Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

As the situation grew dire, the Vessels made a fateful decision.

They knew they had to unleash the power of the Arcana they had borrowed from the Dark Council, even if it meant sacrificing themselves in the process. This particular Arcana was revered as the pinnacle of magical artifacts among Arcanists, surpassing even the Sovereign Rank Artifacts in potency and mystique.

The Arcana they currently have, known as the Eternal Eclipse Prism, shimmered with an otherworldly radiance as it emerged from within the ranks of the Vessels.

This artifact, said to hold the essence of a cosmic event that transcended time and space, possessed the ability to bend reality itself to the wielder's will.

It was a power that none of them could imagine. However, they knew, as experienced Vessels for beings of other realms, that there were plenty of things they had no idea about. Their knowledge as Arcanists with short lifespans was simply not enough to learn all the mysteries of this world.

"Do not hesitate! Killing Azzak is our priority… If we let him escape, more Arcanists of our Path will die!" Tyler said as he encouraged his team.

As the Vessels unleashed the power of the Eternal Eclipse Prism, the very fabric of the battlefield began to warp and shift.

"Mhmm? A Sovereign Arifact? No… Is it an Immortal's Relic?" Azzak muttered.

But suddenly, his eyes narrowed… He felt an unprecedented power coming from it!

"So it was like that… Foolish…" Azzak muttered.

His disdain wasn't directed at the Vessels or the Arcanists. Instead, he referred to the Will of the Human Realm.

Apparently, the Demon Saints knew this item very well.

"It must be an Arcana then…"

It was a completely different tier of item that could only exist in this world of Arcanist!

It was something that was born from the Will of the Human Realm!

As a high-ranking Demon, he knew the process of invading another realm.

Once they had a clear location of the realm they would invade, they would have to slowly corrupt the mysterious Will or Protector of the Realm itself.

It was something that only the Demon Lord could do and had to do for centuries! Furthermore, it was something that could not be defended no matter how they tried.

However, the reaction of the Will of this Human Realm was quite different from that of other realms. Instead of fortifying itself to slow down its corruption and bring more time to its people, it decided to grant the people the Arcana!

It was a desperate gambit to tip the scales in their favor.

It was an item that exceeded the Sovereign Artifacts and matched the Immortal's Artifacts! There were even Arcana's mistaken as Immortal Items because of it!

Nonetheless, the Demon Saints knew that Immortal or Celestial Items required the Divinity to use its power to its full potential, while the Arcana, which could also work with Divinity, still required talent and acceptance of this realm to be fully utilized.

Even with that qualification, using it would still bring you closer to the Will of the Human Realm or death itself.

As Azzak realized that they were using the Arcana, he knew he had to be careful. After all, the Will of the Human Realm hated their kind to begin with!

As the Arcana activated, it felt as if reality twisted and contorted, creating a dazzling display of light and darkness that engulfed the Demon Saint in a maelstrom of chaotic energy.

"You dare attempt to obliterate me by crushing me into the void?" Azzak's mind seethed with defiance as he struggled against the powerful onslaught of the Arcana, his Corrupted Divinity flaring in a desperate bid for survival.

In a last-ditch effort to ward off the encroaching oblivion, he grasped for a bone unlike any other—a relic from a Dimensional Creature that exuded an aura of primal power.

With a primal roar, Azzak unleashed the latent energy within the mystical bone, creating a barrier of raw, chaotic energy that shielded him from the destructive forces of the Arcana.

The battlefield trembled as the clash between Arcana's Void and the power of the Dimensional Creature intensified, each blow resonating with massive force as Azzak fought tooth and nail to maintain his tenuous grasp on his existence.

"This… How are they so strong?" Azzak was confused.

He had no idea that, at this time, the Vessels were fully utilizing the beings they've called! Because of that, their control over the Arcana was stronger than ever!

The only problem with this was the fact that they could lose their sanity and belong to the existence they've summoned forever!

However, the Vessels didn't care about this at all!

Their only aim was to kill the Demon Saint!

"You're willing to sacrifice your lives for me? Hahaha! I'm honored!" Azzak laughed, but he was truly struggling this time.

His Corrupted Divinity doesn't work well against this attack.

