkness.
It was said that he was the strongest in the Bureau, as his strikes could sever souls from the flesh, leaving nothing but echoes in their wake.
Chapter 733 The Other Side
Chapter 733 The Other Side
??"Mhmm¡ This is really the Dimensional Creature''s primal energy," Lucian muttered as he sensed the remnant energy brought by the mystical bone that the Demon Saint used...
"It''s a potentbination with his Corrupted Divinity¡ It''s amazing how these Vessels survived. I wonder what beings they summoned." He added as he looked at Tyler and the others. It seemed that he couldn''t sense the Arcana that they used at all.
Selene''s gaze, on the other hand, remained at the Rift.
"Azzak''s escape after being defeated by nned¡"
Tyler nodded. "He''ll return."
There was no way that the Demon Saints, who had imed several Realm, would back out just because they were defeated in this skirmish. They all knew that the Abyss Realm possessed countless Demons they sent out once they were prepared.
"We''ll be ready to face them, Vessels¡" Selene vowed.
"The Arcane Bureau will care of it from here on." She added.
Tyler could only take a deep breath and ept this.
To be honest, the gathering of the Bureau''s most formidable members in this singr location had indeed sown seeds of confusion among the Vessels.
They had anticipated that their forces would scatter across the continent to deal with the Rifts that had appeared in their Realm¡
Yet, here they stood, a concentrated might at a singr breach.
''I guess this is also a good way to preserve their forces.'' Tyler mused.
Well, he held his questions at bay, choosing instead to address the immediate concern.
"Are you not nning to close the Rift?" He inquired, his gaze shifting between Director Selene and the enigmatic Half-Immortals beside the Rift.
Selene''s response was as calm as it was decisive.
"No, we have no intention of sealing it. I presume you''re aware of the Rune Arts Faction''s recent sess? We aim to covertly delve into the Abyss Realm''s mysteries¡" She disclosed, her eyes reflecting a depth of unspoken strategy.
''Mhmm?''
The news did note as aplete surprise to Tyler now that she had pointed it out.
Rumors of the Rune Arts Faction''s audacious incursion into the Abyss, under the help of the Shadow Immortal from the Forbidden Forest, had reached his ears.
Master Thorne''s pact with the Immortal, though costly, had lent credibility to their mission.
With a silent nod, Tyler acknowledged Director Selene''s intent.
The recent breakthrough of the Rune Arts Faction¡ªa Rune potent against demonic forces¡ªhad likely spurred the Bureau''s interest in the Abyss. It was a logical progression, one that Tyler understood all too well.
With the Bureau''s nsid bare, Tyler signaled his team.
It was time to withdraw from the Rift''s vicinity and regroup at the stronghold of the Dark Arcanists. Their steps were slow, each movement heavy with the weight of loss and the burden of war yet to end.
As they departed, the agents of the Bureau looked at them withplicated gaze.
Currently, the Dark Arcanists couldn''t rely on their allies, whether it was from a small organization or fromrge factions. They were isted, but because of the Holy Arts Faction and the Mystica Arts Faction''s efforts, it could be said that the Dark Arts Faction truly fell behind the other factions.
Of course, with the Vessels around, this Faction could never be wiped out by other factions. The most they could do was weaken the forces of the Dark Arts Faction.
As for the Bureau, they didn''t care about these battles of the Arcanist Factions as long as they didn''t involve ordinary humans and their Forbidden Spells were kept under control.
Soon, the Bureau''s agents, with their Half-Immortal guardians, began their ndestine study of the Rift leading to the Abyss while Tyler and his member carried with them the hope that their sacrifices would not be in vain.
They could only hope that Azzak would no longer dare to target their stronghold to give their Necromancers some time to prepare their counterattack against the Demons.
***
In the meantime, in the shadowy expanse of the Abyss Realm, Vale''s Avatar stood concealed, his gaze, with the help of this Dragon''s True Sight, pierced through the veil of darkness to the legions of Demons amassing before the Rift.
The atmosphere was thick with their malice. There was an aura of anticipation as they prepared to invade the Human Realm!
"Mhmm¡ I wonder what part of the continent is in trouble¡" Vale mused as he believed that with these Demons, a kingdom might actually fall if he decided to ignore this.
Well, of course, that would happen unless they listened to Sage Merlin and the previous Pontiff of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea, whom he ordered to spread the news about the Abyss'' invasion.
If those countries listened, they shouldn''t bepletely defenseless against these Demons.
Whom~
Suddenly, amidst the sea of malice, a figure emerged from the Rift¡ªwounded, its aura dimmed but still formidable.
At this time, Vale had no idea, but it was Azzak, a Demon Saint of the sixth rank. At this time, this Demon Saint was bearing the scars of a recent and ferocious battle.
Unbeknownst to Vale, this was the very fiend who had narrowly escaped the Vessels'' wrath.
Nheless, Vale found several clues after seeing the Demon Saint''s form.
The sh of the best Arcanists of the Human Realm against the Demon Saint had probably happened from the other side of the Rift.
''I wonder where is that ce¡'' Vale mused. Well, he could no longer get information from his main body after entering this Realm so he could only make a guess of the situation outside.
"I believe I should be helping them¡" He mused, a decision crystallizing within him.
After taking a deep breath, he stepped from the shadows, revealing his presence to the demonic creatures¡
Of course, as soon as he revealed his presence, the Demons were momentarily confused as they had no idea why a being that didn''t have the aura of Demons was inside their Realm!
Furthermore, they could faintly tell that the figure was being rejected by the Will of the Abyss Realm!
In short, the one who had appeared before them wasn''t a resident of this ce!
"You!" Azzak''s eyes widened as soon as he saw the figure.
He was being tended to by some Blood Creatures, but his immediate thought was to flee!
However, if he were the target of the Immortal, he would be in a dire situation since he was too weak and would be unable to escape in time.
At this time, it was better to stay with the legions of Demons near the Rift!
"Be careful! That aura! I can''t be mistaken. That person is Immortal! He must be the Shadow Immortal!" Azzak shouted.
The Shadow Immortal, d in armor that drank in the light, unsheathed his ck Sword.
The de that seemed to gather all the darkness was imbued with his Shadow Divinity¡ There was no need to pretend to be Aura Master at this point. Especially after being recognized by the Demon Saint¡
"It''s good that you know me¡ You have to call for your Demon Lord if you want to survive¡" Vale said as heughed loudly.
He was actually instigating them to call the Demon Lord!
His sword then hummed with power as Vale wanted to show his might against these Demons and make them realize that only the Demon Lord could save them!
Whom~
As Vale charged into the fray, his sword danced¡
There were all kinds of Demonic Creatures. However, none of it matters against Vale''s sword imbued with Divinity. At this point, he was only worried about the Demon Saints working together against him!
sh!
Each swing cleaved through demonic flesh. Each thrust would kill a fiend and turn their bodies into dark essence before dissipating!
Vale''s movements with sheer Agility were like a blur in front of the lower-ss Demons. He was like a shadow waltzing through the horde, leaving only destruction in his wake!
The Demonic Generals, who had been rallying their troops for the incursion, recoiled in shock.
Their ns for chaos in the Human Realm were unraveling before their eyes.
"You dare?!" A captain bellowed. His voice was filled with fury.
"A lone Immortal dared toe here?!" Another eximed. He was in disbelief at the audacity of the lone warrior.
But Vale was relentless.
His sword carved runes of shadow in the air¡ There were just too many of them, and he was preserving his limited Divinity and Force, so he could not use a very shy Arcane Spell right now¡
This time, he decided to just use his speed, a little bit of Divinity, and a few Arcane Spells like Arcane Armor, Presence Shift, Traceless Shift, and some Corpse Explosion if needed.
The arrival of his sword was like a death sentence for the demons it touched.
His form flickered, now here, now there, like a specter of vengeance against the abyssal invaders!
The Demonic Generals, once confident in their numbers, now faced the grim reality of their mortality!
Chapter 734 Control
Chapter 734 Control
??Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several corpses of demons exploded almost at the same time, and they were scattered!
"Necromancer''s Corpse Explosion?!" The Demon General recognized the Spell, but there was nothing he could do.
They had hoped to enter the Rift and spread terror, but now they fought for their very survival against the Shadow Immortal''s wrath.
Thud!
Vale, the Shadow Immortal, stood surrounded by the remnants of demonic creatures he had decimated with his ck runic sword.
The air was filled with the scent of brimstone and the growl of the remaining Demons waiting for an opportunity to strike.
From the ranks of the demonic army, two imposing figures emerged, their presencemanding even amidst the chaos.
"We''ll take care of that Immortal¡ Sending more of our underlings will just be a waste." They were the Demon Generals¡ªGorath, the Iron Reaver, and Zarvok, the Soulyer.
They weren''t as strong as the Demon Saints, but if they worked together, they believed that they would be harder to kill than those Demon Saints in the fiftieth rank. As a matter of fact, the names they have were given to them by the Demon Lord himself!
Gorath was a towering behemoth, his skin seemed to be forged from the darkest steel. His eyes burned like moltenva, and his massive frame was d in armor that had seen countless battles.
In his hands, he wielded the Hellforged Axe, a weapon that could cleave mountains and was said to thirst for the blood of the righteous. His single red horn was also something that could be easily remembered from his appearance.
Zarvok was his opposite¡ªa tiny figure shrouded in huge bat wings like cloak of shadows.
His eyes were dark, and his fingers ended in talons sharp as obsidian.
He bore no weapon, for his mastery of the Demonic Arts made him a weapon unto himself. His very essence was a vessel for the souls he had reaped!
The battlefield fell silent as the two Generals approached Vale.
The Demonic Creatures knew the two Generals well, and they didn''t want to overstep their bounds once they imed their targets. They knew that they had to retreat and give space to their generals.
Whoosh~
The explosions of the Corpse Explosion spell had already stopped, and Vale was also assessing the two Demon Generals while also noting the actions of the injured Demon Saint that was being healed at the back.
Aaarrghh!
Gorath roared, a sound that shook the ground, and charged with his axe raised high.
Zarvok then moved like a wraith, his form blurring as he prepared to unleash his ghostly powers.
Vale stood ready, his ck Runic Sword pulsing with Shadow Divinity.
As Gorath swung his axe, Vale parried with a terrifying burst of Dark Energy behind his de.
Boom!
Sparks flew, and a shockwave emanated from the point of impact, sending lesser demons scurrying.
Zarvok''s spells weaved a miasma of death around Vale, but the Shadow Immortal danced through these curses and corruption as his sword shed with the Spells!
It was a Spell Dispersion, but just with the might of his Divinity!
With each swing, he cut through the spells, his de seemed to be absorbing their dark energy and growing ever more potent.
"Mhmm?" Zarvok was confused as he realized that his deadly spells were ineffective against Vale.
Nheless, he believed that there was a limit to how much he could do this.
The sh between the two forces continued¡
Gorath''s brute strength met Vale''s solid defense, while Zarvok''s Demonic Arts tested the limits of Vale''s agility.
"He''s still being suppressed at this point¡ Just how strong is this Immortal?!"
"How can he possess so much Divinity even after entering this realm?!"
The Demon Generals, once confident in their dominion, now faced an adversary whose power rivaled their own. They also had the chance to fight against Celestials before.
However, all of them would be their food once they entered the Abyss Realm!
"Hmph! I know you can''tst long, Immortal. You''re not even using your Immortal Spells! Haha! You must be saving your energy!" Zarvok said.
"Haha! You''re right, Zarvok¡ This Immortal will soon die in our hands." Gorath added.
The Demonic Generals realized they just had to continue pushing the Immortal to its limit and he would surely die on his own.
They just have to attack and make him slowly consume his Divinity!
''Right¡ You''re just a mere distraction. You''re not even our main target!'' Zarvok reminded himself.
They had hoped to enter the Rift and bring chaos to the Human Realm. The Immortal in front of them was simply an obstacle they had to conquer.
However, the reality was different.
Vale, the Shadow Immortal, faced the two Demon Generals with a calm demeanor¡ He didn''t show any signs of panic as he faced the two with measured steps.
His sword remained wrapped with his Shadow Divinity just enough to destroy the spells and parry the Gorath''s Axe.
The Demon Generals had never before encountered a swordsman who could slice through their spells as if they were mere wisps of smoke.
Gorath''s Hellforged Axe, imbued with the fury of the Abyssal Fire, met Vale''s de in a shower of sparks; each strike could shake a mountain, but Vale''s sword would only vibrate a little!
Zarvok''s demonic arts, were like tendrils of darkness meant to bind and suffocate, were severed with swift, clean cuts, dissipating into the void before they could ensnare their target.
Vale''s strategy was clear: he wielded his Divinity sparingly, conserving his energy, letting his swordsmanship take center stage with a bit of Arcane Spells when required.
The Demon Generals, powerful as they were, found themselves outmatched, their usual dominance over lesser foes rendered useless against Vale''s skill.
"This is impossible¡" Gorath muttered after the battle took several more minutes.
"Don''t falter¡ This Immortal can''t kill us if we''re working together. It''s just a matter of stamina¡ If we lose ours, we can simply order the remaining soldiers to fight for us." Zarvok suggested.
As the battle wore on, the Demon Generals'' strength waned under the relentless assault. Gorath''s swings grew slower, his once-imprable defense now faltering.
Zarvok''s incantations became erratic, his focus shattered by the constant need to shield himself from Vale''s relentless attacks.
Finally, sensing their weakened state, Vale ceased his offensive.
The Demon Generals stood before him, weakened and defeated, yet alive.
They red at him, their eyes burning with hatred and confusion. They had already ordered the other demons to help them, but these low-ss Demons weren''t actually moving!
If they would make a guess, the Demon Saints were ordering them to stay in their position!
They couldn''t understand why the Demon Saint did this but they had no time to think about it.
They looked at Vale curiously.
Why had he spared them? They could die now with just a swing of his sword!
"You---"
However, the answer came not in words, but in the form of a spell.
Vale''s eyes glowed as he triggered one of his Perfected Spells, the ve Mark Spell.
The ve Mark Spell wasn''t a fancy spell. It would silently affect the minds of its target and the only hint would be the dullness in the eyes of the target for a brief moment¡
Nheless, the Demons have strong resistance against mind-
controlling spells. However, they weren''t immune to such Spells!
If the mind-controlling spell was strong enough and the target''s mind energy weakened a lot, then it wouldn''t have been impossible to control them!
Gorath felt the attack in his mind¡ Although he was weakened, he couldn''t mistake this humiliating spell!
He''d rather die than be controlled by someone else!
"Aaahhh!"
He roared in defiance, and Zarvok hissed as he was also being attacked in the mind at the same time¡
Azzak, who was watching this, swiftly realized what was going on! He knew that he had made a mistake and allowed the Immortal to do this!
He just thought he was about to kill the two Demon Generals and thought of using the Corpse Explosion!
That''s right, he thought it would be fun to kill the Shadow Immortal with the Corpse Explosion he was using a while ago!
This was why he stopped the others from getting closer despite the two''s orders!
"Not good¡" Azzak clenched his fist as he gathered his strength¡
However, the two Generals had already sumbed! Their efforts to defend were futile as the spell was unbreakable.
In the blink of an eye, the ve Mark Spell wasplete. The Demon Generals'' eyes lost their luster, reced by a hollow glow before returning to their normal state¡
They were now bound to Vale, their wills enved by hismand.
The ve Mark Spell had turned them into unwilling servants!
"Mhmmm¡ This is good¡" Vale muttered with a smirk on his face. He was surely proud of himself as he looked at the Demon Saint, who seemed to be about to escape!
He held his sword tightly as the battle wasn''t over yet.
Nheless, he felt that he had already won.
The Demon Generals, now his tomand, awaited his orders... Their own desires are now suppressed by the ve Mark!
Chapter 735 Escape
Chapter 735 Escape
After Vale''s domination over the Demon Generals waspleted, a ripple of fear spread through the ranks of the demonic creatures.
They felt the change in their Generals'' aura¡
They could not be mistaken. They had witnessed their leaders'' fall from power.
Furthermore, the sight of the once-mighty Generals now bound to the will of an Immortal sent shivers through their malevolent forms!
Although they were demons and could ughter humans without hesitation, they were still hoping to continue living and immerse in the pleasure of torturing other beings below them!
They were still afraid of dying!
This feeling couldn''t be controlled at this moment since the Aura of the Demon Generals that could make them follow anymands had disappeared!
They couldn''t help but think of escaping right now and let the Demon Saint handle this mess!
"Hmph¡" Vale could tell what was in their minds, so he turned to the Demon Generals to order them.
Vale''smand was simple and chilling¡
"Cleanse this ce of your kin."
The Demon Generals, Gorath and Zarvok, moved to obey, their weapons now turned against those they had oncemanded.
It didn''t take that long before the battlefield became painted with the blood of demons who fell not to an external foe but to their own turned leaders!
As Gorath''s Hellforged Axe swung through the air, it found new targets in the bodies of his former troops.
Zarvok''s demonic sorceries, once used to ensnare souls, now ripped them from their corporeal confines. The demonic creatures, who had anticipated a triumphant invasion of the Human Realm, found themselves facing an unexpected massacre!
Aaarrgghhh!
Vale watched the ughter with a detached gaze, his mind already turning to the injured Demon Saint, Azzak.
A smile yed on his lips as he contemted the confrontation. The Demon Saint was also weakened, and if they battled, it would surely be in his favor as long as he aimed for their weakness.
''But that will be tough¡ A single mistake would kill me¡'' Vale thought.
With the experience he gained from battling a few Demon Saints, he already had an idea of how to deal with them. However, he was still suppressed and weakened at this point. He was only courageous because he was simply an Avatar. His death here wouldn''t be his end.
However, Azzak had different thoughts.
"You---"?Azzak, sensing the shift in the tides, chose flight over fight!
Before Vale could even act, he slipped away into the shadows of the Abyss. His retreat was hastened by fear and the pain of his wounds!
"What?"
Vale simply had no way of chasing the Demon Saint, as his movement technique was too mysterious. It was as if he was being helped by the Realm itself to escape from him!
Unbeknownst to Azzak, Vale''s strength was already low. It wasn''t even 20% if Vale would give an estimate.
The Will of the Abyss pressing down upon him had already reduced his formidable power to a mere fraction! It actually felt that the suppression had gotten stronger after killing so many Demons!
"I guess it''s better that he escaped¡ I''m sure he can tell that I''m being suppressed, but he still didn''t take the risk¡ He really values his life, huh¡" Vale muttered as he might also sacrifice this Avatar if they really fight to the death.
With that said, Vale decided to help the two Demon Generals¡
With the three of them working together, the job was done much quicker.
"Whew~ It''s time to sit down¡ Come here, both of you¡"
With the battlefield cleared and the remaining demons dispatched, Vale and the two Generals took a moment to rest.
The silence that followed was heavy with the weight of what had transpired. Demon corpses littered everywhere, but Vale didn''t mind them¡
Vale then turned to his new servants, his eyes were filled with the expectation as he wanted to learn more about this Abyss Realm¡
There was no one better to ask such questions than these residents of the Realm itself!
"Tell me of the Abyss Realm¡" Vale began, his voice echoing in the stillness.
"Speak of the Demon Lord and the 72 Demon Saints. Leave no detail to shadow."
Gorath, his voice now a hollow echo of its former glory, spoke first.
"The Abyss is vast, a realm of darkness and despair. Our Lord reigns with an iron will, his power unchallenged by any save the Saints."
Zarvok continued, his voice still sounding like an assassin hiding in the shadows.
"The 72 Demon Saints are the pirs of our society, each ruling over legions, each a master of their domain. They are the architects of chaos, the harbingers of the Abyss''s will."
''Oh? Those Demon Saints are really powerful, huh¡'' Vale nodded as he didn''t expect that those he killed before were actually some sort of mayors or maybe governors in thisnd.
He couldn''t help but wonder what would happen to their territories once they died¡
''Will they assign a new Demon Saint? What''s even the requirement for that?'' Vale mused.
Anyway, Vale didn''t ask this random question for now and listened intently, his mind weaving together the strands of information. He wanted to hear all important information first.
After some time, he finally spoke¡
"And the Demon Lord, what of his ns? What designs does he hold for the Human Realm?"
"The Lord seeks dominion¡" Gorath rumbled.
Vale nodded as this was too obvious. He remained silent as he allowed the Demon General to continue.
"His gaze is set upon the Human Realm, and he describes it as a jewel he wishes to im. The creation of the Rifts and the massacre of mankind are but the first step in a grander scheme, a n centuries in the making."
Zarvok''s eyes, now dim, flickered with a remnant of cunning.
"The Saints are his instruments, each tasked with a role in this conquest. Saint Azzak''s return meant a failure of one of the ns, but the Lord''s ambition was undeterred. The Human Realm will soon be the Abyss Realm¡"
"Oh? Is he nning to abandon this realm? Is there a problem here?" Vale asked.
"I am not aware of any problems in this Realm, Master Vale." Gorath replied.
"I only heard through the conversations of other Demon Saints that the Demon Lord requires a stable realm that could control its might..." Zarvok added.
"A realm that could control its might?" Vale frowned.
"Yes, the Demon Lord gets stronger the more Realms he conquers. We have no idea how he does it, but that is what we heard from the Demon Saints."
This revtion was certainly rming¡ If the Demon Lord had already conquered many realms, then its strength should''ve been unimaginable already!
"How many Realms have you conquered already?" He asked immediately.
"We''re only about two hundred years old, Master Vale. We only witnessed two Realms being conquered. Prior to that, we had no idea¡ This Human Realm we''re trying to attack would be the third."
Vale gently nodded but his smile faded, reced by a grim line.
"It seemed that this Demon Lord will be a tough opponent¡"
The conversation continued long into the night, with Vale extracting every secret, every piece of lore the Generals possessed.
Surprisingly, there were no other Demons or Demon Saints who had bothered toe and attack him¡
Anyway, Vale obtained a lot of information from these two¡
Knowledge was power, and in this war between realms, it would be the key to victory or the harbinger of defeat.
***
After Vale obtained as much information as he could, with the enved Demon Generals Gorath and Zarvok at his side, he ventured deeper into the Abyss Realm.
They traversed destendscapes and shattered ruins, there seemed to be plenty of remnants of wars¡
ording to the two, there were always powerful figures in each Realm who would dare to enter the Abyss Realm and cause havoc. However, they would still be killed in a few days after staying here.
Anyway, their group had also encountered other demons¡
Vale''s prowess with his ck Runic Sword was unmatched, and together, theyid waste to demon squads and legions that dared to challenge them.
On the third day, as they stood amidst the ruins of a demonic citadel, the air grew heavy with a new threat.
The Demon Lord, having taken note of the havoc Vale was wreaking, dispatched five of his most formidable Demon Saints to quell this defiant Shadow Immortal.
''They''re finally taking me seriously¡ I wonder why they took so long. Are they too busy fighting the Arcanists of the Human Realm?'' Vale mused.
The Saints were a terrifying sight, each exuding an aura of malice that distorted the very air around them. However, none of these Demon Saints were using their humanoid form!
They were in a grotesque demonic form which seemed to be a form that would allow them to release their full might!
Whom~
They descended upon Vale and hispanions and didn''t even bother tomunicate! They were only here to kill!
Vale had to send the two Generals away as they would simply be a hindrance¡
The battle that ensued was cataclysmic¡ Vale almost died several times if he failed to use his Presence Shift in time!
"I guess it''s really too much, huh¡"
Despite his skill, Vale knew when a battle was unwinnable. He had to escape!
Chapter 736 Sinister Plan
Chapter 736 Sinister n
"This is just too much¡ I can''t die here yet¡"
With a n in his mind, Vale signaled a retreat, leading Gorath and Zarvok through the twisted paths of the Abyss towards the Rift that Azzak had used.
Standing before the Rift, Vale did not hesitate...
He hadn''t met the Demon Lord yet, and barely knew the ces of the Rift inside the Abyss Realm¡ He didn''t even have a good grasp of its ce yet. However, to stay would be to risk everything he had learned, everything he could still achieve with this Avatar.
With a heavy heart, he rushed to the Rift. The knowledge he had gained about the Abyss Realm was still too valuable to be lost!
Whom~
Vale stepped through the Rift, the Demon Generals in tow. The transition was abrupt, the chaos of the Abyss reced by the charged atmosphere of the Human Realm.
But there was no respite.
As they emerged, a barrage of arcane energy and even celestial arts greeted them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Vale had no choice but to deploy his Spell Dispersion hastily followed by Darkness Maniption and Water Vortex to defend from the remaining Spells.
With his remaining energy, he even summoned his Ember Spirit and Wind Spirit! Just like that, Vale disyed five Spells at the same time!
Boom!
"That''s enough!" Vale shouted¡
The Arcane Bureau, alongside their most formidable Half-Immortals, had formed a barricade around the Rift.
Spells and weapons were unleashed in a relentless assault, a clear message that no entity from the Abyss would find easy passage here.
Vale parried and defended himself and the two Demon Generals.
As for the Celestial Arts thrown by Director Selene, Captain Stone, Seraphina, and Lucian, Shane had personally stepped in and used his ck Runic Sword to destroy them with Shadow Divinity¡
Gorath and Zarvok could tell that the attacks aimed at them were too strong. They could only trust their new master to keep them safe until the bombardment was over.
"Hmph! A Demon Saints imitating an Immortal¡ Kill him!" Director Selene shouted.
The Half-Immortals of the Bureau, recognizing the prowess of their unexpected adversaries, redoubled their efforts.
Their attacks were more concentrated as they summoned a power that was perfected to subdue the greatest threats from the Abyss.
In the midst of the fray, Vale''s eyes met those of Director Selene, her gaze sharp with recognition and surprise.
A moment of silentmunication passed between them¡ªa realization that the situation was not as it seemed!
"Wait!"
With a gesture from Selene, the Bureau ceased their attack, the air still vibrating with the echoes of their Arcane Spells.
Vale, seizing the moment of calm, spoke¡ "Are you that agitated, and you can''t even recognize me? We are not your enemy. These two Demons are now under mymand, and the knowledge we bring is vital..."
"Shadow Immortal?" Seraphina asked, her eyes widened in shock.
"That''s me¡"
"How--What are you doing inside the Abyss?" Lucian asked in confusion, but he immediately shook his head. It doesn''t seem to be surprising that a true Immortal was able to enter the Abyss¡
He even captured to high-ranking Demons in the process.
''So it''s true that this Immortal excels in Psychic Arts¡'' Director Selene thought.
The revtion shifted the atmosphere from hostility to a wary alliance.
The Bureau lowered their weapons, and the Half-Immortals stepped back, their expressions a mix of curiosity and caution.
Because of this, Vale and the Demon Generals were escorted to the Bureau''s stronghold, where they would share their intelligence and forge a new n of defense.
The battle at this Rift was over, but the war against the Abyss was just beginning¡
***
Meanwhile, amidst the continent-wide chaos formed by the Rifts, Vale''s castle was still peaceful within the Forbidden Forest.
Its four outer barriers remained unbreached, a testament to the formidable defensesid by Vale, Magnus, and the Immortals.
Within the castle walls, Vale''s main body was still sitting cross-legged near the two Dragons. His presence was still so powerful that even the thought of an assault seemed folly to any would-be aggressors.
Of course, the castle was not solely under Vale''s watchful eye. Four Immortals, each a Paragon of their own, had sought refuge there, slowly regaining their Divinity in the safety of its hallowed halls.
Their presence alone was a deterrent to any demonic incursion since they weren''t hiding their Divinity!
Additionally, two majestic Dragons secretlyy in wait, ready to be unleashed upon Vale''smand, just their dragon''s breath would probably more than enough to destroy a horde of Demons.
There was also Denise, the castle''s Golem Expert. She had fortified the defenses further with her Golems or what Vale would sometimes call as Androids¡ªcreations of precious stones, metals, and magic that patrolled the grounds tirelessly.
At this time, they were more than capable of handling the lesser demons that lurked in the forest''s shadows from time to time.
On the seventh day of the Abyss Realm''s invasion, as the morning sun cast its golden rays through the window of herboratory, Denise was roused from her slumber by an urgent report.
''What is it this time?'' Denise frowned. She would always receive reports in the morning whether urgent or not, so she wasn''t too bothered.
Anyway, one of her androids, one that was dispatched to monitor the surrounding forests and settlements, brought news of a spreading gue.
"A gue?" Denise frowned as he thought that Vale''s Avatar had already taken care of the Demons who were nning to spread the gue.
Anyway, she had to take this seriously. A gue that originated from the Abyss could be extremely dangerous for their Human Realm.
Denise then continued reading the report.
Well, the small viges had already evacuated torger towns and cities capable of withstanding a demonic siege.
Right now, they only have to focus on a few areas to contain the gue.
''Tsk¡ Dealing with Demon horde is probably better than this¡'' Denise muttered as she couldn''t help but pity the people who were facing this new, insidious threat.
Denise sighed as her mind raced with possibilities and solutions. She knew that time was of the essence and that the right medicine or potion could mean the difference between life and death.
Without hesitation, Denise reached out to Lisa the Vampire¡
"Lisa, we have a situation¡" Denise began, her voice steady despite the urgency.
"A gue is spreading through the towns and cities surrounding our forest. We need to identify the cause and find a cure before it''s toote. There are many possible solutions to different gues, but there''s no all-in-one medicine for it. We have to study it¡"
Lisa, was already getting bored in the castle so she wasted no time.
"I''ll send a message to Vale then¡ Anyway, I just have to gather samples and question the victims, right? Then, we''ll find the source of this gue¡"
"That''s right¡ Make sure not to make contact with them. Use your familiars so you won''t get affected¡ Even if you''re a Vampire, we don''t know what gue it is, so it''s better to be careful" Denise replied.
"Got it." Lisa replied.
Lisa then left theboratory to report to Vale and to gather more information.
The androids'' capabilities to gather information were just too limited. It wasn''t that advanced yet since it hadn''t been two years since she started the Golem Creation, after all.
Nheless, thanks to Lisa''s familiars, the gathering of information didn''t even take a day.
Denise, with Magnus'' help, worked tirelessly in theirboratory, analyzing the data Lisa provided.
Their potions in theboratory started bubbling as they brewed the medicine needed by the affected.
After a couple of days passed, the fruits of theirbor began to show.
However, their investigation uncovered the gue''s chilling origins.
They initially thought that it was a Demonic Curse or some sort of virus that was brought by the Demon''s bodies.
Magnus also had the same thoughts. He believed that it was spread by the lesser demons that had slipped through the Rifts. That was why he aimed to use anti-demon ingredients as the main materials for the potion.
However, that wasn''t the case at all!
The reality was far more sinister.
Apparently, Vale informed Lisa that something was off about this gue.
Lisa took it seriously and, with her continued pursuit of the truth, coupled with the Arcane Bureau''s resources, unveiled a startling revtion.
The gue was not a byproduct of the demonic invasion but a deliberate act of sabotage by the Church of the Eminence of the Sea¡ªa faction whose motives were shrouded in darkness.
The news sent ripples of shock through Vale''s stronghold.
Even Vale, who had seen the depths of treachery the world could harbor, felt a cold anger at this betrayal of humanity.
With the urgency of the situation escting, he issued amand to the two Immortals in his castle¡
"Go forth and dismantle this malevolent Church¡" Valemanded, his voice tinged with a simmering fury.
Chapter 737 The Calm
Chapter 737 The Calm
??The Immortals, bound by loyalty and a shared desire to protect the Realm, immediately answer Vale''s call.
Their target was the headquarters of the Church, a ce that had once been a sanctuary but now stood as a beacon of corruption.
The two Immortals, Nefrin and Gammebhel, stood outside the castle, their appearances as striking as they were serene.
They were d in heavenly garbs that shimmered with an ethereal glow, with their long, blonde hair cascading over their shoulders.
They were genderless, and if seen by other people, they''d also be confused because they were all androgynous. Nheless, it wasn''t an issue at all as they were embodying the very essence of their immortal nature.
After asking Vale a few more questions about their mission through telepathy, the Immortals made their move.
They set out from the sanctuary of Vale''s castle, embarking on a journey to the western region where the Church of the Eminence of the Sea held its ominous sway.
Their path was long, but with spells of swift movement, bolstered by their Divinity, they traversed the distance with supernatural speed.
As they neared their destination, the atmosphere around them transformed.
The sky darkened, and the ocean roared with fury.
Thunderstorms raged, lightning cleaving the heavens, illuminating the tumultuous Sea.
The main Church of the Eminence of the Sea loomed ahead, perched precariously on a cliff that faced the churning waters below.
Despite the tempest, the Church was a hive of activity, its lights flickering like fireflies¡
''A Celebration? No¡ªA ritual at this time?'' Nefrin thought after sensing the odd festivity around the Church in this kind of weather. They should be covering themselves from the rain.
However, it seemed as if they were enjoying this type of weather.
Inside the Church''s domain, a ritual was underway.
Robed figures chanted in unison, their voices rising above the thunder, calling upon powers that seemed forbidden and felt like ancient arcane arts.
"Is this part of their ritual to create gue?" Gammebhel muttered. He wasn''t an expert in rituals, but he could tell that the Church was gathering a huge amount of Arcane Energy from the chaotic atmosphere.
"Should we let them finish? They might actually summon a strong being based on change in the atmosphere." Nefrin suggested.
As Immortals, they have nothing to be afraid. In any case, Vale didn''t give them absolutemand that they have to destroy the Church and kill everyone as soon as they see them. They still have to assess the situation.
"Let''s not waste our time¡ If they opened another rift leading to a higher realm, this Realm might really be unstable. You don''t want that to happen." Gammebhel reminded.
"Fine¡ Let''s see what they have."
The Immortals, undaunted by the chaos of nature or the darkness of the ritual, pressed forward.
Whom~
Soon, their divine aura repelled the rain and wind, creating an oasis of calm around them as they approached the Church''s domain¡
With a gesture, the gates flew open¡
They soon witnessed the congregation in the midst of their sacrament.
It seemed that there was a thin barrier above them that protected them from the thunderstorm.
The Immortals stepped into the Church''s domain, and their presence wasmanding, as they immediately caught everyone''s attention.
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd as the ritual faltered, the energy in the Church''s domain shifted and started trembling¡
"Who are you?! Why are you interrupting our ritual?! Where are the Knights?! Howe these two men managed to reach this ce?!" The current Pontiff of the Church bellowed as the ritual was interrupted. Although they could just redo the ritual, they had wasted too much energy already! They would have to rest for at least six hours to redo it!
Nheless, as he was shouting, he was simply ignored by the two Immortals.
"This is definitely the energy of the Eminence of the Sea¡ Did he really betray this Realm?" Nefrin pondered aloud.
"There must be a reason why he wanted many humans to perish¡ He might be collecting souls, or he just wanted to help the Abyss Realm. I wouldn''t be surprised." Gammebhel replied as if he knew the Eminence of the Sea.
Without wasting any more time, the Immortals then raised their hands, and a light, pure and blinding, radiated from their palms. It washed over the congregation, purifying the corruption and severing the ties of the dark ritual!
"You dare!"
The congregation, once bound by corruption, now blinked in the sudden purity that enveloped them!
The Church''s leaders, their visages contorted with indignation and dread, cried out in defiance.
"You dare challenge the will of the Eminence?!" They thundered. Yet, theirmands were lost in the divine luminescence that now filled the room.
"Storm Knights!" The Pontiff howled.
Outside the Church''s gates, a formidable force gathered¡ It happened almost in the blink of an eye.
Hundreds of Storm Knights, d in blue armor that was infused with electric energy, stood in formation.
They were the Church''s elite, sworn to protect its sanctity against all threats.
As the Immortals turned to them, the Storm Knights braced themselves, their swords drawn, shields emzoned with the sigil of the storm.
"These two had Divinity in their bodies! My Artifact is reacting to them¡ They must be Half-Immortals¡ Be careful! We can''t hold back in this battle!" The leader of the army of Storm Knights announced.
"Half-Immortals?" Nefrin smiled brightly after hearing this. He wasn''t offended by those words, and he even found them amusing. After all, they actually have an Artifact that reacts to Divinity.
It was certainly not a very useful Artifact since there weren''t many individuals who had Divinity in this Realm in the first ce.
In short, that Artifact would rarely be of any use!
However, Gammebhel just smiled at this thought as he watched the Storm Knights surround them.
"Charge!"
Soon, the Knight Commander shouted.
The sh was immediate and thunderous.
The Storm Knights moved as one. It was a phnx of fury and discipline¡
Lightning arced from their des, seeking to pierce the Immortals'' divine protection. Yet, the Immortals stood their ground.
They weren''t showing any signs that they''ll dodge!
Instead, they burst with Divinity''s unyielding barrier against the storm''s wrath.
Buzz!
With each strike from the des of the Knights, the Immortals countered with a wisp of their Divinityshing out at their opponent.
They were truly showing the huge difference between their strengths!
"This is boring¡ Gammebhel, I''ll take care of the Storm Knights¡ Go ahead and deal with the Pontiff. Let''s move our bodies a bit, or our skills might really get rusted." Nefrin said as he decided to y around with the Storm Knights.
Gammebhel didn''t dislke this idea. In any case, they had been sleeping for a long time and its better to really move around. Although they would have duels against Vale from time to time to gain learning experience, battling to kill was still a lot different.
Just like that, the two Immortals made their move¡
Their blonde hair flowed like banners of light, untouched by the storm that raged around them!
They wielded no weapons. Their hands were enough as they radiated with power¡ They started casting forth bolts of purifying energy that shattered the Knights'' defenses.
Then, with their mighty physical strength, they started pummeling their enemies!
nk! nk! nk!
The battle continued with the sound of shing forces...
"These Half-Immortals have limited Divinity! Even if you sacrifice your lives, make them use their Divinity!"
With thismand, some of the Storm Knights even decided to self-destruct as soon as they managed to grab the Nefrin''s limbs!
"Die! Half-Immortal!"
Boom!
This self-destruction wasn''t sessful as Nefrin lived. However, the Storm Knights were able to tell that Nefrin spent a lot of Divinity to protect himself.
''Hmph¡ If Vale didn''t take my strongest defense spell, I would not be spending my pure Divinity for that.'' Nefrin thought as he recalled all the Spells that Vale had taken from him.
He doesn''t hate Vale for that, but he certainly misses those spells during these types of situations.
"Kill! He must be weakened!"
The Storm Knights fought valiantly, their coordination was a testament to their years of training.
They formed chains of lightning, weaving a of electricity that sizzled through the air. But the Immortals, were simply too powerful.
They broke through the electrified barriers or any attacks aimed at him¡ Their mere touch could even dissolve armor and disarm them...
As the conflict continued, the Storm Knights realized the futility of their resistance.
One by one, they fell to their knees, their strength sapped, and their resolve was broken¡ So many of them died in just a few minutes!
As thest of the storm energy dissipated, the Church stood silent¡ Any remnant of the previous ritual was long gone.
The Eminence of the Sea''s aura hadpletely dissipated!
The Immortals, their task halfplete, gazed out at the Sea, now calming under the returning light of dawn.
The Church of the Eminence of the Sea had fallen, and its threat to the people was gone. However, another challenge awaited them¡
At the same time, Nefrin and Gammebhel tensely looked at the calming sea.
Chapter 738 Recognized
Chapter 738 Recognized
??Nefrin and Gammebhel, their mission only partially fulfilled, turned their vignt eyes to the sea, which was beginning to calm down.
Whoosh~
It was then that a figure emerged from the depths, a presence both majestic and ominous.
The figure was d in armor that gleamed with the luster of pearls and coral. This figure also held a trident that pulsed with the power of the ocean''s depths. His hair, the color of the deep sea, flowed behind him, and his eyes held the relentless force of the tides.
These eyes seemed to drown Nefrin and Gammebhels Divinity with its own Divinity!
"So they still seeded, huh¡" Nefrin''s voice was a low murmur, his gaze fixed on the figure of the Eminence of the Sea, who had risen from the waters with the authority of the ocean''s ruler.
"Mhmm¡ They actually did it even after messing the ritual¡" Gammebhel acknowledged, his tone betraying no surprise, only a steely resolve.
"But that''s an iplete Avatar¡ We can still deal with it¡" Nefrin dered, a confident smile ying upon his lips.
Indeed, it was an Avatar, a manifestation of the Eminence''s will. It stood before them, silent and imposing.
"Hey! Why did you betray mankind!?!" Nefrin called out, his Divinity coalescing around him as he was readying for a fierce battle. The chances were small but this Avatar might answer the questions in Vale''s mind.
Well, the two Immortals don''t really care much if there were millions of humans dying. However, because of Vale''s instruction, they had to investigate.
Unfortunately, the Avatar didn''t answer.
Without a word, the Avatar struck, unleashing a barrage of water and lightning from his trident.
Whoosh~
The attack surged towards the Immortals, a tidal wave of fury and elemental power.
Nefrin and Gammebhel''s faces grew serious as they sprang into action, their divine light ring in response.
Boom!
At this point, the remaining Arcanists, who had managed to survive the attacks of the two Immortals, died from the sh of the two forces!
The three of them moved in a way that couldn''t be detected by normal Spells.
Nheless, the two Immortals found themselves in a disadvantageous position as they were fighting in a nearby sea, the territory of the Eminence!
"We''re justcking somebination spells. Don''t get too cocky now!"
Gammebhel muttered as their hands weaving patterns in the air, casting barriers of light that diffused the Avatar''s assault.
"Mhmph! Your Avatar is nothing!" Nefrin taunted¡
It seemed to be very effective, as the Avatar burst with power hoping to end this battle as quickly as possible...
''It''s working¡'' Nefrin thought as they wanted a battle without too many Celestial Arts involved. After all, Vale had taken a lot from them!
Physical battles would certainly be a lot better for them!
The Immortals'' counterattacks were swift¡
They summoned bolts of pure Divinity that sought to pierce the Avatar''s defenses!
The Avatar responded in kind, and his trident, a conductor for the sea''s wrath, started gathering the power of the seas to fight!
***
In the meantime, as the Immortals were fighting against the Avatar of Eminence of the Sea, Vale had sensed this and immediately ordered one of his Avatars to help.
In the midst of a tumultuous battlefield, Vale''s Avatar stood shoulder to shoulder with the Summoners of Frea Kingdom.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and mixed Arcane Energy of various Arcanists as a horde of demons surged forward¡
Simr to other areas affected by the Abyss Realm''s invasion, the Demons here were filled with malevolent intent.
Vale''s Avatar, a figure who was currently d in armor that gleamed with an inner light, raised his sword high. He was carrying the Stormbringer Sword with him and various Arcane Artifacts and precious talismans¡
The de had been bringing out several Divine Lightning already and cleared up numerous Demons in the path¡
However, there was limit to how much Divine Lightning this Avatar could summon since he wasn''t the main body and only had a fixed amount of Divinity inside its body.
With a voice that boomed like thunder, he called to the Summoners¡
"Unleash your third summons!"
The Summoners, robed figures with grimoires sped tightly in their hands, stepped forth.
Their chants rose above the roar of the demons, weaving spells of summoning. From the pages of their ancient tomes, mystical creatures began to materialize on the battlefield.
It must be said that these Summoners he wasmanding were part of the Order of the Enlightened Threads. This means that they have specific summoned beings that are required to be part of the Order.
Because of that, it wouldn''t be surprising to see them having simr Summons.
To be specific, they have four required Summons to be part of the Order.
Iron Panthers with hides as tough as steel and ws that could shred through demonic flesh leaped into the fray. Their roars were like the nging of swords, and where they struck, demons fell in rows!
Festive Bears,rger than any mortal beast, charged with a ferocity that belied their whimsical name. Each swipe of their massive paws sent demons tumbling, their crowns soaked in the blood of their foes.
Exploding Mice, small but deadly, scurried unseen through the chaos. They darted between the legs of demons before detonating in bursts of light and sound, creating pockets of destruction amidst the enemy ranks.
This specific summon was actually Vale''s favorite¡ The Exploding Mice were just too unpredictable, especially if they started digging the ground!
Lastly, there were Burning Sparrows, flocks of me-winged birds, that soared overhead. They dove, leaving trails of fire in the sky, igniting the demons with every touch, their fiery plumage was like watching a meteor shower descending to their enemies!
Thebination of the exploding mice and burning sparrows were an incredible sight to behold!
Vale''s Avatar didn''t just watch thisbination of assaults.
Without care for the explosion of friendly fire, he charged forward!
His sword crackled with electricity as he killed demons one by one¡
Each swing was cleaved through a demon hide, as if it were parchment!
Without the Demon Saints in sight, Vale was unstoppable, he was a force of nature that no demon could withstand.
''Seriously, why are the Demon Saints not here?'' Vale was confused for a moment¡
At this time, the other Avatar who had entered the Abyss Realm hadn''te out yet.
Because of that, the Avatar that remained here had no idea that the Demon Saints were pulled back to deal with the Avatar that entered the Abyss!
Nheless, there were simply too many demons as they could easily reproduce¡ It was truly quite confusing!
The demons still fought back with tooth and w, while the captains andmanders with spells and swords.
They were legion, their numbers seemingly endless, but thebined might of Vale''s Avatar and the Summoners'' creatures held them at bay.
"This feels like it''s not going to end¡ Just how careless are they? Can''t they see they''re not going to win? Are they seriously just hoping we''ll get tired and stop defending?" Vale''s Avatar mused as the attack seemed too reckless!
Even if their poption could be easily reced, this kind of strategy was just too thoughtless!
The battle raged on, neither side yielding.
The ground became a field of blood and fire¡
But amidst the chaos, there was a figure the remained reliable from the sight of the Summoners. It was Vale''s Avatar that had be a beacon of light in the darkness.
Thud!
As thest demon fell, the Summoners ceased their chants, their mystical beasts fading back into the ether from whence they came.
Vale''s Avatar, his sword now still, surveyed the battlefield. Victory was theirs, but the war was far from over. With a nod to the Summoners, he turned his gaze to the horizon, where new battles awaited, where his presence was needed once more.
And so, Vale''s Avatar set forth to join the Immortals in their fight against the Avatar of the Eminence of the Sea, ready to lend his strength to their cause.
Meanwhile, as the dust settled on the battlefield, a solitary figure was standing nervously at the rear of the Summoners, her eyes wide with the dawning realization of the identity of the Immortal who had just departed.
This was Avery, a fledgling summoner from Lakrine, the esteemed Academy of Summoning Arts nestled in the southern region of Milton Kingdom.
Unlike her more experienced counterparts, she had held her position at the back, her role more observational due to her novice status.
Yet, her gaze had been keen, and what she witnessed struck her with awe.
"That had to be Vale Chambers¡ The same Vale Chambers from Vermont Academy! I can''t be mistaked. He''s the renowned Shadow Immortal? How is this possible?" She murmured to herself, her voice barely audible over the lingering echoes ofbat.
Avery''s hands trembled slightly as she clutched her Silver Grimoire¡
With a deep breath to steady her nerves, Avery made her decision. She couldn''t keep this information to herself!
Chapter 739 Thank you, Vale!
Chapter 739 Thank you, Vale!
Avery hastened to the grand tent that served as the council chamber for the Order of the Enlightened Threads.
Inside, the atmosphere was tense as they seemed to be in an important meeting. There seemed to be decisions yet to be made.
She wasn''t able to enter immediately because of the guards, but after the guards heard that it was about the Immortal who had assisted their kingdom, she was immediately allowed to enter.
She approached the circle of high-ranking members, her revtion burning like a torch in her mind.
First, she addressed?Grand Summoner Elric, a man whose presence was asmanding as the ancient oaks of the Eldwood Forest. His hair, white as the first snow of winter, fell in stark contrast to his deep ck robes.
Next to him stood?Mistress Illyria, her eyes shimmering with the wisdom of the ages, her silver-threaded cloak reflecting the light of countless crystals adorning the chamber.
Beside them was?Master Cairne, whose scarred visage and piercing gaze spoke of battles long past. His hands, though steady, bore the etchings of summoning sigils, glowing faintly with residual magic. And finally, there was?Sage Kaelin, the youngest among them, with auburn hair and a countenance that belied a fierce intellect.
They weren''t on the frontlines just now, but their strongest Summons had been sent out to deal with other Demon Hordes. They were also able to observe the battlefield andmand other Summoners from this grand tent.
Avery recounted her observation with earnest rity¡
"I believe the Shadow Immortal who fought so valiantly before us was none other than Vale Chambers, a student from Vermont Academy."
"Vermont Academy?"
"A Dark Magician?"
The council exchanged nces, the gravity of her words settling upon them like a heavy cloak. It was Grand Summoner Elric who broke the silence¡
"If this is true, we must act swiftly. The Shadow Immortal''s allegiance could turn the tides of this war. Our rtionship with the Dark Arts Faction isn''t that bad. We didn''t participate in the Holy Arts Faction''s incursion."
Mistress Illyria nodded in agreement¡ "Send for our scouts. We need confirmation, and if possible, an alliance must be forged."
Master Cairne''s voice was a low rumble, "I''ll dispatch my best. Vale Chambers is not one to be taken lightly. We approach with respect."
Sage Kaelin''s eyes sparkled with intrigue, "And I shall delve into the archives. There may be more to this Shadow Immortal than we know. I don''t believe that a student of the Dark Arts Academy would just suddenly be an Immortal."
''Vale had actually taken the Dark Ritual Branch¡'' Avery wanted to add this, but she didn''t have a chance to speak after reporting. Well, she had actually researched more about Vale after he broke a few records in the Twelve Academies Competition before.
Anyway, it doesn''t seem to be that important so she just watched the higher ups make decisions.
With the council''s decision made, figures cloaked in the colors of twilight slipped away from the tent, their mission clear. They would find Vale Chambers, unravel the mystery of his presence, and, if the stars willed it, secure his aid for the Order of the Enlightened Threads. Avery watched these special summoners go, her heart aflutter with the hope that her discovery might help the Summoner''s Faction.
"Good job recognizing the Shadow Immortal, Avery. Our informants couldn''t even tell this much¡" Grand Summoner Elricmended, his voice echoing in the grand tent, and everyone could tell that Elric was happy.
"Now, it is time to choose your Summoned Being. Which do you desire to bind to your will?"
Avery''s heart raced with anticipation. This was the main reason she didn''t hesitate toe here.
She wanted to ensure that she was the first one to ry this information to get a reward!
''I really did it!'' Avery''s mind raced as she clenched her fist. This was a very rare chance, and she didn''t have to be modest about it. She really wanted a reward that would be difficult to get even after many years of serving in the army.
She recalled her Silver Ape, the mightiest creature within her Grimoire in terms of physical abilities. Right now, shecks a Summoned Being with Magical Prowess¡ However, if she requested that, she may not be good enough to use it since her set of Summoner Spells was meant to boost her Summons with strong physical abilities.
Because of this, she decided to let the Grand Summoner Elric think of a summoned being for her.
"Ahem¡ Thank you, Grand Summoner. I wish for a summon that embodies both strength and wisdom¡" Avery dered, her voice steady despite the fluttering in her chest.
Elric nodded, understanding the depth of her request. He actually liked this even more since he only has about 80 summoned beings in his Grimoire.
Avery couldn''t be too picky as he might not have the one she needed and had to ask the others to transfer it to her.
However, with the request she made, he had a lot more options to choose from.
He reached for his own Grimoire, its covers etched with runes that shimmered in the dim light of the tent.
With practiced hands, he flipped through the ancient pages until he came upon a summon that had not seen the mortal realm for ages¡ªtheGilded Griffin, Aerolius.
He named the Griffin himself and had be part of his adventures when he was still young. However, it became too weak for him as he became a Grand Summoner that deals with high-ranking Arcanists from time to time.
"I have chosen a Summoned Being for you. Open your Grimoire¡"
"Yes¡"
Avery nodded excitedly as she silently prayed that it would be sessful. Well, there were rare cases in which Summoned Beings would rather die than be transferred.
The chance was too low for it to happen, but it was still there! Furthermore, the Summoned Being of Elric shouldn''t want to leave his Grimoire to be transferred to an average Grimoire like hers!
However, her worry soon turned into excitement as the Grand Summoner began the transfer ritual. Elric''s voice was rising and falling in a rhythm that seemed to transcendnguage.
The surrounding air pulsed with energy as he chanted, and the page bearing the Gilded Griffin''s sigil glowed with a golden light.
Slowly, the sigil lifted from Elric''s Grimoire and drifted toward Avery''s, embedding itself onto an empty page.
''Sess! The transfer is even quick! He definitely skipped a huge part and didn''t use the one I learned in ss! Awesome! As expected of the Grand Summoner.'' Avery was excited as new Summoned Being was now in her Grimoire.
Even Mistress Illyria, Sage Kaelin, and Master Cairne congratted Avery for having a new summon.
"Now, Avery, call forth Aerolius and test your bond¡" Elric instructed as he gestured for her to try summoning the creature outside.
Avery agreed to this as she stepped outside.
She took a deep breath, her fingers tracing the newly formed sigil in her Grimoire.
She then spoke the incantation, her voice growing in confidence with each syble.
Soon, the ground outside the grand tent trembled, and a brilliant light erupted as the Gilded Griffin materialized before them.
Kraaaww~
Aerolius was a majestic creature, its feathers a radiant blend of gold and silver, eyes gleaming with intelligence, and a beak sharp as the finest de.
''Whoa~ Did he really give me this creature for free?!'' Avery''s eyes lit up as she observed the creature.
Its talons which seemed to be capable of rending steel gently grazed the earth, and its wings¡ªvast and powerful¡ªunfolded with a sound like the rustling of autumn leaves.
"Cool¡"
The Summoners nearby who had no idea why a majestic griffin had just appeared gathered around, their eyes wide with awe as Avery stepped forward to meet the gaze of the Griffin.
The guard who allowed Avery to enter the grand tent had obviously recognized Avery¡
There was a moment of silence, a breathless pause, as a Summoner and Summoned regarded each other.
Although the Griffin had epted to be transferred to Avery''s Grimoire, it still possessed a certain free will that would make the Griffin decide whether to follow this Summoner or just give the bare minimum as a Summoned Creature¡ Or perhaps make a contract with the Summoner only to summon him in exchange of something¡
That''s right, he could make a trade for his service if the Summoner was pushover!
However, it seemed to notice Grand Summoner Elric''s gaze, and suddenly, with a grace that belied its size, Aerolius lowered its head, allowing Avery to ce a hand upon its gilded crest.
"Great! So that''s why Grand Summoner Elric wanted me to summon it immediately." Avery thought.
Soon, a stronger connection between the two formed, a bond of magic and trust that resonated in the hearts of all who witnessed it.
Avery had done it. She had summoned and tamed the legendary Gilded Griffin, proving her worth not just as a fledgling summoner, but as a force to be reckoned with.
''Thank you, Vale Chambers! I will visit youter to give you a proper gift¡''
Chapter 740 Fetch
Chapter 740 Fetch
As the sh of the Immortals roared across the sea, Vale''s Avatar arrived upon the battlefield with the swiftness of a shadow in flight.
"So that''s the Eminence of the Sea''s Avatar¡" Vale muttered after seeing the majestic Avatar holding a trident as his weapon.
He certainly emits a terrifying aurapared to the two immortals, who seem to be reaching their limits.
''Two Immortals were actually not enough¡ I guess these deities can''t be underestimated, huh¡'' Vale thought as he assessed the situation.
The Immortals, Nefrin and Gammebhel, were locked in a fierce struggle against the Avatar of the Eminence of the Sea, their powers waning against the relentless assault of the Avatar.
However, their struggle will end now.
Vale''s arrival turned the tide.
With a flourish of his cloak, he summoned the Astral Chains!
This is one of the Spells he obtained from a Dimensional Creature!
After activating this Spell, ethereal bindings that shimmered with starlight appeared out of nowhere.. They spiraled outwards, seeking to ensnare the Avatar of the Eminence, to bind it with the very essence of the cosmos.
Clink¡ Clink¡ Clink¡
The chains wrapped around the foe, constricting with the force of a ck hole, yet the Avatar''s strength was such that the chains strained and sparked with the effort to contain it.
The Eminence''s Avatar then looked at the Shadow Immortal that had just arrived. Finally, Nefrin and Gammebhel saw an expression from the Avatar¡ He was actually surprised and even a bit terrified upon seeing Vale''s Avatar!
However, his expression immediately changed into a serious one as he prepared to fight!
''Did he recognize Master Vale?'' Nefrin thought¡
''I knew it¡ Master Vale isn''t young at all. There''s no way this Ancient Being could recognize him if he was just a lucky Arcanist who obtained Divinity.'' Gammebhel thought, believing that Vale''s real identity was also as Ancient as the Eminence of the Sea.
Then, with a roar that echoed through the dimensions, Vale''s Avatar unleashed the Void w.
ThisSpell that was meant to be used by Dimensional Creatures was quite difficult to cast and required plenty of energy. Well, it wasn''t that surprising since the enormous size of the Dimensional Creature was a huge factor for this Spell.
Anyway, the Void w was a manifestation of pure nothingness, the w tore through the fabric of reality, a gaping void of darkness that sought to devour all light!
However, the Eminence''s Avatar didn''t stay still as he used everything he had to raise his weapon!
Boom!
The Void w shed with the Avatar''s Trident, a cataclysmic meeting of space rending power and sea''s power.
The impact sent shockwaves through the water, creating whirlpools and tidal surges that threatened to engulf thend¡
The Astral Chain was alsopletely broken because of the Eminence''s Avatar surging with the power of the sea!
The two Immortals, even had to move back for a bit because of the sh of power. Nheless, they remained a threat to the Eminence''s Avatar as they gathered their power¡
Even if they weren''t moving and just showing their might, the attention of the Eminence''s Avatar was split between the three of them!
It was already a huge help for Vale''s Avatar!
''I guess he got the advantage on the battlefield, huh¡'' Vale thought as he realized why the Eminece was still filled with power even after fighting the two Immortals.
Although he wasn''t sure how the Eminence''s Divinity worked, he could tell that it was rted to the sea below them!
''This is going to be tough¡ I need to make him stop getting power from the sea¡'' Vale thought.
The battle between them continued, and it was a spectacle of chaos and beauty¡
Vale''s Avatar moved with the Ethereal Steps Spell that he got from the Demon Saint!
He would cast various Spells like Abyssal Fire, and Cursed me, including Vampiric Fist and Aurora''s Embrace, but it wasn''t enough.
His Divine Lightning even seemed like a nutrient for the Eminence''s Avatar!
"You''re still unpredictable, Paragon Atrius¡" The Eminence''s Avatar finally spoke, and this actually confused both Vale and the Immortals.
However, Vale''s eyes narrowed as he heard this name. ording to Magnus, Paragon Atrius was one of the Three Paragons of the Church that he had fought before!
"Unpredictable?" Vale repeated. He decided to go along with the misunderstanding.
"Yes¡ You still like using spells from different paths and not mastering a single path¡ You will never achieve the highest realm because of that¡" The Eminence''s Avatar said.
Vale wanted to ask more, but the Eminence immediately dashed forward!
He raised his trident and it was like a beacon of the ocean''s wrath!
It summoned tsunamis and called forth lightning from the depths, his attacked was filled with Divine intent.
"That''s not enough to kill me¡"
Vale muttered as his shadowy form flickered in and out of existence. He avoided the attacks that were filled with Divinity. Although he could defend from it, it would simply consume too much energy, so it was better to dodge them!
With that, Vale also released his Spells.
As the battle raged on, the sky darkened, and the sea roiled.
The temperature of the whole western region of the continent started dropping as a vast amount of Divinity was being used¡ The power unleashed by these titanic beings was just too monstrous!
***
As the two titans shed, Nefrin and Gammebhel watched, their eyes sharp for any opening.
''We''re going to get injured if we act now¡ Let''s wait for a perfect chance¡'' Nefrin said through telepathy.
''I''m willing to make an opening even if it kills me. Just kill that Eminence''s Avatar.'' Gammebhel replied.
''Don''t be stupid¡ The order didn''t say that we have to sacrifice our lives. Don''t waste your life in this winning battle.'' Nefrin said, reprimanding his partner.
''Mhmm¡ You''re right¡ We''ll win this.'' Gammebhel nodded as he continued monitoring the battle.
After some time, the two Immortals vanished from their spots!
The moment they''ve been waiting for came like the break of dawn, sudden and clear.
The Eminence''s Avatar, focused on Vale''s relentless assault, left himself exposed for but a heartbeat.
Without any need tomunicate with each other, Nefrin and Gammebhel seized the fleeting chance. They surged forward from different directions!
Their Divinity exploded as they aimed to kill the Avatar in this attack!
Nefrin, embodying the fierce ze of the sun, and Gammebhel, the unyielding strength of the ancient earth,bined their might!
The Eminence''s Avatar turned, sensing the impending strike, but it was toote.
Nefrin''s fire met Gammebhel''s earth in a cataclysmic fusion!
The air crackled, the sea stilled, and for a moment, all was silent!
''This is not a Spell¡ They''re also not using any Immortal Items¡'' Vale''s Avatar thought for a brief moment as he witnessed that the attack didn''t activate any Spell Models of the two Immortals!
They used something else that he didn''t know about!
Then, with a sounding from the shockwave, thebined force of Nefrin and Gammebhel''s attack struck the Eminence''s Avatar.
A blinding explosion of light and energy erupted, engulfing the Avatar in a radiant inferno that outshone the sun¡
The shockwave of the impact sent waves towering high, rushing outwards in a ring. The very earth trembled, and the sky sent torrents of rain¡
For a moment, Vale also saw the crater below before it was swallowed by the sea once again.
When the light faded, and the tumult subsided, there was nothing left of the Eminence''s Avatar but a memory¡ Vale''s Avatar stood amidst the aftermath, his shadowy form untouched by the devastation.
''I was nning to kill it by not destroying its body¡ I want to bring it back to be extracted¡ Ugh¡ Anyway, that''s only an Avatar. I still have another chance. Especially if he''ll continue supporting the Abyss Realm.'' Vale thought as he looked at the two Immortals with a helpless smile on his face.
Nefrin and Gammebhel, on the other hand, were satisfied with their work as they joined Vale''s Avatar as if they were waiting for amendation¡
''Well, I didn''t give clear instructions¡'' Vale thought as he decided to praise the two for their work.
***
In the meantime, after Vale and the two Immortals defeated Eminence''s Avatar, a ripple in the fabric of space marked the arrival of a young Dimensional Creature at the Headquarters of the Arcane Bureau.
The young creature that doesn''t look like anything that would exist in the Human Realm shocked many of the Agents, including the Half-Immortals, who immediately felt its arrival!
With Director Selene''s lead, they immediately created a defensive perimeter to contain its movement!
Nheless, there was still someone in the building who remained calm. It was obviously Vale''s Avatar.
The creature hade with a purpose, to fetch him after his matter with the Bureau was finished.
He had already done his best to help them, and they should work on eliminating as many Demon and Demon Saints as possible!
"We''re leaving, Director Selene." Vale said as walk to the young Dimensional Creature together with the Demon Generals Gorath and Zarvok.
"Wait--But¡ This creature¡" Seraphina wanted to say something but Lucian held her back.
"Time is of the essence¡" Vale sternly spoke.
"We must join the others and turn the tide against our enemies."
Chapter 741 Reward
Chapter 741 Reward
??"We must join the others and turn the tide against our enemies." Vale''s Avatar reminded as he stood closer to the young Dimensional Creature. The one that Vale had enved in the remnant of the Celestial Realm.
To be honest, the Golden Key that he had obtained there was still a mystery to Vale. He couldn''t understand why it was so dangerous that even with his Divinity, he could barely touch it unless he used the power of the Temporal Timepiece.
Nheless, as the other Half-Immortals of the Arcane Bureau stepped forward to stop Vale and his two Demon Generals from leaving, they suddenly heard a loud growl.
It was Gorath, and he seemed to be warning the Half-Immortals! The sound he made rumbled like an earthquake, while Zarvok simply showed a stern gaze to everyone.
Although they could be killed by these Half-Immortals, they weren''t showing any signs of being afraid at all.
Of course, Vale''s Avatar didn''t return to the castle. He was sent by the young Dimensional Creature to another part of the continent close to another Rift.
As for the two Demon Generals, they were sent back to the castle to be thoroughly studied by Magnus for research purposes.
***
Meanwhile, in the shadowy expanse of the Abyss Realm, where the fabric of reality thinned as if the whole region was about to disappear, the Demon Castle loomed like a monument to darkness.
It was no wonder Vale''s Avatar failed to find this location¡
The castle''s towering spires pierced the smoldering sky, and its walls, which seemed to have been forged from the bones of ancient leviathans, radiated an aura of dread that could chill even the most hardened of souls.
Eeekk~
Several screeches of various demonic creatures could also be heard as you got closer to the castle.
Within the vast throne hall, a cavernous chamber adorned with obsidian pirs and lit by the flickering mes of ever-burning pyres, the Demon Lord sat upon his throne.
It was a seat of power carved from what seemed like a fallen celestial rock. Its surface felt alive with a malevolent glow that pulsed in time with the Demon Lord''s own heartbeat.
The Demon Saints, twenty-four in number, stood arrayed before their master, their forms a diverse pantheon of terror.
Each one bore the marks of their dominion over the Abyss¡ªhorns that twisted into the air like gnarled branches, wings that shrouded their bodies in perpetual shadow, and eyes that glowed with the fires of the pit.
They have different appearances, but they are all Demon Saints. Demons who were blessed with the powering from the Abyss Realm itself.
"So there are only twenty-four of you left¡" The Demon Lord''s voice resonated through the hall... It was aged, deep, and carried an absolute authority to the Demon Saints.
"The rest have fallen or remain locked inbat within the Human Realm."
One of the Demon Saints, a towering figure known as Malrath, stepped forward. He was the number 3 in the Demon Saint Ranking.
His voice was a guttural growl¡
"My lord, the humans prove more resilient than anticipated. The Rifts have be battlegrounds where our brethren fall."
To be honest, he wanted the Demon Lord to just act and finish their problems.
The first one was the Shadow Immortal, who was causing them a lot of headaches since he even managed to infiltrate their Abyss Realm!
There were also the Ancient Families of the 12 Arcane Paths that seemed to possess an incredible number of Arcanists that could even fight against some of the Demon Saints. They also have many Forbidden Arts and Arcanists who are willing to sacrifice their lives to use such Spells to kill their soldiers and generals.
Perhaps this specific Human Realm was the fourth Realm that caused them too much trouble to conquer!
The Demon Lord''s eyes, ck as the void between stars, narrowed.
"Then we must adapt. The humans have found their hope in their numbers. We shall unleash our own terrors upon them."
Another Demon Saint, the enchantress Lysara, with her serpentine coils and venomous gaze, hissed, "What of the Shadow Immortal, my lord? He poses a threat unlike any we have faced." She was the number 2 in the Demon Saint Ranking.
The Demon Lord rose from his throne, his towering form casting a shadow that seemed to swallow the light.
"The Shadow Immortal¡ Yes, his strength is a variable we did not ount for. But every being has a weakness, and we shall find his."
A murmur of assent rippled through the Demon Saints, their confidence bolstered by their lord''s unwavering presence.
"Go now," the Demon Lordmanded, his hand raised in a gesture of giving a dark blessing¡
"Unleash the full might of the Abyss upon the Human Realm. Let no stone stand unturned, no sanctuary unvited. This world shall be ours. Anyone who can kill the Shadow Immortal will receive the Scepter of the Abyss!"
The Demon Lord said as he looked at the Rank 1 Demon Saint, who doesn''t seem to be bothered by any of the problems that the others had mentioned.
Seeing how confident he was, the Demon Lord finally decided to allow him to enter the Human Realm as well.
With a roar of approval that shook the foundations of the castle, the Demon Saints dispersed, vanishing into the shadows to carry out their Lord''s will!
The Demon Lord turned, his gaze falling upon a map of the realms spread across a table of bone. His fingers traced the lines that marked the boundaries between worlds, his mind already plotting the downfall of those who dared oppose him.
And as the Demon Saints began their march, the Rifts between the realms pulsed with renewed energy!
The war was far from over, and the fate of the Human Realm hung in the bnce!
***
Lysara, the enchantress with serpentine figure and a gaze that could unravel the bravest of souls, slipped through the Rift with the silence of a shadow.
After some adjustments from her body and the Will of the Human Realm dissipating after pressuring her a bit, she opened her eyes and looked at the Human Realm for the first time.
"Mhmmm. What a paradise¡ Kekeke." Lysaraughed after sensing the surroundings.
The Human Realm that had unfolded before her was a world teeming with life and the pulsing energies of countless beings of power.
''How scary~'' Lysara muttered although she was still full of smile.
Nheless, she knew she must tread carefully, for the Shadow Immortal''s reach was vast, and his allies could be everywhere.
''So those are humans¡ How ugly¡''
Adopting the guise of a human was child''s y for a Demon Saint of her caliber.
Her coils suddenly started concealing themselves, and her venomous intent hid behind a mask of flesh¡
''Mhmm¡ It''s not enough¡'' Lysara wasn''t satisfied with her appearance as there still hints of her being partly demon.
Because of that, Lysara hid her presence and found a female human from a distance¡ Swiftly, she killed the innocent and, took her skin and used it for herself.
Just like that, she became Lucy. It was the name of the woman from the memories she inherited. She was now a specter walking unnoticed among the unsuspecting popce.
Lucy''s new life began in a sprawling city, a metropolis of steel and stone that rose defiantly against the encroaching darkness.
From her observation, this city was advancing quite rapidly¡
Anyway, she had imed the identity of a woman whose life she had extinguished¡ªa necessary act to secure her cover.
The woman''s form was now hers and with it, a stable ce in the human world.
She wanted to ensure that she would be the one killing the Shadow Immortal. It doesn''t matter how many years it would take. She would have to do this slowly but surely!
''Should I act as an Arcanist¡'' Lucy mused before she started wondering the city.
The city was a marvel, a fortress of civilization protected by beings of metal¡ªAndroids, they were called.
These Metal Golems patrolled the streets, their eyes aglow with vignce, their bodies impervious to the ws and fangs of the lesser demons that dared to breach the city''s defenses.
"Those things¡ What in the world are they?!" Lucy murmured the first time she witnessed the Androids in action. Their efficiency was a thing of beauty, a dance of destruction that left no demon standing. It was clear that these creations were not to be underestimated.
A horde of about 3,000 flying demons was actually defeated by the Androids from below with their weapons!
''I need to know more how they''re doing this¡'' Lucy clenched her fist as she spoke. Although she could destroy those metal golems, it would barely hurt the human Realm since she knew that they could just mass-produce these moving metals!
She would have to find a way for low-ranking demons to have a chance against them! After all, she couldn''t reveal herself because of the Shadow Immortal!
''No¡ That''s a job for someone else. I''ll just focus on targeting the Shadow Immortal¡ I have to understand this world and adaptpletely¡ I need a perfect guise!'' Lucy reminded herself.
Just like that, several days had passed.
Lucy blended with the people. She adopted the routines of the woman she had reced, learning her habits, her connections, and her ce in the intricate web of human society.
Chapter 742 Siege
Chapter 742 Siege
Lucy didn''t kill any humans at this point to avoid being detected by various Arcane Spells that could sense bloodlust.
She continued with the original body''s daily job.
She worked at a quaint bookstore, a repository of knowledge and stories that humans treasured. It was a perfect ce for her to learn about humans.
With each customer that entered, she practiced the art of human interaction, her smile a well-crafted facade, her words were like a melody of mundane pleasantries.
''Mhmm¡ I''m getting better and better at this¡ Infiltrating that castle shouldn''t be that difficult once I''m confident enough¡'' Lucy mused as she considered testing herself by ying a few nobles or even Arcanists who held high positions in various Organizations.
Once she killed them without being noticed, that would be the time to aim for the Shadow Immortal in his castle.
For now, she had to continue adapting to the Human Realm¡
By night, she explored the city''s underbelly, the dark alleys, and forgotten corners where Demons'' influence crept like a malignant fog.
Apparently, even with the barrier ced in the city and the Metal Golems patrolling the ce, evil energying from the Demons was still slowly entering the city.
From time to time, she would also observe the skirmishes between demons and golems, analyzing their tactics, their strengths, and their weaknesses. There were also some Arcanists assisting these Metal Golems, but they were only 3rd ss, with some 2nd ss Arcanists acting as leaders.
There weren''t even 1st ss Arcanists in sight.
''Mhmm¡ If I''m going to infiltrate the castle, should I take the body of one of the maids there instead?'' Lucy mused as he expected the castle to be filled with servants.
With this in consideration, she decided to work harder.
Lucy''s days were a careful bnce of observation and assimtion.
She frequented cafes and parks, her ears tuned to the whispers and rumors of the city''s inhabitants. She learned of their fears, their hopes, and the heroes they revered¡ªthe Illustrious Liquidators, Untainted Sentinels, and the mysterious Immortal, together with his mysterious followers.
The influence of these people in this area was the highest because they sent their people here.
As weeks turned into months, Lucy''s presence in the city became as natural as the rising sun. Her neighbors knew her as the kind woman from the bookstore, always ready with a rmendation, always with a gentle word.
None suspected the serpent thaty beneath the skin was a Demon Saint who watched and waited for the perfect moment to strike¡
But even as she yed her part, Lucy''s mind was a tempest of ns and possibilities¡ She knew she would find an opportunity¡ Until then, she would be the shadow within the city, a silent observer of the mysterious woman who could control the Metal Golems¡
***
A few months ago, as all the remaining Demon Saints were sent to the Human Realm, three Demon Saints came out of the same Rift¡
However, two of them immediately dashed away, afraid that the Rift was being monitored¡
Only one of them remained as he slowly felt the Will of the Human Realm pressuring him before dissipating immediately.
"Mhmm¡ It''s perfect¡ This Realm will soon belong to us¡" The Demon Saint muttered. He was Malrath, the Rank 3 Demon Saint in the Demon Rankings.
His stature was towering while also emitting a faint red mist around his body¡ It was a testament to the power he wielded, Blood Magic¡
"So, what should I do for now¡" He muttered softly before he decided to meet with other Demon Saints who had been here for a while now. With their help, Malrath gained all the information he needed and decided to make his move.
Unlike Lysara, who chose subterfuge and guile, a boring and time-consuming approach to kill the Shadow Immortal, Malrath embraced the path of war, his eyes set on the bastions of light¡ªthe Order of the Untainted Sentinels.
He didn''t directly attack the Shadow Immortal''s nest since he needed an army that would die for him! He had to clear the powerful organizations around to let the Demons rampage thend!
***
The central part of Milton Kingdom, and of verdant fields and ancient forests, had long been under the protection of the Holy Arts Factions and the Church of the Fortune Goddess.
Their sanctuaries and temples were beacons of hope, and their elite warriors, the Untainted Sentinels and the Holy Knights, were the shields against darkness.
With the ability to channel Divinity, even in minuscule amounts, they were a formidable force that had kept the Demon Horde at bay, especially the Untainted Sentinels, who could even summon Angels!
"Order of the Untainted Sentinels¡ They''re too much of a problem¡ Although we''ve killed many of them. There seemed to be no end to them." Malrath muttered, recalling how some Demon Saints had already killed dozens of Sentinels.
However, these Sentinels would just continueing with stronger reinforcements!
"Hmph¡ Let''s see how strong they are."
Malrath''s decision to confront this Order was not born of impulse but of a strategic desire to expand the dominion of the Abyss Realm.
The Milton Kingdom was a prize worth iming, and he knew that to control it, he must first break the will of its main protectors.
He called for a demon army, a legion of twisted creatures and fallen souls.
They rallied to Malrath''s call with confidence as they were together with the 2nd Rank Demon Saint!
Their march towards the Kingdom was a tide of malice, but the Holy Knights, Exorcists, Priests, and the Untainted Sentinels stood ready.
***
Meanwhile, this massive movement of the demon army didn''t go unnoticed by Vale or his Avatar.
"So their target is Holy Arts Faction this time¡ Good, let''s see what you got¡" Vale''s Avatar muttered as he had zero ns of helping this time.
He knew that the Holy Arts Faction and the Church of the Fortune Goddess were strong. They even attacked the Dark Arts Faction while barely suffering casualties on their side. He would simply watch this battle to see the secrets of the Holy Arts Faction and the strength of the Demon Saints.
Needless to say, the opposing power, the ensuing battle, was a spectacle of light and darkness.
Vale saw Malrath lead the charge while his form wreathed in abyssal mes.
Each step he took left the ground scorched, hisughter a thunderous echo that instilled fear in the hearts of mortals.
Vale couldn''t recognize many Arcanists on the human side.
As a matter of fact, he only recognized two people, they were re and Teresa, who had previously marked him with their Divine Sense. They weren''t on the front lines, but they were in the rear group who were carefully observing the Rank 2 Demon Saint.
"An elite force that will face the Demon Saint? But there''s only 10 of them¡ Can they even win with that?" Vale softly muttered as he continued watching the battle between the demons and the Arcanists.
The Holy Knights met the demon horde withnces of pure light, the Exorcists with chains of sacred seals, and the Priests with prayers that wove barriers of force.
But it was the Untainted Sentinels who had first taken action against the Demon Saint at the back lines. They weren''t re and Teresa''s group, and it appears as if they were simply expendables as they charged recklessly¡
Nheless, Vale watched everything carefully.
Their mastery of the Holy Arts,bined with the divine essence they borrowed, created a storm of otherworldly fury.
"They''re not summoning their Angels like before?" Vale mused as he recalled the power of these Untainted Sentinels.
While Evanescent Vessels summon mystical beings aligned to darkness to possess their bodies, the Untainted Sentinels could summon Angels to fight for them, even for a brief moment.
However, instead of doing that, they conjured des of pure energy, shields that could withstand the darkest magics, and spears that sought the hearts of demons.
It was a different approach from what Vale had expected¡
''Mhmm¡ Are they testing the Demon Saint¡'' Vale mused.
Malrath reveled in the challenge.
He swung his massive sword, cleaving through the light, his malevolent magic shing with the divine and arcane spells!
Boom!
With that, the struggling Demons were freed as they charged with renewed vigor!
The Demon horde followed their Saint''s lead, their numbers seemingly endless.
Yet, for every demon that fell, a Holy Knight stood firm, an Exorcist bound another, a Priest healed the wounded, and a few Untainted Sentinel would clear a path for them!
It was a very long battle!
As the day turned to night and back to day, the battle was still going on!
It appears as if the Malrath called for all low-ranking Demons to gather here from the nearest Rift!
The fields of the Milton Kingdom were torn apart, the forests burned, and the rivers ran red.
However, for some reason, the Arcanists of this Kingdom weren''t defeated!
Their tenacity was as unbreakable as their faith, and their power, though borrowed from the divine, was wielded with a conviction that matched Malrath''s own.
"So it was like that¡" Vale muttered as he realized how the Kingdom''s Arcanists were able to withstand this demon siege.
"Arcana¡ Three of them at that¡"
Chapter 743 Valiant Scourge
Chapter 743 Valiant Scourge
??re, her armor dented and smeared with the remnants of battle, stood upon a hill overlooking the vast expanse of chaos.
"It''s not ending, huh¡ Just why are they so focused on our territory¡" reined as she received some news that other areas in the kingdom were no longer being attacked!
The Demons had somehow concentrated their forces to destroy them!
It was as if they knew that they were the center ofmand that was controlling the defense of the whole kingdom!
Her stern gaze swept across the battlefield where the fate of the Milton Kingdom hung in the bnce.
"We''re going to lose at this rate¡ That Demon Saints has to die¡" re muttered as she knew that the Demon Saints were simply forcing the low-tier Demons to attack them!
This Saint doesn''t care about the lives of low-tier Demons at all!
The atmosphere in the field was now thick with the scent of blood and the mixed energy of the two opposing sides.
The ground was littered with the fallen! It was such a harrowing sight¡
Yet, it was not despair that filled her heart, but hope¡ªhope in the form of the three Arcana that the Untainted Sentinels had been entrusted with!
Needless to say, the Sentinels don''t have three Arcana. They only had one! However, one of them was entrusted to them by the Church of the Fortune Goddess, and the other was from the Royal Family!
Apparently, Odessa no longer had the strength to wield the Arcana after the capital was attacked. It was unfortunate for her that the Demons had targeted the capital on the very first day of the Abyss Realm''s invasion!
Because of that, Odessa was already too exhausted as she used several Forbidden Spells in order to send the Demons back to hell and even kill a Demon Saint in the process!
It was such an amazing feat, but in exchange, the capital was now a mess and had to be protected by the Arcanist Factions supporting the Royalty.
Anyway, the first of these sacred relics was theArcana of Valor, a crystalline orb pulsating with a warm, golden light.
It was the heart of the Holy Arts Faction''s strength, its radiance infusing the Arcanists with a power that transcended their mortal limits. Under its influence, their spells were amplified, their spirits bolstered, and they received a support spell simr to Indomitable Will! No Arcanists would feel afraid facing the Demons!
Beside the Arcana of Valor stood its twin in purpose, theArcana of Sanctity from the Church of the Fortune Goddess¡
This ethereal tome was bound not by leather or thread, but by the very essence of the divine, the skin of an Immortal!
It allowed the Arcanists to wield Forbidden Spells, those ancient incantations that demanded a heavy toll from any who dared utter them. Yet, with the Arcana of Sanctity, they cast these spells with impunity, and the usual bacsh was absorbed by the tome''s limitless pages!
Indeed! This very Arcana allowed any Arcanist to cast their Forbidden Spells without any worry as long as they had the energy to do so! It was from the Order of the Untainted Sentinels!
Aside from that, it also served as a barrier, a shield that contained the demonic corruption, preventing it from seeping into thend and tainting the souls of the innocent. This Arcana was normally in the Sacred Ground of the Church, but it was sent here in emergency to fight the Demon horde1
The final Arcana, theArcana of Transcendence, was a magnificent scepter crowned with a gem that shone with an inner light. It was the key to their salvation, a beacon of purity in a sea of malevolent darkness.
The Arcana of Transcendence had the power to transmute the vile energy of the demons into Holy Energy, turning their own malevolence against them. It was a weapon of redemption, converting the essence of destruction into a force for healing and protection.
"We should be able to win against the Demons with these three items¡ However, that Demon Saint is not normal¡" re muttered.
"ording to the informants from the Arcane Bureau, that Demon Saint was Malrath. He''s Rank 2 in the Demon Saint Ranking!" Teresa reported after hearing the information from one of the Bureau''s agents nearby through telepathy.
"No wonder¡ The Demon Saint that Odessa killed should be in the sixtieth, if I''m not mistaken¡" re muttered.
"That''s true¡ It''s normal that we''re struggling here." Teresa added with a sigh.
re and Teresa then watched as the Master-ss Arcanists continued to channel the power of the Arcana¡
"It''s starting¡ This will be thest burst of strength¡" re muttered.
Teresa nodded at this since they knew that they were already in n B! The Arcana would burst into power, and after this, they had to use the opportunity to end this battle!
Whom~
The Arcana of Valor glowed brighter with each passing second, its light a rallying cry to the forces of good.
The Arcana of Sanctity hummed with forbidden power, its pages fluttering as if caught in a divine wind.
And the Arcana of Transcendence, raised by the highest member of the Sentinels, became a star of hope, its radiance piercing the shadowy veil that the demons had cast over the battlefield.
The Demon horde, sensing the shift in power, roared their defiance, but it was toote¡
The Holy Knights, empowered by the Arcana of Valor, charged withnces that cut through darkness like rays of dawn. The Exorcists, protected by the Arcana of Sanctity, bound the greater demons with chains that no strength could break. And the Priests, guided by the Arcana of Transcendence, healed the wounded and cleansed thend, their prayers turning the tide of corruption into a flood of sanctifying light.
re, with her sword raised high, knew that this was the moment they had been waiting for. The Untainted Sentinels, her brothers and sisters in arms, formed a phnx as they charged forward!
Their aim was the Rank 2 Demon Saint!
***
"Hahaha! Is this your final struggle!" Malrathughed as he waved his sword¡
He had carved a path of destruction through the ranks of the Arcanists, his de dripping with the essence of those who had fallen before his might.
Yet, his rampage was halted by the elite Untainted Sentinels, a phnx of warriors led by re!
"Untainted Sentinels, right? Allow me to taint you all!" Malrath said as he unleashed his Corrupted Divinity!
However, it was momentarily blocked by the Arcana of Sanctity that was supporting the Sentinels from behind!
This caught the Demon Saint off guard!
In a moment of opportunity, re and her Sentinels managed to wound the Demon Saint! This wound wasn''t normal either, as their weapons had the blessed blood of Immortals!
It was like a curse to the Demon!
"You!" Malrath didn''t expect to be blessed¡ªNo, to be cursed by an Immortal''s blood!
"Fine!"
Without hesitation, Malrath retreated, leaving all the remaining low-tier Demons in the hands of the Arcanists!
This decisive retreat dumbfounded even his allied Demons!
***
"I guess he''s really afraid of dying, huh¡" Valemented after seeing how Malrath didn''t hesitate to escape after getting an injury!
He couldn''t help but look down at this Demon Saint after recalling some Demon Saints who were willing to sacrifice their lives!
"Well, you can''t escape from me¡"
Vale''s Avatar, seizing the moment, pursued the fleeing Malrath with the stealth of a specter.
He trailed the Demon Saint to a secluded grove where Malrath sought to mend his wounds with dark incantations and the blood of the earth.
"Mhmm¡ You''re not returning to the Abyss Realm to recuperate? Are you too embarrassed?" Vale mused as tried to understand this Demon Saint''s actions.
As Vale''s Avatar prepared to strike with his Celestial Arts, his Divine Sense alerted him to the presence of others¡ªBeast Arts Practitioners, their auras vibrant with primal energy.
They were undoubtedly members of the Order of the Valiant Scourge, the ndestine assembly of the Beast Arts Faction.
"Ohhh? Did they also sense the injured Demon Saint? As expected of Beast Masters¡ They have good sense." Vale muttered as he guessed the reason they were here.
After some thought, he decided to just observe for now.
To be honest, these Beast Masters were still a mystery for Vale. He had rarely seen them in action, so he doesn''t have too much information about them in terms of their strength.
He only knew some surface-level information about them.
"They look strong¡ Some of them even had 13 Spell Models recorded and there''s one 15 Spell Models! What a rare sight!" Vale said in surprise.
The practitioners were a sight to behold, each bearing the mark of their order¡ªa sigil of a beast entwined with a scourge.
Although Vale was about 500 meters away from them, he was able to listen to their conversation.
Vale then frowned as he listened to their conversation... They were talking about a Forbidden Spell of their Faction!
"So they can turn the Demon Saints as Tattoo Marks on their bodies and summon their strength? It''s not just limited to beasts?"
Chapter 744 Desperation
Chapter 744 Desperation
Vale''s eyes narrowed as he believed that the Beast Arts Practitioners could only borrow the power of some animals, magical creatures, or mystical beings from another realm.
However, after secretly listening to their conversations, it appears that he had underestimated this Arcane Path a lot!
They were actually capable of turning the Demon Saints into their Beast Mark and bing part of their bodies or tattoos!
Of course, there must be a high requirement in order to aplish that, but the fact that it was possible made him realize that perhaps Immortals or other Arcanists could also be their Beast Marks!
''Interesting¡ Maybe it''s also better if this Demon Saint bes their Beast Marks¡ That way, they will have a strong Beastmaster, and I''ll worry less¡'' Vale mused as he considered that having another strong Arcanist in this ce would allow him to send his Avatar to farther ces that had weaker strength to fight against the Demons.
Anyway, Vale continued listening to their conversation as he learned the identities of each of them¡ Well, some of them were also people he recognized from the files that he had read from the Arcane Bureau.
It wasn''t surprising that he recognized some of them, considering they were considered as the most active members of the Order of the Valiant Scourge.
Their leader, a formidable woman known as?Sylvana the Mauler, stood at the forefront.
Her hair was a mane of fiery red, her eyes like embers, and her body was adorned with tattoos of mythical creatures that seemed to move with a life of their own.
Beside her was?Korvax the Whisperer, a giant of a man whose quiet demeanor belied his ferocious power. His skin was etched with the patterns of the great predators of the wild, mostlynd creatures, and his hands were calloused from the countless battles he had fought.
nking them were twins,?Lyra and Tyro, known as the?Fangs of the Scourge.
"That Demon Saint is Rank 2! He will be mine! I will put him in my back! Is that alright, Sylvana?" Korvax said.
"I made the call first, Korvax! I will share the Demon Saint''s body with my sister!" Tyro said. Without context, anyone would probably misunderstand what he just said.
Anyway, it was certainly possible to split the power of the Demon Saint. That way, the burden on their bodies wouldn''t be that great once they became part of their bodies.
Sylvana listened to them but didn''t give her opinion. As for taking the power of the Demon Saint for herself, she wasn''t interested in that at all. It wouldn''t bepatible with her set of Beast Marks and might create an unbnced synergy.
As she felt the traces of the Demon Saints nearby, she finally spoke.
"We''ll decide thister. We''ll see which one of you can contribute the most in this hunt. Although the Demon Saint was already injured by the Untainted Sentinels, we can''t underestimate him. He''s still second rank in the Demon Saint rankings."
"Control your Magic Zones¡" Sylvana ordered as they got closer.
Soon, the practitioners encircled Malrath, who was leaning on a tree and recuperating his wounds.
Then, the Beast Arts Practitioners had their energies harmonizing with the natural world, calling forth the spirits of their totemic beasts.
Sylvana raised her arms, and the air around her crackled with the power of the storm. It seemed as if an image of a white tiger appeared behind her.
On the other hand, Korvax''s whisper turned into a mysterious roar that shook the leaves from the trees. There was an image of a huge Ogre-like creature appearing behind him!
Lyra and Tyro could not be underestimated either, an image a huge ck spider appeared behind them as they held their daggers tightly.
The other seven other Beast Arts Practitioners had also summoned the beasts they felt necessary to face the Demon Saint. Nheless, Vale noticed that all of them was only borrowing the power of a single beast. None of them seemed to be capable of activating multiple Beast Marks on their bodies¡
Or, at the very least, none of them are using such techniques yet.
''This is interesting¡'' Vale thought as he closed his eyes, calmed his breathing, and used various stealth spells to ensure that he wouldn''t be noticed.
As he opened his eyes and watched from the shadows, his presence becamepletely undetected¡
Soon, the Order of the Valiant Scourge engaged Malrath.
"Rats! Attacking me while I''m injured¡ Cowards! You''re worse than the Demons!"
His voice was a guttural snarl, echoing with the pain of his wounds and the fury of his pride.
The Order of the Valiant Scourge encircled him, their eyes alight with the thrill of the hunt.
Indeed! They were excited in this hunt and none of them are showing any signs of being nervous or afraid at all!
It was as if they already knew the result of his battle!
Sylvana, the Mauler, her stance poised and ready, was the first to strike. She moved with the ferocity of a tempest, her fists crackling with the energy of a storm unleashed.
What was even more terrifying was the hint of Divinity being emitted by her gloves!
"They''vee prepared¡ No wonder they''re not afraid." Valemented after sensing the small amount of Divinity in their weapons!
It was as if they got their weapons blessed by their gods!
The Divinity wasn''t a lot but it was certainly enough to slowly take away the life force of the Demon Saint!
Each blow she delivered was precise and devastating, like bolts of lightning rending the sky!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Demon Saint had no choice but to be in the defensive as the Beastmasters had surrounded him.
Korvax, the Whisperer, followed her lead, his presence like the rolling rumble of thunder. His fists may not be faster than Sylvana but it seemed to be stronger! Each punch was like a sonic boom that resonated through the grove, shaking the earth beneath their feet!
The twins, Lyra and Tyro, the Fangs of the Scourge, didn''t want to lose in terms of participation. They were a synchronized force of nature!
They darted in and out of Malrath''s reach, and their poison des would hit the Demon Saint from time to time! They were the embodiment of the silent predators of the night!
If Malrath doesn''t have Corrupted Divinity, it wouldn''t be surprising if he already copsed from these multiple attacks!
"Enough! You''re all foolish rats! You''re going to die!" Malrath shouted in anger¡ Despite his formidable might, he found himself overwhelmed. The injuries inflicted by re and her Sentinels had taken their toll, and the fresh assault by the Beast Arts Practitioners left him reeling.
He swung his massive sword in wide arcs, attempting to fend off the relentless attackers, but for every strike he made, two more found their mark upon him.
As the battle reached its peak, the Beast Arts Practitioner''s Divinity had already disappeared.
Nheless, Malrath was already weakened¡Malrath''s roars of defiance turned into grunts of exertion. His movements became sluggish, his counters less certain. The Demon Saint, once a harbinger of doom, now stood on the brink of defeat!
However, it wouldn''t be that easy to kill such a Demon Saint that was close to being the top of the Demon Saint Ranking.
Amidst the chaos, a sinisterugh echoed through the grove, a sound that was both chilling and defiant.
"I will not die!" Malrath proimed, his voiceced with both mirth and madness.
His eyes, burning with the fires of desperation, scanned the horizon for salvation¡ªor damnation.
In a moment fraught with peril, Malrath''s voice rose again, this time in a plea to the heavens¡ªor rather, to the depths of the Abyss.
"Greed! Hurry and take my body! You want to cause chaos in this realm, right? Use me!" The words were a rion call to one of the most feared entities in existence.
"Greed? This is dangerous..."
Vale''s Avatar, hidden within the veil of shadows, felt a surge of urgency. His heart raced with the realization of what was about to unfold.
Greed, one of the Seven Sins, a being of pure malevolence and avarice, was being invoked.
Vale had already shed with Gluttony''s avatar, and the memory of that harrowing encounter was etched into his very essence. He knew all too well the catastrophic power these embodiments of sin possessed.
He was lucky at that time that Gluttony had just awakened and was extremely weak¡ If not, it would have caused huge chaos in the city.
As Malrath''s plea hung in the air, a mystical shift of atmosphere urred. It made the Beast Arts Practitioners step back as they felt a strong killing intent aimed at them.
The atmosphere grew heavy, the earth beneath them seemed to groan, and a darkness deeper than the night began to seep into the grove!
Greed, the insatiable specter of the Seven Sins, answered the call.
Chapter 745 Cheat
Chapter 745 Cheat
''He''s here¡'' Vale muttered as his eyes narrowed. He could sense the descent of another being into the surroundings.
Well, it wasn''t as subtle as the Evenescent Vessels''s technique, but it was most likely due to the strength of the Seven Sins. The power that the "Greed" possessed was something that couldn''t be contained so easily.
Crack¡ Crack¡ Crack¡
Malrath''s form contorted, his wounds mending with unnatural speed as an inky ckness enveloped him.
"Gahahaha!!! All of you will die!"
Hisughter grew louder, more unhinged, as the essence of Greed fused with his being. His eyes, once a fiery red, now glowed with a cold, golden light¡ªthe mark of Greed''s possession!
The Beast Arts Practitioners recoiled, their instincts warning them of the new, more potent threat that now stood before them.
"Something''s wrong¡ This Demon Saint ispletely different now. We have to retreat and get our weapons to receive more blessings. It''s not enough now."
Sylvana dered as she steadied her stance, her eyes narrowing with realization.
"I can still fight¡ He might be bluffing! Maybe this is hisst-ditch effort." Korvax replied as he clenched his fists, the tattoos on his skin glowing with renewed vigor.
Lyra and Tyro exchanged a nce, before agreeing to Korvax''s words.
"We think the same! He''s spending so much energy¡ I''m sure this form wouldn''tst!"
The other Beast Arts Practitioners, on the other hand, agreed to Sylvana''s decision! They also wanted to flee right now! The strength that the Demon Saint was showing was too much!
Furthermore, it was less likely that this Demon was bluffing at them after hearing his previous words.
Sylvana wanted to scold the three people, but she had no time to exin. A huge burst of malevolent energy spread outwards, pressuring them as they almost kneeled even with the power of Beast Marks protecting their bodies.
Malrath, now a vessel for Greed, rose to his full height, his power magnified beyond measure.
"I am reborn!"
He dered, his voice filled Malrath''s rage and Greed''s cold ambition.
"This realm shall be mine to im, and all shall bow before the might of Greed! Ughh¡ No! This realm is for the Demon Lord!"
Well, there seemed to be disharmony between them as Greed had just taken the body.
Vale''s Avatar, witnessing the rise of Greed, knew that inaction was not an option.
Although it sounded extreme, the fate of the realm was hanging in the bnce with the appearance of the Greed. Because of that, he prepared to join the fray!
He bided his time, waiting for the precise moment to strike. He had a perfect spot tounch a surprise attack, and he could not waste such an opportunity.
Vale remained patient as he watched the two forces getting ready to make their move¡
''Now¡''
As Greed reared back, preparing to unleash a devastating blow upon Sylvana, Vale''s Avatar made his move. With his Presence Shift, he instantly appeared close to Greed and intervened, his presence became a sudden shield between Sylvana and the Sin!
"Back, foul creature!" Vale''s Avatar thundered, his voice also called the Divine Lightning above!
Boom! The creature was hit, but the damage was not enough¡ It only briefly surprised the Creature for the attack that came out of nowhere.
However, it didn''t end there, Vale used his Vampiric Fist to suck out his opponent''s life!
Bam!
Unfortunately, it doesn''t seem to work against his opponent¡
"Mhmm? This scent¡ A true Immortal?" Greed''s eyes narrowed as he hesitated for a moment¡
On the other hand, seeing Vale''s strong appearance,?the Beast Arts Practitioners rallied at his side, their energies reignited by the arrival of this unexpected ally.
Sylvana, regaining her footing, nodded to Vale''s Avatar.
"I heard a lot about you, Shadow Immortal¡ Your arrival was perfect. Let''s show this embodiment of avarice the strength of ourbined might!"
These words actually surprised Vale. He didn''t expect that Sylvana and the Beast Arts Practitioners would immediately ept his assistance.
They were barely surprised at his appearance at all! It even seemed as if they were waiting for his arrival.
"Very well¡" Vale could only reply with their unexpected immediate eptance of the situation.
"Hahaha! Let''s see how you can stop me!" Greedughed as he felt challenged by the situation.
Then, the battle that ensued was a spectacle of divine and primal forces shing against the Corruption of Greed.
Vale''s Avatar triggered his Divine Arts, unleashing a?Holy Smite?that seared the air with its brilliance. While bolts of?Divine Lightning?forked down, seeking to purify the tainted essence of the Sin!
However, the Greed wasn''t a being that could bepared to Demon Saints! They were Special Beings that not even the Demon Lord couldmand them at will!
Seeing that the Corruption was too strong, Vale continued unlesashing strong Spells!
He summoned aMeteor¡ It was like a celestial hammer aimed to crush the malevolence before them.
"Ah¡" Sylvana and the others who wanted to summon their Beast Marks to help and attack the enemy, immediately backed off as they realized that the level of this fight was beyond their capabilities!
Instead of helping, they might just be a burden for the Immortal!
Instead of dying from the Demonic Being, they might die from Vale''s Celestial Arts!
Yet as the Beast Arts Practitioners were fleeing for their lives, Greed absorbed the onught, itsughter a mocking gale amidst the storm of attacks.
"Is this all you have? Your feeble attempts are but whispers in the wind to me!" It seemed as if the Greed''s power was getting stronger as time passed!
''We must find another way¡" Vale''s Avatar thought... ''This Sin feeds on battle¡ We need a strategy, not just brute force.''
Vale''s eyes narrowed as he spoke soflty.
"Buy me some time¡" Vale said as he summoned his Moonlight Specters and Shadow Soldiers to attack the enemy¡
Sylvana and the others also decided to cooperate.
The elite members of the Order of the Valiant Scourge were filled with courage as soon as the Shadow Immortal spoke.
Sylvana channeled the ferocity of the ck Lion, her strikes imbued with the savagery of the king of beasts.
Korvax invoked the might of the Scaled Bear, his blows resonating with the weight of the forest''s guardian.
Lyra and Tyro, swift as the panther, coordinated their attacks to strike the enemy!
The other practitioners did the same, but unfortunately, the Greed was on a different level!
"Not good¡ Call for backup!" Sylvana shouted while looking at Korvax, who had the ability to send long-distance messages.
"We need all the strength we can muster!"
Of course, there was no way their backup could arrive instantly, but it was better to tell others about their situation here!
"Hoo~ The Immortal is preparing something?" Greed muttered seeing Vale was unmoving.
Even if he was being attacked from all sides by the Beast Arts Practitioners, he stood unyielding like a monolith of Sin. With each attack it endured, it seemed to grow stronger, feeding off the very conflict it was embroiled in.
Bang!
With a wave of his hand, two Beast Arts Practitioners lost their lives¡ They very life seemed to have been drained by the Corruption.
"No matter what you do¡ You can never win against me!" Greedughed as he saw the faces of the Beast Masters.
In this dire moment, Vale''s eyes snapped open, revealing an iridescent luminescence that had not been there before.
A confident smile graced his features as an aura of formidable power erupted from him, a stark contrast to the Avatar''s previous disys of strength.
Sylvana and the rest of the Beast Arts Practitioners were certainly happy at this development¡ They already reached their limit and as a matter of fact, they used their Forbidden Spells already!
They exceeded their limits of two or three Beast Marks usage and decided to use five or six of them!
All of them are no longer in a good condition!
If this goes on, all of the Beast Master here will die for sure!
Thankfully, Vale seemed to be ready to fight once against and end this fight once and for all.
Greed, taken aback by the sudden surge in Vale''s presence, faltered. He couldn''t understand how the Immortal''s Divinity which was only the size of a fist, suddenly filled his whole body!
That''s right, Greed could see Vale''s Divinity filling all of his body right now!
"What''s happening? An Immortal at your level shouldn''t be staying here in the lower realm!" He stammered, hisposure shaken.
Vale''s response was a cryptic smile as he vanished from sight, only to materialize behind the startled Sin. Greed, realizing the peril of closebat with this newfound adversary, turned to flee.
But Vale was swifter.
Utilizing hisPresence Shift, he teleported behind Greed once more, immobilizing the Sin with an unyielding grasp.
Boom!
The force of Vale''s hold mmed Greed into the earth, creating a massive crater.
In a calm yet authoritative tone, Vale whispered, "Extract¡"
Chapter 746 Blessed
Chapter 746 Blessed
??[ Demonic Being has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
This was the message that had appeared after Vale grasped the Demon.
On the other hand, Greed had no idea what was about to happen, but he could tell that the Shadow Immortal was about to do something. With that in mind, he quickly tried to gather his strength to push away the Immortal.
However, Vale''s extraction had already started!
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +600,Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.9, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +600,Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.9, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +600,Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.9, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Spell Light + 1 ]
"So it''s quite simr to the Demon Saints?" Vale mused after getting the results of extractions.
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +600,Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.9, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Demon Eyes Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +600,Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.9, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Soul Extractor Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +600,Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.9, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Demonic Transformation Spell Model ]
Then, the second batch of extractions brought him two new Spell Models since he already has Demon Eyes, which he received from the slumbering Demon Saints in Mausoleum.
"You¡ª" Greed''s eyes turned wide as he felt a huge chunk of his energy start disappearing!
It wasn''t difficult to connect that it was Vale who had done something to him.
Luckily, however, the energy, essence, spell models, and everything that had disappeared were from the host or from Malrath himself.
Greed wasn''t included in the extraction that was happening.
However, as he thought that he was safe from this and was thinking of leaving the body before it was toote, something horrifying happened.
"Got it¡" Vale muttered as Greed realized that the part of his soul that descended to this Human Realm was weakening!
Apparently, from the depths of Greed''s essence, Vale drew forth three distinct manifestations of the Sin''s power!
[ Extraction Sessful. Avarice me Spell Model, Greed Essence +1000 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Hoarding Shadow Spell Model, Greed Essence +1000 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Dominion Thirst Spell Model, Greed Essence +1000 ]
"What have you done!" Greed cried out as he realized that his Soul Essence had weakened a lot!
On the other hand, Vale simply ignored him as he epted all the Spell Models to his body!
He soon understood the power of each spell. As he checked all of them, he realized that they were a lot more simr to the Psychic Arts.
Avarice''s me Spell. This spell conjures an ethereal me that embodies the insatiable desire for wealth and power.
It is not a fire in the traditional sense, as it does not burn wood nor melt steel, but rather, it ignites a relentless greed within the hearts of those it touches.
The metches onto the soul, causing an overwhelming obsession to umte riches, often leading to the individual''s downfall as they lose sight of all else in their pursuit of material gain.
''This is certainly a Spell that Demons would like to have¡'' Vale thought as he recalled how the Sins strengthened themselves.
Hoarding ShadowSpell. A dark mist that clung to treasures,pelling its victims to hide away their possessions from the world.
It preys on the fear of loss and the desire to protect one''s wealth, leading to behavior akin to that of a dragon guarding its hoard. The spell can cause individuals to be secretive and isted, as they be consumed by the need to safeguard their treasures from perceived threats.
This spell felt quite useless to Vale but since he had spare Spell Light, he didn''t mind taking this Spell for now or fusing itter for a better and stronger Spell Model.
''This Spell is really just for Demons, huh¡'' Valemented.
Lastly, there was DominionThirst Spell. It summons a spectral chain that binds the wills of others, turning them into subservient pawns.
It manifests as spectral chains that wrap around the target, linking them to the caster. The chains are not physical but are felt as an overwhelming pressure to obey and serve. The Dominion Spell is particrly dangerous as it strips away autonomy, making it a perfect tool for tyrants and conquerors¡
It was quite simr to the ve Mark Spell. However, this Dominion Spell was even more incredible considering the fact that just by having a Level 1 Spell, he could already target five people at the same time!
''Awesome!'' Vale wanted to celebrate, while Greed wanted to flee as quickly as possible!
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +600,Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.9, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Spell Light + 1 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Energy +600,Corrupted Divinity +50, Vitality +0.9, Corrupted Immortal Essence +100, Complete Spell Light + 1 ]
As Vale continued the extraction, Greed mustered all its remaining strength in a desperate bid for freedom.
It unleashed a torrent of corrupt energy, a maelstrom of depravity that sought to overwhelm Vale and break his divine hold.
But Vale was stubborn, hisShadow Divinityrising to meet the challenge.
"Show everything you got, Greed¡" Vale taunted.
Shadows coalesced around his form, a cloak of darkness that absorbed and nullified Greed''s attacks. With each attempt to escape, Vale''s Shadows grew denser, a tangible darkness that countered the Sin''s every move.
Vale was actually extracting more essence from Greed as he struggled to escape!
"You arrogant fool! Once my real body descends, your whole family will be killed¡ All of your loved ones will suffer worse than death!" Greed threatened as he felt that he was about to lose.
Even if he does lose in the end, he wouldn''t make it easy for Vale!
Greed released all of his might!
It was a duel of strength between the embodiment of avarice and the enigmatic power of Vale.
Vale then felt his hands burning as the corruption of the Sin was still no joke¡ The power being released by Greed right now was something that could even kill a Half-Immortal. It was already amazing how he was able to continue holding on against such power.
It actually pierced through his Incorruptible Body!
His extractions couldn''t keep up with the power being released by the Sin!
Vale had no choice but to continue with his attacks.
Holy Smites rained down, Divine Lightning descended from the sky¡ Yet, Greed endured, its form battered but unbroken.
As the corruption in his hands intensified, Vale had to release Greed from his hands.
Vale then healed himself quickly while using his Shadow Divinity to contain the movement of the Demon.
It wanted to flee immediately, but Vale didn''t allow that.
"Astral Chains¡"
This was one of the Dimensional Creature''s spells, something that even Greed hadn''t expected to see.
"You¡ª" Greed watched as the Astral Chains wrapped around him, constricting tighter with each passing second.
Then, Vale continued with his extraction!
"This is not over, Shadow Immortal! I will return stronger!"
Finally, with an increase of Divine Energy, Valepleted the extraction.
Greed''s essence was torn asunder, its power stripped away and sealed within Vale''s keeping!
Demon Saint Malrath, now a mere husk of its former self, copsed, defeated and powerless.
Vale smiled at this as he closed his eyes for a brief moment¡
On the other hand, as the dust settled and the echoes of their sh faded into silence, the Beast Arts Practitioners approached. Their expressions were of awe and gratitude.
"You have saved us all¡ Thank you, Shadow Immortal¡" Sylvana said, her voice filled with reverence.
Vale didn''t respond for a while, and the Practitioners thought that Vale was injured. They couldn''t help but express their worry.
However, after a few moments, when they were about to examine Vale closely, they saw him opening his eyes, his mysterious smile returning once more.
"Mhmm¡ You guys can try targeting the weaker Demon Saints from now on. Let me see your weapons." Vale suggested, his voice calm yet imbued with an underlying intention.
The Practitioners'' worry turned to excitement as they presented their weapons to Vale.
It didn''t take long before swords, guns, and daggers wereid before him.
Sylvana, her intuition as sharp as her de, voiced the question that was on everyone''s mind. "Are you going to bless our weapons?"
Everyone already somewhat guessed by Vale''s confirmation was still needed as they couldn''t contain their excitement anymore.
Vale nodded, his smile widening. "Indeed. Your courage has earned you this boon. With my Shadow Divinity, your weapons will be beacons of darkness to strike fear into the hearts of demons."
As soon as these words were said, the group of Beast Arts Practitioners erupted in cheer!
One by one, Vale took the weapons in his hands.
His touch was light, but the power that flowed from him was profound.
Shadows swirled around the weapons, weaving intricate patterns of shadow energy that seemed to pulse with a life of their own.
Chapter 747 Death
Chapter 747 Death
Vale, the Shadow Immortal, stood before the assembly of Beast Arts Practitioners, each warrior holding their weapon with a mix of anticipation and reverence.
He could hear their whispers, but he decided to focus on his task: to give blessings to their magic artifacts.
His ability to give "blessing" to Magic Artifacts or even to normal objects wasn''t from a Spell Model that he already has. It came from the Shadow Consortium.
Indeed, it came from one of the organizations that had visited his castle over a year ago.
At that time, Cane from Shadow Consortium had previously requested his blood to create a Divine Talisman. At that time, Vale was hesitant to use his blood to create such an item.
After all, if that talisman was handed over to the wrong person, it would be disastrous. A talisman that was above the known highest-ranking talisman that an Arcanist could be considered a weapon of mass destruction.
However, after quite some time, he was able to consider all possibilities.
All in all, it would have given him more benefits if he had cooperated, so he still decided to go ahead with the n. He even added a condition to learn how to make his Divine Talisman.
Thanks to that, Lisa, Denise, and all the others in the castle obtained a Divine Talisman from the Consortium.
Of course, instead of learning how to create a Divine Talisman, Vale had learned how to provide "blessing" to an item with his Shadow Divinity or even using his blood.
''Let''s quickly finish this¡'' Vale muttered.
As Vale extended his hands, a hush fell over the crowd, the only sound was the whisper of the wind through the trees.
Whoosh~
He began with Sylvana''s sword, his fingers tracing the length of the de.
As he did so, the metal darkened to an obsidian hue, and shadows gathered around the edges like a shroud.
Sylvana and the others wanted to exim in surprise, but they all held their mouths as if they didn''t want to disturb Vale''s ritual.
They didn''t want the blessing to fail. After all, a failed blessing wasn''t harmless. It could break the items instead!
Considering that, they made sure not to disturb him.
Soon, Vale whispered the word "Shadow Blessing".
Again, it wasn''t a Spell, but he simply chanted it to trigger his mind. It was the method he developed to draw enough Shadow Divinity¡
Soon, the sword seemed to absorb the light around it, bing a weapon that could cleave through both flesh and even the light itself.
He did not return the sword to Sylvana, but instead, he turned his attention to the next item. Since he was in the momentum, he didn''t want to break it.
Next was Korvax''s hammer, its headrge and already imposing.
Vale ced a palm on either side of it, and the shadows coalesced into solid form, wrapping around the hammer like dark vines.
"Shadow Blessing"
Once again, the hammer was pounded by the darkness to obtain a new, heavier weight, promising to bring the might of shadow essence upon its foe.
Lyra and Tyro had also handed their daggers.
Vale took each dagger and held them aloft. The des vibrated as if eager for the blessing.
''Ohhh~ These daggers are Royal Grade¡ Impressive.'' Valemented in his mind.
He continued with his ritual and enveloped the daggers in a silent miasma, ensuring their strikes would be as quiet as they could ever be.
One by one, the other Practitioners stepped forward, presenting their weapons to Vale. Each time, he imbued them with a unique aspect of his Shadow Divinity:
A bow that once sounded like a screeching string now hummed with a deeper resonance¡
A set of throwing knives became almost invisible when hurled¡
A staff, used for channeling the natural energies of the world now pulsed with a darker power. Anyone could guess that the spells that would cast on it would be tinged with the essence of night.
As Vale continued, the surrounding air around them seemed to thicken, charged with the power of the Shadow Divinity.
The Practitioners felt the weight of their newly blessed weapons, a tangible reminder of the strength they had been granted.
When thest weapon had been blessed, a collective sense of empowerment filled the group.
They knew that with these weapons, they were no longer just Beast Masters; they felt like calling themselves Shadow Beast Masters!
Sylvana chuckled at this thought but she immediately suppressed herself in case Vale misunderstood.
Vale stepped back, his taskplete.
The Practitioners lifted their weapons high, the newly formed shadows writhing around them in a dance of dark celebration.
That''s right¡ The shadows seemed alive in their weapons!
They were ready to face the Demon horde or even weaker Demon Saints, to defend their realm with the blessings of the Shadow Immortal.
"Incredible! Thank you, Sir Immortal!"
"This is going to be my family''s heirloom¡"
"If there''s a time that you need our help, please don''t hesitate to inform us."
"Right¡ If you have young disciples who want to learn beast arts, you can let us know and train them with the basics. No need to attend the academies."
"Hahaha¡ That''s right¡ We don''t know how we are going to repay you, Sir Immortal. So please don''t hesitate toe to us if there are minor things you have to do. Just leave those things to us."
The Practitioners could feel the power coursing through their newly blessed weapons, a sensation that was both exhrating and humbling.
They knew that with these gifts, their prowess in battle would be unmatched.
Vale smiled at their words and he would surely use them if needed.
"Alright¡ Go forth, warriors of the Beast Arts¡" Vale proimed, his voice echoing with the authority of the ages.
"I hope these weapons will help you kill more demons or even Demon Saints. Be symbols of victory against the darkness that encroaches upon our world." Vale wanted to sound profound, which was befitting of an Immortal, but he seemed to be trying too hard.
He decided to end his words with that and left the area.
The Beast Arts Practitioners raised their weapons high, their cheers resonating through the region¡
They were ready to face whatever challengesy ahead, emboldened by the blessings of the Shadow Immortal.
***
In the meantime, not too far from the remnants of the Vermont Academy, Lesley Hoffman, with her fiery red hair and piercing eyes, led her squad of Dark Arts Practitioners through the shadowed forests of the kingdom.
They moved like wraiths, silent and deadly, their presence known only by the chill in the air and the whispers of the leaves¡
"Mhmm¡ We''re finally getting a good haul this time." She muttered with a smile on her face.
Lesley, though young, was a prodigy among the Practitioners.
Her power was immense, her control over the Dark Arts was unparalleled and not even the professors of the Academy were her match.
Her team, a handpicked group of the most talented and ruthless mages, followed her without question, their loyalty as deep as the darkness they wielded.
They were on the hunt for a Demon Saint, one who ranked 44th in the hierarchy of the Abyss.
This Demon Saint had caused chaos in one of theboratories of the Vermont n and had to die. This Demon Saint''s power was formidable but not insurmountable. The Demon Saint was relying too much on the Corruption Divinity and the weapon that could emit abyssal fire.
Lesley and her squad had tracked it to these woods, and they were ready to end their reign of terror. Well, this Demon Saint was already injured by the Patriarch of the Vermont n. The Demon Saint could no longer show more than 50% of its power.
Nheless, if it wasn''t Lesley''s team, it would be dangerous for other Evanescent Vessel''s squad.
As they closed in on their quarry, the Demon Saint sensed their approach and attempted to flee.
"Tsk¡ What kind of mark did they put on me? How are they finding me?!" The Demon Saint said in frustration.
He then tore through the forest, uprooting trees and shattering rocks, its desperation could be felt.
However, Lesley and the others were already in the distance.
She raised her hand, and her squad formed a circle around her. They began to chant, their voices a low, haunting melody that resonated with the power of the void.
The air around them darkened, and the fabric of reality began to thin.
"Now!" Lesleymanded, her voice cutting through the night.
With a collective surge of their wills, they summoned theHand of the Death God¡ A mysterious being living in the Spirit World.
The hand tore through the veil of space, a terrifying entity of shadow and malice. Its fingers were like the trunks of ancient trees, its palm a chasm of darkness!
"What is that thing?!" The Demon Saint, who was ranked 44th, was terrified at the mountain-sized hand reaching out for him!
Chapter 748 The Specter
Chapter 748 The Specter
??"This¡"
The Demon Saint, sensing the impending doom, let out a guttural roar. But it was toote. The Hand of the Death God reached out, its grasp was inevitable.
Bam!
The terrifying hand summoned by Lesley and her team caught the Demon Saint in its clutches while it emitted an immense and almost solid pressure.
"We got him¡ Haha! I enjoyed hunting you, Mr. Demon Saint."
Lesley stepped forward, her eyes seemed to be filled with amusement now that the Demon Saint''s life was on the verge of being extinguished...
"This is for all the Dark Alchemists you killed in the specialboratory¡" She whispered, and with a flick of her wrist, the huge hand they summoned clenched tightly.
St~
There was a sound like thunder, a scream that echoed through the valley, and then silence. The Demon Saint was no more, crushed by the might of the Dark Arts Practitioners'' summon.
The energy from the Demon Saint had also gathered to the huge hand as if it was taking its soul as payment for the summon¡
After a few moments, the Hand of the Death God dissipated, leaving behind only the remnant energy and the memory of its power.
"Haha! This is our second Demon Saint, Miss Lesley. You''re really amazing!"
"To think that we''re capable of killing Demon Saints that were rumored to be equal to Immortals¡ We''re incredible!"
"Hahaha¡ Not even a Demon Saint can handle the Death God''s Hand!"
Lesley smiled after hearing their words.
"Yes¡ But we can''t be toocent. This is just the beginning." Lesley said while looking at her excited team. Although she was also quite proud of their achievement, she didn''t get caught by the flow of emotions as they might get too arrogant and try fighting strong Demon Saints¡
She believed that if they met a Demon Saint that was at least ranked 20, they would be in big trouble.
"It''s time to leave this ce.
Lesley reminded her team as their mission was finallyplete. They had proven once again that even the demons of the Abyss were not beyond their reach.
''Let''s leave the strong ones to those strong groups¡'' Lesley thought as she prepared to leave.
She was referring to the Bureau with the most number of Half-Immortals in their organization. There was also the Overseer of the Human Realm, Sage Merlin. She believed that the Overseer would never let this Realm be infested with Demons.
As for the Arcane Arts Factions, she believed that they were also capable of fending off the Demon Saints. However, that would only be the case if the Demon Saints would onlye one by one.
Anyway, the biggest variable in her mind that could change the tide of this war against the Abyss Realm was the mysterious Shadow Immortal at the border of the Milton and Ruri Kingdom.
Through the reports of the Spy Squads of the Vessels, the Shadow Immortal seemed to be using some sort of dimensional gate to move to various ces and fight some of the Demons Saints and help various critical regions of the continent.
"I hope he continues working hard¡" Lesley muttered to herself.
She had plenty of things she wanted to do, and this invasion had pushed back most of her ns to achieve the peak of Dark Arts.
***
In the meantime, in the southern region of the Pallham Empire just above the Ruri Kingdom, one of thergest rifts made by the Demons had also appeared.
The Lorkan city''s enchanted ramparts, created by both arcane magic and human technology, stood defiantly against the impending darkness.
It was here that Lisa, found herself perched atop a shadowed parapet, her gaze fixed on the gathering storm of demons beyond.
''There''s no Demon Saints here¡ I guess this won''t be as hard as I thought.'' Lisa thought to herself. However, although she said that it wasn''t that hard, she was only thinking that this city might just lost half of their army before being able to win.
That means about 10,000 soldiers, including those Arcanists, would probably die if the Demon Horde reached them.
Well, it would be considered a great result since already¡
Lisa then shifted her attention to the army of Lorkan City¡ Thanks to the Overseer''s or Sage Merlin''s reputation, the City Lords of the surrounding area had truly prepared themselves and gathered their forces to create their final line of defense in this city.
Behind the walls, there was an infantry in full armor, knights, and even archers. They were Arcanists but their weapons had runes on them.
There was also a smaller group with a myriad of Arcanists from the Arcanist Guild and various organizations.
They mainly were Shamans, Elementalists, Magic Knights, and Runecasters¡ªprepared for the siege. Though they hailed not from the prestigious Twelve Arcane Factions, their prowess was no less formidable, their spirits no less fierce.
Even the city lords had difficulty hiring legendary Arcanists from variousrge organizations since everyone was in trouble during this invasion.
Because of that, they had no choice but to rely on their local Arcanists and spend plenty of money to equip them with better Magic Artifacts and various materials.
"Roooaaar~"
After some time, the demon horde unleashed their fury upon the city, and the Arcanists responded with their own spells.
Elementalists conjured elemental attacks, hurling fire and ice across the battlefield. Magic Knights, armored in enchanted steel, met the flying demons head-on. Their des may not be as sharp as Vale''s, but they were enough for the lower-ss Demons.
The Shamans, on the other hand, invoked ancestral spirits, calling forth ethereal allies, while Runecasters etched runes of power into the air, weaving a curtain of protective spells.
ng! ng! ng!
Amidst the chaos, Lisa observed the battle unfold, her vampire senses attuned to every heartbeat, every drop of spilled blood. She felt the pull of the conflict, the desire to join her newfound allies against the tide of evil.
"Why do you wait, Lisa?" Yvaine''s voice emerged from the darkness beside her, her presence was like aforting cloak. Yvaine was Vale''s Dark Spirit Companion, and it felt like Vale was also watching over her with the Dark Spirit sent to observe her.
"I am a creature of the night, Yvaine. Let''s wait until it gets darker before I make my move¡" Lisa replied, filled with confidence¡
Seeing the battle just now, she was able to tell that she was indeed quite stronger. She could only hope that there weren''t any Demon Saints cowardly hiding among them.
Yvaine chuckled softly, a sound that seemed to embrace the night.
Well, Lisa didn''t have issues moving during the day because she was a True Vampire. She wouldn''t be called weak even if it wasn''t dark yet. Nheless, Yvaine decided not to reply and just observed her from now on.
As the battle continued, there were still no sights of Demon Saints, Seven Sins, Evil Entities, and other unusual Demonic Figures. Because of this, Lisa finally decided to make her move.
***
The moon hung high in the sky, a silver orb casting its ethereal glow over the besieged city.
It was under this ethereal light that Lisa chose to reveal herself.
She emerged from the darkness, her figure silhouetted against the moon''s luminescence, her long dark hair flowing like a banner of war.
The Arcanists, entrenched in their battle against the demon horde, turned at the sound of her approach.
"W-what''s that?"
"That''s not a demon!"
"Ignore her! Just focus on the demons in front! Those Shamans will handle any demons in the sky!"
"Yes, Captain!"
However, despite hearing the orders, many of them still looked at the figure above them.
Then, their eyes, filled with the fatigue of endlessbat, widened as they beheld the vampiric majesty before them.
They felt it¡ The woman was not an Arcanist but a Vampire!
Lisa''s skin was pale, a stark contrast to the night around her, and her eyes glowed with a fierce, ruby-red light that mirrored the bloodlust of the battle.
Lisa then gracefully raised her arms towards the sky¡
The surrounding air around her stirred, and from the shadows, her familiars leaped! They were creatures of the night bound to her will.
Wolves with coats as ck as pitch and eyes like burning coals snarled at her side, while bats, their wings spread wide, filled the sky with their terrifying presence.
The Arcanists watched a mix of awe and fear etching their faces, as Lisa''s familiars joined the fray.
All of them immediately heaved a sigh of relief as soon as the familiars attacked the Demons!
''She''s helping us!''
Indeed, the wolves lunged with supernatural speed, tearing into the demon ranks!
The bats also swooped down, their screeches piercing and disorienting the Demons with their sonic assaults.
It didn''t end there¡ Lisa had also made her move like a specter of the night...
Then, the people of the city finally realized the blessing that had arrived.
"It''s her! The Sage''s prophecy! Our Savior has arrived!"
"Sage Merlin is right! Our city will win against the demons!"
Chapter 749 Lisas Battle
Chapter 749 Lisa''s Battle
??Lisa chucked after hearing the Arcanists below her. Certainly, Sage Merlin informed the City Lords that they would receive help from the gods once they followed his instructions but would be abandoned if they ignored his warnings.
Of course, with the help of the Arcane Bureau, which basically monitors the whole continent, Vale knew that the City Lords had followed their instructions and sent Lisa and Yvaine to assist them.
"Focus¡" Lisa muttered to herself.
Her fangs gleamed in the moonlight, each vampiric strike was precise and lethal. Her ws, now extended and razor-sharp, sliced through demonic flesh as if it were mere parchment!
After clearing arge group of Demons in front, Lisa decided to speak.
"I am Lisa, a True Vampire, sent by the Sage to aid this city! Now, I will take the lead in front and kill the Demons! Join me!" She proimed, her voice echoing with newfound authority.
"We will follow you, Vampire!"
"Haha! A Vampire sent by the Sage! Of course, we''ll follow!"
"Please, lead us to victory!"
Themanders, who were thinking of retreating, regained their courage to confront the enemies.
Although a single Arcanist may not heavily affect the battlefield, it was definitely different for a True Vampire!
Vampires had incredible regenerative abilities, and their tenacity was unmatched as long as they could consume blood.
As Lisa took charge, the Arcanists rallied behind her, their spells ready.
She raised her hands, and from the ground erupted a legion of crimson tendrils, the manifestation of her blood magic.
Indeed, the blood of Arcanists that was mixed with the blood of the demons was now under Lisa''s control!
It was a perfect spell on a battlefield soaked with blood!
"Incredible¡"
"All the blood is being controlled by the Vampire!"
"Follow her lead!"
"Hahaha! This is a lot easier now!" One of the Runecasters eximed as he saw the Vampire''s spell in action.
These blood tendrils snaked through the battlefield, seeking demon flesh and pulling the vile creatures into the earth, leaving behind nothing but echoes of their demise.
Seeing such an effective way of eliminating the Demons, many of them couldn''t help but nce at the beautiful Vampire!
"Is this really it?" Lisa muttered as she ignored the gazes cast on her.
Lisa''s eyes, glowing with a preternatural luminescence, scanned the battlefield as she continued with her spells.
She chanted in the ancient tongue of vampires.
The words were a melody of darkness, each syble a note in the symphony of war.
With the final words of the ritual, she unleashed theVampiric Maelstrom, a whirlwind of sanguine energy that drained the demons of their vitality, transferring their life force to her body, healing her injuries, and bolstering her strength.
Thanks to Lisa''s initiative, the other Arcanists had enough time to recover and used various spells, and potions to increase strength and heal their injuries.
The Magic Knights, infused with new stamina, formed the vanguard, their des now coated in a rime of frost and me.
Elementalists summoned torrents of elemental burst, their spells amplified by the elemental talismans they triggered.
Shamans, also gathered enough Mystical Energy and called forth a host of spectral warriors that filled up the sky!
Runecasters etched runes of power into the very stones of the city, creating awork of explosive traps that detonated with every demon step!
''Not bad¡'' Lisa nodded thoughtfully after seeing how the Arcanists coordinated their attacks with her actions.
Lisa continued with her onught. Her form was like a blur shadow under the moonlight. She darted through the demon ranks.
Her ws extended and eliminated the demons in front of her. She was a reaper in the night, her strikes so swift and precise that demons fell before they could even scream!
With the blood of the Demons replenishing her energy, she continued to summon more of her familiars, bats, and wolves that obeyed her everymand, adding tooth and w to the city''s defense!
The battle raged on... Lisa''s presence on the front lines was a whirlwind of destruction. Her vampiric spells continued to stop the powerful demons'' advance!
Together with the Arcanists in the city, they pushed the demons back, reiming the night one inch at a time.
However, as Lisa thought that the battle was about to end, something unexpected happened.
***
The city, bathed in the blood of demons and its defenders, stood on the brink of salvation.
Lisa was able to eliminate more than half of the Demons all alone!
It sounded quite exaggerated for a lone Vampire to do so much, but this was all because Lisa was not a normal True Vampire either¡ She received Vale, the Shadow Immortal''s blood, almost everyday!
It was a blood containing Divinity!
At first, Lisa would have difficulty consuming such a powerful blood, and she felt burning whenever she did it.
However, as she slowly consumed Vale''s blood everyday, She built up immunity, or perhaps, her body adapted to Divinity and transformed her body even more!
Thanks to that, Lisa had be a lot stronger!
Finally, over the past year, she was able to train with the Immortals that Vale had woken up!
These Immortals had incrediblebat abilities and she learned a lot from them!
With all of thesebined, it wasn''t surprising for Lisa to be on top of this battle!
The Arcanists, bolstered by her might, fought with fervor as their magic illuminatedthe night with shes of arcane spells¡
"Hmm?" Lisa frowned as she sensed something off.
The air grew cold¡ It was unnoticeable to many but not to her¡
As she continued massacring the demons, she finally realized what was going on.
Soon, a shadow fell outside the city in front of the Demon horde close to Lisa.
Boom~
From the swirling chaos of the demon horde emerged a figure of towering malevolence¡ªit was a Demon Saint.
He assumed his body into the form or size of a human. However, there were still plenty of his features that werepletely demon-like.
His skin was filled eerie darkness, etched with runes that pulsed with corrupt power.
His eyes, devoid of light, threatened to swallow hope whole.
He also wore a bone crown that Lisa suspected to be Dimensional Creatures after Vale warned her before.
This Demon Saint''s presence alone caused the bravest of the Arcanists behind her to falter.
In just a few moments, a hidden member of the Arcane Bureau sent a message to her through telepathy.
"That''s Kougar, the 24th Demon Saint."
Lisa didn''t reply as she took a deep breath.
''I knew it wouldn''t be this easy.'' Lisa thought with a helpless smile on her face.
Nheless, she was actually unafraid.
She was undaunted by the Demon Saint''s fearsome visage and stepped forward.
"You shall not pass¡" She dered, her voice cutting through the silence like a de.
"Hahahaha!"
The Demon Saintughed, a sound that was both a promise and a curse.
"Foolish Vampire, do you not know whom you face? I am the harbinger of your end, the architect of corruption, Saint Kougar! I know you''ve reached your limit!"
With a gesture, the Demon Saint unleashed hisCorrupted Divinity, a miasma of decay that sought to taint all it touched.
Lisa felt the corruption wing at her, threatening to overwhelm her vampiric nature.
"Tsk¡"
Lisa frowned as she wasn''t sure if she could endure this¡
She then called out to Yvaine, the Dark Spirit who had remained hidden until now.
"Yvaine, I need you!"
From the shadows, Yvaine emerged, her form a wisp of darkness.
"I am here, Lisa. I''ve never fought against a Demon Saint, so let''s work together."
"Yes!"
Lisa and Yvaine fought back-to-back, their powers intertwined. Lisa''s blood magic shed with the Demon Saint''s corruption, her spells weaving a protective shroud around them.
Yvaine, her spirit form flickering, struck at the Demon Saint with tendrils of pure shadow¡
"Is that all?" Kougarughed as he already knew that he could win this. Although he didn''t expect a Dark Spirit''s appearance, it wasn''t a threatening reinforcement that he should worry about.
Indeed, Lisa and Yvaines were outmatched.
The Demon Saint''s power was immense, his corruption seeping into the very stones of the city, wilting the life from them.
It was then that Lisapleted her preparation.
Shiiing~
She pulled out a weapon. It was Magic Artifact that Vale, the Shadow Immortal, had entrusted to her¡ªa weapon he named himselfEclipse Scythe.
Its de was a sliver of darkness, forged from the essence of Vale''s own Shadow Divinity.
With a flick of her finger, numerous bats gathered around her but they didn''tst long. Ass soon as the bats dispersed, there was a weapon in her hands.
With the Eclipse Scythe in hand, Lisa fought back!
The scythe hummed with the power of the Shadow Divinity, cutting through the corruption as if it were but mist.
However, it didn''t end there¡
Soon, Yvaine took out a glowing talisman from the shadows!
