Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Vale didn't bother leveling up the Ember Spirit as he was thinking that he'd just Fuse it to other Spells and waste its mastery.

Even if he had to increase its mastery for its Fusion, he wanted to ensure it wouldn't be too much. After all, not every Spell Fusion was like Moonlight Specter, which requires Advanced Realm Mastery.

Most of them don't even require any level of mastery at all!

Nevertheless, Vale didn't bother to increase the Ember Spirit's level since it only has to deal with Cursed Flame.

Whoosh~

The Ember Spirit observed the Cursed Flame for a fleeting moment before it sprang into action.

With a graceful wave of its hand, it began to dance in mid-air, its movements resembling an intricate ritual. As it swayed and twirled, radiant embers emerged from its form, weaving a mesmerizing pattern that seemed to draw the Cursed Flame into a meticulously crafted path.

Just like Vale's orders, it was trying to create a path!

Each fluid motion of the Ember Spirit brought forth a trail of shimmering embers, which wove and swirled in a hypnotic display. It then started guiding the malevolent black flames to part and create a passage for Pearl and Faith.

'As expected of the embodiment of Fire… Even the Cursed Flame can only obey its command… This is really intriguing.' Faith mused as she shifted her gaze to Vale.

'Even if Vale can practice several Arcane Arts, he still has to complete the Elemental Baptism to record the Elemental Spell Models. When did he have the time to conduct the Baptism?'

Faith couldn't help but wonder as she was also practicing different Arcane Arts.

She knew very well about the challenges of having multiple Spells from different paths since they would have plenty of requirements like the Baptism or the energy conversion to Elemental Energy to use Elemental Spells. After all, Dark Energy could not be used for Elemental Arts.

"Let's go!" Pearl suddenly spoke, interrupting her random thoughts.

"I'm coming!" Faith muttered as she also started moving. To be honest, she was thinking of just using a defensive spell to bypass the Cursed Flame a few moments ago.

However, as she passed through, she realized that the Cursed Flame could potentially heavily injure her if not for the Ember Spirit's assistance.

The black Cursed Flame had actually damaged her clothes and mystical artifacts even without making contact with it!

***

"An Ember Spirit?!" Magnus was shocked after seeing the small fire spirit that Vale had summoned.

Even if Magnus was extremely talented, as he could practice any Arcane Path, he was unable to complete the Spell Model of the Ember Spirit. It was because he didn't have the elemental affinity he needed to complete it.

'I have to kill it!'

Magnus knew the threat it could pose against his Cursed Flame. He had to kill it while it was still busy trying to control the Cursed Flame.

Magnus opened his Grimoire and was about to summon a creature that could help him fight against the Ember Spirit.

Yet Vale was swift to counter this interference.

Before Magnus could even summon a creature, Vale summoned two Shadow Soldiers from Magnus' own shadow, revealing a surprising mastery over both Elemental and Dark Arts.

"Dual Path Practitioner? You have an interesting ability, young man. So you can use both Elemental Arts and Dark Arts. Then, allow me to experience your Elemental and Dark Arts…" Magnus remarked as he kept his Grimoire and suppressed the Shadow Soldiers with his Dark Arts, the Spectral Hands.

Magnus's competitive spirit surged as he also decided to confront Vale using one of his Dark Spells…

The Spectral Hands then held the Shadow Soldiers tightly, and he looked at Vale with a satisfied smile.

"These Shadow Soldiers are a waste of Spell Light..." Magnus muttered before he triggered his Alchemy Spell.

Cursed Flame!

With a swift and purposeful display of power, he effortlessly destroyed the Shadow Soldiers that Vale had conjured, relying on the might of his Spectral Hands and the engulfing Cursed Flame.

"Those Shadow Soldiers are only a bit resilient... They must be at the Advanced Realm to endure 10 seconds in my flame…" Magnus commented, although he wasn't worried.

He was only a little surprised by their tenacity, having initially anticipated their swift demise within 3 or 4 seconds of exposure to the Cursed Flame.

Nevertheless, he knew that he still had better mastery and a set of Spells.

"You look like you're already celebrating…"

Vale couldn't help but chuckle at Magnus's assessment as he directed the Ember Spirit to take command of the Cursed Flame, enveloping him and redirecting it towards Magnus. With Faith and Pearl already departed, Vale was prepared to unleash his full capabilities.

"Hmph! That's my Alchemy Spell! Do you think you can wield it against me?!" Magnus retorted, summoning another surge of Cursed Flame and absorbing the Flame under the Spirit's control.

Puff~

He had dealt with it quite effortlessly.

However, unbeknownst to Magnus, Vale's keen perception, thanks to his Dragon's True Sight, had already pinpointed the old Arcanist's vulnerabilities.

Vale found three luminous points akin to cores or energy points. They glowed upon Magnus's forehead, chest, and abdomen, revealing potential weaknesses awaiting exploitation.

'The only problem is that he's wearing an armor that's probably a Royal Rank.' Vale mused as he realized what to do.

"Well, since you're adorned with numerous protective items... I have no choice but to make it easy with this Spell."

Shadow Mutilation!

The Spell swiftly homed in on its target—Magnus.

"Mhmm? What have you done? Is this a curse?" Magnus inquired, sensing the impact of the Spell, which managed to bypass his passive defensive artifacts due to its non-threatening nature and unprecedented speed.

He couldn't identify what it was, but it didn't seem to hurt him at all. He also couldn't feel the curse if it was.

Vale, however, had no inclination to provide an explanation to Magnus.

Instead, he summoned additional Shadow Soldiers to divert Magnus's attention as he focused on targeting Magnus's shadow.

With a deft activation of his Meridian Access, he enveloped his form in an encompassing Aura, fortifying his body…

"You haven't learned! These Shadow Soldiers are nothing against my Cursed Flame!" Magnus shouted as he summoned black flames from both of his hands.