Summoning Demon Fiends or other Demons wouldn't work as well.

Despite his valiant struggle, the Demon Saint found himself pushed to the brink of annihilation, his form flickering and fading amidst the unbridled energies that threatened to consume him.

With a final surge of willpower, Azzak unleashed a burst of malevolent energy. The Prism's hold wavered, granting him a fleeting escape. But the cost was steep—the mystical Dimensional Creature's bone shattered into countless pieces, its primal energy dissipating. Furthermore, Azzak's body bore the brunt of the backlash—internal injuries that gnawed at his very essence.

With a defiant roar, Azzak mustered the last reserves of his strength and plunged into the gaping maw of the Rift, a gateway to the Abyss Realm.

The fabric of reality quivered as he vanished into the shadows…

"He escaped…" Tyler sighed as he saw the Azzak escaping with heavy injuries.

***

The aftermath of Azzak's escape was a somber scene.

The battlefield lay littered with the fallen—Vessels who had paid the ultimate price for their desperate fight.

"Janeth, Wilson, and Ves…" Tyler muttered the names of the dead.

Their sacrifice weighed heavily on the survivors, their breaths ragged, eyes hollow.

Tyler, their firm leader, stood amidst the fallen, his gaze fixed on the Rift—the gateway through which the Demon Saint had vanished.

Three lives extinguished.

Three souls were claimed by the Arcana's insatiable hunger.

Haa~

Tyler sighed. He had anticipated this grim outcome—the cost of wielding such cosmic power.

The Prism, revered as the pinnacle of magical artifacts, had exacted its toll. But it had also granted them a chance—a slender thread of hope against a foe who wielded Corrupted Divinity.

As the Vessels mourned, a distant hum echoed across the battlefield. The air shimmered, and several Airships arrived.

None of them were worried as they simply glanced at the colossal airships approaching them.

Whoever they were, none of these Arcanists, who survived against the Demon Saints, would be scared.

As they got closer, however, Tyler recognized the group.

The Arcane Bureau had arrived.

Soon, a group of agents appeared to approach them.

They were a formidable force clad in obsidian robes, their insignia etched with ancient runes. They moved with purpose, their steps measured, eyes sharp.

They certainly looked at how the agents of the Bureau should look like. Furthermore, they seemed to have gained more authority during this Abyss Realm Invasion.

Director Selene, a Half-Immortal with silver hair and eyes like fractured moonlight, led the Bureau.

Tyler knew this woman as one of the Councils.

Her presence commanded respect since her knowledge spanned centuries. Beside her walked Captain Stone, another Half-Immortal—a warrior with a blade forged from metal that came from the sky. His gaze held the weight of countless battles.

"Secure the perimeter…" Selene ordered the agents, her voice unwavering.

"No one enters or exits this Rift without our clearance from now on."

The Bureau fanned out, their Arcanists scanning the Rift.

Soon, several agents brought some devices that seemed to allow them to reveal glimpses of the Abyss Realm through a mirror!

It was definitely a Mirror Spirit that was stronger than Mennena! The Spirit was surely above an Arch Fey!

The Vessels watched, their grief momentarily forgotten as they saw legions of Demons on the other side!

"Ahem… What happened here?" Selene's eyes bore into Tyler.

"The Arcana…"

Tyler recounted their desperate struggle—the Demon Saint, the Prism, the sacrifice. Selene listened, her expression unreadable.

Captain Thorne inspected the shattered Dimensional Creature's bone—a relic that pulsed with primal energy.

"This is interesting… It must be a Dimensional Creature…" He muttered.

"Azzak, huh…" Selene murmured.

"A Demon Saint of the Sixth Rank…"

As she said this, two people emerged close to the Rift using a mysterious movement technique.

It was the Arcane Bureau's Half-Immortals once again.

Seraphina and Lucian.

They were Half-Immortal but that doesn't mean they were Half-Humans!

Seraphina defied mortal conventions. She had wings that were ethereal as they shimmered with hues of moonlight and stardust.

Lucian, on the other hand, was completely opposite. Clad in shadow, he seemed to merge with the very darkness.

It was said that he was the strongest in the Bureau, as his strikes could sever souls from the flesh, leaving nothing but echoes in their wake.