It was one of the Divine Talismans made from Vale''s blood!
Chapter 750 Another One
Chapter 750 Another One
"Kukuku¡ Bring it on, lower life forms!"
Kougar, the 24th Ranked Demon Saint, stood amidst the ruins of his own making.
His suppressedughter resonated with the crumbling stones of the city.
Lisa, her figure shrouded in the cloak of night, faced him with the Eclipse Scythe in hand. Its de was emitting a powerful Divinity, and she knew that she couldn''t control this weapon for too long.
Nheless, she was confident in winning this battle because she wasn''t alone!
"Your arrogance will be your undoing¡" Lisa dered, her voice steady despite the maelstrom of Corruption that Kougar wielded.
Yvaine, her form barely visible, a wraith in the shadow, produced a talisman that pulsed with a celestial light.
It was the?Divine Talisman given to her by Vale in case they met a powerful foe. In a sense, it was considered a sacred artifact inscribed with Vale''s "Light Void w".
It was based on the Void w spell from the Dimensional Creature but it was heavily modified after engraving it into the talisman.
It now seemed to be a spell that could produce a light that could shackle even the darkest of entities and send them to the void.
As Lisa engaged Kougar, the Eclipse Scythe hummed with the power of Shadow Divinity...
Each swing cleaved through the air, dispelling the Corruption as it sought to connect with its target.
"A strong divinity¡ However, that wouldn''tst forever, Vampire!"
Kougar, in turn, unleashed tendrils of his Corrupted Divinity, each one was like a serpent of decay aiming to corrupt the very essence of life.
Lisa was actually being affected by the Corruption, but with her blood already mixed with the Immortal''s Blood, she was able to easily recover¡ However, she could not be toocent as her healing ability might not keep up with the corruption if the Demon Saint continued intensifying his attacks.
Boom!
The battle was a sh of Divinity against Corruption¡
Lisa, who was proud of her speed, rained down her attacks to the Demon Saint...
Kougar''s attacks were also relentless, but the Eclipse Scythe parried and countered¡
Bam!
Kougar was pushed away at the sudden burst of the Scythe''s Spell¡ It seemed to have the power of Wind Element!
Yvaine, seizing the moment, activated the?Divine Talisman: Light Void w.
Whom~
The talisman glowed brighter than the stars, its light rending the space as it shot towards Kougar.
Kougar''s eyes widened as he felt a powerful Spell suddenly appearing out of nowhere!
This Spell was definitely at the level of a powerful Celestial!
"You!"
Kougar was certainly surprised as he didn''t expect a Celestial-level attack to suddenlye at the most critical time!
"Aaargghhh!
The Demon Saint roared as the Void w tore through his existence, searing his flesh and halting his advance.
"This can''t be---" Kougar looked at the Demon Spirit that he had ignored because it was simply too weak in his perspective¡
He didn''t expect that it was carrying such a deadly talisman with her!
"Tsk¡ You''re leaving me with no other choice¡" Kougar muttered as he released his true form, aiming to fight against the void that was tearing through his body!
However, it was toote for him to show his full strength!
Lisa did not waste the opportunity. With a cry that echoed throughout the battlefield, she lunged forward, the Eclipse Scythe arcing through the air with deadly precision.
Kougar, bound by the?powerful offensive spells, could only watch as the scythe descended upon him.
Boom!
The impact was cataclysmic.
A shockwave of shadow and light erupted from the point of contact, sending ripples through the city and the surroundingnds.
As the light from the?Divine Talisman: Light Void w faded, the form of Kougar, the 24th Ranked Demon Saint, began to dissolve into the ether.
The city, which had teetered on the edge of destruction, now teemed with life and relief. Arcanists, once braced for death, now stepped out into the dawn of their salvation, their faces etched with disbelief and gratitude.
"You have done the impossible¡" One of the elder Shaman dered, his voice echoing the sentiment of every soul within the city walls.
"Yes! Thank you, Miss Vampire!"
"You have saved us! The City Lords would like to meet you!"
"Right¡ Did the Sage really send you here to save us? Thank you!"
Lisa just gently nodded in their direction as she had no ns of staying for long.
She simply needed some rest, so she hadn''t moved yet.
However, she recalled Denise'' reminder to be kind to the customers who will soon give them wealth.
''Ha~'' Lisa sighed.
Currently, her hand was resting on the hilt of theEclipse Scythe¡ She thought for a moment before she controlled her expression.
After taking a deep breath, she offered a gentle correction.
"No, we have done the possible, together." Her eyes, reflecting the breaking dawn, held the wisdom of the night''s ordeal.
These words made the rest of the soldiers and arcanists cheer aloud.
***
However, unbeknownst to everyone, a figure managed to appear not too far from the battlefield.
This figure was heavily injured and he was the true Kougar who lurked in the shadows. His demonic essence was barely present, and his Corruption Divinity was already less than 10% of the original¡
His form was a mere specter of his former glory.
"Whew¡ I still survived. But half of my soul gone¡" He muttered through gritted teeth, the pain of his soul''s division was something new and unwee sensation.
He had never tried this before until now!
''Tsk¡ I will remember you, Vampire¡ Once I''m fully healed. I wille back stronger!'' Kougar could only n his revenge as he didn''t expect the power behind that Divine Talisman with Light Void w to be too much!
Perhaps, if he didn''t have the bone of the Dimensional Creature with him, his body would''ve been torn to many pieces already since the protection of the Abyss in his body was still notplete.
''I hope the Demon Lord can lend me some Abyssal Knights¡'' Kougar thought as he knew that the Vampire''s weakness would be those undead knights without any blood or life force to consume.
He believed that just five of these Abyssal Knights would be enough to handle the Vampire even if she was equipped by that Eclipse Scythe!
Intent on fleeing, Kougar summoned the remnants of his power, preparing to disappear and escape to the Rift.
"Hmm?"
But fate, it seemed, had other ns.
From the silence emerged a figure, cloaked in the authority of the shadows.
It was a figure that many of the Demon Saints knew because of how he had killed and injured many Demon Saints already¡ It was the mysterious guardian of this Human Realm! The Shadow Immortal!
To be exact, it was Vale''s Avatar.
Kougar turned, his eyes widening in shock.
"You!" he spat, the word a venomous hiss.
''You''re supposed to be being hunted by the single-digit Demon Saints!'' This was what he wanted to say!
After all, the reason why many of the Demon Saints became active was because they believed that the Demon Saints who were still alive from Rank 1 to Rank 9 would be hunting the Shadow Immortal!
However, thosezy Demo Saints seemed to have different ns!
"Why are you here?!!!" Kougar shouted in frustration and anger! It was a mix of emotions as he also wanted to scold the other top Rankers!
Vale''s Avatar stood unflinching, his gaze piercing the Demon Saint''s facade.
"Did you think you could escape so easily, Kougar? It seems that you''re unaware, but we have two Demon Generals on our side¡" His voice was calm, a stark contrast to the turmoil that raged within Kougar.
Kougar was confused for a moment before his eyes widened as he realized something.
It appears that those Demon Generals leaked the information about his ability to split his soul!
Vale smiled after seeing his reaction.
Indeed, the two Demon Generals that had been enved in the Abyss Realm had served their purpose. They informed them of everything about the Abyss Realm, including the unique abilities of the Demon Saints!
The Demon Saint, now desperate, unleashed a barrage of corrupted spells, each a desperate cry of defiance.
Vale''s Avatar, however, was an unstoppable force.
He didn''t even bother dodging the attacks of the weakened Demon Saint¡
"You cannot touch me, Kougar. You are but a shadow of your former self, and evil spells hold no sway over me¡" Vale''s Avatar proimed, his hand reaching out to the Demon Saint¡
At the same time, he activated one of his Spells: ve Mark!
The temperature dropped with the appearance of Arcane Energy as a sigil of light appeared on Kougar''s forehead, searing into his very essence.
"You!"
Kougar roared in defiance, his form writhing as he fought against the inevitable.
His attempts to resist were fierce; he summoned the remnants of his Corrupted Divinity, trying to sever the bond that the ve Mark was forging.
But it was like a gale trying to uproot a mountain¡ªfutile and doomed to fail.
Nheless, Vale wasn''tcent and added more. It was the Spell he had recently obtained from the Sin!
"Dominion Thirst¡"
Chapter 751 The Demon Lord
Chapter 751 The Demon Lord
Dominion Thirst!
This Spell was recently extracted from Greed!
It summons a spectral chain that binds the wills of others, turning them into subservient pawns.
It manifests invisible chains that wrap around the target, linking them to the caster.
The chains are not physical but are felt as an overwhelming pressure to obey and serve. The Dominion Thirst Spell was particrly dangerous as it strips away autonomy! This was a more forceful method of controlling the target, unlike the ve Mark spell, which was meant to be stealthy.
"This¡"
Kougar, with every fiber of his being, resisted the encroaching control, his essence writhing in rebellion.
''Too strong! No, I''m too weak right now!''
He used all of his energy to resist the control. Yet, as the Dominion Thirst took hold, his struggles grew weaker, his once formidable power now a dwindling me against the encroaching dimness in his mind.
''I''m losing control¡ I need to---''
As the final vestiges of resistance faded, Kougar''s form began to shimmer, the spells binding him tighter than any chains.
With ast, guttural cry, he sumbed to the inevitable, his will bending to that of Vale''s indomitable will
Thud¡
Now a mere specter, a servant bound by arcane shackles, Kougar''s thoughts slowly disappeared, reced by the Dominion Spells'' authority.
Vale, sensing that the Spell had already taken over, merely nodded.
"Wee to your new reality, Kougar. May you serve well in the shadows¡" He softly said, his voice a blend ofmand and an eerie promise of redemption.
In any case, Kougar''s physical body was already destroyed¡ Right now, he was only a Demon Saint in a tangible spectral form.
That was also the reason why Vale was able to use his ve Mark and Dominion Thirst¡
After all, the Demon Saints rely on their unusual physique to defend against mind control spells. Since it was gone, they were stripped of such immunity!
And with that, Vale''s Avatar, alongside his newly acquired servant, vanished into the air.
Although the Demon Generals he captured recently had provided him with important information about the Abyss Realm, this Demon Saint would surely give him more information.
However, interrogation and such weren''t the Avatar''s matter.
Because of that, Vale ordered the Demon Saint to heal himself in the castle and inform the real Vale about the situation in the Abyss and, if possible, all the information he had about the mysterious Demon Lord.
***
In the heart of the Abyss Realm, where the surrounding space felt unstable, there stood a castle as ancient as the chasm itself.
Its towering spires, wrought from obsidian and bone, pierced the smoldering skies, while the walls, lined with ancient runes.
It hummed with an energy that was both foreboding and awe-inspiring. This was the sanctum of the Demon Lord, a being whose name was whispered in fear across countless worlds.
Upon the mystical throne, the Demon Lord sat, his form shrouded in the vestiges of time.
His majestic robe was no longer in sight, and he was no longer covered by mystical energy.
His once formidable physique had withered, leaving behind a frail silhouette that belied the immense power he wielded.
In the solitude of his grand hall, he appeared as nothing more than an aged demon, his humanoid features etched with the eons of dominion he had.
Whoosh~
As he exhaled, a breath that seemed to carry life, something unexpected happened.
The air before him shimmered and coalesced into the figure of a young man.
ck¡ ck¡
This figure stepped on the floor with shoes that formed out of nowhere.
His hair was dark, his skin fair as the untouched snow of the mortal realms.
"Mhmmm¡"
d in the attire of a human nobleman,plete with a finely crafted cane, he surveyed his reflection with a critical eye.
He didn''t look satisfied with his appearance, so he waved his hand.
A vest materialized over his suit, the final touch to his impable guise.
"This should suffice¡" The young man, the Avatar of the Demon Lord, dered with a tone of finality. He spared no nce to his original form, who could barely handle the immense power contained in his body.
He strode with purpose toward the castle''s grand archway.
The castle itself was abyrinthine creation, its corridors adorned with various paintings and statues that depicted the conquests and cmities of the Abyss.
Of course, these weren''t made by Demons but by ves, they had taken from other realms.
Along the way, there were Gargoyles with eyes of ember stood sentinel, their gazes following the Avatar''s passage.
The surrounding air in the castle was thick with the scent of brimstone, but none of it mattered now.
After getting out of the castle, the young man, or the Demon Lord''s Avatar, was finally able to use his Spell.
Whoosh~
The Demon Lord''s Avatar vanished.
In just a few moments, he found himself in front of a huge a Rift
¡ªa tear in the very essence of the realm that leads to the Human.
The Rift pulsed with energy that controls space, it was filled with mysterious darkness, an enigma that defied the senses.
"I can''t believe I''ll have to work as well." The Demon Lord muttered as he nced at the gateway leading to the Human Realm¡
He didn''t immediately enter since he was actually quite worried that his Avatar would fail to pass through the Rift due to the rejection of the Human Realm.
After all, his strength was just too strong. Even the Rift itself may copse in the middle of his transportation!
''Malevolent Energy should''ve spread a lot by now¡ Numerous strong beings in that realm should''ve died¡ Furthermore, Halvor, that celestial who calls himself Eminence of the Sea, should''ve paved a path for me¡ I can do survive this¡'' The Demon Lord thought as he made up his mind.
"Let me discern the cause of this struggle for dominion¡ The Human Realm shouldn''t be this difficult to control¡" He murmured, his voice a blend of curiosity and amusement with the situation.
With a mere thought, the Rift expanded, its edges swirling with the brilliance of the space.
The Avatar stepped through the portal, his form dissolving and reforming as he traversed the boundary between worlds.
After some time, on the other side, the Human Realmy open before him, itsndscapes vast and varied, it seemed to be inviting him!
Whom~
As soon as he was spat out of the Rift, the Demon Lord swiftly vanished appeared in the sky to have a better look of the surroundings. At this time, he also remained undetected by anyone¡
He wasn''t even pressured by the will of the Human Realm!
''Hmm¡ This realm is really rich with Arcane Energy¡ It''s a perfect ce for Celestials Spirits¡'' The Demon Lord thought while observing thendscape from above¡
After scanning a huge area, he finally decided to descend.
He was nning to join the humans for now and avoid causing trouble¡
Well, he doesn''t really like killing too many humans here who would breed more ves for him. He felt that it was enough to leave at least a quarter of the human Arcanists. As for the ordinary humans, they would just beborers¡
It was possible to keep them alive, but the Demons under hismand would surely want to eat humans and arcanists, so he had to satisfy them. He could not be selfish so he decided to just let the Demon reign terror¡
''Hmm¡ This city doesn''t seem to be that bothered by the invasion¡'' The Demon Lord thought as he looked at the peaceful city ahead of him.
Without hesitation, he decided to enter the ce and act like a regr nobleman.
"Interesting¡" The Demon Lord muttered.
It was there, amidst the calm, that he discovered the city''s true nature¡ªit was the Holy City, the bastion of the Church of the Fortune Goddess!
The city was a fortress of faith, patrolled by Holy Knights d in armor that gleamed with sacred enchantment.
Their presence was a testimony to their firm vignce against the invaders.
"Ohh~ Not bad¡"
Their eyes were sharp and discerning, missing no detail in their sacred duty.
There were also Exorcists roaming the streets, their senses attuned to the slightest whisper of malevolence, ready to expel any taint with incantations and holy relics.
The architecture of the city reflected its celestial patronage, with spires reaching towards the sky and stained ss windows depicting the benevolence of the Fortune Goddess.
"Fortune Goddess, huh¡ A troublesome Celestial¡ I wonder if she''s really here." The Demon Lord muttered to himself.
He also didn''t dare utter the true name of the Fortune Goddess as he might be sensed by the Celestial.
Nheless, the Demon Lord felt quite excited at the fact that he arrived here.
The city was filled with the harmonious chimes of sanctified bells, calling the faithful to prayer and reflection.
The Demon Lord, now in the guise of a nobleman, observed the rituals and routines of the city''s inhabitants.
However, after several days had passed, he finally showed an evil smile on his face.
"I guess this city would be a great sacrifice to announce my presence¡"
Chapter 752 The Holy City
Chapter 752 The Holy City
Meanwhile as the Demon Lord''s Avatar was roaming the city, there was another powerful figure who had just appeared in the heart of the Holy City, where the divine and the mundane danced in an eternal embrace¡
Thud¡ Thud¡ Thud¡
There walked a figure of grace and mystery.
"Ahh~ I''m fully recharged! Let''s do it again!" She eximed.
She was known to the city''s denizens as Lady Fara, a noblewoman of enigmatic origins, whose presence brought whispers of fortune and the faintest hint of Arcane Energy.
Yet, beneath the guise of Lady Farah, she was none other than the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess, a deity who wove the threads of fate with a gentle hand.
Her true appearance was a vision of ethereal beauty, with eyes that shimmered like the morning dew and hair that cascaded down her back in waves of liquid gold. Her attire was always impable, a blend of the city''s high fashion and otherworldly elegance, adorned with subtle symbols of her divine patronage.
However, while in her Avatar, she moved through the city simr to the human nobles, her every step waspletely different from a true Fortune Goddess.
"This city''s faith in me is really overwhelming¡ They should really be blessed¡" Farah muttered with a smile as she felt the faith of the people reaching out to her.
Anyway, Lady Farah''s days were spent wandering the myriad sides of the Holy City. Each corner was like a chapter in a book that filled her with information that she would never obtain unless she stopped using her Avatar.
She frequented the bustling marketces, where hawkers called out their wares with boisterous charm. Here, she would pause to admire the intricate craftsmanship of local artisans, her touch infusing their lives with a spark of inspiration and prosperity.
Yes, she liked providing information or tips to these locals to increase the quality of their works.
The auction houses knew her well, for her bids were always ced with a knowing smile, as if she could see the true value of things beyond their mere material worth.
Her presence at these events was a coveted blessing, for it was said that any item she vouched for would bring its owner a great fortune.
Even the gambling dens, shrouded in shadow and thrill, felt the light of her gaze. Lady Farah would grace these establishments with her presence, herughter was mesmerizing and terrifying as her bets always ced with a yful wink.
It was rumored that the games she joined would always end in unexpected windfalls for the lucky few.
Yet, her explorations did not shy away from the city''s less savory aspects.
The brothels, with their whispered secrets and veiled desires, also received her attention. There, she moved with apassionate air, offering words of sce and hope to those who sought her counsel. Her presence was a silent promise of redemption and new beginnings.
As soon as she became famous, she knew she would have to change her identity¡
As night fell upon the city, Lady Farah would retire to her abode, an old mansion that stood at the farthest side of the. Its architecture was a harmonious blend of the city''s style and otherworldly motifs, and its gardens were a sanctuary for creatures, both mundane and magical.
Whoosh~
Within the walls of her home, Lady Farah would shed her mortal disguise, revealing the radiant splendor of the Fortune Goddess.
Here, she wouldmune with the spirits of luck and chance, weaving the destinies of those she had encountered throughout the day.
Her life was a delicate bnce, but it was filled with fun!
It was because, with her current strength, she had no issue having the role of a goddess and having fun working as a noblewoman!
"Unfortunately, these fun days would soon be over¡" Farah muttered with a sigh as if she could already tell what the future holds.
***
''So that''s the Holy City¡ I wonder why the Demon Lord specifically sent me to cause chaos here?''
A Demon General that had amand to a huge number of demons muttered in confusion.
The Holy City, a bastion of light and faith, stood serene even after the invasion that the Abyss Realm had started...
It was as if they were protected by a stronger force!
"Whatever¡ I''ll soon learn what''s special about this Holy City¡" He muttered.
From his point of view, he could see its citizens, protected by the divine barrier and the vignt Holy Knights around the city. There were too many of these Knights, and he didn''t bother counting them anymore.
"Let''s begin!"
While all the citizens of the Holy City were continuing with their daily routine, that peace was shattered when the sky darkened with the ominous beat of leathery wings.
Gargoyles, creatures of stone and malice, appeared above the city in a swarm that blotted out the sun.
Indeed, the Demon General that the Demon Lord had control over the thousands of Gargoyles that were sent to this Human Realm!
"So they''ve finally started¡" Lady Farah watched from the high balcony of her sanctuary as the Holy Knights rallied to the city''s defense. Her eyes, usually warm with the glow of providence, now reflected the mes of battle that erupted below.
Previously, the Holy City was attacked by a swarm of low-tier Demons. It was a terrifying sight, but because of their possession of Arcana and their natural strength against the Demons, they were able to hold them back almost without any casualty.
"About ten thousand Gargoyles, huh¡ It will be tough, but it''s not impossible." Lady Farah muttered after seeing the number of enemies outside the castle.
She then shifted her attention to the strongest Holy Knights outside, who had been waiting to show their might!
"Commander Aldric, to arms!" Sir Gavriel bellowed. He was the Holy Knight Champion of the Holy Knights Order!
Although he was alone, his voice cut through the chaos.
His armor gleamed with sacred runes, and his sword, Lightbringer, was like a sliver of dawn against the encroaching darkness.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
More than three hundred Gargoyles dived down to the barrier of the Holy City and activated their self-destruction!
Crashhhh!
Just like that, the barrier was destroyed and everyone had to fight!
Commander Aldric, a veteran of countless battles, stood at the forefront, his shield raised against the onught.
"Knights of the Holy Order, let our des be swift and our courage steadfast. For the city, for the people, we stand as one!"
He shouted, and these weren''t mere words of encouragement! It contained a trace of a spell, providing an incredible boost to everyone''s courage, skills, and speed!
The Gargoyles swooped down, their ws like daggers of obsidian, their eyes glowing with a hunger for destruction.
Sir Gavriel suddenly noticed something off with the first group of Gargoyles descending to meet the Holy Knights!
"Not good¡"
With a wave of his Lightsaber, he swiftly released another dome of light that protected them from harm! It wasn''t a city-wide protection but enough to cover the descending Gargoyles!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Once again, these Gargoyles self-destructed!
They crashed against the dome, a shimmering dome that had always saved him from critical situations! With each impact, the barrier shuddered, its light flickering like a candle in the wind.
"Cowards!" Gavrielined but he couldn''t do anything about it. He couldn''t let the other Holy Knights die in such a pathetic way!
"Transfer your Holy Energy to me to the Knight Champion to maintain the dome!" Cried one of the Untainted Sentinels, Arcanists of the Holy Order whose grasp on the Holy Arts is reaching its peak.
Their hands moved in intricate patterns as they soon started helping the Holy Knight Champion!
Luckily, only about a hundred more self-destructed, and the other Gargoyles soon descended!
But the Gargoyles were weak!
As soon as the Holy Knights reached them, they fell, defeated by their swords!
The only problem was these Gargoyles would detonate themselves in bursts of dark energy! Their self-destruction was their final act of spite.
The Demon General looked satisfied at this result as he soon left the remaining Gargoyles to cause chaos¡ Winning or losing wasn''t his priority.
It was only his mission to cause chaos!
***
In the meantime, the chaos he left hadn''t ended yet.
"Fortune Goddess! We need your blessing!" Shouted by a young knight.
He was injured. His armor was dented, but his spirit was undimmed.
"Guide our hands and grant us victory!" He shouted with everything he had.
However, the Fortune Goddess couldn''t seem to answer his prayer as another Gargoyle dropped on his head, sttering all his brain matter.
Simr scenes urred because, for some reason, the Fortune Goddess failed to grant them a fortune!
They didn''t know that Lady Farah, the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess tasked to live in the city, was in trouble!
''The Demon Lord is here!'' Farah''s eyes widened as she realized that Halvor, the Eminence of the Sea, had truly betrayed the human realm!
Although she couldn''t see the Demon Lord yet, she knew that thetter was blocking her Divinity from blessing her people!
With such a powerful enemy on her doorstep, she had no other choice but to call for assistance!
Chapter 753 The True Reason
Chapter 753 The True Reason
??In the meantime, she had to help her subjects protect the Holy City!
Lady Farah, her heart heavy with the weight of impending doom, raised her hands to the heavens.
As an Avatar of a Celestial that was not in the Human Realm, her power was obviously greatly weakened. She could only wield a small portion of her strength.
Because of that, she would have to chant incantations to use Celestial Arts!
"By the grace of fortune, let resilience be our shield and valor our sword!" She intoned, her voice carrying the power of the divine.
Without being noticed by the defenders of the city, a golden light cascaded from her palms, washing over the city and its defenders.
The Holy Knights felt a surge of strength, their fatigue reced by a renewed vigor. A new barrier was created, bolstered by her blessing! Furthermore, it held firm against the barrage of the Demons!
No one asked where the blessing came from. It could be from the Pontiff or from another Holy Arts Practitioner like the Young Saint or the First Elder of the Order of the Untainted Sentinels.
However, they knew very well that this was only possible with the help of their goddess!
Everyone was soon inspired as they held their weapons tightly! Their devotion to the goddess had reached its peak! They would do anything to protect the Holy City, even if it cost them their lives!
The battle raged on, the Holy Knights continued pushing back the Gargoyles with a ferocity born of desperation. Sir Gavriel, his sword a pir of light, carved through the enemy ranks, his every strike a prayer made manifest.
Commander Aldric, standing shoulder to shoulder with his brethren, became a pir against the tide.
"For every life, for every hope, we shall not yield!" He roared, his shield absorbing the impact of the Gargoyles'' assault.
Soon, as thest of the Gargoyles fell, the city drew a collective breath of relief.
The light barrier, though scarred, remained intact, a testament to the Holy Knights'' valor and Lady Farah''s divine intervention.
Thanks to this barrier, there were no curses, diseases, or foreign energy left behind by the Gargoyles. Not even remnant spirits that would normally cause negative energy to gather¡ These things may be found in other battlefields, but the barrier already took care of all residual energy of the Demons!
The Holy City had withstood the storm, its people saved by the courage of its protectors and the blessings of the Fortune Goddess.
And as the dust settled, Lady Farah whispered a silent vow to watch over this sacred ce, to be its guardian against the darkness that sought to im it.
***
At this time, Lady Farah stood upon the ramparts, her gaze piercing the horizon.
She could sense a presence, a disturbance in the fabric of fate¡ªa dark thread woven into the city''s destiny.
Without a doubt, it was the Demon Lord, a being of immense power and inscrutable motives.
''Haaa~'' Lady Farah, even if her original body was here, would have trouble dealing with the Demon Lord.
As the city returned to its peaceful rhythms, she descended from her vantage point.
She moved through the streets, her form cloaked in the guise of a mortal, her divine essence concealed from prying eyes.
The city''s inhabitants, unaware of the deity in their midst, continued their lives with a renewed appreciation for the tranquility they had almost lost.
In a quaint coffee shop nestled in the heart of the city, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the murmur of conversations¡ªa haven of normalcy amidst the remnants of turmoil.
It was here that Lady Farah found the Avatar of the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord sat at a secluded table, his appearance that of a nobleman, and his demeanor was calm as he sipped his coffee. It was as if he wasn''t the man who orchestrated the previous seige in the city!
The patrons around him were oblivious to the true nature of the man who shared their space, his presence an enigma wrapped in the mundane.
Lady Farah approached, her steps silent, her expression a blend of curiosity and caution.
"It''s quite interesting to see you here drinking coffee after you sent an attack to my city¡" She remarked, her voice tinged with a mix of reproach and intrigue.
The Demon Lord looked up, his eyes meeting hers, a spark of recognition igniting between them.
"Well, I''m just trying to greet you. I don''t want to kill too many people in this city since I want all the souls of the people here. You see¡ I want to summon something in this realm" He replied, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather rather than the fate of souls.
He didn''t even hide his real intention, which infuriated the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess even more!
"Are you crazy?! I thought you only wanted to avenge those Celestials who imprisoned you?" Lady Farah eximed, her voice barely above a whisper, yet carrying the weight of her divine authority.
Nheless, the other customers continued their own conversations. Well, there was a sphere of istion around the deities, so no one could hear their conversation or notice their presence at all.
The Demon Lord leaned back, a sly smile ying on his lips.
"Crazy? No. Ambitious, perhaps. Lady Farah, I''ve long changed my mind... I care less about those three Paragons. I will not be satisfied by killing those trio. Instead, I want to obtain the power of the first Human Celestial. I seek to make a move that will change the game forever."
Lady Farah was obviously unnerved by these words and wanted to kill the Demon Lord''s Avatar right now.
But even if she managed to seed, another Avatar would just appear somewhere in the Human Realm.
In any case, her interest was suddenly piqued after hearing that the Demon Lord was interested with the power of the first Human Celestial. It was certainly something that anyone would want to possess. However, no one had ever know how to obtain this power.
After the first Human Celestial perished, many tried to research his body to obtain a clue about his power.
Unfortunately, no one was able to find it out, and it remained a mystery for an unknown number of years until it became a myth and many Celestials wouldn''t even believe the power of this first Human Celestial at all.
Nheless, the Fortune Goddess didn''t expect that the Demon Lord was also one of the Celestials who couldn''t forget about this at all!
After taking a deep breath, she took the seat opposite him, her eyes never leaving his.
"And what is this ''move'' you speak of? What could possibly be worth the upheaval of this city''s peace?"
The Demon Lord''s smile widened. "A summoning, my dear Lady. A summoning that will bring forth a creature of such power that it will tilt the bnce in my favor. And for that, I need the souls of this city¡ªuntouched, uncorrupted."
Lady Farah''s gaze hardened. She couldn''t understand why it was rted to obtaining the power of the first Human Celestial.
Anyway, the Demon Lord must have a reason.
"You would risk war with me for such a gambit? I think you will die first before getting the power of the First Human Celestial."
"Hahaha! Is that so? But that''s a risk worth taking¡" He replied, his eyes gleaming with an unholy light. "But fear not, I have no intention of a massacre. I prefer¡ subtler methods."
"What? You''re nning to kill them while sleeping? Nightmare Call? Like the one you used in the Tree Elves Realm? Do you think I will allow you to do that?"
The conversation continued, the two beings locked in verbal arguments as intricate as the weave of fate itself.
Around them, the coffee shop buzzed with life, the patrons unaware of the cosmic negotiation taking ce in their midst.
As the hours passed, the Demon Lord and Lady Farah did not reach an understanding. The Demon Lord tried convincing Lady Farah to give up the Holy City to allow him to summon a being that would aid him in finding the first Human Celestials'' ability.
"Fine¡ I will not use this city of yours¡ However, I want you to call your forces back¡ Those Holy Knights and Exorcists of yours are taking too many of my Demon Army. If you do that, I will not attack the ces under your protection." The Demon Lord offered.
"Do you think I will betray the Human Realm just like that?" Lady Farah asked.
"Of course not¡ It''s not like I''m nning to make this Human Realm a living hell. How about this? Once I have obtained the power of extraction, I will let you know how I got it. Perhaps you can also get this power. I won''t be saying it now since you might be apetitor," The Demon Lord offered.
"Hmph¡ So you''re telling me that you seriously didn''t invade all those other Realms for rich resources or ancient powers or something that I''ve heard from the others? I''m doubtful..." Lady Farah remarked.
Chapter 754 True Name
Chapter 754 True Name
??"Yes¡ I mentioned various reasons to my Demon Saints for invading this and that Realm¡ However, the true reason was to search for the power of Extraction..." The Demon Lord said as he looked at the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess.
His expression remained rxed, as if he wasn''t thinking too much about whatever the Fortune Goddess decided to do.
To be exact, it doesn''t seem like he was worried even if the Fortune Goddess decided to fight right now!
"Will you really achieve your purpose here? What if you can''t obtain that power? You''re going to continue destroying this Realm like the others?" Lady Farath replied.
"Of course, not¡ If my clue is wrong once again, I''m simply nning to convert a million of the humans here to be Demons¡ Then we will transfer them to the Abyss Realm to replenish our forces¡" The Demon Lord said with a hint of satisfaction on his face. It seemed as if he was so proud of his n!
"What?" The Avatar was almost speechless at these absurd words.
"Hahaha¡ It''s fine¡ The humans will easily reproduce, and your numbers will be back in no time. Don''t think too much of it. I won''t be targeting your believers, so you don''t have to worry. Just pull out your forces so we don''t lose our precious followers¡ Alright?" The Demon Lord added.
Lady Farah started hesitating. After all, this wouldpletely benefit her.
She would be able to preserve her forces while the others would not. She would have a chance to recruit more followers as well and strengthen the faith she was receiving from her followers!
If her faithful followers had be unharmed throughout this Invasion, her influence would grow, and many humans would have converted to her faith!
Lastly, she would also gain the knowledge to obtain the mysterious power of the first Human Celestial!
After taking a deep breath, she replied.
"Then, tell me why you targeted this Human Realm toote? If you''re searching for the power of the Human Celestial, shouldn''t you target this Realm where he had possiblye from?" Lady Farah asked.
Although she doesn''t know which Human Realm the first Human Celestial came from, her question should still make sense.
"As you know, there are plenty of Human Realms¡ However, they allck the power to contain a fully Transcendent Being¡ So, we all believed that the power of Divine Extraction that only Transcendent Being could handle didn''t originate from the Human Realm. Of course, I would target other higher realms that had a connection to the first Human Celestial. I thought they had given them that power to the humans. But I waspletely wrong¡"
The Demon Lord paused at this and decided not to continue with his story.
Lady Farah also didn''t ask for him to continue as she already guessed a few things that had urred during the Demon Lord''s search for that power.
With a sigh, Lady Farah decided to strike a deal.
"Do not hurt any of my followers¡ Leave this Realm as soon as you find what you''re looking for but make sure to inform me how you obtained it."
"Kukuku¡ You won''t regret this, Goddess Ymera¡" The Demon Lord said as he looked at Lady Farah with an enchanting gaze, as if trying to charm her.
Of course, he knew it would be ineffective, and Lady Farah also knew that he was simply unable to control his power.
With their ord struck, the Demon Lord vanished into the shadows, leaving Lady Farah alone with her thoughts.
The Demon Lord left the caf¨¦ and the Holy City.
Not a single trace of him could be found.
With their discussion, the city would remain untouched, its people safe from the Demon Lord''s machinations¡ªfor now.
In return, the Church had to be observers of this Invasion.
***
It had only been about 30 minutes since the Demon Lord left.
The coffee shop, a picturesque scene of normality in the Holy City, was steeped in the rich aroma of roasted beans and the soft hum of quiet conversations.
Lady Farah, the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess, sat alone at her table. Her posture was rxed, yet her mind was filled with various strategies that she might need to employ during this Abyss Invasion.
At this time, she had ordered a coffee, not out of thirst but as a ruse, a means to blend in with the mortals around her while she contemted her next move.
As she took a sip, her eyes scanned the room, and she spoke into the apparent emptiness.
"I''m sure you listened to our conversation¡ I don''t think the Demon Lord noticed your presence¡ I also don''t think that the Demon Lord is still somewhere here¡ What do you think about our conversation?" Her words hung in the air, a silent invitation to the unseen.
From the corner of the shop, a man who had been enjoying a slice of cake stood up, his movements deliberate.
He made his way to Lady Farah''s table and took the seat opposite her.
"Kyle Marshall¡" she addressed him, a name that carried the weight of secrets and shadows.
Indeed, the man was Vale Chambers, known in the continent as the Shadow Immortal, but to a select few, he was Kyle Marshall.
The revtion of his true name sent a jolt of surprise through him, a testament to the Fortune Goddess''s far-reaching sight.
''Well, she''s a goddess¡ It should be normal for her to know my name. She''ll look pathetic if she can''t even tell my real name.'' Kyle mused as he observed the appearance of the Fortune Goddess'' Avatar.
Before the encounter with the Demon Lord, Lady Farah had actually summoned him through an oracle,pelling him to hasten to the coffee shop with one of his Avatars.
Anyway, he understood that the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess possessed the means to uncover his true name but she couldn''t tell that he possessed the the Divine Extraction System!
''Wait¡ Are they even referring to my Divine Extraction?'' Kyle silently thought as he took a deep breath.
This wasn''t important right now. After all, even if he knew that they were searching for his system, he could do nothing about it.
Instead, he had to deal with the most important matter right now.
"Are you really going to abandon¡ªNo, to sacrifice the humans who are not your followers?" Kyle asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and usation.
Although her Church hates the Dark Arts, he thought that she was still a benevolent goddess who would protect the humans from Demons!
After all, her followers were the masters of the Holy Arts!
Lady Farah didn''t immediately reply and looked at Kyle helplessly.
"Life is cruel, Kyle¡ I can only hope that you can stop the Demon Lord from his ns¡" Lady Farah whispered, her tone resigned yetced with an undercurrent of pragmatism.
Kyle''s gaze hardened. "You ask me to stop the Demon Lord, yet you''re willing to let innocents suffer for your own gain. Isn''t that hypocritical?"
Lady Farah met his gaze unflinchingly. "Sometimes, to protect the many, we must make sacrifices. Besides, my main body isn''t here. But you, Kyle, you have the power to change the course of this story. You can confront the Demon Lord, thwart his ns without the need for such sacrifices. I may not know how you obtained the blessing of the Spirit World and obtained such immense power, but I believe that there''s a reason why you''re here¡ It is to protect this Human Realm."
Kyle leaned back, considering her words.
He was astounded at thisdy. She was surely being too shameless¡ She even brought up the blessing of the Spirit World, which doesn''t exist, and made him like some sort of a fated hero.
"And what of you? Will you just watch from the sidelines as I risk everything?" Kyle asked.
"I will do what I must to protect my followers and this city¡" She asserted. "But I cannot act openly against the Demon Lord without risking greater conflict. You, however, operate in the shadows andpletely against the Demons from the very beginning. You can move against him in ways I cannot."
She then stopped for a moment as if she recalled something¡
"Right¡ You also had conflicts with Halvor, the Eminence of the Sea¡ He might also join the Demon Lord to attack you, so be careful."
"Hey¡ Isn''t that too petty? Why would he do that?"
"Heh~ You should have a better grasp about the current situation of this Realm¡ If you''re still unaware, Halvor is neither good or bad¡ He just had a very different view about the future of this Realm. You can call him entric if you may."
"What?" Kyle frowned at this.
However, he still nodded slowly, understanding the role he was being asked to y.
After chatting for a bit more to get more information about the other deities like the three Paragons, Kyle finally felt satisfied.
Chapter 755 More Enemies
Chapter 755 More Enemies
??"Very well, Lady Farah. I''ll take this burden upon myself. But you should stop persecuting the Dark Arts Practitioners from now on... I don''t like the meaningless war that your church is directing towards the Darkness Path." Kyle suddenly said.
"You want me to stop the war against them?" Lady Farah repeated, not expecting such a request. She thought Kyle didn''t care about the Darkness Path at all.
After all, she knew the method of the Vermont Academy. They wouldn''t mind killing a lot of innocent people just to obtain students. Furthermore, they would also take the shadows of their students to ensure that they would be loyal to the Darkness Path.
She knew that Kyle was aware of this really well, especially after he was targeted by Evanescent Vessels.
"Yes¡ Even if some organizations or people were using the Dark Arts tomit evil acts, it doesn''t mean that all the Dark Arts Practitioners are evil or that the Path itself is evil. If I''m going to select an evil path, that would probably be the Psychic Arts, which target the minds of other people."
Kyle replied after noticing Lady Farah''s expression.
This made thetter pause for a moment to consider his words.
Then, with a solemn nod, Lady Farah agreed.
"You''re right about that. But you still didn''t know the whole story about this war against the Dark Arts Practitioner. However, that''s not important right now. I need your cooperation, so I will agree, Shadow Immortal."
Lady Farah then ced her hands on her chest and continued.
"You have my vow, Kyle Marshall. We will only defend ourselves if the Dark Arts Practitioners attacked us first. For now, the Holy City shall remain a sanctuary¡ Even if you send Dark Arts Practitioners here, they will not be harmed."
As the pact was sealed, Kyle stood up, his form beginning to fade into the shadows.
"Then I shall begin. The Demon Lord will find that even in the darkest corners of this Realm, he is not beyond reach."
And with that, Kyle Marshall, the Shadow Immortal, vanished from the coffee shop, leaving Lady Farah to her solitary vigil.
She sat there, seemingly at a loss. However, her mind was already weaving the threads of fate that would guide her followers through theing storm.
***
In the bustling town thaty just beyond the Holy City''s protective embrace, a figure materialized, his presence as unassuming as the gentle breeze that swept through the streets.
This was Kyle, the Shadow Immortal, now donning the visage of a middle-aged man. His hair, peppered with gray, was cut to a modest length, and his attire¡ªa simple tunic and trousers¡ªblended seamlessly with the townsfolk''s garb. His eyes, once piercing, now held a softness that invited no scrutiny, a stark contrast to the calcting gaze thaty beneath.
Kyle''s arrival in this town was no mere coincidence. He was actually nning to visit the ce where Sage Merlin was currently at.
Well, Sage Merlin was being chased by a few Demon Generals right now, and he was nning to rescue the poor old man. Then, supposedly, he would chase the Demon Lord.
However, he had been drawn here by an aura that tugged at the edges of his consciousness¡ªan aura that belonged to Lesley Hoffman and something else.
Because of that reason, he decided to inform the Arcane Bureau instead to save the Sage¡ They should be able to send a couple of Half-Immortals to aid him.
Anyway, Lesley was the very woman who had nearly been the architect of his demise with the Darkness Possession Potion.
It was only by the grace of his Divine Extraction System, a power that the Demon Lord now sought, that he had survived the ordeal.
"Mhmm¡ I thought they were protecting the territory of the Dark Faction. What is she doing here?" Vale muttered to himself as he looked at her new appearance. It seemed to be rted to the Forbidden Arts that she was practicing or perhaps, the Vessel that housed her body.
After befriending some members of the Vessel''s sixth squad, Vale knew that the possessions that were just temporary could sometimes provide longsting reactions to the bodies of the Vessels.
Changing the colors of the hair, eyes, and skin, or even changing the tone of voice, was possible. There are also cases in which the Vessel was possessed by a very strong spirit; they would change their physique, either for better or for worse.
''Interesting¡'' Kyle mused.
Lesley was a vision of fiery allure, her red hair a cascade of autumn leaves, her eyes like twin rubies that glinted with an inner light.
She moved with a confidence that spoke of her strength, her beauty belying the danger she represented.
At her side was her vice-captain, a man named Gareth ckwood¡ Kyle had known this person since he was in the Archive Room of the Battle Arena Committee.
To be exact, Kyle recalled that Gareth was one of the first graduate students of the Academy. He had seen Gareth as a Necromancer.
However, seeing him now didn''t seem like he really pursued being a Necromancer after graduating.
This was quite confusing¡
''Maybe because the Vessels doesn''t need Necromancers?'' Kyle narrowed his eyes as he thought of a possible reason.
Someone from the Order had probably recruited Gareth and was convinced to take a different path.
Anyway, Gareth was tall and broad-shouldered, his hair a raven ck, and his eyes a piercing blue that surveyed the surroundings with a soldier''s vignce.
His armor, though designed for battle, was adorned with the insignia of his rank, Vice Captain of the 14th Squad.
Nheless, the true reason that he was being careful right now was simple.
As Kyle observed from the shadows, he noted the subtle signs of divine protection that enveloped Lesley and Gareth¡ªa shimmering veil that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye. It was clear they were under the aegis of another celestial entity, one that Kyle could not yet identify.
''Another Immortal, huh¡ It doesn''t seem like the Fortune Goddess though¡'' Kyle thought¡
To be honest, his hate for this woman had long faded after he had be an Immortal and had be busy getting stronger to prepare for the Invasion. After all, he was already on a level that she could never reach¡ There was simply no fun for him killing an ant. In his perspective, she wasn''t even at the level of a half-immortal, so it would be difficult to feel a sense of satisfaction defeating her.
Although she was strong, she still needed to summon a strong being from another realm to at least get a very small chance of hurting him.
''Well, it would still be satisfying if I make her mine¡'' Kyle thought as he decided that it was time to get revenge on this woman just for the sake of his old self and those others whom she killed during the recruitment¡
Those others were the first corpses that he had also extracted, so he was still quite thankful to them, although he had no idea who they were.
Even if Lesley was simply ordered by the Academy''s officials, she didn''t even show any signs ofpassion by exining to him what happened!
"Alright¡"
Kyle followed them discreetly, weaving through the crowd with the ease of a specter.
Lesley and Gareth seemed to be on a mission, their steps purposeful as they navigated the town''s winding streets. They paused asionally to confer with each other, their conversation hushed and urgent.
The town was actually unharmed by the Invasion as they were probably a very small target, and the Demons couldn''t be bothered.
Anyway, it still disyed a busy life; its market square was still filled with people, and the workers wereing and going.
Merchants hawked their wares with boisterous calls, children darted between stalls in games of chase, and the scent of fresh bread and spices filled the air.
Yet, amidst this ordinary scene, the extraordinary lingered just beneath the surface.
Kyle suddenly felt something off with these two.
As he trailed the pair, his instincts were triggered. As a Shadow Immortal with incredible senses, he noticed an anomaly in their behavior.
''They''re not here for leisure,'' Kyle thought, his suspicion growing with each step they took. It was then that he noticed the subtle signs¡ªa nce here, a gesture there¡ªLesley and Gareth were signaling someone, or something, hidden from in sight.
It was a fragment of conversation, carried on the wind, that first drew his attention¡ªa mention of "the Wrathful One''s decree" that caused his ears to prick up¡
''Wrathful One?'' He repeated in his mind.
Because Lesley and Gareth had traces of Divinity around them, he was being too careful. However, it seemed that he had to take the risk.
He edged closer, using his abilities to remain undetected, as the cloaked figures spoke in hushed, reverent tones. "The Sin of Wrath hasmanded¡" one of them murmured, "that we expand our influence during this invasion, to prepare for the arrival of the other Sins."
Another voice,ced with fervor, responded, "The Seven Sins shall rise, and Wrath will lead the vanguard. Our enemies will cower before our might."
The words were like pieces of a puzzle falling into ce for Kyle.
Chapter 756 Shapeshift
Chapter 756 Shapeshift
??"The Seven Sins shall rise, and Wrath will lead the vanguard. Our enemies will cower before our might."
''So it was like that¡''
The words were like pieces of a puzzle falling into ce for Kyle.
The revtion hit him like a thunderp. It was astonishing for him since he had never thought that another Deadly Sin had already entered this realm and formed a cult and even got a connection to the Dark Arts!
''I just told the Fortune Goddess not to attack the Darkness Path¡'' Kyle wryly smiled after recalling this.
Anyway, he confirmed that Lesley and Gareth were here tomune with one of the Seven Sins, and it was the Wrath itself.
Kyle''s pulse quickened at the thought¡
''Should I capture them now?''
He wanted to quickly interrogate these people. However, after considering the situation, he decided to just continue with his observation.
In any case, he was sure that these people wouldn''t escape his current Magic Zone.
***
After the two familiar Dark Arts Practitioners spoke a few more words to the cloaked follower of the Deadly Sin, they finally made their move.
Lesley and Gareth, their purpose shrouded in secrecy, followed the cloaked figures through thebyrinthine streets of the town.
On the other hand, Kyle continued to be a silent observer as he trailed them to wherever they nned to go. He didn''t even use any movement Spells at this point as he naturally Shadow Divinity allowed his form to be like a mere shadow flitting through the crowd.
Hepletely undetectable by the two Arcanists.
''Wrath, huh¡ I wonder how his power works¡'' Kyle mused as he recalled the power of Gluttony.
It was rted to the consumption of life or perhaps anything it could consume to gain power. The Greed''s power that increases in battle and other psychic arts was also quite incredible.
As for the Wrath, it seemed to be more incredible considering the fact that the Arcane Bureau, which spans over the whole continent, doesn''t even have information about the cult he had made!
''Oh¡ Are we getting closer?'' Kyle mused.
The path they took was not one known to ordinary townsfolk.
It twisted and turned, leading them away from the bustling market square and into the quieter, more deste parts of the town.
The buildings here were older, their stones holding the memories of ages past, and the air was thick with the scent of forgotten tales.
As they walked, Lesley spoke in a low voice.
"We must tread carefully, Gareth. Wrath is not known for patience or forgiveness."
Her words were calm, but Kyle could also trace some nervousness from it. It seemed she was also on guard while meeting the Deadly Sin.
Gareth nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, a silent vow to protect Lesley even if it costs him his life
"I am ready for whatever trials we may face¡" He replied, his voice a steady rumble.
The cloaked figures then led them to an unassuming door, its wood was old and weathered, yet upon closer inspection, it was etched with runes that glowed faintly with a crimson hue. With a gesture from one of the envoys, the door creaked open, revealing a stairway that spiraled down into darkness.
''No wonder I can''t detect the Wrath''s presence¡ It''s probably rted to those runes¡ Interesting.'' Kyle thought after seeing how the Deadly Sin was suppressing his aura from leaking out.
Nheless, this also means that Wrath wasn''t in full control of his strength yet. The other reason was perhaps Wrath had gotten too strong in a short period to the point that he needed such suppressive runes to hide his presence.
''This aura is certainly very familiar¡ There''s no doubt that a Deadly Sin is inside that ce.''
Soon, the group descended, the light from above fading with each step until they were enveloped in an otherworldly gloom.
The temperature also grew cooler, and the stone underfoot felt alive, pulsing with an ancient power.
Indeed, it wasn''t a demonic power but it seemed more profound than demonic energy in Kyle''s perspective.
Nheless, it doesn''t change the fact that it was as if they were walking through the very heart of the earth, into the domain of Wrath itself.
Thud¡Thud¡ Thud¡
At the bottom of the stairs, they emerged into a vast cavern, its walls aglow with veins of red crystal that cast the chamber in a baleful light.
"So there''s a huge space below that town¡ How impressive." Lesleymented in a soft voice before her attention was drawn to another person.
At the center of this cavern, a figure stood calmly while observing them. This figure was also cloaked in a way that they couldn''t discern his appearance.
However, the figure''s presence was different from that of the other followers...
Without a doubt, this was Wrath, the Deadly Sin!
Lesley stepped forward, her red hair a me in the dim light.
"We havee as youmanded, Wrath. We seek your guidance and your strength."
Wrath then looked at Lesley and he nodded repeatedly. It seemed as if he was satisfied with Lesley''s appearance or power.
"Impressive¡ You have obtained the blessing of the Death God as you promised. I will agree to the offer of the Vermont and Moontomb n''s proposal. I will help you deal with the forces led by the Fortune Goddess if you allow me to possess a body with that Death God''s blessing." Wrath''s voice was like the rumble of thunder, deep and resonant.
"Yes¡ We have already prepared the body¡ I''m here to show you a proof with our connected to the Death God." Lesley replied.
"And?" Wrath said as he knew that it wasn''t the only reason.
Lesley smiled at this and continued.
"And to possess your power¡ I want to receive your blessing now."
"You want to possess my power, my Wrath?"
"Yes!"
"I can ept that¡ Lesley Hoffman, for you possess the fire that aligns with my essence. Tell me, why do you seek the power of Wrath?"
Lesley''s eyes met the Sin''s gaze, unflinching.
"The realms are in turmoil, and the forces of the Abyss threaten to overwhelm us. I know you''re not connected to the Demon Lord but you should be aware of our situation. Even if the invasion stops, we will face the might of at least four Arcane Factions¡ We need the might of Wrath to turn the tide, to bring victory where there is only the promise of defeat."
Wrath considered her words, the silence stretching between them like a taut string. "And what of you, Gareth ckwood? Do you share her conviction?"
Gareth stepped beside Lesley, his stance resolute. "I do. My de is hers tomand, and together, we will face whatever darknesses."
Wrath''sughter echoed through the cavern, a sound both terrifying and exhrating. "Very well. I shall grant you a portion of my power, but know this¡ªthe mes of Wrath burn indiscriminately. Use this gift wisely, or be consumed by it."
He no longer wasted their time as he swiftly acted.
With a wave of its hand, Wrath bestowed upon them a mark, a brand that seared into their very souls, imbuing them with a strength that was both exhrating and daunting.
Lesley and Gareth''s eyes lit up after feeling this power¡
''Hmph¡ It even included the power to control us¡'' Lesley thought for a moment before the blessing of the Death God reacted.
In a few moments, the Wrath''s impure mark was suddenly turned into a pure one without the power of being controlled.
Of course, the Deadly Sin noticed this as well but simplyughed it off.
He believed that if they couldn''t even remove such a curse, they did not deserve to obtain his power.
As they left the cavern, the mark of Wrath burning within them, Lesley and Gareth knew that the path ahead would be perilous. But with the power of a Deadly Sin at theirmand, they also knew that they had be key yers in the battle for the fate of the Human Realms.
Meanwhile, Kyle, hidden in the shadows, grappled with the enormity of the power he had just felt emanating from Wrath.
It was a power that he could not measure! It was a power that could potentially eclipse even the Demon Lord''s Avatar.
Doubt crept into his mind, the fear that without his Divine Extraction ability, he might not be able to withstand such might!
But his concerns were abruptly cut short as Wrath''s voice thundered through the cavern.
"Mhmm? Did someone enter without my permission? Who are you?" The Sin had not seen Kyle, but its senses were keen enough to detect an intruder.
''There''s no point in hiding...''
Startled but quick-witted, Kyle tapped into his shapeshifting ability, calling upon the Demonic Essence he had collected.
His form twisted and contorted, reshaping into the visage of a Demon Saint.
Then, he stepped forward, his new demonic guiseplete, and addressed Wrath with a confidence he did not truly feel.
"Wrath... So you''re good enough to sense my presence... I''m sent here by the Demon Lord."
Chapter 757 A Challenge
Chapter 757 A Challenge
??"Wrath, your perception is as formidable as the legends say. Ie at the behest of our Demon Lord..." Kyle said.
As he spoke, a subtle aura of Corrupted Divinity radiated from him, the final touch to his borate masquerade.
The Corrupted Divinity that he showed wasn''t too weak or too strong¡ It was simply enough to remove any possible suspicions of the Deadly Sin.
Well, with his appearance, now infused with demonic essence and corrupted divinity, Kyle believed that his transformation was wless, even under the scrutinous gaze of Wrath.
"A Demon Saint, is it? You''re not among the elite or single-digit Demon Saints that I recognize. A new recruit, then? Ahh¡ Right¡ Many of your kind have fallen to the Shadow Immortal¡" Wrath remarked casually while turning away with disinterest.
Kyle wryly smiled after hearing this since the Shadow Immortal that the Deadly Sin was talking about was standing in front of him.
Nheless, Wrath suddenly removed his cloak. It doesn''t seem like he was on guard against Kyle, the Demon Saint.
He also appeared to be returning to his resting spot¡ He didn''t think that Kyle was any threat at all!
This was definitely a good sign.
Anyway, now that Kyle had gotten closer, he was finally able to observe his appearance.
''Mhmm¡''
As Wrath discarded his cloak, the true extent of his formidable presence was revealed to Kyle.
The Sin of Wrath stood with an imposing stature, his form humanoid yet imbued with an aura that was not human or evil¡
It felt more like an existence closely simr to the Messengers that Kyle had met before¡
''Right, it''s definitely a Messenger''s aura¡'' Kyle thought as he observed the Deadly Sin.
His skin was a bit too red for a human. He was like a living embodiment of the fury that coursed through his veins. Nheless, it was smooth and seemed to ripple with each movement, as if mes danced just beneath the surface.
His eyes were like molten gold, burning with an intensity that could sear the soul. The pupils were slit, reminiscent of a serpent''s, hinting at the deadly precision with which he observed the world around him.
''Incredible¡ It doesn''t feel like a disguise at all¡ I think this is actually the true appearance of the Deadly Sin.'' Kyle thought.
Wrath''s hair was a mane of jet-ck strands, falling in a wild cascade over his broad shoulders. It seemed to absorb the light around him, a stark contrast to the vibrant glow of his skin.
Adorning his body were markings that glowed with an eerie crimson light. These marks ran along his arms and chest, converging at a sigil thaty over his heart¡ªa sigil that was the very embodiment of Wrath¡
Thud¡
In his hand, he held a scepter that was a masterpiece of craftsmanship. It was wrought from a metal that seemed to shift in color with each flicker of the cavern''s light. The head of the scepter was fashioned in the likeness of a snarling beast, its eyes set with rubies that matched Wrath''s own gaze.
"Are you done observing me, Demon Saint? I guess this is your first time seeing someone who could rival the Demon Lord. How is it?" Wrath said with a chuckle.
Although there was a bit of exaggeration in his words, it doesn''t change the fact that the Demon Lord could not kill or control the seven Deadly Sins.
Anyway, he could tell that Kyle was observing him, but he wasn''t on guard. It was natural to be curious with a powerful being. He even allowed Kyle to take his time examining him.
Well, once the Demon Saint learned more about his power, he believed that there might be a chance that he''d get another Demon Saint follower!
He wouldn''t mind having another one!
Kyle''s heart raced, though his face remained impassive.
''The disguise holds¡'' Kyle thought in relief after hearing the Deadly Sin''s words.
"So¡ Why has the Demon Lord sent you? Does he persist in his futilemands for me to seek out the Spirit King''s chosen?" Wrath inquired, a note of irritation in his voice.
The way he spoke had also changed. He was now using an ancientnguage, and luckily, Kyle was able to extract memory fragments that allowed him to understand him.
''Ah? What?''
Kyle was then taken aback by the mention of the Spirit King''s chosen or blessed. However, he quicklyposed a response.
"No, Wrath. My mission here is of a different nature. The Demon Lord seeks an alliance, not servitude. He believes that together, we can find a way to harness the power of the Spirit King''s blessing for our mutual benefit. We just have to work together and find the chosen¡"
Wrath paused, considering the proposition. "An alliance, you say? Intriguing. Are you telling me the Demon Lord is willing to share the power of the Spirit King''s chosen? If I''m not mistaken, he had been searching for it for a very long time."
This time, Kyle didn''t reply and remained silent.
After a few moments, Wrath continued.
"Very well, Demon Saint, we shall see if your words hold truth. I must benefit from the Spirit King''s power. But be warned, I do not suffer fools or traitors. I will try to seek the Spirit King''s chosen with the help of my followers. I have my own method of doing that. However, I''ll only cover the nation surrounding me¡ If the Spirit King''s chosen is not there, you can''t me me."
Wrath said after some thought.
In the end, Wrath didn''t want to be enemies with the Demon Lord either. Continuously disobeying him might really create a tear in their rtionship. Finding the blessed and taking part in its benefit was also a good thing for him.
''The Spirit King''s chosen, huh¡ I wonder who that is. Right, how are they going to find him? Wait, is the Spirit King''s chosen the same person with the power of Extraction that the Demon Lord was saying?'' Kyle thought as he felt that he had justpleted a puzzle.
''Does it mean that the first Human Celestial is also Blessed by the Spirit King? Is that the reason why the Abyss Realm invaded a part of the Spirit World as well?'' Kyle sighed at this thought.
Anyway, Kyle still nodded to the Deadly Sin.
He finally knew the reason why his realm was being invaded, and now, he just had to do something about it, either by killing them all or by sending them back and cutting off the connection of the Abyss Realm to the Human Realm.
''It''s time to leave¡'' Kyle thought as he spoke..
"I''ll inform the Demon Lord." He then turned around to leave the ce.
However, Kyle had barely taken a few steps towards the cavern''s exit when Wrath''s voice halted him, echoing with a challenge that vibrated through the very air.
"Since you''re here¡ How about a duel?" The Deadly Sin suddenly proposed, his toneced with a desire to demonstrate his formidable prowess.
Kyle turned, his disguise as a Demon Saint still intact, to face Wrath.
He was unsure whether Wrath had already realized his disguise or perhaps this was simply Wrath''s natural behavior¡
Well, it wasn''t that surprising, considering he was Wrath.
The atmosphere suddenly became colder as the red crystals of the cavern pulsing in rhythm with the rising tension.
"A duel?" Kyle feigned surprise, though inwardly he was calcting his next move.
"It would be an honor to witness the might of Wrath firsthand." He finally said after some thought.
Wrath''s lips curled into a smirk, pleased by the eptance.
"Excellent. I wish to show you the true power that you could serve in the future. Hahaha! Follow me."
With a grand gesture, Wrath waved his hand and it seemed as if he summoned a Rift!
It happened too quickly and Kyle wasn''t prepared at all.
Zzzzzttt~
The space beside Wrath was opened to reveal the Rift that was surely leading to the Abyss Realm. Kyle couldn''t mistake it since he had been here before!
The Rift exuded a malevolent energy, its edges flickering with dark mes.
''Right¡ I can''t back out now¡'' Kyle then stepped through after Wrath, finding himself in a destendscape that bore the scars of eternal conflict.
The ground was a mosaic of ckened earth and rivers ofva, the sky was filled with swirling dark clouds and streaks of crimson lightning. Monstrous silhouettes loomed in the distance, their roars and howls a constant undercurrent to the realm''s oppressive atmosphere.
However, Wrath was simply looking at Kyle curiously.
"Ho~ You''re not rejected by the Abyss Realm¡ I guess you''re really a Demon Saint, huh¡ My instinct today is really bad." Wrath said with augh.
It appears that Wrath still had suspicions even with his perfect disguise!
Kyle was happy because Avatar had already been to the Abyss Realm once, and his corrupted divinity had probably helped him stabilize quickly.
Chapter 758 The War
Chapter 758 The War
??''This guy is a lot more cautious than I thought¡ Luckily, this is not my first time entering this ce. The rejection was no longer there.'' Vale thought as he controlled his expression.
He didn''t reply to his words but simply try to appear as if he was frowning by what the Deadly Sin said.
"Forget what I said¡ Come¡"
Wrath then led Kyle to an opennd.
Thend was huge, and its boundaries were marked by towering spires of jagged rock. The Deadly Sin then turned to face Kyle, his eyes burning with the thrill of the impending battle.
"Here, we shall duel. Show me your strength, Demon Saint, and I shall show you the unbridled force of Wrath."
Kyle gravely nodded, his mind racing.
He had no intention of revealing his true identity, but he needed to maintain his ruse. Because of that, he had no other choice but to only use the Demon Saint Spells that he had extracted.
They weren''t a lot, but he should be able to show enough to satisfy the Deadly Sin. In any case, he doesn''t need to win against this creature since even the Demon Lord would have a hard time dealing with such an opponent. As someone disguised as Demon Saint, he just needed tost long enough to pass as a decent Demon Saint.
Kyle took a deep breath as he recalled his Demonic Arts.
They were Demon Eyes, Soul Extractor, Demonic Transformation, Ethereal Step, Demonic Energy Suction, Demon''s Wrath, Corruption Curse, and Abyssal Fire.
He repeatedly reminded himself that aside from his Corrupted Divinity and these Spells, he shouldn''t use any other spells to maintain his disguise!
"Let''s begin!"
As the duelmenced, Wrath moved with a speed that contradicted his size, his scepter also swept down as he unleashed a barrage of attacks.
It seemed that his attack was simply a use of physical force but it was actually filled with disturbing malevolence!
If he was hit even once, Kyle knew that his internal force would be chaotic and his disguise mighte off!
Indeed, each strike from the Deadly was a masterpiece of violence as the air itself seeming to scream in agony as it was cleaved by the Sin''s power!
Boom!
With a burst of Corrupted Divinity from Kyle, the two quickly separated as the ground started cracking due to the sheer strength they both had shown just now.
Kyle steadied his breath, focusing on the Demonic Arts at hismand.
Whom~
His eyes, now the Demon Eyes, glowed with a sinister light, sharpening his vision to see through the deceptive speed of Wrath.
As the Deadly Sin advanced, Kyle activated the Ethereal Step, his form flickering like a shadow, evading the crushing blows that sought to unravel his guise.
Yes, although it probably wasn''t Wrath''s intention to remove his disguise, it doesn''t change the fact that Wrath''s power, which was rted to chaotic force, could undo his disguise!
He had to be careful if he was ever hit!
"You''re fast! Are you ranked below 50? No, perhaps 40th Rank?" The Deadly Sinmented after seeing Kyle''s Perfect Ethereal Step¡
Nheless, Wrath was undeterred by his disy of movement technique. The Deadly Sin swung his scepter with a force that tore at the very fabric of the Abyss Realm.
It felt as if he was really trying to kill Kyle at this time!
However, Kyle knew that this guy was simply aware that a Demon Saint would only be gravely injured in the Abyss Realm once hit by this attack. It was enough to severely injure him!
"Tsk¡"
The space crackled with malevolent energy, as the scepter released another chaotic force of destruction aimed at Kyle''s heart.
However, Kyle was not a Demon Saint, he was the Shadow Immortal. He could not get injured by this attack so he had to he danced around the edges of Wrath''s fury, countering with the Demonic Energy Suction to absorb the residual power from the Sin''s own attacks.
"Hahaha! Impressive, Demon Saint! Show me more!" Wrath said with augh.
He wanted to overwhelm Kyle with his power as a Deadly Sin but seeing how Kyle was able to respond to his attacks, he couldn''t help but want to see his limit!
Because of that, Wrath decided not to overpower Kyle and just show enough strength to lengthen their battle!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The battle raged on, a tempest of power and crafty moves.
Kyle, realizing that the Deadly Sin wasn''t nning to end this battle immediately, decided to "exhaust" himself.
He wanted to use "everything that he had" and act weak sooner, so he could just surrender to the Deadly Sin!
''I can''t continue this anymore¡ If I make a mistake, my disguise will be blown away.'' Kyle thought.
Ha!
Calling upon the Demon''s Wrath, he unleashed a torrent of demonic energy. It was a power close to Wrath''s own!
Kyle used his fish to meet the Deadly Sin''s Scepter!
Boom!
With his Demon''s Wrath activated to the fullest, the sh that followed was a maelstrom that shook the entirend!
The ground beneath them fractured,va spewing forth as if the world itself was crying out in pain.
"You! You''re not a normal Demon Saint! A single-digit?!" Wrath was obviously shocked.
However, he immediately erased this idea as he felt that the Demon Saint''s life force had weakened!
"Hahaha! So it was like that! You''re willing to use a Forbidden Technique to equal my power in this duel! I admire your resolve!"
Wrath''sughter boomed as he witnessed Kyle''s prowess.
"Impressive, Demon Saint! I will not let you down! I will show you my real strength! Let us see how you handle this!"
With a roar, he summoned the Wrath''s Hell Fire, a congration of hellish mes that sought to consume all in its path!
Kyle wanted to just drop and act defeated right now, but the Hell Fire doesn''t seem to be a spell that would spare him!
He had no other choice as he responded with the Corruption Curse!
With the activation of the spell, it twisted the very mes meant to destroy him into a vortex of corrupted force that spiraled back toward Wrath!
''Ahh¡ I can return an attack with the Corruption Curse?'' Kyle was surprised.
The Sin of Wrath, was also taken aback by the audacity of the move!
He then raised his scepter to dispel the cursed inferno that they had both created.
"Incredible! I know you can show me more¡ Do not hesitate now, Saint! Show everything you have! This will be the final attack! I know you still have the strength! Show me!" Wrath shouted hinting that this will be their final sh.
"Fine!"
As the two titans of the Abyss stepped back, the power they were emitting collided in an explosive disy¡
Kyle also knew he had to end this duel before his true identity was discovered, so he was happy to act as if he could only churn out one more attack...
He prepared his final Demonic Art, the Soul Extractor, which was aimed at harming Wrath and possibly permanently damaging his body.
As Kyle cast the Spell to the Deadly Sin, the Soul Extractor seemed to have pulled something out of the enemy¡ However, it was simply a lump of energy and not any Soul!
"That''s disappointing, Saint¡ However, that''s also admirable. If you used the attack on anyone other than me, that would work really well." Wrath said as he waved his hand to return the Spell to Kyle¡
With a feigned cry of anguish, Kyle allowed the Soul Extractor to graze him, his form shuddering as if struck by a mortal blow.
He copsed to the ground, his body still, giving the appearance of a vanquished foe.
Wrath approached, his steps heavy with triumph. "You have fought well, Demon Saint. Rise and serve under my banner, and together, we shall bring the realms to their knees."
''Eh? Psychic Arts or something simr? You want to enve me?'' Kyle was confused as he felt that the Deadly Sin was using some sort of charm when he spoke just now.
Kyle then thought for a moment before defending himself from the charm¡
"I apologize¡ I''m already serving the Demon Lord." Kyle replied after some thought. Anyway, the power that could stop the Deadly Sin''s mind spell could be med on the Demon Lord, so he wasn''t afraid to act unaffected.
Wrath''s expression shifted, a flicker of respect passing through his fiery gaze.
"Very well, I shall not press for your allegiance if it lies with the Demon Lord. Your loyalty ismendable¡" He conceded with a nod.
Kyle rose to his feet, maintaining hisposure. "Thank you, my lord. I am bound to the Demon Lord''s will, but I am honored by your offer¡" He said, his voice carrying the weight of feigned subservience.
Wrath turned away, his silhouette framed by the flickering light of the Abyss.
"Remember, Demon Saint, the Realms are ever-changing. The Demon Lord maymand the battlefield now, but the tides of power are fickle¡" He warned, his tone ominous.
Chapter 759 Lesleys Revenge
Chapter 759 Lesley''s Revenge
??Kyle was obviously confused for a moment as to why the Deadly Sin would warn him of the situation in the Human Realm.
However, his confusion was rified as soon as he heard his next words.
"The other Deadly Sins have already begun their work in the Human Realm. Once the Demon Lord retracts his forces, it is us who will shape its destiny. The realm will not fall into chaos; it will fall into order¡ªthe order of the Sins. As for you, Demon Saints, you will be used once again like an insignificant piece in his game¡ If you want real power, you have to consider following one of the Sins¡"
Wrath paused for a moment before he continued.
"You know the situation of this dying Realm¡The Abyss Realm wouldn''tst long because it had connected to too many lower realms. It had be too unstable¡ If you add the uncontroble power of the Demon Lord, you should be aware of how dangerous it is just by staying here¡" The Deadly Sin stopped speaking after this as he looked at Kyle''s expression.
Although he looked terrifying, there were still some signs on his face where he could read his thoughts.
Kyle listened intently at his words and also took a moment to digest it before replying.
"I understand, my lord. I shall think about this¡" He replied, bowing slightly.
As Wrath dismissed him with a wave, Kyle stepped through the rift once more, returning to the Human Realm. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and strategies.
"Interesting¡" Kyle muttered as he considered his next actions.
What he learned just now was extremely important! Well, as a matter of fact, all the things he learned today were truly an eye-opener.
The reason why the Demon Lord was attacking various realms, the first Human Celestial, the power of Extraction, the Fortune Goddess'' secret Avatar, the reason why the Abyss Realm was copsing, and the fact that the Human Realm would be left to the Deadly Sins were all extremely valuable information.
''For now, I have to find the other Deadly Sins¡'' Kyle thought, as it was better to find them now and observe their situation so he could n on how to eliminate them.
The Deadly Sins'' influence was growing, and soon, they would be the ones pulling the strings in the Human Realm, so he had to be prepared!
***
Meanwhile, while Kyle was actually dueling against the Deadly Sin in another realm, Lesley and herpanion, Gareth, had already secretly arrived at their destination.
It was the gathering of Mystics or Shamans!
Thud¡ Thud¡
The air was thick with the scent of charred earth and the remnants of arcane energies as Lesley and Gareth arrived at the outskirts of a once-verdant meadow.
It had be a battlefield marked by the recent sh between the Mystic Arts Practitioners and a horde of demons.
The ground was littered with the fallen¡ªbodies of demonsy strewn across the field, their forms twisted in the agony of their final moments.
''Mhmm¡ Is this the work of Master Arcanists?'' Lesley thought but she didn''t mind even if the enemies she was about to face were indeed at this level.
She then looked in the direction where she could sense Life Strands.
The Order of the Illustrious Liquidators, a revered assembly of Mystics and Shamans, had made their stand here. They were sessful at stopping the Demon Horde''s advance and it was certainly good for them.
Nheless, they were the sworn enemies of the Dark Arts Faction after they have allied themselves with the Holy Arts Faction and the Church of the Fortune Goddess to purge the Dark Arts Faction''s territories.
They didn''t even spare the Vermont Academy, where young Arcanists of their faction would go and study!
Lesley observed them carefully after getting closer. Their robes, adorned with symbols of their sacred order, were now marred with the dust and blood ofbat.
Lesley''s gaze swept over the scene, her eyes reflecting neither pity nor sorrow for the defeated foes. Instead, her focus was on the gathering of Mystics who were tending to their wounds and regrouping after the battle.
''It must be a difficult battle. Did they fight against the Demon Saint?'' Lesley mused as she knew how difficult it was to kill a Demon Saint. It required her whole squad to call for the Death God''s Hands at that time!
Anyway, the gathering of Mystics was a formidable sight, their faces etched with the fatigue of war yet alight with the fire of their conviction.
She also recognized some of them as targets that were reported by the informants of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels.
"Not a bad line up¡ I think they could fight a Demon Saint with their forces here."
Gareth stood beside her, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, a silent sentinel ready to act on hermand.
"Are you certain that we can win against them?" He asked, his voice a low rumble that barely rose above the whispering wind. He also recognized most of the Mystic Arts Practitioners who had gathered in this area.
Although they had just obtained Wrath''s Blessing, Gareth was still unsure how much stronger the two of them had be!
"Don''t be afraid¡"
Lesley smiled as she nodded at his question¡ She seemed so confident and it was something that Gareth really wanted to see.
If she acts like this, he knew that she must be telling the truth. He simply had to trust himself and do his best.
"Yes. They must pay for their transgressions against our kind¡" She continued, her tone resolute.
Without another word, Lesley stepped forward, her presencemanding the attention of the weary Mystics.
It seemed that she wasn''t nning to just attack them in surprise!
"C-captain¡" Gareth was still surprised to see this as he thought that they would use a Forbidden Curse Spell secretly to start weing them!
However, he didn''t have the time to question his captain''s actions!
Lesley raised her hands, and the air around her swelled with dark energy.
"Greetings, Illustrious Liquidators¡" She began, her voice carrying across the field.
"Ie bearing the Curse of Retribution."
It wasn''t a literal curse spell. She was referring to herself as their curse!
The Mystics turned, their expressions shifting from weariness to alertness as they recognized the threat before them.
"It''s the red witch!"
As soon as this was said by the leader of the Mystic Arts Practitioners, a barrier of shimmering energy rose around them, a collective defense against the impending Dark Spells¡
But Lesley was undeterred!
With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed a Dark Spell!
It was a wave of dark energy that spiraled towards the barrier.
Boom!
The impact was like the sh of titans, the force of the dark energy battling against the strength of the Mystic''s shield!
The ground trembled, and the sky darkened as the two powers collided.
Lesley also cast another Spell. This time, it was Curse Spell!
"What? How could she summon so much strength with a flick of her hands and cast another Spell like it was nothing!"
"Something''s off¡ She must have activated a Forbidden Technique already!"
"It must be boosting her power then¡ We should try to hold out until the Forbidden Technique wears off. Fighting her in that condition would be too difficult."
Everyone knew that fighting against an Arcanist who had activated a boosting Forbidden Spell would be a suicide.
The only way to fight it was by using a Forbidden Spell or just waiting for it to end! After all, these Spells that boost 5 times or more of your strength shouldn''tst forever!
"Hmph! I want to see her dying by her own doing¡ Continue defending!"
The Mystics chanted in unison, their voices weaving a counter-
spell to dispel the curse. Energy arced across the field, illuminating the faces of friend and foe alike.
As the battle of wills raged, Gareth watched, ready to leap into the fray should the barrier falter.
With his current set of Spells, he was even more terrifying in closebat¡ Especially if he called for a mystical being to enter his body!
"Now!"
As the barrier trembled under the relentless assault of Lesley''s curse, Gareth seized his moment. He closed his eyes and chanted an ancient invocation, his voice resonating with the power of the ages. The air around him shimmered, and the ground beneath his feet vibrated with the summoning of a spirit from a realm of legends.
From the Giant''s Realm, he called forth the spirit ofThorgrym the Earthshaker, a being of immense strength and unbending will.
Thorgrym''s spirit was that of an ancient giant, one who had walked as a diator when the world was young and whose footsteps had carved valleys and mountains.
As the spirit of Thorgrym entered Gareth''s body, a transformation took ce. Gareth''s form expanded, his muscles bulging with newfound power, and his eyes glowing with the earthen light of the Giant''s Realm.
His presence on the battlefield became like a force of nature, an avatar of the ancient giant''s indomitable will!
"Kill!"
Chapter 760 Recognized
Chapter 760 Recognized
??With Thorgrym''s spirit within Gareth''s body, he stepped forward¡
Bam!
His every movement caused the earth to tremble. It was as if he still couldn''t control the strength of his body.
Nheless, he raised his hand, and the ground responded, stone and soil rising to further destroyed the weakening barrier of the Mystic Arts Practitioners.
His voice then boomed across the field, a deration of defiance against the Mystic Arts Practitioner¡
"By the might of Thorgrym, I shall destroy all of you!" Gareth proimed, his words carrying the weight of mountains.
"Haa! Foolish Dark Magicians! You''re the one who will perish today!" One of the Mystic Arts Practitioners roared as the two forces shed!
***
The meadow, once a serene expanse of green, had further transformed into a tumultuous battlefield where the ce could no longer be recognized.
Gareth, now a vessel for Thorgrym''s indomitable spirit, stood at the forefront, his movements would send shockwaves through the ranks of the Illustrious Liquidators!
Lesley, her red hair billowing like a banner of war, channeled three or four Dark Magic at the same time to hold the Liquidators in ce!
"This is interesting¡ Hey! You have to work harder so I can use my blessings to their limit!" Lesley shouted.
She was pressuring the enemies with her spells but wasn''t doing this just to restrict their enemies'' movement.
She was doing this to see how strong her blessing was! She won''t be able to measure her real strength if the enemies are too scattered!
At this time, her hands wove intricate patterns in the air, summoning curses that darkened the sky and sapped the strength of their enemies.
"You witch!"
The Mystic Arts Practitioners, though weary, were not without their own formidable power.
Among them stoodEldrin the Seer, his staff aglow with mystical light, andMira of the Healing Winds, her chants, continued to help recover herrades from their wounds and curses.
"All Liquidators! Hold on! Sir Clyde ising! Do not be afraid andunch everything you''ve got! We can''t let this witch escape!" Eldrin shouted¡
"Channel your Mystic Energy to Sir Eldrin''s staff!" Mira added.
The two of them rallied the Liquidators, their voices rising above the chaos of battle.
"Hahaha! These Vessels wouldn''tst long by borrowing such power. Just hold on until Sir Clyde arrives!"Eldrin''s voice echoed, his eyes aze with visions of possible method to win this battle.
He could already tell that aside from being possessed by mystical beings and using forbidden arts, the two Vessels were also blessed by a strange power.
He knew that this would not be an easy battle!
Nheless, he was thankful that they have a rare Shaman on their side that could heal wounds andbreak curses.
Mira''s chants were a soothing balm, even as she braced herself against the oing Gareth¡
"By the breath of the ancients, we shall not falter!"
Yet, as the barrier crumbled under Gareth''s relentless assault, desperation took hold.
Two of the Vice Captains of the Order of the Illustrious Liquidators had to do something to stop Gareth¡
''We just fought against a Demon Horde and a couple of Demon Saints¡ We''re too weak right now. They can''t kill Sir Eldrin!''
''Not good¡ We have to buy more time for Sir Clyde to arrive!''
The two Vice Captains, Kael andLysa, the ones who sustained heavy injuries against Demon Saint, stepped forward.
Their determination was etched upon their faces. They knew the cost of their next act, but their resolve was unshaken.
"With our lives, we defend the Mystic Light!" Kael roared, his armor gleaming with thest of his protective spells.
Lysa''s voice was a whisper that carried the weight of sacrifice. "For the greater good, we give ourselves to the cause."
"You!!!" Eldrin and Mira noticed the two''s actions but they were toote. They couldn''t persuade their Vice Captains!
Together, they charged towards Gareth and clung to him tightly!
Then, they channeled their life force into a final, radiant burst of energy, a self-destructive act that would either turn the tide or be theirst stand.
Boom! Boom!
The explosion was a blinding sh that lit the battlefield, a momentary sun that sought to cleanse the darkness.
Aaahhh!
Gareth, the vessel of Thorgrym''s mighty spirit, was not immune to the cataclysmic force unleashed by the self-destruction of the Mystic Arts Practitioners'' vice captains.
The explosion sent him hurtling through the air!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
His body was wracked with pain as he collided with several rocks and trees before being dragged to the unforgiving earth.
Luckily, it didn''t remove his Spirit Possession!
The spirit of the Earthshaker within him roared in fury and anguish, its power struggling to mend the wounds inflicted by such potent magic.
As hey amidst the debris, trying to regain his senses, Lesley seized the moment of chaos that followed the self-destruction.
Well, she noticed that the explosion had also disturbed the defenses of the Liquidators!
''Perfect!'' Lesley thought as an evil smile curved on her lips.
The battlefield, clouded with dust, was now a stage for her to unveil the blessing bestowed upon her by the Deadly Sin of Wrath!
''Let''s see how good this is¡''
Lesley took a deep breath as she channeled Wrath''s aura, which was resting within her body.
She closed her eyes, focusing on the infernal pact she had made, and slowly, she called forth the power of Wrath.
Thud¡ Thud¡
Soon, her body became a Vessel for the Sin''s might, and as she opened her eyes, they zed with a baleful crimson light.
A surge of energy rippled out from her¡
"This is it¡ It''s clouding my mind with anger, but this is it!" Lesley said with a hint of excitement in her voice.
The Mystics and Shamans, still reeling from the loss of theirrades, looked on in horror as Lesley unleashed the Wrath''s blessing.
"This Aura!"
"This is the power of Wrath! I''m sure of it!"
"Deadly Sin?!"
"Not good!"
"Where is Sir Clyde?!"
Lesley released a torrent of chaotic energy thatshed out like a tempest, its touch corrupting and twisting the natural Order of magic around them.
Bang! Bang!
The ground cracked and split, giving birth to fissures that spewed forth a miasma of hatred and violence. The sky above darkened as if the sun itself cowered before the unleashed fury of the Deadly Sin.
"No way¡" Eldrin watched in horror as Lesley showed a might close to that of Half-Immortals he had seen before!
"Mira¡ You must escape from this ce¡ You''re a unique healer of our Faction. You can''t die here." Eldrin sent a message through telepathy.
"No, Sir Eldrin! We''ll both hold on until Sir Clyde arrives!" Mira said as she felt Lesley''s power spread towards them!
Whom~
Lesley''s curse spread across the field. It was like a wave of destruction that threatened to engulf all in its path!
The Shamans and Mystics scrambled to erect defenses¡ Their spells continued to protect themselves, but the power of Wrath was relentless, and it battered against their shields with the force of a relentless storm.
"This is Wrath''s power¡ The power to create chaos¡ Normal Arcane Spells wouldn''t work against it. A Fusion Spell or Immortal Spells must be used if we don''t have a Sovereign Artifact with us." Eldrin said.
Unfortunately for them, the Demon Saints they fought with a while ago had destroyed their Sovereign Artifacts!
Because of that, they have no Artifacts of a simr level that could contend against Lesley!
Nheless, a few more Vice Captains of the Illustrious Liquidators acted.
Riza, a Mystic of renowned power, stepped forth, her staff raised high as she chanted an incantation of sealing.
"By the stars above, I bind this curse!" She cried, her voice a beacon amidst the darkness.
Thalion, one of the youngest Vice Captains, joined her. His own magic harmonized with Riza''s efforts. "For the bnce of all, we shall not yield!" He dered, his words a rallying cry for the fraught Practitioners.
Together, they managed to contain the worst of Lesley''s onught, but it onlysted for a few seconds!
"This is the end¡ I''m sorry, children." Eldrin muttered as he still couldn''t gather enough energy to fight against Lesley, he was too injured! If he at least had his strength recovered by at least another hour, he wouldn''t be too helpless!
However, just as their defenses began to falter, a new presence swept across the field.
His arrival seemed to have purified the Arcane Energy in the whole area, surprising both two sides!
Then, when this figure emerged, his stride seemed so confident, and his aura was calm amidst the storm.
He was young, with raven-ck hair that stood in stark contrast to his noble attire. His eyes held the depth of the night sky, and he held a cane in his left hand.
The Mystics and Shamans paused, their spells momentarily forgotten as they beheld the neer.
On the other hand, Lesley''s heart skipped a beat, her curse wavering as recognition dawned upon her.
"Kyle Marshall? Impossible..." She uttered in disbelief, her voice a mix of shock and awe.
Chapter 761 Dominion
Chapter 761 Dominion
??"Kyle Marshall?"
Lesley looked at the young man who had just arrived to save the Shamans. As her emotion was triggered, she released a baleful aura of the Death God and the chaos of the Wrath!
Nheless, instead of confirming his identity, the young man, who bore the name of one long thought dead, raised his hand.
A wave of purifying energy emanated from him, the power resonating with the very essence of bnce and order.
It swept through the field like a cleansing wind, dispelling the chaotic energies of Wrath''s power and the curse that was being emitted by the Death God''s Aura.
The Mystics and Shamans watched in amazement as the dark miasma receded.
Their hope was rekindled by this unexpected savior.
"Our Savior!"
"Is he a Holy Priest!"
"He must be the young Saint of the Church of the Fortune Goddess!"
"We''re saved!"
The Shamans eximed as they felt the Holy Energy being emitted by the young man. They had no idea that it was the Shadow Immortal!
Of course, Lesley was the one who was even more shocked as she knew this young man.
''How did he survive? He should''ve be a fuel!''
Lesley then had an idea as she paused for a moment.
''No, maybe he has a twin that entered the Magrath Academy?'' Lesley thought as she also felt the strong Holy Energy from the young man.
This means that he was probably a student of the Holy Arts Academy, or a priest had probably taken him to be an acolyte.
Nheless, it was without a doubt that her confidence was shaken.
Seeing how he casually cleansed the Aura she released, she knew that this young man would be a tough opponent without her whole squad backing her up.
She took a step back, her mind racing with questions and the impossibility of what she was witnessing.
However, she had no time to investigate Kyle''s revival or whether he had a brother¡
Since he saved the Shamans, it means that he was an enemy¡ She had to be satisfied for now and attack again once this person left! But she knew that it wouldn''t be easy!
***
Bang!
Gareth, his form still echoing the might of Thorgrym''s spirit, charged at Kyle with a ferocity born of desperation.
He also saw how the young man easily dispelled Lesley''s Aura! It wasn''t something that any Priest or Holy Knight could aplish!
If he would make a guess, this young man was most likely a Half-Immortal of the Holy Arts Faction!
If his whole squad was here, he wouldn''t be terrified of its presence as they could use Forbidden Arts to close the gap in their strength and summon a mystical being that could turn the tide. Unfortunately, they were too rash toe here after just receiving the blessing of the Deadly Sin!
They weren''t even that proficient in using its power!
"Haaa!"
His move shook the ground as he created a strong momentum to send the young man flying!
Moreoever, it was his bid to protect his captain and turn the tide of an unwinnable battle.
''Captain Lesley! Escape now! This young man is most likely a Half-Immortal! If not, he must possess an Arcana to push away both Aura from your two Blessings! This is not normal! Hurry!'' Gareth said through telepathy. He was about to use telepathy as he could still control a part of his body even with the possession made by Thorgrym''s Spirit thanks to an Artifact he was using.
However, it doesn''t matter to Kyle.
He stood unshaken, his ck eyes fixed on the oing threat.
As Gareth unleashed a flurry of blows, each one powerful enough to shatter stone, Kyle moved swiftly to meet his attacks.
His agility was such that he seemed to drift between the spaces of Gareth''s attacks! Without using any movement spell, Kyle was like a specter untouched by the brute force that sought to crush him.
With a swift step, Kyle closed the distance, his movements could barely be followed by the Mystics'' eyes!
Bang!
He countered with a simple palm strike, a move devoid of any magical enhancement, yet itnded with the precision of a master martial artist.
The impact sent a shockwave through Gareth''s body, halting his momentum and leaving him staggered.
"Y-you! Are you looking down on me?!"
Gareth roared, as he didn''t feel any sign of Holy Power or any Arcane Energy from that strike!
Without a doubt, it made him even more mad!
He took a deep breath as he gathered more power. He refused to sumb to his enemy, and he lunged again with reckless abandon.
But Kyle, ever the immovable force, met each attack with effortless deflection. He bravely met the onught without using any magic and just relied on his pure physical prowess.
It was as if he was trying to prove something, or perhaps he was simply ying around with his opponent.
The sh was a sight to behold. It doesn''t feel like a fight between two Arcanists!
It was a disy of raw power against disciplined skill.
Gareth, embodying the untamed fury of the Giant''s Realm, found himself outmatched by Kyle''s innate superiority.
It was a closebat, something that he should excel at¡ However, he found himself being led by the young man. Indeed! The young man was dictating the flow of their deadly battle!
"You''re going to die if I just hit you once!" Gareth shouted as his frustration was building up. Nheless, he was happy that the young man was taking his time, as this would allow Lesley to escape¡
As the duel progressed, it became clear that Kyle was toying with his opponent, and his every move was a lesson in the art ofbat.
"You''ll regret this!" Gareth said, but Kyle simply smirked.
He struck not to kill but to disarm, to neutralize the threat that Gareth posed!
The other Mystics also noticed that the young man seemed to be nning to capture Gareth¡ Because of that, they immediately gathered their remaining strength and nned to help Kyle the moment an opportunity arose.
Soon, with a series of non-lethal blows, he systematically dismantled Gareth''s defenses, leaving the warrior vulnerable and exposed.
Gareth, his spirit waning, fell to his knees, his breathsing in ragged gasps.
At this time, the Mystics hesitated as they felt that binding Gareth with the Arcane Chains they prepared felt unnecessary.
Gareth was already too weak! Even Thorgrym''s Spirit left, after seeing how Gareth''s body had reached its limit.
Thud¡
Kyle stood over him¡ He was like a figure of indomitable strength, his presence alonemanded silence to everyone in the battlefield.
"Stop resisting." Hemanded. Along with these words, his aura was finally revealed. This was the first time he had done this!
Furthermore, it was a power of Holy Energy! It was as if he was about to cast his Holy Smite!
***
In the meantime, Lesley had already escaped and had only left a Shadow Eye¡ This spell allowed her to witness the battle just now.
She had watched how the young man who resembled Kyle defeated her Vice Captain known for his physical prowess!
There was no doubt that her decision to escape was right!
With a final nce at the man she believed to be dead, she dispelled the Shadow Eye as it might be traced back to her location.
The Shamans and Mystics rallied around Kyle, their savior¡
"Sir, thank you for saving us¡ We could bind this Dark Magician for you. If you want to bring him with you or imprison him, we could help you on that." Eldrin said as he observed the young man.
Yet, Kyle''s response was not what they anticipated. With a benign smile, he inquired, "Were you among those whoid siege to Vermont Academy?" The question hung in the air, innocent yetden with an unspoken weight.
Eldrin and his fellow Mystics, momentarily caught off guard by the question, quickly recovered theirposure.
They stood a little taller, their chests puffed with a sense of righteous duty.
"Yes, that was our doing," Eldrin confirmed, his voice steady and sure. "At the behest of the Holy Arts Faction and the Church of the Fortune Goddess, we joined the fray against the Academy that brings darkness to thend."
The others nodded in agreement, their faces alight with the fervor of their convictions.
Without a doubt, all of them are proud of what they''ve done.
The group awaited Kyle''s approval, expecting words of praise or at least acknowledgment of their shared cause.
But the warmth that had once graced Kyle''s features was gone, reced by a chilling sternness that seemed to lower the temperature around them.
All of them immediately felt something was off¡ They were sure that he would be happy as he was supposedly part of the Holy Arts Faction!
However, with a fluid motion that was almost casual, Kyle extended his hand, palm upturned.
The air seemed to thicken as heavy tension built up.
Then, Kyle whispered an incantation.
"Dominion Thirst¡" He uttered, and a ripple of power surged forth.
Chapter 762 Vessels
Chapter 762 Vessels
??"Dominion Thirst¡"
Kyle said as he triggered the spell that he had obtained from Greed! This spell was something that he knew was better than his current ve Mark Spell.
The Mystics and Shamans, caught in the web of Kyle''s spell, felt an invisible force wrap around their wills. With their current level of Spirit Strands and amount of Mental Energy in their bodies, normal mind-controlling spells would no longer affect their bodies.
However, although Kyle didn''t use his Divinity to cast this spell and felt quite a normal mind spell, they all felt that their natural defense could easily copse in front of his spell!
Something was off!
"Not good!"
"A rare mind spell!"
"No! No! This¡ªThis one targets the soul! Protect your souls!" Eldrin shouted as he realized what kind of spell they were dealing with after realizing that his soul was protected by his magic artifact felt vulnerable!
Unfortunately for them, it was already toote!
Kyle''s Dominion Thirst acted too quickly!
Their pride turned to confusion, then to horror, as they realized they were no longer masters of their own destinies.
They felt their control to their bodies slowly leaving as they realized that they would soon be puppets, their strings pulled by the very person they had celebrated as their savior!
Kyle''s eyes swept over the assembly, now his tomand.
"You sought to bring order¡" He said, his voice rumbling to their hearts with a newfound authority, "but now, you shall follow mine."
The irony of their situation was not lost on them; they had be subjugated, bound by the same methods they had used to dominate their foes.
Kyle knew that these Mystic Arts Practitioners were the ones who were using more innocent humans to experiment on than the Dark Arts Practitioners.
It was something that he learned after having so many memory fragments being extracted.
Anyway, with the Mystics and Shamans now under his dominion, Kyle issued his firstmand with the authority of a ruler.
"Return to my castle in the Forbidden Forest between the Ruri and Milton Kingdoms" He directed, his voice leaving no room for dissent.
"You will be integrated into my forces and serve as my soldiers. Go now, and await further instructions."
"Yes, Master!"
As the group departed, Kyle couldn''t help but smile as he confirmed that they were all wlessly following his instructions.
Kyle turned his attention to the task at hand. Lesley, the Dark Arts Practitioner who had narrowly escaped his grasp, was his next target.
Actually, he already activated hisDivine Sense the moment he had arrived, and he had already marked Lesley''s essence. Right now, there was a spectral tether that would allow him to track her movements with ease.
With a thought, Kyle activated hisPresence Shift, the world around him blurring as he teleported through the fabric of space. Once, twice, seven times, he shifted his presence, each leap bringing him closer to Lesley''s location.
''Mhmm? She''s getting too close to their headquarters.'' Kyle thought as he noticed the presence of the Vessel''s stronghold not too far from Lesley''s area.
He couldn''t help but feel impressed at Lesley''s movement spell. He had actually traveled so far in that short duration! It was certainly impressive!
Whom~
Finally, he arrived at a deste crossroads where the veil between worlds was thin.
''There was a Rift here before¡ I guess it was closed by the Dark Arts Faction.'' Kyle thought as he sensed the remnant energy of the Abyss Realm in this region.
At this time, Lesley stood there, waiting for Kyle''s arrival. It seemed that she knew all along that Kyle would follow her.
She didn''t seem surprised at his presence as her eyes were filled with determination.
Sensing Kyle''s approach, she called upon the forbidden arts, her voice a chant that pierced the silence of the dead.
Indeed, there was no talk needed as she immediately started casting her spells!
"From the world of shadows, I summon thee, Astaroth, the Reaper of Souls!" Lesley''s body became a vessel for the mystical being, her form shrouded in an ethereal mist as the entity from theherworld entered her.
''Astaroth? That sounded cool¡'' Kyle had no idea about the being Lesley had summoned. However, he knew that this would not be easy after he sensed the Corrupted Divinity from the Spirit that she summoned.
Kyle watched, unfazed by the disy of Dark Ritual.
"Lesley, you tread a dangerous path¡ That Astaroth seemed a bit too strong. Your physique could also not handle too much Divinity. " He said, his tone was calm as if he was truly worried about his opponent.
"Why do you persist in this foolishness?" He continued.
Lesley, now imbued with the power of Astaroth, faced Kyle with a newfound ferocity.
"Kyle Marshall, or whoever you im to be, your endes now!" She dered, her voice echoing with the timbre of the dead.
Kyle sighed but he also felt a little excited to fight against Lesley¡
''It''s more satisfying to subdue you if you have the power to resist a little. Let''s see your strength this time.'' Kyle remarked in his mind.
Soon, the two shed, creating a vortex of Hoy Energy and Death''s Power colliding in a spectacle of light and shadow.
Kyle actually used his Force instead of Shadow Divinity to fight against Lesley!
Furthermore, after canceling Lesley''s death energy, Kyle relied on his innate strength and agility as he dodged the scythe swings and spectral assaults with his movement speed alone!
Of course, Kyle also started attacking Lesley with the moves he learned as a Combat Arts Practitioner.
Lesley, driven by the Reaper''s might, matched him blow for blow, her attacks imbued with the chill of the dead.
"You cannot stop what is toe, Kyle! The realms will no longer have any Holy Arts and Mystic Arts Practitioners after this war ends!"
Lesley hissed, her form flickering as she got closer to Kyle while avoiding various trikes.
Kyle parried a particrly vicious strike, his counter a mere touch that sent ripples of purifying light through Lesley''s form.
"That sounds interesting, Lesley. However, I think that you are still too na?ve." He replied. His voice was calm amidst the storm of their battle.
Kyle''s fingers were poised to cast the ve Mark Spell, the incantation that would bind Lesley to his will.
He wanted to see whether Lesley''s blessing could stop his Perfect Realm Spells!
However, as he was about to release his Spell, the air shifted, heralding the arrival of the other members of the Evanescent Vessels.
Anyway, he sensed them before they materialized¡ªfive figures cloaked in the aura of Sage Spirits, their power amplified beyond mortal''s limits.
Apparently, they already had their bodies possessed before they arrived here! It seemed that they had a rough idea about Kyle''s power!
Yet, Kyle stood unshaken. His guise as a Holy Arts Practitioner was a mere facade for the Shadow Immortal that lurked beneath.
The neers brandished an artifact of ominous origin¡
"Ohhh¡ No wonder you guys seemed confident¡ Did you steal them from the Demons Saints you''ve fought so far?" Kyle asked as his eyes lit up.
He wanted those items as well!
Indeed, their Artifacts were formed from the bones of Dimensional Creatures. It pulsed with the potential to rend the very fabric of space, a threat that could consign Kyle to the void if he wasn''t prepared!
"Are you the Young Saint? However, it doesn''t matter. Whoever you are, your end is nigh¡" One of the Vessels dered, his voice was filled with the wisdom of the Sage Spirit within.
Kyle''s eyes narrowed, not with fear, but with the thrill of challenge.
"You presume much, assuming that mere artifacts can best a being of my caliber. Go ahead!"
Lesley, still thrumming with the power of Astaroth, smirked. "Your confidence will be your downfall."
The Vessels raised the artifact high, its eerie glow casting shadows that danced like specters.
"Behold the power of the Void!" They chanted in unison.
Space twisted around Kyle as the space seemed to eat him alive!
It was such a scary attack, and the vessels knew that no arcanist could stop this type of attack if they had no knowledge of space-type spells!
However, Kyle was prepared.
From his cloak, he drew the Rift de, its edge shimmering with a light that defied the encroaching darkness.
This Rift de was a weapon he extracted together with other Spell Models and Spell Lights from the Dimensional Creature he had killed before in the Celestial Realm!
"Your tricks are futile¡" Kyle dered that the de was slicing through the spatial constraints with ease.
Everyone could tell that Kyle didn''t use any Spells from that and just simply relied on his artifact!
Lesley''s eyes widened in realization. "Impossible! How did you
¡ª"
"Acquire such a weapon?" Kyle finished her sentence with a sardonic smile. "Let''s just say, not all creatures of the Dimensional ne are unfriendly."
He replied mysteriously, confusing the other vessels.
The Vessels stepped forward, their forms blurring as they invoked the Sage Spirits'' might!
"You haven''t win yet¡ We are beyond yourprehension! Surrender now, and we may spare your essence."
Chapter 763 Physique
Chapter 763 Physique
??"Hahaha!"
Kyleughed, a sound that resonated with the confidence of an Immortal.
"Spare me? You should be pleading for your own salvation."
With a flourish, he brandished the Rift de, its edge cutting an arc through the air.
Whoosh~
The Vessels hesitated, their certainty faltering in the face of Kyle''s weapon.
"Enough talk¡" Kyle said, his voice a low growl. "Show me the strength of your Sage Spirits."
Lesley frowned at this as she knew that even Demon Saints would cower in front of the five weapons with the power to alter space!
Furthermore, she was already possessed by Astaroth, and Sage Spirits possessed the five other vessels! They were a force to be reckoned with!
''I don''t feel good about this¡''
The man in front of her shouldn''t be this confident while facing them!
Nheless, they had no choice but to fight against the Holy Arts Practitioner whom they suspected as the Church''s Young Saint!
Boom!
The battle erupted once again. It was a sh of space-controlling techniques between the two sides.
Kyle met their attacks bravely and it was something that not even the Demon Saints would do.
His Rift de was surely doing its job!
Each swing of his de would shatter the Vessels'' spells and the powers of the Dimensional Creature''s bones became ineffective on him!
Nheless, the Dark Arts Practitioners of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels didn''t give up!
Lesley and the other Vessels fought with desperate ferocity, and theirbined might resulted in a storm of death energy that was slowly destroying thend they were at¡
Well, thend was already in a terrible condition as it seemed that a Demon Horde hadid waste on it. But with the addition of their Death Energy, the ce became even more inhabitable!
Nheless, even with theirbined efforts, Kyle was the eye of that storm, calm and unyielding in front of the enemies¡
Luckily, Lesley''s squad hadn''t given up yet and seeing that their opponent wasn''t taking them too seriously, they were able toplete their rituals.
"You cannot win!" Lesley hissed, her form flickering with the strain of Astaroth''s power.
Kyle met her gaze, his own eyes alight with an otherworldly fire.
"I do not need to win, Lesley. I only need to endure until you break."
Lesley frowned as she confirmed that she hadn''t misheard Kyle''s words a while ago. The man he suspected as Kyle Marshall had truly called her name! It means that she was really the target of this Young Saint!
''Did I kill too many Priests already? Ugh¡ It''s not surprising that I became their target then¡''
Lesley thought for a moment before she took a deep breath as she allowed Astaroth''s Spirit to possess more of her body and allow the Spirit to release more power!
Whom~
Because of this decisive move that could even threaten her life, the visage of Astaroth materialized behind Lesley.
It was a spectral colossus; its form was closely simr to the god of death,but it was also like a Demon! Its eyes, twin abysses, seemed to draw in the very light around them. Chains of ethereal energy draped from its limbs, clinking with the sound of inevitability.
"Mhmm? This possession is really incredible¡ No wonder the other factions just couldn''t defeat the Dark Arts Faction, even if they were fighting without the assistance of other factions. The Vessels'' possession was just too absurd." Kyle couldn''t help butment after sensing Lesley''s power increased by a huge mark once again.
To be honest, he already tried using his ve Mark Spell and Dominion Thirst Spell on this woman.
However, perhaps due to the two blessings she had received from two powerful figures, his Spell hadpletely failed without even damaging her mental defense.
''I guess I should just weaken you, huh¡'' Kyle thought as a n urred in his mind.
The battle escted, the surrounding atmosphere was filled Arcane Energy from the two sides.
It was the collision of Kyle''s Holy Energy and the unholy forces from the six Dark Arts Practitioners.
''Traceless Shift doesn''t work either¡ I can''t steal their weapons¡'' Kyleined in his mind as he parried the attacks.
Kyle, with the Rift de in hand, danced through the voids torn by the Vessels'' space magic.
There were times that he had to dodge since he wanted to counterattack with his Rift de¡
At this time, many of his Spells would not be able to disy their full might because of the Space Magicing from their weapons. Furthermore, everytime he tried to gather his strength to cast a stronger Arcane Art or Celestial Art, Lesley would unleash a powerful attack back by the other Vessels with Sage Spirit.
As Kyle tried to cast his Meteor Summon Spell to surprise his enemies, he immediately sensed a danger aiming directly at his soul!
Apparently, Lesley, empowered by the Reaper of Souls, channeled Astaroth''s formidable essence to directly attack him!
"Haha! Behold the might of the Soul Reaper!" She cried out, her voice resonating with the power of the entity that loomed behind her.
It seemed as if Astaroth''s image became clearer!
Of course, Kyle had to use his other Spells this time. There was no longer any point deceiving them as a Holy Arts Practitioner.
Kyle first used his Spell Dispersion in an attempt to remove the targeted Spells that were made by the Vessels with Sage Spirits.
It was effective, and quickly, he met Lesley''s attack with his Abyssal Fire!
After all, the Abyssal Fire wasn''t just an unending me but it also has a unique property that could destroy other Spells!
The Soul Repear''s might was met by the Abyssal Fire and it was something Lesley didn''t expect since Abyssal Fire should only be possessed by the Demon Saints!
"You''re using a Demonic Artifact?!" Lesley''s eyes widened as she didn''t expect the Church''s Young Saint would rely on such a weapon!
However, Kyle didn''t stop his attack!
His Rift de moved and it was like a streak of purifying brilliance against the dark.
Whom~
It struck the surrounding space andpletely shattered the might of the Soul Reaper!
This time, however, Kyle didn''t just use the power of the Rift de, he added his Shadow Divinity to it!
This was something that the Vessels did not fail to notice at all! Furthermore, they knew that it did not came from his weapon but from his body!
"Divinity!" All of them said at the same time as they realized that the young man was indeed a Half-Immortal at the very least.
Kyle smiled after seeing their reaction.
"Impressive attack, but it''s futile in front of me, Lesley¡" Kyle dered, his tone even, betraying neither concern nor strain.
However, Lesley and the others just became even more desperate.
Once again, they drew power from their summoned beings¡
This time, Kyle decided not to hold back as he allowed them to use up their power, hoping that the blessings they had, or the mysterious spells that could stop his ve Mark, would wear off.
As the duel wore on, it became clear that Kyle''s endurance was as impregnable as his resolve to enve them.
Lesley''s form began to waver, the strain of channeling Astaroth''s immense power taking its toll.
At this rate, Astaroth might really take this chance to take over Lesley''s body and mind, making her soul disappear.
Well, that would be the case if Astaroth was stupid¡ After all, he would just be enved by Kyle if he took that chance. Kyle believed that even if Astaroth had an opportunity, he wouldn''t waste his Spirit at all.
''Ahh¡ I think this Rift de can help as well.'' Kyle recalled the other effect of this de. Apparently, aside from cutting space, it could also cut Arcane Energy.
''Let''s try¡''
Whoosh~
With a final, graceful maneuver, Kyle disarmed Lesley, the Rift de severed her connection to the Reaper of Souls!
Then, Astaroth''s image behind Lesley seemed to look at Kyle for thest time before it flickered and then faded, its chains of power dissipating into the ether¡
Thud!
Lesley dropped to the ground, feelingpletely drained. The blessing of the Death God and the Deadly Sin Wrath had also weakened a lot.
Lesley, now bereft of her otherworldly patron, faced Kyle with defiance and resignation.
"What will you do with me now?" She asked, her voice a mere echo of its former strength.
She also looked at the five other Vessels and realized that they were already subdued by 30 or so Moonlight Specters!
''Dual Arts Practitioner, huh¡ No, this is Half-Immortal we''re talking about. Maybe he actually learned 5 Arcane Paths. His body could surely take it¡'' Lesley thought as she couldn''t help but envy the man for a moment.
If she also had the physique of a Half-Immortal, there was no way she would lose. In the end, she knew she was defeated because her physique wasn''t good enough.
''Maybe even if my physique is as good as Cressida''s¡ I won''t be like this¡'' Lesley thought as she couldn''t help but pity herself.
Chapter 764 Saved
Chapter 764 Saved
??Lesley sighed after reaching this thought.
The reason why she had tried to unveil the secrets of the Tier 3 Variants for so many years was because of her physique. She wanted to learn its secrets and apply it to herself!
Of course, she also had other ns to exceed the limit of her body, like stealing various techniques or robbing the physique itself! She actually obtained many candidates for it, but the problem was the fact that they were still toocking and needed to develop for several more years before she could take advantage of them.
nk.
Kyle sheathed his Rift de, his gaze softening as he looked at the woman who was previously brimming with life and confidence...
Since Lesley was already in a helpless situation and the other Vessels were already subdued by the Moonlight Specters, he knew that the battle was over.
Kyle took a deep breath as he asked Lesley¡
"Do you remember me?"
Lesley''s expression froze as this question meant one thing, the person in front of her, although several years had already passed, was definitely Kyle Marshall¡ He was one of the young men she had killed in the recruitment years ago!
She could never forget all the people she killed or people who died because of her doing, so she was sure of it!
"Are you really Kyle? How did you survive?!" Lesley couldn''t help but ask.
"Mhmm?"
Before Kyle could respond, the fabric of reality contorted¡
Kyle was barely able to sense the disturbance in space before it immediately heralded the arrival of three old and perhaps venerable figures.
His Magic Zone felt their aura and knew that these figures weren''t simple¡
''This¡''
Their sudden appearance caused Kyle''s brow to furrow, questions forming in his mind that were left unspoken as the trio acted with swift purpose.
He wanted to ask them who they were, but it seemed that they were in a hurry.
In a fleeting moment, the Moonlight Specters that had subdued the Vessels evaporated, whisked away by the arcane prowess of one of the elders.
''That''s fast¡'' Kyle thought as he felt a breeze near his face¡
Just like that, Lesley was spirited away, her form growing distant in the grasp of another elder.
The final elder simply stood, his gaze fixed upon Kyle, an unspoken challenge hanging between them. It was as if he would act the moment Kyle tried to stop the other two venerable figures.
''These old or maybe ancient men aren''t simple¡.'' Kyle thought as he observed them carefully.
Even if they didn''t introduce themselves, he already had an idea about their identity.
The three sages wore robes that spoke of ancient lineage and formidable power.
The intricate designs and emblems adorning their garments were unmistakable. They were the insignia of the three families that Kyle knew very well!
They were from the Featherstar, Moontomb, and Ravinie n!
These were not mere Arcanist Families; they were scions of the founding families of the Dark Arts Faction, three of the five pirs that upheld their Dark Creed.
"Just what are these three doing here?" Kyle muttered under his breath. He couldn''t believe that these powerful and ancient figures of the three families woulde and corner him!
''No¡ Perhaps they just wanted to save Lesley?'' Kyle thought as he felt that he genuinely had no idea about Lesley.
''Aside from being a genius and niece of the previous headmaster, I don''t really know that much about her.'' Kyle sighed, realizing how little he knew of Lesley''s significance. He didn''t expect that three of such formidable figures of the Dark Arts Faction would act to save her!
Their presence was definitely a testament to the gravity of the situation, a clear indication that the stakes had risen beyond the scope of a mere skirmish.
''Now¡ Do I have to fight them?''
Kyle, recognizing the sigils of their heritage, understood the depth of the conflict he was now entangled in.
Nheless, he wanted to ensure that he really understood what was going on.
''I can''t use my Divine Sense on them¡ They must be strong.'' Kyle thought as he tried to assess the strength of these three individuals.
In the meantime, the elders now stood before him, their visages etched with the passage of countless years.
The elder who stayed in his spot stepped forward, his robe was a deep midnight blue with silver threads that formed constetions across the fabric. Kyle knew this insignia very well as he had seen this from Maya.
"I am Sade¡" He spoke. His voice was deep and old and seemed to carry a Dark Spell that he couldn''t identify¡"I''m from the Featherstar lineage."
To his side, a woman d in a robe of purples and cks, the emblem of a crescent moon cradling a tombstone woven into the cloth, regarded Kyle with an intense gaze.
"Morganna of the Moontomb n¡" She introduced herself, her tone sharp as the edge of a de.
Thest of the trio, draped in a dark green robe embroidered with thorns and ravens, had an air of solemnity as old as the forests.
"And I am Gavrie¡" he dered, "of the Ravinie bloodline."
It seemed that it was only right to introduce himself after the three bothered to do so themselves.
''Well, I still have some manners, I suppose.'' Kyle thought.
"Ahem¡ I''m Kyle Marshall¡" He said after clearing his throat.
He then looked around and confirmed that Lesley and the other Vessels had already vanished. It seemed that they actually used a spell to control their bodies.
The elders'' intent became clear as Sade spoke. "We seek to offer you a ce among us, to be the Guardian of our Faction."
"Wield your might for our cause." Gavrie added after seeing Kyle''s reaction.
"As a fellow Half-Immortal, we will give you the resources you need to increase your Divinity. Our family had already existed for many generations. We have various methods to umte Divinity and learn more Arcane Paths. You just need to be one of the Guardians that will protect the Dark Arts Faction." Morganna added.
''They want to recruit me? That''s unexpected.'' Kyle thought as he heard their words.
Of course, his response was firm, his resolve was unshaken by the offer.
"I walk a path of my own choosing. Your offer, while grand, is not my destiny."
He replied while shaking his head.
Morganna stepped forward, her toneced with incredulity.
"Do you grasp the magnitude of what you refuse? We are Half-
Immortals and there are many other hidden Half-Immortals in our Faction. Our lineage is steeped in power. With us, you could achieve greatness beyond measure."
Gavriel''s eyes narrowed, a silent understanding passing between them. "Your defiance is folly. We offer you a ce among the legends of this continent¡ Consider well, young immortal.s"
Kyle met their gazes, one after another. Then, with his steady voice, he replied. "Then why not stop the invasion of the Abyss Realm if you have so many Half-Immortals?"
"It''s not that simple¡ The Dark Arts Faction has to ensure that its main force would not be revealed to enemies." Sade replied.
Kyle understood where they wereing from, but he still had no ns to join them.
"I seek not legend nor power. My journey is one of bnce, not dominion." He replied with a mysterious smile on his face.
The three elders obviously didn''t like his reply.
The standoff was intense, as the tension in the air started getting heavier.
"Then you choose to stand against us?" Sade''s question hung in the air. This was a challenge heid bare!
"I stand for my principles." Kyle replied, "even if it means standing alone."
The elders or perhaps patriarchs of the three ns exchanged nces, their expressions a blend of respect and regret.
They had encountered a rare fellow who was not easily swayed by promises of wealth and power.
Kyle''s deration hung in the air as the three Half-Immortals didn''t expect that even with the three of them facing the young man, he was still too arrogant.
The elders'' faces, once masks of ancient wisdom, now contorted with displeasure.
The atmosphere grew thick with the scent of an impending storm!
"You leave us no choice!" Eldric Featherstar intoned, his voice a low rumble. "We cannot allow a wildcard such as yourself to roam unchecked."
Morganna Moontomb''s eyes glinted with a cold light. "You could have been a great ally, Kyle. Now, you shall witness the true might of the Dark Arts."
Gavriel Ravinie raised his hands, and the ground beneath them began to tremble. "The dead shall heed our call. Rise, servants of the eternal night!"
With a chorus of incantations, the three elders summoned forth their legions.
From the earth, spectral figures emerged, their forms were translucent and shimmering with an otherworldly glow.
In just a blink of an eye, thend was suddenly filled with the whispers of the undead, a symphony of the damned that chilled the very soul.
Chapter 765 The Three Elders
Chapter 765 The Three Elders
??"This¡ All three of you learned Necromancy? Interesting." Kyle muttered as it was one of the Dark Arts Branch that he had not focused on.
He only had Corpse Explosion and couldn''t even summon any Undead Creatures.
Anyway, Kyle watched as the phantoms of warriors in the long past took shape, their weapons forged from the darkness of the world of the dead.
The necromancers'' power was certainly incredible. Furthermore, these three are Half-Immortals, so the Undead they summoned weren''t simple!
Whoosh~
Just like that, the three elders only took mere seconds before a dark tide that threatened to engulf all in its path appeared!
"Are you ready?" Sade asked with a smirk on his face. He was certainly confident with theirbined strength.
Yet, Kyle stood firm, his mysterious smile never wavering.
He was actually quite excited to fight against Necromancers!
"You summoned Undead Creatures as your ally, but these beings hold no sway over me."
Sade''s eyes narrowed. "Then let us test your mettle, young immortal. Attack!"
The undead horde surged forward, and a wave of aura simr to despair and decay followed them!
"Hu~"
Kyle took a deep breath as he watched the undead creatures move forward, and many of them were stilling out of the ground!
Indeed! The ground itself seemed to groan and split, giving birth to the most fearsome undead warriors!
From the chasms of darkness rode forth the Abyss Knights. Their armor was dark, from which no light could escape! Their mounts were also spectral beasts with eyes simr to those of smoldering coals!
These beasts snorted with a contempt for the living that chilled the air around them. They weren''t threatened at the sight of their enemy at all!
''Ho~ Abyss Knights¡ Let''s see how strong they are.'' Kyle thought as he could tell that these Abyss Knights were stronger than the ones he was able to summon through the Grimoire.
Anyway, among the ranks marched the Death Knight. There were dozens of them!
Their surprisingly untainted armor nked with a rhythm that mimicked the heartbeat of the damned!
''Did they train these Death Knights to march like that? They''re so organized...'' Kyle couldn''t help but remark in his mind. It was certainly impressive as he recalled Denise''s androids!
What was even more surprising was that they were all carrying rune-carved greatswords!
The Mummy Lords had also shown themselves from their ancient crypts, their bandages inscribed with ancient curses.
They raised their scepters, channeling the ghostly energies of forgotten epochs, and the air around them seemed to be filled with toxic energy!
Aside from that, Kyle saw Specter Warriors.
They were barely visible, but with the glint of their ethereal armor, Kyle was able to observe them easily.
They moved with a silence that was more terrifying than any war cry. They were also carrying ghostly des that were leaving trails of frost in their wake.
Riding alongside them were the Spirit Warriors, their translucent forms also glowed as they all looked at Kyle, their target.
Of course, many other Undead Creatures have appeared.
They were Wraith Commanders, Banshee Queens, Lich Enforcers, and the most numerous Undead, the Shadow Revenants¡
"Hahaha! Very well! Show me what you got!"
Kyle drew his Rift de once more, its edge gleaming with a light that seemed to pierce the veil of death itself. The three elders noticed his de and knew that it wouldn''t be easy for the Undead alone.
An artifact that could cut through space was just too much.
The three looked at each other as they knew what they had to do before Kyle could attack their summoned Undead.
"Not so quick, young immortal."
Morganna chanted a spell of binding, attempting to shackle Kyle with chains of shadow.
But Kyle''s agility was unmatched; he slipped through the bonds like water, and his de even broke several ethereal links she created.
"Stay here!"
Gavriel''s incantations brought forth a giant, a colossus of bone that towered over the battlefield. Its steps shook the earth, and it wasn''t a giant that fights offensively, but with its tough bones, it could trap its target and force it to fight in a tight space!
''What''s this?''
This was the first time that Kyle had seen such a summon. It was like a moving bone prison!
He tried to get away with his Presence Shift but Sade disrupted the surrounding space for a brief moment to halt his movement!
''So he''s the one who used that teleportation to arrive here¡ He''s probably also the one who arranged for Lesley and the other''s escape.'' Kyle thought as he analyzed the situation.
Kyle then frowned as he faced the giant¡
''Let''s see how tough you are¡'' Kyle thought as he used his de¡
Bang!
The Rift de met the giant''s bones, and with a burst of radiant energy, the limb shattered into a thousand pieces. However, it actually repaired itself after a few moments!
Nheless, Kyle didn''t stop as he added his Corrupted Divinity to his attacks!
As expected, it actually worked and the bone no longer regenerated!
''It probably wouldn''t work with normal Corruption¡'' Kyle mused as he believed that only Corrupted Divinity could dismantle the bone''s mysterious power.
However, it doesn''t change the fact that he could no longer escape from being surrounded by the Undead!
The Giant Bone had already done its part in containing him in a cage!
As the Abyss Knights charged, their spectral steeds thundered as they reached Kyle in no time¡
''Mhmm¡ I can''t use too much Divinity right now. I have to reserve them for these three Half-Immortals.'' Kyle thought as he readied his Rift de.
The Abyss Knights, emanating an aura of sheer malice, finally arrived. They weren''t speaking, but their eyes were fixed with a singr purpose: to extinguish the life of their foe.
Kyle stood his ground, the de in his hand humming with the powering from his Aura¡ He seemed to n to eliminate all these creatures with the smallest amount of energy he could muster!
As the first knight reached him, he deftly sidestepped its charge, bringing his de in a sweeping arc that cleaved through the dark armor as if it were made of mist!
Whoooshh~
The knight didn''t even know how it was defeated as it faltered and dissipated into the void from whence it came.
One by one, the Abyss Knights met the same fate.
Their numbers mattered not, for Kyle fought with the experience of a master swordsman, he was unstoppable with the Rift de in his hands!
Each swing of his de could easily cut through one of the most powerful Undead that could be summoned by any Necromancers!
This was simply an unimaginable feat to many! However, for Kyle, it was only natural as he wasn''t wielding any type of sword.
It was a weapon from a Dimensional Creature that travels through various Realms or maybe the Universe. Furthermore, with his current Immortal Physique, Strength Strands, and Aura, he definitely did notck power!
With five of the Abyss Knights vanquished, the Death Knights took their ce!
They advanced in unison, their rune-carved greatswords raised high, ready to bring down death upon Kyle.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Surprisingly, the Death Knight''s swords were able to hold up against his Rift de! It was confusing since the Abyss Knights should be stronger than them!
''Ahhh¡ Is that because of their swords?'' Kyle''s eyes widened as he realized that the rune of the greatswords seemed to cancel out the power of his Rift de!
''Impressive!'' Kyle couldn''t help but praise such a sturdy weapon! The rune actually stopped a de that could cut through space!
He couldn''t help but desire such a weapon! After all, he might be facing Dimensional Creatures in the near future as well! Such a weapon might be very useful for him, especially if he had someone apanying him.
Anyway, Kyle didn''t feel scared!
The Death Knights, though formidable, were not prepared for Kyle''s abilities.
For a moment, he met their greatswords with parries and ripostes to get a better idea about the weapon''s strength...
Sparks flew as runes shed with enchanted steel¡This time, Kyle realized that there are over 5 Runes on their greatswords!
It was definitely impressive!
However, Kyle triggered one of his favorite spells!
"Traceless Shift!"
With the activation of this spell, all their weapons disappeared and appeared beside Kyle!
Well, with those five Runes, none of them could defend against his Traceless Shift!
The next battle was no longer exciting.
One by one, the Death Knights fell before him, their armor ttering to the ground in pieces as their existence snuffed out like candles in a gale.
"This¡"
The elders watched in disbelief as their undead army faltered under Kyle''s relentless assault. One by one, the spectral soldiers dissipated, their essence returning to the void from where they came.
"You fight well, Kyle Marshall¡" Eldric conceded, his toneced with a newfound respect. "But this is far from over."
Chapter 766 The Eye
Chapter 766 The Eye
??Morganna then stepped forward, her hands weaving a new spell.
"The night is long, and our full strength isn''t shown yet. You cannot hope to stand alone against the tide of eternity."
Kyle''s smile faded, reced by a look of determination.
"Then let the nighte. I am ready."
As Kyle said this, the bright sky had indeed turned dark like it was the middle of the night! Without a doubt, the Necromancers had be stronger together with their Undead Summons!Nheless, this could also be used to his advantage as a Shadow Immortal!
Whoosh~
What was even more surprising was that Darkness covered more than just the battlefield. It felt as if it was trying to cover the whole nation!
Indeed! The night unfurled its dark wings over the destend and the surrounding areas. It was like a canvas upon which the epic battle between Kyle and the three necromancer elders would be painted.
''Ho~ This is no longer just Darkness Maniption¡ I wonder what kind of spell this is.'' Kyle thought for a moment as he observed the surroundings. Even with his skills as a Shadow Immortal, he felt that he wouldn''t have the ability to turn the day into night in such a huge area!
He could only believe that the Necromancers were using a special spell or ritual that could allow them to do this change.
Nheless, as soon as the Darkness embraced thend, the atmosphere changed as it was suddenly filled with the power of ancient Arcane Arts, and the earth itself seemed to turn cold as if awaiting the oue of this sh of titans.
Sade Featherstar, his robe now swirling with the constetions that adorned it, raised his arms high, summoning the Darkness that seemed to be brought by cosmic energies that had birthed the stars.
"You face not just the darkness of the grave, Kyle, but the void between the worlds¡" He spoke in an eerie voice as a strange power of Darkness seemed to contain Kyle''s movement.
Morganna Moontomb''s eyes glowed with a fierce light as she wove her hands through the air, her fingers tracing sigils on her body that pulsed with a malevolent purple hue.
"The night is ours, young immortal. You cannot hope to oust the eternal Darkness¡" She said as he eyes turned dark, and Kyle immediately felt the curses that were trying to enter his body! Without a doubt, the eyes she was showing must be the Cursed Dark Eye of the Dark Arts Faction!
Kyle knew about this spell thanks to the Forbidden Practice of the Unlighted Book!
''They''re really trying to kill me now, huh¡'' Kyle took a deep breath as he felt his Incorruptible Body working tirelessly to defend against the unending cursesing from Morganna.
If the others only have Active Curse Break Spell to defend against her Cursed Dark Eye, they would surely fail after breaking ten or even a hundred curse spells aimed at their bodies.
After all, Morganna was actually casting one Curse Spell every second to attack Kyle right now!
If not for his physique that could fight against curses and corruption, he would be in trouble facing such a tricky opponent!
On the other hand, Gavriel Ravinie stood silent, his presence alone enough to bend the shadows to his will.
The thorns and ravens embroidered on his robe seemed toe alive, and soon, they indeed released themselves from his robe!
Gavriel seemed to have summoned a dark army of Shadow Limbs to apany Kyle''s night!
In the meantime, Kyle felt the pressure finallying at him¡ He was able to tell that the three Necromancers just used a huge amount of Divinity together!
They were truly serious about this right now!
"Fine¡ Let''s see what you can do."
Kyle muttered as he focused himself on the battle that was about toe. He gripped the Rift de tightly and eyed the Ghoul King who was sneaking behind him¡
However, he decided not to bother with it as he summoned his Moonlight Specters!
Well, it wasn''t only them who had Spells that could get a boost during the night!
His Moonlight Specters became incredibly strong due to the surrounding darkness despite having no moon in the sky.
With 30 Moonlight Specters being summoned at the same time, it allowed Kyle to hold off the advancing undead creatures and focus on the three Half-Immortal Necromancers!
The Rift de, forged from the essence of the space itself, glowed with a light that cut through the Darkness!
"You have to show more if you want to win against me!" Kyle dered, his voice steady and clear. "I stand with the bnce that governs all things. Once I win this battle, I want you to stop the war against the Holy Arts Faction during this time while the Demons are invading ournd! Do you understand?!"
Kyle spoke, but it seemed that his words fell into deaf ears as they seemed to have no ns to backing out!
''Then, I''ll put some sense into you guys!''
With a cry that split the night, Kyle charged forward, his de was like an arc of pure radiance.
Whoosh~
Sade met his charge with a barrage of dark stones as if he summoned them from space!
''This! Is there some kind of Rock Zombie?! How can he summon those of dark stones to defend against me?'' Kyle was shocked as his attack was met by those mysterious dark stones.
However, an idea came up to his mind as he recalled that Sade knew space magic¡
He couldn''t help but think that Sade really summoned stones from the depths of space to crush any who dared oppose him.
This was definitely an absurd ability and something that a Necromancer shouldn''t be capable of doing!
Luckily, Kyle still had various Spells he could use¡
Kyle used his max agility and his Presence Shift Spell as he moved with the grace of the wind. While doing so, his de sliced through the stonesing at him, dissipating them into dust.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Morganna''s spells, on the other hand, sought to bind Kyle. They were chains of curses that aimed to bind his soul as well as his body!
The curses were various diseases, curses that attack the soul, weaken energy, or curses like pain, blindness, and other curses continued attacking Kyle without any dy or respite at all!
Yet Kyle''s will was unbreakable, and with a surge of light from the Rift de, he sent an attack that rift through space to Morganna, forcing her to stop attacking with her eye''s ability.
Although Kyle was unaffected by the Curses, he was still forcing his physique to overwork while defending against those attacks! He should still take care of that woman!
Gavriel, seeing hispanions falter, stepped forward, his own power was also like a silent devastation. He summoned the spirits of the dark forest, ancient and wrathful, to tear Kyle asunder.
Various evil treants appeared and attacked Kyle from the back of the Undead Creatures!
But Kyle''s de didn''t stop moving! He finally mustered enough Divinity to use his Holy Smite to a huge area followed by his Exorcism Spell! One by one, the spirits, and most of the weaker Undead Creatures bowed before him and faded away. The holy light seemed to calm their rage!
It was quelled by the light that came from his Holy Spells!
However, the three Half-Immortals weren''t over yet!
The three half-immortal necromancers, their faces etched with lines of dark intent, joined hands, channeling their formidable energies into a singr, devastating force.
Whom~
The very fabric of the sky ruptured, revealing a realm of unspeakable horror beyond. And there, amidst the cosmic void, a colossal eye opened¡ªa mountainous, all-seeing orb belonging to a powerful being!
"Death God''s Eye¡" Sade murmured, his voice was now weak without a shed of its former might. At the same time, blood wept from his own eyes¡ªa testament to the terrible cost of invoking such a power.
The necromancers, their robes billowing in the ghastly winds that now howled across the battlefield, raised their voices in a plea to the ancient deity.
"Oh, great and terrible eye, we beseech thee..." They chanted in unison.
"Cast down this defiant human who dares to challenge the eternal night!"
The Death God''s Eye, vast and unblinking, turned its gaze upon Kyle. A pressure, heavy as the ages, bore down upon him, a crushing force that sought to obliterate his very essence.
From the abyssal pupil, a beam of annihting energy surged forth!
It was like a torrent of oblivion that scorched the earth and turned the air to fire.
Kyle, his every muscle screaming in protest, raised the Rift de high. The dimensional weapon met the dark beam with a resounding sh. The ground around him shattered, the air screamed, and the very light of his de seemed to waver under the iprehensible might of the Death God.
Chapter 767 Recognized
Chapter 767 Recognized
??''This is Death God''s power?! Isn''t this a bit too strong?'' Kyleined as he felt his body being crushed¡
However, he wasn''t giving up just yet as he released his Shadow Divinity and stood firm.
As the oppressive might of the Death God bore down upon him, Kyle''s defiance seemed to create just a small ripple against the vast ocean¡
"How can this guy be so strong?!'' Kyle gasped as he felt as if his current Divinity could barely protect himself!
At this time, his body was on the brink of being crushed by the sheer force. Yet, he didn''t just allow himself to die and used everything he got. He summoned the depths of his Shadow Divinity, Corrupted Divinity, and even his Immortal Essence as a dark aura enveloped him as he prepared for hisst stand against the celestial Eye.
Boom!
The battle of power was fierce, and Kyle fought with the desperation of one who knew the end was near.
His hands, now disintegrating into shadow, struggled to maintain their grip on the Rift de, which began to show cracks along its once-immacte surface.
''Tsk¡ This Death God is too strong¡ Is he at the same level as the Fortune Goddess and the Demon Lord?'' Kyle thought.
It was clear that even with all his power, he was no match for the divine entity that sought his destruction.
From the sidelines, Morganna and the other necromancers watched with a mixture of satisfaction and relief.
"So he was indeed the Shadow Immortal¡" Morganna whispered, her voice tinged with triumph.
"But he''s too weak¡ The rumors of his strength were grossly exaggerated I guess¡" Gavriel scoffed, unable to hide his disdain.
Yet, amidst their premature celebrations, Sade''s intuition screamed that something was amiss. And in that moment of doubt, the unexpected urred.
As Kyle''s body was about to be disintegrated by the Death God''s Eye, a figure arrived in front of the battered Kyle¡
A mysterious four-legged creature emerged from the void, its form was enigmatic and its presence was like an enigma.
With a feeble but determined attack, it struck at the Death God''s Eye in the sky, unleashing a power that seemed insignificant but carried the weight of anomalies.
The creature''s assault, though seemingly weak, held a strange power that caused the Rift in the sky to tremble and begin to close. It was unfortunate that the Death God''s Eye immediately acted and stopped the Rift from closing or blocking his sight.
"A creature of space?" Morganna pondered, recognition dawning upon her as she identified the being''s origin.
Then, in a twist that none could have anticipated, another figure stepped forth from the shadows¡ªa second Kyle, whole and unharmed, his eyes alight with an unfathomable fire.
