Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

"Yes… I mentioned various reasons to my Demon Saints for invading this and that Realm… However, the true reason was to search for the power of Extraction..." The Demon Lord said as he looked at the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess.

His expression remained relaxed, as if he wasn't thinking too much about whatever the Fortune Goddess decided to do.

To be exact, it doesn't seem like he was worried even if the Fortune Goddess decided to fight right now!

"Will you really achieve your purpose here? What if you can't obtain that power? You're going to continue destroying this Realm like the others?" Lady Farath replied.

"Of course, not… If my clue is wrong once again, I'm simply planning to convert a million of the humans here to become Demons… Then we will transfer them to the Abyss Realm to replenish our forces…" The Demon Lord said with a hint of satisfaction on his face. It seemed as if he was so proud of his plan!

"What?" The Avatar was almost speechless at these absurd words.

"Hahaha… It's fine… The humans will easily reproduce, and your numbers will be back in no time. Don't think too much of it. I won't be targeting your believers, so you don't have to worry. Just pull out your forces so we don't lose our precious followers… Alright?" The Demon Lord added.

Lady Farah started hesitating. After all, this would completely benefit her.

She would be able to preserve her forces while the others would not. She would have a chance to recruit more followers as well and strengthen the faith she was receiving from her followers!

If her faithful followers had become unharmed throughout this Invasion, her influence would grow, and many humans would have converted to her faith!

Lastly, she would also gain the knowledge to obtain the mysterious power of the first Human Celestial!

After taking a deep breath, she replied.

"Then, tell me why you targeted this Human Realm too late? If you're searching for the power of the Human Celestial, shouldn't you target this Realm where he had possibly come from?" Lady Farah asked.

Although she doesn't know which Human Realm the first Human Celestial came from, her question should still make sense.

"As you know, there are plenty of Human Realms… However, they all lack the power to contain a fully Transcendent Being… So, we all believed that the power of Divine Extraction that only Transcendent Being could handle didn't originate from the Human Realm. Of course, I would target other higher realms that had a connection to the first Human Celestial. I thought they had given them that power to the humans. But I was completely wrong…"

The Demon Lord paused at this and decided not to continue with his story.

Lady Farah also didn't ask for him to continue as she already guessed a few things that had occurred during the Demon Lord's search for that power.

With a sigh, Lady Farah decided to strike a deal.

"Do not hurt any of my followers… Leave this Realm as soon as you find what you're looking for but make sure to inform me how you obtained it."

"Kukuku… You won't regret this, Goddess Ymera…" The Demon Lord said as he looked at Lady Farah with an enchanting gaze, as if trying to charm her.

Of course, he knew it would be ineffective, and Lady Farah also knew that he was simply unable to control his power.

With their accord struck, the Demon Lord vanished into the shadows, leaving Lady Farah alone with her thoughts.

The Demon Lord left the café and the Holy City.

Not a single trace of him could be found.

With their discussion, the city would remain untouched, its people safe from the Demon Lord's machinations—for now.

In return, the Church had to become observers of this Invasion.

***

It had only been about 30 minutes since the Demon Lord left.

The coffee shop, a picturesque scene of normality in the Holy City, was steeped in the rich aroma of roasted beans and the soft hum of quiet conversations.

Lady Farah, the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess, sat alone at her table. Her posture was relaxed, yet her mind was filled with various strategies that she might need to employ during this Abyss Invasion.

At this time, she had ordered a coffee, not out of thirst but as a ruse, a means to blend in with the mortals around her while she contemplated her next move.

As she took a sip, her eyes scanned the room, and she spoke into the apparent emptiness.

"I'm sure you listened to our conversation… I don't think the Demon Lord noticed your presence… I also don't think that the Demon Lord is still somewhere here… What do you think about our conversation?" Her words hung in the air, a silent invitation to the unseen.

From the corner of the shop, a man who had been enjoying a slice of cake stood up, his movements deliberate.

He made his way to Lady Farah's table and took the seat opposite her.

"Kyle Marshall…" she addressed him, a name that carried the weight of secrets and shadows.

Indeed, the man was Vale Chambers, known in the continent as the Shadow Immortal, but to a select few, he was Kyle Marshall.

The revelation of his true name sent a jolt of surprise through him, a testament to the Fortune Goddess's far-reaching sight.

'Well, she's a goddess… It should be normal for her to know my name. She'll look pathetic if she can't even tell my real name.' Kyle mused as he observed the appearance of the Fortune Goddess' Avatar.

Before the encounter with the Demon Lord, Lady Farah had actually summoned him through an oracle, compelling him to hasten to the coffee shop with one of his Avatars.

Anyway, he understood that the Avatar of the Fortune Goddess possessed the means to uncover his true name but she couldn't tell that he possessed the the Divine Extraction System!

'Wait… Are they even referring to my Divine Extraction?' Kyle silently thought as he took a deep breath.

This wasn't important right now. After all, even if he knew that they were searching for his system, he could do nothing about it.

Instead, he had to deal with the most important matter right now.

"Are you really going to abandon—No, to sacrifice the humans who are not your followers?" Kyle asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and accusation.

Although her Church hates the Dark Arts, he thought that she was still a benevolent goddess who would protect the humans from Demons!

After all, her followers were the masters of the Holy Arts!

Lady Farah didn't immediately reply and looked at Kyle helplessly.

"Life is cruel, Kyle… I can only hope that you can stop the Demon Lord from his plans…" Lady Farah whispered, her tone resigned yet laced with an undercurrent of pragmatism.

Kyle's gaze hardened. "You ask me to stop the Demon Lord, yet you're willing to let innocents suffer for your own gain. Isn't that hypocritical?"

Lady Farah met his gaze unflinchingly. "Sometimes, to protect the many, we must make sacrifices. Besides, my main body isn't here. But you, Kyle, you have the power to change the course of this story. You can confront the Demon Lord, thwart his plans without the need for such sacrifices. I may not know how you obtained the blessing of the Spirit World and obtained such immense power, but I believe that there's a reason why you're here… It is to protect this Human Realm."

Kyle leaned back, considering her words.

He was astounded at this lady. She was surely being too shameless… She even brought up the blessing of the Spirit World, which doesn't exist, and made him like some sort of a fated hero.

"And what of you? Will you just watch from the sidelines as I risk everything?" Kyle asked.

"I will do what I must to protect my followers and this city…" She asserted. "But I cannot act openly against the Demon Lord without risking greater conflict. You, however, operate in the shadows and completely against the Demons from the very beginning. You can move against him in ways I cannot."

She then stopped for a moment as if she recalled something…

"Right… You also had conflicts with Halvor, the Eminence of the Sea… He might also join the Demon Lord to attack you, so be careful."

"Hey… Isn't that too petty? Why would he do that?"

"Heh~ You should have a better grasp about the current situation of this Realm… If you're still unaware, Halvor is neither good or bad… He just had a very different view about the future of this Realm. You can call him eccentric if you may."

"What?" Kyle frowned at this.

However, he still nodded slowly, understanding the role he was being asked to play.

After chatting for a bit more to get more information about the other deities like the three Paragons, Kyle finally felt satisfied.