Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

"We must join the others and turn the tide against our enemies." Vale's Avatar reminded as he stood closer to the young Dimensional Creature. The one that Vale had enslaved in the remnant of the Celestial Realm.

To be honest, the Golden Key that he had obtained there was still a mystery to Vale. He couldn't understand why it was so dangerous that even with his Divinity, he could barely touch it unless he used the power of the Temporal Timepiece.

Nonetheless, as the other Half-Immortals of the Arcane Bureau stepped forward to stop Vale and his two Demon Generals from leaving, they suddenly heard a loud growl.

It was Gorath, and he seemed to be warning the Half-Immortals! The sound he made rumbled like an earthquake, while Zarvok simply showed a stern gaze to everyone.

Although they could be killed by these Half-Immortals, they weren't showing any signs of being afraid at all.

Of course, Vale's Avatar didn't return to the castle. He was sent by the young Dimensional Creature to another part of the continent close to another Rift.

As for the two Demon Generals, they were sent back to the castle to be thoroughly studied by Magnus for research purposes.

***

Meanwhile, in the shadowy expanse of the Abyss Realm, where the fabric of reality thinned as if the whole region was about to disappear, the Demon Castle loomed like a monument to darkness.

It was no wonder Vale's Avatar failed to find this location…

The castle's towering spires pierced the smoldering sky, and its walls, which seemed to have been forged from the bones of ancient leviathans, radiated an aura of dread that could chill even the most hardened of souls.

Eeeecckk~

Several screeches of various demonic creatures could also be heard as you got closer to the castle.

Within the vast throne hall, a cavernous chamber adorned with obsidian pillars and lit by the flickering flames of ever-burning pyres, the Demon Lord sat upon his throne.

It was a seat of power carved from what seemed like a fallen celestial rock. Its surface felt alive with a malevolent glow that pulsed in time with the Demon Lord's own heartbeat.

The Demon Saints, twenty-four in number, stood arrayed before their master, their forms a diverse pantheon of terror.

Each one bore the marks of their dominion over the Abyss—horns that twisted into the air like gnarled branches, wings that shrouded their bodies in perpetual shadow, and eyes that glowed with the fires of the pit.

They have different appearances, but they are all Demon Saints. Demons who were blessed with the power coming from the Abyss Realm itself.

"So there are only twenty-four of you left…" The Demon Lord's voice resonated through the hall... It was aged, deep, and carried an absolute authority to the Demon Saints.

"The rest have fallen or remain locked in combat within the Human Realm."

One of the Demon Saints, a towering figure known as Malrath, stepped forward. He was the number 3 in the Demon Saint Ranking.

His voice was a guttural growl…

"My lord, the humans prove more resilient than anticipated. The Rifts have become battlegrounds where our brethren fall."

To be honest, he wanted the Demon Lord to just act and finish their problems.

The first one was the Shadow Immortal, who was causing them a lot of headaches since he even managed to infiltrate their Abyss Realm!

There were also the Ancient Families of the 12 Arcane Paths that seemed to possess an incredible number of Arcanists that could even fight against some of the Demon Saints. They also have many Forbidden Arts and Arcanists who are willing to sacrifice their lives to use such Spells to kill their soldiers and generals.

Perhaps this specific Human Realm was the fourth Realm that caused them too much trouble to conquer!

The Demon Lord's eyes, black as the void between stars, narrowed.

"Then we must adapt. The humans have found their hope in their numbers. We shall unleash our own terrors upon them."

Another Demon Saint, the enchantress Lysara, with her serpentine coils and venomous gaze, hissed, "What of the Shadow Immortal, my lord? He poses a threat unlike any we have faced." She was the number 2 in the Demon Saint Ranking.

The Demon Lord rose from his throne, his towering form casting a shadow that seemed to swallow the light.

"The Shadow Immortal… Yes, his strength is a variable we did not account for. But every being has a weakness, and we shall find his."

A murmur of assent rippled through the Demon Saints, their confidence bolstered by their lord's unwavering presence.