"This¡"
Gavriel''s eyes widened in shock as the truth unraveled before them¡ Even Sade exchanged nced at his fellow Half-Immortals.
They all quickly realized what was going on: the Kyle they had been battling was nothing but an avatar, a incarnation conjured by the true Shadow Immortal!
"Not good¡" Sade knew they had made a big mistake this time.
The real Kyle, now revealed, stood with a calmness that belied the chaos around him.
"You thought to defeat me, a Shadow Immortal, with your small tricks¡" He said, his voice resonant and full of an authority that no none could deny.
With a swift motion, he drew his Stormbringer Sword, this one was gleaming with an even brighter light. He stepped forward, and the dimensional creature quickly moved to his side as if to provide support at what was about toe.
Kyle then released the full might of a True Shadow Immortal and faced the Death God''s Eye¡
Whom~
Unleashing the full spectrum of his Shadow Divinity, Kyle stood firmly before the Death God''s Eye, a terrifying huge eye as big as a mountain that was in the sky peeking through the Rift it had created.
Kyle then raised the Stormbringer Sword high, and from its edge, a surge of Divine Lightning erupted, a tempest of Immortal Energy that shed with the abyssal gaze of the Death God!
Boom!
The Death God''s Eye, an entity unustomed to resistance, fought back with a relentless fury. From its deathly aura, it unleashed waves of dark power, seeking to smother Kyle''s light. The sky became a battlefield of contrasting forces, lightning and deathly aura grappling for dominion.
''Mhmm? It''s holding out longer than I expected¡'' Kyle thought, referring to the Divine Lightning that he used. He actually thought that this spell wouldn''tst long against the Death God and nned to use other Celestial Arts.
Kyle then decided to stick to this spell for now as he strained himself to fight against the Eye with one Celestial Arts.
He merely channeled his Immortal Essence and Divinity through his sword to continuously cast his Spell!
Bolts of lightning tore through the night, each strike was like a challenge to the Death God''s im over thend.
''This Death God is definitely strong¡ Is he also considered as a Celestial or a different entity?'' Shane thought as he was genuinely curious about the difference between the deities and immortals like him.
Although he already had an idea, he still couldn''t help but feel curious.
However, the Eye had no ns of stopping its attack as the battle continued.
The Death God''s Eye, relentless in its assault, sought to wear down Kyle''s defenses, to shatter his spirit, extinguish his soul, and burn his body¡
But Kyle''s defense was holding up like the eternal mountains.
With each passing moment, his attacks grew more potent, his Divine Lightning started carving into the very fabric of the sky.
Indeed! Kyle decided to stick to his Divine Lightning to force the Death God''s Eye! The reason was simple: it actually worked really well against Deathly Aura!
The Rift, assaulted by the relentless barrage, began to tremble, its edges fraying as the reality it had torn apart sought to mend itself.
The necromancers, once confident in their supremacy, now watched in a mix of horror and awe as the tide turned.
"He''s too strong¡ This cannot be¡" Morganna whispered, her voice a shadow of its former conviction.
Gavriel, his eyes wide with disbelief, could only stare as the avatar they had fought was revealed to be a mere diversion, a shadow y orchestrated by the true Shadow Immortal.
As soon as Kyle realized that he was about to win, he did something very unusual that confused the others¡
It was him using his Darkness Maniption to create a huge dark tendril to attack the Death God''s Eye in the sky!
"What is he doing?" Sade was confused as he saw the Dark Tendril.
"Is he nning to mark the Death God and visit him once he enters the Underworld''s Realm?" Morganna muttered.
"That''s preposterous¡" Gavrie replied as he shook his head in disbelief.
However, Kyle obviously had a different reason!
As soon as his Dark Tendril reached his target, he quickly activated his Divine Extraction System¡
[ Living Immortal has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
...
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Grave Chill Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Graveyard Shift Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Eclipse of Oblivion Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Doom Gaze Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
As soon as Kylepleted his extraction, the Death God realized what was going on and cut off the Dark Tendril that Kyle had sent out sneakily.
Then, it gazed at Kyle in shock as if it realized something¡
Kyle was confused as he felt as if the Death God was shocked but also exhrated by what he did!
''You''re supposed to be upset. Why are you looking so excited?'' Kyle thought as he shook his head.
However, it seemed that the Death God read his mind and spoke to him!
''So the Divine Extraction is indeed in the human realm¡''
These words came from the Death God and it froze Kyle for a moment.
Kyle wanted to say something but then, as if the heavens themselves had decreed it, the Death God''s Eye wavered in the sky.
Its once unwavering gaze flickered under the onught of Kyle''s lightning.
With a final, resounding crack, like the breaking of an ancient chain, the Rift sealed shut, and the Eye receded, its presence fading from the world as quickly as it had appeared.
Kyle, his breathing heavy but triumphant, lowered his sword and looked at the sky where the Death God''s Eye vanished.
It felt as if he made huge mistake just now.
Chapter 768 Sneaking In
Chapter 768 Sneaking In
??As the dust settled from the retreat of the Death God''s Eye, Kyle''s gaze shifted to the three elders of the Dark Arts Faction.
As soon as he did this, they obviously felt threatened, and they swiftly acted.
Kyle didn''t move as he watched them carefully. He doesn''t feel threatened by them at all after they spent so much of their Divinity to summon the Death God''s Eye.
''That must''ve taken more than half of their Divinity.'' Kyle thought.
Nheless, the three emitted a powerful aura as the air around them started turning cold, before turning hot again and again.
Kyle frowned after sensing this fluctuation of energy.
''They''re not serious, are they?'' Kyle couldn''t help but step back for a moment.
With a dangerous energy, Kyle knew what was going on. It was a prelude to their final, desperate gambit.
Sade, Morganna, and Gavriel stood united, their hands sped in a circle, as they began to chant in anguage that was ancient and forbidden.
The ground beneath them ruptured, and a dark miasma seeped from the cracks, swirling around the trio in a vortex of impending doom.
"We shall drag you to hell with us, Shadow Immortal!" Eldric''s voice boomed, distorted by the power he was invoking.
''They''re serious?! Aren''t you rushing to your death too quickly! We should at least exchange a few moves before doing this¡'' Kyle was genuinely surprised at their rash decision.
Nheless, he could certainly recognize this kind of energy fluctuation.
Without a doubt, the energy they''re emitting had the signs of a self-destructive spell! He knew that even with his true Immortal status, he would be tested against such a cataclysmic force!
The three Half-Immortals, with Divinity coursing through their veins, were prepared to sacrifice everything to take him down with them! This was not a small matter even for him!
With no time to spare, Kyle retreated, weaving several defensive spells around him.
A dome of shadow and light enveloped him, a barrier against the suicidal onught that was about to be unleashed. It didn''t end there as Moonlight Specters formed around him, an Abyssal Fire attacked the three elders, Shadow Soldiers attacked them sneakily, and another meteor was summoned to crush them!
Just like that, Kyle used 5 or more Spells at the same time!
Nheless, the elders didn''t care about his Spells.
Their bodies began to glow with an eerie light, their life forces burning like dying stars.
"For the Darkness!" They cried out, their voices merging into a single, haunting echo.
The explosion that followed felt apocalyptic. Thend itself screamed as the energies released by the elders tore through it, a destructive force that sought to annihte everything in its path.
Kyle, within his protective cocoon, felt the shockwaves battering against his defenses. He braced himself, channeling every ounce of his power into maintaining the spells that kept him safe.
''Mhmm? It''s not eating up as much Divinity as I thought¡ I guess I''ve gotten too strong over the past few months.'' Kyle thought as he let the time pass.
As the chaos subsided, Kyle emerged from his shield, expecting to find nothing but devastation in the wake of the elders'' sacrifice.
But to his astonishment, thendscape, though scarred, was not the barren wastnd he had anticipated.
And there, where the three necromancers had stood, was emptiness.
They had vanished, leaving behind no trace of their presence. It was as if they had never been there at all.
''Is it an illusion? No¡ There''s still remnant energy¡ They must''ve controlled it in a way that it will look destructive while it was actually just a show¡ How interesting.''
Kyle stood in the silence, his mind racing.
After a few moments, he shook his head with a helpless smile on his face.
"They really fled¡" He muttered as the truth dawning on him. The entire disy, the show of self-destruction, had been nothing but a ruse¡ªa distraction to cover their escape.
A wry smile touched Kyle''s lips.
"That was clever¡ I didn''t notice how they left¡ That Elder Sade must be really good at Space Magic." He muttered to himself. The elders had yed their hand well, using their knowledge of ancient spells to deceive even him.
''Extracting his memory fragments might prove useful¡'' Kyle thought for a moment as he could certainly do memory extraction with his current level of control with the Divine Extraction.
Nheless, the elder''s departure changed nothing. Kyle would continue on his task and would take Lesley from them sooner orter.
Clink!
He sheathed his Stormbringer Sword and looked to the horizon, where the first light of dawn was breaking¡
Well, it might not be the dawn, but at this time, the dark veil that the three elders cast in the whole nation was slowly disappearing as the sun light starteding back once again.
''I guess I have to worry about what the Death God mentioned just now.'' Kyle mused as he truly felt bothered after the Death God uttered the word Divine Extraction.
That was definitely not a guess!
***
In the meantime, as soon as Kyle''s original body left his castle, someone else noticed this.
In the vige of Elderglen, nestled at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, lived a young man named Aiden. His life was simple, his joys found in the humble tasks of vige life. At sixteen, Aiden was known for his diligence and the meticulous care he took in crafting leather, a skill passed down from his father, the vige tanner.
When the opportunity arose to supply leather to the grand castle of mysterious the Shadow Immortal, Aiden embraced it with both hands, swelling with pride at the trust bestowed upon him.
But such pride did not go unnoticed.
Lurking in the shadows, an entity of ancient malice set its gaze upon Aiden. It was Pride, one of the Deadly Sins, seeking a vessel to infiltrate the heart of power.
With Kyle''s departure from the castle, the entity seized its chance, waking up from Aiden''s being, after sleeping there for a while, cloaking itself in the young man''s innocence.
As Aiden, now a host to Pride, approached the towering gates of the castle, he was met by an unusual guardian.
The figure before him was both imposing and exotic¡ªa half-
dragon, half-human sentinel named Chad. He doesn''t have scales that would easily reveal his identity but his eyes held the depth of the ancient drakes.
''A half-dragon?'' Pride didn''t expect the existence of a half-
dragon here. The Dragon Realm was probably the most difficult ce to enter and if they left their essence here, he might''ve get a chance of being able to find the Dragon Realm in the future.
''These creatures are prideful¡ I will definitely have a chance.'' Pride thought.
Anyway, Chad''s duty was to protect the castle in Kyle''s absence, a task he performed with unwavering loyalty.
"State your business¡" Chad''s voice rumbled, a hint of draconic powercing his words.
"I am Aiden, from Elderglen. I bring supplies for the castle¡" The young man replied, his voice steady despite the turmoil within.
Draven scrutinized Aiden, sensing an unfamiliar aura but finding no immediate threat.
"Very well, you may enter. But know that this ce is under my watch¡" He warned, stepping aside to allow Aiden passage.
Inside the castle, Aiden marveled at the grandeur that surrounded him. The halls were lined with mysterious artifacts and the air thrummed with the residual magic of the Shadow Immortal.
''Incredible¡''
Pride, within him, stirred with anticipation, its essence reaching out to the castle''s inhabitants, searching for a new host¡ªone closer to Kyle.
As Aiden made his way deeper into the castle, he encountered the staff and residents who were taking care of the castle and their businesses outside.
Each interaction with them was a chance for Pride to leap into another. But the sin found no opportunity; the people here were fortified against such darkness, their spirits aligned with the bnce the Immortal upheld.
Frustration grew within the entity as Aiden continued his delivery, the leather goods now a mere pretense for its sinister objective.
Pride immediately assessed her and realized that she was also a half-immortal! To be exact, she was half-immortal and half-
spirit! It was incredible! She was a perfect target!
Faith, unaware of the malevolent attention she had garnered, moved through the castle as she seemed to be heading to the library.
Her aura was like an ethereal light in Pride''s vision. She was surely a perfect body to host! With her body, Pride knew that he would easily get the chance to meet the Shadow Immortal!
The Deadly Sin, emboldened by the absence of the Shadow Immortal, prepared to seize control, to im Faith''s form as its own.
It readied itself to strike with all the force of its ancient power, to overwhelm her defenses and ensnare her soul.
But fate had other ns.
Before Pride could enact its vile intent, the air shifted as a wave of power that even it could not ignore. He suddenly felt the presence of two True Immortals!
Chapter 769 Faiths Task
Chapter 769 Faith''s Task
??A day earlier, as the first rays of dawn pierced the veil of night, Faith awoke to the gentle warmth of sunlight filtering through her chamber window.
The soft light yed upon her fair skin and cascaded over her flowing white hair, whichy spread across her pillow like a silken fan.
She rose after a few moments, appearingpletely normal even though with her half-immortal, half-spirit nature¡
After adorning herself in simple yet elegant attire befitting her station, Faith descended to the dining hall, where a modest meal awaited her. She ate with thoughtful appreciation as she confirmed that their daily lives had truly gotten a lot better after staying here for years.
''Is it my schedule to create Divine Talisman today?'' Faith mused as she tried to recall her schedule¡
''Right¡ I must have been really tired yesterday.'' Faith shook her head as she didn''t want to remember her yesterday''s task where she had to assist another vige that was infested by a disease that came from the remnant forces of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea.
That was a terrible experience since so many people died because of the disease.
Although Kyle had already killed the Eminence''s Avatar and defeated their pontiff and Storm Knights, there were still a few of their fanatics who wouldn''t stop from causing chaos!
Anyway, with her morning repast concluded, Faith made her way to the heart of the castle''s arcane knowledge¡ªMagnus'' Laboratory.
The surrounding air here was thick with the scent of ancient tomes and the trace of alchemical reagents. Shelves lined with meticulouslybeled vials and jars reached towards the high ceiling, and at the center of this sanctum of magic stood the crafting table, a site of countless mystical creations.
Faith was alone in thisboratory today, but everything had already been prepared.
During this Abyss Realm Invasion, Kyle didn''t want them to go out as much as possible. Only when they werecking personnel should they consider going out.
Well, it certainly happened a few times as the four Immortals were deployed in various ces, and Lisa together with Faith, had to go to various cities and towns to assist the people there.
"Whew~ I hope I can make at least five Divine Talismans today." Faith whispered as she recalled Kyle or Vale''s teachings about the method to create these Divine Talismans.
It wasn''t easy since it requires plenty of things.
The forging of Divine Talismans are objects of potent magic that required both precision and a deep understanding of the divine...
Because of that, Kyle, the Shadow Immortal, had decreed that the four Immortals within the castle walls would contribute their blood, a sacredponent in the talismans'' creation.
The blood of the Immortal was obviously the main ingredient for this.
Faith approached the table, her fingers tracing the intricate patterns etched into its surface.
Just the table itself wasn''t normal and it was one of Magnus'' pride.
Anyway, Faith looked at her memories once again.
She was one of the few privy to the secrets of the talismans, a knowledge shared only with Magnus and Kyle. But with Magnus preupied with other pressing matters, the responsibility had fallen to her.
Faith wryly smiled as she believed that Pearl should be the one doing this instead of her. However, Shane only taught Magnus and her to create the Divine Talisman because Pearl ''had other things to do.''
After a few moments, Faith began the meticulous process.
She picked up the materials she needed, showing incredible focus and care as each step was a testament to her expertise.
The vials of immortal blood were handled with reverence; their contents were more than mere fluid¡ªthey were the essence of beings who had walked the realms for centuries.
Just by getting close to it, Faith was already having an urge to consume it in hopes of obtaining more Divinity. However, doing so rashly would harm her body to the point that she may no longer be capable of producing her own Divinity.
As she worked, Faith''s mind was filled with incantations and invocations to calm the surrounding Arcane Energy.
Her hands moved with assured confidence, weaving the intricate Divinity and Arcane Energy that called upon various chaotic burst in the crafting process. A single drop of Immortal Blood was mixed with various concoctions to create a special ink to be used on the talisman.
The surrounding room shimmered with power as the first talisman received the processed blood¡
''Looks good¡'' Faith mused. Her current sess rate was only 60%. However, she felt that if she had seeded on her first try today, she would have had a better sess rate for the whole day!
After all, it would certainly affect her mood or motivation to work!
Hours passed, the sun reaching its peak and then beginning its slow descent.
Faith remained undisturbed, her focus was unbreakable. The talismans, nowplete, glowed with a soft light, their surfaces inscribed with runes that pulsed with divine might...
From her 20 attempts, she was able to make 15 of them!
It was already his highest aplishment in terms of Talisman Crafting!
Although she would probably be hated or maybe even skinned alive by many Arcanists for wasting 5 drops of Immortal Blood, she was still happy with this result!
Exhaustion tugged at the edges of her consciousness, but Faith felt a surge of satisfaction.
"I can finally rest for the day¡."
She had achieved what few could¡ªshe crafted a talisman that could be used by even a 3rd-ss Arcanist to fight a Demon Saint.
As thest light of day faded, Faith ced the talismans into protective cases, ready for distribution among the castle''s defenders or wherever their leader nned it to be used.
Of course, she already had a few of them, and she was thinking of using the Divine Talisman she collected for a future tradable item in the new Dark Arts Academy that Vale would create in the future.
As her task was nowpleted, she allowed herself a moment of respite, her gaze lingering on the fruits of herbor.
Her white hair, now loose and cascading over her shoulders, caught the glow of the setting sun, turning it into an ethereal light that framed her wraithlike beauty.
As dusk embraced the castle, Faith''s day was far from over.
Instead of seeking the sce of her chambers, she ventured deeper into the castle''s corridors¡
Well, she was curious of something¡
Her destination was the chamber where Vale''s enved Demon Generals were kept!
Gorath the Iron Reaver and Zarvok the Soulyer, once mightymanders in the demonic legions, now served a different master.
Their formidable presences were contained within the castle''s enchanted walls so no one could even sense their presence from the outside.
Gorath was a towering figure, his skin the color of molten iron, muscles rippling like they were about ot burst.
Chains draped over his broad shoulders, each link inscribed with runes. They weren''t containing him but these chains were actually his weapon.
At this time, his eyes, once filled with the fires of conquest, now glowed with a subdued ember and even a slight sign of intelligence.
Beside him stood Zarvok, a being of a more sinister elegance. His form was thinner than Gorath and he had long, agile fingers ended in talons that could rend the spirit as easily as flesh.
In the center of the chamber, amidst the Demon Generals, moved the creations of Denise¡ªthe metal golems of the androids.
They were marvels of magic and mechanics, varying in size from human-like to towering constructs that rivaled Gorath in stature.
Their metallic bodies gleamed under the flickering torchlight¡
"Those androids looked stronger than before¡ Is she still not satisfied with her creations?" Faith muttered as she watched the androids sparred with the Demon Generals.
Theirbat was something that would rarely be seen in this world.
Watching a demon against an android was quite fascinating in itself.
The androids, programmed forbat and strategy, proved to be formidable opponents, pushing the demons to the limits of their enved abilities.
Denise, the architect of these mechanical wonders, observed from the sidelines, her eyes was filled with the thrill of innovation.
"Incredible, isn''t it?" She remarked to Faith, her voice tinged with pride. "They learn with every bout, adapting and evolving. A perfect fusion of art and warfare. Vale helped me perfect them¡ It''s incredible¡"
Faith nodded, her white hair cascading over her shoulders, a stark contrast to the dark chamber around her.
"They are indeed impressive, Denise. But let us not forget the beings they spar with. Although they are enved by Kyle, they still have natural corruption in their bodies. It may affect android''sponents if they fight them for too long."
Denise nodded after hearing this advice.
"That''s true¡ I have to always change my androids every hour to ensure that the corruption won''t affect the parts too much¡ If we''re in realbat, I won''t allow these demons to survive for long..."
She replied after some thought. Then, as she was about tomand her androids, a message appeared in hermunication crystal, and she immediately checked it out.
As soon as she heard the message, she frowned and turned to Faith.
"It''s an intruder alert."
Chapter 770 Pride
Chapter 770 Pride
??In the dimly lit chamber of the castle, Denise''s frown deepened as themunication crystal in her hand pulsed with an urgent glow.
"The androids have detected an anomaly within the castle''s barriers." She exined to Faith, her voiceced with concern. "It''s a subtle energy signature, one that managed to evade our initialyers of detection."
She exined, referring to the three otheryers of defense in their territory. She also didn''t expect that only their final line of defense, or the one that Vale and Magnus created together, would detect this energy. After all, she thought that thest line of defense mostly worked against outside forces
It was very confusing for Denise.
Nheless, Faith''s brow furrowed at the revtion. "Could it be some sort of disease that has breached our defenses?" She inquired, the possibility sent a chill through her.
Denise shook her head, her eyes fixed on the pulsing crystal. "No, this is different. The androids are certain that we have an intruder among us. If it''s just a disease, the other three barriers would take care of it. It wouldn''t reach the central area at all. The only problem in our detection is the fact that we can''t locate our target in a very specific way unless we change our method of detection."
Faith nodded after hearing this, and she also recalled the incredible capabilities of the other barriers.
"That''s true¡."
The gravity of the situation settled over them like a shroud.
The castle, a stronghold of safety and power, was nowpromised by an unknown entity.
With swift efficiency, Denise and Faith initiated a silent investigation. Denise deployed the androids to discreetly scan every individual within the castle''s walls.
Faith, as a half-immortal and half-spirit, also senses the surrounding spiritual energy to find the intruder. They checked everyone in the castle without
The staff, the guards, even the visitors and Lisa''s summoned creatures¡ªall were subject to the androids'' meticulous scrutiny.
Their sensors, fine-tuned to detect the slightest aberration, swept over the castle''s inhabitants in search of the source of the foreign energy.
Meanwhile, Chad, the half-dragon guardian of the castle, received the alert.
"Intruder? Under my watch?" Chad frowned at this since he had been guarding the gates all the time. His draconic sense should''ve warned him if he met someone who shouldn''t be here!
Because of this, he realized that he must increase the amount of draconic energy he was mustering to ensure his Draconic Senses were keen and precise.
He the moved around the castle to find anything suspicious without catching too much attention. His eyes searched swiftly, while being empowered by his Dragon Sense.
As the time passed, the castle remained calm and no one could tell that tension was brewing.
The androids, their forms shifting and changing to adapt to their investigative roles, left no stone unturned.
Yet, the elusive energy signature remained just out of reach, a ghostly presence that danced on the edge of perception.
Denise, with her unmatched expertise with the androids, coordinated the search from hermand center or herboratory.
She used theirmunication crystals to provide variousmands to the androids to expand their search.
"We must find the intruder before they have a chance to act¡" She murmured, her determination to find this intruder could be felt since Vale was not in the castle right now.
She didn''t want Vale to see that they were having trouble while he was gone for less than a day! She wanted to appear
Faith, her white hair a stark contrast against the shadows, stood beside Denise, while her own powers were also continuously searching for the intruder.
"We will find them." She assured as she knew that there were still four other immortals in this castle. Even if the Demon Saints entered the castle, she believed that there wouldn''t be any problem at all.
"This castle is under our protection, and we will not let it fall."
At this time, Chad, upon receiving updates from Denise, intensified his search. His half-dragon blood granted him abilities beyond the ordinary, and he used them to their fullest extent.
His nostrils red, testing the air for the scent of the intruder, while his ears picked up the faintest of sounds, any clue that might lead him to the source of the disturbance.
***
Time passed and they were still searching for the intruder.
It was at this time, in the grand halls of the castle, Aiden, now a vessel for the Deadly Sin of Pride, stalked the corridors with a target in his mind.
His eyes, now glinted with a malevolent sheen, targeted a half-immortal that he believed he could control forcefully...
He just needed a surprise attack on her soul and he had to prepare it for a few seconds¡
He was close, so very close to seizing control of Faith, whose half-immortal, half-spirit essence promised untold power.
But fate, it seemed, had other ns.
Without warning, the air grew heavy and it was filled with a sense of ancient might.
"This¡"
Two Immortal Beings appeared behind his target, their presence was definitely an unassable wall. Pride''s ambitions was quickly destroyed.
"I didn''t sense their presence at all! There are two True Immortals in this castle?! How did this happen?!"
Pride, taken aback by the sudden appearance of such formidable adversaries, felt a surge of panic. With his current power, he had no issues dealing with Half-Immortals but True Immortals were on a different level.
It was something that his current Avatar could never deal with! He must exert more effort to deal with them!
As expected, Pride''s disguise wasn''t effective against True Immortals.
The Immortals, their eyes piercing through the deception, cornered Pride with an ease that spoke of their timeless experience.
"So it''s one of the Deadly Sin¡ No wonder you managed to sneak past through those incredible barriers. Unfortunately for you, you cannot hide from us, creature of arrogance¡" One of the Immortals dered, his voiceced with calmness as if Pride, the one they just caught, wasn''t a powerful being that even the Demon Lord had to be careful with.
Pride considered for a moment whether he would just let this part of his soul be destroyed or fight seriously. After all, this soul was also too precious for him and he didn''t want it to disappear just like that.
However, he also knew that even if he fights seriously, he would never win against two True Immortals.
Pride, trapped and desperate, knew that subtlety was no longer an option.
"Fine¡ Let''s see what can you do against me."
With a rasping incantation that seemed to have destroyed Aiden''s throat, Pride cast a Soul Descent spell, channeling a vast portion of its soul into Aiden''s form!
Faith, who was surprised by everything that was happening stepped back and allowed the two Immortals to deal with the problem.
It was a great thing that they had already returned! After all, Vale would normally order these Immortals to disguise themselves as normal Arcanists and help various areas that needed assistance to fight against the Demons.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Faith''s eyes widened as she actually saw Aiden''s gruesome transformation. She had even forgotten to inform Chad and Denise about this situation. Luckily, the enemy emitted a strong aura of death, so the others should''ve sensed this as well.
Anyway, the transformation was immediate and grotesque; Aiden''s body swelled and twisted, his features distorting into a monstrous visage that was both terrifying and pitiable.
"Ahahaha! Now! Immortals of this Human Realm¡ Fight me! You have probably never met another strong opponent in this realm where you can unleash your full power¡ I am here now to assist you! Come at me, both of you!" Aiden, or perhaps Pride, taunted the two Immortals.
However, the two Immortals didn''t seem to notice his taunt and remained smiling.
Pride, the embodiment of arrogance, didn''t take this lightly as he decided to attack first.
"Fine!"
Aiden, now a grotesque avatar of Pride, unleashed a barrage of deathly spells and vicious strikes against the Immortals.
Faith was worried about the castle''s defense so she obviously reminded the two Immortals to take the battle outside!
She could only hope that the two Immortals would take her advice seriously!
Boom! Boom!
The castle''s ancient stones shook with the force of their confrontation as Arcane Energies and Immortal Essence shed in a maelstrom of destruction.
The Immortals, undeterred by Pride''s ferocity, fought against the entity with controlled strength as they heard Faith''s warning...
One of Vale''s instructions to them was actually to listen to Pearl and Faith''s instructions while he wasn''t in the castle!
They moved carefully to protect the castle and maneuvered in a way that would force Aiden out of the castle!
The two Immortals dissolved all the explosive energy that the Pride emitted and slowly, they calcted to disarm and disable the Deadly Sin with theirbined strength!
Boom!
After just a few moments, the two Immortals threw the Deadly Sin outside the castle by only destroying the windows of the corridor!
Chapter 771 Trapped
Chapter 771 Trapped
??The entity, Pride, was now fully exposed to the elements as he found itself outmatched but refused to yield.
"Don''t feel too happy, Immortals! I''m not done!"
Pride, drawing upon the power of its original form, summoned more mystical energy¡
Its aura soon started swelling with a dark radiance. It was beautiful yet terrifying at the same time.
"Pride¡ It''s your biggest to enter this realm." One of the Immortals said as he dashed forward to attack the Deadly.
The other Immortal felt that this fight wouldn''tst for too long as he cast a Celestial Art that could burn Demonic Beings.
The Deadly Sin didn''t listen to any of their words as he unleashed a barrage of spells:Chains of Hubristo bind its target,Mirrors of Vanityto reflect their attacks, andGaze of Contemptto paralyze them with fear.
"These Spells would be incredible if they were cast on Half-Immortals or normal Immortals¡ We''re already too strong for these basic spells, Sin of Pride." The other Immortal, who had long blond hair, finally spoke.
Even after receiving several attacks from Pride, the Immortals stood firm, countering with their own formidable Celestial Arts¡ªDivine Arcane Shieldto break the chains,Tyrant Gazeto shatter the mirrors, andBreath of rityto pass through the paralyzing gaze of the Deadly Sin!
These Celestial Arts weren''t taken or Extracted by Vale for one reason: his Incorruptible Body could also cover the effects of these Spells!
In short, the Immortals were still lucky to have these Celestial Arts while fighting Pride.
Outside the castle, the denizens gathered after noticing themotion and after Faith warned them to take cover¡
Of course, they all failed to take cover as quickly as possible and watched the event with astonishment.
Their eyes are wide with awe and concern.
"I think we should leave now¡ Those two are the rumored Immortals, aren''t they?"
"That''s right¡ We should leave quickly. If they have to work together to fight an opponent, then it must be a monster."
"Hurry! Let''s leave this ce. A stray shot from these beings, and we''re a goner!"
The castle staff working in the kitchen, maintenance, garden, and various fields felt the earth tremble as they swiftly left for the designated shelters assigned to them.
Chad, the half-dragon, his scales glinting under the moonlight, watched with a warrior''s keen interest. His draconic heritage allowed him to sense the ebb and flow of the battle, and he stood ready to intervene should the need arise.
Well, he also knew that it was quite unlikely that his help would be needed, but he still prepared himself since there might be other intrudersing to their castle.
Thankfully, Vale had already lessened the restrictions of the two Dragons, and because of that, they should be able to inform him if there are other intruders taking advantage of the ongoing battle.
At this time, a few Arcanists from the Shadow Consortium and Church of the Lord of the Secrets whispered among themselves, their voices a mixture of fear and fascination.
"Look at the power of the Immortals¡ It''s incredible. I can feel the Divinity from here!"
"Indeed! I knew it! It''s a good thing I got assigned to work here as the coordinator."
"That''s true¡ I even think that it''s actually better to stay at the Church. Now, I can even see the ferocity of the Deadly Sin. This is a good reference!"
"Yes¡ I can''t flirt with Miya while I''m here, but this is still a blessing in disguise."
Apparently, two representatives from each organization had been sent here to the castle to act as the coordinators. Well, their partnership hadn''t ended yet, and their existence here would help them further deepen their rtionship with the Shadow Immortal.
There was no way they would waste this opportunity.
Chad just listened to their conversation before shaking his head. He turned his attention to the battle and used his Draconic Sense to observe the surroundings.
Boom! Boom!
The battle raged on, as the two forces continued to fight against each other.
Nheless, the victor was already clear.
Pride, despite its efforts, was slowly being overwhelmed. The Immortals''bined might was a force that even a Deadly Sin struggled to contend with.
With a final, desperate act, Pride conjured a sphere that was like a sun, ast-ditch attempt to encapste and crush its adversaries.
However, the Immortals, seemed to have expected this attack and summoned theTwin Pirs of Ice!
Bang! Bang!
The pirs rose high, and their cold presence pierced the sphere and dissipated it into a thousand fragments of harmless light!
It happened as quickly as the sun sphere was formed!
"This¡" Pride was shocked as he realized that all his moves were actually being read by the Immortals!
Defeated and diminished, Pride had no choice but to retreat, its form shrinking as it fled into the darkness from whence it came!
Whoooshh~
Pride''s essence wavered like a me in the wind.
"Escaping now?"
The Immortals'' anticipation of its desperate move had turned the tide. Of course, they also knew that the Deadly Sin would certainly escape after what they did.
Nheless, as Pride sought to vanish into the night, it found its path barred by an invisible barrier!
Thud!
It was a space-type magicid down by Vale''s Dimensional Creature.
"This¡"
Pride, its form now flickering and unstable, recoiled from the barrier as if struck by a physical blow.
The shock of being trapped, of being read so thoroughly by the Immortals, sent waves of fear through its being.
It had always been the hunter, never the hunted, and this reversal of roles was a bitter draught to swallow.
The Immortals advanced, their expressions not of triumph, but of solemn duty. They had no intention of ending Pride''s existence; such an act would not follow Vale''s desire at all.
Instead, they sought to bind it, to contain its malevolent influence until Vale''s return!
"You''ll be staying here with us, Deadly Sin."
With a series of intricate hand gestures and silent incantations, they wove an ancient spell of imprisonment around Pride.
This Spell wasn''t part of the 12 Arcane Spells. This Spell that could imprison even the Deadly Sin was created even before the Arcane Paths were separated. Needless to say, it was something that doesn''t require a Spell Model to be able to cast!
The surrounding was suffused with divine energy as ethereal chains materialized, wrapping around the Deadly Sin with unbreakable bonds.
"You! Just kill me! Why are you even bothering to keep me alive! You will learn nothing from me! Hey!" The Deadly Sin shouted.
However, the two Immortals did not listen and continued with their spells.
nk¡ nk¡ nk¡.
The chains glowed with a light that was the opposite of Pride''s darkness, a light that promised eternal confinement.
Pride could feel the strength of these chains, but he was helpless about them. He didn''t gather enough strength. He also underestimated this castle that actually houses two more Immortals!
It was too absurd!
Pride thrashed against its restraints as he decided to use his Soul Force to escape!
Since he was about to be caught, he''d rather use his life to get a better chance!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He unleashed Spell after Spell in a futile attempt to free itself. It castArrogance''s Lament, a wave of dark energy that sought to erode the chains, andVanity''s Echo, a sonic assault that aimed to shatter them. But the Immortals'' art was unyielding, and each of Pride''s attacks was absorbed and nullified by the glowing bonds.
"Too strong¡ These two aren''t normal Immortals, either. Are they Pure Immortal?" Pride thought for a moment, believing that these two were actually born Immortals!
This realization just made this castle and the Shadow Immortal even more mysterious in his eyes!
In the meantime, Outside the castle, themotion had already drawn arger crowd.
Everyone felt that the battle was already over, so many of them felt more rxed going out.
Chad, the half-dragon, watched with awe and concern, but with his draconic sense, he knew that there wouldn''t be a chance for the Deadly Sin anymore.
Pride struggled for ten more minutes but it became clear that the Deadly Sin''s efforts were in vain. The Immortals'' Spell was too strong¡
With a final, resonant chant, theypleted the Prison Spell, sealing Pride within an ethereal cage that no force of sin could escape.
The Deadly Sin''s form shrank further, its grotesque features smoothing out as it was forced into a state of dormancy.
The two Immortals actually dyed thepletion of the Prison Spell to ensure that the Deadly Sin would be really weak.
The Immortals, their taskplete, turned to the onlookers, their eyes conveying a silent message of reassurance.
"We will keep this one safe until Vale''s return¡" They announced, their voices showed their authority in the castle¡
Chad then stepped forward as he offered a nod of respect to the Immortals.
"The castle stands thanks to you... Please take care of the Deadly Sin."
Chapter 772 Farrel Academy
Chapter 772 Farrel Academy
??"What an incredible battle¡"
The people of the castle had finally calmed down after the malevolent energy of the Deadly Sin had disappeared.
Faith also confirmed this by announcing that they could return to their jobs.
They felt their spirits lifted after hearing such great news. After all, everyone knew what was going on outside this castle.
They knew about the ongoing invasion of the Demons from the Abyss Realm¡
Now that they felt that the far was too close to them, all of them couldn''t help but feel a little nervous, even if they had Immortals on their side.
Nheless, the night''s events would be etched in their memories. It was a battle that involved the Immortals and their Celestial Arts after all.
Although they could barely understand the battle that went on, they still knew that it was a battle they''d probably never see again.
''We''ll probably be increasing the defense by another level¡'' Chad thought for a moment as he looked at the receding figures of the immortals.
The fact that a powerful entity from the Abyss was able to reach the inner area of the castle without triggering their rms was already a sign that their barriers werecking.
Anyway, Chad only hoped that this matter would no longer happen again.
***
In the meantime, in and that was filled with snow and ice, a new figure emerged.
"This is probably the most weing Human Realm I''ve ever entered¡ I guess the Will of the Realm is just barely alive at this point." The figure muttered after sensing his surroundings.
This figure''s presence was as subtle as it was dangerous.
He was none other than Envy, a Deadly Sin of the Abyss Realm. Unlike its kin, he had not possessed a human to walk among them; instead, it had struck a dark bargain with the Demon Lord to enter with its own corporeal form.
Indeed, he had entered the Human Realm with his original body! He was only able to do this after getting the help of the Demon Lord!
"Hmph!"
Upon arrival, Envy wasted no time in cloaking its monstrous essence within the guise of a human.
It didn''t take him that long toplete it¡
Then, he closed his and found the ce that the Demon Lord had arranged for him. His form flickered, and then it turned into a ck cloud¡
After several hours, it arrived at the area where a Demon Saint in disguise as a human was waiting for him.
The location they were meeting at was actually in arge town of humans.
Envy didn''t mind it as it considered for a moment before it chose a form that was unassuming yet pleasing, blending seamlessly into the crowds of the town in Milton Kingdom.
ording to the Demon Lord, this Kingdom had recently triumphed over the Abyss Realm''s forces by sealing the Rifts that gued them.
Thanks to the sealing of the Rift, this Kingdom was no longer being attacked by the Demons. The Demon Lord also didn''t bother opening another Rift here and decided to focus on the weaker nations of this continent.
Thud¡
Envy''s human facade was that of a young female schr with keen eyes and a demeanor that suggested a thirst for knowledge.
Envy and the disguised Demon Saint then exchanged their information. Envy informed the Demon Saint about the various things that it knew about the other Deadly Sins, while the Demon Saint informed Envy about the situation of the Human Realm, including the various Factions, Organizations, Half-Immortals, and the Shadow Immortal that was protecting this Realm.
"Mhmm¡ A lower realm that could house an Immortal of that level. The Will of this Human Realm had gone crazy. No wonder it''s dying at such a faster rate." Envymented.
The Demon Saint did not bother to be friendy with Envy, and he immediately left as soon as he got the information he needed.
Anyway, they certainly needed the Deadly Sins to rampage or cause chaos in this Human Realm, so they won''t be taking the full power of the Arcane Arts Factions.
After all, the existence of Arcana truly change the tide of battle.
With the Arcana that had been granted to the humans by the Will of the Realm, they were able to fight back the Demon Saints even with only Half-Immortals on their side!
It was already an impressive feat!
He even recalled how a single squad of Dark Arts Practitioners led by Lesley could kill a Demon Saint!
Envy then looked at the Demon Saint who seemed to have disappeared but actually stayed a few kilometers away just to observe her movement.
''Mhmm¡ Suit yourself. For now, I am a female schr, and I need to act like one.''
After ignoring the Demon Saint that was stalking her, Envy made up her n.
She wandered the streets of town, observing the ways of humans, their joys and sorrows, their triumphs and failures.
After several days, she realized that it was a world ripe with the very thing Envy sought¡ªdesires unfulfilled, dreams unattained, and the simmering jealousy thaty beneath the surface of polite society.
As the days passed, Envy grew ustomed to its new form, learning the intricacies of human interaction and the subtle dance of emotions that yed across their faces.
It was during this time of careful observation that Envy heard rumors of the Farrel Academy, a hidden academy under the Psychic Arts Faction.
''Psychics¡ They''re perfect.'' Envy thought as she felt that if she needed to learn an Arcane Path, the Psychic Art would be the perfect ofr her.
With a curiosity piqued by the unusual promise of power and secrets, Envy made its way to the secluded Academy, its appearance now that of an aspiring female student, eager to learn.
''Mhmm¡ Even if their realm is under attack by the demons, they are still peacefully studying their Arcane¡ How impressive.'' Envy thought as her senses entered the Academy without much issue.
As a Deadly Sin, Psychic Arts was something she was born with.
In her eyes, the Psychic Arts they were studying weren''t even a fraction of her abilities.
Nheless, she was still impressed by the method of how they use their Psychic Arts¡
"Mental Energy, huh¡" Envy muttered as she observed the Academy.
The Academy, nestled in the heart of a forgotten forest, was a marvel of psychic architecture, its spires reaching towards the sky as if in silent supplication to the unknown.
The students of Farrel Academy were a diverse lot, each gifted in the psychic arts, their minds fortresses against the mundane.
Envy, with its human guise, walked among them, its true nature undetected, a wolf in sheep''s clothing. She was existing and they could notice her appearance, but none of them seemed to really care about her.
Envy became like a background character that no one would notice if they didn''t pay attention.
She attended lectures on the maniption of mental energies, participated in exercises designed to strengthen the mind''s defenses, and engaged in spirited debates on the ethics of psychic intervention.
"This is a lot more fun than I thought¡." Envy muttered, a smile creeping on her face.
All the while, Envy''s true self reveled in the umtion of knowledge, each new piece a weapon to be wielded in the pursuit of its own insidious goals.
***
Weeks had passed as Envy continued to absorb all the information she needed in order to be a perfect Human Arcanist of the Psychic Path and earn the title of the finest Mind Controller.
Unfortunately, Envy''s presence did not go unnoticed for long.
Among the students was a young seer named Lysandra, whose visions pierced the veils of deception. She watched Envy with eyes that saw beyond the physical, her intuition whispering warnings of the danger that walked among them.
She really couldn''t find any w in Envy''s appearance except for her intuition, which she would rarely miss, and the fact that she doesn''t know Envy''s name or the woman she was disguised with.
As for the fact that Envy seemed to have the ability to make her presence incredibly miniscule, she didn''t mind it at all since she was also like that and many other special students in the higher years.
''This is really confusing¡ I must at least learn about her name.'' Lysandra thought as she really couldn''t help but feel curious about her.
After realizing that even her teachers failed to notice Lysandra, an rm went off in her mind as she knew that there was definitely something wrong!
"I can''t keep it anymore¡"
As Envy delved deeper into the Academy''s secrets, Lysandra sought counsel with the headmaster, a venerable psychic known as Master Therion.
She had no other choice since even the teachers couldn''t notice her!
Together, they should be able to unravel the threads of Envy''s disguise, revealing the identity that lurked beneath.
Lysandra''s steps were measured as she made her way to the headmaster''s room, her mind burdened with the gravity of her discovery.
''I think the Headmaster isn''t that bad¡ He''s just always in a bad mood. I can do this¡''
Chapter 773 Trapped?
Chapter 773 Trapped?
??The door before Lysandra was ancient, carved from oak that held centuries past, and as she received a cue from the Headmaster to enter, she pushed it open¡
Whoosh~
The room beyond seemed to breathe a wee.
The Headmaster''s chamber was a sanctuary of knowledge, walls lined with shelves that groaned under the weight of countless tomes.
The air was thick with the musk of parchment and the hint of ink.
In the center stood a grand desk, its surface a map of the world, with ley lines and psychic currents traced in delicate gold leaf.
Master Therion, the Headmaster, was a figure thatmanded respect.
His hair was a cascade of silver, showing his old age to everyone. Though he seemed to be capable of having a better appearance with his Arcane Arts, he decided to stay in this state as he guided his students in the Academy.
His eyes, a piercing blue, seemed to hold the depth of the ocean, and his robes, a deep indigo, were embroidered with symbols of the Farrel Academy.
Lysandra doesn''t really feel good whenever she''s in front of the unfathomable Headmaster. It had always been like that ever since she entered the Academy.
Nheless, this unfathomable trait seemed to be very reliable in her eyes.
Since she could see through the unusual behavior of a certain student, she believed that her Headmaster would be able to do so as well!
***
Lysandra''s heart raced as she approached the Headmaster''s desk, the map of the world beneath the ss surface seemed to pulse with an inner light before disappearing.
It seemed that Headmaster Therion was doing something on the map before she entered the room.
There were also several ancient books on his table, showing that he was probably studying before she entered... Furthermore, Lysandra noticed traces of light in his blue eyes as they locked onto hers with an intensity that seemed to peer into her very soul.
Meeting against a strong Mind Controller could really be too intense at some point in time.
"Master Therion¡" Lysandra began, her voice a mix of reverence and urgency.
"I havee to report something¡ unsettling. There''s a student, Lara, whose behavior has grown increasingly peculiar. I fear she may be under some demonic influence."
The Headmaster steepled his fingers, considering her words. "Lara, you say? A serious usation, indeed. What leads you to believe this?"
Lysandra recounted her observations: Lara''s sudden withdrawal from her peers, her once vibrant aura now shrouded in shadows, and her eyes that flickered with an unnatural gleam. It was also weird how her presence was weakened that even the teachers didn''t notice her.
As a matter of fact, if not for the name in her uniform, Lysandra would also fail to recognize Lara and the fact that she was indeed a student in the Academy.
"It''s as if she''s not herself anymore, and my visions¡ they hint at something sinister at work."
Master Therion nodded slowly, his gaze never wavering.
"Your insights have always been a guiding light, Lysandra. I shall take this matter into my own hands. Give me a couple of days to observe and investigate. We must tread carefully; if a demon has infiltrated our academy, we must act with both wisdom and discretion."
To be honest, Lysandra wanted to have the Headmaster capture the woman immediately.
However, she couldn''t order around the Headmaster either.
"I understand, Headmaster¡"
With that, Lysandra left the chamber.
After getting out of the room, she still actually felt relieved that the thing she discovered had already been passed to the Headmaster.
Indeed, her mind was somewhat eased by the Headmaster''s calm assurance.
''Right¡ If the Headmaster isn''t too worried, then it shouldn''t be bothering me a lot.'' Lysandra thought.
***
Over the next few days, Headmaster Therion conducted his investigation with a subtlety that matched his reputation.
He observed Lara from a distance, using his psychic abilities to sense any disturbances in her essence.
He also used various Artifacts to see through Lara¡ After all, he indeed confirmed that something was wrong with Lara but just like Lysandra, he failed to see through the depthness of her disguise.
Because of this, the Headmaster Therion opened his ancient books, searching for any reference to the type of possession he suspected.
He also selected a few trusted Psychics in the Academy to look out for Lara.
Thanks to his instructions, they obtained more clues as they observed Lara''s recent behavior without raising the rm.
Finally, after days of meticulous research and observation, Master Therion summoned Lysandra once more to his chamber.
The morning light filtered through the stained ss windows, as Lysandra returned to the chamber.
"Lysandra¡" Master Therion said, his voice carrying the weight of his findings¡
"Your instincts were correct. There is indeed a presence within ra that does not belong to this realm. However, it is not a demon, but a spirit of Envy, one that feeds on the ambitions and desires of its host. We must act, but with caution, for the spirit is cunning and will not be easily banished."
Lysandra was stunned as soon as she realized that the Demon wasn''t just a weak one but was actually a Deadly Sin!
Gulp¡
Lysandra wasn''t able to reply and simply nodded.
She listened intently to the Headmaster as her fears were now validated by the Headmaster''s words.
Lysandra''s heart pounded with the gravity of the situation as Master Therionid out a n that would use her as the lure!
Indeed, Lysandra was shocked that she had to be involved into this mess! She knew that she wasn''t strong enough after all!
"Lysandra, you must draw Lara to the Chamber of Seals. You''re a fellow student so it wouldn''t be very suspicious to invite her. It''s a room fortified with ancient wards strong enough to hold Envy¡" he instructed, his voice steady despite the perilous nature of their task.
"The instructor would also assist you in this matter so it wouldn''t be too suspicious." The Headmaster added.
"Why does it have to be? Also, is it not possible for you to make your move? I will be in danger." Lysandra finally said, after considering it for a while.
The Chamber of Seals was a room seldom used, hidden deep within the Academy''s foundations. Its walls were inscribed with runes that hummed with ancient power, and at its centery a tform that acted as a focal point for the room''s immense energies.
"We can''t let Envy escape. If the Deadly Sin felt danger, then we would have no way of stopping him from leaving this ce." Headmaster Therion exined.
Lysandra did her best to negotiate on this matter. In the end, Lysandra was convinced after she was promised that she''d be able to obtain an artifact that would increase her Mental Energy and also an automatic passing grade on several subjects!
"Fine¡ Let''s do this!" Lysandra could only encourage herself as she epted the difficult task.
***
As the final ss of the day concluded, Lysandra approached ra with a feigned casualness that belied her inner tension.
"Lara, we were chosen by the instructor to clean one of the chamber of secrets¡ Let''s go." Lysandra said to the woman in disguise.
"Mhmm¡ Alright." Envy replied. She wasn''t bothered that her Spell that weakens her presence was no longer that effective. She expected this since the mental energy of the students would slowly get used to her energy fluctuation and she would certainly be noticeable again.
"What''s in those chambers? I heard the instructor say that we will be using that in our ss. It''s rted to our studies on psychic wards," Lara, or Envy, suddenly asked and her voice was even tinged with just enough excitement.
She was certainly acting like a real teenager girl at this time.
"The chamber should be able to help us with our Mental Energy."
ra, her eyes reflecting the green glint of Envy, nodded slowly...
Soon, they navigated the academy''s corridors¡ At this time, the setting sun was already casting long shadows in the hall.
Upon entering the chamber, Lara''s gaze was immediately drawn to the tform¡
"Interesting¡" Lara muttered.
As soon as she stepped inside, it was then that Lysandra sprang the trap as she jumped back!
Thud! Thud!
The doors mmed shut, and the runes red to life, a brilliant disy of psychic might that encased Envy in a prison of light!
It happened so quickly!
However, Envy didn''t seem to panic as a powerful Arcane Energy pressed on her!
She tried to test the binding powers of the Runes as well, but the Chamber of Seals held firm!
"Ho~ So Psychic Arts weren''t just boring Mind Controllers, huh..." Envy muttered as she felt the presence of the Headmaster and other Psychics in the Academy.
In the meantime, outside the academy, a lone figure observed the unfolding drama with an air of detached interest.
Kyle, the Shadow Immortal, had arrived, his senses attuned to the presence of Envy.
Chapter 774 Another Way
Chapter 774 Another Way
??At this time, Kyle was cloaked in the shadows of the forest just outside the Academy¡
He could feel the presence of various barriers, but he didn''t think too much of them as he prepared to join the fray if necessary.
The reason he was here was simple: he wanted to hunt the Deadly Sin, which is simr to what the Farrel Academy wished to happen.
Kyle moved through the Academy''s barriers by manipting its shadows.
He moved with no sound and his presence was as imperceptible as a fleeting thought.
''What an incredible fluctuation of energy¡'' Kyle mused.
He was drawn to the epicenter of the psychic disturbance, where the battle against Envy was about to escte.
Outside the Chamber of Seals, Lysandra did her best to ensure that the doors were kept shut as the Headmaster and the others worked together to defeat Envy...
Although the Chamber of Seals was incredibly strong, as it was made by the Academy''s top Arcanists, there was certainly a limit.
ording to textbooks, it could theoretically seal even an Immortal.
However, it was never tested to an Immortal and was only used against Half-Immortals.
Because of that, Lysandra couldn''t help but feel nervous.
She could only pray that the Headmaster and the other professors are doing well!
***
Inside the Chamber of Seals, the Headmaster stood at the forefront, nked by eight Professors, each of them already considered as masters of their craft.
Their eyes were set upon Envy, who writhed within the confines of the psychic prison¡
To their dismay, the Chamber of Seals only allowed them to stop the Deadly Sin from calling out for external help or energy.
It felt as if the one they were facing wasn''t a mere Spirit or Avatar¡ It was as if they were dealing against the true Envy!
"Focus!" Headmaster Therion shouted.
Envy''s aura, a miasma of green, pulsed against the chamber''s wards. It felt as if it could break the shackles they had ced at any moment.
"Begin the incantation¡"
This wasmanded by the Headmaster, his voice resonated through their heads as he used telepathy to give outmands.
This was actually very impressive since the Headmaster was already casting three spells at the same time. The telepathy must be the fourth spell!
Nheless, the Professors had no time to be impressed!
In unison, the Professors began to chant, their voices weaving an upsurge of ancient sybles. The chamber''s runes glowed brighter, creating a symphony of light against the encroaching darkness, which was the Deadly Sin!
Envy, sensing the tightening burst of psychic energy, unleashed a barrage of ethereal assaults.
Waves of malevolent force crashed against the barriers, each impact a test of the chamber''s foundation!
Indeed, Envy was using a brute force to fight against the Psychic Arts while protecting herself using his mental energy that rivals all the Psychic Arts in the room!
The Headmaster raised his staff and a burst of mental energy was released from it¡
"Focus your minds¡" he urged. "We must synchronize to eliminate this evil."
The other professors felt a burst of mental energy. However, it wasn''t harming them. As a matter of fact, it was replenishing their exhausted minds!
"Synchronize!"
The Professors, attuned to hismand, aligned their psychic flows into a singr, unbreakable stream. The chamber responded; its runes hummed violently, a harmonious counter to Envy''s discordant rage!
Envy roared, a sound that transcended the physical, echoing through the minds of all present. It thrashed against the psychic bonds.
Then, its physical form started flickering, as if it was trying to be a specter to safely escape theChamber!
"Strengthen the seals!" Shouted by one of the Professors, her hands outstretched as arcs of psychic energy leapt from her fingertips.
The others followed suit, their powers manifesting as psychic chains were cast to strengthen the seals of this chamber¡
Envy''s struggle grew desperate, its form contorting, seeking any weakness, anypse in concentration. But the Professors were at an advantage with the help provided by the Chamber of Seals and the Sovereign Artifact being wielded by the Headmaster.
"They''re a lot stronger than I expected¡"
Kyle, from his vantage point, watched the spectacle with keen interest.
After reaching the central part of the Academy, he was able to sense Envy''s power.
To be honest, he felt as if Envy had been in the Human Realm for a very long time as he felt incredibly powerful and Envy doesn''t seem to be an Avatar or a Spirit that was sent here because of how stable his power was.
Without a doubt, Envy had the power simr to a True Immortal.
However, the Psychic Arts was just too difficult to deal with.
In front of this Arcane Art, your physical power and your spiritual strength don''t matter! They will attack your mind, your will, or your soul!
It wasn''t something that Arcanists of different paths would focus on except for some branches in the Arcane Path itself.
''It looks like they''re winning, but the Deadly Sin isn''t being serious yet¡'' Kyle thought after observing the situation for a while.
Boom!
The Chamber of Seals trembled as the Deadly Sin burst with power.
Nheless, the Psychic Arts Practitioners'' disy of power was impressive, their unity in the face of such a formidable foe was proof of their training and discipline.
***
Kyle observed the spectacle, his interest piqued not only by the Deadly Sin''s desperate attempts at liberation, but by the potential of the Psychic Arts Practitioners.
Their technique, their control, their finesse¡ªall elements he sought to understand, to perhaps incorporate into his own repertoire of shadowy abilities.
''I should really extract these guys¡'' Kyle mused for a moment as he surely wanted to obtain those abilities. It also felt like obtaining more Psychic Arts would allow him to have more control over his spells.
Nheless, as the time passed, the battle to bind Envy intensified. Headmaster Therion, joined by other expert psychics of the Academy, channeled their collective energies into reinforcing the chamber''s wards and breaking the mind of the Deadly Sin¡
However, Kyle realized that the Headmaster''s Sovereign Artifact was getting weaker and weaker. It could no longer replenish the mental energy of the Professors while Envy was still trying its best!
***
"Two minutes at most¡" Headmaste Therion warned the other Professors.
The battle within the Chamber of Seals reached a fever pitch as the Sovereign Artifact in his possession was already at its limit...
The staff was already trembling as it was already being overused¡
It was faltering, its once radiant light dimming to a mere flicker.
Envy, seizing upon this weakness, redoubled its efforts,shing out with renewed vigor. The chamber trembled under the onught, the air thick with the tang of psychic fire.
"What a pity¡ So this is all you can do?" Envy finally spoke and it was a voice of disappointment. It was as if all of his struggles just now were merely an act.
However, the wasted energy of the Deadly Sin was definitely real!
As Psychic Arts Practitioners, their minds were extremely strong and they wouldn''t falter on such a simple provocation.
Nheless, the Headmaster''s brow furrowed in consternation. It doesn''t change the fact that they were failing to kill the Deadly Sin¡
''This Sin is not a mere summoned spirit or avatar¡ It feels as if we''re dealing against the true Sin¡'' Headmaster Therion frowned as he didn''t think that the real body of the Sin would really enter the Human Realm that was being protected by a true Immortal.
Anyway, he tried to contact the members of the Oracle Hivemind once again but he wasn''t getting anything.
The Order of the Oracle Hivement, the reinforcements he had summoned, were still nowhere to be seen, likely ensnared by other demonic machinations.
Time was slipping through their fingers like grains of sand, and with each passing moment, their control declined.
With a heavy heart, Headmaster Therion prepared for thest resort.
Once the Sovereign Artifact failed, he would unleash a spell to expel Envy from the Academy''s hallowed grounds.
The consequences of such an action weighed heavily upon him; the Deadly Sin could wreak havoc wherever itnded, endangering untold lives.
Yet, the immediate threat to the Academy left him with no alternative.
''Once this being is gone, we will have to evacuate¡'' The Headmaster thought as he readied himself to use the Second Arcane Path he had learned to st Envy away¡
He also controlled the Chamber of Seals to open it once he was ready to expel the Deadly Sin.
As he channeled the Elemental Spell, the surrounding air intensified as the other Professors realized the Headmaster''s n¡
The chamber''s runes glowed ominously, a prelude to the expulsion. But just as the Headmaster was about to release the spell, a shadowy figure materialized within the chamber.
The psychics faltered briefly as their concentration was broken by the sudden intrusion.
The figure emerged from the darkness, its form cloaked in an aura of imprable shadows.
Kyle stepped forward, his eyes reflecting the chaos of the battle.
"Stay your hand, Headmaster," Kyle''s voice resonated through the chamber, a calm amidst the storm. "There is another way."
Chapter 775 The Key
Chapter 775 The Key
??"There is another way."
Kyle''s voice resonated through the chamber¡ It was like a calm amidst the storm.
The Headmaster, only took a mere second to immediately recognized the figure that had mysteriously appeared within the chamber.
He had no time to question his presence or how he managed to enter the chamber since he clearly recognized the gravity of the situation¡
If they failed to keep the Deadly Sin here, there would be many lives that was going to be taken by this devil.
With a stern gaze at Envy, Headmaster Therion nodded solemnly.
"Speak quickly, Shadow Immortal. Our time is short, and our enemy is relentless."
Kyle approached the tform, his gaze fixed on the writhing spirit of Envy.
Just now, he also used a huge amount of Shadow Divinity to strengthen the bindings on the Deadly Sin.
"The spirit seeks a host, a vessel to sate its hunger for ambition and desire. We must offer it a bait, a lure so enticing that it cannot resist." Kyle said through telepathy¡ It covered not just the Headmaster but all the other Professors as well.
The psychics exchanged wary nces, but the Headmaster''s decision was swift.
"We will trust your counsel. What do you propose?"
With a gesture, Kyle summoned a phantasmal orb, its surface swirling with the potential of untapped power. It was mysterious.
"This Orb contains the essence of ambition, a concentrated draught of desire. It will draw Envy like a moth to me¡"
Kyle said as he recalled what Orden, the Purple Dragon of the Castle, said to him about this Orb.
Indeed! This Orb came from one of the Dragons imprisoned within Kyle''s castle!
He ced the Orb upon the tform, and as if sensing its purpose, Envy''s attention snapped to the new presence. Its form coalesced, drawn to the Orb''s allure.
"Prepare yourselves¡" Kyle warned, his voice echoing in the minds of the psychics.
"The trap is set."
During this whole time, Envy couldn''t actually sense Kyle''s presence! Nheless, Envy couldn''t care less about another opponent¡
As soon as the Orb appeared, she couldn''t help but let out her desire to possess it!
The Headmaster and the Professors encircled the area, their psychic energies converging upon the Orb.
Envy, entranced by the Orb''s promise, edged closer, its essence quivering with anticipation¡ She had no idea what it was, but it felt like she''s going to get stronger the moment she obtained it!
"It''s mine!" She shouted.
At the same time, Kyle gave his instructions to the Psychics, who barely had the strength to continue¡
With a collective incantation, the psychics channeled their powers into the Orb¡ To be exact, their Mental Energy was used to strengthen the power of the Orb and contain Envy''s spirit!
As Envy dashed forward, a radiantttice of light enveloped her body. The Deadly Sin''s felt a lot more at ease as it neared the Orb''s seductive glow!
"This is indeed terrifying¡" Kylemented as he realized how great the Orb was¡ He really couldn''t underestimate the Dragons that had lived for an uncountable number of years!
Envy, now within reach of the Orb, extended a tendril of its essence towards the object of its desire.
At that moment, Kyle gave the signal, and a surge of psychic energy burst forth.
The Orb absorbed Envy in a maelstrom of light, its surface pulsating with the captured devil''s fury.
The runes of the chamber red, sealing the Orb with an irrevocable conclusion.
The Deadly Sin''s rage was quelled as its presence was confined within the Orb''s crystalline prison!
Thud¡ Thud.. Thud¡
Exhausted yet triumphant, the psychics watched as the Orb settled into a gentle hum, its surface was now in a tranquil state¡
Some of the professors couldn''t help but kneel on the ground as they just exhausted their mental energy¡
"Did we just capture a Deadly Sin?" One of the professors asked.
"I must be dreaming¡ This is incredible¡ If we study the mind of this creature, incorporate their knowledge into our arts¡ Then, it will be a new era---"
"Stop¡ The guy who helped us is an Immortal. He must be the Shadow Immortal. I felt his Divinity."
"Right¡ Besides, that was probably just an Avatar or a part of the Deadly Sin''s Spirit. It wasn''t a big deal."
"We can''t be sure about that. The Shadow Immortal would note here if it was that simple."
The professors talked to each other through their linked telepathy as they looked at Kyle''s figure with wariness but also reverence.
They didn''t even bother to ask how the Shadow Immortal bypassed the doors of the Chamber of Seals and joined them in the battle.
It clearly shows how they really acknowledge his strength!
Headmaster Therion approached the Orb, his expression one of solemn gratitude.
"Through your instructions and our unity, we have seeded, Shadow Immortal" He dered. "One behalf of the Farrel Academy, I would like to thank you--"
"That''s fine¡ Headmaster Therion¡ I will be taking this Orb, though¡" Kyle said, and as soon as he took the Orb, he immediately received a notification that he could extract the living immortal inside it!!
Of course, he decided not to extract the Deadly Sin yet as he felt that this one was actually using his true body!
This Deadly Sin that he captured was quite special, and he wasn''t just nning to extract it to death! That would be too much of a waste!
Even if he does, he has to make it slow and make this poor Deadly Sin be a source of his energy forever!
***
During this time, in a farawaynd in the northern region of the world, the wind howled across the deste icend...
Suddenly, the space twisted, and a group of three people descended to thend¡
The trio took a moment to observe thend as if sensing the remnant energy in the ce.
Whoosh~
They stood amidst the frozen expanse, their blue cloaks billowing like the sails of a ship lost at sea. The intricate engravings upon their garments shimmered faintly, a sign of their mastery over the temporal realm.
"The Overseer''s not here¡" One of them murmured, his voice barely audible over the biting gale.
The Overseer''s absence was a huge matter that would affect the whole of the Human Realm. After all,the Overseer''s task wasn''t a simple matter: it was to help the bnce of the world...
Without the Overseer, the Will of the Human Realm would be even more vulnerable!
The second figure nodded, his gaze scanning the horizon.
"The Demons'' incursion was no mere coincidence. The Will of the Realm is exposed¡ It''s vulnerable without its guardian. What a pity¡"
The third, the youngest among them, clenched his fists. "Perhaps it is a sign for us to intervene. The Will may be guiding us to a new equilibrium."
He said with a hint of a smile on his face. The reason they were here must not be a coincidence.
Apparently, their mission was clear: to seek out the Shadow Immortal, a being who had actually disrespected a new Time Maniptor in the remnant of the Celestial Realm.
This made them, the seniors of that Time Maniptor, get revenge.
"Since there''s no Overseer. We have to get information on our own."
With a decision made, they turned their backs to the icend, the realm of the absent Overseer, and set their sights on the maind.
"This won''t be an easy matter since the Shadow Immortal probably rules this world. We will use the current chaos created by the Demons to steal the key and after that, we can consider humiliating the Shadow Immortal¡" The leader of the group, Jin, said in a serious voice..
"We''re not going to kill him, huh¡" The other said.
"We can''t¡ We need to keep the bnce of this world. Without the Shadow Immortal, this world probably wouldn''tst for a month before it bes a hub of demon. We don''t want the Demons to get even stronger." Jin exined.
"Understood¡" The other two said in unison.
They also knew that the Shadow Immortal was no ordinary foe. His control over the shadows was unparalleled, a power that could veil his movements and intentions from even the most discerning eyes.
Furthermore, it was reported that he could control a Dimensional Creature! A being that could be considered the worst enemy of the Time Maniptors.
Nheless, with the three of them, a single and young Dimensional Creature, would not be able to stop them.
As they traversed the boundary of the maind, the Time Maniptors cast a wave of temporal threads, a cloak of chronal energy to shield their passage.
They moved unseen, as they sought the traces of the Shadow Immortal''s essence.
Upon reaching the maind, the trio split up, each taking a different path through the bustling cities and sleepy hamlets.
To their surprise, the Demons barely caused damage in the northern region of the continent.
It was quite impressive that the Arcanists here were able to fight against the Demons!
Then, at this time, in a quiet tavern, one Maniptor overheard a bard sing of a night when the darkness seemed alive, a vampire that moved against the wind ughtered the demons in thousands!
Chapter 776 Return
Chapter 776 Return
??"A Vampire fought against thousands of Demons?" The Time Maniptor named Jin, also the oldest and leader of the group, muttered with interest.
Vampires weren''t considered to be that strong and could defeat thousands of demons¡ Unless the Vampire they were talking about was from a really old generation with the purest Vampire Blood there was.
''A Human Realm with a Vampire that is probably a Monarch¡ Is that even possible?'' Jin mused as he knew that Vampires shouldn''t be active in this particr human realm controlled by Arcanists.
After all, the Vampires would just be the subject of their studies to increase their Arcane Mastery and Knowledge¡
Nheless, Jin continued to listen to the surroundings to find more information about the current situation of this world.
Anyway, they weren''t pressed on time. They would slowly learn about this world if necessary to ensure that they would be able to get the golden key from Kyle.
***
In the meantime, in a library, Giorgi, one of the Maniptors, found a few old newspapers regarding the things that had happened in various churches... The Churchs of the Eminence of the Sea and Three Paragons seemed to have been in a very difficult situation over the past few months. He had also learned various things regarding therge factions and organizations that were active in this region.
"These Arcanists are impressive¡ Although they do not have advanced technology because of the mysticism involved, they were able to establish incredible feats in just a few decades." He muttered with interest.
Finally, Darius, who was now wearing a humbler attire like the crowd, witnessed a merchant''s awed recount of a mysterious benefactor whose generosity was as sudden as his disappearance¡
It seemed that there was an incredible Alchemist in the south capable of producing tons of anti-demon artifacts, talismans, and various items that could also protect them from demons.
It had even been distributed to various nations, though on a smaller scale, before the Demons invaded, allowing them to be genuinely prepared against the Demons!
Each clue, each story, brought them closer to understanding the Human Realm¡
After a few days had passed, the Time Maniptor, who hade from a different realm, adapted to the Human Realm, and they even obtained identity and money to disguise themselves properly.
At this time, the Time Maniptors gathered in arge city, their findings converging into a clear story.
The Shadow Immortal was not hiding at all and his base of operations was already quite known. Furthermore, he was actively participating in the battles against Demons and already killed many Demon Saints in the process¡
Because of that, the Demon Saints'' fighting style was now extremely cautious. They would barely appear in battles, and even if they did, it wouldn''tst for a minute as they would quickly hide after providing help.
They were all afraid that the Shadow Immortal''s Avatar woulde at them and eliminate them immediately.
"It''s weird that the Demon Lord is not doing something against the Shadow Immortal¡ It would be great if the two of them fought each other¡" Darius muttered after drinking his tea.
"That''s not a good idea, Darius. We can''t let the Demon Lord possess the key¡" Giorgi replied¡
"What? It''s not like the Shadow Immortal will carry that with him. If the seal he used to take it gets broken, he will be in a huge danger." Darius said.
"Mhmm¡ We still can''t dismiss the idea that the key might be in his possession. I''m sure he believed that the safest ce he could put such a precious item is probably in his pocket or something." Jin said after giving some thought.
Anyway, their discussion continued on how they would deal with the Shadow Immortal with their Time Spells. They had to be precise on this as they could not make a mistake in their attempt to make the Shadow Immortal disappear from them, and once an Immortal decided to hide, even with their powers, they would have a hard time finding them.
There were limits on their Time Spells, after all.
Soon, their n was set. They were ready to visit the Ruri Kingdom, where the Shadow Immortal had been activetely.
***
Thud¡
The ancient but enchanted stones of Kyle''s castle stood silent as he crossed the various defenses that were ced.
''It got strengthened by a couple of times¡ I guess Magnus panicked a while ago¡'' Kyle mused as he realized some changes in the internal Formation Barrier that he and Magnus developed.
Nheless, his return was marked by a subtle shift in the atmosphere, a recognition from the castle itself of its master''s presence.
The four Immortals immediately noticed his presence¡ It was then followed by Faith, Pearl, and Chad, who was just at the gates of the castle.
Chad didn''t greet Kyle, but he heaved a sigh of relief after sensing his return.
The presence of the Shadow Immortal was just that calming for him.
In the grand hall, Faith and Magnus awaited his arrival, their expressions a blend of relief and trepidation.
They recounted the tale of the castle''s invader, how Pride, the embodiment of arrogance and one of the Seven Deadly Sins, had dared to challenge the sanctity of their domain.
"Pride would have almost seeded if not for Denise''s androids being too sensitive to the energy flow of the surroundings..." Faith said with a hint of a smile on her face... She wanted Kyle to visit Deniseter.
"The two Immortals then took care of the Deadly Sin, and they decided not to kill him and wait for your arrival."
Kyle listened intently. His eyes were calm, yet he was clenching his fist in anger as he knew that these Deadly Sins wouldn''t stop right now.
Anyway, he was also interested in how the Immortals suppressed the Deadly Sin so Faith filled him in with details.
The Immortals under hismand, beings of immense power in their own right, had engaged Pride in a battle that shook the foundations of the castle.
Kyle couldn''t help but feel impressed since the Immortals had already lost most of their strongest Celestial Arts, but they still managed to overwhelm Pride. It was certainly impressive¡
"And the dragons?" Kyle inquired, his thoughts already turning to the chamber that housed his most formidable allies or prisoners.
"Orden and Ryzoir were tasked by the Immortals to suppress the Deadly Sin in their chambers." Magnus exined.
A smile, rare and enigmatic, graced Kyle''s lips.
Without another word, he vanished from the hall, his Presence Shift carrying him to the Dragon''s Chamber with the immediacy of thought.
The chamber was vast. The surroundings were filled with the thick scent of dragon with a hint of evil because of the existence of Pride.
Orden and Ryzoir, majestic in their draconic forms, stood sentinel over the defeated form of Pride. The siny battered, its once radiant aura dimmed by the weight of its defeat.
Kyle''s gaze swept over the scene, taking in the intricate array of runes that bound Pride, each one a testament to the Dragons'' power.
''Draconic Runes¡ Those Runecasters would die to see this¡'' Kylemented in his mind as the existence of Runes made by Dragons was some sort of mythical to the Runecasters.
If they knew that Kyle could allow them to see such runes, he was sure that there would be plenty of Runecasters begging and kneeling to him to nce at it.
Kyle shook his head after reaching these random thoughts as he looked at the Pride.
The Pride''s essence, normally a blinding beacon of self-
importance or arrogance, was now but a flickering candle in the face of the Draconic Runes¡
It was merely a part of Pride''s soul but if it was gone, the real body of the Deadly Sin would surely receive a fatal injury.
"Pride," Kyle addressed the fallen sin, his voice echoing through the chamber.
"I''m really curious what you were trying to achieve. I know for sure that you have failed¡ But I still wanted to hear it and depending on your answer, I may not be too harsh on your soul¡ Anyway, you won''t really die if I erase your soul. You will just bear a grudge against me and try to take revenge someday."
Pride''s eyes, filled with defiance that not even defeat could quell, met Kyle''s. "You are¡ right." it hissed, the words a struggle against the bindings.
"If you free my soul now¡ I will forget this matter." Pride continued.
"I can do that¡ However, I have to know what happened. Why did you enter my ce so recklessly." Kyle asked once again. His voice was soft, and there weren''t any signs of hate at all.
Pride felt a lot better with this approach from Kyle, so he replied truthfully¡
"I just want to obtain a perfect host. The Shadow Immortal is definitely a perfect host for the strongest Deadly Sin." Pride replied.
Kyle was a bit dumbfounded by this reply, as he certainly lives up to his name!
Kyle truly had enough of it and felt that he should end this matter.
He then used his Darkness Maniption Spell to create a dark limb to touch the Deadly Sin¡
Then, under Pride''s confused eyes, he spoke.
"Extract¡"
Chapter 777 Precious Materials
Chapter 777 Precious Materials
??Kyle looked at the Deadly Sin with a calm gaze before he triggered his Divine Extraction System.
"Extract¡"
[ Living Immortal has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Supremacy Surge Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Dignity Decree Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Conceit Chains Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Vanitas Veil Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Pride''s Mantle x1 ]
Kyle obtained over a thousand Immortal Essence in his extraction and more than a hundred Divinity Points. Once again, he managed to obtain a huge haul!
Then, as soon as he saw the Spell Models being extracted, he was ted.
He epted all of these spells and he immediately inspected their Spell Models to understand how they work.
First, the Supremacy Surge Spell channels the essence of Pride to temporarily enhance the caster''s abilities, granting increased strength, speed, and resilience. It was a bit disappointing that it could only improve his physical qualities, but nheless, it was still quite incredible since he knew that the increase would not be simple at all.
The next Spell was the Dignity Decree Spell. It was quite an interesting spell since once he issued amand, it would be imbued with the authority of Pride,pelling enemies or even friends to kneel or retreat in the face of the caster''s overwhelming presence. However, to ensure that the spell would actually work, the user must have a higher "pride" than any of them¡
"Dignity Decree, huh¡ This will be very useful. But how can I even measure my pride¡ Am I even that prideful?" Kyle shook his head at this as he still had to try to use this Spell if it would actually work on other people.
Although he certainly had pride as Shadow Immortal, he wasn''t sure how much pride it was.
Anyway, the Conceit Chains Spells could manifest ethereal chains of pride that bind and immobilize foes, draining their willpower and strength with each passing moment.
This was a very useful spell as the power of the chains would also get stronger the more prideful the targets were!
Lastly, the Vanitas Veil Spell shrouds the caster in an illusion of grandeur, making them appearrger and more imposing, instilling fear in foes.
Furthermore, this Spell was actually targeted in an area. It means that he could cast it in a certain ce to show his dominance, and he could immediately leave to go to another ce while they were still affected by the spell.
These four spells would definitely be used by him most of the time to disy his authority¡
Finally, he checked the item he had obtained from Pride.
It was the Pride''s Mantle. A cloak that increases the wearer''s magnificence and importance through a realistic illusion, granting them an air of invincibility and authority.
As he further inspected this item, it would actually work well with the Dignity Decree Spell!
"Impressive¡ Then that solves the problem of using that Spell." Kyle muttered as he actually wanted to try this Spell on the four Immortalster.
If it worked, then it would most likely work on the others as well.
For now, Kyle turned to the dragons, nodding in acknowledgment of their actions.
"Orden, Ryzoir, your Runes are impressive¡ Can you contain this Sin for a little longer? I''m still not done with him." Kyle said.
The dragons inclined their heads, their eyes gleaming with the wisdom of ages.
"Just make sure you shorten our stay here, Shadow Immortal¡" Orden''s voice rumbled, the sound resonating within the chamber.
Ryzoir, the red dragon, let out a low growl.
"This Sin you have here is only a part of its soul¡ Don''t expect too much from it¡ Even if you drain its energy, I don''t think you''d get answers from him. His real body might even be preparing to take this soul back." The Dragon reminded.
Kyle''s expression hardened at the warning. "I will drain this Sin''s power every other day so please hold on with your Draconic Runes for now¡ As for its main body¡ He''s wee toe to my castle."
Kyle paused for a moment as he looked at the silent and weakened Deadly Sin.
"Then we shall fortify our defenses as well..." Kyle said, as if he certainly wouldn''t mind confronting even the main body of the Deadly Sin.
After all, with his Divine Extraction System, he could only get stronger and not weaker.
With a final nce at the subdued Deadly Sin, Kyle turned and strode away from the chamber, his mind already weaving ns and strategies for the next battles toe¡
"The Demon Lord would surely act soon¡ I need to prepare." Kyle muttered.
From the hints he learned from Farah, the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess, the Demon Lord was most likely looking for him, or to be exact, for his Divine Extraction System.
There was no way he would underestimate the Demon Lord, who was at the same level as the deities worshipped by humans in this world.
***
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Ruri Kingdom, where the cobblestone streets were filled with crowd, three figures cloaked in blue moved efficiently as if no one was blocking their path.
Jin, the leader of the Time Maniptors, continued on his way, his eyes sharp as he surveyed the bustling capital.
Giorgi, the one on his left, was also silent. However, he was already being impatient with their current mission. His presence was like the calm before the storm.
Darius, the youngest of them, was simply looking forward to their mission.
They hade to the Ruri Kingdom since this ce had the most influence of the Shadow Immortal.
After a couple of days of research, they learned that the King of the Ruri Kingdom was but a puppet, strings pulled by the unseen hands of the Immortal, manipting events without the popce''s knowledge.
It didn''t end there.
The trio''s investigation had unveiled awork of control so vast it was almost iprehensible. The Shadow Immortal''s reach extended into the marketces where potions, amulets, and talismans of the highest quality were traded under a single banner¡ªa monopoly that left little room forpetitors.
But it was not justmerce that the Immortal influenced. The Church of the Lord of the Secrets, an enigmatic institution dedicated to a deity of concealment and stealth, had thrown its support behind the Immortal.
As a matter of fact, its clergy had already started spreading words that the Lord of the Secrets and the Shadow Immortal were working together!
"We need to scout his castle¡" Giorgi suggested.
"I like that¡ I think I can do it alone¡ The fluctuation of time spells would be too obvious if there were three of us working." Darius suggested.
However, Jin shook his head.
"The Shadow Immortal has a Dimensional Creature. We can''t use Time Spells near the Shadow Immortal until we''re sure of the Golden Key''s location."
Jin reminded, making the two very disappointed.
They already knew that the stronghold of the Immortal was at the Forbidden Forest.
It was there, amidst the ancient trees and misty paths, that the Shadow Immortal''s castley hidden.
Anyway, the reason why they were moving with haste through the crowd wasn''t rted to the Shadow Immortal, or so they believed.
Apparently, as they navigated the Capital''s alleys, a strange fluctuation of energy caught their attention¡ªa Vampire!
It came from the castle, so they believed that the vampire was actually the guardian of the King''s Castle.
Perhaps this Vampire was their strongest guard against demons that threatened to spill into the human realm.
The Time Maniptors made sure not to emit too much energy to ensure that the Vampire would not be startled.
They didn''t mind that their mission was momentarily sidetracked by this unexpected revtion. After all, there were many rituals that included True Vampire''s Fang and Blood.
In their minds, a True Vampire was filled with precious materials and ingredients for them!
This must be their lucky day!
"We must tread carefully¡" Jin advised, his gaze never leaving the silhouette of the castle that loomed in the distance.
"This Vampire is no ordinary guardian. Its presence here is a piece of arger puzzle¡ If we can''t kill it fast, there might be more problemsing at us."
Giorgi nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of a de that seemed to hum with temporal energy.
"We should observe, learn its hiding spot, and ambush it¡ If this Vampire turned into bats, or worse, blood mist, we would have trouble chasing it if they decided to escape."
Chapter 778 Time Manipulators against the Vampire
Chapter 778 Time Maniptors against the Vampire
??Darius, probably the impulsive one in the group, was already formting a n. "If we can align our temporal flow without making any mistake, we will be undetected¡ However, I think the castle was protected by a strong Formation Arts."
"It''s fine¡ I already analyzed their Formation Art a while ago. We can do something about." Jin muttered.
Giorgi smiled after hearing this.
"No wonder you''re our leader. Let''s go!"
Jin justughed it off as he led his small team to the castle. He looked at the Barrier for a moment before his hand formed a seal before it got distorted and created a hole, allowing them to pass through it without any issues.
It was a simple time maniption ability, but if he didn''t consider the base and source of the Formation Barrier, he would still rm the Arcanists inside the castle.
Darius and Giorgi just smiled at this since they would probably need at least a few minutes before being able to do what he did. Of course, destroying the Barrier was basic for them, but passing through it without making amotion was a bit moreplicated.
Upon reaching the castle, the Time Maniptors melded with the shadows, their presence as inconspicuous as the passing of seconds.
"Let''s focus on the traces of the Vampire." Jin muttered as he started searching the castle.
The castle itself was abyrinthine structure of towering spires and deep dungeons, its walls steeped in history and most of all, Arcane Protection.
They moved silently as they searched for the Vampire. At this time, their senses were already attuned to the subtlest of vibrations in the temporal fabric.
It wasn''t long before they discerned the Vampire''s precise location¡ªa secluded tower bathed in the silver light of the moon, its windows aglow with an otherworldly luminescence.
"Mhmmm¡ A perfect spot for a Vampire." Jin muttered as he looked at Giorgi.
Giorgi then nodded as he used another Temportal Magic allowing him to witness the corridor''s past¡
This allowed to see Vampire''s appearance!
"Beautiful¡" They all said at the same time when they saw the ck-haired and pale-skinned Vampire.
The Vampire, a figure of ethereal beauty and deadly grace, walked on the corridor where they were at with an air of regal solitude.
Her eyes, pools of nocturnal mystery, scanned the surroundings as she headed to her secluded tower.
Based on the images they''d seen, she had juste from the King''s Throne Hall and must''ve been served by the King himself.
After confirming the location and the appearance of the Vampire, Jin immediately discussed his n.
Indeed!
The Time Maniptors did not strike immediately.
Instead, they began the intricate ritual to seal the castle, aplex weave of temporal locks and chronal barriers!
Jin started the ritual as he used a sacrificial item, a bronze pocketwatch!
He then raised his hands to the sky, palms facing the moon. He chanted the Invocation of Temporal Anchors, an incantation that called upon the fixed points in time to serve as pirs for their seal¡
"In shadows deep, our voices blend,
Time''s threads we twist, and paths we bend.
Bound in silence, unseen we move,
Seal this castle, none shall prove."
As his voice echoed into the night, ethereal chains materialized from the ether, shimmering with the light of bygone eras, and anchored themselves to the castle''s walls.
Giorgi then began theDance of the Chronal Weave, his movements were smooth even though he didn''t really like this part of the ritual.
Nheless, they had to do this.
With each step and turn, he wove the fabric of time into a protective cocoon around the castle.
''''Whispers soft, a veil of night,"
Mysteries shroud, out of sight.
Beyond the walls, in echoes call,
Time''s embrace, enclose them all."
The air around the castle shimmered as if heat rose from the ground, but it was the weave of time that enveloped the structure, blurring its edges and making it untouchable. This wasn''t noticed by anyone in the castle except the Vampire¡
The reason she noticed this was because she suddenly lost her connection to the familiars she had ced outside the castle!
This was something that not even the Time Maniptors considered, as they weren''t really experts in such matters!
Nheless, Lisa couldn''t do anything as she still felt confused! She could only start using her Blood Connection to find her familiars!
However, at this point, Darius held aloft aChronometer, an ancient device that measured not hours, but the flow of time itself.
He adjusted its dials, synchronizing the castle''s temporal signature with a moment frozen in perpetuity.
"Through the hours, past and yet to be,
Seal this fortress, none shall see.
Secrets kept, in whispers told,
Mystic forces, forever hold."
The castle''s surroundings slowed, its presence fading from the current timeline, as if it had always been a relic of the past.
Together, the Time Maniptorspleted the ritual with theFinal Convergence, their voices uniting in a powerful decree that sealed the castle''s fate!
"By the power of past, and the echoes of futures unseen,
We bind this stronghold in between.
Let no force, dark or divine,
Break this seal of the threefold line."
A brilliant aura enveloped the castle, a dome of light that solidified into an invisible barrier.
The ritual wasplete, the castle sealed within a bubble of time, cut off from the continuum, its fate now in the hands of the Time Maniptors.
"Whew¡ I don''t want to do that again¡" Giorgi muttered as he really disliked dancing.
"You did a great job¡ Darius would make a mistake if he did that." Jin replied.
"Then you should let him practice more!" Giorgiined, but Darius and Jin just chuckled.
Giorgi also knew that he was the only one capable of doing thatplicated dance while voicing the chant that was imbued with Temporal Energy.
Even Jin may not be able to do that, as it has been quite a long time ever since he learned and practiced it.
With the Chrono Seal in ce, Jin, Giorgi, and Darius advanced toward the Vampire''s Tower with undeniable confidence.
They were already sure that no matter what, the Vampire would no longer be able to escape from them.
Nheless, they were still ready to fight¡
Although they have an unfathomable ability, they are aware of their own weakness.
As they walked, their steps were silent, their forms seemed to be flickering in the fabric of time, as they approached the heart of the Vampire''s domain.
Lisa, the Vampire, stood vignt atop her tower, her senses alert to the approach of the Time Maniptors.
"Who are these people?" Lisa frowned after noticing their presence¡
Though they bore no overt malice, she sensed thetent danger they posed. Her heart, long stilled by the embrace of undeath, thrummed with a semnce of nervous anticipation.
"I have to inform Vale in case something happens to me¡" This was her immediate thought as she quickly tried to connect to her summons¡
Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t really connect to them¡
She could onl sigh at this as she decided to try differently while the three intruders were taking their time.
With a wave of her hand, she summoned her thralls and blood hounds¡
Then, she summoned her bats that was formed from her blood. She sent these bats away as she nned to use them to send a message to Vale¡
But once again, they somehow disappeared after reaching a certain area!
"An unknown offensive-type Formation Barrier." Lisa muttered as she decided to use hermunication crystal instead.
Then, she left a message in this crystal for Vale before she ordered one of her thralls to take it away and hide somewhere in the castle.
She was preparing for the worst¡
However, she recalled something and stopped the thrall¡ Then, she produced a drop of blood on her palm. It was her Vampire Blood Essence, and she infused it into the thrall before sending it away.
This was to ensure that the thrall would have enough strength to reach Vale''s castle safely.
Haaa¡
Lisa took a deep breath as she prepared for the confrontation.
She donned her Sovereign Artifact, the Red Bruiser, a glove that hummed with destructive potential.
Vale had obtained this from Laura, their previous opponent, before it was given to her¡
This Red Bruiser had three abilities.
The first ability was called Space Breaker.
This ability had even surprised Vale, as its power allowed it to annihte almost anything it came into contact with during its brief activation.
"I trust you¡" Lisa muttered as she kissed the back of her left hand, which was wearing the glove.
She only had a short 5 seconds to destroy something with her left glove, but it was certainly a terrifying ability.
Furthermore, this ability could only be employed thrice a day, and was limited to physical objects, rendering it ineffective against spells, spiritual beings, or summoned entities.
It should be perfect against the three unfathomable enemies that wereing at her.
Thud!
Unfortunately, upon the arrival of the three, she quickly discovered she was utterly outmatched by them!
Chapter 779 Blood
Chapter 779 Blood
??The moon hung high over the Vampire''s Tower, casting a pale light that seemed to strengthen Lisa for the battle ahead.
She knew the odds were against her since she was facing three Time Maniptors. However, at this time, surrender was not an option, and it wasn''t in her nature to give up either.. With the Red Bruiser gloves adorning her hands, she prepared to unleash the full extent of her vampiric prowess.
"Don''t waste your time, Vampire¡ You''re nothing against us. Just answer our questions and you''ll get a painless death." Jin said as he saw the gorgeous Vampire looking at them with a chilly gaze
The Time Maniptors, Jin, Giorgi, and Darius, stood ready, their own energies harmonizing with the ebb and flow of time.
If the Vampire would even try to do something, they would unhesitatingly activate their Spells.
They know for a fact that they were a formidable trio. No one would be able to escape if the three of them worked together. Nheless, they rarely faced a vampire of Lisa''s caliber.
They had to be careful since once the Vampire was given a chance to escape, finding them would be extremely difficult with their incredible blood spells.
"As if¡" Lisa muttered as she decided to immediately attack!
The battlemenced with Lisa activating herCrushing Grasp of the Red Bruiser aiming to immobilize Jin, the one she could recognize as the leader of the group..
Crack¡ Crack¡ Crack¡
Space around him seemed to stutter, but Jin, with his mastery over time, broke free from the stasis with a burst of chronal energy.
''What this?''
Lisa''s eyes narrowed as she couldn''t recognize what kind of power was used.
Nheless, she knew she would have to employ her other abilities if she wanted to get a clean hit to one of them.
Kkaaaaaahhhh~
She called upon herBlood Echo, sending a shockwave of vampiric energy cascading towards the trio.
"That''s futile!"
Giorgi deflected it with a swing of his de, the temporal energy creating a shield that absorbed the life-draining force.
Darius countered with a temporal distortion, attempting to age Lisa rapidly, but she was immune to such tricks of time!
"Mhmm? I didn''t know that Vampires weren''t affected by that." Darius muttered.
"You still have a lot to learn¡ It''s not that she''s not affected. You''re just too weak right now." Jin exined as he immediately realized what had happened.
The Vampire seemed to be protected by a powerful energy that was most likely a Divinity of someone else. However, he couldn''t exactly understand this since he doesn''t have Divinity himself.
Anyway, they had no time to discuss this matter as they slowly fought against the Vampire to see more of her abilities.
After all, once they obtained a good grasp of her abilities, they would have an idea of how valuable her fangs, eyeballs, blood, and bones are. That means that they would know how much they see her body parts!
Just like that, Lisa unleashed her vampiric abilities, aiming to kill the trio¡
With the Shadow Veil Spell, Lisa became a wraith-like shadow, her form blending with the darkness of the tower. She struck from the darkness, and her attacks were nearly invisible, but Darius anticipated her movements, his eyes seeing through the veil of time.
Lisa switched with her Sanguine Chains as blood-red chains erupted from the ground, seeking to bind the Time Maniptors.
However, Giorgi sliced through them with his de, each cut reversing the chains'' existence, as if they had never been.
At this time, Lisa was already getting frustrated since not even the Demon Saints could ignore these attacks from her!
"So persistent¡ Come at me!" Lisa shouted as she used Night''s Embrace!
The surrounding temperature grew cold as Lisa summoned the chill of the grave, a frost that sought to sap the warmth of life.
However, it seemed as if all of her attacks were useless. Jin countered with a temporal bubble, reversing the effect and turning the cold into a fleeting memory.
Luckily, Lisa didn''t seem to think that the Night''s Embrace would be enough to defeat these people.
As soon as she cast the Night''s Embrace, she also used Feral Swarm!
A horde of bats, each a fragment of Lisa''s essence, swarmed the Time Maniptors.
Ki! Ki! Ki! Ki!
They moved as one, a cloud of fangs and fury, but Jin, Giorgi, and Darius stood back-to-back¡
"That''s impressive, Vampire! Show us more!"
Jin shouted as theirbined powers created a vortex of time that scattered the swarm into disarray.
This time, Lisa''s gloves glowed ominously as she shed at the air!
Crimson Laceration!
This was the third skill of her Red Bruiser!
The activation of this skill created arcs of destructive energy that sought to rend the very fabric of reality.
Giorgi met her strikes with his own, the sh of their powers resonating through the tower.
At this point, themotion they had created had already alerted everyone in the castle!
Of course, this includes the King and his subjects!
Soon, King Larry Morgan ordered a few of his Royal Mages to ascertain the situation in Lisa''s Tower!
Despite that, the battle raged on¡ The tower itself became an arena for their deadly fight.
Lisa fought with the desperation of one who knew defeat was likely, but her resolve to stay alive was unbreakable.
As she realized that she could never get a clean punch on these three people, Lisa decided to use her Red Bruiser''s most powerful ability to escape! She was nning to destroy whatever these three people had created outside to block her senses and her familiars from going out!
Boom!
She used herSpace Breakerability, annihting a section of the tower''s wall to create an opening for escape, but the Time Maniptors had anticipated this move. They sealed the breach with a temporal patch, restoring the wall as if it had never been destroyed!
It happened so quickly as Lisa failed to escape!
"Tsk¡ You''re pushing it!"
As the fight continued, Lisa''s strength began to wane.
The Time Maniptors'' relentless assault, their ability to manipte time around her attacks, left her struggling to find an opening.
She made one final, desperate charge, her Red Bruiser gloves pulsing with thest of her power.
But it was not to be.
Jin, Giorgi, and Dariusbined their powers for a final move, theChronal Convergence, a technique that synchronized their attacks into a single, devastating blow. Time around Lisa slowed to a crawl, her movements becamebored, and thebined force of the Time Maniptors'' strike sent her crashing to the ground, defeated but not dishonored.
"Mhmm¡ Thatst attack was really awesome." Jin muttered as he truly felt amazed by how strong Lisa was.
He didn''t expect that Vampire could actually reach a level where they had to use Chronal Convergence with the three of them.
The Time Maniptors stood victorious, their respect for Lisa''s tenacity evident in their solemn expressions.
They had faced one of the fiercest vampires and emerged triumphant, but the battle had tested their limits and forged a new understanding of the Vampires.
"I''ll still take her blood." Darius said.
"I keep her two eyes then." Giorgi muttered after some thoughts.
"So I''ll get the fangs and everything else? That includes her gloves, right? Go ahead then¡" Jin said as they easily finished discussing how they would divide Lisa''s body.
As the energy in the surroundings started calming down, Lisay motionless amidst the ruins of the Vampire''s Tower.
They could tell that there were other Arcanistsing at them, but they didn''t have to worry about them. Although they used plenty of Temporal Energy just now, they still have more than enough to defeat about 5 more of these Vampires.
"Mhmm? Something''s off." Jin muttered as he felt an ominous threat looming over them.
The others also noticed this, but they couldn''t tell where the threat wasing from, so they couldn''t move yet.
The Time Maniptors stood vignt, their eyes fixed on their fallen adversary, wary of any sign of resurgence.
But as the moonlight bathed her in its ethereal glow, a transformation began to take ce.
Without their knowledge, a pure drop ofDivine Blood, bestowed upon her by Shane, stirred within her veins.
This Divine Blood was filled with Shane''s essence and waspletely different from the other Immortal Blood she was drinking from Shane from time to time!
Needless to say, this Divine Blood, was a gift meant for dire circumstances, a wellspring of power that could turn the tide of the most desperate battles. As the Divine Blood activated, a radiant aura enveloped Lisa, her wounds knitting together, her strength returning in a surge of divine vitality.
Lisa''s body rose, her eyes aze with renewed power and fierce might¡
"This is interesting¡" Jin muttered as he looked at the Vampire emanating with Divinity!
Of course, the Time Maniptors were taken aback by this unexpected revival. They could only brace themselves for another onught!
Chapter 780 Gone
Chapter 780 Gone
Lisa, with the power of the Divine Blood coursing through her, felt a new entity altogether and just a reborn vampire!
Her vampiric aura appeared to be a tempest of vampiric fury and celestial might!
"This power felt a lot scarier than I thought¡" Darius muttered as he felt the pressureing off from the Vampire. Although Jin felt interested in this development, he was obviously not.
Nheless, his opinion doesn''t matter at this point. He gritted his teeth and trusted that with hispanions, none of them would get injured, even if the Vampire sacrificed her life.
"Haaa!"
At this time, the battle rmenced with Lisa unleashing her new abilities.
This time, she moved with a speed that blurred the lines of reality, her attacks was now imbued with the power of the divine!
Jin, Giorgi, and Darius fought back with all their temporal mastery, but Lisa''s Divine Blood rendered her nearly untouchable.
Although herbat techniques and her movement techniques were still the same, she was now faster, and her strength was several times stronger!
In a moment of sheer ferocity, shended a devastating blow upon Darius, the youngest of the Time Maniptors.
Her Divinity was actually able to cut through his Temporal Energy!
It was a huge victory for Lisa as she realized that her Divinity, although limited, was actually working well agains''t them!
Furthermore, the blow she released was from her left hand with the Red Bruiser equipped!
The impact destroyed the time and space, a fatal strike that even his mastery over time could not undo.
Thud!
Darius fell, his life extinguished like a me in the wind.
"Darius! You fool!" Jin shouted in shock as he realized why Darious failed to defend that attack! The young man was too confident in his Temporal Spell to sway the power of the Vampire''s attack. Then, he actually nned to counter at that moment, making his defense to be iplete!
Against a desperate Vampire with strange Divinity, Darius shouldn''t have done that and treated the Vampire as a Celestial at this point!
However, there was no point in ming the lifeless man.
"You''re going to pay for this, Vampire!"
Giorgi and Jin, fueled by the loss of theirrade, redoubled their efforts.
They decided to go all out even if they destroy the "merchandise".
They no longer care whether they wouldn''t be able to harvest her eyeballs, blood, fangs, and others.
"You''ll regret doing this to our friend!" Giorgi yelled as he triggered all of Temporal Energy.
They wove aplex web of time-based spells, seeking to contain Lisa''s divine-enhanced power.
The tower shook with the force of their conflict, the very stones crying out as the tower itself seemed to buckle under the strain.
Lisa, despite the overwhelming odds, fought with the heart of a warrior who refuses to yield.
She knew that her end was near, but she would not go quietly into the eternal night!
With every ounce of her being, she resisted the Time Maniptors'' relentless assault! She also felt that other Arcanists were already nearby, so she knew that she had to exhaust these people since the others wouldn''t stand a chance against them!
She had to do everything she could to exhaust them!
Once again, she activated her various Vampire Spells¡ Shadow Veil, Sanguine Chains, Night''s Embrace, Feral Swarm, and even her Life Drain Spell were used¡
Unfortunately, she failed to replenish her life force with her Life Drain Spell as the two seemed to know very well how to stop from being affected by the Spell.
''They''re taking too much time¡'' Lisa thought as she had already changed her mind and thought of sucking the lives of the kingdom''s Royal Mages once they arrived!
Since she wanted to stay alive and couldn''t use the Life Drain Spell on these two, she really had no other choice since she couldn''t replenish her life force by sucking the life of her thralls and other summons.
Unfortunately, the Royal Mages seemed to be taking their time as they knew that they were too weak and didn''t want to get involved!
"This is it, huh¡" Lisa sighed as she felt the strong Temporal Energying at her.
Boom!
Even the Divine Blood she obtained from Shane had its limits. She was able to survive one of their attacks but she knew that she woulnd''tst very long if this continued.
As the battle raged on, Lisa''s divine aura began to flicker and wane.
The Time Maniptors, sensing their opportunity,bined their powers for one final, decisive act.
Jin channeled the essence of past battles with his Time st Spell, while Giorgi summoned the potential of countless futures.
Together, they unleashed a temporal maelstrom upon Lisa, a storm of moments that tore at the fabric of her existence!
"I''m sorry¡ Vale¡" Lisa muttered as she faced the attack.
She fought against the tide, her will unbroken, but thebined might of the Time Maniptors was too much to withstand.
With a final, defiant cry, Lisa''s form dissipated, her flesh and bones scattered across the winds of time.
The Divine Blood''s power faded, leaving behind only the echo of her indomitable spirit.
Thud¡
Only Lisa''s clothes and weapons remained on the ground.
The Time Maniptors stood amidst the silence, their victory bitter in the wake of their loss.
"We won, huh¡" Giorgi muttered as he realized that the Divinity that the Vampire used was definitely abnormal. She was simply too strong!
"Yes¡ But we won''t be able to share the loot, and we even lose our friend because of his carelessness. We lost." Jin said.
They had defeated Lisa, the Vampire with Divine Blood, but at a great cost. Darius would be mourned, and his sacrifice would never be forgotten.
Giorgi looked at Darius with helplessness. Their Time Reversal couldn''t actually affect Darius and bring him back to life. That Spell only works on objects or surroundings. It wouldn''t affect the Soul of living beings.
Even if they used it on Darius, he would only return to his physique without injuries, but he would no longer have his Soul since it had already been dissipated or taken by the Realm''s Will.
***
They then waited for a moment to see if the Royal Mages of the castle woulde at them, but it seemed that they realized that Lisa was defeated and were scared to climb up the tower.
Jin and Giorgi then decided not to bother them since they were just small fries in their eyes.
Currently, the weight of their loss hung heavily upon them.
They had no time for mourning, though.
Together, they fixed Darius''s lifeless form so they could properly bury himter on. Then, Giorgi produced a curious artifact¡ªa crystalline sphere etched with arcane symbols.
It was aTemporal Stasis Vessel, a relic from a forgotten age.
With solemn reverence, they ced Darius within, the sphere shimmering as it sealed him away. His body would remain preserved, untouched by time, and this was the best they could do for their friend.
Lisa''s belongings were next. Her mystical artifacts, the Red Bruiser gloves, and even the remnants of her tattered cloak¡ªall were carefully collected.
Giorgi hesitated, his gaze lingering on the Red Bruiser. Its power was immense, but it had not been enough to save Lisa¡ Nheless, he decided to wear it as he was also impressed by the Space Breaker ability of this item.
It didn''t take long before the Time Maniptors exited the tower.
The barrier or the Chrono Seal they had erected would soon dissolve, and they needed to be far away when it did.
The Shadow Immortal, the guardian of this realm, would surely sense the chaotic energy they had unleashed during the battle. They couldn''t risk detection as of yet.
"Let''s continue with our original n¡" Jin said.
Their destinationy deep within the Forbidden Forest¡ªthe territory of the Shadow Immortal. Jin and Giorgi remained silent on their journey, but they both knew what they had to do.
They would uncover the Immortal''s secrets, find the Golden Key in his possession, and steal it from him.
***
In the bustling city of Aetherholm, nestled at the northern edge of the Ruri Kingdom, Jin and Georgi sought the Arcanists'' Guild as they introduced themselves as Mystic Arts Practitioners.
The guild hall stood as a beacon of esoteric knowledge, its spires was even higher than the churches they had seen...
As they entered, the air hummed with Arcane Resonance, and the scent of ancient tomes enveloped them. It seemed that they had just been inspected by a powerful Appraisal Spell, but they didn''t mind it.
In the reception area, a wizened arcanist named Elowen greeted them while holding a thick book in front of her..
Her eyes even seem to hold the wisdom of many years spent deciphering the mysteries of Arcane Magic. "Wee, travelers," she said. "What brings you to our humble guild?"
Jin stepped forward. "We seek guides¡ªArcanists who know the Forbidden Forest''s secrets. We''re bound for the Shadow Immortal''s domain."
Elowen''s gaze sharpened.
"A risky journey, indeed. However, this isn''t a new request. There are still many people who will go there willingly to get an audience with the Immortal... Anyway, we have skilled arcanists who can lead you."
Chapter 781 The Messenger
Chapter 781 The Messenger
??"Great¡ We are not in a hurry. We just want to make sure that we''ll bepletely safe." Jin said after hearing Elowen''s words."
"Of course, I can rmend two guides who have just arrived in the city. They''ve actuallypleted four simr tasks already. They brought people to the Shadow Immortal''s domain safely, and one of them even gained a sessful audience for the Immortal. You have to trust those two!" Elowen exined with a smug expression as she truly felt proud of those two Arcanists.
"Right, since they''re experienced, the price for hiring them would be quite higher than normal escort missions." Elowen added.
"That''s fine¡" Jin said while still feeling curious as to how other Arcanists were able to meet the immortal. He knew that these Immortals were normally arrogant after being able to possess Divinity.
They would normally disdain listening to others or even giving an audience to others.
"Money will not be an issue. We like to hire them if they''re that good." Giorgi added.
Elowen then smiled at these two customers as she asked them to wait momentarily while calling the two Arcanists.
Luckily, it didn''t take that long, as she seemed to have a link with their Communication Crystals.
"Meet your guides¡ Fox and Axe¡ They were using their codenames and doesn''t want to reveal their real names, so don''t ask them. However, I can assure you that they were trustworthy people."
Fox, with silver hair and eyes like starlight, stepped forward.
"The Forbidden Forest is a bit too far from here, but I''ve walked its paths. I''ll guide you¡ With my abilities, we can even avoid the Demons lurking in small groups."
Axe, a bespectacled and schrly-looking man, added¡ "And I''ve entered the Forbidden Forests for several times now. We will be able to avoid trouble as long as you stay with¡ Furthermore, there were still remnants of the worshippers of the Eminence of the Sea¡ Make sure not to tell anyone that you want to meet the Shadow Immortal, or we''ll be attacked by those hiding worshippers."
Indeed, Fox and Axe were the agents of the Arcane Bureau and working for the Shadow Immortal. Kyle had been working with the many members of the Arcane Bureau all over the world to get real-time updates about the situation of the continent during this invasion.
This time, however, none of the two groups were aware of their secret identities¡
Jin and Giorgi exchanged nces. These arcanists weren'' truly needed to visit the Forbidden Forest. However, they have to lie low for now and ensure that no remnant of Temporal Energy would be left in their bodies...
They couldn''t use spells that could alter time, as the Shadow Immortal with the Dimensional Creature would surely notice it!
They had to approach the territory of the Immortal without being recognized as a Time Maniptor if they wanted a smooth mission.
Even if they had to use their Temporal Spells, that should be when they were fully ready to fight the Immortal head-on and steal the Golden Key from him.
"Very well¡ Let''s talk about the payment." Jin said.
Soon, they agreed to the terms, and the guild even provided them with a free enchantedpass. Elowen exined that these aetheric needles pointed toward hidden ley lines that would allow them to have an easier time avoiding the rifts of the Demons.
"It''s created by the Rune Arts Faction and were being given to everyone for a dirt cheap price. The Shadow Immortal assisted them in making this when they entered the Abyss Realm." Elowen exined after seeing their surprised reaction.
She just smiled at this as she had a simr reaction when she learned that the Immortal assisted an Elite Group of Runecasters in studying the Abyss Realm for a brief duration.
It was truly amazing how the Shadow Immortal involved himself in various organizations.
***
As they left Aetherholm Arcanist Guild Hall, Fox and Axe led the way.
The city of Aetherholm buzzed with arcane energy as Jin and Giorgi stepped onto the cobblestone streets.
They were in a hurry a while ago but now that they were a bit more rxed, they realized that this city was actually filled with strong Arcanists.
Ms. Fox hailed a horse-drawn carriage, its wooden wheels creaking as it pulled up. The driver, a grizzled old man, eyed the two familiar Arcanists¡
"Heh~ Off to the forest, are ye?" The old man spat on the ground. "Fools, all of ye. No goodes from meddling with the Immortals. I heard that they were just attacked by powerful demons¡ You have to stay away from them since that Immortal is being targeted by the Demons."
"Haha¡ You won''t understand, old man¡ Having an audience for an Immortal could change your life. No one wants to pass that opportunity." Fox replied as they boarded the carriage.
This old man was actually Barnaby. Another agent of the Arcane Bureau¡ Their meeting just now wasn''t a coincidence, as this old man would report this mission to the headquarters.
''Two Arcanists are headed to the Immortal''s Castle.''
Barnaby grunted, but he cracked the reins, and the carriage lurched forward.
The city faded behind them, reced by rolling hills and meadows. The sun dipped low, casting long shadows. Fox leaned back, his eyes half-closed.
"Fox¡" Giorgi asked. "What do you know of the Immortal?"
Fox''s gaze sharpened. She remembered her first experience with the Shadow Immortal, and it was certainly not good, especially regarding what happened in one of their branches, where a huge battle urred that almost destroyed the entire secret base!
After a few moments, she replied.
"He''s no ordinary being. His power seeps into thend, twists reality. But he''s probably not invincible. There are chinks in his weapons when I first saw him." She replied nonchntly, not thinking whether this information was important or not.
Anyway, their conversation was just superficial.
Two dayster, they reached the town of Ironridge and paid Barnaby.
In this town, the air smelled of coal and industry.
Here, the next leg of their journey awaited¡ªa steam-powered train that would take them closer to the forest''s heart.
The train station buzzed with activity.
Passengers hurried, porters shouted, and the lotive hissed steam.
Axe, acted like a true escort as he scanned the crowd.
"Beware¡" he murmured. "The Eminence of the Sea''s influence is strong over here." He reminded as Fox arranged their boarding tickets and payments.
Soon, they boarded the train after they heard its iron wheels screeching against the tracks.
As they looked at the window, thendscape blurred¡ªa patchwork of fields, viges, and distant mountains.
"Three more towns¡ Three nights of rest. Then we''ll glimpse the forest." Fox said.
That was plenty of time¡
As the steam-powered train barreled through the verdant countryside, Jin and Giorgi sat by the window, their eyes tracing thendscape.
The rhythmic tter of wheels against rails lulled them into a sense of security.
More than half a day had passed since they left Aetherholm.
The sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the train''s interior.
Passengers dozed while their faces were etched with weariness. But then, something caught Jin''s eye¡ªa blur of movement outside the window.
Whoosh~
"What''s that? Did you see it?" Jin asked but he didn''t have to hear their answer as he could tell from the expression on their faces that they had seen it.
He leaned closer, his breath fogging the ss.
There, for a fleeting moment, he glimpsed a thrall once again. It was a creature of darkness that was racing alongside the train.
Its eyes glowed crimson, and its limbs stretched impossibly long. The thrall moved with terrifying speed, keeping pace effortlessly. No, it was speeding up as the darkness seemed to be helping this creature!
Soon, they could no longer see the thrall!
Giorgi felt something was off with that thrall... They weren''t normally that impressive!
"What kind of mutation was that?" He muttered. He could only believe that it was an abnormal thrall.
Jin''s mind raced. "That''s a suspicious thrall¡" he said. "It normally craves for human lives¡ But it''s not attacking. It''s just focused on its mission."
Giorgi frowned. ''Is that one of the Vampire''s summons?''
He asked Jin through telepathy.
Jin hesitated.
''It can''t be. The vampire is dead. Her summons should have vanished.''
Giorgi nodded, but unease settled in his gut.
The thrall''s presence defied reason. It wasn''t normal¡ªeven in a world teeming with demons due to the Invasion, there shouldn''t be a thrall on that level.
He nced at Fox and Axe, who sat across from them. The arcanists exchanged a knowing look, their expressions mirroring Jin and Giorgi''s concern.
Fox also used a telepathy on her partner.
''We need to report this to the Arcane Bureau.'' She said.
Axe grunted in agreement. ''That speed¡ªit''s unnatural. The Bureau needs to know.''
As the train hurtled onward, the four people decided not to talk about it anymore.
Although Jin and Giorgi felt a little flustered as they thought that they were being targeted by the Vampire, they finally calmed down...
''There''s no way that Vampire is still alive.'' Jin thought to himself as he slowly rxed.
Chapter 782 New Companion
Chapter 782 New Companion
??The journey of the two Time Maniptors continued.
In the town of Silverbrook, they stayed at the Rusty Griffin Inn. The innkeeper, a stout woman named Hilda, eyed their cloaks.
"You''re not from around here¡" She said while looking Fox¡ Needless to say, she was also an undercover agent of the Arcane Bureau and the two agents wanted to make a report here about the suspicious thrall they''d seen.
Of course, that would be done away from the prying eyes of the two clients they have.
"Yes¡ We''re travelers." Fox replied. "And we just need a good night''s sleep."
Hilda nodded, her eyes looked shrewd as she looked at Jin.
"We only have two rooms avable¡ Just share with each other."
"We''re fine with that¡" Axe replied that he wanted to make his report already. After making their payment, Fox informed Jin and Giorgi that they would just buy a few things they needed.
"We''ll go ahead and rest then¡" Jin replied. Although he was already feeling a bit suspicious of these two Arcanists, he wasn''t worried at all since he wasn''t feeling any killing intent from them.
It means that even if they had secrets they were hiding, it probably wasn''t too important. Anyway, they knew that there weren''t a lot of Arcanists or Immortals who could deal with them.
Anyway, their journey continued for a while since after resting in this town, they boarded another train, and this time, they were caught in an incident.
***
The rhythmic chugging of the train had been aforting constant for Axe and Fox as they journeyed from Silverbrook Town.
Jin and Georgi also seemed rxed as they confirmed that there were no longer any traces of Temporal Energy in their bodies after several days of discontinuing their use of Time Spells.
Now, they were confident that they would not be detected as Time Maniptors even if a Dimensional Creature was in front of them¡ At the very least, they would need some time to observe their bodies before they could tell their identity. Of course, it was something that would be difficult to happen.
But as the train slowed to an unscheduled stop in a small, unnamed vige, a sense of unease crept over them.
The doors hissed open, and onto the train stepped a group of figures that were unmistakably not human.
"Mhmmm?"
Metallic golems, androids with surfaces gleaming like polished armor, moved down the aisle with mechanical precision.
Their eyes, if they could be called that, emitted a soft glow as they scanned the passengers. Jin and Giorgi exchanged a look of rm, having never encountered such beings.
Fox, noticing their concern, leaned in. "We''re nearing the Immortal''s territory¡" she whispered. "Expect the security to tighten."
Jin''s brow furrowed. "These are the Immortal''s minions?"
"In a way," Axe interjected. "They''re the creations of a genius alchemist in the Immortal''s employ. Talent is a valuable currency here. If you''re skilled, I''m sure that Immortal will also invest in you."
Jin and Giorgi could only wryly smile after hearing this.
Soon, the androids approached, one extending an arm.
From its palm emerged a device that pulsed with an eerie light.
It swept over Jin and Giorgi, emitting a series of soft beeps. This was also done to Fox and Axe¡
Axe then exined that the artifact was designed to detect demonic possession or malevolent spirits¡
After a few moments, the androids found nothing amiss with the two Arcanists. With a nod that seemed almost courteous, the androids continued on.
"Interesting¡" Jin muttered as he watched how naturally they moved.
However, their relief was short-lived as amotion erupted from the next cabin!
Shouts and the sound of scuffling feet reached their ears.
The other androids hastened towards the disturbance, their earlier calm efficiency reced by swift, decisive action!
"Demon!" A passenger shouted, creating panic in the other cabins!s
A demon, somehow undetected until now, had revealed itself.
Its form was a swirling mass of shadows, eyes like burning coals set deep within a face of horror.
"Help!"
"Run!"
The passengers screamed, scrambling to escape the cabin as the androids engaged the creature!
Seeing this, the passengers felt relieved as they believed that they were finally safe.
The battle was fierce but brief.
The Demonshed out with tendrils of dark energy, each strike dismantling an android with terrifying efficiency!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
In moments, the five metal golemsy in ruins, their parts scattered across the floor!
Another panic ensued. The train''s whistle blew a shrill warning as the conductor attempted to regain control.
Jin and Giorgi, along with Fox and Axe, knew they had to do something. They couldn''t allow the Demon to wreak havoc¡
The Demon that had revealed itself was a mass of shadows and malice, its presence a stark contrast to the mundane journey they had embarked upon.
Jin and Giorgi, careful not to reveal their true nature as Time Maniptors, reached into their cloaks and produced a pair of ancient artifacts.
These relics, etched with symbols of the Mystic Arts, glowed with a potent energy. With practiced motions, they began to chant, drawing upon the artifacts'' power to cast spells of containment and banishment.
"By the Mystic Arts, wemand thee,
Bound by artifact, we demand thee,
Return to the abyss, from whence you came,
Sealed by our will, in the arcane me."
As soon as Fox and Axe heard their chants, they realized that these two Mystic Arts Practitioners were Ritual Experts!
They weren''t Shamans!
Nheless, they had no time to be impressed.
The two of them unsheathed their runic weapons¡ªdes inscribed with mystical runes. These runes weren''t simple either, as they had received them from the merchant organization that had been established by the Immortal himself!
They believed that these Runic Weapons were actually made by the Legendary Arcanist of the Continent, Magnus!
As soon as they poured their Arcane Energy into the weapons, they dashed forward!
They moved in unison, their weapons humming through the air, carving runes of light that sizzled against the Demon''s form!
The Demon roared, a sound that threatened to shatter the very windows of the train, but thebined assault of mystic spells and runic des held it at bay.
Passengers cowered, their eyes wide with fear, as they witnessed a battle that defied exnation¡ªa sh of otherworldly forces in the confines of their carriage!
They knew that this was dangerous, so most of them could only pray that they wouldn''t die! They also couldn''t help but scold the train operators in their minds for not opening the doors immediately!
"This Demon isn''t too strong! We can win!" Fox said as she knew that reinforcement won''t be necessary.
Axe and the others also felt the same, as the Demon seemed to be really weak¡ Well, the androids must''ve taken a lot of its energy just now.
***
In the midst of the chaos, unnoticed by everyone in the cabin, a nobleman watched from the sidelines. His gaze was fixed on Jin and Giorgi, a knowing smirk ying upon his lips.
Had Kyle been present, he would have recognized this figure as the Demon Lord, the one who had met with Farah, the Fortune Goddess'' Avatar.
Anyway, the Demon Lord''s Avatar''s interest was piqued by the disy of power before him.
As the battle reached its climax, Jin and Giorgi''s artifacts pulsed with a final surge of energy, while Fox and Axe''s runic weapons glowed with a fierce light.
Together, they struck the Demon. Their powers were able to cut through the Demonic Being in just less than a minute!
Thud!
When the light faded, the Demon was no more¡ªits essence was already scattered to the winds.
The train, once a scene of terror, was now calm. The passengers emerged from their hiding ces, their expressions a mix of relief and awe.
The nobleman, the Demon Lord''s Avatar, leaned back in his seat, his smirk widening.
"Time Maniptors? Interesting¡" He murmured to himself.
Jin and Giorgi, along with Fox and Axe, sheathed their weapons and artifacts. A dozen Elite Androids came equipped with Royal-Rank Artifacts, so they should be able to have a good fight against the Demon. However, after understanding what had happened, the cabin was just cleaned up, and everything was fixed¡ The train would then continue with their journey.
''What a pity¡'' Fox thought as she looked at the androids going away¡ Apparently, he knew that if the group of Elite Androids weren''t able to settle this matter in a specific time, a Half-
Immortal or even an Immortal would actually rush to this train to take care of the Demon.
It had happened several times already, and the Arcane Bureau was well aware of it.
But she immediately shook her head since that was a dangerous thought. Some innocent lives might be imed if that happened.
Then, she looked at their clients, curious about the artifacts they wielded.
She wanted to ask them about it, but this time, a man wearing a nice suit and holding a cane approached them.
"Hello, are you also going to meet the Shadow Immortal?"
Chapter 783 Summoned
Chapter 783 Summoned
Fox exchanged a nce with Axe. They didn''t recognize this man, and his Arcane Path remained a mystery. Nheless, they knew that the man was an Arcanist¡
Caution was warranted since he might even be a worshipper of the Eminence of the Sea.
"We can''t tell you where we are going¡" Fox replied evenly. "However, what made you think that we''re to meet the Shadow Immortal?"
The man''s smile remained unwavering as he answered.
"Right¡ You might be suspicious of me. I''m Bael," he said. "An Arcanist, like yourselves, and I, too, seek an audience with the Immortal. No need for undue suspicion. I just need something from the Immortal."
Axe, ever vignt, continued the conversation. "What can we do for you, Bael?"
The nobleman''s presence intrigued Fox. His motives remained veiled, but she sensed a deeper purpose. As the train carried them toward their destination, they decided to entertain this person to learn more about him. This was one of their tasks as secret agents of the Arcane Bureau.
After all, any suspicious people must be reported to the higher-ups.
Bael looked at the group and spoke.
"I seek an audience with the Shadow Immortal," he said. "To request a drop of his blood."
Jin raised an eyebrow. Everyone here was aware of precious it was. Even Jin and Giorgi nced at the man who had joined their cabin.
"His blood? What could you possibly offer in exchange?" Axe questioned as he looked at the man. Aside from his hat and hit cane, he doesn''t seem to be carrying anything else.
Bael''s smile was enigmatic.
"A family heirloom," he replied. "A relic passed down through generations. Its power lies beyond mere sentiment. I can''t show it to you though¡"
Finally, the Time Maniptors got curious.
Giorgi leaned in. "Why the secrecy? Why not show us this heirloom?"
Bael''s gaze shifted, as if considering his words. "Some things are best revealed in due time," he said. "Trust me¡ªit holds a legacy that stretches back centuries."
Fox, ever cautious, studied Bael. "And what do you intend to do with the Immortal''s blood?"
Bael hesitated. "That, too, is a secret," he said. "But it involves a debt¡ªone that must be repaid. I already said too much. Can you at least tell me what to expect in the Immortal''s Castle or the Forbidden Forest where it lies? I believe that it isn''t a secret¡"
Axe and Fox looked at each other before they nodded. In any case, they also wanted to brief their two clients about it.
Anyway, they were just basic information to ensure that they would not offend the immortal and die without knowing the reason.
Of course, one of the things they learned was that they were not allowed to fight or destroy any androids...
The two of them listed several things, and the three nodded and made sure to remember all of them.
Since there was still plenty of time, the conversation continued, each of them shared their own motivations for meeting the Immortal.
Jin and Giorgi, despite their initial skepticism, found themselves intrigued by Bael''s cryptic tale.
After a little longer, they reached a consensus. The Time Maniptors nodded with each other.
"You may join our small group," Jin said.
And so, with Bael now part of their journey, they prepared to continue.
Soon, the train''s wheels ground to a halt, and the passengers disembarked onto the tform of Moonshade Town.
The air here was different¡ªa blend of pine and wood smoke, tinged with a scent of Elemental Arcane Energy.
Well, the town was nestled at the edge of the Forbidden Forest!
Bael, the enigmatic Arcanist they had met on the train, stepped onto the tform alongside Jin, Giorgi, Fox, and Axe.
His eyes seemed to be filled with curiosity as he surveyed the ce.
"Shadow Immortal¡ We will meet soon¡ I really hope you''re the one I''m looking for." Bael, the Demon Lord''s Avatar, muttered.
***
Deep within the heart of the Forbidden Forest, where ancient trees clung to every crevice, the Shadow Immortal''s castle stood.
Its spires were high and were already shrouded in mist and veiled by enchantments that defied mortalprehension.
The castle was the fortress of an Immortal, its very stones imbued with the essence of darkness.
But today, the castle was in turmoil.
It was now filled with tension, and the Immortal''s attendants moved with urgency.
Kyle, the Shadow Immortal himself, paced the obsidian halls. His eyes, as dark as the abyss, held a storm of emotions¡ªrage, curiosity, and a hint of fear.
Just a while ago, the thrall had arrived. It was Lisa''s messenger and its form was already starting to copse when it reached the castle...
However, with its eyes glowing in crimson, its voice echoed through the castle''s corridors.
"Lisa is dead," it intoned its words like shards of ice. "The Vampire has fallen."
Kyle''s heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
Lisa¡ªthe half-immortal, the one with his Divine Blood¡ªhad been one of his loyalpanions and friend...
After she obtained the Vampiric Bloodline Orb and transformed into a True Vampire, she trained a lot until her vampiric abilities became unparalleled and her cunning unmatched.
With his help, she had danced on the edge of immortality as her existence was already a defiance of the natural order.
And now she was gone.
But how? Who had dared to challenge her?
The Immortal''s mind raced. Lisa''s death was no ordinary event. It was a seismic shift in the bnce of power¡
Even if she faced the Half-Immortals of the Arcane Bureau, or even the Merlin, she would definitely not die with her abilities.
Farah, the Fortune Goddess, had also promised him that her side would remain quiet for now. It means that the killer should not be her Holy Saint.
''Is it the Demon Lord? But how did he fail to notice this thrall''s presence?'' Kyle mused.
Anyway, he felt truly disturbed by the news. He couldn''t understand how Lisa had failed to escape if she had found herself in danger.
Lisa''s escape abilities¡ªthe Blood Mist, the swarm of bats¡ªhad been legendary.
If she really could not escape, she would definitelyst for a long time if she battled. After all, her Vampiric Spells could replenish her lifeforce and defy death itself.
Kyle could only lean on the nearby pir and sighed.
Whoever had defeated her was no ordinary adversary.
Anyway, Kyle''s decision was swift.
He sent one of his Avatars and two of his Immortal Soldiers to investigate where Lisa had fallen. He actually wanted to go by himself, but he was warned by the two Dragons who were listening to him.
Well, since Lisa was killed just like that, and the thrall had actually arrived to send the message, they couldn''t help but think that there might be a trap. It was better to stay in the castle for now.
It was reasonable, and he could only agree.
However, Kyle''s eyes burned.
He was prepared to go to war if he knew who the killer was.
And so, the Immortal''s castle buzzed with activity. The Avatar and the Soldiers departed, their forms dissolving into shadow.
The others also started contacting the nearby informants to understand what happened to the King and get a report directly from the witnesses.
Soon, their contacts with the merchant organizations, Arcane Bureau, Church of the Lord of the Secrets, and the spies of the Millton Kingdom were used to gather information!
***
Meanwhile, far away from the chaos in the central continent¡
Deep within the ocean depths, where light dared not prate, and pressure crushed the feeble, the ocean floor stirred.
The very fabric of reality quivered as ancient forces converged.
The remnant worshippers of the Church of the Eminence of the Sea, with their unwavering faith, had gathered in secret¡ªa ndestine congregation of zealots who soughtmunion with their deity!
Halvor, the Eminence of the Sea, was no ordinary god.
His dominion extended beyond the waves, touching every ship''s hull, every sailor''s prayer. His wrath could summon tempests, and his favor could part the seas.
But today, the remaining worshippers sought more than mere blessings. They sought to summon him as per the revtion from one of their priests!
Soon, the ritual began.
It was a symphony of chants, together with their sacrifice.
The worshippers recited in ancientnguage, but they had practiced this for a long time and they wouldn''t make a mistake!
They traced sigils on the ocean floor, their fingers leaving glowing trails. The currents responded, swirling around them, carrying their devotion to unseen realms.
Soon, a path for Halvor to use had started to open.
The water trembled. The very sea floor cracked, revealing a chasm¡ªa portal to realms beyond. Halvor''s form materialized¡ª
a titan of scales and foam with eyes like fathomless whirlpools.
His presence was a tempest, a tidal surge that threatened to engulf even his followers.
The worshippers knelt, their eyes wide with awe and fear.
Soon, Halvor''s voice echoed through the worshippers'' minds¡
"You have done well."
Chapter 784 Barriers
Chapter 784 Barriers
??"You have done well."
This voice came from Halver, the Eminence of the Sea, and the deity they were worshipping.
However, for some reason, instead of feeling delighted, these words terrified the worshippers even more¡
And then it happened¡ªthe worshippers screamed, their life force was soon drawn into the chasm.
"My lord! Why are you doing this?!"
"Please, calm down!"
"Why have you forsaken us?!"
These were the plights of the strongest Arcanists in the Church. However, Halvor didn''t care at all, as if the people he was killing weren''t his followers who had obeyed his orders for a long time!
Halvor remained silent as he concentrated on taking their lives!
Soon, the waters churned, a vortex of energy spiraling upward.
Then, after taking everyone''s lives, Halvor''s form shifted, as he formed a human shape, but with eyes that held the ocean''s depth¡ However, he hasn''t absorbed everyone''s energy yet. He only absorbed their life force and not their Arcane Energy yet.
''Mhmm¡ This is ufortable¡ I guess I have to use this as well.'' Halvor thought as he looked at the blob of Arcane Energy, he had collected from the fallen High Priests and other Arcanists of his church.
Soon, Halvorpletely absorbed their essence, their memories, and their magic.
Slowly, he perfected his human shape.
Soon, he became a deity in mortal guise.
Then, he moved and came out of the water¡ He didn''t even make a ssh as he floated above the seawater!
There, he realized that there were hundreds of worshippers on a cliff waiting for his arrival!
As soon as these worshippers sensed his Divinity, they all knelt down as they knew that it was none other than the deity they were looking for!
Halvor didn''t bat an eye after seeing these worshippers. However, he considered for a moment before he floated near them and descended.
Halvor''s human form stood among them, his eyes reflecting the depths of the ocean.
***
Halvor''s emergence from the water was a sight to behold.
He defied the natural order, his human form still looked ethereal.
However, it was only for a brief moment as his human form seemed to have adjusted after going out of the sea feeling the air.
At this time, the worshippers, waiting on a nearby cliff, watched in awe.
Their faith had summoned him, and now they knelt, their foreheads touching the rocky ground as they couldn''t help but cry. They''ve finally seen their deity!
The atmosphere was filled with anticipation as they waited for the blessing of the Eminence of the Sea!
This time, Halvor''s gaze swept over them¡ªa thousand souls bound by devotion.
They had sacrificed much¡ªtheir secrets, their fears, their wealth¡ªto bring him forth. And now, he stood among them, his human form a vessel for ancient power.
The worshippers trembled.
The remaining Priest, d in a green robe, raised his head and stood up before he stepped forward.
"Eminence," he said, his voice echoing off the cliffs, "We seek your guidance. The Shadow Immortal encroaches. The Demons are also targeting us... Even our allied Arcane Organizations no longer helped us. Please lead us! The whole world is now against us!"
Halvor''s eyes narrowed after hearing the Shadow Immortal¡
They had a previous conflict where his Avatar was destroyed by this Shadow Immortal.
That was the reason why he hade here once again. This time, this Avatar was possessing over 80% of his spirit!
He was confident that he would win against the Shadow Immortal, especially if he worked with the Demon Lord!
"I need you life essence¡" Halvor said to his devoted followers.
He had already taken the lives of their strongest¡ªfirst-ss Arcanists and master-ss Arcanists. Their life essence would fuel his purpose¡ However, it wasn''t enough.
The remaining Priest raised a dagger¡ªan artifact of coral and moonlight.
"Then I shall take my life to show you my devotion! Please avenge us!" he said.
Halvor considered.
The other worshippers'' fear could be felt¡ªtheir hearts beating in unison. They had no idea that they would have to sacrifice their lives here!
However, the other fanatics seemed to be excited to offer their lives!
"Mhmm¡ A worthy offering," Halvor murmured. "Your sacrifice shall not be in vain."
And then it happened once again. The worshipper''s screams and their essence were drawn into him!
Halvor absorbed their memories¡ªthe taste of salt on their lips, the whispered prayers, the dreams of lost ships and forgotten inds.
For those Arcanists, their magic flowed into him. It was filled with power and pain.
Many of the worshippers fell, their bodies dissolving into mist as Halvor waved his hand.
It was almost as if the cliff wept, as a waterfall of souls rushed through his body.
Halvor''s human form stood still as he looked at the ones who didn''t im their lives.
The remaining worshippers just watched, their previous awe now tinged with terror. They didn''t expect this to happen!
"Why?" one cried. "We followed your words!"
"Please stop this!" another pleaded.
However, Halvor''s voice was cold, devoid of mercy.
"Your lives," he said, "will be used for a much grander purpose. It is your blessing to be my strength."
And so, in just a few moments, the worshippers vanished¡ªtheir devotion repaid in blood and sacrifice. Halvor''s purpose for gathering followers was finallypleted.
After a while, Halvor looked to the east with a smile.
The Forbidden Forest awaited, and the Shadow Immortal would soon know¡ªa new enemy had entered the game, and the tides of fate shifted once more.
***
Meanwhile, in the eastern part of the Ruri Kingdom, the Forbidden Forest loomed before Fox''s group.
It was a tangle of huge and ancient trees, and their branches were like skeletal fingers reaching for the sky.
Fox and Axe, seasoned guides, led Jin, Giorgi, and Bael through the dense foliage. The atmosphere here was thick with Arcabe Energy, and the ground seemed to pulse with runes as well.
It felt as if the huge forest was part of a single Formation Art!
It was such a strange sensation!
Nheless, as they ventured deeper, Fox whispered to everyone¡
"Remember, the fog can y tricks on the mind. Stay close."
Jin nodded, his eyes scanning the shifting shadows created by the mist.
Giorgi, didn''t seem to care about the mist, but he adjusted the strap of his satchel.
