Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

The elderly gentleman was apparently undaunted by the formidable assault of the Divine Lightning.

He remained composed while patting his robe, displaying an unwavering calm that belied the sheer force he had just withstood.

Eustace, in turn, couldn't help but take a deep breath. He knew that he himself would have struggled to emerge unscathed from such a powerful attack.

As the dissipating haze revealed the old man's countenance, Eustace discerned that the latter either bore the impairment of blindness or deliberately concealed his eyes behind a dark blindfold.

'Where did this blind old man come from?' Eustace mused as he remained vigilant.

Clad in a black robe adorned with intricate rune circles, and wielding a staff suggestive of a potent Runic Weapon, the old man exuded an unmistakable aura imbued with sanctity and power.

'A Runecaster with a Holy Aura?' Eustace pondered, perplexed by the enigma presented before him.

Although he could perceive the radiance of the Holy Aura emanating from the old man, he remained uncertain whether it derived from yet another Rune Art or from the old man's own power.

Eustace exercised caution and refrained from activating his Divine Sense. He was worried that the old man possessed a higher level of mastery of the Divine Sense.

If that was the case, the old man could easily detect his spell.

Nonetheless, he remained secure in the knowledge that his own Half-Celestial Physique would effectively thwart any attempt by the old man to probe his Divine Sense.

"Tell me, what do you want?" Eustace inquired, deliberately modulating his voice with a touch of mystery through Voice Manipulation Spell. Well, he was seeking to maintain an air of intrigue as he was portraying a different identity.

"Mhmm... You're wearing the Devil's Face, crafted by the Church of the Three Paragons… So, you are the Masked Devil Incarnate I've heard about? Intriguing..." The old man responded, evading Eustace's question as he scrutinized the disguised young man even if he was blindfolded.

Frustrated by the old man's evasiveness, Eustace resolved to take action.

With a deft gesture, he summoned two additional Moonlight Specters, bolstering his forces.

"Let's see how strong you are."

Eustace then commanded the spectral entities to attack the enigmatic figure before him.

Whoosh~

As his Moonlight Specters surged forward, the old man swiftly raised his staff, unleashing a torrent of holy energy, forming a protective barrier around him.

'A Priest using a Runic Weapon?' Eustace mused as he realized the true path of the old man from the clash.

The Specters' ethereal forms collided with the barrier, but the barrier held firm, repelling the spectral assailants effortlessly.

Crash~ Crash~

The Moonlight Specters didn't give up as they continued expanding their energy of corruption.

"I finally recalled these entities. They're Moonlight Specters. It's a a Fusion of Three Advanced Realm Dark Spells. So you're really Dark Magician imitating a different Arcane Path with that Lightning?" The old man muttered.

Eustace ignored the enemy's words as he commanded the Specters to regroup, their haunting wails reverberating through the air as they prepared for another assault.

Meanwhile, the old man, his blindfold now undulating with a faint, otherworldly glow, seemed to be invoking a complex incantation, the runes on his staff pulsating with an ominous radiance.

As the Specters lunged once more, the old man's staff erupted with a blinding burst of light, propelling a wave of energy that rent the spectral entities asunder, dissipating them into nothingness.

'So strong?!'

Eustace gritted his teeth, as he didn't expect that those Specters would be killed so easily.

Nevertheless, he still found an opportunity from this clash.

He focused on his target as he triggered his Darkness Manipulation.

Dark tendrils snaked forth from his outstretched hand, ensnaring the old man in an inky embrace. The old man, momentarily caught off guard, struggled against the binding darkness, but Eustace immediately triggered his Extraction System.

Eustace, his heart pounding, sought to capitalize on the fleeting advantage he had gained. However, something unexpected happened.

[ Living Human has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]

"Yes…"

[ Extraction Failed ]

"W-what?!" Eustace was confused as his Extraction System would never fail him unless his target had already been extracted.

However, he had certainly never extracted this elder!

As Eustace grappled with his bewilderment over the unexpected turn of events, the old man reemerged behind him, catching him off guard.

"My clone was obliterated by those dark tendrils just from being touched... That's quite a dangerous move, young man." The old man remarked, leaving Eustace momentarily startled.

Then, just as the old man reached out to lay a hand on Eustace's shoulder, a female Dark Spirit materialized from Eustace's shadow, swiftly swatting the old man's hand away with a resounding slap.

Pah!

The force of the blow sent the old man stumbling backward, allowing Eustace the opportunity to create some distance between them.

Despite his formidable physique and current strength, Eustace was alarmed at the old man's palm strike. It was evident that the old man possessed a technique or spell that posed a genuine threat to his life.

In the meantime, the enemy was similarly startled.

"A spirit unaffected by Holy Aura? A Dark Spirit?" The old man mused, visibly taken aback. He had been convinced of his imminent victory and had intended to interrogate the Masked Devil Incarnate.

He was already planning to remove the mask and see the man's face.

However, the sudden appearance of the Dark Spirit had thrown him off balance. According to his knowledge, Dark Spirits were bound solely to the Vermont Family, renowned for their unparalleled mastery of spirit manipulation, far surpassing the Featherstar Family in this regard.

Fascinated by the unexpected revelation, the old man couldn't help but ponder.

"Interesting... So, the Masked Devil Incarnate is most likely from the Vermont Family… This is a huge discovery. You appear so youthful... not even 30 years old, yet you command a potent Dark Spirit without losing your sanity. I can't think of another reason aside from being a descendant of the Vermont Family."