"Go now," the Demon Lord commanded, his hand raised in a gesture of giving a dark blessing…

"Unleash the full might of the Abyss upon the Human Realm. Let no stone stand unturned, no sanctuary unviolated. This world shall be ours. Anyone who can kill the Shadow Immortal will receive the Scepter of the Abyss!"

The Demon Lord said as he looked at the Rank 1 Demon Saint, who doesn't seem to be bothered by any of the problems that the others had mentioned.

Seeing how confident he was, the Demon Lord finally decided to allow him to enter the Human Realm as well.

With a roar of approval that shook the foundations of the castle, the Demon Saints dispersed, vanishing into the shadows to carry out their Lord's will!

The Demon Lord turned, his gaze falling upon a map of the realms spread across a table of bone. His fingers traced the lines that marked the boundaries between worlds, his mind already plotting the downfall of those who dared oppose him.

And as the Demon Saints began their march, the Rifts between the realms pulsed with renewed energy!

The war was far from over, and the fate of the Human Realm hung in the balance!

***

Lysara, the enchantress with serpentine figure and a gaze that could unravel the bravest of souls, slipped through the Rift with the silence of a shadow.

After some adjustments from her body and the Will of the Human Realm dissipating after pressuring her a bit, she opened her eyes and looked at the Human Realm for the first time.

"Mhmmm. What a paradise… Kekeke." Lysara laughed after sensing the surroundings.

The Human Realm that had unfolded before her was a world teeming with life and the pulsing energies of countless beings of power.

'How scary~' Lysara muttered although she was still full of smile.

Nonetheless, she knew she must tread carefully, for the Shadow Immortal's reach was vast, and his allies could be everywhere.

'So those are humans… How ugly…'

Adopting the guise of a human was child's play for a Demon Saint of her caliber.

Her coils suddenly started concealing themselves, and her venomous intent hid behind a mask of flesh…

'Mhmm… It's not enough…' Lysara wasn't satisfied with her appearance as there still hints of her being partly demon.

Because of that, Lysara hid her presence and found a female human from a distance… Swiftly, she killed the innocent and, took her skin and used it for herself.

Just like that, she became Lucy. It was the name of the woman from the memories she inherited. She was now a specter walking unnoticed among the unsuspecting populace.

Lucy's new life began in a sprawling city, a metropolis of steel and stone that rose defiantly against the encroaching darkness.

From her observation, this city was advancing quite rapidly…

Anyway, she had claimed the identity of a woman whose life she had extinguished—a necessary act to secure her cover.

The woman's form was now hers and with it, a stable place in the human world.

She wanted to ensure that she would be the one killing the Shadow Immortal. It doesn't matter how many years it would take. She would have to do this slowly but surely!

'Should I act as an Arcanist…' Lucy mused before she started wondering the city.

The city was a marvel, a fortress of civilization protected by beings of metal—Androids, they were called.

These Metal Golems patrolled the streets, their eyes aglow with vigilance, their bodies impervious to the claws and fangs of the lesser demons that dared to breach the city's defenses.

"Those things… What in the world are they?!" Lucy murmured the first time she witnessed the Androids in action. Their efficiency was a thing of beauty, a dance of destruction that left no demon standing. It was clear that these creations were not to be underestimated.

A horde of about 3,000 flying demons was actually defeated by the Androids from below with their weapons!

'I need to know more how they're doing this…' Lucy clenched her fist as she spoke. Although she could destroy those metal golems, it would barely hurt the human Realm since she knew that they could just mass-produce these moving metals!

She would have to find a way for low-ranking demons to have a chance against them! After all, she couldn't reveal herself because of the Shadow Immortal!

'No… That's a job for someone else. I'll just focus on targeting the Shadow Immortal… I have to understand this world and adapt completely… I need a perfect guise!' Lucy reminded herself.

Just like that, several days had passed.

Lucy blended with the people. She adopted the routines of the woman she had replaced, learning her habits, her connections, and her place in the intricate web of human society.