Bael, the enigmatic Arcanist, followed silently, his gaze darting from tree to tree.
After a while, the outermost barrier of the castle blocked them. It would probably be seen by normal humans as a stone wall that couldn''t be passed but to Arcanists, it was a shimmering veil of energy that was filled with power.
Furthermore, they could also see several androids guarding this area, or perhaps, checkpoint.
"These androids are really interesting¡" Jin muttered, seeing their metallic forms standing in sentinel. Their eyes glowed with artificial intelligence, and their limbs moved like humans.
At this time, Fox stepped forward, her voice was clear.
"We seek passage to the Shadow Immortal''s castle," she said. "We are from Arcanist Guild! We are also guides who can send people up to the fourth barrier."
The androids scanned them¡ªbeams of light sweeping over their bodies. Their internal algorithms processed the data, cross-referencing it with their database. "Purpose confirmed," one of them intoned. "Proceed."
The group passed through, the barrier parting like a curtain.
It was easy, and the other three didn''t even question why¡
But beyondy another challenge¡ªthe second checkpoint. This one was different¡ªa barrier of shifting illusions, a maze of mirrors and whispers. The androids here were more formidable, their eyes sharper.
Giorgi frowned. "What is this?"
Fox''s expression tightened. "This is the four barrier¡ It has another name, the Illusion Barrier," she said. "It tests your resolve, your rity of purpose. If you are only doing business and don''t want to meet the Immortal, you won''t have to pass through here. We can go to another path¡ We would at least meet his trusted aides that way¡"
"Why is he doing this?" Bael asked curiously.
"Well, I heard that the Immortal had numerous visitors before. It was difficult to attend them all for the lone Immortal. Because of that, he decided to only meet people or Arcanists with certain status or strength. If you pass his tests, he wouldn''t mind meeting with you, and he might even be the one to request your meeting immediately if you are able to ovee all the barriers with your own abilities."
It was Axe who replied this time.
At this time, Bael chuckled as he couldn''t help but find this amusing.
"Hahaha¡ So it was like that. Is there a chance that I can be one of his people if I pass this?" Bael asked.
"Of course! You might be a permanent resident in his castle! I heard there are only a few people who managed to do that, though." Axe answered.
"Anyway, you don''t have to pass the four tests that he made. If you just pass a single one of them, you will gain the right to meet the Immortal."
At this time, the two Time Maniptors looked at each other. They certainly wanted to meet the Immortal, but they were concerned that they would get recognized as Time Maniptors.
They couldn''t allow that to happen.
However, Bael, the Demon Lord, seemed excited!
"I''ll go first!"
Chapter 785 The Calm before the Storm
Chapter 785 The Calm before the Storm
??Bael''s eagerness to confront theIllusion Barriersent a ripple of anticipation through the group.
"Good luck! After you all enter, we will be leaving this ce. This is as far as we can go. Whether you meet the Immortal or not, it will now be up to your own abilities." Axe said as he also looked at his two clients.
Bael only nodded at this reminder as he stepped forward to enter the illusion barrier.
Soon, a veil of shimmering illusions enveloped him, distorting reality with seeming guidance from spirits.
''Interesting¡'' Bael mused as he felt his body entering the illusion.
He actually found himself in a mirror room! The forest was long gone, and he couldn''t tell whether it was hypnotism or if he had been really transported to a mirror maze room!
He could tell that it wasn''t a simple Formation Art made by Arcanists but it involved Divinity in the process!
However, this didn''t stop Bael at all as he forcibly moved and didn''t even care if a mirror blocked his path!
Well, he actually wanted to cause amotion so he could finally meet the Shadow Immortal. However, he wanted to do it in a way that the Immortal wouldn''t be too wary of him.
''Let''s see¡'' Bael muttered.
The reflections within the mirrors shifted, morphing into tantalizing visions of power and desire, each tempting him with a different path.
''Did he use the Deadly Sins'' power on this?'' Bael couldn''t help but think of this after seeing the way the illusion was arranged.
This time, he decided to stop using his brute force as he wanted to see the origin of the Formation Arts.
Bael''s eyes narrowed as he focused his will, seeking the truth within thebyrinth of illusions.
As he strode forth, the illusions grew more intricate, it actually tried to look into his memories and desires to tailor a test that would push his resolve to the limit.
Shadows danced at the edge of his vision as he felt the Shadow Immortals'' Divinity around him¡
However, it could do nothing against him!
Bael''s navigated the twisting corridors of theIllusion Barrier without stopping!
Each step brought him closer to the end. It was supposedly a test of his innermost fears and desiresid bare before him, but it wasn''t working on him at all¡
However, at thest stage of the Illusion Maze, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, a figure materialized before him, d in shadows and wielding an ethereal de that shimmered with arcane power.
The figure spoke with a voice that resonated through the chamber¡
"You are a failure, Demon Lord. You can never obtain the power---."
Without hesitation,Baeldrew upon his inner strength, his eyes zing with cold killing intent.
With a swift motion, he shed through the illusions, dispelling the mirages that sought to ensnare his mind.
As the final illusion shattered, a blinding light engulfedBael, revealing a small resting house in the middle of the forest.
''Thatst illusion contained Draconic Runes¡ I can''t be mistaken.'' Bael stopped for a moment as he knew that it was definitely not good news. No matter what, Draconic Runes, or any of their spells, works really well against Demonic Arts.
Nheless, Bael was still confident that he could win any battle against such species.
With a deep breath,Baelgazed into the resting house or the log cabin.
Of course, he decided to enter it as he felt someone''s presence inside.
AsBaelentered the log cabin, he felt a faint aura of ancient magic.
The interior was cozy yet enigmatic, with icicles dancing across the walls like they were alive¡
In the center of the room, seated at a simple wooden table, was an elderlyArcanistwhose presence exuded a sense of timeless wisdom.
Bael recognized this man as he received many reports from the scouts he had sent to this realm. He was even regarded as someone who would destroy many of their Rifts.
Without a doubt, it was Merlin, the Overseer of the Realm.
''So he was hiding here all along¡ I guess he''s only relying to the Immortal to take care of everything now. That''s not a bad decision.''
Bael couldn''t help but smile at the unexpected sight ofMerlin, a powerful figure that should be protecting this realm.
Though he concealed his true identity as the Avatar of the Demon Lord, a sense of unease lingered beneath his fa?ade as he knew that the Overseer had a special Fusion Spell that could inspect him.
Nheless, if the Fusion Spell wasn''t use, there shouldn''t be anything to worry about.
"Mhmm¡"
"You passed the test quite easily,"Merlinspoke, his voice carrying the weight of age and experience. "Do you wish to meet the Immortal now, or do you seek to undertake the remaining trials?"
Bael''s thought for a moment as he weighed his options.
However, before he could reply,JinandGiorgiemerged from the veil of illusions, they seemed to have seen something in that illusion as their expression didn''t seem that good.
Nheless, their eyes lit up after seeing the log cabin.
It was beckoning them to enter, so they did just that.
Merlin''s gaze shifted to the neers, he couldn''t recognize these people so he already had a hint of their identities.
He knew that they were visitors of this realm¡
''Well, it''s not my task to stop them¡''
With a subtle nod of acknowledgment, he turned back toBael, his gaze piercing through the veil of pretense.
"Before you make your decision, let me illuminate the path ahead,"Merlinbegan, his voice a melodic cadence that resonated with ancient knowledge. "The remaining trials are trials of the mind, body, and spirit. Each one will test your innermost strengths and weaknesses, forging you anew in the crucible of the Immortal''s domain. This is what the Shadow Immortal wanted."
Baellistened intently. He actually feltpelled to take the challenge!
Furthermore, this would make him more desirable in the Immortal''s eyes.
Soon, Merlindetailed the nature of each trial as the three visitors listened.
***
In the meantime, in the castle at the center of the fiveyers of barriers, Kyle was meditating in his room.
This meditation would allow him to produce more Divinity as the four Immortals taught him the method of conversion.
It was a slow process, but it was better than waiting for his Divinity to naturally form.
''Hmm?'' Kyle frowned as he felt something off.
Just now, he received a report from Constance through telepathy. This information came from the Arcane Bureau as well.
''After Lisa died, I got visitors that the Arcane Bureau had no idea about,'' Kyle mused, his brow furrowed in contemtion.
For some reason, unease came to him, and he couldn''t ignore it. He believed that it was his Extrasensory Perception Spell working.
Apparently, Fox and Axe, loyal agents of the Arcane Bureau, had already ryed their findings to Constance, their reports painting a picture of events beyond the ordinary.
The presence of unknown visitors who had now surpassed the illusion trial sent ripples of concern. After all, for someone to be unknown from the Arcane Bureau, they must''ve lived in the deeper mountains and hadn''t used any form of identification ever since they were born. It was almost impossible for an organization of their scale to miss this.
Just as Kyle decided to delved deeper into the mysteries that surrounded those three visitors, a message from Director Virgo of the Arcane Bureau was sent to him, its urgency evident in every word.
"The Avatar of the Eminence of the Sea has been revived." It was the message he heard.
It was obviously a concern toKyle as the Eminence of the Sea was a troublesome being...
"They''reing at me together? Fine¡ I don''t care anymore. Even if the Demon Lord joins in¡ They''ll be facing my full strength." Kyle muttered as he decided to prepare.
The implications of the Avatar''s resurrection were dire as his followers might really cause trouble in various cities¡
''They might spread diseases once again¡ I hope the bureau can take care of it in case it happened.'' Kyle mused, as he didn''t feel right knowing that many innocent lives would be taken.
AsKylegrappled with the weight of this revtion, a sense of duty and resolve welled within him. He wanted to take care of this Avatar immediately!
However, as he prepared himself and wore his Artifacts and nned to get the help of his Dimensional Creature to find the Avatar, a solemn warning echoed through the corridors of hisobsidian castle!
The voices ofOrdenandRyzoir, his two ancient dragons, resounded with a sense of urgency and foreboding.
"The Demon Lord ising, stay in the castle,"Orden''s deep rumbling voice reverberated through the stone walls, its timbreced with a primal instinct for danger.
"I can sense his presence,"Ryzoir''s serpentine hiss intertwined withOrden''s words, creating an aura of unease that permeated the air.
Chapter 786 Injure Me
Chapter 786 Injure Me
"The Demon Lord?"
Kyle?paused, his gaze flickering between the two dragons, he had to take this warning seriously.
The appearance of the Demon Lord, a figure of legendary power and dark intent, added a newyer ofplexity to the unfolding events.
''Are they nning to attack me together?'' Shane thought as he believed Halvor and the Demon Lord were working together. Farah also hinted that matter when they previously met.
Kyle took a deep breath as he decided to instruct everyone working in the castle.
Except for a few individuals and summons, everyone has to enter their designated shelters to avoid being caught in the battle.
Yes, he was expecting a fierce battle that wille to the castle soon.
Although Kyle was confident with his set of Arcane Spells, Immortal Spells, and Demonic Spells, he still had no idea about the limit of the Demon Lord himself. He didn''t want any unnecessary sacrifice to happen in this battle.
Lisa was already a huge casualty, and he didn''t want the others to add to that.
''Then I should get someone to look into those three visitors. Their timing was too coincidental to the arrival of Halvor''s Avatar¡
Normally,?Kyle?would have ventured forth to meet the visitors himself, but a sense of wary vignce stayed his steps.
Instead, he entrusted the task to the two True Immortals. There was no way he would doubt their abilities so he knew that they were perfect for this task.
"Your servant will follow¡"
With their flowing blonde hair and features that transcended gender, the True Immortals radiated an aura of otherworldly grace as they epted?Kyle''s orders and made their way to the third barrier.
It was almost instantaneous.
They swiftly arrived at the spot where they could feel the presence of the marked visitors.
As they approached them¡ªBael,?Jin, and?Giorgi¡ªwho stood on the cusp of the unknown trial, a tense silence hung in the air.
The True Immortals'' presence elicited a mix of curiosity and apprehension from the trio.
No matter what, the three of them didn''t think that they would immediately get the Immortal''s attention and wee their arrival. Their gazes locked on the two Immortals in a silent exchange of unspoken questions.
Soon, one of the Immortals spoke.
"We will be the ones testing you," The blonde Immortal wearing a long white robe and a sword on his back dered¡
His voice carried a note of authority as he exuded with the power of Divinity.
The three visitors did not doubt the presence in front of them. It was indeed an Immortal working for another Immortal!
At any moment now, a battle seemed to start among them.
Bael, Jin, and Giorgi, who were all hiding their identities as someone equal or stronger to an Immortal, couldn''t help but wryly smile.
Bael, a Demon Lord disguised as a nobleman, and Jin and Giorgi, Time Maniptors disguised as Mystic Arts Practitioners, understood the gravity of the challenge thaty ahead.
First of all, they weren''t allowed to show their true abilities, or the Shadow Immortal would attack them!
"Work together to injure me¡" The Immortal suddenlymanded, his words taunting them! It stirred the very essence of their beings!
''Even if we''re disguised, we will not be defeated by the likes of you!''
The three of them had these same thoughts!
With a shared nod of agreement,?Bael,?Jin, and?Giorgi?stepped forward, their movements were fast and almost instantaneous as they positioned themselves for the battle that awaited.
Each of them cloaked in the guise of a?Mystic Arts Practitioner, they channeled their ''Mystical Energy'' and readied themselves to face the True Immortal in a test of skill¡
"Hahaha! That''s it! Show me your strength!" The Immortal taunted once again.
The sh of Spells and Mystical Artifacts, reverberated through the clearing as thebatants engaged in a dazzling disy of Arcane Spells!
Bael, his true form hidden beneath a veil of nobility, used a Cursed Item of the Dark Arts Origin and unleashed a torrent of Dark Energy! This Cursed Item released a swift and relentless curses aiming to immobilize the Immortal.
Bael knew that his twopanions were Time Maniptors, so they should possess several spells to kill the Immortal if they wanted¡
Soon, Bael knew that an opportunity to strike came in! However, Jin and Giorgi seemed to purposely miss the chance!
''They don''t want to kill the Immortal?'' Bael thought as it appeared that he didn''t know the true ns of these Time Maniptors.
''Are they being worried that the Immortal would realize their identities?'' Bael mused, but he decided to continue doing his best as an ''Arcanist¡''
JinandGiorgi, used a Mystic Arts rted to Haste Spell with a tinge of Time-Based Technique. It was subtle and wouldn''t be noticed at all.
With each move, Jin''s fist found their mark with unerring uracy, exploiting the slightest gap in the Immortal''s formidable defenses.
However, his fists weren''t too effective since he wasn''t using his Time Spells to twist the Immortal''s defense.
Meanwhile,Giorgiwaited for an opportunity to strike while watching Bael and Jin fight against the Immortal, who seemed to be passively absorbing their attacks in a deliberate manner.
''I don''t care if you''re observing our moves¡'' Giorgi thought to himself.
With a flick of his wrist, he released his Arcane Energy, creating ripples in the space that disrupted theTrue Immortal''s movements and left him vulnerable to their coordinated assault.
It wasn''t a Time-Based Spell but it was reaching that level already. It should not be enough to be pointed at as a Time Maniptor.
As the battle intensified, the atmosphere started to feel heavy with the abundant energy being released as thebatants pushed themselves to their limits! At the very least, to the limit of their current disguised identities!
Bael, Jin, and Giorgi were already tempted to just show their real might and eliminate this immortal!
''I still need to find the Extraction Ability¡ I need to be patient and meet the Immortal¡'' Bael said to himself as he was feeling annoyed and wanted to kill the Immortal already.
''We need to find the Golden Key! We have to do this!'' Jin and Giorgi said to themselves.
However, theTrue Immortal, a being that could be said to be paragons of their own, didn''t seem to care about their condition.
He absorbed or met theirbined onught with his left hand behind his back, while his de moved like a blur of steel that deflected their attacks with ease!
"Hahaha! This is it! Give your all!" The Immortal taunted. It seemed as if he was truly having fun fighting them!
Jin, his speed was unmatched, darted in and out of the fray, and his strikes started to reveal his martial prowess that tested theTrue Immortal''s reflexes to their limits.
With a lightning-quick flurry of blows, he aimed for the gaps in their opponent''s stajce, each strike a calcted risk that paid off with devastating effect.
Boom!
Finally, Jinnded a clean blow on the Immortal''s hand, aiming to disarm his weapon!
Giorgi, waiting for this opportunity, unleashed a torrent of mystical energies that warped the very reality around them.
Yes, it was a Mystic Arts that was filled with Illusion!
However, it was as if threads of time wove a shimmering veil of distortion, causing the world to bend and twist in ways that confounded theTrue Immortal''s senses and left him open to their relentless assault.
The other Immortal frowned at this technique, but he didn''t think that it was a time maniption spell. It only seemed like a strong illusion that could affect even the Immortals.
Amidst the chaos of battle,Bael, the Demon Lord in nobleman''s guise, added his owndark magicto the fray.
He pulled out a ck bell and rang it¡
ng~
At this activation of Spell, Shadows danced at hismand, coalescing into tendrils of dark energy thatshed out at their foe with malevolent intent.
Each strike carried the weight of centuries of darkness, seeking to ensnare theTrue Immortalin a web of nightmarish power.
"Mhmm¡ This guy had plenty of impressive Cursed Artifacts¡ Is he a King of a small nation?" The other Immortal couldn''t help but have this idea.
As the confrontation reached its peak, a tense silence descended upon the clearing, broken only by the sh of steel and the crackling of arcane energies.
In this crucible of battle, the illusion that the Time Maniptors seemed to test the Immortal''s loyalty to the Shadow Immortal! It was a powerful Illusion Spell!
However, the Immortal finally decided to release his Divine Energy to escape from the Time Maniptor''s illusion! This Divinity also removed all the Curses and Dark Tendrils summoned by Bael''s Artifacts!
In the midst of this epic sh, a silent understanding passed betweenBael,Jin, andGiorgias they fought as one!
At this time, Jin and Giorgi also realized that Bael was actually the Demon Lord! It was because of their sensitivity to Demonic Energy he subtly released1
The two looked at each other as they considered whether to escape now or just act like they didn''t know it at all!
However, it was toote!
The second Immortal who had been watching them seemed to have noticed something and made his move!
Chapter 787 Helping the Shadow Immortal
Chapter 787 Helping the Shadow Immortal
??As the battle continued between the Immortals and the visitors of Shane''s castle,Farah, the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess, sensed the impending danger that threatened the Shadow Immortal.
With multiple powerful entities converging on him simultaneously, she knew she had to intervene to alleviate his plight.
"I must help him¡"Farahwhispered to herself, her gaze fixed on a hidden base of theDark Arts Faction. Kyle may be aware of his conflict with the Dark Arts Practitioners, but he wasn''t aware of their ns right now.
Within the shadows of the building that Farah was looking at, a group of Dark Ritualists conducted an ominous ritual to summon theDeath God, a being of unfathomable darkness and power.
"They might really seed at this rate¡" Farah thought as she actually felt quite worried. Her Avatar wasn''t really that strong inbat after all. This Avatar was really just made to bless her followers. It wasn''t meant to fight otherwordly beings.
Whoom~
Soon, a strong surge of energy came out of the building.
Farah''s heart raced with urgency as she realized the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, she channeled her divine energy, creating a protective barrier around herselfto shield from the malevolent forces converging from the base of the Dark Arts Faction.
***
Meanwhile, within the depths of the hidden base, the Dark Ritualists continued chanting ancient incantations.
As they did this, their voices echoed ominously in the chamber. The temperature lowered, and the air grew thick with an oppressive aura as dark energies swirled and coalesced, forming a gateway to the realm of theDeath God.
As the ritual reached its climax, a rift in reality tore open, unleashing a chilling presence that sent shivers down the spines of all who beheld it.
None of them knew if it was an Avatar or not, but they could tell that it was indeed the presence of the theDeath God. It was cloaked in shadows and wielding a scythe of pure malice. It had materialized before the awe-struck Ritualists and Dark Magicians!
Farah, sensing the imminent threat, focused her divine powers to disrupt the dark ritual and weaken theDeath God''s connection to the mortal realm.
Although it had already materialized, the realm of the dead was still open, and she could still try to do something about it.
Soon, a blinding light erupted from her, dispelling the shadows and disrupting the ritualistic energies that bound the malevolent entity.
In a sh of divine and dark energies, the chamber where the ritual proceeded trembled with the intensity of the sh!
As the Death God''s sinister gaze fell upon the spot whereFarahconcealed herself, a chilling realization dawned upon him.
"Is it the Fortune Goddess?" he growled, recognizing the source of the disturbance that was troubling his entry into the mortal realm.
With a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the chamber, the Death God focused his malevolent intent on breaking free fromFarah''s interference and unleashing his wrath upon the world.
With a surge of dark energy, the Death Godpleted his materialization, his form solidifying in the midst of the ritual chamber.
With a contemptuous nce at the bewildered Dark Arts Practitioners who had summoned him, he closed the rift through which he had entered the realm, severing his connection to their control.
Ignoring their pleas and tremors of fear, the Death God strode purposefully out of the crumbling building, his gaze fixed on the elusive Fortune Goddess!
Emerging into the moonlit night, the Death God''s presence cast a foreboding shadow over thendscape as he sought outFarah, the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess.
"Gahaha! Found you!" The Death Godughed as she looked at the appearance of the beautiful Avatar of the Fortune Goddess. The figure was still hiding through a concealment spell, but it was nothing in his eyes.
Sensing his approach,Farahstepped out from her concealment, her eyes meeting the malevolent gaze of the Death God with unwavering resolve.
"You have no ce in this realm, Death God."Farahspoke with a voice as resolute as steel. "I will not allow yourdarknessto consume the light of hope that shines within this world."
The Death God''s response was a guttural snarl. It was a taunt and a promise of imminent destruction as he raised his scythe, wreathed in shadows, ready to strike.
"The Demons are already here! This Human Realm is over! You''re just dying this word''s end! It''s inevitable!" The Death God shouted as he charged towards the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess.
The ensuing battle was a dance of light anddarkness, eachbatant weaving intricate patterns of magic and divine energy in a deadly disy of power.
Farahimmediately flew into the sky to avoid damaging the surroundings with the Aura of Death that the Death God was emitting. Her movements were quick as she evaded the Death God''s relentless assaults.
"Hmph! You think too highly of yourself." Farah muttered.
With a wave of her hand, she conjured tendrils of radiant light thatshed out at her foe, forcing him to retreat momentarily.
In retaliation, the Death God unleashed a barrage of shadowy tendrils that sought to ensnareFarahin their malevolent grasp.
With a swift sidestep and a burst of divine energy, she shattered the dark tendrils, pushing back against the encroachingdarkness.
"Hahaha! So the Fortune Goddess is only this strong¡ I should''ve done this a long time ago if I knew you''re this pathetic!" The Death Godughed as charged once again. This time, he was even more serious.
As the battle betweenFarahand the Death God intensified, the sky was filled with chaotic energy. They unleashed powerful spells and countered each other''s moves with immortal spells!
Farah, calling upon the powers of theFortune Goddess, cast the "Radiant Nova" spell, sending forth a burst of blinding light that seared through the shadows surrounding the Death God!
The intense brilliance forced him to shield his eyes, momentarily disoriented by the sudden re of divine energy.
In response, the Death God chanted the incantation for "Eclipse of Despair," a spell that shrouded the battlefield in a veil of darkness, draining the vitality fromFarahand weakening her defenses¡
It wouldn''t normally affect Farah but since she just finished casting a spell, her Divine Energy wasn''t stable yet.
However, despite the oppressive gloom,Farahremained steadfast, she was focused on killing the Death God as she countered with a "Luminous Shield" spell, creating a barrier of pure light to repel the encroaching darkness.
"Impressive! However, your Avatar doesn''t have enough Divinity!"
The Death God, sensingFarah''s weakness, unleashed a series of "Soul Drainer" spells, dark tendrils reaching out to sap her strength and drain her life force.
Farahgritted her teeth against the onught, her form flickering with ethereal light as she summoned the "Healing Radiance" spell to mend her wounds and restore her vitality.
The battle raged on, a sh of light and shadow continued as the two battled in a dazzling disy of immortal might.
Farahand the Death God moved with an intent to kill, each anticipating the other''s next move in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
As the confrontation reached its peak, a surge of dark energy bursted through the air, strikingFarahwith a vicious blow that sent her reeling.
"Aahhh!" Farah was injured, and she felt the pain!
Blood trickled from a wound on her shoulder, a grim reminder of the Death God''s malevolent power. It was too unfair for her since she didn''t have many offensive Immortal Spells since she was only an Avatar!
Nheless, she knew that she couldn''t die here yet. As long as she stays alive, her church will allow her to remain strong, and their faith will fill her Divinity once again.
''Tsk¡ I don''t want to do this but¡ª''
Realizing the gravity of her injuries,Farahmade a split-second decision to retreat, her mind racing with thoughts of strategy and survival.
With a final burst of divine energy, she created a blinding sh of light to cover her escape, disappearing into the shadows as she sought a momentary respite to tend to her wounds.
The Death God, also wounded and weakened from the fierce battle, watchedFarah''s retreat with a malevolent glint in his eyes, his form flickering as he struggled to maintain his grip on the mortal realm.
After all, he just fought against someone who was at the peak of the Holy Arts! He was definitely not in a good position to begin with.
Luckily, he had prepared enough as he thought that he would face the Shadow Immortal. Aside from that, Farah was only an Avatar who did not specialize inbat. If not for that, his unstable form would''ve been sent back to the Realm of the Dead!
With a guttural growl of frustration, he vanished into the darkness...
He also needed to recuperate before even thinking of meeting the Shadow Immortal, who possibly had the Divine Extraction Power!
Chapter 788 New Body
Chapter 788 New Body
??Farah, still injured from her previous battle, returned to her secret chamber in the Holy City''s Cathedral...
No one had noticed her arrival, not even the Young Saint of the church.
Asshe entered her chamber deep within the hallowed walls of the Cathedral, she immediately felt refreshed.
The chamber was filled with soothing Divinity that healed all her injuries and replenished her power.
ck¡ ck¡
Her steps echoed softly against the stone floors as she made her way to the heart of the chamber, a ce bathed in a soft golden light that emanated from a sacred altar at its center.
Although she had replenished her lost Divinity, it was still not enough for her. The Avatar had limited capacity, and if she wanted to get stronger, she had to do something about it.
She contemted for a moment while her eyes were closed.
After some time, she opened her eyes and it was burning with determination.
"Fine¡ I''ll do it." She said as if she was talking to someone.
Silent and unseen,Farahmoved with a sense of purpose as she prepared for the ritual that would bestow upon her the strength she needed to face theDeath God.
She actually disliked losing. The battle that made her retreat was quite an annoying feeling.
"I want to at least take an arm or two¡ Then I''ll be satisfied." Farah muttered while her eyes were filled with a burning desire to fight against the Death God.
Soon, the chamber was filled with the faint scent of incense, its heady aroma mingling with the flickering candlelight that danced upon the walls, casting shadows in the now dimly lit space.
Alone in her solitude,Farahknelt before the altar, her hands sped in silent prayer as she called upon the divine energies that flowed through her being.
Although she merely wanted to obtain more power from her main body, it wasn''t easy at all. After all, her main body and this Avatar were separated not just by a simple distance but a whole realm!
She had to open the realm where her main body was.
With a whispered incantation, she began the ritual, her voice was soft but resonant with power as she sought to draw upon the wellspring of her true essence.
It was anguage that not any of the Arcane Academies were aware of.
Whoom~
As the ritual unfolded, a shimmering aura of ethereal light envelopedFarah, illuminating her beautiful features with a radiant glow that spoke of her connection to the divine.
The room temperature suddenly became higher because of the energy being released. Soon, she channeled the blessings of theFortune Goddess, and her form was imbued with a different essence that made her physique a lot stronger.
However, changing her physique to amodate a higher Divinity was just the first step¡
With each passing moment, the ritual grew in intensity, the very fabric of reality seeming to warp and shift aroundFarahas shemuned with the source of her power.
Beads of sweat glistened on her brow as she focused her will, her eyes alight with a fierce resolve that belied her earlier injuries and setbacks.
And then, in a wave of strong divine energy, the ritual reached its climax.
A brilliant burst of light erupted from the altar, engulfingFarahin a halo of shimmering radiance that seemed to transcend the physical realm.
"Yes¡ This is it¡"
In that moment of transcendent power, she felt a surge of strength and divinity flow through her, imbuing her with a newfound sense of rity¡ Her eyes became calm and she felt as if everything was finally in her control.
As the light faded and the chamber fell silent once more,Farahrose to her feet, her eyes burning with an inner fire that spoke of her firm decision to exact vengeance.
She had seeded in calling upon the powers of the Fortune Goddess'' Divinity!.
"I guess I have to inform the Shadow Immortal that I''m helping him¡" Farah mused as she believed that getting a favor from the Shadow Immortal would bring her something better in the future.
Of course, she didn''t intend to send a message directly. She also couldn''t use telepathy since the Shadow Immortal was currently in his castle, which was protected by a series of barriers with the power of the Dragons and Immortal''s Divinity. There was no way to send a message to him with magic at this point.
Because of this, she decided to inform Teresa and re about this. These two members of the Untainted Sentinels had some past with the Shadow Immortal, and she was quite happy to help them meet the Shadow Immortal.
After informing the two through her telepathy,Farahstepped out of her secret chamber, ready to confront the looming shadow of theDeath Godand prove that even an Avatar could defeat a Death God.
***
Meanwhile, as theDeath God, wounded and seething with dark energy, materialized within the secluded branch of theDark Arts Faction, a strong sense of foreboding settled over the shadowed halls.
"Someone''s here¡"
"This¡"
"Is this the Death God?!"
"Yes, it''s his presence¡ The ritual of the seniors must''ve been sessful, but why aren''t we informed?"
The few members of theOrder of the Evanescent Vesselspresent felt a chill run down their spines as they sensed the malevolent presence that had entered their midst. They could only guess that it was the Death God based on the familiar aura.
Among them stoodLesley Hoffman, the 14th Squad Captain of the Order, her fiery red hair cascading around her shoulders, and her eyes, which also seemed weary, were filled with desire.
From the Death God''s point of view, Lesley''s presence could be easily seen.
After all, Lesley bore not only the Blessing of theDeath Godbut also the mark of one of the Deadly Sins¡ªtheSin of Pride, a potentbination that marked her as a formidable force to be reckoned with.
"Kekeke¡ I have really chosen a great one¡ You can probably handle two more blessings from different High Immortals."
As theDeath God''s gaze fell upon Lesley, a twisted smile yed across his spectral visage, his voice echoing with dark promise as he addressed her¡
"Lesley, my chosen one¡ I will give you my power... You are a genius, Lesley... Fight theShadow Immortalyourself!" The Death God said as he intended to live inside Lesley''s body!
"Wait!" Lesley''s eyes widened as she heard those words and saw the presence of the Death God in front of her!
It happened so quickly and she wasn''t given a chance to decline at all!
If possible, she didn''t want the Death God in her body as she believed that she would just lose her control over herself! Although she desired power, she wanted to be in control and not be a puppet!
Unfortunately, the Death God didn''t seem to care about her opinion at all!
After he said those words, a shroud of darkness enveloped Lesley as theDeath God''s essence merged with her own, their spirits bing intertwined in a sinister pact that would forever alter the course of her destiny!
The process happened so swiftly since Lesley was already his Blessed One, to begin with!
Soon, the power of theDeath Godsurged through her veins, suffusing her with a dark energy that crackled with malevolent intent.
Luckily for Lesley, the Patriarchs of the Dark Arts Faction seemed to have expected something like this. However, they expected that the Shadow Immortal would be the one to attempt to control her body so she already received an Arcana that would help her suppress any power or spell that tries to control her!
At that moment, the Arcana, an orb in her pocket, immediately reacted, and the Death God realized that he hadstarted being trapped in Lesley''s body!
"You---"
The Death God didn''t expect such betrayal from his Blessed! He had never thought that Lesley would attempt to destroy him inside her body!
Meanwhile, the other Dark Magicians in the branch watched in awe and trepidation as theDeath God''s presence made itself known and entered Lesley''s body!
***
"Lesley!"
"Captain! Are you alright?!"
"Call the First Captain! Hurry! Tell him that the Death God''s Spirit entered her body!"
"We need to call an Exorcist!"
"Fool! This must be a blessing to Lesley! Just wait!"
Whispers of fear and reverence rippled through their ranks as they beheld the unholy union between Lesley and the malevolent deity.
If Lesley indeed received another blessing, they couldn''t help but feel impressed, and they were aware of the magnitude of the power now at hermand.
Soon, Lesley opened her eyes, and the pain she had felt in the beginning had already disappeared. She didn''t speak and only looked at her palm before showing a wide smile on her face.
Some of the magicians bowed their heads in deference, recognizing the gravity of the situation, while others exchanged nervous nces, uncertain of what had be of the 14th Captain.
Chapter 789 Kyle the Shadow Immortal
Chapter 789 Kyle the Shadow Immortal
"C-captain? Is that still you?" One of the members of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels asked.
"Can you still recognize us?" Someone from the 13th Squad asked, and she was Lesley''s friend. She was worried that Lesley''s soul was already gone and the Death God''s soul gained full control over her friend''s body.
However, Lesley didn''t seem to hear their words as she focused on her newfound power. She felt incredibly strong and she knew that her current Spell Models would not be able to show her real might.
Although she had incredible Fusion Spells, she knew that she would be able to release stronger Spells¡
''I have to learn more Forbidden Dark Arts or my strength will be wasted¡'' Lesley thought as she confirmed that the Death God''s Spirit had truly be hers!
Instead of being consumed by the Death God, she was able to reverse it and gain control of the Death God''s power!
There was also a faint Divinity in her body that she easily recognized after fighting against Kyle¡
"Right¡ I guess we will be meeting soon¡" Lesley muttered to herself after recalling the Shadow Immortal''s identity.
The air hummed with tension as the shadowed chamber became filled with Lesley''s dark aura¡
"Hahaha¡" Lesleyughed at this thought.
This scared the Dark Magicians but Lesley looked at them with an assuring gaze.
"I''m fine¡ I actually benefited from that attack just now."
Lesley, her form now suffused with the dark power of the?Death God, felt a surge of exhration and power, unlike anything she had ever experienced.
Aside from that, the power of the Sin of Pride?that coursed through her veins mingled with the?Death God''s malevolent energy, fueling her with a strange yet formidable power within her body.
With a n forming in her crimson eyes, Lesley turned to face the Dark Magicians that had just arrived.
They were the Captains of other Squads and Elders of various Dark Arts Faction families.
Her voice wasced with an eerie echo as she spoke, "The?Shadow Immortal?will regret the day he crossed paths with me. With the power of the?Death God?at mymand, I will be bringing him down¡ Please ry this information to the Patriarchs¡"
Although Lesley was already a lot stronger than before, she still respected the Patriarchs of the Dark Arts Faction. Because of that, she wanted to inform them about her n and hoped that they would be helping her.
After all, she knew that the Patriarchs possessed the power to drain the Shadow Immortal''s Divinity. They needed Kyle''s Divinity in order to help the Patriarchs, who were Half-Immortals, be True Immortal!
This was the perfect chance for them to attain their dreams, and she was nning to help them achieve that state!
***
In the area at the third barrier of Kyle''s castle¡
Boom! Boom!
As the forest trembled and the mountains quaked under the force of the True Immortal''s battle against?Jin,?Giorgi, and?Bael, the third barrier not too far from?Kyle''s castle shook as it bore witness to the cataclysmic sh of powers.
"Hahaha! This is amazing¡" Bael, no longer concealing his true nature as the Demon Lord, unleashed a torrent of dark energy that rents the very fabric of reality.
It happened after Jin?and?Giorgi were thrown back by a powerful spell that the second Immortal had sent to them. The two crashed to the earth with a resounding impact, creating a small crater where theynded.
After gasping for breath, they exchanged a nce with gritted teeth as they prepared to face the challenge that was about toe. They didn''t care about the pain at all since they were worried that the Shadow Immortal would notice their identities as Time Maniptors.
"So you''re indeed a demon¡ You hid it really well." The Immortal spoke, still unaware that he was the Demon Lord''s Avatar himself.
The Immortal had never encountered the Demon Lord, so it was quite difficult to differentiate the Demon Saints and the Demon Lord himself.
Bael, hisughter echoing through the battlefield like a harbinger of doom, fixed his gaze upon the blond Immortal with a malevolent gleam in his eyes.
"Haha¡ I''m not finished yet."
With a sinister grin, he made a dramatic gesture, shattering one of his five rings with a resounding crash that reverberated through the shatteredndscape.
The Immortal frowned after seeing this. Magic Artifacts that needed to be shattered weren''t unusual. There were many one-
time-use Artifacts even in Shane''s castle.
However, the ring that the Demon had destroyed feltpletely different.
"Limiter?" The two Immortals said at the same time, realizing the problem that had surfaced.
Bael smiled after hearing this, the Immortals were right. It was indeed one of his limiters! Even if he was only an Avatar, he was already extremely strong after conquering several Realms!
"You''re right!"
As the limiter shattered, it too a few more seconds beforeBael''s trueDemonic Aurawas unleashed in a swirling maelstrom of dark energy that cloaked him in an aura of malevolence and power.
This time, the True Immortals already had some guesses.
"So it wasn''t the first rank Demon Saint¡ We''re actually facing the Demon Lord himself¡"
"No¡ It''s the Avatar of the Demon Lord, to be exact."
The air crackled with the palpable weight of his demonic presence, sending shivers down the spines of all who beheld him.
With a flick of his wrist,Baelinvoked the first of his Demonic Spells, known asShadowbind.
Dark tendrils of energy coalesced around the True Immortal, binding him in ce and sapping his strength with each passing moment.
The True Immortal struggled against the inky chains that ensnared him, but to no avail, as the shadows held him fast.
"Mhmm? That''s weird¡" Bael muttered as he realized that he was unable to really sap their energy. It was as if something was stopping him. Nheless, it doesn''t change the fact that he was able to bind one of the Immortals.
Next,Baelturned to the other Immortal and unleashedHellfire Fury, a Demonic Spell that summoned infernal mes to rain down upon the True Immortal with intense me!
The red and ck mes danced and flickered with an unholy light, engulfing the battlefield in an inferno of dark energy that threatened to consume all in its path.
The other True Immortal could only focus on defense as he still needed to gather enough Divinity¡ He needed time to do that!
As the other True Immortal fought to break free from the shadowy bonds and the relentless assault of hellfire,Bael''sughter rang out like a sinister nightmare, his eyes gleaming with dark delight at the chaos he had wrought.
Nheless, he wasn''t finished yet. He could already feel the Shadow Immortal''s movement from the castle, and it would not be long before he gets here.
He wanted to at least kill one of the True Immortals here before he arrived!
''I''ll trust that those two Time Maniptors would also act once I injure the Shadow Immortal.'' Bael mused for a moment as he nced at the two Time Maniptors in the corner of his eyes.
He knew the limit of his strength even if he released all the limiters in his body. After all, the body he was using would be the one to copse first if he really released all his limiters.
At most, he body could handle three limiters to be released and if he did the fourth one, his body would probablyst for about 20 seconds. He would probably fail to get the Divine Extraction from the Shadow Immortal with that limited time¡
''Well, that is if the Shadow Immortal is the one truly possessing it.'' Bael thought as he started another chant.
With each word and gesture, he would release a series of Demonic Arts that tested the limits of the True Immortal''s endurance!
AsBael, the Demon Lord, prepared to deliver the final blow to the boundTrue Immortal, a sudden shift in the air rmed him.
In a split second, he realized what was happening. It signaled the arrival ofKyle, the Shadow Immortal. With a burst of speed that defiedprehension,Kylematerialized behindBaelin a sh of shadow and light, his clenched fist crackling with pure Holy Energy.
BeforeBaelcould react,Kyle''s fist connected with a resounding impact, sending shockwaves of radiant energy coursing through the Demon Lord''s form.
His punch was filled with the power of the Holy Smite!
Boom!
The onught of Holy Energy seared throughBael''s dark aura, causing him to stagger and reel from the unexpected strike.
With wrath forming in his eyes,Kyleunleashed the full force of his power, channeling the divine energy of hisCelestial Artsinto a spell known asDivine Lightning. A blinding burst of holy light erupted from the sky, engulfingBaelin a sparkling wave of purifying and lethal energy that seared his demonic flesh and scorched his dark essence!
Chapter 790 The Relics
Chapter 790 The Relics
??"Aaack!" The Demon Lord''s Avatar cried in pain after being hit by Kyle''s powerful attacks!
As soon as he was hit by the Holy Smite and the Divine Lightning, he immediately removed one of his limiters in order to endure the pain!
His Dark Aura was replenished and was reced by a more violent Demonic Essence!
However, Kyle was not finished yet. He was merely testing the power of the Demon Lord!
Drawing upon the depths of his Celestial Arts'' Spell Models, he invoked one of the spells he extracted from a Truel Immortal,Mind Break, a technique that targeted the very core ofhis target''s consciousness.
With a focused intensity,Kyleactivated this Spell as it invaded the depths ofBael''s mind, seeking to shatter the Demon Lord''s will and bring him to his knees!
As the force of Divinity brought by the Mind BreakSpell envelopedBael''s being, a primal scream of anguish echoed through the battlefield, reverberating with the echoes of torment and despair.
To Kyle''s surprise, this Avatar of the Demon didn''t have a strong protection in his mind!
"Aahh!"
The Demon Lord writhed in agony, his mind assailed by visions of his darkest fears and deepest insecurities,id bare before the searing light ofKyle''s divine power.
Seeing such a rare opportunity,Kylepressed on, his gaze never left the Demon Lord as he sought to break throughhis defenses and deliver a decisive blow that would tip the scales of the battle in favor of the forces of light, it was his Divine Extraction!
Just now, he actually tried using it on the Demon Lord''s Avatar, but it failed!
He believed that he still had to weaken the Demon Lord in order for his Divine Extraction System to activate on him.
However, in a bold gambit to withstand the onught of theMind Break Spell, the Demon Lord made a critical decision to release his third limiter, fortifying his mental defenses and rendering the Spell more bearable.
AsBaelunleashed the power of his third limiter, a terrifying wave of malevolence swept across thend, shrouding the region in a suffocating Demonic Aura that twisted the very fabric of reality.
Whoom~
Kyle watched as Dark clouds coalesced overhead, swirling ominously as a ck miasma seeped from the depths ofBael''s being, staining the sky with tendrils of shadow that writhed and coiled like malevolent serpents.
''This is scarier than the appearance of the Death God¡ I guess he''s really the Demon Lord''s Avatar.'' Kyle thought as he took a deep breath to gather his Divinity.
The air was now filled an oppressive energy, charged with the raw power of darkness asBael''s influence spread like a creeping gue, casting a shroud of fear and dread over all who felt its touch.
"Kekeke¡ Shadow Immortal, why don''t you show that mysterious powers of yours¡" Bael said, unaware that Kyle already tried but failed.
Nheless, as he spoke, the Demon Lord''s presence loomedrge. His aura was above those Seven Deadly Sins that he had fought before.
The one in front of him was definitely a harbinger of chaos and destruction that threatened to consume everything in its path.
During this time, as the Demon Lord removed his third limiter, the others also felt the changes in the continent.
Indeed! Across thecontinent, theDemon Saints,Demon Generals, and a myriad of Demonic Creatures sensed the awakening of their master, their hearts filled with a primal reverence and fear at the overwhelming power that radiated from the Demon Lord.
"So¡ Father had already made his move¡" Entei, the unranked and strongest Demon Saint, looked in the direction of the Demon Lord''s aura.
He couldn''t help but feel excited about this.
The very earth trembled beneath their feet, echoing the tumultuous upheaval that had been unleashed upon the world.
The Demon Lord''s Avatar was truly showing its might in the whole continent!
This move had, of course, threatened the many Arcanists Organizations and many of them were truly worried.
However, as soon as they realized the location where the Demon Lord was showing his might, many of them couldn''t help but hope that the Demon Lord would die!
"So he really went to the Shadow Immortal''s base." Lesley muttered as she felt the presence of the Demon Lord.
"Mhmmm¡ My favorite student probably needs help, huh¡" Heinz Becker muttered as he nced at the ''Perfect'' Arcanists that he made¡ There were a dozen of them and they all possessed the special spells of the Malefic Branch!
He thought for a moment before he ordered them to hurry to Kyle''s castle¡
Elsewhere, Miya of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets, or Maya Featherstar, also decided to help Kyle even without the orders of the Church Elders. With her connection to the Lord of the Secrets, she knew that she might not be able to fight against the Demon Lord, but her newfound powers could surely change the tide of battle!
"Just hold on, Kyle¡" Miya muttered.
Of course, many of Kyle''s enemies, like those from the Church of the Three Paragons, wanted him to perish. However, they wanted him to at least bring the Demon Lord with him if he dies.
Nheless, this doesn''t matter to Kyle at the moment.
Undaunted by the unfolding darkness,Kylestood firmly on the ground, his gaze focused as he called upon the might of hisCelestial Artstobat the encroaching evil.
With a deep breath, he summoned forth a barrage of Divine Lightning that streaked across the sky, illuminating the dark clouds with bursts of blinding light that crackled and sizzled with celestial energy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It didn''t end there.
Emboldened by the power of his spells,Kylechanneled theFiend''s Wrath, a potent incantation that imbued him with otherworldly strength, bolstering his physique and aura in the face of the encroaching darkness.
"These lightning strikes only tickle me, Shadow Immortal. You have to do something better!" The Demon Lord said as he waited for Kyle to use his Extraction Powers to steal it.
He also sent a telepathy to the Time Maniptors to help him in time! If they did not do it, he threatened to kill them and aim to invade the Time Maniptor Realm!
***
On the other hand, Kyle ignored the words of the Demon Lord. Instead, he called upon hisEmber SpiritandWind Spirit, ethereal beings of fire and air that materialized at his side, ready to lend their aid in the struggle against the forces of darkness.
"Kill that Demon!" Kyle ordered as the two moved in unison,bing fire and winds spells to create a Fusion Spell!
However, this was only meant as a distraction!
With quick incantation,Kyleinvoked theMeteor Summon Spell, calling forth a cataclysmic storm of ming meteors that hurtled towardBaelwith unstoppable force.
As soon as Bael destroyed the attacks of the two Elemental Spirits, he saw the sky zed with fiery arcs as the meteors descended upon him!
Bael frowned a little as he noticed the Divinity imbued on these meteors¡ Kyle must''ve used a lot!
Nheless, he didn''t panic.
Boom!
The meteor descended, shattering the ground with earth-
shaking impacts that sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.
A moment of silence urred as Kyle watched the area where the meteors descended. It had certainly changed the terrain of the surroundings.
"That wasn''t enough to kill you. Come out now." Kyle said as a ck miasma gathered at the center of the crater¡
It was none other than Bael, the Demon Lord.
"Kekeke¡ Not bad¡ It must''ve consumed a quarter of your Divinity." Bael said.
Asheemerged from the devastating impact of the meteors, his form was shrouded in the remnants of the cataclysmic event, only a small fraction of his Demonic Aura had dissipated, leaving him still a formidable and terrifying presence on the battlefield.
The ground around himy in ruin, scorched and shattered by the force of the celestial onught¡ It was surely a testament to the titanic sh of powers that raged between him andKyle.
Unfazed by the relentless assault,Bael''s crimson eyes gleamed with a malevolent light as he surveyed the battlefield, his gaze locking ontoKylewith a grim n.
The remnants of the fiery meteors smoldered around him, their mes casting an eerie glow upon his darkened visage¡
"This is actually refreshing for some reason¡" Baelughed as he looked at the mes.
On the other hand, Kyle wasn''t idling after he summoned his meteors¡
Bael nced at Kyle and frowned¡
Well, this time, Kyle was suffused with a radiant aura that pulsed with the power of theCreation Ring, theTemporal Timepiece, and theStormbringer Sword- the three precious Artifacts of the Three Paragons.
The air crackled with Divine Energy as he wielded these legendary relics!
With a swift motion,Kyleunleashed a torrent of divine energy, channeling the power of the Artifacts into a devastating attack against the Demon Lord.
Chapter 791 Sneak
Chapter 791 Sneak
The Stormbringer Sword hummed with lightning energy as it cleaved through the air, leaving trails of shimmering light in its wake, while the Creation Ring wove intricate patterns of energy that merged into ethereal des that danced around him!
Indeed. Kyle created a dozen floating swords made of his Divinity using the Creation Ring!
"Hahaha! Now, this is getting exciting!" The Demon Lordughed as he saw Kyle''s attacking at him.
He relied on his overwhelming Demonic Essence to resist the lightning strikes of the Stormbringer Sword and the Flying Energy Swords of the Creation Ring!
Then, after showing how powerful he was,?Bael?countered with a barrage of?Dark Magic, summoning forth shadowy tendrils thatshed out at?Kyle?with unnatural speed and precision!
Demonic Whip!
The air crackled with malevolent energy as he cast a few more demonic spells seeking to overwhelm Kyle with the sheer weight of his malevolent power!
In response,?Kyle''s aura red with renewed intensity, a radiant shield of light that repelled the dark magics of the Demon Lord appeared!
Kyle also used his Void w Spell that he got from a Dimensional Creature to block the numerous Demonic Spells.
Then, with each swing of the?Stormbringer Sword?and each invocation of the?Creation Ring, he destroyed the remaining Spellsing at him!
Even if there were a few that managed to sneak through his defenses, his Spell Dispersion wouldpletely wipe it out before it reached his body¡
"I''m not done yet!" Bael, his form wreathed in a swirling maelstrom of Demonic Aura, unleashed a torrent of malevolent spells and curses, each more twisted and deadly than thest.
It was as if Bael wanted to use a huge number of Demonic Spells to lessen the vast amount of Demonic Energy within his body after he removed his third-limiter¡
Well, after Kyle used his True Dragon''s Sight Spell, he was able to tell that the Demon Lord''s Avatar wasn''t capable of taking all the Demon Lord''s power after the limiter was removed..
There was plenty of Demonic Energy that was leaking out of its body and being wasted. Because of that, Bael would rather use the leaking energy to cast a massive number of mid-tier Spells on Kyle in order to weaken him!
Bael cast Demonic Bind, creating vine-like energy that snaked towards Kyle, seeking to entangle him in a web of shadow, restricting his movements and draining his strength.
At the same time, Bael cast Soul Break Spell, a curse that threatened to fracture Kyle''s very soul, filling his mind with doubt and despair, weakening his resolve with each passing moment.
Bael wasn''t satisfied with this as he also used Abyssal Fury and summoned forth a wave of pure Malevolent Energy that crashed against Kyle''s defenses, threatening to overwhelm him with its sheer destructive power.
''Is he getting desperate?'' Kyle thought as he saw the oing Demonic Spells¡ They were spells several times more powerful than the ones he encountered from the Demon Saints.
''So these are the Demon Lord''s Spells.'' Kylemented in his mind as he could tell that these Spells may appear simple, but all of them were actually filled with the intense power of corruption.
If he were a normal Immortal, he would soon sumb to this barrage of spells as it could slowly corrupt his body and suffer from internal injuries.
After all, the Corruption that the Demon Lord uses was several times more powerful than what the Demon Saints use.
Nheless, he was undeterred by the onught.
Kyle stood firm, his aura zing with thebined power of the Artifacts of the Three Paragons!
As Bael prepared to unleash another devastating attack, Kyle raised the golden pocketwatch - the Temporal Timepiece - activating its ancient powers with a surge of divine energy.
With a swift motion, Kyle harnessed the Temporal Timepiece''s abilities, bending the fabric of time and space to his will. A shimmering Temporal Bubble enveloped him, shielding him from Bael''s assaults and granting him a moment of respite to gather his strength.
Then, Bael finally realized how terrifying Kyle could be with the unsealed Temporal Timepiece in his possession!
The speed of time around Kyle slowed to a crawl, allowing him to move with unparalleled swiftness, evading Bael''s attacks easily! It was none other than the Time Dtion of the Artifact!
However, Bael''s passive abilities still cause Kyle trouble. After all, these Spells could somehow defy the Time Dtion and activate on its own without Bael''s input. Several Curses actually hit him and most of them were deadly!
In a daring gambit, Kyle channeled his divinity into the Temporal Timepiece, causing time itself to flow in reverse for a brief instant, undoing the effects of Bael''s curses and restoring his strength.
It was Time Reversal, and it quickly removed the curses on his physique!
Then, realizing that he could not follow Kyle''s movement, Bael waited until Kyle got close and decided to explode his Demonic Aura around him!
Boom!
Since he could not catch Kyle, he decided to attack the area instead!
However, Kyle''s mastery over the Temporal Timepiece had already reached an incredible level.
Kyle used the final ability of the golden pocketwatch¡
Distortion Wave!
With this Spell, he unleashed a wave of temporal distortion that rippled through the battlefield, disrupting Bael''s spells even his corruption energy with its chaotic energy, throwing the Demon Lord off!
"Are you still having fun?" Kyle muttered as he watched the Demon Lord looking confused at what had happened just now.
Kyle''s mastery of time and space proved to be a formidable advantage, allowing him to outmaneuver Bael''s dark magics and counter with devastating blows.
***
As the battle betweenKyleandBaelraged on with overwhelming intensity, the sh of their powers destroyed thendscape and disrupted even the weather of the whole region.
Well, the two''s Celestial Arts created maelstrom of light and darkness that threatened to consume everything in its path!
After all, despiteKyle''s mastery over theTemporal Timepiece,Bael''s passive abilities continued to pose a challenge, with curses and spells that defied conventional time maniption..
Meanwhile, asBaeldetonated hisDemonic Aurain a desperate attempt to strike atKyle, theTime ManiptorsJinandGiorgiwatched from a safe distance, their awe could be easily seen as they witnessed the incredible disy of power unfolding before them.
"Temporal Timepiece... I never thought I''d see it in action,"Jineximed, his eyes widening in disbelief at the sight of the legendary artifact inKyle''s possession.
He had heard about this item and knew that it had more to it. It had many legends about it about being able to even save souls¡
"Indeed¡"
Giorginodded in agreement, his expression grim as he considered the implications ofKyle''s mastery overTime Magic.
The twoTime Maniptorsknew that their hidden identities could be at risk ifKyle''s powers was already at the same level as them.
"Let''s not worry about it now."
Setting aside their concerns for the moment,JinandGiorgirefocused on their mission to steal theGolden KeyfromKyle¡
With the barriers destroyed or removed during the chaos of the battle, they seized the opportunity to make their move.
"Did you sense theGolden Keyon him?"Jininquired, his gaze fixed onKyle in the distance while they headed to the castle.
Giorgishook his head. "I''ve been trying, but there was no response. Even if he hides it using a Space Ring or Pouch, I should be able to sense it. However, not even a weak scent of it could be felt."
"Alright¡ It must be within the castle. Let''s make our way there while they are engaged inbat. The time is ripe for us to act." Jin said as he made sure not to get detected.
He also nced at the two Immortals watching the battle and confirmed that their presence wasn''t known yet.
As long as they were careful, nothing should go wrong with their ns.
With a sense of urgency, the two Time Maniptors set off toward Kyle''s castle, their movements swift and calcted as they navigated without making any sounds¡
As they approached the imposing structure, a sense of foreboding hung in the air¡
"Be careful¡ Even without the Shadow Immortal''s presence, there are still formidable figures living here." Jin said.
"Then it''s time to use our time spells while he''s busy¡" Giorgi said.
Jin agreed to this as the twoTime Maniptorsfocused their energies on concealing their presence using a powerfulTime Spellknown asChrono Veil, masking their movements from prying eyes as they ventured deeper into the heart of thecastle.
However, their stealthy advance was abruptly interrupted as a sudden assault on their minds sent shockwaves of pain rippling through their consciousness.
"Aaackk!"
In a surreal moment,JinandGiorgi''s mental barrierswere breached by two formidable beings! Within their heads, they saw the image of two Dragons looking at them menacingly as if giving them a warning not to continue with their ns!
Chapter 792 Search
Chapter 792 Search
"What''s going on?!" Jin couldn''t help but feel frustrated after being attacked.
"It might be a defensive formation art!" Giorgi suggested.
As?Jin?and?Giorgi?attempted to steel their minds against the overwhelming mental assault of the powerful Dragons, their resolve faltered in the face of the absolute pressure they were facing!
"Not good¡"
Despite their efforts to dismiss the dragon apparitions as mere illusions born from the Formation Arts of the Castle,?the intensity of the mental pressure bore down upon them with a crushing weight! It threatened to overwhelm their very consciousness.
"We have to focus!"
"Yes! It''s just an illusion, a trick of the mind!"?Jin?insisted, his voice strained as he struggled to maintain a semnce ofposure amidst the chaos unfolding within their thoughts.
Giorgi?nodded grimly, his expression tense with concentration.
"If Chrono Veil doesn''t work... Use Time Dtion! They cannot be real... We must break free from this mental prison!"
***
In the meantime, within the ethereal chamber where?Orden?and?Ryzoir?were resting, the ancient Dragons shared a knowing look before unleashing a surge of Draconic power that reverberated through the minds of?Jin?and?Giorgi, intensifying the mental pressure with a new level of force that threatened to shatter their will.
"Time Maniptors¡ It''s been a while since I''ve seen one." Ordenmented as he saw the two unknown men enter Kyle''s Castle.
"Mhmm¡ They''re also quite young. Are they here to take his Immortality?" Ryzoir mumbled.
Time Maniptors were known for hunting Celestials or anyone with Divinity in order to obtain their Immortality. After all, Time Maniptors use a bit of their Soul Force whenever they use strong Time Spells. Because of that, taking Immortality was something they needed in order to survive.
However, the Dragons also knew that the Time Maniptors should''veid low for now. They should no longer be using Time Spells that could im a part of their Soul Force. They should''ve prohibited such spells already.
The main reason for this was the destruction of the Celestial Realm itself¡
Nheless, the two of them weren''t inclined to know the situation of these two Time Maniptors.
"Should we just kill these intruders?" Orden asked.
"We should at least know their purpose foring here since Kyle will surely ask." Ryzoir replied.
Soon, they poised their questions to the minds of the two Time Maniptors but they seemed to be unable to realize that they were real dragons and not illusions trying to scare them!
The Dragon''s didn''t feel upset about this, and they even found their reactions quite amusing.
As the Dragons''ughter echoed through the chamber, the two Time Maniptors were still struggling to escape from their Draconic Pressure.
However, in a moment of desperation,?Jin?and?Giorgi?decided to use their Soul Force in order to escape!
They tapped into the depths of their own?Time Magic?abilities, channeling their innate powers to push back against the overwhelming influence of?Orden?and?Ryzoir!
Drawing upon their mastery of Time Spells,?they cast a Layered Chrono Veil!
Jin?and?Giorgi?unleashed a surge of temporal energy that rippled through the mentalndscape, creating a barrier of distorted time that shielded them from the Dragons'' mental assaults!
"They''re gone!"
With a renewed sense of freedom, the two Time Maniptors focused their energies on finding the Golden Key within the castle!
"We''re free! Quick! Find the Gold Key!"
"I''m on it!"
After breaking free from the oppressive mental grip of?Orden?and?Ryzoir,?Jin?and?Giorgi?wasted no time in scouring every nook and cranny of?Kyle''s castle?in search of the elusive Golden Key.
Their minds racing with a sense of urgency, fueled by the knowledge that time was of the essence!
The two?Time Maniptors?unleashed a flurry of?Time Spells?that allowed them to traverse the castle with unprecedented speed!
Even if there were androids or various guards in the castle, they were unable to catch a glimpse of these two!
They also didn''t bother attacking other residents of this castle as they could not waste their time doing that!
They had to hurry before the Shadow Immortal returns!
''Just hold on there, Demon Lord!'' Jin thought to himself, hoping that the Demon Lord would do a decent job.''
As they moved with haste, leaving no stone unturned in their quest,?Jin?and?Giorgi?methodicallybed through the various living quarters and chambers, their keen eyes scanning for any sign of the coveted artifact.
They actually found several important artifacts and even potions that caught their interest.
However, they decided to ignore all of that. They simply marked the location of these things and considered taking those with them if they managed to find the Gold Key.
They rifled through belongings, overturned furniture, and probed every hidden alcove, yet the Golden Key remained tantalizingly out of reach, as if mocking their efforts.
***
"What are they trying to find?" Ryzoirmented as he watched the two go through every room of the castle.
These two Dragons had actually decided to watch them instead to find out what they were looking for! Anyway, they decided to do this since they were confident that the two didn''t have any Time Spell that could break through the barrier they had created.
"It must be Celestial Item¡ However, did they not think that Kyle was carrying it?" Orden replied.
"Then, it must be a Cursed Artifact. There was no way Kyle would carry it¡" Ryzoir added.
Orden could only nod for now as he also had no idea what they were searching for.
***
"Not good¡ We don''t have enough time¡ The Demon Lord''s Corrupted Divinity is weakening. He''s going to be killed at any moment now." Jin said.
"Should we help the Demon Lord and eliminate the Shadow Immortal?" Giorgi suggested.
However, Jin shook his head at this.
"Even if we help the Demon Lord, we have a very low chance of winning with those three Legendary Relics being equipped by a single person. Just the Temporal Timepiece in his possession would already make it difficult for us."
"Right¡ Let''s continue the search then."
Afterpleting their search in various rooms of the castle, the two were still undeterred by the setback and continued with their search.
The two of them nced in the direction that they hadn''t searched yet.
It was the path leading to the basement of the castle.
"Let''s do this¡"
JinandGiorgiresolved to delve deeper into the heart ofKyle''s castle¡
As they got closer, they realized that the mysterious basement was shrouded inyers of enchantments and protective wards.
However, these types of enchantments were nothing in their eyes, that could manipte time. After freezing the area of the Formation Nodes, they stopped powering the barriers or enchantments, allowing them to bypass the defenses freely.
With a shared sense of anticipation, theTime Maniptorsbreached the threshold of the basement, expecting to uncover hidden secrets and untold treasures within its confines.
"This¡"
However, as they stepped into the dimly lit chamber, a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu washed over them, sending a chill down their spines.
"We''ve made a mistake¡" Jin muttered.
To their astonishment, the chamber unfolded before them in a surreal mirroring of the mentalndscape where they had faced the imposing specters ofOrdenandRyzoir!
The twoDragons, once ethereal manifestations in their minds, now materialized beforeJinandGiorgiin all their majestic glory, their majestic forms exuded an aura of ancient power and wisdom!
"So they''re real¡ We''re in a huge trouble." Giorgi muttered as he knew very well that these dragons had the advantage over them!
As the realization dawned upon them that they stood within the very sanctuary of theDragonsthemselves,JinandGiorgiexchanged a silent nce, their hearts pounding with nervousness.
"Wee¡" The Red Dragon spoke, and this time, it wasn''t through their minds. It was a voice that echoed throughout the whole chamber!
The other Dragon seemed to smirk at them as the chamber suddenly hummed with draconic energy!
Caught between fear and fascination,JinandGiorgibraced themselves for battle!
However, the two Dragons simplyughed, seeing them get ready to fight.
Orden simply blinked and unleashed the full extent of his draconic power within the chamber!
JinandGiorgifound themselves ensnared within the ethereal confines of the Dragon''s Domain¡ªa realm where time itself seemed to bend and twist under the weight of the creature''s immense presence.
Their Time Spells were useless in this Domain!
They werepletely caught!
"We surrender¡" Jin immediately said as he realized that there was no escaping from these Dragons. It was just too much for them.
"Now, that''s a good start." Ryzoir said.
The oppressive auraing from himbore down upon the Time Maniptors.
"Tell us why you''re here¡ We''ve been watching you search the whole castle. What are you looking for? We''re curious."
Jin and Giorgi nced at each other and sighed. They could only reveal the true purpose behind their daring intrusion into Kyle''s castle if they wanted to survive.
Chapter 793 New Servants
Chapter 793 New Servants
The two Time Maniptors took quite some time to make a decision and this hesitation irritated the two Dragons.
With a voice that reverberated through the chamber like thunder,?Orden?demanded¡
"Speak, mortals!"
Jin jolted as he quickly replied.
"We''re looking for the Golden Key that the Shadow Immortal had taken in the remnants of the Celestial Realm¡"
This answer stopped the Dragons momentarily as if they were verifying whether it was the truth or not¡ They''re True Sight Spells worked repeatedly as they observed the subtle movements of the Time Maniptors.
"Mhmm¡ The Golden Key¡ What quest drives you to seek the Golden Key, what can it do?"
Jin?and?Giorgi?exchanged a wary nce, knowing that the truth they held within their hearts could no longer remain concealed in the face of the Dragon''smanding gaze.
Steeling themselves against the pressure of?Orden''s scrutiny, they revealed the sacred purpose thaty at the heart of their mission¡
"The Golden Key," Jin began, his voice steady despite the weight of the Dragon''s presence, "is not merely a relic of forgotten lore or a trinket of material wealth. It is said to be the key to unlocking the doorway to the Divine Realm, a gateway to transcendence and godhood beyond the Celestial Realm."
The two Dragons weren''t too impressed as they were aware of the Divine Realm, which was higher than the Dragon Realm. However, the Divine Realm was not a ce that most Immortals or Celestials could ever reach.
After all, it was said to be the first-ever Realm to have been formed¡ It was the oldest ce that had ever existed. Furthermore, no one even knew how to enter this Realm, and they only heard about it from those who had shared stories about their so-called chance of meeting some people who had entered that ce before.
Of course, it wasn''t surprising that such a ce existed since something must have an origin, and that ce was likely the origin of all things.
The two Dragons then nced at Jin''spanion to confirm his im.
Giorgi nodded in agreement, his expression resolute as he continued, "Legends speak of the Golden Key as a conduit to the powers of creation itself, a symbol of bnce and harmony that holds the potential to reshape---Ahem¡ I think it''s not important to exin how it works. In any case, its true nature remains shrouded in mystery¡ We''re just aware that the previous Celestial King used this key to enter the Divine Realm based on the records we''ve found."
"Yes¡ You should know that the researchers of our domain use Time Magic as well. You can fully trust what they say as they could verify it through various means."
As the words hung in the air, a profound silence descended upon the chamber, broken only by the steady thrum of draconic energy that pulsed through the surroundings.
Orden regarded Jin and Giorgi with curiosity and contemtion, his gaze piercing through the veils of time and space to glimpse the depths of their intentions.
***
Meanwhile, outside the castle, as the battle between?Kyle?and the formidable Demon Lord?Bael?raged on, the surroundings crackled with arcane energy and the sh of Divinity and Corrupted one...
Kyle, fueled by the power of the?Temporal Timepiece?and his mastery over?Celestial Arts, unleashed a flurry of?Astral Chains?that sought to ensnare?Bael?and bind him in ethereal shackles.
This time, however, he decided to cast it in the traditional way¡ With this method, he was able to strengthen his Spelling by more than 30%!
"Astral Chains, bind thee fast,
In celestial light, hold thee cast.
From the stars above, to the earth below,
Ensnare the darkness, let holy light show."
Kyle didn''t really like using incantations to cast his spells. However, with his Temporal Timepiece, he was able to buy plenty of time in order to chant spells!
The chains wrapped around Bael, their grip was tight and could not be corrupted by the Demon Lord''s powers. As a matter of fact, he tried removing his fourth limiter as well but Kyle didn''t allow him to do that and used Spell Dispersion to destroy any umting energy around the Demon Lord''s body!
It didn''t end there.
Kyle raised his hand, a radiant orb of light forming above his palm. This was the?Holy Smite, a Holy Spell that was in the raw form¡
With a shout, Kyle hurled the orb toward Bael, it was like aet of purifying me!
Whoosh~
But before the Holy Smite could find its mark, the waters within the whole forest stirred.
At this time, a new presence emerged, one thatmanded the very essence of the sea!
Halvor, the Eminence of the Sea, appeared!
In his hands, he wielded a trident that glowed with the power of the ocean''s depths.
With a sweep of his trident, Halvor summoned a tidal wave¡ªa barrier of surging water that intercepted Kyle''s Holy Smite.
The impact was cataclysmic, steam hissing as divine fire met ocean might. The forest shook and trees bent beneath the force of their confrontation.
Boom!
Bael, momentarily spared, grinned wickedly.
"Halvor," he said, his voice a growl of amusement. "I didn''t expect the sea toe to my aid."
Halvor''s gaze was unfathomable, his voice the rumble of the deep. "Your battle disturbs the bnce," he said. "I cannot allow the Immortal to im victory this day."
Kyle, undeterred, prepared for another assault. He had been aware of Halvor''s presence.
He just didn''t expect that the Eminence of the Sea would act at this moment. He thought that Halvor would just show himself once he found an opening to kill him.
"So you''re not using the Demon Lord as your bait anymore?" Kyle said with a chuckle as he waved his hand.
His Astral Chains tightened, and it was aimed at killing the Demon Lord once and for all. He still couldn''t extract the Demon Lord for some reason, so he might as well kill him.
However, Halvor was ready. With a thrust of his trident, he shattered the chains, freeing Bael from their celestial grip.
''Tsk¡''
The Demon Lord rose, his wounds healing in an instant.
"This isn''t over, Immortal," he hissed. "We will meet again."
And with that, Bael vanished into the shadows, hisughter echoing through the forest. Kyle stood, his fists clenched, as Halvor turned to face him.
Kyle actualy used his Temporal Timepiece to contain the space and time of the area and stop any teleportation or any escape technique.
However, the Demon Lord''s Avatar used a spell that he couldn''t understand¡
''As expected of an Ancient Being... He knew something that I can''t evenprehend.'' Kyle sighed as he decided to just fight the deity in front of him.
However, as Halvor was prepared to fight, he paused for a moment as if he realized something. If Kyle would make a guess, Halvor actually received a message from the Demon Lord through telepathy!
After all, his face suddenly changed, and he nced at the castle before taking a deep breath.
"The sea is vast, Immortal," Halvor said. "It holds secrets you cannot fathom. Beware the tides¡ªthey can be both salvation and doom. We will meet soon¡"
With a final nod, Halvor, too, disappeared, leaving Kyle alone in the forest clearing.
The battle was over, and Kyle felt extremely frustrated.
''No I can still chase Halvor¡ The Demon Lord probably left for the Abyss by now¡ However, I can still sense Halvor¡'' Kyle thought as he could feel the rough location of the deity¡
However, as he thought of chasing after this deity¡ He was suddenly informed about the presence of two Time Maniptors in his castle!
"Time Maniptors?"
The revtion of intruders within his domain would have infuriated any other ruler, but for Kyle, it sparked a different reaction.
His eyes gleamed with anticipation, not of a battle, but of opportunity!
"New ves," he mused, the corners of his mouth turning up in a sly grin. The idea of bending the will of Time Maniptors to his own was too enticing to pass up. They possessed abilities that, if controlled, could serve his grand designs.
Kyle used his Presence Shift Spell and quickly arrived within the Dragon''s Chamber¡
There, they saw the two Time Maniptors bound by the Draconic Pressure!
Kyle didn''t even bother extracting them, as he could always to do once they were caught by his Spell!
"Why are you here¡ªNo, you can exin things to meter¡" Kyle said as he activated one of his Spell Models, ve Mark!
It was one of his Spirit Arts that could enve even the most willful of beings.
"You!" Jin and Darious''s eyes widened as they realized what kind of Spell they were facing right now!
The air around Kyle remained calm but the minds of the two became chaotic as they tried to defend against such a terrifying Mind Spell!
"You can''t do this to us!" Darius shouted as he mustered all of his strength!
Chapter 794 For Vengeance
Chapter 794 For Vengeance
The two Time Maniptors did their best in order to free themselves from Kyle''s terrifying Mind Spell.
However, they were bound by the two Dragons and they could only rely on their natural defense to mind magic as Time Maniptors!
They could not muster all their strength to protect themselves.
The Time Maniptors felt a sudden chill as the dark strands wrapped around them. To be exact, it seemed to be blocking their vision!
They knew that this darkness was aiming for their minds!
"Ahhh!"
They struggled against the encroaching ''darkness'', their temporal powers red once again in an attempt to break free!
However, Kyle''s ve Mark Spell had already seared into the very essence of the Time Maniptors. A brand of ownership that transcended physical marks¡ªit bound their wills, their magic, to Kyle''smand!
The deed was done.
Kyle stood back, observing his new acquisitions with a sense of satisfaction. The Time Maniptors, now bound to his will, would be valuable pawns in his next battle against the Demon Lord and Halvor, the Eminence of the Sea!
***
In the southern region of the continent, Halvor, the Eminence of the Sea, and Bael, the Demon Lord, stood on a cliff overlooking the turbulent waters, far from the reach of Kyle''s castle.
The sea air was thick with the scent of saltwater and the promise of storms.
"Are you certain the Time Maniptors have breached the Shadow Immortal''s defenses?" Halvor''s voice was like the deep rumble of the ocean.
Bael nodded, his avatar form flickering with a shadowy aura. "Indeed. They exploited my distraction to infiltrate the castle. They seemed to be searching for something¡"
Halvor''s gaze turned toward the horizon, where the sky met the sea in an endless expanse. "So they''re also involved¡ Retreat is wise for now. But tell me, you haven''t abandoned our n to dethrone the Shadow Immortal?"
"Never," Bael assured, his eyes burning with a dark fire. "I must return to the Abyss Realm to regain my full strength and change a few things with this Avatar... Once I do, together, we shall be an unstoppable force against the Shadow Immortal."
With their n set, Bael vanished into the depths, leaving Halvor to contemte his next move.
The Eminence of the Sea, after some thought, decided to blend into the mortal world while waiting for the Demon Lord.
He nned to bide his time in a bustling city where he could pass unnoticed among the masses.
However, unbeknownst to Halvor, Kyle was still able to sense his unique presence¡ Kyle was also a bit curious as to how he was able to sense Halvor but it seemed to be rted to three items of the Paragons in his possession.
With a cunning smile, Kyle summoned the two Time Maniptors he had recently enved.
"Let''s track down the Eminence of the Sea¡" hemanded, his voice echoing with power. "Use your mastery over time to block his escape path while I eliminate him..." Kyle said with confidence¡
The Time Maniptors, bound by the ve Mark Spell, could not refuse. They set out with him, their temporal senses attuned to the residual energies left by Halvor''s presence¡
Orden and Ryzoir didn''t stop Kyle at all, as they knew that with the help of the two Time Maniptors, there wouldn''t be anyone in this realm who could stop him¡
Meanwhile, in the city, Halvor walked among the people, his divine aura was now concealed.
He observed the ebb and flow of life around him, all the while unaware of the hunters on his trail.
***
Meanwhile, after Kyle and the two Maniptors left the castle, a fiery figure of a woman arrived not too far from his castle.
It was Lesley, the enigmatic Dark Magician who had harnessed the formidable power of theDeath God.
She silently arrived in the vicinity ofKyle''s castle, and she was met with an unsettling sight.
The once turbulent skies had cleared, devoid of the dark clouds that had heralded the sh of immense powers. The aura of potent energies that had permeated the air had also dissipated, leaving behind an eerie calm that belied the recent tumultuous events.
''So the battle is over? Did he lose from the Demon Lord?''
She was unsure.
Surveying the castle from a distance,Lesley''s keen eyes discerned that the shadowy presence ofKyle, the elusiveShadow Immortal, was conspicuously absent.
''Was he taken by the Demon Lord to the Abyss Realm?'' She mused for a moment before she decided to do a wider range of searches¡
Soon, through the dead spirits around, she realized that Kyle had just left.
A sense of intrigue and curiosity stirred within her as she pondered the implications ofKyle''s abrupt departure¡
Determined to unravel the mysteries that surroundedKyle''s sudden absence and the enigmatic events that had transpired,Lesleycalled upon a special Spirit through a dark and ancient ritual, seeking guidance and insight into the unfolding events.
It was a being simr to Mennena. However, instead of living in the mirrors, this being lives in the smoke¡
From Lesley''s incense, the ethereal presence of the Spirit manifested before her, its form shrouded in mist and shadows, soon, this Spirit found Kyle''s traces and showed the path leading to Kyle.
"Alright¡ I''ming for you¡" Lesley thought as she nned to take revenge on Kyle!
Following the Spirit''s guidance,Lesleyembarked on a quest to track downKyle, her steps guided by an otherworldly intuition that led her toward ahuge citynestled in thesouthern continent.
"You can''t be defeated by the Demon Lord yet¡ I''m the one ending your life¡" Lesley thought as she moved.
As she traversed ruggedndscapes and treacherous terrain, the whispers of the Spirit echoed in her mind, urging her onwards towards the city.
Finally, her journey culminated in a fateful encounter as she caught sight ofKyle''s unmistakable figure, his ominous presence casting a dark shadow over the unsuspecting city¡
However, she didn''t expect the presence of another deity!
Chapter 795 Extract
Chapter 795 Extract
Lesley, cloaked in the Death God''s dark veil, observed Kyle and his entourage from the shadows.
Her initial impulse was to leap into battle, to confront Kyle with the ferocity of her newfound powers. She wanted to exact vengeance for the humiliation she had faced from him!
She wanted to show how she had changed in a short period and make this Shadow Immortal fear her!
Yet, she hesitated as she was about to do so¡
"What''s this?" She murmured.
A peculiar sensation tugged at her senses. It was a trace of Divinity that resonated with the Death God''s sight that was bestowed upon her.
Although she didn''t fully obtain the Death God''s eyes, she could still use a part of its power and see the traces of Divinity around.
She did not recognize the name Halvor, nor could she fathom the nature of the concealed deity. But the eyes of the Death God pierced through veils unseen by mortals, revealing the divine essence hidden within the man who walked among the city''s popce, disguised as an ordinary human.
Lesley immediately realized what was going on. The Shadow Immortal was hunting the Immortal!
"Will they sh in thisrge crowd?" Lesley pondered, her curiosity piqued.
If they really fought here, there were numerous innocent lives that would be taken. She didn''t mind since they weren''t from the Dark Arts Faction, but she was curious about what Kyle would do in this situation.
''If they''re going to fight¡ Then that''s good for me.'' Lesley thought for a moment.
She actually doesn''t have the confidence to kill the Shadow Immortal yet. At most, she nned to injure him and retreat immediately with the new Spells she had obtained.
It would be considered a victory for her already.
''I guess I might even kill the Shadow Immortal if I do this well¡'' Lesley thought as she used the power of the Death God to conceal her presence even more.
For now, she decided to bide her time, to watch and wait.
The unfolding drama was moreplex than a mere skirmish, and she sensed that the stakes were higher than she had anticipated.
Silent as a wraith, Lesley trailed Kyle and his twopanions.
They moved with purpose, and as they did, Lesley was even more confident in saying that they were really following the concealed Immortal and nning to eliminate him.
Furthermore, she also realized that Kyle''spanions were not simple.
''They''re strange¡''
Their senses were definitely attuned to the traces of Divinity. Of course, it was except for her since she knew that her presence went unnoticed, her form blended seamlessly with the night.
However, she couldn''t help but feel that there was something more to Kyle''spanions. They may not possess Divinity, but they certainly possess strange powers.
''Whatever¡ I''ll see once they start fighting.''
As Kyle''s group navigated the city''sbyrinthine streets while following the concealed Immortal, Lesley''s mind raced with possibilities.
What could draw such beings together in this ce? How did he offend the Shadow Immortal?
Nheless, the man they pursued, Halvor, moved with ease.
His aura, though shrouded, could be easily seen through Lesley''s enhanced vision. She could see the threads of time and destiny weaving around him¡ It was part of the mysterious powers bestowed by the Death God''s Eyes¡
***
Halvor, the Eminence of the Sea, had just set his sights on the pleasures of a brothel, eager to indulge in the mortal delights, when the air around him grew tense.
The fabric of time itself seemed to ripple and distort as the two Time Maniptors at Kyle''s side invoked a potent temporal incantation.
"Hmm? Is this a Time Spell?" Halvor mused.
The disturbance did not go unnoticed by Halvor.
A smirk yed upon his lips, his confidence unshaken. He had faced countless foes across the eons; what were two mere Maniptors to him?
But as he prepared to unleash his divine might, a new, chilling presence crept into his awareness¡ªthe Shadow Immortal, Kyle.
''They''re together?'' Halvor''s eyes widened as he looked at the two Time Maniptors with a strange brand in their soul!
''An envement spell!''
In that moment, Halvor''s confidence wavered.
Thebined threat of the Time Maniptors and the Shadow Immortal was more than he had anticipated.
Perhaps a duel between him and the Shadow Immortal was still not that bad. However, with the help of the Time Maniptors, he knew that it would just drain his energy and lose eventually.
With a surge of urgency, he turned to flee, seeking the safety of the sea''s embrace.
''I need to escape or at least bring the battle in the sea¡'' Halvor thought as he knew his advantage very well.
Luckily, the sea wasn''t too far. That was the reason he chose this city in the first ce.
As he triggered his Water Escape Spell, a movement technique that would make his body turn into water to escape, something unexpected happened.
Kyle moved quicker!
With a flick of his wrist, ethereal chains materialized from the aether, the Astral Chains, shimmering with malevolent energy.
They wrapped around Halvor, binding him with an otherworldly force that even his divine power struggled to resist.
Of course, this was a spell from a Dimensional Creature that could travel through the universe! It would not be easy to remove it! Halvor may have a chance to escape, but that would take some time!
However, Kyle only needed a few moments!
Halvor roared, a sound that echoed through the streets; however, the people didn''t notice it as if they were in a different dimension!
"Shadow Immortal! I curse you!" Halvor shouted as he poured all of his might to destroy the chains!
nk! nk! nk!
He fought against the chains, his form flickering with the intensity of a storm at sea!
Kyle didn''t care about this as he stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with dark purpose.
He triggered another Spell from his collection of Demonic Arts!
It was the Corruption Curse!
This time, Kyle wanted to ensure that he''d get to extract this being!
Chapter 796 Curse
Chapter 796 Curse
The Corruption Curse of the Demon Saint took hold, seeping into Halvor''s being, corrupting the waters of life that flowed within him!
The Eminence of the Sea writhed under the curse''s grasp, his divine aura dimming as the corruption spread.
He had certainly not expected that Kyle would possess Corrupted Divinity. It was something a Human Immortal should not possess in the first ce!
Well, perhaps, if his previous Avatar even had a tiny bit of soul that managed to return to his main body, he would know some of the Shadow Immortal''s abilities! However, his first Avatar was fully decimated and was unable to bring back any information that he might''ve needed!
"How could you?!" Halvor''s eyes widened as he realized that getting the ocean''s unlimited energy would be difficult for him!
The curse was too strong!
It was a sight that would have struck fear into the hearts of gods and men alike.
Yet, amidst the chaos, Lesley watched from the shadows, her breath caught between anticipation and dread. The Death God''s eyes allowed her to see the battle unfold in all its terrifying glory¡
"Mhmm¡ That Corruption Curse is nothing to me. That Immortal is too weak." Lesleymented as she saw how Halvor struggled after seeing him get hit by the curse.
***
"I will not die like this!"
The Eminence of the Sea felt the Corruption Curse searing through him, but he hadn''t given up yet! It was a vile chain that sought to shackle his divine essence, but it wouldn''t be easy¡
With a roar that could split the heavens, he mustered his dwindling strength, calling upon the ancient rite of Ocean''s Veil¡ªa sacred movement spell known only to the deities of the deep.
Ocean''s Veil worked by bending the very essence of water around the caster, creating a fluid portal that could traverse vast distances in mere moments.
It was a spell that required not only immense power but also a piece of the caster''s soul force as a sacrifice.
Halvor, with his connection to the seas, was one of the few who could wield it without sumbing to its toll.
As the Astral Chains tightened, Halvor unleashed Ocean''s Veil.
The air shimmered with the power of the ocean, and a gateway of swirling sea mist enveloped him. With a surge of will, he stepped through the portal, his form dissolving into a cascade of saltwater droplets that sped towards the ocean.
Kyle nced at his two Time Maniptors as if asking them why they failed to stop that¡
Jin could only try to exin what had happened.
"The Temporal Energy has a limit¡ Halvor released a stronger force¡ª"
"Fine¡" Kyle said, interrupting his exnation. He needed to focus and chase the Eminence of the Sea. If Halvor really worked together with the Demon Lord, he might really be in trouble!
It would be better to eliminate them before they could work together!
Kyle, sensing his target slipping away, enacted his Presence Shift.
In a split second, space folded around him, a distortion that defied thews of physics, and he materialized precisely near the fleeing deity!
Halvor barely noticed Kyle''s presence¡ He was too focused on getting into the water and recover his strength!
However, Kyle wouldn''t let that happen so easily!
Kyle, who had been a silent specter up until now, revealed his true might. His hand transformed into the dreaded Void w, a skill that came from the Dimensional Creature!
With a swipe that tore through the fabric of reality, he struck Halvor with a force that could rend souls asunder!
Boom!
The impact was cataclysmic.
Halvor''s divine form bowed under the assault, a grievous wound marring his celestial flesh!
The ocean roared in response, its waves echoing the pain of its master.
But Halvor was not yet defeated. As he reached the ocean''s edge, his essence began to knit itself back together, the waters responding to their lord''s call.
The sea surged with healing power, its currents wrapping around him in a cocoon of regenerative energy!
Kyle floated above the ocean, their eyes fixed on the churning waters.
Halvor was definitely injured, but the battle was far from over. The ocean itself seemed to rise in defense of its ruler, and they knew that to engage Halvor within his domain would be madness.
Above them, the sky darkened, and thunder rolled¡ªa prelude to the storm that was toe!
"Come at me now! Shadow Immortal!" Halvor taunted.
"Yes! I''ming!" Kyle replied with a hint of a smile on his face¡ He was not worried at all!
This had obviously rmed the Eminence of the Sea!
The waters of the ocean, once a source of unlimited strength for Halvor, now became the stage for his most perilous ordeal.
Kyle, the Shadow Immortal, emerged from the void of his teleportation¡ It was another Presence Shift and he appeared very close to Halvor!
He appeared before the recovering deity, his hand reaching out to touch Halvor''s shoulder¡
It seemed harmless and since Halvor wanted to tell that he was the mightiest in the ocean, he allowed Kyle to do so¡ He wanted to show how strong he was in the ocean!
He knew that even if Kyle decided to tear his body apart, the ocean would bring him back to full health!
There was nothing to worry about¡ or that was what he believed.
"Shadow Immortal, I will allow you to be my second in---"
Confusion marred Halvor''s visage, his divine senses detecting no immediate threat. However, before he finished his words, he felt something off from how he was being looked at.
Within the sanctity of his aquatic realm, he felt invincible¡ Yet, as Kyle''s voice sliced through the air, cold and devoid of emotion, a single word shattered Halvor''scency.
"Extract."
The order possessed a strength that went against its simple essence!
Halvor''s eyes widened in horror as he felt an unseen forcetch onto his very being. It was as if the ocean itself had turned traitor!
Chapter 797 Captured
Chapter 797 Captured
Halvor then felt the power of the ocean leaving his body!
It wasn''t something that would normally happen unless he used Arcane Spells!
"Life Drain?! No, Is this the Divine Extraction?!"
Halvor felt extremely anxious¡ It was as if a vortex that drew in Halvor''s power appeared! His meticulously crafted Spell Models, the essence of his soul, his Divinity¡ªeverything that constituted his Immortal identity was being taken away from him!
He felt the sea''s protection on him disappearing slowly as if they no longer found him as their deity that they had to serve!
"Nooooo!"
The cry was torn from Halvor''s lips, a sound of anguish that resonated with the depths of the ocean. His form began to wane, the vibrant glow of his aura dimming with each passing second as Kyle''s Divine Extraction System continued to drain everything from him.
In the meantime, Kyle was getting excited, seeing how much he had obtained from the Eminence of the Sea!
[ Living Immortal has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Strength +0.5, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Evolved Spell Light ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Tidal Surge Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Leviathan''s Roar Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Tempest Torrent?Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Complete Siren''s Lament Spell Model ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Agility +0.5, Water Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Agility +0.5, Water Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Agility +0.5, Water Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Sessful. Divinity +5, Vitality +0.5, Memory Fragment ]
¡
¡
¡
[ Extraction Failed ]
Kyle couldn''t help but feel ted after he received so much Strength and Agility Points¡ He was truly reaching his limit...
Nheless, with a final act of obliteration, Kyle shattered the weakened soul of Halvor, ensuring that the deity''s return would be barred for centuries.
The four Immortals he had enved had taught him about the soul''s unique properties. It had a very slow path to recovery, unlike the Divinity of the Immortals. And so, with a silentmand, the essence of the Sea Lord dissipated into the void.
Yet, there was no triumph in Kyle''s eyes, no rejoicing at his victory.
His gaze turned sharply to where Lesley, the Dark Magician, had concealed herself¡
She had been a silent observer all this while, contemting the opportune moment to strike. Kyle actually didn''t know that Lesley was following her until a few moments ago.
It was when he showed an opening meant to bait Halvor. At that time, Lesley hesitated¡ªa moment''s uncertainty that betrayed her presence.
''Mhmm?''
Realizing she had been discovered, Lesley did not flee.
Instead, she summoned the formidable Eternal Doom Gaze, one of the strongest Spells of the Death God!
Her eyes glowed with a baleful light that seemed to be capable of obliterating anything in its path!
Kyle turned to face her, his expression unreadable.
''So it''s a stronger version of the Doom Gaze Spell that I extracted¡ Is this a Fusion Spell perhaps?'' Kyle mused as he protected himself by dodging Lesley''s line of sight¡
He used his Presence Shift and appeared at the shore about a hundred meters away from Lesley.
However, the Spell seemed to be capable of following Kyle''s movement¡
"You can never hide from this Spell! It will never end unless your soul is tainted by the Spell!" Lesley dered as she prepared to leave. Although her Spell was powerful, it could only injure Kyle and not kill him.
She was already satisfied that this would at least hurt the Shadow Immortal¡ After this, she nned to hide in the headquarters of the Dark Arts Faction, where all the Patriarchs were waiting for her.
Kyle didn''t care about what Lesley just said as he swiftly activated his Spell Dispersion¡
The Eternal Doom Gaze was still considered a Spell simr to his Doom Gaze Spell. It was one that could condemn its target to an endless void of despair and could damage his soul. However, it would only happen if he was hit!
Crash~
The Spell Dispersion destroyed a part of the Eternal Doom Gaze but it was not enough!
At this time, as Lesley thought that she was about to see Kyle in pain, her Spell suddenly vanished.
"This¡" Lesley''s eyes widened in disbelief as her formidable Spell dissipated into nothingness.
Then, she looked behind and realized that the two mysterious Arcanists helping Kyle had already appeared, and they were emitting a strange Arcane Aura!
They must''ve done something with her unstoppable Spell!
"Curse it... You''re safe for now, Kyle¡" Lesley hissed under her breath, realizing the odds were no longer in her favor. It was time to retreat.
With a swift incantation, she summoned the Shroud of Void Spirit, a spell she learned from the Death God. This Spell allowed her to slip into the realm of darkness, bing intangible and invisible to all but the most powerful beings.
Kyle, the Shadow Immortal might be capable of chasing her but she knew that he wouldn''t risk it.
The Spell worked by cloaking her essence in the very fabric of death, rendering her as elusive as a wisp of smoke in a gale. Kyle would surely be cautious as it might lead him to a trap.
Nheless, Kyle had no ns of chasing her¡
Drawing upon the power he had extracted from Halvor, he unleashed the Leviathan''s Roar.
Roooaaarr!
The spell, once the pride of the Eminence of the Sea, now served Kyle.
It manifested as a sonic boom that resonated with the primal fury of the ocean''s depths, a sound wave that could shatter the barriers between realms!
The roar tore through the Shroud of Void Spirit, its reverberations disrupting the shadowy veil around Lesley!
Then, as soon as Lesley emerged, Kyle didn''t hesitate and grabbed her neck!
Chapter 798 Defeated
Chapter 798 Defeated
??With Lesley''s neck firmly in his grasp, Kyle made a swift decision.
"I finally caught you¡" Kyle said as he felt relieved seeing Lesley in his hands.
Nheless, instead of proceeding with the extraction, he used a Spell to put him unconscious and carried her away to the fortified seclusion of his castle.
The air around them warped, and in a few blinks, with the help of his Presence Shift, they arrived in front of his castle¡
With another Presence Shift, they finally stood within the stone-cold walls of his sanctuary.
He even left his Time Maniptors and made them return with their own abilities.
The reason for his caution was twofold.
Firstly, the presence of the Dark Arts Families'' Patriarchs loomed on the horizon, their formidable auras was unmistakable. They were ancient and possessed malevolent magics that he didn''t want to deal with yet...
No matter what, he was still unaware of what Forbidden Magic they might use against him once they became desperate.
Kyle knew that engaging against the six Patriarchs would be unwise, especially after knowing that they were possessing Arcana.
''Right¡ I''m not scared¡ It''s called a tactical retreat.'' Kyle thought to himself
It was better to leave that ce since he had also just finished fighting Halvor and the Death God''s Blessed.
Secondly, an inexplicable unease gnawed at Kyle''s instincts¡ªa premonition of danger that emanated from within Lesley herself. His Danger Sense, a mystical intuition honed to Level 10 or Perfect Realm, screamed a silent warning against extracting her powers hastily.
Indeed, he didn''t want to extract Lesley yet and brought her here to his castle to get a "second opinion."
In the deepest chambers of his castle, Kyle called for Orden and Ryzoir, the Dragons whose wisdom and might have long served him.
"Examine her, I felt some danger a while when I nned to extract or drain her life¡" Kyle exined, his voice echoing off the ancient stones.
The Dragons didn''t question Kyle''smands as they were intrigued by what he said.
They couldn''t help but feel curious about what made Kyle so cautious and surrounded Lesley with their Draconic Sense¡
Whom~
Then, their eyes glowed with eldritch light as they probed her essence.
Beyond the blessing of the Deadly Sin Pride and the potent energies of the Death God, they found no other anomaly within her.
No traps, no curses¡ªnothing that could exin the disquiet in Kyle''s soul.
Well, unless there was a problem that might ur if he extracted someone blessed by two of such powerful beings.
The two Dragons informed Kyle of what they had noticed.
"So there shouldn''t be any danger from this, huh¡" Kyle muttered. Anyway, he already extracted the Death God before and the Deadly Sins as well. He didn''t have any trouble doing that.
So the Danger Sense probably detected the dangerous Spells or Curses he might extract from Lesley¡
Anyway, after being reassured by their findings, Kyle''s confidence surged.
He asked the two Dragons to watch over him just in case something thing happened.
As soon as he was ready, Kyle triggered his Divine Extraction System¡
"Extract..."
[ Living Immortal has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"So Lesley was already an Immortal?" Kyle was surprised as he thought that Lesley was only a Half-Immortal at least. He didn''t expect that she had already reached such a level. She even surpassed the Overseer and the Patriarchs. Perhaps she onlycks experience and better set of Fusion Spells and Celestial Arts!
Shane shook her head at this, but he didn''t stop his ns.
After taking a deep breath, he answered the notification.
"Yes!"
As soon as he activated his Divine Extraction System, the chamber was filled with the hum of arcane energies¡
Lesley, who had been lying unconscious, suddenly jolted awake.
Her eyes widened in horror as she felt her energies, her spell models, her very soul, being drawn out by an irresistible force.
"Nooooo!" she screamed, her voice a blend of rage and despair.
But Kyle remained focus.
His face was a mask of concentration and he ignored her cries. T
he extraction process continued, a maelstrom of power that he hadmanded countless times. But then, a shiver ran down his spine¡ªan omen that something was amiss.
His body began to seize, an icy grip clenching his muscles.
His Divinity, Corrupted Divinity, Essences, Spell Models, and Arcane Energy¡ªall that constituted his formidable arsenal¡ª
spiraled into chaos.
''What''s going on?!''
The ritual chamber, once under his absolute control, now felt like a foreign battlefield.
It was then that the dormant fragment of the Death God within Lesley stirred!
With augh that was both triumphant and chilling, the Death God announced his awakening.
"Hahaha! I''ve been waiting for this! Your body is mine!" The deity''s voice boomed, resonating with the power of eons.
The Death God''s essence surged through the connection forged by the Extraction, a reverse invasion that targeted Kyle''s own being.
It had been waiting for Kyle to extract Lesley all this time!
Kyle staggered, his struggle could be felt by the Dragons as he fought to maintain his sovereignty against the divine usurper.
The Dragons, Orden and Ryzoir, watched in dismay, their ancient wisdom rendered useless against this unforeseen threat.
Since the battlefield was within Kyle''s body, it would be difficult to help him!
They circled, frantic, their draconic aura was ineffective.
They could only call for others to help¡ They sent a message to Faith and Constance to immediately help Kyle if they could do so!
At this time, Kyle''s internal battle raged on. His Divinity shed with the invading presence, a war of gods within the confines of his physical form.
He could feel his consciousness waning, the edges of his vision blurring as the Death God''s influence expanded.
"I will not... sumb..." Kyle gasped, his voice barely a whisper as his knees buckled.
As he released his might, the shadows grew darker, the air colder, but the certainty of his dominion crumbled.
Kyle then heard the Dragons'' roars of frustration and fear, mingled with the Death God''sughter. It felt like a chaotic sound that heralded his fall, the Shadow Immortal.
As Kyle''s vision dimmed, thest thing he saw was the smug satisfaction in Lesley''s eyes¡ªa silent witness to his greatest defeat.
Chapter 799 Truly Defeated
Chapter 799 Truly Defeated
In the easternmost region of the continent, the capital of Luminara, a beacon of hope in the Kingdom of Solstice, was under siege.
After the Demons of the Abyss Realm failed miserably in the central region, their forces moved to this location¡ After the appearance of the Demon Lord''s aura, they all felt ecstatic and wanted to destroy this region immediately to reach the Demon Lord''s side.
However, after the aura of the Demon Lord disappeared, they just turned all their frustration to the people of this continent.
"My King! We should escape now!" The right hand man of the King suggested after seeing the number of Demons outside their city.
However, the King remained calm¡ He was still young at the age of 30 and he could still aplish plenty of things. He might be able to rebuild the kingdom once the disaster had passed.
Yet, he shook his head¡
"Without my people¡ There won''t be any kingdom to rule¡ I will stay here, Ronan." The King said. He had already decided about this for a long time.
Demonic Creatures swarmed the skies and streets, their numbers like a dark tide threatening to engulf the city.
Evi Entities, their forms twisted and malevolent, wreaked havoc, while the three Demon Saints, wielders of Corrupted Divinity, loomed over the battlefield, their power a blight upon thend.
The Arcanists and Soldiers of Luminara fought with valor, their des and spells coordinated to form a strong defiance.
The Elemental Arts Faction called forth firestorms and blizzards, the Holy Arts Faction summoned divine light to purify, the Mystic Arts Faction wove illusions to confound, and the Combat Arts Faction engaged in brutal melee with unyielding ferocity.
Yet, amidst the chaos and carnage, a figure of serene power stood atop the lone Arcane Tower of the Kingdom.
It was Constance, the Half-Immortal, the master of the Mystic Soul Tower, who was sent here by Kyle... Her eyes, reflecting the cosmos, gazed upon the struggling city with focus.
She raised her hands to the heavens, and with a voice that resonated in the sky, she invoked her strongest Celestial Art¡ªStarfall.
As a huge amount of her Divinity disappeared from her body, the sky answered her call.
Stars blinked into existence, streaking across the heavens before transforming into a cascade of meteors. Each one was a small harbinger of destruction, guided by Constance''s will, raining down upon the demonic invaders with unrelenting fury!
"Die¡" Constance muttered as she really hated these Demons.
Boom!
The impact was immediate and devastating. Demonic Creatures were obliterated by the celestial barrage, Evi Entities dissipated into the ether, and even the Demon Saints were forced to shield themselves from the onught.
The Arcanists of Luminara, witnessing the awe-inspiring disy, felt a surge of hope.
Constance''s beautiful visage, shining with the light of falling stars, became a symbol of their salvation. Her presence revitalized their spirits, and they rallied, their spells and swords renewed with vigor.
"Fight on, brave defenders of Solstice!" Constance''s voice echoed like a rion call.
With these words, the others followed¡
"For Luminara, for our people, we shall not falter!"
The battle raged on, but with Constance leading the charge, the tide began to turn. The Arcanists, inspired by her celestial might, pushed back against the darkness. The Soldiers, emboldened by her valor, stood their ground with their morale at its peak.
And as thest meteor from Constance''s Starfall struck down a Demon General, a cheer rose from the city¡ªa cheer that was both a cry of victory and a hymn of gratitude for their savior, Constance¡
This time, even if the three Demon Saints were still present, they knew that they had achieved victory¡
As expected, after seeing that Demonic Creatures, Evil Entities, and the Demon Generals died, the Demon Saints only looked at Constance and the group of Elite
Arcanists sent by neighboring nations before they retreated¡
The King of Solstice, his heart brimming with gratitude, extended an invitation to Constance, the savior of Luminara.
"I am willing to give anything you need as long as you stay in our kingdom and protect us¡ª"
He wished to bestow upon her a token of friendship, a symbol of the kingdom''s eternal thanks, in hopes of binding her to the Kingdom¡ He wanted to offer marriageter on but fate had other ns.
A message, urgent and dire, reached Constance through the mystical bond she shared with Orden.
Kyle''s castle was in peril. With a heavy heart, she turned to the King.
"I''m sorry... I have to leave now..." Her words were a whisper as she could not waste her time any longer.
Activating thetent power of Kyle''s Immortal blood within her, Constance felt a surge of energy that defied the limits of her Half-Immortal heritage.
The journey to the castle, a trek that would normally span two days, was reduced to a mere six hours under the might of her unleashed potential.
Upon arrival at the vicinity of the castle, Constance was met with an imposing sight.
The castle, once guarded by fiveyers of mystical barriers, now stood fortified behind fifteen.
"Isn''t this an overkill? Just what kind of opponent entered the castle this time¡" Constance mused.
It was a fortress within a fortress, a testament to the gravity of the situation within.
Luckily, she possessed an artifact that Kyle had made himself, allowing her to slip past theyered defenses as if they were mere veils of mist.
As she stepped onto the castle grounds, the auras of those gathered outside washed over her.
Kyle''s ves, his friends, andpanions who were normally outside the castle doing missions had all gathered here.
She immediately felt nervous¡
Chad, the half-dragon, stood vignt at the gates of the castle.
She wanted to ask what was going on, but Constance''s questions died on her lips as Orden''s call beckoned her to the Dragon''s Chamber.
It didn''t take long before she entered, and as soon as she did, she felt the chilling air seeping through her bones¡
"W-what''s going on?!"
As Constance entered the hallowed Dragon''s Chamber, a room pulsating with draconic energies, her eyes saw a sight of profound significance.
There, encased within a crystalline prison of shimmering ice,y Kyle like a dead body!
Chapter 800 Solution
Chapter 800 Solution
"Kyle?"
Constance approached, her eyes tracing the intricate patterns of frost that veiled Kyle''s form. The air was thick with magic, and divinity was intertwined to contain the cmity that had befallen their friend.
''What happened here?'' Constance thought as she observed Kyle''s situation. However, after not being able to find the reason why, she immediately looked for someone who could answer.
It was the two dragons.
"Orden, what''s going on here?" Constance''s voice was a blend of concern andmand.
The Dragon''s reply was a mournful rumble.
"I also can''t tell exactly. However, it was a serious matter. The Death God... We believe he has imed our master. We fought, but our efforts were in vain¡ Kyle instructed us to seal him before it was toote¡"
"What?"
Constance''s gaze hardened as she couldn''t believe that someone could also push Kyle to his limit... However, hearing that it was the Death God, it might really be possible¡
Nheless, she couldn''t ept this. The Mystic Soul Tower had taught her many secrets, and she would not stand idly by while arade was in peril.
She asked several more questions as by the crystal, the Death God, and Kyle''s instructions before he was sealed¡
However, they don''t seem to be that useful.
Nheless, Orden and Ryzoir turned their attention to someone who might be able to help.
It was the two figures with simr appearance with Kyle.
As the assembly''s attention shifted to Kyle''s Avatars, a hush fell over the group.
Kyle had created these two Avatars quite some time ago. They had conducted various missions all over the continent and had rushed here after Orden sent messages to them.
They possessed the Kyle''s memories butcked the full scope of his divine powers, unable to perform the most extraordinary Celestial Arts exclusive to his true form.
"Avatars of Kyle¡ What is your perspective?" Constance inquired.
The gathering, which included Overseer Merlin, the Pontiff, Magnus, Denise, Faith, the Immortals, and others, waited with bated breath.
The Avatars, however, could only offer a resigned shake of their heads. The fate of Kyle''s true body was uncertain to them.
Nevertheless, they remained optimistic that this tribtion would be ovee.
The main body was not yet lost; the seal merely prevented the Death God from iming Kyle entirely. The solution, they proposed, was to seek a means to vanquish the Death God.
"With the Time Maniptors aiding us¡ I think that we will have a decent chance of eliminating the Death God''s Spirit from iming his body¡" One of the Avatars said.
"For now¡ I think we should focus in closing all the Rifts¡ Strengthen the Will of the Realm to ensure that no more demons or other realms would try to take advantage of ournd." The other said.
***
With Kyle''s fate momentarily out of their hands, the assembly turned their focus to the pressing threat of the Abyssal Rifts.
The Avatars of Kyle, though limited in their divine capabilities, were resolute in their mission.
"We have to eliminate all the threats so we can focus on helping the main body to recover¡"
"Very well¡"
Assisted by the Time Maniptors, Jin and Giorgi, they embarked on a continent-wide campaign to seal all the Rifts made by the Abyss Realm''s Demon Lord.
Jin and Giorgi, masters of temporal arts, wove intricate spells that bent the fabric of time, allowing them to reach the Rifts with haste.
At each site, the Avatars channeled Kyle''s residual divinity, their hands glowing with celestial energy as they repaired the tears in reality...
Of course, Jin and Giorgi s also had a huge part on this as they made sure to make the fabric of space movable by their Divinity.
The Rifts, which had spewed forth legions of demons, began to close, one by one, their dark energies dissipating into the ether.
"One down¡ ording to the report of the Arcane Bureau. There were about 30 of them remaining." One of the Avatars said.
"I guess this will be a very long day¡"
"Don''t worry¡ We don''t have to remove all the Rifts in a single day.
Meanwhile, the Four Immortals who had been enved by Kyle
¡ªscoured the continent for the remaining demons. The moved alone and hunted as many demons as they could.
Their presence was a storm of retribution against the invaders.
In the valleys, upon the mountains, and across the ins, they shed with the demonic forces.
The Immortals seemed to unleash their fury against the demons.
Their battles were destructive in scale¡
As soon as they found a gathering of Demons, they would unleash powerful spells, each blow would decimate hundreds of Demons at once!
The earth shook, the skies roared, and the seas stormed as they unleashed their might.
Demons fell before them, their essence extinguished by the Immortals'' unrestrained Celestial Arts¡
In the north, the Immortal known asAurionfaced a horde of Shadow Beasts, a specific type of Demonic Creature...
His sword, alight with the purest me, cut through the darkness, each swing leaving trails of fire that consumed his foes.
To the east,Micah, a weaver of enchantments, battled a cabal of Abyssal Sorcerers, a type of Evil Entities. Her Celestial Arts focused in the element of lightt that works really well against the Evil Entities¡
In the dense forests of the south,Thane, the Immortal Beastmaster, called upon the creatures of the wild. Together, they descended upon the demon invaders, a coalition of fangs and ws. Thane himself transformed, his form shifting into that of a great wolf, leading the charge as he and his pack tore through the demonic ranks.
And in the western deserts,Zarall, seemed to be the real Thunder Emperor as he summoned a tempest that engulfed the Legion of Bone. Lightning arced from his fingertips, shattering the skeletal warriors to dust. The winds howled at hismand, sand and air bing des that sliced through the legion as easily as through the dunes.
Just the four of them managed to eliminate almost all of the remaining Demons in the continent in less than 72 hours!
Chapter 801 Waited
Chapter 801 Waited
??As the Rift was sealed and the final demon vanquished, the continent had finally regained its peace¡ The threat of the Abyss Realm was quelled, and though the war had taken its toll, the resilience of the realm''s defenders shone brightly in the aftermath.
The Avatars of Kyle, Jin, Giorgi, and the Four Immortals had turned the tide, their deeds destined to be legends in the annals of their world¡
Nheless, though the battle was won, the Will of the Realm hasn''t recovered yet. So those at the top knew that another invasion might happen unless the Will of the Realm could recover and continue to protect the Human Realm.
***
Odessa, the Royal Mage of Millton, sat contemtively in her smoothly rolling carriage, her thoughts were upied by the things she had to do at her destination¡
The eastern forest that led to the Ruri Kingdom was a verdant expanse¡ or that was what it was before.
However, a huge part of it had been decimated because of the recent Demon Invasion¡ However, as he got closer and closer to her destination, she realized that the greenery was getting thicker and thicker¡ It seemed that this area had been protected over the several months of demon invasion.
Soon, she watched as the foliage gave way to the asional clearing where towns bustled with life, their inhabitants unaware of the powerful mage passing by.
Whooomm~
Above, an airship cut a sleek silhouette against the sky, its shadow grazing the treetops as it sailed towards destinations unknown.
''It''s the fifth airship now¡ I guess we''re getting closer now¡'' She mused.
The airship was a symbol of progress¡ and in this area, there was only one authority that could gather airships¡
"I hope I can meet you once again, Vale Chambers¡" Odessa muttered as she had already learned the truth about the Shadow Immortal''s identity. She easily guessed that it was Vale Chambers who had killed one of the Evil Entities at a critical time in the Roaring Summit.
Anyway, the journey to the Shadow Immortal''s castle was a pilgrimage of sorts, a necessary venture to express gratitude for the aid rendered during the dark days of the Demon Invasion.
It had been six months since the Rift was sealed, six months since peace had been wrested back from the brink of chaos. Well, she had only managed to allot some time to visit Vale Chambers because of the disaster in their kingdom. Tens of thousands of lives were taken¡ Over five thousand of them were precious Arcanists serving their kingdom. She couldn''t leave the capital in such dire straits.
She had to ensure the safety of the Royal Family¡ To be exact, the King didn''t want to let her leave the Kingdom as he was too afraid to get assassinated by the enemies.
Anyway, upon arrival at the castle''s vicinity, Odessa''s carriage bore the insignia of Millton Kingdom¡ªa sigil thatmanded respect and granted passage.
The half-human half-dragon warrior who greeted her at the gates nodded with a mixture of reverence and curiosity, allowing her entry without question.
''Do I know that person?'' She mused as she couldn''t recall the man''s name, but he seemed familiar¡
However, she still shook her head as she knew that she had not been acquainted with any Half-Dragons, even in her younger days when she was still working as an Arcanist for a Guild.
Where would she even meet them?
Anyway, she continued on her way to the castle together with one of her brightest disciples, Princess Ceres. She had been silent for a while now as she really felt nervous meeting Vale Chambers¡
The first time she met the Immortal, Ceres didn''t recognize him since Vale was using some sort of spell or item to hide his face. However, after the Shadow Immortal''s identity was revealed, she immediately recalled her bad impression and wanted to mend it in today''s meeting.
Huuu~
Ceres then took a deep breath as she prepared herself to meet the Immortal.
However, as she looked around the reception hall, she was stunned. The hall was a grand chamber, its walls echoing with the low murmur of conversations and the rustle of robes.
There were delegates from various countries mingled with representatives of arcane organizations, factions, and church organizations. They were a diverse crowd, united by amon purpose¡ªto meet the enigmatic Shadow Immortal.
Odessa noted the weariness in some of their eyes, and the patient determination in others.
After listening to their conversation, she realized that some had been waiting for weeks, their missions of diplomacy or plea for aid on hold.
Others had been there for months, their presence a testament to the Shadow Immortal''s importance in the intricate web of power and politics.
"Wow¡ I didn''t think it was thisplicated."
As Odessa took her ce among them, she felt the weight of her own mission.
She was here not just as a mage, but as an emissary of Millton Kingdom, carrying the hopes of her people and the gratitude of her king.
The Shadow Immortal''s assistance had been crucial, and now, it was time to honor that debt.
The air was thick with anticipation, each delegate eager for an audience, each hoping that today would be the day the Shadow Immortal would emerge.
And as they waited, the people gathered within the hall grew¡
***
Five days had passed in the reception hall with little change, and the air was filled with tension from waiting.
At this time, delegates had already whispered amongst themselves, specting on the absence of the Shadow Immortal...
As some of them were already considering leaving, the grand doors swung open with a resounding echo that silenced the room.
nk! nk!
All eyes turned to the entrance as two figures stepped into the hall.
A man and woman, both in their fifties, walked with an aura of majesty thatmanded the attention of every person present.
However, what was shocking about them was that their presence was suffused with the unmistakable power of dragons!
Chapter 802 Years
Chapter 802 Years
??''Dragons!''
Everyone immediately thought as they felt the unmistakable aura they were exuding. They weren''t ignorant and knew that the Shadow Immortal had previously assisted the King of Ruri Kingdom by summoning one of his Dragons.
Because of that, they were already aware of their existence. Some of them had even benefited from the scales that he had sold before.
The delegates remained silent, but they slightly bowed with respect to these two ancient and mystical creatures in human form.
They then watched as the pair moved with a grace that belied their human forms.
The man''s eyes held the depth of the purple storm, a purple so intense it seemed to swirl lightning¡
The woman''s gaze was like the flicker of the fiercest me, a red hue that spoke of wisdom and war.
They halted at the center of the hall, and the man spoke, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated through the air.
"We are Orden and Ryzoir," he announced, and the name didn''t ring a bell. It was their first time hearing such names.
The woman, Ryzoir, continued, "We stand before you as emissaries of the Shadow Immortal, guardians of his legacy and bearers of his will."
A collective gasp rose from the delegates.
They felt that there was something off about this since they believed that the Shadow Immortal had no reason not to meet them.
Whispers spread within the hall as they were curious about what message was brought to them.
Orden''s gaze swept over the crowd, and he raised a hand for silence.
"The Shadow Immortal has long watched over this realm, he had protectedthis realm from many disasters that could end an uncountable number of lives¡ If you seek to express your gratitude, there are offerings that would honor his vigil."
Susan, a delegate from the Elemental Arts Faction and having previously seen Vale in the Twelve Academies Competition, stepped forward, her robes shimmering with a light like the dawn.
"Tell us, Sirs, what offerings would befit such a guardian?"
Ryzoir, her eyes alight with an inner me, replied, "The Shadow Immortal values the rare and the powerful. Essences of the Elemental nes, Artifacts steeped in ancient magics, Tomes of forgotten lore¡ªthese are the treasures that would please him."
A murmur rippled through the crowd as the delegates considered her words. A representative from the Holy Arts Faction, Princess Ceres, her aura radiant with a soft glow, raised a question.
"And how shall we present these offerings?"
Orden''s gaze swept over the assembly¡ "Once you have gathered these items, the Avatars of the Shadow Immortal will seek you out. They will know of your intentions, for the will of the Immortal is vast and far-reaching."
This confused many of them, but in fact, they were simply marked by the Divine Sense¡ Furthermore, Jin and Giorgi, who were hidden somewhere in the room, also ced their marks on each of them.
Clyde, a delegate from the Mystic Arts Faction, cloaked in ck but was wearing a red frock coatand red trousers, spoke up.
"And what of the Shadow Immortal himself? Will he not grace us with his presence?"
Ryzoir''s expression was one of solemnity.
"The Shadow Immortal''s tasks are many, and his battles are fought in realms beyond your ken. Trust that his Avatars act with his full authority and blessing."
The delegates nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.
The Church organizations, their faith unshaken, began to discuss amongst themselves the sacred relics they could offer. The arcane organizations debated the merits of their enchanted items, while the factions considered the powerful spells and incantations at their disposal.
As the meeting adjourned, the hall was filled with activity since everyone here sort of knew each other. It was also a time for them to expand theirwork.
Anyway, each delegate knew that the task ahead was monumental, but the opportunity to forge a bond with the Shadow Immortal was worth any effort.
And so, they dispersed, each to their own corner of the continent, to gather offerings worthy of a guardian whose shadow had long protected them from the evil¡
***
Four years had quickly passed after the Abyss Realm Invasion was quelled.
Aubrey Hall, who once shared notes and theories with her ssmate Vale in the ssrooms of Vermont Academy, checked her current uniform as it was her first day on her job.
Aubrey had be a Paranormal Investigator who covered a small county.
On a crisp autumn evening, Aubrey found herself standing before the infamous Wraithwood Manor, a house as old as the town''s history and twice as enigmatic.
Her clients, the current residents, were a couple who had sought the tranquility of the countryside but found themselves in a flurry of inexplicable urrences.
Mr. and Mrs. Donnelly greeted Aubrey with a mix of relief and trepidation.
"Ms. Hall," Mr. Donnelly began, his voice tinged with unease, "we''ve heard of your expertise. The things we''ve experienced here... they''re beyond our understanding."
Mrs. Donnelly nodded, clutching her husband''s hand. "Objects moving on their own, chilling whispers at night, and... our daughter, she speaks to someone she calls ''The Lady of the House,'' but there''s no one there."
Aubrey listened intently, her eyes scanning the manor''s facade. "I''ll do everything I can to uncover the truth behind these urrences," she assured them.
As she stepped into Wraithwood Manor, the air grew colder, the silence of the house punctuated by the creak of old wood. Aubrey''s tools¡ªa tape recorder, EMF meter, and a crystal camera modified to capture spectral images¡ªwere at the ready.
The investigation led her through dustden rooms and corridors where the past seemed to cling to the wallpaper.
In the library, books would asionally tumble from shelves without cause. The dining hall was home to the faint sound of clinking silverware, as if a ghostly banquet were in eternal recess.
''It''s not a Vengeful Spirit¡ Is it just a normal ghost?'' She mused as she continued looking.
It was in the upper chambers, however, that Aubrey felt the strongest presence.
A room, untouched by time, held the essence of sadness and longing. Here, the whispers were clearer, forming words that tugged at Aubrey''s heart. "Find me," they implored¡
Chapter 803 News
Chapter 803 News
"So it''s here¡" Aubrey muttered as she took a deep breath. She wasn''t feeling scared, but she was feeling nervous since she had to ensure that she would capture the ghost and not scare it away or disperse it.
As Aubrey got closer to the voice, it suddenly disappeared and reappeared elsewhere. It was as if it was trying to y hide and sick with her¡
''Should I just use my spells---No, no¡ This is my first job. Also, if I used that, I would be aughing stock if someone learned about it! Ugh¡ I have to finish this using the method of a Paranormal Investigator! '' Aubrey thought¡
Furthermore, aside from dispersing the ghost, she also had other tasks as part of the process as a Paranormal Investigator. She wasn''t here as an Exorcist or as Dark Magician after all.
Hours turned into a night of vigil, where Aubrey''s equipment flickered with activity, capturing voices from the ether and images of ethereal figures.
By dawn, she had gathered enough evidence to piece together the story of Wraithwood Manor.
"The Lady of the House," Aubrey exined to the Donnellys, "was a woman who lived here a century ago. She awaits her husband''s return from war, not knowing he fell in battle. Your daughter''s innocence allows her to see what we cannot."
The couple looked at each other and wasn''t sure what to do with this information.
Mr. Donnelly approached Aubrey with a look of earnest concern.
"Ms. Hall, what should we do first? How do we begin to help her find peace?"
Aubrey turned to the couple, her expression one of gentle assurance.
"The Lady of the House has been waiting for a century, lost in her own sorrow. We need to create a ceremony that symbolizes her husband''s return from war, to let her know that her wait is over."
Mrs. Donnelly, moved by the story, nodded in agreement.
"What do you need us to do?"
"We''ll gather items that would have been significant to her¡ªa uniform simr to what her husband would have worn, a letter of love and return, and a photograph that represents their reunion," Aubrey exined.
"These tokens will act as anchors to help her spirit understand that it''s time to move on."
Aubrey exined¡ Perhaps, if a Necromancer came here, they wouldn''t bother to do such a ritual and take the ghost forcefully. However, as a Paranormal Investigator, this is one of the few things she learned and should be done to the lost spirits¡
The couple listened intently, hanging on every word.
"And the whispers, the cold... will they stop?" Mrs. Donnelly asked, hope flickering in her eyes.
Aubrey ced a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Yes, once she realizes that her husband''s spirit has been at rest, she too will find the peace she''s been longing for. The disturbances you''ve experienced are manifestations of her grief and her longing. By resolving her story, we''ll bring calm to the manor."
With Aubrey''s guidance, the Donnellys set about gathering the items needed for the ceremony. As they did, the house seemed to watch, the air tinged with an expectant stillness.
When all was prepared, Aubrey led a poignant ritual in the upper chamber.
She read the letter aloud, her voice echoing withpassion. The uniform wasid out neatly, and the photograph was ced in a frame beside it.
As the words of the letter reached the corners of the room, a soft glow filled the space.
The temperature rose gently, and the whispers ceased.
A sense ofpletion, of a story finally reaching its end, permeated the manor.
The Donnellys, standing hand in hand, could feel the change.
The weight of years lifted, and the house¡ªnow free of its spectral inhabitant¡ªfelt like a home once more.
Aubrey Hall had not only solved the mystery but had also healed a century-old wound. After receiving her payment, she packed her tools to leave¡
With the morning sun casting a warm glow over the horizon, she made her way back to the quaint inn that served as her temporary abode.¡ It was time to return to her inn¡
After a hearty breakfast and a much-needed hour of rest, she felt rejuvenated.
A quick wash refreshed her further, and soon she was boarding the train to therger town where her office awaited.
The journey was brief, a mere 20 minutes of scenic views passing by her window before she arrived. Stepping off the train, Aubrey made her way down Lantern Street, a cobblestone road lined with a charming array of shops and homes that exuded a weing atmosphere.
Her office, which also served as her house, was nestled among them¡ªa small two-story building with a sign that read
"Aubrey Hall: Paranormal Investigations."
She really liked this sign, and she couldn''t help but smile while reading it¡
The office was a reflection of Aubrey herself¡ªorganized, inviting, and filled with an air of mystery.
The ground floor served as her workspace, shelves lined with books on the supernatural, artifacts from past cases, and a desk cluttered with notes and research.
Upstairs was her private sanctuary, a cozy living space that offeredfort after long nights of ghostly encounters.
Upon entering, Aubrey noticed the newspaper that had been delivered to her doorstep. She carried it inside, curiosity piquing as she unfolded it to reveal the day''s headlines:
"Demon Possession: A Terrifying Ordeal in Eastwick"
"Smog Crisis: The Choking Reality of Our Cities"
"The Future is Bright: Breakthrough in Clean Coal Technology"
"Workers Rejoice: Minimum Wage Sees Historic Increase"
As she skimmed through the articles, her attention was suddenly captured by a headline that stood out from the rest:
"Mystic Soul Tower Opens Its Doors: Challenge Awaits in the Immortal''s Forest!"
Aubrey''s eyebrows raised in surprise. The Mystic Soul Tower, a ce of legend and trials, had always been remote and inessible to many Arcanists. But now, it was open to those daring enough to face its challenges, and it had been relocated to the Immortal''s Forest¡ªa ce she knew all too well because it was literally a ce where a living Immortal resided!
She read the news carefully and realized that even the age restriction was loosened¡ Anyone aged 30 and below could now enter!
''It''s not like I''m participating¡'' She thought to herself as she set aside the newspaper.
Chapter 804 Life Force
Chapter 804 Life Force
??The morning after her sessful case at Wraithwood Manor, Aubrey Hall awoke to the familiar chime of her rm, signaling the start of a new day.
After a quick breakfast at the small diner down Lantern Street, known for its hearty meals and robust coffee, she made her way to her office.
The diner owner, Mrs. Jenkins, always had a kind word and a fresh pot of coffee ready for her regrs, and Aubrey appreciated the warm start to her day.
''I guess it won''t be a busy day today¡'' Aubrey thought to herself.
Unfortunately, her office was a hub of activity, with Crystal Messages from potential clients, Spirit Messenger Summons needing responses, and case files to review.
Aubrey''s reputation had grown, and with it, the demand for her unique expertise. Well, this was mostly because she was part of the Hall Family¡
If not for their influence, she knew that she wouldn''t get contacted by potential clients this easily. Anyway, she just epted this as part of their love for her.
Her schedule for the week was quickly filled because of this.
"I just started, but I probably need a secretary soon¡" She muttered to herself. It felt quite exhausting but she was happy with her work.
The Holy Arts Faction was no longer bothering them, and the Demons were already defeated. Their continent had somewhat returned to normal over the past few years.
Anyway, she spent the morning hours poring over a case involving poltergeist activity in a nearby town, her notes meticulous and detailed.
Poltergeists weren''t a big deal, but the fact that the client was actually a Beastmaster who was worried about his beasts, made her want to resolve this case.
The morning quickly passed and it was soon time for lunch.
Well, it was a simple affair, often a sandwich from a nearby shop, eaten at her desk while she continued her work.
The afternoon was spent in the field, visiting a site reported to have unexined cold spots and disembodied voices.
Aubrey''s equipment, ever reliable, captured several voices and, of course, dark energy, adding to her growing collection of evidence.
''It''s just a case of a Dark Magician leaving his traces here¡ Did he summon something?'' Aubrey shook her head as she confirmed that there were three or more Dark Arcanists in this town who were most likely unlicensed by the Dark Arts Faction.
As the sun began its descent, painting the sky with hues of orange and purple, Aubrey returned to her office to organize her findings.
She was about to close up for the day when the door creaked open, and a figure stepped into the waning light of the office.
The man was tall, with a presence that filled the room.
His hair, once a vibrant chestnut, was now streaked with silver, and his eyes, a piercing shade of green, held a depth that spoke of knowledge and experience. He should still be young, but it seemed that something was eating up his soul.
''Mhmm? He looked familiar¡'' Aubrey thought to herself as she observed the man.
He wore a tailored suit that spoke of refined taste, but there was an edge to him that no clothing could conceal.
Aubrey''s eyes widened in recognition. "Wade¡ Wade Saxon?" she eximed, her voice a mix of surprise and disbelief.
"Senior¡ What are you doing here?"
Wade offered a wry smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
"Aubrey Hall, as I live and breathe. I must say, I never expected to seek the services of a former junior."
Aubrey was taken aback. Wade Saxon had been a prodigy, his prowess in the Dark Arts unmatched in her early years at the Academy.
To be exact, he was in his Sixth Year when she entered the Academy and he was the Vice President of the Spirit Crafter''s Club! Although she hadn''t heard much about him since she was also busy with her lessons, she knew from her Senior Club members that he was previously a participant in the Twelve Academies Competition.
To see him here, in her office, was thest thing she expected.
Wade''s expression grew serious.
"I didn''t graduate, Aubrey. I left the Academy after my seventh year. Life... had other ns for me."
"But your skills," Aubrey interjected, "you were exceptional. Whye to me?"
Wade sighed, a shadow crossing his features. "I may have learned a few Dark Spells, but what I''m facing now... it''s beyond me. It requires an expert Dark Arca--Paranormal Investigator, someone with your particr set of skills."
Aubrey nodded, understanding dawning on her. "Tell me everything, Wade. I''m here to help."
Wade Saxon leaned forward, his hands sped tightly as if to anchor himself to the reality of Aubrey''s office.
"It started subtly," he began, his voice a low whisper. "We''d wake up feeling drained, as though we hadn''t slept at all. Then it escted; people began to look¡ withered, like the very life was being sapped from them."
Aubrey''s brow furrowed in concentration. "How many have been affected by this?" she asked, her pen poised over her notepad.
"Four so far, including myself," Wade admitted. "We''ve had doctors check, but they found nothing physically wrong. It''s as if something unseen is feeding on us."
"And this house," Aubrey pressed, "has there been any history of paranormal activity or legends tied to it?"
Wade chuckled humorlessly. "Legends, yes. The locals speak of a cursed estate, where a spirit of the night preys upon the vitality of its inhabitants. They say it''s been happening for generations, but no one ever took it seriously... But I don''t think that was the case after my own investigation¡ This one seems different¡ I''m not sure but I think it may not be a Spirit¡"
Aubrey leaned back in her chair, her mind racing with possibilities.
"You''re suggesting a Vampire," she stated, not as a question but as a realization of the implication.
Wade let out a short, mirthlessugh. "I know how it sounds. Vampires are the stuff of folklore, but I can''t ignore the simrities especially with the old rumors of the Vampire as a Protector of mankind during the Demon Invasion..."
Chapter 805 The Flesh
Chapter 805 The Flesh
"Still, they shouldn''t exist," Wade said, shaking his head as if to dispel the absurdity of the notion.
Aubrey nodded, her expression looked serious as she considered the possibilities.
With a sigh, Aubrey decided to investigate more¡
"Whether it''s a Vampire or not, something is preying on the people in that manor. I''ll investigate and get to the bottom of this. Rest assured, Wade, we''ll find out what''s happening. For now, I would suggest you leave that ce¡ I need a bit more time to prepare¡ Just in case we''re really with a vampire¡
Wade''s eyes held a glimmer of hope for the first time since he''d entered.
"Thank you, Aubrey. I knew if anyone could help, it would be you."
Soon, Wade left her office after he listed all the information about the mansion¡ This time, Aubrey sat in contemtion.
The case was unlike any she had encountered before¡ªa challenge that would test her skills to their limits. But she was ready.
After all, delving into the unknown was what Aubrey Hall did best.
***
Aubrey Hall''s investigation into the mysterious energy drain at the mansion began with a deep dive into its history.
She spent the first day at the local archives, sifting through property records and old newspapers, piecing together the mansion''s storied past.
The tales were many and varied, from grand gatherings of its golden age to whispered rumors of a cursed lineage.
The elderly locals, when asked, shared hushed stories of the manor''s former inhabitants¡ªtales of sudden disappearances and nights filled with strange lights.
Yet, none of these stories contained the concrete evidence Aubrey sought. After all, those lights could simply be from another Arcanist at that time.
Undeterred, Aubrey made preparations and entered the manor on the second day, her senses alert for any sign of the paranormal.
"Let''s see what kind of entity are you¡" Aubrey muttered, feelingpletely unafraid as she had several mystical artifacts on her body.
Room by room, she meticulously searched for any trace of spectral presence, arcane residue, dark ritual traces, or even hidden formation arts.
However, despite her thoroughness, the manor revealed nothing; it was as if the building itself was holding its breath, hiding its secrets.
''This is weird¡ Did it leave already?'' Aubrey muttered, but she shook her head after a few moments. If the anomaly was easy to find, Wade wouldn''t havee to her.
Aubrey took a deep breath as she organized her mind and soon, she realized what she had to do in this situation.
On the third day, Aubrey decided to immerse herselfpletely in the environment.
Indeed, she chose to spend the night in a guest room that had an air of being untouched by time. She decided to sleep!
She wanted to know whether the energy drain happened in the dream or it was happening while their bodies were vulnerable¡
Of course, she wasn''t doing this because she wanted her life force to be drained.
Before settling in, she set up an artifact¡ªa delicate amulet known to react to the slightest supernatural or arcane disturbance.
The house was silent as Aubrey drifted into a light sleep, the kind that kept her tethered to the waking world.
It wasn''t long before the amulet began to pulse with a soft, otherworldly light, and it pulsed with rhythmic energy, rousing her from her slumber.
Her heart raced as she realized that the anomaly she sought was manifesting.
''I''m right¡ It''s only appearing while I''m asleep!'' Aubrey''s eyes lit up as her investigation had finally bore fruit!
Clutching the amulet, Aubrey followed the faint trail of energy that seemed to seep through the very walls.
''Is there a secret path here? No wonder I can''t find the problem¡''
It led her down to a hidden hallway she hadn''t noticed before, where she saw the paintings that depicted the manor''s founding family.
At the end of the hallway was an unassuming curtain¡
With a careful hand, she moved the heavy fabric aside, revealing a hidden door.
The door creaked open to reveal a spiraling staircase descending into darkness.
Aubrey''s pulse quickened as she descended, the air growing colder with each step. At the bottom, she found herself in a secret basement; the energy here was stronger, and it was starting to suffocate her.
However, her mystical artifacts started working once again, helping her quickly recover¡
The room was lined with shelves holding ancient tomes and artifacts, each emitting a faint glow. In the center stood an altar, atop whichy a moving and pulsing flesh!
