Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy Chapter 1196: The Advancement

"This..."

Lisa had already ascended six steps, each pacing more weight upon her vampiric essence. It was more than a mere physical burden; it felt as though the Tower itself was stripping away her limitations, scrutinizing her bloodline piece by piece.

Suddenly, her surroundings shifted. The stone staircase dissolved into a thick fog, leaving Lisa standing within a corridor of undulating shadows. The walls throbbed like living tissue, and she felt a strange distortion deep within her gut. Ahead, the seventh step emitted a faint glow, though it no longer appeared to be made of stone...

Then, the world returned to normal...

"What the heck is that?" Lisa muttered, unable to comprehend her own actions. It felt as if the Tower was simply testing her mental fortitude to see if she would descend into madness!

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she pressed forward on her journey...

She came to the realization that this staircase likely constituted the trial of the eighth floor itself.

Once this thought took root, Lisa finally regained her composure.

'This is just a test.'

Upon reaching the seventh step, her vision grew hazy. She saw a reflection of herself as a mortal girl—weak, fragile, and subjected to the mockery of figures she had known since childhood...

She clenched her fists at the insults, forcing the hallucination to shatter. It was undeniably true... without Vale’s assistance, she would never have attained this level of power.

Even so, she held the conviction that she was the chosen one. She deserved this destiny, even if it wasn't originally meant for her.

With that resolve, she conquered several more steps...

On the eighth step, her very blood began to sear. She felt her vampiric essence being siphoned away, as if the Tower was demanding she renounce her lineage. Biting her lip until it bled, she used that spark of crimson to flare her aura back to life.

On the ninth step, the atmosphere grew heavy with a suffocating aura, making her feel as though she were drowning...

The voices of Chad, Magnus, and her former classmates echoed in her ears, branding her the weakest and claiming she was unworthy to stand among them. A surge of fury ignited in her veins.

"I don’t need your approval. I will carve my own place."

On the tenth step, shadow beasts emerged from the walls, their fangs glistening with venom. They lunged at her, shredding her cloak. However, Lisa fought back with ferocity, her eyes burning with killing intent until the creatures dissolved into nothingness.

On the eleventh step, her pulse began to falter. The Tower attempted to halt her blood flow and freeze her essence. She forced her vampiric regeneration to kick in, her Divinity providing the strength to persevere...

'This is becoming far more perilous than I anticipated...' Lisa thought, remembering the numerous warnings she had received regarding this Tower.

After all, even Sreas the Asura would usually only remain around the sixth floor.

Nevertheless, she knew she had to endure this if she wished to grow stronger.

Lisa paused to recover her strength before continuing her ascent.

On the twelfth step, she was confronted by an illusion of Magnus, the Human Immortal. He wore a sorrowful smile, looking down at her with a sense of pity.

Lisa gritted her teeth in defiance.

"You think you’re stronger than me? You’re not. You’re just afraid," Lisa roared, striking the phantom down.

On the thirteenth step, the entire staircase shuddered violently. Blood began to seep from the walls, forming downward-flowing rivers. Lisa braced herself against the torrent...

"Blood is not weakness. Blood is power," she whispered, wrapping herself in the liquid as if undergoing a baptism.

On the fourteenth step, her reflection appeared once more, but it was a horrific sight. Her wings were mangled, her fangs dripped with gore, and her eye sockets were hollowed out as if her eyes had been forcibly removed...

The creature screamed and charged at her.

'No... I will not fight you...'

Sensing no genuine killing intent, Lisa realized the figure wasn't there to cause her harm. She didn't draw her weapon; instead, she opened her arms and embraced the monstrosity, absorbing the shadow into her own body.

Whoosh~

As the figure vanished and her body surged with newfound strength, she knew she had found the correct answer.

'This is it...' Lisa thought, her determination reaching a new peak.

On the fifteenth step, the flow of time slowed to a crawl. She witnessed centuries of vampires who had come before her, all of whom had failed and perished. She ground her teeth together, understanding the message the Tower was sending...

"I will not be another forgotten name," Lisa muttered quietly.

