Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy Chapter 1167: Unexpected Audience

Looking at Cassian, Selene hesitated for a moment...

Their official classes at the Academy hadn't even commenced, yet they already found themselves entangled in a confrontation.

"This is premature. We haven't even attended our first lecture," she whispered softly to Cassian.

Cassian let out a slow breath. "If we back down now, they will interpret our refusal as a sign of weakness."

Detecting their uncertainty, the leader of the opposing group let out a broad smirk. "Precisely. Unless, of course, you are terrified. Scared that those prayers of yours won't hold up against actual spells? How pathetic..."

The mocking words directed at her church caused Selene’s cheerful aura to vanish instantly. Her demeanor shifted into something far sharper. "We are not afraid."

Seeing Selene finally adopt a serious attitude, a small smile played on Cassian’s lips.

While the church had only instructed them in three foundational spells, that did not mean their capabilities were on par with the other children.

Their innate talent, precise control, elemental affinity, and overall skill level far surpassed the other young Arcanists raised by the church. There was a specific reason the two of them had been sent to this Academy...

"Very well. We accept the challenge. However, it must take place on the practice grounds, strictly following the Academy’s regulations."

The four disciples belonging to the Liquidator Order traded satisfied looks.

The leader, in particular, couldn't hide his delight.

"Excellent. Let us see if the Church’s path can truly compete with ours. Hans, Tim... the two of you should be more than enough to handle this."

The two disciples felt a surge of excitement; they were eager to demonstrate that their Order possessed the superior Mystic Arts.

The two groups began their trek toward the training area together...

The thick tension radiating from them was impossible to ignore, drawing the curiosity of nearby students.

Rumors traveled like wildfire as onlookers identified the factions backing the students.

It seemed the initial clash between the Church and the Liquidators was set to occur before the school term had even officially started.

***

The practice grounds of Marshall Academy were vast in scale...

The area was easily large enough to accommodate hundreds of students training simultaneously.

It was an expansive open space, marked by visible Formation Nodes positioned at various corners.

Though the specific nature of the protective runes was unknown to them, they were certain that only an Immortal possessed the power to cause real damage to this site.

Students frequently utilized this space to test the limits of their spells, and a few upperclassmen were currently engaged in their own drills.

Cassian and Selene took their positions opposite Hans and Tim, the two representatives of the Order of the Illustrious Liquidator.

Their leader grew even more animated as he noticed the growing crowd of spectators.

They hadn't come to the Academy solely for an education; they were here to prove that their organization was far more formidable than anyone realized.

If they performed well, they might even convince other Mystic Arts Practitioners to join their Order!

Ardan, a second-year student, arrived to investigate the source of the commotion.

He carried an intimidating aura, and his emblem identified him as a practitioner of the Dark Arts. The crowd instinctively parted to let him through. He looked at the two groups with a raised eyebrow. "A duel before the first day? How intriguing. I shall serve as the arbiter. Since your spells and defenses are likely both weak, this needs proper supervision. This is a two-on-two match, correct? You will fight until one side surrenders or is incapacitated. Do we have an agreement?"

Cassian gave a firm nod. "Agreed."

"Agreed," Hans said with a grin. "But let’s increase the stakes with a wager."

Selene’s brow furrowed. "What sort of wager?"

Tim smirked at them. "The defeated party must publicly admit, right here, that their faction’s teachings are inferior. No excuses allowed."

The surrounding crowd began to whisper at the boldness of such a demand.

Cassian’s jaw tightened in response. "Fine. But when you lose, you will be the ones making that confession."

Ardan let out a small chuckle. "Very well. Let us begin. Move into the circle."

As the four students stepped into the dueling ring, the protective runes began to glow softly, signaling the activation of the formations.

Each of them possessed the Arcane Protection natural to all Arcanists. However, that defense wasn't sturdy enough to fully block Arcane Spells of an equivalent level, making the training ground’s additional rune protection necessary.

Ardan raised his hand to signal the start of the bout.

"Begin."

Hans moved first, invoking **Piercing Ray**, one of the Order’s three foundational spells.

A narrow, concentrated beam of light shot forward with high precision, aimed squarely at Cassian’s chest.

Reacting instantly, Cassian raised his hand to manifest his own counter-spell.

As **Spirit Veil** was triggered, a shimmering, translucent barrier appeared, absorbing the light ray and neutralizing it completely.

Typically, Spirit Veil wasn't utilized in this manner. However, at the exact moment of contact, Cassian used his internal Mystic Energy to cause the Spirit Veil to implode, rendering the incoming spell useless.

This specific skill made him unique; he possessed the ability to manipulate his spells to their absolute maximum potential.

The crowd began to murmur, growing excited by the display of skill from the young students.

Tim immediately followed up with a spell of his own.

**Binding Seal** was cast beneath Selene’s feet, causing glowing chains of light to rise and attempt to snare her. Selene simply smirked and countered with **Resonant Pulse**.

A burst of vibrating energy radiated outward, shattering the light chains before they could tighten around her.

"What? That’s impossible!" Tim was stunned, knowing that a standard Resonant Pulse shouldn't have the power to break his seal.

What Tim didn't realize was that Selene hadn't cast a single pulse—it was a layered technique.

She had actually triggered three separate pulses with only a fraction of a second between them!

The resulting ripple surged across the floor, forcing Tim to stumble backward to keep his balance.

Selene mocked him with a smirk. "Your seals are quite brittle, aren't they?"

Feeling humiliated, Tim clenched his fists. "You won't be smiling when **Searing Flash** burns through your veil."

He raised his hand, summoning an intense, compact flame that roared toward them.

While the fire wasn't intended to be lethal—as the protective formations would intervene—it was hot enough to easily shatter a weak defense.

***

Meanwhile, as the intensity of the duel climbed, a silver fox with three tails appeared near the edge of the grounds, drawing the gaze of everyone except the four combatants on stage!