"T-this¡"
Aubrey stood frozen, her eyes locked on the quivering mass of flesh before her. It was unlike anything she had encountered in her career¡ªa grotesque, pulsating blob that seemed to breathe with a life of its own. The dim light of the basement gave the flesh an eerie, otherworldly glow.
"What is this?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own heart thundering in her chest. The sudden surprise made her step back for a moment, but after realizing that she wasn''t in any danger, her expression changed.
The urge to destroy it was strong; every instinct screamed at her to obliterate this abomination with a spell.
Yet, a strongerpulsion urged her to understand and uncover the secrets that this living flesh held as Paranormal Investigator!
It was a piece of the puzzle, a key to the strange phenomena afflicting the mansion.
With trepidation, Aubrey stepped closer, her protective artifacts warding off the suffocating energy that emanated from the altar.
The flesh quivered, and as she watched, a part of it began to morph, forming what appeared to be a mouth!
Aubrey felt a chill down her spine as she saw this disturbing scene!
However, the word she heard next made herpletely stunned.
"Lisa..." the flesh uttered, the word distorted as if spoken underwater.
Aubrey recoiled, her mind racing.
''Who''s Lisa? Is this entity calling out to someone, or is it an echo of a past victim? Or is it her name? Wait¡ Lisa?''
Aubrey''s heart beat faster¡ She needed answers, but the risks were immense.
Chapter 806 The Mirror
Chapter 806 The Mirror
??The name ''Lisa'' echoed in Aubrey''s mind, a haunting refrain that brought memories flooding back. Lisa, her vibrant and intelligent ssmate, had vanished along with Chad because of the malfunction of their teleportation.
It happened during the time when their academy was under attack by several Arcanist Factions.
The possibility that the pulsating mass of flesh before her could be connected to Lisa was both horrifying andpelling.
Taking a deep breath, Aubrey used her Darkness Maniption to protect her from any curses or Arcane Spells before she reached out, her fingers brushing against the cold, slimy surface of the flesh.
A jolt of energy surged through her, and visions shed before her eyes¡ªimages of a young woman,ughter, love, and then Darkness, a ritual gone awry, and a spirit bound to flesh.
The young woman she saw in the images indeed looked like Lisa if she grew up healthily¡ She knew that Lisa was amoner and didn''t have a good background or family to support her. She had strong feeling that this flesh was indeed connected to Lisa!
''This¡''
Aubrey was stunned at this realization.
"I need to do something¡ I can''t destroy this flesh¡"
Aubrey''s training as a Paranormal Investigator had prepared her for many things, but nothing quite like this.
She knew she had to proceed with caution. The entity before her was an anomaly, one that required careful study and containment so she could confirm her guess.s
She began the ritual by drawing aSeal of Bindingaround the altar.
It was a good thing that Sealing Formation Arts was something she had learned very thoroughly.
Her thesis before she graduated was even rted to Sealing Techniques!
It was all because of her five ssmates who had dared to consume their third Darkness Possession Potion, and in the end, they lost control and became mad!
The Darkness grew in their bodies, and they were no longer the same person¡
Her thesis, however, involved a Sealing Technique that could seal this Darkness, in hopes of helping the Dark Arcanists who had been consumed by the Darkness.
"I can do this¡" Aubrey muttered as she started on her job.
She actually studied Necromancy as well before she shifted to the Rituals Branch¡
"Huuu~"
Aubrey then took a deep breath as she started the ritual¡
The seal was aplex array of sigils, each meticulously chalked onto the stone floor.
Aubrey chanted in a steady rhythm in Oardic Language, which began to glow with a soft, blue light on the drawings on the floor.
As the ritual progressed, the air grew thick with Dark Arcane energy.
Aubrey''s focus remained still, as he cedcrystals of wardingat each cardinal point within the seal with his hands. These crystals served as anchors, holding the entity in ce and preventing it fromshing out or escaping.
She wasn''t sure if the flesh would act violently after all.
With the sealplete, Aubrey approached the flesh.
She could see it more clearly now¡ªa grotesque, undting mass that seemed to reach out to her, desperate for contact.
"Lisa," it whispered again, the sound more pained than before.
Aubrey steeled herself and ced her hands upon the flesh, initiating theTransfer Incantation.
The flesh shuddered under her touch, and for a moment, Aubrey felt a connection¡ªa sense of confusion, loss, and an overwhelming longing.
The incantation took hold, and the flesh began to shrink, condensing into a more manageable size. Aubrey wrapped it in acloth imbued with protective runes, ensuring that the entity remained contained during transport.
With the entity secured, Aubrey carefully lifted it, feeling the weight of its unnatural existence.
She made her way out of the basement, up the stairs, and into the night.
Her carriage was waiting a short distance away, and she ced the wrapped entity in the trunk, covered with a nket to obscure it from any prying eyes. The coachman didn''t ask as he knew his client.
She was a Paranormal Investigator, and it was already enough to be her driver. He didn''t dare to get too close to her, or ghosts might follow him someday.
"We can leave now¡" Aubrey whispered.
The drive back to her home was tense; every shadow seemed to watch her, and every flicker of movement felt like a potential threat.
She must have been overthinking this, but that was what she felt during the whole trip.
Nheless, she arrived without incident, and with great care, she transferred the entity to her own basement¡ªa space she had converted into a makeshiftboratory for just such purposes.
Here, Aubrey set up a newSeal of Containment, stronger and more intricate than the first. She ced the entity at the center, the protective cloth unwrapped to reveal the flesh once more.
She also prepared recording crystals and formation arts¡ She surrounded the seal with such crystals to record any activity she might miss while she was gone¡
***
Three dayster, two women, Teresa and re, members of the enigmatic order known as the Untainted Sentinels, stepped off the train.
Their white coats billowed around them, marking them as figures of purity and holiness. Nheless, they didn''t seem to attract attention as if they were just normal figures.
Nheless, they made their way to the mansion that Aubrey Hall had investigated several nights ago, their steps purposeful and swift.
They were on a mission to retrieve what they believed to be the remnants of a vampire¡ªa creature of darkness that the Untainted Sentinels had vowed to eradicate.
Upon getting closer to the mansion, however, Teresa''s keen senses felt something off¡ There wasn''t any Vampiric Force inside, and her Divine Sense could guarantee it!
"Did we get the wrong information?" she muttered, her eyes scanning the whole mansion¡
re nodded as her Divine Sense also failed to pick up anything¡ She could only feel that presence of several Dark Arts Practitioners inside. It wasn''t any different from the report except the missing remnant of the Vampire.
"Let''s ask the mirror again," she suggested, her voice steady despite the setback.
Finding an isted spot away from prying eyes, re produced a small, ornate mirror from her coat. The surface was etched with intricate runes, and as she held it aloft, the ss shimmered with a faint, otherworldly light.
"ArchFey Mennena, we seek your guidance¡"
Chapter 807 Forced
Chapter 807 Forced
??Aubrey Hall''s office was still neat to look at, even though she had plenty of work¡
Her day began with the collection of paper or old newspapers and even some copies of police reports, that were preserving tales of hauntings and arcane mysteries. She was able to get connected with the police information because of her connection to the Arcanist Guild of the town.
On the left side of her room, bookshelves were lined with leather-bound tomes on paranormal phenomena, their pages worn from frequent consultation.
Her morning was spent cross-referencing a client''s report of spectral apparitions with historical ounts from"Ghosts of the Old Cities"and"Ethereal Encounters".
Notes were scribbled in the margins of her notepad, as theories took shape as she connected the dots between past and present.
Well, she had many other cases, so she couldn''t simply focus on the living flesh. She had bills to pay and had to work on cases.
Midday brought a new client, a farmer who spoke of crop circles and lights in the sky. Aubrey listened intently, marking his ount against simr cases in"Beast Art''s Rituals"and"Elemental Arts'' Formation Patterns".
She promised to visit his farm, her mind already cataloging possible exnations.
The afternoon was reserved for the enigma residing in her basement¡ªthe living flesh.
Aubrey descended the stairs with nervousness, the memory of the previous night''s experiment weighing heavily on her.
The cat, once vibrant and full of energy, nowy listless, its life force seemingly drained by the entity.
She confirmed that the living flesh could really take life force from living beings.
Of course, the cat was already sent to a carer who would try to heal it back.
Anyway, Aubrey''s approach to learn more about the flesh was methodical.
Her observations were detailed as she monitored the flesh''s reactions from various experiments.
She noted its size, the rhythm of its pulsations, and the ambient energy levels with meticulous care.
The books"Arcane Biology"and"Entities Beyond the Veily open on a nearby table, their content offering insight but no clear answers. She even read ancient books written in Oardic about the Vampires but couldn''t find a clue about this living flesh that had uttered the name "Lisa."
As dusk fell, Aubrey sat back, her eyes tired but determined.
"This is vexing¡" Aubrey muttered as she felt that she was missing something.
The living flesh was a puzzle, one that consumed life force, but to what end? Her mind raced with possibilities¡ªwas it a lost soul, a cursed being, or something entirely unknown?
''If I can''t find out what it is, I''ll have to consult someone else¡'' Aubrey muttered as she thought of the Headmaster of the Featherstar Academy. Well, since all the resources of the Vermont Academy had disappeared, they had no choice but to build a new Academy of Dark Arts.
However, the other families disagreed with it and just wanted to teach their own kin¡ Because of that, the new Academy was built alone by the Featherstar Family without the participation of the other main families of the Dark Arts Factions.
The day then ended with another experiment on the living flesh.
Well, she realized that the living flesh reacts in all forms of Arcane Energy after she tried using various Artifacts that could emit various Arcane Arts.
Nheless, the reaction from Holy Energy and the Dark Energy was ways apart. It flinched from the Holy Energy while it seemed excited from the Darkness Energy.
Tomorrow, she would continue her investigation.
***
Four more days had quickly passed, and Aubrey started her morning routine. She thought of having breakfast with freshly baked bread in the corner.
She was even excited today as she was making progress in her investigation.
However, her morning tranquility was shattered as she recognized the emblem of the Holy Arts Faction''s elites emzoned on the white cloaks of the two figures before her.
They didn''t seem to be passing by since they were looking at her as if they''d been waiting for her to get out of her office that was protected by numerous Formation Arts.
"Untainted Sentinels," she murmured, a hint of wariness in her voice.
These figures were none other than Teresa and re, who had arrived in this two several days ago.
Teresa stepped forward, her tone polite yet edged with steel. "Ms. Hall, we''vee for the remnants of the vampire you''ve taken into your possession. It was quite difficult to sense it with theyers of protection in your office¡ Is that made by your father?" She asked with an amused tone.
re chuckled and chimed in, her wordsced with mockery.
"Surely, a Paranormal Investigator of your caliber understands the danger of harboring such¡ relics. You may have taken an interest in it and brought it in your ce, but that should be enough¡ Just continue with your daily work as a public servant."
Aubrey, of course, didn''t like their tone.
Perhaps, if they exined more clearly and kindly, she might consider cooperating with them.
However, she felt that she was being mocked by these two.
After taking a deep breath, she shook her head and squared her shoulders, meeting their gaze.
"I''m conducting important research. That ''relic'' is key to understanding a broader phenomenon. I won''t hand it over without proper cause."
Teresa''s smile was thin, unamused. "This is beyond your pay grade, Ms. Hall. Hand it over, or we''ll be forced to take it."
Aubrey''s response was firm, her voice rising. "I refuse. And if you attempt anything, I''ll file a formalint with the Arcanist Guild."
The Arcanist Guild wasn''t should not be underestimated as recently, it had be a lot more powerful under the guidance of the new Guildmaster called Merlin. This old man who came out of nowhere was a Half-Immortal and was several times more active than the previous Guildmaster.
Because of that, the Guild became respected by every town and city where it had a branch.
re''s eyes narrowed, and she took a step closer. "We were hoping to resolve this amicably, but you leave us no choice."
Chapter 808 They will Return
Chapter 808 They will Return
??''You want to take it forcefully?'' Aubrey gritted her teeth as she heard the Sentinel''s threatening words.
The atmosphere was filled with tension as Teresa and re prepared to take what they came for, by force if necessary.
Aubrey knew she was outmatched, but she wouldn''t give up without a fight. The safety of the entity¡ªand the secrets it held¡ªdepended on her. If that was really Lisa, she had to inform the Dark Arts Faction about this since this could be a matter of security!
What if this was done by these Untainted Sentinels?!
Aubrey had already entered her Phantasm State while the two Sentinels had also entered their Blessed Sense. They were all ready to activate their Spell Models at a moment''s notice!
However, as the tension between Aubrey and the Untainted Sentinels reached its peak, a new figure emerged from the bustling crowd.
He was tall, with an air of quiet authority, and his cloak bore the intricate symbols of several Rune Arts. Apparently, a Runecaster from the Arcanist Guild had arrived just in time!
"Enough," he said, his voice resonating with the power of his craft.
"This is not the ce for such disputes."
re and Teresa hesitated, recognizing the authority in his stance. Although this Runecaster was pathetic in their eyes, it was true that battling in the middle of the streets could attract unwanted attention.
The Runecaster stepped between them and Aubrey, his presence alone enough to halt their advance.
"I am Eamon," he introduced himself, offering a respectful nod to both parties.
"Ahem¡ I''ve heard of your work, Ms. Hall. It would be my honor to assist you." He whispered. Well, although Aubrey wasn''t always in the Guild. Many members of the Arcanist Guild in this town knew about her. The first reason was because of her beauty, followed by her work ethic that had been praised by many people.
Eamon felt that it was a perfect time to get to know her. In any case, the Arcanist Guild was no longer afraid of any Arcanist Faction with Guildmaster Merlin, who was actively going against the policies of many Arcanist Factions but still untouchable by the Faction''s Secret Orders.
Grateful yet cautious, Aubrey epted his offer.
The Sentinels had then decided to retreat since they were already gathering attention. However, Aubrey could tell from their eyes that it wasn''t over yet.
Eamon then escorted her back to her office, his runes glowing subtly as he surveyed the area for threats.
"I don''t know why the Sentinels are after you," Eamon admitted as they settled into her office, "but I will ensure your safety."
Aubrey was a little touched by his willingness to help without question.
She didn''t reveal the full extent of her research or the living flesh that pulsated in her basement¡ªsome secrets were too dangerous to share. Thankfully, Eamon wasn''t nning to pry too much on this either.
''So rumors about this person were true¡ He''s really a simple guy who always wants to fight for justice.'' Aubrey thought with a smile as she saw the man going outside her office and stood guard.
Indeed. Night fell over the city, and Eamon took up his night watch outside Aubrey''s office.
His runes were cast in a protective circle, within the Formation Art that was already there.
However, in the middle of the night, re and Teresa decided to move, and they were not deterred by such defenses!
They had waited for the cover of darkness toplete their mission. With incredible stealth, they dismantled Aubrey''s formation arts, their Holy Arts neutralizing each barrier without making any disturbance!
Nheless, Eamon''s fouryer Runes weren''t part of their calction so he stirred from his post, sensing a disturbance that Aubrey didn''t even sense!
Unfortunately, it was toote.
"This!" Eamon''s eyes widened as he saw the two.
A silent spell from Teresa enveloped him in slumber before he could raise an rm¡ Thud!
Just like that, Eamon fell to the ground, unconscious.
The Sentinels slipped into Aubrey''s office like shadows, their eyes fixed on their target, the living flesh that held many secrets.
Aubrey slept upstairs, unaware of the intrusion below.
The Sentinels approached the entity with caution, their hands ready to seize it.
But as they reached out to im their target, they underestimated its power. The living flesh reacted violently to their touch, its energy surging in defense!
It seemed that Aubrey had fed it a lot over the past few days and gained so much power!
re and Teresa recoiled as the basement erupted into chaos, the entity unleashing its fury upon those who dared to threaten it.
"Tsk¡ This thing is filled with power¡" re wanted to curse as she knew that her Holy Energy would not be enough.
"Retreat for now¡ That''s Vampiric Aura Protection¡ Let''s return after a while once the protection is gone. It shouldn''t have unlimited energy." Teresa said as she could tell that the living flesh was just a burst of aura. They just had to wait until it was gone.
"Yes¡ I think it''s eating up my Aura¡ Let''s go." re replied.
Of course, themotion roused Aubrey from her sleep.
She rushed downstairs to find her office in disarray and Eamon unconscious at his post.
The Sentinels were gone, driven away by the living flesh''s unexpected retaliation. But they had left their mark¡ªthe office was damaged, and Aubrey''s research was scattered.
She immediately arranged a Formation Art to hide the living flesh that was still emitting a threatening aura. Surprisingly, the Vampiric powers don''t work on her!
The Sentinels would surely feel surprised if they saw this.
After a while, Eamon awoke with a start, regret etched on his face for failing to protect Aubrey''s sanctuary.
"I''m sorry," he said earnestly. "I should have been more vignt."
Aubrey shook her head. "No one could have anticipated this¡" She reassured him.
''But now I know¡ªthe living flesh is not just a passive entity; it can defend itself.'' She mused to herself.
"However, I think that those two wille back¡ I already called for reinforcements, but they will arrive in the morning. They might return while we''re sleeping¡"
At this time, Eamon was truly curious how she offended those Sentinels.
Nheless, he still suggested entering their Guild''s base instead to get protection from the Branch Guild Leader.
Chapter 809 Help
Chapter 809 Help
??Dawn broke over the Arcanist Guild''s Branch Office as its leader, Garrick Chambers, began his day.
With a huge stature thatmanded respect and a face marked by age and experience, Garrick''s presence was as formidable as his reputation.
His hair was already silver, often tied back to reveal sharp, calcting eyes.
Of course, he didn''t be a Branch Guild Leader just because of his age and experience but because he was a Master of the Transformation Arts.
It was to the point that morphing his physical attributes was no longer his main strength. What he could alter now was a part of reality with a mere thought, bending it to his will!
Garrick''s mornings were a ritual of discipline.
He meditated to align his arcane energies, then dressed in the traditional robes of his office¡ªdeep blue with golden runes that showed his elegance and authority as a Guild Leader.
Despite this ce being a small town, there were numerous Arcanists traveling or passing this region, and if they were Master ss Arcanists, he would be the one meeting them from time to time. Because of that, he would always fix his attire.
His office work was a blend of administration and arcane research.
He reviewed reports from guild members, sanctioned missions, and oversaw the training of apprentices. His path demanded constant study; thus, he dedicated hours to refining his Transformation Arts, ensuring his skills remained unparalleled in this town.
On the third day, after he heard that a couple of Untainted Sentinels had arrived in this ce, some news rted to them finally came in.
He was actually wondering why it took quite some time¡ After all, he didn''t like the fact that those two Untainted Sentinels didn''t bother to visit his office and greet him.
This town was under his jurisdiction, and he didn''t like the fact that he was ignored by these people¡
Anywany, Eamon had reported Aubrey''s predicament, and Garrick received a detailed briefing.
"Aubrey Hall," he murmured, recognizing the name. The Halls were an influential family known for their contributions to various alchemical ingredients. They were a merchant family that had a huge influence on various arcanist families.
After all, from the most basic potions to the mostplex formation arts, rituals, and elixirs, the Hall Family could somehow provide them!
They may not possess a deep background as an Arcanist Family, but they still have a wealth that they could not ignore!
Garrick weighed his options carefully.
Aligning with the Halls could be beneficial, but provoking the Untainted Sentinels was a risk he preferred to avoid. No matter how much he hated the Untainted Sentinels, it didn''t change the fact that they were ruthless individuals iming to be saints.
"Hmph¡ They might even be continuing their research in Humonculus Project." Garrick muttered as he recalled the news he obtained about how the Holy Arts Faction was coborating with the Church of the Fortune Goddess to create Artificial Humans, which some of them called Druids.
Anyway, he didn''t take that long before he was able to make a decision.
He decided on a course of action that would protect Aubrey without direct confrontation.
"Arrange for Ms. Hall to stay in our secured guest quarters," he instructed his aides. "Ensure her safety but keep a low profile."
As arrangements were made for Aubrey''s protection, Garrick couldn''t help but wonder about the item that had drawn such attention from the Sentinels.
His curiosity piqued; he knew this situation might unfold into something far greater than a mere guild dispute.
Nheless, he decided not to pry too much.
***
After some time had passed, when the sun was high in the sky, Aubrey''s reinforcements arrived at the quarters arranged by Garrick.
The five Elementalists, d in attire that bore the Hall family crest, were an imposing sight.
The three Earth Elementalists stood firm, their expressions stoic.
Beside them, the Fire Elementalist''s eyes flickered with an inner me, while the Wind Elementalist, their female leader, carried herself with a grace that belied her power. She seemed to be a noblewoman from how she carried herselfpared to the others.
Aubrey greeted them with a mix of relief and uncertainty.
"I wasn''t expecting such¡ formidable assistance," she admitted. She didn''t know them personally, but her Phantasm State could tell how strong they were.
"We are here under your father''s orders," the Wind Elementalist replied, presenting a sealed letter bearing the family seal. "I am Myra, and we''ve been tasked with ensuring your safe return."
Aubrey studied the letter and then nodded, satisfied with their authenticity. "I appreciate your swift response," she said. "I have a research project that has attracted unwanted attention from the Sentinels."
Myra listened intently as Aubrey exined the situation.
After recounting what happenedst night, Myra nodded to her team and turned to Aubrey.
"We will escort you and your research back to the estate," she assured her.
"However, is it possible to know what it is? We might have a better method to protect it while we''re traveling." Myra said while looking at the thing behind Aubrey. She could see that it contained her research project.
Aubrey hesitated for a while as she didn''t know how these people would react. They might even think that she was already possessed and doing something evil.
With a sigh, she shook her head.
"I can''t tell¡ I can''t show it yet as well¡ It might attract the attention of the Sentinels since I''ve sealed the box already."
Myra looked at Aubrey for a few seconds before she nodded.
"Very well."
Soon, Aubreypleted her preparation¡
Then, she wanted to thank Eamon and Garrick for their help before she returned to her home, but as they prepared to depart with the mysterious box containing Aubrey''s project, re and Teresa confronted them.
The Sentinels stood boldly, blocking their path in thend owned by the Arcanist Guild.
"You will not leave with that abomination," re dered, her voice steely.
Teresa nodded in agreement, her hand resting on the hilt of her weapon. "We cannot allow it to fall into the wrong hands."
She said as if Aubrey was the evil one.
Chapter 810 Mediator
Chapter 810 Mediator
??Myra stepped forward, her eyes narrowed as the wind began to stir around her. A couple of her Wind Spirits suddenly appeared beside her.
"We have no intention to fight against your organization," she said calmly. "But we will protect our own."
The Earth Elementalists formed a protective barrier around Aubrey and the box, while the Fire Elementalist ignited his aura, ready for battle.
Aubrey watched as tensions escted, knowing that this confrontation could decide the fate of her research¡ªand perhaps much more.
Meanwhile, re and Teresaughed after hearing Myra''s words.
The Elementalist immediately triggered their prepared Spells as re raised her hand to attack! Light coalesced above her and turned into a radiant spear.
"Holy Smite!" she cried out, hurling the weapon towards the Elementalists.
Myra reacted swiftly, summoning a gust of wind that deflected the spear, causing it to shatter against a nearby wall.
"You underestimate us," she shouted back.
Teresa chanted, her voice echoing with divine power.
"Sanctified Barrier!" A shimmering shield enveloped her and re, deflecting the elemental assaults.
The Earth Elementalists stomped the ground, invoking "Terra''s Grasp," causing stone hands to erupt from the earth, attempting to ensnare their holy adversaries.
It didn''t end there, thebination attack of these Elementalist could not be underestimated!
The Fire Elementalist unleashed a "ze Torrent," sending a stream of fire towards the Sentinels. re countered with "Divine Aegis," a protective aura that absorbed the mes.
Myra then called upon the winds with "Zephyr''s Edge," sending razor-sharp gusts that sliced through the barrier, forcing re and Teresa to dodge.
Bam! Bam!"
"Your Holy Arts are strong," Myra admitted as she narrowly avoided a counterattack from Teresa''s "Light of Retribution," a beam of searing light.
"But we are not without our own might."
re responded with fervor, "Our cause is just! We cannot allow your tainted research to spread its corruption!"
Once again, re shouted for everyone to hear as if Aubrey was indeed the evil one. Aubrey couldn''t help but think that re was trying to convince someone who was secretly watching this battle!
As the battle raged on, spells shed, creating chaotic Arcane Energy around.
The Elementalists'' mastery over nature was met with the Sentinels'' firm faith in their Holy Arts.
The Earth Elementalists raised their hands in unison, chanting "Earthen Bulwark," creating a protective dome around Aubrey and the box she was holding¡
"This¡"
Aubrey realized that something was about to happen as she felt the sudden spike of Elemental Energies in the surroundings!
''Are they going to use their Forbidden Arts?! This is bad¡'' Aubrey was worried after getting a hint of what was going on. She knew how dangerous this could be since she also learned a couple of Forbidden Arts as her life-saving spells.
Nheless, she could only watch this high-level battle as she tried casting a few more Dark Spells to protect herself just in case.
Teresa''s eyes glowed with excitement as she saw the Elementalists not backing down¡ Then, she invoked "Sacred Purge," sending waves of purifying energy to disrupt the Elementalists'' spells.
It wasn''t a killing spell but more like a controlling spell that sets the surrounding area to their advantage.
After the Sacred Purge was cast, onlyHoly Arts could be used for a brief duration!
Well, that was supposed to be the case, but Myra had already activated her Forbidden Art!
Myra''s cloak billowed as she summoned a powerful "Arcane Cyclone''s Embrace," attempting to scatter her opponents and break their concentration.
This Spell could also destroy the souls of the living, so it was a Forbidden Spell. After all, an attack that could directly injure the soul could be disastrous. If normal people were hit by this, they would die almost immediately.
Furthermore, the Arcane Cyclone could also destroy the meridians of the Arcanist if it was severe enough¡
The two Sentinels sensed the threat and prepared to escape from the path of the cyclone. However, the attacks didn''t end there.
The Fire Elementalist roared, "Inferno''s Wrath!" unleashing a maelstrom of fire that danced dangerously close to breaking through re''s defenses.
With each spell cast and countered, it became clear that this battle would not be easily won by either side.
Nheless, for the hidden Arcanists who were watching the battle from a distance¡ The sh of Holy Arts against Elemental Arts was a sight to behold¡ It was a beautiful but certainly dangerous battle!
Some of the Arcanists had even taken out their Recording Crystals to record such a battle.
It could surely be sold for a high price. Although it wouldn''t be as pricey as the recordings of the Shadow Immortal, it would still be a hefty sum, considering that it involves the mysterious Untainted Sentinels.
***
re and Teresa managed to survive from the attacks through their various Holy Arts. They seemed to be barely holding on but they were smiling.
It seemed as if they''ve already read their enemies.
"Enough of this charade!" re bellowed, her body suddenly burst with a powerful Holy Energy.
Teresa mirrored herpanion''s fervor. They then drew upon the power of several Arcane Oresid out before them.
With a synchronized chant, they initiated a summoning ritual that tore through the heavens!
The sky seemed to have split open, and from within the tear descended an awe-inspiring angel, resplendent with four magnificent wings.
Its presence alonemanded silence, and its eyes burned with fury.
The Elementalists felt their confidence wane under the angel''s gaze. Even those who were secretly watching felt scared!
Myra''s voice wavered as she spoke, "We may need to consider retreat."
Aubrey, witnessing the overwhelming might before her, felt despair creeping into her heart. The box containing the living flesh seemed insignificant against such divine power.
But as surrender loomed over them like a dark cloud, an unexpected figure emerged!
A half-dragon, half-human warriornded with earth-shaking force between them and the angel!
With scales shimmering in the sunlight and eyes aze with draconic fire, the hybrid exuded an aura of raw power that rivaled even that of the celestial being.
"I am Chad," he dered, his voice echoing with both human tenacity and dragon might.
"And I will not allow this angel to harm those under my protection."
Chapter 811 Reunion
Chapter 811 Reunion
"Chad?" Aubrey was stunned as soon as she heard the name of the half-dragon. Chad''s appearance does indeed have a semnce to the Chad Bulmung that she knew in the Academy! The student who had disappeared with Lisa!
Nheless, as Chad appeared, the Angel that was summoned ignored his warning and raised its sword, light cascading off its de in waves of holy wrath!
"Hmph!"
Chad responded by spreading his Draconic Aura wide, creating a protective barrier of Dragonfire springing forth to shield the Elementalists and Aubrey.
Boom!
The Angel descended with heavenly might, its sword started cleaving from the sky towards Chad.
But with reflexes honed by draconic instinct, Chad parried with his talon-d forearm, sparks of holy fire scattering upon impact.
Chad may not have the snout, tail, or wings of the Dragons, but he still possessed their eyes, aura, and some dragon scales!
The two then shed against each other¡ªChad''s fiery breath was met by the Angel''s gale of sacred winds.
"Hmph!"
Each strike from the Angel was met with Chad''s calcted counterattacks, his ws raking against Angel''s holy armor.
The Angel, swift and ethereal, maneuvered like a figure of light. Then, its wings unfurled to unleash a barrage of light feathers sharp as des!
"That''s enough¡" Chad turned to the feather des and stared at the summoned Angel without blinking¡
Thud! Thud! Thud!
His scales deflected the radiant onught of the feathers without getting injured! It was as if he was showing how weak the Angel''s attacks were!
With a roar that shook almost the whole town, Chad unleashed "Dragon''s Maw," a torrent of blue me that sought to engulf the Angel.
Yet, the Angel ascended, evading the inferno with an elegant arc.
Descending like a bolt of judgment, the Angel aimed to smite Chad with "Heaven''s Decree," its sword radiating an aura that aims to kill the half-dragon.
But Chad met the de with his own weapon¡ªa greatsword forged from a Dimensional Creature and imbued with his essence!
Well, it came from the loot that the Shadow Immortal had obtained after killing numerous Demon Saints.
Boom!
Steel and spirit collided in chaotic form of light and shadow.
The ground beneath them cracked and heaved as their struggle intensified.
Chad''s draconic might surged as he invoked "Space Rupture" his sword now cloaked in unsual form of energy that devoured light. T
he Angel countered with "Luminous Barrier," hoping that it could fight against the encroaching void.
Blow for blow they traded¡ªtheir battle a symphony of destruction that resonated across the battlefield.
Aubrey watched in awe as Chad fought with a ferocity that matched the Angel''s grace.
Of course, the others used this as an opportunity.
The Elementalists rallied behind their unexpected ally and didn''t stop fighting as they targeted the Untainted Sentinels, who seemed to be incredibly exhausted after summoning an angel at the level of a Half-Immortal!
The two Untainted Sentinels, re and Teresa, knew that it would be difficult for them to fight against the Elementalist and immediately retreated!
They miscalcted Chad''s arrival, who could match against a Four-Winged Angel!
They had been too confident that no one in this town could match them. They actually believed that even if the whole branch of the Arcanist Guild gathered, they would fail to stop them!
"Chad¡ Just where did this persone from¡ Wait¡ Isn''t he the Guard in the Immortal''s Castle?!" Teresa muttered after suddenly recalling the silent figure that allowed them to pass through the gates of the castle.
They didn''t think too much of that person and forgot about him after several years.
However, they couldn''t help but feel curious why Chad was interested to the remnants of the vampire that they''ve discovered!
"Is it a mission given to him by the Shadow Immortal?" re muttered under her breath.
"Not good¡" Teresa wanted to curse out loud but the Angel was still there. She decided to keep it to herself and focused on retreating for now.
Anyway, as the duel of the two beings wore on, fatigue began to show in the Angel''s movements.
Seizing the moment, Chad executed a series of feints and strikes that culminated in "Serpentine Lash," his sword moved as if it was whipping forward!
Bang!
The Angel faltered, its form marred by a gash that oozed with the mystical essence of light.
With a bellowing cry, Chad pressed on, and his follow-up attack sought to drive back the Angel to where it belonged!
Chad then summoned all his strength into "Dragon''s Wrath." This was one of the Spells that he really liked as it could release a devastating st that even the True Immortals in the Castle had to take seriously!
Boom!
The Dragon''s Wrath was released, and it didn''t affect the buildings or the surroundings and only hurt its target that has been marked by Dragon''s Aura!
Thud!
The Angel reeled from the impact, its form beginning to wane!
This Angel then looked at Chad solemnly and nced at the two retreating figures who summoned her.
With dignity and sorrow etched upon its appearance, the Angel acknowledged its defeat.
With onest look upon the mortal realm, it ascended skyward¡ªits form dissolving into motes of light that returned to the realm from whence it came.
The battlefield fell silent except for the crackling embers of Dragonfire and Chad''s heavy breaths.
''That four-winged angel is stronger than I thought¡'' Chad muttered as he looked at where the Angel disappeared.
Chad turned to face Aubrey, his draconic eyes softening with a hint of human emotion.
"It''s been a while, Aubrey¡" he said, his voice a blend of warmth and solemnity.
Aubrey''s heart skipped a beat.
"Is that really you?! Chad Bulmung? I thought your family were Ghost Kings! What happened? How did you be a Half-Dragon?! And Lisa¡ you disappeared with her, where is she?!" The questions tumbled out in a rush, her mind reeling from the sight before her.
Chad''s expression grew pensive, his gaze distant as if recalling painful memories. "It''s a long story¡"
Chapter 812 Return
Chapter 812 Return
"It''s a long story, Aubrey¡ It''s really nice to see you after so long." Chad replied.
"I also missed you, Chad¡ We''ve been so worried about you. The others even thought that you were already caught by the Sentinels or eaten by the Demons¡ Anyway, can you at least let me know what happened to Lisa? Is she not with you?" Aubrey replied.
At this time, the Elementalists had already gathered but they decided to distance themselves from the two.
It seemed that Aubrey had used telepathy to inform them not to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Chad sighed as he decided to tell Aubrey about Lisa. In any case, Vale wasn''t stopping them from meeting their family and friends. Lisa also didn''t mind getting known by her friends as she wasn''t hiding her identity in the first ce.
"Lisa came across a chance to change her race just like I did. While I became a Half-Dragon, she became a True Vampire..." Chad started and as expected, Aubrey froze as her mind started racing about the implications of this revtion.
After all, she had just heard from the Sentinels that the living flesh was a remnant of a Vampire! Furthermore, she heard the Living Flesh utter the word Lisa!
Nheless, she remained silent and waited for Chad to finish.
"She''s incredibly strong and even won against many Demonic Creatures and could handle herself against Demonic Saints. However, she fell in a battle against Time Maniptors¡ I''m actually searching for her remnants. That box you''re holding might be the key¡ My Dragon''s True Sight is telling me that it had Lisa''s remnant energy¡" Chad said as he nodded toward the object in Aubrey''s grasp¡
"I believe it''s the key to bring her back." Chad muttered while looking at the box. It was as if he could see the living flesh that was sealed by Aubrey''s Formation Arts.
Aubrey clutched the box tighter, its contents suddenly taking on new significance. She knew what to do now.
"Very well, let''s examine this living flesh."
Aubrey said as she thought for a moment before she invited Chad to her office.
"You have an office?"
"Y-yes¡ I''m now a licensed Paranormal Investigator. The war is already over, and it had been very peaceful after the Demon Invasion¡"
Chad was certainly happy for Aubrey andmended her¡ He also felt a bit intrigued about her office, so he decided to hide his Draconic Form. Soon, his skin and eyes returned to normal as his scales and draconic pupil subsided.
However, as they started walking to get to Aubrey''s office, they were stopped by a familiar individual.
Garrick, the Branch Leader, stood on their path, his silver hair cascading over his shoulders.
His eyes, sharp and perceptive, locked onto Chad.
"Chad Bulmung¡ Wee to our small town¡" Garrick said, his voice carrying the weight of authority. He knew Chad for ties ties to the Shadow Immortal and his unique lineage.
Well, as a Branch Leader of the Arcanist Guild, it wasn''t surprising that he had some information rted to the Shadow Immortal and his people.
Chad inclined his head respectfully. "Branch Leader Garrick," he replied. "Your reputation precedes you."
Garrick gestured toward the nearby Guild House.
"I know you have important matters to discuss with your friends... Why not settle it in one of our rooms? The Sentinels wouldn''t dare to get near this ce, so you can rest assured that you will enjoy your stay here. We have a secure chamber for delicate matters."
Chad and Aubrey exchanged nces for a moment before Aubrey nodded.
"We''ll take your offer then."
Chad then offered his hands to carry the box and Aubrey didn''t mind handing it to him...
Soon, the two of them were able to enter a secured room while Garrick and the Elementalists stayed outside.
The room was dimly lit, its walls adorned with ancient runes. In the center stood a stone pedestal, upon which Aubrey gently ced the box containing Lisa''s remnant.
Chad''s Dragon''s True Sight red once again, examining the energy within now that it was fully exposed...
"Yes," he murmured, "this is her essence. But it''s fragmented, torn."
Aubrey leaned forward, studying the box. "It''s a good thing it wasn''t hurt during the battle¡ I really thought I had to give this up." Aubrey weakly replied as she satfortably on the chair.
"Do you think that she can recover with this form?" She asked.
Chad clenched his fists as he was also unsure. "We need to unravel its secrets," he said. "To restore Lisa."
Chad then exined what he had originally nned¡
"I''ve heard of a forbidden ritual," he said. "The Arcane Reconstitution. It requires a convergence of elemental forces."
***
On the same day, at the northern part of the Milton Kingdom, nestled amidst cobblestone streets and centuries-old architecture, stood the city of Veravale.
Veravale was home to the most remarkable museum in thend¡ªa repository of artifacts that spanned eras¡ Although Veravale City was almost turned into ruins in the previous war, the Formation Arts arranged in its museum managed to protect it from the Demon Saints that tried to destroy it.
Nheless, the museum''s prized possession was the Dragon Scale¡ªa relic so revered that it had its own chamber, bathed in soft azure light.
Many powerful people wanted to obtain this scale, but none of them were able to take hold of it.
The scale was colossal, its surface etched with iridescent patterns that seemed to shift like the tides. Visitors marveled at its size, wondering which mighty dragon had shed this irreceable treasure.
The curator, an elderly schr named Rowena, spent her days tending to the scale.
On this fateful night, as the moon hung low and the stars aligned, Rowena sensed a change.
The air thickened, and the scale trembled. She watched in awe as it shimmered, its edges curling inward like parchment in a me.
"This¡" The azure hue intensified until it zed white-hot, and then¡ªimpossibly¡ªthe scale disintegrated into ash.
Rowena gasped, her trembling hands reaching for the dissipating remnants.
But from the ashes emerged a figure¡ªa humanoid silhouette with draconic features. His skin bore the texture of weathered scales, and his eyes glowed like molten gold.
"I¡ Aersus is back!"
Chapter 813 The Crime Scene
Chapter 813 The Crime Scene
The temperature of the room suddenly dropped as it was suddenly filled with draconic energy from Aersus¡ªthe Soul Eater Dragon.
At this time, he fixed his molten gaze upon Rowena, the unsuspecting curator.
His draconic form, now humanoid, bore the weight of countless years, and a mere human could not receive such a gaze.
Rowena''s breath hitched.
She had spent her life unraveling mysteries, but this¡ªthis was beyond her capabilities.
With a mere nce from Aersus, he ignited her very essence!
The room trembled.
Rowena''s scream curdled in her throat, but before it could escape, her skin blistered, her bones turned to cinder.
She crumbled in the blink of an eye, proof of the Soul Eater''s hunger, his wrath, and the abyss that churned within him.
***
On the next day, the morning sun crept over the rooftops of Veravale, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets.
The city stirred as the people woke up and started preparing for the long day.
However, at this time, the museum, nestled in the heart of the district, seemed to be very busy even before the sun was up.
Apparently,?Rowena''s death was immediately known because of the guards who had been looking for her the whole night.
At this time, the investigators that had been called by the first responders arrived promptly¡
Each one bore a distinct aura, their expertise etched into their very beings:
One of them was Paranormal Investigator Prisci Hoffman. Her ck hair framed a young face simr to Aubrey''s age¡?Well, she was in the same batch as Vale and the others in the Dark Arts Academy. This time, she was no longer with her twin brother and was working alone as a Paranormal Investigator.
Prisci''s eyes scanned the room, attuned to the subtlest disturbances. She sensed lingering energies¡ªthe remnants of Rowena''s demise.
"She died without entering her Mystic State¡" She muttered. Mystic State was the equivalent of Phantasm State in the Mystic Arts.
"I can agree to that¡ This is intriguing¡ Whoever stole that Dragon Scale is definitely dangerous."
Beside her was Arcanist Bureau''s Special Agent Thorne ckwood. His tailored suit belied the arcane tattoos that crawled up his arms. Thorne''s gaze swept the room, assessing magical anomalies. His fingers twitched, ready to invoke protective wards or offensive spells.
He couldn''t help but sigh as he didn''t expect that a powerful criminal was lurking in his city.
In the meantime, ult Consultant Professor Noah Featherstar, the previous Club President of the Battle Arena Committee, where Vale belonged, agreed to their statement.
"The criminal must be a Master ss Arcanist. I can''t find any clues as to how he escaped after killing the curator."
His schrly demeanor masked a fascination with forbidden knowledge. Noah adjusted his spectacles, examining the ashen remains.
Then, if one looked closely, the book in his was filled with cryptic symbols. It was actually a mysterious Dark Grimoire that helped him in such investigations.
He then nodded at Prisci since they somehow knew each other in the Academy.
Aside from these three, there were also other experts in various fields who were called to look into this matter.
Artifact Expert Dr. Isolde Stone. Her gloves traced the edges of the Dragon Scale''s pedestal.
Isolde''s eyes gleamed with reverence. She could tell that the Dragon Scale didn''t get taken away so easily. It seemed to have been triggered by some sort of Spell to activate.
"The Scale was taken by hand, at the very least. A spell took it out, or perhaps someone activated it to take it away." She exined.
"That''s also my guess¡ The Sealing Formation Arts surrounding the treasure wasn''t forcefully destroyed from the outside but from the inside. The robber¡ or murderer, seemed to be capable of controlling the Dragon Scale.
Exorcist Sister Miriam spoke up. Her rosary clicked softly as she murmured prayers. She didn''t sense evil or malevolence energy, so she was sure that it wasn''t done by a devil or demon. Nheless, she could tell that the surroundings were filled with the aura of the dragon.
Finally, Police Inspector Victor Hawthorne spoke up after writing all of their findings.
"I noted it all. Is there anything you can find, or can you provide more clues? Perhaps about the identity of the culprit if you have something in mind. It would also be great if you could tell us Rowena turned to ashes." Victor asked.
His trench coat, or perhaps his whole body, smelled coffee, and he seemed to have just woken up as well...
He didn''t seem enthusiastic about this case either.
Nheless, he knew that he had to get as much information as he had to get a decent report that he could show to his boss.
He listened to their replies once and noted everything down.
Finally, he surveyed the room¡ªthe shattered ss, the slightly scorched floor, and other details to ensure that he didn''t miss any important detail.
His notebook documented mundane details¡ªthe mundane footprints, the clean surroundings, and others.
At this time, Noah, the ult Consultant, adjusted his spectacles.
"The Dragon Scale," he mused, "held immense power. But why would someone target it? Is it to gain a new weapon or, perhaps, a ritual sacrifice?"
''I don''t like where this is going¡'' Prisci thought as she considered backing out on this one. Anyway, this doesn''t seem to be a paranormal case.
Miriam also didn''t speak, and there weren''t any Demons or Devils involved, just like they initially thought.
Dr. Isolde Stone, the Artifact Expert, also crossed her arms as she knew that her task here was over.
Victor''s pen scratched against the paper.
"And how do we proceed?" he asked, his voice gruff.
They exchanged nces, their collective expertise converging.
But it was Miriam who spoke next. "I suggest that you seek guidance from the Dragon¡ of the Shadow Immortal," she said.
The room fell silent. The Shadow Immortal¡ªa name whispered in fear and reverence.
"But," Noah hesitated, "they rarely intervene. Well, you can probably try."
Prisci squared her shoulders. "This crime involves a dragon scale," she said. "We have no choice."
Victor could only agree, but looking at it, he could tell that the investigators he called were no longer interested in this case.
He tried to convince the Bureau''s Special Agent, the Paranormal Investigator, and the ult Consultant to help him with the case, but they all refused!
Chapter 814 Return
814 Return
Since a Dragon was most likely involved in this case, everyone was hesitant.
After all, it might even be the Dragon of the Shadow Immortal who had imed the scale for its own benefit.
Several years ago, the Shadow Immortal gathered a lot of people to get various ancient materials, and perhaps that scale was something they needed now.
However, as the investigators started going outside to untie themselves in this murder case, Victor revealed his trump card.
"The one who brings the culprit of Rowena," he announced, "will receive an Airship¡ªa gift from Rowena''s wealthy husband."
Their eyes widened.
An Airship¡ªthe pinnacle of luxury and freedom. Suddenly, the investigation team felt lively. It was a chance to soar above the mundane! It was something that none of them could afford if they relied on their sry!
And so, with resolve etched into their hearts, they set forth¡ªthe investigators, the reluctant allies, and the promise of an Airship that would carry them toward bringing justice!
***
Meanwhile, in Aubrey''s office, Chad found himself fascinated by his friend''s current work.
"Paranormal Investigator¡ You have a nice office. Do you earn a lot?" He asked.
"Not really¡ If it''s a request from other Arcanists, I get paid higher, but formissions by ordinary people, it''s just enough to pay the rent.
Chad nodded at this as he made some small talks to his friend.
Soon, they got back to business, and his gaze lingered on the living flesh¡ªa fragile vessel that held the remnants of Lisa''s essence.
The room hummed with the activation of the Formation Arts, and Chad couldn''t help but admire it. Its walls were etched with ancient runes and it seemed that Aubrey hadmissioned an expert Runecaster to make them.
On the other hand, Aubrey, stood by his side and tried to look for any changes on the living flesh.
"Lisa," Chad whispered, his voice sounded like it was a prayer. "We''ll bring you back."
At this time, he already pretty much confirmed that this was indeed Lisa''s final defense from her certain death against the Time Maniptors. She must''ve done this herself in order to have a chance of surviving in the future.
For the past four years or so, her tiny flesh probably turned into this¡ Perhaps, if they allowed her just to consume energy or life force, Lisa could return in the next 30 to 50 years.
However, Chad and the others didn''t want to wait for that long. That was why, as soon as Vale''s Avatar learned about Lisa''s possible remnant, he was sent here.
Aubrey gently nodded, her fingers tracing the sigils etched into the stone floor. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"We have the tools," she said. "The ritual begins."
And so, they set to work¡ªtheir shared knowledge and n to save Lisa.
Thankfully, Chad didn''te here empty-handed since Vale''s Avatar had prepared the things for this matter already. Nheless, it still took them a total of five days to gather all the materials they needed to perform the ritual.
They have the Crystal of Vitality that was filled with infused Life Strands that only the Church of the Lord of the Secrets could produce.
It was a wless crystal¡ªa pulsing gem that shimmered with an inner light.
"This," he exined, "holds the essence of life itself." Chad said.
Aubrey nodded as she knew about this rare item.
"To restore her physical form," she said, "we infuse her with vitality."
Aubrey uncorked a vial¡ªa liquid that swirled with iridescent hues. "This elixir of Arcane Rejuvenation from my family''s store¡" she revealed, "It rekindles dormant Arcane Energy. It will help her."
Chad smiled seeing the elixir that was probably worth a lot of money.
He then looked at Lisa''s pulsing flesh and withdrew a feather¡ªa fiery plume that radiated warmth. "From a phoenix¡"
"Ahh¡ How did you get that?" Aubrey asked in surprise.
"It is from the Shadow Immortal." Chad replied as he knew that it came from the ck Grimoire owned by Vale. The Grimoire had a Phoenix Summon, though it was already an undead.
Aubrey then ced other items that might help Lisa''s recovery, including various Arcane Scrolls that contain Arcane Energy and Life Force.
Chad did the same and produced all the items he obtained over the past few days.
Soon, the ritual began as Chad and Aubrey worked together to hasten Lisa''s recovery speed!
The room blurred as it was soon filled with Arcane Energy.
Lisa''s living flesh quivered, responding to the mixed energy trying to enter the flesh!
Chad traced the flesh''s blood vessels and ced the Crystal of Vitality. Soon, it started sinking into her skin.
Aubrey then poured the elixir on the flesh that started producing skin! It didn''t take long before the liquid started seeping into her veins.
The other items that could help Lisa recover her life force and energy were soon used up as well!
Soon, the living flesh becamerger as it started forming a humanoid figure¡ Then, bones and veins formed, and human organs also started forming!
The Crystal of Vitality, however, had been used up! Chad could tell that they werecking life force!
Without any more hesitation, he produced a drop of his Dragon Essence to help with Lisa''s recovery!
Thankfully, everything went well as the transformation continued!
It took over four more hours before Lisa''s exposed body was formed!
Aubrey immediately covered Lisa''s body with a nket before she nced at Chad, who was looking out the window.
Anyway, Chad and Aubrey stepped back, their breaths mingling as they noticed Lisa''s body quivering as if she were about to wake up!
Soon, Lisa opened her eyes, her gaze shifting between them.
"Chad? Aubrey?" she whispered.
"Lisa! You''re really back!" Aubrey eximed, almost about to cry. She couldn''t believe that she almost lost Lisa! It was truly a blessing that Chad managed to find them in time.
Lisa, on the other hand, immediately recalled the things that had happened before her death¡
"Right! The Time Maniptors!"
Chapter 815 Visitors
815 Visitors
Lisa knew that she wasn''t the real target of the Time Maniptors. It just happened that she was sensed by the two while investigating Vale''s traces in the Royal Castle of the Ruri Kingdom¡
Chad knew what Lisa was thinking, so he immediately exined what had happened over the past few years.
She learned that the Time Maniptors had already been enved by Vale and were now working tirelessly every day. This was also thanks to the messenger she had used to ry the message to Vale.
Lisa heaved a sigh of relief after hearing what had happened. She felt weakened once again after her body rxed.
Chad then swiftly assisted her in lying on the soft bed that Aubrey had prepared.
***
Meanwhile, at Vale''s castle in the Forbidden Forest, the morning sun painted the treetops in hues of gold and green.
Atop a hill, not too far from the castle, shrouded by ancient oaks, a ritual formation was arranged.
It seemed like it was a mosaic of engravings etched into the earth.
In this area, the atmosphere was filled with thick Arcane Energy due to the various Formation Arts that were arranged.
Within the Formation Arts, an altar stood at the center. It was a b of obsidian, its surface was filled with Rune Arts that not even Magnus or the Immortals working for Vale knew about.
During this time, two figures moved swiftly around this area¡ªtheir Arcanist Robes were even billowing with grace as they worked¡
One of them was Time Maniptor Gin. His robe, midnight blue, clung to his lean frame. His fingers traced the sigils on the altar as if markings them with his temporal energy.
Beside him stood Darius, another Time Maniptor, and he was aboutrger than Gin. His robe was a deep crimson this time, and of course, they were made by Magnus himself...
Darius seemed to have worked a lot over the past few years as he grew his beard and mustache. There were many lines of silver in his hair at this point.
Nheless, his hands, calloused and steady, arranged the sacrificial materials¡ªan array of rare herbs, a vial of unknown liquid, and a shard of mystical stone.
"Are you certain about this, Gin?" Darius''s voice rumbled. "The Golden Key¡ªits power is beyond reckoning. I''m not sure if this Formation will hold once we open that gate."
Gin nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Kyle''s Avatar confirmed it¡ He''ll do something about the stability of this realm¡ I hear he has a connection with the Fortune Goddess¡ It should be fine." he said.
"The Celestial Prison Realm awaits. I''m sure that there''s someone there that could help Kyle''s real body." Gin exined.
Darius grunted. "And what of our own fate?."
"True¡ We don''t know what will happen to us if the other Time Maniptors are found using the Golden Key without their permission." Gin admitted.
"But we can just trust Kyle''s n on this matter. In any case, we won''t be alone there¡ Once the Vampire was found¡ We will be fine roaming the Prison Realm¡" He continued.
However, as they spoke, the air shimmered¡ªa distortion in the air urred and that heralded the arrival of the Airship.
It flew above them and headed straight to the castle.
Soon, it descended to the nearby dockyard¡
This Airship was a lot smaller than the ones owned by Kyle''s Merchant Group.
Nheless, it was a sleek vessel adorned with silver runes. Its hull bore the emblem of the Milton Kingdom''s Police Force!
The two Time Maniptors were certainly curious, but seeing that Magnus was already on it, they decided to just look at the passengers of the Airship with their senses before retracting them back.
They realized that the arrival of the Airship had nothing to do with them, so they decided to continue with their work.
***
Meanwhile, Magnus wasn''t expecting a visitor today, but because of their identity, they had received permission to dock.
Soon, the passengers of the airship alighted.
Their leader, Police Inspector Victor, stepped forth¡ªa man of steel-gray eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor. His uniform bore the insignia of the familiar police force but Magnus also noticed that the others weren''t simple.
"I''m honored to be weed by the Great Magnus himself¡" Victor said, his voice crisp.
"I''m Inspector Victor. These are my team: Agent Thorne, ult Specialist Noah, and Paranormal Investigator Prisci¡"
Magnus nodded at them and he even recognized Agent Thorne of the Arcane Bureau.
Anyway, Magnus decided to observe the airship that they brought. He was more interested in that airship rather than the matter they hade here for.
"Your airship," Magnus said, "It looked marvelous¡ It must''ve been the work of hundreds of craftsmen and dozens of First-ss Runecasters¡ No, it seemed that the Beast Arts have also assisted in making this masterpiece."
Hemented while looking at the small airship¡
Although it was small, it was definitely a lot more powerful than that airship they were using as a Merchant Cargo.
Inspector Victor actually liked Magnus''ment since he set up the mood quickly. It seemed that they could get along with this famous, or, perhaps, legendary, Arcanist of the Continent.
Victor then smirked and replied proudly.
"Custom-made," He replied. "Powered by starlight stones, runes, and even beast stones to enhance its durability and ferociousness in battle... It''s one of a kind, and you can imagine the amount of resources and money poured into this¡ I''m feeling honored that you could see its beauty and strength."
"Hahaha¡ You''re right. This airship is one of a kind¡ You seemed to have forgotten that Demonic Cores and Horns that were used to make the airship¡ Anyway, why are you here?" Magnus replied.
Victor immediately felt ashamed, but he quickly picked himself up and replied.
"We''re here to consult something with the Dragons owned by the Lord Shadow Immortal. There were incidents in the city that needed their attention... We hope to at least rify a few things with them¡ I hope that you can help us grant an audience to the mighty beings of the Dragon Realm¡" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
After hearing this, Magnus felt intrigued as he didn''t expect their presence here to be drawn by Vale''s Dragons¡
Chapter 816 The Mirror
816 The Mirror
Meanwhile, in the small town in the southern region of the Milton Kingdom, Lisa found herself alone in her room.
She was bathed in soft morning light and had nothing to do for now.
Her newly formed human bodyy on the bed. She was still weak physically and had to stay bedridden until she fully recovered. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
She flexed her fingers and marveled at the sensation of skin against skin. It was an incredible feeling.
Her eyes then scanned the room¡ªthe wooden beams, thece curtains, and the stack of newspapers on the nightstand.
With nothing to do, she decided to read the newspapers as she might find some interesting articles on them.
Lisa reached for the first paper, curious as to what was going on around her as well.
Soon, she read the kingdom newspaper headline.
"New Royal Mage of the Milton Kingdom Appointed! In a dazzling ceremony at the Crystal Citadel, Archmage Vivian was officially anointed as the new Royal Mage of the Milton Kingdom, recing Odessa. Her mastery of elemental magic and dedication to the realm of Spirits have earned her this prestigious position. Citizens rejoice as Vivian pledges to safeguard the kingdom against supernatural threats."
"Mhm? Did she do something wrong?" Lisa muttered as she recalled that Odessa was a decent Arcanist. Anyway, she read the rest of the article but it Odessa''s current situation was not mentioned. It wasn''t said whether she died or not, and it simply highlighted Vivian''s powers. Well, she didn''t think too much of it and continued with other articles.
"Pallham Empire in Decline.
Aftermath of the Demon Invasion. Once a formidable empire, Pallham now grapples with the aftermath of the demonic onught. Cities lie in ruins, and the once-mighty legions are scattered. The Emperor''s desperate plea for aid echoes across thend. Can Pallham rise from the ashes, or is its fate sealed?"
The Pallham Empire had too muchnd before the invasion, and it was certainly difficult to protect so it wasn''t that surprising that it took a lot of damage. Some smaller kingdoms might also be involved in their current situation. They probably wanted a piece of theirnd as well.
"Luminara Kingdom Thrives Post-Demon Invasion. Against all odds, Luminara flourishes. The Demon Invasion, though devastating. It spurred unprecedented unity amongst its people. Queen Rhianna''s leadership and the resilience of her people have transformed Luminara into prospering nation. With the talented engineers and magic craftsmen''s arrival, the Golden Age dawns as magic and technology intertwine."
After reading the news rted to the kingdom and surrounding nations, Lisa took some local newspapers to see what was going on.
"Paranormal Activities on the Rise: Monforte County, Beware! Reports of ghostly apparitions, poltergeists, and eerie phenomena surge across our local towns. From the haunted lighthouse in Hollow''s Cove to the spectral carriage on Elm Street, citizens share spine-chilling encounters. Paranormal investigators urge vignce¡ªwhat lies beyond the veil?"
Lisa chuckled after reading this. She realized that Aubrey''s job as a Paranormal Investigator was actually a lot more interesting than she thought.
''Would I also be someone like her if I continued my study?'' Lisa thought, but she quickly shook her head.
***
Meanwhile, as the sun cast elongated shadows across the cobblestone streets of Dunwich Town, Aubrey found herself intrigued at the job she had taken.
She adjusted her spectacles and nced at Chad¡
"Chad, this task may not be for me but I will look into it since it was a request from a friend" she said, "Do you still want to join me?"
"Yes¡ I have nothing else to do anyway¡" Chad replied.
Aubrey smiled at this as she led the way.
Soon, they stood before a weathered mansion¡ªthe kind that looked like haunted with its sagging eaves and creaking floorboards.
Mrs. Evelyn Fanfoss, a widow with sunken eyes and trembling hands, greeted them at the door.
"Thank you foring," she said, with a voice that sounded fragile.
It seemed that Evelyn already knew who they were. Of course, Aubrey still introduced herself and Chad as her assistant. Then, she asked about the situation and why Evelyn needed their help.
"It''s the mirror, you see. It''s haunted."
Aubrey exchanged look with Chad.
They studied this in their third year at the Academy. Mirrors¡ªtheir reflective surfaces held memories, echoes, and sometimes, trapped souls.
Although she could somehow help in this type of case, it would be very limited and might require the expertise of other Arcane Arts.
Evelyn then stepped into the dimly lit foyer, her boots sinking into the faded carpet. She signaled them to follow.s
"The mirror," Mrs. Fanfoss continued, "was my husband''s prized possession. He imed it showed him glimpses of another world¡ªa realm beyond our own."
Chad tilted his head, his eyes scanning the ornate frame. Now, he felt intrigued.
"And what did he see?" He asked.
"Faces," Mrs. Fanfoss whispered. "Faces that weren''t ours. They whispered something but we don''t understand them. However, they sounded soothing and not eerie¡ My husband grew obsessed¡ªspent hours staring into the ss. Until one day, he vanished."
Aubrey approached the mirror¡ªa tarnished oval that seemed to hold a thousand reflections. She pressed her palm against the cool surface, feeling the faintest tremor.
"Chad," she said, "observe."
Chad closed his eyes, attuning his senses. The mirror pulsed¡ªa heartbeat of unknown memories. He glimpsed fractured images: a man in a top hat, a woman with silver hair, a child reaching out.
"It''s a portal," Chad murmured. "A gateway to another dimension. Interesting¡ Is this the Spirit Realm?"
Aubrey shrugged. "Probably, but I''m considering that this was simply an illusion¡" she said. "We might need Shamans¡ªthose who understand mirrors'' mysticism more."
As she thought of just calling the Shamans for help, something unexpected happened.
The mirror''s surface rippled!
Then, a terrifying force that threatened to pull Aubrey and Chad into its depths surged!
Aubrey''s fingers grazed the edge, and she felt the inevitable tug! She looked at the mirror and saw a familiar figure!
"Mennena?!" Aubrey felt concerned as she felt that she was about to get sucked in.
But then, Chad''s shadow shifted¡ It was a subtle ripple that urred so quickly.
Suddenly, from his shadow, Lotus emerged¡ªa Dark Spirit secretly protecting Chad!
Chapter 817 Real Enemy
Chapter 817 Real Enemy
Lotus appeared as a silhouette and acted quickly.
With a wave of her hand, the vortex closed, and the mirror returned to normal!
Chad and Aubrey heaved a sigh of relief after seeing this.
''I didn''t expect him to have a Dark Spirit like Vale¡'' Aubreymented in her mind.
As she thought of asking the Dark Spirit about what she knew about the vortex just now, a pulse of Arcane Energy urred at the mirror.
Soon, the mirror''s surface rippled, and its ss suddenly appeared like a threshold to realms beyond.
Chad squinted after seeing what was going on.
Lotus, the Dark Spirit, had just closed the vortex, but now, it was forcefully opened by the being behind the mirror.
And as it turns out, it was actually Mennena, the ArchFey, who had returned. Her presence was both ethereal and unsettling, and Chad and Aubrey exchanged silent nces.
They suddenly recalled Professor Shirley''s lessons where they had to call for Mennena. The also recalled the ritual prayer they used to call for her.
Esteemed ArchFey of the Third Era, the 13th Warden of the Spirit World, the current Spirit of the Pristine Mirror, grant me your audience¡ In ordance with the vow, a practitioner of the Darkness Path will find the light within the darkness, and it''ll outshine even the darkest of shades."
They still memorized this prayer, and Mennena was considered to be a very useful and knowledgeable spirit who could give any advice on any subject matter there was.
''It this really Mennena? Why does it feel different?'' Chad muttered. Mennena still looked the same. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Her face was veiled¡ªa dark gossamer that obscured her eyes. Her mouth curved, showing her lips painted the color of darkness¡ Her skin held the translucence of moonlight, and her hair cascaded like silver water.
Nheless, they both knew that Mennena''s eyes was special as this was taught to them by the Professors.
Though hidden, her eyes were called Concealing Eyes which contained ancient knowledge. They held the weight of many oaths and vows where she had be mediator¡
Aside from this, they only knew that Mennena was bound to mirrors¡ It was as if her existence was intertwined into every pane of ss, every polished surface in the world.
Chad''s calmed himself for a few seconds before he finally spoke...
"Is that you, Mennena?"
"Yes," She replied softly.
"I''m sorry for surprising the two of you. I just thought of inviting the two of you to my realm¡"
Aubrey''s mind raced. She had no idea why they would even go to her realm.
Mennena, the Spirit of the Pristine Mirror, was no ordinary Fey. She held dominion over reflections, illusions, and the fragile bnce between light and shadow. She knew more about her than Chad as her existence was further studied in their eighth year in the Academy.
"Why do you want us there?" Aubrey asked. "And what happened to Mrs. Evelyn''s husband?"
Mennena''s gaze shifted for a moment as if she was in thought.
"The mirror," she said, "was a prison. It was used in a previous ritual and it still had remnant energy¡ I believe that a Demon Saint used this summon Evil Spirits. Your husband, Mrs. Hawthorne, glimpsed them. He sought answers, but the remnant Evil Force of the mirror ensnared him..."
Chad stepped forward. "And now?"
Mennena''s veil fluttered. "He wanders," she said. "Between worlds. Lost. I offer a choice¡ªto find him, to unravel the mirror''s secrets. But the Spirit World is treacherous. It demands a price."
Aubrey''s mind raced. She felt that something was off from this.
"We didn''t call for you or used our Ritual Prayer" she said. "Why appear now?"
Mennena''s mouth curved¡ªa half-smile.
"Perhaps, the mirror sensed your need, and I noticed your familiar aura¡" she replied. "And your prayer¡ªit lingers. Even if the prayer was done ten years or even fifty years ago¡"
Chad and Aubrey shuddered after realizing this¡ They knew that praying on Mysterious Entities was dangerous but they didn''t expect that Mennena, the one their Professors encouraged to call, would be such a terrifying figure!
Chad''s shadow shifted¡ªan acknowledgment from Lotus. The Dark Spirit stood guard, its tendrils intertwining with the mirror''s frame.
"Will you help us?" Aubrey asked.
Mennena''s eyes¡ªthose veiled pools of secrets¡ªheld their fate. "Bring me the Golden Key of the Shadow Immortal¡ Allow me to borrow it for a day," she said. "And I''ll help her husband find his way home."
Aubrey was confused as soon as she heard the Mennena words.
However, Chad was stunned.
His mind raced. He heard about it from the Time Maniptors. It was mentioned to him while they were training in the castle grounds.
It was an item that Shane had obtained in the Remnant of Celestial Realm. It was needed by the Time Maniptors in order to open the Celestial Prison Realm!
The Golden Key was a precious relic from the Celestial Realm.
There was no way that Mennena would request for it so casually as if it was just amon artifact.
"Mennena, the ArchFey, sought the key. But why? To free someone imprisoned in the Celestial Prison Realm?" Chad''s mind raced through the legend he heard from the Time Maniptors and his Dragon teachers¡ªthe tales of celestial beings of the higher realm.
Nheless, the Golden Key was an important item, so he knew that Vale''s Avatar would not hand it over. Even the Time Maniptors in hismand wouldn''t do so as well.
Chad squinted at Mennena.
"Are you in the Prison Realm?" he asked.
He just thought that Mennena''s real body was somehow imprisoned and needed the Golden Key to free herself!
However, her reply was unexpected.
Mennena''s eyes¡ªveiled, half-seen¡ªlit up.
"Ohhh," she said, "so it''s true that he has the Golden Key. As expected."
Her voice held a hint of amusement. "My information is still reliable, though I can''t enter the Immortal''s castle."
She chuckled. It seemed that she was only confirming a piece of information from Chad! One of the Vale''s trusted aides!
He certainly fell into a simple trap, but he didn''t care about it anymore. At the very least, he also confirmed that Mennena could not do anything inside the castle''s protection.
"Why do you need the key?" He asked again. "And who are you trying to free?"
Chapter 818 Lurking Danger
Chapter 818 Lurking Danger
After some time, Mennena disappeared from the Mirror. Of course, Chad refused to provide the Golden Key as it was something precious.
Nheless, he had to report this to Vale''s Avatars and the Time Maniptors who had their eyes on this Golden Key. They might have an idea of what Mennena wanted.
Because of that, however, Mrs. Evelyn''s husband would probably no longer return to the physical world unless Mennena changed her mind.
"I will ask the other experts if they have a way to look into this." Aubrey said that since she was originally nning to ask other Arcanists.
Shamans should be a good option since they have many rituals that require mirrors as a medium.
After this was settled, Aubrey returned the payment to the old woman since she wasn''t able to help her.
In the end, Aubrey could only continue with other tasks before ending the day¡
"I hope Lisa can recover quickly¡" Aubrey muttered.
In any case, she was still waiting for the medicines that she requested from her father to give to Lisa, but she was hoping that Lisa would have a quicker recovery so she could bring her to various ces¡ Lisa was her friend, and she wanted to spend some leisure time with her in various ces.
"I hope so¡ I''m sure she''ll love going to various ces¡ Ever since she had be a Vampire, she was mostly practicing to get stronger to fight against the Demons. Now that it''s kind of peaceful, it would be a nice break for her." Chad added¡ n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
However, his mind was still on the matter regarding the Golden Key¡ It seemed that he had to join the expedition this time.
***
Meanwhile, within the well-lit reception hall of Vale''s castle, Inspector Victor stood alongside his team¡ªa motley crew of investigators were waiting to grace them with the presence of the Shadow Immortal''s Dragon.
Magnus just promised them that he would inform the Dragon and told them to wait here. Soon, the light flickered for a while, casting moving shadows on the stone walls.
And then, Orden¡ªthe purple Dragon¡ªappeared.
His human form was that of an old man; his eyes were dragon-like and quite nerve-wracking for the team.
His cloak, woven from unknown materials, trailed behind him. The room seemed to shrink as he stepped forth, his presence both majestic and unsettling.
Victor''s heart raced as he observed the Dragon¡
He just actually learned today the names of the Dragons who lives in this castle. They were Orden and Ryzoir ording to Magnus.
Magnus mentioned that he would call for Orden¡ªthe Dragon who seemed to be more interested in meeting humans.
In any case, this was important for them so any Dragon that could enlighten them would be beneficial for them. He was even willing to make payments for this.
Victor wanted to greet the Dragon who was disguised as an old man but Orden''s words sent shivers through the room¡
"I have other things to do," he said, "and I don''t normally meet humans nowadays. However, I''m curious why you called for me. If you don''t satisfy me, you may not leave this castle with your lives. So, you have to make it worth my time."
The team exchanged nervous nces. Victor, however, felt a surge of confidence.
The Dragon Scale''s information was definitely enticing¡ Furthermore, there were other things he could offer as a reward as well.
Soon, Orden listened as Victor recounted the tale¡ªthe mysterious dragon scale, the museum, and the inexplicable demise of the curator.
His frown deepened, and he asked about the scale''s appearance.
Victor described it¡ªthe iridescence, the shifting patterns and the known history about it.
And then, Orden muttered, "Does it belong to Aersus?"
The name hung in the air¡ªan enigma. The team exchanged puzzled looks. However, they could tell that it was probably the name of the Dragon Scale''s owner.
"Aersus¡ªthe Soul Eater." Orden repeated with a low voice. He knew that Aersus had a conflict with Vale, so he immediately felt on guard. Vale mentioned Aersus before since he had also previously asked about this mysterious Dragon.
"Who is Aersus?" Victor finally asked.
Unfortunately, none of them had heard of this notorious Dragon.
Orden''s eyes bore into theirs.
"A guardian turned devourer," he said. "Once a protector, now a creature of darkness¡"
***
Meanwhile, as this was happening, as this was all happening, they had no idea that a huge trouble was approaching them¡
Mennena, a mystical being known as the ArchFey, possessed the extraordinary ability to traverse vast distances by harnessing the enigmatic power of mirrors.
At this time, after confirming her information from Chad, her heart was set on acquiring a coveted artifact, theGolden Key, nestled within the ancient walls ofVale''s Castle.
"This will be tough¡ I needed some help for this but that useless deity got trashed by the Shadow Immortal already. Even the Death God is now useless. Tsk¡" Mennena muttered.
Unfortunately, the formidable defenses of the castle, woven with intricateFormations Artsand guarded by the mystical prowess ofDragon Arts, presented a daunting obstacle that seemed insurmountable when faced alone. So, she really needed some help from a deity-level individual.
As she nced at the castle''s periphery through a broken mirror, her keen eyes scanned the imposing structure for any signs of vulnerability¡ Then, a tingling sensation crept up her spine.
"This¡"
A well-hidden fluctuation of aura in the wind alerted her to the presence of a formidable entity nearby¡ªa Dragon of immense power, shrouded in human guise, prowling the streets of a town nearby¡
"I can''t be wrong!" Mennena''s eyes lit up. It was definitely a powerful dragon, and she had an idea of who this was!
Nheless, she had no idea what this Dragon wanted.
"This Dragon doesn''t have any mark from the Shadow Immortal. He''s alone¡ Is he targeting the Shadow Immortal''s castle as well?" She mused.
This might be a good opportunity for her! Since she could only steal the Golden Key if the barrier was destroyed, this Dragon might be the best assistant she needed!
Chapter 819 Steal
Chapter 819 Steal
In the meantime, amidst the bustle of the town''s activities, the Dragon in the human form was savoring a meal that was served to him.
He was indeed Aersus, who had just recently arrived in the Human Realm. After learning more about the castle where the Shadow Immortal was, he realized that it would be very difficult for him to fulfill his vengeance.
There were four True Immortals and even Demon Saints in the castle. Lastly, he heard about the two Dragons there¡
"It''s impossible to fight the Shadow Immortal. I should just enjoy this world." Aersus muttered as he knew when to advance or retreat.
He doesn''t n to kill or injure his soul after arriving in this ce with difficulty.
''Well, he probably forgot about me already¡ It should be fine if we all forgot about that matter in the Mystic Soul Tower.'' Aersus thought as he continued to eat¡
"Mhmm¡ Human delicacy isn''t too bad¡"
As he thought of this, a frown crossed his features, prompting him to rise from his seat.
He paid for his meal, a money he had stolen somewhere, and calmly followed the aura that was guiding him. It led him to ashadowed alley, where a broken mirror awaited.
Its fractured surface reflected a distorted image of the enigmatic figure that had captured his attention.
''Interesting¡ I didn''t think someone could see through my disguise.'' He thought.
In a voice tinged with curiosity and suspicion, the Aersus confronted the mirrored apparition.
"Who are you? Why are you following me?" The echo of his query lingered in the alley, setting the stage for a convergence of destinies intertwined by threads of fate and intrigue in the mystical realm surroundingVale''s Castle.
"I amMennena, an ArchFey," she dered with an air of mystique around her. Her ethereal presence, however, seemed to have weakened a lot in front of this powerful dragon¡
"Are you harboring intentions towards the Shadow Immortal''s Castle?"Mennena''s voice resonated with a subtle curiosity, promptingAersus, the Dragon cloaked in human guise, to pause in contemtion.
"Mhmm? And why, pray tell, do you inquire of my intentions?"Aersusresponded, his gaze meeting hers with a glint of amusement dancing in his eyes.
With a knowing smile gracing her lips,Mennenaextended another offer veiled in intrigue, "I possess the means to aid you in your infiltration. Within the depths of the castle lies an object of great significance to me, yet the arrangements ofDragon ArtsandFormation Artsencircling the fortress stops my entry."
Aersuschuckled softly, a rumble of amusement reverberating through the alley.
"Attacking the Shadow Immortal''s stronghold would be an exercise in futility," he remarked, his tone tinged with a hint of respect for the formidable defenders within.
"The castle harbors not only the enigmatic Shadow Immortal but also four True Immortals, four Demon Saints, and two elusive Dragons. It is a world of insanity to dare to confront such a stronghold of strength."
Simultaneously, as their conversation unfolded,Aersusinvoked the keen insight of hisDragon''s True Sight, peering beyond the mystical veil to discern the true nature of the enigmatic presence conversing with him through the fractured mirror.
"Indeed, a formidable lineup,"Mennenaacknowledged, but her gaze remained calm.
"What if our roles were to intertwine harmoniously? You can help me break barriers, and I, the adept infiltrator will take something from the Immortal''s domain. Does this arrangement pique your interest?"
Aersus, intrigued by the proposition, raised an eyebrow in silent contemtion.
"An intriguing proposal, but what incentive do I have to participate in this risky venture?" he inquired, his eyes betraying a glint of interest in the promise of a reward.
With a graceful gesture,Mennenaunveiled a tantalizing offer, "Should you aid me in breaching the castle''s defenses, the Golden Key, a medium used to enter thePrison Realm, shall be yours to wield once my purpose is fulfilled." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The mention of the Golden Key, a mystical artifact shrouded in ancient power, piquedAersus''s interest, kindling a spark of ambition within him.
"I trust you can deliver on this promise," he mused, his gaze meeting hers with a newfound sense of partnership.
***
After two days of meticulous nning and preparation, the fateful moment arrived forMennenaandAersusto embark on their daring mission.
As the moon cast its silvery glow over thendscape owned by the Shadow Immortal, the duo were ready.
Mennena was still in her mirror, but this time, there were already hundreds of broken mirrors in the forest. They were going to challenge the formidable defenses of theShadow Immortal''s Castle.
"I will start now¡" Aersus said.
Soon, his form started shimmering with draconic power and underwent a breathtaking transformation, shedding his human guise to reveal the majestic visage of a blue dragon!
Roaaarrr~
With a resounding roar that echoed through the night, he unleashed the primal essence of his draconic aura, channeling ancient energies to invoke a devastatingDragon Spell!
The atmosphere was soon filled with Fire and Wind Elemental Force asAersusunleashed a torrent of searing mes and a tornado imbued with the might of a true Dragon!
He aimed at the first of the sevenyered barrier that shielded the castle''s inner sanctum.
Boom!
However, instead of just hitting the firstyer of Formation Arts or Barrier, something unexpected happened.
Eachyer of the protective shield had started quivering and buckling under the powerful assault!
It seemed that the castle''s defenses were no match for the sheer force of the Dragon''s wrath.
This attacksted for five more minutes, and as the finalyer of the barrier shattered in a dazzling disy of light and sound,Mennenaseized the opportunity to weave her own enchantments, cloaking herself in a veil of invisibility that rendered her unseen by mortal eyes.
With each activation of her spell, she crossed through all the mirrors and entered the castle in the blink of an eye!
Within the hallowed halls of the castle, Mennena''s Spiritual Sense was activated, and soon, she was guided by an unseen force and created a spiritual form!
Mennena''s Spiritual Form thennavigated the corridors with the deftness of a seasoned thief, and it didn''t take that long before he finally found the location of the Golden Key!
"You''re mine!"
Chapter 820 Against the Dragon
Chapter 820 Against the Dragon
Meanwhile,as Mennena was trying to steal the Golden Key somewhere in the castle, Aersus didn''t immediately escape from the scene.
His draconic form silhouetted against the moonlit sky, and he maintained a vignt watch over the castle''s perimeter. His keen senses, however, were carefully monitoring any signs of impending danger. As the night wore on, a sense of foreboding gripped his heart, a whisper of unease that hinted at the shadows lurking within the fortress''s depths.
"She''s in danger¡" Aersus muttered as he suddenly realized that he could no longer sense Mennena''s presence.
He was right; entering the castle was just in stupid, and it was simply a suicide.
Then, asAersussought to establish contact withMennena, a subtle shift in the night''s air caught his attention.
With a keen sense honed by centuries of existence, he detected the unmistakable presence of another dragon drawing near.
"So it''s really him¡" Aersus muttered.
He only had unconfirmed information before, but now, he was able to confirm that one of the Dragons living in the Shadow Immortal''s castle was an entity known asOrden. This time, Orden assumed a human guise, much likeAersushimself.
Silent as a phantom,Ordenmaterialized behindAersus, his presence a strong fluctuation of draconic aura. Orden wasn''t hiding the fact that he was a Dragon in human guise.
"Aersus... I had not anticipated your arrival,"Orden''s voice resonated with a tone of both surprise and suspicion, his gaze fixed amusedly uponAersus.
Aersus, meetingOrden''s gaze with a calm demeanor, acknowledged the looming tension between them.
They were not friends, although they were both dragons.
Nheless, he didn''t immediately answer as Aersus decided to turn himself back to his human form. He swiftly underwent a transformation, assuming a human form that mirrored the Dragon''s imposing presence. Indeed, he wasn''t hiding his Draconic Aura as well, unlike when he first met Mennena.
"I am but a hired agent of theFey Spirit. I''m justmissioned to breach the castle''s formidable barriers. My quarrel lies not with you,Orden,"Aersusspoke with a measured tone, seeking to diffuse the mounting animosity between them.
However,Orden, his draconic pride, wouldn''t let this matter go just like that. He refused to eptAersus''s exnation.
"The act of shattering the protective veil that cloaked the castle was an act of defiance, a challenge that cannot go unanswered. TheShadow Immortaldemands retribution, and you shall face me in battle,"Ordendered, his voice tinged with a steely resolve that allowed no opposition.
As the tension between the two dragons reached its peak, the patch ofnd became a stage for their duel. ***
Meanwhile, Magnus watched the battle of the two Dragon''s from a distance while repairing the Formation Arts that were destroyed.
He immediately gathered a few Recording Crystals as he knew that this battle would be epic. It had to be archived and let everyone in the future know about it.
"I heard that Vale wanted to establish an academy¡ It would be great if he could add this in the library or archives." Magnus muttered as he looked into the distance.
Orden, the Rune Dragon known as the purple Dragon, faced off againstAersus, the Soul Eater who had a blue and white scale a while ago before it transformed back to his human form.
Soon, dark clouds gathered above them as the moonlight was instantly blocked, making the surrounding ce truly dark¡
Magnus could only see them through his Arcane Vision that allowed him to see arcane energies¡
Soon, the battle started.
Ordenunleashed a torrent of Dragon Runic Spells. Each Rune was different as they targeted Aersus without any pause.
However, with a swift wave of his hand,Aersuscountered with a barrage of energy-draining techniques. The runes shattered as they lost their energy¡
He didn''t stop there. He continued his counterattack as he released a pulsating orb of energy with an otherworldly glow that sought to encloseOrdenwithin their dark embrace!
As the battle continued, the patch ofnd barelysted for a minute before it was destroyed and created a crater amidst the two special entities. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Each Dragon spell colliding would create a powerful shockwave, and if not for Aersus''s energy-draining techniques, the damage to the surroundings would be even greater!
Orden''s runes shed againstAersus''s soul-stealing magic, creating an intricate sh of Draconic Spells!
In their human forms, the twobatants moved like a blur, and they certainly defied mortal understanding at this point.
"Haha! This is getting more and more interesting¡ However, I think that''s enough for a warm-up¡" Aersus said.
"That''s true¡ We should start fighting seriously. I noticed that you''re not in your perfect state yet, but I hope that you won''t use it as a reason once you''ve lost." Orden said.
"Since I can''t use my strongest spells yet¡ Let''s switch¡" Aersus replied.
As the sh of Dragon Spells proved to be a futile exchange,AersusandOrdenseamlessly transitioned into a fierce melee of physicalbat.
With every strike and parry, the forest resonated with the thunderous impact of their titanic confrontation.
The surrounding towns had even thought that they were hearing thunderstrikes at this point! However, the truth was even more terrifying: it was the sh of the two Dragons!
Ordenunched a series of lightning-fast strikes aimed atAersus¡ WhileAersus met each blow with calcted move, his defenses were truly incredible against theRune Dragon''s relentless assault.
The forest was soon filled with the sound of colliding forces asAersuscountered with a swift kick that grazedOrden''s nk, eliciting a low growl of defiance from the formidable dragon.
"Tsk¡ You have trained well with your human form¡"
In response,Ordenretaliated with a series of rapid punches that sought to breachAersus''s defenses, each strike a testament to theRune Dragon''s mastery of close-quartersbat. It seemed that he had trained a lot with his human body as well!
With a deft movement,Aersusexecuted a lightning-quick dodge, narrowly evadingOrden''s onught beforeunching a powerful counterattack of his own.
His fists blurred with blinding speed as he unleashed another series of strikes that tested the limits ofOrden''s endurance!
"Haha! This is fun!" Aersusughed as he seemed to forget where he really was.
He was still in the territory of the enemy!
Chapter 821 Secrets of the Golden Key ( 1 )
Chapter 821 Secrets of the Golden Key ( 1 )
Orden wryly smiled after seeing the excited Aersus¡
It appears that Aersus hadn''t realized the danger he was in yet.
Nheless, Orden continued to y with him. He was unconcerned byAersus''s ferocious assault as he charged forward¡
With a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance between them, delivering a thunderous kick that echoed through the forest, sendingAersusstaggering back.
Boom!
The attack seemed to have woken Aersus back to reality as he condensed his draconic aura around his fists as he nned to fight with everything he had.
In any case, he knew for himself that he would be able to escape if he truly wanted to¡ n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
It didn''t take long before the battle had once again reached its new peak as the two dragons locked in deadly closebat¡ Nheless, the two dragons in human form continued their battle without showing any signs of exhaustion or defeat on both sides.
***
In the meantime, amidst the sh between Aersus and Orden,Mennenafound herself ensnared within aplexTemporal Formation Art, it was an unending web of temporal threads that trapped her ethereal form in its intricate embrace. "Haaa~ This Temporal Formation Art¡ I think it''s made especially for me¡ I feel really honored." Mennena said as she cast her nce at the two figures hiding in the shadows.
Thud. Thud¡
The two then stepped forward after confirming that their trap actually worked.
"Yes¡ We made it for you, Mennena¡"
"You''re an Arch Fey for sure¡ You''re dangerous but we got lucky this time. "
JinandGiorgi, the Time Maniptors ofVale''s Castle, reveled in their sessful trap, their expressions a mix of satisfaction and apprehension at the presence of the powerful Arch Fey within their midst.
"Release me now, Time Maniptors¡ or perhaps, ves of the Shadow Immortal¡ Haha! I won''t be stealing that Golden Key anymore. I just like to meet your owner, the Shadow Immortal." Mennena said with a chuckle.
Jin, his eyes glowed with a mischievous gleam, regardedMennena''s plight with a sense of amusement that bordered on arrogance.
"ves, huh¡ You can say whatever you want, Mennena¡ But to think that a being of your caliber would grace our humble abode with your presence. It seemsChad''s warning was not in vain after all," he remarked, his toneced with a hint of condescension.
Giorgi''s features also show his fascination with the situation since he had never seen an ArchFey until now¡ They should be extinct already! He didn''t expect that they would still exist in the human realm! "That''s true¡"Jinagreed before addressingMennena, his voice tinged with a note of caution.
"Your reputation precedes you,Mennena. We were fortunate to have the time to prepare for your arrival. TheGolden Keyis safe in our hands, thanks to our diligence," he dered, his gaze unwavering as he held the coveted artifact securely.
Mennena, her gaze a mix of disdain and defiance, met the Time Maniptors'' words with a steely eyes and spoke coldly.
"You may think yourselves clever for trapping me but do not mistake my confinement for defeat. Did you not think that I''m just bidding my time, gathering the strength to shatter your temporal prison and reim what is rightfully mine?" She proimed, her voice echoing with a hint of otherworldly power.
As she said this, however, the two Time Maniptors smiled. They knew that the Arch Fey was bluffing.
Nheless, Jin needed to keep talking as they also needed information from this Arch Fey.
He showed his interest inMennena''s words and questioned her motives with a curious tilt of his head. "What drives you to seek theGolden Key,Mennena? What kind of n do you hope to achieve by bargaining with theShadow Immortal?" He inquired, his gaze probing for the truth behind the Arch Fey''s enigmatic intentions.
Mennena, her expression remained inscrutable, and she metJin''s inquiry with a cryptic retort.
"The Shadow Immortal''s background is a lot moreplicated than you know. It is not for you toprehend, Time Maniptor." She replied, her eyes shing with a glint of defiance¡
AsMennenaturned her attention to the shimmeringGolden Keyheld securely inGiorgi''s grasp, a flicker of greed crossed her features.
Unbeknownst to her captors, she began to channel her otherworldly energies as she wanted to have a final attempt to steal the Golden Key!
However, asMennenastarted breaking the intricateTemporal Formation Artthat trapped her, a powerful and pressuring aura filled the air, signaling the arrival of a new presence within the confines of the room¡
With a ripple in the fabric of reality, a figure wearing a blindfold appeared.
Without a doubt, it was theShadow Immortal¡
To be exact, it was the Avatar of the Immortal who hadmaterialized before the assembled beings¡
"You''re even more terrifying than I thought¡" Mennenamented as she resisted the pressureing from the Immortal.
His form was like a manifestation of dark power and ancient knowledge that had seen the long history of the human realm.
"Mhmmm¡"
The Avatar, cloaked in shadows that seemed to dance and writhe around his imposing figure, surveyed the scene before him.
His presence exuded an aura of foreboding that sent shivers down the spines of three beings in the room. Indeed, even the Time Maniptors felt nervous in front of this Avatar.
JinandGiorgi, the Time Maniptors, bowed their heads in deference to theShadow Immortal''s Avatar, a gesture of respect tinged with a hint of trepidation at the arrival of their enigmatic master. Mennena, trapped within the confines of theTemporal Formation Art, regarded the Avatar with curiosity and defiance, her gaze didn''t leave the Immortal''s figure and met his inscrutable stare.
The Avatar''s voice, a deep resonance that seemed to echo from the depths of the void itself, cut through the tense silence that enveloped the courtyard.
"Mennena, Arch Fey of theMirror Realms, what brings you to my domain seeking theGolden Key."
He asked, and his words weren''t spoken softly, it contained a pressure that tried to hypnotize the ArchFey!
Mennena knew this, but she met his gaze fearlessly.
"Ie seeking a bargain, Shadow Immortal, a pact that may benefit us both in ways... The Golden Key can''t be used many times... You will just waste it at this rate... But I seek to unlock something greater with your cooperation¡"
Chapter 822 Secrets of the Golden Key ( 2 )
Chapter 822 Secrets of the Golden Key ( 2 )
At this point, Vale''s Avatar knew that the original body was still in danger of beingpletely taken over by the Death God.
It was only with the help of the Dragons and with Vale''s permission at thest moment that they were able to stop the corruption or possession from beingpleted.
However, ording to the two Time Maniptors, the possession of the Death God may be unavoidable, but it was possible to trick it by transferring the possession attempt to a different vessel.
Indeed, aside from dying the possession like what the Dragons had done, it was also possible to avoid the possession by finding a different vessel to rece the target, which was Vale in this case.
Needless to say, the vessel that could do this could only be found in the Celestial Prison Realm.
As a matter of fact, it was also one of the reasons why the Time Maniptors like them wanted to acquire the Golden Key.
There was a huge w in being a Time Maniptor. It was the fact that they could not manipte the age of their physique!
Although they possess a god-like ability to control time, they had to, unfortunately, use it with a physique that was just barely above average Arcanists.
However, after learning that they could get a vessel or body that could help them achieve the apex, they all wanted to obtain this Golden Key!
As a matter of fact, Vale was already guessing that Mennena also wanted this vessel¡
''We''re not sure how many perfect vessels or apex bodies we could get in that realm¡ If it''s only one, I have to use it to save my original body¡'' Vale thought.
Nheless, he didn''t react too much after hearing Arch Fey''s words.
His facial expression remained inscrutable beneath the shifting shadows that cloaked his form. Nheless, he decided to act in the end.
He moved as if he consideredMennena''s words with a measured contemtion¡
"You sound ambitious, Mennena¡" The Avatar said as he confirmed that there were no other Mennena around. The one in front of him was the only Spirit of Mennena that could travel through the mirrors.
"You said that I will just waste the Golden Key''s usage at this rate? Tell me more about it." Vale''s Avatar said.
"Lord Shadow Immortal, I believe you want to use the Golden Key in order to find a perfect physique or body that will help you reach the level of a Paragon andpletely be a deity... However, although the Celestial Prison Realm, where the Golden Key was connected, possessed said vessel or body, the Golden Key itself could actually unlock the hidden potential of your own physique." Mennena said.
"Oh?" Vale muttered as he affirmed that bing a Paragon was equal to being a Deity. However, since he was considered an Uncrowned Paragon, it seemed that he already had the ability to be one but onlycked something in his physique.
''Interesting¡'' He mused.
"You suggest that the Golden Key holds the potential to unlock hidden aspects of my own physique?"Vale''s Avatarinquired thoughtfully. His voice resonated with a sense of contemtion as he weighedMennena''s words carefully.
"Mennena, you propose an intriguing notion¡ªthat the Golden Key''s true power lies not in its connection to theCelestial Prison Realm, but in its ability to enhance the innate abilities of its wielder¡"Vale''s Avatarmused, his gaze fixed upon the ethereal figure before him with a keen interest.
Mennena, her form radiating a faint aura of mystic energy, borated on her proposal with a sense of urgency.
"Indeed, LordShadow Immortal, the Golden Key harbors a potential far greater than mere ess to external vessels or realms. Its true essence lies in the enhancement of one''s own divine potential, a path to transcendence that may lead you to the pinnacle of deityhood¡" she exined, her words carrying a weight of ancient wisdom and hidden truths.
Vale''s Avatar consideredMennena''s proposition for a moment.
His decision swayed between the allure of possible advancement that the key could grant and the risks inherent in such a journey to a different realm.
"Your words are tempting Arch Fey¡ However, while your offer may hold promise, the lure of the unknown beckons me to seek the mysteries of theCelestial Prison Realm¡"Valedered. His decision was made, and he embraced the uncertainty of his chosen path.
Shane then warned Mennena not to enter the castle again. He wanted to capture this creature, but Mennena was still very powerful. As a matter of fact, without the Temporal Formation Art, he would have trouble catching this creature.
Right now, he could tell that Jin and Giorgi were already reaching their limit.
With a final nod of dismissal,ValereleasedMennenafrom her temporal confinement¡
As the Time Maniptors dismantled theplexTemporal Formation Artthat had ensnared the Arch Fey, a sense of liberation filled the room¡
WithMennena''s departure,Valeturned his attention to Aersus, a familiar Dragon that he had killed in the Mystic Soul Tower before.
To his surprise, however, he realized that Orden had already defeated Aersus!
***
Meanwhile, asMennenareturned to her Realm, a transformation unlike any other began to take hold of her once-majestic form.
The essence of her being felt like it had been tainted by the shadows of resentment. There was like a physical metamorphosis that twisted her once-lovely features into a visage of malevolence and darkness!
Her once-ethereal beauty was now marred by a sinister touch!
Her eyes, once pools of knowledge, now gleamed with a chilling intensity that hinted at the depths of her wrath.
The delicate curves of her face contorted into a sneer of contempt, while her once-flowing locks of iridescent light now coiled like serpents of shadow around her twisted form!
Her previous benevolent grace was gone. She no longer appears like a true Arch Fey of the Mirror Realm!
Instead, in its ce stood a being of corruption and deceit¡ n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
As she surveyed her altered reflection in the mirror, a cruel smirk yed upon her lips¡
"ThatShadow Immortaldares to spurn my generosity, does he?"Mennena''s voice echoed¡
"His arrogance shall be his downfall¡"
Chapter 823 Secrets of the Golden Key ( 3 )
Chapter 823 Secrets of the Golden Key ( 3 )
Above the clouds, amidst the gentle hum of theairship''s engines,Chad, Aubrey, andLisafound themselves on a journey to the eastern town of theRuri Kingdom, the nearest public dockyard they could use.
Needless to say, their destination was set upon the castle of the Shadow Immortal.
ForChadandLisa, the path ahead seemed familiar. It was their return to thecastlethat held both sce andfort¡ Perhaps, it wasn''t an exaggeration to call that castle as their home. N?v(el)B\\jnn
The bond that tied them to theShadow Immortal''s domaincould not be denied after living there for several years.
However, forAubrey Hall, the journey held a different significance. She was traveling into the unknown realms of the supernatural. As aParanormal Investigatorby trade, she certainly navigated the realm of spirits and specters but not with the Immortals.
She felt nervous, but there was also a hint of excitement in her eyes at the prospect of facing the enigmatic Shadow Immortal that was able to somehow save the world from being invaded by the Demons¡
''I heard that the new batch of students in the Dark Arts Academy were being taught about the Shadow Immortals'' deeds¡ It can be said that he''s a hero, but because the Churches didn''t like his affinity to darkness, he was dubbed a Demon Killer instead of Savior of Humanity.'' Aubrey mused to herself.
Although being a Demon Killer also implies that he has eradicated the invaders, it seems to have a bad connotationpared to being called a Savior.
Anyway, she had no time to think about this.
"Are you sure it''s safe for me to apany you to thecastle?" Aubrey''s voice carried a note of uncertainty as she turned toChad, seeking reassurance as she was still filled with doubt about her decision.
Chad nodded at this¡ It seemed that Aubrey wasn''t aware that the Shadow Immortal was Vale Chambers.
''I guess it was suppressed by the higher-ups in the Dark Arts Faction.'' Chad mused.
"Fear not, Aubrey. The Shadow Immortal wishes to express his gratitude for your role in savingLisa. Your presence is not only weed but appreciated," he assured her.
After all, if Aubrey failed to hide Lisa''s remnant and protected it for a few days, the Untainted Sentinels would''ve taken Lisa and extracted her Vampire Blood or whatever could be taken from her.
Lisa''s gratitude for Aubrey''s intervention could be felt as she smiled warmly. She feltpelled to express her appreciation in kind.
"Aubrey, you saved me from a fate worse than death. I may have lost all material possessions from fighting against the Time Maniptors but once I returned to my room, I have a gift for you¡ªa token of my gratitude¡" She dered as she recalled all the items in her possession. There were so many of them and most of them were gifted to him by Vale. It shouldn''t be a problem to give some of them to Lisa since she had already outgrown those artifacts.
As theairshipglided through thecloudstoward its destination, Aubrey could only resign herself to the unknown future that awaited her.
Time quickly passed, and soon, the group arrived at the castle.
Everyone seemed busy since, aside from Denise''s golems, no one greeted them upon their return.
They just headed straight to the castle! Well, it was all thanks to Chad and Lisa''s identity, which was still known by the golems or Androids.
"They''re probably busy¡" Chad mused as he sensed that everyone was in their own rooms, except for a person who was about to arrive.
It wasMagnus, a formidable figure in his own right¡
"Wee back, Lisa¡ Now that you''re back, you should start working¡ I had taken over all your jobs while you''re gone¡ Ahem¡ Ahem¡ That''s not what I''m trying to say. I''m just happy that you were able to get back. Sir Shadow Immortal was very sad after you left us¡ Of course, the saddest one was Sir Chad." Magnus said without stopping.
However, before Magnus and Lisa could reply, he immediately changed his demeanor and with amanding presence, Magnusissued instructions from the Shadow Immortal''s Avatar.
"Chad, prepare yourself. You will be apanying the Shadow Immortal''s Avatar,Jin,Aurion, andOdessaon a journey into the depths of theCelestial Prison Realm¡"Magnus''s voice resonated¡
The three were all surprised at this.
Lisa was surprised at the unusual team they made for this expedition. It doesn''t seem like this team would be a great one at all.
Aubrey, on the other hand, was surprised at the fact that Odessa, who had retired as a Royal Mage, was actually already working for the Shadow Immortal! It was no wonder why there were no reports about this since it would be a huge blow to have your Royal Mage join a different faction.
"W-wait¡ Celestial Prison Realm?"
Chad''s astonishment at being included in such a dangerous expedition was evident, his mind racing with questions and uncertainties.
"Why am I being entrusted with such a dangerous mission? Is there a specific role that I am meant to fulfill?" Chad''s inquiry was met with a knowing nce fromMagnus.
Jin was a Time Maniptor and was certainly needed for this expedition. His strength could not be denied. Aurion, aTrue Immortalwhose essence resonated with eternity, possessed ancient wisdom and boundless power and would be needed in the exploration. Odessa, on the other hand, was already aHalf-Immortalof rare talent and unfathomable potential. She possessed a mastery of arcane arts that defied conventional understanding. From what he knew about her, she had several Original Spells with her!
On the other hand, Chad felt that he didn''t belong to the group. He felt that as a Half-Dragon, Orden, and Ryzoir would be a better choice!
To be exact, Faith and Pearl wouldn''t be a bad choice either! If they''re not avable, there are still other True Immortals and Demon Saints ves who are stronger than him!
"You should join the expedition since it might benefit you¡ The Shadow Immortal wanted you to possess a physique that could also travel through the realm like a Dimensional Creature." Magnus said, which shocked Chad even more!
"Why do I need that?!"
Chapter 824 Peace
Chapter 824 Peace
"That will be exined by the Shadow Immortalter." Magnus said, as he didn''t want to divulge too much information with an unknown person beside them.
He doesn''t know anything about Aubrey yet, after all. As for the information regarding their n to use the Golden Key, he doesn''t mind it leaking to the outside since it was also a way for them to eliminate the remaining Demon Saints that were hiding somewhere in the human realm.
"Fine¡ I actually brought our friend here. She''s Miss Aubrey, and she helped Lisa return alive¡ The Shadow Immortal wants to meet her." Chad said.
"Very well, I''ll inform the Shadow Immortal..." Magnus said as he contacted Vale''s Avatar.
At this time, Lisa returned to her room and realized that it was still well-kept. It seemed that Magnus, or perhaps Denise, was still taking care of the room.
"So they really believed that I''lle back, huh¡" Lisa smiled after seeing this. She couldn''t help but feel emotional for a moment because of this.
Nheless, she immediately collected herself and found an item that she thought of giving to Aubrey.
She had actually realized that Aubrey hadn''t be a Master-ss Arcanist or even a First ss Arcanist yet. She was only a Second-ss Arcanist, which was considered not too bad for her age.
However, within Vale''s castle, that level of strength was too low.
She believed that Aubrey needed protection or a stronger weapon to survive longer in the world of Mysticism.
With this in mind, Lisa decided to pass on the item that she had received from Vale, which was the Doombringer Ring!
"T-this is¡" Aubrey was shocked as soon as Lisa showed the item.
Currently, there are only two of them in the reception hall since Magnus still has other matters to do, and Chad has to talk to Vale''s Avatar for a while to confirm his sudden mission.
"I''m no longer using it since I have something better¡ This is a Doombringer Ring. I heard from Valte that this is a very nice item, particrly for Necromancers. With this ring, one can easily transform humans or non-practitioners into zombies. It is an item that approaches the Sovereign Rank in power¡ If you''re a bit stronger, you can also get Arcanists to be your Zombies. This item should have strong negative effects on the wearer. However, it had been suppressed with Divinity, and the negative effects got weakened." Lisa exined. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"This is incredible! Are you sure you no longer need this?" Aubrey felt excited as she knew how incredible this item was.
"Yes¡ I''m sure of it. Right, I recalled the negative effects now¡ It was about seeing and hearing ghosts and specters at a lot clearer¡ Because of that, you need to have a strong mind since you might sometimes mistake the spirits and ghosts for real people." Lisa exined.
"I guess that''s not a big problem for me." Aubrey answered as she epted the ring.
After this matter was settled, Magnus returned and announced that Chad and the others had already left the estate and went to the Celestial Prison Realm!
It seemed that they were actually in a hurry so as soon as Chad arrived, the ritual to enter the Celestial Prison Realm immediatelymenced.
Nheless, one of the Shadow Immortal''s Avatar would still meet Aubrey to thank her.
After a few seconds, Magnusthen announced the arrivalShadow Immortal''sAvatar, a moment that drewLisaandAubreyto their feet in anticipation¡
"What? This is¡ So it was like that!"
As theImmortalmade his grand entrance,Aubrey''s eyes widened in disbelief at the revtion of his true identity -Vale Chambers!
It was actually her ssmates all along! She thought that Vale had also be the Immortal''s retinue, but he was actually the Immortal all this time.
''No wonder his Spirit Strands, Strength Strands, and Life Strands were too high! Is he just suppressing his strength throughout his whole time in the Academy?'' Aubrey mused.
"Ahem¡ Are you truly theShadow Immortal?"Aubrey''s voice carried some wonder and skepticism.
Of course, her gaze was fixed upon Vale''s familiar yet transformed visage. Several years had already passed, and Vale had be a bit older and more handsome than before. Nheless, she knew that it was the same vale.
"Indeed, I am theShadow Immortal. TheOrder of the Evanescent Vesselsshould be aware of this¡ The Dark Arts Factions should also know this, but I guess they may have kept this knowledge hidden from you¡" He affirmed and exined the possible reason she wasn''t aware of his identity.
"Right... I would like to thank you for saving Lisa..." Vale''s Avatar said as he looked at Lisa and nodded. There weren''t many words that needed to be said between the two.
"She''s my friend. Of course, I will save her... Your words are enough. She already gave me a reward¡ But are you still going to give me one?" Aubrey asked after some hesitation. She decided not to be shy at all since Vale was an Immortal! It''s not easy to have a friend like that!
She might as well experience the benefit of having an Immortal friend!
"Hahaha! You''re right... What do you want, Aubrey? I will grant it as long as I can." Vale''s Avatar said with a smile.
Since the question was already there, Aubrey decided to just express what she truly wanted.
"Ahem¡ I seek only peace and protection for myself and my family. To be exact, I want to work peacefully as a Paranormal Investigator¡ I''m afraid that refusing the offer from theUntainted Sentinels to hand Lisa''s remnants at that time had damaged their reputation or something¡ Can you shield us from harm until we confirm that they won''t bother us?"Aubrey''s plea was tinged with a sense of vulnerability.
Vale immediately understood what she wanted to happen.
He then responded with a chuckle¡
"Fear not,Aubrey. I shall ensure the safety of you and your kin¡ As a matter of fact, I''ll speak to Farah regarding this so they won''t think of harming you."
"Farah?" Lisa and Aubrey repeated.
"Yes¡ The Fortune Goddess."
Chapter 825 The Lost Arts
Chapter 825 The Lost Arts
AsChad,Odessa,Jin,Aurion, and theShadow Immortal''s Avatarpassed through the portal the two Time Maniptors summoned, Giorgi quickly marked the area where the groupnded¡
This marked point would be their exit pointter on as well. It was actually different to leave this ce as Giorgi had to stay in the Human Realm in order to pull them out once they were done in their mission.
"We''re here¡" Vale''s Avatar said as he spread his Divine Sense while the others also did the same and used their various techniques to get a hold of their surroundings.
Soon, they were able to have a decent grasp of the situation of the Celestial Prison Realm¡
The realm was shrouded in darkness, and the light from the sky came from the two moons above.
Nheless, the ce seemed to be difficult to live in as there were heavy storms everywhere.
Just from the time they entered, several streaks of lightning had already hit the ground¡ However, these lightning strikes illuminated thendscape in a stark and eerie glow.
"So this is the Celestial Prison Realm¡" Chad muttered. He didn''t really like this name since it implies that only Celestial Beings were imprisoned here. If they were imprisoned for some reason, then it means that they were criminals or, in short, not good individuals.
Chad''s heart raced with nervousness, but some parts of it were also filled with excitement, as this was his first time going to another realm!
There was no way he wouldn''t feel excited about this situation.
"Incredible¡ It''s truly my honor to be invited here, Sir Immortal¡" Odessa said, as she really didn''t expect to be included in this mission.
As she inhaled the air, she realized that the air was filled with energy that benefited her Spell Models! They weren''t being rejected by the Will of the Realm, but instead, they were being assisted!
She initially thought that they would have to get used to the suppression of the Will, but it seemed that she was thinking too much!
TheCelestial Prison Realmwas a lot more mysterious than she thought!
Soon, they all noticed the sixteen Towers below the teau¡
"These towers¡" Chad muttered as he had already guessed what these Towers were.
"They''re indeed the special prison for the Celestial Beings." Jin muttered, as he already knew a lot of things about this realm.
"I''ll lead the way¡" He added.
As they descended upon a teau that overlooked a sprawling expanse of 16 towering structures, each of them was on guard in case someone dared to ambush them¡
"They looked more and more terrifying as we got closer." Chad muttered.
The towers loomed like monoliths of a forgotten era¡ Seeing these structures etched against the backdrop of a stormy sky made it seem like it would only appear in the movies. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Sixteen Towers¡ I wonder if it had a meaning¡" Odessa spoke softly. Her eyes, alight with curiosity and apprehension, surveyed the scene before her.
Aurion, the True Immortal, remained silent as his mission here was actually to protect Vale''s Avatar.
Although the one he had to protect was a mere Avatar, the fact that Vale''s main body was frozen remains. It means that if the Avatar died here, there would only be one Avatar left, and he couldn''t let that happen."
TheShadow Immortal''s Avatar, on the other hand, didn''t stop using his Divine Sense to survey the surroundings. He knew very well that entering an unknown realm was dangerous, so he had to ensure that Chad and Odessa would be able to escape this ce in case a problem urred. That was why before entering this Realm, he had also prepared dozens of Divine Talismans.
However, as they got closer and they gazed upon the towers that loomed in the distance, a sense of awe and wonder gripped everyone''s hearts¡
Soon, they read the names of the Towers written in Oardic!
Mystic Tower, Dark Tower, Holy Tower, Summoner Tower, Element Tower, and so on!
"Wait¡ The towers'' names seemed simr to the Arcane Paths¡ But there are only twelve Arcane Paths! What are the other four?!" Chad immediately voiced out everyone''s concern!
It was indeed obvious that each Tower represents the Arcane Paths!
They had to quickly find the other four that weren''t part of the 12 Paths!
***
In the meantime, while the expedition group started investigating theCelestial Prison Realm,Aubreyfound herself seated at avish banquet table withVale''s Avatar,Lisa, andMagnus, partaking in a sumptuous meal that offered meals that she had never seen before...
The table wasden with a feast fit for royalty. It seemed Magnus truly wanted to demonstrate his culinary prowess and show how great he was!
Well, it wasn''t every day that they get a ''weed'' visitor, so he had really gone all out.
As the meal progressed,Vale''s Avatar turned his attention toAubrey, his gaze was filled with curiosity¡
"Aubrey, may I inquire as to what led you to pursue a career as a Paranormal Investigator? Your selected branch before was necromancy, if I''m not mistaken¡ Why did you shift to be a ritualist?" he queried, his tone both interested and respectful.
Aubrey took a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking.
"I just don''t like necromancy¡ It''s all thanks to the death of the Headmaster. My shadow returned and I felt that I could somehow do better¡ Of course, after graduation, I really aimed to be a Paranormal Investigator since I read some things from the Ancient Book that my father bought from an auction¡ Ahem¡ You know about my Merchant Family and my father liked to collect things. Well, long story short, I''m searching for a lost legacy¡ TheLost Arcane Arts," she revealed¡
Vale''s Avatar andLisaexchanged a nce of surprise, their curiosity piqued byAubrey''s revtion. "How does the pursuit of theLost Arcane Artsconnect to your role as aParanormal Investigator?"Valeinquired, his interest piqued¡
He knew about the Lost Arcane Arts after all.
Chapter 826 Lost Arts
Chapter 826 Lost Arts
Aubrey chuckled at this question from Vale anddelved into the tale of her quest¡
"It was a long story but it was all thanks to my father''s interest in ancient artifacts, including tomes of unknown era¡" She started.
They soon recalled that Aubrey Hall came from a rich Merchant Family and not an Arcanist Family like most others in the Vermont Academy.
In any case, she continued.
"We learned about the existence of an Ancient Ghost who has delved into the depths of the Lost Arcane Path... We basically confirmed through many sources that this Ghost holds the key to unlocking the secrets of a bygone era, a time when magic flowed freely, and knowledge transcended mortal boundaries¡ The time before the Arcane Paths had been split¡" She shared, her words imbued with a sense of awe and reverence as she recalled this information.
AsAubreyrecounted the lore surrounding the Ghost and its connection to theLost Arcane Arts,Vale''s Avatar andLisalistened intently, captivated by the tale of mystery and magic that unfolded before them.
Vale, of course, knew about the Arcane Path''s history thanks to the knowledge of the Immortals around him. He also extracted Memory Fragments before and learned that aside from the Arcane Paths being split, there were also paths that had been forgotten or lost after the division, and only 12 of them were left. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Interesting¡ Do you think my Vampire Path is one of the missing Arcane Path?" Lisa asked.
However, Aubrey couldn''t answer as well since she wasn''t sure about the other Lost Arcane Paths.
"But Celestial Arts and Spirits Arts were probably included¡" Vale muttered. He only guessed since he was able to obtain these two arts through his extraction.
"Ohhh¡ That''s a nice guess¡ I actually only know one Lost Arcane Art, and that''s the one I needed to learn from the Ghost that I''m searching." Aubrey said.
"Can you tell us what it is?" Lisa asked curiously.
"Of course, it''s called the Primordial Chaos Arts¡" Aubrey replied.
"Primordial Chaos Arts¡" Vale and Lisa repeated at the same time as they felt that this Lost Arcane Arts sounded both cool and terrifying. It seemed that there was a reason why this particr path was hidden or destroyed¡
Perhaps someone nned to eradicate all the practitioners of this specific Arcane Path for a reason¡ and they seeded.
"Sounds cool, right?" Aubrey said after seeing their expression.
"Yes¡ Tell me what you know about this Lost Arcane Arts¡" Vale said and Aubrey knew that this Immortal would not be so stingy, so she decided to tell everything she knew about this Lost Arcane Art.
"ording to the tranted book that my father bought, this Arts is a mysterious and ancient form of magic that taps into the raw, untamed forces of creation and destruction. I can''t really exin it but think of it as some sort of Destruction Force rather than Corrosive or Corruption of other paths¡"
As she defined it as a form of Destruction, Vale and Lisa had it easier to imagine what kind of Spells and Techniques this path could offer.
"To be honest, the Ancient Book that we found supposedly had Spell Models of the Primordial Chaos Arts¡ They were Chaos Rift and Entropy Shift¡ They were Tier 3 Spells, but unfortunately, the book was badly damaged and could not be repaired." Aubrey added.
"That''s a pity¡" Valemented.
"Tier 3 Arts are incredible¡ I don''t even know many of them. I hope you can still find other copies of that book." Lisamented.
"Though it''s almost impossible for that to happen, I hope that we can still find one¡" Aubrey replied with a weak smile.
Aubrey then invited Vale and Lisa to join her in looking for the Ghost...
"I think that searching for the Lost Arts would be less boring and maybe even faster with your help." Aubrey added.
"Mhmm... That''s definitely interesting, but I just wanted to recover for now... If possible, I want to drink some high-quality blood from the people here." Lisa said¡ Well, she hadn''t fully recovered yet and she needed more rest.
Hearing Lisa''s concert, Vale immediately spoke.
"You can request blood from Orden or Ryzoir..." Vale said, recalling that the Dragon Blood works well on Lisa''s physique.
Anyway, he could not offer his blood since he was only an Avatar, but the two he suggested were Dragons who were under hismand. They would not refuse such a simple request.
"I see... I will do that, Vale¡ Are you going to join Aubrey?" Lisa asked.
"Yes.... It sounds interesting." Vale replied after some thought.
The following day dawned with adventure asAubreyand Vale prepared to embark on a journey to uncover the mysteries of the elusive Ghost and theLost Arcane Arts.
As they made their way to theairshipthat would carry them to thesmall townthat Aubrey confirmed to be thest location of the Ghost, a sense of excitement could sensed from her as she believed that with the addition of Vale, even if he was only an Avatar, was already several times better than getting help from her father or other Arcanists.
"Ohhh~" Aubrey was in awe after seeing the Immortal''s exclusive airship¡
The airship awaiting them was smaller in size, but she could see that it was the sturdiest airship out there.
Its sleek hull gleamed in the morning sunlight as it hovered gracefully above the ground. The vessel was adorned with intricate runes that pulsed with arcane energy¡
"Awesome¡ Did you make this airship? I''ve never seen anything like this before¡" Aubreymented.
"It''s just a modified airship from the Arcane Bureau. It''s specifically modified by Denise, one of our Arcane Craftsmen in our territory¡" Vale proudly said.
"As expected¡ You have all kinds of experts on your side." Aubrey replied.
Boarding theairship,Aubrey and Vale were greeted by a crew of skilled navigators and Arcanists who manned the vessel with practiced ease.
As the airship lifted off and soared into the boundless sky, Aubrey gazed out at the passingndscape below, marveling at the view... At the same time, she could not help but feel excited as she hoped that the secrets of the Primordial Chaos Arts would soon be revealed.
Chapter 827 Familiar
Chapter 827 Familiar
"We''re finally here¡" Aubrey muttered after seeing the familiar town below them.
Following a journey that spanned several hours, the grand Airship gently descended,ing to rest in the bustling Miner Town nestled within Monforte County.
The sight of the majestic Airship had obviously gathered attention and several Arcanists of various ranks, police officers, and even the town mayor were alerted by their arrival.
Some of them thought that a noble had graced their town and, perhaps, was about to share some blessings with them.
However, they soon recognized Aubrey, and most of the people gathered there immediately dispersed. Many of them, especially those old ones, may not hate Aubrey, but they have to avoid her.
She dealt with entities that couldn''t be seen with normal eyes, and they didn''t want to get energy from her.
Thud¡
As Vale and Aubrey disembarked and entered the town, they were greeted by the lively hum of the town''s streets, teeming with traders and travelers going about their daily routines.
Opting to rent a carriage, Vale and Aubrey set off towards Aubrey''s office, a ce where she worked as a Paranormal Investigator.
"Are you famous in this area?" Vale asked after themotion a while ago. He noticed that there were a lot of people who were disappointed after seeing her. He couldn''t help but find this amusing.
"Famous? Maybe¡ They need to know me since there have been a lot of paranormal activities around heretely¡ To be honest, there were several towns nearby that had an increased number of simr cases." She replied.
"Ohh¡ Do you think it''s rted to the ghost you were looking for?" Vale asked.
The two of them continued with their light conversation as their carriage rattled along cobbled streets lined with picturesque shops and old buildings¡
The weather seemed quite pleasing as the sun cast a golden glow over the town.
Vale felt like this was a great vacation after staying in that castle for a long time and was busy doing various missions to save the main body.
Well, even if he was only an Avatar, he was still feeling tired and exhausted from the busy life in the castle.
Now that he was able to leave that ce, he felt his body rx¡ He wasn''t worried even with the fact that they were being observed by a couple of Untainted Sentinels from a distance.
Now that he was able to leave that ce, he felt his body rx¡ He wasn''t worried even with the fact that they were being observed by a couple of Untainted Sentinels from a distance.
After fighting against Demon Saints, Death God, Deadly Sins, and other powerful beings, these Untainted Sentinels felt like a breath of fresh air.
Anyway, upon arriving at her office, Aubrey was greeted by a flood of letters that filled her mailbox. Each of them was a request and contained stories of otherworldly encounters and spectral disturbances that required her assistance.
"You can go ahead and check them first. We''re not in a hurry anyway¡"
Vale, ever the attentivepanion, encouraged Aubrey to examine the letters at her own pace¡ After all, there might be very important requests there that she needed to immediately attend.
As Aubrey delved into the letters, her brow furrowed in concentration as she sifted through the varied requests that poured in from the townsfolk.
Vale, meanwhile, took the opportunity to explore the office. His keen eyes scanned the shelves lined with ancient tomes, enchanted relics, and intricate Formation Arts that hinted at Aubrey''s expertise in dealing with the supernatural.
''She''s really a Paranormal Investigator.'' Vale thought as he considered whether he would''ve be one as well if he graduated.
He recalled that once he graduated as a Ritualist, he could consider bing an ult Consultant, Paranormal Investigator, Museum Curator or Artifact Expert, Ritual Designer, Arcane Researcher, or even a Professor in the Academy.
''I''d probably choose to be a Paranormal Investigator¡ Going to various ces seemed more interesting than bing a Professor or Curator in a specific ce.'' Vale mused.
After some time, while Vale was lost in his thoughts, Aubrey suddenly emerged with a steaming cup of tea for him¡
He failed to notice that she was actually preparing some refreshments for him.
"Thank you¡" Vale replied at the gesture of hospitality. He really appreciated it and he also realized that Aubrey was still the same with her thoughtful nature.
Vale epted the tea graciously, savoring its warmth as he settled into a chair¡ He then recalled the letters she received.
"Any intriguing requests among the letters?" Vale inquired, his voice had a hint of anticipation as Aubrey shared the details of a peculiar case involving a haunted cemetery that had garnered significant attention in the town.
Multiple requests had flooded in from concerned visitors seeking to eliminate or banish the mysterious presence that haunted the graveyard¡
This task piqued Aubrey''s interest since there were several victims already¡ Furthermore, all the victims are young females.
"Do you want to check the ce with me?"
Aubrey asked after revealing the extent of the requests rted to the cemetery haunting¡
"Let''s go¡ Do you want to check it now, or would you still be resting?" Vale asked since he was worried that Aubrey was tired after just arriving.
"Ugh¡ Now that you said it, let''s goter at night to check the situation. There''s a higher chance that the spirit will show at that time." She replied.
Vale nodded in understanding. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"Very well."
After some time had passed, under the shroud of night, Vale and Aubrey ventured into the grounds of the cemetery¡
As they reached a certain area in the graveyard, they felt as if they just crossed the threshold into the realm of the supernatural. A sense of spiritual power enveloped them.
Then, Vale''s keen senses detected a familiar presence...
''This is¡'' Vale frowned as he recalled what kind of energy this was.
As they followed the direction of the spirit, they soon noticed a translucent figure chained on the ground. This figure was beautiful without a doubt¡
"A messenger, a fallen angel¡"Valemurmured, his voice tinged with recognition as he gazed upon the being that stood before them.
"Is that the messenger I''ve heard of?!"Aubrey eximed while her gaze fixed on the apparition. She felt a sense of awe and wonder at the sight of this mysterious being.
Chapter 828 Not a Ghost
Chapter 828 Not a Ghost
This Fallen Angel seemed weak, as if he was about to vanish. Furthermore, he was chained to the ground and seemed to be taking his strength without any stop.
Vale had seen a messenger before when he tried to summon Lotus once again. They were beings with a hint of divinity with them.
Furthermore, Vale also knew that the Holy Knights, High Priests, and other special Arcanists who had learned the Holy Arts were able to summon such beings to temporarily fight for them.
If the Evanescent Vessels'' trump card was having mysterious beings take over their bodies, the Untaintated Sentinels'' special move was summoning these beings.
As the fallen angel turned its gaze towardVale, a sense of longing and desperation flickered in its luminous eyes¡
It was as if he just found his savior who would aid him or give him salvation from itsspectral prison.
"Finally, there''s someone who can talk to me¡ I''m finally saved¡" The Spirit spoke with a mncholic tone. Its voice seemed relief, especially after realizing that the Arcanists that hade to visit him were at a higher level.
Piqued by the Spirit''s plea,Valestepped forward. His expression showed empathy as he sought to learn more about the mysteries that bound the fallen angel to its current situation.
"How can we help you?"Valeinquired while using all of his detection spells to understand the surroundings. Well, he wanted to make sure that this wasn''t a trap and he also wanted to study the chains binding the Messenger.
"I''m trapped here! You have to save me!" The fallen angel implored, its voice filled with a hint of urgency.
As the fallen angel''s pleas echoed, ValeandAubreystood silently. After all, they were still unaware of the full story as to why this being was trapped here in the first ce.
It might even be a demon disguised as a Messenger or Angel.
"Hmm?"
Vale frowned for a bit as he sensed that the Spirit''s voice carried a haunting melody that stirred the depths of their souls,pelling them to heed its call for liberation from the spectral chains that bound it to the mortal realm.
Indeed, it was a charm spell!
"Please! I implore you, break the chain that binds me¡ Someone betrayed me! " The fallen angel pleaded once again.
Its luminous eyes fixed uponValeandAubrey¡ Aubrey may not have noticed the subtle Psychic Art being used on them, but Vale could easily tell what was going on.
''Well¡ Let''s see what your nning right now¡'' Vale mused.
Vale smirked as his keen intuition sensed a hidden truth from what it was saying¡
Turning toAubrey, he exchanged a knowing nce before addressing the being with an inquisitive voice.
"Before we act, we must understand why you are bound in such a manner. Enlighten us, so we may aid you in your plight." Vale replied.
With a sorrowful sigh, the fallen angel revealed its name asRasiel, a being of divine lineage betrayed by aHalf-Immortalfrom this Human Realm who coveted its celestial powers and sought to take all of his energy to increase the Arcanist''s chances of bing a Full Immortal.
Rasiel then made a detailed story about how he was summoned by the Half-Immortal only to get trapped¡ Apparently, the cemetery where he was summoned may not have corpses on the ground, but it had ashes of powerful Arcanists throughout history and were used as Formation Nodes to trap him.
ThoughValedetected a subtle hint of deception inRasiel''s words, he chose to extend his hand inpassion.
"Fine¡ Let me break it for you¡" Vale said, which confused Aubrey for a moment. Nheless, Vale was immortal so she decided to trust him.
Click¡
With a flip of his fingers, Vale used his Divinity to break the spectral chain that boundRasiel¡
As soon as he did so, the energy being suppressed by the chains was released! N?v(el)B\\jnn
In just a few moments, a surge of malevolent energy crackled through the air, a dark miasma that sought to ensnareVale''s body!
Rasiel actually turned into a dark smoke and tried to possessed Vale''s body!
"So it was like that¡"
In a swift and decisive motion,Vale''s innate powers as aShadow Immortalsurged forth¡ To be exact, he used various forms of energy to stop the Messenger from entering his body!
The dark smoke stopped a few inches from him as Vale resisted the fallen angel''s insidious attempt to possess him!
"You''re too obvious¡" Valemented.
It didn''t end there! As soon as Vale measured the strength of the Messenger, he calmly surrounded it with his own essence¡
He showed that even if he was only an Avatar, he capable of using the Shadow Essence without any issues!
It didn''t take that long before the Messenger returned to its original form while being chained by the Darkness that Vale had created.
As soon as this happened, Vale had already obtained full information about this being, and he was shocked to realize that this Messenger was just a cover!
"So it was like that¡"
As the spectral energies ebbed and flowed around them,Vale''s eyes lit up.
"Interesting¡"Valemurmured, his gaze shifting from the spectral form before him toAubrey, a flicker of intrigue dancing in his eyes.
"It seems we have stumbled upon what you seek¡"Valeremarked, as he turned toAubrey, a knowing smile ying upon his lips. Aubrey, nodded in silent agreement¡
"You''re right¡"
Her thoughts were drawn to the ghost that haunted the cemetery''s ancient grounds. The mission that she just took as a Paranormal Investigator.
Yet, asVale''s words hung in the air,Aubrey''s keen senses caught a glimpse of something amiss, a subtle shift inVale''s smile.
"Wait... You''re not referring to the ghost of the Lost Arcane Arts, are you?" Aubrey''s voice rang out, a note of disbelief in her words as she confronted Vale with surprise and suspicion.
"You''re correct. This ghost is quite special... It learned an unknown Arcane Path, and after confirming it a few times, it''s really practicing the Primordial Chaos Arts. It was just covered in manyyers, so it took me some time to discover it." Vale replied.
Chapter 829 Reported
Chapter 829 Reported
"So it was like that¡"
Aubreystood in awe as the pieces of the supernatural puzzle fell into ce before her very eyes. The truth was actually more extraordinary and perplexing than she could have ever imagined.
"I don''t think this is a coincidence¡ You chose this ce since you knew about the ghost in the first ce. It was just a matter of time." Vale said, seeing how Aubrey looked so shocked.
She was probably expecting to find the ghost she was searching for after several years of investigating thisnd as a Paranormal Investigator.
"My father was right¡ Now, I just have to learn the Primordial Chaos Art¡" Aubrey wryly smiled after realizing that her mission had already changed.
Aubrey didn''t mention it to Vale, but the true purpose of this search was to help her father. The Hall Family was only a merchant family with various descendants who had learned different Arcane Paths to make more connections.
However, her father saw the chance of bing an Arcanist Family. It was when he found the ancient book rted to the Lost Arcane Arts. He and his grandfather dreamed that they would make their merchant family into a strong Arcanist Family.
To do that, they thought of buying their way to be a powerful Arcanist Family by recruiting talented people. However, that was too unstable¡ They couldn''t rely on external forces to maintain their Arcanist Family.
Thankfully, the current head of the family discovered the Primordial Chaos Arts and had some of his trusted descendants take on the mission of uncovering this Lost Arcane Art. "I''ve done it¡ So it''s the ghost I''ve been seeking¡"Aubreybreathed, her voice tinged with wonder and disbelief, her gaze fixed upon the spectral form that now stood before her in all its spectral glory. The realization that dawned upon her filled her with a sense of relief.
"Did you truly delve into thePrimordial Chaos Arts?"Aubreyinquired. Her eyes were filled with curiosity and a thirst for understanding that burned within her like a me¡
Although she was still on a mission, her desire to obtain knowledge was undeniable.
In the meantime, Vale remained silent.
His aura, however, was suffused with Shadow Divinity that swirled around the ghostly figure in a delicate web of containment¡
After a few moments, he nodded in satisfaction. He felt that the bind he created was perfect and would not be destroyed by the ghost. ''Perfect¡''
The essence of hisshadowbound the spirit perfectly, ensuring that its ethereal form remained tethered to the mortal realm, unable to slip through the cracks of reality and vanish into the mists of the supernatural or spirit realm.
The ghost, on the other hand, was shocked at Aubrey''s question.
"How did youe to possess such knowledge?" the ghost questioned, a tremor of uncertainty rippling through its incorporeal form as it couldn''t understand how they knew about the Arcane Arts he had practiced¡
"This is impossible¡" He added. The secrets it had guarded with utmost care and secrecy now stood exposed to the piercing scrutiny of these two individuals! His three or four lovers should be the only ones who were aware of his secret! Those lovers of him had also died already more than 200 years ago!
"Wait, Aubrey¡ We must leave this ce before we interrogate him¡"Valedered.
Apparently, even after suppressing the ghost, it could still somehow affect the surrounding energy. Perhaps, it was due to the mysterious Primordial Chaos Arts!
It was causing trouble within the cemetery as if it was trying to cause a storm¡ Vale had to quickly do something about it, and removing the sources of dark energy in the surroundings would be a good decision.
With that said, Vale waved his hand and tore the space! This shocked Aubrey, but she didn''tment for now as she was afraid that Vale would have to concentrate.
Then, Vale held Aubrey''s shoulder and entered the portal he had created!
Just like that, the trio traversed the threshold of the portal and emerged inRaze''s office¡ The spirit was still ensnared byVale''s Shadow Essence all this time.
"You!"
The ghost immediately felt enraged after realizing that the energy he was trying to gather just vanished!
He had wasted a lot of effort on that!
In the meantime, Aubrey stood transfixed, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief at the sight that greeted her¡
"You can travel through space!" Aubrey was shocked and excited since she knew a little about the Space Techniques! It might even be a Lost Art that could somehow be used by Mystic Arts Practitioners and Rune Casters with the right tools to trigger them.
***
Meanwhile, asValeandAubreydelved deeper into the secrets surrounding the ghost and theLost Arcane Arts, across the vast expanse of theHoly City''sCathedral, a huge problem started bubbling into the surface. Teresaandre, the two Untainted Sentinels, kneeled in the hallowed halls of the grand Cathedral¡ The two of them justpleted their report toFarah, the esteemed Avatar of theFortune Goddess. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Mhmmm¡"
In the somber stillness of the sacred sanctuary,Farah pondered the revtions brought forth by her loyal sentinels.
The mention of theShadow Immortal''s Avatarbeing with Aubrey caught her interest¡
"TheShadow Immortal''s Avatar... an intriguing mystery indeed¡"Farahmused as she considered her next actions.
"I guess it''s true that the Death God injured his main body... That''s already quite impressive that he didn''t die..." Farah then thought for a moment as she considered whether to attack the Shadow Immortal now.
After all, the Shadow Immortal could have taken over this realm unless she made her move now¡
After a moment of silent reflection and deliberation,Farah''s decision was ultimately made after using her Divine Insight..
She then dismissedTeresaandre, the Untainted Sentinels, and went to the inner chamber.
She had to prepare for battle¡
With a silent prayer to her main body, she asked for more Divinity to be bestowed in the Avatar''s body!
Chapter 830 Lies
830 Lies
Farah doesn''t dislike the Shadow Immortal. He wasn''t using his powers to hurt ordinary humans, and he was able to coexist with them perfectly with the help of the magic craftsmen on his side.
The Shadow Immortal also had connections to various organizations, but it wasn''t to expand his territory or control over arge number of people. As a matter of fact, his connections outside the castle were very limited as they only wanted to expand their sources of materials.
The most important thing was that he wasn''t gathering people in order to have them worship him and establish faith.
''It''s odd¡ He had several Immortals serving him and should be aware of it. He should be thinking of ascending to be a Paragon, but he wasn''t doing it¡ It''s too suspicious.'' Farah thought for a moment.
She would understand if Vale decided to leave this realm since the Arcane Energy here was already useless to him, and what he needed more was Divinity¡ªa form of Divinity that would make him stronger and faith that would make him ascend.
Soon, as her prayer faded into the halls of theCathedral,Farah''s form shimmered with an ethereal light.
Needless to say, it was the manifestation of divine power and grace that enveloped her in a radiant aura of protection.
"This should be more than enough to deal with the True Immortals and his Avatars¡" Farah muttered after consolidating the strength that was bestowed on her physique.
Farah also felt that killing the Shadow Immortal could cause a huge problem in terms of the realm''s security from invasion, but unfortunately, the Shadow Immortal would soon realize that this realm would not be able to handle another deity. Once he realized that, he would surely target her, the one who had taken most of the realm''s faith and Divinity¡
Before that could happen, he had to convince the Shadow Immortal to leave this realm or kill him.