On the sixteenth step, her aura suddenly plummeted. She quickly realized the Tower was demanding a sacrifice. Slicing her palm, she allowed her blood to splash onto the stone. The staircase absorbed the offering and began to glow with increased intensity.

Just like that, the path of the Vampire Immortal became clearer in her mind...

On the seventeenth step, her limbs trembled. Every frailty she had ever possessed—hunger, doubt, and fear—weighed heavily upon her.

"I accept them... but they will not define me."

On the eighteenth step, the environment was bathed in golden light. A holy radiance pierced the room, searing her vampiric essence.

It felt as though the light was trying to incinerate her...

She screamed against the brilliance but forced herself to move forward. She had to prove she could withstand even the most sacred of lights.

'That’s it... A Vampire Immortal who does not fear Holy Light!' Lisa realized.

Having survived the radiance, Lisa felt her confidence swell.

On the nineteenth step, a profound silence descended. She felt entirely hollow—no blood, no aura, and no physical strength remained. It was the void of absolute death.

'What is the meaning of this?'

Closing her eyes, she thought of the students she had promised to protect and the friends she wished to stand beside as an equal. "I will live for them," she whispered. At those words, her essence flared back to life.

She remembered her own death and her resurrection from a single droplet of blood. In those few moments, she entered a state of profound enlightenment...

Losing track of time, she eventually regained her senses and found herself standing upon the twentieth and final step.

This time, no new horrors awaited her.

The stairs opened into a massive hall. At the center sat a golden chalice adorned with rubies, filled with a shimmering crimson fluid.

Then, a voice echoed...

"You have endured the trials. You have faced despair, hunger, weakness, and doubt. Drink, and your bloodline shall ascend."

Lisa picked up the chalice, mesmerized by its crimson glow.

It appeared perfect. The aroma of the blood was intoxicating and ancient, promising a level of power beyond her wildest dreams. Her hands shook as she raised the cup to her lips.

But then, she froze.

Her intuition screamed a warning. This was the Dark Arts Tower, a sanctuary for all practitioners of shadow and forbidden paths, not merely vampires. Why would there be a prize so perfectly tailored to her specific bloodline? Why would the Tower provide something so convenient and alluring?

It was far too perfect to be real...

'Is this...'

Lisa lowered the cup, her mind racing. "No... this isn't a reward. It's just another test."

With a decisive movement, she hurled the chalice to the floor. It shattered into pieces, and the glowing liquid splashed across the stone.

The crimson fluid hissed and immediately evaporated into a mist.

The entire chamber began to vibrate.

A low rumble shook the Tower, signaling that the structure had recognized her decision.

"You have rejected false power. You have chosen truth. The trial is complete."

As the voice faded, the entire Tower began to convulse violently...

On the lower levels, students engaged in training were abruptly ripped from their meditation circles. The doors flew open, and one by one, the occupants were forcefully expelled from the Tower, tumbling out into the chilly night air...

Chaos erupted immediately.

"What just happened?"

"Why were we kicked out?"

"I wasn't done with my session!"

"Did the Tower... shut down?"

"What the hell?! Did I run out of Academic Points? I should still have ten hours left!"

"I want a refund! Why is it closing now? Was there unannounced maintenance?"

The crowd gathered at the base, staring up at the enigmatic Dark Arts Tower in shock...

The entrance was firmly sealed, and its palpable aura had vanished. Entry was impossible.

Fear and anger spread through the gathered students.

The Dark Arts Tower had always been accessible to anyone seeking power, provided they had the Academic Points. Its trials were thought to be eternal, aiding everyone in their Cultivation... But now, for the first time in its history, it had closed its doors.

Inside, Lisa was equally bewildered. The chamber began to dissolve as the walls melted into shadows. She tried to move, but her body felt incredibly heavy, and her essence was being pulled in every direction.

It felt as though she was being swallowed by the Tower itself!

"What... is going on?" she whispered.

Suddenly, the Tower’s voice spoke once more...

"You have been chosen. The Tower accepts you. You are no longer a visitor... You are part of it."

Her eyes went wide. She felt herself sinking, her aura fusing with the walls and her bloodline harmonizing with the Tower. She was being consumed, integrated into its very core.

"Wait... This isn't—"