With a final nce at the sacred surroundings of theCathedral, she vanished from sight, her path set on a course that would shape the destinies of mortals and immortals alike within this realm. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
***
Whoosh~
Farah had then arrived outside the formidable castle that served as the domain ofVale, Shadow Immortal.
Her arrival was shrouded in secrecy, her presence was cloaked in a veil of invisibility. She used both of her spells and artifacts to do this.
The reason was simple: she sought to uncover the mysteries hidden within the shadowed walls of the Immortal''s stronghold.
Currently, she was standing at a distance of ten kilometers from the imposing barriers that shieldedVale''s castle from prying eyes¡
''Eightyers of barriers, huh¡ Isn''t he spending too much Formation Nodes?'' Farahmused as she surveyed the intricateyers of protection that surrounded the fortress¡
As she prepared to unleash her Celestial Arts and delve deeper into the secrets of the castle, something unexpected happened.
She was stopped by the sudden appearance of two figures that materialized before her.
These figures were incredibly beautiful. They had an otherworldly grace and elegance.
''It''s my first time seeing them, and I''m really impressed. Just how did he manage to subdue these True Immortals?'' Farah thought to herself.
Needless to say, they were True Immortal Soldiers. They floated above her in all their resplendent glory, their androgynous features, loose white clothes, and golden swords could really look attractive in front of her eyes.
"Interesting¡ You noticed my presence so quickly¡"
The unexpected arrival ofVale''s loyal guardians tookFarahby surprise, her divine aura was momentarily disrupted by their ability to detect her presence¡
There was already a sh of aura just now, and although she wouldn''t lose, she decided to recall her aura. She wanted to gain information from these two instead.
"How did you find me?" She asked.
Despite her best efforts to remain concealed, it only took them less than 10 seconds to arrive here!
The question hung in the air, but the two didn''t seem to have any thoughts of answering her question.
"Why have youe here?" The True Immortal inquired, their gaze even tried to pierce through Farah. Farah then considered for a few moments before answering truthfully.
"Ie in search of truths¡" Farahreplied¡
"I want to know what your master ns¡ Is he nning to ascend to be a Paragon? I can help him if he promises to ascend to a different realm¡ You can ry that message to him¡ Lastly, does your master possess the power of the Divine Extraction?" Farah asked.
***
Meanwhile, while this was all happening, amidst the ethereal expanse of theCelestial Prison Realm,Vale''s Avatar,Chad,Odessa, Jin, andAurionventured forth on their quest¡
As they neared the 16 Celestial Prison Towers, their senses suddenly found a moving figure¡
It didn''t stop them at all, and soon, they found themselves face to face with a formidable guardian unlike any they had encountered before.
"I think he''s the guardian of these Towers¡ It''s a golem." Jinmented.
Before them was a colossal golem, a towering behemoth of stone and celestial energy. It was about 30 meters tall, and its massive form blocked the path leading to prisons.
Of course, Vale tried using the Golden Key to stop the Golem from blocking them, but it was useless.
"I guess we have to fight this thing, huh¡" Jin muttered.
"I''m just worried that more of them would appear once we destroyed it." Chad spoke up.
"We should be fine¡" Vale''s Avatar said as he detected no other golems around.
As the Celestial Guardian stood silently before them, they could feel the pressure it was emitting and it was certainly ready for battle!
"We''re going to destroy that thing¡ I sensed something inside it''s body and it might be helpful in our journey." The Avatar said as he led the charge!
With a thunderous roar, the Celestial Guardian unleashed a barrage of celestial energy, pressuring them into submission!
"Let me!"
Chad, his sword drawn, wanted to use this opportunity to show his might!
With his own Dragon''s Roar, he met the guardian''s pressure head-on!
Chapter 831 The Towers
831 The Towers
Chad''s de hummed with the Dragon''s Aura being manifested and shed with the Golem''s fist!
Boom!
Although they had a vast difference in size, Chad''s strength was alreadyparable to that of a young dragon. He waspletely unafraid to face this Golem, especially after being trained by Orden and Ryzoir for years while also sparring with the True Immortals plenty of times.
Seeing this, Odessa couldn''t help but praise the half-dragon.
"That''s impressive, Chad¡ However, we are in a hurry. We don''t know what kind of danger awaits us in the Prison Towers, so let me help you. You need to preserve your strength."
Odessa, the previous Royal Mage, was known as a Mystic Arts Practitioner, but she also practices Holy Arts and Rune Arts¡
Carefully, she essed her Spell Models¡ She used dual casting and unleashed a couple of binding spells, disrupting Golem''s movements and making its feet unbnced to drop it on the ground!
With this opportunity, Chad''s fist suddenly transformed and there were already scales on his right hand!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chad targeted the Golem''s head where he thought its core was located!
Boom!
With his fifth strike, the Golem''s head finally exploded¡ The explosion surprised evenChad as he jumped back to avoid the st.
At this time, the True Immortal spoke.
"It''s not over yet¡ It seems to be a defense mechanism where it detonates a part of its body to destroy anyone clinging to it¡ Look, it''s starting to stand to continue the fight¡" Aurion exined as he prepared to finish this battle.
This time, Aurion decided to use one of his most powerful Celestial Arts to ensure the destruction of the Golem''s core¡ n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Wait¡" Vale''s Avatar immediately held Aurion shoulders as he was able to tell what kind of Celestial Arts he was about to use.
Destroying the Golem would be aplete waste of resources and if they didn''t find what they were looking for in this realm, it would be a bit too regretful if they passed this up.
"I''m sure that Denise would be happy to obtain the core of the Golem instead. Let me take it instead." The Avatar said as he raised his hand and opened his palm as if he was asking the Golem to hand over its core.
Chad found it funny but he decided to keep silent and waited for the Shadow Immortal''s next move.
To his surprise, however, the Avatar was actually serious with this gesture as he spoke¡
"Traceless Shift¡"
Just like that, the golem''s burning red eyes dissipated as the golem''s structure started crumbling¡
Then, Vale''s previous empty hand was now holding a core that was the size of a human head!
Odessa''s eyes widened after seeing this.
From the flow of energy that she just saw, the spell that Vale used was somehow simr to a popr spell called Pickpocket.
It was a Spellmonly used by failures of the Mystic Arts Practitioners. However, this Spell would only normally work if it was used on ordinary people¡ Aside from that, it could also be used if the Spell Mastery was high and it could work on Arcanists, especially those who hadn''t entered their special state yet when the Spell was triggered.
"You can do that?" She couldn''t help but exim.
Chad also turned his attention back to Vale''s hands and realized that he had truly stolen the core without leaving his spot.
"Can you do that in our body organs too? I mean¡ Can you steal or shift our hearts or kidney into your hands if you want to?" Chad asked curiously.
At this question, Vale''s Avatar could no longer restrain hisugh¡
"Haha¡ That''s an amusing question, Chad. However, you were right¡ I haven''t tried it yet. If there''s a targetter, I will try shifting their organs. I should be able to sense it as long as they infused their internal organs with magic to enhance them." The Avatar replied as if he was excited to try it.
On the other hand, Chad suddenly felt conflicted as he pitied Vale''s target next time. After all, even if it failed, he knew that the target of such a spell would feel incredible pain for getting their internal organs shaken.
After this, Valeand hispanions pressed forward into the domain of the 16Prison Towers. Because of the Guardian Golem, their senses remained sharp, and their weapons were ready, wary of any potential threats that lurked within the shadows.
Approaching the nearest Tower with caution, they saw a metal door adorned with a cryptic sign that read "Darkness" in the ancient tongues ofOardicor theSpirit Language.
Seeing this, everyone already felt that they knew what was going on...
They decided not to enter this Tower yet and continued to check each of them.
Soon, they realized that their intuition was right all along.
Soon, they found theMystic Towerto the sanctified aura of theHoly Tower, from the elemental forces of theElemental Towerto the ancient wisdom of theRunes Tower, each was indeed representing each Arcane Path without a doubt.
They soon discovered the Towers representing the other Arcane Paths. The Beast, Summoner, Knights, Martials, Alchemy, Transformation, and Psychic Arts!
Soon, they all looked at the final four Towers that awaited them. They were curious to see what they were.
However, it wasn''t easy. It was at this moment that a few figures emerged to block them!
Before they could take another step forward, a sudden disturbance in the air stopped them¡
They felt that they were dangerous and had to be cautious. They were figures cloaked in shadows and emanating an aura of darkness that chilled the very essence of their souls.
"Hmmm?"
AsVale''s keen gaze fell on these figures, a sense of recognition stirred within him, for he knew these shadowy figures all too well!
They were none other than the Shadow Sentinels! As a Shadow Immortal, there was no way he wouldn''t recognize these entities!
"What are they doing here in the Celestial Prison Realm?" Vale muttered to himself.
The appearance of these shadowy beings confused Vale a lot since they shouldn''t be here in the first ce¡
For now, Vale could only think that these were actually prisoners of the Celestial Beings, but they somehow managed to escape!
Chapter 832 The four Lost Arcane Arts
832 The four Lost Arcane Arts
Vale''s Avatar immediately acted as soon as he realized their race¡
He could easily tell that they were from the Shadow Race, so he immediately showed his Shadow Divinity and extended his Shadow Essence.
A while ago, he only seemed like a normal Arcanist. However, after removing his concealment and showing himself as a Shadow Immortal, the Shadowed figures immediately felt intimidated.
But this fear from the Shadow Immortal was quickly erased by another form of shadow in their heart!
It turns out that there are more than 300 members of the Shadow Race hiding all this time!
"Do you know them, Sir Vale?" Odessa asked after hearing Vale''s reaction.
"Kind of¡ They''re Shadow Sentinels. They came from the Shadow Realm and not this realm, to my knowledge. They must be prisoners¡ or maybe captured by some Celestial Beings and made them work here as guards." Vale replied.
The others could only nod at this since they don''t know much about the Shadow Realm. Even for Odessa, who had made numerous rituals in her Arcane Tower, she hadn''t triedmunicating to this realm yet.
The rituals needed for it were just too iplete, and she had no time or money to spend in researching how to perfect such a ritual and connect to this realm.
Soon, their conversation was cut off as the 300 or so Shadow Sentinelsunched their attack!
As the shadowy figures closed in, Vale''s team could see their eyes gleaming with malice¡ They don''t seem to be in their right mind as well!
They were only filled with hatred for the trespassers!
Aurion, the True Immortal among them, stood in front as he prepared himself to cast a Celestial Artthat would have turned the tide of battle in their favor.
It would spend a lot of his Divinity, but he didn''t mind it.
However, as he prepared to channel his celestial energies,Vale''s Avatar raised a hand to halt him. It was a silent signal that showed his confidence in his own abilities to suppress the enemies.
Well, Vale also knew that Aurion''s spell would kill most of these creatures! That was a waste!
"Just cast a barrier¡" Vale said, which Aurion didn''t mind.
Apparently, Vale had to do this since only his main body possessed the Divine Extraction. Because of that, he nned to collect these Shadow Sentinels until his main body recovered. After all, he felt that these Shadow Sentinels would hasten his advance if he extracted their Shadow Essence someday!
In just a few seconds, Vale immediately created a n to suppress them all without killing them.
Drawing upon his Spell Models,heunleashed a series of powerful spells that would help him achieve his goal.
The first spell that he cast was actually from one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the sin of Pride.
Vale triggered theSupremacy Surge, a surge of dark energy that envelopedVale, boosting his strength to unparalleled heights while instilling a paralyzing fear in the hearts of his enemies.
Then, with a deft flick of his fingers,Valecast theDemon Eyes Spell, a spell of mesmerizing power that froze the 300 Shadow Sentinels in their tracks, rendering them helpless before his might for a mere 10 seconds, but it was a crucial moment.
He broke their momentum and weakened their defenses!
This brief moment allowedValeto cast a stronger spell that required about about 12 seconds to be unleashed!
As the Shadow Sentinels reeled from the effects of theDemon Eyes Spell and started breaking the barrier that Aurion had ced,Valefinally invoked theHoarding Shadow Spell, a cunning enchantment that sapped their literal shadows and weakened their resolve, leaving them vulnerable to his next attack.
''It''s a lot more effective than I thought¡'' Valemented in his mind.
This insidious Hoarding Shadow spell was actually from one of the Seven Deadly Sins as well. Specifically, from the sin of Greed!
It was truly perfect since it preyed upon the inherent weaknesses of the shadowy beings, draining them of their strength and vitality.
Finally,Valeunleashed theDominion Thirst, another skill he had extracted from the sin of Greed, that twisted the minds of the Shadow Sentinels and bent them to his will.
In an instant, the 300 shadowy figures fell under hismand, their once formidable powers now harnessed to serve his purpose. Because of their nature and his control over the shadows, their allegiance was irrevocably bound to his own!
"Those spells¡ Are they Celestial Arts? No, the crowd control spells you used felt simr to some Forbidden Arts I know¡ Very impressive." Odessa muttered as she couldn''t help but feel d to join this expedition.
It wasn''t every day that she got to see an Immortal in action.
Well, the reason why she joined the Shadow Immortal''s league was simple. She wanted knowledge.
She had been a Tower Master for a long time, and no one was above her. No one could teach her anything, and she was always the one sharing knowledge with others and making them stronger.
Even with the various research teams that she created, she could only discover new unimportant things that could at most affect ordinary people or weaker Arcanists.
Seeing how Vale used some unknown Spells against some strange Shadow creatures, she couldn''t help but feel excited.
Soon, she watched Vale try tomunicate with the Shadow sentinels he started controlling, but after a few moments, he sighed and shook his head.
"It''s impossible tomunicate with them. Something seemed to be wrong with their brains, and they could only follow simple instructions. They''re probably been modified already." Vale exined.
He couldn''t help but remember the homunculus project of the Holy Arts Faction because of this. They had modified several Arcanists or even ordinary people in this project and created Druids who could only follow the instructions of those above them.
In the end, Vale could only give up asking them, and soon, they surrounded Vale''s group to form a barrier of protection before they explored the remaining Prison Towers.
Soon, they discovered the four lost Arcane Arts!
They were the Primordial Chaos Arts, the Spirit Arts, the Celestial Arts, and the Void Arts. N?v(el)B\\jnn
Chapter 833 Possession
833 Possession
Everyone seemed to be in awe as they discovered the mysteries of the fourLost Arcane Arts¡
Odessa, the previous Royal Mage, was the happiest of them all as she quickly used another Recording Crystal to ensure that she could bring back this knowledge to the human realm...
After all, she might have missed some details about her current focus on the Tower. Once she rewatched the recordings, she might discover more about the things they were about to find out.
Chad, on the other hand, felt that the Void Arts sounded cool!
"Void Arts¡ Is it simr to the powers possessed by the Dimensional Creatures?" Chad muttered to himself, but everyone seemed to agree as they gently nodded their heads Even if it differs, there must be some kind of simrities.
On the other hand, Vale looked more interested in the Primordial Chaos Arts.
Well, the knowledge of theCelestial ArtsandSpirit Arts, while impressive, did not elicit the same level of astonishment fromVale, as he was already well-versed in their intricate Skills.
As a matter of fact, what truly caught his attention was the conspicuous absence of any path rted to the dark and forbidden arts ofDemonicorigin.
Despite this intriguing revtion of the lost Arcane Arts,Vale''s Avatar couldn''t help but feel excited to learn more about the Primordial Chaos ArtsandVoid Arts.
Although he had numerous skills right now, once his main body had woken up, he would surely start merging these Spells and making Spell Fusions!
His 70 or so Spells right now might turn into 20 or 30 Spells once that happens!
After all, Spell Fusions were needed more when fighting someone at the same level.
Then, as Chad gazed upon the towering structures bearing the ominous inscriptions of Primordial Chaos and Void, a shiver of apprehension ran down his spine¡
"I don''t feelfortable on those two towers¡" Chad muttered.
Surprisingly, it wasn''t only Chad who had sensed danger in those two towers.
"I also sense a disturbance in the energies here¡"Valeremarked, his gaze lingering on the forebodingTowers of Primordial Chaos and Void. It felt like these two towers were trying to hypnotize him and enter the Tower immediately.
It felt as if the towers were more excited to be visited than the rest!
"Let''s avoid that for now." Vale''s Avatar said.
As an alternative, since he sensed a stronger affinity within the Darkness Tower, they made the unanimous decision to venture into this ce instead.
With the help of the Golden Key held inJin''s steady hands, they entered the Darkness Tower.
The door didn''t open but they were sucked inside as soon as the Golden Key vibrated!
"This¡" Chad was awestruck by what he saw.
He was expecting to encounter the familiar confines of a towering structure like the one outside, but they were met with a sight that defied all expectations.
Instead of a traditional tower, they found themselves transported to a vast and deste desert expanse stretching endlessly into the horizon. It was quite dark, but they were still bathed in the ethereal glow of a moonlit sky.
Vale and everyone weren''t sure if day and night worked in this ce, but it seemed to be evening right now inside the Tower.
At this time, they noticed that they were also standing upon an elevated stone tform¡
Soon, they beheld a haunting disy that sent a chill down their spines.
Three figures dangled lifelessly from towering poles, their bodies swaying gently in the breeze¡ n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
It was quite a haunting sight, but what truly made them cautious was the fact that these three bodies weren''t that human¡
Well, the three bodies had four arms and eyes on their forehead¡ They weren''t rotting or dried up yet as if their corpses were just hanged there within a day.
Their identities were shrouded in an ominous mystery as even Aurion and Jin weren''t aware of their nature or race¡
This prompted Vale to investigate further with all his inspection or appraisal Spells.
"I can''t get any clue from them¡ However, there must be something to gain from them." Vale muttered as he looked at the three alien-like corpses.
Nheless, he actually felt a strange connection to these creatures as soon as he got closer.
Then, Chad suddenly shared the same sentiment¡
"This sensation¡" Chad muttered as he couldn''t understand what it was¡
Vale also couldn''t understand why he could feel a connection to these alien-like creatures.
Nheless, he decided to think about thister as he carefully stowed the lifeless bodies of the three figures into his Storage Ring, preserving not only their remains but also their garments and belongings.
Well, his main body might be able to extract them someday.
As the eerie stillness of thedesert enveloped them,Vale''s keen eyes noticed the uniqueness of the stone tform beneath their feet¡
Turning toAurion, the True Immortal whose wisdom transcended the ages,Valeasked.
"Aurion, what do you make of this stone?"Valeinquired as he knew that this Immortal was reliable in this type of things.
Aurion''s gaze lingered thoughtfully upon thestonebeneath them, his expression was serious yet contemtive.
"This is indeed no ordinary stone. It is a fragment ofImmortal Stone but its energies had already faded, and its essence was almost diminished¡"Aurionexined and paused for a moment to touch it.
"Indeed, its value now is simr to a handful of Immortal Shard¡"Aurionsaid after some contemtion.
AcknowledgingAurion''s assessment,Vale''s Avatarnodded in agreement¡
Finally, the Avatar decided to turn his attention to thest mystery that was bothering him a lot.
Valefixed his gaze upon a distantdune before he spoke.
"Come out now..." the Avatar cold said.
This surprised Jin, Odessa, and even Aurion, as they didn''t notice anyone in this ce! They immediately looked in the direction where the Avatar was looking but couldn''t sense anyone!
Nheless, they knew that Vale wasn''t tripping them.
On the other hand, Chad was actually still contemting the four-armed creatures he had just seen, and he wasn''t paying attention to Vale.
As the others were looking for the entity that Vale had sensed, Chad''s eyes lit up!
"I remember now! Those creatures could be felt during the Darkness Possession!"
Chapter 834 The Unknown Creature
Chapter 834 The Unknown Creature
Chad''s memory was suddenly jogged, a spark of recognition ignited within him as he pieced together the mystery before them.
"I remember now! Those four-armed, three-eyed entities... they were connected to theDarkness Possession ritual¡" He eximed, a look of revtion dawning on his face as he solved the cryptic connection.
In order to delve into the arts of the Dark Faction, one had to undergo the harrowing transformation brought about by theDarkness Possession Potion, a potent elixir that demanded a profound alignment with the Darkness. A lot of people, especially those ordinary people whose lineage doesn''t belong to any Arcane Family, died because of this process. Vale knew about this very well.
Chadhimself had braved this ritual, risking his life and sanity in his pursuit of mastery over the Dark Arts. Well, because of his family, the risk was certainly lowered a lot.
Nheless, the ritual of Darkness Possession was dangerous as there could always be an ident.
Then, after he survived and reached a ceiling in practicing the Dark Arts, he had to consume another Darkness Possession Potion to get stronger.
In the second potion, however, Chad remembered that he had almost failed to control it and had nearly be mad and possessed by the Darkness.
Thankfully, he managed to survive in the end. It was mainly because of the Anima Formation Art that Vale had previously shared with them before.
Nheless, during his critical moment, he felt these creatures of the Darkness trying to invade his mind! The image of the four-armed and three-eyed creatures had surely appeared there¡
Now that he thinks about it, he saw several Forbidden Books with images of such creatures before!
"I think they''re really connected to the Dark Arts¡" Chad muttered as he felt his sweat sliding down his face.
Well, he somehow had an idea that these are the Creatures that brought Dark Arts to the Human Realm¡ Then, as humans with talent, they learned their methods of practicing this art and became Dark Arcanists!
His imagination started running wild because of the clues that he pieced together!
AsChadrecounted his experiences,Odessa''s expression shifted with a flicker of understanding, her knowledge of the origins of theDarkness Possession Potionshedding new light on the sinister origins of Dark Arts¡
"TheVermont and Hoffman Families are renowned suppliers of the Darkness Possession Potion¡ This is interesting¡ They may hold the key to the essence of these creatures¡" She muttered.
Well, she also had some ideas about this since she alsopleted the rituals of the Holy Arts Faction, which was the Sacred Blessing that involves angels.
The Mystic Arts Faction, on the other hand, had Mystic Law''s Trial that involved fairies. Finally, the Rune Arts Faction''s Rune Sanctification actually involves creatures of the earth or gnomes¡
The Avatar''s curiosity was certainly piqued by this revtion¡ It seemed that he was actually getting closer to the real origin of the Arcane Arts¡ It seemed that there was truly a reason why the Arcane Paths were separated instead of just one¡
However, before he could delve deeper into this truth, a sudden movement in the distance drew everyone''s attention¡ The presence that he felt just now had finally decided to show itself!
Everyone suddenly became cautious as they saw the figure simr to the corpses they had seen just now!
It had four arms, three eyes, dark skin, and was emitting a deep aura of Darkness¡
"That one looked very strong¡" Chad whispered.
"Should we kill that thing?" Odessa asked.
"We should probably capture him¡" Jinmented.
"Can we just open a dialogue first? That creature might be open for a chat." Vale said¡
As for Aurion, he just remained silent and was ready to fight at any moment.
Vale then took the lead and stepped forward.
Just like what he said, he sought to engage the creature in dialogue, recognizing the potential for understanding amidst the chaos.
Unfortunately, before he could even voice out what was in his mind, the creature''s four arms surged with sinister energy, slowly conjuring forth four weapons forged of pureDarkness.
Needless to say, it was its silent promation of its hostile intent¡
Even if that was the case, Chad and Vale actually felt impressed by the weapon that the creature had just created.
The first weapon materialized in a sh. It was a wicked scythe wreathed in ethereal ck mes!
"I''ll take him on¡" Aurion said as he dashed forward.
"Try not to kill that thing¡" Vale said.
"Understood¡" Aurion replied.
The creature then arced towardsAurion, its scythe seemed to be hungry for blood!
Unworried about this weapon, the True Immortal met the attack head-on, his own de gleamed with divine light as he used his own Divinity and parried the scythe''s lethal arc!
Bang!
The sh of steel resonated through the destendscape.
As the battle unfolded, a second weapon finally took form, a jagged spear of obsidian-like darkness that aimed to impaleAurion! Its razor-sharp tip aimed at his heart.
It happened too fast and Odessa felt her hands sweating as she felt nervous for the immortal. She knew she couldn''t dodge this attack.
However, with a graceful twist of his body,Aurionsidestepped the lethal thrust! Then, he countered with three shes of his de, each strike was also filled with Divinity!
Aurion wasn''t taking this battle lightly at all!
At this time, however, the third weapon had already formed¡ªa double-edged sword seeking to slice Aurion into half!
"Hmph!" N?v(el)B\\jnn
Aurion had to back away as the other weapons also tried attacking him!
However, he still used his spear to appear behind the creature!
Unfortunately, the creature seemed to have an eye at the back of its head!
The True Immortal''s sword met the double-edged sword!
Bang!
At this time, the fourth weapon manifested in a burst of malevolent energy! It was a towering warhammer covered in ck lightning! It caused amotion as it thundered towards Aurion with bone-shattering force!
Chapter 835 Subdued
Chapter 835 Subdued
A scythe, a spear, a double-edged sword, and a warhammer!
These are the four weapons that the creature had created with its four arms!
At this time, Vale couldn''t help but feel impressed.
''Can I do that?'' Vale thought as he controlled the Darkness and used his Shadow Divinity to create a weapon. He could certainly make a sword or any kind of form, but it was too unreliable. It was too difficult to make it extremely sharp and maintain its form.
In just a second of not paying attention, the formed weapon using the Darkness would be undependable and could be easily destroyed.
Vale could only shake his head at this as he looked at the battle that was going on.
He wasn''t too worried that Aurion would lose in this battle¡ After all, after several years of training, he had already reformed the Celestial Spell Models that Vale had taken from him using the Divine Extraction System!
Well, Vale could only extract the Spell Models and not their knowledge about the Spell itself unless he also targeted their memories.
Boom!
At this time, True Immortal braced another impact¡
His de that was emitting divine radiance, shed with the warhammer''s assault for several times already¡
The sh of the two forces echoed across thedesertand created a shockwave that forced Jin and the others to use their Arcane Energies to protect themselves.
"I think it''s difficult for Sir Aurion to continue holding back¡" Jin muttered after seeing what was going on.
He could assist the Immortal with his Time Spells, but he had to get Vale''s permission to do so. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"Let him be¡ Aurion needed some experience as well. He''s always in the castle and his skills might be rusty if he''s not using them." Vale''s Avatar replied as he knew about Aurion''s skills.
Chad and Odessa just remained silent because of this since they were also curious how Aurion would capture the entity.
Perhaps, if he wanted to just kill the target, it would be a lot easier if Aurion bombarded the entity with Celestial Arts. But capturing it was definitelypletely different.
"Tsk¡" Aurion actually found this situation quite annoying as well, but he wasn''t just going to give up.
Since brute force alone would not be enough to ovee this formidable foe, he had to be a bit more forceful.
Aurion immediately assessed the capabilities of the his target as he nned what Spells he would use.
Indeed, as he battled against the dark entity with his de, the True Immortal decided to unleash the full might of hisCelestial Arts¡ With a smile on his face, he thought of using the Celestial Arts that he had recently learned. They were the ones that Vale had previously extracted from him.
However, he had already relearned these Spells and was now ready to be used again.
Drawing upon source of his Celestial Energy that coursed through his veins,Aurioninvoked the Spell Models ofMind BreakandMeteor Summon.
He started channeling their power and this was obviously noticed by the enemy!
It had no idea what he was trying to do but he decided to increase the intensity of its attack! The four weapons in its hands had be a blur as they tried to strike Aurion!
"Ahhh!"
Unfortunately, it was toote as the Mind BreakSpell surged forth, shattering the entity''s mental defenses with a searing burst of psychic energy that reverberated through its consciousness like a thunderp, leaving it vulnerable and disoriented for a few moments.
A mind attack was simply too difficult to stop!
As the entity reeled from the mind attack, the heavens themselves seemed to respond toAurion''s call, the sky darkened as theMeteor SummonSpell took hold.
Whoosh~
With a resounding roar, three meteors streaked across the night sky, hurtling towards the entity with unstoppable force!
The entity''s eyes widened as soon it saw the brutal attack!
Even Jin and the others were dumbfounded after seeing the meteor. They were surprised that Aurion could do this and didn''t seem to care even if the dark entity would die!
''Did he forget that he should just capture it and not kill it?'' Odessa thought for a moment, but she felt that Aurion wouldn''t make such a mistake.
"Aaarggghhh~"
The entity realized its current predicament as it looked at the sky.
Despite the entity''s valiant attempt to escape, Aurion kept the creature in ce by using his sword skills!
It tried to use its speed to leave the area immediately but it was futile in the face ofAurion''s overwhelming power.
As the celestial meteors crashed down, Aurion was no longer in sight while the entity''s defenses crumbled beneath the powerful barrage, its form consumed by the inferno of celestial wrath until, atst, it sumbed to the onught and fell unconscious, its once formidable presence was now subdued!
Indeed, Aurion made the right call as he confirmed that the dark entity wouldn''t die from the meteor! It was simply too tough¡
"I knew it¡ I could barely leave a scratch on its skin, even with my Divinity¡ This thing is simply too tough." Aurion muttered, as this was also his first time encountering such an enemy.
With a wave of his hand, he secured the unconscious creature, binding it with ethereal chains of light made with a simple maniption of Divinity. This ensures that the beast wouldn''t be able to move or gain momentum to break the binds, attack, or even run away.
After the creature is neutralized, Vale decides to use the same trick he used on the Shadow Sentinels outside the Tower.
Apparently, he realized that the ve Mark was a little too difficult to use right now after using them to so many targets. It seemed that the mark only limited him to control around 30 people, which he already achieved at this point.
Because of that, he either had to release a few ones with the ve Mark or try to fuse it with another ving-type Spell to increase its power.
Anyway, after using Dominion Thirst Spell, Vale woke up the creature and started asking questions¡
"Who are you?" Vale asked as he wanted to confirm its connection to the Dark Arts that the humans were practicing.
Chapter 836 Perfect
Chapter 836 Perfect
AsValegazed into the eyes of the enigmatic entity, his mind was filled with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.
It just looked weird and also interesting at the same time. He couldn''t help but marvel at the sight of four arms and its third eye on his forehead¡
It wasn''t every day he could encounter such a being, so he was curious about them.
After feeling satisfied with his observation, he asked.
"What is your name?"Valeinquired.
"I amSreas, a Great Warrior of the Asura Race, Shadow Immortal," The entity replied without a pause.
The revtion sent ripples of surprise through the gatheredpanions.
They couldn''t help but feel impressed. "Asura?" Odessa and Chad repeated. They had no idea about this race. It wasn''t included in their studies, and no ancient textbooks had anything written about them.
Aurion, on the other hand, simply nodded after hearing this. Although he hadn''t seen one, he seemed to be aware of their existence.
Jin, the Time Maniptor, was the most surprised among them. His eyes were wide with disbelief at the mention of the long-forgotten Asura Race.
"Asura..."Jinbreathed, his voice was almost a whisper. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing.
The named race shouldn''t exist right now¡ It was something that should be extinct already. After all, so many Time Maniptors had been searching for the Asura Race, but they had never been seen by the best investigators in existence!
Through the annals of time, there were numerous Time Maniptors exploring various realms and worlds in order to find out their secrets and their mysterious powers.
These Time Maniptors would even use numerous Forbidden-Level Temporal Arts just to get a higher chance of meeting such creatures.
However, it had never been sessful until the search for them was stopped by the Timeless King.
"They were thought to be extinct, their legacy should''ve been lost to the sands of time¡"Jinmused, his mind racing with fragments of knowledge and half-remembered tales that exined that their very essence could control darkness including the forces of evil and corruption that had ultimately led to their downfall.
Vale, his brow furrowed in contemtion, pressed onward with his inquiries¡
He wanted to know more about the Asura Race from Sreas himself.
After a moment of thought, Vale asked.
"Tell us about your origin¡ Tell us about the Asura Race and how you got here¡" Vale asked while also observing the surroundings.
He realized that there might be another Asura, so he quickly changed his question before Sreas could answer.
"I''m the only remaining Asura in this Tower. It had been a long time since a Celestial had given us food. I''m lucky to have evolved before they disappeared, so I can survive just by absorbing the energy in the surroundings."
Vale and the others nodded at this.
Soon, the Asura began to recount the tale of his people¡
He started to introduce their world, which was filled with ancient empires. Just like humans, they also had plenty of wars waged with fellow Asuras. However, it all changed after they were found by other Dimensional Travelers or Celestial Beings.
In the distant past, the Asura had stood as paragons of martial prowess and dark magic¡ Their civilization was only second to the Celestial Beings. If not for the problem with the resources, there wouldn''t be any civil wars in their world.
Nheless, as the Celestials introduced various Arcane Knowledge, the Asura delved ever deeper into the forbidden arts of darkness and corruption to make themselves stronger.
However, there were consequences that awaited them.
In their relentless pursuit of power, they had drawn the ire of theDimensional Creatures. They were beings that could control space and spelled doom for the Asura and sealed their fate in the annals of time.
"It was the Celestial''s n to bring the Dimensional Creatures to us! They used this opportunity to capture us and take everything from my race!"
Sreasrecounted the tragic downfall of his people, as they were soon imprisoned within the confines of this Tower.
In the end, he painted the Celestial Beings as robbers who had taken all their knowledge about the Dark Magic. Furthermore, because the Dark Magic could easily corrupt the bodies of the Celestials if they tried learning it, they made various modifications to this Dark Magic and created potions through their blood or essence to help them mitigate the corruption of the Darkness within their bodies.
Everyone was surprised after hearing thiss. Even Aurion had no knowledge that the first celestials had done something like this.
Furthermore, Sreas was under Vale''s control, so there was no way he could be lying to them.
However, if this was the truth, Vale couldn''t help but shiver¡
Perhaps, all the Arcane Paths out there came from other races, and the first Celestial Beings of Dimensional Travelers had decided to gather them and create the Arcane Paths!
"But for what purpose? Why were they passed down to humans?" Vale couldn''t help but feel curious.
However, he also couldn''t help but question himself if he should delve deeper into this.
After all, all of these were in the past.
Perhaps the one who had done these was already dead as well.
Vale sighed as he reached this thought¡
"We''re only here to gather a vessel or body that could help us. Sreas, do you think we can find that here?" Vale asked nonchntly. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
He wasn''t expecting too much.
However, he was surprised at the reply of the Asura!
"I''ve heard about it before. This prison world aims to create Perfect Vessel for Celestials. One that could wield all types of magic, travel through space without being torn by the vacuum, and one that didn''t need faith. I do not know what it means, but I have heard the Celestials talk about it before. They should''ve been developing numerous vessels for everyone at that time."
Everyone felt excited after hearing this! This was truly what they''d been looking for!
Unfortunately, this was all Sreas knew since he only heard the Celestials'' random conversations when he was captured by them.
Nheless, this ignited everyone''s desire to search for this Perfect Vessel!
Chapter 837 Six
837 Six
Currently, Vale''s main body was about to be possessed by the Death God. No matter how great Vale was, even with all the tricks and extracted spells he had, his enemy was still a being that had full control of a particr Realm.
Even the Abyss Realm''s Demon Lord would have to be careful in front of this deity with the power to control the death itself.
At this point, once the Death God managed to possess Vale''s body, everyone believed that there would no be turning back for Vale if the Death God decided to kill himself.
Not even the two Time Maniptors could help revive Vale if that happened.
Because of that, they needed the Perfect Vessel to help Vale obtain a new body or to draw the Death God into this perfect body instead. After all, it''s not like they have a skill that could attack the Death God inside Vale''s body.
They have very limited things they can do.
***
"Alright¡ That''s enough. We''ll know more about your race once we return to our Realm." Vale said as he turned to leave.
However, as Vale''s group prepared to depart from the enigmatic Darkness Tower, Sreas spoke up.
"I can''t leave the tower, Lord Vale."
''Ahh¡''
Indeed, Sreas was a prisoner of this Darkness Tower, so it made sense that he couldn''t leave even if he was now serving Vale.
Of course, Vale knew what they had to do at this time.
Vale then exchanged a meaningful nce with Jin, a silent understanding passing between them as they prepared to address this matter.
"This is my first time freeing a prisoner with this item, so it might take a while." Jin exined.
"Alright¡ you can take your time, Jin." Vale replied.
Jin then took out the Golden Key in his pocket and invoked the power of the Artifact.
After a few seconds, the Key started glowing¡ Then, in a couple of minutes, Jin finally controlled the Golden Key, and the light from the key cast its radiant glow upon Sreas'' form.
''I did it¡'' Jin thought.
Soon, the Prisoner Mark that bound the Asura began to dissolve beneath the Key''s luminous touch. Sreas, the prisoner, immediately had a sense of liberation as the mark on his body slowly disintegrated,pletely freeing him.
Perhaps, even without being marked by Vale''s Dominion Thirst, he would be willing to serve Vale since he could finally leave this lonely Tower after so many years.
As the Prisoner Mark waspletely removed, Sreas also felt his power returning to him.
The Tower no longer recognized him as a prisoner, so he was no longer being suppressed!
Soon, his strength gradually returned to him, and everyone couldn''t help but realize how strong this Asura was!
Even Aurion, the one who had beaten Sreas a while ago, couldn''t help but feel threatened by his strength!
"I''m finally free¡ Thank you for freeing me, Lord Vale!" N?v(el)B\\jnn
Grasping the significance of the Golden Key''s power, Sreas recognized the gift of freedom that had been bestowed upon him¡
"So you were actually being suppressed a while ago. Mhmm¡ Although you can now leave the Prison Tower, you''re still going to serve me. Don''t feel too bad about it. You will have a brighter future if you follow me." Vale said as if he hadn''t controlled the Asura''s mind yet.
As Sreas joined Vale''s team, they soon left the confines of the Darkness Tower¡
There wasn''t much gain in this Tower but it was quite expected since this was supposed to be a prison in the first ce.
After emerging from the Tower, they were greeted by the sight of Vale''s loyal Shadow Sentinels. They were silently protecting the Tower as if there could be some enemies here.
"Sreas, do you think there are creatures or enemies in this realm?" Vale asked.
"There should be plenty of Celestial Beings here, LordVale. When I was transported to this ce, it was filled with Celestials. In that gorge, I saw many Celestialsing and going. There''s a lot of activity in that area." Sreas said as he pointed a gorge on the horizon.
"Is there some sort of building there?" Vale asked.
However, Sreas had no idea about it as well.
"We''ll explore thatter¡" Vale muttered as he noted that ce at the back of mind.
Pressing onward, the group ventured forth to the next Prisoner Tower. This time, Vale thought for a moment as he considered entering the Mystical Tower and Holy Tower¡
"I''m curious about this Holy Prison Tower¡ Let''s check it out." Vale said as he led the team inside.
Once again, the Shadow Sentinels stayed outside. This time, however, Sreas joined inside.
As they crossed the threshold into the Tower''s isted space, they realized that, once again, they entered a ce that didn''t seem like a Tower. It was as if they were transported to a darknd. Vale couldn''t help but recall the Abyss Realm!
"They''re really here¡" Vale muttered as he looked at the prisoners.
Apparently, this was why he had chosen this ce. He wanted to know if his intuition was right¡
Well, Vale''s intuition was proven true, as the group beheld at the sight of the six prisoners.
Before them stood the ethereal figures of Messengers or the Angel Race! They were beings that should be serving the Celestial Beings and shouldn''t be imprisoned!
"I have a bad feeling about this¡" Vale said as he felt that there was something he was missing. Nheless, he shook his head as he decided to confront the truth in front of him.
AsValeand his intrepid group approached the six imprisoned Angels, they were all feeling a bitplicated.
Nheless, they were eager to engage in dialogue and seek answers to the mysteries that surrounded their captivity¡
However, as they drew near, a sudden shift in the atmosphere urred¡
Without warning, the six Angels, who seemed to be extremely weak, burst with energy!
Their radiant forms overflowed with fierce energy as they abruptly turned hostile!
In a swift and startling turn of events, the Angelsunched a coordinated assault againstValeand hispanions!
Chapter 838 Extractor
838 Extractor
As the Angels dashed forward without any words, the Avatar ofVale moved forward to meet them.
"I''ll take care of them¡ Reserve your energy for the other Towers." The Avatar said. After all, he felt that the Angel''s power was a bad match for Chad and the others.
It was better to conserve their strength and allow him to take care of this matter.
Ever since he became immortal, he was always in the special state that allowed him to use any of his spells. There was no need to worry about the cooldown of this state at all.
As they neared, Vale considered the Spells he had to use to quickly suppress the Angels. Knowing that time was of the essence in their mission to uncover the mysteries of thePrisoner Towers and the Perfect Vessels, he needed this to be quick.
Vale immediately nned the set of Spell he could use to defeat the Angels. Soon,Valestarted with his new favorite Spell calledSupremacy Surge from Pride¡
This Spell channeled its potent energies to infuse his body with a surge of Divinity and strength.
As his form became immersed with a radiant aura of raw power, he intimidated the Angels for a brief moment! That was more than enough as he continued using his other Spells!
Vale closed his eyes for a second, and as he opened them again,heunleashed the devastating power ofDoom Gaze!
Against weaker Arcanists, this Spell could immediately kill its target. However, against the Angel, it was only more than enough to trap the Angels within its paralyzing grasp.
As the ethereal energies of the Spell coursed through the area in front of Vale, the Angels found themselves momentarily stunned and disoriented, their movements faltering as they struggled to break free from its hypnotic hold.
"I guess you guys have weakened a lot after being here for so long¡" Vale muttered as he felt that being able to stop six Angels was truly incredible.
Anyway, Vale didn''t think too much of the partial sess of his n¡ Vale could tell that these angels still had some strength, and they were trying to hide.
''Right¡ They can use their life force to cast Forbidden Arts¡ I need to finish this battle before they can use it.'' Vale thought.
Once again, Vale decided to his Celestial Art. This time, he invoked theMind Break Spell, seeking to break or cause damage to Angels'' consciousness and render them vulnerable to his will.
Yet, to his dismay, the Angels proved resilient against the mind-altering effects of his Spell, their celestial essences shielded by a barrier of divine fortitude stopped any attempts to breach their defenses.
''That''s unexpected¡'' Vale wryly smiled as Mind Break rarely failed him.
Nheless, he wasn''t too disappointed by this setback. Vale swiftly changed to a new tactic and released the searing mes of Abyssal Fire to push back the Angels and create a temporary respite¡
Boom!
The Abyssal Fire was huge, and it seemed to have scared the Angels! They had no idea whether their opponent was a Demon or not!
As the chamber zed with the Abyssal,Vale''s Avatar hesitated for a moment before he decided to use theEclipse of Oblivion, a spell that he had stolen from theDeath God before.
Vale had only used this Spell once before, during his practice session against Aurion.
Whoosh~
The dark energies from the Spell started surging forth to envelop them in a shroud of oblivion that aimed to suppress their Celestial Essence!
No matter what, the Angel Race was still considered Celestial Beings but of a lower grade ording to Aurion and the other True Immortals.
Just like that, a blinding sh of light and shadow consumed the whole tower¡
Vale had to use about 300 Divinity Points to cast that, but he wasn''t too worried since he had tens of thousands right now. N?v(el)B\\jnn
As everyone opened their eyes, they soon saw the six Angels subdued atst¡
"Very well done, Sir Immortal¡" Odessamented after seeing the six Angels on the ground. They were all still alive, but there was no way they could continue to fight.
"That was a lot faster than I expected¡ Hmm¡ Do you think I have some of their blood?" Chad asked as his Dragon Blood suddenly pulsed, seeing the defenseless Angels.
He didn''t know for sure, but it seemed that the Dragon Race liked to eat Angels.
Vale smiled at this as he didn''t mind if Chad would only ask for their blood. It must be beneficial for him.
Soon, he used his Dominion Thirst on them, and just like the Asura, he gained their loyalty.
After subduing them and the Angels finishing their oath of loyalty, Vale decided to interrogate them as well.
"Who are you, and why have you been imprisoned within this Prison Tower?" He asked while observing their features. Without a doubt, they were definitely simr to the Messenger he had met before when he tried summoning Lotus before.
One of the Angels, who still had a gentle radiance on his wings spoke as their representative. "We do not have names¡ We are merely theKeepers of Light, theGuardians of the Celestial Realms¡" He began.
He even seemed to be recalling the past as he speaks.
"Long ago, we were tasked with safeguarding the bnce of this realm and guiding mortals on their path to enlightenment."
As the tale of their past unfolded,Valelistened with rapt attention¡ He wasn''t sure if this past was important or not, but knowing more would surely benefit him.
Anyway, the Angels spoke of a time when the realms of mortals and immortals were intertwined¡ At this point, it appears that the mortals weren''t Practitioners yet.
Yet, as the eons passed and the tides of fate shifted, a rift began to form between the realms of man and god¡
I didn''t take long before theHuman Immortals emerged, driven by greed and ambition, they used their knowledge to go through other realms to seek help and eliminate the original Celestial Race and rece them¡
Vale didn''t think too much of this past since it didn''t matter to him. It was just nice to know, as he could probably add this to the history once he rebuilt the Academy.
However, the Angel soon revealed something he didn''t expect¡
It was rted to the Divine Extractor!
Chapter 839 Surrounded
839 Surrounded
ording to these Angels or Keepers of the Light, the humans had three Paragons in the past, and they apparently started the rebellion.
They were the Divine Extractor, the Chaos Alchemist, and the Blood Soulcaster¡
Vale was stunned after hearing these names.
''Three Paragons? Are they the same ones as the church in the human realm? The one who left the Creation Ring, Temporal Timepiece, and Stormbringer Sword?''
The Avatar was quite speechless as he continued to listen to the Angels. He even confirmed this information with the other angels, and they said the same things. They even added a few more details about these Paragons.
Anyway, these arrogant Paragons were the ones who had ultimately created a problem between various realms!
Nheless, these three should''ve died after being attacked by the full force of the Celestial Emperor and his army. Although they paid a huge price to eliminate the Three Paragons, they obtained a long peace, although it was still temporary.
After all, they had ultimately weakened themselves after the battle, and even Dimensional Creatures could enter and crush their world. They weren''t even saved in this Prison Tower as the Celestial Emperor was worried that he might be freeing traitors as well. That was how weak the Emperor was.
In any case, the special talents of the Divine Extractor, Chaos Alchemist, and Blood Soulcaster were supposedly collected by the Celestial Emperor¡
However, because ofCelestial Realm''s copse that happened not long after, the talents of these three were thrown into the void and could no longer be found¡
"How did you know all these things?" Vale asked since the Angel was supposed to be imprisoned." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"It happened after the sessors of the three Paragons used our bindings to control us and make us their ves for a short while¡ We''ve been tasked to look for those Talents¡" The Angel replied.
This made Vale frown, as he had no idea how they could look for Talents. It wasn''t like it would grow on trees, and they just had to pluck it.
''Is there a method to sense their Talent?'' Vale mused.
Seeing Vale''s reaction, the Angel continued¡
"ording to the Celestial Seer, chosen individuals would obtain these talents in the future¡ No one knows their race, names, or even when it will happen. Prisoners like us were used to find these talents by all means and exploring various realms. However, after failing to find them for years, we were thrown back to this tower¡ Over a thousand of us died, and only the six of us remained. Those who managed to escape and weren''t thrown into Prisons had suffered a fate worse than death." The Angel said.
This made Vale curious. Indeed, after they were sent away to search for the Talents, they could''ve gotten a chance to break the bindings and escape.
"What happened to those who tried to escape?" Vale asked.
"There is no escaping. They''ll have a painful death, and their spirits will be crushed into many pieces¡ They wouldn''t even die as the pieces of their spirits would soon look for empty vessels or dead bodies and live there as a creature that''s not an angel or demon¡ Just a terrifying monster¡"
As the Angel answered this, Odessa, Chad, and Vale, Avatar froze¡
"Evil Spirits¡" The whispered at the same time.
"Indeed¡ They were called Fallen Messengers for a reason." Vale muttered after recalling the words of his Professor.
Their world couldn''t have a body being buried, especially those Arcanists. They all had to be preserved by Formation Art or cremated¡
After all, they would be targeted by Evil Spirits if they didn''t do that, and once they were possessed, they would turn into Evil Creatures that they knew very well. It would desecrate the corpse, and it would also cause a problem for ordinary people who had no way of fighting against Evil Creatures.
"So it was like that¡" Chad muttered as he didn''t expect those Evil Spirits to have such a background. Although they couldn''t confirm this yet, he felt that this was already really the case.
Odessa was also nodding repeatedly as she realized that it was a perfect exnation for this mystery¡
"I did well joining this exploration." She muttered.
After learning everything they could from these Angels, Vale finally decided to leave the Holy Prison Tower.
Then, after that, Shane and his group entered the Beast Tower.
Unlike the gloomy atmosphere of the other towers, this prison was filled with color¡
To be exact, they were colors of various beasts or creatures that were imprisoned here!
''The others didn''t survive in the Prison Towers but this one is actually thriving!'' Valemented after seeing the ce inside the huge isted space or world.
Chad and the others were also quite surprised as soon as they appeared.
On the other hand, the Beasts Creatures immediately felt threatened by their sudden appearance!
"This¡"
AsVale''s gaze swept over the inhabitants of the tower, he saw numerous humanoid races that bore the characteristics of rabbits, lizards, lions, bears, and a myriad of other creatures, their forms were a blend of human and animal that made this ce truly mystical!
However, the surprise didn''tst very long¡
Seeing the newly arrived group of people who didn''t look like beasts, the Beast Race or the Prisoners, immediately acted!
nk! nk! nk!
Soon, they found themselves surrounded by a phnx of warriors whose reptilian features made Vale guess that they were members of the Lizard tribe or something.
They were d in gleaming armor adorned with intricate patterns and wielding spears with razor-sharp tips, the lizardfolk warriors regardedValeand his group with a mixture of suspicion and hostility, their cold eyes narrowed as they braced themselves for battle.
Who knows how long it had been since they hadst seen a human!
Vale immediately realized what was going on!
"We are not enemies!" He immediately shouted.
However, it doesn''t seem to work, as they may not even understand his words!
Chapter 840 Cats
840 Cats
The tform where they appeared was certainly the same ce where the Celestial Beings who had been imprisoned would also appear if they ever visited them.
Needless to say, anyone who had appeared on this same spot could be considered as their enemy from their perspective.
Now, Vale regretted not bringing the Asura and the Angels as they might have been able to convince them.
As Vale ordered Jin to retreat through telepathy, they realized that it was actually not possible.
''It''s being disrupted. We have to eliminate this disruption before we can go outside.'' Jin reported, shocking Vale for a moment.
It appears that these Beastfolk had obtained some method or tricks in order to possess precious materials to create various artifacts while still imprisoned.
They have truly thrived and they even made preparations in case they were visited by Celestials once again!
The tension in the Tower could be felt as the lizardfolk had never thought that they would really be visited by Celestials after hundreds of years!
Their ancestors were right!
They didn''t believe that there was a world outside thisnd¡ They were born and grew up in this ce. They heard from their elders that the first Beastfolks before them mentioned that this ce was simply a small world. There was still a huge world outside and the tform they''re guarding was a gateway to that outside world!
However, because they had never seen the outside, they just ignored these words, thinking that it was just a dream of the Ancestors who wanted to find new territories to im. They didn''t take their duty as guards of this tform seriously and just spent most of their dayszying around.
Anyway, as they saw the unusual beings, they knew that they were facing the aliens they heard before. The lizardfolk warriors tensed their muscles, their scales glinting in the dim light as they prepared to defend their territory against the perceived threat posed by the neers.
As Vale spoke up, seeking to defuse the escting confrontation with a gesture of peace, his efforts were met with a chorus of growls and hiss from the lizardfolk warriors, their distrust evident in every tense movement and clenched jaw.
They couldn''t even understand what he was talking about! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Communication seemed impossible at this moment.
Vale wryly smiled, but he decided to spread his Divinity to intimidate them a bit to back them off. After all, they somehow started getting closer to them, which he didn''t like. After all, he might hurt them and cause an even moreplicated situation¡
''Should I just control them all forcefully?'' Vale thought for a moment. However, he could somehow tell that his mind-controlling spells wouldn''t work.
It was simply because of how his Spell Models were designed.
It doesn''t allow him to control beasts or animals. These creatures seemed to be part of them.
Anyway, as the warriors backed off, Vale started observing the other creatures.
Amidst the sea of reptilian faces,Valecould see other humanoid beasts gathering around them curiously.
He couldn''t sense hostility from any of them and could only feel their curiousity and fear of the unknown¡ This was also the reason why he didn''t feelfortable just forcefully controlling them.
After all, the Angels and Asura attacked them with hostility in their eyes, unlike these humanoid beasts.
''There are also many rabbitman, huh¡'' Valemented.
He saw various Rabbit-Humans darted to and fro, their ears twitching with nervous energy as they eyedValeand hispanions with a wary gaze, their paws clutching makeshift weapons crafted from bone and sinew. It was an interesting sight.
The Lion-Humans stood like everything was under their control, but they were certainly nervous as well. They seemed to be capable of sensing their strength.
As a matter of fact, their golden eyes fixed onValeand not on any other among his group.
Aside from them, there were also the Bear-Humans, who were quiterge and imposing¡ However, they seemedzy as there were still fish skewers in their hands!
''Where did they even get that? Do they also have some sort of currency here? This is really like a town instead of a prison¡'' Vale thought.
''Wait¡ Perhaps the previous Celestials had given them resources to multiply? Are they some sort of food stocks for them?'' Vale couldn''t help but think of such a terrifying idea. He couldn''t help but shake his head to erase these thoughts.
As the tension in the Prison Tower reached a critical juncture, with the lizardfolk warriors about to strike atValeand hispanions, a voice rang out withmanding authority, halting the impending sh¡
"Stop! Do not fight them!" the voicemanded¡ The lizardfolk warriors hesitated, their spears lowering slightly as the source of the voice became apparent.
The crowd of Beastfolks reluctantly parted, revealing a group of humanoid cats whose sleek and graceful forms exuded an air of quiet strength and dignity.
They seemed to be the leaders of thismunity!
This made Chad, who really liked cats, gasp¡ He didn''t expect thatrge cats would look really good!
''I hope Vale could give me one if he takes them¡ Ugh¡ No¡ What''s with these thoughts?! I can''t be thinking that.'' Chad shook his head as he also felt that that was too excessive.
Among them, the leader of the white cat group, a female feline with eyes as sharp as emeralds and fur as pure as snow, stepped forward¡
Fixing her gaze onVale, the white cat leader inclined her head in a gesture of respect before turning her attention to Aurion, her eyes assessing and keen.
It seemed that she recognized who were most likely Celestial Beings among the group.
"I amFelicia, leader of the White Cat n," she announced, her voice melodic yet firm¡
"We have been waiting for your arrival, our Savior¡ You must be here to find the three talents left by the Paragons¡ You are in the right ce¡"
Chapter 841 Suppressed
Chapter 841 Suppressed
They just learned that the three Talents were lost in the void. Even if someone had them, it was too suspicious that the Talents were actually inside this prison!
Vale simply frowned at this as he also wasn''t sure why they were called Saviors immediately. He may not even decide to free these people. Everything seemed to confusing.
Nheless, he decided to listen first.
Feliciapaused, her tail flicking in a gesture of contemtion before continuing¡
"We will tell you more about the talents you were all searching, but we are also seeking theGolden Keynot out of greed or malice, but out of necessity. We want it in exchange for the information rted to the Talents¡"
Vale finally nodded after hearing this. It wouldn''t be too suspicious if they were indeed nning to trade such information for the Golden Key. It made sense.
However, Vale shook his head.
"We also need the Golden Key to safely wander in this Realm¡ Giving it to you is impossible." He replied. It wasn''t negotiable at all.
However, Felicia seemed to have expected this as well. She probably knew the importance of the Golden Key to them. She simply sighed and shook her head before her eyes turned cold and she looked at the group.
"We have been waiting for that Golden for a very long time, and now that it has appeared, we will not let it pass. You probably noticed that you can''t escape using the Key as well. We don''t want to spill blood if possible, so please consider it again. You can request anything in exchange for the Key, and as long as we can provide it, we will do so." Felicia said as if she didn''t really want to battle.
However, Vale could tell that their strength wasn''t that great and Felicia knew this really well. After all, if they were stronger, they would surely just snatch the Golden Key from them. There would be no need for such dialogues.
"It''s impossible¡ Even if you use force, we will not concede. We''ll find a way to destroy whatever is stopping us from leaving this ce." Vale replied.
This reply obviously infuriated the Catwoman¡
After hearing Vale''s refusal to hand over theGolden Key,Felicia''s eyes darkened, as she realized that persuasion had failed, leaving her with no choice but to resort to force to achieve her goal.
With a heavy heart and a solemn nod, she gave the order to the Beastfolks that had been waiting for her orders all this time. "Attack!"Felicia''s voice rang out, as theBeastfolk warriors, a formidable assembly of humanoid lizards, ck bears, and mantis creatures armed with ancient and powerfulMagic Artifacts, surged forward with that shook the very foundations of the Tower¡
Their battle cries were deafening!
Whoosh~
Their weapons gleamed with an otherworldly light, while their eyes were locked on their targets as they closed in on Vale''s group with killing intent.
They had no ns to let any of them survive!
As chaos erupted around them,Chad, theHalf-Dragon, started using his Draconic Powers as scales started appearing on his body.
It didn''t end there as he even formed his wings! At this time, he truly seemed like a humanoid dragon!
With scales as hard as steel and wings that seemed to be capable of creating storm, he unleashed a breath of fire and sharp winds upon the advancing horde!
At this time, there were no more crowds of Beastfolks but only warriors in sight!
Roooarrr~
Chad''s roars were threatening but the Beastfolks were willing to sacrifice their lives! His roar even drowned the battle cry of theBeastfolk warriors!
Boom!
As they shed, the ones in front, who were Lizardfolks, were burned and thrown away by his force!
On the other hand,Odessa, the former Royal Mage whose mastery of the arcane arts was so deep, used various Mystic Arts¡ She used her own Arcane Energy to condense a huge pressure around a specific area that made her targets'' movement really slow! This actions frightened the Bear Warriors as their momentum was easily destroyed by this spell¡
They wanted to use their Dash Skills to overwhelm but because of her move, they immediately failed to do that!
Vale nodded after seeing this sight¡ He didn''t doubt their skills at all since he already had rough idea about their strength.
Nheless, the reason he didn''t act or order Jin to immediately end this farce wasn''t to let the two work hard.
Apparently, for some reason, Vale andJin couldn''t muster their Divinity as soon as Felicia gave hermand to attack them.
He didn''t know how they did it, but their Divinity was suppressed by some sort of Formation Arts or perhaps even some kind of Arcana.
They were indeed prepared to fight against Celestial Beings. Unfortunately for them, they had Chad and Odessa, who don''t need Divinity.
Of course, Vale wasn''t really fully suppressed as he wasn''t really relying on his Shadow Divinity. He had other means to fight against them. Even if his physical body alone was more than enough to deal with these creatures.
He had an unimaginable strength and he was confident that none of these Beastfolks would be able to stop him.
Nheless, he decided to act weakened and allow the others to fight for him. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
He wanted to see more from these Beastfolks.
He acted like he was panicking that his usual strengths were rendered inert in this ursed ce¡ Seeing his disbelief, Felicia couldn''t help but smile¡
''We''re doing great¡ We can win this¡'' Felicia thought as she believed that they''d already won. There were thousands of Beastfolks in this ce and even if she sacrificed so many of them, she wouldn''t mind it at all as long as they could get the Golden Key! The surroundings had soon been filled with the echoes of shing magic and steel... The various Beastfolks under hermand continued fighting against the Dragonkin and the Magician without care for their lives!
Chapter 842 Overwhelming
Chapter 842 Overwhelming
Seeing that more and more warriors of the Beastfolks died, Felicia raised her hands and signaled for another tribe of Beastfolks to attack!
Odessa and Chad didn''t notice this at first since they were too focused on their battles.
However, as the fake sky darkened, they looked above and realized that numerous flying beasts were already above them!
"I''ll take care of it¡" Odessa immediately said. She was a practitioner of Holy Arts, Mystic Arts, and Rune Arts and that made her one of the best Arcanists in the Human Realm. However, she was first recognized on the battlefield and not in research.
As a matter of fact, she had the title of the Sky''s Strongest, as she could even take down several Battle Airships.
Chad wanted to deal with this threat, but Odessa was first to act.
"Allow me to take care of them." She immediately shouted.
AsOdessasoared above the battlefield, her blonde hair trailing behind her like aet''s tail¡ In just a few moments, she spotted the humanoid eagle warriors of the Beastfolk circling below her. She was already above them in an instant!
With a fierce look in her eyes, she channeled her Fusion Spells inMystic Artsthat she had mastered over years of training in the human realm.
"Paralyzing Sun!" As soon as she did this, the Eagle Warriors were briefly stunned and those who were too weak immediately plummeted!
However, those with stronger physique didn''t get affected a lot.
The first eagle warrior lunged towards her with talons gleaming in the sunlight.Odessaswiftly countered by using some intricate runes in the air with her fingertips, unleashing a blinding burst of cold energy that sent the warrior spiraling back to the ground.
Boom!
The sky was immediately filled with tension as they didn''t expect that their air superiority would easily get challenged by a single human magician!
Odessa smiled as she noticed them waving their wings at her!
She couldn''t help but frown at this but she knew what they were trying to do.
As expected, she saw numerous de-like feathers aiming to kill her!
She then swiftly summoned a protective shield around herself, deflecting de feathers and spells aimed at her from all directions.
As more eagle warriors closed in,Odessaraised her hands to gather more energy, calling upon the power of the Holy Arts.
Although they were in a Tower and there shouldn''t be a sky, she still raised her hand as a habit.
Soon, she was already holding a radiant beam of light and threw it on her enemies!
Boom!
It illuminated the battlefield with its divine brilliance.
It was a modified Holy Smite! It was the fruit of their research in the Sky Tower. Bang! Bang! Bang!
The eagle warriors were soon hit by her beams of light as their fierce cries were drowned out by the explosive Spells from Odessa!
With the momentum on her side,Odessabegan to weave intricate patterns in the air with her hands, casting Runes of ice and fire that shed across the sky like shooting stars!
"It was no wonder she was dubbed as the Sky''s Strongest. She''s really versatile." Vale''s Avatarmented seeing how Odessa was really going all out.
"Sky''s Strongest?" Jin repeated.
"Well, in terms of Human Arcanists'' standard." Vale replied.
She was truly strong if the standard didn''t include Half-Immortals or Immortals.
The eagle warriors fought back with a ferocity born of desperation, their wings slicing through the air as they unleashed a barrage of wind and de feathers against her. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
ButOdessawas the Sky''s Strongest for a reason. With a graceful twirl, she unleashed a fusion Runes!
To be exact, there were four runes she fused and unleashed a tempest of elemental power that swept through the ranks of the eagle warriors, scattering them like leaves in a storm.
Her Rune Artsshimmered with an otherworldly glow as she showed everyone who was the true ruler of the skies!
As thest of the eagle warriors fell before her,Odessnded gracefully on the battlefield, her breathing in ragged gasps.
The sky above cleared and as expected, Chad had also finished eliminating all the Beastfolk Warriors on the ground!
***
A few moments ago, asOdessaengaged in aerialbat against the humanoid eagle warriors,Chad, the powerfulDragonkin, faced the fearsome Beastfolk warriors on the ground below.
After some hesitation, Chad decided to use a drop of pure Dragon Blood to enhance his strength and win this battle overwhelmingly.
Soon, the ground trembled beneath his massive dragon-like form as he roared a challenge to the Humanoid Lizard, Mantis, Wolves, and Bear who stood before him.
"This is impossible!" Felicia''s eyes widened as they didn''t expect that the Immortal would bring a pet dragon!
Felician gritted her teeth as she knew that there was no going back! They couldn''t only hope that their numbers of weaken the Dragons, once they''ve won against the two fighters, she knew that the Celestial Beings would be easier to deal with since their Divinity should be suppressed by now.
Boom!
With a mighty swipe of his wed hand,Chadsent the Humanoid Lizards flying back. Their thick scales were no match for his immense strength. The Humanoid Mantis warriors then leaped towards him, their des shing in the sunlight, butChad''s scales were too tough to be pierced.
nk! nk! nk!
They all tried to break his scales but it was simply not enough!
With a bellowing roar, he unleashed a torrent of mes from his jaws, engulfing the Mantis in a searing inferno.
If felt like they were fighting a genuine dragon and not a Dragonkin at all!
The Wolves circled around him, their eyes gleaming with feral hunger.Chad''s eyes glowed with an ancient fire as he summoned the power from Orden. With a thunderous roar, he unleashed a shockwave of force that sent the Wolves tumbling back, yelping in pain.
Lastly, the Bear, with muscles rippling beneath its fur, charged atChadwith a deafening roar. The ground shook as they collided, but they were simply too weakpared to Chad!
Chad''s sheer size and power proved too much for the Bear to handle, and with a powerful sweep of his tail, he sent the beast crashing to the ground.
As the dust settled, Chad stood amidst the fallen Beastfolk warriors while his chest was heaving with exertion.
Chapter 843 Special Stones
Chapter 843 Special Stones
It didn''t take that long before Felicia knew that their attempt to take the Golden Key had failed.
However, she had no other choice but to try again. They didn''t know when they would ever get the chance to get close to the Golden Key. If these people managed to escape, they might really get trapped here forever.
Seeing that there were still Ratmen waiting to attack, Felicia ordered them to deal with Odessa.
Then, Feliciaand her White Cat Tribe surroundedChad, who had just reverted to his human form after the intense battle against the other Beastfolks... She knew that Chad spent a lot of Draconic Energy in that transformation to deal with the hundreds of Beastfolk Warriors.
"Surround him!"
The White Cat warriors, with their sleek white fur and sharp ws, eyedChadwarily, ready to pounce at any moment. They weren''t worried about the others since they should''ve been suppressed and couldn''t muster their Divinity.
Seeing that Chad was still exhausted after undoing his transformation,Odessadecided to help him out. She triggeredher Mystic Artsaround Chad like a protective shield. It was actually a Force Barrier!
This Barrier came right in time and blocked the fast White Cats¡
Bam!
As for the Ratmen that were chasing after her, they were also blocked by the Barrier in time.
With amanding presence, she soon arrived besideChad. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Let''s work together, Aurion and Vale can''t use their Divinity. Although they could still use other means to fight, it''s better if we take care of this matter instead." She dered.
"Got it¡ I can still continue." Chad said as he steadied his breathing.
Felicia, the leader of the White Cat Tribe, narrowed her eyes as her feline movement became more vigorous.
She looked at the Barrier and ordered her people. "Show them what we''re capable of!"
Chad frowned at their desire to court death¡
However, Chad and Odessa soon heard a message from Vale through telepathy.
While the Force Barrier was still active, he raised his hands in a gesture of peace.
"Let''s stop this senseless battle. We mean no harm¡" he said, his gaze meetingFelicia''s without fear. "We seek only to protect this realm from greater threats. You are not our enemies."
As he said this, the Beastfolks were stunned. Chad was obviously using the Draconic Language and they immediately felt the pressure toply.
Previously, it was quite difficult to have a dialogue with these creatures.. However, Vale had forgotten Chad''s ability. The Draconic Language had certain effects against Beastfolks, and making him the negotiator might have been better in this case.
Seeing the Beastfolks confused and waiting for instructions from Felicia, the tension slowly started increasing. They confirmed that Chad wasn''t just a Magician who could transform into a Dragon. With that Dragon Language, they were sure that he was indeed a young, mighty being above the Beastfolk Race!
It wasn''t something that was taught to them but it was something that their blood could feel.
Odessawasn''t sure if Chad could convince them, just like what Vale instructed, so she stepped forward, her hands wreathed in glowing runes. Her Force Barrier would be gone in a few seconds, so she had to create another line of defense.
With a whispered incantation, she summoned a swirling vortex of energy that surrounded the group, including Vale, creating a barrier of light that made the Beastfolk frown at the sight.
The White Cat warriors hesitated, their instincts telling them to strike, butFeliciaheld up a hand, a sign for caution.
"Let us hear them out," she said, her voice calm yet resolute.
Chadheaved a sigh of relief and exined their mission, to find the Perfect Vessel and not the Three Talents. They were also willing to break the Tower''s seal and set them free if they wanted as long as they could help them search for the Vessel.
"Perfect Vessel¡" Felicia frowned and looked at the other Elders. They also shook their heads as they had no idea about the Vessel.
"If you don''t know about the Vessel, that''s fine¡ Nheless, we can set you free but not without a price¡" Chad said¡
"You already killed so many of us, and you still asking for a price?!" Felician hissed.
"Yes¡ We would like you to serve the Shadow Immortal once we''ve taken all of you out of this ce." Chad said as he pointed at Vale.
"That''s impossible! That Shadow Immortal couldn''t even more from our seal!" Felicia shouted¡
"Hahaha¡"
At this point, Vale couldn''t help but release a loudugh as he summoned his Shadow Divinity!
Boom!
The seals she was talking about onlysted for a mere 10 seconds before they lost their effects!
"Now, is that enough for you to recognize my strength?" Vale asked coldly, making Felicia and the others who knew about the seal speechless.
They have used a vast amount of special stone in that tform to trap up to 20 Celestial Beings¡ However, they didn''t expect a single Immortal with the power of the Shadows could actually break it!
***
After confirming that they no longer had the desire to continue the battle, ValeapproachedFelicia, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Felicia, how did you manage to suppress our Divinity?" He inquired, his voice was still tinged with awe at the disy of magical prowess he had witnessed a while ago. Although he was able to break it, it was only because he was incredibly strong at this point.
Felicia then gazed at Vale as she took a moment to collect her thoughts before responding.
"It was thePrison Stones¡"
Vale and others were clueless about this, so they remained silent and allowed Felicia to continue.
"The stones we ced on the tform where we stood, hold ancient enchantments specifically designed to counteract and suppress divine energies. It''s a special stone that only our White Cat Tribe could make¡"
Vale''s eyes widened in realization as the value of the Beastfolks, especially the White Cat Tribe, had just increased!
Chapter 844: Fresh Graduate
Chapter 844: Fresh Graduate
?
Meanwhile, in the Human Realm, the fabric of reality started twisting before it created a void! Then, in a few moments, five individuals wearing cloaks simr to Jin''s group arrived.
Needless to say, they were also Time Maniptors... With the Artifacts in their possession, they were able to step through the veil between realms.
The surrounding space was filled with temporal energy, and the world seemed to hold its breath as it emerged into the human realm. Just their presence affected the Will of the Human Realm.
It showed how they differed from Jin''s group of Time Maniptors!
The temporal rift they created was a tear in the continuum, allowing them to traverse vast distances instantaneously.
As they stepped through, the very fabric of reality bent and warped around them, creating a ripple effect that momentarily distorted the surroundings. The air even started humming with the residual energy of their passage.
Wasa, the leader, stood tall and imposing.
His cloak had very distinct simrities to the ones Jin and his group had worn, but they were simply more golden fabric in it.
"What a feeble realm... I could barely feel any pure mana in the surroundings. It will be tough to stay here for even a few weeks." Wasamented after looking around. His eyes glowed with a cold, blue light, and his silver hair flowed like liquid mercury.
He seemed to truly disdaining here.
"I think this is quite exciting... If the people here are all weak, then it will be easy... We can just kill as many people as we can to find the Talent that we were looking for..."
Beside him, Liora, a small figure with blue hair and red eyes, moved around like she was truly excited. Her attire was also simr to that of the leader, who had a blue and gold robe, but it could be seen that she had a rapier with her.
"I agree, Liora... That would be faster... Anyone we kill with our weapon would have their Talents absorbed anyway... As long as we kill enough people, we will obtain this Talent." Another said.
It was Cyper who was broad-shouldered and muscr. He had skin marked with glowing runes that pulsed with temporal energy. His dark hair was cropped short, and his green eyes scanned the surroundings with a warrior''s vignce. Among the group, he was the one who had thergest build and seemed more like a warrior instead of a Time Maniptor.
"Killing is not good... You need to think of the Karma..."
Elysia, on the other hand, had long, flowing ck hair. Her robes were certainly custom- madepared to the ones that others are wearing because of how fit it was and how it was revealing several parts of her skin... Nheless, she exuded an aura of calm and tranquility. "But the Demon Lord had barely given us a clue... I think that we paid him too much just for telling us the location of the Divine Extractor."
Ivan, the youngest of the group, spoke with a hint of disappointment after recalling their previous meeting with the Demon Lord...
Aside from the robe, he carried a staff that ultimately closed the tear in the space that they had created in their entry.s
Wasa turned to hispanions...
"We have just arrived. Let''s not cause too much ruckus. Remember that this is a Realm that the Abyss Realm failed to conquer. That alone is enough to respect thisnd, even for a bit. Furthermore, if this Human Realm holds the Divine Extractor, then we can''t alert the possessor of this Talent, or they might escape or hide deep underground. Even with our skills, it would be difficult to find them."
Liora nodded, her eyes zing. "I was just kidding... Anyway, the Demon Lord''s information better be urate. We''vee a long way for this."
Cyper cracked his knuckles, and the runes on his skin were glowing brighter. "Let''s split up and cover more ground. We can''t afford to waste time."
Elysia''s voice was soft but firm. "Remember, we must be discreet. The Arcanists cannot know of our presence..."
Ivans grinned, twirling his staff. "I''ll take the northern sector. I''ve always wanted to see the mountains."
Wasa raised his hand, silencing them. "Spread out and search in different directions. Report through our Mind Network if you find any leads. The Divine Extractor is our priority."
With that, the Time Maniptors dispersed, each heading in a different direction.
At this time, Wasa, the leader, set his sights on arge city in the distance.
***
In the meantime, Aubrey Hall was currently in her study, surrounded by ancient tomes and arcane artifacts.
The room was dimly lit, but it wasn''t difficult for her to read as a Dark Arcanists.
She had been tirelessly researching the Lost Arcane Arts she had recently learned with Vale''s Avatar.
With the Avatar''s help, she had uncovered one of the Lost Arcane Arts, but their progress had stalled. The Spirit they had captured only possessed three Spell Models rted to the Primordial Chaos Arts, leaving them at an impasse.
"We''ve hit a dead end, Aubrey," Vale said. "The Spirit''s knowledge is limited. We need another source."
Aubrey sighed, closing the ancient tome she had been poring over. "You''re right," she replied. "But where do we go from here?"
Before they could ponder further, a message arrived-a request for Aubrey''s expertise in a neighboring town gued by paranormal activities.
Anyway, since they had nothing to do for now, they decided to check on this incident.
***
Eldergrove was an old-fashioned town nestled in a valley... The steam-powered train hadn''t even reached this area yet...
After asking around, they confirmed that almost everyone knew about the mission they
received.
The townsfolk spoke of strange urrences-ghostly apparitions, objects moving on their own, and an unsettling presence that seemed to permeate the air.
Aubrey and Vale''s Avatar arrived at dusk. During this time, the sky was painted in hues of
orange and purple.
They were soon greeted by the town''s mayor, a portly man with a nervous demeanor.
"Thank you foring," he said, wringing his hands. "We need your help. The townsfolk are
terrified."
It was actually the mayor who had personally requested a Paranormal Expert! However, as soon as they arrived, a group of white-robed individuals had also arrived!
It seemed that even the Priests were alerted!
"Ho~ What do we have here... A freshly graduated Paranormal Expert?! Hahaha!"
Chapter 845: Asking for Help
Chapter 845: Asking for Help
?
There were a total of four Priests, and their leader, a tall priest with a haughty expression, sneered as he looked Aubrey up and down.
"Ho~ What do we have here... A freshly graduated Paranormal Expert?! Hahaha!" The priest''sughter echoed through the square, drawing the attention of the townsfolk.
Aubrey''s cheeks flushed with anger, but she kept herposure. "I''m here to help," she said evenly. "The mayor requested my assistance."
The priest waved a dismissive hand. "We don''t need the help of an amateur. This is a job for experienced priests, not some novice ying at ghost hunting."
Vale actually found this amusing but he still stepped forward since Aubrey was already fuming in anger. She might start a fight, and that might cause more trouble in her work if she wants to stay as a Paranormal Expert.
"Aubrey is more than capable," Vale said calmly. His voice also carried an undeniable authority so the Priests had to look carefully at the man...
"We are here to assist, not topete." Vale said.
However, after assisting Vale and seeing him quite young, the Priests believed that Vale was, at most, a young noble. That wasn''t enough to scare them away.
The priest scoffed. "Assist? You''d only get in the way. Leave this to the professionals. I am Werhan a Second ss Exorcist! We will handle the matter here."
Aubrey''s eyes narrowed. "If you think you can solve this on your own, be my guest. But if you fail, we''ll be here to clean up your mess." She could only suggest this as these Priests seemed too stubborn.
Thanks to Vale''s words, she was able to calm down and thought of a way to deal with this matter.
The priest''s eyes shed with irritation, but he nodded curtly after seeing Aubrey''s appearance carefully. She was certainly looking pleasant to his eyes.
"Very well. You might as well learn how to deal with these matters... That way, you can consider quitting, and I can consider giving you a different job..."
The Mayor, sensing the tension was somehow controlled, quickly intervened. He was afraid that he wouldn''t get another chance to quell their anger.
Anyway, he didn''t know that requesting both help would cause such a problem. He simply wanted to resolve this matter faster.
"Let''s not argue. The town needs all the help it can get. I''ll show you the ces where the presence of ghosts or paranormal activity has been felt."
He then led them through the streets of Eldergrove, pointing out various locations.
The old Church, where strange noises and shadows had been reported. The abandoned mill, where objects moved on their own. The town square, where people had vanished without a trace.
''Vanishing people, huh...'' Aubrey and the Priests frowned
As they walked, the priests or exorcists muttered among themselves, casting disdainful nces at Aubrey and Vale.
But Aubrey remained focused, her mind racing with possibilities. After all, the various clues truly pointed to the existence of the Demonic Spirits. This was certainly not a good thing...
After they saw the various ces where the Paranormal Activities were soon, they soon visited the only Church of the town that worships the Fortune Goddess.
At the Church, the priests set up their ritual, chanting incantations and sprinkling holy water. Aubrey and Vale watched from a distance, their expressions unreadable.
Hours passed, and the priests'' efforts yielded no results. At most, it made the Church a bit more holier and felt more warm.
''That ritual was to summon all the evil spirits in the town to that circle and trap them... However, no evil spirits wereing...'' Aubrey said to Vale through Telepathy.
She was still a Dark Ritualist, after all. The Arcane Circle they used was familiar to her.
Nheless, the Mayor had no idea what they did or tried to.
"Is it done, Reverent?" The Mayor asked.
"Mhmm... We''ll see its effects tomorrow." Werhan said as they looked around and even visited the ces they checked once again.
Unfortunately, the oppressive energy in the Church remained, and the ghostly apparitions continued to haunt the townsfolk the next day.
However, the Exorcists didn''t give up as they proceeded to put Talismans and used various Exorcism Spells all over the town, making them truly exhausted.
Well, they didn''t have a huge amount of Arcane Energy within them after all.
"For sure! We will be able to remove the Evil Spirits with all of these! Just ready the payment, Mayor!" Exorcist Werhan said as he felt confident after not feeling any signs of evil or malevolence within the town anyway.
Of course, the townsfolk also felt the warmth brought by various Holy Arts that were used and felt happy about it. After all, most of them believed in the power of the Fortune Goddess.
Unfortunately, the same issue urred the next day! The Paranormal Activity was still continuing!
The Exorcists were already frustrated, and they could feel that Aubrey and herpanion were probablyughing at them right now! He even felt that they were the ones making the Paranormal Activity at this point!
However, it was so difficult to prove since he was also keeping an eye on them!
Soon, the Mayor started looking at him... The Mayor was obviously frustrated since there was no sight of progress...
"W-we probably need a stronger exorcist... We will call for a First-ss Exorcist, Mayor!" Werhan exined.
However, the Mayor couldn''t wait for that anymore since it would probably take three or more weeks to get a response from the main Church... After all, sending a First-ss Exorcist on a mission to the countryside would require plenty of documents to prove that it needs such presence, and they also need to provide money! Hiring them wasn''t free!
Because of that, the Mayor told the Exorcists to ask for the assistance of the Exorcists
instead...
"Fine... Let''s see how they resolve this..." Werhan said as he decided to visit the inn where the Paranormal Expert and her assistant were staying.
Soon, Werhan approached Aubrey, his arrogance reced by frustration.
"It seems... we may need your assistance after all."
Chapter 846: One of Them
Chapter 846: One of Them
?
Vale and Aubrey were actually discussing something rted to Primordial Chaos Art. They were trying to understand its Spell Models and, perhaps, learn how to fuse these Models and obtain even more powerful Spells from them.
They weren''t worried about the matter regarding the Paranormal Activities in the town. Well, Aubrey had guessed that the Church simply needed more donations, so they sent out their Exorcists to earn more money.
After all, it wasn''t easy to operate a huge number of people and properties. They had to pay for the maintenance of their various churches, their holy knights, their priests, their orphanages, and various needs of the Church. There were simply too many of them.
To do that, they needed a huge sum of money. They mostly rely on the donations of the nobles and, of course, the powers of their priests to heal and exorcise the evil.
Anyway, as soon as Exorcist Werhan appeared, Aubrey knew that they already failed.
"I felt their Holy Arts from here... They also used several high-tier Talismans but it didn''t work. This evil Spirit must be really strong or maybe... we''re not dealing with a spirit." Aubrey muttered.
"That''s possible..." Vale replied as they soon met with the Exorcist.
After they sat across Werhan, he immediately asked for their assistance as they expected.
Werhan thought that he would be mocked or, at least, hear some condescending words from the young Paranormal Expert after he belittled her several days ago.
That was something he would do after all. It would be his time to insult!
However, Aubrey''s reaction was unexpected.
Aubrey nodded, her expression calm. "Let''s work together, then. We all want the same thing -to help this town."
This answer infuriated him even more. After all, it was as if Aubrey was expecting this from the beginning and wasn''t even taking them seriously!
However, he had to ept this since they''d really done their best already. He could only hope that Aubrey would fail as well to prove to the mayor that this matter requires a First ss Exorcist, and he had to take out more money.
With the Exorcist''s grudging cooperation, Aubrey and Vale began their investigation. They also asked for information from the Exorcists, and they cooperated with the two.
They exined what kind of Holy Arts they used and what level or Arcane Spells they were so Aubrey and Vale had a general idea of what they''d done over the past few days.
''They even ced a bait for the Evil Spirit to possess, but it was all for naught..." Aubrey mutered as he listened to the Exorcist.
Soon, she set up her equipment or Magic Artifacts, scanning for spectral energy and recording any anomalies.
She had to inspect the whole town to do this, so it would take some time. Of course, if they were lucky, then it would be quick.
As night fell, the town grew colder, and the shadows seemed to deepen.
"Let''s return to the church..." Aubrey said as she looked at Vale''s Avatar, who also nodded.
At this time, the mayor was still with them, including the Exorcists.
"Did you find something?" The mayor asked.
"Yes... But let''s return for now..." Aubrey said as she didn''t exin further.
As they returned to the Church, it was time for Aubrey to make her ritual.
After making an Arcane Circle using a Demon Horn''s Power from Vale, she ced a mirror at the center of the candles.
"What are you doing?" Werhan asked as he understood that the Arcane Circle could summon a spirit. However, it doesn''t seem to be for Evil Spirit.
"I will summon a Spirit that might be of help. It could probably help us look for the Evil Spirit..."
Aubrey replied. Then, she started.
Aubrey, a Ritualist and a Paranormal Expert, chanted using Oardic Language.
Suddenly, a chill swept through the room, and the candles flickered.
A ghostly figure appeared-a woman in a tattered dress, her eyes hollow and sorrowful. She moved towards them, her form wavering.
''A Demon Saint''s Spirit?'' Vale''s Avatar frowned at the sight of it.
Although this Spirit appeared helpless, Vale could sense that this Demon Saint was in the single-digit ranking of the Demon Saints before. He may not know her name, but he was sure that it was one of the Demon Saints he had killed before. It was hiding its appearance as a normal evil spirit, but he could never make such a mistake.
''Interesting...'' Vale thought as he looked at the Spirit with interest.
It was no wonder that the Exorcists failed.
''I guess turning those horns into powder was truly a good choice.'' Vale thought as he had extracted a total of 8 Demon Saint''s Horns before. It was even together with the Abyss Keys that he still had no use up until now.
"Who are you?" Aubrey asked, her voice steady.
The ghostly woman paused, her gaze fixed on Aubrey alone... Vale could feel that the Spirit was shocked that she was forcefully summoned here. However, she immediately fixed her expression and yed her part.
"I am Eleanor," she whispered. "I was the caretaker of this Church. But something dark has taken hold here."
''So you''re going with that y...'' Vale smiled.
He then stepped forward and asked... "What is it? What kind of dark it is?"
He wanted to see where this would go.
Eleanor''s form flickered, and she seemed to struggle to speak. "I do not know..." she said. "It
feeds on despair. It must be stopped."
Aubrey frowned at this.
"How do we stop it?" Aubrey asked.
Eleanor then seemed to have an idea and pointed to the altar.
"There is a relic hidden in that altar... Destroy it, and you''ll find a clue..." Eleonor said before
vanishing...
The Mayor and the other Exorcists were shocked as they didn''t know about this at all.
On the other hand, Vale remained silent as he finally understood what was going on... With his Divinity, he felt the presence of an Evil Being that shouldn''t be here.
''So it''s one of the Seven Deadly Sins... Is the Sloth? Lust?'' He mused.
Chapter 847: Released
Chapter 847: Released
?
Apparently, as Vale scanned the surroundings, he realized that the Demon Saint''s spirit, which was disguised as a normal Spirit, was actually bound to something...
To be exact, it was bound to the relic at the Altar.
''Did he get captured by the Deadly Sin? Or is it something else?'' Shane mused as he felt confused about their connection.
It was unfortunate that the Demon Saint''s Spirit had already disappeared, but nheless, the clue she had given was certainly great.
He didn''t even know that Aubrey could do such a ritual.
''As expected of a student who graduated at the top of her ss.'' Vale thought to himself.
"B-but, destroying the Altar... That would be-" The Mayor couldn''t help but feelplicated about this.
The others could understand this since it was supposed to be sacred.
However, the fact that the Exorcists couldn''t find the source of the problem means that the Evil Spirt must be using something that they wouldn''t think they would suspect.
The Altar was certainly a perfect guise for their evil activity.
"Let''s destroy it." Werhan said after being looked at by Aubrey. In the end, Aubrey was just a paranormal expert, and she wasn''t permitted to destroy things within the Church of the Fortune Goddess.
"Then... Let me."
Aubrey Hall then raised her hand, the dark energy pulsing within her.
She hoped that destroying the Altar would really yield the clue they needed to stop the paranormal activities guing Eldergrove town.
As her spell struck the stone, a shockwave rippled through the room.
The Altar cracked, and its ancient symbols splintered.
But then, something unexpected happened-ck smoke appeared, and the very fabric of reality seemed to tear.
"Kekeke... That Demon Saint really broke my ns... Hey, I''m even eating all those wandering Evil Spirits for you but you just have to set them free! Tsk... If I could eat all of them at once, this won''t be happening..."
An eerie voice was suddenly heard, and Vale knew that it was from another Deadly Sin...
''They''re eating Evil Spirits?'' Vale was shocked. The others eat people''s desire, their hopes, their flesh, or their souls, but this Deadly Sin actually eats the Evil Spirit to strengthen itself.
Then, from the shattered Altar, hundreds of ethereal forms emerged! They were the Evil Spirits that the Deadly Sin tried to gather and eat!
Their eyes glowed with rage, and their wails echoed through the church.
Panic swept through the room, and Aubrey realized they had made a grave mistake.
The malevolent energy immediately spread throughout the whole town!
The townsfolk screamed, their fear feeding the spirits.
Vale''s Avatar, frowned at this as he stepped forward.
"You''re not getting away..."
Vale then released his Shadow Domain-a dark barrier that trapped the spirits within the church. But the spirits were restless. They just obtained a chance to be freed so they wouldn''t just give up!
They started wing at the edges of the barrier. Their rage could truly be felt by everyone in the church!
"Let''s work together!"
Aubrey then joined forces with the Exorcists.
The Exorcists were, of course, prepared as they saw the Evil Spirits... This is what they were trained for.
They soon chanted ancient Holy Incantations. The building was soon filled with Holy Energy as their exorcism spells were released.
However, there were just too many of them!
Thankfully, Aubrey''s Dark Sealing Spells sought to bind the spirits, but they writhed, resisting her control. Nheless, it was enough to protect the Mayor and herself.
The Exorcists then wielded their Holy Artifacts-they were crosses and relics glowing with holy light. They then started driving the spirits back into the corner of the church...
However, the battle was far from won. They really wanted to tear them apart as they could not escape.
Aubrey''s heart raced. She wanted to ask Vale to eliminate the Evil Spirits but it seemed that Vale was busy with something else.
It was as if he was holding back a stronger force.
She decided not to ask about it as her eyes fell on the shattered Altar-the source of their problem... It was still oozing with dark energy...
''Should I seal them back to the altar?'' She thought for a moment.
However, she didn''t really have the time to think as the Evil Spirits were just too many!
She focused her energy as she decided to triple cast this time... She started making another Dark Sealing Spell targeting the Altar...
However, Vale suddenly stopped her...
"The Altar will not help... It''s better to destroy all of them now. Use your most shy spell."
Vale said.
Aubrey hesitated, but she immediately knew what Vale was trying to do...
She immediately used her Phantom Fog Spell!
As soon as she did this, Vale also released his spell!
And then, with a blinding sh, all the Evil Spirits shattered. Light and darkness shed, and
the church trembled.
It happened so quickly that the Exorcists were just stunned.
When the fog disappeared, the spirits were gone.
"It''s gone?" Werhan said while catching his breath..
As for the Mayor, he didn''t even see the battle scene; he had curled on his feet ever since the
Evil Spirits had appeared.
Aubrey sank to her knees, her breath ragged. The other Exorcists also panted, their robes
stained with sweat.
"It''s over..."
Vale''s Avatar nodded...
After a few moments, the Mayor recovered and looked at the surroundings with his eyes wide.
"You did it," he said.
"The town is safe!"
Although he hadn''t inspected the surroundings of the town yet, he knew that all those Evil Spirits were the cause of the problem. Now that they have all been defeated, everything
should be fine.
Aubrey, on the other hand, nced at the shattered Altar. "But what did we release?" She whispered to Vale. Shen knew that there was something else in that Altar a while ago. She heard its voice after all.
"It''s another Deadly Sin... I''ll take care of it..." Vale said. Then, he soon disappeared from the
church.
He already knew which Deadly Sin it was since it previously tried to take all the Evil Spirits back... Then, with the power provided to him by Pride, he felt the presence of Sloth.
Chapter 848: Demonify
Chapter 848: Demonify
?
The moonlight was bright, and it was such a perfect night if Vale just wanted to rest. However, he had to chase one of the Seven Deadly Sins that had remained in this Human Realm for some reason.
Thankfully, it didn''t take long before the Sloth realized that it was going nowhere. Vale was actually just looking forward to finding other Seven Deadly Sins or other bases formed by them. This was the reason why he wasn''t in such a rush to capture Sloth.
However, just a few kilometers outside the side, the evil being stopped and leaned on a huge tree on the road.
Sloth''s appearance matched his sin: a bloated, grotesque devil with sagging jowls and eyes half-lidded. His obese form seemed to absorb the moonlight, casting a shadow that stretched across the road...
"I don''t want to fight," Sloth rasped, wiping sweat from his brow. "I''ve barely eaten. You didn''t even let me finish those Evil Spirits! You hate them anyway; you should''ve allowed me to feast peacefully."
Heined as if the two were friends bantering on each other.
Nheless, Vale''s Avatar remained stoic as he gazed at the Deadly Sin. He doesn''t n to underestimate them just because they were acting weak.
Although he was confident with his strength, Vale didn''t want to get caught in a trap.
"Why are you here in the human realm?" he asked, ignoring Sloth''sints.
Sloth''s eyes narrowed. "Of course I want to get stronger," he grumbled.
"If I find the Divine Extractor, then that''s even better. Do you have a clue? Or is that you, the Divine Extractor?"
Vale frowned after hearing the Divine Extractor. Nheless, it appears that the Seven Deadly Sins had been informed by the Demon Lord about the Divine Extractor but for some strange reason, he didn''t mention that it was him...
After all, he extracted the powers of the Demon Lord, so thetter must be aware that he had the Talent he was looking for.
''Is that to ensure that no one gets to take my Talent before him?'' Vale mused. However, it wasn''t important right now.
Before Vale could reply, Sloth''s sinister smile widened, revealing yellowed teeth.
Without warning, he lunged, his bby arms swinging like wrecking balls.
Vale''s Avatar sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Boom!
The area behind him suddenly exploded as the Sloth''s physical strength was actually more powerful than Pride! He knew that it was pure strength because he didn''t feel any Evil or Malevolent Energy when the Sloth suddenly punched!
That was actually the reason why he had a dyed reaction!
He didn''t expect this Evil Creature to engage in physicalbat!
Seeing that Vale evaded, Sloth swung his arms once again and this time, stronger.
Unfortunately, all of his attempts were not enough to hit Vale. The Avatar was able to dodge at a hair''s breadth!
His movement might seem slower than Sloth''s, but in the end, he still uses Cosmic Sight Spell, a Spell he obtained from the Dimensional Creature, together with the now broken Rift de.
Anyway, Vale could tell that each of the Deadly Sin''s attacks carried unimaginable power. He had to do something about this since he didn''t want to flee from such a challenge.
Vale then tightened his fists and struck at Sloth''s chest!
Boom!
The impact sent shockwaves throughout Sloth''s body, and even the ground trembled. The road cracked because of the force of that punch! Although he was only an Avatar, the strength he could release could not be underestimated at all.
However, even with all that might, the Sloth grinned as his yellowed teeth bared.
"If that''s all you can do, then I''ll devour your essence," he rasped. "And then, I''ll rest."
Vale''s Avatar''s resolve hardened.
He had to ept it. He couldn''t match Sloth''s physical strength for some reason, but he had other weapons.
He summoned his Shadow de-a de made of his Shadow Essence... This de was stronger than his Shadow Muttion Spell since that spell could no longer work against those with Divinity or a simr level of strength.
The de hummed as it tried to cut the Sloth into two!
Sloth dodged this time and didn''t take the attack like when he defended against Vale''s fist. Seeing that Vale decided to get serious, Sloth grinned and spread his unique power...
This power was forcefully suppressing Vale''s Shadow Divinity!
''Sloth? Is this the power of Sloth? It''s trying to make my powers slumber?'' Vale frowned at this as he tried to think of how to counter this.
''Is he also suppressing his power? Is that why he''s fighting with physical strength?'' Vale couldn''t help but connect the dots, but if that was the truth, then perhaps Sloth would be a very terrifying opponent if he decided to release his full abilities.
''Tsk...''
Vale frowned as once again, he had to fight with his physical strength...
''Even if I can still use my Divinity... I have to use it before it gets forcefully suppressed by the Sloth''s unique power.'' Vale thought as he considered what to do.
Whooshh~
Vale''s Avatar sidestepped, narrowly avoiding another attack from the Deadly Sin.
"Stop! I''m not the Divine Extractor..." Vale dered.
Sloth''s eyes widened, but he shook his head. "You might be lying... However, if you''re not,
then tell me!" he rasped. "Where is it? Who''s the Divine Extractor!"
It was followed by a loud road that was aiming to incapacitate Vale!
Well, even if Vale was lying, he would know the truth if he could just kill the Shadow Immortal
in front of him.
After all, he had a method to obtain that Talent as long as he got Vale''s soul!
However, as he was about to kill Vale, since he thought that the Immortal was affected by his
roar, something unexpected happened.
Vale''s arm suddenly started twisting, and horns started to grow!
His body grew twice his size, and his nails grew sharper. His skin then started turning
maroon!
"Demonification?!"
This time, it was the Sloth that was surprised!
Chapter 849: Brother
Chapter 849: Brother
?
"What?" The Sloth was shocked upon sensing the malevolent energy that wasing from Vale, who was supposedly a Human Immortal!
"Are you a Demon Saint?!"
Sloth''s eyes widened, pupils dting as he beheld the impossible.
He didn''t find any traces of Demonic Energy from him a while ago!
Before him stood Vale-the once unassuming Shadow Immortal was now a vessel of darkness and evil!
His aura even started bing more evil than him!
The sky above started gathering dark clouds as the air thickened with demonic energy.
Dark miasma clung to Vale''s skin, weaving through his pores like tendrils of smoke. His form became blurred from the Sloth''s eyes as he could tell what was going on.
He hesitated whether to stop this transformation. However, he was truly curious if this Vale was actually an ally or not. He was confused at this point so he decided to just let Vale transform. Anyway, it would onlyst a few seconds.
At this point, Vale''s eyes-once human, started deforming as they glowed with an inner dark fire.
Then, his pupils elongated into vertical slits like those Demon Saints that he knew...
Then, bones cracked as they started reshaping themselves. His previous pale skin started turning dark purple as dark veins seemed to snake along Vale''s limbs.
As Sloth thought that it was over, he suddenly froze and realized that there was something off. This wasn''t just returning to original form as a Demon but Vale seemed to be assuming the form of a Demon Lord at this point!
It was because he could still see a tremendous Demoni Energying out of him!
''Is he an Avatar of the Demon Lord? Did I make a mistake in my information?''
Vale''s fingers elongated into talons. Horns erupted from his skull, spiraling upward like twisted thorns. They pulsed with an otherworldly rhythm as if he was in the Abyss Realm and not the Human Realm.
Sloth knew that this rhythmic demonic energy should only be possible in the Abyss Realm!
Soon, Vale''s skin, which was previously dark purple, was now as if soaked in the blood of celestials.
His veins had also started calming down over newly defined muscles...
Nheless, these veins traced intricate patterns across his arms, like crimson rivers. They also pulsed in sync with the horns'' energy!
Finally, Sloth saw Vale''s widened mouth with teeth sharpening into serrated des.
Looking at Vale''s expression and how his tongue tasted the air, Sloth could feel as if Vale was craving for souls of the humans.
It was as if the hunger started gnawing at his sanity, urging him to consume.
Sloth stepped back at the pressure that the previous Shadow Immortal was giving him.
This was no mere transformation; it was a pact with the god of chaos!
Rooarr~
With a deep roar, Vale flexed his newfound wings-leathery, bat-like appendages that unfurled from his back.
"You''re a Demon?! Why didn''t you tell me?!" Sloth said as he started backing away. He didn''t want to fight with such a monster.
He''d rather sleep at the bottom of the sea...
However, it was as if Vale had be deaf, and he hadn''t answered the Deadly Sin!
The ground trembled as he pounced! His ws even seemed to sh through the space as he neared Sloth!
''Tsk... Are you really consumed by the Darkness?'' Slothined in his mind as the enemy he hated the most are the ones who had be crazy or berserk.
Controlling them would be too challenging, especially if they have immense willpower to begin with!
Sloth extended his hand, fingers trailing through the space...
Then, as Demon Vale got closer, His power surged-an oppressive force that sought to calm Vale into slumber.
"Rest," he murmured. "Embrace the weariness. Surrender." His voice contained a vast amount of evil energy that forced Vale to sleep.
Well, he was still one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and putting something to slumber was one of his finest tricks.
Unfortunately, Vale was still too active, so his spell didn''tst for and waspletely resisted.
Sloth realized that Vale''s veins pulsed with abyssal energy.
He could somehow suppress Divinity, but with malevolent energy simr to that of the Demon Lord, he had no way of suppressing it!
Anyway, he didn''t stop trying to put Vale to sleep... Sloth was still lucky that he could take a beating since he had eaten thousands of Evil Spirits over the past few years in the Human Realm.
Those Evil Spirits were ultimately fractured spirits or energy from the Angel Race... Eating them would make him stronger than ever... As a matter of fact, he felt stronger herered to when his main body was still in the Abyss Realm...
Nheless, these attempts were futile in front of Vale.
He shielded his mind, refusing to yield to such mind spells.
"Your spell won''t bind me," he spat.
This was the first time he spoke, and his voice was deep, as if it wasing from the abyss.
"So you can hear me all along! Hey! Let''s stop this! Are you the Demon Lord''s brother? A rtive? There''s no point fighting! If you''re here for the Divine Extractor, then I''m out... You can take it for yourself!" Sloth said as he didn''t really want to continue.
However, Vale didn''t n to listen to him.
It was better to kill or capture this Sloth...
"Hey! Speak! If you''re still a Shadow Immortal... Let''s make a deal! I''m even helping this realm by eliminating all those Evil Spirits! Just let me go, okay?!"
However, shadows swirled around Vale as he still continued with his attacks!
Sloth had no choice but to fight it out and used so many of his Spells. However, Vale''s demonification granted him resilience-the ability to defy even the Seven Deadly Sins
powers!
Vale struck once again and hit the Sloth''s chest...
Sloth staggered while his tattered robes billowed.
"You fight like a madman..." Sloth wheezed. "But I have tricks yet unyed."
Sloth''s voice shifted into a ritual... He chanted ancient incantations that tugged at Vale''s
consciousness.
"Sleep," he spoke. "Dream of Oblivion."
Chapter 850: Just Off Me
Chapter 850: Just Off Me
?
Vale''s mind wavered as he met the attack head-on...
This Spell was indeed quite simr to a Psychic Art, but what was even more terrifying was the fact that it was able to pierce through his Demonic Energy defense...
For a brief moment, images flickered in his mind. They were memories of his past, fractured hopes, and various things that could make him truly depressed.
''Interesting...'' Vale''s Avatar found this surprising...
This was definitely a powerful spell since it could tap into his soul to trick him. Unfortunately, he was only an Avatar.
There was a certain limit to how much he could be tricked...
Because he was an Avatar, the soul in his body couldn''t bepletely tricked.
It only took him a few seconds to get awakened.
He clenched his fists, resisting the Spellpletely, and smiled at the Deadly Sin.
"Not today," he growled. "I''ll defy your slumber."
Sloth''s eyes red.
He realized that even with his strongest Spell that could put even a Demon Lord into Slumber, he still couldn''t suppress the Demon Shadow Immortal in front of him.
Because of this, he had to go with the basic but powerful Spells.
This time, he summoned a blizzard-a tempest of frost and despair.
Sloth doesn''t have many spells, but he learned various ice arts since his slumber would make him more peaceful andfortable in a cold environment. This was why he learned such Arts until he mastered dozens of them...
Soon, snowkes appeared, each carrying a power to paralyze his target.
"This is your end," Sloth dered.
Vale staggered, frost clinging to his demonic skin.
His wings faltered as well because of this power...
''Interesting...'' Vale thought as he didn''t feel too surprised that the Sloth had other tricks.
Nheless, Vale had tens of thousands of Demonic Essence within his body. Apparently, among the two Avatars made by Vale, one of them was filled with Immortal Essence, while the other was filled with Corrupted Immortal Essence, Corrupted Divinity, Malevolent Essence, Dark Elf Essence, and most of all, the Fiend Essence.
Needless to say, the one in front of the Sloth was the one with the most essence from the darker side.
Vale smiled as he channeled his Fiend Essence... After doing this, it was as if dark mes started burning his body.
This protected Vale''s body against the frost energy from the Sloth''s Spell.
As the two adversaries locked eyes, the ground trembled with the shockwave of their energy.
''Let''s see how tough you are...'' Vale thought as he decided to use his spells that were boosted by his Fiend Essence.
The Demon Eyes Spell activated as Vale''s eyes zed with a crimson light as he unleashed the Spell and aimed for Sloth...
Beams of crimson energy shot forth, seeking out Sloth with perfect uracy.
The very air seemed to warp and twist in the path of these malevolent rays, threatening to consume anything in their path...
"You''re indeed a demon!" Sloth eximed as he dodged the attack...
However, before he could counter with another Spell, mes of pure darkness erupted around Sloth, engulfing him in a maelstrom of ck fire!
He knew about this fire... It was the Abyssal Fire Spell that could burn with an unholy intensity!
Although he had a resistance against it, he wasn''t too confident since Vale''s Abyssal Fire seemed too menacing...
Thankfully, his Ice Arts had also evolved to a Perfect Realm and was able to somehow defend against this threatening fire.
Vale then fixed his gaze upon Sloth, channeling the power of the Doom Gaze Spell. Unlike the Demon Eyes Spell, which was mostly used in support, the Doom Gaze Spell was used for offensive moves.
As it was activated, it didn''t miss Sloth as Vale started sapping his strength and willpower. As he did this, Vale felt that a huge amount of Fiend Essence and Corrupted Divinity was being consumed since Sloth was resisting too strongly!
''Fine... You''re tough...'' Vale admitted, but he didn''t give up yet... He would capture this Deadly Sin!
Shane triggered another Spell. Soon, dark clouds gathered ominously above...
Vale invoked the Eclipse of Oblivion Spell. A shroud of darkness descended upon the region!
It swallowed all light, and not even the moonlight could pass through!
This may seem simple, but the Activation of this Spell allowed him to control the surroundings and stop Sloth from escaping through the use of Space Arts... Furthermore, his spells would be boosted too!
As soon as the Eclipse of Oblivion was fully activated, Vale appeared in front of Sloth!
He had just used his Ethereal Step that was already at the Perfect Realm!
Then, without waiting for Sloth to react, Vale used his Void w!
Boom! This attack surprised Sloth as his normal defense failed to protect him!
He didn''t expect Vale to use an attack that could tear up Space without so much effort! Normally, he should know whether an attack was capable of doing that or not!
Vale''s movement was simply too natural!
"ckkk!"
Finally, Sloth was injured, and even if he tried to escape, he could no longer do so because the Eclipse of Oblivion trapped his movements.
Sloth wanted to escape forcefully, and he could probably do that if he had a few more seconds
to gather his strength. However, Vale wouldn''t allow that to happen.
In less than a second, Vale already summoned the Astral Chains, binding Sloth in an unbreakable grip of ethereal energy!
nk! nk! nk!
Just like that, Sloth found himself ensnared! It happened too quickly!
"Y-you..."
The Sin thrashed and roared, struggling against the invisible shackles that constricted its movements. However, every attempt to break free only served to tighten the chains,
sealing Sloth''s fate.
He couldn''t believe it. He believed that he could peacefully gather his strength by eating all the Evil Spirits in this world.
Even if he gets noticed by some Arcanists, he believes that he wouldn''t attract the attention of Immortals at this point.
It was his big mistake to allow the Demon Saint''s Spirit to grow stronger so he could eat it
later!
"Why are you even working as an assistant to a Paranormal Expert? This is too frustrating! Just kill me!"
Chapter 851: Main Project
Chapter 851: Main Project
?
This time, Vale''s Avatar, still in his Demonic Form, tried to hypnotize Sloth, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
However, it wasn''t easy. Vale tried using his Mind Break Spell to weaken the Sloth''s defenses, but even after doing so, he failed to control the Sloth''s mind.
This means that it had stronger mind defense than the Immortals and Demon Saints, who were currently under his control.
''Is there no other choice but to kill him?'' Vale considered for a moment. After all, he couldn''t Extract this creature...
At this time, he checked his current set of Spells.
After browsing them for a long time while his Astral Chains were still active, he finally found an answer.
It was one of the Spells he had extracted from the Demon Lord, the Soul Extractor Spell!
"That''s enough, Demon Shadow Immortal. If you want to hypnotize me because you want to ask me questions, then you can go ahead and ask them now. I will answer you truthfully as long as you promise to let me go." Sloth weakly said as he was also struggling to defend against Vale''s mind attacks.
"Is that so?"
Vale stood before the bound form of Sloth, the Sin struggling against the strong grip of the Astral Chains that coiled around him like serpents of ethereal energy.
Soon, he made a decision, Vale raised his hands and began to chant the Soul Extractor Spell. Although he already had its Spell Model, this was still considered a forbidden ritual that would extract Sloth''s soul. The bacsh would weaken if he did the proper chant and with his Demonic Form still active.
Well, he was only an Avatar so he had to take this seriously. He couldn''t obtain too much backsh from casting spells, or he might disappear in the end.
"You! Is that Soul Extraction?! Are you really one of the Demon Lords?! Wait... No... Did you extract this?! You''re---" Sloth eximed in horror.
"Sloth, your time of slothfulness and decay hase to an end..." Vale''s voice rang out, cutting through his words.
"Your soul shall be mine tomand, a prisoner of my will."
Sloth''s eyes zed with defiance as he struggled against the chains that held him captive. "You dare to defy me, fake immortal?" Sloth''s voice was a chilling whisper that would probably sent shivers down Vale''s spine if he wasn''t bound by Astral Chains.
Nheless, the Sin continued.
"I am Sloth, one of the Deadly Sins, eternal and evil. You cannot contain me!"
Ignoring Sloth''s taunts, Vale finished up his Soul Extraction Spells and used plenty of Corrupted Divinity in the process. He had no way of replenishing Corrupted Divinity, but he had to do this.
Soon, patterns of magic that formed the Soul Extractor Spell were finished.
Shadows danced around Vale, merging into a swirling vortex of darkness that reached out towards Sloth with hungry tendrils. The very fabric of reality seemed to ripple and distort under the weight of this forbidden magic.
As the shadows enveloped Sloth, a non-human scream echoed through the region! Sloth''s form contorted and writhed in agony as his soul was wrenched from his body, he couldn''t defend against the tendrils of Shadow no matter how hard he tried to defend!
Nheless, Sloth was truly tough as Vale needed more than two minutes before a luminous essence that struggled against its fate starteding out of Sloth''s body! Thud!
Sloth''s body dropped to the ground, lifeless.
Then, with a final surge of power, Vale sealed Sloth''s soul within his own Shadow... However, he wasn''t merging the essence of the Sin with his own being.
He was simply trying to store it inside his Shadow, where Yvaine was also staying!
"Yvaine... Help me!" Vale said as he realized that Sloth''s soul was still trying to escape...
"I got it..." Yvaine replied as she swiftly suppressed Sloth''s soul within the Shadow.
After this happened, the surroundings fell silent...
"Whew..." Vale wiped the sweat on his forehead as that was really challenging. Nheless, if he would ever extract another soul, he already knew what to do.
Vale then turned to his Shadow.
"Are you alright there, Yvaine?" Vale asked.
"Yes... The soul was now unresponsive inside your Shadow... It had fallen into slumber, I believe." Yvaine replied as it seemed as if the soul just epted what had happened. It was certainly not a bad thing.
"Really? He surely lives up to his reputation." Vale said as he shook his head.
"This soul is really strong, and if we remove its memories, it would be a very precious gift to Denise. She''s been looking for a strong nk Soul." Yvaine reminded.
"R-right... She mentioned that before." Vale replied with a hint of surprise in his tone. Well, he had just recalled this after Yvaine mentioned it again.
"I''ll ask her if she wanted this Soul... I''m sure Magnus had a way to clean this one." Vale muttered...
***
In the meantime, within Vale''s Castle in the Forbidden Forest, Magnus made his way through the winding corridors of the castle...
After some time, he finally arrived at Denise''s mainboratory located in the Arcane Tower on the west side of the castle.
This was a ce he rarely visited now. Nheless, he saw that there was a note that he could just enter the room if there was something he needed. It seemed that Denise wasn''t at a critical point in her research right now.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, Magnus stepped into theboratory and beheld an awe-inspiring sight.
Countless androids stood at attention, their metallic frames gleaming in the ambient light. These mechanical guardians were a testament to Denise''s skill... Each one of these humanoid metal golem was a marvel of engineering and magic.
However, it was the figure standing at the center of the room that truly captured Magnus''s attention. Before him stood a slightly taller humanoid metal golem or android, unlike any he had ever seen. Its form was imposing, towering over Magnus with an aura of power and strength that seemed to defy mortal limitations.
Indeed, Magnus felt an aura simr to Immortals in this golem that was Denise''s main
project.
Chapter 852: Denises Masterpiece
Chapter 852: Denise''s Masterpiece
?
Denise''s mastery over Golem Creations was truly unprecedented. After all, he knew that Denise didn''t study in a formal school. Instead, she was an assistant to a famous Dark Alchemist of the Dark Arts Faction.
She wasn''t even fully learning the Golem Arts at that time. Instead, she just fully studied this craft within this Castle... During that time, she absorbed all the knowledge in the books in the library and learned from him and from the Immortals, who had some knowledge about the Golems.
Although Vale had also assisted Denise through some mysterious method, she shouldn''t be able to reach this level in just six years!
At this time, he could safely say that her knowledge about making golems had already surpassed him. To be exact, not even the Elders of those in the Mystic Arts Faction and Alchemy Arts Faction could probably surpass her in this field.
Denise was simply a genius...
"What a beautiful creation..." Hemented at the same of the golem at the center of the hall.
The metal golem''s eyes glowed with light energy, casting a sense of holiness around it. Its limbs were sleek and powerful, crafted from a mysterious alloy that shimmered like quicksilver in the dim light.
It wasn''t moving right now, but he could see the dense energy on each of them, and he could tell how strong they were.
''Wait, is that a rune?'' Magnus was shocked once again as he looked at it carefully. After a few moments, he noticed more than 20 Runes on the metal golem!
First of all, Denise shouldn''t be capable of cing rune. In normal cases, she would ask him to ce runes in areas she wanted...
This time, however, he could recall that Denise had never called her to arrange those runes.
''Did he ask Faith or Pearl to ce that?'' Magnus thought to himself.
However, there was also an issue with that. After all, golems that Denise had made could at most sustain 6 Runes. That was already her Elite Androids.
She also had Normal Androids that only had 3 Runes on them.
It wasn''t because she was being stingy but because the materials would normally break if the number of Runes was too much.
The materials for Normal Androids were cheap and would only cost about 8,000 zen each. If not for the expensive materials to make Arcane Circles and its core, the metals, and various parts would only cost about 800 zen at most.
As for the Elite Androids, they should cost about 30,000 zen each, so there were only a few of them.
As for the one in the middle of the room, Magnus believed that Denise spent a huge sum of money to acquire materials that couldpare with high-grade Royal Rank items. Thud... Thud...
Denise, with her ck and white hair cascading around her like a cloak of shadows, approached Magnus with a confident smile.
"Magnus, I''m d you could make it. Allow me to introduce mytest creation - the Apex Guardian," she said, gesturing towards the towering figure before them.
It seemed that she had just finished her creation and was about to call for him.
"Apex Guardian?" Magnus repeated as he believed that this name suited the metal golem a lot. He believed that even if an Immortal came, it would be able to hold out itself.
Then, as if it heard its name being called, the golem started moving.
The Apex Guardian gently turned its gaze towards Magnus, its eyes locking with his in a silent exchange of recognition. It was as if it was trying to identify Magnus, whether he was a friend or foe.
"This creation is amazing... How did you make this thing? Right, those Runes, how did you ce them... I can sense at least 20 Runes on it. You must''ve used incredible materials to make them. Lastly, who made those Runes? I didn''t hear any Rune Expert visiting our Castle in the past few months." Magnus muttered.
Although there were several Runecasters who had visited their Castle to get closer to the Shadow Immortal, they didn''t stay in this Castle for long. They certainly offered their assistance if there were matters that required their expertise, but he couldn''t recall Denise asking for such assistance.
"You''re right. I made a total of 25 Runes on this Automaton... However, 10 of them are simr Runes. They were Protection Runes that Vale taught me. I also managed to ce so many of them thanks to the materials I got from him and the trick he taught me."
"Trick?" Magnus felt curious. He had also learned Rune Arts, after all.
"Yes... It''s called Rune Simplification... It took me years to reach an Advanced level of this Spell, so I only managed toplete this golem today." Denise exined with a smile. She was certainly proud of her creations.
Magnus could only admire Denise''s dedication to this. Those two Spells she mentioned were something he already knew about. However, learning them wasn''t easy, especially since she was already a Dark Arts Practitioner.
In short, she must''ve also received the Immortal Blood or even more. This Immortal Blood should''ve allowed her to improve her physique to the point that she could learn another branch or two of Arcane Arts.
Then, as he observed the golem, she immediately guessed the materials that were used. Dimensional Creature''s bones... Demon Saint''s horns... Enchanted Steel of the True Immortals and several metals that came from the mausoleum!
''Right... Those metals could suppress the energy of the Demon Saints and the True Immortals...'' Magnus could only sigh as he realized that this Apex Guardian was probably a priceless treasure. It was something that was on par with or even greater than Sovereign Artifacts!
As Magnus marveled at Denise''s creation, he knew that the Apex Guardian needed to be tested soon!
"This is great, Denise... How are you nning to use this golem?" He asked.
Denise smiled...
"What else? Of course, to destroy that Death God who''s trying to im Vale''s body."
Chapter 853: Reported
?
"You want to destroy the Death God?" Magnus was shocked after hearing Denise''s im. It wasn''t because it was impossible but because he had no idea that Denise was actually thinking of a way to save Vale.
After all, the True Immortals, Demon Saints, and even the Shadow Immortal''s Avatars were already working together in order to find a solution to this problem. He thought that even with his skills and desire to help, he wouldn''t be able to do muchpared to them.
Because of that, he simply made things morefortable for everyone to leave in the castle while they were thinking of a way to solve the issue.
"How is that possible, Denise? Although your Apex Guardian had incredible fighting strength that could probably equal the Grand Knights, brute force cannot stop the Death God''s possession." Magnus exined.
Denise simply smiled at this as she knew this very well. As a matter of fact, she had already consulted the two Dragons who were guarding Vale''s main body about this matter.
She knew that because of Vale''s physique and the Death God''s spirit''s uniqueness, Time Maniption Spells wouldn''t work on them so easily. It was the same for some Celestial Arts and Demonic Techniques. They have a natural resistance against such Spells.
However, because of her golem''s unique qualities, she believed that she could actually pull this off.
After all, the Android itself doesn''t have a Soul or Spirit. It was actually the closest they could have as a recement for a vessel. Nheless, she didn''t n to create a core for the Android to store a soul, it was because she couldn''t find a strong nk soul she could use that could possibly contain the enormous power of the Death God or even Vale... It was a wishful thinking.
At this time, she simply wanted to use the Apex Guardian to disrupt the possession that the Death God was attempting to do.
After all, the Apex Guardian contains Vale''s blood and Divinity as well. It was Vale who had taught her about Androids, and it was Vale''s dream to create powerful ones that they could use to protect their territory and maintain peace.
Because of that, Vale had stored about 20 drops of his immortal blood, which was given to her. These drops of blood were what made her confident in saving Vale''s body.
With the help of the Draconic Runes that she learned from Orden and Ryzoir, together with Vale and the two Dragons'' Blood imbued on the Android that she made, she felt pretty confident that it was enough to save Vale''s main body.
However, she wanted to consult at least one of Vale''s Avatars about her n.
***
At this time, Vale''s Avatar visited Aubrey in her rented room.
She was waiting for Vale to inform her what had happened to the mysterious spirit that had escaped.
"Everything''s fine now... I''ll return to the castle for and visit you again soon." Vale said before disappearing.
"What? You left me just like that?" Aubrey shook her head, but she wasn''t really angry with him. In any case, she knew that Vale was immortal and had plenty of other things to do.
Vale soon found himself in arge city where he bought a ticket for an Airship that would pass by the Forbidden Forest to the west.
Well, he didn''t use his Celestial Arts to quickly return to his Castle.
After all, he doesn''t need to hurry...
Furthermore, as an Avatar, his energy recovery speed was several times slower than that of his main body.
With his recent battle against Sloth, he needed plenty of time to recover unless he decided to use his few remaining Blood Essence that could recover his health and energy in an instant. Well, that was too much of a waste, so he decided to take an Airship and travel for three days... "Three days, huh... I guess that''s not a long time." Vale muttered as he also liked to observe the various towns and cities they would pass by while traveling.
''Anyway, this passenger airship is huge... Is this made by Millton Kingdom?'' Vale mused as he realized that there were over 800 passengers inside the airship.
The Zephyr''s Whisper, a huge airship, floated before moving to their destination just an hour after he boarded.
Vale didn''t enter his room as he leaned against the railing, overlooking the horizon.
It wasn''t every day that he could just rx and admire sceneries, so he might as well do that.
This time, he decided to use his Divine Sense and confirmed the presence of 30 Holy Arts Practitioners and more than 200 Dark Arts practitioners.
"Mhmm? What''s going on here?" Vale muttered as he felt something off.
A while ago, he just sensed that there were about 300 Arcanists here. It was a huge number but
he didn''t think too much as it was quite normal for him to sense some Arcanists.
However, now that he thinks about it, there were simply too many of them, and it wasn''t normal. After all, there was only 1 Arcanist in about 10,000 people. To see 300 of them gathered here instead of an Arcane Academy seemed suspicious.
''Well, it''s not my job to meddle with it... However, if there''s some kind of battle, they should just keep it to themselves and not involve anyone else.'' Vale thought as he tried to sense if there was a familiar aura among the Dark Arts Practitioners.
To his surprise, he found Philip Hoffman, one of the geniuses at Vermont Academy during his time.
''Mhmm... He''spletely changed...'' Valemented after realizing that Philip had truly be a powerful Dark Magician...
''He already reached a Master-ss level at such a young age... Very impressive.'' Vale muttered as he knew that he had only gotten really strong because of his system.
Anyway, he left this matter alone as he wandered the airship''s corridors.
As he was walking, a group of people passed by...
Captain Ashley, the airship''s navigator, immediately greeted Vale...
"Ahh... Lord Vale, wee... I didn''t know you were here."
Chapter 854: Summoning Here
Chapter 854: Summoning Here
?
"Mhmm?"
It was actually Vale who was surprised instead. He had no idea who this woman was. Though he could tell that she was the captain of the ship based on her uniform and the people following her, he still couldn''t remember.
Realizing this, she immediately gestured for the others to leave.
As soon as they were alone, she immediately reported to Vale.
"Lord Vale, I am from the Arcane Bureau, and I am working for Agent Fox... You must know her. I''m not sure if you have already received the report, but my team discovered the presence of another Demon Saint hiding in our realm. We''re on our way there to investigate. Are you also here to support us?"
Vale was a bit surprised after hearing this. Faith was supposedly coordinating with the Arcane Bureau. There was also Director Virgo in the Bureau who should be telling him about this. ''I guess it''s not important, or I''m just too busy that they couldn''t report to me.'' He mused. "I''m not even aware of it. Where is that ce, Captain Ashley?" He asked. Though he didn''t recognize the woman, there was a namete on her chest, so he was aware of her name.
"It''s actually in a small city in Pallham Empire." She replied.
"Do you know the rank of this Demon Saint?" Vale asked.
"Thanks to the Demon Saints that were under yourmand, we learned that this Demon Saint is most likely the Rank Zero. The one son of the current Demon Lord named Entei... However, it''s also most likely that he''s together with Antares, another unranked Demon Saint who only serves the Rank Zero."
"That''s an interesting news... Very well, I''ll join you. This mission is a bit too dangerous for you guys." Vale said as he decided to just make a quick visit to his castleter on to give Sloth''s Soul to Denise.
Captain Ashley was overjoyed by this since the danger level of their mission would surely fall if the Shadow Immortal himself, who was able to save them from the Abyss Invasion, would join the investigation group.
After this small encounter, Vale decided to continue exploring the Airship. Well, he might have to consider designing one for himself, so it wasn''t a bad thing to get some ideas.
As he walked around, he somehow reached the kitchen area, perhaps because of the smell of the food.
One of the ship''s cook, an Alchemist named Thistle, brewed stardust tea, a famous tea among the noble Arcanistss after recognizing Vale...
Well, he was actually part of the Arcane Bureau...
"Thank you..." Vale said as he received the tea from the kind cook.
Its warmth seeped into his body, rekindling vitality.
It was no wonder that many Arcanists liked this tea...
"The leaves that were used were from Ice Roses only grown by Tier 3 Alchemists. They liked to call it a pinch ofet dust," Thistle said. "It keeps the weariness at bay."
Vale sipped and nodded.
"I like it..." Vale said as he gave the young cook a tip.
This time, his sensitivity had increased as he wanted to enjoy the taste of the tea. However, because of that, he also sensed a very weak presence of the Time Maniptor. It was subtle, but he felt it...
''Interesting... Are they Jin''spanion?'' Vale mused as he tried finding the fluctuation of energy he felt just now.
However, it was alreadypletely hidden so he couldn''t find it.
He also tried to use his divine sense, but it didn''t bring any positive results.
''As expected of Time Maniptors. They''re too difficult to catch unless they decide to show themselves.'' Vale wryly smiled at this.
Nheless, since the Time Maniptor wasn''t doing anything, he wasn''t too inclined to search for them. He must be on vacation or just trying to live in peace, after all. There was no need to offend them.
After thinking of this, Vale left the area and went back to his... Soon, the night came and he decided to visit the observatory that held telescopes.
Vale adjusted one, peering into the void...
Of course, he wasn''t here for sightseeing. He was here as he realized that the Holy Arts Practitioners were actually doing some ritual right now!
''I should''ve asked Ashley if she knows what''s going on with those guys...'' Vale mused as he stayed in the observatory deck to monitor the Arcanists in the Airship.
***
Meanwhile, Elysia, the Time Maniptor who had recently arrived in this Human Realm with other Time Maniptors, was currently disguised as an Alchemist...
She had recently passed the Alchemy Rank Examination and was currently a Tier 2 Alchemist. It wasn''t too high or low. Just a level enough to obtain decent perks while roaming around thisnd.
She leaned against the Airship''s railing while her gaze sweeping across the crowded deck. The presence of so many Dark Arts and Holy Arts practitioners intrigued her-two hundred of the former and thirty of thetter.
It was simply too suspicious.
"Is there some sort of trouble?" She muttered as she didn''t want to get tangled in such trouble right now...
Why would so many practitioners of opposing arts converge here? What a bad timing...
As a Time Maniptor, she held an advantage. If this vessel turned into a battlefield, she could slip through the temporal seams, escaping unscathed.
As for the innocent people, she didn''t care about them.
But her curiosity gnawed at her-since it had been quite peacefultely, she was somehow looking forward to seeing some blood.
''Mhmmm?''
Suddenly, she had a bad feeling. Her instincts had always saved her in various situations, and
they were actually telling her not to use any of her Temporal Spells right now.
For some reason, she felt that her Temporal Spells, even wielded subtly, might draw
attention and it could be perilous.
''Fine... Let''s just see what happens...'' She said to herself.
Thankfully, the day passed uneventfully.
However, as the night fell, Elysia''s unease deepened.
The Holy Arts practitioners gathered in a circle as they started a ritual-and she recognized it.
''They''re summoning an Angel here?!''
Chapter 855: Another Avatar
Chapter 855: Another Avatar
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Elysia was shocked after realizing what was going on.
Summoning an Angel wasn''t amon thing... Based on her knowledge, it must only be done if a catastrophe had fallen on the followers of Light. She learned in the Academy that the
Angel''s existence was only to defend and not to initiate conflict.
Needless to say, Elysia couldn''t see how the Holy Arts Practitioners were in danger.
After all, the Dark Arts Practitioners around them were just minding their own business and weren''t showing any signs of attacking the Holy Arts Practitioners.
To be exact, they even seemed oblivious to the fact that there are Holy Arts Practitioners.
''Oh well, it''s not my problem.'' Elysia mused as she just decided to enjoy the show. It had been pretty boring over the past few days, so this might serve as entertainment for her.
***
The airship quivered, its timbers groaning under the weight of celestial presence.
The Angel-its two majestic wings fully revealed-hovered above the deck, while its eyes looked at the stunned people below their presence.
The Holy Arts practitioners knelt, their faces showing reverence and fear.
Elysia, still disguised as an Alchemist and normal passenger, watched from the shadows.
Her Time Maniption abilities were currentlypletely hidden as she didn''t want to get noticed yet.
''Are they going tomit a ughter? These priests are nastier than I thought.'' She mused.
The Dark Magicians were obviously surprised by the sudden appearance of the Angel. They didn''t notice the ritual being done by the priests in one corner of the Airship since they used a Formation Art to hide any fluctuation of Arcane Energy during the ritual.
The Dark Magicians just noticed them after the ritual itself waspleted.
"An Angel?!"
"Not good... I think we''re under attack!"
"We have a truce with the Holy Arts Faction! What''s going on?!"
"Sir Philip! Please give us themand!"
"Let''s send this Angel back to where it came from!"
Philip, the current leader of these group of Dark Magicians looked at the Angel with a frown. Currently, there are only five members of Evanescent Vessels in their group of 200 Dark Magicians.
They were supposedly on a mission to retrieve an Arcana. Although their vast number seemed too big to avoid detection, they believed that it would not be a big deal since the war was basically over. The Holy Arts Practitioners shouldn''t be causing trouble for them.
Furthermore, with their huge number, no one should be foolish enough to try and mess with them.
"An Angel, huh... This is not a normal ambush." Philip muttered as he knew the sacrifices that the Priests needed in order to summon an Angel.
Well, he knew that this Angel wasn''t summoned by Untainted Sentinels as he also briefly sensed the presence of 30 Priestspleting the ritual...
''They must''ve permanently damaged their life essence in order to summon this thing... They''re definitely here to kill us.'' Philip analyzed and quickly gave his orders.
Of the 200 Dark Arts Practitioners, 100 of them were Full Dark Magicians who had mastered at least 8 Spells, 30 Dark Ritualists who were quite weak but could summon Dark Spiritual Beings, 30 Corruption Specialists, 20 Dark Alchemists, and 20 Necromancers.
Philip may not be the strongest among them, but because he had a Broken Arcana in his possession, he was deemed to be their leader.
As soon as he gave out hismands, the Dark Arcanists immediately went into action! At the same time, the people in the Airship immediately went into hiding as they knew that there was a battle going on. Some of them even started pulling out their mystical artifacts that could hopefully protect them from this imminent danger.
Suddenly, the Captain''s voice crackled over the inte.
"Prepare for descent!" Panic threaded her words. "We cannot withstand the disturbance caused by the mystical being''s presence! Grab tightly to any---"
As she continued giving instructions to the passengers, the priests paid no heed.
They''d summoned the Angel for a purpose. Their orders were clear: eliminate the Dark Magicians!
The Angel''s gaze swept the deck.
It didn''t speak but it started scanning the surroundings for the presence of the Dark Magicians.
As soon as it confirmed their presence, the chaos erupted.
A beam of Light descended from its hands but The Dark Magicians threw Dark Spells including curses to attack the Angel!
While this was happening Philip was also preparing to unlease his Broken Arcana. He decided
to quickly deal with this problem since he didn''t want any Dark Magician to perish before theyplete their mission.
Boom!
The airship shuddered, caught between the attacks of the two forces...
"They''re really going at it... I guess the truce made by the Shadow Immortal to the Fortune Goddess was nulled for some reason..."
Elysia muttered as she stepped back. She didn''t want to get caught or get forced to use her Temporal Spells as she might get exposed.
Anyway, she knew quite a lot about the truce since the other Time Maniptors were able to gather information in various parts of the continent, and they would all consolidate this information during discussions on their Mind Network.
"Mhmm?"
At this time, as she felt that this battle would go in the favor of the Dark Magicians because of the Broken Arcana of their leader, something unexpected happened.
The Angel that was summoned suddenly unfurled another two wings, having a total of four! Then, it summoned another holy spell simr to Holy Smite to sear the Dark Magicians!
At this point, the Broken Arcana''s power was unleashed, and the four-winged Angel was suddenly suppressed by hundreds of dark hands that came out of nowhere!
The Priests didn''t seem to expect that the Broken Arcana held by Philip was strong enough to suppress the Four-Winged Angel! This stunned the priests as they prayed that the Angel could break free from its bindings!
Thankfully, they didn''t have to pray for long as their prayer was answered.
A tear in the space urred as Farah stepped out of it and looked at Philip with a smile on her
face!
''This...'' Philip was stunned as he realized the identity of the woman who had just appeared, it was the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess!
"We''re in trouble..." Philip muttered as he felt his Broken Arcana slowly slipping away from
his hands!
Chapter 856: Trapped
Chapter 856: Trapped
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Elysia felt so excited after seeing the presence of an Immortal. Although it was only an Avatar based on its fluctuation of energy, she still used her Mind Network to inform everyone about her current situation and discovery.
Wasa, the leader of the Time Maniptors, also liked this development.
"An Immortal with Holy Attribute? Is that the Holy Saint of the Church here?" He mused.
Everyone could somehow agree with this, but Elysia seemed to have a different opinion.
"I think it''s an Avatar of the Fortune Goddess." She suddenly said, which made the other Time Maniptors even more excited.
"Let''s capture her... No, we''re going there now..."
"Right... We can''t let her escape. An Immortal''s knowledge would be invaluable in our mission."
Elysia panicked after hearing her friends say this.
She immediately spoke up and shared her concerns.
"Wait! I think it''s dangerous. Something''s telling me that if we use Temporal Spells in the vicinity, we would get into trouble. I''m not sure, but I think someone is looking for us, and they don''t have a good intention... Ugh... I can''t provide any evidence, but my intuition rarely fails me." She exined.
Thankfully, her friends weren''t stubborn and didn''t push with their ns.
"Alright, your Airship is descending right now, correct?" Wasa asked.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Yes... I think we''re in the middle of nowhere since this is so sudden." She replied.
"Very well, we''ll use our movement spells from afar, and we''ll just run to your location. We''ll look into the situation then. If we do not notice a problem, then we''ll change our n and capture the Immortal." Wasa announced.
After this their Mind Network was cancelled as Elysia found a safe ce within the Airship to watch the battle.
Although the Dark Magicians were in a tough situation, she could tell that haven''t shown their true might just yet. Aside from the Broken Arcana, she believed those Ritualists had been chanting for a while now would soon summon something that could fight against the Immortal.
***
"An Immortal with a Holy Attribute, huh... It would be amazing if Elysia''s intuition is right... I hope it''s really the Avatar of the Goddess herself." Wasa, the leader of the Time Maniptors, smiled evilly after reaching this thought.
With the five of them working together, he knew that an Avatar wouldn''t be too much of a problem for them.
Anyway, he was currently high above the sprawling prisonplex where a powerful creature was being held.
Wasa stood in silent contemtion. The room he was in was filled with Arcane energies that were quite chaotic and threatening to explode. To be exact, he was in the control room of this Prison Tower.
Before him, three Arcanists from the Transformation Arts Factiony bound and silenced by the intricate threads of his Time Binding Spell.
Their eyes showed fear and defiance while their mouths were sealed shut by the magic that held them captive.
Wasa''s gaze turned towards the cell where the area where a Demon Saint was imprisoned... ''Hmm... I guess I still have plenty of time.'' He muttered as he approached the cell of the Demon Saint.
The very walls and iron bars seemed to be creaking at this moment... The chains binding the Demon Saint also seemed to be weakening at every moment, but because of the Formation Arts embedded, the chains would immediately repair itself as if it was immortal.
It was quite an interesting method of binding a Demon Saint.
"To think that a small faction with only Half-Immortals is able to capture a Demon Saint... That''s really impressive." Wasa muttered, as he already knew from the three Transformation Artists that their Faction only had 4 Half-Immortals from their four main families.
However, thanks to the Shadow Immortal who had heavily injured this Demon Saint, they were able to capture this Rank 29 Demon Saint, Artagos.
Approaching the cell slowly, Wasa raised a hand and dispelled one of the wards that guarded the Demon Saint''s chamber.
One of the barriers was destroyed, revealing the full figure of the Demon Saint, who was heavily injured. He wasn''t recovering any strength because of the strange Formation Arts that seemed to be reversing the time. However, it certainly had a different principle from Time Spells.
Nheless, this Demon Saint just remained quiet and didn''t even bother to look at Wasa. "Speak, Demon Saint..." Wasa''s voice cut through the oppressive silence... "I seek knowledge of the Shadow Immortal... Tell me what you know of his whereabouts and if you got extracted by him once."
As soon as Artagos heard about extraction, his eyes flickered as he recalled what had happened to the other Demon Saints who had failed to escape from the Shadow Immortal,
and some of those were even chased to the Abyss Realm.
The Demon Saint''s eyes gleamed with a malevolent light as he looked at Wasa with a mix of curiosity and contempt.
"Free me..." The Demon Saint replied without answering Wasa''s question.
However, Wasa smiled after hearing this since this was what he had expected from the Demon Saint.
"If you make a contract with me, I will not just free you... I will also heal you and make you even stronger..." Wasa said as he gave another offer.
***
In the meantime, all the other Time Maniptors were also finishing or abandoning their current tasks as soon as they heard Elysia''s report.
Liora immediately left the vicinity of the Mystic Soul Tower. She initially nned to explore this Tower by using force since she wasn''t allowed in the first ce. However, since this exploration may take long, she decided to visit Elysia first.
It was the same for Cyper, who had intended to fight against the members of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets... In his opinion, this mysterious Church seemed to be stronger than the Church of the Fortune Goddess, and their involvement in various phenomena in this realm, like the existence of the Shadow Immortal, must be fully investigated.
Lastly, there was Ivan, the youngest Time Maniptor, who was currently engaged in a fight against Vampire!
''I need to escape from here!'' Ivan thought as he realized that his supposedly easy kill turned out to be a trap!
Chapter 857: Terror
Chapter 857: Terror
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In the heart of the Pallham Empire, nestled amidst the snow-capped peaks of the northern continent, Ivan, the Time Maniptor, stood before the imposing walls of the castle that bore the mark of the Shadow Consortium.
After being here for a while, he knew that the Shadow Consortium was arge organization that was able to partner with the Shadow Immortal''s organization.
They were capable of making not only high-grade Talisman Papers and but Divine Talismans as well thanks to their partnership with the Shadow Immortal.
ording to his research, this castle was supposedly owned by the Shadow Consortium but was then given to the Shadow Immortal''s merchant organization as some sort of payment or reward.
Initially, he simply wanted to visit this ce to see if they were producing Divine Talisman in this ce.
After all, this was the closest property of Shadow Consortium... He thought that he could get lucky and find that this was actually a secret production ground for Divine Talismans. However, as Ivan surveyed the castle''s defenses with several Temporal Spells, he sensed the lingering presence of a Vampiric Aura that clung to the very stones of the fortress.
"Vampire..." His eyes lit up in excitement after realizing this.
It appears that this ce was truly an important property for the Shadow Immortal, as he decided to send a powerful Vampire to protect this ce.
''I wonder why it''s here... And I didn''t think that he couldmand a Vampire. Did he summon it?'' Ivan thought as he wasn''t sure how a True Vampire would work for the Shadow Immortal. They would normally hate following anyone, unless they were higher-ranking Vampires.
Anyway, Ivan felt happy about this discovery.
For now, he decided not to inform Wasa and the others about this as he nned to surprise themter on with the Vampiric Fangs, Blood, and Core.
He nned to take everything from this Vampire! After all, those three were incredible Alchemical Materials. Rituals that involved Time would also be strengthened if Vampire Blood was used!
There was no way he would pass this up!
Furthermore, he already killed several Vampires before! He had an experience fighting them so this should be an easy win, especially now that he could prepare for some time while the Vampire would be surprised by his appearance.
With a silent resolve, Ivan called upon his Temporal Spells... This time bending spell was controlled by his will as he unraveled the enchantments that guarded the castle''s entrance.
In a sh of light and shadow, he crossed the threshold and entered the darkened halls that awaited within.
''This is easy... I guess they''ve never thought that a Time Maniptor would evere here... This is perfect.'' Ivan thought as he couldn''t help but feel excited.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He knew that as long as he caught sight of the Vampire, it would be over for them!
As he moved deeper into thebyrinthine corridors of the castle, Ivan''s senses sharpened with each step, his instincts guiding him towards the heart of the Vampiric Aura that pulsed like a heartbeat in the shadows.
He wasn''t in a hurry since he was worried that it might escape by using bat swarm, or blood teleportation...
He couldn''t set up a huge barrier to trap the castle since he was working alone. This was why he had to find the Vampire first and trap it with his Temporal Spell...
With a steady movement, he pressed on, his mind focused on the task thaty ahead. He didn''t dare to destroy any traps or formation arts or even investigate the other ces or rooms of the castle.
He was simply focused on reaching the Vampire!
Finally, his hard work paid off as he reached the grand hall where the Vampire should be resting.
He was expecting a vampire either feasting on an Arcanist''s blood or resting on their enchanted coffin.
However, what he found was a warrior-like female Vampire!
From his senses, he recognized that it was True Vampire!
Her eyes weren''t surprised but showed a predator''s gaze fixed upon its prey.
"Wee, Time Maniptor," Lisa''s voice was a velvet whisper that sent a chill down his spine.
''This is bad!'' Ivan''s eyes widened as he heard the woman''s voice.
The fact that she knew about his existence and didn''t escape showed that she was confident enough to face him, a person who was capable of controlling Time itself!
''No... I can''t be scared now... I''m a Time Maniptor! Even if you prepared an ambush, you''re going to get killed!
Without a moment''s hesitation, he called upon his Temporal Chains, weaving threads of time and space to ensnare the Vampire and prevent any chance of escape.
Clink... Clink... Clink...
As long as the target was in his sight, the Temporal Chains wouldn''t miss!
The only problem was the fact that these Chains could be destroyed if it was still in the process of materialization to bind their target.
This was the reason why Ivan followed up with another Time Spell called Slow Spell, a web of temporal energy that slowed the Vampire''s movements to a crawl, ensuring that
the Temporal Chains securely bound her before she could resist!
These two spells were his swiftest weapons, deployed with the speed of thought to contain the creature before him!
Though Ivan possessed a formidable arsenal of attack spells - the lethal Void sh and the devastating Time Rend - he knew that their casting would require precious moments he could not afford at this critical juncture.
He could tell that this Vampire was too dangerous, and he had to take this battle seriously! He believed that their battle should justst a few moments, and he should take advantage of
this small timeframe.
"Mhmm?"
However, to his surprise, Lisa smiled!
''This...''
In the face of his spells, she actually didn''t panic and went into defensive!
This smile sent a shiver of unease down Ivan''s spine, a premonition of impending danger that he could not ignore. In a heartbeat, Ivan felt the very essence of his being tremble as a surge of malevolent energy coursed through his veins.
As his Spells bound Lisa, a trickle of blood escaped from his nose, and it didn''t stop in a few drops as he realized that all of his orifices started leaking blood!
Chapter 858: Race
Chapter 858: Race
?
"I''m bleeding? How?!" Ivan was terrified as soon as he saw his blood started leaking out of his body like a river. He couldn''t recall when he was hit by a Spell or when Lisa cast one.
''Is it a Curse? Formation Array? Poison?'' Ivan''s mind raced with possibilities but he couldn''t recall how he was injured.
He couldn''t even use his Time Spell to recover his health because of the chaotic energy that had entered his body!
''I''m going to die!''
Ivan''s realization dawned with a sense of dread... What he was facing right now wasn''t a prey or a source of precious materials for a ritual.
The woman was a predator, a True Vampire that held powers beyond his imagining, a force of darkness that threatened to consume him whole!
Ivan then tried using his life-saving artifact that could help him recover his body from the past and fuse it to the current him. It would allow him to recover and defend himself against the attack or even escape from the True Vampire.
This artifact was a small edo stone, and he only had to shatter it with his hands!
However, Ivan stood frozen in shock, as he even failed to do that!
He had to do something quickly! He couldn''t just give up as he tried to forcefully use Slow Spell on himself instead of trying to recover!
Thankfully, the Slow Spell was triggered and it slowed down blood draining curse or spell that was on his body!
"I''m going to survive this... I''m going to kill you, Vampire!"
Ivan wanted to use all of his Temporal Energy to disturb the surrounding space and kill the Vampire with him!
However, the blood trickling from his nose became faster, and the Vampire suddenly looked so alluring to him to the point that he couldn''t think of harming her!
"So beautiful... I''m willing to die for you---"
The Vampire smiled after hearing this. Then, with a swift and fluid motion, she closed the distance between them, her crimson eyes locking onto his with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine.
At this time, the Charm Spell had already vanished and he felt his life being taken away from him.
"Y-you''re... going to... regret... this-"
In a heartbeat, Ivan felt a surge of otherworldly power wash over him, a dark force that threatened to overwhelm his senses.
Hum~
The air then hummed with Vampiric magic as Lisa''s gaze pierced through his defenses, her will was soon embedded to the Time Maniptor''s brain!
After that, Lisa''s face grew closer to his neck.
As her lips brushed against his skin and her fangs dipped into his flesh, a chill spread through Ivan''s veins, a cold fire that ignited a primal fear deep within his soul.
With a whisper as soft as silk, she started a ritual that had been passed through her by the Vampire''s Bloodline Orb.
It was a ritual that was deep-rooted in her genes.
"Aahhhh!"
In that fateful moment, as thest vestiges of resistance crumbled within him, Ivan could only feel the sharp sting of her fangs piercing his flesh, a sensation both terrifying and intoxicating.
The rush of his own lifeblood being drawn from his veins sent a surge of euphoria through his being, a euphoria that mingled with a primal instinct to submit to the will of his captor.
As Lisa drank deeply of his essence, a symbiotic bond formed between them, a connection that transcended normal hypnotism or ve spells.
It was their unholymunion!
Ivan felt his consciousness slip into a haze of ecstasy and torment, his very existence now tied to the will of the Vampire...
When thest drop of his blood was consumed, Ivan''s transformation wasplete.
He was no longer a Time Maniptor, he had be something new!
He had just be a Lesser Vampire bound to Lisa, a servant to her will for all eternity.
***
Meanwhile, as soon as Ivan''s connection was cut off, the Time
Maniptors, Wasa, Elysia, Cyper, and Liora, immediately noticed this.
A sense of unease rippled through their shared mindwork.
The absence of Ivan, their fellowrade who had incredible Time Maniption Spells and several Life-Saving treasures, cast a shroud of uncertainty over their mission.
"What happened to Ivan? Can any of you sense his presence?" Wasa''s voice echoed through their interconnected minds, a ripple of concerncing his words with a note of urgency.
"I sense nothing... Ivan''s presence is gone." Cyper''s response carried a tinge of frustration... This shouldn''t be happening at all.
"Liora, do you have any insights into Ivan''s whereabouts?" Wasa''s inquiry turned to the blue-haired Time Maniptor/
"Hisst known location was in the Pallham Empire..." Liora''s voice echoed within their shared mental space...
Elysia frowned at this since she knew that there shouldn''t be Immortals in the Pallham Empire. ording to the information they gathered, they only have 8 Half-Immortals on
their side.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Ivan may have encountered unforeseen dangers, or perhaps he utilized a life-saving Time Spell to enter another realm or space. We must trust in his abilities."
Although she was worried, she wanted to trust that their friend wasn''t dead yet.
Her words certainly brought hope to everyone since leaving this realm or entering another space or dimension would certainly cut off their connection.
As their mentalmunication concluded, Elysia''s attention turned towards the escting confrontation between the Dark Magicians and the female Immortal''s Avatar.
''This is getting more dangerous than I thought...'' Elysia thought as she was really getting tempted to use her Time Spell soon.
Apparently, as soon as the Avatar of an Immortal appeared, the Dark Magicians revealed their trump card once again in the form of ten specialized Dark Arcanists.
These individuals served as vessels capable of hosting and channeling the malevolent essence
or Dark Entities!
To be exact, they were Spectral Lords!
Under the sinister influence of the Spectral Lords, the ten Dark Arcanists underwent a chilling transformation. Their once-human forms hadpletely changed as they became one with the Spectral Race!
Chapter 859: Corrupted
Chapter 859: Corrupted
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Boom!
The Airship trembled under the weight of two opposing forces that were in the Airship...
Luckily, the Airship had alreadynded in a forest though it created so much damage because it was now a proper dock.
Farah, the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess, stood at the center of the deck, her presence was like the existence of divine light itself.
Around her, ten Dark Arcanists, each possessed by a Spectral Lord, gathered in a circle. Their eyes glowed with an eerie luminescence, and their auras pulsed with dark energy.
She had actually allowed them to surround her to ensure that the other Holy Arts Practitioners would have a chance to escape!
Then, Farah''s voice rang out...
"You shall not corrupt this world with your darkness."
As she said this, a burst of light started searing through the bodies of the possessed Dark Arcanists.
However, the Spectral Lords, speaking through their hosts,ughed.
They weren''t feeling any pain from the attack, nor scaring them to back off.
"You cannot stop us, Immortal. Your body will simply be our fuel."
Farah frowned as she realized that the Spectral Lords were different from the ones she had encountered before. Normally, they should be capable of surviving her Radiant Light once she cast it. However, right now, her Holy Spell waspletely defended.
It seemed that she had to use her Divine Arts...
That would be quite annoying since she nned to preserve her strength against the Shadow Immortal. Previously, she had visited the Shadow Immortals castle, only to realize that the castle was actually being defended by three True Immortals!
They weren''t Avatars but Immortals who should''ve transcended from Realm already.
However, for some reason, the Divinity of these True Immortals was still pure and wasn''t being stained by the impurities of this Realm!
Because of that, she really had no other choice but to rethink her ns. She decided to wait until the Shadow Immortal came out of his castle and captured him instead.
It might take a very long time, but she was willing to wait!
"Tsk... Do you think I will again?!" Farah was already feeling annoyed because of the failure she had met. Right now, she simply couldn''t ept that she was being forced by these ten Vessels!
With a swift motion, Farah summoned her Divine Arts.
She no longer cared whether she would use most of her Divinity at this point!
Whom~
A radiant shield enveloped her, and beams of light shot forth, targeting the Spectral Lords. The first wave of light struck, but the Dark Arcanists countered with spells of their own.
Thousands of specters suddenly rose from the ground!
They have twisted and writhed figures as they formed barriers that absorbed the divine assault.
Boom!
One of the Spectral Lords, dwelling a tall, skinny Arcanist, raised his hands.
"Spectral Bind!" he called out. Then, thousands of spectral hands snaked towards Farah, seeking to ensnare her.
Of course, the others didn''t just watch as some of them locked the surrounding space, ensuring that the Avatar would not be able to escape using Space techniques that Immortals would normally use.
Farah''s eyes zed with fury as she felt that they were looking down on her!
They weren''t even using Divine Arts to defeat her; they were simply using Spirit Arts or Dark Spirit Techniques in order to contain her!
"Divine Purge!" she cried, and a wave of holy fire erupted from her, incinerating the spectral hands aiming for her.
With this Divine Art, the Spectral Lords recoiled, but one of them immediately stepped forward, casting a spell that turned the air around Farah into a suffocating miasma.
It happened so quickly, and as soon as the others saw that the miasma could drown the Divinity of the Immortal, they immediately followed.
Gasping for breath, Farah summoned her strength.
"Blessed Wind!" she invoked, and a gust of purifying air dispelled the miasma. Once again, Divinity was used on that spell!
Then, she retaliated with a barrage of light arrows, each one aimed to the heads of the Spectral Lords!
Each arrow contained some of her Divinity and trait that could cleanse any evil or malevolent forces! In short, this Spell could also be considered a curse once the Spectral Lords were hit! The Spectral Lords took this attack seriously as they realized that even if their opponent was only an Avatar, some of them might have to sacrifice in order to win this battle.
They weren''t capable of doing that since it would danger the Vessel or the body they currently have.
Nheless, they knew that they still had a chance as long as they''re careful.
Theybined their powers, weaving a of ghosts that threatened to engulf Farah.
"Veil of Despair!" they chanted in unison, and the sky above the Airship darkened, blotting out the stars!
Farah''s Divine Shield flickered under the intense miasma, trying to enter her body!
She knew she had to change tactics. With a powerful leap, she propelled herself off the Airship... There was a barrier of darkness around, but with a m of her hands, it was immediately destroyed...
Then, she found a perfect ce to continue the battle as shended on a nearby mountain
peak.
The Spectral Lords hesitated for a moment before they followed her, their forms gliding through the air like wraiths!
On the mountain, the battle intensified.
Farah drew upon the mountain''s natural energies, channeling them into her Divine Arts.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Nature''s Grace!" she called, and the ground beneath her feet glowed with a sacred light... It was her Domain!
This was her protection against the Spectral Lords but also against those people who had been watching the battle secretly.
''Who are those people?'' Farah frowned as she only noticed them after leaving the Airship''s deck. It means that these people weren''t simply at all!
Nheless, she doesn''t have the time to think about those people as she fought against these unique Spectral Lords...
''Tsk... These Vessels are too weird... How are they so strong?'' Farahined.
She felt that there was something wrong with these Dark Arcanists or Vessels. They shouldn''t
be that strong and capable of housing Spectral Lords who could fight against an Immortal like
her!
Then, as she observed them carefully while trying to enter her Domain...
Then, at this moment, she realized that the bodies of the Vessels were emitting a small
amount of Corrupted Divinity!
Chapter 860: Relationship
Chapter 860: Rtionship
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Together, the Spectral Lords unleashed their most powerful spells.
Two of them released simr spells to weaken the Avatar''s connection to nature and Divinity "Void Storm!"
This Spell created a tempest of dark energy that swirled around Farah.
However, she countered this Spell with "Heaven''s Aegis," a protective dome that deflected the storm''s fury.
"Tsk... It''s as if you guys had been waiting for me." Farahined as she realized that these Spectral Lords were too prepared to face her Celestial Arts!
It was as if they knew that she''d appear in this skirmish and help the Holy Arts Practitioners! Nheless, she had no time to think about this as another Spectral Lord, who was wielding the power of decay, cast "Withering Touch."
The vegetation around Farah withered and died, and it was also trying to affect her slowly. However, she responded with "Life''s Renewal," restoring the flora and drawing strength from the earth. She was also able to maintain her defense against the other Spells thrown at her...
Thankfully, Farah''s defensive moves allowed her to drain the powers of the two Spectral Lords making the two Vessels copse to the ground.
With the remaining Spectral Lords, the battle raged on, each side pushing their limits. Farah''s light shed with the Spectral Lords'' darkness, almost destroying the whole mountain were they were fighting.
Boom!
The mountain shook with the force of their spells, and the space itself even seemed to tear apart at this point.
Finally, Farah saw an opening.
She gathered most of her Divinity and invoked the most powerful Spell that an Avatar like her could use.
"Judgment of the Divine!" she shouted...
As soon as she did this, a pir of pure light descended from the heavens, engulfing the Spectral Lords.
The Spectral Lords screamed as the light seared their essence.
One by one, they were banished, their dark forms dissipating into the air. The Dark Arcanists, now free from possession, copsed to the ground, unconscious but still having a faint life.
However, if they weren''t rescued in a few minutes, they would surely die at this rate.
Breathing heavily, Farah surveyed the battlefield.
The mountain was almost destroyed, but they should''ve seeded since they had ultimately killed the secret squad of the Dark Arts Factions.
She knew that those ten Vessels were most likely their strongest elites, and eliminating them should''ve weakened their Faction greatly.
This time, however, she turned her gaze back to the Airship, and she realized that something was off.
''Time Spells!'' Farah immediately realized that everyone in the Airship was sealed by a Time Spell! She hadn''t noticed this until now as she was too focused on her battle!
The next thing she noticed was the presence of three other people who didn''t seem to exist in front of her, but she could feel their distinct presence with her Divine Sense.
"Tsk... So they''re already here..." Farah frowned as she soon sensed the changes in time... Temporal Spells were aimed at her, and from the looks of it, they weren''t aiming to kill her but capture her instead.
''Time Maniptors... It''s not good to get captured by them. I''d rather die...'' As soon as she thought of this, her body, the Avatar, immediately disintegrated, shocking Wasa and the other Time Maniptors!
"That Immortal is too decisive..." Wasa greeted his teeth as they actually needed about 3 seconds to capture the Immortal fully. If she decided to fight or even tried resisting, they were sure to capture her.
However, the Avatar seemed to be aware of their Temporal Spells and immediately decided to destroy its body!
If it was done by an Arcanist weaker than them, they could probably revert the time and bring back their body.
But the one who had self-destructed was an Immortal who possessed Divinity, even if it was only an Avatar. Unfortunately, those with Divinity had some resistance against such spells, and they would waste a lot of their energy.
"What do we do with those Arcanists in the Airship?" Cyper asked since he was the one who had actually restrained them.
"Just let them go. There''s no point killing them. I''m not interested in who wins in their fight either." Wasa said as he turned to Elysia.
"How is it, Elysia? No threats, right?" Wasa asked since Elysia had previously warned them that they could not use their Temporal Spells here since she was sensing danger.
However, Elysia didn''t answer, as if she was frozen.
"I... Just now... Did you feel anything?" Elysia asked everyone as she actually felt killing intent directed at their group.
However, the others seemed oblivious to it.
Wasa frowned at this reaction, and the others also felt nervous about her expression.
"Fine... Let''s leave this ce..." Wasa said as he immediately left the area with the other Time Maniptors.
As soon as they left, Vale smiled in satisfaction.
"My Divine Sense Mark is working perfectly... They didn''t notice any problems either. As expected of Perfect Realm Spell." Vale muttered to himself.
He had actually used his Divine Sense Mark in all of them. At this time, he could find and go to their location any time he wanted.
For now, he had decided not to eliminate them since they were actually hunting Farah, the Fortune Goddess'' Avatar!
''Now that the Avatar was destroyed, the main body should know about... Is she going to descend here?'' Vale mused.
Well, if the Fortune Goddess would truly descend to avenge her Avatar, then he probably had
to inform someone about this.
Vale stood from where he was and activated his Telepathy...
Soon, his mind connected to a familiar figure.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Maya... Ah. You''re going with Miya now, right." He said.
"Lord Shadow Immortal. Yes... How can I help you?" Miya was startled as soon as she heard
Vale''s voice so suddenly.
She was currently out on a mission to retrieve an Arcana and had to pause for a moment.
"Ahem... I just want to let your Concealment Goddess know that the Avatar of the Fortune
Goddess was killed by some Time Maniptors." Vale reported.
"Thank you for informing us, Lord Shadow Immortal." Miya replied.
Vale just nodded at this and cut off their connection.
Realizing what had just happened, Miya heaved a sigh of relief.
She actually doesn''t know much about Vale and the Lord of the Secrets rtionship, but she couldn''t help but feel that something was about to happen in their Realm once again.
Chapter 861: Soul
Chapter 861: Soul
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n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The matters in the Airship were soon settled by members of the Arcane Bureau after they revealed their identities.
At this time, the Airship itself was already broken, and repair would take weeks if not months.
Because of that, Vale decided to bring the members of the Arcane Bureau to his castle and use their extra Airship there to visit the Pallham Empire, where the Rank Zero Demon Saint could be hiding.
For this, Vale''s Avatar had to use his Broken Arcana, the Blindfold, to bring all of them back to the castle.
Using his Arcana, he created a tear in space and guided the twelve members, led by Captain Ashley, through the portal.
They soon found themselves standing in the grand hall of Vale''s Castle.
Vale immediately summoned one of the castle''s servants to attend to Ashley''s group.
"You can go ahead and rest. We will use the airship to travel to the Pallham Empire tomorrow," Vale informed Ashley before taking his leave. He just received a message from Magnus through telepathy and was requesting his presence inside Denise''sboratory. Ashley expressed her gratitude to Vale, the Shadow Immortal, for his hospitality. "Thank you for your generosity," she said, even though Vale was no longer in sight. After a few moments, the members of the Bureau started appreciating the castle. This was their first time entering the home of the Shadow Immortal, so they were overwhelmed...
"I can''t believe we just entered his castle," one of Ashley''s subordinates remarked, awe evident in their voice.
"Indeed... I wonder what we can find here," another added, curiosity piqued.
"I hope I brought a Recording Crystal with me."
"Idiot... That''s probably not allowed. This is still a private property."
"Ahem... I just joking... Anyway, I hope we can look around this ce."
Of course, the Captain of the group was also interested in this ce. After all, they might never get a chance to enter this castle ever again.
After taking a deep breath, Ashley gathered up her courage as she approached one of the servants and inquired if they could explore the castle.
Thankfully, it was fine.
The servant informed them that there were only a few restricted areas they should avoid. The servant listed the ces and they all nodded.
With that assurance, and since they weren''t tired yet, Ashley''s group decided to look around. As they wandered through the castle, they stumbled upon the training grounds. Thud! Thud! Thud!
There, an army of Metal Golems was practicing their swordsmanship, their movements were extremely precise and synchronized. The sight was both mesmerizing and intimidating!
Captain Ashley and everyone else were stunned by this sight. It was certainly a testament to the castle''s formidable defenses.
"But aren''t they Golems? What''s the point of practicing swords if their movements stay the same? It''s not like they''d increase their sword proficiency with that, right?" One of the members of the Bureau muttered, and this was actually what was in everyone''s mind.
After all, Golems weren''t capable of learning aside from its programmed movements.
In short, their precise sword sh would remain the same in terms of strength, uracy, and speed as long as it was in the same condition.
"Maybe it''s capable of learning... This is the Shadow Immortal''s castle, after all." Ashley muttered.
However, if that was the case, she couldn''t understand why they were allowed to see this revolutionary Golem.
She actually knew about their Metal Golems called Androids. They were also deployed as guards in various cities and towns that were under the Immortal''s protection.
However, the ones in front of her were definitely Androids of a better version with their speed. They were also wearing better runic weapons and armor equipped, so she knew that they were different.
nk! nk!
The sound of metal echoed through the grounds as the golems trained tirelessly.
Ashley and her team watched in fascination, realizing the extent of Vale''s power and resources. As they watched for some time, they actually realized that the Androids were using various techniques that Spirit Knights would use!
This was very interesting and the Arcane Bureau would surely want to obtain such reliable golems for conducting dangerous missions like fighting against Evil Creatures or those who had been consumed by their Arcane Path.
Anyway, they soon started to appreciate the other ces of the castle and weren''t satisfied even after looking around for more than three hours.
"This ce is incredible," one of the team members whispered, eyes wide with wonder.
Ashley nodded at this as she could tell what was in their minds.
''However, I''m sure that it wasn''t the Shadow Immortal who had made this creation... I wonder if it''s the old genius Magnus or someone else.'' Ashley thought for a moment before shaking her head.
She should be satisfied to know about these highly advanced metal golems.
***
Meanwhile, as Vale left the visitors from the Arcane Bureau, he made his way to Denise''sboratory, a ce brimming with arcane energy and mysterious creations that Denise had made over the past few years.
As he entered, he was greeted by the sight of Magnus and Denise, who were waiting for his
arrival.
But what caught his eye was the towering figure of Denise''stest creation.
Needless to say, it the Apex Guardian, Denise''stest creation, that had also left Magnus in
awe.
Vale''s eyes widened in surprise.
"Did you make this?" he asked, his voice tinged with admiration.
Denise looked up, a proud smile ying on her lips.
"Yes, I was waiting for you. I have a n to save your body with its help. However, I just need
"A soul, right?" Vale interrupted, his smile widening as he revealed a glowing, purified soul.
The ethereal light danced in his palm, casting a serene glow around the room. He could immediately tell what was missing on the android just from a nce.
Magnus and Denise stared in stunned silence, their eyes fixed on the soul Vale held.
They could sense the immense power emanating from it. It certainly had a formidable origin.
However, Vale''s next words stunned them even more...
"This is from one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Sloth," Vale exined...
Chapter 862: New Companion
Chapter 862: New Companion
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"One of the Seven Deadly Sins?!" Denise and Magnus eximed as soon as they heard Shane. "This is perfect! Dealing with the Death God would be a lot easier with this..." Denise muttered as her eyes sparkled with a mix of excitement and disbelief.
"A soul of such magnitude... This will indeed make the Apex Guardian unparalleled."
Magnus nodded, his usually stoic demeanor softened by awe. After he learned what was missing from Denise''s creation, he thought that it would be more than enough to get a soul from a first-ss Arcanist.
After all, such a soul should be more than enough for a metal golem that had a fixed strength. He believed that it shouldn''t matter if the soul was too strong as it would be limited by a machine.
However, after Denise reminded her that it would be used against the Death God, then it was certainly needed to have a stronger soul.
"With this soul, your Apex Guardian will be more than just a machine. It will be a force to reckon with..."
Vale''s smile remained, his gaze shifting between Denise and Magnus. "Let''s proceed, then. We have much to aplish."
Theboratory buzzed with activity as they prepared to integrate the soul into the Apex Guardian.
Denise thought that she had to do this alone, but with Vale and Magnus''s presence, she knew that everything would be fine.
Vale''s assistance,bined with the brilliance of Magnus, together with her n, she knew that this would yield extraordinary results.
Denise couldn''t help but feel confident that her project would seed!
Vale, Magnus, and Denise gathered around the Apex Guardian, the towering android standing silently in the center of theboratory.
The purified soul of Sloth, glowing with an ethereal light, hovered in Vale''s hand.
"Let''s begin," Vale said, his voice steady and confident, giving assurance to the two Arcanists.
He then handed the soul to Denise, who carefully ced it into a crystalline containment unit she had prepared.
The unit was designed to stabilize and channel the soul''s energy into the core of the Apex Guardian. It wasn''t her original creation, but she was able to obtain this technology or technique after the Arcane Bureau gave the detailed study of the Humonculus Project to Vale, which was then given to her.
Thanks to the Humonculus Project done by the Holy Arts Faction, she learned plenty of things about cores and how to create them.
Magnus adjusted his sses, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"This is unprecedented. The integration of a soul of such magnitude into an artificial construct... It''s revolutionary."
Denise nodded, her fingers then danced as she started to trigger the Arcane Circles embedded on the metal golem.
"We''ll need to synchronize the soul''s energy with the Guardian''s core. Any misalignment could result in catastrophic failure."
Vale watched intently as Denise initiated the process.
The containment unit began to glow, and tendrils of light extended from it, reaching towards the core of the Apex Guardian.
Click... Click...
The android''s eyes flickered, a sign of the awakening power within.
"Activating synchronization sequence," Denise announced. Theboratory lights dimmed as the energy flow intensified.
Soon, the Apex Guardian''s core pulsed, resonating with the soul''s essence.
Magnus monitored the Arcane Circles and other Formation Arts. His brow furrowed in concentration as every time that an Arcane Circle was about to copse, he immediately had to stabilize it through various methods.
After several adjustments, he finally smiled.
"Energy levels are stable. These Arcane Circles can now amodate the soul. Proceed with the next phase."
Denise adjusted the controls, and the tendrils of light began to weave into the core, merging with the intricate circuitry.
The Apex Guardian''s body shuddered, and a low hum filled the room.
At this time, Denise finally gave a signal to Vale as he stepped forward. "Alright... It''s time to bind the soul. I''ll use my Divinity to ensure the integration is seamless."
He raised his hand as his Divinity started to guide the soul.
Soon, the soul of Sloth was fully integrated into the core and it began to resonate with the Guardian''s systems.
The Apex Guardian''s eyes red to life, a brilliant blue light emanating from them.
The android''s body straightened, and it took its first step, the ground trembling beneath its weight.
"Initializationplete," Denise said, her voice filled with awe.
"The Apex Guardian is fully operational."
Magnus couldn''t contain his excitement. "Incredible! The soul''s energy is perfectly aligned with the Guardian''s systems. This is a new era of arcane technology, Denise!"
Vale approached the Apex Guardian, his eyes meeting the android''s glowing gaze. "Wee, Apex Guardian."
The Apex Guardian bowed its head, acknowledging Vale''s words. It then replied with a deep
voice.
"I am ready to serve."
Denise smiled, her eyes shining with pride. "With the Apex Guardian on our side, I think we can now deal with the Death God. What do you think?"
"Mhmm? What''s your n?" Vale asked.
Denise then repeated the n she had discussed with Magnus.
Vale considered for a moment before he nodded.
"Indeed. This might actually work." Vale answered as the vessel they were looking for in the Celestial Prison Realm might not be there at all after hundreds of thousands of years had
passed.N?v(el)B\\jnn
"I''ll leave it to you... In any case, the Ryzoir and Orden would be there to guide you."
***
On the next day, there was a clear sky, perfect for their journey.
Vale and the members of the Arcane Bureau gathered at the airship dock, ready to embark on
their mission to the Pallham Empire.
The airship they were about to board was no ordinary vessel; it was an Airship with both mortal and arcane technology. Needless to say, it was modified by Denise and Magnus and had be a formidablebat airship.
The airship, named ck Lotus, was a sight to behold.
Its glossy, obsidian hull gleamed under the morning sun, reflecting a spectrum of colors. The ship''s design was both elegant and intimidating that left the members of Bureau in awe. "Incredible... Piloting this kind of airship would be a dream." Captain Ashley muttered as she observed the ck Lotus.
She could easily tell that it was reinforced with enchanted metals, making even the hull nearly impervious to conventional attacks.
Chapter 863: The Edo Stone
Chapter 863: The Edo Stone
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"I hope our bureau can also use this kind of Arcane Technology." Captain Ashley muttered as she really liked this modified Airship.
"That''s true... However, this Airship must''ve cost a lot to manufacture."
"Well, our Bureau doesn''t have a budget for these things."
"Hey... Our Bureau is now being managed by an incredible person. Perhaps in just three or more years, we can have such a powerful airship as well."
"Hahaha... That would be incredible."
The members of the Bureaufortably chatted as they looked around the Airship. It may not be as big as the passenger airship they''ve used, but it was still spacious since there were only less than 30 people here, including the crew of the Airship.
Furthermore, they confirmed that this vessel wasn''t justfortable but also powerful.
It wasfortable as the sound of the engine was entirely not audible after it started running!
Then, after looking around, Ashley and the others realized that there were massive, rune- inscribed gs that extended from either side of the Airship, and they were all pulsating with Wind Arcane Energy.
Aside from that, there were even some sculpted waves on the side of the Airship, and these wave-like structures were not just for show; they were actually enchanted woods that allowed the vessel to maneuver with agility, making it a formidable opponent in aerialbat.
They knew these woods since mostbat airships had a small amount of these.
Ashley then left the group as she decided to check the thrusters of this vessel.
At the rear, she found several powerful thrusters that hummed with low, resonant energy, ready to propel the ship through the skies at incredible speeds.
''Mhmm... So it''s true that the Immortal has a genius Magic Craftsman working for him... This is definitely something that only three stars or even higher Alchemist could create.'' Ashley then proceeded to check the other ces in the Airship.
Just in case they met another attack, she would know what to do...
Then, she confirmed that the deck itself was equipped with an array of weaponry.
Arcane cannons lined the sides, their barrels were even glowing with a faint blue light, ready to unleash devastating sts of energy!
It seemed as if this ck Lotus was fully ready forbat!
Then, at the bow, a massive, crystal-tippednce protruded forward as if it would be used to ram other Airship.
Finally, what was even more important was the ship''s Formation Array Stones!
There were over 30 of these visible stones, and each of them had a defensive barrier imbued!
"This ce is really safe..." Ashley mused.
After some time, Vale stood at the helm...
Captain Ashley and her team of Arcane Bureau members were then assisted by the crews of the Airship to check their cabins.
Of course, Ashley noticed that the crew, a mix of skilled humans and some Arcanists...
Then, Ashley and two of her trusted aides were escorted to Vale to learn how to fly this Airship just in case they had to.
"Let''s not waste any more time. We have a mission toplete."
After this, Vale left the bridge or themand room to the crews of the Airship.
As the Airship lifted off, the thrusters roared to life, and the vessel ascended gracefully into the sky.
It didn''t take that long before thendscape below shrank away, reced by an endless expanse of blue.
The journey to the Pallham Empire had begun.
***
At this time, Lisa moved silently through the dimly lit corridors of her castle in Pallham Empire.
She had recently turned Ivan, the Time Maniptor, into her Lesser Vampire, and after recuperating from the injuries she obtained, she now needed answers. Well, the man''s time spells had actually harmed her. If not for Vale''s blood, she would''ve really been defeated by this person.
Ivan knelt before her, his eyes only showed reverence in front of her as a Lesser Vampire. The transformation had actually allowed him to be more powerful since instead of his life force being consumed when using powerful Time Spells, he was only using his blood energy which he could replenish every time!
Nheless, Lisa''s gaze was piercing as she started her interrogation.
"Tell me everything, Ivan. Why are you here?"
Ivan''s voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
"We were informed by the Demon Lord. He informed us about the presence of the Divine Extractor in the Human Realm."
Lisa''s eyes narrowed. Vale had already briefed her about this and nodded.
"And what of the Edo Stone?" she asked... This item was actually quite mysterious. She tried probing a while ago, but she couldn''t find its purpose.
Ivan nodded, then reached into his cloak, producing a small, glowing stone.
"There are ten of these in my possession, including the one that you have. They are life- saving treasures, capable of bringing one''s past self to revive them even if they are close to death. It''s a unique form of healing created by elders of our Realm."
"So you can''t create these?" Lisa asked.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"It''s difficult to do it alone, my liege." Ivan replied.
Lisa raised her brow as she started to examine it again... However, she couldn''t get an idea
how to use it.
"A strange and potent artifact," she mused. "How do you use this."
Ivan nodded. "Yes, they are rare and highly coveted... You only have to shatter them with your hands to use them."
"Ahh? That simple?" Lisa replied. Indeed, she had not tried to destroy it for obvious reasons.
Lisa smiled as she learned how to use it.
The Edo Stones could be invaluable in their ongoing battles.
She needed to inform Vale, but as she reached for hermunication device, she paused. Vale was already on his way to the Pallham Empire. It would be more prudent to wait for him here. "Very well," she said, her decision made.
Lisa then turned as she released her familiars to search for the clues of the Rank Zero Demon Saint...
Chapter 864: Rewarded
Chapter 864: Rewarded
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After being together with Vale for a long time, she already had a rough idea about his absorption ability. It appears that he was once again the target of the Time Maniptors.
''However... That Demon Lord is really a problem. He even sent these Time Maniptors here.'' Lisa sighed as she knew that Vale didn''t really want a chaotic life.
She knew that Vale simply had to get stronger since there were so many problems popping up. He really had no other choice.
However, if all of these problems were sorted out, she knew that he''d really just focus on rebuilding the Academy.
"I hope that it will happen soon..." Lisa thought, as she hoped that Vale''s problem would be resolved soon.
***
In a secretivend that only a few people know, a group of people managed to enter it through a great teleportation circle.
It was Miya''s group who had justpleted a mission and returned to the true Holy City of one of the most powerful churches on the continent.
Soon, Miya strode through the grand halls of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets, her heart still racing from the recent mission.
The eradication of the evil creatures and other tasks had been a sess, and she felt a surge of pride as she approached the main chamber to report.
The Pontiff, a mysterious figure who always hid their face, awaited her.
The only feature she knew about this figure was his glowing eyes.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
His deep blue eyes met hers as she entered.
"Miya, wee back. I trust the mission was sessful?"
Miya bowed respectfully.
"Yes, Pontiff. The creatures have been eradicated, and all the other tasks were done as well. All of our mission was sess."
The Pontiff nodded, a faint smile ying on his lips.
"Excellent work, Miya. Your dedication and skill have not gone unnoticed." He reached into his robes and produced a small vial filled with a shimmering liquid.
"As a reward for your service, you are now permitted to practice a fourth Arcane Art. Once you consume this potion, the path will be open to you."
Miya''s eyes widened in surprise and gratitude. "Thank you, Pontiff. This is a great honor."
The Pontiff handed her the vial. "You currently practice Dark Arts, Mystic Arts, and Knight Arts. I suggest you consider either Alchemy Arts or Elemental Arts for your fourth discipline."
Miya pondered the options for a moment. Both paths held immense potential, but the allure of Alchemy Arts called to her.
After all, she had previously tried to learn Dark Alchemy with Master Sherah in the Academy. However, she didn''t really have a talent for it.
However, if she had tried true Alchemy Art itself, which requires a certain ritual, she might have had a chance.
The ability to transmute and create, to blend science with magic, fascinated her in the end. "I choose Alchemy Arts," Miya dered, her voice steady.
The Pontiff nodded approvingly. "A wise choice. Alchemy willplement your existing skills well. You can drink the potion here."
"Yes..."
With a deep breath, Miya uncorked the vial and drank the potion.
The liquid was cool and smooth, and as it flowed down her throat, she felt a surge of energy. Her senses heightened, and her mind expanded, absorbing a certain knowledge that seemed to allow her to amodate a new Arcane Art!
''Amazing... I really made the right decision.'' Miya thought as she felt that she could really survive the Alchemy''s trial.
Well, while there was a Dark Possession Potion that needed to be consumed to practice Dark Arts, Mystic Law''s Trial for the Mystic Arts, and Knight''s Oath for the Knights Arts, the Alchemy Arts has Fire Infusion.
It was a trial that Alchemists needed to pass in order to obtain a Fire that could be used in alchemy. It was the most important for Alchemists.
Of course, this fire could still evolve the stronger you get.
After taking a deep breath and feeling that she indeed was in good condition, she immediately turned to the Pontiff.
"May I ask where I can start the Fire Infusion?" She asked with confidence.
"Hohoho... You looked confident. That''s great. I''ll have someone guide youter. You just need to take some rest as you''ve just arrived. After two hours, the Fire Infusion will be
ready..."
"Thank you, Pontiff," Miya said, her voice filled with gratitude. "I will not disappoint you." The Pontiff smiled.
"I have no doubt, Miya. Once you learned Alchemy, just continue to serve the Church with honor and dedication."
Miya bowed once more and left the chamber.
***
After a well-deserved rest, Miya was awakened by a gentle knock on her door.
An acolyte stood there, and his expression was solemn.
"High Priest Miya, the Fire Infusion Trial is ready. The Pontiff has instructed me to escort you to the Ritual Hall."
Miya nodded, her heart pounding with anticipation. After washing and changing her clothes, she felt ready. She nced at the books on her study table and followed the acolyte.
She had read more about the Fire Infusion Trial as she wanted to refresh her mind about the Alchemy Arts. It has been a while since she studied it, after all.
What was genuinely kept in her mind was the fact that the weakest fire was orange, followed by red, yellow, and blue, and the strongest known was the green fire.
"I really hope I can get a Yellow Fire..." Miya muttered as she knew that obtaining Yellow Fire would guarantee that she would be able to create Tier 1 Pills as long as she had enough
practice...
Anyway, obtaining a Soul Fire would mark the true beginning of her path as an Alchemist, and she was excited about it. And if she failed, she would have to reconsider her choice and perhaps turn to the Elemental Arts instead.
Well, she still had to condition her mind that failing wasn''t the end of the world for her. Even if she failed, it should not break her spirit as an Arcanist!
Chapter 865 The Second
865 The Second
The acolyte then led Miya through the corridors of the church¡
At this time, as her mind focused on her uing Ritual, she could somehow feel the thickness of the arcane energy within the church¡
''It wasn''t like this before¡ Did I be more sensitive?'' She mused.
Soon,they arrived at the grand doors of the Ritual Hall, which swung open to reveal a chamber bathed in a warm, golden light.
The Pontiff stood at the center of the hall, surrounded by a circle of high-ranking priests and priestesses. An intricate array of runes and symbols was etched into the floor, glowing with a soft, pulsating light.
At the heart of the circle, a torch, or perhaps a brazier, filled with sacred white mes, danced beautifully.
Of course, this wasn''t simr to the Ritual of the Alchemist Guild that was used during recruitment. The array they had prepared was very safe and had a higher chance of triggering the target''s talent in alchemy, even if the person only had a very low talent.
"Miya," the Pontiff called as he saw that Miya was ready. "Step forward and prepare for the Fire Infusion."
Miya took a deep breath and walked to the center of the circle. The Pontiff then briefed her about what was about to happen, and then they started.
The priests and priestesses began to chant with the help of the Pontiff''s Arcane Staff¡ As they continued, their voices echoed through the hall as Elemental Energy started to gather.
The mes in the brazier red higher, casting flickering shadows on the walls.
The Pontiff then raised his staff, and the chanting grew louder.
"By the power of the Goddess of Concealment and Mysteries, we call upon the sacred fire to bestow its blessing upon this worthy disciple. May she be granted the Soul Fire, the essence of the Alchemy Arts."
It was different from the Ritual that she had read in the books rted to Alchemy Arts. Nheless, she trusts the Pontiff, so she doesn''t mind.
Miya then closed her eyes, feeling the heat of the mes wash over her.
Her surroundings suddenly felt heavy, and she felt a surge of energy coursing through her veins. The mes leaped from the torch or brazier, swirling around her in a vortex of light and heat.
"Focus, Miya," the Pontiff''s voice echoed in her mind. "Embrace the fire. Let it be a part of you."
Miya concentrated, reaching out with her mind to connect with the mes.
She felt a spark ignite within her, a tiny ember that grew and expanded, filling her with warmth and power.
However, she knew that the Ritual was just starting. She could still fail, so she had to focus.
After some time, the mes wrapped around her, seeping into her skin, her bones, her very Soul.
He should be able to feel some pain and had to endure it, ording to the books she read.
However, the chanting of the Priests and Priestesses actually helped her endure it so she could focus on gathering the me within her Soul!
At this time, the white mes zed brighter than ever.
Miya finally started feeling a searing pain, but it was bearable¡ She then guided the rush of energy within her Soul as the fire fused with her essence.
She gasped, her eyes snapping open to reveal a brilliant, white light.
The mes receded, leaving Miya standing in the center of the circle. Her body was faintly glowing with the power of the Soul Fire.
The priests and priestesses fell silent as they watched the white fire disappear. The Pontiff was also watching the Miya silently. However, it could be seen that all of them looked very nervous for some reason.
As the white me that was overflowing from Miya''s body calmed down, everyone in the room heaved a sigh of relief.
The Pontiff then stepped forward, with a proud smile on his face.
"Congrattions, Miya. You have obtained your Soulbound Fire. You are now truly on the path of the Alchemist."
Miya bowed deeply, her heart swelling with gratitude¡ "Thank you, Pontiff. I will honor this gift and use it to serve the Church and the Lord of the¡ªAh!"
Miya was shocked as she noticed that her dyed ck had turned to white!
She had natural blonde hair, but she abandoned it after she escaped from her n. She used a dye made by First-ss Arcanists, so her ck hair was supposedly permanent, ording to the Alchemist and, of course, through the many books and pieces of advice she heard from the elders.
However, now, it had suddenly turned white after the Ritual! She had no idea that it had such an effect on her body.
"Is this normal as an Alchemist?"
After saying this, she also shook her head as she knew that this wasn''t normal! N?v(el)B\\jnn
The Pontiff, who was always mysterious in her eyes, suddenly stiffened.
This was the first time that she saw such a strong reaction from the Pontiff. This person''s glowing blue eyes seemed to have lost their glow for a moment, and the Pontiff himself appeared to be thinking of his answer.
''This¡'' Miya was started.
In the end, the Pontiff just replied vaguely. "You will know more about it¡ You just need some rest, and perhaps, after you''ve woken up, you''ll be fully aware of your situation. It''s your body, after all."
That certainly made sense, but she also felt that the Pontiff was hiding something from her.
However, she soon felt tired as it seemed that the Ritual took a lot of her energy.
"Right¡ I need to¡ª" Miya didn''t finish her words as she soon copsed.
Thankfully, the Pontiff was attentive and quickly held her.
As soon as Miya fell unconscious, the other priests and priestesses in the room sighed in relief.
"Her eyes were too powerful. I hope she can control it immediately." One of the priests said.
"I heard that the Shadow Immortal has the Blindfold Arcana. Maybe we can borrow it from him? That''s an Arcana blessed by the Goddess, after all." Another priest said.
However, the Pontiff simply shook his head.
"The Shadow Immortal might learn the existence of the Chaos Alchemist. We will need to hide her for now."
With this authoritative voice, the others could only agree.
"Yes, Pontiff!"
Chapter 866 Awakened
866 Awakened
The Pontiff sighed as he recalled the three Paragons who had once walked in the Human Realm. ording to the Goddess of Concealment, these Paragons were the Divine Extractor, Chaos Alchemist, and the Bloodsoulcaster.
The Divine Extractor left the Creation Ring, the Chaos Alchemist left the Temporal Timepiece, and the Bloodsoulcaster left the Stormbringer Sword.
The Divine Extractor was most likely the Shadow Immortal, ording to the goddess. Apparently, the Demon Lord, the Death God, and even the Time Maniptor''s reason for entering this realm was because of Shadow Immortal, who had the talent of the Paragon.
Thankfully, the power of their goddess was able to hide the Chaos Alchemist''s White me until its next vessel was ready.
Soon, the Pontiff asked the Priestess to bring Miya to a well-protected chamber where no one could disturb her.
After everything was arranged, the Pontiff heaved a sigh of relief.
"I didn''t expect that Miya would seed in one try. I guess she''s really fated to this inheritance, huh¡" The Pontiff muttered as he recalled Miya''s figure.
Pale white skin, white hair, and white me around her body.
It was indeed a magnificent sight.
Now that Miya has inherited the me, she must be absorbing the full inheritance of the Chaos Alchemist at this point while she was asleep.
He knew that Miya fell unconscious, not because she was tired but because she was still receiving the inheritance since the white Soul me was just the start of it.
***
Meanwhile, in the depths of her consciousness, Miya found herself in a vast, etherealndscape.
The sky was unnatural as it was a chaotic mix of colors, and the ground beneath her feet shined with an otherworldly glow.
''What''s going on? Where am I?'' Miya thought as she couldn''t recall how she had arrived in this ce.
Then, she immediately noticed another being''s presence that had suddenly appeared in front of her!
"Mhmm?"
Before her stood a towering figure, cloaked in robes that seemed to be made of ck arcane threads.
"Wee, Maya," the figure spoke.
Realizing that this being knew her name, she immediately felt nervous.
"Think of me as the Spirit of the Chaos Alchemist, and you are here to receive my legacy."
Miya felt a surge of awe as she immediately recalled the Chaos Alchemist''s legend that she had only learned in the Church of the Lord of the Secrets¡
She knew that this figure must be rted to the Fire Infusion Ritual she hadpleted!
She didn''t think for long and immediately replied.
"I am ready," she dered.
With this affirmation, the Chaos Alchemist extended a hand, and a torrent of knowledge and power flowed into Maya.
It was sudden but Maya was ted as she absorbed everything.
She saw visions of ancient alchemical forms,plex transmutations, and potent elixirs. Her mind expanded, absorbing the secrets of the Chaos Alchemist''s craft.
Furthermore, the method of crafting was quite different from the Alchemy that she had read in the book and the dark alchemy of the Dark Arts Faction!
As the transfer of knowledge started slowing down, she heard the voice of the Spirit once again.
"You will wield the power of chaos," the figure continued.
"With this me, you can transmute any substance, create potions of unparalleled potency, and manipte the very fabric of reality. But remember, this power is not invincible¡ Use it wisely."
As the knowledge continued to pour into her, Miya felt her body changing.
Her senses sharpened, and she could feel the flow of energy around her.
Although the knowledge was just imbued in her, she already understood the full capabilities of her white me and how to harness her power.
Whoosh~ n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Suddenly, the white me within her grew stronger¡ She could feel that a stronger source of energy was entering her body as the Spirit was slowly dissipating¡
''This¡ Divinity?!'' Maya''s eyes widened as she realized the power that was emanating from her body. Divinity was only something that could obtained by Half-Immortals or other Celestial Beings.
She didn''t expect that she would also obtain Divinity at such a young age!
"Did I be Immortal?" She asked herself.
However, there was no one to answer her question as the Spirit of the Chaos Alchemist removed his hands from her.
"You have obtained the Alchemist Heart¡ You are now the Chaos Alchemist," the Spirit said while slowly dissipating. His voice was also filled with satisfaction, as if passing this legacy on to her was the Spirit''s greatest aplishment.
"Go forth and fulfill your destiny."
With those words, the Spirit finally disappeared as Maya''s vision faded¡
"Ahhh¡" Miya then woke up in the chamber.
She felt a surge of energy coursing through her veins, and she knew that she had truly inherited the legacy of the Chaos Alchemist.
She was no longer just an Arcanist; she was a master of alchemy, capable of feats that others could only dream of!
Miya then stood up, as she was excited to put her knowledge to the test. She wanted to start applying her knowledge and see if all of it was real and she was not dreaming!
As she left the chamber, the Priestess who had carried her there bowed deeply. She has been standing guard in this ce ever since she was transferred here.
"Congrattions, High Priest Miya. You have inherited the legacy of the Chaos Alchemist. The Pontiff awaits your report."
Miya nodded, a confident smile on her lips. "Thank you. Right, how long has it been since Ipleted the ritual?" She asked.
The Priestess then smiled and answered. "It''s been 15 days¡"
"Ahh¡" Miya was shocked as soon as she confirmed that the Priestess wasn''t joking. Now, instead of meeting the high priest, she returned to her room, cleaned herself, and changed her clothes!
***
After some time, Miya''s heart raced with excitement as she made her way to the Pontiff''s chamber.
The knowledge she had gained from the Chaos Alchemist was vast and powerful, and she was eager to put it to use. She had a specific creation in mind, something that would demonstrate her newfound abilities and serve the Church well.
As she entered the chamber, the Pontiff looked up from his desk, his glowing eyes meeting hers.
"Miya, I see you have awakened. How do you feel?"
"Stronger than ever, Pontiff," Miya replied¡
"I have inherited the legacy of the Chaos Alchemist, and I am ready to begin my first alchemical creation."
The Pontiff nodded, a smile ying on his lips. "What do you require?"
At this question, Miya answered with a fervent voice.
"A True Immortal''s Blood!"
Chapter 867 Changing the World
867 Changing the World
"A True Immortal''s Blood!"
As Miya said this, the Pontiff found it amusing. He didn''t expect Miya to be confident enough to deal with a True Immortal''s Blood.
He at least expected her to first try some lower-ss concoctions for a Chaos Alchemist.
"Mhmm¡ Acquiring it wouldn''t be easy. It will take some time but it''s possible." The Pontiff answered, which made Miya excited.
"Not a Half-Immortal¡ But a True Immortal''s Blood, okay?" Miya repeated, just in case the Pontiff misunderstood.
"Haha¡ You must be skeptical since I answered too quickly. Yes¡ It''s possible for me to obtain such a precious ingredient¡" The Pontiff replied.
"Are you thinking of asking the Shadow Immortal or those True Immortals working for him?" Miya asked curiously.
"Not really¡ We just know someone who collected the corpses of the Celestials or True Immortals. As a matter of fact, I believe that you know him." The Pontiff said with a smile, though Miya couldn''t see it.
"I know this person?" Miya was surprised as she tried to recall any outstanding figure she had met before.
Aside from the Shadow Immortal, the only ones she could think of were those Elders from her family and the Half-Immortals from the Dark Arts Faction.
However, she couldn''t really consider that she knew these Half-Immortals since she just basically had a glimpse of them and mostly just heard about their stories.
From the Pontiff''s words, it actually seemed as if she knew this person really well, so she couldn''t help but feel curious.
"Yes¡ You know him¡ As a matter of fact, he was supposedly dead already, but the Goddess of Concealment saved him in time and was now living in secrecy. Once you''re ready, you will be able to meet him as well." The Pontiff said.
"Now, aside from that blood, do you have any other requests?" The Pontiff continued.
Realizing that he doesn''t want to tell more about this person, Miya could only ept it.
"There will be plenty of them." She replied.
"Tell me¡ The acolyte will be listing all of them." The Pontiff said as he gestured to the acolyte at the door.
Miya took a deep breath, recalling the intricate details of the form she had learned. "Alright¡ aside from the True Immortal''s blood. I need several rare ingredients. a vial of Phoenix Ashes, a shard of Moonstone, a drop of Dragon''s Blood, and a sprig of Nightshade. Additionally, I will need a crucible enough to handle those precious materials, a set of high-tier alchemical tools, and a containment vessel made of double-enchanted eyess."
The Pontiff raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed by theplexity of her request. "These are not easy toe by, but I will see to it that they are gathered for you. It will take us a day to gather these, while the Immortal''s Blood will take two days. What do you intend to create?"
"A Philosopher''s Elixir¡" Miya replied, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "A single drop of this potion can enhance a regr human''s body to amodate Arcane Energy, granting them the power to practice Arcane Arts¡ It is a testament to the Chaos Alchemist''s mastery."
The Pontiff''s expression turned serious. "Such a creation is indeed powerful¡"
There were several thoughts in his head after realizing what kind of ambition she wanted to achieve. This kind of potion certainly deserved to be only known by the Chaos Alchemist!
Seeing that the Pontiff was truly shocked, Miya smiled and added.
"A single drop of the Immortal''s Blood can help me create a potion that can be used for a thousand people."
The Pontiff took a deep breath as he heard this. This would surely create a chaos! To be exact, the world would change once this type of potion was leaked outside the Church!
After calming down, the Pontiff wryly smiled and replied.
"That''s an incredible aspiration, Miya. Do you n to create an army of Arcanist?" He asked.
At this question, Miya realized that the Pontiff was worried about the right cause.
She then quickly exined herself.
"Ahh¡ It''s not about that Pontiff¡ I just wanted to change the world for the better. I just hope that ordinary people will no longer feel scared of the Evil Creatures and have the power to protect themselves from evil Arcanists. I also believe that if they learned any Arcane Path, the advancement of this world''s magic technology would be a lot faster."
She still had other things to say, but this was certainly the main reason she was doing this. She believed that this was for the benefit of mankind.
Realizing her intention, the Pontiff finally nodded. In any case, the Goddess of Concealment had ordered him to support Miya, so he could only obey and hope that this was really for the best. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"Use it wisely, Miya. I will have the ingredients brought to you in the alchemicalboratory soon."
"Thank you, Pontiff," Miya said, bowing deeply. "I will not disappoint."
As Miya left, the Pontiff immediately left to his Chamber to talk or pray to the Goddess. He wanted some reassurance that this was what She wanted to happen after Miya obtained the inheritance of the Chaos Alchemist.
***
A couple of dayster, Miya stood in the alchemicalboratory, surrounded by the rare ingredients she had requested.
The room was filled with the scent of herbs and the faint hum of magical energy.
"As expected of the Pontiff¡ He brought the highest quality of each ingredient." Miya smiled as she looked around.
After confirming that everything was prepared, she ordered one of the acolytes so as not to allow anyone to enter herboratory.
"Yes, High Priest Miya¡" The acolyte replied as she left theboratory and stood outside to guard it.
Miya then took a moment to steady herself and began her work.
The creation of the Philosopher''s Elixir wouldn''t be easy, and it may take several days, even with the inheritance of the Chaos Alchemist.
Nheless, she was prepared to go through this in order to change the world for the better!
Chapter 868: The Philosophers Elixir
?
''Although I''ve only inherited the techniques of the Chaos Alchemist... I''m confident that I can do this.'' Miya thought to herself, as she hadn''t really tried doing alchemy aside from her
meager skills during her time in the Dark Alchemy sses.
Nheless, Miya''s hands started moving.
First, Miya carefully measured out the Phoenix Ashes.
This was also her first time seeing the ashes, and she found it really mesmerizing as their
golden glow illuminated her hands. She then added them to the cauldron and watched as they shined and dissolved into a fine powder.
Next, she took the shard of Moonstone...
''So this is a Moonstone...'' Miyamented in her mind.
She found this item pretty, especially after the Pontiff decided to take the one with the highest quality.
Its surface glistened with a calm yellow light before she ground it into a fine dust with the assistance of her White Soul Fire.
She then mixed it with the Phoenix Ashes, creating a luminescent mixture. Of course, she didn''t use all the Moonstone and needed only a small part of it, simr to the others.
After this, Miya continued with the process as she added a single drop of Dragon''s Blood to the cauldron. The liquid hissed and bubbled, releasing a plume of crimson smoke.
She stirred the mixture with a silver rod while also using her Soul Fire to maintain the me. At this time, her mind was focused on the fluctuation of energy emanating from the cauldron as she had to ensure that the energy of the ingredients wouldn''t escape from the cauldron.
Finally, she added the sprig of Nightshade...
Hiss~
Its dark leaves curled as they touched the mixture. The potion began to glow with a vibrant, pulsating light, and Miya could feel the power within it growing.
She had to maintain this fire for about six hours and had to rest it for at least a day before she could continue. If she decided to take a shortcut, the Dragon''s Blood that she had added might destroy the mixture altogether, wasting all the other ingredients.
After all of this was done, she poured the calmed mixture into the enchanted ss vessel that already had a single drop of the Immortal''s Blood!
As soon as she did this, she suppressed the chaotic energy inside the vessel with her White Soul Fire!
Then she sealed it with a stopper inscribed with runes of containment. Holding the vessel in her hands, she chanted an incantation she had learned from the Chaos Alchemist, infusing the potion with the final touch of chaos energy.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
''It looks ugly... However, it should take another 24 hours before the energy will calm down.'' Miya thought as she looked at the ss bottle.
During this time, she didn''t leave the vessel alone as she realized that the chaotic force inside the ss could reach a dangerous level. However, with her White Soul Fire, she was able to calm it down...
After the set time had passed, the vessel glowed brightly, and Miya felt a surge of triumph. She had done it. The Philosopher''s Elixir wasplete!
As she held the vessel up to the light, Miya smiled and sat on the chair to rest.
Now that she had confirmed the method to create the Philosopher''s Elixir, she knew that she could create about 10 of them at the same time.
As she rested, she seemed to have fallen asleep for a while and woke up from the knocks on the door.
"Come in..." She said after sitting upright.
The door to theboratory opened, and the Pontiff entered, apanied by several high- ranking members of the Church.
They looked at Miya with respect as they knew what she had done over the past few days.
They could see the potion on her table and knew that it was the Philosoper''s Elixir that could literally change the bnce of this world.
"Miya," the Pontiff said, his voice filled with pride. "You have created a masterpiece. The Philosopher''s Elixir is a testament to your skill and the legacy you now carry."
Miya bowed, her heart swelling with pride. "Thank you, Pontiff. I will use this power to serve the Church and protect our people."
The Pontiff nodded. "I have no doubt that you will. Your journey as the Chaos Alchemist has only just begun, and I look forward to seeing the great things you will aplish."
Miya smiled, feeling a sense of fulfillment and purpose. She had inherited a legacy of immense power, and she was ready to use it to make a difference in the world.
The Pontiff then smiled and asked another question.
"How are you nning to distribute them? Do you have a price in mind? Although ordinary people only need a single drop of this potion to be capable of practicing Arcane Arts, a single bottle of that size can only provide a thousand drops. We also don''t have unlimited ingredients, so it had to be expensive for now."
Miya wryly smiled at this as she didn''t really think of how this potion should be priced. However, she wanted to ensure that this wouldn''t be too expensive to allow more people to get a chance to practice Arcane Arts.
"I''ll leave this matter to you, Pontiff."
"Very well... I''ll be setting the price for a single drop of this potion for 50,000 Zen." The Pontiff answered after a few moments.
"Fifty thousand zen per drop... That should be fine." Miya thought as she recalled that she had that much savings while she was still studying at the Academy.
It should be a good price to at least get one from each family to get a chance to be an
Arcanist.
As the group of priests left theboratory, the first Philosopher''s Elixir was already in the Pontiff''s hands.
Miya could only pick herself up and decided to start concocting the same elixir, and this time, she nned to do it by using ingredients that were enough for ten bottles!
***
In the meantime, a week had already passed since Vale, and Captain Ashley of the Arcane Bureau began their investigation in the Pallham Empire.
Their mission to locate and apprehend Entei, the Rank Zero Demon Saint, who had been causing unrest in the region, was already reaching its end.
Chapter 869: The Last Demon Saint
Chapter 869: The Last Demon Saint
?
Through meticulous research and careful observation of the members of the Arcane Bureau, they had finally uncovered Entei''s disguise: he was posing as a Grand Knight within one of the Empire''s prestigious Knight Orders.
Even Vale had no idea why the Demon Saint decided to live in silence here. The only reason they could think of was for the sake of creating his own force. Of course, the members of the Bureau, under Captain Ashley''smand, tried to find out more about the Grand Knight''s activity, but they found nothing suspicious.
"Mhmm... I''m not confident that I can use my mind spells effectively against this creature..." Vale''s Avatar muttered.
After all, he had a very limited Divinity, and his consciousness and soul weren''t as strong as the original body.
In terms of Spells, he certainly had an advantage with his wide range of selection. However, in terms of Divinity, Mind Energy, and Soul strength, Vale wasn''t too confident.
In short, he had to find a way to surprise the disguised Demon Saint, or it might escape, and he knew that it would be incredibly difficult to find him once again.
After all, the Divine Sense mark doesn''t work well with these creatures, unlike the Time Maniptors.
For now, they decided to ask for Lisa''s help in this matter to increase their chance of sess.
***
Entei, unaware that his true identity had been discovered, continued to y his role as a loyal and honorable grand knight of the Empire.
His position granted him ess to sensitive information and allowed him to influence key decisions within the Empire. However, his facade was about to be shattered.
Vale used his powers as a Shadow Immortal and watched Entei secretly.
He had no intention of rushing the capture. Instead, he meticulously nned every step to ensure that Entei would have no chance of escape.
As an Avatar, he knew that he needed to have patience and a strategic mind to maximize his full potential. He intended to use them to their fullest.
Captain Ashley, a seasoned investigator with a keen eye for detail, stood beside Vale as they looked at the King''s castle.
"He''s been meeting with high-ranking officials," Ashley whispered.
Vale nodded as he felt that it was almost time to make their move. "You mentioned that we need to gather more evidence. If we can prove his true identity to the Empire''s authorities, we can use them to bring Homer to a trap and ensure he has nowhere to run."
Homer was the name of the Grand Knight that Entei was currently disguised into.
"Yes... I think that all the evidence we need will bepleted in the next two days." Ashley said. Apparently, she had her subordinates gather information about the real Homer''s family since they knew that the real one had already died from the Demon Saint.
Over the next few days, Vale and Ashley continued their surveince, documenting Entei''s interactions and movements.
They discovered that Entei was nning to do something. He was waiting for a grand ceremony, or perhaps the birthday of the Emperor, where he intended to solidify his influence within the Empire.
"He''s nning to do mass corruption in order to make all of these high-ranking officials of the Empire be under hismand." Ashley muttered as she confirmed this because of the materials that the Grand Knight gathered. The materials that the Grand Knight needed weren''t easy to gather, so it took him a lot of time.
After all, Entei doesn''t want to make these people mindless demonic creatures who only act on instincts. If he wanted that, he could simply use his own Corrupted Divinity.
However, what he wanted instead was to make these people capable of practicing evil arts while maintaining their intelligence.
From their previous attempt to conquer this world or the one people called Abyss Invasion, he realized that just the higher number of Demonic Creatures on their side wasn''t enough. What they needed was a huge number of elites capable of eliminating hundreds or thousands of mobs alone.
He was able to experiment with a group of 3 or 5 people, but the process was too slow and time-consuming.
Because of this, he decided to do the conversion on a massive scale.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Soon, Ashley returned with Lisa after meeting the Emperor...
With the Arcane Bureau''s prestige and Shadow Immortal''s messenger in Lisa''s form, they received permission to act.
On the day of the ceremony, Vale, Ashley, Lisa, and other members of the Bureau, positioned themselves strategically around the venue.
On the other hand, the Emperor sent a double instead in his party to ensure his safety.
At this time, the grand hall was filled with knights, nobles, and dignitaries, all unaware of the danger lurking among them.
Entei, dressed in his Grand Knight''s armor, stood at the side, exuding an air of absolute confidence.
He was excited...
"Today... I''ll be controlling this whole Empire..." Entei smiled as he couldn''t help but smile at this grand n. After controlling this ce, he nned to increase the power of this Empire with Evil Arts and wage war on neighboring nations.
Thankfully, he knew that as long as there weren''t any Demonic Creatures, Demon Saints, or anyone at the same level involved, the war wouldn''t involve Half-Immortals or Immortals of
the nations.
Because of that, he had confidence that once his people learned Evil Arts and hid it properly as Dark Arts, they would easily seed!
As soon as the Emperor appeared in the ceremony hall, he knew that it was time to start his
ritual!
"Gahahaha!" Homer, the Grand Knight,ughed loudly in the Grand Hall as the Emperor was about to speak.
Everyone looked at him as they thought that he had gone insane! Although he was Grand Knight, he shouldn''t disrespect the Emperor!
Soon, everyone felt something of as suffocating Evil Energy gathered within the castle!
"You! What are you doing, Homer?!"
"Have you be insane?"
"You''re a Dark Magician?! What are you nning to do?!"
"No, he''s Demon!"
The other Grand Knights were shocked as they felt the malevolent energy gathering around
Homer!
He didn''t bother to answer them, but he smiled at the Emperor.
"This Empire is mine!" As he said this, the ritual to corrupt their minds should take effect, but
even after a while, nothing happened!
Chapter 870: Drained
Chapter 870: Drained
?
As Homer spoke, the ritual to corrupt everyone''s minds should have taken effect, but even after a while, nothing happened!
He wasn''t able to react immediately since a few of his corrupted Knights should''vepleted all the preparations they made and were protecting the key cores of the Formation. He had checked it himself and found the issues.
He couldn''t immediately think of a reason why it suddenly failed!
Nheless, he wasn''t too worried since he had a backup n already. He could simply use his Demonic Domain to trap everyone here and begin his tedious process of corruption to control this empire.
''Right... This is all for the Demon Lord and to receive the promised Scepter!'' The disguised Demon Saint said to himself. At this time, he could see the Knights and various Arcanists noticed a problem and had already formed a barrier to protect the Emperor... As for the Grand Knights, they were ready to fight!
''Foolish...'' He thought...
However, as he was about to start with his n B, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, the air around Homer grew cold, and a shadowy figure appeared behind him.
Vale, the Avatar of the Shadow Immortal, wearing an unusual blindfold, had arrived. With swift movement, Vale grabbed Homer, the disguised Grand Knight, and in an instant, they were transported to a different location.
As soon as they vanished, everyone in the hall was confused...
"What''s going on?!"
"A Demonic Creature... Then a blindfolded Arcanists appeared."
"Maybe it''s the Emperor''s hidden protector?"
"That''s true... Everything happened so quickly."
As they were all unable to guess what had happened, Captain Ashley of the Arcane Bureau finally showed herself to exin the situation...
"This is all to ensure that we capture all Corrupted Knights working for the Demon Saint. We discovered that they had been scattered everywhere, but because of the Demon Saint''s n, he gathered them all here, and we decided to take care of them with the Emperor''s permission." Ashley proudly said in front of everyone.
With this achievement, she was hoping that she would get promoted within the organization. Although she certainly liked being a captain of a small unit of Arcanists, obtaining a safe position in the office instead of always being in the field might suit her.
"I hope I can earn enough reward for this job." Ashley muttered to herself as she prayed that Vale would settle this matter quickly.
***
In the meantime, Vale and the Demon Saint arrived in a dimly lit chamber where Lisa, a True Vampire, had prepared a Formation Array.
The array glowed with an eerie light as its intricate blood patterns pulsed with Vampiric Energy.
Homer, or rather Entei, the Rank Zero Demon Saint, was immediately aware of the danger he was in. Without even being given a chance to resist or gather his energy, he felt his blood and energy being drained, and he saw a female vampire, Lisa, standing at the center of the array while her eyes were looking at him with hunger and satisfaction.
"What is this?!" Entei roared, struggling against the shadows that bound him.
But Vale''s control was absolute.
At this time, he already stood outside the array, his shadows wrapping tightly around the Demon Saint, ensuring he could not escape.
"Wee to your end, Entei," Vale said coldly. "You''ve caused enough problems. It''s time to pay for your crimes."
If he actually didn''t learn about this person''s ns, he knew that the Demon Saint would most likely seed. After all, he wasn''t like those other Demon Saints who only knew how to fight or flee from stronger opponents.
This Rank Zero Demon Saint, on the other hand, was smart enough to bid his time for his revenge. It was unfortunate for him that the Overseer of the Arcane Bureau was talented enough to sense the disturbance he had caused.
Anyway, Vale''s words weren''t just to catch the Demon Saint''s attention but it was also filled with a Spell that could weaken the Demon Saint''s mind even for a little.
Lisa then smiled after seeing that Vale''s trick worked little...
"Don''t resist... Your blood will grant me power, Demon Saint. Consider it a fitting end for one who sought to corrupt and destroy." She whispered to the strong Demon Saint, who didn''t get a chance to fight them with his full power!
Vale and Lisa knew very well that this Demon Saint was still strong. Fighting him fairly could bring disaster to them. It was better to deal with this issue with such a sneaky method!
Entei''s eyes widened in horror as he realized the full extent of his situation.
Formation Array was designed to drain his blood and demonic essence, rendering him powerless. He thrashed and struggled, but the more he fought, the tighter Vale''s shadows constricted around him.
Even if he gathered his energy, it just hastens the Formation Array''s draining power!
"You won''t get away with this!" Entei spat, his voice filled with desperation. Vale''s expression remained impassive. "You''re already defeated, Entei. ept your fate." As the array continued to drain Entei''s blood and essence, Lisa''s power grew.
She could feel the demonic energy coursing through her veins, enhancing her strength and abilities. The chamber resonated with the dark energy and the air crackled with power.
Thankfully, however, she was able to suppress the evil energy that had apanied the essence of the Demon Saint.
Entei''s struggles grew weaker, his strength fading with each passing moment. "No... this can''t be..." he muttered, his voice bing barely a whisper.
With a final surge of energy, the Formation Arraypleted its work. Entei''s body went limp, and the shadows binding him dissipated.
Lisa sat down with a cross leg as she concentrated. Her power was now magnified by the Demon Saint''s essence, and she had to control it.
''The essence was filled with Corrupted Divinity... I hope she can endure it.'' Vale thought to
himself.
This situationsted for several hours before Vale felt the change in the surroundings.
Vale approached her with a smile as he knew that Lisa was done.
"Congrattions, Lisa. You''re now a True Vampire Immortal..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Chapter 871 Blown
871 Blown
Vale was happier to see that Lisa had already be Immortal. To be honest, after learning about the existence of higher realms, he felt a lot of pressure since, aside from him and the True Immortals he had woken up and the Demon Saints he controlled, there weren''t really other people who could help him protect this realm.
If they really received a full frontal assault from the Abyss Realm, Time Maniptors, the Death God''s Underworld Realm, and some other Realms that might want to obtain his Divine Extraction, Vale knew that it would be impossible to protect this ce no matter how powerful he was.
Their option was to make the Will of the Realm be stronger and block off all other Realms from entering this ce. Aside from that, the Overseer also mentioned that they have to ascend to the Higher Realm and obtain protection¡
It was simr to what the Three Paragons had done to the Human Realm and obtained protection. However, after the Paragons disappeared, this protection had disappeared for a long time. However, it was enough for the Will of the Realm to get stronger.
On the other hand, the Eminence of the Sea, Goddess of Fortune, and Divine Sorcerer, weren''t really doing anything that much to protect this realm from foreign invasions since, ording to the Lord of the Secrets, these Ascended Immortals had many other worshippers in different Realms. They weren''t originally from this Human Realm although they imed to be in order to attract more worshippers.
In short, although this ce was still important to them, it wasn''t that vital to them whether they disappeared or not.
Nheless, because of this, Vale was also considering ascending if necessary in order to obtain true peace in this Realm. The only problem was that he knew it wouldn''t be easy to do it alone, so he was considering going there with others.
''I really don''t want to leave thisnd if possible¡ However, the Time Maniptors are already here¡ The Abyss Realm also knows about our location. It''s only a matter of time before they return. I just hope that they''ll take centuries to recover their strength.'' Vale said as he wryly smiled¡
Anyway, he knew that it would still take the Abyss Realm decades in order to recover their strength. However, Vale didn''t like the fact that there was still a looming threat that could cause them trouble in the future. He needed to resolve it.
In the meantime, as Lisa was able to stabilize her newfound strength, she looked at Vale, the Shadow Immortal, and smiled.
"Thank you¡ So¡ How about we spar?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She knew that she had gotten incredibly strong, but she couldn''t have a proper grasp of her strength unless she used them in battle.
Valeughed, sensing her eagerness.
After a few moments, they disappeared from the chamber and soon, reappeared on a vast frozenke in the northern region of the Empire.
The icy expanse stretched out before them. However, the cold air wasn''t doing anything on their bodies.
Confirming that there were no signs of human life around this ce, they knew that it was the perfect arena for their sparring match.
"Since I''m weaker, allow me to make my move first." Lisa chuckled as she summoned her Vampiric Aura¡
She then moved first¡ In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance between them. She struck with her fist, but not to hit Vale with her physical force. Instead, each of her punches would release a Vampiric Energy that aimed to corrupt her target.
Vale parried her attacks effortlessly. He used his control of shadows like a protective barrier¡ He wasn''t going in the aggressive yet, as he wanted to see more of the True Vampire Immortal''s power.
"Impressive," Vale remarked, his voice calm. "But you''ll need to do better than that."
Lisa grinned, her fangs glinting in the sunlight.
She then summoned her vampiric powers with a hint of Divinity!
She then moved swiftly andunched a series of rapid strikes. This time, she decided to resort to physical attacks! Although this wasn''t her real fighting style, she wanted to see how fast and strong she waspared to Vale! N?v(el)B\\jnn
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each blow was infused with her Divinity as the ice beneath them started cracking with the force of their sh.
Vale then countered with his own abilities, his shadowsshing out like tendrils of darkness.
They started wrapping around Lisa, attempting to bind her, but she broke free with a burst of energy!
Boom!
The twobatants moved with incredible speed. At this time, their forms were just barely visible as they fought across the frozenke.
"Haa!"
Lisa unleashed a wave of dark energy, the force sent shards of ice flying in all directions!
Vale responded with a shadowy barrier, absorbing the impact and dissipating the energy. He then retaliated with a series of shadow spears, each one aimed immobilize her.
The battle raged on, the frozenke bing a battlefield of ice and darkness¡
Lisa''s vampiric powers and strength were matched by Vale''s mastery of the shadows.
''Eh? She''s actually draining my powers?'' Vale was shocked as he realized how scary a Vampire Immortal was! She didn''t have to suck his blood or have physical contact as she simply had to get near and her opponent must release her energy and she could already absorb it!
As the fight continued, Lisa felt her confidence growing.
She had never felt so powerful, so alive. She pushed herself harder, her attacks bing more aggressive, and faster.
Vale had no other choice but to use some of his Celestial Arts and met her with equal intensity¡
Finally, with a burst of energy, Lisa managed to break through Vale''s defenses. Shended a powerful blow, sending him skidding across the ice. She stood tall, her chest heaving with exertion, a triumphant smile on her lips.
Vale rose to his feet, a look of admiration in his eyes. "Well done, Lisa. You''ve truly embraced your new power." He was happy with this result.
Lisa nodded, her smile widening. "Thank you, Vale. However, since you''re just an Avatar with limited Divinity, you can''t really use your full force. Once your real body is back, let''s spar again."
Chapter 872 Saved
872 Saved
In the meantime, as Vale''s Avatar and Lisa were sparring, Denise had finallypleted her preparations. She was ready to start the critical task of saving Vale''s main body with the help of hertest creation: the Apex Guardian, powered by a powerful Soul given by Vale''s Avatar.
Denise had spent countless hours perfecting her n, and she had confirmed with the two Dragons, Red Dragon Ryzoir and Purple Dragon Orden, that her strategy could indeed save Vale''s main body. The Soul they had obtained was from one of the Seven Deadly Sins, a formidable force that would be crucial in their attempt.
With everything in ce, Denise entered the Dragon''s Chamber. The ce was tense as she approached Vale''s frozen body.
The sight of him encased in ice sent various emotions in her¡.
Around him, a trace of Deathly Aura lingered, a remnant of the Death God who was attempting to steal Vale''s body at this very moment.
This was why the two Dragons had to keep Vale''s body frozen¡ªto prevent the Death God''s Spirit from fully taking over.
The Death God''s Spirit was immensely powerful, having existed for countless eons. No matter how great Vale was, his Spirit couldn''tpare to the ancient and malevolent force of the Death God. He had simply lived for too shortpared to the Death God.
Denise took a deep breath as she felt a little nervous about what they were about to do¡
After briefing the Dragons and even Magnus on what they were nning to do, they finally started.
She activated the Apex Guardian Android, its eyes glowing with a fierce light as it came to life.
The Android was designed to withstand immense spiritual pressure and had been imbued with the Soul of one of the Seven Deadly Sins, making it a formidable ally in their task.
"Sir Ryzoir, Sir Orden, are you ready?" Denise asked, her voice steady.
The two Dragons nodded, their eyes fixed on Vale''s frozen form. "We are ready," Ryzoir rumbled, his voice deep and resonant.
"We will support you with our power."
Denise approached Vale''s body, and touched the ice that trapped him.
She then began to chant an incantation that the dragons had taught her.
The Apex Guardian then stepped forward, and its presence started radiating with a powerful Soul Force.
As Denise''s incantation reached its peak, the ice around Vale began to crack and shatter.
The Dragons tensed up as they knew that there was no going back after this. They had to save Vale this time!
The Deathly Aura intensified, and the Death God''s Spirit surged, attempting to seize control!
Immediately, the Aura of the two Dragons tried to protect Vale''s body! They may not be capable of controlling the Death God''s Spirit but they were still capable of shielding Vale''s body, even if it was temporary!
After doing all of this, Denise immediately took action!
With a final, powerful chant, she directed the Android to engage the Death God''s Spirit.
The Android''s core glowed brightly, and it extended its hands towards Vale. Tendrils of energy shot out, wrapping around the Death God''s Spirit and pulling it away from Vale.
The process seemed so simple, but this was certainly not possible for other creatures without being killed! After all, the Death God''s aura could easily decay living things!
However, it was different for the machine!
The Death God''s Spirit resisted, its malevolent force pushing back with all its might.
But the Apex Guardian, powered by the Soul of one of the Seven Deadly Sins, held firm.
"Now, Ryzoir! Orden!" Denisemanded.
The two Dragons unleashed theirbined power, their mes merging into a torrent of energy that enveloped the Death God''s Spirit.
It was only enough to contain the Death God''s Spirit for a few moments! However, it was more than enough to save Vale!
The Spirit howled in fury, but it was no match for thebined might of the Dragons and the Android.
Slowly, the Death God''s Spirit was drawn into the Android''s core! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
After a few moments, Denise and the two Dragon''s looked at the Apex Guardian worriedly. After all, although Denise used some godly materials to create the Android, there was still a small chance that they could fail!
Thankfully, its malevolent energy was still contained and neutralized!
The chamber fell silent as thest remnants of the Deathly Aura dissipated.
"W-we did it!"
Denise copsed to her knees, exhausted but triumphant.
Even the two Dragons couldn''t believe that they''d really survived the deadly corruption of the Death God''s Spirit!
"Ahh¡" Ryzoir then looked around and realized that although they were not affected, the surroundings of the Dragon Chamber were actually almost destroyed already!
The only reason that the chamber didn''t copse was most likely the mysterious Arcane Circle that Vale had previously drawn on the floor.
"This is a kind of miracle¡" Orden muttered as he looked at the Android that Denise had made. At this point, there really was nothing they could teach Denise in terms of golem-making.
The Apex Guardian was definitely a being that could already contend against True Immortals!
She looked up at Vale''s body, now free from the Death God''s influence. Vale was still unconscious but he was alive.
"We did it," she whispered, a smile of relief spreading across her face. She then turned her attention to the Guardian.
The Apex Guardian stood still¡
After a quick inspection, its core was glowing with the captured Spirit. It seemed that it was slowly integrating with the power of the Death God!
''Will it be an android that can use Death Energy?'' Denise mused as she knew that this Android she had made waspletely different from the others she had created.
Ryzoir and Orden, already in their human forms, approached Denise, their expressions filled with respect and gratitude.
"You have saved him," Orden said softly. "You did really well."
Denise nodded, her eyes filled with happiness.
"Yes¡ For now, we must ensure that Vale recovers fully¡"
Chapter 873 Secret Mission
873 Secret Mission
In the meantime, as Vale was woken up by Denise in the Dragon Chamber, far to the west of the continent, the Church of the Divine Sorcerer was preparing for a grand ceremony.
The majestic cathedral, with its towering spikes and intricate stained ss windows, was filled with people, both Arcanists and those who were not.
Currently, the faithful members of the Church have gathered from all corners of thend to witness the Blessing of the 50 new High Sorcerers of the Church.
The current Pontiff, a venerable figure draped in brilliant robes adorned with Oardic symbols, stood at the altar.
His features could not be seen, but his eyes were glowing with magic. It was a mysterious appearance, and for most of them, this was their first time seeing the Pontiff in person. All of them were feeling blessed even just by the sight of him.
Cling~
A chime of a bell was heard as everyone was filled with anticipation.
The ceremony was an important asion, marking the ascension of these fifty sorcerers to a higher echelon of power and responsibility.
Among the new High Sorcerers was ud, the son of the famous Illustrious Liquidator of the Mystic Arts Faction, Clyde.
Clyde was a legendary figure with the Mystic Arts Faction ud''s heart pounded with a mix of excitement and pride. He had trained rigorously for this day, and now he stood on the cusp of greatness.
"Father¡ This is for you." ud muttered to himself as Clyde had disappeared during the Abyss Invasion after fighting against three Demon Saints.
At that time, they only found Clyde''s favorite red frock coat and pieces of tattered red pants in the battle scene. Clyde had probably been eaten by a Demon Saint or waspletely eradicated to the point that almost nothing was left.
Nheless, the ceremony continued. The grand hall was illuminated by the soft glow of enchanted candles, as everyone waited for the event to start.
Not long after, the congregation watched in silence as the Pontiff raised his hands, signaling the beginning of the ritual.
"Today, we gather to bestow the divine blessing upon these worthy sorcerers," the Pontiff dered with his voice resonating through the hall.
"They have proven their dedication, their strength, and theirmitment to the path of the Divine Sorcerer."
The 50 new High Sorcerers, d in ceremonial robes, stepped forward in unison. They formed a semicircle around the altar. Most of them disyed excitement in their expression, while the others showed solemnity and anticipation.
ud stood among them, his gaze fixed on the mysterious Pontiff.
The Pontiff began to chant an ancient incantation, but it was surely not anguage they were aware of.
The air around him shimmered with ethereal light, and the ground beneath the sorcerers'' feet seemed to hum with energy. As the incantation reached its end, the Pontiff extended his hands, and beams of radiant light shot forth, enveloping each of the new High Sorcerers.
ud felt the light wash over him, filling him with a warmth that resonated deep within his soul.
''Mhmm¡ So this is Divine Sorcerer''s Light Blessing.''
The light was not just a physical sensation; it felt like a divine power was being shared to them by the Pontiff.
It was surely a blessing that would elevate their abilities but at the same time, bind them to the sacred duty of a High Sorcerer.
"By the grace of the Divine Sorcerer, you are now blessed," the Pontiff dered. "May your magic be a beacon of hope and a shield against darkness. Serve with honor, wisdom, andpassion."
As the light faded, the new High Sorcerers felt a surge of power coursing through their veins.
They had been transformed, their Arcane Powers enhanced and their connection to the deity was strengthened.
ud could feel the difference immediately; his senses were sharper, his mind clearer, and his magic more powerful than ever before.
The Pontiff approached each sorcerer, cing a hand on their shoulders and offering words of encouragement.
When he reached ud, he paused, his eyes meeting ud''s with a knowing gaze.
"ud, son of Clyde, you carry the legacy of the past Archbishop," the Pontiff said softly. "Your path will be challenging, but I have faith that you will rise to the asion. May your journey be guided by the light of the Divine Sorcerer."
ud bowed deeply, his heart swelling with pride as the Pontiff actually remembered that his father had also served the Church before.
"Thank you, Pontiff. I will honor this Blessing and serve the Church with all my strength."
The ceremony concluded with a final blessing, and the congregation erupted in apuse.
The new High Sorcerers were now officially recognized, their status elevated, but their responsibilities had also increased.
As the crowd dispersed, the 50 new High Sorcerers and a few other officials of the Church remained.
As for the Pontiff, he had already returned to his chamber, leaving the Archbishop to handle the rest.
Archbishop Hans surveyed the group; his gaze was sharp, and he was inspecting each of them.
"Good... All of you had gotten stronger¡ Some of you even gained twenty to thirty Spirit Strands¡ As for the Power Strands, it''s fine even if the increase didn''t reach ten. You can check your strandster with the prepared Spirit Converging Crystals¡" The Archbishop said before he paused for a moment.
Seeing that everyone was listening, he continued.
"High Sorcerers¡ You have been blessed and elevated to your new positions. With this honores great responsibility. Your first mission is of utmost importance and must be carried out with the utmost secrecy."
The sorcerers listened intently. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
ud stood among them, waiting for the instruction. Everyone was expecting to receive a mission, so they were all filled with anticipation.
"The Church of the Fortune Goddess has been protecting Psychic Arts Practitioners or Mind Controllers," Archbishop Hans continued. "These individuals pose a significant threat to our order and the stability of thend. Your mission is to eliminate them. This task must be executed discreetly and efficiently. The Church of the Divine Sorcerer cannot be implicated in these actions."
Chapter 874 Vales Day
874 Vale''s Day
Everyone was surprised after hearing this revtion. After all, on the surface, the Church of the Fortune Goddess and the Divine Sorcerer don''t seem to have any problems with each other.
The Holy Priests should be aware that the Sorcerers like them disdained these Mind Controllers who liked to enve people without their consent.
Although Sorcerers like them also purchase people from time to time, they were taken by them for the greater good. The people they were taking were willing to be sold or get experimented on by their Sorcery and Alchemy.
They wouldn''t buy people who don''t want to be bought. In short, they were still retaining their human decency despite their noble status.
They would even follow thews of the nobles in the territories where they were purchasing humans, as they would always pay their taxes and such.
Of course, this could only happen in several nations, not including the Ruri Kingdom, Millton Kingdom, and other smaller kingdoms.
After the order was given, everyone soon dispersed so they could begin their preparation to eliminate the Mind Controllers.
In any case, this mission doesn''t have a strict deadline, and as long as they could return with a decent report about what they''ve done against the practitioners, that would be fine as well.
"Mind Controllers¡ I''ll be hunting you soon¡" ud muttered as he was the most excited High Sorcerer to hunt these practitioners of Psychic Arts. After all, once he killed most of them, he would be able to obtain a better status and be granted a chance to receive the third Blessing of the Divine Sorceror.
Once that happened, his path to obtain Divinity would be one step closer.
***
Three days had swiftly passed since Vale''s escape from the crystal and the Death God''s Spirit.
His recovery had been gradual as his consciousness emerged from a deep slumber.
At the time of his release from the ice, Vale had entered a state of tranquility¡ªa protective measure to shield him from external harm.
On the third day, rity returned to Vale''s mind.
Magnus, the castle''s butler, had briefed him on the situation.
However, the reconnection with his other Avatar''s mind filled in the gaps, revealing the events that had unfolded during his long slumber.
"So many things have happened over the past few years, huh¡" Vale muttered to himself, contemting the changes he had missed.
As he sat in his chamber, still adjusting to the pieces of information he had, Denise arrived.
She pushed carts filled with different corpses¡ªArcanists, Demon Saints, Half-Immortals, and others.
"Ah? What''s going on?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Vale''s shock was evident as he surveyed the ghastly scene before him.
"Hehehe¡ Don''t be too happy. This is just us taking care of you." Denise said, making Vale a bit confused. However, Denise just continued without waiting for his reply.
"We all know that you have a peculiar hobby¡ªmale or female, it matters not. These corpses are for you. We''ve collected them over the past few years."
The corpses were certainly a bizarre gift, yet he understood their purpose.
They were resources or raw materials for his Divine Extraction System¡ He couldn''t help butugh as this shows that they were indeed looking forward to the time when he woke up.
"Thank you, Denise¡ Please send my regards to the others who have collected them. I''m sure taking these corpses wasn''t easy. Don''t worry, I''ll also give a gift to everyer."
Denise smiled after hearing this.
"What''s that gift? Can I have a clue?" She asked¡
"I''m still thinking about it. However, what does having an extra Spell Light sound like?" Vale asked after some thought.
"Ahh? Extra Spell Light?" Denise''s eyes widened since her Spell Lights was only fourteen! Fourteen Spells were certainly difficult for her to indulge more in Alchemy¡ If she had some extra Spell lights, then that would be incredible!
"Yes¡ You can have eight Spell Light or one Evolved Spell Light that could record a Celestial Art." Vale replied.
Denise''s eyes widened after hearing this.
"T-that''s possible? Evolved Spell Light? Can I really have that as well?" She asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.
However, she suddenly recalled that she doesn''t really have a Celestial Art in mind that she wanted to learn. Although she knew some of them from Magnus, Faith, and Pearl''s knowledge, she felt that it wasn''t suited for her.
"No¡ I think I''d rather have Eight Spell Lights instead." She added after some consideration.
"Haha¡ Alright¡ Let''s arrange thatter." Vale said.
"Great! I''ll look forward for that¡ Go ahead and indulge in your hobby. I''ll be leaving now." Denise said that although she knew very well what Vale was doing with those corpses,
However, she still liked teasing him about this matter.
With that, she departed, leaving Vale alone with the carts of lifeless bodies.
And so, Vale sat among the corpses to start his Extraction.
***
Another three days had quickly passed, and Vale felt the presence of a powerful being closing into his castle.
''She really became an Immortal¡'' Vale smiled as he thought of this.
Thud¡
The grand doors of Vale''s castle swung open, and Lisa stepped inside. Her vampiric aura carried her swiftly through the corridors¡
The news of Vale''s liberation from the ice had reached her, and she had swiftly returned after handling all the troubling matters during her absence in her castle.
Soon, she found Vale in his chamber.
His eyes met hers, and a mixture of relief and curiosity flickered in his gaze.
Lisa approached, her steps soundless on the marble floor.
"Vale, you really made us worried." she said softly, "Ahh¡ Before that, I''ve brought something that might help you someday."
From the folds of her cloak, she produced a small velvet pouch. Within ity the Edo Stones¡ªancient artifacts of the Time Maniptors.
She then exined how these stones held the power to reach into the past, to extract a copy of one''s former self, and to use that essence for healing.
Chapter 875 The Hunt
875 The Hunt
"Take them," Lisa urged, cing the pouch in Vale''s hands. "After bing a True Vampire Immortal, I can already resurrect with a single drop of my blood. My resurrection would also be a lot fasterpared to before."
Vale''s fingers closed around the pouch, and he studied the stones within.
"That''s good to hear, Lisa¡ It''s my first time seeing these Edo Stones¡ I can see powerful energying from it."
Vale said as he even felt the urge to extract it. However, if he does that, the power to "heal" him will disappear. He didn''t want that to happen.
"They''re interesting, right? I''m sure you''ll find a better use for that item."
"Thank you, Lisa," Vale murmured. "Your loyalty and friendship mean more than I can express."
Lisa inclined her head, her crimson eyes gazing at Vale''s stature. He had barely changed over the past few years, but he certainly had a majestic aura around him.
Vale then kept the pouch of Edo Stones and was about to invite Lisa to have a meal with him. After all, Lisa seemed to have traveled non-stop just to arrive as quickly as possible. However, Lisa recalled something and immediately asked¡
"Right¡ The other time maniptors are still here. Your avatar ced a Divine Sense Mark on them, and you should be able to sense their presence. Do you want to hunt them down?"
"Oh? That''s interesting¡ Let me check their locations¡" Vale muttered for a moment before nodding.
"You sensed them?" Lisa asked after seeing his expression.
"Roughly¡ Yes." Vale replied.
Lisa then continued to tell what had happened to her a while ago.
Lisa''s revtion about Ivan, her Lesser Vampire who had once been a Time Maniptor, intrigued Vale. Thanks to that, Lisa was able to learn a lot from the Time Maniptors!
Ivan had basically revealed all the secrets of the Time Maniptors.
The intricacies of their abilities fascinated him¡ªthe delicate bnce between their past and present selves whenever they used spells simr to what the Edo Stone could do.
As Vale listened to Lisa, he pondered the implications of turning them into a different race.
"That Ivan is quite interesting. I''m sure he doesn''t hold a low-ranking position in their realm." Vale mused, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Right, Would they lose their Time Maniptor talent if you turn them into Lesser Vampires?"
Lisa nodded solemnly. "Unfortunately, yes. The transformation into Lesser Vampires severs their connection to their original abilities."
Vale considered this. "If that''s the case, I''ll just try to extract all of their skills. It would be a shame to lose such powerful talents."
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "You have hypnotism or something simr, right? You don''t want to control them instead?"
She felt that it would be a waste if the other four also lost their Time Maniption techniques.
Of course, she wasn''t surprised that Vale could extract other people since she had already seen Vale do this a few times.
Vale shook his head. "I already have too much control over others. My Mind Energy is stretched thin. Increasing the number of people under my influence would be too much."
Lisa gently nodded and epted his decision. "Alright¡ It''s up to you."
***
Days passed, and Vale made his choice. N?v(el)B\\jnn
He was fully recovered and he had decided to hunt down the Time Maniptors.
ording to the Divine Sense Mark, these people were separated and scattered across the continent. With his estimation, the Divine Sense Mark ced by Vale''s Avatar, would onlyst for another week, so he had to act fast.
As Vale decided to set out on his mission, he considered which of them he would visit first.
ording to Lisa, the remaining Time Maniptors were Wasa, Liora, Cyper, and Elysia. Wasa should be the strongest among them, while Elysia was the weakest now that Ivan was a Lesser Vampire¡
After some consideration, Vale smiled as he decided to visit Wasa first.
''If I can deal with Wasa, then the rest should be easy¡'' Vale muttered to himself.
Soon, the world shifted around him, and he reappeared in Oakriver City¡ªa bustling metropolis teeming with Mystic Arts Practitioners or Shamans.
The city''s aura pulsed with arcane energy since this ce was supposedly under the jurisdiction of the Mystic Arts Faction.
''This ce is thriving¡'' Vale muttered to himself as he stepped onto the cobblestone streets.
The Oakriver City was truly a ce where mysticism andmerce intertwined.
Practitioners in flowing robes moved through the crowds, and there weren''t just a few of them. There were plenty of Arcanists here, and their presence was quitemon.
As Vale walked, he observed the diversity of the Mystic Arts.
A fortune teller sat at a stall while cards simr to Tarot Cards spread before her.
Several customers leaned in, eager to hear their fate for a small price of 30 zen.
Further down the street, an Alchemist''s Store disyed vials potions for Arcanists. There was also a crowd gathered and most of them seemed to be students of an Arcane Academy nearby.
Soon, Vale''s attention was drawn to a Shaman¡ªa man with weathered features and a weathered cloak.
His stall was filled with paper talismans, and although there weren''t many customers. These people seemed to be First ss Arcanists, who were genuinely looking for top-quality Talismans.
''Interesting¡ Lisa didn''t mention that Wasa knows how to make Talismans.'' Vale mused as he observed theWasa, who had disguised himself really well.
If not for the Divine Sense Mark, he wouldn''t think that he was a Time Maniptor at all.
After observing the man for a few minutes, Vale finally decided to approach the man.
"Good day," Vale said, his voice low. "What kind of talismans do you sell?"
The Shaman''s eyes crinkled at the corners."Ah, seeker of fate and fortune! You''vee to the right ce."
He spread his arms, revealing three intricatelydrawn paper talismans.
"These are my bestsellers at the moment. Protection Talismans, Wealth and Prosperity Talismans, and Love and Rtionship Talismans!"
Shane was a bit surprised as he expected Talismans that could be used inbat¡ Even the Protection Talisman could only ward off negative energies or bad luck!
It felt like a scam!
Chapter 876 Last Attempt
876 Last Attempt
Although the Talismans felt like just some sort of Charm that many Apprentice Shamans would normally sell, Vale couldn''t help but reconsider these Talismans since they were still made by a powerful Time Maniptor.
"Can you tell me more about these talismans?" Vale asked and his skepticism was also evident.
The Shaman seemed to sense Vale''s doubt, and he wasn''t surprised. There were already many Arcanists who had found his talisman very intriguing, as if he was simply trying to scam ordinary people who didn''t know much about the Arcane Arts.
"Of course," he said confidently. "The Protection Talisman wards off negative energies and bad luck. The Wealth and Prosperity Talisman attracts financial sess and abundance... And the Love and Rtionship Talisman strengthens bonds and attracts positive rtionships. They may not seem like much, but they are powerful in their own right. They work best when kept close, even while you sleep."
The Shaman said as he decided not to share too much information about the Arcane Arts that he had used.
''I''ll have to test it then¡'' Vale thought as he decided to buy them.
"I''ll take one of each," he said, handing over the payment. All three of them were only worth 80 zen.
It was cheap for him but certainly a bit too pricey for a casual purchase.
''Why is he charging for a very cheap price if he''s sure that it''s effective? Is there something I''m missing?'' He mused.
The Shaman then smiled and handed him the talismans. "You won''t be disappointed."
Vale took the talismans and walked away, finding a quiet spot to study them. He wasn''t worried that Wasa, disguised as a Shaman, would actually escape from his senses.
He then activated his Divine Sense, probing the talismans for any hidden secrets. Holding the items while inspecting it would give him more urate information about the item than just by looking at it.
''My Divine Extraction System didn''t work, huh¡'' Shane mused as his system wasn''t triggered after touching it. He wasn''t too surprised about it since there were many other items that he couldn''t extract as their energy was just too negligible in most cases.
Nheless, after investigating it for a while, he felt a strange energy within each one, but he couldn''t understand more than that.
The energy was subtle, elusive, and unlike anything he had encountered before.
''This is definitely not simr to the Temporal Energy I''ve seen before.'' Shane mused.
In the end, Shane decided to capture this person first¡
However, this would not be easy. After all, Lisa learned from Ivan that the Time Maniptors were connected with a mysterious mindwork.
If one of them were attacked, he was sure that the others would learn about it and would probably use a technique that would stop him from sensing them, even with the Divine Sense Mark. ording to Ivan, they should have the ability to enter a different Time Dimension and escape from any harm¡
During their escape to another dimension, even if the earth itself was destroyed, they wouldn''t even be affected until they were outside this dimension.
In short, once he killed Wasa, he had to immediately deal with the remaining people before they could escape¡ His other option was to actually immobilize Wasa and make him unable to send a message while still alive to prevent the others from noticing something wrong.
To do this, he had to put him asleep or unconscious.
In that way, he would be sure that the rest of the Time Maniptors wouldn''t immediately panic and start escaping. After all, they would also realize that they were being tracked with some sort of Arcane Arts once they noticed that one of them just died.
"Alright¡ Let''s try putting him asleep." Vale muttered.
As he stored the Talismans in his Space Ring, he opened his ck Grimoire, the ancient tome he had obtained in the King''s Castle of Ruri Kingdom.
After flipping through the pages, he soon found the summon he was looking for. After all, this ck Grimoire doesn''t just have the Ghoul King, Doom Knights, and other powerful Undead Creatures.
''Here it is¡'' Vale''s eyes lit up after a few moments.
He found the summon he needed and began to chant ording to the instructions of the ck Grimoire¡ Doing this would consume some of his life force, but because of his trait, he would instead consume his Shadow Divinity.
Soon, a spectral figure began to materialize.
This wasSomnus, the Spirit of Eternal Slumber, a creature bound within the pages of the Grimoire. Somnus was a wraith-like entity, with eyes that glowed a haunting blue.
"Somnus," Valemanded, "I need you to put a man to sleep. Ensure he cannot resist or awaken until I say so."
The spirit nodded, its form rippling like mist. "As you wish, Master," it whispered, its aged voice making it seem like he was a very old gentleman.
Soon, Vale pointed his target, and Somnus made his move.
Vale watched as Somnus drifted away and its presence barely perceptible. Vale followed it at a distance, ensuring he remained unseen.
As the spirit moved through the crowded streets, its ethereal form passed unnoticed among the people. Not even some Shamans could sense its presence.
As Somnus approached Wasa''s stall, it began to make its move¡
The air around the disguised Shaman grew heavy, and a sense of drowsiness began to settle over him.
Wasa, however, was no ordinary man. He felt the intrusion, the subtle tug of magic trying to pull him into slumber.
Realizing he was under attack, Wasa''s eyes widened in rm.
He fought against the enchantment, but he knew that it was toote!
With a final burst of willpower, he managed to send a telepathic message to hispanions:"I might be captured. Be careful!" N?v(el)B\\jnn
As soon as he was able to send this message, the spell took hold, and Wasa''s eyes fluttered shut.
He slumped over his stall.
Thud...
His breathing was deep as he sumbed to the sleep induced by Somnus.
Seeing the result of Somnus'' work, Vale approached... His eyes scanned the surroundings to ensure no one had noticed.
He then reached out and touched Wasa''s shoulder, confirming that the Time Maniptor was indeed unconscious.
"One down, three more to go."
Chapter 877: Under Protection
Chapter 877: Under Protection
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"Well done, Somnus," Vale said in a whisper. "You can return now..."
"Yes... Master..."
The spirit replied before he bowed and dissolved into mist, flowing back into the pages of the ck Grimoire.
Vale closed the book and tucked it away...
At this time, his mind was already racing with the next steps. He had captured Wasa, but he felt that Wasa was still able to release a fluctuation of energy that he believed to be the telepathic warning, which meant that the other Time Maniptors would be on high alert. He had actually cast his Shadow Domain as well to ensure that the people didn''t know what was going on and also to stop the Time Maniptor''s attempt to ask for reinforcement. However, his Shadow Domain doesn''t seem to be capable of ck time-rted Spells just yet.
Anyway, Vale knew he had to act quickly.
''Should I just kill him then?'' Vale considered since he knew that Wasa was able to warn the other Time Maniptors...
However, as he tried to feel his Divine Sense Mark, he realized that the three others were still active!
To be exact, they didn''t escape to a different realm!
After considering for a while, he decided just to carry the man and bring him back to the castle with his ability to control Space.
With Wasa in his grasp, he could extract more information about the Talismans that made him curious...
As he lifted Wasa''s limp form, Vale opened a portal using arrived at Denise''s ce... As soon as he appeared, Denise was a bit shocked, but seeing it was Vale, she immediately calmed down and ordered her Apex Guardian to stop what it was doing.
"Ahem... I ordered the android to protect me..." She said with a helpless smile on her face.
Vale awkwardlyughed since it was his fault. "Sorry about that, I''m a bit in a hurry. Please take care of this person for now. You have the Death God''s Android with you anyway so you can suppress him even if he wakes up."
"Ugh... I''m not sure about that..." Denise replied.
"I just informed Lisa that this person is here... She''ll help just in case. But don''t worry, I already ced a few restrictions on his body. I just need to know more about his Talisman Skills." Vale said as he handed over the three Talismans to Denise in case she wanted to study it.
"Mhmm... This is quite interesting. However, Faith is looking for you. Did you meet her already? I''m sure you still have ns to rebuild the Academy, right?" Denise said as she took the Talisman.
Vale recalled his promise and nodded.
"Thanks for reminding me... Don''t worry, Once the problem with the other Churches and the Time Maniptors is settled, I''ll deal with Academy matters... I also wish to resolve this matter."
"Well... You have to do it faster... I think that someone''s trying to manipte the continent once again." Denise said.
Vale was surprised after hearing this as he felt suddenly confused.
"You may not have heard it, but in the past few days, there''s been a rumor that there''s a potion or pill or something that can help ordinary people be Arcanists. Based on the rumor, it would only take ten years before making everyone in the world an Arcanist." Denise said casually while flipping through the Talisman.
This news was actually a bit shocking and Shane couldn''t help but feel curious about where this rumor came from.
"I''ll look into it..." Vale replied and thanked Denise before leaving herboratory.
He still had to deal with other Time Maniptors-Liora, Cyper, and Elysia.
***
With the help of Somnus, the Spirit of Eternal Slumber, he devised a n to capture each one. Liora had infiltrated one of the Arcane Bureau''s branches, posing as a diligent researcher. Vale observed her from a distance, noting her meticulous nature, and indeed, it seemed that although she got the warning from Wasa, she still felt somehow safe in her disguise... ''Weird... Is she relying on something?'' Vale couldn''t help but feel a bit confused with her confidence. However, he also knew to himself that the Divine Sense Mark was real. It wasn''t cloned or used to bait him.
In any case, he waited until she was alone in the archives, surrounded by various documents... Summoning Somnus, Vale directed the spirit to target Liora.
Soon, Liora felt an overwhelming drowsiness. She tried to resist, but Somnus'' power was too strong. It seemed that she wasn''t as strong as Wasa...
Soon, her eyelids drooped, and she slumped over her desk, fast asleep.
Vale moved swiftly, securing her and ensuring she couldn''t escape.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
At this point, he finally realized what was going on...
"She''s actually protected by another Immortal." Vale muttered in interest as he felt a weak Divinity on Liora''s body.
It wasn''t in Wasa''s body, so he felt a bit confused. Nheless, if the other members were protected by this Divinity, then this Immortal must''ve realized that their Divinity had beenpromised in Liora''s body...
Nheless, Vale wasn''t too worried as he decided to continue his hunt after sending Liora''s body to Denise''s Laboratory.
Next, Vale set his sights on Cyper, who had infiltrated the Order of the Lore Hunters of the Elemental Arts Faction. Cyper seemed to be in a hurry and left the Hall of the Lore Hunters...
Vale then watched as Cyper asked for protection from a few powerful Lore Hunters. To be exact, they were at the Expert Level Arcanist!
''Ohhh... Did he trade something to the Lore Hunters? Why is he being protected by these people?'' Vale was curious.
However, he would know all about thister, so when the opportunity arose, Vale summoned Somnus once more. The spirit approached Cyper, and just like before, its presence was barely
perceptible.
Cyper felt the familiar pull of sleep, but this time, he was able to himself thanks to the two Expert Arcanists!
"Sir Immortal, who had been offended by our guest. Please calm your anger..." One of them
said to the air as they couldn''t find Vale''s figure.
"We are under the protection of Lord Aersus..."
Chapter 878: Main Body
Chapter 878: Main Body
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"Aersus?" Vale repeated as he recalled the Aersus and Archfey Mennena had previously worked together to take the Golden Key connected to the Celestial Prison.
However, Aersus ultimately left after having a bout against Orden. As for Mennena, she had also disappeared after offering his Avatar to unlock a hidden aspect of his physique in exchange for the Golden Key.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
After that, they no longer heard anything about Aersus and Mennena.
However, even though Aersus was a powerful Dragon, if Orden could make him run away, Vale was confident that he''d also win.
"Mhmm... I heard that Aersus is an Evil Dragon... You two wille with me." Vale said in the end.
The two were shocked when they realized that the Immortal indeed knew about Aersus, but he was still unafraid!
''You!''
They wanted toin about his behavior, but it didn''t take long before the Spirit of Eternal Slumber targeted them... Soon, their focus wavered, and then the three of them copsed, unconscious.
Vale quickly captured Cyper together with the two Expert Arcanists, who seemed to be rted to the Dragon. He finished binding the three with shadows to prevent any escape before sending them to Denise''sboratory, guarded by her scary Android.
To be honest, he could really feel the power of deathing from that Android. He didn''t expect that Denise''s ability to create such aplicated golem would be so advanced in just a few years. I hasn''t even been a decade since she started learning how to make golems!
''I just hope that it would stay obedient.'' Vale mused as he finally turned his attention to Elysia, who had be a private tutor for a prestigious family under the Mystic Arts Faction.
Elysia seemed to be working diligently as a tutor after observing her for half an hour.
Unlike Cyper, she didn''t seem to have any ns of escaping...
Furthermore, Vale was no longer in a hurry to capture her since she was thest Time Maniptor he needed to capture.
As soon as she was alone in her room, Vale used his Shadow Domain and summoned Somnus.
The spirit drifted into the room, its ethereal form was unnoticed by Elysia.
After that, Vale also entered the room and Elysia didn''t seem surprised.
"Did you kill my friends?" Elysia suddenly asked the figure who had silently entered her room. She had no idea how they were found out after changing their aura and changing their appearances. It seemed as if there were some trackers attached to them, but they had no idea how they could get rid of it since they couldn''t feel anything.
"I haven''t killed them yet... I might be doing that soon. After all, your presence here isn''t wee." Vale replied as he took the seat in front of Elysia.
"We''re only here to find the one who has the Golden Key and to confirm the presence of the Divine Extractor." Elysia suddenly said as she looked at Vale without showing signs of being afraid.
It seemed that even if she was killed, she wouldn''t mind it at all.
Vale gently nodded as it seemed that he had truly controlled the situation. She knew that she had zero chance of winning against him or escaping from him.
"The Golden Key might be possible to obtain after the expedition group returned. That also includes theplete stoppage of the Time Maniptors that might enter this Realm. However, as for the Divine Extractor, I don''t know about that." Vale said with a cold smile on his face.
Elysia knew that they were really blinded by the possible prestige they''d get if they learned more about the Divine Extractor or if they captured this person.
However, the Shadow Immortal, whom they suspected as the Divine Extractor, was already beyond their imagination in terms of strength... He even has powerful retainers... Immortals, Demon Saints, Dragons, Vampires, and others that they may not be aware of.
This Immortal wasn''t in a developing stage at all!
''The power of Divine Extraction is too god-like... If someone could stop him, it could only be the Chaos Alchemist or the Blood Soulcaster.'' Elysia thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"Alright... Can you make more Edo Stones?" Vale suddenly asked.
This question caught her off guard... She wasn''t sure if the other Time Maniptors had already answered him, and he was just trying to confirm whether their answer was true.
At this point, there was no need to light and just answer him truthfully if they wanted to live...
"It''s possible as long as I have the materials I need to make them." Elysia, after taking a deep breath.
"Good..." As Vale felt satisfied with this answer, he signaled to Somnus to act.
Then, Elysia felt a sudden wave of fatigue. Instinctively, her mind tried to fight it as she struggledto stay alert.
Thud...
However, despite her efforts, she sumbed to the sleep-inducing power of Somnus.
Vale carried Elysia and ensured she couldn''t awaken for a while.
''Did I be too strong?'' Vale wryly smiled as he didn''t expect that it would be this easy to capture all the Time Maniptors who had entered their Human Realm.
He hadn''t realized that his strategy of using Somnus to put them to sleep was their weakest
spot.
Apparently, their abilities required intense focus to manipte, and Somnus'' power directly affected their brains, making it nearly impossible for them to defend against.
With Wasa, Liora, Cyper, and Elysia all captured, Vale felt a sense of aplishment.
Although they seemed weak in front of him, he knew how dangerous these people could be in manipting Time itself.
In any case, he had neutralized a significant threat, and taking their knowledge and understanding their abilities would be his next step.
However, he recalled an issue that might cause him a problemter on.
''Aersus... If you''re still here hiding in the continent... I have to make sure that you won''t be able to cause any problems.'' Vale thought to himself as he recalled how devious this creature was even when he had first met its soul in the Mystic Soul Tower.
Vale then thought for a moment before he decided to call for Mennena''s spirit.
Well, he suspected that the mysterious Archfey''s main body was actually imprisoned in the Celestial Prison Realm!
Chapter 879: Constances Project
Chapter 879: Constance''s Project
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Vale''s suspicions about Mennena''s true situation weren''t just a pure guess. It was also with the help of the Arcane Bureau, which had been using Mennena''s abilities toplete their various missions.
After very long research and learning about Mennena''s desire to acquire the Golden Key, they pieced together that she was most likely nning to save her main body in the Prison Realm. It wasn''t too surprising since they all could tell that her strength was too powerful and mystical.
''I hope those guys are doing fine...'' Vale thought as he recalled that Chad, Odessa, Jin, Aurion, and his other Avatar were still in that realm.
For now, however, he felt that he had to visit some of his friends. In any case, most of the immediate problems were already settled.
The matter with the mysterious potion that could turn ordinary people into Arcanists seemed intriguing as well, but he didn''t really think that it would be a bad thing. Only time would tell what would happen once the number of Arcanists started to grow in an unprecedented way.
***
Vale then decided to visit Constance...
He had been informed that she was quite busy with her current project. Thankfully, the critical stages of her project should''ve been over, and he could see her now.
First, he was intrigued by the progress of her ambitious project. He made his way through the dense forest that surrounded his castle, heading towards the northern end where Constance was building her nine-floor Arcane Tower.
Indeed, she was building a tower that was even higher than those Arcane Towers built by most kingdoms.
As he approached, the sight before him was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
The construction site was a hive of activity. Numerous people, arcanists, golems, and even Elemental Creatures were hard at work.
''Those Elementals must be her summons...'' Vale mused for a moment as he observed the surroundings.
Airships hovered above, transporting materials, while various vehicles moved to and fro, delivering supplies. The atmosphere buzzed with the essence of magic and machinery.
Constance, a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, stood on another side of a hill where her temporary house was located.
She was overseeing the construction with a smile on her face. She watched as the foundation of her tower took shape and was d that the core formation art was sessfully ced yesterday.
Of course, the funds for this monumental project came partly from Vale''s castle''s earnings but also from her own business dealings with the kings of Ruri Kingdom and Milton Kingdom.
Nheless, the trade of the Divine Talisman was ultimately the main factor in how she was able to gather enough money to build this project.
After bing a Spirit Immortal, Constance realized that advancing further in this realm was nearly impossible.
This Arcane Tower was her solution-a perfect ce to develop her path of ascension. Unlike Vale, she didn''t possess the ability to extract abilities, so she had to rely on her own ingenuity and resources.
Whom~
Vale suddenly appeared behind Constance and approached her. Of course, Vale didn''t hide his presence, so it immediately drew her attention.
"Constance," he greeted with a warm voice.
"The tower ising along beautifully."
Constance turned to him, her smile widening. "Vale! I''m d you came. Yes, it''s progressing well. The first three floors are almostplete. Right, are you sure that you''re fully recovered?"
Vale looked around, taking in the bustling activity. "Yes... I''m already fine... I apologize for making you all worried."
"Haha! It''s fine. I know that you can survive that. Did you manage to extract knowledge from the Death God, at the very least?" She asked.
"Just a little... I just learned that there were still various levels of immortals. However, it''s impossible to reach that level while staying here." Vale revealed, to which Constance nodded.
She already guessed this much after seeing how Vale could easily defeat other mighty Immortal Beings. However, she still had no idea about this particr level. Perhaps she would know about it once she was able to ascend.
Nheless, she was still skeptical about this "going to the higher realm" or ascension since she believed that it would be better to stay in this continent and just keep it safe from other realm''s influence.
Though this Arcane Tower would allow her to ascend in the future, it was also her way to be strong enough to ensure that no Realm Invaders would overpower her just in case another Invasion urred.
Furthermore, Vale may not have mentioned this, but she knew that he was also unwilling to leave thisnd even after bing an Immortal.
Instead, she believed that Vale would rather live here quietly and build the Academy and perhaps let the future Arcanists deal with the future problems...
Vale smiled, seeing how Constance remained silent. It was as if she wasn''t interested with the levels of the Immortals.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Ahem... Tell me about your Arcane Tower. How do you manage all of this?" Vale asked.
Constance chuckled. "It''s a lot of work, but it''s worth it. My days are filled with overseeing the construction, coordinating with the arcanists and golems, and ensuring everything runs smoothly. Each floor has its own purpose and design... Ahh... I actually recruited a group of ordinary people a few days ago. However, they just became Arcanists and wanted to learn from me... So I''m thinking of building a small school so I can have minions someday. Hehehe..."
At this mention, Vale gently nodded as he considered that it might also be the time to build the Academy that Faith had requested.
Anyway, the two continued chatting as Constance gestured towards the structure they were building and exined the purpose of each floor...
"The first floor will be the entrance hall, a ce of wee and protection. The second floor is dedicated to research and experimentation, withboratories and libraries. The third floor will house the living quarters for myself and any visiting schrs or allies..."
Chapter 880 Denises Dissection
880 Denise''s Dissection
Constance continued exining her ns to Vale, and thetter certainly found this interesting. After all, Constance wasn''t creating this Arcane Tower just for fun. It was to help her grow.
Vale nodded as he noticed the golems working tirelessly. He wasn''t sure if it was Denise who made them or not. Then, he nced at the various materials being transported by these golems.
"And how do you handle the logistics?" He asked curiously.
Constance''s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "I have a team of skilled arcanists and engineers who help with the nning and execution. The golems and Elemental Creatures are invaluable¡ªthey handle the heavy lifting and intricate tasks¡ Ahem¡ I summoned all of them." Constance said proudly.
She paused for a moment and looked at Vale''s shocked expression before continuing.
"The airships and vehicles you see are actually modified vehicles by Sir Magnus to get materials from the Shadow Consortium and Brotherhood of the Scarlet Serpent."
Vale''s eyes widened as he also recalled these two organizations that had previously visited his castle.
He didn''t expect that they had already grown to a level where they could help them supply materials for an Arcane Tower.
Constance then paused as she exined that the main materials to build the Arcane Tower''s main array would actuallye from somewhere else.
Apparently, she still had to get the kings of Ruri and Milton Kingdoms to assist her in acquiring those items.
Vale smiled as he would certainly need all this information once he decided to build his own Arcane Tower for some reason.
***
Meanwhile, while Vale and Constance were catching up, Denise stood in herboratory, gazing at the four unconscious Time Maniptors that Vale had brought to her.
Wasa, Liora, Cyper, and Elysiay on separate tables, their chests rising and falling in a steady rhythm. They weren''t dead just yet and were simply asleep, ording to Vale.
Denise felt a mix of curiosity and uncertainty as she pondered what to do with them.
''Does he want me to experiment on them? There''s no way he just wants me to watch them here, right?'' she mused.
Denise was known for her expertise in creating golems, and she wondered if Vale intended for her to transform these Time Maniptors into something more.
''It shouldn''t be a problem if I start modifying them¡'' Denise smiled as she knew very well that these four people were incredibly rare subjects for her experiments. She just couldn''t stop herself from touching them¡
First, Denise approached Wasa, the strongest member of the group, based on the information she had received. Because this person was strong, she believed that he was the perfect target as he could definitely endure her first examination.
After preparing all her things to conduct a study, she carefully lifted him onto her main study table.
She needed to understand their physiology¡ªspecifically, how their bodies differed from ordinary humans. She wanted to understand how they circte their energy and control the time.
After all, she didn''t have any magical Spells and could only rely on the old-fashioned way of dissecting humans.
Thankfully, she gained enough experience from Alchemist Heinz and had a very thorough method of studying human bodies without killing them in the process.
Perhaps she wasn''t as good as Heinz but with her set of expensive equipment and materials, she knew that herck of skills could bepensated with that.
Denise began her examination by listing his weight, height, heart rate, and other information about his body. Then, she started injecting a few serums into his body before she picked up her scalpel.
Soon, her hands moved. At first, her scalpel moved slowly since it had been a while since she opened up a human, but as she continued, her movements started getting faster and faster.
She then stopped for a moment, she noted the subtle differences in muscle structure and the faint, almost imperceptible energy that seemed to pulse beneath Wasa''s skin.
She had actually started on Wasa''s stomach since that is where the strongest energy wasing from.
It was as if his body was attuned to the flow of time itself.
Using her arcane tools, Denise measured the energy levels within Wasa''s body.
"Mhmm¡ It''s really different¡" Denise muttered as she already tested a True Immortal, Demon Saint, Demon Generals, and even Magnus himself.
Anyway, the readings were fascinating¡ªhis cells seemed to vibrate at a different frequency, one that resonated with the temporal ne.
She made detailed notes of this since Temporal Magic was basically non-existent in this Realm until the appearance of these people.
''If I can harness this energy,'' she thought, ''I might be able to create golems with the ability to manipte time. But how?'' Denise mused as she knew that her body couldn''t handle this much. However, golems, on the other hand, had the possibility to do so.
Denise continued her examination, delving deeper into the mysteries of Wasa''s physiology. Shepared his body to that of a typical human, Arcanists, Demons, and others.
She noted the enhanced neural pathways and the unique structure of his brain. It was clear that Time Maniptors possessed a heightened sensitivity to temporal fluctuations.
As she worked, Denise''s mind wandered to the other three prisoners. Liora, Cyper, and Elysia each had their own level of mastery over the Time Spells¡ n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
''I guess I''ll have to see them all¡'' She mused.
She would need to study them all to fully understand the potential they held.
For now, she focused on Wasa¡
After a few moments, she was sure that Vale had entrusted her with this task for a reason, and she was determined to uncover the secrets of the Time Maniptors.
Hours passed as Denise meticulously documented her findings.
She felt a sense of excitement building within her¡ªthis was uncharted territory, a new frontier in her research.
The possibilities were endless, and she was eager to explore them all!
As she finished her initial examination, Denise stepped back and looked at Wasa''s figure and he seemed to be waking up.
''Not good.''
Chapter 881 Denises Conclusion
881 Denise''s Conclusion
Denise just finished noting the unique energy patterns and the enhanced neural pathways of the Time Maniptor that set them apart from ordinary humans, when something unexpected happened.
She noticed subtle signs of movement!
Wasa''s fingers twitched, and his breathing became more pronounced.
''Not good!''
Denise''s eyes widened in rm.
''He''s waking up,'' she thought as her mind raced to find a solution.
As expected of a Time Maniptor, Wasa''s physique and control over his body were extraordinary.
Denise quickly activated a series of Magic Arrays around the study table. The intricate symbols glowed with a soft blue light, designed to induce sleep and suppress consciousness.
She watched anxiously as the arrays took effect, but Wasa''s resistance was formidable. His eyelids fluttered, and he began to stir.
Realizing that the Magic Arrays alone wouldn''t be enough, Denise reached for a vial of special fluid. This concoction was designed to enhance the effects of the sleep-inducing magic. However, it had some negative effects and she could only hope that Wasa''s physique could handle it.
''Losing 4 or 5 Spirit Strands shouldn''t be problem.'' Denise thought.
She then carefully injected the fluid into Wasa''s arm, watching as it spread through his veins.
Wasa''s movements slowed, but he continued to fight against the enchantment. His eyes was already wide open, but it seemed like he was just being delirious.
Denise wasn''t sure if Wasa was fully aware of what was going on in his brain or if he was just instinctively fighting whatever was limiting his body.
"I don''t want to kill you¡ So just stay asleep¡" Denise muttered as she knew that if he increased the Magic Array''s effect and the fluid in this man''s body, there would be a high chance that he''d die.
She didn''t want a precious subject to perish since it would be a waste andstly, Vale might scold her for killing this man!
Nheless, Denise knew that she would be helpless against this man once he woke up. Apex Guardian also doesn''t have enough skills to bind a Time Maniptor. Well, this android could probably kill Wasa but not suppress him.
''One more¡''
Denise''s heart pounded as she prepared another injection, this time with a stronger dose. She administered the fluid carefully. Her hands were steady despite the urgency, which showed her skills.
Thud¡
Finally, Wasa''s resistance began to wane. His eyelids drooped, and his body rxed. Denise let out a sigh of relief, but she knew she had to be cautious. The Time Maniptors'' control over their bodies was remarkable, and anypse in vignce could be disastrous.
''This has to be noted¡'' Denise thought as she noted every change that had happened just now. Of course, she has an android that doesn''t look like a human doing that for her. It was the special table or device itself that was filled with various pieces of equipment she needed for dissection or studying any human beings or otherworldly beings.
Anyway, with Wasa securely asleep, Denise decided to examine the other Time Maniptors to see the difference between a weaker and stronger Time Maniptor.
She was hoping that this experiment would be very useful.
However, before she could continue, Magnus suddenly appeared behind the door of herboratory.
"You cane in, Sir Magnus." Denise said.
As Magnus came in, he immediately looked at the Time Maniptors who were about to get opened by Denise despite being alive.
"Err¡ I just felt some disturbance." Magnus said as he cautiously looked at the Apex Guardian who would rarely leave Denise''s side.
"Everything''s fine¡ I''m just studying them a bit. I''m sure that Sir Vale wanted me to do this¡ If I need some help, I''ll call for you." Denise said.
Magnus finally smiled and nodded.
"As long as you''re not going to kill them yet, I''m sure that Sir Vale wouldn''t mind whatever you do to them. Good luck, Miss Denise."
With this said, Magnus finally left as he decided to continue his experiment. Just now, he obtained a vial containing the special potion that could turn an ordinary human being into a talented individual that could practice an Arcane Path¡
Based on the reports, any human who was able to consume this potion could guarantee that they could at least practice one of the Arcane Paths and if they were average, they should be able to choose any four or five Arcane Paths to practice. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Of course, these forcefully enhanced people could only practice one Arcane Path but it was still an incredible creation that would surely advance this realm¡
''But I have a bad feeling about this¡'' Magnus thought as he shut himself inside hisboratory to also conduct a study.
***
Meanwhile, Denise restarted her study after Magnus left and moved to Liora, whoy on a nearby table. As she fully undressed thedy, Denise confirmed that there were no Edo Stones hidden other items that could interfere her research.
Denise then activated the Magic Arrays around Liora, ensuring she remained unconscious. She should not make the same mistake.
After taking a deep breath, she began her examination, noting the same enhanced neural pathways and unique energy patterns. Liora''s body, like Wasa''s, seemed attuned to the flow of time. She continued studying her for three hours before feeling satisfied¡
It seemed that she was getting better at this, as Liora didn''t show any signs of waking up at all.
Next, Denise turned her attention to Cyper. She repeated the process, activating the Magic Arrays and administering the special fluid. This time, however, Cyper''s resistance was strong, but Denise''s preparations held firm.
''Weird¡'' Denise muttered as she felt that she was missing something. Nheless, this was part of the research and she could only continue.
Finally, Denise approached Elysia. After injecting her and activating the array, Denise observed Elysia''s body sumbed to the enchantment.
Denise then resumed her studies. Shepared the four''s physiologies, noting the simrities and differences. Each possessed unique traits, but themon thread was their heightened sensitivity to temporal fluctuations.
Denise''s mind buzzed with possibilities. She could harness this knowledge to create golems with time-manipting abilities, or perhaps develop new spells and enchantments. The potential was limitless, but she had to proceed with caution.
As she worked, Denise couldn''t help but marvel at theplexity of the Time Maniptors. Their abilities were both fascinating and formidable, and she was determined to unlock their secrets.
After about three days of studying without sleep, Denise finally left theboratory with an exhausted face¡
''It''s a pity¡ I can only make five golems with the same trait with one Time Maniptor. I can''t be too wasteful¡ There must be a way¡''
Chapter 882: Heinz
Chapter 882: Heinz
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Hours turned into days and into weeks as Denise continued her research. She meticulously documented her findings, and her excitement grew with each secret she uncovered.
Initially, she believed that if she used the bodies of the Time Maniptors as materials for her golems, it would be limited a lot because the Time Maniptor''s Spirits were just too weak. They could not be torn apart more than five times.
However, she realized that these future golems might be very loyal to her, but they would just be too weak. They would probably be incapable of fighting against a Dragon who had the ability to control a small domain where Time Spells just don''t work.
Because of that, she immediately changed her perspective on how she should approach this. Instead of limiting their potential by taking whatever was useful to them, she felt that strengthening these current Time Maniptors with her own method should be a lot better.
Denise liked this approach a lot.
The Time Maniptors'' bodies held the key to new realms of magic, and she was determined to explore them all.
Denise knew that Vale had entrusted her with this task for a reason, and she was determined not to disappoint him.
With patience and perseverance, she realized that the bodies of the Time Maniptors had incredible adaptability, and this was probably what set them apart as they could endure the ''passage of time.'' The only problem was their Spirit.
They had a strong Soul that could control Time and perfect physique that could endure Time, but weak Spirits!
This was incredibly frustrating for Denise at first, but she felt that this was also her opportunity.
And so, in the quiet of herboratory, Denise worked tirelessly, her mind focused on the task at hand. The future was uncertain, but one thing was clear-she was on the brink of a breakthrough, and she wouldn''t stop until she had achieved her goal.
Soon, she confirmed that turning these Time Maniptors into half-androids would be the best way to make them stronger andpletely loyal to them, even without using Mind Control Spells.
After all, it was already quite taxing to Vale, who doesn''t really have a strong suit with Psychic Arts.
They should really find a way to make people follow them obediently and turning them into half-androids should be their best option...
However, this won''t be very easy.
After some hesitations, Denise found hermunication crystal and contacted Vale...
"Hi Vale... Thank you for answering me. I hope that I''m not disturbing you... It''s been a while since you sent those Time Maniptors..." Denise said.
"Right... Magnus mentioned that you''re doing something about them." Vale replied. He wasn''t really that inclined to extract them, so he didn''t mind if Denise had a use for them instead.
"Yes... I might be needing Sir Heinz''s assistance. Can I ask him to visit myboratory?" Denise suddenly asked.
The name Heinz made Vale feel a bit nostalgic. That person was terrifying when he just had just entered this world.
Vale couldn''t help but smile after hearing this name.
He no longer bears a grudge against this old man.
ording to Magnus''s reports, Heinz actually tried to make contact with their group when their castle was in trouble... However, because of some concerns of the Dark Arts Faction, he was blocked by the prominent ns under the Faction.
They seemed to be wary that Heinz would defect to Vale''s organization.
Heinz was one of the best Dark Alchemist after all. The only problem about him was that he was too unconventional and had decided to create a new Path for the Dark Arts instead of improving the current ones.
"Go ahead, Denise... You can ask for his help. You have all the authority toplete this project of yours. I''ll inform Magnus about this so he can also help you manage these small things." Vale replied.
***
In the meantime, within the territory of the Dark Arts Faction, in a secret alchemyboratory, the old Dark Alchemist Heinz stood before a row of containment cells.
Each cell held a Demon Saint, their bodies were also bound by powerful enchantments and
runes.
The Dark Arts Faction had captured these formidable beings, and now it was Heinz''s task to study them and extract their powers to control the Corrupted Divinity. To be exact, he was only one of 50 Dark Alchemists who were trying to aplish this.
After all, Divinity was basically the peak of the Arcane Studies... Even if this was a Corrupted Divinity, it was still a power that was normally beyond their means.
They were incredibly lucky that many of these Demon Saints who were heavily injured by the Shadow Immortal many years ago had escaped through various means that would stillnd in their hands because of one of their Arcana...
Heinz''sboratory was inside an undergroundplex where there were also otherboratories for other Dark Alchemists...
Anyway, his room was filled with arcane instruments and bubbling cauldrons. Shelves lined the walls, crammed with ancient tomes, rare ingredients, and mysterious artifacts.
The intensity of Dark Magic in this ce was also strong as he was waiting for the potions he made to bepletely finished. However, the most interesting part about his smallboratory was the intricate patterns etched into the stone floor.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
If Vale was here, he would surely recognize this as the same Magic Circle inside the Animus Haven Hall...
"All of you, stop working... We will start the extraction," Heinz suddenly said to several apprentices who were working in theboratory.
They worked diligently, preparing reagents, maintaining the containment cells, and
recording data.
Each apprentice was handpicked by Heinz for their skill and loyalty, and they knew better than to question his methods.
As soon as they heard about the extraction... They knew that it would cause some disturbance
as the Demon Saint would try to fight back.
"Yes, Sir Heinz!" The apprentices answered.
Heinz then kept themunication crystal in his pocket and approached one of the cells, where a Demon Saint with crimson skin and glowing eyes red at him.
Chapter 883: Heinzs Alchemy
Chapter 883: Heinz''s Alchemy
?
Heinz had just finished talking with Denise and learned that this young girl had obtained a being that he would surely love...
Unfortunately, because of the involved confidentiality agreement, Denise couldn''t tell what it was. However, Denise also hinted that it was an existence equal to Immortals and Demon Saints, but they were more interesting in terms of being research subjects.
Anyway, Denise needed his expertise in bio-mechanical alchemy, but not many people were aware that Heinz was actually an expert in this as well. Aside from that, Denise also needed his skills in Runic Gearsmith and his Dark Mystic Artificer''s talent.
Although Heinz wasn''t that greatpared to many other Dark Alchemists in these two subjects, the fact that he also had a deep knowledge about the human or Arcanist''s body would surely set him apart.
Finally, Denise offered somepensation to Heinz, like Dragon Blood and Immortal Blood. He would surely join and help with Denise''s project. That would happen without a doubt.
However, Denise wasn''t in a hurry to take him, and Heinz was also on a mission, so this could only be der on.
Heinzposed himself as he kept themunication crystal in his pocket and approached one of the cells, where a Demon Saint with crimson skin and glowing eyes red at him.
The alchemist''s eyes gleamed with excitement as he felt that he would be very sessful this time. He had a couple of years studying these Demon Saints, and now he was on the brink of a breakthrough.
"Begin the extraction process..." Heinzmanded as he initiated the process.
One of the apprentices stepped forward, activating a series of runes on the cell. The air was then suddenly filled with energy as the containment field intensified, holding the Demon Saint in ce.
Heinz carefully inserted a needle into the demon''s arm, drawing a vial of its blood. The blood shimmered with an unnatural light... It was proof of the demon''s immense power.
This time, however, because of the Corrupted Divinity that was released, many of the apprentices felt pressured and suffocated. They weren''t in a good condition... Every time they try to extract the Blood Essence of the Demon Saint, this would always happen.
Heinz moved to his workbench, where he began to analyze the blood. He added various reagents, watching as the mixture bubbled and changed color. His goal was to iste the essence of the demon''s power and understand how it could be harnessed and controlled.
The Dark Arts Faction wanted to obtain the power to control the Corrupted Divinity! The Dark Arts Faction may say to the public that they wanted to learn more about Divinity, but it truly meant that they wanted to control it.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
As he worked, Heinz''s mind raced with possibilities. The Corrupted Divinity seemed to be a force of chaos and destruction, but with the right approach, it could be tamed and used to further the Dark Arts Faction''s goals.
The Demon Saints held the key since their powers were like a bridge between the mortal realm''s Arcanists and the divine itself.
Heinz''s experiments were meticulous and methodical.
Over the past couple of years, he had already tested the blood''s reaction to different elements, noting how it responded to fire, ice, lightning, and others. He had already observed its behavior under various magical influences, recording every detail in his journal.
Heinz continued his work tirelessly, but this time, he believed that he would obtain the secret of the Corrupted Divinity.
While other Dark Alchemists were still trying tomunicate with other Existence from other realms about the method to harness the Corrupted Divinity, Heinz moved from one Demon Saint to the next, extracting samples as he tried to ensure that the blood would reach the same after using Malevolent Spells...
However, each demon presented unique challenges, their powers manifesting in different ways. Some had control over destruction, while others wielded dark magic or possessed incredible physical strength.
One particrly challenging subject was a Demon Saint with the ability to manipte shadows...
''Is it simr to the Shadow Immortal?'' Heinz mused.
However, he noticed that the manipted shadow didn''t have the power of Corrupted Divinity itself, so he immediately learned that it wasn''t simr to the Shadow Immortal, which had traces of Divinity everywhere.
Anyway, Heinz moved on as he felt that his method of finding a way to control the Corrupted Divinity was getting close.
Throughout his experiments, Heinz relied on his apprentices to assist him. They prepared the reagents, maintained the containment cells, and recorded the results. Heinz trusted them implicitly, knowing that their loyalty was unquestionable.
As the days passed, Heinz began to see patterns in his data. The essence of the Demon Saints held a unique resonance, a frequency that could be attuned to the Corrupted Divinity. He theorized that bybining the essences in the right proportions, he could create a catalyst that would allow him to control the chaotic energy.
''Indeed... I''m going in the right direction...''
Heinz''s excitement grew as he approached the final stages of his research. He carefully mixed the essences, adding the final ingredients to the concoction.
The mixture suddenly glowed with a dark, pulsating light, which was a sign that he was on the right track.
With the catalystplete, Heinz turned his attention to the Corrupted Divinity he had collected from the Blood Essence.
This Corrupted Divinity would normally dissipate after a few hours and would just be wasted. What he wanted to do was to stop it from dissipating, and from that, they would be able to start using the Corrupted Divinity itself!
These undying Demon Saints in prison would be their source of Corrupted Divinity for
that!
This solution may not be the one that the Faction was looking for, but this was another option they could use to harness Corrupted Divinity!
Soon, he activated a series of runes on the floor, creating a summoning circle. The air became cold as he began the incantation in an ancientnguage, calling forth a mysterious force...
''This is it... I will create a new Artifact that can wield Corrupted Divinity! With this power, the Dark Arts Faction will rise to new heights.''
Chapter 884 The Will of the Realm
884 The Will of the Realm
Heinz stood in hisboratory, holding the newly created divinity crystal.
The dark, pulsating light within the crystal was proof of his sess. He had done it¡ªhe had harnessed the power of the Corrupted Divinity. This crystal would allow him and any other Dark Arts Practitioner at the First-ss level to control this chaotic energy. It could still be modified to make it a lot better, but others could do this task.
Heinz felt relieved after confirming that thispulsory task that was thrown at him was finallypleted.
He then allowed himself a rare moment of celebration. His apprentices also gathered around and for sure, their faces were filled with awe and admiration.
"Today marks a new era for the Dark Arts," Heinz dered, his voice resonating with pride. "With this divinity crystal, we can wield the power of the Corrupted Divinity. Our strength will be unmatched."
The apprentices cheered and their excitement were also noticed by the other Alchemists and immediately gathered around.
Although this crystal wasn''t really the goal of their mission here, it was still a great breakthrough. Of course, Heinz knew that this was only the beginning and he decided not to submit the crystal to the Dark Arts Faction just yet. Instead, he would create more of these crystals, ensuring that their power was fully understood and perfected.
For the next month, Heinz worked tirelessly, refining his process and producing additional divinity crystals. Each one was a masterpiece, and he almost didn''t want to part with them¡
Nheless, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction as he watched his collection grow.
''This should be enough to leave this ce¡'' Heinz thought as he wasn''t really here because he wanted to¡ He was taken here together with other Dark Alchemists to use these Demon Saints for arger project. Although he also liked the research that he made, it was stillpletely different to conduct your own research with your own volition.
Finally, after a month of relentless work, Heinz decided it was time to leave as he submitted all his findings to the Faction.
After another week of rest, he finally informed Denise that he was ready.
With a sense of anticipation, he made his way to Vale''s Castle through the arrangement that Denise has made.
Upon his arrival, Heinz couldn''t help but feel a chill seeing Vale''s Castle. He still couldn''t believe that the young disciple he had taken was now a renowned Immortal, surpassing in just less than a decade.
Anyway, he was soon escorted to Denise''sboratory by a strange golem¡
''So this is the android I''ve heard about¡'' Heinz muttered to himself.
Although he didn''t have a great talent for Golem crafting, he was still quite knowledgeable when it came to the creation of the core.
He was curious if Denise wanted his skills on this.
Soon, the familiar scent of alchemicalponents and the hum of magical energy filled his senses as he neared to Denise''sb...
"Wee, Sir Heinz. It''s been a while. I apologize for not greeting you outside." Denise said as he gestured for Heinz to enter.
"It''s fine¡ Now, why are you trying to make this project of yours too mysterious? Heh, do you know that I even experimented on Demon Saints? Nothing will surprise me anymore." Heinz proudly said.
However, as soon he entered theb, his eyes widened in shock. There, on the study tables,y the bodies of four Time Maniptors!
"Denise," Heinz eximed, his voice filled with astonishment. "How did youe by such precious specimens?"
Denise nced at the bodies, and a smile showed her lips. "Vale brought them to me. He captured them himself. I''ve been studying their physiology and abilities¡ To be exact, I want them to change their physiques with your knowledge of Runic Gearsmith and Dark Mystic Artificer."
Heinz approached the tables, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "This is incredible. But¡ With that knowledge, are you nning to turn them into mechanical puppets?"
Denise smiled as she confirmed that Heinz had an idea about her ns... "I''ve been making progress, but it''s slow. Their bodies are remarkably resilient, and their physique is unlike anything I''ve encountered. I''m nning to turn them into half-androids. After all, aside from Time Maniption, their talents in other Arcane Paths are just at the beginner level. They also age really fast because of their ability to control time¡"
"They age fast?" Heinz found this really unusual, but it certainly made sense to pay a price to control time.
"I have something that might help¡" Heinz said as he found this project interesting.
***
In the meantime, in the heart of the Dark Arts Faction''s grand hall, the Half-Immortals of the five main families gathered.
These families¡ªMoontomb, Featherstar, Angrt, Ravinie, and Vermont¡ªwere the founders of the Dark Arts Path.
Today, they stood before a monumental achievement made by Heinz: the Divine Crystal, a creation that allowed even those who weren''t Immortal to harness Divinity, even if it was Corrupted Divinity.
The fact that even an Arcanist of the First ss could wield Divinity could surely change the war that they''ve been nning for a long time!
At the center of the hall, on a tform of ck marble, a dozen Divine Crystals pulsed with a dark, mesmerizing light.
The Half-Immortals, each a formidable practitioner of the dark arts, gazed at the crystal with a mix of awe and tion.
These items may not be very useful for them, but they were something that they sought out if they wanted to start a war against another Arcane Faction. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
After all, Half-Immortals aren''t allowed to meddle in the war of Arcanists. That would be the same for Immortals if the other Factions have them.
The Will of the Realm would be the one to suppress these Immortals if they dared to kill mortals just for pleasure. A handful of mortals may not be enough to get severe punishment from the Will of the Realm, but if the Half-Immortals or Immortals had gone too far, they might bepletely suppressed, killed, or even exiled by the Will of the Realm.
Chapter 885 Constances Worry
885 Constance''s Worry
Of course, if these non-Immortals or ordinary humans offended the Immortals, then that would be a different case if the Immortals retaliated. Not even the Will of the Realm could do about that.
"It is finally within our grasp," said Lord Moontomb with his deep voice. "The power of Divinity, even if corrupted, will elevate our faction''s abilities."
Lady Featherstar nodded, her eyes also gleamed with excitement. "It''s a pity we can''t have a lot of them¡ Those Demon Saints produce Corrupted Divinity too slow¡"
Despite her disappointment, her voice still sounded happy as she could imagine how those Priests, Exorcists, and Holy Knights would tremble at the sight of Dark Arcanists using the power created by Corrupted Divinity.
There was also the fact that the Church of the Lord of the Secrets started providing numerous potions that could turn an ordinary person into an Arcanist. Thanks to this mysterious potion, the issue of having a low number of Dark Arcanists was finally removed. After all, the potion helped them resolve the high death rate during the Dark Possession¡
Consuming the Dark Possession Potion after the Arcanist Potion was actually so effective!
Thanks to that, the number of Dark Arcanists on their side had immediately increased.
Lord Angrt, known for his strategic mind, stepped forward. "We must use this power quickly. The Corrupted Divinity is potent and there''s no way they could stop with this artifact¡ I suggest that we start sending a gue to their territories."
Lady Ravinie nodded at this as she was so eager to see the Holy Arts Faction suffer. They had been bullied by the alliance that the Holy Arts Faction created. Now that they have a chance to turn things around, they shouldn''t miss it. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"This is a turning point for our faction. We must use our advantage before the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess recovers."
Lord Vermont, the eldest and most revered among them, raised his hand. "Then, let''s start with the gue as Lord Angrt suggested."
The Half-Immortals nodded in agreement as they knew that the time hade. The Divine Crystal was a game-changer, a tool that could reshape the bnce of power in their favor.
Lord Moontomb''s eyes darkened with a vengeful glint. "They have thwarted us for too long. Let''s start with the gue to make their healers busy¡"
Lady Featherstar''s smile was cold. "Indeed. Then, let''s send our Necromancer to summon a horde of undead creatures at the edges of their territories. The Holy Arts Faction will be too preupied with the chaos to stop our advance¡"
Lord Angrt nodded. "We must ensure that our actions remain secret. The element of surprise will be our greatest weapon. We will use the undead to weaken their defenses and send our Dark Magicians to the Holy City once their forces have spread out."
The Half-Immortals spent hours nning their strategy in order to bring down the Holy Arts Faction. They could not be toocent just because they obtained the Corrupted Divinity Crystal.
They have to create numerous ns and backup strategies as they might not have another chance once they fail this attempt to route the Church of the Fortune Goddess and the Holy Arts Faction.
***
In the meantime, as the Dark Arts Faction was plotting to wage war against the Holy Arts Faction, Vale, approached the grand entrance of the Arcane Bureau''s main branch.
Of course, he didn''t exude an immortal presence. His appearance was carefully disguised to blend in with the other Arcanists.
He wore a simple robe amd his aura was subdued to avoid drawing attention. As he entered the headquarters, he was greeted by Merlin, one of his trusted subordinates and the previous Overseer of this realm.
Merlin, now a special Director of the Bureau, found Vale immediately despite his guise because of their special connection, the ve Mark.
With a respectful nod, he led Vale through the bustling corridors to his private office.
The room was filled with shelves of various documents, some magical artifacts, and intricate maps detailing various areas they around the continent.
Once inside, Merlin closed the door and turned to Vale.
"Lord Vale, may I ask the reason for your visit?" he inquired, his tone respectful yet curious. From the connection he felt, he knew that the one in front of him wasn''t the Avatar but the real one.
Vale took a moment to observe the office, noting the meticulous organization and the faint hum Arcane Energy around.
"I just visited Constance¡ Ahh, you probably know her as Pearl," he began. "She mentioned that there could still be a problem in this realm even after we defeated the Abyss Invasion, the Time Maniptors, and even the Death God. She wasn''t sure about this as well and only mentioned that it was an intuition she obtained after bing a Spirit Immortal. As an Overseer, do you have any idea about this?"
Merlin frowned, deep in thought.
He considered the possibilities. His mind raced through the various threats and anomalies that could still pose a danger.
"The problems I could think of," he began slowly, "include the weakening of the Realm''s Will, the potential return of the Demon Lord, or perhaps the presence of other sessors of the Paragons had already arrived in the continent."
Vale''s interest was piqued. "Other sessors?"
Merlin nodded. "Yes, there are two other known sessors of the Paragons. The Chaos Alchemist, who wields the Primordial Chaos Arts, and the Blood Soulcaster, who wields the Void Arts. These individuals possess powers that could rival our own. I believe that you are the third sessor, Lord Vale, the Divine Extractor."
Vale absorbed this information... He already had a rough idea about this. "If these sessors are indeed active, they could pose a significant threat. We need to be prepared."
Merlin agreed. "Indeed. The weakening of the Realm''s Will is also a concern. It could lead to instability and make our realm vulnerable to external threats." Merlin said.
Well, he already guessed that Vale was the Divine Extractor after he got targeted by the Death God and the Demon Lord together with the Time Maniptors. It just couldn''t be hidden from someone as knowledgeable as him.
Vale nodded at this, appreciating Merlin''s insights. "Thank you, Merlin. Do you have information about these two?"
Merlin bowed slightly. "It is my honor to serve, Lord Vale. I already tried to investigate them, and the Arcane Bureau had guessed that the Lord of the Secrets might be hiding them¡"
Chapter 886 Celebration
886 Celebration
Vale wasn''t too surprised after hearing this. Instead, he just felt that it would actually make a lot of sense that he had no idea about them until now.
The Lord of the Secrets was just too mysterious. Not even the other Eminence of the Sea or the Fortune Goddess dared to antagonize this Church, which was filled with unknown.
Furthermore, Vale knew that the Church of the Fortune Goddess had Holy Knights as their guardians. The Church of the Divine Sorcerer had various levels of Sorcerers. The Church of the Eminence of the Sea had Storm Knights, while the Church of the Three Paragons had Sacred Knights.
As for the Church of the Lord of the Secrets? He had no idea about it, or he simply couldn''t recall the reports he had read from the Arcane Bureau.
Anyway, he just decided to ask Merlin about it.
"They''re called Masked Archons, Lord Vale¡ No one knows about their backgrounds, but we know a bit about their abilities. They have incredible powers when ites to Sealing Techniques¡ They weren''t weak against any particr Arcane Arts and were known to be capable of sealing even the Demon Saints." Merlin exined.
"That''s impressive¡ They sealed Demon Saints?" Vale muttered.
"Yes, Lord Vale. There were about 70 Demon Saints who had entered our Realm¡ Although our Faction eliminated about half of them, the other half was dealt with by thebined forces of the twelve Arcane Arts Factions, the Churches, and the variousrge organizations or those half-immortals behind the Royal Families or Imperial Families of some nations."
Vale nodded after hearing this exnation. He was indeed unaware of the other battles that had urred aside from those ces he deemed to be incapable of defending themselves. That was why he sent his Avatars, Lisa, and the others to ces that would likely fall from the Abyss Invasion.
''Well, it''s no wonder that the potion that could make anyone an Arcanist is so popr. After that invasion, they must''ve realized how vulnerable they are and wanted to change their destiny themselves.'' Vale mused as he asked a few more things about these Masked Archons.
ording to Merlin, these Masked Archons truly deserved to be the followers of the Lord of the Secrets. All their missions, which also involved the Arcane Bureau''s special agents, were actually done exceptionally well¡ Whether it was assassination, human trafficking, or even stealing of various artifacts, they were done without any possible evidence leading to them.
The only reason why the Bureau knew that it was them was simply because there was no evidence left behind. Only these Masked Archons were somehow capable of doing that since they were able to receive the blessing of their Lord.
''The Blessing of the Lord of the Secrets, huh¡'' Vale gently nodded his head as he felt that it was interesting. Of course, he wasn''t threatened by these Masked Archons, and he was simply curious about the n of this mysterious Church if they were really hiding the Chaos Alchemist and the Blood Soulcaster.
***
Several weeks had quickly passed. Vale decided not to offend the Church of the Lord of the Secrets since he felt that they weren''t really doing anything that would directly harm him.
After being an Immortal, he also felt the Will of the Realm''s restriction. Although he was very powerful, he couldn''t just harm the mortals, or he''d suffer.
It was something that he was able to feel as soon as he became an Immortal. He could only harm mortals if they offended him... Because of that, he felt less inclined to cause trouble by searching those two sessors of the Paragons¡
Nheless, Giorgi soon informed him that the expedition team was about to return from the Celestial Prison Realm!
Finally!
They had really taken a lot of time exploring that Realm, and Vale felt excited about the result of their investigation. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
After all, if there was nothing in that Realm, they wouldn''t take this long to return! They must''ve hauled some treasures and took their time to ensure that they didn''t miss anything!
Whom~
Soon, a group of people from the Arcane Circle appeared, and Giorgi had been guarding them for some time.
Chad, the Half-Dragon. Odessa, the former Royal Mage. Jin, the Time Maniptor. Aurion, the True Immortal, and the Shadow Immortal''s Avatar emerged with a wave of powerful aura spreading throughout the surroundings.
"Ugh¡"
"This¡"
Their group suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of weakness¡ It appears that they''ve been away from the Human Realm for too long, and their body needs to adjust first.
Furthermore, the journey through the portal itself had drained their strength significantly.
"I feel sick¡" Chad muttered.
Unbeknownst to them, while two long years had passed within the Celestial Prison Realm, only two months had psed in the Human Realm.
Their mission had taken far longer than anticipated due to the vague nature of the Celestial''s Perfect Vessel.
The search had been taxing, and there were moments when they doubted they would ever find it. Yet, after years of persistent pursuit, they finally seeded.
With the Vessel in their possession, they were prepared to save Vale.
Soon, after they recovered their strength, they visited the Vale''s castle as they wanted to see his condition.
However, upon their return, they were met with an unexpected sight. Vale''s main body stood before them, already restored to perfect health.
"Vale!" Chad''s eyes sparkled with relief and joy at the sight of their friend.
"Immortal Vale¡" Odessa whispered, her voice filled with awe and reverence. She knew how powerful Aurion was, but this True Immortal was merely a subordinate to the Shadow Immortal. There was no way she wouldn''t be impressed with this young man who had advanced from a normal Arcanist to an Immortal in just about a decade¡
"Lord, it''s good to see you again," Jin, the Time Immortal, said with a respectful bow. He was still a ve, after all.
On the other hand, Aurion simply nodded. His expression was serene, while the Avatar of the Shadow Immortal maintained a knowing smile.
Vale greeted them warmly. "It seems you''ve all been away for quite some time. We should celebrate your return," he dered, leading them towards the castle for a well-deserved celebration.
Chapter 887 Complete
887 Complete
During this time, the Avatar transferred all the information about their long journey to Vale¡ This happened almost in an instant but this process wasn''t done through a certain spell. It was just a natural ability of the Avatars made from a part of his soul and divinity.
''Incredible¡'' Vale muttered to himself after learning what had happened in their journey and after realizing how much time they spent inside the Celestial Prison Realm.
Of course, he was also surprised about the Perfect Vessel that they''d found, including the new residents of this realm that they had recruited.
Unfortunately, the passageway that the Golden Key could create was too small for these new residents for dimensional travel¡ They still have to create a proper gateway that would help them lessen the burden of transporting people.
At the very least, they could already send a few of them here as long as he agreed to do so¡ These beings include not just beastfolks but also real Angels.
Aside from this, Vale also learned about the treasures they obtained. There were a lot of them, but what really caught his interest was the Towers themselves were part of the treasure!
Apparently, the 16 Towers of the Celestial Prison Realm had been transformed into toy-like structures about five inches in height! No one lives in these Towers right now. They were also no longer used as prisons, but they were nowparable to the Soul Towers, where Arcanists could train and such.
Furthermore, If he wanted to spend a lot of resources on these Towers, he could make them simr to Arcanist Tower instead of just using them to store resources, train people, or use them as a living space.
Lastly, there was actually a piece of news about Mennena''s main body¡
To be exact, her main body was actually in the Void Arts Prison Tower¡ As soon as they entered the Void Arts Tower, Mennena was somehow able to escape by using the small cracks that were made when they got transported inside. However, it just felt like a strange aura passed through them.
Mennena had then vanishedpletely¡ If not for the Avatar''s senses, everyone else would''ve dismissed the phenomenon that they encountered.
Nheless, Vale still asked everyone about their journey as if he was still unaware of this. This time, he was able to know their perspective as well.
''Mennena¡'' Vale frowned as he heard this name once again. He already knew what had happened in the castle when Mennena and that Dragon called Aersus had appeared to cause trouble. From the looks of it, Aersus was still here hiding somewhere while Mennena was probably recovering right now.
Whether Mennena was an enemy or not, he wasn''t exactly sure¡ He could only hope that she would not add to the problem.
After organizing his thoughts, he finally had a chance to talk with the others about their adventure inside the Celestial Prison Realm.
Chad shared this information with him and was pretty excited about it.
"We just need some Divine Crystals. With those Crystals, those folks in the Celestial Prison Realm will be able to enter¡ Ahem¡ There''s actually an Asura Race among them." Chad exined and thest part was said in a low voice.
To be exact, there was only one member of the Asura Race who was still alive in the Prison Realm. The Asura was incredible and, perhaps, equal to an Immortal if he was able to recover to his peak strength.
"Asura, huh¡" Vale muttered softly as he didn''t think too much of it at first when he learned about it.
However, after considering it for a moment, its existence would surely help them understand more about the other races and methods of bing an Immortal without being an Arcanist.
Furthermore, he recalled about the corpses they found.
"Right¡ Your Avatar is keeping those three corpses of Asura in his Spatial Ring. I''m not sure if you can use them though¡" Chad added.
Vale nodded. ording to his memories, the corpses weren''t actually dried-up corpses. It was still somehow preserved, including the garments and various belongings on their bodies.
''I hope I can extract them¡ But if not¡'' n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"They can probably help Denise in case I can''t." Vale said as he trusts Denise''s incredible ability. Furthermore, she was also learning with Heinz about the project she was doing with the Time Maniptors.
It would be very long until this young woman became a boss-like figure of numerous powerful golem creations that had the power equal to Immortals.
After all, the Apex Guardian alone was already something that was above the Half-Immortal level¡ It was something that could trouble the two Dragons as well.
***
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the expedition group, a mysterious figure had slipped through the portal with them, vanishing into the shadows as soon as they arrived in the Human Realm.
This enigmatic presence went undetected, even by Vale, the Shadow Immortal.
Had Constance, the Spirit Immortal, been present, she might have sensed the faint traces of this intruder. However, she was absent from the castle, leaving the figure free to escape without encountering any barriers.
Whoosh~
Three hundred kilometers away, in a secluded dungeon within an Earl''s Castle in the Milton Kingdom, the figure found a mirror. The dungeon was a cold, damp ce, with walls covered in moss and the air thick with the scent of mold.
Chains and shackles hung from the walls. It was the remnants of the dungeon''s grim past. The only light came from flickering torches, casting shadows in a gloomy dungeon.
As the figure approached the mirror, it began to glow with an otherworldly light.
The figure''s form became clearer, revealing a young woman with outstanding features.
With a wave of her hand, her naked body was suddenly covered by a ck energy before turning into a charming red dress.
"Atst, I amplete!" Mennena eximed, gazing at her reflection with tears of relief. Her eyes, a deep shade of violet, sparkled with joy¡
Chapter 888: The Asura
Chapter 888: The Asura
?
Mennena knew that her ns could finally continue after breaking free from that prison. She just needed some time to quickly recover to her full strength.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Indeed, despite her tion, she knew she had to remain hidden. Her body was not yet fully recovered, and revealing her presence too soon would alert the Immortals of this realm. She needed time to regain control over her powers.
"§´§Ñ§â... §´§Ñ§â... §´§Ñ§â...
The dungeon''s silence was broken only by the distant drip of water and the asional scurrying of rats.
''Hu~''
Mennena took a deep breath as she had to calm her excited heart. She knew that the Paragons, those who had wronged her, would pay dearly for their actions. However, she had already waited a long time, and she could not make a mess right now.
"Paragons... You fools... I will have my revenge soon," Mennena vowed. Her voice echoed through the dungeon as she vanished into the shadows once more.
Her master n was just beginning, and she would stop at nothing to reim her power and exact her vengeance.
***
Two months had quickly passed, and during this time, Jin and the others were able toplete all the things they needed in order to open a path to allow the previous prisoners of the Celestial Prison Realm to enter the Human Realm.
This matter was huge since they would certainly be suppressed by the Will of the Realm once they entered.
Furthermore, they could only let the others realize that they were nning to let hundreds of non-humans live peacefully in this realm. After all, this would be a huge change not just in their society but in the whole continent.
Although there were other races living here on the continent through various summoning attempts by numerous Arcanists throughout the century, their numbers were small and would rarely affect a society. A few Vampires, Sprites, Ghouls, or mutated animals were simply sources of materials and weren''t a real threat to the world of Arcanists.
However, Vale''s group would be bringing hundreds of beastfolks, members of the shadow race, and other mystical races, including Angels and an Asura!
No matter what, they would have to prepare for numerous things before epting them in their territory. This was the reason why it took them two months to prepare.
Sreas, the Asura, had been in the Human Realm for four days now. The Asura race, known for their four arms and the third eye on their foreheads, were masters of the Dark Arts and nearly immune to all forms of magic.
Sreas had been transported here along with many other beings from various races, and everyone of them had received blood extraction to be studied by the Alchemists of this world. None of them rejected this since they mentioned how it would also help to cure them if they obtained a disease after entering this world.
In any case, it wasn''t too important to them... After being imprisoned in the same ce for many years, having their blood extracted was not a big deal since they could finally live outside that Tower and experience the heat of the sun and fresh air and even talk to others.
The atmosphere of this world, rich with Arcane Energy, was something Sreas had quickly grown ustomed to.
He found the energy invigorating, a stark contrast to the oppressive environment of the Celestial Prison Realm.
However, he was confined to a 150-kilometer radius around the Shadow Immortal''s castle, a limitation he found somewhat frustrating. However, it was quite understandable after being told that there are other Immortals in this world, and these Immortals may not like their presence or they might just straight up put them in a dissection table.
That was definitely a situation none of them wanted to be in. After all, they just regained their freedom...
"At least the Shadow Immortal promised that the confinement wouldn''tst for a long time." Sreas muttered to himself.
After giving this much hope, Sreas decided to ept his fate and made the most of his time, exploring the lush forests and various ces likekes and caves within his allowed range. He had even encountered various Evil Creatures and it was quite an interesting experience.
"I''m liking this ce... It''s a pity I''m the only Asura left." Sreas muttered with a helpless smile on his face.
The Arcane Energy in the air seemed to resonate with his very being, elerating his recovery. He had already regained more than half of his strength, a fact that did not go unnoticed by those around him.
One afternoon, as Sreas was meditating near a tranquil stream, Chad, the Half-Dragon, approached him with a broad grin.
Chad had been part of the team that had freed Sreas from the Celestial Prison Realm, and the two had developed a mutual respect for each other''s abilities.
"Sreas, how about a practice match?" Chad suggested, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Sreas opened his third eye, assessing Chad''s energy levels. "I have recovered more than half of my strength already... Are you sure?" he asked, his voice a deep rumble.
"Hahaha... That''s better! Let''s go to that hill and have a match!" Chad replied with excitement...
Without waiting for a response, he burst into a sprint, his powerful legs propelling him towards a nearby hill.
Sreas stood up, stretching his four arms and feeling the dark energy coursing through his veins.
A practice match with Chad would be an excellent way to test his regained strength. With a swift motion, he followed Chad; his movements were swift, and he didn''t lose outpared to Chad''s speed.
As they reached the hill, the two warriors faced each other, and the temperature in the surroundings immediately drop.
The hilltop was a perfect battleground, offering a wide, open space surrounded by dense
forest.
Soon, Chad''s dragon scales glinted in the sunlight, while Sreas''s dark aura seemed to absorb the light around him.
"Let''s see what you''ve got, Half-Dragon," Sreas said, a rare smile ying on his lips.
"Bring it on, Asura," Chad replied, his eyes narrowing in focus.
Chapter 889: Chad vs Sreas
Chapter 889: Chad vs Sreas
?
Today, Vale had decided to focus on strengthening his set of Spells.
Using his system, he wanted to fuse many Spell Models to create a stronger spell. He wouldn''t mind even if he was left with a handful of Spell in doing so, as long as they were incredibly
strong...
Of course, he could not be too hasty on this since he could not undo any fusion he made.
Once they were fused, the Spells he used would vanish to create a new Spell that could just be slightly better or incredibly better.
As he was thinking carefully of the Spells he would like tobine, he felt Chad and Sreas aura moving to a hill not too far from where he was resting...
He then hid his presence as he didn''t want to disturb their meeting.
Soon, he saw the two looking at each other with a smile on their faces. They seemed to be nning to fight.
''Chad really likes to fight, huh...'' Vale smiled as he liked this sort ofpetition. It would certainly broaden both of their horizons as he believed that even the Asura had never fought against a Half-Dragon like Chad.
***
"Don''t hold back..." Chad said as he was afraid that the Asura would go easy on him.
"I''ll assess your strength first... If you can endure more, then I''ll stop holding back." Sreas replied.
Chad found this reasoning appropriate and nodded.
Soon, they were ready to engage in their practice match.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Chad then started his transformation. He flexed his powerful muscles as his dragon scales slowly formed and shined in the sunlight.
His eyes also turned into a fierce shade of amber and focused onto Sreas. "Let''s see what you''ve got, Asura!" He roared with a deep voice.
Sreas had two of his arms crossed while the other two seemed to be ready for battle.
He remained on his spot and waited for Chad... It seemed as if he wasn''t taking this battle seriously. However, Vale could tell that his third eye was emitting some sort of magic as it glowed with a dark, ominous light.
Indeed, although Sreas was confident that he could win against the Half-Dragon, it was only calcted based on the energy inside Chad''s body.
"Bring it on, Half-Dragon." Sreas said as a smile curved on his lips.
With a roar, Chadunched himself at Sreas... In an instant, he appeared on Sreas'' left!
Ha!
Chad swung a massive fist, aiming for Sreas''s rib...
But the Asura was ready.
The two lower arms that were previously cross suddenly moved and blocked the punch! Bang!
Of course, Sreas didn''t waste his time as the other two struck back with lightning speed, aiming for Chad''s head!
Bang! Bang!
Chad grunted as the blowsnded, but he didn''t falter. He fully trusted his tough Draconic Body!
"Hmph!" Sreas was indeed surprised at how tough Chad was and decided to increase his strength.
However, Chad had already unleashed his Draconic Might, his body surged with raw power. For a couple of seconds, the Asura felt overwhelmed and pressured... He was stunned by the might and unable to move quickly...
''So you can still be affected by Dragon''s Might... I guess only Vale canpletely block this, huh...'' Chad thought as he countered.
His scales hardened, and his muscles bulged and kicked Sreas!
Boom!
Sreas was thrown from that kick but because Sreas was heavy, he was only thrown by about five meters!
If someone else was hit by that, they would be flying for over 100 meters if they weren''t crushed by that kick!
"Hahaha! That was your only opportunity to defeat me and you just hit me with that kick... I won''t give you another chance!"
Sreas quickly regained his footing, and his third eye glowed brighter as he tapped into his dark energy.
This Dark Energy was familiar since Chad was also a Dark Practitioner before. He even possessed a Ghost King Body that he inherited from his family... Because of that, he wasn''t heavily affected by the Dark Energy assault.
Nheless, Sreas extended his four arms, each one condensing a ball filled with dark magic. Chad didn''t feel threatened as he even felt excited at what was about toe.
"Bring it on!" He roared...
The Asura then unleashed a barrage of dark energy sts, each one aimed at Chad''s body, but he wasn''t targeting his vital parts at the time.
Chad wanted to dodge at first, but seeing that it was slow, he decided to try to use his Draconic Repel to change the direction of the attacks aimed at him!
His Dragon Scales allowed him to do this trick! Furthermore, since he decided to take the attack instead of dodging, the Asura failed to calcte his moves and Chad was able to get closer a lot faster than Sreas expected!
However, as Chad got closer, some of the attacks truly hit him, searing his scales and drawing a growl of pain from his lips.
But he was able to aplish what he wanted to do.
He was able to get into the Asura''s range! Then, Chad used his Draconic ws... It seemed quite underwhelming, but Chad''s ws suddenly extended and tried to rip the Asura apart! "They are doing well..." Vale muttered to himself as he watched the two fighting each other. He believed that if the Abyss Realm invaded this time, these two would be more than enough to deal with a few Demon Saints themselves. He didn''t doubt this at all, considering the aura they were both emitting right now.
Anyway, the two shed for a little while, each one testing the limits of the other''s strength and skill. Vale could tell that they were both trying to use all of their skills as if trying to
practice them.
They seemed to be enjoying this battle, and they probably hadn''t realized that they were already fighting for almost three hours!
Vale shook his head at this since it wouldn''t do them any good if this continued.
Chapter 890 Possible Destruction
890 Possible Destruction
Vale had also seen enough to gauge the true strength of this Asura. Sreas was definitely a strong individual, and it was a pity that he was the only one remaining in his race.
''Right¡ Denise obtained some of his blood. I hope she can do something about it.'' Vale wryly smiled at this thought since it wasn''t a simple task at all.
Perhaps, the Chaos Alchemist was the only one who had a chance of cloning such a race.
In any case, as he was about to stop the two from fighting, he realized that they were both gathering some strength as if to sh for thest time.
Vale considered for a moment before he decided to just allow them for thisst sh.
If they still decided to continue after that, he would be stopping them at all costs.
At this point, the two had distanced themselves from each other.
Sreas''s four arms started gathering Dark Energy in the surroundings¡ Then, his third eye glowed with a purple light, as if it was trying to burn Chad. However, this purple light actually created a wave of chaotic force in the area to disrupt the Arcane Energies in the surroundings. It was quite simr to a domain where only Dark Energy would prosper¡ n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Chad, on the other hand, knew that this would probably be theirst sh and he was not one to back down.
He summoned all his draconic might¡ Then, he essed a drop of Orden''s True Blood in his body. Currently, Chad had three drops of Vale''s Immortal Blood and 10 drops each with Orden and Ryzoir.
After using Orden Blood, Chad''s body had another change. It must be remembered that Orden was considered an Ancient Rune Dragon, while Ryzoir was an Ancient me Dragon.
Using Orden''s Blood allowed Chad to obtain a Runic Dragon Body¡ This act surprised even Vale since he didn''t expect that Chad''s ability to adapt had already reached this frightening level.
Soon, Chad''s body radiated with a fierce, purple aura.
With a roar, he unleashed a torrent of purple fire! It wasn''t hot like it seemed, but it could destroy anything it touched!
Boom!
The mes roared towards Sreas with unstoppable force!
Sreas could feel the dangering right at him, but he wasn''t scared. As a matter of fact, he felt really excited! This was something he had always wanted to feel! This excitement was indescribable.
"Bring it on, Dragonkin!"
Sreas control in his domain suddenly burst and formed a shield of dark energy that absorbed the mes. Confirming that his domain couldst longer, his four arms released the energy it had been gathering to form a small ck me!
"This is called the Asura''s me¡ Avoid it if you can''t handle it¡" Sreas reminded as he controlled the me to hit Chad¡
The force that came with it was so powerful. Even if Chad hadn''t been hit yet, he could tell that the ck me had a bone-crushing force.
Chad already staggered back, seeing that his scales started to crack¡
Of course, these cracks were being regenerated by his Runic Dragon Body, but he couldn''t just receive the attacking at him since the Runic Dragon Body might fail to heal his body in time.
Chad swiftly dodged, but even after managing to do so, he still felt the overwhelming dark me pass through him!
Chad got out of bnce during his escape and crashed to the ground!
"I lost¡" Chad said with a smile of satisfaction. He wasn''t disappointed at all.
He justy there on the ground, panting and battered.
"You''re really strong, Sreas¡" He said with his voice filled with respect.
Chad waited for his reply to acknowledge him as well but he noticed that something was off. Soon, he realized that Sreas seemed to be in a pinch¡
''Wait¡''
Soon, Chad realized what was going on.
The incredibly powerful Dark me that he dodged was heading towards to the other side of the hill!
Sreas couldn''t stop it! It seemed that he could release this trump card as a means to defeat any opponent stronger than him, but he had no way of withdrawing it!
Chad had a decent understanding of how strong that small dark me was. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration that it could destroy a huge city with just that dark me.
After all, that power was something that he had only felt once and it was when Vale used his strongest Celestial Art, the Meteor Summon!
Indeed, that ck me that was the same size as his fist could equal the power of a giant meteor that Vale could summon!
If that attack had been released around here, they might have injured some of the workers around this area because of the shockwave. It might even kill some ordinary people working on the farm several kilometers away!
"Stop it!" Chad shouted.
"I''m trying!" Sreas replied. Perhaps, if he had fully recovered himself. This wouldn''t be a big issue. However, he felt too excited and overestimated himself. He was only thinking of defeating the Dragonkin and not how to handle the aftermath!
It was already toote when he realized his mistake.
"Not good!"
Chad and Sreas said at the same time.
Panic surged through Sreas as he watched the me''s trajectory, knowing he was powerless to stop it.
"Ahh!"
Suddenly, a figure d in a familiar Arcanist Robe appeared in front of the ck me.
It was Vale, the Shadow Immortal. His presence alone made the two individuals feel relieved¡ They might get scolded because of how reckless they were, but it was still better than letting that me cause destruction.
With a swift movement, Vale extended his hand and caught the me, his fingers closing around it with effortless action.
The ck me, which had seemed so unstoppable, was extinguished almost instantly in Vale''s grasp. The dark energy dissipated into the air, leaving nothing but a faint wisp of smoke.
Vale sighed as he looked at the two with an amused smile on his face.
Chapter 891 Odessas Suggestion
891 Odessa''s Suggestion
"Immortal Vale¡" Sreas breathed. There was a sign of relief and admiration in his voice after seeing how the Shadow Immortal had easily extinguished the ck me he had summoned.
He clearly knew how strong it was, and seeing how it was easily dealt with, he could tell that Vale was truly on a different level.
Vale nodded at the two after seeing their reaction.
"You did well, Sreas, but remember, power without control can be dangerous¡ Try to practice this technique with Orden instead. He would have a way of dealing with this technique." Vale said with a tone that was gentle yet firm. "You must learn to master your abilities fully."
"I will keep it in mind, Immortal." Sreas replied with a bow while sping his hands.
Chad, still catching his breath, looked at Vale¡
"Thank you, Vale. That me¡ it was something else¡ Did you use some kind of Celestial Art?" Chad asked after a few moments. He actually didn''t feel any Divinity or Arcane Energy when Vale caught that me. However, he was sure that Vale didn''t just use his natural physique in order to do that. That would be too monstrous, and he believed that Vale would still get injured if he took that head-on, even as an immortal.
Vale turned to Chad, a faint smile ying on his lips. "That''s not a Celestial Art¡" He replied mysteriously since it was the power of his Divine Extraction System¡ He couldn''t just admit it.
"Anyway, it''s good to see you pushing your limits, Chad. But always be mindful of the consequences¡" Shane advised after some thought.
He certainly liked how Chad was so fearless to the point that he would challenge almost anyone just to get stronger. However, if he wasn''t being careful, it could cost him his life.
***
In the meantime, while the three of them were outside the castle, Odessa, the former Royal Mage of the Milton Kingdom, now served as the Law Enforcer of Vale''s Territory, started with her task of patrolling before she turned to the area in the castle that truly caught her interest.
Her mastery of the Holy Arts, Mystic Arts, and Rune Arts,bined with the Sovereign Artifacts in her possession, made her one of the most formidable individuals in Vale''s domain. Few could match her strength and expertise.
However, she wasn''t satisfied with this, as she wanted to expand her knowledge even more.
As she patrolled the territory, Odessa continued to feel the shockwaves emanating from Chad and Sreas''s practice match.
''Those two are really at it¡'' Odessa thought as she shook her head.
The ground trembled slightly beneath her feet, and the air started to feel suffocating the closer she got to their location. It was due to residual energy from their battle. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
She then paused for a moment, considering to warn them, but ultimately decided to ignore it after realizing that Vale was also there. She trusted Vale to handle any potential dangers.
After some time, shepleted her daily routine, and she was finally free to do whatever she wanted.
d in her Arcanist Robe, Odessa made her way to Denise''sboratory.
The robe wasn''t just a simple magical item since it most part of it was actually obtained from the Celestial Prison Realm. To be exact, this robe must be called Pseudo-Celestial Robe at this point.s
09:12
Denise''sboratory was located in the eastern part of the castle¡
The entrance was guarded by enchanted statues or golems. It was something that Denise had personally crafted, and Odessa knew very well not to mess with it.
As Odessa approached, she removed her protective aura that obscured her presence, allowing the statues to recognize her and allow her passage easily.
nk¡ nk¡
Inside, theboratory was just like what she had expected.
It waspletely weird, befitting for someone who had learned Dark Alchemy.
Shelves lined with organs of various creatures and alchemical ingredients surrounded a central workspace filled with intricate machinery and glowing crystals.
The smell of theboratory was also filled with the scent of herbs and blood.
"You''re Odessa, right¡ You''vee at the right time¡ Hurry and wear this coat and gloves. Follow me." Heinz said to the woman he barely recognized.
"Wait? What do you want me to do?" Odessa was confused as she didn''t expect to participate in a project immediately. She nned to observe first and understand the things rted to androids. It was apletely unknown subject for her after all.
"Just listen to me¡" Heinz said.
Odessa could only helplessly smile at this as she nced at the young woman who seemed very busy.
She was Denise, a young and entric Alchemist.
She was hunched over a table and was manipting a series of delicate instruments to study the unfortunate person on the table¡
Indeed, on the dissection table, before shey one of the four Time Maniptors, their bodies suspended in a state of stasis and were now considered to be half-human at this point...
If not for the person''s chest pulsing slowly, she would actually think that he was already dead. Anyway, these individuals, once capable of bending time to their will, were now the subjects of Denise''s groundbreaking research¡
Sensing Odessa''s nce, Denise spoke.
"Lady Odessa, wee," Denise greeted without looking up, her voice tinged with excitement. "I was hoping you''de. I could use your expertise."
"Ahem¡ I need her for a bit, Denise¡" Heinz interjected before the two could chat together.
"Don''t be in a hurry, Sir Heinz¡ We both need her knowledge about the Artificial Human project." Denise said as she finally looked at Odessa.
"Artificial Humans?" Odessa asked.
"Ahh¡ It was Sir Vale who called them that, but you should know them as Druids of the Holy Arts Faction." Denise exined.
Odessa finally realized what Denise was talking about, but she shook her head.
"They''re the project of the Holy Arts Faction. I don''t know much about the Druids. Well, I only know that they were using blood or even creatures from another world to create those." Odessa exined
"If you want to know more about them, you probably have to infiltrate the Holy City and forcibly take it from the headquarters of the Untainted Sentinels."
Chapter 892: Working Together
Chapter 892: Working Together
?
Denise wryly smiled after hearing this. She already knew about this Artificial Human Project from when she heard about it from Vale. As a matter of fact, the Arcane Bureau was also able to obtain such information. However, the Holy City that Odessa had mentioned was something that she couldn''t even get close to because Dark Arts Practitioners are prohibited from entering that ce, or they would be arrested.
''No wonder the Arcane Bureau had such limited information about them. Perhaps the information they obtained was even faked...'' Denise wryly smiled after realizing this.
It wasn''t easy to steal such information, and if Dark Arts Practitioners like her tried going to that ce, they all have the right to take her as it was their territory, and Dark Arts Practitioners would also do the same to Holy Arts Practitioners if they entered the Dark Lands. "I''ll ask Vale about it." Denise replied...
Odessa gently nodded as she understood Denise''s concern.
She then approached the table as her eyes scanned the intricate setup in front of her... ''Life Runes?'' Odessa thought to herself as she realized why the Time Maniptors weren''t dying despite having their organs exposed for a pronged period. She didn''t expect that Denise was actually this amazing. It was no wonder why Vale took highly of this young Alchemist. After studying this rune for a few moments, Odessa turned her attention back to Denise.
"I''ve only heard about your project, Denise. Turning Time Maniptors into Androids... it''s revolutionary. How can I assist?"
Denise smiled after hearing about her project. Her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm as she replied.
"Their temporal abilities are fascinating, but integrating them into an android form is proving to be a challenge. I need your knowledge of Rune Arts to stabilize the temporal abilities and your Holy Arts to ensure their souls remain intact during the transformation."
When ites to Soul Study, there were two Arcane Paths that did them really well. They were the Dark Arts and Holy Arts... Unfortunately, the Dark Arts would most likely corrupt the soul, and that was something that Denise wanted to avoid at this point.
On the other hand, the Holy Arts Faction''s method was a lot gentler and could preserve the Souls of other beings a lot better.
Odessa understood this as she immediately nodded. There was also a hint of excitement that could be seen from her face.
"Alright... You wanted my knowledge of Sacred Soul Runes, right? I will take care of it."
Denise nodded at this since Odessa was basically their only chance of obtaining such knowledge regarding these runes.
Together, they worked tirelessly over the past few weeks. Theirbined expertise pushed the boundaries of what was previously impossible.
Odessa inscribed intricate runes onto the android shells and the Time Maniptors.
Denise, meanwhile, worked together with Heinz as they adjusted the temporal flow of the Time Maniptor''s bodies.
Just like that, theboratory had be very busy for a long time.
***
Meanwhile, in a secluded, dimly lit room within the territory of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets, a gentleman sat enjoying his tea.
The room was adorned with dark wood paneling and red curtains, creating an atmosphere of elegance within the ce.
The man, with his ck hair neatlybed and an attire simr to nobles, exuded an air of sophistication.
His suit was impably tailored,plete with a waistcoat, and a pocket watch chain that could also be seen.
Across from him sat a younger woman, her eyes filled with surprise and curiosity.
"I didn''t expect that you''re still alive, Headmaster..." Miya said, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Indeed, the man before her was Headmaster Jean, who was believed to have perished during the Abyss Invasion.
Yet here he was, very much alive and seemingly unscathed by the years that had passed. Miya even grieved the man''s death, so she just couldn''t ept this.
"The Vermont Academy is already gone... Just call me Jean," he replied, taking a small sip of his tea. He then looked at Miya and smiled with a hint of pride in his eyes.
"I also didn''t expect that you''d be the Chaos Alchemist, Maya. I know you''re special, butn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
I didn''t expect you would be this talented to this extent."
Miya gently nodded... It wasn''t easy to achieve her current achievement.
"It was a difficult path, but I had to do it. The legacy of the Chaos Alchemist is too important to let it fade away."
Jean leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. His gaze was thoughtful as he took a moment before he replied.
"Indeed. The power you now wield is both a blessing and a curse. But I sense you have a purpose in mind." As Jean said this, he looked at Miya seriously.
Miya''s eyes sparkled as she realized that Jean was finally curious about why she decided to meet him...
"I do... Well, I heard from that person about your incredible collection of Immortals... No, to be exact, Celestial Beings... Unfortuantely, most of them are still asleep, and I heard that you''ve been trying to wake them up."
"Ohh... Is that said by your Head Priest? Or is he called Pontiff?" Jean asked.
"It''s not important who I heard them from. In any case, their awakening could change the fate of our world. I believe we can work together to achieve this."
Jean raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Awakening the Celestial Beings is no small feat. What makes you think we can seed where others have failed? Are you confident with the knowledge you obtained from the Chaos Alchemist?"
Jean also had an idea of how to awaken the Celestials. However, it was too difficult. To be honest, the ones he had shown to Vale before were the Celestials who had been killed during his experiments to awaken them.
Furthermore, he had a couple of renowned Alchemists who assisted him at that time.
Miya nodded and leaned forward.
"Yes... Because we have something they didn''t. We have thebined knowledge of the Chaos Alchemist and the former Headmaster of Vermont Academy."
Chapter 893 Fusion
893 Fusion
Jean was able to obtain the bodies of those Immortals not just by pure luck but also with his wealth, connection, and power. He was one who truly wanted to obtain the secrets of the Immortals¡
That was the reason why he truly regretted what had happened to Vale, who turned out to be the Shadow Immortal. If he had stuck with him during that time, perhaps he was already enjoying the benefits of having an Immortal ally.
"You need my failed experiments?" Jean asked after some thoughts. Although he had failed so many times to obtain the secrets of the Immortals, he was still able to discover numerous things. Those failed attempts would definitely save Maya''s time¡
After all, the knowledge she obtained from the Chaos Alchemist wasn''t infinite, and there were still some details that Maya needed to discover herself in order to fully understand some recipes and experiments that she had inherited.
"It''s good that you understand¡ You basically have all the things I need, and I have the knowledge to use them¡ I think that our cooperation will be phenomenal¡ Now that more and more people started bing Arcanist with my assistance, theck of Arcanist Souls that I need would be easily resolved in just a few more years¡"
Jean''s expression didn''t change as he heard this.
''So it''s true¡ A second identity or persona appeared after she became the Chaos Alchemist. Is it the remnant soul of the Chaos Alchemist? No¡ Maybe it''s just a unique trait for those people who had learned Primordial Chaos Arts.'' Jean thought to himself as he recalled that he was warned by one of the Masked Archons of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets about Maya''s second personality that didn''t care about human lives, befitting for the title of Chaos Alchemist.
Nheless, this personality would only appear once she was entranced into something rted to Alchemy.
Jean considered her words, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
"More Archanists Soul, huh¡ You make apelling suggestion, Miya. But we must proceed with caution. The other Churches or maybe even the Shadow Immortal''s faction will not take kindly to our ns if they discover them. As you know, the Arcane Bureau was also working for the Shadow Immortal¡ They have an incredible ability to gather information."
Maya nodded. "We''re lucky that we have the Goddess of Concealment backing us up¡ As long as we stay within the boundaries of the Church, no one will discover our ns. Even if we fail to obtain the powers of the Celestials, I can guarantee you that we will be able to awaken them. We just have to ensure that we''ll be able to control them at that time."
After hearing her confident words, Jean''s eyes gleamed with a hint of excitement.
Now, he just had to worry about transferring these Immortal Bodies to the territory of the Church. After all, the ce where he had hidden these bodies was incredibly far away, and it wouldn''t be easy to conceal them once they had been removed from that special vessel. Their auras would be released, and it wouldn''t be impossible for the others, including the Overseer, to detect them.
"Very well. We shall begin our preparations." Headmaster Jean replied that he had decided to go through Maya''s n. In any case, this was the only way he could think of in order to further advance his strength now that he had lost the support of the Dark Arts Faction after faking his death.
***
In the meantime, while everyone had ns for their future endeavor, Vale also started to do what he really wanted to for a while now.
Vale returned to his room since the familiar surroundings offered him a sense offort and focus.
His room was simple, without many decorations, but it kept his mind at peace. He was also keeping some of his items here that might be helpful to others in case he wasn''t here.
As he settled into his chair, Vale''s mind turned to the Spells he had recently acquired.
They were all thanks to the efforts of Jin, Magnus, Chad, Lisa, and the others, who had prepared numerous corpses for him while he was encased in the ice crystal. After extracting all of them, he now possessed dozens of new Spells.
He was thankful that he had enough Spell Lights to amodate them.
Anyway, most of these Spells were weak on their own¡ There were even spells like Earth Wall, Ghost Hand, Bind Curse, Fire Ball, and others. However, he decided to ept them all.
After all, he had several empty Spell Lights, and Vale knew that by fusing them with his existing repertoire, he could create new, formidable abilities.
He checked his status and listed all of the spells¡
''Let''s hope I''ll get a jackpot this time.'' Vale thought to himself as he nned to have a long day today to fuse many of his Spells¡
His eyes scanned the names of his new Spells and recalled in his mind what they could do¡. He also considered some potentialbinations that he could use to obtain better results. After all, if he fused Spells with some rtion to each other, he knew that he''d get a decent result and not a random average Spell Model...
Anyway, Among the new Spells were minor enchantments and elemental maniptions, but Vale saw their potential for greater things.
''I have some old Spells that weren''t that helpful anymore¡ I should start with them¡'' Vale thought to himself.
He then began with his old powerful Spells: Abyssal Fire, Demon''s Wrath, Oblivion Trace, and Soul Reaper.
These Spells had served him well, but he knew they could be enhanced further. After all, he still had plenty of Essence with him!
[ Essence List:
Imp Essence: 1,007
Fiend Essence: 8,875
Malevolent Essence: 3,950
Draconic Essence: 3,350
Vampire Essence: 9,500
Dark Elf Essence: 1,400
Elf Essence: 5,100 N?v(el)B\\jnn
Corrupted Immortal Essence: 24,300
Immortal Essence: 18,240 ]
It must be remembered that the limit of his Fusion Process was three spells and one Essence. It was a total of four Fusion Slots. Because of that, even a weak Ghost Hand would have a power fusion result with other spells if he just added, for example, a thousand Draconic Essence.
With a deep breath, he started the intricate process of Fusion.
The first Fusionbined Abyssal Fire with several other Spells he had acquired.
[ You have selected Abyssal Fire, Fire Ball, and Bloodlust with 2,000 Immortal Essence. ]
[ All slots have been filled. ]
[ Do you want to start the Fusion? ]
"Yes¡"
[ Spell Fusion Sessful ]
[ Abyssal Fire, Fire Ball, and Bloodlust Spell Models have merged into the Fire Lord Spell Model ]
[ You have 5 seconds to undo the Fusion, which will cost 50 Divinity Points. ] [ Do you wish to ept this Spell Model? ] 5... 4... 3... 2¡
[ The Spell Model had been imprinted to your body. ]
[ You have acquired the Fire Lord Spell Model ]
Chapter 894 Isolation
894 Istion
The Spell Fusion''s result didn''t disappoint at all.
As soon as the Spell Model was imprinted on his Spell Light, he was able to fully understand the Spell.
TheFire Lord Spell wouldn''t actually turn him into a being of fire¡ Instead, it was a Spell that could summon a towering and living Spirit of Fire, capable of incinerating anything in its path. What made it really special was the fact that the mes it was capable of releasing were imbued with dark energy, making them nearly impossible to extinguish.
''I guess that the 2,000 Immortal Essence was enough to birth a Spirit, huh¡'' Vale mused as he didn''t expect to have a spell capable of summoning a living spirit with the three spells he had justbined.
After appreciating the spell for some time, Vale continued with his Spell Fusion.
Value turned his attention to Demon''s Wrath Spell¡ By merging it with some other binding spells and including a thousand of Fiend Essence, he created True Astral Chains.
This Spell allowed him to summon ethereal chains that could bind and drain the life force of his enemies, while also providing a means of teleportation by linking different points in space.
''It seems that I have to say goodbye to my Broken Arcana¡'' Vale thought to himself.
He then continued with his task and selected some other Spell Models.
[ You have selected Oblivion Trace, Mind Protection, and Water Shield with 1,000 Draconic Essence. ]
[ All slots have been filled. ]
[ Do you want to start the Fusion? ]
"Yes¡" Vale replied without any hesitation.
[ Spell Fusion Sessful ]
[ Oblivion Trace, Mind Protection, and Water Shield Spell Models have merged into the Soul Shield Spell Model ]
[ You have 5 seconds to undo the Fusion, which will cost 50 Divinity Points. ]
[ Do you wish to ept this Spell Model? ]
5... 4... 3... 2¡
[ The Spell Model had been imprinted to your body. ]
[ You have acquired the Soul Shield Spell Model ]
Vale had a satisfied smile after seeing the new Level 7 Spell Model in his body. Perhaps he would have no issue defending himself against the Death God''s Spirit if he had this Soul Shield Spell to begin with.
Nheless, because he had this now, he was no longer afraid, even if several powerful Spirits or Souls started attacking his body.
The Soul Shield Spell was a powerful defensive spell that could protect him from psychic attacks and soul attacks! In his opinion, this was definitely a great Spell Fusion. After all, the only valuable thing he used was the 1,000 Draconic Essence.
Finally, Vale looked at this set of Spells and noticed the Soul Reaper. Soul Reaper was an Attack Spell that ignored defense, especially those with no Divinity.
It may seem good at first, but at this point, he doesn''t really need to use such a powerful spell against mortals. He could use so many other Spells or even just his Domain to kill them. He doesn''t need such aplicated Spell at all. Furthermore, this Mystic Art couldn''t really affect those Immortals since they have Divinity that protects them from such Arcane Spells.
Because of that, Vale decided to fuse this as well. Bybining it with Spells from the Dimensional Creatures and adding 5,000 Immortal Essence, he created Blink Spell!
"What?" Vale was shocked.
This Spell granted him the ability to teleport short distances instantly, making him nearly impossible to catch and allowing him to strike with unparalleled speed... He didn''t expect such a great Spell to appear at all! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
As Valepleted the fusion process, he suddenly felt really tired. He felt truly a lot stronger now, especially after he had woken up from the Crystal Prison¡ It must be remembered that previously, he couldn''t continuously fuse his Spell Models. He had to wait for some time to fuse them.
However, just now, he was able to repeatedly do it¡ Only after his fourth Spell Fusion did he feel tired. It was already a fantastic result!
Nheless, as soon as he checked his status, the Divinity that had disappeared from him wasn''t actually low. Previously, he only needed to spend a hundred Divinity Points to Fuse his Spells.
However, this time, he actually spent more than 3,000 Divinity Points!
''Ugh¡ How expensive¡ It''ll take me some time to recover such Divinity.'' Vale wryly smiled after realizing this. Although he could generate Divinity with his body, it wasn''t instantaneous and would take quite some time.
***
In the meantime, in a realm where time flowed differently, a majestic pce could be seen at the center of a floating ind.
This was the domain of the Time Maniptors, a ce they liked to call Void¡
Within the pce, in a grand hall adorned with beautiful timepieces and golden hoursses, sat the Timeless King.
The Timeless King, a figure filled with mystery, wore simple robes that didn''t emit any strange power...
As he sat upon his throne, a messenger approached, bowing deeply before presenting a sealed scroll.
"Your Majesty, we have received a report from our scouts in the Human Realm," the messenger said, his voice trembling with urgency.
The Timeless King took the scroll, his fingers skillfully breaking the seal.
As he read the contents, his expression grew grave. The report confirmed that traces of the Paragon''s Divine Extraction power had been detected in the Human Realm.
This power, capable of extracting and manipting the very essence of beings, was a force to be reckoned with.
The Timeless King knew the implications all too well.
The Divine Extraction was a power that could disrupt the bnce of realms, causing untold chaos and destruction.
He had to make a decision: either seize the power from its current holder or iste the Human Realm entirely to prevent any potential threat outside its realm.
''Mhmmm...
He pondered the situation as he considered countless possibilities.
The Divine Extraction was not something to be taken lightly. It was a power that could rival even his own abilities, and allowing it to remain unchecked was a risk he could not afford.
After a moment of hesitation, the Timeless King made his decision.
Chapter 895 Pay Up
895 Pay Up
The Timeless King summoned the Overseers, his most trusted and powerful lieutenants. Each one of them was a master of a certain Spell that he needed in order to make his n work.
"Overseers¡" He spoke with his voice that echoed through the hall¡
Suddenly, several figures immediately appeared. Their appearance was blurred as they weren''t truly within the Pce. What the Timeless King was seeing was merely their clones that were left in this ce.
"We have confirmed the presence of the Paragon''s Divine Extraction power in the Human Realm. This power poses a significant threat to the bnce of our realms. We must act swiftly and decisively."
The Overseers listened intently. Their expressions could not be seen, but they were all shocked and took everything seriously. They knew the gravity of the situation and the potential consequences of their actions.
The Three Paragons caused plenty of problems not only for the Celestial Beings but also for them.
"We have two options," the Timeless King continued. "We can either take the power from its current holder or iste the Human Realm entirely¡"
The King paused for a moment after revealing the options he had thought of.
Seeing that everyone doesn''t have any opinions, he continued.
"Given the risks involved, I have decided that we must ensure the Human Realm is forever incapable of essing the other realms. We will block them from any possible Dimensional Travel."
The Overseers nodded in agreement, understanding the necessity of the decision.
None of them wanted to deal with such a powerful figure. No one would volunteer to be the first sacrifice.
After all, even though they believed that they could overpower the Extractor, numerous Time Maniptors would be sacrificed. They didn''t want their descendants or even themselves to be those sacrifices.
Unlike the Celestial Beings who are Immortals, Time Maniptors like them had finite lives¡ Only the Timeless King had the power tost forever, thanks to his Crown.
As for them, they would have to use their Soul Force to use the power of time. At most, they could leave for a few hundred years with a few tricks, but that was it. They may be able to manipte time, but ites with a cost.
At this time, they could only agree to their King.
Soon, the Timeless King raised his hand, and a shimmering portal appeared before them, leading to the Human Realm.
"Go now," hemanded. "Ensure that the Human Realm is sealed off from the rest of the realms. Use all the power at your disposal to create an imprable barrier. We cannot allow the Divine Extraction to threaten our existence."
Everyone was relieved seeing the decisiveness of the Timeless King.
With a unified bow, the burred figures of the Overseers suddenly changed into their real appearance. Everyone wore Blue Robes with several golden lines on their emblem, indicating their special status. Soon, they stepped through the portal and dissolved into the fabric of time.
"Haa~"
The Timeless King watched them go silently. He knew that isting the Human Realm was a drastic measure, but it was necessary to protect the delicate bnce of the multiverse.
As the portal closed, the Timeless King returned to his throne, his mind already contemting the next steps. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He would need to monitor the situation closely, ensuring that the barrier would be ced and that no other threats could emerge.
***
In the meantime, within the Human Realm, the sky darkened as the Overseers began their work.
No one had any idea of what was going on as the sky suddenly darkened, even without the sign of a sr eclipse.
However, that was only true for the average people and Arcanists.
For the Half-Immortals and Immortals, including other powerful figures within the Human Realm, they could tell that there was something going on.
It felt simr to the creation of Gates in the Abyss Realm''s invasion, but it also felt different since they could feel it everywhere.
The dozens of Arcane Towers that were sensitive to such changes in the flow of Arcane Energy had their rms set off, but the owners of the Towers couldn''t find out where the problem wasing from.
To be honest, even Vale was actually clueless about the true situation¡
''This is weird¡'' Vale thought to himself.
Suddenly, he received telepathy from Merlin, the Overseer of the human realm.
"Lord Vale, I think that an outside force is trying to harm our home¡ You might have to consider asking the Avatars of the deities that were hiding within their holy grounds..."Merlin said cautiously. After all, he wasn''t sure about Vale''s rtionship with the Churches.
"If that''s the case, I''ll try to speak with them¡" Vale answered after some thought.
"Then, please visit the Church of the Lord of the Secrets first. I had a feeling that their goddess would assist you." Merlin said mysteriously.
It seemed that working as an Overseer for a long time allowed him to have some rtionships with the prominent churches.
Vale trusted Merlin''s judgment and decided to investigate.
Without any more hesitation, Vale vanished from his room and reappeared at the base of a towering mountain. Before himy a daunting staircase of 2,000 steps, leading to the nearest branch of the Church of the Lord of the Secrets.
This was his first timeing here, and he had only read about this in the reports from the Arcane Bureau.
The path was steep and nked by ancient trees, making this ce truly different.
Vale took a deep breath and began his ascent. As he ced his foot on the first step, a voice broke the silence.
"Hey¡ The church is closed today. Even if you wish to go up, you have to pay first."
Vale turned to see a young acolyte, who he had initially thought was sleeping, sitting on a nearby rock.
The acolyte''s eyes were sharp and alert, but a mischievous grin was also ying on his lips.
On the other hand, Vale realized that he was actually wearing casual clothes, making him look like an average person, especially after he suppressed his aura.
Chapter 896 Finding the Extractor
896 Finding the Extractor
''I guess it''s my fault that I look so ordinary. However, why is he being so aggressive?'' Vale shook his head as he reached this thought.
"I am here on urgent business. The sky darkened for an hour, and I believe that someone in your temple knows what''s going on. I need to speak with your Pontiff."
The acolyte shrugged nonchntly. "Rules are rules. No one goes up without paying the fee."
Vale''s patience was wearing thin. "And what is this fee?"
The acolyte''s grin widened. "A secret. You must share a secret with me, something you''ve never told anyone."
''What the¡ªIs this the reason why this is the Church of the Lord of the Secrets? They had to know about their secrets?'' Vale rxed and felt a bit amused by the situation.
This part wasn''t reported in the Arcane Bureau''s reports. It was probably just made up by this acolyte, or perhaps, it wasn''t really that important to be reported in the first ce. Anyway, since he wasn''t feeling any threat from the sudden sr eclipse, he decided to just take his time and follow this young acolyte¡ Although he could just force his way, it wasn''t harmful to just go with the flow for now.
Vale then considered for a few moments¡ He considered what lie or what secret he would share.
''I should probably tell a true secret¡ May secrets were some sort of currency of power of the Lord of the Secrets.'' Vale thought but knew that it was too much to think about it.
Then, he leaned in closer to the acolyte¡ "Very well. A secret, huh¡ I once spared an enemy who had wronged me deeply, believing that mercy would change him. It did not. He betrayed me again, and many lives were lost because of my decision. Is that secret good enough¡"
Strangely enough, as soon as he spoke, he felt a power simr to Divine Sense scanning him. It was subtle and wasn''t really an invasive sort of detection.
''Interesting¡'' Vale thought as he tried to sense where the Divine Sense came from but failed even after doing so.
On the other hand, the acolyte''s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"Interesting. People would normally say something like the secret crush or the things they''ve stolen when they were young¡ Hehehe¡ You may proceed."
Vale continued his ascent, and each step brought him closer to the temple.
However, there was also a strange pressure building up around his body. The air grew colder and the path felt suffocating¡
But this challenge was just enough for Arcanists. It wasn''t good enough to hinder Vale''s progress. If one looked at him, it would seem as if he was just taking a stroll. Completely unbothered by the Formation Arts that were ced on the stairs¡
''This is not a bad challenge. Maybe I can use this method as an exam when I build my own Academy?'' Vale thought for a moment. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Then, as he neared the top, he sensed a presence watching him.
Shadowy figures flickered at the edge of his vision, so he knew he was not alone.
''They must be the Masked Archons I''ve heard about. They''re actually quite decent¡ No wonder the Arcane Bureau can''t handle them.'' Vale mused as he confirmed that only those at the half-immortal level could probably handle these people.
''Very impressive¡ If they have the number, it wouldn''t be surprising if they can contend against the Fortune Goddess'' church.
Finally, he reached the entrance of the temple...
Shane appreciated the sight for a moment. After all, the grand doors were adorned with intricate carvings depicting the deity of the Goddess of Concealment.
Then, after confirming that the shadowy figures weren''t nning to open the door to him or invite him inside, he decided to do it himself.
''Are they being wary of me? Well, I guess that sounds fair.'' Vale thought. He knew how powerful he was, and if he was in their position, he might also keep his distance.
With a sigh, Vale pushed the door open and stepped inside. The temple had the scent of incense, and it was also filled with Arcane Energy... If he was a normal Arcanist, this ce would surely benefit him when imprinting Spell Models in his Spell Lights.
Anyway, the interior of the building or church was dimly lit, with candles casting long shadows on the stone walls.
At the far end of the hall, a figure stood waiting. Vale was able to guess that it was the Avatar of the Goddess, her form ethereal and radiant. Her eyes, like pools of liquid silver, met Vale''s with an intensity that made him pause.
Nheless, Vale''s first opinion was that this beauty seemed more profound and attractive than Farah, the Fortune Goddess.
"Vale, the Shadow Immortal," she greeted¡
Vale nodded. "That''s me¡ The sky darkened for an hour. And I felt something off about it... Do you know what happened?"
Actually, Vale also wanted to ask about the Chaos Alchemist and the Blood Soulcaster. However, the matter with this realm was more important, and he had to know what was really going on.
The Avatar''s expression grew somber after hearing his question.
"The darkness was a warning, a sign of a great disturbance in the bnce of realms. I sensed numerous people cursed by time iste the Human Realm, preventing any dimensional travel¡ I do not know their purpose¡"
"They did what? Ahem¡ They isted the Human Realm? Just why?" Vale was confused.
However, the Avatar just smiled¡ "It could be for our benefit¡ It depends on how you view it."
Vale shook his head¡ "Preventing us using dimensional travel, huh¡ But will it stop them froming to us?"
Seeing that Vale was not satisfied, the Avatar''s gaze softened. "Do you want to do something about it? There is always a way, but it will not be easy. You must find the Divine Extractor¡"
As soon as Vale heard this, he immediately looked closely at the goddess''s eyes.
Chapter 897 Finding the Alchemist
897 Finding the Alchemist
Without a doubt, Vale was aware that he was the Divine Extractor. He also believed that the Goddess of Concealment and Secrecy should be aware of this.
However, with the way she was saying it, it seemed as if she had no idea about the Divine Extractor''s identity.
"Can you tell me what the Divine Extractor must do if I ever find him?" Vale asked as he decided to just go with the flow.
The Avatar of the Goddess then spoke¡
"They should be capable of removing this seal if they already grasped the power that he needed." The Avatar said mysteriously.
However, Vale wouldn''t just let it end like that.
"Can''t you just tell what kind of power it is?" He asked.
"If you''re not aware of it, then you haven''t seen it yet. It''s something you''ll know once you''re ready." The Avatar said once again before disappearingpletely from Vale''s sight.
It probably meant that the conversation was over, and he already had to leave.
Vale was, of course, unconvinced and still doubting the information he had just heard, but it seemed that this Avatar was limited by a rule she couldn''t speak of.
''Whatever¡ I''ll find that out someday if it''s really fated¡ In any case, that sr eclipse wasn''t some sort of invasion or a bad omen¡''
There''s no disastering to this realm, and if he thinks of it from a different perspective, this might also mean that there would be years of peace within the continent!
If their realm was truly isted, the Will of the Realm could peacefully recover as there wouldn''t be any Realm Invasion that would happen any time soon.
After thinking about this, Vale felt that it wasn''t really that bad.
For now, however, he doesn''t have ns of leaving this ce yet. He had to tell a secret to get here, so he might as well check and investigate the ce.
"I will explore the Temple¡" Then, he approached one of the hidden Masked Archons, whose presence was barely perceptible in the shadows.
"As long as you don''t enter the sacred grounds¡" the Masked Archon replied. His voice was a whisper that seemed to blend with the wind. It was an incredible stealth ability.
Nheless, with permission granted, Vale began his exploration. The temple grounds were vast and filled with Arcane Energy that seemed to help Elemental and Mystic Arts Practitioners... n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
''This ce looks like a buddhist temple at some point¡'' Vale mused.
There were ancient trees with huge roots around the serene ponds, and their surfaces reflected the structures of the surrounding temples.
There were also acolytes that moved about, tending to their duties. They were cleaning the handrails, sweeping the floor, and performing various other tasks¡
Anyway, Vale''s primary goal was to find the Chaos Alchemist, who was rumored to reside within the Temple.
However, as he wandered around, he found no trace of the figure.
''I should''ve asked the Masked Archon a while ago¡ But I can''t sense his presence now.'' Vale thought. He guessed that the Goddess must''ve helped her servant hide their presence, so he couldn''t find them now.
"Well¡ There are many highly protected areas filled with strange barriers. This ce is truly full of secrets," Vale mused as his curiosity was piqued by theyers of enchantments and wards he sensed around him.
He could only guess that within one of these enchantments, the Chaos Alchemists must be hiding.
As he continued his exploration, a group of priests in red and white robes noticed him.
Vale''s simple attire made him blend in with ordinary people, who weren''t normally allowed to explore around the Temple. Obviously, the priests were puzzled by his presence.
They approached him while also scanning his Arcane Energy. After a few moments, their expressions became a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
"Who are you, and what business do you have here?" one of the priests demanded. His tone was a bit sharp, showing a bit of hostility.
Vale was surprised that they would be this hostile to someone they didn''t recognize. After all, he was able to reach this Temple for a reason.
Anyway, Vale remained calm as his eyes steadily met the priest''s gaze.
"I am merely a traveler, seeking knowledge and understanding of this sacred ce." He replied before he decided to continue walking around.
However, the priest narrowed his eyes. "This is no ce for idle wanderers. The secrets here are not for the unqualified."
Before Vale could respond, another priest stepped forward, his eyes widening in recognition.
"Wait¡ I know who he is. This is Vale, the Shadow Immortal."
Vale really thought that this interaction would escte, but it seemed that there was no need to make them realize who they were talking to. With that, he quietly stopped his Divinity from pressuring everyone.
Nheless, after one of them said this, a murmur of surprise rippled through the group.
The first priest''s demeanor shifted from suspicion to respect, though a hint of wariness remained. "Forgive us, Shadow Immortal. We did not recognize you."
The Shadow Immortal''s image had been in several newspapers already, but because the image was always in ck Arcanist Robe, they didn''t immediately recognize the Shadow Immortal.
Vale nodded, epting the apology. "No harm done. I was hoping to find the Chaos Alchemist. I have questions that only they can answer."
The priests exchanged nces, their expressions troubled. "The Chaos Alchemist''s location is also a secret for lowly red-robed priests like us," the second priest said.
"But if you announce the presence of extremely rare Alchemy Material, they might send someone to take it from you¡ I mean, to purchase it from you." He added.
This shocked Vale for a bit, but after some thought, it certainly made sense that the Chaos Alchemist must be only interested in Alchemical Ingredients or anything rted to Alchemy. "That''s a good idea..." Vale muttered as he considered what item he would use to attract the Alchemist.
Chapter 898 Collections
898 Collections
Vale considered the suggestion as he felt that it was also important for him to get acquainted with this incredible Alchemist who was capable of turning ordinary people into an Arcanist.
"Rare Alchemy Materials, huh¡" He muttered. He wasn''t too knowledgeable about alchemy and relied mostly on his extracted memory fragments. Even with that, the knowledge that he had wasn''tparable to Master Alchemists.
Nheless, with his Divine Sense and other skills, he could tell which items were considered low-quality or high-quality.
"Let''s see¡"
Vale then pondered over what items he could use to attract the Chaos Alchemist. After some time, he decided to utilize some of the rare materials and treasures that the expedition team had brought back from the Celestial Prison Realm.
These items were not only valuable but also possessed unique properties that would undoubtedly pique the interest of any alchemist. Some of them were found in the Prison Towers, while the others were found in theboratory where the Perfect Vessel was located.
One of them was Celestial Lotus¡ He doesn''t know much about it, but ording to the Asura, it was very valuable.
As he took it out, this ethereal flower glowed with a soft, golden light. ording to Sreas, it blooms only once every thousand years in the Celestial Realm. The petals of the Celestial Lotus are known to enhance the potency of any potion or elixir, making it a highly sought-after ingredient for alchemists. As soon as he took it out, the priests'' eyes immediately went wide as they were shocked by the energy it was emitting.
Gulp!
They didn''t speak but from their reaction, Vale could tell that this was indeed a valuable material.
"If it''s too valuable, I don''t really want to sell it." Vale thought, although he had 17 of them. There were also eight of them shared by Denise, Faith, and Odessa.
The next item in his possession was the Starfire Gem, and he probably got more than a thousand of these¡
Although this item wasn''t meant for potions and pills, this radiant gemstone contained the very essence of a star and was very important for the Art of Craft.
The Starfire Gem could emit a warm, pulsating light and was believed to have the power to amplify magical equipment and enchantments. Its rarity and power make it a prized possession.
"This gem should be good, but I should probably add a few more to make sure¡" Vale thought as he considered the Elysian Fruit, Astral Essence, and Voidroot after some considerations.
The Elysian Fruit had a shape simr to an apple, but it had a silver skin. This fruit was known for its incredible healing properties. Consuming even a small piece of the Elysian Fruit can cure the most severe ailments and restore vitality. It is a treasure among healers and alchemists alike. However, there was also a negative effect on it, which could make the consumer unable to ess their Spell Lights for some time. Of course, as long as it wasn''t consumed raw and was processed by Alchemists, it wouldn''t be a huge problem¡ n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The Astral Essence, on the other hand, seemed to be verymon in the Celestial Prison Realm. Nheless, it could be very important here in the Human Realm.
In total, they were able to obtain a total of 300 vials of this essence.
Looking at it, it looked like a normal vial containing a swirling, luminescent liquid like normal Arcane Recovery Potions.
ording to the angel that they recruited, the astral essence was distilled from the ether of the celestial realm and was said to grant knowledge or insight to those who consumed it. Its properties make it an invaluable tool for those seeking enlightenment.
Vale wasn''t sure whether this could really be helpful. After all, the Chaos Alchemist probably doesn''t need enlightenment. But since the others were expecting a lot about this, it might be useful for some mid-grade potions that the Chaos Alchemist could do.
Finally, Vale looked at the Voidroot. There weren''t many of these in the items they collected. There were only a total of 8 of them.
It was a dark, twisted root that absorbs light and radiates a faint, dark glow...
This item was quite unusual, and Vale initially nned to let his side explore its capabilities. However, since he only nned on selling one of them, he didn''t mind using it.
Anyway, the Voidroot was known for its ability to nullify curses and dark magic. It was a crucial ingredient in many protective and purifying rituals, making it highly coveted by practitioners of both holy and dark arts.
Having made his decision, Vale decided to sell the10 vials of Astral Essence, 5 Elysian Fruit, 50 Starfire Gem and 1 Voidroot¡
Then, he was told by the Red Robed Priests to actually visit the Third Hall Master of the temple to take care of this matter. After asking them, he soon made his way to the third Temple Hall Master as instructed by the red-robed priests.
The Hall Master''s office was located in another building, a grand structure with intricate carvings and symbols of the Lord of the Secrets.
Upon entering, Vale was greeted by a stern-looking man seated behind arge, ornate desk.
He was already expecting Vale to arrive and he was actually quite excited about it¡
"Mhmm¡ What brings you here, Shadow Immortal?"
The Hall Master, who was wearing a blue and gold robe, said. Then, he assessed Vale with his Appraisal Eyes.
"I have some rare items that I believe will interest the Chaos Alchemist," Vale replied, presenting the carefully selected treasures.
The Hall Master''s eyes widened slightly as he examined the items.
He actually had no idea about these items since it was his first time seeing them.
However, with his Appraisal Eyes, he could vaguely tell how valuable they were and the effects that they had. Nheless, he still couldn''t name any of them.
"These are indeed extraordinary. I will inform the Chaos Alchemist about these items. Please wait here¡"
Vale nodded, feeling a sense of anticipation. He was already excited to know who this Chaos Alchemist was.
tment for this chapter.
Chapter 899 Curses
899 Curses
Vale heard the excitement in the man''s voice and nodded¡
"Go ahead and do what you need to do¡ Do you need to take them?"
"No need¡ I can''t handle these things, and there might be a problem if they aren''t properly stored. Please take it with you. I already recorded the items."
"Alright¡" Vale replied.
He also felt a sense of anticipation, seeing that the items he brought out seemed really important...
''I wonder what kind of person this Chaos Alchemist is.'' He mused¡ He felt confident that these items would catch the attention of the Chaos Alchemist.
"Very well¡ This might take some time, but you can explore the temple while you wait. However, it shouldn''t take an hour, so please don''t go too far." The Temple Hall Master said.
With the arrangements made, Vale continued his exploration of the temple grounds. It was certainly a lot better than just waiting silently inside the office.
As he wandered through the gardens and ancient structures, Vale couldn''t help but feel how marvelous this ce was.
''Mhmm?''
Suddenly, Shane felt a strong wave of Arcane Energy in one of the temples. This wave of energy wasn''t harmful but was actually incredibly beneficial for many Arcanists within the Temple.
''Is that the ce where the Chaos Alchemist is staying?'' He thought.
Nheless, even though he was curious, he decided not to offend the Chaos Alchemist and continued looking around, and he even chatted with various red-robed priests or acolytes.
Hours passed, and just as Vale was beginning to wonder if he would hear back from the Chaos Alchemist, a young acolyte approached him.
"The Chaos Alchemist has agreed to meet with you," the acolyte said, bowing respectfully. "Please follow me."
There weren''t any other details aside from that, but it was enough.
Vale''s heart quickened with excitement as he followed the acolyte through various Concealing Formation Arts as expected of the Temple of the Goddess of Concealment and Secrecy.
After some time, they finally arrived at a secluded chamber, its entrance guarded by powerful wards and enchantments.
''Sovereign Artifacts?'' Vale mused as he assessed the amount of energy from these things. Although he already had some Artifacts at this level, they were still something that you wouldn''t normally see.
Soon, the acolyte gestured for Vale to enter, and he stepped inside, the door closed silently behind him.
The chamber was dimly lit, with shelves lined with ancient tomes and alchemical equipment. In the center of the room stood a figure cloaked in shadows, their presencemanding and enigmatic.
"Wee, Shadow Immortal," the Chaos Alchemist said, her voice was melodic and most of all, very familiar. "I have heard of your offerings. Let us discuss how we might assist each other."
As soon as Vale stepped into the chamber, he was taken aback by the sight of the Chaos Alchemist. The figure standing before him wasn''t some mysterious, ancient sage cloaked in dark robes as he had imagined.
No, this was someone he recognized instantly.
"Maya?!" he blurted out, eyes wide with disbelief. He could simply not connect her to the supposed sessor of the Chaos Alchemist.
''How did she do it?''
Vale knew she had joined the church under the alias "Miya" to distance herself from her powerful family, but thest thing he expected was for her to rise to the rank of the Chaos Alchemist''s sessor.
Maya smiled warmly at Vale''s reaction as she fixed her golden-blonde hair. Previously, she felt so little in front of the Shadow Immortal, but now, although she knew she was still weaker, she felt a lot more at ease while conversing with him.
Furthermore, the fact that she was showing her blonde hair also shows that she no longer feared her family from finding out her current situation. Gone was the disguise of Miya¡
"Ahem¡ It''s been a while, Immortal Vale," she said, her voice calm yet yful. "I''ve only recently taken on the inheritance of the Chaos Alchemist and became its sessor, so I didn''t have the chance to visit you."
She gestured for him to take a seat. The ce was filled with the rich, earthy scent of herbs and alchemical ingredients. However, for Vale, it was refreshing rather than overwhelming.
"Just call me Vale, Chaos Alchemist Maya¡"
"Haha¡ Then you should also call me Maya." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Vale smiled and sat down, he couldn''t help but feel both nostalgic and curious about how far his former ssmate hade.
Maya, now seated across from him, sped her hands together and leaned in slightly. "So," she began, her eyes twinkling with interest, "I was informed by the Temple Hall Master about those precious items."
Vale nodded, still processing the unexpected reunion. "I''ve gathered a few rare items that I believe would catch your eye."
He then flicked his wrist and soon, in front of them were the ten vials of Astral Essence, five Elysian Fruits, fifty Starfire Gems, and a single Voidroot. Each item radiated its own unique aura, and Maya''s eyes immediately locked onto them, her expression turning serious.
She leaned closer, inspecting the items one by one. Her fingers brushed the Voidroot lightly, and a small, impressed smile curved her lips.
"I''m really curious how you got these things, Vale. These are not just valuable; they''re extraordinary."
Maya stood up, pacing around her alchemical workspace, deep in thought.
"The Astral Essence alone is something that shouldn''t even exist here. Its ability to grant insight and rity is something many Arcanists would kill for. And the Voidroot¡" She stopped, eyeing the dark, twisted root. "This could nullify even the strongest curses I could think of¡ Even Forbidden Curses¡ like Immortality¡ Of course, it''s also invaluable for protection in both alchemical experiments and dangerous rituals."
"Curse of Immortality?" Vale paused for a moment as he just thought of curses that could corrupt or kill living beings. He didn''t expect that the Voidroot could also do such a thing¡
Now, he couldn''t help but hesitate to sell one of these¡ However, without the Chaos Alchemist''s knowledge, he also wouldn''t have any idea what it could do!
Chapter 900: The Vessel
Chapter 900: The Vessel
?
"Yes... But other ingredients would be needed for that. However, the Voidroot is the main one." Maya exined.
Vale nodded as it certainly made sense. After all, this Voidroot would be such a powerful weapon against Immortals if it were too easy to use them.
"I figured they''d be valuable... It''s a good thing that you can tell as well." Vale replied.
Maya chuckled and turned to face him.
"You always did have a good eye for opportunity." Maya said with a chuckle, recalling how Vale would always know the best materials when making rituals, especially the one with the human bone powder.
She returned to her seat and fixed him with a thoughtful gaze. "I''m willing to negotiate. Given the rarity of what you''ve brought, I''ll offer you something that I think will be of great use to someone in your position."
She reached into a drawer, retrieving several items that she carefully ced on the table in front of Vale. "First, I''ll give you these," she said, pushing forward several glowing bottles filled with a brilliant emerald-green liquid.
Vale raised an eyebrow. "What are these?"
"Elixirs of Shadow Fortification," Maya exined. "They enhance the abilities of someone like yourself, reinforcing your control over shadow maniption, increasing the density of shadow, and providing resistance against light-based magic. These will help you push your limits. Well, I believe that if the seal in our realm didn''t happen, you''d probably ascend to the Shadow Realm."
"Wait... You''re are aware of the Shadow Realm?" Vale asked in surprise.
However, Maya shook her head.
"I don''t know much about it, to be honest. However, I know for a fact that this realm existed, and there were Shadow Sentinels who had simrities to your existence." She exined.
Vale nodded. He wasn''t too disappointed since this knowledge wasn''t rted to Alchemy. Nheless, the fact that Maya believed that he was nning to travel to the Shadow Realm made him a bit curious about what she believed he would gain there.
Anyway, he observed the Elixir using his Divine Sense and he even realized that it could be extracted by his system...
''Now... That''s surprising...'' Vale felt surprised since extracting potions wasn''t something he''d normally do. Furthermore, he probably just got some type of essence or energy from it, which was something worse. He''d rather consume the Elixir than make it useless with his Extraction.
"That''s not all," Maya continued, producing another set of pills, each encased in what looked like small spheres of starlight.
"These are Immortal Restoration Pills. They''re only useful to those with Divinity. You''re probably aware that most Artifacts, Pills, and Potions are no longer useful to you. It''s all because of the Divinity in your bidy... However, with these pills I made, Half-Immortals or even Immortals would benefit from it. They speed up recovery from serious wounds and replenish your Divinity at an elerated rate."
Vale''s interest deepened. These were rare and powerful items-exactly the sort of tools he could make use of.
Maya wasn''t done. She tapped the table lightly, and a small, ornate box appeared, glowing with protective runes.
''Ohh? The Chaos Alchemist is actually proficient with Rune Arts...'' Vale thought to himself after having a quick analysis on the box.
"Inside this box are five Eternal Mist Talismans. They grant you the ability to slip into the ethereal realm for a short time, perfect for evasive maneuvers against Time Maniptors... Well, I made plenty of these since I thought that Time Maniptors would start invading us. However, based on the news I got. I shouldn''t be worrying about that, right?" Maya exined, hinting that she knew that they have captured or even enved some Time Maniptors.
Vale had no idea how she was aware of that, but knowing she was still working with the Goddess of Concealment and Secrecy, it really seemed possible that she was updated on their movements.
Vale then leaned forward slightly, considering the offer. It was tempting, no doubt. Potions, pills, and talismans like these were priceless items since they were all guaranteed by the Chaos Alchemist...
But still, he wanted to push a little further. "That''s a generous offer, Maya," Vale began, stroking his chin. "But given the nature of the Voidroot and the potential of the Astral Essence, I think we could strike a more bnced deal. Perhaps you could throw in a few of those incredible potions that could turn ordinary people into Arcanists."
Maya raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You mean the Philisoper''s Elixir? You drive a hard bargain, Vale."
"I think it''s fair," Vale replied smoothly. "After all, these items aren''t easy toe by." Maya considered for a moment, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Then, she smiled. "Alright, Vale. I''ll add in a batch of Philisoper''s Elixir... Twenty of them... Fair enough?"
Vale grinned. "Now that''s a deal."
They sealed the arrangement with a handshake, and Vale couldn''t help but feel satisfied. Not only had he managed to trade his rare items for things that would aid him in the near future, but he also reconnected with a key figure of this continent, Maya Featherstar-one who had clearly risen to extraordinary heights in her own right.
As Maya began packing up the items they had agreed upon, she nced at him with a knowing smile. "It''s good to see you again, Vale. I have a feeling we''ll be crossing paths more often
now."
Vale nodded. "I look forward to it."
***
Finally, Vale returned to his castle...N?v(el)B\\jnn
It was finally time to deal with one of the items that the expedition group brought back. ''Orden and Ryzoir should be done analyzing it...'' Vale mused.
As he walked through the halls of the castle, he was already looking forward to seeing the item: the Perfect Vessel.
This Vessel, ording to the initial research conducted by his Avatar and the others, was a genderless human body created by the Celestial Beings. It was designed to allow spirits to enter easily but not exit, providing a means for the Celestials to avoid curses, corruption, injuries, or diseases that they could not heal.
Currently, the body was perfectly preserved in a chamber deep within the castle...
Chapter 901: The 16th Path
Chapter 901: The 16th Path
?
The Perfect Vessel wasn''t just in any chamber. It was a chamber that hade from the Celestial Prison Realm itself to perfectly preserve it.
Vale made his way to the hall after greeting Chad, Sreas, and the others...
Tap. Tap. Tap...
As he descended, the ce grew colder, and the presence of the Dragons became a lot noticeable. Finally, he reached the Dragon''s Chamber, where the Vessel was also being kept.
The body, or the Vessel,y in a strange capsule. It was an advanced technology that only the Celestials could possess at that time.
Vale nodded at the two Dragons who were sleeping, and they acknowledged his presence for a brief moment. There was no need for conversation at all.
Seeing through the ss, Valeadmired the Vessel''s features before he decided to open it up...
Whoosshhh~
With the release of the air from the capsule, Vale then used his Shadow Maniption in order to carry the body and put it in the stone b they had prepared initially.
"So, this is a body that Celestial Beings would desire..." Vale mused.
Its features were serene and almost ethereal.
It was indeed genderless, with smooth, unblemished skin and an aura of otherworldly purity. Vale approached it, his eyes studying the intricate details. This body was supposed to be his new form had Denise not cured him in time.
"Ughh..."
He then shuddered at the thought of living in a body without aher region. Not having that specific physical sensations he had grown ustomed to might drive him insane.
"But... Can I still use this as my Avatar?" Vale murmured to himself, as he didn''t really want to waste such an incredible physique.
He pondered for a moment as he considered his n.
The Vessel could serve as a second life just in case an ident happened to him... By cing a part of his Spirit within it, he believed that he could create an Avatar that would act independently yet remain connected to him.
It waspletely different from the Avatar Creation Spell that he obtained. It would cost an extreme amount of Divinity, Soul, and Spirit. Because of that, he wouldn''t bepletely weakened, just like what happened to the other Immortals he had met, including the Seven Sins, the Demon Lord, Halvor, the Eminence of the Sea, and others.
The idea was both intriguing and daunting.
With a deep breath, Vale decided to proceed.
He consulted Spirit Immortal Constance, the two Dragons, Jin, Aurion, and even Odessa, with her knowledge about Spirit about this matter, and they all confirmed that it was indeed possible.
Then, what he didn''t expect was that it would be Lotus, who would actually help him know more about the n that he wanted to happen.
Apparently, as a Dark Spirit, she was the one with the most experience when it came to possessing or using her Spirit to control another body.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Although what he would do was different, there were still some simrities from it.
"I''m ready..." Vale muttered to himself.
After several days of preparation, he finally began the ritual...
Indeed, he wasn''t going to do this with a Spell but through a Ritual supported by Formation Art and Rune Arts.
Soon, he started to chant ancient incantations. To be exact, he used Ievada and not Oardic or Magic Language.
Soon, the Spiritual Runes on the floor glowed brighter as their light converged on the Vessel. Vale extended his hand, and a de of pure energy formed in his grasp. With a slow but urate movement, he cut a small part of his Spirit, feeling a sharp pain as the essence separated from him. The fragment of his Spirit hovered in the air, a glowing orb of energy.
Needless to say, the de wasn''t formed through his spell but through Divinity with the help of the runes just now.
Anyway, he guided the orb towards the Vessel...
Vale concentrated on this as his heart pounded with eagerness.
As the orb touched the body, it was absorbed instantly... However, nothing happened.
Vale wasn''t in a hurry though... He remained calm as he stabilized the pain in his body...
Unlike the Avatar Creation Spell that uses a lot of his Spirit, this process only required him to use a fist-size Spirit Form.
''His eyelid''s moving...'' Vale''s eyes lit up as he saw. This was the first time he saw the handsome or perhaps beautiful Vessel to move!
Suddenly, the Vessel''s eyes snapped open with a sh of light. The chamber was filled with a
bright light as the energy of the ritual was absorbed by the body!
Vale also felt that some of his Divinity was taken away from him.
However, he wasn''t too worried as Divinity could still be replenished. Furthermore, the
amount of Divinity didn''t exceed 500 points after checking his status.
''Is it sessful? Can it move now?'' Vale wasn''t too sure, as their connection was still too weak. The link between them had just been established.
Thankfully, he didn''t have to wait for long.
The Vessel soon sat up, and from Vale''s perspective, this person looked really impressive...
It then turned to look at him, with its eyes reflecting his own.
Thud...
Just like that, Vale felt their connection grew stronger... It was a bond that linked him to this new form. The experiment had seeded; he had created an exceptional Avatar that had flesh, organs, blood, and bones!
Though calling it an Avatar might be a stretch since it should be some sort of Possession, Vale still believed that it was an Avatar since it was made by Celestials for that sole purpose.
"Wee," Vale said softly, and relief could be heard from his voice...
The Avatar then blinked at Vale and nodded...
"I would like to celebrate this monumental achievement, but unfortunately, we made a huge mistake... This body shouldn''t have woken up..." The Avatar said.
This confused Vale for a moment. He even felt worried that the body possessed some problem that could endanger the realm!
However, the Avatar''s next words made him realize that it was finally his time to encounter these Practitioners of Void Arts, the sixteenth Arcane Path!
Chapter 902: Old Zeno
Chapter 902: Old Zeno
?
Three years had passed since Vale''s transaction with the Chaos Alchemist, and during this time, a lot of things had changed.
The Philosopher''s Elixir, once a rare and coveted potion, was now avable to all. It had be a rite of passage, allowing every child over the age of twelve to unlock their magical potential.
While the elixir was powerful, it came with its limitations-those under twelve suffered bizarre mutations if they dared to drink it too early.
These mutations weren''t harmful at all, but it was better to avoid them. These mutations could be having white streaks of hair, numerous moles, and yellowed teeth. They had be the hallmarks of impatience...
So, it becamew to every nation that only those twelve and older could consume it.
Among those new Arcane Talents was Armin, a quiet but talented boy from an orphanage in Milton Kingdom''s Melthorn City. He had spent his life within the stone walls of the orphanage, watching from the windows as the world outside changed.
Now, his time hade.
"It''s really happening..." He muttered to himself.
Armin''s reflection stared back at him through the window of the train as it sped westward.
His pale skin and dark eyes were quitemon to see with his short, messy brown hair. There was only his bright and hopeful gaze that set him apart from the other children he''d grown up with.
At this time, he wore a simple tunic, patched at the elbows, and trousers that were too short- remnants of the orphanage''s humble resources.
Despite his modest background, Armin had something others didn''t. When he had consumed the Philosopher''s Elixir just a few weeks ago, the examiners in the orphanage had been astonished.
Not only did heplete the transformation process quickly, but he had been marked as capable of mastering three distinct Arcane Paths-Dark Arts, Transformation Arts, and Combat Arts. Among the twelve known Paths, these were considered a formidablebination, and his talents had earned him the chance to several Academies, but in the end, he decided to choose the Marshall Academy, one of the new and most prestigious institutions for Arcanists in the west.
After all, it was an Academy that was built by a living Immortal!
The Academy was located in the Shadow Immortal''s Domain, a vast and mysteriousnd governed by the legendary Vale, who had risen to power over the years.
Although Vale was known to have powers over the Shadow Domain, he initially started as a Dark Arts Practitioner.
Anyway, although it had only been a year since the Academy had been opened, it was known for its focus on advanced magical disciplines, and its reputation had spread far and wide.
Armin''s decision to pursue the Dark Arts there wasn''t made lightly.
Although there were more than a dozen of Academies that teaches Dark Arts recently, the Marshall Academy was still the best option. Not even the ones established by the Dark Arts Faction itself could say much about it.
Thud... Thud...
As the train rattled along the iron tracks, Armin couldn''t help but feel excited. He then looked around to see if there were other aspiring students who were nning to enroll in the Academy.
Looking around, he noticed that the train''s interior was a mix of rich and poor-nobles should be seated in the luxurious carriages in front, while those like Armin sat in the crowded economy section, squeezed between merchants andmon folk.
"I guess I''m the only one here going to enroll... Is it still uneptable to practice Dark Arts?" Armin mused as he recalled the expression of the volunteers working at the orphanage. Although they weren''t saying it due to their fear of the Shadow Immortal, it seemed that Dark Arts were still something that old people could ept deep within their hearts.
''Whatever...''
Thud... Thud...
The steady cking of the wheels was almost hypnotic, but his mind was elsewhere after recalling the orphanage...
He clutched the small pendant around his neck, a keepsake from the orphanage. It wasn''t worth much, but it was the only thing that had ever felt like home.
''No going back now...'' He thought.
Whatever was ahead of him was definitely a world full of possibilities but also danger.
The Dark Arts were feared for a reason, and the path he had chosen would not be easy. However, if he wanted to follow the path of the Immortal, he believed that this was the only way.
Looking out the window, Armin could see thendscape changing.
The lush fields of Milton Kingdom gave way to the vast ins of the west, where the air felt fresher as if filled with more magic.
His mind wandered back to the stories he had heard of the Vorathi, the ancient Practitioners of Void Arts, one of the Lost Arcane Paths.
It was said that they had once walked this verynd, long before the rise of the Shadow Immortal, and now they threatened to return.
ording to the information that had been spread by the Arcane Bureau, the world needed more Arcanists, warriors capable of standing against the Void''s power, and that''s what Marshall Academy was training them to be.
Clunk... Clunk...
The train slowed as it approached a station for a brief stop.
The sound of the steam whistle then jolted Armin from his thoughts.
He nced around, watching the other passengers preparing to disembark...
It wasn''t his stop yet, so he remained seated. As soon as the new passengers came, he noticed
a few children his age together with their parents, their eyes wide with excitement or fear as
Armin realized that they too, made their way toward the Academy.
A grizzled old man across the aisle caught his eye and grinned, revealing teeth yellowed with age. "First time heading west, boy?" he asked.
Armin nodded. "First time on a train, too," he admitted...
The old man chuckled. "You''ll be fine. If you manage to pass, you might actually be one
of my students."
"Ahh... Really?!" Armin was shocked. He didn''t expect to meet a professor here.
"May I ask for your name, Professor?" He added.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Zeno... Zeno Roquemont."
Chapter 903: The New Academy
Chapter 903: The New Academy
?
"I''m Zeno Roquemont..." The old man said as he extended a hand. "If you''re going to practice Dark Arts at Marshall Academy, there''s a good chance you''ll end up as one of my students."
Armin''s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn''t expected to meet a professor of the Dark Arts! Furthermore, he might not have known the name Zeno, but he knew about the Roquemont family. It was a family deeply entwined with the Dark Arts faction.
''The Roquemont family... I read about them after I studied a bit about the Dark Arts Faction...''
"Incredible!" Armin blurted, still processing the revtion. "Right... if you don''t mind, Professor, I wanted to ask-do you think having five Spell Lights is enough?"
At this question, Zeno was a bit stunned before he let out a low chuckle.
This was definitely a simple question but because of the many changes happening right now, the standard had also changed.
"Five Spell Lights? That''s more than enough, my boy. You don''t have to worry. Although it''smon to have eight spell lights upon awakening, it''s still fine... Well, as long as you haven''t already recorded any spell models."
Zeno then paused for a moment to look at the young man''s expression before he continued.
"You''ll be required to learn or record four mandatory spell models once you start at the Academy. But if you''ve filled your Spell Lights with models already, you''ll have to visit the Spell Hall and request a purge before we can move forward. It''s not something you want to deal with in the middle of a ss."
Armin nodded quickly, a flood of relief rushing through him. "So it''s four... The volunteer in the orphanage said that we just need three... It was something he knew about ten years ago. Anyway, I haven''t recorded anything yet. I can barely maintain my Phantasm State for long enough."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
The professor raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How long is your Phantasm?"
These people are truly lucky nowadays. After all, they no longer need to consume the Darkness Possession Potion in order to awaken their talent as Dark Arts Practitioner. Though they could still consume it in order to hasten the speed of their Spell Lights formation and help them imprint Spell Models faster, it was still better not to consume them since they would give incredible pain to the young Arcanists unless they have a physique simr to Maya.
Anyway, Armin hesitated before responding with almost a whisper.
"It''s only four meters around me, and itsts for about twenty seconds... It''s not much. Plus, I need at least three minutes before I can enter the state again."
Zeno''s expression shifted into something thoughtful. He stroked his chin for a moment before speaking. "Four meters within twenty seconds, eh? Not the best, but certainly not the worst I''ve seen. The Phantasm State is a personal skill that takes time to refine. Everyone starts differently, but you''ll be surprised how fast you can expand that radius with the right training. You can push that limit once you understand the mechanics better."
Armin''s face lit up with a bit of hope. "Really?"
"Absolutely." Zeno smiled as he looked at the young man...
Since their journey would still take some time, he decided to just talk with the young man and give him some tips based on his experience.
Zeno considered for a moment after learning more about Armin''s situation...
"First tip don''t think of it as just a field of magic. Your Phantasm is more than an extension of your senses and power. It''s also a reflection of your willpower. The more confident you be in your Dark Arts, the more naturally your Phantasm will grow. It''s like flexing a muscle you''ve never used before. The more you push it, the stronger it''ll get."
Armin nodded intently, absorbing every word. The idea that his Phantasm could be developed over time gave him a sense of reassurance.
"But don''t get frustrated if you''re not seeing any improvement," Zeno continued. "Most students find their Phantasm State weak or unreliable when they first start. You''ll learn techniques to focus and maintain it. At the Academy, we''ll teach you to attune yourself to it, gradually pushing the boundaries of your range and duration. For you, control will be key. You''ve got the potential with three Arcane Paths, but raw power without control can be dangerous-especially in the Dark Arts."
"I understand, Professor!" Armin replied with enthusiasm.
As the train pressed on through the changingndscape, the conversation between Armin and Professor Zeno flowed easily.
Zeno continued to share more about the intricacies of Dark Arts, the importance of mastering one''s fears, and how emotional control directly impacted spellcasting. After all, the duration of Phantasm State could also shorten depending on the caster''s focus...
Zeno would surely not do such a thing if this was several years ago, but after he turned into an old due to many of his Dark Rituals, he had surely changed.
They discussed the types of students at the Academy, the possible challenges Armin would face, and the advanced rituals that awaited him.
Soon, as the basic things were finally exined, Armin asked about the other paths that he could''ve practiced.
Zeno also knew some things about the Transformation Arts and Combat Arts, so he decided to Share it with Armin. However, these two Arcane Paths weren''t being taught in Marshall Academy."
Nheless, Armin felt grateful about it.
"So Transformation Arts are about manipting your physical self or your environment, and Combat Arts... well, it was quite straightforward, but we can learn the Aura there... I guess my decision to stick with the Dark Arts was a good one."
He was excited by the prospect of learning such an Art, but also anxious. He had never felt particrly powerful, and growing up in an orphanage had left him with a lingering sense of
inferiority.
''I can do this...'' He thought to himself.
Zeno must have sensed his apprehension and gently spoke...
"You know, most people at the Academy don''te from wealthy or powerful backgrounds. You''re not the only one from humble beginnings. I''ve seen ordinary people rise through the ranks faster than noble-born students who thought their family names would carry them. The only thing that matters here is yourmitment. If you give it your all, the Academy will give back more than you can imagine." Zeno said... He had indeed witnessed several people without any background rise in thete Vermont Academy.
Chapter 904 Enrollment
904 Enrollment
Armin smiled after hearing the old man''s words, feeling a little more at ease.
His insecurity was quite obvious, and that was due to his poor background. As a matter of fact, there were only three main Academies with free tuition fees. The others had to be paid, or they could allow a loan or even just give misceneous tasks to the students in order to cover their tuition fees.
Thanks to the Marshall Academy''s free tuition fee for first-year and second-year students, Armin had a chance to learn, show his talent, and even earn a schrship.
The thought of being able to build his future with his own hands, without wealth or status over him, gave him a lot of hope.
The two continued to chat a bit more, and before long, the train began to slow as it approached the Shadow Immortal''s Domain.
The once lush forest area of this region was already gone. Nheless, there were still areas with patches of trees as a natural resource of the region.
As the travel took plenty of time, the sun was already beginning to set¡
Then, as the train entered Clovis City, the ce where the Academy was located, Armin looked at the window and searched for the signs of the Academy. After all, he heard that it was a grand ce.
"It''s there¡" Armin muttered.
The sight of Marshall Academy in the distance filled Armin with awe. Even from here, the dark, gothic structures exuded a very imposing aura for him¡
After a couple more stations, where he saw several ck Towers or perhaps Arcane Towers, Armin knew that this city was a lot more powerfulpared to the Melthorn City where he hade from.
"Well," Zeno said, standing up as the train came to a halt, "looks like we''ve arrived. We''ll see each other again." As Zeno said this, his body copsed into many pieces of feathers¡ It was a Movement Spell!
A few people saw this as well and were shocked as the old man vanished. However, knowing that this ce had numerous Arcanists all over the world, they immediately calmed down.
Nheless, some of them were still a bit spooked at what had happened and held their charms, talismans, or various Artifacts in their hands to give them courage and move on.
''Awesome! I wish I could learn that as well.'' Arminmented in his mind. Well, the first Spell that he wanted to record was indeed not killing or attacking Spell. Defensive Spell was also possible but what he truly wanted was something rted to Speed. A movement Spell that could help him escape from any dangerous situation.
After all, he just wanted to live a long life.
Armin felt excited as he gathered his things.
As he stepped off the train and followed the signs leading to the Academy, he felt the weight of his journey settle in. He was no longer the orphan from the Milton Kingdom. He was now an Arcanist-in-training, ready to unlock his full potential.
"This ce feels really good¡ The sky is clear, and there are no factories spewing smoke everywhere."
Armin muttered as he got through the bustling streets of the city¡ If hepared Melthorn City to this ce, Clovis City, he would rate this ce as more advanced in terms of the quality of life of the people residing here.
''I''ll be like them soon¡'' Armin thought to himself.
Anyway, signs adorned every corner, each one etched with directions leading neers toward various ces. Of course, he just focused on the ones leading to the Marshall Academy. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He followed the steady flow of people, most of whom looked about his age, with a few older students here and there, all heading to the same destination.
The cobblestone streets were lined with mysterious shops, bright alleyways, and vendors hawking strange wares, from crystal pendants to enchanted scrolls.
As he rounded a final corner, the Academy gates came into view.
Hu~
Armin''s breath caught at the sight.
The gates were towering. It was formed from iron with intricate carvings of an Ancient Language he didn''t know, and even without using his Phantasm State, he could tell that it had powerful protective spells.
"I''m finally here¡"
Crowds had gathered outside, and the area buzzed with chatter. After listening to a few conversations, he pieced together that nearly 500 students were enrolling in Marshall Academy this term.
Apparently, the Academy not only teaches Dark Arts but also Mystic, Psychic, and Elemental Arts.
''Amazing¡ This really feels like a ce of the Immortal.'' He thought.
Soon, Armin worked his way through the crowd, asking questions here and there, confirming that therge group wasn''t unusual.
Among the applicants, an astounding 340 students had chosen to pursue Dark Arts.
Aside from that, he also learned that today''s examination wasn''t about eptance¡ªeach student who could basically enter Phantasm State could enter the Academy.
Instead, the assessment right now was to determine their ss cement.
Marshall Academy divided students into ranks, with ss 1 reserved for the elite¡ªthe most talented, promising Arcanists.
On the other hand, ss 2 and the subsequent sses would be ced progressively based on skill and potential, with each lower ss receiving less prestigious instructors and more foundational materials.
No matter what, the Academy also needed money to operate, and most of the resources would still be provided to the talented.
"Mhmm?"
Suddenly, the Academy grounds buzzed as rumors circted about the attendees. Armin overheard one boy exim, "Did you see Ka Moonspire? She''s the daughter of Lyrus Moonspire, the famous Dark Arcane Researcher! She was the one who made that new version of Recording Crystal¡ They must be really rich now¡ I wonder why she decided to enroll here instead."
Armin''s eyes widened. Lyrus Moonspire was legendary in arcane circles and was known for pushing the limits of arcane theory and practice. At the very least, that was what he read in the old newspaper in Melthorn Kingdom.
She was the reason why the Recording Crystal had be so advanced right now¡
Armin nced at the girl, curious about her appearance.
Chapter 905 Examination
905 Examination
Ka was a tall girl with ck hair that seemed to have a silver gleam in the light¡ This hair that seemed to shine could easily attract people. Furthermore, she stood near the front of the crowd with a calm and confident gaze.
It looked like she was used to being the center of attention.
''Incredible¡'' Armin felt d that these seemingly unattainable people were getting somehow closer and closer to him. It waspletely different when he was still in the orphanage. For some reason, he felt more significant and wanted to quickly pass the examination.
Just as he was absorbed to his imagination, he heard another voice, this one belonging to a red-headed boy.
"That''s Rehan Borne," he whispered to his friend, "the son of the best Paranormal Investigator in the region! His father, Cassian Borne, uncovered that Dragon Cult two years ago!"
"Wait¡ Isn''t that achievement supposed to be from Miss Aubrey Hall? I heard Miss Hall was one of the professors here."
Armin listened silently as he heard some unfamiliar names. He might not understand what they were saying, but he was sure that he would soon learn more about this.
Anyway, the young man they called Rehan stood a few paces away, casually leaning against a pir. He didn''t look like a young kid like him at all since Rehan seemed to be taking in his surroundings with a calcting gaze.
''They''re aura ispletely different from me.'' Armin thought.
He also thought that since Rehan''s father was a Paranormal Investigator, Rehan might''ve gotten that habit from his father. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Anyway, with the appearance of the two, it no longer surprised them that there were more than two promising figures in this year''s enrollment.
Well, it seemed that the Featherstar Academy that the Dark Arts Faction established wasn''t as famous as the new Marshall Academy.
As they were waiting for their turn to be examined, Armin just continued to absorb all the information as he learned about the famous people. He needed this information!
After all, he learned in the orphanage that he either had to stay out of their sight or get on their side if he wanted to survive peacefully without any background and with only his average talent he could rely on.
"Do you think that''s Ely Grey?" another student whispered, pointing toward an elegant girl with white-blond hair and blue eyes. She was with a group of enrollees, and she seemed to have formed her own clique already.
"She''s the daughter of the First Captain of the Order of the Evanescent Vessels."
The Order of the Evanescent Vessels was a legendary division within the Dark Arts Faction. They were known for handling the most dangerous supernatural threats.
However, that Order was connected to the Dark Arts Faction and not the Shadow Immortal''s Domain.
From what they heard, the Domain had its own special force called the Shadow Pirs. It was the one handling the protection of the whole Domain. This was the reason why there weren''t any visible guards in the boundaries of the Shadow Immortal''s territory.
Of course, Armin only had superficial knowledge about this, so he couldn''t really be sure about it.
Nheless, he at least knew that the First Captain of that Order was practically royalty among them, and here was her daughter, ready to immerse herself in the quite new Academy that was also teaching the Dark Arts.
Armin took a deep breath, as he felt really d that he was able to get here.
He felt like his world had expanded once again.
''I''m going to study with these influential figures¡ This is my chance¡'' Armin thought to himself.
He hadn''t expected this many influential figures to pursue the Dark Arts. He heard from Mr. Zeno before that there were cases that students in each year would onlyposed of 20 to 30 enrollees. This time, however, they had more than 300 new students who wanted to learn the Dark Arts!
Soon, a group of people came out of the examination tent just behind the gates of the Academy. That was where the examinations were actually being conducted.
As this group of students left, he overheard another conversation pointing at another person.
"That boy, Aiden Stormshard, over there¡ His mother is a top Rune Artisan. And look¡ªover there''s Mira Embene, daughter of High Priestess Helena of the Holy Arts."
"Ahh? That''s true¡ I''ve seen their pictures in the newspaper before. Why are they even nning to study Dark Arts?"
"Do you think they also consumed the Philosopher''s Elixir and were only granted to have Dark Arts Talent?"
"That''s impossible. With their bloodline, there was no way they''d have such a child."
"They''re definitely unlike us who had to rely on Elixirs to obtain a talent."
Armin wryly smiled at this, but he nodded. He was also confused with the appearance of childrening from a lineage that practiced a different Arcane Path.
Anyway, it wasn''t his position to question their decision.
"Hey! Mira! Can you tell us about the exam inside?" One of the brave enrollees asked.
Mira, d in simple but elegant robes, looked at the student who asked before she smirked.
"There''s no use knowing about it beforehand." With that said, she left the Academy.
The ss would start with two weeks, so she decided to just explore Clovis City for now.
"Hey! Don''t leave yet. Why would the daughter of a high-ranking Holy Arcanist delve into the Dark Arts?" Another one asked while she was walking away. This question attracted everyone''s attention, including Aiden, who was walking just behind her.
Unfortunately, she simply smiled and did not bother about this question. She didn''t feel inclined to answer such questions. Furthermore, she also didn''t know that answer since she was just following her parents.
She was only 12 years old, after all.
Armin wanted to ponder about their reason as well, but soon, it was his turn to get examined and learn which ss he would join at the start of the ss 2 weekster.
Chapter 906: Finding Talents
Chapter 906: Finding Talents
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Armin felt a bit nervous after realizing that it was finally his turn to get assessed. There were a total of five tents where there was a group of examiners to assess them. He also noticed the
four other enrollees like him, and as expected, they were also nervous.
This made him feel a lot better.
"Right... Everyone is just like me... It''s also their first timeing here. I can do this." He muttered to himself. In any case, he believed that this academy wasn''t looking at the background of their enrollees when assessing the talent of their students. What was important was the result of their own assessment.
After calming down, Armin stepped forward as he was guided by one of the attendants... Looking at it closely, he realized that this figure was probably the rumored metal golem.
It was quite an interesting sight...n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Anyway, he had to erase his random thoughts and focus. Armin''s heart pounded as he entered the examination tent.
Inside, five examiners sat behind a long table, each one cloaked in dark robes bearing the emblem of Marshall Academy: a silver raven surrounded by arcane symbols.
Their presence wasn''t too imposing as he had expected, and they even seemed weing.
They each looked at him with a calm gaze. They seemed rxed as they measured his worth with their eyes alone.
Armin took a deep breath as he confirmed that Professor Zeno wasn''t part of the examiners. They were all quite young, around the age of 30.
The first examiner was a man with graying hair. He gestured for Armin to approach the Spirit Converging Crystal on a tform in the middle of the room.
This Crystal was renowned for its ability to reveal the strength of one''s spiritual energy-a fundamental trait for Arcanists. However, there are already some changes with this item for more urate results. To be exact, this Crystal was specially made for those pursuing the Dark Arts.
They confirmed his name first before they started.
"ce your hands on the crystal," the examiner instructed. His voice was calm, so Armin felt grateful about this.
Armin smiled and gently nodded before he ced both hands on the Crystal.
He felt a slight tingle in his palms as his spiritual energy began to flow into the Crystal. The Crystal hummed softly, and slowly, seven white strands appeared within, swirling like tendrils of smoke. Furthermore, there seemed to be a few ck orbs within... He didn''t count them as they disappeared swiftly.
''Seven strands... Amazing...'' Armin smiled. It wasn''t too great, but not that terrible either. It was the same for the Examiners. They just nodded, unimpressed but not disappointed. "Seven strands," he noted aloud, scribbling on a parchment in front of him. "Moderate strength, typical of a new Arcanist. Strong enough to proceed but with room to grow."
Armin exhaled quietly. While he had hoped for a higher number, he reminded himself that he wasn''t alone-many students would have simr results. Besides, this was only the first part of the exam.
"Let''s move to the next assessment," the second examiner said, gesturing to a table at the back of the tent.
Armin followed, noting the odd assortment of itemsid out-a vial of ink, a small knife, a ck feather, and a silver mirror.
This examiner, a younger woman withrge, dark eyes, exined, "You should be able to enter your Phantasm State.... But to excel in Dark Arts, you must have control over your Dark Energy. This test requires you to shape the dark energy into a symbol of your choice, using nothing but your intent. Stand in front of the silver mirror to help you with your concentration."
Normally, it requires a Dark Maniption Spell to control the darkness; however, as long as you have talent in the Dark Path, this could also be done but with very limited duration and level of control. With the mirror, they would have an easier time to focus.
Armin nodded and followed the examiner''s instructions... Soon, his mind focused-he''d practiced basic Dark Energy control before but never to this degree. He closed his eyes, visualizing a bird.
Concentrating, he pushed his Dark Energy, shaping it with his mind. Slowly, in front of a mirror, a shadow or the darkness shifted. This darkness seemed to be blurring and stretching until it formed a rough, bird-like shape. The image wasn''t perfect-the wings were uneven, and the beak slightly misshapen-but it was recognizable.
To be honest, Armin didn''t know that he could actually do something like this.
Poof...
In just four seconds after it formed, the formed energy he made disappeared.
The examiners nodded approvingly. "Not bad. Control wille with time. You''ve passed this stage."
Feeling a surge of pride, Armin turned his attention to the next examiner for the third exam. The next examiner was a middle-aged woman.
"This test is about resilience against the possible corruption brought by the Darkness Possession. The possibility is not low, but it is still possible. You have to consume that vial of dark liquid for this exam." she exined.
''So that''s not an ink? That''s some sort of potion?'' Armin mused.
"You''ll need to have strong resilience as well if you want to use Phantasm State for more than an hour in one cast in the future.
She then uncapped the vial for Armin. "Drink it, and remain standing. This potion induces mild phantasmal disorientation-an illusionary effect simr to the energy strain you''ll experience in intense dark arts training. Let''s see how long you can resist its effects."
Armin hesitated only briefly before taking the vial and downing its contents. Almost immediately, his vision blurred, and the tent seemed to twist around him. Shadows lengthened and darkened, and he felt a dizzying sensation, as though the ground was shifting beneath his feet.
***
"So it''s starting... This new method of examination is really weird." A man with a draconic
aura said.
During all of this examination, there were two figures who were actually monitoring everything that was happening within the tents.
"Chad, you''re here... Do you want to take my position? I don''t think that there will be trouble here. I''d rather check out the Chaos Arts Tower today." Denise said as she looked bored monitoring the situation...
"Well, isn''t that because Vale was there, training?" Chad said with a chuckle as he looked at Denise who was about to hit him.
Chapter 907: Armins Background
Chapter 907: Armin''s Background
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While Chad and Denise watched the examination in order to ensure that nothing went wrong and also to find a good seedling, Armin continued on with his task.
He had just consumed a diluted blood of an Asura... A single drop of Asura''s Blood was able to make 10 liters of these potions. The vial he consumed only contained 20mL of this potion, and it also had various ingredients to ensure that its effects were good enough for the human body.
Well, after Shane learned that the Asura was the origin of the Dark Arts, it was natural that he''d take advantage of this. Because of that, he envisioned that all Dark Arcanists who would practice the Path here would be better.
Of course, with the Towers they obtained in the Celestial Prison Realm, Vale could actually decide to teach all the Arcane Paths in the Marshall Academy.
However, the problem would still be the existence of great teachers. After all, even if he had the resources, he couldn''t just let anyone teach the young students. Education wasn''t just about reading and writing, after all.
Anyway, after Armin consumed the potion, he immediately felt its effects.
He nted his feet firmly, struggling to keep his bnce as the examiners watched in silence.
''It''s really strange...'' Armin frowned as he did his best to concentrate and not lose consciousness.
After all, he had a feeling that he would fail the exam and be ced in the lowest ss if that happened.
Since he was already here, he wanted to at least attend ss 2 or 3! The ss 1 might be impossible for his average talent, who had to rely on the Philosopher''s Elixir to obtain a physique that could practice the Arcane Arts, but he believed that he should have the ability to at least get into the second ss!
Nheless, Armin soon felt a ringing sensation in his head as the strange disorientation clouded his mind, making it difficult to focus. He could only close his eyes and wait for everything to subside.
''I can do this...''
Armin breathed deeply and steadied himself with his willpower...
This willpower was formed from many days in the orphanage where he had no food to eat and had to rely on salvaging food in the trash cans. During that time, the invasion of strange beings from a different world was happening, so most of the volunteers who had been helping their orphanage didn''t have the time to care for them.N?v(el)B\\jnn
The government subsidy was also non-existent aside from the rundown building they''re using to cover their heads.
''I have suffered more than this... This is nothing...'' Armin told himself.
Then, minutes seemed to pass in slow, distorted waves. Atst, the sensation began to fade, and his vision cleared. He opened his eyes, steady on his feet.
"Well done, you''vested a lot longer than we expected..." the examiner remarked, giving him a nod of approval. The others onlysted a minute or two before their bodies gave up. From this, they could tell that the person''s Phantasm State wouldn''tst 10 minutes in normal cases. However, in Armin''s case, they believed that even without the assistance of their Academy, Armin would be able to train his Phantasm State to a degree in that couldst for 30 minutes after about five years or so.
"You showed impressive resilience. We''ll skip one of the tests we prepared because your body is still being nourished by the potion. Let''s proceed to the final test, so you can fully benefit from that potion you just consumed."
"Thank you, Sir..." Armin gently nodded and expressed his gratitude. Though he had no idea what test he skipped, he was happy to know that this was for his benefit.
''It seemed that I did well digesting the potion...'' Armin was certainly proud of himself because of this...
He then looked at thest examiner. He was a tall, thin man with piercing blue eyes and gestured to the floor...
Armin wasn''t too focused on the floor a while ago, but now that the man has gestured to it, He realized that he stood near aplex, arcane circle drawn on the floor.
Symbols he couldn''t understand glowed faintly along its edges, exuding an eerie energy. "The final test is of courage," he said. "Step into the circle. This spell will surround you with a projection of your deepest fear, an illusion crafted from your own subconscious. Ovee it, and the test isplete. Right... In case you think that this is just to scare our students, this test will help you learn difficult or even those Forbidden Spells in the future... You have to remember that even if Forbidden Spells are prohibited, they are only for those evil people who would use them for their own selfish benefit. However, if you passed various tests from the Headmaster, restrictions would slowly be lifted..."
Armin was shocked after hearing this. Although he had no concept of how great these Forbidden Spells were, he believed that these Spells were incredibly powerful and could harm a lot of people, which was why they were forbidden in the first ce...
Though he never thought of learning it before, he suddenly felt excited hearing this and nodded to the examiner.
Armin swallowed hard. There was some excitement, but still, nerves were prickling at the thought of confronting his greatest fear.
''What do I even fear anyway?'' He wasn''t sure what he would see here, but he somehow felt that whatever the result was, he would be able to achieve a good result.
''Ahh...''
Then, as he was about to get engulfed by the Arcane Circle''s power, Armin recalled the only item in his possession that came from his rtive...
Although he had no recollection of his parents, a man named Eustace had recentlye looking for him and gave him a gold-ted timepiece, informing him that it was from his
great-grandfather.
This followed a series of fortunate events, such as being the only 12-year-old who had been luckily selected in the Orphanage to consume the Philosopher''s Elixir.
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